Presence Weekly 7/01/2024

"And to the angel of the church in Laodicea write: 'The words of the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of God's creation. "'I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth. For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, so that you may be rich, and white garments so that you may clothe yourself and the shame of your nakedness may not be seen, and salve to anoint your eyes, so that you may see. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne. He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.'" Revelation 3:14-22 (ESV)

——————-

What is our primary mission? It is to participate in Christ's mission of "making all things new," a verse taken from the Book of Revelation (2:9) and the Book of Isaiah (43:19). This is Christ’s message to the church in Laodicea!

Knock, Knock, Knocking

Let's start with verses 20-22, "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne."

Any of us who accepted Christ in our teens or twenties has likely heard that phrase as Christ's invitation to allow him, "into your heart." That, however, is not what the verse is about. In context, the letter is correcting this church's attitude towards Christ, not inviting initial belief in him. 

Clarification comes when we notice that the last phrase of this passage draws on language from the Song of Songs, a collection of love poems. 

"I came to my garden, my sister, my bride, I gathered my myrrh with my spice, I ate my honeycomb with my honey, I drank my wine with my milk. Eat, friends, drink, and be drunk with love! I slept, but my heart was awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking. "Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is wet with dew, my locks with the drops of the night." I had put off my garment; how could I put it on? I had bathed my feet; how could I soil them? My beloved put his hand to the latch, and my heart was thrilled within me. I arose to open to my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, on the handles of the bolt." Song of Songs 5:1-5 (ESV)

While initially appearing dissonant from the Revelation passage, a closer examination reveals the connection. The Song of Song passage that is alluded to here is about the man standing outside the door and knocking. He wants to be with his beloved, and she passionately desires to be with him. So, this verse is about having a strong desire to be with someone intimately. We are the bride of Christ, and Christ desires to be with his bride. This verse is not an invitation to have Christ come "into" someone's life, as many of us probably heard it taught. Instead it is a call to have intimacy and passion for Christ. 

With that in mind, Christ's call is for us not to be so complacent that we can't get out of bed and let our husband in. The church at Laodicea had lost all its zeal for her husband, which was an issue because it deterred it from her mission. Their mission was to tell people about the One they were in love with so that seekers and skeptics could enjoy the same relationship.

Even though the assessment that Jesus offers the church in the early verses seems harsh, we must remember that he is speaking to his beloved bride - the bride he came to redeem and rescue.

One of my favorite verses, Luke 4:18-19, also alludes to Isaiah 61, just as the earlier section of this passage. In that passage, Jesus uses his first sermon to announce, 

"The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Luke 4:18-19 (ESV)

At the end of reading that passage in Isaiah, Christ said to those in the audience, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." In other words, Jesus of Nazareth was saying to his earliest followers and detractors, "I am here to testify to (proclaim) this right now." Throughout the relationship of God with his people, from Adam and Eve, to Abraham, Moses, the slaves rescued out of Egypt, David and the kings, the united and divided empire, the Babylonian exile, the time of restoration and rebuilding of the Temple, and the long period of silence leading up to the birth of Jesus, this is what the people of God should have been testifying to - the Lord's favor. Earlier in Isaiah, the prophet makes clear to the people about to go into exile, 

"You are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and my servant whom I have chosen, that you may know and believe me and understand that I am he. Before me no god was formed, nor shall there be any after me. I, I am the LORD, and besides methere is no savior. I declared and saved and proclaimed, when there was no strange god among you; and you are my witnesses," declares the LORD, "and I am God. Also henceforth I am he; there is none who can deliver from my hand; I work, and who can turn it back?" Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: "For your sake I send to Babylon and bring them all down as fugitives, even the Chaldeans, in the ships in which they rejoice. I am the LORD, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King." Thus says the LORD, who makes a way in the sea, a path in the mighty waters, who brings forth chariot and horse, army and warrior; they lie down, they cannot rise, they are extinguished, quenched like a wick: "Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43:10-19 (ESV)

During his earthly ministry, Jesus did what Israel had not: properly proclaiming the good news of God and the mission of making all things new. God wants his works declared because it is the proclamation that draws other people into His kingdom. 

Consider everything God had done for his Old Testament people. He rescued them time and time again from oppression and gave them a land flowing with milk and honey. He was their God, and they were His people. While you would think that hearing the proclamation of God's redemptive plan would bring in legions of followers, by the time Jesus showed up to testify about the good news of God, some religious leaders responded by declaring that kind of testimony deserved death.

The next phrase presents another possible misreading. 

Conquering in Him

"The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne."

Based on Jesus's response to Peter cutting off the ear of Malthus in the Garden during his betrayal and arrest, we can rest assured that Jesus is not equating conquering with any time of military or paramilitary initiative. Quite the opposite, after his resurrection, Jesus tells Peter, "Feed my sheep." Jesus clarifies our mission more clearly in Matthew 28:19-20, which is known as The Great Commission,

"All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18–20 (ESV)

This is the mission we are supposed to be passionate about. We are supposed to be passionate disciple-makers for Christ. In this mission, we conquer when we persevere in participating in Christ's mission of making all things new, not in any measurement of our output or success. Of course, this has numerous public square implications! 

Those serving and leading in the public square have opportunities to participate in Christ's present and undoing mission of making all things new through developing housing policies that save the mentally ill from death and provide others stable housing as they work themselves to the next level. 

Observation and Participation

"Observing all that I have commanded you" involves caring for and seeking the flourishing of the poor, disabled, sick, weak, and disenfranchised. It also includes confronting abuses of power and institutional corruption. Our mission extends to protecting private property, ensuring fair weights and measures, removing obstacles for the disabled, providing for the sojourner, pursuing agricultural vitality and sustainable farming, and creating a court system that does not defer to the rich or the poor. 

While participating in Christ's mission of making all things new applies to everyone, those working in Washington and the greater public square are uniquely positioned by God to seek the welfare of their neighbor. That's a huge blessing and an equally important responsibility. 

Yet, because of the gospel, we must remember that Christ does not reward us for what we do, only that we persevere in Him. Here, Christ reminds the church in Laodicea (and us)to rekindle the zeal to proclaim the excellencies of him who called us out of the darkness and into his marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9), but he does not call them to change the world. 

That is Christ’s job!

Questions for Application

In your work, make a list of the answers to the following questions.

What is good that requires encouragement? What role am I in a position to play?

What is broken that needs restoration? What role am I in a position to play?

What is missing that awaits creation? What role am I in a position to play?

What is evil that demands opposition? What role am I in a position to play?

How did you arrive at your categories for each?

How does understanding what Christ means by conquering recalibrate your understanding and attitude regarding your work?

• Monday: Morning: Micah 4:1-5:1, Matthew 9:1-17, Psalm 38, 39, 40 // Evening: Micah 5:2-15, Galatians 1, Psalm 38, 39, 40
• Tuesday: Morning: Micah 6, Matthew 9:18-34, Psalm 44, 45, 46 // Evening: Micah 7, Galatians 2, Psalm 44, 45, 46
• Wednesday: Morning: Hosea 1, Matthew 9:35-10:23, Psalm 50, 51, 52 // Evening: Hosea 2:1-13, Galatians 3, Psalm 50, 51, 52
• Thursday: Morning: Hosea 2:14-3:5, Matthew 10: 24-42, Psalm 56, 57, 58// Evening: Hosea 4:1-11, Galatians 4:1-5:1, Psalm 56, 57, 58
• Friday: Morning: Hosea 5:1-7, Matthew 11, Psalm 62, 63, 64// Evening: Hosea 7-8, Galatians 5:2-26, Psalm 62, 63, 64
• Saturday: Morning: Hosea 9, Matthew 12:1-21, Psalm 68 // Evening: Hosea 10, Galatians 6, Psalm 68
• Sunday: Morning: Amos 3, John 6:22-40, Psalm 71, 72 // Evening: Isaiah 44:6-23, Mark 1:35-45, Psalm 71, 72

• Cabinet Agency: The Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy (EERE), an agency of the Department of Energy, works to build a clean energy economy that benefits all Americans.
• Think Tank, Lobby group, NGO: D.C. Legislative and Regulatory Services, a bipartisan lobbying and government relations firm representing diverse clients before Congress and federal regulatory agencies. 
• Weekly delegation: The Congressional delegation of Arizona
• News events: For staff working in Executive Branch agencies who are struggling with a decision to stay or look for work outside of the Executive Branch following the recent Presidential debate and the Supreme Court’s “Chevron” decision (see below). For the new round of leaders from 45 entities that will collaborate on common clean energy opportunities and challenges through the Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) program's peer-learning cohorts under the direction of the Department of Energy. 
• Personal requests: For those heading out on or returning from vacations. For someone who just learned that a lifelong friend has a severe addiction problem. For someone whose daughter is recovering from a very invasive surgery. For a couple in a financial bind. For a couple dealing with a teenager in some academic trouble.

• Christianity Today offers “Biblical Reflections from a Ukrainian Theologian’s War Diary” which is worth signing up for the $20.00 subscription if you have already reached your free-access limit. 
• Barna recently released the results of a study on what church-goers think of AI and how it might be used for good.
• First Things has an excellent review of Oliver O’Donavan’s 2022 book, Begotten or Made, which raises questions about self-made identities and value statements.
• The New York Times has David French’s piece on how a little-covered Supreme Court ruling last week presents a strategic decision for the pro-life movement.
• Religion and Liberty (Acton Institute) has an essay asking, “Can Americans Learn to Trust Again?”
• ScotusBlog has a detailed overview of the Supreme Court’s “Chevron” decision last week, which has sweeping implications for Executive Branch agencies.

• All congressional and virtually all policy center and think tank events are on hiatus due to the Fourth of July holiday. 
• Here’s how Washington, D.C. is celebrating. 
• George Washington’s Mount Vernon, is hosting a full day of Independence Day events.
• Great Meadow near The Plains (VA), always hosts a fantastic celebration on their polo grounds. 
• Other great celebrations include Leesburg, Fredericksburg, and Frederick (MD). 

Despite 40 years passing since Leslie Newbigin delivered a series of lectures at Princeton in March 1984 which became the primary foundations for Foolishness to the Greeks, work continues to impress. Set in the height of the Cold War with a different set of “existential concerns” there is little lost in how Newbigin both informs, prepares, and encourages the reader with regard to engaging the surrounding culture.

Newbigin, a long-time British missionary in India, develops a missiology that prepares the way for people like Tim Keller. His grasp of various strains of philosophy is matched only by his apologetic insights. For those interested in living a in a posture of faithful presence, Foolishness to the Greeks is a must read!