Christmas: a prostitute found

    Christmas Eve services are funny things. There is a rhythm and familiarity about them at most churches, at least that's what it seems like. Do you know what I am talking about? You sing carols. You watch the cute kid routine of "I'm 5-years-old and singing in front of everybody" which causes all the parents to tear up. You read the account of the birth of Jesus. We do all this to celebrate the incarnation of God the Son.
     In the midst of all this tradition, my mind wandered. For some reason I couldn't help but think of one thing. I just kept thinking about an old prostitute.
     Did I just say it like that out loud? It didn't sound that bad in my head while I was typing. Yikes, I cringe as I reread that sentence. Okay, it's really not as bad as it looks. Let me explain...
     As Luke's account was being read I looked at Matthew's account. And I was reading through the genealogy of Jesus, my eyes were drawn to one word. I couldn't focus on anything else. It was a word I have researched before, actually it was the name of a person.
     The more I looked at her name, the more I saw the irony of it all. Here in the Gospel of Matthew, the gospel that according to scholars was written for and to the Jews - a patriarchal society, amidst the history of the Messiah stands the story of a woman. Not just an ordinary woman, here embedded in this genealogy is a woman of disrepute, a harlot, a prostitute. Found here is Rahab.
     It's amazing to think about her story in the context of history. This woman who walked the streets and made her body available for whatever the going rate was discovered a birthright not her own. I know it's a funny way to state what happened, but this is the reality. When she made a deal with Jewish spies she entered into a covenant, which unbeknownst to her inherently held the promise of new life, as she responded to God's moving by protecting His people.
     And when she entered into this covenant her life would never be same again. The woman once noted for her self degradation was not only grafted in the culture of God's chosen people, her life was celebrated by the author of Hebrews by being listed as hero of faith in chapter 11 (v31)! Found here is Rahab!
     To see how upside down this history of the Messiah is leaves me breathless. When you add this woman to the list of people in this genealogy it just doesn't add up. You have a liar & coward (Abraham), a cheat (Jacob), a disappointed widow (Tamar) who sleeps with her deceitful father-in-law (Judah) to bear a child, a murderer & adulterer (David), and then to top it off add in a bunch of unfaithful kings. When you look at this list it doesn't automatically equate with the Chosen ONE, the Lord of life, the promised KING!
     I guess this is what strikes me as so beautiful. Woven throughout this lineage of the Messiah is the brokenness of our humanity. Yet each of their stories has been, is being, and will forever be redeemed in the arrival of the Christ child - Immanuel, God with us. In each of their tales of brokenness I see that reality has not changed much over the centuries. In this lineage I see us, I see me. We cowards, we liars, we cheats, we disappointed, we deceitful, we adulterers, we murderers, we prostitutes, yes, WE are all found here.
     This is why Christ came as He did from this ancestry. It allows us to see that He is not only willing to but that He does make space for each of us in all our sinful stupidity. But He doesn't leave us there wallowing in our poor estate; He offers us so much more. The Christmas story is more than just a baby in a manger. It's the story of God putting to rights all that was marred in our willful rebellion by the extravagance of His grace found in the gift of His Son. For there in the backdrop of angels singing, cattle lowing, and shepherds watching - Rahab is found.

is there sex in heaven?...

For those of you who do not know who Peter Kreeft is, he is a professor of philosophy at Boston College.  He is Catholic in upbringing and education, but his writings have blessed my life in the past.  His book Three Philosophies of Life challenged my theology and helped me see this life of faith in new ways...

Anyway, I was perusing his site and found this old article he wrote entitled Is there sex in Heaven? I am not sure if you have ever thought about how sex, humanity, and heaven all work (or do not work) together; but this was an interesting read that might provide some fodder to contemplate. There are some things in this article that I am not sure how to process emotionally or mentally.  But it is helping me seek God's heart more in the arena of life.  Let me know what you think...

the Shepherd of the sheep... a poem by D. Case

The poem below was penned by my friend's dad who is suffering in the hospital with/from cancer.  His perspective is humbling, and his faith inspires me. The picture is of him a few days ago (picture and poem used by permission)...

The road is often narrow

and the path is often steep,

but my heart will rest by peaceful streams
with the Shepherd of the sheep.

Rejoice my soul in valleys

and fields of lily white,

The morning star will soon appear

and chase away the night.

Take wing ye burdens to that lonely hill,
and cast thy yoke beneath the tree
where His blood is flowing still.

So be strong my heart and praise Him 
when waters are so deep,
The path you trod is quite well known
to the Shepherd of the sheep.

a word no one really likes...

Being a parent of two kids three-years-old and younger I have come to savor those moments of quick compliance from the aforementioned munchkins. Yet, this idea of how they listen and respond has captured me lately. This thought process provokes much in me in regards to a word that I learned to perceive as ugly over the years. Actually, it seems to be a word no one really likes... The word is obedience.

Reading books by Christian authors about raising kids can be a very spiritually introspective endeavor. Never did I think it would be the cause of such self-consternation. Much of the mental fodder has been produced by the book Shepherding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp. The author's definition of obedience is very clear and frankly a bit unnerving. He says, "obedience is the willing submission of one person to the authority of another. It means more than a child doing what he is told. It means doing what he is told - without challenge, without excuse, without delay."

For those of you less rebellious at heart this may not be a difficult concept. For those of you with my penchant for wanting to do things on my terms this definition can leave one undone. The first sentence is something I get, and I appreciate. In terms of my followership of Jesus, all in all, I would say I am moving toward an every moment life consuming submission to HIM.

But even though that is where I am moving, it doesn’t mean that I move well. The second part of his definition shows where my obedience is found wanting. The terms of “without challenge, without excuse, without delay” add up to a demanding standard for obeying God. I’ll be honest I do ok on “without excuse”. I am better when it comes to “without delay”. But when it comes time to ante up “without challenge”… yikes! I fail miserably.

In my life I have come to realize I am a person who questions things the first time around – shoot, I’ll even question it the second time just for good measure. I am sorry to say I have done/do this with the Lord. Even though I know God is Sovereign; there are often moments when I question His sanity, because the ways He chooses to move often do not make sense to my finite mind. Therefore, I hedge at times in doing what I feel He may be asking in the moment.

Hold up a second, I guess I have to retract a prior statement. Because I do tend to challenge, I see that there is a delay in the way I respond to God. And because I delay I line up the arguments of why I may not have obeyed in the moment… hmmm, sounds like more excuses. I guess I am not the man I would like to think I am.

The more I look at the terms of this type of obedience – without challenge, without, excuse, without delay – I am forced to confess I can’t do it on my own.

Because of this my thoughts have been forced back to John 15. Christ knows that in my humanity I can’t do it, and so He states this reality. In verse 5 He says, “I am the vine you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” Then after helping me see I can’t do it on my own He talks about obedience! In verse 10 He says, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in His love.” For this statement to come after the previous seems so cold and relentless. For the longest time I loathed myself because I didn’t understand this passage. According to this passage I need to obey to remain/abide in His love. Well, how am I supposed to obey if I can’t do anything?

As I have gotten older the Lord has allowed me to see this passage through different lenses. Verse 5 for so long left me feeling frustrated. I know can’t do squat, but for Christ to say it left me feeling like I got kicked in the groin. Since then, thankfully, my perspective has matured. Now I see that in verse 5 Christ grants me freedom to be ok with my ineptitude. The way He clearly communicates my inability to do anything with out Him allows me to embrace my brokenness and empowers me to seek more of HIM.

The fact is I am a child of God at the price of a blood that was not my own. I was not able to muster up anything that could/would bridge the atrocity of the sinful mess I am to reconcile me to the Holy, Loving God Almighty! So, if it took this to start the relationship, why do I strive as if the onus on remaining in fellowship is solely mine? If it started with HIM, it needs to continue with HIM. If this whole thing started simply by His grace than we must be sustained in the same vein!

The older I get the more I see that the untenable standard called obedience is something more beautiful than what I once perceived as an ugly list of do’s and don’ts. Obedience is God’s greatest call to and experience of His sustaining grace in my life. This call of obedience forces me to choose submission to the Holy Spirit every moment. Obedience leads me to a place where dying to my self is the best (and only reasonable) option; for as I obey I remain/abide in His love. And if you think about this, this in itself is a gift. This obedience to which I am called brings about more of my transformation into His life for my own good so that I might be used more for His glory.

The onus is not on me to manufacture but to remain. Remain in the place that allows me to know and feel my desperate need for the One who bought me at the price of His blood. Remain in the place where He becomes my Everything as I embrace that I have nothing. Obedience is the call to remain and be sustained by grace; it’s no longer just a word no one really likes.

a message for those who minister...

For those of you who minister to people (whether formally or informally) this "charge" given by N.T. Wright to a group being ordained is humbling. This charge is based on 1 Corinthians 1:18-2:5. The profundity found in this simple wisdom is freeing and empowering. Click here to read the transcript. Be blessed!