It's Broke, and We Can't Fix It! (Lent 1)

I invite you to join me on a Lenten journey with me over the next few weeks.  Lent is a season of the church year that beacons us to the cross.  Each week introduces a new call to appreciate our desperate need for God and what He has done to heal this broken world.  God made a few very important promises through the Old Testament, these promises will mark our journey.  Noah, Abraham, Israel through Moses, and Israel through Jeremiah were the recipients of these promises.  This week we turn to Genesis 8:8-17.  What follows is a teaser, the rest will show up this Tuesday.  

God’s Covenant with Noah. This entire event which eventually evokes this covenant sets the foundation for this lenten journey.  The Noah account puts down any thought that humanity, with the proper application of his skills, or the best possible sneer could redeem himself. Noah, identified as a “blameless” or “perfect” individual was given an absolutely clean slate.  However, even after God purges the entire earth from all traces of sin, it still seems to find a way back into the human scene. Noah instructs us with regard to the full reach of sin in the heart of every man.  God’s covenant with Noah seems to point to the Holy One’s resolve to redeem completely.  The obvious question then relates to whether this is new information for God?  Was God surprised when sin found its way back into the human experience?  Of course not.  God is not the one who needs an education on the full reality, and reach of sin in humanity, we are.  With Noah we learn just how severely we are broken.  Now we must look forward for a great promise, and a more complete work of God which will redeem and heal the world. 

The Curse

What if the fall did not happen?  What would the world look like if the Biblical account of Genesis 3 did not occur?  You know the story.  Once upon a time, in a garden called Eden lived a man and a woman.  These two individuals were given every conceivable blessing in their garden life.  However, they were also given one prohibition, they were not to eat the fruit from a certain tree which grew in the middle of the garden.  Unfortunately, the prohibited fruit proved too tempting, as they disobeyed their creator and ate.  The fallout was most tragic.  God, their creator educated them concerning a reality that they had already experienced.  After eating the forbidden fruit, everything for this man and woman immediately changed.  Nothing looked the same, tasted the same, or felt the same.  Long before God’s “punishment”, they felt punished.  

Now, I had always thought that the negative effects of the fall were instituted when Adam and Eve were, “called into the principle’s office”.  It was during this meeting that the dreaded “curse” was instantiated.  Yes, the curse was God’s way of punishing Adam and Eve for this disobedience.  However, what if this was not the case?  What if the curse had nothing to do with punishment?  What if the curse was actually one of God’s most profound gifts of grace?  What if the curse was actually God’s gracious means by which we would never forget about that day in the garden, when the first man and woman disobeyed God?  What if it was given by God so that we might never dismiss the reality of our fallen condition?  

So, I again ask, what would the world look like if the fall did not happen?  If we were not fallen, we would be in pristine condition.  In such a world, we would be born completely whole.  The most egregious sin would be the denial of our feelings and impulses.  Since our nature was not distorted by the fall, our basic instincts would be completely intact and trustworthy.  Nothing about our nature would need to be changed, just accentuated or even liberated.  Sin would be defined as the suppression of our passions.  Salvation, if such a term should rightly exist, would be expressed in statements such as, “this is my life”, “this is my body”, “I can be who I want to be,” “I can do what I want to do,” “I must embrace the person I feel I was born as.”  

Alas, this sounds very similar to my world.  In fact, dreadfully similar.  Strangely, the fall did occur.  The effects of the fall are a fact of reality.  So, how have we managed to create an existence that reflects an unspoiled world in the midst of our fallenness?  How have we managed to blithely ignore the reality of our brokenness?  

We have misunderstood the curse of God.  God cursed Adam and Eve so that they would never forget their fallen state, by reminding them daily that they were broken.  The curse was a painful wound which necessitated healing.  It reminding them that if Christ did not intervene and mend the wound, they would bleed-out on the table.  However, far from acknowledging the effects of the curse, we have not merely rejected it, but whole-heartedly embraced it.  “This is the way that I am, I’m not broken.  I’m me!”  Like the frog in the kettle who might suggest that the pot is not getting hotter, the outside world is simply getting cooler, we seem to believe our problems do not reside in us, rather it belongs to those things beyond us.  We have misconstrued the curse, and have become habitual skeptics, believing that it can never get better than this.  “I know I walk with a limp, experiencing intense pain with every step; but hey, this is the way I was born.”  “What can you expect?”  

The curse is not God’s punishment, it is His promise that we were made for more than our present pain.  We were made for His eternal blessing.  I am glad for a world with the curse, for without it we would never be aware of our brokenness, or realize God’s healing.  Praise God from whom all blessings flow.  

The Property Brothers and Jesus

The kingdom of God now, but not yet.  It is interesting that the story of Israel’s refusal to enter the promise land in Numbers 13 and our present condition are similar.  We are told that God’s kingdom has been established by Christ.  He is indeed reigning and is in control.  However, when we look around, we may questions such a proposition.  

This thought began to emerge as I viewed an episode of "Property Brothers"  The premise of the show is simple.  Two brothers, one a contractor (Jonathan) and the other a real estate agent (Drew) are the hosts.  In each episode, a family presents their need for a new home.  Unfortunately, they cannot afford their dream home.  However, the brothers has the solution.  They convince their clients that they could have all, or at least most of what they want if they would purchase a less expensive, fixer-upper and renovate.  Once the deal is completed by the Drew, Jonathan begins his work.  By the conclusion of the episode, the families begin their lives in their dream home.  What if you participated as the potential homeowner?  After finding that perfect "fixer-upper, one of the brothers instructed you to simply move in and begin renovating, even before the deal was finished.   You may question the legality of such behavior, which would be rejoined by Drew's assurance that the deal is "as good as done."  After all, if you watch the show, Drew never fails to complete the deal.  His track record is flawless, his word can be trusted.  

Yet, even if the dead was securely in your grasp, you may still have the same reaction as many on the show.  Many feel like foreigners in their new property.  It is only after they have renovated the house and formed it into their own likeness, that they begin to feel like natives.  In order for this transformation to occur, they have to build toward or for their dream home.  

We are told by the likes of N.T. Wright that we are to be “building for the kingdom”.  Living in such a way as though God was king, and his rule was now.  When we look at our culture, we may be tempted to suggest that this kingdom is not present.  We find suggest that it would be foolish to live in such a manner.  Yet, God continues to call us to live out his kingdom, with full confidence and hope that He has done, in the completed (perfect tense) action, what he said he has done.  

In Numbers 13, Israel was told that the land was already theirs (perfect, completed action).  Even though the land did not look like it belonged to them, as their enemies were still residing comfortably in the land.  God told Israel to go in and begin building, stretching out, and acting as though the land was their possession.  However, Israel did not set their eyes on the promise, only the problem.  They did not begin living in the land, as though it belonged to them.  Unfortunately, that generation of Israel would never realize the blessings that God had intended for them.  They refused to trust in God and believe His promises.  

This world is our “land”.  God has promised this land to us, and established it as His kingdom on earth.  God has called us to inhabit this land with his ethics, announce his reign, and live as though He were presently on the throne.  Just as the Canaanites would have reacted (had Israel obeyed), our world may be tempted to reject our message.  However, they would not be able to deny our unique lives guided by God’s nature.  

If we would learn from the past, we would certainly enter the land, in spite of all of the problems ahead, and build for the kingdom.  If we should ignore the past, we will never enter the promise land, we will never know all that God has intended for us.  This is Christ work, this is our calling, this is God’s world.  Fill this world with his presence, live as though God’s kingdom if fact, and His reign is enacted, because it is.  

Father

How do you talk to God?  When you talk to God, what do you say?  The creator of the universe, of you?  Is there anything adequate to say to such a being?  I grew up as a wrestling fanatic — not the theatrical kind that you see on television from the likes of the WWE — but real, bonafide wrestling.  In the late 80’s the king of the wrestling world was a man by the name of Bruce baumgartner.  He had won the olympics wrestling in the heavyweight division.  I remember the day that I had the opportunity to meet him, my wrestling hero.  I can still remember what I said when he shook my hand — or swallowed it up in his mighty paw — “WOW”.  That was it, these were the genius words that protruded out of my mouth, “WOW”.  In the face of greatness, it is often hard to form good thoughts, to respond adequately.  So, again I ask, what do you say when you are speaking to the beginning and the end, the “I Am”?  

Jesus understood our need for instruction at this point.  As he taught on the mount in Matthew 5-7, look where he began, “Our Father”.  Of course, he begins where God always begins, with the intimacy of a good father.  Believe it or not, this intimate language has strong Old Testament representation.  

In fact, if you read the Old Testament right, you might find that such language is the aim of the entire Hebrew Bible.  It seems that many of the contemporaries of Jesus did not read it correctly.  Their prayers were full of language that suggested that God was far away, higher up, and further back.  

Did they forget God’s desire for intimacy with us in the garden, and his walks with Adam and Eve?  Did they not recognize how God drew Abraham, and then Jacob, and finally Joseph to himself?  Did they not understand that the purpose of the Exodus from Egypt was never about getting across the Red sea and out of slavery, but getting to Mt. Sinai and into the presence of God?  

Addressing YHWH as “Father” was a scandal.  God was holy, so holy that a Hebrew was not even permitted to say his personal name (Yahwah).  Jesus goes beyond a personal name, to a personal relationship.  In our day, we make a great deal of the “personal relationship” language, as we should.  However, this is more than a “Jesus and Me” thing, this is a “redemption of God’s creative purposes” thing.  We were created to love God and to be loved by God.  God wants to be as close as a whisper, to know Him and be known by Him.  Calling God father marks out how God intends to set things right again.  Thus Jesus says, “call Him Father”.  

Robin, Where Are You Now?

From an over-the-top genie, to a cross-dressed nanny from Britain, Robin Williams knew how to make people laugh.  Whenever I would see him on the television I would instantly smile, at least on the inside.  Mork and Mindy was the first exposure that I had to Williams.  He was a good comedian.  Over the past few days millions of people have offered similar comments to these above.  Famous people, semi-famous people, and people the likes of me have all shared in the mourning process.  Like many hollywood stars, even if you did not know them, you felt you had.  But, who was it that we came to know?  We knew the characters that he played.  Perhaps some had opportunity to meet Robin when he was not on the stage or before the camera.  But, was that him or was he simply in character again?  I wonder, spending his entire life being someone else, did know who he was?  

Truly sad.  Again, Facebook has been flooded, Twitter overwhelmed with thoughts about Williams.  Thoughts reflecting on who he was and what he did.  But I wonder, where is Robin Williams now?  A few remarks have suggested that he is in a better place.  One even used the image of Aladdin freeing genie with the caption “your free”.  Is Robin Williams really free?  Can one really overcome such troubles by taking his own life?  What is the afterlife made of anyway?  What does God do with the likes of Robin Williams.  Some would say that he is in hell, there he will spend eternity in torment.  Yet, as his suicide might suggest, has he not already been living in such torment?  Others might suggest that God does not send people to hell, that certainly Williams was a good man, he gave to good causes, and did good things.  He is looking down on us now, smiling from heaven.  However, what did Williams do with Jesus?  Christ was unmistakably clear, there is only one way to the father, one way to inherit eternal life, through him.  

There are many other issues that complicate things.  We are uncertain of Williams’ mindset. Depression is a powerful thing that can cause us to behave out of our right mind.  In truth, we simply cannot know what has become of Robin Williams, at least not for certain.  There seems to be far too many unanswered questions, variables of which we have no conception.  Fortunately, its not our job to determine a man’s final destination.  We do not have all the answers, but there is one that does, God.  

The ultimate question of a person’s eternal home has much to do with a person’s present.  Hell is not a place that God sends evil people because they have angered Him.  Hell exemplifies that God loves us and wants us to know his love, it might even be a gift.  Hell is a reality that people choose, a realty without God.  Its an option that affirms “I don't have to love God”.  True divine love is possible for us because of such a reality as hell.  What mades hell so bad is not God’s anger, but the fact that life without God in eternity, is even worse than life without God in the present.  C. S. Lewis once suggested in his Mere Christianity that God created this world to run on Him, attempting to run on anything else would be destructive.  Like gasoline in a car, filling it with any other fuel would destroy the engine.  The question of Robin Williams’ present reality has everything to do with how he felt about the presence of God.  In the deepest parts of his person, God knows.  We may offer a few conclusions based upon evidence that rose to the top during his life on earth, but only God knows what is beneath the surface.  

Christianity's Minimum Requirement

And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and have no fear.” 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only.

Jesus led Peter, James, and John up and invited them to participate in this transformative moment, so that they might witness the glory of God’s presence.  Moses and Elijah suddenly appeared on the mountain, but why these two.  While I am not certain of any solid consensus on this matter, it does seem helpful to observe that Moses points us to the law and Elijah points us to the Eschaton (Last days).  We seem to have a covenantal bookend, the beginning and conclusion of the covenant promise of God.  Jesus is the Climax of God’s covenant and causes the law to be fulfilled in the eschaton.  

The presence of Jesus, Moses, and Elijah on the mountain in this moment seems obvious.  If we recall, both men participated in breath taking moments on or near mountains in their earthly lives.  Moses led the people to Mt. Sinai and interceded on their behalf.  Elijah defeated the prophets of baal on Mt. Carmel and also prayed concerning the people of Israel at Sinai — though his prayer was a little less favorable for Israel.  Both men were given a mission.  They were to be the presence of God to the people of God, leading them or calling them back into the presence of God.  Jesus is God incarnated.  We understand why Jesus, Moses, and Elijah are there, but why are the disciples invited?  What role do they have, what is there purpose?  

Perhaps the mission of Moses and Elijah gives us a hint.  From the beginning God has desired that humanity participate in his creative and redemptive work.  Man’s place is with God, transformed on this mount.  Yet, we find that they are not yet ready.  God reminds them that they have much to learn, charging them to “Listen to Him”.  But one day — at Pentecost — by the grace of God, they will receive the gift of his transforming presence.  This gift is not merely for the sake of feeling good and being a better person.  It is ultimately concerned with fulfilling God’s covenant plan for the world.  It is concerned with the transformation of all reality.  Is it perhaps that Peter, James, and John are receiving a foretaste of a heavenly reality on earth.  

When we have been in the presence of the Holy One, our faces too, should shine like the sun/Son.  Perhaps the most important element here is that we have been invited to share in this moment.  We are called to participate in God’s holiness, and we have been called for a very specific reason, to be his transforming presence in culture, and transform culture.  When did Christianity become a social club.  When did we forget that evangelism is not just for the “evangelist”.  Who told us that missions work is just for the “missionary.”  Where did we get the idea that leading Bible studies and sharing bearing the burden of church ministry and function was only the job of the “pastor.”  How did we come to segregate these roles so firmly, that there seems to be little movement across the lines.  However we define what a Christian is, it seems clear that if a person is not actively being transformed and engaged in transforming culture, he/she is well short of the mark.  The minimum qualification for Christian life is a pure heart and life, passionately proliferating more pure hearts and lives. 

Give All You Can

If God does not need my money, why does he ask for it?  In response it may be helpful to consider four crucial points which: (1) What money actually is, (2) What sin actually is, (3) What tithing actually is, and (4) What legalism actually is.

We being with what money actually is.  It has been said that the love of money is the root of all evil, but why?  “The love of money” does not refer to an infatuation with green pieces of paper, but with what the money can do.  These words come to us from Paul in 1 Timothy 6:9-10 

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“But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evils. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs.”

Paul is mainly concerned that his readers would be content with God goodness to provide for their needs.  He does not want them to embrace the illusion that wealth will meet all of their needs.  Now, Paul was not thinking of the American dollar when he penned these words.  Yet, while the name and look of our currencies may differ, their function remains the same.  In anytime, at any place, under any condition, money is always what I use to provide for my needs.  Money is a resource.  The dollar bill is merely a physical object that points to resources that I possess.  The balance of my bank account is a number that signifies how much I can trade in the market place.  Like an oxen or bull, I trade money in order to get things of equal value.  Thus, money is no different than my job, my car, my house, my family, or my time.  Money is something that God has provided that enables me to get along in this world, and it is also something that I can elevate above God, convincing myself that as long as I have it, I don't need him.  Here is the secret, no matter if it is $1000 dollars or a beautiful fruit from a forbidden tree, whenever I look at the objects of this world as “all that I need”, I’m in trouble.  

This brings us to “what sin actually is.”  Sin is instantiated whenever I use the resources that God has provided, in ways that God never intended it to be used.  You see, like everything else, money and wealth come from God.  However, we must understand that God has also defined how these resources should be understood and treated.  Regardless of the gift, anytime God gives us something, we must always be willing to return it to him.  This is the lesson of Isaac and Abraham.  God was not some kind of Indian giver when he ask for the boy, he was teaching Abraham an important lesson, “whatever thing God can’t have, that thing has you.”  We were created to responsibly enjoy God’s creation and all that lies therein.  Responsibly, means using the stuff of creation in God’s indented way.  Money was never meant to meet our needs, God meets our needs.  Money and wealth are not sources of provision, God is the ultimate provision.  Money and wealth are merely lifeless objects, dumb numbers; God is living, breathing, meaningful, and good.  Like the fruit in the garden, whatever we use to convince ourselves that we don’t need God — that we can forge on without Him — becomes the idol of our self-deifying worship.  Ever since the fall of the garden, human nature has been driven by the desire to diminish his need of God, with the accumulation of God’s stuff.  We have strenuously worked to convince ourselves that just a little more knowledge, one more relationship, greater buying power will take us over the edge.  God’s image in us has been lost, and this is what human nature has become.  How will God restore His image un us again?  

This brings us to what tithing actually is.  The books of Exodus and Leviticus are chalk full of rules and regulations.  A cursory examination might inspire one to suggest that they are merely legalistic do’s and dont’s from God.  What an unfortunate misunderstanding of the law.  Why would God need an unspotted, whole lamb as a sacrifice?  Was he hungry?  Did he feel the need to keep his people at bay by reducing their wealth?  No, the lamb and the sacrifice were object lessons that taught a very important truth, God’s nature.  The sacrifice was an education in the cost of sin (death), the nature of holiness (unspotted, whole lamb), the exactness of God and the importance of obedience (the particular procedure of the sacrifice).  The sacrifice was never indented to forgive sin, it was always about inculcating God’s nature in his people.  It was about getting rid of old habits and replacing them with new, better ones.  God, through Christ has offered forgiveness of sin.  If we will embrace Him, God will give us his Holy Spirit to reside in us and transform our nature into one that looks like him.  Yet, it is one thing to simply say, “okay God, I want you to make me look like you, do what you must”, and it is another thing to actually mean it.  God does not simply mean to change our behavior, he means to change our heart.  He is not interested in a blanket statement of blind holiness, he wants us to want holiness.  God’s communication of his nature is like a heart transplant.  However, he is not going to transplant his nature in us by putting us under, so that in waking up we would be blissfully unaware of the changes inside.  We were not involved in the process, simply leaving it in the hands of the professional and coasting along.  No, God’s transforming work (and it is his work) involves us throughout the procedure.  There will be pain and difficult decisions, but we know that God has never lost a patient who trusted in him.  Tithing is one of those “operating table” moments were God communicates his nature to and in us.  Tithing is an object lesson where God teaches us to depend on him, more than on the stuff we use to get along in this world.  

What a tragedy if we should fail to recognize this.  This brings us to a consideration of what legalism is.  Legalism occurs when we fail to recognize that God means to transform our nature not just our behavior.  This is what the pharisees could not understand.  They knew how to behave, however, it was only forced behavior.  When Jesus began teaching in Matthew 5-7, he literally turned the law inside out, displaying the internal focus that had been misplaced.  Thus he said “you have heard it said (External act),…but I say to you (Internal motivation).”  I challenge you to look, each time he says “you have heard it said”, he is pointing to an external act (murder and adultery); and every time he says “but I tell you”, he is pointing to an internal motivation of the heart (anger and lust).  This is why Paul is concerned that “Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion.”  Giving in this manner would be legalistic at best.  Giving only because it is my duty and to satiate God’s wrath.  Duty may be how we begin in the Christian walk, but eventually we move beyond to this, which is why Paul concludes that “God loves a cheerful giver.”  When I was a child I brushed my teeth everyday.  It was a habit that my parents wanted to form in my life.  I did not understand the importance of dental hygiene at 5 years of age, I just knew that if I did not I would be scolded.  However, many years later, I am not motivated to brush my teeth for the same reason I did at 5 years.  My mother does not call every morning to see if I brushed my teeth.  No, I have grown older and more mature, I now understand the real reason for the habit.  Moreover, I no longer have to brush my teeth, I want to brush my teeth.  This is why God was upset with Israel in Isaiah 1:11-17 “

Hear the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom!  Give ear to the teaching of our God, you people of Gomorrah!  “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord; I have had enough of burnt offerings of rams and the fat of well-fed beasts; I do not delight in the blood of bulls, or of lambs, or of goats.  “When you come to appear before me, who has required of you this trampling of my courts?  Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me.  New moon and Sabbath and the calling of convocations—I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly.  Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hates; they have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them.  When you spread out your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; even though you make many prayers, I will not listen; your hands are full of blood.  Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from before my eyes; cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause.  

God was sick of empty practices.  The people had missed the point of their religious activity.  I wonder how God feels about our giving?  I dare say that if you give out of duty, because 10% is what the Lord REQUIRES, then God does not want your money.  He does not need your money and it is more damning to you to give it, blissfuly unaware of why you are to be giving in the first place.  Why does God ask for your money?  He asks because you don’t need it, you need Him; and between the two, God isn’t the one who needs to learn this lesson.  As Wesley has said, it is good to ““Earn all you can, give all you can, save all you can”.