Cruciformity

I’ve been reflecting a bit on God’s love for a sermon this weekend. My almost complete lack of nous when it comes to romance leaves me feeling a little behind the eight ball but thankfully love is broadly relevant in life in general.

In my experience love is just about everything that is important to me. My security and significance (to borrow from Larry Crabb) come almost exclusively from my friends, family and colleagues; I love the love of my friends, the warm embrace of my family and the approval and endorsement of my colleagues.

Recognising this, then, it’s clear how God’s love can have such an impact on a person. If Almighty God whose whispers formed mountain ranges desires YOU, then this would blow the categories of security and significance - you’d be unstoppable.

Of course, this sounds good but how can we have any confidence that God does love us? The diversity of speculation that is rendered of God’s volition in various instances would suggest that we have a low degree of certainty. But thankfully God has rendered speculation itself unnecessary as he’s shown us what he’s like in his son Jesus:

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Rom 5:6-8, NIV)

God’s love precedes our loveliness: we were powerless, ungodly, unrighteous, sinners and God’s enemies. It’s at this point that God demonstrates his love for us. In fact, ‘demonstrate’ is probably too weak a word- he ‘proves’ it through the death of Jesus. Here is the love of God: the emotion-ridden self-sacrificial, gracious self-giving of God for his enemies.

Moreover it’s not merely something that God does but rather something that God is. It’s not a job or a mood or an obligation that he takes up and sets down. No, God is love. He always loves in his own being (Father, Son and Spirit) and his love for us is the overflow of this just as with all of his works.

As Paul indicates in Eph. 3 the implications of this are fathomless. Assurance of God’s love, proven in the cross of Christ is hugely significant in my circumstances each day. What better words to express this that Paul’s in Romans?

… we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. (Romans 5:3-5 NIV)

Hi folks. It has been a long time between posts… Yes, hard at work again. I’ll show the picture of the fish I caught in Darwin really soon.

Actually, I’ve just finished an essay for Church History that just about knocked me out cold. The Anabaptists. To be honest, my constant frustration during this essay was reading Mennonite scholars who read their current ideals back into their forebears’ stories. Thankfully there were a couple of writers with some sense.

However, with that rant out of the way I have to say, in reflection, that the 16th Century Anabaptists had some remarkable stories! Interestingly, they were one of most feared and persecuted groups in the time of the Reformation by Catholics and Protestants. Yet there is a high correspondance between some of their ideas and the ideas of most of the churches we go to today.

One group of Anabaptists decided that their Christian calling involved violently invading a city called Münster and establishing it as the New Jerusalem. They set up some guy as a Messianic King and aimed to forcefully (and polygamously) bring the Kingdom in.

Thankfully, there were other winsome examples. of people labelled ‘Anabaptist’. One story that has struck me and goes well above and beyond my behaviour as a Christian is depicted in this picture here. Facing arrest, Dirck Willems fled for his life across a frozen lake. When his pursuer broke through the ice, Willems gave up his chance to escape by turning to save his persecutor. He was then captured, imprisoned and burned at the stake in 1569.

You have heard that it was said, Love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I tell you, love your enemiesa and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father in heaven. (Matt 5:43-5)

Perhaps the most depressing thing about my all-too-recent studies, after hammering away at Greek and Hebrew vocab, is opening up my required reading and having to do English vocab. One of these words was ‘exculpate’ - “To show or declare that (someone) is not guilty of wrongdoing”. But while unfamiliar with the word, sadly, I’m all too familiar with the concept. If only I could communicate clearer the first time and avoid all of those frustrating meta-conversations. Hopefully nobody saw me unsuspectingly walking down a naughty street at Kings Cross earlier tonight and drew the wrong conclusions. Hopefully people don’t find me guilty of being extraordinarily boring because of the state of my blog!

In 2 Cor 10, superficial, swish, sweet-talking leaders had persuaded the congregation that Paul had reared that he was passé, embarrassing and even dangerous. So Paul is in this kind of situation where he needs to exculpate himself. And part of me really wants Paul to lay down some smack. Do you remember Mr Mayage in Karate Kid being underestimated by young punks? He gives it to them. I really want Paul to give it to the Corinthians and show them what a real apostle looks like.

Here Paul uses warlike and powerful imagery that suggests he might just do this. He says that he fights to demolish arguments, take captive thoughts to obey Christ, and punish disobedience. He’s not to be underestimated because he’s got the ammunition to make serious damage! But here Paul’s attitude to power is not the same as that of ‘the flesh’. Can you see the weapons that he uses? The strength of his appeal to them: by the gentleness and graciousness of Christ.

2Cor. 10:1 Now I, Paul, make a personal appeal to you by the gentleness and graciousness of Christ—I who am humble among you in person, but bold toward you when absent. 2 I beg you that when I am present I will not need to be bold with the confidence by which I plan to challenge certain people who think we are •walking in a fleshly way.a 3 For although we are walking in the flesh, we do not wage war in a fleshly way,a 4 since the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but are powerful through God for the demolition of strongholds. We demolish arguments 5 and every high-minded thing that is raised up against the knowledge of God, taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ. 6 And we are ready to punish any disobedience, once your obedience is complete.

In 2 Cor 10-12 Paul does exculpate himself, he sets forth the truth about his claim to being a genuine apostle. But doesn’t set the record straight in a way that is all too common in our world: using violence; or looking to get some kind of revenge or recompense; or looking to gain a soap-box for his own cause; or look to push other people down to push himself up. Paul is not the same as others in this regard. He paradoxically demonstrates the genuine power of his apostleship “by the gentleness and graciousness of Christ. His medium and his message show that his ammunition is the love and grace of the Lord Jesus, powerful to demolish strongholds.

While people that are different can be refreshing, reminding us of the things we truly value or pushing us out the ruts that our lives tend to settle into, they can also be distasteful. Some differences are distasteful before they’re understood to be refreshing. Other things immediately bring a smile to your face, while other differences are and remain just plain distasteful.

Before I reflect on Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians, I’m curious to know what people know about Ben Fold’s words in the song I mentioned in the previous post: “Not the same”. What kind of impact do you think that this story’s had on the artist? Refreshing or distasteful?? Neither? Have a read and tell me what you think happened…

You took a trip and climbed a tree
At Robert Sledge’s party
And there you stayed ’till morning came
And you were not the same after that
You gave your life to Jesus Christ
And after all your friends went home
You came down, you looked around
And you were not the same after that
(Ahhh ahhh)
You were not the same after that
(Ahhh ahhh)
You were not the same after that
You see ‘em drop like flies from the bright sunny skies
They come knocking at your door with this look in their eyes
You’ve got one good trick and you’re hanging on you’re hanging on…
To it
You took the word and made it heard
And eased the people’s pain and for that
You were idolised, immortalised
And you were not the same after that
Walking tall, you’d bought it all
And you were not the same after that
Till someone died on the waterslide
And you were not the same after that
You see ‘em drop like flies from the bright sunny skies
They come knocking at your door with this look in their eyes
You’ve got one good trick and you’re hanging on you’re hanging on to it
(ooh ooh ooh ooh)
(YOU WERE NOT THE SAME!)
You see ‘em drop like flies from the bright sunny skies
They come knocking at your door with this look in their eyes
You’ve got one good trick and you’re hanging on you’re hanging on:
You’re hanging on:
You’re hanging on:

Well, on Tuesday night I went to see Amazing Grace with a good friend… I thought that I’d write down some of my thoughts.

I really enjoyed it! William Wilberforce was an inspirational person whose conscience drove him to do something both difficult and important. As a movie, I thought that the script was good, and that most of the acting was done quite well. On the other hand, there were some really awkward moments that either the director or the editor could have spared me.

Most refreshing was the clear presentation that Wilberforce’s actions grew out of a Christian conviction. There were a couple of scenes in particular that almost brought me to tears - Firstly, Wilberforce’s wonder at God and all he had done; and secondly, John Newton’s line: “All I know is that I am a great sinner and that Christ is a great Saviour!”

Most disappointing was what I thought was the film’s failure to relate the song Amazing Grace to the abolition of Slavery. How could this be the title of the film and yet so little filter through? As I looked for what motivated the characters against slavery, it drew mostly from the cruel stories of African slave ships and the conviction that all people are created equal. This was good and clear. But I failed to see the connection between this and the freedom God has given people in Christ. John Newton, writer of the song was pictured as an eccentric and a slave of his conscience - and his song speaks so clearly of freedom!

Amazing Grace, how sweet the sound,

That saved a wretch like me….

I once was lost but now am found,

Was blind, but now, I see.

T’was Grace that taught…

my heart to fear.

And Grace, my fears relieved.

How precious did that Grace appear…

the hour I first believed.

Through many dangers, toils and snares…

we have already come.

T’was Grace that brought us safe thus far…

and Grace will lead us home.

The Lord has promised good to me…

His word my hope secures.

He will my shield and portion be…

as long as life endures.

When we’ve been here ten thousand years…

bright shining as the sun.

We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise…

then when we’ve first begun.

I find it difficult to put my finger on. Surely the Christian response isn’t motivated by guilt but by grace. Perhaps what wasn’t communicated in the movie is what Paul writes to Titus and to the Ephesians:

“For the grace of God has appeared, with salvation for all people, instructing us to deny godlessness and worldly lusts and to live in a sensible, righteous, and godly way in the present age,” (Titus 2:11-12 HCSB)

“For by grace you are saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is God’s gift— 9 not from works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are His creation—created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared ahead of time so that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10 HCSB)

I guess my critique stems largely from my cynicism of Hollywood. Was this presentation an historically accurate reflection on Newton, Pitt and Wilberforce, or, rather, it feeding off the popular trend for social justice with Bono, Geldof, and McCartney? Surely ‘Amazing Grace’ is more amazing than people properly meeting their responsibilities to other people… I would love to hear your opinions on this…

Despite these feelings, and now that I’ve got them off my chest, I came away really wanting to be like William Wilberforce. I want to do the right thing and not be swayed by the difficulties that might stand in the way. I hope that God gives us more people like him.