Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
In John 1, we read this account of John the Baptist, and his testimony that Jesus is the "Lamb of God."
This declaration is noteworthy because it is one of the earliest accounts of Christ being introduced to the world, along with some description of His purpose.
Why did John, Jesus' cousin, (and the one that presided over the first public act of Jesus' ministry), when the time came to proclaim who Christ is, call Him "the Lamb of God"? Why not "King of Kings?" or "Son of God"?
I don't want to go over concepts that are already more than familiar to the reader. We know about lambs and sheep. We understand the significance in Hebrew culture. Go to maybe ten services in a row, at the same church, and you are almost certain to hear some reference to the Lamb of God, and of it's profound meaning.
My point today is that, as we move our study into the earliest time of Christ's ministry, let us be reminded that the title"Lamb of God" is a critical thing to keep at the front of our thoughts. When you look at Christ, don't ever stop seeing, along with the image of a lion, of a king, a healer, and a counselor, the image of a lamb.
John was saying: "Here is Jesus. He will be slaughtered like a lamb is sacrificed in our temple. He will be brutally and bloodily executed. But the result will be the removal of all of our sins. Yes - - - that means that we will then be made eligible to live forever."
Always remember . . .
Sunday, January 19, 2014
Monday, January 13, 2014
Reflectionary XVII
I have labored in vain. I have spent my strength for nothing and vanity.
So often, we skip over little nuggets of truth in Scripture, especially when they are nestled adjacent to more famous passages. Take this line from Isaiah 49 (above).
We can all relate to this.
I have been musing about people that attend church for a while; even becoming quite active. Sometimes they lead great programs or missions. They contribute lots of money. They serve in powerful ways. They lead the congregation in prayer. They guest preach. Maybe they even become full-time ministers.
But then, you look around years later, and they're gone - gone from Church, that is. On Sunday mornings they have drifted back into the comfortable pattern of the morning paper and news programs.
Why?
What would the size of the Church be, if people would just stay?
I attend a medium-sized, and growing, church. But when I think about the people that were regulars fifteen years ago (when I began), I notice that only a fraction of the present attendance is composed of those same people. And most of them have not moved away. They just stopped coming to church.
I think a big part of the reason, is that they are feeling what Isaiah was referring to in this passage. Isaiah 49 itself is about God working his plan for the ages, through Isaiah, through each one of us. We all have a sacred mission, a calling, and it is one that builds the Kingdom.
I can say that the work that I do, what I believe is my "calling", has been all for naught, for twenty or thirty years now. My activity level increases, it builds in momentum and intensity. My focus is much greater now than it was five years ago, or five months ago (ask me if you want specifics on my calling).
But the vision, which is so clear to me; is utterly out of reach of the people that need to embrace it, if it is to become sustainable and relevant to building the Kingdom.
I feel like I have labored in vain. I feel like my strength has been spent for nothing; and for vanity - just to make me feel important. And this conclusion is affirmed all the time, by people around me.
But if I read these words of Isaiah, and realize that one of the greatest prophets in history had the same frustrations as me, then I can be encouraged.
Words of doubt and defeat are turned into a call to arms.
So often, we skip over little nuggets of truth in Scripture, especially when they are nestled adjacent to more famous passages. Take this line from Isaiah 49 (above).
We can all relate to this.
I have been musing about people that attend church for a while; even becoming quite active. Sometimes they lead great programs or missions. They contribute lots of money. They serve in powerful ways. They lead the congregation in prayer. They guest preach. Maybe they even become full-time ministers.
But then, you look around years later, and they're gone - gone from Church, that is. On Sunday mornings they have drifted back into the comfortable pattern of the morning paper and news programs.
Why?
What would the size of the Church be, if people would just stay?
I attend a medium-sized, and growing, church. But when I think about the people that were regulars fifteen years ago (when I began), I notice that only a fraction of the present attendance is composed of those same people. And most of them have not moved away. They just stopped coming to church.
I think a big part of the reason, is that they are feeling what Isaiah was referring to in this passage. Isaiah 49 itself is about God working his plan for the ages, through Isaiah, through each one of us. We all have a sacred mission, a calling, and it is one that builds the Kingdom.
I can say that the work that I do, what I believe is my "calling", has been all for naught, for twenty or thirty years now. My activity level increases, it builds in momentum and intensity. My focus is much greater now than it was five years ago, or five months ago (ask me if you want specifics on my calling).
But the vision, which is so clear to me; is utterly out of reach of the people that need to embrace it, if it is to become sustainable and relevant to building the Kingdom.
I feel like I have labored in vain. I feel like my strength has been spent for nothing; and for vanity - just to make me feel important. And this conclusion is affirmed all the time, by people around me.
But if I read these words of Isaiah, and realize that one of the greatest prophets in history had the same frustrations as me, then I can be encouraged.
Words of doubt and defeat are turned into a call to arms.
Friday, January 10, 2014
Reflectionary XVI
This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.
This is where I introduce a crazy idea.
The birth and baptism of Jesus are two crucial events, that form part of a single narrative. It is God's Second Essential Act of Creation.
The first was when He created the Heavens and the Earth, in the first place. He created humanity, and pronounced it "Good."
Now - - - these "good" creatures were "good" because they had something very desirable: the ability to choose. They could become noble creatures with their own will. That's the root of everything. But "good" is not the same as "perfect." A "good" thing is not the same as a "holy" thing.
Maybe "good" in this sense is the same as "This is good fishing weather!"
Favorable. On target. On time. Just right for it's purpose.
It also is not the same as being "pleased." Imagine someone, after a long, painful illness, finally succumbing to death. Her loved ones might mutter "good." But this does not mean we're happy about it. It does not mean we're pleased (pleased, and pleasure are from the same root).
"Good" can mean a lot of different things.
But in the fullness of time, Mary came along, and she was just right to become the mother of the Messiah. I believe that it took a lot of tinkering around the edges, of directing history, without violating too much, man's intense will to do whatever he wants. God finally had the woman, and the circumstances, so that he could introduce the male function of procreation, in a non-sexual way, and produce a son for Mary, that would be in every way the DNA equal to The First Adam (this is the crazy idea).
Christ needed to be in every way identical to Adam. If you saw the face of Christ, you saw the face of Adam. And now - - - the difference is that Jesus would be obedient, where Adam wasn't.
All of the preliminaries are over, and it's time for the Son of Man to go out, and express a humble, obedient spirit. The first such act was to accept the baptism of John. And when He did so, something finally happened, in God's plan, with which He was "pleased."
Read on . . .
This is where I introduce a crazy idea.
The birth and baptism of Jesus are two crucial events, that form part of a single narrative. It is God's Second Essential Act of Creation.
The first was when He created the Heavens and the Earth, in the first place. He created humanity, and pronounced it "Good."
Now - - - these "good" creatures were "good" because they had something very desirable: the ability to choose. They could become noble creatures with their own will. That's the root of everything. But "good" is not the same as "perfect." A "good" thing is not the same as a "holy" thing.
Maybe "good" in this sense is the same as "This is good fishing weather!"
Favorable. On target. On time. Just right for it's purpose.
It also is not the same as being "pleased." Imagine someone, after a long, painful illness, finally succumbing to death. Her loved ones might mutter "good." But this does not mean we're happy about it. It does not mean we're pleased (pleased, and pleasure are from the same root).
"Good" can mean a lot of different things.
But in the fullness of time, Mary came along, and she was just right to become the mother of the Messiah. I believe that it took a lot of tinkering around the edges, of directing history, without violating too much, man's intense will to do whatever he wants. God finally had the woman, and the circumstances, so that he could introduce the male function of procreation, in a non-sexual way, and produce a son for Mary, that would be in every way the DNA equal to The First Adam (this is the crazy idea).
Christ needed to be in every way identical to Adam. If you saw the face of Christ, you saw the face of Adam. And now - - - the difference is that Jesus would be obedient, where Adam wasn't.
All of the preliminaries are over, and it's time for the Son of Man to go out, and express a humble, obedient spirit. The first such act was to accept the baptism of John. And when He did so, something finally happened, in God's plan, with which He was "pleased."
Read on . . .
Thursday, January 9, 2014
Reflectionary XV
...he went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed.
As Peter indicated in Acts 10 (above), immediately after Christ's baptism, he began His ministry. The first phase involved a demonstration of His legitimacy. If God is Love, and God is the Creator; If He holds all things in His hands, then His Son would have to demonstrate His mastery over nature. As humans we worry about ourselves most of all (this is why we are such good complainers), and so Jesus struck a blow right at the focus of our thoughts: ourselves, and our ills.
Notice that He didn't begin with the brutal scene at the Cross. He didn't start by commanding the weather, or walking on water. His first act wasn't to raise Lazarus. He didn't even begin with the Sermon on the Mount. He began by doing "good" things: helping others, healing the sick.
This is what it took to establish His authority, to get the attention of the masses, and to gain some traction in building the Kingdom.
Imagine the good things He did. Perhaps He:
* Helped gardeners plant, water, weed, winnow, sow
* Helped an animal stuck in some briars
* Took an old person out for a walk
* Hung out with the children of a widow
* Helped out servants, so they could take an early break
* And then, He got around to healing people:
- Broken arms fixed
- Fevers reduced
- Rashes removed
- Coughs relieved
- Sight and hearing restored
- ADHD removed
- Alcoholism and drug abuse defeated
- Cancer stopped
- Hunger addressed
- Ignorance reversed
- Thirst quenched
- Hate melted
The first thing Christ did, is the easiest for us to match.
Go out. Go about. Do good. Help people.
As Peter indicated in Acts 10 (above), immediately after Christ's baptism, he began His ministry. The first phase involved a demonstration of His legitimacy. If God is Love, and God is the Creator; If He holds all things in His hands, then His Son would have to demonstrate His mastery over nature. As humans we worry about ourselves most of all (this is why we are such good complainers), and so Jesus struck a blow right at the focus of our thoughts: ourselves, and our ills.
Notice that He didn't begin with the brutal scene at the Cross. He didn't start by commanding the weather, or walking on water. His first act wasn't to raise Lazarus. He didn't even begin with the Sermon on the Mount. He began by doing "good" things: helping others, healing the sick.
This is what it took to establish His authority, to get the attention of the masses, and to gain some traction in building the Kingdom.
Imagine the good things He did. Perhaps He:
* Helped gardeners plant, water, weed, winnow, sow
* Helped an animal stuck in some briars
* Took an old person out for a walk
* Hung out with the children of a widow
* Helped out servants, so they could take an early break
* And then, He got around to healing people:
- Broken arms fixed
- Fevers reduced
- Rashes removed
- Coughs relieved
- Sight and hearing restored
- ADHD removed
- Alcoholism and drug abuse defeated
- Cancer stopped
- Hunger addressed
- Ignorance reversed
- Thirst quenched
- Hate melted
The first thing Christ did, is the easiest for us to match.
Go out. Go about. Do good. Help people.
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Reflectionary XIV
The LORD sits enthroned above the flood; the LORD sits enthroned as King for evermore.
In this week's lectionary, we read of the baptism of Christ.
Psalm 10, referenced above, is mostly about "The Voice of the Lord." Nature is moved by, creation bends to his voice.
The same voice that said "Let there be light," is the same that said "This is my Beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased." In Genesis: "It was good." In the Gospels: "I am pleased."
God's first act of creation was Good. It was satisfactory. It was up to specifications. The plan was proceeding. But "good" does not mean that God was "pleased" . . . yet.
The New Testament is God's second major act of creation. Using His mastery of nature and of human history, He directed events until His Son could be born. Now as a grown man, Jesus first steps out, The Second Adam, in every way like Adam our original father. Now as the First Adam could represent all of humanity, so too could the Second Adam. And in Jesus' first action as an adult, his decisions and movements are pleasing to God, His Father, and ours.
Adam was good, but did not please our Father.
And the baptism scene itself reminds us that God was working above the water, even as he stirred up the oceans when the earth was first created. Water is an important element of these two major creative acts of God. It's interesting that God launches each testament, via water.
In this week's lectionary, we read of the baptism of Christ.
Psalm 10, referenced above, is mostly about "The Voice of the Lord." Nature is moved by, creation bends to his voice.
The same voice that said "Let there be light," is the same that said "This is my Beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased." In Genesis: "It was good." In the Gospels: "I am pleased."
God's first act of creation was Good. It was satisfactory. It was up to specifications. The plan was proceeding. But "good" does not mean that God was "pleased" . . . yet.
The New Testament is God's second major act of creation. Using His mastery of nature and of human history, He directed events until His Son could be born. Now as a grown man, Jesus first steps out, The Second Adam, in every way like Adam our original father. Now as the First Adam could represent all of humanity, so too could the Second Adam. And in Jesus' first action as an adult, his decisions and movements are pleasing to God, His Father, and ours.
Adam was good, but did not please our Father.
And the baptism scene itself reminds us that God was working above the water, even as he stirred up the oceans when the earth was first created. Water is an important element of these two major creative acts of God. It's interesting that God launches each testament, via water.
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Reflectionary XIII
He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth . . .
Yesterday I posed the question, "Now what?" in response to the Christmas season having just ended.
From Isaiah 42 we read these immensely satisfying words of hope for all generations.
Now, realizing that Christ now occupies Eternity, (a place or concept far beyond our our limited time-based reality), we sit and contemplate the meaning of "He will not grow faint . . . until . . . "
Imagine Jesus and His Father, for now over two thousand years, working unceasingly to end injustice.
God cursed His creation, because we were disobedient. But behind all that, is this idea that there is injustice. The just sentence to all of us, is that we must die, because we are sinners. But when we go about judging one another: hurting, abusing, using other humans, and all of creation - that's injustice.
It's the injustice that Christ will end. And we are so messed up that it takes millennia to finish the job.
When Christ grew up to manhood, He went out and got baptized by John. Immediately thereafter, he commenced His epic work: to establish justice in the earth.
It's still a work-in-progress, and Jesus has not rested yet.
Yesterday I posed the question, "Now what?" in response to the Christmas season having just ended.
From Isaiah 42 we read these immensely satisfying words of hope for all generations.
Now, realizing that Christ now occupies Eternity, (a place or concept far beyond our our limited time-based reality), we sit and contemplate the meaning of "He will not grow faint . . . until . . . "
Imagine Jesus and His Father, for now over two thousand years, working unceasingly to end injustice.
God cursed His creation, because we were disobedient. But behind all that, is this idea that there is injustice. The just sentence to all of us, is that we must die, because we are sinners. But when we go about judging one another: hurting, abusing, using other humans, and all of creation - that's injustice.
It's the injustice that Christ will end. And we are so messed up that it takes millennia to finish the job.
When Christ grew up to manhood, He went out and got baptized by John. Immediately thereafter, he commenced His epic work: to establish justice in the earth.
It's still a work-in-progress, and Jesus has not rested yet.
Monday, January 6, 2014
Reflectionary XII
"Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews?"
What now?
The urgency with which we transition from Christmas to Post-Christmas speaks volumes.
Before Christmas, we were probably in a daily routine that did not involve us being reminded of the King of Kings, almost moment by moment. The Christmas Season gives us leave to think about Jesus, or, I mean . . . "The Baby Jesus," and to even say that name, openly, publicly, to others.
I remember being around a friend of mine, years ago, and her toddler daughter. This friend fancied herself a Christian, but engaged in a lifestyle that did not elevate self-control and Christ-likeness. She was showing a creche to her daughter, and said: "And there's a donkey, and a lamb, and a shepherd, and three wise men. And there's Mary, and Joseph . . . and THERE's . . . ummm . . . The Baby!"
Interesting - - - she couldn't even mouth the word "Jesus", to her four-year old child!
Now, in the case of this woman, like so many of us, the word "Jesus" would fly out of her mouth quite readily, when she's angry, frustrated, or drunk.
But even if we get around to some semblance of holiness, during the month December, it can be attributed to Society's general "feel-good" attitude in the air that time of year.
But what now . . when all those reminders are gone?
Let's get back to normal, so that I can figure out ways to ignore Jesus, the adult Jesus, and what his life meant.
These three wise men . . . from decidedly non-Christian, non-Jewish roots, came near the star over Bethlehem, and said "Where is the child . . . ?"
So perhaps that is our best response. Start the year off be asking: "Where is Jesus?" Whether you believe in Him or not, if you're at all interested in any kind of response to the Christmas season, and how it should impact the year 2014 for you, why not start there?
Where is the child?
What now?
The urgency with which we transition from Christmas to Post-Christmas speaks volumes.
Before Christmas, we were probably in a daily routine that did not involve us being reminded of the King of Kings, almost moment by moment. The Christmas Season gives us leave to think about Jesus, or, I mean . . . "The Baby Jesus," and to even say that name, openly, publicly, to others.
I remember being around a friend of mine, years ago, and her toddler daughter. This friend fancied herself a Christian, but engaged in a lifestyle that did not elevate self-control and Christ-likeness. She was showing a creche to her daughter, and said: "And there's a donkey, and a lamb, and a shepherd, and three wise men. And there's Mary, and Joseph . . . and THERE's . . . ummm . . . The Baby!"
Interesting - - - she couldn't even mouth the word "Jesus", to her four-year old child!
Now, in the case of this woman, like so many of us, the word "Jesus" would fly out of her mouth quite readily, when she's angry, frustrated, or drunk.
But even if we get around to some semblance of holiness, during the month December, it can be attributed to Society's general "feel-good" attitude in the air that time of year.
But what now . . when all those reminders are gone?
Let's get back to normal, so that I can figure out ways to ignore Jesus, the adult Jesus, and what his life meant.
These three wise men . . . from decidedly non-Christian, non-Jewish roots, came near the star over Bethlehem, and said "Where is the child . . . ?"
So perhaps that is our best response. Start the year off be asking: "Where is Jesus?" Whether you believe in Him or not, if you're at all interested in any kind of response to the Christmas season, and how it should impact the year 2014 for you, why not start there?
Where is the child?
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