This is the day that Christians have historically remembered as the day that Jesus was arrested, tried and convicted, and crucified in Jerusalem.
I can't help but be reminded by the wicked storms raging outside my house right now of that scene at Golgotha when Jesus took his last breath. In the Bible (Matthew, chapter 27), the writer describes the scene this way:
From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. (v. 45)
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. (v. 50-51)
When the storms today started raging and the sky got dark, everybody took notice. We immediately turned on the news to see the latest forecast. We even stopped cooking dinner to see what was developing and ended up in the bathroom waiting for the tornado warning to pass. My mom called to check on us. My wife's mom and sister called to check on us. News crews were dispatched to the storm centers to report on what they saw.
The account of the crucifixion of Jesus reads much the same way. When the sky got dark and the earth shook and the rocks split, everybody took notice. Even one of the guards who had ridiculed and beaten Jesus said, "Surely he was the Son of God" (v. 54).
So, seeing today's storm (on Good Friday) reminds me of that guard and the storm he saw on the very first Good Friday. He had not been a believer in Jesus as the Son of God before the storm, but afterward, he declared his belief for sure.
On this Good Friday, will you say with me...Surely Jesus is the Son of God!
Friday, April 10, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Fat Tuesday
Today is Fat Tuesday because tomorrow is Ash Wednesday. Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the season in the Christian calendar called Lent, which ends with Easter. This season is often identified with people giving up things in their daily life as a way to remember and identify with the sacrifice that Jesus made for humanity.
In early celebrations of this season, many people sacrificed food and would fast or eat only sparingly during Lent. This season was also a time of preparation and study for people who had converted to Christianity and wanted to join the Church. For a very long time, Lent was without a doubt the most important season of the year for the Church.
Fat Tuesday became a day of celebration and even indulgence as people prepared for their fasting or sacrificial living during Lent. Eventually, the celebration became a season in itself: Mardi Gras (which means "Fat Tuesday"). It's just hard to get a good party to end.
Lent, however, is not a party. It is a time to remember the depth of the sacrifice God made for you and me through Jesus. It is also a time to remember the reason that such sacrifice had to be made - the reprehensible and regrettable condition of humanity - sin. That is where Ash Wednesday comes in. The Church long ago adopted a tradition to begin Lent by people marking their foreheads with ashes as a symbol of the regrettable condition of sin and the desire to turn away from it - repentance.
Whether you are a Christian or not, get into religious symbolism or not, would you still be willing to think about that regrettable (or even reprehensible?) thing in your life that needs to go away? If so, this season of the year, leading up to Easter and the new life of spring, might be the perfect time for you to remember the sacrifice God made for us all and consider what you are willing to let go of....
To read more about Lent, check out this link: Lent 101
In early celebrations of this season, many people sacrificed food and would fast or eat only sparingly during Lent. This season was also a time of preparation and study for people who had converted to Christianity and wanted to join the Church. For a very long time, Lent was without a doubt the most important season of the year for the Church.
Fat Tuesday became a day of celebration and even indulgence as people prepared for their fasting or sacrificial living during Lent. Eventually, the celebration became a season in itself: Mardi Gras (which means "Fat Tuesday"). It's just hard to get a good party to end.
Lent, however, is not a party. It is a time to remember the depth of the sacrifice God made for you and me through Jesus. It is also a time to remember the reason that such sacrifice had to be made - the reprehensible and regrettable condition of humanity - sin. That is where Ash Wednesday comes in. The Church long ago adopted a tradition to begin Lent by people marking their foreheads with ashes as a symbol of the regrettable condition of sin and the desire to turn away from it - repentance.
Whether you are a Christian or not, get into religious symbolism or not, would you still be willing to think about that regrettable (or even reprehensible?) thing in your life that needs to go away? If so, this season of the year, leading up to Easter and the new life of spring, might be the perfect time for you to remember the sacrifice God made for us all and consider what you are willing to let go of....
To read more about Lent, check out this link: Lent 101
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Recession Proof
Money is tight these days. People are losing their jobs. 401(k) balances are falling like...well...like the stock market :(
Pretty much every talking head, expert, and adviser admits that we are in the midst of a recession in the American and the global economies. Everybody is feeling the pinch. Even the Treasury Department has begun printing new dollar bills to reflect the state of the economy:
I recall learning in business school about recession proof businesses that dealt in the staples of life and were able to withstand economic downturns because people will always get sick, people will always gamble, people always have to eat and have to drive.
Much is being written today about how to recession proof your career, your budget, your family, and even yourself! There are articles about recession-proof companies, recession-proof cities, and even recession-proof blogs. :)
"I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (NIV translation)
Although I think the Bible verse Philippians 4:13 is used and abused, that verse and the two before it have a lot to say about "recession proofing" our lives. Unfortunately, the emphasis gets put on the "I can do everything" part more than the "him who gives me strength" part. The big idea in that verse is that God gives us what is needed to endure all of life's twists and [down]turns. Also, if you read verses 11 and 12, you find that Paul is saying that he has learned to be content when he has little and just as content when he has much. He can live through it all because of the strength he receives from God.
Being Content. Now that is a concept and a perspective that will help recession-proof your life!
Pretty much every talking head, expert, and adviser admits that we are in the midst of a recession in the American and the global economies. Everybody is feeling the pinch. Even the Treasury Department has begun printing new dollar bills to reflect the state of the economy:
I recall learning in business school about recession proof businesses that dealt in the staples of life and were able to withstand economic downturns because people will always get sick, people will always gamble, people always have to eat and have to drive.
Much is being written today about how to recession proof your career, your budget, your family, and even yourself! There are articles about recession-proof companies, recession-proof cities, and even recession-proof blogs. :)
"I can do everything through him who gives me strength" (NIV translation)
Although I think the Bible verse Philippians 4:13 is used and abused, that verse and the two before it have a lot to say about "recession proofing" our lives. Unfortunately, the emphasis gets put on the "I can do everything" part more than the "him who gives me strength" part. The big idea in that verse is that God gives us what is needed to endure all of life's twists and [down]turns. Also, if you read verses 11 and 12, you find that Paul is saying that he has learned to be content when he has little and just as content when he has much. He can live through it all because of the strength he receives from God.
Being Content. Now that is a concept and a perspective that will help recession-proof your life!
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
New Year's Lions
The Chinese New Year will be January 26. Have you ever seen the celebrations and parades for the Chinese New Year? The things I remember most are the dancing dragons and lions. The lion dance is done by two people in the lion costume with that big head and is meant to symbolize and invite blessing and joy for the new year.
When I think about lions, I think about Aslan from Narnia and I also think about Daniel in the lion's den from the Bible. As most people know, the Aslan character by C.S. Lewis is actually a biblical image representing Jesus the Christ. He is the King who sacrifices his life for his kingdom and returns from death to win victory over the enemy.
For Daniel, the lions were the punishment he received for praying to his God in direct defiance of an order from King Nebuchadnezzer. The punishment was a death sentence by way of being thrown into the den of hungry lions.
I appreciate this painting by Briton Riviere depicting Daniel in the lion's den because it causes me to see that even when Daniel was faced with imminent death, instead of being focused on the lions, he had his eyes and his heart turned toward heaven. Toward God.
I wonder if there are any lions prowling in your life right now? Economic uncertainly? Job in jeapordy? A relationship that keeps getting worse rather than better? Undeserved persecution? A habit or addiction that you can't overcome?
And this is where that other lion image I mentioned comes in to play. The victorious King. The Savior. There is one who is at work in the world and in all of our lives who has already won the battle against evil, oppression, persecution, and sin. His name is Jesus and he is the Son of God.
I encourage you to join me as we turn our eyes and hearts toward God, in the midst of the prowling lions, and see what God will do in us and through us. Remember how the story of Daniel and the lions ends? Read it again and be blessed: Daniel 6:19-28.
May you have a blessed 2009!
When I think about lions, I think about Aslan from Narnia and I also think about Daniel in the lion's den from the Bible. As most people know, the Aslan character by C.S. Lewis is actually a biblical image representing Jesus the Christ. He is the King who sacrifices his life for his kingdom and returns from death to win victory over the enemy.
For Daniel, the lions were the punishment he received for praying to his God in direct defiance of an order from King Nebuchadnezzer. The punishment was a death sentence by way of being thrown into the den of hungry lions.
I appreciate this painting by Briton Riviere depicting Daniel in the lion's den because it causes me to see that even when Daniel was faced with imminent death, instead of being focused on the lions, he had his eyes and his heart turned toward heaven. Toward God.I wonder if there are any lions prowling in your life right now? Economic uncertainly? Job in jeapordy? A relationship that keeps getting worse rather than better? Undeserved persecution? A habit or addiction that you can't overcome?
And this is where that other lion image I mentioned comes in to play. The victorious King. The Savior. There is one who is at work in the world and in all of our lives who has already won the battle against evil, oppression, persecution, and sin. His name is Jesus and he is the Son of God.
I encourage you to join me as we turn our eyes and hearts toward God, in the midst of the prowling lions, and see what God will do in us and through us. Remember how the story of Daniel and the lions ends? Read it again and be blessed: Daniel 6:19-28.
May you have a blessed 2009!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Costly Grace
I had a conversation with a friend today and we talked a bit about the concept of grace as it applies to the Christian faith. We agreed that there is a temptation within the faith to misinterpret God's grace as permission to live and act and think however we please because we are forgiven and loved by God (i.e. grace).
We also agreed that such a perspective is not at all consistent with the biblical picture of grace. In fact, God's grace, when applied to our lives and active in our lives, actually changes us from the inside out. We are no longer interested in, or motivated by, living our lives the way we want to and catering to our own desires and pleasures.
God's grace produces in us a love for God and a desire to live the way God designed us to live. Living the way God intended is a concept that is found throughout the Bible and is often referred to with terms like righteousness and holiness.
Instead of considering your life your own to live and God's grace as your permission to do so; how would your life be different today if you saw God's grace in your life as the inspiration and empowerment to live the life for which God created you?
For further reading on this subject, I recommend Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer was a German theologian, born in 1906, who openly opposed Hitler and the Nazi's until his execution in 1945.
We also agreed that such a perspective is not at all consistent with the biblical picture of grace. In fact, God's grace, when applied to our lives and active in our lives, actually changes us from the inside out. We are no longer interested in, or motivated by, living our lives the way we want to and catering to our own desires and pleasures.
God's grace produces in us a love for God and a desire to live the way God designed us to live. Living the way God intended is a concept that is found throughout the Bible and is often referred to with terms like righteousness and holiness.
Instead of considering your life your own to live and God's grace as your permission to do so; how would your life be different today if you saw God's grace in your life as the inspiration and empowerment to live the life for which God created you?
For further reading on this subject, I recommend Dietrich Bonhoeffer's book The Cost of Discipleship. Bonhoeffer was a German theologian, born in 1906, who openly opposed Hitler and the Nazi's until his execution in 1945.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Walking by the Spirit
Sunday night we looked at some particular writings of Paul in the Bible that deal with life from the spiritual perspective. In particular, we read about the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5) and also the spiritual battle in which we live (Ephesians 6).
Paul's admonition to people who follow Jesus was to recognize that life is lived in spirit and our spirits are empowered by the Holy Spirit of God. So then, joy and peace and love and all good things like these are the product, the fruit, of God's Spirit at work in us and in conjunction with our spirits.
The struggle of life then becomes the spiritual battle of surrender: the willingness to surrender our spirit to the Spirit of God and be transformed into the completeness of who we were created to be, spiritually.
In Ephesians, Paul says we are in a spiritual battle against powers of darkness. In Galatians, he describes the struggle as being between the Spirit and our own self-serving nature. With both of these images in mind, we are able to more fully feel and understand the internal tug-of-war that works on each one of us.
Paul encourages the Christ followers to live by the Spirit and also then to walk by the Spirit. Do not give way to our own self-serving nature or to similar tempting forces that come from around us. Rather, give way completely to the Holy Spirit of the One True God who is nudging, whispering, or otherwise calling us all to know and to love God and then to offer that same love to the world and the people around us.
Do you have any such internal tug-of-war? God may just be at work in your life.
Is there any self-serving, or possibly detrimental, characteristic about you that really doesn't belong? You have an invitation to live and walk by the Holy Spirit of God and see the fruit of your life improve.
Galatians 5:16-25 (The Message Paraphrase)
My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence.
Paul's admonition to people who follow Jesus was to recognize that life is lived in spirit and our spirits are empowered by the Holy Spirit of God. So then, joy and peace and love and all good things like these are the product, the fruit, of God's Spirit at work in us and in conjunction with our spirits.
The struggle of life then becomes the spiritual battle of surrender: the willingness to surrender our spirit to the Spirit of God and be transformed into the completeness of who we were created to be, spiritually.
In Ephesians, Paul says we are in a spiritual battle against powers of darkness. In Galatians, he describes the struggle as being between the Spirit and our own self-serving nature. With both of these images in mind, we are able to more fully feel and understand the internal tug-of-war that works on each one of us.
Paul encourages the Christ followers to live by the Spirit and also then to walk by the Spirit. Do not give way to our own self-serving nature or to similar tempting forces that come from around us. Rather, give way completely to the Holy Spirit of the One True God who is nudging, whispering, or otherwise calling us all to know and to love God and then to offer that same love to the world and the people around us.
Do you have any such internal tug-of-war? God may just be at work in your life.
Is there any self-serving, or possibly detrimental, characteristic about you that really doesn't belong? You have an invitation to live and walk by the Holy Spirit of God and see the fruit of your life improve.
Galatians 5:16-25 (The Message Paraphrase)
My counsel is this: Live freely, animated and motivated by God's Spirit. Then you won't feed the compulsions of selfishness. For there is a root of sinful self-interest in us that is at odds with a free spirit, just as the free spirit is incompatible with selfishness. These two ways of life are antithetical, so that you cannot live at times one way and at times another way according to how you feel on any given day. Why don't you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence.
It is obvious what kind of life develops out of trying to get your own way all the time: repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community. I could go on.
This isn't the first time I have warned you, you know. If you use your freedom this way, you will not inherit God's kingdom.
But what happens when we live God's way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely.
Legalism is helpless in bringing this about; it only gets in the way. Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.
Since this is the kind of life we have chosen, the life of the Spirit, let us make sure that we do not just hold it as an idea in our heads or a sentiment in our hearts, but work out its implications in every detail of our lives.
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