We All Fall Down

The following lesson comes from the ragamuffin soul of the late Brennan Manning. I believe that you- just like me- will be able to see yourself in these words. We all fall down. And then Jesus picks us up, dusts us off, and we start all over again- fresh, clean and new. Have a blessed Sabbath.

“Because salvation is by grace through faith, I believe that among the countless number of people standing in front of the throne and in front of the Lamb, dressed in white robes and holding palms in their hands (see Revelation 7:9), I shall see the prostitute from the Kit-Kat Ranch in Carson City, Nevada, who tearfully told me that she could find no other employment to support her two-year-old son. I shall see the woman who had an abortion and is haunted by guilt and remorse but did the best she could faced with grueling alternatives; the businessman besieged with debt who sold his integrity in a series of desperate transactions; the insecure clergyman addicted to being liked, who never challenged his people from the pulpit and longed for unconditional love; the sexually abused teen molested by his father and now selling his body on the street, who, as he falls asleep each night after his last 'trick', whispers the name of the unknown God he learned about in Sunday school. 

'But how?' we ask. 

Then the voice says, 'They have washed their robes and have made them white in the blood of the Lamb.' 

There they are. There *we* are - the multitude who so wanted to be faithful, who at times got defeated, soiled by life, and bested by trials, wearing the bloodied garments of life's tribulations, but through it all clung to faith. 

My friends, if this is not good news to you, you have never understood the gospel of grace.” 

― Brennan Manning, The Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat-Up, and Burnt Out

Because of Jesus,

Grace Free Zones

Back in 2011 I wrote this post for another blog. Recent news stories have prompted me to wonder aloud if our society- including our churches- really have a grasp of the love of Jesus, of his GRACE. We seem much more interested in condemnation and revenge. So I share this here today in the hopes of reminding us all that GRACE is not just a concept. It involves actions.

I attended my therapy group this morning and had a chance to talk to my friend Jose. I have known Jose for almost 4 years now, and we have become pretty close. Part of his life would seem fairly normal to you. He lives with his 5 dogs. He loves to garden and grows most of his own vegetables, which is nice since he is a vegetarian. He loves his mother and sisters, and speaks with them often even though they live far away. And he is a good friend.

Relating to other parts of his life may be more difficult for you. Jose has cancer of the liver. He has been undergoing both chemo and radiation treatments for a couple of months now. He has no appetite, has lost far too much weight, and is very weak. He has no idea how long he has left to live.  But the cancer is not the only challenge Jose faces daily. You see, Jose is a registered sex offender. He is one year away from finishing his 7 years of probation. And as we chatted this morning, our talk turned to the subject of GRACE.

As Jose lives what doctors tell him will be his last days, what he wants more than anything is to see his family again. They live in New York and Puerto Rico, and his probation prohibits him from travel. I have shared my faith with him on a number of occasions, paying particular emphasis to what GRACE really means. He hears me, and he gets it. What he finds difficult is believing in a God who offers unconditional love and second chances when he is surrounded by a society that offers only condemnation. Even after 7 years of earning a second chance he knows it is not likely to be forthcoming. The label "sex offender" is to this society what "leper" was to Jesus' day. Untouchable. Unforgivable. And as I tell this broken man that God has already forgiven him, and that Jesus came to save the untouchable and the unforgivable with GRACE, he simply can't believe it- because he hasn't experienced it. He is not a particularly spiritual man, and the concept of GRACE does not exist in the criminal justice system. Jose lives in a GRACE free zone.

It makes me wonder how many others there are in my life who can't understand God's GRACE because it has never been demonstrated by the people around them- including me. We live in a society that is quick to accuse and quick to condemn, but exceedingly slow to forgive (unless you happen to be an athlete or a celebrity). Jose has repented and turned from the lifestyle of sin that ruined his life. I have also been among the least and the lost, and I praise God that I had family and friends who showed me GRACE. What am I doing to pass God's love along to others who desperately need it? 

Update:
I spent a lot of time praying for my friend Jose, but he died in 2011 not long after this post was written. He never saw his family and he was never able to witness firsthand what GRACE can and should be. Don't let his story become the story of someone you care about, someone to whom you could be the carrier of that wonderful disease call GRACE. Who do you know who lives in a GRACE free zone?  Join with me in tearing down those walls...

Because of Jesus,

"Death...NOOOO..." (A Rant)

My son Will and I are huge movie buffs, and over the years we have developed our own "short hand" language, using lines from movies to make specific points to one another. One of our favorites comes from Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, the mostly forgettable sequel to the most excellent Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure. In the plot of Bogus Journey (and I use the term "plot" extremely loosely here!) Bill & Ted are battling the Grim Reaper for the right to not be dead. Yeah, you read that right. In one scene that are playing charades with some aliens (again, I cannot make this stuff up) and the aliens are making some wild gestures and hand signals, seeming to indicate it is a movie. Suddenly the Grim Reaper blurts out a guess- "Butch and Sundance, the Early Years!" Bill & Ted look at their teammate, shake their heads in disbelief and utter this immortal line- "Death...NOOOO..."

Anytime Will or I see or hear something that seems so completely moronic, out of place or inappropriate that we cannot believe it just happened, we will look at each other and repeat that line. It happens more often than you might think. It is our way of saying "I can't believe you just went there!" 

So what does this have to do with anything? I read a blog a while back from a guy I will call Kevin- because that is his name. I refuse to tell you more than that because I do not want to send traffic to his blog. (As a side rant, are there any other 3-2-1 Penguins fans out there who have trouble saying the name "Kev-innn" with a straight face?) In a post about the current state of the Christian church in USAmerica, he made the following statement:  

"The Jesus found in scripture would act differently and teach differently if he were in 21st century America. He would be much more conservative, much more restrained. He would focus more on sin and less on loving one another. The church needs to realize that just as Jesus would have a different focus, so must we. We need to preach hell fire and damnation. People need to understand that an angry Jesus is waiting to judge us.  Talk about grace all you want to, but trust me- we will all be judged."

"Death...NOOOO..."

We cannot re-write the teachings of Jesus (GOD!) just because they seem out of step with the church of today. Instead we must change our churches to be more in step with the radical, ridiculous love and grace of Jesus Christ. We are promised in scripture that he is the same yesterday, today and forever. I try really hard not be judgmental of others, but in this case, I believe Kevin has earned the coveted Green Weenie Award for representing the WORST the church has to offer our world. In fact, I would suggest to Kev that he check out the urban translation of Proverbs 10:19- "Speak not at all, because you are gonna' say something stupid!"

My prayer today is that God will grant me the wisdom and the strength to follow and represent the REAL Jesus. The one who came to save us, not condemn us. The one who taught us that whatever the question, love is the answer. The one who gave birth to the Church so that we might follow him, not so we can mold him to our beliefs. Thank you for loving me, Jesus.  And forgive me for my judgment of Kevin.

Because of Jesus,

Tomorrow

Today is the LORD's day. All over the world people will worship Him, pray to Him and thank Him for the grace and forgiveness He gives each of us through His Son, Jesus the Christ. Yes, today is the LORD's day. Is it the only day we will give Him this week? Our challenge each day is to carry Jesus with us as we walk through the trials and tribulations of our world. We need to be led by the Holy Spirit as we encounter difficult situations. We need to "let go and let God." This is true every day. You may not know it, but for some of you reading this today there has seldom been a more important day to live in God's grace and share it with the world than tomorrow.

Tomorrow is a day in which we may come face to face with the ghosts of the hurt, pain and anger of days gone by. It is a day in which we will have the opportunity to offer hope instead of condemnation; when we can show love instead of disdain; and in which we can offer grace in the name of Jesus. It is entirely possible that you will not want to do this tomorrow. You may prefer to see someone suffer more for their sins, feeling no amount of suffering is enough. You may prefer to ignore a person in need of love and a kind word. You may think they are only getting what they deserve. It is so tempting to feel that way- and temptation is exactly what it is. Judging someone as "beyond lovable" is a thought that comes straight from The Deceiver. Where would we be if God gave us what we deserve? I can't answer for you, but I sure can for me- and I don't like the answer one little bit. "My sin not in part but in whole, is nailed to the cross and I bear it no more..."  Without those words, I am just a sinner, and I am lost. With them, I am a child of God, forgiven and free. It makes no difference who we are or what we have done, we are worthy of God's love. The question is will we accept it...

In the Gospel of John at the beginning of chapter 8, Jesus comes upon a woman accused of adultery. Her accusers are preparing to stone her, because in their eyes she no longer has any worth as a person. When Jesus arrives, the crowd attempts to gain his approval before commencing. Jesus kneels down and begins to doodle in the sand while they await his response. He finally says to them, "Let him without sin cast the first stone." One by one, the rocks drop from their hands and they walk away. Jesus asked her, "Woman, where are they?  Has no one condemned you?" She replied, "No one, sir." Then Jesus declared, "Neither do I condemn you. Go now and leave your life of sin."

The question for us is, what will we do tomorrow when we encounter "the sinner," for it is an encounter that is bound to happen. Will we see the pebble in their eye, or will we be aware of the boulder in our own? Will we decide that it is our place to carry out judgement, or will we understand that Jesus died for every sin, not just ours? It is so very USAmerican these days to go Old Testament and demand "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth," forgetting Gandhi's reminder that "An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind." To think that way is to forget that the coming of Jesus changed everything. It is human nature to carry grudges and never forget sin; indeed, we love reminding others of their sins. It is God's nature, as demonstrated in the gift of Jesus, to love and ALWAYS forget our sins. With God looking on, with Jesus in your heart and with the Holy Spirit leading the way, how will you respond tomorrow? I say "you" because I already know my answer. I don't know much, but I do know this- "The longer I know my LORD, the more I know- I've got no stones to throw."  

Today is the LORD's day. And so is tomorrow. Share God's love and forgiveness with everyone you encounter. And if you happen to run into any returning prodigal sons (besides me- I have already been welcomed home with amazing grace!), go to them. Hug them. Break out the fatted calf! Because that is exactly what Jesus said to do...

Because of Jesus,

Who Am I?

Those who know me well know of my obsession with the musical Les Misreables. I love the story, the settings, the music- I love it all. But at the heart of the show for me is an intense spirituality. When Victor Hugo wrote the novel, he wrote for those who felt repressed and hopeless. In the story a man named Jean Valjean breaks a window and steals a loaf of bread to help feed his sister's starving children. He is arrested and spends 19 years working on a chain gang. When he finally receives his parole, he is given a slip of paper that he must carry for the rest of his life. This identifies him as a felon. He is treated like an outcast by much of society. No one will hire him, and he is hungry. Eventually he is offered bread and wine at a church, and they offer to let him spend the night. During the night, he steals a silver goblet and some silver candlestick holders, and takes off into the night. He is captured by the police who bring him back to see the Bishop at the the church. When the police present the evidence to the Bishop, they say that Valjean claimed the silver had been a gift. The Bishop backs up his story and Valjean goes free. Before letting him go, the Bishop tells Valjean that he must use the silver to change his life and help humanity. In the musical he sings, "I have bought your soul for God." And Jean Valjean does indeed change his life and live in service to others. A second chance made all the difference.

On Twitter there is a group of folks who call themselves the People of the Second Chance (@potsc). They preach grace and forgiveness, and create an atmosphere of love for those who feel like failures in the eyes of the world- or of God. These people are lovers and encouragers in a big way (you can read more about them on their website). I feel very connected with them, because for a short period of time in my own life I felt no one could ever forgive me. This, of course is "stinkin thinkin." The band Stellar Kart once sang, "There will always be second chances, and you will always be on your first try." God's grace is bottomless, and God's love is endless. But sometimes, the culture we live in does not give those second chances or that forgiveness. We tend to be much more in tune with revenge or retribution. As with Jean Valjean and the Bishop, it takes someone special- someone who understands Jesus and what grace is really all about- to offer unconditional love and grace in this world. There have been many of those people in my own life. Martin Luther King once said that "forgiveness is not an act- it is an attitude." It can be hard to come by, even in the church. I know at times it has been for me.

Some days it just hits me. I'm Jean Valjean.  For the rest of my life I must carry my piece of paper. There will always be people who see me as evil and nonredeemable.  But there have been people- so many people- who have shown me grace. And because of them and a Savior who died that I might live I have been given a second chance. A second chance to be a better friend and to show love to the ones who matter most to me. A second chance to be in a new kind of ministry online.  A second chance to make a difference in the lives of people I love. It is clear to me that we are all people of the second chance. We all need forgiveness, and we all need to give it. We all need Jesus.  

Sometimes it is easy to forget who we are and whose we are. Today I know. "Who am I? I'm Jean Valjean!" Let's us go forth and share our second chance with others, always remembering that "to love another person is to see the face of God..."

Because of Jesus,

I'm No Good On My Own

"I'm so thankful that I'm incapable of doing any good on my own..."

We live in a society that is performance based. Our self-worth is often tied to our accomplishments. We identify ourselves more by what we do than by who we are. We encourage people to "make something of themselves." And we so often take this attitude with us into our spiritual journey. We approach the #NarrowRoad the same way we would approach climbing Mount Everest. If WE train hard enough, prepare enough and do all the right things then we can reach our destination. Living life with Jesus becomes just another thing we can accomplish if we will just put in the effort. And then, were we ever to achieve our goal, WE would claim the victory. Well friends, I have some good news for you today, and it's an important lesson of the #NarrowRoad. It ain't about you. It's all about Jesus. And I, for one, am thankful for the knowledge that it is- thankful that I am no good on my own!

Walking with Jesus does not require us to bring a GPS, a walking stick, supplies and our very own "can do" attitude. Following Jesus requires us to give up. To surrender. To acknowledge that he is charge and that we have not chance of salvation without him. Of course there are things expected of us as we learn from our Guide, but that is very different from a belief that we can plow our own road and find out own way. We cannot. 

One of my favorite bands is Caedmon's Call, and one of my favorite songs of theirs is Thankful. It expresses far better than my words the joy we should find in the knowledge that there is nothing we can do to make God love us more and nothing we can do make God love us less. We just need to praise God for the gift of grace and the salvation that comes with it. None of us are good enough on our own. All of us are good enough with Jesus. And for that, today and everyday, I am thankful! Enjoy the song, and celebrate your neediness.

Because of Jesus,

Grace for Ragamuffins

Today's "words to soak in" for Lent are excerpts from the first chapter of Brennan Manning's classic book The Ragamuffin Gospel (1990, Multnomah Press). It could also be called The Official Guide To Grace- or maybe that's just me. Enjoy.

Something is radically wrong.

The Christian community often resembles a Wall Street exchange of works where in the elite are honored and the ordinary ignored. Love is stifled, freedom shackled, and self-righteousness believed. The institutional church has become a wounder of the healers rather than a healer of the wounded... Put bluntly the American Church today accepts grace in theory but denies it in practice.

Our culture has made the word grace impossible to understand. We resonate with slogans such as:
"There's no free lunch."
"You get what you deserve."
"You want love? Earn it."
"You want mercy? Show you deserve it."
"Do unto others before they do it unto you."

Though lip service is paid to the gospel of grace, many Christians live as if it is only personal discipline and self-denial that will mold the perfect me. The emphasis is on what I do rather than on what God is doing.

Our approach to the Christian life is just as absurd as the enthusiastic young man who had just received his plumber's license and was taken to see Niagara Falls. He studied it for a minute and then said, "I think I can fix this."

We believe that we can pull ourselves up by our bootstraps- indeed, we can do it ourselves. Sooner or later we are confronted with the painful truth of our inadequacy and insufficiency. Our security is shattered and our bootstraps are cut.

As we walk through this season of understanding what God did for us in the person of Jesus, and what Jesus did for us in the sacrifice of his life, we pray for the God of grace have mercy on us- again. We are no good on our own. And the sooner we realize the biblical truth that we should should be thankful for that weakness, the closer we come to understanding the Easter event. Have a blessed Sabbath.

Because of Jesus,

Jonah & the Fishslappers

Jonah 3:10-  When God saw what they did and how they turned from their evil ways, he relented and did not bring on them the destruction he had threatened.

I love the VeggieTale movie about Jonah and the whale. In their version of the tale, you get a real feel for just how awful the Ninevites were. They were fishslappers. They literally walked around slapping each other with fish. They didn't need a good reason- they enjoyed being evil. And it was into that culture that God sent Jonah- albeit against his will. He sent his prophet with a simple message for the citizens of Nineveh- repent or die.

You can read this exciting story in the book of Jonah in the Old Testament. So what does it have to with Lent? Simply this: God was announcing (not for the first time and certainly not for the last) that He is a God of second chances. He gave those rotten fishslappers the opportunity to turn from their wicked ways- and they did. The grace that is shown to us through the sacrifice of the Christ was shown to them. And just as the Church is often suspicious of grace shown to real sinners, Jonah just didn't "get" how God could forgive those fishslappers. Grace seems so foreign to humans; we don't really understand it and we seldom give it to others. But as we see in this story from hundreds of years before the birth of Jesus, God has always been all about grace for those who are willing to turn from their sinful ways. And that love for us found its ultimate expression at the Cross of Calvary.  Thank you, LORD, for being a God of second chances...

There is pretty good chance that in the course of the coming week you will encounter a fishslapper. Remember the grace God showed the Nenevites. Remember the sacrifice Jesus made so that your sins would be forgiven. Share that grace with your world. Invite a fishslapper to join you in the warm, safe embrace of sanctuary in the arms of a loving God.

Because of Jesus,

Hiding From God

It is a story we all know, even those of us who don't read the bible or hold to the Jewish or Christian faiths. We know the story of Adam & Eve in the Garden of Eden, and the one tree God told them not to eat from. We know how the Satan (the deceiver), in the form of a serpent, tricked them into eating the only fruit that was forbidden. This was the original sin, the fall of humankind. Genesis 3: 8-12 recounts what came next. The first couple heard God walking in the Garden (Press pause right there. How amazing is that? God was strolling in the garden. We gloss over so many amazing moments in scripture...), knew they had done wrong, and decided to hide. We've been trying to hide our sin from God ever since. It was at that very moment that the need for Jesus to come to earth became apparent. God wanted so badly for this thing he had created in His own image to be connected to Him. After God questioned the couple about what they had done, he handed out punishment. He was disappointed, just as God is when we sin today. But in verse 21 God shows us His true nature. In the midst of all of this failure, God stops to create animal skin clothing for Adam & Eve, because they were embarrassed to be naked. They didn't deserve God's help. But they got it anyway. And grace was born. 2000 years later that same grace would be wrapped in flesh and bone and come to walk among us again- this time as Jesus.

Today, ask yourself in what ways you are hiding from God? Seek to discover the areas of your life where you need to experience grace. God is waiting. You can find true sanctuary in his presence.

Because of Jesus,

Maintaining Focus

Up until sometime around 2010 I was the proud owner of a 1999 Ford Taurus station wagon. It had a bazillion miles on it and a thousand issues, and was eventually sold for use as scrap metal and parts. In its final years the old beast spent a lot of time in the shop, quite often at a Firestone Tire & Auto within walking distance of our house. Every time I took it in the mechanics would get the following speech: "There are many things wrong with this car. I know that. But it is here today so that you can fix the ____________. There is nothing else that needs to be done TODAY. Just fix the ____________." Yet it seemed like each and every time this happened they would call me with a list a other problems before fixing the one that had caused me to take them the car in the first place. They were nice enough people, but they constantly frustrated me because they were either unwilling to or incapable of focusing on the task at hand.

There are moments almost every day when in the depths of my soul I question how often Jesus feels that way about me. We have been given a path to trod and have been warned not to get distracted by "the things of this world." It should be relatively simple even though it was never meant to be easy. Believe that God loves us and return that love to God, then share that same love with everyone. Be humble, serving all and caring for all. Don't be judgmental, but rather be encouraging and supportive. Work for peace by offering mercy and grace when others seek revenge or restitution. This is the #NarrowRoad, the path of Jesus. But we run into so many other things we think need to be done and we lose focus. We need to gain material wealth and collect possessions. We need to "fix" those who sin differently than we do, often by sitting in judgment of them. We have the urge to fight for more power and to involve ourselves in politics and the inner workings of the institutional church when those are things that Jesus avoided whenever possible. And we fail to understand that if we want to be great in the eyes of our Savior, then we must become small in the eyes of men. The highway signs on the narrow road do not offer directions to success. They offer an invitation to faithfulness. 

So how do we maintain focus on the #Narrow Road? First and foremost we must surrender to the One who created us, who saved us and who will guide us if we will surrender the driver's seat. Some of the worst theology ever written is on a very popular bumper sticker which exclaims that "GOD is My Co-Pilot!" Newsflash, dear friends- if God is your co-pilot then the wrong person is driving! Surrender and believe. Next we need to spend more time with God in prayer, in study and in quiet communion. The "still small voice" leads us back to the narrow path when we wander if we will only take time to listen for it. And finally, we need to remember the words of Jesus in Matthew 6:34 and "let today's own troubles be enough for today." Like my Taurus, we have many things that need repair in our lives. Jesus calls us live life a day at a time, trusting that God holds the future. To do that we must focus on the tasks we can control. We must love God and love our neighbors. We must give all glory to God. And we must let go of all the chaos swirling around us and "keep our eyes on the prize that is Christ Jesus." The journey down the #NarrowRoad is tricky, and without focus it is easy to end up stuck in a ditch. I know; I've been in several. But the good news is that the grace of God is even better than AAA, and it will have you back on the path in no time flat, ready to try again. Always keep your eyes on the road...

Because of Jesus,

Every Day is New Year's Day!

Happy New Year's Eve, everyone! I pray that 2015 will be a blessing for each and every one of you. New Year's Day is such an interesting time. So many hopes, so many dreams, so many things we hope to accomplish. Most of us know the frustration of making a resolution, only to fall short of our goal. We plan to lose weight, to exercise more, to quit smoking or to forgive a friend. Some of our resolutions don't even last a day. You know why? Because we are humans, and without heavenly help we are weak. The problem is not that we fail- the problem is that we fail ONCE and then give up! You know the drill-I ate a doughnut and blew my diet, so there is no need to diet anymore. We only give ourselves one chance at success.

Aren't we glad God doesn't hold us to the same standard? Scripture tells us that our sins are washed away if we bow a knee to Jesus Christ. We are forgiven 70 x 7 times (and no, God doesn't stop at 490!). Romans tell us that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is Jesus. No matter how often we slip and fall, Jesus will still be there to pick us up and love us.


So today I would like to suggest to you a new kind of resolution. One that doesn't end as soon as your resolve gives way, but rather that offers you grace. A second chance. Under this system (to quote the great songwriter Carolyn Arends) "everyday is New Year's Day!"  Check out the lyric:

I buy a lot of diaries, fill them full of good intentions

Each and every new years eve, I make myself a list

All the things I'm gonna change, until January Second

So this time I'm making one promise

Yeah, This will be my resolution, Every day is New Year's Day

Oh, this will be my resolution, Every day is New Year's Day.

Well I believe it's possible, I believe in new beginnings

I believe in Christmas Day, and Easter Morning too

On the list it's doable, cuz I believe in second chances

Just the way that I, believe in You

Yeah, this will be my resolution, every day is New Year's Day

Oh, this could start a revolution, 

every day is...

One more chance to start all over

One more chance to change and grow, 

one more chance to grab a hold of grace and never let it go

This will be my resolution, every day is New Year's Day, 

Oh this could start a revolution, every day is--New Year's Day.

Carolyn Arends, 1997  

Wouldn't it be amazing if we could offer that kind of grace to ourselves? And to each other?  That could start a revolution! That could change the world! And isn't that what Jesus called us to do? So make every day a new beginning and remember- if Jesus is your Lord and Savior, then there is nothing you can do to make God love you more, and there is nothing you can do to make God love you less! Let us resolve to be a people of grace. And let us resolve to give all the glory, honor and praise to the One who is worthy of our worship- Christ Jesus, the King! So have another doughnut for now...then start your diet again tomorrow! God bless and Happy New Year!

Because of Jesus,

The Ragman

Today is the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church. Please pray for Christians all around the world who today gather to worship under the shadow of arrest and even death.

I have posted this here before and most likely will do so again, but lately grace- or more to the point, our unwillingness to give it to others in our daily lives- has been heavy on my mind. We have all been told that "God is love." This is true. But if God is love, then Jesus the Christ is GRACE! In the world we live in, grace is so much harder to come by than love. Sounds radical I know, but I believe it to be true. To find people willing to care, forgive and take on the burdens and sorrows of those around them is rare indeed. So today I will shut up and let Walter Wangerin tell you a parable about what it really means to walk in the footsteps of Jesus. It is a bit long, but so worth it. Enjoy- but beware! You may just wind up not only wanting to love your neighbor, but to become the grace that is Jesus and invade their lives. We must not be satisfied with being the recipients of God's grace. We must be dispensers as well. We must, if our own limited ways, become like the Ragman. The one who gave all so that we might be set free...

I saw a strange sight. I stumbled upon a story most strange like nothing my life,my street sense, my sly tongue had even prepared me for. Hush, child. Hush now and I will tell it to you.

Even before the dawn one Friday morning I noticed a young man, handsome and strong, walking the alleys of our city. He was pulling an old cart filled with clothes both bright and new,and he was calling in a clear, tenor voice: "Rags!" Ah, the air was foul and the first light filthy to be crossed by such sweet music."Rags! New rags for old! I take your tired rags! Rags!" "Now, this is a wonder," I thought to myself,for the man stood six- feet-four, and his arms were like tree limbs, hard and muscular,and his eyes flashed intelligence. Could he find no better job than this, to be a ragman in the inner city? So I followed him. My curiosity drove me. And I wasn't disappointed.

Soon the Ragman saw a woman sitting on her back porch. She was sobbing into a handkerchief, sighing, and shedding a thousand tears. Her knees and elbows made a sad X. Her shoulders shook. Her heart was breaking. The Ragman stopped his cart. Quietly, he walked to the woman, stepping round tin cans, dead toys and Pampers. "Give me your rag," he said so gently,"and I'll give you another." He slipped the handkerchief from her eyes. She looked up and he laid across her palm a linen cloth so clean and new that it shined. She blinked from the gift to the giver. Then, as he began to pull his cart again, the Ragman did a strange thing: he put her stained handkerchief to his own face; and then he began to weep, to sob as grievously as she had done, his shoulders shaking. Yet she was left without a tear. "This is a wonder," I breathed to myself, and I followed the sobbing Ragman like a child who cannot turn away a mystery.

"Rag! Rag! New rags for old!" In a little while, when the sky showed grey behind the rooftops and I could see the shredded curtains hanging out black windows, the Ragman came upon a girl whose head was wrapped in a bandage. Her eyes were empty. Blood soaked her bandage. A single line of blood ran down her cheek. Now the tall Ragman looked upon this child with pity,and he drew a lovely yellow bonnet from his cart. "Give me your rag," he said,tracing his own line on her cheek, "and I'll give you mine." The child could only gaze at him while he loosened the bandage, removed it, and tied it to his own head. The bonnet he set on hers. And I gasped at what I saw: for with bandage went the wound! Against his brow it ran a darker, more substantial blood-his own!

"Rag! Rags! I take old rags!" cried the sobbing, bleeding, strong, intelligent Ragman. The sun hurt both the sky, now, and my eyes; the Ragman seemed more and more to hurry. "Are you going to work?" he asked a man leaned against a telephone pole. The man shook his head. The Ragman pressed him: "Do you have a job?" "Are you crazy?" sneered the other. He pulled away from the pole, revealing the right sleeve of his jacket - flat, the cuff stuffed into the pocket. He had no arm. "So," said the Ragman. "Give me your jacket, and I'll give you mine." Such quiet authority in his voice! The one-armed man took off his jacket. So did the Ragman - and I trembled at what I saw: for the Ragman's arm stayed in its sleeve, and when the other put it on he had two good arms, thick as tree limbs: but the Ragman had only one. "Go to work," he said.

After that he found a drunk, lying unconscious beneath an army blanket, an old man hunched, wizened, and sick. He took that blanket and wrapped it round himself, but for the drunk he left new clothes.

And now I had to run to keep up with the Ragman. Though he was weeping uncontrollably, and bleeding freely at the forehead, pulling his cart with one arm, stumbling for drunkenness, falling again and again, exhausted, old, old, and sick, yet he went with terrible speed. On spider's legs he skittered through the alleys of the City, this mile and the next, until he came to its limits, and then he rushed beyond.
I wept to see the changes in this man. I hurt to see his sorrow. And yet I needed to see where he was going in such haste, perhaps to know what drove him so. The little old Ragman - he came to a landfill. He came to the garbage pits. And then I wanted to help him in what he did, but I hung back, hiding. He climbed a hill. With tormented labour he cleared a little space on that hill. Then he sighed. He lay down. He pillowed his head on a handkerchief and a jacket. He covered his bones with an army blanket. And he died. Oh, how I cried to witness that death! I slumped in a junked car and wailed and mourned as one who has no hope -because I had come to love the Ragman. Every other face had faded in the wonder of this man, and I cherished him; but he died. I sobbed myself to sleep. I did not know - how could I know? -- that I slept through Friday night and Saturday and its night, too.

But then, on Sunday morning, I was awakened by a violence. Light - pure, hard, demanding light -slammed against my sour face, and I blinked, and I looked, and I saw the last and the first wonder of all. There was the Ragman, folding the blanket most carefully, a scar on his forehead, but alive! And, beside that, healthy! There was no sign of sorrow nor of age, and all the rags that he had gathered shined for cleanliness. Well, then I lowered my head and, trembling for all that I had seen, I myself walked up to the Ragman. I told him my name with shame, for I was a sorry figure next to him. Then I took off all my clothes in that place, and I said to him with dear yearning in my voice: "Dress me.." He dressed me. My Lord, he put new rags on me, and I am a wonder beside him. The Ragman, the Ragman, the Christ! 

(from Walter Wangerin's book The Ragman & Other Cries of Faith, 2004, Harper & Collins)

We are called to be a Resurrection people. Thank you, Jesus, for saving me. Amen.

"People...is Stupid!"

Do you have friends? Do you talk with other people? Do you read blogs (obviously!) and other types of thought provoking literature? If you can answer "yes" to any of these questions, then there is no doubt in my mind that you have come across people with whom you disagree. You may have even found yourself agreeing with the great David Letterman that "People is stupid!" And you know what? So what?

I have known for many years that a great many of the people I know do not agree with me on many of the hot button topics of the day. Politics. Social justice. Theology. Eschatology. Meteorology. The list goes on and on. I have many friends on Twitter - friends that I pray for on a regular basis- who would just keel over dead if they really knew my thoughts on the USAmerican political system. I have worked for churches who would have banished me if they had known parts of my theology. We live in a world where those kinds of differences are often walls that separate people. But I'm not here to write about the world- I'm here to talk about the Jesus Revolution. And the revolution says this- it doesn't matter how different (or stupid!) someone may seem, your task is to love them. Not to convince them of your point of view, not to change them, not to tell them how wrong they are- just to love them with the radical, forgiving and grace-filled love of Jesus. If our relationships are based in God's love, then our differences will not separate us, they will lead to discussion and healing. I can disagree vehemently with someone who knows I love them, and in the end the love will remain. If we spend our lives arguing things we really don't know about with people we really don't know, then we are just bags of hot air wasting our breath. Just like_____________  (insert your least favorite political figure here, because I know we would disagree!).

So here's your homework. Today, whether in conversation or on social media of some sort, when a friend says something you disagree with, simply remind them that you love them. Save the arguments for another day. If someone you don't know says something you find ridiculous, just think to yourself (or post randomly for no apparent reason), "People... is stupid!" And then move on to the really difficult conclusion to that statement "...and Jesus said to love them ALL!!!" Actually, to love US all.  Hi, my name is Carl, and I'm stupid...  Viva la revolution!

Because of Jesus,