Sunday, 05 July 2009

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    An Epiphany: Turn your eyes upon Jesus

    More about worship in a bit. If you want a good article to keep you thinking about it, which I intend to do as well, you must try this fantastic piece on the hymn "Holy Holy Holy" and the doctrine of the Trinity.

    Meantime, I think I've just had an apostrophe. (“Epiphany, Smee!”) Whatever. Every once in a while I see things very clearly. This was one of those times. I was reading the comments on my previous post on worship, which were among the best I've received lately (thanks!). While I was thinking them through, I thought of this verse:

    Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith,
    who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame,
    and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.     (Hebrews 12:2, NIV)

    And then I saw it.

    Here it is.

    The Gospel is the message that we should fix our eyes on Jesus.

    Ministry is anything we do that helps someone fix their eyes on Jesus.

    Worship is anything we do when our eyes are fixed on Jesus.

    Sin is anything we do when our eyes are not fixed on Jesus.

    Any other definitions are extraneous.

    That’s all.


    The old hymn puts it very well, except for one word:

    Turn your eyes upon Jesus,
    Look full in His wonderful face,
    And the things of earth will grow strangely dim
    In the light of His glory and grace.

    The wrong word is "dim." Perhaps the author meant that our problems, worries, and temptations that seem so large fade into insignificance when we consider the glorious grace of Jesus-- true enough, then. But in general the "things of earth," rather than growing dim, grow strangely and newly vivid in the light of the glory and grace of Jesus.

    We have an entire cliche condemning the people who are "so heavenly minded they're no earthly good." But I've traveled all around the country and talked to people of faith from every background you can name, and I've never met a one whose problem was that they were so occupied with thoughts of God that they never gave a care about the world around them. I have, however, met many people who were so occupied with cares of the world around them that they never gave a thought to heaven. And I have met a few people, a precious few, who are so full of thoughts of heaven that they shine joy and love into the world around them. Apparently, it never works the other way, yet that's the way we're constantly warned against. I wonder why.

    It works like this. When we "turn our eyes upon Jesus," and see the "light of His glory and grace" (not the fakey religious version-- the real one such as you get in the Gospels), some remarkable things start to happen....

    ...Suffering becomes an opportunity to feel our closeness to God's constant care.

    ...Nature becomes a work of art by a Master Craftsman.

    ...Boring theology becomes a chance to see Jesus with more clarity (or, if too stuffy, is cheerfully set aside).

    ...The Bible becomes a book that has Jesus in every line and grace on every page.

    ...That material thing we're tempted to ruin our life for becomes a worthless trinket that's going to wind up in the ash-heap anyway.

    ...A discussion about faith becomes a chance to make friends, not win arguments.

    ...Your neighbors become people you can love like Jesus would... or love like they are Jesus.

    ...That annoying person next to you (yes, that one) becomes someone who needs to be shown grace and forgiveness.

    ...That person everyone looks down on as a "sinner" becomes someone who can be turned into a saint.

    ...That person nobody likes becomes a person Jesus loves.

    ...That repetitive worship chorus becomes a chance to praise the Lord.

    ...The times when we feel week are the times we know best that God is strong.

    ...The times when we feel strong are the times when we can laugh at ourselves.

    You can insert your own examples here, because if you believe in Jesus at all, you've certainly had those moments of transformational clarity. What I'm saying here is nothing new, except perhaps for the phrasing. I can easily quote you lines from Scripture that support each of my points, and I look forward to hearing how you've seen this in your own life. All I'm suggesting is that we take those little moments of insight and make them the structure of the way we live.

    It's not What Would Jesus Do? (TM). It's making everything we do start from Jesus and end in Jesus, and along the way, pointing to Jesus. it's "For me, to live is Christ" (Phil. 1:21). It's "the summing up of all things in Christ" (Eph 1:10).

    (And this has a tremendous bearing on the way we approach worship. More on that later, if you're interested. Maybe even if you're not.)

Comments (11)

  • Brilliant.  This is something I've been learning anew as well. :)

  • Amen, brother. He must be our first Love, our Yokefellow, our Husband. Him alone. No other gods, no other lovers. O, come let us adore Him!

  • What a wonderful message to read this Lord's Day.  Indeed - Jesus is the Answer.  No other one.  Amen!

  • Wow, I feel like I just had a second helping of church today. Thank you! I will be thinking about this all week. I love the hymn, and it will help remind me of all you've said.

  • "Sin is anything we do when our eyes are not fixed on Jesus."


    Thank you for reminding me of this.

  • I enjoyed this post

    Something from my experience that could be added to your list: Kiddos with special needs are not those to be pitied or fixed, but become beautiful reminders of what it means to have a childlike faith and display unconditional love.

    Also, I loved the reference to the movie Hook.  That is a line that my family has used for years.  Well played

  • I wonder where the "Big Bang" people think music came from.  Music is an irresistible expression all humans have.  It is how we "say" things that have more depth in them than even the words themselves can express.  For those of us who love the Lord, music is one thing we can't help but do in our heart's attempt to talk to and about God.  I really appreciate your posts for the illumination we get concerning not only the beauty but the necessity of music in our worship of God.  I know, some will say differently, but what I am trying to say requires much more than a doctrinal statement. 


    I have not heard the background of this song, "Holy, Holy, Holy"  before.  Thanks so much for the enlightenment and your thoughts too!  (I don't  know how I'm going to include the word "perichoretic" in my conversations, but it's a pretty impressive word - the meaning, I mean)


    I think the word "dim" in the song, "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus" does refer to the fact that the glory of God outshines the darkness in the world and illuminates His purpose in all of it. The Light of the world is Jesus!  I am glad to hear someone say as you have:  "We have an entire cliche condemning the people who are "so heavenly minded they're no earthly good." But I've traveled all around the country and talked to people of faith from every background you can name, and I've never met a one whose problem was that they were so occupied with thoughts of God that they never gave a care about the world around them. "  Thanks again !!


    @lifeofdory - You have said what I also believe: "


    Something from my experience that could be added to your list: Kiddos with special needs are not those to be pitied or fixed, but become beautiful reminders of what it means to have a childlike faith and display unconditional love.


    Actually, I grew up back in the days when educators knew this and would never have dreamed of "medicating" a child because of their youthful exuberance and imagination, so I grew up to be just as weird as I was as a boy...Thank you, Lord!!

  • People say WWJD and often they mean "What do I think Jesus would do?" The question I often ask is WWJRD?

  • Do you think that perhaps the 'things of this world will grow strangely dim" could be saying "your priorities change as you realize the things of the world are temporary but what you are are gazing upon is eternal" in accordance with 1John 2:17?

  • @flowerspushthrudirt - It's actually a bit daring, theologically, but I think I could support it if pressed. Certainly it makes the most sense to me at the moment.

    @lifeofdory - That is very true and so beautiful! Oh, and... don't try and stop me, Smee. Don't try and stop me, Smee. Try and stop me, Smee.

    @quest4god@revelife - More than half of the things really worth talking about can't be put into doctrinal statements.

    @nidan - Great one! Except that if I pursued it too far, I'd be tempted to start overturning tables at some Christian bookstores....

    @TheGreatBout - I think that's exactly right. The things of the world pass away and the things of heaven become startlingly clear (though I still think we can find both on "earth", so maybe that one was the wrong word... So hard to make both scan in a poem).

  • I just read the "That's All" part and I agree completely.


    Thanks.

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