Walter Brueggemann: Newness

The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Messiah. John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Luke 3:15-16

“John the Baptizer bursts upon the Gospel of Luke. That is because it is Advent time. And whenever it is Advent time, we get John. It is not yet time for Jesus. This is still the time for getting ready. Getting ready time is not mainly about busy activity, entertaining, and fatigue. Getting ready time is mainly abrasive…asking, thinking, pondering, and redeciding.

“He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire” (v. 16). Now I imagine that sounds as weird to you as it does to me. We who are relatively affluent and relatively sophisticated do not talk that way and do not welcome it. In truth, however, being baptized with God’s Holy Spirit does not mean charismatic acting out.

It means, I take it, we may be visited by a spirit of openness, generosity, that “the force” may come over us, carry us to do obedient things we have not yet done, kingdom things we did not think we had in us, neighborly things from which we cringe. The whole tenor of Advent is that God may act in us, through us, beyond us, more than we imagined, because newness is on its way among us.

John is not the newness. He prepares us for the newness. And his word is that if we want to be immersed in the life-giving power of God, then we must do as john says: Share your coat and shoes and goods…Manage money in neighborly ways…Quit being the heavy in social transitions…

Advent is not the kind of “preparation” that involves shopping and parties and cards. Such illusions of abundance disguise the true cravings of our weary souls. Advent is preparation for the demands of newness that will break the tired patterns of fear in our lives.”

Walter Brueggemann in Celebrating Abundance: Devotions for Advent (Louisville: WJKP, 2017) 4-5.

Advent is a time of waiting expectantly. That waiting time, as Brueggemann notes, is “getting ready time” because soon, Jesus will be here. Are you ready for Jesus?

On the Advent journey, we find that getting ready is not so much about doing generous acts but about submitting to God’s work in us which produces obedient, kingdom, and neighborly fruit.

In a word, all this is the “newness” that the Holy Spirit brings. Use your “getting ready time” to ponder (like Mary in Luke 2:19), and then step into the “newness” following God’s leading!

And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. Luke 2:8-11

“Long before the Magi arrived with appropriately royal gifts, Jesus was heralded by lowly shepherds. Despite all human attempts to co-opt Him, the real Christ of Christmas defies commercialization. He can neither be packaged nor purchased.

While all the weary world recycles ways to remove Christ from Christmas, we can simply tell the truth. Linus did it back in 1965 when he recited part of Luke 2 to Charlie Brown. We can remind ourselves and those whom we meet that God’s love is the only essential gift of Christmas. We do not need reindeer, Santa, or even a budget, but we do need a return to the love that only comes from relationship with God…

Perhaps this Advent, we should contemplate the sub-culture that was the early church. What rocked the Roman world was not Christianity’s economic potential or its appeal to sophisticated consumers of religion. It was love. Followers of Jesus loved one another and their enemies as well. Instead of embracing the ultimately unsatisfying holidays or railing against them in anger, let us reclaim our holy days by finding ways and persons to love.”

Elodie Ballantine Emig on “Defying Commercialization” in The Glory of the One and Only Son (Devotionals from Denver Seminary for the Advent Season, 2017) 9.

Emig unwraps the commercialization and reveals the heart of Christmas for us. The love of Christ rocked the ancient Mediterranean world, and it is just what every person on the planet needs today.

What might “finding ways and persons to love” look like for you this Christmas? How might you join Jesus in defying commercialization and show love to someone generously, perhaps even to an enemy this Advent?

As the “super moon” rose over the local elementary school on our evening walk (pictured above), I could not help but think of the Magi who followed the heavenly sign to meet Jesus.

Just like the star pointed the way, so can we through our generous words and actions. When we find ways and persons to love, we remind the world “that God’s love is the only essential gift of Christmas.”

When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!” Luke 1:41-45

“Elizabeth asks, Why am I so favored? Why would God shine upon me? What have I done to deserve this? God’s favor rests on those whom He loves. Elizabeth has spent a life of devotion to God, a life of worship, of everyday faith, or carrying on in her circumstances. Her life may not have appeared very overly faith-filled, but she carried on, day after day. She made mistakes, she doubted, she wondered.

And yet, she receives God’s favor. What have I done to deserve this favor? We do not receive an answer in this text. It is possible the answer is simple: “nothing.” God has favor upon us. His people who do not deserve His majesty, love, or grace. God grants to us what He gives us out of sheer love and abundance. Why are any of us so favored? We tarry on, we move through our days, we make faithful decisions (or at least we try). We try to honor God with our lives, but none of this adds up to “deserving” God’s favor.

Blessed are those upon whom God’s favor rests. As we settle into this season of Advent, waiting and longing for the favor of God, let us be ever present to the fact that God’s favor is an undeserved gift we receive and His presence can knock at our door at any moment.”

Tracey Bianchi on “Why am I so favored?” in The Glory of the One and Only Son (Devotionals from Denver Seminary for the Advent Season, 2017) 6.

Welcome to Advent. Think of this as the season of anticipation. It will culminate with the greatest gift we could ever receive: Jesus, God with us. Receiving it positions us to offer the world the most generous gift we can give: life with God. It comes as a result of God’s favor.

The starting point is critical to grasp, otherwise our generosity will be warped. We must receive this favor freely. As Bianchi states, out of God’s “sheer love and abundance.” That’s what positions our giving to flow freely. May God form in us hearts that give with “sheer love and abundance.”

In God’s providence, a friend who reads these daily meditations showed us favor yesterday. As you may know, Jenni and I have been sharing one car for three months as I gave my car to Sammy when his broke down. The car (pictured above) belonged to his late wife. As a conduit of blessing he shared the car with us freely.

By God’s grace I now drive a 1999 Chrysler 300M. While it may have a lot of miles on it, it’s obvious that it has been cared for quite well over the years. It looks like a new car. What a gift from God after three months of waiting on Him and trusting in His provision.

Advent is about waiting. With Elizabeth I ask myself But why am I so favored?  The answer is not that I did anything to deserve it but that I am loved by God. Friends, the fact that we all deeply loved by God – each and every one of us – is what Advent is all about.

Then [Jesus] said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” Luke 12:15

“Riches are not an end of life, but an instrument of life.”

Henry Ward Beecher (1813-1887), an American Congregationalist clergyman, on “Riches” in A Dictionary of Thoughts, edited by Tryon Edwards (Detroit: Dickerson, 1908) 494.

Today marks the last post from my recent exploration of stewardship maxims and polemics from founding fathers and influential clergy in the earlier days of American history.

As I reflect on this maxim I wonder how a person can tell if they treat wealth as an end or as an instrument. I think the answer, in accounting terms, is our financial statements. What matters is not what we say but what our accounts show. When each of us meets Jesus we will have to give an answer. This is not about earning salvation, but about demonstrating a lifestyle that matches the faith we allege.

Consider this question for yourself: Would I give a report that largely reflects selfish accumulation, a summary that suggests joyful distribution, or does my financial house appear as a mess with much confusion?

If your report reveals accumulation, then stop storing up treasures in the wrong place and start sharing generously before God relieves you of your duties (cf. Luke 12:20). If it demonstrates distribution, then join me in praying the Lord’s prayer afresh today in faith reliance on God to provide daily bread (cf. Matthew 6:9-13). And if your finances are a disaster, seek after wisdom and understanding right away (cf. Psalm 49).

For those who want to treat riches as a “instrument of life” regardless of how you answered the question above, I urge you unashamedly to get my latest book and share it widely this Christmas, Good and Faithful: Ten Stewardship Lessons for Everyday Living.

Tomorrow we turn to Advent. Preparing our hearts to receive the indescribable gift of Jesus is the best way to learn to give generously like Him.

Whoever loves money never has enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with their income. This too is meaningless. Ecclesiastes 5:10

“The greatest humbug in the world is the idea that money can make a man happy. I never had any satisfaction with mine until I began to do good with it.”

Charles Pratt (1714-1794) on “Wealth” in A Dictionary of Thoughts, edited by Tryon Edwards (Detroit: Dickerson, 1908) 616.

As you think about Christmas and year-end, rather than spending money you don’t have, focus on doing good with what you do have.

Hearing the word “humbug” takes my mind to “Scrooge” in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. He was a miser who hoarded money for himself.  Look what it did to him!

Measure your giving based on how much God has supplied. And if you have children, the best way to be sure they don’t end up like Scrooge is to model the way. Do good with it.

If you are faithful in little things, you will be faithful in large ones. But if you are dishonest in little things, you won’t be honest with greater responsibilities. Luke 16:10

“He who is not liberal with what he has, does but deceive himself when he thinks would be more liberal if he had more.”

William Swan Plumer (1802-1880), a leading Presbyterian intellectual in the 1800’s, on “Liberality” in A Dictionary of Thoughts, edited by Tryon Edwards (Detroit: Dickerson, 1908) 299.

I love it when saints through the centuries dismantle false narratives that prevail in the minds of people with a short profound statements like this one. Think about it. We’ve all said or heard someone else say, “If that business deal goes through, then I will give” or “When I make more money, then I will give more.”

The time to be generous is always now (cf. 2 Corinthians 9:11)! Likely ringing in his ears was the famous quote by Francis Quarles (1592-1644) which I posted on 28 September 2015. “Proportion thy charity to the strength of thy estate, lest God proportion thy estate to the weakness of thy charity.”

In biblical terms giving that is acceptable to God is always based on what we have and not some future level of resources (cf. 2 Corinthians 8:12). Regardless of your past financial decisions, don’t allow yourself to be deceived. Be faithful and generous right now with what you have.

Need help for the journey? Check out my latest book, Good and Faithful: Ten Stewardship Lessons for Everyday Living. Get a copy for each person on your Christmas list. Help prepare those you love to hear the words “Well Done!” when they meet our Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 25:23).

Now in case a countryman of yours becomes poor and his means with regard to you falter, then you are to sustain him, like a stranger or a sojourner, that he may live with you. Leviticus 25:35

“Frugality is good, if liberality be joined with it. The first is leaving off superfluous expenses; the last bestowing them to the benefit of others that need. The first without the last begets covetousness; the last without the first begets prodigality. Both together make an excellent temper. Happy the place where that is found.”

William Penn (1644-1718) on “Liberality” in A Dictionary of Thoughts, edited by Tryon Edwards (Detroit: Dickerson, 1908) 299.

Penn was quite a guy. Among his accomplishments, he planned and developed the city of Philadelphia, founded the state of Pennsylvania, and set forth the frame of government that would become the inspiration for the United States Constitution. He knew as well as anyone, how people should behave toward one another.

As a founding father, Penn also understood the two components that contribute to abundant living: frugality and liberality. But don’t miss the danger of having one trait without the other. It leads to covetousness or prodigality (wasteful and excessive spending). Instead of sulking that people don’t care for fellow countrymen like they did in the days of Moses or Penn, let’s choose a lifestyle that is both frugal and generous.

Father in heaven, thanks for all your blessings. Help us remember that they are for us and for our countrymen and strangers who dwell with us. Forgive our covetousness and prodigality. Make us a people known for saying “no” to spending so we can say “yes” to sharing. Do this by your Holy Spirit we pray in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. Galatians 6:2

“Do not wait for extraordinary circumstances to do good actions: try to use ordinary situations.”

Jean Paul Richter (1763-1825) on “Benevolence” in A Dictionary of Thoughts, edited by Tryon Edwards (Detroit: Dickerson, 1908) 39.

Today is Giving Tuesday, an extraordinary day on we are bombarded with reminders to make charitable gifts. If God has supplied you with resources to share, then give to things He cares about.

The danger of days like today is that our minds equate generosity with “extraordinary circumstances” rather than “ordinary situations” which is the venue in which we live most of our lives.

Last night I flew to Chicago to do some coaching and teaching at Northern Seminary today. They needed some help, and I had the bandwidth to assist. I’d appreciate your prayers for fruitful meetings.

Carrying the burdens of others in “ordinary situations” does not always come easy for me. It takes intentionality to focus on the needs of others rather than what I am doing (cf. Philippians 2:1-11).

In the early 1800’s, thoughts like today’s post helped people focus on doing good and bearing the burdens of others. That’s great advice for us today too, and it fulfills the law of Christ!

You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God. 2 Corinthians 9:11

“One always receiving, never giving, is like the stagnant pool, in which whatever flows remains and whatever remains corrupts.”

John Angell James (1785-1859) on “Liberality” in A Dictionary of Thoughts, edited by Tryon Edwards (Detroit: Dickerson, 1908) 299.

Part of the reason I’ve been looking at quotes from prominent voices from the 1800’s has been to explore the roots of the shift toward “stagnant pool” thinking in America that is so dominant today.

As this nation was growing in prosperity, leading Christians appear to have been urging people away from the trend of keeping surplus for themselves like rich fools (cf. Luke 12:13-21) and directing it toward generosity. This comes out in their polemical tone (think: “Don’t do this, do that!”).

By the 1900’s people needed incentive to give. Hence the birth of the tax deduction. Interestingly, 2017 marks the 100-year anniversary of the tax deduction in America (dating back to the War Revenue Act of 1917). By the 1900’s, leading citizens felt that without tax incentive to motivate giving, charities would close.

Sadly, by the 2000’s, the rich fool narrative has become an entrenched and celebrated fixture in this culture. Following Christ looks increasingly nonsensical when compared to cultural norms. What should we do in these times when lawmakers are considering more tax reform?

Let’s fix our gaze higher. We must not calibrate our giving based on tax deductions but based on what God supplies. Let’s live and give differently than society and obey our Lord because “whatever flows remains and whatever remains corrupts” (cf. Matthew 6:19-20).

For those of us who live in this land of majestic purple mountains (pictured in today’s header photo, which I intended to post yesterday), let us give generously at all times and occasions not because we are loaded, but because God is. He tells us to do it this way so that He will receive the thanks and glory.

‘And besides, there is a great chasm separating us. No one can cross over to you from here, and no one can cross over to us from there.’ Luke 16:26

“Generosity during life is a very different thing from generosity in the hour of death; one proceeds from genuine liberality and benevolence, the other from pride and fear.”

Horace Mann (1776-1859) on “Generosity” in A Dictionary of Thoughts, edited by Tryon Edwards (Detroit: Dickerson, 1908) 191.

It struck me recently that it requires no faith for people to do their giving in their estate plan. Mann spells out the virtues at play.

The person who does their giving while they are living reveals a heart of liberality and benevolence. The person who waits until the hour of death shows their true colors: pride and fear.

When will you plan to do your giving? The time to decide is now and not after you have crossed the great chasm. That’s also the time to make special memories.

I shot the new header photo up in the mountains when we were cutting down our Christmas tree. In life, we invest God’s money into mission and memories. Join us!