Jesus

On the cross…

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At choir we have begun practicing the music for holy week. One of the songs we are working on is called “Here on the Cross” and includes the lyrics: Sorrow and gladness meet, evil has met defeat, salvation is complete, here on the cross.”

It strikes me that this is a concise and yet poetic description of what we as followers of Jesus believe about the cross.

As so many things with God, there are layers to the cross. There is sorrow, but also gladness. What looks like defeat is actually triumph and what seems tragic is actually the foundation of our hope.

When I was a kid – probably starting around age 12 – I had a tradition of reading the crucifixion accounts in the Gospels on Good Friday. It always made me weep. As I have grown up, I find that though I still feel deeply the grief of what my sin cost Jesus, I also have a more complicated reaction to the cross.

As the song says, sorrow and gladness meet.

Another glance at the “Our Father”…

The Lord’s prayer is among the best-known passages in the Bible. Sometimes it is the only thing people know to recite when it comes to prayer. But I often worry that we have some wrong ideas/bad theology that is formed out of how we understand this prayer.

For example – the prayer starts “Our Father, which art in Heaven”…. Do we think this means that God is far removed – that God dwells afar in a distant place called Heaven? Because I don’t think that is the God that Jesus knew, and it’s not the God I know. The God I know is close, involved even in the seemingly mundane or silly parts of my life.

Dallas Willard took a crack at re-writing or re-imagining this prayer as part of his book, The Divine Conspiracy. And I find his translation so very helpful. So here it is. I hope it will bless you as it has me:

Dear Father always near us,
may your name be treasured and loved,
may your rule be completed in us-
may your will be done here on earth in
just the way it is done in heaven.
Give us today the things we need today,
and forgive us our sins and impositions on you
as we are forgiving all who in any way offend us.
Please don’t put us through trials,
but deliver us from everything bad.
Because you are the one is charge,
and you have all the power, and the glory too is all yours-forever-
which is just the way we want it!
Amen (or Willard would be thrilled if you went “Whoopee!”)

 

 

Processed isn’t good, Part 2…

So I went to bed last night and fell asleep quickly, and only when I awoke this morning did I realize I forgot to blog! Ack! This is why I fear taking time off from such things…once I’m out of habit it gets too easy to stay that way.

However, I already have an idea for tomorrow’s post, so here’s hoping I am back in the habit after a few days.

In my last post I wrote about my journey away from processed foods towards whole foods. The post got a little lengthy an included my recipe for black bean soup. But even as I published it, I felt it wasn’t finished. Because the reality is, it’s not just in regards to food that I have a “processed isn’t good” mantra.

I think anything that isn’t authentic isn’t really good for us. Whether it is synthetic food, synthetic clothing, synthetic art or (most importantly) synthetic relationships. I think God calls us to authenticity and simplicity.

We are called to be true to each other and true to the world that God created. Is it any surprise that when we interfere with food (process it), it becomes less nourishing to our bodies? God already created what we need to sustain life. And we cannot improve upon what God has created – at least, not without serious consequences.

In Jesus, God showed us what humanity was meant to be. What it meant to love without agenda, to live in peace, joy, patience, kindness, self control, and gentleness. Jesus is the “blue print” for a human that lives an un-processed life. Jesus is authentic in his relationship with God, with others, with the work he came to do, with his own emotions. And I believe that is why faith in him is so life-giving and life-changing.

When we enter into relationship with God through his only begotten Son, we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit’s “job” to lead us into a more authentic life. It is the Spirit who guides us towards the ways of Jesus and away from the ways of sin. As we become more like Jesus, we begin to live a less-processed life. We begin to live more authentically, just like Jesus did.

Now, that does not mean it all happens at once. I can attest that it takes time and baby-steps and a whole lot of failures to become more like Jesus. And I am nowhere NEAR a finished product, yet. Sometimes I have it together in one area of my life, only to realize I’ve regressed in a whole other area.

Still. I believe that the Holy Spirit is at work in me. And I believe that is for the good. And I am thankful.

 

 

Be kind…

There is a pin I have seen on pinterest that says “be kind, everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle.” Today it struck me how true that is.

I had the opportunity to go out with one of my elders and visit with a few people this week. As I listened to one lady’s story I thought of how much weight she had to carry. Her son has been through a difficult health issue, she has a parent in the throws of Alzheimer’s and a parent-in-law also showing signs of dementia.

If you were to bump into this lady in the local grocery store, you wouldn’t have any idea that all of this is going on. She is positive and upbeat. She enjoys life and is active and healthy herself. And yet, she carries this heavy burden.

We don’t know the burdens that others carry or the struggles they face. We don’t know the difference that our kindness might make to another who is weary with the stress of life.

That is why Jesus calls us to always show kindness and love to everyone we come into contact with. I think Jesus knew what it was to face struggle, uncertainty and a future that meant pain and rejection. I think he knew what it was to bear a heavy burden. I hope he knew what it was to be touched by the kindness of others.

The call to kindness isn’t just so we be or seem ‘nice.’ It is actually a sacred call to the healing of this world. In kindness shared, the burdens of others are lifted and the world is changed for the better.

Life is busy and sometimes it is easy to be caught up in our own stuff and miss the need that is before us. My prayer is that Jesus would change my heart so that I don’t need any more reason to be kind than the fact that everyone I meet is facing a hard battle.

Happy Valentine’s…

So all day Facebook has been lighting up with updates that have to do with Valentine’s Day. Some are quotes about love, some are friends sharing pictures of gifts received, some are comments on dinners shared. It’s been really sweet to see people sharing their feelings this way.

There is a popular thought out there that Valentine’s Day is all about selling chocolate and flowers. That real couples would be best to ignore the 14th of February, in favour of celebrating their love every day. And part of me likes that thought. I certainly like the idea of non-commercial celebrations. But (forgive me if this offends you), often I have noticed a certain smugness in those who ignore Valentines. It’s an attitude that seems to say that they have the best way figured out, and that all those who buy chocolate and flowers, bake dinners, make heart-shaped cookies, send cards, or celebrate in any way are foolish.

As a single girl, who has never once celebrated Valentine’s Day with someone special in my life, I find myself bothered by that. I would really enjoy doing something special on the 14th of February with the man I love. I hope that my future holds some of those celebrations in it. And I hope, when I do get to celebrate that way, no one will think that I need some special day in order to celebrate my love. I hope that those who know me would be able to see that it is simply something I enjoy.

(Now, before I go any further, let me say this: I am not wallowing in self-pity as a single person on Valentine’s Day. In fact, I kept forgetting it was V-Day, only to be reminded again with each new post. And I enjoyed my day immensely.)

But I will say that all the images, quotes and comments have given me a bit of a case of love-on-the-brain. I’ve been thinking about love today. What it means when it is real. How people fall in it and then fall back out of it. How some people never seem to find it and others seem to find it too often.

When I think of love – even in reaction to pink candy hearts or schmaltzy movies or red roses – part of my brain always goes to Jesus. There is a song I adore, written from the first-person perspective of Jesus and it starts off “I have always been a lover, since before I drew a breath. And somethings I’ve loved easy, and some I’ve loved to death.” (Derek Webb, Lover)

Jesus teaches us what love is supposed to look like. Not necessarily romantic love (although I believe He can teach us about that, too), but any kind of love. For friends or family or the stranger who passes you on the street.

Jesus said: “This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. This is the very best way to love. Put your life on the line for your friends.” (John 15:12, MSG)

What if the whole world learned to love each other that way?

Transitions

I had more than one conversation with more than one colleague today about various transitions we are going through.

For me, my body is in transition as I work toward my goal weight (I am trying not to grumble about the current plateau). My church is in transition as we welcome the Rev. Dr. Bob Spencer as an interim minister and as we continue to search for a new lead minister. My finances are in transition as I work toward a savings goal and a debt reduction goal.

Even the weather is in transition – this winter it has been almost a daily transition from spring to winter to spring again. But in the past week I have noticed the sun feeling a little stronger on my skin and the daylight lasting a little longer (we are only 4 Sundays away from the Spring Forward time change, yay!).

It occurs to me that everything in our world is in a state of transition all the time. Things don’t last. Not to be too maudlin, but from the day we are born we begin to die.

And I guess that is why I love Jesus so much. Because he doesn’t change. He is outside of time, impervious to its slow decay (except, of course, for that 33 year period when he submitted himself to it). He is eternal and the relationship we have with him, if we choose to have a relationship with him, is eternal.

What he offers us – on going life in the Kingdom of God, peace, hope, redemption, love…I could go on – is eternal.

In a world that is always changing and decaying, I find soul-deep comfort in the eternal nature of Jesus.

A new thing…

I started a new project tonite. I don’t want to say anything about what it is because I hope it will be a gift for someone who may (or may not!) read this blog and I don’t want to ruin the surprise.

There is something good and refreshing about starting something new. Even though the project is a decent amount of work and will take some time to finish, I like the beginning steps. I like knowing that I am creating something and if I just keep putting one foot in front of the other (so to speak) I will have made something meaningful.

I wonder if God feels that way whenever a new person is born. I mean, we have free will and so it’s not the same as my project (which has no will of its own), but I wonder if God has that same thrill of a new thing begun.

Or maybe God feels like that every time someone begins a relationship with Him – that would be the moment when God really begins to shape that persons life.

New things – whether they are ideas, projects, experiences, or new life – always make me think of Jesus saying to his mother “Look, I am making all things new.” Jesus was broken and bloodied and on his way to a painful death. And even then, he could see the newness in what was happening to the world through his death.