"It's just not normal, Rich," he said emphatically. "Homosexuality is not normal."  To which I replied, "Of course it's not normal to you, my friend - you're not gay!"

I know of a large family made up of several sons. Two of those sons happen to be gay. Both of them are faith-filled committed Christians. One believes it's best to remain celibate. The other does not.

Here's a thought: maybe we should let gay folks decide for themselves, and the rest of us should just mind our own business.

As a Christian and lover of the Bible, however, I can't ignore what it says. Yet when I read the Old Testament passages on the subject (Gen. 19:5, Lev. 18:22 & 20:13) I can't help but be reminded that these same books instruct men to shun menstruating women, and avoid pork (and all animals with a cloven hoof) as well as shellfish. At the same time these books allow for slavery and polygamy. So it shouldn't surprise me that the ancient Israelites (3500 years ago) weren't up-to-date on everything.

The Apostle Paul mentions the issue (perhaps) in three passages (Rom. 1:26-27, I Cor. 6:9 & I Tim. 1:9-10). But here's the thing - Paul never knew Jim & Billy, two friends of mine who've been together for over 25 years. Listen to what the late Harvard Chaplain, Rev. Peter Gomes says:

"The homosexuality Paul would have known and to which he makes reference in his letter, particularly to the Romans, has to do with pederasty and male prostitution, and he particularly condemns those heterosexual men and women who assume homosexual practices . . . All Paul knew of homosexuality was the debauched pagan expression of it . . . . 'Sodomite' as we now know, refers almost exclusively to a male prostitute, and is not a Pauline synonym for 'homosexual,' as we understand that term."

So St. Paul is not condemning Jim & Billy! He's condemning very pagan and immoral practices (heterosexual men visiting male prostitutes in pagan temples. Yikes. I'd like to speak out against that as well.)

Prayer: Gracious and Holy God, thank you for your love for all people. Forgive your church for not always welcoming all people. Teach us all to love as you love. Amen.




         

Heilsgeschichte

There are some words you just never forget. "Heilsgeschichte" is one of them. It's German for,  "salvation history."  It's pronounced, "Hiles-ga-schick-ta." Trust me. Heilsgeschichte is something Biblical scholars and theologians notice in the scriptures.

In the Old Testament it's the redemptive history of God and the Jews. In the New Testament it's the savings acts of Jesus Christ.

Scholars believe that this is the first and therefore the oldest telling of the sacred history:

 "A wandering Aramean was my ancestor; he went down into Egypt and lived there as an alien, few in number, and there he became a great nation, mighty and populous.  When the Egyptians treated us harshly and afflicted us, by imposing hard labor on us, we cried to the Lord, the God of our ancestors; the Lord heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. The Lord brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, with a terrifying display of power, and with signs and wonders; and he brought us into this place and gave us this land, a land
flowing with milk and honey."       - Deut. 26:5-9

The Jews also sang their holy history. Psalms 44, 68, 78, 105, 106, 114 all retell the sacred story.  The story of Jesus' life, death, resurrection and return is the heilsgeschichte of the New Testament. We retell it at every communion service.

Sacred history culminates in the Return of Christ. The idea of heilsgeschichte is in direct contrast to the ancient Greek view that history is meaningless. The biblical view is that God is working in human history, and that history is heading somewhere - to the coming of the Kingdom of God.

Prayer. God of the ages, give me the faith to believe in sacred history, that life is not meaningless and that history will culminate in You.  Amen.

Hell

We were having a discussion one night at youth group about heaven and hell. I love talking about big issues with others, especially teens, because sometimes they say the most insightful things. That night a young man named Jordan said it best: "I believe in hell. I just don't think it's a very big place."

Some folks seem to think of it as just the opposite, which is quite a sad outlook if you really think about it. Brian McLaren once challenged this view with an analogy that goes something like this: If folks are being tortured in your basement, how much of a party can you really have upstairs in your living room?

I believe the point of heaven and hell is that this world matters. How we live matters. What we do with what God has given us matters.

Here's a thought: The point about heaven and hell is not the afterlife but this life. It's to motivate us for this life here and now!

Prayer: Loving and Gracious God, help me to live this day as a Citizen of Heaven. In Your Name. Amen.

Extra credit 

Somewhere in his writings C.S. Lewis wonders aloud if hell is eternal. Maybe it's a temporary place until something essential is learned?

Maybe in the end, it's as author Rob Bell suggests, "Love Wins." This view is called "Christian Universalism." It's the belief that Jesus Christ is indeed the Savior of the world and that everyone is saved because of him, regardless if they believe in him or not. His love and grace will have the last word. "As all die in Adam, so all will be made alive in Christ" (I Cor. 15:21-22)

Let me give the last word at the moment however to Brian McLaren:

"It's none of your business who does and does not go to hell. It is your business to be warned by it and to run, not walk, in the opposite direction! It is your business to love God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength, to love your neighbor as yourself, to have confidence in Jesus Christ and live as Jesus lived. Let the imagery of hell remind you that life is serious business, that there are real consequences to how we live and believe, that justice and injustice ultimately matter more than most of what people worry about. Now stop speculating about hell and start living for heaven!"

From A New Kind of Christian, p. 126

Heaven

Twila was always a very calm, even keel person. Nevertheless I asked her, "Are you afraid, Twila? Are you afraid of dying?" The doctors said she only had a few weeks. "No," she replied instantly; "I did it once before and it was absolutely beautiful."

From all that I've read and heard the accounts are all the same. Those who have died and come back say it's amazing on the other side, so much so that they don't want to return.

It is proof?  No.   It is evidence?  Yes.

I believe in Heaven because Jesus taught that we have a home with God after our life here is complete (John 14:1-3). I believe in Heaven because I believe that Christ's victory over the grave is a shared victory. It's shared with us.

But I also believe in Heaven because of logic and experience. I experience the love of God here and now in this life. So to me it logically follows that the eternal God's relationship with me (and you!) will not end when we take our last breath.

Former Princeton Theological Seminary President Dr. Thomas Gillespie once put it this way:

By raising Jesus from the dead, God gives us a 'sneak preview' of our own destiny. The risen Christ declares, 'Because I live, you will live also.' That is where our faith begins. And in this faith our hope is grounded.

Yet, contrary to popular opinion, faith is not blind. Faith believes in eternal life, not merely because it is written in the Bible. Faith believes in eternal life, not merely because it is taught by the Church. But rather, faith believes in eternal life because it is experienced now in this life. Faith believes because it knows.

Here's a thought: Heaven is perfectly consistent with the love of God.

Prayer: Thank You, Gracious God, that your love is eternal and therefore so is my life in you. In the Name of the Risen Lord.  Amen.

Extra Credit:

Martin Copenhaver is a U.C.C. pastor and author. He once wrote this about eternal life.

"God cannot be indifferent about our destiny any more than a mother can forget the name of her own child. To believe in eternal life, then, is not to believe in something in addition to believing in God. To believe in eternal life is to believe in this kind of loving God. There is another way to put it. If we believe in God--a God of justice rather than a God of indifference, a God who fulfills rather than taunts, a God who loves rather than torments--then eternal life is simply too good not to be true."

World Religions - The Salvation Question

When I was a teenager in church we called it the "Pygmy Question."  It went like this: "What about the Pygmies in Africa? Will they be saved?"

What about folks deeply committed to religions other than Christianity?

And what about those who've never heard?

CNN's Larry King brought up the issue one night to Evangelist Billy Graham. Rev. Graham gave an answer that surprised me - "I believe people will be judged on the merits of their own religion." With all due respect, that's pretty good for a Baptist! Then Billy went on to say, "But ultimately we all get to heaven because of the Cross and Resurrection of Christ." I believe that, even if I can't logically wrap my brain around it.

"Christ died for our sins, once and for all, in order to bring us to God.   
                                            - I Peter 3:18

My favorite answer to the Salvation Question, however, comes from Christian author, Brian McLaren. When asked the "What about other religions?" question, McLaren responds, "How the heck should I know? And furthermore, it's not my problem. It's God's."

Amen.

Prayer: Gracious and Loving God, I trust in your love for all people, and I trust in the love that I experience through the grace of Jesus Christ. Receive my thanks and my love this day and always. Amen.



Extra Credit

One passage that comes up a lot with this issue is John 14, Jesus' words to the disciples at the Last Supper:

"I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."     - John 14:7

It seems pretty straightforward and clear. However one thing the commentaries point out is that Jesus was speaking to his own followers at the culmination of his ministry with them. He's saying, "The way to know God as I've been teaching you - as a personal, loving parent - is by following my ways and my truth. That's your sure way to know God as Abba."

Christ is the Christian Way; He is the Christian Truth, He is the Christian Life in the Spirit. There are other ways, but the Christian way is through Christ.

Christians & Other Religions

I'm beginning a series of teachings this Sunday, October 14 entitled, "Bridges to the Great Religions of the World." So this topic has been on my mind a lot.

It goes without saying that we live in a multicultural world. Many of us live in a multicultural neighborhood. You probably work with someone or encounter someone in your daily life who is part of another religion.

So how do committed Christians interact with folks of other religions?

Can we be fully committed Christ-Followers and still affirm the spiritual journey of others?

Of course, we can.

There are a number of ways up the mountain to God. And no religion has a monopoly on spiritual truth. Not even ours. In fact one of the first things we have to do is get rid of our "Superiority Complex" when it comes to religion. It's pretty hard to truly learn from others if our basic approach and attitude is, "My religion's better, but still, please tell me about yours."

Below is something I found on saltproject.org, a very creative forward-thinking site. I think this says a lot.

Prayer: God of all humanity, give us the humility, the openness and the curiosity to learn from those who look at You and at life very differently. In the Name of Christ our Lord, Amen.

Extra Credit: Coexist?

I'm sure you've seen this bumper sticker:

It's a fine bumper sticker. But here's my question:

Coexist?      Is that the best we can do?

Grace

It happens every mission trip. The resident is appreciative of the work being done by 5 kids and an adult for a solid week. Houses get painted. Porches get repaired or replaced. Windows get caulked. Lives get touched. Hearts get blessed.

It usually happens midweek as the home owner becomes more and more comfortable with the experience. It's then that they ask,

"Hey, how much do you kids get paid for all this work?"

"We don't get paid anything," they reply. "We have to pay to come on these trips, and we have to raise money all year long to come."

It's a moment of grace. Pure grace.

C.S. Lewis said that grace is Christianity's chief contribution to the study of God.

St. Paul taught us that it's "by grace that we are saved" (Ephesians 2:5).

Grace is a free gift. Theologically it's the free gift of God's love. Unmerited. Unearned. Unlimited. It can't be earned. Therefore it can never be lost, because we didn't earn it in the first place. God simply loves us. Period.

Questions:

How have you experienced grace in your life?

How have you experienced God's grace in your life?

Prayer: Thank You, Loving God, for the gift of your acceptance, your favor and your love. Thank you for showering us with every spiritual blessing in Christ. Thank you for the gift of salvation and the gift of your unconditional love. Amen.


Extra Credit

John Newton's "Amazing Grace"

It's perhaps the most beloved hymn of all time; yet it can be a little disconcerting calling ourselves "wretches."

Amazing Grace how sweat the sound
That saved a wretch like me.
I once was lost but now am found
Twas blind but now I see.

This might help. The composer, John Newton, led a rather wretched life for a number of years. He was a sailor as a young man and became involved in the slave trade. He himself was captured and enslaved. Eventually he became a strong convert to Christianity and a  prominent supporter of the abolition of slavery.

In an influential pamphlet, "Thoughts Upon the Slave Trade," Newton described the horrific conditions of the slave ships and apologized for "a confession, which ... comes too late ... It will always be a subject of humiliating reflection to me, that I was once an active instrument in a business at which my heart now shudders."

It was Newton's deep awareness of his own sinfulness that led him to pen
such a tribute to God's Grace.

Twas grace that taught my heart to fear,
And grace my fears relieved.
How precious did that grace appear.
The hour I first believed.

John Newton 1725 - 1807