Rahab's family life

Sunday’s sermon did not do much speculating about Rahab’s life, but then the text of scripture does little speculating. However, it is kind of fascinating to think about family dynamics with a prostitute as a daughter. The text does use the word for “normal” prostitute as opposed to an official temple prostitute. To give you an idea about the general disposition of these fiercely independent types, I read an article written about the profession of prostitution in the Netherlands. The article said that those involved in prostitution were petitioning the government for official legal status. So I guess that means the profession was already legal as in, “look the other way” legal. Apparently the government did give them official legal status, but the ladies and gentlemen of the night were dismayed to find out that legal status carried more liabilities than it did benefits. They found that they were now required to pay income tax. Interestingly enough they immediately began to repetition the government to un-legalize their status since they didn’t want to have anything to do with paying taxes. That gives you a sense of the kind of person who would be in the “normal” profession of prostitution instead of the legal temple kind.

My guess is that due to this nature, Rahab was aware of everyone coming into and out of Jericho. And that this was not the first time someone rappelled down the wall outside of her house chased perhaps by an irate wife instead of a panic stricken king. Rahab knew fake love inside and out, which gave her great discernment when she saw true love from the God of heaven to His people.

Jim Martinson observed the intrigue of Rahab bringing her whole extended family along. Prostitutes are not known for having good relationships with their families and one wonders if this change in Rahab included a renewed relationship with her family as well. What is clear from scripture is that Rahab turned from the life of prostitution to a life of wife & mother, giving birth to the next one in the line of Jesus the Messiah.

Some time ago a lady came into my office wanting to ask me a serious question. She admitted to me that she was a professional escort, or in common terms, a prostitute. Then she asked me a very interesting question, “Is there any forgiveness for a woman such as me?” What she meant by that question was first she was tired of living with the guilt, and second she wanted to know if the consequences would follow her forever. Because of Rahab I was able to respond with a sincere “absolutely.”

Uncle Leroy and the Family Tree

And then there was uncle Leroy. He was the family black sheep, the family secret. He would call when he was drunk late in the night, after the alcohol made him feel guilty or homesick or just plain sick. We never talked about uncle Leroy much he was that blot on the family tree. In the gospel of Matthew, we see the blots on Jesus family tree. Normally one skips over the scandalous, and shameful limbs on the family tree, to highlight the noble and famous branches. The gospel of Matthew hangs it all out there for the world to see. Which makes me wonder did Jesus speak of his ancestors? Was he the one who parading them through his teaching for all of his followers to see? And if this is so, why might Jesus have drawn attention to the, less than savory characters in his genealogy?

I can think of a couple of reasons. Who would have greater reason than Jesus to point out how the gospel, before it was even articulated as the gospel, changed the lives of obviously flawed people, like Jacob or Judah or Rahab? Can you imagine sitting on the grass while this important Rabbi tells the story of a woman who fools her father-in-law into thinking she is a prostitute and then has his baby (Tamar in Genesis 38) and then the rabbi says, “I’m a direct descendant of that woman”? He would, of course, have told “the rest of the story” about how she preserved the line of David even when David’s forefather Judah had no interest in preserving his own line.

I can see how Jesus would want to point out how God was already blessing the nations directly through the seed of Abraham by bringing several of them into the Messianic family tree, like Rahab and Ruth. For the snooty and uppity Jesus was very clear about his family and proud of them because they came into the Kingdom, not by entitlement but by faith. I can see how Jesus might want to point out how life with God was lived by faith in the desperate days just as they were called to live by faith in the present day.

It’s not such a bad thing to have an uncle Leroy in the family. It reminds us that we all just as easily be in his place or ours. Perhaps we are the uncle Leroy of the family it is wonderful to know that Jesus opens his arms wide to both those who are way up in the family tree or way out on a limb.

So What really happened?

Genesis 38 intrigues me to no end. Such a strange placement of such a strange story keeps me guessing what Moses was thinking. What was he thinking?! The part of the story that I skimmed lightly over (the X-rated part) in my sermon is the part I want to address briefly here. The story intentionally avoids the more sordid details like motives. It assumes a great deal in the reader's knowledge, which in our case is very limited. When approaching a passage like this I always have to remind myself that they don't think like I do. When traveling in Africa I continually had to remember that they do not think like I do. When I talking with my teenagers I have to remember that they do not think like I do. Here in the Genesis 38 it is so important to know that they had an entirely different set of values. For example Tamar doesn't even know what a "career woman" is. She has no idea nor yet any possibility of wanting to do something other than being a mother and raising her children, assuming she gives birth to any.With this in mind I can see why Tamar is much more tenacious than I would be about the whole marriage thing. I would have given up after two bad ones.

The whole encounter with Judah begs explanation, yet little is given. It is not clear whether Tamar's dress is that of a prostitute other than the comment that prostitutes wore veils. Tamar's intentions are never given, whether she intended to prostitute herself or if Judah she decided to "go with it" when her father-in-law propositioned her. All we know for sure is that she was determined to bear a child in Judah's family. In her determination she ends up saving the Davidic line.

I am convinced by this story that God can redeem anyone, even someone as hardened as Judah apparently had become and even in spite of difficult circumstances, like Tamar's. I think God can pretty much handle anything.

The Soul Felt its Worth

Last night we attended a Sara Groves concert as part of a crisis pregnancy center banquet. Her music, lyric rich and musically intriguing never fails to deepen my soul just a little bit more each time I encounter it. In the context of our culture’s nasty battle over life issues and with the back drop of redemption for several young woman in crisis pregnancies, her music was especially poignant.

I was reminded again why Jesus came and why I’ve been given this message of hope and why I need to be out talking to those who have no hope. Sara quoted from Cantique de Noel (O Holy Night) the words from the first verse. “Long lay the world in sin and error pining, till He appeared and the soul felt its worth.” The last words “The soul felt its worth,” stirred in me again things I too easily forget but should never forget. Remember I am watching pictures and videos of young woman who have believed for so long that they are worth nothing and suddenly Christ enters their lives bringing them to the realization that to God they are priceless. That is worth hearing again and again and never forgetting.

All the Glory and None of the Pain

For preaching class in seminary we students searched desperately for great illustrations. We read the newspaper, combed carefully through our memories, hunted down the illusive illustration book in the library, anything to come up with great stories. Everyone had a story or two in their back pocket that was sure to wow the class and move the teacher from his normal Simon Cowell impression at the back of class.

My sure fire dramatic story, that would cause women to weep and men to be moved is the dramatic story of my grandfather’s conversion from hardened atheism to Christianity. If you haven’t heard it, ask me sometime and I’ll be glad to tell you. When I finished my practice sermon in dramatic detail, the class was left moved and quiet as I had hoped by my dramatic story.

Dr. Larson, our professor, and truly a very gifted preacher himself, started his best Simon Cowell impression, which is remarkable since Simon was probably still being chided by his kindergarten teacher for telling her she was never going to be any good as a teacher. Professor Larson proceeded to explain to me that my sermon points needed to flow from the biblical text not my imagination no matter how vivid. He went on to say that my stories need to back up my points and not just be placed in there to wow people. At least I’m pretty sure that he said those things because he said them to all of us over and over again. Then he said something that I do remember very clearly. In reference to the story of my grandfather’s conversion, and in his best mix of Simon Cowell and Paula Abdul, he said, “ Be careful not to make that story sound normative. Most people do not have that kind of conversion experience.”

The Apostle Paul is trying to help us understand that Christianity is real & gritty in 2 Corinthians 11:16-33. That there is lots of pain mixed in with the glory. There is a lot of doubt before getting to the certainty. There is much sadness before reaching the joy. There is much pain before experiencing the glory. The false apostles that Paul is arguing against are preaching all glory and no pain so Paul responds with wit and sarcasm against their rose colored preaching.

A couple of comments for you, life is painful for everyone, Christian or not. The Christian has a wonderful opportunity to let the pain of life be turned into glory and redemption. Second, even the glory stories represent a lot of pain, its just like in childbirth, the wonder of new birth eclipses quickly all the painful memories. Third in telling stories we do have to be cautious not to make it sound as if there is not struggle. There is always struggle for anything that is worthy of glory, and if we leave out the struggle we miss the path of grace God has worked into our lives.

Can God Only Use Stones?

After my “God can use stones” sermon, I’m sure that someone is saying, “But I’m not a stone. Can I be used with my gifts and abilities? The answer is, “Yes, of course.” As a matter of fact one should use their gifts and abilities (without pride, of course). Take a Miss America candidate who sees her beauty for what it is, a gift from God. She uses it to glorify God and bring good to humanity. A few years ago, Miss Wisconsin was such a woman. She viewed her beauty as a gift from God and wanted to use her position as a platform to encourage something that no Miss America candidate would ever have the guts to push, abstinence in relationships. She caught plenty of flack for it, but wasn’t bothered by it as she knew that it was all a gift. She used her time in the lime light wisely and continued to serve her community as best she could.

God places everyone in different places for different reasons. We have an opportunity through our gifts and talents to do some eternal good and we should do it. So does God work through our talents? Yes, He does. Work around our pride? Does God have to do that sometimes? Yes, He does. Can we let go of our pride? Yes, we can by realizing our gifts and talents are just that, gifts from God.

It helps keep everything in perspective.

Something about work

This is about Psalm 90, called a prayer of Moses. Before you read through this passage I want you to ask yourself is this really the kind of prayer that you would expect from someone with Moses professional and spiritual resume. From someone who had been a prince of Egypt, a a successful farmer & rancher, and now a powerful political figure. A man who led three million people out of a racially & politically oppressive situation, who kept them together through a refugee pilgrimage across a desert of 250 to 300 miles, and man of whom it was said met face to face with God. Is this something you would expect him to say? Would you expect someone who has accomplished this much to be so pessimistic about his accomplishments? Would you expect someone who almost single handedly established a nation to be so hopeless about the value of that work?

I think what I like most about this prayer is that it is so accessible for someone like me who has done...how do you say it... squat in this life. It is so unassuming, so humble, so normal, so hopeful for a person with no spiritual or professional resume to flash around the office. It is a prayer that is little about man and all about God. It gives me hope that God will also establish the work of my hands

Uganda or bust

We have four frantic days of preparation before we board the big ole jet airliner, carrying us so far away. Lots of details to think about down to what time the airport desks open so that we can start processing our luggage early. It seems absurd that in a few days we will be on the other side of the world.

A regular mission to another country is harrowing, a medical mission is worse. Way too many details to trying and tie down. I'm sure we'll miss some major thing we should have brought along on our journey. This is where there must be a major factor of trust in that God knows what He is doing even if we don't and can think of the right things to bring even when we can't.

Pray for us.