"Do It Again"

Here is the full text of a wonderful quotation from G.K. Chesterton which Pastor Allen cited in his sermonthis past Lord's Day:

"A child kicks its legs rhythmically through excess, not absence, of life. Because children have abounding vitality, because they are in spirit fierce and free, therefore they want things repeated and unchanged. They always say, 'Do it again'; and the grown-up person does it again until he is nearly dead. For grown-up people are not strong enough to exult in monotony. But perhaps God is strong enough... It is possible that God says every morning, 'Do it again,' to the sun; and every evening, 'Do it again,' to the moon. It may not be automatic necessity that makes all daisies alike: it may be that God makes every daisy separately, but has never got tired of making them. It may be that He has the eternal appetite of infancy; for we have sinned and grown old, and our Father is younger than we."

Learn from the Birds

Here's another book Pastor Allen cited in his Creation Sunday sermon. When I first began teaching in Christian schools, I actually had a collection of bird models crafted with feathers. I used them to teach object lessons in chapel, based on the character traits of each species. Doves, for example, have the messiest of nests, but they mate for life.

Here is the product description from Amazon.com:

"In this unique and intriguing book, John Stott takes seriously Jesus's exhortation in the Sermon on the Mount, 'Behold the fowls of the air' (Matt. 6:26 KJV). He reveals lessons on faith from the feeding of ravens, on repentance from the migration of storks, on freedom from the flight of the eagle, on joy from the song of the lark, and more. Stott humorously calls his work "an introduction to the science of orni-theology," for he combines information about birds with biblical truths and personal anecdotes in a way that will fascinate bird-lovers and Bible readers everywhere. The Birds, Our Teachers is lavishly illustrated with full-color photographs taken by the author in his travels around the world."

And More Numbers....

In this wonderful book by James Nickel, Mathematics: Is God Silent?, we find elegant explanations and illustrations of both phenomena mentioned in the previous two posts this week (the Golden Ratio and Fibonacci Sequence). Among the illustrations of these mathematical wonders in nature, Nickel includes the chambered nautilus, the storm clouds of a hurricane, the cochlea of the human ear, the spiral galaxy, and the structure of snowflakes (and other crystalline structures, as well).

This has become an important book to those of us in Christian schools, bceause it answers one of our frequent criticisms: "How do you teach 'Christian' math? That's one subject that's the same in both secular and Christian schools!"

But it isn't - as Nickel eloquently demonstrates, delving deeply into the history of the development of math. Citing such giants as Augustine, Francis Bacon, and Isaac Newton, this book makes an irrevocable case that there is no "neutral" subject, even math.

Speaking of numbers...

In addition to Pastor Allen's citing of the number phi (yesterday's blog post) as an evidence of God's design in creation, there is also the Fibonacci sequence.

I first discovered this concept in the book, Repairing he Ruins: The Classical and Christian Challenge in Modern Education. From that work, Jam Nance explains this mathematical phenomenon:

"Imagine you are playing number games. You start with 1 and 1, and add them together to get 2. You add that to the previous number and get 3. Add that to the previous number and you obtain 5. Continue this procedure and ther result is the following sequence...

1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,89,144,233,377,610,987,1597...

Now, what is so special about this sequence? Plenty. Examine a pine cone and you will see two spirals winding around in opposite directions. Count the spirals, and guess what, the number of spirals is always two consecutive numbers in this sequence, such as 5 and 8, or 8 and 13. This is no mere coincidence. The same is true of the center of sunflowers (which have 55 spirals one way and 89 the other), daisies, artichokes, and many other naturally occurring spirals. Examples of this pattern of numbers in nature abound."

At this point Nance goes on to quote several eminent mathematicians who bascially all say that this sequence is a mystery and there is no explanation for it. Nance concludes:

"Applied mathematics makes sense only with God-centered presuppositions and if mathematicians continue to build on unbelieving foundations, it will all come tumbling down."

The Golden Ratio

In his sermon yesterday, Pastor Allen quoted from this wonderful book, which demonstrates God's hand of ownership in the world of numbers. Here is the book description from the author's web site:

Throughout history, thinkers from mathematicians to theologians have pondered the mysterious relationship between numbers and the nature of reality. In this fascinating book, Mario Livio tells the tale of a number at the heart of that mystery: phi, or 1.6180339887.

This curious mathematical relationship, widely known as the “Golden Ratio,” was defined by Euclid more than two thousand years ago because of its crucial role in the construction of the pentagram, to which magical properties had been attributed. Since then it has shown a propensity to appear in the most astonishing variety of places – from mollusk shells, sunflower florets, and the crystals of some materials, to the shapes of galaxies containing billions of stars.

Psychological studies have investigated whether the Golden Ratio is the most aesthetically pleasing proportion extant, and it has been asserted that the creators of the Pyramids and the Parthenon employed it. It is believed to feature in works of art from Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa to Salvador Dali’s The Sacrament of the Last Supper, and poets and composers have used it in their works. It has even been suggested that it is connected to the behavior of the stock market!”

The Golden Ratio is a journey through art and architecture, botany and biology, physics and mathematics. It tells the human story of numerous phi-fixated individuals, including the followers of Pythagoras, who believed that this proportion revealed the hand of God; astronomer Johannes Kepler, who saw phi as one of the greatest treasures of geometry; such medieval thinkers as mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci of Pisa; and such masters of the modern world as Debussy, Le Corbusier, Bartok, and physicist Roger Penrose. Wherever his quest for the meaning of phi takes him, Mario Livio reveals the world as a place where order, beauty, and eternal mystery will always coexist.

Charmed Evening #5

When I was keeping a blog called "Issues in Education," I started a series called "Charmed Evenings" to recount the glories of homegrown entertainment (as opposed to Hollywood) and also to highlight the amazing accomplishments of Christian schools.

This past Monday evening a fairly sparse crowd were treated with a sound experience that was exquisite and rare. The instrumental music programs of Pusch Ridge Christian Academy and Desert Christian High School combined talents for an hour of select music under the tensile structure of the amphitheater at Pusch Ridge. This made a spectacular outdoor venue for the concert. And it was the perfect time of year for an evening event in the amphitheater; the six PM hour gave us all the light we needed without any of the usual desert heat. Set against the breathtaking background of Pusch Ridge itself, the hour long concert was a feast for the soul, combing both auditory and visual stimuli in a celebration of God's creative goodness!

Band members from both schools had been rehearsing the same music for some weeks, and then spent Monday afternoon blending together under the direction of PRCA band director Pam Reed and Desert instrumental teacher Cindyrae Stang. The three band selections provided variety and delight, and were skillfully performed. The audience joined in clapping along with some of the spirituals on the first selection, Celebration of Spirituals. Mrs. Stang directed The Mikado, which featured some percussion effects unique to Asian music. The finale for the band, Dragons Fly on the Winds of Time, was simply stunning. Directed by Pam Reed, the piece gave us an imaginative (and musically challenging) trip to a fantasy world where forces of good and evil clash on an epic scale, and virtue triumphs!

The evening concluded with several selections by the Desert Christian Handbells. Fresh from a trip to Disneyland, the bells rang two excellent Disney arrangments, Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. Their variety of music displayed all the techniques which make bell music so delightful: table damps, shakes, vibrato, malleting, and plucking. My favorite selections were the two hymns: O, the Deep, Deep Love of Jesus and Christ the Lord is Risen Today.

It was a charmed evening that even those who would not normally think of going out to a concert would have enjoyed. We should be thankful to live in a city with two excellent Christian high schools. And it was great to see Dove Mountaineers Cindy Vos, Wade Remer, Mel Melvin, and Cathy Strong in attendance.

Meet Kim!

Dove Mountain Church's first employee, after Pastor Allen, was Kim Ritt. Kim has been the office administrator since nearly the beginning of DMC. She's the lovely voice you get on the phone when you call the church, and the unseen hands behind the bulletin, the inserts, the announcements,and much, much more!

Like many others, Kim and Bob Ritt were attracted to Arizona by the warm weather. Both are native Michiganders, and actually met when Bob lived two doors down from Kim's parents' cabin. Shortly after Kim's daughter, Katie, became a westerner - first at Biola University in La Mirada, CA, and now in Colorado Springs, where she works for mission agency HCJB - Bob and Kim decided to forsake the "interminable gray skies" and snow for the sunny southern Arizona. Having been here since 2005, Kim loves to take advantage of the climate and scenery to hike and enjoy the animal and bird watching along the way.

In regard to her job as church administrator, Kim says "I love being a part of the ministry – of being able to serve the Lord in full-time work using my gift of administration. Allen always says that we are operating on the “gift/gap theory” at Dove Mtn. – we all have gifts and we all have gaps. This plays out constantly in the job and I never cease to be amazed and humbled by God’s generous provision through the gifts and talents of His people. Just when I am feeling stressed by one of my “gaps”, along comes a Dove Mountaineer with a specific gift that fits the gap. It’s been exciting, and sometimes difficult, being a part of a new church plant, but the benefit of being on staff from the beginning is the opportunity to watch the church grow and mature."

Kim says that Dove Mountaineers can assist her by attempting to take care of church business during her morning working hours at the church office [those not familiar with the office location and contact numbers can get them here]. "Because I’m isolated in my work, the need to be a plain old Dove Mountaineer on Sundays, and not Kim the Office Administrator, is really necessary for my sanity. Sunday is a day to worship and fellowship with my fellow Dove Mountaineers, and I really look forward to that time of connection."

At home Kim likes to read and do crosswords. Her current reading includes M. Beatty's Co-Dependent No More.

Our lovely office administrator first trusted Christ at age six and was baptized at age twelve. Her favorite scripture is Philippians 3:10, “That I might know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, becoming like Him in His death.”

Thank you for your service to the Lord, Kim!

More from Pastor Matt: "Biblical style redistribution"

Pastor Matt Uldrich undertook this message because he was inspired by a challenge from Chuck Swindoll: "Pastors must be willing to speak to the issues of the day."

The current health reform legislation has raised many thoughtful questions among believers. Is socialized medicine really wrong? What is the Bible's teaching on redistribution of assets? Does the church have a role in this different from or similar to the government?

In yesterday's blog, Pastor Matt took us back to a teaching in Deuteronomy 15, which was later revisited in Jesus' own teaching in Matthew 26:10-13. The following notes are from Matt's Sunday pulpit commentary on these passages:

The Biblical idea of redistribution is:
the Body of Christ bringing resources together to empower people in a community of need.

We have all heard that it is better to teach a man to fish than to feed him a fish. Helping people to become self-sufficient enables them to help others.

1. The Posture of Redistribution

The poor are those in need or want, either through a poverty of condition or poverty of being. Our posture toward them should be open-hearted and open-handed. They may need financial counseling, deliverance from addictions, and other types of ministry.
We all know that Matthew 26 says that the poor are always with us, but Jesus goes on to commend the open-heartedness and open-handedness of the woman. This is further illustrated in the parable of the Good Samaritan - a portrait of pity moved to action.

2. The Purpose of Redistribution

The first purpose of redistribution (in a Biblical sense) is to remind us that God owns everything. We should have a spirit of gratitude rather than a spirit of entitlement. Instead of praying, "What do you want me to give?" we should probably pray "What do you want me to keep?" The second purpose is to remind us to depend on God's provision (as opposed to the government or any human agency). The third purpose is to remind us of who we are as God's people.

3. The Practice of Redistribution

We must go beyond charity in order to help the poor get to a better place. The greatest resource we have to give is ourselves. Guilt does not work; it is not sustainable. Grace works.

From Pastor Matt again: Open hearts and open hands

Deuteronomy 15:
7 If there is a poor man among your brothers in any of the towns of the land that the LORD your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward your poor brother.
8 Rather be openhanded and freely lend him whatever he needs.
9 Be careful not to harbor this wicked thought: "The seventh year, the year for canceling debts, is near," so that you do not show ill will toward your needy brother and give him nothing. He may then appeal to the LORD against you, and you will be found guilty of sin.
10 Give generously to him and do so without a grudging heart; then because of this the LORD your God will bless you in all your work and in everything you put your hand to.
11 There will always be poor people in the land. Therefore I command you to be openhanded toward your brothers and toward the poor and needy in your land.

Last Sunday's Message from Pastor Matt

Mark 10:
17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. "Good teacher," he asked, "what must I do to inherit eternal life?"
18 "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good—except God alone. 19You know the commandments: 'Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, do not defraud, honor your father and mother.'"
20 "Teacher," he declared, "all these I have kept since I was a boy."
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. "One thing you lack," he said. "Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."
22 At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!"

"This is a passage about who is following Jesus and who is not. It shows that Jesus expands the kingdom one person at a time. The doctrine confronting the rich young man was total depravity. Possessions are a hindrance to total trust."

Pastor Matt Uldrich
Catalina Foothills Church

Great Voices: Repentant Slaver

One of the greatest turn-around stories of the Great Awakening was the conversion of John Newton, captain of a slaving ship. Ironically, prior to becoming captain, Newton was once captive in Africa, and actually of servant of the black people he later enslaved and hauled to America. Converted in 1748, Newton eventually left the slave trade and became a priest in the Church of England in 1764. As a preacher, Newton became so popular that a gallery had to be added to his church to hold the crowds. He penned a book of hymns called Olney Hymns, including the favorite, "Amazing Grace."

Here are a selection of quotes from John Newton:

“We can easily manage if we will only take, each day, the burden appointed to it. But the load will be too heavy for us if we carry yesterday's burden over again today, and then add the burden of the morrow before we are required to bear it.”

“Though troubles assail And dangers affright, Though friends should all fail And foes all unite; Yet one thing secures us, Whatever betide, The scripture assures us, The Lord will provide."

“Our righteousness is in Him, and our hope depends, not upon the exercise of grace in us, but upon the fullness of grace and love in Him, and upon His obedience unto death.”

This is the fifth in a series of five posts taken from a chapel program prepared for Redeemer Christian School, Mesa, Arizona, on "The Voices of the Great Awakening."

Great Voices: Crusader

One of the important voices of the Great Awakening period was not a preacher, but a crusader for social reform. As an adult convert, William Wilberforce was eager to apply the Bible in the areas of influence he was already privy to as a member of parliament. He was instrumental in getting laws passed to protect the Lord's Day, and was active in movements such as "Society for the Suppression of Vice," and the "Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals." He stirred up considerable financial support for the Church Missions Society, paritcularly on behalf of India and Sierra Leone. But his crowning acheivement was the success of legislation which completely abolished slavery throughout the entire British Empire in 1833.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Wilberforce:

“And, sir, when we think of eternity, and of the future consequences of all human conduct, what is there in this life that should make any man contradict the dictates of his conscience, the principles of justice, the laws of religion, and of God?”

“Is it not the great end of religion, and, in particular, the glory of Christianity, to extinguish the malignant passions; to curb the violence, to control the appetites, and to smooth the asperities of man; to make us compassionate and kind, and forgiving one to another; to make us good husbands, good fathers, good friends; and to render us active and useful in the discharge of the relative social and civil duties?”

“If to be feelingly alive to the sufferings of my fellow-creatures is to be a fanatic, I am one of the most incurable fanatics ever permitted to be at large.”

This is the fourth in a series of five posts taken from a chapel program prepared for Redeemer Christian School, Mesa, Arizona, on "The Voices of the Great Awakening."

Great Voices: Voice of Thunder

George Whitefield is largely credited with launching the First Great Awakening in North America in 1730. He was one of the earliest long distance traveling evangelists, making thirteen Atlantic crossings bettween his home in England and his mission field in America.

One of his most unusual qualities was his booming voice. Whitefield is reported to have preached numerous times to outdoors gathering between ten and twenty thousand, without benefit of our present day means of amplification. Benjamin Franklin, upon leaving a sermon early, reported he was able to hear Whitefield's voice all the way back to his house!

Here are a selection of my favorite quotes by Whitefield:

“And now let me address all of you, high and low, rich and poor, one with another, to accept of mercy and grace while it is offered to you; Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation; and will you not accept it, now it is offered unto you?”

"For it pleased God, after he had made all things by the word of his power, to create man after his own image.”

“It is very remarkable, that in the book of life, we find some almost of all kinds of occupations, who notwithstanding served God in their respective generations, and shone as so many lights in the world.”

The is the third in a series of five posts taken from a chapel program prepared for Redeemer Christian School, Mesa, Arizona, on "The Voices of the Great Awakening."

Great Voices: American Puritan

Best remembered for his sermon, "Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God," Jonathan Edwards was exemplary of that curious mixture of solemnity and deep joy which Leland Ryken writes of in his Worldly Saints: The Puritans as They Really Were. Edwards wrote hundreds of sermons, dozens of books, and was a great educator, both at Yale and Princeton (when they were actually Christian colleges). But what I admire about him most were his progeny: he was father and grandfather to thirteen university presidents, sixty-five professors, and scores of ministers.

Here are a selection of my favorite quotes by Edwards:

“Resolution One: I will live for God.
Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.”

“To go to heaven, fully to enjoy God, is infinitely better than the most pleasant accommodations here”

“The happiness of the creature consists in rejoicing in God, by which also God is magnified and exalted.”

The is the second in a series of five posts taken from a chapel program prepared for Redeemer Christian School, Mesa, Arizona, on "The Voices of the Great Awakening."

Great Voices: European Reformer

From time to time I have quoted from The Losungen here, a lectionary of daily readings published by the Moravian Church. The Moravians are the result of the Christian community-building efforts of Count Ludwig von Zinzendorf (1700-1760). Like many of the other Protestant Reformers, Zinzendorf did not set out to "found" a denomination, but grateful followers tend to perpetutate the ways of their leaders, and the rest is history.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from Zinzendorf:

"I have but one passion - it is He, He alone. The world is the field and the field is the world; and henceforth that country shall be my home where I can be most used in winning souls for Christ..."

"Our method of proclaiming salvation is this: to point out to every heart the loving Lamb, who died for us, and although He was the Son of God, offered Himself for our sins...by the preaching of His blood, and of His love unto death, even the death of the cross, never, either in discourse or in argument, to digress even for a quarter of an hour from the loving Lamb: to name no virtue except in Him, and from Him and on His account - to preach no commitment except faith in Him; no other justification but that he atoned for us; no other sanctification but the privilege to sin no more; no other happiness but to be near Him, to think of Him and do His pleasure; so other self-denial but to be deprived of Him and His blessings; no other calamity but to displease Him; no other life but in Him."

"There can be no Christianity without community."

The is the first in a series of five posts taken from a chapel program prepared for Redeemer Christian School, Mesa, Arizona, on "The Voices of the Great Awakening."

Lessons from the cat

Job 35:11
Who teacheth us more than the beasts of the earth, and maketh us wiser than the fowls of heaven?

AnnaBelle Cat (ABC) is the latest of many cats we have rescued from various fates. One of the reasons we took Anna Belle off the hands of a teacher who was moving was because she looked just like the one (very pleasant-tempered) cat I actually loved (of the many who passed before her). But the similarity is only fur-deep.

Anna Belle is stubborn and resists training of every sort, especially pertaining to bodily functions. I have broken her of taking naps on the keyboard of my laptop (she likes the warmth of the electric current). But that's only because I learned to keep the lid cloased when I'm not using it. That was one good thing she taught me.

But there's more. When I get impatient and want to withhold her daily rations, when she cries loudly for no apparent reason, when she wants to rub against me at most inopportune times, when she won't go outside - or demands to go outside (whichever is opposite of "convenient"), whenever she yawns in disinterest at my attempts to connect cause and effect for her...at these times I remember how patient our Heavenly Father is with us.

And just when I'm most tired of cleaning up after her, I notice her earnest profile as she scans my face, or she hops in my lap to snuggle, or she (for some whimsical reason) remembers to potty in her pan...then I remember that she is one of God's creatures, too.

And I thank God for the wonder of His creation. It is a marvelous thing!

Second Sunday of Easter

Sunday, April 11

Watchword for the Week -- Jesus says, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you." John 20:21

Acts 5:27-32; Psalm 150
Revelation 1:4-8; John 20:19-31

Ascribe greatness to our God! Deuteronomy 32:3

Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 5:19-20

Holy Trinity, we stand before you filled with awe and joy at all you have done in creation. We sing praise to you and offer ourselves as vessels to be filled with purpose that your will might be done. Amen.

-from today's Losungen

Mere Christianity

For those not familiar (or formerly familiar) with C.S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters, the words are those of a senior devil instructing his young nephew on the arts and crafts of tempting humans:

"The real trouble about the set [of friends] your patient [human being tempted] is living in is that it is merely Christian. They all have individual interests, of course, but the bond remains mere Christianity. What we [devils] want, if men become Christians at all, is to keep them in the state of mind I call "Christianity and." You know - Christianity and the Crisis, Christianity and the New Psychology, Christianity and the New Order, Christianity and Faith Healing, Christianity and Psychical Research, Christianity and Vegetarianism, Christianity and Spelling Reform. If they must be Christians let them at least be Christians with a difference. Substitute for the faith itself some Fashion with a Christian coloring. Work on their horror of the Same Old Thing."

As we anticipate the regularity of the Lord's Day tomorrow, let us be thankful for that particular Same Old Thing, realizing we stnd in a two thousand-year-old tradition with roots even several thousand years deeper!

How we come to know Jesus: through His body

Luke 24:
30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?
33 And they rose up the same hour, and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them,
34 Saying, The Lord is risen indeed, and hath appeared to Simon.
35 And they told what things were done in the way, and how he was known of them in breaking of bread.

Pastor Allen's fourth point:

We come to know Jesus through His body.

As Pastor Allen said immediately after the sermon, "This is why we celebrate communion every Sunday."

Amen.

How we come to know Jesus: with our heart

Luke 24:
28 And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further.
29 But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
30 And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them.
31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight.
32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?

Pastor Allen's third point:

We come to know Jesus with our heart.

For Pastor Allen to speak about the heart, the seat of passion, is like throwing Br'er Rabbit in the briar patch. Or for those too young to recognize that allusion, like requiring me to watch hours and hours of marching band contests - there's nothing I would rather do more. One of the things we all like best about Pastor Allen's preaching is his passion.

I like the icon above because it shows both phases of the Emmaus experience: the disciples on the road wiht Jesus, and later at table with him. I also like the English translation on it: "...our hearts gradually catching fire within us..."

How we come to know Jesus: with our mind

Luke 24:
25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?
27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.

Pastor Allen's second point:

We come to know Jesus with our mind.

It has always been a comfort to me that as Christians we do not have "kiss our brains good-bye"! I understand that we walk by faith, not by sight, but even the foot (the stepping organ) has to get some kind of instruction from the brain! And in this passage, Jesus lovingly took the disciples back to the scriptures to help them make sense of His resurrection, setting a pattern of reliance on God's Word that we should continue to follow when discerning the works of God.

I have always loved this particular illustration (above) of the road to Emmaus, because it gives Jesus a location in time and space - His feet are completely grounded, so to speak. And it shows His closeness to the disciples, as they walk along as companions. We need Jesus to walk with us, and He does.

How we come to know Jesus: by grace

Today is the first of four blogs based on pastor Allen's Easter message.

Luke 24:
13 Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem.
14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened.
15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them;
16 but they were kept from recognizing him.

Pastor Allen's first point:

We come to know Jesus by grace.

In the passsage above, Jesus came to the disciples when they were not seeking, or expecting them. They did not even recognize him at first!

Pastor Allen used the illustration from the Sistine Chapel (above) of the creation of Adam to illustrate this. Notice how weak and nonchalant Adam's hand and posture are. Notice how purposeful and direct God's finger is. He seeks (and finds!) us. We do not save ourselves.

Thank God.

How I spent my Holy Week

It wasn't a "vacation" at all, but this is like the essay you write when you're back at school after a break. Actually, I was away at school.

Redeemer Christian School is a K-12 classical and Christian school sponsored by Church of the Redeemer in Mesa, Arizona. It is over thirty years old, and like most Christian schools, has gone through many highs and lows. Inner turmoil almost closed the school around 2001. The current administrator, Dr. Denise Monore, came on board about nine years ago, and has stabilized and improved Redeemer tremendously. Enrollment has been consistently about seventy-five for the past five years, and the success of their graduates has been evident in many ways. They were accredited by Christian Schools International five years ago, and I was blessed to be a part of the re-accreditation process last week.

While there are many accolades I could give to this excellent school, I just want to point out one thing. In private education, just a with everything else in America, it is possible to get caught up in the "bigger is better" frenzy. There are no doubt "economies of scale" that would benefit Redeemer's busy faculty (each of whom wear too many hats) or Redeemer's parents and students (who deny themselves a number of "extras" that bigger schools would offer). However, just a day before visiting Redeemer, I heard news of two local districts here in Tucson who are sacrificing class size as well as physical education, music, and art to stay within budget. At Redeemer, I saw small classes and two excellent part time art and music teachers.

But here's the best thing about Redeemer: the culture they have established is remarkably free of the worldliness of most schools. High school students lead most of the chapel service without embarrassment (and without loud, sexy music). Middle school students interact un-selfconsciously with elementary children on the playground and in the lunchroom. Students look adults in the eye and answer them politely. I actually heard high school students speak to adults intelligently, in complete sentences, and without the gratuitious use of "like.." every other word.

They are not saints, but they have respected their authorities enough to obey them well. Without exception, they responded that they are happy to be there, and would not want to be anywhere else. And on another day, I could tell you how much they are learning!

But for today, my point is this. Many Christian families - maybe even some Dove Mountaineers - could visit their school without being as charmed as I was. I am afraid we have become so jaded (even indifferent) that we have come to accept rebellion, self-absorption, and dumbed-down language as part and parcel of what it means to be a teenager, even a teenage Christian, in present day U.S.A. I love the Redeemers of the world (and they are not alone) because they prove that it doesn't have to be that way. And if it doesn't have to be that way, why do we aspire to so low a standard? Dr. Denise Monroe and the elders of Church of the Redeemer haven't, and the result is mighty good fruit! Glory to God!

He is Risen!

Mark 16

1 And when the sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, had bought sweet spices, that they might come and anoint him.
2 And very early in the morning the first day of the week, they came unto the sepulchre at the rising of the sun.
3 And they said among themselves, Who shall roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulchre?
4 And when they looked, they saw that the stone was rolled away: for it was very great.
5 And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.
6 And he saith unto them, Be not affrighted: Ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, which was crucified: he is risen; he is not here: behold the place where they laid him.
7 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter that he goeth before you into Galilee: there shall ye see him, as he said unto you.
8 And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed: neither said they any thing to any man; for they were afraid.

Holy Saturday

Matthew 27

57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:
58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.
61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.
62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.
64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.
65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.
66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

1 Peter 4

1 Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin;
2 That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.
3 For the time past of our life may suffice us to have wrought the will of the Gentiles, when we walked in lasciviousness, lusts, excess of wine, revellings, banquetings, and abominable idolatries:
4 Wherein they think it strange that ye run not with them to the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you:
5 Who shall give account to him that is ready to judge the quick and the dead.
6 For for this cause was the gospel preached also to them that are dead, that they might be judged according to men in the flesh, but live according to God in the spirit.
7 But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
8 And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.

Behold, the Man!

John 19

1 Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him.
2 And the soldiers platted a crown of thorns, and put it on his head, and they put on him a purple robe,
3 And said, Hail, King of the Jews! and they smote him with their hands.
4 Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him.
5 Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!
6 When the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Take ye him, and crucify him: for I find no fault in him.
7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.
8 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid;
9 And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.
10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?
11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.
13 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus forth, and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called the Pavement, but in the Hebrew, Gabbatha.
14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
16 Then delivered he him therefore unto them to be crucified. And they took Jesus, and led him away.
17 And he bearing his cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in the Hebrew Golgotha:
18 Where they crucified him, and two other with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst.
19 And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.
20 This title then read many of the Jews: for the place where Jesus was crucified was nigh to the city: and it was written in Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin.
21 Then said the chief priests of the Jews to Pilate, Write not, The King of the Jews; but that he said, I am King of the Jews.
22 Pilate answered, What I have written I have written.
23 Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took his garments, and made four parts, to every soldier a part; and also his coat: now the coat was without seam, woven from the top throughout.
24 They said therefore among themselves, Let us not rend it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be: that the scripture might be fulfilled, which saith, They parted my raiment among them, and for my vesture they did cast lots. These things therefore the soldiers did.
25 Now there stood by the cross of Jesus his mother, and his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Cleophas, and Mary Magdalene.
26 When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold thy son!
27 Then saith he to the disciple, Behold thy mother! And from that hour that disciple took her unto his own home.
28 After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst.
29 Now there was set a vessel full of vinegar: and they filled a spunge with vinegar, and put it upon hyssop, and put it to his mouth.
30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
31 The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
32 Then came the soldiers, and brake the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him.
33 But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they brake not his legs:
34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.
35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.
36 For these things were done, that the scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.
37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced.
38 And after this Joseph of Arimathaea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of the Jews, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of Jesus.
39 And there came also Nicodemus, which at the first came to Jesus by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about an hundred pound weight.
40 Then took they the body of Jesus, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to bury.
41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid.
42 There laid they Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.

Maundy Thursday

John 13
1 Now before the feast of the passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.
2 And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;
3 Jesus knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he was come from God, and went to God;
4 He riseth from supper, and laid aside his garments; and took a towel, and girded himself.
5 After that he poureth water into a bason, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded.
6 Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
7 Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
8 Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
9 Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.
10 Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all.
11 For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean.
12 So after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, Know ye what I have done to you?
13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am.
14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another's feet.