How Sweet the Name of Jesus Sounds - A Hymn by John Newton
“How sweet the Name of Jesus sounds
In a believer’s ear!
It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds,
And drives away his fear.
It makes the wounded spirit whole,
And calms the troubled breast;
’Tis manna to the hungry soul,
And to the weary, rest.
Dear Name, the Rock on which I build,
My Shield and Hiding Place,
My never failing treasury, filled
With boundless stores of grace!
By Thee my prayers acceptance gain,
Although with sin defiled;
Satan accuses me in vain,
And I am owned a child.
Jesus! my Shepherd, Husband, Friend,
O Prophet, Priest and King,
My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End,
Accept the praise I bring.
Weak is the effort of my heart,
And cold my warmest thought;
But when I see Thee as Thou art,
I’ll praise Thee as I ought.
Till then I would Thy love proclaim
With every fleeting breath,
And may the music of Thy Name
Refresh my soul in death!”
Wisdom’s Worth
One way to describe my family—that is my dad, mom, my sister Mandie, and me, is that we’re a band of amateur geologists. For me, it started when I was about 9 years old in Paris, Maine. It was our first time rock mining. Paris, Maine is mineral rich place and what we found astounded us. Along the hiking trails, when we smashed rocks with our hammers, we would find quartz of every shade, deep red garnet crystals, amethyst, pyrite cubes, slabs of mic schist, green tourmaline, and so much more. We gathered these treasures into buckets and hauled them back to our hotel room, comparing them in awe at what we had discovered. For me, it was the beginning of a long love of rocks and minerals. Not something you’d know about me from observation—I gave away all of my rocks over 20 years ago. But I have a deep appreciation for the beauty of God’s creation displayed in gems and crystals.
Throughout history, people have treasured gems and crystals risking their lives to secure great wealth by possessing them. Interestingly, the Job the sufferer dedicates a chapter describing man’s obsessions with silver, gold, and previous gems. Here it is:
“Surely there is a mine for silver,
and a place for gold that they refine.
Iron is taken out of the earth,
and copper is smelted from the ore.
Man puts an end to darkness
and searches out to the farthest limit
the ore in gloom and deep darkness.
He opens shafts in a valley away from where anyone lives;
they are forgotten by travelers;
they hang in the air, far away from mankind; they swing to and fro.
As for the earth, out of it comes bread,
but underneath it is turned up as by fire.
Its stones are the place of sapphires,
and it has dust of gold.
“That path no bird of prey knows,
and the falcon's eye has not seen it.
The proud beasts have not trodden it;
the lion has not passed over it.
“Man puts his hand to the flinty rock
and overturns mountains by the roots.
He cuts out channels in the rocks,
and his eye sees every precious thing.
He dams up the streams so that they do not trickle,
and the thing that is hidden he brings out to light.
“But where shall wisdom be found?
And where is the place of understanding?
Man does not know its worth,
and it is not found in the land of the living.
The deep says, ‘It is not in me,’
and the sea says, ‘It is not with me.’
It cannot be bought for gold,
and silver cannot be weighed as its price.
It cannot be valued in the gold of Ophir,
in precious onyx or sapphire.
Gold and glass cannot equal it,
nor can it be exchanged for jewels of fine gold.
No mention shall be made of coral or of crystal;
the price of wisdom is above pearls.
The topaz of Ethiopia cannot equal it,
nor can it be valued in pure gold.
“From where, then, does wisdom come?
And where is the place of understanding?
It is hidden from the eyes of all living
and concealed from the birds of the air.
Abaddon and Death say,
‘We have heard a rumor of it with our ears.’
“God understands the way to it,
and he knows its place.
For he looks to the ends of the earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
When he gave to the wind its weight
and apportioned the waters by measure,
when he made a decree for the rain
and a way for the lightning of the thunder,
then he saw it and declared it;
he established it, and searched it out.
And he said to man,
‘Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,
and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”
The Proverbs and Job taken together say that wisdom, which is far more precious than sapphires and rubies, is found in the fear of the Lord. And so it follows that to fear God—to hallow his name, to trust Him, and walk in his ways—it is of infinitely greater worth than the Hope Diamond or all the combined treasures that could be found buried in the heart of the earth. All of the metallic minerals, the gems, crystals, the most precious stones are made of dust and to dust they shall be reckoned when the fallen earth and its elements are destroyed by fire on That Day as 2 Peter informs us. But the wisdom of God revealed to us in Christ will never perish, spoil, or fade. What are we after? What are you after? Search diligently for wisdom by beholding a God of glory. There is no greater pursuit on this earth than pursuing the One who pursued you.
The Windows: A Poem by George Herbert
In my opinion, the strength of George Herbert’s poetry is its brevity. He makes his mark and gets out of dodge. In this poem, he reflects on the wonder of preaching, that men as frail as stained glass are able to transmit God’s light and glory through the spoken word. It is a wonder that God has chosen flawed, brittle vessels to preach his Word!
The Windows
Lord, how can man preach thy eternal word?
He is a brittle crazy glass;
Yet in thy temple thou dost him afford
This glorious and transcendent place,
To be a window, through thy grace.
But when thou dost anneal in glass thy story,
Making thy life to shine within
The holy preachers, then the light and glory
More reverend grows, and more doth win;
Which else shows waterish, bleak, and thin.
Doctrine and life, colors and light, in one
When they combine and mingle, bring
A strong regard and awe; but speech alone
Doth vanish like a flaring thing,
And in the ear, not conscience, ring.
Peace, a Package Deal
Christians are peace-loving, but at times, our lives tell a different story. Understanding that the dual realities of peace with God and peace with one another are vitally interconnected will help us to live godly lives in Christ Jesus.
One of our great aims as Christians ought to be restoring broken relationships. We are helped in this lifelong pursuit by staring for a while at the first broken relationship—the one between God and man. Sin and its curse are the reason why friendships blow up, marriages splinter, and churches are shaken. Any hope of restoring broken relationships in our own lives must be rooted in the restoration of our relationship with God. If not, we’ll be applying superficial medicine to a terminal disease.
The relational harmony between God, Adam, and Eve in the garden along with the chaos of their eviction demonstrates that where there’s no peace with God, there’s no peace with one another. Before our parents ate the forbidden fruit, there was no sign of disorder in their relationship. However, as soon as they sinned, even before God confronted them, we see Adam and Eve covering up their nakedness with fig leaves and loin cloths. Evidently, shame between husband and wife had became a factor because of their sin against God.
We see it also in God’s cursing of the woman, when he says to her,
“Your desire shall be contrary to your husband,
but he shall rule over you.”
There are several interpretations as to what exactly this means, but one thing is clear—sin’s curse introduces tension between husband and wife—the one flesh union that God granted in the garden. Not to mention, we see them blaming each other, the serpent, and even God for their sin when confronted in the garden.
After their eviction from the garden, the relational fracture that was merely hinted at in the garden, becomes monstrous. After Abel offers a sacrifice in faith that pleases God, Cain is resentful and murders his brother. In the same chapter, we are introduced to Lamech, a descendant of Cain who sings the first murder song in history to his multiple wives in verses 23-24. This same relational fracture spreads like cancer through the early chapters of Genesis. In chapter 6, God speaks to Noah, revealing his motive for the coming flood, “And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them.” As one looks east of Eden, after the fall, the picture is bleak. The dominant theme is murder and violence. Sin against God bears the fruit of violence between man. This pattern of fracture with God leading to fracture between people becomes a primary hallmark of human depravity and one of the dominant themes of the Bible.
There have been thousands of books written about why relationships fail—but the Bible is the book that teaches us that relationships fail because we’re estranged from God. If we miss this fundamental truth about broken relationships, our efforts to restore them will be focused merely on the symptoms of our sickness.
Consider and discuss:
1. What or who do I typically blame my broken relationships on? Does my assessment, especially when I blame others, acknowledge sin as the root cause?
2. Have you ever noticed that when you’ve failed to pursue Christ, your other relationships tend to suffer as well?
3. Have you ever considered the effect that the regular means of grace—studying God’s Word, prayer, fellowship, gathering as a church to receive preaching and the sacraments, solitude, etc. will result in a dramatic renewal of my personal relationships?
The Hold-fast
George Herbert is one of my favorite poets—an Anglican priest in the early to mid-17th century. In this poem, the Hold-fast, we have a believer who is dejected and sorrowful due to all that we have lost because of sin, but who, upon hearing that Christ has secured what Adam lost, and more, is heartened again.
One of the reasons I love Herbert’s work is because of its combination of brevity and profundity. I pray that this blesses you.
The Hold-fast
I threaten'd to observe the strict decree
Of my dear God with all my power and might;
But I was told by one it could not be;
Yet I might trust in God to be my light.
"Then will I trust," said I, "in Him alone."
"Nay, e'en to trust in Him was also His:
We must confess that nothing is our own."
"Then I confess that He my succour is."
"But to have nought is ours, not to confess
That we have nought." I stood amaz'd at this,
Much troubled, till I heard a friend express
That all things were more ours by being His;
What Adam had, and forfeited for all,
Christ keepeth now, who cannot fail or fall.
Jesus, the Better Abel
Some of the men of our church are memorizing Romans 8, which is among the most comforting chapters in Scripture, highlighting the Spirit’s help in prayer and in overcoming sin, God’s sovereign protection over our salvation, the empty charges against God’s elect people because of our justification, and the impossibility of being separated from Christ’s love. But these promises are reserved only for those who have escaped God’s judgment. We could say that all of the riches contained in the chapter are unlocked in verse 1: “There is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Only those who have been pardoned can claim the promises.
When we look to the garden, where the relationship between creatures and the creator was severed because of sin, we soon recognize that the effects of sin were not merely vertical, but horizontal. Adam and Eve’s separation from God quickly manifested in their separation from each other. There would be a new tension between husband and wife, but that’s not all. Brother against brother is soon manifested, to the tune of murder. Abel offers up a sacrifice that pleases God—not so for Cain. And so Cain takes his brother’s life. Shortly after, God takes notice: “And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.” (Genesis 4:10-11) Abel’s blood cried out for justice—God’s own vengeance for the murder Cain committed. And so God curses Cain, and from his line comes a host of children who go on to commit wickedness against the Lord.
As we consider Jesus’ rescue plan, we recognize that he and Abel have a lot in common. Both are righteous men. Both were wronged by their brothers—Abel killed by Cain, Jesus as a result of the scheming of his countrymen. Both offered up a bloody sacrifice in faith—Abel from his flocks, Jesus offers himself. But it’s in their contrast that we see displayed the glory of the New Covenant. While Abel’s blood cried out for vengeance, Jesus’ blood cries “Mercy!” The death of Jesus, the perfect sacrifice for sin, demonstrates God’s love and his unfathomable mercy towards sinners. As the author of Hebrews wrote in 12:24 of Jesus, “the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.” Jesus blood, because He, Himself absorbed the justice of God for our sin, speaks mercy to sinners like you and me. Without Jesus, there’s no Romans 1:8. Like Cain, we would bear the curse for our own sins against a holy God. But by faith in Jesus, the blood of the New Covenant is applied, and we can rejoice that “there is therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
“Good Friday” a poem by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894)
Given our recent conclusion of Luke’s Gospel and the several weeks taking in the drama of Passion Week, what came to mind was a poem that highlights what’s often true of us - we sense our indifference to the cross. Only God’s grace can turn a stony heart into the tender heart of a sheep. I hope you enjoy this one as I do:
Am I a stone and not a sheep
That I can stand, O Christ, beneath thy cross,
To number drop by drop Thy blood’s slow loss,
And yet not weep?
Not so those women loved
Who with exceeding grief lamented thee;
Not so fallen Peter weeping bitterly;
Not so the thief was moved;
Not so the sun and moon
Which hid their faces in a starless sky,
A horror of great darkness at broad noon—
I, only I.
Yet give not o’er,
But seek thy sheep, true Shepherd of the flock;
Greater than Moses, turn and look once more
And smite a rock.
Eyes on the Promise
Yesterday, I was sitting at George Howell Coffee on Washington Street in between meetings and a couple of young guys I did not recognize approached me. Charlie introduced himself and remarked that he has heard me preach at a Simeon Trust workshop in Cambridge a couple of years back. While we reflected on that time, Grisha joined us. Both Charlie and Grisha are doing an internship with the Navigators in Boston for the summer. I told them to pull up a chair and we had a good chat. The Navigators is a para-church ministry concerned with getting the gospel out, whether it’s on college campuses, in prisons, in the inner city, on military bases, and many other contexts. The conversation turned on a question Charlie asked me: “How do you keep from being discouraged in your evangelism?” It’s great question, especially as many of our Tremont Temple family will be joining together this Sunday to share the gospel on Boston Common. Here’s a summary of what I said in response to Charlie’s question:
One of the difficult things about the Christian ministry and evangelism in particular is that we are not often permitted to see the fruit of our labors. God may give us a glance—but that’s not a given. I quoted the evangelical Anglican Charles Bridges who wrote a wonderful book called “The Christian Ministry” a couple hundred years ago. Commenting on ministerial success, he wrote: “The seed may lie under the clods till we lie there, and then spring up.” In other words, we may be dead before our labors in the gospel ministry are revealed. We sow the seed—God decides when those seeds germinate and then punch up through the dirt into the open air.
When it comes to evangelism, our success isn’t the number of converts, despite what you may have heard from so-called ministry experts and denominational leaders. The measure of fruitfulness is faithfulness. But faithfulness to do what? To preach the gospel. That’s God’s yardstick. We should be more concerned with making sure we get the message right and get it across. The results are up to God. As Jonah 2:9 says, “Salvation is of the Lord.”
And so, how do I stay encouraged in evangelism? I fix my eyes on the promise, not the product. Acts 13:48 reflects the promise that it’s God who saves: “And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” God appoints…and they believe. It’s true—have a part to play here. We are God’s ambassadors, telling everyone the king’s message. We can lay our heads down peacefully on the pillow of God’s sovereign grace knowing that the Great Commission is a work of God and not of us. Sure, we’re to strive and labor for the salvation of others—meaning that we are to speak the gospel. But the rest is up to God. Eyeing the promise that God is the one who appoints and saves puts the trust where it belongs—in God and not in ourselves.
The Altar by George Herbert
This poem The Altar, from a collection of Herberts poems titled The Temple describes the human heart as an altar. The Temple collection is cited by another famous poet and believer Henry Vaughn to have been instrumental in his conversion to Christ. Have a few reads through and enjoy:
A broken ALTAR, Lord, thy servant rears,
Made of a heart and cemented with tears:
Whose parts are as thy hand did frame;
No workman's tool hath touch'd the same.
A HEART alone
Is such a stone,
As nothing but
Thy pow'r doth cut.
Wherefore each part
Of my hard heart
Meets in this frame,
To praise thy name:
That if I chance to hold my peace,
These stones to praise thee may not cease.
Oh, let thy blessed SACRIFICE be mine,
And sanctify this ALTAR to be thine.
Prayer Logic
One of the things that I would love to see mark our church is a culture of prayer. I believe that we are pressing towards that goal in corporate prayer with the addition of Summer Prayer, the newly formed Women’s Prayer Meeting, and as we think beyond summer about how to keep the fires of gathered prayer burning into the fall and winter. But in addition, I desire that in response to God’s Word, it would be typical to turn the corner into the lobby, into Converse or Chipman Hall, or anywhere else and find members of our church with heads bowed in prayer—and that this reflex of prayer would spill out of our building into apartments and homes in Greater Boston—at dinners and in small groups and in coffee shops and restaurants, wherever we meet.
Adriana shared with me some of the evident fruit of the newly formed Women’s Prayer Meeting, a monthly gathering at our church building. As women shared their true hearts and circumstances, tears flowed, hearts opened, and many prayers of intercession were prayed. These kinds of intentional gatherings demonstrate what we believe about God—that according to Luke 11:9-10: And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” Here is where a lesson in logic may be helpful: If we believe that God reigns—that he is the sovereign sustainer of his people, not to mention the rest of the world—then our lives will demonstrate this conviction! We will pray all the time, for each other, and for everything.
One gentle nudge of a suggestion for our worship gatherings on Sunday—a suggestion that I would like to see bear fruit and then fan out into every other expression of our relationships as believers. Let’s seek to be intentional with the time we have together, asking one another how we can pray—and then right there on the spot, in the middle of a crowd of people, saying, “Can I pray for you now?” Then do it. Not some complex prayer, but simple, heartfelt prayers that display that we believe that God will supply our every need if we pray. As Jesus said in Luke, “Seek and you will find.” Do we believe it? If so, let’s pray.
John Donne: “Batter My Heart, Three-Person’d God”
Batter my heart, three-person'd God, for you
As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;
That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend
Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.
I, like an usurp'd town to another due,
Labor to admit you, but oh, to no end;
Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,
But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue.
Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov'd fain,
But am betroth'd unto your enemy;
Divorce me, untie or break that knot again,
Take me to you, imprison me, for I,
Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,
Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.
2nd Balcony Seat Restoration - Why Do It?
In God’s providence, due to our location in the heart of Boston and the facility that is ours, I believe that Tremont Temple has a unique stewardship to oversee gospel work that will impact not merely Boston, but far beyond. There are 1752 seats in Converse Hall, our main space of worship, and these seats have been filled at various times in our history to inspire and catalyze God’s people to make disciples. Much of the talk about Tremont Temple is about our history—rightly so. But I believe that if the Lord delays, he has glorious exploits for us to do in His name, both now and in the future. For this reason, I’m particularly excited about the 2nd balcony seating restoration project that we’ve rolled out this past week.
It all began with a conversation between Craig Parker, who hosts a weekly prayer meeting in Currie Chapel, and Ed Lopez, our facilities manager. Craig currently serves with the Navigators, with a focus on discipling prisoners, including those who are integrating back into society. He also happens to be a gifted furniture reupholsterer! When Ed mentioned that our 2nd balcony seating, built in 1896 and in abysmal shape is in need of restoration, Craig’s curiosity was piqued and after some investigation, and he came to recognize a unique opportunity, with the intersection of his love for the church, his work with prisoners, and his reupholstery skills.
Craig first shared with our elders, in conjunction with Norman, our Deacon of Building and Hosea, our Deacon of Finance about the potential project. Soon after, he shared with our congregation at our monthly potluck a plan to gather, train, and pay 8-10 former prisoners, overseeing them as they restore and reinstall each of the the nearly 800 seats of our 2nd balcony. Craig also shared that he has assembled a volunteer team to oversee things like fundraising, marketing, website design, and videography, and with our blessing they have begun this fruitful labor, including a new website dedicated to inspiring people to contribute in a number of ways. Here is a link to the website:
https://sites.google.com/bu.edu/tremont-temple-restoration/home?authuser=0
It’s true that this is not an urgent matter like a broken elevator or crumbling facade! We know both of these staggering needs quite well, and we’ve long experienced the anxiety of emergency building repairs. But we may consider this restoration opportunity as an investment in our future as a church. Converse Hall is our historic worship space and it’s always been used for large, gospel conferences that have informed and inspired God’s people to further heights of faithfulness. As we look to the future to what God may do with our church, my prayer is that we would be united in our excitement and expectations for God to do great things with Converse Hall, and our church, where the gospel is held in highest regard.
Come and Pray!
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
This Sunday, the saints of Tremont Temple will meet at 9:00am in Currie Chapel to obey God’s call to pray. The church, as far as I know, has always obeyed this command in some measure, as we pray corporately in worship and as individuals, we do daily. But we are seeking to up our game in order to train ourselves to depend more on God, who not only provides our daily bread, but who sustains our faith to the end. A challenging commanding God’s Word to this end is found in 1 Thessalonians 5. Paul wrote to particular Christians in Greece, but God superintended it for us and for every believer until Jesus comes back.
We’re commanded to “Rejoice always,” an impossible task if we buy into a superficial definition of “rejoice.” But if we take rejoicing to be a faith-infused joy that’s beyond the reach of bitterest trials, we can begin to understand how a believer with eternal hope can rejoice no matter what. Next, Paul issues another seemingly impossible command: “pay without ceasing.” We want to push back and says, “How about once a day for more than 10 minutes!” That might even seem like a tall task for some of us. But again, it’s how we define, “without ceasing.” Certainly, Paul isn’t saying that we should quit our jobs, go into the closet, and pray 24/7. In fact, he tells the Thessalonians, “If any would not work, neither should he eat.” 2 Thess. 3:10. So how can we pray without ceasing? Certainly, we should take every opportunity to set ourselves aside to pray and build into our lives a godly discipline that makes time to do so. But “without ceasing” to my mind is a reference to a conversation with God throughout your day. Maybe more of us, as we walk the hallway to the restroom at school, or to the cafeteria at work, or on our commute should be accused of talking to ourselves. God knows that we’re talking to him, even if quietly, even at times, if our lips aren’t moving. I think that gets at what Paul means. It’s almost a natural conversation taking place because of your awareness that God is here - he’s always with you. And who is more interesting or powerful or precious than God? Our push for corporate prayer is only one manifestation of a life of ceaseless prayer and we should take advantage of it!
Paul goes on to offer a 3rd seemingly impossible command: “give thanks in all circumstances.” this is similar to the rest one, “Rejoice always.” Giving thanks to God is easy when things are working out, but it’s the mark of a Christian alone to thank God from the midst of the shambles. To know that God has a purpose for you even there. I think that praying without ceasing reinforces our relationship with our Father, and so we can receive trials and tribulations along with joys from a Father who we are always in conversation with - who we know to be trustworthy and loving towards us.
What is meant by that last bit, “for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”? It is God’s revealed will for us that we would be happy people of prayer no matter what our circumstances may be. Why? Well, as we are reminded so often in prayer, we are treasured sons and daughters of a benevolent king. And soon, every good thing that God has promised will be unveiled before our very eyes.
If this isn’t a reason to join us this Sunday at 9:00am at Currie Chapel for prayer, I don’t know what could be.
“God’s Grandeur” A Poem by Gerard Manly Hopkins
“The world is charged with the grandeur of God.
It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;
It gathers to a greatness, like the ooze of oil
Crushed. Why do men then now not reck his rod?
Generations have trod, have trod, have trod;
And all is seared with trade; bleared, smeared with toil,
And wears man’s smudge and shares man’s smell; the soil
Is bare now, nor can foot feel, being shod.
And for all this, nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest freshness deep down things;
And though the last lights off the black West went,
Oh, morning, at the brown brink eastward, springs—
Because the Holy Ghost over the bent
World broods with warm breast and with ah! bright wings.”
How to Take a Compliment in the Ministry
“Great sermon, pastor!”
Possible answers:
“It was pretty solid, wasn’t it?”
“You know, I actually struggled on that last point. What did you think of it?”
“Oh, it wasn’t me. I didn’t do anything. It was God.”
[Silence] Preacher looks at the floor…
Here are some of the awkward answers at the doors of churches after a sermon. But it might as well be the door of your house after small group, or the choir room after singing. Or you name it when we do things for the Lord.
Why do we find it hard to receive encouragement after serving Christ? Sometimes we may seem to take the glory for ourselves. We’re prone to getting puffed up when a compliment hits. Or maybe we slam the door shut on any reference to our own gifting by saying, “It wasn’t me! Give God praise!” That can come off as trite and bit condescending, as though the encourager totally missed it. How dare they actually compliment the lowly servant! This approach completely dismisses the ways in which the encourager is appreciating God’s grace at work in you. Perhaps the easiest way to respond is not to respond much at all—we just smile or look down. But I think we can do better. I think there’s a way for us to grow in the discipline of showing honor to God’s servants and honoring him at the same time - and I think it strikes the balance of Scripture.
The Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:10 hands down a foundational principle to God’s people: "So, whether you are eating or drinking, or whatever you are doing, do it all to the glory of God.” As servants of King Jesus, it’s not about us—it’s all about Him. In fact, he’s the one who supplies the grace and distributes gifts. Underneath your ability is his grace. You can’t preach a sermon that has a shred of spiritual effect without God, the Holy Spirit, working in the hearts of men. And so, whenever someone encourages us, we ought to give him glory. I think we know that quite well!
But where we stumble is when someone specifically compliments us. Most of us want to deflect that—and yet, I don’t think that that’s quite right. Romans 12:10 reads: “Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.” When a fellow believer seeks to obey Romans 12:10 and show you honor by letting you know how you blessed them, how can we then reject such a kindness? Furthermore, would it be biblical to deny that God gifts his children to edify his body? It’s like a person who acts too humble to receive a present. They say, “I couldn’t take that.” They refuse to receive the kindness of others. I admit, this has been a hard lesson for me to learn—one common example is that I used to refuse to let anyone pay for my lunch or coffee when they offered. I wanted to take care of it myself. But that’s not humility—it’s pride. And it’s clogging up the works of Romans 12:10. We should receive the kindness of others, including their compliments in ministry.
So what I’m saying is that it’s possible for us to get better at this. And what I think it might look like, though I’ve admittedly been bad at this, is to put these two things together in our response to compliments in ministry. We should say “thank you” and we should give glory to God. It’s as easy as that. “Thank you, that’s very kind. Praise the Lord.” Maybe it’s that simple. Because it’s truly humble to acknowledge God’s work in your life which enables you to serve. It also allows your spiritual sibling to fulfill Romans 12:10 and a number of other texts that call us to encourage one another. And of course, it give the ultimate credit where credit is due.
I’m probably going to fumble this at the doors of Converse Hall, but at least I’ve thought this through out loud with you—and there is hope for us!
Love III - A Poem by George Herbert
George Herbert’s contemporaries were Shakespeare and John Milton, a strong bench to be sure! Yet, no one like Herbert, who was also a pastor in the Church of England, fashioned poetry that conveyed God’s person, including his love towards sinners. In this poem about God’s love, which you should read no less than 3 times in a quiet place, he reflects on the the love of Christ which is a grace gift. At times, we can’t get over that the gospel is a gift—not earned and not given to the worthy. I pray that this short poem becomes one of your favorites, as it is mine!
—————————————————————————————————————-
Love III
Love bade me welcome. Yet my soul drew back
Guilty of dust and sin.
But quick-eyed Love, observing me grow slack
From my first entrance in,
Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning,
If I lacked any thing.
A guest, I answered, worthy to be here:
Love said, You shall be he.
I the unkind, ungrateful? Ah my dear,
I cannot look on thee.
Love took my hand, and smiling did reply,
Who made the eyes but I?
Truth Lord, but I have marred them: let my shame
Go where it doth deserve.
And know you not, says Love, who bore the blame?
My dear, then I will serve.
You must sit down, says Love, and taste my meat:
So I did sit and eat.
“The Cross” A Poem by John Newton
Author of the hymn Amazing Grace, a former slave ship captain converted to Christ turned preacher and poet for Jesus’ fame wrote a reflection on the cross in the poem below. In light of the three baptisms that we’re about to witness as a church in the coming weeks, “The Cross” from Newton may bring to remembrance when we first beheld Jesus, crucified, buried, and raised for us.
THE CROSS
In evil long I took delight,
Unawed by shame or fear,
Till a new object struck my sight,
And stopped my wild career.
I saw One hanging on a tree,
In agonies and blood;
He fixed His languid eyes on me,
As near His cross I stood.
Sure never till my latest breath,
Shall I forget that look!
It seemed to charge me with His death,
Though not a word He spoke.
A second look He gave, which said,
“I freely all forgive;
This blood is for thy ransom paid;
I die that thou mayest live.”
Thus while His death my sin displays
In all its blackest hue,
Such is the mystery of grace,
It seals my pardon too!
The Purpose of Friendship
“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” - 1 Thessalonians 5:11
You may have seen the viral clip of Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Meta fame, talking about friendship. He remarked, “The average American has fewer than three people they would consider friends, and the average person has demand for meaningfully more. I think it’s something like 15 friends or something.” Zuckerberg’s solution to societal withdrawal? Not more and deeper friendships, but AI friendships. His vision is a transformation of how people interact with videos on their feeds. No longer will they simply watch, but they will engage with the content through AI chatbots. I don’t know about you, but for me it’s a hard sell that AI chatbots will make up for what Zuckerberg describes as a twelve-friend deficit.
There is in fact a crisis of friendship in our society, undoubtedly spurred on by social media engagement. From Robert Putnam’s “Bowling Alone” to Will Schwalbe’s “We Should Not Be Friends” whose titles tip us off to the data, there are stacks of books that have chronicled modern societal withdrawal from friendship. We would be unwise to presume that this lack of social engagement has no effect on the church. One of the things I often hear when I meet with other Christians for discipleship is a plea for genuine friendship. From my conversations with other pastors, it seems that “How do I fit in” is among the most frequently asked questions in pastoral counseling. What should be our answer to the idea of AI chatbots? This is too short of a blog post to go in-depth. But broadly speaking, it will not be enough to teach and believe that virtual friendship isn’t the answer or that it’s off limits. The church must offer a positive vision of friendship if we hope to resist the strong cultural winds of synthetic, AI relationships in the near future.
So what is the purpose of friendship for the Christian church? We have the oft quoted verse from Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.” Or Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians where he describes the function of relationships in the church—“Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.” Friendship takes on an entirely different texture for Christians—friends are a means of perseverance. As odd as AI friends may seem to a secular materialist, so much more to a Christian who understand from the Bible that the Christian company we keep will help us to get to heaven. Whoever is behind programming the AI bots will never have that as the goal.
We ought not to think about friendship as the world does. We should not “optimize” for friendship. In the church, there are often more options than we’re willing to admit. Some of the most encouraging friends turn out to be people with very little in common with us from an earthly perspective. Don’t get me wrong—there’s an ease among friends who have similar interests and goals, but if the goal of friendship is perseverance in following Jesus, God will use all kinds of surprising people to help you get to heaven. It’s this goal of biblical friendship—mutual encouragement in discipleship for the ultimate purpose of perseverance—that renders the church without excuse for turning to bots for friendship. God has sovereignly placed you in a particular local church—and he’s placed fellow members there so that Christians will never be lonely in your walk with Jesus. In the church, you find friends who are looking out for your best interests. And so, with God’s help, press deeper into the purpose of friendship, which will often mean making friends with unlikely people. You might be surprised who your truest friends turn out to be.
Running the Race Together
“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and cis seated at the right hand of the throne of God.” —Hebrews 12:1-2
For a novice runner like me, running the Boston Marathon was a dream. But it wasn’t the staggering, hilly course or the half-a-million people cheering that surprised me most. It was the solidarity between strangers that struck me. While chugging along, I watched injured athletes being consoled by strangers on the edges of the streets of Brookline. I watched athletes with disabilities being cheered by strangers. I spoke to a crying athlete nearing the end of the course on Commonwealth Ave, openly weeping due to painful cramps in her malfunctioning legs. I didn’t know her, but I urged her to hang on as we were almost to the finish. There were moments while witnessing this mass of humanity, most of whom had never laid eyes on each other before—exhorting and imploring—where my own eyes welled up. I had sunglasses on so no one saw! But I was struck by the strange solidarity that marked this famous race.
Some things in this world reflect things from another world. After Marathon Monday, I would say that I was able to witness first-hand something that profoundly resembles the Christian life. As I reflected back, I was convicted thinking about God’s people. Why are we not as “for” one another, no questions, as these people were? Why is the church so often marked by agendas and distractions, instead of unbroken encouragement? If any body of people ought to be devoted to one another without reservation it’s the flock of God. The author of Hebrews uses the image of a great cloud of witnesses watching as Christians run their course, which is the motivation to lay aside every weight and sin that hinders us from running well. The church of Christ is rooting for you! Let’s pray that those who run after Jesus would feel the unquestionable support of God’s people when they run among us. May we love and encourage one another, and even strangers—exhorting them to be holy and not give up. For God has called us to run the race together as we look to Jesus, who ran ahead of us to a cross, that we might share in his joy.
Scaffolding Inevitable
“Now may the God of peace himself sanctify you completely, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” — 1 Thessalonians 5:23
The facade of 88 Tremont Street has been poised for an historic facelift—the first since she was built in 1896. The conversation started a few years back when somebody walked by our church building and complained to the city inspector about a large slab of marble above the elevator-side entrance, which appeared to be drooping and ready to fall down on the heads of those walking below. It turns out that the marble slab is secure, however, the inspection that resulted from the complaint revealed a number of vital repairs to the terra cotta that are needed, prompting a violation. There are some cracks in the wall—large stone panels that need replacing among other things. Over the last two-plus years, I’ve worked with a grant specialist and by our efforts and the help of many others, we were able to raise over $1.5 million to cover the costs of the project. Surely, the Lord provides!
This coming Monday, the staging and scaffolding for the project will finally go up. It’s estimated that the work will take no less than a year to complete. The thing about scaffolding on a building is that it isn’t pretty. And at times, it only seems to get in the way. It can be compared to our sanctification. The Heidelberg Catechism defines sanctification this way: “The work of God's free grace, whereby we are renewed in the whole man after the image of God, and are enabled more and more to die unto sin, and live unto righteousness.” If you’ve been a Christian for any amount of time, you know that sanctification, which can also be defined simply as “being gradually made into the image and likeness of Jesus” can be a painful work. The truth of God often comes home to us through trials and tribulations. God can be found standing beside his children with sharp tools, chiseling away the parts of them that refuse to surrender in worship.
Like the facade project we’re about to embark on, holiness is costly, requires demolition, and seems to take too long. We spend our entire Christian lives, if you accept the image, with the scaffolding up, with the promise that when we finally see Christ in glory, the scaffolding will fall away and what’s left will be a sight for the ages—we will be like Him. For now, we can learn to appreciate God’s work of sanctification in us because it’s necessary in the long haul. One day, over a year from Monday, the scaffolding surrounding our building will be taken down and we’ll have a gleaming facade. Even more stunning will be you and I when Christ comes back. It will be then that we will declare that the costly, messy, often painful work of sanctification was more than worth it.