Living On the Cusp of Eternity (3)

 

While we don’t live in a retirement community, most of the people in our neighborhood are retired. The greater Myrtle Beach region not only receives around 20 million visitors each year, but it is also a permanent retirement destination; residential building cannot keep up with demand. This is like living in a mega airport terminal, heavy with one – way departures. What I mean is that most of the older folks who move here will die here. As a member of our homeowners’ association governing board observed, “Most of the people who live here will not sell their homes, they will be carried out of their homes.”

 

What people talk about interests me; people talk about what is important to them. Older people talk about what they’ve always talked about, and what they value today tends to be what they’ve always valued – possessions, prestige, pleasure, appearance, power. They live as they’ve always lived, seemingly ignoring the fact that not only is the death rate 100%, but that they are getting closer to the experience every day, with every breath. This makes no sense to me.

 

Suppose you went to an airport’s departure terminal and asked the people, “Where are you going? What flight will you be boarding?”

 

What would you think if the overwhelming response was, “I don’t know where I am going. When I’m called, I’m called, that’s all I know. I guess I’ll see what happens. In the meantime, life goes on and I’m going to enjoy as much as I can.”

 

While we may not think that people would arrive at an airport and not know where they are going, this is the way we live regarding the greatest departure flight we’ll ever make. Those of us who have made it to senior citizen status generally have no idea where we are going when our flight is called. We have no idea how to dress for our destination, no idea of the airline we will be flying. This is also true for many professing Christians who have not lived as disciples of Jesus Christ, but as spectators – thinking that watching the game is equivalent to actually playing the game.

 

Yet, there are people in the airport terminal who are looking forward to their flight being called, because they are looking forward to seeing their dear Lord Jesus, they are looking forward to seeing the saints, both those they have known, and those they will come to know.

 

I love the description of Christiana preparing for heaven in Part 2 of The Pilgrim’s Progress, for she waits with expectation. Here is an excerpt:

 

“After this, I beheld until they were come into the land of Beulah, where the sun shineth night and day. Here, because they were weary, they betook themselves a while to rest. And because this country was common for pilgrims, and because the orchards and vineyards that were here belonged to the King of the Celestial country, therefore they were licensed to make bold with any of his things. But a little while soon refreshed them here; for the bells did so ring, and the trumpets continually sound so melodiously, that they could not sleep, and yet they received as much refreshing as if they had slept their sleep ever so soundly. Here also all the noise of them that walked the streets was, More pilgrims are come to town! And another would answer, saying, And so many went over the water, and were let in at the golden gates to-day! 

They would cry again, There is now a legion of shining ones just come to town, by which we know that there are more pilgrims upon the road; for here they come to wait for them, and to comfort them after all their sorrow. Then the pilgrims got up, and walked to and fro. But how were their ears now filled with heavenly noises, and their eyes delighted with celestial visions! In this land they heard nothing, saw nothing, felt nothing, smelt nothing, tasted nothing that was offensive to their stomach or mind; only when they tasted of the water of the river over which they were to go, they thought that it tasted a little bitterish to the palate; but it proved sweeter when it was down.”

 

Then Christiana gets her boarding call:

 

“Now, while they lay [remained] here, and waited for the good hour, there was a noise in the town that there was a post come from the Celestial City, with matter of great importance to one Christiana, the wife of Christian the pilgrim. So inquiry was made for her, and the house was found out where she was. So the post presented her with a letter. The contents were, Hail, good woman; I bring thee tidings that the Master calleth for thee, and expecteth that thou shouldst stand in his presence in clothes of immortality within these ten days.

 

“When he had read this letter to her, he gave her therewith a sure token that he was a true messenger, and was come to bid her make haste to be gone. The token was, an arrow with a point sharpened with love, let easily into her heart, which by degrees wrought so effectually with her, that at the time appointed she must be gone.”

 

(In case you’re wondering, there are contemporary English versions of The Pilgrim’s Progress, but I do love the original. Among other things, it slows me down and helps me think about what I’m reading.)

 

In 2 Corinthians 5:1 – 5, Paul writes that he and his friends are looking forward to their flight to see Jesus, they are listening for the boarding call, they are “longing to be clothed with our dwelling from heaven.” He writes that God has prepared us for this experience, that God placed His Holy Spirit in us as a foretaste of eternity. This means that we are living in a measure of eternity now, right now.

 

A friend once asked me, “Why would you want to stay here any longer than you have to?” The only reason I can think of is to help others, to share Jesus with others (Philippians 1:21 – 26).

 

Eternity is now, but then it will be fully now, and who can grasp what it all means. We have Biblical imagery to help us “see,” such as Revelation chapters 21 – 22, and we can live in that imagery in a measure now, for our God is I AM THAT I AM.

 

Living on the cusp of eternity means, I hope, that we are living as citizens of heaven (Phil. 3:20), that we are sharing Jesus with others, living above the chaos of the world and our own nation, and living beneath the Cross and serving “the least of these” (Matthew 25:40).

 

Whether you are old or young, your flight could be called at any moment.

 

“Therefore, we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:9 – 10).

 

O dear friends, Paul is writing to Christians, we shall all be held accountable.

 

Are we ready to board our flight?

Living On the Cusp of Eternity (2)

 

 

When I write that Joe and I talk about dying, I should make clear that we are talking about life beyond death, death is a portal through which we pass, it is putting off our temporal tent so that we may be clothed with our eternal tent in Christ.

 

Hebrews Chapter 11 plays a big role in my anticipation and vision of eternity. I see myself as a fellow pilgrim, along with Noah, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, looking for that City whose Builder and Maker is God. Hebrews 11 and Revelation 21 and 22 are melded together in my heart and mind, I “see” them, I sense them, I often feel them pressing upon me and enveloping me. There are those I have known, and still know in a mystical fashion, who have gone before me, yet they are still with me in a way which can’t be described, I think any attempt at description might be profane and unlawful – too holy.

I am reminded that in The Pilgrim’s Progress Christian and Hopeful crossed the river together, and that Hopeful was encouraging to Christian through the transition. I don’t know who will be with me when I enter that river, but I am assured that should there be no one on this earth who can be with me, that our dear Lord Jesus will ensure that I am not alone, no doubt friends who have gone before, who are now numbered with that great cloud of witnesses (Hebrews 12:1), will walk with me through the transition…and to those who doubt, I simply say, “Why not?”

 

Do we not look forward to being with friends? Especially friends who we have not seen for many years? Do we not desire to share good news with our friends? What greater news could we share than the news of that City and of our dear Lord Jesus and Father who are the light of that City? Do not our friends who have gone before us yearn to share with us the riches of glory which we all have in our Lord Jesus? If those who have gone before were good friends in this life, how much greater friends will they be in our eternal home? Can we begin to imagine the glory of friendship that is unencumbered by the frailty and sin which we have endured in these earthly bodies?

 

Here are excerpts from The Pilgrim’s Progress, this occurs after Christan and Hopeful have crossed the river:

 

“There came out also at this time to meet them several of the King’s trumpeters, clothed in white and shining raiment, who, with melodious noises and loud, made even the heavens to echo with their sound. These trumpeters saluted Christian and his fellow with ten thousand welcomes from the world; and this they did with shouting and sound of trumpet.

 

“This done, they compassed them round on every side; some went before, some behind, and some on the right hand, and some on the left, (as it were to guard them through the upper regions,) continually sounding as they went, with melodious noise, in notes on high; so that the very sight was to them that could behold it as if heaven itself was come down to meet them.

 

“Thus, therefore, they walked on together; and, as they walked, ever and anon these trumpeters, even with joyful sound, would, by mixing their music with looks and gestures, still signify to Christian and his brother how welcome they were into their company, and with what gladness they came to meet them. And now were these two men, as it were, in heaven, before they came to it, being swallowed up with the sight of angels, and with hearing of their melodious notes. Here also they had the city itself in view; and they thought they heard all the bells therein to ring, to welcome them thereto. But, above all, the warm and joyful thoughts that they had about their own dwelling there with such company, and that for ever and ever; oh, by what tongue or pen can their glorious joy be expressed! Thus they came up to the gate.”

 

“Now I saw in my dream, that these two men went in at the gate; and lo, as they entered, they were transfigured; and they had raiment put on that shone like gold. There were also that met them with harps and crowns, and gave them to them; the harps to praise withal, and the crowns in token of honor. Then I heard in my dream, that all the bells in the city rang again for joy, and that it was said unto them, “enter ye into the joy of your lord.”

 

 I am looking forward to that City…what about you?

 

The Pilgrim’s Progress – VI

     

Pilgrim’s attempt to enter the Village of Morality ends as he confronts the terror of the Law and then encounters Evangelist once again. Evangelist asks Pilgrim, “How is that you have left the Way so quickly after starting your journey?” Pilgrim’s response is, “I met a man who persuaded me that I could find a man in this village who could relieve me of my Burden.”

Isn’t that the story of not only the world system, but of much of the professing church? Looking for a “man” to relieve us of our Burden, looking for someone, anyone, other than Jesus Christ? It seems to be a never-ending temptation – be it a teaching, a doctrine, a program, a hidden truth, or maybe even a diet or nutritional supplement – perhaps even a workout program – or a political agenda – or nationalism – or internationalism – I suppose it could be about anything, anything or anyone but Jesus Christ to relieve our Burden. In the case of Pilgrim it was Morality and Legality; as Evangelist observes, “Morality saves people from the Cross”. 

I think it’s easier to understand the pitfalls of Legality than Morality. Legality can lead to rigidness, narrowness, and judgmentalism. If one is outside Legality then Legality can be pretty unappealing. But Morality, that’s a bit different. Good moral people can be a pleasure to be around, they can be trustworthy and honest, decent and caring; moral people often give others a wide berth to be fallible without heaping judgment on them. And most certainly, people who value morality can be more gracious that people mired in Legality, and often more gracious that professing Christians. 

The root of both Morality and Legality is self-effort and self-righteousness, and therein lies a problem – for we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, the righteousness of God, the standards of God. Therefore, whatever benchmark we may use in terms of either Morality or measuring up to Legality is of our own creation and therefore mutable and changing – we become our own standard, whether individually or collectively; this is a demagnetized compass, it cannot find True North.

The Pilgrim’s Progress – V

After leaving the Swamp, the next thing that occurs in Christian’s journey is an encounter with Worldly Wiseman who convinces Christian that there is no need to follow the path to the Narrow Gate and onward to the Celestial City to relieve himself of his burden, there is no need to subject himself to the many perils and hardships along that way; the better thing to do is to travel to the Village of Morality and seek out Mr. Legality (page 11ff Barbour edition).

Encounters with the Swamp affect people differently, many are like the seed sown on rocky soil, they return to living life their own way, leaving the path to the Way and never coming to know Jesus. There is an encounter with Jesus Christ, for the seed sown is manifested in life springing up – but there is no consummation of relationship. Ah, this is a mystery to me.

While Morality and Legality have similarities, they are also different and here Bunyan confuses the two; though in his historical context he no doubt saw little or no distinction because he strikes me as a writer of precision. Could he have missed this one?

When I was young in Christ I also encountered Morality and Legality in my journey to Christ. Morality was in the form of the prevalent 1950’s mentality that if one was an American that one was a Christian (unless one was a Jew). This mentality carried over into the 1960’s with the adults of the WWII years, hence when I came to Christ some of my family couldn’t understand it because I was already an American and we were Presbyterian/Christian, so why was I becoming something which I already was? My dear dear aunt reminded me of my family’s (mother’s side) roots in New England Congregationalism, and in education – surely morality based in idealism and tradition and sound political and educational thinking deserved my consideration – rather than running off over the horizon toward the Narrow Gate. Morality is the basis of righteousness – that was and is the message.

Legality introduced itself to me in the first church I regularly attended as I was coming to know Jesus, Christianity was about how we looked and talked, whether we smoked or drank alcohol, whether we danced or not, and a number of other things. Legality has the same message as Morality – it is the basis of righteousness.

In both instances, neither Morality nor Legality pointed me to the love and grace of Jesus Christ; in my case Legality was more insidious because I thought that by adopting it that I was following Jesus. The result was failure and frustration on a number of fronts; I didn’t know the Biblical truth that the Law, and hence Legality in any form, including its purest form in the Mosaic Law, can only produce transgression, condemnation, and death (2 Corinthians Chapter Three). When I see this today in churches and people I know there isn’t much I can do but pray and hope for a better day for the folks for it took me a few years to “catch” the reality of the Cross and the grace of Jesus Christ, so weighed down was I by Legality – even then I wonder how it affected me over the course of my life.

My biggest regret over my adoption of Legality is not the effect it had on me, but the effect I had on other people when I was legalistic, both in my teaching/witnessing and in my actions. My focus was on behavior more than anything; that focus was often communicated harshly and self-righteously. What a fool I was. Jesus is really all that matters.

The Pilgrim’s Progress – IV

“And I saw in my dream that just as Pilgrim and Pliable ended their discussion that they came to a swamp, and not paying attention to where they were going they both fell headlong into the murky bog. The swamp was named the Swamp of Despondency; it was named this because many who entered it left it suffering from discouragement and depression, often turning around and retracing their steps back to where they came from. Pilgrim and Pliable wallowed in the muck and mire, sloshing about trying to gain their footing; Pilgrim, because of the burden on his back began to sink.

“Pliable called out to Pilgrim, ‘Where are you? Is this the joy and happiness you talked about? If this is what we can expect on this journey, having just begun, who knows what lies ahead, if I can find my way out of here I’m going home and you can go ahead without me!’ And that was the last Pilgrim heard or saw of Pliable.

“As Pilgrim continued struggling to extricate himself from the swamp, crying for help the entire time, a man approached him and called, ‘Hello, hello. Who are you? Do you need help?’

“Pilgrim cried, ‘I’m trying to make it through this swamp and get to the Narrow Gate.’

“ ‘ Well why don’t you use the boardwalk through the swamp?’

“ ‘ I was so afraid and disoriented that I must have missed it – can you help me?’

“With that a hand reached through the fog and grabbed Pilgrim, pulled him up onto the other side of the swamp, and set him on firm ground.” [My rendering]. Pages 8 – 9 of the Barbour edition.

This is not exactly an enticing view of the beginning of the Christian life. Obviously John Bunyan was not attuned to the seeker sensitive approach to sharing the Gospel, and he certainly had never heard of the health and wealth or name it and claim it messages – or if he had he had not bought into them. (Actually the equivalents of the heath and wealth and prosperity messages, as well as other approaches that cater and pander to audiences have been around since the First Century, they’ve just been known by other names).

I’m not sure that the above passage is a mirror of the seed sown on rocky ground in the Parable of the Sower (Matthew 13; Mark 4) because I don’t see Pliable having a direct encounter with the seed/Word; on the other hand Pliable does hear the testimony of Pilgrim/Christian and that testimony does include the promise of heaven, so if the two passages are not on all “points” there is certainly an overlap. Jesus says in Matthew 13:

“The one on whom seed was sown on the rocky places, this is the man who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; yet he has no firm root in himself, but is only temporary, and when affliction or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he falls away.”

While it may be evident to the reader that with a name like Pliable that Pliable won’t endure the pilgrimage, there are certainly examples in life of Pliables becoming rocks upon whom Christ can build His Church – so I don’t think we ever know as observers the outcomes of others’ pilgrimages. I have also known rocks who apparently melted away and became Pliables – these things are a mystery because they have to do with the heart and only God truly knows the hearts of men. Perhaps a day will come in the Pliable of The Pilgrim’s Progress when he sets out once again for the Celestial City and this time arrives at his destination?

Do we follow Christ because of His blessings, or do we follow Him because the Gospel is true, because Christ is very God of very God and because He is the way, the truth, and the life? If we follow Christ because He is God, because the Gospel is true, then the circumstances of our lives are in one sense irrelevant to our obedience to Christ and to our perseverance in that obedience – we obey Christ because He is God. However, in another sense they are exceptionally relevant in that obedience in whatever our circumstances may be, by God’s grace, transforms us into the image of Jesus Christ and bears witness to others.

Pilgrim needed a hand to guide him out of the swamp – how aware am I of those in the swamp that need a hand? And how often have I needed a hand, a voice, a friend, or even a stranger, to let me know that I’m not alone on this pilgrimage?

“Lord, please give me eyes to see and ears to hear those in the Swamp of Despondency who have lost their way, and please use me to encourage them and set their feet on firm ground on their way to knowing You, on their way to the Celestial City.”

The Pilgrim’s Progress – III

“I looked and saw a man named Witness coming to Pilgrim, and he asked Pilgrim, ‘What’s wrong?’ Pilgrim answered, ‘I’ve come to face the fact that one day I’m going to die, and from reading the Bible I’ve learned that I’m a sinner who is facing the judgment of God. I don’t want to die, and if…or when…I die I can’t possibly face God because of the things I’ve done, because of this Burden on my back. I don’t know what to do.’”  [My rendering.]

Witness points Pilgrim to a small narrow gate on the far side of a large field. When Pilgrim tells Witness that he doesn’t see the gate Witness says, “Do you see the Bright Light? Keep that Light in your eye, follow that Light and you’ll find the gate.” [My rendering.]

We may be unlikely to come upon someone reading the Bible in distress, but we can’t help but meet people whose lives are in turmoil and despair. They are all around us. We only have to read statistics; illegal drugs, the misuse of legal drugs, alcohol misuse, divorce, pornography, infidelity, serial sexual partners, spousal and child abuse, depression, stealing (blue and white collar), fraud, fears and anxieties over daily life, overbooked mental health clinics – the list equals humanity.

Dr. Bryan Chapell at Covenant Seminary in St. Louis fruitfully works with what he terms a Fallen Condition Focus when preparing sermons. In essence, he asks the question, “How does the Biblical text before me relate to man’s fallen condition?” The other side of Dr. Chapell’s approach is in effect, “How does Jesus Christ relate to the fallen condition as seen in this Biblical text?” In other words, how does the promise of redemption in Jesus Christ address man’s fallen condition?

This is a helpful approach to sharing the Gospel message with others in daily life, for everyone has some distress in life; by listening, asking questions, and by observing we can often discern an element in a person’s life that we can bring hope to in Jesus Christ. Where is the fear? The uncertainty? The anxiety? What hole in the soul is the person trying to fill with ___________?

A challenge to witnessing in our society is the presence of unbridled pleasure in many lives; people medicate through pleasure and materialism and achievement; they also medicate through greed; since we are a society driven by consumerism, since we worship at the altars of the economy and wealth and affluence, since these altars emit intoxicating aromas that induce dreamlike states in those who approach them, witnessing is often threading the eye of the relational needle in order to penetrate the stupor enveloping those around us. Nevertheless, to use Bryan Chapell’s paradigm, not only does every Biblical text have a fallen condition focus, but every life has one as well – find the fallen condition affecting a person’s life and you find a bridge of witness.  

The Pilgrims Progress – II

“O my darling wife”, he [the pilgrim] said, “and my dear dear daughters, I am stressed and troubled by a Burden in my life, it’s a realization of the way I’ve been living, the way we’ve all been living; and it’s a realization that this City [the world] that we live in is under judgment. We’re not living the way we’re supposed to live, and while I don’t understand it all yet, there must be a better way, there must be a way of escape. The things I’ve been reading in this Book [the Bible] are warning me of the way we’ve all been living. We’ve got to find a way out, a way out of the Burden and a way out of the judgment to come.” [My rendering.] Pages 1 – 2 Barbour 1985 edition.

“At this his [the pilgrim’s] relations were surprised, not because they thought he was telling them the truth, but because they thought he was delusional. They hoped that after a good-night’s sleep that he’d return to his senses.” [My rendering.] Page 2 of the Barbour 1985 edition. 

John Bunyan begins his story with a Burden (sin), a warning (judgment to come), and relational conflict that leads to separation, but then eventually to the salvation of Pilgrim’s wife and daughters.

In our society we deny the Burden and make a fortune doing so. We deny sin by insisting that it doesn’t exist, and then because our consciences cannot well function in such denial we attempt to medicate the Burden away by drugs (legal and illegal), alcohol, materialism, sex, entertainment, achievement…the list is endless. Elements of the church water down the Burden not wishing to offend church members and communities. We’d rather feel good temporarily than have peace with God eternally.  

When I think of much of the church’s failure to warn others of the reality of death and judgment I think of Isaac Cline, a meteorologist who believed that a major hurricane could not damage Galveston, Texas – to the point where he argued against a proposed seawall to protect the city. Mr. Cline’s false belief, and his refusal to issue a timely evacuation warning in 1900, led to the deaths of thousands, including his own family.

On the other hand, Pilgrim shares both his Burden and his knowledge (though it is fledgling) of coming judgment, and though he suffers rejection and separation from his wife and daughters, the familial separation will be but temporary (though he doesn’t know that) because his wife and daughters will later follow in Pilgrim’s steps to the Celestial City. We often never know the results of our faithfulness and obedience; we are not called to know the results, we are called to be faithful to Christ and to others by witnessing to the Truth of the Gospel.

Unlike our cotton-candy Gospel, John Bunyan begins by showing that obedience to Jesus Christ will entail relational difficulties, misunderstandings, rejection, and separation. Jesus speaks of these things, making it clear that we owe Him all of our love and commitment and that obedience to Him will, at times, entail conflict within families.

Yet, Bunyan’s portrayal of Pilgrim’s witness is one of care and concern, not one of arrogant self-righteousness. Pilgrim’s witness is birthed out of his own sense of Burden (sin) and of his concern for his family and neighbors. This should be a warning and correction to professing Christians who self-righteously condemn others, judge others, and hold themselves above others. It seems we tend to see either a functional denial of sin and judgment to come in the church, or we see these things used to bludgeon others in self-righteousness; a Christ-centered love for others, a love that is willing to accept rejection, a love that will lay its life down…this is the love that we are called to.

Mark 8:27 – 38.

The Pilgrim’s Progress – 1

I'm using John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress during my morning devotional time and thought I'd share some reflections along the way.

The title of the book is, The Pilgrim’s Progress, From This World To That Which Is To Come.

We are on a journey. Even though we usually act like we’re permanent residents we’re not, and so acting like permanent residents doesn’t make a lot of sense. It’s as if we boarded a passenger jet and thought it would never land, or as if we got on a roller coaster and thought it would never stop. For most of us the ride of this life is longer than a roller coaster ride or an airplane flight – but compared to eternity it’s not long at all.

While we use the term “ride” when referring to this life, that’s probably not a wise choice of word because “ride” can portray someone who gets on something and doesn’t do much afterward, he just lets the ride take him for a ride and then he gets off – hopefully in one peace. “Riding” can conjure up a passive image – but this life is anything but passive, even when we think we’re being passive we’re usually not – for every decision not to decide is a decision. Not to decide to come into a relationship with Jesus Christ is a decision; not to decide is the same as deciding not to – we each have a will and no matter how you approach the issue of “will” (and there is a mystery in that for me) at the end of the day, at the end of the ride, at the end of life – what we’ve chosen regarding Jesus Christ will determine the rest of our story – will our story be merged with the story of Christ – or will our story be merged elsewhere?

The story of The Pilgrim’s Progress is a story about, “Here I am today, and that’s where I’m headed, I’ve got a goal, I’ve got a destiny, I’m not hanging around here and I’m not living like I’m a permanent resident here – I’ve got to get moving, I’ve got someone to meet”. This reminds me of the men and women of Hebrews Chapter Eleven who confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims and that they were looking for a City whose Builder and Maker is God. They were on pilgrimage. Are we on pilgrimage? Is our passport issued by the Kingdom of Heaven?