Christ Church (Moscow, ID)

The psalm is arranged into five sections: two small sections at the beginning and end, and three larger sections in the middle. The first section (v. 1-4) introduces the twin themes: God’s character and his covenant with David. In this psalm, his character is defined by his steadfast love and his faithfulness. Both of these words are applied in terms of his covenant with David–the promise that the seed of David will sit on an everlasting throne (v. 3-4). And this is crucial: the psalmist says he will sing of God’s steadfast love and faithfulness forever.

The Trinity is the central doctrine of the Christian faith because it is the doctrine of God Himself. Getting it wrong renders all other theological pursuits nonsensical. Like attempting to learn scuba-diving in the middle of the Great Sand Dunes. It might feel like a complicated doctrine, but we ought not to be intimidated by this doctrine. It’s not as if you won’t be let into heaven if you once were teaching a Sunday School class and used eggs as a metaphor for the Trinity. Just don’t do it again. This is one doctrine where charity should be shown in the articulation of it; severe strictness should be shown to someone who is in error and then doubles down on his error after being shown his error. St. Augustine once hedged his entire book on the Trinity with this, “If herein I am foolish, let him who knows better correct me.” To which I reply, “Ditto.”

Say a teenage boy is hired to do some landscaping work. He shows up promptly at 7am with his sunscreen on and water jug full, ready to make some money for his college fund. He is told by the owner of the property that he needs him to clear out a few overgrown acres. What he beholds is a veritable jungle of thistles and thorns. Some of the plants look extraterrestrial. Then, to make things worse, the owner informs him that the only tool he has is a pair of finger-nail clippers. Clearly, the job that needs doing and the tool to do the job are mismatched. However, when it comes to the task which Christ has assigned to the church and what is necessary to accomplish that task, there is no deficiency.

As we celebrate the Pentecostal gift of the Spirit to the church, which is how God created the church in its new covenant form, we should make a point to pay close attention to the way His arrival is described. And that means paying thinking carefully about the wind and to the fire. At that glorious day of Pentecost, the wind was heard and the fire was seen.

Think of how you might feel if you were suddenly notified that you had been made a guest of honor at Buckingham Palace. In order to make it in time you were to immediately hop on the private jet that was waiting for you. However, through some cruel twist, you would not be allowed to change your clothes, freshen up, or brush up on which fork to use for the salad and which one for the main course. You might arrive and find yourself absolutely overwhelmed with the sense that you had two left feet, your hands were all thumbs, your mouth was full of teeth, and your mind full of cobwebs. The doctrine of Christ’s ascension, unlike the sense of being “out of place”, is meant to lead us by faith to understand that we are made acceptable before God.

Having departed from Antioch, Paul and Barnabas came to Iconium, another significant town in Galatia. The ministry here was one of the most successful missions that they engaged in, and the results were predictably tumultuous. But in the course of this passage we learn a few things about how gospel proclamation ought to go. How the gospel was preached had a significant impact on the results.