Monthly Archives: April 2016

Erasing Distinctions

photo credit: Lao Kids via photopin (license)

photo credit: Lao Kids via photopin (license)

Peace be with you!

The moment everything changes takes your breath away, causes your heels to dig in, and a firm “no” to come out. Fear replaces happiness; anxiety replaces peace; questions replace answers. Sometimes the change takes place over time, as with a child taking on more responsibilities. Other times the change happens in a split second, as when an individual becomes paralyzed in a car accident. Change requires patience, understanding, grace, an open mind, and dedication. Life changes define each chapter, each generation, and each cause.

Each individual handles changes differently depending on their past experiences and personality. Take the second example: A person who is paralyzed in an accident can be intimidated by all of the changes in their life, including being in a wheelchair, needing more time and energy to do daily activities, and needing adaptive equipment. This change affects every aspect of a person’s life, even going to the bathroom. How a person handles becoming paralyzed depends on their outlook on life. A pessimistic person will have a harder time adjusting than an optimistic person. A pessimistic person will give up more easily when challenged by a disability and will be skeptical when asked to do something new, while an optimistic person will take on each task with excitement and determination.

The adjustment period to having a disability and being viewed as different is a challenge in itself, even if you are born with the disability. As a teenager, I remember feeling left out of normal activities, such parties with my peers and getting my driver’s license. I blamed my disability for holding me back from making friends and experiencing normal teenage life. When I reluctantly tried adaptive downhill skiing, I finally realized I was looking in the wrong places and in the wrong ways. Instead of expecting to do things like my peers, I needed to look for outlets, which emphasized my abilities. When a person is paralyzed, he needs to surround himself with people who will lift up his abilities and interests. She needs to learn new ways of doing what she enjoys. It takes time to learn to accept your disability and to live your life based on your actual interests and abilities. When you do this, you are able to enter a community, which will welcome you with open arms and will lift you up.

In the same way, we place limits on our faith—what we believe is in and out of bounds. In Acts 11, circumcised Jews are criticizing Peter for sharing meals with Gentiles who are not circumcised. Peter explains he had a vision where a voice told him to go kill and eat four-legged animals (Acts 11:6-7). As a Jew, Peter believed these four-legged animals were unclean and should not be eaten, basing his belief on the Torah. These four-legged animals were out of bounds for Jews. However, the voice told Peter, “God has made these four-legged animals clean” (see Acts 11:9), and therefore he could eat them. In the vision, the voice explains how Peter should not condemn what God has made clean. It is not our job to determine what is clean and unclean; however, it is our job to do God’s work in the world.

Ever since he sent Jesus Christ, the Messiah, into the world to die for our sins, God has been doing new things. God no longer makes distinctions between clean and unclean or between Jews and Gentiles.

Then the Spirit tells Peter to go with six believers to a Gentile man’s house and to share the good news with the entire household (Acts 11:12). The Spirit instructs Peter not to make a distinction between “them and us” when proclaiming the good news to the household.

During civil rights movements, there was a “them” and “us” division. In the suffrage movement, the distinction was between male and female. Other distinctions are between white and black, between able and disabled, between heterosexual and homosexual, and between slave and free. These distinctions create barriers between groups and make one group feel second-class and the other group feels superior. It stops us from loving our neighbors as Jesus instructs us to do (John 13:34) when we divide ourselves by creating a “them” verses “us” morality.

After Peter tells the Jews how the Spirit instructed him to go to a Gentile man’s house to share the good news, he asks them, “How can I argue with the Lord over what is clean and what is unclean?” (see Acts 11:17). Through Jesus’s crucifixion, death, and resurrection, God is changing how people should be viewed and who can be in a relationship with him. Now all can be in a relationship with him, regardless of age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, political views, abilities, and [whatever “it” is] by which we make distinctions. By calling us to love our neighbors, Jesus calls us to back down from the “them” and “us” division in order to start a dialogue with people who are different than us. This dialogue allows us to learn from each other and to bring heaven into the world.

Change is inevitable when dialogue begins between two or more groups. This starts breaking down divisions and begins to build relationships around trust, loyalty, and respect. Each of the groups who have worked for increased civil rights in this country have faced oppression and unfair treatment. African-Americans, women, and people with disabilities have all experienced being pushed aside, as though they are not humans and are inconveniences to society. Each of these groups has demanded equality and to be heard by society. Women wanted to be equal to men; African-Americans wanted to be equal to Caucasians; people with disabilities wanted equal opportunities as people without disabilities had.

God has already made us equals in his eyes. Jesus suffered on the cross, died, and rose again for all of our sins, not just for the Jewish people. We are all children of God, regardless of our age, gender, sexual orientation, ethnic background, political views, abilities, and [whatever “it” is] that we make distinctions based on. It is our own limits that stop us from knowing what is possible with God by our side. Getting rid of these distinctions allows us to stop placing limit on what God can do and start putting his possibilities into motion. Then we are able to see the Holy Spirit at work in the world.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for breaking down the barriers produced by our human-made distinctions. Help us to be in dialogue and relationship with one another. Lead us to be your instruments in the world. Quiet our minds so we can listen and learn from others. Guide our dialogues so that we may do your will. Thank you for making all of us your children. Amen.

Fifth Sunday of Easter:

Acts 11:1-18

John 13:31-35

 

Reflection Questions

How well do you handle change? Do life changes give you anxiety? Or do you handle life changes with ease?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reflection Questions

How do you place limits on yourself? Have you ever tried something you thought you could not do or would not enjoy?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reflection Questions

How do you put limits on God? How did God break your barriers?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reflection Questions

What distinctions do you make about others? What are the consequences of “them” verses “us” division?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reflection Questions

How do you try to get rid of distinctions in your community? What kinds of dialogue did it open up?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Reflection Questions

When have you been in dialogue with someone who is different? What did you learn? How did it change you?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Who is Jesus?

 

Peace be with you!

04 RQ-1

As Christians, we live in, but are not of, the world. Friends, family members, and colleagues question why we do things differently than the world. They ask us to leave God out of it. They get uncomfortable when we pray before meals or during times of tragedy. The world asks us to leave our faith at home.

In John 10, we have the Good Shepherd discourse in which Jesus explains how he will never abandon a lost soul. 04 RQ-2Jesus is the Good Shepherd who the sheep will follow
when he calls (John 10:16). As the Good Shepherd, Jesus is the gateway for the sheep to enter the pasture where he will keep them safe. Jesus also explains his relationship with God the Father. Because Jesus and God the Father know and have mutual respect for each other, the Father knows Jesus will do anything, even laying down his life, for those individuals who are lost (John 10:15). The Good Shepherd discourse shows us just how far Jesus will go to redeem us as God’s children.

The Jews continue to debate who Jesus really is as a person. Is Jesus the Messiah, or is he speaking blasphemy (John 10:24, 33)? It is an intense conversation between Jesus and the Jews in which they almost stone him (John 10:31). The Jews are having difficulty changing the way they think about their God who gave them the Ten Commandments, with the first one being to have no other gods before the Lord. To say God the Father and Jesus are one is blasphemy in the eyes of the Jews. Yet some Jews are asking if Jesus is the Messiah. These Jews would love Jesus to come right out and say he is the Messiah. When they ask him directly, Jesus says, “I have said so already, and you do not believe” (see John 10:25). The Jews are coming at Jesus on both sides of the issue, and Jesus cannot win with either one.04 RQ-3

At the heart of this debate are the questions of Jesus’s identity and what you believe to be true. If you are like the Jews, you are torn between honoring your God and looking for the Messiah. You do not want to be guilty of blasphemy, but what if Jesus is the Messiah and was sent by God? What are the chances? Could Jesus really be God’s equal? Is Jesus really leading them to the kingdom of God? The Jews are caught in the old way of thinking in which people would offer a sacrifice in order to be made clean.

However, Jesus presents us with a new way of thinking: He is one with the Father (John 10:30), and therefore he is our way into the kingdom of God. If we believe in Jesus Christ as the Messiah who redeems us through his crucifixion, death, and resurrection, then we are granted the opportunity to enter kingdom of God and to be in relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. We hear Jesus 04 RQ-4calling our names, and we follow him (John 10:27), because we believe and know Jesus is the Messiah. We trust Jesus will keep us safe and protect us during difficult times. Jesus is the Good Shepherd who keeps his sheep (us) from wandering too far from the Lord. When we wander too far, Jesus comes looking—calling us back into the fold. Jesus calls us to be in community with one another in order to strengthen our own relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

As a united community, we fight against the ways of the world. As a community—his chosen children—Jesus promises to never abandon us. Even when one of us wanders off, Jesus promises to come looking for the missing. Everyone is a beloved child who matters to God; no one is left behind, unless they turn their backs to God and even then he comes looking. The good news about salvation is that it is not our doing—we did not earn it. Salvation is a gift from God the Father through Jesus’s crucifixion, death, and resurrection. We are forgiven and invited back into the fold when we turn back to God. This is the good news of the resurrection—a promise for each individual and for the whole community.04 RQ-5

Living in the world presents hazards to our faith and way of life. Today we run into people like those in the story, people who question how we can believe in Jesus and the resurrection. Others question how we can live blindly and believe in the impossible—a man rising from the dead. Some people question how we can believe in God at all. Still others would like us to leave God out of our work as if anything is possible and could exist without him.

As Christians, we fight against these fantasies and declare that existing without the aid of God is impossible. We believe and understand our very being is centered around God and his will. We believe and understand God chooses us as his children. We believe and understand God gives us salvation; Jesus’s crucifixion, death, and resurrection was and is for our redemption and the remission of our sins. We believe and understand Jesus provides us with a way to be in a relationship with God the Father, not on our own merits but by the forgiveness, grace, and love of God. We believe and understand these things to be true, because we believe and understand the truth and the way. Because we believe and understand these things, we are able to live in confidence that Jesus will always be there to protect and hold us.

A month ago I took a seminar with Nigel W. D. Mumford in which he discussed the effects of post-traumatic stress disorder and how one can learn to cope and be healed. One of Mumford’s main points was to put Jesus in between yourself and the assailant—to put Jesus into that traumatic scene. Several of us experienced healings that afternoon. One lady re-imagined a night she got home well past her curfew, a night that resulted in her dad hitting her in the driveway. When she placed Jesus in the scene, he blocked her dad from hitting her and kissed her cheek. In that moment, the lady was healed from her fear and resentment toward her father. Later on, Mumford talked about speaking at the Pentagon and being asked to develop a protocol for returning veterans to overcome post-traumatic stress disorder but he had to leave Jesus out of it. Mumford said, “No, thanks,” because you cannot leave Jesus—the main ingredient—out. Jesus comes to our rescue and saves us from the time of trial. Jesus is the reason we are able to overcome our fears; nothing and no one else will do.

As Christians, we do our best to love not just our neighbor but our enemy as well. We pray for and with the homeless, the poor, the disabled, and [whoever “it” is] that needs and desires the love of God. We meet resistance from the world, because we are not of the world, and therefore we have a different message. We 04 RQ-6are in the world to spread the good news of the power of the resurrection. We work to further Jesus’s message of forgiveness, grace, and love in order to bring others into a relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for calling us by name back into the fold. Help us to be a united community in the world to work together to strengthen one another. Lead us to share the good news with the lost. Let us rejoice in the resurrection and the promise of eternal life through Jesus Christ. Amen.

Jesus Asks, “Do You Love Me?”

Erin M Diericx and her mom

Erin M Diericx and her mom

 

Peace be with you!03 Easter Reflection Question-2

There is nothing more intimidating than being interrogated by your mother. Somehow mothers always know the truth, even before and in the midst of questioning you.[i] My mother always catches me in my lies right away. For example, when I try to change plans with her so I can go out with friends, she says, “Just tell me you want to go out with your friends instead of coming here for dinner,” or “Fine, just go out with your friends. I have not seen you in two weeks, but go out with them.” Mothers’ sixth sense allows them to know their children’s needs, wants, and behaviors even before they can vocalize them.03 Easter Reflection Question-1

Jesus knows his disciples’ needs, wants, and behaviors like a parent does. In John 21:1-19, Jesus appears to seven of his disciples by the Sea of Tiberias for a third and final time after his resurrection. Presumably Peter and the other disciples have gone back to their previous occupation after Jesus dies. One night the seven disciples go fishing and catch no fish (John 21:3). At dawn, the disciples see a man on the shore who tells them to put their net on the other side of the boat, and when they do, they caught so many that they cannot bring the net in (John 21:5-6).

Although the disciples do not recognize the man as Jesus, but curiously, they do as he suggests—casting the net on the right side of the boat (John 21:6). A few scholars suggest the disciples may have been desperate to catch fish, or maybe they just loved fishing. I would like to think that their subconscious realizes the 03 Easter Reflection Question-3man is Jesus before they can register the thought. The disciples are loyal and obedient to Jesus, even when they do not realize it. Jesus is also loyal to his disciples by coming to them between giving them the Holy Spirit and the pouring out of the Spirit on the whole church at Pentecost. He reassures the disciples that he remembers his promise to enable them to spread the good news. Jesus never leaves the disciples’ side, even after his death and resurrection. Jesus does everything in his power to help the disciples to fulfill his commission to them to spread the good news and to share God’s love with the world.[ii]

Then the beloved disciple realizes the man is the resurrected Lord and tells Peter (John 21:7). Peter is overwhelmingly excited to see Jesus; he jumps overboard, and swims to shore, leaving the other disciples bring the boat and fish to shore (John 21:7-8). When the disciples are on shore, Jesus asks for some fish to 03 Easter Reflection Question-4put over the fire for breakfast and breaks bread, which might remind them of the feeding of the five thousand and the Last Supper. The fact Jesus already has fish on the fire demonstrates how he always has our backs. Jesus always finds a way to enable us to spread the good news and to share God’s love in the world. Jesus will always give us the tools we need to do God’s work. Yet by asking for some fish the disciples caught, Jesus also demonstrates how he finds ways to use our unique gifts in order to do his work in the world. Jesus uses our gifts for his glory.[iii]

Then the breakfast conversation gets serious: Jesus interrogates Peter, who denied knowing him three times during Jesus’s trial. Jesus knows Peter denied knowing him three times, just as he predicted (John 13:38; 18:17, 25-27). Jesus asks Peter three times if he loves him. In Greek, there are three different words for love, which are eros (romantic love, a self-serving love), philos (love between friends), and agape (self-giving love). When Jesus questions Peter and Peter replies, the two of them use different words for love.[iv]

The first and second time Jesus asks, “Peter, do you love (agapē) me?” and Peter answers, “Of course, Lord. I love (philos) you, you know that” (see John 21:15-16). Jesus wants to know if Peter deeply loves him. The third time Jesus asks, “Peter, do you love (philos) me?” and Peter answers, “Of course, Lord, I love (philos) you; you know everything” (see John 21:17).[v] In other places of the Gospel of John, agapē is used to describe divine love (John 3:19; 12:43), while philos describes human love.[vi] Jesus understands03 Easter Reflection Question-5 Peter cannot love him as deeply as he loves him. Jesus knows Peter loves him, even before the interrogation, yet these questions make Peter uncomfortable. He knows the Lord knows his heart, so why does he keep asking? What point is Jesus trying to make? Jesus’s questions reverse Peter’s three denials of knowing Jesus by restoring his relationship with the Triune God. The interrogation demonstrates the power of the resurrection and God’s forgiveness, grace, and love. There is nothing that can separate us from the love of Christ.

Now Jesus gives Peter a commission: “Feed my lambs. Tend my sheep. Feed my sheep” (see John 21:15-17 NRSV). Saying he loves the Lord is not enough; now Jesus calls upon Peter to put his words into action. Instead of going back to his old life, Jesus instructs Peter to go out into the world and share the good news with anyone and everyone who will listen. Jesus is commissioning Peter to go beyond his small fishing village—his comfort zone—and share his testimony with the world. Following Jesus means facing and going to dangerous situations. It means suffering on behalf of others in order to express God’s love to those who do not know him. It means befriending those who may make you feel uncomfortable. It means welcoming the homeless, the poor, the disfigured, the disabled, and others who are less fortunate to God’s table.

It is not enough to say that you love (philos) the Lord; you also need to demonstrate your love for the Lord 03 Easter Reflection Question-6through your actions toward others. Your commission is to go out into the world in order to feed and tend to God’s lost sheep. It requires you to go beyond your community by stepping out of your comfort zone in order to bring others into a relationship with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. If you see someone who is hungry, give her food. If you see someone who is homeless, give her shelter. If you see someone who is hurting, tend to his wounds. If you see someone who is lonely, welcome him into your community. By doing so, you will nourish and nurture a community centered around God’s love—a selfless love that breaks the barriers of time and space.

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for showing us the power of the resurrection. Push us outside of our comfort zones to nourish and nurture our communities. Make your love burn in our hearts, so we are inspired to share your love, forgiveness, and grace with others. Thank you for forgiving us when we fall. Amen.

[ii] Andreas J. Köstenberger, John, vol. 4 of BECNT (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004), 590-591.

[iii] Ibid., 592.

[iv] Frank L. Crouch, “Commentary on John 21:1-19,” Working Preacher, http://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=569.

[v] Ibid.

[vi] Andreas J. Köstenberger, John, 596.

Jesus Breaks In

Jesus appears to his disciples. Copyright: Free Bible Images

Jesus appears to his disciples.
Copyright: Free Bible Images

Peace be with you!02 Easter RQ-1

We are addicted to the ways and ideas of the world. We accept what the world says is possible and reject what is impossible. We accept the half-truths and the lies the world tells us. We try to meet the world’s standards by dressing and appearing certain ways in order to hide the scars and emotional baggage of our past. Addictions, such as drugs, alcohol, gambling, sex, or [whatever “it” is], further isolate us from others, relationally and even legally. When individuals are caught with illegal drugs in the United States, they are given a criminal record and are further isolated from society, sometimes for the rest of their lives.

In similar ways, we isolate ourselves from God when we give in to the addictions of world—power, wealth, fame, and [whatever “it” is] that separates us from God. In the United States, we focus on being individuals and standing on our own. We are addicted to thinking that we are okay and not broken, and we even tell God that we can do it on our own because that is what the world tells us. We struggle 02 Easter RQ-2to build meaningful and lasting relationships. We struggle to create authentic communities that would have people who lift up our strengths and lament with us in our brokenness. We struggle to connect with a seemingly distant and unseen Lord.

We struggle with the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The world tells us that death gets the last word—you are born, live, and die: the end. There is nothing beyond the grave, and when you study science, that makes sense. When plants die, we can watch them decompose and disappear, and therefore we believe it to be true.

After Mary Magdalene comes and tells the disciples she has seen the Lord, they barricade themselves in a room (John 20:18-19). In fear of the Jews, the disciples create a sense of security by closing and locking the windows and doors—no one should be able to go in or out. The disciples have legitimate reasons to fear the Jews; the Romans had just killed their Lord. Somehow, the Jewish leaders are now allies with the Roman leaders who will kill anyone who does not pledge their allegiance to the Roman Empire.[i] The disciples have pledged their allegiance to Jesus Christ, the Messiah. They followed him for three years until he was crucified. Now the disciples have to face the aftermath of Jesus dying: it is over, done, finished. There will be no more healings. Jesus will not tell any more parables. Despite Mary Magdalene’s report, the disciples are afraid of the aftermath.

We have all been where the disciples are right now. We have all hidden after something—a breakup, traumatic event, illegal activity, or [whatever “it” is]. Some of us run into our rooms, lock the door, and hide in the bed under the blankets. Others pack a bag and put 02 Easter RQ-3distance between the situation and themselves. Others turn to drugs or alcohol to escape reality, while others may just deny [whatever “it” is] ever happened. The disciples are hiding until they can figure out their next step.

Then Jesus breaks into the locked-up room, greets the disciples (“Peace be with you”), and shows them his wounds (John 20:19-20). The disciples rejoice when they see the risen Lord (John 20:20). They finally get what Jesus meant when he said he would rise after three days and they rejoice that their dear friend who was dead is now alive. Jesus defeats the ways and ideas of the world and breaks into their and our lives. Jesus breaks the rules of the world in order to give us the opportunity to renew our relationship with God the Father. Jesus redefines what is possible.

However, Thomas, a disciple, is not present when Jesus breaks into the room and does not believe the others actually saw Jesus (John 20:24-25). Thomas says, “Listen boys, I have to see Jesus and touch his wounds for myself before I will believe this fairy tale you are telling me” (see John 20:25). We have all had friends who have told us crazy stories that we fell for. Maybe Thomas was known as the gullible one who would believe anything, but this time he is not falling for it. Maybe Thomas cannot get his mind wrapped around Jesus rising from the dead. Whatever the reason, Thomas has his doubts and asks the other disciples to prove it. For a week, the disciples try convincing Thomas that they are telling the truth, though he just does not believe them.

A week after Jesus’s first appearance, the disciples, including Thomas, are locked in the room, and just as they said, Jesus enters the room without opening any doors and says, “Peace be with you” (John 20:26). Then Jesus turns to Thomas and says, “Put your 02 Easter RQ-4finger here and see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it in my side. Do not doubt but believe.” Then Thomas says, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:27-28 NRSV). Thomas gets to see Jesus’s hands, feet, and side where he was nailed to the cross and stabbed. He gets up close and personal and sees Jesus’s wounds, and therefore, he believes.

Thomas sees Jesus, his Lord and his God, within the context of the human condition—as a broken individual—and yet he overcomes the grave for our sake. In The Disabled God: Toward a Liberatory Theology of Disability, Nancy L. Eiesland writes, “The disabled God emerges in the particular situation in which people with disabilities and others who care [for them] find themselves as they try to live out their faith and to fulfill their calling to live ordinary lives of worth and dignity.”[ii] If people with disabilities are able to imagine God as being disabled, then they are able to see themselves in the image of God, which enforces the important truth that they are a part of God’s good creation. Thomas sees his God taking the form of a human, suffering greatly for his sins, and still claiming victory over the grave.

This is what makes the resurrection so powerful. Jesus conquers the grave but still has his scars. The disciples really could see and touch his wounds. When you deal with your own addictions—drugs, alcohol, Facebook games, gambling, shopping, food, or [whatever “it” is], you still have to fight daily urges and impulses. You still have the scars of your past decisions. You still have the memory and the guilt. However, here is the game changer: Jesus knows our pain and suffering and has the scars to prove it, yet he rises from the dead and ascends into heaven to God the Father. God is not trying to pull a fast one over on us; Jesus really did die on the cross. It was not a magic trick; Jesus really was not breathing in the tomb. Jesus did not have a stunt double; Jesus really did die and rise after three days.

In the same way, you fall and rise time after time again. You fall for the world’s lies, but then you realize the hard truth and you turn back to the Lord. You become addicted to drugs, alcohol, Facebook games, gambling, shopping, or [whatever “it” is], but then you realize it is hurting yourself and others and you turn back to the02 Easter RQ-5 Lord. You submerge yourself in your brokenness—depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, physical limitations or [whatever “it” is], but then you realize God loves you, despite your brokenness, and you turn back to the Lord. The power of the resurrection is that Jesus falls aside us, and he picks us up time after time again!

Thanks be to God!

Dear Heavenly Father, thank you for conquering the grave through Jesus’s crucifixion, death, and resurrection. Help us to turn away from the world’s lies and addictions. Lift us up from our brokenness into your loving arms. Reveal the power of the resurrection through our actions. Thank you for coming alongside us and picking us up, time after time. Amen.

[i] Craig S. Keener, The Gospel of John: A Commentary, 2 vols. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2005), 1200.

[ii] Nancy L. Eiesland, The Disabled God: Toward a Liberatory Theology of Disability (Nashville: Abingdon Press, 1994), 98.