Tuesdays with Julian
Tuesdays with Morrie is a book about dieing. It is about a professor who faces a terminal disease as an opportunity to make the most of the rest of his life.
On Tuesdays at 8am Julian and I get together for coffee to study the book of Hebrews. Neither of us is dieing. This week we got to chapter two where it says that Jesus “suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everything.” “Wow,” I thought, “What the heck does that mean? It sounds powerful!” We figured it was about how Jesus died so that we could live. If this is Christ’s promise then why do we still fear death? Hebrews also says that because Christ has destroyed the power of death he has freed us, who used to be held slaves by the fear of death (2:14:15). I.e. we don't need to fear death.
Although Morrie is not a self professed Christian, he sure died like a Christian who has the type of hope in Jesus that Hebrews speak of. If we have been freed from the fear of death, why do we still fear death? I know that I still do! Julian and I got to talking. In Tuesdays with Morrie, Morrie says we fear death because we’re not fulfilled in our life. We don’t have purpose. We don’t have our priorities straight. I think this is wise, something we can learn from.
But how would we explain the being fulfilled from a Christian perspective? Julian and I boiled it down to two things….although I’m sure there are more, better, ideas…ideas we could expose from Hebrews. But we thought, from our own experience, that as Christians we are fulfilled when we a) worship God and b) glorify God. We thought these two things are key. We like them because they could transcend a number of different circumstances. Someone who is suffering can worship and glorify God by asking for comfort, being held up by the grace of God. Someone who is cynical could be worshiping and glorifying God because they’re being honest with God. And whether you’re a lawyer, student, work at McDonalds or a garden center you can worship and glorify God in so many ways.
Are you ready to die? Are you ready to live?
Pastor Matt
On Tuesdays at 8am Julian and I get together for coffee to study the book of Hebrews. Neither of us is dieing. This week we got to chapter two where it says that Jesus “suffered death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everything.” “Wow,” I thought, “What the heck does that mean? It sounds powerful!” We figured it was about how Jesus died so that we could live. If this is Christ’s promise then why do we still fear death? Hebrews also says that because Christ has destroyed the power of death he has freed us, who used to be held slaves by the fear of death (2:14:15). I.e. we don't need to fear death.
Although Morrie is not a self professed Christian, he sure died like a Christian who has the type of hope in Jesus that Hebrews speak of. If we have been freed from the fear of death, why do we still fear death? I know that I still do! Julian and I got to talking. In Tuesdays with Morrie, Morrie says we fear death because we’re not fulfilled in our life. We don’t have purpose. We don’t have our priorities straight. I think this is wise, something we can learn from.
But how would we explain the being fulfilled from a Christian perspective? Julian and I boiled it down to two things….although I’m sure there are more, better, ideas…ideas we could expose from Hebrews. But we thought, from our own experience, that as Christians we are fulfilled when we a) worship God and b) glorify God. We thought these two things are key. We like them because they could transcend a number of different circumstances. Someone who is suffering can worship and glorify God by asking for comfort, being held up by the grace of God. Someone who is cynical could be worshiping and glorifying God because they’re being honest with God. And whether you’re a lawyer, student, work at McDonalds or a garden center you can worship and glorify God in so many ways.
Are you ready to die? Are you ready to live?
Pastor Matt
posted by Matt at
7:02 AM
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