Resurrection:

While we are still in this tent we groan…

longing to be further clothed.

 (Second Corinthians 5:4)

That last post, about growth of our soul versus growth of our bodies, wasn’t altogether honest. I’m still not at ease about my best ball lying behind me. What we really long for is bodies that hold up for the long haul—like eternity.

Body and soul can’t be so easily separated. What’s going on in my soul can’t help but show up in my body and what’s going on in my body reflects on my soul. Without my body, I’m no longer me. That must be what the Apostle means when he says, “We don’t want to be unclothed but further clothed” (2Cor 5:4). It’s strange language, isn’t it? This talk of our tent, our nakedness and our being further clothed.

It’s against my way to paraphrase—the Apostle has a right to his own strange language; but, this morning, I’ll break my rules and give it a try (2Cor 5:1-5):

We know that these earthly bodies of ours will not last. That’s why we groan. Nor do we want to be just naked souls floating about. That’s not what we long for. But rather, we long to be further clothed with new bodies fit for Glory. God has prepared for us this very thing. Meanwhile, God gives us the Spirit as a guarantee that it’s really so.

I don’t mean to presume on the sacred text—as if I could say it better. I’m sure we’ve lost something. There’s always more. That’s why we come back to the text again and again. But for this morning, maybe it’s okay to reimagine the text something like I’ve paraphrased.

Without my body, I’m not me. That’s why naked, floating about souls won’t do. We long to be further clothed. That’s how our confession goes: “I believe in …the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting.” Life everlasting wouldn’t be much fun if we didn’t have resurrected bodies fit for eternity. The whole universe—the whole of creation is in on it (Ro 8:22-23):

Creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay

and will obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.

Creation has been groaning in labor pains until now;

and not only the creation, but we ourselves groan inwardly

while we wait for the redemption of our bodies.

Our new bodies require a new creation. That’s why we await “a new heaven and a new earth” (Rv 21:1). Between now and then, “God gives us the Spirit as a guarantee that it’s really so.”

Growth:

Grow in the grace and knowledge

Of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

(Second Peter 3:18)

I’ve been thinking about growth. My growth. There’s a certain sadness about how my best ball is behind me. I’ll never shoot better baskets, or strike a better golf ball. My best game does not await me—it’s back there somewhere.

I thought about it last week while watching our grandchildren play basketball—the beauty of their movements and the development of their game. They keep getting better and better. That must be what Solomon had in mind when he tells us to “enjoy our youth while we have it, before the days of trouble come” (Ecc 11&12). Youth is beautiful. Now I get what my dad meant when he would say, “It’s a shame to waste youth on youth.”

There’s a danger, in our latter life, of becoming cynical and gloomy. In short, to lose heart. So, this morning, I listened again to the Apostle’s encouragement “not to lose heart. For even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day” (2Cor 4:16).

I’m starting to feel better already. There’s plenty of room in one’s big roomy young soul to grow day by day “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2Pt 3:18).

Two questions come to mind: 1) How does one grow inwardly day by day? And, 2) What difference, in my life, would such inward growth make? “Let people observe your progress” (1Tm 4:15), writes the Apostle. Inward progress and growth is observable—something folks notice.

Back to our grandchildren’s basketball games last week. I noticed how their game is improving day by day. They are moving the ball better. They are shooting better. They are beginning to understand some of the subtle nuances of the game like setting screens, moving without the ball, and filling the lanes. Could one notice spiritual progress “in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2Pt 3:18)? What would such inner spiritual growth look like?

Maybe one would notice he’s becoming more and more gracious—not so cynical. And, maybe one would observe that Christ still fascinates him—he’s not bored with the gospel.

A Good Theological Conversation:

“Let us not be ashamed to be ignorant…”

(John Calvin’s Institutes III.xxi.2)

A few nights back, Linda and I attended a book signing party at Inklings for Roy Goble celebrating the publication of his new book Salvaged. It took some doing. When the time came to go, we didn’t feel like going. Nevertheless, we did say “Yes” to the invitation, so we gathered our wits and made our way to the gathering. As often happens, once we were there, it was all good. Roy was good. The book was good. But, most of all, the people were good—good to be with, good to see, and good “to talk with face to face,” as the Apostle likes to say (2&3Jn).

George, for example, I hadn’t seen for a spell. As we talked face to face, the conversation drifted into his reading Calvin’s commentary on Isaiah, of all things! He was surprised by Calvin’s humility and his emphasis on the workings of the Holy Spirit. We discussed how Calvinist can appear spiritless and mechanical, but not so with Calvin.

That surprising Calvin conversation lingers. Why was our Calvin discussion so delightful? How is it that our theological conversations, that can turn argumentative and contentious, became on that night, so free and fun?

Maybe it’s the simple humanness of Calvin. Theology is, after all, a human endeavor. God doesn’t do theology. Mortals do. God just Is and Does: “I AM Who I AM”; or, just “I AM” for short (Ex 3). Since God doesn’t do theology, all theology is the doing of humans and thus flawed as all mortals are (1Cor 13:12-13):

For now we see through a glass darkly,

        but then we will see face to face.

Now I know only in part; then I will know fully,

        even as I have been fully known.

And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three;

        and the greatest of these is love.

Even though we “see through a glass darkly”; nevertheless, theology remains a noble and honorable task. As the wisest of mortals puts it (Pr 25:22):

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter;

      to search out a matter is the glory of kings.

That’s what theologian do—they “search out a matter.” Like Mary, the mother of our Lord, who “treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Lk 2:19). Mary models how the church does theology: we ponder the words of Scripture and the Word made flesh in Jesus Christ. If anyone could make big claims, Mary could; but, she ponders.

The whole of it is always hidden in God himself. That’s why our best theologians, like John Calvin, encourage us “not to be ashamed to be ignorant of something, wherein there is a certain learned ignorance” (John Calvin’s Institutes III.xxi.2). When we acknowledge “a certain learned ignorance”; we are free for good and enriching theological conversation.

Church as Chosen Lady #7 of 7:

Her House with Seven Crafted Pillars

(Proverbs 9:1)

We can’t leave John’s Chosen Lady with six posts. That’s not a good number. Seven is a good number, like those “seven crafted pillars” that adorn the house of Lady Wisdom (Pr 9). For the ancients, columns or pillars can’t just hold stuff up, they have to hold things up with elegance and beauty like those columns of the Parthenon.

From time to time, the church has sought to fill in Lady Wisdom’s pillars with “seven virtues” or “seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.”  Peter started it with his lists of seven virtues to support our faith: “     Support your faith with

1.         good character, and good character with

2.         knowledge, and knowledge with

3.         self-discipline, and self-discipline with

4.         patience, and patience with

5.         reverence, and reverence with

6.         human affection, and human affection with

7.         agape love.
For if these things are yours and are increasing among you, they keep you from being ineffective and unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ” (2 Pt 1:5-8).

Such qualities, Peter urges us, are to increase “among you”—among the believing congregation; to keep the church “from being ineffective”. I’m hesitant to mess with the Apostle’s list of virtues—as if I could improve on it. However, maybe it’s okay to come up with a different kind of list—a list of adornments. Seven ornaments that make the gospel attractive, like those seven pillars that make Lady Wisdom’s house inviting. Let’s start with “the greatest of these”:

                        1.         Love, by which all people will know we are followers of Christ (Jn 13:35)

                        2.         Joy, “joy in the Holy Spirit” (Ro 14:17)

                        3.         Peace, an irenic “peace that passes understanding” (Phl 4:7)

                        4.         Graciousness, “forgiving one another, as Christ has forgiven you” (Eph 4:32)

                        5.         Generosity, “be generous and eager to share” (1Tm 6:18)

                        6.         Blessedness, “blessed are the merciful…” (Mt 5)

                        7.         Song, “singing to the Lord with all your hearts” (Eph 5:19)

When one sees love, joy, peace, graciousness, generosity, blessedness, and hears the congregation singing songs of praise and adoration; there is beauty and wonder that passersby can’t help but notice. As Anne Lamott puts it: “It was the singing that pulled me in and split me wide open” (Traveling Mercies, p. 47). There’s something beautiful about the Chosen Lady.

Church as Chosen Lady #6 of 7

Adorn the Doctrine

(Titus 2:10)

Still thinking about that Chosen Lady of Second John. She’s not the Bride of Christ “adorned for her husband” for which “the marriage supper of the Lamb” is prepared in Glory (Rv 19). She’s a different woman—more earthy. She’s a woman with children and an extended family of sisters, nieces and nephews. The Chosen Lady is part of a big, earthy, ruckus “family of faith” (Gal 6:10).

Maybe we best think of the Bride of Christ as an allegory of the universal church of all times and all places anticipating the wedding festival that awaits us in Glory (Rv 19). Maybe our Chosen Lady serves as an allegory for the local church gathered in a particular time and place—like Austin or Chula Vista or Pleasanton.  

Both are adorned. That is, there is something beautiful, elegant and attractive about our Chosen Lady. The Apostle encourages us to conduct ourselves in such a way that the church “adorns the doctrine of God our Savior” (Tit 2:10). Apparently, doctrines needs to be adorned. Of itself, doctrine can be a cold and academic affair. The church, at its best, adorns and beautifies “the doctrine of God our Savior.”

Much is made of crafting a local church mission statement. It’s hard to beat our risen Lord’s mission for us to “make disciples of all nations” (Mt 28:19). That’s good. That’s why church mission statements often feature words like “discipleship” or “discipling”. I get leery when a word like “discipling”, if it is a word, turns into a particular church program, rather than simply following Jesus and being attentive to his teaching.

Besides, whatever the church teaches, it requires “adorning”. Without adorning, our teaching becomes cold and spiritless data. I’ve noticed, that without such adorning, discipling never works. Where the chosen lady takes form, discipleship seems to follow naturally. So, how about this… “To be the chosen lady that adorns the doctrine of God our Savior.”  I like that.

Church as Chosen Lady #5 of 7:

Jesus Christ has Come in the Flesh

(Second John vs 7)

Still can’t leave Second John. At least one more post. That gets us to five—a better number than four, don’t you think? I keep thinking about those deceptive teachers making their way towards the chosen lady. If they have their way, John warns, the chosen lady will no longer be the chosen lady. When does the church become something other than the church?

For John, it happens whenever we fail to “confess that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh” (vs 7). We might think the greater concern would be the failure to confess that Jesus is Immanuel—God with us. John’s hymnic prelude to his Gospel lifts up praise to the wonder of Christ’s divinity and humanity:

 In the beginning was the Word,

      and the Word was with God,

      and the Word was God…  (Jn 1:1-4).

That’s the opening stanza of the hymn most likely sung in those house churches—those chosen ladies, pastored by John the Elder. The third and final stanza is the one threatened by those deceptive teachers making their way toward the chosen lady. This is the stanza the deceptive teachers refused to sing:

The Word became flesh and lived among us,

      we have seen his glory,

The glory of the One and Only of the Father

      full of grace and truth.

From his fullness we have all received,

      grace on top of grace (Jn 1:14-16).

The second stanza, the one in between the first and last, is about us (Jn 1:12-13):

All who receive him,

      who believed in his name,

      he gave power to become children of God…

That’s us. We need both stanzas; the first about Christ eternal divinity, and the second, about his actual humanity. The first stanza, of itself, won’t get us there. We need, as John tells the chosen lady, that final stanza praising the wonder of how “the Word became flesh and lived among us.” As Gregory of Nazianzen, one of those early church fathers (4^th cent.) taught us: “That which is not assumed cannot be healed." Meaning, whatever part of humanity that the Eternal Word has not taken on, has not been saved, salvaged, healed.

This Christ of our flesh, is too thick and real and earthy for those deceptive teachers. They prefer a thin, wispy Jesus—a Christ that’s not so thick and real. It’s our real, flesh and bones Jesus that salvages the whole of us and makes us real.

The incarnation not only salvages the whole of us, but the whole of creation. We can never view God’s creation apart from Christ and how he became flesh and lived among us. As the hymn goes:

For dear to God is the earth Christ trod.

No place but is holy ground (Last lines of This is My Father’s World).

Church as Chosen Lady #4 of 7:

Beyond the Teaching of Christ

(Second John vs 9)

John writes because the love and truth of the Chosen Lady that has brought so much joy to her children is now at risk by a deceptive teaching that is making its way from house church to house church; and, is now heading her way. John tips them off to this deception which teaches…

            a. that Christ has not really come in the flesh; and,

            b. that they know a truth “beyond the teaching of Christ.” (vss 7-11)

They claim to know of a bigger and better Christ than this Christ of flesh—this Christ of Christmas Morning.

John calls their teaching “deceptive” (v 7) because it appears to be more spiritual (no carnal flesh involved) and to take us to a higher consciousness (no cross to bear). Their Christ is too spiritual and too enlightened to get tangled up in flesh. Their Christ just pretends to be a man, but isn’t really. He pretends to suffer the terror of death, but doesn’t really, actually, die on a cross. Their Christ is above all that. John calls their Christ the “antichrist” (v 7). Their Christ is a different Christ than the Christ of the gospel.

My mind drifts back to Lady Wisdom with her “seven crafted pillars” calling whosoever will to eat at her table spread with bread and wine. Yet, at the same time, there is that other woman who…

Sits at the door of her house,

      on a seat at the high places of the town,

      calling to those who pass by…

"Stolen water is sweet,

      and bread eaten in secret is pleasant."

      But her guests descend into darkness (Pr 9:13-18).

That other voice is always present. It will not go away this side of Glory. Neither John nor Solomon suggest it can be removed. We are simply warned.

Church as Chosen Lady #3 of 7:

To the Chosen Lady

(Second John)

There’s a chance “the chosen lady” is not a metaphor for the church, but simply an individual woman who opens her home for church gatherings. Like “Nympha in Laodicea and the church that meets in her house” (Col 4:15). Or, “Apphia in Colossae and the church that meets in her house” (Philm vs 2). Or, Priscilla who, in whatever city she finds herself, opens her home to the church (Ro 16:5 & 1Cor 16:19). Maybe by calling her a “special lady”, John is simply honoring her care for the church that meets in her house.

Maybe… but I’ll stick with the traditional understanding of the chosen lady and her children as a metaphor for the church. It’s hard to think that this individual house church lady happens to have a sister who sends her greeting along with John’s letter (vs 13). Also, the mention of her children best suits as a metaphor of us—us members of the congregation that make up “the Body of Christ”; or, in this case, “the chosen lady.” 

Nevertheless, we need not dismiss one in order to affirm the other. A good metaphor, like a good parable, requires the real earthly thing—like a farmer planting seed or a woman searching for her lost coin; otherwise, the analogy won’t work. When Shakespeare allegorizes romantic love by writing:

                        My love is a rose,

                        Pretty but prickly;

he assumes we know something about roses. In order to get allegory of love, one has to know something about the beauty of a rose budding from its thorny steam. See how Shakespeare’s allegory of love honors the thing allegorized. Now that I have Shakespeare’s allegory of love in my head, I can never look at a rose and its prickly steam quite the same way again. The allegory causes me to think more of the thing allegorized, not less.

Maybe that’s how “the chosen lady” allegorizes that special lady who, like Nympha or Apphia or Priscilla, opens her home to those who gather for worship. There really are such special ladies, otherwise the allegory won’t work. Once I have “the chosen lady” in my head, I can’t help but look with greater wonder at every woman who cares for the church.

Church as Chosen Lady #2 of 7:

The Chosen Lady

(Second John)

Second John won’t go away. I wake up with “The Chosen Lady” on my mind. So I read it again. Only 250 words. The Chosen Lady appears at the beginning, middle, and end. It’s about her. It’s about how John along with all those who abide in the truth of the Gospel, love her and her children. And how, such love and truth brings joy.

For a second time, in the middle of our short letter. John addresses our Lady, encouraging her and her children to “walk according to Christ’s commandment to love one another.” John assumes we know the new commandment Jesus gives us—that we are to “love one another”; and that by this love “everyone will know” we must be Christ’s disciples (Jn 13:34-35).

It causes me to think of another Lady—Lady Wisdom (Pr 9:1-5):

Wisdom has built her house,

      with seven crafted pillars.

She has mixed her wine,

      and set her table…

She says, “Come, eat of my bread

      and drink of my wine.

Leave your hollow ways, and live,

      walking in the light.”

Lady Wisdom sets her table and invites us to come and eat of her bread and drink of her wine. We can’t help but think of The Table the church spreads for us and invites us to come and eat of this bread and drink of this wine. When we enter her house and eat at The Table spread for us, somehow we are freed from our “hollow ways” and receive once again newness of life.

The invitation to enter Lady Wisdom’s house with its seven crafted pillars and to eat at her table, does not take place out in the woods somewhere, but rather (Pr 1:20-21),,,

She cries out in the street;

                  in the city squares she raises her voice.

At the busiest corner she cries out;

      at the entrance of the city gates she speaks…

Whenever the church gathers in love and truth and joy; the Chosen Lady can be seen right in the midst of the city, inviting whosoever will to come to her table and eat of her bread and drink of her wine.

Church as Chosen Lady #1 of 7:

To the elect lady and her children…

The children of your elect sister send you their greetings.

(Second John first verse and last verse)

Watching the cousins play, laugh, fuss, and in general, navigate their way together through our New Year family gathering at Mission Beach; caused me to think of how John the Elder honored the chosen cousins of the elect ladies (2Jn). That’s how John speaks of the church. He refers to the specific church, in a particular place like Pleasanton, for example, as the “elect lady”. And, since he writes his one page letter, more like a postcard, from another church in a different town, say Ephesus, he refers to his church as the “elect sister”. And all those who gather in Jesus’ name are “her children”. So, if I’ve got this right, it looks like this:

            Local Church:                                     Elect or Chosen Lady

            Congregation:                                     Children of the Elect Lady

            Other Local Churches:                        Elect or Chosen Sisters

            Other Congregations:                          Children of the Elect Sisters

            All who Gather in Jesus’ Name:         Cousins

Did I get that right?

I’m thinking how each family is different—unique; yet, each family shares something deep, all the way down into their “bone and marrow” (Hb 4), that holds them together in a unique bond that transcends age and gender, sports fan or Harry Potter fan. When they gather together “face to face”, there is, as John the Elder says, “love… and much joy”.