The Gospel of Trick-or-Treat: Finding Truth, Goodness and Beauty in the Dark

Last night I sat on my front stoop watching our normally quiet neighborhood team with people. All shapes, sizes, genders, nationalities, and abilities filled the sidewalks with laughter (and the occasional scream). As the sun set behind me, my little cul-de-sac became so dark I often could not see the trick-or-treaters until they were in front of the house. In 2 hours, I had over 300 people come to my door. 

During a lull in candy-giving, I watched what was going on. In this journey I've been on to re-discover "education", I've been consistently brought back to Phillipians 4:8

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. (ESV)

Often we talk about this verse as a command to only deal with those things that are Good, True, and Beautiful. Training to love Truth, Goodness, and Beauty is one of the primary goals of a classical Christian education. But what if instead of a command to only surround oneself with the beautiful, it is a command to find what is true, what is good, and what is beautiful within all of creation, history, science, and culture?  When we look within the entire context of Scripture, we are told to live in the world, but not be of it; to let our light shine in the darkness.  We cannot be a light to a dark world if we do not engage and go into the darkness.  Hiding from, or avoiding, all darkness effectively hides our light under a basket.  We are not called to avoid the darkness, but to go into it and shine the Light of the Gospel. In order to do that, we must be able to see the Gospel in even the darkest of places. Maybe the idea of Phillipians 4 is not to hide, but to search for where God is revealing Himself through the people, cultures, and nature He has created. It is walking through the darkest and most evil this world has to offer, and seeing the fingerprint of God. 

In those few quiet moments on my front step, I wondered, "Where do I see the gospel?". If God is truly the God of all creation, the director of history, the creator of all mankind, then His mark must be on everything - even trick-or-treating. Then I saw it:

In the black darkness of my street were people from all walks of life, all nations, many languages searching for the light -  because in the light they would find grace. The light of each porch was a signal that here a door was open to any who would walk through, and grace would be given, in equal measure, to all who asked. It didn't matter who you were, who you were trying to be, what you had done - grace would be freely given.  All those people searching for unmerited favor. All those children drawn to the light, almost despite themselves. All those people trying to be something they weren't, yet receiving love despite appearances. Even in the midst of traditions rooted in pagan ritual, the Gospel was being acted out. In what Satan intended for evil, God demonstrates his love. 

The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. (Isaiah 9:2)

 In the last century Christian education has become more an endevour to teach how to avoid evil than one of training to recognize the Truth, Goodness, and Beauty of God. It trains to fear evil, instead of resting in the strength, grace, love, and justice of our Savior. It tells our children to run from temptation in their own strength, instead of recognizing where God has already won the battle, has completed their redemption, and is actively working on their sanctification. This isn't to say that wisdom and discernment is not part of it, but that those things come when we are so in love with Love Incarnate, that we can see Him everywhere.

I teach Latin, Math, Logic, Grammar, Literature, History, and Science to my children not just to learn about the world, but so they can engage the world for Christ.  My heart's desire for them has become that they may be able to recognize, share, reveal, and explain the Gospel in any and every situation. That takes training in first of all what the root of all Truth, Goodness, and Beauty is, but also in using logic, reasoning, wisdom, and discernment to reveal Love where we don't expect to find Him. It is teaching them to recognize that even in those things that seem to be fully corrupted by sin, the grace and love of God is shining.

Our children are growing up in scary times. The world around us seems to be falling farther and farther away from peace and stability. They have a tough road ahead of them. It our job to equip them to be the light and to find the Light in the midst of the darkness....and maybe that begins with stepping out our own front door, into the darkness, and asking them, "Where do you see the Gospel?". 

Christian Idolatry - Flags and Guns

I've been putting off writing this for days. I don't want to. It hits too close to home and is forcing me to look at myself in ways I really don't want to. But, I'm driven to and I think it is something our nation, and the American Church, needs to confront in light of current events.

For great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised;

he is to be feared above all gods.

For the gods of the peoples are worthless idols,

but the LORD made the heavens.

Psalm 96: 4-5 (ESV)

The heart of all sin is idolatry - putting something or someone in God's place. This passage is in the middle of a Psalm extolling God's glory to the nations. "The gods of the people are worthless idols" led me to thinking - What are my idols and how do I know what my idols are?

Idolatry is characterized by one major attribute - anger. Anger tells us something is wrong. Something in our passions is out of sorts or being challenged. Jesus demonstrates righteous anger when he overthrows the money changers in the temple. His anger is kindled out of the defamation of God's House and God's name. The only time he uses strong language is in response to the Pharisees' abuse of God's Word.   Jesus' passion, His priority, is God's glory - and seeing it tarnished ignites the only violent outbursts we see from him in Scripture. His unfair trial, his disciples' betrayal, his wrongful crucifixion, the prostitute's sin, the tax collector's theft, the Roman soldiers' oppression of the Jews - none of that sparks His anger. It is only the tarnishing of God's name that brings him to anger. In every other infraction, He turns the attention of the sinner to the Redeemer. Even on the cross, he pointed those who were killing him, to God the Father. God is His God.

But how about me? What makes me angry, and when I am angry what is my goal? 

Too often, most of the time, it has nothing to do with God. Something else is provoking my heart to feel my priorities, my gods, are being threatened. Maybe it is a child's pride conflicting with my own. Often it is because my plan isn't working, or others aren't following it. Sometimes it is because someone is challenging decisions I have made or positions I hold, and because I have allowed my identity to be wrapped up in those, I take it personally.  It sparks anger that other's are not bowing to my god.

Recent events have brought me to my knees in grief over our national gods - especially among fellow believers. Look at what we get angry about and who we blame. More importantly, what we don't do and say.  How much time have we spent discussing how a flag should be honored? Sit, kneel, stand. We talk about respecting the Constitution, honoring veterans, and nationalism, but how often have we used this as an opportunity to express our longing for God's Kingdom? That every knee that bows is a longing for a Nation, a Kingdom, that will never fail ruled by One who will never let us down. How many memes, editorials, tweets, and Facebook statuses have been shared that make fun of or deride an individual? Who, or what, are we really prioritizing? Is it a nation, or a soul in need of its Savior? What is our god?

How about politicians and celebrities?  When your favorite president or community leader is criticized, do you get angry, or do you seek God's glory? Do you like and share social media that idealizes a human, or do you seek God's face?  When confronted with someone from "the other side", do you criticize, judge, and humiliate another human created in God's image, or do you "seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness"?

When scores of people are killed and injured at a concert, do you place blame on a person, or a weapon, or a law, or the lack of a law - or do you fall at the feet of God and lead those around you to His footstool?

When confronted with opposing views of marriage, education, family planning, social justice, immigration, etc, etc, do you bring individuals to the foot of the cross with love, grace, humility, and compassion? Too often, what I see, what I do, are at their very core, attempts to control and protect idols. We are not pointing to the glory of the One True God. I struggle against being crucified with Christ, so that I may live instead of Him living in me.

We have an idolatry problem. We fall at the feet of a flag, a nation, a legal document, an ideology, a false sense of security - trying to control people God wants to free.  America will one day fall. Presidents and community leaders will die. Freedoms will come and go - but the Kingdom of God will remain forever.

Ascribe to the LORD, O families of the peoples,

ascribe to the LORD glory and strength!

Ascribe to the LORD the glory due his name;

bring an offering, and come into his courts!

Worship the LORD in the splendor of his holiness;

tremble before him, all the earth!

Say among the nations, "The Lord reigns!"

Psalm 96: 7-10a (ESV)