Stop waiting on death to live!
I've been working on my sermon for Sunday morning (asked to preach at 5N Church this week). It's entitled "Life outside the Matrix". I thought that was appropriate as I've been working on all of this postmodern "philosophy" stuff lately and the postscript for the Other Side book is: Doing Ministry in the postmodern matrix.Anyway, I just wanted to bring this thought up. In the verses I mentioned in my previous post (Col. 1:19-20) Paul writes how
"all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe -- people and things, animals, and atoms -- get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his [Jesus'] death, his blood that poured down from the cross."My point's this (maybe I should say, the Scripture's point seems to be this)...we are living in God's reality NOW. What? Yeah...look at it. "All the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe" have been fixed through the death of Jesus on the cross. Look at it in some different versions (here) and you see the same past tense used. The reality that God intended from the beginning...the one that was broken through sin was restored through Jesus' death and resurrection.
What's that mean for us? It's give me a completely different perspective to think that in Christ (as His follower...accompanying Him) I am living out my eternity now. I don't have to wait for death to come in order to experience restoration with God. I have it now! I can live in His presence, feel His joy, experience His forgiveness, know He's there with every fall, tear, shout...again, I can live!
Remember Dead Poet's Society? I love that movie. I even had its catchphrase written on a band sweatshirt in high school (loser that I am it was spelled wrong -- Carpe Dium). There's a point to that phrase (Carpe Diem - Seize the Day). Jesus calls us to do the same. And maybe it gives us a new hope...a new focus...a new yearning for God to think that of ourselves as "citizens of Heaven" (Phil 3). That's a phrase that describes our current citizenship...not something we'll receive after death.
How will your eternity look today? Let's stop waiting on death to live!!
posted by Michael Shattuck at
12:56 AM
2 Comments:
Just watched a clip from Dead Poet's Society this weekend. I love that scene where Robin William's character get on top of the desk and says he does it to get a new perspective.
As we work to reinvent church, isn't that what we're trying to do, get a new perspective? Trying to show a different side of Jesus than maybe some seekers have ever seen before?
Awesome thought. That's a great image as we're looking for that fresh perspective (I could preach on that one!)
I think, further, that there are some things that we are having to completely redefine as we've had it wrong. I know, scary to say...but I'm not afraid! :-)
I'll give just one example...just one. Say the name "Jesus" to Joe Q. Evango and ask him to describe the mental picture that comes to mind. My point -- Jesus wasn't white!
I know, that's just skin color...appearance. We just need to be revisiting the truths that we hold dear to to make sure they're indeed true. If they're not...simple...revise or dump them and move on.
Thanks for the desk comment...I need to keep that one in mind.
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