Socialism…Ewwwwwww

Mark 10:17-27 : “17 As Jesus went out into the street, a young man came running up, greeted him with great reverence, and asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get eternal life?” 18-19 Jesus said, “Why are you calling me good? No one is good, only God. You know the commandments: Don’t murder, don’t commit adultery, don’t steal, don’t lie, don’t cheat, honor your father and mother.” 20 He said, “Teacher, I have—from my youth—kept them all!” 21 Jesus looked him hard in the eye—and loved him! He said, “There’s one thing left: Go sell whatever you own and give it to the poor. All your wealth will then be heavenly wealth. And come follow me.” 22 The man’s face clouded over. This was the last thing he expected to hear, and he walked off with a heavy heart. He was holding on tight to a lot of things, and not about to let go.

Many people preach this verse in correlation with the man being rich or having much. But when I read this text I see another glaring message. It is the message or warning about being unwilling to give away that which yours / earned to those who did not earn it. It reminds me of our society and how we hold on so tightly to our stuff. How as Americans we cry “Socialism!” like someone is trying to kill us.

Matthew 6:21 says, “For where your wealth is, there your heart will be also.”

This is why Jesus said give it all away so your wealth will be heavenly wealth. This man wanted to follow Jesus, but because his heart was with his earthly treasures…he walked away sad.

Let us look at where our treasures lie. How entitled are we? Do we feel angry at the idea of giving our hard earned money away to someone who didn’t earn it? And if so…why? If we find ourselves giving earthly, selfish, judgmental reasons for why we don’t want to give to the poor and undeserving…then maybe we have more in common with the young ruler than we thought.

Act 4:32-36 (The Voice Version) reads, “32 During those days, the entire community of believers was deeply united in heart and soul to such an extent that they stopped claiming private ownership of their possessions. Instead, they held everything in common. 33 The apostles with great power gave their eyewitness reports of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Everyone was surrounded by an extraordinary grace. 34 Not a single person in the community was in need because those who had been affluent sold their houses or lands and brought the proceeds 35 to the emissaries[a] of the Lord. They then distributed the funds to individuals according to their needs.”

So·cial·ism: (n.) 1.a theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

Sounds pretty similar to me.

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I live a community lifestyle now. We live together. Work together. Eat together. Go to church together. We do not get paid, but all monies earned through our jobs go back to the house. All is provided for through the united efforts of the community. I have all that I need and then some. Because we share our resources, I have access to MORE than I could ever provide for myself alone. If I were depending on just my money, I would have to work very hard and toil to make more and more money to provide for a car for one person/family, a house for one person/family, food for one person/family…replicating everything over and over and over…using up unnecessary land and resources.

Together we use less…together we produce more. 

It aint rocket science…this is good stuff!

The Sacrificial Lamb

A commonly talked about figure in Christianity, but an amazingly unknown one. Maybe because we don’t use terms like that today. When we think sacrifice we think of being inconvenienced or having to stretch ourselves. In a world where hyperbole reigns supreme such as, “that was awesome”, “I almost died” and “I’m starving”, sacrificial gets thrown in the pot and we lose our central Christian figure amongst a Jesus fish car emblem and the church program with coffee stains on it from last week.

Who is this sacrificial lamb? Or I guess to go back even further and have an even better understanding, “what is a sacrificial lamb?”

In the Old Testament, the scriptures talk about atoning for sins. Making things right with God. There are several types of offerings for different things. But one that is very crucial to understanding why Jesus came and what that should mean to us is the sin offering. An innocent lamb is tied to the brazen alter and sacrificed. What happens here is a beautifully mystical thing where our sin is taken on by this lamb and we take on his innocence. Additionally there is the presence of the goat…or the scapegoat. The scapegoat is released into the wilderness as a symbol of carrying away our sins.

Now, I know this is heavy. Maybe even a little disturbing if you don’t understand. You may be asking, “Why would God do that to that poor animal?” or “Why would God have US do that to that poor animal?” It requires a mind of the spirit to understand…so if this idea is escaping you right now, first ask for God to open your heart and mind and spirit to the words you are reading and about to read.

This sacrifice was a foreshadowing of what was to come. In their own right, people of the Old Testament could never keep up with atoning for their sin in this fashion. It was never going to be enough.

Enter Jesus…

HE became the sacrificial lamb. A once and for all offering whom took on our sin and transferred his innocence onto us. And he was also the scapegoat to carry our sins away.

Isaiah 53:4-7
4 Surely he has borne our griefs
and carried our sorrows;
yet we esteemed him stricken,
smitten by God, and afflicted.
5 But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
6 All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned—every one—to his own way;
and the Lord has laid on him
the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted,
yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter,
and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent,
so he opened not his mouth.

But it was not for nothing:

Isaiah 53:10-12
10 But it was the Lord’s good plan to bruise him and fill him with grief. However, when his soul has been made an offering for sin, then he shall have a multitude of children, many heirs. He shall live again,[b] and God’s program shall prosper in his hands. 11 And when he sees all that is accomplished by the anguish of his soul, he shall be satisfied; and because of what he has experienced, my righteous Servant shall make many to be counted righteous before God, for he shall bear all their sins. 12 Therefore, I will give him the honors of one who is mighty and great because he has poured out his soul unto death. He was counted as a sinner, and he bore the sins of many, and he pled with God for sinners.

Let us dwell on that today. No greater love has any man than to lay down his life for his friends!

My Significant Me: Gotta Love Her!

There are times I really enjoy spending time alone. And I don’t mean time away from people… I mean time with myself. It is not the absence of others that brings me joy, it is my own presence. I’ve heard it said that if you don’t enjoy spending time with you, why would someone else enjoy spending time with you? I think that’s a good question. I like spending time with me. I think I’m pretty interesting, introspective, and funny… I crack myself up! I appreciate the sound of my own laugh. When I get the notion to turn on my salsa music and Cha Cha on my yoga mat, I think to myself, ” I want to be that girl”… And then I realize, I am her. For the first time in my life, I don’t see moments of solitude as a prelude to sadness. They are the quiet places for me to hear my own voice and learn God’s. Becoming single is not something that life has done to me… It is something that life has done FOR me. It created space for me to learn to love myself. It created space for me to learn to love God more. And it has created space for me to learn to love others. For in this love, all of the commandments are fulfilled. As we approach Valentine’s Day I would say this to my fellow single folk. You have someone special to love on that day… Yourself. #givethegiftthatkeepsongiving