Comments (0) Everyone’s got their favorite Super Bowl ads. My favorite is “Parisian Love” from Google. The simplicity of it, the way it weaves a love story together in a matter of seconds, the music, it’s brilliant (plus I admit it made me emotional).
Here’s a sermon I preached at CrossWalk, Sabbath, January 30. Matt Burdette asked me to post it on the Constructing Adventist Theology blog. So I decided to go ahead and cross post it here for you as well. We are currently preaching through the Revised Common Lectionary. It’s the Season of Epiphany, when the church focuses on Jesus revealing as God’s Son. I chose to preach on the Gospel reading for that week, Luke 4:21-30.
If you watched the NFL Championship games this past weekend, you may have seen the debut of a television ad that’s gone viral on the internet. The ad is for Wal-Mart. And as much as it pains me to promote their business in any form, you’ve got to see it if you haven’t already [I paused the ad just as the Dad was jumping into the air]:
Let’s pause it for a moment; I promise we’ll come back. When was the last time you were surprised? I remember the surprise birthday party my wife threw for me when I turned thirty… last year. Okay, so its been a few years. Anyways, Gina blindfolded me, put me in a car and drove me around town until I was completely disoriented, and then she took me to another house where my friends were waiting to surprise me. I knew something was up since it was my birthday, but you know what really got me? She left me blindfolded for the big “surprise;” I totally didn’t see it coming, literally. Continue reading 'The Unlimitable Gift (A Sermon for Epiphany)'»
I love movies, especially looking at them from a theological perspective. One genre of film are the Jesus movies. I’m not only fascinated how Jesus is portrayed in these films, but also the way the story is told. Lately I keep stumbling on these films, here’s a couple that have stuck with me recently:
Barabbas (1961)My friend Rob Simmons, a huge film aficionado and movie critic, gifted me the 1961 film Barabbas, starring Anthony Quinn. While not a typical Jesus film, the opening scenes begin on Good Friday, when Barabbas is freed by Pontius Pilate. We witness the crucifixion, the empty tomb, and an encounter with the disciples, even a conversation with a ghostly Lazarus, all through the eyes of Barabbas. The rest of the film traces his life from being a slave to a gladiator in Rome. Barabbas is “haunted” by the reality that Jesus of Nazareth gave him his freedom. A film years ahead of its time, Barabbas, is a hidden gem of the Jesus films.
I have the The Greatest Story Ever Told on DVD, but it was on television this Sunday morning, so my daughter and I watched the last forty-five minutes together. This time around I was struck by literally license of the film, particularly Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin. The film’s director/writer George Stevens, takes the man who was healed of blindness in John 9, and brings him into the trial as a witness against Jesus. The witness is questioned, similar to the questions by the religious leaders, in John 9, but the final response of the witness is phenomenal:
Sanhedrin: “Let the first witness enter.”
[Old man enters court, stands by Jesus]
Sanhedrin: “Do you know this man, Jesus of Nazareth?” Continue reading 'Jesus in Film'»
“The issue is figuring out how to live in the suburbs and still have a heart for the city. This was the place of Nehemiah in the Old Testament. It broke his heart to know the city of Jerusalem was in ruins, and he took some of the responsibility for why this was the case. We must acknowledge the systemic issues behind urban violence and take responsibility as well. Those living outside the city must take responsibility and work with those in the city to be salt and light.”
- Rev. Efrem Smith, Sojourner’s “Preaching the Word”
Within a few miles from my office I can leave the idyllic community of Loma Linda, California, where people live to be a hundred, and enter San Bernardino, once ranked the 16th most violent city in America. Truthfully, I can go about my life, rarely venturing into this urban jungle in my backyard.
When you live in the city its on top of you, you can’t run from the needs, it’s in your face. But suburbia can anesthetize you to suffering and injustice. You can build a safe life (or so you think), a secluded life, where the world can be shut out. Not so in the city.
There’s lots of challenges to living missionally in the suburbs, but one of the most problematic for me? Complacency. I find myself too comfortable with nice sub-divisions, tidy neighborhoods, and picturesque streets. The Rev. Smith challenges me. I am responsible too. And here in my town I can’t escape the fact there’s enormous needs across the street. So what am I doing about? Sadly, the usual, not much. What challenges do you face trying to live faithfully in Suburbia?
Jesus, have mercy on me. Remove my complacency. Compel me to action. Let me not forget the city in my backyard. Amen.
From Dietrich Bonhoeffer on suffering in the Pslams:
“There are no theoretical answers in the Psalms to all these questions, as there are none in the New Testament. The only real answer is Jesus Christ. But this answer is already sought in the Psalms. It is common to all of them that they cast every difficulty and agony on God: “We can no longer bear it, take it from us and bear it yourself, you alone can handle suffering.” That is the goal of all of the lamentation Psalms. They pray concerning the one who took upon himself our diseases and bore our infirmities, Jesus Christ. They proclaim Jesus Christ to be the only help in suffering, for in him God is with us.”
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Psalms: The Prayer Book of the Bible (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 1970), pp. 46-9.
I just finished checking out the “Lens” blog from the New York Times. Today’s post is “On Assignment: Prayers in the Dark”, revealing some of the most horrific images I’ve ever seen (If you jump to the blog, you’ve been warned). Damon Winters of the New York Times says, “I’ve never seen anything like this, and I doubt I’ll see anything like this again. The scene at the morgue today was just utterly unbelievable.”
Like many people, I’ve asked myself why God allows something like this to happen? I was ashamed of Pat Robertson’s comments this week about God cursing the Haitian people. I’m sure it only confirms for many people that a Christian God is a vengeful God, bent on causing humanity to suffer for their sins. Do you know what came to my mind as I viewed those images? Something I once read in Elie Wiesel’s book, Night, based on his time in a Nazi concentration camp. One day he watches a young boy hanged by the Nazis. In his head Weisel hears, “Where is He [God]? Here He is–He is hanging here on this gallows.” Continue reading 'Where is He Now?'»
Adjectives fail to give meaning to the tragedy of Haiti. Anything good I’ve experienced this week has left me feeling sad. I feel overwhelmed watching the news. I can’t even begin to get my mind around the loss of life that has taken place in a nation that was already suffering. I know we’re being inundated with sad news, but the good news in all this is about lives that are being saved, people who are trying to make a difference in the face of this intimidating darkness. While any help I give seems so small, I want to do my part. Here’s a few organizations (and individuals) I am choosing to help:
ADRA:
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency has been working in Haiti for more than 30 years providing relief and development. They are trying to raise $1,000,000 in the next seven days. As a Seventh-day Adventist, I am proud my church is making this level of commitment (and I encourage us to do more, risk more, and sacrifice more).
Scott Nelson
I just learned that Loma Linda University alumnist, Scott Nelson, has been working for CURE International as a surgeon for 5 years in the the Dominican Republic. This week he chartered a plane and was able to get into Haiti, where he is currently operating with a small team. He was interviewed this morning on ABC News. Cure International also has a blog about the work they are doing in Haiti. Loma Linda University has also setup a special fund specifically to support the hospital and Scott, the hyperlink will also give you an update on what’s going on with his work.
Continue reading 'Helping Haiti: What I’m Doing'»
Aid, Earthquake, Haiti, Helping, Relief
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Aid, Earthquake, Haiti, Helping, Relief
Coby
Here’s some good news for a change! This is a story from WSMV-TV in Nashville, TN. It features my sister-in law, nieces, nephew, Coby, their Labrador Retriever, and the remarkable timing of a UPS delivery. Enjoy!
Note: My nephew is actually pictured a few posts back in a photo with my son.
According to research by the Conference Board, 45 percent of Americans are unhappy with their jobs—the worst percentage in twenty years. Some report their daily commute being the best time of day. Is it me or is that depressing? Of course there’s concern for what this means for the economy, but there’s deeper concerns for our society too.
So what’ s a Christian approach to work? Growing up, my parents taught me the importance of a good work ethic—do your best, go above and beyond, be honest, be loyal, etc. But I never recall hearing a “theology of work” or how to think Christianly about work. It may seem obvious for those in paid ministry, but what if I am selling paper, or spend my days in a cubicle crunching numbers?
“All work done well and for God’s glory is Christian work.” – Dorothy Sayers
If you’d like to think about this further, I encourage you to visit The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a simple website dedicated to helping followers of Jesus think Christianly about their daily work. For example, read Matthew Alexander’s article, “Secular Work vs. Sacred Work: The Greek Distortion of Work”, where he encourages us to see ALL work as sacred.
Job, Sacred, Theology of Work, Vocation, Work
| Job, Sacred, Theology of Work, Vocation, Work
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