Jesus, Peter, and Paul Respond to Stay-at-home Orders

We’re all growing tired of staying at home, and not having a choice about it, because of COVID-19. Stress is increasing, finances are becoming strained, and the future has become more and more uncertain. I’ve noticed that as the days have turned into weeks, and the weeks into months, that the Christian voice has increased on social media. A disturbing increase, in fact. It’s not a voice of peace, faith, or love (what the world needs most during this time), but calls for revolt, demands for a restoration of rights, propagating unprovable conspiracies, and fear.

A few things that come to mind in response to this:

Ultimate Sacrifice

There is great sacrifice in war. Lives are lost that victories may be won. Soldiers die, both for and with each other, in causes bigger than themselves. But the parallel of fallen war heroes to Jesus Christ is a false equivalence.

On this Memorial Day please bear in mind the important distinction between:

1. Dying while killing one’s enemies
2. Dying on behalf of one’s enemies

Jesus demonstrates the second for us on a cross at Golgotha.

“God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” [a]

While we were His enemies, Jesus died for us. This is the ultimate sacrifice, and this is the gateway to true freedom.

A Letter on Patriotism

John Newton, author of the hymn “Amazing Grace,” wrote this letter to a friend about what he calls “true patriotism.”

Creation Groans

Love all God’s creation, both the whole and every grain of sand… If you love each thing, you will perceive the mystery of God in all.  Fyodor Dostoyevsky

 

For many Christians the idea of caring for the earth is negatively associated with environmental activism or left-wing politics.  But I want to look at two things here, 1) biblical stewardship of creation and 2) the consequences of sin in creation.

Upside Down Perspective

In this message, originally given in 2013 at a church in Ellsworth, Maine, I discuss our human perspective vs. God’s perspective while exploring several occurrences of Christophanies in scripture.