Joy and struggle

Jesus calls us to recognise that gladness and sadness are never separate, that joy and sorrow really belong together, and that mourning and dancing are part of the same movement. That is why Jesus calls us to be grateful for every moment that we have lived and to claim our unique journey as God’s way to mould our hearts to greater conformity with God’s own. The cross is the main symbol of our faith, and it invites us to find hope where we see pain and to reaffirm the resurrection where we see death. The call to be grateful is a call to trust that every moment of our life can be claimed as the way of the cross that leads us to new life

- Henri Nouwen

Representing Christ

The living Word once took on flesh in Mary’s son. The eternal, living Word – Christ – now takes on a new body in the church. Therefore the apostle Paul said that a mystery was entrusted to him, which he calls the body of Christ (Col. 1:24-26). The fact that the church is the body of Christ means that he becomes visible and real in the world today.
Just as Christ was in Mary, so Christ wants to live in us who believe and love. If Christ is real in us then we will live in accordance with and reflect the character of God’s future. The future kingdom receives form in the church.
For this reason the church must represent now God’s peace and justice in our world. This is why it cannot shed blood or tolerate private property. This is why the church cannot lie or take an oath. This is why it cannot tolerate the destruction of bridal purity and of faithfulness in the marriage of husband and wife. This is why the church expends all its life and energy to make room for God to bring everything under his rule.  

Eberhard Arnold

The Nature of God

The unity of love involves a descent of the lowest kind. God became the equal of the lowliest and took on the form of a servant. But this servant’s form is not merely something he puts on, like the beggar’s cloak, which, because it is only a cloak, flutters loosely and betrays the king. No, it is his true form. For this is the unfathomable nature of boundless love, that it desires to be equal with the beloved.
Look, then, there he is – God! Where? There! Don’t you see him? The Child is the God, and yet he has no place to lay his head. It is sheer love and sheer sorrow to want to express the unity of love and then to not be understood.
But God suffers all things, endures all things, is tried in all things, hungers in the desert, thirsts in his agonies, is forsaken in death, and becomes absolutely the equal of the lowliest of human beings – look, behold the man!
God is not zealous for himself but out of love wants to be equal with the most lowly of the lowly. What power! When an oak seed is planted in a clay pot, the pot breaks; when the new wine is poured into old wineskins, they burst. What happens, then, when God the king plants himself in the frailty of a human being? Does he not become a new person, a new vessel?

Soren Kierkegaard

Neighbour Helps Rescue an Uncooperative Cat

A year or two ago my friend Linda's cat escaped. It was cold and rainy, and that cat would not come home. Not for three days! The cat wasn't exactly lost; Linda knew where it was—a good 20 feet up a tree right outside the back of the house. But that little critter would not come down. So another friend named Jim took a long extension ladder over to help, and he called me for my unique expertise—ladder-holding in the rain. That cat probably hadn't eaten in three days. It was cold and scared, but when Jim finally got up there, that cat was not glad to see him. It was downright hostile. In fact, the only way Jim got the cat down was to put a towel over its head and pry its claws out of the tree. Jim did all the rescuing. All the cat did was finally let go of the tree.
Salvation is often a lot like that—it is when we finally let go. None of us can look to Jesus, remembering our rescue, and say, "We made a good team, didn't we!"

source unknown

Heaven

There was a man who spent his life longing to go to heaven. He spent hours every day deep in meditation, contemplating heaven. When he died an angel took him on a conducted tour. The angel showed him majestic, snow-capped mountains. He gazed, transfixed at the sheer beauty of evening mists rising above tranquil lakes. He walked across lush, green water meadows covered with king-cups and stood on the banks of crystal clear streams. He skirted deep green woods, walked across miles of golden, sandy beaches, and listened to the gentle music of the waves. One beautiful sight after another was revealed to him. The man was so overcome by the loveliness of it all that he turned to the angel and whispered breathlessly,
“How wonderful! So this is heaven!”
“No, came the reply, this is the world in which you lived but never saw.”

(as told by Daphne Richards)

John Stott on How the Cross Speaks to Injustice and Suffering

How does the cross of Jesus speak to a world of pain, poverty, and injustice? After explaining the full range of biblical ideas of the atonement, Stott concludes his book with a chapter entitled "Suffering and glory." He describes the miserable conditions of millions of people who live in shanty towns of Africa and Asia, the barriadas of Latin American and the favelas of Brazil.
Then he tells a story about an imaginary poor man from the slums of Brazil who climbs 2,310 feet up the mountain to the colossal statue of Christ that towers above Rio de Janeiro—"The Christ of Corcovado." After the difficult climb, the poor man finally reaches Jesus and says,
I have climbed up to meet you, Christ, from the filthy, confined quarters down there … to put before you, most respectfully, these considerations: there are 900,000 of us down there in the slums of that splendid city … And you … do you remain here at Corcovado surrounded by divine glory? Go down there to the favelas … Don't stay away from us; live among us and give us new faith in you and in the Father. Amen.
Stott asks, "What would Christ say in response to such an entreaty? Would he not say '[in the suffering of the cross] I did come down to live among you, and I live among you still'"?
Then Stott adds,

We have to learn to climb the hill called Calvary, and from that vantage-ground survey all life's tragedies. The cross does not solve the problem of suffering, but it supplies the essential perspective from which to look at it … . Sometimes we picture [God] lounging, perhaps dozing, in some celestial deck-chair, while the hungry millions starve to death … . It is this terrible caricature of God which the cross smashes to smithereens.

John Stott, The Cross of Christ (InterVarsity Press, 2006), pp. 320, 333

An Unlikely Friendship Opens a Door to Share Christ

Kary Oberbrunner, author of Your Secret Name, shared a story about his encounter with an older man named Bob. While Kary was at the local gym, trying to stay focused on his exercise routine, he noticed an elderly man fumbling with an MP3 player and headphones. At first, Kary tried to ignore the man, but as the man was becoming more frustrated with the technology, Kary reluctantly introduced himself and asked if he could help.
The man dejectedly explained, "Hi, I'm Bob, and I love jazz, but I can't get it on this dumb player."
When Kary asked Bob if he had heard of iTunes, Bob shot back, "'I' what?"
It slowly dawned on Kary that God had placed Bob in his path for a reason. So they set a date when they could spend some more time unraveling Bob's MP3 troubles.
Kary continues the story:

Against his initial wishes, I visited him at his apartment. Turns out his wife had died a couple years before, and all his earthly possessions were crammed into a small apartment. She had been their main breadwinner, so the bank repossessed his house when he was unable to make payments.

Bob and I made a makeshift space in his back room near his desktop computer. One at a time I imported his jazz CD collection onto his hard drive, intending to transfer the MP3s eventually to his player. While importing his music, Bob and I talked about life, his wife, and God.

The weeks following I checked in on Bob often. Kind of funny how two guys who are complete opposites can become the best of friends, all because of an MP3 player.

Bob is 71. I am 32. Bob is black. I am white. Bob doesn't have much money. I have more than I need. Bob is an ex-convict. I've never been to jail. Bob is a widower. I'm married. [In short], we're opposites.

A short time later I invited Bob to church, deeply desiring for him to meet Jesus. After a few invitations, he eventually accepted and sat with my wife and me last spring. If he felt awkward sitting in our mostly white church, he didn't let on.

After the service … [we] knelt near the altar, and Bob told Jesus that he wanted to follow him. Bob confessed that he wanted to stop trying to control his life and invited Jesus to take over …. Bob wept and when I looked into his eyes I noticed the distinct peace that now defined his face.

Bob changed my life and the life of my church. I get more joy from him than he'll ever understand. Whenever I say goodbye to him at the YMCA or hang up the phone after talking with him, he always tells me to "give his love to my family." He wants me to baptise him this June at our next baptism.

I'm saddened by the reality that I almost missed Bob simply because I was too engrossed in my own little world.

Kary Oberbrunner, "'What About Bob?' How That Question Changed My Life," New Man. eMagazine (14 April 2009)

John Stott Discovers God's Power in His Weakness

John Stott shares the following story from 1958 when he was leading a university outreach in Sydney, Australia. The day before the final meeting, Stott received word that his father had passed away. In addition to his grief, Stott was also starting to lose his voice. Here's how Stott describes the final day of the outreach:

It was already late afternoon within a few hours of the final meeting of the mission, so I didn't feel I could back away at that time. I went to the great hall and asked a few students to gather round me. I asked one of them to read … "My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness," (2 Corinthians 12:8-9). A student read these verses and then I asked them to lay hands on me and … pray that those verses might be true in my own experience.

When time came for me to give my address, I preached on the [broad and narrow ways from Matthew 7]. I had to get within half an inch of the microphone, and I croaked the gospel like a raven. I couldn't exert my personality. I couldn't move. I couldn't use any inflections in my voice. I croaked the gospel in monotone. Then when the time came to give the invitation, there was an immediate response, larger than any other meeting during the mission, as students came flocking forward …

I've been back to Australia about ten times since 1958, and on every occasion somebody has come up to me and said, "Do you remember that final meeting in the university in the great hall?" "I jolly well do," I reply. "Well," they say, "I was converted that night."

Stott concludes, "The Holy Spirit takes our human words, spoken in great weakness and frailty, and he carries them home with power to the mind, the heart, the conscience, and the will of the hearers in such a way that they see and believe."

Michael P. Knowles, editor, The Folly of Preaching (Eerdmans, 2007), pp. 137-138

Bride and Best Man Jump into the Ocean to Save a Life

In November 2010, a wedding party in Glenelg, Australia, was unexpectedly called into action right after the wedding ceremony. While they were posing for pictures on a scenic ledge, a woman unrelated to the wedding fell into the water and struggled to the extent she appeared to be drowning. Dressed in his tuxedo, the best man jumped in and brought the woman back toward shore. Then the bride, a trained nurse, waded into the water and started administering CPR. By the time the Surf Life Saving volunteers had arrived, the woman had regained consciousness. But according to one safety official, "[The victim] was very lucky that the bridal party was there and they acted quickly and got her to the shallows." After the daring rescue operation, the drenched but heroic best man and the bride happily rejoined the wedding reception and continued with the festivities.
In some ways, this unusual event serves as a great image for the calling of every local church: we're dressed up for a party (celebrating worship), but at the same time we're also prepared to dive into mission, even when it's inconvenient and dangerous. Worship and mission, loving God and loving others, praising and serving—these combinations aren't opposites; they form the dual nature of our calling as the church.

Best man jumps off Glenelg Jetty to save woman, News.com.au (29 November 2010)

"Invictus": The Power of Forgiveness

Invictus (2009) tells the story of how Nelson Mandela (portrayed by Morgan Freeman), in his first term as the president of South Africa, showed unconditional support and enthusiasm for the nation's mostly white rugby team in an effort to bring about reconciliation in an apartheid-torn land. But in one scene early in the film, we learn that Mandela's efforts at racial reconciliation did not stop with the rugby team. He sought opportunities for reconciliation at every turn—even in the way he put together his security team.
As this scene begins, we see five black men sitting in a small office. They comprise Mandela's security team. The leader of the team, Jason Tshabalala, says, "We need more men."
Another man asks, "Did you talk to Brenda about it?" [Brenda is Mandela's Chief of Staff.]
"Yes," Jason replies. "Yesterday."
There is a knock at the door.
Thinking it must be a secretary with the president's agenda for the day, Jason says, "Ah! That must be Jessie with the schedule. Come in, beautiful!" To the team's surprise, four white men dressed in suits enter the room.
Alarmed, Jason says, "What's this?"
"Mr. Jason Tshabalala?" one of the men says.
"That's me," Jason replies. "Am I under arrest?"
"Captain Feyder and team reporting for duty, sir."
"What duty?" Jason says.
"We're the presidential bodyguard," the man replies. "We've been assigned to this office." The man reaches into his jacket and takes out a sheet of paper. "Here are our orders."
Jason takes the sheet and scans it quickly. "You're Special Branch, right?" [During Apartheid, the Special Branch of the South African police forces was a unit designed to suppress any movements that resisted apartheid.]
Captain Feyder nods, confirming Jason's suspicions before quickly referencing once more the papers in Jason's hands: "You'll see that they've been signed."
"Well, I don't care if they are signed," Jason says. "Just wait here."
Jason exits the room and the scene shifts to a secretary opening a door for Jason that leads into Mandela's office. Mandela is seated at his desk.
"Sorry to disturb you, sir," Jason says.
"You look agitated, Jason," Mandela says.
"That's because there are four Special Branch cops in my office."
"Oh? What did you do?" Mandela says.
"Nothing," Jason replies. "They say they are presidential bodyguards, and they have orders signed by you."
Jason hands the papers to Mandela.
"Ah, yes," Mandela says. "Well, these men have special training. They have lots of experience. They protected de Klerk." [F. W. de Klerk was the last president of apartheid-era South Africa.]
"Yes," Jason says, "but it doesn't mean that they have to—."
"You asked for more men, didn't you?" Mandela says, cutting Jason's comments short.
"Yes, sir," Jason says. "I asked—"
Mandela cuts him off again, saying, "When people see me in public, they see my bodyguards. You represent me directly. The rainbow nation starts here. Reconciliation starts here."
"Reconciliation, sir?"
"Yes, reconciliation, Jason."
"Comrade President," Jason says, "not long ago, these guys tried to kill us. Maybe even these four guys in my office tried. And they often succeeded."
"Yes, I know," Mandela calmly replies. "Forgiveness starts here, too. Forgiveness liberates the soul. It removes fear. That is why it is such a powerful weapon. Please, Jason, try."

Elapsed time: DVD, scene 4, 00:12:13 - 00:14:38 Invictus (Warner Brothers, 2009), directed by Clint Eastwood

Eternity

Eternity is not about unending life as we know it; what we know here will soon be over. Eternity is a new life, free of death’s destructive powers, a fullness of life where love reigns supreme. The promise of everlasting life has less to do with duration of time and more to do with a certain kind of life – one of peace, fellowship, and abundance – and such a life can begin now…God wants to welcome us all into his kingdom, but we need to begin working toward that here in our earthly lives. Such an attitude, or way of life, could be called “living before eternity,” where our hearts and minds prepare for the next world, even as we bodily exist in this world

- Johann Christoph Arnold

Gospel

See to it that you do not treat the Gospel only as history, for that is only transient; neither regard it only as an example, for it is of no value without faith. Rather, see to it that you make this birth your own and that Christ be born in you. This will be the case if you believe; then you will repose in the lap of the virgin Mary and be her dear child. But you must exercise this faith and pray while you live; you cannot establish it too firmly. This is our foundation and inheritance, upon which good works must be built.
The Gospel does not merely teach about the history of Christ. No, it enables all who believe it to receive it as their own, which is the way the Gospel operates. Of what benefit would it be to me if Christ had been born a thousand times, and it would daily be sung into my ears in a most lovely manner, if I were never to hear that he was born for me and was to be my very own? If the voice gives forth this pleasant sound, even if it be in homely phrase, my heart listens with joy, for it is a lovely sound which penetrates the soul.

Martin Luther

Preparing for Christmas

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care…Even the angels long to look into these things (1 Peter 1:10, 12).

How would Christ want us to prepare for Christmas? In what way might he want us to remember his birth?

Obviously, Christians around the world celebrate Christmas differently. Traditions, customs, rituals, and symbols are as varied as the people who engage them. As meaningful as these expressions are, they bear little importance if Christ himself is not born again in our midst. Celebration is a distraction if not accompanied by conversion; remembering is futile if we fail to experience redemption.

Christmas is indeed something to anticipate – the very wonder of Advent. It is a season of joy for good reason: it is the news of a Saviour being born, of light breaking into darkness, of God’s peace and goodwill to all. But joy is more than merriment. For those who only want to have a good time or a feeling of togetherness, Christmas brings little more than a temporary feeling of cheer. Afterwards, life goes on as before. But for the one who feels bankrupt, without really meaning or hope – either for themselves or for the world – for the one who senses that something is terribly wrong with the ways things are, Christmas can be genuinely life changing.

Advent is a time of preparation, to meet Christ anew. It should point us to the fact that the God of the universe finds himself most at home in people who feel their need and are personally ready to come to the manger. Christmas is glad tidings indeed, but only for those who are starkly honest with themselves and recognise that life must change.

Charles Moore, When the Time Was Fulfilled

Renowned Atheist Offers Good Theology

During a recent trip to Portland, Oregon, noted atheist Christopher Hitchens laid down some seriously good theology. Most people recognise Hitchens as the author of the bestselling book God Is Not Great: Why Religion Poisons Everything. Since the book's publication in 2007, Hitchens has toured the country debating a series of religious leaders, including some well-known evangelical thinkers. In Portland he was interviewed by Unitarian minister Marilyn Sewell. The entire transcript of the interview has been posted online. The following exchange took place near the start of the interview:

Sewell: The religion you cite in your book is generally the fundamentalist faith of various kinds. I'm a liberal Christian, and I don't take the stories from the Scripture literally. I don't believe in the doctrine of atonement (that Jesus died for our sins, for example). Do you make any distinction between fundamentalist faith and liberal religion?

Hitchens: I would say that if you don't believe that Jesus of Nazareth was the Christ and Messiah, and that he rose again from the dead and by his sacrifice our sins are forgiven, you're really not in any meaningful sense a Christian.

Sewell wanted no part of that discussion so her next words are, "Let me go someplace else."

This little snippet demonstrates an important point about religious "God-talk." You can call yourself anything you like, but if you don't believe that Jesus is the Son of God who died on the cross for our sins and then rose from the dead, you are not "in any meaningful sense" a Christian.
Talk about nailing it.
In one of the delicious ironies of our time, an outspoken atheist grasps the central tenet of Christianity better than many Christians do. What you believe about Jesus Christ really does make a difference.

source: Dr. Ray Pritchard, "Christopher Hitchens Gets it Exactly Right," KeepBelieving.com (1 Feb 2010)

Believing...

I believe in Christianity as I believe that the Sun has risen, not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else

- C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory -

Chuck Colson: God Used My Greatest Defeat

The great paradox [of my life] is that every time I walk into a prison and see the faces of men or women who have been transformed by the power of the living God, I realise that the thing God has chosen to use in my life … is none of the successes, achievements, degrees, awards, honours, or cases I won before the Supreme Court. That's not what God's using in my life. What God is using in my life to touch the lives of literally thousands of other people is the fact that I was a convict and went to prison. That was my great defeat, the only thing in my life I didn't succeed in.

Chuck Colson, Sermon "The Gravy Train Gospel," source

The Power of Christ's Resurrection Bursts through Obstacles

Tim Keller tells the following story about the power of Christ's resurrection:

A minister was in Italy, and there he saw the grave of a man who had died centuries before who was an unbeliever and completely against Christianity, but a little afraid of it too. So the man had a huge stone slab put over his grave so he would not have to be raised from the dead in case there is a resurrection from the dead. He had insignias put all over the slab saying, "I do not want to be raised from the dead. I don't believe in it." Evidently, when he was buried, an acorn must have fallen into the grave. So a hundred years later the acorn had grown up through the grave and split that slab. It was now a tall towering oak tree. The minister looked at it and asked, "If an acorn, which has power of biological life in it, can split a slab of that magnitude, what can the acorn of God's resurrection power do in a person's life?"

Keller comments:

The minute you decide to receive Jesus as Saviour and Lord, the power of the Holy Spirit comes into your life. It's the power of the resurrection—the same thing that raised Jesus from the dead …. Think of the things you see as immovable slabs in your life—your bitterness, your insecurity, your fears, your self-doubts. Those things can be split and rolled off. The more you know him, the more you grow into the power of the resurrection.

Nancy Guthrie, editor, Jesus, Keep Me Near the Cross (Crossway, 2009), p. 136