Tattoos, Mohawks, and Others

Well, there it is. It's a sign for the trinity in Christianity, and is especially popular among Celtic Christians. I love it, even though it did hurt quite a bit.

I think it's a strange business altogether. After all, you pay someone a hundred dollars or more to stab you thousands of times for an hour. I guess I'm a sadist or something, but I really like it. Fortunately, so does my mother, but we agreed that it would be best that my dad not find out that I got it done.

Anyway, we had so much fun on Wednesday. We started our "field trip" at a firehouse where Brian, Mike, and I had lunch with the firefighters and then got to go a hundred feet up in a fire truck ladder thing. It was a whole lot of fun.

After that, we went and got Mike and Brian's head shaved into mohawks. (I think that's how you spelled it.) It was so much fun!!! After that, we went and spent the rest of the afternoon until 7, which was when my appointment for the tattoo was. It was at this little place off of the main street in Golden. It was awesome. The tattoo parlor is called Faith Tattoo Parlor.

It's a great place, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a place to get a good tattoo.

Anyway, for a little bit of background on my tattoo. I suppose I like it most because the symbol of trinity is all centered around the cross. It's going to be a constant reminder that the work of God, in all cases, is all centered around the cross. All things are made by, for, and through Jesus. The suffering of Christ on the cross is the center of God's work in my life, and it is my goal to make the cross of Christ my own as I pick up the cross that Christ has called us to.

Well, I have to get to a party in a little bit, so I'm off.

God's blessings!

-JP

Suffering

I had a discussion with my coworker's fiancee last night about the crucifix. I have never had a problem with the crucifix, and in fact, have become quite fond of it as a tool for reminding us that God suffered and died for my sins. I encountered something I had never been called: an idolater for depicting Christ on the cross.

This brother called the corpus on the cross a "graven image" which depicts God and therefore is an idol. I'm not one to take something like that sitting down, and attempted to defend myself as well as possible, but wasn't positive that my defense was solid. As this brother defined "graven image," I was indeed guilty of what he accused me of. If "graven image" means making an image of God, then the crucifix is, indeed, an idol.

This definition does not, however, coincide with the Biblical meaning of idol and is therefore often misused by iconoclasts. Accordng to Exodus 20, the "graven image" commandment actually concerns with making images of things in heaven, things in hell, or things which we don't understand. I'm not sure the exact restrictions of the commandment, but It is clear, according to Exodus 20, that a depiction of something that occured here, in the flesh, is not a sin.

Since God became man in the incarnation, God brought himself down to us and joined us in our sinful flesh. At Jesus birth, he became what we are. God ceases to be up and above us, where we must attempt to reach him. God is now among us, waiting to lift us out of our sin to perfection. This work is "finished" on the cross, where Christ takes our sin upon himself.

This is where many have a problem. Christ takes our sin upon himself. Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, becomes our sin according to Paul. This is not the image which modern Christians like. They prefer to see their God as all powerful and all-mighty, not suffering and dying like a theif on a cross. This is, however, where God chooses to be found.

Christ comes to us through suffering, and through that suffering do we find peace with God. Christ becomes our sin, so that he may become our righteousness. This is truly the most noble of human works, and through the work of Christ on the cross do we come into arms of the Father.

I will, therefore, continue to use the crucifix as a visual reminder of God's suffering. Of the day God died, and the day that I lived.

For if we are baptized into his death, surely we will be baptized into his resurrection.

Summertime, Summertime

Ah, the freedom and laid-back rest of summertime. If the sun were shining, I'm sure I'd be out and about, enjoying the wonderful world that God created. As it is, it is cold, wet, and windy outside, and thus, I sit here and enjoy the new wireless network I set up last night.

For anyone who actually reads this, I realize that my posts, which are few and far between, are not very helpful or informative, but I hope that I might be able to do more with it, and perhaps get more readers, as I prepare for my first semester at Concordia.

Yes, I graduated this past Saturday at DLHS. I am officially an alumnus of that school, and I am proud, and yet slightly disappointed that it is over. After spending so much of my life in one place, it is very strange to all of a sudden leave it behind and move on. I recognize that this is a necessary adaptation of every lifetime, but the thought that "every good thing must come to an end" is certainly a result of living in a sinful world.

I thank God, however, for his grace in giving us the next good thing. When one door closes, God has a way of finding his way through and providing more and more opportunities for growth and faith.

If there is anything I learned this last school year, I think it was how gracious God truly is. Despite our shortfalls, our sin, and our outright rebellion, he still blesses us with life, with health, with family and friends. Our lives are completely subject to the power of God, and yet we receive life despite our despicable actions. God is truly merciful.

To the next stage, I walk with Christ through suffering, carrying my cross.