The earth is filled with your love, Lord.
Psalm 119:64
Stop and consider the scandalous and overflowing love of God FOR YOU. Not the sappy and sentimental stuff trumpeted in greeting cards, but the real-world, fully informed, gritty, ferocious, unrelenting, and sacrificial love our heavenly Father has FOR YOU. Francis Thompson – a 19th century poet who battled poverty, depression, and drug addiction experienced God as the relentless Hound of Heaven who hunted him down. He hunted me down also, and He has either found you or He is still hunting.
Identity Politics: We’ve always had our tribes, but lately our identity seems to pivot more around who we are against than who we are for. I suspect our adversary is having a party. Christians must lead forward by looking back at Christ’s example. He loved and cared for others, including those who were different.
The Interview: I was one of the few who did not watch the Oprah interview with Harry and Meghan. (Do we still call them “The Royals”?) Consequently, I am confused. I’m being told she was a brave woman fighting for her marriage, mental health and children against the prejudice and opposition of some in the royal family. And I have heard her described as a vindictive outsider, selfishly lashing out at the royal family. Were there two interviews, or is this just another week of polarized reporting?
Seeing is: The cliché suggests that seeing is believing. Scripture suggests that seeing is becoming. As Augustine noted, we focus on what we love, and we become like what we focus on. Let’s not overthink this: focus on Jesus.
Herd: When I first heard “herd immunity” I pictured slow-moving and dimwitted cattle. Nevertheless, I’m now looking forward to contributing towards “herd immunity.” Given that I had COVID months ago, maybe I already am. Whatever the case, be encouraged. This is just about over. We are in the fourth quarter and we have a big lead.
Jesus: As we move through Lent, it’s worth remembering what makes Christianity unique. Unlike Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, etc. – Christianity does not rest on religious wisdom or moral examples. It rests on a person. You can have Judaism without Moses, Islam without Mohammed, and Buddhism without Buddha. But you cannot have Christianity without Christ.
Question of the Day: What should the Good Samaritan have done if he arrived twenty minutes earlier – i.e., if the man he later found unconscious was being mugged? This is the question of the day. Evangelicals have done more crisis care than they get credit for, but we have been too slow to act systemically.
Without Comment: Yesterday marked the one-year anniversary of the WHO declaring COVID a pandemic. Globally: 118M people have been infected and 2.6M have died. In the US, 29M have been infected and 529K have died. Approximately 1 in 4 Americans say they have lost a close friend. (Reminder: The Black Plague is estimated to have killed well north of 100M people, and occasionally as many as 70 percent of a city.)
Declarative Fractions: In a recent study, teenagers around the world were asked to rate their mastery of 16 areas of math, including “declarative fractions,” “proper numbers” and “subjunctive scaling” – none of which exist. To the surprise of few, “those boasting of their skills in the nonexistent fields were disproportionately male, affluent and North American.” (For the record, I got an A- in Declarative Fractions in college.)
Censorship: First Things– one of the journals I subscribe to – is warning readers that they need to sign up for the print edition because they suspect their e-version may be shut down. I am not sure if that threat is real or this is a good marketing moment. I am hoping it’s the latter.
Keller on Cancer and Nationalism:A few weeks back, I referenced a podcast in which Tim Keller spoke about his cancer. Here is his recent Atlantic Monthly piece in which he writes about facing death. And here is a new piece in which he critiques Christian Nationalism. Yes, I am a fan.
RIP: Early yesterday morning Luis Palau – a global evangelist and long-term friend of Christ Church – passed away from cancer. Information about his life and legacy can be found here.
Closing Prayer:Look upon us, O Lord, and let all the darkness of our souls vanish before the beams of thy brightness. Fill us with holy love, and open to us the treasures of thy wisdom. All our desire is known unto thee, therefore perfect what thou hast begun, and what thy Spirit has awakened us to ask in prayer. We seek thy face, turn thy face unto us and show us thy glory. Then shall our longing be satisfied, and our peace shall be perfect. Amen (Augustine – 354-430)