Anger

There is a lot of anger in our city right now.

A week ago a young man was killed by a police officer in Ferguson, Missouri. This incident has gained attention around the world because of the amount of turmoil that has occurred since the event: stores have been looted, a Quick Trip was burned down, state and national leaders have come to speak about the events, large crowds of people have gathered late into the night, the police have used military equipment to help control the situation, and more.

There is a lot of anger in our city, and it's not just a new event; this is an old problem with new circumstances.

The parents of the young man are angry because their son is dead, and he had no weapons when he was killed. The police are angry that the crowds of people gather late into the night and it is hard to control. The crowds of people are angry that the police officer who shot the young man has not been arrested. Local businesses are angry that their stores are being robbed and destroyed by the angry crowds. Citizens of the area are angry that the police are not more organized with different departments arguing about who is responsible for different matters: city police, country police, state troopers, and maybe even the FBI. Leaders of the city, state, and country are angry that this is getting out of control. There is a lot of anger.

Behind all this is a deeper problem; behind the anger is a lack of trust. In all those examples of anger are groups of people who do not trust other groups of people. People who do not trust each other can either fight about their problems and become angry, or they can hide their anger and allow bitterness and resentment to build within them.

There is a lot of anger in our city, and it's because there are a lot of people with a lot of bitterness and resentment because there is a lack of trust.

So if the problem goes back to a lack of trust, then trust should be the remedy for this ailment. But how is that possible? How do people who don't trust each other start trusting each other? How do angry people trust the object of their anger? This would seem almost impossible, if not completely unthinkable.

Even the best and most honest people will disappoint because they are human, sinful, and bound to lose trust. Now there are a lot of deep wounds that exist and I do not claim to know how to fix all of the pain and anger, but I do know the first step to fixing all the pain and anger: putting our trust in God.

The problem is not trusting, not even trusting ourselves. On one hand there are many people who think they need to do something to fix the problem, but anger rises when they realize that what they are doing won't be able to solve the problem. They can't trust the other side to fix the problem, but they can't trust themselves to fix the problem, either. They know the problem is bigger than either side, but God is bigger than both.

We have this natural tendency of thinking that if we try hard enough, we can fix our problems. We look to ourselves for an answer to problems that have existed longer than our lifespan.  The devil continually works to make us think that this life is all about us and we need to get what we can while we can, but this is a dead end, a painful trap.

2 Corinthians 4:4New International Version (NIV)

4 The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Sin is the problem, and Jesus is the answer, but the devil (god of this age) tries to keep us from seeing that. The power is not us - the power is within us, the life of Jesus inside of us. Only Jesus working in the hearts of people in Ferguson, or anywhere else, will be able to do more than put a band-aid on a severed limb, do more than just pretend to fix the problem for a short while by burying the mistrust in layers of bitterness and resentment. 

It's hard to know what will happen in the days and weeks ahead, but I pray that people look past themselves for the an answer, and look within themselves to the life of Jesus within them. With God as the center of our lives as Christians, we do not lose heart - he is in control.

2 Corinthians 4:1New International Version (NIV)

Therefore, since through God’s mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart.

Restoring the Image

Genesis 1:27
So God created mankind in his own image, 
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them. 

The creation story tells us that people were created in God's image, but it does not explain exactly what that means.  Some would say that it is related to how we look; it is true that Jesus took on human form so there might be some connection.  Others see a quality of God as the image; God is holy, loving, good, righteous, etc.  Another interesting idea is that people are the only ones in creation which are creative.  One great response from class this past week was that God did this so that we would have a better relationship with him - we tend to have better relationships with people we have more in common with!

The unfortunate reality is that we did not stay in God's image, for now we are only a poor reflection of who God is.  Sin caused a separation from what God intended.  The first action of Adam and Eve after falling from perfection was to hide their nakedness and hide themselves.  They were not successful. God found them rather easily, and making clothes out of leaves is not a long term solution.

God cursed the snake, the woman, the man, and the entire earth.  God's perfect creation was no longer perfect, so it could no longer be the eternal paradise that it was created to be.  Instead, God had a plan to redeem the world, and it started with finding new clothes.

At the end of the fall in Genesis 3, we find out that God covered the man and woman with animal skins; God covered their nakedness, their shame, and their sin.  This was the first sacrifice, since it required the life of the animal.  We don't know what animal was sacrificed, but some believe it was a lamb.

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/147591

Adam and Eve were covered in the lamb and given new hope.  We also have new hope as ones who have been covered in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14).  From the very beginning, God was pointing his people to Jesus - to his own Son who would cover sin once and for all.  Our life came at the price of another, as Paul describes:

Romans 5:20-21
Genesis 1:27
So God created mankind in his own image, 
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them. 

The creation story tells us that people were created in God's image, but it does not explain exactly what that means.  Some would say that it is related to how we look; it is true that Jesus took on human form so there might be some connection.  Others see a quality of God as the image; God is holy, loving, good, righteous, etc.  Another interesting idea is that people are the only ones in creation which are creative.  One great response from class this past week was that God did this so that we would have a better relationship with him - we tend to have better relationships with people we have more in common with!

The unfortunate reality is that we did not stay in God's image, for now we are only a poor reflection of who God is.  Sin caused a separation from what God intended.  The first action of Adam and Eve after falling from perfection was to hide their nakedness and hide themselves.  They were not successful. God found them rather easily, and making clothes out of leaves is not a long term solution.

God cursed the snake, the woman, the man, and the entire earth.  God's perfect creation was no longer perfect, so it could no longer be the eternal paradise that it was created to be.  Instead, God had a plan to redeem the world, and it started with finding new clothes.

At the end of the fall in Genesis 3, we find out that God covered the man and woman with animal skins; God covered their nakedness, their shame, and their sin.  This was the first sacrifice, since it required the life of the animal.  We don't know what animal was sacrificed, but some believe it was a lamb.

http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/147591

Adam and Eve were covered in the lamb and given new hope.  We also have new hope as ones who have been covered in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14).  From the very beginning, God was pointing his people to Jesus - to his own Son who would cover sin once and for all.  Our life came at the price of another. The Apostle Paul makes the connection by tying the first sin to the forgiveness Jesus obtained by being obedient, even to death on the cross.

Romans 5:19
 For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

Intelligence

God want intelligent people?

That is an interesting question. Our first reaction is probably that intelligence would be a great asset to God and the work that he would want the church to do here on earth. People who have lots of knowledge will make very informed decisions that can help churches grow, help missions thrive, and help financial situations become stronger. The problem is that when people gain intelligence, they often lose trust.

When someone is extremely smart, they begin to believe that they can figure things out on their own and they don't need others to help them. If intelligent people don't feel the need for other people, they probably don't feel the need for God, either. Infants and very young children may not be rich in intelligence, but they have a lot of trust. This might be why Jesus said his disciples should become like little children Matthew 18:3.

Paul was writing this letter to people who lived in ancient Greece. One of the popular forms of entertainment was listening to people speak since they had no radios, televisions, or internet. Someone would get up and start speaking about something and others would gather around to listen. Those who were more intelligent (or able to sound more intelligent) gained more listeners and popularity. Many of the people reading Paul's letters to the Corinthians would be familiar with this, so these words might shock them.

1 Corinthians 1:18-19New International Version (NIV)

18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:

“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;
    the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”

God can use your intelligence, but be careful not to lose your trust in him. Being smart will not help you understand the cross and why Jesus died to save us, but trust will, and trust will allow God to do awesome things through you!

Powerless

Adam has the honor of being the first man to ever live. He also has the shame of being the first man to ever sin, and the consequence of sin is was death. Death is not something that people look forward to, but because of Jesus' death (and resurrection) death no longer has power over us.

1 Corinthians 15:55-57New International Version (NIV)

55 “Where, O death, is your victory?
    Where, O death, is your sting?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

When we find our identity in the cross and the death of Jesus, we also find new life in the Easter story, for if we died with him, we will also rise with him Romans 6:8. This means that we don't have to be afraid of death, even if we aren't looking forward to it.

Adam's story reminds us of the shortcomings of human beings, but also the mercy and love of God, whose compassions are new every morning.

Lamentations 3:22-23New International Version (NIV)

22 Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed,
    for his compassions never fail.
23 They are new every morning;
    great is your faithfulness.

Gospel in a Nutshell

One of the most well known Bible verses is John 3:16. It is so well known that some people will just use the reference "John 3:16" and not even write out the words to the verse. A famous restaurant in the western United States does this with their drink cups!

Why is the verse so popular? It is often called "The Gospel in a Nutshell." Gospel means 'good news' and in a nutshell means a very condensed version of something. The good news of Jesus is condensed down in this verse, but the verse that follows is also really important, as well.

John 3:16-17New International Version (NIV)

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.

Many people who are not Christians do not understand that God does not intend to condemn the world. They might feel like God is angry at them for not following His Ten Commandments perfectly. Memorizing these two verses can help you remember why Jesus came, and why we are happy to be Christians!

Consequences

We are beginning the year with a story about consequences. The things that we say and do happen in a specific context, not in a vacuum. When I am unkind to a person, I have the potential of hurting a lot of other people: I might hurt other people who are watching (observers are now in a bad mood), I might hurt the other person's family (that person may be crabby with family members), and I might hurt all the people that person comes across in a certain day. In addition, when I hurt someone else, I am also hurting myself (I am now a person who does unkind things.

Cain and Abel were brothers. Both of them thanked God by offering some of their possessions to the Creator, but one of them was not a 'cheerful giver.' Abel gave God some of his best sheep since he was a shepherd. Cain gave some of his average (or worse) produce, keeping the best stuff for himself. This bothered one of the brothers.

You might think that it bothered Abel since he was not able to keep his best stuff, but it didn't. It bothered Cain. When I hurt someone else, I am also hurting myself. Cain thought he was angry at Abel for making him look bad; Cain was really angry at himself for not being better, but took out his misdirected anger on someone else. It was a big mistake with a big consequence.

Psalm 96:13New International Version (NIV)

13 Let all creation rejoice before the Lord, for he comes,
    he comes to judge the earth.
He will judge the world in righteousness
    and the peoples in his faithfulness.

Judgment doesn't always look the way that we think it should - in God's way of working, it is better. God doesn't give us what we deserve, that pain and suffering was given to Jesus, instead. Our sins have consequences, but Jesus took our place and consequences for us, giving us forgiveness. The consequences for our sin was Jesus suffering, but the consequence of Jesus suffering was that we get His righteousness.

Let all creation rejoice!

Rejoice Always?

Our school's theme for this year has been Live in the Light taken from 1 Thessalonians 5. While it might be helpful to live our lives in places that have lamps, bulbs, and other lighting rather than running into things in the dark, the theme based on the idea that we should live in the light of Jesus who declared that he is the Light of the World in John 8. There are some connections between living physical and spiritual light - without the light of Jesus, we would be running into dark things - run into things in the dark which would block our path and hinder our relationship with God. Here are some other suggestions that Paul gives that help us live in the light.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

The 'always' part is interesting. Rejoicing always is easy to do on Easter morning, but what about on Good Friday? It is a tradition in the Christian church to refrain from saying 'Hallelujah' during the season of Lent between Ash Wednesday and Easter and then burst forth with all kinds of ways to sing and say this word on Easter. While it is a meaningful tradition, how does it fit with Paul's charge to the Thessalonians to rejoice always? Can we rejoice during lent? Can we rejoice in the midst of pain and the reality that our human bodies are susceptible to disease? Can we rejoice when frustrated by how hard life can be? Can we rejoice with a diagnosis of cancer or while we are with a loved one overcome by the effects of Alzheimer's? Can we rejoice when we don't feel like it?

The answer to these question is an emphatic yes because we are not rejoicing in ourselves. If we are to rejoice because of who we are and how we have been blessed, then there is reason to stop since we are weak and often in hard circumstances because of our sin infected world. But we don't rejoice in ourselves; we rejoice in the One who has conquered all that. Jesus was human like us and subjected to weakness in every way, but without sin. Because he rose on Easter, we, too, can rise from our situations and rejoice in the One who gives us the strength to do so. Our baptism is a reminder that we were drowned in our sinfulness and a new Easter person, connected to Jesus, rises again.

1 Thessalonians 5:23-24
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 24 The one who calls you is faithful, and he will do it.

The one who calls you is faithful. He made in possible that you can be made holy in spirit and soul, but also in body - in spiritual ways, but also in the frustrating physical ways. The God of Easter is also the God of peace who will sometimes take you out of the storms of life, but will at other times give you strength to make it through these storms. Jesus is faithful. He will do it.