The Bent Over Woman

I have a dear friend who suffered from a back condition from childhood until she was nearly 40.  I'm not sure what it was, but the doctors could only find temporary fixes.  It severely affected her sleep, she could only lift and carry medium amounts of weight, and could not hike or walk for more than an hour without severe discomfort.  Whenever my friend reads the story of the woman in Luke 13:10-17, she gets tears in her eyes.  She is that woman.

Through much prayer, the support of her husband and friends, and the continued hopeful care of many physicians, God delivered her from this crippling ailment!  Her life has never been the same since.  This experience has fundamentally shaped her life and deepened her experience of God. 

It is also an incredible testimony to the amazing grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.  I pray that everyone who is sick and suffering would someday experience what my friend has.  I know that this may never be a complete reality in this life, but I sincerely believe that where Jesus is, the Kingdom is; where Jesus is, things begin to take on the character of life in God's Kigndom; where Jesus is, things begin to be made right.

Be Prepared

Jesus uses the same words, but he means them in entirely the opposite way that Scar does. The message, however, is the same:  Get ready because something is about to go down and you're going to want to be a part of it.

Ask the Boy Scouts about being prepared.  Nothing beats preparation, and, if you've ever been caught unprepared, there is nothing that can make up for it.  Now the challenging part is what to be prepared for.  Being prepared for one thing is usually simple enough.

A spare tire, jack, and minimal knowledge while driving.

Or a can of this while enjoying the Riverwalk.

What is it Jesus wants us to be prepared for?  Stop.  That's a rhetorical question.  There are a lot of well-meaning, but incorrect answers out there.  Let's take a look at Luke 12:35-40 and see what Jesus actually said rather than what we think he said. 

Be prepared appears in the context of not worrying about our clothes or food.  Indeed, the exhortation in 32-24 is to sell our possessions, give to the poor, and to strive to put both our treasure and our hearts firmly in God's Kingdom.

The most difficult part of this lesson is that the things we are typically consumed with worrying about are, ultimately, not permanent.  The Apostle Paul assures us that love never ends, enduring even after all else has drawn to a close. 

Returning to Jesus' teaching, we discover him saying two things: 
1)  Be concerned about eternal things (like creating more love)

because

2)  How we live today prepares us for the life to come!

The Atonement Revisited

When I was in Seminary, one of my systematic theology classes was taught by a Korean Doctor of Ministry (D.Min) student.  His English was sub-par.  My toleration for it was also not too high.  So I would complain to my friends about my systematic theology class and by Korean D.Min teacher.  One of them went several weeks before asking, "I know you're teacher is bad, but is it really OK to call him the Korean Demon?"  Maybe it was one of those subconscious things. 

In this class the Korean Demon presented three theories of Christ's Atonement.  Basically, this means he gave us three ways of thinking about how Christ's death and resurrection work.
1) Ransom - Christ paid a ransom to the Devil (or Sin, or God) because he (it) owned our souls.  Christ has paid the ransom price and freed us
2) Moral Influence - Christ's death was of such exemplary obedience to God that we are all now empowered to live as God's people
3) Substitutionary Anotement - We are sinners and cannot approach God.  The penalty for sin is death, so Christ dies in our place, allowing us free and unfettered access to God.

Not to keep knocking the KD, but check wikipedia and you'll find at least 4 other actual, orthodox theories.

I dislike how we get caught up in one way of viewing how Christ's life, death, and resurrection are efficacious. 

There's nothing wrong with this picture, or it's use in telling others about Christ.  In fact we need to be doing this more often!

But, when I read a passage like Colossians 3:1-7, it strikes me that it's not talking about bridging gaps or paying prices.  It says, quite simply:  You have died with Christ and your old way of living died as well.  Now you have been raised with Christ and you are participating in a new way of living.

I know there's no fancy drawing to accompany it, but this is the type of stuff that really impacts people!  There's a way of living that is not the way of God.  But we have been transferred from that.  The key here is with Christ -- we participate in Christ's death and resurrection because we belong to God as God's people, symbolized through baptism.

We don't need to do anything to be raised with Christ, we just need to look around.  What do you see?  How is life different?  What is God doing?

Audio Adrenaline (one of the Christian bands that I can tolerate) has a song entitled My World View.  The first verse goes like this:

I want to see the world through Jesus eyes
see through Jesus tears
I want to see the world through Jesus eyes
my vision's not as clear
I want to feel the world with the hands that made it
know the pain and appreciate it
hear their cries and hope to understand

My friends, this is my prayer for you.  Open your eyes, realize that you are participating in Kingdom life with Jesus Christ.  Look around, through Jesus' eyes, and see what life is like!