What a man!

As we've just passed from the Christmas season into the New Year I've been thinking about the nature of the incarnation of Christ.   I came across something I wrote 5 years ago and I'd like to share it now.

Most Christians don't have too much trouble coming to grips with Jesus' divinity.  We read the gospels with the foreknowledge that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and we correctly see his earthly life and ministry through those lenses.  Although we affirm the doctrine of the incarnation, the doctrine stating that God the Son became flesh in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, I believe many of us have a hard time truly grasping that when the Son emptied himself in becoming a man, he didn't exploit the fact that he was God (Philippians 2:5-7).  That is to say, that in becoming man, Jesus did just that - he became a real life human being, just like you and me!  When we affirm this fact, we have a tendency to counter it with statements like, "Well, he was no ordinary human being.  He was the God-man."  Yes, that's true, but in being the God-man, Jesus didn't exploit his divinity.  He was the God-man with one armed tied behind his back so that he truly experienced life the way you and I live our lives.  Consider the fact that though Jesus performed miracles, those miracles were always in the service of other people, not himself.  The miracles may have proved who he ultimately was (the I AM incarnate), but they didn't make life any easier for him, but rather they made life better for those around him (signaling that the Kingdom of God was being ushered in through his life and ministry).  Let's not forget the fact that Peter and the other apostles, not to mention many of the early "ordinary" Christians also were given the ability to do miraculous things through the power of the Holy Spirit in the service of others.  We don't struggle in coming to grips with those individual's humanity.

Let's consider a passage from Matthew's gospel which clearly illustrates Jesus' humanity.  In Matthew 26:36-46, Jesus takes his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray.  This is no ordinary prayer session, but a desperate plea from an emotionally drained, physically worn out man, who is literally carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.  We sometimes assume that because Jesus was God, he sailed through this ordeal as if he were taking a leisurely stroll across the waters of Galilee.  But notice his urgent plea to the disciples, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me." (26:38).  Doesn't this remind you of the emotional state of the family who sits anxiously awaiting the word from the surgeon who's operating on a loved one in critical condition?  Does it not remind you of the drained psyche of the man who's lost his wife and children to divorce?  In the garden, Jesus experiences grief, pain, and fear all rolled into one.  When his disciples fail to watch and pray with him, he feels abandonment as well.  He falls on his face and cries out to his most intimate companion, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want...if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done." (26:39 & 42). 

Whether we feel comfortable admitting it or not, Jesus asks his Father to change his mind on this whole idea of crucifixion.  Jesus asks the God who creates out of nothing, to create a less painful, less brutal, less traumatic means of atoning for and reconciling humanity.  Jesus isn't just posturing here, he means these words.  We have to assume that if the Father creates some alternative route, Jesus takes it.  But despite the fact that Jesus is overwhelmed with sorrow, he wholeheartedly embraces the cup, accepting his Father's answer to his prayer - in this instance, the answer is no.  In death, as in life, Jesus is completely obedient and submissive to the will of the Father.  This doesn't make his sacrificial gift any less amazing, but more.  As we see this Jesus, this man, fully embracing a life of selflessness and submission, how can we be anything other than grateful and humble?

Jesus, the exalted King at the right hand of the Father knows what it means to suffer.  He knows what it's like to be emotionally drained and physically abused.  He knows what it's like, whether in joy or in sorrow, to be human.  As the writer of Hebrews makes abundantly clear, Jesus can empathize with us - he's been in our shoes.

What kind of God do we serve?  What kind of God is so powerful and yet so humble?  What kind of God says that it's not enough just to lovingly create us, but in fact takes our very humanity into his own eternal life and being?  What kind of God doesn't just create us in his image, but takes on our image?  What kind of God loves us so much that he gave and continues to give us his very own unique Son?

What kind of man exists as God, but doesn't exploit his divinity?  What kind of man is able, and even more incredible, willing to take the weight of the world's sin onto his very own shoulders?  What kind of man is abandoned by his closest friends, only to later accept them all back as if nothing had happened?  What kind of man endures cruel torture and the worst kind of scorn and humiliation, only to beg God to forgive his tormentors?  What kind of man, who while suffering on a cross, takes time to invite a petty thief into his kingdom?  What kind of man would do all of this, not for his glory, but out of his sincere love?  What kind of man?  Jesus. - Shay

St. Stephen's Day in the Park

When I celebrated Christmas in England 12 years ago I discovered that the Brits call December 26th Boxing Day.  It gained that name years ago as wealthy people would put together a box of goodies for their servants the day following Christmas (let's be honest, they put together a box full of leftovers).  It is now an official holiday in the UK.  They celebrate the same day in Ireland, but they don't call it Boxing Day, but rather St. Stephen's Day.  When people ask me what we call it I just tell them, "the day after Christmas."

Due to the unseasonably warm weather we're having in Ireland, I spent part of St. Stephen's Day with Ashlyn, Davis, and Bailey in St. Anne's Park.  Davis and Bailey's parents were off with Jo Ellis catching the new Sherlock Holmes movie on the big screen, so Juli and I agreed to look after their kids.  We'll swap tomorrow as Ashlyn will hang out with Karnes while we see the most recent installment of the Mission Impossible series.  Anyway, the park was packed with people running off their Christmas dinner, catching a bit of fresh air, or, as I was doing, watching their kids run around the playground.  This time last year we were under a foot of snow and although there's something romantic about a white Christmas, I'd much rather be able to spend St. Stephen's Day in the park. - Shay

2011 Favorites

It's Christmas Eve eve and it really doesn't seem like the holidays (except for the jam-packed mall in Blanchardstown).  In Balmorhea, TX around 40 or 50 of my relatives will be gathering over the weekend.  We won't be there (but neither will my pediatrician sister who will be on call).  In Edmond, OK quite a few (but nowhere near 50) of Juli's relations will be celebrating together.  We won't be there either.  So, it just doesn't seem like Christmas.

Regardless, I still love this time of the year as I'm able to reflect on the year that was and look forward to the year that will be.  So, in that vein, here are some of my favorites from 2011.

Favorite Movie - Moneyball

Favorite Trip - England and Denmark with nearly 20 of my relatives

Favorite Record - Roddy Woomble, "The Impossible Song and the Other Songs"

Favorite Hikes - Slieve Donard, County Down, Northern Ireland and the Wicklow Way, County Wicklow, Republic of Ireland

Favorite Books - Nonfiction: "Virtue Reborn" by N.T. Wright; Fiction: "New Irish Short Stories" ed. by Joseph O'Connor

Favorite Fan Moments - Arsenal 1, Manchester United 0 on May 1 and Texas 27, Texas A&M 25 on November 24

Favorite Family Moments - Juli and Ashlyn arriving back home to Dublin after three weeks in the States and Ashlyn turning 2 on October 20

2012, your turn. - Shay 

'Tis The Season

On the way to the Clongriffin community center the other night, Ashlyn kept yelling out, "Partayyy!!!  We're going to the partayyy!!!"  I'll confess, I taught her that.  Hopefully she'll learn to pronounce it properly someday.  We were in fact on our way to our Failte Isteach Christmas party.  Failte Isteach is Gaelic for "welcome in" and is actually an ESL (English as a Second Language) class that our Christian community helps run for mostly Polish students here in Dublin.

Tuesday evening's party was my first of many festive celebrations to come.  This afternoon, after I finish teaching another English class at Dublin Central Mission, we'll have a Christmas party.  Tonight the basketball team I play on is having a Christmas gathering.  On Friday evening I'll be at the Karnes house for another Christmas party (with some of our friends and neighbors).  Juli can't make that party because she'll be at another one for the playgroup she helps run.  On Sunday we'll join Ranelagh Christian Church for worship, and then, you guessed it, a Christmas party.  Juli came up with an amazing idea for early January.  "Why don't we have an after-Christmas party!"  So a few days after the New Year some of our other friends and neighbors will join us to celebrate the party season's conclusion (complete with a re-gifting game).  

Where the United States has turned Christmas into an end of the year economic booster, Ireland has used this season as an excuse to partayyy!  Some of the parties are more pagan than Christian, to be sure, but it does give us an excuse to get to know our friends and neighbors a bit better and to share with them our conviction that Christmas, and especially Easter can and should be celebrated everyday of our lives. - Shay

Hibernia

The Romans never conquered Ireland.  Never even tried.  The combination of Celtic warriors and wet, wintry conditions meant that this small island on the edge of the Atlantic didn't fall favorably into the Roman cost/benefit analysis.  They did give the island the name Hibernia (literally - wintry).  This time of year (no surprise there) the name is appropriate.  Not because it's freezing cold, it really isn't here normally, but because Ireland's so far north, the daylight never seems to get too bright.  It seems as if its twilight all day long.

On December 21, the winter solstice, the sunrise in Dublin will be at 8:38 and the sun will set at 4:08.  More than two thirds of the day will be in darkness.  Though I prefer the long daylight we get in the summer, there's something about this time of year that brings on a strong sense of nostalgia.  Part of it is the Christmas season, but part of it has far more to do with the crisp cool air, the bare stripped tree branches, and the way that the fullness of day never quite seems to come.  These days take me back in time. - Shay   

A November to Remember

On our way to Baldoyle to meet the Karnes and some other friends, I leaned over and asked Juli, "Does it feel strange to have a child who's about to embark on her first trick-or-treating adventure?"  "Yeah, it does", she replied.  Last year's Halloween was remarkable as it was our first in Ireland.  Two years ago was interesting as Ashlyn was only 11 days old and we were still getting used to being first time parents.  And of course, we won't soon forget this one.  As far as the door to door action was concerned, Ashlyn was very polite and made sure to say thank you and bye bye when leaving each house. 

But Halloween aside, what's even more remarkable to me is that it's already November (in a 2 hours anyway).  This year has absolutely flown by and it will be 2012 before we know it.  But along the way, this should be an another November to remember.  We're starting an additional English class for immigrants this Wednesday (due to popular demand), we'll be heading to Germany for our annual church retreat in two and a half weeks, and of course we'll have our second Irish Thanksgiving soon after that.  Life is busy, but life is good. - Shay  

Re-creation

I find the sea, well, water in general and the ocean in particular so very powerful.  Looking out from the cliffs of Howth into the vast and seemingly endless body of water that is the Irish Sea, I'm reminded that God's creation is quite big and amazing and I by contrast am quite small and insignificant.  And yet, as Psalm 8 says, we humans are made just a little bit lower than the angels.  We're at the top of God's good, no, his very good creation.  So as much as I love the outdoors and the fantastic beauty of God's artistic design, how much more am I amazed by family, friends and neighbors!

Two years ago tomorrow Ashlyn breathed the breath of life for the first time.  Having Ashlyn has made me love humanity even more than before and hate some other things with a greater passion.  I hate war, crime, disease, accidents, and the general brokenness of this world far more than I did before Ashlyn arrived.  And as she gets older, I not only love her more and more, but I've found that I love other people more too as I'm reminded that everyone's some mother's or father's son or daughter.  Knowing that Ashlyn, like all people will have to live through and face the brokenness of God's good creation (and the brokenness of her own life and the lives of those who will live around her due to sin), I'm even more grateful that God has already begun to recreate this world in anticipation of the new creation in the age to come!  This is good news worth living and good news worth sharing. - Shay