Safe to Get Back in the Water

Well, I took quite a while off blogging. I did this for a couple reasons. First, folks were reading into my posts about specific circumstances despite the fact that I talk about general issues. While I can't stop that (and hope that people actually take biblical principles and measure their specific circumstances against those standards), I thought it best to lay low until the dust could settle. But also, there was an individual who was obsessed with my blog, checking it 3x each week. This behavior lasted for months after I suspended posting. It seems that he/she hasn't returned in quite a while now, so perhaps it's safe to get back in the blogging swing. My hope is that this space will help you to think deeply about our calling as Christ's representatives in the world, that deep reflection will lead to conviction, repentance and change if warranted, and that the Kingdom of God would expand in influence in your corner of this world.

Grace and Peace in Christ Jesus!
s

What about Saturday?

So, yesterday was Good Friday and tomorrow is Easter Sunday, but today is Saturday. What do you do with that?

Catholic tradition calls it Holy Saturday, the day that Christ’s body lay in the tomb. The Eastern tradition calls today The Great Sabbath because it’s the day that Jesus rested from His finished work on the cross. But both of those focus on God lying in state, if you will. And I have been reflecting on the disciples on that first Saturday.

Scripture is silent about Saturday, but I think it’s easy enough to know what was happening based upon Friday and Sunday. We know that on Sunday the disciples were together and they were not at the tomb. But why weren’t they standing outside that tomb waiting for Jesus to come out? He had told them several times that He would rise on the third day. Yet, they were not there. But they hadn’t scattered; they were together on Easter morning. Think about Friday. John tells us who was at the cross:

Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. John 19:25-27

Where are the disciples? Only John is mentioned being there. Well, think back to when Jesus was arrested and taken before the authorities. Peter followed along, trying not to be noticed. But he was recognized and confronted about being part of the Jesus following. Folks, this was a very real threat. Jesus had been arrested as a traitor. Anyone associated with Him could likewise be executed. That’s why Peter denied Christ three times; he was trying to stay alive. And that’s where all of Christ’s Apostles are until Easter morning, hiding out in fear of death.

Stay with me. Isn’t that where each one of us is following Good Friday? Without the Resurrection of Easter morning, don’t we have a dead savior? If Christ wasn’t raised on Easter, there is no hope. Nothing He said or did, even who He was, is true. And if He is not God, we have no hope.

Look at it another way. Did Jesus die for your sins, receiving the punishment that was rightly due you? I hope you answered “Yes!” But, if He wasn’t raised from the dead, He could not and cannot save you. That’s not a philosophical argument; it’s what Scripture says:

And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. 1 Corinthians 15:17-19

You see, living in Holy Saturday is hopeless. But many a Christian professes a crucified Savior, but misses the power and life of the Resurrection. They are perpetually living the fear and uncertainty of Saturday. So, reflect today on the hopelessness of crucified hope. Reflect on the fear that grips the desperate, hopefully just for this day. For tomorrow brings a new day, a GLORIOUS DAY…

Good(?) Friday

I had thought of lots of things that I could write on this Good Friday, 2012. But I'm not sure that there's anything worth adding to what the Scriptures have already said. So, today, on this Good Friday observance, I will post something for Sean. You see, Sean thinks the Bible was written to support the stories of the disciples, so that they could have power and recognition. But this is an odd story to write. It's not the story I would write. I would not create a weak god. He would not suffer. He would demonstrate power, not servitude.

But my god would whimper before this God. This God was not created by clever tricksters of the first century. This God revealed His coming to men, more than 500 years before He came, weak like an infant. Read Eugene Peterson's translation of Isaiah's prophecy of the death of Jesus. This is not the story that men would write. Therefore, it is infinitely more glorious. Read it and reflect. Easter is coming, full of light and hope and life. But let today be Good Friday. Let it be our darkest day so that His light may shine all the brighter. S

Isaiah 53 - The Message Paraphrase
Who believes what we've heard and seen? Who would have thought God's saving power would look like this?
The servant grew up before God—a scrawny seedling,
a scrubby plant in a parched field.
There was nothing attractive about him,
nothing to cause us to take a second look.
He was looked down on and passed over,
a man who suffered, who knew pain firsthand.
One look at him and people turned away.
We looked down on him, thought he was scum.
But the fact is, it was our pains he carried—
our disfigurements, all the things wrong with us.
We thought he brought it on himself,
that God was punishing him for his own failures.
But it was our sins that did that to him,
that ripped and tore and crushed him—our sins!
He took the punishment, and that made us whole.
Through his bruises we get healed.
We're all like sheep who've wandered off and gotten lost.
We've all done our own thing, gone our own way.
And God has piled all our sins, everything we've done wrong,
on him, on him.

He was beaten, he was tortured,
but he didn't say a word.
Like a lamb taken to be slaughtered
and like a sheep being sheared,
he took it all in silence.
Justice miscarried, and he was led off—
and did anyone really know what was happening?
He died without a thought for his own welfare,
beaten bloody for the sins of my people.
They buried him with the wicked,
threw him in a grave with a rich man,
Even though he'd never hurt a soul
or said one word that wasn't true.

Still, it's what God had in mind all along,
to crush him with pain.
The plan was that he give himself as an offering for sin
so that he'd see life come from it—life, life, and more life.
And God's plan will deeply prosper through him.

Out of that terrible travail of soul,
he'll see that it's worth it and be glad he did it.
Through what he experienced, my righteous one, my servant,
will make many "righteous ones,"
as he himself carries the burden of their sins.
Therefore I'll reward him extravagantly—
the best of everything, the highest honors—
Because he looked death in the face and didn't flinch,
because he embraced the company of the lowest.
He took on his own shoulders the sin of the many,
he took up the cause of all the black sheep.

Wrong Prescription

What sort of lenses are you wearing? You know. We put on sunglasses with dark lenses because we are sensitive to bright light or to people peering into our eyes. Or we put on prescription lenses because we have imperfect eyesight and we wish to see more clearly. If you wear glasses, most are light enough these days that you don't even realize they are there.

Years ago, when I got my first pair of corrective lenses, I thought it would be cool to get prescription sunglasses. My hope was to be able to see clearly while enjoying my active outdoors lifestyle. The lenses I got had a purple tint to them. They were great for seeing in bright light conditions, especially on the ski slopes. After a short time, I didn't even realize that I was seeing the world in shades of purple. It looked normal to me. Fast-forward 10 years and I was told that the purple tint of my glasses was highly addictive and had created extreme photosensitivity in my eyes. My body, in order to protect itself, was developing a protective coating on my eyes which would eventually blind me. And all of this was happening without my knowledge, just because I had put on a pair of sunglasses, a very wrong pair.

So, what lenses are you wearing? I'm not necessarily talking about your physical eyes right now. I'd like to focus your attention on the eyes of your heart. We all have lenses through which we perceive the world. Our lenses are the result of our life's journey, what we've been taught, what we've seen modeled, or what we've experienced, both painful and wonderful. Our lenses are so much a part of us that we don't even know they exist. But we all have them and they alter reality to create our perception of what really is.

This is a conversation that I have had in the church for years and am just starting to have at the Vo-Tech where I'm teaching. You see, we slide into a mode where we deal with people and situations from our prejudices, conclusions that we have drawn before investigating the facts. It leads teachers and administrators to deal with teens using a template intended for all. It discounts the circumstances that have preceded today and dehumanizes the person. Schools generally run from ministering to the whole person, falling back on "teaching" content and referring problem cases for discipline and correction. Amazing teachers are the ones who enter the mess of the person to find out who they really are and why they are struggling so they can truly educate the whole person.

Today in church I was reminded of a video that I had intended to post months ago but I had lost the thought (my ADD got the better of me). But this video (below) out of Fellowship Church addresses the issue of how we see the world around us. Watch it and then let's have an honest discussion about how inconvenient it is to truly see people. Let's talk about our calling as Followers of the Inconvenienced God. And let's pray for one another that the Living Spirit of God would give us, not only eyes to see but, a heart like His, one which compels us in the name of Christ, Love, and all which is holy and sacred to enter the mess of the world with the full power of the Gospel of Grace.

So Far From God

This weekend, we celebrated St. Patrick’s Day as a nation. The irony is that in Ireland, they watch news reports about our celebrations which include corned beef & cabbage, green beer (usually way too much beer), parades filled with people dressed like leprechauns, and even rivers dyed green. And they wonder why we would celebrate one of their Holy Days with such foolishness.

You see, St. Patrick was an amazing missionary who brought the Christian faith to their island nation. And he was responsible for planting a church and a movement that was characterized by a profound understanding of the sent-ness of God’s people. The gospel for the Celts wasn’t so much about saving individuals, although that was certainly part of it. It was a powerful gospel which transformed lives, families, and communities. More than that, it broke down dividing walls between tribes, giving an island filled with tribal conflict a unifying identity in Christ. And the message, fueled by the Spirit of God, swept throughout the land and captured hearts all to the praise and glory of God.

Then there’s our celebration. Christ has no place in American St. Patrick’s Day. Some creative missional pockets are trying to restore the holiness of the day, but they are the extreme minority. Churches try to ignore or even condemn the holiday. And we miss a huge opportunity to remember faithfulness and to challenge God’s people.

And what does evangelism look like in America? Well, I took a picture of a sign at our local gas station. It’s below. Click on it to get a larger image if you have a hard time making out the object I have pointed out. The sign is advertizing gas station sandwiches. Yummy! But some well-meaning but misguided saint has put a tract on the sign. The message? I’m not sure. “Come inside and get a lousy, but cheap sandwich. And while you choke it down, read this literature that will probably make you nauseous if you are far from Christ.” And the person who put it there has annoyed a merchant in the community, provided a few laughs at the local pub, but feels like he has done his part to be a witness of the gospel in a broken world. It’s a good thing that it’s the Spirit that saves people and not us. But I’m sure that we’re called to a whole lot more than this.

Understanding Connection

OK, so I don't normally put "secular" stuff into my blog, but a friend sent me this video. He uses it in a seminar he does on finding healing in ministry. The video is rather long, but the gal is reasonably entertaining, so I hope you watch it thru to the end. Her topic is interesting, but her personal journey is fascinating. Yes, there's lots of pop psych stuff, but don't miss the point of her presentation. She's discussing the link between vulnerability and authentic connection. And she claims that connection is the thing we need and seek in life. Folks, that's biblical. And she provides insight into the reason we don't connect. Guess what. It looks a lot like trying to be God. So, watch the video and think about why we have a hard time connecting with one another and even with God. Then, let's talk...

Jacked-Up Faith

Have you ever noticed how messed up our understanding of Scripture is? I have been visiting a lot of church websites and realized that it’s found even among staff. Often, sites have brief bios for staff, sometimes even favorite Scripture verses. Let’s use one of those that seems to recur consistently, Jeremiah 29:11,

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Doesn’t that sound wonderfully encouraging? God has plans for your life and they are plans you will like a whole lot. He loves you so much that He will make you healthy and successful. Wow! You’re something special!

Maybe you know that this verse comes from a message to Judah while they are in captivity in Babylon. That’s a step in the right direction. But that should cause you to ask yourself whether or not the “promises” of 29:11 even apply to you or to your current circumstances.

Let’s pretend for a moment that they do. I don’t think they do, clearly from the context, but I believe that they reveal something of the character and will of God, so there is some relevance. Isn’t it funny that we only list v.11 as one we find important? Look at some additional Scripture from that passage,

This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon: "Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease. Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper." Jeremiah 29:4-7

Oh my. Did you catch v.7? Seek the peace and prosperity of the city, Babylon! Pray to the Lord concerning it. And how should you pray? That He would judge your oppressors? That He would make them Jews (or Christians)? Nope! Pray for the prosperity of the city. Because then, and only then, will you prosper.

The context of Jeremiah 29:11 is missional instruction to God’s people, how they are to behave while they are in pagan captivity. This verse should be understood in light of the covenant faithfulness of God. He is sovereignly working out a plan for the redemption of all peoples. Those who are His, He uses to expand His Kingdom influence. Even when they have gone astray and followed godless leaders, He will not destroy them, because He is faithful. Yes, they will suffer discipline for blindly, even selfishly following leaders who tickled their ears. But His sovereign plan advances, even in Babylon. And once they have been punished, He will restore them to their mission in the land, the mission which they had abandoned in favor of selfish idolatry.

So, when we are taught that Jeremiah 29:11 all about God’s guarantee of goodies and comfort, when we believe that the gospel is about us rather than about His glory, aren’t we really committing the same sin that landed Judah in Babylon? The next time you are told and tempted to believe that God wants you to be wealthy and comfortable, take another look at the life Jesus lived. See if you can find prosperity. Is there a lot of physical comfort, especially toward the climax of His story? Then, let His words resonate deep in your soul,

Again Jesus said, "Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you." John 20:21