Eustace Clarence Scrubb

That's the name of one of my favorite characters from C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia.  He's first mentioned in The Voyage of the Dawn Treader with one of the best introductions of any of Lewis' characters: "There was a boy named Eustace Clarence Scrubb and he almost deserved it."  The reason I like Eustace so much is more about what happens to him than who he actually is.

If you've never read Voyage, it is unlike the other Chronicles in that it is a seafaring adventure.  King Caspian, the king of Narnia, has undertaken a voyage in order to find 7 lords who were exiled to a voyage eastward into the unknown during the reign of his uncle, Miraz.  Edmund and Lucy Pevensie (from the other Narnia books) and their bratty cousin Eustace are magically pulled into the quest and join the king on his adventure.

Eustace, who doesn't believe in magic or Narnia, is unwilling to be a help to anyone.  Attempting to steal water when it's being rationed, treating the talking beasts as if they were common animals, and generally being a selfish pig, Eustace goes a long way to make the others on the Dawn Treader dislike him.

During a particularly nasty storm at sea, the Treader loses her mast.  She limps into a bay of an uninhabited island to make repairs and Eustace, unwilling to lend a hand in the hard work, takes off into the forest.  To his astonishment, he finds a dead dragon and its horde on the other other side of the island.  Seeing the amount of gold and jewels the old dragon had amassed, Eustace immediately begins thinking how he can capitalize on the find.  He falls asleep dreaming "greedy, dragonish thoughts."  

When he wakes up, to his horror, he finds himself transformed into a dragon!  He finally makes contact with Caspian, Lucy and Edmund.  They feel sorry for his plight, but there is nothing they can do to help him.  Even Lucy's magic cordial does nothing to reverse the enchantment.

Eustace's dragon form moves him to become more helpful.  He kills several wild animals for the sailors to salt and store.  He provides warmth at night on the chilly beach.  He even pulls a tree up by its roots for the ships carpenters to fashion into a new mast.  But the question remains, when Caspian is ready to sail, how will they take the dragon/Eustace with them?

Eustace realizes Caspian's plight and decides to solve it himself.  One night, when no one is looking, he slips off into the forest, hoping the others will not be able find him and will sail on.  He does so, with no thought of self pity, which is quite a change for the poor boy.

As he sneaks away, he meets a lion who leads him to a pool of water--water so sweet looking that Eustace immediately wants to bathe.  But the lion insists he must first undress.  Eustace assumes this mean he must take off his dragon skin.  So he scratches and claws and peels until the top layer of his skin is lying on the ground and he begins to enter the water.  But as he does, he sees his reflection and knows he hasn't fully undressed.  He scratches and claws and peels again only to find he still hasn't fully undressed.  He attempts to remove his dragon form again, only to fall back, disappointed and forlorn.

Then the lion offers to undress Eustace.  Afraid of the lion's claws, but desperate, Eustace agrees and lies flat on his back.  As Eustace relates the experience to Edmund later, he says, "The very first tear he made was so deep that I thought it had gone right into my heart.  And when he began pulling the skin off, it hurt worse than anything I've ever felt."  But soon the task was done--Eustace's dragon skin lay, thick and green, on the ground and he enter the water to bathe.  When he stepped out of the pool, he was a boy.  The lion took him and dressed him in new clothes.  From that time forward Eustace began to be a better person.  In fact, when a sea monster threatens the Dawn Treader a few days later, Eustace is the first to attack it, something he never would have dreamed of doing before the dragon incident.

So why did I just retell almost three chapters of The Voyage of the Dawn Treader?  Because the truth Lewis is teaching is so good!  Like Eustace, we are greedy, selfish, dragonish people.  We want our way, our ideas, our comfort.  But if there is ever to be change in our lives, we need to truly see ourselves for who we are.  And realize, that we can't change ourselves.  All our attempts to be good are like Eustace trying to undress himself from his dragon skin.  We need God to rip into the greed and selfishness and tear it away.  And it will hurt.  It will hurt more than anything we have ever experienced.  Because God is tearing who we truly are, our very nature.  Then as we bathe in the water of God's Word, we are changed from the dragon to the boy.  It's God's work to change us, we just need to see who we really are and be willing to let Him work.

Favorite Holidays

Yesterday Pastor's daughter asked me what my favorite holiday was. Tough question for me. I'm a big fan of every day, so holidays, other than better food than usual, aren't much different in my book. My birthday doesn't feel anymore special than June 27th.
But I told her there are two holidays I like because of the meanings behind them. One is Thanksgiving. Not only is it the most American holiday we have (it revolves almost exclusively around eating and football, two great American pastimes) but it also is one of the most Christian holidays. Giving thanks is something Christians ought to be doing at all times, so a day set aside to honor that very Christian trait is fantastic.
My other favorite holiday just occurred. Easter is probably my favorite. I'm all about discount candy the day after (Walgreens here I come!). But the candy is the least of my joys on Easter. Yesterday we Christians celebrate the most important thing that ever happened in the history of the world: the resurrection of Jesus Christ! He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!
How cool is it that my God, after succumbing to sin's punishment, after dying in Satan's darkness, broke that power. He didn't let sin and death stop Him. He defeated them, showed His mastery over them, crushed them under His foot and rose in power and glorious light!
To my shame, I didn't even understand the significance of the Resurrection until last year. I'd been through Sunday School, Christian school and most of Bible college before asking the question, "Why is Sunday such a big deal, if what He did Friday is what we actually saved me from sin?" In other words, why do we make such a big deal out of the cross but celebrate the Resurrection? Shouldn't our big holiday be on Friday?
Paul answers it all in 1 Corinthians 15. He says in verse 17, "If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!" Wow! How important is the Resurrection then? REALLY important! It makes everything done on Friday worth it! Without Sunday Friday means nothing! Without power over sin and sin's punishment, there is no forgiveness and atonement for sin! If Christ is not raised, I will not be raised! That's key!
And that's why I love Easter so much. It's not just a celebration of Christ's death, burial and resurrection. It's a celebration of my new life in Him, a celebration of a hope I have for eternity. It's a reminder of Heaven! That's awesome! Listen the hymn writer and follow his suggestion in "He Lives"--"Rejoice, rejoice, O Christian, lift up your voice and sing, eternal hallelujahs to Jesus Christ the King!"
He is Risen! He is Risen indeed!

Cross-cultural Worship

So, it's been forever since I wrote anything and the three people (my family) who read this before have finally stopped, so I'm down to merely any random person that happens to stumble across my blog as they, in a bored stupor, continue to push the "next blog" link at the top of the page. I really am trying to better at this blog thing, but I've never kept a journal for more than two weeks, so actually disciplining myself to sit down and write like this is difficult.
Last night I had one very cool experience. The pastor I'm working with, Pastor Harm, home schools his kids through a charter school in the area. The charter school had invited a group of Ugandan Christians to do a program from the kids a couple weeks ago and Pastor's wife, Robin, fell in love with them. She invited them (and half the church) to their house last night for a time of fellowship. It was super cool!
I loved talking with each of the members of the group. They were all Christians and had individual lives back in Uganda (just south of Sudan and west of Lake Victoria in Africa): one getting read to attend Bible college, most of them married, one a pastor. In thanks for supper they sang several songs for us as group. They sang in their language, so we really didn't understand any of it, but they translated a bit of the songs for us. They were worshiping God! It was so great to see them, not just singing because that's what they do, but to see them actually worshiping and praising the God who saved them. It was a real blessing to see them happy and excited about what God had done for them.
The Pastor of the group told us why they were in America. They were hoping to raise $10,000 for an orphanage in Uganda. The pastor was saved through the ministry of American missionaries and lamented the lack of them in Africa today. What a challenge! To here a man who has given his whole life to the Lord, and reaching his people with the gospel, to plead for help from us. What a privilege we have to share in the ministry of the gospel to these people! And what a rebuke to hear from their mouths that we have failed them. It was a great time to spend worshiping and fellowshipping with people from a different culture, but of the same family.

Blood-stained Worship

Have you ever read through the Bible in a year?  This is my third or fourth time and there is something that intrigues me every time I do it.  It's as if God wanted to test those who attempt the plan.  Think about it.  As you're reading, about mid-February, you hit the middle of Exodus.  Up to this point, it's been amazing!  God's hitting Pharaoh with plagues, turning water into blood, killing the first born, dividing the Red Sea, giving water from rocks, sweetening water with trees--some pretty awesome stuff.  Then when Israel gets to Mt. Sinai, suddenly God starts telling Moses all about this tent He wants built.  And the next six or seven chapters are about this tent--sockets needed, boards for the walls, curtain design, furniture for the tent.  Once God finishes all the details, Moses points out the guys who are supposed to build the tent and they get to it--crafting the sockets needed, boards for the walls, designing curtains, making the furniture.  It's pretty tedious.  Then we hit Leviticus.  And it's all about what the guys who work at the tent are going wear and do.  And that's where most people hop off the band wagon.  "I didn't sign up for an in depth study of Jewish culture!"

That's where I buckle down.  I love this stuff.  I'm kind of a culture nut; I study ancient cultures for fun.  I'm weird, I know.  But this is interesting to me.  And the more you study the workings of the Tabernacle (that's the name of the tent), the sacrificial system, and the priestly office, the more amazing it is.  Contrary to popular belief, this stuff is in the Bible for a reason!  Take the sacrificial system for example.

The first 5 chapters of Leviticus detail 5 different sacrifices the Israelites were commanded to preform.  They are very similar with only minor variations that illustrate what each offering was accomplishing.  The burnt sacrifice was wholly consumed on the altar, illustrating a total devotion to God and hopes of divine blessing.  The grain offering (the only-non animal sacrifice) was offered also in hopes of divine favor.  Only part of the animal was burnt in the peace offering; the rest was consumed by the offerer in a meal that symbolized a restoration of fellowship with God.  A sin offering was offered when one sinned unknowingly and later realized the offense (also on the Day of Atonement for the entire nation), with differing costs to differing classes of people.  But each cost was a significant cost to that class.  And the guilt offering was offered for any sin against another person or against the Tabernacle or the priests.  These sacrifices covered a wide variety of life for the Israelites, and with 3 million some odd people, all needed to restore fellowship, find pardon for guilt, or demonstrate devotion to God the priests were probably busy killing animals all day long.

So what?  This doesn't apply right?  We don't worship that way any more.  Our houses of worship don't reek of blood and burnt flesh.  Thank goodness, too, right?  Who would want to go to church if all we did was kill animals.  What an inhumane, bloody, violent approach to worship.

The funny thing about that thought is pointed out for us in Hebrews 9.  The author points out that all the sacrifices were "shadows" of reality, that all the animals killed really didn't atone for sin, that another sacrifice needed to be made to truly make up for the deficiencies in the Levitical system.  And it was made, once for all, in the person of Christ.  We are allowed to worship a holy God because of Christ's death on the cross.  A death that was far more inhumane, far more bloody, far more violent than any animal endured in the Old Testament.  Our worship reeks of the blood of Christ.

Which makes me stop and ponder.  When an Israelite went to worship, what was going through his mind?  As he carried his animal sacrifice through the camp, maybe he though, "I just did this yesterday.  I sacrificed my best lamb last week and now this is the best I have.  This worship sure costs a lot."  I doubt there was much frivolity as Israelites stood in line, waiting for a blood splattered priest to make the needed sacrifice.

How much more serious is it when we approach God, holding our only hope of true fellowship, the cross of Christ?  

How much more sobering is it when we approach God, offering our only chance at total forgiveness, the blood of Jesus?

When I consider the immensity of my sacrifice, the cost of my fellowship, it brings a seriousness to my Christian walk.  The inhumanity of Christ's death for me is sobering.  It cost a lot to free me from guilt, to restore my fellowship, to show devotion to God.  I need to keep the bloody horror of the cross ever before me.  It will keep me serious and focused for my walk in Christ.