Learning how to Die #3
Love is hard.
And I don't mean hard in that it costs money or time or energy.
I mean it is hard to even think lovingly about someone, or a situation, or a group of people. Sunday, I was leading worship in a church which seemed rather unconcerned that I was even there. In fact the only comment I got at the end was the mumble 'you forgot the Lord's Prayer'.
I struggled to love those people. A lot. That was in a worship setting where I was supposed to fix my mind upon Jesus and love and all those sort of good Christian things. In fact, I sort of became frustrated with them. Some of that frustration may well have been legitimate - I mean, I think it's pretty ridiculous for people to refuse to open their bibles in church - but I remember leaving that building with a fair amount of contempt in my heart for them.
That was the start of my week.
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Learning how to Die #1
Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.
-Jesus
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
- Paul
The New Testament speaks of following Christ as a new life. The former life is left behind and there is a cosmic shift in which one who choses to follow the way of Jesus is transformed. The writers commonly refer to 'death' of the old self, and the 'new birth' of a new individual.
Paul makes this statement:
For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ being raised from the dead will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him. For the death he died he died to sin, once for all, but the life he lives he lives to God. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. (Romans 5:5-11)
But my struggle is this: How do I die? Well, how do I make this 'death' idea meet reality?
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Near Death – a train-wreck
Saturday I didn't die. Granted, this is an assertion I can make about any day of the week, however this Saturday I can be more specific. I didn't die in a train crash. Well, anyone who rides in a train and lives can make that claim. To clarify: I didn't die when the train I was in derailed.
Travelling between London and Sheffield on a fast, modern, comfortable and convenient example of the latest railway technology, the Eternal seemed terrifyingly close to the Earthly. The journey was easy, everyone made it onto the train on time. No baggage was forgotten and we quickly found our seats. Settling down for a two hour journey after a tiresome few days, I certainly expected to be sleeping most of the way.
Muse lulled me to sleep for half an hour. Upon awakening I was struck by the snow that towered above us on the banks, either side of the track. Most frustrating, that now I lacked any mobile phone signal.
After making a comment as to how similar the scene was to Narnia - via a quip about wardrobes - I settled down again with Muse and the white view out the window.
A jolt. A shuddering. A bag falls from the rack above.
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99 Balloons – God gives, God takes
Jon Acuff posted this on his site
They key verse is Job 1:21:
And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.”
What do you think?
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