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“Arise, shine, for your light has come. . .”

December 25, 2010 by John Knight

Isaiah 60:1-6

Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
For behold, darkness shall cover the earth,
and thick darkness the peoples;
but the Lord will arise upon you,
and his glory will be seen upon you.
And nations shall come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your rising.

Lift up your eyes all around, and see;
they all gather together, they come to you;
your sons shall come from afar,
and your daughters shall be carried on the hip.
Then you shall see and be radiant;
your heart shall thrill and exult,
because the abundance of the sea shall be turned to you,
the wealth of the nations shall come to you.
A multitude of camels shall cover you,
the young camels of Midian and Ephah;
all those from Sheba shall come.
They shall bring gold and frankincense,
and shall bring good news, the praises of the Lord.

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A great and unexpected gift from God

December 24, 2010 by John Knight

“Mama, shall we pray?”

Paul never talks like that, using the appropriate pronoun in context. He has little language.  He had Dianne’s full attention on Wednesday.

“What shall we pray, Paulie?”

His reply, “Dear Jesus. Thank you for Paulie.”

I know that sounds self-serving, his thanking God for himself.  But it isn’t at all.  When he wants something, he says, “do YOU want a drink?”  And that means he wants a drink.

So in Paul’s unusual speech, I believe what he was saying was, ‘I thank you, dear Jesus.’

It was a very good prayer.

If you are imagining tears of broken-hearted gratitude, you are correct.

Yes, Lord, thank you for Paulie.  Thank you for letting this praise come from his lips.  Thank you for the many unusual words that have come from this boy these past, hard months.  He is all gift.

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.  Ephesians 3:20-21

May you all experience such a blessing from the hand of God this season.  Merry Christmas!

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Pastors, help your people to rejoice!

December 23, 2010 by John Knight

On Christmas eve, sometime after 11pm, my ten-year-old son will take the podium at Bethlehem and read this:

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.  And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying,

“Glory to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!”  Luke 2:8-14

Pastor Chuck, full of his usual exuberance, instructed my Daniel to read that passage with life and energy and joy!  “The glory of the Lord shone around them!”  With each reader who was proclaiming good news for us, Chuck kept coming back to joy – we should ‘rejoice exceedingly’ (Matthew 2:10) at this news!

I love this type of instruction, because it is not just for the sake of the audience having an entertaining evening.  This really is good news!  Proclaim!  Rejoice!

These are the building blocks that lead to authentic expressions of confidence in God during the hardest of times.

If this story of the coming of God himself is simply a routine, boring, obligatory, ‘nice’ annual program put on for the children and their grandparents, then what will people have to hang on to when the hurricane winds of suffering and sorrow show up?

Pastors, help your people rejoice!  This is the story of God conquering sin and death.  The God-man, the central actor in the central act of all history, has arrived.  The one the prophets foretold.  The one who would heal every disease (Matthew 4:23-24), tell a paralytic to walk, instruct a blind man to wash, call a dead man to come forth!  The one who would rise from the dead!

He is the Lion of Judah:

Then I saw in the right hand of him who was seated on the throne a scroll written within and on the back, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, “Who is worthy to open the scroll and break its seals?” And no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it, and I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.” Revelation 5:1-5

He is the one who conquers every sorrow and wipes away every tear:

And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:3-4

This is the story of the God who will help us through every trial, will supply every need, and will work all things together for good.  No disability, no disease, no calamity can ever separate those he has called from their God.

Though Satan should buffet, though trials should come,
Let this blest assurance control,
That Christ has regarded my helpless estate,
And hath shed His own blood for my soul.

From the hymn, It Is Well with my Soul, by Horatio Gates Spafford

Thank you, Pastor Chuck, for taking every opportunity, even a rehearsal, to remind us to REJOICE!

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How can we refuse to drink what God has offered us?

December 22, 2010 by John Knight

On the cross Jesus stands in the place of his people by undergoing the suffering they as sinners deserve, and then in the resurrection manifesting the exaltation that he as the righteous sufferer deserves. The words of Jesus must impact the way we view suffering.  Suffering – the suffering on the cross (and resurrection) of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ – is the most important event in human history.  God does not exempt himself from suffering but enters into it fully in the person of his Son.  And, mysteriously, the suffering of God incarnate accomplishes our salvation!  As a result, it is no wonder that our worship as the people of God is consumed with Jesus’ suffering and vindication. We worship the crucified and risen One. How can we, as his beloved people, saved by his suffering, refuse to drink when he offers us the cup of suffering?

Dan G. McCartney, “Suffering and the Goodness of God in the Gospels” in Suffering and the Goodness of God, edited by Christopher Morgan and Robert Peterson, p. 93.

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The supremacy of God in all things – no exceptions

December 21, 2010 by John Knight

From Where is God? The Supremacy of Christ in an Age of Terror delivered by John Piper on September 11, 2005:

One of the truths of the Bible that we embrace with trembling joy is the truth of God’s supremacy in all things. The mission of our church is that we exist to spread a passion of the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ. When we say that, we do not mean: “except in calamities,” “except in war,” “except when Al Qaeda blows up a building or a train,” “except when cancer takes a mom or a child is born with profound disabilities.” There are no “except” clauses in our mission statement (emphasis mine).

We did not formulate our mission in a rosy world—and then get surprised and embarrassed by the reality of suffering. We did not have our head in the sand. We formulated our mission in the real world of pain and suffering and evil and death. We have seen even among our own people, some very peaceful, but also some very terrible deaths. We exist to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things—all things—for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ—all the time. A passion for God’s supremacy—Christ’s supremacy (for he is God incarnate)—in all things, all the time.

Pastor John ends this sermon answering this question:  “Why, Lord? Why is the world you made like this? If you are God—if you are the Christ the Son of the living God—why is this world so full of terror and trouble?”

Whether you know the answer already or not, it was a great comfort to me!  I encourage you to watch or read this sermon.

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“It is a joy to serve the Christians here. . .”

December 20, 2010 by John Knight

One of the families we love most in this world live in Southeast Asia serving a people group that has very few resources for learning about God.  Their most recent communication closed with this line:

It is a joy to serve the Christians here and be moved by their faith in poverty and oppression. And it is a joy to wait expectantly for God to advance his Kingdom among the (people) of (this region).

What does this have to do with disability?  Almost everything.  Where God’s Kingdom has advanced, people with disabilities tend to be treated much better than before.

Of course it is true that churches in the United States frequently don’t deal with disability well.  And many mainline denominations have capitulated to the evil of abortion, which is resulting in the slaughter of our pre-born children with disabilities.

But we should never overlook that over the centuries, it has been Christians who have moved to serve vulnerable people, including people with disabilities, when others would not.  Hospitals, schools and orphanages all over the world have their origins in Christian people coming together, called by God, and desiring to serve out of affections for God and a new love for people they would have previously dismissed or disdained.

So please pause and pray for those, like our friends, who are laboring in areas where Jesus isn’t known that the Kingdom of God would advance and many more would see clearly that those God has created to live with disability are equal members of Christ’s church, even indispensable.

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Is the best part of heaven being free from sickness and disability?

December 19, 2010 by John Knight

From Joni Eareckson Tada, who has lived with her disability for more than four decades, on what she looks most forward to in heaven:

I can’t wait to be clothed in righteousness.  Without a trace of sin.  True, it will be wonderful to stand, stretch, and reach to the sky, but it will be more wonderful to offer praise that is pure.  I won’t be crippled by distractions.  Disabled by insincerity. I won’t be handicapped by a ho-hum halfheartedness.  My heart will join with yours and bubble over with effervescent adoration.  We will finally be able to fellowship fully with the Father and the Son.

For me, this will be the best part of heaven.

Joni Eareckson Tada, Heaven: Your Real Home, p. 41.

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Thank you, Pastor Tom Eckblad, for showing us what ‘as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing’ looks like

December 18, 2010 by John Knight

Pastor Tom Eckblad has served as pastor for counseling at Bethlehem since 2003, and now he is moving on to other ministries.

We have benefited directly from the extraordinary gifts God gave to Pastor Tom, particularly in our darkest days with cancer in 2004.

He has known significant suffering in his life as well.

Pastor Sam wrote about Pastor Tom in this week’s Bethlehem Star, the weekly newsletter of Bethlehem Baptist Church.   There were some great encouragements offered, particularly for someone like me who is tempted to grumble.

Here is an excerpt from Pastor Sam’s article:

In their fleeting years among us at Bethlehem, we have seen them (Pastor Tom and his wife, Jeanie) face such difficulties as a broken leg from a slip on Minnesota ice, Jeanie’s eye problems, Tom’s adventure with Parkinson’s, and a grandchild born with serious disadvantages. And yet I have never heard Tom complain or grumble.

I asked Tom about this.

“Sam, Christians are realists. We admit pain. We suffer. When a mother gives birth, she doesn’t pretend like it doesn’t hurt. And yet, we are not to grumble or complain. How can we admit that there is pain in this life, especially when we are facing it at the moment, and yet do so without murmuring against God?”

His answer was immediate and came right out of Romans 8: “We groan with all creation (verse 22) yet we know that God is working it all together for the good of those who love him (verse 28).” There is a way to groan without complaining, to suffer with thanksgiving.

Thank you, Tom and Jeanie!  May God bless the next phase of your ministry, for his glory and for the joy of everyone you serve.

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“Unconfused in a multiplicity exceeding number, and unwearied through eternity!” – Samuel Ogden

December 17, 2010 by John Knight

Weariness.  It seems to be a theme of disability.  The unrelenting nature of disability wears us out.

And the systems designed to ‘help’ frequently add to the burden – meetings and tests and consultations and more tests and new therapies and changes in diets and ‘make sure everything is done on time in order to exact specifications.’ And don’t forget about the other children.

Weary, confused, discouraged.  Gather any group of parents who have children with disabilities and you will hear those thoughts spoken over and over.

This quote in an essay on prayer written in the 1700s by a preacher I had never heard of stuck in a strange book sitting on my shelf came as a huge encouragement to me:

That He inspects the whole and every part of His universe every moment, and orders it according to the counsels of His infinite wisdom and goodness, by His omnipotent will; whose thought is power; and His acts ten thousand times quicker than the light; unconfused in a multiplicity exceeding number, and unwearied through eternity!

How much comfort and encouragement to all good and devout persons are contained in this thought!  That almighty God, as he hath His eye continually upon them, so He is employed in directing, or doing what is best for them.  Thus may they be sure, indeed, that “all things work together for their good.”  They may have the comfort of understanding all the promises of God’s protection, in their natural, full, and perfect sense, not spoiled by that philosophy which is vain deceit.  The Lord is truly their Shepherd; not leaving them to chance or fate, but watching over them Himself, and therefore can they lack nothing.

Dr. Samuel Ogden, On Prayer, in Half-Hours with the Best Authors by Charles Knight, 1888, pp. 135-136.

Is that biblical? Consider Psalm 121:

1 I lift up my eyes to the hills.
From where does my help come?
2 My help comes from the Lord,
who made heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot be moved;
he who keeps you will not slumber.
4 Behold, he who keeps Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord is your keeper;
the Lord is your shade on your right hand.
6 The sun shall not strike you by day,
nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all evil;
he will keep your life.
8 The Lord will keep
your going out and your coming in
from this time forth and forevermore.

 

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Hope in accreditation guidelines on disability accommodations? No.

December 16, 2010 by John Knight

Seminaries exist to turn out leaders for our churches, colleges and seminaries.  Those of us interested in disability ministry have a stake in who those seminaries turn out as leaders.

On Tuesday Justin Taylor had a great post quoting John Frame on the problem and the future of theological education and scholarship. The final sentence he quoted was this:

And to do that, they (evangelical colleges and seminaries) may have to cut themselves off from the present-day accreditation system.

One of the commenters pointed out that there are many variables in accreditation:

Most people do not know what the accreditation process is or how it works, but it involves far more than curricula or content. Things like number of students per faculty member, research tools and seminars, and even access for physically handicapped students (emphasis mine) all go into the accreditation process.

That commenter is absolutely right.  The Association of Theological Schools has a policy statement that includes guidelines on disability and theological education (pages 29-31).  It doesn’t take long to read.

It is a nice, safe, statement.  It is also deathly boring, without any specific reference to the Bible, and condescending to local churches.  I’ve read almost the same statements prepared by governmental bodies (minus the ‘religious’ language, of course), denominations, and social service agencies.

But my greatest concern is that an accrediting body for seminaries believes that information is sufficient to change people’s hearts and attitudes towards those living with disabilities.  ‘Awareness’ and ‘experience’ drive this change according to these guidelines – not the Word of God, deep conviction about sin, or prayer.

I am all for awareness and seminary students being in relationship with those who live with disabilities.  A few weeks ago Pastor David Michael and I spoke to the first-year Bethlehem Seminary students, and I focused on the topic of disability and invited their personal engagement with the disability ministry at church.

But awareness and experience with disability did nothing to change my attitude about people with disabilities – my darkest days in terms of attitude about disability were the first years living with my son.  You can’t get more aware than that.  Nor was I lead out of my bitterness and hardness of heart through awareness.  Rather, it was God’s people pursuing my good, frequently using the Word of God, and then God calling me from darkness to light.

So, I pray that Bethlehem College and Seminary finds ways to include disability as part of the students’ learning and experiences.  But never at the expense of deepening engagement with and affections for God and his Word.  That’s where our real hope for change in attitude and behavior towards those living with disabilities lies for these future leaders of the church.

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