Why is Easter such a big deal?
In short, without the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, nothing else matters: not the miracles, the healing, the feeding of 5000, not the amazing teaching, not the work of the disciples, the Virgin Birth. Unless Jesus died and then rose from the dead then the rest of Jesus' life is just Vacation Bible School Fun Facts.
Annoying Christians.
We like to talk about Sin. Your sin, our sin, the sin of the world. We like to dig into it and let everyone know why they are bad. It can be hard to take, but our intentions are good. It really does come from a place of Love. We talk about sin for a couple of reasons.
1. It accurately describes the world around us. Things are jacked up. The world seems not quite right. Other people seem awful and if we are honest, we see that our own hearts are incurably selfish. Instead of shouting "Everything is Awesome.", we are forthright about what's broken in the world and our part in it.
2. If Christians are talking about Sin correctly, we are conveying that we are all in the same boat, we are all sinners. Most of the time, though, it sounds like we are talking about how wrong everyone else is, and how right we are. But the reality is that a true Christian will see that distance between the worst guy in the world and my sweet Grandma is not very far...we are all sinners.
3. Sin acknowledges that we need a Savior. It not only puts us in the same boat, but it explains why that boat is so far from God. He wants to be near us, but in his perfection and our serious imperfection he cannot. We need to be saved. And the reason we need to be saved is so we can be clean, cleared of this sin and near our Creator. People don't like to be in need, they don't want a savior, they want to do it all themselves, they don't trust God and they resist the notion of Sin. This resistance, is also because of sin.
Mercy.
God could just wipe everything out. The fact that we are still here, in spite of sin, is mercy. Justice is that we all get wiped out, Mercy is that we continue to exist.
Grace.
But God didn't stop there. He came here to make a way for us to be saved. He came to show us love, give signs of his divinity but most important, he came to make a way out of this Sin struggle. We inherently understand the terms of sacrifice because we have Justice written in our very being. Do you ever ask yourself why you crave fairness, why injustice is so sickening? If we understand Sin, even a little, then we will understand that a price has to be paid. The Cross is this price. On a cosmic scale, it is that point in a movie where the Villain is about to kill the child and then the hero steps in and says, "Take me instead". We get sacrifice because we understand injustice. But God blows our understanding out of the water, when he himself steps in. We can't quite comprehend it. We are left with this inescapable choice in life. He leaves us no out. Either we accept this is true or we reject it. Either Jesus is God, or Not. Either he is my Savior or I choose my own route. Either he died that we might be with him in eternity or it's just Time+Matter+Chance.
Resurrection.
People like to call Jesus a great teacher, a powerful leader, an amazing figure in History that changed the world. But they do not like to call him what he is: God. This is why the Resurrection matters, why everything hinges on it. It declares God's victory over death, over sin, and points to our life eternal, with him. It is the point in history that allows for everything to be made right. We clearly aren't there yet, he has to come again, but without Jesus rising from the dead, all things being made right cannot happen. When Jesus died, all his believers ran scared, scattered and went into hiding. But when Jesus came back, we have 12 clumsy men ready to change the world with their message of Salvation for all for those who believe: The Gospel: The Good News. If Jesus didn't rise for the dead, he is just a nut job cult leader who said he was God and not worth following. If he did, well what does that mean to you? Who do you say he is?
He is asking...What's your answer? If he didn't love you, he wouldn't ask.
John 14
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
Monday, April 7, 2014
Rivers.
Wiring and Rivers. As I think about our brains, hearts and our emotions, these are the images that come to mind. I have been studying about depression recently, reading and auditing a course on counseling. As I study I think about the intended paths of our hard-wiring. I think about how the amazing chemicals that flow through our system go about their business, the ebb and flow. I think about how interactions and learning create new paths. I think about the good paths that are being formed in our brains. I think about how the wiring, the rivers that flow are supposed to be. I pause as I think about the gap between what God has intended for our design and what actually comes to be. The broken parts of us and of this world are only recognizable because within our creation lies the original blueprints for how things are supposed to be. There are ancient river beds that outline the intended destinations of our wiring. (I apologize that I cannot really quite separate nor unite these two metaphors, but bare with me as I push through). We only know how bad things are because there is an echo of how good things are supposed to be. Injustice only exists because we have a sense of justice. Evil only exists as a perversion of what was once Good. God has an intended version of us, in which all the millions of wires and tributaries of hormones, chemicals, emotions and reactions flow in perfect harmony. It is an unbelievably complicated symphony of beauty and glory. Of course, this perfection is not our current reality. All of us experience a perversion of our systems. Starting from the moment we are born, we are influenced second by second by the world and the people around us. Indeed, some are born with a genetic disadvantage that hinders their flow. Things are haywire from the womb. Inappropriate gushing of chemicals, out of sync connections, crossed wires, flash flood and desperate droughts overwhelm us from the start. Some enter into this world with horrific circumstances affecting their flow. Genetic miss firings wreak havoc on their systems. And heart-breakingly, some are exposed to unthinkable injustice and abuse that in essence drop bombs on the victims river paths. These events are so destructive that any evidence of the original intended path disappear.
But there are glimpses of goodness. We get moments when the river is flowing beautifully within its banks, when the currents surge with remarkable efficiency. The world seems clearer, sharper, more beautiful than you previously imagined. And while your fellow humans retain the evidence of their busted banks, you somehow swell up with compassion for them because of it. Despite all odds, you continue to Love.
God has given us Love, that we might help to restore his creation. It is Love the compels us to attend to our damage, to seek the help in repairing our pathways, and once we are able we cannot help but to want to help others. Our rivers flow together, and our poison flows to our neighbors and our love does as well. Our circuits are irretrievably intertwined. If we choose to sever these connections completely, we may avoid the damaging voltage, but we also remove the chance for healing and repair. As you read this and as I write this I can think of dozens of friends and loved ones who are recovering or reacting to the devastating bombs that have been dropped in their lives. One way or another, they attempt to make sense of the mess they have been left with. Hope remains, and Love bids us to enter into the mud. Medication can help. Counseling can help. But more than anything, we have to realize that every interaction we have with each other is affecting the others and our own course. We are directing each other, for good or for bad. Some are dealing with the effects of a re-routed river. A change in course that happened so long ago and that is so far off course that we don't know how to help. All we can do, is to little by little, help to change the course. In Love we must gently and consistently be a presence for one another, gradually moving the banks of the river. If we choose to be in the mess with each other, we must also rely on God's guidance. We must trust in his direction, not only because he knows best, but because we cannot possibly see what is needed to be seen. We may help, but only God can wash away the damage and make us new.
The one who created all, who watched as man betrayed him, still calls us to restore that which we destroyed by our original sin. That is mercy. We can struggle and blame and be angry with God for the current condition of the world and of our own hearts, but we must do so realizing that it is his Love and Mercy that allow us to exist to even consider that struggle. And so we dive in to love one another, to work towards restoring his creation, to bring others into the fold, so that someday we may all get to rejoice when he makes things right again. The day when all rivers lead to Jesus. We ache for the time when all of our energy will flow in the right direction and be eternally powered by his Love and Glory.
God dwelt with us in perfection.
We chose our own desires.
God gave us direction to be saved.
We chose our own desires.
God pursued his people.
We chose our own desires.
God came in the Flesh, Died to overcome our choices, and in his Resurrection changed the course of history.
Because of His perfect course, His perfect death and his Life again, he has flooded the circuits of creation. Out of all the meandering tributaries he has forged a new course, one path available for all that call his name. The one whom the winds and waves obey, has come to save you.
For his Glory and our Joy, let us not choose our own desires, for we have been given a new course.
But there are glimpses of goodness. We get moments when the river is flowing beautifully within its banks, when the currents surge with remarkable efficiency. The world seems clearer, sharper, more beautiful than you previously imagined. And while your fellow humans retain the evidence of their busted banks, you somehow swell up with compassion for them because of it. Despite all odds, you continue to Love.
God has given us Love, that we might help to restore his creation. It is Love the compels us to attend to our damage, to seek the help in repairing our pathways, and once we are able we cannot help but to want to help others. Our rivers flow together, and our poison flows to our neighbors and our love does as well. Our circuits are irretrievably intertwined. If we choose to sever these connections completely, we may avoid the damaging voltage, but we also remove the chance for healing and repair. As you read this and as I write this I can think of dozens of friends and loved ones who are recovering or reacting to the devastating bombs that have been dropped in their lives. One way or another, they attempt to make sense of the mess they have been left with. Hope remains, and Love bids us to enter into the mud. Medication can help. Counseling can help. But more than anything, we have to realize that every interaction we have with each other is affecting the others and our own course. We are directing each other, for good or for bad. Some are dealing with the effects of a re-routed river. A change in course that happened so long ago and that is so far off course that we don't know how to help. All we can do, is to little by little, help to change the course. In Love we must gently and consistently be a presence for one another, gradually moving the banks of the river. If we choose to be in the mess with each other, we must also rely on God's guidance. We must trust in his direction, not only because he knows best, but because we cannot possibly see what is needed to be seen. We may help, but only God can wash away the damage and make us new.
The one who created all, who watched as man betrayed him, still calls us to restore that which we destroyed by our original sin. That is mercy. We can struggle and blame and be angry with God for the current condition of the world and of our own hearts, but we must do so realizing that it is his Love and Mercy that allow us to exist to even consider that struggle. And so we dive in to love one another, to work towards restoring his creation, to bring others into the fold, so that someday we may all get to rejoice when he makes things right again. The day when all rivers lead to Jesus. We ache for the time when all of our energy will flow in the right direction and be eternally powered by his Love and Glory.
God dwelt with us in perfection.
We chose our own desires.
God gave us direction to be saved.
We chose our own desires.
God pursued his people.
We chose our own desires.
God came in the Flesh, Died to overcome our choices, and in his Resurrection changed the course of history.
Because of His perfect course, His perfect death and his Life again, he has flooded the circuits of creation. Out of all the meandering tributaries he has forged a new course, one path available for all that call his name. The one whom the winds and waves obey, has come to save you.
For his Glory and our Joy, let us not choose our own desires, for we have been given a new course.
Genesis 2
8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters.
Ezekiel 47
Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 When I arrived there, I saw a great number of trees on each side of the river. 8 He said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah,[b] where it enters the Dead Sea. When it empties into the sea, the salty water there becomes fresh. 9 Swarms of living creatures will live wherever the river flows. There will be large numbers of fish, because this water flows there and makes the salt water fresh; so where the river flows everything will live. 10 Fishermen will stand along the shore; from En Gedi to En Eglaim there will be places for spreading nets. The fish will be of many kinds—like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. 11 But the swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they will be left for salt. 12 Fruit trees of all kinds will grow on both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, nor will their fruit fail. Every month they will bear fruit, because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.”
John 7
37 On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. 38 Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.”
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Coexist.
"COEXIST."
It's a bumper sticker I see all the time on all kinds of cars.First reaction: "Nice, yes, let's Coexist."
Second reaction: "Well, yes, that's nice, but not very realistic is it?" (I have a British accent here for some reason)
Third reaction: "People suck. Religion sucks. Organizations suck. It's too much, I mean have you seen people? Even if it's not about religion, beliefs or lifestyle, in general people are hard to be around!"
Fourth reaction: "Sorry. That was a bit harsh."
Fifth reaction: "But seriously...c'mon people!"
Sixth reaction: "But still, in spite of how hard it may be, we should make an effort to understand each other. I love Jesus, I believe that the power and goodness are all his, so I owe it to my salvation to understand my fellow man and woman, their belief systems, their backgrounds and invest in people in the hopes that something in me will spark something in them to ask about Jesus and what he has done for me...for the world."
Seventh reaction: "But man, as a Christian, it feels like more and more I don't have a right to say anything, and anything in our country or western civilization that was built on a belief in Jesus is being wiped away. Is there tolerance for my views?"
Eighth reaction: "Wait, wait, wait, what the hell does that even mean? Coexist? WTF?"
Ninth reaction: "Coexist: To exist at the same time in the same place. Aren't we doing that already? Coexist peacefully you mean? <see Second reaction layer>
Tenth reaction: From the Coexist Bumper Sticker website...I think.
There is a crisis of understanding that tears at the social fabric of societies around the world. Globalization has outpaced understanding, creating divisions that plague societies with prejudice, misinformation, hate, and violence. The Coexist Foundation is a non-profit organization creating understanding across divides. Since 2006, the Coexist Foundation has forged a range of inspiring initiatives to create understanding through education and innovation.
"Well that sounds right, I got no problem with that...we should be doing that right? Yes, Let's Coexist!" <see first reaction>
Eleventh ("Eleventh" that doesn't even look like a real word...it's like what you would call an Elf Tent) reaction: "Well, wait...shit, that doesn't feel like enough. That's not quite right, is it? (British again) We are just treading water here. Coexist here just means to occupy the same space at the same time. Like we are all just trying to get through Thanksgiving dinner without anyone offending anyone else. My soul and my heart and my mind want more. I want reconciliation, I want real and comprehensive understanding! To coexist feels like I have to accept that Truth is relative, that "Your truth is your truth and my truth is mine." But I don't believe that.
Twelfth (even less real than the elf tent) reaction: "Just take it easy, take it easy, Scotty. Sounds like you are about to make a stink. When you start talking about Jesus as the only way, people get pissed. People get uncomfortable. You start losing friends and alienating family. That is decidedly NOT coexisting. Maybe you should just pipe down...whatever that means."
Level Thirteen: "Jesus, I'm sorry. I'm not strong enough. I'm not good enough to carry your name to the places people need it. Forgive me."
Level Fourteen: "Yes! I'll simply be responsive! Go where I 'm asked and keep quiet until called upon. Live a good Christian life and hope that it shows through."
Level Fifteen: "But still, there is that nagging feeling. Yes, I can't quite shake it. I really do want to understand other religions and belief or even non-belief systems. I love people, I like figuring out what makes them tick, but it's all kind of surface stuff, this Coexisting. We are agreeing to disagree and walking off. I had an old boss that would get enraged when someone used that phrase, 'Agree to disagree'. 'Bullshit' he'd say, 'We are going to figure this out until someone is right!'"
Level Sixteen: "But he was kind of juvenile. I'm beyond the need (most of the time) to be right. It's just not that important. But still I can't say that Truth is relative. Because if it is then nothing really matters. We can Coexist, but what's the point....ahhhhaahh!!!"
Level Seventeen: "We sail about having complicated conversations on belief, religion and truth hoping to get to some unsatisfactory place where we all Coexist. An endless limbo land of holiday with the in-laws, where no one is right and no one is wrong. But do we ever stop to ask "Why?" Why the urge to Coexist? Why the movement? Does it matter? If you Google "Why do we need to Coexist?" there is no clear response. Why? Why? What is it about us that drives towards some level of unity. Even those forces in the world that are destructive are still compelled by a desire for unity, some sort of perverted reconciliation. People that aggressively assert their will are still seeking one-ness. Have you asked yourself why? Do you just want to get along until next time, or is the desire for coexistence rooted in something more?
Level Eighteen : "We struggle to coexist because we are people and we are broken. We still yearn for it because there is a hint of the reality of reconciliation alive in our eternal soul. God is perfect, but we are not. Jesus Christ is God, on earth, here for us to make things right. Although his death and resurrection sealed the deal, the struggle isn't quite done. As a Christian I am compelled by his Great Love to want that Love for you. I'm awkward with his Love and often abrasive, but it is no less sincere. He is coming back and that should terrify us, because when he comes back it will not be to Coexist. It will be to make the world right, and One, by his Power and his Judgment."
Level Nineteen: "Phew. That was hard. Jesus I love you. Thank you."
Level Twenty (spelling out numbers is just bizarre): "Here and now, I do have an obligation to Coexist. This world has been given to us to be stewards. I will Coexist...sitting behind folks in traffic, parents at my kids school, different people at work, the people I serve in my job. I will Love them all, because He asked me to. That greater Truth overrides everything else."
Level Twenty-one (now we have hyphens): "But then again, we weren't called to just "occupy the same place at the same time", we were called to tell the world about Jesus."
Well now, that is quite the rub. This is gonna take more than a blog post isn't it. (again with the accent)
Matthew 22
36 “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?”
37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a] 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b] 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
Level 42: Was an under rated 80's band.Thursday, March 13, 2014
Leap!
Our hearts,
Pregnant with the Spirit of our Savior,
Leap...
When we come into the presence of Christ,
Gestating and maturing within another.
Waiting to be born of the heart,
Born again.
Luke 1
41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
Pregnant with the Spirit of our Savior,
Leap...
When we come into the presence of Christ,
Gestating and maturing within another.
Waiting to be born of the heart,
Born again.
Luke 1
41When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
Saturday, March 1, 2014
Quarantine
Quarantine.
A strict isolation to prevent the spread of disease.
A father leans his forehead against the cool glass of the hospital observation window. Inside his 5 year old son sweats in a chilly room all alone. Wrestling in the sheets with tubes coming out of him he shrieks against the persistent beeping and calls weakly for his father. Nurses come in and out of the room, but are of little comfort dressed as they are in protective white suits and masks. The father would do anything to be with his son, giving his very life for a moment of comfort for the boy. But he knows he can’t. If anyone is exposed to what the boy is carrying they will in fact die. So the father waits.
Is there any doubt as to the viral nature of human behavior? For the Christian, this seemingly unstoppable force of infectious brokenness is Sin. Both in nature and in culture, it is pervasive. Sin is passed from parent to child in both heredity and by contact. It is unavoidable and we live with it. Like cancer ravaging a healthy body, Sin is the corruption of something good, the perversion of purpose. We know we are sinful from the Creation story, but we also know it because of experiential evidence. We see it in our neighbors, and if we are honest we know it about our own hearts.
Adam and Eve chose something other than God and therefore Sin entered God’s creation by the mere act of failing to trust Goodness. With a flaming sword, God lovingly set us aside, out of the Garden, out of perfection. Without understanding the nature of a perfect and holy God it is hard to see this act as loving. But though he loved Adam and Eve, they became an affront to his goodness and holiness. Though he loves us, we must remain just out of reach. Our sickness could not and cannot be tolerated by his perfection, he would cease to be perfect if our sin was to be ignored. However, instead of destroying us, he set us aside. God is the standard, every thing else is a reaction to that standard. Eden and Heaven are the ultimate reality, the quarantine of our earthly existence is a distortion of this. We are judged by heaven’s standards. Confusion comes when we try to judge heaven and God by our standards, which is ridiculous when you think about it.
In this quarantine, the story becomes God’s pursuit of his people and his desire to protect the remnant of his chosen people. What is the Law of Moses but a protection from the very thing that infects us. The Law points to both the survival in this quarantine and the perfection of God. The Law is not about who we are, but who God is. It cannot be met, but remains necessary of we are to survive in this world plagued by sin. The story of God and indeed the story of the Bible from Genesis 3 on is his pursuit of his people: shaping, molding, culling, revealing, directing and loving. A good and gracious God desperate for his creation to be redeemed that they might be with him again. He sees our pain from beyond, not able to absolve but still merciful. The plan is in motion and has always been in motion. We will be his people and he will be our God. Through the shaping of his people, the antidote is produced. Jesus Christ is God himself strapping on flesh and all its failings to deliver salvation into the quarantine itself. He chose to be with the hurting in his time here: the sickest in spirit and in flesh, the poor and the destitute. The weakest are the ones he ached for the most. It is Christ’s Love that changed the world, for in that short time God’s eternal love for his creation was on full display.
Sin is passed by blood. Blood reaches every cell of the body and every organ. Christ is the perfect specimen, introduced into the quarantine to create a chain reaction with his blood. With his blood he brings the cure and with his resurrection that blood is released in and by the Spirit. Salvation has been exposed to the world and it is the job of the Church, the body of believers to deliver this blood and flesh to the world and throughout history. The Word is God and the Word became flesh and now we the Church deliver the flesh of Christ through the Word and through communion, proclaiming his death and resurrection. By the blood we are healed and in his death we may enter back into Eden and walk with our Father again in the cool of the day.
There is no denying that some have a greater burden to bare. Some nations, some tribes, some families, some individuals suffer beyond human comprehension. This is the reality of living in quarantine. For some this makes the possibility of a Loving God impossible. The world is too atrocious and it assaults their inherent sense of fairness. "Injustice would not prevail if there were a just God." Where does this sense of fairness and justice come from? How do we know that things aren’t right? It is the very revelation of a loving God that proclaims this injustice to us. It is because we have a God that we even know that things aren’t right. Believer or not, we are right to yearn for something better, to hope in something good. We were made for something more and inherently we all know it. Our failures begin when we search in the wrong place for our hope, much like Adam and Eve. C.S. Lewis says it like this “If I find in myself a desire which no experience in this world can satisfy, the most probable explanation is that I was made for another world.” If there were no God our present situation wouldn’t be better, it would be hopeless and we would be in despair. Our quarantine would become a wasteland, with no hope for life.
There is something to hope for; it is the renewal of this world by the blood of Christ. For our Eternal God this redemption is one motion, one big bang in which we were conceived in love to be in eternal community with our Father. Until we can see it and are beyond the chains of time, we must endeavor to Love our God by Faith, accept the work of Christ through no effort of our own, and because of our acceptance realize that we must Love all the people of this world and make every effort to make things better and to spread the Good News. Just as Christ prepares a place for us, so must we prepare for his return. Though we are sick, there is work to do. And though we are infected, Jesus is planning to accept us out of this reverse quarantine and (back) into paradise.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Lit.
We were meant to be lit from within.
Inside you there is something that yearns to burn.
You stoke your fire,
You choose your desire,
And your choice defines the quality of your light.
The dark of an evening can be enchanting,
But even the splendor of the starry night depends on light.
Total Light is Heaven.
Total Darkness is terror.
The Shadows sulk, unable to create.
So they distract. So they destroy.
You, you soft speaking absence,
You, you quiet eroder,
You, you comforting corrupter,
You, you inflamer of a fire
That gives no light,
That gives no warmth,
That consumes good and produces ash.
And that ash layers upon itself.
Sediment over sediment of depravity.
Buried.
Inside, death.
Outside, the apparent stability of a useful structure.
After all, a tomb, washed white, still serves a purpose.
Jesus, don't let me fade.
Pouring out brightness upon the tombs pristine walls
Is not enough to pay the cost for the lost.
His spirit must decide,
His spirit must provide.
The ember remains,and his breath makes it glow.
Rise and Shine!
Racing to the high hill,
I burn with a new fire.
Fueled by the eternal,
My light will not die.
This is my purpose,
Not to make my own light
But to allow him to consume me,
All of me.
I choose to burn with the glory of the Creator,
The very light born at Creation.
A light on a hill,
Burning and Alive.
It is a Joy to tell of what Jesus has done for me.
Isaiah 60
“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn."
Inside you there is something that yearns to burn.
You stoke your fire,
You choose your desire,
And your choice defines the quality of your light.
The dark of an evening can be enchanting,
But even the splendor of the starry night depends on light.
Total Light is Heaven.
Total Darkness is terror.
The Shadows sulk, unable to create.
So they distract. So they destroy.
You, you soft speaking absence,
You, you quiet eroder,
You, you comforting corrupter,
You, you inflamer of a fire
That gives no light,
That gives no warmth,
That consumes good and produces ash.
And that ash layers upon itself.
Sediment over sediment of depravity.
Buried.
Inside, death.
Outside, the apparent stability of a useful structure.
After all, a tomb, washed white, still serves a purpose.
Jesus, don't let me fade.
Pouring out brightness upon the tombs pristine walls
Is not enough to pay the cost for the lost.
His spirit must decide,
His spirit must provide.
The ember remains,and his breath makes it glow.
Rise and Shine!
Racing to the high hill,
I burn with a new fire.
Fueled by the eternal,
My light will not die.
This is my purpose,
Not to make my own light
But to allow him to consume me,
All of me.
I choose to burn with the glory of the Creator,
The very light born at Creation.
A light on a hill,
Burning and Alive.
It is a Joy to tell of what Jesus has done for me.
Isaiah 60
“Arise, shine, for your light has come,
and the glory of the Lord rises upon you.
2 See, darkness covers the earth
and thick darkness is over the peoples,
but the Lord rises upon you
and his glory appears over you.
3 Nations will come to your light,
and kings to the brightness of your dawn."
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Perception.
"I wish that was my first thought..." This was the response a young man had as I was talking with about the wonders of creation.
I have a small group of young guys I meet with on a semi-regular basis. All have worked for me and with me at some point. Somewhere along the way they have responded to a few things I've said, maybe asked a few questions and generally let me speak into their lives. They are young men in their early 20's just starting to figure things out. It is probably my love for my precious nephews, all now in this age range, that made me want to connect with these young men and I owe a debt to my precious nephews for being ability to connect. In addition, I live with 4 women and have 4 sisters, so I am depleted of testosterone and this allows me to recover some. Also, my humor works well in this demographic. For my part, this is a cherished opportunity to explain things that never got explained to me: to talk candidly about life and relationships and disappointment and fear and work. They let me talk about important things, about what it looks like to be a man in this culture. We laugh a lot. Most importantly, they allow me to speak at length about what it means to be loved by and serve our Savior, Jesus Christ. In a way, this is about me reaching out, not only to these boys, but trying to reason with a 22 year old, lost version of myself. I am certain that this is more rewarding for me than it is for them, but also I recognize that they value my age and experience and a few of the things I have to offer. Of the 6 of us, 3 are professed Christians, one is wrestling with what he cannot escape as the truth of Christ, and the other two are just peaking into this Jesus thing. I classify the last 2 as seekers, intrigued by this new explanation of who Jesus really is. They know somethings missing, but they aren't sure that Jesus is the answer. It was one of these last two that had the response above.
On this particular day, it was this seeker and the three professors: one Catholic, two Protestants. I began the session talking about the wonder of creation. I expounded on the vastness of the universe and the miracle of life on Earth, of the unbelievable sequence of events that made it possible for life on Earth. I described that if even a few things had gone in a different direction, life would not be possible. From there I drilled down to talk about how Jesus is the center of it all, that he is the expression of this Vast and terrifying and marvelous God becoming personal. If God is person, then he can be personal to you. Three of us went on to talk about the redemption of our broken world through Christ and how beautiful it was. After a while, this seeker, when we pressed him for response admitted in his humorous and dry confession, "I can't believe that is your first response (That God is good and is in control of everything) to the Universe." What he was referring too (and I'm taking liberties here with what he actually expressed) is the fact that this universe I was describing, the incredible work of God that made me feel so special, actually made him feel so small. We had completely different perspectives. I thought I was laying out a proof of significance, yet to him it felt like just the opposite. This has been a crushing realization for me and has haunted me all week. It does no good to go on about the wonders of Gods love to someone who is not yet able to feel it. This is no fault of my own abilities or deficiencies of the seeker. It just is what it is. As I reflect on this, I am remembering what it feels like to be on the outside looking in. It is extraordinarily frustrating. For me this outsider feeling was devastating. As a child I watched men and women walk to the altar, in response to the pastor, at Church every week, being saved and accepting Jesus as their savior in dramatic fashion. No matter how many times I went forward, I was never convinced of anything. I did not have the reaction they did, I did not have a flash of light. Instead of feeling saved, I felt unwanted. God clearly did not choose me or I would have felt it, right? This is an all too frequent story for people who are raised in the Church. Somewhere along the way, our caretakers forgot to give us a real explanation of what it means to be saved and what it means to believe in Jesus Christ.
I wonder if this young man looks at me and thinks, "He was chosen by Jesus." But instead of feeling encouraged by this truth, he feels discouraged and lonely. He thinks, perhaps, that kind of love is not meant for him. I don't have the answers for him. I do remember that feeling though. It was a feeling that fueled my own rebellion. I could never be good enough for this God who doesn't want me, so I will do my best to self destruct and distrust those who love me the most. It's been a long road back for me. What I know now is that of course God loved me then and he loves me now and always, just like he loves these boys. But we are using our own messed up relational skills to figure these things out. The ability to love and feel love is a delicate thing. Truthfully, this statement he made "I wish that was my first thought.", both scares me and excites me. It scares me, because it is out of my control. No amount of my good explanation or testimony can make the case for a Loving Savior. That has to happen in a personal way between the seeker and his redeemer. On the other hand, the seeds of faith are being sown. "I wish that was my first thought..." speaks of a hunger. It is a statement that points to truth. He wants goodness and he wants to be a part of goodness, yet as he looks at himself and looks at the world he doesn't know how it is possible. But for right now, the want of goodness is enough for Christ to go to work in this young man. The ringing of truth in his soul, the reaction to injustice, the ache for Love is a call that will not go unanswered by Jesus. That much I know.
My perspective now is that God is good and that all things make sense because of who he is, what he has done and what he has yet to do. It is a truth that has been slowly revealed to me as I responded to the call of my soul. I worked out my salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12) and Gods response has been to give me pieces as I am able to understand and receive them. It doesn't happen in a ray of light, but it does happen in the light. Go! oh seeker, seek the light and seek the truth and your quest will not be in vain!
I have a small group of young guys I meet with on a semi-regular basis. All have worked for me and with me at some point. Somewhere along the way they have responded to a few things I've said, maybe asked a few questions and generally let me speak into their lives. They are young men in their early 20's just starting to figure things out. It is probably my love for my precious nephews, all now in this age range, that made me want to connect with these young men and I owe a debt to my precious nephews for being ability to connect. In addition, I live with 4 women and have 4 sisters, so I am depleted of testosterone and this allows me to recover some. Also, my humor works well in this demographic. For my part, this is a cherished opportunity to explain things that never got explained to me: to talk candidly about life and relationships and disappointment and fear and work. They let me talk about important things, about what it looks like to be a man in this culture. We laugh a lot. Most importantly, they allow me to speak at length about what it means to be loved by and serve our Savior, Jesus Christ. In a way, this is about me reaching out, not only to these boys, but trying to reason with a 22 year old, lost version of myself. I am certain that this is more rewarding for me than it is for them, but also I recognize that they value my age and experience and a few of the things I have to offer. Of the 6 of us, 3 are professed Christians, one is wrestling with what he cannot escape as the truth of Christ, and the other two are just peaking into this Jesus thing. I classify the last 2 as seekers, intrigued by this new explanation of who Jesus really is. They know somethings missing, but they aren't sure that Jesus is the answer. It was one of these last two that had the response above.
On this particular day, it was this seeker and the three professors: one Catholic, two Protestants. I began the session talking about the wonder of creation. I expounded on the vastness of the universe and the miracle of life on Earth, of the unbelievable sequence of events that made it possible for life on Earth. I described that if even a few things had gone in a different direction, life would not be possible. From there I drilled down to talk about how Jesus is the center of it all, that he is the expression of this Vast and terrifying and marvelous God becoming personal. If God is person, then he can be personal to you. Three of us went on to talk about the redemption of our broken world through Christ and how beautiful it was. After a while, this seeker, when we pressed him for response admitted in his humorous and dry confession, "I can't believe that is your first response (That God is good and is in control of everything) to the Universe." What he was referring too (and I'm taking liberties here with what he actually expressed) is the fact that this universe I was describing, the incredible work of God that made me feel so special, actually made him feel so small. We had completely different perspectives. I thought I was laying out a proof of significance, yet to him it felt like just the opposite. This has been a crushing realization for me and has haunted me all week. It does no good to go on about the wonders of Gods love to someone who is not yet able to feel it. This is no fault of my own abilities or deficiencies of the seeker. It just is what it is. As I reflect on this, I am remembering what it feels like to be on the outside looking in. It is extraordinarily frustrating. For me this outsider feeling was devastating. As a child I watched men and women walk to the altar, in response to the pastor, at Church every week, being saved and accepting Jesus as their savior in dramatic fashion. No matter how many times I went forward, I was never convinced of anything. I did not have the reaction they did, I did not have a flash of light. Instead of feeling saved, I felt unwanted. God clearly did not choose me or I would have felt it, right? This is an all too frequent story for people who are raised in the Church. Somewhere along the way, our caretakers forgot to give us a real explanation of what it means to be saved and what it means to believe in Jesus Christ.
I wonder if this young man looks at me and thinks, "He was chosen by Jesus." But instead of feeling encouraged by this truth, he feels discouraged and lonely. He thinks, perhaps, that kind of love is not meant for him. I don't have the answers for him. I do remember that feeling though. It was a feeling that fueled my own rebellion. I could never be good enough for this God who doesn't want me, so I will do my best to self destruct and distrust those who love me the most. It's been a long road back for me. What I know now is that of course God loved me then and he loves me now and always, just like he loves these boys. But we are using our own messed up relational skills to figure these things out. The ability to love and feel love is a delicate thing. Truthfully, this statement he made "I wish that was my first thought.", both scares me and excites me. It scares me, because it is out of my control. No amount of my good explanation or testimony can make the case for a Loving Savior. That has to happen in a personal way between the seeker and his redeemer. On the other hand, the seeds of faith are being sown. "I wish that was my first thought..." speaks of a hunger. It is a statement that points to truth. He wants goodness and he wants to be a part of goodness, yet as he looks at himself and looks at the world he doesn't know how it is possible. But for right now, the want of goodness is enough for Christ to go to work in this young man. The ringing of truth in his soul, the reaction to injustice, the ache for Love is a call that will not go unanswered by Jesus. That much I know.
My perspective now is that God is good and that all things make sense because of who he is, what he has done and what he has yet to do. It is a truth that has been slowly revealed to me as I responded to the call of my soul. I worked out my salvation with fear and trembling (Phil 2:12) and Gods response has been to give me pieces as I am able to understand and receive them. It doesn't happen in a ray of light, but it does happen in the light. Go! oh seeker, seek the light and seek the truth and your quest will not be in vain!
Ask, Seek, Knock
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.
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