The Joy-Cup

We are commanded in scripture to fear God…to know that God works all things after the counsel of His own will...giving us love and desire for what He loves and joy in whatever He sends...or does not send; and then preparing a table of abundance in the wilderness where there was nothing.

All the "if's" and “why’s” in the lives of men are guaranteed and certain in their final results in the mind of God. Knowing this is the obedience of the heart to the will of the Spirit. It is our right worship of almighty God, the understanding that makes us whole and the faith that is none of our own making. Summer or winter, working or resting, alone or befriended, wealthy or wanting, nothing can satisfy apart from Him.

So we pray that “If the allure of anything, however "good", draws me from Him, let it be struck from me, so that even the pain of pruning draws me to Him.  So let everything about me die...the loves and hates, the body and will...only let Him be my shield and my eternal great reward.”

This is the eternal rest of salvation, the storehouse in which all meaning is garnered.

This is the joy-cup He makes to overflow.

A Different Sort of Glorious

"There is a very important connection between the Church’s worldview and the Church’s hymns. If your  heart and mouth are filled with songs of victory, you will tend to have an eschatology of dominion; if, instead, your songs are fearful, expressing a longing for escape – or if they are weak, childish ditties – your worldview and expectations will be escapist and childish.

Historically, the basic hymnbook for the Church has been the Book of Psalms. The largest book of the Bible is the Book of Psalms, and God providentially placed it right in the middle of the Bible, so that we couldn’t miss it! Yet how many churches use the Psalms in musical worship? It is noteworthy that the Church’s abandonment of dominion eschatology coincided with the Church’s abandonment of the Psalms."

- David Chilton

Last week as we sang Psalm 63 in English metre to Thomas Tallis' familiar third mode melody, I was impressed not only by the nature of the music and its powerful words but also the nature of our assembly, gathered in a circle, singing ancient words of longing and praise for our Lord.

When I was little, Emily read a book aloud to me, parts of which I will never forget. The book is called St. Bartholomew's Eve (by G.A. Henty) and recounts the story of the French Huguenots, their mission and the persecution they endured throughout the 16th century. In the story, the hero hears singing in the woods and discovers a Huguenot church meeting. The Huguenots are singing hymns of praise to God and studying His word together at the risk of their own lives, since meeting outside of a state church was prohibited. The author paints such a vivid description of the scene I was convinced I had seen an illustration, even though, as far as I can tell no significant painting or drawing representing this aspect of history exists. The Huguenots are gathered in a circle, their faces uplifted, fearlessly singing. In the story, as was the case for most Huguenot gatherings historically, the city authorities discover their meeting and slaughtered them without respect for age or position. Only a few escape who were perhaps protected by men at arms or missed in the general uproar.

Generally, when we think of glorious music we imagine grand, state-sanctioned church productions of Handel’s Messiah or Kyrie Eleison or Saint Matthew’s Passion. Most American’s have grown accustomed to worship music productions so noisy they can’t even hear their own voice.

Perhaps we have forgotten a different sort of glorious, the kind that comes from impassioned believers producing imperfect but heartfelt music. Believers who have tasted persecution, counted the cost and embraced the trial before them, produce an entirely different sort of music. The average church attendee comparing our assembly last week to a grand church production complete with perfectly balanced sound and acoustic sensitivity would perhaps be dissatisfied.

But if you put on a different set of glasses you would see patriarchs earnestly seeking God’s truth with their families gathered around them, mothers holding babies in their arms who will change the world, sons and daughters embracing their family’s mission with joy and energy, families who love the kingdom of God, singing out of the conviction that the ability to worship God in sincerity and faithfulness to His Word is an immeasurable privilege. And it is glorious! The kind of glorious that relishes the battle and rejoices in the eternal victory of God.

O Lord, My God, Most Earnestly

Psalm 63

Thomas Tallis, 1567; alt.

Psalter, 1912

rev. Psalter Hymnal, 1987

O Lord, my God, most earnestly I seek Your holy face,

Within Your house again to see the glories of Your grace.

Apart from You I long and thirst and naught can satisfy;

I wander in a desert land where all the streams are dry.

The loving kindness of my God is more than life to me,

So I will praise You all my days and pray continually.

In You my soul is satisfied, my darkness turns to light,

and joyful meditations fill the watches of the night.

Beneath the shadow of Your wings I sing my joy and praise.

Your right hand is my strong support through troubled nights and days.

All those who seek my life will fall; my life is in Your hand.

God's king and people will rejoice; in victory they will stand.

The faith of a man who has cast himself entirely on God…

(As quoted in A Word in Season, vol. 2, pg. 5-7, by R.J. Rushdoony)

"What made St. Patrick great when many men of far greater ability are today forgotten or barely known? There were many church men of far greater learning than Patrick, better trained for the job than he was, and in every human respect his superior. While Patrick was a superior man, if we had been living in his day, we would have picked a number of other men as far more likely to make their mark and achieve greatness.

There were, however certain things which set Patrick apart. First of all there was his faith. R.P.C. Hanson in his book, St. Patrick, writes, “Patrick realizes perfectly well that God's providence is quite compatible with his meeting disaster and death. He is prepared for the worst to happen. His faith in God is not a faith that God will always work a miracle to save him, but a conviction that he can entirely trust God to bring about a good result whatever may happen, the faith of a man who has cast himself entirely on God."…

It was said of St. Patrick that he was a man of one book, the Bible, not because he was an ignorant man, or one not versed in the thinking of his day, but because all his learning and experience were brought to focus on one thing, knowing and proclaiming the Word of God… St. Patrick knew that his God is the true and great God, Lord of all creation, and at all times he acted in the certainty of God’s victory. Other men were more impressed by their obstacles and enemies and less impressed in practice by God, and despite their great abilities, they failed to accomplish what St. Patrick did. What impresses [us] most, God or our problems?”

Praying we would always act in the certainty of God’s victory!

Divine Judgement

Last night we were discussing perspectives on life and the effectiveness of living wills in the context of the presidential debates. Obviously there is the issue of the civil government’s duty in protecting the life and liberty of all its citizens from the very beginning of life at conception to the end of the days ordained by God. I hadn’t realized there are still more implications up for debate, however. I was pretty sure everyone understood what happened in Nazi Germany was deplorable and they didn’t plan on repeating it anytime soon. How, then, do we find it palatable to discuss someone’s “quality of life” as if we had the right to preserve it or snuff it out? Only God knows the length of a man’s days; in His eyes all life is precious and it is our duty to preserve it to the best of our ability as long as He sustains it.

I was reminded of Sophie Scholl’s words under interrogation:

Interrogator: “Why do you risk so much for false ideas?”
Sophie Scholl: “Because of my conscience.”
Interrogator: “You’re so gifted. Why don’t you think and feel like us? …The New Europe can only be National Socialist… you are confused. You have no idea. The wrong education. Maybe it’s our fault. I’d have raised a girl like you differently.”
Sophie Scholl: “Do you realize how shocked I was to find out that the Nazis used gas and poison to dispose of mentally ill children? My mother’s friends told us. Trucks came to pick up the children at the mental hospital. The other children asked where they were going. “They’re going to heaven,” said the nurses. So the children got on the truck singing. You think I wasn’t raised right because I feel pity for them?”
Interrogator: “These are unworthy lives. You trained to be a nurse. You saw people who were mentally ill.”
Sophie Scholl: “Yes and that’s why I know. No one, regardless of circumstances can pass divine judgment. No one knows what goes on in the minds of the mentally ill. No one knows how much wisdom can come from suffering. Every life is precious.”
Interrogator: “You have to realize that a new age has dawned. What you’re saying has nothing to do with reality.”
Sophie Scholl: “Of course it has to do with reality. With decency, morals and God.”
Interrogator: “God doesn’t exist! Here. For the record I ask you: ‘Following our talks, have you come to the conclusion that your action together with your brother, can be seen as a crime against society and in particular against our hard-fighting troops and that it must be harshly condemned?’”(1)
Sophie Scholl: “No, not from my point of view. I still believe I acted in the best interests of my people. I don’t regret it and I’ll accept the consequences.”(2)

Hans and Sophie Scholl and Christoph Probst

Sophie was part of a non-violent anti-Nazi resistance movement in 1943, called the White Rose. Sophie (21 years old), her brother Hans, and their friend Mr. Probst were arrested, interrogated for four days, sentenced to death and then executed on February 22 of that year for publishing anti-Hitler propaganda and speaking against the socialist regime.

Sophie’s testimony is incredibly impactful. I often ask myself what I would have said had I been in her position. Her answers during her interrogation passionately and coherently defend her position so that even the interrogator was sympathetic and frustrated by turns.
The following quotes are copied from her letters and journal and perhaps give us a glimpse into how she thought:
“Just because so many things are in conflict does not mean that we ourselves should be divided. Yet time and time again one hears it said that since we have been put into a conflicting world, we have to adapt to it. Oddly, this completely unchristian idea is most often espoused by so-called Christians, of all people. How can we expect a righteousness to prevail when there is hardly anyone who will give himself up undividedly to a righteous cause?....(3)
“The real damage is done by those millions who want to ‘survive.’ The honest men who just want to be left in peace. Those who don't want their little lives disturbed by anything bigger than themselves. Those with no sides and no causes. Those who won't take measure of their own strength, for fear of antagonizing their own weakness. Those who don't like to make waves — or enemies. Those for whom freedom, honor, truth, and principles are only literature. Those who live small, die small. It's the reductionist approach to life: if you keep it small, you'll keep it under control. If you don't make any noise, the bogeyman won't find you. But it's all an illusion, because they die too, those people who roll up their spirits into tiny little balls so as to be safe. Safe?! From what? Life is always on the edge of death; narrow streets lead to the same place as wide avenues, and a little candle burns itself out just like a flaming torch does. I choose my own way to burn…(4)
“I shall cling to the rope God has thrown me in Jesus Christ, even if my numb hands can no longer feel it.”(5)

I pray we all have the courage and knowledge to always speak for what is right, especially now since it won’t currently cost us death by guillotine. “Lips that speak knowledge are a rare jewel.” (Proverbs 20:15) Else Gebel shared Sophie Scholl's cell and recorded her last words before being taken away to be executed: "It is such a splendid sunny day, and I have to go. But how many have to die on the battlefield in these days, how many young, promising lives. What does my death matter if by our acts thousands are warned and alerted."(6)  Her mother was able to see her for a brief moment before she was taken away, just long enough to say, “Don't forget, Sophie. Jesus.” And Sophie replied, “Yes, mother, but you neither.”(7) Let us not forget Sophie’s sacrifice and neglect the freedom and truth she died for. But more importantly, let us live for Him, Jesus, seeking first His kingdom and righteousness, honor and glory in standing up for those precious lives who bear His image and breathe His breath of life, for “of such is the kingdom of Heaven”.

Endnotes:

1.       Transcribed from the film: Sophie Scholl: The Final Days, sources for film derived from official records, the interrogator’s son’s account of his father, other interrogates and in At the Heart of the White Rose: Letters and Diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl (1987) edited by Inge Jens, translated by J. Maxwell Brownjohn.

2.       Response to the closing question in the official examination transcripts (February 1943); Bundesarchiv Berlin,ZC 13267, Bd. 3

3.       As quoted in Seeking Peace : Notes and Conversations Along the Way (1998) by Johann Christoph Arnold, p. 155

4.       As quoted in O₂  : Breathing New Life Into Faith (2008) by Richard Dahlstrom, Ch. 4 : Artisans of Hope: Stepping into God's Kingdom Story, p. 63

5.       As quoted in At the Heart of the White Rose: Letters and Diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl (1987) edited by Inge Jens, translated by J. Maxwell Brownjohn; also in Voices of the Holocaust : Resistors, Liberation, Understanding (1997) by Lorie Jenkins McElroy

6.       Spartacus Educational, Else Gebel shared Sophie Scholl's cell and recorded her last words before being taken away to be executed.

7.    Transcribed from the film: Sophie Scholl: The Final Days

Journaling...Miss Sarah Morgan

Sarah Morgan (later Mrs. Sarah Dawson) was 19 years of age when The War Between the States broke out.  Her war-time journaling lucidly portrays the thoughts and experiences of an well-educated, middle-class lady with a Christian heritage caught up in the whirlwind of social, political, familial and moral dilemmas of her times.  With sharp wit and noble (though sometimes confused) ideals she summarily lays to rest some of the Scarlet O'Hara libels stamped upon southern women and frequently unconsciously demonstrates the sturdiness of character with which so many of her peers were blessed through courageous endurance of the most terrible privations.
Journaling is maligned by modern-day stereotypes.  The lugubrious whining and trite tittle-tattle so often associated with that familiar "Dear Diary" has cheapened the real value of recording daily life.  Faux metallic locks and keys on pink, be-dazzled volumes teach us the acceptable perspective on "my diary": a preoccupation with me-ism, self-service and a good excuse to "privately" exude the trash of others and the malicious and spiteful contents of one's own heart on a page and sell it to ourselves as a literary work.  Online social circles facilitate the condensing of real incidents into one-phrase nothings and the draining of the life-blood of true self-examination and coherent thought from the facts. A general carelessness for meaningful perspective on the every-day work of living yields a wide-spread lack of confidence in commenting intelligently on any topic.
Whether we don't know how to begin communicating, don't wish to associate with the stereotype, are afraid to keep a record of our failings along with our triumphs, or simply don't take the time, most of us have lost the art of journaling.
No diarist can be perfect, so excuses of imperfection simply won't suffice.  (Take Bach's word for it!)  Were we to regain heretofore cultivated habits of reflection and communication, they would, in and of themselves, serve little purpose.  However, commingled with a powerful conviction of the sovereign nature of God's hand in history, they comprise the skills necessary to recognize and record His handiwork in our personal and social lives. 
Miss Morgan was gifted with the courage and foresight to pass down a record of the work of God in her times along with her fears and human frailty. The weaknesses that likely inspired caricatures like Scarlet O'Hara are undisguised, and the lack of real personal and Christian conviction in some areas renders her perspective less noble and her tongue unbecomingly sharp.  In spite of this, her diary stands as a testament to what remained of Christian womanhood in her times, a warning to society and a challenge to the individual.  The invaluable heritage we receive from her generation is our own to give to the coming generations, if we are her daughters in this respect and do likewise.

"Can God Prepare a Table in the Wilderness?"

In suffering, we learn the nature of our confidence in God. Proverbs tells us “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…” What is it that cringes in us, when we stand on the threshold of understanding, but our fear of losing control, fear of the opinions of others, fear of understanding the nature of the battle we are in? It is, after all, comfortable to enjoy the position of a reserve. Our plans fit comfortably in the small secure foxhole, our weaknesses are safe from scrutiny because they are un-known, and the dim roar of battle, while loud enough to make us feel important, is dull enough to feel “safe.” Most soldiers can look relatively capable in a foxhole…its getting out of one that we all fear. In short, we are remarkably good at fearing everything but God.

The Israelites are the chief testimony in scripture to Solomon’s assertion, “There is nothing new under the sun.” The chosen nation’s ungodly fears are easy to criticize and moralize over until we lay them side by side with our own. In Psalm 78, their response to the raging and often deadly cultural battle and the fears that accompanied it are laid out in detail. Being the chosen people was no piece of human cake. Their flesh didn’t relish the idea of being holy and set apart more than the modern man’s. When Moses brought the declaration from God and identified who they were, they balked; even though chattel-slavery was probably not their profession of choice.

Admittedly, the cosmic –sized coup with which almighty God “brought them up out of Egypt” and the wonders that He showed restored some confidence in their identity. But the Psalm states that they “forgot.” In other words, they did not truly fear God. They enjoyed the “magic tricks”, mighty escorts of fire and cloud, and the mighty procession “going up” from slavery with carts loaded with Egyptian gold. Unfortunately, they missed God’s point. It was never really about them. It was all about Him.

Psalm 78 verses eighteen through twenty were like a bucket of cold water for me yesterday.

And they tested God in their heart by asking for the food of their fancy.
Yes, they spoke against God: They said, “Can God prepare a table in the wilderness?
Behold, He struck the rock, so that the waters gushed out, and the streams overflowed.
Can He give bread also? Can He provide meat for His people?”

The parting of the red sea, any one of the great plagues, or the miracle of water from a rock, which they cite themselves, adequately and silently mocks their sarcastic demands. Rather than fearing the God who did all these things before them, they “tested God in their heart” assuming they deserved compensation for taking the trouble to be His chosen people. Notably, God did not give them a pass on excuses of over-stress, recently thirst-afflicted, tired and cranky, or just-recovering-from-oppressive-slavery. Verse 32 and 33 clarify.

In spite of this they still sinned, and did not believe in His wondrous works.
Therefore their days He consumed in futility, and their years in fear.

Unbelief or failure to fear God is a sin He must mortify in us. My own heart has whimpered “can He provide meat?”

The fear of God is not a natural human reaction any more than it is an ambiguous emotion. In fact, our natural fears serve to confuse our understanding of the fear of God because our emotion-driven reactions to trouble are nothing like it. The Israelites manifested one version of human fear, i.e. complaining and questioning. The current, purely emotional response to pain so often yields vague platitudes of purported happiness, a high aptitude for “putting a bold face on it,” and a confusion of mind steeped in the murky waters of a self-conjured hope that is unreliable at best. To answer the question “How are you doing?” with a “Doing good!” is the commonly accepted response in lieu of the real answer which may be as helplessly vulnerable as “I have no idea.”

In contrast, the assurance of God’s goodness is not an exclusively emotional resignation devoid of knowledge. It is founded on a concrete belief in the sovereignty of our powerful God. But what about emotions? We know that God has emotions and that they are an integral part of who we are. How can we feel rightly without being enslaved to human “wisdom?”

Psalm 78 was one of my favorite Psalms before yesterday. I have always especially treasured the beginning verses because of the generational call that echoes from them down the generations as God’s battle plan of the ages:

Give ear, O my people, to my law; incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings of old,
Which we have heard and known, and our fathers have told us.
We will not hide them from their children, telling to the generation to come the praises of the LORD,
And His strength and His wonderful works that He has done.
For He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which He commanded our fathers, that they should make them known to their children;
That the generation to come might know them, the children who would be born, that they may arise and declare them to their children,
That they may set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep His commandments;

Now the passage has new meaning for me because of the following sixty-five verses of rebuke and warning beginning with these words:

And may not be like their fathers, a stubborn and rebellious generation, a generation that did not set its heart aright, and whose spirit was not faithful to God.

The King James Version translates the last “faithful” as “steadfast,” a word that speaks of firmness, establishment and confidence. These verses are the antidote to a disease of spiritual death in fear. Generational faithfulness is established through hope in God, not forgetting the works of God, and keeping His commandments.

God’s plan in the wilderness was not merely to perform mighty acts for the sons of Israel. He was building a nation and ultimately paving the way for His gospel and the saving of all the sons of men. His loving kindness is great enough that He can show love and compassion to every one of His children, and yet perfectly orchestrate the Plan before which all other plans dim in comparison. Neither our “help” nor the filling of our individual stomachs is necessary for the completion of His plan. Yet in perfect love, He redeemed us out of slavery and the death penalty for our sin, uses us for His glory, helpless though we are, and feeds us.

This then is the love of God for us. Until we recognize that we deserve nothing and that He gives us everything, even eternal life, there can be no right emotional response. The love that casts out fear is perfect. The oft-quoted verse is often referenced bereft of its context:

Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love. - 1 John 4:17-18

This is clearly a love unrelated to the formless and indistinct love of modern definition. Jesus defines our love for Him:

John 14:15 – If you love Me, keep my commandments.

In obedience we must fear God alone and nothing else. “I’m doing well,” can no longer mean unspoken platitudes, or that I am doing well. By the grace of God I am well, always and forever, even when I don’t feel so, because He is doing well in me to the praise of His own glory. When our obedience to believe reveals the magnitude of His bestowed love and mercy, true emotions of gratitude, contrition, and love cannot fail to follow.

“Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”
Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!” - Mark 9:23-24