Morals July 18, 2008
Posted by bdennert in Ethics, Spirituality.add a comment
I have been slowly working through Plantigna’s Not the Way It is Supposed to Be over the past month or so. It is a book about sin…not how to sin, but reflections on sin. As I read it and hear how he talks about our reticence to discuss sin, even as preachers, I realized that this is true in myself. I am hesistant at times to talk about right and wrong because I do not want to devolve into a moralist or one who simply says, “We need to stop doing these things.” I do not want to fall into the traps of behaviorialism or legalism. However, I believe in right and wrong. I know my sense of right and wrong might be messed up at times, but I believe in it and I need to preach it–because it ties back to right and wrong.
When I was a chaplain, I had an interesting experience that made me reflect. A nurse told a man, “You need to stop smoking and drinking so much.” She says this (maybe without tract) and I wonder what would happen if, as a chaplain, a spiritual guide, I would say this. She says it because of the physical effects, these things are bad for you, but I would point beyond just physical (though the physical is spiritual as well). When we tell people to empty themselves or anger, to stop sleeping around, to not get drunk in the party scene, to stay married as opposed to get divorced, etc. they do not view it as the same as a medical professional saying something. What is the difference? I am looking at the spiritual side of things. It is interesting that people will say, “Well, it feels good to me so it must be okay?” as if their spirits are not mistaken, when they could make the same argument about physical things (it makes me feel better, etc. but studies show it will kill you!). How should I phrase these? Should I just make deontological statements–this is right and wrong? Should I make consequenalist arguments? Perhaps at times, though one can always debate the consequence (I feel good now), as well as it is wrong for more than consequences. There are spiritual consequences to actions that are often overlooked. All I know is that I need to reclaim morality and sin, calling it what it truly is.
Seinfeld and Sermons July 13, 2008
Posted by bdennert in Humor, Ministry, Theology and Ministry.add a comment
As most people know, I am a big Seinfeld fan. In fact, I think I have used a Seinfeld illustration in most of my sermons (and will probably do so on August 3rd, of course I should be working on that sermon right now…but that’s besides the point). What is it that I love about the show? For me, I love how the episode (especially the later episodes) weaves together, how the jokes and situations at the beginning of the episode then resurface in incidents throughout the episode. They tie together; they are one cohesive unit. Everything seems to be intentional; nothing is lost. I think this is something that I also enjoy in sermons, when they weave and tie together; when you see the same things recurring throughout, when nothing is said just “because” but “because it brings the point home.” I am trying to do that with my sermons, be strategic, know why I am saying what I am saying. The other thing I love is how it takes the ordinary things of life, similar experiences that we all have, and uses them. Listening to a number of sermons this week, I realize that this draws me in and closer–while it is good to know the material, I want to see how it relates to life. And of course, the ability to laugh makes all the difference. Just thoughts…not that there is anything wrong with that.
First Funeral July 10, 2008
Posted by bdennert in Ministry.add a comment
Well, it has been a few days since I posted up here and the reason for that is that I have been in Iowa (they do have internet in Iowa, but I didn’t have time). I travelled there due to the death of my grandfather (my mother’s father). While it has been a sad time of loss, it has also been a God glorifying occasion. We could see His providential hand caring for us and giving us exactly what we needed during this time. This is not one of those “This happened so that…” stories of providence, but simply that even in the midst of tragedy, we ahve seen that God has been caring for us. From a caring hospital staff to the flexibility in our (Beth and myself) schedule to spend a week with family, there are countless stories I could tell of how God has cared for the family. I could also see His hand at work in me, as I delivered the funeral message. I was not sure if I could do it, as I wondered whether I would make sense, speak clear enough for the old people in the crowd (it was Boone!), and hold myself together. I knew I would speak from the heart, but my heart didn’t know what to say. Well, one of the days (they all blended), my family was able to reminiscent and tell stories, bringing memories to my mind that I would not have thought about otherwise. Then, some left to go get shopping (they needed some clothes since they only had 5 minutes to pack) and I laid down to take a nap (that’s what grandpa would have done) and the thoughts came to me suddenly, the organization, the ideas started flowing. It was not me, it was the Spirit in me, I know. And then I delivered the message….well, the Spirit spoke through me and gave me the words to say for my family. And, as I was told, it was Art honoring and God honoring, the goals of the message. The Spirit moves in so many ways…He is real, He is here.
Knowledge of the Holy (Chapter 4) July 2, 2008
Posted by bdennert in Small Group, Spirituality.add a comment
Our small group continued our journey through A.W. Tozer’s classic The Knowledge of the Holy. As we moved into the chapter on the Trinity, it was a great journey. Why? The Trinity is one of those doctrines that can become head knowledge, that can get more tied up in philosophy or uncertainty as opposed to help us grow in our relationship with God and our worship of Him. As Tozer says repeatedly, “This is truth for the heart.” As we discussed the Trinity, we realized that we do admit that we have a God who is beyond logic, as the doctrine is impossible to explain. It leaves us with a mysterious God, which is what you would expect in a mysterious world. That is, the doctrine of the Trinity might not make “sense” but it “makes sense of the world” in that it has a God who explains the mysterious world. Ultimately, it is our wrestling with the biblical data, as we see that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal (Matthew 28:19-20, 2 Corinthians 13:14, the baptism of Christ, Christ’s claims to equality with God [John 10:30, John 14] as well as his description of the Spirit in co-equal terms [John 14, John 16]. It is revealed that God is one (Deuteronomy 6:4; Mark 12:29) but that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are equal. It is three persons, one God.
What does that mean for our lives? Well, it shows that God is in community with Himself. It shows that God is mysterious and beyond our categories and concepts. But it also shows that God desires for us to understand Him in these different roles, as the Father, the Son, and the Spirit relate to us. They have one will and are involved in every area of life, but for some reason, God chose to reveal His three persons in these descriptions. We see the Father in heaven, a person who is compassionate and in control, we see Christ the Son who has become man, lived a perfect life and experience our sufferings, we see the Spirit who resides in us, who guides us in the world. The Trinity might be difficult philosophically, but it is important pastorally.
As Tozer ends, this is a doctrine that could not have been imagined, it could only be revealed.
