God will sort it out

 

"God will sort it all out in the end."

Someone said this to me recently and I agree. I've read his book and know that he does sort out everything in the end. Evil will be destroyed, God will wipe away every tear and there will be "no more death or sorrow or crying or pain" (Revelation 21:4).

He'll sort out the problem of unfairness in life; how criminals seem to go unpunished whilst the innocent suffer; how the selfishness of some causes starvation, violence and pain for others; how we know the good we want to do but so often don't actually do it.

He has sorted it out. Now and not yet.

Now, in the sense that by dying when death had no claim on him, Jesus has broken death's hold, vanquished the powers of evil and provided a solution to all the troubles in the world.

Not yet, in the sense that although the war has been ultimately won, battles are still being played out. In our lives we are all too familiar with pain, sorrow and struggles whether we follow Jesus or not. Not yet, in the sense that God in his mercy desires to give as many people as possible the opportunity to turn to Jesus and be saved before renewing all things at the end of time.

God will sort everything out in the end but on his own terms. Terms which are extremely generous towards us but which do include certain standards. No one wants evil and injustice to go unpunished. If a crime has been committed there should be consequences.

No human has ever lived a crime-free life. Before God we have all gone astray, from the nicest good-doer to the most frustratingly selfish to the murderously corrupt. We all have to face the consequences of our lives and choices. Whether we drive two or thirty miles per hour over the speed limit the law has been broken. Whether we have envious thoughts or actually go out and rob houses, we have broken God's law and have to pay the price.

Except we can't.

That's why God sorted it all out by sending his only Son, Jesus Christ so that "whoever believes in him will not perish but will have eternal life" (John 3:16).

There's the rub.

For God to sort things out for us in the way that results in joy, restoration and eternal life in a wonderful place, we have to believe in what Jesus has done and follow him. It's not much to ask, and it's certainly more than we deserve, but it's a non-negotiable.

God will sort it all out in the end. Not in a karmic, the universe will balance it all out way, but in a deliberate, loving, intelligent manner. There will be mercy but there will also be justice. He respects us enough to give us the choice as to whether we accept the terms of his solution.

“As surely as I live, says the Sovereign LORD, I take no pleasure in the death of wicked people. I only want them to turn from their wicked ways so they can live. Turn! Turn from your wickedness, O people of Israel! Why should you die?” (Ezekiel 33:11)

Why indeed, when you can turn to Jesus and live?

Searching

 

The world is a beautiful and amazing place offering so many opportunities and joys.

The world is dark and scary and you don’t know how to navigate it.

How do you “do” life? Why do you have so many worries and hang-ups when everyone else seems to be perfect and have everything under control?

Except they’re not and they don’t.

You see them crash into the downward spiral that you fear might engulf you: they’re just as adrift as you are.

You search for something to anchor yourself, something to rely on that'll give you a sense of worth.

You look to other people. 

You see the sense of belonging that local gang members feel. It’s a type of family. They look out for each other; they have money, cars, clothes, drugs. It’s easy, the high life; you feel appreciated, respected. But it isn’t free, it comes at such a cost and once you’re in, getting out is not so easy. How many elderly gangsters do you see? How many tell you about the lasting damage their bodies suffer from old wounds and drug use? How many can’t sleep at night, even with a gun under their pillow? How many feel used and scared, never knowing when the youngsters in their own or rival gangs will try to kill them as a sign of strength? How many cry themselves to sleep in prison when no one can see them and none of their gang brothers cares? How many are tortured by thoughts of wasted lives and lost loved ones? How many are wearing masks of violence and anger to hide just how lost and frightened they really are?

You think, "If I only had more money I’d be all right, all my problems would disappear."

Some would. You’d be able to put food on the table, pay the rent, send your children to good schools with nice uniforms and qualified teachers. But you would be the same. You could afford to disguise and numb your feelings with alcohol, drugs, shopping, fast cars, expensive food and holidays, but the hole inside you wouldn't be filled. To the outside world you might be a success but inside you'd feel like an imposter.

Everybody needs to know who they are, what their purpose is in life and that there is hope for something better.

Some people spend all their days chasing excitement, leaping from one experience to the next, whether they’re billionaires in a space race or members of a township gang. The rush of adrenalin helps distract from the serious thoughts that threaten to make life uncomfortable.

Some live lives of very little excitement, keeping to a familiar routine where everything is known. There are no surprises and life seems under control and comfortable or at least predictable.

But life isn’t like that. It can’t be put neatly in a box, whether that box is labelled “Excitement” or “Routine”. The world we live in has been turned upside down by the choices of humanity. It’s turned upside down by selfishness, disease and war, by financial crashes and famine, and there are things from which neither money nor health can protect us.

When the things we rely on are swept away and life has lost its foundations where can we turn?

“Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.” (Hebrews 13:8)

Jesus has been here from the beginning of creation. When there was nothing there was him. He’s seen it all and is familiar with all the insecurities and challenges facing us. He was there in the perfection of creation before humanity’s choices broke everything and introduced death, suffering, toil and disease into the world. He’s been with us ever since, sharing in the difficulties and pain. The gap that we so desperately try to fill is caused by the breaking of our relationship with him. We sense we’re adrift, that there should be more to life than what we make ourselves, and our souls cannot find rest until we rest in him.

Does it sound too easy, as if all your problems could be solved by starting a relationship with Jesus?

Yes and no.

You can never be the person you were meant to be until you connect with Jesus, acknowledge who he is and see yourself through his eyes in all your glory and shame. Glory because you were made in the image of God. Whether you’re a duchess or a street-sweeper, a professor or a plumber, your value in God’s eyes is the same. You reflect his glory, you’re part of his family, you should feel neither superior nor inferior to any other human being. You are of such worth that Jesus willingly died to enable a relationship with you. 

You also share the shame of being a member of the human race, the race which rejected God’s goodness and tried to steal his throne, the race which inflicted brokenness upon the whole of creation and continues to exploit and ravage it.

We cannot be properly ourselves until we realise who we were created to be, how we’ve lost that and how Jesus has provided a way to regain our true humanity. Some people spend the whole of their lives searching and never fill the gap, never commit. They may spend their lives “doing good”, attempting to work their way to satisfaction but discover that nothing’s enough, there’s always more to do, they can never be good enough. Others sign up to a stunted relationship with God, full of laws and “do nots” which they in turn try to impose on others to make themselves feel better. Others simply deny his existence, or live in a way that suggests that.

Jesus came so that we “may have life and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

There are expectations when you acknowledge Jesus as the Lord and Saviour he is, but they are the expectations which enable you to live life to its fullest. They are not cramping and enslaving but freeing and life-giving. You’re released from the need to find your worth in others’ opinions as you know that the King of the universe loves, has chosen and has died for you. You: whoever you are, whatever you’ve done or not done, however other people have judged you: he wants you.

Jesus doesn’t need you, he chooses you. He chooses to involve you in his work in the world. He chooses to work with you to turn you into the best you you can be; the one he knows is there underneath all your imperfections and wrong-doings.

Jesus fills the gap in your life and when you realise that you can face anything. He promises, “I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20); even in the face of the difficulties he doesn’t promise will disappear in this life.

Rejoice and trust in him.

Be set free and find your anchor.

 

Peat

 Should followers of Jesus be like peat?

Brought to usefulness by the death of the old plant. Can be used to nurture and aid the growth of other plants. When necessary can be set alight, burning to create warmth and heat in situations of darkness and cold.

Shiny happy people

 I recently received an invitation to an online women's event. It's billed as a time of uplifting, encouragement and empowering for Christian women and I'm sure that many will emerge from it feeling all those things but I'm naturally suspicious and slightly cynical. I always do a bit of research on any speaker, especially if quiet warning bells are ringing. I want to give them a chance as I'm aware that my personal and cultural biases can influence me against certain styles, though the content may be sound, so I try to find out what I can about their background.

I discovered the church in America which this speaker co-pastors with her husband, a campus church with hundreds of attendees. I looked at the photos they posted and their statement of beliefs but what struck me most was the appearance of those they'd chosen to publicise.

The church has a good racial mixture but all the photos showed shiny happy, mainly young or in the prime of life, well-dressed people who all had a similar look. Nobody who looked a bit odd, old or falling apart was pictured. There was a scary perfection that would be difficult to live up to. Of course you mustn't judge a book by its cover, or a church by the photos it chooses to post. Or should you? Perhaps the image a church projects is a reflection of how they see Jesus and the sort of people he wants his followers to be.

Jesus' original disciples were a motley crew, and we still are. One of the most welcoming things in a community of believers is the variety of backgrounds, appearances, characters, abilities, fashion sense (or lack of) - all of us knowing we're sinners in need of a Saviour, and all knowing we're here to love and help each other in the journey of becoming more like him. If this aspect isn't reflected in the image a particular church chooses to project then I think warning bells may be justified.

Jesus does transform people from the odd, old and falling apart into the "us" he intended us to be but that's often so different from how we see "perfection " with our human eyes. Besides which, the process isn't completed in this life. We do improve the more we surrender to him but perfection is only achieved when we see him face to face after our time on earth is over. If anyone is scared away from learning about Jesus because they feel they don't fit with the church's image then that church should re-examine its values.

Incarceration

Tuesday is prison day.

I don't go into prison expecting to be the "spiritual worker" who brings succour and elucidation to the men in a God-forsaken land. I go in anticipation, to learn what wonderful things God is already doing there and marvel at how the words he gives me fit so well with the lessons he's already teaching.

This afternoon I spent some time with Edwin who'll be released on parole on Monday. It's always a mark of spiritual maturity when a man can acknowledge that his time in prison was God responding to his prayer to be rescued from a life out of control. Some men can say that they're glad they're in prison: if they'd been free they'd probably be dead. They recognise and appreciate the lessons God's taught them, the time they've been given away from the freneticism of life to develop their relationship with him, and then to be released to a second chance of restoring family relationships.

Some are so grateful and determined not to waste their new life. 

What a shame that so many of us, the unincarcerated, continue scraping (exploding/self-destructing/sleep-walking) by and never ask for another chance.

Holy Spirit

 It's interesting that in the Celtic Christian tradition the Holy Spirit is sometimes depicted as a wild goose, not a dove. We cannot tame the Spirit, nor bend him to our will. Sometimes he rests gently upon us like a peaceful white dove; other times he's a bit scary, like a full grown goose making his presence felt.

For beautiful artwork depicting the Holy Spirit as a bird take a look at the Lindisfarne Scriptorium

Spirit of God, peaceful dove,

Descend gently on me, 

Calm, with your wisdom,

My flailing heart,

Guide and protect through my life.

Spirit of God, wild goose,

Raucous, life-filled and free,

Shake up my comfort,

Blaze in my soul,

Open my eyes, help me see.

Spirit of God, dove and goose,

A force unseen, wise, pure,

Calming, disturbing, 

Uprooting, fixed,

Great power, wild yet secure.

Death

 On Tuesday afternoon we had to have our dog put to sleep.

Death is a strange thing. The fact we react so strongly against it hints at what an aberration it is. Death wasn't in the original plan of Creation. There wasn't supposed to be any death, any sickness, any pain. We were supposed to live in complete harmony with our Creator for eternity, without fear, in complete harmony and joy. 

Humanity's rebellion against God changed all that. We want to do things our way, seize control of the steering wheel, even though we don't know how to drive. As C S Lewis wrote, death is a severe mercy; it brings to an end the destructive tendencies which wreak such havoc in our lives and societies but is the cause of so much pain. The ripping separation that is death does call a halt to the pain and suffering we can experience in life but also causes so much pain to those who remain. For those who choose to follow Jesus death brings us to an unmitigated communion with him - no more tears or sadness or suffering. To those who have chosen not to follow Jesus in earthly life their choice is respected and after death all they experience is a terrifying and excruciating existence without him. Thank God that he is so loving and eager for a relationship with us that all it takes is our heartfelt consent and acknowledgement of Jesus to set us right with him.

How does this apply to my much loved dog?

Love is what lasts. God's love for us and our love for others.

Merlot was special in his own quiet way. He left his mark, as the tearful reactions of our dog-walking acquaintances show. I am thankful that one day he was running and rolling in the long grass. The next morning his back legs were paralysed and we knew. I am thankful that the decision was so clear cut. No what ifs...? Should we wait a while and see....? No gradual decline. Even the vet said if Merlot were his dog he would choose euthanasia.

It's interesting that the little dog I'd brought home from the SPCA as a companion to Merlot is, in his own way, trying to grow into Merlot's footsteps. There has been a definite development of maturity in the last few days.

Death is painful and it should be.

Perhaps it's fitting that Merlot's death happened at Easter time when Jesus conquered death once and for all and was raised to life to prove it.

Merlot

Merlot and Sam

Upstanding Sunday

 I often drive past the large Dutch Reformed Church (the Moderkerk) in Wellington, frequently having to wait for the traffic lights to change. While I sit there I like to work out the Afrikaans on their notice board. They're very good at putting details about services and preachers on display early in the week. At the moment I'm really taken by the word for Easter Sunday - Opstandung Sondag - Resurrection Sunday. It tells you more about what we're celebrating than the word "easter" with all its pagan connotations - the resurrection of Jesus after his amazing sacrifice of life for our sake.

Opstandung also sounds so much like Upstanding. I like that too. Jesus stood up from death and left it behind, defeated. As his followers we need to stand up and be counted for him in life, words and rejoicing that we've been freed from the need to fear death ourselves.

It's simple but it's wonderful.

Wellington Moderkerk

Recognition

 I read an extract from Milton's "Paradise Lost" today. The angel who encountered Satan could not recognise in him the glorious Lucifer, bright morning star, that he had been before his rebellion against God and fall into evil.

It made me think of how a man I first met in a Maximum prison has experienced the same reaction but for the opposite reason.

He was a gangster from the age of thirteen, involved in drugs, prostitution, murder, full of hatred and bitterness, the epitome of the fallen Lucifer.

He was in and out of the prison system, from juvenile to adult, always involved in gangsterism until he encountered Jesus whilst serving his latest sentence in Maximum. 

That meeting completely turned his life upside down.

The first time his mother came to visit after he'd committed his life to Jesus she walked right past him, not recognising her changed son. 

Recently he's been moved from Maximum to Medium. Men from his past who knew him as the gangster lord on the outside and who'd been in and out of prison during his present sentence, didn't recognise him, he's changed so much.

Today his concern is how best to serve Jesus, to live and speak the gospel to those who are still living the life he once knew so well.

It could feel insulting if old "friends" and definitely if your mother walked past without recognising you but what a wonderful reason if it's because you once resembled Satan but now reflect Jesus.

Regular or Consistent?

 I met someone new last week. A single mum who had drifted away from her faith for several years, been badly hurt by experiences in churches but in the last few months has been revelling in a glorious reconnection with God, a renewing of relationship of love, challenge and growth.

She told me how much she values regularity, how she doesn't like to do anything she'd consider out of character but how living with Jesus brings the unexpected. 

God doesn't do things in a "regular" manner but he is consistent.

Some people talk as if the God revealed in the Old Testament is very different from the God revealed by Jesus in the New Testament. That isn't the case. God, from Genesis to Revelation to 2021, is the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow. His messages of love to rebellious humanity, his sorrow at our wilful decisions to do life our way not his, his appeals to turn to him (for why do we choose the way of death when abundant life is freely offered?) are the same throughout. Have a look in the Bible, it's very striking. The experience of millions of believers in the centuries since also bears witness that God does not change. I can read poems written by Christians hundreds of years ago and know that they follow the same Jesus I do.

"I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices. I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings." (Hosea 6:6 NLT)

Regularity, routine, rules/customs, prescribed behaviours or sacrifices can all provide a sense of security. We know where we are, what we have to do, what to expect. 

Life isn't like that. 

If anyone had been in any doubt, the events since the explosion of covid19 into the world should have proved that what a society considers normal can be turned upside down with frightening speed. It's only God that doesn't change.

That doesn't mean he's predictable: how can our finite minds predict the infinite workings of his? He will always act according to his character - holy, loving, just, good, merciful, trustworthy, all-knowing - but will often act in ways we could never imagine. Most believers can recall times when a seemingly unsolvable problem has been solved in a way so simply elegant and amazing or so involved and amazing that without knowing God's hand was behind it it would have seemed incredible. Allowing God to be in the driving seat of your life opens the way to the most amazing experiences in the most unexpected places with people you'd never have expected to meet: he's always consistent; never regular.

What's the point?

"What's the point of loving God? Or praying to God? Or going to church? Or trying to follow God's commands?"

 This was a question that came up on a blog I read (http://experimentaltheology.blogspot.com/) and it's a good one. What is the point?

 It just so happens that I've spent the better part of today in prison, leading Bible studies with men incarcerated in Maximum and Medium security. Of all people you could say that they've experienced life at its rawest, they've seen (and caused) death and hideous abuse. They have no stake in the riches of society but have torn at its fabric to extract benefits for themselves. They have been caught and are paying the penalty society demands.

The words of this question didn't come up in the Bible study I led on "Don't look back - A new start", but the answer did.

One of the men in Maximum pointed out that we're all going to die, it's an inescapable consequence of the rebellion of humanity against God. He knows that to die without knowing Jesus, to be left to face the Judgement alone (if we've chosen to live without Jesus) is a prospect too awful for words.

The point of loving God is that life without him is too terrible and hopeless to imagine (especially if you've experienced it in part), though too many people live in that hopelessness, fear and uncertainty. Belief is not a crutch to see you through. Reading the Bible, knowing God, makes sense of the world we live in, and offers (never forces) a solution.

Broken

 In prison ministry we talk a lot about the brokenness of the world and the people in it. 

We are all broken in some way, that is true and is clearly seen in the violence, pain and struggle of life. Hurting, broken people hurt others.

Sometimes we need to take a step beyond this thought so brokenness doesn't become an excuse for what we do towards others.

We are broken, the world is broken because it is fallen. Because of rebellion, the self-centred, selfish desire to do things our way, not God's, we have fallen from the lives of perfect harmony we were created to live. 

The fall broke us.

God does not break us: other people, ourselves, their choices, our choices, these are the things that break us.

God heals and binds together.

If we let him.