Passover Seder Plate, Photographer Nikola Herwig (CC-BY-SA-3.0-migrated)
As most readers know, Passover is a religious festival commemorating the release of the Hebrews from bondage in Egypt. It begins this year on April 3, 2015.
Nine plagues had fallen on Egypt, but still pharaoh’s heart remained hardened against the Hebrews. Before the tenth plague, the Hebrews were warned to mark the posts and lintels of their houses with lamb’s blood, and partake of a meal with bitter herbs and unleavened bread. That same night, the Egyptian firstborn succumbed to death.
It was the Passover meal which Christ shared with His disciples shortly before His crucifixion. This is the meal Christians call The Last Supper. The lamb’s blood with which the Hebrews had marked their doorposts and lintels foreshadowed Christ’s own death on the cross.
“ ‘And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. So you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover’ ” ( Ex. 12: 11).
Lord, we were not there with You on that last Passover. But we partake of the communion meal, in remembrance of You. And we long for Your presence in our lives.
We know that those who believe in You are covered by Your blood, Lord; that our sins have been washed away by Your perfect sacrifice.
Be as food and drink to us, Lord — the Bread of Life and Cup of Salvation. Place in us as great a thirst for Your Word as deer have for flowing streams. Then fill us to the brim with the living water only You can provide.
We ask this in Your Holy Name.
Amen
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Daisy in the wind, Photo by Alias 0591 (CC Attribution, 2.0 Gen)
“They are like straw before the wind, and like chaff that a storm carries away” (Job 21: 18).
Often, those of us not raised in dire poverty fail to understand the chaos of that environment.
The electricity is turned off, and homework is not done. The ceiling falls in, literally. The grocery bag rips, the eggs smash, and there is no dinner. Children sleep in the bathtub as their only defense against drive-by shootings. An intoxicated neighbor sets the house on fire. An argument over sneakers escalates into a shooting. Police arrest a parent, and the children go into foster care.
No Safety Nets
There are no safety nets. There are no margins for error. What to the rest of us might be an inconvenience, at worst a minor hardship, can be devastating to the poor. Progress is impossible. A youthful indiscretion may cost a life.
Is there any wonder that long range consequences are imperfectly understood? These children have not been in a position to predict from one hour to the next what may befall them.
Disappointed and Discouraged
Children in poverty face constant disappointment, and daily discouragement from the adults around them. Promises must be broken again and again. Some of the criticism may actually be an attempt by adults to protect their children against the bias they are expected to face. Underachievement is perceived as “safer” than success. Read more…
San Diego Padres pitcher, Edwin Moreno, at Spring Training (2009), Source Djh57 (CC Attribution, 3.0 Unported)
The plea, “Put me in, coach,” has been heard in countless locker rooms and dugouts. A song with that refrain is frequently played during baseball’s annual rite of Spring Training.
Isaiah was as anxious to serve, when he had his awe-inspiring vision. You will recall that Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, so that His robe filled the temple (Is. 6: 1). Though describing himself as a man of “unclean lips,” Isaiah responded in the affirmative when the Lord asked whether anyone would be willing to serve.
Isaiah did not ask about the nature of the assignment. He did not bargain over his reward. He did not focus on his own shortcomings. We should take his approach as our model for responding when the Lord calls.
“Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here I am! Send me’ ” (Is. 6:8).
Lord God, we come before You as humble servants. Like Isaiah, we recognize our limitations, yet cry out, “Here we are! Send us.”
Whether You have made us lawyers, teachers, writers, or mechanics, show us how best to use our talents. Give us always willing hearts, and send us where we can best serve Your purposes.
Amen
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Dome at Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station (first permanent human structure at the South Pole), Photo by Bill McAfee for National Science Foundation, Source http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2008/11/scenes_from_antarctica.html (PD).
We take for granted today that man has conquered nature. After all, we have flown to the moon, plumbed the deepest oceans. But this was not always so. There was a time when exploration required great daring and great sacrifice; when notoriety could not be confused with accomplishment.
In their race to the South Pole, Captain Robert Scott, Dr. Edward Wilson, and Henry Bowers braved temperatures of 43 degrees below zero. All three lost their lives in the attempt.
Ultimately, the team was defeated by the weather. Their meteorologist, George Simpson had been unable to predict the unusually severe conditions. Simpson went to his grave uncertain whether he might have saved them.
Only with the advantage of more advanced equipment can we demonstrate the remarkable accuracy of Simpson’s projections. In fifteen of sixteen years, the team would easily have survived.
Only now do we realize that Wilson and Bowers gave their lives for Scott. Neither man recorded that fact, in the letters they left buried for loved ones. It was simply their final act of devotion to an injured leader, a far greater accolade than headlines, ticker tape, or applause.
How often – like Simpson – do we view our own efforts as failures, without any real comprehension of their impact? God’s perspective is not as limited as our own. Nor is His power. He can use even our failures to His purposes…purposes greater than we can know.
“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8: 28).
Lord God, You are present equally on the frozen waste, and the freezing street corner. You know our beginnings and endings, all that we will and will not accomplish.
Our days here are so short, Lord. Use us to Your purposes. Even when our circumstances are dire; even when we fail in what we intend.
For even when we fail, Your glory remains.
Amen
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
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Antique Valentine Card (1860-1880), Photographed by rgEbfucR4wKBlg at Google Cultural Institute, Current Location Museum of London (Accession No. A28549/33) (PD – Copyright Expired, Author Anonymous)
The apostle Paul’s verses about love are a favorite at weddings:
“Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal. And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.” (1 Cor. 13: 1-2).
But these words were not penned as a sentimental reading for use at nuptials. They are the impassioned plea of a man who formerly prided himself on his status as a Pharisee, on his knowledge of and obedience to the law of God — a man whose entire worldview was irretrievably altered by Christ (Philippians 3: 4-6).
This line from Paul’s description of Christian love is usually omitted from the wedding ceremony. However, it illustrates his fervor:
“And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing” (1 Cor. 13: 3).
As Christians, therefore, we are called to love and charity. Not the appearance of charity, the empty gesture, photographers at the ready. Not the tax deduction. And not the resigned donation, noblesse oblige, heavy sigh for effect.
Paul makes clear that charity, like beauty, must be more than skin deep with us. Christian charity is not some dry obligation, but our opportunity to share God’s blessings with those in need – our opportunity to reflect His love to others.
As such, it is a privilege for which we are the ones who should be grateful.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
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Map of the “caliphate” proposed by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria a/k/a the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Author and Source Debora Cabral (CC-BY-SA- 4.0)
A man was burnt alive this week. ISIS murdered Lt. Muath al Kasasbeh, a captured Jordanian pilot, by placing him in a cage and setting him alight. A slick video (since verified) was then released [1]. Jordan is a member of the American-led coalition against ISIS.
The world is still grappling with how best to deal with the so called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria a/k/a the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, and respond to this travesty. The question arises what role Christians – especially American Christians – should play in the fight against ISIS.
Clearly, the shameful act was intended to provoke horror. It has done that. And, like other acts of terror and barbarism, it was intended to provoke fear. I would hazard the guess it has done that, too.
The savage event has not, however, provoked surprise. Nor is it likely to produce surrender. Since ISIS does not understand the concept of mercy, the so called Islamic State can hardly expect the rest of the world to fall to its knees and beg for that.
Christians though should fall to their knees in prayer. The world is facing a great evil, a contagion that must not spread. Our brothers and sisters abroad are in grave peril, if not yet martyred for their faith. Read more…
“Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Ethiopian [African] woman whom he had married…So the anger of the Lord was aroused against them and…Miriam became leprous, as white as snow” (Numbers 12: 1, 9-10).
It is Black History Month again, a reminder to the world and black children, in particular, of the many accomplishments by African Americans. This is entirely appropriate.
I though am foolish enough to believe that color – black, white, red, yellow, brown, or green – should not matter. It is only skin deep, after all, less than a quarter of an inch thick.
There is history and heritage, suffering and achievement associated with skin in all colors. But underneath that fragile covering, we we are the same, whether we choose to believe it or not. Underneath the skin, we are nothing more or less than human.
If you or I needed a heart transplant, we could get it from anyone, regardless of color or race. And that happens to be what we need, a heart transplant. A heart transplant, so we can feel the pain of a little girl who will not have enough to eat tonight. A heart transplant, so we can know the anger of a boy whose future has been stolen.
The lives of too many children in this sad world are hemmed in by poverty, crime, drugs, gangs, hatred, and violence. The innocence of too many children is taken from them before the age of reason. Forced to make life and death decisions, they may become caregivers to their younger siblings, drug mules or sex slaves before reaching their teens.
It is not enough that we cluck sympathetically, and turn away. Whatever our skin color, whatever our religion, we must take action to save these children…before they are swallowed whole by darkness.
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“But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15: 57).
Christ through His death and Resurrection attained victory over sin, death, and the world. As Christians, we sing hymns about “Victory in Jesus”, “Standing on the Promise”, “Power in the Blood”, and “Sunshine in the Soul”; proclaim that “The Battle Belongs to the Lord” and that “Faith Is the Victory”.
But the world can be very hard on us. Like soldiers in battle, we may be wounded, maimed even. May lose or be denied what we once valued, once thought we could not live without. Those who expect victory as the world understands it – or victory painlessly – will be sadly disappointed.
We may be maligned and rejected, denied our dreams – a well-deserved promotion or the publication of a treasured manuscript. We may lose a precious child or a business at which we labored for years or a legal case into which we poured our talent and ourselves. We may be hated and reviled by the very persons we served to the best of our ability, to the limit of our strength. We may be betrayed by a dear friend, a spouse, or both.
Yet God upholds us amid the onslaught. He accomplishes His plan even when we do not understand it, even when we are sure we have failed in our efforts to do His will.
“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord” (1 Cor. 15: 58).
Only after defeat can we claim the joy of victory. Till then the word is empty for us.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
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Adelie penguin couple with their chicks, Image by BJ Sinclair from Hemispheric Asymmetries in Biodiversity (CC by 2.5)
“I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works” (Psalm 145: 5).
Clad in what appear to be black and white tuxedos (the camouflage which protects them in the water), Adelie penguins stand a mere 18”-30”, and weigh only about 10-13 lbs. But they provide an inspiring picture of parenthood.
Native to Antarctica, Adelies reproduce in large breeding colonies during the Antarctic summer. The high temperature during this “mild” season may be as low as -20 degrees Celsius.
Alternately sliding on their bellies and marching forward on small webbed feet, the penguins make their way inland across the ice as far as 30 miles to find a spot safe from predators. The birds then produce two eggs which must be incubated for 32-34 days. In lean times, only one egg will survive.
Penguin parents share the duty of keeping their eggs warm. Once she has laid the eggs, the physically depleted female must leave to seek nourishment or she will die. The male Adelie takes the first shift with the eggs. He will not eat until his mate returns.
Fasting male penguins lose 1.76 oz per day. After 34 days they may weigh as little as 7 lbs, 11 oz with just 20% of their fat reserves remaining. If the female has not returned by this point – if she has fallen victim to a leopard seal, for instance – the male must abandon the nest or die of starvation, himself.
When she does return, the female will regurgitate food for the chicks hatched in her absence, while the male heads off to feed.
Adelie penguins remind us that the young are precious, and need a commitment by both parents for the best chance to survive and thrive. Among the least of God’s creatures, Adelies remind us that God’s provision is all around us, even in the darkest of times and the most difficult of conditions.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
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If there were a God – a good God, Who really loved His children – no little girl would ever again die of cancer or little boy be molested. In fact, there would be no illness or pain at all (none, at any rate, impacting good people). There would be no poverty, no crime or corruption. There would be no racism or injustice. There would be no war, no terrorism, no weapons of mass destruction. There would be no natural disasters, no aging, and no death.
Man as God
This the case against God. But those who argue for an empty throne readily place another deity there, in God’s stead. These are the secular humanists and New Age believers, with man and/or the universe as their god. This, truly, is self-delusion – that the creation should confuse itself with the Creator.
Oh, godhood is heady stuff. We have, after all, thrown off the yoke of a God unwilling to serve at our whim.
Never mind that we remain enthralled to sin. Or that our supposed “godhood” was tried before, by civilizations long gone. The Egyptian pharaohs claimed to be living gods. The Roman emperors (including that example of virtue, Caligula), also, claimed to be gods. The Mayan kings claimed descent from the gods. Many others making similar claims have since been forgotten.
Religious Hypocrites
Great harm has been done in the name of religion.
Although Christ was a Jew, antisemitism has frequently been initiated by those priding themselves on being Christian. The Justinian Code withdrew civil rights from Jews. Russian pogroms in the 19th and 20th Centuries targeted Jews. Hitler crafted a pagan cult of personality, initially adopting the trappings of Christianity. The Roman Catholic Church long shielded pedophiles. The Ku Klux Klan still claims to be Christian [1].
Those arguing against the existence of God or His goodness often cite such historic examples. But hypocrisy on a personal level can be as compelling.
Popes have fathered children, despite a vow of celibacy. Some of those ranting at the top of their lungs against homosexuality have, themselves, engaged in homosexual behavior with prostitutes [2] [3]. Certain televangelists live like rajahs while soliciting donations for the poor.
For Christians, these illustrate the sin nature we all share, and confirm the universal need for a Savior. Understandably, non-Christians do not see the matter that way.
When we hold ourselves out as “better” than the rest of mankind, we become the very Pharisees whom Christ rejected.
Amazing Love
“Jesus said to him, ‘ “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets’ ” (Matt. 22: 37-40).
What Christians have to offer the world is not innately superior character, but the love of Christ as expressed in their lives. If we fail at love, we fail as Christians. But this love does not originate with us. Rather, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4: 10).
That amazing love – which asks nothing for itself – can heal shattered hearts and transform lives. It restored the relationship between God and man by Christ’s willing death on the cross and His subsequent Resurrection.
Evidence Enough
The world is so designed that it calls for a decision on our part, as to the existence or non-existence of God.
There is evidence from all aspects of the natural world, from conscience, from the longing in our hearts for a better world, and from the Bible in favor of God’s existence and His goodness. There is evidence against God’s goodness from man’s own evil and violence, from the problem of evil in this broken world (when the innocent suffer), and from death, itself.
To Christians, the arguments against God’s existence and His goodness ring hollow. On neither side, however, is the evidence conclusive. We can find reasons to believe, as well as reasons not to believe. We require faith to make a final decision, whether in favor or against.
Renowned Supreme Court Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. made the observation that, “Deep-seated preferences cannot be argued about…” The Bible, however, adds that “God has dealt to each one a measure of faith” (Rom. 12: 3).
For those who will diligently examine the question of God’s existence and His goodness, there is evidence enough.
Free will, innocent suffering, and religious delusion are discussed in Part 1 of this article (posted last week).
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[1] Contrary to popular opinion, many Neo-Nazis reject Christianity.
[2] This article makes no comment on homosexuality.
[3] The hypocrisy is compounded by a lack of regard for the welfare of those engaged – and often trapped – in the sex trade.
READERS CAN FIND MY VIEWS ON ABUSE AND ABUSE-RELATED ISSUES AT ANNA WALDHERR A Voice Reclaimed, Surviving Child Abuse
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A Lawyer's Prayers 