The Resurrection is like High School Prom
It’s been awhile since I’ve posted. Gees, I hate it how that happens. I never did finish the political commentary. Maybe something like that can happen in bits and pieces along the way.

I’ve decided to try a different kind of post tonight. As I was sitting in our weekly “small group” meeting (for Baptist readers, that’s Wednesday night church, which Ashley and I ironically host on Thursday nights at our house), it crossed my mind that we sometimes get into intriguing discussions, some of which would be suitable to discuss on a platform like this blog. Of course, some information shared at small group is personal, and some is sensitive, so I’ll try to be discerning in what I share here.

Today is Maundy Thursday. (Well, yesterday was, if I don’t get this posted until after midnight.) Having attended a Southern Baptist church nearly my entire life, I haven’t been privy to a lot of the ritualistic or liturgical traditions that may accompany this observance. I would expect that typical Maundy Thursday observances would take a somber tone; I’ve even heard the term “tennebrae service” floated around to describe the attitude of mourning that is to take place beginning on Thursday of Passion week. Of course, we remember the Last Supper shared by Christ and his disciples, which may be expressed through Communion. Communion (or the Lord’s Supper) was, in fact, initiated by Christ at the Last Supper. In I Corinthians 11, Paul explains that believers should remember Christ’s death and proclaim his death until he returns with each sharing of the Lord’s Supper.

At small group tonight, we read Paul’s passage in I Corinthians, and we also read John 13:1-17, which contains the account of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. The first point I brought up was Jesus’ emphasis at the conclusion of the passage that his act of service in washing feet was performed as a blatant example for how his followers should conduct themselves. It’s not always that Christ explains his actions fully for us, but here, he does a deed and immediately points out the “application” that we should make. Josh furthered this point by observing that since Jesus was the “teacher” in the room, the highest position, his act of service was likely all the more shocking to his disciples. The example echoes Jesus’ earlier teaching that whoever desires to become great among us must first become our servant.

Ashley mentioned the beauty that she sees in Christ’s sense of community in this passage. In verse 1, we learn that Christ is aware of his approaching death. With a few short hours left on the earth, his preference is to gather his closest friends together and share an intimate meal in honor of the Passover. These are the folks that he has surrounded himself with during years of ministry. These are the folks he has invested his life into. These are the folks who he wants to spend time with during the final fleeting moments of peace. The setting is hence already one of love and graciousness. Then we realize that Judas, the betrayer, is also present. That ought to stun us. Judas, according to the passage, has already agreed to the betrayal; Christ is cognizant of the future hours; and Christ still counts Judas “worthy” of joining him for this event. I guess none of us are truly worthy. As a brief aside, I saw that a footnote in my Bible claimed that the word for love (agape) or its verb equivalent appears only eight times in John before this passage; however, it appears 31 times within chapters 13-16, which demonstrates its significance to the events of Christ’s Passion.

As a final point of our discussion, Ashley commented on the struggle that she often has (and as it turns out, we all have) in engaging Holy Week on an “appropriate” level. As she put it, our entire faith relies on the factuality and grand implications of the events that we observe this weekend. Without Easter, Christianity is dead. Why do we often fail to get excited about this time? Why do we often feel emotionally, or psychologically, or even spiritually detached? Josh commented that with time, we all tend to get used to the big events—Easter, Christmas, etc. We know they are significant, but we are accustomed to observing them. Nothing is new anymore, so it is difficult to become thrilled. Ruth Ann likely coined the catchphrase of the evening (again) when she suggested that observances like this are kind of like high school prom in our eyes. Yes, I’m serious. It’s an event that a lot of people build up in their minds; if you’ve never experienced prom, everything leading up to it makes it feel like it’s going to be a pivotal event in your life. Then, it happens...and the next day comes. You realize that it wasn’t that big of a deal. With events like Easter, for someone who has been a Christ follower for awhile, things are a little reversed. We’ve been to this prom before. We’ve seen the excitement. We’ve seen the next day and discovered that, believe it or not, life goes on after the event is over. The problem is that unlike high school prom, the Resurrection really is pivotal. In fact, it’s so pivotal that we should be striving to live each day of the year in the light and spirit of the Resurrection. It’s funny how humans approach things backwards. We frequently treat earthly events as if they’re eternal, and we treat eternal events as if they’re earthly.

We’ve got a few days until Easter Sunday. Let’s use this time to start righting our perspectives. Let’s focus on the eternal for a few days and not allow the earthly demands of the holiday continue to numb our souls. Let’s celebrate the Resurrection each day that we live and not treat it like one of our normal human events.

Election Day Evangelism
Honestly, I couldn't have made this up if I tried. Last night, after much thought and prayerful consideration, I made a decision to vote for a particular candidate for president. Afterward, I posted a widely distributed prayer that Ashley and I used last night to pray for our country. This morning, another prayer showed up in my inbox. I'm copying it below. Notice the differences between it and the prayer from last night. It presents some intriguing insights for Christians.

"Please pass this prayer on right now on behalf of John McCain. Please start prayer chains immediately for the election. This election can be turned around for the glory of God if we will stop worrying and get on our knees!!! How many people can you pass this on to??? Let us pray.

"Father, in the name of Jesus, we come to You right now asking for a miracle in this election. Lord, we lift up to You right now Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin. Lord, we ask that You would just wrap Your arms around them and their families at this critical time. Father, we ask for miracle upon miracle in this election. We know that only You can turn the tide of evil in this election. Father, as we await the final days of the election, we ask in complete faith that You would allow the truth to be known across this land.

"Lord, we ask for forgiveness for putting You last. Father, please heal our land and homes, allow us to have another chance to love You the way you should be loved. Lord, we ask specifically for John and Sarah’s health, wisdom, words, actions, and their campaign staff. Lord, we lift them all up to You now. Father, we also specifically ask for the voters in many states who are battleground states. Lord, please convict the hearts of voters in Florida, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, North Dakota, Virginia, Nevada, and Colorado.

"Father we beg for every electoral vote. Lord, we lift all of our needs up to You now. In the name of Jesus we claim victory in Your name. Lord, we pray for Your will to be done in a mighty way...we know that this election can and will glorify You! Father, place the man you would have to lead our country in a Christian way on November 4. We love You, Lord. We await Your holy miracles...

"In Jesus’ Name we pray, Amen.

"Send this on to as many people as you can think of.....let it reach every corner of America. Get on your knees for this election....Pray for God to send a REVIVAL across this land. Christians, its time we get on our knees....talk to people, speak up....we've been silent too long."

I'm not sure that I need to explain anything, but for starters...who was it that decided God wants McCain to win? It has been quite a long time since I have been audacious enough to put words in God's mouth, or to pretend to know his ways.

Also, I wonder why this writer is praying for the swing state voters to be "convicted." Convicted for exercising their God-given right to vote for Obama? Things are getting hazy for me.

One final point: the prayer implores God to "place the man [God] would have to lead our country" in office. Embedded in a prayer for McCain's victory, this point can become problematic because if Obama wins, either the prayer was not heeded by God or Obama IS the man God appoints to lead our country. Interesting. Prayers like this one really scare me. We'll see what happens next.

Election Day Eve
The last two or three days have been refreshing for me spiritually and socially. On Sunday, Ashley and I babysat three kids all day long--an act that for "newlyweds" turns the whole world on its head. I was so tired on Sunday that I actually allowed myself to rest for a change. Our pastor provided an encouraging message on the significance of Tuesday's election...an event about which I had almost resigned myself to complacency. After much thoughtful consideration, research, and journaling (as well as watching another successful Steelers' Monday night game), I have finally decided who will receive my vote for the presidency tomorrow morning. I may share a little more about that decision later on, but for now, I'll only leave the prayer that Ashley and I shared tonight after all this soul-searching.

"Almighty God, who has given us this good land for our heritage, we humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning, and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord, and confusion; from pride and arrogance; and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought here out of many nations and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen."