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Sacrifice

 

  I recently began rereading the book of Leviticus which is near the beginning of the Old Testament in the Bible.  Leviticus has 27 chapters, and is filled with a variety of different types of texts.  There are laws, rules and regulations for various religious practices, and other things as well.  When reading chapter 1 we are faced with the stark reality of animal sacrifice which God's people, Israel, practiced with the belief that every animal sacrificed paid for sins committed.
  While our modern sensitivities may be offended by the idea of animal sacrifice, we continue, even today, to honor the idea and practice of sacrifice.  When we see professional athletes who have worked extremely hard to get to the highest level of competition in their sport, we recognize sacrifice.  When we see leaders in the business world who have achieved great things through a company they have started, we recognize sacrifice.  When we see artists and scientists and entrepreneurs and others who have made something, discovered something, created something, we recognize sacrifice. 
  Sacrifice is simply the practice of giving one thing up in order to get something that we deem greater than what we already have.   For the people of ancient Israel, the animal was a small price to pay for right relationship with God.  For any of the other examples I mentioned (leaders, artists, etc.) their time, commitment, practice and hard work was the price they paid to achieve.
  The question we ought to ask ourselves is: 'what is the most important thing to me?'  And if we can answer that question, the next one is: 'what am I willing to sacrifice to get that thing?'
  Well, it should come as no surprise that having started this post with the Bible, I would round out this reflection with the Bible as well.  According to the New Testament God sacrificed himself in order to pay the debt which humanity could not pay.  That means that God believed wholeheartedly that humanity was worth saving, it was God's highest good above simply enjoying himself, or starting over.  God decided that the most important thing was redeeming what He made so that He could reunite with us in relationship. 
  God prioritized you and me.  God loves you and me.  God sacrificed himself for you and me.
  That is how much God values you and me.
  In the life and death and resurrection of Jesus I recognize sacrifice. 
  And in the life and death and resurrection of Jesus I recognize both the cause and the fruit of sacrifice - love.  Thank you Jesus.  Thank you for your love.

Discouragement

  All of us feel discouraged along the way in life, and there are a variety of reasons we may experience discouragement.  Regardless of the circumstances and reasons why we may experience this, we all have a choice as to how we will respond when it happens.
  I don't believe pulling ourselves up by the bootstraps is the healthiest response and I don't believe in resigning to the discouragement either.  I think a tempered and authentic response with wisdom, patience and prayer is the best approach.  We need encouragement in the face of discouragement, and there's no greater encourager than Jesus Christ.
  There are many times in life when we need encouragement, that is, someone else to pour courage into us.  We need someone to help lift our spirits and lead us up and out of discouragement.
  This is why we need community.
  We need people to speak into our lives and to bring words that build up rather than tear down.
  And other people need us to be the ones who speak into their lives.
  It may very well be that the path out of our own discouragement begins with seeing someone else in our sphere of influence who is discouraged, and who we can encourage.  Look for the discouraged around you today, and let the encouragement flow.

Science and Theology

  I love science and I love theology.  I am a science nerd and a theology geek, and I wear these badges with pride!  I love science because I am deeply curious about how the world works.  I love theology because I love God and I have a faith that seeks to understand.

  Unfortunately, we live in a culture and a time when science and theology are portrayed as being at odds with one another.  There are a great deal of people who seem to think these two are enemies.

  My conviction is that truth is only found when we are relentlessly honest about our pursuit of it.  This means that along the journey of learning we will inevitably find ourselves asking some pretty hefty questions- and that is okay.  

  Science, as an avenue of exploration and discovery is certainly not without it's moral and ethical implications.  That is an important conversation point to have in our culture.  However, theology also has important moral and ethical implications, and thus we need to allow space and time to have these important discussions.

  More to the point, I believe the degree to which followers of Jesus disregard science and genuine curiosity they actually do harm to their faith, not to mention the faith of others.  If we believe God, revealed in Christ, is truly the source of all truth, then we will not be afraid of questions, we will not be afraid of inquiry and curiosity, and we will certainly not be afraid of science as it seeks to explain the workings of the natural world around us.

  A truly robust and healthy spirituality will involve lots of questions, deep reflection and genuine curiosity.  Christian faith has, for over 2000 years, produced some of the world's greatest scientific minds.  There are numerous examples of passionate scientists who followed Jesus and endeavored to explore and understand the natural world.

  As for me, a follower of Jesus, a pastor, a father of two inquisitive and curious children, and as a lover of all things science, I am going to continue to explore, think, question, inquire and learn until the day I die.  For as my dad used to tell me, "Once you stop learning, you stop growing." Observe, Examine, Experiment and Repeat.  And while you do so, think about how the things you are learning reveal the designer and maker behind it all. 

  

Timing is Everything

 

  Time fascinates me.  I love stories that involve time travel and all of the crazy and weird loops and twists that changing the past creates in the present. Or, how viewing the future changes what characters do when they return to their own time. 

  Time, for most of us Westerners, is a commodity that we spend.  We are frustrated when someone or something "wastes" our time.  We recognize that there are only so many hours in any given day.  Time doesn't stand still.  Time waits for no one.  Time is money and so on.

  Sometimes, something unexpected or unforeseen interrupts our planned use of time and then it feels as if time stands still.

  Sometimes, when we make the choice to retreat or vacation we feel the rest that comes with taking time away from work, even very good work.

  Time is a gift, every second of life is a gift, and that is important to remember.

   I have come to see time as one of the most important elements of reading the Bible.  Throughout the stories in Scripture time plays a key role and when we pay attention to the timing of any given story in the Bible, we will find that our understanding of God and human beings will change.

   There are stories in the Bible that take minutes to unfold, and others that take generations.

   But, paying attention to the timing of any given story will help us see a great deal that we need to see.

  There is a story in the Gospels where Jesus was walking along with his disciples, and a man named Jairus came running up to Jesus frantic and deeply concerned.  Jairus was a Jewish religious leader.  He taught people about the God of Israel, He prayed with people, and undoubtedly did a variety of other things as well.  But, Jairus was also a husband and a father.  And it is his role as a father that brought him to Jesus in this special story.

  When Jairus finds Jesus he pleads with him to come to his house, because his daughter is sick and apparently so much so that she is near death.  But, Jairus has faith.  He believes that if Jesus comes to his house, his daughter will be healed.  Jairus has heard the reputation of this carpenter from Nazareth.  He knows that many have testified to his power to heal, and he is desperate for the life of his daughter.  He is a truly loving dad.

  Jesus says yes and begins to make his way to Jairus' house.  And that is when it happens.

  Timing is everything.

  While Jesus, his disciples and Jairus are making their way through a very crowded street, a woman who has been bleeding for 12 years, pushes her way through the crowd and eventually reaches out to touch the hem of Jesus' outer robe.

  In a moment, time stands still, for Jesus.  He knows someone touched him and that power left him.

  He asks: "Who touched me?"  To which the disciples reply: "Are you serious, Jesus?" (my paraphrase)  They can't believe the question, because the crowd is so thick, they are wondering "Who hasn't touched you, Jesus?" (again my paraphrase)

  But, Jesus knows someone touched him, and when the woman reveals herself and that she has been healed.  Jesus blesses her and sends her away with hope and joy.

  Now, some of you reading this might be thinking "Wow!  That's great!" and you're right it is great, but remember this story began with a different person (Jairus) asking for help in healing his daughter, and the walk to his house has been interrupted by this whole interchange.  

  As a father myself, I can empathize with Jairus at this moment.  And I imagine that my internal clock of desperation would be screaming at me right now.  "Jesus!  We need to hurry!  My daughter is dying!  Don't you remember?!  You said you were going to help me, you were going to heal her!  We are wasting time!"

  And his worst fears are realized for only moments later someone arrives to deliver the most dreaded news a parent could ever hear.  "Jairus, don't bother Jesus anymore.  Your daughter is dead."

  Jairus is hit with the flood of emotions I am sure.  But, the first few moments are shock and terror.

  And in that moment when Jairus is wrestling with the harsh truth of the news he has just received, Jesus says, "Do not be afraid. Let's continue to your house."

  I don't know about Jairus, but I would be hard pressed to have hope.  Nevertheless, when Jesus arrives, he enters with three of his disciples and Jairus and the girl's mom.  And in one of his most dramatic miracles, Jesus raises this little girl from the dead.

  Now, for most of us, the timing of this story is hard because with Jesus in charge the story had to pass through death to get to healing and hope.

  I don't like this story, in spite of the amazing miracles that Jesus performs, because I believe it is trying to teach me that my sense of urgency and timing is not always in step with God's timing.  That is frustrating, but it also is illuminating, because it means that there are circumstances in my life where I think the timing is all off, or totally out of whack and I come to find out that what felt like ridiculous turned out to be redemptive.  

  The more I have studied the timing of God in the Scriptures, the more I have found myself praying for a rhythm and heartbeat that align with God's.  For while I like to think I am in control of my own destiny, and life and schedule - I know I am not, and like Jairus I need to relinquish my need to control time and allow space for God to do what God will do in me, through me and around me each and every day.  Timing is everything, and God's timing is perfect.  It doesn't always feel that way, but this truth cannot be denied the more we read the story of God in the Bible.

The Transformative Power of Vision

  The human body has several senses through which it encounters the world around it, we have ears to hear sound, we have taste buds to discern flavors in food and drink, we have skin with which we can translate texture, we have scent receptors in our noses through which we can discern attractive and repulsive smells, and of course there is the sense of sight.
  For most people the ability to see is a very important part of life.  We can't drive a car, or do a variety of other activities without sight.  And we readily recognize the challenges and limitations faced by those who have lost their sight.  I was reminded of this facet of daily living recently as I went in for a routine eye exam, and followed that up with ordering a new pair of glasses.
  As of the writing of this post I am wearing those new lenses, and my eyes are still adjusting to the new apparatus, but the longer I wear them the more comfortable my eyes become in seeing the world around me.
  I am fascinated by sight, because the various components required for this sense to work. Our eyes are dependent on light, without it we can't use our eye balls.  If there is enough light to see, the lenses in our eyes are working to focus on objects near and far in order to give us a picture of our surroundings.  And that information which is light received in the eye ball has to be translated via the optic nerve and interpreted in the brain.
  Wow!  That is so complex!
  And, the ability to see gives us a profound metaphor for the spiritual life. 
  If you read the accounts of Jesus' life in the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, you will find stories where Jesus healed people of literal blindness.  There were numerous people whose paths crossed with Jesus, and when that happened they asked for him to restore their sight.  But, there are many types of blindness, and Jesus came to heal all of them.
  Another form of blindness Jesus came to heal was spiritual blindness.  This is even more complex than the physical body's process for receiving light and translating it into sight.  Spiritual vision is shaped by a variety of factors, but Jesus comes to provide us with clarity of sight, and ultimately release from the factors that blind us to spiritual truth.
  So how does one know where they are blind and where there vision is clear?
  Good question!  Thanks for asking!
  I won't pretend that I have all my vision ducks in a row; rather, I will begin by acknowledging that I am certain I don't see the full picture yet, but God continues to touch my eyes, open my heart and clarify the spiritual reality around me and most importantly inside me.
  I believe the first step in the process is coming to Jesus with empty hands and asking him to touch our eyes.  "Lord, reveal to me where I am blind. Open the eyes of my heart. Touch me so that I may see more clearly who you are, who I am, and what you are calling me to."
  It's a simple prayer, but hopefully in God's grace and timing we will find that we are able to see with greater clarity and focus the vision God has for His Creation, and our part in it.