Saturday, July 31, 2010

Does God Love the Way we Lie?

Scripture Verses that caught my attention today: John 2:23-25 When he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name because they saw the signs that he was doing. 24 But Jesus on his part would not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people 25 and needed no one to testify about anyone; for he himself knew what was in everyone.

Observation: Humanity is a fickle lot. God is not.

Application:
There is a current song sung by Rihanna and Eminem called “I love the way you lie.” It’s not everybody’s style of music but I personally find the song to be rather mesmerizing. In spite of his foibles, I’ve always found Eminem’s music to be a relentless expression of what many people experience in life. From a Lutheran standpoint, much of his message is almost a preaching of the ‘law’ in the form of conviction. I mean he just throws a lot of people’s life realities right out there in the middle where they can no longer be hidden, where they have to be faced, for good or for ill. Occasionally he’ll throw in a hint of what might be called grace as well, not in the form of Jesus Christ unfortunately, but in the more generic sense of there is still some goodness in life that we receive even though we don’t deserve it.

In the song mentioned above he takes on what appears to be the role of a serial abuser in a co-dependent relationship. He knows what is right, but somehow can’t do it. And he knows what to say, and says it with conviction, but somehow deep down knows it’s not the truth. And she knows it too, but the promises sound so good that she keeps repeating the title line of the song, “I Love the way you lie.”

Although Eminem is way more graphic than most Lutherans I know (by the way, I have no idea what, if any, faith Eminem professes), what I appreciate is that, at least through his music, he seems to point out in irrefutable terms what Lutherans confess many Sundays; “we are in bondage to sin and unable to free ourselves.” It is because of this reality that Jesus, as it says in John’s gospel, “would not entrust himself” even to those who believed in him because “he himself knew what was in everyone.”

In this same story of Jesus, in tomorrow’s reading, in fact, we will read that this “God” who knew what was in everyone “so loved the world that he gave his only Son so that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” Jesus may not have entrusted himself to us, but he did offer himself to and for us. And so even though sometimes our confessions are less than sincere (or to use Eminem’s more pointed terms: “I apologize even though I know it’s lies”), faith is not rooted in God believing us (after all, God knows what is in everyone), but rather in us believing the promises of God that are for everyone.

I would never say that God loves the way we lie. But through Jesus dying on the cross God did prove to love all the liars in the world. And if but for a moment I can be honest; sometimes that’s me…if you’ll allow me to be bold enough to say it…sometimes that’s you.

Prayer:
Lord, you alone know us and love us completely. What more could we ever ask for? In Jesus’ name. Amen.

(Scripture readings today included: Isaiah 63-64, Psalm 107, John 2)

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