Older and Closer
The late spiritual writer Henri Nouwen asked a question of himself, “Did getting older bring me closer to Jesus?” I ask myself a lot of questions as I get older. What am I doing with my life? Am I fulfilling what I was created for? Why have I not achieved what I thought I would? If a believer—a follower of Jesus, not just a religiously inclined person—does not get closer to Jesus as he or she gets older, isn’t it likely that something is probably wrong, or at least improvable? If a married couple doesn’t get closer as they age,…
The Killer Remote
This remote control nearly takes my breath away. Complicated. That’s the only word I can think of when I look at it. Sixty-two buttons. And four of the buttons are color codes, which, in various combinations with other buttons, vastly increases the possible functions. A killer remote. That’s what this is. It will wreak havoc on the brain functions of the poor soul who tries to make sense of the whole thing. On the other hand, some people would probably love it because it does so much. Complicated. This remote tells me that life is too busy and stuffed, that…
The King of Thorns
The eternal Word of God, incarnated in a human body, stands before the Roman governor Pilate. Jesus, the King of kings and Lord of lords, is questioned and scourged. Kings live in palaces. But the day Jesus stands before Pilate, bound and beaten, is the only time he ever sets foot in an earthly palace. Pilate repeatedly tries to let Jesus go, but the leaders of the crowd relentlessly pressure Pilate and manipulate Roman law to corner him. He thinks he has authority over Jesus and fears even more when he realizes he does not. He tries in vain to…
So Why Did Jesus Have to Die?
I ask people why Jesus had to get strung up on a Roman cross and die. The typical answer I get from Christians is, “to save us from our sins.” I can tell they don’t know why and are just repeating what the preacher or Sunday school teacher told them. So why do Christians insist Jesus had to die? Why couldn’t God just shout from heaven, “I forgive you!” and be done with it? And why, oh why, isn’t it enough to simply be a good person? Let’s cut through the theological complexities to this: God is Holy. God is…
Complain and Cause a Riot
A Hindu girl in Uttar Pradesh, northern India, goes home and tells her family a Muslim boy verbally harassed her. So the girl’s brother and cousin go and shoot the boy to death. Then the boy’s family and others go and beat the brother and cousin to death. Then the anger spreads and the number of dead has reached 31 and counting. 13,000 security officers have been deployed, and more than 100 have been arrested for inciting violence. Schools and shops are closed. Homes evacuated. Streets shuttered and empty. All because of deep-seated hatred, because people won’t forgive. They’re human…
