“I’m only human.”

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Do you respond to your mistakes with that line?   I often do.  It’s our little way of saying to one another that we know we’re less than perfect.  That’s a good perspective to have.  It follows the same line of thinking that 17th century British poet Alexander Pope had: “To err is human, but to forgive is divine.”

But maybe a more correct way of apologizing is to say “I’m not yet fully human.”

Huh?

Who you and I really are can be seen prior to the Fall, when Adam and Eve perfectly reflected the image of God, before that reflection was distorted by sin.  After the Fall, we could not do what we were created to do as humans (bear God’s image).  In fact, because of sin’s wingman, death, we were in danger of disappearing from creation altogether.  Athanasius, the early church father (who we owe much for his defense of orthodox Christianity and his New Testament canon) put it this way:

As, then, the creatures whom He had created…were in fact perishing, and such noble works were on the road to ruin, what then was God, being Good, to do? Was He to let corruption and death have their way with them? In that case, what was the use of having made them in the beginning?…It was impossible that God should leave man to be carried off by corruption, because it would be unfitting and unworthy of Himself.

Simply obliterating man and starting over would not be consistent with God’s love for us.  It would also have allowed Satan to defeat God’s plans for his creation, thereby defeating God, which is impossible.  But God, because of his righteousness, could not simply ignore sin and remove death’s hold over us.

So the Word, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who executed the will of the Father in creating man, now engaged in a loving act of re-creation by becoming a man.  In the manger in Bethlehem, when the infant Jesus breathed air for the first time, it was the first truly human breath since God breathed into the nostrils of Adam.  A new Adam was born.

Because of the first Adam’s sinful choices, we faced death, but because of the righteous choices of the second Adam and our faith in him, we now have life (Romans 5:12-21).  And that life we live, because of grace, is the life of Christ (Galatians 2:20).  Christ is making us truly human again.

May the grace and peace of Christ renew and restore you into who you truly are this coming year.

Jim

Perhaps the circumstances of the message called for reassurance. Fear would seem like an understandable response when addressed by any angel, let alone Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God and serves as his messenger. (See Luke 1:19. Any being that can manage to stand in the terrifying presence of God and live to tell about it would certainly be intimidating.)

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For Mary and Joseph particularly, the content of the message meant reassurance was necessary. Mary became pregnant before she was married, under somewhat mysterious circumstances. To everyone who didn’t hear Gabriel’s explanation of the pregnancy firsthand, Mary was an adulteress, an offense punishable by death under the Jewish law. Joseph was also vulnerable for having a pregnant fiancee. Perhaps some thought he had gotten her pregnant?  In first century Israel, Mary and Joseph had plenty of reasons to be afraid.

But I think there was a more basic need to be reassured, which is tied to our need for the Gospel announced by Gabriel. Because of the Fall and our sin, we are all marked by fear. As God’s image bearers, we were designed to live in proximity to him so that we could reflect his image to his creation, thereby giving him glory. Being near God kept us safe. But then we sinned in the Garden and we felt fear for the first time:

“And [Adam and Eve] heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the Garden in the cool of the day, and [they] hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him ‘Where are you?’ And he said ‘I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” (Genesis 3:8-10)

Our sin separates us from the safety of God’s presence. It also makes us fear God himself. Not reverential “fear of the Lord” spoken of in scripture, but rather the fear that comes whenever the unrighteousness in each of us is in the presence of the righteousness of God. It is fear that comes from shame caused by sin and the resulting expectation of punishment (1 John 4:18). It’s as if we are living in a perpetual state of getting caught with our hand in the cookie jar. You know…busted.

The law given to Israel did not help our fear. God’s standard for righteousness was codified. And so was fear of punishment. (Violating sabbath laws could get you killed.)  The law, while holy, could not save us. It just drove the point home that our own efforts to become righteous would never work (Romans 7:15-25). We were stuck in our sin which made us afraid. Very afraid.

But then Gabriel shows up and tells us to “fear not.” He has some very good news, which is, in fact, what the Gospel is. The Son of God is coming to rescue us from our sin:

“For our sake (God) made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” (1 Corinthians 5:21)

Because of God’s great love for us, he has given us grace in the form of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Our faith in him makes us righteous so that we can return to the safety of God’s presence. We no longer need to be afraid. Perfect love has cast away fear (1 John 4:18).  And that is Good News.

May the Grace and Peace of Christ, Emmanuel, be with you always.

Jim

Yesterday we celebrated the third week of Advent by lighting the rose-colored candle, also called the joy candle. The reason for our joy is grounded in the hope that is found only in Christ. We needed a savior (because of our sin), a savior was promised by God, and, because of God’s great love for us, we see that the Son of God himself will come to rescue us.

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For many, Christ enters the story at this point.  It’s the story told through the Gospels, bookended by Bethlehem and the empty tomb. And while this part of the story is central to our faith, it is not the complete story of Christ. There is a prequel to the manger.

During this season of Advent I’ve camped on several passages of scripture that remind me who Christ was (and is) before (and after) the incarnation. Here are just a couple of those passages:

“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.” (John 1:1-3)

“He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together…For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.” (Colossians 1:15-17,19)

John and Paul are sharing the prequel to the Christmas story.  Before the manger, Christ was with the Father (and the Spirit)…always.  It was Christ who executed the will of the Father to create everything.  And only because of Christ does everything hold together.  (Think about it: Apart from Christ, the molecules in our bodies would fly apart.)  And everything was made for him.  Yes, we exist for Christ.

So what does all this have to do with Advent and Christmas? Simply this: Christ, God himself, all-powerful, always existing, completely superior in every way, chose to enter the creation he made.  Paul says it better than I can:

“Though (Christ) was in the form of God, (he) did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.” (Philippians 2:6-7)

It was the ultimate act of humility born out of the ultimate act of love.  In the end, it was the only way to save us.  Only the sinless Christ could be the worthy sacrifice to pay the price for our sin.  Only Christ, the perfectly obedient Son of God, could be worthy to intercede for us on behalf of the father.  Only the spotless Christ could be the visible image in the flesh of the invisible God.  Only the grace of God in Christ could provide the saving grace in which we stand every day.

My prayer is that during this Advent season we will be mindful of who Christ was before he appeared in the manger.  Then we can appreciate the astounding humility and endless love that caused him to enter his creation to save it.  And only then can we truly worship him.

Grace & Peace,

Jim

One day an expert in religious law stood up to test Jesus by asking him this question: “Teacher, what should I do to inherit eternal life?”

Jesus replied, “What does the law of Moses say? How do you read it?”

The man answered, “You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your strength, and all your mind.’ And, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”

“Right!” Jesus told him. “Do this and you will live!”

The man wanted to justify his actions, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Luke 10:25-29

That is the key question, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus goes on in the parable to expand our view of “neighbor” to anyone in need. In the book Ministries of Mercy by Timothy Keller, he states, “Our nation is becoming a mosaic of different groups, each with a unique complex of needs” (p.25). In the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:30-37) Jesus describes how the Samaritan came upon a Jew who had been beaten and robbed. The Samaritan provided physical protection from any kind; a new attack, medical assistance by bandaging his wounds, transportation by putting him on his own donkey, and assisted financially by paying for his stay at the Inn. In short, the Samaritan met a whole range of needs for this person. One of our goals and callings in our Christian life is to identify needs in our community and meet them in a practical way. It is by meeting these practical needs that the world will know our love for God and His love for them.

When I heard that our Women’s Ministry was going to one of our local strip clubs simply to let the girls know they are loved; I was blown away. They go to the clubs on a Saturday evening and throw a party for the girls. They bring gifts and homemade cookies with no conditions attached. You can imagine the first few times they went that the girls didn’t immediately warm up to them but as they kept going the girls did open up. The girls have hurts, stresses and brokenness just like anyone. Our Women’s Ministry was able to go out and identify a need in our community and begin to reach out and now has an ongoing relationship with many of the girls. What about you? What needs do you see in our community? How can you reach out and meet those needs?

Judgmental folks tend to be grace impaired.  All they want to do is confront, expose and impart shame.  Permissive people tend to be truth light.  They just want everyone to be happy…even if what I think makes me happy is actually hurting me.  Neither one love very well.

If I see someone stuck in a sin, I want to respond cooperatively with God’s Spirit to love that person…to want what is best for them.  And what is best for them? To not be condemned (grace) but instead to join Jesus in living life in his kingdom (which is the only way of living that really works)(the truth).

So how did you do today with other people?  Were you truth light? Grace impaired? Let’s aim to love in grace and truth.

Grace & Peace.

A drunk fell in a hole and couldn’t get out. A businessman went by. The drunk called out for help. The businessman threw him some money and told him get yourself a ladder. But the drunk could not find a ladder in this hole he was in.

A recovering alcoholic happened to be passing by. The drunk cried out, “Hey, help me, I’m stuck in this hole.” Right away, the recovering alcoholic jumped in the hole with him. The drunk said, “What are you doing? Now we’re both stuck here.” But the recovering alcoholic said, “It’s okay, I’ve been here before, I know how to get out.

He comforts us and teaches us in situations so that we can help someone else who is going through a similar struggle. Who can relate better to someone who’s had an alcohol problem than somebody who’s been an alcoholic?  Who can better relate to someone who’s going through a divorce, than someone who’s been divorced?  Who can better relate to someone who’s lost a husband or wife in a death, than someone who’s lost a husband or wife? All of our life experiences, God wants to use in the lives of others.

I heard a quote attributed to Billy Graham that goes something like this: “It’s my job to love; it’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict.”  I wonder how much wounding Christians could avoid if they followed that simple quote.

The first ten verses of John 8 shows me how I should respond when I see someone sick with sin.  The religious leaders brought a woman who had been caught in the act of adultery (not just suspected…but caught in the act) to Jesus.  Their focus was on exposing and punishing.  How did Jesus respond?  He confronted sin…but not the one the religious leaders expected.  Instead of joining in the shame party for the woman, he confronted the religious leaders for their own sin of being judgmental.  How did Jesus respond to the woman? He was gentle with her and spoke to her need…which was the need to change how she was living.

So when I see someone caught in a sin how should I respond? First, I need to remember, as the psalmist says, that my own sin is always before me.  I have no moral standing to judge anyone.  Once I am clear on that, it becomes much easier to respond in love with a heart to help, not shame.

Grace & Peace,

Jim

Most statistics estimate that 1 out of 4 women have been sexually abuse as children and 1 in 7 men. Let those numbers sink in for a moment. Think of 4 women that you know or 7 men that you know one of them has been sexually abused as children. Wow! If you add in physical, emotional, and neglect the numbers go even higher. Once someone has experienced this kind of trauma in many cases by someone they know the result is emotional armor. The victim of abuse goes into survival mode and self-protecting behavior which can come out in a variety of ways. Mistrust, distance, depression, anger, fear, addiction, promiscuity or even in some cases become and abuser. This keeps everyone at a distance or least not allowing anyone to hurt us again.

How do we take off the armor? Find a community of people that can relate to your experiences and open up. We have all heard we are only as sick as our secrets. It’s time to reveal the secrets and let the pain out. As we walk this journey out among those we can trust we will learn how to forgive those that hurt us. With the help of God and others we can forgive those that have hurt us but first we need to experience forgiveness from God which will enable us to forgive others. We will also learn to forgive ourselves for the things we have done. Forgiveness is the prescription for the broken hearted.

Sex Offenders.  Just think about the term for a few moments.  What does it stir in you? Fear? Hatred? Past memories of awful abuse? Shame?

There’s an article in this month’s Christianity Today about sex offenders who have served their sentences and are now sitting in our churches.  A young man who was a convicted sex offender was asked if he wanted to accept Christ as his savior.  His response: “Will Christ accept me?”

I guess that’s the question now isn’t it? It’s the question we all have to ask for ourselves.  Is Christ’s acceptance of me conditioned upon whether or not I committed an unpardonable sin or is it based on something else, like his love for me despite my sin.  And if Christ has accepted me with all my sin, maybe he has accepted that sex offender as well.  And here’s the part where we get stretched a little: If Christ has accepted that man or woman who is a sex offender, am I not called to accept that person as well?

Please hear my heart on this.  We are not called to ignore abuse.  Hurt a child, go to jail.  I’m pretty basic that way.  God also uses consequences to wake us up concerning our sin, so I’m convinced God uses incarceration as an instrument of change.  My concern is with how I respond to that sex offender who takes responsibility and repents (changes).  2 Cor. 5:17 says that anyone who has accepted Christ is a new creation.  The old has gone and the new has come.  Do I believe that about sex offenders?  Yea, I know, the “A” answer we are supposed to give is yes. My question is, do we really believe that.

My and Bob’s hearts are that no one is beyond the love and redemption of Christ Jesus.  Even sex offenders.  Even us.

Grace & Peace.

Jim

Physical scars definitely tell a story and can be seen by others but I have found many of the emotional scars that people can’t see tell the more painful stories.  These scars tell stories of abuse, abandonment, neglect, and emptiness. These wounds left untreated will fester and become infected the same as a physical scar and will usually come out in all kinds of unhealthy behaviors.

The challenge in our life isn’t avoiding pain (since that’s impossible), the real challenge is how to deal with pain when it happens or has happened. How to manage and heal from the wounds life inflicts on us. “My people are broken—shattered!—and they put on Band-Aids, saying, ‘It’s not so bad. You’ll be just fine.’” (Jeremiah 6:14 The Message) In order for us to heal cannot deny the pain but we need to admit the hurt.

Second, we need help to recognize and deal with the most painful experiences in our lives by getting connected to others who have been through similar pain. Who better to help someone suffering from cancer then someone who has suffered from cancer? Who better to help someone who has been abused than someone who has healed from abuse? Who better to help someone that has a problem with pornography then someone who has experienced freedom from pornography? God has taken some of the most painful and difficult experiences in my life to help others (Rom 8:28).

So finally, once we have admitted our hurt and pain, connected with others who have been through similar hurts, we can now allow God to redeem our pain by using us in the lives of others. And most importantly, we’ll see how God can take our pain and use it to help others heal. Let your scars tell stories to help someone else.