CURVED!

This phrase is heard and seen in every station of the London Underground: Mind the Gap. A note of caution to passengers reminding them of the gap between carriage door and station platform. The problem? Misalignment. Train cars are, obviously, straight. But not all platforms are. Therefore, the distance between these straight cars and those non-straight platforms can be significant at certain points. Besides, some stations service trains with different floor heights, such that platforms, not perfectly aligned to the height of a standard car, create yet another potentially dangerous gap. A gap through which you don’t want to fall. Thus … Mind the Gap. Misalignment—platforms not aligned to trains.

Most stations in Toronto have adopted the practice as well; so also some in Singapore, Hong Kong, Athens, and Paris. Such signs, however, are increasingly rare—apparently, curved platforms are not in vogue!

Misaligned. So are we. Warped … when compared with the only standard of straightness (righteousness)—God. Straight car : curved platform :: “straight” God : curved human. Misaligned.

Who will not fear, O Lord,
and glorify Your name?
For You alone are holy.
Revelation 15:4

And in the dazzling light of that holiness, all of us human beings are curved and crooked, distorted and deviant, with a propensity towards sin that is “caught, not taught.” Classic theologians describe mankind as incurvatus in se—curved inward, on itself. Luther agreed, in his Lectures on Romans:

“Our nature, by the corruption of the first sin, is so deeply curved in on itself that it not only bends the best gifts of God towards itself and enjoys them …, but it also fails to realize that it so wickedly, curvedly, and viciously seeks all things, even God, for its own sake.”

While believers in Christ have been declared righteous (“straight”) before God—i.e., justified—there still is a gap between that aligned position and our misaligned practice. Mind the gap!

O LORD,
lead me in Your righteousness …;
make Your way straight before me.
Psalm 5:8

And it is God’s Word, the Bible, that the Holy Spirit employs to keep us straight.

Oh that my ways may be
established to keep Your statutes!
Then I shall not be ashamed
when I look upon
all Your commandments.
I shall give thanks to You
with uprightness [straightness]
of heart, when I learn
Your righteous judgments.
Psalm 119:5–7

One day, however, all of this curvature and crookedness, distortion and deviance, all of this misalignment and mismatching—all of this sin—will be banished! A gapless existence!

… creation itself also
will be set free
from its slavery to corruption
into the freedom of the glory
of the children of God.
Romans 8:21

When the Righteous King comes to reign, all things will be straightened, rectified, debugged.

And the government
will rest on His shoulders;
and His name will be called
Wonderful Counselor,
Mighty God, Eternal Father,
Prince of Peace.
There will be no end to the
increase of His government
or of peace, on the throne of David
and over his kingdom,
to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and righteousness
from then on and forevermore.
Isaiah 9:6–7

And until that time, we wait …

… according to His promise …
looking for new heavens
and a new earth,
in which righteousness dwells.
2 Peter 3:13

Till then, may we, in the strength of the Spirit, live lives aligned to His holy standard.

Teach me Your way, O LORD,
and lead me in a straight path.
Psalm 27:11

Mind the gap!

DIVINE!

There’s my nephew, John, and I at Neuschwanstein Castle (Schloß Neuschwanstein) last summer. The most photographed building in Germany (a couple of hours south of Munich), it is also one of that country’s most popular tourist attractions, its fairy-tale looks lending its semblance to the Sleeping Beauty Castle in Disneyland, and to the Disney logo. King Ludwig II (1845–1886) was the one responsible for this florid, fascinating, and fabulous (from “fable”) piece of Bavarian art, complete with fancy chandeliers, flashy murals, and flushing toilets. Ludwig dedicated the edifice to Richard Wagner, the composer, and many structural elements of the castle echo themes from the operas of the latter. In a letter to the maestro in 1868, Ludwig asserted: “It is my intention to rebuild the old castle ruin at Hohenschangau in the authentic style of the old German knights’ castles …. The location is the most beautiful one could find, holy and unapproachable, a worthy temple for the divine friend who has brought salvation and true blessing to the world.” Now I don’t know whether you care for Wagner or not. I don’t. But even if you do, this is a bit too thick. “Divine”? One “who has brought salvation and true blessing to the world”? Wagner? What rot!

And there is salvation
in no one else
[but Jesus Christ];
for there is no other name
under heaven
that has been given
among men by which
we must be saved.
Acts 4:12

And as for blessing, Christ alone is the source of real blessing.

Blessed be the God and Father
of our Lord Jesus Christ,
who has blessed us
with every spiritual blessing
in the heavenly places in Christ.
Ephesians 1:3

Time and again, in the annals of human history, mankind has tried hard to assume divinity. As someone once quipped, “Ever since God created man in His image, man has been trying to return the compliment.” In vain! Such attempts only come to naught. No one can be likened to God—no one! I’ll let God speak for Himself through the prophet Isaiah …

To whom then will you liken God?
Or what likeness will you
compare with Him?
Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
Has it not been declared to you
from the beginning?
Have you not understood from
the foundations of the earth?
It is [God] who sits
above the circle of the earth,
and its inhabitants
are like grasshoppers.
[He] stretches out the heavens
like a curtain and
spreads them out
like a tent to dwell in.
He it is who reduces rulers
to nothing, who makes
the judges of the earth meaningless.
… He merely blows on them,
and they wither, and the storm
carries them away like stubble.
“To whom then will you liken Me
that I would be his equal?”
says the Holy One.
Isaiah 40:18, 21–25

King Ludwig’s fate was not pleasant. Apparently his uncle, Prince Luitpold, complicit in those inevitable palace intrigues, deposed the king and had him declared insane in 1886. A few days after the coup, Ludwig and the psychiatrist who had him committed were found dead in a lake close by. Their deaths remain a mystery to this day.

And, needless to say, Ludwig’s “divine friend,” who ostensibly was the one who “brought salvation and true blessing,” died, too—of a heart attack, in 1883.

I could search for all eternity long and find
There is none—
There is none—
There is none like you!
Lenny LeBlanc, 1991

None, indeed!

RETURNED!

It’s called Adele Bloch-Bauer I. Painted by Gustav Klimt in 1907, it hung in the Vienna home of Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, Adele’s husband and wealthy industrialist. With the Anschluss of Austria by the Nazis in 1938, this and other paintings from Jewish collectors like the Bloch-Bauers were confiscated (read: “stolen”). After the war, this particular piece fell into the hands of the Austrian government; they refused to part with it. After a long drawn out legal battle in the US and Austria (Republic of Austria v. Altmann), it was ruled that Maria Altmann, the niece of Ferdinand and Adele, and other surviving family members, were the rightful owners. It was returned to Ms. Altmann in Los Angeles in Jan 2006.

Later that year, Ronald Lauder, the cosmetics magnate, reportedly paid $135 million for Adele Bloch Bauer I, making it the most expensive painting ever, beating Picasso’s Boy with a Pipe ($104 million, 2004). It remains in Lauder’s Neue Gallerie in New York. “This is our Mona Lisa,” he proudly comments.

This story bookended the documentary, The Rape of Europa, that I got to see over the weekend with friends. Highlighting the unimaginable and unconscionable theft of priceless art during WWII, the return of this particular objet d'art to its rightful owners gave one a sense of vindication and justice. Returned!

And so also we. Returned to our rightful Owner!

And [Christ] Himself
bore our sins in His body
on the cross,
so that we might die to sin
and live to righteousness ….
For you were continually
straying like sheep,
but now you have returned
to the Shepherd
and Guardian of your souls.
1 Peter 2:24–25

Returned, by grace, to our rightful Owner—our Creator, from whose fold we had wandered. Transferred, in His mercy, from the kingdom of darkness into His kingdom of light.

… the Father … has qualified us
to share in the inheritance
of the saints in Light.
For He rescued us
from the domain of darkness,
and transferred us to the
kingdom of His beloved Son,
in whom we have redemption ….
Colossians 1:12–14

Redeemed. From slavery to sin—helpless, hapless, and hopeless. But now, the believer in Jesus Christ is redeemed and returned. We’ve been rescued from the sentence of eternal death; we’ve received the gift of eternal life.

For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God
is eternal life
in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 6:23

Redeemed. Returned.

… our great God and Savior,
Christ Jesus, … gave Himself
for us to redeem us
from every lawless deed,
and to purify for Himself
a people
for His own possession ….
Titus 2:13–14

And what a costly redemption it was—$135 million is nothing compared to the price that was paid on the cross for you and me.

… you were not redeemed
with perishable things
like silver or gold
from your futile way of life
inherited from your forefathers,
but with precious blood,
as of a lamb unblemished
and spotless,
the blood of Christ.
1 Peter 1:18–19

Returned, praise God!

Worthy are You …
for You were slain,
and purchased for God
with Your blood
persons from every tribe
and tongue and
people and nation.
Revelation 5:9

And such a magnificent redemption and return lays upon us a responsibility before our God and Savior.

For you have been bought
with a price:
therefore glorify God
in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:20

Let us live worthy of the redemption that has been wrought for us.

Blessed be
the Lord God of Israel,
for He has visited us
and accomplished
redemption for His people.
Luke 1:68

Amen!

MOMENTUM!

I’ve been staying up late these past few nights watching cricket. For those of you North Americans oblivious to the existence of that majestic sport, here’s a brief lesson: You have two sides, one out in the field and one in. Each man that's on the side that's in goes out, and when he's out he comes in, and the next man goes in until he's out. When they are all out, the side that's out comes in, and the side that's been in goes out, and tries to get those coming in out. Sometimes you get men still in and not out. When both sides have been in and out, including the not-outs, that's the end of the game. Simple, isn’t it?

Anyway, India is playing Australia in Sydney and the other day there was a spectacular display of batting at its best. One of the foremost batsmen ever, the incomparable Sachin Tendulkar (IND), scored 154 runs, ceasing only because he ran out of partners at the other end of the pitch. What a sight to see (there he is after reaching his 100)! Masterful strokeplayer—regal in technique, astute in judgment, delightful in style, dazzling in execution. One less-than-theologically-accurate sign in the stands said it all:

Commit all your crimes
when Sachin is batting,
They’ll go unpunished;
even the Lord is watching.

One reporter noted that a bunch of noisy school boys in the bleachers were admonished by their teacher, “Nobody talks when Tendulkar is on strike.” Soon the kids were chanting: “Nobody talks / when Sachin strikes.”

The applause when Tendulkar reached his century carried on for close to two minutes.

Not that Sachin was the only batsman to score well that day. Others had begun India off well earlier, but it was up to this maestro to consolidate the innings. “Ignition is vital,” said a commentator, “but it means nothing if there’s nobody to switch on cruise control.” Though cruise control driving is a passive exercise, the point is well taken: It’s not enough to start well; one must sustain a strong beginning for the long haul.

So it is, also, in the Christian life. It’s not enough to start well. We must sustain that momentum. But there are detours aplenty and distractions galore. And before you know it—we’re shanghaied, snared. Cruise control lost! Momentum dissipated! Good start forgotten!

So then let us not sleep
as others do, but let us be
alert and sober.
1 Thessalonians 5:6

Alert and sober, let’s dive into 2008, doing the work of the Lord with dogged perseverance, unflagging momentum.

Therefore, my beloved brethren,
be steadfast, immovable,
always abounding
in the work of the Lord,
knowing that your toil
is not in vain in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 15:58

And let this be our prayer for one another …

… that [we] will walk in
a manner worthy of the Lord,
to please Him in all respects,
bearing fruit in every good work
and increasing
in the knowledge of God;
strengthened with all power,
according to His glorious might,
for the attaining
of all steadfastness and patience.
Colossians 1:10–11

Let’s be working steadfastly, patiently for the Lord, …

… knowing that from the Lord
you will receive the reward
of the inheritance.
Colossians 3:24

Hang in there, trusting God to keep us standing firm, even when everything around us crumbles.

Some boast in chariots
and some in horses,
but we will boast in the name
of the LORD, our God.
They have bowed down
and fallen,
but we have risen
and stood upright.
Psalm 20:7–8

Sustain the momentum, stand upright … till the end!