It had been six months since Phil had died and a year since I had moved from being their pastor when I got Rita's letter. Long distance was a bit expensive then and Al Gore hadn't invented the Internet, so Rita wrote the last pastor she had. She missed Phil badly. "Every night I take one of his shirts from the closet and hold it when I go to bed. I haven't changed his pillowcase either. I can still smell his aftershave so I hang on. The aroma on the shirts is fading and I can't stand it. It is all I have left to hang on to."
It had been four years since our oldest son Matt had left. He'd been working and going to school and wouldn't be coming back except for weekend visits so I began to take over some of the closet and drawer space in his room. But I left an almost empty bottle of Polo Sport aftershave in one drawer. I could still get a mild whiff of it now and then. It caused me to pray to and thank the Lord and remember when Polo Sport was strong in the house.
I have the number 242 in my head. I believe it was the number of paperback books that were in Clay's closet. Some were about the Beatles, some about the Olympics, but most of them were Peanuts by Charles Shultz. You could open Clay's closet and see them. Not many clothes hung there. The shelves had books and the floor was stacked with books. He had started collecting them when we has just old enough to read. About Teenage-ville he took other interests. I would occasionally use them myself for sermon quotes from good ole' Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Linus and the gang. Some times, after he left for college, I'd just open his closet and breath deeply. It gave forth a musty, gluey, kinda non-sugary sweet smell. To me it was the aroma of a brown eyed boy saving quarters, going to Half Price Books on Northwest Hwy in Dallas to buy books and reading them in the back of the van or on his bed.
I remember being hit by it when I stepped out of the shower. Out the bathroom door to the left, down the hall with another left and right into nirvana in the kitchen. It was Pam baking an apple pie. The whole house had been enveloped with the scent of buttery crust, cinnamon and sugar poured over our neighbor's fresh picked apples. The pie would never greet my lips with a kiss. It was, alas for another but I was okay with that. I think I had already had the best part.
There are sights that can stop us dead in our tracks. There are people for whom we will go out of our way to feel their touch. There are sounds we are trained to listen for from voices of loved ones, the nursery, the phones, and the ubiquitous electronic devices. So ever present are these that they are easier to miss but the smells, oh, the smell will get us every time. They sneak up from behind like a prankster friend ready to jump us. Aroma's can have such a strong link to our souls that heart rates can change, blood pressure can fluctuate, and real feelings are elicited from just the memories that certain smells evoke. One man can walk into a mechanic shop and be taken back to the childhood he loved by the smell of gas and grease. Another can smell the same and grow ill thinking of the pain his father endured from working too hard, too long as the only mechanic in a busy service station.
Some aromas attract and some repel but few are totally neutral for all people. Maybe that's what Paul had in mind in II Corinthians 2:14-16: But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of Him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and to those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life.
Imagine that, the fragrance of His knowledge, the aroma of Christ himself! The church is that lingering fragrance of love lost that can be regained. The church is that unmistakable aroma of Someone you love, Someone you miss, Someone you need. The church, you, are that whiff on the Wind of the Spirit that reminds and beckons the lonely, the sad, the hurting, the tired, the longing, the lost to remember where home really is.
Breathe deep, O world, and may the fragrance you find in the church, be the sweet smell of Life.
Cos
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Nine Times Out of Then
I, along with most sane folks, weren't surprised when the world didn't end last Saturday around six pm. The percentage of doomsday prophets who got it right is still zero, or to put it more positively, they are batting 1.000 pct. One day the percentage will go up a little, but nine times out of then it stays the same. I'll admit to some minute disappointment. In some ways I'm ready for the Lord to get on with His new heaven and new earth format. I'm tired of people hurting. I'm tired of caner, Alzheimer's, ALS, and whatever diseases and maladies strike family and friends. I'm tired of war and rumors of war. I'm tired of praying for peace in the middle east. ( I know I'm not suppose to say that so hold the letters) I'm tired of murders, drug abuse, alcohol abuse, gambling, politics, corruption (I know-redundant), world hunger, greed, arthritis and cell phones. I'm really tired of death. But I've read Matthew 24 and 25, Revelation 19 and 20, and II Peter 3. and I know where this corrupt earth thing is headed. A part of me says, "come on Lord, it can't get much worse so just do it."
But just a part of me.
For the most part I was glad the world kept going after Saturday. It means, among other things we keep some good things going with chances for greater things. I still like the way cool air feels on fall and spring mornings. I like the sound of the golf ball hitting the bottom of the cup, though often after six or seven strokes its more relief than joy. I like the way grandson Kaden says "Mimi" and "GrandCos." (he holds the "o" and hisses the "s.") I love to see a good pick-and-roll and the smell and taste of smoked brisket. And these are minor things. In the major categories we humans already have the capabilities to end world hunger, end all manners of self inflicted heart-ache and disease from abuse and bad habits. On the medical front strides are being made to alleviate the pain and death associated with diseases that years ago their diagnoses were considered a death sentence.
But there's another reason I'm glad the world didn't end just yet. Not everyone is ready. It is just a fact and according to the Apostle Peter in II Peter 3: 9, the Lord is holding back, not being slow as it looks in coming back but being patient so people can come to repentance and not perish eternally.
One of these days the Lord will return. It will come like a thief in the night. Jesus said that no one knows the day or the hour, not angels, not the Son but only God the Father. So anyone who says it is going to happen at this time or that is being unbiblical and should be ignored. One day it will happen and what the bible teaches is readiness. We get ready by surrendering our lives by faith to the Lordship of Christ and getting busy doing justice, acts of service, kindness, and love. Peter goes on to say in the afore mentioned chapter that "you ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming." The church is extended time to witness and share the good news that all may have eternal life in Jesus. We've got a lot of work to do, much of it hard but nearly all of it rewarding if you can keep the eternal goal in mind. I"ve got family and friends who frankly aren't ready yet. So hold off Lord, if you can.
Now excuse me, I've got a few sermon notes to write. Then I've got to make a few visits to the sick and unchurched. Then I'm going to get a brisket sandwich, go the putting green, and call Kaden on the cell phone. Look, you get ready your way, I'll get ready mine.
Cos
But just a part of me.
For the most part I was glad the world kept going after Saturday. It means, among other things we keep some good things going with chances for greater things. I still like the way cool air feels on fall and spring mornings. I like the sound of the golf ball hitting the bottom of the cup, though often after six or seven strokes its more relief than joy. I like the way grandson Kaden says "Mimi" and "GrandCos." (he holds the "o" and hisses the "s.") I love to see a good pick-and-roll and the smell and taste of smoked brisket. And these are minor things. In the major categories we humans already have the capabilities to end world hunger, end all manners of self inflicted heart-ache and disease from abuse and bad habits. On the medical front strides are being made to alleviate the pain and death associated with diseases that years ago their diagnoses were considered a death sentence.
But there's another reason I'm glad the world didn't end just yet. Not everyone is ready. It is just a fact and according to the Apostle Peter in II Peter 3: 9, the Lord is holding back, not being slow as it looks in coming back but being patient so people can come to repentance and not perish eternally.
One of these days the Lord will return. It will come like a thief in the night. Jesus said that no one knows the day or the hour, not angels, not the Son but only God the Father. So anyone who says it is going to happen at this time or that is being unbiblical and should be ignored. One day it will happen and what the bible teaches is readiness. We get ready by surrendering our lives by faith to the Lordship of Christ and getting busy doing justice, acts of service, kindness, and love. Peter goes on to say in the afore mentioned chapter that "you ought to live holy and godly lives as you look forward to the day of God and speed its coming." The church is extended time to witness and share the good news that all may have eternal life in Jesus. We've got a lot of work to do, much of it hard but nearly all of it rewarding if you can keep the eternal goal in mind. I"ve got family and friends who frankly aren't ready yet. So hold off Lord, if you can.
Now excuse me, I've got a few sermon notes to write. Then I've got to make a few visits to the sick and unchurched. Then I'm going to get a brisket sandwich, go the putting green, and call Kaden on the cell phone. Look, you get ready your way, I'll get ready mine.
Cos
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
With Robes Not Torn
In Matthew 26:65 the high priest, Caiaphas, tore his robes when Jesus affirmed that He was indeed the messiah, the son of the Living God. This is not the first instance of the tearing of one's robe in the face of grief or distress. Israel's kings often did it when confronted with a nation about to defeat them. Young King Josiah did it when he heard the word of the Lord concerning the sinful ways of Judah. Job did it when he was in grief over the loss of his family and seeming absence of God. But Dr. Larry Crabb points out that one group of people, priests, were not to ever tear their robes except in the face of blasphemy. Scriptures in Exodus 28,29 and Leviticus 10 and 21 indicate that priest were not to tear their robes in the face of distress or personal grief but only in the case of blasphemy. Even when Aaron's sons were killed he could not tear his robes in grief lest he too be killed. This is why Paul and Barnabas tore their robes in Acts 14 when the people in Lystra declared them to be gods. Paul, a rabbi, tore his robes to affirm his humanity and grieve the Lystrians blasphemy.
Why the harshness on priests? Do they not grieve as others at the loss of family and friends? Do they not face distressing circumstances and are they not human with the same needs and emotions? Yes, but the priest also had another calling. Once a year one of them would be chosen to go into the Holy of Holies and make atonement for all of Israel. He would sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat for the sins of the people and pray that God would accept their offering as an atonement for sin. The implication is that one who stands in the presence of God should never view any circumstance, no matter how dreadful, costly, distressing, and grievous as hopeless beyond the ability of God to bring salvation and relief. The Apostle Paul put it this way, "we do not grieve as those who have no hope" (I Thess. 4:13).
The implications for the church are especially relevant in the light of so many problems which plague our world. With wars, disease, poverty, wild fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis, drugs, terrorists, job troubles, relationship troubles and brussel sprouts, it is understandable if we went about in distress with our robes figuratively torn because of our grief. I haven't even mentioned the ultimate nemisis, death. But we in the church join others and feel for ourselves the weight of these painful demons and problems loosed in our world. Yet, we are not to tear our robes. Wait, you say, we're not priests. Yes, you are. Eph. 4:11-12 tells us all believers are ministers. Revelation 1:6, 5:10 and 20:6 reminds us that we are indeed a kingdom of priests. And Hebrews 10:19 informs us that all believers can confidently enter into the Most Holy Place, the presence of God, through the blood of Jesus. Therefore, even in the face of horror, disease, and even death we, in essence, do not tear our robes. We greive, we hurt, we cry, we ask why, but never without hope, never without the very presence of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We ared pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecutied, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (II Cor. 4: 7-10)
As believers, our hearts can ache and break. As believers, our minds can frazzle and our emotions fume but we do so with robes not torn for our robes are robes of righteousness, whole and complete in the salvation of Christ.
Hole-y, wholly, Holy,
Cos
Why the harshness on priests? Do they not grieve as others at the loss of family and friends? Do they not face distressing circumstances and are they not human with the same needs and emotions? Yes, but the priest also had another calling. Once a year one of them would be chosen to go into the Holy of Holies and make atonement for all of Israel. He would sprinkle the blood on the mercy seat for the sins of the people and pray that God would accept their offering as an atonement for sin. The implication is that one who stands in the presence of God should never view any circumstance, no matter how dreadful, costly, distressing, and grievous as hopeless beyond the ability of God to bring salvation and relief. The Apostle Paul put it this way, "we do not grieve as those who have no hope" (I Thess. 4:13).
The implications for the church are especially relevant in the light of so many problems which plague our world. With wars, disease, poverty, wild fires, earthquakes, tornadoes, tsunamis, drugs, terrorists, job troubles, relationship troubles and brussel sprouts, it is understandable if we went about in distress with our robes figuratively torn because of our grief. I haven't even mentioned the ultimate nemisis, death. But we in the church join others and feel for ourselves the weight of these painful demons and problems loosed in our world. Yet, we are not to tear our robes. Wait, you say, we're not priests. Yes, you are. Eph. 4:11-12 tells us all believers are ministers. Revelation 1:6, 5:10 and 20:6 reminds us that we are indeed a kingdom of priests. And Hebrews 10:19 informs us that all believers can confidently enter into the Most Holy Place, the presence of God, through the blood of Jesus. Therefore, even in the face of horror, disease, and even death we, in essence, do not tear our robes. We greive, we hurt, we cry, we ask why, but never without hope, never without the very presence of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.
But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us. We ared pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecutied, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed. (II Cor. 4: 7-10)
As believers, our hearts can ache and break. As believers, our minds can frazzle and our emotions fume but we do so with robes not torn for our robes are robes of righteousness, whole and complete in the salvation of Christ.
Hole-y, wholly, Holy,
Cos
Thursday, May 5, 2011
Christian Reactions to OBL's Death
I have heard people make the connection between Sept, 11, 2001 and May 8, 2011 by saying we will never forget where we were and what we were doing when we heard the news of both events. The first date was met with horror, disbelief, anger, rage, sadness, resolve and grief. The news of OBL's death evoked joy, relief, euphoria, hope (for more peace), and regret that it took so long. All of this led to fist pumping, spontaneous celebrations at ballgames, in taverns, and in the streets. The USA's no. 1 enemy had been destroyed which prompted the impromptu parties.
My own immediate reaction was a shout of "whoopee, we got him!" My next reaction followed on its heals with a more somber question: "should I yelp for joy at the death of a human being, who from all my understanding of God and His word is now in hell for eternity?" I answered my question with polarized clarity: yes and no. "Yes," because a conduit of demonic evil was eliminated. OBL was a mass murderer, a radical religious fanatic with no compassion for any but those that fit his narrow definitions of proper belief and action. He was no friend to any religion but his own brand and was obviously murderously intolerant of any he believed unfit. The world is better off without him. Period.
So why any sympathy or feeling of misgivings at OBL death at all? Actually, there were few for the man himself. A feeling of melancholy did waft over my soul at the whole thought of war and death. God didn't intend for OBL to be the way he was. He made choices. He saw things he didn't like and acted and reacted with evil. His ego got in the way. I have done all these things myself to some degree. OBL obviously had intelligence and leadership capabilities. These qualities were wasted unless you view things from a demonic standpoint of hatred for anyone not like you. The loss of such potential for good is saddening but this was lost long before a bullet brought an end to his life. Ahh, what could have been...
And honestly, I was somewhat repulsed by some of the reaction in America at the news of OBL's death. Understandable to a point, but death and war and the crafts we have honed to win at these are serious. I remember the gut wrenching agony of seeing the dismembered bodies of our servicemen dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia and the celebrations that were spawned by that horror in the Arab world. I also recall the street dancing and flag burning in radical Islam enclaves after 9-11. Some in the US looked no different, I'm sure, to the Muslim community when those news tapes were shown on their tv's last Monday. I guess I'd like to believe we are different and we don't gloat over death, even the death of evil. We do away with it and move on quietly. Let the SEALs clank a glass in their private remembrance for a job well done with the thanks of a grateful nation. Then they as a team and we as a nation move on to the next assignment. We do this because we know that even though OBL is dead, evil is not. It will have to be faced again.
So what is the next assignment? I have no authority over the SEALS, the nation, or any person to give them one. Let me just tell you some assignments I've made to myself.
One is to be humble in the face of evil, or, when I should prove victorious at some points, in the aftermath of victory. James 4:10 admonishes us to humility and Proverbs 27:21 reminds us that a man is tested by the praise he receives. Spiritual victories are hard fought (see the cross) and possible only by the grace of God--so be humble.
Another assignment is prayer. I need to remain vigilant in prayer for evil is real and present in this world. It affects all of us and even all of nature (Rom 3:23, Rom. 6:23, and Rom. 8:21-22.). I need to pray for the end of evil and the death of death. This only comes by the power of God's grace and love. All other battles against it fought by weapons forged by the hands of man will bring fleeting victories at best. In the recorded history of man, only seven years have passed without some of us in the world fighting with others. So be prayerful for our nation which has lost its way on so many levels. Freedom and justice cannot be secured nor maintained without a connection to righteousness. Pray for justice and freedom for the nations.
Related to prayer is another assignment--be evangelistic. We never know when our sharing with another human being about our faith in Christ might prevent all manners of evil down the road in that person's life. Jesus changes hearts. He transforms lives. He changes people's destiny from hell to heaven. Walking with Jesus in a relationship of faith brings peace, joy, and hope to a person's life for now and forever more. Did OBL ever hear the real salvation story of Jesus? Did he ever really see Jesus or just another religion that he didn't like that he viewed as one needing to be eradicated for his to succeed? I don't know but I do know Jesus still saves. Pray and witness to the lost. You may prevent an Columbine, a 911, a divorce, a murder, a suicide or an empty life by sharing Jesus with another soul. We may not ever know now, but someday we will.
The last assignment I'll share today is this: be grateful. Be grateful that God sent His son to offer eternal life to those who trust in Him. Be grateful that God changes lives. Be grateful for His grace and truth. Be grateful for freedoms won and freedoms held. Be grateful to men and women who fight for us, pray for us, share Christ's truth with us and model grace and freedom for us. And be grateful that in the end, the living and true God revealed in Jesus-wins.
Cos
My own immediate reaction was a shout of "whoopee, we got him!" My next reaction followed on its heals with a more somber question: "should I yelp for joy at the death of a human being, who from all my understanding of God and His word is now in hell for eternity?" I answered my question with polarized clarity: yes and no. "Yes," because a conduit of demonic evil was eliminated. OBL was a mass murderer, a radical religious fanatic with no compassion for any but those that fit his narrow definitions of proper belief and action. He was no friend to any religion but his own brand and was obviously murderously intolerant of any he believed unfit. The world is better off without him. Period.
So why any sympathy or feeling of misgivings at OBL death at all? Actually, there were few for the man himself. A feeling of melancholy did waft over my soul at the whole thought of war and death. God didn't intend for OBL to be the way he was. He made choices. He saw things he didn't like and acted and reacted with evil. His ego got in the way. I have done all these things myself to some degree. OBL obviously had intelligence and leadership capabilities. These qualities were wasted unless you view things from a demonic standpoint of hatred for anyone not like you. The loss of such potential for good is saddening but this was lost long before a bullet brought an end to his life. Ahh, what could have been...
And honestly, I was somewhat repulsed by some of the reaction in America at the news of OBL's death. Understandable to a point, but death and war and the crafts we have honed to win at these are serious. I remember the gut wrenching agony of seeing the dismembered bodies of our servicemen dragged through the streets of Mogadishu, Somalia and the celebrations that were spawned by that horror in the Arab world. I also recall the street dancing and flag burning in radical Islam enclaves after 9-11. Some in the US looked no different, I'm sure, to the Muslim community when those news tapes were shown on their tv's last Monday. I guess I'd like to believe we are different and we don't gloat over death, even the death of evil. We do away with it and move on quietly. Let the SEALs clank a glass in their private remembrance for a job well done with the thanks of a grateful nation. Then they as a team and we as a nation move on to the next assignment. We do this because we know that even though OBL is dead, evil is not. It will have to be faced again.
So what is the next assignment? I have no authority over the SEALS, the nation, or any person to give them one. Let me just tell you some assignments I've made to myself.
One is to be humble in the face of evil, or, when I should prove victorious at some points, in the aftermath of victory. James 4:10 admonishes us to humility and Proverbs 27:21 reminds us that a man is tested by the praise he receives. Spiritual victories are hard fought (see the cross) and possible only by the grace of God--so be humble.
Another assignment is prayer. I need to remain vigilant in prayer for evil is real and present in this world. It affects all of us and even all of nature (Rom 3:23, Rom. 6:23, and Rom. 8:21-22.). I need to pray for the end of evil and the death of death. This only comes by the power of God's grace and love. All other battles against it fought by weapons forged by the hands of man will bring fleeting victories at best. In the recorded history of man, only seven years have passed without some of us in the world fighting with others. So be prayerful for our nation which has lost its way on so many levels. Freedom and justice cannot be secured nor maintained without a connection to righteousness. Pray for justice and freedom for the nations.
Related to prayer is another assignment--be evangelistic. We never know when our sharing with another human being about our faith in Christ might prevent all manners of evil down the road in that person's life. Jesus changes hearts. He transforms lives. He changes people's destiny from hell to heaven. Walking with Jesus in a relationship of faith brings peace, joy, and hope to a person's life for now and forever more. Did OBL ever hear the real salvation story of Jesus? Did he ever really see Jesus or just another religion that he didn't like that he viewed as one needing to be eradicated for his to succeed? I don't know but I do know Jesus still saves. Pray and witness to the lost. You may prevent an Columbine, a 911, a divorce, a murder, a suicide or an empty life by sharing Jesus with another soul. We may not ever know now, but someday we will.
The last assignment I'll share today is this: be grateful. Be grateful that God sent His son to offer eternal life to those who trust in Him. Be grateful that God changes lives. Be grateful for His grace and truth. Be grateful for freedoms won and freedoms held. Be grateful to men and women who fight for us, pray for us, share Christ's truth with us and model grace and freedom for us. And be grateful that in the end, the living and true God revealed in Jesus-wins.
Cos
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Losing Words
A odd truth reveals itself every year about this time, it seems that the task for writing something meaningful about Easter grows larger and larger. It is not the bare facts of the Cross\Resurrection events or the baseline meaning of them that is hard. It's not a lessening of the appreciation for and the joy which continue to grow at the thought of Jesus' resurrection. But as I grow older and become more aware of my own sin and the enormity of the sacrifice Jesus took to save me from myself and the world from itself, then the meaning behind the facts of Easter leave me more and more speechless. I can say the same for the Incarnation, for that matter. Consider that God- Holy, Creator, and Ruler of the Universe loves His creation to the point of sacrifice; withholds judgment to the point of absurdity in hope of eliciting a loving response, and opens His greatest treasure (knowing Him deeply) to former rebels who can by faith, become lovers of Him and His Kingdom- Remarkable! How do mere words from a finite creature begin to capture one scintilla of the love and grace of God?!?
They can't. And the truth is I seem to be losing words even while the appreciation grows deeper. In writing about Easter one tries to explain the unimaginable, come to grips with the unfathomable, understand the infinite and communicate it all with words and sentences that are all too ordinary. The longer I am a Christian and the longer I contemplate what Christ has done the bigger Easter grows. It doesn't become something that grows smaller and more understandable with time and study and living. Jesus' awe, beauty, wonder and sacrificial love only multiply. Words fail me.
Another problem encountered in seeking out the Unsearchable is the frame of reference. We have never lived in a world that hasn't known resurrection power. We have ignored it, misused it, and abused it but we have never lived in a world that hasn't had someone, somewhere proclaiming that Jesus lived, died for mankind's sin, and rose from the grace defeating death. You and I can't imagine a world without hope. We have all faced or known situations and circumstance that gave no hope for that slice of time. Maybe it was hunger in Somalia, fires in west Texas, tornadoes in the south, war in the middle east, bears on Wall Street, shootings on the border, war, job loss, cancer or a thousand other evils in this broken world that took away hope for that moment in time. But even in the most horrific circumstances that focus our fear on the hands of the clock in front of us, we have always, since the resurrection, had nailed scarred hands pointing us toward eternity . John Lennon wrote, "... imagine there no heaven...it's easy if you try..." No, John, I'm sorry, but for the Christian that fluffy sentiment has become impossible. Everything we are, have and hope for is framed with eternity. A well know lady with very agnostic views was once heard by a magazine editor to have uttered these two phrases while their airliner encountered engine trouble: "Oh, God, please, no!"and later when the plane landed safely, "thank-God!" When the editor asked her about those utterances later she said it meant nothing, they were just expressions. Some expressions. The cross and the resurrection are also just expressions: the expressions of a loving God who reaches from heaven into the temporal by means of the incarnation to give a glimpse of and a taste of His eternity. That glimpse and that taste give us a hunger for Him and His life. That is hope. The cross\resurrection give us the promise that hope will be realized. Imaginations fail me.
Words fail me. Imagination fails me. The resurrections declares that Christ doesn't fail me. The hope and the promise live because He does. Maybe a fitting epitaph for folks trying to capture Easter in words and utterly failing could be this:
Lost my words in His wounds,
Lost my wounds in His Word.
To the day we find our voices in the King's song,
Cos
They can't. And the truth is I seem to be losing words even while the appreciation grows deeper. In writing about Easter one tries to explain the unimaginable, come to grips with the unfathomable, understand the infinite and communicate it all with words and sentences that are all too ordinary. The longer I am a Christian and the longer I contemplate what Christ has done the bigger Easter grows. It doesn't become something that grows smaller and more understandable with time and study and living. Jesus' awe, beauty, wonder and sacrificial love only multiply. Words fail me.
Another problem encountered in seeking out the Unsearchable is the frame of reference. We have never lived in a world that hasn't known resurrection power. We have ignored it, misused it, and abused it but we have never lived in a world that hasn't had someone, somewhere proclaiming that Jesus lived, died for mankind's sin, and rose from the grace defeating death. You and I can't imagine a world without hope. We have all faced or known situations and circumstance that gave no hope for that slice of time. Maybe it was hunger in Somalia, fires in west Texas, tornadoes in the south, war in the middle east, bears on Wall Street, shootings on the border, war, job loss, cancer or a thousand other evils in this broken world that took away hope for that moment in time. But even in the most horrific circumstances that focus our fear on the hands of the clock in front of us, we have always, since the resurrection, had nailed scarred hands pointing us toward eternity . John Lennon wrote, "... imagine there no heaven...it's easy if you try..." No, John, I'm sorry, but for the Christian that fluffy sentiment has become impossible. Everything we are, have and hope for is framed with eternity. A well know lady with very agnostic views was once heard by a magazine editor to have uttered these two phrases while their airliner encountered engine trouble: "Oh, God, please, no!"and later when the plane landed safely, "thank-God!" When the editor asked her about those utterances later she said it meant nothing, they were just expressions. Some expressions. The cross and the resurrection are also just expressions: the expressions of a loving God who reaches from heaven into the temporal by means of the incarnation to give a glimpse of and a taste of His eternity. That glimpse and that taste give us a hunger for Him and His life. That is hope. The cross\resurrection give us the promise that hope will be realized. Imaginations fail me.
Words fail me. Imagination fails me. The resurrections declares that Christ doesn't fail me. The hope and the promise live because He does. Maybe a fitting epitaph for folks trying to capture Easter in words and utterly failing could be this:
Lost my words in His wounds,
Lost my wounds in His Word.
To the day we find our voices in the King's song,
Cos
Tuesday, April 5, 2011
i
According to the eminent scholars, 3 Dog Night, one is the loneliest number. So what's the loneliest letter? I submit for your consideration the letter "i."
Although I must admit that at first glance "i" seems to be doing just fine these days. It has had a huge surge in the electronics sector with the advent of iphone, itouch, and ipads. You can hardly call yourself connected without an "i" something and those of us who don't have an "i" something are always feeling inferior to those who do. That in itself puts focus back on "i." And truthfully, "i" has always done well in the entertainment industry. With the exponential growth of sports stars, reality shows stars, and individuals who are famous for no talent at all, they are just famous, "i" has never been bigger. So how in the world can I claim that "i" is the loneliest letter when it is flying all over the universe with the speed of jets, film, emails, sound, and light. Well, that is my point: it flies but never seems to land, put down roots, and grow into a good solid "we."
I remember a few years ago walking on the University of Texas' campus with one of the directors of a Christian ministry with a headquarters across the street from the old student union. I loved the vibe of the campus. He showed me the bowling lanes, the bookstore (it was a short cut from his office to go through that building), and the commons area outside the Tower. Young people of every shape, color, size and personality were sitting and flitting and talking everywhere. We walked along and he asked me to notice what all these different people had in common. "They hate Aggies?" I pondered. Beside that he engaged. I looked again and I think I saw what he was talking about. In five minutes we must have encountered what seemed like a couple of thousand kids. I looked at hundreds of them for several seconds each. No one ever made eye contact with me unless they were inviting me to something or advertising something for their organization. A huge percentage of them were on cell phones, listening to mp3 players or engaged with a laptop. Jimmy told me, ''these kids are the most connected generation in the history of the world, and the most lonely." I looked again and my heart just broke. They can google, tweet, im, text, and facebook with thousands across the planet but they have yet , in so many cases, to learn what it means to have true connection with God and one another.
We are wired, spiritually, not electronically to connect with God and one another. It seems we try to connect with any and everyone else first and end up isolated and alone way too much of the time in our culture. With all the screens we view daily isn't is ironic that we have actually "screened" off one another? The screens are just modern ways we use to keep some distance between us. We fear spiritually intimacy and substitute electronic connectedness. It turns out that our biggest fear, that of knowing and being truly known, is also our greatest need. And the word of God is replete with His admonition to "fear not" and His assurance that He already knows us and loves us completely anyway.
What do we do in a well-connected yet disconnected, lonely, isolated world filled with busy people all around us? We offer the power that the church has had for years: communion. No, not just the wine and bread every week or month (although that might be a good place to start), but the union we have with Christ. This union we have with Him by faith; this union we have in His word and in prayer; this is lived out in the co-union, the com-union we have with one another. So we worship together and invite those around us to join us. We pray together and ask those lost, hurting and lonely around us if we might pray for them. We serve together in a dozen different ways but always with an eye to those around us who are needing a place to serve but haven't found satisfaction in merely serving "i." We do what Jesus told us to do: love one another even as I have love you.
Then watch what He does. A barrier will come down. A friendship will be made. A phone will be turned off and eye contact made. A conversation about real issues will take place over a cup of coffee. Even a tweet might ask a real question about what you know about Jesus. A lost person will come to faith in Christ. A church will be renewed in loving fellowship. And eyes that could not come off a screen will behold the glory of God in the faces of the people of God and "i" as the loneliest letter will lose its place.
Turn your "i's" upon Jesus,
Cos
Although I must admit that at first glance "i" seems to be doing just fine these days. It has had a huge surge in the electronics sector with the advent of iphone, itouch, and ipads. You can hardly call yourself connected without an "i" something and those of us who don't have an "i" something are always feeling inferior to those who do. That in itself puts focus back on "i." And truthfully, "i" has always done well in the entertainment industry. With the exponential growth of sports stars, reality shows stars, and individuals who are famous for no talent at all, they are just famous, "i" has never been bigger. So how in the world can I claim that "i" is the loneliest letter when it is flying all over the universe with the speed of jets, film, emails, sound, and light. Well, that is my point: it flies but never seems to land, put down roots, and grow into a good solid "we."
I remember a few years ago walking on the University of Texas' campus with one of the directors of a Christian ministry with a headquarters across the street from the old student union. I loved the vibe of the campus. He showed me the bowling lanes, the bookstore (it was a short cut from his office to go through that building), and the commons area outside the Tower. Young people of every shape, color, size and personality were sitting and flitting and talking everywhere. We walked along and he asked me to notice what all these different people had in common. "They hate Aggies?" I pondered. Beside that he engaged. I looked again and I think I saw what he was talking about. In five minutes we must have encountered what seemed like a couple of thousand kids. I looked at hundreds of them for several seconds each. No one ever made eye contact with me unless they were inviting me to something or advertising something for their organization. A huge percentage of them were on cell phones, listening to mp3 players or engaged with a laptop. Jimmy told me, ''these kids are the most connected generation in the history of the world, and the most lonely." I looked again and my heart just broke. They can google, tweet, im, text, and facebook with thousands across the planet but they have yet , in so many cases, to learn what it means to have true connection with God and one another.
We are wired, spiritually, not electronically to connect with God and one another. It seems we try to connect with any and everyone else first and end up isolated and alone way too much of the time in our culture. With all the screens we view daily isn't is ironic that we have actually "screened" off one another? The screens are just modern ways we use to keep some distance between us. We fear spiritually intimacy and substitute electronic connectedness. It turns out that our biggest fear, that of knowing and being truly known, is also our greatest need. And the word of God is replete with His admonition to "fear not" and His assurance that He already knows us and loves us completely anyway.
What do we do in a well-connected yet disconnected, lonely, isolated world filled with busy people all around us? We offer the power that the church has had for years: communion. No, not just the wine and bread every week or month (although that might be a good place to start), but the union we have with Christ. This union we have with Him by faith; this union we have in His word and in prayer; this is lived out in the co-union, the com-union we have with one another. So we worship together and invite those around us to join us. We pray together and ask those lost, hurting and lonely around us if we might pray for them. We serve together in a dozen different ways but always with an eye to those around us who are needing a place to serve but haven't found satisfaction in merely serving "i." We do what Jesus told us to do: love one another even as I have love you.
Then watch what He does. A barrier will come down. A friendship will be made. A phone will be turned off and eye contact made. A conversation about real issues will take place over a cup of coffee. Even a tweet might ask a real question about what you know about Jesus. A lost person will come to faith in Christ. A church will be renewed in loving fellowship. And eyes that could not come off a screen will behold the glory of God in the faces of the people of God and "i" as the loneliest letter will lose its place.
Turn your "i's" upon Jesus,
Cos
Thursday, March 24, 2011
The Hard Part of Lent
What's the hardest part of Lent? Some would say getting started, especially if they are of a persuasion that gives up something they really enjoy, like chocolate, golf, or March madness basketball. But that is also why the meaning of Lent sometimes is lost on us since we get to pick what we give up in order to concentrate on a higher calling and remember the sacrifice Christ made. We usually pick an "add-on" to our lives rather than essential parts to "give up" for Lent. If we are not careful, God Himself can become an "add-on" rather than the Center and Life itself.
Others may claim that the end of Lent is the hardest. It has been six weeks since the beginning and if you are planning on going back to eating, using, and enjoying some part of your life that you put on hold for six weeks the last few days can be agonizing. For those, the thought of ______ can overwhelm the senses and the imagination and thoughts of Jesus and His agony fall victim to our own, which is in itself a pretty good teaching point itself.
But for many, if not most, the middle days of Lent are the hardest. You are half-way but not quite. The routine sameness has taken hold and meaning can easily be lost in the mundane. This is seen in the worship routine, the marriage routine, and the work routine. Humans long for stimulation of mind, body, and soul. The dreaded middle is a part of any relationship or system or calendar when the beginning can hardly be remembered and the end can't been seen. This is why some worshippers fall away after reaching the middle and the excitement of conversion has been replaced with a call to steadily walk in quiet submission with Jesus. That's why many marriages break up in the middle. The partners call it an end and find a more exciting beginning with someone else only to find in a few years they are right back in the middle again. In the case of Lent everyone arrives at the half way point at the same so there are no pilgrims coming back to say the end is up ahead and it's worth the journey. There are no stragglers to whom those farther along might call back words of encouragement. All are on the same journey and at the same place: the middle of Lent.
But some of the greatest lessons occur during the middle. What is true in Lent is true in life. There are experiences and lessons that one can actually recall that got you to this point. The maturity of the middle and the journey to this point helps us to imagine joys at the end and remember that there is an end. Though not unique to Christianity, Christianity has more nearly perfected the art of remembering what hasn't yet happened. This "memory" encourages the middle pilgrim. The Bible calls these promises, and Jesus to Paul to Peter to John recommended their usage.
So look around you. People all over are in the middle of something. They are in the middle of an argument; the middle of treatment; the middle of a project; the middle of a book; the middle of the week. It's just as far back as it is forward, so you might as well go forward, that's where the fulfillment of the promise is found. So weak by weak (there's no misspelling there) we muddle along through the middle. There's no false bravado about the middle being the best. The best in Christ is truly yet to come. But there is also no despair needed in our being about half way through anything for when you look really well you find Jesus right in the middle with us. Hopefully He finds us right in the middle of His will.
And that is always a good place.........
Cos
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