“Children Playing”
Brimfield Faith UMC / January 29, 2012
Zechariah 8:3-8
THE WOES
I often get questions about how the Bible applies to our lives. There a great number of promises and blessings spoken all throughout the Scriptures. How do we know which were only for the people of the time and which are for us today? The prophets in the Old Testament spoke tremendous and powerful words of promise, hope and blessing to the people of their time. Throughout the Bible the Israelites found themselves under attack, oppressed, occupied, and exiled. They needed words the criticized the status quo, words of encouragement, words that energized them, words that broke through the numbness they experienced. They needed hope. Depending on how you count, there are at least 17 books in the Old Testament that are strictly prophetic books, including 12 minor prophets, referred to as such because they wrote short books. Over the next several weeks, I hope to explore the prophetic promises declared in the Old Testament and see how those declarations can apply to our lives.
To understand the promises and blessings of the prophets it is helpful to understand the men and women who made these declarations. The prophets were real people that spoke to real people caught in difficult situations. The prophetic book we are looking at this morning is Zechariah. Zechariah was the son of Berechiah son of Iddo speaking to a people ruled by Darius. The prophet’s role is frequently believed to simply be to predict the future. The role of the prophet is much more complex than that. The prophet’s role begins by criticizing the status quo in order to creatie an alternative reality rooted in heaven. That is accomplished by energizing and amazing the people towards that vision and that prophetic promise. The prophet gave people hope and brought people through difficulty into the promises of God.
PROPHETIC PRINCIPLES
The specific promises spoken to the people by the prophet were intended for those people and to be fulfilled in the future, hopefully the near future. Yet, that doesn’t mean they don’t apply to us today. Specific prophetic promises may not directly pertain to us but that doesn’t mean we need to ignore them. Behind Biblical prophetic promises are principles that speak powerfully into our lives.
Let’s look at Zechariah 8 together. In verse 3 God says, “I will return to Zion, and will dwell in the midst of Jerusalem.” He goes on to describe a city full of peace where old men and women walk the streets with staff in hand and boys and girls will be playing. On an initial read, we might think that’s nice but it isn’t for me. Zechariah is speaking to specific people about a specific place. Nice sentiment but not for me. We could talk about the theology of the church and its relationship to the prophetic promises of the Old Testament, but I don’t want to put you to sleep. Instead, I want to you to see the prophetic principle behind the text. God longs for a city of peace for his people to reside.
When we find the principles the promises, we unlock our ability to reclaim the promises. These prophetic words are in many ways invitations for us to claim the principles. We can read a passage like this and say I want this for my life. I want this for my family. I want this for my church. I want this for my city. Therefore, Prophetic principles are meant to be reclaimed as promises and transformed into realities. That is the role of the prophet. That is the role of every Christian today.
CRITICISM
The process of fulfilling principles and reclaiming promises today begins by criticizing that which surrounds us. It means critiquing the status quo. It means breaking through the numbness of the masses. It strives to deprogram wrong ways of thinking. It exposes wrong for wrong, injustice for injustice, and oppression for oppression.
In Brimfield it might mean crying out against the meth problem ruining our young adults and running rampant in our motels. It might mean crying out against the lack of support for our school districts and library programs. It might mean waking people up to the gambling places invading every empty building in town. It gets upset about broken homes, divorce, and addiction. Instead of accepting the hopelessness of the world, Prophetic criticism crushes the perception that normal is normal.
Certain people are really good about crying out against the woes of society. I spoke just yesterday to another pastor who was fired up about another store being granted a license to sell beer and wine. He was crying out against the status quo. Every time something “evil” tries enters Brimfield, he is there to rally to the troops against it. While I agree on many of the issues that rile this pastor up, I only know him for what he is against. The prophet cannot only be known for what he is against.
ALTERNATIVE REALITY
An effective critique of society’s woes will awake the consciousness of the masses. Once the masses are awakened, we must energize people towards an alternative reality. The prophet must move people towards an alternative reality. The prophetic principle found in Zechariah is that God desires safe place and cities to exist in the world. God longs for pockets of people to exist in a chaotic world. Peace can be found internally. It can be nurtured in a family. It can be fostered in a community. It can be developed in a region. Zechariah’s prophetic promise for Jerusalem is peace. The prophetic principle for today is still peace.
Prophet cannot create these places by themselves. You cannot create peace on your own. You must mobilize others to work with you. We must work together if we are going to transform a community and transform the prophetic principles back into promise which can become realities. We look for assets in our church and our community to partner to create alternative realities. Those safe places. We must be creative in how we create these safe places.
Recently I have seen creative in our community to overcome difficulty that can help us create safe places. Two examples I have seen are in our community are our police department and are schools. Our police department has gained quite a reputation in the greater Cleveland area. We are regularly on the news for catching criminals that other departments haven’t been able to catch. They have a free tank and a free hummer because of Chief Oliver's creativity. They are working to create a safer community. They do this with two duty officers on shift at a time and a police station housed in an old auto shop. They carry the prophetic mantle to creating a better Brimfield. The question becomes, how can we, as the church, partner with them to reclaim even more of the promises of God for this city?
Another example is the Field School district. There is a lack of support financially due to failed levies. Please start voting yes on the levies, our entire futures are at stake. God’s heart is for our children to have safe and excellent places to be educated. The schools are working hard to fulfill this reality despite its obstacles. At Suffield Elementary, they have started a jump roping club before school. Over 100 kids come regularly with excitement to jump rope. One of the reasons this is so exciting is that PE has been drastically cut, almost completely out of the school curriculum. The schools ought to be fulfillments of prophetic promises of peace and yet many places we fail. The teachers at our schools are overcoming obstacles. How can we partner with the schools to make them refuges of peace in the community?
THE REAL REALITY
I believe God has called Brimfield to be a place of refuge and peace. If that is going to happen, our church and the churches of Brimfield need to be on the leading. To be prophetic means we know the needs of our community and cry out against it. We support some great alternative realities: Boy Scouts, AA, the Food Cupboard, the youth group, the Kidz Program. We must continue to create these alternative realities. We need to self evaluate, to look from within, and to listen to the voice of God. Breaking out of the mindlessness the world teaches us and into God’s reality is difficult. It requires people to speak out, to cry out as the voice of God. The church’s role is to make creative safe places for people to live. Places of freedom. Places of purpose. Of love. Of acceptance. Of peace. Of joy. And not just in the church but in the community.
ALL Altnerative realities begin by hearing the voice of God. Know this... Prophecy is not dead. God is still calling people to be his mouth pieces. In fact, each of you is encouraged to seek the gift of prophecy.(1 Corinthians 14). Everyone has the ability to hear from Heaven and speak it to those who need to hear a word of hope, encouragement, strength and comfort. We each can create a place of refuge and alternative reality. This church has succeeded in that task and has miles to go. If we can continue to listen to God’s voice, heed the cries of the prophet and follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit, then we will continue to create radical alternatives. We will apply the principle and claim the promise of Zechariah 8 where we see peace reign in the city. Where people can walk safely in the streets and where children have safe places to play.
The redecoration and rededication of the nursery in memory of my son, Jude, is a prophetic fulfillment of Zechariah 8. It is creating a radical alternative in the church. A place where children are energized, safe and loved. I am eternally grateful for those financial gifts that made it possible and the gifts given every Sunday that make our call to bring the Kingdom of heaven down to earth. For me, the nursery is evidence that God is still speaking, that the Holy Spirit is still moving, and that hope is still alive. The prophets of old still have contemporary promises for us to claim today. I hope you see and hear that the prophetic voice of heaven is alive and active in this place.
Let’s pray.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Revelation Living
THE SITE IS BACK UP DUE TO PODBEAN.COM BEING STUBBORN...
“Revelation Living”
Brimfield Faith UMC / January 22, 2012
Revelation 22:12-17
POLARIZING
Revelation is the Tim Tebow of the Bible. You either love it or hate it. It evokes strong reactions by just existing, especially its existence in the Bible. If you have ever read Revelation or even just a snippet of the book, you will know it has some strange, bizarre, and even downright scary images in it. Some famous people throughout history have strong opinions about Revelation. Thomas Paine called it “a book of riddles that requires a Revelation to explain it.” The playwright George Bernard Shaw said that it was a “curious record of the visions of a drug addict.” And the infamous Friedrich Nietzsche said it was “the most rabid outburst of vindictiveness in all recorded history.” Today people treat it like Tim Tebow. They either love it, hate it, or ignore it.
As Christians we cannot ignore the book and would be ill-advised to hate it. In Rev. 1:3 it says, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written for the time is near.” As we approach it we must do so with great respect and trepidation. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism said, “The Revelation was not written without tears; neither without tears will it be understood.” The great Reformers, Calvin and the early (Luther) were suspicious of Revelation, because they thought it would confuse the average Christian. Many Christians are non-Christians alike are still confused by it.
This morning my goal is not to explain every detail of the book, but rather provide a template or a lens through which you can read and understand the book. I believe we can find a way to read it without becoming obsessed with it and without hating it. We will indeed be blessed when we can read the book responsibility, with understanding and with wisdom.
INSIGHTS
Revelation is the most difficult book in the Bible, and yet I would encourage you to read it because it has valuable things to teach us. At first is to simply read it and highlight the sections that make sense and speak to your life. Don’t try to interpret anything. Revelation baffles the most skilled biblical scholars. With the aid of the Holy Spirit, Revelation will encourage you in your Christian walk. The book is so hard because Revelation it is highly symbolic and extremely complex.
Many parts read more as poetry rather than newspaper accounts. It combines several genres or types of writing. While the events and world they create are not fictional, they are a non-literal but real world. It is world that exists in the spiritual realm that cannot be fully be described by earthly language and concepts. As we sift through the book, it is helpful to understand that Revelation consists of three different types of literature that will help us to understand the book better. Revelation genres include letter, apocalypse, and prophesy. Understanding the combination of these three genres will provide a framework from which to read, understand, and apply the book of Revelation.
#1.Revelation is letter.
The book begins in Revelation 1:4 – 3:21 as a letter to seven different churches throughout Asia: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Jesus writes letter with encouragements, strengths and growing edges for seven different churches. It is set in a specific time period, written to specific churches that were then circulated to other churches. At the time the book was written it was to address the geopolitical and ecclesiastical challenges among these communities of faith. There are numerous pastoral letters contained in the Bible. We have a good understating of how to establish context and meaning from these letters. As a starting place for reading Revelation it is helpful to realize that the biblical references refer to real people, real situations, real challenges and real difficulties. Therefore, Revelation is not a roadmap to the end of the world. While it certainly speaks of future happenings, it addresses real people who lived during a specific time.
As people obsess about how the events later in the book will unfold in the real world, they miss the wisdom and insights in it. Churches today continue to struggle with some of the same issues that churches 2000 years ago dealt with. For example, the message to Ephesus carries both an encouragement and an instructive word. It commends them for their patient endurance and diligence against evildoers. However Jesus says, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” They have forgotten their first love. They have gotten caught up in doing the works of the church and failed to remember loving God is the most important thing to do. That is a now word! That is a word that speaks to us in the here and now. It is also a word that we miss if we fail to read Revelation and get lost in the symbolism of it.
#2. Revelation is apocalypse.
Revelation contains lots of symbolism. This is reflected in the fact it is also apocalypse. Apocalypse does not mean the end of the world. In the Greek it means revelation or unveiling. Several things are unveiled in the book.
First and foremost Jesus is the one being revealed. Jesus is depicted as king and victor. He becomes Lord and sits at the right hand of Father. He is triumphant over all evil. He cleanses us of sin and makes pure as snow. The person and character of Jesus and of God are revealed clearly. God is all-powerful and all-knowing. He will not be outwitted, outsmarted or out strategized. He will not and cannot be defeated.
Second aspect of apocalyptic literature is that spiritual warfare is emphasized as something real and pertinent in our lives. We live in a world in which spiritual entities play a more significant role than we probably will ever realize. Some of us have had angelic encounters and others have experience demonic presences. We no longer live in the Enlightenment Era where science, the tangible and optimism rule the day.
Instead, we are called to live with a biblical worldview that affirms unseen spiritual realities. In the spiritual realm described in Revelation the sides seem to be clearly defined. There is good and there is evil. It is black and white. There is no in between. There is no gray. We try to understand them in the context of modern day events and happenings. Without a doubt heaven and earth intersect but rarely in the ways that we expect. The language and experience of earth make it difficult to describe the spiritual realms and what they look like on this earth. The apocalyptic aspect of Revelation reveals Christ and awakens us to spiritual realities.
It misses the point to try and figure out who the Antichrist is going to be, let alone if it is one literal person. Let me go on record as saying President Obama, Putin, and even Ahmadinejad are NOT the Antichrist. We should not try and translate spiritual symbolism into the earthly realm. In the earthly realm, there isn’t just good and evil, black and white. The world consists of shades of gray or ambiguities, and complexities. No person is completely evil. No country is devoid of a moral compass. We are called to love our enemies and this is challenging, but it is possible. An awareness of spiritual warfare and the revelation of Jesus make it possible to live faithfully in a complex world.
#3. Revelation is Prophecy.
The nature of prophesy is one of the most misunderstood forms of communication in the Bible and it shouldn’t be. Prophesy is frequently considered predictions about the future. This accounts for the numerous books ranging from The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsay to the more recent The Left Behind Series. These approaches see prophecy in Revelation completely as a prediction of the future. Aside: if you are waiting for the rapture, you may be waiting a very long time. Rapture is not a Biblical word and as we begin to understand Revelation through this lens not a biblical concept. While prophecy at times predicts the future that is only a small aspect of its function. The primary function of prophecy is to critique past and current events.
Additionally, in 1 Corinthians 14, we learn that prophesy is intended to strengthen, encourage and comfort people. Revelation is it intended to strengthen, encourage, and comfort the churches of Asia and all over the world. They suffered under Roman Emperor Nero who hated Christians and persecuted and killed them any chance that he got. Revelation describes the underpinnings of that struggle and prophesies a victorious end. This prophetic approach gives hope in Jesus. In Rev. 19:10, the angel of the Lord says, “I am a fellow servant with you and your comrades who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy!”
Prophecy is primarily about mobilizing the church to wake up and rise up. The class I am teaching on “Hearing God’s Voice” is talking about how prophesy plays this role in people’s individual lives. Prophecy is meant to encourage people who have been beat down and discouraged. It is meant to undermine the status quo. It is meant to replace the voices of self doubt, loathing and defeatism. The churches in Revelation did not need to know how the world was going to end, they needed to know that they shouldn’t give up hope. They needed a picture of a future with hope. They needed to know they had the power of God behind them. They needed encouraged to continue to worship God regardless of the cost. This is the role of prophesy in the Christian tradition and especial in Revelation.
REVELATION LIVING
At the end of Revelation and the end of most of the apocalyptic literature is the point of it all. It is the picture of a powerful victorious God, a faithful people worshiping God, and heaven. These things will happen. The vivid depictions may scare us, but my desire more than scare you this morning, is to give you hope. No matter how difficult your life may see. No matter how dark things close around you. There is a light in front of us. We can stand on the revelation of Christ. We can gain insights and wisdom into the spiritual realm. We can be freed from fear.
I love the picture of the new heaven and the new earth. I know the descriptions cannot fully do it justice but they make me excited with anticipation. To read of radiate lights, the glory of God, a city filled with pure gold, a wall of jasper, and the river of the water of life sustain me. They make me long for a place to live where there is no more tears, pain or sorrow. They make me long for that place described where I will be reunited with the people I love. That is Revelation living. That is the goal of Revelation. No more fear. No more worry. Simply God and God’s people!
“Revelation Living”
Brimfield Faith UMC / January 22, 2012
Revelation 22:12-17
POLARIZING
Revelation is the Tim Tebow of the Bible. You either love it or hate it. It evokes strong reactions by just existing, especially its existence in the Bible. If you have ever read Revelation or even just a snippet of the book, you will know it has some strange, bizarre, and even downright scary images in it. Some famous people throughout history have strong opinions about Revelation. Thomas Paine called it “a book of riddles that requires a Revelation to explain it.” The playwright George Bernard Shaw said that it was a “curious record of the visions of a drug addict.” And the infamous Friedrich Nietzsche said it was “the most rabid outburst of vindictiveness in all recorded history.” Today people treat it like Tim Tebow. They either love it, hate it, or ignore it.
As Christians we cannot ignore the book and would be ill-advised to hate it. In Rev. 1:3 it says, “Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of the prophecy and blessed are those who hear and who keep what is written for the time is near.” As we approach it we must do so with great respect and trepidation. John Wesley, the founder of Methodism said, “The Revelation was not written without tears; neither without tears will it be understood.” The great Reformers, Calvin and the early (Luther) were suspicious of Revelation, because they thought it would confuse the average Christian. Many Christians are non-Christians alike are still confused by it.
This morning my goal is not to explain every detail of the book, but rather provide a template or a lens through which you can read and understand the book. I believe we can find a way to read it without becoming obsessed with it and without hating it. We will indeed be blessed when we can read the book responsibility, with understanding and with wisdom.
INSIGHTS
Revelation is the most difficult book in the Bible, and yet I would encourage you to read it because it has valuable things to teach us. At first is to simply read it and highlight the sections that make sense and speak to your life. Don’t try to interpret anything. Revelation baffles the most skilled biblical scholars. With the aid of the Holy Spirit, Revelation will encourage you in your Christian walk. The book is so hard because Revelation it is highly symbolic and extremely complex.
Many parts read more as poetry rather than newspaper accounts. It combines several genres or types of writing. While the events and world they create are not fictional, they are a non-literal but real world. It is world that exists in the spiritual realm that cannot be fully be described by earthly language and concepts. As we sift through the book, it is helpful to understand that Revelation consists of three different types of literature that will help us to understand the book better. Revelation genres include letter, apocalypse, and prophesy. Understanding the combination of these three genres will provide a framework from which to read, understand, and apply the book of Revelation.
#1.Revelation is letter.
The book begins in Revelation 1:4 – 3:21 as a letter to seven different churches throughout Asia: Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea. Jesus writes letter with encouragements, strengths and growing edges for seven different churches. It is set in a specific time period, written to specific churches that were then circulated to other churches. At the time the book was written it was to address the geopolitical and ecclesiastical challenges among these communities of faith. There are numerous pastoral letters contained in the Bible. We have a good understating of how to establish context and meaning from these letters. As a starting place for reading Revelation it is helpful to realize that the biblical references refer to real people, real situations, real challenges and real difficulties. Therefore, Revelation is not a roadmap to the end of the world. While it certainly speaks of future happenings, it addresses real people who lived during a specific time.
As people obsess about how the events later in the book will unfold in the real world, they miss the wisdom and insights in it. Churches today continue to struggle with some of the same issues that churches 2000 years ago dealt with. For example, the message to Ephesus carries both an encouragement and an instructive word. It commends them for their patient endurance and diligence against evildoers. However Jesus says, “But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.” They have forgotten their first love. They have gotten caught up in doing the works of the church and failed to remember loving God is the most important thing to do. That is a now word! That is a word that speaks to us in the here and now. It is also a word that we miss if we fail to read Revelation and get lost in the symbolism of it.
#2. Revelation is apocalypse.
Revelation contains lots of symbolism. This is reflected in the fact it is also apocalypse. Apocalypse does not mean the end of the world. In the Greek it means revelation or unveiling. Several things are unveiled in the book.
First and foremost Jesus is the one being revealed. Jesus is depicted as king and victor. He becomes Lord and sits at the right hand of Father. He is triumphant over all evil. He cleanses us of sin and makes pure as snow. The person and character of Jesus and of God are revealed clearly. God is all-powerful and all-knowing. He will not be outwitted, outsmarted or out strategized. He will not and cannot be defeated.
Second aspect of apocalyptic literature is that spiritual warfare is emphasized as something real and pertinent in our lives. We live in a world in which spiritual entities play a more significant role than we probably will ever realize. Some of us have had angelic encounters and others have experience demonic presences. We no longer live in the Enlightenment Era where science, the tangible and optimism rule the day.
Instead, we are called to live with a biblical worldview that affirms unseen spiritual realities. In the spiritual realm described in Revelation the sides seem to be clearly defined. There is good and there is evil. It is black and white. There is no in between. There is no gray. We try to understand them in the context of modern day events and happenings. Without a doubt heaven and earth intersect but rarely in the ways that we expect. The language and experience of earth make it difficult to describe the spiritual realms and what they look like on this earth. The apocalyptic aspect of Revelation reveals Christ and awakens us to spiritual realities.
It misses the point to try and figure out who the Antichrist is going to be, let alone if it is one literal person. Let me go on record as saying President Obama, Putin, and even Ahmadinejad are NOT the Antichrist. We should not try and translate spiritual symbolism into the earthly realm. In the earthly realm, there isn’t just good and evil, black and white. The world consists of shades of gray or ambiguities, and complexities. No person is completely evil. No country is devoid of a moral compass. We are called to love our enemies and this is challenging, but it is possible. An awareness of spiritual warfare and the revelation of Jesus make it possible to live faithfully in a complex world.
#3. Revelation is Prophecy.
The nature of prophesy is one of the most misunderstood forms of communication in the Bible and it shouldn’t be. Prophesy is frequently considered predictions about the future. This accounts for the numerous books ranging from The Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsay to the more recent The Left Behind Series. These approaches see prophecy in Revelation completely as a prediction of the future. Aside: if you are waiting for the rapture, you may be waiting a very long time. Rapture is not a Biblical word and as we begin to understand Revelation through this lens not a biblical concept. While prophecy at times predicts the future that is only a small aspect of its function. The primary function of prophecy is to critique past and current events.
Additionally, in 1 Corinthians 14, we learn that prophesy is intended to strengthen, encourage and comfort people. Revelation is it intended to strengthen, encourage, and comfort the churches of Asia and all over the world. They suffered under Roman Emperor Nero who hated Christians and persecuted and killed them any chance that he got. Revelation describes the underpinnings of that struggle and prophesies a victorious end. This prophetic approach gives hope in Jesus. In Rev. 19:10, the angel of the Lord says, “I am a fellow servant with you and your comrades who hold the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophesy!”
Prophecy is primarily about mobilizing the church to wake up and rise up. The class I am teaching on “Hearing God’s Voice” is talking about how prophesy plays this role in people’s individual lives. Prophecy is meant to encourage people who have been beat down and discouraged. It is meant to undermine the status quo. It is meant to replace the voices of self doubt, loathing and defeatism. The churches in Revelation did not need to know how the world was going to end, they needed to know that they shouldn’t give up hope. They needed a picture of a future with hope. They needed to know they had the power of God behind them. They needed encouraged to continue to worship God regardless of the cost. This is the role of prophesy in the Christian tradition and especial in Revelation.
REVELATION LIVING
At the end of Revelation and the end of most of the apocalyptic literature is the point of it all. It is the picture of a powerful victorious God, a faithful people worshiping God, and heaven. These things will happen. The vivid depictions may scare us, but my desire more than scare you this morning, is to give you hope. No matter how difficult your life may see. No matter how dark things close around you. There is a light in front of us. We can stand on the revelation of Christ. We can gain insights and wisdom into the spiritual realm. We can be freed from fear.
I love the picture of the new heaven and the new earth. I know the descriptions cannot fully do it justice but they make me excited with anticipation. To read of radiate lights, the glory of God, a city filled with pure gold, a wall of jasper, and the river of the water of life sustain me. They make me long for a place to live where there is no more tears, pain or sorrow. They make me long for that place described where I will be reunited with the people I love. That is Revelation living. That is the goal of Revelation. No more fear. No more worry. Simply God and God’s people!
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