Star Appeal and Entertainment Value — ?

The original edition of the article below was written on the day of the British Conservative Party's appointment of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister Elect. Here adapted from my P-Pep! column of August 1, 2019.

Courtesy: Parliament.uk

Whether or not the Conservative Party in Britain’s election of Boris Johnson as Prime Minister will greatly improve the fortunes of their nation and heal the fragmentation that has come in the wake of the Brexit referendum, is surely not clear at present to anyone except the Almighty Himself.

Although I seldom venture into political discussion in this column, I touch base with this today – after all, my wife and I have dozens of extended family members in the UK who, if they care a hoot, will be either celebrating or bemoaning Johnson’s appointment. Perhaps you also have a vested interest in what happens in the UK, just like the personal interest that many Canadian have in what happens in the USA.

My interest is in the social and spiritual aspects. As with the USA’s President Trump, Boris Johnson’s flamboyant style and air of self-confident swagger evidently appealed to enough members of his party to have voted overwhelmingly in his favour. (Of course, at this point his is a party appointment, not a general election.) 

It seems that many people in our Western democracies nowadays are weary of what they might perceive as the stuffiness and starch of “the establishment,” with its  norms and typically dull political voices – not to mention party in-fighting. 

And so, a colourful ‘Rah!-Rah!’ rousing personality and fresh voice break on the scene. An entertaining energy emanates, shaking up the dusty halls of government and waking up swaths of the populace to feel different, more optimistic about themselves—that their voice matters—and to believe in new possibilities. Some level of nationalism is stirred and, for better or for worse, they pile on for the ride.

Do you ever wonder whether such qualities as humility, truthfulness, and integrity in a leader matter less than star appeal and entertainment value?

In the eighth-century BC the biblical prophet Isaiah presented a message of comfort to Israel —Israel, in which a great many people had slidden steeply into idolatry and fallen deeply into immorality, while acts of violence and injustice with oppression of the poor were commonplace. They would be heading into difficult times—times of correction and chastisement. 

And yet, God in His love promised mercy: “. . . I have chosen you and have not rejected you.  So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:9b -10).

What a comfort to know that, contrary to their deserving, the Lord God hadn not given up or abandoned the nation entirely, but he would bring them through the trials that would befall them, even although they’d been unfaithful to Him.

May God have mercy on our nation and others that have been so blessed, although in various ways they may have fallen short of His call to live in grace, mercy and truth.

~~+~~

Peter is a retired pastor – well, sort of retired – as he is currently engaged as an associate volunteer pastor. He lives in Southwestern Ontario with his wife, May, and writes a weekly inspirational newspaper column and occasional magazine articles. Peter is author of two books: "Parables from the Pond" (Word Alive Press) and "Raise Your Gaze . . . Mindful Musings of a Grateful Heart" (Angel Hope Publishing). He and May are also engaged in leading nursing home / residential chapel services, pulpit supply and music. ~+~

Grace-Space

Last week I had coffee with a friend, and when we stood to leave she apologized for the pants she was wearing.

            “I wear these all the time. They’re my default.”

            “I have the same pair,” I said. “I like mine too.”

She had been wearing those stretchy black pants. You know the ones. We all have a pair. We could live in them 24/7. Dress them down for housecleaning or lounging. Dress them up for coffee with a friend or even a night out.  

My friend had just come through a difficult time of family-drama. No wonder she was ready for those comfy pants with the elastic waistband. She needed some grace, some breathing room.

God knows we need elastic - better known as grace. We are not perfect. We are weak; we struggle; we give in to temptation; we hurt others. And God rescues us. And not with just any kind of grace, but grace with a two-way stretch. While God’s grace is wide, like that wide waistband, it is also deep and high, and He invites us to dive in. Ephesians 3:18 describes the vastness of God's love:    ". . . the love of the Anointed is infinitely long, wide, high, and deep, surpassing everything anyone previously experienced" (The Voice). 

King David describes the depth and width of God’s kindness in Psalm 103:11 and 12:  

            As high as heaven is over the earth,

            so strong is his love to those who fear him.

            And as far as sunrise is from sunset,

            he has separated us from our sins (The Message).

How high is heaven over earth? Scientists say that our universe is ever-expanding! And what about the width of his mercy – has anyone ever measured the distance between sunrise and sunset? Is it not an eternal circle? Is God telling us that His mercy is vast and immeasurable? That His kindness knows no end?

The Psalmist said of God’s path that it was broad and easy to walk upon: “You provide a broad path for my feet, so that my ankles do not give way” (Psalm 18:36).  He reminds us again later in Psalm 31:8, “Thou hast set my feet in a large room.”

While we know that broad is the path to destruction and narrow is the gate to eternal life (Matthew 7:13,14), King David also knew that walking in obedience to God provided wideness, soul-freedom, and liberty.

The wide-open fields of the Enemy are not wide and free as we might think. They are a maze of constantly changing “right and wrong”. Our footsteps are never sure or confident when there are no absolute standards! Living in relativism causes confusion, insecurity, and fear (Isaiah 33:15; Romans 7:11; Psalm 36).

However, the walls of God’s Kingdom are widely-set, so spacious in fact that we have room to run and dance, and space to fall and make mistakes. We feel secure inside His protective barriers, inside His grace-space. 

Instead of the simplicity of grace, Pharisees dressed in layers of law-keeping and the high-fashion of religiosity. It could not have been comfortable. There was never any wiggle room for somebody to make a mistake, to struggle, to fall. Jesus condemned their rigid judgmental attitudes. “The Law and the Prophets were until John. Since that time the kingdom of God has been preached, and everyone is pressing into it” (Luke 16:16, emphasis mine). His grace extended to tax-collectors, prostitutes, and indeed everyone that recognized their need.

Jesus frees us from the chains of sin and the law, to live a new life of obedience to Him. “Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you” (Galatians 5:1, The Message).  

Does that mean we can live how we want? I love the way Eugene Peterson puts it in the Message:

“So, since we’re out from under the old tyranny, does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we’re free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it’s your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits. All your lives you’ve let sin tell you what to do. But thank God you’ve started listening to a new master, one whose commands set you free to live openly in his freedom! (Romans 6:15-18: emphasis mine).

We have all blown it. We all need grace, everyday. Like those stretchy black pants, God’s grace covers us in the stress and rigor of everyday life, but His garment is also beautiful enough to enter the throne room of our King (Hebrews 4:16).   

Why go around wearing the latest style of self-righteousness? All the frippery of ritzy rules and pretentious policies only serves to weigh us down, make us itchy, and restrict our movement. Step into the robe of Jesus’ goodness instead (Isaiah 61:10), and enjoy the depth and width of His mercy. Extend the same kindness to others. We all need His eternal, elastic, grace-space. Everyday.

The lyrics of Frederic Faber’s hymn (1854) speak about God's two-way stretchy grace. Click on the link below and listen if you like:
  There's a Wideness in God's Mercy

Pamela Mytroen takes inspiration from the never-changing bedrock of God's Word, and the ever-changing skies and seasons of Saskatchewan. The tenacity of her English students, and the diverse cultures they represent, challenge her comfortable life and have informed many recent stories. She loves a tall Norwegian farm boy who has tried teaching her how to hunt, call coyotes, and check the gas gauge. Their four children and two grandchildren, LadyBug and Sir Cricket, offer a steady supply of sweet words which she unabashedly plagiarizes, and tucks into short fiction, blogs, human-interest pieces, and devotional writing.    

What a Weasel! (by Peter A. Black)

That derogatory phrase, “What a weasel!” has sounded in my ears numerous times. I don’t recall it ever being addressed to me directly, but probably someone has either done so or wanted to. Confession time: I likely haven’t called someone a weasel, but I’m sure it’s crossed my mind.

Negative name-calling isn’t an admirable trait, but imagine a Canadian couple naming their baby daughter Weasel! Ninety years ago a Canadian couple did just that – well, sort of. They gave her the biblical name Huldah, from the Old Testament. Perhaps they didn’t check out the Hebrew root meaning and association of the name, but admired the faithful prophetess Huldah, who helped guide her people and the young king, Josiah.

Let me share a little about this Canadian Huldah (sometimes spelled Hulda). Almost forty years ago I first heard about her and her late husband, Dr. Mark Buntain, and their work in India. They sailed there with their infant daughter in 1954, with a love burning in their hearts for India’s poverty-stricken, sick and suffering people. In time they launched Calcutta Mission of Mercy, and became well-acquainted with Mother Teresa.

Their mission provided food and education, medical aid and hope to the poor. Mark died in 1989, yet with her daughter Bonnie, Huldah – now at the age of ninety – continues to head up this tremendous work, involving hundreds of workers at a variety of levels.*

The following statistics by now will have been superseded: “Together [the Buntains] established a holistic inner-city outreach consisting of more than 100 schools, over 700 churches, a daily feeding program for 25,000, and a full general hospital that has treated 2.2 million people and provided free care to 880,000.”* And there’s much more.


Huldah Buntain. Courtesy: Impact Asia:

I learned from my colleague, Rev. Tim Gibb, lead pastor of Bethel Church, Sarnia, Ontario, that the intrepid Huldah was recently a guest speaker there, and inspired the congregation with her life and message. 

A paragraph he shared from her presentation resonated in my heart. First though, I should say that the lyrics of the hymn, When I Survey the Wondrous Cross,** became a constant companion and theme, playing over again and again in my heart and mind during my Lenten journey this year – especially the last verse.

Tim tells of when Mrs. Buntain’s husband’s body was being lowered into the grave in Calcutta, in 1989, she thought . . . I have given thirty-five years in service to the Lord in this place. Perhaps my time here is done.

A choir was singing and began that final verse: Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small . . . And as they sang the final lines, the words reached down into the depths of her spirit: Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all.

Tim remarks that she’s still going strong, helping the people in that city.

Truly a gaze-raiser!



Credit:english4U2.info

In our culture, calling someone a weasel denotes the idea of a sneaky individual who can’t be trusted. Yet, the related Hebrew word from which Huldah’s name is derived bears the ideas of sleek and swift; weasels certainly are. They're typically fearless, tenacious fighters, considering their small size. This is true of this woman.

Huldah Buntain responded swiftly to the call of God in her youth. And then as a senior, standing by her husband’s open grave, she responded without hesitation to the renewed call that came to her heart.

My being reminded of her at the conclusion of Lent, prior to Good Friday and Easter (Resurrection Sunday), brought me – also in my senior years – a resonating, confirming sense of divine call. The words that gripped her heart have gripped mine, too.

~~+~~

*Impact Asia website. Accessed March 30, 2015. Compiled also from several sources and information I recalled from many years ago.

** Isaac Watts P.D.

~~~

The above post was adapted from a draft prepared for Peter's weekly column, P-Pep! to be published in The Guide-Advocate, April 9, 2015. 

Peter's second book is a compilation of inspirational articles from his weekly column—on a variety of themes. These are interspersed with brief expressions intended to encourage.  Ebook edition is now available on Amazon.

 

ISBN: 978-0-9920074-2-3 (Angel Hope Publishing)

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Forgiveness: A Gift We Give Ourselves by Rose McCormick Brandon

 

 My friend arrived at the airport early for her flight from Toronto to London. She piled her bags on a cart and headed to a coffee shop for lunch. A woman came up behind her and asked for directions. A kind person, my friend tried to help. During the exchange her handbag was snatched from the cart. Her passport, credit cards, cash, everything she needed for her vacation was missing.

 Authorities explained that she'd been played. As she'd turned to look at the woman asking for help, another woman had stolen her purse. She felt devastated. Several phone calls later helpful airline staff had her on the plane. "Don't let this ruin your plans. Go and enjoy yourself," her husband said. But as she settled into her seat on the plane, a knot of despair lodged in her chest. How could I be so stupid? Why didn't I have my purse looped over my shoulder? I must look naive, that's why these thieves picked on me. This is the story of my life, always getting picked on. Ugly, self-accusing thoughts rolled through her mind.

            She leaned back on the headrest. God, help me, she prayed. A thought, quiet but firm, came into her mind - you need to forgive yourself. She prayed again, "I do Lord, I do forgive myself. I recognize that anyone can be taken advantage of." Immediately, self-accusing thoughts stopped, her shame vanished.

            A stolen purse may rank low on the list of things we need to forgive ourselves for but the despair my friend felt wasn't much different than the despair we feel over bigger issues. She hadn’t sinned; a sin was committed against her. Often it isn’t sin that causes us to accuse ourselves but perceived failures, unwise decisions, missed opportunities, lack of confidence, unsophisticated social skills and dozens of other human frailties.

An important step toward forgiving ourselves is acceptance. We can work on our weaknesses and emphasize our strengths but we can’t change our personality. Years ago I read a few Christian books on the four basic temperaments. I found these helpful but not as much as when I later discovered the more refined Myers-Briggs personality analysis. Results pegged me as a true introvert. This fact alone settled many anxieties for me. Understanding our temperament can help us develop a healthy self-respect. It also gives us an appreciation for other personalities.

Too many Christians spend too much energy trying to live someone else’s life. “I’ve tried to be quiet and gentle,” a close friend said, “but it’s just not me. I couldn’t keep it up.” As a new Christian, she had looked around the church and concluded that the best Christians were the quiet, gentle ones. She tried on a few personalities before she realized that God had changed her from a sinner into a saint but He hadn’t turned her into a completely different personality.

A devoted Christian of more than thirty years recently confided, “I've tried to be someone other than me as far back as I can remember, thinking maybe if I was like so and so, I’d be a better me. The other day, I told God I couldn't do it anymore. He told me He liked the real me.”  God-moments like this produce inner changes that free people to develop deep, personal relationships with Him. Replicating someone else’s personality is not only dishonest but exhausting.

Another obstacle stands in the way of self-forgiveness. It’s revealed in this question - “Why do we hold ourselves to a higher standard than we hold others?”  The same believers, who accept major flaws in others, often deride themselves for minor infractions. Reasons vary. A personality with a strong tendency toward perfectionism, being first-born in a large family, taking responsibilities at a young age and pride are possible answers.  God helps each person to answer this question. (The Birth Order Book by Dr. Kevin Leman, a Christian author and speaker, has helped many first-borns understand their tendency to hold themselves to higher standards.)

Harsh preaching causes sensitive believers to imagine God’s disapproval. Most people possess an enormous capacity to make themselves miserable without any help from judgmental, condemning sermons. God enjoys His creation. He takes pleasure in all of it but especially in the people who are redeemed by the sacrificed life of His own precious Son. We delight Him, imperfections and all. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin but once that sin is confessed there’s no further condemnation. We’re loved (and liked) by a God who rejoices over us and doesn’t accuse us. (Zephaniah 3:17). We serve a kind Lord, One aware of our frailties and full of compassion.

When my friend with the stolen purse prayed, she received immediate release from self-accusing thoughts. God helps us, not only to forgive others, but ourselves.

****

Rose McCormick Brandon is the author of Promises of Home - Stories of Canada's British Home Children. Visit her website at: http://writingfromtheheart.webs.com. Her blogs: Listening to my Hair Grow and Promises of Home.

On Safari . . . (Peter Black)

It was about 34 years since we’d been to African Lion Safari at Rockton, Ontario. That was when my wife and I were still a young couple and our sons were youngsters. We recently made a long-overdue visit there. This time we went as senior citizens, with a busload of peers. The place is much more developed now, with more family fun amenities, such as a water play park, pontoon boat rides and miniature train rides.

What a great day! I thoroughly enjoyed being “on safari” – the easy way – in the safety and comfort of an air-conditioned bus, complete with interesting driver commentary. We marvelled at massive elephants and rhinos and bison, took snapshots of lazing lions and cheetahs, and gazed at lofty giraffes and lowly wildebeest. Grandmas Oohed and Ahhed at dozens of cute baby deer. Grandpas marvelled at the aerial speed and grace of birds of prey.

Even better was that we saw old friends and met new ones. Among the new were Don and Bev, who live in the Hamilton area. Bev, an outgoing person, sparkled with joy. Don, while quieter, is warm and friendly. The couple shared with me an amazing story of Bev’s descent into a complex debilitating illness and her journey – really, it was their journey – back to health.

In 1995 a variety of disturbing physiological symptoms began to affect Bev’s health, advancing at an alarming rate throughout her body. Imagine her shock and dismay when she – a very active person – began to experience arthritic symptoms and pain that rapidly escalated in severity. Several persistent organic symptoms emerged, including gastrointestinal difficulties, affecting her stomach and digestive system. Breathing became difficult, and COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) was diagnosed. Neurological abnormalities emerged also. It appeared as though there was an all-out assault on her body. More was to come, as intense pain coursed through her eyes, affecting her vision.

Bev consulted various doctors, and was referred to specialists, resulting in a battery of tests, including testing for MS (Multiple Sclerosis). Thankfully, that one proved negative. The prospect of going completely blind, however, was horrifying. Tests confirmed glaucoma and another eye condition; both were treated. She was medicated for the lung condition, but eventually required to use a wheelchair, since she had insufficient breath and strength to walk. Her physician advised her to get her house in order; that she should prepare for the eventuality of dying.

Don stood firm with her in the midst of this vortex of mystifying disease, as did friends from their church. Bev maintained her trust in the Lord Jesus. While she still had sufficient sight she wrote down scriptures of encouragement and thoughts that lifted her spirits and kept her focused. Fortunately, the extreme pressure in her eyes lowered, and she was assured that God was with her in this journey – that she wasn’t in that dark tunnel alone, for the Lord was her light.

One day Bev sat in her wheel chair at church. A guest preacher prayed for her, then asked her to come to the platform. Instantly, strength and healing coursed through her body and she virtually trotted to the steps and up she went. Other symptoms soon left her. Several people who witnessed her amazing healing at that service were on our Safari and could attest to the transformation that occurred initially and that continued until her recovery was complete.

May Bev’s story of God’s mercy encourage us to raise our gaze heavenward in the midst of our struggles, of whatever kind they be.

~~+~~

Peter A. Black is a freelance writer in Southwestern Ontario, and is author of “Parables from the Pond” – 

a children's / family book (mildly educational, inspirational in orientation, character reinforcing).

 (Finalist -- Word Alive Press ISBN 1897373-21-X )

His inspirational column, P-Pep! appears weekly in The Guide-Advocate. His articles have appeared in 50 Plus Contact and testimony, and several newspapers in Ontario.

~~+~~

The Joy of Les Miserables- HIRD

By Rev Ed Hird


People have been raving about the new musical version of Les Miserable which has already had around three hundred million dollars in worldwide box office sales.

Nicky Gumbel calls it a superb film, a triumph of grace over law, good over evil, love over hate. Eric Metaxas said that it is one of the most vivid, most moving examples of God’s goodness and mercy currently playing at a movie theatre near you. I enjoyed the new movie so much that it inspired me to again watch the 1998 version with Liam Neeson and Uma Thurman. Though my wife and I saw the Les Miserables production many years at Queen Elizabeth Theatre, this time round seemed to be striking a deeper chord with myself. The original novel, which I now have in eBook version, has been in print for over 150 years. Upton Sinclair calls the novel Les Miserables one of the five greatest novels of the world. With 1500 pages (1900 in French), it is also one of the longest novels ever written.

Many of you already know this delightful story of how an embittered ex-convict named Jean Valjean stole from a bishop who turns the other cheek and challenges Valjean to become a new man. Victor Hugo has the bishop say: “Jean Valjean, my brother, you no longer belong to evil, but to good. It is your soul that I buy from you; I withdraw it from black thoughts and the spirit of perdition, and I give it to God.” In gratitude, Valjean spends the rest of his life showing amazing grace, love and forgiveness to others. The forgiven forgive. Valjean’s life is based loosely on the life of Eugène François Vidocq, an ex-convict who became a thriving entrepreneur known for his good works. In 1828, Vidocq, like Valjean, rescued one of his factory workers by lifting a heavy cart on his shoulders.

The tension in the movie between forgiveness and judgment is expressed through the police inspector Javert relentlessly pursuing Valjean. Javert tells Prisoner 24601 (Valjean) that ‘men like you can never change’. Again and again Valjean shocks Javert by forgiving the unforgivable. Valjean offered to Javert the same radical reconciliation and healing that had been given to him. Javert cannot handle forgiveness because he is so fixated on people getting what they deserve. Javert was legalistic and self-righteous. This caused him to persecute the very person whose life had been transformed, the very person who was doing so much good for others. Javert’s compassion is completely lacking. Life becomes no more than following the rules and trusting in one’s own efforts. For Javert, God is an unforgiving moralistic tyrant. For Valjean, God is personal, caring and loving.

Anne Hathaway’s performance as Fantine was spectacular, particularly in her singing of ‘I Dreamed a Dream.’ In 1841, Hugo personally rescued a prostitute from arrest for assault. We grieve with Fantine over the injustice of her losing her job and being forced into prostitution to feed her child Cossette. Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times notes that Les Miserables ‘delivers an emotional wallop when it counts. You can walk into the theater as an agnostic, but you may just leave singing with the choir.’

Les Miserables reminds us that anyone can change; anyone can become a new person. We are not fated to be bitter and miserable. We can choose the way of forgiveness and joy. We can choose to be a new creation like Valjean. My prayer for those reading this article is that the movie Les Miserables may inspire each of us to forgive and serve one another as did Valjean.

Reverend Ed Hird, Rector
St. Simon’s Church North Vancouver
Anglican Mission in the Americas
http://stsimonschurch.ca
-an article for the January 2013 Deep Cove Crier
award-winning author of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’

http://www.battleforthesoulofcanada.blogspot.com
p.s. In order to obtain a copy of the book ‘Battle for the Soul of Canada’, please send a $18.50 cheque to ‘Ed Hird’, #1008-555 West 28th Street, North Vancouver, BC V7N 2J7. For mailing the book to the USA, please send $20.00 USD. This can also be done by PAYPAL using the e-mail ed_hird@telus.net . Be sure to list your mailing address. The Battle for the Soul of Canada e-book can be obtained for $9.99 CDN/USD.
-Click to download a complimentary PDF copy of the Battle for the Soul study guide : Seeking God’s Solution for a Spirit-Filled Canada
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Power Washed By God - Arends

Power Washed by God-Carolyn Arends

The blessings—and danger—of divine proximity.
(In the October issue of Christianity Today, posted online 10/17/2011)

Here is my newest CT column - an attempt to grapple with some aspects of God's judgment in light of his mercy ... I'd love to know what you think!
Carolyn 


Last summer, we hired a man with a power washer to clean our deck. As he blasted the dirt that had defied our feeble garden hose, I found myself wishing all the muck in my life could be dealt with so efficiently. Sticky kitchen floor? Messy relationships? Unleash the water pressure!

But not so fast. Two weeks earlier, a neighbor's teenager, Matt, was cleaning the driveway with a rented power washer when he felt an ant crawling on his calf. Instinctively, he turned the nozzle toward his leg, obliterating the insect—and, unfortunately, some layers of muscle and tissue. Matt's injury is not uncommon; an online search produces innumerable accounts of gruesome wounds and even fatalities related to the use of pressure washers.

So I decided to give my handyman and his potentially flesh-stripping machine a wide berth. I had to do some reading for a biblical studies course, so I sat by my kitchen window and kept one eye on my yard and the other on the Pentateuch.

I was making my way through Exodus, feeling a little jealous of my spiritual ancestors. It seemed they never had to wonder if God was there. They had only to follow pillars of cloud and fire, gathering up the manna served fresh daily from God's kitchen. At Sinai, Yahweh made his presence even harder to miss, clearing his throat with thunder, lightning, trumpet blasts, trembling mountains, and billowing smoke.

I wondered why the present-day actions of the immutable God sometimes seem so muted in contrast to the God of Moses. I wouldn't mind a pillar of cloud or fire when I need direction, or some manna on my front lawn when I pray for provision.

But 10 chapters into Leviticus, I sobered up to the dangerous side of God's proximity to the Israelites. They had just set up the tabernacle, and two of Moses' nephews had been recruited for the priesthood. When they failed to follow protocol and offered "unauthorized fire" at the altar, "fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord" (Lev. 10:1-2).

This seems a little harsh. Two guys make one mistake their first day on the job, and they get "fired." But other similar incidents had the same tragic result: Achan's stashed plunder (Josh. 7), Uzzah's casualness with the ark (2 Sam. 6), Ananias and Sapphira lying about their offering (Acts 5). In each case, God was inaugurating a new era in salvation history, and in each case, his holiness was underestimated with dreadful consequences.

These episodes remind me of a strategy employed by one of my schoolteacher friends. On day one, he sends the first unruly student into the hallway, knowing that an early show of authority makes the rest of the year go smoothly. It is tempting to think of the disturbing accounts of God's judgment as cases of extreme classroom management.

But as I struggle to reconcile Yahweh's apparent "zero tolerance" policy in these stories with the inexhaustible mercy we see in Jesus, I wonder if both the wonderful and awful aspects of God's power experienced at close range aren't more like the blasts of a pressure washer than the techniques of an irate teacher. God's holiness is the very thing we need to get wholly clean. But, unmitigated, it's too much for us. We can't survive it.

Maybe Yahweh's holiness (and its sometimes fiery consequences) became more visible at turning points in salvation history less because God wanted to set a stern example, and more because at those moments he'd drawn particularly near to his people in all his power. As envious as I might be of God's visibility to the Israelites, they clearly sensed the danger inherent in his proximity. In Exodus, they ask Moses to speak to God on their behalf, so they can stay at a safe distance.

When I grasp that God's holiness is necessary for my cleansing but is also, by its nature, a vaporizing force, two things come into clearer focus. First, I begin to perceive God's judgment as no more malevolent than the blast of water from a pressure washer. It is simply God's holiness doing what God's holiness does. Second, this reality points to one reason we need a mediator. Jesus is the only human who could vicariously absorb (and ultimately survive) the cleansing we so desperately need. Because of him, we are washed not by a force so intense it annihilates us, but rather by the blood of the Lamb.

Just like I wish I could turn the power washer on all the messes of my life (without the resulting carnage), I still find myself longing for more visible manifestations of God's nearness and power. But in the final analysis, I am grateful that the God who once resided in a cloud on the mountain now lives in us, baptizing us not with an obliterating flood, but with his Spirit.

Copyright © 2011 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

 www.carolynarends.com