A Surrendered Heart

It has been over 56 years since that day I knelt at an altar during the Asbury Revival of 1970.  I had been a believer about four years, but the fervent faith of the beginning had turned into confusion and cynicism.  In my heart I knew there had to be something more to following Jesus than I was experiencing.  I also knew that if what I was experiencing was as good as it could be, it really was not worth having.  When I went to the altar that Tuesday afternoon, I went with a desperate spirit, a hungry heart, and a frail faith that led me to search for something more.   

For the two years I had been at Asbury College, I had heard sermon after sermon that called for holiness of heart.  Frankly, the word holiness scared me to death.  As preachers through those two years droned on and on about sanctification and the work of the Holy Spirit, I turned a deaf ear.  I wanted no part of what they were "selling" as my cynical spirit called it.  For some reason which can only be accounted to the grace of God, the Holy Spirit broke through the hard shell I had built around my heart.  In a moment of clarity, I understood that the Spirit was calling me to the life of a surrendered heart.  

There at the altar on my knees, it became clear that what God wanted was not a pledge to change the world, but a heart surrendered to His will.  He did not want a heart filled with what I wanted, but a heart that desired to be filled with what He desired for my life.  I knew He was calling me to a faith that was unconditional.  I knew that the day I accepted Christ and said "yes" to a call to preach had brought me to this moment of spiritual preparation.  A heart and will surrendered completely to Him was what He wanted from me in order to be the servant He had called me to be.  I have always been amazed that He saw me as being useful to His Kingdom's work and I have also always been amazed that a moment of entering into the surrendered life made all the difference in the life I have lived and the ministry He entrusted to me.

Dead to Sin

Death is not dying.  Romans 6:10-11 says, "The death He (Jesus) died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life He lives, He lives to God.  So you must also consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus."   Getting better at not sinning is not what the Scripture has in mind when it speaks of considering ourselves dead to sin.  Dying is more of a process; whereas, death is an event that speaks of something having happened with finality.  

Those of us who are believers are tempted to do a dance with the reality of sin.  We learn to live with it.  We rationalize our sin by declaring we are only human.   The Apostle Paul takes us in a totally different direction.  Unless we die suddenly it is usually a process of letting go.  We let go of things we hold in our hands.  We let go of our bank accounts and our titles.  We let go of one thing after another until there is nothing left but family.  Finally, there comes a moment when even family is let go and all we have is ourself and then we let that go as well.  Death comes as a result of dying, but there finally comes a moment when nothing is left for we have let go of everything.   

When we consider ourselves dead to sin, it is a moment of letting go of ambitions, the self serving seeking ego, and the gratifying desires of self.  We let go of all those things which have been hindrances to being at one with Christ and come alive to the reality that our life is now being lived to serve Him and to please Him.  Being dead to sin is knowing that the life we now live is not about us, but it is about Him.  No longer is it about our will, our wants, and our wishes.  Life in Christ is about living so that "thy will be done on earth (and in me) as it is in heaven. 

Help in Praying

There are time when we know not how to pray.  In such times we are reminded of something Paul wrote to the Roman Christians, "Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words...the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God."  (Romans 8:26-27).  We can also find some encouragement as we remember that Jesus has prayed for us. "I ask not only on behalf of these (the disciples), but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word..." (John 17:21).  

The praying of Jesus is not just in the past.  "Consequently, He (Jesus) is able to save those who approach God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them."  (Hebrews 7:25).  Still another thing to remember is the way the Psalms can guide us in our praying.  When we are praying for our nation, we might find ourselves at a loss to know how we should pray.  The 85th Psalm offers us several words that provide help.  Verse 6 says to the Lord, "Will You not revive us again, so that Your people may rejoice in You?"  As we continue in the Psalm we can according to the Scripture pray that "Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet, righteousness and peace will kiss each other, and righteousness will look down from the sky." (Psalm 85:10-11).  

One thing which happens as we pray the Scripture is that we find our praying moves into a different realm.  We are no longer using the same words.  We are no longer praying prayers that reflect what we want, but what God desires to do.  Psalm 85 serves us well as it leads us to ask God to forgive our iniquity, (vs. 2) and to a prayer of asking God to bless us with what is good so that our land will yield its increase. (vs. 12).  These are the prayers that reflect the heart of God, the will of God, and we can pray such prayers with boldness and confidence.

Getting Older

When Old Man Age comes creepin' in,

calling me "old as dirt" or "the ancient one,"

touching my aching legs with rheumitis,

my swollen joints with "arthur-ritus," 

I could sign myself in at the old folks home,

and join the gray hairs in a rocking chair,

making everyone happy 'cept for me.

 

Somewhere between old and getting older

the also old children start their planning

as they figure out what's best for me.

No one asks what I think since thinking

is not what they see me doing anymore.

Though I be of sound mind and breathing body

what I think is not a thing to consider.

 

The plans I have are those of taking the risk,

for failure is no longer a frightening thing.

Having lived with that companion all my life

it scares me less now than ever before.

There are still things to do, trips to take,

fields where being fruitful is still possible

and people who can learn from a slower one. 

 

Retiring is living on less, not, not living.

The poet said, "The best is yet to be"

and the longer the years, the more I believe

letting go and finding new is the better place

for those who may be slower, but not through

with all those things God had in mind

when He said, "I have plans for you."  

 

The Prophetic Voice

Democracy has its own unique way of silencing the prophetic voices which would speak to those in authority in the church.  One of the things which has happened in my denomination, the United Methodist Church, is a multi decade process of agitation and conflict that finally resulted in the departure of those who are considered to be the conservative traditional members of the body. Two large groups, one liberal and the other conservative, finally came to a place where finding a way forward together was deemed impossible.  

The end result of such a division is multi faceted, but one of the things which has happened is that those who continue with the name United Methodist no longer have anyone to speak a dissenting voice.  Any votes now taken concerning direction of the church are nearly unanimous since there is no one to say "No."  There is no such voice now being spoken to those in authority as that voice as has been voted into extinction. It is dangerous ground for any person in spiritual authority to walk.  It is a dangerous place for a church to place itself.

The prophets such as Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Amos may not have been heeded, but their voices continued to be spoken to those in authority.  They might have been thrown into prison, or been ridiculed, or ignored, but their voices remained. Those in authority are better able to serve when there are those around them who are given permission to be naysayers instead of yes people.  This is true in political circles and it is true in the church.  There are no prophetic voices in the church which ordained me long years ago and it is the source of much anguish and grief.  

Biblical Trivia

While I hesitate to use the word "trivia" to speak of some things written in the Bible, it is a word which seems appropriate when we run into surprising little details which are a part of the major story being told in unfolding story of the Word of God.  In recent readings in Jeremiah, I came across a record of the Lord saying to the prophet, "You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons and daughters." (Jeremiah 16:1)  Of course, this personal aspect of Jeremiah's life was a part of God's prophetic message through him.  As is often the case, one things leads to another.  

I wondered about the personal life of other prophets.  Isaiah 7:3 speaks of the prophet's son accompanying him and Isaiah 8:3 says of Isaiah, "I went to the prophetess, and she conceived and bore a son."  Hosea's marital situation is a major part of what God was saying through him.  "...the Lord said to Hosea, 'Go take for yourself a wife of whoredom and have children of whoredom.'"  (Hosea 1:2). When she left him, Hosea found her and bought her back from a life of prostitution. (Hosea 3:1-2).  Ezekiel's marriage story is the strangest.  "The Word of the Lord came to me: 'Mortal, with one blow I am about to take away from you the delight of your eyes; yet, you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down...' So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died." (Ezekiel 24:15-18.  

As we read the personal details of these prophets, we do so in the context of the the ministry and the message of the prophet.  God had a word He wanted to say to His people and He used not only the prophets voice, but often used the personal lives of the prophets as well as visible enactments to speak that word and message.  It is not always easy to understand.  When we read, we can only shake our heads in wonder at why God did what He did.  What we often discover is that what we might call Biblical trivia is an integral part of what God was doing through Israel's prophets.

The Hard Way

Jeremiah was a faithful prophet, but it was not easy,  He was told by God, "You shall not take a wife, nor shall you have sons and daughters in this place."  (Jeremiah 16:1). He was put in stocks and thrown in prison.  He was told by God to speak His word, but no one listened.  He said of himself, " I have become a laughingstock all day long; everyone mocks me..." (Jeremiah 20:7).  He wanted to give it up.  He spoke of the conflict within which centered around his desire to be liked by his peers and being faithful to God, "If I say, 'I will not mention Him, or speak anymore in His name,' then within me there is something like a burning fire shut up in my bones; I am weary with holding it in and I cannot." (Jeremiah 20:9).   

Being a faithful speaker of God's word did not earn him any popularity award.  All of us want to be liked by others and Jeremiah was no exception, but it was not the reward he received.  His reward came from God for being a bold prophet who stood to speak the uncomfortable word no one one wanted to hear.  Because of his trust in the Lord, he was blessed.  "Blessed are those who trust in the Lord, whose trust is in the Lord.  They shall be like a tree planted by water, sending out its roots by the stream...it does not cease to bear fruit."  (Jeremiah 17:7-8).  

Anyone who seriously studies the prophets comes to the conclusion that faithfulness to God will likely result in persecution.  Persecution today may not take the form of being hung on a cross, or burned at the stake.  It may be something as simple as not being taken seriously, being dismissed as being old fashioned and irrelevant, or speaking but not being heard.  To be traditional in this progressive society often results in becoming a laughingstock.  Faithfulness to God has always been the life of swimming upstream, of being different, and of being tolerated but not really accepted in the circles of the powerful and all knowing ones.  It is good to count the cost at the beginning for it is certain that the life of faithfulness to God will be costly.

Where Are the Prophets?

Preachers and prophets may have in common a call from God, but the role to which they are called is different.  When I say that preachers are " a dime a dozen," I mean no disrespect.  I have and still do regard myself as one of them.  Instead, it is to say there are a multitude of preachers, but very few prophets.  A preacher may speak prophetically from time to time, but the preacher is the "general practitioner" of the church while the prophet has a more specific function.   Prophets are hard to find because it is a tough calling to embrace.  

The life of Jeremiah certainly illustrates this reality.  Jeremiah is often called the reluctant prophet.  His calling came at a young age and when he heard it, he said, "Ah, Lord God!  Truly, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a boy."  (Jeremiah 1:6).  Immediately, he heard the Lord telling him he was to speak to authority, to rulers, and priests as well as those under their authority.  He was told his message was a message of judgment and destruction against Jerusalem and Judah.  Imagine the fear in young Jeremiah's heart when he heard the Lord saying to him, "...gird up your loins; stand up and tell them everything that I have commanded you.  Do not break down before them, or I will break you before them." (Jeremiah 1:17)  

Anyone interested in being a prophet?  It is no wonder that there few among us.  Prophets speak to authority.  They are easily dismissed as fanatics, or fringe dwellers, or one issue people.  They find themselves ignored because their message is so uncomfortable to hear.  They are told to find the compromising way but they cannot because of their faithfulness to God and His calling.  Again, who among us wants the prophet to live among us?  Who wants to live and speak prophetically?

An Unpopular Word

Sin is not such a popular word in our culture.  Many modern day Christians view it more as an anachronism than a present danger.  The defining word about sin now belongs not to the Holy Word of God, but to society's interpretation of that Word once regarded as holy and inspired by God.  Contemporary Christian thinkers would have us delegate sin to the counselor's couch instead of the altar of repentance.  The one thing to be avoided in the contemporary church is to make people feel bad.  Folks should always feel good when they leave worship is the mandate given to today's preachers and worship leaders.  

It is, therefore, no wonder the church of our day is more comfortable with the New Testament message about God's love than some of those disturbing thundering words of the prophets who speak from the pages of the Old Testament.  To read a prophet like Jeremiah is to understand that sin is a serious issue when it comes to being in a faithful relationship. Sin is a breech of trust, a breech of a covenant relationship, and God does not just turn His head and say, "Maybe you can do better next time."  

Jeremiah 16:17-18 speak of a side of God we would rather not acknowledge, "For my eyes are on their ways; they are not hidden from My presence, nor is their iniquity concealed from My sight. And I will doubly repay their iniquity and their sin..."  Perhaps, some do not take sin seriously, but God does.  It is no trifling matter with Him.  To view sin from any perspective other than the cross where Jesus died is a mistake.  The cross may speak of God's love, but it also speaks of the cost of our sin.  For God our sin is no inconsequential matter, but an issue which breaks His heart.

The Gift of Completion

As the years accumulate they bring us to a season of life that is lived slower, a season that is marked by limitations, and a season of letting go.  They also bring us to a season of abundant gifting.  The gifts that come are not like the gifts of the past known as accumulation, recognition, and unending possibilities.  The gifts that come in the season of accumulating years come like precious treasures.  Gifts of grace is what they are and as we slowly unwrap them, we do so with amazement that we never knew they were out there to be given.   

Completion is one of those gifts that never comes earlier, but always later.  It is not the gift of seeing and reaping the fruits of our labor secured by the sweat of our brow, but the gift of sensing that the important, lasting, even eternal things of life are finally becoming visible to our longing heart.  Completion is about coming to terms with who we are, why we have been given more life than we ever really considered possible, and the difference our living has made.  Completion is not about retiring to the rocker on the front porch, but accepting the ending of the past and the unfolding of a new season of usefulness.  

This season of abundant giving gives us time to laugh over things past and present.  It gives us time to cherish the love of those who have shared and are sharing love with us.  It is a season of overflowing gratitude.  It is the season of knowing and celebrating "'tis grace hath brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home,"  Completion is truly experienced as we embrace the realization that life has always been about grace.  Too much of life we have been too busy to notice.  This season of abundant gifting brings us to an awareness that even in the beginning, as it is now, life is all about God's unending grace. 

The Potter's House

"Go!" was what I heard.

    "No buts, no ifs, or ands,

      No whining either.

         Just get up and go."

            So I up and went

to the potter's house.

In a place of wet clay  

     sat a bearded man,

       the ancient of days

        was surely his name

           And so, I said,

"Old One, here I am."

"Been waiting," he said,

    "What took you so long?"

        My head was spinning,

          no words did I know,

            so I sat to watch

the hands, wheel, the clay.

"Why the potter's house?

    Why did You say 'Go?' 

       There is nothing here,

         but the smell of clay

           and this bearded one

who has nothing to say."

"Watch, be quiet, be still,"

     spoke the voice of "Go!"

       Through the day we sat,

         He, the potter, and I.

           Nary a sound was heard,

but wet spinning clay.

"Damn!' the potter cried.

    "That won't do," he said

        as he stopped the wheel,

          took the messed up clay

            in his hands like dough

and started over again.

In my watching I knew

   why the voice said, "Go!"

     The potter's house, the place

       where the Word of God

         is heard by those who fear 

they might be thrown away.

       

(Jeremiah 18:1-6)

Encountering Jesus

When we read the story of Zacchaeus and Jesus, we spend too much time seeing the sycamore tree.  It may be an interesting sight to behold, but something which happens in the home of Zacchaeus is far more important to see.  Jesus went to the home of the tax collector that day.  Since the story begins with "He (Jesus) entered Jericho and was passing through it," (Luke 19:1), it would seem that Jesus had a change of plans.  He was so impressed by Zacchaeus that he invited Himself to his home.  Everyone was no doubt amazed.  

What must have really amazed them and what is more significant than a short man climbing a tree is how the tax collector's life was changed.  Exactly what happened in the house, we do not know, but we do know that Zacchaeus's life was radically changed by this unexpected encounter with Jesus.  Before the day was done, we hear the tax collector saying, "Look, Lord, half of my possessions I will give to then poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much." (Luke 19:8).  

The story of this man's transformation tells us that an encounter with Jesus is not only something to be experienced personally, but that it changes the heart in such a way that no longer can the poor and broken be ignored.  When we encounter Jesus, we find ourselves encountering those around us in a different way.  We no longer want to relate to those around us from a position of power or privilege, but as one who wants to care for the needs of a brother and sister.  We become one of those who no longer is owned by what is held, but instead, becomes one whose hands are open to give generously and to serve with love.

Amazing, is it Not?

Christianity brings two earthshaking and life changing words.  One is incarnation and the other is resurrection.  There is nothing in all of history which can cause these two realities to be shadowed.  Go to the story of Bethlehem for the truth of the incarnation in narrative form, or go to those eight words in the gospel of John for the theological language.  "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." (John 1:14).  Listen to Jesus declaring, "I am the resurrection and the life.  Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live" (John 11:25) or go to the ending of each of the four gospels for a first hand account of the event upon which the Christian faith is centered.   

The common denominator in both history altering events is Jesus.  There is none like Him in all the pages of history.  He is known as Good Shepherd because of His compassion.  He is known as Son of God as He is the sent one of God.  He is known as Savior because of His redemptive sacrifice on the cross. The name of Jesus is the name above all names.  The gospel message centers on this One who came from God, lived among us, died for us, rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven.  

The creed we proclaim on Sunday when we gather for worship is about more than nice sounding words.  As we stand and recite the ancient creed, we are declaring two things.  The first is "This is what God has done for us."  The second is, "This is what I believe and upon this foundation I live."  The gospel is not a theological event, but a moment in history that is transforming and life changing. Jesus is not just a character in a story.  He is one who invites us into a personal relationship with Him.  Amazing, is it not?

The One Revealed

The Scripture has been important to me almost since I learned to read.  I was baptized when I was nine years old.  Exactly when I got my first Bible I am not sure, but I know it was probably one of the first books I owned.  None of this is to say that I have been the faithful reader I could have been, but it is to say that it is a book which has never been very far away.  As the years have added up, it has stayed even closer.  I am grateful that the Scripture has been a constant in my life.  Throughout my ministry, I have always thought of myself as one of Wesley's preachers and have grown to appreciate the "one book" tradition which is a part of my Methodist heritage.   

There have been times when I have said that my life is based on this holy book, but as I pause I realize that as important as the Bible has been in all my days, my life has been based not on the book as much as the One revealed in the book.  I have been influenced by many saints who have gone before me.  I have learned to glean some of the truths proclaimed from other faith walks, but Jesus is the One who is the foundation of my life.  There is no one like Him.  He has done for us impossible things.  

John 1:18 declares, "No one has ever seen God.  It is God the only Son who is close to the Father's heart, who has made Him known to us."  In another place in the same gospel we hear Jesus saying to Philip, "Whoever has seen me has seen the Father." (John 14:9).  These are amazing, mind boggling words.  To see and know Jesus is to see and know the heart of God and this is only one of so many things revealed to us through this book we carry with us on the journey.

Unbelievable

Some things are hard to believe.  Sometimes we think our eyes must be deceiving us.  Such is what I experienced not long ago when I noticed that the page view counter of JourneyNotes was at 1,001,176. This has nothing to do with my blog presence on Facebook.  Instead, this number reflects the number of times someone has seen my blog from blogspot.com.  If you have never seen it on blogspot, the url address is http://billjourneynotes.blogspot.com/ and once there you can subscribe via email.  It was never my intent back in 2008 when I started JourneyNotes to write a daily blog, but it is to such a place that I have come.  

What I have come to understand in these years of seeing the blog turn into a daily writing venture is that it reflects God calling and blessing me in a ministry transition from preaching to writing. I am grateful to Him for enabling me to fulfill this ministry and even more grateful for the way so many have shared being blessed by what He has enabled me to do.  The congregation who used to hear me preach all lived within shouting distance of the sanctuary and through JourneyNotes it now goes beyond boundaries I could never have imagined being crossed.   

I know that JourneyNotes is not about what I have done, but what God has done and is doing through the gifts for ministry that He has bestowed upon me.  As unbelievable as one million page views is, it is even more unbelievable that He called me to ministry back in 1966 and since the day of calling has had the patience to allow me the privilege of being useful in His kingdom's work.  Another unbelievable part of this whole writing venture is that so many have become faithful readers and to each one of you I am grateful.  

The Real Thing

Christianity is not about associations, but a relationship.  The heresy is that we are made Christian by our association with the faith of our mothers and father, a religious affiliation, our peer group, or an identity in a community that seeks to do good through service.  Such an understanding of Christianity does not need Jesus. Jesus was not and is not about institutional membership, but is instead about knowing those who come after Him, being known by them, and beginning a journey together.   

It is not what we do that makes us Christians.  Others may look at us and see a good person who is doing good things and declare us a Christian and we may do the same when we look in the mirror and see ourselves, but the only thing which identifies us as a Christian is that we have chosen a relationship with Jesus.  The relationship with Christ is not one we can initiate, but one God has initiated and made possible through the sacrificed blood of Jesus on the cross.  We become Christians not when we join, but when we accept this relationship which is always about the grace of God. 

Until we identify with Christ in this divinely ordained relationship, we may be worthy of the name good, or the name respectable, or even the name pillar of the church, but we only become Christians when we say "Yes" to what Christ has done for us and allow the Holy Spirit to begin God's work in us.  The church's witness and ministry in the world is diminished when we equate membership, or a willingness to serve others with being a Christian.  We become Christians not by joining a church, or associating with certain groups, but by choosing a personal relationship with Jesus.  Anything less is counterfeit.  It only looks like the real thing.  

Praise in Praying

When we pray and most of us do, our praying can become like other things we do.  We hurry.  It is not a thing like leaving late and hurrying to arrive late, but embracing a pattern of prayer which makes us hurry to our intercessory prayer list.  Make no mistake.  Intercessory prayer is a good thing which is useful in the hands of God.  Instead the question being posed is, "When was the last time we came to our time of prayer and soaked ourselves in a season of praise?"  

If we wonder what this kind of praying might look like, or if we need some models to help us break with the way we have always done things, we might read the last six Psalms (145-150).  A further suggestion would be to start with Psalm 150 and read backwards to Psalm 145.  The suggestion is not to read them all at one time, but to allow these verses so full of praise to God to reveal a form for praising God in our prayers.  And finally, this paragraph of suggestions might also include the suggestion that the praise be allowed to come from a stilled and unhurried heart.  

One of the things which happens with this kind of praying is that it creates a different spiritual atmosphere.  It might be likened to walking into a cooling shade filled with the evening breeze after a day filled with scorching heat and soaking humidity.  It becomes a place that we do not want to leave.  It becomes a place where our spirit is powerfully refreshed and renewed by being in the presence of the Holy.  Once we arrive at such a place in our praying, the hurrying spirit is soon replaced by a spirit that longs to linger.

An Old and New Timepiece

Just before I retired, my watch gave out.  I remember looking at it one day and realizing that it no longer was keeping up with time.  In the moment I made a radical decision.  I decided not to replace it.  Perhaps, it was intuition leading me toward an unseen season which was about to dawn when I would leave the world of the day planner for a life more attuned to the sun dial I placed in a sunny spot on the farm.  Looking back I can see that laying aside the watch was a step that served to prepare me for a different lifestyle.  

As I walked into those early years of retirement, I was drawn toward a lifestyle of paying attention.  One of the things to which I learned to pay attention was the movement of the sun from the faint light of the morning to the soft fading light of the evening.  Without some conscious decision, I started noting the location of the sun and the shadows it set in place on the ground.  As the months began to add up,  the creation of which I was becoming a part started telling me the time as surely as had the wrist watch of a more hectic past.  What was interesting was that the more I paid attention to the present and the people in the present, the more I saw and heard.  

I not only began to see and hear the messages sent by the Creation, but also the messages sent by the Creator God who revealed Himself and made His voice known through the Creation.  Most folks who come to the farm speak first of the silence, but staying awhile and embracing the life it unfolds brings to the ear and the eye things which once seemed silent and invisible.  The Creation is really not such a silent place.  There is always a stirring in the trees, hawks and crows hollering in the sky, and "the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze." (Genesis 3:8).

Wrath and Righteousness

Talking about the love of God is far more popular than talking about the wrath of God.  Most preachers would prefer ignoring it in preaching and most people of the pews would rather not hear it mentioned in preaching.  The common consensus is to stay focused on positive and uplifting things.  The only problem is that the Bible speaks often of the wrath of God.  Romans 1:17 reads, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth." The problem of a God of wrath is compounded by another word Paul wrote a little later in the letter, "But now apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed..." (Romans 3:24)  

The Word of God calls us to live with the tension created by holding in the same hand "the wrath of God" and "the righteousness of God."  Understanding the wrath of God is more difficult than understanding the righteousness of God.  The wrath of God is not about vengeance, or uncontrollable anger, but about the justice of God.  The wrath of God is empty of grace as it is about evil getting what evil deserves.  Even as the wrath of God is empty of grace so is it empty of the lovingkindness which is implicit within the Old Testament word, "hesed."  It is hard for us to think of God in such terms. 

John the Apostle wrote, "...God is love...(I John 4:8, 16).  Of course, nothing makes this truth clearer to us than the presence of Jesus in the flesh in our world.  The righteous God who is disclosed to us is one of love.  He is one filled with lovingkindness.  He is one who gives the free gift of grace.  Thus, we live midst a mystery filled with theological tension that is not about choosing one or the other, but both.