Going with an older traditional hymn this week in memory of Gordon Rhodes, a 96 year old WWII veteran who recently passed away. I officiated his funeral over the weekend and it was truly an honor to pay tribute to a man who wasn't just a war hero but also a great man of faith.
There were many songs included in the service, but this week's selection wasn't actually one of them. It's a personal choice of a song that always reminds me of our victory over death because of Christ.
This version is the classic version. I'll also always remember this song for the sped up A Capella version my Greek prof led us in occasionally at the beginning of class.
As this blog indicates, I serve as a pastor in Milford, Indiana. Wikipedia will tell you that Milford is a town of about 1,500 people and not much else. Our local news will tell you that, like so many other communities in our area, it is dealing with a significant meth problem. Of course, Wikipedia and arrest reports don't tell the whole story. There are good jobs, pleasant people, and - for me and my church - great ministry opportunities. I appreciate the Lord leading us here. Even though I grew up close to it, I didn't give it much thought, other than it being a place on the way north to bigger and better things. I wonder though if the seeds weren't planted in my late high school/early college years for me to end up here. And it all began with a band called Bleach. Bleach was one of those niche Christian bands whose fans were loyal and adamant that they were underrated. Their second album Static had some fun hits but it was their overlooked third track that stuck with me. "Rundown Town" tells the story of a aging minister who never finds any limelight but leaves a legacy of faithfulness to where God called him. Something in my soul was immediately drawn to this idea from the first time I heard it.
Since I was a kid, I always had this belief that I was destined for greatness. As I grew older and my athletic abilities fell short of "pro-level", I started coming around to the idea that how I defined "greatness" could use re-evaluation. I realized that God's definition was way different than mine or the world's.
So when a pastoral opening at a small-ish, but healthy church came across my path. I saw the opportunities as much as anything else. And it hasn't been disappointing. Sure we want to see our church's influence grow and I'd like to make an impact on many lives. But those are the right goals, those are fringe benefits to properly serving the Kingdom. Fruit/results/growth - those are all by products of faithfulness, plus they are out of my control and in God's hands anyway.
And that's how I've discovered fulfillment in the midst of a 'rundown town'.
Most of my Music Monday selections fall under the contemporary music category. But I've noticed that my recent choices, including today's, fall under the more 'old-school' or traditional classification. Also I'd like to note that I've got all kinds of family with musical gifts - grandparents, parents, siblings, and in this case - uncle and cousin's husband - but poor little ol' me is left to just blog about it.
At the conclusion of a service I was participating in - but hadn't planned out, the worship team played this week's Music Monday selection.
It is a classic hymn that didn't just speak to me personally, but also professionally.
The particular reasons as to why aren't important, but don't the simplest Gospel truths make the most profound impacts on our hearts. Praise God for the grace that is greater than your, than mine, than all our sin.
I highly suspect that subconsciously the existence of this running "Music Monday" theme goes back to my childhood when my parents were invested in a traveling music ministry. Both of them were very talented and would travel to various churches and cities to present special concerts and I got to tag along as a pre-school aged kid. Many memories still rattle around in my brain, like the time our van started rolling away in a church parking lot as dad and some volunteers were unloading equipment. Likewise, many of the songs have stuck in my head too. This week's selection was one of those songs. An early eighties single from the group Truth, it is a mini-time capsule taking us back to those early days of contemporary Christian music.
Why feature it? Well, it popped into my head last week as I was preparing my sermon on Isaiah 36-39. Those chapters recount some tension-filled days in the reign of King Hezekiah. For the most part, the King trusted the Lord - relying on him completely despite great odds. But alas, in chapter 39 he makes a foolish blunder. I believe the whole story, taken in the context of Isaiah's book, is meant to leave us wanting more. Isaiah had promised a coming King who would set things right and faithfully lead God's people. King Hezekiah (and others) did so to a point - but they were just place holders until God's true Messiah-King would arrive. To a great extent, Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus' life and ministry as a fulfillment of God's promises in Isaiah. The crowds of Matthew 21 were celebrating Jesus' kingly arrival even though they didn't fully understand God's plan or the nature of Jesus' kingship. So, in a round-about way, Isaiah 36-39 connects with Palm Sunday - reminding us that there is one faithful king who succeeded where human kings failed. The beauty of Palm Sunday and Easter can indeed be summed up in the concise phrase - "Jesus Never Fails".
Sometimes a song will come along that may not be your style, but you recognize how good it is. You can appreciate it's excellence and value. I'd put today's Music Monday selection in that category. I came across it when a few Facebook friends shared it. The artist, Andrew Peterson, is someone I'm only vaguely aware of. The song, Is He Worthy?,probably won't end up on any Christian radio charts. But wow is it hauntingly good, taking us to the scene of Revelation 5:
Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals.2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?”3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it.4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside.5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”
The creative inclusion of question and response along with the unique visuals of the video make this one of my favorite songs to consider as we head into this Easter season.
UPDATE: It appears as though Peterson's video created a small social media firestorm for featuring no actual diversity for a song that is inspired by the heavenly picture of those "from every tribe and tongue and people and language". Peterson published a lengthy apology and explanation of the glaring oversight. Though some may read it differently, I find it very honest, contrite, and sincere.
At the end of this blog, I'll post a music selection for this week. But I wanted to feature something else this week. Last Friday I sent out a bunch of tweets regarding biblical interpretation and theological discussions. It seemed to be well received but because of the character limits and the format of Twitter, the entirety of my rant was hard to follow. So, thanks to one friend's suggestion, I'm posting it as a whole here. I am likely to add some short additions but I hope you enjoy and maybe even are provoked to think deeper on these things. ----------------------- I've been in ministry around 15 years with a M.Div that was 90+ credits. But the most helpful theological instruction I ever received was something I got early on in my first Systematic Theology class when I believe I was a freshman in college. What follows is from the late Dr. Dave Plaster. There are levels of authority/certainty when it comes to asserting theological truth. To quote Dr. Plaster, "An understanding of where a statement rests in authority helps us to determine our attitude towards others who disagree with us." "(The level) does not mean we do not hold various statements with conviction even when others disagree...but we should avoid a 'flat' theology which does not distinguish between levels of authority."
These are the 6 levels: 1. Direct Statements of Scripture.
These carry the greatest weight of authority. The plain statements of God's Word offer us doctrinal truths that should be non-negotiable. But let's be sure these essential truths are not interpretations. 2. Direct Implications from Scripture.
These are very substantially established truths from Scripture but are implications (maybe even applications) and not always 100% directly stated in the Bible. 3. Probable Implications of Scripture.
These are inferences drawn tentatively. Some evidence is probable but these are theological statements not totally provable from the Bible. 4. Inductive Conclusions from Scripture.
This is where statements/beliefs come from the overall data of Scripture with lots of deducing. There is less direct Biblical evidence being employed. 5. Conclusions inferred from General Revelation.
These involve assertions that come from nature, science, and non-biblical wisdom/knowledge. Dr. Plaster taught that if the clear Biblical truth is opposed to this "General Revelation", the Biblical position should be taken. 6. Outright speculations.
These are theological statements that could possibly be derived from obscure references in the Word. The early levels will have more direct ties to a lot of Scripture, but this will lessen the further down the continuum one goes.
Also, we should hold firmly to Level 1 truths, but loosen our grip the further we go. For example, I will never compromise on faith in Jesus Christ as God's way of salvation. That's Level 1. I would die for that.
But I am not willing to risk my life on whether or not the Church will live through a 7 year literal tribulation in the end times. That is more a Level 4 (maybe 3) truth, mostly because there is plenty of biblical data for different viewpoints. These levels are important to think through for a lot of other issues of course. When life begins, Human Sexuality, Creation vs. Evolution, the reality of Heaven/Hell, and Eternal Security are all popular hot-button topics that even people outside the faith engage in at times. These topics need to be viewed through the lense of these levels, even before we ardently defend our views on them.
I have seen more basic versions of these levels of interpretations - where core doctrine is differentiated from traditional dogma which is differentiated from personal preference. But I appreciate this more-specific lens through which to look at theology. We will better understand our own beliefs and better engage in discussions if we accurately assess what level our positions come from.
Good reminders for us all, thanks Dr. Plaster.
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As promised, here's a musical selection for anyone who has persevered this far. This song is directly connected to my sermon from Sunday, which was out of Isaiah 24-26.
It's by a well-known worship artist, Chris Tomlin but it is not one of his popular tunes. I fell in love with it off of his "Live from Austin Music Hall" album of 2004. The cool thing about it is that it features David Crowder and really improves on the original.
A tempo change in the live version plus addition of the lyric "Jesus, Lord and Savior" within the chorus were perfect ways to improve the song - at least in my opinion.
