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Theology
“I literally want to poke my eyes out.”
At least that’s the way I feel anytime someone uses the word literally when they really mean figuratively. There’s no doubt that this has become a part of your daily conversations by now, somebody will show up to work and say, “That drive, literally, took me forever.”
Debts never just disappear. You can try to convince your creditor that you’ll do years of penance, but at the end of the day somebody has to pay the debt. Whether you are in debt to the bank or your in-laws, a debt is a debt is a debt. And debt doesn’t magically vanish; debt always demands a payment.
If you don't want God more than you want anything else, welcome to the club. This is the essence of what we are guilty of in the first commandment, "You shall have no other gods." Our affections and desires, our fears and our trust should always be directed at God alone
A week ago, as I was driving down the highway and witnessed an unusual scene. Within a mile of each other, two billboards were strategically designed to advertise their religion. The billboards had vastly different messages, but appeared to have similar target audiences.
There are two temptations that have the potential to undo the hope of forgiveness. The danger here is that it is so commonplace that many of us don’t even think about, yet we unknowingly cheapen the law and cheapen grace in our response to the confession of the people we are closest to.
In 1537, a reformer by the name of Phillip Melancthon wrote a document to confront the religious and political power in Rome during the Middle Ages. Melancthon understood that the power of the pope - claimed as both a divine right and necessary for salvation - was a threat to the Gospel.
Christianity is a crutch for the weak. We don't like to think of ourselves as being weak, we'd much rather consider oursleves strong, able to fight, and willing to endure the suffering and pain. We'd prefer that when others see us that they would be amazed at our ability to stay strong.
A couple of weeks ago, I had one of those days. I'm not really sure how to describe "those days" other than "those days." Work was exhausting - filled with tiring conversations, and overwhelming list of things to do, and not much accomplished at the end of the day. Coming home, I knew my wife's day was even worse.
When I was a kid, I dreamed I could fly like Superman. He was faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, and able leap tall buildings in a single bound. The Man of Steel was untouchable. He soared far above the commoners - out of reach for those without super human abilities.
When Luke begins the story of Jesus, he makes a simple historical statement loaded with implications. Luke writes, "In those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered."
Let's talk about light for a second.
It's never enough.
The holidays make it all too clear for us. The ads come out and we inevitably line up to buy something else that we can't live without.
Mixed drinks lure us in. They mask the punch of an undiluted shot of scotch and increase the sex appeal with fancy colors and garnish. Theology is no different. We can mix in teachings, trite sayings, and bible verses in a way that can mask the punch of a word of law or add a bit of condemnation to a liberating word of grace.
I'm not sure what age most of us get our first hit, but it seems evident that by the time we become teenagers, most of us have become full-blown addicts.
We've become experts at hiding our real lives. We hide our real lives behind a facade of filtered photos, cropped profile pictures, and answers that rarely speak the truth. In the words of Carrie of Portlandia, "people are just cropping out all the sadness."
