Things Are Gonna Get Dicey!

Today's Readings

"So [they] said to him, 'You are not yet fifty years old and you have seen Abraham?' Jesus said to them, 'Amen, amen, I say to you, before Abraham came to be, I AM.' So they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area. - John 8: 57-59

I am not a Scripture Scholar, and I don't play one on TV, but taking a quick glance at the eighth chapter of the Gospel of John, I can say with some sense of surety that one could entitle this chapter, "And Christ Did Push Their Button!"

There are four distinct sections or moments in this chapter, "The Woman Caught in Adultery", "The Light of the World", "Jesus, the Father's Ambassador", and "Jesus and Abraham".  Three of the four sections end with "THEM" wanting to STOP him from being Jesus, if you know what I mean.  

I AM CALLING YOU OUT!  "The Woman Caught in Adultery": The story of the woman ends with Christ telling "THEM" to go ahead and own up to their own sinfulness. (v. 11)  They departed the grounds outside the Temple with a grumble. (John 8: 1-11)  

WE'RE CALLING THE COPS!  "The Light of the World": Christ then visits the treasury area in the temple area, and reminds us of his place in the world as being light to dispel the darkness. (v. 12)  You can almost hear "THEM" saying, "Wait a second!  Are you telling us that this area is the "darkness" that you are dispelling?"  Needless to say, THEY weren't happy.  He wasn't arrested, but it sure sounds as if someone had the phone in THEIR hand ready to call "the cops"! (John 8: 12-20)

WHERE DID YOU GO TO DIPLOMAT SCHOOL?  "Jesus, the Father's Ambassador":  Christ's opening line as "Ambassador" would not gain him a degree in most of today's Schools of Diplomacy.  He opened with, “I am going away and you will look for me, but you will die in your sin.  Where I am going you cannot come.”  Ouch!  But of the four sections, this third interaction with "THEM" had a somewhat nice ending in that "many [of THEM] came to believe in him."  This is a chance to highlight the reality that all Jesus was trying to do was talk straight to THEM, letting the world know that he was truly sent by the Father, to do the Father's will, making him the  "I AM" (v. 28) that THEY all have been seeking since the days of Abraham.  (John 8: 21-30)

I AM!  "Jesus and Abraham":  This final section continues his conversation with "those who believed in him", with Jesus affirming that they have been "set free", (v. 31-32) but THEY seemed to resent being called SLAVES.  They probed, and Jesus answered back, probing even deeper!  The idea that Christ could come to THEM and proclaim himself "I AM" was getting too much to handle.  One more time, Jesus tries to connect the reality that he has come from God, the Father who sent him, but then notices that THEY just can't understand, prompting one of the harshest responses that most "diplomats" learn never to use:  "You belong to your father the devil and you willingly carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks in character, because he is a liar and the father of lies." (v. 44)  Can you hear THEM?  THEY yelled back, “Now we are sure that you are possessed." (v. 52)  Jesus tried to continue his line of Truth, but the logic was just too much, "so they picked up stones to throw at him; but Jesus hid and went out of the temple area." (v. 59) (John 8: 31-59)

Things are gonna get a little dicey this coming week!  Jerusalem, New York, Hong Kong, Toronto, Moscow, Brisbane, Buenos Aries, Birmingham, L.A., London, Afghanistan, Rome, Siagon, and ... Look out "WORLD", here he comes!

Very Dangerous... You Go First!

Today's Readings

Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” - John 8:12

The passage above witnesses to the proclamation made by Christ just after forgiving the "Woman Caught in Adultery," or as a good friend in the Church told me, "the only woman in history to commit adultery all be herself."  : )  In other words, why wasn't there another person being accused with her?  It does take two, doesn't it?  Anyway, this woman, singled out by all as the worst of all sinners, was to be put to death by stoning, when Jesus stepped to not only defend her, but forgive her as well.  Unfortunately, history provides many examples of communities who would condemn their own for similar, or even less.  Even more unfortunate is the reality that history does not offer as many examples of Christ's level of forgiveness to accompany their stories.

In the "Blogosphere" one can enter a very dangerous area, if one decides to go on record as forgiving criminals, as they are often seen as somehow condoning their criminal actions.  This GregBlog will walk this fine line ever so carefully so as not to be misunderstood.

First, I have to offer my understanding of a person's call to discipleship; that is to say, the job description offered to us at the beginning of Jesus' ministry as witnessed in the Gospel of Luke:  “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free..." Luke 4:18  The key phrases for this "job description" are:

• Proclaim Liberty to Captives:  Some are captive to things outside of their control: Loneliness, disability, economic struggle, etc.  Our job and privilege is to help accept them for who they are, and work WITH them to overcome certain obstacles that they face, e.g. visit the lonely, feed the hungry, and assist the disabled.
• Recover Sight to the Blind:  There is such a thing as INJUSTICE, and when we observe such things, our job and privilege is to speak out against it, and encourage a solution, especially by our actions.  We can write a letter to our congressman, vote for change, and protect the innocent in prayer and outward support!
• Let the Oppressed Go Free:  To help those who are oppressed infers that they are in prison against their will, or under some form of force or intimidation.  Like those who are captive to economic injustice, almost a combination of the two categories above, we must speak on their behalf.  But what about the prisoners?  What about those, like the "Woman Caught in Adultery"?  What about the one's who commit the crime, and serve the time?  Does one have to be captive, or blind, or oppressed to be loved by God?  Can God love the guilty, and if so, can WE serve them, and share the love of Christ with them?  Absolutely!  Christ knew of the woman's guilt, and forgave her all the more.  For the record, he would have forgiven the cowardly man that joined her in that adulterous affair if he had had enough guts to ask instead of hide.  We as disciples are called to learn from "The Teacher", and do the same!  

There are some prominent criminal cases in the news today, and some convicted criminals that need God's love.  I wonder if WE could step up and pay a visit to them?  I wonder if WE could be the ones to shine Jesus' light into their darkness?

I told you this was dangerous!

And Now Back to the Light

It's July 5th, and the parties are over...

Call it a stretch, but after last night's fireworks, the Scripture theme of light and darkness certainly applies... "You are not in the dark, brothers and sisters, that the day should catch you off guard, like a thief. No, all of you are children of light and of the day. We belong neither to darkness nor to night." Thessalonians 5:4-5

OK... I'm somewhat speechless today. It's was a great weekend indeed! Let us begin another day in this, our 235th year as a country, with the same optimism of the people of Thessalonia, or is it Thessalonica? Or maybe it's Thessville. Oh well, I'm a little groggy!

50 ways to Get Through Easter... Energy!

“Jesus said: “My sheep hear my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish.” (John 10: 27-28)

Easter Day 22: Energy!

It is “Good Shepherd Sunday”, and the message is clear. Christ is our Good Shepherd, and we are his flock! We know His voice, and we act upon it. The knowledge that we are a part of this flock gives us ENERGY! The sound of His voice in our hearts gives us ENERGY! The promise that He will lead us to eternal life gives us ENERGY!

So if we are the ENERGY, powered by Jesus the Good Shepherd, then we need to empower a few things of our own! His power working through us, provides the POWER we need to “Light the World”. A lamp is just an object until you plug it in; then it lives out its purpose. People NEED OUR ENERGY to help them live out their purpose! Plug ‘em all in, and let them share in the light!