Thought for Today
Isaiah 13:6 Wail, for the day of the Lord is near; it will come like destruction from the Almighty!
Isaiah 13:9 See, the day of the Lord comes, cruel, with wrath and fierce anger, to make the earth a desolation, and to destroy its sinners from it.
Matthew 13:49 So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous
Matthew 28:19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."
I’m still thinking about ‘who,’ ‘why,’ and ‘how.’ The issue of using the answer to ‘how’ as a substitute or explanation to the answers to ‘who’ and ‘why’ seems just as inappropriate and silly today as it did before. Yet, again and again I see evidence of folks doing just that.
There is currently a great deal spoken and written within Christendom about the decline of church attendance and church affiliation in Western civilization. Throughout western Europe and North America most Jewish and Christian places of worship are experiencing declining membership and attendance.
I am affiliated with 2 Christian denominations. I regularly receive email and even postal mail concerning seminars, courses and books purporting to offer the solution to so many empty pews on Sunday. If I will just buy the book, read the book, employ the programs, those pews will be filled. Interestingly, none offer money-back guarantees!
One of the most frequently offered explanations is that Christianity has lost relevance in our modern age. The argument is that a religion anchored in ancient history cannot possibly be relevant in today’s time. In 1625, James Ussher famously determined that Creation occurred at 6pm on October 22, 4004 B.C.E. (BC). It is thought by most scholars that the Crucifixion occurred some time between 30 – 33 C.E. (AD). The various books of the Bible are thought to have been written between 1500 B.C.E. and 120 C.E. The suggestion is that anything as old as the Bible and the Jewish or Christian faiths cannot possibly be relevant in our modern age of computers, smart phones, Global Positioning Satellites (GPS), and Taylor Swift.
For me, that argument is possibly the best example of answering the right question with the wrong answer. All of those modern toys and modern entertainers have no relevancy to questions of why we are here.
Another suggestion offered to ‘prove’ the irrelevancy of our faith and our scriptures is that modern science has ‘disproved’ the truths in the Bible. Geology, astrophysics and planetary science have proved that the earth is more than 6028 years old. Sociology and anthropology have traced the evolution and development of modern humans and of modern societies, thereby ‘disproving’ the Creation story in Genesis. There was even an argument advanced a few years ago that the mathematics involved in the Big Bang even ‘proved’ that God was not necessary. I will admit that I have never looked at those mathematical proofs. Even if I had, I’m pretty sure that I would not understand the equations . . . I might not even recognize any of the symbols! Again, however, science only answers the question of ‘how.’ The Bible just sums that all up with “Genesis 1:1 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,” and “1:3 Then God said, "Let there be light"; and there was light.”
Judaism and Christianity address the ‘who’ and the ‘why.’ The Bible tells us that this reality is temporal and finite, created by its Creator God for a purpose. The prayer 1 Jewish rabbi offered to his disciples even tells us the goal of this reality, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” At some time things will change. Scripture tells us that there will be turmoil (when has there not been?) at the end. Jesus promises us that he will be with us until the end and even in eternity.
Science, mathematics, entertainers and technology only offer us ideas on ‘how’ and only temporarily distract us. The Bible, our faith and the guidance of the Holy Spirit offer us hope for the future and strength in the present. We just need to follow Jesus’ instructions and go tell everybody the good news. That will fill those pews.
Stay safe, look for opportunities to spread the word, trust God,
Pastor Ray