|
Are We Proclaiming a Different Gospel?
There is a cancer update at the end of this message. CHIP STAM STEM CELL DRIVE: BE THE MATCH www.carlstam.org/stemcelldrive ===================================== Today's WORSHIP QUOTE is a second excerpt from a new book by Douglas O'Donnell. He writes about the Songs of Scripture and what they teach us about our amazing God. Here are the five Old Testament songs—one each for the first five chapters of the book: 1. The Song of Moses: TE DEUM of Triumph (Exodus 15:1-6, 11) 2. The Song of Yahweh: An Exodus from Israel's Apostasy (Deut. 32:1-4, 43) 3. The Song of Deborah: A Punctured Temple, a Pouring Out of Joy (Judges 5:1-5, 31) 4. The Songs in Samuel: The Barren Woman and the Fertile King (1 Sam. 2:1b-2; 2 Sam. 22: 50-51) 5. The Song of Habakkuk: A Time to Wait—for Wrath (Hab. 3:1-2, 17-19a) If you missed last week's WORSHIP QUOTE from this same author (July 13, 2010, "Making" God Big), you may want to take a look at www.wqotw.org/quote.php?date=2010-07-13. ARE WE PROCLAIMING A DIFFERENT GOSPEL? Now why is it that the Songs of Scripture sing freely about God's righteous judgment and our joy in it, while only a few lines in the top fifty choruses even mention judgment? This is not merely a deficiency; this is a grave mistake, which distorts the gospel message. Imagine the book of Romans without Paul's teaching on sin and wrath! Or think of the book of Revelation without the singing of our salvation. Do we have the gospel if we just sing about grace, freedom, peace, joy, and so on, without singing of being saved from wrath, sin, our enemies, etc.? I think not. How are we to sing "spiritual songs" (Eph. 5:19) when the words of our songs are so far removed from the work of the Spirit, which is, according to our Lord Jesus, to "convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and JUDGMENT (John 16:8; cf. v. 11)? Now, I realize that many Christians today in North America have a hard time understanding the depths of their sin and cannot comprehend what it is like to have enemies who are more than spiritual. I also know that our culture trains us to think that joy and justice are not interrelated themes. And I recognize that there are tough theological tensions here: are we to sing happily of the judgment of others when Christ commanded us to love our enemies? Yet when all of the Old Testament songs in our study, plus some of the psalms, the lyrics of Isaiah, and the New Testament songs all sing of this theme, who are we to remove or neglect it? Shame on us! — Douglas Sean O'Donnell, GOD'S LYRICS: REDISCOVERING WORSHIP THROUGH OLD TESTAMENT SONGS, Phillipsburg, NJ: R&R; Publishing, 2010, pp. 155-56. ISBN 978-1-59638-172-8 Blessings to all! Chip Stam Director, Institute for Christian Worship School of Church Ministries The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary Louisville, Kentucky www.wqotw.org www.sbts.edu/icw ==================== THE PLACE OF THE CHOIR IN WORSHIP: PART 1 (Ed Willmington): http://www.wqotw.org/quote.php?date=2010-01-05 THE PLACE OF THE CHOIR IN WORSHIP: PART 2 (Carl Stam): http://www.wqotw.org/quote.php?date=2010-01-12 THE PLACE OF THE CHOIR IN WORSHIP: PART 3 (Donald Hustad): http://www.wqotw.org/quote.php?date=2010-01-19 THE PLACE OF THE CHOIR IN WORSHIP: PART 4 (Ron Man): http://www.wqotw.org/quote.php?date=2010-01-26 ==================== ===================================== HEALTH UPDATE & PRAYER REQUEST FOR CHIP STAM, CANCER PATIENT www.carlstam.org/stemcelldrive ===================================== July 22 Update Dear friends and family, Thanks for keeping us in your prayers. Some pictures of the infusion day are found at www.caringbridge.org/visit/carlstam. HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN After thirty-one days in the hospital, I came home on Thursday, July 15. (I was admitted on June 15, and the actual transplant with my brother's stem cells was on June 24.) Honestly, it did not seem like a full month to me, but it was. They would have sent me home several days earlier if I had not developed a bladder infection that required treatment there at the hospital. We have been blessed with such fantastic nurses, clinicians, and doctors. How thankful we are to the Lord for the exceptional medical care that is available to me here, just 5.6 miles from my home! I had the perfect number of visitors, and we had people who provided yummy meals for the family (although recent days have not seen me with much of a hearty appetite). I came home eighteen pounds lighter than the day I was admitted. (CAUTION: If you need to lose some weight, do not choose cancer treatment as a solution.) CLINIC VISITS Thankfully, I am not feeling quite as YUCKY as I was two weeks ago. I am eating some yummy stuff (small portions), and at least for now, the nausea is not much of an issue. I am going to the cancer clinic every day (including weekends) for various tests and treatments. They are keeping a very close eye on me with daily blood test. Although they are pleased with the "numbers," the doctor talks about the transplant as only the first hurdle. He reminded us that it will be many months before we know if my brother's cells have "grafted" successfully and safely, but we have only good news at this point. Soli Deo Gloria! So far we have seen BK virus, a bladder infection, CMV (virus), and a pretty severe skin rash. (I have had to remove my wedding ring because my hands have swollen up so severely that my finger was turning blue.) Several of the clinicians have said to us that it is actually a good thing to get SOME GvH (Graft vs. Host Disease) because it is an indication that the grafting is actually happening. Many thanks to all who have been praying for us so faithfully. Your prayers are being answered in countless ways. We are deeply blessed to be in the Lord's sovereign care and to know the deep love of so many of you. In the mighty hands of our Maker and Master, Chip www.caringbridge.org/visit/carlstam =========================== WORSHIP QUOTE OF THE WEEK: To subscribe, unsubscribe, or view a complete index of worship quotes, please visit http://www.wqotw.org. =========================== |