You might not understand now...

Being a pastor I get asked about Scripture verses a lot. Sometimes I get asked my thoughts on a meaning of a particular verse, and sometimes I get asked for suggestions of verses that would speak to a circumstance that someone finds themselves in.

Last week the youth group at TUMC was selecting a Scripture verse to be their “youth verse”. There were suggestions of 1 Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity”, from Jeremiah 29:11, “For I know the plans I have for you’, declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”, and of course from John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life”. Wow, those are great verses! Those verses could and should represent every youth group everywhere!

But Sam, one of our youth, suggested John 13:7. You know that verse, right? Honestly, me neither by memory. So I looked it up, and here is the context:

The scene is Jesus gathered with his disciples in the Upper Room, where he would share a final meal with them (what we call the Last Supper) and he would give a sacrament to them using bread and wine (which of course we call now by many names such as Holy Communion, the Eucharist, the Lord’s Supper). Prior to eating, Jesus wrapped a towel around his waist, poured water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples feet. Peter was shocked by this servant act of Jesus, and said “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” (italics mine).

Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand” (John 13:7).

In the context of the passage what Jesus is saying is that these men couldn’t understand why he was washing their feet right now. They had been following him as Lord, as the long awaited Messiah, and now here he is on his knees washing the road dust and dirt off their feet. This was a servant’s job! That’s what Jesus meant. His disciples there with him would never be able to understand this whole servant hood thing Jesus was introducing to them by words alone, they needed a visual. So Jesus gave them one to see and to remember: The Savior washing their feet.

If you have ever been to a Maundy Thursday Service, or experienced footwashing as an act of service to another and worship to Jesus, it is a powerful thing. We are to put the needs of others above ourselves, we are to love our enemies and pray for those who say mean and hateful things about us, we are show love in all situations, and we are called to serve, not to be served, just as Jesus showed and told us.

Interesting verse for a youth group to pick when you just read it. But when you really pray it, how powerful it is, right?

It makes me imagine all the things that Jesus has done in my life, and how at the time it all didn’t make sense. I didn’t understand at the time…but later I did. Later when I could look back with clear eyes on what happened, I could Jesus all over those situations. “In all things God works for the good of those who love him, and are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

Maybe this should this should be our mantra today. Admitting that we don’t have all the answers, and trusting that God does indeed know best. Focusing a little less on ourselves so that we can focus on others. Serving others in the name of Jesus instead of waiting to be served like it’s somehow our American entitlement. Stressing a little less about the “rules” and just showing love to those who need to see and feel it from us.

Interesting verse for a youth group to pick as their guiding verse, but one that we should all go back and make sure we understand. So, thanks Sam, and the Telford UMC youth, for reminding me about John 13:7!

What do you need to remember today?

“Hey, do you remember when…?”

               Some of the greatest stories begin with this question. Remembering is how we identify who we are in this great big world, and it places our story in context with others who know and love. Maybe it was a memory of an afternoon of play spent with a child or grandchild. Or maybe it was a romantic evening spent with a spouse. Good memories are treasures that we keep locked away, treasures that can be opened up whenever we want, and handled carefully and at leisure, and then gently put back in their place until we want to recall them again later on.

               Remembering is a good thing. Remembering is important to us. And remembering is important to God also. Throughout the Old Testament when God would move in a mighty way on behalf of his people, he would instruct them to build an alter, or erect some stones, or do something so that they would remember what it was that he had done. Joshua Chapter 4 is a great illustration of this, where a stack of twelve stones was used to help generations remember a specific event.

               But we don’t always remember good things, do we?

               Sometimes the events that we remember brings back feelings of pain and hurt. These memories are not beautiful treasures, they are poison of the heart and soul. And every time we recall them from their dark place of dwelling they come all too quickly, and with ever increasing ease.  Maybe it was a memory of a past betrayal, perhaps one you thought you had forgiven, but the thought of it makes your stomach twinge in pain and your heart race faster. Maybe it was the death of a loved one, even with everyone telling you how she was in a better place now and not in pain anymore, but the memory of standing under the funeral home tent with the cold metal coffin in front of you wasn’t comforting. And that memory still hurts. Maybe it was the day you sat in the doctor’s office with a numbing sensation stretching over your body as you tried to focus in on his words…”terminal”…”inoperable”…

               Sometimes just a pleasant smell reminds me of a wonderful memory. But sometimes just the way the wind is blowing might remind me of something painful.

               Deuteronomy Chapter 7 is a great place to focus on for my memories. In this chapter of the Bible, the Israelite people are getting ready to take the “Promised Land” that God had promised to them. But there were a couple of problems for them. First, Moses, the man who had been leading them for the past 40 years, the man who had been in direct conversation with God for them, the man they trusted and revered, wasn’t going to live much longer. And second, the land God had brought them to wasn’t vacant, it was occupied by some really big and powerful armies.

               So, as the people started to stress out a little bit, Moses said “do not be afraid…remember well what the Lord your God did…you saw with your own eyes the signs and wonders, the mighty hand and outstretched arm (of the Lord)…the Lord your God, who is among you, I a great and awesome God.”  (Deuteronomy 7:17-21 excerpts)

               God wants us to remember. Remember what he has done in the past. Because remembering God’s mighty acts and faithfulness of yesterday will help us to rely and trust God today.

               Asaph, the possible writer of the 77^th Psalm, wrote during a time of great personal distress, wondering if God had forgotten all about him.

               “Will God never show his favor again? Has his unfailing love vanished forever? Has his promise failed? Has God forgotten me?” (Psalm 77:7-9 excerpts)

               But then Asaph remembered.

               “I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes I will remember the miracles of long ago. I will consider all your works and meditate on your mighty deeds. You are the God who performs miracles!” (Psalm 77:11-14 excerpts)

               God has been with you before, in the good times and in the bad. In the times where your heart was so overflowing with joy you felt like it would just burst from it all. And in the times where your heart felt so broken and shattered that seemingly nothing could offer solace or comfort. But God was there, he brought you through this before, and he is faithful to do it again.

               What is it that you need to remember today?

"Love Wins"- A Communion Meditation

Once again we find ourselves invited to the Lord’s Table.

This happens each month in most of our United Methodist churches, regardless of where we have been, what we have done, what we have left undone, whether we have won great battles or suffered a great defeat. 

There is an invitation to the Table.

Some Communion Sunday’s we can reflect back on a great month. A month of blessings and goodness. A month of joy. Promotions, financial success, food to eat and clothes to wear, peaceful relationships, well behaved children, a well behaved spouse, no arguments, just bliss.

 And we are invited to the Table.

Some Communion Sunday’s we can reflect back on a month we would rather forget. A month that has been plagued with death, loss of loved ones, financial struggles, holes in shoes and no money to buy new ones, fights and dissention among family members and friends, relationships perhaps broken beyond repair, sleepness nights and restless days. A month of more questions than answers, a month of change when we need stability. 

And we are invited to the Table.

Some today have felt the painful sting of death in their family through loss and separation this week. Some today have lost loved ones months, or year ago, and that lonliness is still as sharp today as it was on that first day.

Over the last two weeks we have seen a young man walk into a SC church and open fire taking the lives of 9 of our brothers and sisters. Churches have been burned, both here in the US and abroad. People have fought over flags and if the roof of the General Lee is a sign of bigotry and hate. Same sex marriages have been legalized in every state in the country. Some people are scared, some people are celebrating, some people are mad, and some people are indifferent.

And the courts “definition” of marriage seems to have stirred more people  than anything I have seen in my lifetime. People are fired up on both sides, the lines have been drawn by some, some say there is no middle ground. This one focus is the primary agenda. 

And this is a big deal, and a big concern for people of faith.

21,000 children die each day around the world, many from preventable diseases and unnecessary wars. That’s about 1 child every 4 seconds. 

This is a big deal for people of faith.

1.2 million abortions per year, about 120 per hour. 

This is a big deal for people of faith.

700,000 people from the United States will be taken and sold in the sex trafficking industry this year. 50% of them will be children, with the average age 11-14 years old. Internationally the total of victims will be somewhere about 3 million people. 

This is a big deal for people of faith.

Last year 41,000 took their own lives in suicide. That’s about 112 people per day. 

This is a big deal for people of faith.

45 million people in the United States live below the poverty line, with TN having the 4^th highest poverty rate in the nation. 

This is a big deal for people of faith.

And, yet, we are still invited to the Table.

An invitation that provides unity, if we will allow it. An invitation that provides peace, if we will allow it. An invitation that offers grace and forgiveness, if we will accept it.

This month we celebrated the freedom of our nation. And many people celebrated this freedom with fireworks, funnel cake, BBQ, and beer. It has been a national holiday to remember our freedom. In this country, it seems, we can do what we want to do, and be who we want to be. 

One nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. 

But we don’t really feel like one nation. We don’t really feel like we can’t be divided. In truth, we are a divided people. Divided by opinions, divided by beliefs, divided by status and economics, divided by right and wrong, divided by holy and sin.

Every single one of us is a mix of sinner and saint, of struggle and victory, of lost and found, of broken and redeemed.  

And so there is an invitation to the Table.

Micah 6:8 says "He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

God has shown us what is good. 

In the grandor of a sunrise, and the artistic paintbrush effect of a sunset. In the touch of a loved one, in the tranquility of a sleeping child. In food on the table and clothes in the closet. When we have much, and we have little, God has shown us what is good. In his perfect goodness he walked this earth, taught us how to live and love, healed diseases, mended relationships, offered freedom, and gave us life. God showed us goodness through Jesus.

And so there is an invitation to the Table. 

An invitation to seek justice.

An invitation to love mercy. 

An invitation to walk humbly with our God.

I didn’t tell you global and national statistics to bring more fear into our lives. I didn’t tell you those statistics so that we are filled with doom and gloom. I didn’t tell you those statistics so that we have a Chicken Little attitude that the Sky is falling and the end is near. 

I told you those so that we have in perspective there is much work to do. I told you those statistics so that we understand the workers are few. I told you those statistics so that we can begin moving from hearing these statistics as just numbers and begin seeing these statistics as people, as people that Jesus came for, as people that Jesus died for, and as people that Jesus is calling. Just like he called me, and just like he called you.

I have seen some people proudly display “Love Wins” logos, and I have seen some people disgusted by the implication they think that portrays. But let me tell you something. Regardless of the sentiment behind the statement, there is no statement more true. 

Yes, love wins. 

Yes, love has won.

Love won when Jesus hung on the cross and said “Father forgive them, they don’t know what they’re doing.”

Love won when we Jesus looked at a man on another cross, receiving the judgement and penalty for his actions that he deserved and Jesus said “today, you will be with me in paradise”.

Love won when, on the 3^rd day, Jesus rose from the dead as he had promised so that we would never experience death as separation, but so that we as his disciples, as his children, will experience everlasting life.

Love won when the gift of the Holy Spirit descended upon early believers on the Day of Pentecost, and that same Spirit is given to dwell in each of us.

Love won when we were baptized and the seal of God was placed on our lives.

And love had already won when Jesus spoke about bread as his body, and spoke about wine as his blood, that would be offered in the greatest single act of love in all history. 

So yes, love has won.

And so there is an invitation to the Table.

An invitation to each us to live a life worthy of the calling we have received, to be completely humble and gentle, to be patient, bearing with one another in love, to make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace, because there is 1 body and 1 Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called, 1 Lord, 1 faith, 1 baptism, 1 God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.

And through this invitation we can receive the faith, hope, and love that is offered, and the greatest of these is Love. 

So, yes, Love has won. 

But not human love. Rather, the lavish and fierce and unrelenting pursuing holy and perfect love of God for each and every one of us, here and everywhere, now and forever. And that's possible because Love Won.

Spit and Mud

Spit. As we get older we may have lost some of our appreciation for spit. We don't usually think of spit in positive terms. Spit is kind of, well, gross. Nobody wants to be spit on, and parents are continually telling their children not to spit in public. Maybe that's why baseball players spit so much, there is something about being around all that dirt playing a game that makes you just want to spit. And of course your momma isn't going to tell you not to spit when you're playing ball, she just wants you to get a hit regardless of how much you spit.

Spit. Even when parents tell their children to not spit, it's funny how spit is the the parents go to for all in public child cleaning. There have been many times when there has been a mysterious food stain on one of my children's face and my spit has cleaned it up. Even as they have tried to shimmy away from me I have been able to wipe my spit soaked finger across their faces to rub away what shouldn't be there. We have told our children not to spit and then we use our own spit to wipe their face.

Mud. Some of the most fun I had as a child involved mud. From making mud pies and betting a friend a quarter he wouldn't eat them (which he always did, but seeing it was worth losing a quarter bet), to having mud slides in the battles for my little plastic green army men, to soccer and football games in the mud, and transforming my BOX from a dirt bike into a mud bike, mud was always fun. As a parent, mud isn't so much fun anymore. We parents spend more time cleaning up mud than we do enjoying the fun that can be had in the mud. We worry more about the possibility of mud stained carpets than seeing the numerous adventure possibilities that mud possesses.

Spit and mud. Neither glamorous. Both sometimes kind of gross. And both were used by Jesus at times when He healed a physical condition. Now, of course Jesus didn't need to use anything to heal, but for some reason He chose to on a few occasions.

Here they are:

Mark 8:23- Jesus spit in a blind man's eyes, touched him, and the man could see, though not clearly. Then Jesus touched him again and his sight was completely restored.

Mark 7:33- A man that was deaf and had difficulty speaking was brought to Jesus to be healed. Jesus put his fingers in the man's ears, spit, and then touched his tongue and the man could see and speak plainly.

John 9:6- Jesus spit on the ground and then made mud with the dirt and saliva mixture and rubbed in on a blind man's eyes and then told him to go to the pool of Siloam and wash. When he did this he could see.

Spit and mud.

Why did Jesus do things? Why didn't he just heal these men by speaking the word for them to be healed? After all, that's all that it would have taken. It wasn't the spit that healed, it wasn't the mud that healed, it was the touch of Jesus that healed, and it’s that touch that still heals today.

Some biblical scholars think the Jesus used spit because the people of that day believed there were therapeutic healing properties in saliva. There is speculation that the mud was to remind the people watching that God had created man from the dirt if the ground. Maybe. But as I read those passages and the healing that came through the Incarnate Word made flesh in the person of Jesus the Christ, I see Jesus using some ordinary things.

Spit and mud. Not glamorous, not preferred, and not real clean. But when put in the healing hands if Jesus, they serve as an instrument to be used for His glory.

Maybe today we at being called to some spit and mud ministries. Maybe not glamorous, maybe not preferred, and maybe things where we have to get a little dirty. And maybe we are being called to put our simple ordinary efforts into the powerful hands of an almighty God as He uses our spit and mud to bring healing to the hurting, restoration to the broken, sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, and salvation to anyone who in faith calls on His name.

Spit and mud. Seems ordinary but there is nothing ordinary in hands of our Extraordinary God.

Will there be beaches in heaven?

Will there be beaches in heaven?
My wife asked me this question on the first day of our vacation this year. We sat in our Eagles beach chairs, watching our children jumping the waves, and admiring the treasures that God had blessed us with.
I suppose the question could have been taken with a whimsical air to it. I suppose the easiest, and perhaps the right answer to this question would have been "I don't know".
But my answer was simply "yes".
To be honest, I really don't know for sure. But I do know that my understanding and thoughts about heaven have changed as I have gotten older. And that's probably a good thing. I hope it is a reflection of some small aspect of growth, the fact that I do attempt to think of the things of God even though I readily admit that I can't fully comprehend the things of God. And heaven is surely one of these things.
Much has been written on the topic of heaven. There are numerous biblical accounts of heaven, written with as much detail and explanation as the inspired writers could muster given the limitations of our minds and vocabulary. There have been many accounts of heaven from people who claim that they have been there and have been granted an opportunity to come back to life to share their experiences. Jesus spoke of heaven over 70 times in the words that we have in Scripture today. (I bet He talked about it more than what we have recorded!)
I like to think about heaven. I don't completely understand it. I think about hell too. And I don't completely understand that either. I do believe there is more to heaven (and for that matter more to hell) than the simplistic answers attempt to convey. My thoughts here are not a theological attempt to define heaven and hell, nor are they a simplistic overture that diminishes the reality, finality, and sureness of the existence of either.
I believe that both heaven and hell are very real and very physical places. We should pray for understanding of each.
But are there beaches in heaven? That may not sound too theologically important in light of the grand implications of an eternal heaven and hell. But I think the question helps in a heavenly understanding somewhat.
So, yes, I believe there will be beaches in heaven. I say will be, in a future tense, because heaven as it will be is not yet here, and by here, I really do mean here, as on this planet, planet earth, the third planet from the sun in the Milky Way galaxy.
I know that for some the idea if heaven is somewhere "up there" and the idea of hell is somewhere "down there". But I don't think that God is limited by our navigational directional understandings. I do believe, however, that there is something to the "up there" idea though.
Jesus told his disciples in his last words to them that he would return. Then they saw him ascend up into the clouds. They were told apparently by angelic messengers that Jesus would return the same way they saw him go. So if Jesus "went up", then he would at some point "come back down". We refer to this as Jesus' 2nd coming. I don't know when that will be, and for the record, neither does anyone else. I am positive about that. But more on that topic at another time. Some details of this event have been recorded in the book of Revelation.
But what about the beaches?
"Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth ha  passed away. And the sea was also gone" (Revelation 21:1).
No more sea? So surely there can't be beaches if there isn't a sea! Right? I don't think so. As John wrote the words to Revelation he was prisoner on an island that he had been exiled to, the island of Patmos, part of an ancient Alcotraz.  John looked at the sea every day during his imprisonment. The sea wasn't a calm and joyful friend to John. The word "sea" that the writer uses here means more than just a big salty body of H2O. The "sea", for the biblical writer, was a place of fear, a place where ships were lost to unforeseen and unknown forces. The sea ravaged and destroyed villages that were close to it. The sea was a scary, dreadful place with many unknowns lying underneath, a cold, dark, watery tomb.
That "sea" will not be in heaven.
But there are 2 recorded times, also in Revelation, of a "sea of glass". There is a lot of imagery for sure in this "sea", lots of symbolism as this "sea" pictured to be in front of the heavenly throne of God, and lots of metaphorical content here also. But this "sea" is calm, reflecting the Spirit of God in its clear glassy state, and reflecting the purity of those cleansed by Jesus who will come before this throne one day.
From this "sea" the new heaven and earth will be watered. Watered with the very presence and the very Spirit of God. God with and among His people forever.
So will there be beaches in heaven? Yes, and mountains, and rivers, and even buildings in a city.
Because there will be a new earth. Not a different earth, but a new earth. A earth that is recreated in perfection. Re-creation involve  making all things New (as in set back to original state of being), not making all things new (as in making something completely different).
Beaches in heaven won't have on them washed up dead jellyfish or trash from careless boaters. They will be perfect beaches, as they were originally  so they will be once again. One day.
Until then enjoy the beaches we have. They are amazing, beautiful, and just a hint, a dim reflection of beaches that one day we will enjoy.

Last Words

               Jesus said, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:4).

            This verse is found in what we call the “Ascension of the Lord”. A dramatic and amazing scenario where one minute Jesus is talking to His disciples, and the next moment he is headed up into the clouds, reunited with God the Father, leaving the disciples as awestruck jaw-dropped star gazers staring up into the sky.

            I think the words recorded in the first eight verses of Acts are very important. Granted, everything Jesus said was important, but there is a finality of these words. These are the last recorded words that we have that Jesus spoke here on earth.

            Last words are important.

            Nathan Hale’s last reported words were “I only regret that I have but one life to give for my country”. Those are powerful last words that have rung throughout the annuls of history giving hope and courage to many.

            As John Wesley, founder of the Methodist movement, lay on his bed breathing his last breath, he said “the best of all, God is with us”. Words of encouragement to others from a man who was encouraged by the ever abiding presence of his Lord.

            Blues singer Bessie Smith said, “I’m going, but I’m going in the name of the Lord”.

            I have been with some saints of the Lord when they took their last breath, with no more words to say here in this life.

            Jesus’ last words are found compiled together by the writer Luke in Acts 1:4-5; 7-8. Last words are important.

            Jesus told His disciples that they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem. This is also why he told them to stay in this city (verse 4). Jerusalem had been a difficult place for them over the last month. They had seen Jesus beaten and crucified, dead and buried. They had denied even knowing Jesus at times. They ran for safety when they could have been by His side. There were even those in the city that would kill them if they could. Jerusalem was dangerous for these disciples, and full of regrets of past mistakes and failures. Yet this is exactly the place Jesus told them to stay. Why?

            First, this is where they would receive “power”. This power came about a week later and is recorded in Acts 2. You should read this awesome story today too. But also I think this showed them that Jesus is bigger than their denials. Jesus is bigger than their mistakes. Jesus is bigger than their regrets. Jesus is bigger than their sins. And guess what? Jesus is bigger than all your denials, mistakes, regrets, and sins too! Maybe your Jerusalem is where you are today, and maybe all that you can think about is getting out of here. But maybe Jesus has you here for a reason. And if you trust Him and seek His direction, He will show you that reason, and allow you to be His witness here and now.

            Then Jesus told His disciples to be His witness in Judea. Judea is where most of them lived. It was home. Sometimes being a witness at home is the most difficult for me. These are the people that know the real me, my imperfections, my weaknesses, my hypocrisy. Yet to be an effective witness for Jesus elsewhere, it has to start at home. What are you doing this week to show the love of Christ in your own home and with your own family?

            Then Jesus said to be His witness in Samaria. This was tough for those that read Jesus’ words in the first century. Samaria was not a region that was thought very highly of. The people who lived there, the Samaritans, were often looked on as second-class people. They were thought to be the inbred uneducated offspring of a “pure” people. Obviously Jesus didn’t think so. And He told the disciples to go to them and love them. Do you have a Samaria? I suppose that if we are honest we all do. People that we don’t really like or agree with. So, Jesus says go to them, not to condemn, not to judge, but to witness in love.

            Last words are important. Of course, there is really no “last” words. Given that we are eternal beings in a temporary body, there are only words that will be our last here in this life. We will be speaking words for eternity, words of adoration, words of thankfulness, words of love, words of praise and honor.

            What will be your “last” words here on earth? I know we don’t like to think about that. But don’t allow your last words to be words of regret, or words of doubt, or words of denial.  May we all say “the best of all, God is with us!”

A Divided Room

I remember the day my girls divided their bedroom. The two had shared a room for years, but one day I suppose one (or both) of them had had enough of something or the other. Tape went down on the floor in as close to the middle as they could agree upon. One bed on each side, one dresser on each side, and each of their belongings on the appropriate side. They did agree, I guess, that the door was a neutral aspect since the door was on one side of the room. After all, a pre-teen girl can’t have a monopoly on a divided room door. So they both got to use the door. But other than that, the lines had been drawn.

I think it’s part of our nature to draw lines. Maybe we don’t make our lines on the carpet of our bedrooms with duct tape anymore, but I think we still draw them. Right and wrong, good and bad, clean and dirty (which in my house is still a matter of opinion), and even holy and secular. Maybe especially the holy and secular part. Now of course some lines have to be drawn. There are lines drawn in our legal and judiscial systems that we have to abide by. There are lines between sin and living a righteous life. We are called to be holy people. “Be holy because I am holy” is our command from God (1 Peter 1:16).

It’s just sometimes I think we draw lines in the sand that were never meant to be drawn. The root of being able to follow that verse in 1 Peter that I mentioned above is living in love. That’s really the root of our entire Christian life: to love God, to love others, and to forgive.  It’s hard to live that kind of life and have our lines drawn all the time.

When we draw lines we have an us vs. them mentality. We are saying that what is on one side of the line is ours, and what is on the other side of the line are things that we don’t want on our side. So what are we to do?

I think it’s time to erase some of the lines that we have drawn. If we are loving God completely and loving on others as we are told to do by the same God who died for us and them, then the separations and divisions are really just separating and dividing us.

Does this mean that anything goes and everything is permissible? Of course not. But it does, at least partially, recognize that “everything comes from God and exists by his power and is intended for his glory” (Romans 11:36).

Maybe that’s why in the first book of the New Testament that recounts the death of Jesus we are also told about something that had been used to divide. It was a curtain. This curtain was located in the temple in Jerusalem, and was used to separate the holy of holies where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. This place was filled with the presence (spirit) of God so mere mortals couldn’t just casually go in there. There was a curtain that physically divided. But when Jesus took on himself all the sins of the world (which was your sins and my sins), here is what happened: “at that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom”. The line that divided us from God had removed by God himself.

I have seen the presence of God in an ornate stain glass sanctuary. I have seen the presence of God in a vibrantly painted sunset. I have seen the presence of God in the tear streaked face of a widow. I have seen the presence of God in a newborn crying baby. I have seen the presence of God at a bar. I have seen the presence of God at a soccer game.

“The earth is the Lord’s, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him.” (Psalm 24:1). Maybe it’s time to re-evaluate some of our lines. Maybe we need to pull that duct tape off the carpet. Maybe if we look with eyes of love, we won’t even see anymore some of the lines that have been dividing us.