Wobbly Doctrine

I just participated in a Celebration of Life. My aim for these is to console people who are hurting, help them grieve with hope, and point to eternal life as a present and available reality. I also listen and observe. Celebrations of Life, memorials, and funerals are good places to gauge the broader culture's knowledge of God and his kingdom. It's pretty wobbly. From the preacher who stokes fear, to statements like "God must have needed another angel," narratives, even ones labeled Christian, seem far afield of God's message. It's sad because it leaves people to wander aimlessly.

Smells Like

He shall take out the memorial portion from the grain offering and burn it on the altar as a food offering, an aroma pleasing to the Lord. — Leviticus 2:2

In the New Testament age, we are to offer our whole selves to God as a living sacrifice (Rom. 12:1). When we do, we will spread the aroma of the knowledge of Christ [eternal life] among those being saved and those perishing (2 Cor. 2:15-16). It's a pleasing aroma.

Friend of a Friend

My reading of Scripture has changed over the years. First, it was a collection of the stories of unknown people who lived long ago. Eventually, those 'strangers' became friends, sharing with me what they had experienced. Then Scripture became a place for me to meet God myself, my friends providing the structure and space for that connection. Now, after many years of coming to know God, these writings have become a place to relate, to say, "I have experienced this too!"