Sharpshooter

by John D Ramsey

The other day in the hardware store Gabby spotted the prize – a pink Red Rider BB gun. It was as if Daisy had manufactured the gun just for her. I did not buy it that day. The BB gun would have sat in its box until the weekend and the little girl would have tortured her mother with incessant questioning, “Can I shoot now? When can I shoot, Mom?”

Wednesday of this last week, Lisa bought Claire and Gabby pink camouflage boonies. We are going to be outside this weekend in public places, so the girls need hats and we need an easy way to keep them spotted in a crowd. The pink hats reminded me of the pink Red Rider, and so I picked it up on my way home from work Friday night.

Gabby, sitting at the kitchen island, did not notice when I laid the gun down in front of her. Her brother, Daniel, who had come home for a visit, distracted her. When she finally noticed the rifle sitting directly in front of her, she gasped, “For me?”

After dinner, Gabby and I went out to shoot. House rules are:

1. Every gun is always loaded (at least we treat them such).
2. Adult supervision is required (and 11-year old sister is not an adult).
3. Always wear eye protection when handling a firearm.
4. Carry the gun with the muzzle pointed to the ground.
5. Never point a gun in the direction of people.
6. Keep the safety on until the gun is pointed downrange.

Gabby, is tenacious about following rules. Later in the evening when Daniel reloaded her rifle and tried to hand it back to her, she stopped him, “Is the safety on?” she demanded. When he assured her it was, she took the gun and walked back to her shooting position.

Gabby is not yet a sharpshooter, but with training and continued practice she may be someday. Shooting is a simple concept, handle the firearm in such a way that it remains stable, align the eye with the sights and the target, and squeeze the trigger. In general, guns shoot consistently straight. Once the sights are aligned, failure to hit the target at 5 yards is a purely human weakness. No amount of willpower or even practice will force a gun to defy the physical sciences.

Likewise, is our study of Scripture. Peter wrote, “No prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.” (1 Peter 1:21 KJV) We must handle Scripture correctly to discern the truth. Just as you cannot evaluate the accuracy of one’s aim by contemplating the front sight or rear sight alone, you cannot evaluate the meaning of one passage of Scripture without the context of the rest of Scripture.

I read in my Apostolic Bible Polyglot, Hebrews 3:1, the other day, “Whereupon, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, contemplate the apostle and chief priest of our acknowledgement offering – Christ Jesus.” In general, translators italicize words they consider to be inferred by the context. It struck me that perhaps the words, “acknowledgment offering” connote something more specific than the word, “confession,” which the New American Standard uses to translate omologias.

I checked the lexical concordance, and found that he same word in the Septuagint (LXX) in Leviticus 22:18. There omologias refers to an acceptable personal offering. I checked the other passages where the same word appeared, and the Apostolic Bible sometimes translates the word, “confession” and sometimes it translates it “acknowledgment offering.” I looked for clues in the passages for why the translator would translate the same Greek word differently. “What was his insight?” I wondered.

I did not think about it too long. Before I retired for the evening, I sent an email to the translator, Charles Van der Pool, asking him what he was thinking. He kindly replied a couple hours later, saying that he did not remember. He wrote, “What is really important is what the Greek says, not necessarily my translation.” I was hoping for a different answer, but he gave me the best.

Yet Van der Pool’s translation intrigues me like a glimmer of light. Was the writer of Hebrews contemplating the Old Testament acknowledgment offering when he wrote that we should contemplate Christ as our apostle and chief priest? Elsewhere, Paul wrote to the Corinthians telling them that their gift to the believers in Jerusalem was their “acknowledgment offering to the good news of the Christ.” (2 Corinthians 9:13 AB) Was Paul contemplating the Old Testament sacrificial system when he penned his letter, or was he merely meaning “confession?”

Perhaps there is little distinction in meaning between acknowledgment offering and confession. The writer of Hebrews primarily is asking us to contemplate Christ as our apostle and chief priest. What is at stake is depth of insight into the thoughts of the New Testament writers. Were Paul and the writer of Hebrews contemplating Leviticus or other Old Testament passages referring to a whole burnt offering? Is the reader to infer such an association? I will contemplate this question for some time.

As I reflect upon this, I am thankful to have an Apostolic Bible. The interlinear format enables a weak student of the Greek, such as I am, to delve more deeply into word associations. God preserved the content of Old Testament into the Greek of the New Testament. The writers of the New Testament certainly used the LXX in their own study. Reading the Old and New Testaments in a unified but ancient language enlightens both.

A word study between the Old and New Testaments in the Apostolic Bible is like aligning ones eye to the front and rear sights. With continued practice . . .

What’s important?

by John D Ramsey

Today was a long grueling day full of risks with lasting implications. It was not business as usual. Business as usual is hard enough most days. This was harder. Taking action fully knowing the outcome is inglorious frightened me, but it apparently did not deter me. “Time will tell,” the saying goes. C’est la guerre, such is business.

I drove to work while the nearly full moon was up. An hour later, I stood in an early empty office building watching a red sunrise portending a stormy day. It was Black Ops Thursday; but this day the office camaraderie would defer to crisis management. There was no playbook, just the Black Ops team and me sticking our necks out and asking, “Is there a better way?” I made mistakes: public mistakes. I hope no one else remembers them, but I know I will. As a programmer, I expected to make mistakes, as a manager I loathe them.

There were encouragements. Black Ops Thursday is catching on. I tried to thank each person who wore black today. I noticed on my way out this afternoon that I had overlooked someone. Well, thank you, belatedly. I appreciate the show of support. I expect an announcement soon that Black Ops is no longer a command hierarchy, but rather a grassroots quality initiative emphasizing teamwork and intensity.

• Lead from the front
• Lead by example
• Follow the one who is leading
• Defer to authority
• Be accountable to all

That summarizes Black Ops. It happens when enough people want it to happen.

If I had a choice, I would have focused this week on the Passion of Christ. Instead, too much urgency held me too long in the office. Today, Thursday, marks the day of the Crucifixion. Yes, I know churches celebrate Good Friday, but the Gospels do not support the same conclusion as the Church. That should not be surprising; the Bible seldom aligns with theological or ecclesiological systems. Or rather, theological and ecclesiological systems seldom align with the Bible. If they did, we wouldn’t meet in churches, or pass collection bucket-bag-plates, and pastors wouldn’t deliver oratory. All that is convenient church tradition, but it isn’t Scriptural. That’s my assertion, but don’t take my word for it, read the Book without picking up a commentary.

Likewise, we shouldn’t be surprised to find that there are too many conflicts in the Gospel records to support a Friday crucifixion. Nevertheless, a Thursday crucifixion aligns all the Gospel accounts perfectly. I had wanted to explore all the evidence. Instead, I settled for some “tweets” on the topic. Last year, I wrote out dozens of questions and corresponding Scripture passages. Dad reminded me on Twitter that I had done that. I have 19 pages of questions and answers that I wrote for the men’s Bible Study I taught and may teach again. If you’re interested in studying it, just email me and I’ll clean it up a bit and send it to you.

Tonight, I need to wrap this up. Tomorrow’s challenges await. As I reflect on my week, I regret not focusing on what I think is important. Such introspections are selfish by nature, however. Doing what is put in front of me is important even if it is not what I want it to be.

As a consolation, I remind myself that this morning before I even spotted the moon or the red sunrise, as I was leaving to head to the office, Gabby rushed downstairs to say goodbye. She stood in the garage bleary-eyed and struggling to wake up. It was 04:30 hours, but she awakened to say goodbye. I told her, “There’s my early girl.” She smiled, and I gave her a hug and kiss before starting the car and heading to work.

Had I not needed to sacrifice my schedule for the needs of the office, Gabby would never have needed to awaken so early just to kiss me goodbye. Nevertheless, waking to the sound of the garage door and rushing down to see me in the morning was important to her.

Christmas reflections

by John D Ramsey

Wii finally did it. After 27 years of marriage and four children ages 24, 23, 11, and 6, we bought our first video gaming console. Why, because the Wii is active and social in nature – not to mention just a bit silly, which suits our family, too.

We celebrated Christmas on the 20th this year because that is when the big kids could come to Kansas City. Now they are home in Texas and Minnesota, and today (Christmas) is a project day in our house. We had grand plans for a turkey dinner today, but truthfully, we have indulged in Lisa’s fantastic cooking for too many days in a row. Not only that: we went to Pizza Bella Monday night for a sampling of their wood-fired pizzas (five pizzas for the seven of us was just about right). My critique: awesome! If you live near Kansas City or ever visit Kansas City, Pizza Bella is on the short list of restaurants you must try.

Dad came down for our Christmas celebration, too. He brought everyone gifts from Mom’s trinkets and gadgets. Dad did a wonderful job choosing what of Mom’s things to give to each of us. Memories of Mom and the thoughtfulness of Dad combined to make each gift treasured. The little girls cupped in their hands the glass figurines that Dad gave to them. Claire held hers up and said, “Look what Pa gave me.” I am not sure he saw her reaction, but I did.

The Wii was the about the only thing we bought for the little girls. Lisa bought Cara a KitchenAide food processor as well as several other smaller gifts. I bought Daniel a MXL v76t tube microphone. My operating theory is that men would rather have one gift that enhanced their arsenal than many smaller gifts. Lisa thinks that women would rather have many gifts than one of anything. The tube microphone seemed a bit exotic. I thought it might captivate Daniel’s imagination just a bit. He says it sounds different from his other microphones. I would like to assume it sounds better, but learning how to use a microphone is a bit like adapting to a new musical instrument – optimization requires experimentation. Daniel will send me audio samples in a couple days, when he does I will append them to this post.

Daniel bought his mom several bottles of Charles Shaw (Two Buck Chuck). We opened a Cabernet Sauvignon with our lasagna Sunday evening. It was drinkable and probably as good better than a house red at most restaurants. With all the rich food on the menu recently, I have taken to heart Paul’s instruction to Timothy, “No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach.” 1 Timothy 5:23 (NASB)

Daniel helped me get the Wii configured on the BenQ projector. Everyone in the room can enjoy watching the Wii on the eight-foot screen. I came downstairs to investigate Internet on the Wii and discovered that Claire had created a Mii that looked just like me.

A screen grab of my Wii-Mii. Daniel is entering frame on the left.

I tried bowling, but found that my Mii was a bit too over-celebratory. The shooting game was fun. While I am still curious about Internet browsing on the Wii, I am too cheap to spend $5 on a web browser. I was disappointed that the Wii could not play DVD’s. I am much to cheap to spend money on a full AV system, so for now we will have to swap cords when we switch from Wii to DVD.

This morning Lisa put new socks and underwear in gift bags, and the girls opened them at breakfast. It makes me wonder whether the girls will remember this Christmas as the year they received a Wii or whether they will remember it as the “underwear Christmas.” I will remember it for many reasons few of which have anything to do with gifts given or received.

• It is the first Christmas since Mom’s passing.
• It is the first Christmas our immediate family was not together on Christmas day.
• It is the first Christmas that we shared our family celebration with someone yet outside the family – Daniel brought his girlfriend, Rhonda.
• This year’s Christmas party was the largest we have ever hosted – over 30 people came for our Christmas open house.
• Our hosting the white elephant gift exchange with Lisa’s extended family is becoming a tradition. Gabby and I teamed up and ended up with a giant remote control.

Last night we went to church and sang Christmas carols with friends. Holding candles in the darkened sanctuary, we stood and sang “Silent Night” a cappella. To a cynic it might seem cliché, but the simple beauty of the moment makes a compelling memory. It seems to me that Christmas is about memory. Celebrating the birth of Christ is certainly core to the collective memory, yet Christmas memories are compound.

Some people try to justify Christmas traditions by drawing straight yet implausible lines to Scriptural symbols. For instance, some people claim that their Christmas tree reminds them of the cross of Calvary. I suppose that is fine, but the Christmas tree in our home is a place to hang our best memories. Our sins were nailed to the cross of Jesus Christ to be forever forgiven and forgotten. Yet in our home, we hang ornaments on the Christmas tree to remember what and whom they represent. Mom always objected to idolizing the cross, anyway. Mom felt that people sometimes focused on the cross rather than focusing on the Savior. I suppose I let traditions be traditions without manufacturing a cause.

A Christmas tree in our home is not a sacred symbol. Rather it is a tradition of memory. I told the little girls that the Christmas tree serves as a reminder of everything for which we should be thankful. Many of our ornaments commemorate a personality or an event. Each is a monument to a memory and together they celebrate the story of our lives. Each year deepens the sentimentality toward the old ornaments and welcomes the new ones into this stream of consciousness we celebrate at Christmastime.

Last year Lisa gave me a squirrel because of my continuing battle to save our shake roof from destruction. This year my squirrel ornament hangs next to the reminder of Cara’s leopard print phase (was it a phase?).

When the big kids were little, I made Daniel this carousel tiger on a soldered copper wire armature using newspaper, masking tape, and papier-mâché. I made Cara a carousel giraffe, but it proved much more fragile than the tiger. Each Christmas, I expect to find the lost giraffe among the ornaments, but I think it has been lost along the way.

The older kids each were given a two-dollar bill for Christmas one year. Both bills stayed on the tree for several years, but now one is missing. Hmm.

My first baby’s first Christmas. I took the photo with an Olympus OM-2 with an 85mm f/2 lens and three Broncolor Impact strobe lights. I used a red gel over the hair light. For soft focus effect, I think I sprayed hairspray on a UV-filter. Lisa was not far off frame just in case Cara decided to lean out of the chair.

Lisa gave this ornament to me this year because it reminded her of jewelry I bought for her many years ago at Union Station in St. Louis.

This sampling of ornaments conjures for me deep feelings of love for my family and extreme humility and gratitude for God’s grace and mercy on behalf of my family and me. Celebrating Christmas is in every respect celebrating the grace of God. Where does God’s grace begin or where does it end? God’s grace toward me begins with the breath of life he granted me. His grace has continued through my life and expresses itself in my marriage, children, friends, the home he has provided for us, a fun job which pays the bills and more.

Yet most of all God’s grace appears in the person of Jesus Christ, who two thousand years ago left the glory of heaven to become a man. Emanuel, another name for Jesus, means “God with us.” The Apostle John puts it this way,

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not . . .

That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 1:1-5, 9-14 (KJV)

When Jesus became a mortal man, he became subject to death. Hebrews 9:27 says, “It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment.” Yet Jesus had no sin. His sacrificial death paid the price for my sin. “So Christ was offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.” Hebrews 9:28 (KJV)

As Christmas “wraps up” around the house and I prepare to go back to the office tomorrow, I thank God for his grace. I thank him for life and love, but most of all I thank him for sacrificing his human life to grant me salvation unto eternal life.

The law of the spirit

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by John D Ramsey

Do you not know, brothers — for I am speaking to men who know the law — that the law has authority over a man only as long as he lives?

Romans 7:1 (NIV)

A couple weeks ago, on the first day of Sukkot, or Feast of Booths, Lisa and the girls built a sukkah in the back yard to surprise me. During the Kingdom in Context Bible study that morning, I had mentioned that I planned to sit outside with the little girls and read the Scripture pertaining to the Feast of Booths. Mark asked me if I planned to build a booth, and I explained that while I had no problem with people building a booth, teaching the girls the Scripture pertaining to the feast was my priority.


When I arrived home from work, Lisa had a fire burning in the fire bowl on the patio, and she had oil lamps lit in the yard. We ate our dinner in the booth, and read the Scriptures to the girls. Gabby exclaimed two things, “I did not know about this holiday!” and “I think this is my favorite holiday!” It was a lovely evening, and more so to me, knowing that my girls had labored to make it special.


Regardless of our apparent observance of an Old Testament feast, I feel compelled to clarify. We did not celebrate Sukkot in order to obey the Old Testament Law. Rather, the evening was an illustration of God’s amazing love toward us that he would send his Son to tabernacle among men. The girls now have a visual memory of the Feast of Booths, and I am glad to have had the opportunity to instruct them. However, our observation of the holiday did not observe the Law.


Had our intention been to keep the Law, then we infringed on these points:

• According to Deuteronomy 16:16, the Feast of Booths had to be observed at the place that God chose. According to 2 Chronicles 6:6, God’s chosen place is Jerusalem. Observing the feast in Raymore, MO, is a violation of the Old Testament Law.
  
• The branches that Lisa used to build the sukkah, were from leafy trees only (and the leaves had fallen off). The Law required, palm trees and willows, as well.
  
• The duration of the feast is seven days during which time, the observant are to live in booths. We sat in the booth for about an hour.
  
• The first day of the feast is a holy convocation during which only necessary work is permitted. However, the next day, I went to work, as is my routine.
  
• The Feast of Booths requires 182 animal sacrifices over seven days in addition to regular daily sacrifices according to Numbers 29. That is the Law.
  

By my calculations, no one obeyed the Law concerning the Feast of Booths this year.

I have no qualms about commemorating an Old Testament feast as an educational and inspirational tool; however, I wince when I hear people claiming to be “Law-abiding Christians.” I wonder, what part of the Law do they suppose that they are obeying? Do they think that they can safely ignore some laws? If so, how do they decide which ones? Deuteronomy 26:27 says, “Cursed is the man who does not uphold the words of this law by carrying them out.” Paul explains the impossibility of keeping the Law, saying, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.” Galatians 3:10 (NIV) James, the brother of Jesus said, “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” James 2:10 (NIV)

Whether I sit in a sukkah for a minute, a week, or never is irrelevant regarding righteousness. Paul tells the Galatians, “If righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!” Galatians 2:21 (NIV) Jesus condemned everyone who attempts to gain righteousness by the Law by saying,

For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew 5:20 (NIV)

Observing the Law gains me nothing unless I can be perfect and it is way too late for that. James points us to another way, saying,

Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!

James 2:12-13 (NIV)

James promises that people who want to judge others by the Law will themselves be judged by the Law! The better way is the law that gives freedom. What is the law that gives freedom? Paul tells us,

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering.

And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.

Romans 8:1-4 (NIV)

How is it that we are free from the requirements of the Old Testament Law? Paul explains,

So, my brothers, you also died to the law through the body of Christ, that you might belong to another, to him who was raised from the dead, in order that we might bear fruit to God.

Romans 7:4 (NIV)

To the Colossians Paul writes,

For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Colossians 3:3, 4 (NIV)

Because we die with Christ when we trust him by faith, the Law no longer has power over us. We are clothed with Christ’s righteousness regarding the Law. His righteousness is attributed to us, and there is nothing we can do to earn it. Trying to keep the Old Testament Law actually disparages the mercy of the cross. Yet the law of the Spirit teaches us that, “Mercy triumphs over judgment!” Christ’s righteousness attributed to me exceeds the righteousness of the Pharisees and teachers of the law making me worthy of the kingdom. Because I died with Christ, the Law no longer rules over me.

Whether I observe a day, or ignore it, does not matter regarding righteousness. The Law of the Spirit gives us freedom to express our faith through culture, but it does not require or favor any specific cultural expression. The law of the Spirit sets us free to serve God and serve each other in love, but it does not obligate us to external observances. Observing the Law never saved anyone, anyway, not even Abraham who lived before the Law was given. “Abram believed the LORD, and he credited it to him as righteousness.” Genesis 16:6 (NIV) Righteousness before God has never come by works, but only by faith; Hebrews 11 makes this undoubtedly clear.

Paul expressed his faith culturally, but not consistently with one culture, he writes,

Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

1 Corinthians 9:19-23 (NIV)

Cultural expressions of faith are tools for evangelism, but legalism is not. Legalism, whether it comes in the form of quasi-Judaism or cultic manipulation, is contrary to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Legalism cannot produce righteousness, but it does create a barrier between the law observer and the Savior. Paul said it best when he described himself as being blameless according to the righteousness that comes from the Law, but he would rather have Christ. He wrote,

But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,

And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.

Philippians 3:7-10 (KJV)

Knowing Christ, being conformed to his character, suffering for his sake, dying with him, and obtaining righteousness by faith alone does not appeal to the flesh; yet these the Law of the Spirit works to produce within us.

Shekinah Glory

by John D Ramsey

Last night Gabby asked me where Betelgeuse appeared in the sky. Lisa has been teaching the girls astronomy this year. I told Gabby that it would still be a few weeks before Betelgeuse would be visible before her bedtime. I showed her that Arcturus, which we saw near zenith in the summer sky, now hung above the western horizon. The moon, I noticed, is waxing; each night it moves closer to the eastern horizon. Tuesday, the full moon, is a special day in history.

Despite its limitations, the lunar calendar better fulfills the purpose of the lights in the sky described in Genesis 1:14, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years.” Looking at the sun, for instance, gives the casual observer the time of day but little clue regarding the day of the month. The sun’s elevation, of course, is a precise indicator of solar time, but without instrumentation, the solar day is ambiguous compared to the phases of the moon.

The sun announces the hour of the day, the moon effectively tracks the days of the month, the stars in the night sky advertise earth’s seasons. God designed this system from the very beginning. Man has abandoned this system in favor of time tracking devices of his own design. Perhaps our clocks, timeservers, and GPS devices are a modern metaphor for man’s departure from dependence upon God. If so, then man has only obfuscated his dependence upon his Creator because God designed all the laws of nature.

In Exodus, God commanded Israel to observe as their first month the month in which Passover occurs. Today, many Jews celebrate the seventh month as the first. Rosh Hashanah is known as the Jewish New Year, but the Biblical holiday is better described as the Feast of Trumpets. This celebration of sounding the shofar occurred September 30 this year. Christians believe that the Feast of Trumpets foretells the day of Christ’s return,

“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”

Matthew 24:30-31 (NIV)

Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.

1 Corinthians 15:51-52 (NIV)

For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 (NIV)

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said:

“The kingdom of the world has become
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ,
and he will reign for ever and ever.”

Revelation 11:15 (NIV)

Perhaps it is fitting that the day foretelling Christ’s return should be the day on which we celebrate the New Year. Nevertheless, this current lunar month is the seventh month of the Old Testament calendar.

On the tenth day of the seventh month, comes Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. It was on this day that the high priest entered into the holy place and sprinkled blood on the mercy seat to atone for the sins of the nation of Israel. Hebrews tells us that the Day of Atonement prototyped Jesus’ atoning sacrifice for our sins.

When Christ came as high priest of the good things that are already here, he went through the greater and more perfect tabernacle that is not man-made, that is to say, not a part of this creation. He did not enter by means of the blood of goats and calves; but he entered the Most Holy Place once for all by his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. The blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkled on those who are ceremonially unclean sanctify them so that they are outwardly clean. How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

Hebrews 9:11-14 (NIV)

On Tuesday night, the fifteenth day of the lunar month, the moon will be full. According to the Old Farmer’s Almanac, Tuesday will mark the “Hunter’s Moon.” According to the Jewish lunar calendar, Tuesday marks Sukkot, known to Christians as the Feast of Booths or Feast of Tabernacles. Usually, Sukkot corresponds to the “Harvest Moon.” However, the lunar calendar year (twelve lunar months) is 354 days. Every few lunar years an extra month is inserted to synchronize the lunar calendar with the seasons.

The Feast of Booths was the third and final time each year when the men of Israel were required to appear before the Lord. For the seven days of this feast, the faithful lived in booths or temporary shelters to remind them how God led them through the wilderness of Sinai. During the Exodus, God appeared to Israel as a cloud hovering over the Tabernacle. At night, fire could be seen inside the cloud. When the cloud moved, Israel would break camp and follow. When the Tabernacle was first consecrated,

The cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.

Exodus 40:34, 35 (NIV)

The Feast of Booths, reminding Israel that they once lived in temporary dwellings, also reminds them that God himself dwelt among them in the cloud and pillar of fire.

Nearly 500 years after the Exodus from Egypt, Solomon dedicated a temple to the Lord during the Feast of Booths.

When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple.

The priests could not enter the temple of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled it.

When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying,

“He is good;
His love endures forever.”

2 Chronicles 7:1-3 (NIV)

Once again, God’s Shekinah Glory was revealed to Israel at the dedication of the temple. Nevertheless, Solomon’s prayer of dedication acknowledged the inferiority of a temple made by human hands, saying, “Will God really dwell on earth with men? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built!” 2 Chronicles 6:18 (NIV)

After Israel’s exile in Babylon, the dedication of Ezra’s temple coincided with the Passover. This temple dedication was subdued in comparison to Solomon’s temple dedication. Most Bible scholars agree that the Ark of the Covenant was no longer in Israel’s possession. Solomon sacrificed 22,000 cattle and 120,000 sheep and goats. At the dedication of Ezra’s temple they sacrificed 100 bulls, 200 rams, and 400 lambs plus twelve male goats as a sin offering. There was no fire from heaven; there was no cloud descending upon the temple, and no Shekinah glory emanating from the holy place.

Over time, Israel adapted customs regarding the Feast of Booths that commemorated the dedication of Solomon’s temple. According to Edersheim, each evening priests would ignite sixteen elevated cauldrons filled with oil and the priests’ worn-out linen garments. The light from the fires would illuminate the city. The Jewish holiday, Chanukah, celebrates the rededication of Ezra’s temple in the time of Judas Maccabeus. According to legend, the lamps in the temple did not extinguish during the eight days although there was insufficient oil to sustain them. Even if true, the lights of Chanukah glimmer compared to the glorious light at the dedication of Solomon’s temple.

When John wrote his Gospel he alluded to the Feast of Booths when he said of Jesus, “The Word became flesh and [tabernacled] among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (NASB)


The seventh month is most probably the time of the incarnation — the birth of Jesus, rather than in December when most Christians celebrate it. At the time of Jesus' incarnation,

there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them . . .

Luke 2:8, 8 (NIV)

Upon Jesus' birth, the Shekinah Glory of God, was displayed to men — this time to celebrate God's indwelling a tabernacle of human flesh.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John all refer to the feeding of the five thousand families. John tells us that after feeding the five thousand, Jesus attended the Feast of Booths. Jesus arrived mid-week during the feast and began teaching in the Temple. Matthew, Mark, and Luke record for us what occurred before Jesus arrived at the Temple in Jerusalem.

After six days Jesus took Peter, James and John with him and led them up a high mountain, where they were all alone. There he was transfigured before them. His clothes became dazzling white, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them. And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.

Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what to say, they were so frightened.)

Then a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and a voice came from the cloud: “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!”

Suddenly, when they looked around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.

Mark 9:2-8 (NIV)

When we realize that the Transfiguration occurred at the time of the Feast of Booths, then we also realize that Peter’s suggestion, “Let us put up three shelters,” although silly, was at least seasonal. Yet Peter, James, and John witnessed what no one in Israel had seen heretofore. The Tabernacle and the Temple had previously obscured the source of God’s Shekinah. Yet for a moment, the disciples saw the Son of God revealed in glory, and they heard the voice of God from the thick cloud saying, “This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to him!” They, of course, fell to the ground, and after Jesus touched them and told them to get up, the scene had changed.

On the last day of the Feast of Booths, probably at the time the cauldrons were being lit, and before the half moon had risen, Jesus cried out to the people, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12 (NIV)

In this statement, Jesus brings to memory the Tabernacle in the desert where as the pre-incarnate Son of God, he led Israel in a cloud and a pillar of fire. He brings to memory the Shekinah glowing from the Tabernacle so that not even Moses could enter. With this statement Jesus also brings to memory the dedication of Solomon’s temple where the thick cloud prevented the priests from ministering in the temple and where fire fell from heaven and Shekinah radiated from within the Temple into the view of all men. At that time, only Peter, James, and John could fully understand what Jesus was saying.

Someday, all men will see Jesus in his glory.

“At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory. And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.”

After Christ’s return, and the final judgment of the unbelieving, God will reveal the New Jerusalem within a new heaven and a new earth. John writes of the New Jerusalem, saying,

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp.

The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there.

The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

Revelation 21:22-27 (NIV)

On Tuesday night, as the full moon is rising in the east, I intend to bring the little girls outside under the canopy of oak, birch, and hackberry. We will light the oil lamps and build a fire in the fire bowl. We will look at the sky and name the stars we recognize.

I will tell them that our bodies are merely a temporary dwelling place in a desert wilderness. I will tell them that someday, when Christ returns, we will enter into a Promised Land. I will tell them that I wonder what the sign of the Son of man appearing in the sky will look like such that all the nations of the earth will mourn.

I will tell them of the times in history, especially at the Feast of Booths, when God revealed his Shekinah Glory to men, and I will tell them of the future time when the faithful will live everyday by the Light of the World.

I will tell them that by faith in Jesus Christ we “will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Y-Ike-s

by John D Ramsey

Lisa talked to Cara this evening. Cara evacuated Houston with the treatment center where she works. Cara had moved from Galveston closer to Houston just days before Gustav fizzled. This weekend, some of her friends on the island lost their homes to Ike. Cara waited all day to hear from one friend whose home the storm destroyed. Cara finally received a text-message informing her that her friend was okay.

Cara also told Lisa that she saw her new apartment complex on television, and it does not appear damaged. Lisa and I have been tracking water levels around Clear Lake as best we can, and we, too, are optimistic that Cara’s apartment may have survived intact. Her roommates will be returning as soon as authorities permit them, and Cara will get an updated report when they do.

Cara will be staying at the camp for an indeterminate period. Her responsibilities will keep her there for as long as they need her. We expect that the storm surge inundated her car, which she left parked near Clear Creek when she evacuated with the clinic. It was a good old car.

There will be time for assessing damage and making financial decisions, but right now Cara is serving people who need her help. I could not be more proud of her.

Meanwhile in Kansas City:

The weather has been wet and our moods dreary (birthday parties notwithstanding). It has been difficult to focus on Gabby's sixth birthday knowing that Ike disrupts Cara’s life. Still, Gabby’s birthday parties went well. Lisa’s mom and dad came over Friday night, and Gabby’s friends came over Saturday morning. Lisa planned to have the kids’ party at the park, but the weekend forecast required a change of plans. With fourteen kids here, along with several moms, I did not even feel like the house was crowded (though I retreated for a while). Lisa did have a bit of an adventure keeping some of the kids contained, but no one was injured and everyone had fun. Gabby will be writing thank-you notes this week as part of her language arts assignments.



After the Saturday party, Lisa took a well-deserved nap. The little girls and I went outside in the drizzle and salvaged gala apples from the tree. We did not pick them last weekend because they were in worse shape than the red delicious apples that we boxed. Yet, every apple removed from a tree is an apple that will not sustain a squirrel through the winter.

On the gala tree, there were very few beautiful apples, but today we filled two thirty-gallon coolers with otherwise usable apples. When Lisa awoke from her nap, she came outside to join us. She especially did not enjoy working in the rain. Nevertheless, she realized that we needed to deal with the gala tree. She could not bring herself to complain about the weather considering what people in Texas (including Cara) endure this week.

I am glad for the opportunity to work with the little girls in the rain. Modern lifestyles place too much emphasis on personal comfort. Years from now, Claire and Gabby may remember the day in September 2008 when they picked apples in the rain, but many normal, comfortable days will prove altogether unmemorable. If nothing else, working outside in the rain should make working outside in nice weather much easier for Claire and Gabby.

Nothing is wrong with enjoying comfort, but when our pursuit of comfort prevents us from accomplishing something, how pathetic we are! Cara will always remember Hurricane Ike. She will remember that she left her own interests behind to care for those in need. Whether she gains professionally from this experience what she does these next few weeks will certainly become part of her character.

Our best opportunities lie beyond the boundaries of our personal comforts:

Today, I read in 1 Samuel chapter fourteen. Saul was king of Israel; he and his army arrayed themselves against the Philistines in a standoff. Saul had led an army of 330,000 men against the Ammonites in a previous time, yet since then the Philistines had succeeded in disarming Israel perhaps by killing or otherwise disabling the blacksmiths. Saul had an army of about 600 men with him, but only he, and his son Jonathon, had swords.

Trepidation paralyzed Saul, but his son Jonathon told his armor-bearer, “Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving, whether by many or by few.” 1 Samuel 14:6 (NIV) Jonathon and his servant boldly approached the Philistine outpost. When the Philistines chided them to come up, Jonathon and his armor-bearer climbed up the rocks and attacked. Jonathon led the way with his armor-bearer following. Together, they killed twenty Philistines, and the rest of the Philistine army panicked. The Hebrews who had aligned themselves with the Philistines changed sides once again, and Saul’s army-in-hiding came down from the hills to finish the rout. The Lord delivered Israel on that day.

Within our lives – within our walk of faith – many things impose upon our comforts or unsettle our hearts. Nevertheless, we need not have confidence in ourselves to have confidence in God. We need not squander our time in self-indulgent indecision. We need not look too far ahead while there is something to do today. Trusting God, we should move forward, energetically accomplishing our present task whether it is small or grand.

Sometimes the discomforts we face bring with them the sweetest rewards. Tonight, Lisa’s crock-pot simmers with the aroma of apples. In the morning, its contents should be apple butter.



Tonight, Cara works in an unfamiliar place looking out for children with unsettled minds and hearts. Tonight, I pray that God will cause Cara to be his little river of joy refreshing souls who are despairing, and may the morning bring them healing.

Regardless of our fears and inadequacies, “Nothing can hinder the LORD from saving.”

Surprise!

by John D Ramsey

I remember Christmas shopping for Cara and Daniel when they were four and three respectively. Lisa put items in the shopping cart while I kept the kids distracted. At their ages, it was easy to keep them distracted even through the checkout process. We managed to purchase nearly all of their gifts right under their noses without either child noticing. When Christmas came, Cara and Daniel were surprised to see the gifts that they had liked so much in the stores. Their surprise was always a bit of a mystery to Lisa and to me.

Tonight we went to Target to buy Gabby a bicycle for her sixth birthday. Buying at Wal-Mart was out of the question because their bikes in the colors that Gabby likes are all branded with Disney Princesses, Hanna Montana, or the like. All things are lawful, but in our family, Disney and similar brands are just not expedient. I do not want my girls’ identities to be coupled to someone else’s fantasies.

Target had a very nice Schwinn bicycle that Gabby had noticed before. We wandered around Target until Gabby caught sight of the bicycles and asked me if she could look at them again. She and I left Claire and Lisa and studied the bikes. Lisa and Claire joined us later and we all debated the advantages of the different bikes. Ultimately, we bought a less-expensive model because Gabby did not value the Schwinn more highly than another model.

Gabby does not know that we purchased the bicycle. While Lisa was asking a clerk to take the bike to Guest Services, I was discussing the sizes of basketballs with Gabby a couple aisles over. We left the sports and toy department for girls' clothing. Lisa found some corduroy pants for Gabby to try on. While Gabby headed to the dressing room, Claire and I purchased the bicycle and concealed it in the back of the Explorer.

As Gabby was entering the dressing room, she told Lisa, “You know, they could just buy me a present.”

Lisa asked, “Do you think they will?”

Gabby answered, “No, because they just didn’t think about it.”

When Lisa checked out, she bought a riding helmet that Gabby had wanted. Gabby noticed. When Gabby got into the car she looked into the back almost expecting to see her new bicycle, but Claire and I had done a masterful job of camouflage. Gabby asked Lisa about the helmet, and we explained that she had outgrown her old one; when that happens it is time to buy a new one. The helmet that fit her at Target was on clearance, which was even more reason to grab it up.

Tomorrow, Gabby will be excited to receive her new bicycle. Until then, Claire is basking in the glory of keeping a secret. When we reveal the secret tomorrow, both girls will celebrate even though it is Gabby’s birthday.

As believers in Jesus Christ, God has entrusted with a great mystery, yet we need not keep it secret. In fact, we are responsible to share the secret with those who do not know, and we celebrate with all who come to know the truth.

The mystery we possess is that the God who created everything also lovingly created man in His image. Nevertheless, we, his creation, rebelled against our Creator, and consequently fell under the curse of death. At the appropriate time, the Son, the visible expression of God, became a man. He lived among men experiencing all that we experience, yet without rebellion against the Father. In his life, he expressed both his deity and his humanity. In his physical suffering and death, he endured both the wrath of man against his God, and the judgment of God against man’s sin. On the cross, Jesus Christ, the Son of God and Son of Man, offered himself as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. Satisfied by the sacrifice of the Son, the Father raised him to life again.

Because of the Son’s incarnation, his death, and his resurrection, we who were in rebellion against our Creator are now reconciled to him.

We receive this reconciliation by his grace. Some Bible translations refer to grace as a “free gift”, and grace is free in the sense that we could never merit it. Yet accepting God’s grace costs us something. When we receive grace, we die with Jesus Christ to the world and to our former selves. We instead become alive in God and alive to God through the power of the Holy Spirit living in us. Dying with Christ means that someday we, too, will experience the glory of his resurrection.

Jesus, in John chapter three, and Peter, in 1 Peter chapter one, refer to this reconciliation to God as being "born again" — a new kind of birthday. This is the mystery of the ages, the greatest gift in history, and it is yours to keep — forever.

Now that you know, how will you celebrate?

Free food

by John D Ramsey

Saturday, we cleaned most of the apples off our red delicious tree. We boxed a little less than 100 pounds of apples, and culled about as many that were smaller. Most of the apples were accessible from the ground or from a stepladder; however, some were far enough out of reach that I needed to climb the tree to get to them. This led to some awkward contortions where I was hanging on with my left hand and picking apples with my right hand. The highest apples I tossed down to Claire, and she caught them (some of them) with my old Rawlings baseball glove.

Gabby was our official apple-sizer. She used a wide-mouth Tostitos Salsa con Queso jar to measure the apples’ circumference. If an apple fit in the jar, she culled it. If it was too big for the jar, she boxed it. If a squirrel had ruined it, she pitched it into a trash bin. Lisa, Claire, and Gabby will process the culls into apple pie filling, applesauce or something else yummy as they decide.

Sunday, Lisa made salsa again using tomatoes and jalapenos from our garden. This summer we have eaten hundreds of free tomatoes with more to come. I suppose the loads of tomatoes from our garden have had a positive impact on our grocery budget. The trick for Lisa has been to make effective use of them. Likewise, our apples may also be a budget windfall. The girls are thrilled with the idea of free food, yet I wonder how much we will spend on sugar, cinnamon, and piecrusts before we realize the potential of all our free apples.

Free food is a powerful idea. Yet food is seldom entirely free. For instance, to harvest a couple hundred pounds of apples required all of us to work for one morning. It would not pay me to take a day off work to pick apples. Nor would apple picking have paid if I had injured myself falling from a ladder or from a bough of the tree. It might have paid Lisa the value of my life insurance, but that is beside the point. As it turns out, we are poised to benefit again from free food. Even so, Lisa and the girls have a lot of work ahead of them before we realize results. Free food requires commitment.

When Israel wandered in the desert, God provided them with free food in the form of manna. Still, they had to gather the manna each day, and they had to prepare it before they could eat it. While daily-manna assured them that they would not starve, the process was labor intensive. Arguably, manna from heaven alleviated the risk, but not the labor related to survival in the wilderness. About six or seven months after Israel crossed over the Jordan into the land of promise, God no longer provided manna because the people ate the produce of the land.

Matthew 14, Mark 6, Luke 9, and John 6 all give us the account of Jesus feeding the five thousand. Luke’s treatment is very much a summary. Matthew and Mark give us the background leading up to the miracle, and John records the events immediately following the miracle. Matthew and Mark tell us that after Herod beheaded John the Baptist, Jesus took his disciples to a secluded place to rest.

John’s execution alarmed and confused the people who had followed him. Their hopes for the kingdom that John had preached were shattered. Grieving and bewildered, they gathered by the Sea of Galilee waiting for Jesus to appear. Their gathering was spontaneous, and they did not prepare to spend days in the countryside.

When Jesus and his disciples arrived and saw the crowd, Jesus “felt compassion for them because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he began to teach them many things.” Mark 6:34 (NASB) When it was late, Jesus’ disciples wanted to send the crowd away so they could find something to eat, but Jesus instead took the contribution of five barley loaves and two fish and fed five thousand men plus the accompanying women and children. When we think about Jesus feeding the five thousand we need to remember that it was five thousand families.

The people, who mourned John the Baptist’s demise, immediately sought to make Jesus their king. In response, Jesus sent the crowds away and withdrew into a secluded place. He told his disciples to sail to Capernaum, which was several miles north on Sea of Galilee. Many of Jesus’ disciples had family in Capernaum or Bethsaida, a short distance away. Jesus told his disciples that he would join them later. The disciples might have sailed close to the shore for a time thinking that Jesus would appear on the beach and call out to them. Jesus did not come as they expected. Before long, they were in open water and it was night. A storm nearly capsized their boat. In this distress, Jesus came to them walking on the water. When Jesus entered the boat, the sea calmed and they immediately reached the shore.

Although, Jesus told his disciples to sail toward Capernaum and Bethsaida, apparently the storm drove them to Gennesaret instead. When we hear God say, “Go this direction”, do we feel confused or discouraged when the storms of life take us somewhere else? Just because God gives us direction, does not mean that we are in control. Nevertheless, we can be sure that, regardless of the storms, God retains control. This insight is too good to pass up, but we are talking about free food.

In the morning after Jesus disciples started out for Capernaum, the people whom Jesus had fed set out from Tiberias sailing for Capernaum thinking that Jesus was meeting his disciples there. They expected to arrive at Capernaum before Jesus did, but they were surprised to learn that was ahead of them at Gennesaret. When they found him there they asked, “Rabbi, when did You get here?” John 6:25 (NASB) Jesus did not answer their question. Instead, he rebuked the people who had sailed the lake looking for him.

Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves and were filled. Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you, for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.

John 6:26, 27 (NASB)

The people whom Jesus fed in Tiberias had worked hard to catch up with him in Gennesaret. They expended much energy pursuing free food. Jesus said, “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life.” Perhaps they were just a little embarrassed to realize that they had worked hard for another free meal that apparently was not forthcoming.

Still, the people were curious about working for eternal life, and they asked, “What shall we do, so that we may work the works of God?”

Jesus replied, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.”

The peoples’ hearts were hardened, but they still had free food on their mind. They challenged Jesus asking, “What then do You do for a sign, so that we may see, and believe You? . . . Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness: as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT.’”

Jesus realized that the people were comparing him to Moses. He corrects them telling them that Moses did not bring bread from heaven. He tells them that the Father gives the true bread from heaven. The people asked Jesus “always” to give them this bread.

The people thought that they are negotiating with Jesus, but Jesus is taking the discussion far beyond their comfort level. He immediately goes beyond their ability to comprehend. Jesus tells them that he is the bread of life that came from heaven. The people demur, but Jesus continues to escalate, saying,

I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread also which I will give for the life of the world is My flesh.

John 6:48-51 (NASB)

The Jewish leaders among the crowd objected vigorously, saying, “How can this man give us flesh to eat?” Jesus was anticipating this question. This question divides the believers from the unbelievers; either you accept it or you do not. Jesus said,

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day. For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever.

John 6:53-58 (NASB)

Jesus offers himself as the bread from heaven that brings eternal life to all who eat it. This he offers freely, but it was difficult even for his disciples to accept. Many followers turned away because of these words. Jesus explained to his closest disciples, “. . . the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.” Of course, Jesus is speaking in spiritual metaphor! He contrasts physical life and death in the wilderness with eternal life in him. Jesus was not talking about preserving our present bodies forever. He said, “The Spirit gives life; the flesh profits nothing.” Eternal life does nothing for the mortal body. Eternal life does not preempt my appointment with death. It gives me hope beyond the grave.

The Jews, the people who had pursued him from Tiberias, never realized that Jesus had been speaking in metaphor all along. He wanted to give them eternal life. They wanted Jesus to feed them barley loaves and fish. His audience and Jesus were not really in the same conversation. Knowing this, Jesus stretched the metaphor as far as he possibly could, but their minds were still into sushi.

We might breathe a sigh of relief realizing that “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood” is metaphor, but before we feel too relieved we need to understand that Jesus’ words are not empty. His metaphor is extreme because his teaching is extreme. Knowing that Jesus was speaking in metaphor we still need to answer, what does it mean to eat his flesh and drink his blood?

Some Christians spiritualize nearly all of Jesus’ teaching to deflect truth that convicts them (Matthew 23:1-12, for instance), only to turn around and take Jesus literally when he says he is speaking figuratively. Go figure. Actually, their pattern is consistent because when Jesus goes one direction, they go the other.

Other Christians dismiss Jesus’ words in John 6 as if metaphors cannot be parsed. Reflecting upon the meaning of eating Jesus’ flesh and drinking his blood, I recall what Paul said about the Lord’s Supper.

Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread. Look at the nation Israel; are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar?

1 Corinthians 10:16-18 (NASB)

Paul’s argument was not that the elements of the Lord’s Supper were literally the blood and body of the Lord, but rather sharing the Lord’s Supper is sharing in his sacrifice. He points to Israel’s example, “Are not those who eat the sacrifices sharers in the altar?” That is what Jesus was teaching in John chapter six.

When Jesus says that we must eat his flesh and drink his blood, he expresses that we must take responsibility for his sacrifice. Jesus died on the cross because my sin put him there. Jesus, the bread of life offers himself to us freely. Nevertheless, to accept this bread means to acknowledge my sin. I acknowledge that my sin crucified the Creator. I accept Jesus’ sacrifice as a sin offering for me. How culpable am I in Jesus’ crucifixion? I am as culpable as if I ate his flesh and drank his blood. My responsibility in Jesus’ death is not some abstract or technical guilt. I am either in or out. If I think my responsibility for his death is insignificant, then I have not partaken of the bread of life.

Accepting his sacrifice for me, I can no longer live for myself. Eating his flesh and drinking his blood means that my life now dwells in him and his life now lives in me. Receiving Jesus’ gift of eternal life, I am taken captive by his boundless love. Receiving by faith Jesus’ sacrifice for my sin is what Jesus refers to when he says, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent.” To acknowledge less is to reject him and his offer of eternal life.

The bread of life, Jesus offers freely. Will we commit to it?

Super lucky elephant

by John D Ramsey

The little girls are at their grandparents’ home this week. While public school has started, Lisa has decided that Claire and Gabby will begin their home-school schedule earnestly after Labor Day. In past years, she has tried to start earlier, but personal schedules do not really slow down until September. Claire has already begun studying math at www.aleks.com. The goals-oriented approach and its graphical reporting motivate Claire. She prefers ALEKS to “mean math” with Dad. Maybe I should have drawn her a progress chart. Gabby is always learning something. Lately she has been concentrating on her reading skills. While Lisa has postponed their formal school schedule, both girls are already putting in hours toward their education.

With the girls away, Lisa picked me up from work yesterday and we went to T.G.I. Friday's for dinner (I had a buy-one-get-one coupon). BOGO notwithstanding, I was impressed with the prime rib stroganoff. Lisa’s petite sirloin was tender and grilled to perfection. I am not a big Friday's fan, but I was pleasantly surprised.

After dinner, Lisa and I drove to Mardel and picked up a birthday present for a little girl (hint, hint) and a handful of Gospel of John booklets. Lisa and I surveyed home-school resources, too, but we deferred purchases. From Mardel, we drove to Costco where we debated the advantages of “Super Lucky Elephant” rice over a plain long grain. We bought neither. Lisa could not decide, and I did not really care. For me the joy is in the analysis and deliberation. We stopped at Target on the way home and picked up a few more things necessary to keep the household operating.

While we were in Target, I noticed that I had missed Daniel’s call. I called him back and visited with him until we reached our driveway at home. I told him about the tobacco growers association we have at work. We have just seven plants in various office windows – one of them is over four feet tall (1.3 m). I also talked to him about mini-cows and other potential hobbies. He chuckled. I am not certain whether he was embarrassed to know me, or whether he finds me genuinely amusing. Nevertheless, my heart was gladdened hearing him laugh.

Lisa had talked to Cara earlier in the day. A stranger who observed Cara acting generously had scolded her. Some people are so cruel that they cannot fathom why someone else would be kind – such attitudes help no one and make no one happy. Keep doing what is right, Cara. Earlier in the day, an auto mechanic commended Lisa on Claire and Gabby’s behavior. Lisa’s eyes began to water as she conveyed to me how blessed she feels when she thinks about our kids.

I stayed up too late last night, and this morning I arrived at work a little later than I would normally. My morning began with some laughter with friends before I settled into troubleshooting a problem. My workday ended with progress toward a resolution and more laughter with friends. There is a lot of laughter in our office. Come to think of it, there is a lot of laughter in our home.

Tonight, the little girls are still at their grandparents’ home. Lisa and I are both working. As I reflect upon my week, I remember what a wonderful wife and children I have. Yesterday, I got yet another email from a recruiter promising to rescue me from the daily grind. It forced me once again to admit that I like my job; I like the company for which I work, and I like the people with whom I spend Monday through Friday.

I do not think that I am lucky. Rather, I know that I am tremendously blessed. I thank God for his many blessings upon me and upon my family.

State fair

by John D Ramsey

We just returned from the Missouri State Fair in Sedalia. We went to see Claire’s 4-H projects on display, but I was also looking to see if there were any miniature cattle. There is a long story behind that, but I did not see any mini-cows. If they were there, I overlooked them.

Agriculture in the United States intrigues me. I remember bucking bales, killing chickens, and digging thistles on my grandparents’ farm when I was a child. I remember almost passing out when my grandfather and the veterinarian castrated a bunch of shoats before a farm sale. It was my job to pass the bottle of iodine to the vet, but the intense squealing, the blood, and the bucket of [redacted by Lisa] sent me into early retirement from hog farming. I cooled off and regained my color in front of my grandmother’s window air conditioner from Sears. I think I was ten or twelve years old at the time.

I first learned to drive a Ford 8N tractor. I was probably thirteen when my grandfather decided that it was about time for me to learn. The 8N produced about 25 horsepower. In a school science experiment later that year, I produced a little over one horsepower running up the stairway from the school’s cafeteria.

Today I photographed Gabby sitting inside the rim of a 530 horsepower John Deere 9630. I remember I was impressed with how easily my grandfather’s 8N turned the soil in the north garden patch with its one bottom plow. I am older now, and realize that a 25 horsepower tractor is but a lawnmower. Still, the John Deere 9630 is beyond my comprehension.

Huge machines, such as the John Deere 9630, amaze me, but such a beast is inaccessible to me. My interest lies more with self-sustaining agriculture. For instance, this year I am confident that I have produced enough tobacco to meet the needs of the entire family. Moreover, my few plants will produce more than enough seed to let me plant tobacco again next year if I so choose. Additional expenses on potting soil and peat moss followed my initial investment of $3.00 for seeds. If I actually had a use for the tobacco, I am sure that I would be money ahead.

Earlier this month, Lisa and I drove past McGonigle’s Meat Market in Kansas City. Their sign advertised heirloom tomatoes for $5.99 per pound. Price Chopper, a few blocks from our house, sells homegrown tomatoes for $3.99 per pound. The other day I came in from Claire’s tomato patch cradling more than a dozen tomatoes (some heirloom and others not). I let them roll on to the counter and told Lisa, “There’s twenty bucks.”

Lisa looked at the pile and scoffed and said, “At least!”

Yet as we enjoy the fresh tomatoes and basil from our garden, I wonder what it would take to supply all our tomato needs. If we grew enough tomatoes to last us a year, what other costs would be involved in preserving them? At what point would I break even, or have I already by only supplying fresh tomatoes during the summer months?

Lisa and I have concluded self-sustaining agriculture is a difficult puzzle. It suffers from the same economic pressures as commercial agriculture. For instance, if someone were going to buy a John Deere 9630, he would need to use it enough to justify either his financing payments or the amortized return on his initial cash investment. The tractor can make quick work of many things, but if the 9630 is underutilized, it saves time but wastes money. Likewise, any expense I make in the spring preparing the garden must be balanced against the savings I receive eating tomatoes that I did not buy. Otherwise gardening is just a hobby.

A friend and I have been looking at the prices of miniature cattle. According to the Wall Street Journal they produce milk and beef more efficiently than regular cattle, and they are supposedly more suitable for sustainable agriculture. Nevertheless, the prices of the miniature bulls and cows include the valuation of their future offspring. Consequently, for the would-be rancher there is a significant barrier to entry. For instance, I noticed online a bull and two cows on sale for $4000.00. I can buy much beef and dairy for four grand. Yet finding the break-even point is intriguing to me. Dollars spent at a grocery store is money gone, while herds retain and even increase in value.

Do not worry, Lisa, I am not buying mini-cows. We do not have room for them. For me farming and ranching is merely a hypothetical mental exercise. Nevertheless, next year we are planting more tomatoes.

Attending the state fair and walking through the livestock exhibits, reminds me of the celebration of the tithe in the Old Testament. Without getting into too deep a discussion of ecclesiology and tithing, I digress to the history of the tithe. The Old Testament concept of tithing began with Abraham. After rescuing Lot from the five kings from Mesopotamia, Abraham brought the spoils of war to Melchizedek, the king of Salem, and gave him a tenth of all.

Abraham’s tithe was a one-time gift. Moreover, Abraham kept none of the spoil. He gave a portion to his fighting men and the rest he gave to the king of Sodom, saying, “I will accept nothing belonging to you, not even a thread or the thong of a sandal, so that you will never be able to say, ‘I made Abram rich.’” Genesis 14:23 (NIV)

From the passage, it does not appear that God compelled Abraham to make a gift to Melchizedek. Nor is there any other account of Abraham making a similar gift. Many years later, Jacob, Abraham’s grandson, vowed to God, saying:

If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the LORD will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth.

Genesis 28:20-22 (NIV)

Again, God did not compel this pledge from Jacob. Perhaps Jacob remembered his grandfather’s account of tithing to Melchizedek and decided that he should do more. We cannot be certain of his motivation; nevertheless, God remembered his pledge and tithing became part of the Law of Moses at the very end of Leviticus. “A tithe of everything from the land, whether grain from the soil or fruit from the trees, belongs to the LORD; it is holy to the LORD.” Leviticus 27:30 (NIV) Why did one tenth of everything belong to the Lord? It belonged to God because Jacob (Israel) had so pledged. What is most interesting to me is not that God demanded a tenth of everything, but rather how he instructed Israel to give it.

You must not eat in your own towns the tithe of your grain and new wine and oil, or the firstborn of your herds and flocks, or whatever you have vowed to give, or your freewill offerings or special gifts. Instead, you are to eat them in the presence of the LORD your God at the place the LORD your God will choose—you, your sons and daughters, your menservants and maidservants, and the Levites from your towns—and you are to rejoice before the LORD your God in everything you put your hand to. Be careful not to neglect the Levites as long as you live in your land.

Deuteronomy 12:17-19 (NIV)

Who consumed the tithe that God commanded Israel to give? The giver did! God did not want Israel’s possessions; he wanted their hearts. He tells them to come to the place where he will establish his tabernacle or temple, bring their families, servants, and the Levites living nearby to “rejoice before the LORD [their] God in everything [they] put [their hands] to.” Deuteronomy 14 expounds upon the instruction because bringing a tenth of livestock and grain would be a burden to some that lived far away. God tells them they can exchange their tithe for silver and bring the silver to the place of gathering. He tells them,

Use the silver to buy whatever you like: cattle, sheep, wine or other fermented drink, or anything you wish. Then you and your household shall eat there in the presence of the LORD your God and rejoice. And do not neglect the Levites living in your towns, for they have no allotment or inheritance of their own.

Deuteronomy 14:26-27 (NIV)

In every third year, this tithe or perhaps an additional tenth, went to the storehouses that the Levites managed. A tenth of the Levites’ receipts went to support the priests in the temple. The Levites shared their allotment with widows, orphans, and foreigners who lived in the land. This special year was called “the year of the tithe.”

Imagine all the people in an agricultural society coming together to one place and bringing with them a tenth of all their produce. Imagine all their friends and family joining them. Imagine that they stay in this place until they consume one tenth of the national GDP. Imagine that the focus of this event is rejoicing in the Lord and his bounteous provision. This event would outshine any state fair!

Imagine the heart of God telling Israel to take the gift that they promised to him and use it to celebrate his name! The celebration would foster brotherhood. Moreover, imagine the economic stimulus! A man with many cattle might sell them for silver and then use the silver to buy grain and wine. Imagine the man with a surplus of grain gladly exchanging it for silver, which he could use to buy what he lacked. God’s blessing upon his people did not deprive them of bounty. Rather he shared and multiplied his blessings through the economic activity associated with tithing.

When we consider the calendar, we realize that the celebration of the tithe corresponded with the Feast of Tabernacles. At the harvest moon, Israel was required to gather together at the Tabernacle or in Jerusalem and live under the sky for eight days. They built temporary shelters commemorating their sojourn in Sinai. Nevertheless, in Israel’s memory this feast celebrated much more than the Exodus because immediately prior this feast Solomon dedicated the temple. Read about it in 2 Chronicles.

When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying,

“He is good;
his love endures forever.”

2 Chronicles 7:1-3 (NIV)

The glory of the Lord filled had filled the tabernacle and now it filled Solomon’s temple. The glory of God came down to earth and when Israel saw it they fell down with their faces on the ground.

As Christians we cannot read 2 Chronicles 7 without remembering the words of the Apostle John, “The Word became flesh and [tabernacled] among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:14 (NIV) We realize that celebration of the Feast of Tabernacles looked not only into the history of Israel but also unto the promise of Christ! Without too much stretch of the imagination, we realize that when Israel celebrated God’s bounteous provision during the Feast of Tabernacles, their actions also looked forward to God’s amazing provision of eternal life through the Son, Jesus Christ.

As believers, the history of the tithe challenges us to use our resources – the blessings that God has given to us – to celebrate Jesus Christ. Nevertheless, God is not seeking a tenth of our increase. Just as he wanted from Israel, he is seeking 100% of our hearts.

Measuring up

By John D Ramsey

Okay, I admit, I am a sucker for the Olympics. I ignored the hype, I avoided all but the last few minutes of the opening ceremony. However, I cannot (or do not) resist the urge to watch the drama of sport. Gabby was just a toddler during the last Summer Games, so she is discovering the Olympics for the first time. I have let her stay up late and she has thoroughly enjoyed watching. I wondered what about the Olympics she found so captivating, and so I watched her watch. She identifies with the athletes from the United States and cheers when they succeed. She does this even though she only recently learned the difference between a city and a state and must have a fuzzy notion of what the United States is. I should not be too surprised with her nationalistic zeal because last football season and through the NCAA Basketball Tournament she always asked me, “Who are we voting for?”

Next time she asks, I shall have to correct her and say, “The proper form of your question is, ‘For whom are we voting?’ However, we do not vote, we cheer. Consequently, you should ask, ‘For whom are we cheering?’” I am certain that she would respond as her older sisters would, and say, “. . . Whatever.”

Nevertheless, Gabby is usually eager to lend her enthusiasm to whatever team or athlete I prefer, but sometimes she just likes one team’s colors more. She wants to cheer for someone. I suppose her affinity to an athlete or a team exposes the innate, existential surrogate scheme in which we all occasionally indulge. We feel like winners when our team wins.

During the Minnesota winter, it is difficult to cheer for the home team knowing that Green Bay and Chicago play real football on their home fields. By the same measure, perhaps I should not consider myself a football fan knowing that the true fanatics endure the extreme weather of Green Bay, Wisconsin. Nevertheless, as football fan living in Minnesota, I employed a different ethos than cheering the home team. Rather, I hoped that the better team would win.

I have realized that sport is a justice system. Whoever prepares best, plays hardest, and sacrifices most deserves to win. Like any justice system, there are those who try to pervert it. Some stack the bench with raw talent regardless of cost. Some use surreptitious means to steal competitors’ secrets. Some athletes use performance-enhancing drugs to gain an edge. Whenever someone gains an unfair advantage, his losses are sweet to the rest of us. When a great athlete is caught cheating, it is tragedy brought about by hubris. When the best team wins, we feel contented. All these illustrate a natural justice in sport.

Even though sport seeks justice, it is not without irony. Kirsta Coventry’s silver medal in the 100-meter backstroke is ironic in light of her world record in the semi-final of the event. As spectators, we sway to the courtroom dramas that unfold before our eyes. We deliberate with the announcers, and we render our own verdicts after injecting our own prejudice into the equations. We beautify our saints and condemn our sinners.

Perhaps we cheer when Michael Phelps wins gold and breaks the world record in the process. His labors are rewarded; justice is served. Perhaps we also cheer when Dara Torres overcomes the limitations of age to compete and win. Who works harder than these do? Their mental toughness is as commendable as their physical strength. Yet we might ask ourselves, what can we gain by their success? What would we lose if they failed? Most of us have not chosen to endure their sacrifices, nor will we earn the prizes that they seek. Any existential moment we enjoy is meaningless unless we can realize actual benefit. As athletes, very few of us would measure up to the dedicated men and women who earn the right to compete in the Olympics.

Nevertheless, the examples of great athletes encourage us because they confirm justice. Seeing justice in one realm, we can strive for justice in another. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Greeks in Corinth saying,

Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NIV)

Paul implores the Corinthians to focus upon their faith even as an athlete focuses upon his training. Paul demands spiritual toughness of believers because there is reward for the faithful, and much is at stake. Later in his life, Paul concluded his instructions to Timothy saying,

The time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.

2 Timothy 4:6-8 (NIV)

In our Kingdom in Context Bible study, we took a glance at the life of Joshua today. Joshua was spiritually tough. He fought the Lord’s battles faithfully from early in his life until the land of Canaan was subdued. He climbed halfway up Sinai, and he waited for Moses even while Israel committed idolatry. Joshua stayed with Moses even as Moses’ glory was fading. Joshua brought a good report to the people. He had confidence that God would deliver the Promised Land. The people nearly stoned him for his faith. He was strong and courageous as he led Israel in conquest. He succeeded in nearly everything God commanded him to do. When he failed to persuade all of Israel to treat God as holy, he punished Achan and his family, and then led the army to victory against Ai. When he failed to see Gibeon’s ruse, he owned his mistake and kept his oath. Joshua was spiritually tough. He was faithful.

Joshua was perhaps Israel’s strongest leader. Yet in his final days, he surveyed the men of Israel and he said,

You are not able to serve the LORD. He is a holy God; he is a jealous God. He will not forgive your rebellion and your sins. If you forsake the LORD and serve foreign gods, he will turn and bring disaster on you and make an end of you, after he has been good to you.

Joshua 24:19, 20 (NIV)

Joshua could see that regardless of what God had done for them; Israel was not spiritually tough enough to remain faithful. In light of Israel’s example, how do we know that we are spiritually tough enough? What hope do we have that we will fight the good fight and finish the race? If we hope to compete on our own merits, we are all like overweight, middle-aged men, trying to qualify for the Olympics. We are stupid to try.

However, we do not fight or run in our own strength, but rather we draw our strength from Jesus Christ. The writer of Hebrews carries on Paul’s sports analogy saying,

Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.

Hebrews 12:1-3 (KJV)

Jesus is both the author and finisher of our faith. He is our example and he is our strength. What we cannot do ourselves, he has already finished for us. We measure up, because he has measured up. Indeed, we win because he has won.

When we look to Jesus, we will not be discouraged. His faithfulness will keep us faithful. The longer we strive to know him, the more we will long for his appearing. Learning of him and yearning for him will earn us a “crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to [us] on that day.”