Good Friday

In previous years, we have set up stations around the church, each depicting one of the scenes from the day of Jesus' death and then his resurrection, with readings at each from the gospels. This year, we are borrowing from other traditions and focusing on each of the seven statements Jesus made while he was on the cross. Ranging from elementary school student to senior citizen, each speaker will reflect for 5 minutes on the meaning of a specific passage. I've listed them below, along with my high-level thoughts about their importance:

• Matthew 27:46. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"—which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Jesus echoes the pain of David, who looked for God in the midst of public humiliation and abandonment and did not find him. But he suffered shame not for himself, but for us. He shared, for a brief span of time, our separation from God.
• John 19:26-27. When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home. Though Jesus had other brothers who could have taken on the responsibility of care for Mary, Jesus turns instead to John, his 'beloved disciple'. Here we see the bond established by Jesus, closer than family.
• John 19:28. Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty." Jesus was intensely aware of his part in keeping all of the promises that God had made in the Old Testament about the Messiah. People build their hopes on promises. The  promises of God are our foundation because they provide the guarantee of his favor even in the middle of difficult circumstances and tough choices.
• John 19:30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, "It is finished." With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. It is finished. It is complete. Jesus had spent himself to do all that God had for him. There was nothing more in this life.  Can we say the same thing? Have we fulfilled God's purpose in our generation? (cf. Acts 13:36)
• John 24:34. Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." And they divided up his clothes by casting lots. The son of God, placed among dying criminals, his clothing picked over as if he's already dead, sneered about by a skeptical crowd, reaches out with forgiveness. It is not a vindictive statement, like we would use to express our superiority and anger, but one of pity, like he used when he wept over Jerusalem.
• Luke 23:43. Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." One of the most precious promises of God is that there is still something more, something better. And it is available, not because of our strenuous efforts on God's behalf, but because of the strenuous efforts of Jesus on our behalf. 
• Luke 23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last.  Where to we 'commit' ourselves? Are we trusting in ourselves to make it? Are we convincing ourselves that there is nothing more? Or do we place ourselves wholly into the hands of the Father?

Sometimes we over-simplify Good Friday and want to rush ahead to Resurrection Sunday. We want to skip to the happily-ever-after. We forget the uncertainty and doubt of the in-between time, as Jesus' family and closest friends watched him die and be buried. Finding hope and purpose in those times is the lesson of Good Friday because, as the preacher said, It's Friday but Sunday's comin'.

1 John 1:1: Mavens and The Limits of Testimony

A friend of mine, after listening to a speaker enthusiastically describe a new technology at a trade show, described him as a maven. "A maven," he said, "is some one who understands, believes and talks passionately about a topic." Mavens are convincing "evangelists" precisely because they believe their topic is the center of the universe.

The New Testament is full of mavens. John, friend of Jesus, said: "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life." (1 John 1:1) Peter, another follower of Jesus, said: "So I will always remind you of these things...as long as I live in the tent of this body." (2 Peter 1:12, 13) Paul, latecomer to the gospel, said: "Yet when I preach the gospel, I cannot boast, for I am compelled to preach. Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" (1 Cor. 9:16)

These men understood deeply the implications of the gospel, believed wholeheartedley in the good news of God's kingdom and communicated passionately and tirelessly with anyone who would listen about Jesus (and event o many who would not listen!) People listened and were amazed. Cities were in an uproar, Roman authorities took notice, governors wanted to hear. They were mavens.

But mavens only take you so far. At some point, you must decide if you will trust what they trust; whether their cause is going to be your cause; whether their passion is your passion, or just a curiousity; a circus side show. Are they really mavens? Or are they frauds? Or are they deluded?

Peter encountered that frustration. "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty." (2 Peter 1:16) Peter had been there. He had seen the Christ transfigured. He had heard the voice of God. But now others would claim it was all clever stories.

Imagine if God were to appear today for an instant to every man, woman and child. I suspect that in 20 minutes, we'd be checking our medications. In a day, we'd be trying to get back to normal. In a week, the news would be full of articles citing experts on mass hallucinations. Not because God didn't show himself, but because we don't want to believe.

At some point, mavens are not enough. They can open your eyes; they can be convincing and thought-provoking. But, no enthusiastic testimony on their part can penetrate the unwilling heart, because you can't borrow testimony. You have to have your own. You have to decide.

God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. - Acts 17:27

God would like to give you a testimony of your own, your own story, with him.

He could use a few good mavens; who understand him deeply, trust him completely and communicate him passionately. You just might change the world. Are you willing?

Follow Up on "Lest We Forget"

So right after I post on making teaching memorable, I really struggled in teaching the parable of the "Workers in the Vineyards" (Matt. 20:1-16) The basics of the story are easy. A clock, 20 eager K-2nd graders, and some Monopoly money made the story visible, physical and interactive. But the application. Working in the idea of envy, especially "spiritual" envy was tough and I didn't give it enough time, prayer and thought. Took a nap instead. Looking back, I know it means that I don't know the story well enough yet (per my own axiom). And, perhaps I am too content to rest on my ability to wing it.

The most profound thing said last night during that time was from Addie, a little girl I asked to pray. Though maybe few heard her, I did. She prayed eloquently for the protection of the children of Haiti and that Satan be restrained from them.  That stuck in my mind.

Next week, I'll teach the parable of the tares and the wheat. Any ideas for getting the application across?

2 Peter 1:12-15: Lest We Forget...

Anyone who has read the Bible a few times can testify to its power to surprise. There is always a twist, a nuance, a discovery or even a forceful insight that God drives home each time. I was reminded of this again this week when someone told me how the impact of the word "and" (and not "but"), in a powerful verse, had stuck with him for many years.

So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body,  - 2 Peter 1:12-13

My fried used to complain that he had a one-bit brain, because it could only hold one bit of information at a time. As soon as a new bit came along, the old was lost. I think we are like that. Life happens. I have enough trouble just keeping up with what is happening now. The present emergencry crowds out the lessons of a previous hard-fought victory. So we need to be reminded, because we tend to forget.

Yes, we have heard them before. There is no parable, no teaching of Jesus, no exposition of Paul, no story of the Old Testament and New Testament heroes of the faith that hasn't been the subject of sermon or Sunday school lesson. We have heard them before, but we were different people then, in different circumstances.  We have heard them before, but God has re-worked our heart since then.  We have heard them before, but the season has changed to God's appointed time (Titus 1:3).

Peter said: "And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things." (2 Peter 1:15). Don't forget.

I find Peter's words challenging, as a teacher in a church. It is not enough to teach the truth. It is not enough that the teaching is clear. Teachers are challenged to make the truth memorable. He said, "I make every effort..." The burden of the lesson learned is placed on the shoulders of the teacher.

Sometimes memorable is wrestling with words. Try and translate the great truths of God so that a 2nd grader can grasp them. Kosuke Koyama challenged himself, as a missionary, to formulate his gospel message to speak the "language" the farmer plowing his field behind a water buffalo.

Sometimes memorable is retelling our story. The best taught lessons are those most deeply learned. Sometimes God's lessons need soak time. Your story is a story God designed to tell of his glory.

Sometimes memorable is keeping our eyes open. God's lessons are written large and small in the world around us. Jesus didn't have to look far to find subjects for the great themes of the gospel. They were ready at hand: the field, the widow, the rich man, the beggar, the mustard plant and the loaf of bread and cup of wine. Jesus said: "Do this in remembrance of me."

We forget. Tell the old, old story anew. Hear the old, old story anew.  Lest we forget...

1 Corinthians 10:13: Paralysis

As I was reading the verse we are memorizing for the Men's group at Cornerstone, I realized that there are two active forces in that verse and I wasn't one of them:

No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. - 1 Cor. 10:13

The temptation is active. It is seizing. It is pressuring (what you can bear, under it).

God is active. He is faithful. He restrains temptation. He provides escape.

But I have not yet acted. This verse pauses on the edge of a choice. I don't or I do. I succumb or I escape.

Like every story, there is nothing new in this drama. Sin is an old, old story. Each day desire batters away at our defences; comfort chips away at our resolve; fear drains our will to move and change. But God is faithful. Sin's reach is limited. Sin's power caged. The problem is not sin's ability anymore but our own desire to escape.

Will you flee towards God today?