The Music And The Dance

It’s been a while since I posted but I intend to fix that. Christmas hit hard and I ran into rough ground with the book I had introduced, “The Abiding Presence”. I was excited to read it but got badly bogged down in chapter 2 and 3. I intend to persist. In the meantime let me comment on this. Last weekend we had Dr. Waltke at Christ Community to speak on Psalm 15 and we got to hang out as well. He was great as usual. Then on Monday night a group from church ended up going to hear Wendell Berry speak at Stetson University. 

Me and Connie and Adam, meet up with Kyle and Carlyn Whitehead, Clay and Michelle Cass and Nathan Mowery. We also ran into Bill Andrews. Berry was inspiring. It’s not just what he says but who he is and what he represents. His topic was, “Simple Solutions, Package Deals, and the 50-year Farm Bill”. I won’t try to compress his lecture at this time. I didn’t even take notes, I just wanted to enjoy listening. But I will share a quote from Berry from an earlier essay. In this quote he is talking about doing good work in the real world and he references the words of Moses from Deuteronomy. Even without the larger context you can appreciate the point he makes.

To work without pleasure or affection, to make a product that is not both useful and beautiful, is to dishonor God, nature, the thing that is made, and whomever it is made for. This is blasphemy: To make shoddy work of the work of God. But such blasphemy is not possible when the entire Creation is understood as holy and when the works of God are understood as embodying and thus revealing His spirit. In the Bible we find none of the industrialist’s contempt or hatred for nature. We find, instead, a poetry of awe and reverence and profound cherishing, as in these verses from Moses’ valedictory blessing of the twelve tribes:


And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the Lord be his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that croucheth beneath,

And for the precious fruits brought forth by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon,



And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the’ lasting hills,



And for the precious things of the earth and fullness thereof, and for the good will of him that dwelt in the bush.  (Deut 33:13-16)

I’ve got a problem with books. I’ve always been an avid reader and I’ve derived a lot of spiritual nourishment through good books. However, for a few years I’ve struggled to find books that really engage my interest or feed my soul. It’s not that I know it all but sometimes I feel like I’ve heard (read) it all. Sometimes I feel that at this point in my life whatever I haven’t truly learned has to be learned by living it not reading it. But last week at the Seminary I “came across” a book I had never heard of that caught my interest. The book is titled, The Abiding Presence, by Hugh Martin.

He opens his book by quoting a verse from the beginning and the end of the gospel of Matthew. Matthew 1:1 begins, A record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ the son of David, the son of Abraham. Then, at the end of the gospel of Matthew 28:20 And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age. Martin points out that Matthew 1:1 sounds like the beginning of a biography or memoir of Jesus Christ. But when do we ever find a memoir ending with the words, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

He basically says people who are still alive don’t publish their memoirs. He was living in the 1800 and didn’t anticipate the self-absorption and narcissism that is so common in today’s culture, but I think his point holds up for the most part. On the other hand when we read the memoirs of famous people we usually do so because actually friendship and fellowship with them is not possible. He develops the uniqueness of these two truths that regarding Jesus we have both the stories of his life and the promise of his presence. The result is that in the combined revelation of the gospels concerning Jesus and the promise of his presence in our lives we have something unique and wonderful.

In an online review at Something to Say, Malcolm Maclean writes:

Christian Focus Publications have republished The Abiding Presence by Hugh Martin (1822-85), Martin’s book is concerned with how Christians should read the Gospels (they are more than mere historical records providing information). In order to read them correctly we need the presence of the Spirit to make the Gospel narratives personal and precious to us as we meditate on them. We need the Spirit’s help in order that the stories about Jesus becomes means of communion with Jesus. Martin takes several instances from the Gospels — the baptism of Jesus, the temptation of Jesus, his sermon in a synagogue in Nazareth, his work on the cross — and helps us regarding how we should read these accounts for our spiritual benefit. Such experiences by us reveal to us the divine origin of the Bible and also enable us to have what Martin calls ‘real religion’.

I haven’t read very far into this book so I hope it proves as good as it begins. Here’s a quote from the end of the first chapter:

“The biography then is not dead, the living one lives in it. The presence is not mysterious and vague; for he is present as in the mirror of the biography, and according to the well defined and reflected glory there. The biography is more than biography now, it is – the life of Jesus.”

I love being reminded of this crucial truth, and how appropriate at Christmas. I wish all of us at Christ Community, and to the ends of the earth could see and live in these truths. We have both the living story in Scripture and the real, REAL, spiritual presence of Immanuel with us. Is that not amazing?

In the book I quoted last week by Anthony Hoekema, The Bible and the Future, he says, The most breathtaking description of the new earth in the entire Bible is found in Revelation 21:1-4 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband; 3 and I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling of God is with men. He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself will be with them; 4 he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away.

An incomparably beautiful existence is pictured in these verses. The fact that the word kainos describes the newness of the new heaven and earth indicates, as was pointed out previously (see last post), that what John sees is not a universe totally other than the present but one which has been gloriously renewed. There is a difference of opinion on the question of whether the words “and the sea was no more” should be understood literally or figuratively. Even if they are to be literally understood, they undoubtedly point to a significant aspect of the new earth. Since the sea in the rest of the Bible, particularly in the book of Revelation (cf.13.1, 17:15), often stands for that which threatens the harmony of the universe, the absence of the sea from the new earth means the absence of whatever would interfere with that harmony.

Verse 2 shows us the “holy city, new Jerusalem,” standing for the entire glorified church of God, coming down out of heaven to earth. This church, now totally without spot or blemish, completely purified from sin, is now “prepared as a bride adorned for her husband,” ready for the marriage of the Lamb (see Rev. 19:7). From this verse we learn that the glorified church will not remain in a heaven far off in space, but will spend eternity on the new earth.

From verse 3 we learn that the dwelling place of God will no longer be away from the earth but on the earth. Since where God dwells, there heaven is, we conclude that in the life to come heaven and earth will no longer be separated, as they are now, but will be merged. Believers will therefore continue to be in heaven as they continue to live on the new earth. “He will dwell with them, and they shall be his people” are the familiar words of the central promise of the covenant of grace (cf. Gen. 17:7; Exod. 19:5-6; Jer.31:33; Ezek. 34:30; IICor.6:16; Heb.8:10; IPet.2:9-10). The fact that this promise is repeated in John’s vision of the new earth implies that only on that new earth will God finally grant his people the full riches which the covenant of grace includes. Here we receive the firstfruits; there we shall receive the full harvest.

The bold strokes of verse 4 suggest far more than they actually say. There will be no tears on the new earth. Crying and pain will belong on the former things which have passed away. And there will be no more death – no more fatal accidents, no more incurable diseases, no more funeral services, no more final farewells. On the new earth we shall enjoy everlasting and unbroken fellowship with God and with the people of God, including dear ones and friends whom we have loved and lost a while. The highest joy and the greatest privilege of the life of glory is expressed in verse 4 of chapter 22:”They shall see his [God’s] face, and his name shall be on their foreheads.” In short, existence on the new earth will be marked by perfect knowledge of God, perfect enjoyment of God, and perfect service of God.

The doctrine of the new earth should give us hope, courage, and optimism in a day of widespread despair. Though evil is rampant in this world, it is comforting to know that Christ has won the final victory. Whereas ecologists often picture the future of this earth in gloomy terms, it is encouraging to know that some day God will prepare a glorious new earth on which the ecological problems which now plague us will no longer exist. This does not imply that we need do nothing about these problems, but it does mean that we work for solutions to these problems, not with a feeling of despair, but in the confidence of hope.

Earlier the point was made that there will be continuity as well as discontinuity between this age and the next, and between this earth and the new earth. This point is extremely important. As citizens of God’s kingdom, we may not just write off the present earth as a total loss, or rejoice in its deterioration. We must indeed be working for a better world now. Our efforts to bring the kingdom of Christ into fuller manifestation are of eternal significance. Our Christian life today, our struggles against sin – both individual and institutional – our mission work, our attempt to develop and promote a distinctively Christian culture, have value not only for this world but even for the world to come.

As we live on this earth, we are preparing for life on God’s new earth. Through our kingdom service the building materials for the new earth are now being gathered. Bibles are being translated, peoples are being evangelized, believers are being renewed, and cultures are being transformed. Only eternity will reveal the full significance of what has been done for Christ here.

At the beginning of history God created the heavens and the earth. At the end of history we see the new heavens and the new earth, which will far surpass in splendor all that we have seen before. At the center of history is the Lamb that was slain, the first-born from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. Some day we shall cast all our crowns before him, “lost in wonder, love and praise.”  The Bible and the Future – The New Earth. Pages 284 thru 287

Studying James 1 for this week’s sermon I came across verse 18 which says of God, He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.  I posted on Facebook about the idea that the work of grace in the lives of believers constitutes the first fruits of what will ultimately be the renewal of all of creation. So, thinking about this I remembered a relevant section from Anthony’s Hoekema’s book The Bible and the Future, which was one of my seminary textbooks back in the 80’s!  Here’s an abridged version of an interesting section on the new earth.

Both in Isaiah 65:17 and in Revelation 21:1 we hear about “a new heaven and a new earth.” The expression “heaven and earth” should be understood as a biblical way of designating the entire universe: “Heaven and earth together constitute the cosmos.” But the question is, Will the present universe be totally annihilated, so that the new universe will be completely other than the present cosmos, or will the new universe be essentially the same cosmos as the present, only renewed and purified?

Here are some reasons to believe that the universe will not be completely different but renewed and redeemed.

First, both in II Peter 3:13 and in Revelation 21:1 the Greek word used to designate the newness of the new cosmos is not neos but kainos. The word neos means new in time or origin, whereas the word kainos means new in nature or in quality. The expression ouranon kainon kai gen kainen (“a new heaven and a new earth, “ Rev. 21:1) means, therefore, not the emergence of a cosmos totally other than the present one, but the creation of a universe which, though it has been gloriously renewed, stands in continuity with the present one.

A second reason for favoring the concept of renewal over that of annihilation is Paul’s argumentation in Romans 8. When he tells us that creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God so that it may be set free from its bondage to decay (vv.20-21), he is saying that it is the present creation that will be liberated from corruption in the eschaton, not some totally different creation.

A third reason is the analogy between the new earth and the resurrection bodies of believers. Previously we pointed out that there will be both continuity and discontinuity between the present body and the resurrection body. The differences between our present bodies and our resurrection bodies, wonderful thought they are, do not take away the continuity: it is we who shall be raised, and it is we who shall always be with the Lord. Those raised with Christ will not be totally new set of human beings but the people of God who have lived on this earth. By way of analogy, we would expect that the new earth will not be totally different from the present earth but will present earth wondrously renewed.

A fourth reason for preferring the concept of renewal over that of annihilation is this: If God would have to annihilate the present cosmos; Satan would have won a great victory. For then Satan would have succeeded in so devastatingly corrupting the present cosmos and the present earth that God could do nothing with it but to blot it totally out of existence. But Satan did not win such a victory. On the contrary, Satan has been decisively defeated. God will reveal the full dimensions of that defeat when he shall renew this earth on which Satan deceived mankind and finally banish from it all the results of Satan’s evil machinations.

In this connection it is interesting to note the words with which Edward Thurneysen described his understanding of what the new earth would be like:

“The world into which we shall enter in the Parousia of Jesus Christ is therefore not another world; it is this world, this heaven, this earth; both, however, passed away and renewed. It is these forests, these fields, these cities, these streets, these people, that will be the scene of redemption. At present they are battlefields, full of the strife and sorrow of the not yet accomplished consummation; then they will be fields of victory, fields of harvest, where out of seed that was sown with tears the everlasting sheaves will be reaped and brought home.”

When we properly understand biblical teachings about the new earth, many other Scripture passages begin to fall into a significant pattern. For example, in Psalm 37:11 we read, “But the meek shall possess the land.” It is significant to observe how Jesus’ paraphrase of this passage in his Sermon on the Mount reflects the New Testament expansion of the concept of the land: “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth” (Matt.5:5)

 Anthony Hoekema, “The Bible and The Future”, 1979.

Maybe when you hear “The Fantastic Four” you think of this.

Or maybe this…

I haven’t read the comic book or seen the movie . I actually have a very different fantastic four in mind. This week I was reading the Bible one morning and came across a promise and I thought to myself, “I say I believe this promise and in some sense I do but do I really believe it?” As I thought about this four pretty fantastic promises came to mind. As I thought about them I realized these are promises many Christians know well and claim to believe but I’m fairly confident that while we would not deny them we don’t rely on them either. So think about these four.

Philippians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Yes, it’s not whatever we want but it is “all” our needs! That’s fantastic.

Romans 8:28 And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

This is the one we all know. But do we know it? In the Bible you do not know a truth like this unless it affects you.

Philippians 4:13 I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

I’ve talked to a number of people in mid-life recently who wonder if they are going to be able to finish well. They feel tired and as one friend says, “the shiny has come off of everything.” It seems like each stage in life brings new challenges but here’s the promises, I can face, get through, handle and do whatever God calls me to do in life from the vibrancy of youth to finishing well.

James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

Wherever I need wisdom I can ask God for it and he will give it. James goes on to say, but let him ask in faith, not doubting. In a sense that strengthens the promises. He is saying “Don’t doubt that God will give you wisdom when you ask for it!” Ask for and he will give it even if you’re a sinner because God gives generously to all without finding fault. That’s fantastic.

If you put all these together every verse or promises either uses the words all or every. If you think of the King James Version for Philippians 4:13 it says, I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. God will meet all my needs, he will work all things together for good, I can do all things through Christ, and God gives wisdom to all who ask for it in faith. These four promises cover most if not all of life. I want them in my heart and on our lips. With each of these promises we’re left with the question Jesus asked of Martha, Do you believe this?

The Catcher in the Rye is the angst-filled ramblings of a depressed 17-year-old who was just expelled from the Prency Prep School. Reclining in bed, just days before his parents receive notice of his academic demise, Holden ponders matters of faith:

‘Finally, though, I got undressed and got in bed. I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn’t do it. I can’t always pray when I feel like it. In the first place, I’m sort of an atheist. I like Jesus and all, but I don’t care too much for most of the other stuff in the Bible. Take the Disciples, for instance. They annoy the hell out of me, if you want to know the truth. They were all right after Jesus was dead and all, but while He was alive, they were about as much use to Him as a hole in the head. All they did was keep letting him down. I like almost anybody in the bible better than the Disciples….

Old Childs said the trouble with me was that I didn’t go to church or anything. He was right about that, in a way. I don’t. In the first place, my parents are different religions, and all the children in our family are atheists. If you want to know the truth, I can’t even stand ministers. The ones they’ve had at every school I’ve gone to, they have these Holy Joe voices when they start giving their sermons. God, I hate that. I don’t see why the hell they can’t talk in their natural voice. They sound so phoney even when they talk.

I’m back at Reformed Seminary teaching two classes on preaching from 10 am to 3 pm on Thursdays. I love doing this and find it keeps me fresh sort of like continuing education on a lot of levels. I learn a lot about where young people today are on  faith, the gospel, Christ, reformed theology, culture and church. In addition it keeps me reading and thinking about preaching and what it means to preach Christ in today’s culture. Any way one thing that comes up sometimes is the idea that “preaching” requires a certain tone or volume. The fact is the Greek word “preach” says nothing about style, tone or volume. It has to do with being a herald and coming as one under authority to convey the message of the King.

The style of so-called preaching that requires speaking in a different or “churchy” tone is at best unnecessary in today’s culture. They used to yell because they wanted to be heard. We can hear fine today with microphones and sound systems. And the churchy tone just seems fake in a world that longs for the authentic and sincere. Anyway I came across the quote above and thought it interesting that this was written some time ago (1951) but we still have preachers who feel they have to put on a show or adopt a preachy tone to communicate the gospel. Maybe some of them feel they have to meet the expectations of an ingrown church culture that expects that tone and style. It ought to stop. I believe preachers today should speak with passion but just be biblical, Christ-centered, clear, and sincere. To do otherwise will sound phony and ultimately undercut credibility with thoughtful people. Anyway the quote from Catcher in the Rye got me thinking about this.

I came across the following quote from Thomas Brooks on another site. Was a well known British pastor and preacher from the Puritan era.  The quote reminds us that in light of the gospel the greatest humility is to simply accept the power of the gospel and live by faith. To do anything else is to assume that somehow our righteousness at least in some small way helps validate us in the eyes of God. When we fully accept the truth about ourselves and the reality of the gospel the only humble thing to do is believe, to fully believe that in Christ God sees us as he sees Christ. Here’s the quote:

“Remember this—all the sighing, mourning, sobbing, and complaining in the world, does not so undeniably evidence a man to be humble, as his overlooking his own righteousness, and living really and purely upon the righteousness of Christ.”

—Thomas Brooks, The Unsearchable Riches of Christ

Here’s how Paul puts it in Philippians 3:8-9 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ — the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith. 

I came across the following recently and considered it telling. It  ties into a lot of the previous post from Wendell Barry about community. The conclusion that I think it leads to is that we will never have true community without deep commitment.  The quote that follows is from The Connecting Church by Randy Frazee pages 46-47.

Bob and Karen joined a church-sponsored small group in hopes of getting connected to community, but it didn’t work. Why not?

The reflections of John Locke are instructive here. Throughout his book, The De-Voicing of Society, Locke traces the journey to out current “autistic society.” In chapter after chapter he unpacks the choices we have made, as well as the subsequent consequences of de-voicing a society. It is an insightful analysis, but rather depressing. In the book’s final chapter (“Vocal Warming”), it appears as though Locke is going to present practical solutions to this epidemic of individualism. Instead, this chapter dismantles and debunks each contemporary solution, including small groups, as falling short of a decisive victory. He writes:

If small groups are thought of as a solution to desocialization, I’m afraid the news isn’t very good. Few think they work, at least on a personal level … Princeton’s Robert Wuthnow has found that small groups mainly “provide occasions for individuals to focus on themselves in the presence of others. The social contract binding members together asserts only the weakest of obligations. Come if you have time. Talk if you feel like it. Respect everyone’s opinion. Never criticize. Leave quietly if you become dissatisfied.”

In Overcoming Loneliness in Everyday Life, two Boston psychiatrists, Jacqueline Olds and Richard Schwartz, suggest that because of their episodic nature, groups “fail to replicate the sense of belonging we have lost. Attending weekly meetings, dropping in and out as one pleases, shopping around for a more satisfactory or appealing group – all of these factors work against the growth of true community.”

We have brought our mind-set of individualism into our small groups and therefore made them dysfunctional as effective places of true community.

For me the point is that we can’t solve the issue of community by just taking a swipe at it with small groups or other strategies. We should do those things but underneath there has to be a commitment to stay in one place, with one group of people, to work out the life of following Christ with those people in that place over a long period of time.  Only then will we have true community. So find a church where the doctrine is biblical and Christ-centered,  the leadership isn’t abusive, and the vision is one that you can commit to, then stay there. Be planted in that community and work out all the issues that arise with love and humility and persistence.

Here’s a powerful passage about community from Romans 15:1-7: 

We who are strong ought to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. 2 Each of us should please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For even Christ did not please himself but, as it is written: “The insults of those who insult you have fallen on me.” 4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, 6 so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you, in order to bring praise to God. 

Okay, I’m still thinking about marriage because after all my eldest son Alex just got married. It was a beautiful wedding for Alex and Meghan and our shared community of friends, family and followers of Jesus. Here are a couple of quotes I especially liked and incorporated into the service.

In Dr. Waltke’s Old Testament Theology he has a chapter titled The Gift of the Bride. In that chapter he writes:

The gift of the bride story emphasizes the goodness of marriage. I AM’s statement that Adam’s singleness is “not good” (Genesis 2:18) is more emphatic than “lacking in goodness”… by his choice of words he is calling Adam’s situation “bad”. God completes the man by the gift of a bride.

He goes on to say that the rest of the Old Testament also defines marriage as a holy and ideal state. And he points out that the holiest people in the Old Testament are married. In ancient Israel the high priest is married. Regarding the Nazarites who set themselves apart to be holy to God, Dr. Waltke points out that they separate themselves from many things, they do not cut their hair or drink wine “… but they do not demonstrate their separation to God by celibacy. Marriage is part of their consecration, worship and holiness.”

I love that last phrase.  I also think the following quote, which showed up at a shower, the rehearsal and the wedding, beautifully expresses a big part of what it means for marriage to be a part of our consecration, worship and holiness. There is that section in his book Remembering where Wendell Berry describes a married couple with these words:

“It was as though grace and peace was bestowed on them out of the sanctity of marriage itself, which simply furnished them to one another, free and sufficient as rain to leaf. It was as if they were not making marriage but being made by it, and, while it held them, time and their lives flowed over them, like swift water over stones, rubbing them together, grinding off their edges, making them fit together, fit to be together, in the only way that fragments can be rejoined.”

In another place he says,

“What you alone think it [your marriage] ought to be, it is not going to be. Where you alone think you want it to go, it is not going to go. It is going where the two of you––and marriage, time, life, history, and the world––will take it. You do not know the road: you have committed your life to a way.”

All of these quotes work together to remind me of the importance of marriage and the mystery of how God uses it in our consecration, worship and holiness.