It is hard for me to imagine what it must have been like on that day of days for Mary and Mary. Matthew 28 tells the story of that early morning arrival of the two women before dawn. In all likelihood, they were still mourning…still shaken that Jesus, this man they had placed so much faith in, had been so brutally beaten and murdered.
Isn’t it amazing how quickly mourning can turn to dancing? In short order they learned that Jesus was no longer a prisoner of death and the grave. He had arisen. It is his crowning achievment that death could not hold him. Today he is ALIVE…and is forevermore. Our savior lives!
I pray that you may find a community of worship in which to celebrate his resurrection on this special day.
I’ve had several conversations over the last two weeks about the seeming decline in the importance of Easter among Christians. I’ve been wondering if I’m just missing it, or if it’s really happening. I grew up in the South, which has been known for years as the “Bible Belt”. And it’s true to a large extent. Church is part of the culture of the South. Even those who claim no religious affiliation whatsoever recognize the place of church in southern culture. And for those who are regular church attenders, church and church life often are the hub of life. It is the center point that everything else revolves around. So when Easter arrives, it is THE DAY! When you get down to it, Christmas is an important celebration, but there is no call for it in the Bible. But Easter….. Jesus told us to REMEMBER! Easter is the watershed event in Christianity because it sets Christianity apart from every other faith…because our leader - Jesus Christ - is NOT in a tomb. He rose again. And that is what led to Easter being such a large celebration in the life of the church in the South.
But maybe I’m NOT missing it. Maybe I’m NOT misreading the cultural tea leaves. In Friday’s edition of USA Today, There was an article titled “Has the Notion of Sin Been Lost?” (You can read it here). Rev. Albert Mohler, president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, made this observation:
Businesses close. Schools close. It is marked on the calendar and observed carefully by millions of people around the world. So what is it? What is Good Friday all about? Before I answer those questions, let me offer another twist. I’m not convinced that Good Friday is really is Good Friday. I never have been. Why do I say that? Because Jesus Christ gave a recurring hint at how he would prove he was the Son of God. He would be dead for THREE days, and THREE nights. I am no math wizard, but I’ve never been able to count three days and three nights between Friday afternoon and Sunday morning. I think there must be another explanation. And maybe this has bothered you as well. Maybe it’s kept you from connecting the dots. If so, or if you just enjoy deepening your understanding of biblical issues, take the time to read this excellent post (click here to read) examining the problems of “Good Friday.”
With that being said (and hopefully read…you did read the link,didn’t you?), let me add that whether people focus on the work of the cross on Friday, Thursday, or Wednesday, the important thing is that people DO recognize what Jesus did……… FORYOU! That’s right! “Good Friday” is about YOU! Some of you out there are probably thinking that I have completely lost it….because Good Friday is about Jesus. That’s true in so much as it is the crucifixion of Jesus that we recognize.
BUT WHY WAS JESUS CRUCIFIED?
IT WAS FOR YOU!
No matter who you are, no matter where you are, no matter where you come from, no matter what you have done, Jesus Christ died for you. Everything has a price. And so does sin. In our modern world, sin’s price is often time in jail or fines. In the Old Testament biblical world, the price of sin was death…the death of some sort of unblemished animal to “PAY” for the sin of the guilty party. But it was always a temporary fix. However, it served to point to the need for a permanent solution….a perfect “once-for-all” sacrifice. That was Jesus Christ. He is described in the Bible as a “spotless lamb” and “the lamb that takes away the sins of the world”. His death, His sacrifice, was offered to “PAY” for the sin of all guilty parties….and THAT MEANS YOU! AND IT MEANS ME!
It was the most brutal of deaths. But it was “GOOD” because it is now offered for you and me as a payment for our guilt. Just before Jesus drew his last breath he said, “It is finished!” It was the reason he came. It was the destiny of his life here….to pay a price we could not pay. And we can all apply this payment to our account….IF WE CHOOSE TO! For a more thorough explanation, please proceed to the information on “The Main Thing” page at the top of the blog.
What thrills me most is that Jesus is not still on the cross. There is still something more. And that is what Easter is about. I will add another post on Easter morning as we celebrate this MOST special time of the year.
So how about you? Has it really become “GOOD” Friday for you yet? Has it become “GOOD” news for you yet? It can be…..just say YES!
A busy day comes to an end and it’s time to reflect back on what transpired. Let’s start at The Grove.
We continued our series on LOST this morning. It’s built around the TV show by the same name. This week we walked into elements of the crash scattered all around the building. We had suitcases, books, articles of clothing hanging from trees and a “lean-to shelter” on the stage. It was all to create the idea of the crash that created a new set of realities of the characters of the show. The “crash” of humanity in Genesis 3 created new realities for mankind that we must also face. Here are some of the similarities and lessons learned from LOST:
The crash resulted in injury and death
Our reality is that we live in a broken world. Nothing is what it should be. There are many that will look around and blame God for bad things that we experience in this life. But ever since the “crash”, nothing has been as it was intended. Sickness, pain, suffering, death are all parts of the curse of sin. And although God isn’t the cause of the brokenness of our condition, the good news is that he will show up and walk with us through the damage.
There are many things about their circumstances that are mysterious and they don’t understand
Our reality is that much of what we experience in life is pretty mysterious to us. Often when we think we have it figured out, we realize all the questions have changed. Life can be very random and mysterious. And if we’re not careful, it can become very frustrating as we try to interpret life from our own point of view. I am reminded of a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that said “God is God and I am Not”. That’s a powerful truth. We need to make peace with the knowledge that if we don’t understand the circumstances, we can at least trust the Creator. I don’t understand everything about my computer, but I trust that Bill Gates knows how to make it work in ways that absolutely baffle me, and yet arrive at the desired outcome.
We began our new message series today at The Grove that is built around themes found in the TV show “LOST”. Our tech team (you ‘da man Todd….you ‘da man too Jim) did an amazing job this morning pulling together a large number of elements into a pretty seamless whole. We had additional dramatic contributions of our flight attendant “Kiki” (you missed your calling Janet) and our Captain “Please fasten your seat belts” Proud. And that’s not to mention some creative script writing from Paula. My son, Zach, even contributed some great sound effects. It was a monumental effort this morning to create an environment that was conducive to crashing a plane. And so many people this morning made great contributions. Here are some highlights from the message: Read the full story
Fire is fascinating. Fire is consuming. Fire is attractional. Fire is mesmerizing.
And it is absolutely marvelous to see when when it is contained in a person that is on fire for Jesus Christ. Last week, Lesley and I had a chance to meet such a man. His name is Nathan Giffin and he is the creative and entrepreneurial force behind Vertical Artisans, one of the most incredible crafts that I have ever seen. Nathan turns ordinary concrete into works of art that look like massive stacks of stones. You literally cannot tell the difference. We went to meet with him because we are attempting to coordinate an opportunity for him to come and work his craft at The Grove. In the meantime, his business is growing off the hook. And I think there are two primary reasons.
1. Nathan does exceptional work. During our meeting, he affirmed his tireless commitment to excellence. There are many days that he is on a job completely alone. There are few people who can currently do what he does (although he is beginning an extensive online training course that will help anyone learn. Click here for info). And as such, if he were to cut corners, who would really know? Who’s going to come behind him and critique his work since almost no one else can do it? But day after day, he lives out a dying character trait - integrity. See, Nathan knows what he is capable of. Even if no one else knows or sees…… he does. And that is enough to drive him to never give less than his best. What an incredible business testimony to build. One job done with excellence may get you another one, but if you don’t carry that trait forward, it will catch up with you. But the opposite is also true. When you never give anything less than your best, people come to know that they can trust you implicitly. And Nathan earns business simply because his reputation is flawless. Take a look at a few of these pics from the jobsite we visited:
While in Chicago last week, I opened up the USA Today newspaper and ran across a full-page ad for the free online seminar that Oprah is offering in conjunction with Eckhart Tolle to discuss his book, “A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life’s Purpose“. The plan is to review one chapter each week for ten weeks. Well, this causes me great concern, so buckle up, because I’m about to unwrap my issues with this.
OPRAH
There is no question that Oprah is one of the most powerful, influential people in America today. Her word and her recommendations hold tremendous sway over those who are fans. Millions of women, and in all likelihood, large numbers of men rely on her for useful information and suggestions. She has achieved rock-star status but with a much deeper connection to those who follow her. And much of what Oprah has done is commendable. She has brought out some very difficult issues into the public view and helped bring remedies to hard situations. Those things are to be highly praised, regardless of who initiates them.
EDIT NOTE: If you came by the blog earlier today, the link below was bad. It has been corrected.
You just gotta love a church that will not only be brave enough to go outside the box, but that will, on occasion, stomp that sucker flat. Kudos to the guys at Lifechurch in OK. They are truly proving to be one of the most creative forces in the church world today. Plus, they have a great sense of humor to go with it. You can keep up with their thinking over on their blog, which is also listed in my Blogroll.
A fellow (but not previously known) blogger in the blog-world dropped by my blog this morning and left a comment on this morning’s post. As most people would, I decided to pay a complementary visit to his blog. I’m really pleased that I did. What I found was someone with very thoughtful insights and a gifted way of expressing themselves through writing.
Our first message of this year was to Go B.I.G…to do something so significant that you have to B.ring I.n G.od. Well, I have found a perfect companion to that thought over on P.R.U.N.I.N.G. (his blog name). Do yourself a favor and check this out:
In my last Sunday School class of 2007, I challenged the students to establish GIGs for 2008– God-Inspired Goals. These GIGs take the “wish list” out of New Year’s resolutions and replace it with divine direction. God is concerned with every aspect of our lives and will gladly focus us for the new year. But what do we do after we’ve established our 2008 GIGs?
We do our RESEARCH. When God leads us, my pastor recently said, “Don’t question if you can do it–question how you can do it.” So as a “professional student” (as some affectionately call me) and former researcher at consulting companies like the Gallup Organization and Hay Group, I decided to put together a post on conducting “New Year’s Research” for your ministry and personal life.
At The Grove, we have begun 2008 with a challenge and a commitment to discover and live out the “something more” that so many of us sense we are missing, but know is out there. We brought the series to a conclusion last Sunday as we discussed putting it into action. Today, I want to share some additional thoughts along this line.
I would encourage you to click on this link, Philippians 2:5-7, and read the paraphrased version of this passage from The Message. It will help you understand the true humility of Jesus Christ as he was about his mission of redeeming mankind.
This passage gives us a role model for how we ultimately achieve and live out the “something more” we are pursuing. True greatness is not a measure of self-will or self-achievement but rather self-abandonment. The more you are willing to give up the more you gain in Christ. In the end, I guess this is why so many of us fail to realize the kind of life that Jesus said could be ours in John 10:10. We fail to get there because we are not willing to “go down” in order to “go up”.
In John 13, Jesus washed the disciples feet. But it wasn’t so much about washing feet as it was about love, humility, and service. If you don’t know much about the custom at the time, that duty was usually reserved for one of the lowest servants in the household. Certainly, the master of the house never stooped this low. And most definitely, not the Master of the Universe. But Jesus did. Jesus showed us that the path to greatness, the path to “something more” doesn’t look a whole lot like most of us have envisioned.
The path to true greatness goes through:
Unconditional love
Should we do any less than Jesus example
Unapolagetic humility
Not just about taking the low road. You can take the low road and still not be humble. True humility is demonstrated by putting others first
Uncompromising servanthood
When we begin to practice servanthood, we live the way of the cross. Servanthood is about position that is worked out after love and humility are worked in. it is how we live out “something more”
When we live these principles out, one day we will stand before God and it will be God who says you are great. And that will be far more satisfying than any accolades you receive now.
I will have a few additional thought throughout this week on this final idea of pursuing “something more”.
It is hard for me to imagine what it must have been like on that day of days for Mary and Mary. Matthew 28 tells the story of that early morning arrival of the two women before dawn. In all likelihood, they were still mourning…still shaken that Jesus, this man they had placed so much faith in, had been so brutally beaten and murdered. 
