"Good" Friday?

I have spent my entire life going to church on a regular basis. When I was a kid, it was a part of my parents' life.

As a young person, I was in the process of testing and deciding if this was something that was for me.

And as an adult, I have organized my life around my faith, going so far as to practice a vocation that works with other people regarding living out what they believe.

But throughout this journey, there have often been questions, quandries, and wonderings about various aspects of my tradition (Christianity). One of these has to do with today on the Christian calendar: Good Friday.

I remember as a kid thinking, "How did we decide to call this day 'good'?" As an adult, I can understand how strange it would seem for someone to ask that same question. Good Friday is a day of rememberance of Jesus' torture, crucifixion, and death upon a cross.

Doesn't it seem strange, (or rather twisted or perverted) that we would describe such a grotesque, brutal event as the centerpiece of a day we call "good"?

In one sense, there is nothing good about it.

But is there another way to look at it?

My wife gave me great insight via an analogy. She was pregnant four different times. Three of those pregnancies went full-term. All three of those pregnancies, however, were terribly difficult. She lost a vast amount of weight during all of the pregnancies. She didn't have "morning" sickness. She had "all day, everyday, 24/7" sickness. She was treated for dehydration numerous times. One of her ObGyn's was so concerned, he threatened to hospitalize her for the duration of her pregnancy.

Now think about what I said earlier: she was pregnant four times! Wouldn't you think that after one time she'd say "That's enough! No more!!" I would have. (That gives you an idea how tough I think my wife is.)

I remember single parenting during the last two pregnancies. I would make the breakfast and lunch of the child(ren) home with mom before going to work. I'd come home and clean up, make dinner, get baths run, pay the bills, balance the checkbook (well, at least try to), hold her hair while she puked (but usually it was simply bile, nothing left in her stomach), fall in bed exhausted, and get up the next day to do it again.

Would anyone call these pregnancies "good"?

No. And yes.

"No" because you'd have to possess fewer than 1 brain cell to not know how unpleasant this was for her, especially, and me, to a much lesser degree.

But "yes" it was "good" because out of them we were introduced to our children. They are awesome kids. They're talented, bright, funny, the type of people I'd hang out with if I were their age again. (I never claimed to be objective!)

I think the analogy fits with Good Friday. You have to look at the results. Our statement of faith says that through Christ's death on the cross, God was reconciling the world, healing the wounds, taking upon himself the brokenness, selfishness, and brutality.

Being introduced to a God like this, finding out there is Someone out there like this, is the belief behind the name of this day. Good Friday to you.

Grace & peace.

"Born Again"...again?!

This must be one of the most loved and hated terms surrounding Christianity. Most people within evangelical circles use it often, and put it out front as THE DESCRIPTION of what being a Christian is.

But for many, this is a badge, not of honor, but of dishonor. I will never forget working at a rental car agency, sitting in the office with a co-worker. Somehow the matter of faith came up. "You're not one of those born-again people are you?" I could sense the disbelief and hostility in his voice.

Doing my best to diffuse the anger, set the table for real dialogue, and get any bad models from his past out in the open, I asked, "What do you mean by 'born-again'?"

He went on to explain that those people are in-your-face, narrow-minded, and, above all, hypocrites. I was quick to side with him where I could. No, that is not what I mean when I use the term. No, I hope I am not what he just described. But yes, that is a term the Bible uses. (If my memory serves me correctly, it is only used in one chapter of the whole Bible. Which begs the question, "How did we become so monotone in our description of the faith?" and "Why do we take the lame way out, only parrotting cliches without understanding the picture that is behind the term?")

Well, for those of you who are still reading, you may wonder where does it appear in scripture and what does it mean?

John tells the story in his Gospel. Nicodemus, a religious leader, comes to see Jesus...at night. Presumably when none of his peers will see him making this trip.

Nicodemus says to Jesus, "Rabbi," (a sign that he respects Jesus), we all know that God has sent you to teach us." (Do you hear the humility?) "Your miraculous signs are proof enough that God is with you."

How does Jesus respond? Will he commend Nicodemus for showing respect, humility, and being teachable? No. Will he scold Nicodemus for coming at night? Not quite. But Jesus does challenge him. "I assure you, unless you are born again, you can never see the Kingdom of God."

Do you see what Jesus is doing? He knows Nicodemus has two competing ideas about religion. Nicodemus is a leader of the religious group. He is part of the status quo. He is a piece of the religious machinery. Jesus lets him know that to experience what God has in mind, good 'ol Nic needs a new perspective; he needs to be able to see and hear things differently. He needs to have different priorities. He needs to be made new. (Interestingly enough, the Bible uses the terms "new heart" and "new mind" and "new things" more often than it does "born again". But, I believe, they are describing the same idea.)

Well if this doesn't make a whole lot of sense to you, don't feel bad. "What do you mean?" exclaimed Nicodemus. "How can an old man go back into his mother's womb and be born again?"

Jesus goes on to explain a little more. "Humans can reproduce only human life, but the Holy Spirit gives new life from heaven." Another translation of the phrase "born again" can be "born from above". Jesus is saying what Nicodemus needs is something that can only be brought in from an outside Source. A Higher Power, if you will.

Have you ever been on vacation, or taken a nap, or had an experience that left you feeling like "a whole new person"? Take that experience, and multiply it by 100 and THAT'S a little of what is meant by being born again/from above.

Now, let's go back to my friend's statement before. Maybe the in-your-face, narrow-minded, hypocrites who claimed to be "born again" weren't really that after all. Maybe it is obvious to those "outside" the church that there is nothing "from above" about their lives. But that's THEIR problem (though it sure feels like our problem when we have to fight through those crappy, warped models).

But my problem, and I think, your problem is this:

have I sought out my own, authentic invitation to be a whole new person, born from above, born again?

Maybe the images of "starting over" or "starting with a clean slate" are appealing to you. Maybe the idea of a supernatural hand that gets you started on a different path is appealing to you. Maybe you like the idea of having new ears to hear the Good News in a brand new way. Maybe you would love to have new eyes to see truth that you've missed before.

If so, take a moment now and ask God to make you new. To make you born from above. To make you born again.

I am convinced that is a request God is always ready to answer. The result may be overwhelming and ecstatic. It may be much more cerebral and non-emotional. You may feel completely different. You may feel the same. But this is a journey of FAITH. And I have faith that what you just did will make a difference larger and more far-reaching than you'll ever know.

Grace & peace

Rocky Mountain Renewing

My family and I have been on vacation during the kids' spring break. (These times become more precious when you realize we only have our oldest for a couple more years.)

Though we call Michigan home, and love it there, we spent the past week in Colorado. I've been to the state a half a dozen times or so. I still can't get over the excitement of approaching the Rocky Mountain range, waiting for the first peak to peek through over the dashboard of the minivan. Every time we leave, I dread seeing the last little bit of mountain range disappear from the view of my rear view mirror.

The week has been without nearly any tv. (Though we did bring a laptop and dvd player, but we were sitting around as a family watching the first few seasons of West Wing. So that doesn't really count!)

I forget how dependent I am upon my cable news channels. How addicted I am to checking my e-mail. How trained I am to listen for the phone and see if there are any life or death messages. (Amazingly, there weren't any emergencies, while we were away, the world continued to turn, and things will be pretty much the same when we return home.)

But we will be different. We will have memories of traveling for nearly 27 hours in the minivan (much more enjoyable than it sounds). Two of my kids say that is one of there favorite parts! The togetherness.

I will remember teaching a couple of my kids to play chess and playing more Rook than we have in years.

I will remember reading in the quiet of my room, while listening to the people I love the most, the people who share my last name, talking in another room, laughing over ordinary experiences, reminiscing about Seinfeld episodes, and asking each other questions about likes and dislikes.

I can't wait for the next vacation already.

May you find time for such a sabbath as that.

Grace & peace.

When Passion Falls Aslee...zzzzzzz

"I am willing to die for you." Peter believed he was. (And someday he would.) But the night he said it was also the night he fell asleep on Jesus.
Jesus took his disciples, his followers, his apprentices to Gethsemane and told most of them to wait while he prayed. Peter, James and John, were invited to go with Jesus while he prayed.

Imagine it, the most agonizing moments in the entire life of our Master, and they get to be there. But what do these three heroes of the faith do? Take a nap. Jesus is pouring his heart out to the Father and, I believe, was looking for a little human companionship, support. Brothers who'd be with him in the dark moments of his soul.

Some of us make statements of great zeal and passion about how we feel regarding God, the church, Christ's love for us. But when crunch time comes, we blow it. We're asleep at the very moment Jesus calls our name on the bench and wants to put us in the game.

Lent can be a great time to wake up to God's leading in our life. Specifically our congregation has a scheduled a set of "revival" services this weekend to help stir up our spiritual passion, re-energize our walk with God, and deepen our commitment to be his followers.

If you live in the area, we'd love to have you join us at some of these gatherings. If not, I hope you will find time to let the Spirit shake the cobwebs from your soul, brush away the sleep from your spirit, and get in the game. Jesus needs you. His world needs you. Don't fall asleep on him.

Grace and Peace

Laying Your Life Down

The story made the front page of the Ann Arbor News yesterday, Monday, March 20, 2006. I know because my kids each have a paper route and I'll often walk with them and check out the headline stories.

A man is facing death from his country. What is his crime? Murder? No. Abuse of a weaker person? No. Did he defraud or steal or take something that wasn't hi?. No. So of what crime was he guilty? He converted to Christianity.
The man's name is Abdul Rahman. According to the Associated Press, he was arrested last month after his family accused him of becoming a Christian. He is charged with rejecting Islam. He has been a Christian for 16 years. The prosecutor offered to drop the charges if Rahman would convert back to Islam. He refused.

Last night our family was gathered in the living room around the fireplace. Some were doing homework. Some were reading. Others were doing a crossword puzzle. As the kids have grown, we have had fewer and fewer of these opportunities. Soccer games, orchestra concerts, and other activities keep us running. So we really value these evenings when everyone is home on the same night.

Someone read Mr. Rahman's story. Then they read it out loud. Someone else asked, "Dad, can we all pray for that man?" We agreed that we'd come back together to do just that.

So later that night, right before the first of us would head off to bed, we paused, put down our books, turned down the lights, read some scripture (passages in Revelation that speak of the evil that lurks in the form of a "dragon", looking to destroy the children of God, and martyrs who overcome by the blood of the Lamb, the word of their testimony, and that they didn't love their lives so much that they wouldn't give them up, seemed particularly appropriate).

In their prayers, my kids prayed for this man's children, about the same age as my children. They prayed that his life would be spared. One prayed a particularly insightful prayer that the President and our representatives and our ambassadors would be able to help intervene on this man's behalf.

My wife and I agreed with those prayes, and then prayed giving thanks that in the tiniest of ways, we were able to share in his plight, maybe provide some minute amount of comfort to him through our intercession with the Holy Spirit connecting us half a world apart.

After we prayed, one of the kids asked, "Dad, do you think he will die?" The reality of the cost of following Jesus came home to them in a new way. None of us has had to face any decision in our own faith that seems anywhere near that dangerous.

Another asked, "Why can't he just say he converts and yet not really convert?"
I asked them if there were any Biblical precedent for how people in this exact same position had responded. We came up with a pretty good list. Peter & John, and Paul & Silas were all imprisoned for their preaching. When told to stop, they either refused or said things like "we must obey God rather than man".

The three Hebrew children in the book of Daniel, were thrown into the fiery furnace because they wouldn't bow down and worship another god. "Our God can save us," they said. "And even if he doesn't, we can't do what you've asked. That would be a betrayal to Him"

Daniel himself was put into the lions den because he wouldn't worship anyone other than God. Hebrews 11 gives a reminder that there were "others" who paid with their lives rather than do what they knew was wrong.

And then there are examples a little closer in time to us. People like Corrie ten Boom, a German Christian whose family helped hide Jews during WWII. Her sister and father paid with their lives. Corrie was one of the fortunate ones who was imprisoned, but lived till they were liberated by the Allies.

So we decided saying something we knew wasn't true to avoid punishment wasn't the answer. Such a response wouldn't be worthy of the heroes of the faith who had come before, or the God we worship.

How about you? How seriously do you take the call to follow Jesus in this Lenten season? How valuable is it to you? How serious are you about your faith? Are you willing to give things up to obey God's leading in your life?

I don't know how I'd respond to the choice to give up my life or renounce the faith. But I am challenged by the faith of Mr. Rahman. I want to be as committed to Christ as he is. I am asking for God's help today to do so. How about you?

Grace & peace.

Apprentice or Believer?

"Christian" - the word has more than one shade of meaning in our culture today. It could mean:

- A set of beliefs; believing Jesus was the one, true, unique Son of God, sent to redeem the world from our sin; that he was truly God and truly man.)

And that would be pretty good to believe right? Scripture and the creeds teach that.

But scripture says stopping at beliefs is not enough. ("The demons believe and shudder.")
It seems that Jesus intends something more for us than mere "mental assent".

When Jesus was performing miracles, a crowd gathered around him. A crowd that believed he could heal their diseases and drive out their demons. They would listen to his teaching. But that was about as far as the crowd would go.

So he started to hone in on a small group of 12, calling them to "follow me". When he was ready to send out this group of 12, listen to what they did:

"They went out and preached that people should repent. And they cast out many demons, and annointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them." (Mark 6:12-13)

This group didn't simply watch Jesus, they did what he did; they went were he went; they extended and multiplied his ministry. They became his apprentices. (Dallas Wuillard makes a case that we should stop using the word "Christian" because it has become so misunderstood and use the phrase "apprentices of Christ".)

Isn't that what he meant when he commissions them to "go and make disciples" (followers, apprentices), "baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to obey all I have commanded you"?

They became "little Christs" or Christians. They became like franchises of healing, teaching, and preaching.

The world has seen too many "Christians" who are "Christian" in belief only. They knew the right stuff, maybe even read the Bible and went to church on a regular basis. But their lives didn't look at all like an apprentice of Christ. They never really franchised and opened up shop.
They simply knew the rules for starting a new store.

If you consider yourself "Christian", during this Lenten season I invite you to examine what being a Christian looks like in you. Ask God to search you and show you what He sees "being Christian" looks like in your life.

This radical call of apprenticeship and franchising isn't simply for a few. It isn't meant for the pastor and a couple of super Christians. It is the call He gives to all of us. "Follow me". "Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow me."

The promise for all who become his apprentices is that he will put the Spirit of the Living God in their life; the same Spirit that empowered Jesus to do miracles. The same Spirit that directed Jesus to go where he went. The same Spirit that guided Jesus to teach and preach the words he said. That Spirit is available, offered, and desperately needed to be Christ's apprentice; to be a franchise; to be Christian. That Spirit is available to you!

If you say "Yes!" to this invitation, you will find yourself on the greatest adventure of your life; the road you were created to be on. The journey of a Christian.

Grace and Peace

Hit By a Turkey

I have a friend who was recently traveling on one of our rural Michigan roads. It was a Sunday morning and the road was empty...except for a turkey. The next thing he knew, he and his mother had this wild turkey banging against their windshield. (I didn't think turkeys could fly enough to get that high!)

The force of the turkey shattered the windshield. They had glass on their lap and in their hair in the front seat of their vehicle. They were unhurt, and returned home, a little bit shaken. And with quite a story to tell! I have shared the story a couple of times and thought about it on my own a few more. Everytime I think of the picture, it brings a smirk to my face. Hit by a turkey. Are you kidding me?

This is the third incident my friend has had on this particular road. One time it was ice. Another was a deer. Those are unfortunate but not too unique. But hit by a turkey? (My daughters have been repeating the Gilmore Girls dialoguge where Rory complains she was "hit by a deer". "You mean you hit a deer?" a friend asks. "No," she explains, "the deer hit me!")

I think getting hit by a turkey might be a pretty good metaphor for life. I have friends who have been hit by "turkeys". A cheating spouse takes the kids and breaks up the family. A lump appears unexpectedly. The company decides to "downsize" you out a job to save the company (which does you no good when you're unemployed). A child makes crappy decision after crappy decision in a spiral of idiocy and the parent is left to clean up the mess.

I don't know where you turn when life hits you with a turkey. Some take a walk. Some spend some time in meditation or prayer. Some pick out their favorite song and turn up the volume till the windows rattle. I have to confess that a combination of those things have been helpful to me at various times.

One consistent friend for me during my "turkey times" is the Book of Psalms. Psalms are a compilation of prayers and songs that express a myriad of responses to the human condition. Psalm 22 is one of the best. Part of it is famous because Jesus is quoting part of it on the cross. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

The psalm ends on a note of hope and anticipation of God's intervention and ultimate victory. A common perspective of Biblical interpretation says that the writer in the New Testament quoting a passage from the Old Testament, expects his readers to know the whole passage, the context larger than simply the verse mentioned. Possibly Jesus knew, even while he was on the cross, that his demise was not the final chapter.

And maybe getting hit by the turkey isn't the last chapter for us either. May you find comfort in the midst of mourning and peace in the midst of life's turkeys.