Easter: The Passover Lamb

If we all are sinners, then each one of us needs a Redeemer. It means that man is not the “end-all-be-all” or the “center” of the all that is. It also means that we are special and unique and that God wants a relationship with us. It means there are absolutes and standards after all. A lot of people do not want to believe in such things.
Last night, Mike and I were watching the movie, The Passion of the Christ, which we have both seen dozens of times. What was strange though, is how it struck me this particular time. I was faced with the reality of the movie, and found new meaning in it's symbolism that I have never noticed before. For example, Simon declares to the crowd that he is the innocent man forced to carry the cross of this criminal. Yet by the time Simon reaches the top of Calvary, he realizes that Christ is the innocent man and that our sins are the cause for these events. We relate to Simon because many times in our own lives we are “forced” to carry the “cross” of unemployment or health disorders or family crises. We do not want to be burdened with these sufferings. Yet after bearing our cross, we learn more about who we are as persons and how we are there to help others through their difficult times.
What struck me more than anything was the flashback of Jesus falling as a child and the anguish Mary felt as she tried to protect Him from the pain. This stirred inside of me, the raw emotion of a mother’s love for her child. I began to think of Abigail and how much God loves her more than I ever could. It was nearly impossible to imagine that truth. This emotion is conveyed throughout the movie in Mary right up to the end when she holds the body of Christ at the foot of the cross. I was amazed at her ability to perform this role in the movie.
When juxtaposed with the purpose of Christ’s suffering and death to redeem mankind, there had to be the blood. Only this blood was a cleansing blood. This blood was the blood of the Passover lamb covering the lintels and doorposts of those who would be saved. This blood was the blood of the New Covenant, which would be poured out for remission of sins. Indeed the Book of Revelation speaks of the saints whose robes were washed in the blood of the Lamb. As if to remind us of the preciousness of His blood, there is the scene during which Mary is on her hands and knees wiping up His blood after the scourging. The symbolism is profound and troubling at the same time.

Hands

If I could tell the world just one thing, it would be that we're all okay. And not to worry, cause worry is wasteful and useless in times like these. I won't be made useless, I wont be idled with despair. I will gather myself around my faith, for light does the darkness most fear. My hands are small I know, but they're not yours, they are my own and I am never broken.

Poverty stole my golden shoes, but it didn't steal my laughter. And heartache came to visit me, but I knew it wasnt ever after. We'll fight, but not out of spite; for someone must stand up for what's right, cause where there's a man who has no voice, there I shall go singing.

My hands are small I know, but they're not yours, they are my own and I am never broken.

In the end, only kindness matters. In the end only kindness matters. I will get down on my knees and I will pray. I will get down on my knees and I will pray. We are God's eyes, God's hands, God's mind, We are God's eyes, God's hands, God's heart, We are God's eyes, God's hands, God's eyes, God's hands, God's hands.

Last Lecture

I am no longer dreamless. This is what I realized about myself after watching Randy Pausch’s Last Lecture. The guy is amazing. Here he is, standing up in the face of pancreatic cancer and certain death and his focus is helping others to realize their dreams.
As I reflected on his words, I started to think about the fact that I have had many dreams during the course of my life, all of which have changed due to circumstance. When I was in high school, I wanted to be a police officer. I even went to the police station to "shadow" a detective for a day. I watched too many movies that made it look easy and I thought I would be good at it. When I graduated, I didn't want to go to college. So, I didn't do anything but waste time. After bartending and trying out numerous other career paths, I decided I wanted to be a teacher. Yes, it’s funny to me now, but this “dream” carried me all the way to college where I never wanted to go and I studied English and focused on Creative Writing. After I prematurely quit going to college, I was hit with the stark reality that there was no job called “World Saver.” So, I gave up on myself.
Fast forward 5 years, and you’ll find a 28-year-old pastor's wife and mother of one beautiful baby girl. I think about my dreams now and whether or not they are still attainable. Only now, they have changed all over again. Over the past two years, I have been learning more and more about the ways that the LORD has gifted me. One of those gifts is compassion. I have recently decided that I am going to enroll in classes this fall at Jefferson. I am planning to take some prerequesite courses there to get accepted into Trinity School of Nursing.
I am not quite sure what birthed this new desire in my heart, but in the grand scheme of things, I just want to care for people and I want more than a job that's just a paycheck.
When I listen to other professionals that complain about their jobs that they've worked for 20 and 30-years, I feel sick to my stomach. To me that sounds like a prison sentence with no chance at parole. I would never want to sacrifice time with my family to work in a job that I hated just to pay the bills. It's just not that important to me. To be honest, this new dream is just the first step to what I hope is a lifetime of ministry opportunity. One day, I would love to obtain the skills to take nursing in a missional direction. Until then, I'll keep dreaming about it and using the opportunities that I have to make it happen. The human plight has inspired me to be a "world changer". I'll leave that "world saving" business up to God.

Good Intentions

Loving people is more than an emotion. If our minds don't support our emotions in caring for others, then our feelings of love will thin out into just good intentions. Loving others is often inconvenient. We need the strength of our mind to help solidify our commitment to other people. Otherwise, we will become one of the multitudes reciting, "I meant to do something, but I just never got around to it." Each of us might do it differently, but we are all called to invest in the lives of others. After church today, I was listening to some of the hardships a friend of ours is facing, and I thought of this verse:
"Consider one another in order to stir up love and good works." Hebrews 10:24
This friend just recently went in on a partnership deal to buy, own, and renovate a manufactured housing community. Most of the people that are living there are doing so in the poorest of conditions. Not only because of the place itself, but because of the ways in which they choose to live and how their community has been cared for in the past. As he described the situation to me, I listened and prayed silently to myself. In his frustration, I could see his good intentions being twarted by anger and disappointment.
He asked, "where am I supposed to even start, there's so much to deal with? "
When Jesus saw the multitude, He was moved with compassion for them. Why? Because they were lost. He desired that they receive freedom and deliverance from whatever troubled them. We too, have to desire to see that same deliverance for those we are trying to help. We can care for others intentionally. Maybe they are struggling with issues that we have never had experience with before, but if we purpose in our hearts to love them and care for them because we desire to, we can understand their situation from a different perspective. By gaining this understanding, we also gain access. Access to new ministry, people, and most importantly, God's grace.

The Least Among Us

Is it profoundly unrealistic to expect people to exercise compassion outside of the communities in which they live? Is compassion segregated, and if so, why is there a fundamental disconnect between the reservoirs of compassion and the communities that need it? It sometimes seems as though many people only have compassion for those who are most like themselves.
Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd. The He said to His disciples, "the harvest truly is plentiful, but the laborers are few." Luke 10:2,3.
The fact is, very few inner-city residents experience the benefits of programs run by suburbanites who abandon their cushy pads to live beside "the least among us." For the last five years, I have worked with homeless people and children in youth ministries, only to find that it is just as much emotionally draining as it is rewarding. One cold night when our ministry was handing out coats on the streets downtown, someone asked me how I knew who to give to and who to refuse. I guess I had never thought to have an answer to a question like that. It has never been my mission to judge who is more in need, this one or the next. As far as I knew, we were all in need of something, including myself. Aren't we all in a place of need at sometime or another? Who am I to judge the drug addicted, the single unmarried mothers, or the absentee fathers? I do know one thing, or should I say from my experience, I have never seen judgment lead a person to the Savior. However, I have seen prayer, support, genuine love, and let's not forget compassion, lead them there and onward. Some might say my optimism lacks a basis in reality when it comes to these matters. I'll never win them all, but I'll keep trying.

Love Them Like Jesus

The American Heritage College Dictionary defines character as the combination of qualities or features that distinguishes one person, group, or thing from another. It is also considered a moral or ethical strength or public estimation of ones reputation. When we refer to Jesus, and his reputation, we can see how the public viewed His character. Many people followed Jesus for many different reasons. Some of them had selfish motives and were following out of their own accord, while others were hungry to see miracles unfold. Who was this mere man that distinguished Himself apart from all the others? When Jesus challenged the people to throw the first stone at the adulteress, He showed us forgiveness. When He commanded her to go and sin no more, he showed us patience. When He saw the multitude and prayed for laborers, He showed us compassion. By His countless teachings, He shows us the way to true rest. By His death on the cross, He showed us strength, love, and most of all...sacrifice.
Publicly, Jesus was a nuisance to many. In Matthew 10:34, Jesus says," Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." He also healed on the Sabbath, which was not lawful and He spoke in parables that most people could not even understand. He spoke with the authority that many thought was not His and became known to the Pharisees as a blasphemer.
As Christians, we are called to like Christ in every aspect. Yet, our society is teaching our future generations tolerance in place of Biblical truth. The private issues of peoples lives that were not openly discussed twenty years ago, are now public issues discussed on the forefront of American Politics. One issue that comes to mind, is gay marriage. Some people skip over the scripture in the Bible that warns us that homosexuals will not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. That only leads me to one other assumption...that the only other option is to spend eternity in a lake of fire. In fact, it is that way with all sin, not just homosexuality. Is homosexuality worse than murder? Or is smoking cigarettes worse than gluttony? Are we not all required to confess our sins DAILY? This brings about the question of winning souls. How are we to win the souls of those who are living life in the midst of every type of indecency, if we are not equipped with the Truth? The answer is Jesus. If we use the tools that we are given to develop a like minded attitude of Christ, then we can win souls. I do believe the number one reason that people do not want to become Christians is because they see other Christians talk the talk, but not walk the walk. You will find that when the blind are leading the blind, they both fall into a ditch. Are you learning to love like Jesus did?