Mike King

The Eschaton is a Banquet...

I like what Joel Green (Witnesses of His Resurrection: Resurrection, Salvation, Discipleship, and Mission in the Acts of the Apostles) does in tying the resurrection of Jesus to mission.  He starts with the community of believers in Acts 4 who were taking care of all the needy persons among them.  He builds on this theme by tying the motive of taking care of needs (hunger, clothing, shelter) as a testimony to the resurrection, showing the correlation throughout Luke/Acts between resurrection and hunger/nourishment.  He cites Luke 8:49-56 when Jesus raises a girl and tells those who witness the event to give her something to eat.  He cites the story of the Prodigal Son which ends up with a feast after his father declares, “this son of mine was dead and has come back to life.”    Jesus shares food with the two in Emmaus and later that same day with his disciples.  He points out that the eschaton is a banquet.  Jesus resurrection is tied to Luke’s motif of table fellowship.  The implications of this theological aspect should motivate us to a mission of taking care of the ‘least of these’, the oppressed, the hungry, works of mercy and justice, all as a way to testify to the power of the resurrection of Jesus and his plan to ultimately restore all things. 

North American Evangelicals can't be this stupid, can they(we)?

Attempts to spread religion decried

By David Rohde The New York Times

MORAKETIYA, Sri Lanka - A dozen Americans walked into a relief camp here, showering bereft parents and traumatized children with gifts, attention and affection. They also quietly offered camp residents something else: Jesus. The Americans, all of them from one church in Texas, have staged plays detailing the life of Jesus and had children draw pictures of him, camp residents said. They have told parents who lost children they should still believe in God and held group prayers in which they tried to heal a partly paralyzed man and a deaf 12-year-old girl. The attempts at proselytizing are angering local Christian leaders, who worry that they could provoke a violent backlash against Christians in Sri Lanka, a predominantly Buddhist country that already is a religious tinderbox. Last year, Buddhist hard-liners attacked more than 100 churches and the offices of the World Vision Christian aid group, accusing them of using money and social programs to coerce conversions. Most American aid groups, including those affiliated with religious organizations, strictly avoid mixing aid with missionary work. But scattered reports of proselytizing in Sri Lanka; Indonesia, which is predominantly Muslim; and India, with large Hindu and Muslim populations, are arousing concerns that the goodwill spread by the American relief efforts could be undermined by resentment about missionary work. The Americans in Sri Lanka belong to the Antioch Community Church, an evangelical congregation based in Waco, Texas. The church is one of a growing number of evangelical groups that believe in mixing humanitarian aid with discussions of religion, an approach more established Christian aid groups such as Catholic Relief Services call unethical. Sri Lankan refugees, camp administrators and church officials said the Americans have identified themselves only as a humanitarian aid group. " Click here for rest of story

What a combination NORTH AMERICAN, TEXAN, EVANGELICALS...  Lord Jesus, Son of the Living God, Have Mercy on Us....

Falwell????????

Unable to watch the Inauguration Speech on TV, I was listening to it in the car.  At the end they announced that it was time for the Benediction Prayer and introduced Rev. Falwell... I yelled in the car "JERRY FALWELL, YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!!! My hearing was bad, it was Rev. Caldwell (W's pastor friend from Houston) not Falwell, but it (the prayer) still seemed weird in this national (political) setting.   

Jessica

Jessica is our youngest child (although, obviously no longer a child).  She is soon to be 19.  Our two boys are both married and have been away from our home for some time.  Trying to postpone the "empty nest" phase of life for a little longer, (a season of life we are - overall - looking very forward to) we encouraged Jessica to go to her first year of college locally.  As soon as we got back from Israel (she was with us) she began a diligent process of deciding where she is going to college this fall.  Last weekend she was at SMS.  This week she is at MU.  She was asking about Azuza Pacific the other day (doesn't she know AP is in California?  Precisely!).  She is already counting the weeks until summer camp (her second year on YouthFront Camp West staff) which means we're down to our final four months of kids in our home.  We built our home for youth ministry to happen at our place so adjusting to "empty nest" for us will include, not only getting used to our kids not being here, but also their friends not being here.  Jessica has been a great kid to raise, our little girl, who is now a hair under six feet tall, is "pretty-much" all grown up.  Sentimental me will be working through every "this is the last time scenario" (last time we'll do this, or that with you at home) until she's gone.  By this summer I will be turning my focus to convincing Vicki that it's time to move to a Condo on the Plaza to get ready for the next season of life - Grand-kids.  (I'm not talking about your kids Jessica - you have another decade to be "Daddy's Girl) 

I’ve been reading N.T. Wright’s The Resurrection of the Son of God

I personally love N.T. Wright.  I have been midrashing New Testament and the People of God V.1 with a group of friends.  That has been wonderful.  I skipped Jesus and the Victory of God V.2 (I'll pick it up later) and am finishing The Resurrection of the Son of God V.3.  His emphasis on creation and recreation is breathing lots of life into me...  Some thoughts

Wright makes a strong point that he will refer to throughout the rest of the book, “it has been assumed in western Christendom that the ultimate point of being a Christian was ‘to go to heaven when you die’.”  The reformers dealt with Rome concerning the issue of justification but they did not deal with the issue that the misguided ultimate goal of Christianity was to go to heaven.  This remains the goal and final end of most western Christians reinforced by our songs, services, teaching, liturgy and prayers.  “Our loved ones in Christ who have died are already waiting for us in Heaven.”  As Wright unfolds this erroneous theological way of thinking, so much falls into place for me and my understanding of what it means to be a follower of Jesus and co-laborer with God for the renewal and restoration of all things. Chapter Nine, Page 417-418

^3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By his great mercy he has given us a new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, ^4 and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you, ^5 who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. ^6 In this you rejoice,^a even if now for a little while you have had to suffer various trials, ^7 so that the genuineness of your faith—being more precious than gold that, though perishable, is tested by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. ^8 Although you have not seen^b him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and rejoice with an indescribable and glorious joy, ^9 for you are receiving the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls. I Peter 1:3-9. 

Wright says that this passage is one that western Christians see as speaking of a salvation that is about leaving the present life and world and going to the ultimate destination of heaven.  This was not the intention of the author of I Peter, according to Wright.  This salvation being spoken of, first of all, is clearly given “through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”  Furthermore, this “inheritance” is “kept in heaven for you.”  This salvation will be “revealed in the last time”… when “Jesus Christ is revealed.”   Wright states, “This language belongs much more naturally with the idea of ‘heaven’ as the place where the creator’s future purposes are stored up, ‘kept safe’ (verse 4) until they can be unveiled in the promised new world, than with the dualism which seeks to escape from earth and to arrive, safely disembodied, in ‘heaven’.”  Chapter Ten, Page 464-66

 

Continuing on his theme of de-Westernizing our perspectives, Wright opens a discussion of resurrection from the book of Revelation.  He looks at the last two chapters and declares that you can’t get the its all about going to heaven when we die motif out of the text.  Clearly, the heavenly city comes down to the earth from heaven.  Heaven and earth are united in Gods’ new creation.  This newly created location is the place where God and God’s people will dwell forever.  Chapter Ten, Page 470

In Revelation, with the discussion of the martyred dead in Christ, comes a mutation of resurrection meaning and language.  We have already examined quite thoroughly the two-event chronology of the resurrection (Jesus resurrection and the resurrection of Jesus’ people).  In Revelation 20 the resurrection of God’s people splits into two stages, first the beheaded martyrs and second everyone else.  Chapter Ten, Page 473

Revelation 21 and 22 are full of beautiful new creation imagery.  The renewed Jerusalem with trees of life growing on the banks of the river running through the city, will be the home of people who will engage with the creator to fulfill God’s plans throughout all of God’s realms.  Death will no longer be the enemy of God’s resurrected, renewed people, clothed in incorruptible, immortal flesh.   Chapter Ten, Page 475-76 

Stories

Every year we (YouthFront staff) do something creative for our Christmas Party (youth workers are supposed to be creative).  This year we held the party at 10:00 AM.  The theme was Christmas Morning.  We all came to the party in our PJ’s.  We ate a Christmas brunch, sang some carols, exchanged gifts, but mostly we told stories.  We told stories about our past (61 years of YouthFront stories). We told stories about our dreams of the future.  We recognized and honored four staff, one who was finishing five years on staff, two who were at their tenth year and one at fifteen.  We told stories about them and about what we love about our YouthFront family.  We told stories of fun memories sprinkled with joy and laughter.  We told stories of life. 

Vidy Metsker, our co-founder, then read The Story.  The Story that gives all of our stories meaning and life.  The Story that our stories fit in to.  “In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world…So Joseph went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, …to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child… and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2.  And so The Story goes… and so our stories go.

Three hours into our joyous Christmas Morning celebration, just as we were getting out board games and putting on a Christmas Movie to ratchet up the fun and hilarity – a call came.  I noticed a small huddle of our staff in tears.  As I started toward them, someone walked up to me and shared the tragic news that one of the teenagers, very involved in YouthFront had just died in a car accident.  Tylor was only 16 years old.  Casey Kapple and Courtney Bade who work with teen staff at YouthFront Camp West were sobbing.  They loved Tylor.  He was a faithful teen staffer.  They were devastated.  Slowly as word spread through the staff party the energy, laughter and fun drained out of the room.  We stopped and prayed.  We prayed and cried for Tylor’s family, for Tylor’s friends, for Casey and Courtney.  And then we continued to tell stories, stories of Tylor at camp, of his growth, of memories from those who worked with him.  We passed around his pictures in the YouthFront Teen Staff yearbook.  For those who didn’t know Tylor, there were stories of what really matters in life.  There were stories about God’s call on our lives to reach young people so that they love Jesus like Tylor loved Jesus.

No, it wasn’t a ruined Christmas Party.  It was a real celebration of The Story that our stories fit in to.  The Story that Jesus came as God in Human flesh to bring joy and purpose to our lives, to our stories… 

To the Theatre

The IASYM Conference ended on Friday afternoon so Will, Jay, Jen, Tony, Kenda, Amy and I went to the West End to see One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest featuring Christian Slater in the role of McMurphy made famous by Jack Nicholson.  I was skeptical about anyone filling Nicholson's shoes but Slater was good.  I was actually pulling for him in the end compared to Nicholson's McMurphy who was certifiablly insane.  Nurse Ratched was outstanding, stole the show.  Both Jen and I met Slater after the show, Jen was definitely more impressed than I was.  After the show the West End was packed so we headed back to the conference center.  Everything was closed so we hit a convenience store and bought some British junk food to take back to the center.  I remembered I had a couple of bottles of wine from the Trappist Monastery in Israel.  No one had a corkscrew, so Amy volunteered to climb through a window above the door of the bar to get one.  Crazy American youthworkers!  If the British staff had caught us it could have been... ugly.  Good conversation and a fair amount of friendly, late-night trash talking followed.  (Those Monks really know how to make wine.)

To Oxford.

One day, shortly after breakfast, Jay and I were talking about some issues that we needed to meet on.  Because of the nature of the subject I said, “that would be a great meeting to have in Oxford.”  An Oxfordian (if that is what you call them) who was attending the conference said, “it will take you and hour and a half to get there.”  A few minutes later we were on our way.  We made it in 55 minutes.  When we walked into Christ Church the Anglican Priest recognized me from a discussion I had with him last August on the way to the Greenbelt Festival, too cool.  We spent some time strolling around and then headed for the spot that led us to Oxford - The Eagle and the Child.  The Eagle and the Child is the pub where the Inklings met together every Tuesday morning for 33 years.  The two most famous members of the Inklings were C.S. Lewis and J.R. Tolkien.  At this pub these men fleshed out the story lines and characters from The Lord of the Rings and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, etc.  They also drank beer and smoked their pipes.  Jay and I sat in their spot, drank ale and smoked a pipe, hoping to soak up an ounce of their brilliance…  great day.

International Association for the Study of Youth Ministry Conference in London

It wasn’t as hard to leave my Holy Land group because I was looking forward to seeing good friends gathered for the IASYM… Tony Jones (Princeton Theological Seminary PhD student and Emergent Guru), Will Penner (Editor of Youthworker Journal), Jay and Jen Howver (YouthSpecialties Staff) and Kenda Creasy Dean (PTS Professor, Author and Youth Ministry Guru of Guru’s).  It was great getting to know Jonny Baker better and Andrew Root.  The best times were the late night Pub conversations.  It was good to meet Youth Ministry Specialists from all over the world.  A few North American youth workers embarrassed me, for example, the American youth worker that kept referring to “our great Christian President.”  Kenda’s paper NUMB AND NUMB-ER: YOUTH AND THE CHURCH OF “BENIGN WHATEVER-ISM concerning the data from the UNC’s research on was compelling; she is one of my heroes.  Tony’s presentation of the design and focus of his PTS dissertation was great, especially his discussion of Hermeneutical Phenomenology (I just like saying that).  Andrew Root presented a paper entitled, Adolescence and Social Relationality: Examining the Profundity of the Incarnation.  It was  Brilliant!  I can’t quit thinking about it.

An encounter with the "Whence"

Strange – I had a moment when I maybe felt closer to God than I ever have before.  I was driving along the Sea of Galilee, windows down, enjoying the breeze and I had my iPod turned up loud listening to U2 “How to Dismantle a Nuclear Bomb.”       Somewhere around the lyrics “freedom has a scent, like the top of a newborn babies head…” I had a transcendent kind of moment.

Schleiermacher may have been very happy for me…