Does your life matter?

What is your life worth?

A few years ago emails were circulated discussing the value of a person’s life. Many of these emails pointed out the discrepancy between the salary of a schoolteacher and the salary of leading sports figures. It was noted that a schoolteacher contributed more to our society than a player on a basketball team yet the salary of the basketball player was thousand times that of a schoolteacher.

Followers of Jesus may be tempted to ask what value their lives have. In a society that values life based on fame, success, material possession, attractiveness, we may feel that our lives have little value. Well, we may actually be onto something. Read what St. Paul thought about the value of his life:

“However, I consider my life worth nothing to me; my only aim is to finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me—the task of testifying to the good news of God’s grace” (Acts 20:29).

The context of these words is Paul discussing how his life will likely end at the hands of a murderous crowd or magistrate. He finds that fighting for his life is not something he wants to do. The only value he finds in his life is doing what God has asked him to do and that is to talk about the good news of God’s graciousness to all.

What value is your life?

Ron Friesen © 2015

An Easter reprise

Yesterday was Easter Sunday in the Christian Calendar. As I was on Facebook yesterday, I saw various expressions of the meaning of Easter. For some people, Easter was celebration of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. For others, Easter was a time of puppies, rabbits, and dyed eggs.

St. Paul went to Athens to bring the Gospel. He preached a sermon to the leaders of the community. Here is part of his sermon,

“Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.  In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead" (Acts 17:29-31).

If St. Paul were on Facebook yesterday and evaluating the spirituality of our world in the 21^st Century, I wonder if he would rewrite this part of his message to: Therefore since we are God’s creation, we should not think that the divine being is like a bunny, or a colored egg or a puppy – an image created out of human imagination. In the past God overlooked such foolishness, but now he command all people everywhere to change their thinking.”

Why should we tell God we are sorry about our misguided view of him? God is going to bring all of us before the Christ to judge us. How do we know that Christ be the final arbiter of right and wrong? Jesus the Christ was appointed God by the resurrection. The early Church believed that the resurrection proved that Jesus of Nazareth was the Lord of life and death. As the Lord of life and death, Jesus was supreme ruler of the world.

Remember the original audience for Paul’s speech is the people who thought they ruled their world: they believed they were supreme in their universe. The resurrected Lord is challenging their idea of who runs the world.

Do you think you run your world? Be careful how you answer. Remember we all have a powerful imagination: have you and I created a god in our imagination? Some day you and I will have to stand before the risen Lord to be judged for our thoughts on God. 

An Easter Table

Two disciples are walking along a dusty Palestinian road discussing the events of the last few days. They are unaware of the excitement in Jerusalem. About seven miles from Jerusalem, they are joined by a stranger who explains to them how what they have experienced the last few days regarding the death and resurrection of Jesus is a fulfillment of their Hebrew Scriptures.

As they enter destined village, the two disciples ask the stranger to be their guest in their home and to share a meal with them. Jesus, as he always does with such invitations, accepts. While they are “at table with them, he (Jesus) took the bread and blessed and broke it and gave it to them. And their eyes were opened and they recognized him” (Luke 24:30-31).

Jesus is still accepting invitations into the homes of people, especially disciples, who forget they are sinners saved by divine goodness. Jesus is still breaking bread and blessing it for those who are tired of the meal served by this world filled with greed, power, and false promises of prosperity.

Jesus says, “Take eat.”

Ronald Friesen © 2015

The Sabbath is here

Jesus has died and his body is now safely in the donated tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.

As Jesus was led from the Garden of Gethsemane, he was heard to say, “But this your hour, and the power of darkness” (Luke 22:53). It is the hour for the power of darkness to be revealed.

As we have been sitting with Jesus at the table, we have been reminded over and over again how Jesus is sitting with men whose lives are filled Satan, with evil, and with greed. Their hearts hunger for power, for military strength, and economic security. They represent all of humanity in its complexity to be their own persons without any divine involvement. They represent us in this 21^st century. They demonstrate our spiritual bankruptcy. We are a people who live in this hour of darkness.

We cannot quickly leave this dark place for if we do, we will soon return because we will have not fully learned the lessons the darkness has to teach us. We cannot fulfill this word of wisdom, “Do not forget in the light, the lessons learned in the darkness,” until we sit and absorb the lessons we are to learn in the darkness.

Wherever you are today, turn off the light, if you can, and sit in the darkness with Jesus.

Ronald Friesen © 2015

“It is enough.”

The last table talk dialogue recorded by Luke in his Gospel is often the most disputed and complex of all. Jesus tells the disciples to do something that is contrary to what he has taught them so far in his teaching. Jesus taught his disciples to not take any kind of purse, or money or weapon when they went out to minister in the community (Luke 9:1-6).

Now Jesus tells them to do all the things he told them not to do: go buy a purse, buy a backpack, and buy a sword. Upon hearing about the sword, the disciples say, “We have two.” Jesus reply? “It is enough.”

As we know it didn’t take long for the sword to be used as one of the followers of Jesus cut off the ear of the High Priest’s servant (Luke 22:49-52). Jesus response was swift: “No more violence.”

It is also easy to know when we are among sinners who trust their own street smarts instead of the way of Jesus. This is the point of this story about the purse, and backpack and the sword. Luke identifies the reason the disciples were encouraged to disobey the teaching of Jesus was to demonstrate that Jesus was among sinners (Luke 22:37).

Jesus is still among sinners and still inviting us to his table of forgiveness. How often have we gone our own way? How often have we thought we needed more than one sword? How often have we decided to trust in our material resources instead of God?

Come to the table and dine.

Ronald Friesen ©2015 

Peter, the Denier of Jesus

“Peter, Peter, behold, Satan demanded to have you [plural, i.e, The Twelve], that he might sift you [plural] like wheat, but I have prayed for you [singular] that your faith might not fail and when you have turned again, strengthen your brothers” (Luke 22:31-32).

Everything and everyone is at stake in this part of Jesus’ table talk – yes, even the church! Clearly there has been a spiritual war going on in the heavens between God and Satan. Just as in the story of Job, Satan has been begging God to test one of his soldiers. God relents and lets Satan lose on Peter.

The battle is not won because Peter is up to the struggle. Satan has the power to test Peter’s commitment to Jesus and wins. Peter returns to his faith, finds relief and comes back to lead the church and minister to his fellow disciples.

In taking the bread and the cup the disciples are signifying their participation in the struggle and in the intercession of Jesus.

Following Jesus is never easy! You will be tested! Jesus is praying for your victory today. (Romans 8: 34)

Accept Jesus’ invitation to come to the table and sit with struggling disciples who are being prayed for by the Host.

Ronald Friesen © 2015

“Who is the greatest?’

The disciples knew there was a shift coming. For months they heard Jesus talk about his death and resurrection. They didn’t pay much attention to Jesus’ words about “three days, “ but they knew something was up about his death.

Who will take over if Jesus is gone?

This table talk conversation is between Jesus and men who are sinners. (We may be tempted to sanitize the story and focus on their title as “apostles” however, the emphasis in the Gospel of Luke is that Jesus is sitting at a table full of sinners who are more friends of evil than of good.) All of this, of course, is good news for us sinners. It should be of no surprise to us that they are turning the table conversation into a political bar fight. “I will the chairman of the kingdom.” “No, I am the favored one, I will be the chairman!”

These table guests did not get it all. They did not notice that it was Jesus who was serving them not them serving Jesus. The best they did was to divide the bread and cup among themselves. Jesus interrupts the argument with these words, “I am among you as the one who serves.” Jesus serves them in life and in death. In his death Jesus becomes the least and the greatest.

I invite you to the table of Jesus who served you in his death.

Ron Friesen © 2015