Philosopher John Rwls proposed that justice is determined by asking what kind of society we would create from behind a hypothetical veil of ignorance. This hypothetical veil of ignorance would prevent us from knowing anything about what our position in society would be, for example, whether or not we would be male or female, what our skin color would be, how much money we would have, etc. Knowing nothing about our position in life other than having the possibility of ending up in the worst position would cause us to strive to create a society that would benefit even the people in the worst off situations. This, according to Rawls, would lead to a just society.
Would it really, though? Or is there something about knowing injustice through experiencing it either directly or indirectly that gives us stronger reason to fight for justice? Even though the veil of ignorance isn't a real possibility, I'd like to give a little thought to theses questions.
While I had been praying for Christians being persecuted in other countries and have acknowledged the persecution as horrific, there was still some disconnect emotionally. That is, until Nigerien Christians got attacked and friends I had made there were filling my Facebook feed with prayer requests for loved ones, knowing that there are people that I care about serving over there, and seeing familiar sights in the pictures of burnt and looted churches. That is, until I think of Burma and the others like the refugees I've helped while they've tried to adjust here in the States.
While I was in Niger, my mentor and I went through Kelly Minter's Nehemiah Bible study as Beth Moore went through it on her blog. In one part of the study, Kelly invites the participants to get to know names and faces and emphasizes the importance of that. I think what I am realizing is the impact of knowing names and faces. There are many types of suffering in the world and by the grace of God not one us will experience all of them. But there will be someone who will. Numbers are overwhelming. Mere descriptions in an article or some other form of media are impersonal and we may forget them with much of the other information we take in everyday. It's a lot more difficult to forget a face, or a name, a story of suffering shared face to face. The more you know and care about the people involved, the harder it pulls at your heartstrings and makes you want to do something about an injustice that has been done or try to alleviate suffering from natural causes. This is why people tend to fight for causes that have personally affected them or some close to them. Knowledge, as in intimate knowledge, combined with love packs a much bigger punch than ignorance about one's possible position in society. It's difficult to imagine what it would like to be in any given position until we have lived it or known people that have, listened to their stories, and cared about them.
Jesus' ministry here on Earth was one of stepping into our stuffering and dwelling among us. It was highly relational. He didn't preach about what suffering was like and ask His disciples to imagine themselves in the worst possible position they could be in and go from there. Not even close! He commanded them to go out and misister to those who were suffering injustice. This involved some kind of personal contact. It involved names and faces and testimonies. It involved experiencing other people's suffering to some degree. Bearing other people's burdens. It meant fighting injustice not merely because you could have been in the same position, but because there are people that God loves and died for that are in that position and loving them because He loves them and because He loves you. It seems to me like this is a more accurate description of how justice prevails.
Saturday, February 21, 2015
Friday, February 20, 2015
Broken
One of the most powerful communion experiences I've ever had was one Sunday morning during the months before my trip to Niger in 2012. A song about following Jesus had been song either before or during communion. Fancy that, a song about following Jesus being sung at church. Who would have thought? Anyways, something struck me that morning that going on this trip would mean that I would need to be willing to possibly follow Jesus in having my body broken for the sake of the Gospel. Not necessarily to the point of death, but nonetheless, this trip would mean subjecting my body to a vaccine that had the potential to be fatal and subjecting it to the possibility of diseases such as malaria. This moment happened shortly before I received the yellow fever vaccine, the one that can potentially be fatal, and at the very least, typically causes a lot of pain. It was a moment of surrender. Of mentally offering my body as a living sacrifice before I was asked to physically do so. A moment of counting the costs and accepting them. A moment of choosing to follow Jesus even when it meant my body might be broken, all the while remembering the way that His was broken for me so that I might believe and be saved. Was I willing to offer mine to whatever might happen on this trip in the hopes that others might believe and be saved because Christ had done the same for me? I was. Communion that day felt like my acceptance of that.
I ended up not even experiencing any pain from the yellow fever vaccine. I was spared from all of the ill effects that came with that. However, I was not spared from malaria, though I only suffered a minor case thanks to the fact that God had a plan in place that was better than any human plan could have ever been and I was able to start treatment within 7 hours of the symptoms starting. As afraid as I had been of malaria, I didn't feel any of that fear when I actually had it. All I felt was a peace that surpassed understanding. I knew it was a risk, but because I entered that risk knowing that I was following God, I felt Him very near to me when the symptoms hit. I wouldn't trade the moments I had with God at that time for anything; they are some of the most precious I've ever experienced.
Fast forward to communion on Ash Wednesday 2015. A time to remember God's body being broken for us. The communion I just mentioned flashed through my memory. But this time, so did the image of 21 bodies that were recently broken for the sake of the Gospel- the 21 Christians that were recently killed by ISIS. Thoughts of all the bodies broken for the sake of the Gospel in the middle east and in other countries such as Burma, China, and North Korea just to name a few. I've read that Christian persecution is at an all time high.
During worship, Romans 12:1 was shown on the screen. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." Although we may not all be called to literally offer our bodies as a sacrifice to be broken perhaps unto death, but Paul certainly meant for us to be willing to go that far. He was. Many brothers and sisters today all over the world are doing so.
The question that remains in my mind is is, what am I going to do with a faith so precious that the body of the One and Only Most High was broken for it? That countless others have given their bodies to be broken for?
This is how I want to respond: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Ours is a faith that's worth giving everything for, because our God already gave everything for us. We are promised that he who loses His life shall find it. We are told that the death of God's saints is precious in His sight. We are given the hope that not only was Christ's body broken, but it was raised back to life and can no longer be broken and that the same will someday be true for us. There is a battle being fought that will leave us broken, but as Easter reminds us, Christ took on our brokeness in order to make us whole. It is this hope that allows us to endure temporary brokeness and perservere while we wait to be made whole with Him.
I ended up not even experiencing any pain from the yellow fever vaccine. I was spared from all of the ill effects that came with that. However, I was not spared from malaria, though I only suffered a minor case thanks to the fact that God had a plan in place that was better than any human plan could have ever been and I was able to start treatment within 7 hours of the symptoms starting. As afraid as I had been of malaria, I didn't feel any of that fear when I actually had it. All I felt was a peace that surpassed understanding. I knew it was a risk, but because I entered that risk knowing that I was following God, I felt Him very near to me when the symptoms hit. I wouldn't trade the moments I had with God at that time for anything; they are some of the most precious I've ever experienced.
Fast forward to communion on Ash Wednesday 2015. A time to remember God's body being broken for us. The communion I just mentioned flashed through my memory. But this time, so did the image of 21 bodies that were recently broken for the sake of the Gospel- the 21 Christians that were recently killed by ISIS. Thoughts of all the bodies broken for the sake of the Gospel in the middle east and in other countries such as Burma, China, and North Korea just to name a few. I've read that Christian persecution is at an all time high.
During worship, Romans 12:1 was shown on the screen. "Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship." Although we may not all be called to literally offer our bodies as a sacrifice to be broken perhaps unto death, but Paul certainly meant for us to be willing to go that far. He was. Many brothers and sisters today all over the world are doing so.
The question that remains in my mind is is, what am I going to do with a faith so precious that the body of the One and Only Most High was broken for it? That countless others have given their bodies to be broken for?
This is how I want to respond: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart." (Hebrews 12:1-3)
Ours is a faith that's worth giving everything for, because our God already gave everything for us. We are promised that he who loses His life shall find it. We are told that the death of God's saints is precious in His sight. We are given the hope that not only was Christ's body broken, but it was raised back to life and can no longer be broken and that the same will someday be true for us. There is a battle being fought that will leave us broken, but as Easter reminds us, Christ took on our brokeness in order to make us whole. It is this hope that allows us to endure temporary brokeness and perservere while we wait to be made whole with Him.
Wednesday, February 18, 2015
Li
This semester, I am taking Chinese philosopohy. What's a a Chinese philosophy class without a study of Confucianism? In Confucianism, two of the most important concepts are the concepts of ren and li. Ren is translated roughly into human kindness or compassion and it is that which essentially makes humans human rather than animals. For anyone that knows much about Aristotle, reason played a similar role in setting us apart in his philosophy. Li is the expression and practice of ren. Faith without actions being dead would capture the concept of ren without li. There must be some practical expression of ren. Furthermore, li develops ren; it helps it to grow. It is like practicing an instrument. Ren is very much seen as a skill and li as seen as the methods by which it is developed. These methods are considered rituals. They might be more formal ritual such as weddings or funerals or even less formal, common rituals such as appropriate behavior in given settings.
Confucian values don't seem to mesh very well with American values, especially when it comes to the concept of li. I wonder if we couldn't learn a few things from Confucius. Even if our culture refused to look at some of the values found in Confucian philosophy, I wonder if it might benefit the church to look into some of these values and consider the benefits of them, specifically li. What do I mean by this?
In American culture, breaking away from traditions tends to be valued. Recently in the church, formalized religion has increasingly grown devalued and is something people are growing suspicious of. In fact, many Christians are choosing to not use the word religion at all; it seems to have a negative connotation anymore. Now it's all about the relationship with Jesus- Christianity isn't a religion; it's a relationship. I was caught up on that bandwago for awhile, too. Then I did Beth Moore's James Bible study. In one of the video sessions, she explored the term religion and pointed out that religion merely means devotion to God. This is a good thing and something we should have! Somewhere along the line, expression of our faith through ritual received a negative connotation, and I think that it may have something to do with our culture devaluing ritual and tradition.
So, what reasons are there to suggest that we should value ritualized expressions of faith? One of the biggest reasons I can find is that God seems to. In the Old Testament, we see God establish various festivals that the Israelites to remember. This was to be engrained in their culture and was one of the ways they were to be set apart- not that they had festivals, but what the festivals entailed. The festivals were a way of remembering God and what He had done for them. The Israelites had a tendency to forget that and things didn't go well for them when that happened. Even in the New Testament Jesus commands us to eat the bread and drink of the wine that remind us of His body and blood as often as we will in rememberance of Him. It's a ritual that allows us to express our faith and serves as a reminder of Christ's sacrifice.
This has been on my heart the last few days as Ash Wednesday has approached. With my schedule, it would have been difficult to make it to an Ash Wednesday service on time if I went to school. I have a limited number of classes I can miss, so I wanted to try to go to school and take my chances with making it to an Ash Wednesday service. However, I also knew there was a chance the train might be running late, I would be tired, and might just end up going home instead. I didn't grow up going to Ash Wednesday services and part of me thought that it's not about the ritual stuff like services anyways and God will understand. But the other part of me wondered if I was missing something. If maybe the ritual stuff meant more than I had realized. If maybe it was important.
The fact is, it served the purpose of preparing my heart for Easter. In our culture, we tend to think of ritual as going through the motions. But it was a much needed time of reflection. It was a break from the everyday craziness to refocus on Christ and what's important. It was purposeful. It was a break from the motions of everyday life. It was a deliberate attempt to grow my faith and to express my faith. In a world that doesn't stop, it caused me to choose to blend in or to be set apart by saying that a church service is more important than anything going on at school that day because what Christ did on the cross is the most important thing in all of life ever. It re-enforced what I've been studying every week in Acts in my life group- that once a week ritual of studying the Bible with other Christians my age. As my pastor put ashes on my forehead and said, "From dust you came, to dust you will return. Repent and believe the Gospel," I was reminded that that was essentially what the first Christians preached. So simple and so beautiful! And so much more so after studying it week after week!
Ash Wednesday also ushers in Lent and the ritual of giving something up in order to be reminded of Christ's death and reseurrection. It's a ritual that has changed my life when I've been faithful to it. I'm a little nervous about that ritual this year. I believe God has given me a gift when it comes to writing and that has been affirmed by people in the church. However, I am my worst critic and it often prevents me from doing a lot of writing. This year for Lent, I am doing a combination of giving something up/adding something in. I am giving up my fear of not writing well and adding in a blog post every day (except Sundays, since I get those off!). So, if you've made it this far, pray for me in completing that goal and pray that it changes me. I think Confucius may have been on to something, but I don't think he was the only one who had it figured out.
End Note: None of this is to say that it should end at the ritual stuff. The Bible is very clear on that and I think making it all about the ritual is part of what has left a bad taste in peoples' mouths about the ritual aspect. It's merely meant to make a case in favor of the ritual, as I think the baby got thrown out with the bath water.
Confucian values don't seem to mesh very well with American values, especially when it comes to the concept of li. I wonder if we couldn't learn a few things from Confucius. Even if our culture refused to look at some of the values found in Confucian philosophy, I wonder if it might benefit the church to look into some of these values and consider the benefits of them, specifically li. What do I mean by this?
In American culture, breaking away from traditions tends to be valued. Recently in the church, formalized religion has increasingly grown devalued and is something people are growing suspicious of. In fact, many Christians are choosing to not use the word religion at all; it seems to have a negative connotation anymore. Now it's all about the relationship with Jesus- Christianity isn't a religion; it's a relationship. I was caught up on that bandwago for awhile, too. Then I did Beth Moore's James Bible study. In one of the video sessions, she explored the term religion and pointed out that religion merely means devotion to God. This is a good thing and something we should have! Somewhere along the line, expression of our faith through ritual received a negative connotation, and I think that it may have something to do with our culture devaluing ritual and tradition.
So, what reasons are there to suggest that we should value ritualized expressions of faith? One of the biggest reasons I can find is that God seems to. In the Old Testament, we see God establish various festivals that the Israelites to remember. This was to be engrained in their culture and was one of the ways they were to be set apart- not that they had festivals, but what the festivals entailed. The festivals were a way of remembering God and what He had done for them. The Israelites had a tendency to forget that and things didn't go well for them when that happened. Even in the New Testament Jesus commands us to eat the bread and drink of the wine that remind us of His body and blood as often as we will in rememberance of Him. It's a ritual that allows us to express our faith and serves as a reminder of Christ's sacrifice.
This has been on my heart the last few days as Ash Wednesday has approached. With my schedule, it would have been difficult to make it to an Ash Wednesday service on time if I went to school. I have a limited number of classes I can miss, so I wanted to try to go to school and take my chances with making it to an Ash Wednesday service. However, I also knew there was a chance the train might be running late, I would be tired, and might just end up going home instead. I didn't grow up going to Ash Wednesday services and part of me thought that it's not about the ritual stuff like services anyways and God will understand. But the other part of me wondered if I was missing something. If maybe the ritual stuff meant more than I had realized. If maybe it was important.
The fact is, it served the purpose of preparing my heart for Easter. In our culture, we tend to think of ritual as going through the motions. But it was a much needed time of reflection. It was a break from the everyday craziness to refocus on Christ and what's important. It was purposeful. It was a break from the motions of everyday life. It was a deliberate attempt to grow my faith and to express my faith. In a world that doesn't stop, it caused me to choose to blend in or to be set apart by saying that a church service is more important than anything going on at school that day because what Christ did on the cross is the most important thing in all of life ever. It re-enforced what I've been studying every week in Acts in my life group- that once a week ritual of studying the Bible with other Christians my age. As my pastor put ashes on my forehead and said, "From dust you came, to dust you will return. Repent and believe the Gospel," I was reminded that that was essentially what the first Christians preached. So simple and so beautiful! And so much more so after studying it week after week!
Ash Wednesday also ushers in Lent and the ritual of giving something up in order to be reminded of Christ's death and reseurrection. It's a ritual that has changed my life when I've been faithful to it. I'm a little nervous about that ritual this year. I believe God has given me a gift when it comes to writing and that has been affirmed by people in the church. However, I am my worst critic and it often prevents me from doing a lot of writing. This year for Lent, I am doing a combination of giving something up/adding something in. I am giving up my fear of not writing well and adding in a blog post every day (except Sundays, since I get those off!). So, if you've made it this far, pray for me in completing that goal and pray that it changes me. I think Confucius may have been on to something, but I don't think he was the only one who had it figured out.
End Note: None of this is to say that it should end at the ritual stuff. The Bible is very clear on that and I think making it all about the ritual is part of what has left a bad taste in peoples' mouths about the ritual aspect. It's merely meant to make a case in favor of the ritual, as I think the baby got thrown out with the bath water.
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
The Logos Became Flesh...
Christmas has always been my favorite holiday. My favorite Christmas song is "O Come, O Come, Immanuel". The ache of a people longing for their God in the midst of a broken, sin-filled world. The answer coming into this world as an infant. Years of prophecy fulfilled with the birth of a child.
"The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned...For to us a child a child is born, to us a son is given, and the govenrment shall be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:2, 6
The books of prophecy are some of my favorites, so I love seeing how verses like these were fulfilled through the birth of Christ. This year, however, God opened my eyes to the beauty of Christmas from a Gentile perspective. I am a philosophy major, and one of the classes I was required to take this semester was history of ancient philosophy. We studied Greek philosophy that occurred prior to Christ's birth. I also got to study the first 11 chapter of the book of Acts with my life group at church and see how Christianity spread to the Gentiles.
One of the things the ancient Greek philosophers we studied focused on was the arkhe, or the first cause. Many of them focused on physical substances. Some of them considered theological questions. Xenophanes claimed that the divine did not communicate with humans.
The next philosopher we studied was Heraclitus of Ephesus. I was thrilled when I came across the word "logos", the same word that is translated as "Word" in the beginning of John. Heraclitus used the term logos to refer to what he believed was a single divine law that controlled and guided everything. He believed that the logos was both an objective and independent truth and that it was available to everyone. He also viewed the logos as unchanging. According to Heraclitus, all things come to be in accordance with the logos.
Sound a little like the beginning of the book of John? I thought so. I did a little research with the help of Google and found that John had done ministry in Ephesus where this philosophy was likely still circulating.
Now imagine you are a Greek citizen during this time. Some of the philosophy passed down suggests that the divine can't be known. Some of it talks about the logos as Heraclitus described it, including that it's physical sign is fire. Now here comes this new guy named John preaching about this Jesus fellow:
"In the beginning was the [Logos], and the [Logos] was with God, and the [Logos] was God. he was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." John 1:1-3
Ok- so, essentially, the logos is the arkhe, which is here defined as being God. Now here's the kicker:
"The [Logos] became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth...No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known." John 1:14, 18
Say what?! The driving force of the universe became flesh and dwelt among us?! He came to make the divine known?!
I think the Ephesians may have been presented with a story that was familiar to them but with an unexpected twist. Instead of fire, the driving force of the universe appeared in the form of an infant. Instead of a divine being or divine beings that did not communicate with humans, God came to dwell with humans and make Himself known to them. As John would later continue, the driving force of the universe also took on flesh and was born to be the atoning scarifice for all of mankind. He was the baby that was delivered so that He may deliver us all. My teacher for this class said that one of the appeals of Christianity to the Gentiles was the fact that this personal, loving God was so different from the gods they had been taught about.
There's something so humbling about knowing that the driving force of the universe willingly became a helpless infant- all to willingly die on a cross for our sins. How could one not worship Him? he is so worthy of all our adoration and praise!
"The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned...For to us a child a child is born, to us a son is given, and the govenrment shall be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:2, 6
The books of prophecy are some of my favorites, so I love seeing how verses like these were fulfilled through the birth of Christ. This year, however, God opened my eyes to the beauty of Christmas from a Gentile perspective. I am a philosophy major, and one of the classes I was required to take this semester was history of ancient philosophy. We studied Greek philosophy that occurred prior to Christ's birth. I also got to study the first 11 chapter of the book of Acts with my life group at church and see how Christianity spread to the Gentiles.
One of the things the ancient Greek philosophers we studied focused on was the arkhe, or the first cause. Many of them focused on physical substances. Some of them considered theological questions. Xenophanes claimed that the divine did not communicate with humans.
The next philosopher we studied was Heraclitus of Ephesus. I was thrilled when I came across the word "logos", the same word that is translated as "Word" in the beginning of John. Heraclitus used the term logos to refer to what he believed was a single divine law that controlled and guided everything. He believed that the logos was both an objective and independent truth and that it was available to everyone. He also viewed the logos as unchanging. According to Heraclitus, all things come to be in accordance with the logos.
Sound a little like the beginning of the book of John? I thought so. I did a little research with the help of Google and found that John had done ministry in Ephesus where this philosophy was likely still circulating.
Now imagine you are a Greek citizen during this time. Some of the philosophy passed down suggests that the divine can't be known. Some of it talks about the logos as Heraclitus described it, including that it's physical sign is fire. Now here comes this new guy named John preaching about this Jesus fellow:
"In the beginning was the [Logos], and the [Logos] was with God, and the [Logos] was God. he was with God in the beginning. Through Him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." John 1:1-3
Ok- so, essentially, the logos is the arkhe, which is here defined as being God. Now here's the kicker:
"The [Logos] became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth...No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known." John 1:14, 18
Say what?! The driving force of the universe became flesh and dwelt among us?! He came to make the divine known?!
I think the Ephesians may have been presented with a story that was familiar to them but with an unexpected twist. Instead of fire, the driving force of the universe appeared in the form of an infant. Instead of a divine being or divine beings that did not communicate with humans, God came to dwell with humans and make Himself known to them. As John would later continue, the driving force of the universe also took on flesh and was born to be the atoning scarifice for all of mankind. He was the baby that was delivered so that He may deliver us all. My teacher for this class said that one of the appeals of Christianity to the Gentiles was the fact that this personal, loving God was so different from the gods they had been taught about.
There's something so humbling about knowing that the driving force of the universe willingly became a helpless infant- all to willingly die on a cross for our sins. How could one not worship Him? he is so worthy of all our adoration and praise!
Friday, September 19, 2014
The Middle of Starting Over
"Take it on faith
Now I'm ready to fly
I'm in the middle of starting over
Back to the beginning
Gonna hit rewind
Chance to do it over
Get it right this time"
Beautiful words from Sabrina Carpenter's song "The Middle of Starting Over", which may just be my new obsession. It gives words to where I'm at in life right now. This is the beauty of what Christ gives us. A chance to rewind- to go back to the begiining and get it right with the help of the Holy Spirit.
In the midst of a broken world, Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:22-24 and 2 Corinthians 5:17-19
"You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new elf, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness."
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the new has come! All this is from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation."
And so, the old is gone and the new has come. However, I'm finding that it's more like a process of the old going and the new coming. Reconciliation has been completed by Christ, but the work of the Holy Spirit to bring my heart into alignment with God's will and who He meant for me to be is a process. It's a messy process as the old and the new collide. It's becomes hard to define yourself when you're not quite who you used to be and not yet who God is transforming you into. I can't imagine a better phrase to describe this time as being in the middle of starting over.
I no longer see myself as drifting through life. Christ has given me freedom , and together God and I are redesigning my life. Perhaps redesigning my life isn't the correct term, though. His design was already perfect; it's more like coming back to His design. It's home- where I'm meant to be. It's scary, but also beautiful and filled with abundant joy. Hope, love, faith, peace, and joy fill this place.
I think this also applies to where we are in history as well. God's perfect design has been torn apart by sin. He has been trying to bring us back to the beginning since the fall of man. Christ's death and resurrection and the sending of the Holy Spirit to dwell among us is God's plan to do so. Yet we are still awaiting perfection. We're in the middle of starting over. And we're working towards a very happy ending!
We don't usually think of there being a middle to starting over, but I can't think of a better way to explain my experience with the going of the old and the coming of the new. I'm in the middle of starting over- and it's a beautiful place to be!
Here's the link to the video for the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJDGXg6IiT4
Here's the link to the video for the song:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JJDGXg6IiT4
Friday, May 23, 2014
Thoughts on Death
I've been thinking a lot about death lately. It's something that we were never meant to experience, but is the inevitable result of sin. "You will not surely die," says the serpent. Wisdom stands at the crossroads and shouts, "Choose life! Stay away from the path that leads to death!" Yet, so often we listen to the cunning serpent instead, believing that we will not surely die. And all may seem well at first. Yet death creeps in, and it doesn't just affect us. It affects those around us, and it affects the God who travels that path to save us from the death we brought upon ourselves.
As Christians, we are all one body. 1 Corinthians 12:26 tells us that, "If one part suffers, every other part suffers with it." We can't sin and have it only affect us. The rest of the body suffers as well, including the Head, which is Christ. Lately, I've found myself mourning the fact that I hear so many Christians saying that sin is no big deal. In John 10:10, Jesus says, "The thief come only to steal, kill, and destroy." The thief, of course, is Satan, but do we not realize that sin is how he accomplishes those three goals? That sin is responsible for all of our relational hurts and for the broken state of the world that causes other hurts? That sin is what put Christ on the cross? Or have we forgotten?
Love is what is supposed to characterize Christians. Even the world knows that. But what does that love look like? So many people seem to think that means overlooking sins and making sure people feel good about themselves. Yet, when I read the Gospel, I see nothing warm and fuzzy about the cross. Christ despised it's shame. Yes, He endured it because He loves us, but He was also fulfilling God's desire of creating a people who would wholeheartedly follow and obey God with the help of the Holy Spirit. It was to cleanse us from sin, not to permit it. Our redemption came at the greatest price that could ever be paid. How then, can we say that the very thing that killed the God we love is no big deal? And if our sin hurts God that much and hurts ourselves and those around us, how can we love the way Christ loves us without confronting sin? If sin is the problem, let's address it instead of hiding it. And let's start with ourselves. We all have fallen short and are in need of grace. Let's acknowledge that. But let us not acknowledge it and call it acceptable. Let's move foward to the healing Christ is waiting to offer.
That new life requires death. Death of things that may be dear to us. It's not easy. It hurts. It's confusing. We don't always know what God is leading us into; we can only trust that if He is leading us out of something then He is leading us into something better- out of the land of slavery and into His promised land of abundance. It's all new and we get frustrated in the pain and confusion, but if we continue to follow Him believing in His goodness, we will experience things better then anything we ever could have imagined. Most importantly, we will experience His presence. Death sucks. We will probably feel like the disciples felt after the crucifixion- like all hope was lost, fearful of their futures, wondering if they could still trust this person they'd placed all their hope in now that things don't seem to be going the way they thought they would.
And then comes the resurrection! New life arises from the grave. The old is gone and the new is here. The enemy came to steal, kill, and destroy, but Christ came so that we may have life and have it to the full, and that's what was accomplished through the crucifixion and resurrection. I recently heard a sermon where the pastor talked about Christians trying to live in the power of the resurrection while avoiding the pain and suffering of the cross. We can't do that. We have to experience death in various sorts. We have to die to our sins. It's a process and a struggle, but it's necessary and Christ made that clear. Loving God and loving others will come at a cost. It's messy. It's inconvenient. It hurts. But the fruit that it bears has no comparison. It brings joy and blessing and peace. Even experiencing God's love isn't easy when we are living in sin because many of the blessings He longs to give us can only be received through obedience. Obedience isn't something to take away our pleasures, but something that will allow us to be blessed beyond all measure. God's not trying to make us miserable; He's trying to give us better gifts than we can even imagine, but sin will steal those gifts away.
I want to live in the resurrected life, not in my old ways. I want to be restored, and I long to see the entire body of Christ restored. Just as all parts suffer if one does, all parts rejoice when one part is honored. I pray that all parts would be healed so that the glory of Christ would be seen through the church. My prayer is that the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ and nothing short of that will be lived out by the church, thus drawing others to God. May we not forsake either the crucfixion or the resurrection; may we be dead to our sins and fully alive in Christ.
As Christians, we are all one body. 1 Corinthians 12:26 tells us that, "If one part suffers, every other part suffers with it." We can't sin and have it only affect us. The rest of the body suffers as well, including the Head, which is Christ. Lately, I've found myself mourning the fact that I hear so many Christians saying that sin is no big deal. In John 10:10, Jesus says, "The thief come only to steal, kill, and destroy." The thief, of course, is Satan, but do we not realize that sin is how he accomplishes those three goals? That sin is responsible for all of our relational hurts and for the broken state of the world that causes other hurts? That sin is what put Christ on the cross? Or have we forgotten?
Love is what is supposed to characterize Christians. Even the world knows that. But what does that love look like? So many people seem to think that means overlooking sins and making sure people feel good about themselves. Yet, when I read the Gospel, I see nothing warm and fuzzy about the cross. Christ despised it's shame. Yes, He endured it because He loves us, but He was also fulfilling God's desire of creating a people who would wholeheartedly follow and obey God with the help of the Holy Spirit. It was to cleanse us from sin, not to permit it. Our redemption came at the greatest price that could ever be paid. How then, can we say that the very thing that killed the God we love is no big deal? And if our sin hurts God that much and hurts ourselves and those around us, how can we love the way Christ loves us without confronting sin? If sin is the problem, let's address it instead of hiding it. And let's start with ourselves. We all have fallen short and are in need of grace. Let's acknowledge that. But let us not acknowledge it and call it acceptable. Let's move foward to the healing Christ is waiting to offer.
That new life requires death. Death of things that may be dear to us. It's not easy. It hurts. It's confusing. We don't always know what God is leading us into; we can only trust that if He is leading us out of something then He is leading us into something better- out of the land of slavery and into His promised land of abundance. It's all new and we get frustrated in the pain and confusion, but if we continue to follow Him believing in His goodness, we will experience things better then anything we ever could have imagined. Most importantly, we will experience His presence. Death sucks. We will probably feel like the disciples felt after the crucifixion- like all hope was lost, fearful of their futures, wondering if they could still trust this person they'd placed all their hope in now that things don't seem to be going the way they thought they would.
And then comes the resurrection! New life arises from the grave. The old is gone and the new is here. The enemy came to steal, kill, and destroy, but Christ came so that we may have life and have it to the full, and that's what was accomplished through the crucifixion and resurrection. I recently heard a sermon where the pastor talked about Christians trying to live in the power of the resurrection while avoiding the pain and suffering of the cross. We can't do that. We have to experience death in various sorts. We have to die to our sins. It's a process and a struggle, but it's necessary and Christ made that clear. Loving God and loving others will come at a cost. It's messy. It's inconvenient. It hurts. But the fruit that it bears has no comparison. It brings joy and blessing and peace. Even experiencing God's love isn't easy when we are living in sin because many of the blessings He longs to give us can only be received through obedience. Obedience isn't something to take away our pleasures, but something that will allow us to be blessed beyond all measure. God's not trying to make us miserable; He's trying to give us better gifts than we can even imagine, but sin will steal those gifts away.
I want to live in the resurrected life, not in my old ways. I want to be restored, and I long to see the entire body of Christ restored. Just as all parts suffer if one does, all parts rejoice when one part is honored. I pray that all parts would be healed so that the glory of Christ would be seen through the church. My prayer is that the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ and nothing short of that will be lived out by the church, thus drawing others to God. May we not forsake either the crucfixion or the resurrection; may we be dead to our sins and fully alive in Christ.
Monday, July 29, 2013
Jehovah Jireh
The name Jehovah Jireh means "The LORD our provider". Last week, I witnessed a beautiful testimony of this while I was on a mission trip to San Diego with 14 other people from my church. On Wednesday evening, we had the privilege of serving hot meals to homeless people in Chula Vista. A small amount of clothing was also available for the people to sort through after they finished eating.
One of the women we met that night had walked to San Diego from Arizona. Understandably, her shoes were very worn. She asked our youth minister Joe if we had any shoes. Joe didn't know if there would be any, but went to go look. Sure enough, there was 1 pair of shoes and they were her size. When Joe brought them back to her, she began to cry and said that she could now look for a job since she had shoes. It was as if God had made sure that both she and those shoes were there that night so He could give them to her. Jehovah Jireh- the LORD provided.
I think that night was a favorite for many of us because it was one of the few serving activities that we di where we actually got to interact with the people we were serving. Sorting through donated clothes didn't seem as exciting because we didn't get to see the faces of the people who would receive them. Yet the way God provided for this woman gave us a glimpse of the way people would be blessed by our service.
Wanting to continue the work God had been doing in our hearts during the trip, we tried to find things we could take home with us to make a difference here in Modesto. As we sorted through clothes, I kept remembering all the clothes I have in my closet that either don't fit or that I simply don't wear. I've intended to go through my closet for awhile now, but I never actually get around to it- that is, until today.
So what's so different about today? Today I walked out of the house to find a plastic bag in the front door to collect clothing for disabled American veterans. As I sort through my closet looking for clothes to donate, I know that God already knows the names and faces of the people who will be receiving them. God is in the process of providing clothes for people who need them. That bag on the door? That was my invitation to join Him. That was Him asking me to give Him clothes that I no longer use and allow Him to bless someone else through them. That was Jehovah Jireh in action.
One of the women we met that night had walked to San Diego from Arizona. Understandably, her shoes were very worn. She asked our youth minister Joe if we had any shoes. Joe didn't know if there would be any, but went to go look. Sure enough, there was 1 pair of shoes and they were her size. When Joe brought them back to her, she began to cry and said that she could now look for a job since she had shoes. It was as if God had made sure that both she and those shoes were there that night so He could give them to her. Jehovah Jireh- the LORD provided.
I think that night was a favorite for many of us because it was one of the few serving activities that we di where we actually got to interact with the people we were serving. Sorting through donated clothes didn't seem as exciting because we didn't get to see the faces of the people who would receive them. Yet the way God provided for this woman gave us a glimpse of the way people would be blessed by our service.
Wanting to continue the work God had been doing in our hearts during the trip, we tried to find things we could take home with us to make a difference here in Modesto. As we sorted through clothes, I kept remembering all the clothes I have in my closet that either don't fit or that I simply don't wear. I've intended to go through my closet for awhile now, but I never actually get around to it- that is, until today.
So what's so different about today? Today I walked out of the house to find a plastic bag in the front door to collect clothing for disabled American veterans. As I sort through my closet looking for clothes to donate, I know that God already knows the names and faces of the people who will be receiving them. God is in the process of providing clothes for people who need them. That bag on the door? That was my invitation to join Him. That was Him asking me to give Him clothes that I no longer use and allow Him to bless someone else through them. That was Jehovah Jireh in action.
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