05.03.08
New Orleans Photos
You didn’t really think I’d do a mission trip without documenting as much as possible on camera, did you? So now, I present to you:
Brooklyn Presbyterian Mission to New Orleans 2008: Safety Second
That’s right, folks. Safety is no longer a priority. Enjoy 
04.30.08
If I Ever See Uncle Sam, I’ll Punch Him
Just got my Q1 bonus. Not to be tacky, but I’m going to throw the numbers out there so you can share in my woes.
The gross was $1,000. Any idea what I took home? Five-hundred and sixty dollars. Almost half of the bonus goes to the government. That’s the same government that sends people overseas to die for no particular reason I can see at this moment, that stands idly by as gas prices soar over $4/gallon, that withholds financial assistance from Katrina victims until they’ve gutted their broken and condemned homes, and that once told me working hard and getting an education would alleviate such woes. The only thing I find more difficult to believe is that fact that so many Americans still put any faith at all in our government system. Maybe one day we’ll have a leader who cares more about providing for his people than he does about polishing his own silver spoon.
04.23.08
Live From New Orleans
I’ve had my crawfish.
I’ve had my alligator.
I’ve had my Abita in amber, red, and Topdog.
I’ve had my red beans and rice.
I’ve had a fight with two sinks, a toilet, and a bathtub.
(I won. A video may appear on YouTube.)
Now the washer is broken.
I love Louisiana.
04.07.08
Putting the “God” in Godfather
“‘Do not impede his journey fate-ordained;
It is so willed there where is power to do
That which is willed; and ask no further question.’”~Dante Alghieri, Inferno
I am regularly moved by the story of Don Corleone, a fictional tale depicted in Mario Puzo’s The Godfather, notably made into an extraordinary triology in the early 1970s and into 1990. There is a subtlty to the story, though, which sets it apart from other gangster movies and it is the same subtlty that draws me to close to the rise and fall of Michael Corleone. You see, it wasn’t for power or for money that the Corleone empire existed; those were incidental bi-products, though they led to much strife and indirectly to the end of the era, so to speak. But those things never interested Michael Corleone. He had only one thing in mind, one driving motive to take the things he wanted from life, by force, if necessary: his family.
But what intrigues me most about Michael Corleone is not even his love for his family or his willingness to do anything to protect them. No, my interest is most piqued, my heart most moved at the end of The Godfather: Part III on the steps of the opera house. (Spoiler: you should have seen the movie by now anyway.) As Michael lay there next to his murdered daughter, in such agony that surprises even his ex-wife, I remembered something he said to her earlier in the movie.
“I loved my father. I swore I would never be a man like him, but I loved my father and he was in danger. What could I do? And then later, you were in danger. Our children were in danger. What could I do? You were all that I loved and valued most in the world. Now I’m losing you. I lost you. You’re gone. And it was all for nothing…You have to understand, I had a whole different destiny planned.”
Michael Corleone made sacrifices — horrible sacrifices that dramatically affected, sometimes even eliminated, the lives of those around him — and he did it for his family. The fullness of his love for them caused him to take the world into his own hands, to plan out his own destiny. I think there are few among us who do not, at some level, do the same.
The humanity in Michael Corleone, however, does not stop at his tightening his grip on the world he refuses to let slip through his fingers. It comes from the fact that it slips through anyway. It leaves the question for all of us, what, if anything, can we control in the first place? After a life time of murder in the name of protection, Don Corleone learns the hard way, as many of us do, that there are very few things under our command.
We heard a bit about predestination in church today taking the following into consideration:
1:5 he predestined us [2] for adoption as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
~Ephesians 1:5
Notwithstanding the ins and the outs of it, our destinies are predetermined. Where does that leave us? With such power as given by God, with the ability to manipulate these letters to form words, with the authority to choose what I eat for dinner or where I take my rest and even whether or not to sin, to rebel against the Highest Power of all, the idea that anything is out of our control is difficult to wrestle with. How, then, are we to cope when things are going exactly the opposite of the way we would like?
The answer rests in trust. We must trust God in all things. We must let Him guide us, bringing us to places we sometimes don’t want to go, places that sometimes don’t seem like places He would send us in the first place. There is no way to know for sure if we’ve done what we’re supposed to, but then we ought also to recognize that He has been following all along. This theme repeats itself countless time throughout the Bible, travesty after travesty of things that are terrible, and yet are righted by God. Of course, such faith can be difficult to have. Indeed, I often find myself saying, “I believe in God, I believe in Jesus and the salvation He offers, but how am I to believe that my life here on Earth will improve? What right to it do I have?” Well, I have no right. But somehow, the gift is there, anyway, if only I would believe.
For Michael Corleone, he didn’t have to order deaths or run rackets to protect his family. I think he learns that in the end. In fact, I think he learns it before the end, but doesn’t know how to get out. He tries, but it’s too late, at least for his family. But there is one comfort that even the Don can take: It’s never too late to trust in Jesus.
04.01.08
Never Know Until You Try
23 And he took the blind man by the hand and led him out of the village, and when he had spit on his eyes and laid his hands on him, he asked him, “Do you see anything?” 24 And he looked up and said, “I see men, but they look like trees, walking.” 25 Then Jesus [3] laid his hands on his eyes again; and he opened his eyes, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.
~Mark 8:23-25
I was sitting here listening to Animal Collective’s Sung Tongs (courtesy of Tony L.) for the first time. Actually, I was in the kitchen, which is right across from where I’m sitting. But that’s not the point. The point is, I started hearing noises, some like lowing, some like birds, and still others like voices, distant, close, old, and new. All of these sounds were coming in over percussion and a strummed instrument of some sort, probably a guitar. It all mixed and blended together to make this hypnotic, transient sort of…noise. Five years ago, I would have said it sucked. But I’ve learned something since then. I’ve learned that at first, sometimes, things feel really, really weird. The temptation is to turn away from the activity. But in those times, I’ve also learned that it can be a good idea to see the activity through to the end. You may find yourself settling into it more than you’d imagined.
And don’t give me any lip about the pleasure in sin. That’s obviously not what I’m talking about here.
03.23.08
Happy Easter!
13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles [1] from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew near and went with them. 16 But their eyes were kept from recognizing him. 17 And he said to them, “What is this conversation that you are holding with each other as you walk?” And they stood still, looking sad. 18 Then one of them, named Cleopas, answered him, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?” 19 And he said to them, “What things?” And they said to him, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how our chief priests and rulers delivered him up to be condemned to death, and crucified him. 21 But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things happened. 22 Moreover, some women of our company amazed us. They were at the tomb early in the morning, 23 and when they did not find his body, they came back saying that they had even seen a vision of angels, who said that he was alive. 24 Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but him they did not see.” 25 And he said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
28 So they drew near to the village to which they were going. He acted as if he were going farther, 29 but they urged him strongly, saying, “Stay with us, for it is toward evening and the day is now far spent.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 When he was at table with them, he took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. 31 And their eyes were opened, and they recognized him. And he vanished from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked to us on the road, while he opened to us the Scriptures?” 33 And they rose that same hour and returned to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven and those who were with them gathered together, 34 saying, “The Lord has risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!” 35 Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he was known to them in the breaking of the bread.
Luke 24:13-35
Jesus has risen, as He promised. This day marks the celebration of life which He gave unto us for no reason other than to call us His own. I’ve no wisdom or insight into this miracle, this Day of days. All I have is this: Of believers and unbelievers alike, I ask you, what do you really believe? If you believe He is Lord, I challenge you to look and make sure your eyes are open and you recognize Him. If you do not believe, I ask you to take a second look at everything around you, and then I invite you to tell me what you do believe. In either case, I hope this week has been full of blessings and miracles and you all experience the fullness of life in Him who redeemed us from death. Hosanna in the highest. Alleluia. Amen.
03.22.08
The Need For A Day Of Rest
27:62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard [10] of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.
~Matthew 27:62-66
23:56 Then they returned and prepared spices and ointments.
On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
~Luke 23:56
Not a lot of talk in the Bible about what happened on the day between the crucifiction and the Resurrection. Luke is the only one who remembers to spell out the obvious for all of us non-Jews who would one day read these Gospels and ask questions about the time frame. Of course very little happened the day after the crucifiction; it was the Sabbath.
My first reaction in looking at this was, sure it’s the Sabbath, but it was God in the flesh who just died; surely there would be no harm in giving Him a proper burial? Wasn’t the Sabbath made for man, and not the other way around (Mark 2:27)? Look closer, though. There’s something more at work.
Jesus body was put in a tomb rather quickly after His death, the tomb then sealed up by a large rock. One might argue that this burial was a bit hasty for Jewish culture and I would probably agree with you. But we’re forgetting something very important; the Sabbath was already upon them when Jesus died. They had to move quickly if they were to keep the commandment to rest on the seventh day. Who keeps such a commandment at a time like this? Those who just spent precious time with our Lord in the flesh.
And God shows us that it is good to put such faith in Him, that even in death, even in His death, to keep His commandments is to humbly relinquish all control to Him. See what happens here: The Jews go to take their day of rest, though I imagine there must have been considerable weeping that day. God, meanwhile, puts a thought into the head of the Romans to guard the tomb, make sure that no one goes in or out of it so that the “impostor” cannot do any more damage. But while the Romans are making sure that the false prophet’s word does not come to pass, God is busy using the very same act of the guard to ensure that His word cannot be refuted. All along, it was God who lifted up the guard to monitor the entrance to Jesus’ tomb, not the Romans at all. And through it all, the Jews were observing the Sabbath, so that even those who would have wanted to — Mary, Mary, Joseph, James, John and the like — did not go to visit the tomb. They did not even go so far as the outside of it, let alone try to get in. They kept the commandment of the Lord, and He used the time to fulfill His word.
Jesus, of course, would have still risen on the third day. But think of the slanderous difficulties that would have arisen. Even with the guard, there were many who were opposed to this idea that Christ rose from the dead; even some who saw Him were skeptical. Think how many lies would have come to pass had there not been an objective, impartial guard to keep watch.
So my point, in short, is this. Whatever God wills shall surely come to pass. But look at the trouble we save Him when we stay out of the way. Follow His commandments, no matter how futile it sometimes seems. He is using all things for good.
03.21.08
Good Friday
25 And it was the third hour [4] when they crucified him. 26 And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” 27 And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. [5] 29 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself, and come down from the cross!” 31 So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. 32 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.
The Death of Jesus
33 And when the sixth hour [6] had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. [7] 34 And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
37 And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. 38 And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.
Mark 15:25-32; 37-38
I don’t have anything particularly insightful to say today. I find Good Friday to be a very melancholy day for me, remembering what Jesus went through all day long and finally into the night. While I sit here typing, warm and clothed, well-fed and free from the fear of death, I think about my God, beaten cruelly, mercilessly, a crown of thorns pressed into His scalp, His chosen people preferring a murderer to His Majesty, then forcing Him to struggle under the weight of a cross up the crude hill of Golgotha where He was made to lay down as they drove large stakes through his hands and feet. That, friends, is a very long day, and one I cannot easily forget about.
What I will point out here is the comfort the passage in Mark brings. Only two of the four Gospels mention Jesus’ dying words: “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani,” which is a cry out to God actually asking Him, “why?” This is an interesting thing in Scripture, because it shows a very clear separation — as if we haven’t seen many already — between the Father and the Son. Skeptics often say, as the Pharisees did, that if He were really God, then He would have no need to ask such a question. Shouldn’t He have known the answer already? My response is yes, He did know the answer. Why, then, ask the question? To set an example.
We should never think that it is wrong to ask God “why” when we don’t understand something. We also should never think that it is wrong to ask God “why” when we do understand something. What Jesus is illustrating here is the need we have to be real with God the Father (and for us, now, also the Son). This is a deeply personal moment, so much so that both Mark and Matthew take the pains to copy it down in Aramaic, the language in which it has remained in every translation of the Bible, suggesting considerable significance. Jesus, before breathing His last, shows us how very human He was, but also how that human-ness, somehow, does not prohibit us from appropriately questioning God.
As we remember His sacrifice tonight, I would encourage everyone to cry out to Him, with all of your heart and soul if need be. These cries are not the dramatic, despairing cries of Job, but the real cries of hearts that trust and love the Lord who, often times, will ordain our suffering for His cause. If you feel it in you, why not even cry out about the atrocity of Jesus’ murder? We know from Scripture this had to be carried out, but now twice we’ve seen that even Jesus called out for mercy twice, asking for the chalice to pass and questioning His having been forsaken. Do not shy from your hearts, friends, for God knows all that is in them anyway. Deliver yourselves up to Him so that He may do what He wills without any cheek from us.
03.20.08
Love One Another — And Show It
25:37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, [6] you did it to me.’
~Matthew 25:37-40
14:32 And they went to a place called Gethsemane. And he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. 34 And he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” [4] 35 And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. 36 And he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Remove this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.” 37 And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not watch one hour? 38 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 39 And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. 40 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him. 41 And he came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
~Mark 13:32-42
The year of the Hebrew calendar in which Jesus died marked this day as the first day of the Passover feast. You’ll notice in our Christian calendar, such is not the case this year, for Easter is rather early. Even so, we’re going to equate today to the day of The Last Supper in the year Jesus was killed.
After supper, Jesus took two of His most trusted disciples and friends with Him to Gethsemane. While He prayed to the Father, they fell asleep (see parallel in Wednesday’s post). This is significant, to me, for a number of reasons, some of which ought to be inherently Christian, and others which are, for me, inherently selfish. But details are of little import here. This exhortation is for me as much as it is for anyone else.
John Mark makes a point of letting the reader know that Jesus not only took disciples with Him to the garden, but that they were arguably His two right-hand men. As we look through the Gospels, we see that John and Simon Peter are two names mentioned far more than the rest. In Mark’s Gospel — likely an account of Peter’s time with Jesus, Mark acting as secretary — we see a number of passages pointing out Peter’s mistakes. John’s Gospel seems to differ the most from the rest, recounting things that are not recounted in the other three Gospels, suggesting that he was with Jesus at other times, times, maybe, even more personal and intimate than those shared with the rest of the disciples. Peter goes on to preach the first eight or so chapters of the Book of Acts and John may have gone on to write three epistles, urging the ways of Jesus Christ. So we can see that these two guys were pretty important, both to Christ and the spread of Christianity.
And yet these two important men were the ones who literally fell asleep on their Lord. Not only that, they did so after being asked to keep watch. It is true, God asks many things of us which prove very difficult to do. Staying awake to keep watch, however, I have some difficulty counting among them.
First, we should understand that Jesus is afraid and in emotional pain. He knows that He is about to be crucified and He even prays to the Father that, if possible, God find some other means of doing what must be done. What Jesus asks of His friends is to help Him, to be with Him, and to comfort Him in His time of need. He says, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and watch.” He confesses the heaviness of His burden and in response, His friends fall asleep. They do not feel His fear. They do not feel His pain. Somehow, in their hearts, they know it is not them who are being persecuted and pursued that night, and so their nerves rest for their lives will be spared.
I’d argue that in this day and age, people — let alone Christians — are pretty bad at saying what we feel. In church we get the “How are you,” “Great!” “It’s good to be saved!” “Thank God for Jesus!” on a weekly basis because most of us have a pretense about what we’re supposed to be like as Believers. The fact is, most of us aren’t so hot. Shame on us for not saying so.
But the bone I’m here to pick has to do with when we do say so. When people confess to us that they are not well, that they are emotionally burdened, that they are sorrowful even to death, how do we react? Do we take them under out wings the best way we know how? Do we do anything more than fall asleep? Exceptions notwithstanding, I sadly have to say no, I don’t think we do.
Brothers and sisters, we are a family. We are left here with the help of the Holy Spirit to care for one another, to bear one another’s burdens. Our hearts cannot carry would-be clauses: “I know I need to spend more time with so-and-so and I really want to, but I’m just so busy.” “I know I need to be with God because He asked me to be, but I just don’t have time.” God asked His two best friends — the people He as a person loved most closely — to be with Him in His greatest time of need and they effectively replied, “We’re too busy.” Dear friends, we cannot — hear me, cannot — be too busy for one another any longer. I’m sorry to say, there is more at work in this world than the glory of God, and when this war is over, He will still be on top, He will still be full of glory, but where will we, His children, His most prized possessions be if we do not stick by one another?
In war, soldiers are training to take care of one another when there is hunger, thirst, pain, or otherwise. Friends, we must do the same. No matter how petty someone’s pain may sound to you, no matter how packed your schedule seems to be, stand by the truth that God will provide for you when you sacrifice your time. Look at the first passage: As we do for the least of our brothers, so we do to Him. Also, as we do not do for the least of our brothers, so we have not done for Him. Let us consider this when we hear from those in need.