Being Reconciled

            I am a fan of the television show, How I Met Your Mother, and the whole premise of the show is the story of how one of the main characters (Ted Mosbey) tells the story to his future children of how he met their mom.  One of the running themes that runs through out the show is his on again off again relationship with Robin Scherbatsky.  We know from the intro of the show that Scherbatsky is not Ted’s wife, and in the current season, Scherbatsky is engaged to Barney.  The last episode, I was it with the reality that this show has eschalogical tendencies to it.  There is the whole idea of being in the present here and now, and still having future hope.  It is something that we are waiting for, but it is not here yet. 

            As a Christian we have this future hope of God coming in and not only making all things right, but making all things new.  It could be a process of waiting for God to come set up His Kingdom whether here on earth or to take us away to paradise.  This is a cool idea, but there are two things that are troubling if we are waiting for this to happen.  The first one is that we just sit on our hands and pray that God comes quickly to kick out all the bad guys.  Secondly, we develop an escapist theology, and we hope and pray for God to come and take us out of this mess.  It is a feeling that the world isn’t anything more than a hell hole and isn’t worth saving.  But, there is good news, there is another option, and it is not the easiest option, but in the end, it is the best option and something we are commanded to do.  We are called to be priest to a broken and dark world. 

Author and theologian NT Wright gives us a third option in His book Evil and the Justice of God. 

The Church is not to be so focused on being the community of the saved, but the church is a community of those who being redeemed through the cross, are now to be a kingdom and priest to serve God and to reign on the earth

            What NT Wright is not only calling Christians on an individual basis, but the church as a whole is to stop using Christianity as fire insurance.  Our faith is more than just accepting Jesus as our Savior and trolling along in life until we die or He comes back.  What NT Wright is saying is that our salvation is a work in progress.  Before I go on, I am not saying that our salvation and God’s love is based on our works, but our works should be based on what Christ redemptive work on the cross.  The cross takes care of our past and provides hope for a future.  The cross is the power of God in not only providing salvation, but hope to a broken world. 

            Just as Christ is our intercessor before God, Christ has given us that challenge to be that to a broken world.  The Lords prayer tells us Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  God’s kingdom is providing redemption and reconciliation by and through the cross to His creation.  Not only does the power of the cross provide reconciliation with God and us, in which we are to work out in fear and trembling, but it also provides reconciliation with us and others.  As Christians, we are not to sit on the sidelines watching the world go somewhere in a hand basket waiting for God to show up.  Not only is God already in the world, but He is working in us and through us.    We have the power of the resurrected Savior, so why not use it and share it with everyone. 

            To finish up with the How I Met Your Mother theme, God gives us a future hope that He will come again and we are the Bridegroom.  All will be complete and right in the world, when Christ returns.  In the meantime, we are called to live our lives in the here and now.  In essence because we have a future hope, it should change how we live our lives today.

Malice at the Palace

I am doing a two part blog on forgiveness, and the reason its two parts is really because its a long and it might be more tolerable to read in two sections. 

For those of you who are basketball fans, November 19, 2004 should ring a bell.  That was the night that the game known as Malice at the Palace took place.  A brawl took place between the Indiana Pacers and the Detroit Pistons, which lead to suspensions, fines, and people acquiring criminal records.  This event has scared basketball along with the teams and players that were involved for years to come.  One interesting fact is that one of the instigators of the brawl, years later changed his name to Meta World Peace.  There happened to be another basketball brawl that took place in 1972 between The Ohio State University and the Golden Gophers of Minnesota at Williams Arena in Minneapolis.  As I read about this incident from one of the players involved, there are several issues and ideas that came to mind. 

             

The first issue is violence in sports and how it is either celebrated or demonized.  This debate is more applicable to more than just hockey.   How far does one take fighting, and whose job is in to enforce the rules, especially the unwritten ones.  Other sports are also have violence issues.  Football is based on running people over and making tackles.  Some would argue that the violence of the sport is leading to serious health issues later in life. We can proclaim that we do not condone it but showing highlight after highlight of the latest fight or hard hit may say otherwise.  After the Malice at the Palace, ESPN and every other sports outlet showed highlights and discuss ramifications of the event.  So where is the line in the sand of supporting and condoning violence?

           

 Another issue that comes up with such brawls is the issue of punishment.  Where do we draw the line and how does one go about giving out punishment.  I think that punishment is a wrong way to go about things because its aim is often is to make an example of someone or a group of people.  I think that we can learn from other peoples wrongs, but making an example out of them is not the best way to go about things.  I do think that people should face some sort of “punishment,” but it’s the end goal that’s should be kept in mind.  Does punishment just lead to condemnation and shame, or does it allow for growth maturity and reconciliation.  If punishment does not lead and allow for reconciliation, its not worth doing, because when we often shame people and make examples out of them, it often leads down a dark road where healing and forgiveness can not be fully given or received.  It is more because I have to and not because I want to.  

 Now that we set up some of the problems, whats the solution and how to live it out.  That is the net blog post