In Other Words...Journey

You’ve probably heard the phrase, “Life is a journey.” Or “Life is a marathon, not a sprint.” The metaphor of journey fills the Bible. Words like enduring, traveling, and racing all talk about some trip that ends with a destination. Even salvation and faith seem to be part of such a trip, not just a one-time occurrence. And to be honest, I think that many Christians have a skewed idea of what this journey will be like. Many churches paint a picture that the destination is like Cancun, and the trip is a wonderful experience. But let’s be honest—the Christian life is nothing like that. God’s salvation does not guarantee life without hardships.

Take the Israelite’s experience as an example. Here they had the promise of a land flowing with milk and honey, but their journey wasn’t all that wonderful. In fact, at the first sign of opposition some wanted to return to Egypt. Did you catch that? They felt that their life of slavery was better then where they were and where they were going. It is because they did not realize a very important fact—the world outside of slavery is also a world with dangers and struggles. And in the face of such difficulties, how did the people respond? They doubted God’s faithfulness and provision. Even with the Promised Land looming in the distance, they wanted to go back to slavery. Eventually they made the Golden Calf in hopes of getting somewhere. But none of these things helped the journey. They failed the test. Eventually, that generation was forced to wander around in the desert for 40 years because of their lack of faith.

Then there was Jesus. His journey was never fun and promising. His destination was the cross. How many of us would intentionally plan on making a trip so that we would die? None of us. Yet Jesus did. On the way, he too faced some tests and trials. There are many comparisons between what Jesus went through and what the Israelites faced. And there are huge differences. Jesus did not falter. He did not fail the test. Despite the difficult circumstances, Jesus remained faithful. Hardship is a given. Our journeys are not going be like a wild and crazy road trip to a Spring Break destination. They are not always going to be fun. It may or may not have a purpose. Faithfulness is the key – both having faith and being faithful.

With all that in mind, where are we going? What is my purpose? I am sure that many of you would respond, “Heaven. Heaven is our destination.” We are traveling to heaven, and we hope to get there with as little pain and suffering as possible. Can I let you in on something? I disagree with sentiment.

This whole “In other words” series has focused on God bringing peace to this earth. Maybe you’ve missed all of that, but all of the things I have been talking about is God’s way of bringing about that Shalom, that peace, that existed in the beginning. Many Christians think that this will only happen when Jesus comes back. I disagree. Jesus talked about how to live so that we could experience peace on earth. He didn’t say, just bide your time until I come back. He said go into all the world, love one another, be perfect and complete. In fact, when Revelation talks about heaven, it talks about heaven coming to earth.

The end is not heaven it is heaven on earth.
The Promised Land is not a street of gold, but the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
The route is not just squeaking by and biding our time, but practicing the Sermon on the Mount.
The reward is not gold or jewels in our crown, but Shalom—peace.

The destination characterizes the journey and dictates actions and attitude. Where you think you are going makes you act and live a certain way. The Israelites thought they were going to this great place, and as a result they couldn’t understand why they had to suffer or sacrifice on the way. If we view heaven as an eternal party, this will characterize our life now. We will live one way now so we can live differently in heaven. So we give up as little as possible so that we can still reap the reward in heaven. We often separate our life here and heaven there. In reality, we should live now as we will live in heaven. Heaven is not the “end” of the journey. It is not retirement. It is the fulfillment of our life on this earth. When Jesus prays, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” he is saying, may this world, this earth be just like it is in heaven. Everything glorifying God. People loving one another. No selfishness. No worrying only about ourselves. But perfect love and peace.

When we don’t live like heaven on earth is the destination, it is not a journey—it is wandering. We become like the Israelites who never really get there and struggle every step of the way.

So we have to wonder: “Are we journeying (living “as it is in heaven”) or wandering (living just to get into heaven)? The destination dictates the journey.

The Storm of God

We’ve had quite a few big storms as of late, complete with strong winds, thunder, lighting, and heavy rain. I personally love storms. Every aspect of them. After all, it is a complete package. Often times people like rain for the refreshment it brings, but don’t like the depressing gray clouds. Others like the beauty of the lightning, but the scary thunder and inherent danger of electrocution. Still other like the sun after the rain, but don’t particularly care for the howling winds that blow the clouds away. But we can’t pick and choose the parts of a storm that we want. They are what they are. It is the natural cycle for them to occur.

And as I lay in bed listening to the pounding rain, seeing the flashes of lightning, and hearing the thunder in the distance it occurred to me that many approach God similarly. We will take the love and mercy but could do without the wrath, judgment, and holiness. But God is a package deal. You can’t have the love with out the discipline. You can’t have the grace without the holiness.

And I don’t always know how to reconcile the paradox that is God, but I have come to understand that I can’t pick and choose what seems best to me. The passages of the Bible I would like to explain away still reside to paint a full picture of God. I think such writings exist because God wanted them to exist—in tension, forcing us to wrestle with them. Forcing us to accept Him not piecemeal, but as an entity that we can’t easily explain or easily acknowledge as the God of the Universe. Forcing us to have faith that the God we believe in, the God we serve, and the God whom we can’t explain entirely has necessary qualities that we must accept as part of the experience of who God is.

House of Selfishness

I am a big “House” fan. The main character (Dr. House played by Hugh Laurie) is a sarcastic, manipulative, egomaniacal jerk who shows glimpses of compassion and kindness when no one is looking. I suppose he reminds me of myself sometimes. This past week’s episode, “Sleeping Dogs Lie,” relay delved into the issue of bio-ethics, which is an increasingly more difficult field to traverse. Consider, what is appropriate to tell or not tell a patient or that patient’s loved ones? What should a doctor explain to the patient or should s/he simply perform procedures since most laypeople won’t understand anyway, and we just have to hope the doctor has our best interest in mind? Such issues are intricate and the gray area abounds.

Back to this past week’s episode. They needed a liver, and a woman’s life partner was perfect. But, the doctors found out some information – the sick girl intended to leave her. In other words, she was just going to use her for her liver. So the question was raised, should we inform the partner before she donates part of her liver? What is our responsibility to her? What is our confidentiality responsibility to the sick girl? House decided not to tell, because it was best for the patient. He is as Machiavellian as they come. For him, the ends do justify the means, and he will stop at nothing to cure his patients. On the one hand, his concern for the patient is laudable. On the other hand, curing the patient at the cost of hurting others just so he can be successful is condemnable. Over and over house struggles with his “inner demons” that make him the most lovable and hateable character on the show. He regularly butts heads on ethical decisions with Cameron. She portrays a real sympathy for the patients and acts as a balance to House’s apathy.

In all that there is a great exchange between the two that clearly contrasts a Kingdom mindset over a worldly one:

House: “You continue to be flabbergasted every time someone actually acts like a human being. Foreman did what he did because it works out best for him. That’s what everyone does.”
Cameron: “That is not the definition of being human. That’s the definition of being an ass.”

Selfishness is the anti-thesis of the human experience for which God created us. And until we all get that, our lives on this world will never enjoy the full life that Jesus promised.

A Lesson from a Mower

I decided to buy a mower this year. I have been using hand-me-down mowers since I left home, and I am tired of it. It usually takes me an hour to get the stupid thing started, then something breaks partway through and I have to deal with fixing it. I just want a mower that starts when I pull the cord. Period. So, I decided to bite the bullet and purchase my first mower. I had in mind just going to Wal-mart, getting some cheap mower for about $125, and going on my way. But then I read this article.

Basically the article is an excerpt from a book called The Man Who Said No To Wal-mart describing the unwillingness of Snapper (the lawnmower manufacturer) to “sell out” to Wal-Mart. Often selling out means diminishing quality in order to produce more quantity. They take pride in their product and would rather a customer keep a quality mower for 15 years rather than be forced to buy a new, shoddy mower every couple of years. Yes, you will have to pay a little more – the bottom model starts at $299 – but you are paying extra for longevity and the reputation of a company that refuses to sell a product that does not meet their high standards.

It really struck me that we have such a disposable society. We buy crappy products for cheap, and we expect too much from them. When a $100 mower breaks down after one year, why should we be upset? As the adage goes, “You get what you pay for.” But our culture has become so commercialized and shaped by an ebay mentality (get what you want for whatever price you want) that the thought of spending hundreds of dollars on a product when a much cheaper knock of exists would be ludicrous. And we get mad thinking that someone would expect us to pay for quality. As a result, we have all this crap that people buy, and many companies that have the quality product are going out of business because few have the foresight to see that paying extra will benefit in the long run.

My dad has a mower that he purchased at Sears – 36 years ago!! And he still uses it each weekend to cut his lawn. When I used it as a teenager I thought it was so lame. It wasn’t self-propelled. It didn’t include mulching capabilities. It had a choke!! But that old gray mower did the job and still does today. They just don’t make them like they used to. They make them with cheaper materials and build from a mentality of engineered obsolescence.

So what to do? Boycott Wal-mart? I haven’t gone that far but I have seriously reconsidered how I approach purchasing “big” items (mowers, cars, electronics, etc.). And, I am yet to fully institute such an ideology. I did not buy a Snapper for $300. I bought a Bolens 21" Cut Mulching and Rear Bag Push Mower with a 4.5 HP Briggs and & Stratton Engine from Lowe’s for $169. Hopefully it will last more than 3 years. I am hoping it will last until Elijah can learn to mow.

Victory in Jesus

Yesterday was of course Easter and ended the season of Lent. I gave up pop, soda, and coke (depending upon what part of the country you reside) as well as online poker. I really wanted to give up most online activities, but I am getting free high-speed internet service, so I decided to wait until that ran out. I learned a few things from the experience.

First, I was addicted to sugary sweet carbonated beverages. I loved drinking Strawberry Fanta for breakfast, Mountain Dew for lunch, and IBC Cream Soda with dinner. And for the first few weeks it was tough to refrain. There was still pop in the house, and not just the nasty diet stuff that Carrie drinks. There was a 12 pack of Strawberry Fanta sitting in the cupboard. I was tempted regularly to have one. And even though technically, Sundays are not included in the fast (they serve as a day of celebration), I decided to resist and be committed to a strict fast.

Secondly, as it went along, a strange thing started to happen—I began to stink. Literally, I had BO for no apparent reason. I wasn’t sweating. I was maintaining good hygiene. But I stunk. I suppose it was all the impurities oozing out of me. It taught me a spiritual lesson as well. Ridding ourselves of sin and addictions take a while and we though we may be pure in God’s eyes, we still deal with the consequences of our actions.

Finally, I need to give up more trivial activities. Instead of playing poker, my time was better used. Perhaps when my free internet runs out I will do just that. But don’t worry, I will still post here, because it makes me continue to think and process things. Yes, my one faithful reader will be pleased.

Symbols of Service - Part 4 (conclusion)

When we serve one another throughout the year, helping one another in our real needs, we are obeying the spirit of the law of Christ. How about putting the Sermon on the Mount into effect and doing such things as going the second mile, giving to him who would borrow of us, not speaking harshly, treating one another with respect, or forgiving when people don’t deserve it? How about looking to serve instead of looking to be served? How about coming to church hoping to meet others’ spiritual needs instead of focusing on what you get out of it?

We are "washing feet" when we give believers rides to church, when we help them move furniture, when we bring a meal for the sick, when we clean house for the bereaved. We wash feet when we encourage the depressed, are patient with the angry, spend time with the lonely, seek reconciliation of those we have alienated.
There are thousands ways to "wash feet." No, we don’t necessarily wash each other’s feet anymore, but we can sure serve them and meet even their most basic needs. We follow Jesus’ example by providing real service for genuine needs.

We have a lot of symbols in Christianity, and many of them portray power. Power over sin. Power over death. We have the Lion of Judah, the Sword of the Spirit, the triumph of the empty tomb. And those are important, but just as important are the symbols of the Basin and the Towel. The symbols of the Christian life while on this earth. The symbols of servanthood.

We can talk about what we should do and how we can wash other’s feet, but it begins by understanding what Christ has done for us. Spiritually, he has washed all of us. He has cleansed all of our hearts from the stain of sin. The foot-washing account speaks clearly about the need for cleansing. It points to the need to wash the feet of others – to live a life of servanthood based upon Jesus’ model. But it also speaks to the need for all of us to be washed by the saving work of Jesus upon the cross.

We are cleansed by God who, through Christ served us. Philippians 3:6-8 tells us:
“Jesus, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

That is the model of a servant. That is the model of our Savior.

Symbols of Service - Part 3

In v. 13, Jesus refers to the titles of "Teacher" and "Lord" in order to make it clear that that he acknowledges and accepts these titles, but his act of foot washing does not compromise his dignity and honor. Rather, as Jesus suggests further in vv. 14-16, foot-washing is an example of a new way of living based upon a "servanthood" paradigm:
“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. I tell you the truth, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.”
Basically Jesus said: “a servant is not greater than master, so follow the master’s example.”

Can you imagine the disciples after having their feet washed by Jesus saying, “Well that was nice, but I am not going to do it. I’m too good for that.” That would have been crazy. Jesus set the example and made it clear—if the master does it, so should the servant. Nothing is below us as Christians. We have not just the duty but the opportunity to be like Jesus when we serve one another.

Henri Nouwen was an internationally renowned priest and author, a respected professor, and beloved pastor who wrote over 40 books on the spiritual life. One day he met up with Jean Vanier, the founder of L'Arche, an international movement of communities that welcome and care for people with disabilities. That conversation inspired Nouwen and he accepted an invitation to become pastor for the L'Arche community of Daybreak in Toronto, Canada. He lived in one of the homes and was asked to help Adam Arnett, a man with a severe disability, with his morning routine. We are talking about changing diapers, sponge baths, feeding, being patient with his shortcomings. Nouwen ended up writing the book “Adam, God's Beloved” describing how Adam became his friend, his teacher and his guide. All because Nouwen took seriously Jesus’ call to serve. Though Nouwen was a world renowned teacher, scholar, and Christian, he felt nothing was below him. That helping the least of these was the right thing to do.

This model of living is radically different than the world’s order and the world’s false concepts of wisdom and power. But when we allow Jesus to wash our feet and when we wash one another’s feet we are aligning ourselves with the Kingdom of God, with Jesus’ legacy, with a common purpose. Foot washing serves a dual purpose in symbolizing not only the self-giving love and cleansing provided by Jesus’ death, but also the self-giving love we extend to others. The act of foot washing is hardly practiced in our modern churches. And though I don’t think we should practice it like we do communion, that does not take away from its validity as a model for us.

If we can wash one another’s feet, we can do a lot of things that we would be hesitant to otherwise do. Foot washing is just a model for how to live. There are other ways to practice foot washing in a spiritual sense. We wash people’s feet when we are servants to them. I think when Jesus says, “I have set you an example” he means find needs and meet them, whatever they may be.

Symbols of Service - Part 2

He rises from the dinner table during mealtime and begins the lowest of services. The time arrives for Jesus to wash Peter’s feet, but Peter is embarrassed by the socially-debasing act of his Master. His protest is understandable: how could we possibly picture the supreme God stooping liking a slave, clothed only in a loincloth? It just doesn’t make sense.

This picture can only make sense with the cross in the background. Jesus’ initial reply that "later you will understand" is a call for faith and obedience even when there is not yet and cannot be understanding. Because Peter does not understand the events about to unfold in the death and glorification of his Master, he cannot understand the deeper significance of foot washing.

Jesus replies directly and forcefully, pointing out the necessity of accepting the scandal of the cross. The scandal of the cross and of Christianity is that God, through Christ is turning the world upside down. There is no more honored and dishonored, rich or poor, Jew or Gentile, slave or master. The scandal of the cross is that God showed firsthand that the right way to live is by treating one another equally by serving them, even to the point of dying for them.

His words in v. 8 are of paramount importance in understanding the meaning of this act of service: Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
Foot washing is so important, Jesus says, that without it one cannot have a part with him. The word used here in the Greek (meros) means to share with or be a partner with. The connotation in this context is not only a fellowship with Jesus, but also a sharing in his heritage, his kingdom. Foot washing, then, is much more than a moral example to be imitated, or a guideline for better Christian living. By symbolizing the sacrifice of Jesus, it also acts as an invitation to be "washed" into love and fellowship with Jesus; into a share of his kingdom as we are cleansed of sin. All of us, from the last to the greatest need the cleansing of Jesus.

Symbols of Service - Part 1

It seems that bizarre things happen around the dinner table. Confessions and announcements are made. Fights break out. Insanity ensues. It happens in a lot of movies. What is about the dinner table that causes such bizarre behavior? Apparently we continue the legacy that Jesus began because we see Jesus set the bar high for doing unexpected things at the dinner table. What a strange occurrence. Here, in the middle of this wonderful celebration of Passover, when the Israelites remembered God’s works of salvation, Jesus does something completely unexpected. So what are we to make of this? What is the deal with this whole foot washing episode? Well, I believe that Jesus’ actions in washing the disciples’ feet is a paradigm for how the Kingdom of God works and an example that members of that Kingdom should follow. But before we get there, we first need to figure out just what Jesus was doing.

Foot washing arose from a very specific cultural context. Obviously, we don’t do that anymore. I have never entered anyone’s house to partake in a meal and had my feet washed. My coat was taken. I was offered a drink and a place to sit down. But my feet never entered into the equation unless it was to ask me to take off my shoes to avoid getting the carpet dirty. That is because foot washing is an ancient custom not really practiced anymore.

But in Palestine in Jesus' time, almost all travel was done by walking; there was almost no pavement, and the footwear was sandals. Dirty feet were the inevitable result, but they learned to live with dirty feet just as they learned to live without having a bath or shower every day. So, washing one's feet was not a high priority for common people in the ordinary course of events. But for special occasions, say a Passover meal, one would normally have a complete bath or shower at a fountain before leaving for the house. Since you would be wearing sandals, on the way through the streets your feet would get dirty. On arrival at the meal a good host provided the gracious service of foot washing for guests. It was done by one of the lowest ranking servants because, as we can imagine, was not considered a pleasant task! The servant would bring a basin of water and wash your feet and then the guests reclined with bare feet around the table. Did you catch that? They did not eat as we picture it, sitting in chairs around a table. You would spend hours with someone’s feet right behind your head, so you would not want their feet smelling like dirt or worse. Thus, foot washing brought hygiene, comfort, a touch of class, and a great sense of refreshment to the occasion.

Well, put all that into this story. At the last supper, Jesus had sent the disciples to prepare the upper room. But they didn't remember the need for a servant to wash the feet of the guests. The fact that the meal was already begun and no foot washing had happened indicates that the disciples responsible for setting up the meal had failed to get someone to perform this menial task. John does not comment on why the disciples' feet had not been washed. He simply tells us that Jesus began the process. In that culture Jesus was the last person in the room that should have been washing people's feet. In fact, it seems that the disciples would often wash the Rabbi’s feet. Nonetheless, Jesus took off his outer garment, tied a towel around himself, and took a basin of water to wash each of the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.

In this way, Jesus modeled what he had been preaching. All that talk of loving your neighbor was clearly shown by washing his disciple’s feet. The act of foot washing stood as a symbol for servanthood. More than that, it was an acted parable. Jesus had told a lot of parables that taught the disciples various truths about the kingdom of God. Now, Jesus was acting out those parables, showing vividly what the Kingdom of God was all about—serving one another. This was quite a switch from the common understanding in that culture and in ours quite frankly. Humility was despised in the ancient world as a sign of weakness.

We see in Matthew’s account when the disciples were vying for Jesus’ left and right hand in the kingdom that pride and ego – the opposite of humility – found a home in the disciples’ competitive desire to be the Master’s favorite:
“Jesus called them together and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave—just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.’” Matthew 20:24-28

Within this ego-based climate of selfishness and getting ahead Jesus embarks upon his unexpected and subversive act of humility.