The Foolishness of God

Silent Saturday

2011-04-23T16:02:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was ‘Good Friday’. It’s an interesting day to say the least, because Christians celebrate the crucifixion of Jesus the Messiah. I am a part of a Christian community in Orange County, CA, and try to make the Good Friday services every year. This year I wasn’t able to make ours… but the day called to mind what I heard one of our pastors speak about a couple of years ago. His message was on recapturing the scandal and absurdity of what ‘Good Friday’ represents. Crosses and images of crucifixion have become such a part of our culture that we tend to forget just how ludicrous it is to have a day celebrating a crucifixion – one of the most ruthless, disgusting, and disrespectful ways that Rome would use to put an insurrectionist to death. As I pondered this same thought today, I realized the significance of this day of the Easter week – the Saturday between crucifixion Friday and resurrection Sunday.

I had never thought about it before, but this Saturday is hugely significant to those who worship the Hebrew God, the God who revealed Himself and displayed His covenant faithfulness through Jesus. Why? Because this Saturday represents what many of us on the Christian journey frustratingly experience on a regular basis: the silence of God. Think just how the 11 disciples and the many other followers felt on this day. They had devoted three years of their lives to following a man they believed would overthrow Rome and restore Israel to its rightful place. Not only was the current outcome a disappointment, but their Messiah and friend had suffered a violent and tragic end on a Roman cross. Imagine the depth of the pain these men and women bore in their souls. It’s over… time to go back to fishing, carpentry, cleaning, etc. The teaching on the Kingdom, the healings, the promises were all for naught. He was a great man, but he couldn’t have been the promised Messiah.

Consider that Jesus’ resurrection could have happened the day after the crucifixion. It could even have happened the same day he hung on the cross, minutes later, even at the moment of his death… Why would God allow the Messiah spend 3 days in Sheol? Why was God silent? I do not think there is a definitive answer to this question. But on this Saturday, I became aware of the greater hope of Easter weekend. It’s the hope that God’s silence is temporary. His promises will be kept. He does not abandon His people. As Saturday fades and Easter Sunday dawns, the people of God can realize that despite the wars that ravage humanity, despite the earthquakes and tsunamis, despite the violence in our cities, and the poor, and the hungry, the brokenness… Despite the moments we feel abandoned by God… Despite the pain deep within us when those we love die… Despite the silence on Saturday… GOD IS NOT THROUGH! He will not stay silent! The Messiah’s grave is not final… And evil and death will not have the last word!

The silence of Saturday is a perfect time for us to reflect on the areas of our life where we have lost hope because we feel God is silent… And surrender them to the hope of resurrection.

Blessed are the Poor

2010-10-24T15:53:00.000-07:00

I recently became a part of the workforce again. Since the economic crisis began in late 2008, I have been struggling to get by. Twice I have been out of work (for months at a time), and even when I have had work the pay has been minimal. Before the crisis, I was making a very good living and really had no concept of the value of money. I had enough income (or at least lived like I did) that whenever I felt an urge to buy something I did. Looking back I realize how immature my view of finances was. I did not understand that having a refrigerator and a car put me in the top 5% of wealth in the world. Nor did I realize that those who do discern the value of money are willing to sacrifice their immediate desires to provide for their future. I was the typical American consumer, unknowingly controlled by what I thought I needed to be happy.

During the past two years, I have had times where I literally did not know how I would pay rent or eat dinner. If you had told me 3 years ago that soon I would be ecstatic when someone brought bagels to work because I would have food for the day, I probably would have laughed. Being in situations such as these will shift one’s perspective drastically. There were days where God literally provided 3 meals a day, despite my bank account balance at or below $5.00. There have been months where rent was provided just days from the due date. Just a few months back when I started working again, I was so behind that there was no way for me to keep my phone on, pay my car insurance, and pay rent. All three were needs, not just wants and I was terrified (once again exposing my lack of trust in a God who promises to provide). I woke up frantic in the middle of the night and could not fall back asleep. I finally just said, “God, I can’t take this anymore. Please help me. I don’t know how else to ask and I don’t have anyone else to ask. I just need you to provide.” After that, I felt the weight lifted off my shoulders and fell quickly back to sleep. The next morning I had $500 loaned to me from a completely unexpected source.

On top of directly experiencing God’s provision in my time of need I also became keenly aware of my own worship of the god of greed. For the first time in my life I actually experienced what it feels like to be in need. I thought about the homeless I pass every day, and wondered what had transpired in their lives causing them to lose everything. I thought about what it would be like if I didn’t have a family who sacrificed to help as much as they could when I was struggling. I thought about the lives of people in Africa who do not have the option of education and fight every day just to provide what little they can for their families. I thought about the children I saw in India whose parents literally chopped off limbs to make them better beggars. I thought about the friends I had who were in similar situations and were, like me, too full of shame to ask for help. It was an incredibly humbling experience. I do not deserve to live in America. I did not deserve to grow up in a house where we had food every single day and never had to do without clothes or shoes (thanks to the sacrifices my parents silently made). Every bite I eat and every comfort of my Southern California apartment is a precious luxury that I have taken for granted for far too long. Being financially distraught created a deep longing within me to maintain this new awareness, to thank God for His every provision and to give of my excess. I no longer wanted to be a part of the cultural tidal wave of consumerism, and as a Christian, I wanted to stand against it by using what God gives me to provide for others who are in need.

It’s amazing how quickly we forget. I am by no means financially well off, but I currently have a job and am able to pay my bills. I no longer wake up panicked because I don’t know how I’m going to survive the week. As my now steady income rolls in every week, my mind goes to things such as how great it will be to buy new clothes, eat out, and not be concerned that I’m going to overdraft my debit card.

I have been leading a small group in my church over the past few months. We are going through the book of Philippians and this past week we focused on prayer for four specific parts of the world where my church serves: South Africa, Uganda, India, and Mexico. The curriculum did a great job of explaining the current needs of individuals and organizations we work with in these countries. As I prayed with my friends regarding the difficult situations that others are facing I realized just how fast my heart grows cold. I realized how easy it is to overlook those who are suffering. If Jesus taught his followers anything, it was that the God who loves his people wants his people to love each other.

"Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?" He said to him, "’You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." (Mat 22:35-40)

It was statements like these that made Jesus such a powerful and revolutionary force. The Roman and Jewish power structures were so threatened that they became compelled to crucify him. It didn’t end with Jesus either. Those who believed in the resurrection of Jesus carried forward his message in ways that continued to threaten political and religious structures. There are countless stories in early church history of beheadings, crucifixions, and various forms of torture and execution delivered to those who openly followed Jesus. When people start to upset the power structures that deliver to those at the top (by crushing those at the bottom) there is hell to pay. Which makes me wonder, why do those who “openly follow Jesus” today in America, face little to no oppression from the powers that be?

Clearly it could be because we live in a “free” society. It could be that the message of Jesus is just not that controversial anymore… But I highly doubt it. I have been a part of Christianity in America since I was born. Thinking back over my 29 years I cannot think of many instances where members of the church (including myself) put themselves at risk for the good of the suffering. Sure, I know stories of missionaries, and I have met individuals who have stepped out and sacrificed their desires and wants for others in need. The problem is, the Gospel is not about individuals (though it includes them). It’s about the people of God being Kingdom people. It’s about a community that is aware of the needs around it and steps in sacrificially to make changes. It’s about the message of the King, that when lived out becomes so threatening to those who gain their power by exploitation and fear that they cannot sit idly by.

I say all of this to: 1. Remind myself of who my provider is, and 2. To encourage both myself and my family (the church) to start living out the radical, revolutionary message of the King. Jesus is on the throne, and in His Kingdom the poor are fed, the sick are taken care of, the downtrodden are given hope, the blind see, the lame walk, the abused are defended, the guilty are forgiven. When we tear down the idol of consumerism (among other things in our life), we may start to see just how much of life in Jesus’ Kingdom we have been missing. It will end up upsetting the power structures, it will end up stirring up controversy, but it will bring radical faith, hope, and love into a broken world that so desperately needs it.

“Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.” (I Cor. 5:20)

This is not a Christmas blog, but I do think this video applies. Advent Conspiracy is an awesome organization.

AC 212 Days from Advent Conspiracy on Vimeo.

church and The Church

2010-07-11T11:34:00.000-07:00

“I've got to live my life and run around on the ground and realize that I'm nothing more than a grain of salt... the salt of the earth... and everything is grace.” - Mineral

I have friends who follow Jesus from all different walks of life. Each of them is at a different place in their faith. Each of them has different convictions, different passions, and different stories of how God’s redemptive love has been displayed in their lives. The ones that I connect most deeply with seem to be wary of church. I certainly fall into this category. As a pastor’s son, who grew up steeped in the American evangelical “church culture”, I know firsthand the damage it can cause. There have been points in my life where I have shut out the Christian community as a whole because of incidents at particular churches (some of them occurring over many years).

One of my newest friends also falls into this category. From what I can discern, he has both a powerful and profound theological framework. He also has keen insight into how Western culture has affected American churches and distracted us from the fundamental calling of community (among other things). His (com)passion for the Church to actually be what God has called us to be is contagious, and his gentle approach to invoke change is humbling. But, we do have a key difference when it comes to this topic.

My friend has abandoned church services because he no longer believes they are of value and he does not want to continue to promote a broken system that is so vastly different from what God intended. This thought process seems to be a recurring theme among so many of my Christian friends. As they seek to live out Christ to the world, they find that “church” is irrelevant, ignorant, and even irreverent toward the world, Scriptures, and God himself. I wholeheartedly agree. However, I want to propose a different – and I believe more Scripturally-grounded view of a proper response to American churches. Please understand that I am not attempting to prove any of the above points wrong. Also know that I could be mistaken on this (so feel free to respond), but my desire is to clear away as much of the pain, baggage, and bitterness we may bring to the topic and to try to let the Scriptures inform our thinking and actions on this matter. I am going to focus mainly on I Corinthians (for the sake of time), but I do think that there is much that could be said based on the entire Biblical metanarrative.

In the book of I Corinthians we are introduced to a church community that Paul is very concerned for. It appears that some of the pagan practices they were involved with prior to their faith in Messiah were creeping back into their lives – and even their worship. Paul begins the book by discussing what kind of people God has chosen and what he chose them to (1:18-31): God has chosen the foolish and weak things of the world to be a part of his redemptive plan displaying His wisdom and power. “Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. But God chose the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to put to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things – to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him” (1:27-29). In fact, just prior to this Paul explains to his readers that even the message of the cross itself is foolish in the eyes of the rest of the world (1:18). Paul is categorically breaking down everything that the Corinthians have to boast in. As a part of the Messianic community, you have been chosen, because of your weakness and lack of wisdom, to believe in a foolish message. I remember when I first really started to grasp this passage. I was floored with the realization that, in becoming a part of this community, I was admitting that I am one of the weak and foolish. Not only that, but by continuing as a part of the community, I choose to remain in that status (so that God can become more and I can become less).

As Paul continues through the letter to the Corinthian church, he confronts various immoralities that are happening both in and outside of their meetings. At one point Paul states, “In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God’s approval. When you come together it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for as you eat, each of you goes ahead without waiting for anybody else. One remains hungry, another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing” (11:17-22) The Corinthian church was an example of all the things a church should not be. They were boasting in themselves (1:18-30; 5:6), immature and worldly (3:1-3) involved in sexual misconduct (5:1-5), divided against each other (1:10-17; 6:1-8), desecrating the Lord’s table (10:16-11:33), misusing their spiritual gifts (12-14), and dismissing the importance of their physical bodies as means of fully worshiping God (15:1-56).

At this point, Paul could very well have said, “You know what, I’m done with this. You all do not get it so I’m not coming back – and if any of you wants to join me in a new and different movement where people really get it, let’s go!” But he doesn’t. He actually does the opposite. As we have seen he begins by leveling the playing field and exposing them (and us) for the weak and broken vessels they are. He expounds how God has chosen them in their foolishness to represent His wisdom and power. Paul goes on to call them to unity based on their varied positions of foolishness and weakness, because of the work of Christ, and through the power of the Spirit (2:1-3:23). He calls them to be humble and unified (12:1-30) and to build each other up in love (13:1 – 14:40). He describes the hope that they have in and through the bodily resurrection of Christ (15:1-58) and he finishes the book basically saying, “I want to spend a good deal of time with you and I’m trying to get there, but for the time being let’s get on with it. There is work to be done” (16:1-24)!

Through I Corinthians, and much of the New Testament, we see a very messy picture of the church trying to find its way. And we find in the larger picture that somehow God is using the very foolish, weak, and broken community known as the Church to advance his kingdom and continue his plan of reconciliation. The modern American corporate gatherings are not the foundation for Christian community but rather are an expression of Christian communities coming together to celebrate and corporately express their love for and desire to follow Jesus the Messiah. Unfortunately, many of these gatherings (or church services) are influenced by American consumerism and Western culture as a whole. However, my question is would Paul – and more importantly, does God – participate in the burden of living within and challenging the brokenness of the present system? And the answer I am left with is YES! From what I can tell, Paul would argue that the grace that has been given to us, needs to be expressed and reflected into the broken structures of the church. Not that we embrace the whole system, but rather that we be the Church that brings renewal to the church and that we live in the tension of loving our brothers and sisters just as God loves us.

“My prayer is not for them alone. I pray for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

John 17:20-23

with peace on earth (christmas part 2)

2009-12-20T22:04:00.001-08:00

These days it is very popular to talk about the true meaning of Christmas. Especially in Christian circles. We want Jesus back in Christmas. What right do retailers have to say “Happy Holidays”? When did Christmas become all about Santa? Why is it that political correctness has taken over the celebration of the Savior’s birth?

Maybe we are asking the wrong questions.

I want to be very clear in stating that the date we use to celebrate Christmas, December 25^th, is rooted in pagan tradition. Many pagans used this date to celebrate the birth of the Sun. Some would argue that the Christian celebration is somehow undermined by this. However, I believe there is power in using a pagan holiday as a vehicle to worship the one true God. Paul used pagan poetry and even pagan idols to lead others to worship YHWH (Acts 17:22-34). Doing so declares YHWH as the one true God among the powerless imitations, and it challenges the false gods head on revealing them for what they are.

The reason this is important is that today Christmas stands as the pinnacle of American worship of consumerism. As a nation, we spend an average of $450 billion on Christmas every year. The United Nations Development Program has estimated it would cost $20 to $30 billion to provide clean water and sanitation universally to the entire world. These figures are incredible. Is it any wonder that Christmas has become what it is? Imagine this, God who is rich in all things becomes poor (born in a manger in the backwoods of Israel) so that we can become rich. Then, those living in the richest country in the world celebrate by running around buying gifts for each other. The rich who have more than they need, buying more things for the rich who have more than they need. It seems ludicrous. It screams mockery of everything that God intended the birth of the Messiah to represent. The birth meant to represent the sacrifice of YHWH because of His love for His people, has become the birth representing the American worship of the almighty dollar.

The questions we should be asking are questions of ourselves. How can I give as Jesus gave? How can I love as Jesus loves? What things can I sacrifice to tell the story of God’s ultimate sacrifice? It is once again time for those who are declaring the story of the incarnation, to use a pagan holiday as a vehicle to tell the true story of God’s love. To live the story by truly giving – our time, our money, and our resources. To use Christmas to worship the one True God. To celebrate the coming of the Messiah.

inspired by www.adventconspiracy.org

with peace on earth (christmas part 1)

2009-12-12T21:08:00.000-08:00

It has been two thousand years since this child was born, the child who would change the course of history. A child who many debate the validity of, but none can ignore. And if His claims were true, if the claims of the Scriptures are true, then His birth was, is, and will be the most significant event in all of history.... the center point of the cosmos... the meeting of heaven and earth in a stable... wedding the visible and invisible...

I cannot argue that the air felt different that night. I cannot tell you how the shepherds felt or what went on in the minds of the young couple as they had to wrap the baby and keep him fed. I do not know if they knew how this event would impact the next two thousand years. But I believe that this was the most powerful and central event in the course of all of the world.

Thirty three years later this one who claimed to be the Jewish Messiah and King of all creation, would hang from a cross that Roman guards had nailed him to. After taking relentless beatings and scorn he would cry out, as any would in this situation, "My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?"

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The God known as YHWH (the God of covenant faithfulness). The God who claims to keep His promises. How could he allow this to happen? This man was purely Jewish. He preached love and goodness to all around him. He healed the sick, gave to the poor, made the lame walk... Now God forsakes him? Leaves him to die on a Roman cross with Jewish and Gentile accusers?

Over his head hangs a sign mocking his claim to be the Messiah. "My God! My God! Why have you forsaken me?" This had to be a slap in the face of any Jewish listener. They knew exactly what it meant. Jesus (the true Israel) was in the same place as every Jewish person around him. They were in exile... Where was the God who kept his promises? Where was the God of their fathers? They would wake up every morning in service to the Roman emperor. This is not the way it should be. The Romans worshiped every god except for the one true God. Had YHWH abandoned them? They had been waiting for this Messianic figure for so long, and now the man who claimed to be Messiah and had power to restore the deaf and lame and even dead was a blood soaked criminal - a political prisoner bound to suffer the death of an insurrectionist.

The real criminals on both sides mocked him. "My God!!! My God!!! Why have you forsaken me? " Not only did the Jews understand Jesus words, but I understand his words. It is two thousand years later, there is war all around us, nothing makes sense. People are starving and dying of AIDS. The innocent suffer. The wicked prosper. Money, sex, and power are the gods trusted for salvation... and this man claims to be Messiah?

Has God forsaken us? Did God turn his back on his son? Is this time of year in vain?

The answer came three days after this man should have breathed his last. It came in power. It came in victory. "He is not here! He is risen!!!" The powers of death have been destroyed. The head of the serpent crushed. Jesus the Christ had not been forsaken! God did not turn his back on his Son! He did not turn his back on his people! He has not turned his back on us! The creation of God will be redeemed once and for all through Jesus the Messiah! The baby born in the manger in Bethlehem came out of the grave in power! The baby born in Bethlehem will return to fix his world and to rule and reign with justice! The wrong will fail and right prevail with peace on earth, goodwill to men!

"Behold, He makes all things new."

The Foundation of Political Action: A Kingdom Perspective

2009-06-20T08:16:00.000-07:00

This is partially a response to the news story linked below, and is also born out of many conversations I have had with others.

http://www.newsreview.com/sacramento/content?oid=1015217

My college years challenged me in many ways, and one of the many was in the area of politics. I grew up in churches that always voted Republican and always encouraged their congregations to vote Republican. I was taught that the conservative way of thinking most highly reflected God’s way of thinking. Republicans held high the banner of morality, family, and God. We are a “Christian nation” and the Conservative crowd aimed to keep it that way. College shattered this for me, and I think – along with the other ways I changed – it was for the best.

During my college years, I started to lean left, considered voting for Democrats, and began to be open to the idea of being called a liberal. Soon after college, I read some conservative books, listened to conservative talk radio, and really began to swing back the other way. However, the shattering that happened in college slowly started to creep back in, and as I began to learn more about the God of the Scriptures I slowly defined a view for myself that I would argue is closer to Biblical than what I had previously bought into.

I have read both sides of the Christian arguments. I think both have merit. However, I believe both are missing the point altogether! To put it bluntly, I believe we are to exploit the political systems of this world to advance the proclamation and outworking of the Kingdom. Within Christianity, there should be no Democrat or Republican. We are part of a different Kingdom altogether. Of course we are citizens of America, but our true allegiance is to Jesus the Messiah. We are part of a community and Kingdom that are not of this world (John 18:36-37; Phil. 3:20). I believe that thinking in these terms will allow us to address the present political questions of our country from within a truly Biblical framework, rather than basing our votes on whether we believe Jesus would camp with the political left because of His social agenda or the political right because of his moral agenda. Our national citizenship should only be valued to the extent that it can benefit us in our mission to advance the Gospel (as Paul used his in Acts 16:37; 25:11). That being said, our voting habits and political involvement should be in the interest of advancing the Kingdom… PERIOD (just as our careers, finances, and lives should be).

I will give an example of how this plays out for me personally. First, let me give a disclaimer. I do not have this all worked out yet. I am constantly learning and changing. There are things I may stand for today that I may completely change position on tomorrow, because, if what I am proposing is right, we have to beseech God and use our best discernment to make appropriate choices on what political positions we take. It is no longer as easy as Democrat/Republican or Liberal/Conservative; rather it is a constant evaluation and re-evaluation of the most effective ways to exploit the politics of this world for the advancement of the Kingdom. Also, others’ conclusions may be different than mine and that does not make them wrong. It may merely reflect God’s desire to use that person in a different way, even though our perspectives on furthering the Gospel and the work of the Gospel may be the same. So, here are some things this has led me to:

I believe that that our freedom as American citizens is one of (if not) the most beneficial thing(s) we have to further the Kingdom. Freedom allows us to use our money, our words, and our lives to advance the Gospel without heavy persecution. This means that maintaining freedoms within America is a big priority for me. This can play out in a number of ways. For instance, I take a very Conservative stance on fiscal policy. I believe that the more money that believers can keep in their hands, the more we can use to serve the Kingdom. Of course, paying taxes is part of our duty as American citizens (Mark 12:17), but less taxes means more money for us to do our jobs and take care of the poor and sick (assuming that we live this out). To further clarify I use the term Conservative, because Republicans have done a pretty lousy job at fiscal responsibility. In fact, both parties have, so I am attempting to spread awareness that we need reform in this area and to vote accordingly. The government is not very good at taking care of the poor anyway, and Christians should put every government program to shame when it comes to this task!

On the other hand, I take a liberal approach when it comes to homosexual marriage. This is not because I endorse homosexuality. In fact, I think the Scriptures are comprehensively clear in portraying homosexuality as sin (as they are with lying, stealing, lusting, injustice, etc. - I would go into this here, but I am working on a more detailed argument on another subject that puts this into perspective and will be hopefully published at a future date). However, I believe that upholding our freedom is more important than stopping two people from receiving a marriage certificate. Also, I do not see how the constant protests, hate speech, and discrimination benefits the Kingdom in even the slightest way. If we vote to take away freedom from others we may inadvertently take away our own rights. I think that churches should have the right to hire who they want to hire and pastors/priests should be able to perform marriage ceremonies over those they want to marry. The government’s affirmation of a marriage does not make it a marriage. The ultimate truth is that it is God’s affirmation that makes it a marriage. Now, I know there are a lot of questions to be asked here, so feel free to ask. I just merely want to say that within the perspective of the Kingdom I think that in this particular area, my involvement and calling is to reach out to the homosexual community. Not to “support” their right to marry, but to enact the Biblical calling to be God’s love, healing, and restoration to humanity.

Though you may not agree with the specifics, I hope these two examples put into perspective the point I am attempting to make. The whole topic of politics in the Christian world needs to be set within a refreshingly new (at least to many of us) framework. The concept of tying our national identity to our American citizenship seems unbiblical when confronted with Jesus’ declaration of His identity as Messiah and our identity as his disciples and members of His Kingdom. There is much more to be said about all this of course and many more topics that need to be addressed. I just don’t want to write a book as a blog entry (since I tend to write long blogs anyway). I just hope that we can take this challenge up so that we have more opportunity to participate in and advance God’s work and so that our unity as the people of God intrigues and amazes the political world that knows only division.

Sophie Scholl, Human Longings, and an Answer

2009-06-13T01:15:00.000-07:00

I believe that most individuals have longings that are universal. Of course, this is a generalization (but can you ever write a set of observations about cultures, groups, or species without generalizations?). These longings within us are so deep that I think most of us do not know how to express them. We long for love, acceptance, justice, peace, freedom, beauty, etc. Now, I understand that I am speaking from within a Western world where these things are commonly accepted and/or embraced, but (at least from my admittedly biased opinion – I am a Christian and have been immersed in Western ideas and traditions), I believe that a majority of human beings have these longings. From the time we are children outside forces are constantly working against these longings. It can be cultural forces, such as a culture that embraces war as the norm and holds onto the belief that men are to show their strength and courage through spreading fear and death. It can be forces from within the family structure, as in situations where child abuse takes place. It can be physical forces, such as chemical imbalances or handicaps. However, I firmly believe that deep down inside these longings still grip us. They grip us at our very core. They grip us at night when we lie in bed, or when we stop to take a breath from all the running around we have been doing. They grip us when we are surrounded by danger and war. They grip us when someone we care deeply for is sick, or when we have lost someone we love. They are always there. Calling us to feel uncomfortable and out of place. Calling us to hear that something is deeply wrong and this is not how things are meant to be.

Tonight, I watched an instant movie on Netflix called “Sophie Scholl: The Final Days”. The movie was based on a true story. For those of you that don’t know (I didn’t until I watched the movie and then read up a little bit on the background) Sophie Scholl and her brother Hans were part of a passive resistance group, named the White Rose during the days of Hitler. The group printed and distributed thousands of pamphlets encouraging Germans to resist the Nazis. As the title suggests, Sophie was put to death for being involved in this group. What was so captivating about her story is her belief in human dignity that was born out of her strong faith in God. Sophie stood against the Nazis because she believed in the dignity of the Germans, the Jews, the handicapped, the elderly… She believed all humanity is valuable because all of humanity has been created in the image of God. I reference this particular movie because it reinvigorated these longings within me. It put them in a historical perspective that is much different from where we are as Americans, but that still deeply touches us. Even without our freedoms and lives being violently ripped from us, we still feel that something is deeply wrong with the world. We still, despite all the books that have been written to the contrary, believe that good and evil exist. We still believe that good should prevail and the evil should be dealt with. I find it interesting that even atheists still want to use the terms “good” and “evil” as if they are somehow still applicable to a worldview that states merely that the entire cosmos exists in and of itself as a series of processes that came from nothing (even more confounding that space itself was born from nothing! – or maybe from something we haven’t discovered yet- how can we discover something outside of space??? ). But that is another conversation for another time. My point here is that these universal longings are pointing us in a direction outside of ourselves. They are pointing us to the actuality of what we are created for. Evil, and death its byproduct, were not meant to be a part of this world.

At one point during the movie, Sophie recalls the last days she was able to spend with her fiancé before he was ordered back to the frontlines of the war. She says, "We'd sing at night and talk about peace. No soldiers anywhere. No planes, no bombs. Just the sea, the sky, the wind, and our dreams.” I loved this line because it revealed those deep longings right in the middle of the raging reality around her. I have had times like that. I can recall specific meals with amazing food, amazing wine, and amazing friends where I’m briefly caught up by the thought, “This is how it’s supposed to be.” It’s happened in beautiful weather during a sunset. It’s happened with my family seated around the dinner table free to be who we are with each other. It’s happened when I have been hiking and reached the peak of a mountain and been overwhelmed with glory reflected by Creation. The tension between how things are and how they are supposed to be is what brings these longings out. It points towards the truth (however hard we fight it) that there is something more than just what is.

When viewed within the Christian framework, all of these longings begin to make sense. The longing for justice and goodness are within us, not because they are an evolutionary byproduct, but rather because humanity was created to reflect the Image of God (where we find true love, justice, peace, etc.). Since the garden in Genesis and the entrance of evil into the world, humans (and all of creation) have become disjointed. Death and decay entered the picture. Evil, it seems, has won the day. However, the Biblical story continues by revealing God’s love for His good creation and His promise to one day reveal that love by bringing His promised One who will reverse the effects of the fall and reconcile humanity to God. Towards the end of “Sophie Scholl: The Final Days” as Sophie is facing execution, she is allowed a visit from her mother and father. During this time, her mother says with tears in her eyes, “My little girl, never again will you walk through the door of our house… Sophie, remember Jesus.” Sophie responds, “You too mama.” The answer for Sophie is still the answer for us! It is through Jesus’ death burial and resurrection that God is restoring and will one day fully restore ultimate peace, justice, love, and goodness to His Creation! It is through Jesus Christ that we find redemption (both now and future) and it is in Jesus Christ that we find these longings are not only affirmed, but answered and fulfilled.

If we ignore these longings, or brush them off as just idealistic thoughts that do not have any merit in the real world, we may be missing why they exist; We may be missing why the haunt us, why we feel alone even with so many friends, and why the world just plain does not feel right. I suggest that we at least attempt to discover why these feelings are a part of us, and that we address them head on… Anyone who does may find that the Christian story does indeed fit the reality of human existence a little more than they expected.

After her final words with her parents, Sophie is taken to her cell where she spends the short minutes before her execution. There she prays, “My God, glorious Father, Transform this ground into fertile earth, so that your seeds may not fall in vain. Let the longing grow for You, the Creator, that they so often do not want to see. Amen.”

This Present Hope

2009-05-16T10:41:00.000-07:00

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” – Matthew 6:33

Growing up in church, I learned from a very young age the fundamental tenets of most evangelical churches in America. Central to these were two main “doctrines”: 1. Believe in Jesus and you can be forgiven and on your way to heaven, and 2. After being “saved” through praying the sinner’s prayer, it is your responsibility to try not to sin anymore. Based on this, your Christian obligations were fairly simple (though much too difficult to maintain). The “gospel” of Jesus needed to be spread through evangelism. This could involve anything from handing out tracts, to “witnessing”, to relationship based evangelism (befriend sinners and then tell them about Jesus). Also, it was important to find out what you should not do (drink, swear, smoke, dance, listen to rock music, sex outside of marriage, etc.) and don’t do it! It was an interesting framework of thought, because once you are “saved” you are forgiven and on your way to heaven. The present world only mattered to the extent that you could try not to sin and invite others to become part of the more important spiritual world so that they could go to heaven too (most including myself wouldn’t put it in these terms but subconsciously this is the logical outworking of this kind of thinking). The “hope” of the “gospel” was ultimately disconnected from the present world. It was a future hope of a spiritual salvation, so the world itself was a dark, uncomfortable place that humanity is stuck in (until the rapture, of course). A great example can be found in the following hymn that I have heard in churches all over the country:

“This world is not my home, I'm just passing through.
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue.
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door,
and I can't feel at home in this world anymore.”

-“This World is not My Home” by Mickey Gilley

It was not until I was in my early twenties that I began to hear about the Kingdom of God. In fact, at twenty I read through the Biblical accounts of Jesus (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) in an attempt to discover what Jesus really said about how to get to heaven. At the time, I had been severely hurt by a particular Christian community, and was at the point where I was ready to leave the faith. If Jesus looked anything like the people that claimed his name, I wanted nothing to do with him. After reading the Biblical accounts of Christ, I was all the more confused. To my surprise and delight, Jesus was much more focused on love and justice for the oppressed than on heaven. He looked nothing like the church that I had been attending. Central to his message was the Kingdom of the Heavens and/or the Kingdom of God. He rarely talked about the odd spiritual existence I thought was central to Christianity. The rest of my college years were spent uncovering what Jesus meant by Kingdom, and how that applied to this present world.

I do not blame any of my early mentors for what they taught me. It was what they had been taught and I am thankful that God allowed me to experience the pain I went through that I could rediscover Christ in light of the Scriptures. Also, I have not abandoned the truth of forgiveness and the call to flee from sin, but I now see these from within a larger context of God’s work in the world and this fundamentally changes my perspective. I am not going to go into the Kingdom in detail here, but I do want to summarize what I have learned so that what I’m proposing here has some context.

Throughout the Old Testament, God is calling out a people for himself through the seed of Abraham. The beginning of the promise was actually established with Eve. Through childbearing, one would come who will crush the head of the serpent (Gen. 3:15) – I believe the Biblical context here is referring to the defeat of the curse/death. It was then through Abraham’s seed that the entire world would be blessed (Gen. 12:1-3). Abraham’s seed, the people of Israel, were to be a “kingdom of priests” for the nations (Ex. 19:5-6). The royal line continues to be narrowed down throughout the Old Testament, so that eventually what Israel fails to deliver on a national level, Jesus delivers as Israel’s representative. The Messiah who would come and free Israel (as Moses had) and establish the Kingdom (God’s rule over all things) had come.

Though this is a huge topic and has been examined in more detail elsewhere, for the present discussion I will use Jesus life and words to summarize. Jesus claimed to be Israel’s Messiah (anointed one/ King; see – Matt. 16:15-17; 26:63-64; Mk. 14:61-62; Luke 22:70; Jn. 4:25-26, etc.) and stated that the Kingdom of God had come near and/or had arrived (Matthew 3:2; 4:17; 12:29; Mark 1:15; Luke 11:20). His miracles were not random signs that He was God, but rather the King showing his authority over His Kingdom. The best way this can be understood, is to think of what the Kingdom ultimately looks like in the future (at the return of the Messiah) and one will see that those future realities began to take place in the stories of Jesus miracles, works, and teachings. In the future Kingdom, there will be no more sickness (Matt. 8:14-17; Mk. 1:40-45; Luke 5:17-26; Jn. 4:43-54, etc.), no more injustice (Mk. 2:13-17; John 2:13-22; 8:1-11), no more poverty (Matt. 11:4-6; Mk. 10:17-27; Luke 4:16-21), no more evil (Mt. 8:28-34; Mk. 1:21-28; 5:11-13; Luke 4:34-36 ), and no more death (Mark 5:22-43; Luke 7:11-17; Jn. 11:33-45). So, through Jesus life, death, burial, and resurrection, the future Kingdom came crashing into the present. This was shocking to any Jew who believed in Jesus as their Messiah. They had always expected the present age to pass away when the Kingdom had come, but somehow the Age to Come (the Kingdom) had dramatically shown up in the present age.

The Jews were waiting for their Messiah to come and free them politically from the bondage they were under. They were again in captivity with a pagan nation ruling over them. What they expected was turned upside down when Messiah Jesus brought freedom, not from Rome but from the biggest of all enemies, death itself! Through His work, the Kingdom had been brought near and, as King, he began to call a people unto Himself. These people were to abandon whatever earthly kingdoms they were serving and become part of the Messiah’s Kingdom. As part of God’s new creation (which also has been discussed elsewhere), they were now to declare the message of the good news to the world and to begin understanding Kingdom law and living it out in the present (Jn. 13:34) while both waiting and praying for the fullness of the Kingdom to “come” and His will to be done “on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt. 6:10).

Paul makes it clear that those in Christ will be raised as He was raised (Rom. 8:11). In Revelation 21, the Kingdom of Jerusalem comes down and is joined with the earth, and at this point “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away. And He who sits on the throne said, ‘Behold, I am making all things new.’” The coming Kingdom will be a physical reality, where the “earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea” (Habakkuk 2:14).

This understanding shifts one’s perspective, because salvation is not simply about forgiveness, but about leaving behind any agendas one is currently serving and becoming part of the Messiah’s agenda. It is about living out the Kingdom now in the present, physical world. It is not about a list of rules, but rather about becoming part of God’s redemptive work in the world. We are ministers of the reconciliation of all things to God (2 Cor. 5:17-20; Col. 1:15-20). If we are going to seek the Kingdom first, it means we must begin to understand the Kingdom. In the Kingdom there are no poor, no sick, no oppressed, no disregarded. There is no pain, no injustice, no self-serving. This is why James talks about serving the orphans and the widows (1:27). It’s why we take care of the poor, feed the hungry, pray for the sick, and eat with sinners (as the Messiah did). Not because this somehow pleases God, but rather because as part of God’s new creation we are living out the future reality that has mysteriously broken into the present!

This discovery revitalized my faith, and called me to a deeper understanding and relationship with the King. The news of the Kingdom is hope because it is happening now even though it has not fully come. It is hope because God can show up in the present. If the Kingdom reality has begun, then there is no limit on where, when, and how the power of God can show up. My pastor, Mike Erre, puts it this way in his book Death by Church: “The eschatological tension implicit in the kingdom is the key to understanding the Christian life. It allows us to understand we are not only new creations in Christ but also struggling sinners at the same time. It helps explain why we see some evidence of the kingdom (healings, answered prayer, and deliverance) and why we don’t see more… In the crucifixion and resurrection we can see the defeat of Satan and the powers and principalities that rule this world. And in the ascension and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost we see our invitation to enter into the realm where Jesus reigns and rules over His people. ‘We have the privilege of enjoying God’s tomorrow in the world of today’” (200-201).

I am 28 years old and I have more hope now than I have ever had before. I have found that God is showing up in my community. He’s showing up in ways I never dreamed possible. Not only is He showing up in my community, but He is showing up in my life. He has set me free from things I did not realize I was in bondage to. The unintentional deistic belief system that I bought into has been shattered by the message of the Kingdom. I want to share this because I know there are others who need to know that there is hope! God can and does show up! He can and does answer prayer! The Kingdom is (and is not yet). Our God passionately cares about the state of the present physical world and is bringing healing. He will eventually heal it ultimately and completely at the return of the Messiah. The Kingdom has come and all are invited to join in, no matter your social class, your race, your heritage, your culture, your gender! The message of the Kingdom is one of hope and reconciliation and it is here right now!

“Our Father who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, as we also have forgiven those who trespass against us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”
Matt. 6:9-13

most everything turns to shit... rejoice

2009-04-09T19:34:00.000-07:00

Daily the violent acts of humanity are funneled into our homes. The media has coated such heavy pills with slick title cards and high quality graphics making them easier to swallow. The corporate office plans how to exploit newly birthed fear in order to increase ratings and generate revenue. Meanwhile, in the college dorms in Virginia, or on the streets of Iraq, or in the secret meetings hidden from the Iranian government, real people suffer the harsh reality of events that are out of their control. Most of us in middle class America have been spared. And, though sometimes these realities can hit disturbingly close to home, we find ways to shield our fragile worldviews from them. Sure we may pray, or find ourselves saddened by the state of the world, but everyday the steady diet of the chaos that surrounds us finds us a little less surprised and a little more detached.

I believe that there is only one solution to the mess of the present state of the world. Stating this solution WILL sound like an oversimplification by a young idealist, but hear the fullness of my statement before dismissing my argument. This simple answer is summed up in one word: Love. Of course this is Love in the deepest and fullest sense of the word. Not love equivalent to the "love" of pizza or of a particular fashion trend. C.S. Lewis categorizes the love of which I speak as "Gift-Love" and, more specifically, "charity". This kind of love has no basis in the merit of its object, but rather the intrinsic value that the lover finds in the object. If this kind of Love is possible, then it is the single most powerful force that could swallow up terrorism, nuclear war, domestic abuse, exploitation, and on the list goes. Despite the dreams and ambitions of the Enlightenment, reason has proven it cannot turn madmen sane. However, Love never fails.

Please understand that, though the term "love" conjures up all sorts of ideas within our Western world, the Love that I speak of is not a feeling in the pit of the stomach. It is not something that is always delightful. It is a decision. It is an action. Love lives for the interest of the loved object. Philosophically, if all of humanity sought Love for one another as the highest good, this world would be a very different place. However, we know that the complexity of the cosmos and, more powerfully, the selfishness that permeates you and I (though we would probably deny it if asked) makes that a distant fading dream if not an impossibility. Still we understand how drastic the change would be if Love were to somehow be enacted within all humanity (not to mention, the entire living world).

Now comes the tension that the community of Christ is called to live in. Paul makes it abundantly clear that we are no longer in Adam. Rather, we are the new creation in Messiah Jesus. When all of humanity screams at us that love will never work, we enact Love in the present world and face whatever that may bring us. This action can be earth shattering, and may make absolutely no sense to those who seek self preservation and live only for "Need-Love". To the Ayn Rand Objectivist, it is nonsensical and evil. To Sam Harris it is irrational and pseudo-intellectual. To Freud it is an evolutionary byproduct. To those that are in Christ, it is the power of God unto salvation. It is the living out of the Gospel. We live the kingdom, in a world that has not yet been turned over to the King. Our allegiance is not to governments who seek power at any price but to the Messiah Jesus, who eats with the tax collector, the religious leader, the drunk, and the prostitute. Our love goes from the children being ravaged by war and disease in Africa, to the business man who prays over the idol of the almighty dollar every day in his high rise apartment.

As we look at a world being destroyed by hatred, I challenge everyone (including myself) to live the love that is called for by Messiah Jesus. Let the Holy Spirit begin to use us as vehicles of the healing power of the Kingdom of Almighty God! Where hatred and greed destroys, the church must begin to live Love that heals. Where people are starving, the church must begin to live Love that gives all. Where greed is god, the church must reveal through Love the destructiveness of a god who requires the sacrifice of Love and life itself to feed its nature. Our God is Love. He is Love displayed in the man Jesus Christ who gave His life for His creation and three days later rose in victory over death. Ultimately, the love of God will be entwined fully and completely into creation when God's "kingdom comes, Your will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven." Until then, the church is the new creation in the present and has been given the ministry of reconciliation to the world. Now we must enact that Love decisively and fully as we go into a world full of suffering.

Through the Tomb - The God That Enters Our Suffering

2009-04-08T00:12:00.000-07:00

Part of my learning experience in the Christian faith is discovering that it is not always God’s way to save us FROM evil, but rather to conquer evil BY ENTERING INTO IT and DESTROYING IT from the inside out. It has taken me years to learn this. So many times I have begged God to be free from some kind of injustice or pain. I want resurrection now. I want healing today. This is not wrong, but it is not the way God (always) works. Many times He works in a much more surprising and powerful way. Just as God has done with His creation since Genesis, He doesn’t always bring immediate redemption, but rather partakes in the suffering with His creation, and through that suffering and out the other side comes His display of power and love.

This is a part of the Biblical narrative we do well to ponder. Think of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. These young men would not bow down to worship the golden image of the Babylonian king. This sentenced them to execution, and their response was, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up.” Hearing this story so often growing up, it took me into my college years before I realized the significance of what followed. These men could have been saved FROM the fire, but God chose to save them THROUGH the fire. There is a miraculous difference between the two. God not only saved them THROUGH the fire but strangely He joined them IN the fire.

In the same book, we find Daniel thrown into a den of lions for praying despite the royal decree. Once again, God does not keep Daniel from being thrown into the den of lions, but rather Daniel spends the night there with an angel from the Lord (though the text does not specify, this could be the Angel of the Lord). God did not save Daniel FROM the lion’s den, but rather was with him through it and out the other side.

This movement of God to save THROUGH rather than FROM is a regular pattern in the Scriptures. Most notably, we find it in the Messiah. Good Friday begins the celebration of the suffering King. Our God did not defeat the suffering, decay, and death of His creation as a disassociated bystander. Rather, He came into the curse and bore sin and death in His own body. He did not save creation out of the curse, but has rather entered the curse alongside His creation and will bring it out with His resurrection! This is the mystery of God displayed in power, that He would love us enough to enter the curse brought by our sin, and bring us through it and out the other side victorious (as foreshadowed by Moses leading the Israelites out of slavery). I have been reminded this week that, when our darkest moments are upon us and we desperately cry out to God, instead of always begging for Him to save us FROM our circumstances, maybe we need to ask Him to reveal Himself IN them. To bear our sorrows WITH us, as we trust that through the power of His death and resurrection He will lead us through them and out the other side!

“Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury, and the expression on his face changed toward Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. He spoke and commanded that they heat the furnace seven times more than it was usually heated. And he commanded certain mighty men of valor who were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and cast them into the burning fiery furnace. Then these men were bound in their coats, their trousers, their turbans, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Therefore, because the king’s command was urgent, and the furnace exceedingly hot, the flame of the fire killed those men who took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace. Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished; and he rose in haste and spoke, saying to his counselors, ‘Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?’ They answered and said to the king, ‘True, O king.’ ‘Look!’ he answered, ‘I see four men loose and walking in the midst of the fire; they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.’”

-Daniel 3:19-25

Be Who You Are!

2009-03-29T13:29:00.000-07:00

This week I decided to go to my church’s Saturday evening service mainly because there are a lot less people and it’s easier to find a seat. In preparation for Easter, we are going through a series on the cross. It just started last week, so tonight was the second part of the series and it centered around Romans 6:4: “Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

On a personal note, a lot has happened to me over the past several weeks that has called me to face myself and my faith in new ways. Though I won’t explain these things in detail, suffice it to say that I have been experiencing a transformation that can only be attributed to the work of the Holy Spirit. God has begun to reprioritize my values and put me in a place of uncertainty, all the while telling me over and over to trust Him.

The sermon, though not specifically addressing my uncertainty, blindsided me with something I know intellectually but desperately needed to be reminded of. The gist of the message was that those who have faith in the Messiah have been crucified with Him. We, who are part of the church, are familiar with this kind of language because we have heard plenty of sermons on Galations 2:20, “I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who lives, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” When I hear this passage I’m prone to think, “Ok, so I shouldn’t sin.” I make it a passage of condemnation rather than reconciliation. Our pastor, Mike Erre’s, message was a clear reminder to me to listen to what both this passage and Romans 6 are actually saying. We are new in Jesus the Messiah. When Christ died on the cross, all condemnation, all of who I was outside of Jesus’ Kingdom, all of the idolatry and wickedness I partook of, is NO LONGER ME! It has been put to death on the cross. I am a new creation!

I truly believe that much of my personal struggles when it comes to living for Christ and overcoming sin stem directly from not hearing the voice of the Scriptures when they tell me who I am. Instead I only hear them tell me who I should be and I am overwhelmed by the breadth of the call. However, the sermon pointed out that in Paul’s writing he always starts with the positional status of his hearers and moves to the provocation. THIS IS WHO YOU ARE, SO BE WHO YOU ARE! Your sinful nature was crucified, so kill it. The old man has been crucified, so put on the new man. You are righteous, so be righteous! Mike compared this to being a parent. As soon as you have a child, you are a parent. So then be a parent! This theme runs throughout all of Paul’s writings. Recall I Corinthians where Paul says, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you, but you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus…” (6:9-11). The Corinthian church was full of people who were involved in the sins he was listing. However, Paul was saying that is not you! It no longer defines you.

We tend to define ourselves by sin rather than victory. But, in doing so, we have made the good news so insignificant. The Gospel is good news because we are not who we were. Because of Christ’s death, the old self is dead, and because of His resurrection, we are completely new creations alive and freed from the bondage of sin. We are new people, filled with God’s Spirit, and are part of His Kingdom in the present fallen world. We are priests, we are righteous, we are holy. So, since this is who we are we need to BE WHO WE ARE! I agree with Pastor Mike that we need to dare to hope that we can be victorious in our Christian life, in and through the work of the Spirit, because Christ has been victorious for us!

Easter is a Pagan Holiday!

2009-03-29T04:43:00.001-07:00

"And I will put enmity between you and the woman,
And between your seed and her seed;
He shall bruise your head
And you shall bruise His heel."

Genesis 3:15

The beginning of the Jewish Creation narrative describes the fall of humanity and the subjection of the cosmos to the curse of death and decay. Adam and Eve choose to listen to the serpent, despite the God's commands. Romans echoes this beginning when it refers to the unrighteous who "worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator..." (Rom. 1:24). Adam and Eve were subjected to the curse because they chose to obey the creature rather than the Creator. The promise in Genesis is that, through the seed of Eve, one is coming whose heel will be bruised, but who will crush the head of the serpent. Throughout the historical narrative, YHWH has been reconciling the world to Himself (I Cor. 5:16-20). Through the death and resurrection of Messiah the head of the serpent (the curse of sin) has been defeated.

Again and again, those who oppose Christianity say that Easter is a stolen holiday. The truth is they could be right. There were pagan holidays centered around the Spring Equinox. The Christian celebration of resurrection takes place during Jewish Passover. Christians historically believe that Jesus was crucified and rose during this time of year. It may be true that Jews began to celebrate Passover during the pagan holidays, the intention would have been clear to the pagan nations surrounding them: Worship your gods, but we will use your celebrations as vehicles to worship the One True God who brought us out of exile from Egypt. The God who saves his people and laughs in the face of other gods (as He did with the Egyptian plagues). In addition to this, Christians can say our God has conquered death and will one day enact his power over death by raising all of those who are in Christ and by restoring the cosmos. This is our hope!!!

On this Easter Sunday we celebrate one thing and one thing alone: The resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. The resurrection is not a story about some ghost-like spirit coming out of the tomb. It is not a claim guaranteeing that those who have faith in Christ will have entrance into heaven. It does not mean our souls will be saved and our body will be destroyed. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the power of God displayed in and through Creation. It is the promise of the bodily resurrection of all (Dan. 12:2- some to life and some to damnation). It is the beginning of God's reconciliation of the entire earth to Himself through the reign of His Messiah and people (Romans 8). It is the wedding of heaven and earth. Death has been defeated and the grave has been swallowed up in victory (I Cor. 15:54-55)!

When those who oppose our faith tell us the holiday was "stolen", we simply respond "That may very well be true. And if it is, the point is clear: Our God will be worshipped over and above any others, because He is the ONLY God. Worshipping on a pagan holiday is a slap in the face of paganism. It is YHWH knocking over the idols of stone and wood and taking His rightful place as King."

For more information on the power of the resurrection visit:
http://www.roanoke.edu/crs/audio/TomWright-3-16-07.mov

"Now if Christ is preached that He rose from the dead, how do some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are then liars regarding God, because we have said that God raised up Christ, who He did not raise up - if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have died with faith in Christ have perished. If in this life we have put our hope in Christ, we are of all men the most foolish. But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep! For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming. Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. For He must reign until He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death."

I Corinthians 15:12-24