An Independence Day Lament

This morning, I hoisted the stars and bars on the flagpole in front of our home. It’s a small gesture for sure, but deeply heartfelt. Each time I raise the flag I try to remember those that have gone before and the innumerable sacrifices that have led us to this point. Anymore, I not only see it being hoisted, I feel it. Soon this morning Judy and I will be headed into town to watch our small-town Independence Day parade. There will be flags and veterans and patriots of every shape and color, gathered from all walks of life to remember the origins of this grand American experiment. We will see the flags hoisted, and we will stand with them to remember. 

 

More often than not our family Independence Day celebrations are a great deal of fun. Barbeque, corn-on the cob, watermelon, games, lots of laughter, and the perennial fireworks display, but truthfully, in all of the fun the import of the day often has gotten lost. But this year seems different to me. There seems to be a weight coinciding with the celebration. It’s as if I’ve awakened from a dream only to realize the dreamt of dangers are still lurking in the distance. Rather than celebrate I find my initial reactions are both alarm and imploring God for mercy. To quote Ulysses Everett McGill in O Brother, Where Art Thou? “We’re in a tight spot.” And anyone who watched last week’s Presidential debates will know we’ve got rough water ahead.

 

The question has crossed my mind, what will happen with this grand experiment we call America? Will freedom and liberty still be our watchwords? Both within and without there are plenty that deign to harm us. Will we have the courage, fortitude, and gathered will to defend her from enemies foreign and domestic? What America will our children and grandchildren inherit? Will they know the freedoms we have known? In case you are wondering, handwringing and tut-tutting are not an option. 

In an article for The Constitution Center, Richard Beeman writes this,

 

There is a story, often told, that upon exiting the Constitutional Convention Benjamin Franklin was approached by a group of citizens asking what sort of government the delegates had created. His answer was: "A republic, if you can keep it." The brevity of that response should not cause us to under-value its essential meaning: democratic republics are not merely founded upon the consent of the people, they are also absolutely dependent upon the active and informed involvement of the people for their continued good health.[1]

 

While at times it may seem hopeless, the success of this American experiment requires an informed and active citizenry, and part of our enlistment as citizens is to pray like our very lives depend upon it. Perhaps in the end God will show mercy and give us cause again for great celebration.

-DJM

Independence Day 2024

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[1] https://constitutioncenter.org/education/classroom-resource-library/classroom/perspectives-on-the-constitution-a-republic-if-you-can-keep-it#:~:text=His%20answer%20was%3A%20%22A%20republic,of%20the%20people%20for%20their

I Wanna Talk About Me

 

The late Toby Keith had a creative and funny tongue-in-cheek song dedicated to our insatiable appetite for self-recognition. In the 2001 hit country tune Keith croons,

I wanna talk about me,
I wanna talk about I,
I wanna talk about number one,
oh my me my,
what I think, what I like, what I know, what I want, what I see. I like, talking about you, you, you, you, usually, but occasionally,
I wanna talk about me.
I wanna talk about me.

The song is a pointed and self-effacing tune that pokes fun at our inexorable grasping to be number one. Every time I hear it, I smile. 

 

These days we’re surrounded by me-ism. At every corner social media feed into our voracious appetite for recognition. Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, they all appeal to our baser nature in feeding of the self. We love the clicks and likes that feed our craving for recognition and attention. Somehow, we have connected our self-worth to our insatiable hunger for acknowledgement. Our identity has become intrinsically linked to our Facebook friends list or to the number that subscribe to our X (Twitter) feed.  

 

Incurvatus in se is a fancy Latin phrase that describes a phenomenon of the self-obsessed life…a life that curves in on oneself. When a person endeavors to make themself supremely important their universe begins to bend inward and ultimately finds that same person as its gravitational center. Before long that self-obsessed universe begins to look like a relational black hole.

 

Here's how my favorite Lutheran put it,

 

 “Our nature, by the corruption of the first sin being so deeply curved in on itself (incurvatus in se) that it not only bends the best gifts of God towards itself and enjoys them, as is plain in the works-righteous and hypocrites, or rather even uses God himself in order to attain these gifts, but it also fails to realize that it so wickedly, curvedly, and viciously seeks all things, even God, for its own sake.”

-       Martin Luther, Lectures on Romans

 

I, me, my becomes the three-fold mantra of the self-obsessed, and needless to say, a universe with ourself at the center is a tendentious and lonely place. At the end of the day, we don’t need to be crowned king or queen; we need to be dethroned from our position of self-importance. We need one worthy to be enthroned as King.

 

The Apostle Paul wrote about this very thing to the church at Philippi in the first century. He encouraged them, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Christian folks are not immune from self-promotion. Churches, pastors, ministries, and everyday Christians are often vying for position and acknowledgment, and truthfully, self-promotion is almost always a bad look. Whether we are first century Christians, or twenty-first century Christians the message remains the same.

 

As a corrective I think it needs to be said that as Christians our aim is not total self-disinterest, but rather kingdom parity…an interest that includes others. There was an early church heresy that remains to this day. These folks would twist the good news of Jesus in such a way that expressed an annihilation of self. They endorsed the complete destruction of self and anything that clings to self. They said personality and physicality and material things were to be cast away in favor of pure “spirituality.” The Bible teaches this is patently false. Authentic Christianity has rightfully eschewed “anti-flesh” Gnosticism as an old error that often dresses up in new clothes. 

 

Notice Paul’s language again from Philippians 2, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (v. 4). Paul’s point is not the obliteration of self-interest, but rather the pursuit of the interests of others as well as our own. The Christian faith is not the destruction of self. The Christian faith is the reorientation via rebirth of self. With Jesus as Lord, rather than self-absorption, the Christian looks out for the needs and interests of others, as well as his own. This reorientation, under the Lordship of Christ puts self in its rightful place. Self, once enthroned, is now submitted to Christ as Lord. Instead of curving in on one’s self, it reaches out in love to serve others.

 

Here’s the simple math of it - Less of me and more of Christ and more of others. Less self-promotion and more others-promotion. In fact, the next time we’re together let’s talk about the  indescribable majesty and worth of Jesus as Lord, and then let’s talk about you. 

- DJM

June 2024

 

The Silence of the Lambs

Controversy…the truth is...very few of us enjoy it. We would much rather fly under the radar than become a target. And yet somehow along the way we have convinced ourselves that silence is better than speaking. We’ve persuaded ourselves that many Christians are brash and unwise in what they say, while at the same time we’ve convinced ourselves that it is best to say nothing at all. In our minds, to speak about any number of moral matters in a public venue may appear uncharitable and un-Christian and certainly not 'grace-filled.' After all, to speak is to voice an opinion, and to voice an opinion…well, these days...in many folks’ mind, it’s just not the 'Christian' thing to do.

 

I’m particularly intrigued by the Apostle Paul’s approach. I find it curious that his ‘I’m not ashamed…’ of Romans 1:16 is followed by a list of behaviors that God condemns in Romans 1:18 and following. Perhaps Paul knew something about the correlation of shame and not speaking up...both for the power of the gospel to save, and for a world at odds against God himself. This is a strange environment we live in where we’ve somehow decided that we want to be faithful to give the good news of the gospel without telling anyone why they need it. 

 

Our forerunners in the faith had a bit to say about this as well. Zacharias Ursinus, one of the primary contributors of The Heidelberg Catechism, made this pithy statement in the sixteenth century regarding the importance of speaking up. He said, ‘Undue reservedness is to dissemble the truth....’ In other words, not saying something when we should say something is akin to telling a lie. 

 

In some instances, silence may be golden, but silence is not the gospel way, nor is silence Christ’s way. Jesus could have adopted a ‘go along to get along’ mantra and saved himself much grief, and he likely could have saved himself the cross. However, declaration and proclamation are to be part and parcel of the Christian life. When the authorities, both religious and political, attempted to shut down the courageous proclamation of the newly formed Christian gatherings in the Book of Acts, it’s interesting that of all they could have prayed for, they prayed for boldness to speak.

 

As Christians it is incumbent upon us to say something. We are to declare that a real Jesus saves from real sins and in this declaration we must not be ashamed. We must be willing to speak because the future depends not only upon the efficacy of God’s Lamb, but also the unashamed words of our testimony (Rev. 12:11). Christian friends, someone needs to hear what you have to say. Someone needs to hear your story and to hear about God’s power to save, and it’s both your privilege and your duty to speak up. 

- DJM

June 4, 2024

 

That Dog and Wandering Stars

I have to admit, I enjoy a good figure of speech. Things like aphorisms fascinate me and usually make me chuckle. By aphorism I mean a pithy quote wrapped in homespun wisdom. Take for example, that fella there is like a ‘hen on a June bug’ when it comes to solving a problem. In other words, he’ll be tenacious and get it done. You likely have heard about the guy that is ‘all hat and no cattle.’ He’s the fella that puts on a good show, but at the end of the day cannot deliver the goods. One of my favorites is, ‘That dog’ll hunt.’ In three and a half words you get the picture. In my mind I can see a bird dog on point and ready for the flush. The bird dog is doing what bird dogs do best…they hunt. However, some bird dogs look like bird dogs, but they don’t know a chukar from a skunk. When using that phrase the listener understands that whatever is being spoken of is going to accomplish it’s intended purpose. Aphorisms are like that. They bring an earthy and unpretentious (and often humorous) truth to light. 

 

The Bible often uses simple language by analogy to get our attention. They are figures of speech…aphorisms of a sort. There are a couple that have caught my attention this week. There’s a story in the Old Testament about the prophet Elijah in 1 Kings 18. In the telling of the story, Yahweh’s prophet is showing the impotence of a false god, and in an earthy and less than winsome manner he begins to taunt the worshippers of the false god. The writer says, “And at noon Elijah mocked them, saying, “Cry aloud, for he is a god. Either he is musing, or he is relieving himself, or he is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and must be awakened.” The prophet’s pointed analogy makes the incisive statement, ‘Perhaps your god is going to the bathroom.’ A bit crude, but he makes an excellent point. When comparing the one, true God with anything else, the false gods may as well be indisposed. Truly, false gods are no god at all. I appreciate the plainspokenness of the prophet. He had a point to make and he didn’t waste any time gussying up his language because the true God’s reputation was at stake. Perhaps there’s a lesson for us all here.

 

The second example is from the New Testament letter of Jude. Jude is a short note filled with pithy wisdom and warnings about false teachers. Jude gets after the false teachers by using pointed figures of speech. Here’s what he says about them, “These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.” (Jude1:12-13) By way of analogy and hyperbole Jude calls the false teachers out. He uses figures of speech that are relatable and pointed, and he exposes these dangerous persons by using highly effective language. Here’s what he calls them – hidden reefs, having no fear, shepherds feeding themselves, waterless clouds, swept along by winds, fruitless trees, twice dead, uprooted, wild waves, and wandering stars. In both examples, Elijah and Jude have spoken plainly using figures of speech to make important points. 

 

With rare exception the best way to say something is without equivocation or nuance. Let your yes be yes, and let your no be no (Mt. 5:37). Plainspokenness, when talking about important matters such as the character of God and the danger of false teaching, is critically important in a day when language and its plain meaning have been tortured and twisted. And, that dog will hunt.

- DJM

April 2024

The Last Enemy

‘The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.’ – 1 Cor. 15:26

 

In the cold and dark of an obscure Judean hillside tomb a decisive blow has been dealt to that singular nemesis, a fiend before whom all men forced grimaced obeisance.  On that Sunday morning at the first rays of dawn death itself has met its indomitable match.  In the wee hours, death, that proudest of enemies, has died. A new day has dawned, a new life has begun, a new creation has been called forth to be, and a new Adam has arisen to take rightful place. Death, once the merciless and unfaltering conqueror has met its match. The gears and grind of a grand reversal could be heard over the faint lilt of sparrows regaling the new day with Talitha’s* song.  At the ope’d rolling of the immense stone effusive life spilled out brighter than the noonday sun, never more to be held captive by darken’d fate. Grave-clothes folded neatly, to be used…nevermore. In the distance a serpent grasped and gasped for Life. Simultaneously death has been cast into that gaping sarcophagus while the stone rolled back, and further back, and finally ever-sealed, oathed and stamped with bloodied crest.  Death, alas, where now is your victor's cry? Death, the mocker, lies silent. The slender greened bud pierced through the ebony loam. That long-cursed Curser has been finally and forever cursed. Death, the once-reigning king, has become the servant-pauper now in ever-bended stoop before the new crowned Prince of Life. 

Death be damned. 

The long-awaited Resurrection morning brought Life, and death itself has now become entombed.

  

DJM 

 

Resurrection Sunday, 2024

*Mark 5:35-43