Christian cross-pollination can be refreshing

The Body of Christ is a remarkable thing. And a little mixing and matching of traditions and Christian cultures can shake and wake and invigorate us in remarkable ways … if we are open to it.

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” (Deuteronomy 6:4, NIV)

This past weekend, I had the privilege of visiting a church that is very different from the one we usually attend. Our church is very simple in service and structure, in décor and decorum. This other congregation meets in a much more ornate and old-fashioned edifice and follows a long-lasting liturgical arrangement that follows the high church calendar for each week of the year. Instead of wearing neatly pressed khakis and crisp button-down shirts, the clergy members don glistening vestments.

And did I mention they had a wonderful choir? (Our church has a worship team, which generally includes about a half a dozen singers and musicians. They are gifted and serve well. But, oh. I love a good choir.)

Very different indeed.

Upon entering the sanctuary, I gazed at the gorgeous woodwork and the remarkable stained glass windows, which pictured Jesus and His 12 apostles in action. I found this incredibly stirring.

As the service progressed, I must admit I struggled a bit to keep up with the sitting and kneeling and standing and the juggling of the pew Bible and prayer book. But the words struck me, again and again.

The printed confession, which we read aloud, was spot-on and convicting. The pastoral response, recounting God’s great grace, soothed my soul. In the end, I was most impacted by the recitation of the Apostle’s Creed.

I believe in God, the Father almighty, Creator of heaven and earth, and in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell; on the third day he rose again from the dead; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty; from there he will come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic^* Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting. Amen.

^*This didn’t happen to be a Catholic church, although perhaps it could have been. Generically, the word “catholic” means diverse, varied, and universal.

The order of worship also included the Lord’s Prayer. Another highlight was the Passing of the Peace, perhaps the most casual portion of the rather formal proceedings. Although we’ve attended our current church for more than two years now, I was amazed to find that more people (by the dozen) greeted me than ever do in our home congregation. I cannot remember shaking so many hands in one setting.

Surely, this church visiting experience brought back sweet memories of my childhood in church, as I was raised in a congregation that visited these classic Christian contents weekly. In the past few decades, I’ve mostly attended churches that rarely included them. It’s not that these churches didn’t embrace the meanings of them. They simply focused on other means of expression.

But the richness of truth in tradition was not lost on me this week.

I began pondering how many times I recited the Apostles Creed, the Lord’s Prayer, and even familiar Bible passages robotically, rather than meaningfully.

Cross-pollination can be healthy sometimes, I think.

Technically, cross-pollination occurs when two plants share genetic content to produce altered offspring. It cannot occur between species, only between two varieties of the same species. Beans can cross-pollinate with beans, but not with Brussels sprouts.

In the church, this happens when different denominations mix and bless one another.

I was blessed to catch a little glimpse of what that feels like. And I look forward to an eternity of it someday, when all our tenets and traditions are swallowed in fully revealed truth. For we will see Him as He is and know as we are known and worship in full spirit and understanding.

“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24, NIV)

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Graphic title from public domain artwork

Stained Glass Window – public domain

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A to Z Answers: eXtol the eXcellent One

Let us exalt the Lord together and extol His Holy Name.

What is extolling?

The word “extol” may be traced to the 14^th Century Middle English term “extollen,” which is derived from a Latin word meaning “to raise” or “to lift up.”

Today, “extol” has several synonyms. To extol is to acclaim, applaud, celebrate, comment, exalt, glorify, laud, magnify, or praise. When we extol the Lord, we pay tribute to Him. We bless His Name.

Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
   let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come before Him with thanksgiving
   and extol Him with music and song.

(Psalm 95:1-2, NIV)

Who’s ready to praise the Prince of Peace?

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Authors and teachers, gurus and speakers ask a common question: “What is excellence?” We need only look upon the Excellent One, and we will know. Excellence is extolling the Creator who deserves all praise.

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Raised, by John

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September 1st -

No More Middle Man

(Ezekiel 33:21-33; 34:1-31; 35:1-15; 36:1-38)

The Good Shepherd

Artist Unknown

The people of God spent 70 years in exile in Babylonia. God sent the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel to reprimand and reassure His children.

The prophet chastised the religious leaders, who seemed to care more for their own aims than for those they were to lead and guide.

The word of the Lord came to me:

"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel;

prophesy and say to them:

'This is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“Woe to the shepherds of Israel

who only take care of themselves!

Should not shepherds take care of the flock?

You eat the curds,

clothe yourselves with the wool

and slaughter the choice animals,

but you do not take care of the flock.

You have not strengthened the weak

or healed the sick

or bound up the injured.

You have not brought back the strays

or searched for the lost.

You have ruled them harshly and brutally.

So they were scattered because there was no shepherd,

and when they were scattered

they became food for all the wild animals.

My sheep wandered over all the mountains

and on every high hill.

They were scattered over the whole earth,

and no one searched or looked for them.”’”

(Ezekiel 34:1-6, NIV)

Surely the Lord mourned to see His children’s needs ignored and their appointed leaders failing to care adequately or diligently for them. In His divine omniscience, God had to have known – right from the start – that no human leaders could fulfill His expectations of selfless guidance and care for those they led.

Since Creation, the Lord had planned to send the ultimate Shepherd, the lover of all men’s souls, to lead and lift those in need. And who is not?

Jesus is the Messiah in the middle - the Intermediary between God and man - the holy High Priest of God's purpose and the only bridge to the prime pasture of God's perfect peace. We need no other middle man, so long as we depend upon Him.

For this is what the Sovereign Lord says:

“I myself will search for my sheep

and look after them.

As a shepherd looks after his scattered flock

when he is with them,

so will I look after my sheep.

I will rescue them from all the places

where they were scattered

on a day of clouds and darkness.

I will bring them out from the nations

and gather them from the countries,

and I will bring them into their own land.

I will pasture them on the mountains of Israel,

in the ravines and in all the settlements in the land.

I will tend them in a good pasture,

and the mountain heights of Israel

will be their grazing land.

There they will lie down in good grazing land,

and there they will feed in a rich pasture

on the mountains of Israel.

I myself will tend my sheep

and have them lie down,”

declares the Sovereign Lord.

“I will search for the lost

and bring back the strays.

I will bind up the injured

and strengthen the weak,

but the sleek and the strong

I will destroy.

I will shepherd the flock with justice.”

(Ezekiel 34:11-16, NIV)

What a wonderful Old Testament picture of the Messiah, the Savior of the world, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd Himself.

Will you pray with me?

Good Shepherd,

You pastor Your people

In love and mercy,

Providing us with pastures of peace

Under Your care.

Guide us, Lord.

Lead us in the paths

That You have marked out for us.

Teach us to follow You,

Rather than relying upon worldly leaders,

Who listen not to Your call.

Turn the hearts of those who lead,

So that they may follow You as well.

Thank You for the godly leaders

That You have already placed

In prominent positions.

Most of all,

Thank You for Jesus,

The Lover of our souls

And the Shepherd of our hearts.

Without Jesus, we would be lost,

Like sheep without a shepherd.

Amen.

August 15th - A Priestly Prophet

A Priestly Prophet

(Ezekiel 11-28; 2:1-10; 3:1-27; 4:1-17; 5;1-17; 6:1-14; 7:1-17)

The Prophet Ezekiel

18^th Century Russian Icon

Born to the ancient priestly family line of Aaron, the Old Testament prophet Ezekiel received visions directly from God. He saw the four creatures with the wheels, which some even surmised to be alien spaceships, heavenly forces, cycles of life and other meanings. The Lord spoke to Ezekiel in mighty ways, commissioning him for ministry to His people.

Of course, with great power and purpose comes significant responsibility.

"Son of man,

I have made you a watchman

for the house of Israel;

so hear the word I speak

and give them warning from me.

When I say to a wicked man,

'You will surely die,'

and you do not warn him or speak out

to dissuade him from his evil ways

in order to save his life,

that wicked man will die for his sin,

and I will hold you accountable for his blood.

But if you do warn the wicked man

and he does not turn from his wickedness

or from his evil ways,

he will die for his sin;

but you will have saved yourself.

"Again, when a righteous man

turns from his righteousness and does evil,

and I put a stumbling block before him, he will die.

Since you did not warn him,

he will die for his sin.

The righteous things he did will not be remembered,

and I will hold you accountable for his blood.

But if you do warn the righteous man

not to sin and he does not sin,

he will surely live because he took warning,

and you will have saved yourself."

(Ezekiel 3:17-21, NIV, emphasis added)

What a sobering thought.

For whom may the Lord have given us similar responsibility? What individuals has He placed in our lives, with whom He desires us to share the good news of His grace? Will God hold us responsible for telling or not telling?

Will you pray with me?

Great God,

How blessed we are

To know You

And to belong to You.

Remind us daily

Of those around us

Who may not yet

Belong to You.

Make us mindful

Of the urgency

Of Your message

Of salvation.

Surely, You desire all to be saved.

Plant the same passion

With us

For Your glory.

Amen.