According to the part of the story God has allowed us to see, the Haunting we sense is his calling us forth on a journey. The resurrection of our heart requires that the Sacred Romance be true and that is precisely what the Scriptures tell us. As Frederick Buechner reminds us in his wonderful book Telling the Truth: The Gospel as Tragedy, Comedy and Fairy Tale, the world of the gospel is the world of fairy tale, with one notable exception:
It is a world of magic and mystery, of deep darkness and flickering starlight. It is a world where terrible things happen and wonderful things too. It is a world where goodness is pitted against evil, love against hate, order against chaos, in a great struggle where often it is hard to be sure who belongs to which side because appearances are endlessly deceptive. Yet for all its confusion and wildness, it is a world where the battle goes ultimately to the good, who live happily ever after, and where in the long run everybody, good and evil alike, becomes known by his true name . . . That is the fairy tale of the Gospel with, of course, one crucial difference from all other fairy tales, which is that the claim made for it is that it is true, that it not only happened once upon a time but has kept on happening ever since and is happening still.
Let us explore together the drama that God has been weaving since before the beginning of time, which he has also placed in our hearts. Who are the main players in this Larger Story? What is the plot? How do we fit in? As we rediscover the oldest Story in the world, one that is forever young, we journey into the heart of God and toward the recovery of our own hearts. For perhaps God would be reason enough to stay open to the Romance if we knew he would keep us safe. And therein we experience a great fear and confusion.
(The Sacred Romance , 46) John Eldredge
Friday, March 6, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
FREEDOM!
There are many reasons that we follow God. We follow Him because He saved us from our sins and died on the cross for us. We follow Him because He loves us and we love him. Today let’s look at another reason to follow God.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28-30
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Jesus tells us to follow Him, because He has rest for us. He tells us to follow Him because He sees all of the stuff going on in our lives that is hard for us to deal with. Jesus has made a way for us to give all of the baggage we carry to Him and he will carry it for us. He is the strongest person ever, He is God. He died for us so that we don’t have to carry the baggage by ourselves.
SO WHAT?
If you have crazy stuff going on in your life right now, go back and read Matthew 11:28-30 out loud and then spend time praying. Ask God to take the baggage you’ve been carrying away from you and ask Him to give you a new start in life. Remember, baggage doesn’t have to be big huge sins, it can be anything. If your worrying about school or if you and your best friend are going through a hard time, you can give that to God and He will carry it for you. Today is a day to let go of the things that weigh you down and to let Jesus come in.
"Nothing is permanent in this wicked world - not even our troubles."
Charlie Chaplin
Jesus tells us in Matthew 11:28-30
28 Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Jesus tells us to follow Him, because He has rest for us. He tells us to follow Him because He sees all of the stuff going on in our lives that is hard for us to deal with. Jesus has made a way for us to give all of the baggage we carry to Him and he will carry it for us. He is the strongest person ever, He is God. He died for us so that we don’t have to carry the baggage by ourselves.
SO WHAT?
If you have crazy stuff going on in your life right now, go back and read Matthew 11:28-30 out loud and then spend time praying. Ask God to take the baggage you’ve been carrying away from you and ask Him to give you a new start in life. Remember, baggage doesn’t have to be big huge sins, it can be anything. If your worrying about school or if you and your best friend are going through a hard time, you can give that to God and He will carry it for you. Today is a day to let go of the things that weigh you down and to let Jesus come in.
"Nothing is permanent in this wicked world - not even our troubles."
Charlie Chaplin
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Awakening
The Phoenix rises from the ashes. Cinderella rises from the cinders to become a queen. The Ugly Duckling becomes a beautiful swan. Pinocchio becomes a real boy. The frog becomes a prince. The Cowardly Lion gets his courage, the Scarecrow his brains, and the Tin Woodman a new heart. They are all transformed into the very thing they never thought they could be.
Why are we enchanted by tales of transformation? I can’t think of a movie or novel or fairy tale that doesn’t somehow turn on this. Why is it an essential part of any great story? Because it is the secret to Christianity, and Christianity is the secret to the universe. “You must be born again” (John 3:7). You must be transformed. Keeping the Law, following the rules, polishing up your manners—none of that will do. “What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people” (Gal. 6:15). Is this not the message of the Gospel? Zacchaeus the trickster becomes Zacchaeus the Honest One. Mary the whore becomes Mary the Last of the Truly Faithful. Paul the self-righteous murderer becomes Paul the Humble Apostle.
And us? I doubt many of us would go so far as to say we’re transformed. Perhaps we have changed a bit in what we believe and how we act. We confess the creeds now, and we’ve gotten our temper under control . . . for the most part. But “transformed” seems a bit too much to claim. How about “forgiven and on our way”? That’s how most Christians would describe what’s happened to them. It’s partly true . . . and partly untrue, and the part that’s untrue is what’s killing us. We’ve been told that even though we have placed our hope in Christ, even though we have become his followers, our hearts are still desperately wicked. And of course, so long as we believe that our hearts remain untouched, unchanged, we will pretty much live untouched and unchanged. For our heart is the wellspring of life within us.
(Waking the Dead , 56–57) John Eldredge
Why are we enchanted by tales of transformation? I can’t think of a movie or novel or fairy tale that doesn’t somehow turn on this. Why is it an essential part of any great story? Because it is the secret to Christianity, and Christianity is the secret to the universe. “You must be born again” (John 3:7). You must be transformed. Keeping the Law, following the rules, polishing up your manners—none of that will do. “What counts is whether we really have been changed into new and different people” (Gal. 6:15). Is this not the message of the Gospel? Zacchaeus the trickster becomes Zacchaeus the Honest One. Mary the whore becomes Mary the Last of the Truly Faithful. Paul the self-righteous murderer becomes Paul the Humble Apostle.
And us? I doubt many of us would go so far as to say we’re transformed. Perhaps we have changed a bit in what we believe and how we act. We confess the creeds now, and we’ve gotten our temper under control . . . for the most part. But “transformed” seems a bit too much to claim. How about “forgiven and on our way”? That’s how most Christians would describe what’s happened to them. It’s partly true . . . and partly untrue, and the part that’s untrue is what’s killing us. We’ve been told that even though we have placed our hope in Christ, even though we have become his followers, our hearts are still desperately wicked. And of course, so long as we believe that our hearts remain untouched, unchanged, we will pretty much live untouched and unchanged. For our heart is the wellspring of life within us.
(Waking the Dead , 56–57) John Eldredge
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