Reflections on the Life of the Late Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes - Part Three

Reflections on the Life of 

The Late Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes – Part Three

Professor Gomes thoroughly discussed with my colleagues and me his previous revelation about his sexual preference. He did so to counterbalance the rising and increasingly dominant voice in Christian circles that insist upon the mutual exclusivity of Christian and gay identities.  He had grown very weary and impatient with a perspective he deemed hopelessly myopic.  To his great surprise, Reverend Gomes said he received unexpected assurances from Cambridge evangelical Christians that he would not be the object of any ridicule or condemnation from them.  He welcomed this gracious overture and commitment.  However, it substantially disappointed him to realize the lack of encouragement from his colleagues in the academic community.  He shared with us that none of them called to offer a word of prayer in response to his revelation.  His disappointment led to a discussion about the ways in which the liberal, progressive segment of American Christianity falls short in actualizing its principles.  Regrettably, the then Governor of Tennessee had decided effective 1 August 2005 to drop 200,000 people from TennCare, the State’s health insurance program.  The cuts put an undue burden on the “sickest of the sick” that had to choose between food and medicine.  Personally, I posited this governmental decision to be a moral issue which the Church and clergy had a biblically mandated obligation to advocate for these most vulnerable citizens who are unable to speak for themselves.  Additionally, the recent military conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan began and were sustained without a thorough vetting within the ecclesiastical or academic communities.  I do not recall any provocative or perpetual progressive voice from either group to confront the Bush Administration or Congress about engaging these conflicts.  Whether in pastoral ministry or an academic setting, religiously committed people with a progressive bent failed to actualize the tenets of their beliefs.  Professor Gomes’ sharing of his personal pain and disappointment became a challenge to strive for integrity in rhetoric and reality.

At the time of our collegial colloquium with Professor Gomes, he had served as the Pusey Minister and Plummer Professor for more than thirty-five years.  Understandably, planning for retirement rose significantly on his "To Do" List.  He shared this sober reality with us.  Notwithstanding the length of a clergyperson's tenure or the extent of his or her success, a confluence of personal and professional circumstances inevitably create or coerce retirement from full time service.  Reverend Gomes' willingness to share his contemplation of a forthcoming end of his ministerial service at Harvard led to a collegial question about the type and substance of ministry he thinks will follow him at Harvard.  Professor Gomes discoursed about the disturbing trend within university ministry settings to replace authentic and existential religious and spiritual commitment with psychological counseling.

Reverend Gomes shared his fear the Harvard chaplaincy would assume a psychological counseling model.  He intimated a growing devaluation of religious rituals and genuine spirituality across the nation's college and university campuses. Albeit most significant to achieving intrapersonal wholeness which eradicates religious pathology, counseling is not as widely accessible as is the biblically-based gospel message of personal transformation.  Subsequent to our time with Reverend Gomes, I watched an interview on the Charlie Rose Show in which Reverend Gomes declared unequivocally that the gospel of Jesus Christ remains a compelling message even within the twenty-first century context.  He lamented his inability to convince more of his colleagues of the propositional veracity and existential worth of the gospel.  Within our conversation, he bemoaned the virtual certainty the University would not even try to offer its students this viable option for attaining a joyous and holistic life.  I share his concern.  As a practicing pastor, I realize the immeasurable power of the gospel of Jesus Christ to transform lives whether an addict, alcoholic or white collar criminal.

Further in this Charlie Rose interview, Professor Gomes states his definitive Christian faith.  "It is still a very compelling story.  I regret have not made the argument to convince more of my colleagues." He intimates psychology alone will not suffice to offer integrity, joy, self-acceptance and wholeness.  Does resolving one's intrapersonal challenges necessarily yield these attributes?  Formulaic adherence to religious rituals definitely does not.  However, commitment to progressive and genuine spirituality within an interdependent relationship with Almighty God encourages and empowers anyone to live to the fullest.

Reflections on the Life of the Late Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes - Part Four

Reflections on the Life of 

The Late Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes – Part Four

Additionally, when we consider the predominate role of religion in the life of an average American citizen or global citizen particularly in the Middle East, it seems rather short-sighted of any institution of higher learning to ignore or devaluate its intellectual and existential centrality.  Replacing religion with psychology myopically substitutes middle strata, bourgeois and academic lifestyle as the normative standard for enjoying a meaningful life.  This untenable approach disregards hundreds of millions of people for whom college life remains so far removed from daily living.  It simply seems unreasonable to proffer a position that excludes such a large proportion of humankind.  Further, when we consider the impact and influence of religion and spirituality within international affairs (the events of 11 September 2001, the Sunni-Shia Islamic divide in Iraq, Iran and Saudi Arabia, the extraordinary ability of Muslim clerics to influence the political and social events within Middle Eastern countries, and the role of Buddhism in the conflict between mainland China and Tibet among many other military, economic and geopolitical challenges).  It seems most appropriate that colleges and universities through institutional chaplaincies would equip students with the intellectual methods to achieve an existential faith that assists graduates to contribute significantly to helping fellow adherents in their faith communities to practice an intellectually respectable lifestyle that embraces the respect and dignity of all humankind.   After viewing a few interviews with Professor Gomes with Charlie Rose and "In the Green Room," I obtained a greater respect for the integrity of his Christian faith.   I appreciate his stalwart faith despite the pressure by the academic and dominant culture to relegate Christianity to irrelevance.

Reverend Professor Gomes was unabashedly Baptist as a clergyman.  His commitment to this confessional perspective was most evident in his funeral pre-planning in which he arranged a formal, traditional funeral at Plymouth Baptist Church notwithstanding the very "high church" liturgy of the Anglican faith that would be held at Memorial Church at Harvard.  In response to a question, he cursorily described the plans for his service which he had left in a safe deposit box.  Reverend Gomes said he would prefer mostly hymns of the Christian faith.  In particular, he desired the hymn, “Give Your Best to the Master.”  Furthermore, he shared the verse, 1 Timothy 2:15, would be engraved on his tombstone.  He posits he obeyed this biblical mandate through his teaching, writing and preaching.

Reverend Gomes' funeral plans evidenced a depth of humility not immediately evident when first encountering him. After forty years at Harvard University with the concomitant achievements of earning the distinction as one of the best preachers in the English language, offering sermons at U. S. President George H. W. Bush's inauguration and Westminster Abbey where Great Britain's royal family periodically worships and publishing a few bestselling books, he accepted the equality of everyone in death.  He could have requested the funeral mass of all masses to duly note his superlative achievements. Yet, he did not; rather he followed the example of his beloved parents by planning a funeral at Plymouth Baptist Church where the congregation and neighbors who nurtured him in his formative years and knew him long before his ascent to celebrity could most genuinely celebrate his life as Peter J. Gomes instead of the public persona.  I appreciate Professor Gomes' ability to juxtapose celebrity and commonality.  His fundamental self-acceptance enabled him to find a balance in embracing both worlds without sacrificing the other.  He also did not succumb to disregarding other peoples’ dignity in order to attain his own.

In fulfilling the pastoral directive of studying to demonstrate one's worthiness, Reverend Gomes expansive career as a minister, scholar, and teacher reflects a commitment to a lifelong pursuit of asking and answering questions of faith and spirituality in an intellectually respectable way.  His faithfulness challenges all disciples to serve our Lord similarly.  The extensive religious and cultural pluralism of the global village which a predominant and preferential secular, humanistic worldview in the United States furthers demands all Christians in whatever walk of life emulate Reverend Gomes' example of making this compelling argument.  I argue each disciple has an obligation to meet this challenge irrespective of his or her formal education, socio-economic status, political ideology, or cultural milieu.  This requirement is not the sole prerogative of Christians who live within academe. 

I conclude this personal reflection on Reverend Professor Gomes life where I began.  I continually marvel at his inimitable example of self-acceptance.  I had not encountered anyone heretofore who possessed such a clear and unequivocal sense of self.  I imagine how differently life will unfold for anyone who acquires this divine and spiritual attribute.  On a typical Saturday morning in October approximately five years ago, I was blessed to met a brother, fellow disciple and colleague whose personal authenticity forever changed my outlook on ministry and myself.  Humbly, I hope my recollections of a single meeting with this extraordinary person encourage and empower you to discover your own divine and personal worth.

Pull It From Within Me

“I guess I can pull it from within me.”  Those words characterize a sister’s approach to resolving a problem.  Rather than expecting a miracle, she mines her internal riches.  In this moment of enlightenment, she realizes God graciously gives her everything she needs to conquer any adversarial circumstances.  Whereas the problem is internal, the solution also lies within her.  She merely “pulls it from within me.”

That saying reminds me of a sermon illustration.  A family in Texas owns a large tract of land.  Occasional daydreaming causes the father to consider drilling for oil.  Thinking further about being rich makes him act on this impulse.  He brings a few oilrigs to the property and starts to drill.  At five hundred feet, no oil sprouts forth.  He digs further; at seven hundred and fifty feet, still, no oil emerges.  The father tries again.  At a thousand feet, he still does not discover any oil.  Against his inclinations and conventional wisdom, he digs even further.  Surprisingly, at twelve hundred feet, that blessed black, liquid oil shoots up out of the riches of the earth!  Was the father rich prior to reaching oil?  Indeed, he was!  He merely had to “pull it from within him.”

Likewise, we possess answers to our problems.  Further, we have incredible internal riches.  Will we dig within ourselves to discover inner healing and wholeness?  Ephesians 3:20 says that God is able to do “exceedingly, abundantly more than we can ask or imagine according to His power that is at work within us.”  Yes, God’s amazing and miraculous acts surpass our human comprehension and description.  Yet, He empowers us to work on His behalf.  He places healing and riches within us.  In an interdependent and growing relationship, we obtain peace and wholeness.  The process resembles miners digging for invaluable jewels, minerals and other precious resources.

“Pulling from within me” requires practice of daily spiritual disciplines.  They include self-evaluation, prayer, affirmation of the Word of God, meditation, Bible study, imaging and daily quiet time.  Healing is a process!  It necessitates progress rather than perfection.  It demands commitment and hard work!  Mathematically, you cannot get something for nothing.  Similarly, in God’s economy, spiritual growth and personal development are fruit of faithful devotion to “pulling from within me.”

I recall a now deceased person whom I counseled consistently for a year.  As we discussed her problems and she settled comfortably into the victims’ couch, the sessions went well.  She was content to sit and polish the problem ad infinitum.  Not surprisingly, I reached a point where I began to ask about her ideas for resolving the problem.  She immediately terminated the counseling sessions.  In essence, she wanted me to serve as her enabler.  Instead, I challenged her to reach for the solution rather than stay in victim’s mode.  She refused to “pull it from within herself.”

Self-discipline is one of the most crucial aspects of “pulling it from within me.”  Regardless of your dilemma, self-control arrests the problem.  We eliminate our liabilities; if not, we neutralize them.  Painstakingly following wise counsel of spiritual mentors greatly aids us in this quest.  Spiritual growth does not lend itself to periodic spurts of interests.  It insists upon wholesale commitment.  Daily, we practice self-discipline as we take the next right step in faith.

I pray you will “pull from within you” the answers to your daily challenges.  Almighty God offers practical methods and spiritual tools to resolve any dilemma.  We are neither helpless nor hopeless in any adversity whether internal or external.  We have blessed assurance of divine resources to equip us to succeed and excel.

Are you willing to “pull it from within me?”

You Can't Lose Something You Never Really Had!

You Can’t Lose Something You Never Really Had!

You can’t lose something you never really had!  I realize the obviousness of that statement appears supercilious.  However, I recite it to provoke you to consider whether you are fretting over meaningless losses.  I find many people expending exorbitant time and emotion over “losses” that are actually “gains.”  Yes, no one likes to lose anything.  Some people refuse to gamble because they hate to lose their hard earned money.  We particularly hate to lose relationships in which we made a tremendous investment of time, money and emotion.  Sometimes, we realize we are wasting ourselves with people who do not appreciate us.  After anger dissipates and disillusionment fades, we soberly and humbly acknowledge we never really had what we thought we had.  We did not lose a good marriage because we never really had one.  Again, you can’t lose something that you never really had.

Everyone I know who experienced “downsizing,” “right sizing” or termination found a better employment situation.  As a graduate admission professional, I vividly recall a conversation with a former banker.  On a Friday morning, she learned her job would be eliminated due to a recent merger.  She made an immediate call to the admissions office for an interview.  As we talked, she shared she knew ten years previously she always desired to teach high school English literature.  Yet, she could not yank herself away from the money.  Eventually, she resolved God did for her what she could not do for herself.  This woman completed the application process; she was admitted.  Today, after completing her masters in teaching degree, she happily teaches Shakespeare, Donne, Dickens, Ellison, Morrison, and other great authors to high school students.  This applicant concluded the “loss” of her job was actually a much greater “gain.” 

Cease and desist with the notion God only works in the “light.”  In contradistinction, God powerfully transforms and redeems the “darkness.” The psalmist assures us though “weeping endures for the night, joy comes in the morning.”  The “darkness” of loss eventually yields to the dawn of a new opportunity.  Closing one door automatically opens another one.  Isaiah inimitably paints a picture of God’s redemptive promise in converting our losses into gains.  “I will lead the blind by ways they have not known; along unfamiliar paths I will guide them; I will turn the darkness into light before them and make the rough places smooth.  These are the things I will do; I will not forsake them.” (Isaiah 42:16) 

The loss of primary relationships greatly affects us.  Those failures are harder to overcome than other quantifiable matters.  You cannot fully determine how much emotion and love you give to a marriage.  Therefore, when heartfelt relationships end, resentment and bitterness are natural reactions. These feelings inevitably harm the person who nurses them.  Fretting over meaningless losses consumes substantial time and talent available for more meaningful pursuits.  Regret and resentment are just as meaningless as any loss.  A friend of mine starkly parallels maintaining resentments with continually urinating on yourself! 

Loss is a fundamental part of life.  We lose things due to negligence and irresponsibility.  Sometimes, we lose people and possessions because of accidents and natural disasters.  Other times, we lose very important things due to matters beyond our control.  All losses are not equal.  I highly recommend spiritual disciplines of prayer, meditation and self-evaluation.  In utilizing them, you analyze your losses, past and present, to determine their worth.  Afterwards, you find grace and divine power to move beyond meaningless losses. 

A Litmus Test to Enter Heaven?

A Litmus Test to Enter Heaven?

Will there be a litmus test to enter the pearly gates of heaven?  Often, we joke about a cross examination from St. Peter.  Many church members assume they must find the “right” answers during their earthly pilgrimage.  The “Parable of the Talents” (Matthew 25:14-30) and various passages on “Judgment Day” (1 Corinthians 3:10-15) indicate God will hold us accountable for stewardship of time, talent, tithe and temperament.

What did you do with the life I gave you?  How did you invest your abilities and gifts into expanding my kingdom?  Those are probably the questions the Lord will ask.  In the “Parable of the Talents,” the Master returns and questions each servant about use of his talents.  He gives three servants five, two and one talent, respectively.  The first two individuals invest their talents and receive a hundred fold return.  Through fear, procrastination and laziness, the third servant essentially squanders his talent; he buries it.  In response, the Master asks, “What happened?”  Why didn’t you use what I gave you in service to humankind?

Similarly, we will to account for our stewardship.  He gives each person a gift; in some instances multiple gifts.  Yet, those talents and abilities lie dormant.  Books remain to be written.  Music has not been composed and recorded.  Art, fine and performing, remain on the level of a good idea.  Cures to diseases and solutions to social, economic and political problems are desperately needed.  More practically, marriages continue to dissolve in record numbers and families fall prey to sequential, generational afflictions of alcoholism, drug addiction, welfare dependency, substandard education and poverty.  Assuredly, God will ask about our use of resources He entrusts to our care.

The passage, 1 Corinthians 3:10-15, depicts a brilliant image of divine fire and judgment.  The prism of an eternal perspective and light of God’s countenance are such a fire.  Paul imagines our life’s work being tried in the fire.  Some works resemble wood, hay and straw which cannot withstand the ferocity of heat.  Other works like gold, silver, bronze and other precious metals endure the flames.  God will equally test our use of earthly resources.  The fire will consume self-seeking, hedonism and frenetic fight for riches of the world.  Equally, a wholesale individualist approach to life that disregards the need to share with others will not endure eternity’s flames.  In contrast, works that build God’s kingdom and demonstrate His love will last.  Truth, justice, love, respect, dignity and peace are true eternal riches. 

Thank God He will not give us a theology examination as a requirement for admission to heaven.  Practically speaking, ninety-nine percent (99%) of the Church would fail it anyway!  The one percent who might pass cannot rely upon that possibility.  Ultimately, correct doctrine and dogma will probably amount to very little.  What matters is truth expressing itself in love.

God essentially asks are we willing to share His love with others.  Will we spend a lifetime demonstrating our gratitude for His unfathomable grace and limitless love?  Will we live to God’s honor and glory and in service to humankind?  If we will, we are passing the major theological exam of life.  Jesus says the two greatest commandments are to love the Lord our God with all of our heart, mind, soul and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves.  (Matthew 22:34-40)  The entire teachings of the Law and Prophets rest upon these two commandments.  Furthermore, the Johannine evangelist tells us the gospel is essentially a message of love.  In as much as “God is love,” those of us who know “Love,” willingly demonstrate our beliefs by sharing it with others. (1 John 4:7-21).

Necessary Evil?

Necessary Evil?

The idea of redemptive suffering begs the question of necessary evil.  God redeems the suffering of Joseph whose brothers unjustly sell him into Egyptian slavery.  Is this betrayal an act of necessary evil?  It is the catalyst of the dramatic salvation of the Israelite people during an unparalleled famine.  Second, Job eventually receives twice the amount of children and material possessions that he loses initially.  That recompense eliminates the bleak period of questioning, destitution, and misery.  Similar to Joseph, is Job’s suffering an act of necessary evil to depict the goodness and faithfulness of Almighty God? 

Yet, we wonder whether the “bargain” between Satan and God was a necessary evil to enable Job’s ultimate bounteous reward.  Third, was Judas Iscariot’s betrayal of Christ necessary evil to accomplish humankind’s salvation through Jesus’ redemptive suffering?  If you agree that necessary evil facilitates redemptive suffering, then how do you explain God’s goodness and His permission of evil?

For centuries, theologians attempt to reconcile evil’s existence with the character of an all-knowing, all-powerful, ever-present and all-kind God.  How could He allow evil?  Moreover, what leads Him to utilize evil as a necessary condition in the salvation of Israel through Joseph and the redemption of humankind via Christ?  How could an infinite Being who cannot be tempted by evil periodically use evil to accomplish His predetermined purposes? 

Logically, the presence of evil eliminates one of the four non-negotiable attributes of God.  If God is all kind and evil flourishes, perhaps God is not actually all-powerful.  Contrarily, if He is all-powerful and evil exists, then perhaps He is not really all kind.  If God is all knowing, He fails to stop the emergence of evil.  Does His permission of evil means He is really not all kind? 

Furthermore, could not one conclude a seamless line exists between God’s direct and permissive wills?  Is there any appreciable difference between God’s foreknowledge and His predetermination of events, including evil, if God directly intervenes in the affairs of humankind?  Lastly, if He is ever-present, how do we explain His inability to stop evil?  Yet, the question remains whether He predetermines and utilizes “necessary evil” to accomplish His purposes?

The preceding questions are more age-old academic inquiries.  We fight for reasonable answers within our own experiences.  When tragedy occurs, we immediately ask “Where is God in this crisis?”  Why is He allowing this to happen to me?  Since He could have prevented this situation, why did He not?  Essentially, it is difficult to praise and worship God when He permits evil in our lives. 

Praise the Lord!  He redeems pain and suffering.  He utilizes every harmful experience to mature us spiritually.  Mysteriously, God uses tribulations as tests to magnify our spiritual being.  Yet, the question remains whether evil is necessary to fulfill His predetermined plans.

The Bible reveals a sovereign God who determines Israel to be His chosen people.  A drastic famine in Egypt possibly annihilates His people.  Through Joseph God saves Israel.  In Egypt, they multiply greatly and threaten the native people.  Nonetheless, Joseph pays a very costly price to be God’s anointed vessel.  Was the evil of his brothers’ betrayal and Joseph’s unjust imprisonment necessary to save Israel? Did God preordain this evil? 

God's Overflowing Love

God’s Overflowing Love

In the immortal 23^rd Psalm, David paints a vivid picture of God’s limitless love.  “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” Imagine a priceless, golden goblet adorned with incalculable jewels and embossed with divine imagery.  Envision its contents of ageless wine possessing an indescribable sweetness.  Visualize the constant flow of this rich wine regardless of your consumption.  Similarly, God’s love overflows into our lives.  Despite our inability to appreciate its eternal worth inestimable benefits, God’s love gushes into our hearts like the mighty waters of Niagara Falls.

Several biblical writers utilize wine imagery to demonstrate the gospel greatly surpasses the water of the Law.  The Johannine evangelist uses the wedding at Cana miracle to prove this point.  In John 2:1-11, Jesus turns water into wine.  The wedding banquet attendees deem the wine the Lord makes to be better than the valuable wine the host served previously.  Likewise, believers in the Lord Jesus recognize His infinite love exceeds anything the world offers.

God’s love overflows in His faithful provision.  When we reflect upon our lives, we easily conclude God’s unquestionable goodness is the underlying thread.  Many “coincidences” that occurred just in the nick of time were actually God’s benevolent timing.  Times in which we “lucked out” were the fruition of seeds of providence God previously sowed in our lives.  We acknowledge God always provides.  Whatever we need, He has supplies it with exquisite timing. 

As daily challenges increase, often we fail to see the bounty of God’s love.  We look at the waves and hear the howling wind.  We feel the bone-cutting chill of the sea’s tempest.  Other times, we know dehydration that results when living in a desert of misery, strife, and monotony.  Periodic droughts encourage us to “lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.” (Psalm 116:13)  As we drink from the cup, God mysteriously replenishes it.  It constantly overflows into our lives.

Amazingly, God personifies His love in our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  His teachings fill the cup of salvation.  The gospel message permeates our lives like a river.  In the same way, God’s love in Christ parallels the infinity of oceanic expanse.  Hence, the psalmist praises the Lord because His protection and care always exceeds the needs of the Psalter.

God also manifests His love through our spouses, friends and other primary relationships.  “Love and feelings are the things that matter most in life.”  Arguably, you have not lived until you learn to love.  In Christ, God offers love that far outweighs fallacious romanticism, lust and sentimentality.  The apostle Paul details God’s agape, the ultimate selfless, sacrificial and faithful love, in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.  To give and receive love as this passage defines it is the ultimate indication of the overflow of God’s love.

Interestingly, once you drink from the Lord’s cup of love, the sweetness indelibly remains within your heart and soul.  Time never erodes real love.  Like invaluable wine, love appreciates and never depreciates!  We who have the wine of the gospel can never forget its unique satisfying taste.  In the occasional droughts of life, we follow the psalmist’s example by taking up the cup of salvation and love.  Through meditation, we recall the sweetness of love.  Such pleasant memories sear through our consciences and penetrate our souls.  Reflections of real love overflow into our innermost being.  We relive the original experiences.  The cup of recollection never evaporates.  We can drink endlessly. 

God, The Ultimate Concern

“Faith is the state of being ultimately concerned: the dynamics of faith are the dynamics of man’s ultimate concern.”  The systematic theologian, Paul Tillich, begins his enduring classic, Dynamics of Faith, with those compelling words. 

In layperson’s terms, a vibrant faith means God is our ultimate concern.  In accordance with “The Great Commandment” which Matthews 22:34-40 records, He is the number one priority.   No one is able to usurp God’s place.  We serve Him with whole hearts and minds.  We direct time, talent, treasure and temperament to expansion of God’s kingdom on earth. 

To become great people of God, we prioritize our relationship with God above everything else!  God will not settle for a niche in our schedules of daily and weekly busyness.  Disciples live under the Lordship of Jesus Christ who graciously and liberally gives abundant and eternal life.  In the next life, God will sanction the choices we make in this life throughout eternity.  If we do not make Him the ultimate concern of in this life, we will not enjoy His eternal presence in the next life. 

Nothing will truly change for the better until we put God first in our lives!  Notwithstanding personalities, music, length of service, sermon delivery or attendance rates, if we do not commit truly to seeking God, we continually flounder in spiritual aimlessness.  The lure of the world’s fleeting riches and misty fame usurps God.  Apparently, we commit to everything but our relationship with God, spiritual growth and personal development.  We rarely miss a social function.  Work easily becomes a priority.  Church attendance and service subordinate to any moneymaking opportunity.  When we come to church, we expect entertainment as if we are in a nightclub, comedy club, symphony, theater or other secular venue.  These personal preferences simply cloak the hard-core reality that God is not the ultimate concern of our lives. 

In Matthew 6:33, the Lord Jesus Christ says, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.”  It saddens the heart of God because we spend the overwhelming majority of our time and energy pursuing temporal riches.  Instead, we desire Him with our whole hearts.  It, furthermore, troubles Almighty God that He is merely one item on our “to do list.”  We pencil Him in on our calendar once or twice a month.  In some instances, we check in with Him once every six to eight weeks.  Some of us consult with Him on the semi-annual plan.  Nonetheless, I believe God cries at the utter waste of our spirits in search of worldly riches and fame.  He straightforwardly promises us everything the world offers, if we seek Him first and foremost.

The first commandment, Exodus 20:2-6, tells us God is a jealous god.  He will have no other gods before Him.  God allows stress and dissatisfaction when we put other people and things in front of Him.  We cannot expect abundance in any aspect of life when we subordinate Almighty God to our personal preferences.  He will not idly accept second place. 

Rather, He allows the consequences of our choices.  We do not receive joy and fulfillment in worship.  The psalmist exhorts us, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.”  God did not design worship to be an absorptive experience.  We bring an offering of praise and thanksgiving.  Interestingly, we receive only if we first give.  Worship is a time in which we personally and communally give God praise for His steadfast love and enduring faithfulness.  Moreover, we gather to affirm unequivocally that Jesus is Lord and therefore our ultimate concern.

It is my heartfelt prayer we actualize “The Greatest Commandment.”  In Matthew 22:34-40, Jesus answers a query about the furthermost law.  He says, “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart and with all of your soul and with all of your mind and with all of your strength.  This is the first and greatest commandment.”  Nothing and no one should be able to displace his primary place in our affections. 

Living as a Christian in All Areas of Life

Living as a Christian in All Areas of Life

As Christians, do we live in private the lives that we present in public?  In order to live with integrity, we mature spiritually so our words and actions cohere.  Moreover, we strive for consistency of thought and deed in public as well as in private. 

Spouses, children and close friends could best tell us whether we are achieving integrity.  Any of us can cultivate a refined public persona.  The validity of our Christian witness is most evident in our actions.  Will the people closest to us attest to the legitimacy of our Christian witness?  If we were ever tried for our faith, would those persons take the witness stand as our character witnesses and present substantial evidence to prove we are disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ?  I suspect they would be unwilling if they have not seen in private what they hear in public.  If we are Christians, we follow our Lord’s example at all times and in all places.  Discipleship development requires strict and continual adherence to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Inner healing and wholeness necessitate spiritual balance in action and words.  We carry the light of God’s love and truth at work, church and home.

We face the challenge of living as Christians in all areas of our lives.  As it relates to finances, we practice good financial stewardship to honor and glorify God with thanksgiving for his faithful provision and gracious blessings.  Practically, we meet our financial commitments and obligations.  We encourage others to glorify Him as our actions emerge from truth in His word.  Resolving debt, paying bills on time, saving, giving to the ministry, considering the needs of the least of society, all, are ways in which we praise the Lord and live to His honor.

At work, it is most critical for disciples to evidence to all persons Christ is the Lord of their lives.  Colleagues watch us more closely than we realize.  They hope we truly believe what we say.  They assess the worth of our beliefs as we apply them to daily living.  People who stumble in darkness really want the light of God’s love and grace.  They hope we are genuine.  They want to know whether the gospel of Christ and the Bible are true and trustworthy.  They possess a heartfelt desire that we direct them to the path of righteousness.  Traveling on the straight and narrow path, we can assuredly lead them to Almighty God.

In Romans 12:1-2, the apostle Paul says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.”  A tremendous story lies behind the text. Moral laxity permeates Rome.  An incredible licentiousness and debauchery arises.  A system of temple prostitution develops.  Paul pleads with disciples in Rome to avoid moral and ethical compromise that so easily entangles them.  He cautions them to avoid the philosophical trap of syncretism in which one blends the dominant culture with newfound faith in Christ.  Paul reminds these Jewish Christians of the temple and the requirements of the law of God.  Interestingly, the great apostle of Christian liberty exhorts the church at Rome to avoid the danger of abusing their freedom.  In thought and deed, their lives must reflect Christian principles.  In mind and body, they demonstrate willingness to adhere to Christ’s teachings and example.

As it relates to our abilities and talents, we also submit them to Almighty God for His exclusive use.  We are instruments of God’s love and peace.  As we submit to His will, He guides the use of our abilities toward eternal purposes and meaningful lives.

In so doing, God empowers us with the gifts and fruit of the Holy Spirit who enables us to live as Christians with integrity in all dimensions of life whether jobs, recreation facilities, entertainment and athletic events, social gatherings or the privacy of our bedrooms.

Reflections on the Life of the Late Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes - Part One

Reflections on the Life of the 

Late Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes – Part One

On a crispy Saturday morning in October of 2006 along with a group of clergy colleagues who comprised the Nashville Institute of Clergy Excellence, I traveled to Memorial Church at Harvard University to meet with the famed and inimitable Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes.  As a part of a continuing education colloquium which emphasized experiential learning, we traveled throughout the major cities (Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta and Chicago) of the United States to meet with clergypersons who are “succeeding” in their ministerial contexts.  Meeting with Reverend Professor Gomes was an obvious choice for our group of nine pastors who held twenty-five degrees, had more than a century of combined ministerial experience and shared a commitment to maintaining an authentic and intellectually respectable Christian identity within the twenty-first century context of religious, cultural and ideological pluralism of the global village.   Previously, I had watched a 60 Minutes feature segment on his unparalleled service as the Minister of the Chapel and the Plummer Professor of Christian Morality.  Previous to this visit, he wrote a bestseller, The Good Book, which although scholarly remains accessible to lay people with an interest in biblical origins and intellectually respectable ways of practically applying biblical principles within a contemporary context.  Moreover, Reverend Gomes essentially started a huge firestorm in the academic and ecclesiastical communities when he publicly acknowledged his sexual preference as a homosexual.  Ripe with several understandable perceptions and perhaps prejudices derived from the foregoing facts, I arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts intrigued about meeting the “real” Professor Gomes.

I wondered whether Professor Gomes would personify a caricature of himself.  How would an African-American man with New England origins authentically exist at Harvard University without mimicking the affectations of the dominant culture?  My question arises from my personal experience of attending and graduating from a New England boarding school in northern Massachusetts.  Rather vividly, I recall the pressure to conform thereby living indifferently to my extremely rich Southern upbringing as an African-American male.  What an amazing amount of myopia?  Nevertheless, my suspicions were much unfounded.  At the end of the nearly three hours that my colleagues and I spent with Professor Gomes, l realized I had met one of the most self-assured and self-confident persons I have ever encountered.

As our conversation with Reverend Gomes progressed, I was amazed increasingly by his wonderful, enviable, challenging and incredible sense of self-acceptance.  I had not witnessed this authentic sense of self and existential understanding in another individual.  Assuredly, I know persons with rather pronounced egos that project a mask of self-determination and chutzpah.  Once you hear their stories, learn more about their personalities and observe inconsistencies between principles and practices, it is evident such individuals lack the inner gravitas and self-
acceptance they would like people to believe they have.  To my very pleasant surprise, Reverend Professor Gomes genuinely exemplified self-acceptance.  Resolving my previous misperceptions were unmerited, I asked Professor Gomes a question.  "Professor Gomes, I sense an incredible sense of self-confidence and self-acceptance in you.  When did that come for you?" 

Looking slightly startled by the question, Reverend Professor Gomes solemnly replied "l have always known my worth." Implicitly, he declares he had never had to fight to ascertain and validate his self-worth.  Incredulous!  Incredible!  Simply amazing!  Astounding!  How wonderful!  The existential war relating to self-determination is not a non-negotiable rite of passage for each human being.  It is not necessary to question your worth before you resolve your incalculable personal worthiness.

Parenthetically, I thought Reverend Gomes' parents must have been remarkable people.  Immediately, I attributed his lifelong self-acceptance and self-worth to his parents.  Assuredly, they taught him and instilled an unquestionable self-worth within him.  As an African-American male growing up in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Professor Gomes would have been isolated from African-Americana.  In a possibly provincial New England town where most residents rarely had any social interactions with people of color, Reverend Gomes did not experience the dread of cultivating, defining and solidifying a sense of self within such meager social and collective reinforcements.  Apparently, his parents empowered him with an invaluable psychological and spiritual foundation.  I cannot explain his answer without crediting his parents for their superlative accomplishment in rearing their son who simply and straightforwardly asserts his unique self.

Reflections on the Life of the Late Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes - Part Two

Reflections on the Life of the 

Late Reverend Professor Peter J. Gomes – Part Two

Being able to avoid the trauma and treachery of questioning the purpose and worth of oneself is particularly liberating.  Evidently, Reverend Gomes through the unconditional and priceless love of his beloved parents always possessed this existential freedom.  As a result, he unconditionally accepted himself.  He need not perfect affectations of the WASP New England milieu in which he was reared.  Whatever his mannerisms, they were authentically his, Peter's, and not those of a Black American male who uncritically imitates his friends and neighbors.  With such clear self understanding, one is able to be true to oneself without fearing any reprisals from anyone.  Egotistically, one could approach the world with a certain cocky attitude and disposition.  "Here I am.  Accept me as I am or forget you." Actually, one might add an expletive to that declaration. Nevertheless, one could as Reverend Gomes did approach the world with genuineness thereby forsaking the silliness of explaining, justifying or defending oneself.  Quite simply, self-acceptance and self-love exonerate one from the need to appease the whims, wishes and expectations of others in hopes they may like you.  As a consequence, one enjoys daily freedom in offering humankind the divine’s unique and particular expression of Himself through the gift of one’s love, gifts and abilities.  What an incredibly free existence!

Professor Gomes' answer revealed his intrinsic authenticity.  He accepted himself and offered his true self to the world without the need to compromise himself in any way.  I imagine his audacious approach attracted as many people as it repelled.  People who appreciated his unapologetic personality usually found a friend whom they grew to love.  Others undoubtedly gained a colleague whom they respected.  Anyone who failed to understand his inimitable character would not appreciate their loss.  Although I never saw nor spoke with him again, I left our discussion with tremendous respect and even admiration for him.  

Our time with Reverend Gomes retrospectively became a divine assignment for me.  He forever taught me about the necessity of unconditional self-acceptance.  Often, I cite this encounter as I minister within a local parish.  Particularly, I share this existential wisdom with high school students and young adults.  Many "Generation Xers" and "Millennials" question their self-worth as society's litmus test for success and happiness rarely involve spirituality, religion or moral and ethical principles.  Contemporary youth have a very difficult challenge in answering questions about passion, purpose and core beliefs.  I suspect their dilemma emerge naturally from their intrapersonal confusion about whether they possess intrinsic wealth as human beings.  The life and legacy of Reverend Professor Gomes instruct us to resolve this significant question by irrevocably asserting one’s inherent self-worth.

Gay, Republican, Baptist, a Harvard faculty member, and New England born and reared.  Is it possible for these contradictory characteristics to coexist rationally within the same personality?  Anyone who answers negatively did not know Reverend Gomes.  In his own words which partially offer an epitaph, "Yes, I relish the fact that I personify such a wonderful bunch of contradictions." As our colloquium progressed, he shared how he reconciled these outwardly disparate ideological, political and social strands into an intellectually cohesive and respectable core.  Reverend Gomes' dilemma reminded me of W. E. B. DuBois immortal and compelling description of the "double consciousness" with which Black people in America live.  Are African-Americans "Whites" who happen to live in Black skin?  Asked another way, do Black people simply imitate the mannerisms and mores of the dominant Anglo-American culture?  Also, how are African-Americans able to craft a distinct culture that is not unduly influenced by the predominate culture?  On an intrapersonal level, Reverend Gomes demonstrated for African-Americans, specifically, and all people, generally, the necessity of achieving inner healing and wholeness notwithstanding the complexities of race, class, culture, and sexual preference.  

A noteworthy part of my ministry is an emphasis upon inner healing and wholeness.  I believe the gospel of Jesus Christ empowers individuals to accept their divine inheritance which Psalm 139 affirms and actualize their God given talents and natural abilities.  Understandably, questioning one's fundamental core prevents one from living a successful, joyous and fulfilling life.  Reverend Gomes’ powerful, personal example helps me in encouraging and empowering the people whom I serve.  His life and legacy, beyond the obvious and impressive professional accomplishments as the Pusey Minister at Harvard University Memorial Church and the Plummer Professor of Christian Morality, will be partially his enduring contribution to strengthening countless people in their very personal, private and purposeful quest to live the lives  they imagine in accordance with Almighty God’s will for their lives.  Peter J. Gomes' life again instructs us about the importance of good, faithful and effective parenting. Teaching children their intrinsic worth directly assists them in avoiding any possible numbers of personal pathologies and professional failures.  More significantly, self-confident persons usually stand a greater chance of succeeding and excelling at their dreams, goals and passion.

Living a Complaint-free Life - Part I

Living a Complaint Free Life – Part I

On an average Monday morning recently, a thought occurred to me.  I am able to live a complaint-free life!  How is this possible?  It begins simply when I resolve to stop complaining about anything or to anyone.  As I write in July 2011 within a sweltering, debilitating and potentially fatal heat wave throughout the United States, I will not complain about the heat.  It is July, thus it is supposed to be hot.  If it were forty degrees below zero at this time of year, then possibly a complaint would be reasonable.  But experiencing the usual “dog days” of summer with haziness, heat and humidity does not justify any complaints.  Besides, when high summer temperatures and elevated heat indexes tempt me to complain, I immediately think about the six feet of snow my son and I shoveled in winter.  Given a choice, I prefer to retreat to air conditioning in a library to write or read, take multiple daily showers and continually change clothes.  Mounds of snow seemed endless as we had to move them a shovel at a time.  A day’s effort barely made a dent.  Plus, our neighbors did not understand when we sought to move snow from our driveway onto a shared space.  Nonetheless, fleeting thoughts about wind chills, ice, slush, black ice and blizzards combine to eliminate any complaints I may have about a need to escape to a beach.  My meditations, contrasting summer and winter, enable me to appreciate the futility of complaining. 

Complaining is not a spiritual virtue.  Moaning and groaning about insignificant things possess absolutely no worth whatsoever!  Yet, many people spend an inordinate amount of time and energy grumbling about very small things.  Sadly, they never find joy in life.  Their innumerable and relentless complaints blind them to God’s presence and purposes.  Consider, as an example, many times in which a very spiritual and successful program occurs at church.   Congregants who work hard to achieve this success undoubtedly conclude it is a worthwhile effort.  But, other people will certainly point out various ways in which the event failed to fulfill their personal preferences.  These parishioners erroneously complain as if they were furthering the will of God.

Complaining is an offense against God.  When you insult God’s servants with your complaints, you are actually slighting the Lord.  The wilderness passages of Exodus chapters 15 and 16 demonstrate this spiritual reality.  Upon their liberation from Egyptian slavery after 435 years, the Israelites groan to Moses and in turn God about their lack of water.  Arguably, they should have been so busy praising God for their freedom they would not have time to complain.  Embedded, however, in their complaints is an indictment of the God their fathers, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, who will fulfill faithfully the covenant He made with them.  Their grumbling signifies their extreme doubt Almighty God is able to provide water and sustain them during their journey to the Promised Land. 

Malcolm X vehemently advocated “decolonization of the Black mind” in which Black Americans had to strive for mental freedom in addition to physical and legal liberty.  Similarly, though the Israelites were free in body, they retained vestiges of mental slavery.  They even rhetorically told Moses and Aaron that “comforts of Egypt” where they ate and drank their fill surpassed challenges of liberty in the wilderness.  Still, their complaints are an indictment God’s character and ability.

Simply stated, complaining is an act of faithlessness.  Emphasizing the negative means you do not have faith to actualize the positive.  In yelling for water, bread and meat, the Israelites essentially say the God who liberates them is powerless to sustain them.  Their complaints mean they really did not believe God could lead them into Canaan, the land He promised on oath to their forefathers.  Furthermore, Exodus 16:20 shows they did not believe God will meet their daily needs.  Moses instructs them to gather manna they need daily.  Except on the evening prior to the Sabbath, they are to gather enough for two days.  But, the people hoard some manna; it begins to smell and maggots infest it.  What a stark and apropos image of doubt, cynicism and ulterior motives that belie constant complaining!

Living a Complaint-free Life - Part II

Living a Complaint-free Life – Part II

Underneath our complaints are our constant companions, anger and fear.  The former fuels intensity and melodrama of our complaints.  The latter justifies our negative behavior because of a conviction we will lose something we have or fail to get something we desperately want.  The strength of anger convinces us we are “righteous” in our groaning.  Sometimes, we project our anger unto God in the form of righteous indignation.  “Anger turns off the light of the mind.”  It prevents us from grasping God’s presence.  Fear encourages fabrication of rather elaborate excuses for our disappointments and failures.  Additionally, fear, cloaked with rich garments of our complaints, enables us to avoid a need to change and grow.  As long as we incessantly complain, we never experience spiritual maturity and personal development that draws us closer relationally to God.

Complaining equals questioning the sovereignty of God.  Not only does it offend the character of God, it also separates us from fellowship with God.  Should we persist in complaining, we ultimately become hard hearted, stiff-necked, reprobate and recalcitrant.  In consequence, we drift from meaningful relationship with God as our complaints insist He is not faithful to His word.  Moreover, God, in turn, withdraws His blessings and promises.  For the Israelites in the wilderness, this means they lost their inheritance to the Promised Land.  Interestingly, they complained so much they die in agony of their moans and groans.  God allows them to circle Canaan for forty years to test their hearts sincerity and discern genuineness of their faith.  Observing this generation essential lack of faith, He further permits the wilderness to eliminate this faithless group.  Only Joshua and Caleb enter Canaan out an original 1.8 million plus people who left Pharaoh drowning in the Red Sea.  For all intents and purposes, complaining does not strengthen anyone’s rapport with Almighty God.

Ironically, complaining, when quickly arrested and properly analyzed, can fuel a dynamic and fruitful prayer life.  If we resist temptation to nurse complaints and wallow in sorrows by lifting them to God, He utilizes them to burn away dross in our character.  Also, complaints define areas for spiritual growth and personal development.  We change complaints into challenges by saying to God, “I really would like to trust you as my Lord in this situation and all areas of my life.”  You recall an afflicted father’s prayer whose son was perpetually tormented by epilepsy in Mark 9:24-25, “Lord, I believe but help Thou my unbelief!”  In his earnest desire for healing and resolution, this father transforms his complaints into genuine reliance upon the will and power of Almighty God.

Somehow, many believers falsely accept the idea that complaining changes circumstances and possesses spiritual benefits.  That thinking is absolutely wrong!  Complaining is a dead end road terminating in separation from God.  Yet, if we find willingness to partner with Him and transform our complaints into prayer concerns, God graciously reveals many ways in which our feebleminded complaints can lead toward growth in His image.

I conclude with eight suggestions for living a complaint-free life.  First, not surprisingly and most self-evident, simply stop complaining.  It stands to reason you cannot achieve  personal piece and daily joy of a complaint-free life if you continue to complain.  Thus, your primary step on this journey of thanksgiving, happiness and wholeness is a commitment to cessation of entertaining and expanding complaints. 

Second, focus upon positive aspects of each day.  By default, complaining ensures we see every negative detail.  Analyzing the minutiae of adverse circumstances inevitably leads to cynicism.  Instead, ceasing complaints affords a chance to accentuate love, grace, mercy, humility and other gifts that decorate our daily lives. 

Third, learn to be grateful.  Constant complaining rarely produces an attitude of thanksgiving.  Practically, make a gratitude list each day.  Write a minimum of five things for which you give thanks.  It is hard to complain when you occupy your mind and heart with favorable thoughts relating to people, gifts and experiences which enrich your life. 

Fourth, avoid negative people who complain incessantly.  Needlessly skeptical people transfer their negativity unto you.  Although you may not have a complaining disposition, undoubtedly you will glean one if you relate with cynical people.  “If you stay in a barbershop long enough, you will get a haircut.”  Whether you need one or not, excessive exposure to people who are getting haircuts will convince you subliminally you need one too.  Such is the case with lingering in conversations with people who complain excessively.  You start to commiserate with their discontent. Instead of making a gratitude list, you write out a laundry list of complaints.