Enthroned

 

(Above picture is our son, Will, at the Monument Rocks south of  Oakley, KS. Yes, really Kansas!)

"And after He had said these things, He was lifted upwhile they were looking on, and a cloud received Him out of their sight."  --  Acts 1:9

It hit me like a class IV rapid on the Snake River outside of Jackson Hole, Wyoming, "It is an enthronement scene."  My seminary professor said, looking up from the Novum Testamentum Graece.  The class welcomed the respite from the precision of the Greek and was reminded of its power to pierce the heart. "Compare it to the enthronement scene in Daniel 7:13-14.  Jesus isn't leaving the disciples...Jesus is taking His throne as the long-awaited Messiah! The book of Acts is about the Kingdom entering into the world!"

At that moment, a wave of enlightenment washed over me and my worldview shifted from vaguely pre-millenial to vividly post-millenial.  Since that time, my life has been a thrilling pursuit to find signs of the Kingdom springing forth in the midst of these troubled times, "Jesus is on the throne!"

I know how easy it is to miss and that sometimes it seems far away...like the notion of a great inland sea inundating the vast Kansas prairie.  But the evidence is there when we know to look.  

There are marine fossils out on the Kansas prairie, where you would least expect them, hundreds of miles from any existing sea.  There are sharks' teeth.  The gigantic Tylosaurus.  Fossils of fish and swimming birds.  Likewise, there are also moments of joy and scenes of wonder and seasons of peace to be found in the midst of the pain and uncertainty of this age, where you would least expect to find them, great reminders of who is on the throne.

I pray that you might find hope and strength this day as you look up at the clouds in your own life. Like the clouds floating up above Will's head on the Great Plains of Kansas, high and lifted up, may they be a reminder of this enthronment scene in Acts: the Nazarene carpenter who hung out with fishermen and forgave sinners and died on a cross is also the Good Shepherd who has been raised and has ascended to His throne!

Church Stopping. Less Doing. More Being.

Worship When it Doesn't Make Sense

 

"But about midnight Paul and silas were praying their songs of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them..." - Acts 16:25

It doesn't make sense to me; trying to go over an elevated bar with a pole...upside down!  But if ever there was someone that would not be bothered by this prospect, it is our middle son, Isaac, pictured above learning the pole vault.  There is a lot to learn, but he loves it!

And if ever there were a time that didn't make sense to worship, it was Paul and Silas in the deepest, darkest, and smelliest part of the prison, feet in stocks, hands in chains, backs lacerated from a previous beating, the darkest part of the night, watched by a jailer!  Their situation was precarious at best. Why were they, "praying their songs"?  It just doesn't make sense.

I'll admit that in today's world, it still doesn't make sense. I often feel like many others who believe in a loving, powerful, and present God (head knowledge) but are dealing with massive uncertainty when it comes to employment, health, and racial tension and isolation from the church. Many current events don't compel us to worship (heart expression).  We feel like it is dark, and it is hopeless and we are trapped in prisons of anxiety, fear, and even abuse.

However, maybe it is more important than ever to worship in the middle of these current events at exactly the point when it doesn't make sense.  After all, worship is the way that connects our head to our heart.  We see this for Paul and Silas as they pray (head knowledge) their songs (heart expression). There is no separation of these events, it is one act of worship! Worship is a way that God connects what we know about God (in our brains) to what we feel about God (in our hearts).

Singing our prayers has less to do about our circumstances as it does about the one who infuses our circumstances with peace and even joy to the point where our lives become a witness not only to us of who God really is, but also to others who are listening to us just as they were listening to Paul and Silas pray their songs. Now more then ever, the world needs to hear the good news of our Lord and Savior!

Worship is the way we can once again connect our brains and our hearts to the the love and the power and the presence of God and it is a way for others to be encouraged to do the same in their lives.  Certainly, we should praise God when we experience joy in our circumstances, but we should also pray our songs when our circumstances don't make sense.