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Work and Works in Galatians
By Mark D. Roberts | Wednesday, January 27, 2010
It’s seems a bit ironic to look for a theology of work in Galatians when the book is so negative on the saving value of works. Yet we must not think that just because Paul rejected the efficacy of works to justify us with God, therefore he thought poorly of work, in the sense of what human being do in this world.
The Apostle Paul wrote the letter we know as Galatians to believers in Jesus who lived in the central part of modern Turkey. Not long before the writing of the letter, Paul had visited this area, preaching the good news of God’s work in Christ. A number of people responded by putting their faith in Christ. Thus the Galatian church was born.
But Paul moved on to continue his missionary work in other parts of the Roman Empire. Not long after his departure, some people who claimed to be Christians infiltrated the Galatian church. The folk, often called Judaizers, claimed to offer a more complete version of Christian discipleship. To be a real Christian, they said, one needed to keep the Jewish law, especially as it related to circumcision and some of the ceremonial laws. Many of the Galatian believers were persuaded by the Judaizers, and began to rely, not on God’s grace in Christ, but on doing what the Jewish law required. Here was the way to salvation, or so they thought.
This was horrifying to Paul, who saw what was happening in Galatia as an abandonment of the true gospel. Without even offering a typical thanksgiving to God for the Galatians, in the first few verses of his letter Paul launched into his critique:
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed! (Gal 1:6-9)
Here Paul slammed both the Galatians and those who had bewitched them with their new gospel.
At the core of the controversy between Paul and the Judaizers, as well as their Galatian disciples, was a debate about “works of the law.” This phrase appears six times in Galatians:
Gal. 2:16 yet we know that a person is justified not by the works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ. And we have come to believe in Christ Jesus, so that we might be justified by faith in Christ, and not by doing the works of the law, because no one will be justified by the works of the law.
Gal. 3:2 The only thing I want to learn from you is this: Did you receive the Spirit by doing the works of the law or by believing what you heard?
Gal. 3:5 Well then, does God supply you with the Spirit and work miracles among you by your doing the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?
Gal. 3:10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not observe and obey all the things written in the book of the law.”
According to Paul, doing what the Jewish law requires does not make one right with God (2:16). This happens only through faith in Christ (2:16). The Holy Spirit is not given to those who do works of the law, but to those who believe (3:2, 5). In fact, those who rely on works of the law for salvation are under a curse (3:10).
Of course there’s quite a difference between works of the law and working. But Galatians reminds us that the work we do must not be seen as a way of earning God’s favor so much as a response to that favor given in Christ.
In my next post in this little series I’ll have more to say about how Galatians shapes our theology of work.
Topics: Theology of Work Project | No Comments »
A Fine Church in Austin
By Mark D. Roberts | Tuesday, January 26, 2010
This past weekend I preached at Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas. The first thing that strikes one about that church is the striking view from the parking lot.
Whether by day . . .
or in the dimming light of evening . . .
the Texas Hill Country never looked better than from the church parking lot.
But, of course, this says very little about the church (other than that, in days gone by, some wise church members secured a fine piece of property for their church buildings). My experience of the church – by which I mean the people – of Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church was as impressive as the view. They are friendly, committed, eager to learn God’s truth, and committed to worship.
The worship services (there are three on Sunday morning) were warm and reverent. They focused on God, but made connections to the lives of the worshipers. I won’t comment on the sermon last Sunday, since I preached it, but the preaching pastor of WHPC, Dr. Peter Barnes, is an excellent expositor of God’s Word.
I was impressed by this church’s concern for folks beyond themselves. In particular, last week they encouraged contributions for Haiti relief in the worship services. In addition, the leaders of the church had committed some mission funds to this purpose as well.
I know of several fine churches in Austin. Now I’ve added on to the list. If you’re on the west side of town, I’d encourage you to check out Westlake Hills Presbyterian Church. Tell them Mark Roberts sent you. (Well, on second thought, there’s no purpose in telling them this.)
One final photo: the cross in the front of the WHPC church campus. This side reads: “When I am lifted up.” The other side reads, “I will draw all people to myself.”
Topics: Recommendations, Church Life | 1 Comment »
Reintroducing the Theology of Work Project
By Mark D. Roberts | Monday, January 25, 2010
Several months ago I introduced the Theology of Work Project. The context for this introduction was my having been invited to participate in one of their projects. As a building block in the formulation of a definitive statement of the theology of work, the TOWP is preparing an in-depth biblical commentary that discusses every part of Scripture that applies to our work. I was asked to write the section on Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, which I completed last fall.
As it turns out, they liked my work enough to give me another chunk. Now I’m going to examine the theology of work in Galatians, Ephesians, and Philippians. I’m not looking specifically at the question of “works,” that is, whether we are saved by works or faith, or how works fit into the Christian life. The issue of works will be relevant to the conversation, but my primary focus is on the question of work, that is, what we do in this world, our productivity, our vocations, our obedience as human beings to the command of God to “be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.” I’ll be wondering how Paul’s theology in Galatians, Ephesians, and Philippians speaks to us about our daily work, both our jobs and our non-paid efforts.
Some of my blogging in the next couple of months will be focused on this assignment. You won’t be getting the final product, but you will get many of the nuts and bolts.
For those of you who are unfamiliar with the Theology of Work Project, I want to put up once again a description of this endeavor that appeared on my blog several months ago. This will help me explain why I’m excited about TOWP, and therefore why I am going to be partnering with them once again.
TOWP grew out of a conviction by several Christian leaders that one of the most important contexts for disciples of Jesus to live out their faith is the workplace. Yet these leaders sensed that, for millions of Christians, faith and work are separate realms. As they shared their vision with others, in time, several influential leaders joined them, including Dr. Haddon Robinson of Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and Tom Phillips, former CEO of Raytheon.
This expanded team contacted over 130 leading Christian thinkers, academics, workplace ministry professionals, and Christian workers around the world, asking if they sensed a need for a theology of work. Surprisingly, over 95% of those who had been contacted responded, with unanimous support for the development of a theology of work.
As the instigators of the project continued to push ahead, they formed a governing board of what is now called the Theology of Work Project. Serving on this board were such people as: Haddon Robinson, Tom Phillips, Daniel Byrd (professor of management at Claremont University), Katherine Leary (Exec. Dir. for Center of Faith & Work at Redeemer Presbyterian in NYC), Sean McDonough (Assoc. Prof. of NT, Gordon-Conwell), and Dave Williamson (then the Director of Laity Lodge). Of course now you can see how I got connected to this project. Dave Williamson was one of my predecessors at Laity Lodge, and, in fact, the person who first got me connected with what is now my official ministry and my unofficial passion. The TOWP has a recently-appointed Executive Editor, Dr. William Messenger. Will has extensive experience in business, the academy, and the church. He earned a BS in Physics (Case Western), an MBA (Harvard), an MDiv (Boston U), and a D.Min. (Gordon-Conwell). With his broad experience and theologically-solid vision, Will is the perfect leader for the TOWP at this time. (Now that I have worked with Will on my Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther material, I can say this with even more conviction. Will is a perceptive theologian and a fine writer. He’s also a perceptive but kind editor. Here are links to a two-part interview of Will that appeared on TheHighCalling.org: Part 1; Part 2.
What is the purpose of TOWP? Here are some excerpts from their website:
• They seek to “empower the Body of Christ at every level–from individual believers to institutions like the local church–to engage workplaces, and through them, the broader cultures at large, in transformational fashion.”
• They intent do “to bring together scholars and practitioners in a coalition aimed at building consensus around fundamental truths contained in a Theology of Work consistent with orthodox historical Christianity.”
• In the end, they want “to help workers perceive God’s purpose, meaning, and value in their work, and to bring Christ’s redeeming power into the fabric of their workplaces.”
• “[TOWP] has a five-year mission to produce biblical, theological and topical materials for equipping Christians to make use of the principles and resources of the Christian faith in their daily work. It is further engaged in collecting in one place reliable research materials to aid others - including pastors, ministry professionals, Biblical scholars and teachers, and workplace practitioners - in producing materials useful to Christians in their work lives.”
TOWP seeks to fulfill this purpose through the following objectives:
(1) To assemble a Steering Committee of the most able members of its key constituencies, namely biblical scholars, theologians, ethicists, economists and organizational scientists, workers, and workplace ministers;
(2) To produce a Theology of Work that is as broadly acceptable as possible, being relevant for every kind of workplace around the world, and meeting the approval of the full spectrum of traditions within the orthodox/historical Christian faith; and,
(3) To disseminate the Theology of Work as widely as possible, to reach the millions of people who may benefit from it.
I have been asked to contribute to this project, specifically in reference to the second objective. On the way to producing a Theology of Work, the TOWP is doing an extensive and intensive study of the entire Bible, seeking for God’s wisdom with respect to work. This study, a kind of biblical commentary, will be published as a helpful tool, and will also be used a grist for the mill that produces the Theology of Work, a statement to be endorsed by a wide range of Christian leaders throughout the world (rather like the Lausanne Covenant, if you’re familiar with that document).
This time around, my assignment is to examine the biblical books of Galatians, Ephesians, and Philippains, writing a brief commentary on each of these books that highlights how they inform our theological understanding of work.
As I work my way through these books, I’m going to offer some insights and reflections here in my website. I won’t be publishing here what I will submit to TOWP. But I will put up some of my thoughts in a more unpolished and speculative. I’m doing this partly to be a good steward of my time. But I’m also interested in input from my blog readers. I look forward to working in community with you as we think together about how Galatians, Ephesians, and Philippians inform our theological understanding and practice of work.
Topics: Theology of Work Project | 2 Comments »
Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling
By Mark D. Roberts | Sunday, January 24, 2010
The Soul of Worship
Come, let us worship and bow down.
Let us kneel before the LORD our maker,
for he is our God.
We are the people he watches over,
the flock under his care.
Psalm 95 gives us one of the fullest and clearest pictures of worship in all of Scripture. The psalm begins with a call to joyous praise, as we’re invited to sing and even to shout to the Lord (95:1). We bring our thanks and praise because of who God is as “a great God” and “great King above all gods” who created the whole earth (95:2-5).
Then Psalm 95 moves from exuberance to humility: “Come, let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the LORD our maker” (95:6). In the original Hebrew of this verse, the verbs translated here as “worship,” “bow down,” and “kneel” have similar meanings. They all refer to the physical act of lowering oneself in a gesture of submission to a sovereign ruler. If God is the “great King above all gods,” then our proper response is bowing before him, offering all that we are to him in humility and reverence. As William Temple once said, “Worship is the submission of all our nature to God.”
This act of submission is, indeed, the soul of worship. Our words of thanks and songs of praise are expressions of our deepest worship, which is offering our whole selves to God. This happens, not only as we gather for worship with God’s people or draw near to God in our private devotions, but also as we live out our lives in the world. Every step we take and every word we speak, when they are given to the Lord, are acts of genuine worship.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: What helps you to offer all that you are to God in worship? Do you see your daily life as a context for worshiping God? Why or why not? How might you live worshipfully today? Tomorrow?
PRAYER: Take my life, and let it be consecrated, Lord, to Thee.
Take my moments and my days; let them flow in ceaseless praise.
Take my hands, and let them move at the impulse of Thy love.
Take my feet, and let them be swift and beautiful for Thee.
Take my voice, and let me sing always, only, for my King.
Take my lips, and let them be filled with messages from Thee.
Take my silver and my gold; not a mite would I withhold.
Take my intellect, and use every power as Thou shalt choose.
Take my will, and make it Thine; it shall be no longer mine.
Take my heart, it is Thine own; it shall be Thy royal throne.
Take my love, my Lord, I pour at Thy feet its treasure store.
Take myself, and I will be ever, only, all for Thee.
Amen.
(The words to this prayer are from the hymn, “Take My Life and Let It Be,” by Frances R. Havergal, 1874, public domain.)
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Would you like to receive a Daily Reflection like this one in your email inbox each morning?
Here’s how . . . .
This devotional comes from The High Calling of Our Daily Work (www.thehighcalling.org), a wonderful website about work and God. You can read my Daily Reflections there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace.
Topics: Sunday Inspiration | No Comments »
Something to think about . . . .
By Mark D. Roberts | Friday, January 22, 2010
I read an AP story this morning by Ted Anthony: “Quake Relief: The culture of now v. the real world.” Anthony’s point is that there is a gap between people’s expectations for how quickly help shold come to the Haitian people and reality. Our ability to use technology to make instant contributions to the Haiti relief effort increases our unrealistic assumptions about how instantly relief can actually get to real people.
Here’s are some excerpts from the article:
More than a week after an earthquake leveled swaths of the Haitian capital, the recriminations are circulating faster than clean water. From CNN’s Anderson Cooper to blogs and social networks, questions echo: Why is help taking so long? Why can’t the relief process be streamlined? Can’t this thing go any faster?
“What on Earth has gone wrong?” the Arab News, an English-language newspaper in the Middle East, wondered in a sharp editorial this week.
But take a step back. While the difficulties of negotiating the decimated Haitian infrastructure are clear and the logistical and administrative problems formidable, could a perception gap be at play, too? Are the expectations of the virtual world colliding with the realities of the physical one? . . .
“The immediacy and the vividness of the images and the news we receive from Haiti accentuate our desire to do something quickly. And that’s certainly not a bad thing,” says James Gleick, author of “Faster: The Acceleration of Just About Everything.”
But, he says, “The only thing that travels at light speed is information. And there are all kinds of sources of tension right now between our desire to have things instantaneously and physical reality.” . . .
“The aid is never fast enough for the armchair aid workers sipping their lattes,” says Steve Matthews, a spokesman in Haiti for World Vision, a relief group. He says that, despite slowness, aid is flowing, “things are happening” and relief workers understand the race against time.
“Critics,” Matthews says, “want a two-hour movie with happy ending.”
He’s onto something. The appetite in many industrialized cultures, the United States in particular, is attuned to the slickly packaged story, Hollywood style. That means that conflict is followed by resolution, and then we move on to the next thing.
Add the round-the-clock news cycle and the immediacy of the Internet, where communication now can mean a service that conveys rapid-fire information in 140-character bursts, and suddenly you have a generation of people who feel uncomfortable when something doesn’t happen RIGHT NOW. There’s a reason, after all, that the BlackBerry was nicknamed the CrackBerry. . . .
Consider the International Rescue Committee’s TV commercial that aired on CNN Thursday. It urged viewers to contribute aid the convenient way — with their thumbs, via text message.
“Haiti crumbled in 35 seconds,” the ad says. “Rescue it in less.”
If only it were that easy.
Our response to human suffering in Haiti gives us a window into our souls. We see both good and bad, as well as lots that is important, but morally neutral.
One final thought. A couple of days ago I was commenting to a friend that I think it’s wonderful so many stars have given generously to the Haiti relief efforts. My friend was not impressed. In reference to one star I had mentioned, he said,
“Oh, he has so much money. A mere million dollars is nothing. It’s all for show.”
My friend added a few more choice lines of derision.
I asked a simple question.
“How much have you given to the Haiti relief effort?”
You can guess the answer: Zero.
Here’s something to think about . . . .
Topics: Cultural Commentary, Something to think about . . . | 1 Comment »
On Snacking and Parenting
By Mark D. Roberts | Thursday, January 21, 2010
I read a provocative piece in the New York Times today, “Snack Time Never Ends,” by Jennifer Steinhauer. Her basic observation (and gripe) has to do with the omnipresence of snacks for children. Here are a some excerpts:
Not a month goes by without someone somewhere asking me to serve up some snack for an event that one of my children will attend and that, generally speaking, will not last more than 90 minutes. . . .
The obligations to bring a little something to eat extend to the adult world, too — I’ve baked for PTA meetings and child-rearing seminars that I didn’t even attend. But when it comes to American boys and girls, snacks seem both mandatory and constant. Apparently, we have collectively decided as a culture that it is impossible for children to take part in any activity without simultaneously shoving something into their pie holes.
“Children used to come home, change into play clothes and go outside and play with other children,” said Joanne Ikeda, a nutritionist emeritus at the University of California, Berkeley. “There were not snack machines, and the gas stations only sold gas. Now there are just so many more opportunities to snack and so many activities after school to have snacks.”
Between 1977 and 2002, the percent of the American population eating three or more snacks a day increased to 42 percent from 11 percent, according to a large study of American nutritional habits conducted by the Agriculture Department with the Department of Health and Human Services.
Ah, yes. Steinhauer brought be back to the days of snacks after soccer games. My children would expend a few hundred calories on the soccer field, only to refill with a few hundred calories of sugar-based snacks. At least the half-time snacks were orange slices!
But we have more than just a snack problem here. It’s also a parenting problem. Parents, according to Steinhauer, seem unwilling or unable to make good decisions for their children and follow through with them:
Some of the moms I see around the school corridors and the soccer field told me they felt backed into a corner by the omnipresence of snacks.
Once a week, Vivian Zachary’s 6-year-old son, Joel, goes dashing for the vending machine at the gym after his gymnastics class ends at 5 p.m. “Last week it was a Fruit Roll-Up and a can of 7Up,” Ms. Zachary wrote in an e-mail message. “I’m not sure why I let this go on, and I often think that if I were a better parent, or at least more able to tolerate incessant complaining, I would let him buy the snacks but not actually consume them until after dinner. But I have already established the pattern (the ‘rule’ in Joel’s mind), so there’s no going back now.”
Telling, isn’t it? Ms. Zachary knows that she has made a bad decision when it comes to her six-year-old son’s well being. But because Zachary thinks there’s a rule that says he can eat sugary snacks before dinner, Ms. Zachary concludes, “there’s no going back now.” She will continue to do what’s not in the best interest of her six-year-old son because she made a mistake in judgment, and because she is not able to “tolerate incessant complaining.” Oh my! Ms. Zachary is on a collision course with a parenting disaster, not just now, but in the future.
Steinhauer enjoys baking, and would be happy to bake healthy snacks for her children and their peers. But this isn’t so easy. As Steinhauer observes:
But a person can’t just bake whole-wheat banana bread and call it a day. Here was the memo I received concerning my recent snack obligation for a play practice. “Please note, we have the following allergies in mini players: Peanuts, cashews, nuts, wheat, dairy, strawberries, milk, egg whites.”
Hence Steinhauer’s concluding paragraphs:
Food allergies are a real problem. But did no one ponder the idea that perhaps the solution is for children to bring their own snacks?
Or to eat no snacks at all?
No snacks at all! How dare she!
Topics: Cultural Commentary | 3 Comments »
An Interesting Idea . . . What Do I Think?
By Mark D. Roberts | Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Yesterday I introduced Gospel Forth, a new website that’s devoted to raising money for Christian causes. It does so by having advertisers contribute money each time you visit a page on which their ad appears. So Gospel Forth promises to raise money for mission without requiring you to make any financial commitment or sacrifice. All you have to do is click your mouse a few times.
When I first heard about Gospel Forth, my initial reaction was somewhat negative. In part, I wondered if this were some sort of scam. I had recently read a news story about the despicable efforts of some people to use the Haiti crisis to bilk people of their money. Pretending to be channels of charity for the suffering in Haiti, these rackets pocket people’s donations without sending anything along to the Haitian people.
But as I did a bit of research about Gospel Forth, I was reassured. At the time, the website itself did not identify its owner/designer. But I was able to communicate with him, and encouraged him to make his identity known. He has now done this, for which I am grateful. In most cases, I think Christians who operate online should make their true identities known, because this increases accountability.
My first reaction to Gospel Forth was less-than-positive because I was suspicious about its motives, as I have explained, and also because I had theological reservations. I was not sure whether, in the end, it’s a good idea for Christians to be able to support charitable causes simply by clicking their mouse. The sacrifice of giving is a good thing for one’s soul, and, more importantly, is honoring to God.
But, upon further reflection, I don’t think that Gospel Forth in any way dishonors God. Quite to the contrary! Now if somebody chose to contribute to Christian causes only through mouse clicking rather than through faithful giving, this would be a problem. But that problem would lie, in the individual, not in the website.
Moreover, I believe that we Christians need to be much more creative in using new media in support of God’s mission in the world. If, in the end, Gospel Forth doesn’t succeed, I nevertheless am grateful for the effort of its designer.
Topics: Miscellaneous | 2 Comments »
An Interesting Idea . . . What Do You Think?
By Mark D. Roberts | Tuesday, January 19, 2010
I recently became aware of the Gospel Forth website. The stated purpose of this website is to raise money for Christian causes, without financial benefit to the website’s owner. This is the claim on the website.
I do realize, of course, that people can be dishonest, even Christians who seem to be doing God’s work with integrity. Gospel Forth’s effort would be strengthened if, for example, it had a seal of approval from the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability.
But Gospel Forth is not asking for your money, at least not in any direct way. Rather, it offers you a chance to direct other people’s money to worthy charities. Here’s how it works:
1. You visit the Gospel Forth website.
2. You click on a link on the homepage, which reads, “Click here to give. It’s free.”
3. This link takes you to three pages of advertising, with four ads per page. Each advertising page remains on screen for ten seconds.
4. The advertisers will give some amount of money (no doubt, a very small amount) to the mission causes connected with Gospel Forth. Their contributions are not contingent upon your visiting their websites or buying theirproducts, but simply upon your visiting the Gospel Forth site and its ad pages.
I tried it out. The whole process took less than a minute. And I actually was intrigued by one of the advertisers, and clicked to that website, where I spent several minutes browsing. I didn’t buy anything from Historic Bibles. But in the future, who knows?
So, assuming that Gospel Forth is what it appears to be, and that it allows you to support the mission of Christ by investing a minute of your time and clicking a few links, is this a good thing? What do you think about Gospel Forth?
I’ll share my observations tomorrow. For now, I’m interested in your input, either through comments (below) or email.
Topics: Miscellaneous | No Comments »
Remembering MLK
By Mark D. Roberts | Monday, January 18, 2010
Over the years I’ve adopted certain traditions for my blog. For example, early in December you can count of some Advent-related blogging, and after my summer vacation I put up some of my best pictures. Last year I began a new tradition that I expect to keep, at least for the forseeable future. On the day when we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr., I print the text of his most famous speech, known as “I Have a Dream.”
I can think of no better way of honoring Dr. King than by remembering the speech he delivered on August 28, 1963 in Washington D.C. As part of the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, he delivered the famous “I Have a Dream” speech. Though lasting for only 16 minutes and consisting of a mere 1620 words, this speech epitomizes Dr. King’s vision. It is, in my opinion, one of the great rhetorical moments in American history, on a par with Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address and Second Inaugural. I also believe that the vision of Dr. King’s “I Have a Dream” speech needs to be reaffirmed by Americans of all colors today.
I’m going to print the entire speech below. I’ll also include an audio sample in the text. It’s a wonderful thing to hear the moving cadence of Dr. King’s voice. If you want to listen to the entire speech, you can visit the American Rhetoric website. This site also features a YouTube video (of exceptional quality and length, by the way.)
“I Have a Dream” by Martin Luther King, Jr.
I am happy to join with you today in what will go down in history as the greatest demonstration for freedom in the history of our nation.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand today, signed the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of their captivity.
But one hundred years later, the Negro still is not free. One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity. One hundred years later, the Negro is still languished in the corners of American society and finds himself an exile in his own land. And so we’ve come here today to dramatize a shameful condition.
In a sense we’ve come to our nation’s capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to fall heir. This note was a promise that all men, yes, black men as well as white men, would be guaranteed the “unalienable Rights” of “Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” It is obvious today that America has defaulted on this promissory note, insofar as her citizens of color are concerned. Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a bad check, a check which has come back marked “insufficient funds.”
But we refuse to believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation. And so, we’ve come to cash this check, a check that will give us upon demand the riches of freedom and the security of justice.
We have also come to this hallowed spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of Now. This is no time to engage in the luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time to make real the promises of democracy. Now is the time to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial justice. Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood. Now is the time to make justice a reality for all of God’s children.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment. This sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. And those who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. And there will be neither rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights. The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until the bright day of justice emerges.
But there is something that I must say to my people, who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice: In the process of gaining our rightful place, we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred. We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline. We must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again and again, we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not lead us to a distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with our destiny. And they have come to realize that their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.
We cannot walk alone.
And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall always march ahead.
We cannot turn back.
There are those who are asking the devotees of civil rights, “When will you be satisfied?” We can never be satisfied as long as the Negro is the victim of the unspeakable horrors of police brutality. We can never be satisfied as long as our bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until “justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream.”
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow jail cells. And some of you have come from areas where your quest — quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned suffering is redemptive. Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to South Carolina, go back to Georgia, go back to Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that somehow this situation can and will be changed.
Let us not wallow in the valley of despair, I say to you today, my friends.
And so even though we face the difficulties of today and tomorrow, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.”
I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood.
I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of injustice, sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice.
I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.
(To hear these last three paragraphs, click here [.mov file, 168 K].)
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day, down in Alabama, with its vicious racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the words of “interposition” and “nullification” — one day right there in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers.
I have a dream today!
I have a dream that one day every valley shall be exalted, and every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made plain, and the crooked places will be made straight; “and the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all flesh shall see it together.”
This is our hope, and this is the faith that I go back to the South with.
With this faith, we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith, we will be able to transform the jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this faith, we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
And this will be the day — this will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning:
My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died, land of the Pilgrim’s pride,
From every mountainside, let freedom ring!
And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true.
And so let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania.
Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado.
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California.
But not only that:
Let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia.
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee.
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi.
From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
And when this happens, when we allow freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet, from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual:
Free at last! Free at last!
Thank God Almighty, we are free at last!
Topics: Tributes | 5 Comments »
Sunday Inspiration from The High Calling
By Mark D. Roberts | Sunday, January 17, 2010
Mightier Than the Waves
But mightier than the violent raging of the seas,
mightier than the breakers on the shore—
the LORD above is mightier than these!
When I lived in Southern California, I occasionally enjoyed body surfing at the beach. It was a thrill to get out in the surf, to swim as fast as I could just as a wave was beginning to break, and then to be carried along by that wave for several seconds as it made its way to shore.
But sometimes the waves were just too big for me. When they reached five or six feet in size, that was more than I could handle. I learned the hard way how it felt to be slammed into the sand by a wave too powerful for me. A few brave souls dared to ride such waves, sometimes even challenging those that were ten feet high or more. Some made it; but others did not. I’m sad to say that, every year, a few Southern Californians would perish in surf that had overpowered them.
It’s unlikely that the author of Psalm 93 envisioned body surfing when using the image of the waves. It’s more likely that he was picturing the surf battering a beach during a storm, or perhaps a perilous boat ride in rough water. Nevertheless, the psalmist rightly used “the violent raging of the seas” and “breakers on the shore” as images of natural power. Yet, he added, “the LORD is mightier than these!” (93:4).
Today, we might picture the devastating power of a hurricane or a tsunami. We might think of the force of a major earthquake or tornado. Yet no matter the images of natural power that come to mind, the good news of Psalm 93 is that God is still “mightier than these.” In fact, no matter what threatens or intimidates us, no matter what powers fill our hearts with fear, God is “mightier than these.” Thus we can entrust our lives to him, all that we are, all that we have, all that we care about.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: How have you experienced the power of nature? How have you experienced the power of God? What helps you to know and have confidence in God’s power? Where do you need his power today?
PRAYER: O Lord, when the floods rise up, when challenges threaten to overwhelm us, when forces bigger than we are make us afraid, we are comforted when we remember that you are mightier than these. So help us to have confidence in you and your strength. Help us to trust you when fear grips our hearts.
Make your power known to us, dear Lord. Work powerfully in us, transforming us into your image. Work powerfully through us, so that we might begin to experience the peace and justice of your kingdom.
All praise be to you, O God, because you are mightier than the waves! Amen.
_________________________________________________
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This devotional comes from The High Calling of Our Daily Work (www.thehighcalling.org), a wonderful website about work and God. You can read my Daily Reflections there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace.
Topics: Sunday Inspiration | No Comments »
A Silly Sign?
By Mark D. Roberts | Friday, January 15, 2010
As I drive around on Texas highways, I keep seeing a sign that makes me raise my eyebrows with incredulity. It reads:
OBSERVE WARNING SIGNS
STATE LAW
Now I’m all in favor of observing warning signs. But I have to wonder about the sense of this particular sign. Does it accomplish anything whatsover?
Those of us who do, in fact, observe warning signs, at least most of the time, don’t really need this reminder.
And those who do not observe warning signs would not be inclined to observe this one either.
So, no matter what, this sign is ineffective. Why spend the money? (I expect there is a reason buried within Texas political history.)
In general, it is a good idea to obey warning signs. In some cases, it will save your life. I think of a warning sign at Hanakapiai Beach on Kauai. It reads:
HANAKAPIAI BEACH WARNING!
DON’T GO NEAR THE WATER
UNSEEN CURRENTS HAVE KILLED
[marks to indicate number of dead]
VISITORS
When I was at Hanakapiai Beach in 1985, 82 people had died because they disregarded this sign. I understand that two more have been added to this list.
Would lives be saved if, next to the warning sign, there was another sign that read:
OBSERVE WARNING SIGNS
STATE LAW
??????
Topics: Signs | 6 Comments »
Inspiration from The High Calling
By Mark D. Roberts | Thursday, January 14, 2010
The Jesus Prayer
When Bartimaeus heard that Jesus of Nazareth was nearby, he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
As Jesus and his disciples journeyed near Jericho, a blind beggar named Bartimaeus heard that Jesus was about to pass his way. So he began to shout, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!” (10:47). When people tried to get Bartiumaeus to be quiet, he shouted even louder, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”
This simple cry for mercy has inspired countless prayers during the last two millennia. In particular, in the Eastern Orthodox tradition, one of the most common and influential prayers is: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.” This so-called “Jesus Prayer,” which has a variety of forms, is spoken millions of times each day by believers throughout the world. It begins with an acknowledgement of who Jesus is as Lord and Son of God. This goes beyond the messianic confession of Bartimaeus, who addressed Jesus as the Son of David. Then, the Jesus Prayer makes a simple request: “Have mercy on me, a sinner.” We need God’s mercy, not just every now and then, not just when we’re in a tough predicament, but throughout our lives, each and every day. As sinners, we need to experience God’s forgiveness, cleansing, and freedom. This comes, not through our efforts, but through God’s mercy. Because of his love for us and his faithfulness, God’s mercy is new every morning (Lam. 3:23).
How different our lives might be if we learned to rely on God’s mercy each and every day. Learning to pray the Jesus Prayer regularly helps us to be open to God in new ways as we acknowledge our dependence on him and his matchless mercy.
QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: Have you ever prayed the Jesus Prayer on a regular basis? Do you ever ask the Lord for mercy? What would it mean for you to live each day by leaning on the mercy of God?
PRAYER: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Amen.
P.S.
As you pray today, remember to pray for the people of Haiti.
If you are able, please join me in making a donation to World Vision for Haiti relief. It takes about two minutes of your time to make a difference.
Topics: Prayer | No Comments »
Links to TheHighCalling.org
By Mark D. Roberts | Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Links to the latest edition of The High Calling.org, a sister ministry of Laity Lodge.
Work for God, Not for Money
by Ed Gungor
This may sound odd, but Christians are to work with an eye toward obedience—not toward a paycheck. We are to work for God. And we are to see our money as a reward from God for our obedience to him in working rather than for the work itself. (Click here to continue reading.)
Do Your Best and People Will Notice
An Interview with Erik Fyrwald, CEO of Nalco, Part 1
Taking Steps Toward Forgiveness
by Becky Garrison
Video Interview with the Guys from Deidox
by Ramblin’ Dan
The Serving Son of Man
by Mark D. Roberts
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
In the verses prior to Mark 10:45, James and John had approached Jesus in order to be guaranteed positions of influence and honor in his kingdom. When the other disciples heard what the two brothers had asked, they were angry. In response, Jesus instructed them about the countercultural nature of leadership in his kingdom. The one who seeks to be a great leader must become great in serving others. (Click here to continue reading.)
Topics: High Calling | No Comments »
Less-Than-Great Expectations
By Mark D. Roberts | Tuesday, January 12, 2010
When I was in high school, I was a member of the track team. I wasn’t the fastest sprinter or the best at long distances, but I served as a decent utility player, filling various roles as needed. During my three years on the track team, I was a high jumper, a hurdler, a member of the sprint relay team, and a shot putter. Believe it or not, shot put was my best event. What I lacked in size and strength I made up in technique and quickness. I took great pleasure in beating guys who outweighed me by a hundred pounds.
I got into track because my friend Mike discovered high jumping when we were in ninth grade. For those of you who are not track and field afficionados, high jumping not pole valuting. Rather, it involves running up to a bar and jumping over it, landing safely in a foam pit. At least that’s the idea. Often high jumping means hitting the bar rather than clearing it, sometimes landing on it, which really hurts. And, every now and then, high jumpers miss the pit altogether, landing with a painful thump on the hard ground.
When Mike happened to try high jumping one day at the local community college, he liked it enough to get me hooked too. We’d spend hours running up to the bar and trying to jump over it. Back then, the Fosbury Flop, as it was called, had revolutionized high jumping. For decades most high jumpers rolled over the bar face down. But Dick Fosbury, an American high jumper, won the gold medal in the 1968 Olympics by going over the backwards, face to the sky. That seemed much more exciting to a couple of teenagers. Plus, the Flop was easier to learn than the Straddle Roll. So Mike and I were floppers.
At first our goal was to clear five feet. After weeks of practice, we both made it over that height. Five feet wasn’t nearly enough to score in a high school boys track meet, but it was enough to give us confidence to try out for the Glendale High School track team. Both Mike and I made it as sophomore high jumpers. (Photo: A young high jumper using the flop method to clear what seems to be about four feet. I had that much hair or more when I was in high school!)
Glendale High School was high jump heaven back then. In 1972, when I began my sophomore year, the shadow of Dwight Stones loomed large over our high jump pit. He had been in the class of 1971, setting what was then the national high school record by jumping 7-1 1/2. In the summer of 1972, Dwight had won the bronze medal in the Munich Olympic games, on his way to setting the world record in 1973. Dwight had been coached to greatness by John Barnes, who was still the track coach at Glendale High. So, not only did I have Mr. Barnes to help me leap to greatness, but Dwight often hung out with us, giving pointers that were like gold.
During the spring of 1973, my high jump personal best kept rising, from 5-0 to 5-2 to 5-4 to 5-6 to 5-8. As near as I can remember, that’s the best I did while I sophomore. It was enough to score points in dual meets, but not especially noteworthy. Meanwhile, I found more success as a shot putter.
During my junior year, a couple of my classmates began to excel in high jump, so I stopped practicing in order to focus on other events. As the third man on the high jump squad, I rarely scored points in that event, while my colleagues often won. Thus endeth my high jump career, or so I thought.
But after the first invitational meet of my senior year, the two best high jumpers on my team got drunk on the bus coming home from the meet. Mr. Barnes promptly kicked them off the team. That meant I was drafted back into high jumping. I set my sights on clearing six feet, which was way more than I had ever done before. It was about my height and looked plenty high to me. In order to clear six feet, I had to get my body quite a bit higher in the air, simply by running and jumping up. That seemed darn near impossible to me, even though, by then, Dwight Stones had set the world record at 7-6 1/2.
For weeks I worked as hard as I could at high jump, focusing all my effort on clearing six feet. I worked up from 5-9 to 5-10, from 5-10 to 5-11. My attempts at six feet fizzled. Something about seeing the bar above my eyes freaked me out.
Then the long awaited day arrived. At a dual meet, I think somewhere in Burbank, California, I cleared the magic height. I had made six feet!
Mr. Barnes encouraged me to set my sights on something even greater. He envisioned me clearing 6-2, maybe even 6-4. Perhaps I could medal in the league championships. But something happened in me once I cleared six feet. I had fulfilled my great expectations. Or, you might say, I had fulfilled my less-than-great expectations. Something in me believed that I could go no higher. And so, as you can imagine, I went no higher. No amount of training or encouragement could get me over anything beyond six feet. My mind set the limit I would never exceed.
As I think back on my lackluster high jumping career, I have often considered how my expectations both urged me on and then limited me. Somehow, I knew deep inside that I could get to six feet. And, somehow, I also knew deep inside that I simply couldn’t go any higher. I wonder what would have happened if I had allowed myself to dream big. Of course I’ll never know, because now I think it’s a feat worthy of a medal if I can jump up into my bed.
I wonder where in my life today I’m limiting myself by my less-than-great expectations. What are my “six-foot-barriers” now?
Topics: Stories, Stories from My Life | No Comments »
Local Wildlife
By Mark D. Roberts | Monday, January 11, 2010
Recently spotted in my back yard:
Black vultures looking for breakfast.
Recently spotted in my house:
A contented, bored dog. (Photo: Nathan D. Roberts)
Topics: Nature | 1 Comment »