Forgive me for Crucifying you

This is why we are able to have hope at funerals. This is why we are able to live unafraid to die. The resurrection of Christ means we can be saved redeemed.

This morning I awoke thinking of all the Christ-followers who have shown me what radical forgiveness looks like. Having experienced it first hand, has changed everything about who I am. The ways in which people have forgiven me, and continued to love me despite my failures astounds me. Radical forgiveness is only possible with love. And to radically forgive strangers is only possible with Christ in us.

With all the court cases on TV and in the paper in this country, and 80% or so of us being Christian, I wonder why we don't hear of more occurrences of radical forgiveness. It was this scandalous grace that resurrected us from the death that was our own sin. And yet when people harm us we scream for vengeance and retribution. This next year I am praying the church will show the world what grace and forgiveness are all about, by practicing what they preach.

Resisting the Empire

The election season is nigh upon us. Lot's of folks are asking what kingdom of God people should do when it comes to elections. Essentially, should we be red or blue?

This is how the world phrases questions for us. Are you for mothers or babies? Are you for workers or immigrants? Do you give the poor jobs or money? The list goes on and on. Jesus got these questions, and he always came up with a radical third way of answering them. What if we said we love mothers and babies. And by love we mean we will take them into our homes, not just try and change their minds. If we look at these situations through the lens of radical love, the solution is neither of the two options presented by the world, it is a radical third way. The catch is it involves huge sacrifice on the part of the lover.

Now what do we do about the upcoming election? Back in the first generation of the church the saying Jesus is Lord was particularly offensive. You see the Romans had a saying too, Caesar is Lord. It was this resistance to the empire that got most of them killed. Before we go any further I am not advocating suicide, but I am advocating resistance.

Imagine if the entire church in America united and said "Jesus is our Leader (president), we will not vote." Already you may have had the thought, "but THEY would win if we did that". I felt it too initially. I suggest this, by refusing to vote we are saying that whoever is elected will not determine how we respond to the world. We respond with radical love to all, because of the love Christ has placed in our hearts. It does not matter if the tax rate goes up or down, we will still give sacrificially. It does not matter what the state says about marriage we will be faithful to our God and spouses, and love homosexuals. It does not matter if the state builds walls between us and Mexico, we will love US workers, Mexican immigrants, Iraqi civilians, US soldiers, and Al Quadi insurgents alike. None are to far gone for God's grace.

I know sometimes I am guilty of saying, "if the government could create this situation, the gospel could advance." We trust in God for protection and guidance. When dramatic situations arise we respond based on what we put in our hearts. If we are filling our hearts with Jesus, it doesn't matter what situation, whether peaceful or dangerous, our response will be one of radical love. When non-Christians see us act with radical love no matter what the situation, the gospel message will go forward. Unfortunately love looks most radical in the midst of suffering.

God Bless the Revolution.

Street Roots and Starbucks

I've been thinking a lot about some very interesting business models. Tom's Shoes, BogoLight, and the like. Tom's Shoes is a for profit company that sells trendy canvas type shoes, and for every shoe that is purchased the give one to a barefooted kid in a third world country. BogoLight is a similar model where you can purchase an amazing LED / Solar charging flashlight, and one gets donated to a kid in Africa. These kids don't have electricity, and need these lights to practice reading at night, and for practical tasks such as walking to the latrine at night.

These things are amazing business models, but we need to support them. I am also thinking about the American church and our addiction to comfort. I think we will "sacrifice" as long as it doesn't infringe on our comfort. But then again isn't infringing on our comfort the definition of sacrifice. I know, at least in the Northwest, we have a coffee addiction. Folks will pay anywhere from 1.50 to 4.00$ everyday to get the cup of joe. Streets Roots is printed twice a month, and costs one dollar. So on average Christians would have to sacrifice one cup of coffee a month to purchase an issue of Street Roots from a vendor, twice monthly. This vendor would then have an income and the dignity associated with a job. One cup of coffee a month seems so small, but why does it also seem so hard.

God: How about death, and then resurrection. I'll go first.

I’ve been thinking about a convergence of forces lately. The debt crisis, obesity, divorce rates. I’m concerned that when it comes to these issues the church looks no different than the American Culture; in fact some argue they are worse.

I've said before that I think the problem we have presenting an Americanized version of the gospel is that it is not radical enough. How is it relevant if it is just another product for us to add to our list of consumables.

In school we are taught a little, and then we practice a little. We learn about adverbs, and then write sentences with adverbs. We learn a little algebra, and then we solve equations. But when it comes to church and bible studies, we learn a little theology, a little philosphy and then close our books and reflect on it for the week. Now I'm not against reflection, but I am for action. I want to be someone who says lets read the words of Jesus, and then see if we can do what he did, this next week.

It's curious how Jesus doesn't say go and convert, he says go and make disciples. Discipleship is basically the same as an apprenticeship. How can someone be an apprentice, by being taught with words only. My dad taught me a lot of wrestling. He could say do this or that, and unless he showed me, and we walked through it together, I never got it. But then I had to practice it. I had to make mistakes and screw it up, but eventually I would get to a point where I didn't even need to think about what I was doing because it became instinct.

Our instincts should be the work of Christ, because that is what we are practicing.