Tim Basselin - July 10, 2016
Fight Club
We don't like pain. In fact, our culture is filled with systems and structures that shield us from pain. The Church isn't exempt - we want to skip straight from the cross to the empty tomb. But the film FIGHT CLUB insists that pain is good, that pain invites us to stop and consider how we participate in injustice. How can we embrace the pain in our lives, and how might we find the Spirit at work in the midst of our pain to bring resurrection?
From Series: "Top 10: Movies"
Star Wars. Avatar. Up. When a story resonates with so many people it becomes a blockbuster, we should ask, "Why? What is it about this film that resonates with us?" People of faith can gain a window into desires of our culture, and we can discover how the Spirit is at work, that we might join in!
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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.
