“Jesus through his parables teaches that God’s dynamic reign has broken into human history through his person and ministry in a new and decisive way and that God intends to create a new community of his people who model, at least in part in the present, what God intends for all humanity and what he will one day perfectly create in a new age.”

Craig Blomberg, Neither Poverty Nor Riches, 113.

This sentence really struck me as I read it today, because I’ve always seen the parables as so counter-cultural, so upside-down, but the reality is that Jesus was talking about life as it’s supposed to be. God’s intended design.

One of the interesting things about the first-century city of Corinth is that it was known for being a place where status mattered based on who people knew, not unlike the world we live in today. In fact, people were known for “buying” friends so that they could appear more important to the rest of society. Today, our world tells us that happiness can be bought, for the right price. I was particularly struck by this when a friend pointed us to The Story of Stuff, which is a clever video that demonstrates how consumerism has infested how we think about almost everything. Think about it:

• Black Friday is one of the most anticipated days of the fall.
• When a new _____ (fill in the blank) comes out, we’re convinced that our old _____ is obsolete.
• In Christian circles we have a term called “church-shopping.”

All of this drives us to believe that if we can just get the next thing that fits our perceived needs, we’ll be satisfied. I’m not immune to this. People in college used to connect me to the expressions, “I can’t stop eating,” and “Buy more, save more.” Now I would say things partially in jest, but I think part of it pointed to an inner reality that accumulation of things – objects, food, friends, or status symbols (think college degrees or that cool job) – would lead to an inner joy. But it never does.

The cross tells us a different story. Where consumerism asks the question what can I buy?, the cross gives the answer: you’ve been bought. A big part of what I’ve been learning is that spiritual vitality is deeply intertwined with sustainable living. That means physical, emotional, and spiritual sustainability. Now, consumerism constantly feeds our addiction to accumulate more for ourselves in order to fulfill our longing for satisfaction, propelling us into an unsustainable cycle – physically, emotionally, and spiritually – that will only leave us high and dry in the end. The gospel, on the other hand, points us to the sustainable source of unending joy – Jesus Christ himself. If our complete hope and identity is built on the cross, then what emerges out of that is sustainable living, and hence, spiritual vitality. It can’t be built in the other direction: seeking certain types of output and hoping that it fills our core need won’t work.

That’s what we want to be a part of building here in the city: sustainable life patterns that find their root in the gospel and sprout healthy, joy-filled, vibrant living. Everything that we do, all our decisions, all our spending patterns, are fed through the matrix of the gospel. I’m in. What do you say?

*Here’s a preview of that video, by the way. I’d highly recommend watching it.

8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.  (Eph. 3:8-10, ESV)

As a part of our church gathering a couple weeks ago, we went through the first part of Ephesians 3, and a lot of our conversation ended up settling on these verses.  My own application step from that day was to think about it some more, and blog about it.  So here I am, blogging.

Verse 10 in particular stood out that day, specifically the three-fold progression: (1) through the church (2) the manifold wisdom of God (3) might now be made known…in the heavenly places.  The collective response to this idea was – huh?  First off, a certain amazement was felt with the idea that the “unsearchable riches of Christ” would actually be somehow proclaimed “through the church.”  That in itself was huge.  But the larger question was how in the world that interacted with the idea of the manifold (multi-faceted, variegated, richly diversified) wisdom of God is made known to those in the heavenly realms.  How does that work?

So I did some reading.  The word for church, ekklesia, appears earlier in the letter, in Eph. 1:22.  And as I got reading about 3:10 in the context of the letter, commentaries pointed back to that verse.  And here’s the intriguing idea that emerges: “it is better to understand the term [ekklesia] metaphorically of a heavenly gathering around Christ in which believers already participate…It is a figurative manner of speaking about Christians being personally related to Christ as they are related to one another…”  And what about the present, local church?  “Local gatherings, whether in a congregation or a house-church, are earthly manifestations of that heavenly gathering around the risen Christ.”  (O’Brien, Ephesians, 146-7, bold mine)  And the word translated “Gentiles” in verse 8 is ethnos, i.e. peoples, as in ethnic people groups.

Here’s the beautiful implication:

God is sovereign.  Yet, in His sovereignty, he has chosen to enact certain things through His people, the church.  A significant part of what is being communicated in the book of Ephesians is that the gospel is not only for one particular people, but for all people, and that gospel bridges over every social, racial, economic, ________ (fill-in-the-blank) barrier you can think of.  Jesus is the uniting presence (and the only such one) that can cross all those barriers.  This impact is to the extent that God’s plan for all peoples to be reconciled to Himself through the cross is expressed through the church and the living out of the gospel.  As O’Brien puts it, “Its [the church] presence is the means by which God himself discloses to the powers his own richly diverse wisdom.” (O’Brien, 246).  And the present-day local church gets to participate in an earthly expression of what’s already been enacted in heaven, just as Jesus taught his disciples to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”  So even spiritual beings that are pitted against God see this expression of the church on earth, and realize that, indeed, the God of the Universe is in control and has triumphed over every manner of darkness and evil, to reconcile people to Himself and to one another.

Now that’s good news.

It got me thinking about major shifts like Gutenberg to Google in areas that I’m passionate about – photography and biblical studies.  When I got more seriously into photography about eight years ago, pro digital was in its infancy.  I started with 35mm film, shooting negatives, moving on to slide film, even stepping into the arena of medium format with a sweet 6×6 rangefinder.  I distinctly remember while taking photos for some gigs the anxiety associated with the very fact that I really had no guarantee that what I thought I was capturing on film was actually going to be there.  Instead, I had to wait a whole day or so to see the results come back.  Digital photography changed all of that.  Now, seemingly everyone has a digital camera.  Instant feedback is the norm.  Blogs with tutorials abounded.  Photo blogs, photo sharing sites, home print shops, all of that has become the norm.  Expert information now accessible to the masses.

Let’s shift the discussion to the arena of biblical studies.  Among my favorite classes in seminary have been Hebrew and Greek.  Something about it just connects with how my brain is wired – I love seeing patterns, dissecting paragraphs and sentences, diving deep into the study of a Bible passage, and asking lots of questions.  It’s actually quite invigorating for me.  Along the way, a huge help for me in this area has been a piece of technology, software to be precise, called Logos Bible Software.  Whereas in the days before, one had to painstakingly parse verbs or count by hand the number of occurrences of a text, or look up manually in a real book a reference, Logos does all of this for you.  You can hover your mouse over a word in Greek, double-click, pull up a commentary, link all the books together so they scroll simultaneously, do intensive searches on all sorts of topics with all sorts of parameters – all without even leaving your chair.  Some would look at this as the end of an era, much like the end of analog film.  Much of this resulted from an instant gratification, a “microwave” generation expectation, so to speak.  Expert information now accessible to the masses.

In so many ways, this shift is good.  It opens up things that were once only available to a select few to a much larger audience.  Technologies like Wikipedia have made a significant contribution to the dissemination of information.   Yet Sweet brought up a very interesting point toward the end of his talk – “These are the first generations of kids that do not need authority figures to access information.”  It’s all there.  But then he went on to say, “But where the generation needs us more than ever (you used to have kids to work the fields, not to work the remotes), they need help in process – what do I do with all this information? How do I turn it from information to knowledge to wisdom?”  And there you have it.  Information does not equal wisdom.  And that’s where I think training of various sorts comes in.  (Which, by the way, won’t be the same type for everyone, since God wired us all differently.)  The information alone will only get us to a point.  It has to be processed and put into practice.  Applied wisdom, ahh, obedience, information activated – now you’re on to something.  I think that’s one of the primary areas where the church is meant to come alongside each other in community and cultivate that kind of a relationship with Jesus.  And ultimately, it’s not what you know, but who you know.  Christianity is about a relationship with the living God.

Digital photography is great.  So is Logos.  But here’s where I think the dots between mentors and training and tools can connect.  We can’t focus on just the tools alone, but how to use the tools.  I’ve been in seminary for more than four years now, and I’ve been hugely blessed by the experience.  Having something like Logos to my toolbox has been a huge boon for me – I’m able to take ideas that I’ve got in my head – either from class or preparing a Bible study or a sermon – and process those ideas through some real data available at my fingertips.  And I’m constantly reminded not to seek just the information, but real wisdom – applied knowledge.  Moreover, I’m reminded that gifts like teaching and knowledge are meant to bless others, not to be kept inside one individual.  When that starts happening, when one member of the body blesses another, who in turn blesses another (2 Tim. 2:2), then you start to see movements happen.  Even though I look at this era that we live in with some trepidation and uncertainty, I rest assured in the God who stands above all of history and has the whole trajectory in view.

Those of you who know me know that I can get really excited about certain things.  Logos is one of them.  And for those of you who are in seminary at the moment, they’re making a $1,000 scholarship available, and whoever gets it also gets a really nice copy of Logos.  Tuition can be expensive, and anything can help.  Check it out here: seminary scholarship.  All you’ve got to do is watch a video and fill out some forms.  For those of you who aren’t looking for a scholarship at the moment, you can still check it out at http://www.logos.com.  And for all of these things – be it seminary, a computer, a piece of software – they’re tools – among many different types – that are out there that can help us in our journey of following Jesus.

Oh, and Sweet’s answer to the question above is this – Jesus was all about pointing people toward what it means to be truly human, that is, the way we were meant to be.

[Episode spoiler ahead] Last night, we watched episode 13 of Enterprise, “Dear Doctor.” Quite a compelling story. In it, Doctor Phlox is charged with the task of finding a cure to a disease that plagues one-third of a planet’s population. An intriguing part of the dilemma comes in with the fact that there are two humanoid species, of which the “lesser” species (technologically less advanced, effectively servant class) is unaffected by the disease.

After some hard work, Phlox finds a cure. But he’s conflicted. Citing “Mother Nature” and natural processes (this could be a way for the “lesser” race to rise to the top), he questions whether or not he is disturbing what was meant to be. Captain Archer is baffled, wondering how anyone could possibly withhold something that would heal millions. Eventually, they make a decision not to interfere, and only offer a medicine that will relieve the pain, and encourage them to keep seeking their own cure. He also declines their request for warp technology, which would also tip the scales unnaturally. In this part of the Star Trek timeline, they haven’t yet formulated the Prime Directive, which would have given them the parameters for making this decision not to interfere.

It really made me think.

First off, I’ve gotta say, I don’t believe in “Mother Nature” (the same way I don’t believe in luck – God is the ultimate sustainer and provider) as projected in this anecdote. However, the principles included in this episode are compelling. It reminded me of conversations in classes regarding the World Bank and the IMF, which in some instances puts the country receiving funding in a worse position than they were before receiving aid. A large part of that was an unnatural reliance on outside help and an inability to create sustainable economies internally. In other words, they gave a man a fish.

How many other places does this idea apply? I’ve had a lot of conversations with people regarding the homeless population in San Francisco. When is it right to give someone a dollar? How about two? I almost always opt to give tangible goods – a hot cup of coffee, blankets, socks, take them out for a meal (I had a good lunch with a homeless guy once in the downtown mall food court), and prayer. This is what me and some good buddies have been doing off and on for about two years or so in the Tenderloin. But the question remains – are we enabling folks to step out in a sustainable way to lift themselves out of the situation they face? Not necessarily. But at the same time, I distinctly remember a moment I had talking to a homeless man on Telegraph Ave. in Berkeley: “If people would only acknowledge that I’m here, that I’m a human, and not walk by like I don’t exist…that would be a good thing.” So in that sense, giving someone a cup of coffee on the streets does accomplish something – it reminds people that at least in some small way that they are recognized as a human being. Jesus did this plenty.

Here’s another one for you – the tension between teaching a truth, demonstrating a truth, and walking along someone into truth. This is a particularly relevant question for me with regards to spiritual development. There is definitely a place for all three of those areas, but what often happens is that one gets emphasized at the expense of the others. It certainly needs to be taught that a follower of Jesus is called to cry out against injustice. Likewise, it also needs to be demonstrated in the life of those who are leaders what it means to cry out against injustice. Even more transformative, people need to walk together into that kind of life. All three are needed.

So how did I get here? In the Enterprise example, I think the story writers were trying to portray a dilemma much like this. You can’t ignore the fact that there is a need, or that God calls people to life transformation through Jesus. So that means you can’t walk away without helping people. However, it does mean that Jesus followers need to thoughtfully consider what is the most sustainable means to bring about lasting impact in any situation. And often it’s not the easiest route. I certainly don’t have all the concrete, deliverable answers to the various societal ills or most effective tools for spiritual transformation. But I do know that right at the center of it all is the gospel of the kingdom of God revealed in the person of Jesus. So I don’t believe in luck, and I don’t believe in Mother Nature or chance or coincidences. And I do believe in Jesus, I do believe in the possibility of lasting change through the Spirit, I do believe in the power of obedience to bring about life transformation, and I do believe in intentional living that situates Christ at the center of our lives. And as 2 Timothy 2:2 says, we ought to teach others who will teach others how to live this way. That’s at the core of disciple-making.

As we walk with Jesus in that, I think more answers will come.

Death Undone

The light is shining in the darkness,
And darkness cannot comprehend.
And only by the name of Jesus,
Shall we be salvaged from our end.

See Him and worship Jesus the Lamb,
Who sweeps the sins away from all.
Declared as righteous by His own blood,
Rescued from the horrible fall.

Our voices cry out in the city,
Make straight the way before the Lord
We come proclaiming shalom and peace,
That comes by faith and not by sword

CHORUS

We are not worthy of the true one,
Word become flesh, God’s only Son
Mankind redeemed to be with Jesus,
Grace, truth united, death undone.

[John 1:5, 1:12-14, 1:23, 1:27, 1:29; Romans 5:1]

Marcia and I were listening to a talk by Tim Keller entitled “Dwelling in the Gospel,” and he pared down the gospel (not the presentation or message, but the gospel, “good news” itself) down to three words: manger, cross, crown.  Manger, that God came incarnate in the God-man Jesus Christ.  Cross, that Jesus paid the substitutionary death for the sake of our lostness and brokenness.  Crown, that He’s coming back again to restore everything back to what it was all intended to be.

So many things die.  Look around, you see myriads of deeply entrenched staples falling into shambles.  A great bookstore, a pillar of the community, powerful cities, rock-solid corporations, you name it, we’ve seen them fall.  Yet in our deepest brokenness, be it personal, communal, societal, organizational, emotional, or spiritual, the gospel tells a story that the broken pieces can again be made whole in Christ.

[written sitting on a bench on the waterfront]