Good Friday

Those of you who celebrate Christ's resurrection probably went to a Good Friday service tonight or will surely go to an Easter service this Sunday. Tonight, I went to a Good Friday service at my aunt and uncle's church in the south south suburbs of Chicago, about 45 minutes out of the city by train. It was a really nice service, different than ones I've been to before so that made it more engaging. Sometimes I think I've heard the story so many times that I can't possibly learn anything new from it. There is always something new to be learned though. It's simply a matter of whether one's heart is attuned to receiving instruction from God's Word as to whether they will learn anything new. Tonight it occurred to me just how wild it must have been to witness Jesus' miracles while He walked around on the earth. You hear the same stories told in church, the same parables and miracles, and forget just how marvelous they must have been. The miracles especially are what cause a lot of skepticism I think. Even myself here lately have had moments of unbelief where I have to repeat the centurion's prayer in the gospels of "I believe, help my unbelief." Let's face it, belief and faith are difficult things. We're raised in a culture that has taught us to question everything because usually someone is trying to sell us something. In regards to Christian teaching, it makes one wonder if people are just trying to sell you a good story in order to get you to behave. At least that's what someone might come away with if they came in and observed a typical church family's behavior and lifestyle. Is Christianity simply a moral code to live by? Or is there something more to it? Every time I read the Bible I end up with more questions than answers. This used to be especially true of the Old Testament but anymore it's just as true of the gospel accounts of Jesus' time on earth. There were so many facets to his humanness that are so intriguing to me. He said His yoke was easy and His burden was light, but in another place He says we are to lay down our lives for Him. What is supposed to be easy about that exactly? His way is so counter-cultural and upside-down that we often miss the point. How often do we try to protect ourselves or our children by pulling out of culture? We are not called to come out of culture but rather to be in the world but not of the world. That means living counter-culturally and having a different mindset than the people around you. We read stories of disciples and forget they were ordinary men, and not even educated for the most part. We tend to put them on a pedastool right alongside Jesus and miss the point entirely. They were broken human beings, just like us, but they were available to be used by God in mighty ways. Are we availing ourselves to the God of the universe? What does it look like to follow in the way of Christ in 21st century America? I was on a short trip the other day with someone who said they weren't a Christian, they were a disciple of Christ. Even myself, on my facebook page I put that I'm a follower of Christ. What do we really mean by making these distinctions? Is it simply that words lose their meanings once they're overused? Or that we don't want to be associated with something whose past and present have so many moral failings and sin committed in the name of God that we are ashamed to be called a Christian along with the rest of the believers? I imagine those outside the Christian religion just shake their heads when they hear us make these distinctions. In their minds those meanings are all the same and typically have a negative connotation. This is particularly true as you go with younger and younger generations, as described in the book unChristian which I finished about 3 chapters and then couldn't read anymore because I was just so disgusted. How do we change people's minds about who Christians are and how they act? So many people have been burned by the Church at large or an individual church in their community. If someone were to look at your life from the outside, would they want what you have? Are we living any differently than the culture around us? Are we concerned about people outside of our social class? Or do we just want to pay lower taxes at all costs and claim the private sector will take care of the poor when that has clearly not been the case? I was reading in Romans today and came across a verse that mentioned that the law is summed up by loving your neighbor as yourself. Oftentimes we read over that and it doesn't mean anything to us. After Kenya in 2006 though, I have always looked at that verse differently. We learn from the parable about the Good Samaritan that everyone is our neighbor. So it struck me that if I am to truly love my neighbor as myself than I should spend as much money on my neighbor as I do on myself. It's more than that though. It's making sure the oppressed get justice and that we care for the widow and orphan. It is incredibly difficult not to put myself at the center of my universe. Being single, I usually don't think about other people's needs ahead of my own. It simply doesn't come naturally to my selfish nature. To love your neighbor as yourself isn't some lovey dovey command, it takes real and sustained effort and thought.

Good Friday marks the day when Jesus was crucified. His body was broken and His blood was shed to wipe away our sin and present us as blameless before the Father. I've read a book that commented on this and said we needed to live Eucharistic lives, broken and poured out. Are we living for others or for ourselves? My friends recently became parents while I was gone and I had dinner with them this past week to catch up and meet their new son. My friend mentioned that he didn't realize just how selfish he was until he had a kid. A lot of people have asked me why I travel alone and the answer is really simple. I always reply that it's the ultimate bachelor's dream; you get to do what you want when you want to do it. That's probably not the best practice for if I ever get into a relationship though. So how does a single person practice putting others first? Any suggestions out there? What are some practical ways to love your neighbor as yourself? What do you do to put others first?