markdroberts: guest bloggers

Eyewitness Testimony in Mark’s Gospel

The goal here -- another long, ole-fashioned Bible study -- is to establish that Mark's Gospel has the earliest and best eyewitness testimony embedded in it.

This is Part Ten in a series on the historical reliability of the Gospels.

Authoritative Testimony in Matthew’s Gospel

This article rounds a corner from the traditions transmitted before the Gospels were written to the Gospels themselves, as we have them now. Do they enjoy eyewitness testimony at their foundation?

Folks, this is a long, ole-fashioned Bible study. So get your favorite non-alcoholic beverage, settle in, and happy reading! Or print it out, get your Bible, and take them to your favorite non-alcoholic drinking place and . . . happy reading, again!

Part Nine in a long series on the historical reliability of the Biblical Gospels.

Did Some Disciples Take Notes during Jesus' Ministry?

This is a question that must be explored.

This article is Part Eight in a series on the historical reliability of the Gospels.

What is the Q 'Gospel'? The Gospel According to 'St Q'?

In this article and the previous two, we explore what was happening between Jesus' ministry and the written Gospels. Here we turn our attention mainly toward so-called Q. This article is a Q & A on Q. The question is – is Q OK?

Here is Part Seven on the historical reliability of the Gospels.

Reliable Gospel Transmissions

As noted in the previous article, we are talking about this gap:

Jesus’ ministry |               | Written Gospels

Those two vertical bars are not meant to be firm barriers, as if the disciples did not learn or observe anything during Jesus' ministry and carried it forward past the first bar. But the question still remains: How were the teachings and deeds of Jesus handed on during the gap? Reliably or not?

This is Part Six on the historical reliability of the Gospels.

The Gospel Traditions

With this article we turn a corner away from archaeology and non-Christian written references to Gospel persons (the last three articles). Now we discuss the preservation of Jesus' ministry -- his words and activity -- after his crucifixion (and resurrection) and up to the time when the Gospels were written.

The disciples were keeping careful track of what Jesus was saying and doing during his ministry, but for simplicity, here is the gap that the next three articles will cover:

Jesus' ministry |                 | Written Gospels

What was preserved between that timeframe, in the gap? How was it preserved? Accurately and reliably or otherwise?

Part Five in a long series on the historical reliability of the Gospels . . .

Did Jesus Even Exist?

In the last article, Archaeology and John’s Gospel, I asked whether skepticism chic is passé. Maybe I should have used the term hyper-skepticism. Is it waning? No.

Did Jesus even live? Personally, I have no doubt that he did. But we should take a moment to provide resources that counter hyper-skepticism.

Part Four in a long series on the historical reliability of the Gospels

Archaeology and John's Gospel

For many decades John's Gospel has been ignored or slighted in its historical details. Is this fair? Is there any evidence that shows that the historical assumptions within the Gospel correspond to or cohere with the historical facts outside of the Gospel?

This is Part Three in a long series on the historical reliability of the Gospels.

Archaeology and the Synoptic Gospels

There is a "rock" solid correspondence and coherence between the historical assumptions within the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke and the historical facts outside of those three Gospels, in archaeology. This article has ten representative examples of this coherence.

Part Two in a series on the historical reliability of the Gospels . . .

Historical Reliability of the Gospels

Christianity has always been the religion of the Book, the Bible. More specifically for this series, all Christians of all denominations cherish the four Biblical or canonical Gospels. But there is no pleasant way to put this. In the past decade – but also several before that – the Gospels have been assaulted by liberal scholars and other critics.

It is no longer feasible – if it ever was – for web readers and TV viewers to ignore these criticisms, since they come across the mass media and the web seemingly from one month to the next.

So who should read the series? Anyone who has access to the news media in print, over the airwaves, or through the web. Maybe high school and college students, home Bible study leaders, Sunday school and catechism teachers, pastors, and priests may find something of value in the long series. But it is mainly intended for the laity or nonspecialist. I have put the series in the Q & A format for clarity and ease of understanding.

This Site is No Longer Inactive

This website is no longer inactive. I'm using it for guest bloggers. You can visit my main site at http://www.markdroberts.com.

Do to Others as You Would Have Them Do to You

Today is a special day for my family, literally. March 8th is what we call "Gary's Special Day." On this day in 1961 we adopted my brother Gary. It was one of the greatest days of my life. Every year thereafter as I was growing up we'd do something fun as a family. For Gary, it was like having a second birthday. (In the picture to the right, Gary shows his prowess as a bowler. Professionaly, he's a sheriff in Los Angeles.)

There were times, however, when Gary and I encountered a bit of conflict in our boyhood relationship. For example, one time when Gary was about six years old, he clobbered me with a stick. In pain, I tried to show him that he shouldn't do such things, arguing that hitting me wasn't what Jesus wanted him to do. He disagreed, saying to me robustly: "Do unto others what you want to do unto them."

Well, Gary was in the ballpark, but didn't get it quite right. In fact, Jesus said, "Do to others as you would have them do to you" (6:31). Interestingly, there are quite a few parallels in Jewish and other sources to this saying of Jesus, though they're not quite the same. The most common Jewish rule was given expression by Rabbi Hillel, who said, "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbor, that is the whole Torah, while the rest is commentary" (b. Sab. 31a). From the other side of the world, Confucius once said, "What you do not want done to yourself, do not do to others" (Analects 15:23). (For these and other examples, see Darrell Bock, Luke, Vol 1, [Baker, 1994] pp. 596-597.) But, you no doubt noticed, these statements approach the issue from the negative: Don't do to others what you don't want done to yourself. Jesus is unique among moral teachers in the strength and clarity of the positive: Do to others what you want done to yourself.

Now there's a trustworthy rule of thumb for human behavior. When in doubt, do to others what you would like to have done to you. If you and I would only follow this rule, we'd be home free in the ethical and relational realm. If you and I would do this, virtually every conflict in our families would evaporate. Plus, we'd no longer waste energy in our lives hurting each other, but we'd be able to focus even more on the ministry of the kingdom.

You'll notice that Jesus didn't qualify the "others" to whom we are to do as we wish they'd do to us. He didn't say "Do only to those you like what you'd like them to do to you." In context, it's clear that He's including among the others those we'd consider our enemies. "Treat even your enemies as you'd like to be treated." Now that's a tall order!

I wonder what our lives would be like if we too seriously the call to do to others as we'd like them to do to us. It would be an interesting to try this for one week. Treat the checkout clerk as you'd like to be treated. Treat the people in your office as you'd like to be treated. Do to your spouse as you'd like your spouse to do to you. And so forth, and so on. Why not give it a try?

Permalink for this post.

Give to Everyone Who Begs from You

Jesus said, "Give to everyone who begs from you" (6:30). This sounds simple enough to follow, but I can't tell you how many debates I have been in with other Christians about this particular verse. When I was in college, my friends and I dealt with this issue almost daily, because there were many beggars in Cambridge, Massachusetts. During my freshman year, my dorm sat right on Harvard Square. (In the photo to the right my bedroom window is within the red box.) I couldn't go to the bank or get an ice cream cone from Brigham's without running into folks who'd ask me: "Got a qwa-tuh?" (That's Bostonian for "Do you have a quarter, please?")

Then, I spent my first seven years of professional ministry on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. In any given week we had literally hundreds of street people coming to the church looking for financial assistance. It was truly impossible for us to give to everyone who begged from us. We had neither enough time nor enough stuff. Moreover, there was the perennial problem of what people would do with what we gave them. Money would, in many cases, be used for cigarettes or alcohol. Food vouchers would often be sold on the streets, with the proceeds supporting unhealthy habits. Literally following the command of Jesus seemed to be enabling harmful behavior, not helping people in genuine need.

So what do we do with the command of Jesus to "Give to everyone who begs from you"? It's true that in the time of Jesus most beggars needed the basics of food and shelter, and wouldn't have squandered their alms on unnecessary and unwholesome items. Moreover, it's also true that Jesus wasn't laying out here a systematic ethics of charitable giving. He was using hyperbole–exaggeration, if you will–to get His audience's attention and to make a striking point. God help us not to blunt this point with our rationalizations! Yes, it might in fact be true that there are times when we ought not to give to one who begs, or at least we should not give what that person asks. But our habit, our pattern, our inclination should always be in the direction of generosity. Better to err by giving away too much than by withholding too much.

Will we be deceived sometimes? No doubt. Will we feel ripped off? I'm sure of it. I've felt this way dozens of times throughout my life. But then I remember that Jesus said, "From anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt," and "if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again" (Luke 6:29-30). I'm quite sure that when I finally stand before the judgment throne of Christ, He won't say to me: "Mark, you were too generous. You were a patsy. You gave away too much."

Permalink for this post.

Turning the Other Cheek

I'm picking up where I left off a few days ago, having begun explaining what Jesus meant when He said that we're to love our enemies.

Jesus expounded still further on what it means to love our enemies by saying, "If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also" (6:29). When we hear this today, we tend to think that Jesus was describing an act of physical violence. We interpret Him as saying, "Don't fight back when you're attacked." But, in context, striking on the cheek wasn't so much about inflicting pain as it was about doling out shame. In fact, one commentator notes, "The blow on the right cheek was the most grievous insult in the ancient Near East." (IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament © 1993 by Craig S. Keener. Electronic text hypertexted and prepared by OakTree Software, Inc. Version: 1.0) We might paraphrase Jesus's teaching this way: When somebody insults you and wounds your pride, don't defend yourself and don't retaliate.

Again, let's acknowledge how hard this is, impossible, really, without divine help. Everything in us and everything in our culture says: Stand up for yourself! Get even! Hit back! Don't be a wimp! Yet Jesus says, "If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also."

I do want to remind you, however, that Jesus doesn't expect us merely to take what people dish out without any response. You may recall that in Matthew 18 Jesus said, "If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one" (18:15). Then, if this doesn't work, you're to take along a couple others to help bring about reconciliation. So Jesus isn't telling us to be everybody's doormat. There is an appropriate way to respond to wrong done against you. But what you're not to do is to retaliate in the ordinary, expected, all-too-human way.

I should also warn us at this point not to misconstrue Jesus's teaching so that sin is ignored, minimized, or excused. Some people, for example, have interpreted turning the other cheek to mean that if a woman is physically abused by her husband, she should just take it. But, in fact, Jesus is not addressing such a horrible act of brutality, but rather a case of insult. Moreover, if a woman is being mistreated by her husband, it's her duty and the responsibility of her Christian community to confront the abuser directly. It's not even loving to let a person continue in his sin without calling him to repentance, let alone to let a Christian sister to be hurt by her husband.

Over the years, I've watched prominent Christian leaders as they receive criticism, even cruel insults. Some seem to believe that Jesus's call to turn the other cheek is no longer relevant, at least not to them. When they are struck with harsh words, they send harsh words right back. But then I've watched other Christian leaders exemplify the counter-cultural and counter-intuitive way of Jesus. Most recently, I was struck by the way Rick Warren responded to the virulent criticism he endured because he invited Barack Obama to speak at Warren's church in a conference on AIDS/HIV. Many Christians slapped Warren's cheek with their harsh words. But Warren refused to slap back. Now whether you support Warren's decision to invite Obama to his church or not, you have to respect Warren's exemplary response. In my opinion, many of Warren's critics would do well to consider how Jesus's call to love their enemies is relevant when they're upset with a brother in Christ.

Permalink for this post.

Amazing Grace, Part 2

A week ago I put up a blog entry entitled: Finding God in Amazing Grace. In this post I recommended the film Amazing Grace even though I hadn't yet seen it. Now I've seen it. And now my recommendation is even more emphatic.

Amazing Grace is a wonderful movie. Even if you have no particular interest in Christianity or in history, you'll enjoy the story of William Wilberforce and his amazing life. But if you're a Christian, you'll see in Wilberforce a model to be emulated. As much as any person in recent history, Wilberforce lived out his faith with integrity in the complicated and often compromised world of politics.

A couple of years ago I wrote a blog series entitled: Evangelical Christians and Social Activism. In this series I used William Wilberforce as an example. Let me reproduce here what I wrote earlier:

Born into wealth and privilege in 1759, William Wilberforce was known in his early years only for his love of socializing and his several physical infirmities. He had no guiding purpose for his well-to-do yet meaningless existence. When he was elected to the British Parliament as a young man, he sought nothing more than his own fame.

But when a Christian friend shared the good news of Christ with him, Wilberforce realized the emptiness of his life. He considered withdrawing from politics altogether. But, as he trusted Christ for salvation on Easter Sunday, 1786, Wilberforce sensed a new zeal to serve the Lord within the sphere of government. Ultimately he seized upon the abolition of slavery as the focus of his Christian and political energies. Though discouraged by many Christian leaders because of the impossibility of the mission, Wilberforce believed that God had sent him into politics to fight against the evils of slavery.

William Wilberforce struggled his entire life with various physical ailments and handicaps.
In 1788 he introduced a measure in the British Parliament to indict the slave trade, and was resoundingly defeated. Similar measures were defeated in 1791, 1792, 1793, 1797, 1798, 1799, 1804, and 1805. Finally, in 1807 Parliament voted to abolish the slave trade, though leaving the institution of slavery untouched.

Wilberforce was not satisfied, however. For the next 26 years he continued his crusade against slavery. Finally, on July 26, 1833, the emancipation of slaves was insured when a committee of the House of Commons ironed out the details of Wilberforce's bill. Three days later, after 45 years of tireless, God-honoring effort, William Wilberforce died, leaving an unsurpassed legacy of Christian concern for justice. His efforts encouraged many American evangelicals who worked tirelessly for the abolition of slavery in the United States.

Amazing Grace focuses on the life of Wilberforce through 1807. The film will entertain you and, perhaps more importantly, challenge you to find true purpose in living.

In my post Finding God in Amazing Grace I also recommend a fine new book by Jim Ware and Kurt Bruner, called, appropriately enough, Finding God in the Story of Amazing Grace. Let me encourage you, once again, to buy this book. It's a wonderful historical and devotional telling of the lives of William Wilberforce and John Newton (who played a key role in Wilberforce's life, and is best known as the writer of the hymn "Amazing Grace").

How Lent Can Make a Difference in Your Relationship with God

I have a blogging tradition for the day after Ash Wednesday, which is the second day of Lent (Ash Wednesday being the first). I put up a simple piece explaining the meaning and practices of Lent. This year's piece is similar to ones I've written before.

I write about the meaning of Lent every year because this season of the church year is unfamiliar to many, including many Christians. But I write not only to explain, but also to invite you to experience God in a deeper and distinctive way. This, I believe, is one of the promises of Lent.

Growing up as an evangelical Christian, I experienced Lent as little more than a joke. "What are you giving up for Lent?" my friends would ask. "Homework," I'd say with a smirk, or "Obeying my parents." Lent was one of those peculiar practices demanded of Roman Catholics - another great reason to be Protestant, I figured. It never even occurred to me that Lent was something I might actually be interested in, or benefit from.

In the last fifteen years I've discovered that Lent is in fact recognized by millions of Protestant Christians, in addition to Catholic and Orthodox believers. (The Eastern Orthodox Lent is longer than the Catholic or Protestant Lent, and it begins before Ash Wednesday.) Lent (the word comes from the Middle English word for "spring") is a six-week season in the Christian year prior to Easter. (Technically, Lent comprises the 40 days before Easter, not counting the Sundays, or 46 days in total.)

In the ancient church, Lent was a time for new converts to be instructed for baptism and for believers caught in sin to focus on repentance. In time, all Christians came to see Lent as a season to be reminded of their need for penitence and to prepare spiritually for the celebration of Easter. Part of this preparation involved the Lenten "fast," giving up something special during the six weeks of Lent (but not on Sundays, in some traditions. Lent lasts for forty days, but the Sundays in Lent are not counted in the forty.).

Many Protestants rejected the practice of Lent, pointing out, truly, that it was nowhere required in Scripture. Some of these Protestants were also the ones who refused to celebrate Christmas, by the way. They wanted to avoid some of the excessive aspects of Catholic penitence that tended to obscure the gospel of grace. These Protestants saw Lent, at best, as something completely optional for believers, and, at worst, as a superfluous Catholic practice that true believers should avoid altogether.

Some segments of Protestantism did continue to recognize a season of preparation for Easter, however. Their emphasis was not so much on penitence and fasting as on intentional devotion to God. Protestant churches sometimes added special Lenten Bible studies or prayer meetings so that their members would be primed for a deeper experience of Good Friday and Easter. Lent was a season to do something extra for God, not to give something up.

After ignoring Lent for the majority of my life, I've paid more attention to it during the last decade. Sometimes I've given up something, like watching television or eating sweets, in order to devote more time to Bible study and prayer. (The television fast was especially tough because I love watching March Madness, the NCAA basketball tournament, on TV.) Sometimes I've added extra devotional reading to my regular spiritual disciplines. I can't claim to have had any mystical experiences during Lent, but I have found that fasting from something has helped me appreciate more deeply the meaning of the cross and the victory of the resurrection. Before I began honoring Lent, Good Friday and Easter always seemed to rush by before I could give them the attention they deserved. Now I find myself much more ready to meditate upon the depth of Christ's sacrifice and to celebrate his victory over sin and death on Easter.

Lent is not a requirement for Christians. But millions of us - Catholic, Orthodox, Protestant, and Independent - have found that recognizing the season of Lent enriches our worship and deepens our faith.

A Lenten Discipline

If you don't do so already, I would  encourage you to read one of the Psalms each day during Lent, prayerfully and reflectively. Make this psalm a basis for your daily prayers. If you'd like some encouragement in this exercise, I'd recommend my devotional psalm website, The Daily Psalm. For the first part of Lent, the psalms will run in order, though I'll approach them with a Lenten mindset. During the last two weeks of Lent the psalms will be chosen for their Lenten themes.

No matter how it happens, I pray that the next six weeks will be for you a time of preparation, so that you might be ready for a truer, deeper, and richer experience of God's love on Good Friday and Easter.

Staring Death in the Face

Today is Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent. It's a day for Christians to remember our frailty, our mortality, our sin, our need for God. (If you're interested in my several posts on Ash Wednesday, check out: Ash Wednesday: Practice and Meaning.)

The denial of death . . . it’s all around us. When people die, they are often alone, sequestered in hospitals far away from the sad eyes of friends and family. If someone happens to die at home, the corpse is quickly sent away from the grieving relatives. In polite society one doesn’t talk much about death. And when it’s necessary to say something that has to do with dying, nifty euphemisms keep us from confronting the brute facts. “Dear Fred has passed on.” “Aunt Suzy is no longer with us.”

Of course our own fears concerning our own demise fit our cultural squeamishness about death. We don’t want to think about our own mortality, and we do many things to pretend that its not approaching. We dye our graying hair. We cover our age spots with make up. We get cosmetic surgery to preserve the image of youth. Rarely do we seriously think about our own death. As a pastor, I’m amazed at how unusual it is for someone to make plans for his or her own memorial service, or even to leave notes for the family. These are things we’d rather not have to bother with.

And then we come to Ash Wednesday, a day when we stare death in the face. Christians who observe this holiday get ashes “imposed” on their foreheads, while a minister or lay church worker says, “You have come from dust, and to dust you will return.” In other words, “You are going to die. And here are some ashes to remind you, just in case you’ve forgotten.”

In our Ash Wednesday services I put ashes on the heads of older adults, some of whom have serious cancer and may not live much longer. I also put tiny black crosses made of ash on the foreheads of babies far too young to realize what was happening to them. I impose ashes on teenagers and senior citizens, on men and women, on boys and girls. All of these I remind of their mortality, and they freely received the reminder.

What gives us such freedom to think about death? Are we Christians morose? Do we have some peculiar fascination with dying? I don’t think so. Rather, what allows us to stare death in the face is the assurance of life, real life, eternal life. When we know our lives are safe in the hands of God, and that this physical life is just the beginning of eternity, then we’re free to be honest about what lies ahead for us. We can face death without fear or pretending, because we know the One who defeated death.

I’ll never forget my last visit with a dear member of my congregation named Helen. She was a tiny woman when healthy, but old age and disease had ravaged her body. I wouldn’t be surprised if she weighed 75 pounds on the day of my last visit.

There was no question that Helen was soon to die. And there was no point for me to pretend as if that weren’t true. So I asked her straightaway: “Helen, it’s obvious that you don’t have too much time left in this body. How are you feeling about dying?”

“Mark,” she said with a weak but confident voice, “I’ve lived a good, long life. I’ve been blessed far beyond what I could have hoped. You’re right, my body is giving out. I don’t have much longer to live. But I want you to know that I am ready. I’m not afraid. I’m eager to see my Lord. I hope I get to soon.”

Talk about staring death in the face! What gave Helen such unusual bluntness and boldness when it came to her own imminent death? Her faith in God. Her confidence that her life was really just beginning. Her assurance that her soul was safe in the hands of a gracious, loving God.

And so it is for Christians on Ash Wednesday. We can face death. We can admit our own mortality. We can talk openly about the limits of this life. Why? Because we know that through Christ we have entered into life eternal, the fullness of life that will not end when our bodies give out.

The emotional result of Ash Wednesday observance isn’t depression or gloom, but gratitude and new energy for living. When we realize how desperately we need God, and how God is faithful far beyond our desperation, we can’t help but offering our lives to him in fresh gratitude. And when we recognize that life doesn’t go on forever, then we find new passion to delight in the gifts of each and every day, and to take none of them for granted.         

A couple of years ago as I returned to my seat after imposing ashes upon dozens of worshipers, I sat next to my 12-year-old son. I couldn’t help but notice the prominent black cross on his forehead, placed there by another leader. All of a sudden it hit me that my dear boy will die someday. Of course I knew this in principle, but I hadn’t thought about it in years. At that moment I prayed that would give Nathan a long and blessed life. And then I hugged him for a good minute or more, treasuring the life we share together.

How grateful I am for the grace of God that allows us to stare death in the face so we can live with greater passion and delight! And how thankful I am for a day that allows me to think about death so I can cherish life even more!

Dust in the Wind?

I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment's gone
All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiosity

Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind.

Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do, crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see

Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind.

Don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away, and all your money won't another minute buy.

Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind.
Dust in the wind, everything is dust in the wind.

When I was in college one of my favorite songs was “Dust in the Wind” by the band Kansas (1978). Part of what attracted me to the song was the haunting music. But the lyrics were equally haunting and unsettling. “Dust in the Wind” reminds me of the Old Testament Book of Ecclesiastes, in which we read”

[H]umans have no advantage over the animals; for all is vanity. All go to one place; all are from the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knows whether the human spirit goes upward and the spirit of animals goes downward to the earth? So I saw that there is nothing better than that all should enjoy their work, for that is their lot; who can bring them to see what will be after them? (Eccles 3:19-22)

As a Christian I don’t share the hollow despair of “Dust in the Wind,” yet I am moved by its profound statement of what life without God would be like. Like Ecclesiastes, “Dust in the Wind” doesn’t proclaim the Christian gospel. But it does encapsulate the bad news that prepares us to hear the good news of what God has done in Christ. Apart from Jesus, “all we are is dust in the wind. Everything is dust in the wind.”

On Ash Wednesday we remember that we are dust. Of course we also realize that we are far more than merely dust. But Ash Wednesday gives us a chance to focus on our “dustiness,” if you will. It’s a day to remember the bad news of who we are apart from Christ so that we can begin to prepare for the great news of Good Friday and Easter.

Though I grew up as an active Christian, I had very little idea of Ash Wednesday until I was well into my thirties. I always had thought of it as some arcane Catholic holiday that, thank God, we Protestants didn’t have to worry about. But in the last fifteen years I have come, not only to understand Ash Wednesday, but also to treasure its meaning.

Like Christmas, Ash Wednesday is a Christian holiday (holy day) that is not required in Scripture. So it’s nothing that all Christians must recognize. However, the day has been set apart by Christians for over a thousand years. It is the first day of Lent, a forty-day season of preparation for Holy Week and Easter. (I’ll say more about Lent in my next post.) For centuries Christians have had ashes placed on their foreheads in the shape of a cross. The ashes remind us of our mortality. As they are being “imposed” on our foreheads we hear the bad news from Ecclesiastes 3: “You’ve come from dust, and to dust you will return.” Yet, because the ashes are imposed in the shape of the cross, they also suggest the good news that is yet to come, that which will deliver us from eternal death.

Throughout my pastoral tenure at Irvine Presbyterian Church I’ve put ashes on hundreds of foreheads. It’s both a strange and a wonderful thing to do. It’s strange to tell people, in so many words, “You’re mortal and you’re going to die.” Yet it’s wonderful to remind people of why they need a Savior, and to invite them to begin getting ready for a deeper experience of God’s grace on Good Friday and Easter – even seven weeks before Holy Week begins.

I remember distinctly times when I have put ashes on the forehead of a dear member of my church who was nearing death. And I remember occasions when I have imposed ashes on the foreheads of newborn infants. The point is that, whether old or young, we are all mortal. We are all caught in death grip of sin. And we all need a Savior.

I’ve had some church members complain about our Ash Wednesday service as “a downer.” To be sure it is not joyous in the way of most worship services. Yet we don’t simply leave ourselves to wallow in our dusty mortality. We take extra time to pray for ourselves and for each other, remembering God’s mercy. And, though we don’t yet focus on the full good news yet to come, we do sing “Great Is They Faithfulness” as we remember God’s grace. Apart from God we are indeed “dust in the wind.” Yet into our dust God has breathed, not only the breath of earthly life, but also the breath of his Spirit. Thus Ash Wednesday’s vivid reminder of our mortality leads us, not to despair, but to hope. It points not to defeat, but to the coming victory of Easter.

What is Ash Wednesday?

For the past several years it has been my tradition to write about special days and seasons of The Christian Year or The Liturgical Year. This coming Wednesday will be Ash Wednesday, a special day for Christians to reflect upon our frailty, mortality, and sinfulness. Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent, is the beginning of our preparation for Easter. The post that follows is an edited version of something I have put up before. If you're interested in my series on this subject, check out: Ash Wednesday: Practice and Meaning.

Many Christians, mostly Protestants and independents, had never given Ash Wednesday a thought until a three years ago. Then, in 2004, Ash Wednesday became a huge day in American Protestant consciousness. Why? Because on that day Mel Gibson released what was to become his epic blockbuster, The Passion of the Christ. For the first time in history, the phrase "Ash Wednesday" was on the lips of millions of evangelical Christians, not just Catholics and other "high church" folk.

I grew up with only a vague notion of Ash Wednesday. To me it was some Catholic holy day that I, as an evangelical Protestant, didn't have to worry about. During the spring of my first year of college, I was startled to see a woman who worked in my dining hall with a dark cross on her forehead. At first I wondered if it were a bizarre bruise. Then it dawned on me what I was seeing. Here was my introduction to Ash Wednesday piety. I felt impressed that this woman was willing to wear her ashes so publicly, even though it seemed a rather odd thing to do. Let me assure you, it never dawned on me that this would be something I might do myself.

Fast forward sixteen years. During my first year as Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church, I learned that this church had a tradition of celebrating Ash Wednesday with a special worship service. It included the "imposition of ashes" on the foreheads of worshippers. I, as the pastor, was expected to be one of the chief imposers! So I decided it was time to learn about the meaning of Ash Wednesday. I wanted to be sure that the theological underpinnings of such a practice were biblically solid, and that it was something in which I could freely participate.

Ash Wednesday is a Christian holiday (holy day) that is not a biblical requirement (rather like Christmas). Nevertheless, it has been honored by Christians for well over ten centuries at the beginning of Lent, a six-week season of preparation for Easter. In the earliest centuries, Christians who had fallen into persistent sin had ashes sprinkled on their bodies as a sign of repentance, even as Job repented "in dust and ashes" (Job 42:6). Around the tenth century, all believers began to signify their need for repentance by having ashes placed on their foreheads in the shape of a cross. Even this sign of sinfulness hinted at the good news yet to come through its shape.

Today, celebrations of Ash Wednesday vary among churches that recognize this holiday. In my church ashes are placed on our foreheads as a reminder of our mortality and sinfulness. The person who imposes the ashes quotes what God once said to Adam after he had sinned: "You are dust, and to dust you shall return" (Gen 3:19). This is the bad news of our sinfulness that prepares us to receive the good news of forgiveness in Christ.

What I value most about our Ash Wednesday worship is the chance for me and my congregation to openly acknowledge together our frailty and sinfulness. In a world that often expects us to be perfect, we can freely confess our imperfections. We can let down our pretenses and be truly honest with each other about who we are. We all bear the mark of sin, from the youngest babies to the oldest seniors. We all stand guilty before a holy God. We all are mortal and will someday experience bodily death. Thus we all need a Savior.

Sunday Inspiration from Pray the Gospels

Luke 12:15

And he said to them, "Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions."

Prayer

Gracious Lord, this verse ought to be emblazoned on the foreheads of all who live Orange County, including me: "One's life does not consist in the abundance of possessions." Oh, how we try to prove You wrong about this. We strive and strive and strive. We work and work and work. We buy and buy and buy. We measure our worth by how much we have: the latest style, or gadget, or fixture. Yet, no sooner have we made our most recent purchase than we start yearning for the next one.

O Lord, deliver us! Save us from the love of things. Set us free to live for what really matters. Teach us to be generous with what You have given us, to sacrifice freely and gladly for the sake of others.

Postscript

One of the most striking bumper stickers I have seen read: The One Who Dies with the Most Toys Wins. Ironically, this was on the back of a fairly humble car. It's hard to imagine a more pervasive and powerful lie than this, yet it holds sway over so many hearts and minds. I prefer the amended version of the sticker. Perhaps you've seen it: The One Who Dies with the Most Toys . . . Still Dies.

Just for fun, you might also enjoy the different "versions" of the "He who dies with the most toys wins" saying, including: The Agnostic: "It is not possible to know whether toys make a bit of difference." The Calvinist: "He who dies with the most toys was eternally predestined to win." I prefer the one from Highland Woodworking: "He who dies with the most tools wins."

Comment?

If you would like to add a comment on this post, click here.

Pray the Gospels

Pray the Gospels is one of my devotional websites. Each day I put up a portion of a gospel, a prayer based on that text, and some additional input, like a brief commentary or a quotation. I use material from Pray the Gospels on markdroberts.com for Sunday inspiration.