Holding On To Hope

 

It has become more and more difficult for me to watch the news. Whether it be geopolitical issues like Ukraine and Iran, or natural occurrences like storms, fires, and flash flooding, it seems like the bad news keeps coming day after day. 

In some ways we shouldn't be surprised. Scripture tells us that things will go from bad to worse before the end comes. Jesus says in the Gospel of Matthew, "You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these are the beginning of birth pains." - Matt. 24

Paul says in Romans, "The creation was subjected to frustration, by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption and the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently." - Romans 8

God may at times seem distant and appear remote and far off. God’s hidden ways often confuse and confound us in this life. But our faith and hope are in his revealed Word, Jesus Christ, in his perfect life and sacrificial death for us, and in his glorious resurrection. We know that, while weeping may endure for a night, joy comes in the morning.

If you are down, depressed, or despondent these days - remember that you are not alone. Remember that ...

Adam and Eve were banished 

Abraham was tested

Jacob struggled and had a limp

Joseph was left for dead

Job suffered greatly

David was on the run 

Elijah was at the end of his rope

Sarah, Hannah, and Elizabeth were barren

Jeremiah was the weeping prophet 

Peter denied his Lord

Thomas had doubts

Paul had a thorn in the flesh

Jesus endured persecution and pain 

"Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the founder and finisher of our faith. For the joy set before Him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such hostility from sinful men, so that you do not grow weary and lose heart" - Heb. 12

The Irish C.S. Lewis

 

"The longest way round is the shortest way home."

The Open Championship (or British Open) is one of the four major tournaments in golf and is one of the largest sporting events in the world. It has been held this week at Royal Portrush in Northern Ireland, near the old stomping grounds of C. S. Lewis, who was born and raised in and around Belfast. He and his family would often take family vacations to Portrush and the surrounding area, just over an hour away. There were beaches, an amusement park, natural attractions, and yes, even a castle. Just the place for a little boy with a fertile imagination.

One of the main natural attractions in the area is the Giants Causeway - a series of hexagonal rock formations which are the result of ancient volcanic activity. Of course, the Irish have a different story. They say that the causeway was formed by a scuffle between two giants who once lived there. Perhaps this was the place Lewis was thinking of when he wrote about the giant’s territory of Harfang in the Silver Chair.

Dunluce Castle is not far away, sitting high atop a cliff overlooking the Irish Sea. Although now just a skeleton of its former self, it is still a majestic sight on the rugged coast. It must have made quite an impression on little Jack when he saw it for the first time as a child. Many believe that this castle was the inspiration for his royal city of Cair Paravel in the Chronicles of Narnia books.

In Narnia, the castle also happens to be right on the edge of the sea. After ruling there during the Golden Age of Narnia, the four Pevensie children return when called back by Prince Caspian. Upon their return the castle is overgrown and in ruins, a mere semblance of what it once had been, but still standing and still prominent.

The Open Championship was first played in Ireland in 1951. What else happened that year? Prince Caspian was published as the second book of the Chronicles of Narnia series, which tells about the ruins of Cair Paravel, inspired by Dunluce Castle.

We often think of CS Lewis as an Englishman since he lived and taught in Cambridge and Oxford. But he always remained an Irishman at heart, returning to his home country nearly every summer for a holiday by the sea. 

These brief times of joy for Lewis would anticipate and finally culminate in that final journey home to Aslan's country, which for him was only the beginning of the real story. All his life in this world and all his adventures had only been the cover and title page. Now at last he was beginning chapter one of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read, which goes on forever, in which every chapter is better than the one before.

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an idle tale

 

Tell me a story. “Once upon a time, there was a great King.” Why do we all love stories? I think deep down we all want the story to be true. There is nothing like a true story. Truth is better and often stranger than fiction.

All of us are basing our lives on a story. It may be true, and it may be false, but we all are basing our lives on a story. Some people call this a worldview. How we look at ourselves, how we look at others, how we look at the world, how we look at God.

There are so many different stories and beliefs out there in the world today. The more stories you hear, the more you realize there are almost as many stories as there are people who believe them.

Many people today see the story of Jesus as just another story. An old wives tale. A superstition - an illusion - an unverified claim - unfounded belief. A nice story but - it doesn’t really change anything. It may help you feel better, but it can’t help you with your problems, it can’t stop death. The philosopher Jack Sparrow - dead men tell no tales.

All too often people treat the Christian story as if it were an idle tale, and treat Jesus like an old relic, someone from a long time ago that we honor and respect, but not someone we follow and speak with and listen to each day. We tuck him away into an old bible on a dusty shelf in a back room, bring him out a couple times a year, christmas and maybe easter, and maybe election day if we need some extra help to get our favorite politician elected. But then it’s back on the shelf - where he’s safe and out of the way - a nice folksy figure that ranks somewhere between Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny. 

For the disciples, it went far deeper, it was way more personal. This was their rabbi, teacher, master, and friend. They had been through everything with him the last 3 years, teaching, healing, parables, miracles. And in the past week, they had gone from the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, from the excitement of the palm parade on Sunday to the agony of his arrest and death and burial on Friday. They had been through the ringer - the worst two days of their lives. And now to hear that Jesus had risen - it was just too much - the pain was too bitter, the loss was too great. It seemed too good to be true - to them it was an idle tale. 

But thanks be to God, they were dead wrong, because Jesus wasn’t dead, he was alive! He was risen and living, loving and forgiving. He had indeed risen from the dead - just as he had said. They were about to go from fear to faith - from False Evidence Appearing Real - to Forsaking All I Trust Him.

They would indeed see and trust and believe, but it took a little while, because in a very real sense, a whole new world was opening up to them, a new creation was taking place right before their very eyes. Nothing would ever be the same again - as the old car commercial put it - this changes everything.    

Dead men tell no tales - that is - unless Jesus is around. And if he is, then dead men are raised up and they tell stories and write letters and author books and plant churches and preach the gospel and plant churches and love their neighbors and on and on and on it goes - as its been going for the last 2000 years.

Jesus is alive and well - living and active in his word, in the means of grace, in the Sacraments, in the waters of Baptism, in the elements of the Lord’s Supper, and with his people the church. He is Yahweh - the great I Am. He is Immanuel - God with us and God for us.

The story of Jesus - the story of Easter is not an idle tale - because it’s not an idol tale! It’s the story of the one true God who loved his fallen creatures so much that he would do anything to get them back - even go so far as to give up his one and only son.  

Because of Christ’s death and resurrection, Paul writes in Romans that nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord.

1 Cor. 15, 1 John 1, 2 Peter 1

"If Christianity is false it is of no importance, but if it is true it is of infinite importance. The only thing it can't be is moderately important." - CS Lewis

There are so many stories and beliefs out there in the world today. The more stories you hear, the more you realize that there are almost as many stories as there are people who believe them.

But there is another story - a greater story - a great and grand Story that forms and informs all the rest. The story of a God who loved the world he created so much that he came down himself to redeem it. A God who promises to someday set things straight and make things right, to make everything sad come untrue. To bring about what he originally intended for his creation - something good and true and beautiful and eternal.   

In the meantime, God gives his church a story that helps to make sense of this life. It gives meaning, purpose, and significance to all. It builds faith, grants forgiveness, and spreads peace, hope, and joy. It takes place every Sunday throughout the church year as we hear his word, as we speak to him in prayer and sing his praises in song, as we follow the liturgy and the lectionary, and in so doing follow our Lord from here at Bethany to the New Jerusalem someday.  

This Divine Drama is ancient and historical and traditional, but it’s not just something that you read about in a book or follow along in a bulletin. The Journey with Jesus is a present reality - an adventure that you get to be part of. Not just another event you view as a spectator, but one you are able to participate in and experience for yourself. There’s nothing fake or phony about it. It’s true and genuine and authentic - it’s the real thing. Just like our Risen Savior, Redeemer, and Lord - the One who takes our once upon a time and turns it into a happily ever after.  Christ Is Risen!

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Cornerstone

 

“Behold, I lay a stone in Zion, a precious cornerstone, a firm foundation.”  (Isaiah 28)

In 1924, one hundred years ago, the cornerstone was laid at the site of what would be the new campus of Concordia Seminary in St. Louis. A time capsule was placed inside which included a German Bible, an English Bible, a Hebrew Old Testament, and a Greek New Testament. There were other items such as a map, a coin, medal, and photographs. But the most important were the Sacred Scriptures, the firm foundation, the sole rule and norm for faith and life.

My grandfather was a student at the seminary at the time, and was there two years later when the new campus was dedicated in 1926. It was a grand affair, with around 80,000 people in attendance. President Franz Pieper gave the address that day (in Latin), and as he spoke an interesting thing began to happen. A bi-plane came around and flew over the campus. It was a big deal at the time as flying and airplanes were still quite new and exciting, so everyone stopped what they were doing and looked up. It seemed that just as America was entering into a new era, so was the Church.

That day was the beginning of a new era for my family as well. My Grandpa Lange was about ready to graduate from the seminary, and he had a lot of people praying for him. He went on to become a pastor and marry one Selma Lohoefner, my Grandma Lange. She said that when she was a young woman, she prayed that God would allow her to marry a pastor, and that she would have seven sons who would all become pastors. 

She got the seven sons all right, along with one daughter, but only four out of the seven became pastors. God likes to answer prayer in his own time and in his own way, so even though only four of the seven sons became pastors, seven of the grandchildren would go on to become pastors or missionaries as well. 

My father went on to attend Concordia Seminary, as did I. As you walk from the parking lot toward the campus, you pass by the old log cabin that served as the first seminary, the first building built by the Saxon settlers in Perry County. A few steps later, as you stand in front of Luther Tower and look up, you see certain words chiseled into stone. Grace, Faith, Scripture. And as you look down, you see the stone with the year 1924 carved into it. That’s the stone that was laid one hundred years ago, but that’s not the real cornerstone. The real cornerstone is Jesus Christ.

When my father and I were in Jerusalem a few years ago, we stood before the Western Wall, admiring the large stones. The smaller stones at the top of the wall are from the time of the Crusades, the next level (slightly larger) are from the time of Herod, and the huge stone slabs at the bottom are from the time of Solomon and the original temple. As impressive as those stones are, they pale in comparison to the lithos, the real and true Rock of our Salvation, the Living Stone, Jesus Christ. From Jerusalem to Rome to Wittenberg to St. Louis to every little church on the prairie, the gospel continues to go out, as Christ crucified is preached, and forgiveness is delivered. The crucified and risen Christ comes to renew, restore, and build up. So who does Jesus come for? In the Gospels Jesus comes for Jews, Greeks, Romans, Pagans, Canaanites, Samaritans, Pharisees, Sadducees, widows, orphans, lepers, the disabled, the weak, the strong, the young, the old, the poor, the rich, the sick, the dying, and even the dead! Jesus comes for everyone. Jesus comes for you. “As you come to him, the living Stone, rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him, you also like living stones, are being built up into a spiritual house. ‘Behold, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2)

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Music of the Spheres

In the beginning of Middle Earth, Iluvatar created the world of Arda by the music of the Ainur, angelic beings who sang creation into existence. In the beginning of Narnia, Aslan wandered to and fro across the land, singing a new song and bringing the world into being. In the beginning of our world, the angels rejoiced and the morning stars sang together when Elohim created the heavens and the earth. 

The connection between music and the created order is a long lasting one. Over the years some have called it the Mystery of the Cosmos, the Harmonies of the World, the Musica Universalis, or the Music of the Spheres. The Music of the Spheres was an ancient Greek theory by Pythagorus later developed by astronomer Johannes Kepler. It was the belief that the stars and planets made a cosmic melody as they circled the earth and made their way through space. 

Though this theory is of course poetic and imaginative, the disciplines of astronomy and mathematics have in part backed it up. There is a real harmony and proportionality to geometry, and the heavenly bodies do indeed vibrate with a dynamic energy captured by radio telescopes. 

C.S. Lewis wrote extensively about this concept in his last book, The Discarded Image, and put it into practice in his series, The Chronicles of Narnia. Michael Ward delves into this in his doctoral thesis which became the book, Planet Narnia. He discovered a hidden code in the Narnia books and found that each book represents one of the planets, or seven heavens, of the medieval world. 

(The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is Jupiter, Prince Caspian is Mars, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader is the Sun, The Silver Chair is the Moon, The Horse and his Boy is Mercury, The Magician’s Nephew is Venus, and The Last Battle is Saturn.) 

J.R.R. Tolkien used the imagery of the secret music to begin his creation account in The Silmarillion.

“Then Ilúvatar said to them: 'Of the theme that I have declared to you, I will now that ye make in harmony together a Great Music. And since I have kindled you with the Flame Imperishable, ye shall show forth your powers in adorning this theme, each with his own thoughts and devices, if he will. But I will sit and hearken and be glad that through you great beauty has been wakened into song.' Then the voices of the Ainur, like unto harps and lutes, and pipes and trumpets, and viols and organs, and like unto countless choirs singing with words, began to fashion the theme of Ilúvatar to a great music; and a sound arose of endless interchanging melodies woven in harmony that passed beyond hearing into the depths and into the heights, and the places of the dwelling of Ilúvatar were filled to overflowing, and the music and the echo of the music went out into the Void, and it was not void. Never since have the Ainur made any music like this music, though it has been said that a greater still shall be made before Ilúvatar by the choirs of the Ainur and the Children of Ilúvatar after the end of days. Then the themes of Ilúvatar shall be played aright, and all shall understand fully his intent in their part, and each shall know the comprehension of each, and Ilúvatar shall give to their thoughts the secret fire, being well pleased.”

As great as Lewis and Tolkien were, perhaps no one wrote more profoundly of the music of the spheres than King David in Psalm 19, a favorite of Lewis. Lewis wrote that it was the greatest poem in the Psalter and one of the greatest lyrics in the world.  

“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge. They have no speech, they use no words; no sound is heard from them. Yet their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun. It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.”  

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Sheep and Shepherd

 

On our trip to Israel a few years ago, we were surprised to see a number of Bedouin shepherds still out in the fields doing their thing. They still live in tents and practice their nomadic lifestyle, with permission from the authorities to graze their flocks in rural areas around Bethlehem and Jerusalem. These rugged shepherds know perhaps better than anyone the meaning of the phrase, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”

They know what it’s like to leave the village and go out into the open country, where you're all alone and on your own. No police protection, no cell phones, no one to come help in case of thieves, robbers, or an attack by wild animals. Most of us don't live in that kind of world. Even those of us who live out in the country still have neighbors not too far away.   

One of the great experts in the ancient Near East, Dr. Ken Bailey, lived in that kind of world when he was living in Lebanon in the 1970s at the time of the civil war there. There was no electricity, no water, and no telephones. The police had disappeared, the army had fallen apart, and the national guard didn't even exist. The only protection they had were little groups of people that huddled together and tried to protect themselves. The only real protection in a situation like that is, “The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.” When you get right down to it, that's the only real protection we have in this life as well, especially from our enemies of sin, death, and the devil.

One of the great fears we all have is the fear of what the future will bring. Will we be safe? Will we have enough? Will our needs be met? Will we be able to provide for our family? As Christians we believe that God will provide for us. We trust in Him and believe that He will keep His promise to never leave us nor forsake us, to be with us always, to the very end of the age.

Jesus the Good Shepherd says, “Follow me.” If we're going to follow Jesus, we are going to need to hear his voice, and in order to hear his voice, we need to listen to his word.

Bad shepherds in the Middle East use rocks and sticks on their sheep. Good shepherds don’t do that. Good shepherds are out in front of the flock, using a little call or whistle to round up the sheep. Dr. Bailey tells of a Palestinian shepherd he knew of who had 500 sheep with no dog and no assistant. He would just slowly walk in front of the flock, and every minute or so he would give his little call that his sheep knew so well. The good shepherd knows his flock, and the sheep know his voice. 

But sheep do go astray from time to time, and when a sheep is lost, the shepherd goes after the lost sheep. Shepherds will tell you that when a sheep is lost, it becomes afraid and finds a bush to hide under and starts bleating loudly hoping that it will be found. The shepherd knows this, and knows that he has to get there quickly, because wild animals will also hear the bleating sheep, and it's only a matter of time until something bad happens.

 Once the shepherd finds it, it will probably be too scared to move, so he has to pick it up and put it over his shoulders and carry it back to the village. You've probably seen a picture of Jesus carrying a sheep over his shoulder. It’s one of the oldest and most beloved icons from the early church … the image of Jesus as the Good Shepherd. 

He leads us and feeds us, guides us and leads us. Why does He do it all? For his own namesake. It's who he is. It's what he does. Not because of any inherent goodness in sheep like us, but simply because he is the Good Shepherd, and we are the sheep of his pasture. 

In Israel today, it's still possible to witness a scene that the disciples probably saw 2000 years ago. That is of Bedouin shepherds bringing their flocks home from the various pastures they have grazed during the day. Often those flocks end up at the same watering hole at the end of the day around dusk. When they all gather together, several small flocks suddenly turn into one big one. But the shepherds don't worry about the sheep getting mixed up. When it's time to go home, each one has his own special little call, and when they hear it, the sheep withdraw from the crowd to follow their shepherd home. They know who they belong to. They know their shepherd's voice, and he is the one they will follow.

"I am the Good Shepherd. I know my sheep and my sheep know me. I lay down my life for the sheep." - John 10 

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Keep A Song In Your Heart

 

The popular bandleader Lawrence Welk used to end his television show each week with a reminder to “keep a song in your heart.”     

Regularly reading and hearing God’s Word helps us to keep a song in our heart. But it seems like it is harder and harder to do in our culture and world today, with the chaos and clamor of dystopian dissonance ringing in our ears. The Psalms, and especially Psalm 137, can be of great help to us.

The context of Psalm 137 is the Babylonian Exile. After many years of idolatry and rebellion, God sent the prophets to call Israel back to the word and ways of the Lord. But Israel still strayed and disobeyed, and so Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed, Zion was left in ruin and rubble, and the people were taken into exile to Babylon. 

“By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept as we remembered Zion. There on the poplars we hung our harps. Then our captors asked us for songs, our tormentors demanded from us songs of joy. ‘Sing us one of the songs of Zion!’ But how can we sing the songs of the LORD while in a foreign land?”

They were far from home, living in a foreign country, strangers in a strange land. Everything had changed. The future was dim for them. They had all but given up hope. The last thing on their mind was singing a song of joy.

There they were in Mesopotamia, the land between the rivers, longing for home, remembering Zion, hanging their harps on the poplar trees, without a song in their heart.

Or so it would seem. For though Psalm 137 is indeed about not having a song to sing, it still remains a song nonetheless. It is a song without a song - a vivid reminder of how important it is to ‘keep a song in your heart’. The psalm goes on ...

“If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill. May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth, if I do not remember you, if I do not consider Jerusalem my highest joy.”

The promise and presence of the Lord God himself is what brought joy to his people at the temple in Jerusalem. And now, though all of that seems so far away, the psalmist still remembers and will not forget the Lord, even in the midst of pain and suffering and loss.

When Jesus came to his temple in Jerusalem, he was rejected by his own. On the cross, he was forsaken, abandoned, and alone. He was as far away from home as you can get. He was exiled from his Father for a time so we would never have to be. Even in the midst of our sin and separation. Even in the midst of our failure and our fear. Even when we don’t have a song to sing, Jesus comes to put a song in our heart. 

God may at times seem distant and appear remote and far off. But we know that, while weeping may endure for a night, joy comes in the morning. We can have the comfort and assurance in knowing that he is still here, in his Word, in the Sacraments, and with his people, the church. The God of the Bible still keeps his promises. He is the One who gives us a song to sing.

Keep a song in your heart!

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The Real World

 

In 1992, MTV came out with The Real World, the first reality show of the modern era. The tagline was “the true story of seven strangers picked to live in a house, and what happens when they stop being polite, and start getting real.”  I remember watching it once and thinking - this can’t be real. It’s all fake - it’s all made up.

Well, it was a success nonetheless, and we have been drowning in a deluge of reality shows ever since. From Survivor to the Amazing Race to the Bachelor to Love Island, these shows have essentially taken over the television and entertainment industry. And it’s not just Hollywood that has been dealing in the fake and phony in recent years. Fake news, fraudulent claims, and conspiracy theories abound today in all types of media, with social media and artificial intelligence leading the way.

People are left wondering, “What is true? What is real? Is there anything truly genuine and authentic?” It’s why we find ourselves in a meaning crisis in the West, defined and described by the likes of Jordan Peterson, John Vervaeke, Douglas Murray, and Tom Holland. People are left wondering where to turn when cultural and societal structures break down around them.  

Our country used to have a common story. It was basically Superman’s motto - Truth, Justice, and the American Way. But our culture doesn’t believe in absolute truth anymore. There’s no overarching narrative. That’s the result of postmodernism, where you have your truth, I have my truth, they have their truth, and somehow everything will work out in the end. But as the old “contradict” bumper sticker pointed out so well, all religions may be false, but they can’t all be true. In the end of this scenario, you're left with nothing. Nothing to believe in, no absolute truth, no sure and certain hope. 

The good news is that there is another story. The story of a God who loved this world he created so much that he came down himself to redeem it. A God who promises to someday set things straight and make things right, to make everything sad come untrue. To bring about what he originally intended for his creation - something good, true, and beautiful.   

In the meantime God gives his church a story that helps make sense of life. It gives meaning, purpose, and significance to all. It builds faith, grants forgiveness, & spreads peace, hope, and joy.

For God’s people, the ultimate reality is knowing Christ and making Him known. It is reading and hearing God’s Word. It is prayer and meditation. It is confession and absolution. It is the reception of God’s good gifts through the Means of Grace, the Word and Sacraments. It is eating and drinking Christ’s body and blood in and with the bread and wine in Holy Communion. It is gathering in worship and fellowship with brothers and sisters in Christ. It is the conversation and consolation of fellow believers. It is, in the words of the Apostles Creed, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. 

Welcome to the real world. 

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Surprised By Jack

As a child, I knew Peter, Edmund, Susan, and Lucy. I knew Reepicheep, Puddleglum and Mr. Beaver. More importantly, I knew Aslan, the Lion King of Narnia. But I still didn't know Jack. It wasn’t until college when I stumbled upon a book in the library entitled, Surprised By Joy. That’s when I really got to know the creator of all of these characters, C. S. Lewis.

Surprised By Joy is known as Lewis’ spiritual autobiography, with the subtitle being, The Shape of My Early Life. He wrote it toward the end of his life in 1955, after most of his other books had been written. The title comes from a line by Wordsworth, “Surprised by joy - impatient as the wind.” It spoke to the desire and longing in Jack’s heart for something more in life, a sense of “joy.” 

Jack spent his early years living with his family in Belfast, Ireland. He had a happy and carefree childhood with his brother Warnie, until his mother died of cancer when he was nine years old. It was a traumatic loss and was compounded by his father’s own despair and melancholy. Unable to function after his wife’s death, Mr. Lewis sent the boys off to boarding school.  

Those were difficult years for the Lewis boys. After boarding school came college, and soon after, they were sent off to fight in World War One. The harshness of life and horrors of war led them away from God and the church. Jack later wrote that he was “very angry with God for not existing”.

Thankfully, “the harshness of God is kinder than the softness of men.” During this time, Jack was introduced to the writings of George MacDonald and G.K. Chesterton, whose Christian worldviews influenced him without even knowing it. “A young man who wishes to remain atheist cannot be too careful of his reading”.

Back at Oxford after the war, one of the most important friendships of the century began when C.S. Lewis met J.R.R. Tolkien. Jack and Tollers (Tolkien’s nickname), as it turned out, had a lot in common. They were both English professors who shared a love of Norse mythology. They both had lost their mothers at an early age. They were both veterans who had fought and lost friends in the War. These experiences brought them together and strengthened their bonds of friendship and fellowship. They would go on to establish the writers group known as “The Inklings,” which met each week at a local pub to read and discuss their literary work.

After several years and many conversations with Tolkien and fellow Inklings, Jack became convinced in the existence of God and the claims of Christianity, and eventually returned to the joy of his childhood faith. The moment was far less emotional than he had expected. “It was more like when a man after a long sleep, still lying motionless in bed, becomes aware that he is now awake”.

In Mere Christianity, Lewis talks about the deep desire he always had for something more, which nothing in this world could ever satisfy. He finally realized that it was because he was made for another world, the heavenly place where true joy could be found:

"But what, in conclusion, of joy? For that, after all, is what the story has mainly been about. To tell you the truth, the subject has lost nearly all interest for me since I became a Christian. I cannot complain, like Wordsworth, that the visionary gleam has passed away. I believe the old bittersweet stab has come to me as often and as sharply since my conversion as at any time of my life. But I now know that the experience, considered as a state of my own mind, had never had the kind of importance I once gave it. It was valuable only as a pointer to something other and outer. When we are lost in the woods, the sight of a signpost is a great matter. But when we have found the road and are passing signposts every few miles, we need not stop and stare. We would be at Jerusalem." 

This has been my experience as well, and why getting to know Jack by reading “Surprised By Joy” has meant so much to me. 

(Interestingly, Jack was surprised by joy in more ways than one. A year after publishing his autobiography, the self-proclaimed bachelor was married to an American writer. Her name? Joy.)

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Beren and Luthien

Once upon a time, a boy was born to a British couple living in South Africa. A few years later  the boy’s father died, and the mother moved back to England with her two sons. They lived with relatives out in the country, and the boy enjoyed roaming around the area, looking at all the flowers and studying the trees. He especially liked going to his aunt’s farm, which was called “Bag End.”

The boy began reading at an early age, and soon his mother was teaching him Latin, instilling in him a love of language that would last a lifetime. After an idyllic few years in the countryside, the mother died, and the boy and his brother had to face the future as orphans. Thankfully their mother left them in the care of a friend who was a priest, and he faithfully looked after them and brought them up in the church.

Young Ronald was a good student and continued in his pursuit of learning languages, even creating some languages of his own. Along with some of his friends, he created the T.C.B.S. - the Tea Club and Barrovian Society. They met to chat and drink tea in a nearby department store and (secretly) in the school library. This group was one of the predecessors to The Inklings of Oxford.

At the age of 16, Ronald met Edith, another orphan in need of affection. They soon fell in love, but were not allowed to date one another until he was 21. After a long five year wait, he proposed and they were married. Ronald later spoke of his admiration for Edith’s willingness to marry a man with no job, little money, and few prospects except the likelihood of being killed in the Great War.  

The Great War, World War One, was supposed to be the war to end all wars. Some even called it the war to usher in the kingdom of heaven. But it didn’t quite work out that way. It was more like ushering in the kingdom of Mordor.

By this time you probably realize that young Ronald is none other than John Ronald Reuel Tolkien. Tolkien’s experience in World War One was pivotal in his life in so many ways. I have written about that in a previous article, “I’m Glad You’re With Me”, which details his friendship with CS Lewis and the many life experiences that they shared.

https://www.1517.org/articles/im-glad-youre-with-me-tolkien-lewis-and-the-not-so-great-war

While back in England recuperating from trench fever, Tolkien began writing an improbable love story between a man named Beren and an elf named Luthien. Together they took on the evil of Morgoth and triumphed against overwhelming odds. Their relationship would be the cornerstone, “the kernel of the mythology, of Tolkien’s prodigious work in Middle Earth. It is the basis for the later story of Aragorn and Arwen found in the Lord of the Rings. 

If you ever find yourself in Oxford at the Wolvercote cemetery where Ronald and Edith are buried, you will see the names engraved in stone, Beren and Luthien. It is a story of good and evil, of faith overcoming fear, of love conquering hate. Ultimately it is the Christian story - God in Christ loving his bride so much he would endure anything to get her back. Pain, suffering, loss, death, even hell. There and back again.

As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of Tolkien’s death this week, we thank God for his life and his work. For by it we see more clearly the beauty and evil of this world, that there are good things still worth fighting for, and that we need each other as we await the return of the King.

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fields of gold

Fields of gold as far as the eye can see. That’s the first thing my brother and I noticed last month after renting a car in Frankfurt and hopping on the autobahn. Fields of gold as far as the eye can see. Germany has many wonderful things to offer travelers, such as gardens, palaces, castles, and cathedrals. But on this particular week in late spring, it turned out to be millions and millions of yellow flowers. (They are harvested and used in the making of canola oil). Everyone told us that we came at the perfect time, and after one drive through the German countryside, we heartily agreed.

We were there to see relatives and to tour the Luther Lands, areas which had been closed off to us in previous years. My family and I had lived in Northern Germany in the late 70’s when East Germany was still verboten for Western visitors. Since we were unable to see the Lands of Luther back then, we were very much looking forward to finally visiting these historic sites.

We were able to stay several days in Wittenberg, and it definitely did not disappoint. From the Castle Church to the City Church and everything in between - Luther’s house, Melanchthon’s house, Cranach’s house and studio, the Wittenberg 360 museum, the Marktplatz. Later we were also able to visit Erfurt, Eisenach, and the Wartburg Castle. There is so much to see and learn.

500 years later, it’s plain to see how Luther’s impact and influence went far beyond the church and extended into politics, business, economics, philosophy, language, education, and technology, But at the center of the Reformation was Luther’s rediscovery of the Gospel - the good news message that we are saved by God’s grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. Justification by grace through faith, the doctrine upon which the church stands or falls, still forms and informs what we believe today.      

As pastors, we were of course engrossed and engaged by the history and theology of the lands of Luther, but what really entranced and enchanted us this trip was the natural beauty of the landscapes and the countryside that surrounded us. It reminded us that, while a cross and heart are at the center of Luther’s Seal, they are set in the midst of a white rose, and encircled by a golden ring. A sign and symbol of the new creation. A brief yet beautiful glimpse of eternity. Fields of gold as far as the eye can see.

“No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has imagined what God has prepared for those who love him." - 1 Cor. 2:9

"Our Lord has written the promise of the resurrection not in books alone, but in every leaf of spring.”  - Martin Luther

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the white rose

The Christian life begins and ends with a promise. It begins with the words, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It ends with, "I will be with you always, to the very end of the age."

As we embark upon the Christian life this Epiphany season, we do so with the promise, presence, and peace of mind that the Almighty and All-powerful God of all creation is also our God. He is Yahweh Immanuel, God with us and God for us. He is the God who makes promises and keeps them. He is the God who loves us and cares for us and is never going to let us go. He is the God who, by grace through faith in his Son, makes us his baptized, beloved, blood-bought believers.

Hans and Sophie Scholl were young Lutheran university students in Munich who were growing up in the midst of Nazi Germany. As teenagers in the 1930’s, things seemed to be going pretty well. They were members of youth organizations that promoted health, citizenship, and the great outdoors. But through a series of events they began to get wise to what was really going on. And in 1942, along with some of their Christian friends, they created the Resistance of the White Rose. They got together to share information, promote freedom, and to warn people of what was to come.

They wrote, published, and sent out leaflets - first in Munich, then in Bavaria, and eventually all over Germany. They were quite creative with their efforts and were successful in getting their message out. But they were finally caught in the act while dropping leaflets from a second floor balcony at the University of Berlin. They were arrested, charged, and sentenced to death.

What courage and commitment young Hans and Sophie displayed in the face of great evil. What was behind it all? What gave them such strength and resilience? No one knows exactly why they named their group “The White Rose.” But I have a pretty good idea. Hans and Sophie were baptized Lutheran Christians, and they no doubt knew about Luther’s seal, or Luther’s rose.

Here is how Luther himself explained it …

There is a black cross in a heart that remains its natural color red. This is to remind us that it is faith in the Crucified One that saves us. Anyone who believes from the heart will be justified. It is a black cross, which mortifies and causes pain, but it leaves the heart its natural color. It doesn’t destroy us, it does not kill us but keeps us alive, for the just shall live by faith in the Son of God.  The heart should stand in the middle of a white rose. This is to show that faith gives joy, comfort, and peace. It puts the believer into a white, pure, and joyous rose. Faith does not give peace and joy like the world gives. This is why the rose must be white and not red. White is the color of the spirits and the angels. This white rose should stand in a sky-blue field, symbolizing that a joyful spirit and faith is a beginning of heavenly joy, which begins now, but is grasped in hope, not yet fully revealed. Around the field of blue is a golden ring to symbolize that blessedness in heaven lasts forever and has no end. Heavenly blessedness is exquisite, beyond all earthly joy and better than any temporal possessions, as gold is the most valuable of all precious metals.

As baptized believers by God’s grace through faith in Jesus Christ, Hans and Sophie had a promise and a peace and a presence that was always with them no matter what. We too are God’s baptized, beloved, blood-bought believers. And no one can ever take that away from us. 

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visible and invisible

It's Halloween season.

The time when people think of and imagine invisible things like ghosts and ghouls and goblins.

What do you think of when you think of invisible things?

Rich Mullins was a singer, songwriter, and poet of my generation. Here is what he thought of -

"There are invisible things. Like the light behind the earth that casts a shadow that we call night, like the sap that runs with life in the veins of trees that we think are dead, like the silence behind all the noise.

Like the great beyond, too great to be fit into the lenses of our high-powered telescopes. Like the atmosphere for birds, the ocean for fish, too present to be discovered, which we are a part of, and apart from which we cannot have life. Invisible things.

Things cut off from our senses - like Eden barred from our first ancestors - guarded, hedged in, kept away. The Spirit, the angels, the hidden realm, the secret kingdom, God's hidden work and his mysterious ways. The things we dream of and imagine we remember, things we yearn for and curse and deny and yet hope for in spite of ourselves. As if a part of our true selves belonged to a real world and not the one our lesser selves have settled for and surrendered to ... or would surrender to if not for the persistence of those invisible things.

The things the visible world points to and grasps at, but cannot quite reach, cannot quite escape. And just when our smug, agnostic selves settle into some comfortable, manageable despair, something goes bump in the night, something hums in our hearts and sweeps us up out of the numbness and into a great longing, the unquenchable hope that we would just as well live without, if only life was possible without invisible things."  (Release Magazine, 1994)

In the creed we confess, “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.” In this secular world of naturalism and materialism, many people think that the only things that are real are the things that you can see and hear and touch. There are no spiritual or supernatural powers at work, only natural, only what you can see and experience around you. This leads to some bad ideas and even worse consequences. Like the idea that you've only got one crack at this thing, only one go-around, so you better look out for #1 and go for the gusto and get yours while the gettin' is good. So what if you have to knock off a few people along the way, you know, crack a few eggs to make the omelet. Hey, that's life, because you only live once, right? 

But if we are only living in a natural material world where we're just fighting to survive, there is no concept of God and what it means to live in God's good creation, let alone the new creation that is to come. There is so much more to this life than just what we can see, taste, and touch - what we can collect, earn, accumulate, and put in our bank account. We need a better idea, a better image.

Paul says in Colossians 1 that "the Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in him all things were created - things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross."

The image of the invisible God. The original icon, the eternal logos, the creator of the cosmos, the one who came from beyond the great beyond. The Incarnate One, in whom all the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily, and in whom all things hold together. All things. That includes invisible things, like goodness, truth, beauty, and love. In him we see what love really is and where it comes from - the very heart of God. For God so loved the world, that he sent his one and only Son, for you, for me, for all. 

Rich Mullins could have had it all. He was on his way to being the #1 recording artist in Christian music. But the invisible things of God kept gnawing away at him. So he left his status and celebrity and went back to school for a music degree, and then on to New Mexico to live on a reservation so he could teach music to children and share God's love with them. 

Some say Christians are so heavenly minded they are no earthly good. But the opposite is actually worse - to be so earthly minded that you are no heavenly good. 

"Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you have died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.'  (Col. 3)

We thank God for all that we see - all the visible things our senses can perceive. But we thank God most of all for His Son, without whom we would be deaf, dumb, and blind to the invisible things of this world and the world to come. For God, who said, 'let light shine out of darkness,'has made his light to shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

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stone table

 

Stone Table, Merton College, Oxford

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Dead Sea Scrolls at 75

 

"They won't let me cross the border. Ibrahim will have to lead you. See you in a few days."

Those were the words of our tour guide as we prepared to leave Israel and spend the weekend in the country of Jordan. We were on a tour of the Holy Land a few years back with Pastor Nabil Nour, originally from Israel but also an American citizen. Though he did have his US passport, he had forgotten to bring his Israeli passport, and so was denied entry into Jordan. After no small amount of sweating, negotiating, and hand wringing, it was finally decided. One of the local guides named Ibrahim would be the one to lead us. 

After the initial confusion at the border, we settled into our usual travel routine and everything went pretty smoothly. That evening at our hotel the Dead Sea Scrolls came up in conversation for some reason, and Ibrahim made an off handed comment about being there at the time they were discovered. My antennae immediately went up, and I determined to find out more about what he knew. So the next morning en route to Petra, I made sure to sit right next to him on the bus. I'm so glad I did. 

He told me about how one of the local Bedouin boys had been tending goats near the Dead Sea. After one of the goats had strayed, he looked up to see a cave that he hadn't noticed before. He threw a stone into the cave and heard a strange sound, so he and a friend climbed up to investigate. Inside they found a number of clay jars which had scrolls inside. They weren't sure what they had found, but knew it might be worth something, so they brought the scrolls along with them to the black market in Bethlehem. 

One of Ibrahim's relatives was the dealer that the boys brought the scrolls to in Bethlehem. Like Ibrahim, he was Syriac, and thought that the writing might be ancient Syriac. It definitely was not Arabic. So he had someone he knew from a local monastery take a look. He determined that it was indeed Hebrew writing, and after some bartering and back and forth, bought the first few scrolls for around fifty pounds. Fifth pounds! And the rest, as they say, is history.

One of the many interesting and intriguing things about all of this is that it's happening in the year 1947, when the nation state of Israel is just being established and the war of independence is about to begin. There is so much going on politically, socially, and culturally, that it is difficult to believe that one of the greatest archaeological finds of all time happening at this moment is mere coincidence.

Later in our trip we went to Qumran, the desert community of the Essenes, where most of the scrolls were probably written and placed in clay jars for safe keeping. And then on to Jerusalem and the Museum of the Book, where many of the scrolls are displayed, along with the piece de resistance, the Great Isaiah Scroll, all 66 chapters of it. 

In this 75th anniversary year of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, my hope is that every believer and non-believer alike has the opportunity to enter into that sacred space and make the slow walk around the great scroll. But even if that opportunity never arises, you have something far better awaiting you in the next room or in the palm of your hand. For as you pick up the Holy Bible, God's Word to you and for you in Christ, the words of the prophet Isaiah echo in your ears, "The Word of the Lord Endures Forever."

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Mere Christianity at 70

 

During the NCAA Basketball Tournament several years ago, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship held a competition entitled, “The Best Christian Book of All Time.” Sixty-Four first class competitors went head to head round by round in this epic literary contest. Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis was a #1 seed, and easily made the Elite Eight where it handily defeated Augustine’s City of God. In the Final Four it beat out Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Cost of Discipleship, only to be edged out in the finals by Augustine’s Confessions.

These results ring true for me. And while I would have liked to see Martin Luther make it to the semi-finals, it is indeed difficult to name a book with such great influence and lasting impact than Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. 

This year marks the 70th anniversary of its publication in 1952, but it actually didn't start out as a book. The genesis of this Christian classic was a series of radio talks given by Lewis which were broadcast by the BBC. The director of religious broadcasting had read his book, The Problem of Pain, and asked him if he would be interested in taking part in a radio program. England was knee-deep in the trials and travails of World War 2 at the time, and these talks by Lewis from 1941 to 1944 were quite popular and comforting to the British people. It has been said that the voice of C.S. Lewis became as recognizable as that of Winston Churchill during this time. 

From our vantage point, we might say that the voice of C.S. Lewis was one of the most recognizable in the 20th century. Personally, I began to recognize his voice when I went off to college. Sure, I had read the Chronicles of Narnia as a child and enjoyed them, but like most did not understand the full weight and scope of these "children's" books until later in life. It wasn't until I was in a basic Christian Doctrine class at Christ College Irvine taught by Rod Rosenbladt that Lewis really began to speak to me. Rod not only quoted Lewis often in that class, he actually embodied him in such a way that made me want to read everything I could get my hands on. In short order I had read The Screwtape Letters, The Great Divorce, Surprised By Joy, and of course, Mere Christianity.  

Armed with great analogies, airtight logic, and razor sharp wit, Lewis keeps you spellbound from one chapter to another as you find yourself going further up and further in. Beginning the book with a bang in Right and Wrong as a Clue To the Meaning of the Universe, he goes on to describe What Christians Believe and to detail Christian Behavior, before finishing off with Beyond Personality (First Steps in the Doctrine of the Trinity.) 

One of the more famous passages of the book comes in the What Christians Believe section, affectionately known as the "Liar, Lunatic, or Lord" passage. 

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic - on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg - or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon, or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." 

There are too many great quotes and passages from Lewis to mention, but here is one more which comes at the end of the book.

"The principle runs through all life from top to bottom. Give up yourself, and you will find your real self. Lose your life and you will save it. Submit to death, death of your ambitions and favourite wishes every day and death of your whole body in the end: submit with every fibre of your being, and you will find eternal life. Keep back nothing. Nothing that you have not given away will ever be really yours. Nothing in you that has not died will ever be raised from the dead. Look for yourself, and you will find in the long run only hatred, loneliness, despair, rage, ruin, and decay. But look for Christ and you will find Him, and with Him everything else thrown in."

In the years after Lewis' death in 1963 (on the same day as JFK and Aldous Huxley), many thought his continued impact would be minimal. When Dr. Peter Kreeft considered writing a book about him in the late 1960's, he was told that no one would be reading Lewis twenty years from now. Well, let's just say that the reports of his demise were greatly exaggerated. 70 years later, Mere Christianity continues to be one of the most impactful and influential Christian books of all time.

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Sacred Spaces and Holy Places

The God of Israel must really love rocks. One of the first things I noticed when I traveled to the Holy Land a few years ago is that there are rocks everywhere. The geology of the region is mostly limestone, which erodes easily and causes caves to form and rocks to break apart. It's quite similar to where I live in the Ozarks of Missouri, where we have lots of limestone, caves, and rocks as well. 

When I returned home from my trip to Israel in 2014, I began thinking of the world in a whole new way. I had seen people from every nation, tribe, and language gather together in places like Bethlehem, Jerusalem, Galilee, and the Jordan River. Although we didn't look the same and didn't speak the same language, we shared a common bond between us. There was a new appreciation of sacred spaces and holy places, and the realization that we would never be the same again.    

So when I took a road trip out west with my brother in 2018, I was dumbstruck when we began our descent into Death Valley. It looked eerily similar to the region of the Dead Sea. Death Valley is the lowest point in the United States at 282 ft. below sea level, while the Dead Sea is the lowest place on earth at 1,400 ft. below sea level. Both areas were formed the same way, both surrounded by mountains that keep storm systems from moving across, as the dryness of the region is intensified by the depth of the valley. Both places brought about a strange sense of fear, wonder, and awe - and the realization that the only way to survive a place like this is a total and complete trust in God. 

They say that the land of Israel encompasses every type of topography on earth within a very small geographic area. It's not called the Promised Land for nothing. The God of Israel sent his Messiah to redeem all nations and all peoples, but he also did so in a way and in a place that would sanctify all lands and places. 

So at Christmas we say we are in Bethlehem when we make a manger scene in the snow. On Palm Sunday we are in Jerusalem waving our palm branches and singing hosannas to the King. We are in the upper room with Jesus every time we share a meal together in his name. We stand at the foot of the cross every time we confess our sins and receive his forgiveness. And we stand breathless before the empty tomb every time we confess, “Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!”   

Herb Brokering was a Lutheran teacher and musician who wrote many books and hymns. He once said he thought it strange that some people go to Israel and bring back bottles of water from the Jordan River to use for baptisms back home. They do it because they want to use the same water Jesus was baptized with. 

But that's not really how it works. How it works is that water from a river evaporates and is pulled up into a cloud, which moves on to another place, and when the cloud is filled with enough moisture, it rains. That cycle happens again and again and again, so over the course of 2,000 years, some of the water in the Jordan eventually makes it to America where we can be baptized as well.

The water of the Jordan from the days of Jesus is now in the heart of the USA. God raises up rocks in Missouri to sing his praise just as he did in Israel long ago. Sometimes it’s important for us to go far away to learn about sacred spaces and holy places back home. 

Saints and children we have gathered here to hear the sacred story

And I'm glad to bring it to you with my best rhyming and rhythm

Cause I know the thirsty listen and down to the waters come

And the Holy King of Israel loves me here in America

And if you listen to my songs I hope you hear the water falling

I hope you feel the oceans crashing on the coast of north New England

I wish I could be there just to see them, two summers past I was

And the Holy King of Israel loves me here in America

And if I were a painter I do not know which I'd paint

The calling of the ancient stars or assembling of the saints

There's so much beauty around us for just two eyes to see

But everywhere I go, I'm looking

And once I went to Appalachia for my father he was born there

And I saw the mountains waking with the innocence of children

And my soul is still there with them wrapped in the songs they brought

And the Holy King of Israel loves me here in America

 - Rich Mullins,  Here in America