This fall, one of my classes has been Luke-Acts, a seminar class on these two books of the bible. It's been interesting, to say the least, and both challenging and fun to work on the skill of reading scripture closely for themes, motifs, etc., as well as reading through commentaries on scripture.
Wednesday, we had our midterm exam for the class. We have gotten through all of Luke so far, so the midterm was basically on the gospel of Luke. As I prepared for the midterm, I knew the best thing I could do was to simply read the gospel in order to be familiar with it. So, Wednesday morning before my first class, I sat in LemonJello's with a mug of Love Buzz on my right, a blueberry muffin on my left, earbuds playing instrumental music by Balmorhea in place (look them up...solid), and the bible in my hands...and I read Luke!
I love that because of what I am studying at Hope, there are times where what I am reading for homework crosses over as what I can also read as a personal devotion in time with God. However, because of this, a problem arises. Well, it's not really a problem...but you'll know what I mean. I set out to read through Luke to review everything I had already read for class, confirming and memorizing themes, and simply to review the material needed for the academic exercise of the midterm. However, because I was reading the holy Word of God, specifically stories of Christ's ministry on earth, I was constantly moved to a place of awe and worship. The problem became that my response of awe and worship (which isn't a problem...haha) was distracting me from focusing on overarching themes of the text in order to prepare for a midterm. However, I was quite alright with being distracted from studying, for what I was reading truly did move me into awe, wonder, and ultimately worship.
I was reading Luke 5, and the healing of the paralytic in verses 17-26 completely captivated my attention.
(I'll sum it up, but you should definitely read it too...it's good stuff.)
Jesus is preaching, and the house is packed. Some dudes are outside with their friend who is paralyzed. They've heard about who Jesus is, and they desperately want to have Jesus see their friend...they have hope and faith in what they have heard, that somehow, through this man Jesus, their friend could be healed. But, the house is packed, they can't get in. So, they do what we all would do if we showed up to a place at full capacity...climb up to the roof, cut a hole in it, and lower their friend into the house. Likewise, Jesus reacts like any preacher who was interrupted in his sermon would to a person being lowered through a recently-forged hole in the roof...he stops where he's at, sees their great faith, and declares that the man's sins are forgiven. The Pharisees present don't like this at all...only God can forgive sins! Jesus knows their thoughts, and demonstrates his power and authority over sin by healing the man right in front of everyone. Then, the guy stands right up, grabs his mat, and walks home to his house. In the last verse, we see the response: "Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, "We have seen remarkable things today."
I read this section, and instead of continuing on to cover as much of Luke as possible before my exam, I went back and read it again. And again. And as I kept reading it, I began to imagine myself in this scene. I imagined what it would have been like to witness these things...what I would have thought, what I would have felt, how I would have responded to this series of events. Here's what I imagined:
____
It's a packed house, and although we are slightly uncomfortable, it is well worth it to be listening to an amazing teacher and prophet preach the word. Out of nowhere, some dudes break open the roof and lower this paralyzed man lying on a mat down. Murmuring and even angry/annoyed shouts rise up from the crowd; even I am completely astounded at this. We don't know what to expect from Jesus...maybe he'll rebuke them, tell them to not interrupt, or send them away. But, we definitely don't expect what comes next. He acknowledges their faith, and forgives the man of his sin. Now, the murmurs swarm even thicker; everyone is nervously looking around, stealing glances at the group of Pharisees in the middle of the crowd. We know they will NOT be okay with what Jesus just said. But then, Jesus speaks again, seeming to have read everyone's nervous thoughts all at once!
Jesus promises to demonstrate his power and authority over sin, and at this, the room becomes IMMEDIATELY silent, sitting in still anticipation. Is something miraculous going to happen? The potential of the supernatural permeates every inch of the fully packed, now sunlit room; the moment seems to hang, suspended with an anticipation for something miraculous, something unbelievable, something Holy.
Jesus shouts out to the man, "Stand up! Rise to your feet, pick up your mat, and walk home!" For a split second, I think, almost cynically, Something better happen...otherwise, Jesus is going to come off as the most insensitive person on the planet.
And then, the unthinkable happens.
The man, who I had seen around town for years, who had been paralyzed for as long as I could remember, who I had always seen in his mat surrounded by friends whom he depended on for everything, begins to move. He starts to sit up, growing taller. Then, his legs begin to move; he slides his feet underneath his hips. Already, I am unbelievably dismayed, and any cynicism that was present has completely vanished...but he's not done. He presses his feet into the mat lying on the ground, and his body slowly begins to rise. With every inch he rises, my eyes grow bigger. I finally realize, this paralyzed man is rising to his feet! Jesus commanded him to stand, and he is standing! As he reaches his full height, gasps, shouts, and even screams are rising from the crowd; no one can believe what they are seeing. He now stands tall, and the fact that he is standing on his own two feet finally dawns on him. He shouts for joy, and we can understand his language completely; not by the words of Greek he speaks, but by the exclamation of his heart and spirit that no language can articulate.
THIS MAN IS STANDING.
The moment of expectation and anticipation that seemed to hang for an eternity has been replaced with awe, wonder, constant eye-rubbing, and joy. This Jesus, the great teacher and prophet, has just given this man the ability to stand, and in doing so has established his ability to forgive sins. Could it be...could this truly be the Son of God in our midst?
The man is ecstatic, and barely knows what to do with his excitement. But, he remembers the command, and bends at the waist to pick up his mat. He slings it over his shoulder, and he begins to walk towards the door. The room, which had before been too packed for anyone to get through, now has a clear path toward the doorway, as the people frantically move out of his way. Cheers, shouts, whistles, you name it; as the man makes his way through the house, the people erupted. We all are completely blown away by the fact that he is WALKING back to his house!
In light of seeing this miracle happen, our hearts move to a response. After seeing this type of power and authority used in such a miraculous and truly good way, we remain in the room in complete awe and wonder, and we respond by praising God for what he has done. Truly, we have seen a remarkable thing today, unlike anything we have seen before. Our anticipation of something Holy was more than met. We have witnessed the power of God in a way set apart from any other experience. We are in awe, and we are in wonder; we praise, and we worship.
____
I just imagined myself in that position, in awe of our God, of his greatness, of his goodness, of his power to do something we could not even imagine happening. Sitting in LJ's in Holland, Michigan with a muffin and a coffee before me in an attempt to study for a class, I was worshiping God for something he did 2000 years ago. So much awe, so much wonder.
Friends, this God that was able to perform the miracle for that man is the same God that we worship today. This God that inspired such awe and wonder is the same God that works in our world today. God is still that awesome, still that wonderful, still that remarkable, still that deserving of our worship and our praise...and he is still working in our world in ways that should blow our minds, if we only noticed what he is up to.
Never forget this; our God is a God of miracles, of the Kingdom to come, and of power and authority for those who have faith to believe that this world can be touched by the living God and changed completely.
It's the Same God.
"Everyone was amazed and gave praise to God. They were filled with awe and said, 'We have seen remarkable things today.' "
Today, and every day, may we be searching for the Remarkable. May we search for the hand of God acting in our world and be moved to awe and wonder at the Greatness and Power of our God.
Friday, October 21, 2011
5 Months of Silence FINALLY Broken!
In my very first post on this blog, I mentioned the potential for complete lapses in the consistency of blog posts.
This, my friends, can be considered exhibit A.
As summer began, my habits were allllll screwed up, and I fell out of the habit of blogging. Then school started, and I never got back into it. So, I guess a little life update is in order. Maybe first a more general one, then one more specific on what I've been learning/seeing in life lately. (I know...possibly 2 posts in one day. What a way to break a 5 month silence, right?)
Summer was....um...a lot of things.
Boring. A letdown. Lacking focus/drive. Lazy. Constant setbacks. Repeated Hospital visits. 2 steps forward, 1 step back.
And yet, at the same time...this summer was one in which I grew more than any other time in my life. And so it's ironic and counter-intuitive, but one of the worst summers of my life was at the very same time one of the best summers of my life. (It's also a little cheesy...but that's okay.)
There's so much more I could say about this, and more I will say. I've decided that at the end of this year, there is a definite need for a full reflection on the entire year. 2011 has been a long, long journey, with many experiences, many lessons learned, many lessons fought, so much growth, and SO much faithfulness from God...serioustly, so nuts. I'm excited to spend a good amount of time in the end of December reflecting on everything that has happened altogether. Hindsight is a good thing, a true gift from God, and I'm still learning lessons from things that happened months ago...blows my mind.
One of my last posts in May was about this super-cool idea to make this summer a creative one, one in which I could take advantage of all this extra spare time I had and create something every day, whether music, poetry, art, food...something. Yeah...didn't so much happen. Great in theory, horrible in practice. Again, my habits were pretty poor this summer. Without anything that really kept me going, reasons to get up in the morning, deadlines, to meet, etc., it took WAY longer than I originally thought to finish the one remaining paper from spring semester...as in I turned it in August 1. The month of May was a lot of sitting around and doing nothing. Way too much Xbox, that's for sure. (That's what I mean by poor habits...hah). June I started to make progress on the paper, but then had 2 hope soccer day camps I was able to work. Then had a little more work time, then 1 week of an overnight Hope soccer camp and CAC in July. Other than that and leading worship at church around once a month...didn't do much in terms of production. Again, hence the lazy/boring summer mentioned above. Also, the summer lacking creativity.
Health-wise...I had two more surgeries in the summer, and a stretch of 5 days where I was admitted into the hospital to receive care. Surgery in May to finally extract the hardware from the infected ankle. (After that surgery, during every wound vac dressing change, I could see my bone. Kinda gross...but also super cool haha). Skin graft surgery in the end of June to finally close the wound. Kinda worked...mostly didn't (mostly due to my lack of resting and waiting for myself to heal). So, ankle caught another infection (MRSA! woo hoo!) during CAC week, and I had to leave camp on Friday. Was admitted for the weekend, and waited for test results till Tuesday. Results were no bone infection, which was huge. Infection treatment was just oral antibiotics for 2 weeks, easy fix. And, despite the wound still being open, some of the graft remained, and the wound closed SUPER quickly relative to the crazy-slow process with the wound vac. By mid August, the wound was closed, and I FINALLY began physical therapy for the ankle. Now it's mid October, and I'm finishing up PT on the cusp of jogging. Recovery is a beautiful thing. (Again, probs gonna be a post that relates to this idea in more detail later. I love metaphors.) :-)
Now, I'm in my senior year at Hope with a full 16 credits along with all the work from the internship from last year. Add a few other campus involvements with campus ministries, the Hope Way, etc., and I am one busy senior. But really, who isn't, right?
That's a life update from May in the simplest form, with purely details and very little reflection. Now I'm caught up, and now I can hopefully get back into a habit of using this thing to get my thoughts down and reflect on life, worship, God's glory, God's grace, and what it means for us to truly live as disciples of the Living God.
Among other things. :-)
Hope all of my readers are doing well. To the three or four of you, stay tuned...more to come soon.
Grace and Peace,
Tom
This, my friends, can be considered exhibit A.
As summer began, my habits were allllll screwed up, and I fell out of the habit of blogging. Then school started, and I never got back into it. So, I guess a little life update is in order. Maybe first a more general one, then one more specific on what I've been learning/seeing in life lately. (I know...possibly 2 posts in one day. What a way to break a 5 month silence, right?)
Summer was....um...a lot of things.
Boring. A letdown. Lacking focus/drive. Lazy. Constant setbacks. Repeated Hospital visits. 2 steps forward, 1 step back.
And yet, at the same time...this summer was one in which I grew more than any other time in my life. And so it's ironic and counter-intuitive, but one of the worst summers of my life was at the very same time one of the best summers of my life. (It's also a little cheesy...but that's okay.)
There's so much more I could say about this, and more I will say. I've decided that at the end of this year, there is a definite need for a full reflection on the entire year. 2011 has been a long, long journey, with many experiences, many lessons learned, many lessons fought, so much growth, and SO much faithfulness from God...serioustly, so nuts. I'm excited to spend a good amount of time in the end of December reflecting on everything that has happened altogether. Hindsight is a good thing, a true gift from God, and I'm still learning lessons from things that happened months ago...blows my mind.
One of my last posts in May was about this super-cool idea to make this summer a creative one, one in which I could take advantage of all this extra spare time I had and create something every day, whether music, poetry, art, food...something. Yeah...didn't so much happen. Great in theory, horrible in practice. Again, my habits were pretty poor this summer. Without anything that really kept me going, reasons to get up in the morning, deadlines, to meet, etc., it took WAY longer than I originally thought to finish the one remaining paper from spring semester...as in I turned it in August 1. The month of May was a lot of sitting around and doing nothing. Way too much Xbox, that's for sure. (That's what I mean by poor habits...hah). June I started to make progress on the paper, but then had 2 hope soccer day camps I was able to work. Then had a little more work time, then 1 week of an overnight Hope soccer camp and CAC in July. Other than that and leading worship at church around once a month...didn't do much in terms of production. Again, hence the lazy/boring summer mentioned above. Also, the summer lacking creativity.
Health-wise...I had two more surgeries in the summer, and a stretch of 5 days where I was admitted into the hospital to receive care. Surgery in May to finally extract the hardware from the infected ankle. (After that surgery, during every wound vac dressing change, I could see my bone. Kinda gross...but also super cool haha). Skin graft surgery in the end of June to finally close the wound. Kinda worked...mostly didn't (mostly due to my lack of resting and waiting for myself to heal). So, ankle caught another infection (MRSA! woo hoo!) during CAC week, and I had to leave camp on Friday. Was admitted for the weekend, and waited for test results till Tuesday. Results were no bone infection, which was huge. Infection treatment was just oral antibiotics for 2 weeks, easy fix. And, despite the wound still being open, some of the graft remained, and the wound closed SUPER quickly relative to the crazy-slow process with the wound vac. By mid August, the wound was closed, and I FINALLY began physical therapy for the ankle. Now it's mid October, and I'm finishing up PT on the cusp of jogging. Recovery is a beautiful thing. (Again, probs gonna be a post that relates to this idea in more detail later. I love metaphors.) :-)
Now, I'm in my senior year at Hope with a full 16 credits along with all the work from the internship from last year. Add a few other campus involvements with campus ministries, the Hope Way, etc., and I am one busy senior. But really, who isn't, right?
That's a life update from May in the simplest form, with purely details and very little reflection. Now I'm caught up, and now I can hopefully get back into a habit of using this thing to get my thoughts down and reflect on life, worship, God's glory, God's grace, and what it means for us to truly live as disciples of the Living God.
Among other things. :-)
Hope all of my readers are doing well. To the three or four of you, stay tuned...more to come soon.
Grace and Peace,
Tom
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