No Going Back

Some time before I was born, a whole bunch of people were traveling toward a desert, being pursued by an army of Egyptians. Traveling is not really the right word, it was more like fleeing. Regrettably they found themselves between a sea of soldiers and the Red Sea. An older fellow called Moses, who was leading them, stood before them and encouraged them that their God had rescued them and that He wouldn't have led them to die. As he stood at the waters edge he struck his staff (which has a great story behind it) against the water and the sea began to separate.

This is the beginning of a great reminder summarised by the Jewish God, YHWH, who calls Himself, the God who 'brought you out of Egypt'. The parting of the sea was a defining moment. God was going to do the impossible in order to save the Israelites from their oppressors. It was defining because they had left their home, plundered their masters, and headed off. The Egyptians pursued them, wanting them back, even though they had suffered consequences from keeping them under duress, and had finally given in to letting them go. I don't think the Egyptians saw clearly very often. The Israelites walked on dry ground...on the bed of the Red Sea. And then the Egyptians followed. It's one thing to pursue your ex-slaves, but to rush into an impossible situation created by your oppositions' God, and thinking you'll win? That's just plain dumb.

So the Israelites came to the other side of the sea. They stood on the shore, watching the Egyptians ride after them...and then the walls of sea either side of them caved in and the Egyptian army, and Pharaoh, and maybe some curious birds, drowned. Gone. Done with. And the Israelites were safe. On top of that great drama, they couldn't go back. Through some miracle they had made a decision to leave shelter for the desert, and once through the sea walls, there was no going back. No way.

As the Israelites travelled through the desert they did do the odd bit of complaining about life not being quite as luxurious as in Egypt ("Oh, the cucumbers!"), but they couldn't go back. They couldn't return to their previous life. And they had taken a hole lot of good things from their previous life, but they couldn't return. The good had come, but their old masters, slave-masters, and the systems that oppressed them to be worthless, had been done away with; destroyed. They hadn't come with them into their new life.

When Christians get baptised they feel a bit weird. What am I doing exactly? they think. Of course I'm still realising, even today, the significance of my baptism. There's the simple truth that I die (with Jesus on the cross, where he died in my place) to myself, my old life, and rise with Jesus (because he is the resurrection). Then there's more complex things going on I only realise now. Like the comparison made with baptism and the Exodus; the story of the Israelites leaving Egypt through the Red Sea. And I realise there's no going back. I can't go back to my old life. I've got some good stuff, because God isn't completely vindictive and until we accept him have a horrible existence, and I've also left behind the old master. The things that oppressed me, made me do things against my better judgment.

And why did it take me this long to figure out? I'd like to blame a lot of things, but my most basic reason is something I'm going to write a book on, I think. That baptism (a couple of years ago) saved me. That will upset some people. Because baptism also doesn't save you. Jesus saved me. And baptism was that in a public, active form. No one told me what baptism would do, because it's a scary thing to say that this immersion in water is more than that. But I'm so glad I did it, rather than listen to the teaching, think of it as an obligation, and decide against it. Baptism in water is so vital for everyone who believes in Jesus, there is no going back once it's happened. It changes everything.

I don't ever want to dry off.

How to Change

There are generally two kinds of people, morally: Those who care and those who don’t. The majority of people care, but are hypocrites. The others, those who don’t care, are also hypocrites. The differences aren’t actually in the person, but in the people around them. Those who don’t care justify themselves claiming they aren’t hurting anyone. This is hypocritical because they feel they have to make excuses for actions they shouldn’t care about. It’s also lying because it usually hurting someone.

Those who care have worked out a morality that they want to live by, only they don’t. That is as simple as hating it when people lie to them, but creating half-truths for everyone else so they only see a false representation of them. This is solved by self-discipline, we discover.

If I am to live by these rules I’d better get my act together; it’s not going to happen by wishing, is it?

This usually lasts 2-3 days:
I will keep my workspace tidy
Ø 3 days
I will wash up after every meal
Ø 3 days
I will say thank you to anyone who helps me
Ø 3 days
I will keep my bedroom clean
Ø 2 days

This actually doesn’t make you a better person. It simply accentuates your natural ability to fail. There are about 6 strong-willed people in the world, and they can’t relate to this, but their issue is in being unable to rest, and regroup. Be where they and no thinking about other things, either next or tomorrow; or on holiday.

When Jesus came to show a life that is actually living, there was something different about his treatment of people. He expected nothing from anyone. Sure he spoke with discipline at times, but it wasn’t done out of disgust, but with a heart of service. When Jesus walks on the scene, miracles, people, and his disciples somewhere in the crowd, following him, he doesn’t ask anything of anyone. He said he didn’t come to be served, but to serve. He came to show how true authority is true generosity.

His ultimate accumulation of service happened as he died, taking the punishment for the selfishness of the world’s corruption. His achievement was that through his death and the defeat of death and corruption in his resurrection, was the freedom that brought in those who trusted him. They were free to give themselves fully to the service of others.

One follower of Jesus wrote, later on in the growth of this community of believers, about the Spirit that lives in a Christian: The fruit of the Spirit living in you is “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-discipline.” Notice how self-discipline is part of the life of a follower of Jesus, not something that will make you more loving or joyful or faithful or patient.

These attributes come out of self-giving service to others. What might that mean for you? Before you answer that, talk to Jesus. He knows you better than you do.

The Direction of Art

I find myself at a loss for words, so often, when challenged with art that is genuinely repulsive. Either I hate it because it's just rubbish; there is no talent involved in placing a shopping trolley in a white room. Or I dislike it because it causes a reaction in me of utter disgust. However, if the aim of Art is to captivate the audience, these two forms are on their way with getting my attention. Regardless of how long I perceive these artforms, I can't describe my reaction as 'captivated.' A sunset captivates me; the flight of millions of swallows; water down a plug hole. I know art is a relative world, but I can't imagine anyone ever being captivated by a series of boxes piled just right so that it looks like a genuine pile of boxes.

אהבה

Transliteration

'ahabah

Pronunciation

a·hab·ä

Three Hebrew words make up the translation into English of Love. It shows how redundant our language can become.

First comes

Transliteration ra`yah

Pronunciation rah·yä'

Second comes

Transliteration 'ahabah

Pronunciation a·hab·ä

And third comes

Transliteration dowd

Pronunciation dode

ra `yah is the kind of love two friends have. It's better than companionship, because it's like saying I've seen you in the good times, and I've seen you in the really bad times, and I'm still walking with you. That's a good friend.

dowd is what people try to recreate in sex. It doesn't work because sex is the final outworking of a great love. It can be translated as a mingling. But a deep mingling of two souls.

'ahabah is the bit linking to two. It's more than commitment. It's when your spouse is about to kill you and you stand there with them and say 'I'm not going anywhere.'
It's beyond commitment. When you have such great hostility thrown at you and you stand, or hide behind something but still very much in the same room, and say '...there's no place I'd rather be than here, right here with you.'

That's an insane kind of commitment, that is more than someone who stands by you when you're in a bad place, under attack from something, or everything just seems to be going wrong, they stand right there with you, holding you up while you take flak.

They stand right there with you while you pour hot coals over their head, or punch them in the arms, or steal something from them, take a pleasure away from them, they stand by you. Telling you, "I'm not going anywhere."

This is God to you. How much have you done to go against His friendship? Hold everythnig back because you want it to be yours? Not involved Him in something He knows He needs to be involved in? Simply ignored His outstretched hands continually? Or even you lead yourself into a terrible place of having nothing, no one around you, and no support wherever you turn. You've put yourself in a place where everything just falls down around you.

Jesus just turns to you and says, not only, 'I'm right here with you,' but also, "and I'm not going anywhere. There's no place I'd rather be than with you."