Door's Howl: Divergent

Divergent

Synopsis

Yet another one in the realm of young adult books becoming movies hoping to make millions. And it has so far, with the second coming later this month (Insurgent) and the third being split into two movies for 2016 and 2017. I did not see this in the theater, but the Insurgent trailer looked interesting and so I got it on DVD. I enjoyed it,

Divergent is about a dystopian future where people are forced into factions based on 5 foundational virtues. It's kind of an extreme life deciding personality test with a career path, home life and community decided for you. Yet the hero in the show emerges as a "rare" divergent, someone who is motivated by more than one of the virtues. She is rare, different and therefore does not fit in. By the end of the movie divergents seem to be far less rare, so that leaves one wondering why this is the first time it happens, but that's the movies for you. In the end, the introductory movie sets up the battle for the future much like Hunger Games, Maze Runner, Twilight and a host of other trilogy movies aspires to do. I think the series will do well and I certainly will be watching the rest...but probably from the comfort of my home than the theater.

The movie commits many movie mistakes (I think CinemaSins would have a field day with it) but overall the movie is good, the story line engaging and the cast good. Shailene Woodley does a great job in this role and is well supported by a new upcoming cadre of actors who will replace the current A-list for sure. But for now, they are new and growing.

ScoreDivergent scores a Crescent Moon.Scoring System

Wolves are thought to commonly howl at the moon. So, the better the moon, the greater the howl. Description of scoring system below.

Full Moon - best you can get, must watch and must own
New Moon - great movie, worth seeing and buying
Crescent Moon - average to above average, good to watch, but may want to wait for DVD
Sliver Moon - below average, not worth seeing and only get it on DVD when you have nothing better to do, like having a root canal
Moonless Night -not even worth mentioning - avoid at all costs!

S-I-N

What's that you say? Sin...oh that old fashioned word from the days of the modernist, scholastic and Christian era. Yeah, we're past that these days. Sin is an outdated and irrelevant term. We're not sinners these days - that's being preachy. Today we're learners. Today is all about experience and making sure your experience is good for you and not forced on anyone else. It's called tolerance - except for those that are not tolerant. Only one problem with all of that - it does not work! Just ask the victims of ISIS, or the hidden poverty in the West, or undocumented workers, those trapped in the sex slave trade or a hundred other examples of postmodern living that shows the brokenness of the world in all its infamy. If history teaches us anything it is that we are not learners, we are repeaters and that is what is captured by that word "sin". Personally, I prefer to talk about our brokenness these days, so why would I pray it in the Jesus prayer?

Here's why.

I am praying about sin in the Jesus prayer because that is what I am - a sinner. Please note, I said, "I AM". I am a sinner. I am broken. I am a failure. I have many ideals and goals, but fail to achieve many of them with any consistency. Sin is that ever present disease that hampers my every effort. This is where I think we have gone a little off the rails in Christendom. We seem to spend more time telling other people they are sinners, instead of starting with us. This is the very essence of Jesus' story of the man with a plank in his eye trying to remove a speck from someone else's eye (Matthew 7:1-5).

So, my praying the Jesus prayer is about my sin, my failures, my brokenness and the constant call to Jesus to rescue me from my own failures. It is not a judgement on others, but a judgement on myself. The wonderful thing about Jesus is that He pours on grace not condemnation. He pours on mercy, not punishment. He pours on love, not brokenness. And as Mathew 7:1 encourages, that is the judgement I want to pass on to others - the grace of God instead of the condemnation of sin, the mercy of God instead of the punishment of failure and the love of God instead of the brokenness of humanity. Grace, mercy and love.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Mercy

When I was in high school we used to play a game called Mercy.  It involved taking a deck of cards and whacking each other on the knuckles until someone called for mercy. I went to a boys only school, hence these games of macho bravado (often called "stupid" by more intelligent people) I am sure there are many versions of this sort of game.

In the Jesus Prayer, when you pray for the Lord to have mercy, it is not out of pain being inflicted on you by God, or because of some form of surrender due to a being conquered. It is a cry for help to someone who can rescue. Of course, there is a cry to not receive the punishment we deserve, but when I pray it, it is more a cry for God to be a generous, gracious rescuer to save me from the trouble I have put myself in.

That's the God I worship and believe in - One who rescues, One who saves, One who shows mercy in abundance. And I need it.

I am astounded by my ability to sin...by purposeful choice and coincidental exposure. I am grateful for God's mercy, a mercy so evident in the Bible (even the hard parts to read) and in my life (especially the hard parts).

What comes to mind as I pray this prayer is Jesus parable of the unmerciful servant in Matthew 18:21. A servant is given incredible mercy from his master for a huge sum of money. However, in return he gives no mercy to a fellow servant who owes him very little. As I cry for mercy from God I hear Him whispering, give mercy to others.

There are many areas of my personal and professional life where this is needed. So, as I pray this prayer I ask for one more thing - God open my eyes to where I can give mercy in my personal life and in my ministry.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

Is there such a thing as a 5 o'clock shadow of the brain?

I know people talk about the sluggishness of the afternoon work load. I mean, that's why there's 5 hour energy, coffee and the plethora of Dunkin and Starbucks around right? And good friends don't let friends drink Starbucks!

But, as the 5 o'clock shadow grows on my chin, I feel a shadow creep on my mind at the same time. I genuinely feel more awake at midnight than at 5pm. So as I write this in my sleep induced shadow of the 5pm afternoon I wonder - what is the solution for this mind numbing feeling.

I am sure many will say coffee, caffeine, a power nap earlier, a goodnight sleep the night before...but I have tried all those and that sluggishness of mind and memory still persists.

Is there the equivalent of a quick shave for the brain out there?

You're whose son?

During the writing of my master's thesis I focused my thoughts around the story of Jesus as recorded by Matthew. One of the key questions to the book is "Whose son is the Christ?" Throughout the book Matthew presents thoughts and evidence pointing to Jesus being the Son of God. At the end of the book, Matthew presents his answer through a highly unlikely source for a Jewish writer - a Roman soldier. Here is what he writes:

⁵⁴ When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:54)

What his disciples struggled to get, what his opponents refused to accept, what sounded incredulous to any who heard it was now stated openly by a soldier - Jesus was the Son of God. This is why this phrase is so central to the Jesus prayer.

By praying to Jesus, the Son of God, we are not just praying to another person, or another deity.  We are praying to the very image of the invisible God. Jesus says this himself - Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. (John 14:9). For Matthew, calling Jesus Son of God, means equating him to God.

When I pray the Jesus prayer to Jesus, the Son of God, I believe I am praying to the second person of the Trinity - the very essence and representation of all that God is. Furthermore, the Father gives His Son all authority. Therefore, praying to Jesus means I am praying to One who is in complete control of this world, my life and all that happens in it. Who better to call on each day?

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.

What is Jesus' Last Name?

I bet many thought "Christ". But, Christ was not Jesus' last name - it was His title. In Hebrew it was "Messiah", in Greek, "Christ". Both mean "Anointed One". Calling Jesus, Christ, means acknowledging that he is the Anointed One of God. The truth is we don't know Jesus' last name.

In Old Testament times privileged people were anointed: prophets, priests and kings. Typically, a priest or prophet conducted anointing ceremonies. The equivalent experience today would be a coronation ceremony of a king.

Despite Jesus being called the Anointed One, the only real anointing He received is recorded in Luke 7:36-50. Luke describes this woman, as someone who "lived a sinful life". Her response to Jesus is one of weeping and love. Her public demonstration of love and worship may have made some uncomfortable. Jesus looks through the display and sees a woman in need of forgiveness. He grants her this need and lets her know that her sins have been forgiven - not because of the extravagant display but because He is the gracious, merciful and loving God who can grant forgiveness.

As I pray the Jesus Prayer, this encounter is helpful to me. As I pray to Jesus the Christ, I would like to think that I want to be more like the sinful woman in the story rather than the self-righteous pharisee. I want to seek Jesus out with weeping and worship to forgive my sins. I want to anoint his feet and head with rich perfume to show the depth of my affection. I want to hear the words of Jesus, "Your sins are forgiven. Your faith has saved you. Go in peace."

But, I am all too aware that I probably would be the pharisee questioning Jesus and this over-the-top public display. I truly need to experience the Christ, the Anointed One, who is the prophet, priest and king of our faith.

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.