Tag: life

Review of Netflix’s “Messiah”

It is easy to forget that regardless of where you are born there is a common thread within the human experience. A thread I believe exists because we are image-bearers of God.

Introduction

I am always intrigued by the secular world’s attempts at representing religious figures and ideas. The recent release of “Messiah” by Netflix is no different. I watched the first season last week and I will say that, overall, I was impressed by the show.

Let me put my comments about the show by stating upfront some of the pros and cons I had with the show. First, the show was obviously (at least to me) not written by someone who was trying to put one particular religion in a prominent place. The show casts the religious context of the show with the notion that all religions are essentially the same. This is a form of syncretism. It is a significant theological issue (one I disagree with), but I was not surprised by this perspective. Just because most of the world’s largest religions contain the idea of a Messiah does not mean that they are all looking for the same figure.

Second, I was pleasantly surprised by the fact that none of the religions represented was maligned or caricatured in too heavy-handed a way. Some of the many tropes used in describing members of the various religions did find their way into the show. But, it was not gross. What I mean is this. The good and bad examples of members of the various religions did not leave me feeling like this was a hatchet job. I am thankful for this.

Third, I could have done with less political posturing. But hey, this is coming from a secular and a generally more liberal-leaning political culture. I’m just glad I was not left wanting to punch my computer and was not yelling at the screen. So there is that.

Let me turn now to my reflections on the show.

There is a Real Yearning Common to the Human Experience

One of the most compelling aspects of the show was illustrating the universal yearning that exists in the human heart for justice, joy, peace, and hope.

It is easy to forget that regardless of where you are born there is a common thread within the human experience. A thread I believe exists because we are image-bearers of God. We all desire to love and be loved. We all want to live with purpose. The show does a good job capturing that money does not solve the problems created by a broken heart.

Some in the show turn toward hope and others turned toward hopelessness. Many in the show were the victims of the circumstances they were found in. Others were the perpetrators. It really was a stark reminder that good and evil can be found anywhere. From across the street to around the world.

The Secular World Inadequately Answers Theological Questions

My second take away from the show was that a secular world-view cannot adequately answer theological questions.

The secular is inherently atheistic. Therefore, it rejects out of hand the possibility of divine intervention and interaction. Without God, some questions have no context. And some problems have no remedy.

As a Christian, I am shocked at how often the Church (and her representatives) surrender the theological/biblical argument to secular thinking. These two systems are not the same. And they are not compatible. We have to recapture a theological worldview that speaks to the real issues of the human experience. The Church has to point to God’s answers for what is troubling the world.

The Political is an Impotent Substitute for Genuine Faith

The final take away was quite simple. I don’t make a habit of talking politics, and I won’t start now. But, I will dip my toe in for a second as a pastor and say this: The political process (at least in the USA), is an inadequate substitute for genuine faith in Christ.

I don’t care who a person votes for. I care about what a person believes. The ballot box is not the sum total of a person’s life or identity. At least it should not be. Some do try to make this the case. And if it is, there will be some serious problems in that person’s relationships with others.

Genuine faith should not be political. It should be prophetic. It should be powerful. It should even be practical. But when it becomes political it shifts from being about serving to getting power.

My Recommendation

If you are interested, watch it. There are some powerful moments throughout. I will be writing about one in the coming week.

If not, don’t.

If you have watched the first season let me know what you think in the comments.

14 Years… and counting

Today is my wife and my’s 14th wedding anniversary.

Today is my wife and my’s 14th wedding anniversary. It is crazy to think that we have spent this much time together and have not killed each other!

But, seriously, I look back and I am amazed at what we have seen and done together. Continue reading “14 Years… and counting”

Time Marches On

Each lesson is an opportunity to understand myself and the world a little bit better.

November is here! Where has this year gone.

The older I get the more I understand the saying that time flies. It really does. The steady march of time is the most constant reality of the human experience.

I look back over this year and I am just amazed. I am amazed at how much has happened—the Cubs are in a World Series! And I am amazed at how little has changed—I still feel the same as I did on January 1. Continue reading “Time Marches On”

Sermon Sketch | “Between Life and Living”

I wrote this outline on February 19, 2003. I am not sure if I ever shared it in a teaching/preaching setting. However, I wanted to record it for posterity. I have clarified some of the points so that it makes more sense!

Between Life and Living

  • Life is that which we have.
  • Living is that which we do.
  • This is one of the most distinctive characteristics of the Christian experience. Faith in Jesus moves us from just having life to living the life that God has given.

There are two types of life:

1. Physical Life
  • All have creatures that breath have this. There is no purpose. It is merely a fact.
2. Spiritual Life
  • This is better than mere physical life. The question is now that you are a live what will you do? This is where learning how to live comes in.

What is Necessary for living?

1. Purpose
  • Where is it found?

    • For the disciple of Jesus it is found in a relationship with him.

  • Why is it necessary?

    • Without a relationship with Jesus we cannot live up to God’s will and purpose for our lives.

2. Desire
  • How do you get it?

    • Desire comes from experiencing the Gospel’s transforming power. (Romans 1:16)

  • How do you keep it?

    • We keep our desire by reminding ourselves of the Gospel and holding onto the truth that it proclaims–that we are now new creations because of Jesus. (2 Cor. 5:17)

Will Hunting and the Experiences that Shape us

I was having a conversation with a member of my life group last night. We were talking about something unrelated to this post, but in the course of that conversation I realized something. The Christian faith has been transferred from one generation to the next by the personal witness of those who have been changed by the power of the Gospel. Continue reading “Will Hunting and the Experiences that Shape us”

Reflections on a Tragedy | “What I Should Have Said”

On Wednesday night David Austin Balfour, a member of my high school graduating class, died in a car accident.

Since I heard about David’s death I have had this gnawing feeling in my gut. It’s one of those feelings that just won’t go away. When these kinds of events happen I can’t help but think about it. And when the event includes something that just doesn’t make sense I really have to try and make some sense of it. I have to think about it over and over until some clarity comes. It came to me this afternoon as I read and re-read what so many who cared about David said and wrote on his Facebook page.

There are so many questions that we want answers to. There are so many thoughts about what was and what could have been. Even what should have been. There are so many memories of good times and hopes for “soon” times. There are so many words, ideas and desires that were shared. But, that is where our grief and heartbreak crash headlong into our regret.

While it has been many years since I have seen David, I understand the emotions that come in moments like this. My brother-in-law also died in a car accident a year ago. He was 24 years old. I get it. I do. What makes these hours and days since David’s death so painful is the reminder that while many things WERE said, and many things WERE shared, there remains this feeling of “What I Should Have Said…” still lingering.

The questions that come to mind are like these:

  • Did he know how much I cared for him? About him?
  • Did he understand how much he meant to me?
  • Why didn’t I ever tell him how much it meant to me that one time he did… fill in the blank.

All of these ideas run through our minds because the thought that something that should have been said was left unsaid begins to fray at the edges of our sanity. Regret is the constant reminder that something was left unfinished. There is something incomplete about all of this. Take it from me, don’t go there. Don’t do that. It won’t change anything. And it may do more harm than good.

What we have to do is to not let this tragedy be in vain. Would we prefer that David were here with us? Yes, there is no doubt about it. I don’t know of anyone that wouldn’t want that. But, we don’t get to make that choice. That one, that one choice, is outside of our reach. But, there is another choice that we can still make. It’s a choice that I think both honors David and helps us all to heal if we make it.

Make the decision to never again worry about, “What I Should Have Said.” Make the decision, that from today until the end of your days, you will strive to not leave any unfinished business. Right now, today, tell that someone, the one you are thinking about right now, who needs to hear from YOU that thing that you have been waiting for the “right” time to say.

There is no better time than now.

There will never be a better day, than today.

Reflections on a Funeral | “I Will Not See The End”

I just attended the funeral of a member of our church. He was ninety-seven years old. Funerals are such interesting events. We gather together to mourn, remember and make sense of our own lives. But, today I was struck by something. I will not see the end!

I will not be there to hear the words that are said about me to my family and friends. I will not know how many people attended my funeral or why they decided to come. I will not have a chance to thank them or wonder why someone I expected to come did not.

I know that these are odd thoughts. It feels strange writing them, but I feel compelled to. I do not want to let these feelings go away. They are helping me to shape the life I will lead. I no longer want to assume that life will go on as usual because it will not. I want to be able to come back and remember that life is so much more than what I settle for so often.

I don’t know when my end will come. I think this might be the reason I struggle with attending funerals. I don’t know if the convictions and passions that I hold today will be the ones that I am remembered for when my life comes to an end. As a pastor I know the difficulties that can occur in life. I have seen how tragedy, sorrow, pain and guilt can alter the trajectory of a person’s plan for life. And to this point in my life I have been spared of much of these.

I know that the man I am today may not be the man who will be remembered. To be honest I don’t even know if the man I am right now is worthy of being remembered.  I am not trying to sound humble or self-deprecating. I am not trying to elicit anything. I just know who I am. I know how flawed I am. How often my motives are not those of Christ. I know the wickedness that still finds its way out of my mouth. I know… even if others never see it.

Being confronted with your own mortality has a way of putting your whole life into perspective. I will celebrate my thirty-first birthday next week. I am no longer a kid or a young adult striving to find my place in this world. I am married to a wonderful woman, the father of two beautiful daughters, and a member of the greatest family I know. I am doing what I love to do: serving God and the youth of this generation. I have seen things this year that I would never have imagined possible, both in my own life and in those around me.

I guess the thought that lingers in my mind and causes my breath to catch in my chest is this: Has my life counted for much of anything?

If I will not see the end, what am I doing to prepare those I love and who have offered their love to me to live better lives when I am gone? I do not want to over-state my importance in their lives. But, what am I doing to make their lives better? More fulfilling?

I guess that what my desire is, right now, is that I will live a life worth remembering. Not because of what I did. Nor because of who I was. If God were to answer just one prayer for the rest of my life it would be this:

Lord, help me to live a life that brings your name honor and glory, so that when my life on earth is spent, those whom I have had the privilege to love will see you, find comfort in you and give thanks to you for having used me to help them fall more deeply in love with you. Father, help me to count all things as loss so that I might cherish your name, your fame and your beauty above all else. Father, grant me strength to live this way so that when my life is over the man Jesus died to redeem might be the man I am when I die.

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