121028 Walk with Me: What's in a name?

Mark’s Gospel had an agenda.    Mark’s author wanted to convey a composite picture of Jesus – and a compelling one at that – so that his hearers would have the capacity to make an informed decision about whether or not Jesus was worth following.  In his book, we see Jesus as one who has authority over unclean spirits, as a healer, a wisdom teacher, a proponent of social justice, and a movement initiator and leader, all wrapped in the persona of a Jewish mystic/prophet.  Quite a package.  Mark 3:7-12 gives us an overview of Jesus’ ministry.  He was popular among a wide range of Jewish people, with a scope beyond what John the Baptist commanded.  People were coming to him to see and experience healing and exorcisms.  Jesus offered them a bonus: wisdom regarding walking with God.  In that passage, we see again unclean spirits identifying Jesus as God’s anointed one, and Jesus taking away their voice (as he cast them out of their host).

Name it, claim it, tame it.  Naming our enemies gives us more control over them.  First century Jewish peasants believed this is why the demons used the name of Jesus, and why, on some occasions, Jesus sought the name of the demon.  On the one hand it seems a little superstitious, like the Rumpelstiltskin story.  Naming our issue, however, is a big part of overcoming it, because it means we are aware of it, no longer in denial, and can then take steps to deal with it.  But if we remain in denial, or dark ignorance, we simply perpetuate our painful reality – we aren’t managing the issue, the issue is managing us.  Recovery programs see success because they begin with identifying the obvious problem (which often is symptomatic of deeper problems, right?).  But it goes way beyond substance abuse.  Anger management, depression, substance abuse, obsessive and compulsive behavior, marital conflicts, personal finance woes, personal health problems – none of these issues disappear with denial – they just keep on destroying us.  In the ancient world, to know or understand a subject or person was to gain control or mastery over it.  Have you named your issues?  Or have your issues named you?

Sometimes naming comes with maturity and reflection.  There are some layers that cannot be addressed before earlier layers are unearthed.  Years need to pass sometimes.  A couple of years ago I discovered some painful stuff buried in my formation history that just blew my mind – foundations for insecurities that I could never pinpoint until some reading opened me up.  I know I had to live through some years, wade through some muck before I was able to get to that stuff.  I had to be open and honest with myself about myself, which requires the swallowing of pride.  I think one of the most sobering and healing things we can do is to be humble about ourselves, and realize that we all have some really painful stuff running in our veins.  I think this is important because it helps break down our defensiveness when we’re called on our stuff.  Nobody likes to be called on their stuff.  Especially if we don’t think we have any stuff…

Son of Man, Son of God.  Jesus didn’t disagree with what these demons were saying about his identity – and was this audible for everyone, or just Jesus? – but he did take away their voice.  This meant that naming him didn’t trump Jesus – the demons didn’t have Jesus under their control.  Silencing them at this point is interesting, and worth thinking about.  Mark wants us to recognize that Jesus’ fullness in his role would be incomplete apart from the cross.  The idea of what Son of God, servant of God, anointed of God meant had to incorporate Jesus’ most shocking choice – sacrificing himself for the sake of the cause.  It was only when Jesus laid his life down that the centurion said he surely must be the son of God (Mark 15:39).  Mark wants us to understand that the Christ we follow isn’t Iron Man, or the Hulk, or even Captain America.  Christ is one who lays down his life in a radical act of non-violence to thwart the powers of this world.  The Son of Man isn’t the Son of God apart from laying himself down for the work of redemption in the world.  The fullness of the name requires the full expression of Jesus’ life – not just the fun stuff of exorcism, healing, teaching, protesting, and leading – but to lay it all down for the cause of bringing more and more of God and God’s Way into the world.

Aside: despite the Christian tradition’s emphasis on the sacrifice of Christ atoning for the sins of the world, I really wonder if we fully appreciate the depths of what the Passion represents for how people thought of God, Messiah, and how God would choose to redeem the world.  It is weird that the apocalyptic vision the early church had went right back to a Christ who would return wielding a sword, leading the deadly assault on all God’s foes.  How does that fit with the cross?  Would the earliest disciples still hold to that same way of thinking today?  I don’t think so.  If we have a similar eschatological understanding where the world ends with a militaristic finale – which is what the Jewish leaders envisioned in Jesus’ day – I wonder if we would miss the messiah just the same way they did.  Or, I wonder if we are missing Christ even now because we are looking for a sword instead of an olive branch.  I know, I know - warm up the tar and feathers for Rev. Dr. Heretic…

Living up to the name.  If we want to see transformation happen in our world through the power of God, we need to live up to our name: Christian.  Christian means “little Christ”.  To change things the way Jesus changed things requires Christians to act like Christ.  This can be both daunting and inspiring.  My name reminds me frequently of my legacy, because it bears reference to both of my grandpas and my dad, all of whom were great pastors/leaders wherever they served.  Sometimes their legacy acts like a dark shadow cast by giant buildings or mountains – I can feel swallowed up, like there is no way I can live up to what has been done before me.  I think we can feel that way as Jesus followers.  We tell ourselves there is no way we can live the life Jesus did, and we feel defeated before we even begin.  Perhaps there is another way to see…

I have running through my veins the DNA of some incredible people.  I am a continuation of their story.  I am building on the legacy they began long before me, but a legacy intended for future building.  The greatest tribute I can offer my parents and grandparents is to use all they have given me and do the best I can to continue following God where God leads.  As a Jesus follower, I believe that I have the same Spirit giving, animating, healing, empowering, and guiding me as Jesus had.  I am not Jesus, but the resources he had he shared freely with all who would embrace and integrate them into their lives.  When we shift our perspective to the side of possibility, we have genuine hope.  Remember, however, that his core DNA was to love and serve to the point of his personal sacrifice.  A high price.  Redemption, apparently, was worth that price.

The way to reconcile, restore, and redeem the issues we struggle with in our interior world as well as in the world at large require greater courage than that of a warrior.  The courage of a hero is required.  Courage to give ourselves fully to the cause – living up to the Name.  Courage to be honest about our stuff.  Courage to humbly walk with God.  Courage to allow God to speak into our lives, to breathe into our being, that we might be restored by Peace.

I don’t know what you are struggling with today, but I hope you’ll choose not to avoid it.  I pray that you will pursue it until you can name it, so that you can claim it, and then tame it.  There is genuine power there.

I also pray that you will reflect on Jesus’ name, and when Mark wanted his readers to really understand it – at the cross.  As you choose to be inspired to become like Christ – to take on Jesus’ name –  I pray that you will recognize the redemptive potential you have, and willingly, sacrificially offer yourself to what God calls you to do as a person being restored, and as an agent of restoration in a world in need of healing.  That’s what saving the world is all about.

121021 Walk with Me: Rule v. Rules

When we have not met him in the center of our hearts, we cannot expect to meet him in the busyness of our daily lives. – Henry Nouwen

Eat or starve for God? Jesus was baptized by John the Baptist, which was in itself an endorsement of John’s ministry on the part of Jesus. While Jesus was certainly making a statement about his relationship with God, he was also stating that he was falling in line with John’s ministry. John was an ascetic. His whole vibe was that of a spiritual outlier. Jews viewed his attire as a sign of being a prophet akin to Elijah. Romans and Greeks saw him as making a statement along the lines of contemporary stoics. Both assessments put John on the outskirts of society in order to speak critically of the culture apart from which they were distancing themselves. A good Jew in that region of Israel fasted twice a week to help focus attention and prayer toward God. Jesus and his disciples apparently lost that memo, however, because they were criticized by Jewish religious leaders for not adhering to the spiritual discipline of fasting (see Mark 2:18-22). Beneath this question is a bigger question humanity has wondered about from the earliest days: how much prayer and other disciples are we supposed to do to satisfy God so that we stay on his good side (and don’t get wiped out)? What are the rules God wants us to obey?

Sabbath for Humanity or Humanity for the Sabbath? The Jewish world in which Jesus did his ministry was very conscientious about keeping the Sabbath – the day of rest – holy. No other culture or religion up to that time had a weekly day set apart for reconnecting with God and community as did the Jews. To insure that the day was honored, much work was devoted to understanding what could and could not be done on the Sabbath. For instance, you could not reap your crop on a Sabbath, even if you were in the middle of crush in Napa Valley. You would have to relax from sundown Friday through sundown Saturday, and then resume your reaping. This is why Jesus and his disciples got in trouble (see Mark 2:23-28). Jesus and the guys were walking through a field, got hungry, and picked some grain to munch on – the fact that their critics called this reaping is ridiculous, of course, and says much more about the scribes than it does Jesus. Jesus answers their critique with a biblical reference that provides a precedent for their behavior. But the question was raised: how do we “do” the Sabbath as followers of Jesus? Strict observance? Apathy? Serious yet casual? Or somewhere in between? Beneath this question is a bigger one humanity has struggled with from the moment the idea of God became conscious: what rules must we obey to keep God happy (and not wipe us out)? What are the rules God wants us to obey?

Exception to the Rules? Later that day (or another Sabbath), Jesus went to a synagogue where he was invited to teach for the day. While he was teaching, he noticed a man with a withered hand (see Mark 3:1-6). The synagogue was a large room, with people sitting on benches that lined the wall. Jesus called the guy to place himself in the center of the room and asked what most probably thought was a rhetorical question: is the Sabbath a day for doing good or evil, to save or destroy? Nobody felt like talking, so Jesus kept rolling, and asked the guy to stretch out his hand (which he was unable to do because of his condition). The guy did so, and discovered that his hand was completely well. Jesus could have waited until sundown to heal the man, but he chose to do it right then and there, in the middle of the Sabbath day. Naturally, as any of us would, the religious leaders started meeting with political leaders to figure out a way to destroy Jesus… Jesus knew he was stirring the pot this time. He wasn’t being called out for eating some grain. He pushed the issue and raised the question again: what should we or shouldn’t we be doing to keep God happy (and keep ourselves from being wiped off the earth)? What are the rules God wants us to obey?

Rule verses Rules. These three stories, plus the two before it (forgiving and healing the paralyzed man; calling Levi and partying with him and his scummy friends) shifted the way the religious element thought about Jesus. They were increasingly leery from the get-go, and now Jesus brought the fight to them. What was Jesus getting at? Was he simply telling them, and his disciples, and everyone moving forward to forget rules? Would this have been in keeping with his Jewish sensibilities? And if so, why was he still honoring many of the rules?

When I first began my role as a Senior Pastor in northern Illinois, I was talking to the church secretary about what I wanted in the upcoming week’s bulletin: what songs we were going to do, which scriptures would be read, and in what order everything should go. All the way through the conversation she kept saying, “Are you sure? We’ve never done it that way before.” The church had developed an approach to worship that had become highly scripted and predictable. To divert from it was to break a law. While this is not a problem anymore at CrossWalk, many churches wonder what’s okay or not in worship. Coffee in the sanctuary? YouTube videos? Anything funny? Jeans? Theatrics? Rock music? At the core is a question: will this is some way offend God somehow and land us in some holy trouble? What are the rules God wants us to obey regarding worship?

I think there is another way to think that goes way beyond simply keeping God off of our back, or doing/avoiding things to get God to bless us (or at least not kill us). Instead of thinking about rules to keep us out of trouble with God, let’s think of a Rule (or Way) of life that keeps our relationship with God vibrant. A vital relationship with God is what the rules were trying to protect, of course, but we human beings have a hard time remembering that the rules were a means to an end, and not the end in and of themselves.

The Rule of Life. There is a Way of life that Jesus modeled and taught that, when practiced, fully satisfies all the rules and regulations we worry about breaking. It boils down to the two greatest commandments: to love God, and to love others. How we do this is the difference between a rich relationship with God and a religious life based on a bogus contractual agreement with a distant deity. The Way is about learning to live life in constant relationship with God, where we are continually open to God’s presence and prompting. We often allow a lot of clutter to get in the way, distracting us from this hand-in-hand daily walk with God. Do we maintain our status quo, at times, because we are afraid, perhaps, of what we might see in ourselves and God should we draw close to God? In their book on leadership (Leading the Congregation, p 49), Shawchuck and Heuser note the following: Sooner or later we must admit that we tolerate or initiate the clutter in our minds because it keeps us from having to face a reality we dread even more – that of coming home to ourselves. Then we discover that we ourselves cause the clutter in our minds; our own souls are running full force away from the voice bidding us to find rest for our weary souls.

So, how do we live in the Way? Shawchuck and Heuser note three elements of Jesus’ spirituality (Leading the Congregation, 55ff)…

1. Jesus established a rhythm of public ministry and private spaces. Cistercian monk Thomas Keating notes that in those private moments, the Spirit of God comes as a divine archaeologist, and digs down to investigate our whole life history, layer by layer, throwing out the junk and preserving the values that we appropriate to each state of our human development. What you do in those times of solitude may vary – some of us sit and read, others hike, others listen to music, others simply close their eyes and pray – but the point is to make time to do it.

A couple weeks ago I knew I needed to take a prayer hike. So, off I went. As I trudged up the hills, slowly letting go of whatever was on my mind, I started paying more attention to my surroundings. I looked at the trees, the vineyards, the rocks, the grasses, the lizards, the birds, the mountains, and the squirrels and became acutely aware of something: none of them gave a rip about our economy, politics, keeping up with the Jones’, etc. Later that week I spent my wife’s birthday with her at Dillon Beach – a rare, perfect, warm, sunny day with no coastal marine layer of clouds, wind, or fog. The sea lion just offshore, the waves, the seagulls, the sand, the kelp – none of them seemed to care about politics, the economy, or acquiring stuff, either. God used these two moments to give me perspective, and to remind me of my (our) capacity to become consumed by many things, to the point that we let our relationship with God go unattended. Without taking time out, I am confident I would have missed what God was trying to speak into my life. Jesus made sure he had private space in his life to be alone. It was those alone times that gave him the poise, clarity, and strength to carry out his ministry – his public life. Your public life is ministry, too, and depends on the private life for its sustenance. Jesus was a healer, an exorcist, a wisdom teacher, a justice champion, and a movement leader – none of which would have been carried out with great success apart from the time he spent alone with God.

2. Jesus surrounded himself with an intimate covenant community. This inner circle got to know Jesus more deeply than anyone else. They were close enough to him to know when he was tired, didn’t feel well, or was anxious. They knew his eyes, and knew when they were about to get in trouble with the scribes and Pharisees. It was in that community that life was shared most deeply. This does not happen by accident, but requires time and trust. It takes time to discover who we jibe with. It takes time to develop trust. Trust will be broken at some point, on some level. It will take time to heal and trust again. But community is where we experience love and life on a very rich level. It won’t happen all by itself. We have to take the leap, put it in the calendar, risk some awkwardness. Jesus modeled it as part of the Way of life. To not pursue it – even if it’s tough – is to set ourselves up for a very limited experience of God, and of life.

3. Jesus included meaningful ritual in his life. He designated time for prayer. He went to church (synagogue) regularly, he studied the Bible, he had great spiritual conversations with people, and made worship an ongoing part of his life. He did not view these things as demands – that if he didn’t do them, he would be in trouble with God. He viewed them as sources of the Spirit – life-giving practices where he could reconnect with God. He practiced the disciplines with the expectation that God would meet him there. It wasn’t about what he conjured up – it was about making himself available so that God could speak, heal, restore, and lead. It did not just happen – Jesus put it in his calendar.

I wonder if we tend to let routine become just that – routine. Take worship, for instance. When we come to worship together on Sunday morning, do we come expecting to meet with God in a way that cannot be experienced in the same way when alone? Do we really expect God to be present? Do we come hungry for more God in our lives? What might happen if we moved away from thinking of these activities as just activities, and looked to them as sources of the Spirit? How would our mindset change if we looked at church attendance, Bible study,and spiritual dialogue as Spirit fonts available for our renewal?

I am so busy that unless I pray more hours every day I won’t get my work done. – Martin Luther

The Reformer John Wesley was known for keeping a discipline every morning beginning around 4:30 am. Here then I am, far from the busy ways of men. I sit down alone; – Only God is here, in his presence I open, I read his book; for this end, to find the way to heaven. A colleague of his complained to him that there wasn’t enough time for prayer and reflection, to which Wesley replied, O begin! Fix some time each day for prayer and reflection. Do it; whether you like it or not. It is for your life! Else you will be a trifler all your days.

Prayer of Examen. John Wesley knew that if he wasn’t intentional about his life, it would get tossed around liked a row boat on the open sea. In order to stay on track with God, Wesley practiced and encouraged others to engage in the Prayer of Examen in the morning and evening. In just fifteen minutes in the morning, he would look over the day he was about to encounter, and ask himself key questions to help him be more open to the Spirit’s work at every moment. For fifteen minutes in the evening, he would ask himself key questions to review the day he just lived, in order to learn where he struggled and triumphed, so that the next day he would grow more into the Spirit-driven person he was called to be. His goal was not perfection. His goal was intimacy with God in every moment, so that he was constantly tied to the Source, in step with God to be used as needed for God’s redemptive work of healing, cleaning out unclean spirits, standing with those who suffer injustice for justice, bringing wisdom, and calling others to be part of what God is trying to do in the world. Do you think you can carve out fifteen minutes in the morning, and another fifteen minutes in the evening for this practice? The following questions were ones that John Wesley used every day, modified a little for contemporization. Ask yourself the questions in the morning. Review how you did in the evening. Below the questions, please enjoy the “Soul of Christ” prayer – does it resonate with you as it did me?

Wesley’s Questions of Examen

1. With what degree of attention and passion am I praying today?
2. How will my actions today reflect the goodness of God?
3. What does my day hold for me, and what attitudes and actions are God inviting me to choose?
4. What good can I do today? Will I pursue the good with passion and joy?
5. How will I show genuine interest in others today?
6. How will I be open to hearing words that will help me grow as a person? How will I offer words that will help others grow?
7. How will I avoid speaking of a fault or failing of another person for no redemptive reason?
8. How will I avoid grieving anyone by what I say or do?
9. How will I be good news today?

The Prayer “Soul of Christ” by Joseph Tetlow, S.J.

I choose to breathe the Breath of Christ that makes all life holy.

I choose to live the flesh of Christ that outlasts sin’s corrosion and decay.

I choose the Blood of Christ along my veins and in my heart that dizzies me with joy.

I choose the living waters flowing from his side to wash clean my own self and the world itself.

I choose the awful agony of Christ to change my senseless sorrows with meaning and to make my pain pregnant with power.

I choose You, good Jesus, You know.

I choose You, Good Lord; count me among the victories that You have won in bitter woundedness.

Never count me among those alien to You.

Make me safe from all that seeks to destroy me.

Summon me when I come to You.

Stand me sold among angels and saints chanting yes to all You have done, exulting in all You mean to do forever and ever.

Then for this time, Father of all, keep me, from the core of my self, choosing Christ in the world.

Amen.

121014 Walk with Me: (un)Popular 2

This week we find Jesus doing his teaching and healing thing on the lakeshore near the border (Mark 2:13-17), and he comes across a tax collector named Levi.  The majority of Jews hated guys like Levi for at least two reasons.  First, they were Dodger fans.  Do we need to go further?

There were even more significant reasons, if you can believe it…  Being Jewish, Levi was working for the Roman government, which was essentially working for the enemy.  This made Levi a traitor.  The Roman government instructed Levi how much tax they wanted, but nobody else had access to that information.  So, Levi was free to get what he could.  He was probably wealthy, and was so because he took advantage of his own people.  A traitor and a cheat.  Just what Jesus was looking for.

Jesus extended the invitation to Levi, and much to everyone’s surprise, Levi accepted the invitation!  This meant he was no longer going to be a tax collector.  It also likely meant that his wealth was about to get used for Jesus’ movement in some or many ways.  Never in history has it been easy for people to part with their money.  The more people have, the harder it gets.  Levi had a lot.  What do you suppose he saw in Jesus that compelled him to say yes?  Has anything like that ever happened to you?

As an academic neurosurgeon, Dr. Eben Alexander never believed in anything beyond the grave, and always questioned the credibility of near-death experiences.  Until it happened to him.  E. coli bacteria attacked the neocortex of his brain – the part that provides near-death experiences.  This portion of his brain was completely turned of while he lay in a coma.  During that time, Dr. Alexander experienced another realm of reality that was more real than anything he had ever experienced before.  When he woke up, he was a changed man.  He had new convictions about what was real and what was not.  He began telling others about what happened to him, writing a book about it, even.  Big risk telling his professional colleagues about it, for sure.  He said the only place where his ideas were welcome was church.

I wonder if that’s how it went for Levi.  He saw something, felt something, experienced something that altered everything, and he responded with a “yes”.  And a party.  What do you do when something amazing happens?  You celebrate!  Levi threw a BBQ for all of his friends – an opportunity to let them know what happened to him, and why he couldn’t collect taxes anymore (at least not without ethics).

When was the last time you sensed Jesus calling you to do something?  When you did it, who did you tell?  Note: If you haven’t sensed Jesus calling you to do anything in particular, you are either dead or not paying attention.

Well, this all seems well and good – a nice feel good story of a changed life.  But while the party was going on inside, religious folks were sneering at the whole scene from the other side of the street.  Instead of rejoicing in Levi’s transformation, they were indignant that the prophet-like Jesus would fraternize with such losers.  Religion does this to people, doesn’t it?  Religion focuses our attention on rules so that we know where we stand, where others stand, and how far above others we stand.  All in the name of honoring God, even if it may be devoid of God.  How did they get that way?  What turns a person who was probably once warm toward God cold as ice toward God’s estranged kids?  How do we know if we are becoming more like those critics and less like Jesus?

I think when we find ourselves focusing on our own needs more than how we can serve others, we’re in trouble.  When we focus on how others are measuring up rather than looking at how we can grow, we’re in trouble.  When we find ourselves more and more critical of others instead of more and more compassionate, we’re in trouble.  What do you think?  How do we know we’re turning into the religious critic?

Jesus called them on the carpet, and made it clear to them that he came for those who knew they needed him, because they were the only ones he could really help, anyway.  Do you need Jesus?  For what?

May you be deeply disturbed by this story from Jesus’ life.  May it force you to wonder if you’ve got the same zing Levi experienced that moved him to follow Jesus.  May you be challenged to wonder how you might celebrate what Jesus is doing in your life by sharing the news with others.  May you be courageous enough to look in the mirror to see if there is any Pharisee there.  May you decide anew whether or not you still want to follow Jesus.  I hope it’s a yes.

121007 Walk with Me: (un)Popular 1

Before we look at this week’s text, let’s review. Jesus, clearly anointed by God’s Spirit, came to heal, to rid people of unclean spirits, to teach wisdom, to liberate those who suffered from injustice, and to invite people into a movement where people more and more lived in the Way of the Kingdom of God. Those who followed Jesus healed, helped people get rid of unclean spirits, taught wisdom, liberated those who suffered injustice, and invited others to join them on the mission to live more and more in the Way of the Kingdom of God. Some traditions have boiled Jesus’ purpose down to simply saving our souls from hell. In doing so we become absolved from the things Jesus actually did, because we assume we’re just waiting for heaven to come. Our job becomes one of sales: getting people to say yes, and then wait to die. The Good News, however, is much bigger and better than that tradition’s version. The Good News really is good, here and now, for everybody, forever.

This is one of those cool stories we love to tell kids about. Jesus is teaching in someone’s living room, and it’s a packed house. People are spilling out onto the front porch. There’s a line forming with all sorts of people looking for healing. Some friends of a paralytic guy get word of the event, and offer to take him to see Jesus. But there’s no room for a stretcher in the living room, and nobody seems to be willing to let them cut in line. Undeterred, the friends climb onto the flat, thatched rooftop, and begin destroying it. The police are called, and the paralytic’s friends are cuffed and stuffed while the paralytic stays stuck on the rooftop until Santa comes at Christmas. Or something like that. Read for yourself in Mark 2:1-12.

When the guy is lowered through the hole in the roof, Jesus rolled with the interruption. He looked at the guy and made a declaration: your sins are forgiven. I remember my first impression when I heard this story as a kid: Jesus totally missed it – the guy wants to be healed and Jesus just wants to forgive the guy. How embarrassing! In the ancient world, however, people tied physical malady to God’s judgment for sins committed. If you were born blind or lame, God was meting justice for sins carried out by your parents or grandparents. If you came down with leprosy, or developed a disability, you might very well wonder what you did to deserve such a thing.

We’re not so far removed from them, are we? When people find themselves burdened by especially difficult challenges, we hear them wonder what they did to cause it. The undercurrent offers a glimpse into their theology: for some reason, God made/allowed this to happen. This is what the Bible’s story of Job’s friends assumed when he was struck with one terrible thing after another – he must have done something to warrant such wrath – or at least neglect – from God.

We can assume that the paralyzed guy has been hearing similar things from people for as long as he’s been unable to walk. He may have been wondering about it himself. Is God getting back at him for eating that cookie before dinner in direct defiance of his mother’s order – therefore breaking one of the Top Ten Commandments? There may have been some other sins he was wondering about, too. Just like we do. People judge people; people condemn people. People belittle people. We know from other stories that people who suffered such things were often treated inhumanely, adding insult to injury. Bad enough that he was paralyzed – perhaps he also had to contend with a community of peers who were consistently “helping” him determine what he did to deserve such a fate.

When Jesus says that his sins are forgiven,therefore, this is no small thing. Jesus was clearly anointed by God, given his healings and exorcisms. Jesus’ pronouncement carried authority – like you could really believe it was true. But was Jesus off point? Was the guy just wanting to see if he could get a new set of legs?

Actually, Jesus was addressing a foundation issue for the paralytic. I think it is safe to assume that on some level, this guy wondered if God cared for him at all. If you don’t think God cares for you – be it apathy or disdain – you’re on your own. What hope do you really have? But if you discovered that God cares for you in spite of your misfortune, that changes things. If God actually cares, then you might have an advocate that can help you through your struggle. If God actually cares, perhaps you are not as alone as you thought. Perhaps God can make something of the mess you are in. All of these things add up to something we really can’t live without: hope.

Jesus telling this guy his sins are forgiven isn’t just a statement of accounting. He is saying in the most relevant way possible: GOD LOVES YOU. Your paralysis is not God’s wrath. Your feeling judged is not God’s heart. God’s love and grace is and has always been with you. Start living in that reality, because it is, indeed, real and true.

This statement no doubt sat well with the paralytic. But not so much with the religious leaders who were present. They were there to hear Jesus speak. At this stage in the story, they liked Jesus and wondered what was to become of him. They probably got a kick out of his lack of religiosity, even. Forgiving sins, however, went well outside the box. It was blasphemous to speak for God in such a manner. They were clearly upset, which Jesus did not miss.

The religious element in Jesus’ day were doing the best they could. They had systems in place with meaningful rituals to help people find forgiveness from their sins. Structures and protocol were in place to facilitate redemption – Jesus just ignored all of it with his statement.

A lot of religious people would still get uncomfortable in this situation. They would not be so sure Jesus got this one right. The guy never asked for forgiveness, did he? Was he even sorry for whatever wrong he did, or all of the wrongs he had ever done? His crippled state suggests God’s wrath, not love. Confess sin to the right people, make a sacrifice, and then maybe God will forgive – the evidence is in the legs. But to simply announce that the guy was forgiven was just too much.

We do that, though, don’t we? We assume people aren’t forgiven until they do something first. We want to hear people confess. We wouldn’t mind a tear or two. We want to hear that they have accepted Christ. Then they are forgiven, right? But what if the forgiveness was there all along? What if we’ve been getting in the way of things by demanding new hoops through which one must jump in order to earn the grace of God? Is it possible that we have made confessing Christ a new form of works theology? That God does not forgive until we say the magic words?

To suggest otherwise is to make a fool of God, right? To think that God would be such a schmuck as to cheapen grace to the point of requiring nothing from the recipient is unthinkable. That would be unnatural. Unfair. Unjust. Scandalous even. And correct.

Paul said it it succinctly in Romans 5:6-8 that while we were helpless, still sinners, Christ died for us. Grace was there – forgiveness given – even while we were thumbing our nose at God by our behavior. Jesus told the guy that God forgave him before he confessed his need because God always does forgive us long before we know it or are humble enough to ask for it. Forgiveness just is. God’s love for us is a constant. It’s gravity – we can count on it to be there no matter what, knowing it will have the same influence regardless of the size of our calamity.

This goes against traditional thinking. You might be uncomfortable right now with this idea. But realize who is actually making you uncomfortable. Not me. Jesus.

The truth is that God’s love and power are always at work in and around us, all pointed toward our healing, or wholeness, our salvation. God doesn’t wait for us to get our ducks in a row before the Presence shows up. Its just simply there. Not to condone our waywardness, but to woo us toward Life.

I know this is the case because I have experienced it. There have been times in my life when I was a fool, thumbing my nose at God with great bravado. I knew I was wrong, but was stuck in my prodigal-son ways. At those times, I absolutely assumed I was on my own, that since I had turned my back on God, God would keep His distance. Much to my surprise, however, that was not the case. Even at my worst, I experienced God’s Presence wooing me toward restoration. He even gave me strength to make the turns necessary to get back on the right course. I was never, ever on my own. I was never, ever off of God’s “Love List”. Paul said later to the same church in Rome that nothing can ever separate us from the love of God. Nothing. Ever.

The real question is: have we embraced and integrated God’s love into our lives? The story of the paralytic is the parable of the Prodigal Sons played out in real time. Love for the sons was always there for the embracing. Two sons struggled to discover it in their own unique way. I was one of them (both of them, actually), and have discovered how powerful the love of God can be in life. To get you through tough times. To direct you toward life worth living. To guide you on a mission that is much bigger than myself. To bring healing. To stand for justice with the oppressed. To bring wisdom where there is only foolishness. To call others to follow the same god who loves us all.

If you’ve been feeling like God has abandoned you, or is judging you, or barely tolerates you, here Jesus clearly: GOD LOVES YOU. Start living like it. Ask God for help, because God will gladly give it. Ask God for strength, because God longs to help you get through your struggle. You can have hope again that will not disappoint. And hope makes all the difference, doesn’t it?

I must also give a nod to some other very important characters: the paralytics friends who went to great lengths so that their friend could see Jesus. They believed Jesus had something for their friend that was worth every effort to help make happen.

Many years ago, a Christian man noticed a young woman whose parents never took her to church apart from when they went at Christmas and Easter. He must have assumed that it would be very hard for that young woman to learn about the love God had for her apart from being exposed to it. So he invited her to church. For years, he took her to church and back home after the service was over. Once an adult, the woman didn’t go to church much. Then tragedy struck. Her father, who by all appearances was in good shape, collapsed on the tennis court one Saturday morning and died of a massive heart attack. Naturally, this put the woman in a tailspin. She knew where to find help. She found herself in church, found herself in the Presence of Grace, found herself in her Father’s arms. She committed her life to Christ and has been serving ever since. A number of years ago another Jesus follower became her friend and invited her to try her church – our church. She now calls CrossWalk home. Her name is Evangeline Tai.

Evangeline’s friend never destroyed a roof, but he certainly took it upon himself to do his part to help her see Jesus. He believed life with Jesus was that important that he sacrificed his time, gas, and attention for her. Do you believe that Jesus is worth seeing? Who do you know that needs to see Jesus? What are you doing to help them?

May you wake up to the reality that God’s love is ever-present, a well that will never run dry. May you realize that forgiveness is granted long before we discover our need, and that the real point is to live as one who has been given new legs to stand on. May you also awaken to the call Jesus is focusing on you: to follow in his footsteps by bringing healing and cleansing, wisdom and justice, and the invitation to see what Jesus might offer someone you know who needs him.