#268 Distraction Danger

Between my running and my habit of walking to work, I spend quite a bit of my time as a pedestrian. I'm not often in high traffic areas, but spend enough time on your feet and you'll see a lot of cars go by. The thing is, I'm not always sure how many cars see me go by. I notice a lot of drivers who appear to be looking down at the phone while driving past me. It's possible that some of these drivers are briefly adjusting their fan or radio or just happen to be looking a different direction. But a lot of them give me a strong "checking the phone" vibe. That freaks me out. I try to keep myself on high alert when I'm out and about on foot, but no matter how careful I am distracted drivers still mean increased danger for me. I'm never going to win a fight with a car. So as a concerned and vulnerable traveler, I'm begging you, please leave your phone alone when you're behind the wheel.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#267 Back to the Track

This morning I did something that I haven't done in nearly ten years: I went to the track to run a workout. Part of my huge gap in workouts at the track is that I haven't done much serious running since my college career ended. I did start training for a 25k while I was in seminary, but I got hurt about six weeks into that training plan, and all the speed work I did during that time was on the road. I also ran a halfway decent 10k back in 2019, but I wasn't willing to drive to the next town to do some track work. Most of my running has been more about staying active than preparing for a race. But now, at last, it's time to get serious again. I've got my sights set on a half marathon the second Saturday in October, and there's a track only about a mile from my house. So today I ran four 800m repeats with roughly equal rest. Today's workout went well. My 800s were a challenge, but I hit my goal and basked in the satisfaction of a completed workout—even if my legs felt like Jell-O during the cool down. I've put in some miles to lay a foundation over the first couple months of summer. Now it's time to start building things up. Hopefully I'll have good news to report in the October 10 blog.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#266 Praying with the Ten Commandments

A few years back, I preached a series of sermons on the Ten Commandments and wrote a prayer of confession based on each commandment. This year I used those prayers again and added a corresponding prayer of lament for each commandment. I find the balance of confession and lament to be very helpful. First and foremost, I think it's extremely important for us to confess the sin and evil in our own hearts and lives. Doing so reminds us of our need for a Savior and fills us with gratitude for the work of Christ Jesus, who forgives us and makes us new. I also think it's good for us to bring before God the sin and evil around us. That reminds of us our world's need for Christ and His return and can help us reflect on the effects of sin on our world (including the effects of our sins on others).

I really enjoyed crafting these prayers, so I thought I would share them here. These are neither the only nor the best prayers that can be written based on the Ten Commandments. But if you find any of these to be helpful, please feel free to copy, modify, or riff on these prayers for your own use (no need to credit me). If nothing else, I hope you're encouraged to write and pray your own prayers. (Note: confessions are in regular type; laments are in italics.)

First Commandment

Heavenly Father, you are God, and there is no other; you are God, and there is none like you. But we confess that sometimes we follow false gods. We cling to superstitions; we trust in wealth or work or one another to provide for us instead of you; we love ourselves and the things of this world more than you. Forgive us. Help us worship, serve, and honor you with all our hearts. In the name of Jesus our Savior we pray.
God our Father, how long will you let those who deny you mock and mistreat your chosen ones? How long will you allow those who say there is no God to devour your people and spread corruption throughout the earth? Frustrate the ways of the wicked; bring vile plans to ruin. Display your righteousness and power for all the world to see. Be a refuge for your poor servants, and vindicate us before our foes. Through Jesus, who suffered and was vindicated for our salvation. Amen.

Second Commandment

Heavenly Father, you call us to worship you in spirit and in truth, bringing you our praises and prayers through Christ Jesus by the power of the Holy Spirit. But we confess that we often make our worship more about ourselves and what we want than about you and what you want. You reveal yourself to us in your Word, but sometimes we reduce you to inadequate images we make in our minds, focusing on your characteristics that we like and ignoring your attributes that we don’t like. Please forgive us. Help our worship honor you for what you have done and how you have made yourself known to us through Jesus our Savior.
Only God, we cry out to you, for your people suffer at the hands of others. As human beings pursue false gods of wealth, power, comfort, and progress, those who are poor and weak are used and discarded or simply run over. While the successful, beautiful, clever, and popular are idolized, others are labeled “undesirable” and “worthless” or ignored altogether. How long must people you love, people made in your image, be mocked, taken advantage of, left without help or hope? Show yourself to be God. Defend the lowly and needy, for you alone can save. Establish your justice and spread your love. We look to you, for those who trust in you will never be put to shame. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Third Commandment
God our Father, we confess that we often misuse your name. Sometimes we use your name without thinking or when we are angry or to make ourselves seem more impressive. We often take all the credit for things we could not have done without your help. Sometimes we wrongly claim that our ideas and causes are yours. Please forgive us. Help us to praise and glorify you with respect, and may our lives as Christians reflect well on you, bringing honor to the name of Christ Jesus our Savior.
Holy God, how long will you tolerate people using your name as a weapon to harm others? Do not stand by while leaders who claim to represent you wield their power to line their own pockets or sexually exploit the innocent. How long will your name be used as a shield by those who declare their own false teachings to be your truth? Silence the tongues of deceivers; break the power of abusers. Rise up, O God! Display your goodness and righteousness so that all people may bring you glory through Jesus our Lord. Amen.

Fourth Commandment
Heavenly Father, you promise to provide for us, and you give us the gift of rest. But so often we place our trust in our own work and our own efforts. Many times we fill our lives with busyness because we think that will give us security, and our busyness crowds you out of our lives. Please forgive us. Help us set aside time for you, gathering for worship, listening for your voice, seeking your face. Teach us to rest and rely on you and so build up our trust in you through Jesus, our Savior.
Loving God, you are our Master. We long for the full experience of the freedom of serving you, but many of us feel like we cannot rest. How long will some of your people be denied rest by unfair jobs and bosses that demand extra work? How long must some of your children live in situations that require working multiple jobs just to cover the bills? Provide us with stable employment and fair wages. Rescue those trapped in poverty and care for our needs so that we may gratefully rest in your abundant goodness. Through our Lord Jesus, Amen.

Fifth Commandment
Heavenly Father, you place parents and other authority figures in our lives to train us to do good and to keep us from evil. But often we disobey or ignore our parents and we disrespect or insult the authorities. Sometimes, too, we misuse our own authority by neglecting or mistreating the people we should care for. Please forgive us. Help us honor and submit to proper authority and use our authority responsibly through Jesus our Savior.
Our Lord and our King, we cry out to you alongside those who suffer under the power of authority figures who control, intimidate, and abuse. How long will corrupt governments and officials silence opponents and terrorize citizens? How long will parents and caretakers belittle, hit, and violate your children? Turn your face toward those who live in fear, and defend the weak and innocent. In your power and justice, destroy the influence of the wicked. Humble and reform those who are cruel. Rule us with your fatherly care. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

Sixth Commandment
Heavenly Father, you created us in your image; our lives are precious to you. But we have so many ways of harming each other. Through carelessness we sometimes put others in danger. Often we let hatred, revenge, and unjustified anger simmer in our hearts. Sometimes we act violently or threaten others or put them down or wish misery upon them. In doing these things we really begin to walk the path of murder. Please forgive us. Help us to love, protect, and do good to one another. In the name of Jesus, who died so we may live.
God who knit us together in our mothers’ wombs, how long will human beings suffer and die at the hands of our fellow humans? How long will war, revenge, contempt, and sheer brutality claim the lives of people you have made? How long will people you love endure beatings, threats, insults, and disdainful indifference that rob them of safety, dignity, and health? Bring us your peace. Frustrate the schemes of the violent; restrain our human rage. Teach our world the value of human life. In the name of your Son, who became human. Amen.

Seventh Commandment
Heavenly Father, you created us male and female, and you give us the gifts of marriage and sex. But we confess that we do not always live faithfully with those gifts. Often we let our sexual desires run wild: we fantasize, we tell dirty jokes, we look at pornography, we treat others as objects for our own pleasure. In our lust, we sometimes give away to others the intimacy, affection, and bodies that rightfully belong only to our spouses, or we try to take what is not ours. Please forgive us. Help us to be pure in body and soul; purify our thoughts, desires, words, and actions through Jesus our Savior.
God, you tell your people that our bodies are made for you, but so many of your people suffer terrible harm because of sexual sins. How long will people you have created―particularly women and even children―be sexualized, exploited, used, and trafficked through pornography and the sex industry or simply to sell products or make money? How long will people you love endure shame, trauma, and feelings of powerlessness because of harassment, unwanted touch, assault, and rape? Bring hope, healing, and support to survivors of sexual violence and misconduct. Stop and convict those who commit and allow such evils. Don’t let us accept or normalize wrongdoing. Transform our world with your holiness and compassion. In the name of Jesus, who bought us to be His own. Amen.

Eighth Commandment
Heavenly Father, the earth is yours, and everything in it, the world and all who live in it. You give us gifts and entrust us with possessions. But we confess that we are often greedy, wanting more and more. Sometimes we take what is not ours or cheat others out of what is theirs, both in our thoughts and in reality. Often we waste your gifts or hoard them instead of sharing with those in need. Please forgive us. Help us gain our possessions honestly and make good use of your gifts to help others as well as ourselves. Through Jesus, our Savior.
God of abundant goodness and glorious riches, how long must your children be cheated and robbed by others who are crafty and greedy? How long will those who are wealthy and secure waste food, squander clean water, and buy more things they don’t need while ignoring those who cry out for food and drink, for clothing and shelter? Break through our selfish, discontent materialism with your generous compassion and just mercy. Reform our hearts and our society so that all your children may do your work and enjoy your blessings. Through Jesus, who became poor so that we may become rich in you, Amen.

Ninth Commandment
Heavenly Father, you call us to walk in the truth, but we confess that we are often all too comfortable with lies. Sometimes we fib and stretch the truth to make ourselves look better. At times we misrepresent what others say and gossip and spread rumors to make them look worse. Often we mislead others by giving our opinions as facts or hurt others with thoughtless complaints and insults. Please forgive us. Help us to speak the truth and use our words to encourage others and protect their reputations. In the name of Jesus, our Redeemer.
Spirit of truth, we cry to you, for we live in a world filled with lies. How long will your people be misled, deceived, and fooled by those looking to manipulate or get ahead of us? How long must the innocent have their reputations destroyed by slander, false accusations, and malicious insinuations? How long will you allow the wicked to hide the truth? Fill the earth with your truth and grace. Defend the upright and guide us to what is good and right through Jesus, the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Amen.

Tenth Commandment
Good and Gracious Father, you created this good world and teach us how to live in it. But we confess that our desires are often sinful. Many times what we want is not what you want for us. We frequently want what we should not have: things that belong to others, people that aren’t our spouses, misfortune for others, too many good things all to ourselves. Often we do not desire you and your good spiritual gifts as much as we should. Please forgive us. Give us a well-ordered heart and proper desires. Through Jesus, our Savior.
Sovereign God, why must evil flourish? How long will the nations celebrate what is wicked and hateful in your sight? Humanity tries to claim that right and wrong are relative, but we long for true justice. When others do as they please to and around us, we experience injustices and hurts: betrayal, hostility, discrimination, cruelty, ridicule, trauma and scars. We long for wrongs to be set right, so we cry to you, for you alone can bring life and wholeness. Judge the earth with the justice and mercy you’ve shown us in Christ. Destroy immorality’s sway in human hearts and fill the world with a desire for your ways, through Jesus, the Redeemer and Judge. Amen.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#265 Tamar

Two Sundays ago (July 17), I preached from the story of Tamar and Judah from Genesis 38. Without a doubt, this is the messiest, strangest, most cringe-inducing passage I've preached so far in my career. And yet, I can't get the passage out of my head. There's something about Tamar that makes her and her story incredibly compelling.

Now before you go any further in this blog, please take some time to read Tamar's story for yourself, whether by clicking on that link or opening up your own Bible.

For the first eleven verses of Genesis 38, things happen to Tamar. Judah chooses her as a wife for his son Er. Wicked Er dies, leaving Tamar with no husband and no son in a world where only men own property. Brother-in-law Onan refuses to follow the custom of the day and provide an heir for Tamar. Instead Onan simply uses her for sex over and over until God puts him to death, too. Then Judah sends Tamar back home. Judah worries that Tamar is to blame for his sons' deaths, and he's trying to protect his youngest. But Tamar has no real hope back at home. Her father can provide for her now, but as a daughter she won't receive any inheritance. In this world she's supposed to have a husband and then at least one son to provide for her. Again and again Tamar has been wronged by Judah's family, her in-laws: used for meaningless. loveless sex and then discarded.

Suddenly, in verse 14, after hearing a report about Judah, Tamar takes action. This story really seems to become her story. With no one to speak up for her and no formal avenue for seeking justice in her society, Tamar launches this desperate, risky plan. She covers her identity, sits by the side of the road like a prostitute, and takes the signs of Judah's identity in exchange for letting him sleep with her. Things seem incredibly messy here, but we're still not done. Then, it turns out, Tamar is pregnant by her father-in-law, Judah. He hears and tries to have her put to death. (Awfully convenient, isn't it, how Judah can have sex outside of marriage, but Tamar can't?) But then she throws all her cards on the table, sending Judah his own ID markers to prove that he's the father of her child—actually, the father of her children, but we'll come back to that.

But through all of this mess, Tamar and—I think it's safe to add—God get Judah to realize how he's wronged Tamar. Judah says, "She is more righteous than I." I wouldn't say this is an unqualified stamp of approval on what Tamar has done, but Judah takes the blame here, saying that he's essentially forced Tamar into doing what she did by not giving her as a wife to his third son, according to the custom of the day.

I like Tamar. She's just so real. I feel for her pain and feelings of desperation, which motivate her to do something that even she might have thought unthinkable when the story began. I get wanting to take matters into my own hands when everything seems hopeless. Still, I really wish Tamar's story went differently. Tamar is a sympathetic character to be sure, but this story would be so much more pleasant if she got Judah's attention in some other way, like revealing her identity as soon as Judah tries to hire her for sex.

But that isn't our story, and it's probably ultimately better for us that way. God doesn't give us a sanitized Bible with all the messy, uncomfortable parts taken out. He certainly doesn't give us this story as an example of how we should act, but He's also not afraid to tell us exactly what happened. We humans can make an awful mess of our lives through our sins and fear and scheming, and I think that makes Tamar's story, messy as it is and foreign as it may seem, relatable.

Now—praise God!—the story doesn't end in messiness and despair. God's grace breaks through. Tamar, at long last, is fully embraced as part of Judah's family and part of God's chosen people. God undoes the terrible injustice that has been done to Tamar through Judah trying to get rid of her. God gives her not just one son but two, and, as uncomfortable as this may seem, those boys are recognized as Judah's sons, two new sons to "replace" the two dead sons from earlier. (Plus, as far as we can tell, God changes Judah's heart at this point: when we next encounter Judah, he's a much more upstanding guy.)

But even that isn't the end. Tamar, through her son Perez, ends up becoming one of the ancestors of Jesus, the promised Messiah, the Savior of the world. When Jesus, God the Son, comes into the world, He chooses to come as part of Tamar and Judah's messy, messed-up family. And there's God's grace breaking through. Like Tamar and Judah, we all need to be cleansed from our sins, healed of our brokenness, rescued from the mess and misery inside of us and around us. Sometimes we're victims, but all of us also are at fault, too, and we can't fix ourselves. So Jesus comes down to us, showing us that we need Him to save us and then saving us. Through Jesus and His redeeming work on His people's behalf, any of us sinful, broken, messy humans can be made right with God and set free from sin and death. Jesus comes into human history and chooses unworthy people like us to be part of His family.

At the end of the day the hero of Tamar's story isn't Tamar. It's Jesus. But that's true in my story, too. That's true in the stories of all of God's people. Unexpectedly, Tamar's story finally gives us hope. As messy as our lives can get, God's grace is always stronger. Tamar points us to Jesus, the Savior we don't deserve, the Savior we so desperately need.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#264 Wait… What?

We have a few children's storybook Bibles at our house that I get to read with our kids. Every so often as I read these books, I think to myself, "Why do children's Bibles have to be wrong about stuff?" Don't get me wrong. For the most part, these Bibles for children do a good job of telling Bible stories in a way that kids understand. I am quite pleased with them overall. But every once in a while the authors and/or editors make a choice that leaves me scratching my head. "Don't they know that's wrong?"

Sometimes these errors are pretty small and not really important. One of our children's Bibles says that David had one stone when he fought Goliath. The Bible actually says that David choose five smooth stones as he prepared for battle (1 Samuel 17:40). Now, David only seems to use one of the stones, so I'm not going to write angry letters to the publisher or anything. I just wish the author and/or editor would've double-checked the Bible story or clarified their language.

But other times the children's Bibles seem dangerously wrong. Another one of our children's Bibles describes the general pattern of Samson's life by saying that Samson listened to God. And that's just wrong. Samson is not some sort of shining moral example for us. If we read the story of Samson in the book of Judges, it seems much safer to say that Samson didn't care what God said. Samson breaks God's commands by marrying a woman who isn't part of God's people and then pursuing other women outside of God's people. Samson is supposed to be dedicated to God for his entire life, and as part of that dedication, Samson is not supposed to be around dead bodies. He's around dead bodies all the time. God doesn't help Samson and empower Samson to deliver God's people because Samson is moral. It's much more accurate to say God does those things in spite of Samson's lack of concern for God's instructions. What in the world were these authors/editors thinking?

So, if you're writing or illustrating a children's Bible, or if you're editing or publishing such a book, please be extra careful. And if you're reading such a book with children, please take the time to check out the Bible passages yourself and see if the children's book matches the Bible. Words can be hard, and God's Word isn't always easy to explain to children, but teaching God's Word to children is important. Let's take care to be correct and do things well.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#263 Systemic Trouble

The term systemic racism became much more familiar to many people in the U.S. a couple years back. Since then there's been a lot of debate about the role racism does or doesn't play in America. Now I'm certainly not an expert in this area, but when I was reading articles explaining the idea of systemic racism, the idea that racism gets embedded in the ways our society and its structures and our organizations operate, I wasn't at all shocked. In fact, I thought the basic idea was a natural outworking of my beliefs as a Reformed Christian. Let me explain.

I believe that every human being is a sinner. We are born sinners. Sin has corrupted our very nature. Every part of ourselves is infected with sin. Every single day we willfully choose things that go against what God wants for us (and refuse to choose things that fulfill what God wants for us). We are inclined toward sin, defaulting toward it because our sense of right and wrong is broken. Apart from the saving, transforming work of God, we humans are slaves to sin who can't stop sinning. Only after being redeemed by Jesus Christ and renewed by the Holy Spirit can humans begin to truly do what is good, and even then we continue to sin and struggle with sin all our lives.

Because human beings are sinners, everything that we design and build will be tainted with sin. Sin isn't just an individual matter; it's also a corporate, structural matter. Our governments, our economies, our creative arts, our health care systems and education systems and criminal justice systems—every part of society—will work in sinful, broken ways. If we as individuals are selfish and unjust and inclined to favor ourselves, then certainly the things we make together will have a tendency to be unjust and prone to give advantages to certain groups. My denomination, the CRC, wrote a contemporary statement of faith that puts it this way: "All spheres of life—family and friendship, work and worship, school and state, play and art—bear the wounds of our rebellion. Sin is present everywhere—in pride of race, arrogance of nations, abuse of the weak and helpless, disregard for water, air, and soil, destruction of living creatures, slavery, murder, terror, and war, worship of false gods, the mistreatment of our bodies, and our frantic efforts to escape reality. We become victims of our own sin." (Our World Belongs to God 16)

Now let's be clear. Believing that sin and evil work in corporate, structural ways, does not at all deny that sin and evil work in individual, personal ways. Sin is still in each of our hearts, and we are responsible for our own sinful deeds. Recognizing that our systems are broken and tainted by sin does not mean that we humans are not personally responsible for our actions, though it should make us understanding of and even sympathetic toward each other due to how our sinful structures impact us in different ways.

Recognizing that the structures of our society are sinful also does not mean that nothing ever goes right in our world. I believe that sin is everywhere in our world, but I also believe that because of God's grace and involvement in our world, things are not absolutely as bad as they could possibly be. Our sense of right and wrong is broken, but God's Spirit continues to point us toward what is right, and the goodness of God's original creation continues to shine through in places. All of us are capable of doing what is outwardly, morally right—speaking kind words, sharing with those in need—because God created us good and reveals Himself in our world. (However, without being saved and transformed by Christ, we won't do what is truly right with right motivations for God's glory.) In the same way, even judicial systems that are tainted by sin can still make just rulings and sin-stained economies can still reward honest efforts and promote cooperation.

Finally, our society and structures can't be fixed by human efforts. The solution to the problem of sin and evil is not us making ourselves better. As individuals, we can only be saved from sin through Jesus Christ, who lived a perfect life of obedience in our place, took the full punishment for our sin in His death, and rose again to bring reconciliation with God and forgiveness and new life to all His people. Jesus calls and leads us to believe in Him, confess and turn from our sins, and strive with His help to live like Him. Our structures and society also need to be redeemed and transformed by Christ. Only He has the power and goodness to set this world right and establish true justice and heal and repair what is wrong. So we Christians lament the evil we see, witness to the wisdom and righteousness of Christ, and do all that we can with His help to live by His standards and work for reform. With God's inspiration and guidance, we can advocate for fairer housing practices and less partial laws, but that work will not be finished until Jesus returns, just like we individuals won't reach perfection until Christ comes back. And any progress that is made in our individual lives and in our structures comes from God. He can and does use us, but the work and credit is His.

In short, I think we Christians should agree that sin and evil are present both in our individual lives and in our society. But we can't fix either ourselves or our world. Our only hope is in Christ. We should trust in Him alone and ask His help to make our lives and our structures reflect Him and His ways more and more. And we should have confidence that in the end He will make everything right.

Grace and peace,

BMH

#262 VBS

The church I serve hosted Vacation Bible School last week. Four days in a row, I came back after my normal work activities to help out with all the kids for the evening. I, like all the other adult volunteers, was pretty tired by the end of the week, but the week was great for a couple different reasons.

First, as a pastor, it's really nice to be a part of a church event that I had basically no part in planning and wasn't responsible for. I came and helped out in different ways each night, and I was happy to do so. But I especially enjoyed watching other people use their gifts in ways that I don't get to see every week. Different people from church led singing, told Bible stories, organized games, supervised crafts, led groups of kids, and served meals. Since I wasn't in charge, I had wonderful opportunities to see church members at work, serving God and others. That warms my heart.

Second, watching the kids experience VBS is a lot of fun. There's always a few that are nervous—at least the first day—but most of the kids are just excited. They eagerly learn new songs and actions and are so proud to demonstrate for their parents at the end of the week. The kids soak up Bible stories and remember what happened from day to day. They jump into crafts and games and can't wait to tell any listening adult about all the cool things they've been doing. I think most of the adults who come to worship each week are happy enough, but the kids coming to VBS just bubble over with energy and enthusiasm. Watching the kids light up as they make connections and learn about Christ Jesus is a beautiful thing.

Long story short, VBS week was wonderful.

Grace and peace,

BMH