World Without End

The New Storytellers

Yesterday in my sermon I challenged folks to become "imagining storytellers in the great Drama of Scripture." Nice words....they sound pretty nice changed together like that. But I am straight serious. To be Christians in the 21st century, participating in God's mission for the world, we have to understand the Bible as something that actually effects our life.

In the past, we understood its effects as knowledge and moral priority. We read the Bible to find more knowledge about God and to learn the do's and don'ts of the Christian life. These still apply, but perhaps not in the same order or priority. We need to get past a mechanistic understand of the Bible. Instead of it being something we hang on a tool belt, it instead becomes part of our mind and body. With this mindset, the idea of knowledge and behavior come into play, but understood because we are in a relationship with God instead of religious obligation.

Scripture belongs to the life we live now. We learn to talk about ourselves in terms of the actions of Christ, the deliverance from Egypt in the Old Testament and the hymns of hope in Revelation. The people of God have a story. It has been the same story since Abraham was called. The creator of the universe wants to draw all of the world into a redeemed relationship. He Himself came down, and Jesus took care of everything. While Jesus now sits at the right hand of the Father, the Holy Spirit now speaks the words of God to us.

The practical side of storytelling means that we need to read scripture. We read it slow, fast, with deep intentions and at a glance. In all points of time the word of God is with us. It means we might have times where we read huge stretches or it might be the verses we memorized as a child. Through reading, we take it in as part of our lives and are then able to tell it to others...as something we own.

In several places in scripture, God challenges a prophet to eat a scroll. As Christians, we ingest scripture, letting it become part of our body. We do this as individuals and we do this as corporate bodes. Scripture becomes as natural as an organ, influncing our life in ways that we don't even realize.

Tackling the AntiChrist: Pt 1

Nothing is stronger in conservative end times language than the topic of the “AntiChrist”.   He is the perennial “Big Bad Wolf” of the church. Using this language, we easily can demonize any person to the highest degree.  Many people have been named as a potential AntiChrist. Jason Boyett gives a very tongue-in-cheek guide in chapter 10 of the Pocket Guide To The Apocalypse: The Official Field Manual For The End Of The World, and quickly puts together a list of 10 qualities found in current PreMillennial Dispensationalism (the fancy word for Left Behind).  He also has a short list of potential candidates through history, ranging from various popes, Saddam Hussein, JFK and Bill Gates, then ranks them through his 10 categories.

All satire aside, the AntiChrist embeds itself in our culture.  I want to start by taking a look at the four biblical passages that use the term.

1John 2:18  Children, it is the last hour, and just as you heard that the antichrist is coming, so now many antichrists have appeared. We know from this that it is the last hour.

1John 2:22 Who is the liar but the person who denies that Jesus is the Christ? This one is the antichrist: the person who denies the Father and the Son.

1John 4:3 but every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God, and this is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming, and now is already in the world.

2John 7 For many deceivers have gone out into the world, people who do not confess Jesus as Christ coming in the flesh. This person is the deceiver and the antichrist!

The English term for antichrist comes from the Greek word ἀντίχριστος. Simply put, it translates as “one who replaces Christ”.  The only use of this word in the entire Bible is in these 4 verses in 1 John and 2 John.  The word is also not found anywhere else outside Christian circles. 

So consider this basic data.  That said, lets try to take any sort of wild apocalyptic scenarios out of our minds and define the term using the context of these passages in John’s letters. I encourage you to read the chapters that these verses are found in while thinking about it.

How then would you define “antichrist”?

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall ever be, world without end.

The Apocalyptic Pastor

Eugene Peterson is about as mystical as Presbyterians get. He is a great example of a 21st century contemplative. Over the last few weeks I have been studying the use of Revelation in preaching and the pastoral vocation. Peterson devotes an entire chapter in The Contemplative Pastor: Returning to the Art of Spiritual Direction to the topic.

Peterson quickly identifies the role of apocalyptic as an adjective of the pastor. Insisting on the realities of the kingdom against the realities of the world is part of the task of the pastor. They are there to remind us of our exact station. Too often, the church acts like Israel, waiting for the promised Messiah. The Christian life lives in the expectation birthed by the resurrection.

Below are the three broad strokes that Peterson takes describing the apocalyptic pastor.

1. Apocalyptic Prayer-
Prayer is the pivotal action in the Christian community. In his task of being a pastor, John situates himself in prayer through the whole book. At the beginning and end of Revelation, John is in a posture of worship. Living on the boundary between Rome and the Kingdom, prayer connects the Christian life. Prayer is a formal, awesome activity. Pastors pray to bring people into the presence of God. Prayer is the true reality of a Christian

2. Apocalyptic Poet-
John is playful in Revelation, because he shapes a new reality for the reader. This is translation, not memorization. The creative task of the pastor is to shape the praying imagination of his people, therefore poetry must be used. Poetry is original speech, bringing things into being. Words make truth.

3. Apocalyptic Patience-
We want things quickly. The apocalyptic community is patient because it dwells in holy wedlock with Christ. It develops us into the true people of God. Apocalypse is urgent without being hurried. Patience is needed to enter into the "subtle and glorious poem vision". It takes patience to unlearn our hurried life and abide in the "deep time" of God. 

If you are familiar with Peterson, you understand that he constantly promotes a John 15 approach to Christianity, bed rocked in a constant and on-going relationship. This quick chapter is just another step in his dance.

Related Posts:
Story Telling and Re-Telling
Forming an Eschatological Community: Formation through Text

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall ever be, world without end.

Classics: The Anti-Jabez

In my scripture this week I was in Isaiah 26 and I stumbled upon this verse-

Is. 26:15 But you have increased the nation, O LORD,
        you have increased the nation; you are glorified;
        you have enlarged all the borders of the land. (NRSV)

The first thing that came to mind was the "Prayer of Jabez" which took the evangelical world by storm and inspired countless pieces of Christian accessories. It is taken from 1 Chronicles 4:9-10.

The passage from Isaiah is the end of a praise of the uprightness of YHWH.  The Prayer of Jabez is criticized for being prosperity gospel and abuse for the prayer of material gain. Some were able to speak of it (the idea of the prayer) as an increased witness in reference to an enlarged territory, and I think this is a bit better...but still off the mark.

Inside the larger scope of Isaiah 26, we read about the desires of the LORD and His victory.  What if our view of an increased nation and borders is an eschatological look at the idea of Israel being a land of God, a Eden re-imagined...out of the scope of militiristic Zionism and instead a vision of a new world directed in the worship and prayer of Father, Son and Spirit?

This might be as off based as branding a piece of scripture to throw pillows, blankets and plaques....but it might also be a way us naming the future promise of God of a land of Holiness and praise.

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning, is now, and shall ever be, world without end.

Revealed Glory: unmasking apocalypse

Lately I have been thinking and reading about the “aim of scripture.”  Not the point behind scripture, but the overall view of what it tells us.  The aim takes in the entire book, from Genesis to Revelation, and inside of the idea we are consistently looking at scripture to explain itself through scripture.

That sounds kinda complicated....doesn’t it?

What this means is that the places that are really confusing should be interpreted in light of the whole text.  This isn’t just jumping around the Bible and trying to find something similar (this is pretty dangerous actually), but instead working out a view and reading of the Bible as the overarching story of God in this world.

I am writing a paper right now that of why the aim of scripture is important, directed at how the early Church Fathers had to use scripture in defense against the gnostics...who were particularly good at sculpting scripture to say what they wanted it to say. This practice didn’t die in the 3rd century. To them, the aim of scripture and the act of a right reading, is what defined what was Christian and what wasn't.

In books like Revelation, the aim of scripture become extremely important, because many people will separate Revelation from the greater sense of the biblical text, especially the New Testament.  For a book that is considered part of the community of John (G.of John, 1-3 John and Revelation), these fantastical interpretations really pull it out of the greater characteristics of it’s literary family.

The best place to start off this idea is the word apocalypse (in greek Ἀποκάλυψις).  At the beginning the book is identified as an apocalypse of Jesus (Ἀποκάλυψις Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ) given to John (Rev 1:1).  Often, we think of apocalypse as a word describing a dramatic and violent ending.  A simply lexical study will prove this false.  The BDAG gives us a major definition as follows

1. Making Fully Known
a. of the revelation of truth (Romans 16:25, Eph 1:7), a light of revelation to the gentiles (lk 2:32)
b. of revelations of particular kinds, through visions etc..(Gal 1:12, Rev 1:1, 2 Cor 2:1), the secret was made known by revelations (Eph 3:3, 2 Cor 12:7)
c. of the disclosure of secrets belonging to the last days (1 Pt 4:13)

2. As part of the book title-

So we see that apocalypse, defined as revealing, has meanings listed higher than the one that we usually ascribe to it (c). But even the references behind c gives us a picture.

1Pet. 4:13 But rejoice insofar as you are sharing Christ’s sufferings, so that you may also be glad and shout for joy when his glory is revealed.

Even in the supposed “doom and gloom” definition, we see a distinct idea of the term Ἀποκάλυψις through the witness of scripture (also see 1 Pet 1:7, 13, 1 Cor 1:7, 2 Th 1:7) . Even in 1st Peter’s usage, we don’t see a cataclysmic reading, but the idea that the glory of Jesus will be revealed.  So it is in the defining of the “glory being revealed” that a view of the end is formed, not a view of destruction.  In the finality of our knowledge of Christ, our adoption will be revealed in its full sense of power.  This revelation is part of our inheritance as part of the family of God.

Yes, the vision given to John is a revealing message.  The first word of the book is heavily loaded, instantly painting a picture across scripture of the glory of God being revealed...and many of the references are specifically directed to his people.  How will we handle this knowledge placed to us?  In Revelation we don’t read the theological treatise of Paul regarding the exalted Christ, but we see him living as the risen Lord Jesus.  This is BIG knowledge.   I also do not want to discount judgement, because it is going to happen, but it should be placed in the proper context.  Allowing judgement to be the defining theme of Revelation as well as defining the word apocalypse simply isn’t a good use of scripture. 

So how do Christians understand Revelation to be about God and His glory incarnated in the Son of Jesus Christ?  That is the contemporary question that exists within Revelation today.  Just as the 7 churches struggled with distinguishing themselves from the world, we today have the same call. By us better understanding Jesus Christ we better interpret our place in this world. We are what we worship!!!

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be

The Beginning and the End

Last month, I took some time to ask a few questions regarding what you (the reader) would like to read about. My friend Tom responded, and this was one of his questions-

How does Genesis 1 and 2 inform eschatology? Or, rather, how does your eschatological perspective provide a lens for you to read Genesis 1 and 2?

I have been thinking lately more and more around this topic and I want to briefly starting thinking publicly about Toms question.  The way that we view the beginning/end will inform each other.  Reading Genesis 1 and 2 and Revelation 21 together provides a huge base of shared imagery.  As a Wesleyan (more specifically a United Methodist), I have to take this formal statement to heart.

The created order is designed for the well-being of all creatures and as the place of human dwelling in covenant with God. As sinful creatures, however, we have broken that covenant, become estranged from God, wounded ourselves and one another, and wreaked havoc throughout the natural order. We stand in need of redemption. (Book of Discipline 101-
heading Basic Christian Affirmations)

The way that we view the role of the creator/creation covenant, what that covenant entailed as well as the handling of the fall will show its results in how we think about the End.  If we view God as keyly deterministic ( main attribute as sovereign in understanding, guiding and directing every action of Man), the language of End will be primarily judgmental.  If we view God as relational (his supreme attribute being the community of Father, Son and Spirit) we have a language of End that is directed around family language...of reunion, remaking, and eternal covenant.

Inside of both of these views is judgment and they have their own language to describe judgement, its relationship to righteousness, and how creation figures into the relationship between God and the Christian.

Also figured in these two views are topics such as creation care, the incarnation, the predetermining view of God, and nature of salvation as legal language vs. redemption language. It is inside the gap that as Christians living in a postmodern society we learn to tell and proclaim the same gospel message that has been carried for 2000 years.

As you can see this is a complicated and long topic, but I wanted to formally start thinking it out here.  Fundamentally, I believe that The End is a key piece in how the average Christian forms everything they think about God....they just don't normally know it.

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be

St. Augustine on the Lion and the Lamb

I am preaching from Revelation 5 this weekend, and in my prep I was reading through the Revelation (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture) volume on Revelation.  This is a great series highlighting Patristic writing on the Bible.  Below is an extended quote from St. Augustine on viewing Christ as the Lion and the Lamb in chapter 5.

"Like a sheep he was led to be slaughtered, and like a lamb in the presence of the shearer he was without voice, thus he did not open his mouth." Who is this? Obviously the one about whom he goes on to say, "In humility his judgement was taken away. His generation, who shall relate?" I can see this model of humility in a  king of such power and authority. Because this one, who is like a lamb not opening its mouth in the presence of the shearer, is himself "the lion from the tribe of Judah."

Who is this, both lion and lamb? He endured death as a lamb; he devoured it as a lion. Who is this, both lion and lamb? Gentle and strong, lovable and terrifying, innocent and mighty, silent when he was being judged, roaring when he comes to judge. Or perhaps both in his passion lamb and lion, and also in his resurrection lion and lamb. Let us see him as a lamb in his passion. It was stated a moment ago: "Like a lamb in the midst of his shearer he was without voice, thus he did not open his mouth." Let us see him as a lion in his passion: Jacob said, "You have gone up, lying down you have slept like a lion." Let us see him as a lamb in his resurrection.

The book of Revelation, when it was talking about the eternal glory of virgins, "They follow the lamb, it is said, wherever he goes." The same book of Revelation says, what I mentioned just now, "The lion from the tribe of Judah has conquered, to open the book." Why a lamb in his passion? Because he underwent death without being guilty of any iniquity. Why a lion in his passion? Because in being slain he slew death. Why a lamb in his resurrection? Because his innocence is everlasting. Why a lion in his resurrection? Because everlasting also in his might" Sermon 375 A.I."

I love how the Fathers are able to explain scripture from what is called "the mind of scripture", being that they were so read in the scripture that they are able to explain things from the entire canon, reading the Christ event across the whole text.

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be

Worship, Eschatology and Sacramental Imagination

I teach people about blogging and social media alot (its one of the main topics I hit on at the other blog outsideisbetter.net).  In keeping up with my hits from search engines on this blog I notice that I get alot of inquiries regarding sacraments and eschatology.  I have referenced this paper before, but I wanted to put it up in the embedded format.  I wrote this for a Sacraments class a couple of years ago and I think it answers alot of questions.  I will warn that this is an academic paper-so it gets heady, but I still like it and have sent it to folks that have emailed me with questions.  Enjoy

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be

Worship, Eschatology and Sacramental Imagination

The necessity of vision in Revelation

I have a frustration when reading various books about Revelation.  There isn't a good middle ground between many works out there.  Either, they are following a very literal (their claim..not mine) interpretation and are committed to a suspense filled reading or they look at the text from the standpoint of a hidden message that is mainly relevant to cultural situation in the 1st century.

Many writers that try to stay away from an escapist message throw the baby out with the bath water when it comes to understanding the prophetic role of John inside his Apocalypse. In their effort to distance themselves from what they rightly see as a sensationalist account, they neglect to work in the framework of a visionary experience.

Part of understanding Revelation is placing it on a timeline.  But situating it within the Church of Jesus Christ, is the boundary of John having a spiritual experience in which he is given a specific vision to address to a group of people (the 7 churches in chapters 1-3).  The critical mark of interpretation is how to correctly read the book as a message to these people, but how the message in itself is also timeless.  Taking out the visionary experience relegates it to a history book, not a book that is written within a specific time but also carries a meaning that will stay the same across generations. Seeing this as a vision places it inside the mystical and sacramental union of the incarnation. Our Lamb has conquered, so let us follow him.

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be

Taking the book back: more thoughts on reading Revelation

I have been knee deep in research for my Masters thesis which I am writing next spring.  Taking advantage of vacation allowed me to get some key reading and mapping done.  The first rough draft of my intro speaks about the book of Revelation being the "red headed stepchild" of the biblical story to the average church goer.  I have had a couple of conversations, and I am trying to schedule some more, asking why preachers don't preach from Revelation more.

The responses that I have been getting often stem from the lack of resources that are directed at congregational ministry.  People simply aren't thinking about the book being read, prayed and used by normal Christians.  Pastors don't want to touch it because they don't understand how to get around all the nut-job bible math, or provide a robust alternative. In the minds of many, it simply isn’t a book for church folk and it rarely becomes part of the devotional reading that forms the believer in the path of sanctification.  The Holy Spirit isn’t allowed to form us as an eschatological people directed at the coming kingdom while dwelling in the here and now.  Instead, we just stay away from it all together-and lose a gigantic part of what makes us Christians....at times I would go so far as to say we loose our distinctiveness because of the fracture.

The book of Revelation holds a message that actually belongs to the local church and not the academy or the minds of scholars.  As Christians, we need to be reading the book, asking questions, but also learning other positions and asking our Pastors and Bible teachers to speak from the book.  

I offered a few thoughts in a previous post "Forming an Eschatological Community-Taking the Book Back" that gave some recommendations for reading selections.  Slow and deliberate reading, done alongside with prayer, will help us to understand any piece of scripture-and we don't need to leave out Revelation.

Glory be to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit;
As it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be