YGT: What's more Disgusting than a Wet Willy?

In Mark 7, Jesus Christ shows that he wasn't very concerned with keeping himself clean.  At the beginning of the chapter, Jesus' disciples don't wash their hands.  He scolds the Pharisees for being consumed with the cleanliness of their hands over their hearts.  At the end of the chapter, Jesus dirties his hands by healing a man who was deaf and mute.

This man needed a miracle.  Jesus obliged by sticking his fingers in the man's ear - possibly the first (un)wet willy in recorded history!  What's worse than a wet willy? Well, what if the person who put their fingers in your ear then put their finger on your tongue?!?!? That's precisely what Jesus did.

33 After he took him aside, away from the crowd, Jesus put his fingers into the man’s ears. Then he spit and touched the man’s tongue. 

 (Pardon me while I take a shot of Peptol Bismol) Jesus, that's nasty!  Why does Jesus defile himself and this man (touching the tongue of another person)?  Why wasn't this a pristine healing where Jesus just touched him on the forehead or spoke a divine word?  

Jesus may have been establishing a pattern with this healing.  This isn't the first time Jesus uses the disgusting to heal us.   Jesus spits on a man's eyes in the next chapter, an act that immediately defiled people in biblical times.  Later, after a brutal beating and being spit on himself, Jesus used his mangled body to save our souls.  God knew this would make us queasy, but He chose this death anyway.  

What can we take away from this?  Jesus is at work in the disgusting moments.  Jesus didn't reveal Himself in sterile conditions.  Instead, he comes in the spit-up of the baby, the earwax of the elderly, and the bed pan of the hospitalized.  For every person who finds themselves ministering to a drunken friend or sweating uncontrollably in a foreign land or recovering from another wet willy, be encouraged.  Christ is with you.  

Lord, forgive us for our sterility.  Remind us that you came from a clean heaven to a dirty earth.  Your journey was a beautiful and disgusting one.  Lord, please strengthen every missionary, nurse, and caretaker.  They are shining symbols of Your glory.  We're grateful You got disgusting to come and get us.  In the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit, Amen.

Convicted,

j.a.g.

YGT: The First Earth Day (and Night)

Today, April 22, is Earth Day.  Humankind often gets confused with the earth's place in our lives.  The first earth day reveals the priority God placed on creation.  Creation is God's first act in human history.  In the beginning God CREATED.  After God created the earth, then He put humankind in the world.  When we disregard the animals, plants, and environment around us, we disrespect the God who made us.  

Although earth is under our feet, it's not beneath us.  Although it's above us, it's not beyond us.  Although it's everywhere, it never pushes us out.

This is the tragedy of a short memory of creation.  God has been gracious enough to place us in a world that didn't need us.  We are the tenants, not the landlords.  Today we honor God's first task, not humanity, but earth.  In honor of the day, below is a slideshow of the splendor all around us (click on the images to view).  Take time to reflect on Genesis 1 (the Earth part).  The evening and the morning were the first day... 

Click for another amazing slideshow by The Nature Conservancy

Lord, we appreciate Your creativity.  Please remind us that Your genius didn't begin with us, but it started with the light and the seas.  We trust Your order and providence.  Please forgive us for forgetting this.  Thank You for giving us such a place to call home.  In the name of Jesus, Amen.

Appreciating,

j.a.g.

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The History of Creation
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 

2 The earth was without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 

4 And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 

5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 

7 Thus God made the firmament, and divided the waters whichwere under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament; and it was so.

8 And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 

10 And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

YGT: Jesus to His Followers - Be Cool!

I Peter 2:9 - But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar* people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light;

It can be a turn-off to meet Christians who believe they have to be completely churchy to be saved.  In my time, I'm learning that God is calling us to be pe-cool-iar. We should converse with sinners and saints, yet we should never fit neatly in either group. We can't be satisfied in our humanity - we're redeemed, but we can't take pride in our divinity - we sin.  That said, it's ok to know popular sayings and hold conversations outside of the church.  Christians can be cool!  Look at Jesus.  He was accepted in many places, but didn't fit in either...

Many non-believers (non-Jews) in the world considered Jesus to be awkward:

• He taught in the synagogue as a child
• He spoke of God as His Father
• He fasted and prayed often

Yet, Jesus was killed because the religious also thought he was weird:

• He criticized the leadership of the synagogue (calling them vipers)
• He became a wine supplier at a wedding
• He spent time with known sinners

Our Savior and example was neither overly religious nor worldly.  He was an amazing combination of the two (a concoction, if you will).  Jesus took time to be with people outside of the religious establishment.  He knew how to hang out and have a good time.  In my imagination, I can't see him being around people and not sharing in their stories and lives.  I just don't think Jesus was stuck up.  

Yet, He was the Son of God.  And He knew it.  If anyone could afford to be stuck up, it was Him.  Instead, He chose to share His message and His life.  He denounced false piety and yet called sinners into sanctification.  He was never unspiritual.

What kind of person should the Christian be?  We should be cool.  By cool I mean personable, approachable, and not stuffy. We should live in the space between heaven and earth (check out N.T. Wright's Simply Christian for great insights on this).  We are a people who should be able to speak to sinners and angels, always remembering we are the former and will one day be the latter.

Lord, please make these words plain.  As we seek balance in our lives, please give us the strength to be peculiar.  Help us to be comfortable challenging the status quo in religious and secular arenas.  Please give us hearts that can relate to the sinner and that strive for holiness.  As Your possession, we long to be in Your presence.  Until that day, please keep us in check.  In the name of Christ, we pray, Amen.  

Rebelling,

j.a.g.

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*The Greek term for peculiar from this verse, periousios, means to be selected as God's own possession.  That means we're not called to be belong to the religious or the worldly, but to God.  Almost.... like.... Jesus...


*Being cool doesn't mean being careless.  Jesus was careful with His witness, as was Paul and the other disciples.  All things are lawful (possible, doable), but not all things are expedient (upbuilding, edifying).  We shouldn't do EVERYthing everyone else does, then we aren't peculiar at all, just conforming.  Sorry for the soapbox, just wanted to clarify - coolness is not code for sin, it means to be comfortable in a variety of settings (and a bit abnormal  in each).

YGT: A Risen Lord (Mary's Baby, Joseph's Maybe)

An unwed mother,
a young father,
and a jealous baby-Daddy.

A crazy cousin,
flaky friends,
and demonic enemies.

A miracle worker,
a life changer,
a passionate introvert.

A broke taxpayer,
a welfare system*,
and a nomad's life.

False teachers,

money-hungry leaders,

and a gullible partner.

A crooked court,

a wavering judge,

and the death penalty...

A rugged cross,

a lonely funeral,

and hidden disciples.

A woman,

another woman,

and a track meet*...

A cloud of witnesses,
a miracle!
A triumphant re-entry!

A life well-lived,
a life well-died,
a promise kept*...

A Risen Lord!!!

Lord, thank You for sending Your Son and Yourself to us that we may have a right to the tree of life.  We are forever indebted to You for a gift we can never repay.  Please let us honor the life, legacy, and love of Jesus Christ.  We receive Him anew this Resurrection season.  He is our way, our truth, and our life... In the name of the Spirit, the Father, and the Son... Amen.

Praising,
j.a.g.




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* Feeding over 5000 people on 5 loaves and 2 fishes? Sounds like need-based support of the masses to me.  

*Peter's running to the tomb... What inside of Peter made him desire to confirm Christ's resurrection?  Was he still conflicted about his earlier denials of Jesus?  

*The Savior of the world was raised in three days, as he said.  And He lives today!

YGT: Christianity > USA

U.S. citizens treat Christianity as if it is synonymous with being American.  If we're not careful, we can collapse one into the other.  BEWARE.  Christianity is not:

• Capitalism. It does not support getting rich at the expense of others.  In fact, Jesus promotes giving wealth to the poor. (Luke 18:22) Below is an analogous map of the world's wealth (the larger the country, the more of the world's wealth they possess).  It's clear that we have a lot to give and that there are lots in the world who need what we have.  

• Exclusive.  Most Christians in the world don't look like US citizens.  Not only are they non-white, they are largely non-American!  Below is an analogous map of the Christian population in the world (the size corresponds to the amount of Christians there).  As we can see, we have no right to pretend that we have a monopoly on Christianity.  Our faith is continuing to diversify as it travels south of the equator and we should be doing our best to diversify ourselves.  Scripture shows us that the first church was diverse (Acts 2) and that God included many nations in His plans for salvation (Matthew 28:19).

• A Birthright - The Bible tells us that salvation is a gift (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Just being born in this country does not give us a right to Jesus Christ.  Although it's likely we have knowledge of Christ because of where we live, that doesn't guarantee our salvation.  

Make no mistake, it is a blessing to live in the USA.  We are priveleged far beyond most others in this world.  But that doesn't remove our ability and responsibility to critique the systems we live under.  To whom much is given, much is required.  

What does it mean that God has called us to live in this time in this country?  That God has called us to be laborers in a vineyard with bad crops?  We need to interrogate that.  Our country needs wholesale revival.   Not in Congress halls, but in Christian hearts.  As much as we love our country, we must love the kingdom more.




Lord, please give us the wisdom to see our nation as you see it.  Help us look past the trappings of plenty and see the vices that betray Your Spirit.  When we are called to choose sides, as we often are, please give us the courage to stand for You in the face of social pressure to stand for ourselves.  You will never deport us.  You will never depart from us.  You are our Lord and master.  In Christ's name, Amen.




Repenting,
j.a.g.




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Ephesians 2:8-9
8For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 

9 not by works, so that no one can boast.