The Woman at the Well: More Than Meets the Eye - On John 4:1-30

The account of Jesus and the Woman at the well is a well-known and often referenced passage among the gospels in the New Testament. It is one of those passages that has a few fairly obvious surface-level takeaways, nonetheless, very significant. If you have heard this story preached on it’s likely that the preacher has hit on a number of different truths we can take from this passage. These include:

1. Jesus breaks down cultural barriers - Jesus came not only for the Jews, but he is ushering in a time when all peoples can know God through him. 
2. Jesus ignores gender barriers - Jesus reaches out to not only a Samaritan (who Jews despised), but a Samaritan woman - At this time Jewish men were not allowed to speak with women in public, especially on a one-on-one basis. Not only was she a woman, but she was an “unclean” Samaritan woman. She represents many, if not all, of whom Jesus is reaching (non-Jews, men and women, the rejected, the outsider, the “not good enough”) 
3. Jesus claims that he offers eternal life - in the form of “living water” that we may never thirst again. This is life abundant. 
4. Everyone who encounters Jesus has the chance to be a witness of the gospel - Even though it is likely this woman has a dubious past, God uses her in mighty ways as a witness of Jesus and many others come to know him through her testimony. Regardless of our past, gender, age, race, etc., we can all be used by God in mighty ways.

These interpretations of this passage are all true and wonderful in their own right. But, I’m convinced there is an even deeper layer of truth here that has an incredibly profound and life-changing message that has the potential to change forever your understanding of who you are, how you love yourself, and how you are loved by God.

Worldview, Politics and Our Recent Election

I believe this is my first post of this political season that has had anything to do with politics. I certainly have things to say, but, as we all know, facebook isn't always the best place to share our thoughts. In many ways it's a great place. We can all express our opinions freely and have the opportunity to get feedback. But, we all know expressing our thoughts here doesn't always prove fruitful. More often than not, those who agree with us continue to agree and those who don't continue to disagree... we usually fail to persuade those who disagree, but do succeed in creating more division and tension.

No one likes division. But a simple fact of life is that where there is freedom people will disagree on issues. This is normal and healthy. The difficulty is to dialogue intelligently and in an understanding way. We're all tempted to think "only an idiot would think..." and "it's obvious that [fill in the blank] is the right view."

What's interesting is that the vast majority of us agree on most things, we just have a different idea of how to get there. Both political liberals and conservatives want a flourishing, secure, free, vibrant, unified, strong and economically successful democratic nation. We want jobs. We want our kids to have a future. We want liberty. Those are givens, right? Even though there are a few moral and social issues that divide us, we agree on 90% of those too: murder, theft, basic human rights, lying, cheating, loyalty, family... most moral and social issues are not debated. There are only a few that truly divide us (at least politically).

How can we explain why Americans, who want so many of the same things, disagree so strongly about ideas in the following two categories?

Sometimes Seeing a Stranger Smile Can Make All the Difference

Today I wrote an update on Facebook: "Sometimes seeing a stranger smile for no reason makes a difference."

I was in the grocery store buying some lemons, yes some lemons. My favorite meal of four artichokes was on the stove and I realized I didn't have enough butter four my dipping sauce (very necessary)... this is one of the perks of living across the street from a grocery store - you can leave and be back in five minutes before your meal is over-done.

I was standing in line and two gentlemen were shopping near the end-cap of the isle behind me. One looked about 40. Very LA looking. Looked like a cool dude. And standing arm-in-arm beside him was a man who looked to be his brother, maybe slightly younger. The man's  brother, we'll say, had his eyes mostly shut. His head was weaving back and forth, Ray Charles style. It was difficult to say what condition this man had, but he surely had one. 

For some reason he had my full attention for about 10 seconds. As he weaved his head back and forth, every few seconds a pleasant smile came across his face. I don't know why. My first thought was that this guy really enjoys being out and about with his brother. He really seemed to be happy to be out shopping, soaking in the vibe of this store, seeing people, he seamed to be, simply put, present. His smile brought a smile to face and I envied him.

I realize these words actually may offend someone. I don't know his condition. I don't know about the things this man has and will miss out on in life. I don't make light of what the hard aspects of his life are. But there was real joy, contentment and peace on his face. And, I think he has a great gift in that.

I've had a bit of an up and down few weeks and seeing this man smile brought some peace and a smile to my own face. It was a reminder that life can be simple. There are so many things to be enjoyed, even the end-cap of a grocery store. The companionship of a friend or brother. The light on your face.

I was reminded that though we face hardships, stress, things not turning out the way we hoped... there is a simple beauty around us that is poised and ready to bring smiles if we'd just close our eyes a bit and soak it in.

Thanks stranger-dude.

May 15, 2012

The Person of the Holy Spirit

The more we come to know the holy spirit as a person the more we come to know God. The Holy Spirit is not a "force" or a "feeling." The Holy Spirit is not a sense. He is not a "will." He is not a medium. He is a person.

The trinity truly is a marvelous and mysterious thing. It's easy to think of the Father as a person with a personality. It's easy to think of Jesus as a person with a personality. But, I think we often naturally think of the Holy Spirit as the will of God. It's easy, even, to think of the Holy Spirit as a kind of aura of God, like a gas or light shining from Him. This is not SO off-base that it is absurd, but the more we come to know God as he truly is the more we will truly know and enjoy him.

There have been countless illustrations of the trinity given throughout the centuries. We recognize that there is a sort of hierarchy within the Godhead. We typically think of the order as the Father, Jesus then the Holy Spirit. They are ontologically equal but functionally unique. 

It is clear from scripture that as Jesus walked this earth he did only what he saw the Father doing. He sought to glorify and emulate the Father. It is also clear from scripture that it pleases the Father to glorify the Son and put all things under his authority. There is a loving and glorifying union between the two... and we can easily see the Holy Spirit as the light or love flowing between the two. But, I think it's more accurate to truly see the Spirit as a person, as scripture describes, saying "Have you seen this!!? I love this! Have you seen the Father? Have you seen Jesus? This is the best!" The spirit's role is to bring glory to Jesus Christ. The Holy Spirit has been in eternal communion with the Father and the Son. He is so enthralled with the glory of God that his sole mission is to bring attention to it and to enable others to testify to it. 

What if, rather than identifying the Holy Spirit as a "force" within you that urges you to be good, you saw him as someone who has spent eternity in the presence of Jesus and the Father and is so amped about the whole thing that he wants nothing more than to show you what it means to see them as they are and to know them as he does. 

Though this may be a crude analogy, it may help a little. Have you ever been so excited about a movie, song or a musician that every single chance you had you urged others to experience what you have experienced? Let's settle on a song. This song has so moved you, the performance so exceptional that not to share it with others would almost be painful. You actually feel offended if others don't like it because it's so good. It's just that good. You urge others to listen, you explain the story of the artist, the lyrics, the moment that just throws you over the edge. You love it and want others to love it too.

The Holy Spirit is Jesus' biggest fan. Jesus is the Father's biggest fan. The Father rejoices and takes great pleasure in bringing attention to his Son. It's this amazing dance of love. 

I urge myself and you to stop seeing the Spirit as merely some kind of conscience but a person who knows the truth about you and about the reality of God... because he is God. His passionate love for you dictates that he will draw you into a fuller and more passionate knowledge and enjoyment of Jesus Christ. Listen to him. Cherish his words. Cherish his guidance. Cherish everything he says. He knows. And, excitingly, he not only testifies to the truth of Christ, he empowers and guides, he reveals, he changes us, he dwells with us. 

Imagine your favorite musical band. The lead singer and guitarist, the bassist, and the drummer. Honestly, I don't know which one the HS is. He comes to your house and talks with you for the rest of your life about this music you love which he has produced. 

April 27, 2012

Let's Abandon Love

Love is the root of all sorts of evils.

Love causes war.

Love causes death.

We need to let go of love.

It's incredible to me that we live in a world where people continue to love and place value in love. Love is an ancient and archaic notion that our earliest ancestors used as a way to form groups, culture, to come together. Perhaps there was a time when love truly was necessary for the survival of the species. After all, doesn't love help us to procreate? I'm not saying that love has never, as foolish and ridiculous as it is, served some kind of purpose. But, can we please admit that it doesn't exist, never has, and should be abandoned in favor of reason?

How many people have died because of love? Millions. We could look to countless examples that prove the point. How many stories have you read in the paper about the murder of some innocent man or woman who's ex could not live without them? Blame love. How many mothers are missing out on what could have been an exciting and rewarding life of career success and luxury because they've chosen to get married or have children out of some archaic desire to love someone to the detriment of what we all know truly matters?

Romeo and Juliette - even our greatest and most beloved fiction is glaring with the evils of love. Love leads to death. Blame love.

Love can even cause war. European countries have stupidly gone to war over marriages. The Trojan war (whether totally accurate or not, it's not the point) is another example of the evils of love. 

Even if you find comfort in love, you can keep it. I'd rather live a loveless life than live in some kind of deluded fantasy. I'd rather live in reality. Whether you claim to feel love (which I doubt) or not is irrelevant. It doesn't exist. Your brain may fire its synapses in some clever way (thanks to evolution by the way) and you may think this is love, but it is not. And you're a fool if you believe it is anything other than just that - vestigial electrical impulses that evolution, had it a mind, would have been wise to release us from centuries ago. I challenge you not to be a slave to what your parents taught you, or to what their parents told them, and theirs before them... about this silly and destructive fantasy called love. 

Think of it. A world with no broken hearts. A world where no one loses their life over the love-based jealousy of an ex-lover. A world where every individual isn't bogged down and enslaved by their delusions of emotion but are free to pursue their dreams, their gifts, all their aspirations - and, no one to guilt you into believing you've "missed it" or have neglected any of the emotional leaches in your life. 

It's time to abandon love. I know you're family told you it was real. But they're deluded too. I know you may feel like you've lost a sense of belonging... but it will pass. You'll eventually see that you're now free. The guilt you may feel for a short time regarding the "sins" (I wish there was a better word) of self-actualization and  shedding the bonds of burdensome relationships will go away as soon as you realized they are only there because you've convinced yourself that you MUST feel this way. You don't. Love isn't real. It doesn't exist. It causes pain, death, heartbreak, loneliness, and even war. But it starts with you. Let it go.

Love MAY exist. But no one has or ever will prove it. So, why not live as if it doesn't exist? It's the rational thing to do. 

Written: March 9, 2012

Can the Pot Call the Kettle Black?

I've decided to write about something that's been on my mind lately concerning an apologetic argument often used in response to a specific objection to Christianity. I listen to a podcast called Stand to Reason now and then, hosted by Greg Koukl, which is very good. A few weeks ago this objection came up on his show and Koukl gave the typical response - I do think the response he used to the objection "works." It's logical, but I find it rather unsatisfying and I think most people who hear it do as well. And, it's an example of a larger question concerning truth. We had our first session of an apologetics course at our church this past Sunday and the same question was posed. It goes a little something like this:

Objection: "Christianity is so judgemental. You shouldn't try to tell others what to think, believe, or how to behave. Just let people believe what they like if it makes them happy. You shouldn't try to change other people's minds."

Response: "You are doing the very thing you accuse Christians of wrongly doing. You are actually trying to change my mind right now concerning what I think and believe. You, in fact, are being judgemental of myself and Christians by trying to change our behavior. If you don't think people ought to try to change other people's minds, why are you trying to change mine?"

Pretty logical right? It is. I don't think the response fails. It is perfectly sound. However, I don't think the response speaks to the actual heart of the objection and thus can be rather unsatisfying to the objector. 

Irresistible Grace

OK, I know this is played-out. You probably already have a strong position. But, hear me out. Let me just get this out there - I'm reformed in my Christian doctrine. I subscribe to the doctrines of grace. But, I still love to engage and listen to both sides. I've just been watching a debate between a Calvinist and non-Calvinist and I cannot get away from one simple idea that, in my mind, is the deal breaker. 

The classic Calvinistic position is that man cannot choose salvation of himself - he is incapable of doing so because he is dead in his sin. Dead men cannot choose life. Just as Lazaras could not yell out to Jesus to resurrect him, man cannot reach out to Jesus to be regenerated into life. The classic Arminian position is that God has given prevenient grace to all men and have been gifted the ability to believe on Jesus for salvation. They would still say that salvation is a free gift of God to those who believe, but it is ultimately up to the free-will individual to choose God, to choose Jesus and declare him Lord. I absolutely believe both "reformed" Christians and "arminian" Christians are Christians. This isn't a debate about who's in or out. BUT, I do believe that this is an important distinction, both about ourselves and about God.