#11 CLEAN AND STUBBORN #12 BIG TENT RELIGION May 2009

#11                                 Clean and Stubborn                              May 14, 2009

Psalms 51:10 (revisited) Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

The guys that presume to comment on the bible say this chapter 51 is one of the six Psalms of penitence contained in David’s book. Then entire chapter is attached below to set it into context. What stuck me as significant the last time I read this text is the connection David makes between purity and steadfastness. As you know, writing is a hobby of mine so the use of the conjunctive tells me more than just the three letters in the word.  Using it between two statements means they are inseparable, conditioned on one another; to believe one is to stipulate to the truth of the other.  Using this tool the author states that we cannot be pure unless we are steadfast and we cannot remain steadfast unless we keep ourselves pure. 

Perhaps that is a blinding flash of the obvious to a scholar like you but to me it is as profound as the war within described in Romans 7.  Purity is most often associated with issues of morality but permit me to expand the fences a bit.  Purity includes:

1.     Uncontaminated.  Steel must be refined further and further the more stress it will experience in its designed use.

2.     No distractions. These would include the weeds in the parable of the sower and the seed Matthew 13.

3.     Straightforward. No hidden agenda in our relationships.

4.     Absolute. No compromises that tarnish our luster.

David writes that he needs Gods spirit to remain steadfast so that he can stay pure. His story is one of a man that sinned when he wavered in his faith.  Steadfastness includes:

1.     Disciplined. You have a plan or method to keep on the path

2.     Loyal.  Unwavering allegiance to your faith and purpose.

3.     Resolute. A determined attitude that pushes through times of struggle and doubt.

When I sin I must examine my discipline, loyalty and how resolute I have been.  A breakdown in execution will result in a transgression because of inconsistency. Just as true, if I try to be steadfast for the sake of appearing steadfast without purity of intention and agenda this effort will result in the legalistic faith of a Pharisee.  Yes, we can keep all the rules and do all the right stuff but still be stinky grave inside [Matt 23:27-29].

In my book, purity and steadfastness, being clean and stubborn are the Welch’s grape jelly and Skippy peanut butter of my faith. 

         

Psalm 51

For the director of music. A psalm of David. When the prophet Nathan came to him after David had committed adultery with Bathsheba.

 ¹ Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love;  according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions.

 ² Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.

 ³ For I know my transgressions, and my sin is always before me.  Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight,so that you are proved right when you speak
       and justified when you judge.

 ⁵ Surely I was sinful at birth,  sinful from the time my mother conceived me.

 ⁶ Surely you desire truth in the inner parts:  you teach ^[b] me wisdom in the inmost place.

 ⁷ Cleanse me with hyssop, and I will be clean;  wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

 ⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;  let the bones you have crushed rejoice.

 ⁹ Hide your face from my sins  and blot out all my iniquity.

 ¹⁰ Create in me a pure heart, O God,  and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

 ¹¹ Do not cast me from your presence  or take your Holy Spirit from me.

 ¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.

 ¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,  and sinners will turn back to you.

 ¹⁴ Save me from bloodguilt, O God, the God who saves me,  and my tongue will sing of your righteousness.

 ¹⁵ O Lord, open my lips,  and my mouth will declare your praise.

 ¹⁶ You do not delight in sacrifice, or I would bring it; you do not take pleasure in burnt offerings.

 ¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are ^[c] a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart,
       O God, you will not despise.

 ¹⁸ In your good pleasure make Zion prosper;  build up the walls of Jerusalem.

 ¹⁹ Then there will be righteous sacrifices,whole burnt offerings to delight you;
       then bulls will be offered on your altar.

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#12                                 Big Tent Religion                                  May 15, 2009

The Republican Party is in ‘complete disarray’ if you voted for the current president or its ‘struggling to return to its conservative roots’ if you’re a Red-state voter.  No matter which side you are on, there is agreement that the GOP needs a “Big Tent” approach to regain lost political power. This means building a coalition of diverse interests and agendas that can be united under a single or a limited number of causes.  Each of these factions will have to decide if the ultimate goal of regaining  1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

is worth subordinating their pet policy.  The church has a similar obstacle in its path as it reaches out to the world.

Many of us come from denominations where the goal seemed to be finding folks that looked like us, talked like us and see God like us.  In order to fit in you have to ‘volunteer’ for duties as much as the next guy, give as much as the average and, for heaven’s sake, don’t sing out of key. Every Sunday homogeneous hoards assemble and derisively criticize those not in lock step to their traditions. The visual of thousands of penguins dressed up in their Sunday best squawking at an unfortunate artic gull that wandered into their midst comes to mind.  Just like those frigid birds, we experienced churchmen project an icy veneer toward anyone that disturbs our church routine.

My church is big and getting bigger. We had just under nine thousand folks join us for Easter services this year.  Looking around the auditorium in any one of the eights services you’d see people from every walk of life, economic strata and life style.  This meteoric growth has been painful on several levels not the least of which is the financial burden and strain on community.  If church is going to be a refuge for a world in need of a Savior, someone has to bear the cost.  Visitors don’t come to church with their checkbooks. They drag their burdens, pains, needs, kids, and deep wounds through the front door but never an overflowing wallet. It shouldn’t be a surprise because Christ had to feed the crowds he attracted. In addition, these needy new souls drain the time from our schedules that in turn strains the relationships we want to strengthen when we come to church.  We can find our self serving more and getting less out of our time there.

This is where a little voice in the back of my head asks, “What’s in it for me? I faithfully give and serve where I can and I do this for folks I don’t know and probably wouldn’t want to eat dinner with!”  Wow, did I say that? This is the pivotal point.  I can let myself feel taken advantage of or I can experience the joy of the apostle:

1 Corinthians 9

¹⁹ Though I am free and belong to no man, I make myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. ²⁰ To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹ To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God's law but am under Christ's law), so as to win those not having the law. ²² To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all men so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³  do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings. 

 ²⁴ Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.  ²⁵ Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. ²⁶ Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air. ²⁷ No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

I’m learning that joy resides, dwells, makes its home, in providing the Big Tent for disparate peoples, in many lands and from dissimilar histories; a sanctuary to meet the Savior. Further, that what’s-in-it-for-me is the smile of my Heavenly Father when he sees that his stubborn, willful son finally understands.