Wedding Vows

 "Whatever is true, whatever is honorable..." (Philippians 4:8)

Thirty-eight years ago I said I would love and cherish and a bunch of other things that I quite frankly can't remember...something about handing over my paycheck and saying, "yes, dear": My wedding vows. 

I think every couple should write them out and post them on the frig or someplace visibly near the television, computer, or cell phone as a daily reminder of the covenant commitment they made .  

I was also thinking that it would have been nice to actually go through my vows with the pastor to figure out what exactly I was getting myself into. There might have been a period of negotiation that I missed. I'm sure Deb would have made some revisions herself. Some equitable third class conditional clauses, "If you do this...I'll do this." But then those types of clauses do not lead to a healthy partnership - just a way out. 

One of those mysterious vow words is, "Honor." "I promise to honor you." I want to be an honorable man when it comes to marriage. The problem is that it is not a word that we use very often. 

I just met a delightful lady in our church whose husband was "The Honorable..." He was a longstanding judge in the area. Our custodian's son is just about ready to receive his "honorable" discharge from the military. When I was searching for an electrician and a plumber to work on my house I had a number of people tell me about some "honorable" businesses in town. 

I went to Wikipedia for a concise definition but it was anything but concise and clearly written by a Ph.D candidate. It is basically something or someone of societal worth and respect. But in the context of Paul's writing to the Philippian Church it means something/someone that is "morally good," something/someone that is "dignified" or "elevated above something/someone else."  

What things, what people did Paul have in mind when he encouraged the church to "think on these things"? And, in the immediate context of the passage...how is this going to help me with life anxiety?  

Maybe it is a senior saint who is living a life of love for God and others in spite of their physical limitations. 

Maybe it is a young adult who is standing up for Christian values at their secular job. 

Maybe it is a neighbor who kept his promise when others did not return the favor. 

Maybe its a teacher who says the kids are worth the risk. 

Maybe its a soldier who gave his prime years to keeping us free or the wife and kids who sacrificed while he was away. 

Maybe it is a church leader who models Christ-like love in difficult times. 

Maybe it is the person who returned the wallet when they could have kept the cash. 

Maybe its the contractor who kept his price even when the supply costs went up. 

Maybe the world is not such an evil place. 

Maybe there is something good, something noble, something inspiring in this world to think on after all. 

Turn the negative stuff off, tune it out.

"Whatever is true, whatever is honorable...think on these things." 

"Yes, dear." 

Wawa

 "The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven. He replied, 'When evening comes, you say, "It will be fair weather, for the sky is red," and in the morning, "Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast." you know how to interpret the appearance of the sky but you cannot interpret the signs of times." Matthew 16:1-3

Lately, I've been seeing a lot of geese flying north. It's a sign. Only three more months of winter. Yep. Clouds look a little funny today - a little more grey than usual - probably means snow. Supposed to be a good night to see the stars - clear skies - you know what that means - its going to get cold tonight. I saw a fat robin today. He was froze to death but it was an encouraging sign that spring is right around the corner. What's the old sailor's saying, "Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky in the morning, sailors take warning." 

I don't know about anyone else but I watch the news for one purpose: to see the weather. I don't know why. It's usually wrong and...I can't do anything about it anyway. My search for some sort of redeeming truth by the major networks I guess. But its about planning, about being prepared. Knowing how to dress in the morning. Making sure I have a little more time to get the ice off of my windshield before heading to work. Anticipating the weekend and the possibilities. 

I think this was Jesus' point. Planning. Preparedness. Making sure you have the proper time. Anticipating the future. Not in regard to the physical world that we live in but the spiritual, the eternal. 

They wanted a sign. He was the sign. It was Jesus' indictment of the religious leaders. They knew more about the signs in the sky than they did the spiritual signs or rather sign that was standing right in front of them. 

When Jesus was just a baby his mother and father brought him to the temple to be dedicated and to fulfill the law of the firstborn. Little did they know that an old man by the name of Simeon had been waiting for years for the one who would redeem Israel. And by divine appointment they all met. Simeon said to Mary, "This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel and to be a sign that will be spoken against" (Lk. 2:34). 

The sign that Jesus eventually gave the religious leaders was the sign of Jonah. The message of repentance. The sign of the resurrection. Not very popular when you are trying to maintain the status quo. 

Jesus told his disciples that there was, indeed, a sign that would come but one that the world would not be prepared for - a sign in the sky that would make the whole world mourn. 

Do you know what it will be?

Hint:  It's probably not going to be a goose. 

(Note:  The word "wawa" is the 1st Nations word for "goose" and a great convenience store on the east coast). 

To Tell the Truth

 "Whatever is true..."  Philippians 4:8

I wasn't around during the premier or Bud Collier as the host, but I was old enough to remember Gary Moore and of course, the lovely Miss Kitty Carlisle, and Peggy Cass. I'm talking about the old black and white, "To Tell the Truth" which began airing on CBS on December 18th, 1956. The Original title was "Nothing But the Truth" but was changed on the day it was to air on prime time. 

The premise of the show was to have a panel of four celebrities who would ask probing questions of three other individuals, two of whom were imposters. For example, Sir Edmond Hillary was on the show as the first man to climb Mt. Everest. The other two men were imposters. Questions were asked until the time was up and the celebrities had to guess which person was, indeed, the true Sir Edmond Hillary. Fun but revealing about humanity. We lie very well, especially for $250 (a lot of cash in the 1950s). And...it is often difficult to know what is true. 

I'd like to say that this is something new to my world but I think its been a spiritual sickness from the beginning (Gen. 3). Jesus said in John 8 that Satan was a liar from the very beginning and the Father of lies. And of course I am reminded of the Post-modern answer of Pilate when confronted with the truth of Jesus: "What is truth?" It's not that truth was hidden. It just didn't matter. There was an agenda. Death to the Truth. 

Joseph Goebbels, Adolf Hitler's Minister of Propaganda, was famous for saying, "If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it." The Holocaust never happened. "Work makes you free." (Encouraging words of hope at the entrance to Auschwitz concentration camp). It really isn't a person. Fresh air is bad for you. Wear a mask. Get a vaccine. It's free. It's just a mark. Stay in your house isolated from others. They're just peaceful protesters. Trust us. Believe us. 

Truth doesn't really matter. It's what you need people to believe to accomplish your goals, your truth of what the world should look like. Welcome to the Great Reset. "It's for your own good", say the antichrists.

I know I'm a bit cynical but I think I'm a realist. We live in a world of lies and half-truths. Its only going to get worse. But it also means that true Christians will have something that no other group will have - true truth. 

Deb has Philippians 4:8 on the wall of our bathroom. A list of how God wants me to think. Every time I enter I am confronted with an impossibility it seems. The very first phrase is, "Whatever is true" or in some translations, "trustworthy." 

I struggle with that word. How do I even know what is true anymore? Politics. Environmentalists ("An Inconvenient Truth").The medical community. The financial investors. The media. Dare I say it...certain members of the religious community. A smattering of truth, a smattering of lies...like being a little pregnant. 

You will be frustrated and hopeless if you try and find it in these places. So where? 

Jesus said, "I am the truth." I am a Greek language guy. The word "the" is a definite article that determines the noun. Jesus is not "a truth." He is THE truth. He embodies truth. The writer of Hebrews said, "God, who does not lie.." So if I want to find truth I need to look at Jesus, look to Jesus, look for Jesus. Read the Gospels. Oh..."we have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and...truth." (John 1:14)

Jesus also told us in John 17 "Thy Word is Truth." I can believe the Bible and don't give me that German higher criticism bunk or those Jesus Seminar guys who sat around in a room and said, "Did Jesus really say this? We don't think so." Brilliant Idiots or in the words of the Globalists, "Useful Idiots." All speculative. All designed to deconstruct the truth and reconstruct a lie - Jesus in their own image. The true Truth is dangerous. 

"Whatever is true..." or as Jesus said in his native tongue of the King James English, "Truly, truly, I say to you..." 

Never have I found such comforting words.