Tag: E Pluribus Unum

THE FEAR & GRACE OF THE LORD

It is an absolute understatement to say that we are living through a time of information overload and rampant fear-mongering. Due to the digital media revolution of the past several decades, we are now enduring a time in which every molehill is a 10-mile-high mountain and every single challenge is an existential crisis for humanity. From the moment we get up in the morning to the moment we go to bed, we essentially hear daily cries of “the sky is falling” or “wolf! wolf!” flooding into our minds and hearts, seeking to stir people up into a fear-soaked frenzy for the purpose of serving this or that agenda.

However, if everything is a mountain then nothing is; if everything is a crisis then nothing is. Consequently, we are so overwhelmed and burned out by the constant parade of media-ratings-driven crises that we struggle to pay attention anymore. So of course, we would be well-advised to remember the moral of the old folktales of The Boy Who Cried Wolf and Chicken Little.  In particular, if we remember the ending of the Chicken Little story then we could recall that Chicken Little got other small animal friends whipped up into his hysteria while they completely missed the real threat of the fox in their midst (who eats them all in the end).

As believers and followers of Jesus Christ, the Anointed One who is the Living Revelation of Almighty God’s mercy and forgiveness, we are partakers of his reconciling heart and compassionate mind for the sake of the world. Therefore, the divisiveness and manipulation that saturates our culture these days, seeking to divide and control at every level of society, is contrary to the grace and truth of Christ our Savior. “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” – (Second Timothy 1:7)

Of course, there is a good kind of biblical fear, a kind of fear that empowers our love and soundness of mind: it’s “the fear of the Lord” as the Holy Scriptures declare. That is, it’s the “fear” of awe-struck wonder at the deep mystery of God. It’s the “fearful” awe and reverence for the Eternal God that leads to insight, understanding and wisdom. As it says in the Book of Proverbs, “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Proverbs 9:10).

This biblical “fear of the Lord” is what leads us to be free peacemakers and free bridge-builders in our lives and world. Freeing us from all forms of human tribalism, the fear and love and faith of Christ our Lord can lead us to transcend earthly divisions for the glory of God and the benefit of all. So as we await the fullness of God’s Kingdom to come when our resurrected Lord Jesus returns to us in person someday, we can be those peacemaking “children of God” that Jesus talks about in chapter 5 of the Gospel of Matthew.

Moreover, as citizens of the United States of America, we are especially blessed to live in the most universally diverse of all the countries on Earth. It’s not perfect (no country has a perfect history), but we are nonetheless the most diverse country in the world, and I believe God has blessed us Americans with the task of modeling and defending the idea of e pluribus unum (unity from diversity). But more importantly, as Christians, in the name of Jesus Christ, we can be respectful and merciful in this disrespectful and wrathful time, and we can always seek to understand those who differ with us even though we might firmly disagree.

Together in Christ, Pastor Tim

GOD’S LIVING TEMPLE

Recently during our online Bible study of the Book of Ephesians, hosted on the Zoom video conferencing platform, we discussed the “holy temple” of Ephesians chapter 2…

So Christ came and proclaimed peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; for through him both of us have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone. In him the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built together spiritually into a dwelling place for God.

Ephesians 2:17-22

As I shared with the other Bible study participants on Zoom, this image of the Church of Jesus Christ as one living temple is a favorite biblical image for me. Of course the Bible uses several other images to describe the Church, such as one living body with many different members, or as one living tree into which we (many different branches) are grafted by God’s grace. However, the image of a living temple speaks to my heart a little bit more than these others.

As a lover of architecture, the living temple image of the Church in Ephesians allows me to imagine the various interrelated structural parts — including how we might imagine our relationship with the Holy Trinity of God. Therefore, with the apostles and prophets of the New and Old Testaments as the foundation of this great spiritual temple, and with ourselves as its living interconnected stone blocks, let’s focus on the three most notable pieces of stonemasonry: the Cornerstone, the Keystone, and the Capstone.

The cornerstone (or setting stone) is the first stone placed in a masonry construction, and all the other building stones will be set in reference to this first stone — thereby determining the overall position of the entire structure. Likewise, Jesus Christ is our divine Cornerstone, the chief stone set in place for us to base our individual orientation within the overall temple structure. In other words, our Lord Jesus’ life, teachings, death and resurrection give us the exact spiritual dimensions that we use to set and position our faith and spirituality.

The keystone (sometimes doubling as a capstone) is the central wedge stone at the apex of a masonry arch, or it’s the circular wedge stone at the apex of a vaulted structure. In both cases it’s the final stone that locks all the stones of an arch or vault into position, allowing the arch or vault to bear the weight of the surrounding structure. Similarly, the Holy Spirit is our divine Keystone, the central wedge stone that unites and binds all the other stones into one load-bearing temple structure. Consequently, due to the open but solid archway of the Holy Spirit (or Holy Keystone) we are strengthened and kept in true faith by the Holy Spirit’s power and spiritual gifts, bestowed upon us through the Word and Sacraments of God.

The capstone (sometimes doubling as a keystone) is a stone placed at the pinnacle of a masonry construction, typically on top of a wall or a monument. In addition, the capstone is an architectural feature that is often found at the very top of religious, memorial and governmental structures. As a result, capstones on such structures as these are often detailed artistic features placed at the highest point in order to indicate the purpose or meaning of the entire building. Furthermore, the capstone can be circular or conical or pyramidal in shape.

On both governmental and religious buildings, the capstone can often have some kind of decorative orb centered on top — and this orb can also have a symbol or statue on top of it.  For example, there is an ornate capstone at the pinnacle of the dome of our United States Capitol Building, and it’s a conical-shaped capstone supporting an orb (etched with the words “E Pluribus Unum”) that also has the Statue of Freedom standing upon the orb. Or for another example, centered on the capstones of many Church cathedrals there are orbs with either cross symbols or angelic figures (or both). Likewise, just as it is with these beautiful capstone structures on top of large governmental and religious buildings, our Heavenly Father is our divine Capstone, the pinnacle stone that indicates our highest purpose and meaning, and our highest exultation and destiny.

As we are physically isolated during this global Coronavirus pandemic and national quarantine, it is deeply important that we remember our spiritual togetherness as stones in God’s living temple — securely interconnected with God and each other forever by God’s amazing grace. With the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (our divine Capstone, Cornerstone and Keystone), and with the apostles and prophets as our foundation, we shall stand firm throughout it all. 

Lastly, with all of this in mind, I’m reminded of the first part of the third verse of the great Christian hymn “Built on a Rock the Church Shall Stand”…

Christ builds a house of living stones:

we are his own habitation;

he fills our hearts, his humble thrones,

granting us life and salvation.

Evangelical Lutheran Worship (ELW), Hymn #652, Verse 3

A blessed Pentecost Sunday to all of you in May and a wonder-full Holy Trinity Sunday in June!

Together in God’s Living Temple, Pastor Tim

IN GOD WE TRUST

When we were little children, we viewed our parents through an almost entirely positive lens.  They could do nothing wrong in our eyes.  When we became adolescents, we viewed our parents through an almost entirely negative lens.  They could do virtually nothing right in our teenage eyes.  And periodically during adolescence, teenagers will slip in and out of a childlike orientation toward their parents as they grow.  However, if we had a loving set of parents, we matured to later realize as adults that our parents are basically good and decent people despite their various imperfections.

In a similar way, our United States of America has arguably been in its adolescent phase of development in recent decades as our national life has been marked by a great deal of adolescent-like negative angst about our national history and heritage.  So while some view our USA as virtually doing no wrong in the world, there are many who now view our USA through an almost entirely negative adolescent lens. 

Of course, the truth is that there is no such thing as a perfect nation.  All nations have negative aspects to their histories and present realities.  Yes our USA is not perfect, but our history and heritage are not a horrible travesty either.  The USA has been, by far, and continues to be, by far, a great blessing to our world.  Therefore, it is indeed right that we should have a healthy sense of patriotism for everything that is good and laudable about our national founding and history and heritage.  While acknowledging the bad historical aspects, and learning from them, we uplift and give thanks every Thanksgiving for the good historical aspects of our nation above all else, and it is these many good aspects of our nation that our national symbols (especially the US Flag) point toward and represent.

As we are on the brink of the yearlong Presidential campaigning season for 2020, I believe it is important to be mindful of the fact that our national inheritance is truly a great good — although we have at times failed to live up to our highest ideals enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the Bill of Rights and the Federalist Papers.  I also believe it is important to remember that, as our two national mottos declare, “In God We Trust” and “E Pluribus Unum” (meaning “out of many, one”).

In his book Mere Christianity, the great Christian author and lay theologian C.S. Lewis wrote the following… “God made us: invented us as a man invents an engine. A car is made to run on petrol, and it would not run properly on anything else. Now God designed the human machine to run on Himself. He Himself is the fuel our spirits were designed to burn, or the food our spirits were designed to feed on. There is no other. That is why it is just no good asking God to make us happy in our own way without bothering about religion. God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there.”

As the people of the Church of Jesus Christ, we know this wonderful statement by C.S. Lewis to be most certainly true of both individuals and entire nations.  So no matter what, we recognize that it is in God that we place our trust and hope, first and foremost, because our first citizenship is in God’s universal kingdom of grace and truth.  As it says in Philippians 3:18-20… “For many live as enemies of the cross of Christ; I have often told you of them, and now I tell you even with tears. Their end is destruction; their god is the belly; and their glory is in their shame; their minds are set on earthly things. But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.”

And we also ought to recall the following biblical admonition from Psalm 146:3-5… “Do not put your trust in rulers, in mortals, in whom there is no salvation. When their breath departs, they return to the earth; on that very day their plans perish. Happy are those whose salvation is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord their God.”

The font of life and salvation is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  Therefore, no matter the outcome of this next year within our national life together, let us always remember our first citizenship in God and our true salvation in, with and through our Lord Jesus Christ.

In God We Trust!  Thanks and Praise Be to God!  Happy Thanksgiving!

Together in Christ,  Pastor Tim