Sunday, March 30, 2008 by Big Kahuna.

I got a chance to go to a couple of basketball games this week, part of the NCAA tournament and even though it wasn’t a wise decision to spend the money on tickets my youngest son was on spring break and wanted to go watch Tennessee play so I did a financially foolish thing in order to spend time with him doing something we both enjoy. At least I am convincing myself that it was all about the relationship without any trace of selfishness. I know though that there were definitely mixed motives in my decision making, I can’t take self out of the equation. Read the rest of this entry »

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Thursday, March 27, 2008 by Big Kahuna.

Wisdom, it seems to me, is applied knowledge, skillful living. It is embracing truth as a lifestyle not just intellectually. The problem is in the sorting out of the incredible supply of information we receive in order to get at truth, and in particular, unchanging truth. Many of the “truths” I learned in school seem not to be truths at all. I am not suggesting anyone was dishonest in my education, just that they were wrong about how things work. Primarily that has to do with advances in research but it could be that we just have to admit that we can’t know everything with the degree of certainty we believe we can. There are certain propositions we state as categorical truths today that we find later to be not as clear as we thought at the time. Read the rest of this entry »

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Wednesday, March 26, 2008 by Big Kahuna.

So what is the genesis of wisdom? There was certainly wisdom on display in the lives of many in the book of Genesis: Noah, Abraham, and Joseph are wonderful examples of men whose wisdom led them to greatness. In all cases, wisdom was displayed in their lives by hearing God’s command and obeying it. Can we say then that wisdom originates with God, particularly in His Word? Wouldn’t wisdom on our part then be obedience to that command? If we would live wisely we would follow God’s commands for the conduct of our lives, love the Lord your God with everything within you and love your neighbor as yourself. We think we know how to do that yet do any of us keep that first command well? Read the rest of this entry »

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Wednesday, March 26, 2008 by Big Kahuna.

The word Genesis simply means beginning. The book begins with the words, “In the beginning God…” It makes sense then that if all things began at God’s initiative then He has greater wisdom than anything that comes after those words. If that is logical, then why did Eve think fruit could impart greater wisdom? Wouldn’t something have to demonstrate its wisdom in order to hold the promise of sharing it? We can’t make fun of Eve as simple or foolish if we do the same things. Think about some of the superstitions in our world that believe in the power of inanimate objects and you’ll see that we haven’t advanced far beyond Eve’s belief in the power of fruit. Read the rest of this entry »

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Tuesday, March 25, 2008 by Big Kahuna.

In preparing for my Easter sermon I got to thinking about what exactly the cross means in a cosmic way. It relates back to the beginning of time, in the garden. God took His time in dealing with original sin. In the Old Testament when sin got really bad, there was a flood that wiped out the earth (Genesis 6.5 - The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.) Not too many generations later we get the tower of Babel and the division of people by language due to the arrogance of mankind. God’s people had to wait in Egypt for over 400 years before the sin of the inhabitants of the land of promise was great enough that there was no hope of repentance and reformation. God hates sin but has incredible but not unlimited patience with sinners. His creation, particularly that part which bears His image, is of infinite value to Him. Sort of like the crummiest piece of furniture I own is the most valuable to me because it is the one thing I ever made on my own from my own plan. Read the rest of this entry »

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Sunday, March 23, 2008 by Big Kahuna.

Alleluia! He is risen! What a wonderful way to start a worship service, by proclaiming that to a congregation gathered to worship the risen Christ. The response to that acclamation by the congregation is, “He is risen indeed! Alleluia!” Read the rest of this entry »

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Saturday, March 22, 2008 by Big Kahuna.

The season that begins in Advent and ends at Pentecost is the reason I am an Anglican and this week is the most intense but also my favorite week of the year. I love the liturgical calendar that forces me both as a pastor and as a worshiper into setting the resurrection behind a veil for a time and immersing myself in the Passion. I appreciate the long season of Lent and its denial of some pleasures in order to make more room for God in my life and its culmination in the terrible but necessary crucifixion of Jesus prepares me to celebrate on Easter. Read the rest of this entry »

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Friday, March 21, 2008 by Big Kahuna.

The promise of presence is what Moses said “yes” to and what sustained him all the days of his life in the wilderness leading the people. When God threatened to not go with them after the incident with the golden calf, Moses pleaded with the Lord that if He wouldn’t go with them then He shouldn’t send them out from that place. The pillar of fire that followed by night and the pillar of cloud by day had to have been a great comfort to Moses and to all the people. Read the rest of this entry »

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Thursday, March 20, 2008 by Big Kahuna.

I can’t tear myself away from Moses at the burning bush in Exodus 3 and the questions, “Who am I?” and “Who are You?” because these are the questions answered definitively this week at the cross and at the empty tomb. I am the one for whom Jesus suffered and died. He is the God incarnate, man divine. Read the rest of this entry »

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Wednesday, March 19, 2008 by Big Kahuna.

The second question Moses has for God is “Who are you?” This will answer the question Moses had been asked the last time he tried to help his people. The answer to this question is a bit enigmatic, “I AM who (or what) I AM.” It isn’t a name at all, it is the biggest description you could imagine because in Him is contained everything and nothing contains Him. All the rest of the revelation of God is creed, He is the God of their fathers, the God who delivered them, the God who gave them the land…the God whose Son was incarnate from the virgin Mary…died on the cross, rose from the dead…continues to be present through the Holy Spirit…will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead…whose kingdom shall have no end. Read the rest of this entry »

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