Gratefully Dead

Did you watch Lost last night? It was a good one. No, there aren't any spoilers or plot theories on this blog. Did you know there are multiple websites dedicated to that? Lost is all over the place and I love it. My brother was in town recently and we realized we are both Lost freaks who check the websites and theorize about the fate of Jack and the gang. That made me feel good.

If you're not a Lost fan you'll have to humor me for a bit. I think this blog will still make sense. There was an episode in the second season in which two characters, Ana Lucia and Sayid, have an interesting conversation. Ana Lucia has her gun pulled on Sayid. As the two talk they both use the phrase "I'm already dead". Sayid is saying he is already dead, so it doesn't really matter if Ana Lucia kills him. Ana Lucia means to say that she is already dead and won't hesitate to pull the trigger. It's a phrase we've heard a lot in TV or movies, and maybe we've even uttered it a time or two.

It seems that being "already dead" changes a person significantly. Of course, these characters are not literally saying that they are dead, like zombies. They are saying that they are so emotionally wounded that they feel dead and there seems to be no reason for living. Maybe you've felt that way before, or even now. It changes the way you interact with the world. What if you knew the exact day, hour, and cause of your death? Would that change the way you live? What if it was tonight? Of course, your death would be no more or less certain than it is right now. It is very certain. You will die. You would just know when and how. Would that certainty settle in on you in a new way?

There is another certainty, you know. If you are a Christian, the Bible says that you have been crucified with Christ. The "old you" who was bound to sin, is "already dead" so to speak. Your sin nature has received the death sentence and that is just as certain as your physical death. In his book, "True Spirituality," Francis Schaeffer says we are called to be dead to this world, both the good and the bad. That is his explanation of this concept. We are to live like spiritual Sayids, saying "I'm already dead," over and over. How far is that from our reality?

Our world preaches experience as the noblest of goals and highest of values. Our own hearts are swayed back and forth by the ups and downs of our days. It's not hard to grasp that the "bad" shouldn't sway us. When someone mistreats you, or things don't go your way, you shouldn't let that own you. Without chasing this idea too far, Schaeffer says there are two ways to go about this. There is worldly resignation and gospel-centered living. Resignation sighs and shrugs his shoulders at the bad, for there is nothing he could do anyway. Gospel-centered living takes the hurt to Christ. Of course, he also said we should be dead to the good. So, even the gifts of God should not own our hearts. One of my favorite gifts is nice, warm weather. There are many days when it owns me. I walk out into the sunshine I'm so enthused by it, that it's hardly containable. I love it! I think I love it too much. There are too many days when I love the sun more than the God who made it. There are too many days when a bad tip (I work at a restaurant if ya didn't know) aggravates me to no end.

To embrace the certainty of my spiritual crucifixion, and be "dead to the world" as Schaeffer puts it, every aspect of my life must drive me to the cross. That's an easy thing to write on a blog or say on a stage. It is not at all an easy thing to live. It is beyond me. As a Christian, a sunny day and a bad tip should equally point me to God and cause me to worship him alone. The monotonous events of my days are one thing. What of the real tragedies and triumphs? What about victemization that leaves you with a real sense of being already dead? What about when your sister is raped, brother murdered, mother abandoned? What about when you're on top of the world? When you seal the big deal or fall in love?

Is it hard to worship God in these moments? Of course it is! According to the Bible all the events of our lives are to produce in us a grateful heart of worship. My friends, there is not a more difficult task on this earth. But there is such good news! If you are a Christian, he is at work in your heart. He can certainly produce this fruit in my heart! He can drive me to my knees in worship and thankfulness, while basking in the sun and after getting stiffed by a diner. He can cause me to have a humble heart that loves him whether I have an olympic medal or a wheelchair. I believe this is true, because I do NOT believe it is me who causes it to be true. People of God, let us ask Christ together to produce worship and gratefulness among us. That will change us thoroughly. It will change our interactions with one another. It will change our surrounding community. And it will change our world. Let us struggle on together, Church.