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Lent

Lessons from a Donkey

For some unknown reason, my parents never let me have  pets.  Growing up several of my friends had dogs, cats, snakes, and other animals but I could not have one.  My parents most likely did not want the mess, fur, and the waste around the back yard.  I really did not mind the idea of an animal around the house, but I think my parent’s did not like the concept of an dirty animal walking around the house with us.

In ancient times, people and animals lived close together. Throughout the Bible we see animals playing a role in God’s creation and God’s people.  Animals are mentioned from Genesis to Revelation.  For a complete list of animals in the Bible check this out.  What we might not realize is that we can learn valuable insight from these animal stories. Scripture teaches us that:

God created all the animals (Psalm 104).

“Then God commanded, ‘Let the earth produce all kinds of animal life; domestic and wild, large and small, and it was done. So God made them all, and He was pleased with what He saw.” Genesis 1:24, 25

All animals belong to God (Psalm 24:1).

“All the animals in the forest are Mine and the cattle on thousands of hills. All the wild birds are Mine and all living things in the fields.” Psalm 50:10, 11

God cares for the animals (1 John 4:16).

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Lent

The Sign of Jonah

This is the last week of, “The Sign of Jonah.”  In chapter four, we find Jonah under a bush and angry with God.  As we head toward the end of Lent we ask, “What is the sign of Jonah?”

Saint Patrick

The Top 3 Myths of Saint Patrick’s Day

On March 17th everyone is Irish! We wear green, drink green beer and shamrock shakes for Saint Patrick. Saint Patrick has become a beloved figure in the Western Hemisphere, but where did Saint Patrick come from?  What did he do to become so beloved?

Believe it or not, Saint Patrick is not a canonized saint by the Catholic Church. Patrick was deemed a “saint” before the official canonization process was formed.  Check out the list of officially canonized saints here.  Yes, Patrick was responsible for missionary journeys in Ireland, but there is also a lot of misinformation about Patrick:

MYTH #1 Saint Patrick drove all the snakes out of Ireland.

Snakes seem to embody everything evil.  We get a lot of distrust of snakes from the book of Genesis because Satan is represented as a serpent.  In addition, snakes are elusive, deadly, and just plain scary.

The Patrick snake myth is dispelled:

Ireland, after all, is surrounded by icy ocean waters—much too cold to allow snakes to migrate from Britain or anywhere else. But since snakes often represent evil in literature, “when Patrick drives the snakes out of Ireland, it is symbolically saying he drove the old, evil, pagan ways out of Ireland [and] brought in a new age…

Myth #2 Saint Patrick was Irish

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Culture

The Theology of Lost

For the last few years, I have been a fan of LOST.  I have watched ABC’s hit show with much excitement and also frustration. Unanswered questions and confusing story lines are the main focus of my frustration.  Now that the show is in its final season, I have come to see the show not just as entertainment but also an exercise in story telling, debates in modern moral dilemmas, and reflection upon theological undertones.

Still, the show has been able to hold my attention by using cliff hangers that seem to stick closer to me than Juliet’s puppy love for Sawyer.  In addition, J. Abrams and his crew are clever to used the internet and a gorilla marketing campaign to promote the show.

Clearly there are religious elements.  The themes of good and evil have been present since Jack walked through the airport in episode one.  The concept of “The Others” is almost cultist. Remote communal living, clear rules, secrets, protocol, and unquestionable allegiance to a leader lend to the mystique of the show.  Theologically, the show is rich with symbolism. There are obvious religious references, but there are quiet ones as well.

I’m not the first to make the this connection.  Several bloggers and ministers have commented on the theology connection.  Here are my top 5 fascinating  theological figures or themes in LOST:

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Lent

Awake, O Sleeper!

I have been preaching on Jonah throughout Lent. It has been a very moving experience for me. The story speaks to us in high moments and our low moments in life. Jonah’s story is often thought of as a children’s story. Nothing could be further from the truth! Jonah’s story has deep spiritual, theological, and biblical currents running through it. I’m preparing for my sermon on Jonah 2 and ran across a music video/short film. I have seen/heard the video/song before, but I could not help be moved by the video’s grittiness.

It’s loud, a little violent, a little bloody, pulls no punches, and is moving:

A Hero comes from the wilderness to cry out to the captives, pleading for them to awaken. This short film from Whitestone was in part inspired by “Plato’s Cave” and depicts the struggle of freeing the captives, whomever they may be. This film is set to the song by the same name originally written for this film by the talented Wright Brothers: Nicholas Kirk and Billy Wilkerson. (Link)

I could not help but see the strong connections between Jonah and this song. The men are held captive, and are in need of help.  Jonah is held captive in the belly of a fish (which, saved his life). Jonah cries for God in chapter 2:

Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2saying, “I called to the Lord out of my distress, and he answered me; out of the belly of Sheol I cried, and you heard my voice.

If Jonah knew about this song, he might have sung this line:

There will come a day my God will come
And put me in my place
My God I pray, You’ll call my name
Instead of turn away

The lyrics of this song, “Awake, O Sleeper” are below:

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Lent

Spiritual Seasons

Is it winter? Upstate New York just received more than 2 inches of rain in the month of January! What’s up with that? It’s winter, not spring. Since I am a snow lover, I thought one of the benefits of being a pastor in upstate New York was the snow. Where is it!?! My dreams of snowmobiling, skiing, and snowshoeing are quickly becoming just that, a dream. This is not the winter season I had hoped for. The weather we have had lately has been more of a Washington D.C. winter: rainy, some snow, sometimes mild, or sometimes cold. You never know what you will get. Then, just this week, we received a foot of snow.  What a crazy winter!

We all know that we have four seasons of weather, but often we do not realize that we go through spiritual seasons. Unlike winter, spring, summer, and fall, spiritual seasons do not begin and end in a timely fashion. Rather, we experience highs and lows with our relationship with God that correspond to our life situations. During high spiritual seasons, we feel on fire for God, have a sense of excitement, and feel the need to reach out to someone. During “low” spiritual seasons, we wonder why we feel so discounted, out of place, or have feelings of doubt. We long for support, understanding, and love.

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Lent

The Sign of Jonah: God is Calling

A new feature for all your Bema readers: a video blog post.  Some thoughts on Lent, Jonah, a new preaching series, and Joan of Arc. Enjoy.  You can also watch it in HD.

Lent 1c

Ash Wednesday

A Baptist Who Celebrates Ash Wednesday?

Huh? A Baptist who celebrates Ash Wednesday?  That’s like an American celebrating Boxing Day.  The two just don’t go together.

Despite the misnomer, Baptists do celebrate Ash Wednesday and Lent, especially this Baptist.  Two of the classic Baptist distinctives is local autonomy and soul liberty.   Each Baptist church has the freedom to worship however the church sees fit.  Since we Baptists do not have a book of worship or order, like other denominations, Baptists are free to worship as they feel led.  This, of course, does not happen in a vacuum.  I have always believed that Baptists must be led by scripture, reason, tradition, and experience (the Wesleyan Quadrilateral) with scripture being the final authority.

Ash Wednesday marks the first day of Lent.   The goal of Ash Wednesday is to reflect upon our humanness, our need for forgiveness, and our connection to Christ’s last days.  These themes are symbolized by the imposition of ashes on the forehead, with the words, “You are dust and to dust you shall return…” during the worship service.  In the Old Testament, ashes were a sign of penitence and mourning.  Job was known for placing ashes upon his head to mourn the loss of his family.

Sure, Catholics do it, but that does not mean that we become Catholic if we receive ashes.  We are merely participating in the greater historical liturgical practices of Christians.  There is nothing magical about the ashes.  You are not any more holy for participating in Ash Wednesday, but it is just another way to experience the presence of God in our lives in a symbolic way.

But, where did this act of worship and repentance on Ash Wednesday come from?  Christianity Today provides some insight:

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Transfiguration

Facebook or Facetime?

I started using Facebook.com shortly after I entered graduate school in 2003.   Facebook is a social networking internet webpage that connects people, organizations, families, and business. Some of my college friends began to use Facebook and I saw it as a way to stay in touch with people.  Facebook was confusing.  Why I could see everyone’s business: who they talked to, what they posted, what they said, etc…   Now, Facebook is ubiquitous.  My parents, who are retired, even have a Facebook page!

Facebook is a great way to connect, but have we replaced Facebook with true “facetime?”  Have we replaced what we would do with our friends and family with what we should do in person?  Have we lost a sense of personal touch with the use of Facebook? A social networking website cannot replace what we experience in real life.

In our scriptures for Sunday, so much is made about “facetime” with God.  In the Old Testament lesson, Moses is face to face with God.  After the experience, Moses’ face changes.  Moses puts a veil over his face to hide it from the Israelites.  In our Gospel text, Jesus’ face and complexion change during the Transfiguration.

Why all this attention to the Transfiguration? The Transfiguration is important and Darrell Jodock in the Christian Century explains why:

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