Archive for June, 2004
Monday, June 7th, 2004
“Lord, remind me how brief my time on earth will be. Remind me that my days are numbered, and that my life is fleeing away.”
Psalm 39:4 (New Living Translation)
This is the third metaphor for life Rick draws from the Bible. The idea of being a sojourner, alien, pilgrim, foreigner, stranger, visitor, and traveller - it rings true to me. I see many images in the scripture, many stories, in which the people of God are reminded that their ultimate destiny lies in a place beyond their present dreams.
I’ve been in Australia as permanent resident for three and a bit years, though I haven’t yet taken out citizenship. I still feel as though New Zealand is my home. But Australia is not enemy territory. I feel no guilt about cheering for Australian athletes and swimmers. Though I do still support the All Blacks, the Auckland Warriors, and the Otago Highlanders.
I’m a sojourner living here as long as I’m called to be here. For all I know, that could be another three years, or another forty three years. But in the meantime, I’m putting down roots. I’ve bought a house. I’m making friends. I’m learning the language, and adapting my accent.
Rick Warren uses the scenario of becoming ambassador to an enemy nation. He says we’d need to learn the local language, adapt to some customs and cultural differences in order to be polite and accomplish our mission. But if we fell in love with the new nation, we’d become a traitor, acting like the enemy.
Good point. Though I’d be careful in applying that scenario to life on earth. The kingdom of God is not limited to life beyond death. Eternity starts right here and now - in the context in which we live right here on earth. I believe we’re living in God’s zone - in created territory, not occupied territory.
The conflict in values comes when we succumb to the assumptions that are against God’s values. Like when we place higher value on possessions and status than on people and relationships.
I’m very aware that our time on this planet is limited. My father died of heart failure at 73, my mother at 79. She would have died at 70 if not for a heart valve operation. I’m 42 - over halfway through a natural life expectancy. I could go any time in the meantime though. I sat with a friend over an afternoon while his heart stopped working every 45 minutes or so. That was last year. He’s not old. My own daughter died at 18 months. On her tombstone we engraved: “We are fragile beings living in a dangerous world”
So we’re here for a temporary assignment. But an intentional embedded assignment. A bit like the Jewish people receiving Jeremiah’s letter in Jeremiah 29. He says that God arranged for them to be taken to this country, Babylon. They need to put down their roots, plant gardens and build homes. They need to encourage their children to marry and have children, right there where they live. They need to pray for the success of their city and nation. But they are never to forget that God will bring their descendants back to Jerusalem. Their long term destiny is not tied up with this place.
This all makes a difference to the way we treat our environment, our neighbours, and our own bodies. I want to work on a lifestyle that promotes the kind of world God dreams of - right here in Australia, as much as in New Zealand and the rest of this planet.
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Sunday, June 6th, 2004
“We don’t see things as they are, we see them as we are”
Anais Nin (author of avant-garde novels)
Rick Warren asks what image would come to your mind if asked how you picture life. This image is your ‘life metaphor’. He writes about a few life metaphors he’s been shown by people:
Life is a roller coaster (Ronan Keating’s song)
Life is a circus (David Bowie’s song - never officially released - as well as the 1962 movie of the same name, AND, a Charlie Brown movie!)
Life is a minefield (as said by Raoul Felder, divorce lawyer, in his book, Bare Knuckle Negotiation)
Life is a symphony (Frances Murphy’s book)
Life is a journey, Life is a dance, Life is a carousel
Life is a game of cards (Eugene Hare)
And there’s others not listed in Warren’s book:
Life is a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re going to get (Forrest Gump)
Life is a joke
Life is a drama
Life is a dream
Life is a lottery (John Shakespeare on genetics)
and Life is a beach
Rick then goes on to tell us the Bible presents three metaphors that teach us God’s view of life: Life is a test, Life is a trust, and life is a temporary assignment.
“Unless you are faithful in small matters, you won’t be faithful in large ones.” Luke 16:10a (NLT)
Rick’s question: “What has happened to me recently that I now realize was a test from God?”
Ricks suggests that we will be tested by major changes, delayed promises, impossible problems, unanswered prayers, undeserved criticism, and even senseless tragedies. Every time we pass a test God notices and makes plans to reward us in eternity. Rick quotes the letter of James: “Blessed are those that endure when they are tested. When they pass the test, they will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”
I agree that God is deeply interested in how I respond to the circumstances of my life. At times I grow in maturity. At times I stumble. God is watching, waiting for me to get up each time. That’s why I prefer the metaphor of a race or journey. This is not a pass/fail test that determines my “grade in heaven”. It’s an ongoing marathon of endurance that calls for every bit of ‘up and go’ God can inspire in me.
Paul in 1 Corinthians 10:13 says God will not allow us to be tested beyond our power to remain firm. “At the time you are put to the test, he will give you the strength to endure it, and so provide you with a way out.”
I know Paul endured a lot of suffering and came through still a strong believer. However I have seen many people fall out under pressure. Some people lose their sanity. Others lose their faith. I think Jesus was closer to the truth in his story of the sower and the seeds. In some cases growth is choked out by competition (weeds) or pecked out by oppression (birds).
Rick uses the metaphor of trust - telling us that God gives us three rewards of affirmation, promotion and celebration in eternity. This is based on Jesus’ story of the businessman giving responsibilities to three employees.
Rick then invites us to ask ourselves, “What are the greatest matters God has entrusted to me?”
I would consider those greatest matters of trust to be core relationships - with my wife and kids. Gifts and abilities. Income. Capacity for influence in the church and community. Time.
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Friday, June 4th, 2004
“Do you believe in heaven or is it just something rich people invented so that poor people wouldn’t rebel?”
Dave Hughes, The Glasshouse, June 4
“When you fully comprehend that there is more to life than just here and now, and you realize that life is just preparation for eternity, you will begin to live differently. You will start living in the light of eternity, and that will color how you handle every relationship, task and circumstance. Suddenly many activities, goals and even problems that seemed so important will appear trivial, petty and unworthy of your attention. The closer you live to God, the smaller everything else appears.”
(Rick Warren)
Back in 1984 I did some training with Evangelism Explosion International. In teams of three we asked people two diagnostic questions:
1. If you were to die today, do you know for sure you would go to be with God in heaven?
2. If God were to ask you, “Why should I let you into My Heaven?” what would you say?
For some people we contacted, these were timely questions. They had spent the last few of their seventy years wondering about the after life. But for many people, heaven was not on the radar. Many people didn’t have a concept of heaven or hell. It was a reflection of the secularised society we were living in (New Zealand).
One young student I worked with turned up one day to say he was giving Christian faith away. He had been motivated to follow Christ by a fear of going to hell. He couldn’t continue to live a life with that kind of motivation. Try as he might, he couldn’t cotton on to the idea that God loved him - it didn’t gel with the attitude of the youth leader who had badgered him into the kingdom.
It gets me thinking. Is the crux of Christian faith an assurance that we will be with God in heaven forever when we die, based on faith in God’s grace shown in Christ’s death on the cross? Or is that the icing on the cake?
I have a personal assurance that I don’t have to worry about my eternal destiny. I know that nothing I can do or say can make God love me more or less. I totally trust in the free offer of life in Jesus Christ. But my heart is on living this life God has called me to, right here, right now. I want to live a life of integrity - one that is growing to look more and more like the life I profess to live.
I certainly hope there is a life after death. I am encouraged by the hope that I may again see my daughter who died at 18 months. But at the same time, I don’t think I can ever bring to life the past. What is gone is gone. The future is in God’s hands.
Rick Warren’s question to consider: “Since I was made to last forever, what is the one thing I should stop doing and the one thing I should start doing today?”
Well, I think I’d stop using the word “should”, and start developing a sense of God’s call each day, as opposed to the drive to be “successful”.
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Thursday, June 3rd, 2004
I observed that the basic motive for success is the driving force of envy and jealousy!”
Ecclesiastes 4:4 (Living Bible)
“The man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder - a waif, a nothing, a no man.”
Thomas Carlyle
Today’s reading from The Purpose Driven Life challenges some of the drives that pull us around without us knowing. Guilt, resentment and anger, fear, materialism, need for approval - they all influence everyday decisions in unhealthy ways. They lead to unused potential, unnecessary stress and an unfulfilled life. True, true, true.
Knowing your purpose gives meaning to your life, simplifies your life, focuses your life, motivates your life, and prepares you for eternity.
Mary Schmich’s graduation speech, known as “Wear Sunscreen”, includes the lines:
“Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.”
Wear Sunscreen Book at Amazon.com
Even at times when I’m not sure about the exact career plan for the rest of my life, I still have a constant sense of purpose. My relationship with God, my call to be in relationship with others, and my groundedness in a lifestyle honouring God’s intention for the earth.
The reading from Jeremiah 29 is a powerful one.
“I know what I am planning for you… “I have good plans for you, not plans to hurt you. I will give you hope and a good future”.
We had that reading at our wedding - reflecting our belief that God’s dream for our lives is good. It doesn’t mean that bad things won’t happen. But I believe that God’s purposes are constantly reflecting God’s goodness.
Once again, Mary Schmich’s quote:
“Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 pm on some idle Tuesday.”
Rick Warren finishes by saying that living on purpose is the path to peace. I can attest to that.
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Wednesday, June 2nd, 2004
“Your birth was no mistake or mishap,
and your life is no fluke of nature.”
Rick Warren
“God doesn’t play dice”
Albert Einstein
It’s only day two and I’m running into trouble with Rick Warren’s interpretation of life, the universe and everything. The idea that everything is designed by God is classic modernism - we’d like to think that God’s in control of everything. That’s OK if your life is going fine and you have a good chance at pulling through the hard times. What about if you’re born in a hell hole, born with AIDS, suffering from congenital disease, crippled? Can we really say that’s the way God intended it? It sounds like what one of Job’s friends would have said.
What about the part in Romans 8 where Paul talks about the creation groaning for the full expression of God’s way for the world? We’re in a fragile world, full of chaos. People hurt. People hurt others. And as far as I can see in the Scriptures, that’s not the way God intends it.
“There must be an underlying reality, a hidden variable”
Albert Einstein said that God doesn’t play dice with the universe. He thought that the apparent chaos being displayed in quantum physics experiments must have a hidden variable, an underlying design. But since that famous quote, further experiments indicate that Einstein was mistaken. God does appear to play dice with the universe. There is a huge amount of randomness that goes with the design. Patterns emerge in every aspect of life. But at the same time, within those patterns, there is room for the unpredictable.
Stephen Hawking covers this point in one of his lectures, “Does God play dice?”
Having said that, I still agree that we are not accidents. Although there is a strong sense of chance in my development, God’s purpose is strong throughout. I believe it when I hear God saying “I am your Creator. You were in my care even before you were born.”
Isaiah 44:2 (CEV)
Question for the day from Rick, “I know that God uniquely created me. What areas of my personality, background, and physical appearance am I struggling to accept?”
I guess I’m struggling with the messiness of my lifestyle. I enjoy variety and thrive in that environment. But I don’t fit easily into the tight structured demands of some situations. But I can accept that I am who I am, and look for God’s purpose for me today.
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Wednesday, June 2nd, 2004
Rick Warren writes that there are two options for finding our purpose:
Speculation and Revelation.
It’s in Christ that we find out who we are and what we are living for. Long before we first heard of Christ and got our hopes up, he had his eye on us. had designs on us for glorious living, part of the overall purpose he is working outin everything and everyone. (Ephesians 1:11, The Message)
From these notes from Paul, Rick draws three insights:
1. You discover your identity and purpose through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
2. God was thinking of you long before you ever thought about him.
3. The purpose of your life fits into a much larger, cosmic purpose that God has designed for eternity.
The question to consider today: “In spite of all the advertising around me, how can I remind myself that life is really about living for God, not myself?”
One of the phrases associated with The Highlander (Connor MacLeod and Duncan MacLeod in movies and TV series) is “There can be only one”. One of my prayers is “You are the One” - a reminder that God’s purpose is the agenda of my life, and not the other way round! Every now and then I use that prayer as a log on for the computer as I start work for the day.
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Tuesday, June 1st, 2004
David Tracy writes the first essay in “Theological Literacy for the Twenty-First Century“, edited by Rodney Petersen with Nancy Rourke. In that essay, he outlines his conviction that theological education is about conversation.
Some gleanings:
“To become educated is to be freed to enter the conversation of all the living and the dead; to enter that conversation independently and critically, to be sure, but nonetheless to enter.”
The criteria of an excellent conversation? Letting go - freeing ourselves from self-consciousness to listen, allow opinions to be tested, and allow the ‘to and fro movement’ of the questions simply as they come.
Tracy places two great quotes alongside each other:
The unreflected life is not worth living (Socrates)
The unlived life is not worth reflecting upon (Buddhist)
This is to say that we’ve needlessly separated feeling and thought, form and content, theory and practice. Distinctions are helpful. Dichotomies are not.
In all this, I find again and again Tracy’s reminder that we are part of a learning community that breaks through the limits of time and space.
“We know Christ Jesus because long-extinct communities and too easily forgotten generations have alowed us to hear this judging and healing Word.”
I’m (Duncan) convinced that when we discover something about the people who write theology, we become partners in conversation with people rather than dealers in ideology. So with that in mind, here’s some biographical background to David Tracy…
David is on the faculty of University of Chicago Divinity School. His full title is “Andrew Thomas Greeley and Grace McNichols Greeley Distinguished Service Professor of Catholic Studies” and “Professor of Theology and of the Philosophy of Religion, the Divinity School and the Committee on Social Thought”.
Born in 1939 - that makes him 65 this year (2004). He’s a Catholic diocesan priest. He’s keen on classical studies - which explains his many references to classics in his theological writing. His books include: Analogical Imagination (1985), Plurality and Ambiguity (1994), On Naming the Present (1995), Blessed Rage for Order(1985), and Dialogue with the Other (1991).
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