"Crosses"

Easter 2012

It’s that time of year. I see them everywhere: Jewelry, bumper stickers, billboards, church advertisements, artwork, tattoos and FaceBook. So commonplace is the cross I fear it’s become trivial. Has the story of Christ's crucifixion become so familiar that it has lost its ability to stir any emotion?

At the crux of the Jesus’ execution is injustice. The evil conspiracy, kangaroo court, mock trial, mob frenzy and the release of a murderer facilitating the murder of the Messiah. The scourging, the thorny crown, the nails, the tortuous thirst, the agonizing rejection, the abject humiliation, the nakedness and unbearable forsakenness - all were part of history’s most miscarried justice. No wonder the Father turned off the light that day.

It’s an umbrage to neglect, gloss over, fail to appreciate or take for granted Christ's work of redemption. The passion of the Christ is what the lens of the Bible forces the reader to see. All things recorded in the Hebrew Bible declare our need for this redemptive sacrifice. Jesus’ words compel his hearers to grasp their need for salvation apart from law and works.  Every New Testament writer obligates those following Jesus to live a life worthy of His sacrifice that day. I will never agree to call it Good Friday. What do you imagine those in heaven have named that day? “Dark Friday” comes to my mind.

"At the foot of the Cross its impossible to trivialize it."

In this year’s Easter sermon I will ask the question of who is responsible for the slaughter of the Savior. We will relive mankind’s most awful injustice investigating those who played a direct role in Jesus’ execution. If you have already read the narratives, perhaps your answers are , “The Romans did it!” or “The Jewish leaders killed the Christ.” or simply,  “Its Satan’s fault!” then you and your guest will be startled when you hear this message. Deeper study reveals a stunning truth not well known.

This refreshing look will remind us just what the Cross was all about: the dreadful price the Lord of Glory paid on our behalf to satisfy the holy justice of God. Nails did not hold Jesus on those bloody timbers, but His great love for us and His total obedience to the Father. At the foot of the Cross its impossible to trivialize it. It’s in that exact moment the unparalleled triumph of God’s sovereignty reminds us of Jesus’ words, “I will rise again.”

When sobered by Dark Friday, my hope grows in the reminder that Sunday is coming...

Blessings,

<>< John
www.gatewaycofc.org

A Father to the Needy

Every St. Patrick’s Day I think of an elder friend of mine who was a minister in Ojai, California. His shepherding heart and wisdom is shown in the tale below of how he dealt with a frustrating and challenging situation and how it resulted in a happy ending.

A homeless man came to the church office for assistance. He was given food and discovered the building had a breeze way that could provide a nice sleeping spot. As you might imagine, my minister friend encouraged this visitor to tell him his story of how he ended up begging for sustenance and sleeping on the streets. It seems this man was Irish. He had left his parents, brothers and sisters in Ireland and had come to America. His experience in the U.S. had been plagued with tragedy. All this coupled with the news that the man’s mother back home was experiencing failing health. My friend said he had never met anyone so unwilling to do anything about his awful condition. The Irishman evidently had decided to just suffer in the despair he had created.

Well, it didn’t take long for neighbors and church members to complain about the homeless man sleeping on the church property. The weather was getting bad so my colleague allowed the man to sleep in an unused classroom. This went on for weeks as the man went from church to church soliciting food and money. Due to increasing pressure, this brother had to find a way to get this man off of the premises. Then the idea came to him.

He made a call to the Irish Consulate and eventually got in touch with the Consulate General.  He told him of this Irishman’s plight and asked what it would take to be able to send the man home. The representative told him what was needed and the preacher went to work. He raised the 700 dollars for the airfare, got the man’s paperwork from the consulate, drove him to LAX and got him on that plane to the Emerald Isle. Now the man is home, his ailing mother has her son back, the church doesn’t have a homeless man sleeping in a classroom and my friend no longer has the problem that consumed much of his ministry.

This story reminds me of something Job said. “I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger” (29:16). I admire the compassion in Job’s statement and the humanity in my friend’s approach to his situation. Wisdom coupled with resourcefulness prevents a lot of frustration. I don’t know how well the Irishman learned a lesson in God’s mercy I sure have.

Father in heaven, if it were not for you we would be homeless, spiritually. You have done for us what we would not do for ourselves. You have done what is impossible for us to do. Slow us down, Lord, and get us to listen to folks we don’t know. Each of your people has a story and the more of it we hear the more compassionate we become. Use us Father, to “take in” someone spiritually and feed them the gospel. Shelter them with our fellowship. Move us to encourage others to be reunited with their heavenly family. In Jesus. Amen.

Blessings,

<>< John