A letter for Prison Ministry...Following a conversation about being "soft"

To John and Chad and Tim and Bobby:

It’s been a while since we met at Yokefellows (I apologize for not writing earlier) but I want you to know that I havn’t forgotten. I can’t claim to know  you after such a brief time, but the met that I met seemed remarkable real and I pray for you often—thanking God for your faith, your strength, and your courage.

I want you to know that our conversation made me think, especially during Christmas. (Imagine that! A Divinity student thinking!) Christmas: it’s all about the manger and the birth of Jesus, right? Rather than a fighting saviour, we have Emmanuel—God who comes to us (with us) in an amazing act of grace. He’s a baby for Christ’s sake (literally).

Doesn’t this seem kind of weak? …soft even?

And it doesn’t end with Christmas. It’s all through the Bible:

“Blessed are the meek.” Matt 5:5
“When I am weak, I am strong.” 2 Corinthians 12:10
“Turn the other cheek.” Luke 6:29
“Forgive others.” Colossians 3:12-14

How does it fit? You can’t get much stronger than the all-powerful creator of the universe, but a man can be the biggest beefcake in the gym and still lack heart and guts, right? Behind all the power and the miracles, was Jesus just a wuss?

“Maybe Christianity is soft.” I started to think.

But I wasn’t satisfied with that. Growing up around carpenters, Jesus must have been physically strong. Heck, Jesus flipped tables in the temple and the soldiers in Gethsemene trembled just at the sight of him--falling to the ground (John 18:6). And he stood his ground when he was persecuted. He faced the cross like a man. Nothing weak about that.

And I keep thinking about the whole power thing and the miracle thing. God certainly had (has) the power. Why the manger? Why mercy? Why grace?

The more I think about it, the more I realize that it takes more strength to have power and choose not to use it (like self control takes more strength than acting out of anger) –the manger was a matter of choice. Rather than raging in anger towards us, God chooses to forgive. Rather than wiping us out, God chooses to wipe away our sins—and gives us the strength to move beyond them.

There’s nothing soft about that.

There is nothing weak about our God!

(and if it weren’t for our time together, I never would have thought about all of that. So thank you.)
Know that you are prayed for and that you all have touched this future-pastor’s heart.

With Christ’s Love,