How easy is it to stand on moral high ground and shout insults to those not doing as well as us? How easy is it to use the truth of the Bible as a battle axe against those who do not conform to our standards? Until… we catch a glimpse of ourselves in that mirror…

We decided to have an “experience service” this year with Easter with an altered version of the Stations of the Cross. One of the stations consists of a cross with a mirror next to it. The idea is to see yourself as one of the criminals crucified next to Jesus. As we were setting it up yesterday I stood in front of it with my dirty work clothes and it hit me… I am that criminal… dirty in sin… not worthy to be called a Christian (little Christ). The fact that Jesus wants me… that is just Amazing Grace!

Jesus wants you too…

An excerpted from a message by Matt Chandler at DG’s pastors conference. I found it here.

From “Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus” (p. 170):

Later rabbis also preached about sin by comparing small sins to greater ones.  Listen to what they say about gossip:

“To which is gossip more similar, robbery or murder?”

“Murder, because robbers can always give back what they’ve stolen, but gossips can never repair the damage they’ve done.”

To them, humiliating someone publicly was also like murder, because “the pain of humiliation is more bitter than death.”  The rabbis called such sin “whitening of the face” because when a person’s face pales with shame, it’s as if a pallor of death has overtaken him or her.  “Therefore,” they said, “one should rather fling himself into a fiery furnace than humiliate someone in public.”

Such comments remind us of Jesus’ striking exhortations to cut off your hand or pluck out your eye should they cause you to sin (also in the Sermon on the Mount, Matthew 5:29-30).  The rabbis knew the great damage that even tiny sins can do.  A little bit of gossip can ruin a reputation.  One sharp retort can ignite a war.  The goal of their exaggerations was to impress upon their listeners the dire consequences of sin.  Jesus, too, was urging his listeners to avoid evil at all costs.  His strong warnings express his anguish at the destruction that ensues when we do not resist temptation at the very beginning.

As we are in the midst of Holy Week, I’ve been struck again by the sheer scandal that is the crucifixion.  I’m amazed once again that Jesus would die for people who are self-centered, selfish, arrogant, and downright unpleasant to be around.  Perhaps even more than that, I’m struck that He didn’t hold his nose while doing it.  He didn’t just die for us, He lived with us for 33 years.  He lived among people who missed the point, tried to use Him for their own purposes, and many of whom deserted Him while He was facing death.  In other words, I’m still amazed at the Incarnation.

I saw this post over at Michael Spencer’s blog, the Internet Monk, the other day, and he really lays out in more detail what I’m getting at.  Why is that so many Christians are, well, so messed up?  Why does the “victorious Christian life” seem to allude us?  And perhaps beyond that, the bigger question is why is so hard for us to not pretend that we are living the “perfect Christian life”?  Why do we spend so much time putting up facades?  Michael describes our situation as this:

Evangelicals love a testimony of how screwed up I USED to be. They aren’t interested in how screwed up I am NOW. But the fact is, that we are screwed up. Then. Now. All the time in between and, it’s a safe bet to assume, the rest of the time we’re alive. But we will pay $400 to go hear a “Bible teacher” tell us how we are only a few verses, prayers and cds away from being a lot better. And we will set quietly, or applaud loudly, when the story is retold. I’m really better now. I’m a good Christian. I’m not a mess anymore. I’m different from other people.

So is there any hope for us?  Is there a way to live a life that God wants us to live while still admitting that we are broken people?  I believe there is.  It means that we must totally rely on Christ and accept the fact that He will not reject no matter how screwed up or broken we are.  Again, from Michael:

I will be accused of a serious lack of good news, I’m sure, so listen. At the moment I am winning, Jesus is with me. At the moment I am losing, Jesus is with me and guarantees that I will get up and fight on. At the moment I am confused, wounded and despairing, Jesus is with me. I never, ever lose the brokenness. I fight, and sometimes I prevail, but more and more of my screwed up, messed up life erupts. Each battle has the potential to be the last, but because I belong to one whose resurrection guarantees that I will arrive safely home in a new body and a new creation, I miraculously, amazingly, find myself continuing to believe, continuing to move forward, till Jesus picks us up and takes us home.

So as we remember the death and resurrection of Christ this week, lets take some time to recall that Christ died for us while we were still sinners, was raised to defeat the grave and the powers that killed Him, and that He is walking with us still despite our weakness.

The always controversial Steve Taylor released a song in the early 90’s that expressed these thoughts quite well entitled Jesus is for Losers (one of the commenters on Michael’s blog reminded me of this).  Here it is for those who haven’t heard it:

The lyrics can be found here.

I pray that you all have blessed Easter, and I pray that the reality of the crucifed and risen Savior never ceases to cause us to look on in wonder and be amazed at the God who loves us more than we can imagine.