Radical Womanhood

Cherish Grace: An Easter Meditation

Here's an excerpt from my article this week on Boundless. It is my meditation on Easter, as seen through the eyes of a woman often overlooked in this account--Mary Magdalene. Happy Easter to you and your loved ones! Hallelujah! He is Risen!

Mary Magdalene had made it her life mission to minister to the needs of Jesus, but on that fateful day, she was absolutely helpless to do anything.

Crucifixion was the most shameful and painful form of execution known at that time. Stripped naked — especially shameful for Palestinian Jews — the condemned person hung in full sight of the passing crowds, unable to restrain the excretion of wastes in public and subjected to excruciating torture.¹

In shock, Mary Magdalene and the other women stood at a respectful distance, watching in horrified silence as Jesus writhed in humiliation and pain. Time slowed to an unbearable creep. It seemed entire lifetimes were conducted between His raspy, laborious breaths. The jeers and taunts of onlookers were muffled by her private grief.

"Save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!"

How different were the days when she and a determined band of other women willingly followed Him through cities and villages as Jesus proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God. Mary Magdalene was a living testament, a woman freed from the torment of seven demons. It didn't matter to her that there was a whiff of scandal about her inclusion. Jewish rabbis and Greek teachers never included women among their disciples.² But she, Joanna, Susanna, and many other women were not about to be shooed away if their Master welcomed them without question. To be able to provide for Jesus and His other disciples was her joy and privilege³. Besides, Mary of Magdala always carried a whiff of scandal. To be called by her wealthy but idolatrous hometown was a constant reminder of that from which she had been rescued.⁴

She had witnessed many incredible miracles by the word of Jesus. She had seen great crowds amass to see these miracles for themselves. She had heard His teaching and knew those words required a response, a life-altering transformation. She willingly gave it because she knew what it was like to be freed from the oppression of darkness and evil. The years of social isolation that must have accompanied such oppression were more than redeemed the day she stood near Him and heard Jesus say she was part of His family. "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it," He said, gesturing at her and all the other disciples who stood near Him.⁵

If that offended Mary, Jesus' mother, it was not evident now as she stood nearby, silently weeping.

"He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him."

The jeers were merciless. Even one of the other condemned, crucified men joined in, spewing his taunts from a bloodied mouth and weakened lungs. Suddenly the noonday sun went dark and the voices were muted to a fearful silence. Jew or Gentile, everyone in the crowd considered this a bad omen.⁶ But Mary Magdalene stood still. She knew that darkness was one of the plagues in Egypt; even so, it was a tool of God's deliverance. She would wait. Jesus had told his disciples that something like this would happen: "[He] began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised."⁷ The thing was, nobody really understood what He was talking about then. Today, the suffering was highly evident to His disciples but fear clouded their thinking about the purpose.

Three hours of darkness. Three hours of watching life drain from the One she loved so much. Finally, just as the evening sacrifice was being prepared at the temple, Jesus cried out His last and gave up His life. Mary Magdalene would never forget His anguished cry: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"⁸ The earth shook violently when He died, knocking her off-balance. Only later did she find out that at the same time the temple curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the sanctuary was torn in two, exposing the secret place that only the high priest could enter once a year.

Mary Magdalene saw how the soldiers pierced Jesus' side to assure His death. She wondered if they would take His body and throw it in a common grave like every other crucifixion victim. The very idea of it overwhelmed her with grief. Public mourning was important for every dead person, but it was illegal for those who had been executed.⁹ Even that small act of devotion was prohibited by law.

[Mary Magdalene's account continues in "Cherish Grace."]

 

Boasting on Valentine's Day

For those--married and unmarried alike--who today are unable to boast in flower deliveries, sparkly little gifts, or uber-romantic dinner plans as evidence of being loved ... there is something even better to boast in.

Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight," declares the LORD. (Jeremiah 9:23-24, emphasis added)

You are loved with an everlasting love. And what seems bitter now, can be made sweet. There is something good developing in the long wait. As Paul Tripp writes:

This side of eternity you and I are called to wait. We're called to recognize that the most important, most essential, most beautiful, and most lasting things in our life are things over which we have no control. No, these things are the gracious gifts of a loving Father. He never is foolish in the way he dispenses his gifts. He never plays favorites. He never mocks our neediness. He never plays bait and switch. He never teases or toys with us. His timing is always right and the gifts that he gives are always appropriate to the moment. He is kind, faithful, loving, merciful, and good.

The One on whom we wait is a dissatisfied Messiah. He will not relent, he will not quit, he will not rest until ever promise he has made been fully delivered. He will not turn from his work until every one of his children has been totally transformed. He will continue to fight until the last enemy is under his feet. He will reign until his kingdom has fully come. As long as sin exists, he will shower us with forgiving, empowering, and delivering grace. He will defend us against attack and attack the enemy on our behalf. He will be faithful to convict, rebuke, encourage, and comfort. He will continue to open the warehouse of his wisdom and unfold for us the glorious mysteries of his truth. He will stand with us through the darkness and the light. He will guide us on a path we could never have discovered or would never have been wise enough to choose.

When the time of fulfillment is at hand, God has a surprising way of supplying our needs. I appreciate Mark Altrogge's comments:

I love how the Lord provides for his people in unexpected ways.

Peter doesn't know where the cash will come from to pay the temple tax, so Jesus tells him to go fishing. He pulls out a fish with a gold coin in its mouth. Another time the disciples tell Jesus to send the crowds away so they can go into the local towns and grab some food. But Jesus comes out of left field again and turns a few fish and rolls into a picnic for thousands.

Three days after the Israelites watch God split the Red Sea and engulf the Egyptian army, they come to a place called Marah (Ex 15:22). Three days and they have yet to find any water. Their lips are cracked and their throats parched. So when they see desert sun glinting on water their hopes soar. But when they run to taste it, it's brackish. It's obviously Moses' fault. He should have done a Google search for the nearest pure watering hole before leaving Egypt. "Hey miracle man, what are we going to drink?" they gripe. They were obviously suffering short term memory loss. Hadn't God miraculously saved them from Pharaoh just 3 days earlier? How often our first response to any trial is to grumble and plunge into instant unbelief.

Read the rest of Bitter to Sweet for further encouragement today.

And happy Valentine's day!

Happy New Year!

Grace and peace to you in Christ Jesus as we celebrate this new year!

Today I am doing what I usually do each new year's day: I sleep in, I take down a few Christmas decorations, and I spend some time fasting and praying about the new year. I usually review my journal from the previous year and write down prayer requests, thanksgiving for answered prayers, and goals for the coming year. I hope you, too, are able to set aside some extended time today (or in the next few days) to meet with God and listen for His voice to set your priorities for the new year.

Last night, as I was returning from San Diego, I listened to an biographical message of 19th-century missionary Adironam Judson. It was one of the biographies that John Piper gives each year at the Bethlehem Pastors Conference. I downloaded that message because a friend of mine recently gave me some sound advice. She said that whenever dissatisfaction creeps into her heart, she reads a missionary biography. That helps her to see her comfortable life in the proper perspective, to cultivate gratitude for what God has given her, and to challenge her current sacrifice for the gospel.

Not having time for additional reading right now, I decided I would download Dr. Piper's biographies to redeem my drive time. I was especially interested in Judson's biography because he was the first missionary to Burma with any measurable success and I have recently met a church-planter from Burma. In addition, I have ancestors who were trained at the same seminary as Judson and were missionaries during the same period to India. They mention him in their letters (letters which my family still has).

Dr. Piper gave an impassioned message about Judson (which I highly recommend to you!). It was based on the passage from John 12:23-26 that says: "Jesus replied, "The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified. I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds. The man who loves his life will lose it, while the man who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. Whoever serves me must follow me; and where I am, my servant also will be. My Father will honor the one who serves me."

Dr. Piper closed with this haunting question--a good one to ponder on New Year's Day. "So the question, brothers, is not whether you will die. The question is whether the death you die will bear much fruit."

That is the question that is before me today as I review my journal and pray about all the choices that lie ahead in 2008. Death is inevitable, but fruitfulness is a result of many deliberate, wise, and God-glorifying choices.

Merry Christmas!

I'm in Texas collecting hugs and kisses from my nieces. That's my main Christmas present! In the meantime, here are some of my favorite holiday memories so far...

Here is the pile of Christmas gifts that I wrapped for the foster care family I sponsored for Christmas. I was up really late doing it, but it was worth it to see the tears and smiles on the mother's face as I delivered the presents to her the week before Christmas.

This is the pretty setting for my niece Claire's birthday tea. We went to the Into My Garden tea room in Plano, Texas, which is in the back of a toy shop--smart marketing! They really cater to the Mommy-and-me tea crowd, offering tiaras and wands for the birthday girl, as well as a special setting. The food was outstanding and the service very personal. We were spoiled during our mother-aunt-young lady time together.

Need a good belly laugh? I highly recommend the hilarious fairy tale mash-up, Enchanted. It was supposed to be an outing for the girls, but I think we adults (including my brother-in-law) liked it far better than they did. We guffawed loudly in several scenes and repeated the smart one-liners to each other on the way home.

No snow? No problem. Just import the fake stuff and let the kids go tubing down a snow-covered hill on a 60 degree evening. All of the fun and none of cold, wet sloppiness of real snow. I took a turn, too, laughing all the way down the hill! How easy it is to forget the joy of sledding when snow means the adult duties of digging out your car and figuring out the risk of driving to work. This was one of the events at the Merry Main Street festival in Frisco, Texas.

Merry Christmas! May the Lord's peace be with you as you celebrate His incarnation. I'll be back online in a few days.

Silent Night, Lonely Night

As a child, I was always vaguely uncomfortable whenever my aunt and uncle joined us for Christmas. They would sit on the sidelines, watching us open gift after gift, and never seemed to have many presents of their own to open. Christmas morning was a spectator sport for them, which should have elicited my sympathy. Instead, with the typical self-centeredness of childhood, I soon forgot about them as I looked for more presents with my name on them.

Years later, when my sisters and I were young adults, my newly widowed uncle joined us for an improvised Christmas celebration. My first niece was a year-old toddler and her new cousin, my second niece, came home from the hospital on Christmas afternoon. We carted our presents and Christmas meal to my sister's home, eager to see the new baby. As we cooed and fussed over the girls — oblivious to my uncle, the stoic World War II veteran — he suddenly burst into tears, a novel sight to us.

"It's my first Christmas without her," he said, referring to his wife. "I miss her so much."

I was dumbstruck. Why hadn't this occurred to me before? There we were, making such a fuss over the newest addition to our family, while my uncle grieved for one who had departed.

That was the first time I became aware of the deep river of loneliness that often courses through the Christmas season for many people. This year, two of my friends are grieving — one for the passing of her husband of five months and one for the passing of his fiancée five months before their wedding. A third friend still marks the December death of her first husband more than 10 years ago.

There are many reasons for grieving, not all of them related to physical death. Some grieve the death of hopes and plans, as the years of singleness, childlessness, or chronic illness accumulate. Others grieve the families they once had, now divided by divorce. Still others miss the ease of family celebrations before this new, blended family arrangement hit them.

Christmas often staggers under the weight of human emotion and expectation — just as it has from the very start.

From a human perspective, the first "Christmas," so to speak, was simultaneously crowded and lonely. Dispirited Jews shuffled around the region, required to be part of a new, universal Roman census for possibly the first time. (Previously Palestine had been excluded from the Roman census because Jews were exempt from serving in the Roman army.) Among those sojourners was a young couple with a whiff of scandal about them.

[The rest of my article this month is on the Boundless website. Plus there is a Christmas gift there for all curious readers who click over!]

Viewing Christmas Through Esther

I've been reading through another in the Reformed Expository Commentary series, this time Iain Duguid's magnificent twin commentary on Esther and Ruth. I think I've used up two highlighters on this book already. I highly recommend it, especially for those who are not used to supplementing their Bible reading with commentaries. I never thought I'd find something in Esther to prepare my heart for Christmas, but Iain Duguid has managed to supply it.

Commenting on the closing verses of Esther about the feast of Purim, Dr. Duguid writes:

The book of Esther calls us to analyze our fasting and our feasting to help us diagnose our hearts. What things cast us down to the depths of despair? What things lift us up to the heights of exultation? Even the way we celebrate the festivals of our religious calendar--such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter--can be a powerful diagnostic tool. What do we have to have to make these celebrations "right"? What things cause us anxiety and stress every year because we are nervous that they won't get done? Do we have to have a large pile of presents at Christmas? . . .

Why does the level of domestic stress rise dramatically over the holiday period? It is because the festival itself exposes our idolatries. I remember throwing a ridiculous tantrum one Christmas because I received a model ship kit from an aunt, while my sisters received adorable stuffed animals. There was nothing wrong with the gift. However, it wasn't what I wanted, and my self-idolatry became exposed for all to see! But it is not just children whose idolatries are on display year after year at Christmas. Adults, too, show their hearts by what thrills them and what disappoints them. We too are condemned by the tantrums we throw because people and presents haven't lived up to our expectations.

When I read the bit about the aunt's unpopular gift, my heart sank a bit. Tink, tink. One idol toppled! Of course, I want to give the gift that will forever endear me to one of my "niblings"! I would be dismayed if one of my gifts was the trigger for such a tantrum. As a kid, I never thought my reactions mattered to adults. It didn't occur to me that my cool reception or even obvious disappointment would be hurtful to an adult, but here I am hoping that I never see such a scene as the one described above. Fortunately, there is more to feasting before God than just side-stepping idols and tip-toeing through conflict. There is a proactive element, too, as Dr. Duguid notes:

There is nothing wrong with exchanging gifts and hanging seasonal decorations at Christmas, enjoying turkeys and pies along with an abundance of other good things at Thanksgiving, decorating eggs and eating lamb at Easter. We should celebrate God's goodness to us as God's people have always done, with good food and good fellowship. In the midst of that fellowship, though, don't just invite neighbors and friends to share the joy. Remember those who are poor, both those who are poor in things and those who are poor before God. Our times of feasting should be times for sharing with the less fortunate, for looking out for the lonely, for welcoming outcasts and strangers into our families. These are times of special opportunity for sharing the gospel good news with those who have never heard it, rich or poor, that they too may receive God's peace.

A Charlie Brown Christmas

I need a good dose of Christmas TV specials. I haven't seen any holiday movies or TV shows this season and it's unlikely I'll be able to unplug from the laptop anytime soon to see one. But in the meantime, I have enjoyed driving around listening to the Nuclearity podcast show, "Merry Christmas, Charlie Brown!" from FamilyLife Ministries. It's been fascinating to hear how this classic Christmas special was created and how it has affected different people for more than 40 years.

Host Hugh Duncan has created a well-produced podcast that is more reminiscent of radio theater than the typical podcast. When Hugh interviewed me, I spoke to him about how startled I was to watch the show as an adult and see the strong element of female mockery in it, a reaction I blogged about back in 2005. I didn't think that bit would make the program, but it did--and it's followed by an anecdote from a man who knew the Peanuts creator, Charles Schultz. He confirmed that Schultz was acutely sensitive to female mockery because of the way he was treated as a young boy. That fascinated me! You can hear this segment starting around 14:50 in this podcast.

If you are looking for something to listen to with the kids on your holiday errands or road trips, this podcast will probably entertain all but the littlest ones. Hugh interviewed a number of people for this show, including CeCe Winans, David Crowder, Phil Vischer, Dick Staub, and others and he has included clips from the show and selections from the music soundtrack, too.

The Tradition Continues

My annual "nibling" tea party with my sister, Beth, and my niece, Natalie, grew to new proportions this year as we invited two guests to join us. Lisa Gallo and her daughter, Alyssa, came with us to celebrate Natalie's birthday at the Mayflower Hotel in downtown D.C. We enjoyed our tea and carbs as a harpist serenaded us. While I appreciate the ambiance of professionally decorated hotels, there's nothing quite as satisfying as the selection of tea and food served in smaller, dedicated tea houses. Nevertheless, we received great service at the Mayflower and enjoyed our girlie time together.

(The tea party: Lisa and Alyssa Gallo, Natalie and Beth Oman, me. Alyssa pours her loose leaf tea. The tree photos: The Gallos. The girls. The Omans.)

God with Us

Got this touching video e-card from World Vision yesterday. I really liked the message and the videography. Because it is about a little boy in Uganda, I find it especially meaningful for two reasons: 1) I sponsor a little girl through World Vision in Uganda; and 2) I contributed funds so that two of my friends can serve on a short-term mission trip from my church to Uganda next month. (I really wanted to go, but knew I couldn't with a book deadline swinging over my head.)

Even if you don't have any connections to Uganda yourself, it's worth it to view this video and be reminded of the ways God proves His love and presence to us. I also hope it will help you remember the true reason for this mass commercial holiday that is upon us! Here is how World Vision describes the video:

The great news of Christmas is that God is with us! For one little boy and his brother living alone in Africa, the reassurance of God's presence came at a time when all hope seemed lost.

Set in the wilds of Uganda, this two-minute e-card is inspired by a true story of survival, courage, and the difference a gift can make. We hope this story reminds you that the greatest blessings in our lives — no matter the size — often come when least expected.

Fostering Some Christmas Cheer, Part Two

I expect to hear the sound of silence in cyberspace today, as many people desert their computers to go shopping on Black Friday. I won't be joining the crowds, though. I have studiously avoided this shopping day for my entire life. I don't care how good the discounts are. Being stuck among bloodthirsty, bargain-shopping hordes is my idea of misery. Instead, I am usually home, peacefully putting up Christmas decorations and swilling egg nog.

Now that we can officially think about Christmas, I'd like to recommend an outreach idea. Last year, my church sponsored a gift drive where the members were linked with needy foster care children around the county to provide Christmas gifts to these children. It was so successful that we're doing it again this year. In fact, we told the community liaison from the foster care program that our church would take their entire list.

We pulled it off with short notice last year, but it may not work that way everywhere else. If you are interested in doing something similar to bless the foster care children in your area, you may want to look up your county's foster care agency and call that office and ask for the community liaison (or someone who functions in that role). Chances are, this social worker is looking for volunteers to provide gifts and would be thrilled to hear from you. Even if you can't organize something on behalf of your church, perhaps your small group, Bible study, or Sunday School class could sponsor a few children together.

This is also an ideal opportunity to remind your own children about the true spirit of Christmas. Last year, the Girltalkers got into the action and brought their children along to shop for these gifts, making it into a teaching moment. Great idea! I may do this with my own nieces and nephews, too.

(Stock photo courtesy of Jyn Meyer.)