A Spiritual Lesson From Dr. Who

I am not by nature a fan of science fiction, but I love C.S. Lewis’s science fiction trilogy, and over the last several months I have come to appreciate the British science fiction television series, Dr. Who.  The current BBC production is a revival of the original series from the last century.  The plots are usually far-fetched, and the filming is decidedly low-tech.  The Doctor travels freely (and often randomly) in time and space in a ship that looks on the outside like a British police call box.  What the show lacks in sophistication, however, it offers in food for thought.

In one episode, The Dalek, the Doctor encounters a member of the evil Dalek race, held captive by an uber-wealthy collector of unusual beings. The Daleks are a robot-like warrior species, with no emotions, and dedicated to the destruction of all other creatures.  The Doctor’s initial reaction to this face-to-face encounter is to attempt to kill the robot-like Dalek.  He is prevented from doing so by the collector, who does not want to lose his prized specimen.  In the drama that follows, the Dalek gets free and starts to hunt and kill everyone on the premises.  Most of the Dalek’s “prey” find their way to a protected safe room, but the Doctor’s side-kick, Rose, is not so fortunate.  Rose finds herself on the wrong side of the door, facing the Dalek and certain death.  But then the unexpected happens.  The Dalek has somehow absorbed a portion of Rose’s compassionate humanity.  It doesn’t kill her, and in the end, it destroys itself rather than continuing to kill. 

In another episode, A Town Called Mercy, the Doctor finds himself in an old “wild west” town in Texas that is being besieged by an alien bent on exacting well-deserved revenge on an alien war criminal who has taken refuge in the town and is seeking to atone for his past.  The Doctor’s initial enthusiasm for seeing vigilante justice executed against the war criminal becomes tempered by the resident marshal’s commitment to mercy.  As the plot unfolds, the viewer sees the larger picture of right and wrong, justice and forgiveness. The townspeople choose to act according to mercy; the targeted alien faces the wrongs of his past and destroys himself to save the town.  The revenge-seeking alien is then left without a mission until the Doctor suggests a new calling; the alien remains at his post just outside the town, not to kill but to protect.

It seems to me that both of these secular television episodes have an important reminder for us: even in the most unlikely of circumstances, with the most unlikely of people, God gives us the opportunity to influence others in very subtle ways.  We are God’s salt and light in this world, and we have the glorious privilege of offering others a quiet taste of heaven simply in the way we treat them and conduct our lives.  And just like the characters in Dr. Who, we can change the course of history.  As a matter of fact, as we partake in the nature of Christ and reflect Him, we cannot help but proclaim the Kingdom of God.  May we encourage one another to do so faithfully and joyfully.

A Valentine's Day Thought

"The best thing to hold onto in life is each other."

                                                  Audrey Hepburn

The Public Bath

My husband Ken has mastered the skill of taking “instant” showers.  He says he is so fast in the shower because he doesn’t get dirty.  It must be that clean living.

I wonder, though, how often we take that attitude with our spiritual lives—if we’re “good,” we won’t get dirty.  If I attend church regularly, tithe faithfully, serve sacrificially, pray regularly, and read my Bible daily, I won’t have to worry about sin.

But the Apostle John warns us that he who says he has no sin essentially makes God a liar (I Jn. 1:10).  Often, though, we don’t see our own sin.  Our hearts are deceitful (Jer. 17:9).  We end up in a classic case of ignorance is self-righteous bliss.  That is why it is so important to engage in body life.  Just as children grow when their faults are exposed among their siblings, we grow as our sin is exposed as we worship and work together as members of God’s family.

Personally, I would prefer to encounter and deal with my sin privately.  But I can’t.  It is only when I am in relationship with others that my selfishness becomes visible.  It is only when I am serving with others that I confront the question: “Am I doing this as an expression of love for my Lord, or am I doing this to impress someone?”

It is almost certainly uncomfortable to have our weaknesses seen in public.  To coin a popular phrase, I think it is time we get over it.  Please allow me to make the following observations:

v Our discomfort at having our sins exposed is directly proportional to our pride.  The better we think we are, the harder it is to recognize, accept, and acknowledge our faults. 

v The exposure of our sin is a threat only if we are finding our identity, value, and security in our performance, in our own righteousness.  If our identity, value, and security are in Christ, we can welcome the exposure of our sin because it gives us the opportunity to confess, repent, and become more like Christ.

v  Practicing vulnerability in our church family gives us the opportunity to experience the power of being known and loved anyway.

v The willingness to expose our weaknesses helps us to live more honest lives.  This pleases and glorifies the God of truth; it also provides a powerful witness to nonbelievers who cannot connect with “perfect” Christians.

v As we take responsibility for our sin by confession and repentance, we make deep, rich relationship with others possible.  This reflects both the nature and design of our Lord.

Now that I’ve got you excited about all the good God can do in our lives as we live in transparency with one another, there is more good news!  This opportunity for growth is easily found.  In fact, it can be missed only if we run away or walk around with our eyes closed.  Virtually every gathering we attend, be it a gathering of two or two hundred, offers us a chance to deeply engage and take the risk of letting our self-protective guard down.  Perisseia (Windsor Chapel’s women’s growth group) is one such opportunity, and anyone who attends at least somewhat regularly can attest to the fact that my sins and areas of brokenness are often brought to light.  Have you heard about the time I rolled over someone’s boundaries—during a session about that very topic?

Although I am not suggesting that exposing our sins should be our goal as we worship and work together, I would love for us to participate in body life without reserve and without fear, confident that God is doing a glorious work in us, through us, and among us.

Perisseia: Winter Series

Perisseia, Windsor Chapel's women's growth group, begins its winter series on Thursday, January 17, 7:00-8:30 pm, at the Chapel House.  We will continue to investigate Godly communication.  Our focus will be speaking truth in love and grace.  Our times will include teaching, discussion, and practical application strategies.  No prior attendance, commitment, or preparation is required.  If you have any questions, please contact Cindy.


"Perisseia" is a feminine derivative of "Perissos," the Greek word for abundance.  The goal of this group is to grow together and encourage one another as we seek the abundant life offered by Christ.

Happy New Year

Welcome to January.  It is my guess that January does not get many votes for “Best Month of the Year.”  January is a month of consequences.  Some of us spent too much and/or ate too much this past holiday season.  Others got too little sleep and/or exercise.  Some are recovering from the stress of challenging family dynamics during the holidays or the pain of no family connections.  Even those of us with wonderful families can be simply tired after all the festivities.  On top of this, New Jersey weather is not conducive to good feelings.  I remember my first winter on the East Coast was quite a shock: there was a three-week stretch in which I did not see the sun once.  Reduced daylight makes it tougher for our brains to deal with stress and the everyday demands of life.  Flu season has arrived. 

And then there are New Year’s resolutions.  I am not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions, and I’ve written about it in the past.  From my perspective, New Year’s resolutions are an exercise in do-it-yourself failure.  While they reflect a healthy acknowledgement of our shortcomings, they also promote a view of self-help and performance as the means to personal growth.  I would like to propose a more Biblical approach.

Step One.  Let God be God.  He is the Creator of the universe and the Creator of seasons.  January is as much a part of His design as June.  The passing of seasons and the arrival of a new year are an expression of the order and rhythm of His creation.  It is good.  We can acknowledge this by closing the holiday season in the same way we began it: with thanksgiving. 

Step Two.  Let God be God.  God is our loving Father, and He knows and desires the best for us.  The beginning of a new year is an excellent opportunity to come before Him in humility and invite Him to search us and know us, much as King David did in Psalm 139.  The writer to the Hebrews tells us that “the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.” (Heb. 4:12).  God has given us His word to work in us and through us. 

Step Three.  Let God be God.  Galatians 5:22-23 is a passage that searches us as it shines a particularly powerful spotlight on our lives: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  And with the light of God’s word, we can see where we have failed.  For me, I need not look further back than the holiday season to see my shortcomings.  I experienced and observed the evaporation of love and joy in the heat of holiday stress, the lack of peace associated with the pursuit of personal goals, patience and kindness in short supply in negotiating long lines and dealing with inexperienced sales help, goodness giving way to competition, faithfulness sacrificed to self-focus, gentleness less evident than pushiness, and self-control traded for “just one more” bite, sip, or gift. 

Step Four.  Let God be God.  Confession is an exercise in acknowledging that God is God and we are not: we have fallen far short. 

Step Five.  Let God be God.  When we confess our sins, we discover God as a forgiving God: “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  (I Jn. 1:9).  It isn’t that our sins don’t matter.  It is that God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to die in order to cover those sins.  As we confess and receive forgiveness, we can rejoice that God is God, and that He has done for us what we could not do for ourselves.

Step Six.  Let God be God.  The Bible places confession alongside repentance.  Genuine sorrow for our sins means that we not only confess, we repent: we turn away from our sins.  This is where I believe it is hardest and yet most important for us to let God be God.  How on earth are we to consistently exhibit the qualities listed in Galatians?  Please consider that these qualities are described as “gifts of the Spirit.”  Please also consider with me John 15:4-5—“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.  I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.”  Repentance is not a do-it-ourselves project.  Repentance is a continual exercise in abiding in Christ and allowing His Spirit to enable us to bear fruit.

Step Seven.  Praise God for being God.  We cannot live the Christian life by ourselves, and that is indeed a good thing.  We must depend upon God to reveal our sins, forgive us, and enable us to repent.  We participate in God’s redemptive work by confessing our sins and abiding in Christ so that the Holy Spirit can do His work.

Step Eight.  Praise God for giving us one another.  Not only do we need God to live the Christian life, we need one another.  It is as we worship together, work together, and serve together that our sins are revealed.  It is as we forgive one another that we grow and manifest God.  It is as we encourage one another that we can develop our gifts and use them in concert with the gifts of others to fulfill God’s purposes for us and to bring Him pleasure, honor, and glory.

"Deck the Halls...."

“…’Tis the season to be jolly….”  So goes the popular Christmas carol.  My observation and experience, as well as a good body of research, indicate that this is also the season for stress, sadness, and depression. 

In the Gospel of Luke, we hear the proclamation of the angel:  “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  So how does the joy get lost in the celebration?

It seems to me that when the Christmas season does not meet our expectations, it is often because we feel that we don’t meet its expectations.  Perfectly chosen gifts, beautifully wrapped and placed artistically around a fragrant, fresh Christmas tree.  A clean, beautifully decorated house filled with the aroma of spiced cider and freshly-baked cookies.  A cozy, glowing fireplace that mirrors the warmth of the season.  Christmas carols sung by the piano, in four-part harmony, of course.  Warm gatherings with family and friends, free of conflict and tension.  Days filled with smiles and laughter.  A Christmas letter with nary a struggle or failure.  Wonderful new memories to add to old ones.  And, finally, the boundless energy required to energetically and enthusiastically participate in all the festivities.

The first Christmas was anything but worthy of a modern-day Christmas card.  Jesus was born in a dirty stable to parents exhausted by a long trip.  The Promised Land had been overrun by the Roman Empire and God’s people were impoverished and oppressed.  My guess is that Christmas cookies were in short supply.  And yet the event was lit by the light of stars of heaven and announced by a host of angels. 

The good news ushered in by Christmas is that we no longer need to worry about meeting expectations.  The whole point of Jesus’s coming to earth is that we cannot meet expectations, most importantly God’s requirement of holiness.  Jesus came to save us from our sins and our sinful nature.  He came to redeem our fallen world that is reflected in jammed shopping malls, gifts that don’t fit, wrapping paper shredded by cats, Christmas trees that tumble into windows, burnt cookies, and the ache of memories of abuse and broken relationships. 

Jesus came to earth to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves: to make us right before God and to prepare us for an eternity in which all expectations have been met.  In the meantime, may the hurts, stresses, and frustrations of the season become a traditional part of our celebration as they remind us that Christmas is not about our meeting expectations but about Christ coming to meet all expectations on our behalf.

Thought For the Day

Bearing fruit  means that we "learn the unforced rhythms of grace."   (Jon Walker)