Today is Christ the King Sunday. It's the final week in the church year. Next week Advent begins - a time to look forward to the coming of Christ as an infant as well as a time to anticipate Christ's second coming (a part of Advent we often overlook).
In the Christian calendar the year is "crowned" (pun definitely intended;)) celebrating Christ as King. In the Lectionary readings for this Sunday a passage from Jeremiah 23 is included where God gives an indictment against the shepherds of His people who scatter the flock, drive them away, and do not tend to them. God promises a different King who will deal wisely and execute justice and righteousness in the land. Under his reign, the people will live in safety.
We're clearly not there yet, but sometimes I get a glimpse of the coming Kingdom and my heart is encouraged. Yesterday God granted me a peek. Our church provides lunch every Saturday as it's the only day that the Salvation Army does not provide a meal. We served a Thanksgiving style meal yesterday. Different folks made hams or turkeys and the rest of the meal (except for desert) was prepared in the church kitchen yesterday morning.
Typically the meal is prepared and handed over a counter on disposable plates and plastic utensils. The tables are bare - except for disposable salt & pepper shakers. The rules are pretty rigid about when desert is served and when seconds are served because without those rules there'd be chaos.
Yesterday the tables had tablecloths and fall centerpieces. The salt and pepper shakers were glass, as were the plates. The tables were set with the flatware we use for our congregational dinners. Rather than line up and receive plates over the serving counter, members of the congregation served as the wait staff.
I'm in charge on the third Saturday of each month, and I must admit that I was nervous. I was afraid the congregation members would not show up. On normal Saturdays we man the kitchen with around five people who cook the meal and clean up. We'd need a few more to serve the tables. Well... there were 25+ people who showed up with their homemade deserts and served those less fortunate than they. The vibe in our fellowship hall was really good. It was a beautiful picture of what it looks like in the Kingdom.
There isn't a single significant person (leader, parent, child, spouse, teacher, etc.) who won't let us down occasionally. Some of those people are like the shepherds indicted by God in Jeremiah - so bad that they scatter the flock. Christ, however, will never let us down. We may not understand everything that happens, but we can take His trustworthiness to the bank. His ways are just and right, merciful and gracious. In fact, Christ's throne is often called a throne of grace.
I think it's important to remember that Christ is indeed King; that He reigns even now; and that at some time in the future everything will be set right.
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Monday, November 15, 2010
The Worst of Times or The Best of Times?
Today I picked up a kitten at the animal shelter for my niece. She saw him over the weekend and decided that he was THE ONE. He's a cute little fellow of about seven or eight weeks. The volunteer at the shelter on Saturday was a young lady who told us that "Smokey" had a cold. When I returned to adopt him, however, the adult running the shelter said that "Smokey" has a respiratory infection - hopefully not feline leukemia.
I adopted him any way. That was the errand I was sent to do after all... When I got Smokey in the car, he immediately began meowing. I reassured him that the ride wouldn't last too long, and that this was, in fact, his lucky day. He was going to live in a very nice family, with a very nice home, and all of the resources to pamper him beyond his wildest kitty dreams.
I decided to run him by the vet before dropping him off at my sister's house. If he indeed had a respiratory infection, I reasoned, better to take care of it immediately and not saddle my sister with the job of taking him to the vet.
When we got to the vet, we (of course) had to wait. Smokey had to endure the scrutiny of several dogs while we sat in the waiting room. The dogs were not as much of an ordeal as his examination, however. We decided that he'd better be tested for feline leukemia (negative), so they took some blood. They checked him for worms (he had them); Cleaned out his ears (ear mites too - I didn't tell my sister about those!). Since he was running a fever, they gave him some fluids to cool him off and hydrate him, put ointment in his running right eye, and gave him his first dose of antibiotics for his respiratory infection.
By the time it was over, I could tell that Smokey was thinking that this must be the worst day of his life. He was shaking like a leaf. But Smokey didn't know what was happening next. He didn't know that he was on his way to the life of Riley at my sister's house. All Smokey has known is the Caswell County Animal Shelter. His life was about to get much better!
Smokey's morning has given me some cud to chew throughout the day. Sometimes we think that things are bad - the worst of days. We can't imagine why God is allowing all of this "suffering" and pain. All along, however, God knows His plans for us and the bright future ahead. Whatever we're suffering through in the present is only to make us better - fitter and healthier- to enjoy life in His Kingdom. If you're having a tough day or season, hang in there. Trust the good intentions of the One who wants us to share His home.
I adopted him any way. That was the errand I was sent to do after all... When I got Smokey in the car, he immediately began meowing. I reassured him that the ride wouldn't last too long, and that this was, in fact, his lucky day. He was going to live in a very nice family, with a very nice home, and all of the resources to pamper him beyond his wildest kitty dreams.
I decided to run him by the vet before dropping him off at my sister's house. If he indeed had a respiratory infection, I reasoned, better to take care of it immediately and not saddle my sister with the job of taking him to the vet.
When we got to the vet, we (of course) had to wait. Smokey had to endure the scrutiny of several dogs while we sat in the waiting room. The dogs were not as much of an ordeal as his examination, however. We decided that he'd better be tested for feline leukemia (negative), so they took some blood. They checked him for worms (he had them); Cleaned out his ears (ear mites too - I didn't tell my sister about those!). Since he was running a fever, they gave him some fluids to cool him off and hydrate him, put ointment in his running right eye, and gave him his first dose of antibiotics for his respiratory infection.
By the time it was over, I could tell that Smokey was thinking that this must be the worst day of his life. He was shaking like a leaf. But Smokey didn't know what was happening next. He didn't know that he was on his way to the life of Riley at my sister's house. All Smokey has known is the Caswell County Animal Shelter. His life was about to get much better!
Smokey's morning has given me some cud to chew throughout the day. Sometimes we think that things are bad - the worst of days. We can't imagine why God is allowing all of this "suffering" and pain. All along, however, God knows His plans for us and the bright future ahead. Whatever we're suffering through in the present is only to make us better - fitter and healthier- to enjoy life in His Kingdom. If you're having a tough day or season, hang in there. Trust the good intentions of the One who wants us to share His home.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Kick Ass
Last night my daughter and I watched the movie Kick Ass. On one level it's a story of a young man who wonders why no one in real life ever tries to be a super hero - right wrongs and fight the injustice and exploitation he sees in his neighborhood daily. This boy decides to don a costume and do something about the bad guys.
On another level the story is about what happens when the desire for revenge consumes one's life. This thread follows a more serious "super hero" who calls himself (I think) "Big Daddy" and his daughter "Hit Girl". Big Daddy was a police officer framed on a drug charge and jailed for five years. During that time his pregnant wife committed suicide. Their surviving daughter "Hit Girl" was raised by Big Daddy's partner until he was released from jail. Big Daddy decides to go after the organized crime family responsible for his pain.
While Kick Ass uses a couple of things that look like billy clubs to fight the forces of evil, Big Daddy and Hit Girl fight crime with guns, knives, spears, anything lethal that will get the job done. They're really killing bad guys.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I found it very diverting. I like seeing bad guys get their asses kicked. I found myself cheering as Hit Girl shot, stabbed, and beat up scary gangsters. There is something very right and very wrong about it, though. It's right that evil is defeated - to see those who've set a snare for someone else fall into it themselves. It's wrong, however for a ten year old girl to kill - and to kill with such obvious relish. It's especially wrong that a father's hatred and bitterness be channelled through his child.
I won't tell you more than that things do not end well for Big Daddy; and maybe that's a good thing... Fighting crime and injustice is good. There is something in all of us that wants to see evil defeated and the right asses kicked. A consuming desire for revenge, however, makes it impossible for real justice to be done. The good is tainted by a hatred that comes from (if possible) an even darker place than the heart of gangsters.
The daily Lectionary is moving through Revelation right now. For several days I've been reading about the wrath that is being stored up by God for the "gangsters" of history. Unlike our own anger, God's wrath is rightly directed and administered. It is held off until the last possible moment, because unlike us, God would prefer to administer mercy and grace - even to gangsters. Some things are better left in His capable hands.
On another level the story is about what happens when the desire for revenge consumes one's life. This thread follows a more serious "super hero" who calls himself (I think) "Big Daddy" and his daughter "Hit Girl". Big Daddy was a police officer framed on a drug charge and jailed for five years. During that time his pregnant wife committed suicide. Their surviving daughter "Hit Girl" was raised by Big Daddy's partner until he was released from jail. Big Daddy decides to go after the organized crime family responsible for his pain.
While Kick Ass uses a couple of things that look like billy clubs to fight the forces of evil, Big Daddy and Hit Girl fight crime with guns, knives, spears, anything lethal that will get the job done. They're really killing bad guys.
I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I found it very diverting. I like seeing bad guys get their asses kicked. I found myself cheering as Hit Girl shot, stabbed, and beat up scary gangsters. There is something very right and very wrong about it, though. It's right that evil is defeated - to see those who've set a snare for someone else fall into it themselves. It's wrong, however for a ten year old girl to kill - and to kill with such obvious relish. It's especially wrong that a father's hatred and bitterness be channelled through his child.
I won't tell you more than that things do not end well for Big Daddy; and maybe that's a good thing... Fighting crime and injustice is good. There is something in all of us that wants to see evil defeated and the right asses kicked. A consuming desire for revenge, however, makes it impossible for real justice to be done. The good is tainted by a hatred that comes from (if possible) an even darker place than the heart of gangsters.
The daily Lectionary is moving through Revelation right now. For several days I've been reading about the wrath that is being stored up by God for the "gangsters" of history. Unlike our own anger, God's wrath is rightly directed and administered. It is held off until the last possible moment, because unlike us, God would prefer to administer mercy and grace - even to gangsters. Some things are better left in His capable hands.
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
Costly
Anything of value will cost something. The better that something is, the more (obviously) it will cost. Though something of value may be costly, not acquiring that something may be just as costly - if not more so...
Home improvements are a good example of this concept. You may not want to spend the money to repair something in your home, but if you don't, in the end you'll pay more. Maintaining health is another example. Staying healthy may or may not cost money (it is possible to work out without a gym membership) but it will cost the effort of exercise and the pain of denying yourself pleasures you may prefer to enjoy -- larger portions, desert, alcohol, etc. If you don't stay healthy, however, medical bills as well as potential disability could result; not to mention the fact that someone whose cholesterol is sky high or whose kidneys don't work must change his diet simply to survive.
Lately I've been pondering the cost of what I'll call "inner health". By "inner health" I mean psychological, emotional, and spiritual health. This kind of health leaves you free to make loving choices about how you relate to yourself and others and God. Being healthy in this way is perhaps the most costly because it involves laying down and leaving behind many things we'd prefer to hold onto or not to think about.
Last night during a committee meeting at church we were discussing a couple of services our interim minister was calling "healing" services. One was for our choir and the other for the congregation in general. In both cases "healing" is what's needed. We find ourselves playing out the same tragedy every few years, with the characters and lines changed only sightly. Clearly there is dysfunction at work. Right now we're in a good place, but beneath the surface, there are still unhealthy patterns ready to emerge given the right circumstances or triggers.
What's interesting is that there was great resistance to calling the services "healing" services. "The word 'healing' implies that there's something wrong." Exactly! There is something wrong. In the end we decided to call the services "A New Day" or "Fresh Start" or something like that. The truth is, it doesn't matter what we call the services. What matters is that we recognize that there's something wrong and decide we'll do whatever it takes to make it better.
I've been a Christian now for 31 years. I am still in need of healing - and lots of it. Don't get me wrong... I'm a relatively high functioning adult with mostly healthy relationships. But my relationships are not 100% healthy. By that I mean that love is not my motivation 100% of the time. Until it is I'm in need of healing.
Jesus is the perfect picture of one who lived in freedom and love. He responded to others with a heart perfectly in tune with the Father's. As Christ is formed in us, our lives will more closely resemble his. But we must understand that love and freedom come at a price. It's a price that must be paid daily: laying down fear, unforgiveness, selfish desires, lust -- anything that gets in the way -- and replacing them with the fruit of the Spirit.
Love is always stretching - calling us outside of our comfort zones. It's costly. But it's more costly to continue to live otherwise. It's more painful to live out the same tragedies again and again.
The writer of Hebrews was on to something when he said,
"... let us rid ourselves of every burden of sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us, while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, heedless of its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God." -- Hebrews 12: 1b - 2
Home improvements are a good example of this concept. You may not want to spend the money to repair something in your home, but if you don't, in the end you'll pay more. Maintaining health is another example. Staying healthy may or may not cost money (it is possible to work out without a gym membership) but it will cost the effort of exercise and the pain of denying yourself pleasures you may prefer to enjoy -- larger portions, desert, alcohol, etc. If you don't stay healthy, however, medical bills as well as potential disability could result; not to mention the fact that someone whose cholesterol is sky high or whose kidneys don't work must change his diet simply to survive.
Lately I've been pondering the cost of what I'll call "inner health". By "inner health" I mean psychological, emotional, and spiritual health. This kind of health leaves you free to make loving choices about how you relate to yourself and others and God. Being healthy in this way is perhaps the most costly because it involves laying down and leaving behind many things we'd prefer to hold onto or not to think about.
Last night during a committee meeting at church we were discussing a couple of services our interim minister was calling "healing" services. One was for our choir and the other for the congregation in general. In both cases "healing" is what's needed. We find ourselves playing out the same tragedy every few years, with the characters and lines changed only sightly. Clearly there is dysfunction at work. Right now we're in a good place, but beneath the surface, there are still unhealthy patterns ready to emerge given the right circumstances or triggers.
What's interesting is that there was great resistance to calling the services "healing" services. "The word 'healing' implies that there's something wrong." Exactly! There is something wrong. In the end we decided to call the services "A New Day" or "Fresh Start" or something like that. The truth is, it doesn't matter what we call the services. What matters is that we recognize that there's something wrong and decide we'll do whatever it takes to make it better.
I've been a Christian now for 31 years. I am still in need of healing - and lots of it. Don't get me wrong... I'm a relatively high functioning adult with mostly healthy relationships. But my relationships are not 100% healthy. By that I mean that love is not my motivation 100% of the time. Until it is I'm in need of healing.
Jesus is the perfect picture of one who lived in freedom and love. He responded to others with a heart perfectly in tune with the Father's. As Christ is formed in us, our lives will more closely resemble his. But we must understand that love and freedom come at a price. It's a price that must be paid daily: laying down fear, unforgiveness, selfish desires, lust -- anything that gets in the way -- and replacing them with the fruit of the Spirit.
Love is always stretching - calling us outside of our comfort zones. It's costly. But it's more costly to continue to live otherwise. It's more painful to live out the same tragedies again and again.
The writer of Hebrews was on to something when he said,
"... let us rid ourselves of every burden of sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us, while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, heedless of its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God." -- Hebrews 12: 1b - 2