Finding Myself in the Easter story- the two criminals Luke 23: 32-43

So there are two criminals hanging on either side of Jesus on the cross, representing the two attitudes of mankind toward Jesus. One hurls insults at him, telling him to prove himself to be the savior. "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us?" the other criminal sees something else in Jesus. He sees one who has already proven himself by his innocence. And in comparison he sees himself, worthy of punishment. A first step in knowing Christ is the ability to see ourselves for who we really are. The first man just demands that Jesus prove his power by saving all of them. The other man doesn't even ask to be saved. He asks one thing, to be remembered. There is something of faith in that statement. He knows something about where Jesus is going. He doesn't even dare ask to go there, he asks merely to be remembered. But Jesus opens up so much more to him than he can even imagine when he says "I tell you the truth today you will be with me in paradise." It goes well beyond being remembered. It goes to the point of new life. Living again. How many people, I wonder, when they know death is upon them, look for how they will be remembered. Reflecting on the need to continue on, if not in influence, through ones children, through a memory. There is something in all of us, no matter what our beliefs are of the afterlife that wants to be remembered. To have made some sort of mark on this world, to not just disappear as if we never existed. But we can have so much more. I want to be like the second criminal,to see myself for who I am and my hope is not only to be remembered but to live forever in the company of my Lord.

Finding myself in Easter- Peter and Judas Matthew 26:14-27:10 and John 21 15-18

And then there is the stories of Judas and Peter who's acts of betrayal are intertwined in Matthew 26:14-27:10. Though Judas' act seems more deliberately planned, I wonder if he really understood the repercussions of his wrong doing. Both men seemed shocked when Jesus revealed to them that they would betray him. Judas the one who would betray him says "Surely not I Rabbi?" (Matthew 25-27) in response to Jesus' statement that "One of you will betray me." Then when Jesus predicts that all will fall away on account of him, Peter exclaims "Even if all fall away on account of you I never will" Matthew 26-33. To which Jesus replies. "Yes you will, 3 times before the rooster crows."
And then both men go out and sin against Jesus in a single tragic night. Judas by handing him over to the chief priests, or teachers of the law, Peter by denying that he ever knew Jesus. And both feel great remorse. "When Judas,who had betrayed him saw that he was condemned he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. "I have sinned" he said, "for I have betrayed innocent blood." (Matthew 27:3-4)
Peter when he realized what he had done "went outside and wept bitterly"Matthew 26:75
Both men, seized with remorse, only one forgiven.
I have to admit that the story of Judas has always troubled me. He recognizes his sin, pleads for it to be undone, even giving back the money, and yet he is not forgiven. In his own mind he is given a death sentence and he hangs himself. Peter on the there hand is reinstated by Jesus, even given a huge responsibility of starting the church. I've always been taught that when we sin, feel remorse and ask for forgiveness we are forgiven. (a broken and contrite heart, I will not despise Psalm 51:17) But Judas is not cleansed of his guilt. Why? I wish he wouldn't have felt remorse and then I could feel better about the whole story. But then, just last year, in a Easter season message, I heard something I hadn't heard before. It wasn't a matter of repentance, it was who each man went to for forgiveness. There is only one who can wash away the stain of sin, and Peter chose to go to Jesus himself and was forgiven and given a huge responsibility to "feed my sheep" Judas went back to the teachers of the law. The law always condemns. It has to. It was set up as a system of judgment. A way to show what God demands and a way to show that we can never meet those demands, unless of course we go through Christ. Christ states that he didn't come to abolish the law, it still stands, but to provide a way to avoid the consequences of violating the law. We are all either Judas or Peter. We all violate the law. But who do we choose to go to when we feel remorse.
You can say that the law is part of Jewish tradition but how many churches have been accused of being legalistic. Legalism in the church leads to hypocrisy and people constantly feeling like they never measure up and therefore turning their back on the church. The law still exists. And we need it as a tool to measure where we are at, but we need the grace of Christ and one who lifts us up from when we weep bitterly and gives us hope, forgiveness and a chance to become more than we ever thought we could be.

Finding myself in the Easter Story. Pilate and the Crowd Matthew 27:21-25

4 gospels and many of the prophetic books of the Old Testament tell the story of Easter, or at least parts of it, different versions and different details. All together they point like spokes on a wheel to the true center and purpose of the Word of God and give us groundwork for understanding God’s plan of salvation for his creation.

And many characters are introduced and as I learn about them, I am compelled to search myself to find out where I fit in. Who am I? Some of the characters are placed in juxtaposition to each other, so that we can contrast their purpose.

There is Pilate and the Crowd. Initially Pilate seems reluctant to crucify Jesus declaring him innocent. The crowd on the other hand wants him crucified. Both of them make reference to Jesus’ blood. Pilate washes his hands and claims innocence of “that man’s blood” Matthew 27:24. The people cried, “Let his blood be on us and on our children.” Matthew 27: 25. Interestingly this line was removed from the movie The Passion of Christ so as not to create an attitude of anti-Semitism. We don’t want to blame the Jews for Jesus’ death. But the crowd is symbolic of more than just the Jews, thank goodness. Had I been there as one of Jesus’ followers, I would have contributed to the collective gasp that must have occurred reflecting a fear that maybe God wasn’t going to win this thing. Look at the people demanding death of the one that God sent to be the Savior, Messiah and King. If we as the human race have free choice, then are we exercising our free choice to turn our backs on God Himself? What hope is there for us if we are not for God? It is amazing to see that God’s perfect plan is demonstrated in the voices of the people requesting, “Let His blood be on us and on our children.” Long before He had set up a system at Passover in which the angel of death “passed over” the Israelites homes because their doorframes were marked with the blood of the lamb. The only way an Israelite family could be saved from death was to bear the mark of the blood. The only way we can be saved is through the blood of Jesus. And so I say, with sad confession that I play a role in His death and that I too request, “His blood be on me and my children.” It is the only way that I can bypass the second death that comes as a consequence for sin. Pilate on the other hand “washed his hands” of the whole matter, or so he thought. He didn’t want to be associated with Jesus’ death but he wanted to be a people pleaser too. He loved his position and prestige too much to risk losing it on his belief that Jesus was an innocent man. He played a huge part in crucifying Jesus, just as we all do. Only he denied it, to save himself. By refusing to recognize his role, by denying his own responsibility, he divorces himself from the only thing that can truly save him. How much better for him to have humbly said, “Let his blood be on me too.” I remember last year when I watched "The Passion" I thought, "I won't close my eyes and pretend that this has nothing to do with me." As hard as it was to watch in terms of the level of violence it is harder still to watch with an attitude of responsibility.
Lord, let me be a voice in the crowd, let me be one who recognizes deeply how desperately I need for Christ’s blood to be on me and on my children. And let me recognize that it is because I am part of a fallen human race, a fallen individual that I do take responsibility for Jesus’ death. It is necessary for me to have life.

Message Recap

Sunday’s Message was titled “Thirst” referring to Christ’s suffering on the cross culmination in the human condition of THIRST where He says, “I thirst.” Thirst meaning thirst for God, Thirst for his unconditional love, a thirst that we try to quench in so many other ways. Our pastor indicated that every one of us is an addict. Some to what we typically see as addictions like alcohol, drugs, and pornography. Others to more socially acceptable and esteemed addictions, power, money, applause, attention, adventure. But we can know they are addictions in that they never satisfy for long. They leave a person wanting more of the same, in stronger doses to get the same high. He concluded that all we really thirst for is Jesus Himself and illustrated it with the story of the woman at the well found in John 4: 1-26.
In conclusion we are to find that all we are addicted to, all of our thirsts can be quenched in Jesus.
And I say, that sounds good in theory, but what does that look like to someone who is addicted.
First, if it is true that the addiction is rooted in a basic need for unconditional love, validity, acceptance, from our creator, then I think one has to practice seeing themselves as dearly loved and of great worth. Our pastor says "He loves you enough to not let you continue the way you are." In other words, “I love you just the way you are, now lets get you out of sewage you are wading around in and get you cleaned off.” You have to recognize this on some level and behave in a way that shows you know your true worth.
Alcoholics Anonymous also in recognizing the need for something more tangible with which to work with in getting one from point a to point b on the path of recovery came up with the 12 step program, that has been adopted for so many addictions. Although, many want to weaken the very thing that makes it powerful and effective and that is a reliance on God, and a system that closely resembles anything you’d ever find in the Bible. Who would have made the connection between confession and recovery?
And the other way to step over from the theory of “all you need is Jesus” and practicing it is to become acquainted with those who are representations of Christ in this world. To have another human being both love you and accept as you are while at the same time want better for you is a rare and beautiful find. But Christians need to become that to a hurting world, so that they can make the leap from that which sounds good to that which is good.

Message Recap

The message this week was illustrated using the perspective of two pieces of art, one looking up at the cross, the other as Christ looking down at the crowd. The message was that first we need to come to a place of recognizing the work done for us on the cross, and then we need to see ourselves as one in the crowd looking upon the cross. The faces in that piece looked shocked, stunned by what they saw, stunned because they recognized that Christ is taking their place, stunned because they saw themselves for who they are and for what they deserved, stunned that someone would actually die for that which is despised, broken, wounded, or undesirable about us, not for what is good, stunned because they saw someone taking upon himself their own unworthiness in an act of sacrifice. Our pastor indicated that we need to see ourselves there. Note that he is talking to a room full of Christians. I've heard Christians say, “Since I am saved then I no longer sin as I’ve been declared righteous.” But I believe there is a real danger in that kind of thinking. First of all, it sets one up to project their sinfulness onto others, it affects one’s ability to take correction and to grow and it denies the ongoing power of the cross. And it’s scripturally unsound. But we feel better believing ourselves to be the “good guys” on this planet. I can honestly tell you that each Easter, and every week in between, I’ve learned to get very comfortable with my own internal discomfort. I am well aware of how flawed I am and my continued need for God’s mercy shown for me on the cross. I am not removed from the knowledge of my flawed self so that I find the work of the cross is no longer for me but I can see why other people need it. No, that's not me at all. Call me stubborn, a slow learner, stuck in my ways, difficult (I am used to that one), call me anything but "not saved" Because that is what some people believe, they believe, "If I still struggle that means I am not saved.” We are called to stop sinning but we never will. But we shouldn't be satisfied to continue, we should be drawn “further up and further in.” As we grow as Christians we are drawn further along, deeper into this thing called our faith, confronting layers of ourselves the whole way. Sadly, today many churches are not drawing people further up and further in both in the knowledge of scripture and the depths to which we are fallen. And they are discipling followers who have only confronted the surface of who they really are and are satisfied with that. It doesn’t make us bad; I think it just makes us weak. One professor from way back Robert Webber, who attended an Episcopal church, would always say, “Each week I flee to the Eucharist,” meaning, I believe that he recognized his need for constant renewal. And why else would God’s mercies be new every morning unless we needed them daily. We cannot do much good in this world unless the cross has a continued power to make us see who we really are, to see where we’ve been maybe and to catch of glimpse of what we are meant to be as we move onward in that direction.

My second "life verse"

The other verse I chose as a guidepost to follow back in the days when I was a young therapist and found it to be a good personal verse as a Christian was Isaiah 40 3-5. A voice of one calling: In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level and the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it.

Now this verse is a prophetic verse symbolizing the role of John the Baptist. I think that in the text the mountains, valleys, rough places etc. signify the Law. John, by baptizing people signifies cleansing from the guilt given by the Law, and burying them, for death is the penalty for breaking the Law. By cleansing and by death, the Law is no longer a barrier keeping us from God. This is all symbolic and preparation for Christ and His work. This is all theological stuff I know, and I want to get to the practical so here is how I apply it.


In life there are so many barriers that keep people from knowing God and coming to a true place of healing. For some it is still The Law and trying to follow it. For others it is being hurt and scarred by family that distorts our image of God and who He is. For some it is being hurt or scarred by the church itself, which is suppose to be representative of God here on earth doing his work. These barriers, valleys, mountains need to addressed and removed for healing to begin
In my graduate school, since it was a Christian program, we discussed whether it was ethical for Christians to be counselors and therapists. Some brought up the issue that by removing “symptoms” we did not allow people to hit the point where they called out to God. For example, by giving people skills to deal with anxiety we are not allowing them to face the true source of their anxiety and come to God for true healing.
I don’t believe this to be the case. I think our purpose, not only those who are in a healing profession, but as Christians in general, is to smooth the rough places, to clear a path. We cannot save. That is not in our power. But we can remove obstacles. And that is what I want my life to be about. Now, it grieves me more than anything to see the church itself, or those that claim to be God’s servants, creating the obstacles. When I hear about the sexual abuse scandals from the Catholic church (and I know it goes on in other denominations as well) I think about not only the psychological but spiritual damage done. I wonder how this must hinder ones perception of God and prevent them from knowing Him. The other night I watched the second Dateline investigation on The Benny Hinn ministry. I missed their first show in which they tried to find documented proof of the healings that go on and could find none. But the show I watched talked about how Benny Hinn uses his well orchestrated and choreographed show to bring in money with which to lead a very lavish lifestyle. I personally don’t care how he lives. I care about the naive or desperate people who give their money to that ministry, hoping to purchase a miracle, hoping for some healing, or believing that they are helping others to receive healing. There are obstacles being put up for them. There are obstacles being put up for the people who go for healing, told they received it, and then find out from their doctors that it just isn’t true. Do they question God? Do they question their own faith and relationship with him? Do they question whether He cares about them? And think of the obstacles put up for people in general watching this investigation. Some of them watch this kind of documentary and look upon Christianity in disgust, thinking this is how simple-minded Christians are. The obstacles are everywhere. And I think we are all, if we claim to be followers of Christ are called to do what we can to level a path; create a clearing for Christ to come and do the reparative and reconciling work that only He can do.

Twin virtues- Justice and Mercy

When I became a therapist at a very young age, I was 24 when I graduated with my Masters and went to work right away, I felt fairly inadequate in my ability to help people through life's problems. While in school I had an internship in which I had family, marital and individual clients And also while in school, I worked in two different hospitals, In one hospital I worked on the adolescent inpatient unit and the other was a crisis intake room in an emergency room, which I worked in all by myself; quite scary at times. I also worked in a group home with chronically mentally ill patients who were having a crisis and were in need of respite services. Through these various jobs with various populations of people who needed help I did learn quite a bit. And yet my own life experience basically consisted of growing up in a loving family, going to college and then straight to grad school. I wasn't even married at the time, much less a parent and yet I found myself helping people who were having difficulties with marriage and parenting. So I relied on my schooling, my limited job experiences and two life verses that I adopted as my guideposts to helping people. The first was Micah 6:8. Which is in the title of this blog. I will talk about the other, maybe next time. It was Isaiah 40:3-5.
But for my first I wanted to learn the balancing act of walking between justice and mercy when helping people. Justice to me is standing up for the truth, calling what is right, "right" and what is wrong-"wrong" Not-"if it's right for you then it's okay." I don't believe you can extend hope out to people unless you are able to confront what is not right and change directions. The other aspect is mercy. Mercy keeps justice from becoming judgment. There is a picture in the bible of Jesus beautifully marrying mercy with justice, actually there are more than one example but this one stands out to me. It is the story told in John 8 1-11. The Pharisees (which are the teachers of the law) bring an adulteress women to Jesus and want to stone her according to scripture. And they wanted to know what Jesus had to say about it. They wanted to trap him erring either on the side of being just, or being merciful. If he said, "I agree with the scriptures, stone her" they could say, "ha, you are not the loving, forgiving man you claim to be." But if he said, let her go, They could say "Ha, you disobey the scriptures of God." But Jesus, who by his divine nature had a way of knowing the heart of the matter would not be trapped. In his statement he proved to be both just and merciful. He said "If any one of you is without sin let him be the first to throw the first stone at her" The Pharasees were forced to look at the sinful women as a mirror that reflected their own imperfections, their own adultery, whether it was real, in their heart or symbolic of the seeking other "lovers" apart from God. They one by one left. And Jesus then asked the women "Where are they, has no one condemned you?' she says "no" and he says "Then neither do I condemn you" and then do not stop there. He says "Go now and leave your life of sin" Not "Well, I guess if no one condemns you it's okay, continue on with your life as is, no one is going to stop you now" Because Jesus sees into the heart of all things, he knows that a life of adultery is a life outside of God's design. He knows that a life of adultery is damaging to the woman and to the larger system to which she belongs. Mercy is balanced with justice. Sin is called what it is. Jesus has peered into the woman's heart and saw her pain and reacted with kindness. He also saw her sinful behavior and told her without mincing words to stop.
So as a therapist trying to help people, then later as a mother, wife and friend. I needed to learn that tight little balancing act. It is so easy to swing to one side or the other. Being merciful with out justice or being just without being merciful. It cannot be done alone and that is why the last part of the verse says "walk humbly with your God" Meaning, I take no credit, he is the guide. Acting alone I would swing too far in one direction. To help people to cope with the pain in their life, with the consequences of their choices, with the difficult hand they have been dealt, takes a bit of peering into the heart of the matter and responding with the hope that comes from justice and mercy combined