I grew up learning Jesus loves me-
the Bible told me so,
and for years had my feelings hurt
wondering why
if He was alive
He Himself wouldn't let me know.
The Absent Father too busy working
to hold my little hand.
The Prince of Peace, lofty and regal
but ruling from a distant land.
I wonder now if His heart broke too,
watching me when I was young,
lifting my eyes
to distant skies,
wondering where He had gone.
All the while his calloused hand
gently stroked my little head,
and as I sent prayers
into the darkness
He knelt there with me beside my bed.
Monday, January 31, 2011
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Faith With Teeth
But he [Thomas] said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
________________________________________
The best place to hear what we as Christians believe about life after death is at a Christian funeral. You may hear all kinds of things. While everyone will be clinging to the hope of the gospel, the message is often inconsistent and muddled.
• The loved ones who died too early became angels.
• The mother will live on in our hearts.
• The great humanitarian will live on through what he taught us.
It’s time to put our hope in more than simple, tired clichés. What is it that will make people look to Jesus? That he lives on in our hearts? What will make people bow the knee to the Jewish Messiah? That his teachings live on long after he died? We need to figure out how to tell our story, because our story is better. Our story goes one step further.
In all the great stories, we are compelled to put our faith in the hero. The prince who will go anywhere, do anything to win the heart of the princess, or to gain her freedom. In the most moving stories, the hero dies. Ours did too.
But our Prince knew that long after he was gone we would still have to face death on our own. And we would be afraid. So he went wherever he had to go to rid us of our sins, and the door of death crashed closed behind him. He set down our load of sins there, and quietly, confidently, turned around to stare at the dogs of death guarding the gates.
And he kicked their teeth in on his way back out. He made a necklace of those teeth to present to his bride. And as those teeth saw sunlight on Sunday morning a miraculous thing happened.
They turned into pearls of faith. They became gems of hope strung together on a golden string of love.
Whatever the future holds, it holds more than even heaven can contain. It holds life. The gospel is not that Jesus died and went to heaven. The gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, and then came back from the dead.
That is what made Thomas kneel before the Christ.
________________________________________
Lord, engrave on our hearts today what it meant when you came back from the dead. Thank you that our future holds not only heaven, but resurrection! You are the Great Hero of an eternal story. We worship you as Almighty God.
A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”
Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
________________________________________
The best place to hear what we as Christians believe about life after death is at a Christian funeral. You may hear all kinds of things. While everyone will be clinging to the hope of the gospel, the message is often inconsistent and muddled.
• The loved ones who died too early became angels.
• The mother will live on in our hearts.
• The great humanitarian will live on through what he taught us.
It’s time to put our hope in more than simple, tired clichés. What is it that will make people look to Jesus? That he lives on in our hearts? What will make people bow the knee to the Jewish Messiah? That his teachings live on long after he died? We need to figure out how to tell our story, because our story is better. Our story goes one step further.
In all the great stories, we are compelled to put our faith in the hero. The prince who will go anywhere, do anything to win the heart of the princess, or to gain her freedom. In the most moving stories, the hero dies. Ours did too.
But our Prince knew that long after he was gone we would still have to face death on our own. And we would be afraid. So he went wherever he had to go to rid us of our sins, and the door of death crashed closed behind him. He set down our load of sins there, and quietly, confidently, turned around to stare at the dogs of death guarding the gates.
And he kicked their teeth in on his way back out. He made a necklace of those teeth to present to his bride. And as those teeth saw sunlight on Sunday morning a miraculous thing happened.
They turned into pearls of faith. They became gems of hope strung together on a golden string of love.
Whatever the future holds, it holds more than even heaven can contain. It holds life. The gospel is not that Jesus died and went to heaven. The gospel is that Jesus died for our sins, and then came back from the dead.
That is what made Thomas kneel before the Christ.
________________________________________
Lord, engrave on our hearts today what it meant when you came back from the dead. Thank you that our future holds not only heaven, but resurrection! You are the Great Hero of an eternal story. We worship you as Almighty God.
Sunday, January 16, 2011
The Social Gospel Rant
I want to talk briefly today about a debate that is currently making its way through the western Christian church. It’s not something that can easily be ignored, and it’s a subject that I think everyone should be aware of, if not passionate about.
It what has been labeled the social gospel.
Approaching the topic of social responsibility and justice in the church is like wading into a pool filled with sharks. Already the battle lines have been drawn by church leaders everywhere. Like so many other times throughout church history, each side hurls accusations of heresy and godlessness at the other.
I’m going to stand in a very unpopular place- the middle. I’m going to toss around a couple of accusations of arrogance and pride, and hope somebody proves me wrong someday soon.
Okay, accusation number one. If you think the good news of Jesus Christ is primarily that the hungry will be fed, the poor clothed, and the oppressed will receive justice and that it’s our job to do all this, you simply haven’t got it right.
The apostle Paul said that “of first importance” was that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. He said this because he was fully aware that the only obstacle between us and God is our rebelliousness and sin. If you give a selfish, hungry, oppressed person some food and an education, you don’t make him a saint- you make him North American!
Now for accusation number two. This is directed at all of those fundamentalist evangelicals who are cheering right now. Get your heads out of the sand. Paul said that Jesus’ death and resurrection was far and away the first and most important part of the gospel, but he didn’t say it was the whole gospel. Jesus himself described the good news as the coming of the kingdom of God.
If we’re the future bride of Christ, I believe many of us are sitting on the sacred sofa watching reality TV, while our fiance is trying to tell us he’d like to go help out down at the local soup kitchen. With one hand we reach for the chip dip, and with the other we throw him the keys and wish him luck.
We need to stop picking and choosing which parts of the bible are convenient for us. It’s simple to believe the right things. And guess what- Jesus knew that. That’s why he made it clear that anyone can claim allegiance to him, but what we do (or don’t do) for others in His name has eternal consequences as well.
Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Some versions describe this as a parable, but I think it holds more weight than that. The parables around it started with “the kingdom of God is like…” This starts more as a matter of fact.
When Jesus started his ministry He quoted this scripture one Sabbath:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
If you have all your basic needs met, I’ll bet you think he was talking figuratively. Fine, but I think anyone who is literally poor, brokenhearted, locked up or oppressed hopes Jesus simply meant what he said.
So regardless of where we stand on this issue, what do we do now?
That is not for me to say. If you claim to know God, ask him. Then turn off the TV, open your eyes, and listen.
It what has been labeled the social gospel.
Approaching the topic of social responsibility and justice in the church is like wading into a pool filled with sharks. Already the battle lines have been drawn by church leaders everywhere. Like so many other times throughout church history, each side hurls accusations of heresy and godlessness at the other.
I’m going to stand in a very unpopular place- the middle. I’m going to toss around a couple of accusations of arrogance and pride, and hope somebody proves me wrong someday soon.
Okay, accusation number one. If you think the good news of Jesus Christ is primarily that the hungry will be fed, the poor clothed, and the oppressed will receive justice and that it’s our job to do all this, you simply haven’t got it right.
The apostle Paul said that “of first importance” was that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures. He said this because he was fully aware that the only obstacle between us and God is our rebelliousness and sin. If you give a selfish, hungry, oppressed person some food and an education, you don’t make him a saint- you make him North American!
Now for accusation number two. This is directed at all of those fundamentalist evangelicals who are cheering right now. Get your heads out of the sand. Paul said that Jesus’ death and resurrection was far and away the first and most important part of the gospel, but he didn’t say it was the whole gospel. Jesus himself described the good news as the coming of the kingdom of God.
If we’re the future bride of Christ, I believe many of us are sitting on the sacred sofa watching reality TV, while our fiance is trying to tell us he’d like to go help out down at the local soup kitchen. With one hand we reach for the chip dip, and with the other we throw him the keys and wish him luck.
We need to stop picking and choosing which parts of the bible are convenient for us. It’s simple to believe the right things. And guess what- Jesus knew that. That’s why he made it clear that anyone can claim allegiance to him, but what we do (or don’t do) for others in His name has eternal consequences as well.
Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’
Some versions describe this as a parable, but I think it holds more weight than that. The parables around it started with “the kingdom of God is like…” This starts more as a matter of fact.
When Jesus started his ministry He quoted this scripture one Sabbath:
The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me,
because the LORD has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives
and release from darkness for the prisoners,
If you have all your basic needs met, I’ll bet you think he was talking figuratively. Fine, but I think anyone who is literally poor, brokenhearted, locked up or oppressed hopes Jesus simply meant what he said.
So regardless of where we stand on this issue, what do we do now?
That is not for me to say. If you claim to know God, ask him. Then turn off the TV, open your eyes, and listen.
Saturday, January 1, 2011
New Years Insomnia and the Resurrection
Well, it's 4:30AM, January 1st, 2011 and I can't sleep. I'd like to think that it's because of all the great thoughts tumbling around in my head. The truth is it's probably because of that third helping of turkey casserole at the inlaw's house, the snacks at grandpa and grandma's, and the chips and chocolate at home all chased down with some Irish Cream on the rocks.
No, I didn't get drunk.
Yes, I have heartburn.
So while I'm up let me share a few raw, unedited thoughts.
It's time to quit talking about heaven and start talking ressurection.
There have been way too many deaths in my church and community over the past number of years to ignore this issue. Little ones, old teachers, all loved ones. And while the thought of our loved ones in heaven is comforting, does it hold all the hope we were told cling to?
Think of the story of Lazarus, in John's gospel, 11th chapter. Lazarus has died and Jesus goes to comfort the sisters. Many of us have been in similar situations- what words of comfort immediately come to mind?
"You'll see him again in heaven."
Jesus didn't say this. Shocking, isn't it?! I always thought that Jesus died and rose again so that I could go to heaven instead of hell. Going to heaven is what we mean when we say we have eternal life, right? Maybe it's time to draw a little closer to the Master, to listen a little more attentively.
What Jesus said was, "Your brother will rise again."
He and Martha then have a little debate over when, how, and through whom this will happen and the story goes forward. We've read it so many times we're immune to it's potency. So Jesus does something to drive the point home.
And the story ends with Jesus saying,"Take off the grave clothes and let him go."
There are a couple points to be made here.
The first is about God's timeline. Martha expressed to Jesus that she believed Lazarus would "rise again" on the "last day". It's a reasonable belief, and one that I share. But what I and perhaps Martha don't acknowledge is that when we piously wait for God's timing we miss the fact that this could happen at any time. The point of waiting on God, and waiting for His timing, is to wait (and pray) expecting something will happen at any moment.
Which brings us to point number two. Is it our collective lack of clarity regarding this issue , or maybe our unbelief that makes us unexpectant? There haven't been to too many Christian funerals where a family member or close friend ( like Jesus) went down to the casket and told the recently departed to get up. I certainly haven't. I wouldn't want to embarrass myself!
Shame on me, an apprentice of Jesus the Christ, for not taking it for granted that people can come back from the dead.
I think it's time to start a new tradition at Christian funerals. After opening prayer, let the minister ask the deceased to come back in Jesus' name.
Then wait five minutes.
No, I didn't get drunk.
Yes, I have heartburn.
So while I'm up let me share a few raw, unedited thoughts.
It's time to quit talking about heaven and start talking ressurection.
There have been way too many deaths in my church and community over the past number of years to ignore this issue. Little ones, old teachers, all loved ones. And while the thought of our loved ones in heaven is comforting, does it hold all the hope we were told cling to?
Think of the story of Lazarus, in John's gospel, 11th chapter. Lazarus has died and Jesus goes to comfort the sisters. Many of us have been in similar situations- what words of comfort immediately come to mind?
"You'll see him again in heaven."
Jesus didn't say this. Shocking, isn't it?! I always thought that Jesus died and rose again so that I could go to heaven instead of hell. Going to heaven is what we mean when we say we have eternal life, right? Maybe it's time to draw a little closer to the Master, to listen a little more attentively.
What Jesus said was, "Your brother will rise again."
He and Martha then have a little debate over when, how, and through whom this will happen and the story goes forward. We've read it so many times we're immune to it's potency. So Jesus does something to drive the point home.
And the story ends with Jesus saying,"Take off the grave clothes and let him go."
There are a couple points to be made here.
The first is about God's timeline. Martha expressed to Jesus that she believed Lazarus would "rise again" on the "last day". It's a reasonable belief, and one that I share. But what I and perhaps Martha don't acknowledge is that when we piously wait for God's timing we miss the fact that this could happen at any time. The point of waiting on God, and waiting for His timing, is to wait (and pray) expecting something will happen at any moment.
Which brings us to point number two. Is it our collective lack of clarity regarding this issue , or maybe our unbelief that makes us unexpectant? There haven't been to too many Christian funerals where a family member or close friend ( like Jesus) went down to the casket and told the recently departed to get up. I certainly haven't. I wouldn't want to embarrass myself!
Shame on me, an apprentice of Jesus the Christ, for not taking it for granted that people can come back from the dead.
I think it's time to start a new tradition at Christian funerals. After opening prayer, let the minister ask the deceased to come back in Jesus' name.
Then wait five minutes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)