The other morning, I brought my camera with me to morning coffee since there was a thick layer of fog. As the sunlight began to burn off the fog, I was able to take some images. The interesting thing about fog is that while it obscures our vision, it also adds definition to the light […]
“For in him we live and move and have our being.’ Acts 17:28 While life circumstances may seem to be at the whim of random forces, it is simply not the case. We do not live in a vacuum. Instead we live in God. God is always present. God is always acting. We are surrounded […]
As a parent, when I held my young infant and watched him grow over the years, I imagined what kind of life he might live, guessing his life’s trajectory. What kind of man would he become? What kind of friends would he have? With whom would he fall in love? How would he spend his […]
Ahhhhh… I needed that. Thanx
That was an interesting and emotional video to watch. I almost started crying as he was joined by others who wanted to be a part of his “giving” experiment. I was thinking at first about how hard and awkward it was for him to make that first effort to put himself in that position. Then I was thinking about how scared everyone is. Almost all of the people on the street have this automatic suspicion that this guy has motives. (probably deviant) I was thinking that myself. I guess I think too much. But I was also thinking that it would be great if he only had good motives and people could know that and accept his hugs with childlike appreciation and pleasure. That would be very healing and beneficial. What was going through your head as you watched it?
Hi Deb, I think what you said in your comment demonstrates the tension of the “Now and Not Yet” that we find ourselves in. We are both noble yet broken people, living in a good yet broken creation. We know Christ has inaugurated God’s future New Creation by his resurrection, a reality of restored and reconciled community. Yet, we live in the harsh reality of a world where distortion and deviance also abide. And so, we as Christ’s apprentices have to stand in the place of pain with open arms and interceding hearts. That’s so hard because we will often find ourselves battered and bruised like Christ.
I was feeling similar things as you when I first watched the video. I probably would have been one of the people that passed him by. But then I noticed, it only took one or two people to risk. And the trickle turned into a stream and eventually a flood. And even when the authorities tried to prevent it, the flood was uncontainable. That’s how God’s New Creation takes place. People of faith, taking the necessary risk so that others may watch and join in.