Wanted: Dead or Alive?

A. Unabashed Pacifist:

God did not make me to grow up to be a soldier.

B. Unabashed Christian:

Holy One,

We come to worship you. You have been waiting for us.
We come to offer thanks and praise. You have waited for them.
We have come to learn. You have waited to teach us.
We have come to ask for forgiveness. You have waited eagerly to forgive us.
We have come seeking comfort. You have waited to ease our suffering.
We have come to be moved. You have been waiting for signs of change.
We have come to be challenged. You have waited for someone to accept your challenge.
We have come to be inspired. You have been holding your breath until we got here.
Amen

C. Un-quoting Jesus:

“Would you please give us directions to the temple from here?”

[He had no GPS, but this is not what He asked a bystander upon entering Jerusalem with the disciples.]

D. Blog: Has He died for you?

The reality of Jesus’ death hit very hard. It devastated His followers. And still they dwell it, turning it into a monumental, sacred sacrifice that guarantees forgiveness of sin, an earth-changing event that supposedly restored humanity into the grace of God.

Problem is, over emphasis on His death shortchanges the reality of His life. That He still lived as the Messiah in their midst changed the world for the first followers. That’s what raised them from the depths of despair and propelled them into throughout the Roman Empire and really turned the world upside down.

His life was not snuffed out like that of a common insurgent. He lived even more powerfully among them. For them, His death was an awful memory, but it was His life that truly mattered.

So, if Christ died for you and your sins, too bad. Christ lives for me.