Filed under: Christianity | Tags: grace, jesus, Jesus Christ, love of God, Romans 5
The Love of God in Christ
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him! For if, when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.
“But Paul’s vision of God’s love, rising here like the sun on a clear summer’s morning, shines through all the detail that has gone before…God’s love has done everything we could need, everything we shall need. As Paul continued to explore the meaning of the reconciliation that has taken place between God and human beings, he delves down deep into the depths of what God had to do to bring it about….When we look at Jesus, the Messiah, we are looking at the one who embodies God’s own love, God’s love-in-action.” (NT Wright, Paul for Everyone: Romans, pt 1 chapters 1-8, 86)
Paul has spent a great deal of space telling the world, telling the church at Rome, telling anyone who would listen exactly how terrible is the predicament of man. It is bad. One might say that if it was bad in Paul’s day, it might be worse now. I doubt it. All bad such as Paul is speaking of is relative to the age. That’s not to say bad is relative, it is to say that the nature of the depravity is relative to the age. I agree with many who think that there is something terribly amiss in this world, in our culture, and in the church in general. I am not so pessimistic to think it is beyond redemption-in fact, I think that might have something to do with Jesus and why he came in the first place.
That’s what I love about Romans 5:6-11. If one were to read Romans and suddenly stop at the end of Romans 4, one might be left despairing and hopeless although, to be sure, Paul has dropped hints and given us glimpses of the beauty of what God has been planning for humanity such as chapter 3:23-24: “…for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” And perhaps also this in chapter 5:1-2: “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into the grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God.” But these hints in these places are hints. Here in Romans 5:6-11, Paul blows the lid off the whole thing: Here’s what God did despite all that I have written about in the previous paragraphs! And we are stunned. We are stupefied. We are knocked down; thrown for a loop. Our entire world is shattered by these few sentences concerning God and his actions.
How can we not be bowled over by such statements? How can any single one of us, any of us, read such passages of Scripture as this and think that it means anything but what it says at face value? In the midst of all the wrath, in the midst of all the sin, in the midst of all the hate we have for God, in the midst of all the pride and boasting, in the midst of all the immorality, lying tongues, open grave throats, in the midst of all the convoluted ways we have chosen to live precisely because of our free-will-there is God. There is God! Standing at the dawn with his arms opened wide welcoming home all those who lived in the manner Paul described in chapter 1 is the God who loves. There is God! I don’t know about you, but when I read how God demonstrates his love (which leads me to understand how he really, truly feels about me) I am stunned into silence, humbled, humiliated; wrecked.
At just the right time God did the most inconceivable thing: No eye had seen, no ear had heard, no one could even imagine what God had planned for us; many still find it impossible to believe. Yet God was not even willing just to say ‘I love you.’ For God it was not enough to give lip-service to his great love for us: He demonstrated it. He made it visible. He made it concrete. He put his love on display for all to see. He so loved the world that he didn’t bother to ask anything of us. He so loved the world that he sent, essentially, himself. Paul will later express this love as such: “If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all-how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?” (8:31-32)
Have any of us plumbed the depths of love this God has for his rebellious children? (Ephesians 3)
Is it possible to read Romans 5:6-11 and be anything but overwhelmed? Is it possible to read these verses and be anything but destroyed, thrown down, overwhelmed, unraveled and undone? Is it possible to consider that God loves us quite in spite of ourselves and be anything but humiliated and humbled? And so Paul can rightly ask in these verses: If God loved us this much while we were yet sinners, then ‘how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life?’ Or if God demonstrated his love for us while we were yet rebellious, then how much more ‘having been justified by his blood, shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!’
I’ve been thinking about these verses because it seems to me that this God is rather amazing. Paul hasn’t written, in these particular verses, about the pride of men. He has written about how utterly confounding is this God who loves and forgives and heals and justifies and resurrects despite the worst man has to offer. “You see at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”
So there it is again: Hope! Forgiveness! Healing! The love of God towards a people who are decidedly against him. He continues, time and time again, to astound us and reverse all our conceptions of himself. We hate, and he loves us. We run away, he chases after us. We curse, he blesses us. We sin, he forgives us. We deny he exists, he shows Himself in Jesus. We kill him, he Resurrects! We can’t really make out this God can we? We cannot really, truly comprehend a God who goes out of his way to make himself real to us, who so desires that we be his people and that he be our God that he will be crucified to make the point and to make it possible, who is so wildly in love with us that he himself will deal with our sins instead of asking us to. He makes a way where no way exists. He creates a people where none is. He extends mercy where there is none.
I’ve been thinking about this God who loves us quite in spite of ourselves. I’ve been thinking about this God who loves us. I’ve been thinking about this God who thought it necessary to demonstrate his love to us, and did so in the flesh; in Jesus. If there is anything that dispels pride in humans, it is this amazing God who loves; the God of grace. This is the God we need to preach and share and adore. This is the God who saved us in Christ.
The best irony there is is that God loves us. In spite of all the worst that Paul wrote we are, in spite of all the devastation we manage to conjure up because of sin, in spite of our creative habit of inventing new ways to die and kill and run away from God-in spite of it all: He still loves us. The Hound of Heaven dogs our every step and won’t relent; pressing in on every side.
Dare we imagine a God, dare we submit to a God-this God of the Bible, fully come in Jesus Christ? Dare we love such a God who dared to love us?
Soli Deo Gloria!
Filed under: Real Life | Tags: abortion, forgiveness, grace, jesus, John 3:16-17, Romans 3:23-24, Sin
“For all have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God…” Paul to the Romans, chapter 3, verse 23
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life…” John the Apostle, chapter the third, 16th verse.
______________________________
I read a blog post yesterday that angered me. It pointed to a great problem, a great sin, then it stopped. It offered the reader nothing by way of a solution to the great problem, the great sin. I’d like to begin, sort of, where that post began and then finish that post by adding what was forgotten.
- It is wrong to steal.
- It is wrong to have gay sex.
- It is wrong to lie.
- It is wrong to cheat.
- It is wrong to fornicate.
- It is wrong to commit adultery.
- It is wrong to be racist.
- It is wrong to get drunk.
- It is wrong to be gluttonous.
- It is wrong to murder.
- It is wrong to get an abortion.
- It is wrong to lust.
- It is wrong to lie about the preacher.
- It is wrong to abuse your spouse or children.
- It is wrong to worship idols.
- It is wrong kidnap.
- It is wrong to disobey your parents.
- It is wrong to swindle.
- It is wrong to be greedy.
- It is wrong to rape.
Yes. Yes. I could go on and on and on. The post I have in mind was discussing abortion and it’s offensiveness. I agree with the post I read: Abortion is a heinous, despicable, vile, disgusting offense. Those things mentioned above are wrong too; they are sin. There is no debating this in my mind or in Scripture for that matter.
But abortion is not the unforgivable sin. Never has been. Never will be. In the crazy economy of the kingdom of God, a person could have 490 abortions in one day and repent and God, in his mercy and grace, would forgive that person because of Jesus Christ. I mean, why wouldn’t he since he expects us to do nothing less? I don’t think God expects people to do things that he himself isn’t willing to do. Thus, forgiveness.
Abortion is not an unforgivable sin.
None of the things I mentioned is the or an unforgivable sin.
_______________________________
We have ample evidence in our world of all the things that are wrong with us and all the things we do badly and all the sin we have committed and all the idols we have worshiped and all the judgment we have invited into our lives and all the times we have crucified Christ all over again and again and again…
We have sufficient testimony to all the grievous destruction that our sin has wrought upon this earth.
We have enough people pointing out the sin that plagues the United States of America and Russia and England and Brazil and Antarctica and, well, you get the point.
But Jesus did not tell us to go around moralizing did he? (This is not rhetorical.)
I’m not even sure he told us to go around pointing out sin, although, when the Gospel is properly preached I think that sin will necessarily be a part of the discussion. After all, it is terribly difficult to call folks to repentance if some mention of sin has not happened.
Jesus did tell us to go and preach the good news, the Gospel. (Luke 9:1-2, and 6, among others). We have good news! We are told to preach good news! Why did he tell us to preach good news? Could it be that there are enough others preaching the bad news?
___________________________
“All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.–Jesus, as recorded by the evangelist Matthew 11:27-29
____________________________
I want to find 100,000 ways to say: God forgives you in and because of Jesus Christ. I hate writing this post because some might conclude that I am not opposed to abortion, or that I think there are no consequences to our behavior, but that would be to miss my point. I am very opposed to abortion, but I also realize that people sin, do wrong, make mistakes and have otherwise poor judgment, and that it was the sick, weak, broken, hurting, desperate sinners, like me, like them, that Christ came to save, redeem, ransom, and atone for.
Jesus didn’t come to condemn; why do we think he has assigned us that role?
The author of the post in question did a great job pointing out a great sin, but the problem with the post is simple: While it gave us a great picture of a moralized America where everyone plays in an orchestra or knits flags and worships at the throne of conservative politicians, it did nothing to offer a solution to the real problem of sin. It’s a powerful picture, but it is not necessarily one Christ has drawn. It is a terrible problem, but there was no solution offered. What’s the point of ranting about the problem when there is no solution offered at all?
We didn’t get a picture of the Kingdom of God where forgiveness is free and we receive grace as a man filling a cup under a waterfall.* We got a picture of a moralized America where there is condemnation for every perpetrator, but no hope whatsoever. If an expectant single-mother or a suddenly pregnant husband and wife swimming in debt is debating her/their pregnancy right now and read that post, she/they would be left despairing and hopeless; feeling nothing but condemnation.
The author would have us condemn all who have had abortions and reject them as mere weak Americans who lack courage and are interested only in their bank balance and credit card statements. Christ would welcome them into his kingdom as the very ones he came to save precisely because they are greedy, murderous, and lack the intestinal fortitude to be self-controlled–because they are sinners!
So here I offer what the post in question did not offer: Hope. It’s easy to condemn; much harder to think and believe that God is foolish enough to forgive us rebels just because he can and wants to.
If you have ever had an abortion or over-spent on your credit cards, if you have filed bankruptcy because you have no self-control, if you are a coward, if you are hopeless and think you are running on empty, if you have no where to go and you think you are out of options–there’s hope! There’s grace! There’s forgiveness of your sins! Christ has payed the price for your sins. There’s Good News! Christ has not rejected you. There’s still hope! There’s still a message of peace and forgiveness to you because of Jesus. Christ will take away your guilt. Christ will heal your wounds. Christ will save you from the hopeless, endless cycle of condemnation and death.
You can join us, all us sinners here, all us imperfect, unkempt, undone, depressed, forgiven-by-God sinners here. We welcome you to join in the story that Christ is writing and has written. We welcome you to taste and see that His Grace is Good. We welcome you to be forgiven in the Name of Jesus.
“…and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ.” The same Paul, to the same Romans, chapter 3, verse 24.
“…For God did not send his son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” the same John the Apostle, the same third chapter, the 17th verse.
Filed under: Real Life
Hope is a funny thing. When I was a kid, I remember a guy telling me that he never set his goals to high so he couldn’t be all that disappointed. His theory was simple; “don’t get your hopes too high and you can’t fall too far down.” I remember thinking that was terrible. Recently, my wife pointed out to me that I’ve fallen into the very trap.
Life can do that to you can’t it? Fail a couple of times, get your ass kicked a few times and suddenly my friends view doesn’t seem all that far fetched does it? But the word hope is mentioned over 160 in 4 major English translations of the Bible (NIV=174, TNIV=180, NASB=164, HSB=171). Now, there are those who would have you believe that our only hope should be in Jesus for heaven. I agree our hope is in Christ, but is it only for heaven? Is that the extent of our hope? I think God wants us to hope for more.
Think about it. When Peter tells us to be prepared to give an answer for the hope that lies in us (see I Peter 3:15) is he really just telling us that we are to be hopeful for heaven and not really hope for all that much here on earth? Surely, he’s offering us more than the right to be a jerk with little credentials and a lot of self-links using a blog to attack other people! Does God want us to dream? Does God care if we dream?
Now, today I heard someone say in regards to relationships that expectations are just premeditated resentments. I asked her if she hoped. Her brutally honest and painful answer was an emphatic, “Nope. Not if I can help it.”
I think we have surgically removed hope from our lexicon. Perhaps, we’ve done this because of a faulty theology that has relegated salvation to being merely something of where we are going. In some sense it would be easy to just blame our faulty theology (and there is plenty to go around) but I think it’s deeper than that.
Think about the promise found in John 10. Jesus came that we might have life while having life. Think about the scandalous passage where Jesus compares God’s relationship with us to that of a father wanting to give us good gifts! There is nothing more scandalous than someone saying that God wants to give us good gifts. Tasteless post cards are produced. “Will it preach?” is plastered over pictures of people living around the world in abject poverty. All of which misses the point. God told us He loves us.
I wonder if hoping is Holy. I wonder if hoping doesn’t connect us to God in a way that can’t be denied by doubters. Is our hope “level” equal to the level of trust we have in God’s goodness? Is our willingness to hope directly proportional to our willingness to trust God? I know two men, both are in the same condition financially, but the one has stopped hoping while the other continues. One seems to have much more faith in God than the other.
But hoping is messy. Hoping is potentially painful. Hoping is a road lined with risks and potentially crushing pitfalls. When we hope, we inherently take a risk that we’ll be disappointed.
Maybe when we fail to hope, we do something even more dangerous. Maybe by failing to hope we do something that is actually insidious that eats away at our soul. Maybe by refusing to hope we actually call God a liar. When we refuse to hope we might actually be saying by our actions that we’re writing God off.
I’m not talking about hoping for a new truck or a new car, but what about hoping for a new job, or a baby, or a marriage? Or what about healing? Can we hope for a vacation? Can we hope for affluence? Can we hope for that dream_____________? I think that not only can we, but we must.
Hoping may be the greatest way we can say that we believe there is a God and that He is good. In a world, of snarky religious wannabe leaders and crushed dreams that are infected by the stain of sin that bleeds into life like a tea bag bleeds into hot water we have to draw a line in the sand and say,
I
will
hope!
Be hopeful today. When people ask why, be prepared to tell them it’s because you know a Jewish carpenter.
Filed under: Christian, Christianity, Relevant Christian | Tags: Christian unity, Christianity, Church, Ephesians 4, grace, image of Christ, jesus, love, sanctification, unity
I’d like to share a thought or two on the subject of Christian Unity. I am a preacher by calling, and as such, lately, I have been preaching a series of sermons to my congregation on this ever so strange idea of Christian Unity or as I prefer to call it, essential oneness. I have been preaching this series of sermons because my congregation has been going through some difficult times lately and we needed to be reminded of what Scripture says about our oneness in Christ.
It’s no small thing for a church to be one in heart, mind, and ambition. If you think about what Christ did when he brought us together it is really quite remarkable. He pulls people together who are different races (although we all belong to the human race), people of different colors, people of different nationalities, people from different religious backgrounds, people from differing social backgrounds (‘rich’ and ‘poor’), men, woman, young, old–the list could go on–and he throws us all into one great big bag that he calls ‘church’ and says: “Find a way to make it work.” Find a way to make it work?!? Seriously? Seriously.
Jesus knew, knows, what he is doing; doesn’t he? I mean, no two people come into the church with the same history or motivation or even theological ideas. For that matter, no two people ever even retain those original theological ideas. As few as 10 years ago, I would never have considered an Anglican preacher to be among my best of friends–simply because of theological ideas. You know what, today I can; and I am glad for it. The problem we have, I think, is that we in the church are far too concerned about the baggage that people carry with them after they become Christians. We sort of seem to think they ought to drop it all right away and get on board the Jesus train. When it takes longer, we get frustrated, irritated, angry, and begin to lack patience; love might slip.
That is, we think that people need to be remade into our image. You know what I mean, right?
That’s when problems creep into the church–when we forget to love. So we believe things like this:
- Those people who are not maturing at the same rate as I am are bothersome.
- Those people who are not thinking like I am theologically are weaklings.
- Those people who do not see things the way I see them are troublemakers.
We think that anyone who is not ‘like me’ is, clearly, not a Christian at all. Or worse. You know what the problem with all this is? We are not being remade in the image of other human beings! That’s the glory of it all! I don’t have to stack up against other humans, because they are not the template; they are not the standard; they are not the goal. Jesus is. Paul wrote in Colossians 3 that we are being recreated in the image of our creator who is Jesus. And none of us is there yet. We are all still on the way. Only those who fail to recognize this ‘on-the-wayness’ lack the courage to be patient with others.
So, then, what does all this have to do with unity in the body of Christ? Well, consider these words from Paul’s pen to the Ephesian church:
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to one hope when you were called— 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. 8This is why it says:
“When he ascended on high,
he led captives in his train
and gave gifts to men.”(What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions? 10He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.) 11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Be patient with others. Be humble–they may be more advanced than you think. Work at unity in the body. It won’t be easy: work at it. And here’s the thing, if we have a proper view of ourselves (humility) and a proper view of others (patience and bearing with them) then working at unity in the body will be our goal. But if we are not working at maintaining peace, then are we working at war? Even a casual indifference (not working towards unity) is an example of not working at maintaining unity in the body. We must work at unity in the Body of Christ. Work. We cannot afford to not work for peace in the Body because if we don’t work at it war will break out among us.
Growing up is the goal: the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Along with self-sacrificing efforts at unity comes maturity in Christ as we are patient with one another and understand that God has apportioned his grace to us. Unity in the body and maturity in the individual somehow go hand in hand. Then there’s that grace word again! It’s so intrusive isn’t it? So how do we ‘make it work’?
It’s not complicated. He says three times: Bear with one another in Love. Speak the truth in Love. Build up the Body in Love. Do you think we can overstate the case for how much we must love in the Body of Christ? Do we have enough room to love? Can we humble ourselves and love? For the sake of the essential oneness of the Body of Christ can we love one another? Can we recognize that all of us are ‘on the way’ and none of us has arrived?
dg
Filed under: Christianity, Other Links of Interest, Relevant Christian | Tags: Christianity, grace, homosexuality, jesus
At another blog I write for, I made a post today where I bounced off some ideas that were posted by a man who is a homosexual and a Jesus follower. Wesley Hill wrote a beautiful essay about the struggles he encounters as one who finds himself living in both worlds (he is celibate though).
Hill wrote:
I am drawn to these haunting confessions of Auden’s because I, too, am a homosexual Christian. Since puberty, I’ve been conscious of an exclusive attraction to persons of my own sex. Though I have never been in a gay relationship as Auden was, I have also never experienced the “healing” or transformation of my sexual orientation that some formerly gay Christians profess to have received. But I remain a Christian, a follower of Jesus.
The following paragraphs are the conclusion to the essay I posted across the way.
First, what are we supposed to do as Christians? Can we change people? Is it our job to change people? Can the blind lead the blind? Can the sinner cure the sin? Or can we, or shouldn’t we, love people and let Jesus do the curing and healing? Isn’t it better to recognize that we are all sinners, all in the same boat, all helpless without Jesus? What becomes of me when I think that I can solve the sins of others with the same tactics that were used to solve mine (as if they are solved!)? Do we not all take different paths in Jesus before we are fully healed? Truth of the matter is this: We won’t be like him, no matter how healed we are in this life, until we see him (1 John 3:2).
Second, yes, the Bible says ‘repent’ and ‘leave your life of sin.’ (The Bible even says that ‘that is what some of you were’ with the meaning that ‘that is not what you are now.’) But ironically, or not, these commands are never rescinded. We are called to them over and over again every day. We are called to abandon the flesh every day: take up your cross, deny yourself, follow me. We win. We lose. We succeed. We fail. Jesus is not so naive to think we will not fail. If he was, I suppose there would be no need for grace, would there? If Jesus commands me and you, people who are incapable of forgiving once, to forgive 70*7, do we think he does any less for the person who struggles to live in the paradox that is Romans 7:14-25? We are not Christian perfectionists if we believe in the Bible’s teachings about grace. I don’t believe Jesus expects us to be.
Third, can a person be a homosexual-Christian? Well, ask yourself: Can a person be a (___)-Christian? It’s not a matter of practice, but a matter of identifying our weakness and living by faith that God’s grace is sufficient even when we fail, and continue to fail over and over again, and precisely because we fail. The question is not ‘How much can I sin before I am no longer considered by God to be a Christian?’ The question is, ‘Will I continue to trust in Jesus, put my faith in Jesus, trust that His grace is sufficient even when I fail? Will I trust God to forgive me? Will I continue to seek His face?’ Frankly, I think it takes a great deal of courage to confess our sins and live by faith. It takes a great deal of honesty to come before the Lord day in and day out confessing sins. But you see, this is what Jesus said too, isn’t it? It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick (Mark 2:17). It was the man who hid his face and beat his breast that went home justified before God when he prayed (Luke 18:9-14). It was the blind man who had his eyes opened (John 9:41). I think if we are not hyphenated Christians then perhaps we are not Christians at all.
I don’t happen to believe we will ever escape the duel identity of sinner/saint until the day when Christ comes and renews all things. We will always be hyphenated Christians until we see Christ in his fullness and He changes us. So I don’t think the point is that we need to try to imagine what the other person is like before we try to offer up solutions or ‘fix’ them because I don’t happen to think we have the necessary skill set required (i.e. miraculous powers) to fix anyone in the first place. What we have is love. (Only love?) What we have is grace. So we don’t need to imagine anything at all; we shouldn’t offer up any short or long term fixes. What we must do is consider Christ crucified and what we, each one of us, struggles with on our own sin before the hyphen.
Self-examination goes a long way towards not only being able to love others, but also towards practicing continuously loving others. Jesus didn’t tell us to fix people. He told us to love people. We can point in the right direction, but it seems awfully presumptuous to think that we have the solution to anyone’s problems. Living with a hyphen is the Christian’s way of visibly living in and trusting in God’s all sufficient grace.
Stop by Hill’s post. It is worth the read.
dg
****I originally posted this on my own blog here****
Earlier this week a guy in my business quit. He went to a weekly Monday morning meeting, sat through an uncomfortable time where he essentially made up some numbers then he walked out and quit. He couldn’t handle being criticized or experiencing rejection. I sympathize with him, I don’t like going through those either. What was interesting was this guy talked so much about what he was going to do. He was going to do this and he was going to do that. He was going to study for this major thing and do this great event. He never did any of them. While I sympathize with him, I want to change gears now and look at church attendance in light of his talk, no walk activity.
Going to Mars has been one of the most healing things for our family. When we moved here there was some wounds from the churches that we had served in that needed healing and we have found a haven where the Word of God is preached, and our faith is giving the opportunity to be put into action. Invariably, when people talk about Mars, there are many who say they could never feel connected at the church. I think this may be true for a few of them but it is my belief that most people who say this are people who have an expectation of the church to connect them. They don’t feel that they need to make an effort to be connected; rather they feel the church owes them. That’s a different topic for a different day, but I will say that my family has never felt more connected to a church.
My wife and I were talking this recently about gathering with other believers on Sunday morning, commonly referred to as church attendance. One of the girls that was supposed to help with her class didn’t show up because she was out too late the night before. Even attending a great church like Mars there are still Sundays where we don’t “feel” like attending the gathering. Most of the time, we still go. Now, I don’t want to go all legalistic about this but I want my life to be marked by regular gathering with other believers to worship God, to heal and be healed. For me and my house we have decided that this is important. We serve because we believe it is important. What amazes me is how unimportant regular gathering is for so many people. Now, almost to a person if I talked to them (I have with many) and asked them , they would tell me that weekly gatherings—going to ‘church’, if you will—is important. The truth though is found in their actions. And the truth is that it isn’t all that important to them.
In fact, I would say that for most people going to a sports outing, going camping, or going to work is more important than gathering with other believers to worship God. Come on, let’s be honest no one who is even remotely responsible would ever think of oversleeping for work. Or if someone had a big vacation type event planned out they would be more than willing to get up and give up sleep to be on the road on time. But how many of these same people will be out late Saturday night so they can have “fun” ,because that will matter for the rest of their life, and sleep right past their alarm, if they even set it on Sunday morning?
I’m convinced that for the average American Christian fun matters more than any gathering of believers. We would rather applaud a touchdown or homerun then bow before the Creator and experience Eucharist. Too many of us like the idea of serving others through our local body but don’t want to be inconvenienced to serve. We want God—and consequently all the goes with Him– on our terms. That’s why we can get up Monday to Friday at whatever time is necessary for work but we can’t make it for a gathering on Sunday.
In some ways, this may stem from our view of membership and the modern church. Too many of us believe we are in some sort of country club where attendance to group functions is nice but not necessary. Service is a nice ideal to be aspired to but not something that should actually cost us anything. I think this probably why the average person gives less than 3% of their income to their local church body.
Can I be honest?
Much like the guy who left the business this week, annoyed me because he was always talking about what he was going to be doing and never actually doing anything I am tired of people telling me how important God is to them when their actions say something completely different. It’s not that I don’t want to accept people where they are, I do but I want more. I want a Christianity that is authentic and all authentic Christianity will involve regular interaction with other believers and regular service.
Bottom line, our actions tell on us. We get out of bed for the things that are most important to us. We sleep through the things that aren’t that important. We sacrifice for the things that matter to us, and ignore the things that don’t. Most of the time we do what we want to do when we want to do it. Most of the time we worship our bed or the ever elusive fun we’re having more than we want to worship God.
Filed under: Christianity, Relevant Christian | Tags: Bono, Johnny Cash, Karl Barth, Kingdom of God, U2
There’s been a lot of hubbub lately because one of the most successful and popular and theologically proper bands of our generation released a new record. That band is, of course, U2. I confess that I haven’t listened to the new record yet, but I hope at some point to listen to it. Frankly, I’m still listening to the last record (How to Dismantle and Atomic Bomb) and discovering some of the pictures Bono created on it.
Anyhow, all the hoopla caused me to break out some old-school U2 the other day and rock out a little bit. Honestly, I enjoy the listening experience and even more the unraveling Bono’s lyrics. One of my favorite records of all U2’s work is the Zooropa project. I heard a story once, perhaps it is a bit apocryphal, that the music was written so quickly (I believe during the Achtung Baby! tour) that in concerts they at times had the lyrics written on paper. I don’t know if its true or not, but it sounds kind of U2ish.
In particular, I like the song The Wanderer which was written by Bono and sung by Johnny Cash. Here’s part of the lyrics:
I went drifting
Through the capitals of tin
Where men can’t walk
Or freely talk
And sons turn their fathers in
I stopped outside a church house
Where the citizens like to sit
They say they want the kingdom
But they don’t want God in it.
Well, that makes pretty good sense, doesn’t it? I got to thinking: What sort of Kingdom have I hoped for? Do you ever really consider the Kingdom? When you think of Kingdom it is impossible to not think of Jesus, so when you think of Kingdom do you include a New Testament picture of Jesus? Have you ever thought about the things Jesus said and did? I mean, have you ever really thought about the manner in which God in the Flesh participated in this life, waged war against the power-brokers, and began the process of redemption?
We cannot have the Kingdom apart from the God who inhabits and creates the Kingdom. “I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrated” (1 Corinthians 1:19). That’s the substance of the Kingdom. And this Jesus? He went around upsetting people, calling them names (like ‘whitewashed tombs’ and ‘dogs’ or ‘rocky’ or ‘boanerges’), and throwing people into mass hysteria (“Hosanna!” one day; “Crucify!” the next). He didn’t seem to care too much about the sanctity of holy days (like Sabbath) or the holiness of sanctified places (like the temple).
He wrecked the pig-economy of the people in the Decapolis in order to save one man who had been written off as dead by the entire community. He slept during a storm while his followers worked at the oars. He made a whole bunch of wine at the very outset of his ministry (!). He even went so far as to defy Roman law by resurrecting from the dead. He hung around with ruffians and hookers. “The whores all seem to love him, and the drunks propose a toast” (Rich Mullins). And what’s worse than all this? Well, read the Sermon on the Mount. This Kingdom we are called to is one that will not survive apart from God. At the same time, we are not free to create a Kingdom in the image of any other God than the one who created it. Jesus is not for wimps. Mark Buchanan wrote the book: Your God is too Safe. He’s right.
Anyone who hung around Jesus was, at any moment, in mortal danger. He is the one who said ‘the Spirit blows wherever it wants to blow and you cannot control it.’ Jesus chose to demonstrate a reckless abandon for the things we hold so precious. “I thank you God I am not like that fellow over there. I do all the right things, at the times, and in the right ways.” “God have mercy on me a sinner.” Do you remember which one went home justified that day? We like rules because they help us control others; we enforce them because they give us power over others. Jesus poured out grace on all rule-breakers. We are not fond of grace. He had the nerve to forgive a man hanging on the cross next to him and, as many are fond of pointing out, that man had not even been baptized. Jesus–who can hold on to the Jesus of the New Testament?
They say they want the kingdom, but they don’t want God in it.
Of course we don’t want God in it. If God acts anything like Jesus (*smile*), then we would be thoroughly uncomfortable, totally out of sorts, totally beside ourselves with anger that such a God would act so undignified, so gracious towards those who flout the rules, so loving towards those whom we despise. Of course we want the kingdom. Of course we don’t want God in it.
“Don’t things get dangerous only if and because God is?”–Karl Barth, in a letter to his brother Peter, 1932 as quoted by William Willimon, Conversations with Barth on Preaching, 197
Of course we don’t want God in the kingdom.
dg
Are you a child of the 70’s like me?? Did you ever play with Weebles?? We called them “Weeble Wobbles” Remember the slogan from tv?? “Weebles wobble but they don’t fall down”?
Wikipedia defines Weebles as children’s roly-poly toys shaped like eggs with a weight at the fat, or bottom end, they wobble when pushed, but never fall completely over. How funny is that??? I feel like a Weeble Wobble…roly-poly and weighted at my fat end! I wobble when pushed but NEVER fall completely over!! Mind you, I belive I have kissed the earth on a few of those wobbles, but never stayed down!
One of my all time fav authors, Dr. John C. Maxwell recently wrote an article entitled “Failing Forward” that really struck a chord with me.
He told how Vincent Van Gogh failed as an art dealer, flunked his entrance exam to theology school, and was fired by the church. He also explained that Albert Einstein was expelled from school and even failed his college entrance exam!!! I couldn’t believe it when I read that Michael Jordan was cut from his sophomore basketball team!! WOW! Some would say these guys were FAILURES!! Thank the Lord their stories didn’t end there…..And neither does mine!!!! In a failing economy I was recently layed off from my job. (I definitely wobbled then!) But I can’t let that become who I am! Maxwell goes on to say that “failure didn’t stop Vincent Van Gogh from painting, Albert Einstein from theorizing, or Michael Jordan from playing basketball, but it has paralyzed and prevented countless others from reaching their potential.” I will not be paralyzed by my latest encounter!!! Will you??? What has happened in your life lately that has made you feel like a failure?? Made you feel like you are wobbling? Like your little weeble self might not wobble back upright? Will you let this event define “who” you are??? NOT ME!!! Maxwell goes on to say: “In the face of adversity, shortcomings, and rejection, they (achievers)hold onto self-believe and refuse to see themselves as failures.”
Maxwell gives seven principles for “Failing Forward”
Reject Rejection
I will not base my self-worth on my performance. I will maintain a healthy self-image.(ooops…does that mean no more roly-poly/fat end jokes??) I will learn from my mistakes!
Don’t Point Fingers
If I blame and point fingers at others I become a victim!! I will take personal responsibility for my decisions!! I am no one’s victim!!!
See Failure as Temporary
I am not permanently stuck in the current failure! It is TEMPORARY!!
I will not wallow in failure, I WILL look forward to success. Maxwells words: “By putting mistakes into perspective, achievers are able to see failure as a momentary event, not a symptom of a lifelong epidemic.” Now that’s just good….
Set Realistic Expectations
Unrealistic goals doom people to failure…… nuff said…chew on that for a minute!
Focus on Strengths
Don’t invest time on trying to change your flaws while not spending time investing in your strengths. I love how Maxwell sums this up: “You’re built to give your talents to the world; be diligent about finding expressions for them in your career.”
Vary Approaches to Achievement
“In the Psychology of Achievement, Brian Tracy writes about four millionaires who made their fortunes by age 35. On average, these achievers were involved in 17 businesses before finding the one that took them to the top. They kept trying and changing until they found something that worked.”
Bounce Back
I will have a short memory when it comes to my failures!! I will not let the memories of my mistakes eat away at my self confidence!! I will quickly forget the negative emotions of setbacks and press forward resiliently. I will remember that the past can not be altered but I can learn from it!!
Maxwell sums up his article with this:
“I believe it’s nearly impossible for any person to believe he or she is a failure and move forward at the same time. For those who have been downsized, let go, or bankrupted, the temptation may be to internalize failure. My hope is that anyone who has suffered setbacks recently will be able to separate life’s unfortunate events from their self-worth. Failure, like death and taxes, will happen. Your response to failure holds the key to your future.”
Wow! Has he been readin’ my mail, or what!?? Couldn’t have come at a better time!!
Just remember if we are like those little Weebles and just keep bouncing back, with good attitudes and belief in ourselves we too can wobble back upright!!!
Till Next Time!
Filed under: Christianity, Real Life, Relevant Christian | Tags: Flannery O'Connor, grace, Romans 7:24-25
Flannery O’Connor wrote a short story she called A Good Man is Hard to Find. It’s the story about a not so good grandmother who was so persnickety that she purposely over-dressed for a long car ride ‘in case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady.’ One is lead to question whether or not if she failed to over-dress if the mistake might be made as to her sexual identity. Given her personality in the story, I think that is exactly the conclusion one might come to.
As the story goes on, more of her overbearing personality is revealed to the reader. She likes to have her way and has this uncanny way of needling people until she gets her way. She has an opinion about everything and everyone. “The old lady said that in her opinion Europe was entirely to blame for the way things were now.” Of course there is no way to tell whether or not such a statement is true, but that’s not the point. She is right; there is no discussion.
Her ways eventually cost the family dearly. The car is wrecked. Much suffering ensues. The grandmother finally finds herself completely alone and at the mercy of The Misfit who is carrying on a rather theological conversation with her as he holds her at gunpoint. (The grandmother, of course, finds herself completely undone at this point and is barely coherent.) She had been, for several minutes, carrying on this conversation in a vain attempt to avoid the inevitable death she was staring at in the Misfit’s gun. She was reduced to begging for her life, offering money, and praying to someone. The final commentary on her life is spoken by The Misfit himself and reminds us just how pathetic the grandmother was, “She would have been a good woman, if it had been somebody there to shoot her every minute of her life.”
What troubled me about this story is not what you and I might call ’senseless’ violence, but rather the senseless ignorance of the grandmother. She was manipulative, a liar, conniving, self-centered, judgmental, and concerned with very little but herself. Even her grandchildren didn’t seem to care for her. When she tries to persuade the family to go to Tennessee instead of Florida, her grandson, John Wesley remarks, “If you don’t want to go to Florida, why dontcha stay at home?” to which her granddaughter, June Star wryly responds, “She wouldn’t stay at home to be queen for a day…She wouldn’t stay at home for a million bucks. Afraid she’d miss something. She has to go everywhere we go.” Meddling. Annoying. Nosy. And it is all done with an innocence that sickens the reader.
It wasn’t until she was facing inevitable death, staring down the very loaded barrel of a gun, that she finally has an epiphany and realizes what she is or what she had become.
What irritated me about this story is not that I know anyone like The Misfit. Frankly, I think it is altogether too easy to identify The Misfit or Misfits; although, to be sure, he has a far more theological sense about him than most. Everyone in the world makes sport of identifying The Misfit. Who can’t find one? What irritated me is that I know someone like the grandmother and it is much more difficult to spot her character-so subtle, so ‘innocent’: “Pray! Jesus, you ought not to shoot a lady.” No. Insidious, reckless evil (or ‘bad’) is not always so clearly defined and easy to spot. Sometimes it wears purple flowers that dangle off the neckline trimmed with lace. And yet, I see this person every single time I stare down the barrel of Calvary.
And I don’t want to find the grandmother. Grandmothers aren’t The Misfit. Misfits are The Misfit. This is why identifying bad is so difficult, so risky, and so unavoidably other-oriented. Who wants to see that in the self? And yet I am that grandmother. I know it, which is why I appreciate God’s grace more and more and more with each passing moment.
“What a wretched man I am. Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom 7:24-25)
dg
