Do you ever check yourself out in a car window? Or the display case of a shop as you pass by? Isn't this kind of a funny thing to do? To just look at yourself?
I was down in Southwest today. It's an "urban" residential living area at UMass Amherst. Where I was sitting there was a huge window that, because of the light, was acting as a two way mirror that afforded me an opportunity to observe the folks of southwest walking by.
I was sort of multi-tasking, people watching and preparing to lead a House Church on Exodus 13-16. What really struck me about this passage was how many times "LORD" or "God" is used. In Chapter 13, there are 22 verses, and 18 of those verses mention God or LORD. God is totally, absolutely involved in the lives of Moses and Aaron and the Israelites. God is bringing and speaking and using his hands and relating with people. At this point in time, I'm not sure how human you can say God is being, but he is present in the lives of people and acting/intersecting in their lives.
Girls walk by. The first thing they do, almost always, as long as they are close enough to the window, is catch a quick glimpse. Some of the guys do it too, but mostly the girls. Why is this? And most of the time they weren't checking for snot or fixing their hair, but just simply looking at themselves. Some, a quick glance, others a long, drawn out, on-the-move stare. What are they thinking about as they look? The few guys who did it, surprisingly, looked like really tough guys and would get a big drink of themselves in the reflection.
I'm just guessing here, but could it be that people are concerned with their image?
In Exodus 15, Moses sings a song in response to all the things God has done for them, how he has interacted in their lives. It's beautiful and violent and poetic and it's a lot about who God is and how we respond to this God who is involved in human life. And maybe this is a stretch, but could it be that if we became more concerned with who God is, what he is doing in our lives, and how we respond to that God, then our image would become more clear and we wouldn't be as concerned with it? Perhaps we would look more like the image of God.
At the end of Exodus 14, the Israelites "...believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses." It seems they are seeing more clearly who Moses is because of God. This is very different from when the two quarreling Hebrews mock him and don't recognize him as a Hebrew right after Moses decided to identify with them. But now, they believe in him, because God has raised him up.
I think we sometimes try to get a glimpse of God too, as we are walking through this earth, but God can be really blurry. Ultimately though, God has intersected into our lives through the person (the actual factual historical person) of Jesus. I think when we come face to face with the crucified Jesus, we see a reflection of ourselves. That's us, bloody, beat up, full of sin, and dying. And when we confess this Jesus, that he died in our place and was raised from the dead, we can clearly see God and ourselves, the image of God that he created us to be- our new resurrected selves.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Friday, August 3, 2007
Jason Bourne is a Bad Ass with Heart
Jason Bourne is a bad ass. The Bourne Ultimatum travels into the places of your heart you never thought existed while watching action movies. And somehow through all the amazing fight sequences and chase scenes the film is able to dig into some pretty universal stuff, that all of us go to the movies to find out more about, through story.
"Who am I?" This is one of life's fundamental questions. Where do I come from? What makes me who I am? And this is Jason Bourne's biggest question. He wants to learn what this is and to make things right, because something has gone terribly wrong.
I am blown away how this movie parallels our own lives. I heard a statement on the radio today about highschoolers being concerned about what they are alowed to wear, because this expresses who they are...and this must be known. It seems we are all wanting to know where we come from as does Bourne.
And he suffers. Constant hand to hand combat and injury as he quests to find his true identity; his true humanity. This some how seems afwully similar to Job of the Bible. Job is also figuring out who he is...and he suffers. We suffer, too. Not all days are feasting or days spent on the mediteranean, where we left Brourne in the first installment of the Trilogy, with the woman he loves, filled with joy, and peace, before she was murdered.
Job, doesn't find out who he really is until he is faced with his creator. Once his creator speaks, reality is suddenly revealed and his life comes into focus with a great perspective. His identity has beend uncovered. Job's ultimatum: I am not my creator and I am obedient to him because of who he is.
Bourne's ultimatum comes when he is nearly trapped at the end of the movie and he is facing the man who has been trying to kill him. "Look at us," he tells him. "Do you even know why you are killing me?" Bourne previously did not kill the other shooter and the shooter then asks, "Why didn't you kill me?"
I am human.
While I made the decision to start doing what I've done there were some evil external forces at work.
I forgive.
I am starting over.
I believe this is also the path Jesus invites us into. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news." And the good news is finding out who we are, confronting the evil that has been at work against us and in us, and beginning again anew...just like Jason Bourne...don't you want to be a bad ass?
"Who am I?" This is one of life's fundamental questions. Where do I come from? What makes me who I am? And this is Jason Bourne's biggest question. He wants to learn what this is and to make things right, because something has gone terribly wrong.
I am blown away how this movie parallels our own lives. I heard a statement on the radio today about highschoolers being concerned about what they are alowed to wear, because this expresses who they are...and this must be known. It seems we are all wanting to know where we come from as does Bourne.
And he suffers. Constant hand to hand combat and injury as he quests to find his true identity; his true humanity. This some how seems afwully similar to Job of the Bible. Job is also figuring out who he is...and he suffers. We suffer, too. Not all days are feasting or days spent on the mediteranean, where we left Brourne in the first installment of the Trilogy, with the woman he loves, filled with joy, and peace, before she was murdered.
Job, doesn't find out who he really is until he is faced with his creator. Once his creator speaks, reality is suddenly revealed and his life comes into focus with a great perspective. His identity has beend uncovered. Job's ultimatum: I am not my creator and I am obedient to him because of who he is.
Bourne's ultimatum comes when he is nearly trapped at the end of the movie and he is facing the man who has been trying to kill him. "Look at us," he tells him. "Do you even know why you are killing me?" Bourne previously did not kill the other shooter and the shooter then asks, "Why didn't you kill me?"
I am human.
While I made the decision to start doing what I've done there were some evil external forces at work.
I forgive.
I am starting over.
I believe this is also the path Jesus invites us into. "The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news." And the good news is finding out who we are, confronting the evil that has been at work against us and in us, and beginning again anew...just like Jason Bourne...don't you want to be a bad ass?
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Transformers
I recently watched the movie Transformers. Now this might sound crazy, but I believe this movie tells us a lot about the Christian life and ministry on campus. Crazy, right?
The movie is huge. Huge 30 foot robots, top secret intel, military battles, secret agencies, Megatron, the All Spark, are all right in your face. The world and the universe are at stake. Huge and epic. Good vs. evil. Now what is really interesting is the movie is rampant with the humorous triffles of every day life, which aren't epic or grandiose at all. It's quite the collision which adds to the humor. I believe this same collision is found in the person of Jesus, and he calls out to us, inviting us to live in the collision.
The story begins with a boy, Sam. It's a bit of a coming of age story but so much more. The boy is after the girl. So Sam gets a car. And the epic battle of good and evil suddenly intersects with this boys normal, everyday life of going to school, getting chewed out by parents, and dreaming small dreams. It intersects because his car ends up being a gigantic, transforming robot (A little absurd, huh?), who happens to be engaged in the battle of ages along with Optimus Prime and the Autobots against Megatron and the Dececpticons. His car, Bumblebee, is recruiting the boy into the fray because Sam holds a special map that leads to the All Spark, which creates life and both sides are after it.
I became a believer when I was 12 years old. My mom asked me if I wanted to get saved and get baptized and I said yes. I had a vague idea of what I was getting myself into, but did not realize the full implicaitons- do any of us? I was only 12. I was concerned with baseball, getting six-pack-abs, and doing well in school. I was a lot like the boy in the movie when he was buying the car.
Little did Sam know that by the end of the story he would be in an embattled, debri-strewn street, surround by crumbling buildings, oncoming Decepticons, holding the All Spark and and being commanded by a war hardened soldier, "You're a soldier now, go!" He takes off running, the All Spark in his grasp, and would soon be facing Megatron. He is transformed by this experience. A common boy whose biggest concern in life was to get a car and get the girl was invited into the epic battle of good and evil and ends up defeating Megatron. In a very similar way, Jesus also invites us in, to be transformed, and to confront evil.
The movie shows the visible battle that takes place while normal life winds on. The world you and I live in, the battle seems to be invisible, but it has its manifestations. Though we don't see enormous robots fighting against one another, we do see death. We do see the injustice of the world. In the everday occurences of not sharing to senesless murders or domestic violence. The truth is we are already living on this battle field. Jesus offers us a way to see this battle that blazes all around us. He invites us in. He also provides a way to defeat evil's most prevelant of it manifestations: death. Jesus invites us in to recieve life. To...hold it...TRANSFORM us.
Now, consider campus life. All colleges and universities have purpose statements and vision statements and mission statements. They usually have something to do with actually changing a person's life. One college says it "educates men and women of exceptional potential from all backgrounds so that they may seek, value, and advance knowledge, engage the world around them, and lead principled lives of consequence." So not only does this institution want to change the lives of these students but they also want those students to go out and change the lives of others. Students are at a time in their lives where they are taking on life's biggest quesitons and are going to make decision that will deeply impact the rest of their lives. They are making decisions that will change them forever. They are going to be changed. This is where Jesus invites us in to open our eyes to the reality around us. That there is more than meets the eye.
There is good and there is evil. In the movie Transformers this plays itself out in giant robot battles where there are good robots and evil robots, and the humans are somewhat neutral, or ignorant. Much like Optimus Prime is fighting for humans that are ignorant of the Autobots, Jesus also fights for us who are ignorant, even to the point of death on a cross, so that we might have life and have it to the full. He died, but then defeated evil's most prevelant manifestation throughout time: death. Jesus actually died and then three days later became dead no more. Jesus offers us a way out of death. We are going to die because this is the natural state of sin...death, and we are all sinners. The only reason Jesus didn't stay dead is that he was perfect so sin could not keep it's grip on him and draw him in to an eternal death, so he lived! And he invites us in to do the same. By following Jesus, we are actually telling God, look I'm a messed up person and I know you created me to be better than this, but I'm not, so I want to follow Jesus out of death and into life.
Jesus has the power to transform us.
Jesus has the power to transform students.
Jesus has the power to transform the university.
And Jesus doesn't stop there. He then gives those he's transformed the power to transform those around them. And this is what I do. I invite people in to meet Jesus and to experience this transformation.
The movie is huge. Huge 30 foot robots, top secret intel, military battles, secret agencies, Megatron, the All Spark, are all right in your face. The world and the universe are at stake. Huge and epic. Good vs. evil. Now what is really interesting is the movie is rampant with the humorous triffles of every day life, which aren't epic or grandiose at all. It's quite the collision which adds to the humor. I believe this same collision is found in the person of Jesus, and he calls out to us, inviting us to live in the collision.
The story begins with a boy, Sam. It's a bit of a coming of age story but so much more. The boy is after the girl. So Sam gets a car. And the epic battle of good and evil suddenly intersects with this boys normal, everyday life of going to school, getting chewed out by parents, and dreaming small dreams. It intersects because his car ends up being a gigantic, transforming robot (A little absurd, huh?), who happens to be engaged in the battle of ages along with Optimus Prime and the Autobots against Megatron and the Dececpticons. His car, Bumblebee, is recruiting the boy into the fray because Sam holds a special map that leads to the All Spark, which creates life and both sides are after it.
I became a believer when I was 12 years old. My mom asked me if I wanted to get saved and get baptized and I said yes. I had a vague idea of what I was getting myself into, but did not realize the full implicaitons- do any of us? I was only 12. I was concerned with baseball, getting six-pack-abs, and doing well in school. I was a lot like the boy in the movie when he was buying the car.
Little did Sam know that by the end of the story he would be in an embattled, debri-strewn street, surround by crumbling buildings, oncoming Decepticons, holding the All Spark and and being commanded by a war hardened soldier, "You're a soldier now, go!" He takes off running, the All Spark in his grasp, and would soon be facing Megatron. He is transformed by this experience. A common boy whose biggest concern in life was to get a car and get the girl was invited into the epic battle of good and evil and ends up defeating Megatron. In a very similar way, Jesus also invites us in, to be transformed, and to confront evil.
The movie shows the visible battle that takes place while normal life winds on. The world you and I live in, the battle seems to be invisible, but it has its manifestations. Though we don't see enormous robots fighting against one another, we do see death. We do see the injustice of the world. In the everday occurences of not sharing to senesless murders or domestic violence. The truth is we are already living on this battle field. Jesus offers us a way to see this battle that blazes all around us. He invites us in. He also provides a way to defeat evil's most prevelant of it manifestations: death. Jesus invites us in to recieve life. To...hold it...TRANSFORM us.
Now, consider campus life. All colleges and universities have purpose statements and vision statements and mission statements. They usually have something to do with actually changing a person's life. One college says it "educates men and women of exceptional potential from all backgrounds so that they may seek, value, and advance knowledge, engage the world around them, and lead principled lives of consequence." So not only does this institution want to change the lives of these students but they also want those students to go out and change the lives of others. Students are at a time in their lives where they are taking on life's biggest quesitons and are going to make decision that will deeply impact the rest of their lives. They are making decisions that will change them forever. They are going to be changed. This is where Jesus invites us in to open our eyes to the reality around us. That there is more than meets the eye.
There is good and there is evil. In the movie Transformers this plays itself out in giant robot battles where there are good robots and evil robots, and the humans are somewhat neutral, or ignorant. Much like Optimus Prime is fighting for humans that are ignorant of the Autobots, Jesus also fights for us who are ignorant, even to the point of death on a cross, so that we might have life and have it to the full. He died, but then defeated evil's most prevelant manifestation throughout time: death. Jesus actually died and then three days later became dead no more. Jesus offers us a way out of death. We are going to die because this is the natural state of sin...death, and we are all sinners. The only reason Jesus didn't stay dead is that he was perfect so sin could not keep it's grip on him and draw him in to an eternal death, so he lived! And he invites us in to do the same. By following Jesus, we are actually telling God, look I'm a messed up person and I know you created me to be better than this, but I'm not, so I want to follow Jesus out of death and into life.
Jesus has the power to transform us.
Jesus has the power to transform students.
Jesus has the power to transform the university.
And Jesus doesn't stop there. He then gives those he's transformed the power to transform those around them. And this is what I do. I invite people in to meet Jesus and to experience this transformation.
Thursday, July 12, 2007
To Feel
I can't hide my emotions. What you see is what you get. And when I try to cover it up, it never works out. It's usually a pathetic attempt at trying to look happy, when sadness or frustration is what actually rages through. It's amazing that we feel.
I recently watched Equilibrium, with Christian Bale as its protagonist. The movie is set in the future in a quasi-dystopiate city where humans take daily intervals of a drug that brings the extremeness of their emotions to neutral. No one is allowed to feel. The leader "Father" is contstantly present in the lives of all the denizens explaining that this is the sacrafice that has to be made for peace, that it rids war and hate and violence. We are now living in the solution, he claims. A non-feeling world. And those who do feel, "sense-offenders," are sent to the Hall of Justice for "processing." Our feelings and emotions and how we respond to and experience the world and life are obviously really powerful stuff...some times uncontollable, we feel something so strongly.
In the gospel of Matthew, chapter 26, Jesus reveals to his closest friends what he is feeling, "'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.'" This is one of those moments that is really mind-blowing. Matthew is giving us real insite into Jesus's humanity and what his divinity is like. He feels. It is the eve of his crucifixion. Matthew moments before revealed to us that "he began to be sorrowful and troubled," and Jesus turns to God and his friends. He is knowingly about to experience a horrendous death and he lets his friends and God know what he is feeling truthfully and honestly.
Now, he goes off to pray three times and I imagine that Jesus's sorrow is having a physical effect on him. He's probably sweating and even experiencing pain and maybe even crying, probably the lowest moment of Jesus's life up until this point. But then after each prayer he returns to his friends who he's asked to keep watch with him. They are asleep. Can you imagine being in the absolute worst condition of your life and the people you are closest with are taking a little nap? I wonder what Jesus was feeling then? Is this the beginning of a series of betrayals? His disciples not being there for him, Judas's betrayal, Peter's denial, and the disciples deserting and fleeing him? Could you call all of these a betrayal of sorts? And it begins with his closest friends. What was Jesus feeling then?
It seems, despite the abondonment, Jesus is still able to do his Father's will. God has not abondoned him. And Jesus, with Matthew just revealing to us, his readers, something extremely human about Jesus, we then see this uncalcuable faith of doing his Father's will and going through with the horrific plan God has for his son. I wonder what God was feeling at this point...was he overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death as well?
In the midst of Jesus being overwhelmed he clearly sees what lays ahead of him. This clarity grows his imagination and the reality of the terrifying inevitable, that he must be punished, that he must not be chosen and a criminal released instead, that he must be flogged, that he must be mocked and beaten, that he must be spat upon, that he must be burdened with a cross, that he must have his arms and feet nailed with every feeling receptor feeling the nails driven in through him into the wood, that he must hang there... he sees what lies ahead and he has an emotional response. Such heavy emotions that he invites his closest friends into the experience to comfort him. Such overwhelming emothions that he desperatley turns to God asking if there is at all possible another way out. He could have said no.
Jesus feels and so do we. Let us stay focused on the work God has for us no matter what we are feeling.
I recently watched Equilibrium, with Christian Bale as its protagonist. The movie is set in the future in a quasi-dystopiate city where humans take daily intervals of a drug that brings the extremeness of their emotions to neutral. No one is allowed to feel. The leader "Father" is contstantly present in the lives of all the denizens explaining that this is the sacrafice that has to be made for peace, that it rids war and hate and violence. We are now living in the solution, he claims. A non-feeling world. And those who do feel, "sense-offenders," are sent to the Hall of Justice for "processing." Our feelings and emotions and how we respond to and experience the world and life are obviously really powerful stuff...some times uncontollable, we feel something so strongly.
In the gospel of Matthew, chapter 26, Jesus reveals to his closest friends what he is feeling, "'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.'" This is one of those moments that is really mind-blowing. Matthew is giving us real insite into Jesus's humanity and what his divinity is like. He feels. It is the eve of his crucifixion. Matthew moments before revealed to us that "he began to be sorrowful and troubled," and Jesus turns to God and his friends. He is knowingly about to experience a horrendous death and he lets his friends and God know what he is feeling truthfully and honestly.
Now, he goes off to pray three times and I imagine that Jesus's sorrow is having a physical effect on him. He's probably sweating and even experiencing pain and maybe even crying, probably the lowest moment of Jesus's life up until this point. But then after each prayer he returns to his friends who he's asked to keep watch with him. They are asleep. Can you imagine being in the absolute worst condition of your life and the people you are closest with are taking a little nap? I wonder what Jesus was feeling then? Is this the beginning of a series of betrayals? His disciples not being there for him, Judas's betrayal, Peter's denial, and the disciples deserting and fleeing him? Could you call all of these a betrayal of sorts? And it begins with his closest friends. What was Jesus feeling then?
It seems, despite the abondonment, Jesus is still able to do his Father's will. God has not abondoned him. And Jesus, with Matthew just revealing to us, his readers, something extremely human about Jesus, we then see this uncalcuable faith of doing his Father's will and going through with the horrific plan God has for his son. I wonder what God was feeling at this point...was he overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death as well?
In the midst of Jesus being overwhelmed he clearly sees what lays ahead of him. This clarity grows his imagination and the reality of the terrifying inevitable, that he must be punished, that he must not be chosen and a criminal released instead, that he must be flogged, that he must be mocked and beaten, that he must be spat upon, that he must be burdened with a cross, that he must have his arms and feet nailed with every feeling receptor feeling the nails driven in through him into the wood, that he must hang there... he sees what lies ahead and he has an emotional response. Such heavy emotions that he invites his closest friends into the experience to comfort him. Such overwhelming emothions that he desperatley turns to God asking if there is at all possible another way out. He could have said no.
Jesus feels and so do we. Let us stay focused on the work God has for us no matter what we are feeling.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
1 Corinthians 1-2: We Have The Mind of Christ
"But we have the mind of Christ." It seems every moment in these first paragraphs leads to this opening conclusion. Paul zooms in on the microscopic level of God's Kingdom and how it functions: relationships with one another. I'm not sure if it is necessarily "zooming in" because when Jesus first shows up to the public he says that the Kingdom of God has come near...physically in the person of Jesus. I think Paul realizes the magnitude of these relationships within the church at Corinth. The Kingom of God is actually made up of these relationships...families and friendships and people who annoy one another or who have seriously hurt or damaged one another. Relationships between people who are arguing over who to follow, like what's happening in Corinth.
Paul asks "is Christ divided?" This seems to be connected with Mark 3:24, "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand." Jesus goes on down to an even more basic level, "If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand." In this context, Jesus is asking the teachers of the law, who are claiming he is driving demons out of people by the power of Satan, "How can Satan drive out Satan?" Jesus talks about tying up the strong man and plundering his house which is Jesus tying up Satan and taking back what is rightfully God's, the world. I think what Paul is getting at is the Corinthians are Christ incarnate, "called to be his holy people," and Christ himslef is not divided, so why should they? This is a call to reconcile relationships at the most basic level: with each other, the people around us. Paul implores them to "agree with one another in what you say," and to be "perfectly united in mind and thought." This recalls Jesus's prayer in John 17:20-23, a prayer for oneness with God and with eachother. Jesus prays, "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you have sent me, that they may be one as we are one--I in them and you in me--so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know tht you sent me ndhve loved them even as you have loved me." Wow! There is some pretty outrageous stuff in this passage.
Jesus is saying its possible to be one, complete total inseperabele oneness, with the God who created the complexities of the universe like fusion and black holes, the God who came up with stuff like people and oceans and mountains and music and snow flakes and fractals....Jesus prays for us to be one with God. I can't seem to articualte this properly...it's kind of like the complexites of the Trinity, the relationship between God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit...kind of like if your mom, who is a mother and a wife and a daughter, was all of these as different people at the same time but one person, but all three very distinctly different...i'm not sure if that worked. Oneness...man! So this God, is choosing to live inside of the people of the Corinthian church (and all Christians) to reveal himslef and his kingdom to the world. Paul's trying to get the Corinthians back on track with this kind of thinking...Jesus's kind of thinking.
He goes on to dicepher human wisdom and God's wisdom. Attaining God's wisdom is made possible by the Holy Spirit. 2:10b Paul writes, "The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God." So we have a direct link to God because of the work of Jesus on the cross and his sending of the Holy Spirit to us. Imagine a people each in deep communion and connectedness with God; in deep oneness with the character and thoughts and desires of God. Imagine those people getting together and acting on those thoughts and desires. Man! This is the church.
Paul asks "is Christ divided?" This seems to be connected with Mark 3:24, "If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand." Jesus goes on down to an even more basic level, "If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand." In this context, Jesus is asking the teachers of the law, who are claiming he is driving demons out of people by the power of Satan, "How can Satan drive out Satan?" Jesus talks about tying up the strong man and plundering his house which is Jesus tying up Satan and taking back what is rightfully God's, the world. I think what Paul is getting at is the Corinthians are Christ incarnate, "called to be his holy people," and Christ himslef is not divided, so why should they? This is a call to reconcile relationships at the most basic level: with each other, the people around us. Paul implores them to "agree with one another in what you say," and to be "perfectly united in mind and thought." This recalls Jesus's prayer in John 17:20-23, a prayer for oneness with God and with eachother. Jesus prays, "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you have sent me, that they may be one as we are one--I in them and you in me--so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know tht you sent me ndhve loved them even as you have loved me." Wow! There is some pretty outrageous stuff in this passage.
Jesus is saying its possible to be one, complete total inseperabele oneness, with the God who created the complexities of the universe like fusion and black holes, the God who came up with stuff like people and oceans and mountains and music and snow flakes and fractals....Jesus prays for us to be one with God. I can't seem to articualte this properly...it's kind of like the complexites of the Trinity, the relationship between God and Jesus and the Holy Spirit...kind of like if your mom, who is a mother and a wife and a daughter, was all of these as different people at the same time but one person, but all three very distinctly different...i'm not sure if that worked. Oneness...man! So this God, is choosing to live inside of the people of the Corinthian church (and all Christians) to reveal himslef and his kingdom to the world. Paul's trying to get the Corinthians back on track with this kind of thinking...Jesus's kind of thinking.
He goes on to dicepher human wisdom and God's wisdom. Attaining God's wisdom is made possible by the Holy Spirit. 2:10b Paul writes, "The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God." So we have a direct link to God because of the work of Jesus on the cross and his sending of the Holy Spirit to us. Imagine a people each in deep communion and connectedness with God; in deep oneness with the character and thoughts and desires of God. Imagine those people getting together and acting on those thoughts and desires. Man! This is the church.
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
Today is wednesday. Yesterday I met with my two InterVarsity volutneers, Aaron and Kris. We had dinner and then took some time to talk about the upcoming academic year. The vision for UMass is very simple. We want to see witnessing communities formed in campus neighborhoods/dorms all over campus. This may start out with just two or three students studying scripture and praying together and sharing life together. We want to see students living the gospel in the culture that their in. Not to be in some nice happy little cocoon called a fellowship, but to be actively involved and vulnerable with the world around them...people in their dorms and classes, people they care about, people who make them nervous or people they are afraid of. This little family will be a microcosm of God's Kingdom, just an atom of it, but vitally important. When people see God's Kingdom in action and begin to experience it, crazy things happen. The reality of what God wants for us is revealed and unleashed into the world. People start getting saved and things start getting transformed, like families and entire groups of people. The tempest of a lot relationships are calmed and made possible through the saving grace of Jesus. I desire this for UMass. For students to get caught up in the gospel. To go from death to life.
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