"Everyday Gospel" - The Good News Behind Your Cavities and Gingivitis

When you woke up this morning, your breath was nasty. Trust me. Pieces of food have been stuck between your teeth, and plaque has been slowly destroying enamel and wreaking havoc on your gums all night long. And let's be honest, you were a little too busy and forgot to brush your teeth last night. So you head to the bathroom to spend a few seconds to fix your mutant breath and hope that these few minutes will do enough protection and prevention that you won't be missing all of your teeth in twenty years. And in these short, routine moments, you are preaching.

Have you ever sat in the chair at the dentist office with all of those tools crammed down your throat and thought, "Why do we even have to worry about plaque and cavities? Couldn't God just have given us teeth that didn't rot in the first place? Isn't life hard enough without having to worry about my flossing technique?"

I have been asking these questions a lot lately. A few weeks ago, the dentist told me that I had two cavities. This was a big deal. I have never had a cavity in 25 years. I didn't want to try it out now.

The big problem is that it is not just your teeth. Your hair falls out or you start dealing with arthritic pain. Your eyesight and hearing abilities diminish. You deal with memory loss. Growing old in a lot of ways isn't growing.

But when we struggle with these things and deal with them through various means such as brushing our teeth, there is an underlying message of hope and redemption waiting to be heard.

It is important to note that this struggle and slow process of decay wasn't always the case. Decay entered the world, along with death, through the introduction of human sin. "Sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin," (Rom 5:12). Since that time, man and all of creation has had to deal with futility and decay. "And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for the adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved," (Rom 8:23-25).

Sin not only brought death into the world, but it also brought the painful degradation of all created things. Because of sin, your teeth rot, your breath smells like garbage, and one day you will get to rock a set of dentures. And those dentures are proof that our sin does not and will not go unpunished.

But this reality of atrophy brought by sin is not the end. There is a final hope, and it is not your toothbrush and mouthwash!

God has promised to make all things new. The first evidence of this promise of renewal being fulfilled was given when Jesus was raised from the dead.

"But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For as by a man [Adam] came death, by a man [Christ] has come also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ."      1 Corinthians 15:20-23 

The hope we face against cavities, gingivitis, and ultimately death is in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. As he was raised three days after his crucifixion, he will raise us up as well. But we are not just raised up in spirit. We are promised to be given new bodies. "For this perishable body must put on the imperishable, and this mortal body must put on immortality," (1 Cor 15:53).

What that means for us is we do not have to fight the everyday battles against cavities and hair-loss the same way. Those who have put their faith in the resurrected Jesus have hope. Our breath will stink for now. We will still get to rock those dentures. But we eagerly await the day our hopes are fulfilled and we are given new, immortal bodies.

Every morning, you fight an ongoing battle against decay and disease by brushing your teeth. On the surface, it seems to be an event of no real significance. But this everyday routine points to the fact that all of creation is in a process of depreciation due to human sin. This process will ultimately lead to death; however, we have not been left without an option for hope. We must look beyond the toothpaste on our brushes, look to the empty grave of Christ, and cling to the hope that he will faithfully fulfill his promise of restoration and renewal to all of those who placed their trust in him.

"Everyday Gospel" - Dude, Put Some Clothes On

If you're like me at all, you probably don't do your deepest thinking as you drag yourself out of bed in the morning and put on some clothes. But whether you realize it or not, when you throw something on while trying to break out of the morning haze, you are preaching. Before you can even make it out of the bedroom, you are declaring an incredible truth that deserves serious attention.

When you are getting dressed, there are several factors influence your decision on what to wear. One of the major determinants in choosing what to wear is what you're planning on doing. Where you are going and what you will be doing drastically impact the clothes you choose for the day. A trip to the mall or movie theatre calls for a different attire than an interview for a job or a wedding. What you plan to do matters when putting on clothes.

Along with the plans for the day, who you will see or, even more importantly, who will see you throughout the day greatly influences what you decide to wear when putting on your clothes in the morning. Image and reputation are established and maintained in part by what we wear. You are unlikely to choose the same clothes when heading to lunch with your best friend as you would when accepting a dinner invitation from a distinguished figure in the community. You are sharing a meal with each person; however, who you are meeting influences what you would wear.

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Clothes have come a long way since fig leaves, but they continue to serve the same purpose. According to the book of Genesis, after Adam and Eve sinned, they realized they were naked. This realization brought shame. To deal with the newfound shame, Adam and Eve sewed some leaves together for covering. Sin had stained them and distorted their relationship, and in response, Adam and Even tried to deal with the consequence of their sin on their own by covering it up with a plant.

When you put your foot into that first pant leg and when you pick out a t-shirt for the day, you are preaching. That t-shirt and jean combo points to the truth that just like Adam we have been stained with sin and we need something to cover it up. Walking around butt-naked doesn't just produce shame, but it preaches a false message that you do not have sin and are in no need of cover.

But just like the leaves used by Adam and Eve, cotton and polyester are not going to deal with the deeper problem in sin.

After God had pronounced curses upon Adam and Eve, He did not leave them on their own to survive with their fig leaves. "And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skin and clothed them," (Gen 3:21).

This verse reveals two very important truths. First, the clothes Adam and Eve had made for themselves were not sufficient. God, himself, made clothes for Adam and Eve in order to deal with the consequences of their sin. Second, it took death for God to provide the necessary clothes. Adam and Eve had made clothes out of plants. God, however, made clothes out of skin. A sacrifice of some kind was made in order for Adam and Eve to have sufficient clothing.

Likewise, the name-brand jeans and thrift store shirt you're rocking are not sufficient to deal the problem of sin.

In fact, nothing we can devise - no system we develop, no method we follow, no good deeds we perform - can sew a garment pure enough to cover the disgusting stain left by sin. And without a perfectly pure garment, we have no hope of dwelling with God. Like Adam and Eve, we need God, himself, to make a garment for us.

In order to make garments sufficient for Adam and Eve, a sacrifice was made. In a similar manner, God made the ultimate sacrifice by sending his son to die in order to provide the necessary clothing for us to be reunited with him.

When Jesus died on the cross, God offered us a trade. If we put our faith in the work of his son, He will take our sin-stained garments and exchange them for his perfect cloak of righteousness. Adam and Eve sewed together their own fig leaves but were given new garments God made of animal skin. We have built our own garments made of good deeds to cover up our shame, but God has offered to replace them with the perfect garment made up of the righteousness of his son Jesus Christ.

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When you get dressed in the morning, what you are planning on doing, where you are planning on going, and who you are planning on meeting influence your decision on what to wear. It is the same way when we consider our spiritual clothing. We must make a decision on whether we will depend on the clothes we have made for ourselves out of good deeds and hard work or exchange our insufficient clothes for the righteous garments Jesus offers to us. Just as the plans of the day affect our choice in clothing, the choice we make regarding spiritual clothes will have eternal ramifications. If we are planning on going to heaven, living with God forever, and meeting Him face to face, then we are expected to have the clothes to match the occasion.

Before you even make it out of the bedroom in the morning, you preach good news. Just as we all need to put on some clothes to cover up the physical shame of nakedness, we need something to cover up the spiritual shame of sin against God. Tommy Hilfiger and Nike won't deal with the deeper shame. In fact nothing we try will deal with it. Our only option to cover the spiritual shame from sin is to put our faith in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and to be dressed in his garment of righteousness.

So, please, put some clothes on. Just don't depend on the ones we have made for ourselves. Your fig leaves won't do the trick.

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[Note: Next Thursday: "The Good News Behind Your Cavities and Gingivitis" -  A look at what you're preaching each morning when you brush your teeth.]

"Everyday Gospel" - Introducing a New Series

From the moment you slam the alarm clock for the last time, drag yourself out of bed, and put your feet on the cold, hardwood floor to the moment you flip off the lights and retreat under your covers to grab as much rest as you can before the next day of monotony, whether you know it or not, you are preaching.

In the midst of every single chaotic (or dreadfully boring) day lie countless events that speak an eternal message of separation, hope, love, life, death, redemption, and glory. But this message goes mostly unnoticed. Drowned out by the cares and concerns of everyday life and blurred by the habitual nature of these events, the message speaks to deaf ears.

Not only are your days filled with events that speak this message, but the world around you is heralding the same revelation. Immersed in nature are myriad examples of events that intimate the same word of hope.

For the next few weeks, I am planning to reflect on how some of these everyday events narrate a singular message. From brushing your teeth and putting on your clothes in the morning to spending time with the kids and going to bed at night, numerous everyday occurrences preach to us.

For each blog entry in the series, I will consider how a single, routine event speaks to us. It is my hope that this series will enable us to think more deeply about how even the habitual, mundane happenings of our lives are significant and share with us a message of good news worth hearing. I plan to post a new entry each Thursday, so subscribe to the blog or bookmark the page and follow along as we consider how everyday life offers a crucial word to us.

Everyday moments are declaring a message to us. The question is, will we listen?

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[Note: Coming this Thursday, July 15: "Dude, Put Some Clothes On" - a look at what you're preaching every morning when you get dressed.]

Everybody Wants to Go to Heaven... But Nobody Wants to Sit Next to a Nazi

Last week I discussed how the gathering of many nations at the World Cup points to a longing for unity. What inspires us when we witness people from various nations and ethnicities coming together should remind us of the promise God has made to bring people from every tribe and every nation together under the reign of his son, Jesus Christ. While we rightly embrace moments that display such diversity like the World Cup and many of us cling to the idea that God is forming a people made up of individuals from every nation, I question if we genuinely believe and long for there to be such diversity in heaven.

When we are asked to think about what heaven will be like as we join alongside people from every people group, its easy to think about what it will be like to live alongside sweet, loving people from Kenya and China and Brazil. But what will be your reaction when you find yourself singing alongside a former member of the Nazi regime? Would you embrace worshipping God for eternity next to someone from the Hutu tribe in Rwanda that committed genocide in the mid-90's? What about someone who at one point had ties to the Taliban?

Our view of a united humanity is too romanticized. It will not just include people from peaceful tribes. The people of God is not limited to the people groups that fought on our side for every war. This united group will not be missing representation from any people group. It is declared of Jesus, "You ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on earth," (Rev 5:10-11).

But this truth that our own enemies will join us should not surprise us. Throughout the ministry of Jesus and from the early days of the Christian church, one of the hallmark principles of the Christian faith has been the duty to love our enemies.

In his most famous message, Jesus told his disciples, "I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven," (Mt 5:44-45). Pointing out what should be the identifying characteristics of those who follow him, Jesus made it clear that we should love those we would normally hate. But why?

Jesus answers this question with the second phrase, "so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven." When we love our enemies, we look like and mirror God. While we were still enemies with God because of our sin, God sent his son to die for us (Rom 5:8-10). We follow in his footsteps when we love those who stand against us.

This principle of loving your enemies is displayed in countless other places in the New Testament. Jews and Samaritans, Jews and Greeks, Pharisees and tax collectors. Time and time again, Jesus and the apostles of the early church taught us to love our enemies.

Just as we are expected to love our enemies here on earth, we can expect to one day find ourselves united in heaven with those who were once standing on the opposite side of the battle lines. We are to love our enemies now in order to act as a preview for the day when people from every nation will live together as God's chosen people. We should be reminded of this each time we pray, "Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven," (Mt 6:10).

Sure, you want to go to heaven. But do you want to be there if your stuck next to your worst enemy? We must embrace our call to love our enemies and prepare for the day when God unites all things through his son. Until then, we continue to look forward to that day by following Jesus' last command. We must "make disciples of all nations," and to get ready to join hand in hand with the worst of our enemies.

Look at Man - He Has Nostrils!

"Raider fans, with the first pick of the 2007 NFL Draft, the Oakland Raiders select Quarterback JaMarcus Russell, LSU." Roger Goodell, NFL Commissioner

Those familiar with the former number one overall pick might assume that what follows this quote is another tirade regarding how much Russell has failed to live up to expectations. Coming out of Louisiana State University to play at the professional level, JaMarcus Russell was expected to excel on the gridiron. Draft guru Mel Kiper, Jr. spoke glowingly about Russell. "[He] is going to immediately energize Raider Nation... Three years from now you could be looking at a guy who is certainly one of the elite, top five quarterbacks in this league." However, after only three seasons, it has become apparent that Russell is not the player everyone expected him to be.

Articles and broadcasts detailing the massive disappointment that is Russell's football career have piled up over the last few years. Raider fans became disgruntled as Russell continued to struggle. As he prepared for the 2010 season, Russell lost his last and most important supporter, the notorious Raiders owner Al Davis, and was released in May.

It only took three years for the projected superstar to hit rock bottom. Except, rock bottom gave in to even further disappointment and shame. During a make-or-break summer, Russell was arrested for possession of a controlled substance -- codeine syrup -- and likely will not play in the NFL any time soon.

The main point of this entry is not to ridicule Russell for poor decision-making or to make fun of Raiders fans for another catastrophic event under Davis' watch. Russell's epic fall from a pillar of hope and expectation to a figure marked by great disappointment and failure is not unique. He is only part of a limitless line of frustrating personalities who have tortured the public by failing to satisfy expectations.

We put our hope in all sorts of individuals. We put our hope in political figures to change or maintain policies in order to provide us a better way of life. We put our hope in family members and our community leaders. Many of us put our hope in celebrities and sports figures in order to be entertained and given an escape from reality.

Two things can happen when we put our hope in individuals such as these. Some of them may actually live up to our expectations; however the results do not last forever. Even our fulfilled hopes do not permanently satisfy our hearts. We go on hoping in something or someone new. Other figures like JaMarcus Russell may fail to live up to our expectations. Hopes are crushed, and we are left scrambling in search of something else to satisfy us.

We must learn to "stop regarding man in whose nostrils is breath, for of what account is he?" (Isaiah 2:22).  No man can ultimately satisfy all of our hopes. We are warned, "Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation," (Psalm 146:3).

This line of disappointment goes all the way back to the first man, Adam. He stood as the representative for all of man and failed miserably. But God gave us a second representative. He met every expectation and offers satisfaction to every longing and hope. "For if, because of one man's trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ," (Romans 5:17).

Raiders fans were completely let down by JaMarcus Russell. We have all been let down by our first representative. But unlike Raiders fans, we have a clear way for hope.

Red, White, and Golden Moo

All across the country this morning, congregations followed the weekly tradition of gathering together to sing songs of worship and praise. This morning, however, was not the same. Groups of believers from shore to shore, including many evangelical congregations, lifted up a song or two to honor this great country in which we are blessed with incredible freedoms. While it is right and good for American Christians to thank God for these rights and freedoms, some congregations have gone to an extreme by making an idol for themselves and singing praises to another god. Instead of directing praise to our Father, many of us have exchanged Him for a banner of red, white, and blue and offered our gratitude and praise to an idol. Even if only for a few minutes, our praise has changed directions from Godward to flagward.

We are not unique in making this exchange. Over and over, man has fashioned new gods and idols in his own image to replace the Creator of all things. One of the clearest and most popular examples of this is found in the account of the Golden Calf in the book of Exodus.

As Moses was encountering the living God on a mountain not too far away, the Israelites were quickly growing impatient of waiting for him to come back. When they got sick of waiting for the prophet to return with a word from God, they demanded Moses' brother to build them a god. Aaron conceded and proceeded to build a statue of a cow that was made out of the people's gold jewelry.

When the idol was built, the people praised it instead of God. They gave it credit for delivering them and providing them freedom. Speaking of the collected gold, "they said, 'These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt!" (Ex 32: 4)

God was prepared to respond in holy wrath against the idolatrous worship of the Israelites by wiping out the entire group of people; however, Moses stood in the gap for Israel and asked God to have mercy on them. He spoke these words to God: "But now, if you will forgive their sin--but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written," (Ex 32:32). In response to Moses' prayer, God had mercy on the people. They did not completely escape judgment as God later sent a plague, but they did receive mercy from immediate, ultimate judgment.

Today, the people of God have once again fashioned an idol for themselves. While we wait for the return of Christ, many of us have grown tired of waiting and have put our ultimate hope in something we built. We have put our trust in something we can see and touch."Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things," (Rom 1:22-23).

There are two similarities that should give us great pause.

First, the Israelites praised the new idol for providing them freedom. Their freedom from Israel was indeed a great blessing; however, they did not give the honor and thanks to the One who provided the freedom. Likewise, our freedom in America is great, but this freedom should only point to the greater freedom we have found in Christ and motivate us to praise Him instead of a symbol.

Second, when Moses came down, he found the people of God singing and dancing to their man-made idol. Today, across our country, countless congregations have lifted their voices directly to a flag "that was still there" instead of a God who was, and is, and is to come.

God is jealous of any praise that His people give to anything or anyone else. "I, I am the LORD, and besides me there is no savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you," (Is 43:11-12). We must seriously consider the just judgment that is given to those who bow before any idol.

Indeed, we should take note of the judgment that God still placed on Israel for their idolatry, but we should ultimately focus on the role of Moses in this narrative. Moses stood before God as a mediator, a willing substitute. Similarly, we have a perfect mediator and substitute in Christ Jesus. "Therefore, he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant," (Heb 9:15). Whether by singing praises to another or by spending all of our time focusing on something or someone else, we have all worshipped and offered praises to various idols. We must seek forgiveness and place our faith in the One to whom Moses was pointing, Jesus Christ.

"One Game [Man] Changes Everything"

As the official slogan for the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa, "One Game Changes Everything" represents how much enthusiasm the world has placed into an amazing game. Commercials for the World Cup show babies being named after favorite soccer heroes. Statues are built to memorialize the greats. In the news, it is common to hear reports of crazed fans rioting and even killing each other over the outcome of a game. No matter what you're personal feelings are about soccer, you cannot deny the level of passion involved.

The World Cup has once again captured the world's attention. Even the United States has followed the tournament this year with enthusiasm. I believe there are two underlying reasons why the game has captured our attention like never before.

First, the world is longing for hope. We don't get hope from the news reports of everyday life. Instead of hope, our normal days are filled with fear and anxiety. What is causing audiences to be rapt with awe with the World Cup is what took the nation by storm in the last presidential election. In the midst of the usual, depressing spin of life, people found something that looked like "hope". Real or not, hope is contagious.

Second, the World Cup, along with the Olympics, is one of the few regular events that brings the nations together to perform on one stage. The diversity of color and culture speaks to a longing inside each of us that yearns for unity and peace. This canvas of international flavor rightfully inspires us.

Beyond the beauty of the sport, the World Cup presents to us two realities that capture the hearts and minds of every person: hope and unity among the nations. However, even as the World Cup points to these truths, the hope and unity it presents is not complete or final. This hope and unity ultimately points to the hope and unity found in Jesus Christ alone.

"Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God," (Rom 5:1-2).

Not only is the hope we all long for ultimately found in Christ, but the inner longing we each experience when we witness gatherings of people from across the globe such as the World Cup are rooted in God's purpose of bringing people from all nations to form a people for His son.

"And they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth,'" (Rev 5:9-10).

While the marketing team behind the ads for the World Cup suggests that "One Game Changes Everything",  one can appreciate how this game points to the great truths that we as a people long for hope and to be united with others from every nation; however, the game of soccer fails to ultimately fulfill those longings.

These longings are not satisfied by a mere game but are fulfilled by the One Man Who Changes Everything.  "For God was pleased to have his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross," (Col 1:19-20).