The Wedding Ceremony

The purpose of the church is to make Christ known to the world. Perhaps this is the why it is so vital that Christians keep their marriage vows. Everything in life in so uncertain. One can lose their health or their job. We've learned this past year how uncertain our economy can be which makes our financial savings plans shaky. What people need to see in this uncertain world is that God is reliable.

Christian marriage needs to communicate the trustworthiness, reliability, and faithfulness of God. When God's people honor their word and keep their commitments, they are a living demonstration of what God is like.

The beauty of the traditional wedding ceremony is the fact that it points the way for the world to know what it means to live in a covenant relationship. Marriage is not the proverbial "ball and chain" keeping a person from really enjoying life. Rather, the marriage covenant is like a strong wall of protection allowing the city dwellers to live their lives without anxiety and worry of enemy attack. It is in such a place of freedom and security that one can really live!

Strong, committed marriages should not just be something we should hope for ourselves and our children. We must work and sacrifice and pay whatever price is necessary to make them a reality. Our world needs for us to do this.

God's Dwelling Among Us

Who would have thought that Israel's Tabernacle would be such an appropriate topic for a Christmas sermon? The standard picture for this season is, of course, a baby in a manger. This image certainly communicates a number of important truths. However, thinking about God coming to "tabernacle" with us in the person of Jesus makes his birth even more unique.

The Old Testament tabernacle glittered with all the gold that was used in it's construction. The gold directed Israel's attention to their God. Likewise, the Heavenly city of Jerusalem in John's Revelation, is made of gold as clear as glass (a quality that surpasses any gold on earth!). However, when God became flesh in the person of Jesus and "did tabernacle among us," the only gold he received was when the Magi presented it to him as a gift (Matthew 2:11). Jesus did not need the reflection of gold to show the glory of God. He IS God dwelling (or tablernacling) among his people! He is the one who is truly more precious that silver, more costly than gold. And as the song says, "Nothing I desire compares with you." Jesus is the fulfillment of all of our dreams and desires. Give him all the glory and honor this Christmas and every day!

The Fruit of the Spirit is . . . Self Control

As I talked about the failures of Tiger Woods, Bobby Humphrey and Bill Bennett this morning; I thought how easy it is to be judgmental and self righteous when the sins of others come to light. As far as Humphrey and Bennett are concerned: they have both risen above their moral failures and appear to be making positive contributions to society. Tiger's story is still so fresh that it would be good for us to pray for him rather than throw stones. (I'm talking to myself with that last statement.)

When we get really honest with ourselves we have to admit that we have all done things for which we are now ashamed. I've often meditated on the statement, "All the ground is level at the foot of the cross." We come to Jesus broken and needy. He accepts us as we are, but loves us too much to leave us that way! By submitting to the Holy Spirit who lives inside us we are transformed into the person of Christ. Gary Robbins summed up today's sermon with this scripture, "Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up." (James 4:10) Amen! May the Spirit bear his beautiful fruit in your life and mine as we surrender control of our lives to him.

The Fruit of the Spirit is . . . Gentleness

I remember as a child singing, "Jesus, meek and gentle; Son of God Most High." If you are as old as I am you may be hearing those melodious notes going up and down while singing, "Hiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiigh." The vision of Jesus that came from this song to my childlike mind was a soft, passive man who never upset anyone; kind of a first century Captain Kangaroo. (There I go showing my age again; Google him if you don't know who he is.)

Reading the Gospels I found Jesus to be a passionate, emotional man who could become angry to the point of kicking things around. (Read John 2 for a classic example of this.) His emotions, however, were never out of control or IN control of his life. Rather, his anger was always directed at those who deserved it. Theologians might call it, "righteous indignation."

When Jesus described himself as "gentle and humble in heart" (Matthew 11:29) it was not because he was unable or unwilling to "let people have it." Rather, it is a description of Jesus' "default" mode. Jesus is a gentle man, but he not a man to be taken for granted. It angers him to see people abused and taken advantage of. This is one reason he offered his yoke to us. Serving God need not be the harsh, dreary, dreadful experience that Pharisees make it into. When the yoke fits well it makes service to God a joyful partnership with the Son of God.

Hear again Jesus' invitation, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:28-30).

The Fruit of the Spirit is . . . Faithfulness

Everyone admires faithfulness; but many are not willing to pay the price to actually be faithful. As I reflect on the sermon this morning it occurs to me that everything we do in the Sunday morning assembly has something to do with faithfulness.

• We began this morning with a baptism wherein our new sister in Christ joined Jesus in his death, burial and resurrection. Jesus was faithful to his mission to "give his life as a ransom for many" which allows us to be saved from sin.
• We then sang praises to our great God in heaven who has proven himself to be faithful to his covenant promises.
• The sermon was based on passages we find in the Bible which is a record of God's faithfulness toward us.
• The Lord's Supper is our weekly sharing in the body of blood of our faithful High Priest and the sacrifice of himself which was given for us.
• The contribution became the first opportunity we had as a congregation to respond to our faithful God by showing ourselves to be faithful in support of His church.
• Our family prayer time was made possible because of the faithfulness of Jesus who allows us to boldly approach God's throne of grace.
• We ended our service recognizing a new member who desires to become a part of our family. We are indeed a family because God was faithful to keep his promises.

Now we get to live all week long remembering that God is faithful and looking for ways the Spirit of God is developing faithfulness in our lives. When you see evidence of his work in your life encourage it, fan it into flame so that you will become a living example of the faithfulness of God!

Great Rejoicing!

I feel I need to explain something to my faithful blog readers. Several weeks ago I announced that today, Sunday, November 22; would be a day of Great Rejoicing. I further proclaimed that it would be a baptism Sunday. I wasn't sure if this was my idea or God's idea until I ran it by my elders. They assured me that they felt the idea was indeed God's.

It happened like this: I am a part of two weekly prayer groups at church that faithfully pray for those who have not yet responded to the Lord in baptism. I keep a list in my office that I update regularly with the names of adults who are in some way connected to the Clear Lake Church of Christ but, for a variety of reasons, have not received baptism.

Some on the list have done extensive Bible study and are very involved in our church life. Others, I have never personally met, but their spouse is a member. The majority are people I know but they do not in any way claim to follow Jesus as Lord.

While on my last prayer retreat an idea came to me to have a Great Rejoicing Sunday. Many of those on the list have put baptism off for so long I wondered what would happen if we set a date and asked them to be one of the ones who would be baptized that day. Knowing that there is a difference between a "Good idea" and a "God idea" I presented my thoughts to the Shepherds.

The results of moving on this idea are not completely in yet, but what has happened has certainly showed that God is moving. Since that announcement there have been 5 baptisms with 4 more to follow this week. Two people on the list that I had not planned to talk with showed up unexpectedly at church. I spoke to each and began a Bible study with one and had a good conversation with the other.

I decided to write this on the blog to encourage you readers to be open to ideas that God is giving you -- especially when you are in a season of prayer. Be willing to test the ideas to determine which are from God and which are not. Then be faithful to follow God's leading. God is working all around us and often invites us to join him to do some small task that he will use for his glory.

On another note, I just realized that this blog has now passed 10,000 hits. What better way to celebrate than with a note about Great Rejoicing!

What's the Big Deal About Baptism?

To close the sermon this morning I gave a number of images that baptism might be associated with. Which one was most significant to you when you were baptized? Is there a more meaningful one you associate with your baptism today? The images were:

• A Wedding Ceremony - where life long vows are made and a forever intimate relationship is initiated.

• The Birth of a Child - where new life begins full of hopes, dreams, and possibilities.

• A Bath - where sins are washed away and a person is made clean and fresh.

• A Burial - where the old life is forever laid to rest and a new life is begun.

• A Family Reunion - where one is recognized as belonging to the larger family of God.

Vocal Union

Since Vocal Union did a concert during Sunday School AND presented a sermon in song during the worship service, I got a rare Sunday off from teaching and preaching. I thoroughly enjoyed the concert but got distracted during the worship. Everything was going great until the second half of my Communion meditation when I forgot to turn on my microphone. Then I handed off my lapel mic to the sound people forgetting that I would need it for the contribution prayer. Thinking fast on my feet I borrowed a hand held microphone from one of the Soprano singers in the praise team. For some reason (I don't even want to know now) the people in the back couldn't adjust fast enough so all we got was feedback.

As soon as the sermon in song began I noticed some people standing in the baptistery. I knew there was going to be a baptism at the end of the service and left to go inform them that there was a good 30 minutes to go before they needed to be in the water. I came back in the sanctuary and sat in the wings where I had a good shot of the BACK of the singers! I missed the middle of the sermon in song and was therefore lost as to the overall point of the presentation.

Oh well, I learned something a long time ago and get have the opportunity to relearn it regularly: "It's not about me, it's ALL about Him!". In spite of my confusion the Lord was praised today, His people were encouraged, and we have a new sister in Christ. Hallelujah!

The Fruit of the Spirit is . . . Goodness

As I was contemplating the meaning of the word good out loud on facebook (my favorite new way to begin sermon preparation), my friend Glenn Drysdale raised an interesting point. He said something to the effect, "what if we focused more of our attention on being good rather than being right?" There is certainly nothing virtuous about being wrong; but it seems to me that we Christians may have followed the misguided notion that being right is somehow more important than being good. What if we put goodness before rightness? What would that do to our attitudes and opinions of each other? What would happen if we devoted ourselves to being good? In our pursuit of rightness we cannot forgot to follow these instructions:

"Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up" (Gal. 6:9).

"In everything set them an example by doing what is good" (Titus 2:7).

"Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities, to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good" (Titus 3:1)

"Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good" (Titus 3:14).

"Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us." (1 Peter 2:12).

"For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men." (1 Peter 2:15).

The Fruit of the Spirit is . . . . Kindness

Several asked about the book I read from during the sermon this morning. It was Tortured for Christ, by Richard Wurmbrand.
As I stated in the sermon's introduction, the fruit of the Spirit is not a to-do list; it is a description of the person who is cooperating with what the Spirit is creating in their heart. I felt that Richard Wurmbrand's story of the incredible love shown by Christian prisoners toward their former torturers profoundly showed this to be true.

When Christians allow the Spirit to reproduce the life of Christ in them, then there is no force on earth that can stop them. The kindness shown us in the cross of Christ is the same kindness that we express toward friends, family, strangers, and even enemies. God's kindness can melt even the most resistant and rebellious heart. Let that kindness flow through you to others.

The Fruit of the Spirit is . . . Patience

Our "quick fix" mentality wants to find a short cut for everything: especially patience. ("Give me patience and give it to me NOW!") My goal in preaching this series on the Fruit of the Spirit is not so much to tell us how to get love, joy peace, patience, and the rest; as much as to describe these qualities so we can cooperate with God as he seeks to develop them in our lives. These nine qualities are, in reality, the description of Jesus Christ.

Setting up patience as a personal goal may be like setting happiness as a goal. As we mentioned in the sermon on joy: the chase after happiness chases happiness away. Make it your goal to develop the mind of Christ. In the words of scripture, "live by the Spirit and you will not gratify the desire of the sinful nature" (Galatians 5:16). Patience develops in our hearts as we devote ourselves to following the leading of God's Spirit within us.

As seen in the video this morning, my little doggies can wait patiently because they know from training that they will get a treat. God has a different training method. He puts the Spirit of his son in our hearts to refine our character so that we are not simply "acting" patient, we are actually becoming patient. Behavior modification changes what we do. The Spirit of God changes who we are.

The Fruit of the Spirit is . . . Peace

There are times like this past week, when I realize just how OLD 50 really is. I asked my facebook friends to tell me their favorite war protest song. Shockingly (to me at least), some had no idea what I was talking about. I grew up in the 60's when everyone knew some war protest songs: "Blowin' in the Wind", "War" (What is it Good For?), "The Times They are a Changin'", "If I Had a Hammer", and the Woodstock classic, "I Feel Like I'm Fixin' to Die Rag." Of course my son Jeremy came up with my personal all time favorite, Buffalo Springfield's, "For What it's Worth." (It's good to see all my fatherly training paying off.)

Norman Farr (who has surpassed me in age and spiritual depth) listed one I would never have considered. However, on reflection, perhaps it should be the number one war protest song in Christian hearts.

Peace, perfect peace, in this dark world of sin?
The blood of Jesus whispers peace within.

Peace, perfect peace, by thronging duties pressed?
To do the will of Jesus--this is rest.

Peace, perfect peace, with sorrows surging round?
On Jesus' bosom naught but calm is found.

Peace, perfect peace, with loved ones far away?
In Jesus' keeping we are safe, and they.

Peace, perfect peace, our future all unknown?
Jesus we know, and He is on the throne.

Maybe we could have just sung the song and skipped the sermon this morning. Jesus is on the throne. Amen.

The Fruit of the Spirit is . . . Joy

"Doesn't God want me to be happy?", said a woman one day from my counselor's couch. She was in a bad marriage and was convinced in her mind that she needed to get out. What convinced her was her feeling level of unhappiness.

The most profound thought I had this week while preparing this sermon, was that the happiness we yearn for is not the happiness that God wants to give us. Our happiness is TOTALLY dependent upon circumstances and situations. If everything would just go right we could be happy. The Joy which God has available for us through his Spirit is not created by external circumstances and therefore can never be taken from us.

Paul's question to the Galatians, "What has happened to all your joy?" (4:15), is perhaps one that modern day Christians would do well to ponder.

The Fruit of the Spirit is . . . Love

I'm embarrassed to tell you readers about a conversation I had around 30 years ago. I was a Bible major at Harding University and, like many others in my degree path, was preaching for a small congregation near Searcy, AR. The conversation I mentioned was between myself and another "preacher boy." I asked my fellow student what he was preaching on that coming Sunday and he replied, "love." I snickered and said something like, "You're joking, right?" No, he wasn't joking and said that he felt love was an important topic to speak on. I was under the assumption that the topics we needed to be preaching on were commitment, sacrifice, self-denial, and the like. Little did I realize, in my naivety, that Love trumps every other topic that can be presented! (Check out 1 Corinthians 13 for Paul's attitude on the superiority of love.)

The problem in preaching on the topic of love is that there is simply too many scriptures and way too much biblical information. I therefore decided this morning to restrict myself to the Greatest Commandments and the Great Love Chapter. Be conscious this week of how the Holy Spirit inside you prompts you to love others with the love of Jesus.

Live in the Spirit

I can remember a time when the Holy Spirit was all but ignored by Christians. He was either confined to the first century or restricted exclusively to the New Testament. Then a time came when the Holy Spirit was released from his prison and . . . . well, we weren't exactly sure what he was doing but it had a lot to do with emotions and how we were feeling. We could feel the Spirit moving and it was all very exciting, but there was not much substance. When we read Paul's letter to the Galatians he has a lot to say about the work of the Spirit. His work is anything but confined and it is certainly much deeper than one's up and down emotional journey though life.

One critical work the Holy Spirit does in the life a Christian is to reproduce the person of Christ. When we allow the Spirit to do his work, our lives show the evidence that God is working in and through us. What is that evidence? Why, it is the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Throughout this series of sermons I hope we will all develop a sensitivity to the work of the Spirit. "The acts of the sinful nature are obvious," Paul says. The fruit of the Spirit needs to be equally obvious to us. Crucify the sinful nature and the fruit of the Spirit will grow. If you want to see the Holy Spirit at work in your life, then stop feeding your sinful nature! "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit." (Galatians 5:25)

Plundering the Egyptians or Best Birthday Ever!

This week's blog will be devoted to the four events that converged this weekend. To begin, today we launched our much anticipated church building renovation plan. Normally I would not get too excited about a building program but this one makes so much sense and will do so much good. God has allowed us to "plunder the Egyptians", as we discussed in this morning's sermon, and now he is asking us to give from our wealth so that our church building can have a much needed face lift.

Secondly, I was surprised and honored by the thoughtful gifts given to us at church this morning in recognition of our ten years of ministry here at Clear Lake. I am humbled and appreciative of the many kind words spoken about our work here.

Third, last night my daughter, Elizabeth, accepted a proposal of marriage from Jaime Arizpe. Jaime and his parents had come to Houston from San Antiono last Friday to ask our blessing on his proposal. We already knew and loved Jaime and instantly fell in love with his parents as well. Jaime is a godly, responsible, and sensitive young man and we recognize in him the answer to our lifelong prayer for Elizabeth's future husband.

Finally, my 50th birthday has turned out to the be the best birthday ever! It began last weekend when all of my children came home to celebrate with me. Then each child sent me a personal letter telling me why they appreciate me as a father. Liz also joined in and wrote her own letter to me. Finally, my church family celebrated with me this morning.

I am more blessed than anyone else I know! I am so thankful for my many friends, my church family, my biological family, and especially for my Lord Jesus Christ who gave his all for me so that I might have all the spiritual treasures available through his death and resurrection.

Praying Out of Desperation

If I could re-title this morning's sermon I might change it to, "Creating Space for God." I find that I will fill every time void in my life from waking up till I fall asleep at night. I'll turn on the news while getting ready in the morning and read in bed until my eyes can't stay open. Any lull in activity gets filled with t.v., computer, reading, household maintenance, playing with my dogs, etc....

The only real break comes when I purposefully and intentionally create a space for God. The space does not necessarily need to be filled with my incessant rambling on and on about things I need God to do for me and f0r others. Rather, the space needs to be open for meditation, contemplation, or just simply resting in my relationship with my loving Father in Heaven.

The true beauty of my annual prayer retreats are the space that is created for me to rest in God's presence long enough to gain appreciation and understanding of things God has been trying to teach me. I recognize that my annual week of prayer is a blessing that others are not able (for many reasons) to have. My wife has begun having dates with God. She will mark off on her calendar a time range and block out all other activity. When I was in college I remember spending a night under the stars asking God to help me sort out whatever it was that was going on in my life at the time. Jesus, "often withdrew to lonely places and prayed" (Luke 5:16). What do you need to do to create space for God in your life?

Private Prayer Retreat

As promised, here is a brief report on my 12th annual private prayer retreat. This year I went to a wonderful little place called "Pilgrims Rest." This private retreat facility is located about 20 miles south of Alvin and is provided free of charge by radio station KJIC. If you are interested in learning more about Pilgrims Rest click here. The accommodations are simple but not Spartan. The general manager lives next door to the radio station which is less than a 1/8 of a mile walk from Pilgrims Rest. Even though they were nearby everyone respected my solitude.


As I do every year I prayed through the church directory again praying the intercessory prayers of the New Testament letters over every family. I also prayed for each of the 80 or so prayer requests every day while away. I always feels a close fellowship connection with the Clear Lake Church as I read the sometimes funny, sometimes very personal, sometimes heart rending comments that are written on the prayer requests cards. It impresses me how many people desire to grow spiritually to be a stronger leader for their family or want strength to overcome some temptation that is threatening to overcome them. As I pray through the directory and through the prayer cards I often feel like Epaphras who was described by Paul as, "always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured" (Colossians 4:12). I deeply appreciate those who prayed for me while I was gone and was constantly reminded of that fact by several of you who wrote on your prayer cards that you would do so.

I also worked through a number of the Contemplative Prayer exercises we learned at our church prayer retreats last years. Finally, the highlight of my retreat this year was to read through my many journals and pray through my life. I've always been rather reflective by nature and nearing the half century mark has made me more so. I told God that I wanted to review my life with him looking for perspective for what needs to happen next. That was a wonderful journey and God and I remembered the heights and depths, deserts and gardens of my life. The one constant has always been God's presence. Whether I was in the pits of depression relating to Psalm 88 or on the mountains of praise singing the Hallel Psalms (113-118) God has been with me whether I recognized him or not.

Several years ago I wrote a paper encouraging ministers to take a prayer retreat. Several non-minister types read the paper and found it beneficial. If you would like to read this paper it is posted on our church web site and is entitled, "A Minister's Private Prayer Retreat."

David Rocks and Goliath Rolls

After the sermon today a young man approached me with two questions. The questions were not about the sermon I had just presented but about sermons in general. Both questions were reflective in nature so I will present them here with some of my thoughts.

Question #1 - What do you hope will be accomplished through your sermons?
Every sermon has a specific objective but these fit into an overall desire for my preaching. My desire is that my sermons would help people to know God better. God's greatest revelation of himself has been made through Jesus, so I want to lean heavily on that revelation, but God has revealed himself in others ways as well (such as the Old Testament). When people walk away from any sermon I hope that the message will resonate within them all week. I consider it a great compliment when someone says to me, "I've been thinking all week about what you said Sunday."

Question #2 - What do you listen for in sermons?
Unfortunately, I must be honest that for years I was a terrible sermon listener. I'm ashamed to admit that while listening to others I would often be thinking about how I might preach that particular message. That kind of thinking came out my own insecurity and arrogance. Thankfully, God has sufficiently humbled me so that I now listen to the sermons of others with a much more profitable attitude of mind. When I have the opportunity to hear others preach what I listen for is a word from God. That word might be found in the scriptures being read or expounded upon. I might hear a word from God in a particular illustration, or even in an off the cuff comment the speaker makes. The question I try to answer is, "What is God saying through this message?" If I can find that answer I have something to ponder and hopefully to use to help me grow in my knowledge of the Almighty.

God Doesn't Choose Sides

Today's sermon left me with a lot of unanswered questions. Accepting the fact that God doesn't choose sides but calls us to join Him seems a relevant application of Joshua's conversation with the angel (Joshua 5:13-15). But wrestling with exactly what that means in everyday life is troubling to me.

Should I protest the abortion clinic, strip club, or pornographic movie theater? Or, should I seek to build a relationship with the owners to understand them better and hopefully communicate the gospel? Or, should I simply help people in general come to know the Lord and grow spiritually believing that the only sure way to change culture is for there to be a radical revival that is orchestrated by the Holy Spirit?

How active should I be in the political process? Does concern for changing abortion laws really trump concern for the poor and needy? Is saving the environment better than saving jobs? I no longer believe the naive assumption that one political party stands for righteousness and the other for moral debauchery. It's much more complicated than that, and if it's true that God doesn't choose sides, then Christians have a much more difficult job than simply joining one side or the other and thinking God is for them.

I honestly believe the only hope we have in following God is to truly humble ourselves before him. It has been my experience that when I do this he leads me to people and places that I would have never been open to going to before. When Joshua fell on his face, removed his sandels, and asked what message God had for him -- he received the most bizarre set of battle instructions ever given. Following the leading of God will undoubtedly cause us to do things that we otherwise would not have done. This is the path of the cross.

So, I guess I should expect to have a lot of questions. The only one who has ALL the answers is God himself. Let's humble ourselves before him and let him be the leader of our lives.

Vacation

Spending a week not having to think about what I will preach on Sunday is a rare treat. Spending time with all my children at the same time is becoming a rare treat as well! The following is a brief travel log of our recent vacation.

We met everyone in New Braunfels and stayed in a rented house for the weekend. We were pleased to have Elizabeth's boyfriend, Jaime join us. We spent a day at Schlitterbahn and a half day floating in a very crowded Comal River. The most fun was just being together playing games, laughing, and catching up with each others' lives. The kids were kind enough to let me win at both Texas Hold 'em and Nerts!

After the weekend our plans changed since Ben and Elizabeth were involved in a car accident on the way to New Braunfels. (No one was injured but they had to leave the car in San Antonio to be repaired.) Liz and I, therefore drove them back to Abilene where we spent the night at Ben's before continuing our journeys as empty nesters on vacation. We went to Frontier Texas in Abilene which is an interesting presentation by the early settlers of the Texas panhandle. I say "by the settlers" because they appear before you in lifesize 3-D to tell their stories.

After that Liz and I took off with no destination in mind other than to visit little towns around the area. We spent one night in Coleman and one night in San Angelo. Along the way we visited such small places as Santa Anna (named after an Indian chief NOT the Mexican dictator), Ballinger, Robert Lee (named by two confederate soldiers after the war), Bronte, and Buffalo Gap.

Our favorite stop was at Fort Chadbourne which was built in 1852 to protect the settlers who were moving west. When the fort was no longer needed it was sold in 1874 and became part of the O-D Ranch which used the buildings as headquarters. The property has been in the same family ever since. While touring the restored buildings and grounds we were fortunate enough to get a private tour by Garland Richards who is the great-great-great grandson of the original owners.

Returning to Abilene we were thrilled to go to a banquet at the Alliance for Women and Children where Elizabeth works as a program manager. It was the concluding banquet for all the families of the girls who have participated in the summer camps that Elizabeth directed.

On the way home we stopped in Dallas for lunch with Jeremy and Adrienne. Liz is back at work today and I'll be in the office on Monday to get caught up on all the exciting happenings of Impact Week.

IMPACT Week

Even though this is being posted on Aug. 1 it was actually written last Sunday, July 26.

I just finished taping the sermon and am excited about what God is going to do in our community this week. Unfortunately, Liz and I are going to miss the entire week. Now that all of our children are adults, we've got the same scheduling problems everyone else has. It just so happened that the only week my entire family could be together this summer happened to be this week. After prayerful consideration, and consultation with our co-workers, we decided there's a whole church to participate in IMPACT week, but we're the only ones who can spend parent time with our kids. Know that we are thinking and praying for all of your efforts. I look forward to hearing the stories and seeing the results of what God will do through you this week.

Esther: Providential Irony

Judging by the blank looks on the faces of some, my Flintstones reference didn't connect. (Listen to their 30 sec theme song; noting especially the final phrase, by clicking here.) I was making the point that language evolves over time thus changing definitions. Some insist that word meanings should remain static and not change. However, if we are to communicate well to THIS culture we must use the most commonly accepted definitions, regardless of our personal preferences.

Now, regarding the story of Esther; this is an example of story telling at his best! The good guys win and the bad guys lose as in all good stories. But along the way there is danger, risks are taken, and difficult choices are made. There is no specific word from the Lord and Mordecai and Esther must decide what it means to live lives that He would approve. For Mordecai this means thwarting an assassination attempt as well as encouraging Esther to appeal to the king to save her people. For Esther this means risking her life. Surely her body shook with fear when she uttered the words, "When this [fast] is done, I will go to the king, even though it is against the law. And if I perish, I perish" (Esther 4:16).

Esther's faith is what made this Bible story one of my daughter's favorites when she was young. There are many stories of men of faith told in the Bible; but this particular story shows the fate of an entire race of people hinging on the decision of one woman. Thank God she was a woman of faith!

The Lion Sleeps Tonight

The sermon title today raised anticipation that was never fully satisfied. Therefore, I have provided a link for my faithful readers to have their unmet expectations fulfilled. Click this link to hear the original 1961 version of the Tokens singing, The Lion Sleeps Tonight.

Now that you have that out of your system, consider the character of Daniel. It has been said that every man has his price. I don't think that's true of a person with true integrity. Daniel was not a person who could be "bought." Even the threat of certain death would not deter him from doing what he believed to be God's will. The person with no fear of death is free to truly live!

Is this not the eternal life that Jesus has given to us? Jesus said, "I have come that they may have life, and have it too the full." (John 10:10). Living a life of faith means keeping your eyes on the savior instead of on the lions. Trusting God means listening to the Word of God rather than being distracted by the lion's roar. People of faith are always attractive -- because they live the kind of lives that deep down everyone really wants to live: lives of principle, character, and integrity.

Born to Be Wild

My new favorite form of sermon preparation is soliciting help from my friends on facebook. Last Monday I asked if there was anything redeeming about Samson. Danny McNeal, a college club brother of mine, wrote, "No man is completely worthless. He can always be used as a bad example." It appears I followed his advise in this morning's sermon.

Although Samson is included in a list of people with great faith in the NT book of Hebrews (11:32) it's difficult to find much faith in his story. My hunch is that the author is thinking about when Samson asked God to give him his strength back so that he might have one final shot at hurting the Philistines. Samson certainly demonstrated faith by trusting that only by God answering his prayer would he be able to destroy Israel's enemies; however the OT portrayal of Samson does not seem to indicate (at least in my mind) that he's completely repented and changed his ways. Rather, it seems that after his foolishness and wild living have come to their horrible end, his only hope of getting his final revenge is by turning to God for strength. God supplied what was needed because it accomplished His purposes - something Samson, it seems, has never spent much time considering.

The Five Problems of Moses

I got into a brief discussion yesterday with my son, Ben and my brother, Paul (both preachers) concerning two different types of sermons: inductive and deductive. The difference between the two was summarized as:

1) Deductive tells people what to do;
2) Inductive invites people to journey with the preacher on an exploration.

Formerly deductive preaching was the predominate type of sermon where the preacher would begin with a conclusion and then present arguments to support it. Now it seems that inductive preaching has become much more popular. I asked Ben which type of sermons he thinks that I preach and he said it is a mixture. I think he's right.

When I was a young preacher I heard Jim Woodroof say that one should only preach what God has first taught you. I'd like to think that my sermons come out of my life and not simply out of my head. My goal is to have each sermon say, "Hey everybody, let me tell you what God's been teaching me." Then the big question would be "What does this say to you?"

One of the best post-sermon comments I received today came from someone who benefited from a single line in the sermon. I made some statement about how Moses' life was going really well in Midian until God "messed it up" by calling him to go back to Egypt. She reflected on her life and how she had finally reached a point where things were going well. It was at that point that God "messed her life up" as well! He called her to a new mission which has had it's share of new stresses and struggles. Through the sermon she was able to see a larger picture of what God was doing and, consequently, move forward in faith. Christianity is a journey and a destination. This is why we are called "followers" of Christ. Let's keep moving!

Joseph and His Story of Many Layers

Wouldn't it be great if we could see the end of our problems from the beginning? In the midst of our pain, suffering, disappointments, heartbreak, loneliness, etc... we would have the assurance that the intensity of the moment would not last forever. We would have already read the final chapters of our story and learned how things would wrap up. Unfortunately we can't know for sure how anything in our life will end up.

Joseph is a true bible hero in that no matter how bad life became for him he continued to "trust and obey" the Lord. He didn't know how things would turn out but acted like he did. Every step of the way it appears that he lived his life believing that God was at work (which in fact He was!).

I choose to live with the belief that God is going to use my life, the experiences of my life, and my life's work in some way to benefit future generations. I have no idea how. I've just read enough of the Bible to know that my perspective is too small and that I need to live by faith. "God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance," Joseph said when he finally was able to connect all the dots. He couldn't say that while he was in the pit, living in slavery, or in his prison cell. He could only say this years later when God reveled it him. Lord, give me the faith to push through the difficult parts of life with the hope of a brighter tomorrow.

Standing Against A Flood of Evil

I loved the movie Evan Almighty and it's depiction of how utterly humiliating it would be if God called a person to do something as ridiculous as building a giant boat to survive a coming flood. Perhaps that's why the Biblical narrative of Noah has captured the attention of story tellers for generations. One man stands alone to protect his family. Who cares what others might say--Noah was convinced that what God said was going to happen and because of that he would endure any amount of ridicule.

But the Genesis story is about more than that. It is about one man who believed God and thus followed God's leading. This is what the writer of the New Testament book of Hebrews calls faith. "By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family." (11:7)

I thought the building image might connect with guys who often enjoy building things with their hands. But whether we are literal builders or not; keeping our homes as places of spiritual safety and security is the responsibility of us all. God is looking today for the same type of men and women as he was in Noah's day - people of faith who will follow his leading.

Don't Blame Me!

At our visitor lunch today after church one of our new members remarked that for they felt like they had been in the desert but in the past few weeks have been in an oasis. Praise God for using our worship services to have such a positive influence in someone's life. Those, like myself, who take a very public role in our services have a great responsibility to be prepared and to do our assigned jobs well. However, I want everyone to know that your friendliness, thoughtful questions, and genuine interest in our visitors and new members goes a long way to encourage people in their spiritual growth. May all who pass through our doors find a spiritual oasis for their souls.

Next Sunday is Father's Day. For the past couple of years we have held "Man Church" on Father's Day, complete with a sport's theme and manly gifts. This year we're going to stick with our Bible Adventure theme and build the service around the story of Noah. We will be encouraging our men (and everyone else) to "Stand Against a Flood of Evil".

Creation: True Self Esteem

I am anxious to hear reports from families about what happened as they played the board game we created for this sermon series. My hope is that parents (or grandparents) and their children will have a fun and creative way to talk about things that are important. Who knows what kind of information we might learn about one another as we have these informal discussions. Maybe we could even have a few testimonials about the value of talking as a family about what was presented at church. Let me know if you want to volunteer.

Maranatha!

At the end of service today someone asked about other resources that present a similar understanding of the world to come that I have been preaching in this series of lessons. N.T. Wright has written a splendid book entitled, Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church. (Some may be familiar with Wright's book, Simply Christian.) I am greatly indebted to him for helping me understand some difficult passages in regards to End Times. The greatest weakness of the book is his near omission of any mention of 2 Peter 3: 10ff which talk about the destruction of the earth by fire. The best analysis I found of that passage comes from a journal article by Allan J. McNicol entitled, "All Things New" and is found in the Austin Graduate School of Theology publication, Christian Studies (Volume 21/ 2005-2006). If you are interested in this let me know and I can send you a copy.

Barbara R. Rossing helped me in my understanding of the message of Revelation in her book, The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation. Finally, Joe Beam and Lee Wilson wrote an easy to read book with the title, The Real Heaven: It's Not What You Think. All of these authors teach that when the Lord returns earth will not be destroyed but renewed. For a better understanding of the Biblical teaching concerning Hell see my post from last week.

Since beginning this study I have been amazed at how differently I look at the earth. I find that I am continually amazed by what God has created. I feel at times like a child with eyes wide in wonder. A simple thing like water is the evidence of such creative genius. Even a blade of grass or a flower or the texture of an apple is cause for pondering at the character of a Creator who would make such beauty. I'm glad to know that it's not destined for a bon-fire but for redemption. Maranatha! Come Lord and make everything new!

Hell Yes, Hell No

Jeremiah is known as the weeping prophet. His message was one of condemnation and wrath and it tore him up to have to preach it. He wept as he contemplated the certain end for his people since they were unwilling to repent and change their ways. I felt like weeping at the end of today's sermon. What a terrible topic to have to preach on! I tried to end the sermon on a high note but somehow it didn't feel like we quite made it. It is exceptionally good news that Jesus went through hell so that we could enjoy new life now and eternal life forever! However, the whole message of the cross is entirely unfair. But isn't that the true nature of love? Love doesn't ask what is fair, but what is needed. What a Savior!

Several people told me I had succeeded in raising more questions than I answered in the sermon (which I warned you might happen). The best that can be said for the traditional view of hell is that it wraps everything up in a neat package. Biblically, however, the traditional view is full of gaping holes. God simply does not give us enough information to know everything we might want to know. However, if you would like to dig deeper I would recommend Edward Fudge's book, The Fire That Consumes. Edward is an elder at the Bering Drive Church of Christ and has done a great service to the people of God in writing this well researched book. You can read my review of Edward's book by scanning through my brief book reviews. Just follow the link on the left side of my home page.

On another note, this is the 100th blog entry that I have written. It doesn't seem like I've been doing this that long. Also, did anyone notice the picture on last week's blog? It gave a date for Mother's Day in March. I almost changed the picture but decided to leave it to see if anyone noticed.

Honoring Mothers

It was fun after service today to review with Liz all the various ways that mothers were honored during our worship service. Katia's baptism was truly the greatest way we could have begun! That was followed by the children's video, the Jr. High pictures, Lauren's review of the H.S. testimonials, and the great words spoken by Carrie and Keith in honor of their mothers. And, of course, having flowers given out continously made everything truly beautiful. I thought the prayer nicely wove together celebration AND sensitivity for those who find Mother's Day difficult.

Mother's Day Prayer

Most Holy and Eternal God, your love is from everlasting to everlasting.
We put our faith and our hope in you.

This day we approach you mindful of the world in which we live. In this country and in many others, Mothers are being remembered and celebrated, families being honored and recognized. Our prayer is for the joys and sorrows this day brings.

For those who have a mother they dearly love, may we take time today to appreciate the gifts and graces that have come to them through their mother.

For those whose mother is dearly loved but no longer living, may we take time to remember the gifts and graces that have come to us through her.

For those who have recently lost or who are facing the imminent loss of their own dear mothers, may they find comfort in their grief, hope in their despair, courage in the love they have received.

We give thanks, God, for these good mothers who gave us birth. We give thanks for the families who have in the past and who do now sustain and support us in our living, who love us no matter what!

We pray, compassionate God, for those whose mother has been a source of hurt and pain, for all those for whom one or more members of their family has caused them to suffer. May they find refuge in
your love. May their wounds be healed. May they find in you, in us, in others, the nurturing, sustaining love that is needed for their growth and well-being.

We give thanks to you, O God, for all those who, responding to the difficult lives of others, have stepped in to become surrogate mothers; for those who, in the absence of our own mothers, for whatever reason, have stepped into our lives providing the guidance and stability, the nurture and the love needed.

We remember single mothers and fathers who struggle to be both parents to their children--to provide all the emotional, physical and spiritual needs without the constant support of a spouse. May they find the strength, the courage and wisdom for their task.

Look now, loving God, upon all those who are mothers--biologically or by the role they play in the lives of others. May they remember what precious treasures children are. We join all mothers everywhere in praying that their children may be a joy and a blessing.

We pray for those mothers who have been hurt, disillusioned, or disappointed in their role as mother. We pray for those who have been denied a longed-for chance at motherhood, and for those whose years of mothering have been cut short by the loss of a child. We turn to You, most holy God, knowing trusting that you can console when consolation seems impossible. May these receive comfort for their soul and peace and hope for living that their gifts may not be denied to others.

Hear our prayers this day, O God, and give to us such assurance of your love that your love may spill forth from us into the lives of others.

Amen.
(Gayle MacDonald, May 4, 1998)

Judgment Day

I was frankly surprised at how many scriptures there are that mention the last judgment. The sermon this morning did not give the opportunity to explore the many teachings of Jesus on this topic such as the Parable of the Sheep and the Goats (Matthew 25:31ff), the Parable of the Net (Matthew 13:46-48), or the Parable of the Weeds (Matthew 13:24-30). In each of these parables one of the important truths taught is that judgment belongs to God--not us. Only God is qualified to fill that role.

However, as we discussed this morning, thinking of judgment as a day of rewards (and not just a day of condemnation) should cause some serious evaluation in terms of how we are living right now. That's why I like the image of judgment as a job evaluation. How am I doing the job God has given me to do? Of primary concern would be my job as a husband and father. But how about my job as a neighbor or co-worker? What about my unique mission that God has specifically equipped and trained me to do? How am I doing in my struggle against sin? Am I still battling or have I given up and become hopeless?

Remember this word of encouragement:
⁸The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. ⁹Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. ¹⁰Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers." (Galatians 6:8-10)

The Brand New You

During his communion reflection Gary Robbins made mention of a book he is reading that examines how 15-30 year olds in the United States view the church. If you are interesting in learning more about this subject the book is entitled, UnChristian. To read my review of the book see the "Byron's Brief Book Reviews" section on this blog.

Some see End Times as a subject for those who are curious about the future. Interesting information, perhaps, but not really that relevant. The New Testament writers saw it as just the opposite. They viewed End Times as a subject that should define how we live right now! Any information the Holy Spirit communicated through their writings about the future is intended to make a difference in our day to day activities.

On a slightly different note (though not entirely); someone asked me today about cremation. Since our current natural bodies will somehow be transformed in the End to be like Jesus' body--is cremation an acceptable option for the believer. If you give the lifeless body enough time after death it will look very much like cremated remains! Since God made Adam out of dust originally and the natural order of things is for our bodies to return to dust; we simply have to trust that God can recreate however much of our natural bodies as he needs to in order to "build" our new bodies. Cremation may be a very sensible option for those concerned about responsible use of the earth and/or simply being good stewards of their money.

Someone else asked me about the scars visible on Jesus' resurrected body. What are the implications for those who have terrible physical injuries in this life. Will they be hopelessly scared for eternity? The best guess I have on this (which really means I DON'T KNOW) would be that perhaps Jesus' scars in his resurrected body are more like badges of honor. It makes me wonder if others might have similar "badges" because they, like the Apostle Paul, have joined Christ in his suffering. I have every reason to believe that our resurrection bodies will not be defective or deformed (as is sometimes the case in This Age).

The Eighth Day of Creation

The resurrection of Jesus from the dead is not only the beginning of The End; it is, more importantly, the beginning of a whole New World! What God created to be "very good" was destroyed by sin. Jesus' sacrificial death on the cross took sin's power away. Now that sin has been defeated, what is the point of the resurrection? Simply this: the resurrection is the new beginning of creation. It's not enough to be saved from sin, as wonderful as that blessing is. What we need is to be recreated.

Jesus was the first to be clothed with immortality when he became the firstborn from the dead. The New Age has begun. The Kingdom of God has been established. Jesus is the firstfruits of what will be a glorious harvest in the Last Day. In the words of theologian N.T. Wright, "The resurrection is not an isolated supernatural oddity proving how powerful, if apparently arbitrary, God can be when he wants to. Nor is it at all a way of showing that there is indeed a heaven awaiting us after death. It is the decisive event demonstrating that God's kingdom really has been launched on earth as it is in heaven" (Surprised by Hope).

Now we can all sing our new final verse for the Creation Song: "Day eight, day eight; Jesus rose now all can be great!" Maranatha!

I'm A Soul Man

I have found sacred cow tipping to be a dangerous, yet necessary function for preaching on the End Times. I have made many assumptions regarding what is taught in Scripture in regard to the end of all things, only to be astounded that, upon serious investigation, I could find no scriptural basis for my beliefs. There are many concepts that have been handed from one generation to the next, with each generation assuming that the earlier one was passing on a belief that resulted from a deep study of Scripture. The reality is that some ideas go unchallenged in one generation simply because they "make so much sense". However, as the world changes, and worldviews change, people begin to think more critically about things that a former generation simply took for granted.

A sacred cow is a belief that some feel should never be challenged. That is where the danger comes into play. It is my contention that no belief should go unchallenged! Truth never has anything to fear from honest investigation. I have approached this study of the End Times with a deep desire to conduct such an honest investigation of the Scriptures. I am certain, however, that even with such an aim, there are things that I will not see clearly. My prayer is that the generation that comes after us will have the freedom to closely examine all of our conclusions and embrace only what they discover the Bible to actually teach.

Even though we have not yet covered the Biblical teaching concerning Hell in our sermon series, I thought some of you might want to take a quiz developed by my friend Edward Fudge. You may be surprised how many sacred cows we have yet to bar-b-que! Click here to take the 20 question quiz on what the Bible really says about the end of the wicked.

If you want to read more about where the idea of the immortal soul came from I would recommend this article I found searching the internet.

The Appearing

Here is a look at the Sacagawea dollar coin that I held up for the children to see this morning. We sometimes think, "if only I could actually see an undeniable, biblical type of miracle, I could easily believe." The evidence clearly shows that many saw just those miracles but still didn't believe. In the parable of the rich man and Lazarus Jesus said, "If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead" (Luke 16:31).

The Jesus' Appearing slide show this morning was a rather embarrasing look at how desperate we humans are to have physical, tangible proof that Jesus is really with us. As I said this morning, all such "evidences" make Christianity look silly.

What we have is the evidence of a created world working in perfect order (as opposed to a random mess) , historical witnesses to many of the events, people, and places we read about in the Bible, the trustworthy Word of God as preserved in the Bible, and the evidence of transformed lives. The most powerful witness to the truthfulness of the Bible's message of Christ is the change that occurs in the lives of Jesus' followers. May people see Jesus living in all of us this week.

Don't Be Afraid

I hope that the revelation of Barney, the cute purple dinosaur, as the anti-Christ was not too disturbing for young children. Of course, many adults have long suspected the Great Purple One was exerting an unusual influence on their young.

On a more serious note, this sermon gave me no small amount of struggle. Normally in dealing with difficult texts in the Bible there is enough that can be known to give one a good grasp on what is being taught. However in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12 there is little to grab on too. More than once I wondered why in the world I was feeling the need to preach on this obscure text. In my limited experience I don't recall ever hearing a sermon on anti-Christ or any serious attempt in a sermon to explain the "man of lawlessness" in 2 Thessalonians.

What drove me in deciding to tackle this theme, was the End Times drama that is so popular today in books and movies. The anti-Christ figures are so frightening that I thought I should at least do something to help keep people from being alarmed at such presentations. Hopefully, that task was successful.

By the way, I did double check my math to make sure my calculations were correct: Barney is the anti-Christ! Math has proven it to be so.

The Revealing

Every Sunday morning at 8:15 I meet with a group to pray. We are especially mindful of all the events that will be happening that particular day. I have developed a routine of praying over the passage that I will be preaching that morning. This morning as I was reading the text aloud in the presence of God I was struck with how often this particular text (2 Thess. 1:4-10) has been misused and misapplied.

In my study during the week I was impressed with the fact that Paul was writing these words to be an encouragement to these new Christians. It was his desire that this image of Jesus coming in fire with powerful angels taking care of evil doers would help this struggling church to continue to persevere and not lose heart. Is it acceptable to preach a text written for this purpose as a means of "scaring" people into baptism or reminding the people who sit in our pews how evil their hearts really are? To be sure there is a time to warn people in an effort to help them over the hump in making Jesus Lord (see, for example, Acts 2:40 "With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, 'Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.') It is certainly also appropriate at times to let people know that we think too much of ourselves and are in reality "unworthy servants" at best. However, using a text like 2 Thess. 1:8-9 for such purposes surely constitutes misuse or even abuse!

One of our teenagers commented after the sermon that she liked it. When pressed she said that what she liked best was that when Jesus comes he still loves people but that he will let some people have it; and she agrees that those people need to get it! I think that's where Paul was leading his original readers; not to a cringing fear of the Lord's coming but to a joyful anticipation of his coming when those who have been inflicting pain and suffering on others will be justly punished.

When Jesus' glory is revealed every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus is Lord. Until he is revealed let's keep encouraging one another to believe that Jesus Christ is Lord!

Jesus is Lord, my Redeemer
How he loves me, how I love him
He is risen, He is coming
Lord come quickly, Hallelujah!

The Arrival

After the sermon today someone asked me when the doctrine of the rapture began. The person who developed the teachings that today are called The Rapture was John Nelson Darby (1800-1882), a British preacher and founder of the Plymouth Brethren. While Christians have always taught that Jesus would return to earth, Darby taught that Jesus would come twice! Darby invented a grand timetable for world events that included a series of seven dispensations (or ages). He popularized his system in the Scofield Reference Bible which was first published in 1909.

The best refutation I have read of the doctrine known as The Rapture is found in The Rapture Exposed: The Message of Hope in the Book of Revelation by Barbara R. Rossing. Dr. Rossing, who teachings New Testament at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, wrote the book to answer the popular Left Behind series of books (and movies). In her words, "..., I have underscored the central image of Jesus as the nonviolent Lamb, who triumphs not by killing people but by giving his life in love.... Love and healing--not Armagedoon and war--are the messages people of faith must keep lifting up as God's vision for our world. The message of the biblical book of Revelation is not of despair or war, but of transformation and justice."

The message of Jesus' return is of central importance to the writers of the New Testament. We must strive to avoid all sensationalism and seek to understand what those writers had in mind when they wrote about The Arrival (or Parousia). May we all remain viligant as we contantly remind ourselves that The King is Coming!

The Second Coming: It's Not the End of the World

One of the difficult tasks of all Bible students is to harmonize texts that seems, at first glance, to say contradictory things. When comparing the following texts which one determines the meaning of the other?

" . . . the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God." (Rom. 8:21)

"The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare." (2 Pet. 3:10)

I have chosen to buck the seemingly predominate view of the total annihilation of the earth, by teaching that the fire of 2 Peter 3 (literal or not, I don't know) will purge all evil thus enabling the liberation of the earth to finally be what Isaiah, 2 Peter, and Revelation all refer to as the "new earth." The End Times pictures that I get most excited about come from the book of Isaiah. The new earth is seen as a place where fear has no presence, where current unnatural alliances are completely natural, where war is no longer a reality, and the predominate emotion is joy. Peter seems to have no quarrel with this as he borrows Isaiah's phrase "new heavens and new earth" when speaking of what happens after Jesus returns (See 2 Peter 3:13 and Isaiah 65:17).
No wonder the earliest Christians prayed, "Maranatha!", which means "Come, Lord Jesus!"