The kingdom of God is what happens between us and the sick. This insight came to me from a comment made by Jurgen Moltmann in one of his books. Moltmann was talking about Jesus healing the sick. The healing power of Jesus was a sign of the presence of the kingdom of God. When the kingdom arrives, illness flees. When the power of God’s Spirit touches the sick, they are healed.
Where do we find the kingdom of God today? The kingdom of God is what happens between us and the sick.
I’ve been in healthcare ministry a number of years, off and on. There are times when I want to avoid the sick. I want to do something else. Why? Is it selfishness on my part? Perhaps, but most of the time it is fatigue. Ministry to the sick takes a lot of energy, a lot of self-giving. It can be draining. Jesus had moments of fatigue, too. He took brief “sabbaticals” and went off by himself to pray and recharge his batteries.
And yet we can’t overlook this point: in the expectations and suffering of the sick we encounter the kingdom of God. And we learn. Visiting the sick is not only about “meeting their needs.” It is about meeting Christ in the sick. It is about receiving the hospitality of the sick. It’s about seeing ourselves in the sick. And it is about learning faith from the sick, even from those who have little faith.
I can honestly say that my understanding of the kingdom of God has been deepened by the sick. I’ve been pushed, challenged, humbled, and made more grateful.
None of this would be the case were it not for the Holy Spirit working in and through the sick to reach me. Could it be that God has asked me to minister to the sick in order to save my own soul? Probably. So we press on . . . and we find the kingdom of God happening here and now in every Spirit-filled encounter with the sick. --Brad
October 26, 2009
October 24, 2009
Boo! A story about salvation.
One day a colleague at work asked me, “Do you believe in hell?” We were alone at the office. It was the end of the day and we were catching up on paperwork. Her question hit me by surprise. I realized that God had just dumped me into a very important moment in this person’s life.
I said, “No, I don’t believe in a literal hell. I think hell is a metaphor for separation from God, for missing our destiny.”
She answered, “I don’t believe in hell either.”
This woman had just enough of old traditional Roman Catholic theology to be scared and guilty. She was carrying a lot of baggage about sin, hell, and eternal damnation. She was all tied up in knots, spiritually and psychologically. In some ways she was like a kid who has been told, “There’s a ghost in your bedroom closet! Don’t go in there!”
I call this “Boo!” theology. God sneaks up on us and shouts, “Boo! You’re going to hell!” Would you do this to your friend? Then why do we think God does this? Fear-based religion is running rampant through the minds and hearts of millions of people.
Anyway, this woman said, “I sure hope I go to heaven.”
I asked, “Do you want to go to heaven?”
She almost shouted, “Yes!”
“Then you will,” I replied.
She looked at me like I had just hit her in the head with a piece of firewood. Stunned. Apparently no one had ever told her that she was secure in God and needn’t worry.
We carry our own demons with us in our heads. We create our own hells. Often those demons have been placed in our psyche by distorted forms of religion, by “Boo!” theology.
I believe that, in the end, we get what we desire with all our heart. God gives us what we desire with all our heart. To desire “heaven” is a metaphor for desiring salvation, peace, joy, life, and ultimate freedom. As we mature, we might even begin desiring God himself. And if we really move forward in our spiritual growth, we will even begin loving God.
Once God’s love hits us between the eyes, we will never doubt again. We can cease the childish and fear-based obsession with personal salvation and get busy sharing the “good news.”
It seems all day long all I do is go around telling people they’re saved. The “Boo!” theology flying around out there is incredible…too many scared people. There’s lots of work to be done. --Brad
I said, “No, I don’t believe in a literal hell. I think hell is a metaphor for separation from God, for missing our destiny.”
She answered, “I don’t believe in hell either.”
This woman had just enough of old traditional Roman Catholic theology to be scared and guilty. She was carrying a lot of baggage about sin, hell, and eternal damnation. She was all tied up in knots, spiritually and psychologically. In some ways she was like a kid who has been told, “There’s a ghost in your bedroom closet! Don’t go in there!”
I call this “Boo!” theology. God sneaks up on us and shouts, “Boo! You’re going to hell!” Would you do this to your friend? Then why do we think God does this? Fear-based religion is running rampant through the minds and hearts of millions of people.
Anyway, this woman said, “I sure hope I go to heaven.”
I asked, “Do you want to go to heaven?”
She almost shouted, “Yes!”
“Then you will,” I replied.
She looked at me like I had just hit her in the head with a piece of firewood. Stunned. Apparently no one had ever told her that she was secure in God and needn’t worry.
We carry our own demons with us in our heads. We create our own hells. Often those demons have been placed in our psyche by distorted forms of religion, by “Boo!” theology.
I believe that, in the end, we get what we desire with all our heart. God gives us what we desire with all our heart. To desire “heaven” is a metaphor for desiring salvation, peace, joy, life, and ultimate freedom. As we mature, we might even begin desiring God himself. And if we really move forward in our spiritual growth, we will even begin loving God.
Once God’s love hits us between the eyes, we will never doubt again. We can cease the childish and fear-based obsession with personal salvation and get busy sharing the “good news.”
It seems all day long all I do is go around telling people they’re saved. The “Boo!” theology flying around out there is incredible…too many scared people. There’s lots of work to be done. --Brad
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