What are We Building? Will our Towers Stand? Genesis 11:1-9

About a month ago I was asked to speak at Gospel Community Church on the topic of the Tower of Babel as part of our "Beautiful Mess" series focusing on an exposition of Genesis.  The notes below are my sermon notes.  Some of the material here comes from my personal research and some from the works of others.  You are welcome to borrow this material to speak the truth of God's Word.  The link to the recording of this sermon can be found here:   http://www.gospelcc.org/sermons/3409/ .

What are We Building? Will our Towers Stand?

The Results of Pride and the Need for Humility

Genesis 11:1-9

Introduction: Did you ever have one of those weeks? You know, the one where you had a great plan, an organized “to do” list, and time set aside to accomplish all the important goals? Then in the middle of your great plan, something explodes or falls apart. Kind of like the game Jenga; you have a plan for which blocks you intend to pull, but someone always takes a different approach and causes your plan to fall apart? Yeah, that’s the kind of week I had as I prepared for this sermon on the tower of Babel. More importantly, I wonder if that is kind of how God must have felt in Genesis. We’ve covered 9 chapters, so let’s recap:

Adam and Eve—be fruitful and multiply, cover the earth, subdue it, it all belongs to you except one tree!

Cain and Abel—God warns Cain about sin, and Cain doesn’t listen.

Noah and the flood—humans keep pursuing evil and pride, but Noah seems to be a bright spot. Noah finds grace in the eyes of the Lord. Why did Noah find grace and see his family rescued from the flood?  1) Noah walked with God (he had an intentional and intimate relationship with God), 2) Noah listened to what God said, 3) Noah obeyed God. Unlike the rest of the world, Noah did not assert his pride or his own will— What God said, Noah did. (cf. Jesus in John 5:19-20; 8:37-38; and ch. 15). Things were looking up. God gave a command and promise to Noah very similar to the one to Adam and Eve (Gen 9:1ff, 9:7). After the flood, Noah shows that he isn’t perfect, and Ham gets in trouble. Nonetheless, God intends to repopulate the world through Noah’s boys. These events bring us up through Genesis 9. Our focus today is on chapters 10 and 11. 

All of the events we have covered so far are tied together by a literary device utilizing the phrase “these are the generations of . . .” There are 10 or so uses of this formula in Genesis, and before we are done today, we will have seen this phrase about 6 times in 11 chapters. This reference often introduces a genealogy (like in our chapters today). Why are there so many genealogies in Genesis? There are no doubt many ways to answer that question, but I’d like to float a theory today (special thanks to a colleague at work for this idea). 

Background: In Genesis 3:15, God speaks to the serpent and says that he will put enmity between the serpent and the seed of the woman. The seed of the woman will one day destroy the serpent. When Eve gives birth to Cain, she seems to hope he is that “seed,” but Cain fails.  The genealogies then come in abundance. The Hebrew word for “seed” is used next in 9:9 where God makes a covenant with Noah and his family. It shows up again in Gen 12 when God makes promises to Abraham. The story of Genesis seems to be the quest for the “seed” who will deliver humans from the serpent. This concept forms a type of frame around the story we will focus on today. 

After the flood, God makes a promise and gives commands to Noah and his family. After the shameful episode involving Ham, chapter 10 opens with “these are the family records/generations of . . .” and lists the children of Noah’s three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.  Japheth’s family is mentioned first, followed by Ham. Ham is the cursed son (remember last week’s sermon). His line includes many nations that will later be enemies to the Jews: Canaanites, Babylonians (Babel), Assyrians (Nineveh), even the Egyptians. Shem’s family line is introduced next, and one name bears mentioning in Gen 10:25: Peleg. This name means “division” and the world is divided during his lifetime. This “division” is what is described in Gen 11:1-9. After our passage, we get another set of “records” from Shem to Abram. 

For now, let’s look at 11:1-9. In our passage we will see two different attitudes and two actions that result from those attitudes. As we look at these, we need to ask: Where do we stand? Which set are we building towards in our lives?  What are we building?  Let’s look at the attitudes and the actions of the people in Genesis 11. 

vv. 1-2: The people’s attitude—In Gen 11, the nations are growing and it has been several generations since Noah and the flood. We have no idea how many actual humans existed at that time, but we know that they “had the same language and vocabulary” (or, literally, they had “one lip and one set of words”).  Unfortunately, this new-found unity was not harnessed to do what God had commanded them. Instead of multiplying and filling the earth by scattering all over it, these united people decide to settle in a place called Shinar (another name for Babylon). This was their first mistake: they didn’t obey, they stayed. They were told to go, to cover the earth, to be God’s stewards and managers of creation, but they chose to stay put. 

They didn’t want to leave Babylon. Maybe they liked being close to family, or maybe the land simply suited them. We don’t know why they stayed, but we know that by staying they were going against God’s command. They should go. They rebelled.

Relationship with God is sometimes described as a pilgrimage.  Eugene Peterson calls is “a long obedience in the same direction.” Discipleship, or relationship with God is usually depicted as more of a marathon than a sprint, but more often than not it is depicted primarily as a movement, a pilgrimage, a relationship on the go. 

Matthew 28 (and Acts 1) reminds us that Jesus wants us to go too. Being his disciples requires us to be willing to change location, to get a passport and go where God leads. Abraham will be introduced later in this passage, and the first command God gives him is to “Go out from your land,” to leave home to go to a place God will show him. We are to be a people on the move with God. Where has he told us to go? Have we decided to settle instead of obey? 

This attitude of pride produced arrogant actions. Verses 3-4 reveals those actions.

vv. 3-4—the people’s actions—once they picked a suitable place to settle, they made a plan for action. Listen to what they say, and see if you can count how many times they refer to themselves.  “Let us build for ourselves . . . let us make a name for ourselves . . . otherwise we will be scattered.” Multiple times they use first person pronouns. 

They wanted to make a “name” for themselves.  They wanted to be the masters of their own fate. They decided to build a monument to their own greatness rather than humbly serve God in his command/promise. They wanted, in essence, to take over God’s proper domain and rule in his place. 

Their purpose is revealed in verse 4… they agree to build a city and a tall tower. Though this endeavor is not evil in and of itself, their motive for building such was. They wanted to make a name for themselves so that they could stay together without fulfilling God’s commission to “fill the earth and multiply” (9:1) – to “populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it” (9:7). They had an alternative plan that differed from God’s commission, and they set out to disobey God through the building of their city complete with a tower.

These tower builders acted in ways contrary to Noah their ancestor. 1) Unlike Noah, they did not pursue a relationship with God, but they confer only with one another. 2) They ignore God’s command and stay put instead of obeying and going. 3) Instead of humility and obedience, they reveal arrogance and rebellion. 

J. I. Packer calls this story a “mirror of the modern world.” Like Noah’s descendants, we want prestige and power. We want to be the best—the smartest, the fastest, the strongest, the richest, etc. Many of us want to make a name for ourselves (instead of making God famous). We rebel instead of obey. We still enjoy making our own rules in spite of God’s warnings. We put our trust in money, prestige, or pleasure instead of relying on God to bring us where he wants us to be or to make us who he wants us to be. 

We make excuses for sin and pretend to be holy, but we can’t be holy on our own efforts. Only God can make us holy in a way that matters (see Phil. 3:1-7). Will we ever learn that our own towers won’t get us where we need to be?

The drive for power and prestige probably stems from our deep-seated fear of dependence on someone else. We don’t mind making others depend on us, but we certainly don’t want to be the one needing help. Human pride is a tricky thing. Pride was the original sin. Our desperate search for significance leads us to compromise our values time and again in the name of independence, freedom, and the need to control our own destiny. So we cut corners, wink at “small” sins, take advantage of loopholes, break the rules, maybe even lie to others, and we usually end up lying to ourselves. We use people and then discard them when they don’t fit into our plans anymore. And what may seem noble at the start turns out to be sinister in the end.  

Arrogance makes us think we are invincible. But no one is invincible. We desperately need to take these words to heart because we live in a world that encourages us to think we can do it all. The mantra is "If you believe it, you can do it.  If you dream it, you can make it happen." The problem is that it never works. Our towers built in our own efforts inevitably fall. Remember, the next time you feel the need to brag about what you’ve accomplished, pay attention to the faint cracking sound you hear. It’s the thin ice beneath your feet that is about to give way.  The weight of arrogance often leads to a crash.

Now that we’ve seen the peoples' attitude and actions, let’s consider those of the other major character in our story—God. 

vv. 5-7—God’s attitude—God “comes down.” In a sense, he “lowers himself” to come to where the people are. There may be some sarcasm here. As the people rebel against God, they build a tower that goes up to the sky to make a name for themselves. The problem is that the tower isn’t high enough. God has to “come down” to see it! While they’re building upward in arrogance, God has to come down to see it (remember Phil 2—Jesus ultimately comes down in humility to be one of us!). God could see quite well what was going on, but in inspiring Moses to use the words “coming down,” he reminds us of Is 66 (what kind of house can you build for me?) and perhaps even foreshadows the humility of Christ who descends to earth to be one of us (human!). This is an example of anthropomorphism (assigning human traits to the unseen God). God is always fully aware of everything, and His “coming down” in this passage is in this case about judgment.

Humans bent on being in opposition to God by building their own kingdom and ruling the earth had a common purpose. Apparently with one language and one common purpose to rebel against God’s plan, their plans would lead them into a world of endless and sinful possibilities. These possibilities lead only to destruction. And it seemed like nothing could be done. Nonetheless, God sees their monument to “human ingenuity” and passes judgment.  God isn’t afraid that they will take over his throne, but being aware that their thoughts were “nothing but evil all the time” he didn’t want to give them any more chances to spread their arrogance. 

If God “came down” among us today what would He find? What are we attempting to build so as to make a name for ourselves? God acted against the builders in Babel for their own good so as to keep them from becoming something that would destroy them. Proverbs 16:18 says, “Pride goes before destruction…” Is there a fall in our future as a result of pride?   

God’s attitude led to action on God’s part—an action of judgment and love.

vv. 8-9—God’s action—He confuses them and scatters them.  What God wanted them to do voluntarily, he forced on them in judgment.  Their tower was left to crumble, and they were humbled. Here is the ultimate irony: They built the tower so they wouldn’t be scattered but they ended up scattered anyway. Thus God judges all human efforts that leave him out. He brings down the high and mighty with a great big thud. Write over this story these words, “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it” (Psalm 127:1). 

But God’s judgment here has his love behind it. He wants the people to fulfill his plan, and although he would prefer that they humble themselves and join him he is nonetheless willing to humble them and help them do it. Remember Isaiah 66—God will look favorably on this kind of person: one who is humble, submissive in spirit, and who trembles at his word.

In Matthew 7:24-27, Jesus tells a story about two builders—a foolish one who builds on sand, and a wise one who builds on rock. The difference is described in this way: “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them will be like a sensible man who built his house on the rock. . . Everyone who hears these words of Mine and doesn't act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.” The end of the house on sand is destruction, just like the tower of Babel. The end of the house on the rock is stability. It does not collapse under the weight of storms and other problems.

What are we building?  Will our Towers stand?

Do our efforts represent the pride of Babel? Do we embody the attitude of those who settle instead of moving on to maturity? Are we building for our own reputation, or are we living in humility and obedience to God to build his? There is a mighty thin line between healthy ambition and sinful pride. Many of us cross it without even knowing it. It’s the compulsive need to be in control of every aspect of life, including those around us. It’s the spirit of Babel that says, “He’s God in heaven but I’m the God of my own little world.”

In what areas has God come down to us? Where do we need to repent of pride and selfish ambition? Some of us are still trying to live according to our own rules. We push God out to the edges of life and then do our own thing. But we can’t push God to the side and succeed for long. Sooner or later our towers will crash down (often under the weight of our own arrogance and ambition), and when that happens, the shaky foundation of our own efforts will be exposed. We may also find ourselves confused and scattered.

What is the end of all this? Before I answer that, let me finish the chapter.  In 11:10-32, Genesis introduces us to a new “record” or list of “generations.” This list begins with Shem and ends with Abram. Abram will become the focus of the next 14 chapters of Genesis. I won’t take time to read the whole genealogical list, but I wanted to highlight that Terah is a descendant of Shem. From Terah comes Abram. In vv. 31-32, Terah takes Abram and Lot and their families, and moves them to Ur. This will set up Abram’s pilgrimage relationship with God, but it is also a reminder that God is going to produce a seed through Abram. There is one problem however:  Abram’s wife is unable to conceive. The righteous seed seems threatened—Sarai cannot have children.  Chapters 12 and following will continue this drama and explain God’s provision of a righteous “seed” in the face of impossible odds.

Paul tells us in Galatians 3:10-18 that Abraham’s seed is Jesus.  This is our only proper alternative to building our own tower.

At this point the gospel message becomes incredibly relevant to our generation because we are massive tower-builders. We’re ladder-climbers, control freaks, estate-builders, and compulsive over-committers. We’re looking for love and pleasure and power and purpose and meaning everywhere except the one place we can really find it. We’re so busy building our kingdoms we fail to seek first the Kingdom of God. When the London Daily Mail asked, “What is wrong with the world?” G. K. Chesterton wrote back a simple answer; “Dear Sir: I am.” He was right. 

Here is a word for frustrated tower-builders everywhere. If you are tired of your life and want something better, come to Jesus. All that hungry hearts seek is found in him. By his death on the cross our sins are forgiven. By his resurrection we gain new life. See Philippians 2:5-8—Jesus humbled himself. He had everything, but he humbled himself and was obedient even to the point of death on the cross. If Jesus is God and humbled himself, how can we expect to do anything less as his servants? God “came down” to rescue us, will we reject his offer and try to build our own tower?

Remember what Jesus says in Matthew 7. If we hear his words and act on them, we are wise. Failure to do so is foolishness. So what will we do in response? Will we humble ourselves under God’s hand, or will we keep trying to build our own towers of fame and prestige? To obey requires intentionality, humility, and transparency. Here are some suggestions:

1)     If you don’t have a relationship with God, ask him to start one with you today through Jesus Christ.

2)     If you have a relationship with God though Jesus Christ—examine your attitude and your actions. Are you trying to “help God out” by taking charge of things for him? Are you acting in a way to build a name for yourself? Whose reputation is more important—God’s or yours? If you find a place where you have been building your own tower, or where you have been settling instead of moving on with God, why not take time today to make it right? Come down here at the end of this service. Do business with God. Humble yourself now. Don’t wait—that is arrogance. Today if you hear his voice, do not harden your heart.

3)     Consider where you can start working with God to make his name known instead of trying to take God’s place. How can you serve someone else this week? Who needs encouragement? Who needs love? Who needs truth? Is there something God has been asking you to do, but you’ve settled and decided it doesn’t need to be done? Move off of complacency and move into obedience. 

Think back to our Jenga game for a moment. Did our pride cause us to make a bad move and it all came crashing down? If so, remember this, God can rebuild damaged lives. He can take pride and build humility. He can change us, he can rebuild us, and he wants to do so. Will we humble ourselves and let him? 

 Thanks for reading!  

Easter: What Exactly did We Expect?

The week before Easter is commonly called "Holy Week" by Christians. During this week we celebrate (is that the right word?) the last week of Jesus' life on earth. People will make pilgrimages to Israel and retrace Jesus' final steps, they will pause at the "rock of agony" and cry where Jesus cried out to God in Gethsemane, they will go to the pit where Jesus was interrogated, they will pause where Jesus supposedly stumbled under the load of his cross, they will visit and contemplate Golgotha, they will visit the empty tomb, and they will weep and cry and mourn.

Rightfully so . . . this was THE WEEK for which Jesus lived his entire human life, and it was a rough one for him. On Sunday before his crucifixion he entered Jerusalem with cheers ringing in his ears. The (usually fickle) populace embraced him for all the great miracles he performed, and they hailed his coming as though a conquering warrior had entered the city. Like paparazzi following a Hollywood star, they trailed behind this carpenter from Nazareth and looked for ways to become part of his entourage or to at least get a "piece of the action" as Jesus came to town.

Some of these same folks will yell "Crucify him!" in just a few days, by the way.

When Jesus offered them something tangible to grab, they wanted to be a team player, they wanted the fishes and loaves, the healings, the wonders, the mighty signs.

How soon their tune would change . . . how quickly they would turn on the one who was innocent of any sin except the failure to live up to THEIR expectations.

How like them we are today . . .

When things are going our way, we look to heaven and sing God's praises. We celebrate and sing and run to join the band as God rides triumphantly over all our "enemies." But as soon as Jesus fails to live up to OUR expectations, what do we do?

I know the spiritual answer--"though he slay me yet I will praise him."

Do we really? Will we? Will I?

I'm struck with how Jesus routinely challenged the popular expectations of the crowds who showed up hoping for another demonstration of heavenly power and flash. In John 12, just after the people have celebrated his "triumphal entry," Jesus tells them that the way to jump on his bandwagon is for his followers to hate their lives in this world. Just think how that must have sounded to the celebrants rejoicing in the coming of their conquering hero!

"You want to be a part of my movement, of my thing?" Jesus asks, "Then you will have to regard your life in this world as a dead man would. You have to become the least, the slave, the dead one, in order to get in on my movement."

Come and die.

What an invitation!

Of course, Jesus knew that in just six days he would literally fulfill that invitation. The innocent would die for the unquestionably guilty . . . and he would die horribly.

I can just imagine how this conversation must have put a damper on the celebration in Jerusalem. Jesus took a party and turned it into a wake. The next thing we know he is engaged in theological discussions with the people and with the Jewish leaders. He created a controversy that caused folks to take sides. All he had to do was accept the adulation and promise to "win the war that must be won," but Jesus decided to go against expectations again. He decided to allow God to get the glory through humility and death.

Hasn't this happened to us? Just when we think we have God's agenda all spelled out like it ought to be, He throws us a curve ball that reminds us we aren't in charge! We have a hard time "boxing Jesus" into a neat package.

What's the point then? The point is that we should reverse the procedure. Instead of putting expectations on God, we should look for HIS expectations for us. What has He required of us? What does He want? How should we respond to His voice?

The week of Easter we celebrate the death and resurrection of Jesus. In the process maybe we should participate in a funeral of our own. Maybe we should let die our selfish expectations about how God "ought" to act towards us. Bury them, and let God resurrect them in His image.

As we contemplate the price of our salvation, let us willingly become slaves to the one who has paid such a price to purchase our freedom. Like Jesus, let our prayer be "Father glorify your name." Remember, if a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it will yield much fruit. It is, however, pretty useless in a bag with other seeds. Let's allow God to plant us where he wants so that our service can produce fruit for his glory. Let's follow our crucified Lord by living cruciform lives.

What would the world look like if we did?

I'd really like to find out!

Thanks for reading!

A Repeat: "The Absence of God, He is Here!"

I was reading through my blog today, and I came across a post that still resonates with me on so many levels.  I posted it once as "A Sobering Reality" and then again as "The Absence of God."  I post it yet again today as a reminder to us all:  God is not silent, God is here.  We may not always see or hear him, but he has not forsaken us.  I hope this blesses you.

Today I met with a couple of my students, and inevitably the conversation turned to God.  Being a seminary professor, that is certainly an occupational hazard!  What was not expected is how both conversations seemed to focus on God's "absence" during hard times.  We know (theologically, at least) that God never leaves us.  He is "omnipresent."  We also understand Jesus' words when he says, "Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."  We take that to mean that God never really forsakes us.

Yet in our moments of trial, in times of despair, we tend to live a lot more in Psalm 22 ("My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?") than in Psalm 23 ("The Lord is my shepherd, I will not want.").  That little reality caused me to think of Psalm 139 and God's continuing and never failing presence.  Here is what the Psalm says (in part):

    CSB Psalm 139:1-12 For the choir director. A Davidic psalm. "LORD, You have searched me and known me. You know when I sit down and when I stand up; You understand my thoughts from far away. You observe my travels and my rest; You are aware of all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, You know all about it, LORD. You have encircled me; You have placed Your hand on me. This extraordinary knowledge is beyond me. It is lofty; I am unable to reach it. Where can I go to escape Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence?  If I go up to heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in Sheol, You are there. If I live at the eastern horizon or settle at the western limits, even there Your hand will lead me; Your right hand will hold on to me. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me, and the light around me will become night'-- even the darkness is not dark to You. The night shines like the day; darkness and light are alike to You."

Those of us who claim to be Christians (or even Jews and Muslims, for that matter) typically claim that God is everywhere always. That is, he is right with us even when we don’t think he is, and worse (perhaps), when we hope that he is not. He is there. I think Francis Schaeffer wrote a book entitled The God who is There. At any rate, Psalm 139 reminded me of all the times in my life when God was present (like he always is), even when I tried to overlook that reality.  I can't shake the reality that he is present.  He is here.  He is in this place.  I may overlook him, but there he is nonetheless. 

Sometimes I notice God there on the fringe of my experience (kind of hanging around like a brother who wants to be involved in everything you do).  Sometimes I respond with a sense of comfort (Oh good, he is there!). Other times I respond with fear (Oh no, did he see that!). Other times I am complacent (Oh, it’s just you, huh?). Still some times I am overwhelmed (Thank God you’re here!). I think of the Jews wandering in the wilderness and camped at Mt. Sinai. God showed up on the mountain, and they begged Moses to make it stop! “Don’t let God speak directly to us again, we can’t take it!” The acknowledgement of God’s presence frightened them, maybe it made them a bit uncomfortable. Maybe we respond to God in the same way.  We know he is there, but we wish he'd "tone it down" a bit.  We wish he wouldn't "make so much noise" in our lives.  We wish he'd kind of fade into the background just a bit.  We want God to be silent on occasions. 

When we reach that point, however, we find ourselves desperate nonetheless.  We try to turn on white noise to drown out the sound of God's voice or we paint with vivid colors in an effort to keep him from showing up in our portrait so clearly.  Yet as we try to silence him, we begin to fish for "God substitutes" to give us some kind of comfort.  We look for something (anything?) to give us the comfort of God's presence.  Annie Dillard addresses this problem when she says:

 

    “It is difficult to undo our own damage, and to recall to our presence that which we have asked to leave. It is hard to desecrate a grove and change your mind. The very holy mountains are keeping mum. We doused the burning bush and cannot rekindle it; we are lighting matches in vain under every green tree.

    “What have we been doing all these centuries but trying to call God back to the mountain, or, failing that, raise a peep out of anything that isn’t us? What is the difference between a cathedral and a physics lab? Are they not both saying: ‘Hello?’ We spy on whales and on interstellar radio objects; we starve ourselves and pray till we’re blue.” From Teaching a Stone to Talk by Annie Dillard

Our fear of God’s omnipresence causes us to turn off a switch in our minds and hearts that helps us to ignore this fascinating (and sometimes frightening) reality. We pretend he isn’t there. We even ignore his obvious appearances. We ignore the God of all, then we say that we didn’t know he was there.

As A. W. Tozer notes:

    “. . . If God is present at every point in space, if we cannot go where he is not, cannot even conceive of a place where he is not, why then has not that Presence become the one universally celebrated fact of the world? The patriarch Jacob, ‘in waste howling wilderness,’ gave the answer to that question. He saw a vision of God and cried out in wonder. ‘Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not.’ Jacob had never been for one small division of a moment outside of the circle of that all-pervading Presence. But he knew it not. That was his trouble, and it is ours. People do not know if God is here. What a difference it would make if they knew.” From The Pursuit of God by A. W. Tozer

 

We “know it not” because we don’t like the reality that God’s omnipresence makes us face. That reality is this—when we fail and sin, he is there. When we succeed, he is there. When we need him, he is there. When we think we don’t need him, he is there. Even when we don’t want him to be, he is there. God's omnipresence reminds us that we can neither take all the glory for our "good" acts nor can we avoid the blame for the selfish acts. We can't get away with anything. There is no place to hide. He is there! He is always there!

One of my pet peeves is to hear a preacher talking about Jesus’ cry (“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me”) from the cross and say something like, “At that point, God turned his back on Jesus because he became sin for us.” Think of the ramifications of that idea—God, the omnipresent One, turning his back on his only unique Son. God, the merciful, overlooking the sacrifice his own Son Jesus is offering.

Can you imagine it? God, forsaking his Son! It sounds ridiculous because it is. God did not “turn his back on Jesus” (look in the text of the Gospels, it does not say any such thing). No, God was watching the brutal fact of it all with tears in his eyes. He did not forsake Jesus, and he does not forsake humanity. He endures when we pretend he is absent, but he is there. He loves Jesus . . . even when Jesus became sin for us, God lovingly watched his Son. God lovingly watches us as well.

He is there, and he loves us. He watches, waits, endures, and hopes. He wants us to acknowledge his presence, to catch a glimpse of him and smile. He is there, and he wants us to notice and to know it. He has not forsaken us. He is there, why not admit it and embrace it? Why not exult in the sheer joy and enormity of it? He is always there.

Scary, ain’t it?

Thanks for reading!

Sad Anniversary, I hope we never forget--The Holocaust

Recently we remembered a sad page in the history of humanity, we recalled the liberation of prison camps and the people in them from the nightmare of Nazi oppression and thuggery. Annually I try to remind myself of the depth of depravity to which humanity can slip, even humanity that justifies its inhumanity and brutality by science. The Nazis showed the dark beastial side of humanity, the side we all have to some degree (although most of us will never admit it). The Nazis were more than thugs or brutes or even barbarians, they were humans that (in C. S. Lewis' words from The Abolition of Man) were humans without magnanimity, "men without chests." Here are Lewis' own words about such people:

"They are not distinguished from other men by any unusual skill in finding truth nor any virginal ardour to pursue her. Indeed, it would be strange if they were: a perservering devotion to truth, a nice of intellectual honour, cannot be long maintained without the aid of sentiment . . . It is not excess of thought but defect of fertile and generous emotion that marks them out. Their heads are no bigger than the ordinary: it is the atrophy of the chest beneath that makes them seem so." (C. S. Lewis, The Abolition of Man, New York, NY: HarperCollins Publishers, 2001, p. 25).

These oppressors, these people were not less human than the rest of us, they just acted as people without that emotion that makes our "better angels" show up instead of the "brutes" in each of us. They became the "elites" who judged other races in humanity as mere brutish nature to be studied. They were Social Darwinists who wanted to keep their race pure, and who ultimately participated in that which Lewis deems "the abolition of man." They were people like us. In many ways we hate to admit, they were us. As one survivor records the event of his liberation:

"The full record of the pseudo-medical experimentations came to light. Prisoners had been used as laboratory animals, without the humane restrictions placed on vivisection. Hannah Arendt suggested that `the camp was itself a vast laboratory in which the Nazis proved that there is no limit to human depravity.' For it was remembered that these experiments were not planned or conducted by identifiable psychopaths. They were performed or supervised by professional scientists, trained in what had been once considered peerless universities and medical schools. Reverend Franklin Littell called them `technically competent barbarians.' Indeed the procedures had the full approval and cooperation of Berlin's Institute of Hygiene." (Sachar, Abram L. The Redemption of the Unwanted. New York: St. Martin's/Marek, 1983, pp. 8-10)

Let us remember with sadness the number of innocents lost and the reality of our own potentially brutish nature. Let us not forget that without grace, we are all irredeemably lost. Could Dachau or Auschwitz (or the others) happen again? Only if humans let it, only if we deny once again our own humanity and treat our fellow humans as mere animals. Yes, it can happen again. Let's pray that it doesn't. Let's make sure it doesn't.

This topic is heavy and sad. I don't apologize for that, but I do want to put the weight down now. Thanks for reading.

No Reputation: The "Gift" of Christmas

A couple of years ago I posted this little meditation on Christmas, and as I read through it today I realized that I needed to hear it again.  It is easy in our society today to be a bit too full of ourselves, to think a bit more highly of ourselves than we ought,  . . . but I am quickly coming to the conclusion that that is not the Spirit of Christmas, and it certainly was NOT the Spirit of Christ.  Bear with me, if you will, while I contemplate what it means to have no reputation as a follower of Christ.  

Philippians 2:5-9 NASU

"Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."

This passage may not usually be associated with Christmas, but for some reason that is how it comes to me this year. Look closely at the passage above, then read the quote from The Jesus Style by Gayle D. Erwin below.

“Christ Jesus . . . made himself nothing.

 “He made himself nothing, he emptied himself—-the great kenosis. He made himself no reputation, no image.

 “I can recall my father shaking his head and repeating over and over to himself, ‘If only I knew what this meant. There is something powerful here. If I only understood it.’ Maybe that is why this Scripture has glued itself to my mind and equally disturbs me. Reputation is so important to me. I want to be seen with the right people, remembered in the right light, advertised with my name spelled right, live in the right neighborhood, drive the right kind of car, wear the right kind of clothing. But Jesus made himself of no reputation.”

Christmas in America means lots of things to lots of different people.

For some it becomes a political event that pits “the true meaning of Christmas” against the bias against religion. For others Christmas is just another time to visit families and to pretend to get along with each other. For others Christmas is a season that involves incredible profits (or expenses) and lots of activities. This year some may see Christmas as a bleak season filled with bad news and the dread of a new year. For still others Christmas is simply a winter break, a time to regroup for a new year.

I know I’ve left a large group out! There are those who see Christmas as the celebration of the birth of the world’s Savior and as the Incarnation of God. I want to twist the prism a bit and look at Christmas from a different angle.

Almost all of the views above look at Christmas from the perspective of what humans gain from the season. I wonder if we can look at the season as something we can offer to others, a gift of sorts. I wonder, can we make a gift of Christmas? Can we this year find a way to give the "spirit" of Christmas to those around us?

Hear me out . . .

This passage from Philippians reminds me that Christmas for Jesus wasn’t about what he would gain.  In fact, he lost just about everything! He left the comfort of his Father’s place, he became a tottering, dribbling little baby, he had to learn to talk, to walk, to eat, he left his riches behind for the starkness of a manger, and ultimately he would even become sin and even die for humanity.  Remember, dead and sin were two things he had never experienced before. 

As Paul says, he made himself of no reputation.

Imagine what Christmas would be like this year if those of us who follow Jesus would do as Paul admonishes here and have this approach to the season. Imagine if we actually attempted to have the same attitude towards others that Jesus has towards us! What would Christmas look like if we didn’t care about what we got out of it but became more concerned about what we could give to others? How would our world change if we laid down our lives . . . our reputations . . . our desires in order to bless others this Christmas? What if we even went further and did it anonymously, with no expectation of reward or recognition?

Ronald Reagan is credited with the saying “There is no telling what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit.” We don’t like that approach though, do we? We kick against it! I mean, we deserve to be recognized, don’t we?

You came up with the idea that made the company money, shouldn’t you be rewarded? Maybe you found a problem and fixed it, and that fix saved someone’s job. Shouldn’t you be shown gratitude? Maybe you did some kindness for someone you knew couldn’t pay you back, shouldn’t you get credit for that? You gave that money to charity, shouldn't someone say "thank you"? You gave of your time to that charitable organization, shouldn't there be some "benefit" in it for you?

Don’t we all think that we should be center stage, center of the world, the most important person in the world? How many times have you heard “I quit going to that church because MY needs weren’t being met”?

No reputation.

Let that sink in.

NO Reputation!

No fame, no credit, no automatic acceptance, no celebrities, and no place where who you know or what you know earns you admittance or recognition.  That requires true humility!

Jesus made himself of no reputation; he humbled himself. The very God of the universe became nobody. He emptied himself, he became a servant. As Isaiah said, he was not handsome or attractive in such a way as to draw attention to himself. He lived to give attention only to God. Jesus was truly humble.  He had "no reputation."   

Ouch!

We love our awards, the acceptance of others, the glamor of being “somebody,” or the wonderful happiness of fame, don’t we? We like to be recognized, remembered, acknowledged, accepted, and celebrated.

“Don’t neglect me” of "It's all about me" could be the slogans of many in our society.

The motto of Christ followers should be “No reputation.” God chooses such people to further his agenda. Will we be involved, or do we like our perks too much?

In Job 1, Satan appears in God's court. God acknowledges the good job done by Job, and asks Satan if he has noticed what a righteous person Job has become. Satan's response is a tough challenge: "Does Job fear God for nothing?"

Think about what the evil one is implying here. He is asking, "Will a human serve God with no expectation of something in return?"

Will humans serve God for nothing?

That hurts, doesn't it? Even the mere thought of it as a possibility smarts a bit. Surely the mighty God of the universe wouldn't expect me to show him respect and serve his purposes without expectation of payment for services rendered, right?

Can we humble ourselves to the point where we realize that God owes us nothing? Quite literally, we have done nothing to merit a reward. Even our service is a response to his continued mercy.

Will we, like Christ, humble ourselves to the point of no reputation? Are we willing to be "nobodies" in God's service, among his people, even among those who ought to "recognize" us?

What would Christmas look like this year if we (all of us) decided to give with no expectation of return? What if we humbled ourselves and expected no acknowledgment? What if we chose to serve anonymously and to bless others without receiving a blessing in return? What would happen?

What can you do this Christmas season that will bless others and garnish no reputation for you? Who can you serve that can't repay you? This year let's commit ourselves to serving, giving, and loving as Christ did. Let's look for opportunities to bless others in a way that does not give us recognition.  Instead of asking for things for ourselves, let's give to the needs of others. Instead of expecting gifts, let's give our lives away in blessing others.

How would that change Christmas in your neighborhood?

Thanks for reading!

My Annual Christmas Post--the Mystery of Christmas

Hey y'all:

Since I started this blog about 10 years ago, I have posted a piece I wrote around Christmas 2003. It kind of sums up for me what is the "Mystery of Christmas" as I meditated on the Incarnation and its implications for humanity (and perhaps for God as well!). The very idea of God becoming "one of us among us" (Immanuel) still fascinates and overwhelms me. God, the creator of all things, humbled himself, became of no reputation, and entered his own creation so as to renew and to redeem us (and, ultimately, to do these things for all of creation as well). God, the Creator of all things, became flesh so that he might be the perfect sacrifice for our sins. The God who never knew death would die for us. The God who never knew sin would become sin for us. What amazing love! Thanks be to God for his inexpressible gift! As you celebrate the first advent of our Lord Jesus Christ, I hope you enjoy this rerun. Feel free to make comments if you'd like.

A little over 2000 years ago, a tiny child was born in some pretty bleak conditions. Oh, he wasn’t the only one born in a bad state. In fact, in some ways, he was one of the lucky ones. He and his mother actually survived childbirth and thrived. Still, this story is unique and amazing on several levels.

First, this child would literally change the way time is reckoned in the world. His life and abilities would so impress generations of others that a brand new movement would be created, one that would radically change the very face of the earth (sometimes for good, sometimes not). His name would become recognized among the names of the greatest of humans, yet he never forgot his humble beginnings or lost a sense of who he was.

The second thing about this child is tied to the first in that this baby, this helpless lad full of spittle and mush, was born as the very Son of God. When Mary held his little head to her breast, he drank human milk. Yet, he was (and is) the God of the universe. Can you picture this simply ridiculous yet somehow poetic scene? God, who calls the stars by name, pressed to the human breast for sustenance. Humble yet awesome, is how some folks would no doubt recall this child.

A little over 2000 years ago, God proposed that the only remedy for the human condition of sin would be if he humbled himself, stepped out of eternity and into human flesh, and suckled at Mary’s breast in preparation for the greatest, most impressive conversion of all. God, in Mary’s arms, toddling around Joseph’s home, learning to talk, learning to walk, tasting and touching things with human hands! As the Psalmist says in Psalm 139, “Such knowledge is too wonderful for us, we cannot contain it!”

God knew that the only way to redeem us was if he did it himself. Haven’t you ever had that thought? You know, the one where you say, “If I want something done right, I’ll just have to do it myself?” Imagine God having that thought about bringing us to proper relationship with him. Imagine again that the only way he knew he could do that is if he came to earth as a baby. Think of it—-how vulnerable the almighty God was at that moment, how paradoxical that the God of all creation had to learn to walk! And why did he put himself in this situation? Out of his divine sense of justice and righteousness, out of his inexpressible love for each of us he acted in this manner.

God humbled himself.  In a sense, he took on our insanity so that we may be sane. He became flesh so that we might walk in his Spirit. He became sin that we might be righteous. He became poor so that we might be rich. He who had the reputation of Creator became a humble servant with no reputation. He became a toddling, dribbling, helpless babe so that we could become mature humans in the image of the almighty Son of God. What wondrous love! What humility and service! How then can anything he asks of us be too difficult?

Lord, in this Christmas season, remind us of your sacrifice and love so that we might be a light shining in darkness to others. Teach us to live a life of humble service like your Son did on our behalf so many years ago. As we celebrate the babe in the manger, may the glory he revealed in his life shine through us towards others that they may know God. May the grace of God and the peace of Christ rule in our families and our lives.

Thanks for reading!

Merry Christmas!  May you know the blessings of the God who humbled himself and served! 

Some thoughts today . . . Community, Truth, Humility.

The following are things I'm finding in my Twitter feed today, and I wanted to share them here:

We speak of truth and lovely things, but transparency and honesty can sometimes be messy. It is fine, though, God doesn't mind messy.

If Jesus is truth, then why are we so quick to lie to each other as Christians? Are we really that concerned with how we "look" to others?

Too often I compare myself to others whose situation is no better--without Christ, they are also nothing. Jesus is the Model to imitate.

Church should be community, and community is sometimes messy. Unity only comes when we humble ourselves and serve others.

Unity is not uniformity. My brother/sister may look quite different, but our unity is based on what Jesus has done and the example he set.

Come to grips then with this truth--you are not God, but you need God. The only way God fills your need is by Jesus, his Incarnate Word.

If you find a substitute to fill your void, you will always have "less-than-God." This idol will always fail. It cannot do anything less.

God became one of us to reach us. He served humbly, what more can he ask of us? To love one another calls for humble service. It is enough.

Thanks for reading!