the headless bride

not a pretty picture.

perhaps it conjures up similar thoughts of ichabod crane, mystery and fear. or maybe it sounds like a headline for another twisted tim burton flick. or does it have potential for a disgusting trick-or-treat costume at big lots?

whatever thoughts are flying into your mind...i hope you're thinking, gross!

it's amazing to me how these images of freaky, bloody, vulgar death and mystery are associated with this time of year. it's not even october yet, but once walmart puts out the ghosts, pumpkins and candy bags the fall has officially started with a race to halloween. then we skip by thanksgiving on the way to christmas. i guess the idea of being thankful and spending time with family isn't quite as marketable.

but this is such a beautiful time of year! i love the change of seasons, but i have to admit, growing up in the midwest where the extremes of the surroundings are easily visible, fall is my favorite. and even though it's still september the harvest season is rapidly approaching. plummeting temperatures ignite the sudden explosion of colors on every tree, lawnmowers are exchanged for rakes, the smells of autumn inspire appetites for homemade goodies, footballs are flying through the wind, that wind rustles the leaves falling to the ground, those leaves are gathered into piles, those piles provide landing-pads for energetic children after school and headaches for dads after work, plans are made for time with family, and most importantly, starbucks delights us with their line of seasonal drinks. what's not to love about this time of year?

except maybe those gruesome vampires, skeletons and token r.i.p. stones that litter the neighbor's lawn.

so what's with the "headless bride"?

well, i've been reading in colossians and ephesians, and that's the picture i have stuck in my mind. a headless bride.

i know you're thinking, dude, that's not in the Bible. but check it out: colossians 2:16-23. especially verse 19.

paul seems to be painting a visual for us to better understand our relationship to Christ. i haven't quite gotten my mind around this whole idea...and somehow i get the feeling that it will always carry a hint of mystery while i'm still journeying here on earth...but it's a fascinating concept to wrestle with. paul keeps using the phrase, "in Him" or "in Christ". and then illustrates it with Christ being the head and we are the body. he also parallels these ideas in ephesians chapter 1 for further study.

what a colossal concept and phrase that we so easily skim over and attribute to christian terminology. we are in Christ! we are vitally connected to Him somehow. the body needs the head (which our neatly organized theology easily accepts), and yet you never see a head just bouncing around by itself either! now, i believe in a self-sufficient, holy God, but why does He give us this visual to explain our relationship with Himself? or the idea of the vine and the branches? or the bride and the bridegroom? are we supposed to ignore the further ramifications of these illustrations? is it taking it too far to examine the role the body plays in supporting the head? or the branches to the vine? and so on and so forth...

at least we hear paul warning us to watch out for those false teachers who are not connected to the head (aka Christ). the Church (catholic, universal with a capital C), Christ's bride and body, is vitally connected to Him.

so i guess it has the makings of a great horror film when we forget our connection to Him.

challenge on radio waves

driving down a back-country road the other night, i caught the tail end of an alistair begg message on the radio. you know that token announcer with the deep, pleasant voice they always have? the music fades the preacher out and the m.c./announcer/radio-dude comes on and wraps up the program? generally, i turn it off or mentally tune out when he comes on, which i started to do once pastor begg was finished...but the m.c./announcer/radio-dude/whatever-you-call-'em asked a penetrating question that made me do a double-take. i hit the power button on the radio and repeated his question out loud to myself,

do i do what i do for the sake of the gospel, or do i do what i do for my own sake?

i still can't shake that question...

walk worthy

i love the Word of God.

check this out: Colossians 1:9-12.

it's paul's prayer for the saints and faithful brethren in colosse. he continually prays for them and specifically asks that they will be filled with the knowledge of God's will. you know how many times i've prayed asking for God's will?!? but why does he ask for that?

for this purpose ("so that..."):

they will WALK WORTHY (v.10). simply that they will "please Him in all respects".

and how will they please God?

1. DO: bearing fruit in works (10)
2. KNOW: increasing in knowledge of God (10)
3. BE: strengthened for steadfastness and patience (11)
4. RESPOND: giving thanks for grace (12)

God's will is all about my character! i hope someone is praying that for me.