I am Barabbas

As the Gospel accounts of the crucifixion go, Pilate wanted nothing to do with this 'King of the Jews'. But Jesus was in the hands of the governor of Judea during the annual festival of the Passover. It was at this time that Pilate would allow a Jewish prisoner to be freed, pardoned so to speak. But here was this man who had committed no crime. In fact, He healed people. He gave life back to people. He taught the Law of Moses. What better time to free this prisoner who was a good man. Except the Jewish leadership wanted Him dead. So Pilate gave the people a choice, Jesus or Barabbas, a criminal, a known rioter. Surely no one would want an unrepentant thief back in the population. That is what prisons are for. But the crowd was adamant. Crucify Jesus! We want Barabbas!

So here is this criminal. Imagine what he is thinking. I am free. But another man will die instead of me. Bullocks! Did Barabbas turn to thank Jesus? Hey, governor, thanks for everything! Probably not. But he did live to see another day. And so do we!

Every day we wake up to a new day. If you are reading this, you woke up this morning. As Scripture says, God's mercies are new everyday.(Lam. 3:22-23) But one day Jesus died for you. Just like He did for Barabbas. You see, when we take an inventory of our life measuring it against the 10 Commandments, we fall short. Jesus reminds us in The Sermon on the Mount that whatever sinful thoughts we have makes us just as guilty as if we had committed the infraction. After all, it does point to our character. It's who we are! We are a member of a mob and Barabbas is one of us! Can we stand before a righteous God for the numerous times we helped ourselves to office supplies for our personal use? Thief! Or how about the envy we carry regarding another person's success! Thou shalt not covet! Or those daydreams of rolling in the hay with your friend's spouse! Adulterer! And if you are smiling because your God doesn't send anyone to hell, idolater! Everyone of us is just as guilty as Barabbas. While we may not be in prison, we will die. And where will you go when you die? Heaven or hell. If you think your good deeds outweigh your bad deeds, think again. What murderer has ever used that as a defense in the courtroom. Really your honor, I only killed one man. Think of all the ones I let live? In the eyes of God our good deeds amount to nothing more than used tampons! (Isaiah 64:6, Really! Read it in the Hebrew!)

Approximately 2000 years ago a criminal deserving of the death penalty walked free because an innocent man took his place. Everyday we walk free as God gives us time to turn back and thank Him who died for all our sins. (2 Pet. 3:8-9)And how does that make you feel? Bullocks!

My War on the Prosperity Gospel

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

“The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money." (Mt. 6:19-24)

Does the end justify the means? I run into too many people who claim to be followers of Jesus Christ because they are looking for a reward here on earth. They want something they do not have. Wait! Isn't that coveting? Jesus did not come to increase sin but came to save us from our sins. If the thief repents of stealing, shouldn't the covetor repent of wanting what does not belong to him? After all, we are to be content with what we have!  There is so much that could be said here. But perhaps my greatest pet peeve with the prosperity 'gospel' is the if - then dichotomy that is promoted. If I do this God will do that. God isn't waiting on any of us. He is King. He is sovereign. His will will be done! Our earthly blessings come from the knowledge that all things are under His control. We can ask for stuff but God will not give it to us if it does not accord with His holy and perfect will. And if you think you can do something to influence His will, well, let's call that manipulation and what does that say about you? Let us not forget we are God's servants. He does not serve us. Let us trust Scripture when it says:

Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” So we can confidently say,

“The Lord is my helper;
    I will not fear;
what can man do to me?” (Heb. 13:5-6)

Do We Recognize the King of Our Lives? A Christmas Meditation

When we think of kings we think of privilege, palaces and thrones. We look for armies, power and riches. Is it no wonder that we often miss one aspect of the Christmas story and that is Jesus, born in a humble manger, is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! (1 Tim. 6:15, Rev. 19:16) In the United States of America we do not have kings but we have a government that is a republic. Even Scripture reminds us that upon Jesus' shoulders His government will stand. (Is. 9:6-7) No matter where one lives upon this planet, we cannot escape that Jesus is sovereign.  But do we recognize Him as our sovereign leader or do we look to ourselves and our earthly governments for our solutions to the problems we are responsible for?

When we look at the baby in a manger which is a feeding trough, we may not be convinced that He is the supreme ruler of our lives. We may say, "O how cute", but may not say, "Lord, save me!" After all, He is just a baby. Until He forms an army, I will put my trust in myself thank you very much. But we are called to see The King at His birth. The wise men saw it. Simeon saw it. Can we see it?

At His dedication in the temple, an old man exclaims, "My eyes have seen Your salvation!" (Lk. 2:22-35) He looked at this baby and saw salvation. But He is just a baby! The wise men followed a star looking for a king and would not stop until they paid tribute to Him. The star stopped and there in a house, just a house, was a baby. And they bowed down leaving their tribute of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They recognized a King even though there was no palace! No armed guards, no entourage. (Mt. 2:7-12)

In America we want more power to solve our problems of poverty and violence. We look to the force of government or fire power. We look to ourselves or those whom we elect. We don't look to a humble baby who has been promised long ago to be the Anointed One who will rule and govern us. We just don't see it! Old men and ancient wise men see it. But for the most part we are too smart and too proud to see it. We are the cause of our problems. It is called sin and we need to be saved from ourselves! We need to accept the gift God gave us in His Son, Jesus Christ, The Righteous! Look at Him for He is our salvation!

"Adoration of the Shepherds" by Gerard van Honthorst, 1622

My War on Hypocrisy!

You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said:

“‘This people honors me with their lips,
    but their heart is far from me;
in vain do they worship me,
    teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”

And he called the people to him and said to them, “Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person.” (Mt. 15:7-11)

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Mt. 7:21-23)

In a recent discussion I had with a layperson, I tried to explain that not everyone in church was a Christian. They may show up and go through the motions but they are not true converts. Nor is everyone in Church a member of God's elect. (Mt. 13:24-30) This seemed like news to this person. 

A preacher needs to preach the whole counsel of God. (Acts 20:26-28) This includes predestination, election, law, sin, judgment, hell and grace! We do no one any favors when we leave them with the assumption that everyone is going to heaven if they say a prayer, perform good works or know who Jesus is. The Christian must see themselves as a sinner in need of a redeemer. They must recognize an old self that once was and a new self that is of God's making! (Eph. 4:17-24)

A hypocrite means a mask-wearer, the root word coming from the masks worn by actors in Greek theater. A hypocrite plays the part but is only a pretender! Unless there is a true encounter with Christ leading to true conversion, we remain false in our sins!

Jesus is the Reason for the Season More Than Ever!

Let us not forget why we celebrate Christmas. Yes, Jesus is the reason for the season and I am quite sure there are other cliches as well. But why Jesus? 

This Christmas will be an extremely painful holiday for too many families in Newtown, Connecticut as a man wielding three guns walked into an elementary school and murdered almost 30 children and adults. This was after he killed his own mother in her home. The carnage ended with the killer taking his own life. 

I only watched about an hour of news on television that day but what I heard will not answer the why of such an evil act. TV commentators were saying mental health and access to mental health providers should be increased. No, this does not answer the why of such an atrocity. The reason for the evil is sin. Man is sinful by nature. Scripture is quite clear about that. 

 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Gen. 6:5

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
    and in sin did my mother conceive me. Ps. 51:5

“None is righteous, no, not one;
¹¹     no one understands;
    no one seeks for God.
¹² All have turned aside; together they have become worthless;
    no one does good,
    not even one.” Rom. 3:11, 12

This is why Jesus is the reason for the season! Without Him, there is no cure for sinful man!

Jesus came to unite our flesh with our most holy God. He is a redeemer meaning He is buying us back from the slavery of sin. Rom. 6:20-23. He came into our world, a world where murder abounds, to save us from such evil. But first we must all recognize that it is we who are all guilty. No one is sinless. Hell, God's divine punishment for sinners, is just as good for you and me. But God desires to give us life and life abundantly. Death abounds because we deserve it. Life abounds because of God's mercy! 

This Christmas season let us live out the cliches but this time truly understand that what happened in Newtown, CT is the reason we need Christ to redeem us from sin! By acknowledging our own sins and our helplessness in helping ourselves, we open the door for Jesus to come in and change our hearts thereby being freed from our sinful nature and free to serve God in holiness and righteousness.

And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High;
    for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways,
⁷⁷ to give knowledge of salvation to his people
    in the forgiveness of their sins,
⁷⁸ because of the tender mercy of our God,
    whereby the sunrise shall visit us from on high
⁷⁹ to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
    to guide our feet into the way of peace.” Luke 1:76-79

Thank God I Am a Loser!

Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him.

And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:

“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.

“Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied.

“Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.

“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you. (Mt. 5:1-11)

We live in a society that celebrates winners. But by societal standards I am a loser. And to be honest, it's not something that I tried to accomplish. And that's the point.

A few years ago I was diagnosed with depression. Before the diagnosis I knew something was not right in my world. But I did my best to pretend that all was well. It was during my wellness exam my physician confronted me and asked if I was depressed. I broke down crying. That was my answer. The really bad news is that she asked if I had any fantasies about taking my life. I said, "No!" I lied.  T make a long story short, I was referred to a therapist and prescribed Zoloft. With therapy and medication, I came out of my depression. But I also ended up divorced. Shortly after my divorce my mother's cancer spread to her lymphatic system and I knew I should go back home to be with her. She died shortly after.

But the move required me to find a new position in the Church or secular employment. I found neither. Now through an old acquaintance I began volunteering at a church plant in the new Anglican Diocese of the South. My ordaining diocese in The Episcopal Church never returned my calls. Just as well. To try to make some money I did background work for some of the movies and TV shows filmed around Atlanta. But it was not enough to keep up with child support. To make another long story short I have been doing door to door marketing. It's not my calling but it makes a small dent in my bills. 

The good news, besides Jesus dying for my sins, is that out of all of this I am growing more and more dependent on Jesus as my Lord.  You see, if I were successful by the world's standards, I would have no need to lean on God. But by the world's standards as a divorced, under-employed person, you name it, I must lean on God. I have a new church home with a new future. God is not my servant but He is a caring Father whose desire for me is that I don't become a spoiled brat. (Heb. 12:5-11) The poverty I experience is an emptiness that only God can fill. And He is filling it in His own way for His own glory.  It is Jesus who died for all of me and He rose from the tomb defeating death. Therefore the victory belongs to Him. He is the real winner! 

God has never abandoned me not even during my depression. He sent friends and professionals to my aid. Even though there are days I wish I could be doing something different, I know God has a good reason for the circumstances I am in. If you are blessed with material goods and wealth then thank the Lord for He is the One who has blessed you. (Eccl. 5:19) If you are empty in any area of life, rejoice for God will indeed fill you with His abundance! The secret is to let God define the abundance you are meant to have! (John 10:9-11)

Reclaiming the Word 'Parson' for the Clergy

Parson
noun

1.

a member of the clergy, especially a Protestant minister;pastor; rector.

2.

the holder or incumbent of a parochial benefice, especially an Anglican.

Origin: 
1200–50; Middle English persone  < Medieval Latin persōna  parishpriest, Latin:  personage. See person

A Pastor is the Deputy of Christ for the reducing of Man to the Obedience of God. This definition is evident, and containes the direct steps of Pastorall Duty and Auctority. For first, Man fell from God by disobedience. Secondly, Christ is the glorious instrument of God for the revoking of Man. Thirdly, Christ being not to continue on earth, but after hee had fulfilled the work of Reconciliation, to be received up into heaven, he constituted Deputies in his place, and these are Priests. And therefore St. Paul in the beginning of his Epistles, professeth this: and in the first [v.24] to the Colossians plainly avoucheth, that he fils up that which is behinde of the afflictions of Christ in his flesh, for his Bodie's sake, which is the Church. Wherein is contained the complete definition of a Minister. Out of this Chartre of the Priesthood may be plainly gathered both the Dignity thereof, and the Duty: The Dignity, in that a Priest may do that which Christ did, and by his auctority, and as his Vicegerent. The Duty, in that a Priest is to do that which Christ did, and after his manner, both for Doctrine and Life. ~George Herbert, A PRIEST TO THE TEMPLE OR, THE COUNTRY PARSON HIS CHARACTER, &c.

If we want to define something we use words. There are a variety of words we use to define ministers of the Gospel. Minister, pastor, elder, priest, etc. One word that is very seldom used today is parson. At its root parson means person, nothing more. So often clergy are caught up in being something they are  not such as fund raiser, administrator, counselor, social worker, best friend to name a few. But deep down clergy are people. Deep down all of us are people. And not so deep down the fallenness of who we are is quite evident. We are sinners. So as far as being a person is concerned, we all fall short of the glory of God. (Rom. 3:23)

Now a pastor, rector, or vicar is a leader of a congregation. But where are they leading? And how? The answer to this question is found in Scripture.

And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.

Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in Christ's afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church, of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to his saints. To them God chose to make known how great among the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ. For this I toil, struggling with all his energy that he powerfully works within me. (Colossians 1:21-29)

In this passage we can see the nature of man ( hostile in mind doing evil deeds), what Christ has done (reconciled us by his death) and why (presenting us blameless before God). The purpose of the minister of the Gospel is to proclaim Jesus 'warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ.' All this by the grace of God. Clergy shepherd (pastors) people to Jesus. But to maintain proper health, clergy should never forget that we are persons. By shepherding others we should be mindful of ourselves as fallen creatures in need of Christ's redeeming. We need to understand the food that must be our spiritual daily bread. We need to understand that not everyone goes to heaven. And we need to understand that works do not make us better people but only the Holy Spirit working in us transforming us so that we can do the will of God. (Philippans 2:13) All of this is by our service to the Gospel that saves the wretched sinner. The life of the parson is to look upon the cross daily, reading the Bible daily, and leading the flock to green pastures and still waters so that they may be the person that Jesus is molding for the sake of the Kingdom. After all, Jesus is the ultimate person. He will do the work in the parishioner for the elect in God. But to know what that fruit looks like, we have to know what Jesus is doing in us. (Luke 6:39-49)