Death: The Final Enemy

Last Sunday (Dec. 20), we looked at Isaiah 25.  Isaiah acknowledges that death casts a long shadow over our lives.  In the words of Paul, "death is the final enemy" (1 Cor. 15).  

Unfortunately, we know this to be true.  Death wreaks havoc in our lives.  It does not care about to-do lists or unspoken words or even age.  It ruins everything we touch.  All we have is destined toward this unspeakable end.  

Yet there's more:  fear of death leads to so many other problems like lust and anger.  Sensing that life can't be held on to, many try to get the most of out of it, often by embracing perverse forms of sensuality--greed, lust or gluttony.  Without hope for true fulfillment, they make a god of their desires, looking for one fix after another, always thirsty never satisfied.  Fear of death easily leads to anger as well.   If we're gripped by fear, then anger is right around the corner.  Afraid of losing what we can't keep anyway, we are easily angered by anyone who represents a threat to our well-being.  

But there is good news.  The good news is that God has swallowed death.  Isaiah longed for it (Isaiah 25), believing that one day there will be a banquet not tainted with death and decay.  Paul proclaimed that this vision is coming true (1 Cor. 15).  Though death is still at work, we believe it is doomed to destruction.  Christ is the firstfruits of God's new creation; he is the start of a new kingdom that is without end.  

So we don't have to live in fear or anger or lust.  We can trust in the father's great love, a love that is greater than death.  We can live with joy and hope and peace, knowing that the Kingdom to come will give us what we really need and what we really want.  

Peace!  

The Gospel: God's Reign

What is the gospel?  I believe this question is critical, and what I answer here is provisional not final; but I’m hopeful it will point us in the right direction.  

If we take the ministry of Jesus seriously, the gospel (the good news) is the reign of God.  When Jesus started his ministry he began with a simple sermon: “The Kingdom of God is near.  Repent and believe the good news” (Mark 1.14).  Both Matthew and Luke confirm this is what Jesus preached and lived—the good news of God’s kingdom.  To grasp the importance of this message, we need to understand that Israel longed for the time when God would become king, when his will and reign would start to break into history, when God would reclaim his creation and drive away all that diminishes life.  Jesus came and said, in essence, that which has been longed for is starting to happen right now in my ministry--this is that.  God’s world is beginning to replace this tired, old world in the ministry of Jesus. 

This truly is good news.  You can see how comprehensive and our holistic the gospel is.  It’s not merely about trying to get souls into heaven, but rather trying to get heaven into souls, right now.  Think about Jesus’ ministry:  it was the embodiment of God becoming king, and it included the whole person—physical, social, emotional, spiritual, and psychological.  Jesus healed people.  He eliminated the shame and guilt that keeps us from others and from God.  He drove out evil.   He challenged oppressive systems.  He formed a new community called to reflect the Triune God through reconciliation and non-retaliation.  It was truly a holistic gospel.

In other words, you don’t have to be an evangelist to be a witness. You can witness whenever you rescue a child in need.  You witness whenever you embrace the marginalized.  You witness whenever you feed the homeless or when you teach (and show) someone that God embraces them as they are.  This is the kingdom.

Recently we went to India.  The question was asked, Did you go to convert people?  The answer might be shocking to some of you.  No!  We did not go to convert anyone; conversion is God’s work.  Nor did we go to build the kingdom; that’s God’s responsibility.   And we did not go to change the world; changing the world is what God is already up to in Christ.  We went to India to give a glimpse (partial, of course) of what God’s reign is like.  And in God’s reign there is no outcast.  In God’s reign there is no disparity.  We went as witnesses.  You see, the church does not build the kingdom; it merely points to the kingdom.  This is our job.  It’s that simple, and of course, complex and challenging, and invigorating.  Peace!