Mysteries

Do any of you enjoy a good mystery?
The theaters and bookstores would suggest we do, especially when the end leaves us hanging and we can speculate and discuss, argue even, about “who done it”. It makes us feel like we have a say or some sort of control over history.

Think about the different mysteries in life.
• How can a humming bird fly?
• Why do children from the same family turn out so differently?
• Why do flowers cheer us up when we are sad?
• Why are dandelions considered weeds to be eliminated?
• Why do women need 10 pairs of black shoes (this might be a mystery to men but every woman knows why).
• Why are dogs so loyal and cats so … well you know how cats are? (Maybe I love cats because you have to earn their affection???)
• How can one place feel like home and another not?

And then there are the more difficult mysteries.
• Why do we just know that it’s wrong to kill babies?
• How can God be good and all powerful and yet let evil abound on earth?

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Camels and Needle’s Eyes

I preached this past weekend at the church from James 1:9-11 and during the sermon I made reference to Jesus’ story about the Rich Ruler in Luke 18. If you weren’t there or just fell asleep during that portion of the sermon (who could blame you?!), the story is about a rich guy who comes to Jesus and wants to know how he can obtain eternal life. Jesus gives him some pointers about keeping the Mosaic Law and the rich guy happily responds, “I have done all of that since I was a kid.” Knowing that the guy’s wealth had become his real God, Jesus asked him to sell everything, give the money to the poor, and come follow him. At this, the rich guy was crushed and he went away. Then Luke writes these words…

Jesus, seeing that he had become sad, said, “How difficult it is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” Those who heard it said, “Then who can be saved?” But he said, “What is impossible with men is possible with God.” (ESV)

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Where Are All the Artists?

Like many people around the world, I was watching the Academy Awards show on Sunday night. It was quite a production. I was glad to see Slumdog Millionaire win it all even though I have yet to see the film. From what I have heard and read, it sounds to me like it is one of the more redemptive movies of the year.

One of the more intriguing moments of the evening came during Sean Penn’s speech after winning the Best Actor Award for his performance in the film, Milk. Milk is about homosexual activist Harvey Milk and his rise to political office in San Francisco in the 1970s. During Penn’s speech, he commented about how unjust the recently passed Proposition 8 (banning gay marriage) in California was and how ashamed the people who supported and voted for that proposition ought to be. They will be ridiculed by their children and grandchildren, according to Penn.

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