Aimless & Grasping

In Aurora, Colorado last night, students and adults - along with thousands of others around the country - lined up to see the unveiling of The Dark Knight Rises. Night was certainly rising, but no one could have imagined what would actually happen.

James Holmes, a 24 year old young man, geared up among the rest of the excited movie-goers. Some wore capes, painted their faces, or even blended their enjoyment of previous Batman franchise movies (I saw one boy wearing a Riddler cape) to take part in the spectacle of the release. James Holmes was no different, except for the fact that he was more different than we could imagine.

Holmes entered the theater in tactical protective gear, a gas mask, and opened fire - first into the air and, according to reports, then at individuals who tried to leave. CNN reported that 12 people were killed and 59 were wounded, and that Holmes' home was rigged with various booby traps and incendiary explosives such that nearby neighbors had to be relocated. Reports started circulating that later screenings of the film would be removed from the theaters in light of the attack. The Paris, France premiere has already been cancelled.

The blog-o-sphere has erupted as people have weighed in on this tragedy, calling it senseless, an act of terror, the work of a madman, and even intimating that it's the gun law's proverbial "chickens coming home to roost." First and foremost, we must join with those affected by this tragedy by mourning with them, joining in their pain. Though I would hate to make this statement at all, it's important to say that this is not the time to self-righteously point out some theological stance on why this tragedy happened or what God is trying to tell us in it. Sometimes life just sucks and we need to be available in the difficulty of mourning, not presume that 'answers' will somehow lessen the tragedy.

Present In The Pain 

As a minister, however, people often turn to the Church, or to God, or to some other leader because they want some answers. They want to know why things like this happen. Some may even activate and try to find ways to end the problem, at least as they see it.

What I cannot do, as a Christian and a follower of my God, is provide easy, pat answers to things like this. Not because I'm ignorant of scripture passages that give comfort, but because scripture itself welcomes us into a messy history that describes how God is still present in the midst of suffering, confusion, and doubt. Sometimes, claiming an answer effectively ends another's search for the God of all comfort, who comforts us in our suffering.

Still, we want answers, don't we?

I may not be able to say why this happened, but I can say why it didn't happen. It didn't happen because Holmes is evil personified; it didn't happen because he was a madmen or a senseless human being - though these things could be determined later, psychologically, and they would make us feel better; it didn't happen because guns are evil and need to be outlawed or kept out of the hands of the public. It didn't even happen because our society continues to chip away at the Judeo-Christian foundation of this nation.

When we grasp at these straw man 'reasons' for such tragedies, we do ourselves a disservice. By pointing the finger at people like Holmes - a madman so remarkably different from ourselves (right?) - we ignore our own ambivalence about the violence and desensitization we allow in our homes and into our minds. It's just entertainment, it's not real, it's just a funny t-shirt. I'm not saying that video games and movies are responsible for acts like last night's, but I also do not think they are neutral bystanders. We will naturally reflect what we absorb. And when we get to look at someone worse off than ourselves - morally, financially, etc. - then, well, there's a kind of self-serving justification in that.

As you've no doubt heard before, the argument is made that laws that restrict the possession of firearms will not dissuade those who already do not obey the law from carrying them. It will only allow their law-breaking to continue with less conflict when only law enforcement officers are allowed to possess guns. If this hasn't meant anything to us in years past, certainly the suffering economy and cut backs to police forces should. But I suspect we've no reason to support proper gun safety and possession until our world is irrevocably affected by one who possesses a gun but not the concern for morality or others that we do.

A hatchet job article by the Huffington Post misrepresented Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) by claiming he said "the shootings that took place... were a result of "ongoing attacks on Judeo-Christian beliefs." Gohmert stated, in the interview, that a nation's increase in corruption and viciousness increases the need for masters [whereas religious morality acts as a safeguard], Christian beliefs of founding fathers and modern believers are under attack, and things like this happen - at which point the interviewer turned to Holmes. Gohmert claimed the shooting is a result of declining virtue/morality and, as a Christian, he believes the rejection of Judeo-Christian values is a part of that decline. I could be splitting hairs here, but the HP drew a direct correlation that Gohmert did not. Nevertheless, Gohmert's concern is for the laws of this nation, and I believe this is a backwards way of seeking an end to these kinds of terrible acts.

Directionally Challenged

Gohmert quoted Ben Franklin as saying "only a virtuous people are capable of freedom," and there is truth to that. There is a responsibility in freedom, namely, that our freedoms do not extend to taking the freedoms of another. We are not free to do that.

Scripture repeatedly tells us the story of the people of God who refuse to follow the God who desperately loves them. Starting in Genesis God finds the intentions of our hearts being evil all the time, and not until the end of time as we know it will this change. So God works and moves within this framework, calling us to return to Him and away from sin, but we do not listen until we are directly harmed by the sinful actions in ourselves or others. In fact, even in these times the atheist must admit their belief in God as they scream out, "what kind of God would allow this to happen?!"

That is a great and a horrible question, because connected to it is another great and horrible question: "If God were to end evil once and for all, right now, would you be left standing?" And then we come to grips with how self-serving and directionally challenged our standards for morality can be. God repeatedly beckons us to turn from our sinful ways, to stop doing what is not good for us [or our relationship with God], and follow Him. But we continue to say our way is better. Our way is fine. Our way isn't hurting anyone.

And so we are aimless. Scripture describes it as being tossed back and forth by shifting winds of doctrine, by whatever direction our beliefs or opinions happen to be pointing in at any given moment.

I'm not trying to give us answers to this weekend's tragedy and I'm not trying to make sense of it. I'm only trying to help us make sense of why these things bother us in the first place.

They bother us because we are created in the image of a God who loves us and wants us to turn back to Him, who is bothered by these things and so we too are bothered by them. The aim of life is to come to know this one God who would walk the earth to show us how to live well, as any good father also behaves in the way he wants his watching son or daughter to emulate. When we reach out for Jesus, and allow Him to guide us to the Father, we can finally let go of the endless [if not fruitless] quest to have all the answers. And when things like this happen, we don't have to overextend our wisdom to make sense of it but can be fully present in the pain, just as God is with us.

If we're lucky, we will be in tune enough with ourselves to hear the gentle voice of God as He reminds us how close we too are to death, and yet He's closer than we think, and He says He's got real life up His sleeve. If we take His hand and let Him lead, He'll show us the way to this real life, not at the expense of others but on behalf of others, so we also become lights to the world, as Jesus is to us.

He is the way when we seek direction; the truth when counterfeits try to spring from the shadows for their day in the sun; and the life that is abundant and lasting, here and now but also in the life to come. We don't have to be aimless and grasping anymore. Turn from your sins and to the Lord.

You won't find Him in this blog. But you will in the Bible. Read it. Read it again. Think about it. Consider the history of the people just like you and me who, though imperfect screw-ups at times, were used by God to accomplish much.

Oh yeah, and don't start in 1st or 2nd Chronicles - baby steps, bro, baby steps. Feel free to contact me for help - I would love to show you some great places to start, or even read through portions with you so we can ask questions together.

The night's definitely rising, but the light of the world is so much more powerful!

I'm Forever Yours - Faithfully... Truly?

Trending with Social Media

Saw a post this morning on my Facebook news feed that resounded with this morning's Bible reading, so I'd like to share it here:

Now Ted and I go way back. Not in the "hanging out in Austin writing books and frequenting coffee shops" (how cool would THAT be?!) kind of way, but in the "I read his books and he has no idea who I am" kind of way.

Yeah, we're pretty tight.

Dekker's books make powerful connections with people, drawing allusions to scripture and the character of God that Dekker himself intends, and certainly arousing allusions from readers that are surprising to him as well. God uses his books to impact people, just as I would hope that God uses my life and messages as a pastor to impact people. In and of themselves, as I'm sure Dekker would agree, our words have some power, but God's truth holds ultimate power. After all, such Truth became flesh and lived among us, and people 2,000 years later still claim to be changed by that life. 

So, we were texting back and forth the other day and this is kinda how things went:

Ted: "Hey David, how're Rebeca and Jace?"
Me: "Good, man, thanks! How's writing? Ready for book signing in ATL on Thurs?"
Ted: "Yeah, you know me! I love hearing how God's used what I do to reach people."
Me: "And He is!"
Ted: "Gotta ? 4 u."
Me: "Shoot"
Ted: "Working on new book. How common would u say sad Xians r?"
Me: "Sad? What, like depressed?"
Ted: "No.  Xians who know the Life, but their life sucks."
Me: "O right! Living life but not connected to abundant life."
Ted: "Yeah, not like Job-sucks but just chronically unhappy."
Me: "I'm with ya. I think all of us, depending on day. If love, joy, & peace r fruits of Truth then why r so many who claim to have it so miserable? We forget a lot."
Ted: "That's what I want to try to keep people from doing."
Me: "Just keep asking the questions. Life is the struggle..."
Ted: "Gotta p, brb"

Now, I don't wanna get sued or anything, so I assure you that whole dialogue is a fabrication. Especially the "text speak," which I absolutely LOATHE! Though I - with countless others - would love to boast a personal relationship with this writing phenom, he's got his inner circle (haha, get it, Dekker fans?) and I'm not one of them. But as a fan, I get his Facebook updates and this one resounded with today's Bible reading. Since I believe the power of God is both evident in nature and powerfully communicated in the biblical text, I want to segue into something that does have power.

Our Faithful God

Dekker's post goes right along with what I read this morning in 2 Kings 17. The problem of Israel - and us - is that the people of the one true God either worshiped God AND the gods of surrounding nations, or just the gods of those nations. They were unfaithful, did evil in the sight of the Lord, and thus multiplied their sins before Him - "They went after false idols and became false" (vs 15).

Maybe the reason many of us look like poor representations of the Jesus we claim to follow is because we are poor representations of Him. We have married our opinions, attitudes, and actions to the Lamb, and that doesn't uphold abundant life, but sacrifices Truth on the altar of ease. It makes us friends with the world, but does not please God. And since what pleases God has been commanded to us so we, too, might be pleased with life, we are miserable precisely BECAUSE we believe our ways to be better than God's ways -- or at the very least, not wrong.

This is the repeated story of the whole of scripture, and yet when I studied in seminary I was amazed how many of my classmates/colleagues were shocked by the archaeological evidence proving that ancient Israel did not worship God in the way revealed through the reforms of Hezekiah (what you might call the ruling religious class' perspective on worship, 2 Kings 18->), but worshiped other gods in their own ways. How is this not a confirmation of the text? Rather than being surprised by the faithlessness of Israel of which archaeology speaks, we should be eerily reminded of the accuracy of the biblical text and our own faithlessness.

Messages of Might

Our secretary, Cheryl, just said one of her friends on Facebook had a great line, and we laughed together even as we thought about the truth it holds: "The truth will set you free, but first it will piss you off." Sometimes truth doesn't conform to what we already hold to be true because what we claim as true, actually isn't. And this can be painful to us. The more we have vested in some deceit, the more painful the correction becomes.


We can sing songs to the people we love - chiming in with Journey as they rock the ballad and promise, "I'm forever yours - faithfully," - but then why is divorce now commonplace in our society at large... and unfortunately, even greater in the Church?

You may contend with the last part, but consider the value that the Church puts on marriage. The divorce rate within the Church is higher because there is greater emphasis on the institution itself. "Christians" may uphold the idea of marriage being sacred more than "non-Christians," but in the end we've devalued this truth to mere opinion so it's not really a problem if we do want to divorce. We'll still talk about it as wrong (maybe), but we want to shy away from actually saying "sin," in favor of the gentler message of grace and love. Marriage is valued, it's honored, it's one man and one woman - at least until we notice an irreconcilable difference, meet someone better who treats us how we deserve to be treated, or learn that the gay people you know aren't the hunch-backed, evil trolls of personified sin that so many angry pulpit-preachers have made them out to be.

But the might in the messages of grace and love is precisely because of God's love for us in spite of our wrongs. When we deny the wrongs themselves, grace and love are cheapened. We don't need to make discussions of sin easier to take, or a footnote to grace and love, but acknowledge why talking about sin makes us uncomfortable.


And sadly, divorce is only one in a litany of examples to prove this point. Correction hurts, but ignoring the need for it because of the pain does not change what is true. I can honestly say, from my own experience, how welcome the thoughts that lambast my own wife can be in my own mind, if only it means that I get the upper hand in an argument, in the day, or just look good to others. I admit these things about myself to myself, and they hurt.

I see what I truly am and it's a weakness that makes me sick sometimes, so I'm far more gracious with others dealing with sin. Why? I know I am not without sin and am daily in need of God's grace.

What message of truth is pissing you off today? And does it mean you should run from it, or possibly toward the freedom waiting on the other side? 

********************

And yes, I also shared Dekker's post. We're having lunch later this week.

Kidding. Unless he's in San Diego sometime, wants to hit Phil's BBQ, and talk books.

Seriously. Call me, Ted.

Just kidding... unless you want to call me.