Posted by Pastor Pat on December 23, 2008
As I think about this Advent season, I am reprimanded by my neglect individually and perhaps corporately. Although the Hero has arrived, we continue to ignore His presence. We enter Advent with little thought and preparation. We do not anticipate or expect His appearance. I do not believe celebrating Christmas as it currently exists undermines the truth it contains, but I do believe that we must not forget who and what this is all about. Although the words on paper read harshly, my intent is not to chasten, but to remind. It is to speak as a Shepherd and not as the Butcher. Today, my intent is to be touched by God.
When we consider the season of Advent, our own actions and attitudes toward Christmas appear vulgar, if not blasphemous. We have so commercialized the story of God that only a hard right turn will put us back on course. In life, it seems that greed and not God controls us. It is self-serving action and not sacrifices on any level that marks us and characterizes our lives. We are heirs of the promise and joint-heirs with Christ, yet we live puny lives simply because we do not know and live in the story.
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Pastor Pat on
Earlier the Bible told of a villain who sought, through deception and blatant tyranny, to overthrow the rule of God (Gen. 3:1-7). It is impossible to know why the author included the villain in His story, but his presence will show the power, justice, and grace of the primary character. In our story, God can introduce the antagonist without undermining His person and purpose. In the story, the antagonist, the villain, acts freely yet within the purpose of the author. The creator, author, king, and hero exercises dominion over that which is created.
Because the Bible is a story we can freely speak of author, villain, and hero. Just as the author wrote into the story a villain, so also is the hero spoken of as the antithesis to the evil. The word “hero” comes directly from the Greek language and means “defender, protector.” The hero is distinguished by exceptional courage and nobility and strength. Usually the hero is the principal character and will fight for a cause. http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Pastor Pat on December 22, 2008
In the story of God, the villain is sin and the devil. God wrote the villain into His story. Although we cannot know exhaustively as to why He wrote the villain into the story, we do know the villain will show the power, justice, and grace of God.
Why the villain? “In fiction, villains commonly function in the dual role of adversary and foil to the story’s heroes. In their role as adversary, the villain serves as an obstacle the hero must struggle to overcome. In their role as foil, the villain exemplifies characteristics that are diametrically opposed to those of the hero, creating a contrast distinguishing heroic traits from villainous ones.” Wikipedia
One of the great problems that exist for many is how God can be the author of the story and still write into the script the villain. I would like to consider three basic ideas present in the storyline. First, God is the Creator of all things outside Himself (Gen. 1:1; Col. 1:16, 17). God created everything. He is the Creator. That is His position, role, and function. This is His status. He is the Creator and everything outside of Him is created. Thus, He may do what He wants with what is His, and what He does is always right.
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
Posted by Pastor Pat on December 21, 2008
The Bible is a story. It is a story from which all other stories find their substance. Words such as epic, larger-than-life, and classic find their source in this one story. Folklore and mythology all find their soil in the Bible. It would be erroneous to think of the Bible as folklore or mythological. The Bible is the true standard from which all deviations and distortions originally flowed. It is a story of a Creator who acts, an Author who writes, a King who rules, and a Hero who wins. It contains villains, war, defeat and victory.
Often we read the Bible as if it was not a story or as if it were a poorly written story. I have read many books over the years, and all the good ones have a single plot with many different sub-plots contributing to the one story. I just finished reading SHOGUN. James Clavell wrote the work in 1975. It has various characters such as Blackthorne, Toranaga, Ishido, Mariko, etc. Yet with all of the various sub-plots, the story is singular. Everything James Clavell places in the story contributes to the final end. This same idea rings true with J.R.R. Tolkien’s classic work, The Lord of the Rings.
WAIT! There is more to read… read on »
