The Best

What makes your “best” list? Is the list populated with incredible experiences ranging from gourmet meals to dazzling vacation destinations? Or is it more cerebral with outstanding literature or media? Are you enthralled more by Mozart and Van Gough or sunsets and panoramic views? Is the best for you more relational and what you immediately think of is your loved ones? Maybe you find the best as the product of skilled competition whether on the sports field or the Home and Garden Network. Whatever makes your best list not only tells something about you but reminds you that in the midst of a chaotic and fallen world there are reminders of the Garden of Eden. Innocent and nascent beauty survives and even from the garbage heap springs forth new life. In a world where we think we settle for the proverbial “whatever” it’s nice to experience the best here and there.

The best is always dependent upon its source. James writes in his letter, “Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring (James 3:11)?” His point is that bitterness and divisiveness are “of the devil” but wisdom from above produces a “harvest of righteousness.” That is, if we draw from the best we can expect the best. No wonder when Jesus turns water into wine to keep the party going the result is the best wine (I would assume ever made)! Your mom’s cooking was “the best” not because she was a gourmet cook but because she was mom! That memorable sunset was “the best” not because its magentas and vermilions were superior but because for a moment it was clear to your heart and your eyes how beautiful is God’s creation. Mankind longs for the best when their hearts are set toward Zion and paradise regained. What constitutes the best is that no greater fulfillment or joy can be imagined and therefore heaven is realized.

I want to suggest that heaven realized is truly the best and yet assuredly quite simple. Heaven is resting in God’s presence with a heart full of praise and wonder. It will not find its ultimate completion until God calls us home… however, we can have a taste of heaven… a taste of the best even now. Resting in God’s presence can happen in church, it can happen in a moment shared with nature or in private meditations. The possible places are only limited by our imaginations. The door to moments of “the best” are always awaiting our arrival. So, where will you find your next best? Best wishes to you in your journey. -DAN

Random

As a lifetime victim of ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder) I liked it better when we were called day dreamers. Being distracted from daily tasks by a dream almost sounds biblical where deficit disorder sounds like there’s a short in my wiring. I’d like to think of my ADD more as single minded (again more biblical sounding) as opposed to task driven. That is, I find following the rabbit down the hole much more entertaining than staying on the path. Alice and I are often treated to a world beyond the looking glass that offers new insights. I know for those who are dedicated to well worn paths our tendency to run in different directions is not only frustrating but perceived to be random wandering and less than productive. Truth is, that often that is the case but none-the-less there are times that random thoughts and the road less traveled open up new worlds of adventure and blessings. Now, I’m not abandoning staying on task or the Pauline avocation to let all things be done decently and in order… but I am suggesting that freeing the body, soul and mind to follow some random thinking, praying and acting might be a healthy thing to do from time to time.

So, here are some random thoughts… Worry more about inviting people inside the church doors than about if the church doors get locked. “Do this in remembrance of me” is much broader than the events of the cross. Heaven is more heavenly when pearly gates and golden streets lead not to a mansion but a place at the table of the Lord. The Holy Spirit settles for nothing less than a temple to dwell in so clean up, straighten up and open up what’s between your temples. If God is love (and He IS) then godliness is not about cleanliness –it’s about loving. Church is about coming together not just assembling… it’s togetherness in heart, purpose and care. If you don’t like the way something is being done spend more time thinking about how I can help than you do on whom I can blame. I think opportunity knocks all the time. Try your best not to be an oxymoron. Always be the voice of love and kindness. Let the name of Jesus always put a smile on your face and warmth in your heart. Finally, all that you do in word or in deed do in the name of the Lord Jesus!

Wouldn’t it be random if R.A.N.D.O.M. was an acronym? If it was I think it would be Remember And Never Doubt Our Maker! Of course, that’s the random thinking of a random preacher. -DAN

XPO FERENS

In 1492 Columbus sailed the ocean blue… so goes the mnemonic we learned in school. His three ship (the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria) fleet set sail from Spain to discover and claim the “New World” for Spain. Much has been argued as to Columbus’ motives and countless details of his life debated so that volumes of revisionist history books have been written. Yet, without exception on the second Monday of October our nation celebrates the one to which we attribute the discovery of the Americas. A Columbus Day sale raises the flag that once again Columbus sails into our memory and history. What is often missed is the convincing argument that swayed Queen Isabella of Spain to finance Columbus’ voyage. The answer is discovered in the cryptic way Columbus signed his name, Xpo Ferens (the cross bearer). This distinctive mark joined Greek and Latin to hail Christopher Columbus as an ambassador of Spain to bring Christianity to the New World (i.e. carry the cross and its message to the natives). Evangelizing the New World was the convincing argument that captured the Queen’s favor.

If truth be known, mixed in with this holy calling was probably the all too human elements of greed, exploitation via slavery and territorial domination. Religion has and will continue to be used to exploit others for financial gain and control but none-the-less the cross carried will ultimately win out. “Xpo Ferens” should be the signature that we all address our lives with. “May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world (Galatians 6:14).” As cross carrying ambassadors we reaffirm the enigma of the gospel… the good news is that death produced true life and weakness affirmed real strength. The cross shaped message is one that conquerors new and old worlds with a message of redemption through sacrifice and surrender. God has reconciled with His creation by giving His one and only Son to purchase mankind’s pardon with His blood. This act of love and grace happened on the unlikely mast of a Roman cross where innocent blood was shed. It at once underscores the depth of man’s sins and the unfathomable expanse of God’s love!

So, how do you sign your name? Are you a cross bearer? Has the message of the cross financed your life? I believe that most would affirm that they wear the name of Christ proudly and do their best to share the good news. I also believe that most would confess that all too often we have either put the cross down or reshaped it to make it more comfortable for our journey. We’re not proud of it… we just own our failure. However, let us all unite to sing, “God is Love!” And may we encourage one another to be cross bearers! -DAN

Why?

Bill Cosby’s 1965 Album entitled, “Why Is There Air?” answers the question in a humorous but insightful way. Cosby quips, “Any Physical Education major knows that the reason there is air is to inflate volleyballs and basketballs.” Cosby’s college girlfriend, the Philosophy major with an IQ of 300… thousand had queried, “Why is there air?” Within the humorous imagination of Bill Cosby is the sardonic insight that much of what we question is overkill at best. We often not only ask too many questions filled with pointless platitudes but often we ask the wrong questions. This is more than curiosity gyrating into cat extermination but rather a reflection of our inability to see the obvious or comprehend the bigger picture. Like insatiable children asking why at every juncture we fail to stop and reflect on what we know before chasing after the unknown. Okay, but isn’t curiosity the road to higher education and the foundation of both the sciences and the arts?

I’m glad you asked! Yes, man’s questioning nature has led him to many important discoveries and inventions. No doubt, that sometimes curiosity has built the cat instead of executing it. Light has replaced darkness. Understanding has dispelled ignorance. However, there seems to me to be one “Why?” that alone deserves our allegiance. It is valuable to our faith and our discipleship. It is the question, “Why do I do what I do?” Forget about why there is air and who’s full of it and reflect on what motivates us to be Christ followers. In our text this morning the religious elite sent representatives to question John the Baptist (John 1:19-28). John had no reservations about who he was or what he was doing. He was a witness to something greater than himself. His venue was the desert, his successor’s the temple. He was a foot servant unworthy to unlace the sandals of the one who would be King of kings. His voice was a summons to make ready for the Lord of lords. He was a witness, not a prophet nor the Christ. He was John the baptizing one calling people to repentance.

Such clarity of identity and purpose is why we are here! It is the answer to why we do what we do. It is the big picture that brings into focus all the other whys we often impale ourselves upon. We are witnesses of the Christ. Our testimony is that we are not worthy and our voice is a summons for all to make ready for His place in their hearts. I’m not trivializing the harrowing “whys”… why do the innocent suffer? Or why do the wicked persist while the righteous fail? Or why hasn’t Christ returned? What I am saying is that the very personal answer to the question, “Why do I do what I do?” Is the answer that witnesses to the one who is the answer! He alone makes sense out of the nonsense and He alone bridges the gap between God and man! That’s why I’m His witness! -DAN