Let There Be Life-Light

I found this card in a garden shop, of all places. It features an original photograph by a woman named Teresa Hurley and the simple scripture reference, “Genesis 1:3.”

“And God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” (NIV)

I didn't know Teresa Hurley, nor did I have anyone in particular to send the card to, but it sparked something inside of me. So I bought it and propped it up on a table in my office.

That was a couple of weeks ago. Then on Easter Sunday my friend Greg, who leads our praise and worship team Spash! at church, shared parts of this scripture from The Message:

The Word was first,
the Word present to God,
God present to the Word.
The Word was God,
in readiness for God from day one.

Everything was created through him;
nothing—not one thing!—
came into being without him.
What came into existence was Life,
and the Life was Light to live by.
The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness;
the darkness couldn't put it out.

The Life-Light was the real thing:
Every person entering Life
he brings into Light.
He was in the world,
the world was there through him,
and yet the world didn't even notice.
He came to his own people,
but they didn't want him.
But whoever did want him,
who believed he was who he claimed
and would do what he said,
He made to be their true selves,
their child-of-God selves.
These are the God-begotten,
not blood-begotten,
not flesh-begotten,
not sex-begotten.

John 1:1-5, 9-13

We can gain fresh insight from familiar scripture by reading Eugene Peterson’s paraphrasing, and in his notes at the beginning of John, he points out,

"In Genesis, the first book of the Bible, God is presented as speaking the creation into existence. God speaks the word and it happens: Heaven and earth, ocean and stream, trees and grass, birds and fish, animals and humans. Everything, seen and unseen, called into being by God’s spoken word.

“In deliberate parallel to the opening words of Genesis, John presents God as speaking salvation into existence. This time God’s word takes on human form, and enters history in the person of Jesus. Jesus speaks the word and it happens: Forgiveness and judgment, healing and illumination, mercy and grace, joy and love, freedom and resurrection. Everything broken and fallen, sinful and diseased, called into salvation by God’s spoken word.”

CLICK.

I can almost hear the pieces falling into place like the tumblers inside a lock click together with the right combination. God took the original picture and created a whole new masterpiece, solving the puzzle for us because there was no way we could figure it out on our own. The missing piece of the puzzle was Jesus, but the picture is still incomplete until we each add our own puzzle pieces–our hearts, minds, and souls. Then and only then will His portrait of grace be finished.


Celtic Cruciform by artist Andy Mercer. You can see more of his work here.

To Believe

Often things are not as they appear to be. For example, these three girls were looking fine in 1997, but they were nowhere near as grown up as they were pretending to be. Over the years I’ve watched Courtney, Caitlynn, and Hannah all grow into beautiful young women, although they still aren’t quite grown up yet and I doubt they will ever dress like this, even when they are. (Hannah, far right, says she would wear animal print flats, but that's about it.)

The older I become, the more firmly I believe we have to go through Holy Week to get to Easter. We have to put ourselves in the picture with Jesus and His disciples during this Holy Week to understand the magnitude of the gift of Easter. And things certainly were not as they appeared during that week that changed the world forever.

What appeared to be a triumphant march into Jerusalem on the very day Jewish families everywhere chose their perfect Passover lamb was, in reality, a death march. What seemed like a typical Passover meal in an upstairs room turned into a last supper. What masqueraded as a fair trial was actually a thinly disguised plan to placate an angry mob and get Pontius Pilot off of the hook politically. And what seemed like the end of all of His followers' hopes and dreams, with the Christ hanging on a cross between two thugs on a hill at Golgatha, was in truth our saving grace.

Was it any wonder the disciples were confused right up to the very end? Even though Jesus told them everything that would happen well in advance, it was simply unfathomable that He would be crucified. After all, He was God incarnate…the Messiah they had been anxiously awaiting...even though that was not how He appeared to everyone.

And so it’s no surprise that when it was apparently all over, and Jesus was sealed in His tomb, it seemed as if the final chapter had been written. And when then women found that the stone had been rolled away on what we call Easter morning, it certainly seemed as if someone had stolen His body. I can’t imagine their heartbreak in that moment. But then, in the greatest coda ever written in the history of man, the angel proclaimed Jesus’ resurrection, and turned their world (and ours) upside down.

On this Good Friday, I’m reminded of a message I haven’t heard in a long time. Tony Campolo’s signature sermon is titled, “It’s Friday But, Sunday’s Coming,”, and you can listen to it here. It’s a wonderful reminder to anyone who can’t see beyond what entangles them today. No matter how bad things may seem, if you will look beyond the tomb, you’ll see the reality of Easter. I promise you, Sunday’s coming!

To Believe (John 19-23, The Message)

Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, "Peace to you." Then he showed them his hands and side.

The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant. Jesus repeated his greeting: "Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you."

Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. "Receive the Holy Spirit," he said. "If you forgive someone's sins, they're gone for good. If you don't forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?"

Irish Blessing

Although my father's mother, my Granna Settle, was of partial Irish ancestry (her maiden name was Frances Flinn), I'm not a big believer in the "Luck of the Irish." In fact, years ago I intentionally stopped using the word "lucky," substituting "blessed," instead. So here is an old Irish blessing for you on St. Patrick's Day:

May love and laughter light your days,
and warm your heart and home.
May good and faithful friends be yours,
wherever you may roam.
May peace and plenty bless your world
with joy that long endures.
May all life's passing seasons
bring the best to you and yours!

Humble Pie

The definition of “humble” according to Merriam-Webster:
hum•ble: hum-bel (also chiefly Southern: um-bel) adjective
1: not proud or haughty; not arrogant or assertive
2: reflecting, expressing, or offered in a spirit of deference or submission
3: ranking low in a hierarchy or scale

Recently I was blessed on not one, but two separate occasions to witness humility in action and was, in turn, humbled myself.

Both instances occurred when I was at the gym. (And trust me, I’m not boasting when I say that. If you saw me there, you’d understand.) The first was the day Brett Favre retired. After 17 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, the 38-year-old three-time MVP hung up his cleats in an emotionally-charged press conference that had me riveted as I panted through my 40-minute treadmill workout. Here’s an excerpt of Farve’s retirement speech:

“I've watched hundreds of players retire, and you wonder what that would be like ... you think you're prepared ... but I was telling Deanna on the way over here, God has blessed me with so many great things. Ability, wonderful family. And as I was flying up here today I thought about so many different things and how I wanted to say some of the things that I felt like I need to say, but he gave me an opportunity to use my abilities, and I seized that opportunity ... I thank him for that.

”I'd like to thank the Packers, for giving me the opportunity as well. I hope that every penny ... I hope that every penny that they've spent on me, they know was money well-spent. It was never about the money or fame or records, and I hear people talk about your accomplishments and things ... It was never my accomplishments, it was our accomplishments, the teammates that I've played with, and I can name so many. It was never about me, it was about everybody else. It just so happens the position I played got most of the attention. But the Packers have been, ... it's been a great relationship, and I hope that this organization and the fans appreciate me as much as I appreciate them.”

Frankly, I was blown away by Brett Farve’s humility. It was almost enough to make me a Green Bay fan, but I was raised to pull for the Redskins come hell or high water, and I'm too old to switch allegiances now.

Then, in the very same week, I met a man who has lost over 200 lbs. in 22 months. I knew a little of Darren's story, and when I met him I said, “I don’t much like to use the word ‘proud,’ but you surely have reason to be proud of what you’ve accomplished.”

Do you know what he said to me? He said, “I’m just happy. I’m happy…and humbled. I’m really humbled to be where I am now.” Again, I was blown away. This guy has worked so hard to reach his goals. But he’s not claiming the glory; he’s just thankful. Wow.

According to the Gospel of Luke, here’s what Jesus had to say about being humble:

"For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted." ~ Luke 14:11 (NIV)

Boy, can I attest to that scripture passage. Ironically, whenever you think you’ve got humility covered, that’s when you need to work on it just a little bit more. And whenever I slip up and get even the least bit proud in my heart, God will set me straight.

It may sound silly, but imagine I have a brand new blouse, and I’m loving the way I look in it (plus, it was on SALE). Sure as the world, as soon as I cross the humility line I’ll drip marinara sauce down my front at lunch. It's frustrating, but I always get the message. And when I reflect on it I’m grateful for the lesson, because left to my own devices, I’d have a terminal case of “the big head.” And that’s not a reflection of Jesus.

(P.S. – Even though it’s a full week away from the first day of spring, I heard the peepers tonight when I got home from the gym. Spring is on the way!)