Valentine's Day

To love someone is to believe in the goodness of God, even you don't know him. That faith is less a head-knowledge thought and more an act of bodily throwing yourself from a cliff, feeling almost certain that everything will be alright.

Sometimes it is.

On many a Valentine's Day, I find myself unwilling to believe in God. I assent to the truth of him, but the faith that makes a lane to a cliff-lip, I just don't have.

Something I wish for.

Just the same.

Dear Chris

Dear Chris,

When I said, "choose a profession." I meant "choose a mission field." The gospel, you know and know well. Who you tell and how well you tell this gospel is now the issue. Choose well. Your profession is where you will preach. Your profession is how you will teach. It is how you will love this earth. 
Choosing a profession you can do well is your means to teaching and preaching well. This good news is news about our new world, our planet, our reality. If we have this news, if we know nature better, then our relation with this earth should be better than those who don't. Note, I said relationship and not performance. In light of this gospel, we love our profession. We do not depend on our relationship with our work for our identity and worth. Rather, we freely love what we do. Out of the gracious largess of God we live supported by his generosity we freely love our profession. With love, we do good work.  By good work, I mean well-informed, well-meant, and well executed effort. This work, done freely, and given freely without demands for fame or fortune will create a question. For this same work is almost always done with increasing demands for reward, (Rewards, in and of themselves, become less rewarding. 
That, in turn, inspires a search for greater satisfaction either through more of the same  rewards or through novel ones.) Your good work given without regard to lust of the flesh, 
lust of the eyes, and pride of live illustrates this gospel. Each whole-hearted illustration, each day is a powerful-compelling source of goodness. A goodness that causes the needy to seek 
its source. Men and women will agree they need your work. Some will be convinced that 
they need the gospel that guides your work. This persuasion is a work of the Holy Spirit. He will use the profession you choose and the gospel you know.

Sincerely, A

The Bus

 I was in luck. I saw a bus headed my way. I crossed the street and approached the door. When I looked in I saw the bus driver point, not even looking back at me, around the corner. I went around the corner at a slow jog, when I saw all the people waiting in line. I slowed down to a walk. I would be there when she got there.

After waiting for the man in the wheel chair and his helper to enter the bus, we all entered the bus. She refused to let us pay the fare. I didn’t know why though. I stood as far back as I could go and took my first ride in a long time. I was going from Silver Spring to Washington DC for the annual book festival. I can't live without books and I wanted to know is something from Achebe was there. However, I saw far more valuable things on the ride than after it.

A young woman, baby in a carrier in front of her entered the bus. As she entered we all looked for where she would sit. Somewhere upfront, we suspected. We all identified the same young man sitting in a seat close to the door. He was the only one with no grey hair. He only looked down as the woman and baby passed him by. The old man beside him turned and stared at him. Despite the anger in his eyes, he said nothing. We all stared at him.

Before she passed the middle of the bus, a young woman got up. Saying, “You don’t have to stand. You can sit here.” I can still see her 5’4 frame, black skin, and an island’s lilt.

I blinked. I had just seen justice.

We continued to ride. I had a long way to go and was happy when I found a seat. About three stops later. An older woman entered the bus, cane on her arm as she balanced herself and paid the fair and I saw the young man get up. He walked to the front of the bus and said, “Here. You can sit down.” There was another young African-American who had felt the weight of our stares and anger. He got up several times during my ride to tell another, “You can sit here.”

I blinked. I had just seen repentance.

These are beautiful pictures that intend to keep. Forever. On my blog.

2 Corinthians 7:11

Closing the Loop

This loop begins in Genesis 3:15 NIV: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head and you will strike his heel." So it begins, the search for the one who would crush the head of the serpent, Satan. Who is searching? Everyone, especially the Woman, was looking for that off-spring who would be the deliverer. There were shadows of that deliverer. We saw can see it now in the stories of Isaac, Moses, Samson, Samuel, and so many others. They were men who born to deliver their people from oppression, to crush the head of their oppressors. Yet, none could crush the head of Satan; none could satisfy our need to regain the immortality we lost.

None accept Jesus.

I found it odd when he addresses his mother as "woman" in John 2. Now, I think he speaks for every "son" whose parents have looked to him to be their savior from shame, futility, and the grave. She calls him to save a marrying man and his family from shame in saying, "They have no more wine." Luke 2:3 NIV. He responds "Woman why do you involve me?" "My hour is not yet come." (Luke 2:4). Yet he responds, he saves the bridegroom and his family from shame in the ensuing verses, 5 - 11.

He speaks for every son and daughter who could not save their parents from death, futility, and shame. Perhaps, they could not save because it was not time for THE Savior. Perhaps they could not save because they were not THE Savior. Perhaps both were true.

In addressing her as "woman." I think he is identifying her with the first person to referred as "woman" because it was her first name: Eve. I think he is beginning to close the loop.

On the cross, he does close the loop. The search for the "offspring" of Genesis 2:15 is over. Parents no longer have to look at their children, searching for and sometimes seeing a deliverer. The only deliver a man or woman needs was on that cross delivering them. He delivered them as he closed the loop. He says to his mother, ""Woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother."" (John 19: 26-27).

Now each son and daughter is just that, a son or a daughter, none them have to be a deliverer. Each mother and father are just that, a mother and a father not victims and slaves needing to be rescued. They already have been rescued, by and through their union with Christ.

The search is over. The loop is closed.

John 20:15, the risen Jesus says, "Woman, why are you crying? Who is it you are looking for?" He then makes the same shift Adam did in the garden. (He went from calling his wife "woman," to naming her, Eve (Genesis 3:20).) He calls her "Mary." She turns to him, recognizing him, and cries out "Rabboni!" She has found him: her teacher, her lord, her friend, and now her Savior.

Our search is over. We have a Savior and no longer need to search for another. His name is Jesus and that is wonderful.

About Ferguson Missouri

Wrote this September 1 2014...

“I love you. I promise I always will.”

I have not thought it all the way through and I struggle with the social implications of the gospel. The gospel always has and always will have social implications. It will always have an impact wherever questions of ethics and justice are central. It will because, “Justice is what love looks like in public.” ~ C. West. The gospel at its heart declares what God, in his love, has already done for us.  He promises us freedom. “Your seed will crush his head.” (Genesis 3:15) We heard when Jesus proclaims that God’s kingdom has broken in to the one of this world (Mark 1:15). We look forward to experiencing it when God’s hour of judgment of separating good from evil, of setting things right, has come (Revelation 14:6).

The last one is especially poignant in the face of Darren Wilson’s impending trial. If the love of Jesus has saved us from sin and if God promises to one day judge all and perfectly, knowing that God’s love has made these things certain, what should we then do? What should we then pursue? Do we pursue justice in our courts as part of the way we live out being dearly beloved children? Do we pursue a shift in policing as a way of showing the love of Christ to the African-American community in Ferguson and throughout the US of A?

Of course.

I cannot believe that that is all we are to do. As believers in this gospel, I believe that we more than pursue justice according to the law. I believe that we are called to shape the law and its enforcement to prefigure God’s own effective, loving, merciful, and terrible justice. On that day, God will judge all the people. Will we do any less? Can we as Christians listen to only the stories we want to hear and judge from there? Or will we listen to officers who are called to work longer hours, with less pay and benefits, with less support as well as the many men and women who are abused by their anger, brutality, disrespect of law and policy? This process of discernment in the context of law enforcement is deeply needed and will not be quickly done. I believe the church should settle in for the long haul of overhauling the police force. I believe the church should be the place where society is called to hold to the full-story truth.

Judgment done with discernment and love is hard to deny. Discernment made Stephen’s defense undeniable in Acts 7. His love made his death unforgettable in Acts 8. While, the contrasting lack of the same two things condemns that council for as long as the chapters of Acts are read. Let us bear the strain of learning to discern good from evil in America’s police force. All the while remembering, justice on earth is not our end goal.

God himself is our end goal. We were created by, through, and for him alone. Our end goal in pursuing justice in Ferguson is to obey his word, to dwell in his love, to be like him in our love, to point others to him in all that we do. We don’t cry out for justice so that this world might be just, it will always have some injustice somewhere. We cry out for justice in the hopes that another might glimpse his justice. We listen to both sides and the heart of every story so that others might see the character of Jesus. We march with protesters and converse with aldermen so that others might see the hands and feet of Jesus. We write blogs, video blogs, twitter, facebook, google+, vimeo, link-in, and stumble upon that others might read the words, see with the eyes, and hear the voice of Jesus. He is the only life we have to give. In him is the only life we want to live. He is the only sure hope for perfect justice and comfort that we can offer. 

Post Script:

This post starts with the beautifully sung words of Steffany Gretzinger. I was listening to track eight of her album, “The Undoing” on Relevant Magazine’s “The Drop” as I wrote this. The track is about God’s covenant love and is titled “Promise I Always Will.”

Who Do You Want?

“Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 

Pilate shouts to the gathered crowd in Matthew 27:17.

For a moment the crowd looks up and sees three men.

They are offered to make a decision as to who lives and who dies. They can pick by calling a name. Whichever name they choose, walks off the stage and into their midst. Their sentence revoked, their crimes forgiven, presumably their fellowship is restored to their people. The other must receive their sentence, pay for their crimes, and be forever cut-off from their people. For this moment, all three men stand there waiting.

I look at this picture for what it says to us as men. Pilate, Barrabbas, and Jesus were once mortal men, but I believe that they represent three options in our desire to live as men in this world.

Lets start with Pilate. There is little known about Pontius Pilate. Within this story, he was a soldier who became the Roman governor over Judea. 

He had the wishes of every man. Pilate was successful. He became a soldier. He worked hard, got lucky, and rose through the ranks. At this moment Pilate had power and security. He was backed the most powerful army in the known world. He could pretty much do as he liked as long as it did not annoy, shame, or threaten Tiberius Caesar. To his left stood man clearly on the other side of fortune, Barrabas.

He was a prisoner accused of rebellion and murder. He was a zealot who believed in the coming Messiah and tried to bring about the freedom of Judea from Roman oppression. He joined the rebellion, worked hard, and was caught. He became imprisoned, poor, regularly disrespected and maltreated. He was sentenced to be crucified. If Pilate is every man's dream, Barrabas is every man's nightmare. Standing all the way to his right...

Jesus was accused by the priests and scribes. He has no resources, no comforts, no freedom, and is danger of being crucified. He was a carpenter who gave up the business to because he was called to be an itinerant rabbi. He refused to escape or deny those who would arrest him, because he was called to be arrested. Here he could have free himself in a few words regained all of his comforts, his resources, and secured his life by speaking a few words to Pilate or to God. He did not because he was called. 

If Pilate's life is a dream that every man wants to live and Barrabbas', a nightmare that every man wants to avoid, then the life of Jesus is a mystery. He willingly rushes towards the joblessness, insecurity, ignominy, and death that every man in every age would want to avoid. 

Why? 

What on earth could be more important than fruitful work and a good life?

Which man do we want? Which one do we want to be like? The crowd chose Barabbas and Pilate. They chose Barabbas to be in their company and Pilate to be their ruler. They cried out for Jesus to die.

We know why Pilate chose to do as he did. We know what drove Barabbas to become the man he became. It is not until we understand why Jesus did what he did, that we can choose him. Jesus valued his relationship with God over all else. It is hard to remember to do that everyday. Each day there are new and pressing needs to believe that hard work, power, prestige, resources, and comforts are worthy aims. 

Yet, the Holy Spirit and Scripture continually points us to the Man and invite us to become like the mystery.

Musing on Christian art and Christian story

I love to experience Christian art. Perelandra by CS Lewis, Rehab by Lecrae Moore, or the Prodigal Son by Rembrandt are all beautiful pieces of art that render the invisible things of God and His world true. I enjoy and am encouraged by these pieces of art. Not just as its audience, also as a fellow work of art. These pieces of art remind me that my very life and being point to an invisible truth. Yet, there is some Christian art I struggle to resonate with.

These pieces of art seek to portray spiritual realities directly. Every song that seeks to bind the devil, every sermon that skips the story of Scripture to declare its truths as a slogan, I still hear and celebrate the truths of a living God. I enjoy the medium a little less.

Sometimes, I straightforward approach is necessary.

I am in awe of God through His choice of medium. He has revealed himself in the words, stories, songs, poetry, laws, and structure of Scripture. I experience Him clearest when His people reunite His mediums and His truths. God uses stories that have the knowledge of Him as their moral and are filled with very human people, all their glory and ruins included. Whether it is terrible and fearful Edmund from, “The Lion, the Witch, and Wardrobe” or a young, honest, wild and self-centered Lecrae in of APB, the truth of the depth of God’s redemption portrayed through Aslan’s relationship with Edmund and the transforming power of the gospel seen through Lecrae’s lyrical, before-and after snapshots of himself remind me anew of the stories of the Old and New Testaments. They remind me that I am living a story. That story is a continuation of the great story: story of how God saves the world.

I need the encouragement and reminders for as long as life gets me down. That happens more often than I care to remember. I look forward to more Ted Dekkers, Courtney Peebles, Janett..iks, and mosaic makers (see the cover of Befriending the Stranger by Jean Vanier). Most of all, I look forward to day when I will experience God in utter clarity, also known as, the beginning of forever.