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Posts Tagged ‘Jesus’

Lenten Meditation from the third week in Lent:

God’s Holiness and Grace AND Our Repentance, Redemption, Reconciliation, and Restoration

Scripture readings include Isaiah 55:1-9, Luke 13:1-9, and 1 Corinthians 10:1-13

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From my journal notes (jb):

Tom Oden writes the following:

“The terms of salvation are conditions of the personal appropriation of God’s saving action—repentance and faith. They are the simple terms of the earliest Christian preaching: repent and believe.” ~~Thomas C. Oden, Life in the Spirit (HarperCollins, 1992), page 79.

“The Order of the Terms of Salvation. The characteristic order of the apostolic teaching of the call to salvation is as follows:

• Repent
• Be Baptized
• For the remission of sins
• Receive the gift of the Holy Spirit

“Regrettably the term salvation has been cheapened by an extensive history of abuse. To understand what it means to be saved, one must first understand what it means to be lost…  True contrition cannot be feigned. Nor can it lack the intent to forsake sin altogether… Repentance requires a decisive reversal of the previous sin-laden course of mind, heart, and will.” ~~Thomas C. Oden

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 55:1-9

On Isaiah…

Vs 1 — “is anyone thirsty?”

** infers “anyone” must recognize their need (take note in the similarity of the blessings found in the Beatitudes of Christ; blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the humble/meek… We are “blessed” when we recognize our need for Him, that we are “broken” and in need of a Rescuer-Savior). We need the “WATER” that will truly satisfy our spiritual thirst; Jesus.

Vs 2 — “listen to me…”

** infers obedience is a necessary prerequisite

Vs 3 –- “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen and you will find life.”

** emphasizes the point made in vs 2, and again infers that obedience is a necessary and prerequisite qualification to enter into the covenant. The covenant exists and is open to all who would come, but to “come” requires recognizing “our” need…and responding with obedience and repentance (as we will see).

Vs 6 -– “seek the Lord (while you can find Him); call on Him (while He is near).”

** infers action is required on the part of the human; “he” must seek God, “he” must “call on Him.” Also indicates that our action has an urgency driven by an unknown timeline-deadline (while you can find Him- while He is near).

Vs 7 -– “wicked change their ways”

“banish their evil thoughts…”

“turn to the Lord.”

“turn to our God.”

“He will forgive…”

** Once again, the inference is that action is necessary on the part of the human. “He” must “change,” “banish,” and “turn…” True repentance precedes forgiveness (Lk 17:3).

Scripture Reading:

• Luke 13:1-9
• 1 Cor. 10:1-13

On Luke…

• (vs3) “…and you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.”
• (vs5) “…I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish too.”

Further considerations (all passages should be considered in their full context):

• (Luke 13:6) – The Parable of the Barren Fig Tree
• (Mark 11:12) – Jesus Curses the Barren Fig Tree
• (Luke 8:9) – The Parable of the Sower
• (John 15:1) – The “Chosen” are expected to bear fruit for God…
• (John 3:7) – “Repent and turn to God…produce fruit in keeping with repentance”

On 1 Corinthians 10…

• (vs1-5) “Yet God was not pleased with most of them, and their bodies were scattered in the wilderness.”
• (vs6-11) “These things happened to them as examples for us…”

My thoughts (jb)

I think, on the whole, most “professing Christians” are deluding themselves with a false sense of security; not unlike the ancient Israelites to whom Paul refers in the passage from 1 Corinthians 10. My personal experience and observation are that we do not bear the fruit that is expected of us. Survey after survey and poll after poll indicate that we (Christians) are no different than non-Christians. Simply put, we are not bearing godly fruit. There are exceptions to this rule, and that is indicative of Jesus’ words (Matthew 7) that the gate is narrow and “few” find it. So yes, there are some Christians who bear the fruit that is lasting and glorifying to God. However, there are many (most) that are not. These are the “professing, but non-practicing, Christians to whom I refer. I realize my judgment here sounds sanctimonious, but it is not. Our role as believing (practicing) Christians is to recognize a tree’s fruit (Matthew 7:17-19) and to help that tree to bear good fruit (1 Corinthians 5:12 and James 5:20).

“Be careful how you treat God, my friends.  You may say to yourself, ‘I can sin against God and then, of course, I can repent and go back and find God whenever I want him.’  You try it.  And you will sometimes find that not only can you not find God but that you do not even want to.  You will be aware of a terrible hardness in your heart.  And you can do nothing about it.  And then you suddenly realize that it is God punishing you in order to reveal your sinfulness and your vileness to you.  And there is only one thing to do.  You turn back to him and you say, ‘O God, do not go on dealing with me judicially, though I deserve it.  Soften my heart.  Melt me.  I cannot do it myself.’  You cast yourself utterly upon his mercy and upon his compassion.”

~~D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Revival (Westchester, 1987), page 300.

Or, you simply become so hardened by your sin that you never turn back to God at all.  (Heb. 3:12-14)

The point that is evidencing itself through my meditations this week on this collection of Scripture is that repentance is the key. There is no following Jesus or forgiveness of sin without repentance; harsh, but true. And, even harsher is this truth, most professing Christians have not repented… this is a problem. The message of grace is the message that most professing Christians love to hear preached, but God’s grace is not a limitless checking account to be squandered on the idol of self (Hebrews 10:26-31). It is a dangerous thing to think that our selfish actions are going unnoticed (Galatians 6:7). For this reason, Paul warns us that we should not have attitudes like those of the ancient Israelites who thought because they were “chosen,” because they were “delivered,” because they ate the spiritual food, and drank the miracle water…they were ok. They were, after all, God’s people… “We’re golden! Yay!” Not so. The facts are that their bodies were strewn through the desert and they died because they did not honor God; they never repented of their own selfish ways…and sought only to satisfy their own needs. Jesus reminds us of the dire consequences if we do not heed the warnings; “…and you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God” (Luke 13:3) and “…I tell you again that unless you repent, you will perish too” (Luke 13:5). As we are reminded in the passage from Luke 13:6-13, Jesus argues for our defense. He wants us to bear fruit and has complete confidence that we are capable of producing lasting fruit for God. Humble repentance is the “Miracle Grow®” we desperately need though… submission to pruning and Christlike fertilization of our heart is our only hope; without repentance there is no forgiveness of sin (Luke 17:3).

John Cassian and Dietrich Bonhoeffer remind us that…

“True repentance refuses to be comforted until the work of conviction is thoroughly experienced. It is a radical act of self-examination reaching into every chamber of the house of willed experience.”

“O that I could repent!

O that I could believe!

Thou, by thy voice the marble rent,

The rock in sunder cleave.

Thou, by thy two-edged sword,

My soul and spirit part;

Strike with the hammer of thy word,

And break my stubborn heart.”

~~Charles Wesley

I am following the Revised Common Lectionary (Cycle C) as my primary Scripture reading for this Lenten Season. This week my concentration has been on passages from Psalms, Genesis, Philippians and Luke. This morning’s meditation was reflecting on the following passages again and the thoughts that Holy Spirit had brought to me during the week.

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Remembering –Luke 9:28-36

And –Philippians 3:12-17

^{LUKE 9:32-35} “Peter and the others had fallen asleep. When they woke up, they saw Jesus’ glory… Peter, not even knowing what he was saying, blurted out, ‘Master, it’s wonderful for us to be here! Let’s make three shelters as memorials.’  Then a Voice from the cloud said, ‘This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to Him.’”

_{MY COMMENTS (JB)} “When they woke up, they saw Jesus’ glory…” This is the case with us as well. When we “wake up” from our spiritual slumber, we see Jesus’ glory. Unfortunately, we don’t always respond in the fashion that is most beneficial for our development as Jesus’ followers. A cursory look around us indicates that our favorite response is that of Peter. We love our “church experience.” We go to great lengths to create an “experience” in our congregational gatherings… it is as if the thing we venerate is the “experience” over the God of the experience… just like Peter (Master, it’s wonderful here…let’s make shelters as memorials). Our churches have become more “sheltered memorials” than houses of worship and spiritual development centers. If we are truly worshiping the God of our memorial shelters, we will be hearing Him say, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. Listen to Him.” The evidence of our hearing will manifest itself in changed—transformed lives. If the fruit of our worship does not manifest itself in producing lasting fruit for the kingdom of God, it only stands to reason that we are worshiping something other than the Chosen One. In all likelihood, we are probably worshiping our memorial…and that equates to worshiping something we have created, and ultimately, worshiping ourselves.

^{PHILIPPIANS 3:12-17} “I have not attained perfection, but I press on to posses that perfection for which Christ Jesus first possessed me… No, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I press on to reach the heavenly prize for which God, through Jesus is calling us… Let the spiritually mature agree on these things… If you disagree, I believe God will make it plain to you… Pattern your lives after mine…”

_{MY COMMENTS (JB)} The vast majority of “professing Christians” are exactly that; professing Christians… not practicing Christians (1 John 2:4-6). The work of “attaining perfection” is loathsome to most people. Everything about the life of following after Jesus rails against our nature… and this is the problem. We have not willingly crucified our nature in order that we might follow after Jesus. Therefore, we balk…we put up excuses…we forgive and accept our failure…and we give up striving for the prize and settle on worshiping the experience and our “sheltered memorials.” This is immaturity exalted in the highest and it leads not only to failure, but most likely to separation from God for eternity (Matthew 7:21). If we refuse to grow, and listen to God’s Chosen One, we have to answer the question; “to who then are we listening?”

We listen to ourselves, our true god.

We cannot arrive in the Promised Land unless we are willing to leave Egypt.

“We must be prepared to give up some things if we intend to get things that are even more important… The life of Jesus is not a monument to the past; it is an invitation to the fullness of our own futures.” ~~Joan Chittister

It seems absurd to us looking back at the ancient Israelites as they complained in the desert wishing to return to their Egyptian captivity. We might be want to think, “I would never willingly go back into the oppression and bondage of slavery…” But people have done exactly that repeatedly. Take for instance, the emancipation of slaves following the American Civil War, many slaves willingly chose to stay with their owners. I realize that some people will say that the reasoning was the slave owners were benevolent and caring for their slaves, and that might be true. I am willing to bet the majority of slaves (who stayed) did so out of the terrifying fear of the unknown…freedom can be terrifying; “what if I make a mistake?” “What lies ahead in my future?” “How do I plan for the unknown?” A “known” that is terrifying is still less terrifying than an “un-known.” How about another example; we hear the profile over and over again of the “repeat criminal” who cannot break away from the prison system. There have been multiple confessions from these career criminals who have stated the reason for their return to the prison institution is their lack of ability to cope with freedom. My guess is there are many more who fall into this category who might not be able to articulate this sentiment openly, but find themselves repeating their crimes for the same reason subconsciously…because there is safety and comfort in the “known” of their incarceration (food, shelter, community) with their most primal needs being met.

The LORD your God will drive out those nations before you, little by little. You will not be allowed to eliminate them all at once, or the wild animals will multiply around you. ~~Deuteronomy 7:22

Ok…one last example; this one because there are those of us who will say, “I’m not a criminal or slave or ancient Hebrew…how does that apply to me?” Sin. Same difference. We return to our sins, or stay in our sin, because of fear, discomfort, and disbelief. Primarily, the same reasons the Israelites wanted to return to Egypt, slaves wanted to stay with their masters, and criminals return to prison. The path of change and freedom takes courage, tenacity, perseverance, and faith. The path of the slave simply requires one to “stay put.”

“My Lord God… I do not see the road ahead of me… Therefore I will trust You always.” ~~Thomas Merton

The path to the Promised Land leads through the Desert. There is no other way. This is the path of spiritual maturity; forgetting the past and forging ahead to what God has destined for us. Jesus offers us the promise of walking in His steps; we must lay aside ourselves for the promise of something better and strive will all our heart, soul, mind, and strength to attain it…no matter that the path to attaining it runs through the place of desolation and deprivation for it is here that we learn to depend upon God. “Let the spiritually mature agree on these things… If you disagree, I believe God will make it plain to you… Pattern your lives after mine.”

“Darkness is not driven away immediately. Light comes in small increments, moment by moment…purging the souls is a lifetime effort.” ~~Francis of Sales

Engaged in this season of Lent, I am sharing the journey with some friends. I challenged them this week to put pen to paper and share a poem, song, or psalm as they meditate and reflect upon the season and their Savior.

(Note – Technically it is only day thirteen, but for the sake of this reflection I have included the two Sundays that have passed in my counting of days).

I have tried to “practice what I preach” leading with example the following piece entered into my journal this morning:

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Day 15 (A Lenten Reflection)   ~~by Jeff Borden

Fifteen days…

I feel the tag-team nemesis of complacency and apathy plotting against me;

Fasting and early mornings are an inconvenience and burgeoning nuisance.

So easily annoyed in my self-denial this saint I am;

So easily distracted from my nearness to Him, in my focus on me.

Fifteen days…and sadness surrounds

In the darkness of me I examine my weakness; the frail flesh that always disappoints,

Driven by awareness of my own deceptions, the mirror of my soul screams at me:

Self-Righteous! Sinner! Idolater! Guilty!

And my spirit is poor.

Fifteen days…repentance resounds

The purpose of the fast evidences itself as a searing light exposes the macabre me

Echoes of the Apostle call from the recesses of my memory, “Who will deliver me?”

The promise of rest looms in the distance

Hope is the fuel for a weary sojourner

The desert is wild and relentless; loneliness, doubt, uncertainty, and fear surround

“Who will deliver me?”

Fifteen days…weakened and tempted

Hungry for redemption I call out to my Lord; “Draw near to me as I draw near to you!”

He replies, “I am here”

Fifteen days…renewed and remembering

With prayer and fasting my soul is refreshed;

Strengthened for the journey, Savior removes the blindness of my sin

Eternity’s hope, the promise of never-ending union with the Trinity,

And my wandering heart is set back to task

Complacency and apathy defeated this day, Day Fifteen.

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Pneuma-Somnambulism by Jeff Borden

(Spiritual – Sleepwalking)

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As we journey this life, how many are sleepwalking through it?

How many of us live in a Matrix existence created by the media and the moguls of consumerism?

How many of us live in the nightmarish dream of our own individualism and ambition?

Are our thoughts of things that matter eternally… kept at bay with slight-of-hand distractions by the enemy of our soul?

Every time you attempt to awaken from your slumber of soul… are you rendered again, unconscious by the pied-piper of the American Dream?

We groan in the pangs of our own rebirth; terrified of what lies on the other side

We are strangled with anxiety and fear at the thought of losing control…as if we ever were in control in the first place; crippled with the illusion of our own self-sustaining power

We wrestle with shaking the slumber and cobwebs of confusion from our Intellect, the Master-mind of man, who with steely grip and maniacal tyranny controls the passions of our heart

Will we ever awaken?

Can we break free from the narco-hallucinogenic bondage of the adamic self?

A Rescuer beckons us; with kerygmatic boldness, His Spirit calls:

“Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

Awaken O Sleeper, Awaken.

“..everything exposed by the light becomes visible,  for it is light that makes everything visible. This is why it is said: “Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is…” Ephesians 5:13-17

Or Faith that Transforms?

One of the most agonizing things I experience as a Christian, and especially as a minister-pastor, is the struggle that I witness people go through in the process of their faith. I remember a saying we used when I was growing up in the Pentecostal church that we would use to describe folks that were going through particularly difficult times (specifically the inner changes that were part of the ongoing process of transforming sanctification). We would say, “Brother or sister so-in-so really needs to get the victory.” I think about this a lot these days. I’ve been leading, mentoring, counseling, and discipling people in the ways of Christ for quite a few years now; not a lifetime, but enough years to see the trends. The thing I have noticed is the “lack of victory” so many people display in their lives. It’s almost as if the Christian life is a life of drudgery and “beat down” for them. They exhibit very little joy and almost always are teetering on the verge of being sucked back into their old life (Christianese alert::::) aka backsliding.

Eugene Peterson’s Message Bible paraphrases this portion of the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans (Romans 7:14-23) as follows:

I know that all God’s commands are spiritual, but I’m not. Isn’t this also your experience? Yes. I’m full of myself—after all, I’ve spent a long time in sin’s prison. What I don’t understand about myself is that I decide one way, but then I act another, doing things I absolutely despise. So if I can’t be trusted to figure out what is best for myself and then do it, it becomes obvious that God’s command is necessary. But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time. It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.

This might sound even more depressing if it weren’t for (as Paul Harvey used to say…) “the rest of the story.”

Romans 7:24-25 — ²⁴ I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question? ²⁵ The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.

What does it mean? It means we can get the VICTORY. We can live a life free from the continuous and tumultuous “pushing and pulling” against our soul of sin. We don’t have to live the Romans 7 life; we are freed to live the Spirit-filled life of the Romans 8 saint.

The Problem:

Why do Christians stay in the realm of Romans 7? I can’t say for sure, but I have a pretty strong theory. I think, like so many things, we simply add Christian faith to our lives like we do any other supplemental stage of life or personal development tool. We have the propensity to approach Christianity with “Transformer Mentality” bolting on to our lives something that will make us a better person…or something that will fix the problem I’m in so I can resume my life. And, the majority of time…the vast majority of time, this approach fails us. The Transformer-bolt-on-Jesus approach to Christianity and faith in the Living God is the antithesis of the “Follow Me and Count the Cost” call of Jesus Christ. Faith in God is not an upgrade package to an over cluttered life. Faith in God, becoming a disciple of Christ, is a complete life overhaul…and must be counted as such.

You Must Be Born Again…

What do we think when Jesus declared to Nicodemus; “No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” (John 3:3).  In the Gospel of Luke (Luke 14:25-33) Jesus is even more explicit in his demands for becoming his follower (disciple). He says we must deny self and give up everything or we cannot become his disciple. He gives an illustration for “dying to self” in order to become “reborn” in the passages of John’s Gospel (John 12:24) as follows:

²⁴ I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. ²⁵ The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. ²⁶ Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me.

The faith, the life, that Jesus offers us is not Transformer Faith; it is FAITH THAT TRANSFORMS! The Apostle Paul writes; “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Don’t settle for “bolt-on” faith; go for the real deal and the Victory that is eternal… Faith that Transforms.

Ash Wednesday and 40 Days

My journey “living the liturgical year” continues with our arrival on Ash Wednesday and the beginning of the season of Lent. This will be my second full immersion into this tradition of the church; last year was my first time to fully embrace this season of reflection, remembrance, fasting, prayer, and drawing nearer to the heart and purpose of our God. With utmost sincerity I can say it was a season that ushered in considerable change and spiritual growth in my life. I expect that this year’s observation and engagement will be no less gratifying (James 4:8)

My blogging has been somewhat sporadic over the past few weeks; living, observing, and reflecting during the season of Epiphany. I have spent this time preparing for and looking forward to this next season of the great traditions of the Church. My intentions are to offer meditations, reflective thoughts, and my own experience through these next 40 + days as we journey together to Resurrection Sunday. Beginning today, I will post some of these devotional thoughts. Additionally, I will include links to resources and other helpful sites that I am being inspired, encouraged, and challenged by. I hope you will join me and interact here on the blog.

If you’d like to receive daily updates through your email, you can sign-up for the notifications in the window to your left where it says “subscribe” and asks for your email address.

God’s grace and peace be yours as you draw near to Him. Amen.

Installment #7 was my assignment for this weekend’s worship services. My title for this message was “Preventative Maintenance: Creating and Maintaining a Healthy Biblical Community.” As is my custom, I have included the manuscript, sermon outline, and small group discussion questions along with the audio file. I am always interested in constructive critique and feedback.

download manuscript (.pdf file)

download outline and sm.grp. discussion (.pdf file)

2010FEB14 ChristianJourney 7jb by valleychapel

As I mentioned in previous posts, I’m trying to be more intentional about my meditation through Scripture and focus on the liturgical year. We are currently in the season of Ephiphany as we rapidly approach Ash Wednesday and the Lenten Season. My posting on the blog regarding my meditations has tapered off a bit, but my personal devotions have not… It may sound weird or contrived, but I have never felt so spiritually alive and awakened in all my life; with each new day it seems this awakening becomes even more profuse. This is not to say that I don’t have times of fatigue, doubt, frustration, sorrow, grief, anger…etc, but I’m learning that God, the Holy Spirit, is leading, teaching, and revealing Himself in the midst of every nano-atom of matter, life, time, space, and eternity. If I am alert and intentional in seeing Him in every instance of life…in every moment of time…I do; see Him. I “hear” Him. I am instructed, and discipled, by Him all through my day. This is truly Ephiphany; the great “awakening” and walking in this heart, soul, mind, and strength attitude seems that each day is even more ephiphanous or epiphanic.

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” ~~Jesus (Matthew 5:14-16)

And isn’t this what an “awakening” or revelation (epiphany) is about; showing it and revealing it to others? New life. Awakened. Reborn. Recreated. Redeemed. Reconciled. Restored. Reunited. I get excited just writing these words. How much more should our excitement be to reveal the HIM in us to the world around us? Honestly, can we keep HIM in us from being revealed? I don’t think so.

It was with great delight then when I read the following excerpt from this post from my “new” friend, John Armstrong’s blog:

“But apparitions, in the sense of purely private revelations intended for private use, seem to me to be unknown in Scripture. All epiphanies include a message for the whole community of God, underscoring the nature of Christian faith as personal and communal but never private and gnostic.” ~~John H. Armstrong

I “discovered” John through one of the blogs (euangelion) that I regularly read. This particular post was reviewing his upcoming book, Your Church is Too Small. I am thrilled to say that I will be reviewing and posting my thoughts from this book in the near future. Until then…continue to live in the revelation and let the LIGHT of HIM in you be revealed and displayed before the world. Praise Him!

and for your “earworm” pleasure that will do your “heart” good…try this from the CD “HYMNED” by Bart Millard of MercyMe

Epiphany: You are a Light…a City on a Hill

“You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.” ~Jesus (Matthew 5:14-16) NLT

This week a tragic and devastating earthquake hit the small island nation of Haiti…a country that was pretty much destroyed and without hope to begin with. While this (natural disaster) seems like some “unholy” kick-to-the-head while already down on the ground, it could be that God Almighty will use this cataclysmic event to show the world His redemptive and restoring ways. It troubles me, and humanity in general, to think in these terms and I certainly do not try to explain or quantify why God allows certain things to happen. However, if we believe He is Sovereign, there has to be some way that we are able to reconcile the events of life outside the “catch all” of fate. No, I can’t make sense of it from my limited perspective…and I have no desire to try to defend my own thoughts, but I do believe that great good can be the ultimate outcome of a horrible and tragic event.

Haiti has been a victimized and oppressed land for a long time; a long, long time. We have had the ability and resources to bring healing to this country for a long, long time too. It might be argued that it is not our responsibility to be the big brother of the nations (speaking of the United States of America)…however, as citizens of God’s Kingdom (anyone calling themselves Christian) it is our responsibility. I have seen statistics that say the annual “tithe” of the North American Christian Church should be estimated at 200 Billion dollars. Actual charitable (inside and outside of the Christian Church) giving totals 39 Billion annually.  This is annually. Yearly. To me, this indicates a renewable capital income. The difference between 200 and 39 is significant. What this reveals is a large amount of untapped discretionary income that could be used for the rebuilding and resurrection of not a country…but a people. We stand on the threshold of one of the greatest Christian opportunities of the modern world. And, we have the resources, manpower, and wherewithal to accomplish the task.

Poverty, hunger, lack of potable water, disease, and a host of social maladies plague our island neighbors of Haiti. In the past two years they have seen hurricanes and flooding added to their plight…and the world turned (for the most part) a deaf ear. I don’t know why a tragedy of such monumental proportion was not intervened upon by a “good and loving” God, but in the cacophony of flattened cities we are hearing…and may we not stop hearing until a nation of people have been fully resurrected and restored to a place of dignity and health.

So, during this season of Epiphany and revelation, I pray for my Haitian brothers and sisters. I pray that the world may see and BE the Light and Love of the Redeeming-Restoring God who loves us in the midst of storm, fire, and earthquake (Isaiah 43:1-4). Jesus told his followers, “In this world you will suffer oppression and persecution.” He also said He would walk with us through the difficult times and regardless of the difficulty of our journey, nothing could snatch us from His hand (Romans 8:38). We are His; forever. This is the resurrection God, Jesus Christ. He is the God who brings beauty from ashes and changes mourning into dancing joy. May we see the dawn of this great Light as the twilight of tragedy fades from our sights.

“Do not be afraid, for I have ransomed you.
I have called you by name; you are mine.
When you go through deep waters,
I will be with you.
When you go through rivers of difficulty,
you will not drown.
When you walk through the fire of oppression,
you will not be burned up;
the flames will not consume you.
For I am the Lord, your God,
the Holy One of Israel, your Savior.
…You are precious to me.
You are honored, and I love you.” (Isaiah 43:1-4)

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” ~Jesus (John 16:33)

“And I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. Neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow—not even the powers of hell can separate us from God’s love.” (Romans 8:38)

Christmastide Reflections: The Great Exchange…

Reconciliation is here…Restoration beckons us to come.

The past several days I have remained in a state of contemplative wonder; considering still the miracle of deity and flesh converging for the purpose of redeeming light from dark and life from death. For many people, Christmas is over…there is still the novelty and newness of gifts given and received, but the wonder of the Great Exchange has been forgotten; swallowed in the glitter, flash, and furious flurry of commercialism and consumerism. Such is life in the 21^st Century. In the great traditions of the church, however, Christmas is not over…the celebration has only just begun.

Christmas is not merely a day like every other day. It is a day made holy and special by a sacred mystery. It is not merely another day in the weary round of time. Today, eternity enters into time and time, sanctified, is caught up into Eternity.

—Thomas Merton

Christmastide: A Season of Feasts…celebrating the joining of Heaven and Earth

The wonderful nativity story from the gospel of Luke that is so romanticized by our culture has become our poster child of the Christmas season. We gather together, read the story, force a tear, stifle a yawn, and then with alarming speed we rush through the day of Christmas and begin our race towards the New Year holiday parties. And the birth of our Savior is all but forgotten; lost in the midst of fanfare-ous clutter and media mayhem.

The waiting is over, the promised Savior is here…The waiting is over, the Holy One is born…The waiting is over, the Light of the World dawns. If Advent is waiting, Christmas is a season of wonder.

As I have considered this magnificent event, God coming to earth in the flesh of man (Luke 2; Philippians 2), I have noted some parallels…similarities to other stories I have not previously considered. Mary gives birth…delivers the Deliverer, Jesus, with great and joyful exhaustion. I have been present through the births of three of my own children. It is an incredible and “full-body” experience—painful, messy, and very emotional. Giving thought to these experiences, my imagination is stirred to reflect upon the “rebirth” process. After all, this is what the divine birth is the precedent for. I think the process of rebirth is very similar to the original birth…perhaps just as much fraught with pain, mess, and emotion…sometimes exhausting and sometimes exhilaratingly joyful too. Birth and rebirth do not start and stop with a single event; both are beginnings. I wonder why so many of us treat the birth of Jesus as a single event during the Christmas season. I wonder why so many of us (professing Christians) treat our “rebirth” as a single event during the course of our lives. Both events are beginnings; the starts of something so incredible and so incomprehensible that it is hard to put into words. Laurence Stookey does an admirable job of describing the indescribable, the Great Exchange; he writes the following:

Christmas is the enfleshment of God, the humiliation of the Most High and divine participation in all that is painful, ugly, frustrating, and limited. Divinity takes on humanity, to restore the image of God implanted at creation but sullied by sin. Here is the great exchange Christmas ponders, that God became like us that we might become like God. God accepted death that the world might accept life. The Creator assumed temporality to redeem creation from futility.  –Laurence Stookey

My, oh my… How then can we ignore this great exchange, this great salvation? (Hebrews 2:2-4)

I have decided to take on the suggestion from one of the books I am reading during this immersion into the liturgical year; while society and culture moves on to the next thing, I will treat this Christmastide season (these twelve days of Christmas) different. I will linger and reflect on the Season of Feasts; for indeed, Heaven has kissed Earth and reconciliation is here. Restoration beckons us to come.

“Don’t be afraid…I bring you Good News that will bring Great Joy to all people. The Savior—Yes the Messiah, the Lord has been born today.” Luke 2:10-11

“Then I witnessed in Heaven an event of great significance… It has come at last—salvation and power and the Kingdom of our God, and the authority of His Christ.” Revelation 12:1-10