Lenten Musings - 35

Apparently, today is the 100th birthday of the toaster. Without it I couldn't enjoy one of my favourite foods, toasted peanut butter sandwich dunked in milk (don't knock it until you've tried it).

John 19
It seems like the turning point for Pilate comes in john 19:15. He is either teasing them up to this point, or else he is truly trying to avoid being pushed into killing Jesus. I can't imagine that he enjoyed being played by the jewish leaders. They had put all the pieces of the plan in motion, and Pilate was caught up in the swell. But the difference comes when the Jewish leaders proclaim, "we have no king but Caesar!". Pilate knew that wasn't true; these Jews despised the Romans and their rule. But Pilate knew that if they were willing to stoop to this level, they weren't going to stop until they got what they wanted.
You really get a sense at this point of how badly they wanted Jesus out of the picture. He couldn't have been just a good teacher, He never would have upset them so much. He was much more. I think you can get a better picture of Jesus by looling at how other people reacted to Him. I think I'll try to pay more attention to that from now on.

Posted with LifeCast

Lenten Musings - 34

John 18
I think Peter must have been really disappointed with how things were going down. At the beginning of the chapter, he's ready for a fight. In john 18:10, he whips out his sword, ready to go down in flames. I never really thought about how big the crowd was that came to get Jesus. In the movies, there's always around a dozen or so soldiers it seems. Apparently, the Greek words used seem to indicate that there were probably A LOT of people there. The Jewish leaders weren't taking any chances. Peter could see they were hopelessly out numbered I'm sure. So, he strikes the first blow, cutting off some guy's ear. Jesus tells him to cool it, and heals the guy's ear (although that's not recorded here). I wonder what Peter thought at that point. How could Jesus just not put up any kind of fight?
Later, we find Peter hanging around as Jesus is rushed through to His death. At least he was there, I suppose, as apparently the other disciples weren't. Peter famously goes on to deny knowing Jesus three times. Was he disappointed? Confused? It wasn't supposed to happen like this. I wonder if he wasn't just disappointed with the situation, but with Jesus as well. Only a short time ago, Peter was willing to die, but now he is trying to save his hide. He denies any involvement with Jesus, I think because he doesn't want to meet a similar fate. After the rooster crows, I wonder if he doesn't just weep (luke 22:62) over his own betrayal of Jesus, but at the way the whole situation was turning out. I'm sure the whole mess was overwhelming to begin with, then add on top of that his betrayal...
I think Peter had a tough time because of his expectations. A lot of people had expectations of Jesus; Peter, Judas, the Jewish leaders, etc. No one's expectations were met by Jesus. Funny thing, expectations, they can be about the most selfish thing we carry with us sometimes. Everyone wanted something from Jesus, and most of the turmoil at this point is relatef to Jesus not giving in to those expectations. I have the same problem sometimes. I expect certain things from Jesus, but most of the time He doesn't deliver. Nor should He, because one big thing we can learn from this narrative is that Jesus knows what's best for us. The people wanted a king to overth row Rome, the Pharisees wanted Him to tow the line, the disciples wanted Him to be their courageous leader. He didn't deliver on those fronts, but what He did do was so much more amazing and valuable than any of those things.

Posted with LifeCast

Lenten Musings - 33

John 17
It never fails to impress me how Jesus is able to sum things up so succinctly. He speaks is parables and sometimes cryptic vagueries. But when He wants to, He can lay it all on the table. In John 17:3, Jesus sums up what everyone has been striving for all. Eternal life is to know God and the one He sent. All the emphasis on doing this and not doing that, of making sure to follow the rules, it isn't the point. It kinda makes sense. Jesus seemed to spend a lot of time building relationships with His disciples, probably as much as He did teaching. These moments of clarity are the ones I seem to hold on to the tightest because they help the rest of it all make sense.

Posted with LifeCast

Lenten Musings - 32

John 16
I've always liked John 16:33. My first ever sermon that I preached included this verse. I was living in Paraguay, and the sermon was in spanish. In Spanish, "overcome" and "expired" can be translated using the same verb, vencer. My point was that we could think of "the world" as expired. When something is expired, we treat it differently. We don't drink expired milk (or we make sure we smell it a few times first). We wouldn't use expired medication. An expired licence is no longer valid. Jesus has overcome the world, so we can treat it as expired. We will have troubles, Jesus fully expects us to, but our response to those troubles needs to be tempered in light of what He has accomplished. In my troubles, I can take heart knowing that He works all things for our good (romans 8:28) and that our momentary troubles are achieving much more (2 corinthians 2:17). I don't always react that way, but I know that in the end things will be OK, whether in this world or the next.

Posted with LifeCast

Lenten Musings - 31

My brother-in-law is finishing his engineering degree, and we went to his grad dinner thing tonight. It hasn't been an easy road, and I'm really impressed by his perseverance and dedication. I'm glad he's made it. Way to go!

John 15
I was just noticing how John 15:6-7 seem to go along with what I was saying the other day about assurance of salvation. There's this idea of abiding, or remaining in Jesus in order to maintain that salvation. Anyone who does not remain in Him is cast away.
In John 15:16, Jesus states that He has chosen His disciples, not the other way around. Here in this teaching by Jesus we find both the idea of election and personal responsibility. We are chosen, but we need to remain in Him. Somehow, they go hand in hand. Being chosen doesn't let you off the hook of responsibilty, but neither are yiu the one responsible for your salvation. It's another one of those paradoxes that we live with.

Posted with LifeCast

Lenten Musings - 30

Today is one of those days where I'd just like to go to bed and skip the discipline thing. But that's why it's an exercise in discipline, I suppose. I also have my Ness Creek audition coming up... at midnight. Ungh... that's waaayayyyayay past my bedtime.

John 14
You meet so many people nowadays who will profess to be Christians, but you wouldn't know there was anything different about them unless they had told you. And there's a bit of a stigma against judging who is and who isn't a true follower of Jesus. But it just occurred to me that Jesus lays it out pretty plainly in John 14:15. “If you love me, you will obey my commandments", is straight forward enough. Maybe next time someone tells me they are a Christian, I'll ask them if they obey Jesus' commandments. Likely I won't though, I'm not that forthright.

Lenten Musings - 29

Not much interesting to report... Unless you consider the fact that we're going to have another baby as interesting (I do!). Number four will be coming home some time in October.

John 13
When I was in university, I was a part of a campus group called Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. I was on the leadership team, as VP responsible for the large group gatherings. At one of our executive meetings, the president had decided that we should wash each others' feet. At first I was hesitant, it seemed kind of weird. But it was pointed out that in John 13:14 Jesus tells His disciples to wash each others' feet. That was kind of hard to argue with. It was an interesting experience from both ends. First, as the washer, you must humble yourself to do something like this. Feet are feet, and even though they probably aren't as dirty today as they were back then, there is still a stigma attached to touching someone else's feet. I've touched the feet of less than a dozen people in my whole life I'm sure. It really is an odd and humbling act of service to perform, which is probably why Jesus picked it. On the other hand, it is humbling to submit to having your feet washed. If given the choice, I'd probably choose washing over being washed. I can understand Peter's reaction, I felt the same way. There is a certain vulnerability in allowing someone else access to your feet. I've often thought that it's a shame we don't do this in our churches. Really, it is something that Jesus instructed His disciples to do. Should we not also do the same?

Posted with LifeCast

Lenten Musings - 28

John 12

In John 12:44-50 are Jesus' last public words. These must be important words for us to listen to. I like the word pictures that Jesus uses. “The one who believes in me does not believe in me, but in the one who sent me, and the one who sees me sees the one who sent me. I have come as a light into the world, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in darkness." The picture I get is that Jesus' presence reveals the presence of the Father. It's as though we are standing in the same room as God, but we can't see Him because it is filled with darkness. Jesus appears and sheds light on the room, allowing us to finally see the Father.

"If anyone hears my words and does not obey them, I do not judge him. For I have not come to judge the world, but to save the world. The one who rejects me and does not accept my words has a judge; the word I have spoken will judge him at the last day. For I have not spoken from my own authority, but the Father himself who sent me has commanded me what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is eternal life. Thus the things I say, I say just as the Father has told me.” It's a similar picture here. Jesus is not judging those who do not obey His words, but He has made known that which they are judged by. Just as He has revealed the Father, pointing to Him and making Him known, so has He revealed that which the Father desires of, or rather commands, us to do.

With His final words, Jesus isn't telling people anything new, nor is He really summing up what He has taught. It seems as though what He is doing is letting people know they it is OK for them to believe in Him. Many were believing in Him at this point, but it was a bit of a departure from their roots; so much so that the pharisees and leaders were trying really hard to quash this whole thing. There was a lot of turmoil over Jesus, and many of those who believed likely shared in this turmoil. "You want to know the Father, and His will?", says Jesus, "Well, I have shown it to you. Believe in me and you will be saved."

Lenten Musings - 27

John 11

I find Jesus' actions to be really interesting in this chapter. Specifically, in John 11:35, 38. It says that Jesus wept, and was intensely moved. He already knew He was going to raise Lazarus from the dead, so you would think it wouldn't have been such a big deal for him. But it was. For any number of reasons it was. It is after He meets up with Lazarus' sisters that He shows these emotions. He shares in their pain. I think this says a lot about God. God is omnipotent, and omniscient, and you would think that combination could make Him a little aloof. He already knows what's going to happen, and He can work it out in the way He sees fit. You would think everything would be "business as usual". But it's not. God shares in our pain, our joy. He weeps over our sin and rejoices over our triumphs. He is emotionally attached to us, and that is amazing. That is a key component to relationship. So as much as Jesus was in control of the situaion, He was still a part of it, and shared in the emotions of it. I can hear frustration in John 11:14-15. I can feel the pain when Jesus weeps. These are real things. Jesus' full humanity is shown more clearly here than I think I've ever realized.

Lenten Musings - 26

I led the music at church today. I think it went well. "Well" with respect to, "we sounded pretty good and people seemed to respond well". I always end up closing my eyes when I lead. I don't know if people expect more "personality" from me, but I've always figured I'd try not to get in the way, and hopefully people have better things to focus on than me. I really enjoy the people I've worked with. I think I stretch people's boundaries and get them try new things. I like to think that I help them to grow just a little, and I usually learn a little something myself. They are at least very gracious with my ideas.

John 10
I'm not Calvinist, but a bunch of John sure sounds like it. Take John 10:26, for instance. Jesus tells the pharisees that they aren't his sheep. It sounds a little predetermined to me. And then in John 10:27-29, it talks about no one being able to snatch His sheep from Him. Has the ring of assurance of salvation to it.
I don't necessarily choose sides on the arminian vs calvinist debate. I figure there have been very godly and intelligent people on both sides of the argument, and if you take a step back, you can see both sides in scripture. But I'd like to just comment on one thing; assurance of salvation. If some are predetermined to salvation, and they can't be lost, that's all great, but what about those who fall away from the faith? Does that mean they never were saved to begin with? No one could ever know if they are saved or not. The people who I know who have fallen away would at some point never have even dreamed it possible.
I think of salvation like a marriage (which, coincidently the bible seems to do as well). There is a relationship there, with your spouse, or with God. It is the relationship that is most important. It's possible to be married without having a real relationship with your spouse. At some point, hopefully there was a real relationship, but if that relationship ends, then the marriage is over. I think it's the same with salvation. The anchor is the relationship, and as long as that relationship is maintained, so is salvation. I know it's not a fully developed bit of theology, but it's the best way that I've been able to make sense of it all. I invite any comments/criticisms on the matter.

Posted with LifeCast

Lenten Musings - 25

Got my car back today. It was in the body shop, as someone had rear ended me just before Christmas. The guy had tried to weasel out of being responsible for the damage. I had gotten his DL number, but not the plate on the vehicle. He avoided my calls, and wasn't very cooperative. Except when the nice policeman called him and told him what the consequences of not reporting the incident would be. Now I'm not normally one to stick up for my rights. My wife is much better at that. But it was a good learning experience for me. I didn't let it go. There wasn't that much damage, but it was the injustice of the situation that bothered me. Here someone had caused damage to my vehicle, for which they were responsible to fix, and yet at points I felt quite helpless to do anything about it. Fortunately, because I kept at it, and with some help from my friends and family, it all turned out in the end. I think God had some things for me to learn through the ordeal, and I hope I learned them. I hope I see that standing up for myself is actually not a bad idea. I hope that I realized I don't have to get so worked up about little inconveniences (or even harsh ones), when in general my life is pretty good. Hopefully, I realize that I can trust God to come through for me in these situations, realizing however, that I'm not off the hook and have to work at it with Him.

John 9
How easily we write people off because we think we are better than they. The pharisees were at the top of the spiritual food chain, and therefore assumed they knew better than anyone else. I think this was a part of their problem with Jesus. He did things that didn't compute, and so they wrote Him off, without trying to understand, or even looking at the evidence of what was going on. I like John 9:25. The pharisees come at the formerly blind man by saying, "We know this man [Jesus] is a sinner". The man responds, "well, I don't know about that, but what I do know is that He made me see!" The blind man could see, and that's all the evidence he needed. I don't think Jesus really had any chance of approval from the jewish leaders (not that he was looking for it). They wrote him off because He didn't meet their expectations. It didn't matter what He did, how miraculous His deeds and marvellous His words, they were never going to see past those unmet expectations.
I've felt this first hand. I used to work for a church a few years ago. I'm not your type A, go- getter, politician type. I think people that know me would probably say I'm a little reserved and slightly unmotivated. Or perhaps they wouldn't be that generous. I may not shake everyone's hand at a party, but the few new people I meet I will find out about and learn about and from them. Anyway, it seems that pastors are expected to be, well, not like me. In some cases it is explicitly stated (some of those job descriptions are pretty specific), but most of the time, it is this latent expectation that people have. Even I think that way in some respects. I met with a tragic end at that church, fired shortly after Christmas and shortly before our second child was born. It took a long time to finally figure out what went wrong. Eventually I pieced together the hints and rumours and came to a conclusion. I was in a situation in which I could not succeed. Certain people had certain expectations of what I should have been like (and as an extension, what I should have been doing), and I could never meet those expectations because I was not like that. Don't get me wrong, I know I could have done a better job in some respects, and I'm big enough to take what responsibility is mine, but in the end, I couldn't have done a good enough job because I wasn't the type of person who could fulfill those expectations. Interestingly, nearly the exact same thing had happened just over a year previously to the senior pastor that had hired me at that church.
So I look at Jesus, and the situation He was in. Sometimes I've wondered how God knew that people would have Him crucified (other than the fact that He knows these things). But really, it's not that difficult of a situation to predict. Jesus wasn't the type of person that the leaders expected Him to be. He didn't do the things they expected Him to do. Did He do a bad job? No. I didn't matter what He did, because the leaders couldn't get past those unmet expectations. So in some respects, the end that occurred was the only way it could have ended. It is by far easier to get rid of someone than to re-evaluate your expectations.
They other part of this story that I really like is John 9:34. Because the pharisees saw themselves as superior, they would not listen to this formerly blind man. It's difficult to hear people whom you have already written off. I've been on both sides of this, as a leader not listening to those I was leading, and as a follower, not having my ideas or suggestions considered. My leadership style has changed a bit over the years. I try very hard to listen those I'm in charge of. You'd be amazed at how often their ideas are better than mine! I think my "followership" style has changed, too. I'm hopefully not as quick to get upset when I'm corrected or when I'm dismissed out of hand. But it's difficult. It's always a choice, and not usually an easy one. Things would have been so much different if the pharisees had decided to listen to others, and especially to Jesus, and consider the things that were being said to them. Oh, that we in the church could learn not to live by their example.

Lenten Musings - 24

This Thursday night I'm auditioning for the Ness Creek Music Festival. It's a folk festival held in Northern Saskatchewan. I've got 20 minutes to impress them, which is 3 or 4 songs. If you feel like helping me choose which songs, head on over to reliabletoasters.com and let me know which ones you think would help me pass the audition. Thanks.

John 8

Well, I suppose this might be a good time to touch on biblical inerrancy. John 7:53; 8:1-11 is not found in the earliest and most reliable texts. Apparently, there's some pretty strong evidence that it shouldn't be included in the bible. It's too bad though. It's a good story, one of those ones that everyone remembers. I think the official line on inerrancy (by whomever it is that decides these things) is that the scriptures, in their original form, are perfect. Thus, this portion of John should be removed because it is a later addition. It wouldn't be the first time it's been done. I 1 John 5:7, there is some extra text found in the KJV that doesn't appear in later translations because they were found to not appear in the earliest texts. It's all fine and dandy to insist that the originals are perfect, but that doesn't help us much, does it? Obviously at some point they've been fiddled with. There is some variation across the body of original texts, and although that variation is statistically fairly insignificant, it's still there. The vast majority of us rely on translations to read the bible. Translations seek to convey the meaning of the originals, but no translation does so perfectly. With the old testament, it's a little tickier. Many of the books were compiled by editors, who sometimes added their own comments. So at what point did it become "scripture", before or after the compiling? In some cases, there are varying accounts of the same stories, like Saul's death for example, and Judas' as well. In 1 Kings 7:23, the cast metal sea is built for the temple is described as 10 cubits across, and 30 cubits around. Mathematically, that's incorrect, as it would have had to be 31.14159....... cubits around. So, is that an error? Personally, I don't have a problem with it, as I don't imagine they were trying to be exact. That's how people talk, "Oh, about 10 feet wide, thirty feet around".
I'm not pointing all of these things out to say that I don't trust/ believe the bible, because I do. I see the bible more as a record of God's dealings with us, rather than His dictated story. If you build the authenticity of the bible upon the foundation of some sort of God ordained perfection, then when cracks start to form in that perfection, the whole thing comes tumbling down. It makes more sense to me to think of the bible almost like a collection of periodicals. Journals, magazine articles, newspaper clippings, etc. It's a record of the stories of God's interaction with us, His words, His deeds, etc. I think there are spots where God has said things specifically, like say in the prophets, or revelation. In general, a few inconsistencies here and there help to give it that ring of authenticity. If you had five different people describe the same scene, you'd get differing details, but you'd be able to piece together what happened pretty well I think. The details are important, but much of the bible is written to convey ideas, not necessarily details. When you listen to Jesus' words, He seems to be most concerned with getting His message across rather than detailed information.
Before this post gets too long, I'd just like to say that bible is an amazing book, full of life. I think in some ways it needs to be seen less as something sacred and more as earthy, raw and real. Just like Jesus. He totally comes across as earthy, raw and real, yet with an ingrained sacredness as well. That's one of the things that makes Him so awesome, too.

TeSt Post

I'm just seeing if lifecast will work from my iPod. If you're reading this then one can only assume that it does.

Posted with LifeCast

Lenten Musings -23

Occasionally, I lead the music at my church. This weekend would be one of those occasions. Tonight we had practice. For several reasons, I was kinda grumpy and didn't really want to be there. I also struggle sometimes with knowing if I really fit in. I've noticed that people tend to give me a lot of compliments when I lead worship. I thought maybe it's because I do a good job and people respond well when I lead. But the thought occurred to me one day, "Maybe I get those compliments because I come across as needing to be encouraged?" I tend to be a little introverted, and maybe I appear unsure of myself. Perhaps people feel I need the encouragement. Other positions don't get as much limelight. I'm really thankful for my kids' Sunday School teachers. They are awesome, but I never get to see them in action and I never think to compliment them. Perhaps I will next time I see them. I appreciate the nursery people, too, because they have to put up with a lot of crying children and I'm not sure how well I would handle that. Anyway, on with the show.

John 7
I Jesus' day, there were a lot of ideas about what the Messiah would be like, where He would come from, what He would do, etc. When Jesus started doing the things He did, it confused people. He didn't fit what they expected the Messiah to be like, yet they had to admit (as in John 7:31), “Whenever the Christ comes, he won’t perform more miraculous signs than this man did, will he?” He may not have fit the mold, but certainly there was something special about Him. It's interesting, the layers of conflict you detect in people. The Jewish leaders were completely put off by Him, so much so that they sought to kill Him. Some of the people believed in Him gladly, while others knew all of the reasons why this guy couldn't be the Messiah. Those who were able to see past what Jesus was suppose to be like and see how He really was, were able to believe in Him.
It makes me think of modern eschatology (end times stuff). People have built up all of these systematic doctrines about the rapture and the end times. In some cases, these bits of doctrine are held very firmly, and those that disagree are considered heretics, or at least gravely mistaken. Tim LaHaye and Jerry B Jenkins have made a killing with their lame "Left Behind" series. To be fair, I haven't read the books, but I did work at the place that printed them, and as I was quality controlling the pages, or cleaning the printing plates, what I did get to read was, um, drivel. Drivel is OK, I watch all sorts of movies that are drivel, but I don't take them seriously. I think in the end, some people may have trouble reconciling their eschatology with what's actually going on around them, just like many of the Jews had trouble with Jesus.

Lenten Musings - Tutu

John 6
This is one of my favourite chapters in the whole Bible. I'm just gonna ramble a bit and tell you why.
The part that everyone remembers, is the first part. This is where Jesus feeds the 5,000. It's an interesting miracle. Actually, it's initiated by Jesus. He's the one who brings up the subject... at least in this version. In Mark, the disciples come to Jesus to suggest that He dismiss the crowd to get something to eat. Interesting. Which is it? Is it significant that the two versions differ? One thing that's always stuck out to me, is that in both Mark 6:39 and John 6:10, the authors go out of their way to mention the grass. It's just always struck me as odd, but again it could be one of those recollections that people have from an event they were at. Anyway, that's a bit of a tangent.
After the people ate, Jesus withdrew, because He knew they'd start pushing Him to be their king. During the night, is the other memorable part of this chapter, the walking on water. The next morning, the people realized that Jesus and His disciples were gone, so they tracked them down on the other side of the lake. Here's where it gets interesting. The people ask Jesus, "what must we do?" Jesus replies, "believe in me". They respond with, "well, what are you gonna do to prove yourself to us? Our ancestors ate manna in the desert... hint, hint." Jesus doesn't play their game, however. "I gave you supper yesterday, and now you're only interested in breakfast", He tells them. Then He goes on to tell them that they must eat his flesh and drink his blood. This is crazy talk, and the people know it. They start to grumble and complain. They start to take off, partly as a result of these weird teachings Jesus is spouting, but I also think partly because they realized he wasn't going to be multiplying the pancakes and sausages they were hoping for that day. In some ways, I don't blame them. They didn't have a really good reference for what Jesus was talking about. He hadn't been crucified yet. There wasn't that reference point that we have the benefit of. I think it must not have made much sense to people, so they decided to move on.
But here's the important part. Jesus' turned to his closest disciples and asked, "are you gonna go, too?" The implication was that they were. But good old Simon Peter comes through with an extremely helpful insight that has aided me greatly in my walk with God. Peter says in effect, "Sure, you're not making a lot of sense right now, but where else could we go? We know who you are, we know that you have the words of life, and we believe that you are the Holy One of God." Even though there was probably some confusion and questions running through their minds, the disciples trusted in Jesus enough to wait for things to become clear. This has been immensely helpful for me over the years. Some things may not make sense at the moment, but they will. Eventually, all this talk of eating flesh and drinking blood made sense, but not for quite a while. Peter and the others had the confidence in Jesus to wait it out and to give Him the benefit of the doubt. For me, when things don't make sense, I try to remember that eventually God will bring some clarity. Of the difficult things I've had to face in my own life, I know that there have been reasons, not fully apparent at the time (or possibly even now), but I know that I can trust God to work things out in the end.

Lenten Musings - 21. Har, har... Hardy, har, har.

Click here, to make some sense of that title.

I had an interview for a new job that I don't really want today. It's not that I don't want it (which I don't), it's more that I preffer where I am and the work that I do. The new job is better money on average, but what is money worth, really?

John 5
The part that stuck out to me was John 5:16-18. I realized that we, or more specifically I, am not that different from the Jewish leaders. I don't think they necessarily started out intending to have Jesus killed. There must have been some sort of progression. At first, they seemed to be somewhat irked because of smaller things. Healing and eating grains of wheat on the Sabbath. Hanging out with sinners and tax collectors. I know when people don't do what I expect them to, I get a little irked. It's maybe not much, but it still gets my bonnet all in a bunch. There are so many variants in church culture, doctrine, theology, etc. I think there was an old SNL skit that illustrates this all. I couldn't find it, but the joke it comes from is posted here. Little bits of doctrine, of belief, separate us. Should they? I don't get the feeling that the differences are as important as they used to be. Most people my age don't seem to be very "denominational". Anyway, I just finally understood where the Jewish leaders were coming from. Jesus was different, and different is always difficult. Even in our age of "tolerance", some things aren't tolerated. Where we, and the Jewish leaders, fail is to evaluate things on the scale of difference, rather than truth. What Jesus was sharing was radical and different, but it was life giving and true. Jesus got progressively difficult for the leaders to tolerate, especially in verse 18, where they are upset because Jesus equated Himself with God. I wonder at what point they decided that Jesus had to die?

Lenten Musings - Vente

I just realized the other week why Starbucks calls the one size venti. It's 20 oz., and venti means twenty. Smart. It's still annoying, but at least it's smart-annoying.

John 4
One thing that keeps popping up is this idea of belief. Over and over John's emphasis is on people's belief, or Jesus' insistence upon belief. The Samaritan woman, and many of her friends and neighbours, believed in Jesus. The royal official first believes what Jesus says is true, that his son will be healed, and then believes in Jesus. What does it mean to "believe" in Jesus? It's never laid out for us, but I think there's something we intrinsically understand about it. What does it mean to "be in love"? Equally difficult to nail down, yet we do it all the time. I think belief has some sort of action attached to it. If I believe something, then I behave a certain way. Belief is a powerful shaper of how we live our life. On the way home from work, there was an interview with some professor who had done a survey on "normal vs. abnormal sexual practices" with his university classes. As he was explaining the whole thing, you could get a clear picture of what he believed about the subject. He pretty much stated that we need to teach our kids that anything and everything is OK. I'm not going to argue that point, other than to say that his belief on this subject will have big implications on how he lives his life and the effect he has on others.
I think that be directing our belief at Himself, Jesus is giving us a standard to go by. He is what we believe in, and therefore we act accordingly. Belief in him gives us a platform to work and live from, rather than having to float in the baseless muck of believing whatever you feel like believing in. Jesus tells us like it is, confronting our sinfulness and our inability to do anything about it. Left to our own devices, we are nothing short of monstrous. Yes, yes, there are lots of "good" or "nice" people, but if you look at the history of the human race, and what each one of us is capable of at our core, it's not a pretty picture. I think part of Jesus' act of redemption is not only to remove our sin, and to offer forgiveness. He wipes the slate clean, and then he starts to fill in the blanks of what comes next.
Some might wish for a little more direction that "believe". However, we are not so much called to do as to be. Our belief in Jesus is organic, ongoing, ever evolving, just like a real relationship. In some ways, I believe in my wife. I trust her, I feel safe with her, I share in her labours, her hopes and her dreams, as she does in mine. I think something similar is at work in the way we are to follow God... to believe, to trust, to share, etc. That is what He is calling us to.

Lenten Musings - 19

Today I got to talk to a couple of old friends on the phone. I miss having old friends around. I have new friends here. People I am getting to know. But that process always takes a bit of energy. Old friends always leave you feeling refreshed.

John 3

One thing I notice is the continuity between what Mark was communicating and what John is saying. John is always seen as being different. Some people over-emphasize the differences. But both Mark and John, at their core, are calling us to believe. Mark's message was that we need to believe in Jesus. Here, in John 3:15, 18, John says the same thing.

John 3:13 illustrates something that I've thought about before. There's much debate about whether God exists, or whether there is a spiritual realm, etc. "Science" is loathe to consider the idea often because the "spiritual" exists outside of the "material". By definition, science is limited to what is material, as those are the only areas it has access to. My thought is that there would necessarily need to be something that bridges that gap in order for us to know what is in that other realm. God is the one who bridges that gap for us. Jesus is the one who has descended from heaven and has the knowledge of both the material and the spiritual. All knowledge that we have about God has been given to us by Him. I often think of it in terms of our senses. Say none of us could see, would that mean that colours would not exist? They still would, we just would have no way of knowing it with our other senses. What we would need is someone to fill that gap. Someone who can see the colours and them communicate them to us in a way we can understand and sense (it would be no good for that person to write it down, we couldn't read it). So imagine, if you will, that the spiritual realm could be sensed, much like icy glade, sarah's garden or burnt sienna, or like the taste of my wife's excellent baking. Then someone who could sense that realm would have to communicate it to us in a way we could understand and sense. Of course, we'd never really fully understand it, just as a blind (from birth) person will never truly grasp colour. But we could get a sense of it, like telling that blind person that red is like the heat from a fire, and blue is like the sensation of holding an ice cube. Anyway, that was a bit of a ramble, but hopefully you get my drift.

Lenten Musings - 18

John 2

John 2:3-5 - It's interesting here that Jesus almost seems to be backed into a bit of a corner before He performs this miracle. I wonder if we can learn something from this exchange. I think we often sort of pray and hope for something, but don't really put God in a position that He has to do something. I think of Blind Bartimaeus again, and how he put the ball in Jesus' court. Maybe there are times we can follow this example?

John 2:17 - Here, John seems to give the disciples more credit than Mark does. Here they connect-the-dots between Jesus' actions and the scripture that prophesies it. We don't see this kind of thing in Mark. As I go through John, I wonder if that trend will continue.

Lenten Musings - 17

Wow, I didn't really expect to finish Mark in 16 days. Good for me pat, pat, pat. Now on to John.

John 1

I wanted to read John after Mark because I know that they vary greatly in their content and their intended audience. Mark traditionally has been seen as the gospel for the non-jews, the everyman's gospel, if you will. John's is much different in the information it gives, and has a much more spiritual bent to it. I notice the differences right away. Mark and John cover similar topics in the first chapter. There's a part about John the Baptist in each, and there's something about the call of the disciples. Mark is short and to-the-point. John fills in a little more detail with more of a poetic flair. The other thing I notice is that in Mark, Jesus is very obviously the one who is seeking out his disciples, but in John, one gets the impression that they were seeking him out. Likely, it was a little of both. It's nice to get different perspectives on these stories. It helps to fill in some of the detail, and to add some flesh to the characters.

Lenten Musings - 16

I was at a seminar today. It was about electrical safety for non-electricians. One thing I found interesting. The OH&S rules for this province only allow non-electricians to do three things. You can plug/unplug stuff that's under 750 V (or was it 600?), similarly, you can turn on/off equipment and breakers, and you can change light bulbs (it actually says that). Anything else has to be done by an electrician. That's fine with me, there's all sorts of issues that come up if you screw up something with electricity, not the least of which is someone dying or being severely injured. I wonder, though, how the regulations would apply to my side job as a maintenance man. I do all sorts of stuff with electricity. None of it high voltage, mind you, but it just makes me curious. Perhaps because it's not an industrial setting, those rules don't apply. Now that I think of it, I should have asked the instructor.
I had a soccer game tonight. I scored a goal. I've got 4 this year, which is double what I had last time I played a couple of years ago. Hopefully, this equals the number of times I've been victimized for a goal by the other team (but I don't think so).

Mark 16
(Please note the cool roll-over widget thingy that brings up the appropriate bible verse.)

Mark 16:9-20
It's interesting that it states that the oldest and most reliable manuscripts don't include these verses. Then why are they there? A later editor added it? It wouldn't be the first time, there are other instances of this sort of thing. Does that make the whole thing unreliable, or does that make it in fact more trustworthy because we have these ancient manuscripts to go by? I suppose you could go either way on that based on your predetermined position. And what does this say about biblical inerrancy? That's a whole other topic I could go on and on about, but I'll spare you the details (but leave me a comment if you want my thoughts).
Verse 8 seems like a really odd place to end though. It would just sort of fall off a cliff, narratively speaking. So maybe those earliest manuscripts were missing a page? The other gospels fill in some of the details after Jesus' resurrection, so why wouldn't Mark?
Mark 16:16 is interesting, as Jesus says that those who believe and are baptized will be saved. So if you aren't able to be baptized, then are you lost? What if it's your deathbed and you don't have time for it? And does the manner matter? There are several different versions that are practiced by the church today.
Sometimes I wonder if my questions are troubling. They aren't meant to be. These questions help me think through things. Whether I end up with decent answers or not is not always important. It's that fact that it's on my mind that matters, at least at this point.

Lenten Musings # 1+2+3+4+5

It's hardly consoling at all to hear that one has lived through one of the coldest winters in recorded history. But in some way, it makes the minimally positive temperatures forecast for the near future all that more welcome.

Mark 15
verse 1 - Very early in the morning, the chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law and the whole Sanhedrin, reached a decision. They bound Jesus, led him away and handed him over to Pilate.
In the version I read on my iPod, the NET bible, it says that the elders and chief priests "formed a plan" instead of "reached a decision". I'm not sure which is a better translation, but if the NET bible is right, then I think it explains well what is going on. These leaders had to figure out their plan of attack. They went on to bring Jesus to Pilate, early in the morning. That way they could get it done before too many people became aware of what was going on. The crowd is so easily swayed to call for Jesus' death that I think they must have been more or less hand picked by these leaders as a part of their plan (that's just conjecture, however). It is in some ways appalling how coldly they have planned the death of Jesus. How could these religious leaders so easily revert to this kind of action?

verse 38 - The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
I've heard it said that Mark is the gospel that's written for people who weren't Jews. His intended audience didn't have the background to help them understand what was going in some of the stories, and you can see here and there where he makes an effort to explain the significance of what's going on. Like in the first part of this chapter, when he is mentioning about the custom of one prisoner being released, etc. Here, though, with the verse, "The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom", you'd have to know something of Jewish culture to know what was going on. The curtain in the temple divided off the place where God dwelt, referred to as "the place His Glory dwells". No one was allowed in there, except the High Priest, and he could only go in once per year. He had to make sure He was squeaky clean, both literally and figuratively, and if I'm not mistaken, they even tied a rope around him so they could pull him out if he did something wrong and died in there. The significance of the curtain being torn is that division between God and us was removed with the death of Jesus on the cross. The way was made for Him to truly dwell among us. And the fact that it was torn from top to bottom showed that it was His doing, and not ours. All this to say, that if you didn't know some background, you would just gloss over this important fact. That leads me to believe that even though Mark made an extra effort to explain himself, he still intended his book to be used in the context of a community of people where this sort of information could be passed on alongside it. This Bible is best used in community, where we can grow and learn together, from each other. That is what my dream church would look like, and I've had shadows of that in the past. But wouldn't it be great to be a part of something where we all encouraged, shared, struggled, taught, learned from, debated each other, etc.? That's what I hope for in a church.

Lenten Musings - 14

Mark 14
Verses 51 and 52 - 51A young man, wearing nothing but a linen garment, was following Jesus. When they seized him, 52he fled naked, leaving his garment behind.
I don't really have much to say today, other than I wonder who this guy was, and this little bit of information was deemed important enough to include when this book was being written. Maybe it doesn't mean anything. Maybe it's just one of those random recollections that people have when they recall a certain event. I know I remember some totally random things when I think back on certain events. Maybe all the apostles had a good chuckle when they would remember that naked dude.

Lenten Musings - el trece

Ah, Monday. Sort of rhymes with mundane...

Mark 13

verses 32 to 37 - "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert[f]! You do not know when that time will come. 34It's like a man going away: He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with his assigned task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35"Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. 36If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you sleeping. 37What I say to you, I say to everyone: 'Watch!' "

There's a big billboard on my way home from work that's advertising a Bible Prophecy Conference. It seems that there's a lot of effort put into figuring out what will happen in the "end times" and when it will happen. But Jesus sort of sweeps all of that away with this section. He says that even He doesn't know. So what makes us think we should be able to figure it out? What we're left with is "you've been left with some intructions, just make sure you do what you're supposed until I come back." Do you think if the man who went away came back and found his servants discussing when they thought he'd be coming back, instead of doing what he'd asked them to do, that he'd be at least a little annoyed? I admit my bias, because it's a subject that's not of great interest to me in general. And I wouldn't say I'm necessarily doing everything I'm supposed to do either. But a lot of this bible prophecy stuff seems a little misguided in light of Jesus' statement on the subject.
I think part of this issue is that as people, we don't like not knowing things. We have lost the ability to be comfortable with the unknown. I could be mistaken, but I think much of the body of bible prophecy type stuff is fairly recent, within the modern era at least. I'm not an expert, but it seems that it has been in the modern era that we have lost our comfort with the unknown. It is good to know, and to seek answers. So much of the knowledge we have today has been gained by this desire to make known the unknown, and that's good. But does the desire to know the unknown necessarily mean we can't be comfortable with not knowing? I think as we move into post modernity, we are learning to balance with desire to know with the ability to be at least OK with not knowing for sure.

Lenten Musings - 12

I was a bit of Mr. Mom this weekend. I had the kids all day Saturday as my wife was out scrapbooking and then with friends. We went to a movie (Hotel for Dogs). I even made supper tonight. I got a rib recipe from my mom. It's so easy, I think I'll have to try it more often.

Mark 12
verses 38 to 44 - 38As he taught, Jesus said, "Watch out for the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and be greeted in the marketplaces, 39and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 40They devour widows' houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. Such men will be punished most severely." 41Jesus sat down opposite the place where the offerings were put and watched the crowd putting their money into the temple treasury. Many rich people threw in large amounts. 42But a poor widow came and put in two very small copper coins,[j]worth only a fraction of a penny.[k]
43Calling his disciples to him, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others. 44They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything—all she had to live on."
There are two contrasting images given in this section. The first is where Jesus talks about the teachers of the law, and how they like their celebrity status. I used to work for a church. I liked it. One of the things I liked was being known by people. I don't think you'd call it "celebrity" per se, execpt that people usually knew who I was before I knew them, or even if I didn't know them at all. There's also a feeling of entitlement that comes along with being a "celebrity". You start to feel like you deserve this or that, and are somehow better than others because of your "status". I think at points I noticed this in myself, and I tried to steer away from it. But it's there in all of us. Perhaps that feeds our celebrity seeking culture. Watching those Etalk and Access Hollywood shows. Keeping up with the goings on of Brangelina or Octo-mom. I don't think there's anything wrong with being known, but what I think Jesus is commenting on is that these teachers of the law used that celebrity for the wrong reasons. And you see it today, with the televangelists, etc. And again, these people give a bad impression of us all.
At the other end of the spectrum, is the widow who puts her last few coins in the coffer. She didn't have much, but she did what she could. She is anything but celebrity. She is the "Hoi Polloi", the lowly masses. Yet Jesus says that what she has to offer is worth more than anyone else. Hunh? Think of all the great things the celebrities do. The pastors, the evangelists, the ones who lead us. Yet, God is not impressed (although, I'm not sure He's ever "impressed", really). What means the most to Him are the simple things we do. The simple, small, yet costly, acts that we perform. They aren't flashy, and in some cases not as easy, but they are important. More so than we realize.
If you haven't noticed the subtitle of my blog, it's "the musings of a faceless monk". It actually comes from a little cartoon character of myself that I've been drawing for years. You can see him here. What I mean by "faceless monk" is that the history of the church (and beyond to God's dealings with us since time began) is borne on the backs of ordinary people. Sure, it's the superstars that we read about in the bible, but it's the nameless, faceless, ordinary people like me that make up the bulk of God's people. To be a faceless monk, is simply to try to live faithfully to God in the ordinary of ordinary life. Don't get me wrong, I think there's a place for celebrity, and there are those that should get extra attention. My encouragement is that if you aren't one of those people, then there's nothing wrong with that, and you should be proud to be counted among the ranks of the faceless monks.

Lenten Musings - 11

I must admit, I'm running out of steam with this whole blogging thing. I do enjoy it all, but it's actually pretty time consuming to read a chapter, think about it and then write something down. It's not like I had an extra hour kicking around that I wasn't using. I had to take that time from something else, and the only place that seems to work is sleep. But I suppose the point of being disciplined is to muscle through the tough parts until it becomes habit.

Mark 11
Verses 17- And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: " 'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations'[c]? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'
I was having a discussion with someone yesterday about the point of going to church. From this person's perspective, you can't know if there is a God, especially if He's not answering your prayers. And lots of Christians are jerks. So what is the point of going to church? It's unfortunate that people get such a bad view of God because of "the church". You look at this example where Jesus clears the temple, and you find that certain people had manipulated the temple to serve their purposes (making money). You find this in the church as well, and we all get a bad rap because of it. Really, the "some Christians are jerks and have done bad things" excuse is a pretty weak one. It's not just Christians, it's everyone. Of course, the difference is that we should know better. We are called to love and serve one another, and Jesus is pretty clear about how He expects us to behave towards others.
When we look at the church in other cultures, it's easy to point out the synchretism, or what they have blended into the church/theology. In some traditionally animistic cultures, you'll find bits and pieces of those traditional beliefs mixed in with the gospel. But I think that in North America, we have a big blind spot as to what we've woven into our theology. I think it's money and capitalism. "God wants you to be successful", we hear. You can go to the local Christian bookstore and there is an endless swathe of new books, and CD's, as well as trinkets for you to buy. All in the name of "ministry". Especially troubling, I find, is the "worship music industry". It's fine to make music, and to sell it, but that industry has had such a huge impact on the way the church worships, and in many ways the effects have not been positive. I could rant and rant, but my point is that too much of what goes on nowadays is more market driven than ministry driven, and I think this is exactly what Jesus was warning against as he cleared the temple.

Lenten Musings - 10

I grew up going to Robin's Donuts. In my city, there was one Tim Horton's (vs. several Robin's), and nobody went there that I knew. Nowadays, everything is Timmie's. I think I mentioned my resolution not to eat anything from there this year, so when I wanted to take the kids out for a treat, Robin's was a good option. Our son has swimming lessons on Fridays, and then afterwards we go to Robin's. They are always so excited, and I'm glad to share that with them. It doesn't hurt that the donuts are 2 for 1 on Fridays.
There aren't that many things that I can share with my kids that I experienced growing up. Life is so different for them, and that's fine. It's just nice when I can share these types of things with them.

On a different note, I was listening to one of my friends' sermons today on my iPod at work. Here's the link if you have 30 minutes to spare. I think he did a pretty good job with it.

Mark 10
verses 42 to 45 - Jesus called them together and said, "You know that those who are regarded as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. 43Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, 44and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all. 45For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."
I've always used this section to guide me in my leadership style. Jesus is saying that it is not our job as leaders to simply "rule", but to serve. Right now at work I am the foreman temporarily. I am trying to help out my guys as much as I can. When they need something, I'll get it for them. Wherever I can make their job easier, I'll do it. That's what I figure my job is. I am in charge and I do make the decisions, but I try to make them based on what's best for those I am in charge of. I also think of this verse when I am not in charge. I think it is just as important to be a good follower as it is a good leader. I want to be respectful and helpful to those who are in charge over me. It makes their job easier, which hopefully makes mine easier as well. Plus, everyone likes someone who helps, and no one likes someone who is a grumpy, lazy boss.

verses 46 to 52 - 46Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and his disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is, the Son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging. 47When he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to shout, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!"
48Many rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, "Son of David, have mercy on me!"
49Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called to the blind man, "Cheer up! On your feet! He's calling you." 50Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
51"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked him. The blind man said, "Rabbi, I want to see."
52"Go," said Jesus, "your faith has healed you." Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus along the road.

Several years ago, I was giving a sermon at a church on this passage. The crux of my message was that Bartimaeus put himself out there, essentially throwing the ball into Jesus's court, giving Him the opportunity to do something. Had Bartimaeus kept quiet, Jesus would have strolled by and things would have stayed the same for both of them. But Bartimaeus throws himself and his problems at Jesus, and Jesus is put in a position where He has to, or at least has the opportunity to do something for Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus is rewarded with his sight.
I think of myself, and others around me. Do I ever put myself out there? Do I put myself in a position where Jesus has to come through for me, or even has the chance to? In my sermon, I told people to be like Bartimaeus, and put themselves into a position to see God work. At the same time, I felt the sharp sting of hypocrisy, as I realized in that moment that what I was calling them to do is something that I don't do myself. I still don't do a good job of it. I don't know why, because I know better. But I suppose there can sometimes be a wide chasm between knowing and doing.

Lenten Musings - #9

Mark 9
verses 9 and 10 - 9As they were coming down the mountain, Jesus gave them orders not to tell anyone what they had seen until the Son of Man had risen from the dead. 10They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what "rising from the dead" meant.
I like that this sort of thing is included in the gospels. There is such a sense of reality in these moments. Jesus says not to talk about these things until He rises from the dead. The disciples probably looked sideways at each other with a look of confusion, eyebrows raised, wondering, "what in the world is he talking about?" I dont' think they were expecting Him to die any time soon, and people don't usually rise from the dead. It's comforting to see that the disciples had to wrestle with Jesus' words just as much as the rest of us do.

verses 14 to 29
Here again we are presented with the idea that our belief, our faith, is somehow integral. When Jesus heard that the disciples couldn't cast out the demon, His initial response is to say, "O unbelieving generation". Later, when the boy's father says, "But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us." Jesus responds, saying, "If you can?". I picture it in the sort of way I would respond to my kids if they would question my ability to do something simple. The heart of the matter, Jesus says, is "Everything is possible for him who believes." That's a pretty big statement. Although, I think maybe we're too quick to read it as, "everything is going to happen or him who believes." I don't think there's a guarantee attached to this statement, just the opening up of possibility. There is hope when it seems there shouldn't be. But hope is never a guarantee. Hope is.... well, hope. You hold on, instead of giving up. You never know, maybe tomorrow will see that which you have longed for.

verse 40
I like that Jesus says, "whoever is not against us is for us". The church has gotten a bad rap over the centuries because we haven't lived this way. Some much division has come up. Sometimes there's legitimate reasons for that division, but it doesn't excuse the way that division has been handled. Some people will focus on that which separates us. Little bits of doctrine or the interpretation of what is and isn't sinful. But I think Jesus' call here is pretty obvious. If they're not agaisnt us, then they are on our side. It seems for the most part that nowadays denominational distinctions aren't as important, which I think is a good thing. It's fine to be different, and to allow each other to be different, so long as we're doing our best to follow Jesus.

Lenten Musings - 8

I'm currently in the process of making a puppet theatre for my kids. The previous tenant at our place left a bunch of wood behind when they left. I held onto it, just because I do stuff like that, and now it's coming in handy to build the puppet theatre. Maybe I'll post pictures when day when I'm finished.

Mark 8
verses 34 to 38 - 34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 35For whoever wants to save his life[c] will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? 37Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 38If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels."
This has always been one of those key verses for me. "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me." There's a poem (for lack of a better term) that sums up this idea for me. Here's a link. Basically, it tries to fill in the idea of what "dying to self" looks like. I think it's what Jesus modelled for us. Thinking of others first, not trying to be number one, and the centre of attention. Helping, rather than harming. These are all the things that we are called to. Wouldn't the world be an awesome place if we all lived like that. We don't, and I don't, but I try. I try to live out these things, but I'm realistic about the results. Hopefully, over time I am getting better at it.
My other thought about this verse is that at this point, nobody knows that Jesus is going to be crucified. So when He says, "pick up your cross and follow me", what do the people around Him think? He hasn't yet started explaining that He was going to die, and why. There wasn't a well thought out systematic theology built around "the cross". So what did it mean to them? In some remote way, it brings to mind a suicide bomber for me. But the COMPLETE OPPOSITE. Jesus' call was to come and die to self, in the name of loving, helping and blessing others. A suicide bomber only seeks to cause harm and to profit himself (with whatever riches have been promised him in the afterlife). I know it's a bit of a stretch, but if you know that what you're getting yourself into will be costly, hopefully you'll take the time to count that cost, and maybe to realize the true value of it.

Lenten Musings - seven

Mark 7
verses 1 -23
I think this is one of the definitive sections of this book. There was all of that early emphasis on sin in the first few chapters. Here, the Pharisees are grumping to Jesus about how His disciples are doing something sinful, something that makes them unclean. To this Jesus replies, "it is not what goes into a man that makes him unclean, but what comes out". Inside of all of us is the capacity for horrible things. There's a song by Sufjan Stephens that I think speaks to this nicely. It's about John Wayne Gacy Jr, a serial killer from Illinois. I read his bio, he did some pretty horrible things. At the end of the song it says , "in the end, I'm just like him". So many people are so concerned about not doing the wrong thing, and making sure that others don't either. But in some respects it doesn't matter if we do these things are not, because all of those things are in us already. It doesn't mean we're off the hook or anything, but rather that no matter how hard we try, we can't run from sin. We have to face it. And that's what Jesus does. He offers forgiveness, so that we can just come clean and be free. I know it doesn't always work that easily, but that's the goal... freedom. From guilt, pain and the whole gamut of consequences of sin.

Lenten Musings - 6

We were looking at homes tonight. We're looking, but there's not necessarily much in the "we don't have a lot of money, but we don't want a dump" range.

Mark 6

verse 5 & 6 - He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. And he was amazed at their lack of faith.

So Jesus goes to His hometown, and they aren't really buying all of the hype about Him. It's interesting that it says, "He could not do any miracles there". This is Jesus, He should be able to do whatever He wants. This seems to point to the fact that our faith is a central factor in what God wants to do in our lives.

verses 14 to 29 - I've always been puzzled by Herod. Yes, he told his wife's daughter that she could have anything she wanted, but I'm sure He didn't really mean it. Surely he could have laughed off her request when she asked for John the Baptist's head. Although, I'm not familiar with that culture at that time. Maybe that sort of an offer really waas binding. In that case, maybe he was just stupid.

verses 30 to 56 - Jesus does a lot of miracles. There's a lot of healings and casting out of demons. But then there's the feeding of the five thousand, and the walking on water. I always wonder why He chose to do the particular things that He did. Was it because the opportunities presented themselves? It doesn't seem like He went out of His way to do all of these miracles. In some cases, like the water into wine, He was sort of forced into them. If we want to see Him do things in our own lives, then perhaps we need to give Him the opportunity. Just a thought.

Lenten Musings #5

Today, I led worship at Sunday School. I enjoy leading for the kids, and apparently they enjoy it, too. I often wonder if when I am "leading worship" for them if I should be a little more reverent. I try to do songs that are fun, have actions, etc. I tend to shy away from the more sombre, introspective stuff. Is "worship" something different than singing songs, in this context? What I mean is, when you just sing a bunch of songs about God and have fun, does that count as worship? Or does there have to be some other component of "feeling something" or whatnot? Just wondering.
We had a birthday party for our oldest daughter. It was a Snow White theme. It was lots of fun. I like throwing big, fun parties. I always hope that people don't think we're trying to show off. I just figure, "how often to you get to go to a big, fun party?" I hope that people enjoy themselves and feel valued by being there. Our daughter had a great time. Even though she acted shy, I know she loved all of the fuss and attention.

Mark 5
The first half of the chapter is about Jesus casting out "Legion" from a man in the Gerasenes. What I always find interesting about this story is the reaction of the "townspeople" upon seeing what Jesus had done. It says they "pleaded" with Him to leave their area. Why? Most of the people up to this point were astonished, and crowded around Jesus. They brought their sick and demon possessed to Him to be healed. But not these guys. They want Jesus gone. It strikes me as odd. Perhaps they were a little scared. Perhaps they were OK with the status quo and weren't interested Jesus stirring things up for them. I don't know.

The second half is about of the chapter is about 2 people who go out of their way to contact Jesus. I imagine we're supposed to notice the contrast with the first half, but I've never really noticed it until now. Both Jairus and the "woman" believe that if they can get to Jesus, things will be OK. Both of them are rewarded for their faith. The woman has no real interaction with Jesus until after she is healed. So, is it her faith that heals her? Obviously, it is not solely her faith, but it must act as somewhat of a conduit for the healing out of Jesus' power. In Jairus' daughter's case, it is not her faith (she is, after all, dead) but that of her father that heals her. But in this case, Jesus is obviously the healer. Does the faith of Jairus impact the healing at all? You would think Jesus could raise this girl from the dead without any help. But somewhere in there, God wants us to have faith in Him. I have often thought about this. I think that one of the reasons God wants us to live by faith is because sometimes that's all we'll have. I've gone through points where I pretty much just hold on by faith. Hoping that somehow things will turn out (for the most part, they have). When you always live by faith, it makes it that much easier when you have to live by faith.