Old, But Not Old

For Christmas 2008 my wife selected . . . with my help . . . a new Bible to replace my Old Faithful that has been my constant study companion since September 1994 – a gift from Kevin Pile, a longtime friend in Los Angeles. But Old Faithful, will soon reach its 18th birthday – all 2,160 pages, plus maps and a fatigued cover (supposedly leather) that is embarrassingly showing its underwear (or whatever is glued inside the burgundy cover).

Other than being God’s message to me, my old Bible’s next important value is the personal markings I have added in our 17+-year love affair. Opening it right now I see thousands of red, blue and black underlines, yellow highlight eye-catchers, marginal reminders and personal notes to jog my memory. To anyone else it would be graffiti, but not to me.

And, beside this well-worn warrior rests my next Bible – the beautiful gift from my dear wife - stitched in rich brown European Leather, yet hardly touched in 3½ years. Believe me, I sincerely appreciate this gift, and will definitely use it . . . some day. I know it will be a trusted friend like my burgundy buddy. But how long, I ask myself, will it take to transfer 17 years of study markings into my new volume: 2,340 pages, plus maps?

I admit my old Bible is old. No argument there. But its value to me does not diminish. Just the opposite. Its value grows. We are buddies, bonded by years of interaction. You know what I mean - an often-used book is old . . . but not old.

Turn the corner with me.

The Lord’s death. His sacrificial gift. His memorial meal. His personal time with us in this remembrance. Old? Sure they’re old . . . nearly 2,000 years old. No argument there. But the value of his death, burial and resurrection. The value of his ascension into heaven. The value of partaking of his body and blood will never diminish. In fact, their value grows. We’re buddies (in a spiritual sense), bonded by years of close fellowship.

Politics and politicians grow old and change. Governors and governments grow old and

change. Kings and kingdoms grow old and change. And we work our way through these

uncomfortable changes . . . as we are now experiencing. But the word of the Lord

stands forever [1 Peter 1:25]. God’s Word is old, but not old. Because it is of highest

value. The Lord’s supper? Old, but not old. Because of its ultimate spiritual value to us.

Making a Name for Ourselves

Taylor University honored Don Odle, their legendary 30-year head basketball coach, when he retired in 1979 by naming their basketball arena after him. Don was dead serious about basketball, but seldom took himself very serious. “You know why they named the arena after me?” he’d toss out, then answer, “Taylor didn’t have much money for lettering on the building, and my name was the shortest.” Don would then rear back with a wide-open-mouth laugh.

Somehow you just love people who are successful enough to get their name on a stadium or arena, but don’t flaunt their status. But Don’s ego has not always been prevalent in mankind’s history – not even in early history.

Earliest men

They said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves . . .”  [Gen. 11:4]

Current men

And, Dubai said, “Let us build Burj Dubai [Burj Khalifa] 2,684 ft. high”

And, Miami said, “Let us build Miapolis 3,281 ft. high”

And, Dubai added, “Let us build 1 Dubai 3,281 ft. high”

And, Tokyo said, “Let us build Sky City 1000 3,281 ft. high”

And, Saudi Arabia said, “Let us build Kingdom Tower 3,281 ft. high”

And, Kuwait City said, “Let us build Burj Mubarak al-Kabir 3,284 ft. high”

And, Shanghai said, “Let us build Bionic Tower 4,029 ft. high”

And, Dubai added, “Let us build Nakheel Tower 4,593 ft. high”

And, an Italian architect said, “Let us build Millennium Challenge 6,076 ft. high”

Nine recent ego-architecture examples, “so that we may make a name for ourselves.”

Earliest men

The Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city  [Gen. 11:8]

Current men

In this ego-driven race – tallest tower = supremacy - all have put construction on hold

because of economic and political spasms. Burj Khalifa was finally dedicated in 2010.

A lesson for us?

Yes! Make a name for yourself – not with a tall tower, but with the Name that towers above every other name on earth.

“there is no other name under heaven given to men by which me must be saved”   [Acts 4:12].

“God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth”  [Philippians 2:9,10]

In partaking of the Lord’s Supper we humbly bow before our King of Kings, thankfully remembering his love and sacrifice for us, and our forgiveness and recommitment to him.

It’s not about us. It’s about Him, our Lord and Savior.

The Importance of an Appointment

At my wife’s suggestion, I made an appointment for my blood test at the nearby lab. [Rule 1: Always listen to your wife. If you’re not married, listen to your doctor.]

After signing in I sat down with 20 others waiting for their testing. Before I could open the year-old magazine, my name was called. With papers in hand I was instructed, “Go to the last door on the left and tell the technician you have an appointment.”
[Rule 2: Obey receptionists.]

Ten weary people were waiting just inside “the last door on the left” when I arrived. The technician asked, “Who has an appointment?” I slipped up my hand and glanced around the room at my 10 new friends. My hand was the only one in the air. “Room 3,” she commanded me.

Before I could move, Mrs. Tired-of-Waiting blurted, “Hey. I’ve been here 2 hours.” Turning to me with pleading eyes she asked, “Can I go ahead of you?” Before my kindness could kick into gear, the technician ordered me again, “Room 3.” [Rule 3: Obey technicians with needles.] Something so simple as making an appointment made all the difference in my day.

Jesus told of a king who invited special guests to his son’s wedding banquet, only to be snubbed - twice. So the king invited the “nobodys” of the streets . . . and they kept their appointment. But wouldn’t you know, a party crasher showed up at the banquet without wedding clothes. The king frowned, “Hey, bud, how did you get in here without proper wedding clothes I provided for invited guests?” The crasher was speechless and immediately ejected.

Lab appointments and banquet invitations are similar – actually very simple. Follow the rules and you’re in. No pleading, no arguing about wait-time, no need to sneak in line, and no getting kicked out.

Jesus invites all to accept his banquet invitation, “I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” [Rev. 3:20]

Why is the Communion appointment so important? Those who accept this invitation are invited to another meal, the Lord’s Supper. Keeping this weekly appointment yields spiritual benefits – a personal time with Christ, a time for personal inspection, and a time to re-evaluate what his death and resurrection mean to us.

Of the Lord’s Supper, Jesus said, “Do this.” That works for me.
[Rule 4: Always listen to Jesus.]

Why Are We Doing This?

Before he was born an angel announced to Joseph, “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” [Matthew 1:21]

As he was commissioning his disciples, he foretold, “For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.” [Matthew 10:40]

During his final ministry in Galileehe said, “The Son of Man is going to be betrayed into the hands of men. They will kill him.” [Matthew 17:22,23]

In his final months, he said, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death. [Matthew 20:18]

In his final week, he explained, “As you know, the Passover is two days away – and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” [Matthew 26:2] “Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.” [Matthew 26:39]

Thirty-three years after the angel spoke to Joseph, Jesus is agonizing, “Why are we doing this?”  Yet, he knew his Father’s answer: Because we said we would.

The father of my friend, Michael Carli, owned a restaurant, which sometimes needed help by his four sons. Preparing for a huge catering job – way bigger than they were able to do – the family worked day and night to meet the impossible deadline. Near the end of the prep time, Michael – totally exhausted along with the rest of the family – asked his father, “Why are we doing this?” His father’s simple reply was memorable, “Because we said we would.”

Every Lord’s Day we partake in the Lord’s Supper – week after week, year after year. It may have crossed your mind, “Why are we doing this?”

When we accepted Jesus as our Savior, we also accepted him as our Lord – our ruler. Our boss, who said, “Do this.” In obedient faith we said we would. Following the example and instructions of Christ, we do what we promise.

Keeping Your Promise

I could not get enough of my father’s stories, when as an 11-year old in 1919, he sailed for 31 days with his parents from Seattle to Bethel, Alaska on a 3-mast schooner. From Bethel they took a smaller boat up the winding Kuskokwim River and then up a raging-rapids tributary, the Kisaralik River– in search of gold.

Of all the harrowing events those gold rush pioneers encountered, two details stand out. My grandmother was the first white woman to venture up the Kisaralik, and the wealthy financier of the expedition fell overboard, breaking his ribs as the boat crushed him against the rocks, leaving him near death. Stranded many miles from civilization, with no nurse or boat to transport him to help, my grandfather helped build an 18-foot boat out of logs, while my grandmother provided the best care she knew, rotating hot mustard packs and cold packs. 

In the handmade boat they encountered unimaginable setbacks returning on the raging rapids, avoiding fallen trees and dangerous sandbars as they escorted Mr. Glass to Bethel’s Moravian Mission. My father and grandparents endured a 32-dayPacific Ocean ordeal as they sailed to Seattle to find medical help. On one  treacherous day during their return, the wealthy patient promised my grandmother that she would never have to work again or go without, because she had saved his life.

When they parted, Mr. Glass gave her no money – EVER – and never paid their promised wages. Broken promises stick with an 11-year old boy, and also with his succeeding generations. How could a dying man be so heartless to those who risked their lives in saving his? Disgusting.

In New Testament times Simon Peter, broke his promise but recovered. Judas Iscariot, broke his promise when 30 silver coins pushed his greed button. One criminal being crucified just feet away from Jesus had to be plum stupid. Instead of asking for an eternal place with Jesus – as the other criminal did - he hurled insults at the only One who could save him. 

Saul of Tarsus, pleaded, “What shall I do, Lord?” and faithfully kept his commitment, even teaching believers to “remember” Christ in the Lord’s Supper. Our promise to Christ is honoring him as the Lord of our lives, which includes the heart of the gospel: his death, burial and resurrection. In Communion, we keep our promise. And Jesus keeps his – to commune with us.

Responding to God

Jerusalem has a syndrome. In fact it’s called the Jerusalem Syndrome, annually affecting an estimated 50 – 100 tourists who believe they are the Messiah. The men’s division of psychiatry of Herzog Hospital, in the outskirts of Jerusalem, has admitted several hundred of these messiahs in the past 20 years.

There’s a joke in psychiatry: If you talk to God, it’s called prayer. If God talks to you, you’re nuts. Pesach Lichtenberg, a leading expert at Herzog, observes that God seems to get quite chatty around Easter, Passover and Christmas – the peak season for the syndrome. Starting with awe, this messiah complex may progress from visiting holy sites alone, submitting to purification rituals, and in extreme cases, shouting sermons – publicly claiming that redemption is at hand – believing they are Jesus.

Most effective treatment? “Get out of town,” according to a psychological professor, adding, “When the person leaves Jerusalem, the symptoms subside.” Hmmm.

At the Stone of Unction, symbolizing the spot where Jesus’ body was prepared and wrapped after taken down from the cross, men kneel with lit candles, women kiss the stone, and many cry. Profoundly moving. 

However, in actions like this we are compelled to search Scripture to discover God’s revealed will and how He wants us to respond. Is it His intention to have more messiahs than his son Jesus? What responses are humanly devised and what are God ordained? Does God communicate audibly to individuals today? Is the Bible His playbook both then and now?

A clear summary of God’s expectations was in practice within a few weeks after the church’s establishment. The Acts2:42 shortlist is:

Follow the apostles’ teachings
Fellowship with other believers
Participate regularly in Christ’s memorial meal – the Lord’s Supper
Pray  

Whether you’re in the Holy City, Hong Kong or Harborside Christian Church, you have the Creator’s prescription for a scriptural foundation and spiritual balance  – avoiding seasonal syndromes. Responding to God can be made complicated . . . or scripturally simple.

True Character Tests

The Cryptogram puzzle I just solved reads, “No man knows his true character until he has run out of gas, purchased something on the installment plan, and raised an adolescent. Profound enough to trigger a few incidences of character tests I’ve taken.

RUNNING OUT OF GAS Oh boy. Twice in northernIowa, where towns are sparse and once inWyoming, where the distance between gas stations is measured in light years. Thankfully, in all three instances I coasted – that’s right, coasted on an empty tank – up to the gas pumps. True character?  Ha! How about stupid assumptions, like making it to the next town where gas is cheaper? 

INSTALLMENT PLAN PURCHASES We’re familiar with this, especially the ugly side of a lender foreclosure on a home - currently being experienced by one in every 363 home “owners” inFlorida.  Ouch. Total inU.S.in past three years is about 10 million homes. As a Realtor I walk into scores of foreclosures and gasp at the results of angry frustration. Literal war zones, with everything ripped out, torn apart or smashed before the evicted families left their dreams.

RAISED AN ADOLESCENTT hankfully my memory slippage has dimmed some trying teen years, replacing them with many blessed years where our kids are our best friends, giving us wonderful grandchildren.  

However, dare we compare our lives with our Lord’s  – who experienced only three adult years? Yet, was “tempted in every way, just as we are.” [Heb. 4:15]

Running out of gas? Not gas. However, before he was old enough to crawl he was run out of his country when the paranoid King Herod wanted him killed. [Matt. 2]  Later he was run out of his hometown,Nazareth, for teaching God’s purpose for his life. [Luke 4] 

Installment purchases? He owned no home [Matt.8], transportation or wardrobe of clothes, and needed no student loans. Yet he carried no cash or plastic. He had no credit score. What a man.

Raise an adolescent? Not raising them, as in providing for their physical wants – but raising them, as in elevating their value? Definitely YES, “for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” [Matt. 19]  Raising a child from the dead? YES again, more than once – a widow’s son and a ruler’s daughter. [Matt 9, Luke 7]

True character may reveal itself in gas, payments and teens. But running out of gas cannot be compared to being run out of your hometown or country, having done no wrong. Making monthly payments is in a different league than having nothing to pay on, or pay with. Raising kids, though testing, is nothing like raising children from the dead. That’s character beyond comprehension.

From his temptations in the wilderness to his isolation on the cross, Jesus set the standards for true character – ultimately receiving the Father’s “Welcome home.” Love beyond comprehension.

A Cub Scout ... kind of

While playing with Larry and Jimmy Weston, two neighborhood friends, they asked me to stay for a Cub Scout den meeting. Their mom, the den mother, also encouraged me, so I stayed.  

After the games and scout work we ate hamburgers – with dill pickles. I hated dill pickles, but realized that if I were to be a bob cat or a bear or a wolf or some honored animal, I’d better start eating them now. Next week we did the same – work and eat. So I got a Scout handbook and began working on projects that would qualify me for weblows badges and arrows. 

Then came that special Friday evening at Vestal school where cubs and den mothers gathered to honor the boys with awards. I sat in excited anticipation, waiting for badges I had earned. As each boy’s name was announced he would go on-stage to receive his deserved awards. Finally, the last boy received his badge . . . but Ronnie Carlson was never announced. Holding back tears I asked my den mother why I didn’t get my badges. Some 60+ years later I still hear her whispered reply, “You have to become a Scout first.”

But I thought I was a Scout. I attended all the meetings, did all the memory work, finished my projects, and learned to eat dill pickles. Why wasn’t I a Scout? She explained, “You never signed up with Cub Scouts of America.” Huh? Doing all the scout things didn’t make me a cub scout? 

That was worse than hearing there’s no Santa Claus. I had worked hard and faithfully for months. Attended every meeting. Followed all the handbook requirements. I did what all the other cubs did. In my heart I was a Cub Scout. I deserved the badges. Sorry, Ronnie. 

As an adult I hear, “I go to church. I give money. I partake of communion. I pray. I read the Bible. I’m in a small group. I hate coffee, but I drink it at the Coffee Corner. Sorry, Ronnie, in faith you never personally yielded your life to Christ. You never turned from sin or were immersed into Christ. The Holy Spirit was never in your life. Jesus never became your Lord and Savior.

Communion is for Christians – even those weak in faith. A study of Scripture shows that the only ones who partook of the Lord’s Supper were Christians. [Acts 2; 20; 1 Cor. 10; 11] Yet, communion is not for merit badges. It’s staying in contact with our Savior. Motivated by love, not recognition.     

May I?

One of Harborside’s prayer partner couples – you know, a husband/wife team that prays for those who ask at the end of each service . . . well, they recently extended their prayer time. In a healthcare home.

While visiting their loved one, they noticed an attending nurse – normally bubbly – was not herself. Almost depressed. At the right moment they asked about her apparent despondency.

Quietly she explained the dire condition of her young child. She confessed it was difficult to focus on her patients knowing her own child was critically ill at home.

The prayer couple – Phil and Julie – asked if they could pray for her. Instant hesitation.

After some thought, the nurse suggested they step out of the hall into a room to have prayer, which they did. After their prayer, the nurse expressed appreciation and gradually opened up.

“You know,” she reflected, “in all my years as a nurse no one has ever done for me what you just did.” Hearfelt appreciation. A lifetime memory.

How often in our lives do we experience that loving question, “May I pray for you?” Probably seldom. Will this distraught nurse ever forget this totally personal question and prayer? Probably never. Will Phil and Julie forget it? Probably never. “May I pray for you?” is a life-changing question. Not in-your-face, but flat out personal.

“May I die for you?” A question even more life-changing. Full force in-your-face. Die for me? You’ve got to be kidding. A question so unlikely, we can’t imagine a situation where it would be asked. So improbable that we stifle a laugh.

Peter sternly revolted at the news that Jesus would die, “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you.” [Matt. 16:23]  But Jesus made it clear, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” [Matt.20:28]

After the fact, Paul expressed this amazing real-life: “We can understand someone dying for a person worth dying for, and we can understand how someone good and noble could inspire us to selfless sacrifice. But God put his love on the line for us by offering his Son in sacrificial death while we were of no use whatever to him.” [Rom 5:7,8 The Message]

Like the distraught nurse marveled, we repeat, “No one has ever done for me what you just did.”

Gotcha

It’s been around since the Garden of Eden - a question to entrap or at least embarrass, making the Quizzer look smart and the Quizzed look stupid.
“Did God really say, ‘ You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”  [Genesis 3:1]

Many years ago I first heard, “Have you stopped beating your wife?” And it continues today, especially in smarmy journalism, to marginalize an interviewed opponent:
“Tim Tebow, are you a virgin?”  Gotcha

Jesus, however, must have the distinction of attracting the most Gotcha questions.
The wind-up: “Teacher, we know you are a man of integrity.”
The pitch: “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” Gotcha

Not quite. Jesus turned their coin and their answer into a real choke hold.
When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left him and went away.  [Matt. 22:15-22]

The wind-up: “Teacher, Moses told us . . .” blah, blah, blah.
The pitch: “At the resurrection, whose wife will she be . . .?” GotchaNot quite. Jesus offered them a quick review of what Moses really said.
When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.  [Matt. 22:23-33]

The wind-up: “Teacher”
The pitch: “Which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”  GotchaNot quite. Jesus combined two Old Testament statements - from Deuteronomy and Leviticus.
Another: “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” GotchaAgain, not quite. Jesus deftly refreshed their partial memory from Psalms.
No one could say a word in reply … no one dared to ask him any more questions.  [Matt. 22:34-46]

Well, just one more attempt – especially since they had Jesus tied like a threatening thug.
The wind-up: “Jesus stood before the governor”
The pitch: “Are you the king of the Jews?”  Gotcha“Yes, it is as YOU say,” Jesus replied. His final words to the Gotcha Gang.  [Matt. 27:11]

Thirty-nine verses later, “he gave up his spirit.”
But some 39 hours later, “He is not here; he has risen, just as he said.” [Matt. 28:6]
For all mankind it was not Gotcha, but then and now it is Gotcha covered … by my blood.

No Experience Required

This week I asked a dental assistant how long she had worked in the dental field. "26 years," she replied. "College . . . or fresh out of high school?" I probed. "Just out of high school." My quiz continued. "Where did you get your training?"

"Well, I answered an ad in the paper: 'Dental assistant with experience or a graduate from dental school. Apply in person.' So I filled out some forms at his office, and was interviewed by the doctor." Her smile took an a wry twist, "When the doctor came to the experience part of the application, he read it as a question, 'NONE?'  'Didn't you read the ad?' he asked sharply.  Bravely I offered a YES. 'Then why did you come in?'"

Then it was her turn to go for the jugular . . . or nerve root . . . or whatever dental assistants go for. "I thought you might like to meet someone who is eager to learn and work," she started. "You know, someone you can personally train the way you want, whose mind is not cluttered with bad habits or another dentist's techniques."

My visit-friend said she left his office not knowing if she had homered or struck out. Two days later the doctor called, "You've got the job." She stayed with him until he retired.

The wise dentist obviously read the never-published book, What Would Jesus Do?  Namely, recruit some guys with no experience in the messiah industry, having never attended a messiah theological school or had their minds cluttered with the liberal, traditional, progressive or political philosophies of their day. No skulls full of rabbinical or empire mush. No experience required, but willing to learn, willing to work, and willing to stay until the boss retires.

Not only did their Messiah extend his work beyond his retirement - on a cross - so did all but one of the guys he recruited. John, one of the inexperienced applicants, wrote some 68 years later, "On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit." [Rev. 1:10] He still set apart that Jesus-honoring day. And quoting his employer, "Be faithful, even to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life." [Rev. 2:10]  John was still faithful, even through near death experiences.

For us today: No previous experience required, but once you apply for the job - commit yourself to listening, learning, loving, living and leading until the end. This life commitment you have made with the Lord is renewed every Lord's Day in the Lord's Supper.

Died at 33

He was born in 1949 in Chicagoto Adam (an Albanian immigrant) and Agnes Belios, and raised in the Albanian Orthodox church. As a kid he loved humor, which led him to join a Chicago comedy tour at the age of 22. Eventually he joined National Lampoon, Saturday Night Live and in 1979 got into movies. His most notable: The Blues Brothers.

In 1982 his body was found in his bedroom – ruled an “accidental overdose” from a speedball shot. His body was interred at Abel’s Hill Cemetery at Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts. The tombstone reads, “I may be gone but Rock and Roll lives on.” Rumor has it that his body was moved because of vandalism at his gravesite. John Belushi died at 33.

She was born in 1919 inLos Toldos, Argentinato Juan (a wealthy rancher) and Juana Duarte, and raised in Roman Catholicism. At the age of 5, her father abandoned her mother and five siblings when he returned to his first wife, leaving her family in a one-room apartment in the poorest area of town. Without a father Argentina law classified her as an illegitimate child.

To offset her poverty and shame she participated in school plays and concerts, dreaming of being a famous actress. At 24 she had actually become one of the highest paid radio actresses inArgentina. She met Juan Peron at a fundraiser for earthquake victims, and in 1945 married this man who becameArgentina’s 29th and 41st President.

She underwent surgery for advanced cancer, but declined as it returned and ultimately took her life in 1952. Activity inArgentinaceased when the news that the unelected “Spiritual Leader of the Nation” was dead. Her embalmed body was displayed in a government building for two years - but mysteriously disappeared for 16 years. In 1971 her recovered body was flown toSpainwhere the exiled Juan Peron maintained the corpse in his dining room. After his death her body was returned toBuenos Aireswhere it was finally laid to rest in the Duarte family tomb.  Eva Peron died at 33.

He was born in 4 B.C. inBethlehem,Judeato Mary and Joseph (a Jewish carpenter, husband of the child’s mother). His birth drew dramatic attention from the lowest of society to the highest government official. In his early years, nothing singled him out from his peers, though at 12 his spiritual depth amazedJerusalemtemple teachers . . . and his parents.

At 30 everything changed. As his cousin, John, was promoting him as someone special - not only to his nation but also to all people of all time - a supernatural occurrence triggered his career. Initially very few believed John’s hype, but after hearing his teachings and seeing his power over natural laws, thousands followed this miracle-worker – some claiming he was actually the God-man ancient Jewish spokesmen had predicted. Momentum escalated so high that Roman and Jewish leaders feared he would cause an insurrection – meaning curtains to their careers. Their consensus was capital punishment on one horrendous day in 30 A.D. - a Roman-style death on a cross, leaving his body to be buried in a borrowed tomb.  Jesus Christ died at 33.

Like Belushi and Peron, he died at 33, with erratic events surrounding their deaths and burial. Unlike Belushi, cemetery workers did not move his corpse. Unlike Peron, his body was not hidden for 16 years, shipped to another country, and later returned to be buried.

Well, you know the details of his story. It’s history - the only one to rise from the dead without human involvement, and for 40 days interacting with many hundreds of eyewitnesses to his bodily resurrection before ascending in the clouds in front of 11 credible witnesses. I know you know the story, because every Lord’s day you faithfully focus on him in the Lord’s Super and what this ageless man means to you.

Multitasking at Church

Multitasking became an IT buzzword in the 1990’s as computers began doing more than one task at a time through processor timesharing. Of course the tag didn’t remain in the office, but came to define mothers who kept their professional life in the fast lane and their family minivan in the same lane – transporting kids to their soccer games. Soccer Moms even became a political symbol of multitasking in the 1996 presidential campaign.

 Actually the rest of the world was just catching up with teens who could do home work, watch TV, jabber on the phone, chew gum and baby sit – all at the same time. Phenomenal.

As incomprehensible as the brain is, repeated studies prove it cannot fully focus when multi-tasking. Errors increase and productivity decreases. For this one reason alone, 30 states have banned phoning while driving, with 35 outlawing texting while driving.

Multitasking in church is just as detrimental to focus.

Maybe a decade ago, we thought our communion servers could prepare for their task while the speaker was directing the congregation’s attention to the meaning of the Lord’s Supper. Bless their hearts, the servers would miss most of the words spoken, pass the emblems to all, ingest the emblems in a micro-second, and then retrieve the empty cups.

Finally, we woke up. A spare room became a 10-minute gathering place just for directing the servers to a personal time with Christ – truly communing with Him. The Lord’s Supper is not a multitasking moment, a lesson every generation and every culture has to personally learn.

Drinking “the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons too” was a lesson the church in Corinth encountered in their idolatry-saturated culture. [1 Corinthians 10:14-21] This same church also multitasked the Lord’s Supper gathering with an all-you-eat gorging – with the pushy pigs heading up the food line, leaving crumbs for the shy. [1 Corinthians 11:17-21] Dead wrong.  

Communion is a refreshing interval for self-examination, focusing on the Savior [1 Cor.11:28,29] . . . a revitalizing break in our screaming paced multitasking. Sigh. Can hardly wait til Sunday.