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My mom asked me to go with her to this cancer community wellness support group ceremony thing. I said yes and figured it would be an awkward time…it was. Rather than detail all of it, I’ll get straight to the point. It was during one of the times they encouraged people to share memories about the loved ones who passed that the thought struck me: We are manipulated by the dead.
I listened as people talked about loved ones as if they were saints and master theologians. Two problems emerge from this: 1) When someone dies we suddenly forget every bad thing they did and act as if they never sinned at all. Granted, never in a public setting like a funeral or support group would you say something like, “Man, she was a terrible person! Always got on my nerves!” But I have to wonder how deep our flowery and kind words go. Do we get to the point where the only thing we remember is the good and convince ourselves that the person was always that good? In other words, do we forget that they, too, were sinners saved by grace or needed saving by grace?
2) When someone is dying, our theology falls to pieces. We suddenly take whatever the dying one is saying as divine revelation. If they mention something about going off to fly among the stars or become one with the sunrise, we allow that it must be so. As if the person, since they’re so close to death, know better about what lays beyond. We give in to this vague mysticism that sounds poetic and nice but flies in the face of what the Bible teaches.
And so we are manipulated. We become haunted, not by spectral visions, but by spectral theology. We loosen up and let them say what they want and let that toy with us beyond the grave. As I’m on the receiving end of grief myself, I’m not trying to be insincere or harsh. I’m trying to be honest and helpful. Over the past year I’ve come to realize that Americans have no clue how to handle death. Maybe, for whoever reads this (all two of you), this will be helpful and free you from whatever ghosts are haunting your heart.
Like this:
When I made the previous post, I intended making this one a couple days later…well life took a sudden turn for the busy and I have been delayed in doing the follow-up. In many ways my active mind has moved on from this thought and there are other things I feel like I should post, but since I somewhat promised a sequel to “Now and Then” I might as well deliver. Besides, it’s been good to review this thought.
So in the last post I shared one applicational thought from 1 John 2:28-3:9, namely that we should live now as we shall live then. The second thought is similar in that it deals with this idea of “the end” (which is appropriate in lieu of another Harold Camping debacle). It differs slightly from the last thought simply because it’s a little more theological.
First, read the passage as I have it linked in the previous paragraph. It’s in the New King James Version. John mentions “appear” or “reveal” or “manifest” 4 times throughout that passage. They are all basically saying the same thing. One day Christ will appear or be “revealed.” This struck me since we often talk of His coming as simply a coming. He is away now, but He will return. We hardly look at it as a “revealing.”
By way of exegesis, there are 2 “revealings” or revelations in this passage: a future revelation and a past one. The future revealing is two-fold. Obviously it deals with Christ. “When He appears” in v.28 and again in v.2. Can you picture the day when Christ is revealed to the world? No longer will a veil lay on the hearts of men. Christ will come galloping through the skies and all will see, believers, doubters, and non-believers alike. Those expecting it will rejoice and those surprised by it will weep.
But there’s a second aspect to this future revelation, which deals with the revealing of the Church (v.2-3). Now we believers look like anyone else, we can easily blend into the crowd. Yet when Christ appears, we too will appear just like Him. Not only will the hidden King come forth, but so will His hidden kingdom burst out in full radiance. As we await this day we are purified with hope.
Aside from these future revelations, there was a past “revealing” of Christ as noted in v. 8. This was His first coming, as recorded in the Gospels. This manifestation accomplished the defeat of Satan. This defeat has present ramifications since we who are His are no longer under the power and enslavement of sin. We have been liberated and we have nothing to fear.
And there you go! A couple weeks later I finally finish the thought. I guess the application would be to continue longing for His appearing, but until then live in the freedom of the Christian life.
Last night I saw one of the best concerts of my life…now, granted, I’m not an avid concert goer, so it wasn’t hard to top what I’ve seen, but I’d dare say it was one of the best concerts I’ll ever see: “Weird Al” Yankovic.
That man’s concert was a work of genius. A flawless seam of music, movie clips, and costumes. For instance, he opened with what I’m guessing is his new polka medley off his upcoming album (Alpocalypse, for those interested) and then went into “Frank’s 2000” TV” and “You Don’t Love Me Anymore”. Then he and most of the band exited the stage while clips from movies, pop culture, and fake interviews he’s done with famous artists played on a big screen. After 3 or so minutes of that, the band returned, most dressed to mimic Nirvana for Yankovic’s famous “Smells Like Nirvana” parody. And this is how the rest of the night went. A couple songs would be played, quick break, and Al was back in some get-up. He kept things fresh and entertaining, and if you were about to get bored something would happen that would wrap you back into the experience.
So why am I, who usually blogs about serious things, posting this on my blog? Well, while I want to be a writer, my primary passion lies in music (well, theology, but music as an expression). Seeing how Weird Al performed (this way) opened my eyes to being an entertaining band on stage. Yes, for me the message comes first, but if it’s a concert you gotta entertain them. And how do you do that? I was surprised to see that you can, in fact, be creative with a concert performance. I’m so used to rigid choral and praise team performances where if you move an inch you fail the class or get thrown out of the church. But a real concert can go beyond those rigid fences and, to quote Weird Al, dare to be stupid.
So if you ever plan on going into music performance, I would highly recommend seeing Weird Al live. It’s worth the money.
Over the past month I’ve been looking for a job. Now all 2 of you may be wondering what happened to Wendy’s? Well, to be honest, i decided it was time to move on. So i spent roughly a month in futility, languishing away with little money and desperately praying for a job. Of all places the Gap Outlet hired me. But this is beside the point.
The point is that as I was seeking out a job and finally came upon one, i was caught in this bitter paradox. I knew I needed/wanted to work because of financial reasons. But at the same time I dreaded (and still dread) going to work. Ecclesiastes 2:17-26 helped me deal with submitting to work at the Gap (especially v. 24). And, from my highly advanced theological training, I know that work is good, that, as that passage says, it’s from God. So if I know that I should enjoy work, why don’t I?
Of course, the technical theological answer is: because of the Fall. After all, Adam’s punishment was that his work/toil would become difficult and painful (Genesis 3:17-19). But what exactly makes the work so bad? I look at times when I enjoy my work..when are those? When I’m serving someone else selflessly and not really getting “paid” to do it. Then I don’t mind my work. To serve someone in such a capacity is much more rewarding than merely working for a paycheck.
So my theological theory (which may be nothing significant at all) is that what makes work so bad is that we are often placed in places we don’t want to be, doing work we don’t want to do, for a reward that we ultimately can’t enjoy. But when we find ourselves in a position to help without much hope of a physical reward, it seems the work becomes a joy. Why? Because the “warm and fuzzy” feeling that comes with helping others is not taxable. No one can steal that feeling and so I say that this is how true work really is supposed to be.
What say you?
Why question a Sovereign God? If He’s really in control of the universe,if He really has a plan for humanity (myself included), if He is the Creator, Sustainer, and King of all there is, then why question Him?
In my current situation it’s easy to question God. I don’t doubt His sovereignty. Yes, this situation has been a painful curveball, but it hasn’t made me disbelieve God. It wouldn’t be much of a faith if I abandoned God just because He lets a little pain in my life. So I don’t doubt God–His existence, His attributes, His character, etc. But I still have questions.
But it’s absolutely, logically silly to question a Sovereign God! Yet here I am: confident that His will is right and true and this will ultimately work out for the better, but still wondering why the chips had to fall this way. Don’t bother wasting your breath with me on cliche sympathetic statements. I know em well enough. But I can’t get my head around it. I’m content with the situation, yes. I’m resting in God’s plan, yes. I know my salvation under Christ’s sacrifice holds firm, yes. Theologically, doctrinally, I know I’m correct. I’ll hold firm. It’s where the rubber meets the road that there’s a little burn.
I’m like a child squirming under the dentist’s hand as he drills and fills a cavity. I know that in reality the filling and pain is for my own good,that it will all last only a moment and soon pass, but to sit under it is a whole ‘nother matter. It calls into question reality, truth, and sanity. Now here I am experiencing the first drops of a storm that will last the night. I know this isn’t the end, I know I’ll come out allright. But to hide under the shelter of Christ in the midst of the storm, with the wind howling, the rain beating, the thunder roaring, and the lightning flashing is a whole ‘nother matter.
Yet through the din I’m checked….why question a Sovereign God?
