To Be Unaware

Now that I have shared some quotes from The Incomparable Christ by J. Oswald Sanders, from the Moody Classics series, let's dig a little deeper into some of the concepts put forth in this work.

One of the realizations I had while reading about the birth of Jesus is just how easy it is to be totally unaware of what God is doing near us. We could be in the midst of a miraculous work of God, an extraordinary act, and not even know it.

Sanders says this about the Roman empire at the time of Jesus' birth: "The astounding fact is that with all its magnificent system of communications, 'the great Roman world remained in absolute unconsciousness of the vicinity of God.' The entrance of the Creator into the world seemed a matter so insignificant as to warrant no notice being taken of it" (p. 38, emphasis added).

I wonder how many times a day that God performs supernatural interventions in my life, my family, and my work to which I pay no attention. Am I so conditioned by a worldview that does not expect such divine things to happen?

Is life sometimes too natural? Too ordinary? Are there "laws" of the physical world and human relationships and economics that I trust in above my God to run everyday life?

While I would like to point fingers at the Romans long ago and criticize them for not "getting it," I am left with the very strong possibility, no, reality, that I am too often "unconscious of the vicinity of God" myself.

May we all become a little more conscious of the presence of the Messiah today and from now on.

Colossians 3:1-4

The Incomparable Christ - Even More Great Quotes

Here is a final set of quotes from J. Oswald Sanders' classic work, The Incomparable Christ. My next few posts will include deeper reflections on other material from this book.

• "Those who love most deeply, suffer most intensely. For Mary, 'the greatest of all privileges was to bring with it the greatest of all sorrows' (259)."

• "We can still hold the cup to His lips by going to those who are needy and ministering in His name" (282).

• "The three English words, it is finished, are the equivalent of a single Greek word, tetelestai. With ample justification, this has been called the greatest single word ever uttered" (285 - referring to what Jesus said on the cross).

• "It can confidently be affirmed that human priesthood reached its zenith in Judaism, but the story of the Jewish priesthood only serves to reveal how tragically it failed those who pinned their hopes to it. It is only in Christ, the ideal High Priest, that this deep and hidden yearning of the human heart finds complete fulfillment" (341).

• "The Bible tells us sufficient to satisfy faith, although not always enough to gratify curiosity. The New Testament was not written to satisfy the inquisitive but to glorify the One who is coming, and to stimulate faith in Him" (355).

The Incomparable Christ - More Great Quotes

I could not fit all the excellent quotes from J. Oswald Sanders' classic work, The Incomparable Christ in just one post so here are more thought-provoking statements. 

• "Anyone can sing in the sunshine, but to sing in the shadows is a rare accomplishment" (181).

• "We are apt to advance pressure of business as a reason for not praying. With Jesus, it was a reason for giving extra time to prayer" (194).

• "He drank a cup of wrath without mercy, that we might drink a cup of mercy without wrath" (204).

• "Never were legal proceedings more irregular or verdict more unjust than in the trial of Jesus" (209).

• "The death of our Lord was unlike every other death. It was not an incident in His life, but the very purpose of it. His self-oblation was no accident in a brilliant career, it was the chosen vocation of the God-man" (226).

The Incomparable Christ - Great Quotes

I just finished J. Oswald Sanders' classic work, The Incomparable Christ (originally titled Christ Incomparable). It turned out to be a great devotional read, focused entirely on the Person and work of Jesus. My next few posts will include reflections on material from this book.

Today, I am sharing some great stand-alone quotes from the book. It appears that there are many great books in the series of Moody Classics. You might want to check them out.

• [It is our task]..."to examine the glorious colors that emanate from the prism of His holy person and redemptive work" (24).

• "If He is not God, He is not even good" (95).

• "Christ never concealed the cross to gain a disciple...The emphasis of our day is rather on what one gains by becoming a Christian. Jesus never failed to emphasize the cost of following Him" (124).

• "It should not be borne in mind, however, that Jesus' perfection of character did not consist in merely negative faultlessness. Throughout His whole life He was characterized by positive and active holiness" (140).

• "Not until Jesus came with His peerless life and matchless teaching was humility elevated to the level of a primary virtue" (174).

• "One fact stands out crystal clear - God's way up is down" (179 - on becoming humble).

Working ON the System

Today, I have been going through past notes and materials from workshops and books over the years. It brings back memories of so many good people that I have learned from along the way. It is impossible to put into words the gratitude for the wisdom and guidance others have shared with me.

One of the items I found was an article written by David Langford entitled "Working on the System." One of his main contentions in the article is that "administrators must spend an increasing percentage of time working on the system, not in the system." This statement, in one sentence, is essentially the reason I desired to become an administrator. I saw an opportunity to work on the bigger processes that drive much of the work teachers do, and in turn much of what students experience on a daily basis.

I am reminded often to think systems. I am also reminded that the results we are getting are exactly what our systems are designed to produce. More importantly, I am reminded that these systems I talk about are made up of people. 

There are some simple facts about us. About people.

We have feelings. We have dreams. We have beliefs. We have perceptions. We have needs.

So, I want to take a minute to be clear that I wholeheartedly believe that we absolutely must address the systems within which we work. That is a critical point!

And...

I would like to be equally as clear that I do not intend to insult individuals within the system by pointing out concerns or outcomes of the system. To do so would miss the purpose of raising the concerns in the first place because it might fix blame on outliers rather than improve the process as a whole. Generally speaking, my blog is not about outliers. I feel like that would be a waste of most people's time, including mine.

I do intentionally use provocative language at times to stress the magnitude of some of the issues I write about. I will continue to do so. There has to be a sense of urgency and seriousness about our business of improving how we teach and raise and disciple the next generation, lest we fall prey to what Martin Luther King, Jr. called the "tranquilizing drug of gradualism." Some improvements require more than minor tweaks here and there to the system. I make no apologies for beating that drum.

I do, however, apologize for anything that I have said or written that gives the impression that I do not respect and admire teachers. Most teachers I know work very hard and care very much. I trust that those educators I have had the privilege to work with most directly know my heart. They know that there is, simultaneously, joy and dissatisfaction in my work at all times. 

Joy, because it is a sacred honor to be called to this kind of work. 
Dissatisfaction, because we can always do better. (Dissatisfaction, by the way, is the prerequisite to any great change that takes place, so there is no need to be scared of it.)

Our school district aims to think students first. A mentoring principal once told the audience at a leadership academy, "I tell my faculty that if there ever comes a time when there is a conflict between doing what is best for teachers and doing what is best for kids, then I will do what is best for kids."

What is best for kids is for all of us in education to continuously reflect on our practices and challenge ourselves to grow. I am the perfect example of why this is necessary. I still have a long way to go, but I am thankful that I am not the educator I was five or ten years ago. There have been countless changes to my practices over the years because of the encouragement and wisdom and honesty of those people that surround me, both those who agree and those who disagree with me. 

Thanks for helping me grow!