Easter is coming ...

In Four Words

 

A Few Stray Thoughts for Easter Monday

“I haven’t always been a Christian. I didn’t go to religion to make me happy. I always knew a bottle of Port would do that. If you want a religion to make you feel really comfortable, I certainly don’t recommend Christianity.” - C S Lewis

“We cannot become what we want to be by remaining what we are.”  - Max DePree

“A ship in a harbour is safe, but that’s not what a ship is built for.”  - John A Shedd

So what happens now?
(Another suitcase in another hall)
So what happens now?
(Take your picture off another wall)
Where am I going to?
(You'll get by, you always have before)
Where am I going to? - lyrics by Tim Rice and Andrew Lloyd Webber

• May God bless you with a restless discomfort about easy answers, half-truths and superficial relationships,so that you may seek truth boldly and love deep within your heart.
• May God bless you with holy anger at injustice, oppression, and exploitation of people, so that you may tirelessly work for justice, freedom, and peace among all people.
• May God bless you with the gift of tears to shed with those who suffer from pain, rejection, starvation, or the loss of all that they cherish, so that you may reach out your hand to comfort them and transform their pain into joy.
• May God bless you with enough foolishness to believe that you really CAN make a difference in this world, so that you are able, with God's grace, to do what others claim cannot be done.
• And the blessing of God the Supreme Majesty and our Creator, Jesus Christ the Incarnate Word who is our brother and Saviour, and the Holy Spirit, our Advocate and Guide, be with you and remain with you, this day and forevermore. Amen. - A Franciscan Blessing

My Brother

"You're my friend and You are my brother
Even though You are a king
And I love You more than any other,
So much more than anything..."

A group of us were deep in study at our local House Fellowship group as part of our Lent course, looking at various names that people have used over the years for Jesus. A little light came on when the words 'my brother' came up. This brought to mind one of the verses from 'As The Deer' (lyrics by Martin J. Nystrom, verse noted above). It also planted a little thought in my head which led to this post.

Now, if I start to think about Jesus as my brother, it doesn't necessarily bring with it any pre-conceived ideas. I never had a brother or a sister when I grew up. Well, strictly that's not true. I have a half-brother and a half-sister (my dad was married and had two children with his first wife; after she passed away he married my mum and they had me). However, these two of my family were that much older than I, therefore they never grew up with me; I never developed that sort of closeness you get with siblings. So, essentially, I was raised as an only child.

Which of course means that I never climbed trees with a brother; we never had adventures together; we never went through the same life experiences together. There wasn't that brotherly bond that this term seems to imply.

So, how can I begin to identify with Jesus as 'my brother'? Perhaps I should take some examples from modern popular culture?

Bart Simpson and his sister Lisa?
Sherlock Holmes and his brother Mycroft?
Barry and Paul, The Chuckle Brothers?

Err ... perhaps not.

Well, a quick glance along my science fiction DVD shelf gives me quite a few examples of sibling relationships, unfortunately many of these don't seem to work very well either. Here's a few of the better-known ones, after a few minutes brainstorming:

Data and Lore (Star Trek: The Next Generation)
Thor and Loki (Marvel Comics)
Quicksilver and the Scarlet Witch (Marvel Comics)
The Human Torch and The Invisible Woman (Marvel Comics)
Peter and Nathan Petrelli (Heroes)
Luke Skywalker and Princess Leia (Star Wars)

I guess that I have more chance of understanding this if I take a broader view of 'brotherhood'. More than just simple genetics, this sort of 'brother' would be closer than a friend, indeed becoming so trusted and so close that you would be close as a member of your own family. And closer still ... sticking together, no matter what ...

And that's the kind of relationship Jesus wanted with mankind. He gave up so much when He came down to Earth as a human being, yet He wanted to become our 'brother' so he could have a chance at achieving that sort of intimacy. Closer than just friends. Closer than shared blood lines. Closer even than shared parents. Shared lives. Walking each step of the way together.

Hebrews 2:11-12 (NIV)
Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters. He says,

“I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters;
in the assembly I will sing your praises.”

The offer is still open.

Happy Easter to you.
:)

When The Music Fades...

It's been a phenomenal week at church. Some terrific events to celebrate Holy Week and Easter, many high points. Suddenly then, it's over. An all-too-brief rest on Monday, then it was back to work today. I'm reeling a bit at all the things that have happened, such an emotional time. The sentiment of Matt Redman's song 'When The Music Fades' says it all for me today... All is stripped away...

However, as I recharge after such a high, I can't let myself slip too far down. I'm working at the ROOTS conference this weekend and I know that will be emotionally charged, too.

Draw Me Close To You

Draw me close to You 
Never let me go 
I lay it all down again 
To hear You say that I'm Your friend 
You are my desire 
No one else will do 
'Cause nothing else could take Your place 
To feel the warmth of Your embrace 
Help me find the way 
Bring me back to You 


You're all I want 
You're all I've ever needed 
You're all I want 
Help me know You are near 
(lyrics by Michael W. Smith.)

This song was part of a very special day at the Army today. And the end of an emotionally charged week of meetings at the Corps. Plenty for me to think about over the next week.

Proof?

Acts 1:3 (NIV)
After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.

I still remember an email that I received last year which indicated that Jesus's resurrection from the dead is "the single most documented event of ancient history". Regrettably, such a statement could not be easily backed up through research (and I did look) so it's only as someone's opinion that I could ever quote it. I like to have some proof before passing on authoritative statements like that. However, this does bring up an interesting point...

What one person may accept as 'convincing proof' of the resurrection could be dismissed by another. There's plenty of eye-witness reports of the risen Lord in scripture and Christian writings, but it all boils down to faith, at the end of the day. Do you believe it happened?

What can't be so easily dismissed is the effect that the reported death of Jesus had on the early Christians. Rather than fade away because their figurehead had gone, their movement grew by leaps and bounds. Followers would rather die than give up their faith in Jesus. There's plenty of evidence for that, both in secular and church history.

So, is that proof enough for you?

Dealing With Things

I've spent the last three days off-line: no blogs, no Internet, no Facebook, no e-mails. I didn't realise quite how difficult it would be living without my contact with the on-line community! However, the family certainly appreciated the extra time that I spent with them. I've started packing for the ROOTS conference next week; played a whole bunch of games with the kids; made great progress in decluttering the house. And I've certainly had something brought to my attention this weekend that I need to continue to pray about.

During an excellent prayer spot in Good Friday's meeting we were asked to write down an issue on a piece of paper and to place it at the foot of the cross. There's one particular topic that came to mind, so I wrote it down. It relates to issues I have emotionally, times when I have trouble controlling how I feel, how I react to people or to situations. It's a recurring issue I'm afraid. I scribbled it down and left it with God. And I thought no more about it. Until today.

Easter Sunday morning - the family and I went down to the meeting as usual. The meetings went well, in fact most things went well, but there were some times where I felt inadequate, completely out of my depth. I couldn't seem to say the right things, do the right things. The same old issues.

And then, just after the meeting, I caught a glance at the foot of the cross. There were the notes, still folded, with these issues we'd written down from Friday. And each one of them had a six-inch nail neatly piercing them. Including mine.

The symbolism wasn't lost on me; in fact I've been pondering that all afternoon. I realise that God doesn't forget about these issues; He deals with things.

Awesome.

Searching for Meaning

Ecclesiastes 1:1-2 (New International Version, ©2011)

The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:

“Meaningless! Meaningless!” says the Teacher. “Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.”

I must admit that I was very confused when someone mentioned this passage of scripture to me at the weekend. However, I certainly got so much from it when I did some reading up on this during this week. I'm much more enlightened now!

The word 'meaningless' here is a translation of the Hebrew word הבל (hebel), which literally means vapour or breath. The writer concludes that everything is shallow, empty, meaningless - with as much substance as vapour - which pretty much sums up much of our disposable, throw-away society. The chapter then goes on to state that there’s "nothing new under the sun". People don't seem to learn and keep making the same mistakes over and over again. How true.

Older translations render this Hebrew word as 'vanity'. This word originally meant futility: it now specifically refers to a narcissistic pride in your appearance. The modern use of this word does rather take us away somewhat from the original meaning. However, it does lead us neatly to John Bunyan's 1678 classic 'Pilgrims Progress', that alludes to this very phrase when his pilgrims reach a town that has a fair. 'Vanity Fair' is much like our modern-day world; people are there buying and selling all sorts of tat, the latest fads and fashions, anything for a profit and for gain.

Are you looking for meaning in a world that is so often meaningless? I doubt you will find the answer in 'Vanity Fair', however often you look. In fact, some never find it. Some may start out to find the answer but lack stamina and give up before they get there. However, if you keep searching, keep reading, keep an open mind, keep questioning, keep researching - yes, you will find it.

I wonder where you will be on Good Friday? Will you be taking the advantage of the Bank Holiday to do some extra shopping, to see what's new in the marketplace, to check out 'Vanity Fair'... Or will you be at church, giving some quality time to honour the King of Kings?

I hope you find what you are looking for.

Jeremiah 29:13 (New International Version, ©2011)
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Disappointment

Perhaps I wear my heart on my sleeve too much, but it always hits me hard when friends fail to keep their promises. They vow to do things to help, but either forget or deliberately let you down. Or perhaps you work hard to do something, only to see others dismiss it completely or proceed to undo it? How frustrating!

How incredible then to read in my daily reading this morning that this is exactly how God feels when He sees His world!

Isaiah 5:1-7 is subtitled in some translations as "The Song of the Vineyard"; here God is depicted as the landowner, working hard to tidy the estate, put it in order and make it fruitful. However, when he comes to harvest the fruit, all isn't as it could be.

Today, God's disappointment with the state of his 'vineyard' became awfully real to me. It's made me quite thoughtful today, because He doesn't give up. Guess I'm ready for Holy Week now. And very grateful for the hope that Jesus gives me as I head towards Good Friday.

Must Try Harder

"Were the whole realm of nature mine,

That were a present far too small;

Love so amazing, so divine,

Demands my soul, my life, my all"

(SASB 136, verse 4 - lyrics by Isaac Watts)

The last verse from 'When I Survey The Wondrous Cross' echoes through my mind tonight as I write this blog entry. I am trying hard to get down what I feel while it is still fresh in my thinking.

We've been reflecting on periods of 'darkness' during this week as part of our Lent reflections, preparing us for Easter which is just around the corner. I must admit to times when I struggle with my own times of darkness, fighting my own inadequacies, bouts of foul mood. I have certainly felt it this weekend. I try my best, however it never seems to be good enough and I end up feeling frustrated. I do some preparation for use during the weekend but at the end of the day it simply wasn't up to scratch. I battle on, trying to go the extra mile for people and end up feeling physically drained as a result. I can't even seem to press the right button on a keyboard when I have to. Why is this part of my Christian walk seem to be uphill most of the time? Feeling very weary tonight.

And then I hear stories about followers of Jesus who win through despite worse conditions that I suffer. Heroes from within my own church who excel, who do wonderful things. Contemporary saints who face physical danger and even death to help others and to tell others about their faith.

I feel so inadequate. I end up giving myself 3 out of 10, 'must try harder'. I want to be out there with these 'heroes', doing what they are doing, but it all goes awry. Praying hard tonight, as I certainly echo Jesus' words, here:

Matthew 26:41

(New International Version, ©2011)

"Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."