Let them laugh

When the Top Ten for this year's Artprize contest were announced (Artprize is a massive public art showing in downtown Grand Rapids MI that last 3 weeks, has public voting, and sizable prizes) there was considerable criticism from art critics about the peoples' choices.  That ordinary people and art critics differ on what they like should be no surprise, we're used to seeing movies, TV shows, and songs win awards that have nothing to do with popularity.
One of the critics working for the Grand Rapids Press wrote about one piece in particular, Mia Tavonatti's "Crucifixion" (a large glass mosaic of Christ on the Cross), that if this particular piece were to win the top prize, that Grand Rapids would become a "laughingstock" in the art world.  Evidently, religious art isn't meant to be taken seriously.
When the final results were revealed, "Crucifixion" won the top prize, and I can't help but wonder how many additional votes were cast for Mia's piece precisely because plenty of those neophytes who don't know anything about art didn't really appreciate being told that their Christianity should be publicly scorned.  We all remember how loudly critics came to the defense of "art" funded by the NEA that depicted the cross in a jar of urine.  It seems a bit odd that mocking Christianity in America gets you critical applause, but creating a beautiful piece of art that celebrates Western Civilization's most iconic image is somehow to be laughed at.
My wife and I were at the announcement of the winners in downtown GR and I certainly know that I cheered and clapped louder when "Crucifixion" won the contest.  In the end, the world is going to mock Jesus.  They always have, they rejected him when he came to this world to offer salvation, it is no surprise that those who have not found his grace continue to mock him still.  Are we a "laughingstock" now?  Let them laugh, one day every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess, that Jesus Christ is Lord.

Sermon Video: "clothe yourselves with compassion" Colossians 3:12-14

How does a Christian become Christ-like?  What do we need to do to imitate our Savior and set our minds on 'things above"?  Paul offers us the strategy of developing compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience.  As we work on building these character traits, we also need to learn to forgive each other as God forgave us.  In addition, the glue that holds this process together is love.  Love binds us together and love makes our transformation into a holy people possible.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

“In death, my love, I loved you best.”

This is a profound line from one of the characters in Andrew Peterson's "The Monster in the Hollows" (book three of the Wingfeather Saga, book four is yet to come).  The trilogy is full of Biblical allusions and metaphors, but this one captures the Christ-like willingness to suffer and die for others in a powerful way.  It is not in his life here on Earth that Jesus proved his love, although he certainly loved the many that he healed and he wept at the tomb of Lazarus.  Rather, it was in his death on the cross that Jesus proved once and for all the limitless love of God for his children.  A love that would no accept defeat, a love that would bear the ultimate burden in order to redeem us and bring us home.  Most parents will understand this type of love; they would choose in an instant to trade their life for the life of their child.  We can understand this type of love.  What God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit chose to do goes beyond parental instinct.  Even before this world was made, God knew that making mankind in his own image would result in our rebellion and doom.  To make us without it would be to make us lesser beings; beings not capable of freely choosing to love our Creator.  Knowing all this, God chose to create us and planned from the beginning to send his Son, Jesus, to save us.  You see, it was in death that Jesus best showed how much he loved us.
In case you're wondering, I whole heartedly recommend the Wingfeather Saga; Peterson's books are entertaining and powerful with a Biblical morality woven into the framework and a redemption story at its heart.

Sermon Video: "your earthly nature" - Colossians 3:5-10

What is the Christian to do with all of the bad habits and vices that plagued us before we accepted Jesus?  Paul explains that the only solution to our former sin addiction is to put those very sinful tendancies to "death".  They cannot be managed, they must not be kept around for later, they need to be removed.  We have been given a clean slate by Christ, it's time we put the past in the past and begin to walk in the light.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video

Walking on the light side - I John 1:5

I John 1:5 says, "God is light; in him there is no darkness at all."  This verse uses light and darkness imagery to help us understand what exactly it means that God is Holy.  We need help with the concept because nothing in our world is 100% pure.  Everything has flaws, everything has impurities.  Every day we deal with the imperfections of htis world.  They can simply be minor irriations, or the hurdles that make life difficult to bear at times.  Either way, we live in a world of second best options.
Not so with God.  One of the reasons why God is worthy of worship is because he has no flaws.  God has no compromises in his character.  He never acts based upon prejudice, greed, or fear.  Does that make God an emotion-free force, like a law of nature?  A quick look at Scripture reminds us that God gets angry, feels joy, knows sorrow, and laughs.  And yet, God's character remains the same, holy.  It isn't something that is easy for us to grasp.  We often fall into sin because our emotions "get the better of us," or we allow our thinking to become self-centered when we fail to act in accordance with our new life in Christ.
When John tells us, "walk in the light, as he is in the light" (vs. 7), he is saying that the direction that our lives are going in needs to be toward more holiness, righteousness, and Christ-likeness.  It is certainly beyond our ability in this life to be 100% free of darkness, as God is, but thanks be to God that our savior Jesus Christ was.  The only way we will ever accomplish such a monumental task is to stop trying on our own and accept that Jesus' life will stand in for our own in God's judgment.  Only then will we be able to start the process of purging darkness from our lives with the strength of the Holy Spirit.  One day, we too will walk fully in the light, as we stand in the presence of our holy God.