On "Lost"--Many Thanks!

Gentle reader, night before last, I found the experience of the final episode of Lost very emotional--the lessons of love (portrayed by a talented and appealing cast) of the deep and caring attachments formed between and among the characters in the story were a real affirmation of love and devotion that, for me, was poignant and touching and put the offerings of ordinary TV fare to shame. For that experience, I am eternally grateful.

But then, I experienced a larger, greater insight. A sudden revelation came to me and I saw Lost mirroring something to me about life that I could not see alone, something that I already knew but did not really comprehend. In a blink, I grasped that for each of us life can seem doable, and then some catastrophic disturbance occurs and nothing is ever the same again: a plane crash, a disease, a hurricane, an abusive parent, an earthquake, 9/11, a Gulf Oil spill, immoral business practices, man's inhumanity to man, war injuries, any number of things, all routinely implode upon our world. And we find ourselves frantically scrambling to avoid being crushed underfoot by dueling forces infinitely greater than ourselves and of fearsome proportions, forces clearly recognizable as forces of good and evil. Six seasons of drawn-out human suffering, turmoil and struggle on Lost gelled at that moment into a metaphor for how protracted, how slow and agonizing discovering elusive truth can really be.

Part of the difficulty in discovering truth, dear reader, is that each of us being the center of our own universe we tend to falsely define and obstruct our vision of the larger reality around us. We just don't know we are doing that until the sweep and spectacle of forces beyond our control, unleashed and wreaking havoc all about us is beyond denial.

My new appreciation for the assist of Lost in understanding a confusing existence, quickly morphed into exasperation. How would I continue to grapple with life's sharp edges without the determined, inspirational, and heroic struggle of these characters, a struggle against impossible odds, to encourage and enlighten me?

That thought made me angry. How could the creators of this show so glibly refer to it as mere entertainment, so miss the meaning behind the entertainment that they would blithely call it a wrap and abandon me? How could they leave me alone to navigate the perilous straits of the human predicament? Other viewers like myself were bound to feel betrayed too, I surmised, and rightly so, I believe.

Then I thought--in one vivid nanosecond--leave me though Lost may, fail me though its creators may, Jesus is going to be there for me. He promised. I felt my concern evaporate, literally dissolve away. And I let understanding enlarge in my mind and steady me: yes, He promised all who turn to him that He will be with us always until the ends of the earth, and throughout eternity--to buffer us through it all. I thought those thoughts, split seconds before the scene appeared on the screen where a statue of Jesus Christ of Nazareth with outstretched arms stands outside a church.

I must tell you, the scene and the timing took my breath.

I wondered if the directors knew, had any idea, what that statue implied to me.

Then the scenes raced on. Not until the return of Jack to the church, and the reappearance of the statue, and the end of the show did I finally conclude with certainty that Lost indeed did mean to say something very close to what I had registered in my thoughts about Jesus: Life is beyond our comprehension and control but not beyond His. Jesus rescues and transforms. Count on it.

And with that climactic understanding (that Lost was agreeing with me, was pointing all of us to the satisfaction and great hope offered in Christ Jesus) came assurance and content. Well done, Lost! I thought. You have left us all with solid comfort. You have indisputably pointed out a great truth. You have fearlessly endorsed our magnificent solution in Jesus and you have been brave and bold to do so, especially to advance these truths in a secular media and a pluralistic society. Well done!

And suddenly I saw Lost as due many and varied thanks, thanks for making critical truths vividly real to me and one and all. Thanks for storytelling that made it clear that when born into a fallen human existence, one is born into the middle of a raging battle that does not end, will not end, until a final showdown occurs between forces outside ourselves--between the forces of good and evil--a showdown that draws all events to their close in preparation for a new beginning. Thanks for showing that death is "moving on" and that the thereafter for each of us will depend on how we choose to die--aligned with good or evil--in the arms of Jesus or the clutch of evil.

So many thanks and goodbye, my Lost friends. You have my profound and unending gratitude for your company over the years and your priceless contribution to better understanding the truth in the precious words "I was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see."

107 Implications

Remember! When I refer to person in the Godhead in any blog, I am referring either to singular person (one-of-three) or to the collective person (three-in-one) of the Triune.

Let’s look at some implications of all we have studied this year.

First, as I have referenced before, Spirit is the power source and originating source of Godhead being. Therefore, watch closely here, dear reader, the primary implication of this truth is that reasoning by order of existence, the invisible self, the spiritual being is the greater of the two— of spiritual being versus being in the body—and of first importance in the being and doing of the Godhead and in all being.

Next, we have seen that God’s works and wonders and the complex entity of invisible self in the Godhead can and do exist apart from a body. The implications of this truth are staggering: primarily, that to exist apart from a body is a supernatural accomplishment in-and-of-itself of course. This distinction is critical: the complex invisible self of the Godhead is not a product of the body.

Then, as we have seen, not until the Word becomes flesh at a time of the Triune’s own choosing does flesh substantially enter the proposition of life in the community of the Godhead.

Finally, this last implication is truly a joy to comprehend:

Once the Word became flesh in Christ Jesus, there was no going back. Human flesh became an eternal component of the Godhead and therefore a state of being enduringly sanctioned and promoted by the Godhead on condition of that flesh being subject to the Godhead, and what a piece of work of great good fortune that is for all of us!

To be continued . . .

106 Splendid Supernatural Accomplishments

Remember! When I refer to person in the Godhead in any blog, I am referring either to singular person (one-of-three) or to the collective person (three-in-one) of the Triune.

As we conclude this section of discovery on all things (well, certainly, many things) relating to the Godhead, my hope is that this blog has served to convey some of the magnitude and magnificence of God’s Name, His Thinking, Power and Works, of His splendid supernatural accomplishments.

Over the past year, we have discussed a number of the dramatic scriptural truths revealed as one draws closer to God, choosing to embrace as reality the invisible self of this great Godhead-being believers call the Triune God. It is my hope that we have learned to appreciate the scope of His splendid supernatural accomplishments through subjects ranging from EMP’s; Particle Accelerators, the spacetime mass continuum* and chaos; invisible heavenly spiritual beings; a gracious God-incarnate Christ Jesus; and even a Greater Glory coming for all Creation.

This year we have also become acquainted with the priesthood of believers, the new creatures fashioned by the methods and works of a Holy and purely good God, creatures volunteering for and capable of, by the power of Holy Spirit, zoe, the good life.

And all these subjects are but a sampling of the extraordinary experiences to be derived from embracing the Judeo-Christian faith and its infinite array of huge ideas and worthy understandings and practices.

For me, choosing God as Significant Truth #1 in the box of life has lead me to enter into and enjoy faith pursuits and to commit to continuing this adventure with the Triune God and no other god. Note well, dear reader, in God all things converge and make sense. That, by itself, is a priceless truth to discover through the examination of the person, Name and Works (ergon) of the Godhead!

*In particular, it is also worthwhile to remember and take away from this little sort-out that God is aware of time and its function, see Genesis 1:14; after all, He created time, a certainly singular, outsized work and dazzling supernatural accomplishment. He created the whole of the spacetime, mass continuum. For an interesting overview of the spacetime and mass continuum go to this site: http://www.west.net/~ke6jqp/spacetime/spacetime.html . Everything within this Creation, loyal reader—within the spacetime mass continuum— is subject to Him.

And thank God for that!

To be continued . . .

105 Ma’aseh and the Mundane

Remember! When I refer to person in the Godhead in any blog, I am referring either to singular person (one-of-three) or to the collective person (three-in-one) of the Triune.

Returning to human works (ma’aseh):

Most pitiable, at no time has work of humankind been able to significantly compete with the work of the divine. And yet, and yet we live in a time in the worldly arena that chooses to demean the work of God, to discredit and devalue the supernatural accomplishments of God and elevate those of man, much like the individual who is lacking in talent attacks the individual with true talent.

And that is what is going on now.

The Godhead’s works, His ways, His testimonies are significantly under attack. Most pointedly, we attack God when things do not go the way we want them. When we fail or are defeated in some way, we blame God. But when we succeed, we praise ourselves.

Amazing!

And certainly not a behavior we should regularly indulge.

More amazing though is that one little word in scripture—ergon—can throw such light on the dignity of God’s work, the futility of man’s (Ecclesiastes), and the disgrace of Satan’s, dear reader.

With the glorious, the miraculous work (ergon) of the Lord Jesus, the whole of creation heeled over hard on a new course. Creation embarked on an unalterable heading toward the permanent and finished work (ergon) of a New Beginning, of the New Creation and The Glorification—a time, a place, a condition destined to be forever removed from the presence of evil; a time, a place, a condition where the elect forever prosper in the presence of pure goodness—in the presence of God.

Now those are noble accomplishments! Pure marvel is appropriate here!

These works of God are certainly works of enduring and Herculean proportion, and works framed in one Godhead supernatural accomplishment (ergon) after the other. That’s the way it always has been, that’s the way it always will be. Our attack cannot change that. God is not our enemy. Scripture tells us we are our own worst enemy, most pointedly when we turn away from God, when we accept the influence of Satan, when we choose to live independent of God, when we become permanent inhabitants of the mundane.

Understanding these things matters, dear reader.

What we think is what we do.

To be continued . . .

104 Ergon—Ma’aseh—Ergon

Remember! When I refer to person in the Godhead in any blog, I am referring either to singular person (one-of-three) or to the collective person (three-in-one) of the Triune.

In last blog, gentle reader, we saw how scripture deals in depth with work, specifically with supernatural accomplishment both positive and negative. That means that scripture has much to say on both divine accomplishment and demonic activity. Scripture also has much to say on human works. We saw how the spectrum of work covered in scripture spans the terms ergon—ma’aseh—ergon (Old and New Testament terms) that can be translated readily enough into divine accomplishment—human activity—demonic activity. Also, the spectrum can be shifted to reflect the value system of each component: dedication to pure goodness—mixed dedication—dedication to pure evil.

Interestingly, our whole human culture is focused on, even geared to, the mixed values of human or natural accomplishment (ma’aseh) in the ergon—ma’aseh—ergon spectrum, geared to the exclusion of just about all else, truth be known. Society, particularly American society is obsessed with the products of work on the natural or human level, so obsessed their value system is easily compromised (witness Enron). Buildings are continuously being constructed, bridges designed, cities developed, businesses created by the work of our hands (Tower of Babel, Genesis 11:1-9), and the list goes on with feverish intensity (or did until greed pulled the economic plug and everything began to go down the drain).

Yes, this human work can be very impressive, spectacular even; but deceptively so. When all is said and done, it is still the product of human activity and limited in its performance, durability and value to humankind, and always falls short of divine accomplishment: for instance, cars are amazing things but they wear out or fail, bridges collapse, infrastructures decay, CEO’s exploit. The same can be said for buildings and structures; they require elaborate maintenance or often have to be imploded and replaced because they, too, deteriorate, often from shoddy construction in the first place.

Astonishingly, this marginal level of human accomplishment grounded in rampant materialism is one to which we have grown accustomed and of which we are even proud and seem determined to revive at all cost in our economy. In fact, there is and always has been a barely concealed human desire to compete with God’s supernatural accomplishments (the Creation, life itself) by taking that power to ourselves; and we keep trying to do so. Wrong thinking this is, admittedly, but common: consider Frankenstein, the classic tale of man messing with the God-given fabric of life, a theme apparent today in man tinkering with the human genome, cloning and genome splicing, or trifling with the laws of physics with giant particle accelerators.

But without going into the whole comparison of man to Satan, who so disastrously failed when he presumed to be greater than God, we can still legitimately liken man’s failures to Satan’s in that both have failed because of displays of arrogant presumption. This dangerous dabbling with horrific outcomes which mankind can and routinely does before he knows how to undo his presumptuous behavior (for instance, the BP debacle currently playing out in the Gulf) occurs throughout recorded human history.

To be continued . . .