"Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men came to Jerusalem from the East, saying, 'Where is he who has been born King of the Jews?'...They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it is written by the prophet: 'And you, O Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.'"
Matthew 2.1-2, 5-6
As our Advent journey draws to a close and the celebration of Christmas bursts upon us once again, we end up in the little Judean town of Bethlehem. This is the place where the prophet Micah (5.2) told God's people so long ago that they would meet the ruler and shepherd of Israel, Christ the Lord. And still today, we take the metaphorical journey to Bethlehem to meet our Savior and the world's great King.
As you may have noticed, the language of "king" or "ruler" has already appeared 5 times in this post. And that is because the true Christmas story is all about a clash of kings and kingdoms.
In Matthew's narrative, wise men come from the East looking for the true King of Israel. But before they get to him, they are intercepted by king Herod, who was in all reality a false king of the Jews, a usurper, an impostor. Herod was troubled by the news of a newborn king, and so, he consulted the chief priests and scribes to see where Israel's Messiah was to be born. "In Bethlehem of Judea," they replied.
In desperation, Herod was willing to do just about anything to hold on to his power. So he summoned the wise men and sent them to "Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him," said Herod, "bring me word, that I too may come and worship him" (Matthew 2.8).
What a lie! Herod's true intention was to kill the child Jesus. Herod was willing to go to the extreme to ensure that Israel's true King was destroyed. This was revealed to Joseph by an angel of the Lord (Matthew 2.13). And that same angel told Mary and Joseph to flee to Egypt with their child, for Herod was about to do the unthinkable.
Herod (a man who was known for killing his own family members and his wife!) used his position of power to kill all of the male children in the region of Bethlehem who were two years old or under.
It may surprise you to hear that this political power struggle is at the heart of the Christmas story in Matthew's gospel. What do we make of this?
Well first off, try to discard your thoughts of a calm, peaceful Christmas scene with a nice little manger.
While Jesus was still an infant, he became a refugee with a bounty on his head. And this fate would follow him all through his life, ending, of course, with a brutal death on a Roman cross - a place where failed revolutionaries often ended up.
But what is even more important for Matthew is that when things are at their darkest, that is when God fulfills his promises. God always comes through in the clutch!
Emanuel, God with us, comes to the place of pain, brokenness, betrayal, and darkness in order to bring us into the light of God's glorious kingdom. Jesus the Messiah and King of Israel comes in Israel's place and accomplishes God's ultimate plan of deliverance. Jesus accomplishes a new exodus for the world - "Out of Egypt I have called my son" (Matthew 2.15).
Jesus, Israel-in-person, has come to accomplish what Israel failed to accomplish. In the darkness of exile, Jesus brings God's light and deliverance. Jesus brings God's saving presence to bear in the world. And Jesus bids us, "Come, experience God's goodness and become agents of change in the world!"
In spite of the odds and in spite of what the rulers of this world promise us, we must always remember that our God is a God who truly does fulfill his promises. In Christ, God's promises never fail us.
Jesus' final word and promise to us in Scripture is this: "I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star...Surely I am coming soon!" (Revelation 22.16, 20).
As we, in this Christmas season, call to mind the person and work of Jesus, and as we prepare ourselves for his coming again, let us make the words of the the old hymn Joy to the World! The Lord Is Come our prayer:
Joy to the world! The Lord is come: let earth receive her King.
Let every heart prepare him room, and heaven and nature sing.
December 24, 2008
December 16, 2008
Advent Week 3: Repentance
"Now, after John [the Baptizer] was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, proclaiming the gospel of God, and saying, 'The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.'"
Mark 1.14-15
In the time when Jesus lived, the Jewish people lived in a state of tension and hope. Tension because they were in a state of political and spiritual exile and they were slaves in their own land. Hope because they believed that Yahweh (their covenant God) would act again in history to vindicate his people, to bring them all the way back from exile.
Many Jews believed that by faithfully obeying God's Law, the Messiah or Anointed One would come and usher in a new age – an age in which Yahweh would restore the fortunes of Israel by defeating her enemies. Israel's hope for restoration was, however, often mistakenly bound to its nationalistic belief that restoration would come in the form of a military overthrow of the Roman Empire, starting with the conquest of Jerusalem. A commonly held belief was that God would establish the Jews in the Promised Land and throw out the unclean Gentiles (ie. the Romans). This is how God's kingdom or rule would be established on earth.
But that was not the message of Jesus, the Messiah of Israel. Jesus came announcing a different kind of kingdom - one that included the outcasts, sinners, and those who were deemed to be ritually unclean.
Along with this, Jesus' message of the kingdom of God included within it the call for all in Israel to "repent." Shocking! The (so-called) "people of God" needed to repent - to turn to God with all their hearts.
"But turn from what?" you may ask. After all, the Jews were God’s people, weren't they? Exactly! And we often miss this. Jesus was preaching to the choir, so to speak. But why?
Well, even though many Jews thought they had it all in order, they didn't. Many boasted that Abraham was their father. They believed they were God's children by right, by blood. They believed you could be born into God's family. Thus, they concluded that they'd be the benefactors of God's coming kingdom because of their status as physical descendants of Abraham.
So Jesus (and before him John the Baptizer) came with a message that challenged Israel to realize that being a physical descendant of Abraham was not good enough. In Matthew 3.9, John the Baptizer says, "Let me tell you, God is quite capable of raising up children for Abraham from the very stones at you feet."
Being born a Jew, or a Christian for that matter, is not good enough! No one can claim an absolute right to possess the status of a member in God's family. That is something that happens through faith in Jesus. "Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham...in the Messiah Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith." (Galatians 3.7, 26).
And so, God calls all of us to repent - to continually turn from the way of arrogance and conceit, and from our self-centered desire to do it our way. God wants us to admit that we don't have it all together, that we are all messed up, and that we desperately need his grace to save us. But that's not all...
The message of Advent is that God graciously comes to us through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, offering us forgiveness, reconciliation, and the amazing opportunity to become children of God. God meets us where we are at. And God calls us to trust in the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for salvation - to turn to Jesus and follow his way of being human. God calls us to embrace the way of the cross, the way of the crucified and risen Messiah, and then to pick up our own cross and to become his agents of peace, reconciliation, and renewal in the world.
Mark 1.14-15
In the time when Jesus lived, the Jewish people lived in a state of tension and hope. Tension because they were in a state of political and spiritual exile and they were slaves in their own land. Hope because they believed that Yahweh (their covenant God) would act again in history to vindicate his people, to bring them all the way back from exile.
Many Jews believed that by faithfully obeying God's Law, the Messiah or Anointed One would come and usher in a new age – an age in which Yahweh would restore the fortunes of Israel by defeating her enemies. Israel's hope for restoration was, however, often mistakenly bound to its nationalistic belief that restoration would come in the form of a military overthrow of the Roman Empire, starting with the conquest of Jerusalem. A commonly held belief was that God would establish the Jews in the Promised Land and throw out the unclean Gentiles (ie. the Romans). This is how God's kingdom or rule would be established on earth.
But that was not the message of Jesus, the Messiah of Israel. Jesus came announcing a different kind of kingdom - one that included the outcasts, sinners, and those who were deemed to be ritually unclean.
Along with this, Jesus' message of the kingdom of God included within it the call for all in Israel to "repent." Shocking! The (so-called) "people of God" needed to repent - to turn to God with all their hearts.
"But turn from what?" you may ask. After all, the Jews were God’s people, weren't they? Exactly! And we often miss this. Jesus was preaching to the choir, so to speak. But why?
Well, even though many Jews thought they had it all in order, they didn't. Many boasted that Abraham was their father. They believed they were God's children by right, by blood. They believed you could be born into God's family. Thus, they concluded that they'd be the benefactors of God's coming kingdom because of their status as physical descendants of Abraham.
So Jesus (and before him John the Baptizer) came with a message that challenged Israel to realize that being a physical descendant of Abraham was not good enough. In Matthew 3.9, John the Baptizer says, "Let me tell you, God is quite capable of raising up children for Abraham from the very stones at you feet."
Being born a Jew, or a Christian for that matter, is not good enough! No one can claim an absolute right to possess the status of a member in God's family. That is something that happens through faith in Jesus. "Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham...in the Messiah Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith." (Galatians 3.7, 26).
And so, God calls all of us to repent - to continually turn from the way of arrogance and conceit, and from our self-centered desire to do it our way. God wants us to admit that we don't have it all together, that we are all messed up, and that we desperately need his grace to save us. But that's not all...
The message of Advent is that God graciously comes to us through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, offering us forgiveness, reconciliation, and the amazing opportunity to become children of God. God meets us where we are at. And God calls us to trust in the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for salvation - to turn to Jesus and follow his way of being human. God calls us to embrace the way of the cross, the way of the crucified and risen Messiah, and then to pick up our own cross and to become his agents of peace, reconciliation, and renewal in the world.
December 13, 2008
2nd Week of Advent: Hope
"They shall beat their swords into ploughshares,
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more."
Isaiah 2.4
"They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea."
Isaiah 11.9
Hope is one of the primary themes in the Advent season.
But what is Christian hope? And what, exactly, does the church hope for during Advent? In this post, I'll look at these two questions.
Christian hope is centered on the coming of God's kingdom. The hope of the gospel is all about God's Word going out to minister to all peoples and to all of creation. Thus, when the church hopes, it actively seeks to bring God's redemptive love to bear in the world. When the church hopes, it brings with it the shalom (peace, wellness, welfare, wholeness) of God.
Hope is not static. It does not stand still. Hope is always on the move, envisioning new and imaginative ways to live out the good news of Christ's saving grace in the world.
And as we see in Isaiah chapters 2 and 11, what the church hopes for (and actively anticipates) during Advent is for God's peaceable kingdom to come in all its fullness. We hope for the complete restoration of all creation. Against the odds and against much of the evidence around us, God calls us to hope and to work for justice.
The prophet Isaiah's vision, and indeed the vision of Advent, calls us to foster life, to open up new life-giving opportunities, to cultivate creation in such a way that God's justice and righteousness roll down like an ever-flowing river (Amos 5.24).
In specific, God calls us to transform our weapons of war, aggression, and destruction into implements of cultivation and new creation. The Spirit of God is leading us to take bold steps that move us toward a commitment to the way of Christ - that is, to the way of non-violence, to an economics of care for all people, to the elimination of global poverty, ect...
We do this as we hope and wait for the time of great renewal - the time when God's kingdom will come in all its fullness!
"Living out of messianic hope is therefore different from just waiting passively. It requires that we leave our protective shelters behind and put our future, our prosperity, and if necessary our whole lives in jeopardy for the sake of love, truth, and justice. Indeed, growing into God's story implies growing into a living obedience to the risen Lord" (Hope In Troubled Times, 177).
A concluding thought to ponder:
In 2003 the world spent more than $950 billion on its militaries, with the "the land of the free and home of the brave" contributing nearly 50% of the total.
Thus, world military expenditure in one year is greater than would be required to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals in 11 years (the MDG is an 11 year project designed to cut global poverty in half). If 10% of world military spending, or 20% of US military spending, were diverted yearly, the MDG could be fully funded!
The above information is gleaned from Economists Allied for Arms Reduction, "Military vs. Social Spending: Warfare or Human Wlfare" (2004), l. Go to: http://www.epsusa.org/publications/factsheets/facts.htm.
What should the response of the world-wide church be to this shocking reality? Well, as a start, all Christians should call upon citizens, governments, and decision-makers to embrace a life-affirming and life-sustaining peacebuilding paradigm. We must challenge ourselves and our governments to integrate development and peace initiatives and agendas at both policy and practice levels. This would involve reallocating resources freed by refusal to continue developing weapons, and then delivering those resources to a wide variety of peace initiatives.
and their spears into pruning hooks;
nation shall not lift up sword against nation,
neither shall they learn war any more."
Isaiah 2.4
"They will not hurt or destroy
on all my holy mountain;
for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the Lord
as the waters cover the sea."
Isaiah 11.9
Hope is one of the primary themes in the Advent season.
But what is Christian hope? And what, exactly, does the church hope for during Advent? In this post, I'll look at these two questions.
Christian hope is centered on the coming of God's kingdom. The hope of the gospel is all about God's Word going out to minister to all peoples and to all of creation. Thus, when the church hopes, it actively seeks to bring God's redemptive love to bear in the world. When the church hopes, it brings with it the shalom (peace, wellness, welfare, wholeness) of God.
Hope is not static. It does not stand still. Hope is always on the move, envisioning new and imaginative ways to live out the good news of Christ's saving grace in the world.
And as we see in Isaiah chapters 2 and 11, what the church hopes for (and actively anticipates) during Advent is for God's peaceable kingdom to come in all its fullness. We hope for the complete restoration of all creation. Against the odds and against much of the evidence around us, God calls us to hope and to work for justice.
The prophet Isaiah's vision, and indeed the vision of Advent, calls us to foster life, to open up new life-giving opportunities, to cultivate creation in such a way that God's justice and righteousness roll down like an ever-flowing river (Amos 5.24).
In specific, God calls us to transform our weapons of war, aggression, and destruction into implements of cultivation and new creation. The Spirit of God is leading us to take bold steps that move us toward a commitment to the way of Christ - that is, to the way of non-violence, to an economics of care for all people, to the elimination of global poverty, ect...
We do this as we hope and wait for the time of great renewal - the time when God's kingdom will come in all its fullness!
"Living out of messianic hope is therefore different from just waiting passively. It requires that we leave our protective shelters behind and put our future, our prosperity, and if necessary our whole lives in jeopardy for the sake of love, truth, and justice. Indeed, growing into God's story implies growing into a living obedience to the risen Lord" (Hope In Troubled Times, 177).
A concluding thought to ponder:
In 2003 the world spent more than $950 billion on its militaries, with the "the land of the free and home of the brave" contributing nearly 50% of the total.
Thus, world military expenditure in one year is greater than would be required to fulfill the Millennium Development Goals in 11 years (the MDG is an 11 year project designed to cut global poverty in half). If 10% of world military spending, or 20% of US military spending, were diverted yearly, the MDG could be fully funded!
The above information is gleaned from Economists Allied for Arms Reduction, "Military vs. Social Spending: Warfare or Human Wlfare" (2004), l. Go to: http://www.epsusa.org/publications/factsheets/facts.htm.
What should the response of the world-wide church be to this shocking reality? Well, as a start, all Christians should call upon citizens, governments, and decision-makers to embrace a life-affirming and life-sustaining peacebuilding paradigm. We must challenge ourselves and our governments to integrate development and peace initiatives and agendas at both policy and practice levels. This would involve reallocating resources freed by refusal to continue developing weapons, and then delivering those resources to a wide variety of peace initiatives.
December 4, 2008
Advent: Week 1
We are currently in the first week of Advent (last Sunday was the first Sunday of this new church year).
For those who are unaware, the season of Advent marks the beginning of the Western (Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant churches) Christian year. Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve.
From the Latin adventus, Advent means “coming” or “arrival."
Throughout history this season has been observed as a fast, with its purpose focused on preparation for the coming Christ. During Advent, Christians all over the world prepare themselves to receive the newborn in a lowly manger at Bethlehem, to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Messiah - his coming into the world.
In this time, Christians also look forward to Jesus’ coming again and the establishment of God’s new creation.
Throughout Advent, Christians humbly confess their sins, seek God’s forgiveness, and joyfully look to Christ’s indwelling presence through the Holy Spirit. We wait and hope for Christ’s light to break through the darkness of our world. We wait and hope for the revelation of Christ with us, Christ among us.
But we who are members of Christ's body are called to do much more than simply wait and hope. God calls us to action! In Advent, God calls his church to be Christ's light for salvation to the nations. This happens through the redemptive work of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.
During this season we are empowered by God to to enact his peace and justice in the world. We are to cry out on behalf of those who are poor and afflicted, and thus, provide further fulfillment to Jesus' words in Luke 4.18-19: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord!"
After taking some time to chew on the words of Jesus, please also consider these words of Jesse Jackson:
"Let us gather and embrace our families. Let us join together to protect the babies in the dawn of life, care for the elderly in the dusk of life. Let us nurture the sick, shelter the homeless. Stop for the stranger on the Jericho Road. Work for the promise of peace. Surely that is the point of the story [of Advent and Christmas]."
For those who are unaware, the season of Advent marks the beginning of the Western (Roman Catholic, Anglican, and Protestant churches) Christian year. Advent begins four Sundays before Christmas and ends on Christmas Eve.
From the Latin adventus, Advent means “coming” or “arrival."
Throughout history this season has been observed as a fast, with its purpose focused on preparation for the coming Christ. During Advent, Christians all over the world prepare themselves to receive the newborn in a lowly manger at Bethlehem, to celebrate the birth of Jesus the Messiah - his coming into the world.
In this time, Christians also look forward to Jesus’ coming again and the establishment of God’s new creation.
Throughout Advent, Christians humbly confess their sins, seek God’s forgiveness, and joyfully look to Christ’s indwelling presence through the Holy Spirit. We wait and hope for Christ’s light to break through the darkness of our world. We wait and hope for the revelation of Christ with us, Christ among us.
But we who are members of Christ's body are called to do much more than simply wait and hope. God calls us to action! In Advent, God calls his church to be Christ's light for salvation to the nations. This happens through the redemptive work of the Holy Spirit at work in our lives.
During this season we are empowered by God to to enact his peace and justice in the world. We are to cry out on behalf of those who are poor and afflicted, and thus, provide further fulfillment to Jesus' words in Luke 4.18-19: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives, and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord!"
After taking some time to chew on the words of Jesus, please also consider these words of Jesse Jackson:
"Let us gather and embrace our families. Let us join together to protect the babies in the dawn of life, care for the elderly in the dusk of life. Let us nurture the sick, shelter the homeless. Stop for the stranger on the Jericho Road. Work for the promise of peace. Surely that is the point of the story [of Advent and Christmas]."
November 21, 2008
More on the topic of peace...
I am reading the book Jesus for President - which engages the connection between theology and politics - and I came across a very challenging quote that I feel compelled to share with you...
"Unless we are prepared to risk injury and death in nonviolent opposition to the injustice our societies foster, we don't dare even whisper another word about pacifism to our sisters and brothers in those desperate lands. Unless we are ready to die developing new nonviolent attempts to reduce international conflict, we should confess that we never really meant the cross was an alternative to the sword. Unless the majority of our people in nuclear nations are ready as congregations to risk social disapproval and government harassment in a clear call to live without nuclear weapons, we should sadly acknowledge that we have betrayed our peacemaking heritage. Making peace is as costly as waging war. Unless we are prepared to pay the cost of peacemaking, we have no right to claim the label or preach the message."
- Ron Sider (speaking at the Mennonite World Conference, 1984).
How are we, as followers of Jesus, called by God to be peaceful, political, peculiar, relevant, and radical in our world?
May the church endeavor to consider this question very carefully in our times!
"Unless we are prepared to risk injury and death in nonviolent opposition to the injustice our societies foster, we don't dare even whisper another word about pacifism to our sisters and brothers in those desperate lands. Unless we are ready to die developing new nonviolent attempts to reduce international conflict, we should confess that we never really meant the cross was an alternative to the sword. Unless the majority of our people in nuclear nations are ready as congregations to risk social disapproval and government harassment in a clear call to live without nuclear weapons, we should sadly acknowledge that we have betrayed our peacemaking heritage. Making peace is as costly as waging war. Unless we are prepared to pay the cost of peacemaking, we have no right to claim the label or preach the message."
- Ron Sider (speaking at the Mennonite World Conference, 1984).
How are we, as followers of Jesus, called by God to be peaceful, political, peculiar, relevant, and radical in our world?
May the church endeavor to consider this question very carefully in our times!
November 10, 2008
Remembrance Day
"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God!" (Matthew 5.9)
Today we try to remember. We remember the victims of war and all those who have died to help bring freedom and to help make the world a better place to live in. But today is also a stark reminder that our world is deeply broken and divided because of human violence.
For the Christian, Remembrance/Memorial Day also presents a unique opportunity for us to meditate on the way of peace. God calls us to look to Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace.
In the life and teachings of Jesus we see that God establishes peace in his world in an unconventional way. Jesus does not enter into physical battle in order to defeat the enemies of God. Instead, Jesus chooses the way of non-violence. Jesus lays down his life and dies at the hand of God’s enemies in order to defeat evil. Only then does God raise Jesus from the dead in the victory over sin and death. In the person of Jesus we see the perfect example of humble obedience, sacrificial love, and life-giving peace.
With this in mind, Jesus words in John 20.21 come into sharp focus: “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” We are God’s sent ones – ambassadors for Christ – commissioned by the Holy Spirit to announce the good news of God’s peaceable kingdom. But what is more, we are called to embody God’s peace in the world. God is leading us to be his peacemakers.
So on this day of “remembrance” let us seize the opportunity and prayerfully take to heart the radical message of the Prince of Peace and follow his way of reconciling love. Let us discern together the ways in which God is calling us to be peacemakers in his world!
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction....The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.”
- Martin Luther King Jr.
Today we try to remember. We remember the victims of war and all those who have died to help bring freedom and to help make the world a better place to live in. But today is also a stark reminder that our world is deeply broken and divided because of human violence.
For the Christian, Remembrance/Memorial Day also presents a unique opportunity for us to meditate on the way of peace. God calls us to look to Jesus, who is the Prince of Peace.
In the life and teachings of Jesus we see that God establishes peace in his world in an unconventional way. Jesus does not enter into physical battle in order to defeat the enemies of God. Instead, Jesus chooses the way of non-violence. Jesus lays down his life and dies at the hand of God’s enemies in order to defeat evil. Only then does God raise Jesus from the dead in the victory over sin and death. In the person of Jesus we see the perfect example of humble obedience, sacrificial love, and life-giving peace.
With this in mind, Jesus words in John 20.21 come into sharp focus: “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” We are God’s sent ones – ambassadors for Christ – commissioned by the Holy Spirit to announce the good news of God’s peaceable kingdom. But what is more, we are called to embody God’s peace in the world. God is leading us to be his peacemakers.
So on this day of “remembrance” let us seize the opportunity and prayerfully take to heart the radical message of the Prince of Peace and follow his way of reconciling love. Let us discern together the ways in which God is calling us to be peacemakers in his world!
“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction....The chain reaction of evil - hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars - must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.”
- Martin Luther King Jr.
October 12, 2008
The Way of Peace
I will make for you a covenant on that day with the wild animals, the birds of the air, and the creeping things of the ground; and I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land; and I will make you lie down in safety.
- Hosea 2:18
The mechanisms of war and human violence consistently show up in the media and in literature as a means to an end. We are told that we must go to war in order to establish peace. The problem with this is that war and violence often take on a godlike character and play a false role in history. The truth is: violence breeds violence. The war in Iraq is no small example of this.
Then we encounter the story of Jesus Christ and we come to a startling realization: In a world where humans try to establish peace by making war, God sends his Son to die under the weight of sin and to rise in newness of life.
Paradoxically, God triumphs over the power of evil and reconciles creation to himself through the violence of the cross. Through the blood of Jesus’ cross, God establishes peace in the world. In Jesus, God shares the suffering of humanity and offers us life. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” says Jesus.
And so, it’s our responsibility to “make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy” (Hebrews 12.14). God is calling us to choose love over power, the cross over control, and peace over revolt!
There is a grassroots campaign underway in Canada calling for the creation of a cabinet-level Department of Peace. This Department would work for the elimination of nuclear weapons and encourage global reductions in conventional weapons. The Minister of Peace would speak for the millions of Canadians who long to see a return to Canada’s traditional and necessary roles of peacekeeping, peacemaking, and peace building in international affairs. A Civilian Peace Service trained in non-violent conflict transformation would be created providing alternatives to military action in volatile situations. And peace curriculum would be developed for all educational levels. (To learn more about this campaign go to: http://www.departmentofpeace.ca/index.php)
So where does the church stand in all of this? The Bible says, “Depart from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34.14; 1 Peter 3.11). Peace is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5.22). And Jesus says that the peacemakers will be called children of God (Matthew 5.9). The same grace that brings us salvation impels us to work for peace and justice on God’s good earth. The shape this takes will vary from person to person but the calling remains the same. So let us remain faithful to our calling to work for peace!
A Prayer:
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.
- Francis of Assisi
- Hosea 2:18
The mechanisms of war and human violence consistently show up in the media and in literature as a means to an end. We are told that we must go to war in order to establish peace. The problem with this is that war and violence often take on a godlike character and play a false role in history. The truth is: violence breeds violence. The war in Iraq is no small example of this.
Then we encounter the story of Jesus Christ and we come to a startling realization: In a world where humans try to establish peace by making war, God sends his Son to die under the weight of sin and to rise in newness of life.
Paradoxically, God triumphs over the power of evil and reconciles creation to himself through the violence of the cross. Through the blood of Jesus’ cross, God establishes peace in the world. In Jesus, God shares the suffering of humanity and offers us life. “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” says Jesus.
And so, it’s our responsibility to “make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy” (Hebrews 12.14). God is calling us to choose love over power, the cross over control, and peace over revolt!
There is a grassroots campaign underway in Canada calling for the creation of a cabinet-level Department of Peace. This Department would work for the elimination of nuclear weapons and encourage global reductions in conventional weapons. The Minister of Peace would speak for the millions of Canadians who long to see a return to Canada’s traditional and necessary roles of peacekeeping, peacemaking, and peace building in international affairs. A Civilian Peace Service trained in non-violent conflict transformation would be created providing alternatives to military action in volatile situations. And peace curriculum would be developed for all educational levels. (To learn more about this campaign go to: http://www.departmentofpeace.ca/index.php)
So where does the church stand in all of this? The Bible says, “Depart from evil and do good, seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34.14; 1 Peter 3.11). Peace is a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5.22). And Jesus says that the peacemakers will be called children of God (Matthew 5.9). The same grace that brings us salvation impels us to work for peace and justice on God’s good earth. The shape this takes will vary from person to person but the calling remains the same. So let us remain faithful to our calling to work for peace!
A Prayer:
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.
- Francis of Assisi
September 27, 2008
Engaging the University: The Vocation of Campus Ministry
“Valuing of the Intellect”
"It is well to note positively that campus ministries exist at all, that someone, somewhere, wanted to provide spiritual service to students at secular universities, rather than abandoning them as compromisers or apostates who should have gone to Bible school instead."
These are some of the opening words of a paper that Dr. John G. Stackhouse (Professor of Theology and Culture, Regent College) delivered at a conference in Toronto in 2007.
I was at that conference and I must say that I was challenged by Stackhouse's insightful thoughts about what campus ministry on the secular university campus should look like. I encourage you to read Stackhouse's full paper. It can be found at:
http://stackblog.wordpress.com/engaging-the-university/
"It is well to note positively that campus ministries exist at all, that someone, somewhere, wanted to provide spiritual service to students at secular universities, rather than abandoning them as compromisers or apostates who should have gone to Bible school instead."
These are some of the opening words of a paper that Dr. John G. Stackhouse (Professor of Theology and Culture, Regent College) delivered at a conference in Toronto in 2007.
I was at that conference and I must say that I was challenged by Stackhouse's insightful thoughts about what campus ministry on the secular university campus should look like. I encourage you to read Stackhouse's full paper. It can be found at:
http://stackblog.wordpress.com/engaging-the-university/
August 25, 2008
Why College Doesn't Turn Kids Secular
While surfing the net, I came across an article that was published in the magazine Christianity Today. I thought it was quite interesting and that it might be of interest to some.
The article begins with these words...
"For years the running assumption has been that higher education secularizes students. Christians have typically believed that secularization of the young results from the promulgation of a secular agenda, while those of a more secular bent have preferred the explanation that more education naturally exposes the irrationality of religious faith. A new study by Mark Regnerus, Jeremy Uecker, and Margaret Vaaler in the Spring 2007 issue of Social Forces suggests both sides are wrong from the outset. Their conclusion is that higher education doesn't secularize students..."
To read more go to:
www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/augustweb-only/133-42.0.html
The article begins with these words...
"For years the running assumption has been that higher education secularizes students. Christians have typically believed that secularization of the young results from the promulgation of a secular agenda, while those of a more secular bent have preferred the explanation that more education naturally exposes the irrationality of religious faith. A new study by Mark Regnerus, Jeremy Uecker, and Margaret Vaaler in the Spring 2007 issue of Social Forces suggests both sides are wrong from the outset. Their conclusion is that higher education doesn't secularize students..."
To read more go to:
www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2007/augustweb-only/133-42.0.html
August 20, 2008
A Biblical Portrait of Justice
The call to “do justice” echoes throughout the Story of Scripture. And the cry for “justice to be done” wells up from our hearts and goes out from our churches. But what do we mean by justice and how is it to be achieved?
In the modern Western world justice is often understood in terms of fairness, equitable distribution of resources, or adequate punishment for wrongdoing. But biblical justice involves much more than this.
According to the Bible, justice has its origin in Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel (Deuteronomy 32.4). Justice establishes and upholds the kingdom of David (Isaiah 9.7). Justice involves care for the poor, food for the hungry, cancellation of debts, freedom for slaves, rest from work, and rest for land (Leviticus 25). And most importantly, God’s justice is fully realized in the person and work of the Messiah Jesus. God has unveiled his justice in Jesus!
On the cross, Jesus took evil (personal, societal, political) upon him and triumphed over it. On the cross, Jesus triumphed over all rulers and authorities and reconciled all things to God (Colossians 1.19-20; 2.15).
Indeed, the redemption Jesus accomplished on the cross and in his resurrection inaugurated the new age of God’s rule and foreshadows God’s fully restored kingdom of peace and justice.
And so, if we desire to “do justice” our primary responsibility is to trust in the faithfulness of Jesus and to walk in the Holy Spirit.
What it looks like to “do justice” will, of course, differ according to our context. But our focus must always be on the faces of real people. Some of us will spend a lot of time hanging out with society’s outcasts and misfits, while others will commit to journeying with those who are suffering with chronic illnesses. Some of us will commit to advocating on behalf of those who live in material poverty, while others will support programs of restorative justice within the criminal justice system.
What’s central is that we trust God, walk in his Spirit, and use our imaginations as we journey with real people. That’s what “doing justice” is all about!
“On the cross the living God took the fury and violence of the world onto himself, suffering massive injustice…and yet refusing to lash out with treats or curses. Part of what Christians have called ‘atonement theology’ is the belief that in some sense or other Jesus exhausted the underlying power of evil when he died under its weight, refusing to pass it on or keep it in circulation. Jesus’ resurrection is the beginning of a world in which a new type of justice is possible.”
- N.T. Wright, Simply Christian
In the modern Western world justice is often understood in terms of fairness, equitable distribution of resources, or adequate punishment for wrongdoing. But biblical justice involves much more than this.
According to the Bible, justice has its origin in Yahweh, the covenant God of Israel (Deuteronomy 32.4). Justice establishes and upholds the kingdom of David (Isaiah 9.7). Justice involves care for the poor, food for the hungry, cancellation of debts, freedom for slaves, rest from work, and rest for land (Leviticus 25). And most importantly, God’s justice is fully realized in the person and work of the Messiah Jesus. God has unveiled his justice in Jesus!
On the cross, Jesus took evil (personal, societal, political) upon him and triumphed over it. On the cross, Jesus triumphed over all rulers and authorities and reconciled all things to God (Colossians 1.19-20; 2.15).
Indeed, the redemption Jesus accomplished on the cross and in his resurrection inaugurated the new age of God’s rule and foreshadows God’s fully restored kingdom of peace and justice.
And so, if we desire to “do justice” our primary responsibility is to trust in the faithfulness of Jesus and to walk in the Holy Spirit.
What it looks like to “do justice” will, of course, differ according to our context. But our focus must always be on the faces of real people. Some of us will spend a lot of time hanging out with society’s outcasts and misfits, while others will commit to journeying with those who are suffering with chronic illnesses. Some of us will commit to advocating on behalf of those who live in material poverty, while others will support programs of restorative justice within the criminal justice system.
What’s central is that we trust God, walk in his Spirit, and use our imaginations as we journey with real people. That’s what “doing justice” is all about!
“On the cross the living God took the fury and violence of the world onto himself, suffering massive injustice…and yet refusing to lash out with treats or curses. Part of what Christians have called ‘atonement theology’ is the belief that in some sense or other Jesus exhausted the underlying power of evil when he died under its weight, refusing to pass it on or keep it in circulation. Jesus’ resurrection is the beginning of a world in which a new type of justice is possible.”
- N.T. Wright, Simply Christian
July 29, 2008
Jesus For President (Shane Claiborne): A Book Review by Tad Delay
I think I just converted to Christianity. Oh, I said a prayer forever ago, and I've served my time in ministries and such. But reading Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw's new Jesus For President is making a whole new believer out of me.
First, I keep hearing people say this (and I think I honestly agree), that this may be one of the top five Christian works of the past century. It's concise (only a 350 page read), provocative, heavy on history and back-story, and compelling. The book offers probably the most in-depth back-story to the Scriptures that I've ever seen offered in a non-academic work.
Content aside, this book is worth the price of purchase just for the artwork and creativity throughout. Every single page's background imagery is uniquely crafted to fit the text to lend a more holistic understanding of the message the authors seek to convey. I remember two particular pages at a tense moment in the text, and I noticed what looked like tear drops on the page, as if the authors were conveying weeping over the message. But as my eyes turned to the next page, the tears turned to splotches of blood- evoking the subtle imagery of Christ weeping intense tears of blood in His last hours. It's that type of thought that goes into every page of this book.
Claiborne/Haw trace the Christian story from the Patriarchs of the Tanak up through the early church until the alleged conversion of Constantine. They present the Judaic/Christian story as a story of a people constantly rejecting a love covenant in favor of empire and control. It happened in the Garden. It happened under the old kings. It certainly happened under Constantine. The implication is that man has a tendency, no matter how "saved" he sees himself, to reject humility or power-under in favor of domination and power-over, and this runs contrary to the ideals of Yahweh. They trace how Christianity emerged as a politically polar opposite to Rome and empire, causing the religiously highly tolerant Rome to have to outlaw the Jesus movement full of men and women who would not pledge their allegiance to anything/one but Christ. It was this movement of people who would not serve in the military or any public office connected with killing, and a people who would not pledge allegiance to king or country that Rome found traitorous and needing extinction.
Claiborne/Haw have a section that I've heard Claiborne speak much of, "Amish For Homeland Security." As much as he's talked it up, I was surprised it was a mere couple pages of the book. But it conveys the point. He refers to the way, after the 2006 massacre in a schoolroom, the Amish community embraced the murderer's family. Several of the Amish even went to his funeral in an impressive show of solidarity. They even asked that a portion of the money donated to the Amish for support be given to the killer's family. The world watched such forgiveness with awe, seeing a deep picture of reconciliation. Claiborne/Haw play around with the question of "What would it have looked like if exhibited this Amish style, Matthew-5-esque forgiveness and creativity after 9/11?" What if instead of bombs, we have devoted the same money to building schools, supplying water, helping with food, etc. It's very hard to hate someone who's providing you with food and water and taking nothing in return for themselves. It is this creativity, love, and hope that is at the very heart of the gospel.
Jesus For President ends with a mountain of small suggestions and glimmers of hope for how this theology and idealism can practically flesh itself out in the world we find ourselves in. I loved the extremes you see here in how far these guys go to live out the theology and idealism they preach. These guys are ordinary radicals, with home-tested pragmatism to back up (or push forward?) their theology of hope.
I'm recommending this book to everyone I talk to. This will absolutely challenge the way you understand history, Jesus, violence, gospel, idealism, empire, allegiance, pragmatism, economy, social action, creativity, and the list goes on. But fair warning: it may kill your esoteric, uber-spiritualized version of a politically apathetic Jesus. ----
May 17, 2008
A Few Thoughts About Pentecost
On Thursday, May 8 many Christians around the world celebrated the Day of Pentecost. This is the day on the Christian calendar when we remember and celebrate the outpouring of the Holy Spirit during the Jewish feast of Pentecost. Fifty days after Jesus’ resurrection and ten days after Jesus ascension, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus’ disciples.
In the time of the early church, Pentecost (also the “feast of weeks” or “first fruits”) was one of three Jewish pilgrimage festivals. The feast of Pentecost marked the completion of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest. And it drew people from many nations back to Jerusalem. God’s dispersed people would gather at the Jerusalem Temple to offer gifts and sacrifices to God and to celebrate his gracious provision.
The significance of God sending the Holy Spirit during the festival of Pentecost is profound.
God poured out his Holy Spirit during the Jewish celebration of “first fruits” in order to communicate that the “first fruit” of God’s new creation has begun with the coming of the Holy Spirit. God’s gathered people were witnessing a further fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation.
What is more, when we consider the flow of the church calendar from Advent to Pentecost, we are confronted with an amazing truth:
In the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Messiah Jesus we witness the fulfillment of God’s multi-layered promise to Abraham and Israel. All God’s promises are “yes” in the Messiah Jesus (2 Cor 1.20). In the person and work of Jesus the curse of the fall is reversed, evil is defeated, the power of death is broken, and God’s worldwide family is established. In Jesus, God’s dispersed people are gathered and the return from exile and the forgiveness of sins are accomplished.
And now, with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, God tells us that the Messianic age and the era of the new covenant has dawned. God’s new creation has burst forth out of the old creation! A new humanity is established in Christ and the Spirit. The wall that once divided Jew and Gentile is torn down. And the racial, ethnic, gender, and socio-economic distinctions that once divided humans are done away with. “If anyone is in Christ: new creation!” declares Paul in 2 Cor 5.17. That’s what the Christian celebration of Pentecost is all about!
In a world that is divided because of hate, injustice, and war, God’s Spirit enables us to walk in the Jesus way of love and peace. Stanza 31 of the contemporary testimony Our World Belongs to God gives poetic articulation of this reality:
Jesus stays with us in the Spirit,
who renews our hearts,
moves us to faith,
leads us in the truth,
stands by us in our need,
and makes our obedience fresh and vibrant.
The Holy Spirit transforms us into the glory of Christ so that we can reflect his glory into the world. The Holy Spirit sets our minds on a life of peace and righteousness. And in the end, the powerful work of the Holy Spirit will bring us to experience resurrection life with Jesus Christ in God’s new creation.
That is the good news of Pentecost for us today!
In the time of the early church, Pentecost (also the “feast of weeks” or “first fruits”) was one of three Jewish pilgrimage festivals. The feast of Pentecost marked the completion of the barley harvest and the beginning of the wheat harvest. And it drew people from many nations back to Jerusalem. God’s dispersed people would gather at the Jerusalem Temple to offer gifts and sacrifices to God and to celebrate his gracious provision.
The significance of God sending the Holy Spirit during the festival of Pentecost is profound.
God poured out his Holy Spirit during the Jewish celebration of “first fruits” in order to communicate that the “first fruit” of God’s new creation has begun with the coming of the Holy Spirit. God’s gathered people were witnessing a further fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation.
What is more, when we consider the flow of the church calendar from Advent to Pentecost, we are confronted with an amazing truth:
In the birth, life, death, resurrection, and ascension of the Messiah Jesus we witness the fulfillment of God’s multi-layered promise to Abraham and Israel. All God’s promises are “yes” in the Messiah Jesus (2 Cor 1.20). In the person and work of Jesus the curse of the fall is reversed, evil is defeated, the power of death is broken, and God’s worldwide family is established. In Jesus, God’s dispersed people are gathered and the return from exile and the forgiveness of sins are accomplished.
And now, with the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, God tells us that the Messianic age and the era of the new covenant has dawned. God’s new creation has burst forth out of the old creation! A new humanity is established in Christ and the Spirit. The wall that once divided Jew and Gentile is torn down. And the racial, ethnic, gender, and socio-economic distinctions that once divided humans are done away with. “If anyone is in Christ: new creation!” declares Paul in 2 Cor 5.17. That’s what the Christian celebration of Pentecost is all about!
In a world that is divided because of hate, injustice, and war, God’s Spirit enables us to walk in the Jesus way of love and peace. Stanza 31 of the contemporary testimony Our World Belongs to God gives poetic articulation of this reality:
Jesus stays with us in the Spirit,
who renews our hearts,
moves us to faith,
leads us in the truth,
stands by us in our need,
and makes our obedience fresh and vibrant.
The Holy Spirit transforms us into the glory of Christ so that we can reflect his glory into the world. The Holy Spirit sets our minds on a life of peace and righteousness. And in the end, the powerful work of the Holy Spirit will bring us to experience resurrection life with Jesus Christ in God’s new creation.
That is the good news of Pentecost for us today!
March 23, 2008
Easter Reflection
See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light
See the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colours came out
It was a beautiful day
A beautiful day
Don’t let it get away
The hopeful picture that is portrayed in the song “Beautiful Day” by U2, reminds us of the truth that on Easter the sting of death gave way to the joy of resurrection. Easter is God's announcement to all of creation that the cross of Jesus was a victory, not a defeat.
If Good Friday tells us that there is a serious problem in the world that needs fixing, the truth that the story of Easter conveys is that the light of new creation has broken into our dark world. The reality of new creation is the point, the “so what?” of Jesus’ resurrection! (In what follows I presume the truth of Jesus’ bodily resurrection.)
Let’s look at the resurrection narrative in the Gospel of John to further explore the point of Jesus’ resurrection…
“On the first day of the week, very early, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. So she ran off, and went to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They’ve taken the master out of the tomb!’ she said…on the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Judeans. Jesus came and stood in the middle of them. ‘Peace be with you,’ he said. With these words, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were overjoyed when they saw the master. ‘Peace be with you,’ he said to them again. ‘As the father has sent me, so I am sending you.’ With that, he breathed on them. ‘Receive the Holy Spirit,’ he said.” (John 20.1-2, 19-22)
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and the earth was formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep (Genesis 1.1-2). On that first day God’s Spirit swept over the face of the waters. Life and light were born as God spoke them into existence with his mighty Word. On the sixth day creation is complete. “God saw all that he had made, and indeed, it was very good” (Genesis 1.31). And on the seventh day God rested from his work of creation (Genesis 2.1-3). Sabbath.
“In the beginning was the Word…and the Word became flesh and lived among us,” says John (John 1.1, 14). Through that Word, life and light came into the world once again. Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8.12). New creation burst forth through Jesus’ every word and action. But then came Good Friday, the sixth day of the week. “Behold, the man,” said Pilate. Fallen humanity sentences King Jesus to death by crucifixion. Flesh dies, and yet again, God’s good creation is spoiled by sin. Darkness covers the land. And then comes the dark hopelessness of Saturday, the long Sabbath. Jesus rests in the cold tomb on the seventh day of the week.
But then, “on the first day of the week” new life bursts forth from the darkness of the tomb! This “first day” when Jesus was raised represents the first day of God’s new creation. This is the new day when the risen and glorified Jesus comes to proclaim “peace” to those who dwell in darkness. Jesus visits his disciples and breathes on them the breath of life, just as God had done to Adam in the beginning. They receive the promised Holy Spirit. And they are sent into the world to proclaim the message of new creation, to extend the offer of God’s forgiveness.
This (and much more) is the point of the Easter story.
In Jesus’ resurrection, God says, “Yes!” to Jesus and God says, “Yes!” to all that Jesus said and did. In Jesus’ resurrection, we see God’s redemptive promises coming to fulfillment and we witness God’s new creation bursting into this present evil age.
And what is more, in the power of Jesus’ resurrection, God sends us into the world to proclaim the message of new creation. Through the Holy Spirit, God makes us the embodiment of his re-creating power and sends us out with the message of new life!
Christ is risen! Earth and heaven never more shall be the same.
Break the bread of new creation where the world is still in pain.
Tell its grim, demonic chorus: “Christ is risen! Get you gone!”
God the First and Last is with us. Sing hosanna everyone!
Song: “Christ Is Risen”
Text: Brian Wren, 1986, Hope Publishing
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light
See the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colours came out
It was a beautiful day
A beautiful day
Don’t let it get away
The hopeful picture that is portrayed in the song “Beautiful Day” by U2, reminds us of the truth that on Easter the sting of death gave way to the joy of resurrection. Easter is God's announcement to all of creation that the cross of Jesus was a victory, not a defeat.
If Good Friday tells us that there is a serious problem in the world that needs fixing, the truth that the story of Easter conveys is that the light of new creation has broken into our dark world. The reality of new creation is the point, the “so what?” of Jesus’ resurrection! (In what follows I presume the truth of Jesus’ bodily resurrection.)
Let’s look at the resurrection narrative in the Gospel of John to further explore the point of Jesus’ resurrection…
“On the first day of the week, very early, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb while it was still dark. She saw that the stone had been rolled away from the tomb. So she ran off, and went to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They’ve taken the master out of the tomb!’ she said…on the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors were shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Judeans. Jesus came and stood in the middle of them. ‘Peace be with you,’ he said. With these words, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were overjoyed when they saw the master. ‘Peace be with you,’ he said to them again. ‘As the father has sent me, so I am sending you.’ With that, he breathed on them. ‘Receive the Holy Spirit,’ he said.” (John 20.1-2, 19-22)
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and the earth was formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep (Genesis 1.1-2). On that first day God’s Spirit swept over the face of the waters. Life and light were born as God spoke them into existence with his mighty Word. On the sixth day creation is complete. “God saw all that he had made, and indeed, it was very good” (Genesis 1.31). And on the seventh day God rested from his work of creation (Genesis 2.1-3). Sabbath.
“In the beginning was the Word…and the Word became flesh and lived among us,” says John (John 1.1, 14). Through that Word, life and light came into the world once again. Jesus says, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life” (John 8.12). New creation burst forth through Jesus’ every word and action. But then came Good Friday, the sixth day of the week. “Behold, the man,” said Pilate. Fallen humanity sentences King Jesus to death by crucifixion. Flesh dies, and yet again, God’s good creation is spoiled by sin. Darkness covers the land. And then comes the dark hopelessness of Saturday, the long Sabbath. Jesus rests in the cold tomb on the seventh day of the week.
But then, “on the first day of the week” new life bursts forth from the darkness of the tomb! This “first day” when Jesus was raised represents the first day of God’s new creation. This is the new day when the risen and glorified Jesus comes to proclaim “peace” to those who dwell in darkness. Jesus visits his disciples and breathes on them the breath of life, just as God had done to Adam in the beginning. They receive the promised Holy Spirit. And they are sent into the world to proclaim the message of new creation, to extend the offer of God’s forgiveness.
This (and much more) is the point of the Easter story.
In Jesus’ resurrection, God says, “Yes!” to Jesus and God says, “Yes!” to all that Jesus said and did. In Jesus’ resurrection, we see God’s redemptive promises coming to fulfillment and we witness God’s new creation bursting into this present evil age.
And what is more, in the power of Jesus’ resurrection, God sends us into the world to proclaim the message of new creation. Through the Holy Spirit, God makes us the embodiment of his re-creating power and sends us out with the message of new life!
Christ is risen! Earth and heaven never more shall be the same.
Break the bread of new creation where the world is still in pain.
Tell its grim, demonic chorus: “Christ is risen! Get you gone!”
God the First and Last is with us. Sing hosanna everyone!
Song: “Christ Is Risen”
Text: Brian Wren, 1986, Hope Publishing
March 21, 2008
Good Friday
Jesus, Jesus help me
I’m alone in this world
And a fucked-up world it is too.
Tell me, tell me the story
The one about eternity
And the way its all gonna to be.
Wake up, wake up dead man!
Wake up, wake up dead man!
These searching words from the song "Wake Up Dead Man" by U2, remind us that there's not just a serious problem in our world; there's a serious problem that needs fixing.
The problem of evil, sin, and injustice is an ever-present reality in our world. Millions of people suffer from serious illness, while millions of other people undergo unimaginable forms of physical and/or psychological abuse. Innocent civilians are killed every day because of violent conflicts around the world. And nature itself rages. The raging sea swallows ships and all those who are on board. The furry of hurricanes and tornadoes leave a path of death and untold destruction behind them. And massive earthquakes flatten whole communities, kill thousands of people, and leave millions homeless.
And so, the question must be asked: Is the suffering that results from evil and injustice a sick joke, which is sprung on us by an impersonal universe? Is it even possible to believe in a loving, caring God in a world full of evil? And further, can such a God bring good out of suffering? Is redemption possible? Can hope spring forth from the seedbed of sin, oppression, and injustice?
In light of such questions it must be said that there is no redemption in the simple acknowledgement of a problem. The acknowledgement that there is sin or evil in the world does not necessarily resolve the problem. After the problem of evil is acknowledged, it must be dealt with. And this leads us to the story of Good Friday.
“Jesus answered and said, ‘The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Surely I say, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies it produces much grain…Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to myself.’ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.” (John 12.23-24, 31-33)
A worldview generated by the Gospel of Jesus affirms both the reality of evil and the truth that the problem of evil has been dealt with through Jesus’ death on the cross. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are the means through which God has fulfilled his covenant promise of redemption and has dealt with the problem of evil, sin, and death. Through Jesus’ paradoxical death on the cross, God has reconciled all things in heaven and on earth, having made peace through the blood of Jesus cross (Colossians 1.19-20).
This “Jesus-centered” worldview also asserts that evil will finally be conquered when Jesus returns and God establishes his new creation. This is a hopeful picture, indeed!
But there is more. The message of the Gospel is deeply personal. For we who humbly acknowledge our sin before God, who receive God’s offer of forgiveness, and who experience the new life of the Spirit are called to be God’s co-workers. We are called to follow Jesus to the place of pain and suffering and to bring God’s healing love to bear in that place. In this ‘time-between-time’ God is sending us out into the world as his bearers of peace and reconciliation.
We are called to live by faith in God, to live in the strength of Christ’s Spirit, and to live in loving service to all God’s creatures. And as we remain faithful to that calling, we work at becoming the willing agents of God’s new life and we set up divinely inspired signposts of God’s fully restored kingdom. As we live in light of the coming Day of Justice, we bring hope in the midst of despair and we help carry burdens that cannot be carried alone. That is the joy and mystery of following the crucified and risen Jesus in this world that God so dearly loves.
Good Friday Prayer:
King Jesus, on the cross you accomplished our salvation; enable us by your Holy Spirit to be faithful to our call to be your ambassadors in the world. Grant us strength to bear our crosses and endure our sufferings, even unto death. Amen.
I’m alone in this world
And a fucked-up world it is too.
Tell me, tell me the story
The one about eternity
And the way its all gonna to be.
Wake up, wake up dead man!
Wake up, wake up dead man!
These searching words from the song "Wake Up Dead Man" by U2, remind us that there's not just a serious problem in our world; there's a serious problem that needs fixing.
The problem of evil, sin, and injustice is an ever-present reality in our world. Millions of people suffer from serious illness, while millions of other people undergo unimaginable forms of physical and/or psychological abuse. Innocent civilians are killed every day because of violent conflicts around the world. And nature itself rages. The raging sea swallows ships and all those who are on board. The furry of hurricanes and tornadoes leave a path of death and untold destruction behind them. And massive earthquakes flatten whole communities, kill thousands of people, and leave millions homeless.
And so, the question must be asked: Is the suffering that results from evil and injustice a sick joke, which is sprung on us by an impersonal universe? Is it even possible to believe in a loving, caring God in a world full of evil? And further, can such a God bring good out of suffering? Is redemption possible? Can hope spring forth from the seedbed of sin, oppression, and injustice?
In light of such questions it must be said that there is no redemption in the simple acknowledgement of a problem. The acknowledgement that there is sin or evil in the world does not necessarily resolve the problem. After the problem of evil is acknowledged, it must be dealt with. And this leads us to the story of Good Friday.
“Jesus answered and said, ‘The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. Surely I say, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains alone, but if it dies it produces much grain…Now is the judgment of this world. Now the ruler of this world will be cast out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to myself.’ Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death he was to die.” (John 12.23-24, 31-33)
A worldview generated by the Gospel of Jesus affirms both the reality of evil and the truth that the problem of evil has been dealt with through Jesus’ death on the cross. The life, death, and resurrection of Jesus are the means through which God has fulfilled his covenant promise of redemption and has dealt with the problem of evil, sin, and death. Through Jesus’ paradoxical death on the cross, God has reconciled all things in heaven and on earth, having made peace through the blood of Jesus cross (Colossians 1.19-20).
This “Jesus-centered” worldview also asserts that evil will finally be conquered when Jesus returns and God establishes his new creation. This is a hopeful picture, indeed!
But there is more. The message of the Gospel is deeply personal. For we who humbly acknowledge our sin before God, who receive God’s offer of forgiveness, and who experience the new life of the Spirit are called to be God’s co-workers. We are called to follow Jesus to the place of pain and suffering and to bring God’s healing love to bear in that place. In this ‘time-between-time’ God is sending us out into the world as his bearers of peace and reconciliation.
We are called to live by faith in God, to live in the strength of Christ’s Spirit, and to live in loving service to all God’s creatures. And as we remain faithful to that calling, we work at becoming the willing agents of God’s new life and we set up divinely inspired signposts of God’s fully restored kingdom. As we live in light of the coming Day of Justice, we bring hope in the midst of despair and we help carry burdens that cannot be carried alone. That is the joy and mystery of following the crucified and risen Jesus in this world that God so dearly loves.
Good Friday Prayer:
King Jesus, on the cross you accomplished our salvation; enable us by your Holy Spirit to be faithful to our call to be your ambassadors in the world. Grant us strength to bear our crosses and endure our sufferings, even unto death. Amen.
February 26, 2008
Lent 2: Blessed are the Peacemakers
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons and daughters of God
- Jesus
These words of Jesus are very telling indeed! On one level, they address the evil and violence in our hearts. Jesus knows that we are bent on destruction. Each day, we cause harm to ourselves, to other people, and to God’s larger creation. But Jesus' words also call us to a new and better way of living. Jesus calls us to turn from our destructive ways and to become a peaceable people.
In this season of Lent God is calling us to humbly acknowledge our sin, to turn from it, and to become his agents of peace in the world!
The morning of Friday, February 15th was not unlike most mornings – I woke up, gave my two year-old son a bottle, got ready for work, drove to my office, and I eventually checked my email. That’s when my day took a turn. I opened an email that brought the tragic reality of the recent shooting at the University of Northern Illinois to my attention. The shooting happened on February 14th in a university lecture hall as students were attending an oceanography class. The gunman, who killed himself, was a graduate student in sociology. The shooting resulted in 7 fatalities, over a dozen serious injuries, and an untold amount of grief. Lord have mercy!
But what are our reactions to yet another violent act on the campus of a North American University? Does this act provoke a sense of hopelessness in us? Does it cause us to feel helpless in the face of evil? Or does this act simply work to confirm the entrenched numbness and apathy that so often defines our existence?
As we read the story of Jesus in the Gospels, we come to a startling realization: In a world where the human response to injustice is most often to either ignore it, hide from it, or carry out further acts of injustice, God sends his Son to die under the weight of sin and to rise in newness of life.
Christ’s death on the cross announces that God has dealt decisively, personally, and powerfully with the problem of evil. Paradoxically, God triumphs over the power of evil and reconciles creation to himself through the violence of the cross. Thus, we worship a God who enters the pain and absorbs the evil of the world. Through Jesus’ suffering and death, God took upon himself the weight of the world’s sin. And through Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, God established peace in the world – a peace that must now be implemented by Jesus’ followers.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” says Jesus.
It is our responsibility to “make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy” (Hebrews 12.14). God is calling us to choose love over power, the cross over control, and peace over revolt.
And so, in the face of all tragedy and injustice, let us first take the posture of humility by acknowledging that we are part of the destruction against which we protest. Let us confess that our hearts are bent on destruction and let us receive God’s forgiveness, knowing that “he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all injustice” (1 John 1.9). And as we do this, let us embrace the task of peacemaking, knowing that God’s Spirit is renewing our hearts and is working through us to bring God’s peaceable rule to bear in the world.
In this season of Lent, let us realize that there is hope for our world. This hope is seen most clearly in the face of the crucified and risen Messiah Jesus and in the faces of all who truly follow him!
A Lenten Prayer:
“Out of the depths of our being, we cry to God for peace. Out of that fearful place where we have to confess that we too are part of the destruction against which we are protesting. Out of that center where we discover that we too are so high up in the air that we have become numb and no longer see, feel, and hear the agony of thousands…Out of that empty spot of silence where we feel helpless, embarrassed, and powerless, where we suffer from our own impotence to stop the reign of death in our world…we cry to the Lord and say: ‘Lord have mercy.’”
Henri Nouwen, The Road to Peace
- Jesus
These words of Jesus are very telling indeed! On one level, they address the evil and violence in our hearts. Jesus knows that we are bent on destruction. Each day, we cause harm to ourselves, to other people, and to God’s larger creation. But Jesus' words also call us to a new and better way of living. Jesus calls us to turn from our destructive ways and to become a peaceable people.
In this season of Lent God is calling us to humbly acknowledge our sin, to turn from it, and to become his agents of peace in the world!
The morning of Friday, February 15th was not unlike most mornings – I woke up, gave my two year-old son a bottle, got ready for work, drove to my office, and I eventually checked my email. That’s when my day took a turn. I opened an email that brought the tragic reality of the recent shooting at the University of Northern Illinois to my attention. The shooting happened on February 14th in a university lecture hall as students were attending an oceanography class. The gunman, who killed himself, was a graduate student in sociology. The shooting resulted in 7 fatalities, over a dozen serious injuries, and an untold amount of grief. Lord have mercy!
But what are our reactions to yet another violent act on the campus of a North American University? Does this act provoke a sense of hopelessness in us? Does it cause us to feel helpless in the face of evil? Or does this act simply work to confirm the entrenched numbness and apathy that so often defines our existence?
As we read the story of Jesus in the Gospels, we come to a startling realization: In a world where the human response to injustice is most often to either ignore it, hide from it, or carry out further acts of injustice, God sends his Son to die under the weight of sin and to rise in newness of life.
Christ’s death on the cross announces that God has dealt decisively, personally, and powerfully with the problem of evil. Paradoxically, God triumphs over the power of evil and reconciles creation to himself through the violence of the cross. Thus, we worship a God who enters the pain and absorbs the evil of the world. Through Jesus’ suffering and death, God took upon himself the weight of the world’s sin. And through Jesus’ resurrection from the dead, God established peace in the world – a peace that must now be implemented by Jesus’ followers.
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you” says Jesus.
It is our responsibility to “make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy” (Hebrews 12.14). God is calling us to choose love over power, the cross over control, and peace over revolt.
And so, in the face of all tragedy and injustice, let us first take the posture of humility by acknowledging that we are part of the destruction against which we protest. Let us confess that our hearts are bent on destruction and let us receive God’s forgiveness, knowing that “he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all injustice” (1 John 1.9). And as we do this, let us embrace the task of peacemaking, knowing that God’s Spirit is renewing our hearts and is working through us to bring God’s peaceable rule to bear in the world.
In this season of Lent, let us realize that there is hope for our world. This hope is seen most clearly in the face of the crucified and risen Messiah Jesus and in the faces of all who truly follow him!
A Lenten Prayer:
“Out of the depths of our being, we cry to God for peace. Out of that fearful place where we have to confess that we too are part of the destruction against which we are protesting. Out of that center where we discover that we too are so high up in the air that we have become numb and no longer see, feel, and hear the agony of thousands…Out of that empty spot of silence where we feel helpless, embarrassed, and powerless, where we suffer from our own impotence to stop the reign of death in our world…we cry to the Lord and say: ‘Lord have mercy.’”
Henri Nouwen, The Road to Peace
February 16, 2008
Lent 1: Is Following Jesus Hard or Easy?
C.S. Lewis says, “The Christian way is different: harder, and easier. Christ says, ‘Give me all. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want you. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree down…Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked—the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.’ Both harder and easier than what we are all trying to do.” (Mere Christianity, 196-7)
Have you ever pondered this seemingly odd juxtaposition in the teachings of Jesus? At one point he says, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” And at another point he says, “Whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Read Matthew 10.38-39; 11.30.
The way of Christ is harder and easier than what we are trying to do. This is one of the many deep mysteries of the Christian life and we would be wise to give it careful consideration in this season of Lent.
For those of you who are not familiar with the season of Lent, it is the forty-day liturgical season before Easter. The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, where he endured temptation by Satan (the Accuser). Read Matthew 4.1-11. The purpose of Lent is to prepare believers - through prayer, fasting, confession of sin, and sacrificial giving - for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the death of the Messiah Jesus, which culminates on Easter Sunday with the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
During the season of Lent, let us look to God’s Spirit as we consider how Jesus has made our lives both easier and harder.
Through his life, death, and resurrection Jesus has opened wide the door of salvation for us and has freed us from the curse of sin and death. And so, life is easier for believers because God is at work in us through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. In Christ, God is accomplishing our salvation. As the apostle Paul says, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the Law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15.54-57)
But our new life in Christ is also harder than what many people are doing because God now calls us to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2.13-14). Our responsibility as followers of Christ is to be holy as the Lord our God is holy. And this task is possible only because God is at work in us. Because God’s new creation is bursting into the present world, we are called by God to work out the salvation that he is accomplishing in us. Yes, the victory is ours in Jesus Christ. But that victory must be lovingly and peacefully implement in the world through we who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
“Therefore, my beloved brothers and sister, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15.58). As God’s new creations in Jesus Christ, may this be our focus and passion in this Lenten season and always!
Have you ever pondered this seemingly odd juxtaposition in the teachings of Jesus? At one point he says, “My yoke is easy and my burden is light.” And at another point he says, “Whoever does not take up the cross and follow me is not worthy of me.” Read Matthew 10.38-39; 11.30.
The way of Christ is harder and easier than what we are trying to do. This is one of the many deep mysteries of the Christian life and we would be wise to give it careful consideration in this season of Lent.
For those of you who are not familiar with the season of Lent, it is the forty-day liturgical season before Easter. The forty days represent the time Jesus spent in the desert, where he endured temptation by Satan (the Accuser). Read Matthew 4.1-11. The purpose of Lent is to prepare believers - through prayer, fasting, confession of sin, and sacrificial giving - for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the death of the Messiah Jesus, which culminates on Easter Sunday with the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
During the season of Lent, let us look to God’s Spirit as we consider how Jesus has made our lives both easier and harder.
Through his life, death, and resurrection Jesus has opened wide the door of salvation for us and has freed us from the curse of sin and death. And so, life is easier for believers because God is at work in us through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. In Christ, God is accomplishing our salvation. As the apostle Paul says, “Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin and the power of sin is the Law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Corinthians 15.54-57)
But our new life in Christ is also harder than what many people are doing because God now calls us to “work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure” (Philippians 2.13-14). Our responsibility as followers of Christ is to be holy as the Lord our God is holy. And this task is possible only because God is at work in us. Because God’s new creation is bursting into the present world, we are called by God to work out the salvation that he is accomplishing in us. Yes, the victory is ours in Jesus Christ. But that victory must be lovingly and peacefully implement in the world through we who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
“Therefore, my beloved brothers and sister, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain” (1 Corinthians 15.58). As God’s new creations in Jesus Christ, may this be our focus and passion in this Lenten season and always!
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