Carrying the Cross Amidst Bombs

I'm wrapping up a three week series with our church talking about the subject of peace. As I was finishing things this afternoon I moved from my work space into the living room to turn on CNN. What I saw was the news reports of terrorist attacks in India...ongoing...with many dead. And here I am preaching on peace.

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Peace is a core conviction I hold as a Christian...it's something I believe Christ-followers should represent. However, it is incredibly hard to think of how this violence can end without retaliation. I must admit, when I encounter issues of violence my first inclination is toward violence...to combat evil with evil, but this is not the theme of the gospel.

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I am realistic in believing there will always be wars and rumors of wars until the return of Christ. I am hopeful, however, that Christians can stand for peace, for well-being and mercy toward both the oppressor and the oppressed. It is difficult to imagine freeing the oppressed in a non-violent, non-military fashion, but this is our story in Christ. This is how Jesus brought freedom to the oppressed. This is how Jesus freed the oppressor. He did it by setting us free from our sinful inclinations toward evil and the abuse of power. He showed us the way through submission and service.

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I must admit, I feel a little awkward preparing to share something that seems so unrealistic in today's culture. However, I feel it must be said...it must be talked about. So in the midst of a violent world we proclaim love for our enemies and prayer for those who persecute us.

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May your Kingdom come, and your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

When Did Politics Become Our Savior?

I've been in numerous conversations over the course of the last several months regarding the elections. I've posted only one post on it, but here are my parting words (there may be more) on whatever will happen in a few days...

Politics can only do so much. They are not our savior. Perhaps many agree with this statement but are blinded to how entrenched they have become in trusting our government to do the church's work. When we place the government or a president in the role of savior we forfeit both Christ as above all these things and we forfeit our role. Notice the tone of many conservative Christians is that if we get the right man/woman in office, then they will legislate this or that and everything will be ok. Let me ask you, when did Christ followers believe the way the Kingdom comes is through legislation?

What we have just done is forfeit our role and in a way have become Pharisees. We've just said that if there was a right law then people would follow it, because it would be the law and it would be a good law and they would have to. But when has making something a law dealt with the issues of the human heart? The one thing Scripture says that law does is point out our sin...what is meant to bring life actually brings about death. Because a law or laws are passed does not mean people's hearts will be changed. Frankly it just gives us something else to break.

Instead of hoping legislation will change hearts we have to do the hard work of the Kingdom and work to change hearts through the ways of Jesus...through grace, mercy, and love (oh, and humility). Working this way with people is much more messy and frustrating. There are no clearly defined lines. One day an individual we seek to help may be doing well, the next day they may have turned their back on any progress and fallen off the wagon. Maybe that's why we want legislation. It's clean. It's black and white. You follow it or you don't.

Did you ever notice the way of Jesus isn't that well defined? It isn't that black and white, is it? It's messy. It's frustrating. It breaks down all the walls of self-righteousness.

Wednesday, November 5th will come. It will be a day, once again, where Christ followers will be called to take up the cross and do the work...no matter who is in.

Parched

Last week was decent, but it seemed to be laced with times of spiritual dryness and apathy. My reaction toward these times was less than stellar. I didn't view them as a chance to press on, but a chance to soak in the doldrums of seeming spiritual emptiness. At times I even thought to myself, "now is a time to take a break from all this spiritual stuff."

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It's pretty amazing, isn't it, that the times when we need to press into those things that bring us to God we retreat from because we feel too weak, too empty, to inept? It's the first and easiest thing to do. Much harder is to press through the desert to get to the spring.

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Toward the end of the week I began reflecting on this seeming emptiness, and I began seeing it as an opportunity to draw more into God rather than retreat since He was apparently just not 'showing up.' Adversely, it was probably me who wasn't showing up. One of our bishops not too long ago used the phrase 'pressing into our humanity', and I think this was one of those times for me. To me it meant that I bring this sense of humanity...this spiritual ache...this seeming emptiness...to God. Instead of retreating from all the things I would normally do as part of a 'devoted' life I might have instead pressed into the deeper disciplines of the spiritual life in order to lean more into God, facing the present feelings of emptiness and inadequacy.

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Pursue, not retreat. Greater intensity, not throwing in the towel. These are the next roads to take when I face this kind of dryness.