Friday, April 29, 2011

Sacrifice

Read John 19:24-27

So I want you to picture this scene with me: Here’s Jesus, hanging on the cross, all bloody and exhausted beyond words. Soldiers had already had their share of mocking him, beating him, and now they divided his undergarments. Near the cross were Jesus’ mother, Mary, Mary Magdalene, and John (“the disciple whom he loved.” They stood next to hanging Jesus filled with pity and sorrow. What could they do? Then suddenly, Jesus speaks.
He tells his mother, probably in painful, broken words, “Mother, here is your son.”
And then to John he says, “Here is your mother.”
The crowd stays silent as they process what Jesus just said.

I’m sure you know of this passage. But it’s important that you grasp and visualize what exactly is happening in this passage. Remember, Jesus isn’t just saying these words lightly. He’s on the cross! He’s suffering unbearable pain, and here, you can almost see him gasping these words out to his mother and John. And what did he say? Well, simply stated, he told his mother that John was now her son, and to John, that my mother is now your mother as well. The passage finishes with stating that “from that time on, this disciple took her into his home.”

What Jesus did was sacrifice. Yes, his crucifixion was also sacrifice, but this act of compassion towards his beloved mother and disciple was equally as sacrificial. You have to understand this. Jesus was dying. Yet he still took what air was left in his lungs to make certain of the welfare of his family. Now expand that, and you have the crucifixion. He suffered all the pain and humiliation all for the welfare of God’s family, His children. Do you get the picture? This is true sacrifice. Jesus is the true sacrifice.

Now you get it, but let’s connect it to your life. If Jesus sacrificed his all for us, and even sacrificed precious breaths to care for his family, how do we measure to that? I’m sure we sacrificed meat, Facebook, fast food, or any other distractions in life all for lent, but what does that act of sacrifice even mean for us? We’re so quick to sacrifice things all for the sake of “religion,” but do we even bother to sacrifice our time – our, oh so precious, time – for God’s people? For the ones we truly care for? Jesus cared for his mother and John when he was nailed to the cross, dying for our sins. Think about that. How should we respond to such sacrifice? As followers of Jesus, how can we be shine the light just how Jesus did? Pray that God would transform you into a “living sacrifice,” void of the old, and bursting with newfound light.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

The Real Jesus - Sabbath

When I was dating Joanne, I was impressed by her calm, gracious, cheerful personality – a big contrast to my anxious, self-centered, gloomy personality. She seemed too good to be for real. Maybe she was faking it, just acting when I was around? How could I find out what she was really like? I got a chance to find out when she had a huge project to complete at the end of the school term. She worked on it day and night, finally going without sleep for several nights in a row to finish it. In that state of complete exhaustion, under grinding pressure, the real Joanne was sure to surface. Would I discover that she was actually crabby, self-pitying, and prone to fits of temper?

In the same way, we have all these stories about Jesus – he seems so kind and caring. Really? Or was all that just a show? How can we find out what God is really like inside? Today’s passage shows us God stripped naked, completely vulnerable, in agonizing pain. Here is where we meet the real Jesus and find out how he really feels about us.

Read Luke 23:32-43.

Question: Look again at how Jesus treats the people around him. Listen to the words that come out of His heart. If you were in His place, what would your heart have said?

Consider the second of Jesus’ last words to people, “Truly, I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise. They were addressed to a criminal, and Jesus in his suffering could still speak with so much compassion and forgiveness while he was suffering himself. In the last moments of this criminals’ life he had nothing to look forward to but condemnation from everyone around him, but Christ, because he looks at him and sees his faith, gives him the hope of paradise over the pit. Christ draws near to relate to this condemned man in his suffering to offer him the hope of salvation. Now think about how Christ has done that for you, how he is doing that for you even today, even now. How has Christ drawn near to you when you felt overwhelmed by the judgment of others?

Pray: Tell Jesus what you see in the real Him.

The spiritual discipline for today is Sabbath. When was the last time you had a real Sabbath? When was the last time you took a day to rest and reflect on God? Separate yourself today from the business and give yourself time to work on your relationship with God. Tell God about the moments when you have seen him moving in your life. Give God some time when you are just listening and he can speak with you. What is he saying?

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Father, forgive…

Read: Luke 23.26-43

Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord.
Humble thyself in the sight of the Lord.
For He will lift you up
higher and higher
and He will lift you up.

It is interesting that of all the major religions, only within Christianity is forgiveness such a big deal. Indeed, we have in our reading above the best example – Jesus, dying on the cross, watching his created beings crucify and accuse the God they profess to worship. He, of course, has all the right to breathe fire on them. He has the right to destroy his enemies, the Roman soldiers, the teachers of the law and chief priests who sneered at him. But he did not. He only responded with “Father… forgive them…”
We live in a world, unfortunately, where forgiveness is foreign. Just watch the news. Not long ago, Tiger Woods revealed that he had several mistresses. Lindsey Lohan was in court again for stealing. And just today (4/5/2011) Justin Bieber’s cake burned his mom’s hair. The news reports them as if they were not supposed to make mistakes! Tiger Woods may be a sports idol and many respect him and see him as a role model, but one thing I know – Woods was not perfect. Lindsey Lohan, who is very wealthy, was in and out of the courtrooms and rehab. The news made it sound like she’s this “bad girl” who used to be good. The problem is that something is terribly wrong with Lohan, and she needs help, not more media attention gawking at her problems. As my ethics professor put it, “Americans are so finicky. One day their idols and celebrities are extolled as heroes, and when they make one mistake, everyone tries to kill them as quickly as possible.”
We’d be dreaming if we claim that the Church is above and beyond such finicky-ness. A few years ago, the chairman of the National Association of Evangelicals, Ted Haggard, who preached vehemently against homosexuality, was caught with a male prostitute. In my opinion, the response was more interesting than Haggard’s sin itself. Most notable, I think, was Dr. James Dobson’s. Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family, who used to publicly support Haggard, quickly became silent and withdrew all contact from him. Apparently, “tainted” people such as Ted Haggard are to be avoided from holier people such as Dobson. At least that’s how many of my liberal seminarians interpreted the situation.
Why is forgiveness so hard? Why is following Jesus in this respect so difficult?
Part of the problem, I think, is because we think we’re right. We’re conservative evangelicals; we believe X, Y, and Z; therefore, we must be right. We have to be right. And God must be on our side, because we are conservative evangelicals. We think we’re somehow higher, better, more righteous than others who are not like us. Dr. Duane Litfin, former president of Wheaton College, once said that Wheaton College is “militantly evangelical.” But if Jesus were militantly evangelical, he first words would not have been “Father, forgive…” Thus, forgiveness and humility always go hand in hand. When we truly see ourselves honestly, we will be more willing to forgive others readily. When we dethrone ourselves and put Christ in the throne of our hearts, maybe we can see others with the same eyes as God. When we humble ourselves, we might just see others with the eyes of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who were against Jesus, but with the eyes of our God who saw people in need of healing, in need of love.
Let us spend some time in quiet reflection on the virtue of humility. Are we judgmental people? Just think about our youth group for a second. Maybe you know a few people who have issues. Some might have issues reining in their words. Some might have issues of lust. What’s your first reaction? Eww! They’re not as holy as I am!
Think about school. There, you definitely know a few people who you despise, if you’re honest with yourself. Those inner city kids who are head-over-heels if they get a B-?
Those kids who swear across the hallway?
Those kids who don’t understand the Pythagorean Theorem?
Those kids who have GPAs less than 3.5?
Those kids who are gay?
Those people who had sex before getting married?

Whatever categories and labels you use for them, we are called to be different, to not judge. Think about some of the words we use to hurt. Merely not using those words is not enough. We’re called to eliminate those categories that are intended to cut down and destroy and replace them with the love and mercy that comes from Christ. If our call is for Christ likeness, consider how Jesus see’s these individuals. Not as a label, but as someone in need of compassion.

Origin of all righteousness,
Confronted by You we confess our unworthiness, even our sin. It is a terrible thing to be so found by You. We want You to like us, and so we try to hide who we are. We play at being faithful. Alas, such play only becomes an occasion for more sin. Yet You forgive us in a way that does not destroy. You make us Your own and in the process free us from our enjoyment of our sin. It is good to be forgiven by You.
Amen.

Monday, April 25, 2011

The Response of Sorrow

Read Luke 23:44-56.

Sorrow and grief take many forms. For those of you who are more familiar with death and tragedy this will not be anything new to you, but let’s take a look for a moment at the sorrow surrounding Jesus’ death:

“Surely this was a righteous man.”
What an interesting thing for a man who had literally presided over the death of Jesus to say. What was it, I wonder, that made him make such an exclamation? Was it the death itself? Was it everything leading up to the death? Had he inadvertently been paying attention to this condemned man’s last words? Was it the reaction of God through nature around him when the sky turned dark and the earth shook? What does it say about his regret? Does he seem to regret that he just killed a man who didn’t deserve it?

“When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away.”
The very people who, a moment before, had been the mocking passersby upon his death become the wailing mourners. The practice of wailing in the Middle East is still commonly done today upon death. However it was not commonly done by men either back them or today, and yet here and in the original language there is everything to suggest that there were both men and women who were wailing at the time of Christ’s death. Why? Was it because they too had the clarity of the Centurion? Were some of these people also among the faithful followers? If they weren’t with Jesus’ family were they all there to mock Jesus? Whatever their reason for being there, at seeing his death there was a sudden realization of who he was that equally affected men and women standing nearby.

“Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, who had not consented to their decision and action. . . Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body.”
Joseph always seemed to me a pretty decent man. It’s not clear here that he believes in the resurrection of Jesus, and presumably no one expected it; but having just witnessed the death of the man he hoped would be Messiah bringing the kingdom of God, he still goes out of his way to make provision for his burial. Was it out of guilt or shame? The gospel of Luke states that he didn’t agree with the Sanhedrin’s actions or decisions. Was it because he realized who Jesus was and loved him? Was it because it was the last thing he could do for the man whom he had hoped in as Messiah?

“The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph . . . then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes.”
Was it the job only of the women to make themselves ceremonially unclean in order to preserve the dead with the spices and perfumes? No. Yet they are the only ones recorded who are making further preparations to give Jesus a proper Jewish burial.

Looking at some of these examples of grief and sorrow you may see your own reaction, you may not. How is it that you relate to the sorrow of the Cross? How do you connect with Jesus on the level of grief? What does your sorrow have to say about your relationship with Christ?

Today’s spiritual discipline is seeking Guidance. For most of us we like to seek guidance from God in big decisions like college, careers, relationships, missions, or moving. This is something different. Seeking guidance from God in these areas is important, but the discipline of seeking Guidance revolves being open to what God wants to do through your life daily and being obedient, not just in the decisions you consider big. Take some time out today to actively listen for God’s will without pushing forth your own desires, is there something God is putting on your heart that you didn’t see before?

God, quiet our hearts and our souls so we may listen to you. Speak to us of the things that are close to your heart. Give us willing spirits that are obedient to your will, so that in all things you may be given glory. Amen.

Sunday, April 24, 2011

The Response of Faith - Prayer

Before we begin today, let’s just recap what has happened so far:
Jesus has been brutally and unjustly tried, found guilty, beaten, beaten some more, spit on, and suffered through all sorts of other things too. In a nutshell, Jesus was tortured physically, emotionally, and spiritually.
I think that most of us might be able to understand the physical and emotional torture to a miniscule degree. Perhaps you’ve been severely injured physically at some point playing a sport. Perhaps you’ve experienced extreme pain at the death of a family member. But I think that none of us can really, truly comprehend the spiritual pain that Jesus went through. Having always been intimately connected to God in a perfectly harmonious relationship, Jesus never knew separation from Him. So when he was forced to endure that separation, even if only for mere minutes on that cross, it must have felt devastating. What does Jesus do though?

Read Luke 23:39-49

I think what strikes me in this passage above anything else is Jesus’ response to all this pain and suffering: prayer. He cries out to the Father, amidst all of his hurt, amidst all of his disfigurement (how many of us could handle that even?). He does not blame God for all of his struggles, for the mere humans who are essentially treating God’s one and only Son like a common criminal; instead he prays. And what does he say? “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” What an image: a perfectly obedient and humble son who would do his father’s will, even if it meant temporary death (separation from God) and the shame and humiliation heaped on him as the perfect sacrifice. God the Father allows all of this to happen yet it is to this very same God to whom Jesus commits his spirit into. What this screams to me is this: “I TRUST YOU! Even if it seems that, at the current time, things seem to be going crazy and out of control and nothing is going right, I WILL TRUST IN YOU. I will trust that you have a greater plan.”
So what is holding you back from responding to God amidst trials and hardships as Jesus did? Is it a lack of trust in Him? Distractions? The belief that you can count on other things or people to pull you up out of the depths of your problems? Whatever it is, other than God, it doesn’t work. Even up to today, I still personally struggle with trusting God and praying to Him amidst my struggles and the craziness of my life. But I know that God is calling me to turn to Him more and more everyday for strength and comfort just as He is calling you to turn to Him in prayer. As we continue approaching Easter, how can we learn to imitate Christ’s example of prayer more and more each day?


Father, forgive us of the times when we’ve sinned by not turning to you first when we are faced with challenges. But transform our hearts; renew them daily that we may learn to trust you and build our foundation upon You and your Word.

Friday, April 15, 2011

The Response of Mourning – Confession

Matthew 27: 45-56

Take some time to read this passage, and then reread it. Jesus could have chosen to take upon our sins all alone, he cries out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Through this experience, Jesus doesn’t choose to take a different route, but follows through with what God has planned for him, and dies for our sins. He chose to continue to obey God despite knowing how much pain and suffering he would have to endure. As we look at this passage, there are two mourners. One is God mourning the death of his son, symbolized by nature’s response.

The landscape reacts to God mourning, darkness passes over the land, and the earthquake shakes the ground. The curtain of the temple is torn, symbolizing a chetonet, which is something that people in ancient times would rip off from their clothes to mourn for someone who has passed away. And when Adam and Eve sinned, they were closed by God; they were wrapped in a chetonet, a veil separating them from God and each other. The chetonet being ripped into two shows how we can now be in community with God and that we are no longer separated from God. The mourning of God is shown through nature, and the significance of it is even noticed by the non-Christians, the centurion and the others watching of Jesus said, “Truly this was the Son of God!” Take some time to reflect on Christ’s sacrifice for us, and what it means for us.

The other mourners of Jesus were the women, specifically the Marys. The women were with Jesus through the whole crucifixion, and were there after it; they helped bury him, and were the mourners of Jesus on Earth.

Just as how Jesus was mourned for, take some time to reflect on how you have mourned for Christ’s sacrifice for us.

Now take some time to pray:
Dear God, we confess that we don’t always live for Jesus and don’t always show that we love him. We get distracted and stray away from you sometimes. We pray that you would continue to remind us of Christ’s sacrifice for us and that you would instill in us a desire to continue following you. Amen.

The Response of Forgiveness - Worship

Read Luke 23: 26-43

We’ve all heard the story before; this is the crucifixion of Jesus. It may take you back to younger days in Sunday School when the teacher would show a picture of a cross and all the little kids would ooh and ahh before asking for some more goldfish to snack on. We know the story, now how can we reflect on its meaning?

What does it mean for us to read about how Jesus was led to the hill to take on your sin? Maybe think of it through the eyes of a soldier or one of the other men being crucified as they watched him being beaten and mocked. How would it have looked through their eyes? Was it just another man being nailed to a cross or was it something that affected the lives of all those living and even not yet living through to this present day?

Reread the passage now through the eyes of whom you pick. Think of how it affected them and what it looked like as they watched it all unfold.

Think about worship- how you worship. When you are singing through words on a screen and when you are praying do you remember that you are praising the God who sent his son to take on the shame and sin of the entire world? Are those just words on a screen that you’ve come to memorize and recite like machines, or are they words that you are meditating on and consciously thinking of what you are saying? Think about how you pray, do you say the same things every time you talk with the Lord? Have those become words that you’ve grown so used to praying for that you don’t even realize it?

Spend time in prayer reflecting on how you can worship in a way that truly gives God the glory he deserves. Meditate on each and every line that you are singing, pray in a way that it does not become a structured checklist of things to pray for, but think of it like a conversation with your closest friend where you aren’t rushing to carry on with the rest of your day but you are there to spend time with them and to speak and listen while letting whatever comes to your mind and thoughts be lifted up to the God who is there listening. What little things can you do to make your “worship time” more of a lifestyle? What things are you doing during your day that aren’t letting God speak to you without you realizing it, what can you change to fill your life and mind with that will benefit you and your walk with Christ each and everyday?

Meditation: The Response of Indifference

Read Mark 15:21-32

Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Oh! Sometimes, it causes me to tremble, tremble, tremble.
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

You may not recognize the hymn above, but for the black church in America, this hymn was no ordinary hymn. Along with other famous songs such as “Amazing Grace”, these songs were reminders of faith despite being enslaved in the 19th century. The white slaveowners – many Christian – did not permit the slaves to worship in a way that they’re comfortable with, so the slaves held secret services where they could sing praise songs that incorporated African rhythms, cadences, etc. And from such squalid and unjust conditions came some of the deepest hymns that, despite their simplicity, still speak to us today.

The passage we read above sounds familiar. After all, we read it yesterday. But for most – if not all – of us, the crucifixion story is just another story. We read it, and maybe just think, “oh, how tragic,” and then maybe utter a prayer or two. On Good Friday, we hear the story, maybe shed a tear or two. But then, maybe two weeks after Holy Week, we’re no different. It’s almost as if we’ve never heard of the crucifixion story at all.

But such a lackadaisical indifference to the story of Christ’s death is not unique to just many Christians today – it’s happening across the world. Just this past week, Newt Gingrich, who is campaigning for the Republican nomination for the 2012 Presidential race, talked about how he fears that America is growing more and more atheist. But where does that atheism come from? Does it just appear from nowhere? Of course not. When people see Jesus’ crucifixion as just another historical event, coupled with the hypocrisy within the Church, the power of the Gospel becomes muddied. Elie Wiesel wrote once that “because of indifference, one dies before one actually dies.”

What, then, could be done? In a world that is all about getting things done quickly, expediently, in a world about becoming “bigger, faster, better, stronger” we need to slow down. When we think of “meditation”, we often think of Buddhist meditation, which involves trying to rid our minds of gobble-dy-gook. Those math equations, chemical formulas, all those things – just forget about them. But in Christian meditation, we’re more… realistic, shall we say? Instead of just clearing our minds of everything, let us refocus our minds on the cross. Let us focus on the image of our God who died for our sins. Let us focus our minds, our lives, on that image.

For tonight, let’s re-read Mark 15:21-32. I realize it’s a Wednesday, and it might not be the best day to do this, but if you have the time, re-read it a few times. Each time you read it, put yourselves in the shoes of the different people involved.

Picture yourself as one of “those who passed by”. How would you ridicule him? What a loony Jesus was! Destroying the temple and rebuilding it in 3 days? You’ve lost your mind! Might as well be crucified – the world is better of without you!

Picture yourself as one of “the chief priests and the teachers of the law”, the “evangelical conservatives” of Jesus’ time! This Jesus is delusional, liberal, Marxist! This is the Jesus who hung out with the tax collectors (think: liberal Christians), the Samaritans (think: illegal immigrants). This is the Jesus who even extended kindness to a Roman official (think: Arabs). Here is a Jesus who claimed that it is harder for the wealthy to go to Heaven! (think: socialist). Who needs a liberal, illegal, Arab, and socialist Jesus? Oh, and since he talked about “saving others”, let’s see if he can do that too!

Picture yourself as one of the Roman soldiers who crucified him. Who cares, right? He’s just one of those rag-tag Judeans, not one of us noble Romans. Those Judeans have no culture; they’re crass and uneducated compared to us glorious and refined Romans. Might as well crucify one more, right? One less Judean means one less crude barbarian on this planet.

Picture yourself as a slave in America singing the hymn above while remembering the cross. Your white masters whip you, yell derogatory comments at you, raping your heart and soul with every racist epithet, tearing down every shred of humanity you ever have. And then, after a day of enduring the scorn and evil heaped upon you, you sing the beautiful hymn of praise… were you there when they crucified my Lord?

And now, picture yourself as a teenage Asian-American man/woman getting ready to go to school tomorrow, probably staying up a little too late because of this long devotional. What is the cross to you?

The Response of Mockery

Read Mark 15:16-32

A number of people responded to the cross with open mockery. In the last moments of Jesus’ life he received scorn from every sector around him. Let’s take a moment and reflect on the types of scorn that Jesus received.
The Roman Soldiers and Jesus vs. 16-20. It’s almost ironic to me that crouched within this scenario of the soldiers denigration of someone they presumed to be a religious/political Jewish upstart is the tragic reality that their brutality is directed at the only Son of God, and the true King.
Pilate Mocks Jesus vs. 26 The sign of his charge was written not just in Hebrew but in multiple languages so that any local or traveler could read the invectively sarcastic remark from Pilate that this is what Rome did with kings of other nations; whether or not he had washed his hands of Jesus’ death.
The passersby mocked Jesus vs. 29-30. From the account in Mark’s gospel Golgotha must have been packed that day because there are the soldiers, the other thieves, Jesus’ friends and family, the chief religious leaders and also just people passing by. Whoever they were though, the must have been familiar with Jesus’ teaching or overheard it from others because they’re scorn is directed at an argument about the temple. Ironically, they were looking at the very God whose presence the temple was built to demonstrate among the people.
The religious leaders mock Jesus vs. 31-32 I find it very odd that the religious leaders claim that Jesus had saved others. If indeed they knew he had saved others and that salvation is only found through God then they must’ve known he was God. Why then would they need to see to believe? The hardened heart looks but doesn’t recognize.
The criminals mock Jesus vs. 32. Even those in the same situation as Jesus apparently were mocking him amidst their own suffering. If the shame of social rejection and humiliation of the bloody, naked, crucifixion were not enough he endured hours of ridicule from everyone around him before he died. What do we learn from this?
Today’s Spiritual discipline is reflection. Take some time to remember the crucifixion of Christ and how you have responded in the past. What types of response have you made? What happens to the image of the cross when we sin and harden our hearts toward God?
God, grant us humble hearts to look and see the sacrifice of Jesus, your Beloved Only Son, and help us to remember. Amen.

Sunday, April 10, 2011

The Response of Silence

It’s funny that as I’m writing this devotional, I also happen to be watching the movie The Passion of the Christ. And even as I was reading the passage for today, I was watching it unfold on screen. A coincidence? Maybe. But even with the understanding that The Passion of the Christ is just one man’s depiction of scripture and not scripture itself, I was struck by how accurately it portrays what was happening as Jesus stood before the Sanhedrin. If you have the chance, I’d watch the movie. Or better yet. Read the story the movie was based on.

Read Mark 14:53-15:5

Try to picture what is going on as Jesus stands before the high priest. He’s surrounded by an angry mob, and person after person comes forth to accuse him. He hasn’t done anything wrong, and yet he doesn’t speak in his own defense. His response to his accusers is silence. Why do you think that is? I think that when Jesus said “Not my will but yours be done” to the Father, he meant, I will take whatever abuse they heap on me. Jesus bore both the wrath of God on the cross, but also the shame of being accused, beaten, and crucified like a common criminal. His response to his accusers? Silence. Full acceptance that God’s will was going to happen.

Spend sometime this day reflecting on Jesus and his response as he stood before the high priest. Yes, his silence spoke volumes about his character and his submission to the Father’s plan. But the few words he spoke before the high priest speak immensely about his person. He is God. “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” “I am, and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.” Death couldn’t hold him in the grave. While the Sanhedrin accused him of threatening the temple, Jesus was only telling everyone that he was the perfect sacrifice.

Take some time to reflect on the Easter story and journal. What emotions spring up in you when you hear the story of the crucifixion? What thoughts has God put in your mind as you reflect on Him and all that He’s done for us through his Son?

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.” Isaiah 53:7

Thursday, April 7, 2011

The Way of the Cross

Luke 9:18-27

Recently, I have been student teaching at Wheaton North with ESL students. This week several teachers have been observing me teach the students (very humbling for me!) After every class I teach I have to submit myself to listening to their critiques about my teaching and then try to improve the next class. As you can imagine it creates a lot of pressure, frustration, and discouragement to see all your weaknesses so closely. However, I submit myself to these critiques knowing that it is a refining process and the end goal of teaching well is what will glorify God and open doors when I’m in China. For some reason, when we talk about submission we feel negatively about it (probably because we are selfish beings…) but I hope you keep an open mind and it is more positive at the end of this. Take a moment to pray, then start by reading Luke 9:18-27

Here Jesus is praying with his disciples nearby and He asks them two important questions. First, He wants to know who people think He is. Their response included John the Baptist, Elijah, and the prophets of old. Take a moment to think about what these three answers have in common. After reflecting on it you might have realized that they are all humans that have had special anointing or used by God for something important. Next, Jesus wants to know what the disciples think and Peter answers “The Christ of God” (ESV) or “God’s Messiah” (NIV). Think a moment about Peter’s response. What does ‘Christ’ or ‘Messiah’ actually mean? ‘Christ’ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word ‘Messiah’ so both mean the same thing: Anointed.

Peter said ‘Anointed one of God’ or ‘God’s Anointed’. So what does the word anointed mean? Usually it means that you are rubbing oil on something to prepare it for holy use. In Jesus’ case he was anointed with the Holy Spirit (Isa 61:1, Luke 3:21-22). Peter was repeating what he knew mentally of Jesus and what he had seen as a disciple. But perhaps he didn’t really understand what it meant to label Jesus as the ‘Christ’ because Jesus then explains what is coming and we also know what happens to Peter in Luke 22:54-62. Jesus was much more than just a prophet anointed for God’s use. He wanted to make sure the disciples knew that before He told them what was coming, even if they didn’t fully understand, so they would be ready when they finally did understand.

Jesus explains what is coming in verse 22. He knew that the only hope for humanity was in His death and resurrection. He had to submit to death, God submitted himself so that we could gain life! Jesus, so perfect, did not deserve the pain and difficulty of the cross/death BUT He submitted to it anyway because there was no other way we could know life in communion with Him. His only request is that we deny our selfishness and pick up the cross He places before us knowing that He will strengthen us (1 Cor 10:13).

Now ask God what are you doing out of selfishness that you should deny and what is the cross placed before you. Stop and listen! This takes time! This is something to ask God daily and moment by moment… it’s a discipline you must learn. Most of the time it can be painful and fearful, but just like I am being refined in my teaching through submission to critique (or Peter in Lk 22) so you are being refined in your submission to ASKING what you need to deny and CHOOSING to pick up that cross. We submit because He submitted first for us. The wonderful thing is you will find more joy and freedom in submission to God than anywhere else because He created us that way…for submission!

The Simple Cross

Read: Luke 23:26-43

When President Ronald Reagan passed away in 2004, the funeral at the Washington National Cathedral was packed with people we read in history books. Of course, there were presidents Carter, H.W. Bush, Clinton, and W. Bush. There was Margaret Thatcher and Tony Blair, prime ministers of the United Kingdom, former Soviet chairman Mikhail Gorbachev, French president Jacques Chirac. The body in the coffin was then escorted on an elaborate carriage to Air Force One, where it was flown to California and finally buried in large tomb. It was a fitting tribute to one of the most popular – if not the most popular – presidents in recent decades.

Jesus, on the other hand, had no funeral. His “funeral service” comprised of religious leaders going, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” He was escorted along the Via Dolorosa on the way to Golgotha. The soldiers drafted an unwilling Simon the Cyrene to carry Jesus’ cross for him. And then, on Golgotha, they crucified him. Crucifixion was a terrible punishment. The physical pain and suffering victims of crucifixion endured was only the tip of the iceberg. Crucifixion was reserved for the most deranged criminals, for those who deserved to be put up in the public for parents to take their kids to and say, “That’s what you get for being a baaaad person!” And to rub salt into the wound, Jesus was crucified between two thieves. The thieves must have robbed someone incredibly wealthy or committed some additional crime on top of their theft, because a pickpocket doesn’t get crucified.

This was no fitting death for “The King of the Jews”. Even St. Paul had a much more dignified execution (he was beheaded alone). But even so, wouldn’t it be better if Jesus were crucified in between two political prisoners or two social justice campaigners or even two overzealous Jews (there was a militaristic faction of Judaism back in Jesus’ day)? But Jesus’ death was an ordinary execution; shockingly ordinary for a king.

The story of Jesus’ crucifixion is simple, and its simplicity magnifies the power and the significance of this story. So let us spend some time reading the story again and again. Put yourself in the shoes of someone witnessing the crucifixion. As Jesus was mounted on the cross, ask yourself: “Is this who I want to follow first in my life?” And as he died on the cross, ask yourself this: “Is this the kind of God I want to worship?”

What does it mean for us to worship this crucified God?

Great God, humble us so that we will be capable of hearing your Word. We thank you for the gift of yourself in the Scripture. We rejoice in its complexity. Give us the simplicity to be confounded by your Word. Amen.
- Stanley Hauerwas

Jesus Takes Our Shame

“Living Out the Lyrics: What Does That Even Look Like?”

During youth group and on Sunday mornings we sometimes sing Judson W. Van Deventer’s, “I Surrender All.” The refrain is repeated throughout the song and goes…

“I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Savior, I surrender all.”

Whenever I sing this song I get a little scared inside. I’m hesitant to commit to my words. Surrendering ALL is an extreme statement. When we sing praise to and worship God we want to mean the words we say and offer them up from the bottom of our hearts, but how can we make such a big commitment without knowing what it means or looks like?

Slowly Read Colossians 2:6-15
“And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.”

When you think about Christ’s physical suffering and death on the cross, do you see a triumph? Honestly, it’s easy for me to see the shame, the pain and suffering, and the degradation. Yet here the Bible tells us that the powers and authorities of this world were paraded around in humiliation by the cross. I think deep down it’s easy for most of us to look away from the sight of Christ on the cross; a suffering and bleeding savior makes us uncomfortable, so we only think of it when we have to. What should really make us uncomfortable is that Christ’s body reflects our sin and brokenness. Take a good look inside and you don’t have to go very far before you see your own humiliation and degenerateness apart from Christ. However, Christ’s sacrifice on our behalf turned the world upside down. Those of us in Christ understand the triumph that Christ has over sin, over the powers that bound us. We can look at the cross and see that Jesus in being humbled to death absorbed our humiliation and brokenness. Is there any brokenness that you still need to surrender?

In versus 6-10, Paul starts off by reminding us that accepting Christ is no one time spoken proclamation, but a process to be lived out. We forget so often that we are living to glorify God, and in the large scheme of things, nothing else matters. The world might be saying otherwise, but we need to kill the selfish mindset and pointless stress, look heaven-wards, and become alive in Christ. We know that HE is the ruler of everything, and already has great plans for us. HE is the one who loves us and died for us. Take Christ off the back burner, and give everything else to Him, the one who controls everything. What is holding you back?

In versus 11-12, Paul again reminds us of the past when we accepted Christ into our hearts. He gets metaphor heavy and throws two big ones at us; “circumcised” and “buried with Christ.” In the NLT, it does a great job of telling you straight up what he’s talking about, “When you came to Christ, you were ‘circumcised,’ but not by a physical procedure. Christ performed a spiritual circumcision—the cutting away of your sinful nature.” Also, not all of us have been literally been baptized, but when we accepted Jesus into our hearts, we surrendered our sinful nature and were raised to new life. In 12-15, he stresses the importance of the cutting away, and in verse 14, he explains why we can be alive in Christ. “He canceled the record of the charges against us and took it away by nailing it to the cross.” We’ve all sinned plenty in our lives but we don’t need to be fixated on it because Jesus took it to the cross and wiped us clean. He loves us and wants to be with us; we shouldn’t be ashamed to go to him. Surrendering shouldn’t be a mundane task we’re hesitant to perform but a joyous one that we are more than willing to do in order to have a closer relationship with Christ.

Christ Takes Our Debt

Read Luke 7:36-50

The woman, labeled as a “sinner” by the Pharisee, was probably looked down on by her whole community. However, not only did the woman receive forgiveness from Jesus, but He used her as an example of how we should respond to God taking our debts.
Her sins were not forgiven as a result of her sacrificing expensive perfume or wetting Jesus’ feet with her tears. As Jesus said, “her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown”. No human “good works” we do can gain forgiveness. The woman’s faith in God saved her, and her grateful actions reflect this.
The Pharisee, high in rank and in “religiousness”, is represented by the person in Jesus’ story that borrowed fifty denarii. He borrowed less, was forgiven for less, and thus loved Jesus less. Jesus makes it clear that this response is erroneous, and rebukes him for it. I read the sentence “but whoever has been forgiven little loves little” almost as a sarcastic statement—does Jesus ever forgive “little”? According to God’s standards, no sin is little. God is perfect and just; even as His heart breaks as His sheep sin against Him, He extends endless mercy for the world’s endless waywardness.
Jesus ungrudgingly forgave both the woman and the Pharisee, and Jesus loves both the woman and the Pharisee—regardless of how much they love Him. God sent His only begotten son to die on the cross; He not only endured tremendous physical pain but also shouldered for us the burden of our sins and absorbed for us God’s wrath. His sacrifice extends past Bible times and into our daily lives. Our appropriate response should be a constant outpouring of gratitude, a lifestyle of worship.
Being sinful human beings, living a lifestyle of worship is not easy. Jesus says, “Whoever does not take up their cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it” (Mathew 16:25). The spiritual discipline of stewardship means realizing that everything we have, including time, money, abilities, relationships, etc. is a gift from God and should be used for God’s glory and God’s kingdom. I have learned from my failures, and am still learning, that I cannot always make the right choices by myself. True strength and comfort always comes from God. We must pray to be filled with the Holy Spirit first, before the Fruit of the Spirit blossoms in us.
Spend some time in thanksgiving for God’s endless and unconditional mercy and friendship.

Christ Takes the Wrath

The very first time I spoke at youth group, I remember Pastor Ben gave me the topic of “God’s Wrath.” I remember thinking, “That’s so hard! How am I going to speak to a bunch of youth on the subject of God’s wrath.” But as I prepared the message, it became increasingly clear that the sermon wasn’t so much about God’s wrath as it was about God’s righteousness, with His wrath being an exceedingly important aspect of His righteousness.

Read Romans 4:13-5:11

Just a quick synopsis from Romans 4:13-25. Abraham and his descendents (Israel) were not justified (or declared righteous) because of obedience to the law. The law doesn’t bring righteousness rather, it demonstrates with certain clarity that we are sinners. Rather, our righteousness is based on faith as was Abraham’s. Faith in God’s promise to accept the death of Christ as a fully sufficient atoning sacrifice for our sins.

So where does this idea of wrath fit into this? Because of our sinful nature, made clear by the law, we know that we’re objects of wrath (Eph 2:3). God’s wrath exists because it is the perfect reaction to His righteous judgment. God’s wrath is what we deserve, and His perfect justice demands His wrath be poured out against sin. The GOOD NEWS is that Jesus bore the wrath for us. He took the punishment, bore the full weight of God’s righteous fury against sin and its complete opposition to His holiness.

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. (Romans 5:8-9)

Jesus took it for us. If there’s no sacrifice by his death on the cross, once for all for our sin, then we stand with nowhere to hide from God’s wrath. But if there’s no wrath, if we eliminate God’s righteous anger from the conversation (as some would misleadingly have you believe) then we empty the cross of its power. Jesus’ death is meaningless if there’s no wrath for Him to bear. No wrath means no need for a Savior.

But the reality is this: God’s wrath is real. It is the perfect outpouring of His holiness on sin. But His love is also real. And it’s His great love for us that sent His son to die on the cross to bear the wrath and condemnation for us. That’s what we’re looking forward to at Easter, the reminder that “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

As we continue through this Lenten devotional series, the spiritual discipline we want to highlight today is Bible Study. Why is it important to study the Bible? Psalm 1 says that the blessed man’s “delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does prospers.” The knowledge of God’s Word produces transformation in us and draws us into deeper relationship with Him. Take some time this week to really commit to studying God’s word. Keep in mind that God’s word was made to be communicated to us in community. Meet up with some friends this week and talk about what God has been teaching you through His word.