The Fear of Death

One Question that we weren't able to get to was, "Why do we fear death? Are we simply afraid of the unknown?"

This question could be divided into two categories: 1) Why do we fear the death of those we love? and 2) Why do we fear our own death?

In both cases, I think the answer is similar: we are incredibly afraid of the loss of relationship. In the case of losing those we love, we fear the loss of hugs, important conversations, laughs, familiar comments, comforting words. We fear losing the love that flows between our old friends, our family, and our spouse.

In the case of losing our own lives, I think our deep concern is the same- we fear the loss of relationship. To think that perhaps we will be cut off from being in relationship, finally and definitively, is a horrific thought.

This shouldn't surprise us, because God, who lives in relationship with Himself (as Father, Son and Holy Spirit), has created us in His image. So we too are made to be in relationship, and the thought of losing that is terrifying. The good news of the gospel is that because oChrist has defeated death and provided a way to be forgiven, we are invited to have restored relationship with Him and one another that will continue for all eternity.

The Inevitability of Prejudice

One question we weren't able to get to during the panel asked, "Isn't it better to experience Jesus in a prejudiced way than to never experience Jesus at all?"

I not only agree that it is better, but that it is inevitable that we experience Jesus in a prejudiced way. The reality of our prejudices shouldn't keep us from getting to know Jesus; instead, we should be sober in our ability to know Jesus without preconceptions and prejudices.

This raises the question of whether some prejudices are worse than others. I think this is certainly the case. If someone has a preconceived notion that Jesus is a hateful and dangerous person, it's not likely they'll want to approach him. Conversely, if someone has a preconceived notion that Jesus is a wise man, they'll be more likely to approach him. There are, then, some prejudices that actually keep us from experiencing Jesus at all.

Assuming someone's prejudice is allowing them to experience Jesus to some degree, the further question is whether or not one continues to know Jesus by means of that prejudice. I would argue that a healthy faith community and broad exposure to Scripture are the best antedotes to our prejudices. These components will go a long way in confronting our prejudices, allowing us the opportunity to come to know and experience Jesus for more of who he actually is.

God is Both Safe and Unsafe

God is unsafe because he is God.  He is the all-knowing, all-powerful, creator of the universe.  He can do whatever he wants and decides is best.  On our own, apart from Christ, we cannot be in the presence of a holy God without being totally wiped out.  As it says in the book of Hebrews, "It is a terrible thing to fall into the hands of the living God."  This should cause great awe and reverence in us, what the Bible calls the fear of God. 

But there is another sense in which God is safe.  Those who put their trust in Him find refuge, shelter, and protection.  This is talked about frequently in the book of Psalms.  God desires us to make our home in him and there to trust that He accepts us because of the sacrifice of Christ.  We don't need to fear His rejection and can therefore feel safe with Him.  We can also feel safe in God because He promises that no matter what happens to us in this life, "nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus." (Romans 8)

Kristen's Blog

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On Having Ears to Hear

"He who has ears to hear, let him hear."

Jesus' words at the conclusion of his telling of the Parable of the Sower are telling. It is not Jesus who will determine who hears his message, but the hearers themselves. The onus is on the listener. So can we develop ears to hear, not just what we want to hear, but what Jesus wants to tell us about his kingdom?

A good first step is having the humility to acknowledge that you have, at least in part, heard what you wanted to hear. It's not a matter of if we've heard what we wanted, but how we've heard what we wanted. We must be willing to question our own hearing if we are ever going to learn what we have misheard.

Once we can entertain this possibility we must be willing to allow God to correct us. As David prays in Psalm 139, we must allow God to search and know us in such a way that he is given permission to convict us of the ways we have heard what we wanted to hear. We must give God the authority in our lives to be God.

Finally, we must be willing to be corrected not just in the intimacy of our own hearts, but publicly by Christ's body. It is only in articulating what we've heard - to other followers of Jesus - that we can be confronted and corrected on what we have wanted to hear.

Mark summarizes Jesus' teaching in parables in the following way, "With many such parables he spoke the word to them, as they were able to hear it." As they were able to hear it. The question we must continually ask ourselves as we follow after Jesus is, "Are we able to hear it? Are we able to hear Jesus' word to us?" Are we able to hear Jesus' message of the kingdom? Do we have ears to hear, or ears to hear only what we want to hear?