Wolterstorff on Isaiah 63:9

"Speaking of Israel and of God the writer says: 'In all their affliction, he was afflicted.' In our affliction, God is afflicted. Over our sufferings, God suffers. Over our mourning, God mourns. Over our weeping, God weeps. I suggest that what the believer sees in beholding the suffering of the world -- the thought makes us tremble, I admit -- is no less than the suffering of God. What the believer sees when beholding the rabbi from Nazareth on the cross is not only human blood from sword and thorn and nail, but the tears of the God over the wounds of the world" (Wolterstorff, "Trumpets, Ashes, and Tears," 21).

Grace to you,
Matt

Chesterton on Patriotism

"My country, right or wrong," no patriot would think of saying.... It is like saying "My mother, drunk or sober." No doubt if a decent man's mother took to drink he would share her troubles to the last; but to talk as if he would be in a state of gay indifference as to whether his mother took to drink or not is certainly not the language of men who know the great mystery."

G.K. Chesterton, The Defendant

Standing at the Edge: Deuteronomy 4:1-14

A Chapel Homily

Austin Graduate School of Theology

September 12, 2011

A few years ago, Lauren and I worked in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, a small resort community, as youth interns for a summer. Being in Colorado in the mountains, it seems that everybody is adventurous. There were those who went hiking and trail running up the sides of the mountains, those who went mountain biking, those who were river rats and took on the rapids from the recently melted snow, and those who frequently went 4-wheeling down trails and across passes and mountain ridges. Lucky for us as the new people in the church, we got to experience every single one of these (and some of them not as willingly as others). One of our trips was to Rabbit Valley on the border of Colorado and Utah at which we climbed aboard an ATV and went 4-wheeling. At one point along the trail we came to a cliff with a tiny little trail winding down the side just wide enough for our ATV. I assumed we were turning around – I was wrong. The family we were with, the more experienced riders, told us we were headed to the trails at the bottom of the cliff. In order to get there, there were a few instructions we needed to follow if we were to make it. We were told, “On the way down, don’t hit the brakes. That’ll cause you to topple over the front. Just let it coast down the incline, make the turn about midway, keep coasting…by this point you’ll be moving pretty fast so keep a steady grip on the handle bars.” (As if I were planning to let go…) “Do all of this and you’ll be fine.” Of course, in the back of my mind I knew that really meant, “Don’t do this and you’re probably toast!” Standing at the edge, even though my heart was pounding, somewhat with excitement, mostly with fear, I was thankful they had provided the instruction for our safety and protection.

In our passage today, the people of Israel are standing at the edge of the wilderness and the Promised Land. Their time of suffering in the wilderness has finally come to a close, and Moses has just recalled to them how God has remained faithful, how he has led them to this point through their suffering, continuously providing for them. Now, as they stand at the boundary, not yet in the land but ready to take it, they are reminded of a few things.

First, they are instructed to hear and follow that which has already been given. Patrick Miller calls this an “implication of their past history with God and the necessity for their future life with God.” If they are to cross into the land, they must be a faithful, obedient people. And it is not for their sake alone that they are to be obedient but that they might display true wisdom and true understanding to the nations.

I am reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1. Paul calls the church at Corinth out of worldly wisdom, that which has been defeated by Christ, and into true wisdom, that which has been displayed by Christ’s self-giving love on the cross. He says that this act of true wisdom was a stumbling block to Jews – after all, the Messiah can’t die! He’s supposed to be the king! It was foolishness to Gentiles – what power is there in a dead God? But this act of the cross was, indeed, no act of foolishness. It was true, Godly wisdom, wisdom that stands out in the world, wisdom that stands against the world. Paul calls the Corinthians to live as a contrast society in true wisdom, but long before that, Moses is commanding the same of Israel. He’s calling them out of the world, out of their previous disobedience and idolatry, out of the life and the kind of people they had been before and into true wisdom to be displayed before the nations. He calls them to live in the law that had been given – the law that commanded undivided love of God. It commanded holy living before God and in the world. It commanded love for one’s neighbor. It beckoned one to care for others, to care for the poor, the orphan, and the widow. The law called one into a community that would live over and against the ways of the surrounding world. As a contrast society, as a people who lived out true wisdom before the rest of the world, God’s nearness to Israel would be evident to the nations. Israel is reminded to hear and follow.

They are also prompted to remain steadfast and committed to the covenant just as God has remained committed. This will take teaching and passing down the word that was given to them. It will take a recollection of the covenant before their children, the covenant given to Abraham (the promise of descendents and land) and the covenant given at Sinai (“I will be your God and you will be my people”). Through the passing down of this word, the children of Israel will also hear and follow. Through word, the people of Israel will be drawn back to join in the assembly of generations before. Through word, not form, Israel will hear the voice of the Lord. Through word, Israel will hear and follow the commandments, those written in stone, completed, finished. And in hearing and following what has been handed down to them, in obedience, they will possess the land. The God who was near to Abraham and was near to Israel at Sinai and through the wilderness is still near to them at the boundary and will continue to be near to them as they enter the land.

Today, for us, our circumstances are quite similar. We too find ourselves at the edge of the wilderness and the Promise. Our time in the wilderness is quickly coming to a close. God has continued to remain faithful. Now, as we stand at the boundary, not yet in the land but being prepared for it, the message for us is much the same.

First, we are called to hear and follow. We are called to remain as God’s faithful and obedient people. It is an implication of our past and a necessity for our future with God. And it is not for our sake alone but that the world might witness and come to gain true wisdom and true understanding. The wisdom of the world still stands in stark contrast to true wisdom. The world speaks vengeance (an eye for an eye) while true wisdom speaks mercy and forgiveness. The wisdom of the world tells us to eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die. True wisdom speaks of self-control and hope of the resurrection. The wisdom of the world speaks greed and immediate satisfaction (we must get what we want and we must get it now) while true wisdom speaks patience. The world views love as ultimately being fulfilled through sexual satisfaction. True wisdom understands love to be self-giving and sacrificial for the sake of the other. The wisdom of the world teaches self-centeredness, individuality, and that we’re alone, fending for ourselves. True wisdom declares that there is a God, YHWH, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, who was near to his people at Mt. Sinai, was near to the praying psalmist, was near to his son, Jesus, as he prayed in the garden, and is still near to us today. We are called to remain obedient to this God as we stand at the boundary.

We are also called to remain steadfast and committed to the covenant just as God has remained committed. This not only requires hearing and following but also teaching and passing down the faith to our children and their children. In a world in which images are so prevalent, we must remember that it is through word that our children will hear and follow. It is through word that we are drawn back to the generations before us. It is through word that we hear the voice of the Lord, the same voice that still speaks truth to us today, still guides us, and is still near to us. We remember our covenant & recommit ourselves to it at the Table. There, we are joined with those who have gone before us, those who heard and followed, those who, themselves, remained committed in the wilderness, and those who taught us when we were children. There, we are drawn back to the cross as we witness the Word, now in form, as it is perfected, completed, finished.

This is the message for us today. It is not unlike the one spoken to the people of Israel as they stood at the edge of the wilderness ready to take possession of the land that had been promised: “Hear and follow; remember the covenant.” May we hear and follow the word today and faithfully commit ourselves to it as we, once again, stand at the edge, preparing for the one who is to come.

Grace to you,

Matt

Let Not Death Win the Day: 2 Timothy 4:9-18

A Chapel Homily at the Austin Graduate School of Theology

April 25, 2011

I was prepared today to definitively make the case once and for all that Paul, without a doubt, was a librarian. Only a librarian, nearing the end of his life, would ask for his books to be brought to him. Furthermore, only a librarian would know that books are best preserved at a cooler temperature; thus, he also asks for his coat. I was prepared to make this case today, but, perhaps, there are more important matters to which we must attend.

Growing up I always thought it was unfair that I had to wake up early, go to school to think and learn and work hard, and then come home and most of the time do much of the same in order to complete hours of homework. And our school system even assigned readings and papers over the summer to be due on the first day of school! At the time it seemed I never got a break! And the unfair part was that I thought my parents had it easy. All they had to do, after all, was go to work and come home. They didn’t have to bring work home with them. As far as I was concerned, their day ended at 5:00 and relaxation began at 5:01. They could go to work, come home, and be finished with it for the rest of the night. That’s what I thought—and then a couple of years ago I got married and began working full time while attending school, and I had what I like to call a “great awakening.” This is something many of you are realizing at this point in the semester. At the end of the day, there is still work to be done.

I do not think my “great awakening” was an idea that was foreign to Paul. Throughout this letter, it appears that Paul is preparing to pass the torch to Timothy. Just prior to this passage, he writes, “I am already on the point of being sacrificed; the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.” Paul certainly believes himself to be nearing the end of his life. In these few verses, Paul writes to Timothy on a few personal matters and recalls how he has been left alone and, at times, totally betrayed. Some near to him have moved on, some have turned to the ways of the world. Others have sought to cause him great harm. At one point he says that all deserted him. And we know of the many sufferings Paul has already faced in his life from other letters; arrest, imprisonment, beatings. Still, in the midst of suffering, betrayal, and even death, Paul asks for his coat and books. I may be speculating, but I believe Paul knew that there was still work to be accomplished.

However, Paul is not the first to realize this. We can read of followers prior to Paul who knew this to be true and whose end of life appears similar to Paul’s situation. In Acts 6 and 7, Stephen is approached because of his preaching about Christ. In the face of certain death, he stands and proclaims the story, and with his last breath he says, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” Knowing the end has come, his work continues to his final breath. And we know that Paul was present, witnessing and even taking part in this event.

We look back a little further and see Jesus himself, having just been betrayed by those closest to him, now facing death on the cross. As he hangs looking out at the crowd, with the betrayers, mockers, and executioners present, he says, “Father, forgive them.” Even to the very end, he knew there was work to be accomplished.

We return to Paul’s words in 2 Timothy as he says of those who have deserted him in, perhaps, his most desperate time, “May it not be charged against them.” Then he continues in proclaiming the good news that God is faithful in his promise. He reminds Timothy of how God has been with him and how he has given him strength to continue proclaiming the message even through the betrayal, through the suffering, in order that the mission may be fulfilled. Just as he has been rescued before because of God’s faithfulness, he can say without a doubt that God will remain faithful. He will deliver him from evil and into his presence.

This is not a pretty or clean image, but it is certainly an honest picture of ministry and the work of a disciple. Ministry is often made out to sound romantic. After all, we get to help people and serve the poor and hold little orphans as they fall asleep. We get to stand and proclaim the good news of Christ. It really seems beautiful, mysterious, and adventurous, and perhaps it is. However, when dealing with real people facing real life head-on while facing trials of our own, perhaps even betrayal, one begins to relate to responses like Moses’ “Who am I,” Jeremiah’s “I’m too young,” and Isaiah’s “Woe is me! I am ruined!” I sometimes wonder at what point reality hit the apostles; when did the cost of the great victory that had been promised come to a complete realization? Do you suppose at times they reflected upon Jesus’ words, “Take up your cross,” and thought that it would’ve been nice to have understood the full meaning of this much sooner! And, yet, that is part of the message of the gospel. God came in Christ to face the cross, and in being called to discipleship, one is being called to “Come and die.”

Still, we know, just as Paul knew, that the cross is only part of the story. The story does not end in death but in Christ’s victory over death. And so Paul can say, and so we must also continue proclaiming, “To God be the glory.” At the end of the day, in the midst of trial, betrayal, and death itself, there is still work to be done.

Ministry is a daunting task, and, yet, day after day, God continues to choose to work through the lives of humans for the sake of humans and all of his kingdom! Let us not give up the mission and the call to ministry, though it is difficult. Let us not give up proclaiming the gospel of Christ. Let not death win the day. There is still work to be done. To God be the glory forever and ever.

Grace to you,

Matt

“Who am I?”

By Dietrich Bonhoeffer (March 4, 1945)

Who am I? They often tell me
I would step from my cell’s confinement
calmly, cheerfully, firmly,
like a squire from his country-house.

Who am I? They often tell me
I would talk to my warders
freely and friendly and clearly,
as though it were mine to command.

Who am I? They also tell me
I would bear the days of misfortune
equably, smilingly, proudly,
like one accustomed to win.

Am I then really all that which other men tell of?
Or am I only what I know of myself?
restless and longing and sick, like a bird in a cage,
struggling for breath, as though hands were
compressing my throat,
yearning for colours, for flowers, for the voices of birds,
thirsting for words of kindness, for neighborliness,
trembling in expectation of great events,
powerlessly trembling for friends at an infinite distance,
weary and empty at praying, at thinking, at making,
faint, and ready to say farewell to it all?

Who am I? This or the other?
Am I one person today, and tomorrow another?
Am I both at once? A hypocrite before others,
and before myself a contemptibly woebegone weakling?
Or is something within me still like a beaten army,
fleeing in disorder from victory already achieved?

Who am I? They mock me, these lonely questions of mine.
Whoever I am, Thou knowest, O God, I am Thine.

–Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Who am I?” in Letters & Papers From Prison (New York: Touchstone, 1953/1997), 347-8.

YHWH & His People: A Response to R.W.L. Moberly

In Exodus 32:7-10, God announces to Moses that he is going to “consume” the people of Israel because of their idolatry (just prior to this account Aaron and the people build and worship a golden calf). In v. 7, he tells Moses, “Go down; for your people, whom you brought up out of the land of Egypt, have corrupted themselves….” With this, YHWH disowns Israel and completely denies all association with them.

However, in v. 11, Moses faithfully reminds YHWH that the people of Israel are his (YHWH’s) chosen people. He responds, “…why does your wrath burn hot against your people, whom you brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a might hand?” The passage closes with YHWH’s relenting “of the disaster which he thought to do to his people,” indicating, as Moberly writes, “Yahweh’s acceptance of Moses’ plea. Yahweh accepts that Israel is his people and so not to be destroyed or cast off” (Moberly, 50).

As has been stated in previous posts, YHWH allowed for this change of mind by making his judgment dependent upon Moses’ response. In 32:10, YHWH makes a promise to Moses that is almost identical to his promise with Abraham in Genesis 12:3. Yet again, Moses hears and faithfully responds by recalling YHWH’s covenant with Israel (notice he uses the name “Israel” rather than “Jacob”). Moberly writes, “Yahweh’s faithfulness to his promise, to which Moses appeals in v. 13, becomes the reason why Yahweh spares the people…” (50). Furthermore, “It is God’s faithfulness alone which is the basis for forgiveness; and yet this faithfulness is only revealed and made actual when Moses’ bold intercession calls it forth” (51). Therefore, it is both Moses and YHWH together who act as the responsible agents for the future of Israel as YHWH’s people.

Throughout history, God has chosen, at times, to act alone; however, more commonly, as Scripture reveals, God chooses to act in the world through human beings. From the beginning of creation with Adam and Eve to the establishment of God’s covenant with Abraham to the deliverance of God’s people out of slavery in Egypt through Moses to the warnings of judgment and unveiling of mercy through the prophets to YHWH entering the world in the life of a man, God chooses to act, revealing his kingdom and his will to all of creation, through the life of his people. This revelation continues today through the joining of YHWH’s perfect faithfulness alongside the faithful response of YHWH’s people, the church. May the church continue to reveal the faithfulness of YWHW through its faithful response to his kingdom, his will, and his calling into relationship.

• Moberly, R.W.L. At the Mountain of God: Story and Theology in Exodus 32-34. England: JSOT Press, 1983.

Grace to you,
Matt

From Creation to Re-Creation in Exodus

Continuing with the water motif in Exodus 1-15...

Some have claimed that the plagues are representative of YHWH showing his power over the gods of Egypt (though I think this is a stretch for some of them!). My OT professor, Dr. Shipp, makes the case that the plagues are actually an overturning of creation as YHWH does cosmic battle with Pharaoh (who claims to be a god himself). I think he makes a convincing argument. There are references throughout the first 15 chapters not only to water but back to Genesis and back to creation and chaos. As Dr. Shipp says, "This is what happens when God is at war!"

If it is the case - and I think it is - that the plague narratives are an overturning of creation because of the cosmic battle between YHWH and Pharaoh, then the water motif, culminating at the event of the sea, deals the final crushing blow. It is at the sea where the evil oppressor (represented as Egypt) is swallowed up while God's chosen people (Israel) are delivered and redeemed. The plagues serve as an overturning of creation, culminating in the return to and destruction of "evil" in the waters of chaos. Following YHWH's victory at the final scene of the Exodus, he then restores creation through the redeemed of Israel, culminating in the establishment of the Temple, the meeting place (coming together) of Heaven and Earth.

Looking at the events of the cross, we see a similar pattern. The great theophany takes place as God battles evil one final time, facing death head on. Through the death and resurrection of Christ, he deals the final crushing blow, gaining victory over evil and redeeming his people. Through the redemption of his people in the resurrection of his son, YHWH is restoring all of creation which will culminate in the final coming together of the new heaven and new earth and the swallowing up of evil (see Rev. 21) . This overcoming of evil, restoration of creation, and coming together of the new heaven and earth has already begun and is taking place in the life of the church today.

Grace to you,
Matt