Jerry Root is associate director of the Institute of Strategic Evangelism at the Billy Graham Center.
John 19:30 “It is Finished!”
We will never get to the bottom of any of Christ’s words on the cross, and this is certainly so with “It is finished!”
Years ago, I was invited to preach an Evensong at one of the Oxford University colleges and to eat at the high table after the service. Huge paintings of famous graduates looked down from the walls, reminding those who ate that they sat in a place of privilege. Long student tables ran the length of the hall and perpendicular to these, elevated three steps, was the high table for the faculty. The students ate roast beef while the faculty ate prime rib. Everyone was dressed in academic gowns. A Latin prayer began the meal and you could cut the pretense with a knife. None of this was a problem provided one did not take himself too seriously; unfortunately, in that environment, the temptation to self-importance is strong.
I was introduced as one who preached the Evensong service. The historian sitting across from me asked, “So, Jerry, why are you a Christian?” I thought she was inquiring for personal reasons.
After the meal, someone who knew this woman told me he thought she asked because she wanted to make me the source of entertainment at that dinner. I responded to her inquiry, answering out of a sense of my own brokenness and need of the finished work of Christ:
I am a Christian because I am aware of my own failures and shortcomings. I am aware of incongruities in my life. I believe in the high ideal of love, yet there have been times when I’ve spoken sharp words with those I say I love most in this world. I am aware of hypocrisy and injustice in my life—not all of it, but enough to be ashamed. It was out of the deep recognition that things are broken in me and need fixing that I have found the message of God’s love and forgiveness compelling.
The historian was taken aback by what I said.
She replied, “Well, I can appreciate what you are saying, but that’s just not my issue!” I was surprised by her response, believing that anyone who looks honestly at his or her life must be aware of its many shortcomings and deficiencies.
I responded, “I think I understand what you are saying. In fact, when I became a Christian in college I didn’t become perfect overnight—that took two or three weeks to happen.” As I said this the whole table burst into laughter. When things settled down I said to this woman, “Your laughter just betrayed you.”
She asked, “What do you mean?”
I answered, “We just met, so you couldn’t possibly know specifics in my life making that statement laughable. Your response indicated that either your read of history or your read of your own life provided awareness it was nonsense.”
She responded, “You got me.”
I asked, “Then knowing of your own struggles in life, what gets you by when you make an honest inventory of your life?”
She answered, “I have faith in humanity!”
I inquired, “May I ask you a couple of questions about your faith in humanity?”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever been wounded by another human being?”
“Of course!”
Then I asked, “Have you ever wounded another human being?”
She said, “I suppose so.” She was softer on herself than she was toward those who had wounded her.
I asked, “How does this faith in humanity work when we live in a world where we have been wounded and we have wounded?”
At that moment, one of the other Dons at the table asked, “How does it work for Christians?” And we spent the rest of that evening at high table talking about the love and grace of God. These are the riches to be found, and re-found anew each day, in the work of Christ which was finished on Calvary long ago.
It is the place where we acknowledge our brokenness that we discover the treasures held in store for us in Jesus’ words, “It is finished!”
What experiences can you share where God has opened a door to conversation about his goodness? We'd love to hear about it! Let's continue the conversation on our facebook page!
Posted April 1, 2013
-----
Lon Allison is executive director of the Billy Graham Center.
The Perfect Blend of Love & Justice
It is Monday of Holy Week. I try to arrange Mondays, whenever I’m in town, to be a day of reflection and prayer (for at least a good part of the day). By design, I read and pray more deeply than the other days of the week.
Today is the best example of that.
Yesterday, our local church, Wheaton Bible, offered a wonderful worship experience. Our pastor preached a great sermon on the Palm Sunday passage. The music, the message, and the sight of hundreds of children marching through our sanctuary waving palm branches still linger in me. Then, Marie (my wife) and I watched the History Channel’s Bible mini-series last night. The episode focused on the ministry of Jesus, his entrance into Jerusalem, ending with his arrest. All of the images and words of our worship and the film are working deeply in me this morning, which leads me to what I now offer you.
Jesus came into the world the first time to absorb justice, not to exact it. Those words from my pastor are my big takeaway. The love of Jesus leads him to the cross. The justice of Jesus leads him to absorb the righteous justice of God against all sin. He will die in our place out of love and, because he is the judge, with perfect justice. Behold the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. It was John Stott who said something like, "It is hard to hold in our minds both the love of God and the justice of God, but he is both and at the same time" in the The Cross of Christ. It is at the cross where perfect love and exacting justice meet. “When I survey the wondrous cross….”. I’m singing the hymn now as I sign off on this blog. A blessed Holy week to all.
How will you be celebrating Holy Week? We'd love to hear about it! Let's continue the conversation on our facebook page!
Posted March 25, 2013
-----
Chandler Im is director of Ethnic Ministries at the Billy Graham Center.
3rd Asian American Gathering Blesses Many
Over 150 Asian American leaders gathered at Young Nak Presbyterian Church in Los Angeles March 11-13 for the third Asian American Leadership Conference, held in Los Angeles. Young Nak Presbyterian Church is the second largest Korean-American church in North America. It was a tremendous joy to see next generation English-speaking Asian American pastors in their 20s and 30s having a deep interest in planting and supporting multiethnic churches in North America!
I had the privilege of presenting a seminar entitled “Korean American Churches’ Issues & Strengths.” During and after the seminar, I had a heated and emotional debate with two second-generation Korean American pastors in early 30s. Both had seen painful church splits. Even as I listened, I encouraged them to press on despite disappointments and frustrations in ministry.
Another highlight was Rev. Chip Ingram, senior pastor of Venture Christian Church in Los Gatos, California, teaching on five “premises” that leaders need to keep in mind when promoting life transformation. These include:
- Clarity: If you can’t define it, you can’t achieve it.
- Metrics: You get what you measure, not what you hope for.
- Evaluation: You get what you inspect, not what you expect.
- Authenticity: You can’t impart what you don’t possess.
- Modeling: More is caught than taught.
My prayer is that God would use these premises in each of our lives as leaders—and as a result, his church would be well and his kingdom would grow.
What would you add to this list of five premises? We'd love to hear about it! Let's continue the conversation on our facebook page!
Posted March 20, 2013