On following the Rabbi and Lord who washes the feet of others

Dear Trinity family:
This week has been a hard week. We have lost a beloved member of our Trinity family- Pat Anderson.

Pat passed on to be the Lord last Sunday, January 16, 2022.

I have been with you all for a very short period of time- since June 2021. During this time, I have learnt much from Pat. She lived the life of a servant. One member of our family told me that the very last Sunday that Pat was with us- she served. She helped in the decoration of the church to prepare for the Christmas celebrations. She made coffee for everyone. She was always willing to serve her younger sisters and brothers.

Today (Tuesday, January 18, 2022), walking through the church sanctuary, I found a painting of someone washing the feet of another person. This painting reminded me of Pat. It is based on the last action that Jesus did before he was captured and handed over to the cruelest Roman soldiers, to be crucified. It is called the Last Supper.

John chapter 13 records this crucial time with these words, “Jesus knew that his time had come for him to leave the world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.” John 13:1.

How did his show the full extent of his love?
i. He got up from the dining table.
ii. He took off his robe of authority- the robe of the Rabbi or the Pastor/Priest.
iii. He picked up the bucket and the towel which was only touched by the lowest of low slave boys.
iv. Then he went about the task of washing the feet of his disciples- slowly and intentionally. Interceding and praying for each of them.

This was one of the most shocking things which could happen in the ancient world.
Rabbis never did that. They were people of” honor,” and people of honor never did that. Only people of the “shame” did those kinds of things. Only slaves ever did those kinds of things.

His disciples protested. But none of them offered to wash the feet of their colleagues.

At the end of it, Jesus looked them in the eyes and said, ““Do you understand what I have done to you? You call me Rabbi and Lord God, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord God and Rabbi, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13: 12-14)

This Sunday you will see the painting of the “Washing of the feet,” at the entrance of the Sanctuary. When you see that picture, please remember our sister Pat. She served just like Jesus served. Nothing was below her honor. She did the most menial tasks.

Today, the same Rabbi and Lord Jesus is looking at Pat and saying, “Well done, good and faithful servant!”

My prayer is that each of us will live like Pat lived, because she lived the life of a servant, who washed the feet of so many!

Your fellow-servant,
Prof-Pastor BJ

In this new year, listen to the whisper of God!

My dear Trinity Church family:
I look out of my window today. It is a clear sunny day. The snow which fell on Saturday and Sunday is beautiful!

Thank God!

In this epistle, I continue the journey we began on January 1, 2022- in the Word of God,

This year, 2022, we have begun this journey together, because our church is a Covenant church, which believes in the centrality of God’s Written and Living Word.

Today’s readings focus on two passages- one from the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament), and the other form the Gospel of John.

The Hebrew Bible text, 1 Kings 19:8-19, gives us a glimpse into the life of the Prophet Elijah. He was prophet. Yet, he was quite an ordinary human being- just like us (James 5:17). He had encountered so much turmoil in his life, at the hands of the powers that be. King Ahab had married a priestess whose name was Jezebel. She was the daughter of King EthBa’al, the high priest of Ba’al, and the King of Tyre. She introduced horrible religious, economic, and social practices among the people of God. She ensnared girls and boys into religious slavery of Ba’al, by “marrying” them to Ba’al- the word Ba’al means “husband.” People in power did horrible things to them, in the name of religion and state.

Sadly, I have seen these kinds of practices in the religions of India.

I must add, in the light of the recent judgement against Ghislaine Maxwell, the mistress of Jeffrey Epstein, that these kinds of practices have been happening in the history of humanity, for a long time.

The Prophet Elijah preached against these horrible practices- as did all the prophet of the Bible. No wonder the Priestess of Ba’al, Jezebel, was seeking to hunt him down to kill.

Elijah was terrified and he ran away to hide in a cave.

This the context of 1 Kings 19:8-19.
God asks him,” What are doing here Elijah? Get a grip on your life!”

Then God speaks to him.
Previously, God had spoken to the people during Moses’ days, in thunder, and lightning, and fire. But now God knew that Elijah was in a very vulnerable state. So he spoke to him in a gentle, tiny whisper. This what Elijah needed, during this time of anxiety and turmoil in his life- just a gentle whisper.

My dear family, Trinity, I know that much has happened in the last two years, 2020-21. CIVID19 has played havoc. Many of you have experienced much turmoil in life.

Would you at the beginning of this year, just quieten down, and listen to the gentle whisper of the LORD?

Our Gospel’s reading, John 6:15-27, also reminds us of this same lesson. The disciples were very scared, in the middle of the night. There was thunder and lightning, while they were laboring hard to reach the shore. They were experienced sailors, yet they were so scared of capsizing and drowning in the Sea of Galilee.

Right in the midst all this violent turmoil they see Jesus, their Lord, calmly walking of the stormy sea.

When they saw this, they got even more scared, and went into a frenzy.

Jesus calmly whispered to them, “Ego Eimi, I AM, don’t be afraid!”

Jesus declared that he is the same I AM, who revealed himself to Moses at the burning bush, and to the enslaved people of Israel. He rescued them and brought them through the stormy waters of the Red Sea. He is the same I AM who spoke in a gentle whisper to Elijah, in the most anxious moments of his life.

It seems clear to me, that in these two passages- our scripture reading for today, Jesus is whispering to us, right in the midst of the continuing storms of 2020-21, and life, “I AM. Do not be afraid!”
Beloved, listen to that still small whisper!

Professor-Pastor Boaz Johnson (PPBJ)

The Birthing of a New Year and the Yeshua of God

I have been teaching at North Park University since 2003. It has almost been 20 years of very fulfilling experiences. During this time, I have also served as an Interim Teaching Pastor at several Evangelical Covenant churches in the Chicagoland area. It has given me the opportunity to mentor fresh North Park Theological Seminary graduates, who then went on to become good pastors.

Serving as a professor-pastor, I think, is one of the most fulfilling vocations in the world today.

I am now serving a crucial legacy Covenant church on the South Side of Chicago called Trinity Evangelical Covenant Church.

I write this blog, as I see a steady snow fall- on the first day of 2022, and the first snow fall of the winter. The weather-people have issued a winter advisory.

Tomorrow is the first Sunday of the year.
At Trinity ECC, in my preaching schedule this year, I plan to follow the lectionary texts, at least all the way to Pentecost.

I hope to also resume my writing of blogs based on the lectionary readings. I plan to do this primarily for the Trinity Church family. Of course, I welcome you all to this journey through the Bible, as I explore the Mission of God in the Bible and in the world today.

The years 2020-2021 have devastated the world. So many people have died because of COVID19. The year 2022 seems to offer more of the same with the omicron variant of the Coronavirus.

Is there any hope?

Two texts which I explore today- the beginning of first books of the Hebrew Bible (Genesis), and the New Testament (Matthew), give us much hope and assurance in the context of the COVID19 crisis.

Genesis, chapter 1, begins with the words, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was tohu vavohu, and darkness was over the face of the deep. Nevertheless, the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.”

The two Hebrew words tohu vavohu describe violent devastation and much hopelessness. There was a deep form of darkness and depression. It was global. It was throughout the universe. Perhaps, it is the blackhole that the James Webb telescope is set out to explore!

It seems clear that this was far more devastating than the Coronavirus crisis.

Nevertheless, the hope is found in the gracious presence of the Spirit of God who was “hovering over the waters,” as if to give birth to something brand new and give hope to a tohu vavohu devastated universe.

In the Hebrew text of Genesis 1, the following verses describe God’s solution to devastation. It is found in the following verse. “And God said, “Let the light be birthed, and the light was birthed.” This refrain is repeated ten times throughout the chapter. “God said, “Let there be . . . and it was birthed.”

God’s response to devastation, destruction, depression, and darkness is the simple Word Act of birthing.

This was the mission of God from the beginning.
This will always be the mission of God, even during our present crisis.

The first book of the New Testament describes a New Beginning right in the midst of another historical devastation. This time it is caused by wave after wave of marauding armies of the Babylonians, the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans. They caused tohu vavohu, destruction, devastation, depression, and darkness. This is what human beings have done throughout history of humanity.

What is God’s solution?

The same Word of God which broke through into history at the beginning of the universe, again breaks through into history. This time it is through a virgin by the name of Mary. This was envisioned through the Prophet Isaiah, “The virgin shall conceive and give birth to a son. They shall call his name Immanuel, God with us!”

His name is Yeshua, the Salvation of God. This Salvation of God is envisaged throughout the Hebrew Bible, as one who would cause a Recreation and Rebirth to take place in the world and universe, which has gone into a state of tohu vavohu.

A couple of examples will suffice.

This Salvation of God descended into history to recreate a new people out of Egypt. He birthed them through the waters of the Red Sea (Exodus 15:2).

Whenever, marauding armies seek to bring about destruction and devastation, the people of God are told that they will indeed see the Yeshua of the LORD (2 Chronicles 20:17).

For this reason, Matthew 1:1 begins with the words, “The Beginning of the Genesis of Yeshua the Messiah, the Salvation of God.”

Both Mary and Joseph are told that this child is none other than Yeshua, the Salvation of God.

As we embark into a new year, 2022, may we remember that the same Word of God, who is the Yeshua, Salvation of God, will break through into history, just like he broke though into history in Genesis 1 and in Matthew 1.

He will bring about the birthing of a new creation, and salvation, right in the midst of the devastation and destruction of COVID 19.

Let us hold onto this Word, and this Yeshua, Salvation of God.

When I decrease, Jesus and my ministry increases

My dear Trinity family:

Last week we had an amazing Noah’s Ark Sunday. We heard from Christina and our missionary couple from India, Abhishek and Jessica, about things they have learnt from kids. These are kids from Oak Lawn and from the slums of India. These kids teach us how to follow Jesus, like a child.

I am sure you have many stories to share on this subject. I look forward to hearing these from you, and please share them with each other in the Trinity family.

This week, in our community readings of the Scriptures, we have been reading together the first two chapters of the Gospel of John. We learn many lessons from the early disciples about how to grow a church. It is simple- yes, very childlike, and yet so profound.

Here is how it goes.

There is a guy by the name of John. He was a homeless person. He lived in the wilderness, under the sky. He had scorpions and snakes and all living all around him. Yet, people followed him into the wilderness- good people and bad people; powerful people and weak people; all kinds of people, many people.

I do not know why they followed him. He did not have a profound diction. He did not speak beautiful poetry. He did not tell a whole lot of jokes. But they all followed him.

He did not tell them feel-good stories. He would have failed in the college of motivational speaking. Yet, they followed him.

He did not wear clothing from Calvin Kline, Gucci, Georgio Armani, etc. He wore dirty clothing made up of stuff he just picked of the roadkill. He was a wild man. Yet, they followed him.

He was a private man. He was an introvert.

When people followed him, he kept saying to them, “Don’t follow me. Follow Jesus! I am not even worthy to untie his shoes. I am not even worthy to be his slave boy.”

He gathered a whole bunch of ordinary people, like Andrew, and Phillip and John, and others. He taught them as much as he could, and then he just led them to Jesus so that Jesus would take them to the next stage in their journey in life.

The church can only grow when there are people like John, who say, “Jesus must increase, and I must decrease.”

This is what John taught his disciples.

My prayer is that each of us will be more and more like John, in this year.

Your Shepherd,

Prof-Pastor BJ

Years may come and go, but the Word of the LORD endures forever

My dear Trinity family:
Our theme for this year is “years may come, and years may go, but the Word of the Lord endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)

Keeping this in mind, we have decided to conscientiously go on a Bible Reading Journey together. We are not doing this Bible Reading journey just as a church- which is great! We are going on this Bible reading journey with our sisters and brothers from all over the world. This means that whatever time of the day it is, someone is reading the same passage of the Bible, in some part of the world, as you did on any day. How cool is that!

God is speaking to someone from that same passage of the Bible, as he spoke with you on that day. Amazing!

This Sunday is Noah’s Ark Sunday. This is the Sunday on which we focus on our children.

Last month, on Noah’s Ark Sunday, we heard from our missionaries in South Africa and in Colombia, about what God is doing through our children in those parts of the world.

God speaks to us through our children.

When God took his people out of slavery, he told them this,
Deut. 6:4-9
4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. 6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

He said them, “Do you want a vibrant spiritual life? Let it all revolve around your children. You talk about what God is doing to you and through you, in every aspect of your life, with your children. They, in turn will ask you questions and point out things which will make you better followers of God.”

Sadly, the people forgot all about teaching their children, and talking about the Bible, all the time, as God commanded them. So, they lived mediocre, to very horrible lives.

During the time of Jesus, they continued to live these kinds of sad lives.

Parents brought their children to Jesus. But his disciples behaved like bodyguards. They drove away the parents, perhaps even shoved the kids. Sad! Isn’t it?

Thankfully, we have one example of a disciple who learnt from the Lord. He is not a prominent disciple of Jesus. All the great thinkers talk and write about apostles like Peter and Paul. Not many write about this disciple. His name was Andrew.

Andrew was probably the younger brother of Peter. He was probably the quieter one. Peter was the loud, type-A personality. One of the disciples of Jesus, John the Apostle, recognized this quiet strength of Andrew. In his Gospel. John underlines that Andrew was the first apostle to be called by Jesus. He also underlines that Peter becomes a disciple of Jesus because of Andrew. This is powerful!

This Sunday, we will spend some time reflecting on Andrew. We will focus on a huge miracle that Jesus did. He fed 5,000 men. These were the heads of family households. They had their wives and children with them. So, Jesus would have fed at least 25,000 people- children, women, and men.

How did he do this? It was because of the friendship between Andrew and a slave boy.

Jesus looked at all the people, and knew that they would die of starvation, if he did not feed them.
He looked at his disciples and said, “Feed them guys!”
They looked at Jesus, as if he had lost his mind.

But Andrew was different. He had befriended this little kid. This little kid was not the son of some important village people. He was a slave boy. Andrew knew what kind of lunch package he had. He did know from where he got this food. Maybe, someone had pity on this starving slave boy and had given him five rotis and two little sardine fish from Galilee.

Andrew really got to know this little lad, from his heart-to-heart conversation with him.

Andrew did what Deuteronomy 6 and Jesus asked Christians to do.

In his quiet way, Andrew said, “Lord, this little slave boy is willing to sacrificially share his five tiny rotis and two sardines! What do you think?”

The rest, as they say, is history!

Next Sunday, we will hear about lessons that our Director of Noah’s Ark, Christina Palazzolo, from Noah’s Ark kids.

We will also hear from two amazing missionaries, serving our Lord in India about lessons they have learnt from kids in India.

We will learn some important lessons from them!

So, please bring your kids, grandkids, and all!
Come willing to hear and learn from our kids!

Your Shepherd,
Professor-Pastor BJ

On running like serpents and doves

“I am sending you out like sheep among wolves. Therefore be as shrewd as snakes and as innocent as doves.”
(Matthew 10:16)

Why did people run? There is ample evidence in history that running in related to the need for food. Smaller animals ran away from larger animals. Larger animals ran to catch smaller animals. Animals ran away from human beings. Human beings ran long distances to corner animals and kill them. The San people of Africa gained the skills of running very long distances- sometimes a 100, 200 miles. The larger animals like tigers were fast. But, in long distance running they would get tired and would be cornered by the great Sana runners.

It required a lot of wisdom or its counterpart, shrewdness to do this hunter-gatherer economic and social task.

Jesus says, “You want to a good hunter-gatherer runner, learn from the snake. Also learn from the dove.”

The Greek word used for the snake, is also used in Genesis 3:1, where the snake is described as the most “crafty” of all the animals. However, this same Greek word is used in the rest of the Bible to describe a wise and prudent person, like Joseph in Genesis 41:33, 39. The Book of Proverbs uses this same word to describe a wise and prudent person- a model person (Proverbs 1:4; 8:5;, 12; 12:16, 23; and so on). In the Book of Proverbs itself, this word is used 13 times, as a good and positive role model.

Jesus uses the same word to describe the wise and prudent person who builds one’s house on a solid foundation, as against the foolish person who builds one’s house on a flimsy foundation. (Matthew 7:24)

The Greek word used of the virtue of the dove is literally purity of thought and purpose. Jesus himself is used as an example of this virtue in Philippians 2:15. In Matthew 16:23 Jesus rebukes Peter because he does not have purity of thought and purpose.

Human beings have been runners from the beginning of history. They have been like sheep running away from wolves. Good runners must learn the wise and prudent virtue of the snake, and the pure and purposeful virtue of the dove. That is what the Great Marathon Runner Jesus says.

A Prayer
A LORD as a run this marathon called life, help me become wise and prudent; pure and thoughtful.

On the virtues of running

Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong.
Do everything in love.
(1 Corinthians 16:13-14)¬¬
¬¬
Marathon runners cannot be flimsy people. It is 26.2 miles. One has to develop a lot of virtues in order to be able to run and finish a marathon. The Apostle Paul enumerates some of these virtues in our Verse of the Day.

Be alert
The first virtue he stresses is alertness, or keeping one’s eyes open. This is especially true during the long training runs week after week. In training runs a runner encounters gutters, bad roads, fallen trees, and the such. If one is not alert and careful one can get badly injured. In urban areas one encounters cars- sometimes drivers who do not care, or are in a hurry to get to places. A runner has to be always alert for these bad drivers.

During the marathon, a runner needs to be very alert. There can be road ditches. Jackets thrown by thoughtless runners. Other debris. Marathon runners are not allowed to listen to music or anything which will keep them from being completely alert. The organizers of marathons want runners to be ready for emergency announcements or from alerts from fellow-runners. I remember instances when I alerted a runner about a danger I saw ahead of me. But, the runner was lost in some music, and fell down as a result of the lack of alertness.

Be resolute

The second virtue in our Verse of the Day is resoluteness. A marathon runner needs to be firmly committed to a training schedule, and stick to it. One cannot be loosie-goosy about this routine. It needs a lot of commitment. During the marathon run itself, a runner needs to tell oneself, “I am going to finish this marathon, no matter what happens.” There are several times during the run, when a runner is tempted to give up, especially when cramps set in, in the 16th or 20th miles. In the 21st mile a runner may hit the proverbial wall. During these times a runner needs to be resolute. A marathon runner needs to be stick-to-itive.

Be manly as a woman is in childbirth
The Greek virtue underlined here is literally “manly.” However, in the Bible, it is a genderless virtue. It is the courageousness which must be espoused by both women and men runners. In Joshua 1:6, 7, this is the virtue which Joshua the new runner-leader is asked to possess, “Be strong and courageous.”

More poignantly, it is the virtue of a woman who is going through labor pains during childbirth (Micah 4:10). This is the kind of courage and strength which is needed during the marathon run. Perhaps, women runners can teach their male counterparts a thing or two about running.

It is worth noting that in 1980s only about 10 % of finishing runners were women. In the 2019 Chicago Marathon, 986 men finished, and 854 women finished. This is 46.41 percent of finishers. An amazing jump!

Be strong
The Greek word used here is used of Ruth in the Bible. This is the virtue which Naomi saw in Ruth (Ruth 1:18) and she said, “You go girl, you are going to make it in life.” It is the virtue which drew David to his friend Jonathan. In his lament at the death Jonathan, David exclaims, “Oh marathon runner, you were stronger than the lions!” (2 Samuel 1:23)

Love
The Apostle Paul stresses that the highest virtue for a marathon runner is “love.” It is the love of running. It is the love for fellow-runners. It is the love for people who come cheer to the runners. It is the love for people who do not like runners.

In the great poem of love, which one reads before this section, the Apostle Paul has already stressed that the greatest virtue is Love. (1 Corinthians 13:13)

In the marathon run called life, if one does not have love, it will be a very tiring and futile run. Lack of love will make a runner give up. It is love which keeps a marathon runner enthused and running.

A prayer:
Oh Lord, please help me develop these virtues- alertness, resoluteness, womanly manliness, strength, and love, as I run this marathon called life.

On being a lead runner of integrity

By justice a king gives a country stability,
but those who are greedy for bribes tear it down.
Prov. 29:4

There have been many news reports emerging out of newly independent countries, from all over the world. Zimbabwe is a beautiful country between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. I was a student at the University of Delhi in 1980. Some of my close fellow-student friends were from Zimbabwe. I remember the excitement when Zimbabwe became a free nation. Robert Mugabe became the Prime Minister and the Head of the Government. There was much promise and hope. However, sadly he became greedy and corrupt. He became increasingly dictatorial and violent against his own people. It led to an 8 % recession every year. It impacted all the sectors of the economy- manufacturing, agricultural, service, everything. Robert Mugabe took the country down to become a horribly poverty stricken country during his 40 years of dictatorial rule. The same is true of so many other African countries- Liberia, Central African Republic, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, etc. Common people die of hunger, while the political leaders have cash stashed away in Swiss banks. They themselves lead lavish lifestyles, and live in huge fortified palaces.

This contrasts with other African countries like Ethiopia, where the last few years have seen a consistent GDP growth rate of 8 % -11 %. This year the Ethiopian president was given the Nobel Peace Prize. Another crucial figure was South African president Nelson Mandela. Much in contrast to other heads of states, he refused to be president for more than one term, after he won the fight against apartheid. He famously said, “The first thing is to be honest with yourself. You can never have an impact of society if you have not changed yourself . . . Great peace makers are all people of integrity, of honesty, but humility.” He was not greedy for wealth and power. He wanted peace and stability for his people.

A good runner, especially a lead runner, has to be a person of integrity, and honesty. A runner who lacks integrity and honesty cause oneself to come to ruin, and takes other fellow runners down with him/her.

Justice, integrity, and stability go together.

Injustice, corruption, and poverty go together.

A prayer:
Oh Lord, today, please help me to be a person of justice and integrity.

On endurance and running

Do not, therefore, abandon that confidence of yours; it brings a great reward.
For you need endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.
(Hebrews 10:35-36)

I write this blog with the exciting news that for the first time in history an athlete- Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya, has broken the 2 hour barrier of finishing a marathon. He ran the Vienna Marathon, 26.2 miles in 1 hour, 59 minutes, 40 seconds.

Eliud Kipchoge already holds the official record of 2 hours, 1 minute and 39 seconds, which he set at the 2018 Berlin Marathon.

Also, I write this blog on the 2019 Chicago Marathon Day. A woman, Kenyan Brigid Kosgie has broken the women’s world record. She won the Chicago Marathon with a time of 2 hours, 14 minutes and 4 seconds.

Amazing Kenyan runners!

Long distance running is quite different from short distance running. Short distances are over quickly. An athlete runs 100, 200, 400, 800, 1500 meters rather quickly. It is done and over with. Long distance running is very different. It is 10,000 meters, 42,195 meters ( 26.2 miles, a marathon), 50 miles, 100 miles, 200 miles, and so on. A sprinter usually cannot run a marathon. Usain Bolt, the famous fast 100/200 meters athlete has never run a marathon.

Long distance running is an endurance sport. It is a sport which has been run from the beginning of human history. The ancient San people of Africa ran for days together to hunt for animals. They outdid the much larger and fierce animals with their endurance running.

The Bible talks about long distance runners who were the most important people in the armies of King David and others- e.g. 2 Samuel 18. These were the bearers of the good news or bad news. Interestingly in the Bible, they were usually African people. These were endurance runners.

The Bible always juxtaposes endurance running with hope. This is quite clearly seen in several Psalms in the Greek translation of the Bible. It uses the same word which is used in our Verse of the Day, “you need endurance.” Here are three of the many examples: Psalm 9:19, “The poor shall not be forgotten, the hope and endurance of the poor will not perish;” Psalm 62:5, “For God alone my soul waits in silence; for my hope and endurance is from him;” Psalm 71:5, “For you, Oh Lord are my endurance and hope, my trust O LORD, from my youth.”

All marathon runners develop endurance, in the hope they would finish strong.

How do marathon runners develop endurance?
Here are a couple of things endurance scientists observe.
Endurance requires building aerobic capacity. Long distance runners usually develop larger hearts and decreased heart rates, which enables them to use oxygen efficiently. Long distance runners perform at around 75-65 of peak aerobic capacity. Short distance runners perform at closer to 100 % of peak. Long distance runners also increase their endurance by running at their lactate threshold. This means, they become good at clearing lactic acid, and reusing it to fuel their muscles. Endurance runners practice good carbohydrate loading. These are also called glycogen stores.

In this marathon run called life, the Bible gives us the tools to develop a good “aerobic capacity,” a good “lactate threshold,” and good “glycogen stores,” so that we may run the “the endurance race set before us, looking to Jesus, the great the starter and finisher.” (Hebrews 12:1, 2).

In this marathon run called life.
He is our hope.
He is our endurance fuel.
He is our aerobic capacity builder.
He is our lactate threshold booster.

A prayer:
Oh Lord Jesus, the great marathon runner, as I run this race, please help me build my endurance, in the hope that I will finish strong, holding your hand.

On running with fear and humility

The reward for humility and fear of the LORD
is riches and honor and life.
(Proverbs 22:4)

Running marathons has taught me several lessons in life. Two of these are found in this Proverb- fear and humility. In fact these two virtues are at the heart of the whole Book of Proverbs.

A marathon is a marathon. A runner, no matter how many marathons she or he has run may never take it lightly. Fear is a good thing. If one does not fear the marathon one can make foolish decisions. One student of mine decided to run the Chicago Marathon, just on a whim. He got up in morning of the Chicago Marathon, and decided to run it. He had not trained for it. He had not registered for it. He just decided to run it. Of course, he was 19 years old. Sadly, he was badly injured and had to drop out of the whole semester.

Fear is a good thing.

Running marathons has also taught me humility. It is 26.2 miles. One has to train for many, many miles. Each training run teaches the runner much humility. The marathon itself is a humbling experience. This is especially true when a runner reaches the 16-21 miles distance. This is when cramps set it. This is when dehydration can make running very hard. In the Boston Marathon, this is when one reaches the Heart-Break hill. This is when a runner starts asking questions like, “Will I be able to finish? I do not know if I can do this?” It takes a lot of humility to accept one’s limitations.

The Hebrew words for “fear” and “humility” are very telling.

The Hebrew word for “fear” is yirah. In the Hebrew Bible this usually parallels the phrase, YHWH Yireh, which in Genesis 22 is translated “The LORD will provide.” Literally it is, “The LORD sees.” In Genesis 22 Abraham obeyed God, when he asked him to sacrifice his son Isaac. In response God says, “I know that you fear God.” (Genesis 22:12). Abraham calls the name of the place, “YHWH Yireh, literally, the LORD sees.” (Genesis 22:14).

In the Hebrew Bible, when one fears God and situations. These are occasions to see God.

When you and I fear God, he sees our condition, and we also see him with greater clarity. This is what happens in a marathon race.

The Hebrew word for “humility” is anah. It is a word which is often used to describe people who are subjected to oppression and slavery. As a result of systemic oppression these people are calledanav. They are driven to a state of extreme poverty (Psalm 9:12, 18).

Running a marathon enables the runner to experience, in some measure, what the poor and the persecuted experience. The oppressed people are always trying to run away from the oppressors.

I often wonder why the best marathon runners come from the oppressed people groups of Africa.

Running marathons is truly the best way to learn these two crucial biblical virtues: Fear of the LORD and humility.

A Prayer:
A LORD, as I run this life’s marathon, please help me learn how to fear you, and to live a humble life, so that I may see you with clarity, and so that I may know the suffering of the poor.