A Day Of Reckoning Is Upon Us

Will it be “Morning in America”? – or “Mourning in America”?

We face overwhelming international crises [partial list]

* A convulsing, global economic meltdown touches every facet of life
* Global poverty (3 billion) takes an incalculable toll (75 million more added last year)
* Countless additional millions moving into poverty at this moment due to the financial crisis
* Pervasive increase in global hunger (1 billion), with resulting malnutrition and diseases
* Systemic injustice for billions of the poorest, marginalized and oppressed in many nations
* Rampant illiteracy: leads to economic/political disenfranchisement for hundreds of millions
* Increases in natural disasters creates long-term financial, social and psychological impact
* The unrelenting specter of global terrorism; failure to crush Al Quida and Taliban
* The spread of radical, militant, global, Jihadistic, Islamic fundamentalism
* Incalculable toll on lives and treasure of intractable six-year war in Iraq – for many nations
* The expanding war in Afghanistan; generals say it can’t be won militarily
* Nuclear North Korea; potential of nuclear Iran; threat of a destabilized nuclear Pakistan
* Proliferation of nuclear materials; nightmare of nuclear weapons in hands of terrorists
* On-going genocide (millions in Sudan, Congo etc); failure of the world to stop it
* Spiraling Israeli/Palestinian conflict holds threat of major Middle East conflagration
* Political/economic challenges in the rise of China; massive US indebtedness to China
* Energy crisis – made up of economic and environmental crises
* Potentially irreversible, destructive trends in climate changes/global warming
* The global spread of AIDS; emerging epidemics/ pandemics; seen in the decimation of Africa
* Deforestation and desertification of the planet, threatening both climate and human survival
* Population growth magnifying world’s desperate lack of pure water sources for billions
* Burgeoning international markets for all forms of pornography (esp. via internet)
* Global scourge of human trafficking in prostitution (esp. children) and slavery
* Rise in religious persecution, especially against Christians throughout the Majority World
* United Nations and other world bodies prove impotent before many of these global crises
* Diminished respect for and confidence about US leadership in the global geo-political arena
* Gospel crisis: Still nearly 3 billion “unreached people” with no knowledge of Christ

We face additional overwhelming national crises [partial list]

* National financial meltdown, with loss so far of over 2 trillion dollars in Americans’ savings
* A catastrophe due to greed, fraud and arrogance – more of a “crisis of character”; a “moral crisis”
* Unprecedented national deficit (many in both political parties say it is “out of control”)
* Whole states moving into massive debt, some into bankruptcy
* Looming insolvency for social safety nets (such as Medicaid, Social Security)
* Massive personal indebtedness of US citizens – $13,000 average credit card debt
* Beginnings of deep, long-term recession, with falling wages, rise in unemployment
* The sub-prime mortgage crisis with resulting homelessness for millions
* Millions of retirees live in fear of financial freefall and the gutting of retirement resources
* Gradual deflation of the middle class with the significant growth of a genuine “under-class”
* Fifty million Americans live daily in inescapable, disabling poverty
* Over 37 million US citizens go to bed hungry; 11% of households facing daily lack of food
* National health care crisis; over 40 million Americans with no insurance at all
* Growing burden of an aging population, seen in accelerating cases of cancer and dementia
* Neglect and deterioration of infrastructures across the nation (roads, schools, bridges, etc)
* Impact – financial and personal – of increases in disastrous hurricanes, tornados, floods, fires
* Failure of Congress to adequately secure the homeland per 9/11 Commission (ports, borders etc)
* Flood of illegal immigrations, complicating the effort to maintain national security
* Increased threats of paralyzing Internet sabotages, at both government and business levels
* Seemingly unending wars on two fronts – with our military stretched to the “breaking point”
* Major deficiencies and inequalities in American education; falling behind most developed nations
* A divided, ineffective Congress – often under the sway of lobbyists and special interest groups
* Polarization over faith and politics, undermining the social cohesion essential to national survival
* Crisis of leadership throughout society; frequently evidenced in incompetence and corruption
* “Culture wars” – struggles for the existence of absolutes in the face of pluralism and multiculturalism
* An emerging “culture of death” replacing a “culture of life”: abortion, euthanasia, stem cell research
* Moral freefall – seen vividly in the pervasive sexualizing of our culture (esp. pornography)
* Sexual revolution continues, with intercourse experienced at increasingly younger ages
* The rising crusade for gay rights at all levels, demanding a reconstituting of the social contract
* The battle over definition/re-definition and preservation of traditional marriage
* Millions of divorces annually, with its long-term psychological impact on children
* Increase in violence – child abuse; gangs in our streets; gratuitous violence for mass entertainment
* Unrelenting flood of illegal drugs, destroying millions of youth as well as whole communities
* Rapid rise in incarcerations (US has highest rates and the highest numbers in the world)
* Rapid rise nationally of reported cases of depression and suicide
* Growing wide-spread rejection of religion’s right to play a role in the public square
* Vibrant faith undermined by Christians’ own choices to politicize biblical Christianity
* Atheistic scholars and their followers attacking the Christian faith more openly and boldly
* Over 100 million Americans have never darkened a church door; plus influx of world religions

Additional, serious crises inside the church [partial list]

* 80% of US congregations are stagnant or dying in terms of membership
* 80% of youth from evangelical families leave the church after high school
* 80% of pastors are burdened with a spirit of isolation and hopelessness
* 40% of evangelical men wrestle with addiction to pornography
* High profile scandals among leaders discredit us; such as multiple lawsuits for pedophilia
* Millions sitting in our pews on Sunday remain unconverted (50% by one major survey)
* Less that 3% of Christians’ annual incomes are given to the work of Christ
* Some 96% of Christians discovered to be “biblically illiterate” (cf. Barna Research)
* Nearly 67% of evangelicals surveyed believe that Jesus is not the only way to Heaven
* Although 84% believe in absolute standards, 40% mostly rely on their own common sense
* Research indicates most Christians rarely talk to each other about the wonders of Christ
* Significant numbers of believers fear growing in intimacy with Christ (80% by one survey)
* Above all, multitudes of Christians remain captive to the greatest crisis of all. It is a “crisis of Christology”. It is the significant shortfall in how we see, seek, savor, serve, share and speak about God’s Son for ALL that He is. Increasing numbers of spiritual leaders identify this as the seminal crisis for the Church at this hour. But it also comprises the greatest crisis the world is facing whether the world realizes it or not. Every crisis of Christology inside the Church hinders unbelievers outside the Church from discovering their one God-given hope – found in the supremacy of Christ and the blessings of His redeeming Reign.

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APPEAL: Adding up all these crises, clearly a “day of reckoning” is upon us. Therefore, we must pray and prepare for God’s Spirit to use God’s Word to re-convert God’s people back to God’s Son for ALL that He is. We must pray and prepare for a widespread Christ-awakening movement in America, one that mobilizes believers everywhere to serve His glorious reign in the midst of, and for the sake of, all other crises. What other hope do we have? We stand at a crossroads – at a defining moment. Will it be “mourning” for America? … or will there arise a fresh, Christ-exalting “morning” for America? Is it not time for such a nationwide Christ-awakening to become for all of us the ultimate “change we can believe in”?

Though the modern Global Day of Prayer movement “started” in one sense in the year 2000, in reality the feasts of Pascha (the Christian Passover – our Lord’s Resurrection) and Pentecost were celebrated in the early church because of their significance in salvation history as turning points in God’s program for the world.

Well before the year 2000, but in the same land the modern Global Day of Prayer movement started – South Africa – the Dutch Reformed “cousins” of the United Church of Christ, restored times of special prayer during “Whitsuntide” – the 10 Days from Ascension Day through Pentecost. This is, after all, how the disciples prepared themselves for the first Pentecost (Acts 1). The reformed people of that land who sought God’s help anew in a special way each year modeled their practices after the disciples in the “Upper Room”. They joined together daily for worship, sermons on the work of the Holy Spirit and prayer. This was in the larger context of their normal annual teaching and preaching of the great truths of their confessions. This time of the year, however, was set aside for extended teaching on what the Heidelberg Catechism discusses under the category of a “Life of Gratitude” for the saving work of Jesus.

The modern Global Day of Prayer movement is today, it seems, much less closely linked to many of the biblical and reformation distinctives that fortified the prayers of our fathers in the faith. Indeed, at times, it seems marked by the immature and wishful triumphalism that marks the Protestant church as a whole – where that church has not gone apostate and lifeless that is.

So instead of complaining about “how much better” others who no longer walk this sod might do things, let us renew our own faith and joyfully join our brothers and sisters in Christ world wide as they appropriate part of our heritage and seek to restore it! Let’s bring our own Reformation faith to the party, as it were.

How can we do that?

In addition to using the resources provided by the Global Day of Prayer movement itself, let us reappropriate our own reformed understanding of these days in the whole of God’s plan for the world. In addition to the materials from the National Campaign of Hope (link below), it may be time to refresh our memories about how and why our people have entered into such times of extended prayer in the past.

The South African Reformed church developed an extensive theology of the Holy Spirit in their reformed context. Their best known advocate in the West is Rev. Andrew Murray whose practical works on prayer and the Holy Spirit are reprinted frequently in the United States. Unfortunately these works focus entirely on excerpts of his writings that seem to focus on personal blessing when, in reality, he was known also in his day as a missions organizer and churchman.

The concept of seeking God’s blessing during the ten days preceding Pentecost was frequently referred to as seeking “Holy Harvests” because of Pentecost’s link to the agricultural year and the festival of “first fruits”. Pentecost celebrates the inauguration of the world wide spiritual harvest of Christ through His Church. The Global Day of Prayer calls upon us to seek renewed strength both to BE the church and gather Christ’s Harvest in the Holy Spirit’s power.

Beyond this basic introduction, one can see how the doctrine of “Holy Harvests” was seen by them (and should be seen by us) as unfolding through the whole of scripture.

Short Version: http://www.dr-fnlee.org/abridge.html
Long Version: http://www.dr-fnlee.org/docs4/hh/hh.html

Then, having refreshed our minds on the biblical doctrines that call us to prayer at all times and especially on these days, let us renew our hearts and awaken our obedience to join the concert of prayer for God’s help.

Let us in the West pray for our own resurrection from spiritual death to life in this nation. Let us pray for the maturity and faith of what Philip Jenkins calls the “Next Christendom” of the Global South. And let us pray for “Holy Harvests” in all lands but especially the unreached peoples of the nations and the “10/40 Window”.

As congregations throughout the nation look for Small Church Solutions, participation in the Global Day of Prayer is an excellent way to affirm our spiritual heritage while looking outward and forward and seeking God’s help for our missions responsibility.

Also see: The National Campaign of Hope

The Christmas story must not be relegated to the status of a cute bedtime story for children… Though Luke’s account records an inauspicious story in the regions beyond the seats or world power either then or now, Luke’s narrative is the proclamation that God Himself is sending the Messiah of Israel. When the Messiah of Israel – Jesus Christ – comes, He will conquer every King who does not submit himself to YHWH’s anointed one (Psalm 2). Call it the subversive message of Christmas if you will.

The words of the Christmas Story are so familiar to us we forget their context in history. We treat Jesus’ birth more like a fairy tale unconnected to reality instead of the turning point of human history. Our familiarity with the story causes us to forget that the Christmas story is God’s critique of the Kingdom of Adam and all about what God is doing even now to bring peace on earth, good will to men through the Messiah’s kingdom that will never end. While Octavian who has taken the name Caesar Augustus will begin what history knows as the “Pax Romana” or “Roman Peace”, Luke is concerned with what Jesus will inaugurate, the “Pax Christiana” or the ever growing reign of Christ, of whom Isaiah records “Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end.” Isaiah 9: 2 – 7. While the reign of Caesar is extended through the human technology of the Roman war machine, the reign of Christ is extended through the supernatural  agency of Word, Spirit, and Sacrament. The former is welcomed mostly with grudging submission, the latter with worship and thanksgiving.

Luke 2 begins this comparison and contrast with the simple observation that while the Emperor of all the Roman World seeks to aggrandize himself and bolster the pretensions of his divinity by conducting a census, this self-proclaimed “August one” merely advances the purposes of the God of Heaven. As Joseph and his betrothed journey to Bethlehem in response to the Emperor’s will, they are,in fact, fulfilling an ancient prophecy (Micah 5: 2 -4). Instead of Joseph and Mary being pawns of the Emperor, the Emperor decree and the consequences that follow come at the will of Divine Providence to meet God’s ends. The August one’s attempts at self-glorification only end in the advancement of God’s kingdom after all.

While the Early Christians will face the prospect of saying “Caesar is Lord” or dying, Luke exalts in the possibility that humankind will be blessed by the prospect of saying “Jesus is Lord” and finding eternal life. Romans 10: 9 – 13. An inscription found at Priene celebrating Augustus’ birth calls Augustus the “Savior” and claims that “the birth date of our God has signaled the beginning of the good news for the whole world.”

In opposition to this Emperor worship, Luke describes the heavenly worship at the coming of the Truly Divine One at Bethlehem. Augustus’ worship and glory would fade as his earthly form was consumed in death. In contrast to Augustus’ fading earthly glory, the Birth of Christ is heralded not only by angels by the Divine Glory too. The Divine Glory illuminated the dark field signaling not only the angel’s presence but God the Father’s presence as well. As it had throughout Israel’s history, God’s glorious presence in the fields surrounding Bethlehem demonstrated a new turning point in history and the coming of His kingdom (Exodus 24: 16 – 17).

The Divine One’s coming is heralded not to the high and mighty but to often despised shepherds and, through them, the people at Bethlehem because “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble” (1 Peter 5:5b NIV). The real “Good News” is not the Imperial Proclamation from Rome that Augustus reigns and imparts his favor on his subjects, but the heavenly proclamation that the Savior is born in Bethlehem. This fulfills many promises from YHWH… Isaiah 52:7 and 61:1 concerning the Good News promised to Israel. The Promised One, in fact, will receive the worship of the nations that Caesar Augustus has received falsely. Unlike Caesar Augustus who will die in AD 14, Luke proclaims One who has died and risen again and whose eternal dominion will never pass away (Daniel 7: 13,14). The Apostles confirm Luke’s understanding in many places, but perhaps most clearly in Paul’s understanding of Jesus Christ as the New Adam. I Corinthians 15: 22 – 26 (NIV): “For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death.”

Augustus as Caesar extended his reign through the force of his Legions which had brought him to power. His enemies Cleopatra and Marc Antony committed suicide after their defeat at his hand rather than face Caesar’s “tender mercies”. Indeed Augustus might well say “Peace on earth to those on whom the Imperial favor rests”. It is only in the merciful humility of the Incarnation (Philippians 2: 5 – 11) that the Angel’s message “Peace of earth, to men on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2: 14) comes to humanity built upon the sure foundation of the covenant mercies of God which are faithful day by day and new every morning (Lamentations 3:22,23) instead of being dependent upon a despot’s fickle will.

That night, the humble in the land received the Good News of the coming kingdom of Christ went away glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen. Everything was just as it had been told to them because the Divine Promise is always fulfilled as God’s promise to David – so long awaited – had been fulfilled that night. It should go without saying that the promises of earthly kings are rarely realized so joyously.

Israel as a group would not join the shepherds in their unqualified praise and the One born in Bethlehem would have his blood poured out as the offering of the New Covenant (Luke 22:20). Nevertheless the One who came to put an end to the the reign of sin, death, and Satan would die as the King of the Jews (Luke 23:38). In Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, the Kingship of Jesus is proclaimed from Jerusalem to all the nations. His kingship calls all other would-be kings to submit to the True King – ourselves included.

Because the message of Christmas calls into question the legitimacy of all who would live their lives in rebellion against the Lordship of Jesus Christ, it is a subversive message that threatens the self-assured. Herod’s violent reaction to Christ’s birth epitomizes our own rebellion against His Lordship (Matthew 2: 1 – 18). Herod simply acted out the hatred towards God’s reign we only exercise by murmuring and hypocrisy.

The subversive message of Christmas threatens all despots – us included – when we set our personal kingdoms against the revealed will of God. God the Son, Jesus the Messiah, comes at Christmas to overthrown the false Kingdoms of the world until the end of time. Then finally the kingdom of sin, death, and satan are cast down. The Christmas message to us is that we are as foolish as Augustus who died if we do not bow before the newborn King of Bethlehem who lives. When we pray the Lord’s Prayer which says, in part, “Thy kingdom come Thy will be done” we truly do so only if we welcome the newborn King for who He is – the unique Savior, Messiah and Lord.

Updated 12/26/2007