In Tough Times, Jesus

"Has God abandoned me?"

"God won't forgive me."

"God doesn't love me."

"Why can't I change?"

"Is there any hope?"

Over the past eight years in Outflow I've had some, if not all of these things said to me. I've even given my fair share of quaint Christian responses to these questions and statements. Of course anyone who's been through dark times knows it's not that easy, and any Christian who's read their bible knows it's not that simple.

The truth is, I've been going through a bit of a dark time myself over the past while. It happens every so often. Over the years I've learned to spot the triggers. I've read the books and listened to many "professionals" lecture about depression and anxiety. The amount of information I've devoured on these subjects during my "prison times" should at least qualify me as someone who is not ignorant about these matters.

Through all my reading, however, nothing compares to the help offered in the bible.

Cue the glazing of the eyes.

I say this as a man who is well aware of the tougher bits of Holy Scriptures. I recently saw an interview where a relatively well known magician said he became an atheist at age 16 as a result of reading the whole bible because his youth pastor encouraged him to. He now encourages everyone to read the bible from cover to cover to discover that the God mentioned in it is nothing like the one Christians preach about. He feels it's the best way to make someone an atheist.

While I disagree with him in one sense - for many have become Christians by reading the bible - I agree that much Christian teaching avoids the tough bits of God's word that are not palatable to our delicate culture. For instance, scriptures that speak of divine judgment (Hebrews 10:26-31), or God's hatred of the wicked (Psalm 5:5/11:5), and the wrath of Jesus (Revelation 6:15-17). These are just a few of the many parts of God's word that aren't easy to take, but provide deep spiritual insight when studied and interacted with.

One such passage I've been struggling with is Hebrews 12:17: "For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent, though he sought it with tears."

This is about Esau from the book of Genesis. The guy who had his younger brother, Jacob, steal his birthright. It's is a scary verse because on the surface it appears that it's possible to want to turn from sin - want to change- and yet be unable to find God's mercy. I've even found myself thinking, "Maybe I'm Esau. Maybe I'm beyond repentance." Is that what this verse is saying?

Thankfully, no.

As with every verse in the bible, there is a context. When you read the account of Jacob and Esau in Genesis 27 and the preceding verses in Hebrews 12, along with some help from some dudes who know Greek, you find that the verse goes more like this: "For you know that afterward, when he desired to inherit the blessing, he was rejected, for he found no chance to repent (to change the situation), though he sought it (the blessing) with tears."

The story shows that Esau sought the blessing, not repentance, with tears. Anyone who wants to repent (change the way they've been thinking and acting) in relation to sin can find God's mercy and grace. Repent and believe in Jesus for the forgiveness of sins, for new life and entrance into God's kingdom. This is the message we offer to those we serve and love at Outflow. We point people to Jesus - God in human form. The One who felt abandonment on the cross for us. The One who offers new beginnings, hope, love and forgiveness to all who receive him and believe in his authority. The One who rose from the dead and will judge the world with justice. This is the message of the early church.

Jesus is not a quaint answer to difficult questions. He's a Person who invites us to follow him into the goodness of the Triune God. This is the message that gets me through tough times.

Philip

Father of Compassion

There is suffering and pain in this world. A lot of suffering occurs here in Saint John. At times, it feels as if this city is under oppression. The landscape appears bright but if you really look at people, you can see hardship and heartache etched in their spirit.

However, amidst suffering, there is still laughter, fun, and comfort found in community. We are comforted when we are able to talk to someone and know that there is someone in this world who has our back. That's what we hope for at Outflow: that people know, when they come in through the door, or see us on the street, that we are there for them, even if it's just to listen.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”

I love the exchange that goes on here. The promise is that our Father is a Father of compassion, He is a comforter.

We are comforted by our Father, and in turn, we are called to comfort others. Something will come out of whatever situation you are in. He will use it for His glory, whether it's to help you understand what someone else is going through or to pass on wisdom or counsel to another. That is encouraging. That gives me hope.

-Laura

Glorious Bodies

He came to Outflow looking for a piece of mail he was expecting. He was stiff and sore, finding it difficult to move any part of his body. There were bruises and scratches on his arms. “I was jumped,” he explains.

Every day I meet people who are in very poor physical condition. This week alone, I have met people with a vast list of ailments: a broken hand, missing and aching teeth, bruised skin and sores at injection sites, a severe back condition, fibromyalgia, a battered body. I have met people who probably have internal damage from years battling addiction. I have met people with less visible illnesses including mental health issues. It's not until I compile a list upon reflection that I realize just how much brokenness and pain I have come into contact with over the course of the week. And this list does not even touch the hurt and damage that is buried within, as in the girl who works on the street and battles depression. That runs far deeper. The people I have met this week could lead me to wonder if there is hope. But I know there is. And it's here:

“But we are citizens of Heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives. And we are eagerly waiting for him to return as our Saviour. He will take our weak mortal bodies and change them into glorious bodies like his own, using the same power with which he will bring everything under his control.” Philippians 4:20, 21

Jesus is our hope. He is the promise of “glorious bodies.” It is hard to see the pain in these bodies, but oh, the joy in knowing that there is hope for strength, vitality, freedom from illness and pain, transformation. We will have bodies like His. 

--Chanelle

A Reflection on Mercy

I read The Beatitudes a few days ago using the Lectio Devina method of scripture reading and meditation. One of the steps in this method is to re-read the passage a few times until a word, phrase, or sentence stands out to you. During my reading the sentence, “God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy,” (Matthew 5:7, NLT) stood out to me.

I was a bit surprised by this because I already have two “favourite” beatitudes, verses 5:6 and 5:9. Every time I read or hear The Beatitudes these verses resonate with me. I find it easy to have a hunger and thirst for justice. For many people I know, justice will improve their lives. I long for the satisfaction that my hunger and thirst will bring. Similarly, many folks in my life bring their conflicts to me and they expect me to be able to resolve them. For some people that I know, Outflow is their source of peace and we at Outflow hope that we can point these people to our Father.

A few days ago though, while reading The Beatitudes, I skimmed through these verses without even realizing it. Mercy was screaming at me in the gentlest way it could. In his opening statement for the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus sandwiches mercy (and purity) between justice and peace.

“God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy.”

This is what I take from this...

Justice is impossible without mercy. Peace is impossible without mercy.

If I am hungry for justice and if I expect God to satisfy this, I will undoubtedly notice that my hunger can only exist if injustice exists. Injustice can only exist if someone is unjust. Injustice has a face – either a single perpetrator or a system buoyed by many perpetrators. If I am a peacemaker and if I expect God to show his peace to people, I will undoubtedly notice that conflict is all around me. Like injustice, conflict has a face – either a single face or a systemic face.

I believe sin is a reality in our world. Sin is why injustice exists. Sin is why conflict exists. In addition to believing that sin is a reality, I also believe that Jesus' death and bodily resurrection is a reality in our world. Injustice and conflict taunt us and in doing so, they show us they need to be punished. God punished the sins of injustice and conflict when Jesus was executed and sacrificed.

The question this leaves me with is, Do I believe this is enough? More pointedly, Did Jesus' death answer for the injustice and the conflict that I see most everyday? If I believe it did answer for these – that it is indeed enough – I have no option available to me except to be merciful to people who are unjust or cause conflict.

Like justice and peace, mercy is only necessary when its opposite exists. Jesus' death and resurrection is the evidence that God shows mercy and, as his follower, I have to follow him on the path of mercy too. This means seeing the person guilty of injustice and of causing conflict as I see myself, as a sinner in need of grace. Mercy is not the same as ignoring sin, even heinous sins like injustice and causing conflict. Instead, mercy is approaching the guilty as if they have the same access to grace I do. Because they do. Prayerfully, mercy can show grace to a wretch like me. 

--Tony

In sickness. In health.

Philippians 2:5 New Living Translation (NLT)

You must have the same attitude Christ Jesus had.

How does Jesus look at people? How does Jesus welcome people and talk to them? How do we experience Jesus today? What is the attitude of Christ Jesus? In quick response, these are questions that probably have one line answers based on our study of the Bible or our religious beliefs. However, the more time I spend with the poor and oppressed, the more folks I meet with brokenness and loss, the more involved the answers to these questions become.

Often my attitude is jaded, filled with past experiences and future expectations, missing Jesus standing right in front of me. I do feel like Christ disguises Himself within the broken and poor who I meet within the ministry of Outflow. It’s true there is a lot of evil people in the world, people with sick demented minds. This is simple truth and the reality of the world we live in. In the same way, I have met many with the attitude of Christ with nothing but the tattered clothes on their back. The more time I spend with folks at Outflow, the more I fall in love with Father God.

If you’re a Christian, I think it’s fair to say you’d like to be more like Jesus, with a consecrated heart and a life led by the Holy Spirit, loving God and loving others.  You would like to live a life that honours the Lord we love by being steady in our walk and experiencing the fullness of Jesus. Sometimes seeing pain within the poor and broken causes personal pain, so we avoid the situation, running the other way and perhaps doing nothing. Don’t be mistaken, pain isn’t always a bad thing and Christ can certainly meet you in these moments. If you love Jesus, don’t run from painful situations because often it’s where we experience the full freedom of Christianity and where faith is strengthened.

On April 30, 2014 the Outflow men’s shelter opened. Since opening, I have spent time with some great guys, and have been challenged with the idea of attitude in the midst of pain, loss, addiction, mental illness, in battle or any type of personal turmoil. Jesus is so good. What is my attitude in sickness and in health? Can someone be too far gone that they can’t be saved? Not a chance! I know we are all equally loved by God and I do not believe we are alone. Some of my brothers truly do feel they are at the absolute end and my eyes have been opened to the reality of being a brother, embracing these guys like family. Together we’ll experience Jesus.

To the guys at the shelter and anyone else with just the clothes on your back: You are fearfully and wonderfully made. Give your life over to Jesus. God loves you, even in your weakness and with just the few things you have left in this life. Together let’s teach each other Jesus because whether you feel healthy or know you’re sick, we all need Jesus.

God Bless- Jayme