I just finished reading yet another classic piece of Brit lit from the 1800’s. Ever since Great Expectations, I have loved British books from this time period. Admittedly, French and Russian novels also have a place in my heart. But I always come back to the likes of Dickens, Austen, MacDonald, Bronte and Elliot. My most recent read, in fact, was George Elliot’s, The Mill on the Floss. I know…strange title. It is simply about a mill that resides on a river named the Floss. Nonetheless, I enjoyed this book for the same reason that I enjoy all such literature—for its deep insight into human nature.
However,* Spoiler Alert*, the conclusion of this book was nothing like what I expected. To put it bluntly…everyone died. I expect this from Dostoevsky or Tolstoy—Russian literature can be morbid at times. But not in Brit lit. What a let-down to come to the end of 500 pages to find, instead of a blissful denouement, a sad and depressing end. When I neared the end I was wondering how the author was going to tie up so many loose ends in such a short space. Well, now I know…the main characters are swept away in a cataclysmic flood. Wait, what? I felt kind of like Fred Savage’s character in The Princess Bride when his grandpa told him Westley was dead and he interrupted, “Grandpa, Grandpa, Wait, Wait!” Are you kidding me? I read this whole book just for everyone to die? I felt cheated. And yet, that’s life. So often, they don’t live happily ever after. If you’ve lived on planet earth for any length of time, you are undoubtedly already aware that they don’t always live happily ever after. This reality was driven home, yet again, yesterday, as I drove past the spot where a teen died just one year ago. A skateboarder, about the age of my kids, was hit and killed while riding a few hundred yards from my cul-de-sac. I was struck anew by the sadness of that tragedy…for a family who lost a son, a life cut short, the fragile nature of life. Then I got the news, yesterday, that a friend’s relative in Canada lost three young daughters in a freak accident. They were harvesting grain as a family and the girls fell into a grain truck. Only their little brother survives them. How heavy are the hearts of this family today? Unthinkable. Impossible. Death is a very sad, but persistent reality on this planet. Granted, life spans are much longer today than they were in the 1800’s. And yet, in some ways, this makes death all the more tragic. It is hard to even conceive of a story like Adoniram Judson, the first American foreign missionary, whose first wife and three kids all perished, separately, within a few years of leaving for Burma. Yet, ever since Cain killed Abel, death has been a fairly persistent reality. Poets have grappled with the reality of death for millennia, from King David in the Psalms to John Donne in his Holy Sonnets. Sometimes such poetry simply brings out the anguish of death. And yet, it also has the power to put death into true perspective. I think of Donne’s powerful words, “Death, be not proud, though some have called thee Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so.” How can Donne say death is not mighty and dreadful? The answer lies in his conclusion, “One short sleep past, we wake eternally And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.” Donne wrestled with death and won perspective. Where did this perspective come from? How could he view death as nothing but a vanquished foe? The answer is found in the hope found in Jesus Christ. For it was this hope that enabled the apostle Paul to say, “‘Death has been swallowed up in victory.’ ‘Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?’ The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:54–57). We need more of this perspective. Don’t get me wrong, I am not saying that this takes away the grief of the family mourning the loss of three girls this week. But I am saying that instead of grief inconsolable, for those who hope in Christ, there is true consolation. As the girls’ father stated, “As far as where the girls are now, we’re confident they’re with Jesus.” Death does not win. Jesus wins. Jesus has already won. And we who trust in Him will share in that victory forever and may say with confidence, “Death, be not proud!”
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In my (relatively) short life time, I have witnessed changes in our societal values related to love and sex and marriage that make the sixties seem tame in comparison. Of course, for followers of Jesus who stand under, not over, God’s Word, not even Supreme Court decisions have the power to alter what we believe about these things. However, we would be kidding ourselves if we didn’t recognize that our culture’s increasing apathy, even hostility, toward biblical purity has a significant influence on our own views.
As well, it must be acknowledged that even among Christians we have naively and uncritically embraced certain cultural practices that, though they may seem inane, have far reaching implications not only on purity, but on our willingness to let God be God in our lives. A huge example is the way we play the dating game. It seems so cute when our young adults pair-off, mimicking the romantic scenes on TV, spending large amounts of time together (whether face to face or electronically) and becoming possessive of each other as if one could not live without the other. But what isn’t so cute is the depression and destructive tendencies such premature intimacies produce. What isn’t so cute is the idolatrous way in which their lives all of a sudden seem to revolve around the object of their affection. And it is definitely not cute when all other relationships, with friends, with family, even with God, take a backseat to romantic affections. As far as our culture is concerned, such concerns are not only viewed as archaic, but downright offensive. It makes sense, among those who believe that morality is relative and the product of human imagination, that any conversation about purity is viewed with disdain. However, for those who call themselves followers of Christ, who consider the Word of God to actually be the Word of God and who desire to live lives that bring God honor, this topic is not only worth discussing, but it is one that receives far too little consideration in Christ’s church today. We seem to tell our young adults, “Well, be good and don’t have premarital sex,” and hope that this will be enough. But it isn’t. They need tools. They need regular encouragement and instruction from God’s Word. They need accountability. They need people willing to speak truth into their lives—even when speaking such truth is risky or awkward or difficult to share. And what is the truth that needs to be spoken? You don’t have to be romantically involved in order to be a healthy, happy young adult. And when you do engage in a relationship that goes beyond friendship, it is not healthy for you to spend every waking moment texting, talking to, or being near your beloved. It is healthy, in fact, for you to continue to foster meaningful relationships with friends, family and fellow believers. And romantic feelings do not require delving prematurely into emotional or physical intimacy. As the repeated refrain in the Song of Solomon says, “Do not arouse or awaken love until it so desires.” There is an intimacy that God intended to be reserved for marriage. But when you do sense God leading you toward lifelong romantic love, don’t think that good intentions are enough to avoid the idolatrous tendencies or sexual impurity that is all-pervasive on the dating scene. Holiness in thought and speech and action doesn’t just happen. It requires diligence in pursuing God and His will through daily, meaningful time in His Word and prayer. It requires committed, faithful fellowship and service in Christ’s church, among His people. And it requires intentionality to invite others who are older and wiser to regularly speak into your life words that may be difficult to hear, but are often words of life! Until Jesus returns, nothing is going to change in our culture. It will continue to redefine what is good and redesign God’s intentions for romance and sexuality and marriage. But don’t be deceived, no man can rewrite the Word of God. And beyond the shadow of a doubt, God’s way is the best way. God’s way has always been the best way. And God’s way will always be the best way. In Christ’s Love, Pastor Dan |
Dan GannonDan has ministered at Renton Bible Church, with his wife Debbie, since 2003. Archives
June 2022
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