A Crucified Messiah?

Good Friday.

A time to remember the greatest death in history.

The death of Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior of the world.

Placing myself in the shoes of a first-century Palestinian Jew,

Gives me an interesting insight to this day.

You see, these Jews had been waiting for hundreds of years

For God to restore his Kingdom on earth, as he had promised.

They expected a Messiah to bring the Kingdom powerfully:

As a mighty warrior-King on a white horse, sword drawn!

God's plans are always different than our expectations.

Enter Jesus, 

The True Messiah.

A baby born to a unmarried teenage mother.

A mere carpenter.

A servant who washed his friend's feet. 

As if this wasn't enough to throw them off,

Jesus dies.

The Messiah dies?

Yes, and in one of the most shameful ways--

On a Roman cross, between two criminals.

No wonder the Jews had such a hard time

Accepting Jesus as Messiah!

Their expectations didn't leave room

For God's plans.

We know how the Crucifixion story ends, though:

Life!

God does the greatest thing in history

In the most unexpected, shameful, difficult way.

Do we think that way about our lives? 

Do we view the daily struggles,

the broken families,

the sickness,

the oppression,

the stress, 

the pain as God's abandonment and uninvolvement?

Or do we see those things as the unexpected ways

For God to bring about the greatest things?

I'm Converting to "Green Christianity"

Over the last year, I have been learning a lot about the Christian response to the environment.  Through some sermons, my RD (Katie Powell), and personal research, I have come to the firm decision that I must care for the environment.  

The first (and most important) reason is that I am accountable before God.  Genesis 2:15 shows God's intention for man and the environment: "The Lord God took the man [Adam] and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it."  We were intended to exercise wise stewardship of God's creation. 

The second reason is that it affects the people around me.  My actions affect other people, and will for generations to come.  I desire to serve others and provide a safe world for them. 

 

My two reasons can be summed up in Jesus' response to what the most important commandment is: "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the great and first commandment.  And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.  On these two commandments depend all the Law and Prophets" (Matthew 22:37-40).  

Caring for the environment, among many other things, is an example of loving God and loving others.  I will seek to do this in my life; choosing wisely my foods, recycling, and protecting natural habitats.  I will slowly move in these directions and stand for what I believe, but will never allow for the environment to replace my dedication and worship of God.  

Do research for yourself, don't just listen to me.  I have included links to other Christian voices that are more knowledgeable than I:

Godly and Green

Creation Care

Theology of Ecology

Saving God's Green Earth

"Alive in this Moment" by Starfield

It's been so long since I have met You here

Since I have said these words or cried these tears

And like a child would come I run into our secret place

And as the music fades, the tears

are rolling down my face

 

I am alive in this moment

In this moment I am found

I am alive in this moment

In this moment I belong

 

It's been so long since I have met You here

Since I have heard You speak or let You near

And like a wayward son I've come

with nothing left to hide

Here in this moment I have come to offer up my life

 

Here only one fire burns, it burns

Here only one melody is heard

Once again for the very first time

My eyes are opening

Why "Prior Grace" is So Difficult

(I knew that this title would at least grab Carrie's attention)

Dr. Lunde (My professor for Jesus' Life and Ministry) emphasizes this whole idea of "Prior Grace" in his class.

What is "Prior Grace"?  Boy, I'm sure glad you asked.  "Prior Grace" is the notion that grace from God precedes (and later leads to) a demand for obedience.  This is evident in both the New and Old Testament, as well as our lives today.  

In the Garden of Eden, there is provision, position in the created order, companions, and communion with God.  These things preceded the command to fill the earth and subdue it.

In the wilderness during the Exodus, God rescued the Hebrew nation out of Egypt.  This preceded the Law.  

On the cross, there is forgiveness and grace.  Grace precedes good works. 

All we can do is receive this grace.  Adam didn't achieve grace because he exercised good dominion over plants and animals.  The Hebrews didn't merit the salvation from Egypt because they were in a covenantal relationship with Yahweh and following the Law.  I do not deserve grace because I am a "good Christian."

So why is Prior Grace such a difficult concept for us to grasp?  I think because it goes against our very nature as human beings and the culture in which we live.  Our world tells us that we are to do, do, do, do, do! Our culture defines who we are by what we do.  It is so much more difficult, at least for me, to sit back, knowing that there is absolutely nothing that I can do to achieve grace-- all I can do is receive it.  

Right now in my journey, I am learning the beauty of God's grace and the reality of my own powerlessness.  My finally feeble hands are emerging from the dust and ashes to receive the free gift of grace from God-- and what a joy it is to truly understand that I play no part in earning the Grace-gift. 

The Unexpected

Recently Kaitlin and I have been reflecting on the "unexpected" people in our life.  

There have been people who God has brought into our lives in very interesting ways.  

We wouldn't normally expect them, but they have turned out to be some of the greatest blessings in our life.  

My heart is filled with so much joy when I take time recognize the "unexpected" wonders!

Thank you, Lord for the beautifully enexpecteds in my life!

I pray that I can be an unexpected to others.

I hope that we all can reach each other in unexpected ways.

May our humanity unite us.  

Let us love each other.

Expect the unexpected!

my name

Joshua Saenz

Etymology*:

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Forename: 
Origin: Hebrew
Meaning: Jehovah Saves

Top 5 Facts:

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1.  45% of the letters are vowels. Of one million first and last names we looked at, 11.2% have a higher vowel make-up. This means you are very well envoweled. 
   
2. Backwards, it is Auhsoj Zneas... nice ring to it, huh?
3. In Pig Latin, it is Oshuajay Aenzsay.
4. In ASCII binary it is...
   01001010 01101111 01110011 01101000 01110101 01100001 00100000 01010011 01100001 01100101 01101110 01111010 
   
   
5.                 People this first name are probably: Male. So, there's a 98% likelihood you sweat just thinking of the price of shaver blades.

It's been a while...

so it's been a while since i have blogged.  

i find that when significant things are going on in my life,

the last thing i want to do is sit down and write.

i am a verbal person. i communicate (and even think) 

by bouncing ideas off of others.

in the last week i did the following:

-HOST floor retreat in joshua tree

-started hearing whispers and talk of God moving in powerful ways

-entered into a conversation with guys on my floor concerning Biblical Masculinity

-took an exam in John class

i think i want to blog on some of these things later...stay tuned. 

if this is true, my ears are bleeding

God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.

(CS Lewis)

I’ll stop coveting creativity and start using my hands

My life was like an indie-art-film once. (No twice) in the last week.  First in a (dead silent) car garage. Then while riding a bike.  The lifeless surge of emptiness came over me. Like when you read post-modern poetry. (Or Samuel Beckett.)  Its an erie feeling to be quite honest.  I don’t care too much for it.  Some thrive on it. Others fake it. “Creative” post-modernists think that they do something for the world while elevating this Camus-ology of self-centered meaninglessness.

God save us. 

Sunday School

The Sunday school teacher was carefully explaining the story of Elijah the Prophet and the false prophets of Baal. She explained how Elijah built the altar, put wood upon it, cut the steer in pieces, and laid it upon the altar. And then, Elijah commanded the people of God to fill four barrels of water and pour it over the altar. He had them do this four times "Now, said the teacher, "can anyone in the class tell me why the Lord would have Elijah pour water over the steer on the altar?" A little girl in the back of the room started waving her hand, "I know! I know!" she said, "To make the gravy!!"

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The Sunday School teacher was describing how Lot's wife looked back and turned into a pillar of salt, when little Jason interrupted, "My Mummy looked back once, while she was driving," he announced triumphantly, "and she turned into a telephone pole!"

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A Sunday school teacher was telling her class the story of the Good Samaritan, in which a man was beaten, robbed and left for dead. She described the situation in vivid detail so her students would catch the drama. Then, she asked the class, "If you saw a person lying on the roadside, all wounded and bleeding, what would you do?" A thoughtful little girl broke the hushed silence, "I think I'd throw up."

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A Sunday school teacher asked, "Johnny, do you think Noah did a lot of fishing when he was on the Ark?" "No", replied little David, 'cause he only had two worms!"

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A Sunday school teacher said to her children,
" We have been learning how powerful kings and queens were in Bible times. But, there is a higher power. Can anybody tell me what it is?” One child blurted out, "Aces!"

(These are extracted from Ben Witherington's Blog)

"Why did you stop?!"

I really wish that people didn't stop singing when they realize that you are present.  Wouldn't the world be a better place if we all just sang and graced each other with the melodies that filled our heads?  I almost yelled, "Why did you stop singing?!" at a complete stranger after she walked past me in silence.  She was completely comfortable making music when I was out of sight (around the corner).  

Could you imagine what a freak I would look like if I tried this, though? 

ancient.dream.of.eden