A Little Langiappe

And so many nights I sit and dream of the ocean, God I wish I was sailing again

Jimmy Buffet, Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes

I spent the last three years of my twenty years of naval service in New Orleans, Louisiana, attached to the staff of Commander, Naval Surface Reserve Forces. I had decided that I would not serve more than twenty years in the Navy, and I definitely did not want to spend the last three in New Orleans. I was a sea-going sailor; of my previous seventeen years of service, I had spent ten of them on sea duty. I wanted to return to sea. I loved going to sea. But, God had other plans.

I was truly blessed to have served under three Admirals while I was stationed in New Orleans, officers whom I still hold in great esteem and respect; Rear Admiral Frank Harness, Rear Admiral John Brunelli, and Rear Admiral Stanton Thompson. All three are honorable men, of whom I am proud to have served. I have no doubt that their capabilities and service to the United States Navy and the country far exceeded mine to them. But, it was not sea duty. It was shore duty, and worst of all, it was staff duty.

I have never been comfortable on land. I have never been comfortable with being in the same place for more than three years. I have always felt more comfortable while serving in the Navy on sea duty. I have always been more comfortable on the deck of a ship. I understood things much better there than I do on land.

We had a dear friend and sister as our guest tonight for dinner. Our conversation changed, somehow, to when Janet and I were married nearly thirty years ago in Tokyo, Japan. That recalled a flood of memories for me, which I wanted to tell my sons. I am sure our dear friend felt out of place with the conversation.

Of all the captains I have served, one stands out. Captain Ed Finn. I am an Ed Finn trained man. I have more sea stories about Captain Finn than I have memories. Captain Finn taught me how to drive a ship like one drives a car, a sports car. He taught me to feel the ship, not only through my eyes, but through my feet. Feel the ship surge ahead through the vibration she drives through the soles of your feet. He taught me how to lead men through the most difficult of circumstances, to excel at their responsibilities. He taught me how to take care of my men.

Captain Finn taught me the beauty of celestial navigation. Under his tutelage, I learned to appreciate the beauty of the Milky Way, the Southern Cross, the green flash., and a three star fix. Under his instruction, I learned that the sea was not just the environment upon which I operated, but the sea became a part of me and I a part of it.

I would like to talk with Captain Finn and thank him for taking an interest in me and teaching me how to be an officer in the United State Navy. Regretfully, he died several years ago while undergoing a lung transplant. I would like to thank him for teaching me that naval officers belong at sea and not in the Pentagon or on some staff choking on bureaucratic crap.

God, I wish I was sailing again.

If you are confused about the title A Little Langiappe, then I owe you an explanation. In New Orleans, langiappe means a little something extra. Do you remember when you could go to the counter at Woolworth's and order a vanilla malt (not a shake!), and they would mix the malt in a metal cup using a Hamilton Beach or a Waring mixer? Do you remember the malt left in the bottom of the mixer cup after they poured the malt? That's lagniappe, or a little something extra. This is a little something extra.

If you have never experienced langiappe, then you best get yourself to New Orleans. Make sure you visit Mulate's and Preservation Hall. And the Camellia Grill for breakfast. Have a beignet (or three) with cafe au lait at Cafe du Monde for me.

Have a blessed New Year.

Sing to the LORD a new song, Sing His praise from the end of the earth! You who go down to the sea, and all that is in it.

Isaiah 42:10

New Year Resolutions and Resolve

New Year's Day: Now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual.

Mark Twain

As the first decade of the twenty-first century draws to a close, Americans are engaged in that peculiar tradition of composing their New Year's resolutions for 2010. The following is a list of the perennial top ten New Year's resolutions that people make. Do any of these seem familiar to you?

1. Spend more time with family and friends.
2. Fit in fitness.
3. Tame the bulge.
4. Quit smoking.
5. Enjoy life more.
6. Quit drinking.
7. Get out of debt.
8. Learn something new.
9. Help others.
10. Get organized.

All of the resolutions are admirable, and are worth being made. So, how many Americans, on average, keep their resolutions? Only 75 percent will still be sticking to their resolutions after the first week. After two weeks, 71 percent will still be keeping to their resolutions. After one month the number drops to to 64 percent, and 46 percent of resolutions makers are still at it after six months. Perhaps making resolutions as currently practiced does not match its definition.

The Oxford English Reference Dictionary (Second Edition; I am still waiting for someone to give me a gift of the complete OED on compact disc.) states that the most current and important definition of the noun "resolution" is "a resolute temper of character; boldness and firmness of purpose." It is interesting that the editors of this dictionary think it is the character of the individual rather than the intention resolved on, that constitutes the most significant meaning of the word resolution. Perhaps this sheds light on the reason why only 46 percent of us will still be adhering to our resolutions six months from now. We consistently make resolutions, and we consistently lack the resolve to keep them.

Perhaps our lack of resolve comes from not carefully considering the resolutions we make. Sometimes we make frivolous resolutions, not really worth all the bother to keep them. Other times we make resolutions without carefully considering the significant cost required to keep them. Certainly our lack of resolve also stems from a heart that is not disciplined to commit oneself to the resolution made. So, what we need are resolutions that are carefully considered, worthy of self-sacrifice and self-discipline, and a heart devotion to keep them. Our Lord Jesus Christ has given us the example.

In the meanwhile the disciples were requesting Him, saying, "Rabbi, eat." But He said to them, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." The disciples therefore were saying to one another, "No one brought Him anything to eat, did he?" Jesus said to them, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to accomplish His work. "Do you not say, 'There are yet four months, and then comes the harvest '? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white for harvest. "Already he who reaps is receiving wages, and is gathering fruit for life eternal; that he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together. "For in this case the saying is true, 'One sows, and another reaps.' "I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labor."

John 4:31-38

Now, how's that for a resolution? To do the will of the Father is truly a resolution to be carefully considered, requiring a great deal of self-sacrifice and self-discipline, and a heart completely devoted to fulfilling it. But, we have no hope of keeping this resolution in our own strength, nor according to our own wisdom, nor according to our own plans. If we have any hope, even the smallest of expectations, it only lies in the Cross of Christ. It is only through our laying hold of the grace of God in the crucified, risen, and ascended Christ, through faith alone, that we have any hope of striving to keep this resolution. You must be born again, as Jesus so pointedly told Nicodemus (John 3:1-15).

The object of a New Year is not that we should have a new year. It is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. Unless a particular man made New Year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. Unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective. Unless a man starts on the strange assumption that he has never existed before, it is quite certain that he will never exist afterwards. Unless a man be born again, he shall by no means enter into the Kingdom of Heaven.

G. K. Chesterton

How do we develop the resolve to keep the resolution of doing the Father's will each day? First, treat each day as New Year's Day. We need to resolve our minds, our intellect, our emotions, our hearts, and our wills to do the Father's will each and every day. Second, we must cultivate a daily intimacy with the Triune God through reading the Bible and prayer, preferably twice a day. (Would you converse with your spouse only once a day? And then tell him or her only what you want?) Third, we must pray like we have never prayed before. I think that when the history of the late twentieth and early twenty-first century Church is written, we will be characterized as a prayerless generation. When we pray, we must first pray for the Kingdom of Christ; that his Kingdom would increase exponentially, and that Satan's would be destroyed. Then we must pray for our civil leaders as God's ministers for the promotion of good and the punishment of evil. Finally then, we can pray for ourselves for our daily bread.

If you know me personally, you might say, "Well, physician heal thyself first." And such criticism is certainly justified and well deserved. But today is a new day. Friday will be a new year. And each day, God renews his grace unto his people.

Have a blessed New Year.

This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. The LORD's lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Thy faithfulness. "The LORD is my portion," says my soul, "Therefore I have hope in Him." The LORD is good to those who wait for Him, To the person who seeks Him.

Lamentations 3:21-25

Go Ahead, Celebrate!

I am not usually a big "Christmas" person. I prefer not to decorate (don't know why), I don't particularly care for a Christmas tree (messy things, and I keep forgetting to add water to the stand), and I really don't like hanging Christmas lights on the house (had a bad fall off a ladder several years ago, and I know a fall off the roof would hurt a lot more). But, I do enjoy the Christmas season. I just prefer to observe it quietly. I prefer to talk to others about what Christmas is really all about.

There are some well-meaning Christians who object to observing Christmas because it is not commanded in the Scriptures, it is a carryover from the traditions of Rome which were done away with by the Reformation, and it has become a crassly commercialized enterprise. Surprisingly to myself, I agree with all of the objections as rooted in fact, but I think my brothers and sisters who hold the opinion that Christians should not observe Christmas are, if I may politely and respectfully say this, wrongheaded in this matter.

That Christmas has become a crassly commercialized enterprise is indisputable. I observed the first Christmas decorations in stores just as managers were removing the Halloween displays on November first. Economists and retailers have been keenly watching Christmas sales figures, trying to detect a faint glow of consumer confidence in the economy. And they weren't disappointed. Sales figures from retailers on Friday, November 29, 2009, indicates that sales were up one-half of one percent over last year on the same day. That may not seem like much, certainly not like the 3 percent increase of 2008, but times are tough. Retailers brought out bigger sales sooner, enticing consumers to buy. This tactic has not done anything to allay our cynicism.

The Roman church has for centuries elevated the authority of tradition to equal that of Scripture, and in many cases they exceed the authority of the Scripture. In either case, it is an abomination. As a former Roman Catholic, I sympathize with objection. Midnight mass on Christmas Day (a mandatory holy day) was always my favorite because I either had to interrupt the gleeful expression of my self-centered concentration while opening presents (when I was younger), or I could sleep in on Christmas Day (when I was older). In retrospect, it didn't really matter either way because in all the years I attended Roman Catholic services, I never heard the gospel, except from one priest. He lasted two weeks in the parish and then was whisked off somewhere that I imagined was cold, dark, and far away. His name was never mentioned in polite company, except in hushed tones. I thought he had left the priesthood and gotten married, which was the biggie. While I am now a son of the Reformation and not of Rome, the complaint that Christmas observance is a holdover Roman tradition doesn't sway me very much. The Reformers gave the gospel back to us. It was and still is absent from Rome.

And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields, and keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. "And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and lying in a manger." And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, "Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

And it came about when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds began saying to one another, "Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us." And they came in haste and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger. And when they had seen this, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child. And all who heard it wondered at the things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.

Luke 2:8-20

The objection that Christmas observance is not expressly found in the Scriptures is true enough, but there is sufficient evidence in the Scriptures that the birth of King Jesus was observed and the cause of great worship and thanksgiving. The angels announced the birth of Jesus to shepherds in a field outside Bethlehem and then began glorifying God. The shepherds responded by seeking out this newborn King and praising and glorifying God. Wise men from the East came seeking the newborn King of the Jews, and then worshiped him. Then there is good old Simeon, who blessed God when he held the Consolation of Israel, and faithful Anna who gave thanks to God and spoke to all who had been looking for the redemption of Israel.

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to carry out for Him the custom of the Law, then he took Him into his arms, and blessed God, and said, "Now Lord, Thou dost let Thy bond-servant depart In peace, according to Thy word; For my eyes have seen Thy salvation, Which Thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, A light of revelation to the Gentiles, And the glory of Thy people Israel." And His father and mother were amazed at the things which were being said about Him. And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary His mother, "Behold, this Child is appointed for the fall and rise of many in Israel, and for a sign to be opposed--and a sword will pierce even your own soul-- to the end that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed."

And there was a prophetess, Anna the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was advanced in years, having lived with a husband seven years after her marriage, and then as a widow to the age of eighty-four. And she never left the temple, serving night and day with fastings and prayers. And at that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem.

Luke 2:25-38

Likewise, I think we have sufficient warrant to give thanks to God, both as individuals and as a people, a covenant people. With each unfolding of the covenant, the proper response of God's people has been worship and new songs of celebration. We have sufficient warrant and precedent to worship God because the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth (John 1:14). Since we now behold the glory of the Father in the face of our Lord Jesus Christ, we should gather to worship and worship robustly.

Have a blessed Christmas.

I Believe I'll Have ...

Two weeks ago I was visiting friends in Central California. I took a walk around their neighborhood on Sunday afternoon, and I was admiring the homes that were decorated for the coming Christmas holiday. I saw every kind of decoration imaginable. Gone are the days when multicolored Christmas lights (a number 10 bulb, of course) framed every house. I miss hearing the sounds of cursing when an entire string of lights went out just because one bulb failed. And it was always the string at the peak of the roof on the second story. My childhood prepared me for what I would hear on the deck of my first ship.

But, the one decoration above all, including the white wire frame reindeer whose head went up and down or the giant inflatable Frosty the Snowman or the white blinking lights whose period looked like the approach to LAX, was a picture of Santa Claus with the words "BELIEVE" hanging underneath it. I think this sentiment is taken from the movie Miracle on 34th Street, in which Natalie Wood's character, Susan Walker, says, "I believe ... I believe ... it's silly, but I believe."

I was totally fascinated by this decoration, and I waited outside the house hoping that someone would come out. I wanted to ask them, "What should I believe, and why should I believe?" After standing there for a few minutes I realized that a stranger standing in front of a home in the late afternoon might raise interest that I did not want. Besides, there was a California Highway Patrol car park in the driveway.

As I have been thinking about this over the last two weeks, I have gained a better appreciation of people who want to believe, and always end up saying, "It's silly, but I still want to believe." We live in an age when the truth that people have relied on is proven to be unreliable. We are surrounded by skeptics and cynics who declare that there is no truth, failing to see that such an utterance is a complete contradiction. We live in an age that is white unto harvest.

It is altogether too easy to argue to keep Christ in Christmas. The greater need is to tell people why Christ matters in Christmas. It is altogether too easy to be swept away with the sentiment of the season. The greater need is to tell people that this Child was born to take away the sins of His people. It is altogether too easy to be impressed by Nativity plays and creches. The greater need is to glory in the Cross. It is altogether too easy to be lulled by the serenity of the Child and his mother. The greater need is to tell people that this Child was such a threat, even as an infant, that Herod ordered the slaughter of every male child under the age of two.

We have a great opportunity to tell people of the manger and the Cross. Let's not squander it.

For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace. There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

Isaiah 9:6-7

A Tale of Two Kingdoms

House Resolution 1913, commonly known as The Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009, passed the U.S. House of Representatives on April 29, 2009, by a vote of 249 in favor and 175 opposed, with ten members not voting. This proposed legislation was received in the U.S. Senate on April 30, 2009 and assigned to the Committee on the Judiciary. A separate but related piece of legislation, Senate Bill S. 909, was introduced by Senator Harry Reid (D-NV), the Senate Majority Leader, on behalf of Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA). As of yet, Senate Judiciary committee hearings for these two proposals have not been scheduled. There is little doubt that this bill will pass and the President will sign it into law. If you wish to track the legislative action of this bill, I recommend using http://www.govtrack.us/.

Several conservative and Christian organizations have expressed their concern that this legislation poses a significant threat to the personal and religious freedoms of citizens, particularly to those of teaching and ruling elders, which are guaranteed by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. While I am not a lawyer, much less a constitutional lawyer, I think their concerns are well founded. As I read the submitted bills, I can easily conceive a situation in which a overzealous U.S. Attorney would argue that a criminal defendant was induced to commit violent actions because of the faithful Biblical preaching of a preacher who explicitly declares that homosexuality is a sin which violates the Person of God and His Holy Word. Some consider the proposed legislation as a thinly veiled attempt to silence the faithful preaching of the Word of God. Well, it has been tried before, and it has failed before as it will again this time.

The gospel of Jesus Christ has always had well organized, ruthless men who have made it their sole purpose in life to silence the Good News. Think back to Noah, Abraham, Daniel, Ezra, and Nehemiah, to name a few saints of the Old Testament, who resisted and refused the demand of every Sanballat that confronted them, choosing instead to obey God as He had revealed himself. Remember Peter, John, Paul, and faithful Stephen, all of whom refused to listen to the rulers of their day, and they too chose to obey God. Remember also the saints of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries who, for the honor and the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, forfeited their lives to make good their profession of faith in Him. Despite wicked men doing their best, the Church continued to proclaim that Jesus is the Christ, the Lord of all.

Why do men vehemently offer such an opposition to the gospel? The answer lies not simply in their unbelief. Unregenerate men are not simply ignorant of the gospel; they oppose it with every fiber of their being because they have established themselves as god. The conflict has always been between two kings and two kingdoms. The kingdom of the civil state, on the one hand demands the absolute allegiance and loyalty of its citizens. The state will tolerate the worship of any god, as long as the state has the preeminence among the pantheon of gods unregenerate man creates. The state appropriates infallibility and ultimate authority to itself, and thus demands absolute obedience.

On the other hand, God has established his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ as King of kings and Lord of lords over all men and all their institutions by raising Him from the dead and seating Him at his right hand. God is infallible and exercises ultimate authority because of his attributes of self-aseity, omniscience, omnipotence, and omnipresence. God will not and does not tolerate any competitors to his rule.

In this matter, the Church of Jesus Christ is confused and muddle-headed because its pastors and theologians are confused and muddle-headed. Several theologians have unwittingly advanced the kingdom of the state over and against the Kingdom of Jesus because they teach that the civil government is merely an institution of common grace, and not particularly God’s minister for the promotion of righteousness and the restraint of evil. Such men have demonstrated their irrelevance and should be ignored.

Other men argue we must appeal to the state for the protection of our civil liberties. Holding forth the example of Paul and his appeal to Caesar as precedent case law, these men forget that at every turn, Paul called men, governors and centurions, to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Herein lays the solution to our current problem. Only to the extent that pastors humbly and faithfully declare to the civil magistrate, and to all men, that God is angry with sin; that His wrath rests upon the head of every impenitent man, woman, and child; that He calls all men everywhere to repentance and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; that all men owe their allegiance and fidelity to the Lord Jesus Christ, will our civil liberties be preserved.

Some of us may be arrested; some may be imprisoned; some may be beaten; some may lose everything, including life itself. However, we are to seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness. Only then will we preserve and enjoy our civil liberties. Apart from Christ, we will descend into the pit of tyranny and destruction. May God grant us, his people, the grace to faithfully endure to the end.

Memorial Day 2009

Today is Memorial Day. At eight o’clock this morning I went to the flagpole in my front yard, and I lowered the national ensign to half-mast as a token of respect to our nation’s war dead. When I looked around at my neighbor’s home, those people who display flags had not lowered them. I also noted that there were fewer flags flying than last year, and far fewer than after September 11, 2001. At noon, I closed-up the national ensign, just as Memorial Day requires. I was disappointed that, as far as I could determine, I was the only person in my neighborhood who flew his flag at half-mast during the prescribed time.

I was also disappointed yesterday afternoon when I attended a Memorial Day worship service at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. After the service, my sons and I strolled through a small portion of the graveyard looking at several headstones. Twenty-three Medal of Honor awardees are interred in the cemetery, including Master-at-Arms Second Class Michael A. Monsoor, U.S. Navy, who gave his life in Ramadi, Iraq, on September, 29, 2006. After looking for a while my younger son remarked that many of the dead were so young when they died. Yes, they were; and so is he.

My disappointment came when we were returning to our car to leave, and we walked through the chairs that had been arranged for this morning’s ceremony. All the chairs around the rostrum were to be filled with dignitaries and politicians (not to distinguish them from the dignitaries, at least as a class), veterans and chaplains. The main body of chairs for the audience had several rows whose seats were reserved for representatives of veteran organizations. But, in the third row, on the left side, on the aisle were six chairs reserved for Gold Star Mothers. I shook my head. I remember a day when these mothers, who had lost their sons in the line of duty (this is before the reprehensible and sinful military policy of women in combat) were given THE place of honor.

Traditional observances on national holidays are important, I think. It reminds us of who we are as a people (E Pluribus Unum, or so it was at one time), and of our history as a nation. However, it has been a long time since our observances of national holidays have served to remind us of what sort of people we can become as a nation. I have grown weary of the speeches of politicians, generals, and admirals who merely rehash Pericles’ Funeral Oration and offer no hope of a future when wars will cease. Thus, I avoid parades and Memorial Day commemorations. Except for the annual Memorial Day worship service.

As our nation sinks deeper and deeper into the pit of pagan idolatry and perversion, I have grown cautious of those who seek to return our nation to the time when the Christian faith flourished at its founding. I think I understand what they mean. Any cursory reading of Scripture reveals the longing for righteousness of an exiled people certainly resonates with the longing for righteousness in our land which most, but not all, Christians seek. However, my caution is based on a refusal to participate in sentimentalism. However, if Christians desire to study the history of this nation with a mind firmly rooted in the Word of God and of His providential care for us, then I am most hopeful. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is always forward looking.

And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.”Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."
Matthew 28:18-20

If we desire to return to a time when righteousness was a national characteristic, then we, as God’s people, are going to have to seek God’s kingdom and His righteousness first. We must seek God’s righteousness in every area of our life, from economics to health care, from diplomacy to education, from justice to the care of the poor. As Abraham Kuyper once stated, "Oh, no single piece of our mental world is to be hermetically sealed off from the rest, and there is not a square inch in the whole domain of our human existence over which Christ, who is Sovereign over all, does not cry: 'Mine!'" Apart from this, we have no hope. But, do not fear. The Lord Jesus Christ has overcome the world.

The Wedding Feast and Christian Education

How sweet and awesome is the place
with Christ within the doors,
While everlasting love displays
the choicest of her stores.

Here all the mercy of our God
with vast compassion rolls;
And peace and pardon through His blood,
is food for ransomed souls.

While all our hearts and all our songs
join to admire the feast,
Each of us cries with thankful tongues,
"Lord, why was I a guest?"

"Why was I made to hear Thy voice,
and enter while there's room;
When thousands make a wretched choice,
and rather starve than come?"

'Twas the same love that spread the feast,
that sweetly forced us in;
Else we had still refused to taste,
and perished in our sin.

Pity the nations, O our God!
Constrain the earth to come;
Send Thy victorious Word abroad,
and bring lost sinners home.

We long to see Thy churches full,
that all thy chosen race
May with one voice and heart and soul
sing Thy redeeming grace.

We just received an invitation to the wedding of my wife’s nephew. Of course we accepted the invitation; we are going to go, Lord willing. He is a delightful young man, and his bride is enchanting. However, in order to attend this wedding, we had to make our regrets to another wedding invitation that we received from friends whose daughter will be married the very same weekend, but in Virginia. On the surface, it seems like an easy choice. There never was any doubt that we would attend the family wedding. But, our regrets to our friends are real regrets. We have known them and their daughter for years. We even taught the young lady her Sunday school lessons. It’s nice to be in such social demand, particularly when I don’t get out very often. But, we had to choose, and I think we chose wisely.

Weddings are such wonderful events that their significance is often overlooked. A man and woman decide to leave their mother and father and cleave to one another in a covenant of companionship under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. In the presence of their friends and families, they exchange vows, calling upon God to help them fulfill the vows or judge them when they don’t. Once the vows are made, and the rings are exchanged, the person officiating pronounces to the assembled gathering that this man and woman are very different persons than they were when the ceremony began. They are now husband and wife, a relationship which God calls “one flesh.” Following the ceremony, the bride and bridegroom serve as hosts to their families, friends, and guests at the wedding feast. While the extravagance of the feast may vary depending upon circumstance and culture, it is an appropriate and fitting occasion to commemorate the marriage which has just taken place.

The author of the hymn How Sweet and Awesome Is the Place, Isaac Watts, wrote this piece in 1707, and he tells of the Great Marriage Supper that is recorded in the book of Revelation chapter 19. In that chapter, the apostle John writes,

"Let us rejoice and be glad and give the glory to Him, for the marriage of the Lamb has come and His bride has made herself ready." And it was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. And he said to me, "Write, 'Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.'" And he said to me, "These are true words of God."

(Revelation 19:7-9)

The Watts’s hymn and John’s account tell of the marriage supper of the Lamb and His bride. The Lamb, of course, is the Lord Jesus Christ, and the bride is His Church which He purchased with His own blood on the cross. However, there are several significant differences between this marriage supper and the wedding feasts that we attend whenever a man and woman marry.

First, at the wedding feast I will attend in June, I will only be a guest. I have neither role nor responsibility in the marriage, other than witnessing the exchange of vows. In the marriage supper of the Lamb, I am a member of the Church, the bride of Christ. Second, although I will wear my best suit and tie, and polish my shoes, at the marriage supper of the Lamb I will be clothed in “fine linen, bright and clean.” John tells us that this fine linen “is the righteous acts of the saints.” My suit will wear out, get shiny, and will have to be discarded at some time. The fine linen I am clothed with for the marriage supper of the Lamb will never decay. Finally, the wedding I will attend in June is but a shadow of the marriage supper of the Lamb. The present day marriage of men and women is not a anthropologic or sociologic conceived notion, but a Creation ordinance given to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden prior to their fall into sin. Marriage was given to men primarily because it is based on and typifies the marriage of Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom, to His bride, the Church.

What does all this have to do with Christian education? Simply this. Christian educators have the privilege of assisting the parents of students in fulfilling their God mandated responsibilities of rearing their children in the nurture and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. Christian educators help parents teach their children about the nature of the Creation, how God created all things out of nothing, all in the space of six, literal twenty-four hour days, by the Word of His power. Christian educators help parents teach children about the providence of God in the sciences, mathematics, languages, fine arts, and history so that they will know that God rules in the affairs of the universe, nations, and men to manifest His glory, to further the Kingdom of His Son, and for their good. Christian educators help parents teach their children the academic and critical reasoning skills necessary to develop and hone the gifts which God has given them so they may enter the vocation to which God has called them when they mature, thereby glorifying Him. Christian educators help parents prepare their children to take their place at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

I am looking forward to the wedding feast in June. But, I am looking forward even more eagerly to the wedding feast of the Lamb. Blessed are you who are invited. As a Christian educator, I look forward to seeing you there, you and your children, my students.

Is The Truce Over In The Culture War?

I was browsing the internet last week and found a provocative video by Dennis Trainor Jr. (aka Davis Fleetwood) commenting on a pro-life ad produced by CatholicVote.com. The ad, which shows an ultrasound graphic of an unborn child, states that the child, who will come from a broken home and will be abandoned by its father, will eventually become the first African-American president. The ad was rejected by the NBC for airing during its coverage of the most recent NFL Superbowl game. Mr. Trainor's desire was that the ad had been aired because of its potential to "reignite the culture wars that have been simmering under an intellectual ceasefire since 9/11." Mr. Trainor is apparently not a professing Christian since, at the end of his piece, he supports relegating the Bible to the mythology section of the library.

It's easy to become upset with Mr. Trainor for his views about this ad, religious faith in general and the Christian faith in particular. But, the question that must be answered is, are we on the verge of a new outbreak of the culture wars? If so, how are Christians going to respond? My concern is that we will repeat the strategic and tactical mistakes of the past.

The last twenty-eight years of Christian political activism in the Republican Party have been, well, a categorical failure. The glory days of the Moral Majority and the Christian Coalition were the Reagan years. Since then, there has been one disappointment and defeat after another. Today, it is difficult to see daylight between a Republican and a Democrat. I cannot perceive a substanstial difference between the two parties. They differ very little in terms of their political goals and agendas.

As the administration moves further away from sound governance (economic bailouts, inflationary fiscal and monetary policies, the Freedom of Choice Act, Hate Crimes Bill, etc.), Christians are going to become motivated to act. I am all for political activism by Christians. But how? By using the failed methods of the past, which leave men's hearts unchanged?

Christians have to decide whether they truly believe that Jesus Christ is Lord (and not Ronald Reagan, Rush Limbaugh, or Sean Hannity, et al.) over all the nations, that all authority in heaven and earth has been given to Him, and that all men live and move and have their being in Him. Either Jesus has overcome the world, or Christians should have enough integrity to tell Jesus no He didn't. We must act boldly accordingly with our belief.

The truce will soon be over. But if we respond to the opposition on their terms using their methods, we will surely die. No. We must respond with the weapons that our Christ has given us: worship, prayer, evangelism, and discipleship. We must respond to opinion with Truth.

Going To Church

The 2009 major league baseball season opens on Monday, April 6, and I can hardly wait. I really enjoy baseball, particularly watching the New York Yankees play. I was born in the Bronx (named after Jonas Bronc, a Dane who was the first to settle the area in 1641. As an added bit of lagniappe, the Bronx is called "the" Bronx after the river which runs through its center), and the baseball team of my heart has always been the Yankees. But, I find going to baseball games today very distracting. It seems there are a whole bunch of activities that go on before and after the game, and in between innings, which detract from watching and enjoying the game. Today, I think more people attend a baseball game for the "experience," whatever that may mean, than for the purpose of seeing their team play and cheering them on to victory.

I also think the same attitude of seeking the "experience" is now dominating our Sundays. People often say that they are going to church. What does that mean? In my discussions with people I find they often mean, among other things:

• I am going to hear God's Word preached.
• I am going to hear our wonderful pastor preach.
• I am going to hear about Jesus and learn about Him.
• I am going to hear how Jesus wants me to live my life.

But, is this really what going to church is all about? Even if we accept the phrase "going to church," it has no meaning in itself which would lead us to a perception of what occurs after our car pulls into the parking lot. There, I went to church. Perhaps we ought to stop using this phrase of "going to church" and adopt one more biblical. I am going to worship God, the God of the Bible, and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, through the Holy Spirit.

I admit, it is a mouthful. But, I like it because this is exactly what we are called to do. God saves men by grace through faith in Jesus Christ so that they will become true worshippers of Himself (see John 4:23-24). So, what we call our Sunday activity has a direct bearing on our attitude when we enter worship.

Then, what is worship? Several years ago I attended a class on Reformed Worship taught by Dr. Joseph A. Pipa, Jr., at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. I prefer the definition of covenantal worship, as distinguished from "contemporary" or "traditional" worship, which he provides:

"Covenantal worship is service offered to God as Father through a mediator,in dependence on the Holy Spirit, in response to the grace of God revealed in the gospel that consists of adoration, communion, and edification."

You can see this is a far different understanding of worship than that of most people who say they are going to church. Therefore, just how important is worship to God and to us? In his Institutes of the Christian Religion, John Calvin writes, "Surely the first foundation of righteousness is the worship of God" (II, 8, 11). Consider also the following quote of John Calvin from his work the Necessity of Reforming the Church,

"If it be inquired, then, by what things chiefly the Christian religion has a standing existence amongst us and maintains its truth, it will be found that the following two not only occupy the principal place, but comprehend under them allthe other parts, and consequently the whole substance of Christianity, viz., a knowledge, first, of the mode in which God is duly worshipped; and, secondly of the source from which salvation is to be obtained" (p.4).

So then, what will you do tomorrow? Will you go to church? Or, will you join us in worshipping God?

We Have Nothing To Fear But ...

You are familiar with these words that Franklin Delano Roosevelt spoke on the ocassion of his first inauguration as President of the United States on March 4, 1933. As the economic depression began to take a firm hold in the United States, Mr. Roosevelt was elected to bring change and hope to the American people. In 1932, the year of his first election, the unemployment rate was at 23.53%; the next year it had risen to 24.75%, the bottom of the depression. The American stock market had lost 90 percent of its value between 1929 and 1933. The nation's unemployment rate continued to porpoise during his first two terms between the high of 1933 and a low of 14.18% in 1937. These percentages represent between 12.8 million and 7.7 million unemployed Americans, respectively. By the time of the 1940 presidential election, Roosevelt's third run for the White House, unemployment had decreased to 14.75%.

I can certainly understand why Mr. Roosevelt made this famous statement during his inaugural address. I certainly wouldn't want a president who was elected in the midst of a crisis saying, "Folks, sit down, shut up, and strap yourselves in because we have no idea where or when this sleigh ride is going to end!" This might have been true, but it would not have been wise for any newly elected leader to make this statement. More recently, on March 13, 2009, Mr. Larry Summers, who is President Obama's top economic advisor, said that the "excess of fear" must be stopped before economic recovery can begin, even citing Mr. Roosevelt's nothing to fear statement of 76 years ago.

I think they have got their finger on the right pulse. The problem is fear, and there are many things that we should rightfully be concerned about. But I am not convinced that they have an answer. Now, I know this seems simplistic, but watching these men tackle this very serious problem reminds me of the television series House. You know the doctor runs from diagnosis to diagnosis of a patient who is days, hours, minutes away from dying; pitting his staff against each other and himself; flagrantly violating hospital rules and being rewarded for it by turns in the clinic. Most times he wins, sometimes he loses. But the last scene is usually of himself contemplating his most recent case, and never seeming to learn anything from it. It is Sherlock Holmes, graduated from Harvard Med, and addicted to painkillers because they help him do his job.

But President Obama and Mr. Summers' patient has the worst disease of all. Fear. You know the fear I am talking about. The fear that seems to not only create a chasm in your belly, but which so focuses your concentration that you become unaware of the conversation around you. The type of fear which forces you to ask the question, "What am I going to do if...?" and leaves you trembling at the response. That type of fear which takes hold of you so deep within your being that you become consumed with it, unable to function. The type of fear which quickly moves to a despair that no person outside of yourself can be of any help. I don't think Mr. Obama has any clue of how to deal with that fear. But Jesus Christ does.

If we have any hope in this life, whether that life be characterized by economic ruin, the loss of family through divorce or death, or the receiving of the sentence of death because we have inoperable cancer, that hope is found only in the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. To lay hold of that hope, we Christians must humble ourselves in prayer. Not the type of praying we have been doing for so long, with our lips moving and our hearts far from Him. But praying as if our very lives depended upon it, for our lives do.

Do we pray like Moses, interceding for the people of Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai? Do we pray like Daniel? Do we pray like Solomon, pleading for wisdom? Do we pray like Hezekiah while Sennecharib is at the wall? Do we pray like Jesus? Why not? Have we forgotten all the benefits of the Lord? Have we forgotten what He has done in response to such praying?

The great weakness of the church is our prayerlessness. If we are to see any relief of our fears, it will come only upon our knees as we beseech God, who delights in mercy, to visit us because perfect love, and only His perfect love, casts out fear. It is time we went to prayer.

Coffee with Chris

Yesterday afternoon I stopped by a Starbucks for coffee (venti Amercano, extra shot, room) and sat down outside while waiting for my son's basketball game to start at the gym across the street. Just as I got myself settled down to quietly enjoy the first late afternoon of spring, a fellow sat in the seat next to me, took out his laptop, and commented on what a lovely afternoon it was. "It is grand, isn't it?" I said to him.

His name was Chris, and he often came to Starbucks because, as he told me, it was the only place where he could get a cup of coffee, have a cigarette, find an electrical outlet for his laptop, and enjoy the afternoon. Guess it doesn't get much better than this I told him.

I asked Chris if he telecommutes for his work, and he said no, that he was a philosophy graduate from a local university. His field of study was moral philosophy, which he said was the most difficult of the philosophy disciplines. Myself, being a graduate of the Yogi Berra school of thought (when you come to a fork in the road, take it), I asked him about the conclusions regarding life he has drawn. Our conversation quickly turned to the biblical Christian faith.

The next twenty minutes was taken up with some of the most exhilirating discussion I have had in a long time. There we were, two men with diametrically opposing views, discussing the person and work of Jesus Christ. He was a man unlike any other, said Chris. Why do you think that is, I replied. Because Jesus loved God with all his heart and his neighbor as himself. I wish all men could do that, Chris said. The world would be a better place.

Indeed, it would be.

The conversation was wide ranging and included Plato, Seneca, Calvin, Luther, Moses, Isaiah, Kant, Van Til. And all in twenty minutes. If you were a fly on the wall listening, ideas and opinions flew around seemingly at random, and left spattermarks in the air around us. It reminded me of a Jackson Pollock work.

Chris is looking at Christ through the eyes of his presuppositions. To Chris, the world is material, observable, phenomenal, and ultimately unknowable. But God, the self-authenticating, self-attesting Creator of this material, observable, phenomenal world has revealed Himself, His thoughts, and His desires to men. His ultimate revelation is in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. Our understanding of all life has its beginning and end at the cross of Christ. Apart from the cross, life and creation does not make sense.

Chris and I shook hands, and I went to my son's game. I got there shortly after the second half started. Great game, disappointing loss. Sorry Matthew, but I'm proud of you and your team for the way you played and conducted yourselves. Basketball season is over, and boy's volleyball season starts in two weeks at the very same gym across the street from the very same Starbucks.

Gee, I hope to see Chris again.

It's About Time

In a recent special report issue Time magazine announced that the New Calvinism is number three of the top ten ideas changing the world right now. Time states that the New Calvinism is Evangelicalism's latest success story. Keep in mind, this is the same Time magazine that asked the question, "Is God Dead?" on its April 8, 1966 cover. That cover story was preceeded by another story printed on October 22, 1965 concerning the God is dead movement. What a difference 40 years makes! In 1966 we had just moved from Queens to northern New Jersey and the biggest worry of my fourth grade life was whether the Yankess could turn a miserable 1965 season (sixth in the American League with a record of 77-85) and go to the World Series. They didn't. God wasn't the only one who was declared dead that year.

Now Time magazine has said that the new Calvinism is making a comeback, although it doesn't quite look like its old self. While the story is short (very short) on details about what the "New Calvinism" means, I am very encouraged to see it appear in print, and in Time because it gives Christians a point of contact with society to tell them of Jesus and the cross. I know there will be some Christians who may view the story as shallow and not worth thinking about. But, hopefully there will be many others who will see this as an opportunity to show dying men, women, and children the mercy that God has freely shown men in the cross of Christ.

What are we waiting for?

Grab the Third Rail

In his inauguration speech of January 20, 2009, Mr. Obama said that the nation must choose hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord. Nice words, nice sentiment. I thought this rhetoric might last a couple or three months. It lasted at most 16 days, by my count. Frustrated that the economic stimulus package (I'm sorry, did I laugh out loud?) was stalled in the Congress, Mr. Obama warned of dire consequences if it did not pass and quickly. Oh, and the unity of purpose over conflict and discord throw-away line? That lasted three days. During negotiations with congressional leaders of both parties regarding the stimulus package, Mr. Obama responded to Republican complaints with, "I won." I guess it is good to be the king.

But is he? To tell you the truth, I think that the election of Mr. Obama, coupled with the leadership of Senator Reid and Representative Pelosi in the Congress is the best thing that has ever happened for Christians since, well, the election of Mr. Clinton. The greatest danger we now face is not from a hostile legislative, executive, or judicial branch of government. The greatest danger we now face is that we will respond to this warfare without the spiritual weapons Jesus has given us.

It is time for us to grab the third rail, the spiritual weapons have lain collecting dust over the last several generations. We must return to biblical worship and prayer. And we must do this as one people, or we shall surely continue our mooing and mooching.

Finally, something that we can get excited about.

Welcome!

Welcome to Mooing and Mooching Cows!

One evening I was listening to someone read from Tom Wright popular commentary on the book of Acts entitled Acts for Everyone. He wrote that the "mainstream" church (whatever that is) had become much like a friend of his who once received medication for clinical depression. The lows were gone, which was good, but so were the highs. His friend had become like a mooing and mooching cow, never getting much excited about anything.

The church of the Lord Jesus Christ in the United States (and perhaps elsewhere) has become much like mooing and mooching cows. We never seem to get excited about anything. We don't suffer persecution, sure ridicule and disdain, but hardly what one could call persecution. Neither do we experience refreshment or revival from a visitation from the Lord. Nor do we seem eager to have Him visit us. We just seem to be mooing and mooching our way through this life.

It is indeed a sad state of affairs, and I pray the Lord will use this blog for His glory.

I am a nobody. I am not particularly wise, nor eloquent. I can boast of no great accomplishments, nor do I expect to achieve any noteriety in the remaining years the Lord has for me. In other words, I am probably like most people.

But, ordinary people think about life's most important questions all the time. What does the future hold? How can I prepare my sons for their future? How can I assist others to draw closer to Jesus, confident when they do, He will draw near to them? How can I do the same for myself? What does the Bible say about my condition, and what hope do I have on a moment by moment, day by day basis? How can I live my life to the fullest in the service of Christ my King?

I hope to explore these questions and many others in the days and weeks ahead. I invite you to read, think, mediatate, and respond. I believe that I will learn more from you than anyone has ever learned from me.

Once again, welcome.

In the bonds of Christ's love, Tom