#WhereisGod?

Last week, I began to re-read NT Wright’s Simply Christian. It’s a tough little read about the basics of Who God Is. In chapter 5, he deals with the question, “Where is God?”- from a metaphysical standpoint and talks about the difference between the concepts of “Earth” and “Heaven.” If they are separate, then “Where is God?” becomes a practical question, one that many in Moore Oklahoma are likely asking at this very moment. Wright’s assertion is that the two “places” of Earth and Heaven are “Overlapping, Interacting” with one another. He says that this understanding is the classic Jewish and Christian thought and goes on to say that this “overlapping interaction” is complex and confusing and, it is in the complex confusion where we find the question of “If God is good, then why did 7 children drown in a pool of water which seeking shelter from a tornado 2 miles wide?” What’s more, “If God is good and loving, why was there even a tornado?”

Here’s a lengthy quote: “It is easy to think you have mastered Shakespeare’s plays if all you have on the shelf is the comedies. When someone brings you all the other plays as well–the tragedies and the history plays, plus a volume or two of the great man’s poetry for good measure–you will complain that things are getting confused and highly complex. But you are actually closer to understanding Shakespeare, not further away.”

Allow me to unpack this; each week, I write a devotional for those that teach our children in children’s ministry at Naperville Christian Church and for the parents of those children. This devotional is based on the upcoming lesson that they’ll be learning on the following Sunday. This week , the lesson was on Samson. As I read the story, I was reminded of a) how awesome this story is, b) how pathetically sad, stupid, sinful and wicked Samson really was and c) how complex the overlapping and interaction of Earth and Heaven is. To recap, Samson:

• Was a Nazirite- no alcohol, no unclean foods, no hair-cutting
• Was a womanizer, especially of women who were Philistines (the enemy of God’s people)
• Killed a lion with his bare hands
• Ate honey that grew in the carcass of the aforementioned lion
• Beat 30 men and took their clothes
• Had his wife given to another man after he beat the men
• Caught 300 foxes, tied their tails together in pairs, set the tails on fire, and turned them loose on the fields and crops of the Philistines
• Killed many of the Philistines that came after him
• Was turned over to the Philistines by how own people when they were threatened
• Used the jawbone of a donkey to kill 1,000 people
• “Saw” a prostitute
• Carried off the gates of a city
• Fell in love with Delilah
• Lied to her about the source of his strength
• Stayed with her despite her turning him in to the Philistines
• Gave in to Delilah
• Had the LORD leave him
• Was captured by the Philistines
• Had his eyes plucked out
• Had his hair grow long
• Killed thousands of Philistines in an act of suicide

Again, as I read this incredible story, I could not help but think of how often we focus on a singular aspect of God’s character.

• For some, it’s love or mercy. “Love Wins” as they’d put it. When faced with this God, eventually all people will choose the winning side which is why the gates of Heaven remain open. It’s simply a matter of time, whether 1 year or 10,000 years after death and of separation from God, everyone will simply “get it” and of course make there way to Heaven, where God is. In this scenario, God is not just.
• For others, it’s judgment. This shows itself in one of three ways: 1- Because bad things happen, God is wicked and is to be avoided and condemned, questioned and denied, and 2- things like free will, God’s sovereignty and the general brokenness of creation due to sin are overlooked and 3- God is a vengeful judge and everything bad that happens is a result of this judgment; Westboro Baptist Church posted some of the most disgusting things on Twitter yesterday in response to the tornado that hit Moore. Here, God is not good.

Reading the story of Samson, we find elements of both, love and mercy AND justice. We see how God uses the awful and vile Samson to deliver his people. To really grasp this, we must remember that God used the Philistines to bring judgment on his people because they wandered from Him in the first place. It was because of their free will that they ignored God, and God, in His justice, allowed them to do as they liked. And then, because of His justice, born of love and mercy, sent them Samson to be a deliverer for them from the Philistines.

Using Shakespeare as our metaphor, there is more to GOD than justice, than love or mercy.

When we struggle with the tragedy of life, the Moore’s and the Sandy Hooks, the Boston’s and the building collapses in Bangladesh, we must remember the child births, the chemotherapy’s that save lives, the seat belts, the wedding days, the kids that graduate from college, the smell of grilled hamburgers, the landing of a fish and the joy of worship.

And, when we complain that things are confused and complex we are actually closer to understanding God, not further away.

#RunforBoston

I was driving back to Naperville from Cedar Rapids yeasterday. Mid-afternoon, I was following my Twitter feed, and reports came in about two explosions 4 hours and 9 minutes-ish into the Boston Marathon. I listened to the horror unfold on the radio for 2.5 hours.

My wife called, asking if I had heard the news. I was stunned, tears welling up, silent.

When I got home, I watched the news with our youngest, John, 14 years old. We saw pictures and video. It was terrible. Because I had an early morning, I hadn’t run yet, so I went out for a quick almost-3.

The hashtag #runforboston started showing up, and last night…it came to me. On my mind were the thousands who had finished and the thousands who had not. On my mind were the families on the blast zone, celebrating. Waiting. Watching. The ones that would never run again. The ones that could not finish due to the course being closed. I created an event on Facebook…the instructions were simple:

It’s simple…if you’re a runner, the next 26.2 aren’t about race prep, monthly mileage or self. It’s about our brothers and sisters, the ones we don’t know but share a bond with.

Run for the ones for whom today’s 26.2 might have been their last, and for the ones that didn’t finish.

Run it in 1 day, 1 week or 1 month.

Just run.

As of right now…there are 4,000 plus running for Boston. If they all run 26.2 miles…and they will, that’s 104,800 miles.

You should join us.

Just click here.

 

Abortion as an abstraction

Abstractions

I’m not going to lie. Abortion is an abstract idea to me. While surely I’ve talked with people who have had an abortion, gone to church and worshiped with them, probably even had them in my home…it’s never come up. I’ve never worked at a crisis-pregnancy center and taken a phone call, or held the hand of someone as they poured out words in agony over the decision to terminate their pregnancy. Some might say then, that because I’ve not done those things, that I cannot, more importantly, should not, voice an opinion. That would be the standard cultural line. It’s also a lie.

We speak to, and about, abstractions often.

• A $16,000,000,000,000 national debt? Abstract. Which is why we don’t REALLY talk about it. The concrete truth is that our country is broke, going broker, and will, in all reality, likely never be solvent again.
• Guns? For many, also an abstraction. Many people for gun control don’t know the slightest thing about guns which is why they use words like “machine guns” and call guns “automatic weapons” when they are not.
• Conversations about the “rich”? Also an abstraction. The other day, Anne and I were watching “The Today Show” and there was a story about a 40-year old that wanted to retire. Matt Lauer, who makes $25,000,000 per year, wondered aloud if that sort of thing was possible for “any of us.” I’d like to let Matt know that I don’t make anything close to $25 million, and “he” is really not one of “me.”
• Ad nauseum.

The Story We Don’t Hear About

In Philadelphia, there is a “doctor” on trial for murder. According to the report from the grand jury that indicted him, Kermit Gosnell ran an abortion clinic that, “catered to the women who couldn’t get abortions elsewhere–because they were too pregnant. For Gosnell, they were an opportunity. The bigger the baby, the more he charged.” Massof, a “right hand man” of Gosnell’s, testified that 100 or more babies were born alive in this abortion clinic. And he described how the babies, born into this world, were summarily executed. He stated that the abortions were “literally a beheading.” He testified that he would snip the spinal cords of the babies.”- source.

Now, this is the kind of story that has not been reported much. Why? Great question. Perhaps it’s because stories of babies being born alive and then killed by having their spinal cords severed with a pair of scissors is a little too serious for a news cycle that would rather talk about our entertainment industry. Oh…did you read the above quote? 100 or more babies were born alive and then, for the lack of a better phrase, executed.

Truth Bomb 1-

I’m not writing this to induce shame or guilt on those that have made this decision. As noted, I wasn’t there. The guilt and shame that you feel, you’ll only get rid of that by embracing Christ. If you’ve embraced Him, he’s forgiven you…those feeling that you have, while normal, are not from God. We can talk about what it looks like to move past regret and into true freedom.

Truth Bomb 2-

As a culture, we’ve decided that “It’s my body, and I’ll do what I want with it.” While VERY American, it’s not Christian. For the Christian, and I recognize that not all who may read this are, this is a lie. If you say this, you’ve fallen for it. Repent. If you believe it by acting on it…repent. Paul writes it this way- “Don’t you know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit? The Spirit is in you. You have received him from God. You do not belong to yourselves. Christ paid the price for you. So use your bodies in a way that honors God”- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20.

Theology Matters

One more abstraction. Traditional Christianity has called the concept of Jesus “buying” us “penal substitutionary atonement.” In VERY minimal laymen’s terms: we are sinners, guilty of separating us from God. This separation requires a punishment. Christ came to pay that penalty for us. There are a number of Christians that believe this to be incorrect, outdated, and, what one even called, a case of  “divine child abuse.” So, to retrace our steps…

1. Let’s pretend that Christ did not die to take on our sins.
2. We’ve not been bought.
3. Our bodies are our own.
4. We have freedom to do whatever we like with our bodies.
5. This is why many of these same people are fine with abortion and stand firmly united behind so-called marriage equality.

Let’s return to abortion, briefly. To read the Wikipedia entry on Kermit Gosnell is interesting. Especially the part where politicians that are “pro-choice” lament the fact that various health departments were not “doing their jobs” when it came to his clinic. What’s ironic about this is that in many, most and if not ALL cases, attempts to bring any sort of control/oversight into this industry (that’s what it is…it’s not healthcare) are met with furious resistance.

Occam’s Razor

Maybe, just maybe the reason that news organizations are NOT covering this story is simple. Abortion is wrong, and this case plainly reveals that. Our culture is one that is no longer Slouching Towards Gomorrah…we are fully engaged in it, and the blood of the millions of children is on our hands.

“Why are you standing here?”

Their Story

The apostles have had an incredible 40-ish days. Jesus was welcomed into Jerusalem to much acclaim. Four days later, he was hanging on a cross, bleeding to death, stuck to a cross. Soon he was dead. Scared, they did what any of us would do; they hid. Within two days, the incredible happened…He was alive. Over the next six weeks, He’d appear to all of the disciples and many others, five hundred in all. And, they still did not get it.

In Acts 1, we find Jesus and the disciples together; they asked about whether or not He’d restore the kingdom of Israel. He responded by telling them to wait in Jerusalem because the Holy Spirit would soon come and be upon them. And then…He left. (He flew, actually). Literally.

What did the disciples do next? What any of us would do. They stood there, looking into the sky, because that’s what you do when someone flies. Then, two men in white appear, asking, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up into heaven, will come in the same way you saw him go into heaven.” In other words…”Go to Jerusalem and wait.” Just ten days later, when the believers were gathered together, what Jesus promised took place. The Spirit descended upon them, and because of it, three thousand were added to their number…that day. Boom.

Our Story

This past weekend, we celebrated the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. He’s departed, and we’ve been given specific direction to receive the Spirit and then, be his witnesses in our homes, our neighborhoods, our workplace, our cities, states, nation and the entire world.

My fear is that many of us are waiting and watching for the kingdom of God to be restored. My fear is that we’ve just sang some songs, heard messages proclaiming His resurrection, and then, we just go back to busyness as usual. We fit Him in just like we didn’t before. My fear is that we’re no more interested now in discipling our families than we were before. My fear is that we are not being witnesses outside our homes because we’re not witnesses inside them. Perhaps…we’re not witnesses because there’s nothing to witness. We tell no one the story because, there’s no story to tell.

The Story

Have we received the Spirit? Have we experienced His power? Are we living in the promise? If the answer is “yes”, then let’s stop looking into heaven, because there is witnessing to do. Beginning at home, and going outward to our neighborhoods, jobs, towns, state, nation and the world. This is God’s plan to bring people to him. WE are His plan. Be filled, and speak.

“Here”

“See you Sunday.”

“…finished.”