Last night (Thursday) David Letterman probably gave Harold Camping his best advertising moment — Top Ten Ways to Make the Apocalypse More Fun.  So most of the people who read this blog know that a man named Harold Camping has discovered that Jesus will return on May 21st.  So I just thought I would take the opportunity to share random thoughts on May 21st.  Ready?  Here we go…

1. On May 22nd, more than a handful of people in the world are going to be disappointed…that Harold Camping is still here.

2. My daughter Katy flies home from Bethel University on May 21st.  She was going to come home on the 20th, but I found that the flights were much cheaper on the 21st.

3. In fairness to Harold, when he predicted that the Judgement Day would take place on September 7, 1994 — see his book entitled 1994 — he did put in the footnotes that if he was wrong about 1994, he was certain it would take place…on May 21, 2011.

4.  I will have been alive 17,810 days on May 21st.

5.  According to Camping’s calculations Judgment Day will happen at 6pm on Saturday, timezone by timezone throughout the world.  It will be or at least feel like an enormous earthquake.  So a rolling earthquake timezone by timezone starting around the island of Tonga and ending up at the island of Samoa.  For those of us in EST — Judgement Day actually begins Saturday at 1:00am.

6.  On May 21st, 1881 Clara Barton formed what later became the American Red Cross.

7.  May 21st, 1994 I finished writing my first sermon as the pastor of Calvary.  Preached it on May 22.

8. Harold Camping very clearly states that the Bible Guarantees May 21st as the day of Christ’s return, which simply means that if Jesus doesn’t return on May 21st, it’s not Harold’s fault that the Bible was wrong.

9. In a Family Radio memo — Camping’s Radio Stations — sent out to employees this year, Thanksgiving and Christmas 2011 are still listed as employee holidays.

10.  Harold Camping is almost 90 years old.  I bet there are a lot of 90 year old guys who have said things that made people shake their heads and grin.

11.  Getting the word out about May 21st has been an international effort for Family Radio.  216 radio stations in the U.S. shortwave radio, satellite broadcasts, a Web site, 5,500 billboards (400 in India; 2,200 across the United States) and 100 million pamphlets in 61 languages, according to the ministry.

12.  Setting dates carries with it the danger of an attitude that says, “Jesus is coming — look busy.”

13.  On May 21st, 1991 Susan Lucci finally won a Daytime Emmy.  It was her 19th nomination.

14. Harold Camping likes math.  He graduated from UC Berkeley with a BS in engineering.  He views the Bible as a code to be cracked.  I wonder if a focus on the code leads to missing the narrative of God’s story?

15.  The Bible in general and authors such as Peter, Paul and Jesus specifically make it incredibly clear that no one knows the date of THE DAY.  They also make it incredibly clear that we should live every day as though we might meet up with Jesus today.  Those who are following Harold Camping, with their eyes set on a date are going to experience confusion and heartbreak on the day after.  Those who are following Jesus with their eyes on him, only him — they will make a difference in the world… long after May 21st has come and gone.

Be those people.

It’s become great fodder for jokes. May 21st. End of the world. Judgement Day. One twitter-er suggested a rapture prank: “On Saturday take some of your unwanted clothes and shoes and leave sets of them arranged on sidewalks and yards around town.”  Someone else put together a “Will You Be Raptured Flowchart.”  It made most of the late night talk shows, including Letterman’s Top Ten List — “How to Make the Apocalypse More Fun.”  The list included — #8 All you can eat baby-back ribs with Chili’s Aporkalypse Special; and #7 Instead of Four Horsemen, three horsemen and a monkey riding a dog.

I have to be honest I laughed.  But here is the problem, if I’m not careful I can become a “scoffer.”  See the Bible is full of language about the end.  The people who followed Jesus in the very beginning of our movement often had the end in sight.  They thought Jesus was going to return…soon.  It’s pretty difficult to be a fully devoted Jesus-follower and not live life in light of the day when we see Christ face to face.

In the first few decades after Jesus’ resurrection — the beginning of our movement — most Jesus-followers spoke of Jesus’ return as being near and as a result there were “scoffers.”  Listen to what Peter wrote in his epistle:  2 Peter 3:3-4

³ Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires. ⁴ They will say, “Where is this ‘coming’ he promised? Ever since our ancestors died, everything goes on as it has since the beginning of creation.”

Scoffers will come who say, “Where is this coming, that Jesus promised?  Everything keeps on keeping on since the beginning of time.”  If we are not careful, Mr. Camping’s end-time predictions can turn even the best Christian into a scoffer.  So what is the antidote for scoffing?  2 Peter 3:8

⁸ But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. ⁹ The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

The antidote for scoffing is the reminder of the heart of God, that leads him to patience.  He is not slow in keeping his promise, he is patient — because of his love.  So here is what I’m thinking — to all those Christians out there, like me, who are scoffing a bit about the nearness of Christ’s return, a challenge.  When May 22nd rolls around and we are still on the ground — find someone and share with them the heart of Jesus.

Supposedly the Mayans determined that it would happen at the end of 2012 — either December 21st or December 23rd. At least their calendar, the Mayan Long Count calendar stops then.  Of course maybe they just ran out of calendar space, I don’t know.  Perhaps you saw the movie 2012. It was filled with cataclysmic events; a tsunami surging over the Himalayas, meteors crashing down on the earth’s landscape as well as a mega earthquake in Yellowstone ripping apart the earth’s crust. You remember, the trailer for the movie ended with a message encouraging viewers to find out the truth… by using Internet search engines. Because we all know that the best, most authoritative information is always found on the internet.

Of course this isn’t the first prediction of the end of the world.

In 960 Bernard of Thuringia, a German theologian, calculated 992 as the most likely year for the world’s end. As the time approached, panic was widespread. German astrologer Johann Stoffler predicted an overwhelming flood on February 20, 1524. Believers started constructing arks. One man is said to have been trampled to death by a mob attempting to board his specially built vessel. When nothing happened, the calculations were revised and a new date given 1588. That year also passed without any unusual rainfall.

William Miller saw the day coming in 1844. His teachings started a national movement, which later — post 1844 — became the Seventh Day Adventists. After studying both the Bible and the mystical messages of the Great Pyramid, in 1874 Charles Taze Russell, founder of the sect that became Jehovah’s Witnesses, concluded that Judgement Day had already taken place. He declared that people had 40 years, or until 1914, to enter his faith or be destroyed. Later he modified the date to “very soon after 1914.” There are more. Herbert W. Armstrong said it would be January 7, 1972.

When I was in seminary, Edgar Whisenant — a former NASA engineer wrote a book entitled, “88 Reasons Why Jesus Will Return in 1988.” He had absolutely no doubts about the date — September 13th, 1988. In fact he wrote, “Only if the Bible is in error am I wrong…” Quite a few Christians thought he had it right. For example Paul and Jan Crouch and the Trinity Broadcast Network — altered their regular programming on the 13th. They ran videotapes of prerecorded shows with specific instructions on what to do in case Christian family members had disappeared in the rapture.

Eventually, close to five million copies of the book were published. In 1989 he wrote another book, “89 reasons Why Christ will return in 1989.” That one didn’t sell quite as well.

Then of course there’s Harold Camping. His first end-times prediction was in 1994. His most recent prediction is for this weekend. May 21st, 2011. People all over the world are buying into this one. Robert Fitzpatrick spent his life-savings $140,000 to advertise the end of the world. Billboards, bus-stops, RV caravans are spreading the word around the country, even at least one group taking a cruise to spread the word to the Caribbean Islands. If it’s the end of the world, let’s take a cruise, right?

Now — let me tell you what I think — On May 22nd, Harold Camping is going to say “oops.” But what if May 21st was the day? What should I do for the next two days? Here’s some advice from the author of Hebrews,

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25 (NIV)

So tomorrow, spur someone on to love and good deeds.

Staff meetings every Tuesday, that’s been part of the Calvary-team routine for quite a few years.  Most Tuesdays we spend a portion of our time — sometimes most of our time — sharing God-stories.  A God-story tells a tale of God at work, in our lives, in our church, in our community.  Recounting these stories of God@work is one of my favorite moments of the week.  

Last Tuesday was different.  Instead of telling a God-story we had the opportunity to be part of a God-story.  We had the opportunity to witness God at work in the lives of four college seniors, Katherine, Sarah, Rachel, and Jackie.  A couple of weeks ago, I got an email that included these words,

There are 4 of us senior girls who have been walking with the Lord throughout college and have been committed attendees of Calvary through our 4 years of school. We definitely feel a personal connection to Calvary as a church and the members of your leadership team. As we prepare to graduate in May and transition into the next chapter of our lives, we really want to get baptized. College has been such a pivotal time in our lives where each of us have grown to know Jesus in such a profound way. We would love to make that proclamation of faith as we conclude our time together here at Penn State.

That email led to a Tuesday afternoon gathering at the Harvest Fields Pond.  It had all the markings of a great God-story; sharing about God’s work in their lives with heart-felt emotion, the reading of meaningful scriptures, the gasp of anticipation (and cold) as they came up from the water, cheers, and prayers.  Made my day.

As they shared a bit of their stories, I loved how God used so many different organizations and people to bring them to the point of initial commitment and later spiritual growth.  As they told their stories, I heard Young Life.  I heard Campus Crusade.  I heard Calvary.  I heard Erica.  I heard Steve.  I heard Stacy.  I heard friends.  People lived out the gospel in front of these four ladies.  They befriended them.  They cared about them and for them.  And at some point someone shared the words of the gospel.

Paul once used the metaphor of farming.  He said that some plant, some water, and some reap the harvest.  I think reaping the harvest requires words.  “Preach the gospel, if necessary use words.” At some point — words are necessary.

I love the power of the gospel.

“Preach the gospel at all times, if necessary use words.”  Those words attributed to St. Francis of Assisi are oft-quoted, much-loved, and I would suggest… potentially confusing.  

First of all, the best Franciscan scholars cannot find a single sermon, or writing of Mr. Francis that includes that quote.  Maybe that doesn’t matter to you, but it seems important to me.  One of the reasons I was first attracted to the quote was because I knew a bit about the life of St. Francis.  Good deeds, care for the poor, he was a servant who lived out the gospel life.  In the last 4-5 years we have worked hard at Calvary to build a church without walls, one that is externally focused and called to serve the world. It seemed like Francis’ words were very appropriate for us.

So I love the quote.  It speaks to the importance of an authentic witness, letting our deeds match up with our words.  It speaks to the power of good deeds, sacrificial compassion, and relentless generosity.  It speaks to the ability of our deeds to be a light in the world which reflects upon the glory of God.  You can hear behind the quote the call to let our lives shine.

But here is where I think it gets confusing; I believe that the gospel by definition goes hand in hand with words.  When God calls us to be witnesses, it implies that at some point words will be spoken.  A witness without words leaves everyone guessing.  Here is what the Bible says about the necessity of words when it comes to the gospel.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14

Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel! 1 Corinthians 9:16

…for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”  But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. Romans 10:13-17

Two different Greek words are translated in the Bible as the word “preach.”  One is the word kerusso. The other is the word euangelizo. Both carry within them the idea of proclamation, speaking words, communicating ideas and truth.  I understand that without a gospel life, gospel words have little impact.  Good deeds lay the foundation for Good News.  But ultimately it isn’t good news if there are no good words.

“Preach the gospel always, if necessary use words.”  Perhaps that saying is not unlike, “Feed the hungry, if necessary use food!”  I guess all I can say in reference to both is, “Don’t be confused, some things are necessary.”

This weekend is Mother’s Day.  It’s one of my most anxious weekends of preaching.  I always question what I have to say to mothers.  I’m neither a woman nor a mom and the reality is that for some people being a mom is not always easy.  Picking up the broken pieces of a daughter’s heart; cleaning up the mess of life that comes from bad choices is often part of motherhood.  I got an e-mail from a mom a while back, she wrote,

Dan, please continue praying for (my daughter). Especially in the next few weeks. God is doing amazing things in her life, but they are not easy for her. Isn’t that the way it is sometimes? My husband and I have been through this (storm) with her, so I can say with great confidence that “He is an awesome God” In the midst of the turmoil, I remembered your words, “You may be in a storm or just got through one. But if not, you can bet one is coming.  I sat there thinking, I hope that’s not me. Well it was and it was a big storm. But, with lots of prayer and support from our life group, we came through the storm. Now we are (just trying to pick) up the pieces and move on with her.

Sometimes being a mom is difficult. And sometimes it’s risky.  There is always the possibility that your heart might get launched into unknown places for unknown reasons.  Mother’s Day can bring a time of mixed emotions for us. We don’t all come to the day the same way. For some of you, Mother’s Day is a wonderful day. For some it’s a horrible day.

Maybe you want to be a mother but you can’t be for some reason.  You’re not asking God if he will take care of your kids.  You are asking if he cares enough to give you a child.  It’s not easy. In our church family we’ve had mothers who lost a child to suicide. Kids who are struggling with the pain and confusion of divorce. Sons and daughters making choices that are eating up their hearts.  And I bet there aren’t many of us who don’t know a single mom — someone for whom motherhood has been or is becoming a hard, solo journey.

So what do Mother’s need on Mother’s Day? Angela Guffey went thru a struggle in motherhood and wrote these words,

Mothering requires everything. But eventually, everything given plus little replenished equals desperately empty. I held the empty cup of my soul out to my husband and begged him to fill it. I held out my cup to a bigger house and a minivan. But only Jesus could fill my soul. I tried my children…they could not fill the place designed by God for Himself. …I thought that the goal of motherhood was to be a supermom. But in fact, the goal of mothering is to be a woman of God to your children. A woman of God intimately connected to her Savior. A woman of God can love and give from the overflowing cup God has filled.

If you are a Mother, that’s my prayer for your weekend — that God would fill up your cup!

The changing of his name was a love story in and of itself, from Saul to Paul. In the middle of his life, he had an awakening conversation with Jesus that led to an amazing conversion of life. People simply shook their heads in disbelief when they heard it. In the space of days, Paul went from persecuting Christians to loving Christ and along the journey he became one the most compelling witnesses to the good news of Jesus.

Our love story played itself out in the latter years of Paul’s life. His goal, the goal of Paul’s heart was to preach the gospel at Rome, the center of the empire. But before he could get to Rome he was imprisoned in Ceaserea. God’s most gifted spokesman was lost in the legal system for over two years.

When I read that story I had to ask God why? Why allow this gifted spokesman for Jesus to stay locked away in a jail for two years before getting to Rome?

Acts 25 and 26 might give us some insight into Paul’s two year detour. In the last days before Paul finally gets out of Ceaserea, a divine opportunity presents itself. Paul receives an audience with King Herod Agrippa II, an opportunity to tell Herod about Jesus.

Let me tell you about King Herod Agrippa II. His great grandfather was Herod the Great; the infamous Herod of Bethlehem’s Christmas story. Hearing that the Messiah had been born in Bethlehem, he had all the Bethlehem boys under the age of two killed. Near the end of his life, he had leaders from around the country imprisoned with orders for their execution on the day he died. He wanted to make sure tears were shed when he died.

His great Uncle Herod Antipas delivered John the Baptist’s head on a platter. His father King Agrippa I had James killed and Peter imprisoned. Perhaps no single family had ever set itself against the family of God like Agrippa’s family had; Kingdom enemy #1.

Could it be God’s love is so great; His pursuit so persistant that He would keep his #1 spokesman in jail for two years so that his #1 enemy might have one more chance to know that love? Talk about loving your enemies.

Love your enemies — certainly that’s one of Jesus’ more radical commands.

Can I celebrate the death of an enemy I love? Perhaps, but certainly my celebration will be shaped/tempered by my love, won’t it? Could I kill an enemy whom I love? Perhaps, especially if it’s my duty to protect, my duty to enforce or carry out justice — but surely my love will bring an element of sadness. Would I pray for my enemy if I loved them?

The command to love your enemies is given to individuals. I’m not sure if a government can love it’s enemies, or even if it should. But I’m not the government, I’m an individual. An individual follower of Jesus and the questions I face are, “Did I love my enemy? Do I love my enemies?” I think I prayed at least once or twice for Osama, not sure if that counts as love.

1.) Shortly after 9/11 I remarked in a sermon how similar were the lives of Paul — pre-Damascus Road — and Osama Bin Laden.  Both grew up with a great passion for their religion, both were persecutors of the followers of Jesus.  Of course one had an awakening event that led to total conversion.  I wonder if the difference between the two was that Osama never had a Stephen — a person who would so completely reflect God’s amazing grace.  Acts 7:54-60

2) Does anyone really believe this is the most important event in the war on terror?  Or is it more like the celebration of a touchdown that finally comes — long after the game is decided?  Maybe that’s a bad metaphor, the game isn’t over — and I guess that’s the point.  It’s not over.  We still live in a Good Friday world.  It’s a world where bad things happen to good people and good people do bad things.  It’s a world that groans with anticipation for what is to come, but is not yet here.  Bin Laden is gone.  Evil remains.

3) I wonder if we will now disband Homeland Security or stop the TSA pat-downs?

4) My facebook news was filled with people using scripture to support their celebration or lack of celebration over Bin Laden’s death.  So far I’ve seen a lot of Proverbs 11:10 — “When the righteous prosper, the city rejoices; when the wicked perish, there are shouts of joy.”  A lot of Ezekiel 33:11 — “Say to them, As I live, declares the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live…”  A lot of Proverbs 24:17-18 “Do not gloat when your enemy falls; when they stumble, do not let your heart rejoice, or the LORD will see and disapprove
and turn his wrath away from them.”  And a lot of Proverbs 21:15  “When justice is done, it brings joy to the righteous but terror to evildoers.”

5) Three favorite related facebook updates so far — a) “Collateral Benefit of Osama’s death — no Monday morning talk about the Royal Wedding.”  —  b)”I’m wrestling with two citizenships.  My American citizenship wants to cheer for the death of Osama.  My citizenship in the Kingdom of God makes me grieve over a person who has died without Christ.” — c) “Bin Laden’s body buried at sea. Greenpeace to protest the toxic waste disaster!”

6)  On May 1, 1945, the death of Hitler was announced.

7)  Which reminds me of the struggle of spiritual conscience that Dietrich Bonhoeffer went through before joining a plot to assassinate Hitler.  In the end Bonhoeffer felt that Hitler was like a madman driving a truck through a schoolyard killing children.  If you can do something to stop it, you have to stop it.

8)  I appreciate the sacrifices that military and their families have made for us over the course of the last 10 years and I will continue to pray for the people that God has put into government as our leaders.  That is what the Bible instructs us to do.  Romans 13

9)  I am reminded how truly radical it is for the followers of Jesus to live like Jesus.  Forgiving those who persecute us.  Loving our enemies.  Practicing mercy.  Not an easy path in today’s world, but the only path that will lead to peace.

10)  Having prayer-walked downtown State College during Arts Fest Riots, and State Patty’s day riots, — I’m was somewhat amazed to watch the video below.  Singing the Star Spangled Banner and God Bless America, and mixing in chants of U.S.A. 5-6000 students filled Beaver Canyon.  Remember these students were between 9 — 11 on the morning of 9/11.

I love passion. But l think lately I’ve been lacking passion. Why? Would you like my top ten list? I can come up with at least ten reasons faster than you can say David Letterman — Top 10 Reasons Dan is Lacking Passion. But I’m not going to write them down. Some of them will sound more legitimate than others, but not a single one of them compares to the reality that I have the Spirit of God living in me, and God’s resurrection power is available for me.

This week, I’ve been studying John the Baptist. Did you know that Jesus proclaimed John to be — up to that day — the greatest man who ever lived? As I look at the life of John the Baptist, it appears that John had immense passion. John the Baptist was fired up. When it came to passion, he didn’t need a choir to light it up or a preacher to call it down. He didn’t need an online message from fired-up Francis or a worship cd from the newest church in love with Jesus.

He didn’t need an outside source of fire, for he already had a roaring inferno of passion in his heart. He didn’t need to be revived, renewed, convinced, cajoled, admonished, or awakened. The fire was stirred up. Loneliness didn’t put it out. Hardship didn’t blow it out. Long waiting didn’t suck away it’s oxygen. Lack of ministry opportunities didn’t throw cold water on it.

I’m not saying that John never doubted. He did. I’m not saying he never struggled with hopelessness. I guess what I’m wondering is if my top ten list is really what’s holding me back. Jesus said that John the Baptist was the greatest man to ever be born of women, but every person in the Kingdom of heaven is even greater than John. What’s the difference? Those in the Kingdom of God have the Spirit of God.

I have the very Spirit of God within me.

As long as we continue to hold on to one of our excuses for a lack of passion, we will never have the fire like we could. One of the prayers that Jim Elliott wrote in his journal is…

God deliver me from the dead asbestos of other things. Saturate me with the oil of the Spirit that I may be aflame….Father take my life, yea my blood if thou wilt, and consume it with Thine enveloping fire. I would not save it for it is not mine to save. Have it, Lord have it all. Pour out my life as an oblation for the world….Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God.

Not a bad prayer to start the fire…

In 1997 — I know that’s so long ago — US News and World report asked people, “Who do you think is likely to get into heaven?” They were given a choice of 7 people. Only 19% gave the thumbs up to OJ Simpson (post-murder trial), but Michael Jordan got 65% (yep Bulls won the NBA championship that year.) Oprah got 66% (and this was before she had her own network) and 79% gave the thumbs up to Mother Theresa.

But guess who received the largest percentage of thumbs up for heaven?

It was the person completing the survey!

Apparently most of the people doing the survey, thought, “Mother Theresa’s got a pretty good chance of getting into heaven, in fact there is only one person I can think of who has a better chance and that’s me.

Reality is that none of us can make it on our own. We can’t earn it. We can’t lead ourselves there. There is something fundamentally wrong with our hearts — spiritually dead, hard as rocks. Winning the NBA championship won’t get you in. Owning your own television network won’t open the doors. Not even the service of Mother Theresa is enough to earn heaven.

We need a new heart. We need a champion. We need a Savior. We need resurrection. Last week in a couple of our gatherings we showed this video. Maybe it will speak to you as well.