The Symbol of Hope at Easter

Every spring I desire to do the same things, for tradition’s sake- a big plate of fried fish and chips, a walk through the melting snow and slush, a pitiful attempt at coloring eggs that will never be eaten, and sitting in the rising sun thinking on the empty tomb. I do this to focus myself in this changing time of year; to focus not on the summer to come, but on all that God has done for me.

Many people wear a cross to remind them of their faith. I prefer a different symbol. The greatest symbol of faith followers of Jesus have is the empty tomb. We may focus on the cross, but it is the tomb emptied of death that brings the most fear and hope to the world. The empty tomb challenges us to think beyond the moment to what really matters.

On Easter Morning, for the past several years, I rise, pause to look out over all the Lord has given to my care, and think on the empty tomb. This is the time of Easter I look forward to each year- not for the tradition, but for the hope and fear it brings to my life. You are probably saying, “A pastor afraid of the empty tomb?” Yes, I do fear it. I fear it for those I love, my friends, my aquaintances, and my enemies.

I fear the tomb for what it means for all of us. It means that to live, to have life, to have a life worth anything more than what I earn laboring, there must be death – the payment of all I have done wrong. I fear all people everywhere will not accept the payment God offers based on the death, burial, and resurrection of the One who offers us new life, Jesus.

I fear the tomb, for it is the symbol of the culmination of the pain and suffering Jesus felt on this earth before the night of His betrayal. It dredges up visions of the intense torture He experienced leading to the cross and the pain, shame, and slow death upon the cross. I fear the tomb, for it asks me to examine myself and my role- my sin- in the death of the One who loves me more than any other.

This fear brings me hope; for I do not rely on my own work to pay for all I have done wrong. Rather, I look to the empty tomb. The empty tomb that waits for me to die to self and live for my Savior, the Conqueror of Death, Jesus. In the empty tomb that I fear so much, I rest in the hope that is Jesus.

Romans 5:18-19 reads,
“18So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, so also through one righteous act there is life-giving justification for everyone. 19For just as through one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the one man's obedience the many will be made righteous. (HCSB)”

I will rise on the 3rd day, before anyone else, and think of the empty tomb, leaving my fear and embracing hope. Taking hold of the hope Jesus brings by conquering the grave, I go on with my day and rejoice in the freedom He has given me to offer His hope, without fear, to the world. His righteous action has freed me and can free you from the bondage of sin.

How do you want it to end?

The past few days I have been challenged with my own mortality. Not so much that I will die or am dying or am afraid to die. Rather it is the kind of life that I will live and what I want to accomplish while I live that I am concerned about.

I assume this feeling is pretty unnatural for everyday life, but after getting fired 2 weeks ago I am doing some soul searching and examining what I desire to accomplish with all I do in life. I keep coming back to one thing, just one thing that I strive to do with all I have in this life.

It is rather interesting and different, but it keeps me focused on what I am called to do and who I want to be.

"I want to end up sliding into home, battered, beaten, bruised and bloodied. I want to have Jesus pick me up off the ground at heavens gates pull out the flaming arrows from the shield and armor, brush the dirt off my shoulder, pull the sod from my helmet as He removes it. I want Him to be proud of the way I led my family, my church, my friends and enemies to know Him more and more each day. I want to hear the words from His mouth as He welcomes me Home, 'Well done, good and faithful servant, enter into your rest.'"

I am most concerned for my family in this vision... As a task oriented man I am afraid that I will not have the ability to teach and lead them as the Pastor-Dad I want to be. Loving, kind, compassionate, caring, encouraging and faithful to my children in all things. The task of Dad has not been one that I feel capable to accomplish on my own. I must ask my Father in heaven for help and bring my brothers around me for support. We must be the church that grows believers to be the fathers and family we need to be.

A great calling but a hard life to get to the bitter end.

Social Experiment

I was on a retreat a few weeks ago and decided I needed to take a survey of the Southern Baptist Pastors and Wives in attendance. I asked what do you need to teach a new believe? It always came back to two things, How to read your Bible and How to Pray.

As I look at these things I can't help but think that what we really need is to learn how to communicate with the Father. How to look at His love for us and respond with thoughtful response to Him. So what do we need to do?

Read your Bible and Pray every day.

I have to admit that with my Busyness at times I miss my time to read and pray. My desire to wake in the morning read God's word and then pray asking Him to bless my day. What about you? Do you remember to Read and Pray every day?

It is my desire to relearn these techniques to be able to communicate them to my friends who are new believers and encourage them to know the Father in more intimate ways.

Mondays and Ministry

As I sit here sipping a halfway decent cup of coffee listening to the gossip at the next table and enjoying watching the college students flirt their way through their shift at the bagel shop I realize that most people don't know what I am going through. It is Monday morning, yesterday I was exhausted as I stepped in the pulpit, I cried after the service as a friend declared he didn't know if God was really God, I ate lunch with good friends trying to avoid the awkwardness of the pain we have both felt this past week, took a too long nap and then taught the most horrendous lesson on adultery I have ever heard because of the immaturity of the young believers and their "off color" comments. Today it is Monday, I am desperate to see God move on behalf of the young believers, to transform their minds and draw them closer to Him.

I am struggling to understand the movement of God from week to week, to know how He will move and what to prepare for. In a couple hours I will go to work, do some ministry and play with my family. What will God do? I don't know, but I am loving every minute of it. A new friend commented Saturday night that a called pastor is reluctant, because He knows it will hurt, but God has called and so the pastor acts.

It is Monday, it hurts, but it is time to act. My 10am meeting is here, I act, Lord don't let it hurt too much.

Long Time Coming

It is Friday afternoon and there is so much going on I don't know when my next break will be... October 1, maybe, or later... This brings me to the question, how much can you bear? For a long time I thought I was an all-star at bearing under what God would have me do. As I think now, that was wrong... I was a poor performer because I did not share the load with those that God placed around me. When I did not share the burden with Christ I limited who could bear the load to myself. When I turn the load over to Jesus, He shares it with me and those He chooses that can assist in work at hand, mainly the church. What are you doing to support your Pastor? What about the Elders? Or Deacons? Or Ministry Leaders? Or the Ushers or the person wiping your kids nose while you are enjoying the service?

Each one of us has a load to bear from our calling, our life and dealing with sin, our own and others'. Are you willing to give that load to Christ? What about helping with someone else's load are you willing to share if Christ calls?

I am getting better at sharing, but I always need a few more trustworthy friends to bear the load with... Will you be one?

Faith and a Job hunt

How does one balance looking for a Job and the reliance of God's provision. Every step we have taken to start a church in Superior has been bathed in prayer. Well Lord you have called us, prepared us and brought us to your town for your glory. We stand in the midst of the need for Your provision and I can't help but wonder what You have planned. Lord in the midst of this trial I cannot help but have faith in You to provide the right job at the right time for Your glory.

Lord move or move me.

New Calvinists

10 years ago, in the midst of college I realized I held Calvinistic beliefs. I was excited to finally have a label on what I believed. In the intervening years I waffled, Seminary and the desire for better grades will do that to a person. More recently I have noted my lack of deep theological understanding is affecting the way that I preach and the way I work in the church. To rectify this problem I have decided to explore, as Time Magazine has so aptly stated, New Calvinism.

The problem I have is that New Calvinism is not really all that new and different. The new is referring to the age of the adherents, mostly 20-40 year-olds. So I am left with studying the theology of the Reformers and Puritans, and then looking at the pet projects of the new leaders like Piper, Sproul, Mahaney and Driscoll. Berkhof is on the list as well, but I really want to see a repository of thought with reviews of materials so I that I don't have to spend hours reading texts that agree with one another.

God as I reaffirm my belief in you, help me to establish it based on who you are rather than on what I understand.