Counting it all Joy: Pt. 2

-

People often ask me why I sign all of my emails, and other correspondence with the words, "Counting it all Joy."  Today is Part 2 of that explanation which comes from the book of James.  

 James (who was the brother of Jesus) exhorted Christians to consider it all joy when they encountered trials and tribulations.  Most of us struggle with this, and here's a compelling reason why.

 LOTS of Christians believe that God causes trials and tribulations.  That God is the author and finisher, not merely of our faith, but also of our pain.  And then the really church-y people in our lives will try to tell us that "God has a plan," and somehow that we won't be worthy of God's love unless we just accept this and soldier on... 

 So, does God really cause all trials and tribulations? 

 James, the brother of Jesus, didn't seem to think so. 

 Compare these two statements:

 "If God brought you to it...He'll get you through it." 
"God doesn't cause all things, but God is revealed in all things." 

 That first statement is grounded in the idea that your loyalty, your faith, your worthiness is defined by how you respond to the many tests you have to take... the hoops you have to jump... the hills you have to climb... 

 The tests, hoops and hills that God has set before you to prove yourself to Him. In this belief system, you better choose wisely.  Your relationship with God depends on it, my friend. 

 But out of those two statements, which one engenders more trust?  Which is closer to what James, the brother of Jesus, wrote?  Which one would you really want to put on a post-it note and stick in your cubicle at work?

 Listen to me...  Here's what James knew.  He knew that because of the Cross, we don't have to jump through hoops... there are no tests... no more hills to climb to prove our love for God.  Because of the Cross, because of what Jesus did for you, and me and for everyone...  we don't have to live in fear or dread or with a twisted understanding of how God works in the world.

 The Cross is evidence that even in the middle of the darkest moments--the darkness ultimately does not get to win. 

 May you live into the joy of that knowledge today and every day. And may the grace and peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you now and always. Amen. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for leaving a comment! If you comment Anonymously, your comment will summarily be deleted.

Popular posts from this blog

Wuv... True Wuv...

-
Image
Go ahead. Ask me what my favorite "chick flick" is. The Princess Bride , that's what.  The pic at the top of this entry gave it away, I know. There are three reasons why it is my favorite "chick flick." 1. It's not a chick flick.  2. The only kissing is at the end of the movie... where it's supposed to be. 3. It has Andre the Giant in it. Any of these reasons could stand alone in their own right as pretty dang valid reasons why The Princess Bride is atop my list of romantic films.  But when the aforementioned reasons are lumped together, I don't see how anyone could argue against it. There is a scene in The Princess Bride that makes me giggle a whole lot...the wedding scene where Peter Cook, playing a priest with a speech impediment presides over Princess Buttercup's almost wedding to the evil Chris Sarandon (and I hear he's still pretty evil).   Here it is. Wuv...  true wuv...  gotta love that. I've been reading and re-re...
Read more

Rapha & Yada - "Be Still & Know": Reimagined

-
Image
One of the most well-used verses in the Bible comes to us from Psalm 46:10, which reads like this:  He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;     I will be exalted among the nations,     I will be exalted in the earth.” That one line---"Be still, and know that I am God"---finds its way into greeting cards, wall art, church signs and the like.  And it sounds so nice, doesn't it?  But what does it actually mean ? What does it mean to be still  and know  that God is God?  Well, to dig deeper into that phrase to see what it's really saying, I'm going to have to bust out some Hebrew--so, don't hold it against me. The Hebrew word that's used here for the phrase "be still" is the word  rapha. And get this... It means "to hang limp, sink down, be feeble."  That's a heckuva lot different than what we usually take the phrase "be still" to mean, right? I don't know about you, but whenever I have heard that verse ...
Read more

The Lord Needs It: Lessons From A Donkey

-
Image
This Sunday is Palm Sunday---the beginning of Holy Week. It's also one of those Sundays when you can't ignore the church calendar and just preach whatever you want.  I am sure that some people do just that, but they probably aren't Presbyterian, and I am sure that the liturgical rhythm of the Church is not first and foremost in their mind. And they probably have had no trouble at all working on their sermon this week. I'm not one to blindly follow tradition, but there are some things that you just don't do---and you can't just ignore  the story of Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday.   But this leads to a bit of a quandary...  In the short time I have been doing this whole preaching thing I have gone through the Palm Sunday story a few times.  After a while you sort of wonder if your congregation has heard your Palm Sunday riff a few too many times. That sermon needs to get preached, though.  While we celebrate the che...
Read more