If A Tree Falls In The Forest...

As a topic prompt, this week we are supposed to respond to our professor's blog post, How Seriously Do We Take Jesus’ Words in John 17:23 On The Need For Christian Unity?

Before we get to this passage in John 17, unity and oneness have been a frequent theme in John’s Gospel (Seeà John 10:16, 38; 11:52; 14:10-11, 20, 23; and 15:4-5). Allow me to quote the last reference,

Grapevine in Israel.
Photo Greg Dueker

Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. (John 15:4-5)

Now in chapter 17:22-23, we read,

The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

I love this prayer. Obviously this unity Jesus speaks of was important to him since it was on his mind right before he went to his death on the cross. Should it be important to us? Of course! However I wonder in what way it should be important.

Should it be important because it is something we are supposed to produce? I have to confess that sounds kind of arrogant and self-important to me, especially since Jesus was actually praying to the Father, not to us.  

Christian unity should be important for another reason—because it is a sign of Christ’s presence in our lives. Unity is made possible by his re-gifting the glory, which the Father had given to him, to us. Unity is made perfect when we respond by giving all the glory back to him through loving and humbly serving others.

Now these verses in John 17 are from Jesus’ High-priestly prayer for his people. His petition to his Father on our behalf was both passionate and profound.

So was Jesus’ prayer not answered? This is a troublingly honest thought to be sure.

Since Jesus never spoke outside of what flowed from the heart of the Father, I will assume that the answer wasn’t “No.” Perhaps some might say that it was answered with an eschatological, “Not yet.” While this makes a little more sense for once sin is completely removed from the world and the Kingdom of God is fully manifested, complete unity is an easy thing for us to picture. However, this might be too convenient for us, excusing us from serious, determined efforts at unity if it can’t truly be achieved until the Millennial Kingdom. My dear friend wrote passionately,

“We can hide behind claims that Christians are invisibly united through faith in Jesus Christ even in the midst of visible disunity. I seriously doubt that Jesus had in mind invisible unity that was somehow divorced from visible unity. Invisible unity must be visible; otherwise, it is illusory.”

Photo by Joe Dudeck on Unsplash

While I think I have come to share "The Metzger’s" passion for unity, I think that his last statement reaches too far. “Illusory” is a word used for things that are not real, that are based on an illusion. Visibility has not been a metric by which reality is measured for a very long time…except in Missouri (the “Show Me” State). Despite believing in many things we cannot see (like air), we live in a culture that too often fails to recognize the reality of the spiritual realm. As Christians, we should not fall into the same error. Invisible is not the same as unreal. If a tree falls in the forest and no one sees it... It still fell.

I contend that we are already one spiritually if we are truly Christ’s…whether we recognize it or not. There is a spiritual unity that may or may not be seen—that flies in the face of such rationalistic statements as “Invisible unity must be visible; otherwise, it is illusory” because they are not relational enough. Is our unity in what we do or in whose we are and whom we depend on for our salvation? When abiding people meet, there is no hiding the unity of the Spirit.

Allow me to wax momentarily metaphorical. This is Portland, so consider a tree… is it one or is it many? It may sound like a stupid question, but the answer may depend on how we are looking at the tree. There are many individual leaves that, while similar, all have their own distinctives and character. Many branches and twigs are leading to those leaves, each with its seemingly random angle, thickness, and length. While each branch, twig, and leaf is separate and unique, when we step back from hugging it and widen our scope to “look larger,” we see that the many elements really form one tree, each part in its place fulfilling its purpose. So are the leaves many or one? Many, if you don’t believe me, look at my front lawn in the fall. Yet in a very real sense, as part of the tree, the many are one. I use this analogy with caution, as an illustration of how we may be looking too small when we look for unity.  

Am I simply making excuses and contending for an invisible unity? Well, that depends on how big we choose to look. Are we focused too closely on what is in our hands to see the unity that actually exists? Has our vision become pixilated like when you stand too close to the huge TVs in Costco? Sometimes you have to step back and look again. Are we individual buildings or a city? Again, I contend for the possibility that the visibility of unity depends upon the scope of our gaze.

Perfect unity exists now in the lives of those who have surrendered from pursuing their own glory and maintaining their own kingdom. It is found in the indwelling of Christ and the Father by the Spirit. It is not something we could ever produce on our own. What I love is meeting another who is united to Christ and sensing immediately the unity of the Spirit. Certainly, this spiritual unity manifests visibly. I think we just need eyes to recognize it.

I recently attended an ecumenical luncheon of sorts arranged by a custodian at our church. He grew up in the Lutheran Church and still is an active Lutheran while working at a Foursquare Church. Somehow, his life was touched by the love of Christ through those he served with, and he wanted to share his gratitude with us by inviting us to eat a great lunch and by allowing us the opportunity to sit in open fellowship with pastors and others from the two Lutheran churches he has attended. Wonderful people, all part of God’s unified plan to touch one man’s life, and also a part of the tapestry of Christian unity.

What are some of the visible signs of the presence of biblical unity that is synonymous with our remaining in Christ? We don’t shrivel up in the heat of circumstances. We are not prone to separate from his purposes. We humbly accept correction and pruning. Our lives produce good fruit in God’s eyes, and a wholesome witness takes place in the eyes of the watching world.  

Psalm 133 

¹ Behold, how good and pleasant it is
    when brothers dwell in unity!
² It is like the precious oil on the head,
    running down on the beard,
on the beard of Aaron,
    running down on the collar of his robes!
³ It is like the dew of Hermon,
    which falls on the mountains of Zion!
For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,
    life forevermore.

His Light at Christmas (Part 1: Being Lights For His Glory)

I would like to share my “famous” Christmas light sermon with you all in three short installments. The first one is free. The next two installments will be provided when you comment. OK, you probably know I will post them anyway...

I will be using the metaphor of "Christmas Lights" to call us to a more joyous, welcoming, and authentic witness this season. In the process, I will also indulge some of my own Christmas lighting biases—strictly for educational purposes! 

I pray that this Christmas season is one in which we experience the remarkable freshness of Jesus' joy and peace as perhaps we never have before, for His greater glory and name's sake as we shine forth the light of the gospel. 

During this season, as I think of "the light of the gospel" and as I see the many houses and trees that are decorated with beautiful lights, I am reminded that when Jesus came, he was really the first "Christmas light" to the world. 

And leaving Nazareth he went and lived in Capernaum by the sea, in the territory of Zebulun and Naphtali, so that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled:

“The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali,
    the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles—

 the people dwelling in darkness
    have seen a great light,
and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death,
    on them a light has dawned.” (Matthew 4:13-16)

Of course, Christ's coming as the light of the world and now our calling, as his followers, to become lights (witnesses) in the world is probably not a new topic to you. 

Yet, I would like to share three characteristics of Christ's exemplary light, hopefully in a fresh way, using the metaphor of Christmas lights.  It is written, in Hebrews 1:3, that God now speaks to us through His Son Jesus, “He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.” Let's examine this passage for what it teaches us about Jesus, the Light of the world, our example, and power as we now are called to participate in being light to the world.

I have wonderful childhood memories of each Christmas season when my Dad would put up our old C9 Christmas lights, both outside the house and on the tree.  When he was done, we would go outside in stocking caps and mittens to drink hot chocolate, look at the lights, and "ooh" and "aah". It was a good feeling. But Christ's light is more than a good feeling, though it brings great joy. It is a matter of life and death. 

If we are going to bring the healing, warming touch of God's love to others effectively, we do well to focus on the following three things not just at Christmas but all year round... his Light, Likeness, and Line.

Being Lights For His Glory!

In response to Christ's light, we are now lights for his glory. How can we do this? There are two things I would suggest for starters: we should be visible; and, we should be unblinking. Let’s consider these two lessons drawn from the Christmas lights I grew up with.

We Should Be Visible Lights

As Jesus was the radiant light of God's glory, so, too, we should shine as lights of Jesus' glory. When should we be a light for God's glory? All the time!  Jesus said to his followers,

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:14-16)

This verse makes me stop and consider what kind of works might cause those outside the church to glorify God in heaven. I would think that it would be something selfless and sacrificially loving.  Letting our light shine doesn’t mean we are putting on a show, or doing good things so that people can see us. I think that generally defeats the point. The Christian’s works of love are not done for personal glory but for the glory of God. They are often done in profound anonymity yet cannot be hidden forever.

So I wonder, what kinds of things can we do that allow people to see past us to the glorious love of the Father? One thing that is always trotted out as an objection to God is the hypocrisy of those who claim to be Christians, so I would think that authentic, consistent, humbly Christ-like living would be key. Another key to our being visible lights for Christ is joy. Are we chronic complainers, faultfinders, and whiners or do we overflow with the joy of our salvation even during difficult, even painful circumstances?

Because we are called to be consistent, continuous witnesses, we should not only be visible, but steadfast. The Jude warns us about “wandering stars” that do not give an accurate witness. Which brings me to my second point…

We Should Be Unblinking Lights

I know that blinking LED lights are trendy these days, but to me, they don’t seem very authentic, restful, or welcoming. I call them “Vegas lights” because they seem to somehow advertise themselves. The first blinking Christmas lights I can remember were the ones on Snoopy’s over-decorated dog house in the classic Merry Christmas Charlie Brown television special.

Even then Charlie Brown thought that even his dog had sold out to the commercialism of the season. My incarnational metaphor reminds me that since Jesus was not a blinking “Vegas-light”, neither should our witness be an "on-again, off-again" kind of light. Our light must be a reflection of his light.  It comes neither from our self-will nor our hard work. It is sourced in the love of God poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). It is also written in James 1:17, that, "Every good and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with who there is no variation or shadow of turning."

People living in the dark are drawn to the light. But it's not enough just to light. There is actually a proper way in which to be a light. Thus, simply shining is not enough. We must shine in the way that Jesus would shine.  We are not free to denigrate or coerce others as we see fit. Jesus values people rather than objectifying them. He identifies with them rather than despising them. We are his ambassadors. We represent him. Our light should be unblinking in the sense of consistency, but also in the sense of courage. We don’t close our eyes and turn away from difficult issues and problem people. The thought that we are to face what comes with the eyes of Christ always seems to drive me to my knees in dependence. I can’t give what I don’t have. I don’t have a visible, unblinking light in me without the Christmas gift of God’s love in Christ through the Spirit.

I am reminded of the enlightened words of Isaac Watts’ great Christmas hymn, written about 350 years ago, that we can still sing and live with vigor!

 

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!
Let earth receive her King;
Let every heart prepare Him room,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven and nature sing,
And Heaven, and Heaven, and nature sing.

Joy to the World, the Savior reigns!
Let men their songs employ;
While fields and floods, rocks, hills and plains
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat the sounding joy,
Repeat, repeat, the sounding joy.

No more let sins and sorrows grow,
Nor thorns infest the ground;
He comes to make His blessings flow
Far as the curse is found,
Far as the curse is found,
Far as, far as the curse is found.

He rules the world with truth and grace,
And makes the nations prove
The glories of His righteousness,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders of His love,
And wonders, wonders of His love.

Next Post: His Lights at Christmas: In Response to His Likeness