Jesus Manifesto: Restoring the Supremacy and Sovereignty of Jesus Christ is the collaborative effort of authors Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola.

Oliver Wendell Holmes wrote, “A mind stretched to a new idea, never goes back to its original dimensions.”  Thanks to these two authors, the collective mind of the church won’t go back to her original dimensions either.

They both have reputations as being rubber-bands in the Church.  Len Sweet often stretches us forward while Frank Viola often stretches us back. They’ve helped the Church rethink and return to what it means to be the Church and in this latest work, they take us to the one who is the point of it all: Jesus.

The book is radical in the purest sense of the word. Returning us to the author and founder of our faith. There are no new ideas, only fresh expressions of ancient truths.

Their aim is straight-forward:

“So what is Christianity? It is Christ. Nothing more. Nothing less. Christianity is not an ideology or a philosophy. Neither is it a new type of morality, social ethic, or worldview. Christianity is the “good news” that beauty, truth, and goodness are found in a person. And true humanity and community are founded on and experienced by connection to that person.”

What I appreciate about this book is that it’s about the Who rather than the what. So many works of theology are filled with propositions (what’s) that fit nicely into spreadsheets and Sweet and Viola paint with an artists’ touch that illuminates the revealed Christ (the Who) while still leaving room for mystery (see Chapter 5).

This book is saturated with scripture. From the get-go, Sweet and Viola invite us to journey with them and see how Christ is the point of both the Old Testament and the New.  They lead us to the cross and remind us that God incarnate loved us enough to “become sin incarnate.” They hold up the victory of the resurrection, the hope of a new humanity, and how to God the Father, our life is wrapped up in Christ.

They challenge readers to not just imitate Christ, but share in his life. To not just fend off idolatry by trying harder, but by grasping the grandeur of Christ. To not ask Jesus to get into our wagon, but for us to hop into his.  To not simply see Jesus as simply another “cause”, but to see Jesus (period).

If there was one minor hiccup in the book it would be the lack of flow. This is bound to happen with two established authors. Sweet and Viola have such distinct writing styles, and sometimes it can be difficult to follow the bouncing back and forth between the authors. They don’t always identify who is writing what section, but readers of their previous works (like me) will identify their voices quickly.  I’d recommend reading a chapter at a time if they want to maximize your experience.

Otherwise, this is a a fantastic book that makes much of Jesus.  It’s clear they want us to know him, not just know about him. They care more about Who you believe in, not just what you believe. They don’t merely present Jesus as a means to an end, but herald him as the means and the end.

All arrows point to Jesus and it’s for this reason that I highly recommend Jesus Manifesto!

Thank you, Len and Frank. You clearly love the Lord and have given the Body of Christ a real gift.

Get your copy

All around us, families are struggling to keep up with the American Dream. Often existing with no sense of purpose other than their own fulfillment resulting in broken hearts, broken homes, broken lives…and that’s just the pastors! It’s no wonder our families, and churches, have been blinded by complacency to the needs of this world.

In fact, one study revealed that the clergy have the second highest divorce rate among all professions. Think about that!  I personally know a number of pastors and church planters who’ve pursued their ministry at the expense of their families.  This is tragic, but there is a better way.

What if families were awakened to join God in his mission in the world? And…
What if we took our families along for the ride and loved them along the way?

How would that impact marriages?
How would that shape children?
How would that heal relationships?
How would that ignite churches?

In 2005, my then eight-year-old son, Reece, said five words that God used to spark a revolution in my soul which eventually compelled our family into the wild adventure of planting a church.

He and I went for a walk at a local park and discussed his desire to be baptized. He loved Jesus and wanted to take his next step in following him. Not being a pastor at the time, I asked him, “Who would you like to baptize you?” Thinking he would name one of the several pastors we knew, he caught me off-guard when he bluntly replied, “But Dad, you’re my pastor.”

I paused for a moment, put my arm around him, and smiled. He was right. Without realizing it, my son had stumbled upon a glorious truth from the scriptures. In 1 Timothy 3, Paul lays down the musts to be a leader in the church. His big qualifier? To lead a church one must lead their family well. As he states in verse five, “If someone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he care for God’s church?” One implication of this is that every family is a congregation and the parents are the pastors.

I don’t know about you, but as a parent, that’s quite the responsibility. Parents have the tremendous opportunity to shape the future. Like churches, families can either be internally-focused, seeking the well-being of themselves, or be externally-focused, seeking the well-being of others.

The question is, in what direction are we leading our families?

If we want to live out God’s eternal purpose for our churches, we must return to his original intention for the family. We must love Jesus and be so compelled and saturated by the gospel we can’t help but be good news to this world.

Unfortunately, the church today has bought into two illusions have thrown our trajectory off-course and blinded us to magnificent joy of joining God in his mission in the world.

Illusion #1 – The “safe for the whole family” approach

When Disney released the motion picture, “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” it was heralded by Christians everywhere as being safe for the whole family. Based on the classic book by C.S. Lewis, the film portrays the adventures of four children in the magical kingdom of Narnia. Jesus is represented by the mighty lion, Aslan, and in the story, the children meet Mr and Mrs Beaver who describe the regal lion to them.

“Is he a man?” asked Lucy.

“Aslan a man!” said Mr Beaver sternly. Certainly not. I tell you he is King of the wood and the son of the great emperor-beyond- the-sea. Don’t you know who is the King of the Beasts? Aslan is a lion – the Lion, the great lion.”

“Ooh!” said Susan, “I’d thought he was a man. Is he – quite safe? I shall feel rather nervous about meeting a lion.”

“That you will, dearie, and no mistake” said Mrs Beaver; “if there’s anyone who can appear before Aslan without their knees knocking, they’re either braver than most or else just silly.”

“Then he isn’t safe?” said Lucy.

“Safe?” said Mr Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.”

Ironically, if you type the words, “safe for the whole family” into Google, the top results are primarily Christian-related. Talk about misleading marketing! We’re encouraged to protect, shelter, and defend our families against this sin of this world forgetting the sin that resides in our own hearts, homes, and (gasp) churches.  We cover their eyes to messy stories, people, and news forgetting the messy stories, people, and news contained in the holy scriptures.

What’s particularly misguided is the notion that following Jesus is harmless. Nothing could be further from the truth! Loving God and our neighbor as ourselves is daring, messy, and wonderful— all at the same time. The one thing it is not, is safe.

As Dorothy Sayers so eloquently put it, “We have very efficiently pared the claws of the Lion of Judah, certified him ‘meek and mild,’ and recommended him as a fitting household pet for pale curates and pious old ladies. To those who knew him, however, he in no way suggests a milk-and-water person; they objected to him as a dangerous firebrand.”

I want my children to know the real Jesus and follow in his footsteps.  Following Jesus often leads us into places that are uncomfortable or even dangerous, but God promises to be with us and see us through.

Illusion #2 – The “focus on your family” mindset

If the church is like family and the family is like a church, then the focus of our families is not to focus on our family. We have a better reason for existing: God and his mission in the world.

What churches are discovering, or better said, rediscovering, is that we grow as we go. The same is true for families.

As a parent, I take seriously Proverbs 22:6 where we’re instructed to “Point your kids in the right direction—when they’re old they won’t be lost.” Together, my wife and I agree that the way we will train our children is to point them to Jesus and his mission in the world.

According to the United Way, families who serve together experience the following benefits:

• Awareness of social issues and a new perspective on the world
• A way to pass on family values to children
• Discovery and development of knowledge, skills, and talents
• Quality time for the family to spend together
• Increase in interpersonal communication and ability to solve problems.
• A habit of service that’s passed on to the next generation

The byproduct of a family on mission is a united family with a sense of purpose. If you feel distant from your spouse, if you want to have a better relationship with your children, be on mission together! A common cause builds a unique bond that can’t be manufactured, only experienced.

I learned this from my parents. They were missional before missional was cool. One tradition they began was to wake up early every Christmas morning to cook and serve breakfast at our local rescue mission. When I had my own family and returned to my hometown, we joined them. Now, when most children wake up on Christmas morning and leap from their beds to open presents, my children think it’s normal to get up really early, sweat it out in a kitchen, and serve others with a cheerful heart before we go home and exchange gifts. I’m thankful for the example my parents gave and it’s being passed on to the next generation.

My family is far from perfect, but we’re learning that our family is more harmonious when we take our focus off of our family and onto something bigger than us—the glory of God and the good of this world. (Here’s a recent example of what this looks like for our family)

In his book, “A Million Miles in a Thousand Years“, Donald Miller tells a powerful story titled “How Jason Saved His Family” which illustrates the power of this concept.

Donald meets up with his friend, Jason, who was having major problems with his thirteen-year-old daughter. Pot was discovered hidden in her closet and she was dating a real loser of a guy.

Jason and his wife try grounding her, but things spiral. Donald suggests something that gets Jason’s attention. He tells him that his daughter is living a terrible story. He explains that the elements of a story involve a character who wants something and overcomes conflict to get it. He tells Jason, “She’s just not living a very good story.  She’s caught up in a bad one.”

Months later, Donald runs into Jason and asks about his daughter. “’She’s better,’ he says to me, smiling. And when I ask why, he tells me his family is living a better story.”

After Jason and Donald first talk, Jason goes home and thinks about the story his family is living and the role his daughter is playing in that story. He realizes he hasn’t mapped out a story for his family or provided a better role for his daughter. So his daughter chose her own story. A story of rebellion and independence.

Jason decides to stop yelling at his daughter and create a better story to invite her into. After doing some online research he decides his family is going to focus on orphans. He calls a family meeting and springs on his wife and daughter that their family is going to give the $25,000 to build an orphanage in Mexico. And he tells them that he has already committed to building it.

It didn’t go over so well initially.

They had no money and just took out a second mortgage on their home. That evening, Jason and his wife were lying in bed and he begins to explain the story concept. He talks about how they aren’t taking risks, aren’t helping anybody, and how their daughter is wrapped up in the wrong story. The next day Jason’s wife puts her arms around him and says she is proud of him.

Jason’s daughter was also initially upset, but later decides she wants to go to Mexico to meet the kids. She also breaks up with her loser boyfriend.  She gets wrapped up in a better story.

When Don asked what made the differences, Jason replies, “No girl who plays the role of a hero dates a guy who uses her. She knows who she is. She just forgot for a little while.”

If we’re going to shift from a safe for the whole family mindset to a families on mission movement, we need to invite our families into a better story. As a whole, this generation is more passionate about social injustices than any other in recent history. What a prime opportunity! Let’s follow Jesus, take our children along for the ride, and love them along the way.

Imagine the impact. On marriages, children, churches, cities, and the world.

God is renewing all things, and that includes the family. When the family is renewed, so is the Church. When the Church is renewed, so is the world.

And it all begins at home in your mini-church called family.

Lead well.

Last Wednesday evening, we discovered one of our own from our church had gone missing.  Police were notified, friends were called, prayers were prayed, and concern was setting in.

By Thursday, there was still no sign of her, and a number of us began a search party with a mission to find her.

Immediately, my family and I hopped into our mini-van to search or at the very least, get leads.  We went to known hangouts, but our search turned up empty and left us frustrated. We later discovered there was a shooting in one spot we were at just hours before. Searching for someone who’s missing can lead you into dangerous places.

To top it off, my eight-year-old daughter was heartbroken as she was coming to grips with the reality that someone she cares about was missing. We talked and tried to comfort her, but she struggled to understand.  As a dad, sometimes I wonder if I expose my children to too much. Maybe. There’s much they don’t know about, and I want them to enjoy being kids, but for better or worse, moments like this leave a mark. I just pray that they become powerful learning experiences and not indelible scars.

Later, I partnered with someone else and approached a large group of people which turned out to be a hornets nest. They were a gang and they weren’t too thrilled that we were stepping into their zone.  Threats were made, names were called, but in the middle of it all, a handful of tender-hearted members acknowledged that if someone they loved were missing, they would search relentlessly too.  They took the flyer and said they’d keep an eye out.

We drove around some more and found another crew of teens in a random parking lot. They were mostly a party crowd who hid their drinks when they saw my mini-van approach.  As I stepped out of the van and into their conglomerate, the stench of weed was obvious and the group of thirty kids or so were instantly defensive. I reassured them I was not their to bust them but rather, I needed their help finding a missing girl. A few dudes put their hands in their pocket leading me to believe they were ready to pounce if need be, but others seemed concerned when they recognized our missing girl from the photo.

They asked if I was her dad. I replied, “No. I’m her pastor and friend and just want to return her home safely.”  Bewildered, someone piped up, “A pastor? What kind of church goes out looking for someone who’s missing?”Apparently, the notion of a church stepping into the middle of a mess was unusual.  Perhaps they’re right. They were cordial as we departed, and promised to call if they ran into her throughout the evening. They never did. But I can’t help but wonder if some perceptions were changed in the process.

We stepped into other hairy situations that made me feel uncomfortable yet made me think of Jesus. About how he stepped into a mess to rescue me. About how he is a God who pursues- as evidenced in his incarnation, crucifixion, and resurrection. Jesus said he came “to seek and save that which was lost.”  In Luke 15, we see a God who leaves the found to search for the lost. We see his passion to pursue his people.  This is the beauty of amazing grace.

Late Saturday afternoon, our missing girl was found by the police walking on the side of the road. It turns out she had runaway, but was making her way home.

When we got the news, relief set in, followed by joy.  She was okay.

On Sunday night, my friends threw a BBQ to celebrate her return. They wanted to model God’s grace that’s found in the parable of the Prodigal Son. We’ve always said we wanted to be a church with grace on tap and my friends understood this was a moment to display it.

There’s a long road of healing ahead, but my prayer is that God will use this situation for good.

In fact, he already is.

Sports fans everywhere are outraged following the butchered call by baseball umpire Jim Joyce in Detriot Tigers pitcher Armando Galarraga’s quest for a perfect game.

Immediately, Twitter and other social media sites were abuzz about the injustice that occurred with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning.  Less than a day later, Jim Joyce and Armando Galarraga are the top trending topics on Google and blogs like this one are all over the place.

That single play in a baseball game, and the subsequent public reaction, reveal much about our collective humanity. Innate within us is a common thread that is woven in us all- even the tribe of us barbaric, male sports fans.

We crave justice. When Jim Joyce signaled the base-runner safe, all those who watched felt something. That something is the common thread we all share: that wrongs must be made right.

The theological term is justification. It’s what the world feels about the current oil spill in the gulf coast, or the mistreatment of women and children caught up in the sex slavery, or the destruction that hit the nation of Haiti. Wrongs must be righted. And for a brief moment in a baseball game, we all agreed on what was wrong: the missed call.

Why?…

Nobody’s perfect. If we’re honest, we know that in us, and in this world, something is not right.  That something is amiss. Unlike baseball players, baseball umpires are expected to bat a thousand.  The problem is they’re humans. And we humans are simultaneously created good yet are born flawed beings. We make mistakes. We miss the mark.

But…

True repentance is a thing of beauty. Umpire Jim Joyce is a class act.  ESPN reports how he handled his big oops:

“Galarraga bitterly sipped a beer minutes after the blown call negated his place in baseball history. An apology and hug changed his attitude after Joyce, in tears, asked for a chance to apologize [emphasis mine]…. ‘It was the biggest call of my career, and I kicked the [stuff] out of it,’ Joyce said, looking and sounding distraught as he paced in the umpires’ locker room. ‘I just cost that kid a perfect game.’

Jim Joyce didn’t let his pride get in the way, make excuses, or defer to a PR firm. He owned his mistake, admitted it for all to see, and attempted to make things right with the one he wronged. Leonard Cohen once sang, “When they said repent…I wonder what they meant.” Well, Mr. Cohen, I believe this is what they meant.

Finally…

Nothing’s more powerful than forgiveness. Forgiveness rights the wrong of another even when they don’t deserve it. It wipes clean a debt that’s owed. Forgiveness is not fair and that’s what makes it good. It’s the wonder of amazing grace.

Armando Galarraga displayed grace as he immediately publicly forgave Joyce. According to Tonic.com:

“When a Detroit Free Press reporter approached Galarraga in the locker room after the game and informed him that Joyce felt truly terrible and apologized for the botched call, it wouldn’t have been surprising if the pitcher used the opportunity to call Joyce every name in the book.

But this amazing pitcher chose not to do that. Instead, he showed him something much different: forgiveness.

‘Tell him no problem,’ Galarraga told the Free Press. ‘I can go tell him.’

Then he smiled. ‘I should probably talk to him. It will be better.’ And he did.”

Author Philip Yancey writes, “Grace baffles us because it goes against the intuition that everyone has that, in the face of injustice, some price must be paid.” Forgiveness is not easy, but it’s necessary to survive with people who sin against us and those we sin against. There’s no peace and reconciliation without forgiveness.

When it comes to our relationship with God, all of us have fallen short. Nobody’s perfect. Our craving for justice, to right wrongs, mirrors that of our Creator.  We have wronged against God and someone must pay.

Thankfully, God became a man in Jesus Christ and took the blame for us. 2 Corinthians 5:21 tells us that “For our sake God made him who knew no sin, to become sin so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”  That, my friends, is good news. That’s the gospel of grace.  On the cross, the keg of God’s grace was tapped and is available to all. All we have to do is put our faith in him and follow him.  In light of this amazing grace, we live our lives and offer it to others.

Grace.

This is what we learned from a Wednesday night baseball game in Detroit.

When you dispense advice on life, but yours lacks joy…

you are all show.

When you say you want friends, but you fail to be one…

you are all show.

When you twitter about causes, but you don’t give in any capacity…

you are all show.

When you complain about the government, but you don’t participate…

you are all show.

When you point out the faults of others, but are blinded to your own…

you are all show.

When your marriage is in a rut, but you’ve stopped pursuing your spouse…

you are all show.

When you preach against consumerism, but you spend what you don’t have…

you are all show.

When you’re passionately pro-life, but not passionately pro-living…

you are all show.

When you study theology, but you’re a self-righteous jerk,

you are all show.

When you talk about community, but you’re not actively a part of one…

you are all show.

When you say you have faith, but you worry about everything…

you are all show.

However…

When your life is full of joy, people will ask you for advice…

because of how you roll.

When you are a friend, you will have friends…

because of how you roll.

When you’re giving to a cause, your twitter updates will be more credible…

because of how you roll.

When you participate in government, your concerns will have more merit…

because of how you roll.

When you take the sawdust out of your eye, you can better see how to help another…

because of how you roll.

When you keep pursuing your spouse, you will prevent marital laziness…

because of how you roll.

When you stop spending what you don’t have, you can help others do the same…

because of how you roll.

When you live like your life matters, people will see all life matters…

because of how you roll.

When you study with humility, you’ll love from your theology…

because of how you roll.

When you’re active in community, what you say will mean something…

because of how you roll.

When you truly have faith in God, you truly lose faith in worry…

because of how you roll.

Don’t let how your roll be a big show. Let your light show by how you roll.

I should know.

Yours Truly,

The Recovering Hypocrite

“I’ll pray about that.”

In a way, this statement sounds super-spiritual.  It leads one to think this person is going to wake up at 4am, go on a mountaintop and watch the sunset, and get an epiphany from God about whether or not  to do whatever it is they are praying about.

Many times, it doesn’t works out that way.

Often, it’s a buffer.

However, there’s something you don’t have to pray and ask God about.

Something you don’t have to seek God’s will on.

What is it?

What He’s already said.

Should I forgive this person?

No need to ask, He he’s already said so.

Should I show these people love?

No need to ask, He’s already said so.

Should I be an active part of a community?

No need to ask, He’s already said so.

Should I work on this marriage even though we’re incompatible?

No need to ask, He’s already said so.

Should I sacrifice my time, money, and energy, even though I don’t feel like it?

No need to ask, He’s already said so.

I could go on.

Imagine if we’d just say “yes” to what God has already commanded?

What if our first instinct to what God has already said was a green light rather than a yellow light (which we often secretly wished would turn red so we wouldn’t have to be inconvenienced)?

We could pray more pointed prayers.

We could be bringing hope to the hopeless.

We could be a giver rather than a taker?

We could begin healing relationships?

We could be on our way to the life we’re meant to live.

This isn’t to say seeking God isn’t important. Of course it is.

But don’t use prayer as an excuse to delay what God’s commanded.

Just do it.

And see what happens.

On Origins
“The sweetest thing in all my life has been the longing — to reach the Mountain, to find the place where all the beauty came from — my country, the place where I ought to have been born.”

On Friendship
“Friendship arises out of mere companionship when two or more of the companions discover that they have in common some insight or interest or even taste which the others do not share and which, till that moment, each believed to be his own unique treasure (or burden). The typical expression of opening Friendship would be something like, “What? You too? I thought I was the only one.”

On Being Made New
“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on: you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of — throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

On Existence of God
“My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. But how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust?”

On Freedom
“Of course God knew what would happen if they used their freedom the wrong way: apparently He thought it worth the risk.”

On Suffering
“God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pains: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”

On Desire
“Indeed, if we consider the unblushing promises of reward and the staggering nature of the rewards promised in the Gospels, it would seem that Our Lord finds our desires, not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”

On Action
“Enough had been thought, and said, and felt, and imagined. It was about time that something should be done.”

On God’s Supremacy
“But then again of course I know perfectly well that He can’t be used as a road. If you’re approaching Him not as the goal but as a road, not as the end but as a means, you’re not really approaching Him at all.”

On Stupid Questions
“Can a mortal ask questions which God finds unanswerable? Quite easily, I should think. All nonsense questions are unanswerable. How many hours are there in a mile? Is yellow square or round?”

According to my dad, when I was a little toddler I would shake my bootie to the song “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles.

Not much has changed actually. I still dig that song and will occassionally shake it when I listen to it. When I was little, it was the catchy, happy music that hooked me. Now that I’m older, I’ve come to appreciate the message of the song- hope.

Hope is a curious thing.

Hope is about possibility. It’s the sunrise after a dark night. It’s the light at the end of the tunnel. It’s the belief that things get better. It’s notion that we’re never too far or too late to live the lives we were meant to live. It’s what drives us to press on.

Hope is why we have dreams, finish lines, goals, missions, and purposes. It’s the fuel that propels our lives forward.

Have you ever felt like you lost hope? Have you ever known someone who has? It’s tragic. If we lose our hope we essentially lose our will to live.

If you’re at the end of your rope and feel hopeless, the good news is…there’s still hope.

The key is to place our hope in something real, something true, something certain, something beyond ourselves. You see, it’s not about what we place our hope on- it’s about who we put our hope in.

The truth is this: You’re never too far and it’s never too late. Hope always remains for you.

And his name is Jesus.

Further Reading: Bible Verses on Hope

World-renowned theologian J.I. Packer gives his brilliant take on hell.

Imagine if we could truly comprehend the magnificence of these words.

Colossians 1:15-20

(ESV)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.

(The Message)

We look at this Son and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank after rank of angels—everything got started in him and finds its purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment. And when it comes to the church, he organizes and holds it together, like a head does a body.

He was supreme in the beginning and—leading the resurrection parade—he is supreme in the end. From beginning to end he’s there, towering far above everything, everyone. So spacious is he, so roomy, that everything of God finds its proper place in him without crowding. Not only that, but all the broken and dislocated pieces of the universe—people and things, animals and atoms—get properly fixed and fit together in vibrant harmonies, all because of his death, his blood that poured down from the cross.

I can’t wait to explore this marvelous passage with my friends at Project Church on Easter Sunday!