Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Juxtaposition

I was eating at a nice Italian restaurant the other night with family from out of town, and was struck by the juxtaposition between the opulence of the food and the words to the live Christmas music being performed.

Somehow "why lies he in such mean estate" didn't jive so well with my gorgonzola-pear salad; here I am, dining like Herod, and the guy 20 feet behind me is singing about the low-lifes (shepherds) who clustered around Jesus.

Mind you, I think creation is given us to be enjoyed and eating out (even at a really nice place) is hardly a sin, but the contrast was jarring nonetheless.

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Less "Nice," More "Edge"

Some weeks ago I spent a few days at a Jesuit retreat house. The Jesuit order, of course, was founded by Ignatius of Loyola, a rough-and-tumble soldier who converted to Christianity - and for centuries now the Jesuits have been known for their rough-edged vigor in both missions and apologetics (with some of us Protestants on the receiving end, at times).

But in the days since I have been struck with just how many people who have been used so greatly by God have had that same kind of abrasive, aggressive 'edge' to them. Martin Luther, certainly. John Knox, absolutely. But also Ignatius of Antioch and Polycarp of Smyrna (not to mention St. Paul) from the ancient church and people I've respected like Kevin Blue, Mark Driscoll, Viv Grigg in our present day.

And, let's face it, on this issue the gospels don't really set up as much of a juxtaposition between John the Baptist and Jesus as we usually think. John the Baptist preached about "coming fire" but did so in a winsome and compelling enough way that crowds traveled huge distances to hear his preaching. And Jesus, while he was inimitably attractive to all kinds of people including prostitutes and scam-artists, had very harsh words and deeds (white-washed walls, hypocrites, thieves, Satan, "know neither Scripture nor the power of God," "sell all you have and give to the poor," "God will come and kill those servants and lease the vineyard to others" - not to mention physically separating Temple merchants from their merchandise with nothing other than a whip of cords) for all kinds of others.

So, considering my own life: though I will continue to learn more about Grace the rest of my life, I am becoming convicted that I have focused way too much on the "nice"side of human relations. If I am truly to become more like Jesus, my growth in these next years needs to be much more on the "rough edge."

Monday, December 22, 2008

Interesting, no?

I came across this on someone else's blog, who apparently got the link from yet another. A thought-provoking take on proselytism, from(as Ben points out)an atheist and one half of the comedy/magic duo Penn & Teller.