Danger, danger!

Proverbs 27:1-6, 10-12

To be honest I’m not at all sure what to do with this verse from Proverbs: “The clever see danger and hide; but the simple go on, and suffer for it” (Proverbs 27:12). Are we to understand that godly, devout people who happen to be intelligent are encouraged to duck and cover when the going gets tough? Is that really what is going on here? Or is there another way to read this?

In his Interpretation series commentary on Proverbs Leo G. Perdue offers only a bit of insight. “Verse 12 is an antithetical saying,” he writes, “that contrasts the clever who see danger and hide with the simpleton who does not and thus suffers for it” (p. 227). With all apologies to Dr. Perdue that really doesn’t help much. Jesus was, by all accounts, extremely bright and yet according to the gospels he was willing to face his own death and “go on, and suffer for it.” Likewise countless people of faith from over the centuries have willingly confronted danger in the name of God and for the sake of justice and righteousness. In our own age we are reminded of people of great courage like Dietrich Bonhoeffer and Martin Luther King, Jr. who, in faith, faced trials and tribulations for the glory of God.

Now, I’ll readily agree that we “shouldn’t go courting trouble.” But perhaps one aspect of God’s grace is that it allows us to live a “simple” life of faith, one that allows us to face danger, even to suffer and die, in order to help others and to give glory to God. If that is what Proverbs 27:12 is all about then may God give me the simplicity to “go on, and suffer for it,” because I really don’t think that people of faith are supposed to run for cover during times of challenge.

Prayer: Lord God, give us the courage to live as your people no matter what the circumstances may be. In the name of the one who accepted his death for the sake of the world. Amen.

NOTE: Beginning on February 25, I will be including blog posts each Saturday written by "guest bloggers" who will offer their insights on the readings for that particular day. I deeply appreciate the willingness of these folks to share their time and talents with us. Be sure to stop by on upcoming Saturdays to see what they have to say.

“Getting To Know You…”

1 John 3:1-10

“The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know God” (1 John 3:1). I wonder about this verse in light of our contemporary culture. I realize that when it was written there was an enormous majority of people who had never heard of Judaism, let along Christianity. But what does this passage mean today?

The fact is that there are few people who do not know something about the Jewish and Christian faiths, but the issue lies in how that knowledge the way people live. A list of the 10 best speeches in history ranked Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” as number 2 (right behind Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech). Jesus’ “speech” was ranked second purely because of it’s value as moral instruction, not because it was spoken by the Son of God. How many people in the western hemisphere do not know the significance of Easter and Christmas? Yet where is most of the emphasis placed? On gift giving and retail sales. When the Cadbury Co. can say “No bunny knows Easter like we do” it provides an interesting commentary. And the familiar Christmas song “Here Comes Santa Clause” includes the line, “Say your prayers to the Lord above, ‘cause Santa Clause is coming tonight.” How have those two concepts become related? I even remember a time when one of the major oil companies used Noah’s Ark as a promotional giveaway: fill up the tank and receive a set of two animal figures.

The world knows about God. But the world—and too many people of faith—seem content to allow a skewed version of the story of salvation to pass as truth. Easter and Christmas remain profoundly significant without gifts or major purchases. Jesus is the Word of God incarnate; what he says is life-giving not merely instructive. And the stories of faith should do more than prompt consumer choices. They should compel us to reexamine who we are and what we hold as essential. So maybe it isn’t that the world doesn’t know us, maybe it is that we do not know ourselves.

Prayer: Lord help us to live as your people and not according to the world’s version of who you are. Amen.

Completed Joy

John 17:12-19

Our reading from John includes a portion of what is called Jesus’ high priestly prayer. One of the petitions that Jesus offers on behalf of his disciples is that “they may have my joy made complete in themselves” (John 17:13). Two things strike me about this verse. The first is that Jesus refers to his joy. Here he is, on the cusp of his passion, about to suffer and die, and yet he speaks of his joy as a present reality. The second thing that strikes me is that Jesus wishes this same joy for his disciples in as full a measure as he himself possesses it.

On April 3, 1968 in Memphis, Tennessee, Martin Luther King delivered what would be his final sermon, what is now entitled “I’ve Been to the Mountaintop.” At it’s conclusion King makes a startling claim. “Like anybody, I would like to live a long life. Longevity has its place. But I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will. And He's allowed me to go up to the mountain. And I've looked over. And I've seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land! And so I’m happy tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!” This seems to me to be as close as one might come to Jesus’ prayer in John 17. Like Jesus, King speaks of his joy as a present reality. And like Jesus, King wishes that joy for the congregation that night.

I know that I spend far too much of my time in a fret about the future, about money, about relationships, about time, about hurt feelings. What I don’t spend very much time doing is feeling joy. If Jesus, who knew he was about to suffer and die, and Martin Luther King who may have had a premonition of his death (but who surely knew his life to be in danger) could speak of joy—well, I want some of what they’ve got. And the only way that is going to happen is when I turn my life over to God as fully as I can and I allow God to guide me in the steps that I take. That was Jesus’ joy. King, too, said that he just wanted “to do God’s will.” Now, today, at this moment, it is my turn. By God’s grace I will reach out in confidence that a deep joy awaits me regardless of what happens in my life. Come on, let’s go there together.

Prayer: Lord God, source of all joy, help us to live in obedience to you that our joy may be complete. In Jesus’ name. Amen.