A Culture of Life

The death of Jesus Christ was brutal and vulgar. It demonstrated the worst of human systems gone mad. God allowed all of our most confused, bureaucratic, religious stupidity a full and tortured expression on the Body of Jesus. Every human system participated and Satan kicked back at the end of the day, looked up at heaven and asked, "Hey, God! What do You think of Your creation now? Still think its 'good'?"

God answered three days later. With the physical resurrection of Jesus God has forever stated, "What I have made IS GOOD. Creation was kissed in the beginning and now it has been twice kissed."

Some elements of Christianity today are obsessed with original sin and total depravity. They are fond of announcing that we are born in sin. The follow up to that is the mantra, "We are just sinners saved by grace." My response is, "Alright, already. We get it. But what about now....post resurrection. Aren't we born AGAIN? This time, born again RIGHT and righteous?" At some point we have to start being the New Creation!

I love the cross and its message, but the cross is not God's final statement. LIFE is God's final statement! And since it is, the implications are off the charts for what we have been called to be and to do. Jesus said, "The thief has come to steal, kill and destroy. I have come that you might have life and that with flourish, dynamic and complete animation!" The church is called to be a culture of life. Not a parenthesis holding cell awaiting life after death.

We are a culture of life filled with belly laughs, loud glorious singing, expansive divine curiosity, entrepreneurial inventiveness and a passionate exploration of the Life and Character of God that might challenge safe theological boxes. The vacated grave of Jesus is the genius of God which calls every hungry heart to reject death in all of its expressions. Somebody, somewhere is going to leap into this culture of Life and live it for all its worth, someday. I believe this is my destiny, will you join me?