Sept. 30/16 - A Walk to Remember

Personal reflections have been a theme for in this blog. I did not anticipate blogging for Christianity & Imagination would be this way, but it seems to be working quite well. So I’m going to stick with it.

Reading the description of Madeline L’Engle’s feelings about war in the third chapter of Walking on Water reminded me of my Grade 12 trip to Europe with the Human Rights group at school. During Spring Break of 2014 I was invited to take part in a Human Rights and Holocaust trip overseas to broaden my understanding of the tragic events that took place during World War II. Looking over the first bit of L’Engle’s chapter brought back many emotions from our tour through Germany, Poland, and Czech Republic.

One memory of our time in Poland stands out in particular. Our tour guide took us through a well known concentration camp called Auschwitz. Before entering, the tour guide gave each of us headsets so we could hear her as we toured. As a class we were prepared emotionally for what we would encounter here. 

As we made our way through the SS office space and the prisoner living quarters, my heart grew heavy, as did those around me, but I maintained composure while others began sobbing and comforting each other.

We had completed the first half of the tour and started walking down the main road of the camp past the “hospital.” The tour guide began explaining how this Nazi physician would experiment on people with unique characteristics (e.g. twins, mental/physical disabilities, etc.). This bother me quite a bit. When the guide explained that at the end of the war, when Auschwitz had been captured by Allied forces, this doctor stood before the camp and was asked if he was had any regrets or was ashamed of what he had participated in. He said no. In fact, he was proud of what had happened. He had no regrets.

This flipped a switch in my mind and tears started to flow down my face. I was overcome with emotion. I furious that this man who had caused so much suffering in the lives of these undeserving prisoners. I ripped the headset off of my head and weeped. I weeped for these people who had gone through immense pain, physically, mentally, and emotionally being starved, living in fear, and losing friends and family.

I cried out to God, asking him why something like this had to happen; why people like this evil doctor did what they did. At the moment I didn’t feel peace. But God used this experience to shape my worldview and open my eyes to the brokenness of our race.

Sept. 23/16 - Bringing Light to the Darkness

I appreciated the short excerpt from Hilary Brand’s book Art & Soul. I was encouraged by Brand when I read her thoughts on reconciliation. She speaks about how, as Christians, we are not to abandon something because of sin that may lurk within it. Instead we are to “invite God’s redeeming presence into it” and bring light to its darkness (Brand 2001, 61). I could relate to this statement quite a bit.

In my setting right now at Steinbach Bible College I see hints of Jesus all around. I live in a community that is filled with students who have decided to commit one or multiple years of their life to specifically to study the Word of God (not to mention the staff and faculty). I am surrounded by people who are pursuing righteousness and are striving to be more like God everyday.

When I go home to Winnipeg, however, my context changes a little bit. In the spring, summer, and fall months I enjoy riding my bicycle around the city. As I toured around Winnipeg this summer on my single-speed two-wheeler, God opened my eyes to the brokenness that inhabits my hometown. Daily I was reminded that this city needs to experience the love that God has for them, and daily I was left with a burden for these people; these image-bearers of God.

This portion of Brand’s book encourages Christians to live out the grace that God has shown us and reflect that to others, as well as to shine the light of Christ in the dark places of our world. As someone who has a desire to serve someday in a community that needs to experience grace, I was encouraged by her message.

1. Brand, Hilary and Adrienne Chaplin. 2001. Art & Soul: Signposts for Christians in the Arts. Carlisle, CA: IVP Books.

Sept. 16/16 - Jesus' Earthly Career

I find John Stott’s analysis of John 13 intriguing. The way he interprets this passage is something I never would have thought of. For some people, his thoughtful analogy might be a stretch. I, however, have an appreciation for people who pick a part Scripture and share the ways they figure their readers can apply a certain passage to their lives or simply a different perspective. 

John 13 recalls the time Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. John Stott believes that this passage represents an overview of his earthly mission. After looking over the first set of verses myself, I can see what Stott was thinking. John 13:3 tells us this: “Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God” (New Living Translation). The following verse (13:4) begins with the word “So.” This builds a connection between the two verses. The word “So” in verse 4 could be replaced with the entirety of verse 3, like this: 

“Because Jesus knew that the Father had given him authority over everything and that he had come from God and would return to God, he got up from the table, took off his robe… etc.”

Stott’s thinking is that each stage listed in verses 4, 5, and 6 symbolize a particular step in Jesus’ time on Earth. 

Jesus got up from the table = “as he had risen from his heavenly throne”

Jesus took off his robe = “as he had laid aside his glory and emptied himself of it”

Jesus wrapped a towel around his waist = “he had taken the form of a servant”

Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and wiped them with the towel = “as he would go to the cross to secure cleansing from sin”

I like the way John Stott picks a part John 13 a lot. He sums up his thinking at the end with this comment:

“By these actions [Jesus] was dramatizing his whole earthly career. He was teaching    [his disciples] about himself, who he was, where he had come from, and where he was going” (Shaw 44).

1. Shaw, Luci. Breath for the Bones: Art, Imagination, and Spirit. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2007