Growing up in Iowa one of our main areas of entertainment, besides cow tipping, were concerts in Minneapolis, Minnesota. On the way up to Minneapolis, on Interstate 35, at exit 32 is a town called Hope. But what is Hope, other than a town in Minnesota?
Hope is defined as Absolute Certainty, which is pretty cool because we are called to have hope in Christ's death and resurection. We just celebrated Easter, and even froze our fingers off trying to play guitar in 26 degree weather in the 6 am darkness of the morning. After getting warm again, it was a great day to remember Christ and his sacrifice.
The last section of Radical Renovation, a study book written by James A. Harnish, we look at the end of Mark. Now, if you go to your Bible and look up the end of Mark there are actually 2 endings. One is the more obvious one, the end of the paragraph, and the other you have to do a little reading for. I guess most early manuscripts have Mark end at verse 8 instead of verse 20. Cool huh?
But as Harnish points out, it is a rather awkward ending to the book, it just leaves off with a couple of Marys, looking for Jesus' tomb, scared and speachless.
But the best part is what comes just before that in verse 7, where they are told to go and tell the disciples that Jesus is alive and that he is ahead of you waiting.
Cool, eh? Harnish makes a huge point about this pointing out that this is left open-ended not just for the disciples and Marys but also for us. It includes us in the story of Christ.
Christ is ahead of us and waiting in our daily lives too. We are called to live our lives so that we are proclaiming Christ in all we say and do. We are called to be walking constantly with God in all we say and do. But to know that Christ is waiting for us. He has paved the way, shown us which direction to go, and now it is your turn to walk. Who are you following or are you just walking blindly on your own?
3/27/08
3/20/08
It finally makes sense... kinda
I have always been a little confused about the story of the woman who washed Jesus' feet and poured perfume on his head. For some reason I always related to the Disciples who were curious why the lady didn't sell the expensive perfume and give it to the poor instead.
But after reading this week in the Radical Renovation Lenten Study Book, I think that I have a little better idea on what this story means.
This event happened just before Passover, which means that it was just before the Last Supper as well as just before Jesus' death. And the enlightenment that I received from the story is that even though this was a costly bottle of perfume, this was a sacrifice that this woman wanted to make.
Jesus was just about to make an even bigger sacrifice, his life for our sins. But this story helps put into perspective what Jesus did for us on the cross and what we are called to do daily in our lives for Him. Jesus' death on the cross was one that required great sacrifice and love, but that means nothing to you unless you are living your life for him. Being willing to sacrifice anything in your life so that Christ may be glorified. We are called "to offer ourselves the way this woman in the Gospels offered her gift, in unrestrained, extravagant obedience to Jesus Christ." (Radical Renovation. James A. Harnish, 49)
Are you doing this? Are you offering yourself like this woman did, with unrestricted love? If not, do you feel like you should? What would this look like?
But after reading this week in the Radical Renovation Lenten Study Book, I think that I have a little better idea on what this story means.
This event happened just before Passover, which means that it was just before the Last Supper as well as just before Jesus' death. And the enlightenment that I received from the story is that even though this was a costly bottle of perfume, this was a sacrifice that this woman wanted to make.
Jesus was just about to make an even bigger sacrifice, his life for our sins. But this story helps put into perspective what Jesus did for us on the cross and what we are called to do daily in our lives for Him. Jesus' death on the cross was one that required great sacrifice and love, but that means nothing to you unless you are living your life for him. Being willing to sacrifice anything in your life so that Christ may be glorified. We are called "to offer ourselves the way this woman in the Gospels offered her gift, in unrestrained, extravagant obedience to Jesus Christ." (Radical Renovation. James A. Harnish, 49)
Are you doing this? Are you offering yourself like this woman did, with unrestricted love? If not, do you feel like you should? What would this look like?
3/12/08
The New Humanity
In my life I have experienced comfort and have gone to great lengths to keep that comfort. Whether it is avoiding people so that I can have more time with friends of family. Or if it is selfishly thinking of myself first instead of putting others in front of me. I will at times go to extreme ends to keep myself from feeling discomfort.
There were also times when I would use Christianity as a barrier to other people. Thinking that I was more holy or that others had no hope helped build up these walls of comfort for myself. This is something that I am ashamed of and wish that I had not done, but the past is past. Now I am looking onto the future and how I can tear down these walls.
Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians talked about these religious walls as well. He stated, "In Christ Jesus you who were once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us... that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross." (Ephesians 2:13-16)
Paul hit it right on the head, through Christ's death on the cross the walls have been torn down. We, as Christians, are called to show love, not hate. We are called to be caring not careless. We are called to build friendships not enemies.
Are you doing this? James Harnish in his book "Radical Renovation" states it pretty well, I think. "The walls can come down, and a new humanity can be born." (Harnish, pg. 43).
Are you helping a new humanity come to this earth? If not, what walls need to be broken down so that we can help carry out the mission of the cross?
There were also times when I would use Christianity as a barrier to other people. Thinking that I was more holy or that others had no hope helped build up these walls of comfort for myself. This is something that I am ashamed of and wish that I had not done, but the past is past. Now I am looking onto the future and how I can tear down these walls.
Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians talked about these religious walls as well. He stated, "In Christ Jesus you who were once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall, that is, the hostility between us... that he might create in himself one new humanity in place of the two, thus making peace, and might reconcile both groups to God in one body through the cross." (Ephesians 2:13-16)
Paul hit it right on the head, through Christ's death on the cross the walls have been torn down. We, as Christians, are called to show love, not hate. We are called to be caring not careless. We are called to build friendships not enemies.
Are you doing this? James Harnish in his book "Radical Renovation" states it pretty well, I think. "The walls can come down, and a new humanity can be born." (Harnish, pg. 43).
Are you helping a new humanity come to this earth? If not, what walls need to be broken down so that we can help carry out the mission of the cross?
3/5/08
That's The Power of Love
For the longest time I have enjoyed the part in Mark 12 where Jesus is asked what the greatest commandment is. His reply was simple in the statement, but very difficult in what he said. He said that we are to 'love the Lord your God with all of your heart and soul and mind and to love others as you love yourself.'
What I thought was great about this is that Jesus wasn't inventing something totally new and radical, instead he was referring to what was taught for ages from the Old Testament. But obviously people sometimes get things confused and jumbled when it comes to the idea of love.
Imagine putting God and other people before your needs, is that possible?
How do we put God and others first? In this weeks Lent devotional a great quote by Martin Luther King Jr. was used to help describe love. "To meet hate with retaliatory hate would do nothing but intensify the existence of evil in the universe. Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love." (A Testament of Hope, page 17)
So are you begetting more hate? Are you making things tougher than they were before? Or are you using the power of love to eliminate hate?
Our world is full of foes. It is so easy to hate someone and it is hard to love someone. We are called as followers of Christ to love others; no matter who they are or what they have done.
Who in your life do you need to show some love to? What kind of hate do you need to overcome in your life?
What I thought was great about this is that Jesus wasn't inventing something totally new and radical, instead he was referring to what was taught for ages from the Old Testament. But obviously people sometimes get things confused and jumbled when it comes to the idea of love.
Imagine putting God and other people before your needs, is that possible?
How do we put God and others first? In this weeks Lent devotional a great quote by Martin Luther King Jr. was used to help describe love. "To meet hate with retaliatory hate would do nothing but intensify the existence of evil in the universe. Hate begets hate; violence begets violence; toughness begets a greater toughness. We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love." (A Testament of Hope, page 17)
So are you begetting more hate? Are you making things tougher than they were before? Or are you using the power of love to eliminate hate?
Our world is full of foes. It is so easy to hate someone and it is hard to love someone. We are called as followers of Christ to love others; no matter who they are or what they have done.
Who in your life do you need to show some love to? What kind of hate do you need to overcome in your life?
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