If I Were King...

Have you ever used the expression, “If I were king, then…?” Of course you have, because we all would like things to be the way we think they ought to be! If you were king I suppose that church services would be more meaningful, more expressive, livelier, more theologically rich and more suited to your individual likes and needs. If you were king gas prices would be lower, poverty stricken from memory, injustice, violence, hatred and bigotry a mere fading memory and “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” would be the national anthem. If you were King everyone would live in comfort and live productive happy lives filled with opportunity to share faith, love and good wishes for all. Yes, if you were king things would be different! So, I say, “Let’s make you/me king!”

Now, this is where reality sets in and we confess that if we really were king things probably wouldn’t get better just more complicated by our want/need list. And we’ve lived long enough to know that what I want now is not necessarily what I will want in the near future. Maybe this king business is better left to more kingly types than ourselves? In fact, what we know is that there is one who is King of kings and Lord of lords who is the true resource for things to be better. If Jesus would be given His rightful place in the affairs of men and church it is guaranteed that all would be new and improved!

Hey, wait a minute there king buster… are you saying we shouldn’t try to make things better or voice our opinion when things are clearly amiss? Of course not! We should be light in darkness and support in weakness but that is best achieved by being servants of Christ. He IS King and the most delightful news is that we have been invited to be seated with Him in the heavenly realms (Ephesians 2:6). I’m not sure what all that means but I know it means God wants me to be next to Jesus and rub elbows with royalty. Then maybe, just maybe you and I will make a Kingly difference in serving others! -DAN

THE DOGHOUSE

Tia excitedly informed Taina, “Mommy, look there’s a lighthouse out there… and a doghouse next to it!” What our granddaughter construed as a dog house was the old lighthouse keeper’s quarters next to the Yaquina Head lighthouse, which centers the view from our Oregon house. At a distance it does look like it’s about the size of a doghouse. Not that I’ve ever been in the doghouse (i.e. not recently) but we all laughed at her insight to maritime housing. I’m sure at least one Oops-I-Didn’t-Mean-That-Honey lighthouse keeper, spent some time in that doghouse. It probably won’t surprise you that we now call it the doghouse. Anyhow, it got me thinking about how a doghouse compliments a lighthouse. There seems to me to be an important symbiotic relationship between that which sends the light and that which stands guard ready to warn (send the bark) if a intruder comes near. It is two sides of the warning coin of life. One side is a warning light in the storm to signal us not to go shipwreck on the rocky shores of sin and sorrow . The other is a faithful companion that signals when the enemy draws near. Together they keep us safe in the arms of Jesus and anchored by the hope we have in His grace, love and promise.

Now, some of you might think that I have finally stretched the metaphor yarn so much that it has snapped and hit me in the eye, aye matey! And I won’t protest but before you have me walk the plank let me remove it so we can see clearly the small truth that lies here. That is, my point is very simple… being a Christian is risky business. It requires holiness, that is, a concerted personal effort to stay off the rocky shores of sin. And it requires we not under estimate the power of the enemy, Satan, and listen carefully to the howling of our conscience and the lead of the Spirit. The sobering reality of life is that the enemy attacks from without and from within! We need both lighthouse and doghouse to keep us safe!
So, every time we are able to visit the Oregon house and enjoy our view of the Yaquina Head lighthouse (and doghouse)… I’ll here Tia’s voice reminding me to be careful Pappy, and keep your eyes open for the light and your ears alert to the calls of warning! Thanks Tia for seeing things my tired old eyes had missed! -DAN

Shocker

Those who called in thought that having to wear a bracelet that contained all of one’s personal and flight information and also had the ability to shock them was not only a page out of Orwell’s 1984 but was akin to animal control. The news team reporting this government proposal appeared to agree. Like their callers they decided to push the application of these airport security bracelets to the absurd suggesting that devious flight attendants might take revenge on difficult passengers or just make a game of it shocking at random unsuspecting victims. Here is what I think is the shocker… once again, our social outcry is that we will lose our personal rights and are willing to maintain them at the cost of personal and collective safety.

On this Youth Sunday here’s the shocking concern that I have… we are leaving a legacy for our youth that has displaced common sense, a common good and the rule of law that protects the common welfare of all. That is, we have so elevated personal rights and freedom that ironically we have created less freedom and fostered a paranoia that distrusts most authority and especially government. It is only natural that such suspicion would spill over into the church and the danger is for our youth to see religion and church as a threat to their personal rights. Combine this with the consumer mentality of the masses and you have a recipe for apathy, low commitment and high demand for things to be tailored to the individual. So what can we do?

Well, efforts such as Youth Sunday reaffirm that we believe our youth are not second class citizens of the kingdom of God but active, important, vital contributors to the life of the church. As our youth lead the way in worship, service and reflection we share our common faith in Jesus as Lord. We reiterate that the synergy of the body is founded on such great spiritual platforms as: Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21). Jesus has shown us that our strength is not in personal rights and freedom but rather in our connection to one another and as ancient wisdom reminds us… A cord of three strands is not quickly broken (Ecclesiastes 4:12b). Thank God for our youth and the fresh eyes they provide for the vision of the church! -DAN

Knee Kissing

I don’t know why Lilly kissed my knees but she patted them and then gently kissed each knee. Maybe she thought that she had hurt me when we were playing tug of war? Possibly she had never seen Pappy’s bare knees (I was wearing shorts) and felt sorry for the old warriors? Could it be that by some cosmic anomaly a disturbance by unknown forces in the judicious flow of rational thinking caused Lilly to mistake my knees for my lips? Or what I chose to think… Lilly loves her Pappy and finds new ways to express her love for me! Anyhow it feels a little weird to have your knees kissed by a toddler… even if she is your granddaughter.

Now, I bring up this curious tale to explain that I think in the body of Christ we need more knee kissing! No, this is not some strange plea for a twist on the infamous and enigmatic “holy kiss”… but rather a call for: Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work (1 Thessalonians 5:12, 13). I believe that we should get on our knees and be thankful for our elders who spend so much time, energy and spiritual angst on their knees praying on our behalf. Now, do I think these two dedicated souls are perfect or always wise enough to know what they should do or pray for… of course not! They are our knees for they neither lord it over us nor are they doormats we wipe our feet on. They are by God’s good grace those who labor among us to bring us again and again to our knees. They keep the church, the body and temple of God bowed in reverence and postured to give all things to our heavenly Father. Humility is their badge and stability their aim. These men sacrifice daily to serve the Lord and without them the body would suffer greatly. So, brothers and sisters I ask you and myself to offer due respect and hold these men in the highest regard in love because of their work!

Now back to knee kissing… my prayer is that like Lilly we will find unexpected ways to show our elders our love and regard for them. It may seem a little awkward or strange but give some love back. I wouldn’t suggest kissing their knees (but I wouldn’t dissuade it either) but I can think of countless ways to show appreciation for those to whom honor is due! Use your imagination! Maybe, just maybe you could start with a smile and a thank you and a holy kiss! -DAN

Get Smart

In the land of sequels, remakes, spin offs and nostalgic reruns we children of the 60’s have enjoyed a plethora of old favorites revived, recast and returned for one last spin around the track. This summer a remake of the Mel Brooks and Buck Henry’s spoof on the 007 spy world has made its way to the big screen… would you believe “Gold Phalange?” …would you believe “Get Sharp?” …how about “Get Smart?” Yes, agent 86 and 99 have resurfaced to defeat KAOS and bring CONTROL back to our lives. Bill Murray plays my favorite character from the series… agent 13 (originally played by Dave Ketchum). Remember? Agent 13 was the one who was always hid in some bizarre object like a mailbox, flower pot or gym locker. I think he was my favorite because he was the one who really had to suffer for the defeat of evil (and yes, I was fascinated by what object they would put this Waldo of espionage in next). Now believe it or not I think there’s some theology hidden in this “Get Smart” trivia.

The defeat of the evil one required some divine slant on what it means to “Get Smart”. Let me explain. It is quite clear especially in Mark’s gospel that the demons knew, often from a distance, that Jesus was the divine one sent from heaven. What was hidden or transformed that they and mankind could not fathom is that Jesus would use His human frailty to defeat Satan and redeem mankind. The cross was an enigma to both Satan and the world. How could God be victorious when His Son suffered at the hands of the enemy not only shame, ridicule and torture but His life’s blood poured out over the bloody stains of countless criminals executed on Golgotha before Him? Certainly such weakness… such helplessness could not signal the ultimate victory!

Paul explains, “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written: ‘I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.’ (1 Corinthians 1:18, 19).” Maxwell Smart often bumbled and stumbled his way through righting the wrongs of KAOS but because good triumphs over evil ultimately Smart with the aid of such hidden forces like agent 13 defeated the enemy. God’s plan could not be thwarted by any evil chaos and beckons us to get smart God’s way… for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong (2 Corinthians 12:10). Would you believe? -DAN