Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Why Did Christ Come?
John Stuart opened a post at Presbyterian Bloggers this way:
The message that something is more powerful than us is one that many people are missing, for such is the root of humility. But that is the real problem here - Many people are afraid to personify that power because it would stop us from being the center of everything.
But we can deal with it because Jesus incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection makes that power, that incredible power, something to be embraced, not feared. The power behind it all - the power that truly deserves my complete respect does not demand it - rather He goes through all that for my benefit. How can I respond with less?
Lord Jesus, give me the deep respect for you that can only be expressed in humility.
There’s a controversy brewing over an ad that the World Wild Life Fund had commissioned in Brazil. The ad depicts over one hundred airplanes heading directly to Manhattan with the intention of impacting the skyscrapers. Beside the Panda logo is a line which reads: "The tsunami killed 100 times more people than 9/11. The planet is brutally powerful. Respect it. Preserve it."That is incredibly powerful stuff. What struck me most about it was the self-centeredness of it all. Trying to turn the tragedy of 9-11 into a message for a different cause is grossly self-centered. But more, trying to point out that an impersonal, non-animated planet is powerful and deserves respect is self-centered in ways that are most striking.
Many people, especially New Yorkers, are outraged about the ad. With the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks just a week away, it is tasteless and insensitive. If the ad company just wanted to shock people, then they’ve obviously succeeded, but if they wanted to get people to support the World Wildlife Fund, they have seriously gone down the wrong path.
What is it with people these days? Do they have no conscience? Is 9/11 so far removed from our hearts and thoughts that we can mock it like this? I remember that apocalyptic day very well and it changed my life forever. I’m certain that those who lived through Pearl Harbor have kept December 7th sacred in their hearts and memories, so why can’t we respect and honor those who innocently died on that tragic day in 2001?
The message that something is more powerful than us is one that many people are missing, for such is the root of humility. But that is the real problem here - Many people are afraid to personify that power because it would stop us from being the center of everything.
But we can deal with it because Jesus incarnation, crucifixion and resurrection makes that power, that incredible power, something to be embraced, not feared. The power behind it all - the power that truly deserves my complete respect does not demand it - rather He goes through all that for my benefit. How can I respond with less?
Lord Jesus, give me the deep respect for you that can only be expressed in humility.
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