How Edward R. Murrow ruined the News

The media has been full of this feud between conservative commentators and the White House. The President claims that Fox News is not real news. Fox News, and the vast majority of the other media outlets claim that it is. From an historical perspective, the whole argument is rather silly. There is not now nor has their ever been objective new. If one looks at the history of news in America, it seems obvious that it is far more objective now than it was in, say, the Nineteenth Century, during the age of yellow press. One has only to look at the portrayals of the news in the life of Samuel Clemens or the play The Front Page to see how slanted it once was. In Mark Twain's day, reporters regularly made up quotations and whole news items when new was slow or they were bored. But in recent years, news has been clear about its reason for existence--to report the news. That is, until Edward R. Murrow. Edward R. Murrow was a television reporter in the Fifties, who began the first magazine type "news" program See It Now. Murrow is credited with bringing down the reign of Joe McCarthy with his expose of him. His special report Harvest of Shame first focused attention on the plight of migrant workers. Murrow was by any standards an excellent reporter. So how could he have ruined the news? Because Edward R. Murrow is held up as an example in every journalism class in this country. Young, idealistic reporters want to be him. They see news as a means to affect social change, as he did. But they forget the first objective of journalism--to report the news fairly. They are not in the least interested in this. They all want to be Murrow, or Woodward and Bernstein, not Cronkite or Huntley and Brinkley. These men were journalists with strong personal opinions, but they understood that the news segment at least should be objective, and that they should keep their opinions to themselves. The media seems to have forgotten that today. News has been called the fourth branch of government. Investigative journalism informs us, challenges us, and most importantly makes politicians afraid to be bad. When the media becomes the lapdog of the powerful and elite, it is no longer news, but propaganda. On the other hand, when it sees itself as the revolutionary resistance, it is also propaganda. There must be room for all opinions. The press was a great help to democracy in its early days, not because it was objectives, but because it was free of government interference. There were Republican papers, to be sure, but there were also Democratic ones. People were free to buy what they wished. Today, that basic right is being threatened by an administration who does not seem to mind interfering with the free flow of ideas to achieve its purposes. That is truly scary. Unfortunately, the media is all too complicit in its own destruction. Fueled by dreams of being Edward R. Murrow, and duped by a powerful elitist group of politicians and professors masquerading as crusaders for the poor, they continue to focus their guns on traditional America and ignore those who are really in charge. The keep looking for another Joe McCarthy to revile, while those who trample the rights of individual Americans almost literally get away with murder. We do not need crusaders in the news room. We need, strong, sensible and courageous journalists who will not accept the status quo, but who will also respect the right of all Americans to be heard. We need people who love the news more than they love their reputations, there careers, or their political affiliation. Only then can we be sure that democracy will continue to flourish.

The Way, the Truth, and the Life

As a boy growing up, my family moved a total of thirteen times. We moved to seven different cities in four different states The first few moves made little impression on me. My father would called the family together and announce that we were going to move to Knoxville, or Nashville or Memphis, and It sounded rather cool to me. Memphis was where Elvis was, after all. We had moved before, and we always made new friends. The longest we lived anywhere growing up was in Memphis. We lived here seven years. We lived there through the Kennedy assassinations, the king assassinations, and moved just before we landed on the moon. In Memphis, I made some of the closest friends I ever had. I was involved in school council. I dated and kissed my first girl. I started getting there a sense of belonging. Then one day, my father came home and announced “We are going back to Knoxville,” This time it was much, much harder. I went back to my room and cried. It was a separation from a life I loved and from people I loved. Unlike when I was younger, I knew what separation was. That’s why I identify with the disciples’ feelings when Jesus told his disciples that night in Jerusalem that He was going away. For three years, these disciple had lived together, traveled together, laughed together, and argued together. They had been their own separate world, and the center of that world was Jesus. They had left their families, homes, and jobs to be part of that world. Now it was all about to end, and they would go their separate ways. Jesus had told his disciples before that he was going away, but it didn’t register in their brains--any more than it does in the mind of a child when he is told that everyone will die someday, including Mom and Dad. In the child’s mind, life goes on forever in the same way it is today. The thought that one day, life and death will separate us from those we love does not seem real until we actually experience it. Jesus had often left them before to go pray in secret, but he always came back. But they were encamped near Jerusalem, under the noses of their enemies who wanted Jesus dead. They knew that Jesus was in immediate danger the whole time he was there. Now, when Jesus said he was going away, they could see it in their minds the how and why of it. They all knew what it meant and they were sad. What would happen to them after they died? What would their world look like when He was gone? So after Jesus announced his leaving, he gave them another message He said: "Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going." When we move on, what is left? Memories and hopes. We can remember the good times that are past. We can hope in good times to come when we are reunited. But all this is temporary. Memories fade over time. People we think we will remember forever are forgotten in the passage of the years. We forget so we can move on. In England there is a statue to a little terrier dog—Greyfriar’s Bobby. The dog belonged to a town watchman named Grey. Bobby was his inseparable for two years. Then Grey died, and was buried in the local cemetery. For fourteen years that dog stood sentinel over his grave. When the local dogcatcher wanted to take him to the pound, the mayor of the city and the town council bought him a license. The dog became the symbol of the city. When the dog died, a statue was erected to him in he local cemetery. The inscription read “May he always be an example to us of unswerving devotion.” It sounds touching, but we have to wonder if this really was what was best for the dog. Would it not have been better if someone had adopted that dog as a pet? Would that dog not have been happier getting on with his life? Some people hang on too long to memories. Nor does hope always warm us, either. When we move, we always promise to write. But things happen. People forget, and what the reunion we crave often does not come. When my family left Memphis, I called my friends whenever possible. I visited in the summers. My entire class once came to visit me in my new home. But they left. But these reunions did not last forever. I struggled to adjust to my new life, The hoped for visits and contacts became fewer and fewer. Jesus did not simply say to his disciples “Remember me.” (Though he did elsewhere, and gave us communion to remember him.) He did not just say “I’ll write.” (Though He gave us His words to study and remember.) His message was simpler than that. He said “I’m coming back for you. You’ll live with me again, Believe it.” Actually, he goes beyond a mere promise of return. He also promises that He will stay with us through the spirit. “You believe in God, believe me, too.” Believe not just in the future reunion but in his present guidance. It was not just a promise of a mansion in heaven, but a friend on this earth. He wanted them to keep living together, and He would still be with them. On hearing of Jesus’ departure, he disciples must have had many fears. But their greatest fear was this. They had been called out their lives and their world, and had been immersed in a new world—the Kingdom of God. Jesus had become their home. Once he left, they lost their home. When he was gone, would life go back to what it was before—would they again be only a band of fishermen and tax collectors, broadened a bit in the mind but still living lives of pettiness and insignificance? Jesus says no. He will always be with us. “Whereever two or three are gathered, there I am.” One day, that spiritual presence will be translated into a physical presence. “In my father’s house are mansions,” the King James says--but it this is a mistranslation. What Jesus actually says is “In my Father’s mansion are many rooms.” We will live together with Him in His Father’s house. What is it that comforts us about home? It is being with those we love. There is something about us that craves the tenderness of a body beside us, the sound of other people’s breathing, heartbeats beating in unison. We are social creatures created to society. He society we now have is a pale example of the society we have in heaven. That’s where he was going—to prepare the mansion. Then he said something curious. ‘And where you go, you know. And the way you know.” Most of them said nothing. They were used to Jesus saying things that they did not understand. Half the time, they did not understand what Jesus was saying to them They would just pretend that they knew what he was talking about, like students do in school, or people listening to a sermon But Thomas (who is unfairly called doubting Thomas) spoke up. "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?" A fair question. Suppose your wife goes to visit a friend. She asks if you would like to join them later for lunch. Maybe you want to, or maybe you don’t, or maybe you are not sure. She says “you know where she lives.” But you don’t know. How would she know if really wanted to be there? If you didn’t ask for directions, then you didn’t want to come. If the world really wanted to go to heaven, they would be asking for directions, too. Btu most of the world doesn’t know Jesus, doesn’t know where He lives, and isn’t sure they want to. One hour of walking with Him is enough to bring a lifetime of devotion, but the have never had that hour. So why should they want to join Him in heaven? So if we say we are going to meet Jesus, and that anyone can come along, we shouldn’t be surprised if people don’t flock to join us. But those who are really interested in knowing God will ask, and will know. But if a person wants to know God and to experience God, they will want directions. Recently, I heard a radio interview with an artist who had created an illustrated book of Genesis. The interviewer asked if he believed in God. He called himself a “Gnostic” not an “agnostic.” An agnostic he said was someone who did not know whether there is a god, and doesn’t much care. He really genuinely wanted to know. My heart went out to him. He would ask directions. Most people don’t. So, how do you get to heaven? Jesus answered: "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” So simple and so profound. If you want to get to heaven, Jesus will show you. People wonder what religion has the path that leads to heaven. The answer is surprising. No religion, not even Christianity, has the path that leads to heaven. Jesus is the path. We do not go looking for God. God came looking for us. W do not follow a set of instructions to heaven. We must b escorted to the gate by Jesus Himself. Go to church, Read your Bible, Pray daily. Don’t drink. Don’t curse. Be nice to your mother. We do all this because we think it makes us good people, and that good people go to heaven. Bad people go to hell. That’s not what Jesus says. Anyone, good or bad, can go to heaven, if they will just trust Him, and have a continuing relationship with Him. Jesus is the way to heaven. We love Jesus, hope in Jesus, and follow Jesus. We look for his guidance ever day. In ever situation we ask “what would Jesus do.” (Yes, I know it’s a cliché, but it still works.) Our lives are long roads that lead to heaven and to our reuniting with Jesus. As long as we keep our eyes on the Lord, we will get there. Jesus is the Truth for us. We recognize him as not just God’s son, but as God, he Son. He is God’s incarnation on earth, the living proof of his love. Jesus and God are one and the same, and when we trust in one, we also trust in the other. God cared so much for us, that he gave Himself in human form as a sacrifice for sin, that we can stand proudly before Him in heaven Jesus is Life for us. Day by day we live in he light, illuminated by the presence of our Lord and Savior from the moment our heads rise from the pillow in the morning to the moment we fall asleep at night. Everything in between we live in the love of Jesus. Throughout the changes of this world, one thing remains the same—Jesus. We can lose our homes, lose our jobs, lose our families, even lose our freedom, but we cannot lose Jesus. That’s why we can in all things be content. Life is not about owning or experiencing, losing or keeping, but holding to what can never be lost, The rest does not matter, because Jesus is ours.

Leaving the Nest

We have happy news. Two of our daughters are getting married. Iris has set the date for March 27. Molly and Mitch have not yet set a date, but they are looking at sometime in the first part of next year. For us it is a liberation, a light at the end of the tunnel. For the last several years, we have been consumed with helping our children. Now, they will finally be on their own and we will be free to think of other things. When the girls were in high school, I used to say that the only additional things I would help them get to launch them in life were three "c's"--a car, a computer, and a college education. After that, they were on their own. It was a foolish dream. Children today do not just leave the nest, they make the leap and return again, over and over, until they finally take flight. We are ready for that to happen. When they leave, it will not be completely over. We will be another year or two paying off the debts we have accumulated to help launch them. We also expect that we will still do a fair share of babysitting, and hopefully some advice giving. But it will leave us in a position where we can once again pursue new dreams and gain new vision. One thing that we have learned clearly now is that the only way a family can survive and prosper is through interconnecting. We we are not just individuals, we are part of a system that survives by helping each other. It is the symbiosis of parents and children, where one generation helps another, that makes a family a family. The Bible calls the church a body, where one part cannot exist without the others. The family is a body, too. We need the rest. A family divided is a body broken. Last weekend, we took the grandchildren to the movie Where the Wild Things Are. I honestly cannot recommend it. In the movie, a little boy moves in with a family of imaginary big, gentle monsters. The best part of his life with them is at night, when they sleep in a big pile. Surrounded by their bodies and soft fur, the boy finds protection from the night and the cold. Our families are our bi piles. We rest together in life and death, and in that find our courage.

Alpha and Omega

The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who testifies to everything he saw — that is, the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it, because the time is near. John, to the seven churches in the province of Asia: Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father — to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen. Look, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." I’m going to let you in on a secret about preaching. It’s easy to do wrong and extremely hard to do right. I say this not to be arrogant or critical, but I speak of my own preaching, too, just as I do of other preachers. Most sermons fall far short of the mark God has set for preachers. Paul set a standard for Christian preaching in 1 Cor. 1:22-25 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. All good preaching leads to the cross. Anything which falls short of the cross may be a good talk, but it is not Christian. Any sermon which could be delivered by a Jewish Rabbi or Muslim imam is not Biblical Christian preaching. It needs to be about the cross of Jesus. I can’t tell you how hard it is to keep on that target, week after week. I greatly admire preachers, such as Billy Graham, who do. The truth is simple, yet it easily eludes us. Christ is all. What doesn’t focus on the person and work of Christ, and lead us back to the cross does not meet the standards of the Gospel. The same problem existed in apostolic times. There were challenges inside and out. The Jews persecuted the church because the Jewish Christians were not going keeping the Law. The Romans persecuted the Christians because they kept the law of love. Inside the church, many thought that Christianity as the “moral rearmament” of Israel. They could point to the teachings and parables of Jesus--the Good Samaritan, the Prodigal Son, the Sermon on the Mount, and so on, and see parallels in what the great rabbis of Judaism said. Others thought of Christianity as being similar to the pagan “mystery religions”, ceremonial cleansing rituals that took away sins, but had no teachings of morality. The Lord’s Supper and Baptism cleaned us, but they did not change us. As long as we were baptized and kept coming to church, God didn’t care how we lived. John could see that they were missing something. What was it that the earlier gospel writers--Matthew, Mark, and Luke--had failed to show? John realized that Jesus’ message was not some kind of reformed Judaism, nor was it a kind of magical portion for personal happiness. It was not about us at all. It was about Him. It was not what Jesus said or did, but about who He was. So John wrote down what Jesus said about himself. “I am the bread of life,” “I am the good shepherd.” “I am the resurrection and the life.” “I am the way, the truth, and he Life.” Each statement was bolder then the one before. The problem with preaching today is that we are always telling people what they ought to do instead of telling them who Jesus is. John was born a fisherman, but he did not stay at sea. Early in his life, he became a disciple, following one teacher after another. He and his cousin Andrew became disciples of John the Baptist. John the Baptist sent them to follow Jesus. Along the way, John had been exposed to a lot of rabbinic teaching. He did not just learn what they said, but the language they used to say it. The rabbi’s had a professional language, just as every profession. One rabbis favorite phrases was, “Aleph and Tau.” Aleph was the first letter of the Jewish alphabet; Tau was the last. It’s like our phrase “from A to Z.” When they finished talking about a matter, they would say “That’s the aleph and tau of it.” John was not writing in Hebrew. He was writing in Greek. So instead of aleph and tau, he uses alpha and omega, the first letter of the Greek alphabet plus the last. It means all that is , was and will be. Jesus is the beginning and the end. From the first sentence of John 1 to the last sentence of revelation. Jesus is everything. Consider what that means. Jesus is not something we add to our lives. We are added to Jesus’ life. Jesus is not someone who came along. He was there all along. He does not enter us. We enter him. It world could not exist, cannot cease to exist without his involvement. Our lives are in his hands from birth to death. He is all and in all, and through Him all things live and move and have being. Without Him, there is nothing, nothing at all. Jesus began the world. From beginning to end, Jesus behind all that is. In Genesis 1 we read “In the beginning, God created heaven and earth, and the earth was without from and void. . . and God said ‘let there be light.” John said “In the beginning was the word.” The word “let there be light” was an expression of God. It was Jesus. John understood that the word of God--his expression of divine nature was Jesus. Jesus was behind creation. Jesus will end the world. John also saw into the future in Revelation. His revelation began in Revelation 1 as an image of Jesus. In Revelation 19, Jesus appears as the Word of God on a white horse coming down from heaven with a two-edged sword coming out of his mouth, as he comes. Jesus will wrap all things up one day, and sit on the great white throne. Jesus is the power of God revealed throughout history. He is the designer of the Ark. He is the divine visitor to Abraham. He is the pillar of fire and the burning bush. He is the fourth man in Daniel’s fiery furnace. He is Ezekiel’s wheels within wheels. He parted the red sea, brought down Jericho, destroyed Sennachaerib’s army, preserved Jonah in the belly of the beast, and rebuilt Jerusalem. All the miracles of Bible times, and all the hope for miracles in the future, lie in Him. Jesus is the reason for all things. We were created to please God. But God knew that we would not please him. He knew that we would rebel. So God prepared a body for himself to be born at a specific time. This human expression of God is the word of God which appears in heaven. God had planned all along to come to earth and substitute Himself for us and receive the wrath deserving of sin upon Himself. This was the plan in his mind before the worlds were created or the universe ever began, long before the Big Bang or the formation of the suns and planets. Long after all this is destroyed, He will still be the center of all things. Jesus is the wisdom behind all things. Jesus is the north star, Polaris. We do not know what happens or will happen to us, but we know this, that no matter where we may be or what we may do, He gives us meaning. Often I have asked myself why things happen. Why did this person have do die young, while this person linger in a vegetative state? Why does fortune come to the undeserving while good people remain poor? I could never solve ther mysteries. But I don’t have to. I know where the north star is. I know who holds all the answers, and I trust Him to bring light to all. Jesus is God’s love made plain. Which of the disciples do you most identify with? Peter, John, Thomas? I think we are too kind to ourselves. He disciple who we most resemble is Judas. He was close, perhaps closest to Jesus, and he turned against him. Jesus sat at the last supper, and heard God’s words of forgiveness, yet walked way. But that doesn’t mean God walked away from him. Jesus washed Judas’ feet, demonstrating his servanthood even to Judas. God showed his love to us in Jesus even to those who would later reject Him. He reached out to them, even when he knew there was no hope of them accepting him. That’s the way God is. No one can fully escape God’s love. Even sinners are invited. It does not matter what you’ve done in life, or who you are. It doesn’t matter who your parents were, or what you do for a living.. Nothing matters at all except what you do with Jesus. Those who accept His free gift has eternal life. Those who do not face eternal death. He is the test of our love of God. At the end of time, when we stand before the judgment throne, we will be asked one single question” what did you do with Jesus?” It won’t matter how good we were, or how much we gave to the church, or whether or not we joined the church. Jesus will matter. He is the one person who matters more than us all. Jesus is the example we follow. Living a Christian life is not really that complicated. It is just following Jesus. Many have criticized those old bracelets that waid “What would Jesus do?” as being too simplistic. Surely we need to keep looking at what they mean, but they still express something deep and universal. What do we do? We do what Jesus did. We love as he loved, obey as he obeyed, trust as He trusted. He is our guide and reason for all things. So the question comes to us today—is he our “A to Z”, our alpha and omega? Or is he something we added along the way. If was include Him in all things, then all things make sense. If he is simply an addition, then nothing can make sense for long. He is the fulfillment of everything good and perfect and decent we will ever know. He is our all in all. May he never be any less than this to us.

I Am

In the beginning, God was just called “God”. Everyone knew who He was, because there were no other Gods. We all knew who “God” was—the all powerful, all present Being who made heaven and earth. But in the period of time between creation and Moses, things changed. People invented imaginary gods made in their own image. They worshipped gods that resembled things in the heaven above and the earth below. For example: The ancient Canaanites and Assyrians had a god who looked like a bull. The ancient Babylonians worshipped a lion god. The Greeks had gods who looked like people. The Egyptians had many gods in many forms—frogs, snakes, cats, and jackals. Some worshipped the sun, others worshipped the moon. The number of gods went into the thousands. This presented a problem for the ancient Israelites. What should they call the one true God to distinguish Him from the false? That was why Moses asked God, while standing beside the burning bush, “When they ask me ’who sent you’ what shall I say.” He couldn’t go back to Egypt and simply say “God sent me.” There were too many gods. So God took a name, so that everyone would recognize him as the only true God. The name he took in Hebrew was “Ye wah, he ye wah,”--“I am that I am.” He said “Tell them ‘I am’ has sent you.” Over the years, this word became simply spelled by consonants YHWH. Today, we pronounce it Yahweh, or Jehovah. It’s a name appropriate to no one else. Everything else exists because God wanted it to exist. Everything else has a purpose. God has no purpose. He has no reason. He is God, simply because He is. He is His own reason for existence. That is the simplest, most basic claim about God we can possibly make—He is. Flash forward fourteen hundred years. Jesus is arguing with the Pharisees. He is standing in the temple of the Jews, the sanctuary of YHWH God. These experts knew the Old Testament backwards and forwards. Many of them had memorized every word of it. They argued with Jesus over who He was. In the course of that argument Jesus said. “Abraham waited to see my day, and was glad.” They said. "You are not yet fifty years old, yet you claim to have seen Abraham!" "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I AM!" Can their be any doubt that Jesus was claiming to be God? It is no wonder that they picked up rocks to stone him for blasphemy! At this attack, Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. Now isn’t this a curious thing? He reveals Himself in the temple and they want to stone him. Jesus is forced to slip quietly away. Meanwhile, the priests go on sacrificing and the Rabbis go on praying, oblivious to the fact that God just slipped out the door. The Pharisees to teach the people of the same God they just rejected. What irony! Here is a temple full of religious professionals, yet God showed up in their midst and they ran Him away. We have to wonder if this happened today, would we run Jesus away, too? We are two thousand years from Biblical times. God speaks to us now through His word, we say. We have taken His words and bundled them into thick black books, summarized them into catechisms and confessions, squeezed them like lemons and into creeds. We have mixed them with our words and made sermons. But the more we explain and summarize and systematize, the more we get away from their perfect simplicity. All that Jesus spoke and did was to show us that He was God, and what God is like. He is who He is. His presence is the essence of our faith. As long as things are going our way, we acknowledge His existence. But when things stop going our way, we stop believing. We act as if God exists, but only when we see Him. When good fortune happens, we thank God. When misfortune occurs we doubt His existence. God always exists. So why should we be so surprised when He shows up? Why should we not look for His hand in everything and everywhere? God exists all the time, but He does not choose to always reveal Himself. Most of the time, God conceals Himself in natural processes, so as not to overwhelm us through His presence. Just as God took human form in Jesus, concealing His divinity so He could reveal His love, God takes natural form in the course of the seasons, in the healing processes of the body, or in the laws of physical nature. God reveals Himself in nature through its balance and timing. Nature works too well to be pure coincidence. If the world were only a few thousand miles closer to the sun, or farther away, we would freeze or burn up. If the world were tilted a few degrees more, most of the world would be uninhabitable. If the atmosphere were thicker or thinner, if gravity were stronger or weaker, we would not exist. God has created just the right balance of forces to make life happen. This natural miracle is not an obvious one, but it is real. But ever so often, God reveals His hand through miracles. Those who think the age of miracles is over are foolish. The Pharisees made a similar assumption in their time and God proved them wrong. Those who think that God has to do miracles are equally foolish. We can’t make God appear like a genie in a lamp, by saying a few magic words. But God did one miracle that surpassed all the others. He appeared in human form. On that day in the temple I Am, announced His existence in human form. The greatest issue the church has faced over the ages was who Jesus was. This verse makes it clear that He was God. Not just the son of God, or an angel of God, but I Am. Jesus was God. God Himself died on the cross for us. He Himself paid the price for ou sins. God condescended to be a person. He went even lower, making Hmself of no reputation, and enduring crucifixion for us. He did this so that we would be free from sin. He gave His life in exchange for our sin. Can there be any greater act of love than this? Jesus is the greatest appearance of God of all. He made Himself known on earth in human form, to give us love and instruction. If we believe in Him, we have everlasting life. If we do not believe in Him, we have everlasting death. It does not matter if we are religious or irreligious. All that matters is that we recognize Him when we see Him. Now what does that have to do with us? First, it shows us just how much God loves us. God did not send an emissary to save us. He came Himself. He took upon Himself the burden of releasing us from our sins. Second, It shows us what God is like. We know what God would do by watching what Jesus would do. He was fair, honest, truthful, compassionate, and open. He gave us the sermon on the mount, the Lord’s prayer, and the parables as revelations of God’s eternal truth. Third, it show us that the world has a purpose and meaning. God came in the fullness of time. He planned that coming. He even planned His dying. If God planned his life on earth, surely he also planned our lives. Think about the situation you are in right now, whether you are suffering or satisfied. If God has blessed you, do you see the hand of God behind it? Do you get down on your knees ever day and thank Him for the blessings that have come your way. Or think of how you are suffering, those unique trials in your life. God has not ceased to be, nor has his ultimate goal changed. Ultimately, He reveals His hand in our suffering. It is up for us to see His presence, while it is concealed in negative circumstances.Jesus is God. He was not just th son of God, but God the son. God intends us to live in that knowledge all of our lives.

The True Vine

In John 15:1-4, there is a sentence that is doesn’t seem to belong. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. Why in the middle of a paragraph explaining the vine and the branches, do we have verse 3--You are already clean by the word I have spoken to you? It doesn’t’ fit the context. Try reading the paragraph without this verse and you’ll see. Why is it there? One possibility is that it was a slip of the pen. Some copyist’s eyes wandered over to another page, causing him to inadvertently copies something that belonged somewhere else. This explanation does not satisfy. How could he make such a mistake? There’s no other place in John that is even remotely like this. Only one other passage uses the word “clean”--in John 13. Peter says “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus insists. Then Peter says “Then not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well. Jesus replies “He who is washed does not need to wash again. And you are clean.” It is similar. But it is not close enough to be the same statement. Another explanation is that the words are authentic, but that they have nothing to do wih the passage. Maybe Jesus was in the middle of one thought, and another thought occurred to him. Suddenly, halfway through the discussion of vines and branches, Jesus decided to tell them they were clean. I can’t believe Jesus would just through in a random phrase in the middle of a paragraph, nor would John throw something in that didn’t belong. It sticks out like a sore thumb. No, the only reason this is here is because Jesus wanted it to be here. It was no accident. It has something important to say about this concept of the vine and the branches. “You are clean because of the words I have spoken to you.“ He was not talking about physical cleanliness but ritual or moral cleanliness. It was a constant theme to the Jews of Jesus’ day. They not only believed that cleanliness was next to godliness as Wesley said, but that cleanliness was godliness. It was the root of all their ritual. Spiritual cleanliness was at the root of temple sacrifices. The lambs sacrificed in the temple had to be clean. Their sacrifice cleansed the people. It was at the root of their diet restrictions. There were “clean” and “unclean” animals. This goes all the way back to Noah and the ark. It was at the root of the Law. The reason they did not wear mixed fabrics or trim the corner of their beard was because this was “unclean.” It was not kosher. It was at the root of their elaborate bathing rituals. At Qumron in Israel was a monastery from Jesus’ time run by a group of Jews called the Essenes. In the ruins of Qumron are no less than seven ritual baths, with seven steps each. They bathed three or four time a day, not for the prevention of disease but for the washing away of sin. Faced with this obsession, it is amazing that Jesus did not have more to say about it. He ignored the extreme Sabbath rules. His disciples ate without washing their hands. He hung around with people who were considered unclean. Even in this one book the only two references to cleanliness are Jesus saying “You are clean. You are clean.” I have known people who are obsessed with cleanliness as a ritual. Some of them were obsessive-compulsive--obsessed in a way having nothing to do with morality or cleanliness. Others want to be just clean enough to pass. How dirty can they be, and still go to heaven? Can they drink? Can they smoke? What curse words can they use and still be acceptable to God? Can they run around on their spouses, and still be clean enough for God to accept them into their kingdom? If they ask forgiveness, will they be acceptable? Our language reflects this. If we pass a drug test, we are “clean.” If we pass a background check, then we are “clean.” Many Christians labor under the mistaken assumption that religion is about being clean. If we do not commit sins, then are clean, no matter what we think about doing. If we commit sins, and we atone for it or seek forgiveness, then we are clean again, and we pass the test. It’s all about the cleanliness test, you see. Jesus has good news for us. You are clean! If you hear the Word of God and believe His promises, you are clean. You don’t have to be obsessing about being right and wrong. But to Jesus, this is only the beginning. The real question is now if we are clean, but if we abide? Living things clean themselves. Dead bodies have to be cleaned. Maybe the reason we have such an obsession with cleanliness is because we are not living. Being a follower of Jesus is not just about being accepted. It is about in Christ. It isn’t just about the future. Believers’ lives begin and end in Him. He is the vine That doesn’t mean we can go out and do unclean things. On the contrary, when we do unclean things, a part of us is spiritually dead already. We are not producing the fruits of life, but of death. Living plants produce grapes, oranges, apples, and pears. Dead plants produce flies and maggots. If we are consistently breaking God’s laws, and we naturally produce the fruit of disobedience, then it is more likely that we are dead than alive. I am the vine Jesus says, and my Father is the Gardener. If we are dead, then the Father will cut us down. If we have dead spots in us, He will, like a tree surgeon, cut those places out. This hurts, but if we are alive in him, we will welcome it, just as we welcome the surgeon’s knife if it keeps us alive. We are already clean, but are we alive. Does our nurture and sustenance from Him? Those who deeply know the Lord do not talk about cleanliness, spiritual or otherwise. They are not obsessed with the lawful but the vital. The don’t just want to please God, but to know him. “There have been believers all through the ages who have understood this. Take the Protestant minister Andrew Murray, for example. “What sayest thou, o my soul? Shall I longer hesitate, or withhold consent? Or shall I not, instead of only thinking how hard and how difficult it is to live like a branch of the True Vine, because I thought of it as something I had to accomplish,— shall I not now begin to look upon it as the most blessed and joyful thing under heaven ? Shall I not believe that, now I once am in Him, He Himself will keep me and enable me to abide? On my part, abiding is nothing but the acceptance of my position, the consent to be kept there, the surrender of faith to the strong Vine still to hold the feeble branch. Yes, I will, I do abide in Thee, blessed Lord Jesus.” Or listen to the Twentieth Century mystic and monk, Thomas Merton. “For it is the love of God that warms me in the sun and the love of God that sends the cold rain. It is God’s love that feeds me in the bread I eat and also feed s me in hunger and fasting. It is the love of God that sends me the winter days when I am cold and sick, and the summer days when I labor and my clothes are full of sweat, but it is God who breathes on me n the light winds off the river and the breezes out of the wood. . . . It is God’s love who speaks to me in the birds and the streams, but also in the clamor of he city. . . If these seeds would take root in my liberty, and His will would grow in my freedom, I would become the love that He is, and my harvest would be glory and my own joy. And I would grow together into thousands and millions of other freedoms into the gold of one huge field, praising God loaded with increase, loaded with wheat. . . .I would not be fed. I would not be full, but my food is to do the will of Him who made me, and who made all things in order to give Himself to me through them.” Or listen to the Apostle Paul in Galatians 2:19-21 For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Do the words make sense to you? Or are you still wondering what they mean? Do you know what it means to have a hunger and thirst for God burning in you? Do you know what it mans to draw all life and strength from Him? As I write these words the sound of the drier is going in another room. I dislike that sound. I hope it ends soon, and I can get on with concentrating on my message. As necessary as it is, it is not something I want forever. That’s the way many people think about church. They come to get clean, but get out as fast as they can because all they want is to get clean. If they really knew the Lord, they would be thinking of excuse to stay in church, not leave it. When they left, they would want to be back. As an old song goes. “How tedious and tasteless the hours when Jesus no longer I see. “Sweet prospects sweet birds and sweet flowers have all lost their sweetness to me “The midsummer sun shines but dim, the flowers strive in vain to be gay. “But when I am happy in Him, December’s as pleasant as May.” There is more to life than the end of it, just as there is more to marriage than a wedding. All of life is to be lived in Him, through him, for Him, by Him, and with Him. Like a branch to a vine, so are we to Him. This is more than just clean. That is real.

Lord, will you wash my feet?

We’ve been looking at the “I Am’s” in the Bible—the places where Jesus talked about himself. This week is one that goes so quickly by that most people miss it. See if you can spot it as we read John 13:1-18. Did you catch that--“Teacher” and “Lord?” What do they mean? In school, it means your teacher, or possibly principal. In the army, it meant your commanding officer. In civilian life, it meant your king. In slavery, it meant the man who owned you. At the workplace it was your boss. Principal, commander, king, master, boss—all are terms which say that Jesus is in control. There are those who yearn to be the boss. When they get to be the boss, they never let you forget it. Jesus is not that kind of boss. Here’s the kind of boss Jesus is. 13:1 It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love. Sometime in the last week of Jesus’ life, when the authorities were out to arrest him, and the crowds were out to make him king, and ever tongue in Israel was wagging about who he was, Jesus led his disciples secretly into the city. Jesus met with his disciples in secret. Jesus knew when He entered that night that it would be his last on earth. He knew that He would die a horrible death in a very short time. This was his last chance to speak with his disciples before he died. Think of the things he could say to them. But before they could begin that last supper, Jesus did something that did something that was more eloquent than any words. It was an act of humility that still echoes through the years. Verses 2-5 The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. We do not know what Jesus was wearing. It is probable that over his robe, he wore a stole which was the symbol of a teacher. If he did, he had to remove it. Then Jesus removed his robe. Now he was down to the dress of a common laborer—a fisherman perhaps, or a carpenter. This is what men wore when they were getting down to work. Now Jesus stood before them, bereft of all symbols of authority. But he didn’t stop there. He took off his tunic, too. There he was, naked before them. Then he wrapped a towel around his waist. It was the garb—not merely of a slave, but of the lowliest of slaves. Those who carried water for the other slaves would have worn such an towel. These slaves were unworthy for the master to spend any more money on their clothing, except for a discarded bit of cloth. One of the things that is not mentioned in the Bible are the waiters and servers of the last supper. No one ever mentions them. That’s because, in the eyes of the Gospel writers, they were invisible. These servers were not all the same. Some brought the wine, others brought the food, others cleared the table. But there was one person whose place was known. That was the foot washer. People reclined at the table, which brought their faces close to someone else’s feet. After walking through those dirty dusty streets, foot washing was very important. It was also considered disgusting work. It always went to the worst servant among them, or the youngest. So if a person were the foot washer, they knew that no one thought much of them. We don’t know who the foot washer was that day, but we know this, Jesus put him out of a job. Jesus took the bowl from that man or woman’s hands, and started to do that job for him. One by one he washed his disciples’ feet. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, are you going to wash my feet?" Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." "No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet." We can appreciate Peter’s reaction. He was not objecting to someone washing his feet. This was not the first time someone had done it for Peter. He just objected to who was washing his feet. In Peter’s eyes, it was not appropriate for a teacher and lord to wash feet. Of course Peter had a selfish motive for objecting. Jesus had already promised him that he would be leader when Jesus left. He would have to wash feet, too! In our culture, we are no different. We think that authority depends on the external trappings of office. That’s why men wear neckties and women wear dresses, even though they are uncomfortable. That’s why you don’t yell “You lie!” to the president even if he is lying. It’s the honor of the office. Society runs on that kind of honor. But Jesus messed all that up. He dressed and acted like the lowest person in the room. We give authority respect. This isn’t what Jesus had in mind. Authority is not who we should respect. Respect should be given to those whom authority Jesus tells us we should serve. Every human being in the church and in the world deserves our respect. If we really walk with Jesus, we do not have to buttress his authority by artificial pomp. People will know our authority and power without us having to brag about it. They will know by the words we say and the deeds we do. Jesus did not have to act like a master or lord—he was one. His disciples knew it. Then Jesus told his disciples to do the same. Jesus answered, "Unless I wash you, you have no part with me." "Then, Lord," Simon Peter replied, "not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!" Jesus answered, "A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you." For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean. When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. "Do you understand what I have done for you?" he asked them. "You call me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another's feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them. How do we put this into practice? · By not insisting on being treated according to our rank.. Go to the back of the line. · But not expecting people will treat us more any better than we earn. If we say something foolish, we ought to be rebuked. A wise man knows how to state his own case. · By not insisting on the best seats or portions. Let the poor have the most. · By not attempting to impress others with what we have. Let them be impressed by what we are. · By not expecting more than we deserve in wages or favor. · By devoting our time to serving the poor and the lowly, without bragging about it later. · By following the example of Jesus. But what if the poor and the lowly are not worthy of our respect? Poverty breeds other social vices as well—drunkenness, sexual promiscuity, dishonesty, laziness from hopelessness, just to name a few. Surely we aren’t to show honor to people who do these things? The honor Jesus showed to others was not for their sake. He was following God, his father in this, who lets the rain fall on the just and the unjust. Consider just two of the men whose feet He washed. There was Judas, who that very night would betray him. There was also Peter, who that very night would deny him. He washed their feet. When people misuse the honor we show them, it does not speak badly of us. It speaks badly of them. The fact that God blessed them through us is even more reason for them to be condemned. Our kindness heaps coals of injustice upon his head. In Dostoyefski’s Crime and Punishment, a young student commits robbery and murder. He is poor through his own laziness, and he is bitter. He thinks the world owes him something, so he decides to take it. Before he can commit the crime, he gets a letter from his mother. His sister has married a rich banker. The banker has moved to his town, and has reserved a lucrative job for him. His troubles should be over. But they are not. The student takes offense at the letter. He decides the man is not good enough for his sister, without even meeting him. In his mind, he thinks that he is above all other people. He carries on with his scheme. We are often the same. We don’t want God to be our servant. We do not want to acknowledge that we even need a servant. Why should we need a teacher and lord, even one so good as this? We rebel. We put up our defenses. We become bankers or bikers or Goths, each one living out his prideful fantasies of importance, when God has offered us riches if we will just follow him. Don’t let the evil of this world blind you to the love of God. Here he is before, you, offering you the world, and we say to him “Don’t wash my feet.” If Jesus is really our teacher and Lord, then we should let him serve us. Then we should follow his example. Don’t do what He wouldn’t do. Do what He did. Serve. Give, love, and be humble about it. Let God reward us openly for what we have done in secret This is what is means to be in Jesus’ company.

Why a peace prize?

So Barak Obama won a Nobel Peace prize for making speeches and making promises. It is an insult to all those people who for decades won the prize for risking their lives, their reputions, and their careers for decades for the cause of peace. I've ben thinking of all the people more deserving of a peace prize than Barak Obama. They include. Andy Griffith Big Bird Any scoutmaster Spartacus John McCain John Wayne A patch of mold growing in my shower. In short, virtually anyone. This is no slight to the president. He may do something someday. But so far he has done nothing. It is the equivalent of giving a third grader the Nobel Prize in science because he owns a chemistry set.