Cold, Hard Truth

 

COLD, HARD TRUTH?

 

We got an advertisement in our snail mail the other day from a dental insurance company.  I usually toss those kinds of things away, but the front cover kind of grabbed my attention.  Emblazoned across the page were the words, “The Cold, Hard Tooth.”  That took me back in memory to a time when the phrase from which that was taken was pretty popular – “The Cold, Hard Truth.”  Google says that George Jones (remember him?) sang that song back in about 1969 or so.  I don’t remember the song, but I do recall that my mother used that phrase once in a while to express a warning about the consequences of some decision that my sister or I would be about to make with the idea that sometimes we don’t so much break some kind of absolute principle or law as we do break ourselves on those things and suffer for it.

That phrase always made me at least pause to think about whatever it was I was about to choose to do.  But it also gave me a disinclination to regard all truth as positive, since the negative aspects of its being “cold and hard” implied its unpleasantness. 

That started me thinking about “truth” in general.  In the Gospel of John, c. 18, v. 38, the Roman Procurator Pontius Pilate was examining Jesus prior to having him crucified and responded to Jesus’ words that “Everyone on the side of truth listens to me,” with a question that has become pretty popular in our postmodern world – “What is truth?”.

Present society in general seems to have the opinion that there is no such thing as “absolute truth.”  Instead, something may be “true for you” but may not be “true for me.”  In the name of tolerance we should give up considering anything as absolutely applying to everyone or even to anyone.  It seems we must be given the right to choose our own truth by which to order our lives.  That may sound good in principle, but its unworkable in practicality. 

The Greek word translated “truth” in English carries the deeper meaning of “reality.”  That means, “things as they actually are.”  We may get to choose different virtual realities, but when we get out of the make-believe, we come back to face the everyday world that has some foundational principles ruling it that we can’t opt out of.  That’s the “cold, hard” aspect of truth.  One guy said that he had gotten into alcohol and drugs because it helped him escape from the demands of his everyday life.  But he quit those things when he discovered that when he came down from the highs, his problems were still there, but compounded because he had spent money he didn’t have on things that didn’t do any good.

I know I am sounding preacherish.  So let me turn a corner to talk about the other aspect of truth as I have experienced it.  I like to call it “soft, welcoming” side of truth. 

This aspect of truth enables someone who chooses it to experience a life of satisfaction and fulfillment, simply because following its invitation puts us in tune with the way the universe was originally planned to operate smoothly.  We get to “go with the flow” of the cosmos instead of fighting against it.

This Truth has a name.  His name is Jesus.

Here are a few of the things He claimed:  “I am come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”  Who is He talking about?  Those who choose to follow Him.  “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.  No one comes to the Father except through me.”  “A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

Does that mean that Jesus promises a life without struggle to those who choose to go with Him, step by step?  Absolutely not.  We all still face things that are distinctly unpleasant and demanding.  Sometimes the pain gets so intense we ask Him “Why?”.  But He is a faithful Friend and Brother and Guide and Counselor and Healer and, and, and. . . .  The Truth will not abandon us; His Spirit-Presence in us makes us “more than conquerors.”  Nothing we face can separate us from His loving, gracious foundation beneath us, His strength within us, and His protection surrounding us.  He is neither cold nor hard.  He is warm and inviting as He invites us into a relationship with Him that is more than anything else we could ever experience.

We are made for the Truth.  His name is Jesus.

I am a preacher.  I think that’s okay.

Knowing My Father

KNOWING MY FATHER

 

We were on Facebook earlier this particular day and caught Pastor Bob and Molly and Roxanne singing “The Goodness of God.”  There is one line in that song that always takes me back fifty years (the song isn’t that old, I am).  That line says, “I’ve known Him as a Father, I’ve known Him as a Friend.”  That never fails to touch my heart.

The back story is that I grew up in a single-parent home.  It was just my Mom, my sister and I until my older sister moved out to go to school, then just Mom and I through high school.  My dad was a pretty hardcore alcoholic.  Mom divorced him when I was five years old, and it was pretty tough in our town to be the child of a divorced couple.  To be absolutely honest, there were times when I felt pretty jealous of the guys in our school who had both parents at home.  I had male role-models, but they were sort of part-time, since I didn’t really see them at their homes or know how they related to their families.  I was on my own most of the time.

Sounds like a pity-party so far, but it wasn’t all bad.  I got into a good church fellowship that was very good at trying to help a young guy grow into a Christian man.  Still, I knew I was missing some information and training about how a man related to a wife and family.  When I got to the Christian college I attended and met my future wife, I was rather jealous that she had both parents at home with four siblings to boot.  I tried to learn by watching her dad, but that wasn’t often enough to help out very much.

So I was sort of complaining to God about it.  Often. 

The church we attended in Nampa, ID., hired me as “outside custodian.”  I would water, mow, sweep, pull weeds, and lots of “etcetera” to make the outside of the building look as good as it could.  I was a school teacher by then, and in those days we needed to supplement our income however we could.  I enjoyed mowing whatever lawn there was, because I could sing loud and not be heard over the noise of the lawn mower.

On one special Saturday, as I was mowing and telling God how unfair it was for me not to have had a dad to teach me things that a guy needed to know, I began singing a hymn we had sung recently in a worship service.  It was “This Is My Father’s World.”  I haven’t often heard God speak to me audibly, but I’m pretty sure I heard Him say, “Listen!”  He let me know through that song that I did have a Father – not just any old guy, either, but the heavenly Father Himself.  I don’t know if anyone driving by heard me singing at the top of my lungs, “This is MY FATHER’S world, and to my listening ear all nature sings and round me rings the music of the spheres.”  I only know that there were tear stains through the dust on my cheeks and a joy that filled my heart as I realized that the Great God of the universe had come to meet me in the need of my heart and to let me know that, not only did He know my name, but He CARED. 

That was a major turning point for me.  I soon answered His call to preach and pastor and moved to Kansas City to attend seminary with my wife and two-month old son.  I have been seeking my Father’s Presence ever since, not always as deeply as I could have or should have, but seeking none the less.

It has been over the last twenty years that I have come to the realization that I spent a lot of time learning about God without learning to know Him as intimately as He wanted me to.  Or as deeply as I needed to.  But I can honestly say over these last years that I have and do know Him “as a Father” and “a Friend.”  That relationship is getting deeper and better all the time.

I wouldn’t want it any other way.

 

Gladly, Dr. Moose

Opportunity

OPPORTUNITY!

 

Back in the days when I had the pleasure of teaching philosophy to sophomores in a community college, one of the earliest exercises I tried to have them do was for the purpose of thinking through their own lives and what they were living for.  I quoted Plato’s famous line – “The life which is unexamined is not worth living.”  I asked them, and I ask us, to consider the implications of that statement and whether any of us agree or disagree with it.  To do that we have to take time to really think.  That was the biggest obstacle for any of them (and us) to try to overcome.  There were a lot of creative reasons and excuses for not doing that exercise!  There still are.

First of all, it is hard to think for ourselves.  I think we all know that we are bombarded from all sides with vocal adherents of this or that or the other opinion that seek our support in their endeavors to influence behaviors for their particular biases.  As much as we would like to say that we are independent in our assessments of what is going on in our lives, we need to realize that everything we hear or see or read is an interpretation of whatever the facts may be from a particular point of view.  Much of the time those interpretations are put out there for the purpose of persuasion, not information.  That’s my own point of view of course.

Second, it is difficult to find time or make the time to examine ourselves to determine how much we are being influenced by those who want to think for us and to make the change toward doing our own homework.  It is much easier to purchase ready-made term papers, theses, essays and blogs than to lay them aside to think through the implications of what we discover about ourselves and our sources.

Third, we need to develop the ability to discern what is really going on our lives.  Where do we acquire our values and our standards of evaluation?  Why do we believe those particular sources and not other competing viewpoints?  What is there within us, ourselves, that wants to take this or that or the other view instead of another?

Finally, when we come down to our inner lives, are we really willing to change if we find something within ourselves that needs changing?

As I said, my philosophy classes rather challenged those who were not willing to take the time or exert the effort needed to really learn to think about themselves and their values.  Most of the time, I am pretty sure none of us do.  We like to go with the flow of everyday life and try to make the best of it rather than ordering our inner lives for maximum purpose and fulfillment.

Having said all that, I am convinced that this Covid-19 pandemic, with all the negative effects of the “shelter-in-place” orders and PPE’s for all and sundry and the loss of employment and financial losses may have been an opportunity for us to do some really important self-examination.  If nothing else, it has provided us with time to fill that we have been using to entertain ourselves or improve our physical fitness or do some home projects or work on our primary relationships, at least as much as it may be possible. 

When we do not use the time we are given positively, we are given opportunities to engage in negative activities and emotions.  What are the sources of loneliness, depression, the feeling of mean-inglessness, seeking distractions and self-medicating?  Why do we do what we do?  Is there a better way?

I believe there is.  As we examine ourselves, I believe it is important to realize that there is someone who wants us to live a different style of life, a new life that is not dependent on outer circum-stances to bring us peace and happiness.  His name is Jesus.  He is alive and really well and ready to meet us where we find ourselves during this trying time to enable us to have a better way forward than we have experienced up to this point in our lives.  He actually wants to live within us in the Spirit so that we are no longer alone.  He said he wants to give us love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. 

Perhaps we could use the opportunity we have to do both self-examination and Jesus-examination.  Yes, read the Bible.  But do so with the desire to meet this One who can really do what He promises.

Perhaps I can paraphrase Plato this way – “The life which is unexamined and which has not dis-covered Jesus as Savior and Lord is not worth living.” 

I have found that He makes the difference in me and for me when I make use of the opportunities He provides for me.  Even the unpleasant ones!

Dr. Darrell

Prodigals

PRODIGALS

     Through the years I have increasingly come to appreciate Jesus' parable of the "Prodigal Son" or the "Waiting Father" in the Gospel of Luke, chapter 15.  Not only have experienced the waiting Father's love for me when I have "come to my senses" in the far country, but I have also seen a number of people from all walks of life come into that same experience with humility and gratitude.  It is so awesome!

     But I recently have been thinking more and more about the other "prodigal son" in the parable, the one who was not "at home" with the father although having never physically left his presence.  It has been my understanding of this part of the parable as Jesus' teaching that the Jewish leadership was under God's judgment for their attitude of self-righteousness and criticism of the sinful other "prodigals" who had not lived up to their standards of loyalty to the Law of Moses.  Their bitterness toward the Father's loving welcome toward those others earned them the gentle reproof Jesus used at the end of the parable, though we are not told how that leadership responded at that moment.

     What got me to thinking about this part of the story is the possible purpose of Jesus as brought forth by N.T. Wright in some of his writings.  The letter to the Hebrews seems to imply that the early believers conceived of Jesus as purposefully presenting Himself as taking the place of the Jewish religious practices -- belief in angels, Temple, Sacrifice, High Priest and so on.  In other words, he was Himself the personification of the Presence of God in this world without respect to location or cultic practices.  If Jesus, as seems highly possible, was presenting Himself as the replacement of the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, perhaps we would be justified in looking at the end of the parable as one more instance of His gentle insistence that there was a better way to live than that of religious prejudice.

     So I have thought of some of the things that the Elder Brother Prodigal evidenced in his attitudes.  What things stand out?  First of course, would have to be his high opinion of himself and his low opinion of his younger brother -- "All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. . . . But . . . this son of yours . . . has squandered your property with prostitutes. . . ."  He obviously thought he deserved something from his father that his younger brother did not.

     Next we can see that he was pretty ticked at his father for not recognizing his obviously more deserving loyalty.  "Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends.  But when this on of yours . . . comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!"  These words of reproach show his disregard for his father's generosity and his own responsibility for never asking the father for anything.  His self-reliance and self-sufficiency condemned his dad for over-looking the possibility of rewarding him in a way befitting his own importance.  There's a word for that -- pride!

     That's probably enough exploration of the elder prodigal's attitude.  It's quite enough to humble me, at least!  I think I have been in the positions of both brothers at some times in my life.

     But if Jesus was presenting Himself as a contrast to the elder son, how would he differ?  I have been meditating on a few things that Jesus has been trying to tell me about Himself through the years. Please forgive me, but I have been using what someone has called "sanctified imagination" in this exercise.  Please feel free to disagree with me at any point.  Here goes.

      Jesus as our Elder Brother would not only be working in the Father's fields, but would probably have gone out looking for his younger brother.  Finding him in the last place he could have imagined, a hog wallow, would have been degrading to the lowest point for an observant Jewish male.  Helping the younger brother to "come to his senses" may have taken some gentle persuasion and, perhaps, even going to his employer with the offer to pay his way out of the muck so he could be free to go home.

     Another alternative might have found the elder brother joing his father in his daily waiting time as the two of them would peer into the distance along the lane leading to their home, watching for the dusty approach of the one they hoped to see.  He would not neglect his loving duties of course, but he would support the hopes of his father for the recovering on the one who had deserted them in any way he could.

     I imagine that when the father ran (awesome picture, what?) toward the dirty, gaunt figure coming down the road, Jesus would have been right there with him, maybe even getting there first to hug his brother in gracious forgiveness.  But he would have deferred to his father as the one most worthy of respect grabbed his boy and lifted him off the ground in a loving embrace that would not be denied.

     When the father told the servants to go get the robe, the shoes, the ring, Jesus may have asked for water, washcloth and towel to start cleaning his welcomed brother home to the place he had already prepared for him.

     I can almost hear Jesus chime in when father called for the fattened calf to be killed and prepared, yelling, "Let's have a party!  Junior's home!"

     And at the end, where the parable describes the father's gentle reproof to the religious leaders, I think there's a new scene -- one where the father looks at both younger and elder sons and exclaims something like this:  "Look at my boys!  Aren't they an awesome pair?  I couldn't be prouder to have them home together!"

     Now I don't know about you, but I am looking forward to that celebration!  Thank You, Elder Brother Jesus.  I am humbled by Your mercy, grace and love.

Just me, Darrell

A PARABLE (OR PERHAPS AN ALLEGORY) FOR TODAY

   We are blessed by being about a block away from one of Eugene's several bike paths/walking trails. We try to take advantage of that convenience as often as possible, often walking about two miles of the path through the Wetlands area on the west end of town.  We usually see some of the birds that inhabit these wetlands on a continuing basis -- ducks, herons, sometimes egrets and during the spring season of the year, Canada Geese that come together to nest and just congregate.  We have learned some of their ways as we have walked and watched.  They come in varying size groups, from two to a few hundred.  The behavior of the larger flocks is especially interesting.
  There are a few large fields where these flocks settle down during the days and nights.  Most are farming fields where some crops are planted, but at this time of year the young plants are just sprouting to begin their spring and summer growth.  The geese seem to love these fields especially.
  When we walk by the huge grouping of these avian season visitors on the ground their noisy honking is sort of random and muted.  It does go on all the time, but once in a while it seems that some one of the group senses either a threat or a desire just to relocate.  It makes more noise than usual as it takes off and somehow stimulates others around it to share their fears or their wander-lust, and an entire group joins in the mounting cacophony as they rise up and start heading in no particular direction.  Often that smaller group is the beginning of a general uprising as an entire flock of two or three hundred head for the skies toward no specific destination.
  As we watch the group it is not a consistent whole.  There are any number of different skeins of geese within the larger group, each with its own leadership and sense of which direction the group should take.  Sometimes the whole group goes in a huge circle that takes it back to its beginning point.  Sometimes the smaller skeins go elsewhere.  Sometimes that group seems to decide it made the wrong choice and heads back to join up with the larger group again.  Wherever they end up it seems there are always more gees landing than just the one group that started.  Stragglers join in from several different directions.
  Recently I observed something that struck me as more odd than usual.  The field where a couple of groups had landed had a pool of standing water in it from a recent rain with one raise muddy area where they could get from one side of the field to another.  What struck me was that one goose chose walk across that mud bridge, then another, and soon a whole line of geese was walking in singe file from one part of the field to another that was just the same as the one they had left.  And more were lining up to play follow the leader!
  Please forgive me, but I could not help drawing some lessons from what I thought of as "silly geese."  Perhaps they explain a lot of the behaviors that we human beings engage in aw well.
  First, I wonder if a lot of the leaders we choose to follow are simply those who make the most noise or magnify the significance of a perceived risk or just "march to a different drummer."
  Second, I wonder it, when they take off, they really have a specific destination in mind or if they just want to take different direction to get back to a generally similar place to their departure point.
  Third, I wonder if we choose to all into line with a file leader that just acts like she/he knows that lies ahead instead of having a real plan.
  Fourth, I wonder if those leaders glimpse the risks involved at the place they want to lead others.  Is it really safe of an invitation to destruction?
  It seems to me as a Christian that there is really only one safe, sane, generous, loving Leader to choose to follow.  In Hebrews 12 we are instructed to "Fix our eyes on Jesus, the Author and File-Leader of our faith."  Listening to Him and keeping "in step with" His "Spirit," we need not fear the directions and destination to which He is leading us.  His ultimate goals is always the same for each and every one of His followers -- "I have come that they might have life, and have it to the full" (John 10:10).
  I know it is easy to get distracted by the loudest voices in the crowd.  It is always tempting to choose to follow someone who acts like they know the way we should go.  It is sometimes difficult to walk in a different direction from the great crowd going in the opposite direction.  All I can say is that the majority is NOT always right, the loudest shouter is not usually spouting truth, and the direction of the most charismatic leader does not always lead to the most positive destination.
  Unlike the silly geese, we are most our own when we choose to follow the one Leader who really knows the end from the beginning and shows us the way to get there -- JESUS.  In this crisis time in our world, there is really One worth listening to and walking with.  He guards our ways and protects us as we choose His Way of Life and to Life.
  I love geese, and humans.  But I love Jesus best!

Dr. Moose