The Choice at the Tree

We make choices every day. We choose when to get up, what to wear and eat. When we choose, we use our judgement on what is the best choice. We do most or all of this without really thinking about it. Sometimes we come to an important decision and then we agonize over the right thing to do. But for most of us, our daily life is full of choices that we don't even think about.

For my second installment in this series, The Trees in Eden, I want to talk about the second tree: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Like the tree of life, we see echos of this tree throughout scripture. Where echos of the tree of life pointed us to temples, echos of this tree point us to crucial decisions. What I find fascinating about the echos of this tree is that every decision is really the same decision that Adam and Eve had in the garden.

Three Forgotten Temples

I think when most Christians think about temples in the Bible they have in mind one of two things. Either they think of the Tabernacle in the desert or they think of the Temple built by Solomon. These are in fact the most prolific temples. If you read Exodus you find out that the creation of the tabernacle was very specific in its lengths. When you get to Kings and Chronicles, Solomon dedicates the temple. This is the temple that gets destroyed by Babylon. It is at this place that Ezra and Nehemiah build the second temple. It's no wonder that this is the temple that comes to mind.

Yet there are three other temples. Three temples more important than the rest. One is the template -- the blueprint -- for all those that come after. If we don't understand it, we cannot truly understand any other. One does not look or feel like a temple. It is dark and seems hopeless. And yet it is this temple that gives us all hope. The final temple is full of light. It is a future temple. It is the temple as it was always meant to be. These are the three forgotten temples.

On Earth as in Heaven

The last two entries in this series have been about the kingdom and will of God. You read about what the kingdom of God looks like and you read that to truly live in that kingdom you need to submit to the will of God. This next entry is one that many commentaries lump in with will. But I think that is a mistake.

There is a problem with the view of many Christians today. Many of you are under the impression that the world we live in will be destroyed. You think that when judgement day happens Jesus is going to come and blow up the earth and some incorporeal part of you is going to live with him in heaven with halos and wings and golden gates. I could say that this comes from the writings of Plato, but that would mean little to most of you. I think a more relatable reality is that we have believed all those movies with Kirk Cameron. I hate to tell you, but that's just not what I see in scripture.

Thy Will Be Done

The last entry in this series was about the Kingdom of God. It was about how that kingdom is drastically different than any other kingdom. It is a place of justice, peace and mercy. The Kingdom of Heaven is the utopia that so many nation states try and fail to create. For some this may seem like a unicorn -- a magical beast that everyone wants, but does not exist. The truth is that the Kingdom of God does exist. It is a place greater than anything we know, but living there is not easy. To live in the Kingdom of Heaven requires giving up every selfish desire. It means that you must submit to the king of that kingdom.

Who is in the Heavens

Heaven. If you asked most Americans they would say that heaven is up in the sky. It has puffy clouds and golden gates and angels with harps and halos. But this is not really what Jesus meant when He said that the Father is in heaven. Actually, He said that the Father is in the heavens. He used the plural. For some this might not do anything, but for others this might change the meaning.

Just like the last entry in the series we often overlook this phrase. We think we know what Jesus meant when He said "Our Father, who art in heaven." But the truth is that we probably don't spend as much time understanding this phrase as we should. We need to look at the more than just the translation. The history of the use of this word is just as important as the translation.

Our Father

Our Father. These are the first two words of the Lord's Prayer. At first glance they don't seem to mean much. They are just an address to God and yet this address brings with it some rich theology. In these two words we find hope, community, belonging, identity. In these two words is a deep understanding of who we are as a people of God and who God is for us. These first two words set the stage for understanding the rest of the Lord's Prayer.

Scars

So there is this passage in Genesis that struck me the other day. It is after Jacob wrestles with God. Jacob names the place Peniel. This is Hebrew and it means face of God. But what struck me was what Jacob said. He said that he had seen God face to face and had been preserved.

Preserved? Really?

In case you didn't know, God gave Jacob a limp. Seems interesting to think that preservation meant a limp. Some might say God cheated since he couldn't beat Jacob. But frankly I think that is a bad interpretation. I think this was God's way of reminding Jacob that God was always with him. Jacob's scar became something to treasure and not to disdain.

4 Things Biblical Marriage is Not

Marriage is a hot topic these days. My whole reason for creating this blog involved the concept of marriage and what was biblical. In that first post I hinted at the fact Christians who think it only takes one thing for marriage to be biblical are wrong. Yet I did not really go into much detail.

A few weeks later I followed up with 5 Things I Learned About Marriage During My Divorce. This has become my most visited blog. I mention it because I am going to reference it many times in what follows. If you haven't read that I suggest you do so now and then come back. Don't worry I'll still be here. 

What follows is a list that I cam up with while preparing to preach on Genesis 2:24. It will include concepts that I have said before. But these are things that I know need to be said. So without further adieu:

Advent: Scandal

It's the fourth week of Advent. This week people are getting ready for Christmas. Children are home from school (I know parents love this.) People are frantically trying to get their last minute shopping done. And in the midst of it all I think we forget the exact circumstances of the birth of Jesus. I think we forget that Jesus' birth was a scandal.

Advent: Hope

Last time I talked about the fact that Advent is about waiting. I mentioned that just like Abram waited for a son, and Israel waited for a savior, we wait for the second coming. This week I want to talk about something that goes hand in hand with waiting. I want to talk about hope.

Advent: Waiting

So this is the first week of Advent. It always seems weird to me that churches that do not hold to the whole of the calendar still use Advent. But that is a blog for another day. Advent means coming. It is the season when we eagerly anticipate the birth of our savior Jesus Christ. That means that it is a season of waiting.