No. 28, January 1998

 

THE PERSON IN THE BIBLE WE DON’T TALK ABOUT

 

            In his recent encyclical, "That They May Be One," Pope John Paul II made a unique ecumenical gesture. He proposed that five subjects that have long divided Protestants and Roman Catholics be put on the table for discussion. Surprisingly, the papacy, known as "the magisterium," was one of them. Others were the relationship between Scripture and Tradition, the Eucharist (real presence or only a memorial?), and the priesthood.

 

            It was the fifth one that I want to discuss here – Mary, the Mother of God, as the Roman church prefers to describe her. Talk about Mary in ecumenical discussions? But we Protestants don’t talk about Mary. She is all but ignored in our own Stone-Campbell tradition. A theology of Mary? It doesn’t exist.

 

            It may be that we Protestants have been so turned off by the extravagant claims of Rome that we have overreacted and have neglected Mary. Not only has the Roman church made her the Mother of God, hardly a biblical description, but she is made an intercessor and a co-redeemer. In the doctrine of the Immaculate Conception (unrelated to the Virgin Birth) she was made sinless and in the dogma of the Assumption of Mary she was made immortal (never died).

 

            Protestants since Luther and before have rightly charged that all this is a challenge to the preeminence of Christ, and they are good reasons why we are what we are, Protestants. But is our response to be only negative? What do we have to say about Mary? Being Protestants, our theology of Mary will be biblical. But we’ve had little or nothing to say. We don’t talk about Mary!

 

            I want to change that by speaking of her, and I encourage you to do likewise. If joined in the pope’s discussion, I would describe Mary in three dimensions: as prophet, as mother, as disciple. I would conclude from all this that we Protestants too can say to or of Mary: "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb" (Lk. 1:42).

 

            1. Mary as prophet. Even though a peasant girl and very young, she nonetheless spoke with the boldness of an Old Testament prophet in what is called "the Magnificat" in Lk. 1 :46-55. The prophetic themes are there: the holiness and power of God, his rule over the nations, his judgment against the rich and mighty, his compassion for the poor and hungry.

 

            It is improbable that a mere girl of lowly birth would speak so boldly as to say that God scatters the proud in their vanity, puts down the mighty from their thrones, and sends the rich away empty. Moreover, in his mercy God lifts up the lowly and feeds the hungry. To Mary he is a God that remembers his promises to his people Israel, all the way back to Abraham.

 

            By the "rich" and the "hungry" she probably referred to the oppressors and the oppressed, as the prophets always did. That is, the rich were rich because they took advantage of the poor.

 

            So, we already give Mary theological significance by naming her among the prophets. And her words of judgment are as relevant to our society, where there is injustice amidst affluence, as they were to her own day.

 

            2. Mary as mother. While the Bible never describes her as "the Mother of God," it does name her as "the mother of Jesus," again and again. While it was at first a bonded relationship between mother and child, as was the case in every pious Jewish home, it diminished in time, eventually yielding to an even deeper relationship.

 

            The waning appears as early as when the boy Jesus is found by his mother in the temple, questioning the rabbis. She complained, "Son, why have you done this? Your father and I have looked for you anxiously." His reply, at only about 12 years old, is revealing: "Why is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be about my father’s business?" (Lk. 2:48-49).

 

            Mary said "Your father," referring to Joseph. He ignored that, referring to God as "my father." A rather strong hint that the filial relationship was changing, still loving but different. But not yet altogether, for Luke is careful to tell us that following the temple episode Jesus returned to Nazareth with his parents "and was subject to them" (v. 51).

 

            Then comes one of the most exciting lines in the Bible: "Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men." Growing up with Mary (probably widowed along the way) he became wiser, stronger, and more gracious. What a beautiful young man he must have been! And why? Not only because he was the Son of God but also because he was-the son of Mary. She was his first teacher and his example par excellence – for some thirty years!

 

            By the time of the wedding feast at Cana Jesus had barely begun his ministry, but he had left home by then and had gathered a few disciples. Mary and Jesus with his disciples had received separate invitations. When they ran out of wine (traumatic for a wedding host in that day), Mary, who seems to have had some hostess role, imposes upon Jesus an implied request, "They have no wine" – as if he could not see that for himself!

 

            Jesus understood it as an imposition, and he doesn’t respond to her as a son to a mother: "Woman, what does your concern have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." Whatever we make of what appears to be a cool brush off, it is apparent that Jesus has moved into a new relationship. He is not her little boy at home anymore!

 

            Wasn’t that a no to Mary’s request that he do something about a very embarrassing situation? No, he said, my hour has not yet come, a reference to the ordeal leading to the Cross, which Mary may have understood by then. Had they talked about it? Did Mary know Jesus could perform wonders though he had not yet done so? Those words of Mary to the servants say a lot: "Whatever he says to you, do it." He had said no, rather emphatically, but she was thinking yes, he’ll do something.

 

            He said no, but went on to do yes. In a moment the wedding feast had an additional 180 gallons of wine, an overabundance, far more than any wedding feast would ever need, and the best wine ever! Is this symbolic of his grace?

 

            What happened? Did his mother push him, as mothers have a way of doing? Jesus said his time had not yet come. No! Was Mary saying perhaps his hour had come? Yes! She readies the servants. She may not have known what he might do, but she was persuaded that he could and should do something. Did his mother’s insistence cause him to change his mind?

 

            The gospel writers make it clear that in time Jesus’ familial relationship gave way to the spiritual. It may even strike the reader as brazen that Jesus would ignore his mother and brothers when they call at the house where he was teaching. When his disciples pass the word along, "Your mother and your brothers are outside seeking you," Jesus replies, "Here are my mother and my brothers," pointing to his followers (Mk. 3:31-32). While the Lord loved his mother no less, the time came when he had to identify his true family.

 

            The mother of Jesus "stood by the cross," as John 19:25 puts it, and watched her son die an agonizing death. It fulfilled what the aged Simeon told Mary when Jesus was but a babe in arms: "Yes, a sword shall pierce through your own heart also" (Lk. 2:35). She was there for him as his mother to the very end, however painful it was to her.

 

            But however much he loved her, even on the Cross Jesus made her the mother of another, the apostle John, who was also standing by. Turning to his mother he said, "Woman, behold your son," and to John, "Behold, your mother." Jesus was now part of no one earthly family but belonged to "a great multitude which no one could number, of all nations, tribes, peoples, and tongues."

 

            The beauty of it is that Mary was not satisfied with being only his mother. She also belonged to his "true family."

 

            3. Mary as disciple. Discipleship might serve as the heart of a Protestant theology of Mary. We might view her as Jesus’ first disciple and even as the mother of all disciples.

 

            She revealed the heart of a disciple in her response to the angel Gabriel: "Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word" (Lk. 1 :38). She realized that she too was a sinner in need of grace when she said, "My spirit rejoices in God my Savior" (Lk. 1 :47). It would be an appropriate question for the pope: If Mary needed a Savior how can she be sinless and a co-redeemer?

 

            She also showed herself a disciple in joining the 120 on Pentecost who were awaiting the Spirit (Acts 1:14). It is impressive to see "Mary the mother of Jesus" named along with other disciples. She waited like the others, as Jesus had told them to. She is treated no differently, a disciple among disciples.

 

            But maybe she was Jesus’ first disciple. As a prophet and as a mother she was also a disciple. From the outset she "pondered in her heart" what it might all mean. She must have been the first to realize his destiny, and the first believer. At Cana she showed her faith in him as well as her motherhood. And at the Cross she was mother-disciple.

 

            Like a good disciple she waited in Jerusalem "until you be filled with power from on high." When the Holy Spirit at last came she was there.

 

            Jesus’ first disciple, who was also his mother, declared to the church for all time to come: "Behold, henceforth all generations shall call me blessed" (Lk. 1 :48).

 

            So go ahead. It is OK to call Mary blessed. We might even shout it like Elizabeth did, BLESSED ARE YOU AMONG WOMEN! – Leroy

 

LEARNING TO PRAY WITHOUT CEASING

 

Pray without ceasing. - 1 Thess. 5:17

 

            This demanding admonition doesn’t stand alone in Scripture. In Lk. 18:1 Jesus taught that we need to "pray always," and in passages other than the one referred to above Paul wrote that we should "be constant in prayer" (Rom. 12:12) and "continue steadfastly in prayer" (Col. 4:2).

 

            Can we learn to do this? I did say learn, step by step, little by little. We can’t start today being "constant in prayer." But it may be that we can so improve our spirituality, gradually, that we can at last approximate what the apostle must have meant by ceaseless prayer.

 

            No one can think about God all the time, and that is not what this is about. But we can begin to practice the presence of God – and that presence will increase and deepen.

 

            The first step is to work on our want-to. If we really desire to be steadfast in prayer, there are ways to do so. It will not be showy or mechanical because it will be private and personal. Only a consuming passion to be closer to God will bring us to unceasing prayer.

 

            The next step is to learn from our brethren in the Orthodox church who have what they call breath prayers. We might call them sentence prayers or one-line meditations. A common one of the Eastern church is "Lord, have mercy." They may say it all through the day as they live in their difficult world. It is a way of practicing God’s presence.

 

            We can think of it as praying Scripture, the Psalms in particular. If we start with but one, such as "Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, my Rock and my Redeemer," we can add others as we go along. If we discipline ourselves to pray such a prayer even a few times a day, it would make a difference, especially when inappropriate thoughts tempt us.

 

            That is the method, one-line breath prayers all through the day – while driving to work, while waiting, when meeting someone, in the toilet, while dressing, when you’re tired, when you come home to spouse and children. Marginal time is a good time to practice God’s presence, such as while you are ringing someone. Pray for her before she answers!

 

            Here are a few that impress me. They fit different occasions and moods:

 

            Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift!

            God, be merciful to me a sinner.

            Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.

            I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

            Praise the Lord, 0 my soul!

            Not my will but yours be done.

            The heavens declare the glory of God, the earth his handiwork.

            You know the secrets of my heart.

 

            You will soon create breath prayers of your own, such as Make me like Christ today and Make me a blessing at work. and Forgive my wayward and foolish thoughts.

 

            They can also be under-breath or thought prayers. You can pray for someone “in the spirit” or in your heart, without saying a word, even while they are blessing you out.

 

            We can pray a moment’s prayer for people as they come to mind, scores of them each day. It is more important that we pray for people than to tell them we’re praying for them. I rarely tell a person I’m praying for him or her, for personal prayer should be very private. Besides, an “I’m praying for you” can be an unwelcomed gesture, even intimidating. What is important is to pray, not talk about it!

 

            All this is apart from our regular times for prayer with family or at church or alone. Breath prayers are a way to pray constantly and without ceasing. Even then we are to move slowly, gradually increasing our capacity to commune with God. Don’t rush it. Let it grow. Keep it meaningful and joyous.

 

            Join me in trying it. You can start in the morning by thanking God that you are able to get out of bed and go to work. While you are dressing you can thank God for your wife. Out in the freshness of a new day you can praise him for life, breath, and all things. At work you can.

 

            You’ve got the idea. That is what that lowly kitchen monk, Brother Andrew, who referred to God as “the Lord of pots and pans,” called practicing the presence of God. He reached the place where he could commune with God while others in the kitchen were shouting orders at him! – Leroy

 

THE TEMPTATIONS OF OLD AGE

 

            Ouida’s mother would sometimes say as she grew older (She died at 95), “When one grows old she’ll be like she’s always been, only more so.” That is a wise way to say the years may not make all that much difference when it comes to character. Even the temptations listed here may not be measured by age, but it seems that we become more vulnerable to some of them as we grow older.

 

            1. Slothfulness. Especially in reference to personal hygiene and dress. A man may be careless about how often or how well he shaves. A woman might neglect makeup, her hair, her attire. Even worse, nothing is fun anymore. I see a lot of this in nursing homes. Slothfulness is not caring anymore. A sloth no longer smiles. By taking pains to be “fervent in spirit” we can keep this from happening as we advance in years.

 

            2. Withdrawal. Ouida and I visit a vibrant 98-year old who finds lots to do in her nursing home: Bible study, games with others, music, going out. She continues to be the people-person she’s always been. But others withdraw, apparently by choice. And what a difference in attitude! The worst kind of withdrawal is self-pity. We must begin now, at whatever age, to store up concern for others, interest in what’s going on in our world, and keeping as active as strength allows. Self-isolation is a grievous temptation.

 

            3. Compromise. The truths and values that have borne us through the years are no less valid as we grow older. We must never let the time come when we don’t believe anything much anymore. The years may add grace and balance but never compromise on things that really matter. We can still express our convictions, “speaking the truth in love,” at any age.

 

            4. Stubbornness. Bullheadedness is a sin at any age, and it is especially offensive when older people are unreasonably resistant to those trying to help them. The way to avoid being that way in old age is to start now. Sweet reasonableness is its opposite. What a virtue at any age!

 

            5. Absolutism. To be set in our ways, a know-it-all, critical of others’ views, and cynical is kin to stubbornness. To pontificate and absolutize is obscene in the young and old alike. Blessed are those who can yield (without compromise) and kindly listen to others (with consummate interest).

 

            Lord, forgive us of our temptations! – Leroy

 

Between Us . . .

 

            Among our richest blessings of 1997 were the 97 visitors to our home. That many “signed in”; we might have missed a few. They came from nine different states and one foreign country (Australia, two families). Ouida and I consider them royalty, princes and princesses of the King, and try to treat them that way.

 

            One guest was a local Baptist minister who did a study on the Campbellites while he was in seminary. He went on to read my The Stone-Campbell Movement. We had a great time together.

 

            Another delightful guest was a Pentecostal minister from New Jersey who is a retired Army chaplain. He too is a great Campbellite, one church removed. He donated a substantial library of Stone-Campbell materials to Pat Robertson’s university in Virginia. “Why there?,” I complained. He said they were delighted to get them and have declared them a special collection with the chaplain’s name plate in each volume! His favorites are Carl Ketcherside and Leroy Garrett. He is a longtime friend and supporter of us both, even writing letters of protest to our critics! I recall how Carl would describe the beloved Chaplain Talmadge McNabb as “our dear Pentecostal brother.” His is quite a story, being the famed chaplain that started the deluge of adoptions from Korea, inspired by his finding an emaciated little girl in a ditch.

 

            So you can see how rich we are in friends. I could fill this newsletter with exciting stories about interesting people, drawn from those who are our house guests. You are among that number, so don’t pass us by when you come this way. Ouida’s only request is that you do not all come at the same time.

 

            I am “up to here” in death and funerals and grief. In a matter of a few weeks I helped bury a brother, another brother’s widow, two university colleagues, two nursing home friends that I often called on, and on New Year’s Eve did the funeral of dear old friend R. D. Rawlings, who helped me start my long journey as an editor 46 years ago. Then there was the funeral of longtime friend Norman Parks in Tennessee that we couldn’t get to, but we were there by phone. Will you do me a favor and not “leave planet earth” (as Campbell liked to say it) during 1998. A one year moratorium, OK?

 

            We want to mention again Norvel Young’s Living Lights, Shining Stars, which is about triumph and tragedy in the life of a gifted and impressive man. But it is really about us all and for us all in that it talks about how to live in a troubled world. Highly recommended at $17, postpaid.

 

            We have a new supply (from England) of Edward Fudge’s The Fire That Consumes. The price has gone up, now $17 postpaid, but still a great buy in our opinion. It argues convincingly that hell is not endless even if everlasting.

 

            Distant Voices by Leonard Allen are voices (including women) that speak out of the Stone-Campbell heritage, including Barton Stone, Abigail Roberts, Robert Richardson, David Lipscomb, K. C. Moser. Good stuff! $13 postpaid.

 

            Our Heritage in Unity and Fellowship is selected writings of Carl Ketcherside and Leroy Garrett, with an Introduction by Cecil Hook. Only $9 postpaid. You might want Ketcherside’s Twisted Scriptures along with it at the same price.

 

            I am fearful that the revised edition of my The Stone-Campbell Movement might go out of print again. For now we can still offer it at $25 postpaid. We are convinced you will appreciate it.

 

            Ouida and I have been reading Steve Goad’s Gullible’s Travels with consummate interest. We are laughing our way through it, but it is more than funny (stories drawn from the author’s fabulous life) in that it talks about life and how to live it. This is a book that will bless you. $19 postpaid.

 

            We have new readers of this newsletter who have never seen copies of Restoration Review, which we published for 40 years. If such ones are interested in what we said during those years, we will send you a sampling at a nominal charge. We will send you 25 issues, selected at random, for only $5, postpaid. Once you sample these, you can decide if you would like more.