Still Imagining Redemption

One day in college (I remember this vividly) I was overcome with sins of the world and sins of my flesh. It was a Saturday afternoon, and I found myself weeping on my knees on the floor of my freshman dorm. With a tearful prayer I looked up to God and said, “I can’t keep living this way. I need you. I want you.” I can’t adequately express to you the rush of emotion I felt at that moment, but in not enough words, I felt as if something that was holding me down was released. I felt forgiven. I felt redeemed.

Is this redemption? Does God intersect with humanity on a spiritual, interior level?

Over eight months ago one of the most horrific natural disasters occurred in my lifetime. Haiti was hit by a devastating earthquake and then another demoralizing aftershock. Hundreds of thousands of people killed. Thousands of people injured. Houses blown down. Capital city and governmental buildings destroyed. People smashed under rubble. It’s horrifying from every angle.

What are we to expect God to do redemptively here? How do we imagine redemption? Is the best we can do as Christians is to sit by and wait for God to make us feel better on the floor of our dorm room? Or should we expect more from our God? Should God act concretely in concrete circumstances?

Is our God big enough to redeem Haiti? Is our God big enough to affect change? Is our God big enough to act in a way in history where the Kingdom of God becomes evident, visible, and obtainable?

My theological and pastoral answer is . . . Yes.

The bible tells us that God very much is big enough, capable enough, strong enough, loving enough, gracious enough, merciful enough, and thoughtful enough. If your God isn’t . . . then your God is too small.

The church is called to be the body of Christ in the world. We are to imitate Jesus. We can’t redeem (why else would we need a Redeemer) but we can strengthen redemptive moments and partner with God to help restore relationships. But Jesus did come to our world to give sight to the blind, to set captives free, to bring good news to the poor. He came to do ministry – not just preach it or experience it. He helps neighbors in need. He loves and cherishes all life. He chooses life over death, good over evil and justice over oppression. And we can too.

I believe if Jesus were here today he would find himself in Haiti helping rescue babies. He would find himself in Afghanistan promoting peace. He would find himself in Uganda stopping the spread of malaria. He would find himself in Atlanta shutting down sex trafficking parlors. Jesus would find himself in West Point, GA taking care of the needy, the sick, and the poor.

Redemption is happening. It happens on spiritual (interior) and physical (exterior) levels. But it doesn’t happen over night. Redemption, like most anything, happens over time. God is moving in this world and if we want to see it more clearly then the church must start moving too.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Most Difficult Parable Ever

Image
Theologian N.T. Wright finds the parable of the fig tree to be quite strange.  He says, “Jesus' warning in Luke 13 is at once amplified by this almost humorous, yet in fact quite sinister, parable of the fig tree in the vineyard.” And it is sinister.  It’s a hard pill to take.  Jesus' parable goes like this: A man has as fig tree planted in his vineyard.  One day he comes out looking for fruit on it, but there are no figs.  He says to the vineyard keeper, “Look at this tree.  For three years, I've come hoping to find some fresh figs, but what do I find? Nothing.  So just go ahead and cut it down.  Why waste the space with a fruitless tree?” The vineyard keeper replies, “Give it another chance, sir.  Give me one more years working with it.  I’ll cultivate the soil and heap on some manure to fertilize it.  If it surprises us and bears fruit next year, that will be great, but if not, then we’ll cut it down.”  (Luke 13:5-9, The Voice) But how is it sinister?
Read more

Leaving on a Jet Plane. . .

Image
This week I will be flying to the Middle East with about 30 seminary students to tour and explore the Holy Lands. The trip is designed for second year seminary students who are seeking parish ministries. The group is comprised of several seminaries that cover the theological spectrum. There will be men and women who are either conservative, liberal, moderate or anything else not mentioned. The thesis behind the trip is to get next generation leaders together in the Holy Lands to have an ecumenical experience. If we leaders share this experience together, it will make doing life and denominationalism a lot easier later in life. I covet your prayers and can’t wait to blog about it when I get back. Due to traveling and limited time to blog, I will be taking a short hiatus from my weekly blogs but promise for more insightful reflection upon my return. God bless to you and in your endeavors. Here is our Itinerary. May 18 Depart Atlanta at 5:20 p.m. (Delta 122)
Read more

The Bird of Dawning Singeth All Night Long

Image
This Christmas I was moved by the words of Frederick Buechner.  For my last blog of the year I offer to you his wisdom rather than my own ramblings.  I hope it does for you what it continues to do for me. Frederick Buechner says in his book The Faces of Jesus: On the dark bulwark of Elsinore, Shakespeare has Marcellus and Haratio reflecting on Christ in the opening scene of Hamlet: Some say that ever ‘gainst that season comes Wherein our Savior’s birth is celebrated, The bird of dawning singeth all night long; And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad, The nights are wholesome, then no planets strike, No fairly takes, nor witch hath power to charm, So hallowed and so gracious is the time These lines from the first scene of Hamlet in a sense say it all.  We tend to think time is just progression . . . as moment following moment, day following day, in relentless flow, the kind of time a clock or calendar measures.  But we experience time als
Read more