Silent Worship
June 6, 2008 - 2:34pm by NoahOne of my favorite passages of Scripture is found in 1 Kings 19. Elijah, having just defeated the prophets of Baal, suddenly finds himself fleeing Jezebel in order to save his life. He comes to Mt. Horeb feeling very alone and very sorry for himself. Despite the fact that he had just been on a spiritual "mountaintop" and seen God defeat the prophets of Baal, Elijah has crashed into a valley of despair. And it is in this valley that God gives him a different type of mountaintop experience.
Having already witnessed God's mighty acts, Elijah now encounters a different side of God. While Elijah was waiting for God to appear, a mighty wind swept through the mountain. But the Lord was not in the wind. An earthquake then shook the mountain, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. The earthquake was followed by a great fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. Instead, God revealed himself in a gentle breeze, the exact antithesis of the power displayed at the defeat of the prophets of Baal.
Elijah learned that God is not only present in the great spiritually moving experiences, but also in the quiet moments in God's sanctuary. God is not only a God of trumpets and shouts, but also of whispers.
I have always found this passage comforting because my life is filled with more quiet moments of despair than great victories and moving spiritual experiences. I often have to relearn the lesson that God can be found just as easily in silence as he can be in earthquakes, storms, and fires.
Recently I have wondered if this principle should also apply to my worship. ... more
How to Help: Giving the Gift of Life
February 23, 2008 - 10:54pm by NoahChristians are called not only to meet the spiritual need of the world, but also the physical needs faced by individuals. The Bible is filled with commands to care for widows, orphans, the poor, and the sick. However, in an age when TV, radio, and the internet bring the world's needs right to our door, it can be overwhelming to decide what need to meet, much less how to meet it. The problem is compounded by the constant debate in both public and private forums as to who is responsible to meet these needs. Should individuals, charities, faith-based groups, or the government play the primary role in feeding, clothing, and healing the needy? The vast amount of need and the debate that comes with it provides an easy excuse for Christians to not get involved. In light of that, this is the first in a series of posts on real everyday needs and practical ways they can be met. ... more
On Being Taken Advantage Of
February 22, 2008 - 10:25am by NoahI've been grumpy lately.
I've been feeling overtired, overwhelmed, and underappreciated. Work and church have kept me busy, and I probably haven't been taking the appropriate amount of time to rest and recharge my batteries, but I have begun to realize that my grumpiness probably doesn't stem primarily from that. I think most of my negative feelings are coming from the fact that I feel somewhat taken advantage of.
I admit that my perspective may be skewed, but I feel as if I have been giving a lot of my time and effort to other people without getting anything back in return. Coupled with the intermitent feeling that some of these people are taking advantage of my willingness to help, do, forgive, or be patient, and most of my life, from work to church to family relationships, have become lifeless, joyless chores. ... more
A New Type of Ancestor Worship
February 7, 2008 - 9:23pm by NoahI've been amazed recently at the things that get attributed to dead people. ... more
Getting Back to Worship
December 28, 2007 - 3:29pm by NoahToo often I confuse church-related-busyness with worship. I have reached that point again recently, excusing my lack of personal worship time by telling myself that it is only because I am spending so much time preparing to minister to my students at school and preparing Sunday school lessons for church. The other day I was sorting through some old files on my computer, and I came across a poem/song I wrote during a similar time in my life some eight years ago as a senior in high school. It served as a reminder to stop my busyness and simply worship.
... moreThree Responses to the Birth of Christ
December 25, 2007 - 9:05pm by NoahMatthew 2:3-8, 13; Luke 2:25-38 (NIV)
When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born. ''In Bethlehem in Judea,'' they replied, ''for this is what the prophet has written:
'''But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for out of you will come a ruler
who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'''
Xenophobia, Racism, and the Church
December 20, 2007 - 4:49am by NoahIn the January 10, 2007 edition of the Denver Catholic Register, Archbishop Charles Chaput wrote a fantastic editorial on (illegal) immigration. In this editorial, Bishop Chaput shared the following email he received from a parishioner following a local arrest of illegal immigrants:
Sorry Bishop: No sympathy (from me) for the illegal alien criminals arrested by ICE. In fact, I hope their offspring starve to death. I do not pray for illegal aliens. I pray for their victims. I have no problem with God, and He has no problem with me. I hope their families starve to death, and it's crap like this that drives Catholics away from the Church.
The Bishop went on to make the following challenge to his readers:
How we treat the weak, the infirm, the elderly, the unborn child and the foreigner reflects on our own humanity. We become what we do, for good or for evil. The Catholic Church respects the law, including immigration law. We respect those men and women who have the difficult job of enforcing it. We do not encourage or help anyone to break the law. We believe Americans have a right to solvent public institutions, secure borders and orderly regulation of immigration.
But we won't ignore people in need, and we won't be quiet about laws that don't work -- or that, in their ''working,'' create impossible contradictions and suffering. Despite all of the heated public argument over the past year, Americans still find themselves stuck with an immigration system that adequately serves no one. We urgently need the kind of immigration reform that will address our economic and security needs, but also regularize the status of the many decent undocumented immigrants who help our society to grow. A new Congress sits in Washington. Its members have an extraordinary opportunity to act quickly and justly to solve this problem. If they don't, the responsibility for failure will be on them and on all of us who elected them.
The year is young; 2007 is just beginning. The slate is clean. We become what we do, for good or for evil. If we act and speak like bigots, that's what we become. If we act with justice, intelligence, common sense and mercy, then we become something quite different. We become the people and the nation God intended us to be. Our country's immigration crisis is a test of our humanity. Whether we pass it is entirely up to us.
... more
The Restoration Begins
December 13, 2007 - 4:35am by Noah'''Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel'
(which means, God with us).''
-- Matthew 1:23 (ESV)
This familiar passage has been on my mind over the last few days and weeks as the Christmas holiday approaches. I have always found comfort in the name Immanuel during trying times because it provides assurance of God's presence. This morning, however, I realized how narrow my application of this concept has become.
... moreBe Still
December 4, 2007 - 5:01am by Noah''Be still, and know that I am God...'' (Ps. 46:10)
When troubles come across my way,
When sorrow fills my heart,
Whenever I feel defeated
Before I even start,
When my soul is burdened down
By fear of the unknown,
When I'm too scared to cede control
Of a life you already own.
It's these times that are your specialty,
These times you show your love.
Instead of a deserved punishment
You send grace from above.
What Would Jesus Say?
December 1, 2007 - 10:32pm by NoahDuring Wednesday's CNN/YouTube GOP debate, the candidates were asked the following question by a YouTube user: ''The death penalty, what would Jesus do?'' The funniest answer came from former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who after being pressed to say definitively whether or not Jesus would endorse the death penalty responded, ''Jesus was too smart to ever run for public office.'' (You can see the full answer more
