Living Story Grace

“Since they didn’t bother to acknowledge God, God quit bothering them and let them run loose. And then all hell broke loose: rampant evil, grabbing and grasping, vicious backstabbing. They made life hell on earth with their envy, wanton killing, bickering, and cheating. Look at them: mean-spirited, venomous, fork-tongued God-bashers. Bullies, swaggerers, insufferable windbags! They keep inventing new ways of wrecking lives. They ditch their parents when they get in the way. Stupid, slimy, cruel, cold-blooded. And it’s not as if they don’t know better. They know perfectly well they’re spitting in God’s face. And they don’t care—worse, they hand out prizes to those who do the worst things best!” Romans 1:28-32, The Message

That doesn’t sound like very good news at all. Sin is frightening in the way it can run out of control. But there may be some good news to be found: Listen to Eugene Peterson:
“Sin isn’t a skeleton in the closet that we surround with restrictions to keep it in its place. It’s a defective relationship with God. If we aren’t convinced of the nature of that defect in our lives it’s unlikely we will accept the remedy for that defect.

The failure to treat God as God, to honor him and thank him, Paul calls Sin, with a capital S, from which all lowercase sins ultimately proceed. If we, having read Paul’s gospel, were to still think that sin is sensuality or vice or crudeness or any of the bad things we do, we would have missed his point completely. Paul wants us to understand that all those things are derivative. Sin, he asserts, is that original rebellion against God, that basic act of leaving him, that foundational failure to treat him as the Almighty.

This disaffection from God, called Sin, is humanity’s despair. But when Paul writes of it, it’s anything but despair, for by tracing our sins to their source, he prepares us for the solution. That solution has nothing to do with self-help and everything to do with a Savior.”

Another gem from Christopher J. H. Wright.
“Sing to the Lord, praise his name;

proclaim his salvation day after day.

Declare his glory among the nations,

his marvelous deeds among all peoples.  (Ps. 96:2-3; emphasis added)

“The name, salvation, and glory of YHWH were all bound up with ‘his marvelous deeds.’  YHWH was known through what he had done, and Israel knew that to preserve YHWH’s identity they must tell this story – whether to themselves or (in some way that remained a mystery in Old Testament times) to the nations.  For in the telling of the story stood the rendering of the God woh was its prime character.  So Israel told the story as a bulwark against idolatry (Deut. 4:9-40).  They told the story as an explanation and motivation for the law(Deut. 6:20-25).  They told the story as a rebuke to themselves (Ps 105-106; Mic 6:1-8; Amos 2:9-11) or to YHWH himself (Ps. 44:89).  They told the story as a comfort and anchor for hope (Jer. 32:17-25).  Israel’s whole theology depended on its memory, and Israel’s memory was constitutive of their peoplehood.  The same identity as the people of God with this storied memory constitutes also for us the authority of our mission.” The Mission of God

What Chris Wright is telling us is that as the people of God, we have a story that explains our existence and our exigencies.  As we tell our own stories and listen to others’, we see the intricate workings of God to redeem and restore the lives of his beloved, chosen people.  What stories have you told or heard that have drawn you to see God’s glory?  What story of salvation will you proclaim today?  (That’s not a rhetorical question:) — I know I would love to hear them, so use the comment box!)

Ever feel like God doesn’t really care about YOU and YOUR story? Listen to what Charles Taber says about what the Bible tells us about how God feels about His creation — that includes YOU (and ME!):)

“The very existence of the Bible is introconvertible evidence of the God who refused to forsake his rebellious creation, who refused to give up, who was and is determined to redeem and restore fallen creation to his original design for it…The very existence of such a collection of writings testifies to a God who breaks through to human beings, who disclosed himself to them, who will not leave them unilluminated in their darkness…who takes the initiative in re-establishing broken relationships with us.” (I think that last means “in re-establishing relationship with us after we have broken them!)

Charles R. Taber, “Missiology and the Bible,” Missiology 11 (1983):232. In Christopher H. Wright’s The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative

Yesterday I wrote of my fears and hopes for a difficult conversation I was facing with my Dad (See Surrendering My Savior Complex). The issue was health, rarely an easy one to tackle, even more squirrelly when it involves a man who has managed to avoid seeing a doctor for nearly 14 years. For you who are following, here is the ‘rest of the story.’

My Dad, charming, witty, and sharp, was in prime form. He joked with Ashley, our rather goofy young waitress, about the number of creamers she brought for his coffee – said he was going to take them home and make a milkshake with them. She giggled. He and I exchanged thoughts about tennis, words, and belief systems (he leans toward Buddhism; I, well, as you may have realized…have staked it all on Christ’s finished work for me.) I heard and enjoyed the sweet harmony in the conversation and dreaded ruining it by introducing the new and difficult theme.

But no cacophony came. He had said something teasingly about how we know life is full of ‘pain,’ ‘masochism,’ and ‘self-abnegation,’ and was gathering his things to leave. I could stall no longer, so I seized the words and though I felt very off-key, spoke, “No, wait – along that line, there’s something I need to ask you about!” He proclaimed my ‘segue’ (his word) to be ‘nice’ (also his word). Astonishing.

I told him my observations and others’ concerns and asked him if he minded talking to me about it. (Notice the difference between inviting and demanding? I did, and I think he did too.:) He didn’t mind at all and proceeded to tell me the story of his health over the past few months. He didn’t minimize or mock my concern, and I didn’t overreact or jump in to explain why his self-diagnosis of ‘flu’ could be a misdiagnosis.

Though he didn’t sign up for the doctor’s visit yet, I was able to offer my assistance in getting through the health care hassle when and if he is ready, and he was able to receive my offer. When we parted in the parking lot, he did something rare and unusual for him – he moved toward me to hug me. Not a simple pat, a real two-armed hug from a Dad to a daughter.

When told this story, one of my prayer warriors wrote, “Cool response from God☺!” Indeed, I had asked God to take my fear and transform it into a faith that trusts that God has my Dad’s health and well-being in his hands, and God responded with the embrace of grace!

“Please remember, everything you say and the tone you use will be remembered.” These were the words a dear and wise friend wrote to me in response to an e-mail prayer request I had made for an upcoming difficult conversation.

WOW. The Holy Spirit found its target in my heart with those words. I wrote back, “Fear leads to faithlessness, and too many of my conversations have been soured by that bitter taste rather than seasoned by the sweetness of grace.”

Here is the back story. Today I will dine with my Dad, hoping to have a conversation with him that will result in his seeing a doctor. He is 74 and has not seen a doctor in 25 years. I have noticed some small signs of concern in recent months, but have not addressed them because past attempts have been futile. Now others are noticing too, and I think it is time for me to try again.

Here’s my problem: I have lots of fears, not only about my Dad’s physical health but about his spiritual health. But that’s only the small problem – the larger problem is that I want to SAVE him myself. I go to dark and foolish places of thinking I’m all alone in this, it’s all up to me, and if I don’t do it, he will die and it will be on my shoulders. And when that sort of thinking guides my motives and my words, the conversation and the relationship turn ugly.

My friend’s words jumped in to remind me of what I have been
learning over the past 5 years or so regarding my Dad – I can’t save him, and it’s not my job to do so. If my motive in this conversation is to encourage my Dad to make a move that might improve his quality of life, that is (may be?) a godly and good thing. (It occurs to me an even better motive might be to ask him how he would feel about going to a doctor.) But if it is to force him to do something because it calms my fears, that is simply self-salvation.

May I, may we all, look at places in our lives where we are trying to take over the job of Savior, and may we let it go. Today, I pray, may my heart be right, and may my words be few but rich and powerful and entirely guided by the Holy Spirit.

“When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But he who restrains his lips is wise.” Proverbs 10:19