Thoughts on the Death of Jesus

Lord Jesus I read about you yesterday....the way 3 times you felt utterly lost in your humanity....once you just flatout said...."Father let this cup pass" or modern translation..."can I please not suffer and die?...because with you all things are possible." But then you said "never the less....I really want to do what you want not what I want." Then when you hung for hours on the cross you said "my God my God why has thou forsaken me" that was the legitimate question in your heart..."why did you leave me. I can't breath, I am utterly debased..and you my best friend, my Father is silent. You have never acted this way before...." Then you said..."Father ( your eternal best best friends) into your hands I commit my spirit" You just said.."my lover my friend I just give up into your hands." Then finally you just shouted after they crucified and speared you...as inhumane an act ever committed. It really is incomprehensible what you did.....you existed before all....you reigned above all, then you created us...your lovely lovely creation..made from your most inner being....and we were alive. Then we were lost, somehow we did not choose the good way you pointed. We were cast into mixed bag of good and evil and death and mortality we know so well. You decided to come and get us.....you couldn't change our choice....but you became us, you became sin....you lived and walked among us....you even personally became unique friends with those lucky enough to be there at the time. However beyond all this..and I don't understand it..you let them do this unimaginable violence to you...to the bitter end......to death. Thanks oh thanks oh thanks. It was necessary.....

Friends sometimes I write my self little notes when I'm reading the bible....some of the stuff I was reading made me think of just how much fun we have as a small group or any group members..who meet in Jesus name. So I'm passing my notes...with no (zero) agenda. I also included our buddy Nicholas from Haiti who many of us have met and Denny will meet, in January. Here's my notes: So Jesus passes by a tax collector named Matthew. Tax collectors were the most despised and shamed of men. This Tax collector guy Matthew makes his living off his own people by helping Rome subjugate and strip the Jewish peoples' wealth. The tax collector himself knows and his people know he is a man who is very low on integrity. Jesus asks Matthew to follow him...Matthew gets right up. "Why not ? " Matthew says to himself...this man Jesus is overlooking my sins and wants to be with me..I am definitely going..and I am not going to ask questions in case He changes His mind. Then Jesus does the completely unexpected....he goes and dines at Matthews' house! The religious people are incredulous. Perhaps in our time Jesus would be socializing with an active homosexual, or an active sex addict or an active alcoholic, or even an insurance man who preys on widows. Jesus dines with such people. We don't hear a lot about Jesus trying to straighten people out. His cousin John spent a lot of time telling people to clean up their act.....but Jesus seemed to just dive right in with people as they were. ( a famous Christian author , an admitted drunk once said ,Jesus loves as as we are, not as we should be) Right before Jesus dined with Matthew, the tax collector, they brought him a paralytic . Jesus, with out even interviewing the man, immediately pronounces the forgiveness of all His sins. The man didn't even ask to be forgiven....nor did He repent! He didn't have time...Jesus just pronounced a blanket pardon before the man had any response. In fact it wasn't even the paralytics idea to go see Jesus; His friends dragged Him there. Jesus is the friend of sinners....that's who He hangs with and that's who He is comfortable with. Why....? My guess is that a sinner..a tax collector or the like, knows they bring nothing to the table. Jesus either accepts them flat out...or it's hopeless. That's not a bad spot to be in with Jesus. Yes, such an incredible forgiveness probably changes ones behavior over time. But the point is, behavior change or not, Jesus dines with sinners.....and He is fun to be with! I think the best memories His disciples had , were dining with Him at that big wooden table. I picture them laughing and joking...clearly they were so comfortable with him. John His special friend would always sneak into the chair right next to Jesus, and even rest His head on Jesus' shoulder. What a level of comfort they had with God in the flesh! When The Apostle John was an old man on the isle of Patmos, he would write letters to the small churches about His old friend Jesus ( who had since departed.) John would stress over and over that the one thing He learned from His friend was to love love love. ( John also loved the Beatles.) John even went so far as to say if you have fear in your heart...you just haven't seen how much you are loved . He also said that as a disciple you live in a continual ongoing bath of forgiveness. John was talking about our friend Jesus who loves us more than Himself. John was so staggered by Jesus love He once said this: "See what great love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! " John just couldn't get over the magnitude of this gift. As for us modern folk , we aren't doing so bad. Jesus says we hold a special place with him. Jesus says we are particularly blessed because we have believed in Him without seeing Him. John 20:Blessed are those who believe without seeing me." ... Just a personal note to those in my two small groups: isn't it obvious He joins us at table when we meet in His name? He is so fun and He still reclines at table with us..fulfilling His promise.." That whenever you gather in my name I am in your midst.

Well it's been a while

Its a couple days after christmas. Lots of wine, presents, visiting and fun. Of course Christmas brings some melancholy also. Its the passing of another year. My folks are in their late 70's and eighties and I myself will be 60 this year. My children have children and well..time is just flying.

We had some goof faith discussions around the fireplace this year. My agnostic and slightly inebriated aand beloved Uncle Bob (every family has one) wanted to talk about faith and how we (my Dad and I) could possibly believe such stuff..

My dad who has fought 5 cancers in the last decade and now suffers from small cell lung cancer decided to field the question. I must say he did so eloquently and with dignity. He calmly laid out the evidence of design theory. This is essentially the age old argument that a universe of such complexity of design could hardly be an accident. However he quickly added that that is no proof and that faith is necessary no matter how much proof there is.

I laid low in the discussion only quickly adding that the bond and love we feel for those around us must speak of a higher order than simply an infinite accident of coincidental atom splitting.

My uncle remarked that he really respected my Dads quiet words.

This made me think a bit about my own faith. I have been actively believing in Jesus for 40 years. Some parts do come easier. I do trust that Jesus is watching out for me and that whatever new situation I come into that i am not alone. however i still have to start from nothing. There is no proof and i have to dig in and believe.

The most difficult part for me is that the old earth keeps on rumbling along with no outward visible evidence of the divine, He is perfectly happy to keep his mouth shut
and remain the annonymous benefactor; dispensing sunshine and rain for all. Most of us are born with parents who love us and our basic needs are met. Obviously there are troubling exceptions to that rule.

When He does appear its as a refugee baby in a far off land born to a peasant girl in a barn. I, who have believed for 40 years, still struggle with this random story of the revelation and incarnation of the creator of all.

I sat next to my stepdaughter in church as the minister told the Bethlehem baby story on Christmas eve. I turned to her and said this story is so preposterous it must be true!

This Grace in which we stand

Christians sadly often think they are specially chosen by God as if they are in some exclusive club.

The truth is the entire world is in the same club. What's the club? The club is of the forgiven human race whom God has decided to absolve of all it's past present and future sins eternally.

No there are no conditions ... You don't have to change or be good or get the right attitude. God has the right to do whatever He wants and He has decided to give this gift gratis to the planet. He has flatly signed an unconditional release, acquittal and not guilty verdict on the entire planet. We may think this is I'll advised and may even promote more bad behavior. But what's done is done and God is at peace with His decision and Has literally swore He will not change His mind.

My friend Who shall remain annonymous will write me right after she sees this post and say " wait a minute you have to do something... You have to believe" Yes and no. Believing doesn't make it true ( your forgiveness). You are forgiven eternally whether you come to the party or not.

Here is an illustration I am borrowing from an author. Pretend you are chronically I'll and have been hospitalized for a couple months. Every night you worry that the leaky roof on your house is letting rain in and destroying your house.

You worry and fret every night and can' t sleep because you know you can't fix it. One day your brother in law waltzes in to your hospital room and announces to you that last week He got a work crew together and completely tore out the old roof to the rafters and replaced it with a brand new roofand it's leakproof!

Well whether you believe it or not.. You have a new roof and your problems are over. If you believe Him you will enjoy your hospital stay and get some rest and peace. If you don't believe Him you will worry and fret even though you have a new roof.

All faith does is allow you to enjoy the benefits of your roof. It doesn't create the roof. Your brother in law put the roof on before He knew whether you would appreciate it or not.

Admittedly to lay there and not believe your brother in law and to continue to fret and worry is a he'll of a thing to do in the misery department.

Now back to my main point about the nonexclusive club. Jesus flatly states if He dies He will lift "All men to Himself". He really is the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the disciplined and principled (??)..Noooo He takes away the sins of the entire world!

Christians aren't special. Let's be honest, they are not even especially sin free. A good share of the time they embarrass themselves and the gospel with their mean spirited political views and biases and colossal public disgraces.


So what is the advantage of a Christian?
1st Timothy 4:10
"God is the savior of all men, especially those that believe"
Here's what Christians have. They believe that God showed the planet who He was in the man Jesus Christ. They believe this Jesus was God in the flesh inviting all to the party..the drunks, the straights, the gays, the tax cheats, and all the riffraff. The nice people are invited also although a lot of times they are busy.

So Christians are lucky to believe this. They can maybe sleep at night because they believe their roof is not leaking. However they better not think they are special and in the club and the world is not.

So the entire planet stands in this unconditional grace and forgiveness. Everyone is under this cloud of forgiveness from Hitler to Mother Theresa. Hitler is a tough one isn't it? His evildoing was appalling and unparalleled. But somehow the eternal word brought Him into being and the image of God was in Him.

Will Hitler be in heaven? Who knows but I say He has a decent chance. God has certainly made a way for Him to get there. We ourselves aren't going to be there based on our behavior are we? In fact the bible says we are dead in our sins and our only hope is to be resurrected in the righteousness of Christ. Well that's His only chance also. He will be raised from the dead with the opportunity to enter the party if He accepts this weird gift of acceptance based on no merit of His own. Luther once said " God forbid that I should limit the time for acquiring faith to this present life. In the depths of the divine mercy there may be opportunity to win it in the future state"

It's clear that some will turn this down. It's hard to fathom... But our drive to justify ourselves is very powerful... Don't underestimate it.

Now in this piece I have gladly strayed from old time Evangelical Christian theology because it makes no sense. That line of thinking would say you have to accept Jesus consciously in this life to see heaven. Well that eliminates way more than 1/2 the planet. I do agree no one enters the kingdom but by Christ. Yes; Christ has saved Mohammed the little boy born in Tunisia who was run over by a school bus. Yes Christ has saved His Father who never gave salvation much thought and spent most of His conscious hours driving cab to support His wife and 6 children in fluxing Mohammed on $125.00 per month.

Jesus death and resurrection is way more than enough to guarantee their eternity. There is certainly the mystery of iniquity that must be allowed for. These two Muslim folks I used for examples may decide they don't like this giving person with pierced hands who asks nothing from them. Whenever they meet Him in truth they may decide it's not for them. But we are not to decide how Jesus meets them whether it's now through a radio broadcast or later thru Jesus meeting Him at their death. You cannot bet against Gods mercy!
Mercy always has and always will triumph over judgment or none of us have a chance. This planet has never stopped topping itself thinking of new ways to harm each other and turn justice on it's head. But God has never changed His mind and waits as more and more billions of people born in His son's image become eligible for His grace and forgiveness..

Why do we love bad news even when it works against us?Why do we react against the absolutely tipsy turvy grace of God? Why are we more comfortable with comeuppance and conditions which can never be met and being certain those nasty people get what's coming to them?

Even when it makes us miserable we won't allow someone to take grace too far. Why people might take advantage of such grace and start living immorally! Well people do that anyway. People don't need permission to do whatever they want; they just take it when they want it.

If God had allowed our behavior before or after we hear about the gift, to determine whether He would give it...we would all be lost.

I actually went to Church

September 25, 2011

 

 Becky and I visited a church today where a good looking, entertaining pastor began his sermon. I sat back in my chair and thought this is going to be fun! He was gregarious, personable, tweeking individual members of the audience with inside jokes.

The text was the beginning of the apostle  Paul's letter to His son in the faith Timothy. Timothy, the preacher explained, was a young guy charged with a big ministry job and Paul was basically telling him to hang in and fan the fire within himself and don't be put off by His critics.

The entertaining preacher used this text to get the congregation to look at their own spiritual state, be honest about their spiritual life and take action if its flagging. I slumped in my chair. But I thought no..give it a chance, what makes you so smart Scott?  Whats wrong with looking at your own life and seeing if your in the faith.

 

 

So the preacher asked our congregation "hows your bible reading?" I did think to myself that the early church didn't have a bible for at least a few hundred years and they did ok. Next he asked "hows your prayer life?" I thought well..mine is sketchy, but I definetely pray. Then he asked if we sing along in Church, that that's a sign of spiritual vitality.  I thought well..sometimes. I must admit though the long hip church guitar dirges with 40 choruses moaning the same thing do wear me out.

 

Next he asked if we had joy. Well sometime I do..but certainly not all the time. Anyway you get the point. I go to church..have a great time at the entrance seeing my friends, and then I get inside and have to start thinking about what a wobbly, weak, watered down christian I am. By the way the last sentence is an accurate description of me.

 

I asked my wife at our post service breakfast if that sermon did anything for her. I got the look..like don't start; and honestly I don't blame her.

 

I guess what bugged me is that I left questioning myself and my efforts. I am 59 years old and I have heard probably a thousand sermons like that. Sermons that point out where I am missing something and what I have to do to get things right. The sad part is not once has one of those sermons moved me any farther along in my faith; not even once.

 

I tried to think what was missing in the sermon. Well the obvious screaming fact for me was Jesus. By that I mean..not just the name (although it was pretty absent), but a sense that I have been given a free lease on life in Jesus. I want to hear that yes I am a rat..we all are in various degrees..but Jesus has made me well.

 

What I just said is a hard thing to say well and in a fresh way..that Jesus has made the whole human race well completely. He has forgiven each and every human on the planet alive or dead for every fault and sin and dereliction of duty they ever have or will commit  free and for nothin!!

 

He has taken their broken down lives and broken down bodies and made them new..and hasn't asked a thing in return. I want someone to tell me that in a new way..in their own unique way. That's good news. Do you want to know what bad news is? Bad news is that you are failing spiritually  ( wow thats big news) and you better get your act together. Thats bad news because it ain't gonna happen. You might get your crooked nose straightened out but you still will walk croooked. You might slow down the drinking, but your incessant worrying over finances runs unabated. You might finally stop eating too much but continue to run your neighbor down behind His back..you get the idea. We are NOT IMPROVING..we need total saving from outside ourselves.

 

You know what's easy to preach and will make you popular? It goes something like this:  Improve your self for God so He will like you and so you will like you. Everybody gets, undertands and approves of that kind of preaching.

 

You know whats hard to preach? It's this: That God loves you and has saved you despite your best efforts to run him off. He is not remembering your broken promises, your family failures, your cowardice.. He has flat out given you a deal you don't deserve..His undying love, acceptance and friendship in Jesus. Thats a little dull and doesn't leave you a lot to do. Well if you feel really ambitious you could try to practice that same attitude of love and friendship and forgiveness to the other poor travellers on the bus..theres a task for all you gogetters.

Old Age

Well I am approaching 60. I can't believe its here already. King David told us that’s about our life allotment..unless by strength we get 70 years. Well modern medicine has extended that a decade or so, but for most people in that age group quality of life is at best spotty. My Dad has survived into his mid eighties but it has been year after year of chemo and recoveries and new diagnoses and worry.

I am not trying to be depressing here. Ageism is so prevalent in our country and world. Everybody talks about the new 60 and all the magazines are full of diet and exercise and cosmetic tricks to turn back the clock. There is no doubt its better to eat right and get exercise...but the decline and end is inevitable.

So what are we left with in old age? The world pretty much starts to hide us and weed us out of its operations. It's hard to find us in the movies and hard to find us rising the corporate ladder. We are more to be made fun of than listened to for wisdom.

In my opinion we are right in the sweet spot. Jesus message isn't really that interesting for the beautiful and the young. The young are  full of their own dreams and promise and that's as it should be. They don't really understand finitude or setbacks yet; and again that’s good.

But Jesus is a realist and His message is about reality. Reality is we all die. Our bones get brittle, our brains fade and our organs get weak. John, His best buddy said "do not love the world and the things in it" .  I used to misinterpret this. I thought I am not supposed to love sunsets and oceans and girls and motorcycles and nice houses??

Well of course it’s ok to love the world and the things in it.  The worlds a beautiful exciting place and God made it. What John is saying is this; don't fall in love with this finite world. Your little light is going to be on for a while and then it’s going to go out no matter how much you jog and starve yourself. And guess what? No one will give you a thought or mention you two generations after you die. You will be lucky if the next generation remembers and mentions you at all!

So what’s left with such a chilling scenario? Well what occurs to me is that the love of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting. Jesus had a friend named Mary. Her brother died. She lamely said "I know He will rise from the dead....someday".  Jesus rebuked her and said, right now Mary, I AM the resurrection and the life! To me and probably to Mary this sounded like nonsense.  She probably thought to herself  “ so what if you’re the resurrection, my brother is still dead”.  So what did Jesus mean and how is it helpful?  It means we live in this world with two lives. One is plodding along, hanging with our families (or not) trying to earn a living etc.  Our other life, our real life, is in this resurrected one Jesus. It means that though our outer person is fading away (literally) our inner person is being renewed daily in the Resurrected One. It means though you may be falling apart in many ways; financially, physically and mentally, you are fully alive and well and most importantly SAFE in Christ.

This message is meaningless and ho hum for most of the living.  Who do I mean when I say the living?   The living  (in my meaning) are those who don't really stop and realize the fact that they will be gone ever so quickly.  They think the life they have is the real and only life there is and they think it is lasting.  But facts are facts and they really aren't so bad. We will die and are in the process of doing that as we speak.  Jesus Christ is eternal life right now; not someday after your gone. He is eternal life right now..its yours, drink of it.

Labor day

Well a cheap post might be lifting that old verse from the book of Hebrews, that God has ceased from His labors...and the person who has ceased from His own labors has entered into His rest.

Let me be more clear..scripture says that the person who has ceased from his own efforts has entered Gods rest. Scripture goes over that endlessly. So what are these efforts we are to cease from? Well according to Paul its our ceasless effort to establish our own identity and/or our own standing with God. Why are we all so touchy when someone accuses us of wrongdoing? Its because we all have this unwritten standard we compare ourselves and each other to. We all stand in judgement of ourselves and others according to this unwritten law.

Well God is semingly an anarchist and dangerous libertarian. He has simply abolished that unwritten standard that condemns us all and flatly accepted the human race..warts and all in Jesus Christ. Now this is admittedly a dangerous thing to do.

Anybody who just comes out and says the standards are over and out is labelled a heretic and dangerous. Lets name some of the the culprits; Paul and Luther pretty much head the list. Jesus said the same thing only more tongue in cheek. "Do you want to make a big deal about adultery (an admittedly sad event)? Ok since you want to live according to this standard..try this: if you lust in your heart your an adulterer!" Forget it..most of us who are  not in a vegetative state are eliminated. Yet we sadly still hold that law mirror up to ourselves and others hoping against hope we can win this losing game.

There is a reason they killed Jesus. They accused Him of sedition and it was. He turned the whole religious outlook on its head and introduced the void. Whats the void? Well if the law or unwritten standard is no longer operative..we are faced with our own God awful freedom to contend with. If we are no longer to be judged (or to judge) by this bitchin condemning law..and we are free men; what the hell do we do with this freedom. What does it mean to grow up.

Jesus has set us free. He has promised us that there is absolutely no condemnation now or never. Guess what? He does not tell us what to do with this freedom.

I'll be honest. Most of us don't want to grow up. We would rather pretend we are living sucessfully in this safe house of rules and regulations. We love to bitch with our friends about all the evil doers who don't live in the house of rules successfully. You know the ones; the gays, the aborters, the welfare cheaters, the lazy parents, the alcoholics, the dopers,. Thank God we don't live like them. If we just stay in our safe  house of rules and regulations and quickly punish or kick out the violators all is well..we are safe.

However the safe house is a house of cards.  We all secretly know, if we are honest, we probably are not upstanding members of the household ourselves. The older I get the more I see that behind all the fine houses in the neighborhoods I have lived in there is a lot of cracked furniture. There may be a fine SUV in the driveway but a dilapitated wreck in the garage. Is it alcoholism or depression or abuse or a suicidal brother inlaw or a financial mess behind closed doors? Whatever it is the most joyous thing in the world is to drop the standard and judgment because God has dropped the whole game himself.

We can come out of our houses and be ourselves because God has told us its safe. He won't judge us and He absolutely won't put up with us judging others!

So on labor day maybe we can take a chance and cease from our self justifying labors and enter into his rest. What does that look like? Maybe its stepping outside our safe house and meeting some of the other inhabitants of our neighborhood in the mutual grace in which we stand. Maybe its just this one time giving ourselves a break when we secretly want to condemn ourselves for a percieved failing. Maybe its doing the same for another. That's refreshing and a warm bath in this cruel world. Maybe its just the ability to take a break and relax for a second and inviting a weary one to relax with you.

You see we are all safe in this love of the lamb (what a word to describe our God!). It is safe..test it. Yes its like the ice in the spring..we step gingerly seeing if it will support our weight. I'll tell you it will every time. We can begin to breathe and maybe even enjoy and care about the others around us. We don't have to guard and protect ourselves and this gives us more space for the other travellers around us.

Happy labor day