Immanuel: A Poetic Journey

I don't know exactly how to classify this. Call it a poetic meditation. But it summarizes many a journey my mind has taken.

Can you live and not grow weary of life?
Will not decay or disease rent a beloved from my side?
Shall my child grow cold and silent before my days have gone?
I am no coward, so I tell myself.
At the right time, in the right place
Perhaps even the heroic could leap into action
I do not fear pain, nor flinch at threats.
But at death’s tormenting whispers
I would rather flee to distraction than boldly turn and stand.

A valley of shadow of death indeed.
And who shall shepherd our gropings in the dark?
Who shall be our comfort or guide?
Who shall start the feast?
And for what shall we feast?

I cannot fathom Trinity,
Or omnipotence, or eternity.
They are utterly other;
Beyond all that is common or safe;
A bottomless chasm of unknown.
And I dangle from the precipice in quiet terror.
The call is to come, to surrender, to fall in.
But should I fall?
Will not the fall never end?
Sinking ever deeper,
The terror giving way only to the weariness of no end

Shall I meet the Maker?
The utterly Other One?
Me? Part animal crazed with desires,
Part fiend scheming, manipulating, using,
Part human hating the hateful in me,
Striving for a better self.

I am no mystic
No sparks in spirit and soul
No ecstatic visions of divine Love
God is an ominous cloud of otherness
A terrifying storm of infinite unknown
Shall I give myself to this Shepherd?
And recklessly dive into the abyss?

Now at edge of eternity look and see Nativity
A man, a woman, and a baby.
A baby.
The infinite other, a crying baby
I’ve touched babies, loved babies.
Infinite God I cannot know
But a baby, a child, a man I can know
With an eternal divinity I cannot converse
But my God I can speak to, dare I say it,
As man to man, as brother to brother.

O blessed Nativity
God meets us not on the terrifying horizon of infinity.
He meets us in the here and now,
In flesh and bone,
With cries and laughter.

O blessed Nativity
Omnipotence made helpless
All knowing made knowable
The Untouchable made touchable

O blessed Nativity
God in pursuit
Love incarnated
Man made of Joy

O blessed Nativity
God is with us

Voyage of the Dawn Treader

Well its that time again. A new Narnia movie is out and all Christian bloggers with a smattering of familiarity with C.S. Lewis' work are eager to post their reviews. I am no exception (only I hope I know a bit more than a smattering of Lewis). I had the joy of taking my daughter to see Voyage of the Dawn Treader yesterday, and today I'm ready to review.

I base my judgments on really two main categories. First and foremost in my mind is whether or not the movie carries the main threads of the book. Main threads would be the key term there. What works in a book doesn't always work in a movie, and all Narnia lovers need to cut Michael Apted some slack on that point. I didn't watch the movie for what was changed, but for how well it carried the primary themes of the book. Secondly, the movie should itself be good in its own right. I don't want to see a movie that just makes C.S. Lewis fans happy. I want to see a real piece of art. I think the Lord of the Rings movies are perfect examples of what the Narnia movies ought to be. At times in Peter Jackson's films I grimace over certain changes to events, characters, dialogues, but the movies carried the day on both criteria I have given. In the end, the main themes were all there, and they were there in a trilogy of excellent art. To this point in the Narnia series, the score is 1 for 2. The Lion, Witch, and the Wardrobe was a good film. Prince Caspian bombed on all counts.

Main threads. On this criteria, I give the movie a B. Overall, I think Lewis' book is fairly well represented. My major complaint is that two key themes, the longing for Aslan's Country and the spirit of adventure, were present but not emphasized like they were in the book. At the end of the film, sailing on to Aslan's Country is sort of just a nice way to end the story, but Lewis' makes it the climax. Adventure loving is also somewhat lost. For instance, in the book Caspian decides to avoid Dark Island because its a terrifying place. Reepicheep then lectures Caspian for forsaking an adventure simply because what is ahead is fearful and unknown and persuades Caspian to approach the island. In the movie, they go to dark island because they have no choice. It is full of a vague, green mist monster (they don't call it a mist monster by the way) that is going to corrupt all the world. A little hokey, I know. More on that later.

But I must give credit where it is due. There are actual shockers in the movie. At one point Caspian and company are told that they can't defeat the evil (the mist monster) unless something is done about the evil inside of them. In fact, the power of the mist monster is to use the evil lurking inside of you to control and destroy you. Wow! That's not just in a Hollywood movie. That's in a Hollywood movie geared towards kids! The redemption theme with Eustace also remained in tact. In describing how he went from dragon back to boy, he says that though he tried to be free of the dragon skin he could never get it off. He had to let Aslan do it for him. And when Aslan does it, it really hurts. Only its a good hurt like a thorn coming out. Finally, and most shockingly, Aslan parts from Lucy by telling her that in her world he is known by another name, and the reason she was brought into Narnia was to know him better in her world. Thus the movie ends with the message that there actually is a real Aslan.

Good Art. On this criteria, I go with a B as well. It's a movie worth seeing, but I think they could have done better. Granted this was a difficult job. More so than the other books, in my opinion. Doug Wilson noted that the book is very episodic, which isn't easy to translate into one cohesive movie. So in the attempt to create one over-arching story, they added things like the mist monster, and human sacrifices to the mist monster, and swords being placed together to defeat the mist monster. All of it a little bizarre and thoroughly unnecessary.

And of course there are those strange glitches that we as an audience are just supposed to miss. Immediately following Eustace's transformation back into a boy, he is suddenly running on Ramadu's island ready to put the final sword in place. How he got there is not so clear. Then when he does get the sword in place and the mist monster is defeated, he is suddenly miles away from Ramadu's island and swimming next to the Dawn Treader. His movements equally baffling.

Casting was good (especially Eustace who is as annoying on screen as in the book). I'm not a real special effects guy, so I thought they were more than adequate. Dialogue could have been better. Acting could have been better. But in comparison with much of what comes out of Hollywood, it was pretty decent. So that's my take.

Sin and Righteousness and Judgement

But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged. (John 16:5-11)

Outsourcing? The gospel mission is a daunting task. And for some reason we like to make a lot more daunting. When Jesus commanded his disciples to go into the world and make disciples of all nations, he wasn’t outsourcing. Jesus didn’t ascend to the right hand of the Father because he was tired of getting his hands dirty and wanted his church to finish what he started. Yet somehow this is the vision we often have of our mission. When we think of evangelism, discipleship, missions, charity, etc., we generally see it as our work, the Church’s work. God has outsourced it to us.

The Promise. Jesus, however, said that he was ascending to the Father in order to send the Spirit to us. Jesus wasn’t abandoning the work to us; he was making way for the Spirit. The “Advocate,” he promised, would come and convict the world of its unbelief, its culture of injustice, and the impending day of judgement. Talk about a fun list of subjects, and yet salvation cannot come into our lives, communities, nations unless we are convicted on these points.

Chutzpah. There is an amazing passage in Acts 24 where Paul stands trial before Felix the governor of Judea, an official known for his corruption, brutality, and licentiousness. As his future hangs upon the whims of this powerful procurator, Paul is summoned before Felix and his wife, and what should his topics include? Justice, self-control, and the coming the judgement (Acts 24:24). Luke records the governor’s response: “Felix was alarmed and said, ‘Go away for the present.”(Acts 24:25). Paul had some serious chutzpah, or perhaps he just believed that the Spirit would do his job.

Supporting Cast. Paul grew used to the Spirit doing his job. In Acts 16:14 Luke tells us that as Paul discussed the gospel with Lydia outside Philippi, “the Lord opened her heart to pay attention to what was said.” Such is the work of mission. We act, we speak, we care, but it is not our voice, our words, or our giftedness that opens the heart and convicts it. We work in tandem with the Spirit. Mission is God’s work first and foremost. Not ours. God isn’t outsourcing mission to us. He is inviting us to join His mission. So as we live lives of mission, we are not acting alone. The Spirit goes before us, speaks through us, continues his work after we are long gone. We aren’t the main actors in this drama of cosmic revolution; we’re just supporting cast. Nevertheless, by God’s extravagant grace our names are still in the credits.

You Give Them Something To Eat

On their return the apostles told him all that they had done. And he took them and withdrew apart to a town called Bethsaida. [11] When the crowds learned it, they followed him, and he welcomed them and spoke to them of the kingdom of God and cured those who had need of healing. [12] Now the day began to wear away, and the twelve came and said to him, “Send the crowd away to go into the surrounding villages and countryside to find lodging and get provisions, for we are here in a desolate place.” [13] But he said to them, “You give them something to eat.” They said, “We have no more than five loaves and two fish—unless we are to go and buy food for all these people.” [14] For there were about five thousand men. And he said to his disciples, “Have them sit down in groups of about fifty each.” [15] And they did so, and had them all sit down. [16] And taking the five loaves and the two fish, he looked up to heaven and said a blessing over them. Then he broke the loaves and gave them to the disciples to set before the crowd. [17] And they all ate and were satisfied. And what was left over was picked up, twelve baskets of broken pieces. (Luke 9:10-17)

Overwhelming need is all around. It’s so prevalent its easy to overlook or ignore. The world is teeming with malnourished children, war torn societies, dirty water, AIDS, poverty, sex trafficking, and that’s just for starters. The co-worker next to us has a relational crisis. The lady you met in the check out aisle has a health crisis. Your neighbor has a financial crisis. And, God be merciful, almost every single person you meet is in the midst of spiritual crisis.

Common Sense. In Luke 9 the disciples too encounter overwhelming need in the starving masses. Their solution is simple and practical. The need is simply too big, too expensive, too taxing for them to do anything. So send the people on their way, and they can get something to eat themselves. Jesus, however, has different ideas.

“You give them something to eat.” The command is ridiculous. Is Jesus simply toying with his disciples? He knows what he is capable of, what he wants to do. Why then does he command his disciples to do the feeding? What does he want them to do? The answer, I think, is fairly straight forward and for us quite shocking. When Jesus says “you give them something to eat,” he means “you give them something to eat.”

Big problem or Big Savior? When we encounter a problem, we like the disciples ask, “How big is this problem?” and “Do I have the resources available to tackle it?” If the answer is, “The problem is beyond me and my resources,” the course of action is inaction. But Jesus tells us that we begin with the wrong question. Instead of starting with, “How big is this problem?” we should start with “How big is Jesus?” In the first question we are really asking, “Are we enough?” In the second question we are asking, “Is Jesus enough?” In the common sense approach when we encounter overwhelming need, we do nothing, absolutely nothing. Shrug your shoulders, shake your head, walk away, and try to forget about it. After all, what can you do. But when we begin with our eyes on Jesus, inaction is simply not possible. He commands us to feed them, to help, to meet their need. Of course we can’t. But there is an ingredient that transforms the equation––Jesus. Jesus is enough. Jesus commands us to look at him and at the need, and when we do we act. So when need crosses your path, don’t just look at the need. Look at the need AND look at Jesus. Then get busy.

Act for the Persecuted

That is what you can do right now. Here's the situation according to J.D. Greer

Sayed Mossa is a new believer in Afghanistan who is in jail in Afghanistan because he decided, of his own free choice, to follow Jesus. In this letter he managed to smuggle out through the hands of a Westerner, he describes daily beatings, torture, and sexual molestation. He stands to be executed for his decision to follow Jesus next week. He has a wife and 6 children, one of whom is disabled.

Please visit this post by J.D. to find out what you can do to help prevent this crisis. And pass the word along.

Seek First the Kingdom of God

“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? [26] Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? [27] And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? [28] And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, [29] yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. [30] But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? [31] Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ [32] For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. [33] But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
[34] “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.
(Matthew 6:25-34 ESV)

Anxiety. It’s what Jerry Bridges would call a “respectable sin.” Notes on a planner, the hands of a clock, the nightly news cast all beckon us to it. We attribute anxiety to our noble desire to be responsible and well-organized. Perhaps we even call it love. After all, we are willing to take upon ourselves paralyzing worry in order to ensure good is done to others. But Jesus calls anxiety something else. He calls it faithless. What’s more, Jesus declares, anxiety is an enemy of the kingdom of God. We will not seek Christ’s kingdom so long as we live in anxiety.

Eyes. “Look at the birds of the field,” Ever notice how many times the Gospels describe Jesus as looking, seeing, beholding, or how often he calls his disciples to see what they don’t see. There is so much to see, but anxiety is blindness. One of the greatest advantages of eyes is that unless I am looking into a mirror they must be fixed upon something other than me. They are ever looking out on the world and not in upon myself. But anxiety renders such a gift useless, for it consumes my mind with me. Anxiety blinds us from God’s care over the worry-free flowers and birds. It blinds us because it short circuits the path between eyes and mind. In anxiety I can only see problems without solutions, bills unpaid, the ticking of the clock, the terrors of the future. Everything else my eyes take in fades into oblivion.

The Moment. Anxiety keeps from us the moment. We must think of tomorrow, always tomorrow. And when tomorrow comes we must think of tomorrow. You cannot seek first the kingdom in anxiety because you cannot see what is front of you; you can only see yourself. You cannot act in the moment; you are too consumed with tomorrow. Jesus is not calling us to abstain from food and drink, from our most basic needs, but he does call us to stop worrying about them. Jesus is simply saying, “Are you hungry, thirsty, naked, cold? If yes, then eat, drink, put on a coat. If no, then live for the kingdom.” And if you say, “But what of tomorrow. What happens when I loose my job?” Jesus replies, “What of today? Will you waste the moment for a tomorrow you cannot control, for the tomorrow that I control? Will you not do my work today because you do not trust me with tomorrow?” Besides the answers for tomorrow are quite simple to solve. If you are hungry, eat something and seek the kingdom. If you are thirsty, drink something and do righteousness. If you are cold, put on a coat and love your neighbor.

Abortion and Slavery

Here is a powerful, and for me convicting, article by Thabit Anyabwile on the comparison of the tragedy of abortion to the tragedy of slavery. For those who don't know, Thabiti is a reformed Baptist pastor ministering in the Bahamas.

The Least of These

Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me. (Matthew 25:40)

As I write this a South African pastor has stirred up a heated conversation over his sermon series in which he pronounced that “Jesus had HIV.” Of course, the pastor is not seriously contending that Jesus physically contracted the HI virus, and thus his language is probably misleading. It’s much more proper to say, “Jesus has HIV.”

Many Christians are offended by such language, but it is merely taking what Jesus said seriously. “As you did it to the least of these, you did it to me.” Where does Jesus say he is? Who does he identify himself with? The hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the imprisoned, the strangers. That is, with the cast offs, the oppressed, the shameful, the least of society. A person infected with HIV gets put into “least of these” category, and to serve them is to serve Jesus.

The gospel of Luke tells us of a sinful women (probably a prostitute) who finds grace and forgiveness in Jesus. Her reaction is to throw herself at his feet, wet his feet with her tears, pour out her her perfume (her most valuable possession) and with her tears wash them. It’s a flesh and blood portrait of the worshipful gratitude all those who come to Christ experience. There is a problem with the portrait, however; Jesus doesn’t sit before us. We can’t weep and wash his feet. Or can we?

According to Jesus, “flesh and blood” worship can begin today. Jesus stands before us everywhere we turn. He is the “least of these.” As we wash the feet of the “least of these,” the poor, the hurting, the shamed, we wash the feet of Jesus. As disciples of Christ and recipients of his extravagant, blood shedding love, every morning we should wake up eager to find Jesus’ feet and start washing. We only need to look in the right places.

Bonhoeffer Says

Bonhoeffer on Christian action (you must put these words in the context of Nazi Germany to get their full power):

If we want to be Christians, we must have some share in Christ's large-heartedness by acting with responsibility and in freedom when the hour of danger comes, and by showing a real sympathy that springs, not from fear, but from the liberating and redeeming love of Christ for all who suffer. Mere waiting and looking is not Christian behavior. The Christian is called to sympathy and action, not in the first place by his own sufferings, but by the sufferings of his brethren, for who sake Christ suffered.

Bonhoeffer on Success:

In a world where success is the measure and justification of all things the figure of Him who was sentenced and crucified remains a stranger and is at best the object of pity. The world will allow itself to be subdued only by success. It is not ideas or opinions which decide, but deeds. Success alone justifies wrongs done . . . With a frankness and off-handedness which no other earthly power could permit itself, history appeals in its own cause to the dictum that the end justifies the means. . . . The figure of the Crucified invalidates all thought which takes success for its standard.

Bonhoeffer on Cheap Grace:

Cheap grace means the justification of sin without the justification of the sinner. Grace alone does everything, they say, and so everything can remain as it was before.

Bonhoeffer on Costly Grace:

It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner. Above all, it is costly because it cost God the life of his Son . . . and above all, it is grace because God did not reckon his Son too dear a price to pay for our life, but delivered him up for us.

Bonhoeffer on Marriage (to his fiance from prison):

May God grant us this faith daily. I don't mean the faith that flees the world, but the faith that endures in the world and loves and remains true to that world in spite of all the hardships it brings us. Our marriage must be a "yes" to God's earth. It must strengthen our resolve to do and accomplish something on earth. I fear that Christians who venture to stand on earth on only one leg will stand in heaven on only one leg too.

Nastiest Election Ever

Joe Carter:

Whenever I hear a pundit or politician say—as they do every two years—that this season has seen the nastiest, most negative electoral campaigning in American history, I wonder: “Who was their history teacher?” Because the midterm elections of 2010 ain’t got nothing on the election of 1800.

The Twins of Science and Magic

C.S. Lewis from The Abolition of Man

You will even find people who write about the sixteenth century as if Magic were a medieval survival and Science the new thing that came in to sweep it away. Those who have studied the period know better. There was very little magic in the Middle Ages: the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries are the high noon of magic. The serious magical endeavour and the serious scientific endeavour are twins: one was sickly and died, the other strong and throve. But they were twins. They were born of the same impulse. I allow that some (certainly not all) of the early scientists were actuated by a pure love of knowledge. But if we consider the temper of that age as a whole we can discern the impulse of which I speak.

There is something which unites magic and applied science while separating both from the wisdom of earlier ages. For the wise men of old the cardinal problem had been how to conform the soul to reality, and the solution had been knowledge, self-discipline, and virtue. For magic and applied science alike the problem is how to subdue reality to the wishes of men: the solution is a technique; and both, in the practice of this technique, are ready to do things hitherto regarded as disgusting and impious—such as digging up and mutilating the dead.

Amazing Church Plant

Gay Bar and church planting. What do they have in common? Watch this video and find out.

Bonhoeffer Says

I've begun reading Eric Metaxas' excellent biography on Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Bonhoeffer's writing is not new to me, but as I now read of his thoughts and life I find my heart increasingly knit to his. Through routes of my own, I have come to share many of his thoughts. Only his convictions run deeper, and he expresses them far better. Here is one quote that hit me.

Every day I am getting to know people, at any rate their circumstances, and sometimes one is able to see through their stories into themselves--and at the same time one thing continues to impress me: here I meet people as they are, far from the masquerade of "the Christian world"; people with passions, criminal types, small people with small aims, small wages and small sins--all in all they are people who feel homeless in both senses, and who begin to thaw when one speaks to them with kindness--real people; I can only say that I have gained the impression that it is just these people who are much more under grace than under wrath, and that it is the Christian world which is more under wrath than grace.

How To Miss Jesus

Dave Dorr at the Resurgence lists some sure fire ways to miss Jesus when you read your Bible

• You read the Bible to reinforce what you believe, not challenge what you believe.
• You imagine yourself as the type of person who believes the things you read about.
• You think the things you read are especially applicable for people you know, but not for you.
• You imagine yourself as the hero of the story, not the person or people who are unbelieving. You frequently ask in your heart, “How could these people be so unbelieving?” For instance, when you read the story of the Israelites wandering in the desert you might say, “How could those Israelites grumble about food and drink when they just saw God part the Red Sea?” But you are completely blind to how you grumble at work or home when you’re afraid of losing something.
• You love the attention garnered from your knowledge of the Bible, but give little thought to how you have applied what you have read.

Being Missional May Kill Your Church

I found this post from the Resurgence strangely comforting.