Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Moneyball, and the Father's Blessing

(No. 1 in a series on the 2011 Oscar Films)

There’s a scene in the Oscar-nominated film Moneyball that took my breath away. But hold that thought a moment....
This artfully crafted film starring Brad Pitt as Billy Beane, General Manager of the 2001 Oakland A’s, is much more than a sports story about baseball lore. “Converted” by his number-crunching sidekick, Peter Brand, (Jonah Hill), Beane chucks the conventional wisdom of the baseball sages to put together a team where money and status bow to passion and heart - and the question of someone's real worth is brought into focus.
We see it in one especially funny bit in the film when Billy, surrounded by his team of seasoned scouts, keeps asking “What is the Question?” over and over, while the “experts” feed him what it really takes to win: a right stance on the mound, a sweet-looking swing, and even a good face for TV. But as the story unfolds, Billy and Peter wonderfully seek out the “hopeless cases,” players that the rest of the world has ignored. As Brand puts it, it’s like a fielding a team on the “Island of misfit toys.” Not unlike what God does with the church, I thought – the God who delights in choosing the weak things to shame the strong.
But one of the sweetest scenes for me (you knew I’d get to it eventually), however, is when Billy is serenaded by his daughter Casey, played by Kerris Dorsey. Shy and reluctant and first, she gives in to her dad’s requests in the middle of the music store to sing out instead of just hum. Why? Because she longs to hear the words her father will say to her…that she is worth more to him than others, and that she is treasured and delighted in. She wants his blessing, and to know that she is not alone...

I’m just a little bit caught in the middle
Life is a maze and love is a riddle
I don't know where to go, can’t do it alone I’ve tried
And I don’t know why
I am just a little girl lost in the moment
I’m so scared but I don’t show it
I can’t figure it out
It’s bringing me down I know
I've got to let it go...

Watching Billy’s face as his daughter plays the guitar and sings to him is a wonder, and Pitt plays it perfectly. It’s a study of deep joy, and of awe - and yes, of pure delight. To hear her voice makes his own soul sing. There’s nothing more beautiful.  
The Father’s Blessing
The scene especially reminded me how we long, even ache, to hear our father’s blessing. A strong case can be made that ancient Jacob, that deceiver who conspired with his mother Rebekah to steal his father Isaac’s blessing, was plagued his whole life by repeated attempts to fill the “blessing void” inside him with another person. Maybe it's partly why it’s a breeze for him to work seven years to win his Rachel (that, and her beauty). And when he finally comes to that climactic scene of wrestling in the dark with God Himself (in the person of Jesus, I would suggest), what does he want? He says it himself:
“I won’t let you go unless you bless me” (Genesis 32:26)
Out of this wrestling, Jacob gets more than he bargained for - a limp, and a new name: Israel (which means, “he struggles with God”). Note well: It’s the 2 marks every believer will carry with them the rest of their lives.
The Singing Savior
This longing for a blessing during the “dark nights of the soul” needs a vision. It’s why I love the coronation scene at the end of The Lord of the Rings,The Return of the King. There we see the assembled throng, as Gandalf lifts high the crown of the new king and places it on Aragorn’s head. But what happens next is the real wonder. He opens his mouth, and begins to sing over his rescued people. We get the sense that in the back of Tolkein’s mind, Zephaniah 3:17 is resonating:
"The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."   
In this life, you and I will often find it hard to sing. At such times, we must remember this: someone else also wrestled in the dark – for you, and for me.
But why would he do it? Why would the God-man Jesus want to take this on, for rebels like us? As Tim Keller asks, “Really, what do you get the man who already has everything?” Jesus had his father’s blessing already–  but he put it all aside, choosing instead to be hung on a cross and forsaken – for you. Because you were the one thing he didn’t have. You were the “joy set before him,” his true Rachel. And when morning comes, he will sing over you!
In Moneyball, there’s a reason that Billy comes to a place of dissatisfaction. Yes, baseball has a certain romance – the ninth inning home run, the rare no-hitter. But a winning season, just like the accolades of this life, is all just so….temporary. Like us, Billy wants something more, something that will last.
So remember this: the father longs to hear your voice. He loves it. The Savior who wrestled for your blessing longs to bring it forth. And though he speaks to you now by Word and Spirit, one day your fading ears will come alive to a new voice – one that will sing over you with such beauty, your heart will melt in gratitude. Until then, know that in Christ, you have his blessing right now (see Eph. 1:3)... and then listen for his song of comfort in the night.
Note: The psalmist remembers, and sings his songs in the night (see psalm 77). In the painful night times of your life you may also ask the question he asked: “has his unfailing love vanished forever?” (77:8). Here is where you must also ask yourself, What am I really longing for? Pain relief only? And who (or what) am I trusting in as my “Blessing substitute”? See how the psalmist himself wrestles for his hope, as he reminds himself of the Gospel story: “With your mighty arm you redeemed your people, the descendants of Jacob and Joseph” (77:15).

Friday, February 10, 2012

Glorious Forgiveness

Counselor Ed Welch shares the story of a young man who left Christianity behind, only to show up at a worship service later in life. When Ed found the young man afterward and asked him what brought him back to seeking Christ, he simply said, "my father asked my forgiveness for his anger. I knew God must be real, because he had never done that before."

Why is having to ask forgiveness such a rare thing? Parent to child, spouse to spouse, friend to friend - why are we not quicker to run to the "sinner's place" with these precious relationships? (See Stanley Voke's excellent article, The Sinner's Place). I mean, if what Jesus says about us all is true in his famous Sermon on the Mount, that essentially we are all adulterers and murderers who live with adulterers and murderers, then why are we surprised?

I'm convinced that this is so for two reasons:

1.) We're all so addicted to self-righteousness (see Rom. 10:3), that this leads us to a very small view of sin, and also the cross.... we simply refuse to be the bigger sinner, with the bigger log in our eye. Yet our willingness to reveal the truth about us actually displays God's strength and grace!

2.) We're all addicted to the idea that good behavior (morality) is enough of a goal, and so sin and grace simply aren't the main themes of our lives - when they should be our norm.

Do you want to give others around you a taste of God, and His grace? Then own who you really are - an adulterer. Do you want to give others a taste of glory? Then own your lusts, your addictions to your gods (including your "electronic dis-associations" that keep you from loving people, as Dan Allender calls them), and also your anger when those addictions get blocked.

This will be impossible on your own, so pray. Unless you see your sin as the log; even greater, unless you see your great debt against a holy God as the real issue, forgiving others will be impossible. But once you know the great debt you've been forgiven, you may claim the righteousness of Christ as your new clothing and be rid of your own rags - they're only the Emperor's new clothes anyway. Then a new freedom will come to ask forgiveness of those you've failed to love and hold in awe, as a fellow image-bearer of a glorious God.

This, perhaps like nothing else, will show people why the Gospel is true - maybe even more than your preaching and counseling - for they will see why it is that you need a Savior. As Jesus said, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners...." (Luke 5:32) Which camp will you be in?

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

Who is Your Father? (Impossible Parenting 2)

I'm convinced that most Christians know about God's love in theory, but in practice, tend to have a warped view of Him as "Father." Our upbringing, wayward hearts, and the deceitfulness of Satan may all be against us.

So what if our family background taught us that "father" meant someone who was absent, or even distant or cruel? (Sadly, it's an increasing reality in our culture.) Or what if we were taught about God, yet without a true understanding of grace, and so we now wonder if we can really rest in the arms of a good and loving Father? 

It becomes a crucial question on a practical and interpersonal level too, for one of my best hopes for my family to see the real heart of God in this "impossible calling" of parenting - in addition to prayer - is a changed me.

For these reasons especially, our hearts so often need to be bathed in the gracious promises of the Father; to hear the words spoken to His own beloved Son Jesus: "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." (Matt. 3:17)  Amazingly, the Gospel tells us that now, because of what Jesus has done in His righteous life, atoning death, and glorious resurrection, that very same statement the Father spoke of Him also applies to us!

"Behold the throne of grace... there Jesus holds a smiling face" (John Newton) 

If you belong to Christ, you can insert your own name: "_____ is my beloved son (or daughter), in him (or her), I am well pleased!" Now, as members of God's new family by grace, God wants us to call Him our "Abba," (or Daddy) Father: 

"For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of Son-ship. And by him we cry, “Abba (“Daddy”), Father” Romans 8:15

J.I. Packer, in his classic book Knowing God, says:

"If you want to judge how well a person understands Christianity, find out how much he makes of the thought of being God’s child, and having God as his Father. If this is not the thought that prompts and controls his worship and prayers and his whole outlook on life, it means that he does not understand Christianity very well at all ... “Father” is the Christian name for God.…Our understanding of Christianity cannot be better than our grasp of adoption." (pp. 201–202)

How vital this is for us to trust! The reason is this: 

The more we know we are loved by our Father, the more we will begin to love others well. It is for this that we were made!

Consider the great mindfulness of your Father - His thoughts are on you 24/7 (see Psalm 139:7). He is continually attentive, full of thoughtfulness, and knows your every sigh, sorrow, and pain. Yet how prone we are, especially when conflict and great stress arises, to instantly trust ourselves and forget the Father's love! 

The good news is, God's Word is for you. In it, you will find law (commands) and Gospel (free gift) side by side...and to gravitate to the law alone without the gift will destroy you. (Actually, that's part of it's job - as a mirror to show you your dirty face (heart) and destroy your pride, and lead you to the soap (the blood of Christ) which alone can cleanse you (see Gal. 3:24). 

So all that is left for you is gift - and the beautiful surprise is, it comes to you again and again, right in the middle of your mess (Rom. 5:8). Christ has kept the law and all its commands perfectly in your place. He is the true, obedient Son - the real and last Adam and older brother who has come to bring you back to the Father. And now His words of promise are intended to go deep into your soul and transform your false thinking and painful emotions, for “man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word from the mouth of God.”

So try the following. Print out the following promises of God and read them once a day for 30 days. Then choose a specific promise to meditate on each day. Begin to let the Word of God fill your mind and transform your thoughts with a new view of the Father's heart, and His amazing grace. Remember that they also express the heart of Jesus, for he said "Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father" (Jn. 14:9). 

Finally, as you go, begin to share your reflections of your Father  with others, for community (His body) is one way God shows his perfect Father-heart to you ... then thank Him for all He's done, and that He so passionately desires for you to grow in intimacy with Him: 

Zephaniah 3:17  "The Lord your God is with you, He is mighty to save.  He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing."

Galatians 4:4-7: But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under law, to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, (daddy) Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.

John 14:18:  “I will not leave you as orphans, I will come to you.”  

Isaiah 54:10: "Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has compassion on you." 

Isaiah 54:4  “Fear not, for you will not be put to shame; Neither feel humiliated, for you will not be disgraced; but you will forget the shame of your youth, and the reproach of your widowhood you will remember no more." 

Isaiah 51:12  “I, yes I, am the one who comforts you. So why are you afraid of mere humans, who wither like the grass and disappear?

Romans 8:32 God, who did not spare his own Son, but gave Him up for us all—how will [the Father] not also, along with Christ, graciously give us all things?

Luke 15:20,22,23,31 (Parable of the Prodigal (or "extravagant") Father): 
So the son got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. And the father said to his servants, "Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate." 

Hebrews 12:7,10: Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons

Isaiah 49:1, 6, 15:  "Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget, I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of my hands."