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.

Whose image are we created in?

    I have come to realize something over the last few months, and as easy for me to proclaim it, it also is a hard pill to swallow.  I have realized that the various social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, Blogging) has added fuel to the fire of people attacking others.  As easy as it is to go to social media and "connect" with people from various points in school, co workers and neighbors. It is even easier to take a hot button topic such as gun control or the definition of marriage and call the opposing side a bunch of bumbling idiots, while hiding behind an avatar.  There is a part of me that wonders if we have turned into a bunch of cowards, because we are willing to post information to these sites that we would dare not to say in public or to another persons face.  Then I realized that people have been cowards for centuries and the social media sites is just another way we allow ourselves to hide behind an avatar allowing ourselves to be cowards and  bumbling idiots. 

  This has gotten me thinking over ideas and here is some food for thought.  The first one is that we lack any real desire for community and connecting with others.  We all claim that we want to live in community, but when we are hiding behind avatars and not willing to go face to face with an issue, it cheapens the community.  We are more concerned with about putting out an image of how we want people to perceive us and more importantly, I think its how we want to perceive ourselves. We do not want to let the not so nice stuff of ourselves come out.  One of the things that I have realized, those things do come out and its usually not at a good time.  We want to think ourselves and the human race as good people with flaws that we have to work through.  If we just put our nose to the grindstone, and educate ourselves a little better, we can work on our own and the ills of the world and make them better.  But as we have seen thins week, with bombings in Boston and Baghdad, I am not sure self motivation will get the job done. 

  Within the Christian community, we claim that we are all created in the image of God, but we don't act like it.  We often take more enjoyment of bringing people down than bringing them back up because that takes work and in all reality, its not much different from the world.  Sarcasm tends to make us feel better by putting others down and it tends to make us feel better when we are busting chops.   Sarcasm tends to cover up where we are vulnerable by pointing out other peoples weakness.  I know there have been countless books and blogs dedicated to what it means to be created in the Image of God, and I have a gut feeling that it has a hard time sinking in.  I could go on and on about the Image of God and how we are created, but here is the shortest way I can put it right now.  It means that we love God with everything we got and Love others as ourselves.  This means seeking forgiveness from God and others who we have wronged, along with reconciliation and restitution when applicable.  It is also forgiving others for wrongs they have committed and helping to create safe boundaries for our relationships that encourage growth in relationships with God and others. Its moving from viewing ourselves fro ether second class citizens, or God's gift to humanity and making us Children of the most high God and He is the center of our lives. If God is not at the center of it. 

   My last rant is that I think we can spend more time in community and less time being bumbling idiots if we stepped away from the computer.  If we really value relationships, both with people we agree with and those we don't, we have a better chance of seeing them for who they are and who we are and that is a people in desperate need of Gods grace and mercy on a daily basis.  Its been said by Sam Hannah (a character on NCIS:LA) that Facebook is for cowards and people who don't want to put the work in for real social interaction.  So lets do the hard work and stop placing land mines on Facebook and start interacting with each other face to face. It takes viewing each other and ourselves with God's grace and how He views us, because this is the only time where we do not think to highly or lowly of ourselves or others, but as who we are.  We maybe dirty and marred by bast choices and life events, but we are still created in Gods image with His characteristics, we just need to allow God bring them back to order

Malice in the Palice Part II

Here is a response to violence in sports and in life.  Now it doesn't provide all the answers to the tough questions, but I hope it is a start on the right path.  Forgiveness is a tough road to hoe, but it is so worth it

Most if not all world religions have some concept of forgiveness and ideas of restitution.  In Christianity, it is the central theme of our relationship with God and others.  We are called to seek forgiveness and to be forgiven and to seek restitution when possible.  Forgiveness isn’t an option, because God calls His followers to forgive others just as they were forgiven.  Forgiveness is a one way street, we are called to forgive and to seek forgiveness even if the other party isn’t willing.  In essence, forgiveness is a one way street.  When we do this, we do not earn a merit badge, but we do it because of our relationship with God and we are His children.  Reconciliation is a two way street where it takes both parties to work on issues that are present.  Now, reconciliation may not be possible on this side of heaven, because there needs to be a place for proper and healthy boundaries.  Reconciliation in a broken world is hard work, but it is worth it.  In a healthy and growing relationship, there needs to be forgiveness and reconciliation at work. 

             

So what makes forgiveness possible?  It has to be more than just saying I am sorry and trying to change.  If we can just get away with saying I’m sorry and saying a little prayer, we are not only cheapening the process, but Christ work on the cross is totally pointless.  The book of Hebrews is littered throughout of illustrations that Christ death and resurrection not only covered our sins, but it provides access to God.  One of the main illustrations is that the curtain has been torn and that we can enter into the holy of holies because of Christ work. The only thing we need to do is to accept the free gift that is given to us.  The Oval Office in the White House is one of the most protected rooms in the United States.  The only way the average citizen can gain access is if we receive an invitation from the President.  This is the same with God, they only way we can have access to God is through Christ invitation and sacrifice on the cross.  The only way we can experience true forgiveness and reconciliation with others, is if we accept and receive the pardon of God through Christ.

 Because of Christ sacrifice and that He is a member of the Trinity, God is the ultimate judge.  One of the reasons He is the ultimate judge is because He is the Creator of the universe.  All things begin and end with Him and He is the only one that is righteousness enough to set the standards to live by.  The only way we can keep up and live in those standards is through Christ living in and through us.    

  Getting back to the Minnesota/Ohio State brawl, one of the people involved by the name of Luke Witte (who happened to be suckered punched in the brawl and he ended up with a scratched eye and spent some time in the hospital.) wrote about his experience and how he was not only a changed basketball player after, but a changed person.  That incident changed his outlook on life, and it filled him with hatred to those who were involved and he never viewed the game of basketball same again.  He eventually became a minister and around the year 2000 he was contacted by some of the Minnesota players to seek some sort of relationship and to talk about what happened.  The relationship started with olive branch in the form of an email.  Those feelings of hatred came back to Luke, but through time, Gods grace and mercy, there was not only forgiveness with Luke and the people that were involved, but there was also reconciliation.  They have gotten together over the years and became friends.  They can talk about that night on the basketball court and as horrible event as it was, has brought them together and developed good friendships.  God is a God of reconciliation, He is calling us to be reconciled with Him first and foremost, but a response of that reconciliation, who is he calling us to forgive and even, just maybe be reconciled to here on earth.

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

Spring time

As I am writing this, today is the first day of spring and I am willing to say that I am tired of snow and I am ready for warmer weather.  I like snow as much as the net person, but after awhile, I get tired of the cold, shoveling and the hauling of wood to heat the house.  Snow does have a spiritual connection.  Just as snow covers the brown grass and makes everything white and new, so does the blood of Christ and His work on the cross.  The blood of Christ not only takes away our sins, but through Christ blood, it makes everything new and spotless.  The Christian life is not just about getting saved, which is important, but it is also growing in grace and becoming mature in Christ.  Just as we want our children to become mature adults, we should work on being mature Christians

             Springtime means green grass, warmer weather and longer days.  We also need a spring time in our spiritual lives as well.  The season of lent can be represent the winter time of putting old habits or bad habits to death.  I hope all of us took time during the Lenten season to draw closer to God and to put the things away that is hindering our relationship with Him.  But here is the brutal truth, if we don’t replace the old habits, with new growth that is holy, we will find something just as destructive to replace the things that we dealt with during lent.  We should take time to celebrate the work that has gone on in our lives over the last forty days, but how we need to continue to grow and mature.  

            So what are the areas that are the spring time in your life?  In springtime, there are green buds on the trees, and in order for those green buds to turn into leaves, they need to grow and to mature.  In essence, it takes work, and even some trial and error.  It is willing to trust God and work on the things that He is calling us to.  The Christian life is more than just not doing certain things, but it is also doing things.  Whether it is prayer, fasting, working on relationships, or just serving others, God’s grace in our lives demands a response.  Our salvation is not dependant on what we can to, but we should do things out of love and adoration for the Creator and what He has done for us.  I hope we can live out Micah 6:8, which is that we love justice, do mercy and walk humbly with our God.

Can anything good come from...

    I filled in for a pastor friend of mine awhile ago and here is the sermon in its essence.  I am going to take each of the points and epand them out here in the near future, but I wanted to give people a taste of what is to come.

One of my favorite statements to come from the Bible comes from the John 1.  In this verse, Nathaniel makes the sarcastic statement of “can anything good come from Nazareth?”  Phillips response is “lets go find out.”  In the following verses, Nathaniel has an encounters Jesus and becomes one of the twelve disciples.  How we respond to Jesus and who He says He is should impact our lives greatly.  It can be everything from Jesus is nothing more than a lying lunatic, to He is the Lord of my life and everything in between.  If we make Jesus the Lord of our life, which I hope we are on a path too, here are three ideas on how this Lordship affects our lives. 

            The first one is the idea of maturity.  Maturity is more than just knowing more facts about Jesus and knowing the books of the Bible forward and backward.  How does knowing that Jesus died for us make us change how we live our lives?  It is more than just doing things and not doing things.  Rules are important, but what are our intentions for doing or not doing something.  It has to be more than fire insurance, because this is really self centered Christianity and it makes my relationship with Jesus all about me.  It is moving from being self centered to fulfilling the great commandment, which is loving God with everything we have and loving our neighbor as ourselves.  When we put our relationship with God first, things tend to fall into place.  I can rattle off facts about the athletes in this years Super Bowl, but it doesn’t mean I know them.  It is shifting from knowing facts to knowing the person. 

           

The second idea is that the Lordship of Christ should change is the idea of community.  This idea of community doesn’t necessarily mean that we all get along all the time.  I would argue that if a church or any other organization is always arguing or always getting along, there is something wrong.  I think that the beginning of this idea of community is are we willing enough to share.  I see this a lot when people give prayer request, we can share just about anything as along as it is some one else.  For some reason, people don’t want to share their deep soul, and probably because we want to keep feeling the warm fuzzes.  Community is not only care to share, but are we sharing to do something about it.  Are we willing to come along side people no matter how dirty and messy it gets or how much they get on our nerves.  There are healthy boundaries that we need to follow, but are we willing to put them into place and use them. 

           

The third idea is evangelism.  Are we willing to break out of our country club mentality and share the gospel.  I will keep this short, but are we willing to let our friends and family not spend eternity in heaven.  There is this idea of personal evangelism and corporate evangelism. The former is what are you doing on a personal basis to reach others for God, and the latter is what is our churching doing to reach our community.  A person I know favorite statement about my home church is that if it were to fall of the end of the earth, would the community miss us?  This is true on a cooperate level, but also on a personal level.  If you personally ceased to exist would your circle of influence miss God’s presence that you provided?  If you received good news about being cancer free, wouldn’t you want to share it with the whole world?  The news we have on eternal life is much greater than becoming cancer free (becoming cancer free is a great thing).  So If we make Jesus the Lord of our Life, it means that we mature, live in healthy community, and tell others what Jesus has done for us

Hope and Faith

Recently I started reading the children’s book A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle.  The book is about a family who is missing their father and know one knows exactly where is or what he is doing, but they have hope that he is coming home soon.  The family encounters three mythical creatures and they take the two oldest siblings along with a friend to go save their father.  The mythical creatures are often quoting different proverbs in the original language.  One of the proverbs is about hope and how we all need it and have it get through life.  In essence, we all need something to believe in. 

            Not only does Hebrews 11 talk about hope, but it talks about faith, and in all reality faith is the mature aspect of hope.  Let me break it down, in my book there are two kinds of hope, the first kind of hope where we believe in something, but it doesn’t lead to action.  To put it in simple terms, this form of hope is thinking that your team is going to go out and win it all.  There are plenty of people who think that the Vikings are going to win the Super Bowl every year, but how many of them go out and buy the Super Bowl tickets or make plans to attend the victory parade at the beginning of the year.  My guess is that there are more people who don’t do that than who do.  Or to put it in more practical terms.  How many of us went out and bought supplies before our last major snow this month.  I would venture to guess most of us went out and got the milk, bread and snow melt before the snow got here.  With working at Wal Mart, we were busy they two days before we got hit with the snow, and our shelves were bare.  Now I am sure some of it was the chicken little the sky is falling, but people wanted to make sure they had food and other things before the snow got here.  If we do this, why don’t we do it with the Creator of the Universe who sits on the throne eternally.   

            As Hebrews 11:1 puts it, now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  The author of Hebrews goes on and shares Bible hall of fame, or the hall of faith, of how different people through out the Bible had the faith and they put into practice what they knew.  Mature faith is knowing that we are not saved by our works, but we live out our lives as a response to what God has done for us and what He has promised us.  Through out the Bible there are references to God being there for us and guiding us through life.  To sum it up, God is reaching down willing and wanting to interact with us and through us, are we willing to reach out and do those things out of not only obedience, but having faith and hope that God will be there for us and will work through us.