suffering

"For as we share abundantly in Christ’s sufferings, so through Christ we share abundantly in comfort too." II Corinthians 1:5


My last post dealt with the seeming contradiction in the teachings of Jesus--that life with him is easy yet difficult.  II Cor 1:5 helped me make sense of the seeming contradiction.  It is both--as we suffer the costs of following Jesus, he comforts and carries our burdens.


But I still have one growing concern.  As I look at my pleasant, middle-class life with all its comforts and safety I struggle to relate to "sharing abundantly in Christ's suffering."  I feel God's blessings and comfort all too well.  I was raised in a loving home. I have been blessed with the best wife imaginable.  I have been given a beautiful daughter.  I have supportive friends.  God is meeting my needs.  I feel his comfort all too well.


God give me the boldness to live a life for you that is costly.  A life of sacrifice--a life of self-denial--a life that shares abundantly in your sufferings.

Yankee Doodle Dixie

Matthew 11:28-30
 ²⁸ “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. ²⁹ Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰ For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Apparently, Jesus gives us comfort and rest.  Following Him is easy.  He is gentle and has a humble heart.
Words that stand out to me:  rest, gentle, humble, easy, light
General tone: inviting

Luke 14:26-27
²⁶ “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. ²⁷And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.
Apparently, Jesus gives us a cross to carry.  Following Him is costly.  He is demanding and has high standards.
Words that stand out to me:  hate, carry, cross, does not - cannot
General tone: sobering

So, what are we to make of Jesus' message?  Which is it?  Is following Jesus easy and full of comfort and rest?  Or is following Jesus costly and difficult?  Do we feel the weight of the cross or don't we?

Unlike other blog posts, I am not going to try and answer these questions today . . . but I think the answer lies in music . . . is it possible for 2 different songs to be harmonized together?  Click here to find out

Lazarus

I had the honor of attending a memorial service the other day for a local boy--19 years old--that died in a tragic motorcycle accident.  The turnout was tremendous, hundreds squeezed into the church and overflowed out into the foyer.  It was a stunning testament to the love and friendship that marked this man's life.  

One of the scripture passages that was read in the service was John 11, the story of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead--this story has brought hope and comfort to many as it has been told and re-told for thousands of years.  

When I think about this story I like to think of it from Lazarus' perspective.  

What must it have been like to be Lazarus--lying there sick, looking up into the eyes of his loving sisters as they weep by his bedside.  He feels the pain and knows that death is near.  He knows the prognosis and knows that his only hope lies in the one, Jesus.  Lazarus knows word has been sent to Jesus, and he clings to that hope--his only hope in being saved from the despair of approaching death . . . and Lazarus dies with that hope in his heart . . . 

What must it have been like to be Lazarus--lying there dead.  His eyes shoot open to the back of a burial shroud.  He struggles to his feet and stumbles out the entrance of his tomb.  His eyes, blinded by the sun make out Mary on her knees weeping; Martha comes rushing toward him, and finally his eyes lock with the confident, caring eyes of Jesus--flush with tears.  I imagine the days and weeks unfold, and Lazarus soaks up every day as a gift from God and cherishes everyone.

I don't think Lazarus' experience is too removed from our own.  Have you ever felt the world bearing down on you?  You know you need help--you ask for help--but no help comes . . . You feel abandoned even by Jesus . . . Have you ever turned to God for help and it feels like nothing changes?  So, you assume God doesn't understand or simply doesn't care.  But Jesus cared for Lazarus.  Jesus wept with Mary and Martha at Lazarus' grave.  We may never understand why God works the way he does, but we can see from this story that even in the worst of situations we can take comfort that God is in control and he can orchestrate any circumstance for his glory--and we can take joy in that.

And what about Lazarus?  God gets the glory but what does poor Lazarus get?  Lazarus is given the free gift of new life through the power of God in Christ Jesus.  And just like Lazarus through faith we have been given the same (Romans 6:3-11). "Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? . . . just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life."  Laz's resurrection is a picture of our own new life in Christ.  Christians can live each new day with a grateful spirit, confident that in their darkest moments they possess the hope of Lazarus--the hope that comes with the gift of new life through the power of God in Christ Jesus.

What do hopeless situations look like through the eyes of a man who has experienced the ultimate power of Christ in his life--taking him from death to new life?  Does anything phase him now?  How does he respond to tragedy?  Does he remember that gift of new life 5 years later, 10 years later? I don't know, you tell me . . .