May the Lord bless and keep us during 2018. 2018 happens to be a significant year for CTR as we turn 10 years old as a congregation! The Lord has been gracious to us in leading us to this place.
As we give thanks for God’s guidance and provision over the past years I think it is appropriate to begin asking ourselves “What will the next ten years bring?” I will have more to say about this as 2018 unfolds.
I’m Glad He Said It
On a break from looking after both my sister and mom the other day, I was glad to spot this on Face Book – proof it has some value after all…
What I saw is an article exposing some of the easy clichés Christians say, popular platitudes which have no biblical basis, platitudes which in my own life I have heard enough of.
To give you a preview, the sayings mentioned in the article are:
-When God closes a door, he opens a window.
-Everything happens for a reason.
-God won’t give you more than you can handle.
-Love the sinner, hate the sin.
Behind each of these is a well-meaning attempt to comfort and console, yet each is also biblically and theologically deficient. Go to the article here http://religionnews.com/2016/03/21/3-untrue-christian-cliches/ to read more.
Here is my own all too brief explanation of each.
-When God closes a door, he opens a window.
Sometimes both the door and window appear to be shut, and we are called to persevere faithfully in a difficult place.
-Everything happens for a reason.
I find this one to be very popular yet also dangerous. Beyond the reality of sin and the fact that we live in a fallen world, there is not a reason for everything that happens. There is chaos and randomness at loose in the world. This is not an attack upon the sovereignty of God, for God (in ways we cannot and will not understand) remains sovereign over even the chaos. I want no part of a God who is directly responsible for things like cancer, terminal childhood illnesses, tragic auto accidents, the list goes on and on… I do want to be devoted to a God who is always at work redeeming the tragedies and vicissitudes of this world.
-God won’t give you more than you can handle.
Another popular entry, yet it is false. Sometimes we are given more than we can handle and are brought to the end of ourselves. God brought some of the great figures in scripture and some of the heroes of faith to that very place. We are brought to the end of ourselves that we might learn dependence on the Lord.
-Love the sinner, hate the sin.
This one is more nuanced. I get what this is trying to express – the idea that we should love people regardless of their faults. Bravo! Yet the way this phrase is constructed presupposes the other is a sinner and I am not. We are all equally sinners and Jesus calls us to remove the log from our own eye first.
Beyond the fact that I found this interesting, why am I passing it along to you? A good question! As we begin a new year, I am cognizant of my responsibility and desire to see myself and all of us mature in faith and become more fully formed followers of Jesus Christ. Relying on clichés and too easy answers will not get us where we want to be.
See you Sunday!
-Bill
