Last month, Juli, Ashlyn, and I were in Rothenburg, Germany for the annual Euro-American Family Retreat. I love spending time in this part of Germany and attending this excellent retreat. But not having lived in Europe for the past four years, something stood out to me this time around. Black Friday is now a major event, even in Europe! The idea of having a sales promotion isn't wrong, in and of itself, but making Christmas about consumerism, rather than Jesus is troubling. It seems to have gotten worse in the US over the past couple of decades and Black Friday now joins the list of tacky cultural exports that the US has shared with the rest of the world. Christmas shouldn't be about consumerism, but it is about gifts and the best of those gifts has already been given - it's been given to us from God the Father, through his Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus is our gift of peace.
And we are all in need of peace. The world is need of peace. From the Palestinian/Israeli conflict in the Middle East to the drug cartel violence in Mexico, the world is overrun with conflict and violence. In late 2019, there are over 25 significant conflicts globally and the US is involved in no fewer than 5 of them. Many others affect us indirectly - in fact, the more our world is connected through technology and travel, the more any and every conflict will affect us all. We also experience conflict at the local, familial, and personal level. The world needs peace. Our countries need peace. Our communities, our families, and all of us individually are in need of peace. But conflict and war has been par for the course for most of human history. Biblical history is no different.
In 2 Samuel chapters 13-19, we read of the tragic story of David's son, Absalom. I won't go into all the details here, but to make a long story short, rather than enjoying the privileged position of a prince, Absalom instead rebels against his father and tries to usurp the throne. Absalom and David are at war. But its obvious that David does not desire this state of affairs. He longs to be reconciled with his son. He longs for peace. But his son's rebellion has forced the issue and David must do what's right for both himself and for the greater good of his kingdom. So, Absalom must be defeated. Absalom must be destroyed. If there were any other way, David would pursue it, but Absalom's selfish desires force David's hand. When Absalom is killed, David is in pain. He weeps and mourns for his son - the same son who wanted him dead and tried to steal his throne.
The story of Absalom's rebellion gives us some insight into humanity's relationship with God. Sin isn't just us breaking a few rules. Sin is outright and open rebellion against God, our King. Through sin and idolatry, we shake our fist in God's face and we tell him that we would rather do things our way, than his way. And our rebellion has catastrophic effects, not just on our relationship with God, but also on our relationship with one another. This, in some ways could be a summary of the macro story of the Bible.
In the beginning, we had unhindered access to God as he walked among us and communed directly with us. But, Eve was lured by the promise of the fruit and decided that being in relationship with God wasn't enough. She wanted to be like God and Adam joined her in this idolatry. Like Eve (and Adam), we have all reached out and grasped for the fruit. We've all desired God's position, rather than God himself. Or like Paul described it in Romans, we've worshiped the creation rather than the creator.
Right after Adam and Eve are kicked out of the garden, we read of the tragic story of Cain and Able. These two brothers are at war as Cain kills Able. And this tale has been replayed millions of times throughout human history (at the familial, local, national, and inter-national level). And just like Cain, Eve, and Absalom, our sin is outright rebellion. Through our rebellion we entered a war with God as we severed our relationship with him. Our sin has led to real hostility between us and our Father and to real hostility amongst ourselves. We need peace. Thankfully, God initiated a peace process.
Paul writes in Romans 1:18 that "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of those who by their wickedness suppress the truth." Paul doesn't say that God's wrath is directed towards humans themselves, but to their actions. God still loves the human beings who commit these wicked and evil attrocities, but the result of evil behavior is death. The wages of sin is death as Paul will say later in the Roman letter.
David did not hate Absalom, but loved him. But Absalom loved his sin more than he loved his father and it led to his death. It's the same for us. God loves us, but if we love our sin more than God, it will lead us to death - both physically and spiritually.
David had to consider the good of his entire kingdom, not just the good of his son. God too considers the good of his entire creation. We're all in this together - it's not just about us as individuals. If we continue to rebel against God's creational intentions, then we will miss out on life in the new creation. The wages of sin is death.
So, if we are at war with God and the wages of sin is death, how do we escape the destruction that our sin demands? How can we be reconciled back to God? How might we find peace? In Luke chapter 1, we discover the answer. After the birth of his son, John the Baptist, the priest Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke these words: "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has looked favorably on his people and redeemed them. He has raised up a mighty savior for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from old...By the tender mercy of our God, the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace."
In his letter to the Ephesians, the apostle Paul describes what Jesus, the gift of peace has accomplished. In chapter 1, verses 3-14 we discover that our redemption (being bought back from slavery and being forgiven of our sins) has been accomplished through the blood of Jesus. Paul then goes onto say that the mystery of God's will is the coming together of heaven and earth through Jesus. In other words, there will be heaven's peace on earth. And we can be certain of this because God has given us the down payment of the Holy Spirit on our future inheritance.
In chapter 2 of Ephesians, Paul states that we have peace through Jesus. In fact, Jesus is God's gift of peace. We were far off, he states, but through Jesus we've been brought near. All that stood between us and God has been abolished. And all that stood between Jews and Gentiles has been abolished too. Jesus came proclaiming peace to the far off Gentiles and peace to the nearby Jews. And now, both Jews and Gentiles, united in Christ, make up the new humanity. It is just like it was in the beginning. God's new humanity is where he dwells through his Spirit.
The Biblical notion of peace isn't just the absence of conflict. Biblical peace (shalom in Hebrew) includes the additional meaning of things being as they should be. It's the idea of things functioning as they should function - things working right for good. The Biblical notion of peace is not unlike what Julian of Norwich said, "All shall be well and all manner of things shall be well."
Still, all is not well, at least not yet. We live in a broken world. We live in a world of conflict - a world of war - a world of sin. We live in a world that needs healing. We live in a world that badly needs peace. Thankfully, Jesus has become our peace. So, the message of Christmas is good news for the entire world. As the angels proclaimed to the shepherds on the night of Jesus' birth, "Glory to God in the highest heaven and on earth, peace among those whom he favors!"
One day, Jesus will bring wholeness and healing to the entire creation. All shall be well on that day and true peace will finally be realized. So, let's celebrate Jesus, the gift of peace, this Christmas! Let's rejoice in the good news that the war is over. Peace has been achieved through Jesus Christ! Let's celebrate our Prince of Peace this Christmas! - Shay
Wednesday, December 18, 2019
Monday, October 14, 2019
The Good Life
What does a meaningful life - "the good life" look like in the 21st Century? How does a person move from simply surviving, to thriving"? How does one know if they are fulfilling their purpose in life, rather than just drifting along to an inevitable death? If you ask a hundred people, you'll probably get a hundred different answers, but those answers will share many of the same themes.
At a bare minimum, people need life's basics to survive. One probably isn't concerned with thriving, when they are struggling just to scrape by. We all need food, shelter, and security (this would also include medical care when needed). When those basics are not automatic - when providing for those life essentials is a day to day struggle - it's hard to imagine a human flourishing.
But when the basics are a given - when one's daily bread is also bread for tomorrow - then a foundation is laid from which to build a meaningful life. When the essentials are not in question, then one is free to ask other questions. Many in our world still don't have easy access to the bare necessities, but it seems that we are moving closer to a day when at a minimum, everyone on the planet has their essentials met. Hopefully we will see that day in my lifetime.
But beyond this, what do we need to live a meaningful life? What does the good life look like in the modern world? Though different people may describe it in different ways, I think that many in our world would come up with variations on two basic themes. First, we all need community and connection to thrive. Second, we need a purpose to pursue. I believe these two ideas go hand in hand.
Let's consider what it means to be a part of a community. At it's core, to be a part of a community, is to belong. The family is the crucial building block of all communities. Historically, the family has been the foundation upon which all human societies have emerged. When a family functions at its best, it provides a safe place for a person to be loved, cherished, and appreciated, regardless of the circumstances. Of course, there is a such thing as dis-functional families, but all of us know in our core that broken families are not ideal, and hopefully, not the norm.
Society, of course organizes itself into many other groups and organizations. But even those groups, to some degree operate in a similar fashion to families. There are rules and structures that each "family" chooses to organize itself by, but in many ways, a group, team, business, club, city, or even nation, is just a non-biological (and often much larger) version of a family. But when a person no longer belongs to a family or families, whether biological, or other, it becomes very difficult to live a meaningful life. Without being connected to a group larger than ourselves, much of what it means to be human is lost.
But people need to not only belong, they also need to contribute. Part of being in community is playing a vital role in that community. Without contributing to the greater good or the larger outcome, people typically feel either underutilized or underappreciated. And this contribution to the greater good - whatever that might be - is essential if one is to live a purposeful life.
When our basic needs are met and when we safely and securely belong to and contribute to a community (or communities), we are in a position to live a meaningful life. This gives us the freedom to embrace challenges, the boldness to seek out adventure, and the curiosity to explore uncharted territory. Then we have a purpose to pursue. These purposes will vary from person to person, but for us to live the good life - a meaningful life - we must believe the purposes we pursue are worthwhile and transcend our individual context. In other words, it is imperative for us to believe that the things that we give our time and energy to make a difference.
This only skims the surface of what it means to live the "good life". But, at a minimum, it's hard for me to imagine anyone living what they might describe as a meaningful life if they lack basic necessities, if they lack connection to a community, and if they find that they are being underutilized, underappreciated, or if their pursuits don't seem to make a difference to world at large (regardless of how large or small that world happens to be). What else is essential to living a meaningful life? What do we need to live the "good life"? - Shay
This only skims the surface of what it means to live the "good life". But, at a minimum, it's hard for me to imagine anyone living what they might describe as a meaningful life if they lack basic necessities, if they lack connection to a community, and if they find that they are being underutilized, underappreciated, or if their pursuits don't seem to make a difference to world at large (regardless of how large or small that world happens to be). What else is essential to living a meaningful life? What do we need to live the "good life"? - Shay
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
No Outsiders
About three months ago, my 9-years-old daughter, Ashlyn, delivered a speech at the LTC convention in Dallas. I gave her a little guidance ahead of time, but when once she started to write the speech, she wrote it in its entirety without my help. Her speech was rooted in two stories that come from John 4. I'd like to share it now.
"My name is Ashlyn Smith. I'm a third grader. At school we have a 'Buddy Bench'. If someone has no one to play with, they can go sit on that bench and other students can see that they need a friend and ask to play with them. My school isn't the only one with the 'Buddy Bench'; many schools have it. The 'Buddy Bench' was actually created by a different school.
In John chapter 4, Jesus went over by a well. There was this women there getting some water. Jesus asked for a drink. The woman was confused. Jesus was a Jew and she was a Samaritan. They don't talk to each other. She asked him why he asked this. He answered her: 'You do not know what God's gift is. And you do not know who was asking you for a drink. If you did know, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.' Jesus let this woman in even though she was a Samaritan. And that's not the only thing. She also made some bad decisions. Jesus made a big impact on the Samaritan woman. After Jesus talked to her, she went out and told her entire village.
The Samaritan woman wasn't the only outsider Jesus reached in John chapter 4. One day, Jesus visited Cana in Galilee. A royal official was there. His son was in bed and sick at Capernaum. So, he went to Jesus and begged him to come and heal his son. The boy was close to death. Then, Jesus said, 'Go, your son will live.' The man believed what Jesus said and so he left. On his way home, his servant met him. He said his child's fever went away yesterday afternoon at one o'clock - the exact time Jesus told him 'Your son will live.' Jesus healed the man's son even though he was a Gentile. The Bible doesn't really tell us how Jesus impacted the royal official, but I'm sure it impacted him a lot, because it says his whole family became believers.
Jesus let several outsiders in even though they were different. We should all do that. That's what those friendship benches are for. One good example of the friendship bench in use is...one time there was a lonely boy at recess - Andrew. He was sitting on the friendship bench alone and I invited him to play with my friends at recess. Just like the Samaritan woman, Andrew made some bad behavior decisions. Because of Andrew's bad behavior decisions towards others, Andrew doesn't have many friends. Just like Jesus, it's important for us to reach out to other outsiders.
There is this band called Rend Collective. They wrote a song called "No Outsiders." I'd like to share the chorus with you.
"There are no outsiders to your love.
We are all welcome, there's grace enough.
When I have wondered, Lord,
Your cross is the open door.
There are no outsiders to your love." - Ashlyn (and Shay)
"My name is Ashlyn Smith. I'm a third grader. At school we have a 'Buddy Bench'. If someone has no one to play with, they can go sit on that bench and other students can see that they need a friend and ask to play with them. My school isn't the only one with the 'Buddy Bench'; many schools have it. The 'Buddy Bench' was actually created by a different school.
In John chapter 4, Jesus went over by a well. There was this women there getting some water. Jesus asked for a drink. The woman was confused. Jesus was a Jew and she was a Samaritan. They don't talk to each other. She asked him why he asked this. He answered her: 'You do not know what God's gift is. And you do not know who was asking you for a drink. If you did know, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.' Jesus let this woman in even though she was a Samaritan. And that's not the only thing. She also made some bad decisions. Jesus made a big impact on the Samaritan woman. After Jesus talked to her, she went out and told her entire village.
The Samaritan woman wasn't the only outsider Jesus reached in John chapter 4. One day, Jesus visited Cana in Galilee. A royal official was there. His son was in bed and sick at Capernaum. So, he went to Jesus and begged him to come and heal his son. The boy was close to death. Then, Jesus said, 'Go, your son will live.' The man believed what Jesus said and so he left. On his way home, his servant met him. He said his child's fever went away yesterday afternoon at one o'clock - the exact time Jesus told him 'Your son will live.' Jesus healed the man's son even though he was a Gentile. The Bible doesn't really tell us how Jesus impacted the royal official, but I'm sure it impacted him a lot, because it says his whole family became believers.
Jesus let several outsiders in even though they were different. We should all do that. That's what those friendship benches are for. One good example of the friendship bench in use is...one time there was a lonely boy at recess - Andrew. He was sitting on the friendship bench alone and I invited him to play with my friends at recess. Just like the Samaritan woman, Andrew made some bad behavior decisions. Because of Andrew's bad behavior decisions towards others, Andrew doesn't have many friends. Just like Jesus, it's important for us to reach out to other outsiders.
There is this band called Rend Collective. They wrote a song called "No Outsiders." I'd like to share the chorus with you.
"There are no outsiders to your love.
We are all welcome, there's grace enough.
When I have wondered, Lord,
Your cross is the open door.
There are no outsiders to your love." - Ashlyn (and Shay)
Monday, June 17, 2019
Sent
Have you ever been given a task to perform without the necessary tools to complete the job? Have you ever felt unprepared or unequipped? When I was in my first year of seminary, I was a substitute teacher in the Round Rock school district, just north of Austin. One day I was assigned a PE class. The classes in this school were on block scheduling, which meant that they lasted around 90 minutes. I was given the task of crowd control for over 50 students for an hour and a half. Just taking roll was a challenge. I was told to have the students either work on homework or play pick-up basketball. After a while, some of the kids got bored and decided to leave. I found myself chasing two or three students who had gone out one door, and then when I came back into the gym, two or three others went out another door. There was a total of 4 doors in the gym and so you can imagine that there was no way to keep the students from leaving. I tried to find out the names of the young men who had deserted the class, but of course, their peers would not rat them out. So, I decided that rather than trying to win an unwinnable battle, I would just let what happened with those lads happen. I was given a job to do, but I didn’t have the necessary resources to do it. Maybe you’ve found yourself in a similar situation where you were in over your head.
Isn’t it amazing that of all that ways that God could have chosen to complete his rescue mission, he’s chosen to use hard-hearted, close-minded, stubborn, fallible, gullible, fearful, scarred, and broken individuals like you and me! Often, we don’t feel up to the task. Why me, we ask? The job’s just too big!
Let’s reflect on John 20:19-23: “When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”
Later, in this story, as recorded for us in Acts, we read of 120 people gathered for prayer in an upper room. How did 120, average, ordinary, flawed, yet redeemed people, transform the world and turn it right side up? When Jesus was arrested, his fearful disciples fled in terror. Only a few women and the disciple Jesus loved followed him all the way to the cross. How did these same people accomplish so much for the kingdom of God? The answer: Jesus equipped them for the task. Yes, he sent them with their own scars out into the world. But he also sent them with the power and presence of his own Holy Spirit! Just as God breathed into Adam the breath of life, so Jesus breathed on his disciples and they received the wind, the breath, the Spirit of Holiness.
And this is crucial. They would not have been up for the task at hand had Jesus not given them his own presence and power through his Spirit. And what a task they were given! The salvation of the world depended on their willingness to share the message of the gospel – the message of grace and love and renewal that can only be found in Jesus Christ!
Just as Jesus sent these fearful, scarred disciples out into the world of the 1st century, so we are sent out into our world. Jesus sends us out to our families and our friends. He sends us to our neighbors and co-workers. We’re sometimes sent to foreign fields, but more often we’re sent just down the street, or even in our own living rooms.
We might even be sent to our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Sometimes we’re sent across the church aisle. And we carry with us our fears and our scars. But we also carry with us the peace of Jesus. And we’ve been equipped for the task because Jesus doesn’t send us out empty, he has empowered us with the gift of his Holy Spirit.
So, may our encounters with the risen Jesus remind us that though we bare scars and harbor fears – though we are sent to a world of chaos and confusion – we will not only survive the storms and pass safely through the fire, God will use us in his mission of reconciliation and restoration to bring wholeness and well-being to his creation. Jesus says to us, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” - Shay
Tuesday, June 11, 2019
Scars
When I did youth ministry, for an icebreaker, we sometimes had scar “show and tell.” Basically, we took turns showing off our various scars and telling everyone how we got them. Of course, we limited this to the scars that were visible with all our clothes on! One of the reasons that I’ve chosen to remain tattoo free is that I already have so many scars, I don’t need to add any more marks on my body.
What about you? Do you have many scars? Think about your own scars. Where are they? How did you get them? Have they faded through time? Some of those scars may not be physical, but emotional, or spiritual.
One of the fascinating things about Jesus’ resurrection body was that he still carried the scars of his crucifixion. Through the resurrection, his body had been transformed and glorified, but his hands and his side still bore the marks of the price of redemption. And because Jesus has been raised never to die again, and because Jesus has eternally embraced his humanity, it seems that we will see those same scars on his hands and on his side when we see him face to face.
John 20:19-23 states: “When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”
Jesus’ scars were the result of his faithfulness. He didn’t receive them for doing something foolish or sinful. He didn’t acquire them for his own misdeeds – he acquired them because of our missteps and our mistakes. But these scars weren’t meaningless. They are the scars that bring us redemption. By his wounds, we have been healed.
The visible scars on the resurrected body of Jesus show us the continuity between the body that was laid in the tomb and the body that arose on the third day. The tomb is empty! But there’s a further significance to these visible wounds.
All that is right and good and true and loving and of eternal value will last into eternity. And this seems to includes scars – the scars of Jesus and, maybe, our own scars too. We often hear the phrase, “you can’t take it with you.” But this statement isn’t 100% true. All that we accomplish in this life, when achieved by the power of the Holy Spirit, when done in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and when performed for the glory of God the Father, will last into the age to come. Could it be, that like Jesus, we’ll carry some scars as a sign of the fruit of our labors? Who knows, but I think, quite possibly.
We all have scars. Many of the scars we bare, whether physical, or psychological, are a result of the pain we’ve caused ourselves. Some come from the hurt that others have handed to us. And some, as mentioned above, come from the good that we’ve done for others. But we all have scars. And though we bare these marks on our body, and though our hearts may be heavy with the weight of our scars, we are to use those scars in the service of our Savior. As the Father sent Jesus, so Jesus sends us out into this scarred world, marred by sin. - Shay
Monday, June 3, 2019
Peace
With the hippy dippy and flower children movements of the sixties and more recent anti-war demonstrations, we naturally associate the idea of “peace”, as the absence of war or a lack of conflict. This is one of its primary meanings in both English and the Biblical languages. However, the Hebrew word shalom which we translate as peace has a broader meaning than we typically imply when we use this term. Shalom in the Old Testament also described wholeness and well-being. Not just the absence of conflict, but the enjoyment and the fullness of God’s blessing.
Ezekiel 34:25-31 gives us a good example of what peace, or shalom looks like. In this passage, YHWH, through the prophet Ezekiel paints a picture of what it is to live in peace when he describes his people’s future under a new covenant. “I will make with them a covenant of peace and banish wild animals from the land, so that they may live in the wild and sleep in the woods securely. I will make them and the region around my hill a blessing; and I will send down the showers in their season; they shall be showers of blessing. The trees of the field shall yield their fruit, and the earth shall yield its increase. They shall be secure on their soil; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I break the bars of their yoke, and save them from the hands of those who enslaved them. They shall no more be plunder for the nations, nor shall the animals of the land devour them; they shall live in safety, and no one shall make them afraid. I will provide for them a splendid vegetation so that they shall no more be consumed with hunger in the land, and no longer suffer the insults of the nations. They shall know that I, the Lord their God, am with them, and that they, the house of Israel, are my people, says the Lord God. You are my sheep, the sheep of my pasture and I am your God, says the Lord God.”
What a beautiful image of what it is to live in peace! In John 20:19-23, in the midst of his disciples’ fear, Jesus comes to them and offers them his peace. Let’s read the passage. “When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”
Because Jesus is risen from the dead, the disciples can be sure that their future will be a future of peace. There’s will be a future of wholeness and of well-being. One day, they will enjoy life eternal - life as it was always meant to be in the presence of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But even in this life, they will have peace, because they’ve encountered the risen Jesus. But this peace isn’t the kind of peace that often gets marketed as the “health and wealth” or “prosperity” gospel. No, this is a peace, not rooted in fantasy, but in reality – in the nitty gritty of real life and real community.
In his farewell discourse in John 15, Jesus had warned his followers that the world would hate them and that just as many had persecuted Jesus, so many would persecute them. But in that same discourse, Jesus promised his disciples peace. He said this in John 16:33, “I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!”
The kind of peace that Jesus gave his disciples on that Sunday morning wasn’t the kind of peace that spares a person from the strife of this life, but a peace that gave them wholeness and wellbeing in the middle of the storm.
It’s the kind of peace that takes one through the fire. The fire that would destroy those not in Christ, serves to refine, redeem, and renew those in him.
And this is the kind of peace that we need. It’s the kind of peace that this world needs. A peace that passes all understanding. A peace that can face the chaos of life, and make sense of this world, knowing that there’s life beyond the present form of this world. Our fears can be overcome by the peace that Jesus gives. As Julian of Norwich once wrote, “All shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well”. With this peace, we can pass through the storms of life with Jesus by our side. But like Jesus, we will acquire scars along the way. - Shay
Thursday, May 30, 2019
Fear
What are you afraid of? What are your deepest, darkest fears? Are you afraid of deadly diseases like cancer? Are you afraid of terrorists and the possibility of experiencing a tragedy? Maybe you fear rejection. Or maybe your ultimate fear is the possibility of losing loved ones. Could it be that your job situation is unpredictable and insecure? Maybe what weighs on you are vocational and financial concerns. The fear of failure can leave a person paralyzed. Do anxieties delay your sleep and wake you up at night?
Fear, anxiety, angst, phobias of various kinds, and all sorts of trepidation have taken root in our society and in our homes. Whether running for your life from a bully at school or fighting for your life in the face of a dreaded disease, we’ve all experienced horror of one sort or another. Fear manifests itself in a variety of ways. It might visit us in moments of panic or terror, or it might lodge itself in the recesses of our mind, filling our days with a dull sense of dread. Fear can sometimes be healthy, but for most of us, most of the time, fear is something that we know we must face, but we would rather avoid. And if we do not face our fears effectively, fear can be crippling – debilitating.
On the weekend of his passion, Jesus’ disciples had good reason to be afraid. They were in danger. They had staked their lives on the hope that Jesus was the Messiah, the one who would redeem and restore Israel. But on that not-so-good Friday, their hopes and dreams came crashing down like a house of cards on shifting sand. It seemed they hadn’t so much as built their house on the rock, but on a sink hole. And as their aspirations seemingly vanished into thin air, they feared that not only had they backed the wrong horse in the race, but that their own races had been run. They must have felt that at any moment, the Jewish authorities could barge into their hide-away and lead them to a cruel death like their master had experienced just days before.
Let’s pick up the story in John 20:19-23: “When it was evening on that day, the first day of the week, and the doors of the house where the disciples had met were locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, ‘Peace be with you.’ After he said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’ When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.’”
Though they had heard rumors of resurrection, that evening, the first day of the week, the first day of God’s new creation, they remained hidden away behind locked doors. Their security measures may have kept the hostile Jewish religious leaders at bay, but it couldn’t keep out their resurrected Lord and Savior. Jesus came to them and stood among them.
There’s no doubt that this would not have been the last moment that the disciples experienced fear, but they would never have to experience fear in quite the same way. Fear is a part of the human experience – it’s as natural as joy or sadness or exhilaration. Encountering the risen Jesus will not remove all our fears, but these encounters give us the strength and courage to face our fears. The world is still a scary place and we are not immune to disappointment, discouragement, and doubt. But we do not have to face life’s dilemmas alone. As he stood with them on that Sunday evening, Jesus stands with us in the middle of our fear and says, “Peace be with you.” - Shay
Monday, May 13, 2019
The Beginning of God's New Creation
“In
the beginning when God created the heavens & the earth, the earth was a
formless void and darkness covered the face of the deep, while a wind from God
swept over the face of the waters.” And
so, the beginning begins…
After the beginning of everything, a chapter later we read of God planting a garden. And in the garden, God places a man – named Adam – Adamah – the earth – humankind. The human isn’t placed in the garden to simply lounge around on a hammock, but is given the responsibility of partnering with God in caring for creation. He is to till the garden and keep it – he’s the gardener. So far so good. God’s plan for creation is humming a long just fine. But then we read further…
The man and the woman reach out and grasp for God’s position. They misuse their position as stewards of God’s good creation. They become sinners and immediately their relationship with God, with each other, and with creation is damaged beyond repair – at least beyond their ability to repair it. They are banished from the garden and the brokenness of humanity goes from bad to worse - to even badder to worser…
The condition of humanity is so bad, that in Genesis chapter 6, we read that God will de-create – he will return creation to its primordial state of chaos – that formless void we read about in Genesis 1. The chaos waters, the sea has cleansed creation. God de-creates, in order to re-create. But soon, his renewed creation is need of renewal once more. And in Genesis 11, we discover that mankind is once again grasping for God’s position. Rather than trusting God to come to them, to dwell with them, they build a tower to reach into the heavens – to reach God – to grasp for God. So, what’s the solution?
God calls a man, Abram, Abraham as he's later known, through whom all the families of the earth will be blessed. From Abraham came Isaac and from Isaac, Jacob (Israel). And through the long and winding and mostly broken story of Israel came the day when God acted decisively to renew and restore his creation for good.
We begin with the story of creation in Genesis. And we begin again with God’s story of new creation in the gospel of John.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.”
As we read further in this story of new beginnings and new creation we arrive at a garden, where the dead body of Jesus is laid to rest. Just as God rested on the 7th day of creation, here, on the 7th day of the week, the Sabbath, God the Son, rests in the garden tomb. But Sunday morning was a new day – the first day of the new creation and the garden tomb was found empty!
John 20:11-18 states, "But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping?' She said to them, 'They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.' When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, 'Woman why are you weeping?' Whom are you looking for?' Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, 'Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.' Jesus said to her, 'Mary!' She turned and said to him in Hebrew, 'Rabbouni!' (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, 'Do not hold onto me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, 'I have seen the Lord'; and she told them that he had said these things to her.'"
The first thing we notice in this story are the tears of Mary. Tears are so much a part of our world. Weeping, wailing, sobbing Рlamenting the brokenness of this life! We see it all around us. On the nightly news, for times too many to count, we see parents huddled in a circle, sobbing and praying, as another shooter enters a school and ends lives and sends other lives spiraling into chaos. We see it in hospital waiting rooms when the diagnosis is not good. The eyes well up and tears trickle down cheek bones. Over a funeral casket a daughter weeps over the loss of a father. A mother wails over the loss of a son. A brother sobs over the loss of a sister. Moments of crisis bring us to our knees. But even the mundane of this life can be sad. Sometimes the fa̤ade of cynicism temporarily lifts from our faces and we shed a tear at the shear absurdity - at the nihilism of the world understood at the surface level of social media and superficial shock and awe.
It’s a broken world full of broken relationships. A world of broken marriages. Of broken families. Broken friendships. Broken promises. Broken people. Tears are very much a part of the old creation. But tears are not final. Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning. Joy came on the first morning of the new creation.
Mary bent over & looked into the tomb and she saw the two angels. Theirs was a simple question: “Why are you weeping?”. The angels could see something she couldn’t see. They saw Jesus, standing behind her. And he asked her the same question: “Woman, why are you weeping?”. And then the next, more crucial question, “Whom are you looking for?”. She was looking for Jesus, but she would encounter him in ways she wasn’t expecting. Just as Caiaphas had spoken better than he understood in John chapter 11 when he predicted Jesus’ death and just as Pilate had spoken better than he understood in chapter 19 when he proclaimed Jesus the Man and the King, so Mary, imagined better than she understood. She mistook Jesus for the gardener. And yet he was the gardener – she was standing before the world’s ultimate gardener – the gardener of God’s new creation! As the first Adam had been placed in the garden to be a steward of God’s creation, so, Jesus the true Adam, the true human, had become the steward of God’s new creation.
Mary’s tears could be turned into laughter. Mary’s sadness could be transformed into joy. The tomb was empty because Jesus was risen and God’s new world had been launched through his death and resurrection!
Things had changed. Mary had to relate to Jesus in a new way. He was now the risen Lord, soon to be exalted to the Father’s right hand. And though he would be, in a sense, more distant from Mary through his exaltation, he would in another sense, be closer, more intimately involved. The broken relationships of the old creation had been transformed in the new. Mary was told to go to Jesus’ brothers. They were no longer just his disciples. They were no longer just his friends. Now they were his brothers. Jesus had welcomed them into his family. And God the Father was no longer only the Father of Jesus the Son, but also the Father of Mary and all of Jesus’ followers – their God and their Father! Mary had good news to tell – she had good news to share. And she did not hold back. She proclaimed to the others, “I have seen the Lord!" The new creation had been launched on that Sunday morning!
The God who created humanity in his image and who has been working for millennia to restore humanities’ broken relationship has bridged the gap between God and humankind for all time. The renewal of all things has been inaugurated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But the new creation hasn’t yet been brought to completion. We still see the broken world around us and our own lives still need repairing. There’s a tug-of-war going on between the old and the new. We see it played out on our smart phones and our smart TVs. We see it played out in our local and national politics, and in our local and national newspapers. We see it played out in our schools, in our places of work, in our families, and in our own hearts and minds. The creation groans and longs to be set free from its bondage to decay. We too long for the redemption of our bodies – there’s still work to be done. But let’s not forget that we already experience the new creation now. We have been given the down payment, the gift of God’s own Holy Spirit. And because the tomb is empty because like Mary, we’ve encountered the risen Jesus, through faith, we trust that he who began this good work, will bring it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ!
The first seven verses of Revelation 21 remind us that our hope of new creation remains secure: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.’ And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children.”
And the last two verses of our Scripture state: “The one who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.” - Shay
After the beginning of everything, a chapter later we read of God planting a garden. And in the garden, God places a man – named Adam – Adamah – the earth – humankind. The human isn’t placed in the garden to simply lounge around on a hammock, but is given the responsibility of partnering with God in caring for creation. He is to till the garden and keep it – he’s the gardener. So far so good. God’s plan for creation is humming a long just fine. But then we read further…
The man and the woman reach out and grasp for God’s position. They misuse their position as stewards of God’s good creation. They become sinners and immediately their relationship with God, with each other, and with creation is damaged beyond repair – at least beyond their ability to repair it. They are banished from the garden and the brokenness of humanity goes from bad to worse - to even badder to worser…
The condition of humanity is so bad, that in Genesis chapter 6, we read that God will de-create – he will return creation to its primordial state of chaos – that formless void we read about in Genesis 1. The chaos waters, the sea has cleansed creation. God de-creates, in order to re-create. But soon, his renewed creation is need of renewal once more. And in Genesis 11, we discover that mankind is once again grasping for God’s position. Rather than trusting God to come to them, to dwell with them, they build a tower to reach into the heavens – to reach God – to grasp for God. So, what’s the solution?
God calls a man, Abram, Abraham as he's later known, through whom all the families of the earth will be blessed. From Abraham came Isaac and from Isaac, Jacob (Israel). And through the long and winding and mostly broken story of Israel came the day when God acted decisively to renew and restore his creation for good.
We begin with the story of creation in Genesis. And we begin again with God’s story of new creation in the gospel of John.
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being.”
As we read further in this story of new beginnings and new creation we arrive at a garden, where the dead body of Jesus is laid to rest. Just as God rested on the 7th day of creation, here, on the 7th day of the week, the Sabbath, God the Son, rests in the garden tomb. But Sunday morning was a new day – the first day of the new creation and the garden tomb was found empty!
John 20:11-18 states, "But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been lying, one at the head and the other at the feet. They said to her, 'Woman, why are you weeping?' She said to them, 'They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.' When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, but she did not know that it was Jesus. Jesus said to her, 'Woman why are you weeping?' Whom are you looking for?' Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, 'Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.' Jesus said to her, 'Mary!' She turned and said to him in Hebrew, 'Rabbouni!' (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, 'Do not hold onto me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.' Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, 'I have seen the Lord'; and she told them that he had said these things to her.'"
The first thing we notice in this story are the tears of Mary. Tears are so much a part of our world. Weeping, wailing, sobbing Рlamenting the brokenness of this life! We see it all around us. On the nightly news, for times too many to count, we see parents huddled in a circle, sobbing and praying, as another shooter enters a school and ends lives and sends other lives spiraling into chaos. We see it in hospital waiting rooms when the diagnosis is not good. The eyes well up and tears trickle down cheek bones. Over a funeral casket a daughter weeps over the loss of a father. A mother wails over the loss of a son. A brother sobs over the loss of a sister. Moments of crisis bring us to our knees. But even the mundane of this life can be sad. Sometimes the fa̤ade of cynicism temporarily lifts from our faces and we shed a tear at the shear absurdity - at the nihilism of the world understood at the surface level of social media and superficial shock and awe.
It’s a broken world full of broken relationships. A world of broken marriages. Of broken families. Broken friendships. Broken promises. Broken people. Tears are very much a part of the old creation. But tears are not final. Weeping may last through the night, but joy comes in the morning. Joy came on the first morning of the new creation.
Mary bent over & looked into the tomb and she saw the two angels. Theirs was a simple question: “Why are you weeping?”. The angels could see something she couldn’t see. They saw Jesus, standing behind her. And he asked her the same question: “Woman, why are you weeping?”. And then the next, more crucial question, “Whom are you looking for?”. She was looking for Jesus, but she would encounter him in ways she wasn’t expecting. Just as Caiaphas had spoken better than he understood in John chapter 11 when he predicted Jesus’ death and just as Pilate had spoken better than he understood in chapter 19 when he proclaimed Jesus the Man and the King, so Mary, imagined better than she understood. She mistook Jesus for the gardener. And yet he was the gardener – she was standing before the world’s ultimate gardener – the gardener of God’s new creation! As the first Adam had been placed in the garden to be a steward of God’s creation, so, Jesus the true Adam, the true human, had become the steward of God’s new creation.
Mary’s tears could be turned into laughter. Mary’s sadness could be transformed into joy. The tomb was empty because Jesus was risen and God’s new world had been launched through his death and resurrection!
Things had changed. Mary had to relate to Jesus in a new way. He was now the risen Lord, soon to be exalted to the Father’s right hand. And though he would be, in a sense, more distant from Mary through his exaltation, he would in another sense, be closer, more intimately involved. The broken relationships of the old creation had been transformed in the new. Mary was told to go to Jesus’ brothers. They were no longer just his disciples. They were no longer just his friends. Now they were his brothers. Jesus had welcomed them into his family. And God the Father was no longer only the Father of Jesus the Son, but also the Father of Mary and all of Jesus’ followers – their God and their Father! Mary had good news to tell – she had good news to share. And she did not hold back. She proclaimed to the others, “I have seen the Lord!" The new creation had been launched on that Sunday morning!
The God who created humanity in his image and who has been working for millennia to restore humanities’ broken relationship has bridged the gap between God and humankind for all time. The renewal of all things has been inaugurated through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. But the new creation hasn’t yet been brought to completion. We still see the broken world around us and our own lives still need repairing. There’s a tug-of-war going on between the old and the new. We see it played out on our smart phones and our smart TVs. We see it played out in our local and national politics, and in our local and national newspapers. We see it played out in our schools, in our places of work, in our families, and in our own hearts and minds. The creation groans and longs to be set free from its bondage to decay. We too long for the redemption of our bodies – there’s still work to be done. But let’s not forget that we already experience the new creation now. We have been given the down payment, the gift of God’s own Holy Spirit. And because the tomb is empty because like Mary, we’ve encountered the risen Jesus, through faith, we trust that he who began this good work, will bring it to completion on the day of Jesus Christ!
The first seven verses of Revelation 21 remind us that our hope of new creation remains secure: “Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more, for the first things have passed away.’ And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’ Then he said to me, ‘It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give water as a gift from the spring of the water of life. Those who conquer will inherit these things, and I will be their God and they will be my children.”
And the last two verses of our Scripture state: “The one who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints. Amen.” - Shay
Thursday, May 2, 2019
Great Expectations
The classic novel Great Expectations by Charles Dickens centers around the story of a young English orphan boy named Pip who lives with his older sister and brother-in-law. One evening, while visiting the grave of his parents, an escaped convict named Magwitch appears. He coerces Pip to get him some food and a file so that he can free himself from his leg irons. Out of fear, Pip gives into the convict's requests, and though Magwitch is temporarily free, he is soon after re-apprehended. The story moves on and Magwitch is forgotten.
When Pip is a little older, he is taken to the home of an old, eccentric, but wealthy spinster named Miss Havisham who had been jilted at the altar decades before and now spends her days moping around her large house in her wedding dress. He's brought to the spinster's house from time to time to be a companion for the woman's "niece", Estella. Estella treats Pip with great contempt, nevertheless, he falls in love with the girl and dreams of becoming a gentleman so that he might marry her.
When Pip is older, Miss Havisham does him a favor, but not the favor that he expects. She provides him with a modest sum of money so that he might become an apprentice blacksmith to his brother-in-law, Joe. But before long, a lawyer arrives and informs the family that an anonymous benefactor has set aside a large fortune for Pip and that he is to immediately move to London to learn the fine art of living as a gentleman. Of course, Pip assumes the benefactor must be none other than Miss Havisham and he assumes that he is destined to one day marry Estella.
After some time in London, while running up enormous debts and living a life not much sort of debauchery, Pip receives a shock to the system when on a dark night, Magwitch, the old escaped convict unexpectedly appears in his lodgings. Pip discovers that Magwitch, not Miss Havisham is his secret benefactor. Magwitch had been transported to Australia, but after some years in the penal colony, he had amassed a large fortune. To repay Pip for his kindness all those years before, Magwitch put his wealth into a trust for Pip, to make him into a gentleman.
But Pip is crushed by this new revelation. It means that Miss Havisham is not his benefactor and it casts doubt on the possibility of him ever marrying his dream girl, Estella. As the story continues to progress we learn that through an unexpected twist, Magwitch is the father of Estella. Years before, Miss Havisham had procured Estella in order to raise her to be a tease to men. She was to learn the fine art of tempting men in order to dash their expectations into tiny little pieces. This would be Miss Havisham's revenge on men - her way to get "even" after having lost her love at the altar. Pip was merely a pawn in her cruel game - he was to be Estella's plaything as she learned the fine art of toying with men.
Eventually the characters go their separate ways. Pip leaves for business, Estella marries another man, though she doesn't seem to find happiness. After she's widowed, she and Pip are reunited. But the story is left open ended. The reader never discovers whether either of their "great expectations" were ever realized.
Our lives mirror some of the features of this novel. Even people of faith, who have rooted their lives in the gospel can relate to this story. Like a well written novel with twists, turns, and unexpected developments, the Biblical story too, is surprising. The reader of Christian Scripture soon discovers that God's ways are not our ways and our expectations are frequently altered along the way. To have faith doesn't mean one has complete understanding, but walking by faith is about pursuing God in the midst of our questions and our misunderstandings. We don't always have the right answers and many times we discover that we're not even asking the right questions.
The narrative of John 20:1-10 (NRSV) highlights this. "Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.' Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes."
As soon as Mary arrived at the garden tomb, her expectations were altered. She had expected the stone to still be in place, but it had been removed. She thought that Jesus' lifeless body would be resting on the shelf in the tomb, but it too had been removed. As she rose early on the first day of the week, she had expected to encounter the dead body of her friend Jesus, but her expectations were altered, because her expectations were not great enough. So, Mary, assuming that Jesus' body must have been taken, ran to tell Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved.
What expectations did Peter have on this Sunday morning? The last he had seen of Jesus was just before Jesus' crucifixion when he denied being his disciple in the face of his fear of death. He certainly didn't expect that Mary would arrive with news of an empty tomb. He didn't expect to run to that garden tomb and find Jesus' burial cloths lying there, as if Jesus' body had passed through the cloths without them being unwound or torn.
The first day of the week didn't turn out the way the beloved disciple imagined either. He too had his expectations turned upside down, or maybe, right side up.
Neither Peter, nor the disciple, nor Mary understood that Jesus must rise from the dead. So, initially, the removed stone, the empty tomb, and the burial cloths raised more questions than they provided answers. But despite their uncertainties, all three individuals ran - they ran with longing - they ran with hope - hope that their expectations, though changed, might be greater than they ever imagined!
We might relate to these three characters at this point in the story - the point, where at verse 10, Jesus remained hidden from them. Yes, the stone had been rolled away. Yes, the tomb was empty. Yes, the burial cloths were still present, though undamaged. But this was a plot twist that none of the three had expected. They thought that they knew the story of Israel's God, but their expectations needed refining. The God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence, things that do not exist, needed to raise their expectations. Mary, Peter, and the other disciple needed greater expectations.
Like being filled with anticipation as we read a good novel, it's tempting to want to read on in the story. And we should read on. But sometimes it's wise to stay put for a while. Before we encounter the risen Jesus, sometimes we need to sit with the mystery of the empty tomb. We need to wrestle with the big questions. What does it all mean? Where is God in all of this? Where's the new creation in this broken, sinful world? Why did it happen this way? What does the future hold?
Sometimes we find ourselves in the empty tomb. The stone has been rolled away. The graveclothes are still present. The tomb is empty. But still, we don't see Jesus. And we wonder, "Where have they taken him?"
Like Pip, maybe we had great expectations for our lives. Maybe we had it all mapped out. But then a plot twist developed. Life didn't turn out quite like we thought it would. Maybe it turned out better, but maybe it turned out worse. Or maybe, it just turned out different. We still believe that the tomb is empty - we believe that Jesus is risen - he's risen indeed! And yet, we struggle to recalibrate our expectations. At times, the risen Jesus remains hidden from us. And this is where Mary's, Peter's, and the other disciple's stories can help us.
They didn't have all the answers. They didn't even know all the questions. But all three of them ran in search of Jesus. They did not abandon their faith and they did not lose hope. They continued to pursue God. And then they discovered that rather than finding God, he instead found them - but in ways they could have never expected. Their greatest expectations were not only met, but exceeded when they encountered the risen Jesus.
While we wait in our empty tombs - while we wrestle with the big questions - as we discover that we may never have all the answers - may their stories of faith and hope inspire us to press on. Like those three, may we run with longing. And just as their greatest expectations were far exceeded, may we trust that the same will be true for us. - Shay
When Pip is a little older, he is taken to the home of an old, eccentric, but wealthy spinster named Miss Havisham who had been jilted at the altar decades before and now spends her days moping around her large house in her wedding dress. He's brought to the spinster's house from time to time to be a companion for the woman's "niece", Estella. Estella treats Pip with great contempt, nevertheless, he falls in love with the girl and dreams of becoming a gentleman so that he might marry her.
When Pip is older, Miss Havisham does him a favor, but not the favor that he expects. She provides him with a modest sum of money so that he might become an apprentice blacksmith to his brother-in-law, Joe. But before long, a lawyer arrives and informs the family that an anonymous benefactor has set aside a large fortune for Pip and that he is to immediately move to London to learn the fine art of living as a gentleman. Of course, Pip assumes the benefactor must be none other than Miss Havisham and he assumes that he is destined to one day marry Estella.
After some time in London, while running up enormous debts and living a life not much sort of debauchery, Pip receives a shock to the system when on a dark night, Magwitch, the old escaped convict unexpectedly appears in his lodgings. Pip discovers that Magwitch, not Miss Havisham is his secret benefactor. Magwitch had been transported to Australia, but after some years in the penal colony, he had amassed a large fortune. To repay Pip for his kindness all those years before, Magwitch put his wealth into a trust for Pip, to make him into a gentleman.
But Pip is crushed by this new revelation. It means that Miss Havisham is not his benefactor and it casts doubt on the possibility of him ever marrying his dream girl, Estella. As the story continues to progress we learn that through an unexpected twist, Magwitch is the father of Estella. Years before, Miss Havisham had procured Estella in order to raise her to be a tease to men. She was to learn the fine art of tempting men in order to dash their expectations into tiny little pieces. This would be Miss Havisham's revenge on men - her way to get "even" after having lost her love at the altar. Pip was merely a pawn in her cruel game - he was to be Estella's plaything as she learned the fine art of toying with men.
Eventually the characters go their separate ways. Pip leaves for business, Estella marries another man, though she doesn't seem to find happiness. After she's widowed, she and Pip are reunited. But the story is left open ended. The reader never discovers whether either of their "great expectations" were ever realized.
Our lives mirror some of the features of this novel. Even people of faith, who have rooted their lives in the gospel can relate to this story. Like a well written novel with twists, turns, and unexpected developments, the Biblical story too, is surprising. The reader of Christian Scripture soon discovers that God's ways are not our ways and our expectations are frequently altered along the way. To have faith doesn't mean one has complete understanding, but walking by faith is about pursuing God in the midst of our questions and our misunderstandings. We don't always have the right answers and many times we discover that we're not even asking the right questions.
The narrative of John 20:1-10 (NRSV) highlights this. "Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved, and said to them, 'They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him.' Then Peter and the other disciple set out and went toward the tomb. The two were running together, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent down to look in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he did not go in. Then Simon Peter came following him, and went into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there, and the cloth that had been on Jesus' head, not lying with the linen wrappings but rolled up in a place by itself. Then the other disciple, who reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed; for as yet they did not understand the scripture, that he must rise from the dead. Then the disciples returned to their homes."
As soon as Mary arrived at the garden tomb, her expectations were altered. She had expected the stone to still be in place, but it had been removed. She thought that Jesus' lifeless body would be resting on the shelf in the tomb, but it too had been removed. As she rose early on the first day of the week, she had expected to encounter the dead body of her friend Jesus, but her expectations were altered, because her expectations were not great enough. So, Mary, assuming that Jesus' body must have been taken, ran to tell Peter and the disciple whom Jesus loved.
What expectations did Peter have on this Sunday morning? The last he had seen of Jesus was just before Jesus' crucifixion when he denied being his disciple in the face of his fear of death. He certainly didn't expect that Mary would arrive with news of an empty tomb. He didn't expect to run to that garden tomb and find Jesus' burial cloths lying there, as if Jesus' body had passed through the cloths without them being unwound or torn.
The first day of the week didn't turn out the way the beloved disciple imagined either. He too had his expectations turned upside down, or maybe, right side up.
Neither Peter, nor the disciple, nor Mary understood that Jesus must rise from the dead. So, initially, the removed stone, the empty tomb, and the burial cloths raised more questions than they provided answers. But despite their uncertainties, all three individuals ran - they ran with longing - they ran with hope - hope that their expectations, though changed, might be greater than they ever imagined!
We might relate to these three characters at this point in the story - the point, where at verse 10, Jesus remained hidden from them. Yes, the stone had been rolled away. Yes, the tomb was empty. Yes, the burial cloths were still present, though undamaged. But this was a plot twist that none of the three had expected. They thought that they knew the story of Israel's God, but their expectations needed refining. The God who gives life to the dead and calls into existence, things that do not exist, needed to raise their expectations. Mary, Peter, and the other disciple needed greater expectations.
Like being filled with anticipation as we read a good novel, it's tempting to want to read on in the story. And we should read on. But sometimes it's wise to stay put for a while. Before we encounter the risen Jesus, sometimes we need to sit with the mystery of the empty tomb. We need to wrestle with the big questions. What does it all mean? Where is God in all of this? Where's the new creation in this broken, sinful world? Why did it happen this way? What does the future hold?
Sometimes we find ourselves in the empty tomb. The stone has been rolled away. The graveclothes are still present. The tomb is empty. But still, we don't see Jesus. And we wonder, "Where have they taken him?"
Like Pip, maybe we had great expectations for our lives. Maybe we had it all mapped out. But then a plot twist developed. Life didn't turn out quite like we thought it would. Maybe it turned out better, but maybe it turned out worse. Or maybe, it just turned out different. We still believe that the tomb is empty - we believe that Jesus is risen - he's risen indeed! And yet, we struggle to recalibrate our expectations. At times, the risen Jesus remains hidden from us. And this is where Mary's, Peter's, and the other disciple's stories can help us.
They didn't have all the answers. They didn't even know all the questions. But all three of them ran in search of Jesus. They did not abandon their faith and they did not lose hope. They continued to pursue God. And then they discovered that rather than finding God, he instead found them - but in ways they could have never expected. Their greatest expectations were not only met, but exceeded when they encountered the risen Jesus.
While we wait in our empty tombs - while we wrestle with the big questions - as we discover that we may never have all the answers - may their stories of faith and hope inspire us to press on. Like those three, may we run with longing. And just as their greatest expectations were far exceeded, may we trust that the same will be true for us. - Shay
Tuesday, February 26, 2019
Amazing Grace
"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind, but now I see." These may be the most recognizable lyrics from any song in history. Certainly, they must be the most famous lines of any hymn. Thankfully, the next verse doesn't say, "Thank God I have my doctrine right, for otherwise, grace is nil. Through the teaching of the one true church, I am forgiven still."
No, the words don't say this, but I wonder how many of my fellow brothers and sisters believe this. It is strange to me that we are so quick to affirm God's grace for moral failure and sin (or at least some kinds of sin), but are reluctant to consider that grace might extend to our doctrinal misunderstandings. What a sad state we'd all be in if we could only be forgiven once the condition of crossing all our theological "tees" and dotting all our dogmatic "eyes" was met. And yet, I've encountered many who seem to hold to just such a rigid and ungraceful understanding.
It may sound as if I'm saying that doctrine doesn't matter or that theology isn't important. I'm not. In fact, the truth that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, is probably the most important doctrine in the entire Bible. It's of an infinite and eternal value. My concern is that it can become all too easy to elevate one element of theology or one doctrinal affirmation to such a degree that it becomes an idol. We might find ourselves worshiping the teaching (or even our misunderstanding of a teaching), rather than the one who gave us the teaching in the first place. For instance, as important as the Bible is, it would be idolatrous to worship the book, rather than the God and Savior that the book points us too. Just as any good thing in creation can become an idol, our religious convictions can function in the same way.
In 1 Corinthians 13, when Paul is reminding the believers in Corinth that even gifts empowered by God's Spirit can be used in quite nonspiritual ways, he tells them that in the present life, our knowledge and understanding is only limited. He says, "...we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part, but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end." He goes on to write a few verses later, "...now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love."
As important as hope is, Paul says it is not greater than love. And as important as is our faith (both our trust in Christ and the content of our teaching), Paul declares that it too is inferior to love. His teaching is a good reminder to all of us that as soon as we emphasize anything over love, we have things the wrong way around.
I have to confess that sometimes I am guilty of emphasizing God's love, in an unloving way. There are times when I've stressed God's grace, in an ungraceful way. And for that I need grace and forgiveness too. And yes, I need to repent. I say the amen to the words from the 51st Psalm, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me." This beautiful poem says a few stanzas later, "O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise." Indeed, open my lips, O Lord, and my mouth will declare your love, and my voice will proclaim your grace. Your amazing grace! How sweet the sound. - Shay
No, the words don't say this, but I wonder how many of my fellow brothers and sisters believe this. It is strange to me that we are so quick to affirm God's grace for moral failure and sin (or at least some kinds of sin), but are reluctant to consider that grace might extend to our doctrinal misunderstandings. What a sad state we'd all be in if we could only be forgiven once the condition of crossing all our theological "tees" and dotting all our dogmatic "eyes" was met. And yet, I've encountered many who seem to hold to just such a rigid and ungraceful understanding.
It may sound as if I'm saying that doctrine doesn't matter or that theology isn't important. I'm not. In fact, the truth that God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, is probably the most important doctrine in the entire Bible. It's of an infinite and eternal value. My concern is that it can become all too easy to elevate one element of theology or one doctrinal affirmation to such a degree that it becomes an idol. We might find ourselves worshiping the teaching (or even our misunderstanding of a teaching), rather than the one who gave us the teaching in the first place. For instance, as important as the Bible is, it would be idolatrous to worship the book, rather than the God and Savior that the book points us too. Just as any good thing in creation can become an idol, our religious convictions can function in the same way.
In 1 Corinthians 13, when Paul is reminding the believers in Corinth that even gifts empowered by God's Spirit can be used in quite nonspiritual ways, he tells them that in the present life, our knowledge and understanding is only limited. He says, "...we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part, but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end." He goes on to write a few verses later, "...now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love."
As important as hope is, Paul says it is not greater than love. And as important as is our faith (both our trust in Christ and the content of our teaching), Paul declares that it too is inferior to love. His teaching is a good reminder to all of us that as soon as we emphasize anything over love, we have things the wrong way around.
I have to confess that sometimes I am guilty of emphasizing God's love, in an unloving way. There are times when I've stressed God's grace, in an ungraceful way. And for that I need grace and forgiveness too. And yes, I need to repent. I say the amen to the words from the 51st Psalm, "Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me." This beautiful poem says a few stanzas later, "O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth will declare your praise." Indeed, open my lips, O Lord, and my mouth will declare your love, and my voice will proclaim your grace. Your amazing grace! How sweet the sound. - Shay
Tuesday, January 8, 2019
Ok. Cool. Hook'em!
I don't know exactly when I became a Texas Longhorn fan - as far as I know, there was never a time when I wasn't one. My earliest memory of Texas Longhorn football was my mom and dad making an effort to watch a Saturday afternoon game in the early 80s. An acquaintance of the family was playing quarterback for the Horns and so there was a buzz around the house for this particular match-up. Having said that, the only thing I remember from that game was the team running out onto the field amidst the pregame ritual and hype. I have no idea who the Horns were playing that day and I'm not sure who won the game. But back in the early 80s under coach Fred Akers, Texas was better than average, so there's a decent chance the good guys came out on top that afternoon.
As I got older, my love for the Longhorns grew and grew. I eventually became what you might describe as a super-fan. I had the opportunity to attend several games, both home and away and I watched as many as I could on TV. One the most memorable seasons I experienced was the 1990 season. It was my first year to play football (7th Grade) and Bevo's bunch had their best year since the near-miss of a national championship in 1983. Six years later, as a freshmen in college, I vividly remember Texas upsetting Nebraska in the inaugural Big 12 championship game. Though we beat the heavily favored Huskers, we later lost the Fiesta Bowl and finished just 8-5 on the season. Nine years later, my beloved team went all the way and defeated the men of Troy, 41-38 for our 4th National Title and our 800th win all time. A little over 12 years later, I was present in Austin for the program's 900th all time win. Who did we defeat for that historic victory? USC. And though this season will not rank as highly as the 05 season, it still ranks as one of my favorites in a long, long time. After spending nearly a decade winning 9 or fewer games and ending nearly every season unranked, the Texas Longhorns finished on a high this year, defeating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and ending the season back in the Top 10 at #9. Hopefully it will be less than a decade before we win another conference and national championship and reach that elusive 1,000th program victory.
Reflecting on this past season, it dawned on me that Texas has played 42 seasons of football in my lifetime. With that in mind, I decided to rank the Top 25 seasons of Longhorn football since 1977. 1977 was not only the year of my birth, but it was also the first season after our legendary coach, Darrel K. Royal retired. Some of the greatest teams in our history were coached by DKR, but after looking at the accomplishments of many of the teams in my lifetime, there have been some really good seasons since our stadium's namesake hung up his whistle. From 25 to 1, here's my objectively subjective list.
25. 1987, 7-5, Bluebonnet Bowl Champions, #19
24. 1999, 9-5, #21
23. 2012, 9-4, #18
22. 1982, 9-3, #17
21. 1979, 9-3, #12
20. 2000, 9-3, #12
19. 2003, 10-3, #11
18. 1994, 8-4, Southwest Conference Champions, Sun Bowl Champions, #23
17. 1996, 8-5, Big 12 Champions, #23
16. 2006, 10-3, Alamo Bowl Champions, #13
15. 1979, 9-3, Sun Bowl Champions, #9
14. 1998, 9-3, Cotton Bowl Champions, #15
13. 2007, 10-3, Holiday Bowl Champions, #10
12. 2018, 10-4, Sugar Bowl Champions, #9
11. 1995, 10-2-1, Southwest Conference Champions, #14
10. 1990, 10-2, Southwest Conference Champions, #11
9. 2002, 11-2, Cotton Bowl Champions, #6
8. 2001, 11-2, Holiday Bowl Champions, #5
7. 1981, 10-1-1, Cotton Bowl Champions, #2
6. 1983, 11-1, Southwest Conference Champions, #5
5. 1977, 11-1, Southwest Conference Champions, #4
4. 2004, 11-1, Rose Bowl Champions, #4
3. 2008, 12-1, Fiesta Bowl Champions, #3
2. 2009, 13-1, Big 12 Champions, #2
1. 2005, 13-0, Big 12 Champions, Rose Bowl Champions, National Champions, #1
There have been 17 other seasons played since I've been alive, but they weren't worth mentioning. To 2019 and beyond...Ok. Cool. Hook'em! - Shay
As I got older, my love for the Longhorns grew and grew. I eventually became what you might describe as a super-fan. I had the opportunity to attend several games, both home and away and I watched as many as I could on TV. One the most memorable seasons I experienced was the 1990 season. It was my first year to play football (7th Grade) and Bevo's bunch had their best year since the near-miss of a national championship in 1983. Six years later, as a freshmen in college, I vividly remember Texas upsetting Nebraska in the inaugural Big 12 championship game. Though we beat the heavily favored Huskers, we later lost the Fiesta Bowl and finished just 8-5 on the season. Nine years later, my beloved team went all the way and defeated the men of Troy, 41-38 for our 4th National Title and our 800th win all time. A little over 12 years later, I was present in Austin for the program's 900th all time win. Who did we defeat for that historic victory? USC. And though this season will not rank as highly as the 05 season, it still ranks as one of my favorites in a long, long time. After spending nearly a decade winning 9 or fewer games and ending nearly every season unranked, the Texas Longhorns finished on a high this year, defeating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl and ending the season back in the Top 10 at #9. Hopefully it will be less than a decade before we win another conference and national championship and reach that elusive 1,000th program victory.
Reflecting on this past season, it dawned on me that Texas has played 42 seasons of football in my lifetime. With that in mind, I decided to rank the Top 25 seasons of Longhorn football since 1977. 1977 was not only the year of my birth, but it was also the first season after our legendary coach, Darrel K. Royal retired. Some of the greatest teams in our history were coached by DKR, but after looking at the accomplishments of many of the teams in my lifetime, there have been some really good seasons since our stadium's namesake hung up his whistle. From 25 to 1, here's my objectively subjective list.
25. 1987, 7-5, Bluebonnet Bowl Champions, #19
24. 1999, 9-5, #21
23. 2012, 9-4, #18
22. 1982, 9-3, #17
21. 1979, 9-3, #12
20. 2000, 9-3, #12
19. 2003, 10-3, #11
18. 1994, 8-4, Southwest Conference Champions, Sun Bowl Champions, #23
17. 1996, 8-5, Big 12 Champions, #23
16. 2006, 10-3, Alamo Bowl Champions, #13
15. 1979, 9-3, Sun Bowl Champions, #9
14. 1998, 9-3, Cotton Bowl Champions, #15
13. 2007, 10-3, Holiday Bowl Champions, #10
12. 2018, 10-4, Sugar Bowl Champions, #9
11. 1995, 10-2-1, Southwest Conference Champions, #14
10. 1990, 10-2, Southwest Conference Champions, #11
9. 2002, 11-2, Cotton Bowl Champions, #6
8. 2001, 11-2, Holiday Bowl Champions, #5
7. 1981, 10-1-1, Cotton Bowl Champions, #2
6. 1983, 11-1, Southwest Conference Champions, #5
5. 1977, 11-1, Southwest Conference Champions, #4
4. 2004, 11-1, Rose Bowl Champions, #4
3. 2008, 12-1, Fiesta Bowl Champions, #3
2. 2009, 13-1, Big 12 Champions, #2
1. 2005, 13-0, Big 12 Champions, Rose Bowl Champions, National Champions, #1
There have been 17 other seasons played since I've been alive, but they weren't worth mentioning. To 2019 and beyond...Ok. Cool. Hook'em! - Shay
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