By Steven Norris
Generally speaking, Joe was a good guy. He had a good job, cared for his family, and was generous with his time and money. He was the kind of guy who would give you the shirt off his back. He would regularly volunteer with our church in North Carolina, but he was very clear that he didn’t believe all this Jesus stuff. To him, it just sounded crazy.
On my last Sunday as pastor of that church, Joe showed up. I had not written the sermon with him in mind, but I closed it out this way:
The next time someone says to you, “I can’t believe that you believe all that stuff! Christianity just sounds crazy,” I really hope that you will respond this way:
It is. It really is.
It’s crazy that the God of the universe loved us so much that God didn’t write a message in the sky, send down an engraved stone from the clouds, or speak through a flashing neon sign. Instead, it’s crazy that God sent his only son, to confine his infinite power into vulnerable flesh and blood with a head so fragile you could crush it with your bare hands.
It’s crazy that God came to live among us in Christ to teach us, model for us what life might look like, and inaugurate God’s kingdom among us.
It’s crazy that this man challenged the expectations of his day, associating with criminals and sinners, casting out evil powers, and confronting corrupt leaders. He cleansed the temple, favored the poor, turned water into wine, walked on the water, and calmed the storms.
It’s crazy that Jesus modeled a completely new way for us to live. He taught the way of love for God and neighbor. He extended that love to strangers and enemies. He taught us to turn the other cheek, to pray for those who persecute us, and to serve the least of these, because we were serving him.
He called disciples, led them, and gave them a new purpose. He sent them out to preach Good News. He walked with them, ate with them, and even called them friends. He rebuked them, encouraged them, and promised to be with them always.
It’s crazy that this Son, Jesus, God-in-the-flesh, took upon himself the task of reconciling us to God. He suffered tremendous pain, received stripes upon his back, and a crown of thorns upon his head. His hands and feet were pierced for our transgressions.
Upon the cross, he shouldered the burden of our sin, felt the infinite tear in the relational fabric of the universe, and was ridiculed and mocked. He died and was placed in a tomb.
But crazy upon crazy, he didn’t stay dead. On the third day, He rose and thereby redeemed us, reconciled us, and reunited us with God. In Christ, we have lost our life, only to gain it again in and through him.
This story is absolutely crazy! But it’s the best kind of crazy one might imagine, because this crazy means we can truly live. May the church be filled with those who are not afraid to leave conventional wisdom behind in order to be “fools for Christ.”