There are no words ...

Albrecht Dürer The Crucifixion 1511 Print, National Gallery of Art, NGO Image, Public Domain

"He himself bore our sins" in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; "by his wounds you have been healed" ( 1 Peter 2:24, NIV).

  There is a word for the inability to express, contain or bring forth adequately in words something too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words.  It is a word beyond indescribable because even something being indescribable seems to venture possibility of trying to express something in words but failing in the end to accomplish the goal of expression.  The word, ineffable defines the inability to express, contain or bring forth adequately in words something too great or extreme to be expressed or described in words. Yet even this stronger word is inadequate to express or contain the smallest amount of all that the Crucifixion of Christ offers, brings about, guarantees and entails to us and for us, in redeeming and saving us through the mercy, love and grace of God.  There simply are no words for all Christ does in His suffering and death and all He gifts us through the laying down His life.

    There are no words to express what Christ suffered before, leading up to His death and upon the cross.  There are no words for what Christ endured as He died for our sin. There are no words to describe the loneliness of being alone in His decision to submit to Father’s will as He was being abandoned by almost all of His followers and admirers.  There are no words to describe the massive and in-comprehendible amounts of rejection as He faced His impending death. From the taunting and scoffing to the damming condemnation by the religious, the common and those in authority is unrelenting even though He only loved, taught and healed as the “Light of the World.” The weight of this indescribable psychological, unbelievable emotional and ineffable spiritual pressure upon His heart and mind brings us again to the complete inability to express all that was laid upon on the “Son of God” as He offered himself willingly to His destiny.

     There are no words to describe the scourging, roughness and brutal beatings inflicted with sadist glee upon the Savior.  Just shy of the bringing death; the flesh, muscle and tissue opened up to bleed forth much of life of this fully human, god self-limiting man stumbling towards the cursed cross.  The crown, He wore … both literally and symbolically brought excruciating pain as it was smashed viciously into His brow with purposeful visual intended irony and mockery.

     There are not words to describe the crucifixion, where death was seemingly both intended and denied as time passed in the wretched planned duration of judgment inflicted through its excruciating methods and procedures of torture and pain.  The weight of the body of the Savior pulled against the tendon and bone barely sufficient to sustain the continuance of this terrible agony.  Even as the physical pain can be somewhat described; again there are no words which can describe the weight of the sin of the world hanging upon the Holy Son by His dying to redeem all the peoples of the world for all time.

     Finally, there are no words to describe the separation at the Crucifixion of the Son from the Father (Matthew 27:46). A separation unknown from everlasting to everlasting as the Father turned away as the Son took on the sin of the world to redeem the world in bringing eternal salvation to all who would believe. This is the ultimate act of love of the Christ in His willingness to bear the sin of the world separated from His Father as He completely guarantees the salvation of all people from their sin.  When Christ said, “It is finished!” from the cross (John 19:30); all that was required had been given as to secure God’s grace for all time to all of  the world.

     At the cross God takes all that Christ suffered and released in the laying down of His life, to forgive all sin totally and completely. His forgiveness towards us is without measure or limitation as to guarantee our relationship as His child by Christ’s grace with His immeasurable love sealed by His Holy Spirit as our eternal inheritance. This is gift, given to us at the cross.  

           

  Are there words to describe such a gift to each one of us?

Wondrous sights and sounds around us …

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above[a] proclaims his handiwork.  Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard.  Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world (Psalm 19:1-4, ESV).

  The light screeches across the evening sky in brilliant colors sparkling with shimmering dust as if it contained gold and chrome.  The contrast between dark heavens and illuminated flashes is strikingly moving.  We stand and strain our necks to make sure we take in the total experience of this spectacle that we look forward to each year as our nation celebrates its birthday.  We gather to watch and in many place there is an admission charge to watch the fireworks displays.  Some like the falling colors after the explosion, some like the streaking tail of the rocket type ordinance, some like the piercing sounds, some like the booming retort, some like just being with friends on a summer evening and some just simply hate fireworks.  Especially really small children have problems with the loud noises and unpredictable nature of the whole event.  I like the cluster type fireworks with their extra bonus like explosions and crackling sparkles. 

     All of this color, sound, and glittering feast for the eyes can be celebratory and wonderful but it nothing in comparison to the show that God puts on each and every day through His creation.  There are sunsets with mixtures and hues of color beyond any painter’s or photographer’s ability to capture.  Every night the heavens overflow with stars dazzling endlessly in their capacity to shine and in the sheer vast quantity that cannot even be named or numbered.  The list of amazing spectacular beautiful and sensual experiences unfolding in each and every day and night which are free to behold are quite endless. The experiences which become brief of monumental focus points on an the endless spectrum of seasons and life on the earth we live on are noteworthy and bring us incredible joy.  Yet in the array of all of this sensory  delight, there is a greater realization which should stagger us beyond what we see, smell or touch. 

      What is greater and what is of more significance, remains as an amazing fact;  God created, ordered and designed all that we behold around us on the earth and in the heavens above us.  All of this simple and spectacular reflects His care, provision and beauty.  It should cause us to exclaim as Job did as he repented of his pride and gave the glory to God, “I know nothing about things too wonderful for me” (Job 42:3). The expressions vocalized in our “ooohs” and “aaahs” when we attend various celebrations with man-made colorful and explosive sights are miniscule in comparison what we should feel about the wonder of God and  the created world that proclaims His glory.  Let us be awed and let us give Him praise.  For it is He who “causes the dawn to appear in the east,” “visits the storehouse of the snow,” “lays out the path of the lightning,” “gives birth to the dew,” and is able to “count all the clouds” (Job 38).  His dazzling show in the heavens is endless and the spectacle is truly beyond description.  Let us join with the endless praise bursting forth from the heavens and give our praise and thanks unto the Lord.

Suggested Reading ... Psalm 19

We need more than a cool drink of water …

“As the deer pants for water, so I long for you, O God.  I thirst for God, the living God. Where can I find him to come and stand before him?” (Psalm 42:1-2, TLB)

  Summer is in full bloom. Color explodes from both well attended gardens and forgotten ditches along the roads.  Summer is full. Full of light as the days lengthen from light, work and leisure. We are excited, basking in  the warmth, the events, family time and the just the good old summertime.  For many of us, we feel somewhat deprived when it comes to the summer season because it just doesn’t seem long enough compared to the rest of the year.  The summer is incredibly busy and we put great amounts of energy into projects, teams, gardens, work, and relaxation.  Usually we get a lot of enjoyment during this season in the process.  Still there is also a sense at the end of the season, that change has taken place, there has been growth, and there is at least some sense of progress on most projects and there is a harvest.  This happens in our personal life and it is evident and true in the world of nature that was created and designed by our gracious Father in heaven.

  

     It is in the three or four months of the summer that trees and plants pull in most of the nutrients they need for growth,  that their roots slowly lengthen and tap new sources of water and their leaves soak in the sunlight and in amazing way transform that warmth into color, flowers and fruit.  It is in the fullness of the summer season with all this activity; that plants bring in the sustenance that is needed both for the growth and continuance of life.

   

     So what are the nutrients that you are pulling into your life during this summer?   What water source are your roots trying to tap into when you are thirsty on a hot July day?  How is your life being transformed by the true light and what will be the fruit at the harvest time?  Do you thirst for the living God? 

  

     Enjoy the warm sunny days and let them be full of more than busyness and  fun. Take some time to soak up the fullness of God. Take some moments in a shady spot and read His living word. Offer up a few heartfelt and thankful prayers. Take time to draw near to Him, because at the end of the summer, a lot of the sustenance we may need later throughout the year might have to come from this summer’s growth. Life is more than the water we crave on a hot summer day. Our soul can find true nourishment and fulfillment only in a warm grace infused and sustained relationship with the Living God. It is why our Lord came to earth to reconcile us to our Heavenly Father.  He brings a full and abundant life which He delivers and fulfills long after any summer season has passed into memory.

  Suggested Reading ... Psalm 42

Looking Again at Being “Born Again”

  Sometimes we see it as born again into eternal life. If salvation is solely emphasized, we reduce our Christ to a ticket broker to heaven.  He is more. He is the Light, Life and Eternal Life to all who believe (John 1:4; 3:36). The idea is both being born again and being born from above. We must see and live in such a way as to realize we are born again and born from above into the life, we can only have in Jesus Christ.  We must be born again and be born from above into Jesus Christ and all that He gives us through His grace. Born again into Christ is more than just an experience,  it is being born again and being born from above into all He was, is and is to come from above.

     Thus we are born again and born anew, over and over again as we become new in Christ.  "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature" (II Cor. 5:11). It is a new way of living.  It is living guided, empowered and following Jesus from above. Thus we are born and live with the life He shows and gives from above.

     When we are born again into Christ, we are changed and transformed by the love of God and the power of the Holy Spirit to love Christ and with His love to love others with that love. We are born again and born from above as we come unto Christ and into the inheritance we have in the redeeming work of Christ.

     Being born again and being born from above has to mean something.  Either our very life and the values, meanings and directions in our daily living are coming from above or they are not.  Born again and being born from above must be evident in the ways we live our days responding openly to the Holy Spirit living in us.  When we were seek guidance from the Holy Spirit through prayer or when the Holy Spirit prompts us … we must trust and follow.  If we not follow or if we insist on doing things strictly according to our thoughts and feelings, we will end up grieving the Holy Spirit as we resist and refuse God’s presence and ways.  Life, nourishment and empowerment either comes from above though the Holy Spirit or it comes from our ways, our minds, our hearts and our sin.

     How we see it, is how we will live. Are we born again into Christ or just born again in an emotional experience of guaranteeing eternal life?   If we see being born again as a onetime experience alone, it will not lead to fully being born from above.  Do they reflect that we actually are born again and born from above or do they simply reflect our words about being born again? Born again and born from above means love like God loves, grace like the grace of God that saves us will be the grace that flows from us.

      Being born again and being born from above means we love before all things, all feelings and all actions.  God loves us above all things and in all ways.  God demonstrates His true, steadfast and unfathomable love to us, by loving us in our sin, in spite of our sin and through all sin to redeem us from all sin.  There is no love like the love of God and as we are reborn in His love, we love with His love. 

 

“Jesus answered him, ‘Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.’”  (John 3:3, ESV)

Suggested Reading ... John 3

Around the corner from the intention of inflicting revenge …

Pieter van der Heyden, "Anger" National Gallery of Art, Public Domain - NGA Image

“You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy.  But I say, love your enemies! Pray for those who persecute you!  In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:43-45, NLT)

  Revenge may seem sweet for a moment but the harm is immense and demons of destruction released are not content with measured amounts of justice.  The chaos and damage can engulf the taker of revenge and the receiver of revenge. Even the strong can be crushed and bitterness and misery can come like a flood in haunting and unrelenting ways.  The revenge which seems so sweet at the moment can extract unforeseen costs and leave a desolate landscape and legacy of torment and pain which can last for a long time.  In the lives of individuals and in the scope of nations; revenge seldom leaves a pretty picture.

     Yet, something incredibly miraculous happens when we venture around the corner of intending upon inflicting revenge on someone and turn to walk on the street of praying for our enemies. Slowly the desire to damage someone is remade by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit into love.  It is a hard walk to the corner as we let go of human nature but the view after the turn, unto the street of grace brings us face to face with God as He release His blessing into our life.  It is the truth,  Jesus desired we find, as our hearts are purified.  “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8, ESV).  As the forgiveness of Christ liberates us from the prison of sin; forgiving others with the forgiveness of Christ frees us to experience His grace midst great joy. 

     Forgiving another is also the only way; others can connect the gift of the forgiveness of Christ available to them with the living Christ residing in you.  Around the corner of revenge is the street of grace and it is a wonderful pathway to God’s greatest blessings.  Turn the corner away from revenge and experience the freedom you will find as you walk on the street of forgiveness and grace.   You may be surprised, but then again God is full of surprises because He does more than we can dream or imagine (Ephesians 3:20).

From the Ancient Church …

“If you are remembering evil against someone, then pray for him; and as you remove through prayer the pain of the remembrance of the evil he has done, you will stop the advance of the passion. And when you have attained brotherly love and love for mankind, you will completely cast this passion out of your soul. Then when someone else does evil to you, be affectionate and humble toward him, and treat him kindly, and you will deliver him from this passion.”  St. Maximus the Confessor, Chapters on Love, 3.90 (580-662 C.E)

Suggested Reading … Matthew 5

Shutting down the engine of angry retaliation.

  The engine of anger often starts as someone inserts your key in the ignition of your emotional engine by offending you, disregarding you and even unfairly or unjustly hurting you or your reputation. They might push themselves into your interior space of the vehicle of your life by taking over your personal career place and position themselves in the comfort zone you have adjusted to your seating preferences. They may even tell you, “You know nothing about driving or maintaining this vehicle” or say unkind, disrespect and completely dishonest things about you. They may even sabotage the vehicle of your life and void your plans to do certain things and go certain places. They may try to take your vehicle by misrepresentation and manipulation and finally they may steal your precious and classic means of transportation only to crash and destroy it. Their haunting words will then hang in the air mocking and taunting us as we stand with our hearts severely dented and damaged. Midst the broken and dangerous glass, there seems little hope of your vehicle being usable again.
     At this point, we might hear the engine still running and we see the wheels are still round and remember the fuel tank is quite full of potential to inflict revenge and retaliation. As we look and assess the damage, feeling the pain involved in every detail and aspect of the injustice of this incident … we might ponder the actions we could take to inflict greater damage and pain on the perpetrator of this awful mess. Anger is roiling up in us and we sense the power we have to take our rightful revenge and retaliation.
     We have all been at this accident scene. Someone has wrecked the vehicle we were driving at the time and caused damage to what was important and valuable to us. We have all been crushed in our hearts and experienced the damage to our lives. We were angry. We have all sensed the power we might have in the engine of angry retaliation as we pondered our actions. We may have even been overpowered and taken the course of retaliation only to find we are the ones that were damaged further in our seemingly rightful revengeful actions.
      David suffered tremendous emotional damage and heart searing pain as his very son, Absalom attempted to steal his rightful kingdom by taking over his position as King. It was a horrible incident to see unfold and even more painful to behold as we see David deeply weeping, scarred and crushed in the consequences of the aftermath.
     Still in the midst of Absalom’s rebellion, David realized that he must shut down the engine of anger and retaliation. No matter what Absalom had done to him and even though David might be angry; David decides wisely to turn off the desire to inflict revenge and destroy his son. His words written centuries ago remind us to shut down any engines of revenge and retaliation, we may find ourselves near. We ponder on the ways of God and not on our feelings of anger.  We are quiet in our spirit as we let God quiet us with His peace. We pray for His guidance. The damage that revenge and retaliation inflicts will often bring more damage and it is usually to ourselves. It is far better to trust in the Lord.

“Be angry and do not sin, ponder in your heart on your bed and be silent. Offer right sacrifices and put your trust in the Lord” (Psalm 4:3-4, ESV).

Suggested Reading … Psalm 4

A time beyond the times of our lives.

“There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven – A time to give birth and a time to die; a time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted” (Ecclesiastes 3:1-2, NASV).

  Our lives unfold each day, new and unknown yet to be intertwined with unique moments, unexpected joys and challenges and endless social, business, personal and relational involvements and activities. Every event, whether seemingly insignificant or staggering in its importance will flow into a season of developing and evaporating time and be woven into the legacy of our having lived a life on this earth.  Thus we have times and seasons for both planting and harvesting, building and tearing down, searching and finding, holding and letting go, finding and losing, effort and reward and  joy and sadness.  The seasons of our lives are many but they are also fleeting as we spend and appreciate the times for scattering and gathering, affection and loneliness and silence and speaking. Many seasons are followed by reflections, adaptations and changes through the events and moments being experienced at the time or having just pasted by into our memories.

     So an intriguing and yet disconcerting question often lingers around our days of living … bouncing around our senses like the contrasting taste of bitter and sweet or the colors fading or brightening in beginning or ending of a day.  The question floats about us as we feel fulfilment and satisfaction but taunts us a bit like a tiresome bully as we go through regrets and failed expectations.  The unassuming and yet complex question is ancient yet relevant to each spontaneous moment and every intentional act and purposed direction.  The question is and will always be … “Is our life, simply the time, made of all the moments and events; or is there a deeper meaning to our lives than simply the times of our living?

    The writer of Ecclesiastes struggles alongside each one of us as he assesses life and its meaning. He identifies the ageless and unifying quandary of all human existence by proposing a staggering truth in his redaction assessment of the futility in our living out our days in the vapor-like eluding and passing of the seasons in our lives.  “"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless" (Ecclesiastes 1:2, NIV).

    Yet, in the frustrating hopelessness, there is something more.  There in the midst of the death of seeing and sensing nothing of meaning, something is alive in the going beyond.  Something is budding in the slight touch of green cracking open in new hope.  Life is always present midst the dying.  A bird sings in the new morning because there is always life beyond the time which has past. There is always new life in life.

    It was in the dying of our Savior, that we were given life. The Gospel will always bring new life, restoration and redemption from all hopelessness. The meaning of life is in the continuance of the abundant life our Lord brings. His life comes to us in His abiding and His abiding continues into eternal life. Meaning in life is found in His ways and that meaning extends into a time beyond the times of our lives.

“Now all has been heard;   here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14, NIV)