An Eternal Decision

My husband and I like crime shows --maybe a bit too much. We like to hear people's stories, see the bad guys get what they deserve, and celebrate when families are able to take the first steps toward healing. Sadly, some of those "bad guys" are barely more than children; they are seventeen, eighteen, in their early twenties. They are sentenced to twenty-five years --a sentence longer than they have been alive; some are sentenced to life. Young adulthood will be lived as time in the yard or working the prison's laundry. Years when thirty-somethings are typically raising families, saving for their first home, or griping about coworkers, these prisoners will lie on cots dreaming of campfire smells or the sound of waves crashing on the shore. It's agonizing to witness a decision made in haste now being served for life.

A similar event took place about two thousand years ago. A man to whom we usually refer as The Thief on the Cross --even Scripture gives him no other name but "criminal." Actually, we are told there were two thieves on crosses that day. Both sentenced to death. Both mocked Jesus. But only one remained The Thief on the Cross. He is the one who did not stop long enough to seek forgiveness. The other is now a brother, a man of wisdom and action. Action?! you say. He was hanging on a cross! How was he a man of action? Because even in his condemned state, even as time ticked away and his body failed, even as the very moment of his death came more clearly into view --perhaps because all of these are true --he chose to seek reconciliation.

It might be more comfortable to assume he'd stolen out of necessity. Perhaps he'd been framed or been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Better to think some deep-seated tenderness of heart caused him to respond to the punishment he was receiving and the injustice Jesus received. We may not like to think that, when we get to heaven, the man we will embrace --not as The Thief on the Cross, but as a brother --that man was rotten to the core. This one who spoke his petition to the King he cursed a short time before, this one may have knocked down an old man, stolen his money clip and beaten his stooped little wife with her cane to keep her from crying out. Maybe he left a young mother for dead as he stripped her of her jewelry and set her house ablaze. His own words betray him:

Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.
Luke 23:40, 41

The due reward. Death. This thief was indeed a man of action --those heinous and holy, at least on this blessed day. Though fixed to a cross, destined to remain there until he breathed his last, he had value, he knew wisdom, and he took action. A decision made in wisdom is now immortalized for life to the glory of God! 

He saw the time winding down. He saw what was happening. By God's grace, He saw Jesus for who He is. Wisdom. And he took action! He took seriously what the Holy Spirit was saying to him. For what was maybe the first time in his life, he saw reality: he was a sinner, deserving of all he was receiving (and more); the only One who could show him any real sort of mercy was hanging on a cross beside him. The Thief on the Cross mocked, What can He possibly do for you? Don't you see He is in worse shape than you are? But this brother chose to act on what he saw with spiritual eyes. Truth. And he would not allow the thief to take it from him.

We too have our sins. We gossip. We condemn. We hold grudges. Maybe we too, steal. The Holy Spirit is not not speaking; perhaps we're just not taking it seriously. While hours before, Jesus' own disciples had felt the weight of heavy eyelids made from full bellies, sleeping when they should have been praying, the two men on crosses flanking the Savior of the world felt the weight of fear and death. One chose to mock that weight, to power through it in his own strength --The Thief --a sentence served for life. The other chose to conquer that weight through the power of Jesus Christ --our brother, a man of wisdom and action.

When we feel the weight, may we consider carefully our decision and choose with eternity in mind.

Midweek: Connecting the Dots

It's been a good while since I've introduced a person or a project to the blog, but today I'd like to give a big shout out to Twyla Simpkins and all her fabulous volunteers. Twyla (Ms. T, as she is affectionately known) is a teacher. She says she's a retired teacher, but I can't say I believe that for a minute. Number one, good teachers never retire. They can't: it's in their DNA. Number two, in the fifteen minutes I spent with Ms. T and her sister, Maxine, I got quite an education. That's how I know she is a good teacher. She says it began years ago when she was trying to reach her students. She realized that memorizing names and dates wasn't cutting it: she needed to connect some dots. She believed her students would learn and would desire to learn if they became invested --in their education, in their history, in their future, in their community. Ms. T, already a curator of information combined with that her talents as a curator of items to bring history to life for her students. From that was born the Proof of Truth Museum and other projects designed to champion the achievements of the African American people of Chester, Pennsylvania.

As I visited the museum, currently located on the second floor of the CAAT Center (2300 W. 4th St., Chester), I was more than impressed by the number of items Ms. Simpkins has collected and her attention to detail. She has taken what some might call mere memorabilia and transformed it into history, the story of people and their city. Each display is artfully crafted, recounting the deeds of Ruth L. Bennett or Clipper Pride or authors who called Chester "home." Together they tell the proud black history of the oldest city in Pennsylvania's history.

And that's how this devoted teacher is connecting the dots. Not merely from one display to the next or from the actors of the past to the students of today, but she is connecting us all to the future. Without an appreciation for the blood, sweat, and tears of its past champions, the people taking part in Chester's future will always lack a point of reference. Ms. T and her folks are the link between past and future, telling the old stories and encouraging others as they create new ones. She is one of many visionaries in this life who work passionately and tirelessly but often unnoticed; those who believe change is possible when ideas are given the space to bloom. And while she has temporarily filled this space with history, she is all about creating spaces for others. She has produced several documentaries to inform and inspire, is CEOO of the Yes We Can Achievement and Cultural Arts center, is involved with cemetery research, and has even offered a summer camp program to develop young curators. 

I encourage you, if you are in the Chester, PA, area to stop in this week. This portion of her collections and her wealth of information will be present at the CAAT Center (2300 W. 4th St.) through Saturday, February 21st from 11AM to 6PM, everyday but Thursday. If you are unable to attend, I would recommend looking up her work at Twyla Simpkins - Documentaries, Chester Made Archaeology & Identity: Connecting People and Things, and www.yescenterchester.org. Chester has a bright future; it is tied to its rich past and those who share it with others!

 

                                       

       

You Might Be Surprised

My husband and I keep a running list of movies we'd like to watch. If someone were to take a look at said list, they'd probably have little difficulty picking the movies he suggested versus the movies I contributed. Scott likes the action, the intrigue of unraveling a good mystery. For me, it's all about the story. Jason Bourne can leap from every building in Europe, but if there isn't a good backstory, I'm happy to work on my crossword. So, somewhere along the line, we established this ritual: he says, "What aren't we watching" when it's my turn to pick, I hold my ground, and he enjoys the film. Surprise! Sometimes the things we expect to be unpleasant are surprisingly enjoyable --even beneficial. As time has passed, though he refuses to relinquish the ritual, he's learned his wife knows a thing or two about good stories, and he doesn't hate handing over the reins quite so much 😉

In Acts 19:18-20, we find Paul in Ephesus. Some of those present, Jews and Greeks, had made earlier confessions of faith but had fallen away. In response to the extraordinary miracles performed through Paul by God, they were convicted of their lapse. They admitted publicly their sins, the evil things they'd done after their initial repentance, then they turned over the tools of their trade --magic books. Occultism was popular in Ephesus. Now, whether these folks had from their conversion determined to minister to these occultists and found themselves woefully unequipped, whether they lapsed back into old behaviors for lack of discipleship, or whether their belief in the power of God to heal and perform miracles morphed into some form of syncretism, I can't say, but here they were, publicly confessing and burning books full of incantations and demonic rituals. According to Testament Press's website, the value of these materials --50,000 drachmas --would have been the equivalent of 2.1 million USD today. They were willing to take a loss in the things of this world to gain the Kingdom of God.

And we're not talking about dollars and cents exclusively. Imagine the mother who'd been secretly engaging in these practices, searching for a miracle for her sick little boy. She'd give up her rituals, she'd relinquish her hope in them, she'd publicly confess her sin and reveal to her husband and family her backsliding ways. Or the mason. Maybe he'd lose customers, those who thought Christ was foolishness; maybe they'd think him the biggest fool and fraud ever. This was costly. Reputation. Favor. Friends. Material goods. 

But what was the result? Verse 20:

So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

The worst thing ever, right? Not at all! Whatever humiliation, whatever monetary loss, whatever broken relationships, whatever descent into anonymity --every last bit of it was worth it. The good news of Jesus Christ, the Gospel, grew mightily and prevailed. Read God's word through John in Revelation 2:1-6:

To the angel of the church of Ephesus write,

‘These things says He who holds the seven stars in His right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden lampstands: “I know your works, your labor, your patience, and that you cannot bear those who are evil. And you have tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars; and you have persevered and have patience, and have labored for My name’s sake and have not become weary. Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lampstand from its place—unless you repent. But this you have, that you hate the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. 

Did they have it all right? No, but they had persevered, they upheld truth and were intolerant of those who did evil. They had issues they needed to address: their passion for Christ had cooled. But they had been steadfast in other things and, as such, could be equally as steadfast in this. The "worst" they'd endured in the past had proven to grow the Kingdom; they had only to hold fast to that once again.

Is God calling you to do the unthinkable? the unpleasant? the seemingly impossible? Is He calling you to repair that relationship or publicly repent of your sin? Is He calling you to put your business on the line, your years-long friendship, your reputation, and take a stand for what is godly? Surprise! It just might be the best thing you could do. Are you willing to take a loss in the things of this world to gain the Kingdom of God? For the glory of God, you might be surprised at what He will do.