For such a time as this

MONDAY, OCTOBER 20, 2008

For such a time as this

Delivered at the Lakeshore Pregnancy Center Fall Banquet: Christ Memorial Church, Holland, Michigan. Thursday, October 16, 2008

"Somewhere in the far away Persian capital of Susa stood a Jewess, out of place and time, and desperate to save a people whose annihilation loomed certain and complete. This world was their home, though defeat and captivity had left them disillusioned and devoid of hope. But on this night a banquet was offered and a plea shared.   

Some 2500 years later, we live in a free society but find ourselves imprisoned by the consequences of our sin and the false delusion of permanence; at times losing sight of our own heritage and birthright as children of God.

Many of our clients know this feeling of despair—not beyond the possibility that you do as well.

LPC meets men and women in the midst of the crisis of an unwanted pregnancy and offers them the hope of new life in Jesus Christ, and the encouragement necessary to overcome the despair and insurmountable hurdles that accompany these pregnancies. We counsel under high standards of practice, offer women objective information about their pregnancy and sexual behavior; and the opportunity to see an ultrasound image of their baby.

This is nothing less than pastoral work: admonishing the unprepared, encouraging the fainthearted, and helping the weak... Work that I have been pursuing for over 20 years of my professional life...and giftedness practiced every day in our centers. Such pastoral work as this is as valuable to you as it is to our clients, for the prayer, guidance, and discipleship that we offer are not unique to the needs of our clients: We have something to offer you!

We benefit greatly from a host of volunteers, faithful staff, and gifted board leadership who share a vision for this ministry.   

Now then, when it came to Esther's plight, good, godly cousin Mordecai commended to her 3 principles that seem to be timeless:

1.     Principle: We cannot escape the realities or our own selfishness. No one gets a free pass; we all share in the consequences of a world that seeks to annihilate its most innocent of the race. We are accountable.

2.     Principle: God has not turned his back on us as a people.  Even in our depravity, God has not left us, nor abandoned us. We are redeemable.

3.     Principle: We have a part to play! “Who knows,” pleads Mordecai, “ if you have not arrived at the Kingdom, for such a time as this?” We are responsible.

This world is not our final home; we exist in exile, as pilgrims, in route to the City whose builder and sustainer, is God, yet finding that powers foreign to God, control much of our free movement.   But what if, God has brought us to this moment in time, and what if for the cause of righteousness and Justice He has designed this hour as yours alone to declare the pursuit of life a sacred trust.

Almost every day we are able to offer the gospel as the first and best solution to the burdens facing families.  We boldly call mothers back to their babies; men back to a real manhood, and parents back to their families.

Great scene in Apollo 13...  Several in the Mission Control team are seen contemplating the magnitude of the destruction facing the program as they await the capsule's return to earth. One flight engineer is heard to say, "this could turn out to be the worst disaster in NASA's history." What lives forever in my mind is the reply of Mission control manager Gene Krantz. Without "batting an eye," and with a great amount of fortitude and optimism, he utters, " On the contrary sir, I believe this will be our finest hour. "

We await God best blessings yet to come as we pursue our finest hour.

Thank you very much.

From the Vicar

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The difficulty with Daily Dying!

Sunday, I preached at a local church in the area as pulpit supply. I preached on a passage that was part of a series I had completed on the book of Jude. In it I argued that contending for the faith requires us to consider far more than merely the contention that unfolds in debate or discussion. We contend for the faith in many more ways that in fact, may be more relevant to the larger impact we leave behind for the Savior and the faith. To that end, I provided a seven level application of Jude 3. While the list is far from exhaustive, I offer these as a start: We contend for the faith when: 

1. We begin to conform our stubborn will to His (Christ's).

2. We confront our sin and see it like Jesus sees it.

3. We see our lives as "in Christ", rather than over Christ.

4. We employ the power inherent in Jesus and the Holy Spirit to flee moral failure

5. We move from hearers and followers only to doers and leaders in His work.

6. We embrace hospitality and compassion toward the lost.

7. We give Christ more "worth" in worship than us.

Get your mind and heart around these applications.

Our interest in Christ

As I prepare to preach tomorrow in a community near our home, I am reminded how much I miss the regular process of preparing for the Lord's day and the pulpit ministry. Someone recently commented that to study is to engage in worship. Some of my greatest times are taken up with study because it puts me in contact with the truth of God's Word, which when incorporated into my life yields a more submissive, obedient and capable servant. I was reminded how little Christians engage in this particular desire for worship and how shallow our interests have become. C.S. Lewis speaks to this in his great work, "The weight of Glory."  He writes, "If there lurks in most modern minds the notion that to desire our own good and earnestly to hope for the enjoyment of it is a bad thing, I submit that this notion has crept in from Kant and the Stoics and is no part of the Christian Faith. Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at sea. We are too easily pleased."

I wonder how many of us fit that denunciation? For sure Jonathan Edwards was not a candidate, but rather spent his youthful and adult years pursuing the delight that can only be found through the worship that comes from fixing our attention on the Savior and reflecting upon his creative and sovereign craftsmanship.

Getting started

Where do I begin?

Recently, I have confronted a physical malady that presents me with an uneven world. Getting up from a chair or moving quickly from one location to another has resulted in a loss of balance, a dizziness, or maybe it's a problem with my equilibrium... Who knows, but that expresses literally what I have been feeling emotionally, even spiritually. The ground is moving all the while I am trying desperately to place my feet down on something, anything that is solid. The world is changing and in no less fashion, my world is changing and it has become a scary ride. I empathize with the man who confronted Jesus with failing faith... " I do believe", he said,... "I want to trust you, Lord, and walk with you... I want to obey, and follow you, but help me, please, help me in my UNBELIEF." When will the world stop moving long enough that I can get stable?