Millions of bees mysteriously dead! Something off the front page of the National Enquirer? Hardly. It’s a developing news story that spans the nation. One Pennsylvania beekeeper lost 40 million bees this winter. Fruit and vegetable growers from California (which produces 80% of the world’s almond supply) to Pennsylvania (which grows the fourth largest apple harvest in the nation) are extremely worried, because the survival of their blossoming crops depends on the pollinating of honeybees. No pollen transfer, no fruit—it’s that simple. What’s killing entire hives of bees across America? Scientists aren’t sure. Researchers at Penn State are hypothesizing potential microbes, checking for new pathogens, wondering about potent insecticides—while other scientists have discovered the very tiny varrora mite lodged to the bodies of dead bees and wonder if it is the culprit. One thing’s for certain—more than $15 billion of U.S. crops pollinated by honeybees is now at stake! “Mysterious death that threatens an entire species”—that was the headline eons ago that plunged the Kingdom of Heaven into unprecedented crisis. The human creation had joined the cosmic rebellion against the Throne. Now both human and non-human creatures were being swept away by death at a rate of 100%. There seemed no reversal for this endemic plague. Until two thousand years ago on a Good Friday mountaintop, where the God of the universe submitted himself to the diabolical fury of his archenemy. Bearing the infectious and mortal disease of this fallen creation in his own body and heart, the second Person of Heaven’s Triune God succumbed in six hours to the crushing death of sin. And it appeared that the mystery disease and its dark perpetrator had conquered this creation permanently. Until that black Sunday morning three days later. An explosion of light. The roar of a subterranean quake. And the clarion voice of a young being that towered beside that stone rolled away, as he shouted into the damp shadow of that hillside sepulcher: “Son of God, come forth—Thy Father calls Thee.” More lightning. Thunder. And quaking. And striding from the bowels of that earth comes the risen Christ who over the shattered tomb cries out, “I am the resurrection and the life.” A billion angels bow to welcome back their conquering King! And two thousand years later we, too, gather to worship Him. Not only today in celebration of His resurrection. But on those “other days” of utter heartache and bitter tears when we gather to worship Him in this sacred place, as we bid farewell to yet another loved one death has claimed for itself. It is on those days of numbing grief that our spirits crave even more keenly the shattering promise of His empty tomb: “Because I live, you shall live also” (John 14:19). And so may the voice of the risen Christ that we hear this day remain deep within us until that Day, when the mystery of death will be no more, and the blossoms of Paradise will flower forever.
Pastors' Blog
By Pioneer Pastors
This past week Elizabeth Edwards and Tony Snow have put cancer into the headline consciousness of America. The wife of presidential candidate, John Edwards, and the president’s chief Whitehouse spokesman, in separate dramatic announcements of recurring cancer, bravely exposed their private battles for health and life to the public. And as a consequence they both have raised the level of our national conversation regarding this shared and dreaded enemy. Talking heads on television and medical experts alike have weighed in on the conversation, assuring the rest of us that diagnoses such as these are no longer the irrevocable death sentence we once feared. At the same time, medical authorities seized the moment to remind the public of the vital necessity of physical examinations and screening, awareness of personal health warning signs, along with careful attention to moderating the excesses of the American lifestyle. And through it all, there has been the appropriate call to prayer for these two well known political figures and their families. Within our own community of faith cancer is no stranger either. And because of that reality, it is well for us on occasion to brood over the meaning of so mortal an enemy. Naturally, cancer is neither a scourge from God nor an instrument of divine judgment. It is, as the apostle once ruminated, the consequence of “the creation subjected to futility” (Romans 8:20). And while some cancers have been linked to the western lifestyle, the fact remains that even the most health-conscious of individuals can contract the disease. For we live in a creation suffering under the scourge of sin. Which is why Paul was quick to humanize the suffering of nature itself with the words, “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now,” until that day creation itself will be “delivered from the bondage of corruption” (vv 22, 21). Could it be that our very bodies themselves, from the minutest corpuscle to the largest of our organs, “groan” with the pangs of living out their days in this fallen system? For is not cancer the “futility” of a creation system gone awry in unchecked invading growth? What hope is there for those who suffer, for all of us who live out our days on this fallen planet? “Even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. . . . But if we hope for what we do not see [and we have yet to see this mortal foe eradicated from the human experience], we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (vv 23, 25). Perseverance. And prayer. Because persevering in battling this mortal enemy of health with all our God-given powers is the right human response. And so is prayer—the crying out and groaning pangs of a heart and soul desperate for divine intervention. Persevering prayer. Because even nature’s “inevitable” course can be turned. Which is why for Elizabeth and Tony and all we know who suffer cancer’s battle our intercedings are made potent through Calvary’s power. After all, did not our Lord bear all our “sicknesses” (Isaiah 53:4 margin) to the cross? And is it not true that “by his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5)? Then with persevering prayer let us press on together. And may it truly be “together.” For when one member of the body suffers, we all suffer. . . and shall continue to suffer until He comes, and Christ shall forever restore our creation to its primeval ideal once again. Amen.
Ever wonder where Iceland got its name? Having just returned from this small volcanic crag amidst the wind-swept north Atlantic (just south of the Artic Circle), I don’t wonder any more! But did you know that this proud nation of glaciers, hot springs, geysers (a word we’ve borrowed from Icelandic), and active volcanoes is the world’s most literate population, with the world’s longest life expectancy and highest standard of living? And so you won’t be surprised that they are also the most “wired” (technologically savvy) nation on earth, as well. But their achievements have come at history’s high price. Literature (not archaeology) suggests that Irish monks were the first to settle the island in the eighth and ninth centuries, quickly followed by Norse sailors from Norway. A colony eventually dug its roots into that rocky outcropping that became a base for Viking settlements, including Eric the Red (who discovered Greenland) and his son Leif Eriksson (the first European to reach North America). The Althing, the world’s oldest existing national assembly or parliament, was formed in Iceland in 930 A.D. But colonizing foreign powers from Norway to England to marauding pirates to Denmark subsequently made Iceland’s history one of struggling difficulty. In fact it wasn’t until 1944 that Iceland’s ties to the Danish crown were finally broken, and its proud people achieved their national independence. The Lutheran Church is the official state church of Iceland, with 82.1% of the population (from the most recent census) indicating membership in that National Church of Iceland. The Icelandic reality, however, reflects western Europe’s postmodern secular culture with little interest in organized religion. And so this last weekend, after taking out a full-page ad in the Reykjavik newspaper, the Adventists of Iceland (around 500) rented a hotel conference room with the goal this time of reaching out to the churched public. And there I preached four lectures for both church and public. But the challenge remains for our western culture—how shall we engage the minds and hearts of our societies with the everlasting gospel? (Which, by the way, was the theme of an evangelism council for pastors across Europe that Russell Burrill and I lectured at this past Monday and Tuesday there on Iceland.) Today we celebrate Calvary’s promise of symbolically transforming earth’s “iceland” into heaven’s “greenland” one day, when "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). And though that promise is yet future, its reality is truly present in the presence of Christ at His Table this morning. So may every heart take possession today of that freedom our Lord’s triumphant death has secured for all!
Wonder why the global markets have been gyrating lately? The answer really isn’t that complicated at all. It has to do with public and investor confidence. When traders are feeling secure and confident about the economic and/or political future of their nation or other influential nations, they invest their clients’ capital in the markets. But when investors become worried or uncertain over developing trends (economic or political or sometimes even ecological), rather than purchasing shares in national or multinational corporations they instead sell off their clients’ stocks. And massive sell-offs fuel plunging stock markets, as we’ve witnessed in the global marketplace (from Shanghai to Wall Street) over the last two weeks. And while economic theory is certainly more complicated than my simple rehearsal here, the fact remains that human confidence is the powerful variable that fluctuates our global markets. Which begs the question: What is it that fuels your confidence and mine? What are our securities based upon? Let’s be honest. There are times—many for me—when the pit of our stomachs feels like the freefall of a roller coaster ride—just as scary as a stock market plunge! When there seems to be nothing to grab on to, when everything around you has gone over the edge with you. What then? A friend gave me Derek Kidner’s inspiring two-volume commentary on the Psalms. And as I’ve been reading a psalm each morning, Kidner’s comments have helped me realize how incessant is the psalmist’s (usually David’s) cry for security, and how frequently he confesses that he has found but one saving confidence, one trustworthy security: “[God] only is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be greatly moved” (Psalm 62:2). And that from a man whose life story invented the word “roller coaster,” high and heady with his triumphs and plummeted by his defeats, a life the rest of us can find a modicum of comfort in today. Which is why David’s confession of confidence in God alone segues into his passionate appeal to us: “Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your heart before Him; God is a refuge for us” (v 8). Even when all we can pour out is, “God, I choose to trust You—have mercy on me”—over and over again. But as David’s gyrating life still testifies, He will (have mercy on us), even as we do (choose to trust him). And remember, when that inevitable edge does come, over which we must plunge, the good news remains, “ . . . underneath are the everlasting arms.”
“Study says lots of students narcissistic”—that was the front page headline on my newspaper this week. Remember Narcissus from Greek mythology, who fell in love with his own reflection in the water pond? “Narcissistic” is to be just like him. Which is why the article begins: “Today’s college students are more narcissistic and self-centered than their predecessors, according to a comprehensive new study by five psychologists who worry that the trend could be harmful to personal relationships and American society.” (South Bend Tribune 2-27-07) This is the generation, researchers are observing, that was taught over and over, “You’re special.” These are the first fruits of the self esteem movement of the ‘80s. It is this generation that has invented “MySpace” and “YouTube” as expressions of its attention-seeking, the article goes on.
Coincidentally, I read the news report the day before flying down to Dallas this week for the first of it’s kind North American “Just Claim It!” event, a continental youth congress for prayer and mission. My assignments took me there for less than 24 hours, but I saw thousands of kids, from teenagers to young adults, along with their leaders, gathered together out of a passion for Christ and a desire to seize the moment and accelerate his mission into high gear. In fact, they’re still there this morning in that Dallas convention center.
What a refreshing and compelling contrast between those young adults in Dallas, our young adults here at Andrews, and the focus of this just released national study. While it’s true that young followers of Jesus are susceptible to the beckoning trends of society at large, I’m grateful to recognize that so many Christian Adventist young adults live with an “others centered” drive that overrides the “me first” tendencies of their generation (and ours as well).
After all, Jesus’ radical call short-circuits all our latent narcissism. “Whoever desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and let her take up her cross and follow Me” (see Mark 8:34). It wasn’t the majority response of the 16,475 college students in this nationwide study. But may it be the majority response of every worshiper, young or old, that comes to follow Jesus today. For how else will this generation be the one to finish the mission of Christ on earth, than by following our self-sacrificing Savior?
Who likes a dirty windshield! One of the joys about a winter in thaw is the ugly brown spray that the car in front of you splatters all over your windscreen (as our British friends like to describe it). We drove out to Kansas this last weekend to spend some time with our daughter Kristin, whose medic husband has just deployed to Iraq. Is there anything worse than following an eighteen-wheeler with its nine right-side tires exploding every muddy snow puddle on the side of the road all over you? Thank God for whoever invented windshield washer spray! But come to think of it, God did, didn’t he? True, it isn’t called “windshield washer fluid.” But notice what Jesus does call it: “I advise you to buy from Me . . . eye salve to anoint your eyes so that you may see” (Revelation 3:18 NASB). He doesn’t indicate whether you spray it on like a windshield washer or apply it drop by drop like an eye-dropper. But he’s clear, isn’t he? Spread it over the windshield of your soul so that you can see clearly once again. Wonder what that miracle spray is? Paul is quick with the answer: “I ask—ask the God of our Master, Jesus Christ—to make you intelligent and discerning in knowing him personally, your eyes focused and clear, so that you can see exactly what it is he is calling you to do, grasp the immensity of this glorious way of life he has for Christians, oh, the utter extravagance of his work in us who trust him—endless energy, boundless strength!” (Ephesians 2:17, 18 Message) Is there anything that can clear the muddied and mucked up windshields of our lives and restore our moral eyesight (“focused and clear”) more thoroughly than Paul’s wise counsel here? “Ask the God of our Master Jesus Christ to make you intelligent [a thoroughly university kind of word] and discerning in knowing him personally.” Want to see the road clearly, as this winter transitions slowly into spring? Then ask God to make you intelligent in knowing Jesus personally. Begin your day with a single story from the Gospels—a portrait a day of Jesus for your meditation. And each morning as you come to know him more personally, more deeply, the promise is that the eyes of your heart will become “focused and clear.” And can you think of a traveler (you and Jesus included) who doesn’t want that for the road ahead?
“Generation Y’s goal? Wealth and fame.” That headline last month in USA Today caught my eye. “Ask young people about their generation’s top life goals and the answer is clear and resounding: They want to be rich and famous” (1-10-07). And then came Newsweek magazine’s cover story last week: “The Girls Gone Wild Effect: Out-of-Control Celebs and Online Sleeze Fuel a New Debate Over Kids and Values” (2-12-07). Turns out our “tweens” are going gaga over the likes of Paris Hilton and Britney Spears, whose morality (or the lack thereof) has shamed even the national media. Advance your mind now to this morning’s worship platform filled with our own “tweens” and teens, active members of our Pathfinder Club, the Evergreens. Take a long, hard look at these kids who are “our own”—bright young Seventh-day Adventist Christians. And then would you please ask yourself the question, How high a priority should it be for this congregation to invest its best energies, its most dedicated leaders, its deepest sacrificial giving to ensure that “our own” survive the spiritual blitzkrieg of the enemy? Because the national headlines don’t have to be the truth about our own children and youth, do they? Oh sure, the society that clamors for the young mind and wallet and attention clamors for our kids, too—on all three of our campuses around here. But that hardly means that we resignedly acquiesce to what some might declare the morally inevitable. Because it doesn’t have to be inevitable that our children and tweens and teens follow the pagan Pied Pipers of America today, does it? Can’t we as a faith community work overtime to surround our kids with spiritual walls and moral values of Jesus that will stand them good stead in the battles yet ahead? That’s precisely why I’m so grateful for the men and women who lead our young—in our Pathfinder and Adventurers Clubs, in our Sabbath Schools from nursery to youth, in our church schools at Ruth Murdoch and Andrews Academy. They remain year after year our unsung heroes in this battle for the heart and soul of every generation, be it X or Y or Z! And to them the rest of us owe a genuine debt of gratitude. “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth” (Ecclesiastes 12:1)—if ever there were a divine injunction (and promise) for Creator-worshiping Adventist kids, wouldn’t it be this? And if ever Creator-loving Adventist grownups needed to seize the moment to support their young with all the time and money and volunteering energy we can muster, wouldn’t this be that time? Won’t you help us help them?
Will there be a Super Bowl in heaven? Maybe. But it certainly won’t be sponsored by Doritos and Pepsi and Monster.com with their $2.6 million per thirty second TV ads! And it won’t be a showdown between the beasts of the wild (as in bears and colts). In fact, it won’t be a showdown at all, since heaven doesn’t live by the winner-take-all philosophy of our earthy sports. Which means God never sits at the fifty-yard line, cheering a team on to win, knowing that by those cheers he de facto is hoping the other team will lose. None of the above! Yes, for the sake of you Floridians, we might be willing to admit that heaven will be closer to Miami in clime than Berrien Springs right about now (though Miami is no heaven, if prime time television is any proof). So will heaven host a Super Bowl? I love the ancient prophet’s visionary snap shot of what will surely be that electric moment in heaven’s very crowded stadium: “’And it shall come to pass that from one Sabbath to another, all flesh shall come to worship before Me,’ says the LORD” (Isaiah 66:23). There it is—a Super Sabbath Bowl every single seventh day of the week on the new earth! Forget the half-time show, for heaven’s Super Bowl will be a non-stop “tetraphonic” performance of worship music that can only be described as “divine.” And not just the choir in the middle of the stadium—the entire crystal palace will erupt with the shouts and songs of praise from the billions of redeemed earth children gathered about God’s throne! Tickets for tomorrow’s event in Miami have a face value of $900 apiece—but many are fetching from $3,000 to $5,000 (and I’m sure even more) for those desperate enough to be on the inside of the festivities. How much will your ticket to heaven’s Super Bowl cost? Nothing. And everything. Because Mercy emptied heaven’s crimson treasury at the cross to save the likes of you and me, that means our “free” tickets have already been bought and are being held at the “will call” window at heaven’s gate. But though it costs you nothing, it will cost you everything: “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34 NLT). Jesus’ price of heaven too high for you? If they’re willing to pay $5,000 for four hours of grunting glory in Miami, is there really any price too high for an eternity on the winning team with the God who still calls you his friend?
Here’s the headline of the week: “And the crowd listened to her/him with great interest.” Because that line from the gospel story (see Mark 12:37 NLT) is the perfect descriptor of this campus’ response to our young preachers all week long. The Andrews student week of prayer this week has driven home for me the power of peer to peer communication and testimony. Not only was I proud of the way Chris, Lawren, Edson, Jillian, Pohlmarc and Nestor (today) preached, but I was impressed with the effective way each of these young adults connected with a very large audience of peers. The usual rustling and shifting and low decibel “background noise” of chapels were missing. Instead, as these young preachers opened up their Bibles and their hearts all week long, it was clear to me that the Spirit of Christ was seizing the moment and effectively connecting with the listeners. Do you suppose that was why Jesus caught the healed demoniac by surprise, by denying his request to travel with the Master. “Go home to your friends, and tell them what great things the Lord has done for you, and how He has had compassion on you” (Mark 5:19). Because nobody will listen to you quite like your friends, your peers, those who consider you one of them. It’s a law of communication. A law of the Kingdom, too. Which means that just like our young preachers this week, you’ve been called to tell the story of Jesus in your own unique language and personal style. There isn’t a right way to tell your story—here’s simply your way. And every time you break out of your comfort zone and color outside the box for Christ, the people who know you are the most open to hear what you have to say. So do you know what you have to say?
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