Death to Life

Yesterday I walked with a friend through the Arab Market in Jerusalem to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for the first time.  Believed by many to be a church built over the place of Christ's crucifixion and where He was entombed, it is a tourist attraction frequented by Catholic pilgrims from all over the world.  A crowd of people filled the courtyard, and it was even more crowded inside.

The first thing which struck me as I entered the building was how crowded and dimly lit it was.  Though I had seen pictures of the interior of the church before, they didn't capture how big and sprawling the place was inside.  Ambiance aside, it was the activities of the visitors which surprised me most.  People were kissing stones, prostrating themselves on the ground in prayer, and crawling under the foot of a cross to kiss and touch a picture.  In a word, I felt it was bizarre.  People queued up before stones and relics like people at Disneyland for rides, venerating the stones which some believed had witnessed Christ's final hours and resting place for days.

The Church of the Holy Sepulchre is a place perpetually focused on the death and burial of Jesus.  Painting and mosaics in the dim atmosphere portray Christ being crucified, mourned, and prepared for burial.  I had the feeling people were paying homage to dead stones in memory of Jesus.  It was a somber veneration of death without remembrance of Christ's resurrection!  It seemed an incongruent assembly, to remember and mourn the Light of the World Jesus Christ among tombs when He is risen and living.  It is good for a man to remember His death, but not to the neglect of the celebration of new life through Him.

There is a massive contrast between the two areas many believe to be where Christ was crucified and buried:  the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Garden Tomb.  The Sepulchre is dark, musty, and filled with relics whilst the Garden tomb is filled with living plants with the bright sky overhead.  Birds can be seen and heard in the trees.  On the door of the tomb it says, "He is risen!"  In the Church of the Holy Sepulchre there was no such light or life, the trappings of religion rather than joyous relationship, veneration of stones rather than praise of the Cornerstone who lives.

I believe everyone should visit both sights to compare and contrast them.  They are both versions of the same story, yet one is focused on death and the other a proclamation of life.  Jesus died and was buried, but He is risen in glorious power and life.  We should proclaim the LORD's death until He comes, the One who has delivered us from idols to serve the living and true God.  Stones are not holy because a dead body laid on them, but we have been made holy living stones by God's grace through faith in our risen Saviour.  Let us walk in newness of life and rejoice in His light!

Clear Vision

Jerusalem is filled with people these days because of Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles.  It is wonderful to see many families with happy children thronging the streets.  My hotel is located just inside the Jaffa gate which is a major thoroughfare for foot traffic.  At the gate you will see armed policemen, monks, tour groups, vendors selling bread and pomegranate juice, orthodox Jews, and pilgrims from all over the world.  There was a group of people whose matching bright-green shirts caught my eye.  On the back of the shirts was printed, "Vision for Israel."

As a person who has immigrated to a different country from where I was born, this shirt sent a message I imagine Jew or Gentile living in Israel finds offensive.  Their intentions may be noble, but the only One with a relevant "vision for Israel," Australia, or any other nation is God!  Scripture makes it clear God has a clear vision and plan for people, cities, and nations.  On one level it seems a bit presumptuous to claim you have a vision for others when your own life is a vapour!  "Vision" is a loaded word that means different things to different people.  But since our God does more than we could ever ask or think, it is clear my greatest visions leave much to be desired.

I am convinced the best ministers are not those who have a vision for a nation, but those who have a clear vision of the risen LORD and Saviour, Jesus Christ.  Isaiah was a man greatly used by God - not to accomplish fruitfulness or revival we often envision - because in seeing a vision of God his own need was revealed.  His life was lived in the glorious illumination of the God who called and sent Him for His own purposes.  Isaiah 6:1-3 says, "In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. ²  Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. ³  And one cried to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory!"  In light of this revelation Isaiah saw his inadequacy and discovered the sufficiency of the Almighty God.

Visions and plans for the future by themselves do not compare to the God who knows the future and will ultimately accomplish His perfect will.  Since God has revealed Himself to us in Jesus Christ, we are to look to Him for wisdom and strength, being guided by the Holy Spirit.  God is the One who brings visions to pass.  Should God give you a vision, like the Macedonian man who appeared to Paul or the sheet which was dropped from heaven before Peter, the vision is never to be our guide.  That is God's territory, for we need Him to help us every step of the way.  Whether or not we see our vision fulfilled, we can have all confidence Jesus is worthy of our admiring gaze for eternity.  This much is clear!

Foundation for Life

It's often hard times which cause people to evaluate their lives and help to re-align perspective.  Jesus told a parable about two men who both built houses which were exposed to a fierce storm.  One built his house upon the rock, and the other built his home upon the sand.  They chief difference between the two was the foundation they chose to build on.  The aftermath of the storm provided evidence who built wisely:  the house on the sand was completely destroyed, and the house on the rock endured.

Jesus told this parable to illustrate the difference between those who hear His words and those who actually put them into practice.  The one who heeded the words of Christ and obeyed them was compared to the man who built his house on the rock, a solid foundation.  Today it dawned on me that it required a storm to reveal which foundation was worthy.  When weather was fair all seemed well, even when the foundation was not trustworthy.  God allows Christians to face strong storms as a testimony to the world of His sufficiency, not only for this life but for eternity.  Those who are observant will recognise a circumstance which overwhelmed one person with fear and worry was unable to rattle the one who placed their faith in Jesus.

As important as mementos and pictures are, they pale in comparison to the value of life.  If the flood waters were rising, no sane parent would choose to save photos over their only child.  The living child is infinitely more important then pictures printed on paper.  God created man and breathed into Him a living soul, and saving souls from destruction was the primary purpose Jesus has come to earth.  He alone has the words of life, and only through Him can we come to God in faith and receive salvation.  Peter spoke concerning a man miraculously healed in Acts 4:10-12, "...let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. ¹¹  This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.' ¹²  Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

Are you facing a storm, believer?  If your life is founded on Christ through faith demonstrated by obedience, you will be divinely helped to stand firm as a testimony to others of the saving power of God.  In the aftermath you can know your foundation is one founded in wisdom which will endure.  It's amazing how God can use something like a storm to prove He is worthy of trust for eternity.  And if the trial sweeps you off your feet, thank God He has revealed the insufficiency of your foundation while there is still hope of change.  Instead of lamenting the loss of false security, in Christ we only gain.

Worthy of Worship

It's not every day I am excited about a scientific discovery, but the most recent revelation from NASA has kept me happy for days.  In the 1990's - not the 1890's - it was estimated there were about 200 billion galaxies in the known universe.  Well, according to most recent data, those facts were only 10% correct:  it turns out there is in excess of 10 times more galaxies than previously estimated.  This is mind boggling, right?  If there are estimated to be 2 trillion galaxies now, imagine what a more accurate count might be in twenty years' time!

Now I am not saying the original estimate was "wrong," because the estimate was simply that - an estimate.  But when I hear a highly-touted "landmark" study being 90% off from what we now know is a more accurate estimate based on factual evidence, it only increases my faith in God and the Bible.  I would never consider myself among the "best and brightest" and I certainly have no scientific credentials, yet I am an avid observer of scientific discoveries and have a long memory.  I have seen the estimated age of our universe grow almost three-fold since my childhood.  Now I have seen this new study improve on twenty-five-year data by 90%!  Based on the evidence, would it be wiser to trust the best estimates of men or the unchanging truth of God?

God created man to reason, with creativity and curiosity.  Curious minds want to know and study everything they can.  We love puzzles, games, thought-provoking stories, and exploration.  We all want to know more about the world we live in:  are there any out there who want to know more about the God who made it?  God hasn't told us how old the universe is, and I suspect in the light of eternity it really doesn't matter.  Even if it did matter, God is under no obligation to tell us!  But praise God He does speak, He does not change, and His Word will endure forever.  The scientific community seems to worship facts, but when the facts change are they still worthy of worship?

I don't presume to know when God created the heavens and the earth, but I am convinced He did.  If I knew the tune I would sing along with the elders in Revelation 4:11, "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created."