Not showy

The fragrance of pittosporum rides on a damp breeze during my pre-dawn run. Lord, in my life, make the sillage of knowing Jesus just as pleasant and attractive.

Stations of my heart

It’s Holy Week. And as some Christian traditions walk the Stations of the Cross, I am reading through the Easter story and I am recognizing the stations of my heart, through Jesus’ disciples.

Palm Sunday — Station of Awe

Sometimes my heart cries ‘Hosanna in the Highest!’. It bows in awe and adoration of the King of kings. My heart sees Jesus seated on the throne at the right hand of the Father, with all of his majesty and glory on display.

Maundy Thursday — Stations of Weariness, Rebellion, Fear

Like Jesus’ disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, I can become weary and tune out. Like Judas—and for less than thirty pieces of silver—I betray Jesus, who said: ‘The one who has my commands and holds on to them is the one who loves me’. And like Peter, my heart can become fearful to the point of denying my Lord.

Good Friday — Stations of Boldness and Grief

There are times when I, like Simon of Cyrene, take up my cross, being yoked to the instrument of Jesus’ death. Like Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, I sometimes offer my resources to honor Jesus. And like these men and the women who witnessed Jesus’ death, I am appalled by what my sin required of ‘He who knew no sin’. At the same time, I am emboldened by the way Jesus faced death and by the gift of his life. There is no greater gift than this: that a man lay down his life for a friend.

Sunday — Stations of Confusion and Doubt, then Worship

Where is the Lord, this conquering King? Why doesn’t he meet my expectations and deliver me from the devastation of Sin? Is Jesus really the one? Is Jesus really alive? First, the women. Then the disciples. And finally Thomas. All struggled with disbelief. But when doubt is swept away by a blessed assurance, I can confess along with Thomas: ‘My Lord and my God’.

Consistently, Jesus pastored his disciples through Holy Week. And he is my pastor wherever my heart happens to be.

Four asks of formation

Only since the invention of the Gutenberg press and the Protestant Reformation have regular people had access to the Scriptures. The inventiveness of Johannes Gutenberg was a grace. Translation of the Scriptures from Latin to English (and other languages) is a grace. And widespread reading literacy is a grace. We can be grateful to Gutenberg, Luther, and our teachers for being instruments of God’s grace to us. Ultimately, we’re grateful to God.

Having received so much grace, now we’re responsible to be good stewards of it. Do we read what so many of our ancestors longed for? Does reading literacy become Bible literacy for us?

When we read our Bibles, four questions will form us as citizens of God’s kingdom:

1. Ask: Who is God?

Who is God? And what is he like? God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. What do his names tell us about him? How is he described by those who followed him? And how does he reveal himself?

2. Ask: How does God dwell with his people?

What was God’s attitude toward his people? What was their attitude towards him? In Israel, the Old Testament shows us so tangibly how God cares for us, how he guides and corrects us for our good, and how he hopes others will see him by our example. What was true in the Old Testament, was also true of Jesus in the Gospels, and true of the Holy Spirit since. Then, Revelation casts vision for God dwelling with us for all eternity.

3. Ask: Who are we in Christ?

This phrase ‘in Christ’, along with its partner ‘Christ in us’, aren’t magical concepts. They mean we are immersed in the ways of Jesus and saturated with his ways to our core. People filled with God’s ways, and surround by his ways, have a new identity. How does the Bible describe that identity? What are the many markers of that identity?

4. Ask: What is God’s kingdom like?

Jesus talked so much about his kingdom—a word to describe everything submitted to his authority as King. His kingdom has a culture that’s often described as an upside-down (or right-side-up) culture—so opposite to the patterns of the world. How does he describe that culture? How do the other New Testament writers describe it?

As we read the Bible, we should continually ask these four questions and internalize the answers. By this habit, and in the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be formed more and more into the likeness of Jesus. His kingdom will become more normal, less foreign to us.