Inscriptions

None of us is getting out of here alive!  Death is imminent, and it is considered by most morbid to discuss.  And I get it!  Life is precious and we cling tenaciously to every breath.  Who in their normal mind sits around talking about death?  Right?  If you do, we need to talk!

As a hospice chaplain, I often officiate graveside services.  Cemeteries are not my favorite hang-out place, but while there I like to read inscriptions on tombstones.  Most include only the name, along with birth and death dates.  However, some across the years have left their humorous side behind:

“She always said her feet were killing her but nobody believed her”

“Barry M. Deep”

“Another one bites the dust”

“Here lies an atheist.  All dressed up and no place to go”

“Na na na na

Na na na na

Hey hey -ey

Goodbye”

”Here lies Lester Moore.  Four slugs from a 44.  No Les  No more”

“Jesus called and Kim answered”

“Don’t laugh, you’re next”

MERV GRIFFIN:  “I will not be back after this message”

“I told you I was sick”

MEL BLANC:  “That’s All Folks!”

“Here lies John Yeast.  Pardon me for not rising”

BUTTERMILK HATFIELD:  “Tried milkin’ a cow that was really a bull.  Milk can’s empty, grave is full”

“Here lies SHAWN O’TOOLE.  Kicked in the head by an ornery bull”

“Ben Better” (1837-1862)

Of course, death is not funny, but followers of Jesus Christ view death from a positive perspective.  We believe what we preach!  “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord (2 Corinthians 5:8).  Our “temple” is subject to age and decay, but the “eternal us” will live forever SOMEWHERE!  Those who place their faith and trust in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sin and who subsequently walk with Him will one day meet Him face to face.  How will you respond when you see him?  

In 2001, Christian band MercyMe released, “I Can Only Imagine,” the lyrics for which lead singer Bart Millard wrote in just ten minutes.  In part he wrote:

“Surrounded by Your glory

What will my heart feel?

Will I dance for You, Jesus, 

Or in awe of You be still?

Will I stand in Your presence, 

Or to my knees will I fall?

Will I sing hallelujah,

Will I be able to speak at all?

I can only imagine.”

I, of course, don’t know for sure, but I’m thinking that I personally will cry my eyes out when I see Jesus for the first time.  I met Him almost 50 years ago, and I still cry when His presence floods my heart!  He’s wonderful!    

I still marvel at the story of Enoch found in Genesis 5:24. It succinctly says, “For Enoch was not, for God took him.”  I used to teach high school English and if a student had turned in this sentence, I would have red marked it and said, “Incomplete thought. Enoch was not WHAT?”  

I then look to the New Testament to answer this question!   In John 17:15 Jesus says, “As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.”  There you go!

Enoch was not of this world, for God took him!  Like you and me, Enoch lived IN the world, but was never part OF it!  I like to think about it this way:  One evening Enoch was walking along the road when God said, “Enoch, you’re closer to my house, why don’t you just come on over?”  This world is not our final destination.  We are pilgrims just passing through, “looking for a city...whose builder and maker is God” (Hebrews 11:10). 

Years ago, I heard Johnny Cash kiddingly say, “All of us want to go to heaven some day, but nobody wants to get up a bus load today!”  How true!  But in the event we are called “home,” believers in Jesus Christ need not fear what’s coming.  Jesus is the hope of earth and the joy of heaven.

Oh, come to Him this very day!  Heaven is by appointment only, and awaits the moment when it’s your time to change locations!  

The Trinity

The Trinity.  Hard to understand.  And difficult to explain.  But I’m so thankful for God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. 

Trinitarians have been accused of believing in three God’s but the Scriptures make it clear:  “Hear, O Israel!  The Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4)!  Perhaps the most poignant illustration of the “Three in One” occurs at the baptism of Jesus. “After  being baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened, and He saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and lighting on Him, and behold, a voice out of the heavens said, “‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16-17).  

God the Father spoke from heaven, God the Son came up out of the water, and God the Spirit descended as a dove.  Three in One!

While the Scriptures make it clear that we worship only One, we affirm that He’s one God, eternally existent in three Persons -- Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  Another explanation uses the word “role” to discuss the Trinity.  Perhaps these are feeble attempts to explain the unexplainable!

How do we teach children about the Trinity?  My wife uses the following object lesson, which helps bring clarity to this wonderful mystery:  She places a pan full of ice on the stove.  Within a few minutes of course, the ice begins to melt and then boils, releasing steam into the air.  The ice is gone, the steam evaporates and water remains in the bottom of the pan.  Then she says, “It’s all water, but in three different forms!”  

I remember how the Trinity operated in my life during my boyhood to draw me into saving grace.  I was always fascinated by the stories of the Old Testament, where I heard about the holiness of God along with His righteous judgments.  I often stared into the sky, feeling the love of the God of nature wash over me.  The Old Testament prophets spoke eloquently and with detailed accuracy of He Who was to come -- God the Son.  Isaiah 53 beautifully foretells the coming of the Suffering Servant!   

Then, when I went to Sunday School and church, I learned about Jesus, Who declares in John 10:30, “I and the Father are one.”  He was God.  During those formative years, God the Spirit continually convinced me that I needed a Savior.  God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit were all active agents in bringing me to salvation.  How wonderful!

How I praise the Father, Son and Holy Spirit for working in my life!  I love and worship the Lord for His constant and faithful presence.  While the doctrine of the Trinity is not explicit in the New Testament (the word “Trinity” cannot be found), it possesses a triadic understanding of God and contains countless verses that support Trinitarian doctrine.  Following are five:

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 8:19).

“The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14).

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.  And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord” (1 Corinthians 12:4-5).

“There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called into one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all” (Ephesians 4:4-6).

“According to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ, and be sprinkled with His blood.  May grace and peace be yours in the fullest measure” (1 Peter 1:2).

Completely understand the Godhead?  Not really!  Love them?  Absolutely!

While in church, we sometimes sing:

“Father, I adore You.  Lay my life beforeYou.  How I love You.”

“Jesus, I adore you.  Lay my life before You.  How I love You.”  And finally, with gusto…

“Spirit, I adore You.  Lay my life before You.  How I love You!”

Oh, worship Him today!  Let the Spirit touch you.  He will draw you to Jesus, Who will present you to the Father, all because of Jesus’ precious blood!  

Trigger

The other day I mentioned Roy Rogers, Dale Evans and Trigger in casual conversation when my young friend asked, “Who’s that?  I replied, “They were popular movie Western stars when I was a kid.”  They were on television the same time the Lone Ranger, Tonto and Silver were.”

With a puzzled look, my friend said, “I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about.”  Then it hit me. The “golden age” of television has long since passed off the scene. I’m sad!  Please tell me you remember Gabby Hayes, Gene Autry, Tom Mix, John Wayne, Clint Walker, Walter Brennan, and James Arness.  I could mention so many others who “rode off into the sunset” during those years -- 1940’s through the early 60’s.  So, if you’re younger than fifty, you probably don’t know to whom I’m referring.

Then, I learned that the Roy Rogers-Dale Evans Museum, originally located in the San Bernardino Valley, and later moved to Branson, Missouri in 2003, closed its doors in December, 2019.  It was the end of the trail for these wonderful Western legends. 

Dusty Rogers, Roy and Dale’s son, said at the closing, “It is very difficult to think that it will all be gone soon.  The situation is one I have not wanted to happen.  The decision to close the museum has come after two years  of steady decline in visitors.”

THAT generation is transitioning.  Those born between 1940-1960 have witnessed the death of many of the original Western movie stars.  

While I understand we can’t live in the past; and while I realize that traditions come and go, it’s my heartfelt opinion that somehow life was simpler back then, and the innocence of television viewing was harmless and in a much different kind of way, very entertaining.  

Do you remember black and white television, when most of us in this neck of the woods had three network choices:  Channels 3, 5 and 8 -- NBC, CBS and ABC?  Do you remember when “Gunsmoke” viewed Saturday nights?  It was so clean and children were in no danger of learning bad things. OR SO I THOUGHT!

Now in retrospect, our dearly loved Miss Kitty was an oxymoron.  She was a “you know what” dressed up in a skimpy saloon outfit and plastered with make-up. Do you remember her signature mole?  She was a nice and kind “bad girl!”   Certainly not a woman we want our daughters to emulate.  She owned and operated the Long Branch Saloon for 19 years in Dodge City.  She not only was a saloon girl, she was their boss.  She was a red-headed Madam!  And as far as I know, Matt Dillon never kissed her!  Did I say she was a “Madam?”  Yes, indeed!  And nobody thought a thing about it!  

I guess some things never change after all.  Perhaps the difference between “Gunsmoke” and “Law and Order” is the manner in which real life was handled.  In today’s world seldom is anything left for the imagination.  However, the innocence of my childhood still soothes my collective yearning for less visual and moral stimuli.          

My young friend suggested that I’m maudlin and that I glorify the past too much.  Perhaps I do, but Roy and Dale, and all their contemporaries, including Amanda Blake (Miss Kitty) still take me back to more innocent, safer days.  And for that reason, I still hog the television when I see Matt Dillon gunfight on the street in Dodge City; when I hear Doc Adams and Festus arguing; when I hear the Lone Ranger say, “Hi-Ho Silver,” and when the Rogers sing, “Happy Trails,” while the credits roll. 

I’ve discovered that something inside me still clamors for the simple pleasures of my boyhood.  

Praise (Part 2)

Last week I talked about a wonderful Spirit-filled service I attended over 45 years ago, and how the memories of that service still affect me.  In this blog, I wish to discuss seven Hebrew words that describe worship expressions, taken from the books of Psalms and Isaiah.  Then, I’m going to demonstrate why genuine worship services have to be conducted decently and in order for all in attendance to receive from the Lord.

The Psalms (Hebrew hymn book) and the Prophet Isaiah, reveal seven forms of praise that I believe we need to incorporate in today’s worship segments of our services.  They won’t always manifest, but we certainly need to be open to these worship expressions.  They come to us through the use of seven Hebrew words:

•   HALLAH -- “Our praise word, “Hallelujah” comes from this root word.  Literally interpreted, it means, “Praise the Lord.”  “Praise the Lord!  Praise God in  His sanctuary; Praise Him in His mighty expanse” (Psalm 150:1).

• YADAH -- refers to “the extended hand, to throw out the hand, or to lift the hand.”  “So I will bless You  as long as I live; I will lift up my hands in Your name” (Psalm 63:4)

• TOWDAH -- This word is closely connected with YADAH, but in a more specific way.  It is based on praising God for “things not yet received.”  It is a faith proclamation. “Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving” (Psalm 50:14).

• SHABACH -- means “to shout, to address in a loud tone, to command, to triumph.”  “O clap your hands, all peoples; Shout to God with the voice of joy” (Psalm 47:1).

• BARAK -- means “to kneel down, to bless God in an act of adoration.”  “Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker” (Psalm 95:6).

• ZAMAR -- means “to pluck the strings of an instrument; largely involves the expression of music through musical instruments.”  “Awake, my glory!  Awake, harp and lyre!  I will awaken the dawn” (Psalm 57:8).  

• TEHILLAH -- involves the “singing of ‘hallah’s,’ to sing loud OR to sing hymns of the Spirit or praise.”  This is what happened at Eastside Assembly, Springfield, Missouri in 1974.  “To grant those who mourn in Zion, giving them a garland instead of ashes.  The oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a spirit of fainting, so they will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified” (Isaiah 61:3).  

  

Having said all of the above, now let me offer a teaching that comes out of mutual respect and accountability.  Yes, we should learn how to worship God according to Biblical patterns.  Yes, we should quit looking around and allowing others to deter us from “pressing in.”   Yes, we should be considerate of others’ personal space and private devotion.  Yes, we should quit judging others because we may not be comfortable with their mode or “loudness” during worship.  And they should not judge us for lesser expressions.  

HOWEVER, WE SHOULD ALSO UNDERSTAND THAT CORPORATE WORSHIP TIMES REQUIRE THAT WE REMAIN IN SYNC WITH WHAT’S TAKING PLACE IN THE ENTIRE ROOM.  

Our God is a God of order.  His Spirit operates beautifully and powerfully when His house remains in order.  When a given service is not moving forward to our liking, we don’t have “to work it up,”  And we must never draw attention to ourselves.  Every service has a design from the throne, and the Lord’s purpose is that all present receive accordingly.  By the way, when I returned on Sunday evening at Eastside Assembly, the tone of that service was quiet, sweet and unassuming.  That didn’t make it a less “spiritual” service.

Corporate worship by divine mandate necessitates that all benefit from the “now” movement of the Spirit.

Let me explain.

I have led services and attended services where a small group of people, while supposedly “being Spirit-led,” remained uncommonly loud and oblivious to their surroundings.  The service, as it was, was put on hold until they quieted down.  All attention was directed their way.  Spiritual pride and attention-seeking entered into the mix, and the service became unsettled.  This is never God’s plan.  My friend, I’m not talking about quenching the Spirit, I’m talking about accommodating the Spirit’s desire for any given service.  Wise pastors do not allow attention-seeking individuals to lead the way at the expense of “the whole.”  Every incident has to be handled wisely and on its own merit.  If additional time/attention is necessary, God will give specific direction to the pastor or whoever’s leading the service.

Now, once again, travel back with me to that morning service at Eastside Assembly.  It went God’s way because the ENTIRE church moved according to what the Holy Spirit was doing.  That woman was one in a crowd that was moving in/with the Spirit.  The atmosphere was Spirit-energized and Spirit-empowered, and no confusion existed.  She not once called attention to herself, as most everyone in the service was caught up in the “spirit of the moment.”

Erroneous teaching on the part of well-meaning pastors suggests that what God wants always overrides what people want.  And that’s true!  However, the Lord is never the author of confusion.  

My prayer for Hope Community is that God will stir the hearts of our people and draw us into a corporate anticipation of His manifested presence in our services.  The prophet Zechariah said it best:  “Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the Lord” (4:16).  Oh, Lord, send Your power!  I welcome the day when individuals stirred by the Spirit’s touch, get up from their seat and kneel before the altar during the corporate service.  The altar, historically and theologically, is “the place of death.”  Sin dies where the blood spills.  And burdens are lifted at Calvary.  

“Lord, remind us that You live in our praise; and that regardless of our personality type, personal preference or preconceived ideas about what church should look like, we are part of the whole, not islands unto ourselves.” 

So, on your way to church next Sunday, wholeheartedly prepare your heart to press in and receive from the Lord.  Let nothing deter you from praising the Lord! But remember, stay in sync with God’s overall design for that service.  In truth, worship services should be an extension of our on-going, private, daily worship times  throughout the week.  Let’s refer to those times as “rehearsals for Sunday!”