Nothing But the Truth

Last night, our church hosted a special performance by the Word Players of Knoxville. They put on their production of “A Woman Called Truth.” It was a remarkable play, which told the story of a slave woman from the North East, who fought against her captors to win freedom for herself, her son, and her family.

Podcast version here

I was really impressed by the whole cast, who portrayed her story in a wonderful and engaging way. I was also struck by how relevant Sojourner Truth’s life still is for what we experience today. People may not be sold as slaves any longer, but the old prejudices and racism still persist. Just recently, a major politician, who should have known better, made an unintentional racial slur against a presidential candidate. It was unintended, but it was still racist, and what makes it even more repugnant, is that many people don’t see the racism in the remark. But that’s how the scourge of racism works – subtly and under the radar – until it becomes acceptable to the general public.

Sin operates in a similar fashion, especially in the areas of obsession and addiction. Habitual sin diminishes our faith moment by moment, event by event, sin by sin, until it becomes a major problem. The ex-Governor of New York was seduced by his own addiction, but instead of seeking help, he let it overcome him until it has ruined his career, his marriage, and possibly his life.

Bible Verse of the Day

Romans 6: 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin.

Sin, racism, and even slavery are insidious. They start off small and then grow like a cancer until they take over poor souls and an ignorant populace, transforming sinners and society into something soulless. That’s why Paul emphasizes the Cross in so much of his letters. It is the one safe haven for all sinners. It is the one place and time where we can be truly set free. It is the most pivotal event in human history where we, who have been enslaved by obsession and sin, insecurity and insensitivity, rancor and racism, can be liberated by our Deliverer Christ Jesus for all of eternity. Instead of hanging on to our hang ups, we can let go and let God transform us through Christ and His Cross.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, liberate us from our fears and sins, our prejudices and pride, our mistakes and misconceptions. Open our hearts and souls to Your words and ways. Keep us from following self-satisfying paths that lead to self-destruction. Help us to latch on to Your leadership and grant us Your godly counsel in all that we seek to accomplish this day. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

Reading this week....

I've hundreds of books in my library. I'm running out of time to read them, so I'm going to try to read a book a week. This is my first effort. I'm also listening to Vivaldi's Four Seasons - I've a ton of CDs!



I've had this book for decades (since seminary - almost 30 years ago).

Here is the opening statement of the introduction:

"In the first half of the 18th century, England was in a state of religious and moral decay. For many years the land had been sinking into darkness and paganism. Intemperance and immorality, crime and cruelty were increasingly becoming the characteristics of the age. The National Church was in such a dead condition that instead of being salt, preserving the nation from corruption, she was only adding to the immorality by weakening the restraints which Christianity imposed on the lusts of men. The teaching from the pulpit consisted of natural theology and cold morality, which were utterly impotent to awaken the Church or to stem the flood of iniquity. If the nation was to be saved, the Church would first have to be revived."

Sound familiar??????

"Letters of John Newton" 1960 edition Banner of Truth Trust price 2/6d...25cents

Liberator

1 Peter 2:18 Slaves, submit yourselves to your masters with all respect, not only to those who are good and considerate, but also to those who are harsh.

Years ago, I read Frederick Douglass’ autobiography, “The Narrative of His Life; An American Slave.” In the book, he detailed his experiences of slavery in both Southern and Northern States. None of it was complimentary and, on both sides of the Mason-Dixon line, slaves were battered and abused. How he managed to escape and earn his freedom is remarkable journey of faith and fortitude, concentration and courage.

In his lifetime, Frederick Douglass became an icon for the Abolitionists in the North and, to this day, he is highly honored as an important figure in ridding this land of slavery. If you’ve never read the book, it’s one that I heartily recommend.

Slavery in New Testament times was just as bad. Human beings were subjected to the worst kind of ill-treatment by their Roman owners. The young Christian church was full of slaves because it was the one faith that offered them an equal opportunity of hope. Every other religion was based upon rewarding the powerful and blessing the great. Christianity was different. The everlasting promises of God and the bounty of immortality were offered to everyone, slave or free, rich or poor, Jew or Gentile.

Because there were no political or class barriers, the message preached was one of reconciliation and humility, service and peace. Peter’s words may sound unjust to us, for why should a slave not resent his or her master who beat them unfairly? But in those days, it was a radical message that liberated the victims from their oppressors – a gospel that eventually overcame the mightiness of the Roman Empire.

Today’s message may seem like a potted version of the history of slavery, but it’s more than that. It’s reminder that our true freedom is contained with our hearts and minds, our spirits and souls. No one can take that from us. ‘No one,’ as Paul writes in another famous passage, ‘can ever separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Romans 8:38)

Prayer: Lord Jesus, You are the Great Liberator of the souls of humankind. No matter who we are, what we have or what we do, we can come to You to be released from our sins and restored to God’s eternal freedom. Liberate us this day from the chains of our past mistakes, and lead us on to Your glorious Kingdom. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.