the cross and the crown

The way of Jesus is found in the following words - Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.


In these words we discover both a cross and a crown. A cross in that Jesus did not cling to what was rightfully His. A cross in that Jesus relinquished His rights to self-exaltation and self-determination. A cross in that the pathway of God led through suffering and death. We also find a crown. The Father gave Jesus a name above every name; a supreme authority. All creation recognizes the supremacy of Christ.

However, the crown came only because of the cross. Satan tempted Jesus to take a shortcut to glory - Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” Ah yes...the glory without the cross. How appealing to our self-perserving nature!

If we are followers of Jesus, we can expect His example to be our own road map. The image of God within us yearns for greatness and glory. However, that glory can only be achieved by yielding to God's ways. We continually face the temptation to grasp at the glory without yielding to the work and the ways of God. Satan still offers a similitude of glory without needing to go through the cross; a glory that allows us to choose our own cross (which incidentally is not a cross at all) instead of allowing God to determine our cross. Far too often the appealing offer of the crown without the cross entices us and we yield to the way of self-preservation.

As a result we are left bowing to Satan. We may have an appearance of glory but it is but a hollow empty shell compared to the power and authority granted by the Father as we embrace the death to self that following Jesus requires. We hustle and bustle with great gusto in an effort to look important. All our efforts, however, are rather empty with no real power to bring any kind of transformation.

There are no shortcuts to glory, no easy way to authority. Unless we submit to the Father's ways we can never truly wear a crown. The cross and the crown cannot be separated 

prophets

In the Old Testament we discover prophets with strange names (to us) speaking to God’s people. Usually their writings were simply titled by their name. They were an eclectic bunch. Amos was a breeder of sheep. Hosea married a prostitute. Some are identified by their father – Joel the son of Pethuel. One, Jeremiah, was the son of a priest.


Each of them has one thing in common. Their words are passionate. Passionate in the way they pointed out where the people of God had left the ways of God. Passionate as they communicated the heart of God and His love toward His people.

One other thing they hold in common. While they spoke for God, they largely operated outside the religious and political systems of the day. They spoke to the systems and the people within the systems but they were not really connected to the systems.

Why would God not choose priests or kings to be His prophets? I am convinced that it is difficult if not impossible to speak prophetically to those who write your paycheck. The human nature subtly tempers the prophetic voice if it is pointed at the ones who give us a sense of security. So God gave His words to those who would clearly communicate them, to those who were not tied to a religious or political system. Might it still be the same today?

conversation

The stillness of the early morning allows for the mind and heart to be clear. That occured again early this morning in the barn with the cows. My mind wandered through a number of conversations that I either observed or in which I participated in the past weeks. Our conversations reveal a good deal about the condition of our heart, about the paradigms to which we hold.

There was the conversation in my truck almost two weeks ago. The Vice President of Reasearch and Development in the company for which I work spent an afternoon with me. We talked about cattle nutrition, our dreams, and life in general. All the while the theme of the kingdom of God wove its way throughout the conversation. There was a conversation yesterday with Karisa at breakfast. We discussed the brokenness we encounter in the world; sin and how we so often miss the good things God has for us. Last weekend our conversation with Justin touched on community and seeing people for the way they really are. These were kingdom conversations, all dealing with issues in the realm of God. They were heart conversations with deep emotions present in every interaction.

I also observed conversations in the past several weeks, conversations between Christians. Please do not hear what I am going to say as criticism. I am simply sharing my observations. These conversations were much more shallow. There was much talk about the church service, the quality of worship, and various programs. Lest you think I am being critical, I must confess that for many years of my walk with God, these themes dominated my interaction with God and with others.

In the stillness of the morning this morning, my mind reflected on these various conversations. I had to wonder if perhaps our fascination with the trappings of church provide a cheap substitute for the real thing. Might we be too consumed with the success of our churches that we are missing the point? Might the activities of church be a replacement of the more important things in the kingdom of God? As Jesus put it - the weightier matters of justice, mercy, and faith.

community

We spent this weekend in South Carolina at Clemson with Justin where he is enrolled in the PhD program. Friday evening he and his friends took us to Bluegrass and Barbecue for dinner followed by a visit to Nick's, a hole in the wall bar in downtown Clemson. Justin's friends are an eclectic group. They are all graduate students. Their political views, religious beliefs, and value systems are from every end of the spectrum, from Catholic to agnostic, from liberal to conservative, from Christian to pagan. However, the camaradorie in the group was evident. They freely discuss their differences without need to condemn.

As we discussed his friends with Justin, he made the following statement - "I like my friends, they are all broken". For the most part they understand their imperfections and the places where their life falls short. Instead of hiding behind a mask of goodness, they dare to be open. Without a doubt, some are more transparent than others, personality plays a role. However, there is little posturing. Justin spoke of the difficulty that will come when the time comes for each of them to move on to another place in life. He spoke of community like he never experienced before, community that he confessed could move him to tears with the depth of relationships.

As I reflect on our interaction with Hampton, Erin, Frank, Lori, Justin, and Trenti, I got the sense that Jesus would have been comfortable with them. It is the way it should be.