“Live as if Christ died yesterday, rose this morning and is coming back tomorrow.” – Martin Luther
I was overwhelmed in my time with the Lord this morning. From thinking of the devastating events in Japan, to the tensions found in ministry, and even the annoyance of financial situations, the prayer uttered was “Jesus I need you.” From big to small – things are just tough. Will the Church step up? Will it pray? Will it fast? Will it go and give, not only aid but also rehabilitation and development? Will we merely go and do what it takes to sleep better at night, or will we do what it takes for them to sleep better at night? That’s a different story altogether. Whether them is Japan, or the suffering and poor in our midst, are we going to do what it takes to get back to “life as usual,” or will we be changed? My friend Lisa wrote:
“Complexity. It’s hard to be pithy enough. Suffice it to say, I’ll wear red for Japan. I believe in visible tokens for awareness, but our response to this must go beyond symbolism. We feel impotent now. But there will be demand for our financial and physical aid for years to come. Will we answer?
Are we still answering, for Haiti?… Chile? New Orleans? Are we still answering, for poverty? Jails? Illness?”
Japan is not going to get back to business as usual. Japan will forever be changed. The question is will we? Will we move beyond pity to compassion? Compassion is dangerous because it requires suffering with someone else. It means no more business as usual.
Frederick Buechner wrote, “Compassion is sometimes the fatal capacity for feeling what it is like to live inside somebody else’s skin. It is the knowledge that there can never really be any peace and joy for me until there is peace and joy finally for you too” (1973).
I love redemption stories, and I’m not the only one. From the Christmas Carol to Les Miserables, from Comedy to Action genres, from Paramount to Disney, everyone loves the feeling of redemption. As a Christian I believe that the hunger for redemption runs through my veins. Believing that beauty can come from ashes, healing for others through my brokenness, and hope can somehow break through hopelessness like the sun through storm clouds. However, in light of following Christ, I don’t believe redemption can come in its fullness without incarnation. Whether it’s Christ on the cross, or His follower(s) on the cross (metaphorical or not), it’s on broken wings that redemption must fly, otherwise it’s not redemption. You can’t rescue something that doesn’t need rescuing, but not everything that needs rescuing is rescued, and that’s the point that I think needs to convict us.
So back to the beginning. I want to live in the heart posture that Christ died yesterday, rose this morning and is coming back tomorrow. My own need for rescuing is daily apparent, but if it stops there – I don’t think that is what being redeemed looks like. Being redeemed, I believe, should make us hunger and thirst to be a part of the rescuing effort. It’s the overflow of a redeemed heart and a redeemed life. So what am I doing? My hands feel so tied and insignificant in light of this major disaster. But I’ll intercede for the people there, and I’ll look for a way to be a part. The here and now requires me to step-it-up, however, to those in need that I can touch. No more “business as usual.” I believe that Christ is coming back soon, so that means that every event – everyday should push us toward the urgency that this life is short and we are one moment closer to seeing Christ.
Reference:
Buechner, F. (1973). Wishful Thinking: A seeker’s ABC. NY: HarperCollins Publishers.