Grace to a Sinner

On that dark day at Calvary, Jesus was crucified alongside two criminals. In Luke 23:39-43, one of the criminals is indignant. He yells at Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!"

The second criminal rebukes him, saying, "Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? ⁴¹And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong."

There are times when I wonder who I am in this account. Am I the bitter criminal hurling insults at God? Or am I the man who knows that I am rightfully condemned and have no one to blame but myself?

I will admit there are times when I am bitter. I get angry at God. I feel abandoned when things don't go right; when it feels the entire universe is conspiring against me. And so I scream to the heavens and demand an answer and compensation. I feel that God owes me something and is denying me the good that I deserve. After all, how many tests am I supposed to silently suffer through before I can ask when it will all pay off?

It's about this time that I remember how much I am like the second man on the cross that day. When I look at my life, I am often ashamed of what I see. I have the capacity to be a very un-Christian person. I am judgmental, lazy, cruel, selfish, hateful, lustful, and gluttonous. I don't consider others before myself. I put earthly gains over spiritual pursuits. I'm not just a sinner, I'm a repeat offender — taking forgiveness and then slipping back into my old ways. There is evidence to put me away. I'm guilty and I know it.

The criminal understands that he belongs up on a cross, dying slowly and painfully for his crimes. He takes a chance in what he says next: "Jesus, remember me when you come into^* your kingdom."

Surprisingly, Jesus' words to this man are not words of judgment or condemnation. He doesn't call down fire and brimstone, but instead offers words of comfort and grace. "Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise."

We don't know what this man did to deserve his punishment. Jesus doesn't ask and it really doesn't matter whether he participated in a rebellion against the Empire or committed a murder — because he's us. Yet, Jesus is merciful to everyone, even those of us who count ourselves among the worst of sinners. That grace is something I don't fully understand. My sentence is just, yet Jesus says that I will be with him in Paradise.

I don't feel like I deserve it. I feel terrible, like I'm taking advantage of the system. But grace is a free gift, given to sinners like me. It's a promise that even when the world appears to be crashing down — when I'm condemned — God is with me, suffering with me. Even when I curse his name, he loves me. His grace truly is amazing.

Great Emergence

This past March, I had the opportunity to attend the Re-Emergence Conference in Belfast, Northern Ireland. About 60 people were squeezed into the little building in a residential area of the city to hear the keynote speakers and engage in meaningful discussion about the Great Emergence.

But what is the Emergence? Honestly, I don't know if there's a clear answer, but I'll try to give you the definition Phyllis Tickle gave in one of her presentations.

She defines the Emergence as a movement within the Christian church toward a non-hierarchical, de-institutionalized structure. It is, essentially, a new Reformation, and one that's definitely overdue.

Phyllis has a theory that every 500 years, the Church has a big rummage sale to get rid of all of it's old baggage and outdated ideas. Go back 500 years and you'll find the Reformation and the establishment of the Protestant tradition. 500 years before that, you'll find the Great Schism and the division between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. 500 years before that and we see the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. 500 years before that brings us to the time of Christ. So, if we really are on a 500-year cycle, it's time for us to make some changes.

Our society is radically different than it was even 50 years ago. We live in a global world connected at the speed of light to every point on the planet and many people are leaving the church because it no longer serves their needs and addresses the issues that effect them. What do we need to change and how? There are lots of ideas, but very few answers at this point.

I am not qualified and I don't know if I'm called, but I am excited to be alive now as we try to hash out what the Emergence is and determine its direction. Where do we go from here? We question, we probe, and we try to interpret God's will for us. It should be an amazing journey.