Generosity

Greetings Friends,
   Ryan and I have posted a new podcast on the subject of generosity.  We also talk about where we have been in the past year.  You can listen to it on the media player to the right under the title "Generosity."

The Reign of the Dead One: An Easter Sermon by Ryan Garnes

The Reign of the Dead One:

An Easter Sermon by Ryan Garnes

The cross – the central theological mystery of the Christian faith.  The Apostle Paul proclaims:

Christ crucified, a stumbling-block to Jews and folly to the Greeks, ²⁴but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks—Christ—the power of God and the wisdom of God. ²⁵For God’s foolishness is wiser than human wisdom, and God’s weakness is stronger than human strength (1 Cor. 1:23-25).

The receptor of the apocalyptic revelation joins with the angels, singing in full voice:

‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honour and glory and blessing!’ (Rev. 5:12).

          During this Lenten season, you most likely have heard the loud voices – which, in our culture, I refer to the market as the loudest voice.  You most likely have been comforted once or twice by a great sale on chocolate bunnies, frivolous faux grass, in season Reece’s eggs, or by the impending promise of pollination, new life, warm weather, and spring break!  As we see with every major holiday, we cannot escape the materialistic masochism mounted at the foundation of our cultural existence; and this, we most all know, is merely fluff. 

But beyond the festive bunnies, delightful chocolates, and frivols, I hope that you have had time to reflect.  Some of you may have been fasting for the last 40 days; and you are probably pretty excited today to finally enjoy a piece of chocolate, a burger, or a caffeinated beverage again – or whatever you gave up.  But I hope that this Lenten season has reminded you of your brokenness and the joy of knowing the divine Healer.   My hope is that many of you, during this Easter season, have heard the soft voice – the one that is least acceptable and makes the least amount of sense to the masses; the one that sometimes speaks in subtly subversive and strange parables that empower the lowly; the one that, on occasion, says nothing at all, and in so doing, says everything needed to dismantle the self-proclaimed rulers of this world; it is the voice of our crucified Lord, who, before the crowds and the powers-that-be, submitted in a peculiar way to the cross of insurrectionists; it is the voice of the dead One made to rule. 

EASTER: A STORY OF PENTRATING NUMBNESS WITH GRIEF AND DESPAIR WITH HOPE

          It is my intention to suggest today that the Easter story is one that addresses numbness with grief and despair with bewilderment. It is one in which the death of Jesus serves to penetrate the numbness of allegedly powerful humans, and the resurrection of the crucified Lord serves to astound the weak ones into a powerfully new way of life.  The death and resurrection of Jesus calls us to accept the reality that there is no new life without the death of the old life; if we want to experience fullness of life, we embrace death with the hope that dying is merely a birth pang for recreation.  We accept that in order for the Kingdom of Heaven to advance and Jesus’ rule as King to be made evident in the existence of the church, we must resist two temptations:  1) convincing ourselves that all is okay in the world, and the second temptation is 2) falling into a despairing cynicism about the world being beyond repair.  I hope to assert that the cross is our starting point for recognizing the brokenness of the world, and the resurrection is God’s way of ultimately energizing a community alternative to the kingdoms made by the world.  Let’s begin with the cross.

The Cross

          All of Jesus’ teachings and the actions of his earthly existence could only lead to death – namely death on a cross.  In Jesus’ day, there were many so-called-christs. There were many who came before and followed after Jesus who claimed to be the anointed ones of God.  Most of these pseudo-Christs believed that God’s plan was to overthrow the Empire and replace the Kings and Caesars of Rome with a King from the line of David; and in so doing, a new era would come about – one in which the promised land would not only be occupied by Jews, but would be ruled by God’s people as well.  Some of these messianic hopers were called Zealots.  The Zealots of Jesus’ time, believed that there would be a violent revolution, followed thereafter by a reconstitution of the ancient Hebrew Covenant Law.

 If we refer to Luke 6:15, we see that Jesus chose at least one of these Zealots to be an immediate disciple and follower – Simon called the Zealot.  There was, among the Zealots of Jesus’ time, a more distinct group called the Sicarii, named after the type of dagger they carried to public events.  At these public events, the hooded Zealots, with their concealed weapons, would scatter about the crowds and stealthily attack Romans, Roman sympathizers, Herodian officials, and even fellow Jews whose wealth brought them great comfort in the Roman Empire (i.e. the Sadducees and the tax collectors).  If you recall, Judas Iscariot was one of Jesus’ chosen followers.  Ponder, for a moment, the title given him: Iscariot . . . Sicarii.  It is a great mystery and perhaps even miraculous how Matthew the tax collector, another follower of Jesus, and Judas sat at the same table, slept in the same quarters, and didn’t die at the other’s hand.  But Simon, Matthew, Judas, and many of Jesus’ other followers knew that the test for the truthfulness of a messiah was whether or not that so-called Messiah evaded the punishment given to those messiahs who threatened the Roman Empire—the cross.

          Jesus’ death was the death of an insurrectionist.  All of the pseudo-Christs before and after Jesus were put to death by the Empire; and most of them were put to death on a cross, which was the most humiliating death of all.  The cross was not merely a punishment for the insurrectionist, but it was also a message to the masses.  The title given to Jesus and placed above him on the cross, “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews,” was a mockery of his claim and a warning for any who might have been following him to keep quiet; it was a warning for any who might think about making the same claim for themselves or about another messiah.  The cross was the end . . . the last word . . . the final say.  The cross killed all hope for a new and better existence for the followers of the would-be-king. 

          You may understand now, why Jesus’ followers were so baffled by Jesus’ embrace of the cross and death.  Many of them were most likely waiting for Jesus to make his move and restore the throne on earth.  Perhaps this is why Judas turned Jesus over and why Peter drew a sword at Jesus’ arrest.  They were expecting a violent overthrow in the spirit of King David and the Israelite kings of old, and maybe they thought that in those moments, Jesus would make his move.  But he didn’t.

          We know now, that the Kingdom of God is quite contrary to the kingdoms of this world.  Great empires and the kings and rulers of this world have become numb to death.  It is a way of life.  Paul refers to the powers-that-be as agents of God’s wrath.  They hang people on crosses regularly; it is normal.  They see people dying of hunger regularly; it is normal.  They see innocent civilians dying on a regular basis because of war; it is normal.  They know the rates of death to diseases worldwide and how to prevent and cure many of them, and watch the weak ones die; it is normal.   No one is to blame. It’s just normal. We live in one of the greatest empires in all history.  Death has become so normal to us that, as a people and as a worldly kingdom, we have become numb.

          But the Kingdom of God is one that penetrates numbness with grief.  It is one that embraces death and dying as the only way to new birth.  The kingdom of God is one in which compassion is the greatest criticism of our culture.  It is not the violent revolt of the pseudo-messiahs that explicitly points to our discontent and hunger for retributive justice; it is compassion that gives way to restorative justice.  Jesus as a compassionate King over the leper, the slave, the cripple, the blind, the hungry, the weak, the lost, the depressed, the ostracized, the homosexual, the HIV-stricken, the exiled Native American and the destruction of his land, the black child forced into generational poverty because of the sins of our fathers, the stranger within our borders –Jesus as compassionate King is a criticism of all of our mistakes.  It is a criticism that calls us to turn and grieve the death of this world. 

         

          It is in this spirit that Jesus goes to the cross.  It was Jesus’ radical compassion that led him to his death.  By acknowledging and empowering the weak ones in such a way that oppressors were forced to acknowledge their injustices, Jesus asked for the cross.  He knew that the world could not handle such a radical way of being, but he knew that there was no better way.  And so, with this in mind, God’s way of dealing with the brokenness of the world was to embody its anguish.  There is no greater grief for us as humans than to come to the realization that God came to us, and we killed him.  For, it is in this that we recognize what we have done to Jesus on the cross is the natural result of our broken existence, which is the reason for our broken world.  The Apostle Paul reminds us that all of creation groans in anticipation of the future restoration, and that when the church recognizes these groans and prays in ignorance, the Spirit of God intercedes with sighs too deep for words (Rom 8:22-26). 

We must join Jesus in taking up our crosses, dying to our numbness and falsely self-glorifying existences. We must join him in his way to the cross, where he cries out “Father forgive them for they know not what they are doing” (Lk 23:34), or as Walter Brueggemann puts it, “on behalf of the world that has now sentenced him, he enters a plea of temporary insanity.”  We must lay down all pride and perceived power and take up the less coercive, yet revolutionary power of the cross—the power that comes from the passion, forgiveness, and heart-wrenching love of a God who enters into death for his terrible friends.

The Resurrection

          But the cross was not the end.  It was not as Pilate and the crowds had anticipated.  On that Friday that we all ironically and paradoxically call “good,” Jesus’ compassion, his solidarity with and empowerment of the poor, his sermon on the mount, his healing of the sick, and his miraculous feedings of the hungry . . . it all seemed lost.  The despair that his disciples and the receptors of his good and miraculous works must have felt is evident.  According to the Gospel of John, his disciples, all but one, had abandon him at the cross.  They knew, according to Roman customs, that they would be crucified along with him if they fought back; no one can follow a dead King unless they follow him unto death themselves.  Instead, they locked themselves in a room out of fear and despair (John 20:19).  All of the hope that they had placed in him had been lost.  The Kingdom that they were expecting did not arrive.  But the cross was not the end . . . not the last word . . . not the final say!

          After two days of grieving, a strange occurrence took place –one that penetrated the despair and cynicism of the outcasts . . . one that bewildered, that shook, that amazed, that restored hope.  The resurrection of the crucified Lord served as the vindication of the true Messiah.  It served as a promise to the weak ones that their suffering was taken seriously by God and that one day they too would share in the resurrection of Christ.  If the cross is the fulfillment of Jesus’ words about forgiveness and enemy love, turning the other cheek, and giving the cloths off of his back, then the resurrection is the fulfillment of Jesus words “blessed are you who weep, for you will laugh;” and “blessed are the poor for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven;” and “blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude you, revile you, and defame you . . . for great is your reward in heaven.”  Likewise, to the ones who are numb to death, the resurrection fulfills Jesus’ words, “woe to you who are laughing now, for you will mourn and weep” (Lk 6)—for the resurrection calls into question the perceived power of the kingdoms of the world and points to the actual power of the Kingdom of God. 

It is not a Kingdom built on violent revolution and the blood of the enemy, the oppression of peoples, or the wisdom of philosophers.  It is not built upon the principle of wealth accumulation or the coercion of wealth redistribution.  It is not built on a fear of the end.  Quite the contrary, it is built on compassion and justice.  It is built on enemy love which hopes to simultaneously forgive and correct.  It is built on generosity and genuine care for the least.  It is built not upon the principles of old, but rather upon God’s freedom to do what the prophet Isaiah calls “a new thing.”  And it is built upon the reign of the dead One.  The resurrection of Jesus is the historical event of ultimate energizing for the alternative community called the Church.  It should energize us to fearlessly enter into the brokenness of the world with the assurance that God is at work amidst the suffering.  And it is with all of this in mind that we sing with the receptor of the Revelation: 

‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might
and honour and glory and blessing!’ (Rev. 5:12).

CONCLUSION

The hope of Easter is the promise that God is up to something much greater than our minds can conceive.  The resurrection of Jesus, however, is a foreshadowing of what we will receive in the restoration of all things.  Until then, we must learn to share in Jesus’ death until he returns.  This means that we are being called out of the numbness of the world and into the passion of God.  We are called to enter into the brokenness of the world, sharing the promise of God’s love and inconceivable plan to make things right.  As we partake in the elements of communion, we are reminded that we share in Christ’s death and we share in the hope of his resurrection – for we are his body. 

 Selected Bibliography

Brueggemann, Walter. The Prophetic Imagination, Second Ed. Minneapolis:     Fortress Press, 2001.

–See Brueggemann in regards to the prophetic motifsof criticism and energizing in a numb and despairing environment.  His comparison of what he calls the royal consciousness (the thinking of worldly kingdoms) and the alternative consciousness (revolving around God’s freedom, justice, and compassion) is excellent.

Heschel, Abraham J. The Prophets. New York & Evanston: Harper & Row       Publishers, 1962

—Heschel’s section on Jeremiah is particularly helpful in understanding God’s anguish embodied in the prophet.  Brueggemann, borrowing from Heschel, asserts this motif into his interpretation of Jesus and the cross.

Wright, N.T. Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the   Mission of the Church. New York: HarperOne, 2008.

—Wright’s historical and theological analysis of the resurrection as an                                                                           actual event of vindicating hope for those who suffer is excellent.

Yoder, John H. The Politics of Jesus: Vicit Agnus Noster. Grand Rapids: William        B. Eerdmans Publishing     Company, 1972.

—Yoder’s analysis of the Zealot movement as it relates to Jesus’ nonviolent way is quite helpful, here. Particularly see Yoder’s assessment of the Gospel of Luke as it relates to the Year of Jubilee (Chapter 2 – “The Kingdom Coming” where he addresses the Zealot revolutions) and chapter 5 on “The Possibility of Nonviolent Resistance.”

Where have we been? a reflection on a (almost) year Hiatus.

Greeting friends,  as you may know our last article/podcast that has been posted is almost a year old.  What the heck have Ryan and myself been doing the pass year.  Were we traveling to the holy land?  Took a time machine (Tardis, DeLorean, etc.) back to the begging of the bible to see the creation and other biblical events? Were we in hibernation?  As much as these three options are tempting to use as an excuse, the answer is we both have been busy.  I took a pastoral position in April and Ryan has a full-time position at a camp as there missionary coordinator.  When one of us has time, the other one usually does not.  Plus we are also changing our format of the blogging and the pod casting.  Before, when Ryan and I were students, we would devote lots of time and energy to research and resources before we would do a podcast.  Now, we are just going to talk about whatever we feel like and hopefully add supplements in later to our discussions.  The blog will be more for the in depth writings.  it will also be an outlet to further discussions and debates with the T&B community.

I am sorry that we have not been as active as we would like, but Ryan and I are happy with the new layout for T&B and hope to be more active after Easter.

Homosexuality, The church, hate, and North Carolina

Kylie Bisutti and the Apostle Paul?

About a few weeks ago, I came across a story about Kylie Bisutti.  I never knew who she was or what she did for a living but a teaser had caught my attention and i was interested in reading it.  Kylie Bisutti is a Victoria Secret model, or she was one.  You see she quit being a model for Victoria Secret because it did not agree with her Christian beliefs.  In this article (WARNING: there are sensual pictures of Kylie in this article. If this is a stumbling block for you then do not click on the link), she talks about how she was feeling convicted by being a Christian and a lingerie model.  Here is one of the many quotes from Bisutti about her life change.

"I didn't really want to be that kind of role model for younger girls because I had a lot of younger Christian girls that were looking up to me and then thinking that it was okay for them to walk around and show their bodies in lingerie to guys."

Reading this article, I thought about the life of the Apostle Paul.  Even though Paul was a great Christian Missionary, he was still known as Saul, a christian killer, in the public eye.  As much as he worked to continue to build up the mission of Jesus Christ, I am sure that there was always somebody who would remember him for his past.  Bisutti, like the Apostle Paul, has made a life change, but with the power of the internet, the pictures of her Victoria Secret days are forever posted for anyone to see.  I applaud Ms. Bisutti for her decision and wish her luck on her new journey.

Christian Language

Ryan and Scott talk about the use of Christian Language in current culture.

Are Christian Youth Camps/Conventions Causing the Young Generation to Leave the Church?

Before reading this post it will be a good idea to read the book, "You Lost Me," by David Kinnaman or listen to our book review via podcast. 

Most of my ministry training has been through working at Youth Camps.  The one question that has plagued my mind the last few years is, "Why do students have a hard time staying with there commitment to Christ?"  I generally, lead towards the conclusion that the church was not doing a great job discipling these students who committed there life to Christ during a camp or convention program.  Now I am thinking, "what if the camps/conventions are the culprit?"

The typical outline for camp/conventions when it comes to the message is: 1.) Sin, bondage, hell 2.) Jesus, freedom, salvation 3.) Growth, discipleship.  In a way, most youth camps and/or conventions follow a subtle pattern to the preaching during the Great Awakenings.  You start heavy with the sin. hell preaching then towards the end talk about salvation and people will flock with tears to the alter and repent from there sinful life.  Conventions and camps do the same thing, some camps are identical to the Great Awakenings pattern while others try to find a healthy balance between the sin and salvation.

The issue that all this boils down to is Guilt.  Students may screw up and because of what they learn from these establishments is that they are sinners which makes them feel guilty for what they have done.  Instead of asking for forgiveness and grace, they hold on to that guilt and feel like they let God down and that He is disappointed in them.  They then carry this lie with them until the next camp/convention where they can finally let the guilt go.  However, once they hit that ripe old age of 18, they carry the guilt with them and never have the opportunity to lay it down at the alter. 

I would love to hear out readers reactions to this post or any thoughts you have about why young adults are leaving the Church.