Heart for God

A dear friend of mine (except for my wife, he is my closest friend) "crossed the Tiber" last year when he and his wife were received into the Catholic Church. David (along with his wife, Libby) had been in pastoral ministry in what most would call the Evangelical Church for the past 30 years, made a bold step of faith in obedience to the Spirit's call by leaving a Brethren in Christ congregation he had pastored for 18 years. God gave David a vision for a ministry dubbed Heart for God. He appeared on EWTN a couple weeks ago on "The Journey Home" and, as a result of viewer response to that appearance, has launched a web log by the same name, Heart for God.

David hasn't posted much of his story (yet) but I expect it will come out in bits and pieces over time. What he shares and has written to date, however, is insightful and something the Church - in all its current permutations - very much needs.

Epiphany and the Evangelical Church

I've discovered Epiphany - the season and celebration of that season. Oh, I've known about Epiphany for many years... that it had something to do with the end of the Christmas season and the visit of the magi to the Christ child (which, if you notice in the scriptural text, took place at a house Mary, Joseph and Jesus were staying at and not in the manger where he was born). But I never paid close attention to it. After all, I AM a proud (but pious) Evangelical Anabaptist - or, at least I was.

Epiphany is about what the word means - a revealing. In the liturgical calendar, Epiphany is about the revealing of God to the world, and, more specifically the message that God's revelation is for all the world - not just "God's chosen people" but for all. The Magi, men considered to be gifted in wisdom from a culture and custom totally outside of the Jewish faith; men who, possibly, were steeped in Zoroastrianism and astrology, and were moved by their own customs to seek out a unique person - one whom they understood to be a "new king." And they were guided, according to their own understanding and wisdom (as flawed as it may be as a reliable guide for making life decisions), to discover this "new king." Little did they know he was "new" not only chronologically but also in kind - a king who rules not simply by decree but by humble service to all.

Epiphany is a reminder to the Church of her mission in the world - that just as Jesus was sent into the world to reveal himself as the light of the world (represented by the magi), so is the Church to go into all the world to reveal Jesus. It's not just about the words the Church speaks but the life the Church demonstrates - just like Jesus.

Epiphany has got to be at least as important to the Church as Christmas and Easter (and, I would include, Pentecost). It seems to me that Epiphany is perfect for the Church in terms of its emphasis (and, for some, its hyper-emphasis) on evangelism, outreach and missions.

So how come so much of the Evangelical Church skips over Epiphany?

Four Resolutions

My library (a wall in my study at home) is filled with books that describe what it means to follow Jesus. And, I suppose, it's a library that could be added to hundreds of times over with more books describing what it means to follow Jesus.

I haven't actually made resolutions for I-don't-know-how-long. Based on my prayers for the past several years, though, here is my list of "resolutions" for myself - not just for 2008 but for the rest of my life.

1) Wisdom. It's not just saying clever things to people or choosing healthy foods and exercise, it's also taking the risk to do the right thing when the expected thing is so much more appealing but contrary. Jesus had the knack, not just of saying and doing the right thing, he had the personal context, a foundation for those things. He knew the scriptures, he knew the history of God's work in the world, and he was wholly devoted to God's purposes and plans. Nothing deterred him... not discomfort (emotional or physical), not social ostracization, not even death. Wisdom is the right thing even though something else might feel better or be easier (emotionally or physically). My resolution is to chose wisdom in every conscious choice.

2) Humility. God is a humble God. Again, we see this in Jesus most clearly. Those earliest Christians sang a hymn that included this: Even though he was the form of God he did not deem equality with God something to be grasped. Rather he emptied himself and took the form of a slave, in the likeness of Man. And in that form, humbled himself even further by submitting to death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2) It means accepting every difficulty and obstacle to my ideas and goals as the perfect opportunity to rest in the gracious sovereignty of God. My resolution is to devote myself to making the honor of God the focus of all I do, all I desire, of every choice I make.

3) Hope. 21st century western civilization is fast becoming - and may already be - a culture of hopelessness. We're full of wishful thinking but our only expectation seems to be the Preacher's mantra - this, too, is futile and pointless. (See Ecclesiastes) Jesus demonstrated that there is, indeed, one hope, one reason, one purpose, one goal for which to strive - the honor and glory of God. Hope isn't just an idea; it is an actively pursued attitude. My resolution is to ground my hope not just in the scriptures but in the very Word of God - and that Word being incarnate. It also includes avoiding those things that feed a false or defective hope.

4) Love. Is this too obvious? Jesus simply loved people. Being God, he loved - and loves - people supremely. The right understanding and practice of love comes directly from God and most clearly demonstrated to us in his Incarnation. Jesus is Love Incarnate. My resolution is that I will love each person with whom I connect better this year - love when it is inconvenient, love when it costs me, love for the sake of the one to be loved and not my sake, love because that is what it means to be made in the image and likeness of God. What is greater?

Sounds pretty lofty, doesn't it? Sounds like I'm probably going to fail a lot, huh? Sounds nigh unto impossible to achieve. Actually, I probably will fail a lot... but I'm depending on the grace and mercy of God both when I do fail and for lots of times of success. Perhaps, if I can strive for some activity each day that is a manifestation of at least one of these, I can begin to string together a whole series of activities that develop into habits consistent with these resolutions. It's the habits that develop the life.

At 52 (nearly 53) it seems most daunting... but at 52 (nearly 53) I have no more time to fool around - less today then yesterday and even less tomorrow.