Luke 6:20-23 - The Beatitudes.
I had a professor once who reframed my reference for these verses. His take was that Jesus didn't just pull this stuff out of the air. He thinks it was more immediate than that. Jesus was teaching on the mountain and all these people had gathered to hear him. They weren't special people, they were just...people. And they had a ton of questions. They believed in what Jesus was saying - he spoke with such passion and authority and in plain language. Unlike other teachers of his day, Jesus reached out to the everyman and everywoman. It wasn't about him making himself more. He was all and didn't need to prove himself. It was about enriching people, bringing them back to God in real, meaningful ways. But his teaching didn't change the fact that most of them were living well below the poverty line and often couldn't afford basic neccessities like food and shelter.
Jesus wasn't stupid. He could see these people often sacrificed wages and their livelyhoods just to listen and learn from him. So he points at a group of them dressed in less than rags, "Blessed are you who are poor for yours is the kingdom of God." You there, yes, you, you are blessed. God will give you his entire kingdom one day. You are making the right choice to be here today.
He looks over at another group who are gaunt in the face and are having trouble focusing because their stomachs won't stop growling. "Blessed are you who are hungry now, for you will be filled." You are not forgotten. You are blessed because you have made the right choice - you've chosen God over your own hunger! That earns you food that will fill you beyond imagining. Food that will cure your hunger for eternity.
Another group, half hiding behind a clump of trees, eyes wary and on the lookout for their neighbours who have done nothing but taunt and abuse them since they discovered their allegiance to the rogue rabbi. Jesus locks eyes with them and says, "Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice on that day and leap for joy, for surely your reward is great in heaven; for that is what their ancestors did to the prophets." God sees what they do to you. He sees how hard they make your lives. These kinds of people don't change. They abused God's own prophets - people sent to help save them were beaten, mocked, even murdered. Yes, I'm comparing you to the propehts! That's a pretty big honour. But guess what? You'll be honoured even more in heaven, so don't pay your tormentors any mind at all. In fact, rejoice instead of weep! You will gain what they can never achieve.
I like this approach to the beatitudes, this in-your-face kind of preaching. It makes Jesus more divine and more human to me all at the same time. He had the divine perspective on life, and yet he never dismissed the reality of what was going on around him. He wasn't blind or stupid about the trails and suffering the people who followed him experienced. But his encouragement was realistic too. You may never 'succeed' in this life financially or with your reputation, but stop worrying so much about that. You hold to your course of following me and you will receieve your reward a thousand times over. God is not blind to what you're going through, but he will choose how you are rewarded. Don't believe the lies this world tells you - that you have to make in in this life in order to make it at all. You're already blessed by God. Yes, you, you're blessed by God, in spite of your rags, in spite of your growling stomach, and in spite of the abuse you have to endure. You're blessed!
Such a good reminder for this crazy, stuff-obsessed culture. It's something I forget more often than I remember. I am blessed. By choosing life, by choosing Christ, I am blessed.
Blessed are you who are poor...
Blessed are you who are hungry...
Blessed are you who are persecuted...
How are you blessed today?
Wednesday, September 12, 2007
Thursday, June 29, 2006
recognizing God
In Matthew 16:13-19, Jesus asks his disciples if they know who he is. Peter is the first to respond: "You are the Messiah, son of the Living God." I like that there doesn't seem to be any hesitation in Peter's answer. I imagine he said it very matter-0f-factly. "Is this a trick question, Jesus?" he might've asked. "You're the Messiah. We all know that."
Jesus is pleased with Peter's answer and goes on to tell him that it was the Holy Spirit that revealed this to him. This is one of the few passages in which we see the Trinity working as a whole. Jesus is declared to be the Son of God and it was the Holy Spirit's work that revealed this to the disciples.
The work of the Holy Spirit has been on my mind quite a bit lately. I'm not sure why, but I keep coming back again and again to the idea that it is the Holy Spirit that changes people's hearts, not you or I. Changing people is not up to us. We cannot create change. We can be conduits of change, we can create the environment for change, but we cannot bring that change about in someone. That fact really strips away our need/desire to 'fix' people, doesn't it? It prevents us from saying things like, "If I love him/her hard enough, they'll come around" or "If I forgive him/her often enough, they'll understand and change their behaviour." It doesn't work like that. It is not our job to change people.
Just as it was the work of the Holy Spirit that revealed Jesus' true identity to Peter, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that continues to reveal Jesus' true identity to people today.
Let's get out of God's way and let people see him instead of us!
Jesus is pleased with Peter's answer and goes on to tell him that it was the Holy Spirit that revealed this to him. This is one of the few passages in which we see the Trinity working as a whole. Jesus is declared to be the Son of God and it was the Holy Spirit's work that revealed this to the disciples.
The work of the Holy Spirit has been on my mind quite a bit lately. I'm not sure why, but I keep coming back again and again to the idea that it is the Holy Spirit that changes people's hearts, not you or I. Changing people is not up to us. We cannot create change. We can be conduits of change, we can create the environment for change, but we cannot bring that change about in someone. That fact really strips away our need/desire to 'fix' people, doesn't it? It prevents us from saying things like, "If I love him/her hard enough, they'll come around" or "If I forgive him/her often enough, they'll understand and change their behaviour." It doesn't work like that. It is not our job to change people.
Just as it was the work of the Holy Spirit that revealed Jesus' true identity to Peter, it is the work of the Holy Spirit that continues to reveal Jesus' true identity to people today.
Let's get out of God's way and let people see him instead of us!
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
recognizing God working in culture
Acts 17:22-28 is one of the passages that is the basis of one of my 'Theological Rocks' of Youth Ministry: "God transcends culture but uses his church to infiltrate and influence it in order to bring his light and truth to people."
These passages are about Paul speaking with the Greeks and making the gospel relevant to them. The Greeks were a very spiritual people, but they had little direction as to what they ought to worship. Worried that they might miss worshipping the correct god, they even built a monument to 'the unknown god' - just to cover their bases.
In a way, today's youth culture is a lot like that ancient Greek culture. They're very spiritual, but they have little direction as to what they ought to be worshipping. Fame? Money? Happiness? Personal ambition? Sex? Karma? Allah? Vashti? Personal enlightenment? Jesus? Now, today's youth culture doesn't erect statues and monuments to the things it worships, but they sure do talk about them a lot.
One of the very best questions in Youth Ministry is this: Why? Why do you listen to the music you listen to? Why do you hang out with the people you hang out with? Why do you engage in certain activities? Why do you watch the shows you watch? If you can think of nothing else to ask a kid, find a 'why' question.
Teenagers are at a place where they can understand and articulate their motivations for the things they do. A child does this that or the other thing because their parents tell them to or because their teacher tells them to or because that's just a part of who they are. Teenagers have a greater capacity for choice and they need to understand and accept the consequences of their choices. A child can't always tell you why they do something. A teenager should be able to.
Teenagers are also at a place where they are searching for a 'self' to adopt. It's a time of trying on a number of different personalities, testing them to see which one fits the best. The frustrating thing is that often, that personality is chosen for you by others, especially at high school. You're the smart one, the athletic one, the artsy one, the druggie, the geek, the popular one. And it's strange, but even though everyone else around you is in the process of trying on personalities, no one lets anyone out of the molds that have been decided for them.
Which is why I always say that everything changes after high school. You finally have the freedom to figure out who and what you really are, without the pressure of a high school environment.
But that's a long road to get to my point - teenagers are searching. Just like the Greeks, they're searching for something to put their faith in. We need to recognize and acknowledge that search, the way Paul did in Athens. And then we need to tell them what it is they've really been searching for - a God who loves them unconditionally and who wants to be a part of their lives.
Their 'unknown god' is none other than Jesus Christ!
These passages are about Paul speaking with the Greeks and making the gospel relevant to them. The Greeks were a very spiritual people, but they had little direction as to what they ought to worship. Worried that they might miss worshipping the correct god, they even built a monument to 'the unknown god' - just to cover their bases.
In a way, today's youth culture is a lot like that ancient Greek culture. They're very spiritual, but they have little direction as to what they ought to be worshipping. Fame? Money? Happiness? Personal ambition? Sex? Karma? Allah? Vashti? Personal enlightenment? Jesus? Now, today's youth culture doesn't erect statues and monuments to the things it worships, but they sure do talk about them a lot.
One of the very best questions in Youth Ministry is this: Why? Why do you listen to the music you listen to? Why do you hang out with the people you hang out with? Why do you engage in certain activities? Why do you watch the shows you watch? If you can think of nothing else to ask a kid, find a 'why' question.
Teenagers are at a place where they can understand and articulate their motivations for the things they do. A child does this that or the other thing because their parents tell them to or because their teacher tells them to or because that's just a part of who they are. Teenagers have a greater capacity for choice and they need to understand and accept the consequences of their choices. A child can't always tell you why they do something. A teenager should be able to.
Teenagers are also at a place where they are searching for a 'self' to adopt. It's a time of trying on a number of different personalities, testing them to see which one fits the best. The frustrating thing is that often, that personality is chosen for you by others, especially at high school. You're the smart one, the athletic one, the artsy one, the druggie, the geek, the popular one. And it's strange, but even though everyone else around you is in the process of trying on personalities, no one lets anyone out of the molds that have been decided for them.
Which is why I always say that everything changes after high school. You finally have the freedom to figure out who and what you really are, without the pressure of a high school environment.
But that's a long road to get to my point - teenagers are searching. Just like the Greeks, they're searching for something to put their faith in. We need to recognize and acknowledge that search, the way Paul did in Athens. And then we need to tell them what it is they've really been searching for - a God who loves them unconditionally and who wants to be a part of their lives.
Their 'unknown god' is none other than Jesus Christ!
Thursday, May 18, 2006
loved by God
I think it's fair to say that we all want to feel loved...by our families, by our friends and by a 'special someone'.
Today's passage from John 15:9-11 is part of a whole speech from Jesus that has come to mean a lot to me. It's from his last 'pep talk' to his disciples before he was led off to die. After their last supper together, they went and walked to the Mount of Olives, on of Jesus' favorite places to teach them. I can imagine Jesus feeling kind of anxious. He knows what's about to happen and he also knows that his disciples just really aren't entirely ready for it. He knows that Judas is about to betrya him. He knows that Peter is about to deny him. He even knows that Thomas will doubt the resurrection. I imagine he felt like he needed to cram in some last lessons before the circus of his last moments on earth started.
What strikes me is that he doesn't give them a quick overview of his leadership style or instruct them on how to run various programs for their ministry. Instead, he tells them to abide in his love. And how do they abide in his love? By following his commands. What is his command? Love each other.
Love. To abide in Christ's love for us, we only need to love each other. Nothing could be more simple or more profound!
I am deeply grateful that Jesus' last instructions to his disciples was not a to-do list. It is an invitation to abide in him. To exist as a part of him. I need that reminder. So often I try to do things out of my own self and in my own strength. It's exhausting. I need to remember that my calling is to abide in the love of Christ. To choose to be more with him than to do more for him.
I need to think about the relationships that I'm in and evaluate how much I love the people given to me. Do I love them as Christ loves me? No, not entirely. But if I seek to be with Jesus more, I think I will, by default, love others more.
It's good to be loved.
Today's passage from John 15:9-11 is part of a whole speech from Jesus that has come to mean a lot to me. It's from his last 'pep talk' to his disciples before he was led off to die. After their last supper together, they went and walked to the Mount of Olives, on of Jesus' favorite places to teach them. I can imagine Jesus feeling kind of anxious. He knows what's about to happen and he also knows that his disciples just really aren't entirely ready for it. He knows that Judas is about to betrya him. He knows that Peter is about to deny him. He even knows that Thomas will doubt the resurrection. I imagine he felt like he needed to cram in some last lessons before the circus of his last moments on earth started.
What strikes me is that he doesn't give them a quick overview of his leadership style or instruct them on how to run various programs for their ministry. Instead, he tells them to abide in his love. And how do they abide in his love? By following his commands. What is his command? Love each other.
Love. To abide in Christ's love for us, we only need to love each other. Nothing could be more simple or more profound!
I am deeply grateful that Jesus' last instructions to his disciples was not a to-do list. It is an invitation to abide in him. To exist as a part of him. I need that reminder. So often I try to do things out of my own self and in my own strength. It's exhausting. I need to remember that my calling is to abide in the love of Christ. To choose to be more with him than to do more for him.
I need to think about the relationships that I'm in and evaluate how much I love the people given to me. Do I love them as Christ loves me? No, not entirely. But if I seek to be with Jesus more, I think I will, by default, love others more.
It's good to be loved.
Wednesday, May 10, 2006
darkness
Today's passage is just one line:
But some days can feel very dark.
I don't know the origins of the passage or other ways it has been interpreted, but one of words that struck me in this passage was 'remain'. We should not remain in darkness. It doesn't say that everyone who believes in Jesus will leave the darkness behind them forever and ever, but that we should not remain in darkness. As though rather than walking away from the dark, we instead just turn our backs to it. It makes me think that maybe we can still sense the darkness, creeping at the edges of our vision, clawing at us, trying to envelop us again.
Some days, when I forget to focus on the light, the darkness at the corners of my eyes seems to creep in around me and make me forget that I am now a child of the light. I don't turn away from the light, but I'm distracted by the darkness at my back.
But I don't remain in the darkness. The darkness has no hold over me anymore. I believe in Jesus so the darkness can only distract me, it can't remove me from God's love.
When you feel dark, remember whose light you live in!
Jesus said to the crowds, "I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness."I believe in Jesus and it gives me great light - insight into my own life, insight into God's will for me, insight into what God is doing in the world.
John 12:46-47
But some days can feel very dark.
I don't know the origins of the passage or other ways it has been interpreted, but one of words that struck me in this passage was 'remain'. We should not remain in darkness. It doesn't say that everyone who believes in Jesus will leave the darkness behind them forever and ever, but that we should not remain in darkness. As though rather than walking away from the dark, we instead just turn our backs to it. It makes me think that maybe we can still sense the darkness, creeping at the edges of our vision, clawing at us, trying to envelop us again.
Some days, when I forget to focus on the light, the darkness at the corners of my eyes seems to creep in around me and make me forget that I am now a child of the light. I don't turn away from the light, but I'm distracted by the darkness at my back.
But I don't remain in the darkness. The darkness has no hold over me anymore. I believe in Jesus so the darkness can only distract me, it can't remove me from God's love.
When you feel dark, remember whose light you live in!
Thursday, May 04, 2006
teachable moments
Today's story is from Acts 8:26-39. It's one of my more favorite 'post-Jesus' stories. The disciple Philip is told by God to go to a certain road. There, a chariot drives by him and he hears that its passenger is reading aloud from the book of Isaiah. He hears from God again that he should go and talk to this person. So he runs to catch up with the chariot and asks, "Do you understand what you're reading?"
It's funny to me that the eunuch bascially says, "Of course I don't understand it!" It makes me wonder why he was reading the passage in the first place. But it's a huge opening for Philip - all but an invitation to instruct the man.
This is what my youth professor would call a 'Teachable Moment'. One of those rare spaces in time where you've got something to say and the person you're talking to is ready to hear it. I've found that you can't create teachable moments - you can create an environment that encourages them, but you can't create the moment itself. Those, I think, come from God.
In youth ministry, that's the thing we always have to be looking for - those teachable moments where the kids say, "Of course I don't understand!", inviting us to teach them the Good News of Jesus.
As I write this, I wonder whether TYN might be at a very teachable place right now. The kids are used to our Bible Study routines and seem to be craving something more or different. Here are some brainwaves I'm having right now that I'm gonna post:
It's funny to me that the eunuch bascially says, "Of course I don't understand it!" It makes me wonder why he was reading the passage in the first place. But it's a huge opening for Philip - all but an invitation to instruct the man.
This is what my youth professor would call a 'Teachable Moment'. One of those rare spaces in time where you've got something to say and the person you're talking to is ready to hear it. I've found that you can't create teachable moments - you can create an environment that encourages them, but you can't create the moment itself. Those, I think, come from God.
In youth ministry, that's the thing we always have to be looking for - those teachable moments where the kids say, "Of course I don't understand!", inviting us to teach them the Good News of Jesus.
As I write this, I wonder whether TYN might be at a very teachable place right now. The kids are used to our Bible Study routines and seem to be craving something more or different. Here are some brainwaves I'm having right now that I'm gonna post:
- In the fall, instead of preparing a bible study for the kids, break them into groups and help them write their own bible studies that they would then present over the next few months.
- Have a prayer concert (where you spend almost the entire two hours praying) with prayer rooms and group prayers and worship and stuff.
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
never enough
The more I read the Bible, the more I appreciate the disciples. They are just so...human! These followers of Christ, these extra-special people are some of the most dense, confused and hypocritical people in the entire Bible. I love that the Bible doesn't hide that. It doesn't gloss them over and only tell us the good things about the disciples - it tells us when they totally suck too!
In the Catholic calendar, today is St. Philip and St. James' day, so naturally today's passage (John 14:6-14) is about St. Philip. Philip says to Jesus, "Show us God, then we'll be satisfied." I feel that way sometimes, especially when I feel like my life is out of control or I have experienced a series of bad events. I feel like crying out, "Just show yourself to me, God! Let me see you so I can know you're really there and you're really taking care of me."
It's one thing to talk the talk. It's easy to say that God is always with us. It's easy to say that God takes care of us. But when the rubber hits the road and tragedy strikes or sickness hits or you don't have enough money to pay your bills that month, just saying that God takes care of you doesn't seem to be enough. You want proof. You want a solution, healing, cash - not now, right now! If that would happen, then I'd be satisified. Then I'd know you were really there, God.
I love Jesus' response to Philip. "Have I been with you all this time and you still don't know me?" Jesus walked with Philip. He talked with Philip. He performed miracles in front of Philip. He prayed with Philip. But it wasn't enough. All Philip could see was the way the disciples were treated by the Pharisees and he wanted reassurance. His question to Jesus proves that Thomas wasn't the only doubting disciple. He wanted to see God, to know that who and what he was following wasn't some grand hoax.
"Have I been with you all this time and you still don't know me?"
Isn't it the same with us? We've seen God work in our lives and the lives of the people we know. We've seen him come through in some of the worst situations, bringing comfort and healing and hope. Heck, I've even seen him take care of my finances time and time again. And yet it's still not enough some days.
We already know that life on this earth is not guaranteed to be easy just because we're Christians. We live in a broken, sinful world, full of pressure to worship things and lifestyles other than Christ. But Jesus is with us and he works all things for the good of those who love him. All things - the good stuff and the bad stuff - are in God's control.
How then can we say, 'Show us the Father'? Do we not believe that Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in him? Those days when we are not satisfied with God, when we want proof that he's there, we need to look to the cross again and again and again until we remember and are convinced that Jesus really is enough.
In the Catholic calendar, today is St. Philip and St. James' day, so naturally today's passage (John 14:6-14) is about St. Philip. Philip says to Jesus, "Show us God, then we'll be satisfied." I feel that way sometimes, especially when I feel like my life is out of control or I have experienced a series of bad events. I feel like crying out, "Just show yourself to me, God! Let me see you so I can know you're really there and you're really taking care of me."
It's one thing to talk the talk. It's easy to say that God is always with us. It's easy to say that God takes care of us. But when the rubber hits the road and tragedy strikes or sickness hits or you don't have enough money to pay your bills that month, just saying that God takes care of you doesn't seem to be enough. You want proof. You want a solution, healing, cash - not now, right now! If that would happen, then I'd be satisified. Then I'd know you were really there, God.
I love Jesus' response to Philip. "Have I been with you all this time and you still don't know me?" Jesus walked with Philip. He talked with Philip. He performed miracles in front of Philip. He prayed with Philip. But it wasn't enough. All Philip could see was the way the disciples were treated by the Pharisees and he wanted reassurance. His question to Jesus proves that Thomas wasn't the only doubting disciple. He wanted to see God, to know that who and what he was following wasn't some grand hoax.
"Have I been with you all this time and you still don't know me?"
Isn't it the same with us? We've seen God work in our lives and the lives of the people we know. We've seen him come through in some of the worst situations, bringing comfort and healing and hope. Heck, I've even seen him take care of my finances time and time again. And yet it's still not enough some days.
We already know that life on this earth is not guaranteed to be easy just because we're Christians. We live in a broken, sinful world, full of pressure to worship things and lifestyles other than Christ. But Jesus is with us and he works all things for the good of those who love him. All things - the good stuff and the bad stuff - are in God's control.
How then can we say, 'Show us the Father'? Do we not believe that Jesus is in the Father and the Father is in him? Those days when we are not satisfied with God, when we want proof that he's there, we need to look to the cross again and again and again until we remember and are convinced that Jesus really is enough.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
abuse
Acts 7:55-8:1 - the stoning of Stephen.
Apart from Jesus, Steven was the first martyr for the Christian faith. As a North American Christian, I don't think a lot about martyrdom. My life isn't in danger here because of what I believe. I'm protected. I can more or less say what I want, worship where and to whom I want and pray to my God whenever I want (even in a public school if I'm so inclined). I don't worry about being beaten or killed for what I believe in.
That's not the case for many Christians. Many Christians rely on stories like Stephen's just to endure the hardships they face every day. They need to look to someone like Stephen to assure themselves that even though their fellow humans may hate them to the point of wanting to kill them, God does not. God loves them completely and unconditionally.
I own the book 'Jesus Freaks' by the organization called the Voice of the Martyrs. It's powerful and disturbing and shows me one of the things I miss as a North American Christian. I miss the gut-wrenching, life-or-death need for Jesus that these people experience every day. I miss this, but I don't want it. I have no interest in being in those kinds of situations.
In many ways, I feel that the persecuted church has an easier time living as Christians than the non-persecuted church. Why? Well, think about it. If you're gonna risk your life, you wanna be really, really sure about what you're risking your life for. I honestly don't think that persecuted Christians made their decision to come to Christ lightly. They know what they're up against. Once they've made their decision, there really aren't many more choices after that. They could deny their faith and become like the people persecuting them or not. Risk my life or become a killer. Somehow, risking ones life actually seems like the better option to me. And if you're risking your life to that extent, then clinging to the promise of the gospel that Jesus will reward you and that you will go to heaven where no one will persecute you is a pretty gratifying thing.
In North America, however, there are thousands of other choices apart from Christianity. I don't risk very much by becoming a Christian. It's not a life-or-death decision (in this life, anyway). And if one does decide to become a Christian, there are so many things that can distract you and lure you away. There's less of a sense of urgency about being a Christian in North America.
I think in some ways, there is a more of a danger in North America of becoming like Saul. In the story of Stephen, he stood by and watched people stone Stephen to death. People lay their jackets at his feet and he stood there and approved. He was a good Jew. He had it made. Nothing to worry about. No one waiting to stone him. Thing was, technically, Stephen was a good Jew too. A good Jew with a new revelation.
God forbid that the non-persecuted church stand by and watch their fellow Christians be killed. Let's not forget those for whom Christianity is a life-or-death decision.
Want to get involved? Click here to write a letter to a prisoner.
Apart from Jesus, Steven was the first martyr for the Christian faith. As a North American Christian, I don't think a lot about martyrdom. My life isn't in danger here because of what I believe. I'm protected. I can more or less say what I want, worship where and to whom I want and pray to my God whenever I want (even in a public school if I'm so inclined). I don't worry about being beaten or killed for what I believe in.
That's not the case for many Christians. Many Christians rely on stories like Stephen's just to endure the hardships they face every day. They need to look to someone like Stephen to assure themselves that even though their fellow humans may hate them to the point of wanting to kill them, God does not. God loves them completely and unconditionally.
I own the book 'Jesus Freaks' by the organization called the Voice of the Martyrs. It's powerful and disturbing and shows me one of the things I miss as a North American Christian. I miss the gut-wrenching, life-or-death need for Jesus that these people experience every day. I miss this, but I don't want it. I have no interest in being in those kinds of situations.
In many ways, I feel that the persecuted church has an easier time living as Christians than the non-persecuted church. Why? Well, think about it. If you're gonna risk your life, you wanna be really, really sure about what you're risking your life for. I honestly don't think that persecuted Christians made their decision to come to Christ lightly. They know what they're up against. Once they've made their decision, there really aren't many more choices after that. They could deny their faith and become like the people persecuting them or not. Risk my life or become a killer. Somehow, risking ones life actually seems like the better option to me. And if you're risking your life to that extent, then clinging to the promise of the gospel that Jesus will reward you and that you will go to heaven where no one will persecute you is a pretty gratifying thing.
In North America, however, there are thousands of other choices apart from Christianity. I don't risk very much by becoming a Christian. It's not a life-or-death decision (in this life, anyway). And if one does decide to become a Christian, there are so many things that can distract you and lure you away. There's less of a sense of urgency about being a Christian in North America.
I think in some ways, there is a more of a danger in North America of becoming like Saul. In the story of Stephen, he stood by and watched people stone Stephen to death. People lay their jackets at his feet and he stood there and approved. He was a good Jew. He had it made. Nothing to worry about. No one waiting to stone him. Thing was, technically, Stephen was a good Jew too. A good Jew with a new revelation.
God forbid that the non-persecuted church stand by and watch their fellow Christians be killed. Let's not forget those for whom Christianity is a life-or-death decision.
Want to get involved? Click here to write a letter to a prisoner.
Thursday, April 13, 2006
the servant king
The story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples (John 13:12-16) is one of those that hits me in the gut every time. Jesus' act of humility throws a glaring light on my own unwillingness to be humble. I have to sit there and watch my Savior and Lord act as a slave and wash feet. Stinky, smelly, dirty feet. And then I have to hear him when he says, "I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you."
We all know Jesus was not a 'king' in the traditional sense of the word. Jesus did not want power over otherh people. He wanted influence. His desire was to influence us to serve each other. To think of others before ourselves. No one achieves power that way - not even 'benevolent' kings. That's not how the heirarchy functions.
In some ways, top-down leadership is easy for those that follow. You do what the main guy says and that's that. No questions, no nothing. Do it or else.
Jesus' leadership is not like that. He shows the way and then says, my child, it's up to you. I have shown you my example. Follow it or don't. My kingdom is about love.
I think, like the Jews at the time, there's a part of us that wants Jesus to be the knight in shining armor who takes down the enemy with unprecedented skill and aplomb. We love the resurrection because it's victory! Up from the grave he arose, with a mighty triumph o're his foes! Jesus comes back from what seemed like utter defeat to reign supreme!
That is part of the story. What we miss is that Jesus allowed his defeat. He didn't have to sit there and take the accusations thrown at him. He didn't have to let the guards so easily arrest him. He didn't even have to let Judas betray him. He had many opportunities, even apart from being God, to put an end to what was going on. But he didn't. He willingly suffered. He willingly died. He willingly washed his disciples feet. He conquered, but it wasn't by the sword or even an advanced heavenly form of martial arts. It was by submitting to defeat. It was by deliberately losing.
He suffered so that we could never say, 'You don't know what it's like.'
He endured God leaving him so we could never say, 'I feel so alone.'
He accepted defeat so we could never say 'You've never been there.'
He walked the road to the cross so that he could tell us, 'I know what it's like. I've felt that alone, I have been there. I endured for you and I ended up conquering! Put your hope and your trust in me.'
We all know Jesus was not a 'king' in the traditional sense of the word. Jesus did not want power over otherh people. He wanted influence. His desire was to influence us to serve each other. To think of others before ourselves. No one achieves power that way - not even 'benevolent' kings. That's not how the heirarchy functions.
In some ways, top-down leadership is easy for those that follow. You do what the main guy says and that's that. No questions, no nothing. Do it or else.
Jesus' leadership is not like that. He shows the way and then says, my child, it's up to you. I have shown you my example. Follow it or don't. My kingdom is about love.
I think, like the Jews at the time, there's a part of us that wants Jesus to be the knight in shining armor who takes down the enemy with unprecedented skill and aplomb. We love the resurrection because it's victory! Up from the grave he arose, with a mighty triumph o're his foes! Jesus comes back from what seemed like utter defeat to reign supreme!
That is part of the story. What we miss is that Jesus allowed his defeat. He didn't have to sit there and take the accusations thrown at him. He didn't have to let the guards so easily arrest him. He didn't even have to let Judas betray him. He had many opportunities, even apart from being God, to put an end to what was going on. But he didn't. He willingly suffered. He willingly died. He willingly washed his disciples feet. He conquered, but it wasn't by the sword or even an advanced heavenly form of martial arts. It was by submitting to defeat. It was by deliberately losing.
He suffered so that we could never say, 'You don't know what it's like.'
He endured God leaving him so we could never say, 'I feel so alone.'
He accepted defeat so we could never say 'You've never been there.'
He walked the road to the cross so that he could tell us, 'I know what it's like. I've felt that alone, I have been there. I endured for you and I ended up conquering! Put your hope and your trust in me.'
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
weary
I have been away from this for too long. It occurs to me that the longer I go without making time to sit and be with God, the more tired and weary I become. I start to feel fragmented and pulled apart, never whole.
I have not succeeded in my lenten sacrifice, giving up my need to do things. I started out okay, but I haven't ended well. Now it's the passion week and I'm left feeling more tired than I was at the start of lent. It's discouraging. What is it in me that feels so obligated to people? Why do I feel like I 'owe' so many when, if I were really dealing in a strict sense of debt and recompense, there are far more people that 'owe' me than the other way around? I don't know.
Caring too much about what other people think of me and wanting desperately for everyone to like me are my bigger flaws. Flaws I'm usually able to gloss over with the sheen of 'selflessness' and 'helpfulness'. When these flaws become exposed for what they really are - selfishness and a lack of reliance on God - I feel very vulnerable and broken.
Today's passage in Isaiah 50:4-7 at first glance looks like an argument for Christians being doormats for others. Read it a little more carefully, however, and you begin to see that it's more of an argument for complete and utter reliance on God.
I get stuck on the second half of the passage that talks about Isaiah allowing himself to be abused by others and I wonder...is that what the Christian is called to? To just endure all the abuse hurled at him or her? But then I go back to the beginning of the passage and realize that Isaiah was not a passive bystander who people randomly abused. He was the mouthpiece of God. God taught him, gave him the words to say and the audience to say it to and Isaiah was faithful and obedient to these tasks.
So why, then, the abuse? Well, Isaiah knew how to sustain the weary with a word, but the weary didn't always want to hear it. Sometimes the weary are ornery, frustrated and angry and don't want to hear anything from anyone, no matter if it will sustain them or not. I know I feel weary right now and quite honestly, I don't want anyone trying to 'cheer me up.' I'm quite content to be weary and sullen right now, thank you.
I guess that makes me the abuser rather than the abused right now, doesn't it? Hmm. That's disconcerting.
Looks like I've got a lot of reconnecting with God to do this week...
I have not succeeded in my lenten sacrifice, giving up my need to do things. I started out okay, but I haven't ended well. Now it's the passion week and I'm left feeling more tired than I was at the start of lent. It's discouraging. What is it in me that feels so obligated to people? Why do I feel like I 'owe' so many when, if I were really dealing in a strict sense of debt and recompense, there are far more people that 'owe' me than the other way around? I don't know.
Caring too much about what other people think of me and wanting desperately for everyone to like me are my bigger flaws. Flaws I'm usually able to gloss over with the sheen of 'selflessness' and 'helpfulness'. When these flaws become exposed for what they really are - selfishness and a lack of reliance on God - I feel very vulnerable and broken.
Today's passage in Isaiah 50:4-7 at first glance looks like an argument for Christians being doormats for others. Read it a little more carefully, however, and you begin to see that it's more of an argument for complete and utter reliance on God.
I get stuck on the second half of the passage that talks about Isaiah allowing himself to be abused by others and I wonder...is that what the Christian is called to? To just endure all the abuse hurled at him or her? But then I go back to the beginning of the passage and realize that Isaiah was not a passive bystander who people randomly abused. He was the mouthpiece of God. God taught him, gave him the words to say and the audience to say it to and Isaiah was faithful and obedient to these tasks.
So why, then, the abuse? Well, Isaiah knew how to sustain the weary with a word, but the weary didn't always want to hear it. Sometimes the weary are ornery, frustrated and angry and don't want to hear anything from anyone, no matter if it will sustain them or not. I know I feel weary right now and quite honestly, I don't want anyone trying to 'cheer me up.' I'm quite content to be weary and sullen right now, thank you.
I guess that makes me the abuser rather than the abused right now, doesn't it? Hmm. That's disconcerting.
Looks like I've got a lot of reconnecting with God to do this week...
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