Pumpkins

This was found in the Bible of my wife's grandmother. There is no indication as to the source of the material.

"From one pumpkin to another."
"A woman was asked by a coworker, "What is it like to be a Christian?"
The coworker replied, "It is like being a pumpkin. God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside you for all the world to see."

"This was passed on to me by another pumpkin. Now it's your turn to pass it on to other pumpkins. I liked this enough to send it to all the pumpkins in my patch."

Things Which Repel Visitors to Our Churches

My 87 year old mother recently had to have a total knee replacement because her knee joint had degenerated to the point where the meniscus and cartilage were both totally worn out  resulting in bone on bone movement within the joint. Now her knee is a nice metal contraption.

After joint surgeries several weeks and sometimes months of physical therapy are required yo regain full functionality of the joint. My mother was assigned to a local physical therapy center which is housed in a very impressive multistory brick office building.

The problem: the front of the office building has a set of seven steps leading up to the front door. Inside, the elevator is at the back of the building at the end of a long hall. The physical therapy practice is located on the third floor. WRONG! For a person who has difficulty walking and who needs a walker or a cane to get about, access to their therapy would seem to need to be made easier rather than more difficult.

For many people, going in to a new place or situation can be intimidating. Walking into a church may seem to be totally foreign to them. Our churches need to be welcoming but many churches, intentionally or unintentionally, put up obstacles to non-members. Following is a short list of attitudes and factors which may prevent people from encountering the Gospel in a church. Is your church guilty of any of them?

1. Some churches may be victims of their own "success". Their church is intimidating by being enormous with massive crowds of people. Many people are uncomfortable in large crowds.

2. Some churches unfortunately have a history of hostility to people of other races or nationalities.

3. Some churches have such an emphasis on their senior pastor that they develop a "cult of personality" with a very passive congregation.

4. Some churches fall into the Prosperity Gospel heresy and dilute and trivialize the Gospel by attempting to please everyone.

5. Some churches become very insular and appear to be hostile to outsiders.

6. When someone asks a visitor to move out of "their seat" this sends a very unwelcoming message. Some churches even practice pew rental. The seats in the church belong to the Lord and not to any individual person.

7. Some churches are intentionally located on campuses far from urban population centers to reduce the numbers of undesirable people who may attempt to attend their services.

8. Intense micromanagement of the church by a pastor or the deacons and/or elders can give the church a repressive atmosphere.

9. Visitors may be officially allowed but not really noticed or actively greeted. This gives off the smell of "You can come if you want to."

10. The church wants to grow for questionable reasons such as the pastor's ego or for an ever increasing need for more revenue. These churches are impressed with themselves. Visitors are not stupid and they can feel this.

11. In some churches, visitors can feel the hidden hostilities which the church members have brewing with each other. The church members are unpleasant and phony. Hypocrisy is one of the worst smells.

12. Some churches are stuck in the past.  All the members are elderly, with no young families or children. These churches are dying.

13.  Some churches talk all the time but do nothing. No one wants to be associated with this.

14. People hate social cliques, and especially when they are present in a church.

15. Many people are made uncomfortable by church members who obviously use excessive "holy" terminology with no attempt to use plain language to express the same ideas. This smacks of an "insider" mentality. Even worse is the use of archaic English. God does not care which language you use, He understands them all.

16. One of the quickest turnoffs to a visitor is for them to see someone being a "respecter of persons."
The poorly dressed repentant prostitute drug-user is just as important in the eyes of God as is the rich man or a celebrity.

17. It says something extremely negative to a visitor when the church sanctuary is empty five minutes after the church service ends.

18. Weird, lustful, or disapproving glances aimed at them are noticed by visitors.

19. Many people are uncomfortable when public attention is drawn to them. "Stand up if you are a visitor." "Hold up your hand."

20. Many churches expect the unchurched to act and speak like Christians. We have to speak to them as they currently are without giving the impression that we are in any way approving of their totally messed up situations. The place for the sick should be a place of healing.

21. Lack of accessible entry to the church. For a person who has difficulty walking and who needs a walker or a cane to get about, access to the worship area and classrooms needs to be made easier rather than more difficult. Wheelchair ramps and/or elevators can be very welcoming. 

22. Lack of accommodation for physical limitations. One church I once attended had plug-in access to earphones for the hearing impaired. These earphones were linked to the microphones on the podium and amplified the sound of the choir and the pastor. 

23. Lack of translation services. Sign-language services for the deaf and translators of the most commonly spoken languages in the area show a welcoming environment.

Our churches should be welcoming places, This does not mean we should not uphold biblical standards. There must never be any compromises of the Gospel message. It means we should be like God. God is the real point of the Parable of the Prodigal Son. This is really the Parable of the Joyous Father.

 

Fiction in the Bible?

Critics of the Bible often decry it as a massive piece of fiction. Some even deny that Jesus existed at all. The Christian response is often to launch into an effort to convince the non-believer that the Bible is true and, of course, it is.  But angrily rushing at critics is probably not the best way to respond.   

It is a provable fact that the Bible is more historically attested than many ancient secular documents which are themselves almost universally accepted as genuine.  Whether or not the Bible is accepted as a supernatural book, it is increasing being proven as a historically accurate document.  The kings and kingdoms mentioned actually existed.  Many of the places mentioned have been found by digging where the Bible says they were.  The problem for the Christian apologist is that these arguments will probably fall on skepticism-deafened ears.

I recently found an old book from 1946 which gave me an insight about which I had never before thought.   The book is How to Read the Bible, by Dr. Edgar Goodspeed.  Dr. Goodspeed points out that the parables of Jesus were fictional.  Jesus was a master storyteller; it was his “favorite and characteristic vehicle.”  He used his stories, some of which are as short as a sentence in length, to teach spiritual insights in a simple and clear manner.

A very good opening to start with a non-believer might be Jesus’s parables.  Once the non-believer is interested in the parables, the Christian should point out that though the parables are clearly fictional, the Bible itself is historically based.  Even if the non-believer cannot be brought to a place of conviction, they may at least come to a place where they recognize that the events depicted in the Bible actually happened. This is progress which may later bear fruit.

Music Comment: Freebird

Freebird by the rock music band Lynyrd Skynyrd is one of the great classic songs in rock music history.  The extended dual guitar instrumental which ends the song is listed as number three on Guitar World’s list of the Greatest Guitar Solos in history.

Readers of this blog know that I comment on songs, books, and movies from a Christian perspective. Christian understandings can be seen in works of art, often with messages not clearly intended by the original artists.  This is sort of like using the work of art as a parable pr allegory to illustrate a deeper meaning.

Freebird is a hauntingly beautiful but ultimately very sad song.  It can be seen as a statement of self absorption.  The singer tells a woman who loves him that he has to move on because “there’s so many places I have to see.”  He tells her not to react “so badly” and that he just has to be free.  He admits that he has no intention to change.  (“Lord knows I can’t change.”) He never asks her if she would like to go with him.

Many people are frightened of, and even unable to make a commitment to another person.  They are emotionally shallow and ultimately concerned only with themselves.  A Christian understanding is that this is the very definition of the Human Problem: the elevation of Self above all else.

The extended guitar riff which ends Freebird can be seen from a Christian perspective as illustrating the world’s wildly distracting influences coming at the individual from all directions.  The distractions can seduce a person and pull them away into unknown territories.

The lyrics of Freebird are here.

 

Film Comment: It’s Not About the Nail

Watch this short video, It’s Not About the Nail (2013), written and directed by Jason Headley.  The predominant reaction to this humorous film is that it is about relationships between men and women and that it is specifically about marriage.

In my prior film comments, I have taken the stance that films may have applications from a Christian perspective even when that was not the intent of the film’s creators.   Films deal in archetypes and metaphors which can be interpreted in multiple ways.   Films can often be seem as parables.  This is acceptable as long as one realizes that works of art may not fit perfectly into any one philosophical system.

To the Christian, this short film has very stark symbolism.  The woman complains of her headaches.  The man tries to reply, “Maybe it is the nail in your forehead.”  The woman angrily replies that “It’s not about the nail.”

Christians can very clearly see that non-Christians lack Jesus in their lives and that many of their life problems stem from that fact.  The Christian knows that Jesus is right there, right in front of the non-believer’s face.  The non-believer cannot see Jesus at all.

The non-believer will say, :I don’t believe that.  That doesn’t exist.  My problems have to be from some other cause, maybe from you. … It is not about the nail!”

But, to the Christian, everything is about The Nail.

A Possible Interpretation of the Parable of the Unjust Steward

Jesus strikes me as having been pleasant and calming rather than strident and militant.  He was willing and able to express anger, but probably more often than not made his disciples smile or laugh.

I recently posted about the hard to understand Parable of the Unjust Steward.  What I said in the first paragraph may hold a key to understanding the parable.  Jesus seems to be praising the Unjust Steward.  I think He was.  He was using the Aramaic/Hebrew form of humor expressed as sarcasm or irony.  I believe that the parable probably struck His disciples as humorous in a wry sort of way.

If you are going to serve money, do it as well as you can.  If you are going to serve God, do it as well as you can.  You cannot serve two masters.  If you try, you will serve neither well.  God despises lukewarmness.

“So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.”  Revelation 3:16  

The Parable of the Unrighteous Steward

OK, I understand verses 13 and 14.  I have to admit that the rest of this parable eludes me.  Can anyone explain how verses 1 - 12 lead to verses 13 and 14?

"The Parable of the Unrighteous Steward

1And he said also unto his disciples, There was a certain rich man, which had a steward; and the same was accused unto him that he had wasted his goods. 2And he called him, and said unto him, How is it that I hear this of thee? give an account of thy stewardship; for thou mayest be no longer steward. 3Then the steward said within himself, What shall I do? for my lord taketh away from me the stewardship: I cannot dig; to beg I am ashamed. 4I am resolved what to do, that, when I am put out of the stewardship, they may receive me into their houses. 5So he called every one of his lord's debtors unto him, and said unto the first, How much owest thou unto my lord? 6And he said, An hundred measures of oil. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and sit down quickly, and write fifty. 7Then said he to another, And how much owest thou? And he said, An hundred measures of wheat. And he said unto him, Take thy bill, and write fourscore. 8And the lord commended the unjust steward, because he had done wisely: for the children of this world are in their generation wiser than the children of light. 9And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail, they may receive you into everlasting habitations.

10He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. 11If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? 12And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own? 13No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Luke 16:1-14

Magic For Jesus

{Some videos will not play properly when you click on the triangle.  Instead,  click on the title line in the picture and the video will begin .  When the video is completed, close the You Tube pop-up window to return to this blog.} 

This is magic (sleight of hand) not Magick or Sorcery.  It is not supernatural but is based on making you think you see something which you do not see.

Magic for Jesus is a ministry to Sunday Schools and youth groups presenting visual lessons about biblical truths.  Many people, children especially, are visually oriented and will understand a point if it is in the form of a story, or, in this case, a magic trick.

Jesus used this approach in his parables.  The Kingdom of God is like …”

Magic for Jesus is non-denominational and from their short statement of faith, appear to be doctrinally orthodox.  They state that “We believe kids are the church too; not the future church.  They are the church right now.”

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One commenter was concerned that sleight of hand is based on deception and, therefore, could be viewed as dishonest.  I would say that this is a needless concern.  Magic for Jesus never tells children that the magic is real.  The tricks are used to make spiritual truths understandable.

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Magick and Sorcery are a different thing entirely.  They are ceremonial magic based on occult concepts and amount to attempts to influence events and people by the use of rituals, ceremonies, and secret or hidden knowledge.  Some claim that Magick and Sorcery may be White (good or benign) or Black (evil or malignant).  The Christian view is that all magic which attempts to influence people or the world is based on man's rebellion against God.   
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A magic trick which looks stunningly real, but it is not.  The magician offers to sell you the information on how to perform the trick.
http://www.youtube.com/user/dreamlandmagic?v=bc7wJA8fhKg&feature=pyv&ad=6923422215&kw=magic%20tricks

Bible Printer's Errors: The Vinegar Bible

John Baskett (d. 1742) was the printer for King George III of England and fot the University of Oxford from 1711 - 1742 and produced ornate leather-bound and gold-trimmed editions.  He is best remembered, however, for one of his magnificent failures, what is known as the Vinegar Bible (1717).

The Vinegar Bible is full of typographical errors but the most glaring problem occurs in the page heading for the twentieth chapter of the book of Luke at the passage containing The Parable of the Vineyard (Luke 20:9), which instead is printed as The Parable of the Vinegar.

In a wordplay on the printer's name, the book was derisively labelled a "Baskett-ful of errors."

http://www.stenodoc.org.uk/st_minver/index.org
St. Minver Church, named for St. Menefreda, at St. Minver in Cornwall, has three copies of the Vinegar Bible.  The church is on the site of a wooden church from late Saxon times.

http://rosemary-e-bachelor.suite101.com/rare-bible-returns-to-canada-236-years-later-a85802

http://on-sebs-steps.blogspot.com/2011/01/vinegar-bible.html

http://www.thebookbinder.co.uk/conservation/basketts-imperial-bible/ 

What Does It Mean?: Why Jesus Spoke in Parables

"And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?  He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given. For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath. Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand."  Matthew 13:10-13.

Many modern theologians make a major point about the fact that Jesus never came out and simply declared, "I am God."  They speak of the Incarnational Mystery and wonder if Jesus thought of Himself as God.  Two points:

1. The rabbis and religious Jews who heard Jesus speak knew exactly what He was saying but thought that he was speaking blasphemy.  “The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.”  John 10:33

2. Jesus used parables to teach.  The simple stories made His meaning easy to understand for even the most literal of His followers.  The parables also served a second purpose: to conceal.

In Matthew 13:10-13, the disciples asked Jesus about this.  The parables made no sense to those not equipped to understand them.  It is like us being immersed continually in showers of television and radio signals but hearing and seeing nothing because we don't have an internal receiver;  we are not physiologically equipped to perceive the information.

Without the Holy Spirit, the message of the parables makes no sense to those who don't belong to Jesus.  Jesus' motive for this is simple to see:  He wanted followers by faith, not by sight.  “Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.”  John 20:29

In Constantine (2005), a secular horror/action film, a cancer-ridden detective named John Constantine is desperately trying to impress God by hunting and killing demons.  He tells the angel Gabriel, "I believe."  The angel replies, "No, you know.  There's a difference."