Christmas Day 2011

God (the One who is able to save) is with us.

“I kneel at the door of the empty stable and offer Thee my heart…but my body is not fit to be Thy temple and my heart is treacherous and faithless. I am ashamed to have so poor a shelter to offer Thee. If it were not that Thou didst ask for it, I dare not offer it. Oh! Thou Who didst not refuse the manger-bed, come to my heart, look at the contrition and…the aching longing to be what Thou dost want, and forget the faithlessness and the failures and the weakness. Come, my little King, incarnate for me, come and save me, If I were not a sinner I should not need a Saviour.”

-Mother St. Paul, Ortus Christi

Why People Don't Get Along

People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don't know each other; they don't know each other because they have not communicated with each other. -Martin Luther King, Jr.

I like Martin Luther King Jr. a lot and I often agree with him. I agree with him to a degree with this quote but I disagree as well. It's true that ignorance can breed contempt. How many movies have been made in which a prejudice person witnesses the demise of their fear and hatred through personal interactions with the very people they hate? Gran Torino and American History X are excellent examples. People do tend to see what they have in common with each other through communication. When we connect with one another it becomes easier to recognize the One who looks through the eyes of our brothers and sisters (for he also looks through ours*). Theimago dei is easier to notice through vulnerable relationships. We're all human. We all have a lot in common according to nature and nurture. So yes, communication can dissolve much fear.

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love. (1 John 4:18).

When we love God we are free from fear of the fair judgment he brings. It makes sense then that when we love our neighbors we will fear them and what they may bring into our lives less. Communication is great but love is greater. Communication exists within love. Communication is an aspect of love that leads to deeper love. Just as prayer brings us closer to God so communicating with neighbors brings us closer to them.

Talking to one another helps us to come together. While coming together isn't the end goal it's a nice perk to loving one another. If we seek to love others by communicating with them in a humble, patient, kind, and vulnerable manner then we will eventually grow in love. We may not become best friends with our enemies through a few discussions (though sometimes we will) but we'll see the humanity of one another better and that's a plus.

To know someone is not merely to communicate with them but we can not truly know someone until we communicate with them. Let's talk to Samaritan women at the well, to the children who get in the way, to the Gentile who wants crumbs from the table of Hebrew, and everyone different from us. Whoever we fear, let us begin to love them by getting to know them, building a relationship through communicating with them. Let us start seeing what we have in common. Differences are good and we need to know them but if all we acknowledge are our differences then all we can have for one another is fear and disdain and those have no place in the heart of one who embraces the love of Christ.

*MewithoutYou refers to God when they sing "...the One who looks out from your eyes looks through hers and looks through mine" in their song Bullet to Binary Pt. 2 on their album It's All Crazy! It's All False! It's All A Dream! It's Alright!

The Death of Kim Jong Il

It is reported that Kim Jong Il, dictator in North Korea, died Saturday on a train due to a heart attack (source).

Kim Jong Il's death is worth mourning because he, as a human being who was created in the image of God, was worth loving. God himself does not desire the perishing of wicked men because he is love and has concern for all his creation and thus reaches out to them so that they may seek communion with him (Ezekiel 18:23, 33:11). I pray that Kim Jong Il rests in peace and that God has mercy upon him, a sinner. I pray that Christians would set the example of loving the enemy even in that enemy's death. I pray that the absent are safe within the body of Christ on earth. May we know nothing but Christ crucified (which is love in it's greatest form) so that we may love others to point of dying ourselves rather than seeing them take the fall. May we not scoff at the tragic consequences of Adam's sin in any person's life, for ours is the same story.

All are wicked. All need grace. All need God. All must love.

We must remember that we have all sinned. If we have hated and kept anger we have murdered. We have oppressed. We all have been aligned with the world, darkness, Satan. We were saved by the grace of an all loving God and reconciled to him through his son.

Kim Jong Il, Muammar Gaddafi, Osama Bin Laden, Saddam Hussein, Barack Obama, Mitt Romney, you, the neighbor, and me were meant to be servants who love others. If other's on the list are not doing that then the need for us to do so grows and does not decrease. Government authorities, by God's design and command deserve our honor. Let us be God-honoring in being authority honoring. Let us not speak unloving words of the dead, of the leader, of the wicked. Speak truth but only in love, only with the fruit of the Spirit.

Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human authority: whether to the emperor, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God’s will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish people. Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves. Show proper respect to everyone, love the family of believers, fear God, honor the emperor (1Peter 2:13-17).

These words were written during a time of great persecution and unjust rule. It must then apply even now.

There may be justice in Kim Jong Il's death, God knows well enough, but there must be love in our hearts, words, and deeds concerning the dictator. Celebrate that less wickedness may now occur (supposing that's true) and mourn the death of a sinner, praying for the mercy of God, for we've lost a human brother whom we have been told to love. Let us not dance on graves but plant flowers there.

The Pursuit of Happiness Falls Short

Christians who live in the United States often value what the country values. That's often a very good thing but sometimes it's a very bad thing. There are yet other times in which such values simply fall short of the expectations of scripture. Many of us over-value the pursuit of happiness which is such a prevalent value for those in the United States. Everyone wants to be happy. In a lot of ways this is a noble value to embrace but if we are not careful it can be destructive. It's my belief that many of us Christians often pair this value with the absence of persecution and seek to construct lives and a society that aid us in our pursuit of happiness by procuring for ourselves protection from hardships others would bring upon us for our faith. I don't think this should be.

I've written before on how it's good to rethink how much we value freedom of religion and our pursuit of avoiding persecution. I've also written about how the pursuit of happiness isn't sufficient. Here I wish to combine these ideas and I desire to do so by quoting one of the geatest theologians of the 20th century, Dietrich Bonhoeffer. In his bookLife Together, he stated,

Seek God, not happiness - this is the fundamental rule of all meditation. If you seek God alone, you will gain happiness.

Keep in mind that Bonhoeffer wrote these words at a time in which he had returned to Nazi infested Germany from the safety of the United States. He was living out these words, seeking out the will of God over his own happiness, at a great cost. Seeking God often requires a great deal of suffering. It always requires the loss of self. It is never sexy or entirely self-gratifying. It is not a safe pursuit. However, it is a pursuit that rewards richly in a way that is often unexpected. It's an upside down life. Seeking God will force us to gain many a terrible thing but it will also gain us happiness.

Truly, if we seek God we will receive happiness. If we seek happiness we will quickly find that our aim was shortsighted and selfish. When we live as lovers of God, being selfless, giving to God and others through life we find happiness "for it is in giving that we receive" (St. Francis of Assisi). We need a higher goal than our own happiness. We need God. Let us seek God and see what he gives us.

Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will give you the desires of your heart (Psalm 37:4).

We can value the pursuit of happiness but our pursuit should not be happiness itself. Let us have longsight and seek God himself who is love for in love alone will genuine and worthwhile happiness be found. Any other happiness shall be rotten and not worth pursuit.

Hurt People

There is a cliche in my line of work. "Hurt people hurt people." This means that people who have been hurt or who are currently hurting tend to bring hurt to other people. So hurt(ing) people actively hurt (other) people. Not only is this a popular saying in my life but it's a popular experience. I constantly encounter people who have been hurt who are hurting other people. I can't deny this cliche. I embrace it. I know it's true of me as well. When I am hurt I cause hurt. I believe we all do.

People hurt others in a variety of ways. Some people hurt others through insults, others through physical force, some through passive aggression, and yet others through neglect or abandonment. I'm the third. I tend to cut myself off from others when in pain and that causes problems in my relationships. When I think primarily of myself and neglect others I hurt them as much as if I were verbally or physically abusing them. Neglect is a type of abuse as well. Everyone abuses others in a certain way. This even happens online! I've recently written about keys to communicating well, how to examine if we are loving others well, and how to maintain an attitude of love when others hurt us. Now, I want to ask if this cliche applies to us and how we can examine that.

It's good to ask "Am I hurt?" Some hurts are recent and some are deep seated in us and come from our past. A recent hurt may be the result of an argument with a spouse whereas a deep hurt may be the result of a parent hitting us as a child. Both are important because both hurt and both cause us to hurt others if we allow. Ask if you're hurt right now. Has there been anything recently in your life that has caused you harm? What was it? What happened? Walk through it. Ask why it hurt. Should it have the amount of power that it does in your life? Are you blowing it up? Is it justified? Can you reason it away or does it need more healing than that? It's very possible it's relational pain and healing needs to happen. If that's true then seek out who has hurt you and try to walk through the issue (of your pain) with them. Let them know how you've been hurt and try to reconcile. Try to see how they love you (hopefully they do). Do what you can to help the hurt. If the pain is deep and from the past then, depending on what it is, a conversation may not be enough. Perhaps counseling will help (it's not just for crazy people ya know). Long-lasting pains play a part in forming our identities and we need help to see how they've worked themselves into our personality and social patterns. If we've been abused it's possible we'll be quick to abuse those who we see doing wrong because we've decided we can't stand for abuse to exist (ironic isn't it). Hurt people are fully of sad irony (I sure am). Deep pain take help to remove and they take time. It's hard work but it can be worked out and as it gets worked out we can do our best to try and recognize it when it pops up and demands us to act upon it. As we hurt, identfy our pain, and seek reconciliation/healing, we must make every effort to not give into our hurt and cause hurt to others.

Next we should ask if we are hurting others. That's a part of the healing process. In that argument that recently hurt me did I cause hurt as well? Did I do it because I was hurting? If so, apologies are repentance are in order. We've got to make things right. Am I constantly causing hurt to others? Am I rude, insulting, neglecting, abusive? Are my behavior patterns unhealthy and damaging to those around me? If so it's time to try and form new patterns. Asking others to help us with this is good. We need people to counsel us, asking questions all the time. We need people to call us out on our abusing of others, we need accountability. As I said in the previous paragraph, we need help and we need time. If we're hurting others we can stop doing it but it's hard. Living out the love of Christ is a killer (of self) and denying the desires of our pain and bitterness is a very difficult thing to do.

When other people are being hurtful towards us (though physical or verbal abuse, neglect, or passive aggressive acts) it's good to ask why. Are they intending to hurt or are they unaware? Is there something motivating them to hurt us? People don't hurt others without motivation, there's always a reason (even if they can't name it themselves). How has this person been hurt? Did I cause the hurt that's causing them to hurt me? Remember, people who hurt you are hurting in some way for some reason and even though they're being the bad guy they are probably the victim somehow as well. Even if they aren't they are suffering somewhere within themselves and that means they need healing and that means they need help.

We need to learn to react in love, seeing the person and not the mere situation. We must learn to be careful and thorough observers, taking note of all we can see in front of us in regards to those we interact with. It's hard to seek a fair and balanced perspective, especially when we're trying to have that perspective towards someone who is hurting us or who we want to hurt at that moment, but we have to try and see people as God sees them. We have to see people for who they are (creations of God, loved by him, tainted by sin, living in a broken world, imperfect, and hurting). Patience and kindness go a long way. We may be interacting with someone and realize that the person has been stung with pain and thus the issue is no longer important. At this point we must begin to focus on the person and their pain. Often, the issue is not the issue. That means a person may blow up over a topic of conversation but their issue is not what is being discussed but a pain within them. The pain may be connected to the discussion but it usually has deeper roots than expected. People are deeper than we anticipate (especially online).

We're all hurt in some ways. We all hurt in some ways. None of us want to be hurt and none of us truly want to cause pain for others. In moments we may want to harm others because it's all we know to do as a reaction to our pain but we have to learn to fight this. We also must to learn to heal that when it occurs in others around us. We have to help one another, loving one another, seeking to cover pains with healing and reconciliation.

Paul stated in Ephesians 4:1-3 "I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." He ends a letter to the Corinthians says, "Finally, brothers, rejoice. Aim for restoration, comfort one another, agree with one another, live in peace; and the God of love and peace will be with you" (2Corinthians 13:11). He tells the Church in Rome, "Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality" (Romans 12:10-13).

When the desire to hurt comes up or when someone begins to act out of pain, hurting us, let us remember the Proverbs of scripture which tell us to extinguish the flames of fury and bring peace so that we may love one another. "The beginning of strife is like letting out water, so quit before the quarrel breaks out" (17:14). "A brother offended is more unyielding than a strong city, and quarreling is like the bars of a castle" (18:19). "It is an honor for a man to keep aloof from strife, but every fool will be quarreling" (20:3). "For lack of wood the fire goes out, and where there is no whisperer, quarreling ceases. As charcoal to hot embers and wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife." (26:20-21).

The Holy Spirit; Do We Have It?

There came a time, after his resurrection, when Jesus left the disciples and ascended into heaven. In Acts 1 Jesus tells his followers, "...wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit." ...But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (vv. 4-5, 8). We know from scripture that the Spirit brings peace, power, unity, words in trial, strength, and joy. The kingdom of God is a matter of the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). The Christian life is a life lived in the Spirit.

It was clear at Pentecost that the Holy Spirit had come to the followers of Jesus because there were very obvious and tangible signs. The Spirit was acknowledged by the senses of the bystanders. Through flaming tongues, miraculous communication, and an uncommon form of interaction (which looked like drunkenness apparently) it was clear that the Spirit had come in what some might call a new way. However, when sinners are baptised in the Spirit this doesn't always happen, in fact it probably only was meant to happen once but that's a discussion for another time. So how do we know if we, sinners saved by grace who are trying to live a life of faith and good deeds yet falling short as we do our best supposed to know with certainty whether or not we have the Spirit? Will our chests be strangely warmed as some men have said they experienced? Will we speak in the tongues of angels as some have? Is there still some kind kind of sense oriented sign that shouts "LOOK! I have within me the Spirit of God!?" I believe there is.

A large theme in the scriptures is the bearing of fruit. Sometimes there is a contrast between bearing fruit and bearing no fruit (the fig tree Jesus curses for example) and other times there is the contrast between bearing good fruit and bad fruit. Jesus discusses the issue of false teachers saying, "Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire" (Matthew 7:17-19). In John 5:1-8 Jesus says

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

“I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples."

So good trees ear good fruit and bad trees bad or no fruit. Trees that bear good fruit are gardened by God, the original gardener (think Creation and Eden) and bad trees are apart from God and later meet their end (how could they not? Dead things rot and fall away and are only good for burning). By the way, trees are people in all this garden talk. Jesus refers to himself as a tree in that John passage at the beginning. You and I are trees and we are either good trees that are gardened by God or bad trees apart from him. And how do we know which we are? By our fruit! So what does this fruit stuff have to do with the Spirit? Well, the Spirit also produces fruit. His activity has results just like our activity. When we have the Spirit of God there are certain proofs/fruits that we can observe. These fruits are mentioned by the Apostle Paul in Galatians 5:22-23. "But the fruit of the Spirit is

• love
• joy
• peace
• patience
• kindness
• goodness
• faithfulness
• gentleness
• self-control.

If we can be defined by these terms then odds are we have the Spirit. Unloving, joyless, quarrelsom, impatient, mean, wicked, brimming with denial, coarse, and uncontrolled people are not those who belong to God but are against him. Life in the Spirit looks like the attributes of that verse. If we are out of control, unfaithful, unloving, impatient, and ungentle people then we are not yet living in the love of God, accepting Christ and all he has for us. Part of accepting Christ as Lord is laying down our worldly weapons of the flesh (I don't mean guns and knives but our shallow and sinful practices and desires) and bowing before him. We must put off our old self, dying as though we were on the cross, and putting on the new self as though we have been raised from the grave and been given a new body with which to walk around in. It's like being reborn. We play an active role in our conversion for we decide to cease trying to be the Lord of our own lives; we give up our power of king and we concede it to Christ and we begin to operate under his rule. When we say Christ is Lord we are saying that he is in charge and we are not. He commands us and we obey. This is how we know we love him, we obey him (John 14:15).

As Paul says, "Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit" (Galatians 5:25). We keep in step with the Spirit by pursuing Christ and his Way. As we actively resist the ways of the sinful world and nature that are constantly against us let us seek God in prayer for it is prayer that demolishes strongholds in our lives and makes for us to have the things God wants to give us. It is the Spirit which produces this fruit in us and it is God who sends the Spirit. It is not by our own works that we are people with the fruit of the Spirit but by the grace of God. He desired us and sought us. When we respond to him with faith he gardens us and makes us to bear fruit. It is a partnership and it is a process. The disciples screwed up repeatedly while they walked with Jesus for several years but there came a time when they lived into their faith and the Spirit was given to them by God's will (not their works). They knew Christ was Lord after the resurrection and they lived in that reality of faith and as a result they received the Spirit and through them the world saw love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control unlike anyone else. Other's followed suit and eventually pagan men such as Aristides were writing things like "And see, because of them, good flows on in the world! Truly it is they who have sought and have found the truth, and from what we have understood here we must conclude that they alone are close to the knowledge of truth."

May good flow on in the world because of your faith and your obedience to God. May you see fruit from the Spirit which is promised to those who abandon the world and their own rebellion and finally claim Jesus Christ is Lord! May you lay down your crown at the foot of the cross of Jesus of Nazareth who was later raised and told us of our helper; the Holy Spirit. May the wrestling out of your salvation produce good fruit so that you do not rot, die, and burn away but rather find and produce life that may be enjoyed for eternity (Romans 8:13). Amen.

Keys to Communicating Well

Two of the largest aspects of my job here at Transitional Youth are practicing and teaching good communication and conflict resolution skills. Since coming on board over two years ago I've changed in how I communicate with people. I can debate and work through conflicts/disagreements far better now than before I worked here. I'm far better at these skills than I was even a year ago. I often see people trying to have a debate or discussion on Xanga and notice how they aren't helping their cause due to poor communication skills so I decided to write about a couple characteristics of healthy communication and conflict resolution for anyone who is interested.

Pitching and Receiving

In every healthy interaction there needs to be a catcher and a pitcher. Other terms we use for these positions are encoder and decoder. Our tagline for this is "Know Your Role!" The pitcher/encoder is the person speaking. They are heading up the discussion at the moment. This person is sending a message that they want someone else to receive and receive fully. The other person is catching/decoding. They are working hard to receive and understand what is being said. Making sense of what has come their direction from the encoder/pitcher is their role at the moment. This often consists of something called "active listening." Everyone wants to be heard so active listening requires serious attention. Signs of a healthy active listener:

• Showing the speaker that you are paying attention and trekking with them by saying things such as "Yeah", "okay", "uh huh", "Right", "Oh I see", and so on without disrupting the flow. While this is often employed by people who don't pay attention, eye contact and facial expressions can help communicate serious listening. This can be difficult online. Sometimes it's best to say encouraging things between messages to get this message across.
• Paraphrasing what the pitcher has thrown your way. If you are listening well you can repeat what the encoder has communicated with similar words back to them. If you can communicate their message in a way they approve of then you've successfully decoded. If your paraphrasing isn't accurate then you ask them to "please explain that to me again so I can get a better idea of what you're trying to say?" Paraphrasing in this context is essentially saying to the pitcher "It sounds like you're saying 'suchandsuch blah blah blah suchitysuchsuch', is that about right?" You're putting their message in your language without compromising what they truly mean. They'll let you know if you're hitting the mark or not. Paraphrasing is HUGE!
• Probing during the discussion. Aside from often stopping the conversation momentarily to make sure you are up to speed via paraphrasing it is good to stop the conversation at points and ask open ended questions for clarification. Yes and no questions can be helpful but it's usually best to use questions that force the pitcher to give a fuller explanation of their message. In debate this may look like asking for the support for a specific point of an argument. "How do you back that up?" Why and how questions are good for this.

In a healthy interaction there will be a switching of roles from time to time. Both people involved will ask and answer questions, allowing ample time for the other to answer and explain. Both people will make attempts to convey what they believe the other person is trying to communicate so that there is no miscommunication. When both people are pitching nothing is truly received. Talking at one another is not helpful. Talking with one another is very helpful. Good conversation is like a game of catch. Conversations are not meant to be one sided. Ask and answer questions. Make your points known and let the other person know their points are known. The goal should be for everyone to move forward and that takes teamwork.

Checking the Temperature

My boss likes to call this the Goldilocks Rule but I prefer the temperature perspective. They are the same thing so it doesn't really matter. In every interaction, especially disagreements, debates, and conflicts, there is a temperature. Sometimes the temperature is comfortable and everyone is happy. Sometimes the temperature changes and things got pretty hot and as a result someone operating at a high temperature can't go any further in the interaction without first cooling down. For those interesting in the Goldilocks version, you have to check what bowl of porridge is being consumed. Are things too cold in the interaction and nobody is engaging? Is the porridge too hot and leaving people with burned tongues and frustration? Hopefully the porridge is just right and both people are actively engaging one another without things getting too heated or out of control. Checking the temperature simply means keeping an eye on how the person you're interacting with is feeling. If they feel attacked, angry, hurt, or are showing signs of discomfort it may be time to step back and let them cool down. If it looks like they are comfortable and can handle more of the discussion then feel free to keep it going! Basically, be concerned for and aware of the person you're interacting with so you don't burn the bridge. If you know your own temperature is rising then it may be best to politely step away for a while.

Of course, this can be difficult online since there is no voice tone or body language to observe. However, people can give hints through what they write. A lot of CAPS or exclamation marks (!) can indicate a high temperature. Short answers can indicate a cold temperature. Personalizing the issue is often a sign of the temperature rising and personal attacks are a sure sign that the porridge is too hot. Being aware of the other person's feelings proves that one has a goal of genuine conversation and relationship as opposed to simply winning or being right.

Proverbs

There are a few Proberbs from scripture that I think are helpful in this arena.

• A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions (18:2).
• He who answers before listening— that is his folly and his shame (18:13).
• Through patience a ruler can be persuaded, and a gentle tongue can break a bone (25:15).
• Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger (29:8).
• Do you see a man who speaks in haste? There is more hope for a fool than for him (29:20).

At the end of the day, if we can treat others the way we wish to be treated in interactions then things have a better chance of going well.

Ecclesiastes 3; Poetry & Theology

I was reading Ecclesiastes 3 today and I admired the beauty of it. The reality that much of the passage is poetry came alive to me in this reading. The structure of the chapter proves to us that this in fact poetry. It's structured as A) Poetry B) Reflection A) Poetry B) Reflection. It's quite beautiful. It's like reading a poem and then having the author give commentary on the piece, telling the reader what the context of the writing is. What were they thinking about during the writing? What did this art bring out of them? How did it affect the way they see the world and how does it prove the way they see the world for the reader? Having those types of questions answered by an artist is always nice. That's why people enjoy DVD commentaries!

I've argued before that this passage (more specifically, the first poem in the chapter which consists of verses 1-8) is not a declaration of ethics or things permissible for lovers of God but rather observations about the way life is through the eyes of Solomon. Today I saw this again during my reading. Here is the first poem,

There is a time for everything,
and a season for every activity under the heavens:

a time to be born and a time to die,
a time to plant and a time to uproot,
a time to kill and a time to heal,
a time to tear down and a time to build,
a time to weep and a time to laugh,
a time to mourn and a time to dance,
a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,
a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing,
a time to search and a time to give up,
a time to keep and a time to throw away,
a time to tear and a time to mend,
a time to be silent and a time to speak,
a time to love and a time to hate,
a time for war and a time for peace.

While some read this phrase "a time to..." meaning "at times you should/can..." (as though it were a blessing to perform the activity mentioned) I firmly believe it's saying "a time of..." If my reading were correct then this first poem would essentially be communicating that there are times of birth, death, planting, uprooting, killing, healing, tearing down, building up, weeping, laughing, mourning, dancing, scattering stones, gathering stones, embracing, pushing away, searching, quitting, keeping, throwing away, tearing, mending, silence, speaking, loving, hating, war, and peace. When we poetically look at life we tend to throw the good and the bad together. People often use contrasts to paint a picture of the chaos and beauty of life. Life is full of so much stuff that it's easiest to explain how much exists in life by pointing to one thing and then it's antithesis (opposite). I think the opening line of "There is a time for birth and a time for death" sets up the reader to expect a message of "here is what is between birth and death, here is what life consists of." This describing of what life is like through contrast is what Solomon is doing in this poem. He's simply saying that there is a time in which everything happens in life, every activity pops up, from life to death, from war to peace. In life we have the good, the bad, and everything between.

Solomon goes on to give some commentary after this poem. He then writes another poem (which actually appears to be a second half to the first) which is clearly derivitive of his commentary on the first poem. He writes,

Whatever is has already been,
and what will be has been before;
and God will call the past to account.

And I saw something else under the sun:

In the place of judgment—wickedness was there,
in the place of justice—wickedness was there.

I said to myself,

“God will bring into judgment
both the righteous and the wicked,
for there will be a time for every activity,
a time to judge every deed.”

This is what seals the deal for knowing that Solomon is making observations about the reality of life. He walks to the end of the age, a time when judgment from God shall be present, and he states that there will be a time for every activity - a statement which points back to the first poem - and that there will be a judgment for every deed done. Everything will happen and everything will come under the judgment of God. If it were good and permissible to do every activity under the sun, which is the conclusion one must reach if he/she believes Solomon's first poem is a giving of permission and not an observation, then God would have no reason to judge it for it would all be good. There would be no need to divide wheat from chaff, lamb from goats, good from bad. Solomon writes that God will bring into judgment both the righteous and the wicked. Due to there being both righteous and wicked people every activity under the sun will have it's time. In other words the righteous will bring into this world times of love, healing, planting, peace and so on while the wicked will bring into this world times of hate, war, killing, uprooting, and so on.* Yes, there is a time for everything. Everything under the sun will and does have it's time because the righteous and the wicked bear fruit in our reality. Just as Solomon had used contrast earlier in the first poem he is using it in the second. There are the righteous and there are the wicked. There is love and hate, peace and war, birth and death, healing and killing. This is not a mistake and it is not a coincidence. It is intentional poetry which reveals theological truth.

Following this Paul shares a few more thoughts on life in general. That's a key to understanding this whole chapter. Solomon continues to return to the big picture of life. He writes a poem and then gives a commentary which deals with the general reality of life. He's not setting out to write what's ethical or permissible for believers but rather reflecting upon what's true about life. We know this is true because he starts phrases in his commentary with structures such as "I have seen...", "He [God] has...", "I know...", "God tests...", "All have/go...", "Everything is...", "Who knows if..." Like we all do, Solomon is reflecting on the big picture and he's doing it through poetry. This isn't like the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus gives teachings about how to live ethically as citizens of the kingdom of God and it's not like Paul's letters which lay out theological truths and the ethical applications of those truths for the believer. This is good poetry with good theological truth. We can pull some ethical material out of the implications of this work but we must acknowledge that Solomon wasn't writing a work about ethics.

It's beautiful poetry and I'm thankful for it. I'm grateful that we have minds that are able to understand contrast and how to use that tool to draw out the truths of our world. I'm grateful that Solomon brings all human activity, good and bad, to it's end where there exists a good judgment from a good God. Our world is messy but God's going to sort it out. Yes, God mysteriously makes everything beautiful in it's time (v. 11). Everything happens, but it won't always be that way because after there is judgment "there will be no more death’ or mourning or crying or pain..." (Revelation 21:4). Until that time we should work and toil and enjoy life while doing good. It seems to me that doing good probably consists of things such as planting, loving, making peace, healing, building, and rolling with the punches. May we be mindful of what is to come as we see mourning and laughing and all the contrasts that exist in our world.

*While I would say this is typically a fair look at life I also believe that God, who can make all things beautiful, has righteously initiated killings and "wars" and commanded his righteous people to obey him in those pursuits. Of course, I also believe God can do certain things well that men can not. So while there is the truth that killing and war have been brought about through non-wicked parties it's still commonly agreed that both killing and war are bad things so the contrast method seen in the poem still makes it's point.

Are We Loving?

Even though they are placed in the discussion of spiritual gifts, it is undeniable that the truths proclaimed in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7 can stand strong in truth outside of that context. When I evaluate whether or not I am loving others well I look predominantly to these verses. I think of people I have relationships with - sometimes this is the person at church or school while other times it is a significant other, family member, friend, or a person I regularly give help to. In routine and in trial (especially in trial) it can be easy to blind ourselves to how weak our love for another person may be. It is easy to give other's less than love demands. This is an invitation to evaluate yourself. Think of someone you're in relationship with, maybe the person you're having the most difficulty or conflict with (I try to pick this person often since I believe that the person I love the least is the truest indication of how I love Jesus) and then take a minute for each of the following question categories.

As I aim to love [insert name]...

• Am I patient with them? Through whatever we deal with together and whatever they do to test me, am I patient? Do I withstand time when it is not in my favor with this person? Have I been impatient lately?

• Am I kind towards them? Despite what they do or say to me, do I treat them kindly with words and attitudes of blessing? Do I seek their well-being with how I treat them? Have I been unkind lately?

• Am I envious towards them? Do I see the blessings or possessions in this person's life and desire them for myself? Do I hold what I don't have against them? Do I hold what they have against them? Have I been happy for the blessings in this person's life lately?

• Am I boastful towards them? Is humility evident in my interactions with this person? Am I speaking too much and too highly of myself? Do I put myself over and above this person loudly? Have I been a servant to this person or praised them in thankfulness lately?

• Am I arrogant in front of them? Have I been presenting an attitude of selfish pride? Do I believe or act as if this person owes me anything. Do I see myself as deserving worship of some kind, getting upset when they don't admire me to the level I think I have earned? Have I put them first lately?

• Am I rude towards them? How would other's characterize my treatment of this person? Have I been short with them, insulting, patronizing, sarcastic, or stuck up towards them? Do I belittle or disrespect this person, whether I think they deserve it or not? Have I been truly honoring towards them lately?

• Am I insisting on my own way with them? How often am I trying to get what I want out of this relationship? Do I find ways to manipulate or persuade them to give me what I want. Do I forsake the desires of this person? Could I be called selfish towards them? Have I been selfless, seeking their wants lately?

• Am I irritable with them? Do I arrive quickly at anger or annoyance with the person? Have I lacked grace in our interactions? Do I see more negatives than positives when I have this person in my mind or sight? Have I been affectionate with them lately?

• Am I resentful towards them? Are there things I have been holding against this person? Have I not let go of past conflicts or trespasses? Am I often looking to hurt the person or trap them so that I can feel a sense of justice? Am I letting this person's shortcomings and failures define them in my heart? Have I been forgiving lately?

• Am I rejoicing in doing wrong towards them? Is pleasure within my soul when I've hurt this person or 'got one over' on them? Do I tell others about how I 'showed them' and find pride in this accomplishment? Do I see gaining power over this person as a type of victory? Have I rejoiced in what is true and good lately even if it is difficult?

• Am I bearing all things with them? Am I honestly sharing in all their joys and pains? Do I see their sin as something I must also carry even though they have committed the trespass? Do I see myself as being their supporter and teammate? Am I living in true unity? Have I ben self-sacrificial in co-owning their baggage lately?

• Am I believing all things for/with them? Can a confidence in what is not yet or what is unseen be found in my spirit for this person's life? Do I trust them? Do I give them the benefit of the doubt, believing they can live into the image of God? Do I think good things are possible for this person? Have I been doubting or skeptical of them lately?

• Am I hoping all things for them? Do I see their potential and cling to it, knowing they may not reach it but never abandoning the possibility that they may live into what they seek? Have I given up on them? Am I prone to write this person off due to bumps in the road? Have I gone against what looks like reality lately for the sake of clinging to the knowledge that God can do mighty and reforming things in them lately?

• Am I enduring all things with them? When they hurt me repeatedly and don't treat me the way they ought to do I continue loving them? Am I forgiving them as they put nails in me? Am I allowing trials and troubles to stop me from extending to this person the love they may not deserve? Have I been sticking to my commitments or vows to this person even if they haven't lately?

Finally, I always ask "How did Jesus show his love for me?" and when I have remembered this wonderful answer I ask "Am I extending that same deep and precious love to this particular person?" Too often the answer isn't pleasing to know and I have to face the fact that I have some changing to do in my heart and in my actions. May you find yourself in a better place of love than I often do and may you continue to do your very best at loving others, knowing that the one you love the least is the truest indication of how you love the LORD your God. May you repent, changing directions, when you discover you've loved poorly or not at all. May the stone covering that might be covering your heart melt away and may you be enabled and encouraged to love others as Christ has loved you. May you be love as God is love, fulfilling it's ways.

Why Christians Should Buy Swords

One of the problems some folks have with the notion that Christians shouldn't use violence is that they see a contrasting expectation or perhaps contradicting command from Jesus in one particular passage of scripture. The passage in which Jesus commands his disciples to buy swords can bring confusion if one does not understand the context in which it exists. Below is the often quoted Luke 22:36-38.

He [Jesus] said to them, “But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one. It is written: ‘And he was numbered with the transgressors’; and I tell you that this must be fulfilled in me. Yes, what is written about me is reaching its fulfillment.”

The disciples said, “See, Lord, here are two swords.”

“It is enough” he replied.

I believe there are three important elements of context worth examining when dealing with this passage. 1) The preceding verses, 2) The prophecy quoted by Jesus in the selected verses, and 3) The procedeing verses. It is my belief that this command rests snuggly in a much larger message and that the larger message dictates the purpose and meaning of this command. The surrounding verses of a passage (or 'context') is how we are able to determine the truest message of that passage.

The Preceding Verses

To open Luke 22 Judas agrees to betray Jesus (vv.1-6). Following that we begin the account of the Last Supper. There are many small and significant things that occur in this passage but the main focus is the pointing towards Jesus' coming death. Beginning with verse 15 it is clear that Jesus is predicting to his disciples his approaching death (vv. 15-20). Jesus guides his disciples through the Passover feast and uses the time to repeatedly make it clear he is about to suffer and die and he encourages them to drink of the cup and eat of the bread, his blood and body, so that they may remember him (v. 19) and share in his kingdom (v.29-30). Jesus speaks of one who will betray him and immediately, as they tend to do, the disciples get into a squabble about which of them is greatest (obviously missing the point of what Jesus is trying to communicate to them). Jesus teaches them not to seek power but to seek service just as he has done with them (vv. 24-30). This is key to the coming conflict. We should be careful to divorce these words about service from his death predictions for we know from other scriptures that the two motifs are intertwined. After this ,Simon Peter, whom we shall refer to as Peter, swears to Jesus "Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death." Jesus informs Peter that Peter will end up denying him three times before morning comes.

Next, Jesus gives what may be seen as the introduction to the specific discussion concerning swords. Verse 35 states, "Then Jesus asked them, 'When I sent you without purse, bag or sandals, did you lack anything?' 'Nothing,' they answered." Why does Jesus say this? Is he simply trying to use a smooth segway to move from Peter's denial to the command for swords by saying "Remember that one time? Well, this is sort of the same..." or is he reminding the disciples of when he sent them out and they lacked nothing for reason other than to transfer topics of discussion? It seems to me that Jesus is reminding the disciples of the important truth that even when they have nothing they lack nothing thanks to God. They can trust God for all things. At the same time, I do believe Jesus is comparing the previous missions with this current mission. Whereas before the disciples were to leave purse, extra cloak, and all belongings, now Jesus demands they take purse, bag, and sword (the sword is so important that if one does not have a sword they ought to sell their cloak for one!). Many theologians have debated this teaching. Why would Jesus connect this reminder to the command to purchase swords? Most biblical scholars maintain that Jesus is warning his disciples about forthcoming trouble. We'll return to this shortly.

The Prophecy

When looking at the selected verses (36-38) there is a very interesting dynamic of the quoted prophecy. Jesus tells the disciples to each sell their cloak and buy a sword and then immediately quotes a prophecy about being numbered with transgressors and says that the prophecy must be fulfilled in him and that the prophecy is already in the process of being fulfilled. There is a connection there. But why would Jesus quote this prophecy? What does it have to do with the instruction for these disciples to buy swords? What does Jesus mean when he says to his followers "It is enough?" What could 2 swords be enough to do? Certainly 2 swords is not sufficient to protect 12 men. If the men coming against Jesus and the disciples have weapons then 2 swords certainly won't be enough to win that fight. When it comes to protection and fighting this is not enough to save anyone's skin. Therein may be the point. Jesus' skin needs to not be saved so that the souls of many might be saved! Jesus must go to the cross! He knows this. He just spent an entire meal talking about it! So how does Jesus get to the cross? What will it take for him to be given such an unjustified execution? Something must happen which allows the Jewish authorities to send Jesus to the Roman cross. What Jesus means by "It is enough" is answered already by the quoted prophecy.

Jesus quotes Isaiah 53:12 which states,

Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

This is incarnation language that Jesus has adopted. He is proclaiming that this scripture is speaking of him, the God who became man. He has come to be numbered among the transgressors to make an intercession for them. It is no hidden truth that man has transgressed against God (Psalm 65:3) or that Jesus Christ becomes the transgression/sin of mankind upon the cross (2 Corinthians 5:21). The language of life being poured out for others is also connected to this chapter of Luke through the Last Supper. Is there more to this transgressor talk though? How does this connect to the command to purchase swords? Jesus says that this prophecy is currently happening. The process of the fulfillment has begun. I believe there are a two strong conclusions we can draw about this prophecy being connected to the command to buy swords. 1) Jesus needs to be counted among transgressors not only in the sight of God but the sight of men and 2) Jesus is warning his disciples.

While this passage can speak of the Incarnation of Christ and his overall work I believe Jesus is using it in a more time specific manner. After he has risen we can look at the passage and make sense of it applying to his entire mission but Jesus is using the prophecy at a specific time in that mission and odds are that he's doing it for a reason. It would seem that he needs to be numbered among transgressors. That's the quoted line of this verse in Isaiah. Jesus' chief concern with this prophecy is being numbered among transgressors, so how does he achieve that? How is that to be fulfilled and how has it already started to be fulfilled? Some scholars argue that the command to buy swords is given so that the disciples will literally buy the swords, obeying Jesus' command, and appear to be transgressors, thus Jesus being numbered among transgressors when the chief priests arrive. Others argue that Jesus knew his disciples would misunderstand his command, buy the swords, and use them later and thus Jesus would still be numbered amongst transgressors. Both arguments end up in the same place and both see the command as a literal command. I agree. It seems that Jesus is telling his disciples to buy swords so that he can be numbered among transgressors. Another way to see this is to put the word '"Therefore" at the beginning of the sentence "It is written..." so as to trace the line of Jesus' thought. To recap: How is the prophecy fulfilled? By Jesus being with the disciples who look like or who actually become transgressors. How is it currently being fulfilled? The disciples are obtaining swords and misunderstanding Jesus; preparing the way for his being numbered as a transgressor when the time arrives. Jesus' primary focus is the prophecy. He needs to be caught with transgressors so he may go to the cross and fulfill his purpose. This is the main thrust of this passage. The swords are a gear in the greater machine, a drop in the creek. The command to buy swords is not the primary focus and thus must somehow serve the primary focus.

Yet, while Jesus is primarily concerned with his journey to the cross and the will of his Father (as we saw he agreed to follow according to his prayer only a few verses earlier in the garden) it seems he is also concerned with warning his disciples. Jesus' command seems to be both literal and figurative. If the the passage is figurative then what could Jesus be trying to communicate to his disciples?

The famous commentator Matthew Henry wrote of this passage, "Our Lord gave notice of a very great change of circumstances now approaching. The disciples must not expect that their friends would be kind to them as they had been. Therefore, he that has a purse, let him take it, for he may need it. They must now expect that their enemies would be more fierce than they had been, and they would need weapons. At the time the apostles understood Christ to mean real weapons, but he spake only of the weapons of the spiritual warfare. The sword of the Spirit is the sword with which the disciples of Christ must furnish themselves." Echoing this wisdom, the InterVarsity Press Commentary states, "The disciples take Jesus' remarks literally and incorrectly. They note that they have two swords, but Jesus cuts off the discussion. Something is not right, but it is too late to discuss it. As the arrest will show, they have misunderstood. They draw swords then, but Jesus stops their defense in its tracks. He is not telling them to buy swords to wield in physical battle. They will have to provide for themselves and fend for themselves, but not through the shedding of blood. They are being drawn into a great cosmic struggle, and they must fight with spiritual swords and resources. The purchase of swords serves only to picture this coming battle. This fight requires special weapons (Eph 6:10-18)."

Some scholars such as David Stern* have commented that Jesus is not saying the disciples have an adequate amount of swords but rather that they have misunderstood him. He writes, "Yeshua [Jesus] is not inventorying his disciples' arsenal but saying, 'You have taken me too literally. I'm not talking about swords. End the conversation! Enough already!" I believe that Jesus is saying that the two swords are sufficient for his purposes but I also believe he is simultaneously saying what Stern argues. The disciples have misunderstood Jesus once again in thinking that the swords are for anything but fulfilling the prophecy he connected to the command. I'm not sure I'm willing to accept that Jesus is saying "It it enough" in a way that sounds more like "Enough of this foolishness!" even if that would have made just as much sense for him to say. I don't see scripture indicating that message until later.

The Proceeding Verses

Follow Jesus' statement that the two swords are enough he goes up the Mount of Olives with his disciples so that they may pray. Jesus is preparing for his arrest and crucifixion at this point. He has held the Last Supper, trying to prepare his disciples for the troubling times ahead, and now he seeks to prepare himself and to pray for his disciples (God knows they need it). The exhausted students fall asleep and in verse 46 Jesus says to them, "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation." What kind of temptation is Jesus concerned about? Any temptation? All temptation? Specific temptation? Jesus knows what is about to come and thus he knows what dangers and temptations lie ahead of his disciples this night and in the days and age to come. This means there are specific temptations Jesus wants his disciples to be guarded against. If the temptation is unclear now it will soon be seen.

Immediately Judas shows up and betrays Jesus. As this happens we see confusion from the disciples. They do not know how to handle the situation at hand. They should have prayed. The disciples are confused as to whether or not they should use their swords; if they should violently attack their enemy. They ask "Lord, should we strike with our swords?" clearly not knowing what the swords are for and not knowing their role in the fulfillment of the prophecy which is bearing fruit before their eyes. This, I believe is the temptation; They are tempted to not follow in the way of Christ in a time of difficulty and to get in the way of the fulfillment of the prophecy. If the disciples would follow Jesus' teachings then they would not get in the way, as it is, they are tempted to do the opposite. Instead of loving enemies and trusting in God as in the times when they had nothing they have the option to trust in the sword and strike. Without waiting for an answer from the Lord there is action (incredibly similar to the disobedient violence of Israel in the OT).**

Perhaps due to a lack of prayer one of the disciples, (the account in John tells us it is Peter) gives into temptation and strikes, cutting off the ear of one of the men seizing Jesus. Against this action Jesus calls out, "No more of this!" Jesus rebukes Peter. No more of this striking with swords, no more of this misunderstanding, no more not trusting in God as you've learned to do previously. No more of this way. How do we know that Jesus is specifically rebuking the use of the sword? He acts against it and heals the ear of his enemy who has been wounded by the sword. Jesus undoes the damage done by the sword. There is a wounding and then there is a healing. The power of the sword and the power of Christ's love. The action of a man who did not pray and the action of the one who prayed so hard his sweat was like blood. There is a stark contrast between Jesus and Peter in this moment and we are right to side with Jesus. This contrast illuminates Jesus' rebuke against the use of the sword. It seems that the buying of the swords, even just 2, was indeed enough. Using the swords is too much. In the Greek the words "It is enough" literally translate as "until this enough." Until this action, it was enough. Peter has gone too far.

Following this rebuke and healing Jesus turns to those seizing him and says something interesting. He says, "Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come with swords and clubs? Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on me. But this is your hour—when darkness reigns" (vv.52b-53). Jesus asks why these men felt the need to approach him with weapons, as if he posed some sort of violent threat. He is not leading a rebellion, he is not a zealot (like Simon who was part of the zealot party which desperately desired to overthrow the Romans with their swords if needed). This question makes it clear that Jesus and his followers (who have been with him at all times including the previous days in the temple) do not pose a threat. There is no need for these men to seize Jesus with weapons. It's unnecessary. Jesus points out that there is no reason to lay a hand on him and in this seizing (which consists of weapons) the chief priests show their allegiance to darkness. The weapons aren't the problem but rather their opposition to Jesus. Darkness reigns in their apprehension of him. However, the weapons increase the obviousness of this rebellion against Jesus' kingdom and their allegiance to the rein of darkness because the weapons are in no way needed. And make no mistake, Jesus is not saying this because he had wished that they had come empty handed so that his disciples would have the upper hand in a knife fight. Again, that would go against Jesus' entire purpose.

This should make it absolutely clear that Jesus never intended for his disciples to use these swords against anyone. As Pastor Gregory Boyd points out in his short evaluation of this passage, "Given how Jesus responds to Peter’s use of the sword (he rebukes him), and given everything Jesus says about loving enemies, doing good to them, turning the other cheek, and so on, it’s clear that, whatever Jesus was up to in telling his followers to buy swords, he clearly didn’t intend for them to use them." The notion that Jesus is commanding his followers to buy swords for the purpose of using them in times of danger or attack goes against what we see happening in the full passage. If that were Jesus' intention then why the rebuke and why the statement to the chief priests? Why the healing? Why the contrast? While it is true that Jesus is mostly upset with Peter for getting in the way of the prophecy being fulfilled it wouldn't make sense to claim that Jesus is solely concerned with the prophecy. He is concerned for his disciples as well. He wants them to follow his Way! We can not read this passage of scripture and say that Jesus meant for his disciples to buy swords so that they could protect themselves after he left (which some want to argue). This would make his healing of the servant and his statement to the chief priests out of place. If he meant for his disciples to carry swords for protection then 2 swords for 12 men certainly wouldn't be enough, especially if the authorities were coming against the disciples with more weapons! In an arms race the disciples lose. Therefore Jesus could not possibly have meant for the swords to be used against enemies. Their purpose must be directly connected to the prophecy and to Jesus' notification that times were about to become difficult.

Church Father Tertullian once wrote, "The Lord, in disarming Peter, subsequently unbelted every soldier." While I don't believe that Jesus' specific aim here was to preach a message of nonviolence I agree with Tertullian that in this teaching Jesus does disarm every one of us who would draw a weapon against an enemy by reminding us that God has provided for us in the past and can continue to do so. Luke's message here is not one of nonviolence or pacifism and yet the message to love enemies and trust God in all circumstances (especially if they be hazardous to our health) is unmistakeable. Self-preservation seems antithetical to Jesus' focus in this passage which is self-sacrifice. It doesn't make sense for Jesus to promote self-sacrificing love for enemies by teaching it during his ministry and exampling it here while simultaneously teaching his disciples that they no longer need pick up their cross but a sword. Is Jesus contradicting himself are we reading it wrong? If we say that Jesus has changed his mind from commanding his disciples to pick up their cross to now pick up a sword then say Jesus is inconsistent. If we say we've misread the passage and that Jesus is still calling us to love enemies and do the will of God as he did by picking up our cross as self-sacrificing servants then we have a consistent Christ. The question becomes "Do we want our Christ or the Christ?" Only one saves because only one is truly willing to go to the cross.

Conclusion

So why should Christians buy swords? According to scripture they should buy swords so that Christ can be counted with transgressors and sent to the cross so that he may fulfill his purpose to die for all sinners. If a Christian has a sword outside of this context then they can still be biblical by beating that sword into a plowshare just as the Old Testament prophecies declare ought to be done by God's people (Isaiah 2:4, Joel 3:10, Micah 4:3). If we are going to invest in a sword let it be the sword of the Spirit (aka the Word of God) which is far more effective at doing the work of God since it can penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart (Ephesians 6:17, Hebrews 4:12).

The context of the passage, narrative flow of scripture, and the tradition of the church all lead the reader to conclude that Jesus is not promoting violent self-defense, violent defense of other, the American value of a right to bear arms, or even a literal command for his disciples (let alone future believers) to invest in weapons for the use of those weapons against enemies. If Jesus is giving any teaching on how to oppose attacks from enemies it is to trust in God, fighting as members of his kingdom ought to, without weapons (John 18:36, 2 Corinthians 10:4). If someone believes that Jesus intends for his followers to arm themselves with weapons so that they may fight against enemies then they are obligated to explain their position according to the context of the passage.

*David Stern is the author of the Jewish New Testament Commentary and Jewish Old Testament Commentary.

**Israel was instructed to always follow God into war and when she went ahead of God it went poorly for her. God keeps his promises to those who wait to receive them. God hands Israel's enemies over to her when He goes before them. This motif is studied and explained by Millard Lind in his book Yahweh is a Warrior; The Theology of Warfare in Ancient Israel.

The Incarnation & Our Christmas

I am part of a micro-community called Theology Pub through my congregation. We get together and talk theology, doubts, books, etc. in an open and honest atmosphere. We are a group of faithful followers and skeptics. Our aim is to be honest and to understand the reality of the gospel message and how it is to affect us in our daily life. Right now we are going through a small themed series we call Advent Conspiracy. We're talking Christmas for 4 weeks. This week is my week to facilitate the discussion and I was given the topic of the Incarnation. Here is what I wrote.

The Incarnation in Scripture

One of the main tenants of the Christian faith is the doctrine of the Incarnation. Before the death of Christ on the cross and his resurrection there was the Incarnation. It's a critical piece to the Christian faith not only doctrinally but in application as well. That is, it's not important that we merely believe it once happened but we must ensure with our own daily lives that it continues to happen. It once happened in Christ and it now happens in us. In it's most simple form we say that the Incarnation is when God became man. Scripture speaks of the incarnation several times. Perhaps the largest look at the Incarnation is in John 1:1-18.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.

The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'") And from his fullness we have all received,grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

Key features of this passage are that The Word (Jesus) existed from the beginning with and as God (this tells us of the Trinity). He created the world and is the reason life exists on earth he is the light/likeness in mankind. John makes it unmistakeable that the Word is Jesus Christ but also God himself! The Word is God become flesh, dwelling with us so that we can witness him with our very eyes. In other words, this is very real. In Philippians 2:5-8 it is written,

In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:

Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!

1 John 4:2 reads, "This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God..." The Advent accounts perhaps are the most helpful in getting a clear picture of what the Incarnation truly consists of since they are the telling of the Incarnation. Below are key exerts from the account in Matthew.

This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. ...an angel of the Lord appeared to him [Joseph] in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”

All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).

Throughout Matthew's opening chapter Jesus is addressed with a few names; Jesus, Immanuel, and Messiah (sometimes translated Christ). The three combine to make a sentence which says, "The LORD our God, the anointed one, who is able to save, is with us." The revealing of Jesus for Matthew is a declaration of the God of the Old Testament, Yahweh, coming to save the world in physical form and be with his people. This is the fulfillment of ancient prophecies. In John 14:5-11 we see Jesus speaking of his identity as the Incarnate God.

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you I do not speak on my own authority. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the works themselves.

In the Nicene Creed we declare, "For us men and for our salvation he came down from heaven; by the power of the Holy Spirit, he became incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and was made man." Eugene Peterson writes of the Incarnation in The Message by saying, "The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood." This is exactly what Incarnational love looks like. It's moving into new spaces, working in new ways, becoming something different. DC Talk may characterize it by saying "God is doin' a nu thang."* Being incarnational really does mean doing a new thing or perhaps becoming a new thing. According to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, incarnation means "The embodiment of a deity or spirit in some earthly form." Often, the Church refers to Jesus as the God-Man because he is fully God and fully man. He is God become man.

Living the Incarnation; Being An Incarnational People

Singer and songwriter Derek Webb sings a song entitled Take to the World in which he looks at the Incarnation of Jesus Christ, observes how God has used this miracle to show his deep love for the world in a very tangible way, and then challenges the listener to live into that same self-sacrificing and transformative style of incarnational love that is seen in the Triune God. Webb sings, "And take to the world this love, hope and faith. Take to the world this rare, relentless grace. And like the three in one, know you must become what you want to save ‘cause that’s still the way He takes to the world." There is a specific purpose in the Incarnation and that purpose is to save us by reconciling us with God (1 John 4:10; 4:14; 3:5), to help us to know God's love (John 3:16), to make us "partakers of the divine nature" (2 Peter 1:4), and to be our model of holiness (Matthew 11:29, Johnn 14:6, Mark 9:7; Deuteronomy 6:4-5, John 15:12, Mark 8:34). While we may not be able to make people partaker of the divine nature we still have the ministry of reconciliation, ability to help others know God's love, and imitate the Jesus model of human life. This is our aim.

Incarnational love is the kind of love that requires a person change elements of their life for the sake of others without compromising their nature. Marriage is an excellent example of what incarnation can look like for those of us who aren't God and able to become human. A person adopts a new atmosphere or environment as they dwell with another person relationally. Being a married person is entirely different from being a single person. Fully individual and fully unified to the spouse. It may not be as impressive as God become man but man become selfless is always worthy of praise. Paul teaches us what it looks like to be incarnational for others when he writes,

"For though I am free from all, I have made myself a servant to all, that I might win more of them. To the Jews I became as a Jew, in order to win Jews. To those under the law I became as one under the law (though not being myself under the law) that I might win those under the law. To those outside the law I became as one outside the law (not being outside the law of God but under the law of Christ) that I might win those outside the law. To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some. I do it all for the sake of the gospel, that I may share with them in its blessings" (1 Corinthians 9:19-23).

Paul's "strategy", if you will, is an excellent model of incarnational ministry. He is one thing but for the sake of others he becomes another, entering into their world and meeting them exactly where they are at in life and culture. Paul proves, as Derek Webb sings, "you must become what you want to save 'cause that's still the way he takes to the world." Paul does not forsake God at any point, using an any-means-necessary approach but an incarnational approach which never compromises his nature as a child of God, born through Christ. God has transformed us into the likeness of his Son and that must never be abandoned. Rather, that is exactly what enables us to be a people who live out the Incarnation here and now.

So how do we become incarnational people? This is the crux of this week's discussion. Here are some questions to get our gears spinning. Feel free to come ready to answer these specific questions or to tell us where your thoughts took you. Perhaps new questions popped up for you as you delved into the thought process.

• What traditions do we currently practice as individuals and communities which reflect the incarnation? What traditions do we practice that do not reflect the incarnation?
• What are incarnational ways we can approach the Advent season, which declares the Incarnation, that would make the world better understand what we are celebrating?
• What do incarnational gifts look like? What gifts did we receive from the Incarnation of Christ?
• Can we be incarnational without being uncomfortable? What does a proactive incarnational lifestyle look like, especially in our specific communities and during Advent?

Extra Resources

Below are some additional resources if you're interested in thinking more on the subject of the Incarnation and how we move beyond believing it into living it.

1. A classic piece of Christian literature is by Saint Athanasius and it is entitled On the Incarnation (or De Incarnatione Verbi Dei). The forward is by C.S. Lewis and he calls the work "a masterpiece." It is both simple and beautiful theology. You can read this wonderful yet short book online for free @http://www.spurgeon.org/~phil/history/ath-inc.htm. The first three chapters would be more than sufficient for our discussion.
2. Reading a passage several times over in different translations can often help us get a better grasp of what is being communicated by a biblical author. For a few different takes on John 1:1-27 check out your favorite translation, The Message (http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=John%201&version=NIV), andThe Voice (http://www.hearthevoice.com/). You can download the book of John on the Voice website. If you can get your hands on it, N.T. Wright has just released a translation of the New Testament entitled The Kingdom New Testament. I assume it's fantastic.
3. For further readings in what it looks like for the Church to be an incarnational people pick up the book A Community Called Atonement: Living Theology by Scot McKnight.
4. It may sound corny but the best resource we have to teach us on this subject is the Holy Spirit of the Incarnate Jesus Christ so let's pray about our questions. Let us spend time each day asking God to reveal more to us concerning the great mystery known as the Incarnation and to show us how to live it out daily. Let's keep God in our conversation as we discuss this together.

*DC Talk song entitled Nu Thang. There is a funny video on YouTube of a kid singing this song in the '90s. Check it out:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ppisOulgG0

When We're Mistreated; Never Abandoning An Attitude of Love

I've had to take breaks from Facebook recently because I see so many heartbreaking messages that overwhelm my spirit with pain and aggravation. Often I see these sorts of things as a response to a recent interaction in which someone upset the person posting it. Repeatedly I see posts containing catchy little sayings, graphics, or notes that convey an attitude of pride, contempt, and bitterness. Sadly, some of these posts are by Christian brothers and sisters. The message usually something similar to "If someone doesn't think you're worthwhile then they're not worth your time." This is not an attitude for Christians to adopt though.*

People who don't value me will always be valuable for they are made in the image of God who also created me in his image. Those who don't appreciate me should still be appreciated because they are as much a sinner and mess as myself and are appreciated by our Father in heaven. Those who don't love me still need to be loved so they may learn how to love. We are to "...Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves" (Romans 12:9-10). Abandoning the commitment to honor others won't do the good that is needed in this world. Selfishness, bitterness, and revenge are not good medicines for healing broken relationships. In fact, those very things are antithetical to the way of Jesus' love which keeps no record of wrongs, does not keep anger, forgives, blesses, and reconciles. If I am a Christian and I'm posting messages on Facebook (or my daily actions and attitudes) that communicate an if-you-don't-treat-me-well-I-won't-treat-you-well mentality then I'm missing the uniqueness of Christ's love.

Jesus tells us "If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Matthew 5:46-48). Christians are to love neighbors even when they may be like enemies. We are called to not only love those who love us or treat well those who treat us well. Rather we love everyone and treat all people well. Jesus has instructed us "So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" (Matthew 7:12), and similarly, "Do to others as you would have them do to you" (Luke 6:31). In this second passage he also says "...do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you" (v. 27). With similar words to the Matthew passage he states, "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Luke 6:32-36).

Too often we want to write off people who have wronged us instead of addressing the conflict. It's easier to count someone an enemy and believe we owe them no loving action or attitude but this is not the narrow way of Christ. Whether we count them as enemy or not we owe the person love. Jesus commands us to love our enemies repeatedly. When he describes what this type of love looks like he says it is a love that blesses, prays for, and nurtures the other. At one point Jesus says to his listeners, "Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23-24). Repairing relationships is important. Jesus finds this to be so important that he teaches us that our worship is unwanted by God if we're not reconciling with others. If we're letting broken relationships exist and not trying to make things right then we aren't right with God. After all, "Whoever claims to love God yet hates a brother or sister is a liar. For whoever does not love their brother and sister, whom they have seen, cannot love God, whom they have not seen. And he has given us this command: Anyone who loves God must also love their brother and sister" (1John 4:20-21). Sometimes a relationship will not be mended but the task to mend what is broken and to reconcile with love is always upon the Christian. To do this we must abandon our selfish, bitter, and revengeful attitudes which force us to devalue those who devalue us.

We can not allow ourselves to devalue others with our words. We can not present such curses, especially with idleness or flippancy. "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers and sisters, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water" (James 3:9-12). We must endure the hate and curses of others. We must persevere through the bad attitudes that surround us and sling arrows. Our love must be unique, like Christ's love.

The uniqueness of Christ's love is found in the resilience of his love! While being killed he prays forgiveness for his murderers (Luke 23:34). We are to be a people who forgive without end (Matthew 18:21-35). We imitate Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:1). Whether or not someone loves us or treats us well is to have no bearing on whether or not we love them or treat them well. That is what sacrificial love looks like. That is the love that took Jesus to the cross and that is the love we can't live without. It is the love we all need. It is a love we have seen. It is a love we must sincerely give precisely because we have experienced it . . . even when we're online.

*Sure, when it comes to spreading the gospel there are times when you shake the dust off and continue on your way but I'm focusing on the type of attitude that demands a devaluing of fellow human beings. It's one thing to walk away from someone who has closed ears and it is quite another to think poorly of that person. Jesus let people like the rich man walk away but he loved them even then. We're called to that same way of operating.