River of Life Church

A FATHER’S REFUSAL

In the course of discussions and in preparations for Life School classes, time and time again I return to the parable of the Prodigal Son. Jesus’ teachings were often multiple layers of truth, simple on their surfaces, but deep and loaded with many facets and principles of the Kingdom of God. I can think of no better example than that of the Prodigal.

Most of us are familiar with the story of the young man who grows tired of living with the family and the work so associated, so he very haughtily demands that his father divide the estate and give him the proceeds from his share immediately. While it was customary for this to occur when a young man married or began a business, it was not customary to do so on a whim. But, the father didn’t refuse the request.

The story continues with the son leaving home with everything that he owns, going to a faraway city, and blowing his fortune on loose women, drugs, and gambling (a modern interpretation of "riotous living"). When hardship hits the city, since he is a foreigner he cannot find a legitimate job, so he hires himself out to a farmer to feed the pigs. Here, he hits bottom as poverty and despair overtake him.

The son devises another scheme: "I’ll go back home and go to work as a slave for my dad. I’ve messed up so badly with him, and surely he hates me so much, it’s probably the best I can do, but at least they eat. I’m a slave here; I might as well be a slave with a full belly." So he starts back.

How wrong he was! The father is watching for him. There was no hatred toward his son; instead, there was concern and hope that he would return. When he catches a glimpse, the father runs to his son (he didn’t wait for the son to approach), hugs him, kisses him, and welcomes him home. The son makes his pitch, "I sinned against you, dad, and I’m no longer worthy to be called your son. If you’ll allow it and I can stay, I will work for you for the rest of my life."

Here the father draws the line. He absolutely refuses his son’s proposition, "I’ll not allow you to be my slave; you are my son." The father then proceeds to bestow on his son all the trappings of family membership – shoes, signet ring, robe, a place at the family table. The son is not allowed to earn his place, it was freely given. Pastor Randy noted recently that it was not in the hog pen that the son was aware of how far he had fallen; it occurred when he was returned to his place within the family. It was here that he realized the discipline of his father, that is, that he would have to return on his father’s terms and not his own.

In the Old Testament we read often of the penance required of those who had sinned, the sacrifices necessary or ritualistic separations that enabled one to return to a proper place after having fallen short of the standards of behavior set forth in the law. Calvary’s Cross changed all that. The sacrifice was made, once and for all. Jesus, in His parable, was teaching the new way God was interacting with mankind.

Just as the son in this story would not be allowed to try to repay his father’s kindness and grace, neither are we allowed any attempt to repay God’s grace. To even think we can somehow earn His favor with our pitiful examples of "righteous" behavior cheapens the very grace we were given. To think that we can offer anything that makes us worthy of restoration demonstrates how little we understand His holiness and His love for us. When we come to our senses and realize we have fallen into sin, whether in a willful way of life or in an momentary lapse, Jesus’ words to us are as they were to the woman who was caught in adultery, "Get up and don’t go that way again."

Grace, whether for initial salvation of our soul or for daily living is by definition, free, and our Heavenly Father will refuse all our attempts to earn it. Wrap your mind around that concept.

God’s grace has never been about license for sin; it is a call to an even higher standard – a call to live, not in fear of retribution for improper behavior, but in response to the love we have been shown. It is a call far beyond what we should or should not do, but rather, a call to whom we should be; sons and daughters of the Most High King. Richard

THE CROSS CHANGED EVERYTHING

In The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe, the first of CS Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia, the White Witch announces that it is written in the Deep Magic from "the very beginning…every traitor belongs to me as my lawful prey and that for every treachery, I have a right to a kill." Later, Aslan tells Lucy and Susan that if the witch had been able to look back before time, she would have known of another truth, a Deeper Magic. "…when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead…" the separating barrier between God and man would split and death would be conquered.

In a few short pages, that renowned 20^th century theologian was able to articulate to children the work of the cross. The penalty of death was announced in the Garden when Adam and Eve sinned against God; grace was given to us before the beginning of time (II Timothy 1:9).

Dispensationalism is a theological perspective that God has arranged all events into an order and that each occurrence in time has a finite beginning and end. Many theologians do not ascribe to this perspective, arguing instead that since God is immutable it follows that His works and actions are also unchanging. In their philosophy, God works exactly the same today as He has forever. Although I have greatly oversimplified these schools of thought, I believe both are right.

We humans are finite beings, and it is almost impossible to even conceive of the idea of timelessness. In Sci-fi movies and bad TV shows we often hear phrases like "space-time continuum" or "dimension". Even these can be difficult concepts to grasp as they describe the boundaries within which we live. God knows no such limits; He was before there was time, He is during time, and He will be when time is finished.

The things that have occurred in that second category we have a chance at understanding on some level; the others tend to "blow our circuits" when we try to grasp them. It is at this point we must rely on faith. We either accept at face-value what the scriptures tell us or we leave those ideas to the theologians to figure out and hope we don’t see them on a test somewhere.

Some of the "finite" things that we have no difficulty "getting" are the life stories of the various Biblical characters or the actions of Jesus as He walked in Palestine. As Evangelical Christians we have been taught and understand what the Apostle Paul meant when he described our condition before we encountered and surrendered to the lordship of Jesus, those "of which you once were" verses. Most of us realize all too well the direction our lives were heading and the destruction that was our destiny had Christ not intervened. Some of us can place a date and time on the moment we became aware of His intervention in our lives; some of us really have known little else having believed since we very young.

The mechanics of His work in our lives is far more elusive to our understanding. The Reformers teach that because God knew all things that would be before there was a "be", He guided the lives of those who would receive His son so that would become fact. Those of us who were weaned on a "free-will" theology might take some exception to such notions, for this is indeed a step outside the "space-time continuum."

Regardless of which of these theological beliefs that you have grown up with and understood to be true, there is a truth that stands above all. A tangible event that can be quantified by the writings of not only the Bible, but numerous other authors, split our history in two. Our sense of time has been hence measured by that event.

But, outside that realm of time, before the beginning of time, by that event, grace was given to us that changed the "of which you once were" to a new reality, a change for all time. Never again would those who received Him be orphaned. Never again would those who believed in His name be an enemy of God. Though the penalty of man’s defiance was death, there was a yet a "deeper magic", "…when a willing victim who had committed no treachery was killed in a traitor’s stead..." the separating barrier between God and man would rend and death would be conquered. THE CROSS CHANGED EVERYTHING!

A TRADITIONAL TIME OF YEAR

Christmas has a way of evoking traditions in people that is unsurpassed by any other holiday. Some families attempt to recapture memories from the parents’ childhood, while others set out to establish new ways to mark the season. Some begin seemingly as soon as the last firework from July Fourth fizzles, while those who have a bent toward procrastination will "get serious" about the holiday around lunch-time on Christmas Eve. I exaggerate on both extremes, but maybe not all that much.

To some, it’s just not Christmas unless they display in their homes all the trimmings of a Victorian-style décor; and the effects must be natural, the evergreen tree, the running cedar garlands and wreaths. Candles, ribbons, lights, what-nots abound; items that at any other time of year they might consider "in the way", but at Christmas, are welcomed and loved by many. They may want their "religious observances" to have a sense of sameness about them; Advent to be celebrated just as it was last year, and the year before, and the year before, etc. Some will go all out, at least as far as their bank account will allow them to go, to bring a sense of magic into their home whether or not they observe the true meaning of Christmas.

At the other end of the spectrum, there are adults whose children are no longer at home and for them the trouble of decorating at all is a larger chore than they desire to take on. Christmas vacations have become quite the norm for many, especially for those whose work schedules will allow. If they are not visiting family or friends for the holidays, they may seek a warmer climate with lots of activities to help soften the fact the extended family is not together, if indeed that was ever their experience, or to simply enjoy the less-crowded facilities.

I recently heard that in Romania Christmas is not much marked by exchanging gifts; it is much more about sharing time and feasting with friends and family. Early in the month, the children might receive gifts of sweets or some other treat. For many, the month of December is given to the holiday, but the nation will essentially shut down on December 21 (this year) until January 2. Families bake and cook in preparation for the 23^rd-25^th as friends will drop in for a visit. Christmas caroling is done for many hours into the wee hours of the morning. In cities, groups of carolers will descend on an apartment block and sing, and are then invited in by friends and strangers alike for a hot drink and a snack before moving on to the next home. On Christmas Eve, the trees are trimmed and decorations put up, then everyone goes to church at 11:00 pm for the two-hour service. There are too many to fit inside. Christmas morning, families rise, have breakfast, and return to church at 9:00 am to celebrate the arrival of our King. The rest of their day is spent visiting.

For most of us Americans, we are somewhere between the first two examples I cited. For many of my friends, old traditions that relate to the season are very important and bring comfort and happiness. Others of my friends find the former traditions might be painful or just boring, so they set out on a new path, creating new traditions as they leave behind things they did previously.

However, there is one tradition I pray we never tire of. That is the celebration of the King of the Universe humbling Himself, clothing Himself in earthly attire, and taking His place among mere mortals so that we might live with Him forever. May we ever keep His coming as the central focus of Christmas, no matter what decorating traditions or manner of celebration we hold dear.

BUILDING COMMUNITY, MAKING DISCIPLES, IMPACTING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS