Bear

Fourteen years, in dog years, makes one quite old. We all know that age has both its challenges and privileges. For Bear, Bethany and Chad’s first dog, the challenges came to an end early this morning. Age, coupled with some pretty serious health issues, finally took its toll. Knowing he is no longer having to manage those issues is a relief, but relief born of sadness.

Privileges, however, are a different matter. Bear was rescued from what must have been a hell-on-earth situation when he was around a year old. A mixed breed of what appeared to be Huskie and Corgi, his furry face; long, bushy tail; and short legs made for an impressive presence. Bear was an appropriate name.

Bear tended not to be fond of men – but thankfully he liked me. Actually I’d say he loved me! I was privileged to be on a pretty short list of men he would tolerate. My guess is some worthless male figure from his first year of life had treated him poorly. It is beyond my ability to understand when it comes to humans mistreating creatures made by God and I’m glad I’ve never met that guy.

Bear always had clear definitions about personal space. That definition applied to humans and to other dogs – including his two “sisters” Willow and Matilda Jane. It also applied to his dog-cousins, Laila and Miller. I think his fellow dog-creatures understood that as well, if not better, than his human family. The older he got, the more definite – and sometimes larger – that personal space became. Oddly, I see the same thing happening in my own life as I grow older, so I can hardly complain about that.

One thing is certain, Bear knew how much he was loved right up to the very end. No one tired of trying to make his last days more comfortable. All of us – Vicki, Sarah, Bethany, Chad, and me – were more than happy to sit by him and scratch his neck and head. If Bear could talk, that’s how he might define heaven. Even last night, feeling as poorly as he must have felt, when I stopped scratching, he used his nose to nuzzle me back into scratching mode!

Two important ideas are floating in my consciousness as I think about the impact Bear’s life had on me. First, is the value of God’s creatures to add character and substance to our existence.  Despite what must have been a pretty rough year to begin his life, Bear quickly figured out he had been rescued and with rescue, comes responsibility. He loved Bethany – and the rest of us – in ways that can change a long, tiring day into a restful evening. He saw himself as protector of his new family and a bear – no one was going to come through the door who shouldn’t. He apparently understood the adage “fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.” If you were a male, you had to prove yourself to Bear. He stayed on alert when it came to outside noises and the drive way – never forgetting with rescue comes responsibility. 

The second idea is one of pride on my part. I couldn’t be more proud of the fact that among the qualities of both of my daughters is their willingness to care for God’s creatures. We went through much the same thing with Sarah and Laila just over two years ago. While this is not the kind of moment in life where experience is overly helpful, what I saw with Laila and Sarah, and what I have just seen with Bear and Bethany makes me proud.  I get it that dogs aren’t humans, but I also get that they are a part God’s creation, which according to Paul in Romans 8:18-25, “waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.” I think how we care about God’s innocent creatures says much about our own character. 

Bear became an old-man-dog about as gracefully as could happen. In dog years, he passed me a long time ago when it comes to age. Hopefully I will get to be a very old man with the same kind of grace and dignity Bear did.

So, thanks Bear for making a difference in our lives. You were a model of what it means to be a part of God’s creation.We long for the day when God's creation is restored to its God-intended purpose when "creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God." (Romans 8:21)

Silver Coins

“They were glad when they heard this, and promised to give him money.” (Mark 14:11) “Immediately while He was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, . . . had given them a signal, saying, ‘Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him and lead Him away under guard.’” (Mark 14:43,44)

The eternity of a wasted life – described in less than 30 words. Or perhaps 30 pieces of silver. 

We have probably all played around with the “How much would it take for you to do . . . something outrageous?” game. You know – “If I gave you one hundred dollars, would you . . .?” When you reply “No,” I up the ante.  “Five hundred?”  “A thousand?” A game of light-hearted banter can morph into the deadly world of a wasted life if we aren’t careful.

We really know very little about how Judas got to be the infamous character we know him to be. Matthew is the one who tells us it was “thirty pieces of silver.” (Matthew 26:14-16) All four gospel writers tell us about the role he played in betraying Jesus – primarily providing information about an opportunity to arrest Jesus away from the crowds. John seems unable to mention the name Judas without a bit of commentary.

There is all kind of speculation about the motives of Judas. But that is only speculation – the gospels don’t provide the kind of information that allows one to know whether his motives were good or evil. The fact that he returns the money and ends his life would suggest that it didn’t work out like he thought it would.

The eternity of a wasted life – bought, sold, and wasted over 30 pieces of silver. From afar, that is an easy target to point fingers at; up close in the mirror of my own soul, it is enough to make one weep.

It is easy for me to say, “I’m not Judas.”  Or a hundred or more other examples of people whose lives betray the nature of faith in ways that are reprehensible. But the problem with that approach is that you  can’t find a “at least I’m not as bad as” example of spiritual growth in Scripture. The real question for me -  and you – during Holy Week is not “am I Judas?” but “am I the person God has called me to be?”

I doubt that the motives of Judas were just money.  Thirsty pieces of silver is not the kind of money that puts one on easy street. Yet every day of my life I am confronted with the potential issue of what value I place on following Jesus. Is my job and a promotion worth more than being a follower of Jesus?  Is my reputation among my peers worth more than following Jesus? Is my commitment to the kingdom of God more important than the fancy vacation I have planned for the summer?

I can easily point fingers at Judas.  Thirty pieces of silver. Cheap. Really not that big of a deal.

But the person I look at in the mirror every  morning  of Holy Week, I’m wondering what price he is willing to accept as payment for betrayal?

It is frightening to think about.

Standing in the Breach

During Lent this year I have been reading, and re-reading, Psalms. One of the things – among many – that have leapt off the pages of these ancient hymns and prayers is the importance the psalms place on remembering. In particular, Psalms 78, 105, 106, 135 and 136 focus on remembering the mighty acts of God in Israel’s history. It is almost as though the various authors of these psalms are saying, “Stop. Take a deep breath. Remember.”

Reading these psalms forces you to think about God in ways that we sometimes fail to do so. One might need to take a refresher course in God’s sovereignty by reading Romans 9 – 11 to better grasp the depth of God’s love for His people. After all, Paul reminds us that “God has mercy on whom he want to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.” (Romans 9:18) 

God’s sovereignty is a topic that is much bigger than the capacity of my mind to work through. I’m a little suspicious of people who are sure they have it all figured out. But one thing that I think I do understand is that God would still be the just and righteous God that the Bible says He is had He chosen to destroy the human race at the time of Noah’s flood. Yet despite that, the Bible is filled with example after example after example of His desire to show love, expressed in grace and mercy. Paul ends Romans 10 by quoting Isaiah 65, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.” 

While reading this morning I was struck by a few lines in Psalm 106:

At Horeb they made a calf

and worshipped an idol cast from metal.

They exchanged their Glory

for an image of a bull, which eats grass.

They forgot the God who saved them

who had done great things in Egypt,

miracles in the land of Ham

and awesome deeds by the Red Sea.

So he said he would destroy them –

had not Moses, his chosen one,

stood in the breach before him

to keep his wrath from destroying them.

(Psalm 106:19-23, NIV)

That little phrase, “stood in the breach before him,” used to describe the role that Moses played in the life of Israel and their relationship with God, grabbed my attention this morning. In ancient Hebrew, the term was a military term, used in warfare. A soldier, for example, standing in a hole in the city walls created by the enemy, might be described as “standing in the breach” to keep the enemies from invading.  All things considered, it appears to be a pretty intense phrase.

God of course is the enemy of evil and Israel is certainly guilty of allowing pagan gods and their idols to create a huge hole in the wall that surrounded them as the people of God. God is, at least it appears, ready to invade and destroy – except that Moses “stood in the breach.” That doesn’t mean that Moses thought their behavior was acceptable and that he was asking God to excuse them. It can’t possibly mean that Moses had no intention of insisting on more faithfulness to God. But he “stood in the breach” anyway, seeking another opportunity for them with God.

Psalm 106, like the previous psalm, is one that remembers Israel’s history. The primary idea in Psalm 106 is to remind Israel of their consistent disobedience and unfaithfulness to God – despite the fact that it is God who saved them out of Egypt, did miracles in the land of Ham, and awesome deeds by the Red Sea, to borrow language from the Psalm itself.

Remembering is a powerful gift given to humans by God. It is especially powerful when used to remember God’s good deeds in our lives – which is more the focus of Psalm 105. When I think about my own life, I can remember some people who, like Moses, “stood in the breach” for me. Perhaps they prayed that God would not give up on me yet. Or maybe they simply asked God for more time to help me become the person He has called me to be. But I know I wouldn’t be who I am were it not for some godly folks who were willing to “stand in the breach” on my behalf.

You can go to a typical bookstore and find dozens of books on leadership. Even in a more general focused bookstore, you probably can find some so-called “Christian books on leadership.” Visit your nearby Christian bookstore and you find leadership books by the dozens as well. There is a lot of talk in our culture about leadership!

Read those books and you discover that leaders should be vision casters, decision makers, capable of hiring the right kind of people, hard workers, organizers, people oriented, and the list goes on and on. The Christian oriented books tend to throw the word servant around pretty heavily when it comes to leadership.

But what if, in addition to things like those noted above, churches started asking potential ministry hires “How willing are you to stand in the breach before God for us?” Or, instead of noting how awful the world seems to be, what if churches worked to gain a reputation for “standing in the breach” for the world around us – the very world we are told that God loved so much He gave His only Son as a sacrifice that we might find eternal life?

We live in a difficult time in the history of the world. There’s an awful lot that needs fixing. I don’t know, however, that our world is any worse than a world where the people of God made a calf and worshipped it, forgetting the God who had saved them from Egypt. Not to assume I know too much about God, but I think there may be times when He thinks “This is it, my wrath will come and destroy.” Sadly more than a few people I know seem to want God to do just that.

But not Moses, he stood in the breach. I think I want to be a little more like Moses!