Chris Tomlinson's Blog: Crave Something More

Salt and Light

Let’s talk about salt for a moment.  First, salt is amazing.  I think I could be content being a deer or a cow if it meant regular time at a salt lick.  Second, salt is amazing!  Do you know how many things salt can do?

Salt preserves.  It heals.  It seasons.  It stings.  It awakens thirst.  It bonds friendships (in certain cultures).  It testifies to covenants (on certain occasions).  Salt was so amazing, in fact, that the Greeks considered it to be divine, calling it theon.  The Romans considered it to be worth giving as a wage to their soldiers.  Some cultures valued salt more than gold, more than silver.

So when Jesus stood on the mountain and spoke to His disciples and the crowd, saying, “You are the salt of the earth,” what ideas must have taken shape in their minds!  I am to season the earth.  I am to awaken thirst amongst the peoples.  I am to preserve that which is worth preserving, to battle against the natural decay of the world.

It’s a strange thing to call someone salt, and not fully explain what you mean, other than to warn the salt to not lose its saltiness, or its taste.  “You are the salt of the earth,” Jesus said, “but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored?”  The Greek here is more telling:  if salt is made useless, made foolish, is tainted–how will it be restored?  It’s as if Jesus is saying, You are salt.  That’s what my Father intends you to be.  So don’t stop being salt!

Now, let’s talk about light.  Yes, light is also amazing.  It’s no salt lick, but it still blows the minds of theoretical physicists, philosophers, cosmologists, and photographers alike.  It’s a timeless symbol for God, and for good, and in some ways, for eternity itself.

Light reveals.  It illuminates the darkness.  It attracts.  It goes incredibly fast, and its power and reach and breadth know no bounds, provided the source is sufficient.

So when Jesus says to the disciples, and to the crowd, “You are the light of the world,” he’s saying something remarkable.  Keep in mind, John tells us that “God is light,” and Jesus says, “I am the light of the world.”  And this is what is so shocking:  God is light, and Jesus is the light of the world, and we are the light of the world too.  We are not God, certainly, but we are embodied with the same kind of nature as He has, perhaps because our new nature shares in His, producing forth a light that scatters the darkness and bears witness to the good we do by His Spirit.

Salt, and light.  Jesus says we are both.  Let’s be both.

But as we do so, let’s keep in mind that salt works silently, hidden amongst the meat, or blending in with the herbs, or being absorbed in the mouth.  Salt does its work in and among its environment.  Light, however, shines forth so brightly that people see its effects and give glory to its Source.  Light does its work in and on its environment.  But what salt and light do have in common is that they do their best work among other salts and lights.  A grain of salt may taste like salt, but it won’t season a meal, and it won’t preserve a steak.  A single candle may give light to a room, but it won’t shine forth from a hilltop.

So be salt this week.  Let your silence of your character speak loudly for you.  Let your blending in with the world around you give rise to an opportunity to preserve, or heal, or awaken spiritual thirst.  And be light as well.  Let your deeds shine forth so that the world around you may see the Light who works in and through you and give glory to our Father in heaven.

May we gather together, as the salt of the earth, and the light of the world, to season, and preserve, and awaken, and shine forth to a world in need!

In My Father’s Study

There’s this thing we do as Christians, when other Christians ask us how our relationship with God is going, and we often answer in terms of how much time we’ve spent reading our Bibles or praying.  If we’ve had a good stretch of devotional time, we say things are going pretty well.  If we’ve been neglecting our devotions, we say things could be better.

I suppose it’s only natural to think in these terms.  We live in a tangible world, and we use our sense of touch, and taste, and smell, and hearing, and sight to know and experience all the things that we consider to be real.  But we also believe in a God who cannot touch, or taste, or smell, or hear, or see, at least not anymore, and not in the same sense as the world we know as real.  And the one thing we can touch is His Word, and the one thing we can hear is our prayers, so we hold on to those tightly.

I was talking with a friend recently who asked me how my relationship with God was going, and I told him this:

It’s been OK.  I mean, I’m still reading my Bible a bit, but it’s mainly to try to keep up on a reading plan.  And I do pray throughout the day, asking God for help in things or praying when people come to mind.  But I don’t think that’s really what you’re asking.

The real truth is that I feel disconnected from God, like something’s just a little off.  It seems to me like God is waiting in my study, and I’m hanging out by the doorway, talking a bit, or passing by and nodding.  But I’m not going in to sit and talk and be with Him.

I know it’s a silly picture, but there is a difference between reading and praying in the doorway and reading and praying in the study.  I guess in the latter that I want to be there, because that’s where my Father is, and I love being with Him.  So pray for me, that I would go on in more often, and if you find yourself leaning on the door post, go on in as well.  There’s room for both of us.

Question:  How’s your relationship with God going?

Another Update In Thoughts

Welcome back. I have missed your wisdom, the discipline of writing, the thinking it takes to craft something worth saying, the pursuit of sentences that ring (with beauty and truth), and the glory God gets when we treasure Him more each day.  Here is what I have been learning since we last met:

Awake My Soul is like a soul-stirring hike through the Scottish highlands.
“They” say chicken roosts need to have 1 foot of space per chicken; it’s more like 6-8 inches, assuming your chickens like each other.
Those of us who lack humility also lack an understanding of God’s grace.
A joyless life is one spent on serving self.
Clearing a small forest with modern tools takes a long time; what must life have been like for folks back in the day!
Clear, well-crafted, meaningful vision and mission in ministry are essential.
We are created by God for God (Col 1:16, 1 Corin 8:6).
One definition of joy:  not the absence of difficult circumstances but the presence of God in the midst of them (RS).
The danger in a religious society is that we have enough knowledge of Christ to be inoculated against the person of Christ for the rest of our lives (RS).
Ducks are dirty, and they kind of stink.
Joy is the megaphone of evangelism.
Women have the ability to take in considerable amounts of inputs at the same time—it’s astounding.
Jesus is the ultimate example for those who are married:  completely faithful, head of the body (loving and serving His bride by giving His life for her), and submissive to God (respecting the role His Father held by submitting to Him).
Everything in life gets old, except Jesus (as the ageless one).
Listening well earns us the right to hear the next thing a person in need wants to share.
Our modeling of walking with God speaks loudly to our kids—so does what we do when we fail.
Love is not a spiritual gift b/c every spiritual gift must be an expression of love: Exhort, teach, encourage, give, lead, serve–in love!
The Bible isn’t primarily prescription for how to live; it’s primarily revelation from God about God.  Knowing God helps us know how to live.
Weeds are relentless (see my driveway and Gen 3:18).
Godly love is authentic, meaning expressions of love come from the place where love is deeply felt, rather than expressions of love coming as an attempt to show love.
Conflict tends to produce pursuers and avoiders—I’m a pursuer, and it’s typically self-serving.
When time is not used well, it can seduce the best of men (MM).
God is in charge of our careers—and pretty much everything else in our lives.
Giving our spouses space to grow in God is ultimately an act of faith in God.
There is wisdom in finally seeing hardship and blessing as two strands of the same cord of God’s goodness.

Question:  What have you been learning recently?

Day 21: Mary’s Treasure

The English have the 12 days of Christmas in song.  The high churches have the 24 (ish) days of advent.  Here at Crave Something More, I’ll be writing a series called the “21 Days of CSM Christmas.”  Starting December 5 and finishing on Christmas Day, I will write once a day about all things Christmas, in the hopes that we will all continue to see Jesus as the greatest satisfaction to our soul’s deepest cravings.

Day 21:  Mary’s Treasure

A meditation in poem on Luke 2:19

History tells us the tales of men,

Who seek their treasures

On mountain peaks, in ocean depths,

In trade and craft, in caves and vales;

All seeking, some finding, none satisfied.

The gleam of gold, the shine of silver,

The sparkle of jewels in dazzling light.

These objects of beauty and desire,

Perishable though they may be,

Yet bought by the lives of men.

But it is birth which gives us our greatest treasures:

Tiny hands and warm breath,

Searching eyes and breathless sighs,

The hint of father, and mention of mother,

All, the closest thing we can call our own.

So it must have been for the virgin Mary,

When light and song danced in the depths

Of a soul touched by the Spirit of God.

Eyes gazing, arms holding,

This promised child, sleeping at her breast.

When did she know He belonged not to her,

But to the world?  A gift from God few would believe,

She alone must bear the joy, and the sorrow,

Always the two, wrapped together,

Between the swaddling clothes.

He was a gift to be sure,

This helpless babe, needing warmth and mother’s milk,

Lying, resting, in the humblest of beds,

Yet, eternal Creator of all things,

And Savior of the world.

He was a gift to Mary,

Favored of God and faithful to God,

Whose womb bore the promise of angels and men;

Flesh of her flesh, a firstborn son,

That she could call her own.

He was a gift to Joseph,

Betrothed of Mary, the righteous man

Whose righteousness could never merit

The gift that only grace could give:

To adopt the Son of God as his own.

He was a gift to the shepherds,

Keeping watch over their flocks by night,

Eyes on their sheep, then to the fire,

Then to the visitor in their midst,

And to the glory shining ‘round about them.

And He was a gift to us,

Though we did not ask, nor did we seek.

Still, God has given, and opened our eyes,

And we come, broken and poor,

Now inheritors with Him of all things.

So we turn our eyes towards Mary’s treasure:

Worshipped by shepherds, hailed by magi,

Promised by prophets, sought out by kings.

And we turn our eyes towards our own treasures,

And forsake all to call Him our own.

Happy Birthday, King Jesus!

For the rest of the 21 Days of Crave Something More Christmas, go here.

Day 21: Mary's Treasure

The English have the 12 days of Christmas in song.  The high churches have the 24 (ish) days of advent.  Here at Crave Something More, I'll be writing a series called the "21 Days of CSM Christmas."  Starting December 5 and finishing on Christmas Day, I will write once a day about all things Christmas, in the hopes that we will all continue to see Jesus as the greatest satisfaction to our soul's deepest cravings.

Day 21:  Mary's Treasure

A meditation in poem on Luke 2:19

History tells us the tales of men,

Who seek their treasures

On mountain peaks, in ocean depths,

In trade and craft, in caves and vales;

All seeking, some finding, none satisfied.

The gleam of gold, the shine of silver,

The sparkle of jewels in dazzling light.

These objects of beauty and desire,

Perishable though they may be,

Yet bought by the lives of men.

But it is birth which gives us our greatest treasures:

Tiny hands and warm breath,

Searching eyes and breathless sighs,

The hint of father, and mention of mother,

All, the closest thing we can call our own.

So it must have been for the virgin Mary,

When light and song danced in the depths

Of a soul touched by the Spirit of God.

Eyes gazing, arms holding,

This promised child, sleeping at her breast.

When did she know He belonged not to her,

But to the world?  A gift from God few would believe,

She alone must bear the joy, and the sorrow,

Always the two, wrapped together,

Between the swaddling clothes.

He was a gift to be sure,

This helpless babe, needing warmth and mother's milk,

Lying, resting, in the humblest of beds,

Yet, eternal Creator of all things,

And Savior of the world.

He was a gift to Mary,

Favored of God and faithful to God,

Whose womb bore the promise of angels and men;

Flesh of her flesh, a firstborn son,

That she could call her own.

He was a gift to Joseph,

Betrothed of Mary, the righteous man

Whose righteousness could never merit

The gift that only grace could give:

To adopt the Son of God as his own.

He was a gift to the shepherds,

Keeping watch over their flocks by night,

Eyes on their sheep, then to the fire,

Then to the visitor in their midst,

And to the glory shining 'round about them.

And He was a gift to us,

Though we did not ask, nor did we seek.

Still, God has given, and opened our eyes,

And we come, broken and poor,

Now inheritors with Him of all things.

So we turn our eyes towards Mary's treasure:

Worshipped by shepherds, hailed by magi,

Promised by prophets, sought out by kings.

And we turn our eyes towards our own treasures,

And forsake all to call Him our own.

Happy Birthday, King Jesus!

For the rest of the 21 Days of Crave Something More Christmas, go here.

Day 20: Come And Worship

The English have the 12 days of Christmas in song.  The high churches have the 24 (ish) days of advent.  Here at Crave Something More, I'll be writing a series called the "21 Days of CSM Christmas."  Starting December 5 and finishing on Christmas Day, I will write once a day about all things Christmas, in the hopes that we will all continue to see Jesus as the greatest satisfaction to our soul's deepest cravings.

Day 20:  Come and Worship

Tonight, we celebrated the birth of Christ with our church community in song and reflection on God's word.  And I heard the most beautiful song, Come and Worship, for the first time.

Come with me and worship our Jesus, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Treasure, our Brother, our Master, our Friend, our Hope, our Salvation, our God, our newborn King!

Note:  If you are reading on RSS or email, you can click through the title to see the video.

For the rest of the 21 Days of Crave Something More Christmas, go here.

Days 18-19: The Anticlimacy of Christmas

The English have the 12 days of Christmas in song.  The high churches have the 24 (ish) days of advent.  Here at Crave Something More, I'll be writing a series called the "21 Days of CSM Christmas."  Starting December 5 and finishing on Christmas Day, I will write once a day about all things Christmas, in the hopes that we will all continue to see Jesus as the greatest satisfaction to our soul's deepest cravings.

Days 18-19:  The Anticlimacy of Christmas

Something's wrong with me.  I'm already feeling like Christmas is anticlimactic, and it's not even Christmas yet.  (And I'm making up words like anticlimacy).  Most people reserve melancholy for after the fact, but not me.  I like to get a jump on these sorts of things.

I suppose I'm just getting to the point in my life where the years have piled up enough to notice some things that are always true.  And for me, I always find the day after Christmas to be a bit of a letdown.  I don't even put all that much stock in the trappings of Christmas, but there are at least 5 things I love about Christmas, and the truth is, they never pay off.  Even the good things don't pay off.

It's not the things themselves.  We can say they are morally neutral.  Or we can say they are gifts from God to be enjoyed, if enjoyed in the right way.  And both are probably true.  No, the issue is my own heart.

As I consider why this might be so, two things come to mind.  First, I have unfair expectations.  And second, my expectations are misplaced.

I say unfair because the good things of the Christmas season can never truly satisfy whatever it is that I, and probably you as well, are looking for.  We desire a sense of peace, and comfort, and togetherness, and love, and acceptance, and joy—and a season like Christmas seems like it might just do the trick.  But as happy as this season may be for some (and for others, it's not happy at all), it never delivers what we think it promises.

I say misplaced for a similar reason.  If Christmas can't deliver what I'm looking for, then something must be able to do so.  Lewis picked up on this:  "If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probably explanation is that I was made for another world."  And while he's right, I would add to this that we were not only made for another world, but for the Person who is the chief reason for this other world.

At the end of the day, the way to avoid the inevitable letdown is to see all the good things of Christmas as the vapors that they are—and to see the One great think of Christmas as the rock that He is.  Life is a vapor, and all things exist for Jesus, so enjoy the good things of Christmas, knowing they are passing away, and cling to the Rock who will never be moved.

For the rest of the 21 Days of Crave Something More Christmas, go here.

Day 17: God With, Over, In, For

The English have the 12 days of Christmas in song.  The high churches have the 24 (ish) days of advent.  Here at Crave Something More, I'll be writing a series called the "21 Days of CSM Christmas."  Starting December 5 and finishing on Christmas Day, I will write once a day about all things Christmas, in the hopes that we will all continue to see Jesus as the greatest satisfaction to our soul's deepest cravings.

Day 17:  God With, Over, In, For

Isaiah told us that the coming Messiah would be called Immanuel, which means "God with us."  And this is beautiful:  God, the maker of heaven and earth, the king of Israel, was coming to be with mankind.  We can never be too amazed at this stunning truth—that God walked our earth, ate our food, slept under our stars.  He was with us.

But God with us got me thinking about other aspects of our relationship with God.  Here are three others to celebrate this Christmas:

God is over us.  God is sovereign, by right and by power, because He is the creator of all things.  He can become man that first Christmas because He is first and foremost over man.  And this is great news for all of us who call ourselves His own, because He gives us all that He has through His Son.
God is in us. Christmas was a remarkable movement of God towards man, and Jesus showed us amazing things about the nature of God.  But He said His going was worth the coming of His Spirit, because God's movement towards man was going to get even closer.  God was not simply going to be with us; He was going to be in us.
God is for us.  Perhaps the greatest Christmas present we will receive this year is a deepening understanding that God is for us.  He is working all things in our lives together for our good.  And if He is for us, who can stand against us?

Allow the beauty of His being over us, and in us, and for us to give you a deeper kind of cheer this holiday season, and thank Him this Christmas that He is our Immanuel!

For the rest of the 21 Days of Crave Something More Christmas, go here.

Day 16: 2 Questions This Christmas

The English have the 12 days of Christmas in song.  The high churches have the 24 (ish) days of advent.  Here at Crave Something More, I'll be writing a series called the "21 Days of CSM Christmas."  Starting December 5 and finishing on Christmas Day, I will write once a day about all things Christmas, in the hopes that we will all continue to see Jesus as the greatest satisfaction to our soul's deepest cravings.

Day 16:  2 Questions This Christmas

Let's commend Zechariah and Mary.  Both were chosen by God for special tasks, both submitted themselves to God's hand in their lives, both experienced the joy of raising Spirit-filled children, and both are held up as models of righteousness.

But let's also learn something from their two questions.  The gospel of Luke gives us the accounts of their being visited by the angel, Gabriel, who gave them both remarkable news.  Here were their responses:

Zechariah:  "How shall I know this?"

Mary:  "How will this be?"

How shall I know this? is a question that asks for more.  More information, more confirmation, more security.  When God guides, how shall I know this? is a question just short of faith.  When God leads, how shall I know this? asks for something more than God's word.  This is a question of control, a question of doubt, and a question I ask far too often.

How will this be? is a question that seeks explanation.  Whether the explanation comes or not, how will this be? is a question out of faith, a question that belies belief but wants to know more.  When God directs, how will this be? follows along, creating conversation, seeking understanding.  This is a question of curiosity, based on faith, and it's a question I ask far too little.

Despite the busy nature of the season, Christmas is a time of rest, and times of rest are often times for reflection.  So whatever God is doing in your heart and in your life in this moment, pursue the path of faith, trusting Him at His word by finding Him in His word, and let your heart be won over by the faithfulness of our God who is always working for our good.  And if you must ask questions of God, ask them out of faith, not out of doubt, because He rewards those who seek His wisdom.

For the rest of the 21 Days of Crave Something More Christmas, go here.

Day 15: Hark!

T he English have the 12 days of Christmas in song.  The high churches have the 24 (ish) days of advent.  Here at Crave Something More, I'll be writing a series called the " 21 Days of CSM Christmas ."  Starting December 5 and finishing onChristmas Day, I will write once a day about all things Christmas, in the hopes that we will all continue to see Jesus as the greatest satisfaction to our soul's deepest cravings.

Day 15:  Hark!

I love hymns. And I love Christmas hymns.  And it just seems odd that so many people hear these hymns without ever really truly listening to them.  There is amazing truth, and rich theology, in many of our tradition's greatest hymns.

One classic that we sang this past Sunday is Hark, The Herald Angels Sing.  Charles Wesley, the prolific writers of hymns, originally wrote these words in 1739, but it wasn't until 1855 that the lyrics were set to the music we know today.  What I want to celebrate today is the beauty of the first stanza:

Hark the herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!

Peace on earth and mercy mild

God and sinners reconciled"

Joyful, all ye nations rise

Join the triumph of the skies

With the angelic host proclaim:

"Christ is born in Bethlehem"

Hark! The herald angels sing

"Glory to the newborn King!"

So what can we learn from Wesley this Christmas?

The baby Jesus is to be heralded, an honor reserved for royals, though in this case, the humblest of Kings.
The baby Jesus is due glory, glory "as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
The baby Jesus is a vessel of peace—peace that makes rebellious men right with their God.
The baby Jesus has a mission:  reconciling God with sinners.
The baby Jesus is to be the joy of all nations; not just one, not just some, but all nations will speak joyfully of their eternal King.
The baby Jesus brings together all realms, so that "at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

If God gives you the opportunity, tell someone Hark! this week.  And tell them about this amazing baby Jesus, who came in humility, to deliver men from the bondage of their sin, so that people from every nation would joyfully live to bring Him glory.

For the rest of the 21 Days of Crave Something More Christmas, go here.