Prior Editions
A Lenten Devotional
Week 6, Sunday 3/20/05 - Saturday 3/26/05
All
to the glory of God
We live in a world of many contradictions. Flesh and
spirit, sin and righteousness, sorrow and joy, pride and humility,
darkness and light - the list of challenges and competing choices we face
as routine happenings in our lives is endless. We continually experience
paradox and contradiction. Perhaps the greatest of these is the
crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The cross captures the essence of paradox in
its terrible wonder and its gruesome majesty. Viewed one way it is a
refreshing release, a welcome ceasing of pain and suffering where breath
comes easily and life is restored. Viewed another way it is just another
defeated cause, crushed by an endless cycle of evil.
It is appropriate at the close of this Lenten series
as we think about doing everything for the glory of God that we focus on
Jesus the Christ, His work of redemption and His life of triumph even in
the face of what many characterize as failure. In all of history no other
person or event approaches the magnitude, wonder and controversy of Jesus
Christ, His death on the cross and His amazing resurrection while at the
same time being haled as barbarism and even fantasy by some.
Despite an often dour secular view, God of all
glory, in reference to His beloved son, calls Him the "summing up of
all things" (Eph 1:10 NASV). In Christ is the heart of the Gospel,
the reconciliation of all things to God and the reason we Christians look
forward to an endless life of rich fellowship and rewarding activity. In
Him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and what He did
in His brief, three-year ministry represents a reality of such immensity;
libraries of books haven't begun to capture its cosmic range and depth of
meaning. In Christ dwells and emanates the glory of God Most High. But in
the shadow of such a horrific, violent act of persecution and murder, how
can this be?
Blinding lights, roaring thunder, and even acts of
violence are the kinds of things the world notices, and what most easily
captures our imaginations. But lighting and thunder is not the backdrop
for the coming King. Instead he came gentle and riding on a donkey,
endowed with salvation to be ushered in through justice rather than
military conquest. God's glory would penetrate far deeper and rise much
higher than the brute power He was certainly capable of. He would
demonstrate that the power of justice and mercy crushes the sword, that
virtue outstrips physical might in the firm reality of His Kingdom.
In the movie, "Meet Joe Black", a peculiar
story of an "angel of death" who decides to occupy a human body
for a "holiday", the angel explains that to understand him is to
look at one aspect of his character, "multiply that by infinity, take
that to the depths of forever and you still will barely have a
glimpse" of who he is. In popular terms, this begins to approach the
vastness of God, yet its attempt to convey the eternal and infinite leads
us perhaps too quickly down the road of grandeur and romance, where we
tend to rush maybe a little too quickly.
For certain, God's glory explodes in thunderous
waterfalls and dazzling diversity and we rightly marvel at these. As
beings most intimately connected with our physical nature, things that
stimulate our eyes and ears capture our attention and often overpower our
very important but often under-developed spiritual sides. The heavens
declare the glory of God and the skies proclaim the works of his hand;
they display His knowledge, but these things are but introductions to our
God, mere glimpses of His glory.
As we engage more of our senses in examining our
God, exploring and considering, applying our minds and souls to His nature
and character, His glory begins to take full flower. Like Elijah, we begin
to see God's glory transcends the rushing wind and powerful earthquake,
that the still small voice enlivens our spirits with the power of
creation, strengthening and renewing our hearts, minds and souls with a
thousand thunderbolts. The widow's mite takes on much greater significance
and the import of Jesus' question whether which is harder, to heal a
paraplegic or forgive his sin begins to come into focus.
To manipulate the physical world for God might be
compared to one of us fashioning an ashtray out of clay. For the designer
to rework the model, repair it or improve it means only to make an
adjustment here or there. But forgiveness of sin means the cross, the
agony, the perpetual punishment suffered in obedience and love, the
wonderful, terrible, eternal act without which there is no forgiveness, no
reconciliation, no redemption, no purpose form or function to our
existence. God's glory becomes starkly vivid viewed from the foot of the
cross, and in eternity the cross remains. The glory of God in Christ on
the cross carries such weight it crushes sin to dust and renders death
mute and toothless - victory in Jesus, indeed.
We are told faith is the assurance of what is hoped
for, the essence of things unseen. Looking deeply into the heart of God,
we discover in Christ the things not seen lie behind and give integrity to
all that is seen. Faith, hope, love, justice, compassion, mercy, courage,
honor - all these are not seen except in how they are lived. Jesus, to the
glory of His Father, brings these to us in His life and in His word. His
life is offered for us in eternity as a means back to Him at the same time
His life in us glorifies His Father in rebirth and renewal, a makeover by
the still, small voice that doesn't make for such good TV, but
reverberates through the cosmos with the power of God.
As we bring this Lenten season to a close and come
upon the celebration of resurrection and eternal life, meditate afresh on
the glory of God, of how we are called to live in such a way as to reveal
His glory. In the day to day, as we grapple with flesh and spirit, sin and
righteousness, sorting out the good and bad, let us seek God's glory in
our hearts and minds such that it is translated to our feet and hands.
Love Jesus, love each other and make disciples bringing God glory in all
we do.
In Christ,
Dave Roberts
Mid-Week
Musings
An
Occasional bulletin from Christ United Methodist Church