Seat Plan Generator
3 months ago
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Did you have images of the Wizard of Oz and the multicolor ponies? No? Good. That was sooo not where I was going.
(This photo is from the MLIVE website. Though I could have driven two minutes and taken my own picture, quite frankly, I was just too lazy to do so. Perhaps one day I will replace it with my own rendition...don't hold your breath though - blue isn't a good color for you.)
It seems we cannot get from here to there without an orange barrel surfacing. If they were truly working on a whole stretch of road, I would be somewhat understanding (though I still maintain that they do not need to be working on multiple major thoroughfares at once - but what do I know?). Unfortunately, as you drive down the orange barrel lined roads, the sight of burly men at work is ... well ... few and far between. I say that with disappointment not because I enjoy the sight of construction workers, but rather because I dislike the inconvenience of closed lanes where no work is being done.
I am sure my friends in construction could give me multiple reasons why such closures are necessary. To them, I say "Poppycock!" I, of course, am not 100% sure what that means.
The Land of Orange would be this lovely metro-area I live in. Finster and I wrote an Ode to MDOT once - I wish I could find it now. (MDOT for those not from the area is the Michigan Department of Transportation. I contend it should be MDOLT - 'cause the transportation has been plain ol' Lousy!)
(This photo is from the MLIVE website. Though I could have driven two minutes and taken my own picture, quite frankly, I was just too lazy to do so. Perhaps one day I will replace it with my own rendition...don't hold your breath though - blue isn't a good color for you.)It seems we cannot get from here to there without an orange barrel surfacing. If they were truly working on a whole stretch of road, I would be somewhat understanding (though I still maintain that they do not need to be working on multiple major thoroughfares at once - but what do I know?). Unfortunately, as you drive down the orange barrel lined roads, the sight of burly men at work is ... well ... few and far between. I say that with disappointment not because I enjoy the sight of construction workers, but rather because I dislike the inconvenience of closed lanes where no work is being done.
I am sure my friends in construction could give me multiple reasons why such closures are necessary. To them, I say "Poppycock!" I, of course, am not 100% sure what that means.
Amidst this sea of orange, it seems too that lately all I hear is more bad news. More people losing jobs, sick parents and grandparents, losing loved ones, troubled pregnancies, yadda yadda yadda... Even in the excitement of an impending wedding, all this news can cast a gloomy shadow on things - it can even drain my energy and has from time to time. No worries, though, every shadow has the sun behind it, and I know that all this too shall pass. With so many blessings in my life, the evil one is sure to try to muck it up with a little darkness in the shadows, but I know who's on my side. To all those with the cares of the world on their shoulders, myself included some days - I say give it all up to the only one who has conquered the world. Jesus - it's all yours!
I was reading back over my last post and realized that a couple of ideas were let loose without much of a context. In reading through the beginning of my comments, it could seem that I am asserting that Jesus Christ is not a comforter. Now, clearly, I'm not talking down comforter here. My point was merely that the media has contorted that beautiful image of comfort into a Jesus that takes no stand at all, but comes to keep us comfortable where we are. That is not the comforter I know Christ to be.
Lately, I've been asked by more than one person who Christ is to me, what I would describe his relationship with me to be. Aside from "Lord," my first inclination is always to say Comforter, Consoler and Friend. So, the idea of a Christ that comforts is very much dear to my heart. Christ is one who comes to comfort when I am in distress, when I am weary, when I am nearing despair. He fills me when I am empty. A frequent image that comes to mind when I am deepest in prayer, just sitting in the presence of Christ, is me sitting at His side with my head on his shoulder.
I was sharing this with someone recently, and they likened it to the image of Jesus with the beloved disciple at the Last Supper, with the disciple resting his head on Christ's chest. In that same week, I was listening to someone speak at a conference, and he referenced that same relationship and image to encourage us to take time to be with Christ, to stop speaking long enough to just be with him. As I reflect on how that relationship develops, I wonder if those who become passionately embroiled in the business of sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ don't first get to know him as a Lord who comforts, heals and transforms. I wonder if it is by that very healing and comforting that we begin to get a glimpse of a God who is with us always, in everything. Perhaps it is that encounter with Christ that begins to chip away at our tendency to relate to God as we relate to one another, never quite fully trusting because our human examples have somehow failed to live up to our expectations. Once we begin to experience His healing and His constant comfort, the fruits of promises kept (I'm told that there are over a thousand in the Bible...), perhaps we begin to open ourselves to the challenge He presents to grow closer to Him, to die to self, to love as God loves.
Of course we all have our inconsistencies and incongruencies of what we believe and how we live. The quest for holiness and sainthood is a constant battle to eradicate those differences. However, it never ceases to amaze me how many people claim a kinship with Christ, but don't allow themselves to be challenged by Him. Have we bought into the Jesus who says "Hey, you're okay," and leaves it there? Have we lost our connection to the Word made flesh?
Or is it just that leading an unexamined life, or rather a life unexamined by the principles of Christ, is so much easier that we have chosen to do the least possible to claim our faith? Perhaps it is not that we do not examine, but that we do not examine deeply or often enough - we are too easy on ourselves and others because we've become so weary of the daily stresses of life. We've become victim to the line of thinking that says we cannot change - we cannot change ourselves because of how we were raised, what society tells us, etc etc etc., and we certainly cannot change the world given the state of our own lives.
Christ tells us differently. In Matthew 11:28, Christ invites us to find refuge in him when the world seems too much. "Come to me all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest." Who are we to claim that life is just too hard? Jesus, the man who was condemned to death, who has become our Savior, the one through whom death was conquered, calls us to him in those moments. Christ, our Comforter, promises us respite from the storm. In exchange, he asks only one thing - everything. Daunting? You bet! Are we alone in it? Heck, no! His promise of comfort and respite is everlasting. "I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you," he promises us in John 14:18. We have only to share our walks with Christ, to witness to the miracles He has done in our own lives to know that His promises are more lasting than...Twinkies (or something that lasts a really long time - I'm not a scientist, so someone would find fault with whatever element I entered here). So, if we find ourselves weary and in doubt, perhaps it is the time to sit with Christ, our Comforter and our Hope before we can hear and answer Christ our loving challenger.
What is it that young people are seeking, those who find solace in what others call the Church of the past? Perhaps it is a deeper connection with the Jesus of the Gospels, not the Jesus that has been hijacked by the media. Jesus of Nazareth was a rebel, a countercultural rabblerouser who challenged the status quo because the status quo had fallen away from what God had intended for mankind.
Often times we see a Jesus of comfort portrayed in Church and in media. The Jesus who says I love you just as you are, but leaves out the Jesus who says, but I call you to come further with me and be better. Have we shaped Jesus in the image of a man who will help us achieve our own political and moral ends, or do we still have a connection the the Jesus who resides fully in the Gospel, the Jesus who came so that we may have life and have it abundantly??
The more often I read the Gospels and the more I live and see of the world, I am beginning to believe that Christ has been hijacked (much like our solemn feasts, but that's a whole different story!). Yes, Christ does in fact love us - I don't for one second want to insinuate that this love is either conditional or false. What I want to do is look at what it really means - what does Christ's love mean in our lives?
We use the word love in American society as loosely as we do everything else. It is not a word used with care, and it has become tainted. The love that Christ gives is a gift, and though it does not come with conditions, it does come with challenges. To live in and for the love of Christ calls us to task more often than we would like. Yet, in our post-modern culture, love of a person has come to mean that challenging them to do better is to not affirm the person they are. If we are, as Catholics and Christians to pattern our life after Christ's love, that kind of love dishonors the heritage of Love we share.
The Jesus of the scriptures was not tolerant. He was compassionate and merciful, yes. He ate with sinners, he suffered with his friends and with strangers. What he did not do, however, was tolerate attitudes and behaviors that maligned God. "Go and sin no more" was always the challenge.
The Jesus of the scriptures was not unconditionally accepting and affirming. Yes, He always accepted and affirmed the inherent dignity and worth of every person, created in the image and likeness of His Father, but not always did he accept or affirm their behaviors.
The Jesus of the scriptures had righteous anger. Jesus called people to task. Christ's first concern was not being liked - it was converting hearts to a deep and true love of God. He was not popular by our standards, but he was always authentic and those who were able to strip themselves of their own pride and understanding were drawn to Him and the Truth and mercy He shared.
Our young people are no different. They are reacting now in the same way. The freedoms and joys promised by the sexual revolution, individualism, materialism, commercialization and the relativism of "I'm okay, you're okay" have not been realized. Instead of leading to greater happiness, those promises have led to a more chaotic struggle. Our young people are often finding that they are not okay, that they continue to search and thirst for something to fill a void in their lives.
What they seek are the timeless Truths, that which has stood firm against the test of time and criticism, the rock amidst the storm. They are seeking fulfilled promises, unconditional love and unending peace. What they are realizing for themselves is that there is one person throughout all of history who can give them what they are seeking - Jesus Christ.
Make no mistake, though. "The Way Things Were" is not their anthem song. This is not a regression in the deep recesses of the past in an effort to relive tenets that we've long since abandoned. It is a reclaiming of the faith that went before them, traditions and adherences that were brushed aside in the tide of change but never restored fully. It is discovering the past and infusing it into a faith that is constantly growing.
So...what is it we/they seek? I think it can be summed up pretty simply. They are not looking for a feel-good faith - they are seeking what is good.
Often times we see a Jesus of comfort portrayed in Church and in media. The Jesus who says I love you just as you are, but leaves out the Jesus who says, but I call you to come further with me and be better. Have we shaped Jesus in the image of a man who will help us achieve our own political and moral ends, or do we still have a connection the the Jesus who resides fully in the Gospel, the Jesus who came so that we may have life and have it abundantly??
The more often I read the Gospels and the more I live and see of the world, I am beginning to believe that Christ has been hijacked (much like our solemn feasts, but that's a whole different story!). Yes, Christ does in fact love us - I don't for one second want to insinuate that this love is either conditional or false. What I want to do is look at what it really means - what does Christ's love mean in our lives?
We use the word love in American society as loosely as we do everything else. It is not a word used with care, and it has become tainted. The love that Christ gives is a gift, and though it does not come with conditions, it does come with challenges. To live in and for the love of Christ calls us to task more often than we would like. Yet, in our post-modern culture, love of a person has come to mean that challenging them to do better is to not affirm the person they are. If we are, as Catholics and Christians to pattern our life after Christ's love, that kind of love dishonors the heritage of Love we share.
The Jesus of the scriptures was not tolerant. He was compassionate and merciful, yes. He ate with sinners, he suffered with his friends and with strangers. What he did not do, however, was tolerate attitudes and behaviors that maligned God. "Go and sin no more" was always the challenge.
The Jesus of the scriptures was not unconditionally accepting and affirming. Yes, He always accepted and affirmed the inherent dignity and worth of every person, created in the image and likeness of His Father, but not always did he accept or affirm their behaviors.
The Jesus of the scriptures had righteous anger. Jesus called people to task. Christ's first concern was not being liked - it was converting hearts to a deep and true love of God. He was not popular by our standards, but he was always authentic and those who were able to strip themselves of their own pride and understanding were drawn to Him and the Truth and mercy He shared.
Our young people are no different. They are reacting now in the same way. The freedoms and joys promised by the sexual revolution, individualism, materialism, commercialization and the relativism of "I'm okay, you're okay" have not been realized. Instead of leading to greater happiness, those promises have led to a more chaotic struggle. Our young people are often finding that they are not okay, that they continue to search and thirst for something to fill a void in their lives.
What they seek are the timeless Truths, that which has stood firm against the test of time and criticism, the rock amidst the storm. They are seeking fulfilled promises, unconditional love and unending peace. What they are realizing for themselves is that there is one person throughout all of history who can give them what they are seeking - Jesus Christ.
Make no mistake, though. "The Way Things Were" is not their anthem song. This is not a regression in the deep recesses of the past in an effort to relive tenets that we've long since abandoned. It is a reclaiming of the faith that went before them, traditions and adherences that were brushed aside in the tide of change but never restored fully. It is discovering the past and infusing it into a faith that is constantly growing.
So...what is it we/they seek? I think it can be summed up pretty simply. They are not looking for a feel-good faith - they are seeking what is good.
