Emmanuel

I love the word "Emmanuel"; the concept of "God with us" (Mt 1:23) is such a profound mystery.  

The radical idea of Christmas is that God came back to Earth.  Of our own volition Humanity has only rejected God, spat in His face, and broken His heart.  And yet He sent His Son.  God came back to the world that had forsaken Him for our own destruction.

"He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." (Jn 1:10-11).

As far as we have run away God is relentless for us.  God has already proven that He will do whatever He can to get us back not because of our merit but His great love for us.  I would have given up on myself a long time ago, but God continues to reach out to me.  He believes in my redemption even when I struggle to.  May we seek to be as relentless in our pursuit of God as He is in His pursuit of us

Let us not jump ahead to the Cross just yet, but for now simply marvel in the great mystery of the Incarnation.  Christ has come into the World, and nothing will ever be the same.  May we ponder the implications of this and consider how to embody this faith.

Advent and Love

As Christmas Day draws near and this season of Advent builds toward it's climax, we come to the topic of love.

This poor worn English word has the burden of carrying such a variety and depth of emotions.  The word 'love' is so frequently and often carelessly tossed around.  With this usage the term easily becomes distorted and devalued.  Truth such as "God is love" (1 Jn 4:16 ) is changed to "Love is god", and we are left just as empty as before.

In contrast to this we have the ever-lasting and ever-faithful/unchanging love of God.  It is in the midst of the darkness that the light shines (Jn 1:5).  Into the brokenness God sent His Son.  To the fallen world God came as the Son (Rom 5:8).

We may misuse and misunderstand words like love, and so Jesus came to show us love.  He demonstrated what love looks like in ways not as easily altered as frail human words.  We can warp the concept of God's love to mean whatever we want, but in His incarnation we see love depicted.  He has shown us love by portraying and giving it to us.  To understand love we simply need to look to the manger and to the cross.

There is much more that can be said of love, many things that I am yet to learn, but let us contemplate this mystery of God's love coming down to show us how to love and how to live.

Advent and Joy

Joy is a funny thing.  It can be hard to put into words, and yet we all have a sense of it.

In the Gospels joy is seen as a response to the good news of Jesus and the coming of His Kingdom:  Mt 13:20, Lk 6:23, Mt 28:8, Jn 3:29, Lk 1:44.

Joy is often presented in contrast to happiness.  Happiness is described as conditional and temporal.  Joy in comparison is not derived from situation but person, specifically God.  In that sense joy is interwoven with delight.  This is not at all to say that happiness is bad, merely that happiness is fleeting while Jesus is our solid rock.  

Joy and delight stem from deep within the human soul, the purpose of humanity is to delight and be delighted in by God our Creator and Lord.  We have been created for delight, and the memory of this still aches within our souls.  Our joy is found in remembering who God is and who we have been created to be. Joy is never a solitary thing, it comes from relationship.

Are we settling for a happiness that is convenient when our truest desire is for a deeper joy?  Are we attempting to distract ourselves instead of addressing the more difficult and fulfilling pursuit?

May we remember and discover anew the good news of Jesus and His Kingdom, and may we appropriately be filled with joy.

Advent and peace

It has been observed that the Christmas season is one of the least peaceful times of the year.  We all know that is not how things should be, and we all know that the celebration of our Lord's birth should be a season on peace and not business.

My family's tradition is that the second candle of Advent is the candle of peace.  I like that the season begins with hope and then moves to peace; peace flows from our hope.

I have found that my most broken moments are often my most peaceful moments, because from brokenness come dependency on God, dependency flows into intimacy, and from intimacy comes Christ's peace "which surpasses all understanding" (Phil 4:7)

I like that we are not commanded to muster up peace.  We do not have to obtain peace to turn to God, but rather peace flows from turning to God, from obedience, from being present in His presence. Our peace is not dependent upon us, our actions, or our circumstances, but upon God who is independent.  We receive peace like we receive grace.

So may we have peace even in the middle of the chaos of the season.  May we "be still and know" (Ps 46:10), may we rest in His presence and peace, because it is there that we are home.

Advent and hope

Here we are once again in the season of Advent; this time of year is a whirlwind of emotions, traditions, and memories.  Once again we contemplate the profound mystery and miracle of Emmanuel, "God with us" (Mt 1:23).

We remember the first Advent when "the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light" (Isa 9:2).  All of creation lay in exile.  And then came God's promise of the messiah, He who would come back for us.

Before we get to the joyous day of Christmas we have Advent, a time of waiting in darkness.  We remember the state of the world, as expressed by the lyrics "O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear."

We do not remember Advent simply because of what happened two thousand years ago.  We remember the first Advent because we are currently waiting for the second Advent.  We too are a people walking in darkness.  Yes, Jesus has come into the world, but the fullness of Jesus' victory and God's redemption of all of creation is still in progress.  The world is still a dark place.  And so we reflect upon the first Advent as a means to illuminate our current state of waiting.

But we are not to wait idly.  We have the incredible honor of participating in God's work of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18-19).  We are called to be like John the Baptist, who came before Jesus.  John was the one who came "to prepare the way of the Lord" (Isa 40:3-5).  And now it is we who are called by God to prepare the way of Jesus' second coming.  Until that great day we sacrifice to prepare the way, and we wait in darkness, but we have hope.

May we seek to be present this Advent as we contemplate both Advents past and future.

Colors

Did you ever notice how many colors there are?  How many hues of green alone are in the world.  Tints and shades, glossy and matte.  It is rather amazing the infinite number of colors around us.

It is Autumn once again and the trees are a menagerie of colors.  Each solitary leaf will itself journey through a range of colors.  It is beautiful to behold.

And what I find fascinating about all this color around me is the pure beauty of it.  Because honestly the world does not necessitate such vibrancy.  It would be quite possible for the world to have been created with half the colors we know or for there to only be one shade of orange.  Some aspects of creation are necessary because of the nature of God and His character.  "Love" is "good" in creation because God is good, God is love, and love is good.  So why so many colors?

As with everything the answer comes from the character of God, but it is an expression of personality.  It is not utility that spurs this myriad of shades.  We have so many colors simply because God is extravagant.  He does not just make a color, a few colors, but He made a number of colors beyond human comprehension.  God is a God of beauty.  He values things for more than utilitarian function.  He is a God of the concrete and the abstract.  And He chooses to express Himself in awe inspiring ways.  God is extravagant.

Consider God's love for us, each of us personally.  God loves us so much, beyond our understanding.  His love is independent, rooted in Himself.  Now consider my love for God.  My love is rather weak and feeble, and even at my strongest is still entirely dependent upon God and His love.  He initiates I respond.  This imbalance is okay, it is how eternity works.  God loves me with some extravagant and awesome love; a love that He alone is worthy of.  I love God with a small love; a love that is imperfect like me yet God somehow in His extravagance chooses to be blessed by.  How awesome is that?  God loves me as He alone deserves, in response I weakly love God back, and God chooses my love and receives it as more than it is.  It's crazy.  I don't understand it.  But God is extravagant.

Whenever you see colors around you may it remind you of how incredible God is and how extravagant His love is for you.

"Where are you?"

Have you ever wondered what was the saddest moment in history?  What has been the darkest hour in creation?  I would submit that there are two equally and intrinsically linked saddest moments, and that they both revolve around the question "where are you?"

Scene 1:  The Garden.

God has finished His work of creation and everything is good.  We see humanity as the pinnacle of God's creativity.  Scripture describes Adam and Eve as being "naked" which I think may be one of the most beautiful descriptions in Scripture.  They were naked before God and naked before each other.  Perfect relationship.  Nothing hidden.  Fully present and fully known.  Adam and Eve had an intimacy with God that we will only know in Heaven.  Adam and Eve had a depth with each other that we can only catch glimpses of now.

Naked.

And then the Fall.  Their ate, their eyes were opened, and they knew that they were naked.  They knew they were naked so they hid themselves.  This beautiful and perfect state was broken and stained.

Then God comes walking in the garden.  He calls to them "where are you?" (Gen 3:8) not because they were hiding from an omnipresent and omniscient God.  God said this as an expression of the severed intimacy.  In one bite Adam and Eve went from perfect relationship with God to complete isolation.

Scene 2: Palestine

Emmanuel has come.  Jesus has been leading his band of misfit disciples around the countryside and now they have come to Jerusalem to start the revolution.  Everything seems perfect.  But then in a flash Jesus is arrested, tried, convicted, and executed.  Upon a hillside between two bandits Jesus hangs dying.  

As Jesus takes on the sins of humanity, my sins, Jesus who was one with the Father (Jn 17:11) suddenly becomes isolated from the Father.  Jesus who is God, and knows an intimacy with the Father that is beyond my comprehension, was cut off from God.  His perfect relationship was eclipsed by my sins.  In that moment of Hell Jesus cried out "where are you?" (My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Mk 15:34).

Jesus died alone to save me.  He also decided to stop being dead that I may know life.  Jesus went through the Hell of isolation that we may no longer be isolated.  We have hope.  We can go home.  Jesus has overcome.

a lesson in herbs: pests and parasites

Last spring I decided to plant an herb garden in our one-bedroom apartment.  I chose herbs because they are edible and small.  So I bought some pots, soil, seedlings, and began the experiment.

There have been several ups and downs with these herbs.  I have lost a couple plants along the way, while others grow almost effortlessly.  I have learned that basil doesn't really like to grow in-doors and that just slightly over-watering mint will spawn destructive powdery mildew.

When we moved into our current apartment in June the garden moved from the dining table to the balcony (and the basil was very thankful).  I have had to deal with a variety of pathogens and parasites from aphids to mildew to caterpillars that have all been merciless toward my little plants.  Poor peppermint, RIP.

But God has been speaking to me through this little garden; the act of getting your hands dirty and creating, cultivating life.  I have seen how desperately I need to be watered daily, and while this seems quite obvious it is intriguing to see play out.  I have also seen how completely helpless the herbs are to the attacks of these insects.  The herbs can do nothing to stop the ravenous appetites of the caterpillars or aphids.  Left alone the plants would each be overcome and die at the hands of these bugs.  The only hope for basil and oregano is that I will regularly sit down and pick off the pests.

And God showed me that my life is similar.  I still have places of selfishness and sin in my life.  These areas within me still dog me, drain me, and pull me down like these parasitic bugs.  And I am equally helpless to remove these parasitic parts of me; I am sinful and I cannot heal myself.  Thus I need a savior.

Praise God for sanctification.  But in this process I have found that my tendency is to try facilitating my own healing.  I act like for God to move in an area of my life I need to present it to Him.  While it is good to present our needs and requests to God, it's important to not fall into thinking that God is limited to only our requests and that the burden of our sanctification is dependent upon us.  My part in my healing is much smaller than I like to think.

Contrary to my habit of bringing specific requests this summer God taught me to seek Him by sitting down and just saying "Lord I have caterpillars in my soul."  I have had to stop, be still, and rather than trying to order or direct, allow the Master Gardener to pluck out my weeds and bugs; to trust Him to remove pathogens that I am not even aware of.  Praise God that we have such an attentive gardener who waters, fertilizes, prunes, and removes our parasites.

Nick-Names

Did you ever notice that Jesus likes nick-names?  That God loves a good name change?

Simon gets to be Peter "the Rock".  James and John become the "Sons of Thunder."  Can you imagine how cool it would be like to have Jesus who is LORD God Almighty say "Dude, Sons of Thunder, how you doin'?"

Jesus loves nick-names.  

But actually God just knows our identity.  He knows who we are and who we have been created to be.

Peter and Andrew, James and John, Jesus finds both sets of brothers in Galilee learning the family business of fishing.  In Jewish culture this means that they were not the best or the brightest.  The best youths were asked to be followers of various rabbis.  The fact that these four guys were fishermen means they were not picked.  They were not good enough.  Until a different rabbi came along.

I love the verse John 1:42

"He brought Simon to Jesus, who looked at him and said, ‘You are Simon son of John. You are to be called Cephas’ (which is translated Peter)."

Jesus looks at Simon, sees him, knows who he is, and then calls him Cephas.  It's not that Jesus looked at Peter and said "I'm never going to remember a name like Simon so let's call you Peter instead."  Jesus looked at Peter, knew his identity, who the world saw him as, and then called him by the identity that Peter had been created for.  Jesus did not seem Simon the blue-collar fisherman, he saw a pillar upon which his church would be founded and so he called him Peter.  Jesus defined Peter not by his past, education, achievements, but by his God-given future and identity.  Jesus called Peter into true life.

We see this same idea play out in the Old Testament.  Jacob had grown up with the identity of "Deceiver", that was who he was.  Until he wrestled with God.  Then God changed his name to Israel.  Starting from his grandfather (whom God changed from Abram to Abraham) God was creating a people who would be a light to this dark world, a holy nation set apart, and Jacob now Israel was a part of that plan.  God radically changed Jacob's identity.  God also broke his hip because sometimes we have to hit bottom before we allow God to speak over us.  If He has to God will break our hip to change our identity.

What names and nick-names does God have for you?  Who has God declared you to be?

Are we the Empire? Part 3.

In Ancient Rome it was understood that a crucified messiah was a failed messiah.  When Jesus died the Empire thought it had won again.  Little did they know how wrong they were and how revolutionary Jesus was.

While on earth Jesus engaged His culture in profoundly creative and controversial ways.  Jesus rocked the boat of the "blessed".  He challenged the the status quo and opposed Empire everywhere He saw it.  He did all of it in a manner that was not condescending but agitating.  I have heard it aptly said that He "comforted the afflicted and afflicted the comfortable."  Jesus is still agitating and benevolently afflicting today.

And then we have Jesus' death and resurrection, the most revolutionary action ever.  Eternity changed.  Nothing would ever be the same.  He rose again and conquered sin and death.  Jesus engaged the world in a way that was reviving to our souls individually, transforming us back to our true original selves, and inviting us to live in His Kingdom which is entirely alien and revolutionary from our old human ways of living.

We need to rethink everything.  I need to rethink everything.  I need to carefully (and painfully perhaps) allow Holy Spirit to dig through my mind and soul to root out the lies of Empire; I need to question everything I take for granted and compare it to Jesus, and His ways, not to society.  And as I am doing this I need to engage my culture in constructive ways.  We are called to create and reimagine how life is and should be.  And then we need to step out into these ideas, take the plunge into reality.  Naivety is wrong.  New ideas are not sufficient.  Actions must form and flow from these new ideas.

How, when, and where do I spend my money?

How am I called to view all that God has provided me?

How do I invest my money?  Do our investments fuel wars, slavery, and exploitation?

What can I do that will engage my culture and culture’s view of money, luxury, and pleasure?

How am I blessed?  How am I being a blessing?  Is how I am blessed in proportion to how I am a blessing?

As much as I want to fall into cynicism that is not what God has called me to; that is not what Jesus died and rose again for.  Jesus has not given up on humanity.  We are not to called condemn or reject society, but to fight for the people within society.  Jesus has already said we are all worth it by His death.  We are here to save both the oppressed from the brutality and injustice of Empire, and the oppressors from the greed and idolatry of Empire.

What are ways to agitate how we live?  What do we need to give up, give away, or give more of?  How does my spending change?  How do my expectations change?  How can I be more conscious of my place within humanity and God's creation?  Where can I live out the economic principles of the Kingdom and sacrifice?

May our steps be ever more in the ways of Kingdom, and may we never be too content to ask where the lies of Empire still cling to us as we continue walking from death into Life.

Are we the Empire? Part 2.

Is our american way of life worse than I think?  Are we the stronger, mightier, ruthless people who have spread across the world conquering and subjugating any people groups in our wake.  The top 10% of the world account for 85% of the global assests [1] and we are in that “blessed” boat.

Are we the heirs of western imperialism?  How much does this affect my daily life?  If there are people across the globe whose daily existence has been affected by the imperialism of our forefathers does that mean that I am equally affected by it?  I am not oppressed by it, at least I do not feel oppressed, but does that mean I am free from it?  Or does it mean that imperialism’s affects upon me are more subtle and insidious?

Where am I too busy trying to meet frivolous wants and desires that american society tells me are "normal"?  Have I bought into the lies of comfort and entitlement fed to me?  What luxuries do I expect are really absurd in the global context? What "normal" things are not truly "normal" once I step out of my perfect little world?

Why do we outsource and buy foreign products?  Are we living comfortably off the backs of the exploited who are not protected by our laws?  Are we able to buy bigger and less fuel efficient cars, trucks, and suv's because the government subsidizes gasoline prices or because we are simply richer than other people around the world?  Is our abundance/overabundance fueling hedonism in our lives?  If necessity drives innovation does wealth drive complacency/apathy?

Many of the words of the early Church were political words.  Even the word "church" Gk: ekklesia, means assembly or town meeting [2].  The early Church was seen as the establishment of another kingdom, a different kingdom, one that exists parallel to the Empire but is nothing like Empire.

The economy of the Kingdom is not “what can I get”, but “what can I sacrifice.”  Capitalism has nothing to do with this Kingdom (or any other human system in case you are wondering).  “But many who are first will be last, and the last first."  (Mk 10:31) “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.” (Rom 12:10) , etc.

Where am I participating in Empire?  Where are my actions leading to the oppression and exploitation of others both foreign and domestic.  We are blessed to be a blessing.  The question is in what ways am I blessed, in what ways am I a blessing, and is how I am blessed in proportion to how I am a blessing?

Cynicism is not a solution.  It is very tempting at times.  I want to point to all of suburbia around me and say "it's all going to rot and burn", but that is not what Jesus would do.  That is not what Jesus did, it is not what He has called me to do.  His ways are far more consuming and revolutionary than that.

(Part 3 is coming, and will come sooner than this post)

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[1] Davies, James et al.  “Pioneering Study Shows Richest Two Percent Own Half World Wealth”  World Institute for Development Economics Research.  http://www.wider.unu.edu/events/past-events/2006-events/en_GB/05-12-2006/

[2] Claiborne, Shane and Chris Haw. Jesus For President. pg 68.

Are we the Empire? Part 1.

Something that has been troubling me for months is the issue of Empire.  Empire: a political/economic entity or system that controls over a number of territories both "domestic" as well as subjugated "foreign" others (wikitionary).  The Romans were the empire in the Mediterranean in first century AD. Now in our 21^st century global community are we the Empire?

And are we the "Bread and Circus"?  Latin: panem et circenses.[1]  This term is used to describe how the massive population of Ancient Rome was kept content with government provided food and public entertainment.  Everything was fine as long as the system provided for peoples wants.  The system was made possible by oppressive taxation and tributes demanded from conquered regions of the Roman Empire.  The beaten down poor were exploited to provide for the conquering rich.

Back in the day Caesar had his gospel[1] (Gk: euangélion).  He actually had dibs on the word first.  The gospel or “Good news” of Caesar was Pax Romana.

Pax Romana,[1] “Roman Peace”, is a term to describe a period of relative peace and stability in the Roman Empire.  No major wars, no major conquests, just the wealthy and entitled living lavishly off of the political and economic oppression of the various provinces.

Are we the new Rome?  Is the world being burdened by Pax Americana?

Does our wealth and our lifestyle as a culture drive us to protect it at all costs and to perpetrate actions in the name of the Empire that are not of the Lord?  Do children bleed in sweatshops so that I can buy nice clothes and drive an suv and be completely ignorant to their cries?

The Lord heard the cries of the Israelites when they were oppressed by Egypt.  Jesus repeatedly identifies with the marginalized and the oppressed.  The question we must ask ourselves is are our actions oppressive?  We are not oppressed.  But are our actions oppressive?  If so, and if the oppressed are crying out, then the Lord is against us and our oppressive Empire.

We say “God bless America” but what if He already has?  What if we have squandered it?  What if God, somehow in His goodness, continues to bless us and we continue to squander it?

To clarify, it's not just America that has this propensity, all of humanity does.  But I am concerned with my actions in my culture.  I will not be so America-centric as to think we are the only ones promoting Empire.

I know I have asked a lot of questions without giving much of a solution.  I'm very much still wrestling with this issue.  It makes me uncomfortable.  But comfortable is the last place I want to be right now.

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[1] Horsley, Richard A. Jesus and Empire pgs 20-34

Do I have faith in Faith?

Sharing my faith has always been a challenge for me.  I question and worry that any sharing I do will simply push people farther from God, and tell myself I am wanting to be sensitive to others, but really I am just doubting.  I often miss opportunities simply because I am too insecure to speak up.

Now I am not saying that we should stand on street corners yelling at people, say a meaningless "God bless" to everyone (unless you actually mean it), and force our views on others.  I think that this day and age "relational" evangelism (sharing my faith with friends, people I know, rather than "contact" evangelism with random strangers) is the most effective approach.

I have hidden behind the famous words of St. Francis of Assisi to "preach the Gospel at all times, and when necessary use words".  This is not to say that his words are wrong, he captures a great and wonderful idea, but if I am honest I tend to use these as a cop-out to having to share my faith with someone.  This brings up ideas about whether I love another person enough to share my faith.  I would really like to think so, but again honestly I am often too insecure.

Which brings up the concept of this faith of my I am too insecure to share.  I have to wonder that if I truly believe God is who He says He is, why am I so scared?  He is "the author and perfecter of faith" (Heb 12:2) and "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion" (Phil 1:6).

It comes down to that when I doubt and feel insecure about my faith it's because I am doubting in the author of my faith.  I don't have faith in my faith.  If I did not doubt my faith I would not be afraid of sharing it freely with others.  If left unchallenged I think the results could be quite catastrophic.  We cling to our faith so tightly deceiving ourselves thinking it's out of devotion when really it's out of insecurity.  If we hold our faith too tightly we suffocate it, and it will die, and we will find ourselves clinging to a dead and rotting faith.

Perhaps a mustard seed sized faith will remain, enough to be saved, but we will have killed the dreams God had for our lives.  Our relationship is so infinitely more than just salvation; salvation is the starting point not the end goal.

I have heard, and agree, that sharing my faith should be less of a guilt trip and more like talking about my favorite restaurant.  I should not have to feel compelled to share this great life-changing news, but rather should be so excited that I can't help but share it.

May we have faith in our faith enough to share this good news.

Would Christians in America benefit from more persecution?

Would Christians in America benefit from more persecution?
I have asked myself this question a lot.  Because my flesh likes being comfortable.

If we look historically (for example Christianity prior to the legalization of it by the Roman Empire in 313AD) and globally (ex: the Church in China) it seems that persecution does spark growth and boldness. More correctly it breaks us out of being comfortable and mediocre in our faith. The gravity of extreme persecution forces people to really consider their commitment to Christ, because if the Romans will feed you to lions for your faith you had better know you're committed first. In that case it encourages devotion and genuine commitment, as well as continual agitation to keep believers on their toes.

But persection does not guarantee these results, it is merely a potential catalyst. Persecution can spur us toward greater devotion but only if we allow it to. It can provide a refining fire to purify our faith, but it can also provide a spark for reaction and retaliation. Consider places like Northern Ireland where even Christians persecuting Christians only furthers violence. It seems that whether persecution would prompt us toward greater commitment to Christ or toward violence depends upon our ability and maturity to respond in a Christ-like manner. Another potential factor that unfortunately would play upon our fallen human nature would be how overwhelming the persecution is. In the face for the entire Roman Empire or the communist government the only hope followers of Jesus have is Jesus, and thus it leads them toward Jesus. But if we perceive in our fallen nature that in our own strength we can overcome the persecution, perhaps through violent retaliation, then the persecution which could prod us toward Jesus would only lead us deeper into ourselves.

How would this play out in the American Church? I don't know. I'd like to think we would respond with deeping devotion, but honestly I think that many Christians would react against persecution. I have observed in many Christians the view that we are the majority or dominant force in America. I don't think this view is correct, but it does make me think that this same view would push many Christians toward retaliation. If as Christians we have a mindset of "we're in control, don't mess with us" we will respond in that way. This idea sadly goes against Paul's writing in Romans 12:14-21.

In truth persecution should spur us on toward Jesus, forsaking this world for the Kingdom of God. Here are some passages to encourage followers of Jesus in persecution:
1 Peter 1:6-7, 4:13, 4:19,
James 1:2-4,
Romans 5:3-5

I raise my hands against Gnosticism

I was raised in a Presbyterian church.  It has been nicknamed the "frozen chosen" because during worship/hymns no one moves, wiggles, or even claps.  I kid you not when I say that my dad and I used to be the rebels who would sway to the hymns in the front row.

Then I came to college and joined Chi Alpha.  The music was contemporary with a worship band and everything.  And people raised their hands.  It took me a while to stop judging and to accept that there may actually be sincerity in this gesture.  But it wasn't for me.  Swaying was as far as I'd go.

During fall my junior year God began a process of leading me into raising my hands.  At first it was only in my prayer times as a symbol of reaching out to God.  Then at a conference I felt prompted by God to hold my hands out as a sign of receiving/yearning to receive from the Lord.  During DCF I began to hold my hands at my side as symbolic of Holy Spirit flowing over me.  Now in worship I raise my hands over my head and sometimes I dance like an idiot.

For a lot of us this can be a difficult process.  Somewhere along the way American Christianity picked up (perhaps from the Puritans with their belt buckles on every article of clothing) this Gnostic idea that our bodies are evil.

Our bodies are not evil, we are not merely waiting for death so that we can shed these earth-suits, but we are anticipating our resurrection bodies.  After His resurrection Jesus had a physical body.  In Heaven we will have physical bodies.  It's not about discarding the physical, but utilizing it.

There is this connection within my self, body and soul.  It's the reason why fasting in scripture is a physical fasting of food.  It's the reason why in Communion there is a tangible partaking of the elements.  There are greater things at work than mere symbols.

Through this progression of hand movements God has taught me the power of using my physical body to worship God.  My mind alone is not sufficient because I am not merely mind.  My emotions are not sufficient because I am not only emotions.  Nor is just raising my hands the point.  The point is to engage and involve all of me in worship.  So I dance like an idiot sometimes.

Why I love Leviticus

Those who have ever tried reading the Bible, especially from start to finish, usually get bogged down around Leviticus.  In terms of scripture that inspires Leviticus with all of its burnt offerings doesn't usually make it to the top of the list.  Really it's about as fun a read as a genealogy.

But I love Leviticus and what it adds to scripture.  The secret to Leviticus to understand what the passage meant to the original audience and how it applies to our lives.  This is true of all scripture, Leviticus just takes a little more digging to uncover something interesting.

My friend Stephen recently showed me in Leviticus how Jesus uses the passages about healing, specifically healing of leprosy, to demonstrate who He is.  Leviticus 14:2-32 explains God's process for readmitting someone who had previously been afflicted with leprosy back into the community.  After being banished from the camp, and after God has healed them, the ex-leper would come to the priests and show themselves to be clean.  The priests were not the agents of healing, they were not like shamans who tried to heal people, they would simply make the pronouncement of God's work of healing.  God is the one who heals.  Cool.

Now flash forward to 1st Century Palestine (Mt 8:1-4).  Jesus is coming down from giving the Sermon on the Mount.  A leprous man approaches and asks to be healed.  Jesus heals him and tells him "go, show yourself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded" (Mt 8:4b).  In the Levitical context, in which God heals and the priest then pronounces, is not Jesus claiming to be God?  By telling the man to show himself to the priest Jesus is bringing this healing into the context of Levitical law.  Jesus takes on, making no apologies, the role of healer and God in this story.  I find that to be cool.

Jesus is cool like that.

Why Christians need hobbies other than Jesus

An issue facing the American Church today is that Christians need hobbies other than Jesus.  If we are to be able to relate to our neighbors and coworkers we should have things we like to do other than pray and go to potlucks (don't get me wrong, I love to pray).  Instead of "in the world but not of the world" it is easy to become "not in the world but of the world."

Mark Batterson once expressed the idea that maybe sermons are often boring because the pastor's life is boring.  And that applies to all of us as ambassadors of Christ, why would the world be interested in a faith that's tedious?  I am not saying let's water down the message to be hip and relevant, but instead let us strive for excellence in devotion and excellence in relating and reaching out to other people.


The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Cor 9: 19-23 " I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some" and we should be creative in how to apply this principle to our lives.  For example I think Christians should not just listen to Christian music.  I have been the person who killed the conversation when asked "what kind of music do you listen to?" . . . "Christian . . ." (awkward silence).  Similarly I  love prayer meetings, but if I spend all my free time in prayer meetings I am not cultivating other talents and abilities that God has given me the opportunity of.  How will we get to know non-Christians if the only thing we have to talk about is Jesus?


Having hobbies other than Jesus also benefits the existing Church and church members.  From the many years I have lead small group bible studies I have found that one of the greatest difficulties is cultivating community within the group, to get the students to hang out with each other than once a week at bible study.  I have also observed that often most of the people in any give study have only had Jesus in common.   Don't get me wrong, it's beautiful to see totally different people united in Christ, and how Jesus is not just for one particular group.  But would it not help us individually, and the community at large, if we could progress from only a common interest in Jesus toward having more in common with one another.  To be a group that values being interested in what others are interested in.  How welcoming would that be?


The most convincing argument of this for me is Jesus himself.  From what I can tell Jesus lived a really full life.  He is not boring.  He had character and He related to people.  As a follower trying to reflect Christ to this world I should live similarly.

Why Theology Makes Me Uncomfortable

Of all subject matters, fields of learning, and disciplines nothing has the ability to make me so uncomfortable as the subject of Theology, the study of God.  Who is God and what is He like?

There is no entity with whom I am more dissimilar, yet everything about me is entirely dependent upon Him and His utter independence from anything but Himself.

God is infinite, I am finite.
God is omnipresent, I am not
God is Creator, I am creature.
God is holy.  I am not.

His character and nature grates on my fallen broken nature.  And I am better for it.

Apart from God revealing Himself I would be unable to know who He is, and yet He has made himself known even by His own Creation (Rom 1:19-20).  So I find myself upon the great journey of seeking and learning and discovering who God is, of intimacy with the Almighty Holy One.

One of the great things about God being infinite is that there is infinite to learn about Him.  We will therefore be able to learn and discover more about God for all of eternity, rather than after 736 trillion years coming to a full understanding of God and then spending the rest of eternity going over re-runs.

But a question arises

When your concept of God comes in conflict with God who wins?
Our theology and experiences vs. God and who He really is.
Theology will make us uncomfortable.

As fallen, finite, and imperfect creatures our understanding of God is inherently flawed this side of death.  I think I know what the nature of love is or the characteristics of sin, but the paradox of knowledge is that "the more you know the more you realize how little you know."  Believing that I truly and wholly understand an aspect of something violates one of the few things I can actually know, that I cannot fully comprehend anything.

At times I think the sum of all my knowledge, all my experience, all my learning truly boils down to this:

God is loving
God is faithful
and I am much smaller than I think

Theology makes me uncomfortable.  But I have learned that one of my greatest enemies is comfort.  It is so easy to settle for what I currently know rather than searching for a better and greater understanding.  To know just enough to deceive myself into thinking that I know God, and thus think that I do not need to keep truly seeking him.

If I am honest and faithful then studying Theology and who God is will make me uncomfortable.
But God is worth knowing, no matter what that takes.

"Life Isn't Fair"

We've all heard the saying.

And it doesn't really help anything or comfort anyone.

There are so many unfair things in our world around us.  Like the guy I cut-off today or the child born with HIV. There are two kinds of unfairness/injustice/sin: that which originates from human action/inaction, and that which originates from the brokenness of this world (which distantly originated by human action in a garden somewhere).

God's desire is to see both forms of unfairness/injustice/sin redeemed/overcome/dealt with.

I think we often forget, at least I do, how just God is; that justice is very much a part of His nature.  Justice and injustice cannot cohabitate.  Deep down we all yearn to see justice in our lives because we have all be wronged.  Daily.  In a million ways.

And while we all desire to be loved, as God alone can, we also desire to be justified.  I need to know that I am both loved and justified.  Without love justice is brutal, and without justice love is meaningless.  I find it so awesome and beautiful that we see love and justice married at the Cross.  I am loved (Jn 3:16) and justified (Rom 5:9).  For all the hurtful and harmful things that I have done to others and myself, it is comforting to know that those hurts don't just have to be tolerated.  They can be redeemed; the price for justice has been paid.  One day there will be vengeance in its fullness.  Judgement is coming, and while that idea usually makes us nervous we should be glad that all the wrongs we have received in life will be repaid.

Justice.

Through God's continued redemptive work in creation we are seeing the unfairness in life challenged, overcome, and removed.  Slowly we are a part of bringing justice to the world.  Purposefully being kind to others waiting in line at the grocery store, driving courteously, sitting with the brokenhearted, or working to cure disease and disability.

Often a violation we receive stems from a violation someone else received and has passed on to us.  I can either in turn allow my hurt to affect how I act toward other and thus multiply the harm, or I can instead absorb the injustice (by giving it to Jesus) and not pass it on.  We affect the atmosphere around us, we either make waves or we calm them.

This broken world is inclined toward injustice just as it is also tends toward chaos/entropy.  Life on this rock isn't fair.  But God is fair, and He is bringing redemption and fairness to life.  The question is will we be a part of His solution?

A quote worth quoting

A great quote from my friend Marc commenting on an excellent post by my friend John concerning gay pride.

" It takes only a few seconds to spout an opinion, but a lifetime to pour out love. "

May we walk in that in every area of our lives.

God and wisdom teeth

The human body is amazing.  The complexities and intricacies of the anatomy, physiology, cellular metabolism, etc. are absolutely awe inspiring.  The fragility yet perfection of biochemical pathways within every one of the approximate 100 trillion cells of the human body is mind-blowing.

But Humanity in our arrogance can look at such quirky parts of the human body such as wisdom teeth and think "clearly these are primitive features from when we evolved from our primitive ancestors, and now because of our superiority we no longer need them.  Eventually useless things will naturally select out."

I remember getting my wisdom removed, and it would have been great if they had been naturally selected out rather than having to go through oral surgery.  How easy is it for me in my comfortably middle-class, First World life to look at such "primitive" features of the human body with disdain and completely ignore the fact until the advent of modern dentistry, and even then only within the last 100 years, have people not regularly lost teeth throughout their lives due to poor oral hygiene.

For the vast portion of human history tooth loss was simply a part of life.  With that in mind would it not be great to have some spare teeth built into our bodies?  Our arrogance in our medical and dental advances have numbed us to the awesome fact that maybe God built some safety features into our bodies for us, features that for thousands of years have served as humanity's defense against discomfort and decay.  How quickly we forget what life was like before modern times, and how quickly we can turn on and dismiss as primitive the things that could have had such profound effects on human life for centuries.

Jesus' Scarred Hands

After Jesus' resurrection when He appears to the disciples we learn that His hands and sides still bear the scars from his crucifixion.  Paul writes in 1 Cor 15:42-44 that "resurrection bodies" or "spiritual bodies" at the end of the age will be "glorious" and "imperishable".  But Jesus' body has scars.  It made me sad to think Jesus' resurrection body will be marred for eternity because of my sins.

But then I donated bone marrow.

My marrow donation was just under a month ago and by now, because of God's awesome creative design, my body will have replenished most if not all of the quart of marrow I donated.  My body is basically back to normal.  The only reminders I have are the tiny scars on either side of my lower back where the needles were inserted.  But I do not look at these scars with regret, as unfortunate reminders.  To me the scars are a physical memorial of an opportunity I had to serve/save someone because I am served/saved by God.  I like what these scars testify to.

Likewise Jesus's scars are not imperfections; they are not reminders of regret or some ordeal that Jesus grudgingly went through.  His scars are trophies; memorials of how great His love is, and of what length's God will go through to save us, to get us back.

I now understand why Jesus' resurrection body has the scars.  And I love what they testify to.
God is awesome

'Twas Grace that Kicked Them Out of Eden

In the Beginning God made all of Creation and it was "Good!"

How awesome of a story introduction is that?

God creates Adam and Eve and places them in Eden, Paradise.

Everything is perfect on a level that I cannot fathom.

And God walks with Adam and Eve through Eden in the cool of the day.

Perhaps one the most beautiful words in all of scripture is "naked" (Gen 2:25), because it describes humanity's entire reality. They were naked and fully known before God, naked and fully known to each other. Nothing was hidden, there was perfect intimacy. The same intimacy that the human heart now aches for; the echoing memory of Eden.

And then the Fall.

Humanity has a choice and we choose poorly. Adam and Eve eat the fruit. Sin enters into Creation. That which was perfect and good is now marred with the terrible stain of sin.

Then the Curse.

And then God kicks Adam and Eve out of Eden.

For a long time I thought it was because God was angry, that part of the curse was no longer being able to enjoy the garden and all of its goodness, now Adam has to labor for his food. But the passage just before God kicks them out of the garden (Gen 3:22-24) offers a different explanation.

Because the passage describes the second tree named in the garden. The first tree is the Knowledge of Good and Evil, and Adam and Eve have eaten from it. The second tree is the Tree of Life. Adam and Eve have not eaten from it. And this is God's reasoning for kicking them out of Eden. God says

"See, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever"

God does not want Adam and Eve to live forever upon Earth. Upon this now fallen Earth. By denying them the fruit from the Tree of Life, by not preventing death, God is providing them a way out. Because now that they have sinned that would mean living forever in sin. Apart from God. There is a word for eternal separation from God

Hell

And by kicking Adam and Eve out of Eden God makes space for His Son, the Second Adam (Rom 5:14-15), to come provide a way to save Adam and Eve and all Humanity. Praise the Lord for His awesome grace, that He has not abandoned us here on Earth, but saved us from ourselves.

Pragmatic Eschatology

One of the most complicated, convoluted, and therefore uninteresting parts of Theology is Eschatology (the study of the End Times or better phrased "Last Things")

And I will not pretend to decipher the symbols, numbers, and meanings of the apocalyptic writings of Daniel or Revelation.

But just because the details are perplexing does not mean that Eschatology is unimportant or a subject matter we are unaffected by.

The aspects of Eschatology I am most interested in are the actual "Last Things," where everything is going, how the story ends. Because if we look at the broad picture we find some intriguing details. The story arc of the Bible is from Paradise to Paradise. And it is a story of redemption. God made Creation "good", we messed it us, and ever since Genesis chapter 3 God's work has been a work of making "all things new" (Rev 21:5).

Revelation ends with the New Heaven and New Earth (Rev 21:1). Not only that but we see Heaven fully invading Earth (Rev 21:2) which fits with the Eschatology of the Major and Minor Prophets of the Old Testament. God is making all things new. For a wonderful depiction I suggest the description of the "Old Narnia" and "Real Narnia" at the end of the chapter "Further Up and Further In" of The Last Battle by C. S. Lewis.

So we know how things end; God makes all things new and perfect.

Selah

And that makes all the difference. Because God's ultimate vision, how things finally end up, defines everything. What we implicitly believe about the "Last Things" dictates and influences how we live now. Understanding where we are going clarifies where we are now like a compass pointing North.

The temptation can be to live like our objective is to be "saved" enough to go to Heaven when we die, but without the need to engage the world around us while we are here. It has been described as "being too heavenly minded to be any earthly good", and that is a horrible and counter-Christ paradigm. Jesus did not come to draw us out and isolate "Christians" from the world, but He came to be Emmanuel, "God with us" (Mt 1:22-23), and to engage this world. We are called not to be elitists in the world, but "light of the world" (Mt 5:14-16). If we believe that God is redeeming Creation, making all things new, then we have been invited to be a part of that process of renewal (2 Cor 5:17-21). God came back for each of us, but that does not mean we can be content to let His redemption stop with us.

Instead of being "too Heavenly minded to be any earthly good" we have to be Heavenly minded (truly and Eschatologically Heavenly minded) to be any earthly good.

So may you be guided North by God's awesome work of redemption into the "Last Things"

How glorious it will be to finally go home.

Selah

Problems with Humanity

I was talking with my friend Peter last night, our conversation covered a menagerie of topics, and one particular issue that we kept returning to was the various problems with humanity.

And while the pathologies of humanity a great in number and in complexity, I was struck by the simplicity of the answer.

I know the answer to all of our problems.

It's humility.

It's surrendering ourselves to God.

It's being holy as He is holy.

Our problem as fallen people is pride. We want to be what everything is about. But we are creatures. And we hate being creatures. We want to be creator.

We want to be God.

But we are not God

And by humility I mean to acknowledge the truth of reality and who we really are. Not what I want reality to be, not my relative truth, but the absolute truth as defined by the One who is able to define absolute truth.

For me humility means understanding and living according to the fact that I am not God.

For God humility means understanding and living according to the fact that He is God. He really is the Independent One upon whom all of Creation depends for existence.

So the answer to all of our issues is simple.

But it's impossible.

Because apart from God I hate being a creature.