Man of Sorrows, Acquainted With Grief

For years now I’ve had the book, The Wounded Healer by Henri Nouwen in my library. A couple weeks ago I finally pulled it off my shelf and started reading it. It’s a short book, just one hundred pages and a bit dated. But it’s still good and applicable and helped me to understand my generation and myself a little bit better. Having just lost my Dad in January it even helped me understand a bit more my relationship with him and the differences there were between how we both viewed the world.

Dad didn't want his picture taken. So Lluvia told him, "But this could be our last photo together." And it was.

But perhaps what I liked even more about the book than the content itself was the painting on the cover. The painting is called Ecce Homo and is a piece of art by Georges Rouault who passed away in 1958, the year after my Dad was born. The painting is mostly done in dull reds, yellows, and browns. Jesus has the crown of thorns on His head and looks downcast, but not in despair. His skin has that olive-skinned middle-eastern quality or the quality of someone who has been much in the sun. But what I love about the painting is that underneath the brown and fleshy colors of Jesus’ face and neck and emanating behind His head you can see brilliant golds and yellows shining through. It’s like Jesus’ glory was opaqued by the mud we’re made from, but that glory is still there for those with eyes to see. It’s a beautiful reminder of who Jesus was. He was fully human, and fully God: neither part diminished by the other. Truly this is still a mystery.

And that’s where the title of the book and its cover come together. Many question where God is when bad things happen. While we don’t have easy answers we do know He came and allowed Himself to be on the receiving end of all that evil. He has entered into it fully. Also, He was tempted in all ways like we were, yet was without sin. Like it says in Hebrews 4:15, He is our high priest able to sympathize with our weaknesses. The evil that exists in this world is on us, not Him, yet He took it upon Himself. He truly is the wounded healer. Where is He when evil happens? He’s right next to us, consoling us, comforting us (2 Corinthians 1:3), helping us move beyond the evil done. It was His blood that was shed for our sins. (Hebrews 9:22) And He faced that most horrible of hurdles, death itself, and overcame it so that one day we too can be raised to eternal life with Him. “O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55)

Today the parents of one of the kids who attend our school for kids on the spectrum came to me to explain why they’ve been unable to pay for their child’s enrollment at the school. They have it worked out already, but wanted to explain what had been happening in their lives that put them in this position. The last days of the school year in June, our students’ grandfather had died. They had to travel to Mexico City and ended up spending a lot on the funeral. To top it off, no sooner had they returned than the parent, the son of the deceased, had had an accident at work and his arm was in a cast and was on disability for a couple weeks. I related to him the pain of losing my own father recently and the similarities in the stories were striking. And we commiserated about the fact that since both men did not want to suffer or be in the hospital it seemed that Jesus came and said to them it was time to go. I told them about how my Dad was found, without any apparent pain or struggle etched on his face, just a serene expression. I pray I get more opportunities to share with them. I was able to tell them that if they needed to talk further I was also chaplain at the school and was there if they needed me.

I hope we can all take comfort in the reality behind the paining, Ecce Homo, realizing that there isn’t anything that happens in this world that Jesus doesn’t see. We don’t have easy answers for those things that do happen to us, but we know He is with us, consoling us. “…upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed.” (Isaiah 53:5) He entered into our reality and has fully taken part in our humanity. He is our Man of sorrows, aquatinted with grief. (Isaiah 53:3)

Topographical Survey

I remember a time when my world was minute. My life revolved around a few small towns. Whatever traveling I did was through books or whatever foreign coins I could get my hands on. Please-names like Australia, Mexico, and Argentina seemed like vague realities. I didn’t really know where they were until middle school.

Life has changed quite a bit since then. There are times when my heart longs for those few small towns. My heart longs for my family, my nieces and nephews, and old friends. It longs to be able to walk bare-foot at my parents’ place and sleep somewhere where the only light is that of the stars or the moon or the lightening bugs at dusk. Geography is a funny thing.

No sooner am I among my own and my mind drifts back to other people I know. When I was a kid, those place-names were just dots on a map. I would run my fingers across the globe imagining the curiosities the world held. Now when I look at a globe I see faces. I see the faces of people I know. I see their tears and smiles. I can hear them crying out to God in prayer. I can see them disappear around the corner. I can feel their rough hands in mine in salutation. I can feel their embrace. I can hear their voices in song. So many faces: each of them living their lives; each of them walking their streets. Faces I never knew existed now mean the world to me.

Some of these people have been pillars for me. I’ve learned so much from so many of them. And many times, it’s me asking them for prayer. I won’t forget them. I hope I’ve been a blessing to them. Please, you don’t forget them, either. The next time you look at a map or a globe think about your brothers and sisters around the world and pray for them. They just might be praying for you.

Dealing With Destitution

These are times of turmoil and unrest. As a nation, we find ourselves at a crossroads on many issues. One of the great things about democracy is that we are allowed to have our own opinions and take on what is going on around us. But, if we’re honest, the situations we face are far from simple and require thoughtful, wise solutions. Unfortunately, due to how strongly we hold our opinions, getting to a consensus is complicated as well. I would like to see how the word of God weighs in on some of the complicated things we are facing. May we grant each other grace and an ear as we face the future together. Because face it we will.

Proverbs 31:2

What are you doing, my son? What are you doing, son of my womb?
What are you doing, son of my vows? (ESV)

“What are you doing, my son?” King Lemuel’s mother asks him three times. Each time more emphasis is given to the question. In the first instance she states her relationship with him. In the second statement Lemuel’s mother seems to be emphasizing that he came from her. He should give special heed to her words. She has his best interest at heart. She cares for him. In the third statement she states that he is the result of her vows. It is implied that Lemuel came about, in part, because his mother was a woman of her word. Lemuel was on the earth because his mother was committed to his father and we hope that Lemuel will follow in her footsteps, being a faithful man. Lemuel’s mother asks him this question as a means to get him to reflect on what kind of king he will be. He will, after all, greatly influence other people.

We, too, as children of God, have the opportunity to greatly influence those around us. Maybe even more so with social media and all of the opportunities for good and evil that come with it. Perhaps the question, “What are you doing, my son?”, could be a way to guard against knee-jerk reactions. And this raises the question: How will we use our influence?

So, what are we doing? This world is troubled, to say the least. And it is full of people who are hurting and suffering from injustice. What will our response be to those who are disadvantaged, the foreigner, the widow, the orphan? Now, I’m not talking politics. In fact, I want to stay away from politics altogether. I want to avoid knee-jerk reactions. I think that our relationship with Jesus, and what the Bible says, should transcend all of our ideologies and take precedence over them. Politics addresses these questions on a national level. But, I want to look at how we should react personally. I know that these are touchy and controversial issues, but I think bringing God’s word to bear on them will be a helpful exercise.

Let’s start by taking a look at the immigrant*, the fatherless, and the widow. Deuteronomy 10:17-19 says, “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” Wow! Love the sojourner! God loves the sojourner! Even Jesus was a sojourner (one might even say a refugee fleeing Herod) in Egypt. Now, I can imagine some of the responses I might get, and I’m not saying that illegal immigration and the refugee crisis is not a complicated issue and I know it needs to be dealt with. But remember, we are dealing here with our personal response to a person made in God’s image—a person who needs the Good News! And if we let the gospel come to bear on our relationship with others we just might win them to Christ.

Jeremiah 7:5-7 says, “For if you truly amend your ways and your deeds, if you truly execute justice one with another, if you do not oppress the sojourner, the fatherless, or the widow, or shed innocent blood in this place, and if you do not go after other gods to your own harm, then I will let you dwell in this place, in the land that I gave of old to your fathers forever.” (ESV) Obviously we can continue to conclude that the immigrant, the fatherless, and the widow are people that Jesus loves and should be of concern to us as well. Now looking at Leviticus 19:33-34 God says: When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the LORD your God. (ESV) I love these verses because they mirror beautifully Jesus’ charge to “love your neighbor as yourself.” (Mark 12:31 ESV) The foreigner is our neighbor as well. Psalm 146:9 gives us a bit more of the same: The LORD watches over the sojourners; he upholds the widow and the fatherless, but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin. (ESV) Matthew 25:35-36 crowns these ideas beautifully when Jesus says, “For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” (ESV) What a privilege is ours! We can be Jesus hands and feet to those suffering around us today! I mentioned this as a note below, but the word stranger can be used for foreigner. Our attitude is to be one of welcome.

Now, lets take a few seconds to talk about the refugee. I know, a powder keg, right? Again, I know we have to come to some viable solutions, but lets leave politics out of it. Just let me ask, how does Jesus feel about the refugee? How does Jesus feel about the photo of that little Syrian boy, Alan Kurdi, lying face down and drowned on the beach? We have to ask ourselves these questions because they are obviously near God’s heart. Thinking about refugees and foreigners within our borders in general, I’ve often heard this quote, “The world has come to our doorstep.” That rings true, doesn’t it? Many of these people come from closed countries where sharing the gospel is illegal. What a great opportunity to share the Good News! Maybe we should get to now someone from another culture today. Maybe God wants to use us to change someone’s life by having compassion on them or defending them.

Now, I’m sure there is overlap when we talk about these different people groups, but let’s take a look at the disadvantaged and needy. We need look no further than Lemuel’s mother’s words to him in verses 8-9: Proverbs 31:8-9

Open your mouth for the mute,
for the rights of all who are destitute.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
defend the rights of the poor and needy. (ESV)

The focus on this verse is a bit more on the side of those who are economically disadvantaged. However, the word destitute could justify a much broader application of this verse.

I know I’ve touched on some tough issues in this post. In truth, I could write a book on this topic and go way more in depth than I already have. There are books out there that address these issues, but I have not read them yet. I can only pray I’ve done a good job representing Jesus’ heart and desires in the midst of this post and not pushed some agenda. Each of us has a responsibility to use our mouth for good. We have a responsibility to be the hands and feet of our Savior to the poor, the fatherless, the widow, and the foreigner. How can we hope to win someone to Christ if our actions and words don’t show the same love that is ours in Jesus? I pray Jesus uses each one of us to bring someone to His feet.

*The words stranger, sojourner, and alien are all used in the Bible in reference to immigrants or foreigners and can be interchanged.

Portrait of a Savior

God has made my heart faint;
the Almighty has terrified me;
yet I am not silenced because of the darkness,
nor because thick darkness covers my face.
Job 23:16–17 (ESV)

I like dark rooms. Sometimes I'll go into a room to do something and wait a few seconds before I turn on the light. But it's not that I'm particularly fond of the darkness. Rather, when a neighbor has their light on, I enjoy the way it softly shines silver into the room. I like the way the darkness emphasizes the light.

Without darkness we wouldn't know what light is. And without suffering and trials we wouldn't grow. In our discussions on Saturday nights we've been going over the the life of Job (which can be found in the Bible). If there was ever anyone who had to stare darkness in the face it was Job. He lost his family, his health, and all his goods. He had enjoyed a position of influence in the community and was sought after for his wisdom, righteousness, and generosity. But now people laughed at him. And if that wasn't enough, his so-called "friends" came to comfort him by telling him he was surely suffering for some great evil he had done. Job felt consumed and abandoned by God.

In Job's arguments with his friends he justified himself and called God to task. Job, like all of us, had a slightly warped view of himself, and by the end of the book, confessed that he had not really known God. But we all want answers when we're suffering. We all shake our fists at heaven.

But Job also knew that the only one who could justify him was the Sovereign One who had allowed all of this to happen. And that wreck-of-a-man said with such faith, "For I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last he will stand upon the earth. And after my skin has been thus destroyed, yet in my flesh I shall see God." (Job 19:25–26 ESV)

Maybe you're going through a time of trial right now. Or maybe you're concerned about the growing darkness in our culture. (Thought the darkness is world-wide, let me assure you.) But, are we despairing and caustic, like Job, or do we let the darkness emphasize the light we carry in us? Will we be vitriolic, just like the rest of our culture, or will we respond in love and faith in our Savior who is sovereign over all that is happening?

I love photography. Breaking down the word, it means: to draw with light. In the midst of these trials and this darkness we have a great opportunity to draw a beautiful portrait of our Savior with the light that is in us. But we will have to be brave. We will have to boldly trust God and boldly love those around us even when misunderstood or mistreated.

Nonnative--a poem

Sometimes when I look at my daughters I marvel at how different their childhood is and will be from my own. I marvel at the privilege they have in being multicultural and multilingual. At the same time I sometimes wonder if they aren't missing out on some things. I'm sure whatever they're missing will be more than made up for in all that they've gained. Here is a poem I wrote about these thoughts.

Nonnative

I see her pupil dilate
And I think of how
     foreign it will be

                 distressed


I had the sun and sparse and hill
And dreams of the atom bomb rain
      on the attic roof that
              slept with me

But she has buildings and ruins and Spanish and a multitude
     of small voices voicing the personal history
     of Fulano


But there is a certain piercing crater on her earth

Here there is no blood no
     network no auto entender

Absent are the cousins and the grand
     tears tear
Also and especially dolorous is the great grand

For Adah was always there
And Adah always will be

Psalm 23: Bible Text Animation | BibleScreen.com

Upheaval

We are coming to love our newly adopted culture and country. As we spend more time here we get a feel for what the people are like, what their struggles are, and how the whole moral environment has been changing the last few years. In a way, they are not too different from us. Except, perhaps that the changes are more recent. Many seem concerned about the downward turn in both their economy (which has happened numerous times before) and in their values. But in the area of values nobody seems to know what to do.

"I don't believe in anything, but I'm happy."

In Buenos Aires there seems to be quite a growing culture of agnosticism and even atheism in some cases. God can use our ministry to reach out to people at such a key time. In the midst of such cultural, political, and economic upheaval, people seem ready to seek for answers in a world that offers precious few, and the ones they do offer leave us empty.

And no matter how hard our hearts, there is always someone God is working in. I’ve been getting to know a guy who sells produce at one of the local stores close to our apartment. We started talking about what it is we do here and why. He started telling me about his own spiritual journey and belief system. He said that he has tried out several religious systems and doesn’t like certain elements of all of them. So, he has taken some of the elements from them that he likes and told me that he believes that what is important is your faith and how it motivates you.

I started talking to him a little bit about those systems and told him that there is something Christianity has that all of those other systems do not: a God of love who made us in His image. While we wrapped up the conversation he stated that he would like to get a coffee with me some day. Please pray for him. From what he said it sounds like somebody had done him damage in the midst of his spiritual seeking. His name is Ariel, a poetic name for Jerusalem.