To this called

“To this you were called, because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example, that you should follow in his steps.” (1 Peter 2:21 )

The writer of 1 Peter says it is commendable to suffer and bear up under unjust treatment, as Christ was treated unjustly and painfully. The second half of verse 20 says, “But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God.” This is what we are called to do, follow Christ’s example in all things.

What are you called to? Are you called to peace? Called to make and keep peace? Being a Christian is more than just working for peace. Being a respecter and lover of peace does not necessarily mean one professes the Christian faith. All faiths and religious traditions can incorporate peace, but not all do. This is why, perhaps, the writer of 1 Peter says that one should follow in Christ’s steps, espousing not only peace but all the other attributes we have come to associate with Christ. So, what are all the things you are called to?

May you gentle reader find your calling, and may it bring you closer to your God each day. Selah!

The Good and Beautiful Life

Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.  (Ephesians 4:15)

First, instead of what? That’s easy: We will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by human cunning and craftiness in their deceitful scheming. (v 14).

So the basic message is this: if you all are tossed and turned by differing ideas, you will not make progress. If you all steadily teach truth and practice love, you will make progress. The progress that matters is spiritual growth, described earlier as “unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and becom[ing] mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” (v. 13)

James Bryan Smith, in what looks to be a very useful book, The Good and Beautiful Life, quotes John Wesley, answering a question about what he wants to do with all those to whom he preached:

You ask, what would I do with them? I would make them virtuous and happy, easy in themselves, and useful to others. Whither would I lead them? to heaven, to God the judge, the lover of all, and to Jesus the mediator of the New Covenant. What religion do I preach? the religion of love. the law of kindness brought to light by the gospel. What is this good for? to make all who receive it enjoy God and themselves, to make them like God, lovers of all, contented in their lives, and crying out at their death, in calm assurance, “O grave where is thy victory! thanks be to God, who giveth me victory, through my Lord Jesus Christ.”

Smith comments that one’s own mind (especially the stories we tell ourselves), one’s spiritual disciplines and one’s community are “foundational aspects of change,” (with the Holy Spirit  “the real change agent”). I will go out on a limb, and recommend this book, although I haven’t read more than the introduction. It looks like a good tool for helping us (as individuals and as communities of faith) to “grow up into him who is the Head.”

If you have any experience with this book, or its predecessor, The Good and Beautiful God, I’d be glad to read your comments.

Peace formed amongst us

“Pride only breeds quarrels, but wisdom is found in those who take advice.” (Proverbs 13:10 )

This is coming to you a little bit later than usual. I was not able to get it done last night because I was too tired. Maybe I should follow the adage early to bed and early to rise. Or perhaps I should have written it much earlier in the day; a stitch in time saves nine. Or maybe I should have written it a day early; one in the hand is worth two in the bush. All good bits of wisdom to live one’s life by. I waited until the last minute and then could not complete the task.

However, after reading the way the translation, “The Message” phrases it, proverbs and adages may not be the correct understanding of this verse. “The Message” says it this way, “Arrogant know-it-alls stir up discord, but wise men and women listen to each other’s counsel.” From the verse being rendered this way, it is not wisdom passed down, but being in conversation and consultation that is wise. Listening to the advise of others who have experience in matters, and not depending solely on one’s own wisdom and experience. And I can certainly see where following one’s own thinking and not having care and regard to the thoughts of others can lead to quarrels.

And this is one of the processes of being about peace, listening to the thoughts and ideas of others. Peace is not accomplished in a vacuum but takes place out in the real world where the concerns of others are listen to and incorporated into the plan of peace. After all, shalom is well-being and justice for all people and not just a few.

May this day of Sabbath (albeit part way through the day) be a day of peace and harmony amongst the people who are around you. (Selah!) Especially on the day of the traditional meeting of two opposing football teams and the unveiling of advertising competition.

New Beginnings

“Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” (Philemon 1:3 )

In this way Paul begins his letter to Philemon asking that Onesimus be forgiven for running away, and be welcomed back not as a slave but as a fellow believer. The writing of this letter by Paul is driven by Paul’s adherence to the principle of shalom. Paul ask for shalom for Onesimus, and reminds Philemon that granting this favor to Paul brings to Philemon the opportunity to practice shalom as God would, forgiving disobedience and restoring what was lost. It reminds me of the Jewish tradition of the “year of jubilee” when what was last in the past 50 years was restored.

In the year of jubilee land that had been lost, sold, or forfeited was returned to the owner. Slaves were let free, and debts were canceled. It was a time of new beginning. In the United States the year of jubilee is not honored or celebrated. However we do have ‘bailouts’; but it is not the same. (That was a joke.)

It is my perception that during Jesus’ time the year of jubilee did not have the same influence within the Jewish community. What was a sacred tradition for new beginnings during the age of kings in Israel and Judah became a memory during the time of the Roman occupation. (If I am inaccurate on this issue, please let me know.)

When it comes to renewing or regaining peace, any time negotiations for peace are opened, someone needs to begin it. One side must grant a favor or boon to the other side in order for peace to take hold. If each side remains adamant the chances of peace are slim. The year of jubilee was a process wherein those who had gave in to those who had not. The boon of restitution was to be given as a consequence of living a good Jewish life. Again, the year of jubilee is a distant memory in societies and civilizations.

But we could begin it again. And not just at fifty year intervals, but every day. Just as Paul reminded Philemon, we should give new beginnings because God gave us new beginnings. And we are given the chance to begin anew as often as we need to. God restores what was lost to us, salvation and redemption. We should do likewise.

May the grace and peace of God be yours, gentle reader, as you find new ways to open up your heart to begin shalom anew in your world. Selah!

Peace with God

“[W]e have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. (Romans 5:1b-2)

Gentle reader, I want to make sure you are clear about what these verses say. Wesley put into words what I want to make sure you understand; that we are enemies with God no longer. Wesley said when we were sinners, we were enemies to God, that is not within God’s salvation. But through our faith and the grace of God we are now aligned with God and at peace with the Divine.

And this is but the starting point. Being at peace with God and loving as God loves, we must now bring ourselves to peace with each other. This can be accomplished by loving others as God loves them, and bringing them to God where they can also be in peace with the Divine. Then peace will cover the whole world so that all of creation is at peace with its maker. A glorious and wondrous vision.

Peace then is not just an absence of hostilities, but the presence of peace and right relationship with all things; and that is shalom. Mennonites see themselves as part of a peace church not because we wish everything to be so calm and palatable that there are no emotions. We desire peace because it is in peace that all of creation is most alive and can reach its greatest potential. But this peace starts with us, each of us individually making peace with God by pledging our lives and ourselves to God.

May you gentle reader make peace with God and rejoice in the God of peace. Selah!

Fiery Endings?

“You ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming. That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat. But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, where righteousness dwells. “ (2 Peter 3:11b-13 )

I was born in the ‘hot peak’ of the ‘cold war’; well, maybe the year 1959 was not the peak, but it was during the era that Russia was the enemy and bomb shelters were actively maintained. Mutually assured destruction was a definite possibilities, and the movie “War Games” that came out when I was 24 summed up the fears of my generation when we looked at the military might and priorities at work.

While I do not know what the fears of the writer of 2 Peter’s generation, I would not be surprised if it included fire and destruction reigning down on them. It is the sort of an ‘end of the world’ scenario that resonates in many minds. And to this the concept of being tested and purified through fire, and it seems a reasonable expectation for what the end of civilization might look like. And it is an image of the end of the world that has been held in the public imagination for many years.

However, as Will asked when he wrote his comments, do we have to believe anyone’s scenario if we want to believe in a new heaven and earth? Strange as it may sound, I had quite an affection for the fiery ending. It was quick and succinct. It explained why a new heaven and earth would need to be made, and why new bodies would be necessary. It fit with the ‘hellfire and damnation’ that echoed in my young ears, and it looked so neat depicted on flannel boards and oil pastel pictures. (The service that included that visual aid was by third or fourth time of accepting Christ.)

But I do not believe in it any more. Quite frankly, I do not know what kind of ‘end of the world’ scene to believe in. But then, I am not really worried about how it will end. If it ends in my lifetime, I trust that God and Christ will manage it according to the plan that was established before my life began. And if it comes after my life is over, I will be far away from it.

What I am concerned about is the world we live in now. In the United States (and Canada) we are years beyond the fiery end of mutual assured destruction. I fear more for the suffering of those who are in the midst of violence and war. My heart bleeds for those who have been oppressed and made to pay the price for the U.S.’s political policies. We may be safe from fear from the sky, but who have we made afraid of it?

I do not think my living a holy life will speed God’s coming. What I do believe is that by living a holy life I am doing all I can to make this world peaceful for those who live in it and now and those who will be born into it. I do not know have that fits into God’s plans for the end of the world, but I know it aligns with God’s plan for creation now. May you live a live of peace so as to give peace to others. Selah!

Where righteousness dwells

But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.  (2 Peter 3:13)

But only after “the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn!” (2 Peter 3:12,13)

The question: do we need to believe the prior (the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn) if we desire to believe what follows (a new heaven and a new earth)?

I suspect the answer is that this is a false question; when we talk about the ‘end of the world’ and God’s final plans, we can ’see in a glass darkly’ at best. So, rather than make decisions about (say) the environment based on 2 Peter (why save a world that will only be melted?), we are better off taking the warning and taking in the hope offered. As I said yesterday, we should probably get in the habits of righteousness, since we will live in the new earth, “the home of righteousness.”

In fact this is just “Peter’s” point:

⁸But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. ¹⁰But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed.

¹¹Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, ¹² waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! ¹³But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.

Simply put: the Lord will come swiftly, as a surprise; and all bad will be destroyed. Do good so we are ready to live where righteousness dwells.

From sabbath to sabbath

As the new heavens and the new earth that I make will endure before me, declares the LORD , so will your name and descendants endure. (Isaiah 66:22)

In context:

²²For as the new heavens and the new earth,
which I will make,
shall remain before me, says the Lord,
so shall your descendants and your name remain.
²³From new moon to new moon,
and from sabbath to sabbath,
all flesh shall come to worship before me,
says the Lord.

This is one of the passages in the prophets that help us understand (in the “years of our Lord”) the promise God has always had to include all of humanity in God’s kingdom. The larger context of the passage has this flavor: “Israel–don’t worry, you’ll be around forever; eventually, everyone will come to praise me–in fact, they’ll bring you the holy mountain themselves, and even help out in the priesthood.” And it is astounding that a prophet of Israel would declare that someday even Gentiles would be “priests and Levites.”

No wonder Paul could write, in Romans 15:

For I tell you that Christ has become a servant of the circumcised on behalf of the truth of God in order that he might confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.

So, since we’ll be spending all of our time–”from sabbath to sabbath,” doing so, we might get started: take some time to worship before the Lord; to glorify God for God’s mercy.

A Simple Desire: a small light in a dark world

“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16 )

There is an inherent risk in having a website and posting a blog. The metaphor of the Internet as an information highway is an apt one. People keep trying to post billboards on our “highway.” These commentaries and our website are out in the public, and since we freely allow comments in response to what is written we get a lot of spam and hanger-on.

Fortunately the domain site we use has built-in ways to check for and delete spam allowing us to moderate the responses and make sure only legitimate comments and responses remain. We could, it is true, be controlling and not allow any comments. But the contributors decided by non-verbal agreement to allow any and all comers to leave their comments. We are, as the verses from Matthew chapter five direct, a city on a hill.

We do not imagine that we are a bright shining spotlight that illuminates the “correct” path to all comers; far from it. The name itself, “A Simple Desire” speaks truthfully in identifying our collective voices as a simple and humble attempt to think through issues suggested by the scripture passages. We are not authorities, but simply people who give thought to what these passages might suggest and point to. By being open to comments, we invite conversation, dialog, and correction if needed. And if our comments lead our gentle readers to seek God, we consider our task done and our time well spent.

In the same way, Christians who value shalom work for peace. Not because they know what is best to do in each situation, but because starting with waiting to spread God’s message of love, the best way to do that is with care and compassion. And not to spread the good news with anger, hatred, and violence. Peace and righteousness makes a much better to light to our Lord than evil and war.

May you gentle reader, through our efforts, be lead to God and to the shalom that God intends for all creation. Selah!

Behold a lovely vine; The appletree

I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.  (John 15:5)

I hope you don’t mind some more poetry and music, but I was reminded of two poems and tunes found in Jeremiah Ingall’s Christian Harmony: Behold a Lovely Vine, and The Appletree. The first picks up the image of Jesus as the vine and the church as the branches; the second a related image of Jesus as an apple tree (from the Song of Solomon). (Oddly, the second poem seems more closely related to John 15 than the first).

The texts both appear first in Joshua Smith’s 1801 edition of Divine Hymns.

You can find several sung versions at my Christian Harmony recordings site. Two recordings from the Ingalls Bicentennial Singing are listed below.

2 Lovely Vine [Audio]

Behold a lovely vine

Behold a lovely vine
Here in the desert ground;
The blossoms shoot and promise fruit
And tender grapes are found.

Its circling branches rise
And shade the neigh’bring lands;
With lovely charms she spreads her arms
With clusters in her hands.

This city can’t be hid,
It’s built upon a hill;
The dazzling light it shines so bright
It doth the valleys fill.

Ye trees which loft stand,
And stars with sparking light;
Ye Christians hear both far and near,
‘Tis joy to see the sight.

Shall feeble nature sing,
And man not join the lays?
With lofty voice proclaim the joys
And join in songs of praise!

Glory to God on high,
For his redeeming grace;
The blessed dove came from above
To save our ruined race.

The Appletree (Audio)

The tree of life my soul hath seen,
Laden with fruit and always green:
The trees of nature fruitless be
Compared with Christ the apple tree.

This beauty doth all things excel:
By faith I know, but ne’er can tell
The glory which I now can see
In Jesus Christ the apple tree.

This fruit doth make my soul to thrive,
It keeps my dying faith alive:
Which makes my soul in haste to be
With Jesus Christ the apple tree.

This beauty doth all things excel:
By faith I know, but ne’er can tell
The glory which I now can see
In Jesus Christ the apple tree.