Scholarship as worship

This post is written seated in a Bangkok chapel with a group of fellow-Christians.

Earlier this morning (8.30am) we sang, prayed, shared and heard the word of God. That was self-consciously an act of worship in the classic sense of an intentional gathering of God's people.

The same group of people is now seated in the same place.

What are we doing?

We are engaged in a scholarly pursuit. We students are presenting our doctoral research. Fellow students and academics are asking questions and giving critiques, affirmations, suggestions and encouragements.

That is a description of our actions. What is the nature of these actions?

Last night one of the academics remarked that if we are called by God to scholarly pursuits it is a kingdom vocation in Christ and part of our discipleship and disciple-making ministry. If it is not God's calling and a kingdom activity why are we doing it?

Worship is a presentation of my whole self to God as a living sacrifice, including renewal of the mind - motivated by the mercies of God in Christ (Rom 12:12).

So, if what we do at 11am is not an act of worship why are we doing it? If scholarship does not belong in the chapel where does it belong?

On reflection, chapel is a most appropriate place to be at 11am.

The things we notice on social media

Just noticing.

When people post personal update or quirky items on face book, or personal photos - our comments abound.

But when social media is used for serious causes, we rarely bother to comment.

Is this a comment on the essence of social media ... a place to chill out and idly pass the time in digital chat?

Or is it a comment on humanity - happy to be entertained and diverted for a moment, but, please God - spare me from having to face the confronting stuff that reminds me of a painful world out there?

Review: John McClean, From the Future.

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Review: John McClean (2013). From the Future. Getting to Grips with Pannenberg’s Thought. Paternoster. 157 pages plus endnotes, references and indices.

Wolfgang Pannenberg illustrates some dilemmas in modern theology. How can the faith of the Bible as further defined through the years be re-presented in a listenable form to the modern reader? And again, how can complex matters (described as seeing through the window darkly) be explained in a way that both befits the world of the theologians and the world of every-person?

From the Future arises from the author’s doctoral thesis and sets out to explain and comment on central ideas in Pannenberg’s ideas. The book is well-presented, although there is an error on p16 (last para).

McClean sets Pannenberg in context, introduces his theological method and key themes and then proceeds to an explanation and discussion of some of these themes. McClean has deep respect for Pannenberg but is not afraid to critique his views from within the confessional Presbyterianism with which the author identifies.

Why should anyone apart from professional theologians read this book? Firstly, Pannenberg is a major modern theologian. He is one of those people that serious Christian readers need to be familiar with. Secondly, this is a lucid work both in the exposition of Pannenberg’s views and in McClean’s interactions. Thirdly, it is a book that will help beginning theological students come to grips with a major modern theologian and also think about how to do theology in the present age.

Pannenberg is a difficult writer and leaves readers peering at the glass dimly. McClean makes the glass clearer and resolves some dilemmas for readers of modern theology.

(David Burke is a colleague of John McClean at Presbyterian Theological Centre, Sydney Australia.)

The missing link in worship

It was a great gathering of God’s people. The welcome was warm, events started on time, announcements were efficient, music was superb and the word was well preached. Even the coffee  was good!

What’s missing?

I attend many church services in different places and notice that many modern services go light when it comes to prayer.

This ‘going light’ has two dimensions.

First, prayer is somewhat absent.

These simple tests can be applied. How many prayer slots were there? What share of the gathering was taken up with prayer, and what share by other activities? Anecdotal evidence is that services nowadays have fewer and shorter prayers. Meanwhile announcements, music and various sharings have grown in prominence.

Second, prayer is often on a low horizon.

Consider the prayer that taught (Matt 6) and the prayer that Jesus prayed (John 17). Both start on high horizons. Jesus prays on the horizon of God’s glory and teaches his followers to pray on the horizons of God’s name, kingdom and will. These are big horizons.

Consider now the prayers typically heard in Christian gatherings. My impression is that we pray for immediate needs (troubled relatives and friends, work pressures etc) and conversions (well worthy of prayers). These are worthy prayers, for all dependence on God to meet needs is an act of worship. However, where are the prayers that take in the world outside the local church and its connections?

Further on this, the kind of prayers we pray are changing. A recent pattern was to work with ‘ACTS’.  That is, with prayers adoring (or admiring) God, prayers on confession, thanksgiving and finally supplication (prayers that ask for things). It is commonplace now to focus prayers around the theme of asking. It is especially now rare to hear a prayer of confession, coupled with suitable words of gospel comfort.

And of course it’s not just in church services that we go light on prayer. The congregational prayer meeting has all but disappeared. Prayer times in small groups is often related to the rushed interval before supper and, again, are often prayed just on the low horizon of our immediate needs.

Prayer seems a bit like washing hands after we go to bathroom. Everyone agrees that it’s a good idea but not many do it.

It is such a contrast to look at the book of Acts. 2:42 sums it up as it speaks of a church ‘devoted to the prayers’. The church of Acts had nothing but God to rely on. And so they prayed.

This is the missing link.

Hearing well

What’s wrong with this scene?

The worship leader introduced the service theme with care and led a carefully crafted opening prayer. Later on, someone else preached and someone prayed. While they did so the worship leader opened his ipad, looked at his face book page and read a page from a book.

We expect that those who preach and teach the Bible do their job well (eg 2 Tim 2:15; Jas 1:1). This means that the preacher is well prepared, devoted to his task and executes it with dependence on God and the best use of his gifts. A preacher who fails to do rightly comes under criticism.

But what of the listeners?

I was present at the above scene with the inattentive worship leader. I was appalled. It was made worse by the fact that he holds a senior ministry post. It’s the kind of scene that makes you wonder if this is an aberration or is it the real person. If it’s the real person, his fitness for a key ministry role is doubtful.

But then I thought. What kind of sermon listener am I? Maybe I am don’t give such obvious outward signs of inattentiveness, but what is going on inside me. Am I listening or are my thoughts wandering? If I am listening, am I listening as one who delights in God’s word, desires to know it as well as I can and who bends my will to live according to the word that I hear?

Jesus tells those who can hear to hear and warns that the measure of our hearing is the measure of what God will give us to hear (Mrk 4:9, 23-24). This coupled with his earlier words about the parables hiding things from outsiders (Mrk 4:11-12) is a warning that the hearing of the word of God is as serious a task as it’s preaching.

How can I be a responsible hearer of God’s word when I read it or hear it preached?

·      Prepared I can read and pray over the text before coming to the meeting. I can ensure that I am well rested an unhurried rather than rushed with last minute activities.

·      Focussed I can ensure that nothing needlessly distracts me during the preaching. If I am using a devise to read the Bible or take notes, put it to airline mode so that no distracting push-alert diverts me. I can keep my eyes in two places only: on my Bible and on the preacher.

·      Engaged I can engage with the word by taking notes. Even if I discard them afterwards, the act of taking them requires engaged listening rather than superficial attention.

·      Responsive The word is meant to change my beliefs and behaviours and make me a more complete Christian (2 Tim 3:15-17). Do I pray the word that I hear into my heart and life? As I listen am I looking for applications that I personalise and then pray into my heart, will and hands? Doing this avoids the problem of unprofitable knowledge (2 Pet 1:3-8).

It’s easy to criticise the way the worship leader was inattentive to the word. Perhaps I am better to look to myself and ensure that I learn from the bad example and become one who hears well.

The return of Jesus: party or panic?

The return of Jesus – party or panic?

I recently heard a kid’s talk and a sermon on the return of Jesus. The Bible text was Matt 24 and the theme was ‘get ready’.

Both used metaphors and illustrations. One was of the Principal coming to your classroom and the other was of an exam.

The kid’s talk discussed whether party preparations, good deeds or reading your Bible and praying were the way to be ready for his return.

This made me think.  An exam and a Principal’s visit are both images of unwelcome events for which preparations are made with a perception of fear and a measure of threat.

Should it be that way? For those who live in defiance or denial or God, Jesus’ return is an unwelcome event and a threat of the highest order.

But what of those who live conscious of God, well-aware of their unworthiness of his company and who look to Jesus in faith as their saviour?

For people like this, Jesus’ return is a most welcome event. It’s what you have been waiting for and long for (eg Rev 22:20). It is Palm Sunday in the fullest, final and most welcome sense as the Son of David comes to his city and people (eg Matt 21:9-10). In short, it’s not a day to fear but a day for a party.

How do we get ready for such a day? It’s by living as faithful and wise servants who are always living such to please their master whenever he arrives (Matt 24:45-46). That might mean Bible reading and prayer. Or good deeds. It certainly means party preparations. But we need to be clear what kind of party that is.

If life is a party without God Jesus’ return is a panic day (Matt 24:38f). But if life is lived with God in all we do, his return is a party day to end all parties.

Ambition and expectations

Sometimes the obvious truth is right beneath our feet in the world of common sense.

Take ambition, expectations and contentment.

Ambition is our future aspiration. With it we can be stretched and achieve more of our God-given potential with our God-given talents and opportunities. Without ambition we are apt to be people who under-use God's talents and opportunities which remain safely buried and unproductive. But unbalanced ambition (eg Phil 2:3; James 4:14&16) can lead to an eternal discontent in which the 'peace that passes understanding' (Phil 4:7) eludes us and we are discontent whether in riches or poverty.

Expectations are our assessment of what will and can happen. Now this is tricky. There's good evidence that people with higher expectations tend to see higher results. And vice versa. But the trick is this: when our expectations exceed realism we are apt to be crushed with despair at what could have been but is not.

Here's a path of wisdom: contentment and achievement are found through a mix of lofty ambitions and realistic expectations.  Lofty ambitions keep us stretching to our ability and realistic expectations keep us from despair.

Hence Phil 4:11-13. Paul models confidence of being able '... to do all things through him who strengthens me' (godly ambition) but has also learned to be content in whatever circumstances he was placed by God.

There is balance. Paul's life shows a constant pushing of himself for lofty ambitions. Note though that these are ambitions are not for his own advancement or comfort but for God's kingdom honour (eg Phil 1:12-18). But even when afflictions and discouragements come his way he is not crushed nor driven to despair but seeks to carry the marks of Jesus' death in order to also carry his life (eg 2 Cor 4:7-11). And so Paul can be content even if his lofty plans go upside down.

Two stories of people I know (names changed) show the danger of separating lofty ambitions and low expectations.

Jill was very happy with her life so long as there was food for that day and money to pay whatever bill was due that day. Her low expectations mean that contentment came easy.  But Jill was functioning far below her abilities, depending on other family members to bail her out and was making no provision for the future. Her lack of ambition meant that she bumped along the bottom of her God-given abilities and possibilities.

Jane had a trophy husband, drove a Porsche, had a stellar career, was multi talented and was able to take dream holidays every year. Others envied her and wish they had just a share of her life. But Jane was perennially unhappy and always reaching for the next goal in the empty hope of finding happiness. Unrestrained and misplaced ambition coupled with unrealistic expectations of her trophies left her discontent.

What is your mix of ambition and expectations?