When was the last time you walked by a homeless person on the street? When was the last time you walked by a homeless person on the street and lied about how you didn’t have any cash on you? When was the last time you justified ignoring this person’s need because they would just, “go buy drugs or alcohol” with your 50 cents? Did you judge them in your mind?
I write with no intention of preaching, only with intention of admitting that I have done all those things… in the last 24 hours. I do all those things all the time. How dare I?
Is the answer throwing a dollar at someone and saying, “God Bless?” Maybe. Is the answer sitting down with every person who panhandles your spare change and sharing the truth and freeing life that Jesus Christ offers? Maybe. Is the answer prayer? Maybe. Is the answer simply caring enough not to ignore other human beings, other people made in the image of God, other people who cannot even feel their fingertips because of frostbite, other people who have not seen their children since the 90’s, other people who cannot possibly escape from the world of cocaine, alcohol, prostitution and cardboard boxes? I don’t know.
“This is what the LORD Almighty says: ‘Administer true justice; show mercy and compassion to one another. Do not oppress the widow or the fatherless, the alien or the poor. In your hearts do not think evil of each other’” (Zechariah 7:9-10, NIV).
Is it possible to feed everyone you pass and put a roof over all these heads? No. And that isn’t the answer anyway. I do not know a whole lot, but I do know that the red letters in my Bible are true…
“’Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’
"‘Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
"The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me’” (Matthew 25:34-39, NIV).
Jesus doesn’t get much more explicit than this. You either take care of Him or you ignore Him. I have been ignoring for too long.
I am not letting anyone off with the easy, “Do what your heart tells you?” It isn’t that easy, folks. Jesus (Need I remind you, The Son of God) has called us out here. And I know it starts with asking God for a genuine heart of compassion for those in need. And from there, hopefully He will free me from my judgmental ignoring just as He is powerful enough to heal any person I pass on the street from any number of addictions or behaviors.
How dare I deny God the chance to speak to someone in need through me? All I have belongs to Him anyway, right? I should trust Him with it.
Life is too short to be safe all the time. Don’t be stupid either, but somewhere in between is the opportunity to share your life with people on the street and more importantly let them share their lives with you. Listen and let God speak to you through them and be amazed.
Please forgive me Lord for my ignorance and selfishness and self-righteousness and greed. I am sorry.
Thursday, September 22, 2005
Sunday, September 11, 2005
Aslan Returns - Part II
As one of the most prolific writers of the 20th century, C.S. Lewis spoke truth to a generation that seemed to be on the right track. His classics of theology and allegory captivate minds even 50+ years later. But as we delve into the story of Aslan the ferocious savior lion— once again, it is quite obvious that Lewis recognized the inadequacies of the worldly nature of man and held no punches in the distribution of life-changing truth even in his so-called children's books.
We pick up more than a millennia worth of Narnia years down the road. Prince Caspian is fighting the forces of evil to no avail, and everyone, save for a few holdouts and believers, has forgotten the ultimate sacrifice and triumph of the lion King Aslan. He has been relegated, along with the first of His followers, royalty themselves, to the fallacy of folklore and tall tales.
As Prince Caspian fights for good, he is struggling to stay afloat with his tiny band of disciples. Several insurgents and rebels, who mean well, but do not believe, approach the prince with an opportunity to defeat his present day foes, as they have all but given up hope for the glorious reappearing of Aslan:
"’'Either Aslan is dead, or he is not on our side. Or else something stronger than himself keeps him back. And if he did come— how do we know he'd be our friend? He was not always a good friend to Dwarfs by all that'’s told. Not even to all beasts. Ask the Wolves. And anyway, he was in Narnia only once that I ever heard of, and he didn't stay long. You may drop Aslan out of the reckoning. I was thinking of someone else.
'Whom do you mean?' said Caspian at last.
‘ 'I mean a power so much greater than Aslan'’s that it held Narnia spellbound for years and years, if the stories are true.'
'The White Witch!' cried three voices all at once, and from the noise Peter guessed that three people had leaped to their feet.
'Yes,'’ said Nikabrik very slowly and distinctly, 'I mean the Witch. Sit down again. Don't all take fright at a name as if you were children. We want power; and we want a power that will be on our side. As for power, do not the stories say that the Witch defeated Aslan, and bound him, and killed him on that very stone which is over there, just beyond the light?'
'But they also say that he came to life again,' said the badger sharply.
'Yes, they say,'’ answered Nikabrik, '‘but you'’ll notice that we hear precious little about anything he did afterwards. He just fades out of the story. How do you explain that, if he really came to life? Isn't it much more likely that he didn't, and that the stories say nothing more about him because there was nothing more to say?'"”
Excerpt from Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis, 1951.
In times of trouble we run to whatever power we have at the top of our memory. What if we no longer existed on an earthly timetable, but instead waited on God's time —— he has existed since before time, you know?
I, like a child, often find myself doubting the "“stories."” But what if, what if, the "“stories"” are true. Instead of believing the lies of those who combat the truth and sluff off the supernatural, we might try giving truth a try.
Nikabrik was wrong. Not for questioning, but for his distorting the truth for his own gain. There is so much more to say, Aslan'’s story did not end on the stone where He willingly went to death for humanity — A dead lion doesn'’t do a whole lot of good, His resurrection is THE key to the redemption of Narnia. And His glorious reappearing would happen when it was supposed to happen:
"At the sight of Aslan the cheeks of the Telmarine soldiers became the colour of cold gravy, their knees knocked together, and many fell on their faces. They had not believed in lions and this made their fear greater."
And what if we are just wasting our time calling on all the powers that be in the universe, even the despicably evil ones, all while the King, the true King, the resurrected Lion of Judah is calling our name and waiting for us to say "Yes"” to Him.
"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3, NIV)
We pick up more than a millennia worth of Narnia years down the road. Prince Caspian is fighting the forces of evil to no avail, and everyone, save for a few holdouts and believers, has forgotten the ultimate sacrifice and triumph of the lion King Aslan. He has been relegated, along with the first of His followers, royalty themselves, to the fallacy of folklore and tall tales.
As Prince Caspian fights for good, he is struggling to stay afloat with his tiny band of disciples. Several insurgents and rebels, who mean well, but do not believe, approach the prince with an opportunity to defeat his present day foes, as they have all but given up hope for the glorious reappearing of Aslan:
"’'Either Aslan is dead, or he is not on our side. Or else something stronger than himself keeps him back. And if he did come— how do we know he'd be our friend? He was not always a good friend to Dwarfs by all that'’s told. Not even to all beasts. Ask the Wolves. And anyway, he was in Narnia only once that I ever heard of, and he didn't stay long. You may drop Aslan out of the reckoning. I was thinking of someone else.
'Whom do you mean?' said Caspian at last.
‘ 'I mean a power so much greater than Aslan'’s that it held Narnia spellbound for years and years, if the stories are true.'
'The White Witch!' cried three voices all at once, and from the noise Peter guessed that three people had leaped to their feet.
'Yes,'’ said Nikabrik very slowly and distinctly, 'I mean the Witch. Sit down again. Don't all take fright at a name as if you were children. We want power; and we want a power that will be on our side. As for power, do not the stories say that the Witch defeated Aslan, and bound him, and killed him on that very stone which is over there, just beyond the light?'
'But they also say that he came to life again,' said the badger sharply.
'Yes, they say,'’ answered Nikabrik, '‘but you'’ll notice that we hear precious little about anything he did afterwards. He just fades out of the story. How do you explain that, if he really came to life? Isn't it much more likely that he didn't, and that the stories say nothing more about him because there was nothing more to say?'"”
Excerpt from Prince Caspian by C.S. Lewis, 1951.
In times of trouble we run to whatever power we have at the top of our memory. What if we no longer existed on an earthly timetable, but instead waited on God's time —— he has existed since before time, you know?
I, like a child, often find myself doubting the "“stories."” But what if, what if, the "“stories"” are true. Instead of believing the lies of those who combat the truth and sluff off the supernatural, we might try giving truth a try.
Nikabrik was wrong. Not for questioning, but for his distorting the truth for his own gain. There is so much more to say, Aslan'’s story did not end on the stone where He willingly went to death for humanity — A dead lion doesn'’t do a whole lot of good, His resurrection is THE key to the redemption of Narnia. And His glorious reappearing would happen when it was supposed to happen:
"At the sight of Aslan the cheeks of the Telmarine soldiers became the colour of cold gravy, their knees knocked together, and many fell on their faces. They had not believed in lions and this made their fear greater."
And what if we are just wasting our time calling on all the powers that be in the universe, even the despicably evil ones, all while the King, the true King, the resurrected Lion of Judah is calling our name and waiting for us to say "Yes"” to Him.
"Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know." (Jeremiah 33:3, NIV)
Friday, September 02, 2005
200 words or less — Community
Do you ever wonder why we live in cities together? Why when your phone rings you get so excited? Why we can map our lives by the times when key people have come into or out of them?
Because in our deepest, most intimate being, we desire to be with people. We were designed to spend our lives with other people.
The worst thing that can happen to someone is not death or sickness or poverty; the worst thing that can happen to someone is death or sickness or poverty ALONE. We need to recognize the importance of community not only in our own lives but even more so in the lives of those who might be alone and don’t know what to do about it.
God, Himself, has modeled, since before the sun, before calendars and way before the internet — a perfect community. The Trinity, three-in-one, has existed perfectly for all eternity.
As image-bearers of Him who made us (that is, all of humanity), we not only desire that same community, we NEED it.
We were not meant to live this life alone. Find community and live in it.
Because in our deepest, most intimate being, we desire to be with people. We were designed to spend our lives with other people.
The worst thing that can happen to someone is not death or sickness or poverty; the worst thing that can happen to someone is death or sickness or poverty ALONE. We need to recognize the importance of community not only in our own lives but even more so in the lives of those who might be alone and don’t know what to do about it.
God, Himself, has modeled, since before the sun, before calendars and way before the internet — a perfect community. The Trinity, three-in-one, has existed perfectly for all eternity.
As image-bearers of Him who made us (that is, all of humanity), we not only desire that same community, we NEED it.
We were not meant to live this life alone. Find community and live in it.
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