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| Two root systems unearthed monuments |
For you say, 'I am rich and affluent and have no need of anything,'
and yet do not realize that you are wretched,
pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich,
and white garments to put on
so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed,
and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see.
Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise.
Be earnest, therefore, and repent.
and yet do not realize that you are wretched,
pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.
I advise you to buy from me gold refined by fire so that you may be rich,
and white garments to put on
so that your shameful nakedness may not be exposed,
and buy ointment to smear on your eyes so that you may see.
Those whom I love, I reprove and chastise.
Be earnest, therefore, and repent.
Approaching the Feast of Christ the King, we celebrate the judgement that must come. It will be a great day for God and, we hope, for each of us. That will be the day when the Lord's righteousness, justice and mercy are revealed. Those who wondered how God could be both merciful and just will see clearly, and they will understand. But some will be profoundly disappointed by what they see.
The Book of Revelation provides ample warning to the churches. It opens with a series of letters addressed to several of the most prominent Christian churches in Asia Minor. We cannot suppose they enjoyed majority status in their respective towns, but they had attained a certain amount of social and economic security. For that very reason they had lost some of their original innocence and fervor.
In our time we see that kind of thing happening in movements like Alcoholics Anonymous. When Bill W started this program no one was willing to consider himself or anyone else an alcoholic. It was too shameful to discuss. You might as well announce that you have a particularly infectious type of AIDS, mixed with Leprosy. Bill insisted on the anonymity of the program in order to guarantee members their disease would not be broadcast to the world.
But time passed and the 12-step program was haled as the only successful way to rehabilitate drunks. Soon judges were sentencing drunk drivers to attend AA meetings. They also had to make a "fifth step." Eventually, as I heard in the 1990's, men would leave the tavern, attend a meeting, and return to the same tavern. People openly discussed their AA membership with families, friends and strangers. They were interviewed on television and gave testimony in churches. It became socially acceptable. The program still "works if you work it" but it doesn't work so well without the social stigma.
Nor does Christianity. As I watch the United States strutting its military might and expecting invaded countries to be grateful for our largesse, I realize we have not been a Christian country in a very long time. Legally we never claimed it; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit appear in none of our founding documents. Would a Christian country totally ignore the doctrine of the Holy Trinity in its laws?
In fact today's Christianity enjoys a striking resemblance to the Church of our earliest centuries. The disciples of Jesus can now be a light to the nation, yeast for our society and salt for the hungry -- if we welcome God's reproving, chastising discipline and repent of our sins.
The Book of Revelation provides ample warning to the churches. It opens with a series of letters addressed to several of the most prominent Christian churches in Asia Minor. We cannot suppose they enjoyed majority status in their respective towns, but they had attained a certain amount of social and economic security. For that very reason they had lost some of their original innocence and fervor.
In our time we see that kind of thing happening in movements like Alcoholics Anonymous. When Bill W started this program no one was willing to consider himself or anyone else an alcoholic. It was too shameful to discuss. You might as well announce that you have a particularly infectious type of AIDS, mixed with Leprosy. Bill insisted on the anonymity of the program in order to guarantee members their disease would not be broadcast to the world.
But time passed and the 12-step program was haled as the only successful way to rehabilitate drunks. Soon judges were sentencing drunk drivers to attend AA meetings. They also had to make a "fifth step." Eventually, as I heard in the 1990's, men would leave the tavern, attend a meeting, and return to the same tavern. People openly discussed their AA membership with families, friends and strangers. They were interviewed on television and gave testimony in churches. It became socially acceptable. The program still "works if you work it" but it doesn't work so well without the social stigma.
Nor does Christianity. As I watch the United States strutting its military might and expecting invaded countries to be grateful for our largesse, I realize we have not been a Christian country in a very long time. Legally we never claimed it; the Father, Son and Holy Spirit appear in none of our founding documents. Would a Christian country totally ignore the doctrine of the Holy Trinity in its laws?
In fact today's Christianity enjoys a striking resemblance to the Church of our earliest centuries. The disciples of Jesus can now be a light to the nation, yeast for our society and salt for the hungry -- if we welcome God's reproving, chastising discipline and repent of our sins.
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I love to write. This blog helps me to meditate on the Word of God, and I hope to make some contribution to our contemplations of God's Mighty Works.
Ordinarily, I write these reflections two or three weeks in advance of their publication. I do not intend to comment on current events.
I understand many people prefer gender-neutral references to "God." I don't disagree with them but find that language impersonal, unappealing and tasteless. When I refer to "God" I think of the One whom Jesus called "Abba" and "Father", and I would not attempt to improve on Jesus' language.
You're welcome to add a thought or raise a question.