By coming to us in Jesus, God opens the way for us to be transformed. God does not stand off at a distance, telling us what to do. Instead he enters into our world, meets us just where we are at, accepts us unconditionally, and offers his love and friendship to us. If and as we accept that offer, we are drawn into his life. His spirit literally dwells within us and draws us out of our old lives and into his life of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness and self-control. We are changed from the inside out.
This is very similar to the Son-Rise Program, a powerful and effective treatment for children and adults challenged by Autism and other related challenges (see http://www.autismtreatmentcenter.org/ ). Rather than training an autistic child to behave is certain ways by positive and negative reinforcement, Son-Rise facilitators spend time with austic children by entering into their world, doing just what the child is doing, with a loving and non-judgmental attitude. If the child is flapping his hands, the faciltator flaps his hands. If the child is spinning plates, the facilitator spins plates. At some point the child makes a connection with the facilitator and a bond is formed. Over time this bonds grows until eventually the child leaves behind his or her autistic world and enters the our world.
Incarnation (God coming to us as a human in Jesus) brings transformation from the inside out to all who accept his invitation to share his life.
Friday, January 22, 2010
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Christmas Means Mutual Understanding Part 2
God taking on human form in Jesus not only comforts us that God understands how we feel, it also enables us to understand what God is like.
If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus as embraces lepers (literally the "untouchables" in their culture); look at Jesus as he heals the sick and raises the dead; look at Jesus as he stands up for women and children; look at Jesus as he forgives all who come to him; look at Jesus as he hangs out and parties with the low life of first century Israel; look at Jesus as he calls all people to himself saying that he is the way, the truth and the life; look at Jesus as he reaches out to the judgemental religious leaders of his day and, after they have rejected him, calls them out; look at Jesus as he transforms the lives of those who follow him, changing people who were sworn enemies to brothers who laid down their lives for each other and stubborn fisherman into servant leaders who changed the world; look at Jesus as he reveals the most profound moral teaching ever heard; look at Jesus as he storms into the Temple and drives out hundreds of predatory merchants; look at Jesus as he agonizes in the Garden of Gethsemane, voluntarily endures torture and riducule, and then opens his arms wide to all humanity as he dies a sacrificial death on the cross for all of us.
If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus.
If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus as embraces lepers (literally the "untouchables" in their culture); look at Jesus as he heals the sick and raises the dead; look at Jesus as he stands up for women and children; look at Jesus as he forgives all who come to him; look at Jesus as he hangs out and parties with the low life of first century Israel; look at Jesus as he calls all people to himself saying that he is the way, the truth and the life; look at Jesus as he reaches out to the judgemental religious leaders of his day and, after they have rejected him, calls them out; look at Jesus as he transforms the lives of those who follow him, changing people who were sworn enemies to brothers who laid down their lives for each other and stubborn fisherman into servant leaders who changed the world; look at Jesus as he reveals the most profound moral teaching ever heard; look at Jesus as he storms into the Temple and drives out hundreds of predatory merchants; look at Jesus as he agonizes in the Garden of Gethsemane, voluntarily endures torture and riducule, and then opens his arms wide to all humanity as he dies a sacrificial death on the cross for all of us.
If you want to know what God is like, look at Jesus.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Christmas Means Mutual Understanding
One of the the wonderful things about God taking on human form in Jesus is the mutual understanding it creates between us and God.
For this post, I'd like to first discuss how this means God understands us. Certainly God has always understood us in the sense that he knows us better than we know ourselves. But perhaps one could say, "God doesn't know what it feels like to feel lonely, to be rejected, to be hungry or cold." But with Jesus that is not the case. Jesus experienced everything we have experienced. He knows how you feel. He understands what you're going through. And he cares. It is never true that no one understands, no one loves you, or you are alone. Love and companionship and strength and guidance are only a prayer away.
Merry belated Christmas!
For this post, I'd like to first discuss how this means God understands us. Certainly God has always understood us in the sense that he knows us better than we know ourselves. But perhaps one could say, "God doesn't know what it feels like to feel lonely, to be rejected, to be hungry or cold." But with Jesus that is not the case. Jesus experienced everything we have experienced. He knows how you feel. He understands what you're going through. And he cares. It is never true that no one understands, no one loves you, or you are alone. Love and companionship and strength and guidance are only a prayer away.
Merry belated Christmas!
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Christmas
I've been thinking about how amazing it is that God voluntarily took on human form in order to make relationship with us possible. After all, he didn't have to do that. We're probably all aware of situations where a relationship has come to an end; where one or both people for whatever reason decide, "It's just not worth the effort or risk to continue being in relationship with you. I can go somewhere else and be better off without you (and certainly in some human situations this is a wise decision)."
God could have done that with us. He could have decided, "You know, I loved creating you, but now that you've messed it up, I'm fine without you and it's just not worth it to me to take on a human body for all eternity, get rejected and abused and die a brutal death on a cross; all in the hopes that some of you will want to come back and be in relationship with me."
He could have decided that, but he didn't! He decided we are worth it to Him to pursue us to the fullest extent possible. To which I say, "Joy to the world, the Lord has come!"
God could have done that with us. He could have decided, "You know, I loved creating you, but now that you've messed it up, I'm fine without you and it's just not worth it to me to take on a human body for all eternity, get rejected and abused and die a brutal death on a cross; all in the hopes that some of you will want to come back and be in relationship with me."
He could have decided that, but he didn't! He decided we are worth it to Him to pursue us to the fullest extent possible. To which I say, "Joy to the world, the Lord has come!"
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