The resurrection and the life

Friday afternoon I went to see a movie. The movie Heaven is for Real was timed by Hollywood to open the week of Easter, no doubt to attract a large Christian audience. After all, we are the ones who talk about life after death…and heaven. What better way to draw us to the cinema than to have a Hollywood-produced movie about heaven with real high profile actors like Greg Kinnear?

I was disappointed. Not in Hollywood, of course (promoting truth is not what they're there for), but in the way in which this movie has been embraced. The message of the movie - which was obviously aimed to appeal to Christians - fell soooooooooooo far short of the good news of Easter morning. I don't know exactly what the little boy portrayed in the movie saw, or how it happened. But I do know that it was not the gospel of eternal life that our King Jesus brings us. Every person in Scripture who got a glimpse of heaven was overwhelmed with the glorious presence of God. Isaiah. Ezekiel. Paul. John. They all were so captivated by the glory of the Lord that they fell on their faces, unworthy. None took a casual stroll through heaven, sitting on Jesus' lap and visiting with loved ones. When you come into the presence of the Almighty, he will have your full attention.

This morning we celebrate the Resurrection. Jesus defeated sin and death on the cross, and then his victory was sealed when he rose from the dead on the third day. Today is a day to have a party…so I'm going to! Worship at sunrise and later in the morning, lunch with family, and then a huge celebration with family and friends. Jesus has defeated death, and so our destiny is not some vague hope in a heaven that people with near-death experiences may or may not have seen. He is, as he said, the resurrection and the life. No, the Messiah will descend from heaven, do away with all the corruption of the present world, unite heaven and earth, and we will rise to be with him forever. He rose, the firstborn from the dead (Colossians 1:18), so that we can follow him in resurrection.

That's something to celebrate!

Google vs. Death

I got a text from a friend today. Seems he saw the magazine to the left in the stack of the waiting room where he was…well…waiting. It's from last September but it grabbed his attention. And especially this week - Holy Week - it grabs mine as well.

I tried to find the article online but without a subscription I could only see the first couple of paragraphs. I need to find it and read the whole thing, because it is definitely an intriguing premise. Basically, Google is founding a subsidiary (known as Calico) focusing on health and aging, with the goal of significantly extending the human lifespan.

And so the cover asks the question, Can Google solve death?

It's a question that strikes at the heart of our greatest fears. If there is something, or someone, out there that can "solve death" it would change everything.

And that is why the good news of Jesus is so…good. For the entirety of human history, we have been slaves to death. It is the greatest enemy. It snatches away those we love, and one day it will get us too. It is so insidious that facing it moved Jesus himself to anger and tears (John 11:33-35). It is something we hate, and we have good reason.

But death's days are numbered. The King of the universe entered his creation, spent his life announcing  the kingdom of God in both word and deed, and then did the most amazing thing ever. Even though he was God, he subjected himself to death, and by the very act of that submission, defeated it. That victory was confirmed by God on the third day when he rose from the dead, never to die again.

Because of this singular act (and the death and resurrection are a singular act - one without the other would have been meaningless), we know that he is the King. His resurrection power is available to us daily, and he is the first of many to rise bodily. The message of Easter is that through the death and resurrection earth has been claimed by heaven. When he returns, we who follow him will rise again and reign with him forever. Wow!

So, go ahead Google. Fight death, find ways to extend life. That would be cool. But ultimately, no - Google will not solve death.

But that's okay. Because Jesus has.

Lent…only a foreshadowing

So today was Ash Wednesday. On the Christian calendar it is the start of the season known as Lent. During this 40 days leading up to Easter, many followers of Jesus fast to remind them of the Lord's sacrifice and to help them look forward to the celebration of the greatest event in history. Some people have give up bizarre things, as a recent study of Lent tweets revealed.  I have a few reasons myself for why I participate.

But for me, Lent is just a shadow. It is a shadow of the light that burst forth when the crucified Jesus rose from the grave, announcing his kingdom, giving us the hope that we would one day follow, and giving us the power to live like we were intended.

The main even will be celebrated next month. And I intend to celebrate…big time!

If we observe Lent, we need to party on Easter. If we give negative things up for Lent, we should take up good things for Easter. And on that note, let me close with an extended quote from N.T. Wright*. He captures it beautifully:

In particular, if Lent is a time to give things up, Easter ought to be a time to take things up. Champagne for breakfast again - well, of course. Christian holiness was never meant to be merely negative. Of course you have to weed out the garden from time to time; sometimes the ground ivy may need serious digging before you can get it out. That's Lent for you. But you don't want simply to turn the garden back into a neat bed of blank earth. Easter is the time to sow new seeds and to plant a few cuttings. If Calvary means putting to death things in your life that need killing off if you are to flourish as a Christian and as a truly human being, then Easter should mean planting, watering, and training up things in your life (personal and corporate)that ought to be blossoming, filling the garden with color and perfume, and in due course bearing fruit. The forty days of the Easter season, until the ascension, ought to be a time to balance out Lent by taking something up, some new task or venture, something wholesome and fruitful and outgoing and self-giving…It might bring something of Easter into your innermost life. It might help you wake up in a whole new way. And that's what Easter is all about.

* - N.T. Wright, Surprised by Hope, p. 257.

Thy kingdom come

God created the universe, and it was good.

To display His glory, He has allowed an enemy (the Accuser, the Satan) to mess it up.

All of us have gone astray and played into the Accuser's hands.

God chose a people, the descendants of Abraham, to reveal His love and desire to rescue us.

He exercised His justice and mercy on them again and again, He chose them to be a picture of how His kingdom comes - through suffering and submission.

He promised to extend his kingdom to all people, tribes, and nations through his people Israel and their Messiah.

Jesus was the promised Messiah, and announced the arrival of the kingdom in Luke 4:16-21.

He was declared by God to be the King through his suffering, death, and resurrection.

He has rescued us from the Evil One, forgiven our sins, and made his resurrection power available to us, the citizens of His kingdom.

We now are charged with advancing his reign, spreading the word that He is King, and bringing about change.

One day, the kingdom of God will be revealed in power, every knee will bow in worship to Jesus, and we will reign forever with Him.

And this is why we are celebrating the... Biggest. Holiday. Ever.

The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, which said, "The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Messiah, and he will reign for ever and ever." (Revelation 11:15)

Amen!

23 days...

...until the most glorious day on the calendar. Easter!

Easter is the day we celebrate the ultimate victory in creation. God himself took on flesh and spent around 30 years on earth announcing his kingdom's arrival. And then, on the anniversary of his people's great rescue for Egypt (Passover), he took the form of a suffering servant and established his reign by dying in our place. And then on the third day he completed it all by rising from the dead, bringing the dawn of his new creation.

It is too amazing for words!

And yes, I am so excited about it that I'm writing this today. We start celebrating Christmas in October these days, so why should we only celebrate the day that gave Christmas meaning early too?? Early...and late...and always!

It was put so well by N.T. Wright in his book Surprised by Hope:

Easter is about the wild delight of God's creative power...we ought to shout Alleluias instead of murmuring them; we should light every candle in the building instead of only some; we should give every man, woman, child, cat, dog, and mouse in the place a candle to hold; we should build a real bonfire...the thing about Easter is that it is neither ethereal no esoteric. It's about the real Jesus coming out of the real tomb and getting God's real new creation underway.

Is it any wonder people find it hard to believe in the resurrection of Jesus if we don't throw out hats into the air...Is it any wonder the world doesn't take much notice if Easter is celebrated as simply the one-day happy ending tacked on to forty days of fasting and gloom?

But we should be taking steps to celebrate Easter in creative new ways: in art, in children's games, poetry, music, dance, festivals, bells, special concerts, anything that comes to mind. This is our greatest festival...Take Easter away and you don't have a New Testament; you don't have a Christianity; as Paul says, you are still in your sins. We shouldn't allow the secular world, with its schedules and habits and parareligious events, its cute Easter bunnies to blow us off course. This is our greatest day. We should put the flags out.

So I'm putting the flags out! I'm anticipating. And I'm planning - maybe for the first time - to give it the celebration it deserves.

He is risen! Let's party!

Another Lent begins...

And as it does, I've looked at last year's post and I  can't explain why I observe a Lent fast any better than that. So here's a link to the post:

Why the whole Lent fast thing?

This year? Dessert. If you've never tried it before, why not now? You find a a sharper focus on what God did for you in Christ.

Happy Ash Wednesday!

He's alive and I'm forgiven...

Christmas is a great celebration and alot of fun. I love Thanksgiving. But this is my favorite holiday weekend...even though from a work standpoint, it's not even a holiday. Why?

• God showed his love for me through the ultimate sacrifice, Jesus' death on the cross. Through the cross, he has showered me with mercy (withholding punishment that I deserve) and grace (giving me blessings I don't).
• On the third day Jesus burst through the gates of death, defeating the grave for all time demonstrating God's acceptance of his Good Friday sacrifice.
• Because of this event, I can have life as it was intended now and life with him forever.

I really can't put it into words. So here, in song, is why I love Easter:

In the words of Isaac Watts:

Were the whole realm of nature mine, 

That were an offering far too small.
Love so amazing, so divine
Demands my soul, my life, my all. 

Why the whole Lent fast thing?

As midnight of Fat Tuesday approaches (and will have passed by the time I finish this), I just finished my last bowl of ice cream for a long time. I had a pint of Blue Bell Cookies and Cream, so at least it was a good one. The next time I partake, it will be Easter Sunday. Why? Because I am participating in an ancient Christian tradition of a Lent fast, or "giving up _____ for Lent".

Why do this? Is it just some sort of legalism, trying to impress God or your religious friends? Or does it have some real spiritual value?

Lent, as most of you know, is a season on the Christian calendar, one where believers are preparing for celebrating the death and resurrection of Jesus, the most significant event in history. (If you're not familiar, much more is contained in the link to the word Lent.)  In many more liturgical churches (such as the Roman Catholic Church), it is expected for members to conduct a Lent fast. But in my church and other Protestant denominations, participation is on an individual basis and is often surprising. ("You're not Catholic, are you??") But it's a tradition that has great value in my opinion. So here are reasons why I do it:

1. This is a time of year to contemplate Christ's sacrifice. Every time I want ice cream and say no, I think about the cross. Now wait - not because I'm comparing my sacrifice to his! (Hope you didn't think that!) But because I think, "Why am doing this? Oh yeah." And when I do, I think about the season and what he did for me.
2. It gives my brothers and sisters something to hold me accountable for. Accountability is good.
3. On a related note, we don't give up or wait for nearly enough in our microwave society. It doesn't hurt to exercise a little discipline once a year.
4. Ok, the next one is tricky. Sometimes the refusal of something I love causes people to ask why. I can then tell them about Christ and what he means to me. This is a very, very fine line, because Jesus cautions us against doing acts of righteousness to look spiritual. But with much prayer, I believe it can be done reflecting the glory to him and not me.
5. Finally, Easter rocks even more when I do! Christ rose from the dead, giving hope for life to us who were destined for death. To me, getting something that I've been "dead to" for so long is a great symbol of that.

So it's Ash Wednesday morning. The first day of Lent. Is this something that appeals to you? If so, go for it!

Oh...ice cream? No, thanks.