Flat Earth

 My brother sometimes reminded people of Cliff Claven, the Cheers character who could enlighten, extend and confuse any conversation with his “little known facts.”  The difference between my brother and Cliff was that my brother’s little-known facts were more often correct.  He once rocked my life-long assumptions by informing me that the Greeks knew the earth was round over two thousand years ago and actually calculated the circumference of the earth two hundred years before Christ.  I checked it out.  He was right. Eratosthenes, chief librarian at Alexandria, Egypt, calculated the circumference of the earth to be 250,000 stadia, or 24, 662 miles.  This happened somewhere around 2 40 B.C.  The actual distance is 24, 901 miles.

 Am I the only one that missed this?  When I went to school, I was taught that Columbus sailed bravely westward across the Atlantic, destined, by the prevailing assumptions of that day, to fall off the edge of the flat earth.  But now, I am told every Christian scholar in the Middle Ages believed the earth was round.  The problem, they thought, was that there was nothing in the Atlantic between Europe and India and the distance was too great. Columbus mistakenly thought the world was smaller than it is and accidentally discovered the new world.

 Why didn’t I know this?  How did I miss this little-known fact in my studies of history and science?  How can we spend a lifetime having a false understanding of world history?

 What we believe about history makes a difference.  It changes our actions and our destiny.  The single most important event in human history is the resurrection of Jesus.  This event shapes all our understanding about life and death and forms the foundation of our values.  Yet billions have never heard of Jesus’ resurrection. And millions more live as if it never happened.

 The Apostle Paul said, “If Christ has not been raised your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins.  Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If we have hope in Christ in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied.  But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who are asleep.” (1 Cor. 15:17-20)

 Jesus came to correct our wrong assumptions about God and about life on this earth.  He turned conventional wisdom on its head by exhorting us to love our enemies, to help those who cannot help us, to accept foreigners and aliens.  He demonstrated by His life that God loves us and, instead of requiring us to offer sacrifices to Him, He gave His own life as the ultimate sacrifice for us.

 If Jesus was raised from the dead, then life is no longer measured in terms of wealth and power.  With His resurrection, He reset the measurement for success to include how we serve the “least of these” who live among us.  With His resurrection, He declared that death could no longer rob us of meaning and purpose.  Living in a world without the resurrection is like living on a flat earth.   

Cornerstone Marriage

 Fifty-eight years ago, I asked an 18-year-old college sophomore to marry me. I was 21,  a college senior making $240 per month.  She said yes. We were in heaven.  Could not have been happier.  It was what experts now call a “cornerstone” marriage.  Our marriage to one another was the cornerstone upon which everything else has been built.

 We had no idea how we would make ends meet.  We could not predict our future.  I worked for $1.25 per hour, the minimum wage of that day,  trimming grass by hand, drove a van for Lighthouse for the Blind, worked in a factory and was pastor of a small church.  She worked in the library.   Somehow, we stayed in school and earned graduate degrees.   God was faithful, generous and kind.   

 Over the years we had three children, and raised them.  The first was born 5 years into our marriage.  The last was born the year I turned 40.  She is now 40.  Our children are now raising our 6 grandchildren, the oldest are finding their way like all young adults must do. 

 Sociologists are telling us that marriage for the younger generation has changed.  Instead of a “cornerstone,” marriage is often considered a “capstone,” the final step after all the preliminary problems have been solved: education, money, housing, cars, savings, financial security. As a result many young couples live together for many years before finally deciding they will “cap it off” with vows of marriage.

 I have to admit this confuses me. It seems to me that marriage is designed to help us form a problem-solving relationship.  The traditional vows, “for better or worse” have meaning.  We don’t know what life will bring.  Sometimes it is better.  Sometimes it is worse.  But marriage is a foundational relationship to celebrate successes and to endure challenges. Of course, some marriages fail. The cornerstone cracks.  The foundation crumbles. Sometimes the entire house falls.

 There is one cornerstone that will never fail. Isaiah wrote, “Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation, (Isaiah 28:16).  And Peter writes, “Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious, and he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2:5-6).  Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone for life and marriage.

When We Die

 I took off my gloves the other day and laid them on the kitchen cabinet.  I had been outside watching working in the yard.  I have had these gloves a long time, several years.

 When I went back to put them on again, I saw them lying there, limp and useless.  They still held the form of my hands, the fingers slightly curved. The thumb in place to grasp something, but they were empty, wrinkled, worn with use and smudged with dirt.

  My gloves reminded me of my body.  The day will come when I will put off this body that has served me for almost eight decades.  Like my gloves, my body was once young and new, without wrinkle, elastic, unscarred.  But over the years it has grown old.  My body groans when it moves, becomes stiff when I sit in one position too long.  It aches. Putting on my socks has become an exercise in calisthenics.

 When I die, I will put off this body like I pull off my gloves when I come in from the yard.  It will still hold something of my shape.  But it will no longer be me, any more than my gloves are me.  When my hand occupies my glove, it can move and grasp things. The glove is filled with my life.  Likewise, my body is filled with me while I still live.  But, someday, I will lay it down. 

 According to Scripture, I will eventually put on a new body, just as I can place my hands in a new pair of gloves.  The Bible has a lot to say about this, especially in 1 Corinthians 15. “It is sown ^[a perishable body, it is raised an imperishable body; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;  it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.” 

 When my mother was dying, we talked about heaven.  She was 89 years old.  Her body had withered away.  Her back was bowed with osteoporosis.  Her vision was failing.  She had suffered a series of mini-strokes.  She had difficulty walking.  When she was a young girl she was athletic, a beautiful fast runner. She won ribbons in track.  We talked about how she would run again, the wind in her hair, flying through the meadow as she did when she was growing up on the farm.

 There’s a lot I don’t know about Heaven.  What kind of bodies will we have when we get there?  Will our heavenly bodies resemble our earthly bodies?  Will we have different ethnicities, different skin color and racial features?  Will we all look the same?   Maybe we will know each other in a different way, more spiritual and intuitive than visual.  From what I know of God in this world, I would have to assume there will be variety … lots of variety … even more than we see on earth. But all prejudice and pride will vanish. 

 1 John 1:3-2 states, “Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.”

Bill Tinsley's book, Sunrise Sunset Poems is FREE as an eBook on Amazon July 7-10.  His poems won first place in the Colorado Open Poetry Contest and the Mississippi Valley Poetry Contest. 

Two Hundred Fiftieth

 This week we celebrate the 250^th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.  Only a little more than three of my lifetimes have passed since the signing! Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration.  John Adams and Benjamin Franklin helped edit it. Adams and Jefferson died on its fiftieth anniversary, July 4, 1826.

 At the signing, John Adams envisioned celebrations in every city with parades, fireworks and political speeches “from one end of this continent to the other.”  Two and one-half centuries later, Adams’s dream is a reality.  This week skyrockets and exploding bombs  will illuminate the night skies over cities, parks, and lakes.  Bands will march in the streets followed by decorated floats and mounted horses.  Politicians will address crowds from platforms decorated with red, white, and blue bunting.

 The Declaration of Independence provides the focus for our American ideals: “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”  When the Declaration was signed our nation was far from the ideals it embraced. Slavery was widespread. Most states limited voting rights to white men who owned land.  Two and a half centuries later we have made progress, but the struggle continues to implement the ideals of equality.

 Robert Kaplan’s Empire Wilderness sought a re-examination of America in 1998.  Visiting a Mexican church in Tucson, Kaplan wrote, “The church conjured up tradition, sensuality, nostalgia.  If only this church were more relevant to the social forces roiling the southern half of Tucson.”  In The Next One Hundred Million, Joel Kotkin painted an optimistic future for America in 2050 based largely on our unique faith. He wrote, “a ‘spiritual’ tradition that extends beyond regular church attendance … persists as a vital force.” 

 We strive toward equality because that is the way God made us.  We are each made in His image and “endowed” with infinite worth. We best achieve equality when we seek to defend and achieve the rights of others.  Jesus taught us to “love our neighbor as ourselves,” to “do unto others as we would have them do unto us,” that we are greatest when we are servant to others and that service to God is measured by our actions toward the “least of these.” 

 The pursuit of happiness can degenerate into the self-absorbed and destructive pursuit of pleasure.  Without faith in Christ, we are prone to become captive to addictions and sins that easily beset us.  Jesus said, “Everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin … if the Son makes you free you shall be free indeed.” (John 8:34-36).  Freedom comes when God sets us free from greed, corruption, lust and addiction.  Real freedom is won when we seek welfare and opportunity for others, especially for those who are not like us.

How Is Your Soul?

 References to the soul seem strangely absent in our churches. But if the churches have stopped talking about the soul, the technological gurus who design apps for our iPhones have not. 

 A few years ago the Huffington Post launched an app called “GPS for the soul.”  The app is based on two truths that say, “that we all have within us a centered place of harmony and balance, and that we all veer from that place again and again. “ Arianna Huffington stated, “There’s a snake lurking in this cyber-Garden of Eden. Our 24/7 connection to the digital world often disconnects us from the real world around us -- from our physical surroundings, from our loved ones, and especially from ourselves. We see the effects of this in every aspect of our lives.”

 The Bible speaks a great deal about the soul.  The soul can be deeply troubled.  David cried out, “My soul is in deep anguish.  How long, Lord, how long?” (Ps. 6:3) and again, “I will be glad and rejoice in your love, for you saw my affliction and knew the anguish of my soul.” (Ps. 31:7). 

 Our soul can rejoice. “Then my soul will rejoice in the Lord and delight in his salvation.” (Ps. 35:9).  Our soul can be refreshed, “He refreshes my soul.” (Ps 23:3) and our soul can be at peace. “Truly my soul finds rest in God; my salvation comes from him.” (Ps. 62:1).

 Jesus taught that there is nothing in this world more important than the condition of your soul.  “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Mt. 16:26). And again, “Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.” (Mt. 10:28). “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Mt. 11:29).

 John Ortberg, in his book, Soul Keeping, writes, “We live in a world that teaches us to be more concerned with the condition of our cars, or our careers, or our portfolios than the condition of our souls. … What if I don’t get a promotion, or my boss doesn’t like me, or I have financial problems, or I have a bad hair day? Yes, these may cause disappointment, but do they have any power over my soul?  Can they nudge my soul from its center, which is the very heart of God?  When you think about it that way, you realize that external circumstances cannot keep you from being with God.”

 What is truly important is not our possessions. Neither is it our physical strength or beauty. Nor is it positions of influence, power or fame.  What is truly important is our soul, the essence of who we are. Although our bodies may wither with old age and disease, our souls can continue to grow in grace as we experience God’s love while loving others.

Father of Lights

 Few stories are better known than the Prodigal Son.  Jesus first told it in response to those who criticized him for associating with known sinners. For 2,000 years the story has been repeated: a young man impatiently asks for his inheritance from his father. And, once granted, leaves home in search of adventure, finding it in a “far country.”  For a time, he is surrounded by new friends. As long as the money lasts. Once he has gambled and partied away all of his wealth, he is left penniless, destitute and friendless.  The only job he can find is tending swine in a pigsty.  He is so hungry he considers eating the food he feeds the swine.

 Out of desperation he decides to return home, ashamed, hoping to find a job on his father’s farm. To his surprise his father embraces him, replaces his rags with clean clothes and orders a welcoming feast.  He is stunned.

 The central figure in this story is not the prodigal. The central figure is the father.

The father, out of his generosity, gives his young son his inheritance.  It is the father who also gives him his freedom.  He can choose to go where he wishes and do whatever he desires with the inheritance.  It is the father, who sees his son in the distance, clothed in rags, shoulders slumped, depressed and defeated.  He does not stay where he is, waiting for his son to drag himself to him. He runs, as quickly as his aging feet will carry him, and throws his arms around his son, welcoming him with joy and tears.  He does not require penance.  He does not make him grovel for acceptance.  Instead, he orders a feast of celebration.

 Jesus told this story, not to help us see what we are like. We are, for the most part only too aware that we are sinners.  We have often failed and made mistakes.  He told this story to help us know what God is like.  He is our father!

 Jesus said, “ Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone?  Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent?  If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matthew 7:9-11).

 This changes everything.  The Creator and Sustainer, the Master Designer, the Ground of All Being is for us.  God is our Father.  As we gather this weekend to celebrate fathers, let us celebrate the Father of Lights, our Father who is in Heaven who loves us and gave His Son that we might have life.

Bread of Life

 Bread has become a delicacy.  When my wife sends me to the store for a loaf of bread I stand dumbfounded in front of the shelves.  Which bread to buy?  There’s white bread, whole wheat bread, gluten free 7 grain bread, garlic bread, rye bread, and a dozen others.  Then there are bagels: plain bagels, blueberry bagels and everything bagels.  And what about donuts?  I think donuts are included in the bread family.  Okay, I choose donuts.

 From ancient times “bread” has represented the staple of life.  Even today, in all its various forms, bread is still the most widely consumed food in the world.

 Scholars have found evidence that people started baking bread 30,000 year ago. But the first breads were “flat.”  They lacked leaven. It is the leaven that makes it rise, light and fluffy and sweet. Historians believe that the Egyptians were the first to develop leavened bread, somewhere around 1000 years before the great pyramids were built.  The most famous “unleavened” bread was the Passover bread, cooked up in a hurry by the Israelites to escape Egypt. 

 In 1917 Otto Rohwedder invented the first bread-slicing machine. He set the standard for all other inventors who searched for an idea that would be “better than sliced bread.”  In spite of Rohwedder’s invention, there is nothing quite like pulling apart a fresh steaming loaf of bread and adding butter.  

 Jesus referred to bread to help us understand who He was.  “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me will not hunger, and he who believes in me will never thirst.” John 6:35).  “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God, ” (Deut. 8:3; Mat. 4:4).  God nourishes our soul and satisfies our innermost emotional, personal and spiritual needs, a nourishment more important than the nourishment of our bodies.

 Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” Just as God provides for us daily the nourishment that is necessary for our bodies, He will provide for us each and every day the nourishment that is necessary to replenish our soul. 

 When Moses led Israel in the wilderness, God provided bread every morning so that “he who gathered much had no excess and he who gathered little had no lack.”(Exodus 16:18).  They could not store and keep the bread. It had to be eaten when God gave it.

 Like the Israelites in the wilderness, our relationship with God is daily and constant.  We cannot put our faith in a religious box to be taken out occasionally.  Just as our bodies need bread in order to live, our souls need a daily and constant conversation with God, the bread and substance of life.