JR. Forasteros - November 23, 2014
Seeds of the Kingdom
When we consider the evil in the world at large, or the evil we see in our own hearts, we can become discouraged. We feel that God’s way may never come in our world. But Jesus compares his new way to a mustard plant – in our day, he could have used a computer virus. The point is that his way is inevitable, unstoppable and totally counter to the dominant ways of our world. Jesus’ way starts small, but once it gets going, not even the gates of Hell can stand against him!
From Series: "You Had to Be There"
The way Jesus taught attracted every kind of person, from the ultra-religious to the irreligious. What was it about his teaching? We miss how provocative his parables were because we're not first century Galilean peasants. In this series, we ask what it would be like if Jesus came today. What would his stories sound like? Just how good is this good news? Trust us... you had to be there.
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What does it feel like when God is angry at you?
Off the cuff, you might wonder if hitting more red lights than usual is a sign of God’s wrath. But more seriously, when we hit hard times, it’s easy to feel like we made someone up there mad. When we get sick, or when we have one of those weeks, months or years when it’s one thing after another, we want to blame bad karma or say the universe is against us or question what we’ve done to make God mad at us.
It doesn’t help that, whenever tragedy strikes, there are plenty of pundits who want to make sure we know God’s to blame.
Every natural disaster, every national tragedy, you can find at least a few crazy Christians trying to explain how and why we’ve angered God so God threw a hurricane or tornado or airplane at us.
And in times of personal tragedy, that happens too. Well-meaning people put a gentle hand on our shoulder and ask if we are right with the Lord, implying that we’re probably not, and that’s why this is happening to us.
Is that what it looks like when God gets angry?
Well… no. Like all the best lies, this one has a grain of truth in it
But the idea that God is essentially Thor, throwing lightning bolts at those who cross him is just plain wrong. Understanding God like that makes us afraid, and it actually keeps us from responding correctly to God’s anger.
Let’s talk about what it looks like when God gets angry, and how we can respond to that anger. Because God’s anger – like every other aspect of God – arises from God’s love, a perfect love that casts out fear. And ultimately, God’s anger is about life and hope.
