What we will be...

I loved this quote from the Professor himself:

"We are to be re-made. All the rabbit in us is to disappear---the worried, conscientious, ethical rabbit as well as the cowardly and sensual rabbit. We shall bleed and squeal as the handfuls of fur come out; and then, surprisingly, we shall find underneath it all a thing we have never yet imagined: a real Man, an ageless god, a son of God, strong, radiant, wise, beautiful, and drenched in joy."

- C. S. Lewis

RAW (Real and Wild) 09

Recently we held our annual youth bash, RAW. It's in its third year now. This year had quite a serious feel in comparison to previous years. We know we need to rise to the challenge put to us as a generation. Take the baton. Run with the vision.

We sang a song this year which captured something of it all. Here's the lyrics:

Our generation knows a call
To leave the world behind;
To live this vision, give our all,
To stand against the tide.
Or will we love this passing world
And slip away from God?
And cast aside the kingdom pearl
To wallow in the mud?

Oh will we –
Walk worthy of the call?
Walk worthy of the call we have received?

Will we just sink to live the same
As a world without our hope?
Dancing with demons, playing games
On Satan’s slippery slope?
Deceiving ourselves that all is well –
Our Sunday smiles in place –
Come Friday night we’re loving hell
And spit in Jesus’ face.

God help us –
Walk worthy of the call
Walk worthy of the call we have received

Don’t pass us by, oh Holy One,
Don’t let us fade away,
Don’t let our words be empty ones:
Let us live the things we say
With holiness that stings the eyes
And passion for Your cause,
We’ll run as those who see the prize
And hear the saints’ applause

We want to –
Walk worthy of the call
Walk worthy of the call we have received

One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
One God, our all in all
Dead with our Christ and with Him risen:
One all-consuming call

And we will –
Walk worthy of the call
Walk worthy of the call we have received

Says it all.

God help us...

Vow do you do?

I went to an old friend's wedding a little while back. And I was struck again bu some of the scary things people say at weddings. I don't mean the best man's speech either.

Take “till death do us part,” for instance. (Phew – I mean, for good? What if I change my mind?)

Perhaps that’s why marriage, like any commitment, is increasingly off the contemporary agenda. Just move in together. And when the feeling fades, move on apart.

People even speak of “commitment-phobia”. One pained blogger wrote: “I suffer from commitment phobia. I have been with my girlfriend for nearly six months, yet this condition is doing its best to ruin everything. As a commitment-phobe, I feel that I must run away. But commitment-phobia means that I cannot commit to running away either.”

Somewhere in our marrow we know that this is ridiculous. “Commitment-phobia” is just selfishness in disguise. (“It’s my life – mine! Hands off!”)

But do we – as followers of the God who was committed enough to give us His Son – do we model something different enough for anyone to notice?

Put bluntly – are we commitment-addicts?

We should be. Marriage is sealed by vows, and some still do take the plunge even in a commitment-phobic society. How much more ought followers of Jesus to embody costly commitment in the church of Jesus? Commitment to Him – and commitment to each other?

The Holy Spirit makes us one, unites us. Not many Christians would deny that this is meant to be the theory. But what is often missed is this: we have to follow through from this Holy-Spirit-oneness; we have to back up its reality through real commitments and kept promises and – let’s use the “v word” – vows.

“Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit” writes Paul. He’s made you one – keep it that way! How? “Through the bond of peace” (Ephesians 4:3). The bond: the promise, the pledge, the vow.

We live total loyalty to each other. Covenant to stay together always. Lay down our lives for each other.

Hang it - we need to stand before a watching world and say "We're staying with each other - for good". We don't have to dress as a meringue and put leaves in our hair. But let's make it real. Afterall, marriage only lasts "till death us do part". But brothers and sisters in Christ - it's a forever and ever thing.

It’ll stand out – as Jesus said it would: “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”