Thursday, May 24, 2007

...Oh to Grace How Great a Debtor...

In my blog "Time between Times" I referenced the fact that we (myself and all my friends my own age) are living in that phase of our lives where new beginnings are being forged - friend's getting married, having kids, buying houses, etc. - but at the same time endings are a reality as well - older family members passing away, etc. Thus we are in between two times - the time of beginnings and the time of endings.

The background of that blog was the weekend where I went away to a good friend of mine's wedding - a time of great beauty and vibrancy - only to return home and be informed of an old family friend's death. One more reminder of my feet being in two places at once. The elderly family friend who passed away was not some one who I was very close to but he knew me since I was born and he was close to some others in my family.

The weekend when all this occurred I dropped by my grandparents house to pick up some mail and ran into my grandfather who was in the garage. What was supposed to be a quick stop turned into an hour long conversation as I just stoood there and listened as my grandfather told story after story about this man who was no longer with us. A man who my grandfather had employed for over thirty years. A man whose only claim to fame was that he "could do the work of 3 men on a job site" so said my grandfather. An old alchoholic who came into my grandfathers office one day with a crumpled newspaper in his hand inquiring about the job opening for a simple grunt worker - a man who took the job and later became one of the best employees they had and earned some profit sharing. A man who took his profit sharing and moved to Tennessee and bought his own poultry farm only to lose it all in a record heat wave one year and came back to Fort Lauderdale to work the same construction that he had hoped to get away from. The man who lost his wife a few years back and lived in the part of town "on the other side of the tracks" - his creaky wooden house nestled between a Subway and a used car lot.

My grandfather was giving an impromptu eulogy for a man who few would remember - but it seemed right.

The best story went like this:

Lacy was poor. There's no other way to put it. Not only did he lack financial resources all his life but in the twilight of his life even his bodily resources had forsaken him. He was almost entirely blind and deaf, he had lost all of his teeth and could hardly walk. His wife before she died was about the same but tack on a severe case of Alzheimers to the list.
And like many people without resources they had succumbed to the lure of creditors. In fact they had accumulated so much debt they were dragged into court - bankrupt and without a prayer.
And so into the courts my grandfather went with Lacy and his wife - they couldn't afford an attorney and so they went in as they were. When the judge called Lacy up and asked him some questions - Lacy bellowed something back so loudly (since he can't hear himself) and incoherently that the judge was shocked and those few people in the courtroom couldn't help but laugh. The judge obviously realizing Lacy would be of no use asked if he had a wife or family member present. My grandfather had to inform the judge that Lacy's wife was present physically but most of the time didn't know where she was or even her own name due to the severity of her alzheimers.

"So let me get this straight," the judge rumbled, "this couple owes tens of thousands of dollars to the creditors and he can't hear a word I'm saying and she wouldn't even remember any of this?"

"That's right your honor," my grandfather answered on their behalf.

"And they have virtually no recordable income and are both on disability?"

"That's right your honor."

The judge sat in silence surveying the situation.

"I have no choice but to cancel the debt of this couple," the judge ordered.

"Two men owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[d] and the other fifty.
42Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?"
43Simon replied, "I suppose the one who had the bigger debt canceled."

"You have judged correctly," Jesus said.
44Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.

45You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet.
46You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet.
47Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—for she loved much. But he who has been forgiven little loves little."
48Then Jesus said to her, "Your sins are forgiven."
49The other guests began to say among themselves, "Who is this who even forgives sins?" (Luke 7)


Are we not all like Lacy?
Standing before the judge deaf, dumb and blind - with a debt far greater than we could ever repay?
Our only hope being the mercy of the Judge?

I love the way the passage ends. Lacy's story is not totally unique. I'm sure there have been other instances of such legal mercy, perhaps even those in Luke 7 had seen or heard of a judge cancelling monetary debt. But who was this man who could cancel spiritual debt?

"Who is this who even forgives sins?"

He is Jesus.

Tuesday, May 22, 2007

Sermon Jams

Ok, so this website is the coolest thing I have stumbled upon in quite some time. Do yourself a favor and go to www.relevantrevolution.com you will NOT regret it
.
Some genius has taken popular sermons from such giants as John Piper, Ravi Zacharias and others and placed a hip-hop beat underneath them - you may be scoffing right now but its freakin' awesome
.
Go to the website.
Enter the revolution.
Click the Sermon Jams tab.
Go to the archives.
Click on Top 3 tracks.
Listen to Ravi's sermon called "Lord" on Volume 1
.
Incredible.

Saturday, May 12, 2007

Time Between Times

Celtic mythology and lore often features a phenomenon known as the time between times. The time between times is basically exactly what it sounds like – in the twilight of the day, that period where the sun is setting and it is really no longer daytime but not yet nighttime – was to them the time between times. This was the time where the earth began to slumber, the sun began its descent of rest into the earth and the governor of the night – the moon and stars were about to take the stage. Thus during this time one was caught in a loophole of time and space, beginning and endings, death and life.

This was often the gateway for supernatural or extraordinary activity – any spell or incantation; any dream or endeavor would take on more of a magical nature during the time between times – the gap between time and space, beginning and endings, death and life.

I realized the other day that as I approach my 23rd birthday I am living in a type of time between times. This is the time of my life where friend’s weddings become almost a weekly occurrence. It is the time where many people are embarking on their life’s journey and they found the companion with whom they wish to traverse the path. Upon finding that companion they come together in holy matrimony, joining their two lives together and birthing one, new and solitary life.

It is the time of new beginnings.

However as I near 23 I have realized that this is also the time of my life where the passing of elders – death – also becomes almost a weekly occurrence. I returned from a wedding last weekend – a celebration of new life – only to learn that an old family friend had passed away. The friend was not someone with whom I was particularly close but some in my family were and seeing their grief I felt much of my own. The friend was not someone with whom I was particularly close but a day will come one day where the passing of loved one’s with whom I am close – a day I pray is far off.

This time in life is also a the time of endings.

And so at 22 I have come to learn that I live in a type of time between times. It is a time where new beginnings are being forged – including my own – as those of us who are young set out, embracing, enjoying and engaging the life before us. But it is also a time where endings are realized as the generations before us come to the twilight of their journey.

And through it all the hope is that when we are in Christ – when His righteousness covers our rubbish – the ending is merely a new, and perhaps the first and most glorious of beginnings. For even in the pillars of the Gospel we learn of a time between times. We as Christians recognize that we are descendants and participants of a rebel race – a race that plunged itself into sin and darkness but a race that has received the Light of God. And yet even as we have had the Light of God shone into our hearts and our sin forgiven we have not yet left our bodies of sin, we have not yet reached the heavenly city. We are on our way but we aren’t yet there. We have one foot in this time but we long for the time where there is no more darkness.

I suppose the fulfillment of the Celtic times between times is the Christian one – where the darkness and night give way to the never ending light of day found in the face of Christ.

Wednesday, May 09, 2007

What a Song

I have climbed highest mountains
I have run through the fields
Only to be with you
Only to be with you
I have run I have crawled
I have scaled these city walls
These city walls
Only to be with you

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for

I have kissed honey lips
Felt the healing in her fingertips
It burned like fire
This burning desire
I have spoke with the tongue of angels
I have held the hand of a devil
It was warm in the night
I was cold as a stone

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for

I believe in the kingdom come
Then all the colors will bleed into one
Bleed into one...Well yes I'm still running
You broke the bonds and you
Loosed the chains
Carried the cross and
All of my shame
All of my shame
You know I believe it

But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for
But I still haven't found what I'm looking for...


- U2
"Still Haven't Found What I'm Lookin' For"