Author: Wick

In reading a bit more of Yoder lately, I came across a take on a familiar verse that I think may benefit to be talked about. Especially in today’s context of what it means to truly follow Christ within a world where real servant-hood (not as a means to be a more powerful leader, but actual self-denying servant hood), loving your enemy, and forgiveness are viewed as weaknesses, or illogical at best.

Many of us have heard of the verse 2 Corinthians 5:17. “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (NIV) Most of the time when we hear it, the emphasis is upon the internal transformation that takes place when one begins to follow Christ, or begins to be “in Christ”, whatever that means.

But when we read the verse in the New Revised Standard Version, we hear it a bit differently, “So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!”

When we realize the Greek word for “creation” here (ktisis) can mean “world”, or “everything created”, or “institution, ordinance”…we begin to see that this verse could quite possibly be referring to an even larger transformation. It’s not simply what happens “inside” a person. Although there are plenty of places in scripture for us to realize that is an important aspect of being “in Christ”.

Literally here – “if anyone is in Christ, there is a new world!”

This verse offers to us a reminder, that if we are in Christ, we exist it a completely new “world”. A new “order” of things. No longer are we slaves to power, money, sex, etc. We are freed to live as Christ, without worry of it “making sense” to the world (order) we once lived in.

May we continue to follow Christ, as new creations living as a part of THE new creation…even when it doesn’t (and it won’t) make sense to the world we once knew. May we not use that as an excuse to justify actions that benefit us, but rather to justify actions that serve, love, and forgive others; even when it doesn’t make sense.

“No economy can survive without Chapter Eleven; no prison system is viable without parole. No moral culture works without making scapegoats and celebrating rituals of exculpation. Social scientists call it conflict management. Yet forgiveness remains costly, since the first reflex of the self-righteous is to fear that to forgive would be to cheapen sin. Four years ago (in the mid-90’s) one presidential candidate suggested that the country should become kinder and gentler; yet neither party which wants to rule us is making the case for forgiveness as policy.” – John Howard Yoder

Recently I was a part of forgiveness. Our church incurred some damage at the hands of a local teenager. We were faced with the choice of how to respond. Most members of our church don’t even know it happened, and even more do not know how we handled it. But I think I’m proud of us. We offered forgiveness first. We then offered to pay the fine’s the boy was charged with, providing he and a parent would sit down and meet with us. They agreed.

The meeting was short. We shared some snacks/drinks, gave a tour of our church and its’ ministries, got to know the boy and his family a bit, and ended in prayer together.

Maybe they’ll join us. Probably not. Maybe the boy will turn his life around immediately, and experience a crazy awesome transformation of some sort. Probably not. But you gotta think, that moment of forgiveness has to have impacted his world on some level. We pray it did/does. But at the same time, forgiveness was offered out of love, not out of a desire to change him for life.

We forgive, and pray that forgiveness will transform the world around us. But we do not forgive “because” it guarantees anything. We forgive because it is the nature of the Kingdom. The nature of God.

Should we have offered to pay the fines, even if they would not agree to have met with us? Maybe. I’m not sure. But I think we have opened a new door of responding to offenses for our community…at least on a small level.

Watched C-Span randomly yesterday, one of the few resources both of actual news, and of reality television still left. They don’t try to make the programming more appealing, and even though politicians speaking may have hidden motives, it’s still the reality of what is occurring that the camera shows.

I turned it on, as two fathers are giving testimony of children they lost in the 2007 baseball team bus crash. Felt like a sissy, as I teared up a bit listening to these fathers try to keep their composure while speaking at the Sept. 18th, 2008 Senate hearing on surface transportation as it pertains to Motor Coaches.

As the fathers’ completed testifying, and the Senator presiding (Lautenberg, NJ) tried to find an appropriate direction, they asked questions of Mr. Pantuso. He is currently president of the American Bus Association. It was obvious that Senator Lautenberg wanted to know how/why we haven’t all just decided to put seatbelts throughout Coach buses nation-wide…also including school buses. There was some back and forth discussion, blah blah blah about studies, and placing the blame on government inaction, etc….more small talk.

For real? This is the bill being questioned/discussed, and it’s updated version here. As you can read, both in the bill itself, and in the comments of the people interested…..it’s not crazy. Why take so long?

Pantuso wrote an article about a month after this hearing, whining about there being more issues than just “seat belts – yes or no”. Okay, I believe him. There seems to be more issues. But why wait to act on enforcement of seatbelts simply to do more studies in other areas? An actual quote from Pantuso says, “ABA is not opposed to seat belts, if the scientific research yet to be concluded demonstrates we need them.”

Seriously? Do we need more scientific research that says a seat belt could help save a life?

All I know is….as a youth pastor who confesses to being a bit relaxed on reminding teens to buckle up…..I’ve just experienced an important reminder of how simple, yet crucial, that decision can be. And our church bus actually comes equipped with them.

Thanks to Mr.Forman and Mr.Betts for their honest testimony, and for bringing humanity to that moment of politics.