Cartoonology

Cartoonology. There is great theology in cartoons and comics.

Safety is something we all desire and according to experts, it is something every child needs to be assured of in order to be whole and healthy. Although we highly desire it, we often ignore safety. My first automobile accident without a seat belt was enough to convince me never to drive without it again.

God is in the safety business. Noah and his family were provided safety when God instructed him to build the ark, which would later save them from the worldwide flood and God’s judgment to come (Genesis 6:13-21). Moses was placed in the ark of bulrushes when Pharaoh planned to kill all of the mail newborns, which provided safety for him in the Nile River (Exodus 2:1-10). Later on, Moses was instructed to build the Ark of the Covenant, which was to be a holy vessel of God and a symbol of God’s presence and protection for His people (Exodus 25:1-22). It would contain the Ten Commandments, manna and the rod of Aaron. The priests stood in the waters of the Jordan bearing the Ark of the Covenant as the people prepared to cross over on dry land to begin their conquest of Canaan (Joshua 3). It would serve to remind them of their earlier crossing of the Red Sea and of God’s covenant relationship with them.

The New Testament describes the salvation provided by Jesus as an element of safety as well.

1 Thessalonians 5:6-10 (NKJV)
6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.
8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.
9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.

Jesus became our ark of safety through His death, burial and resurrection. This provides the greatest safety of all, safety from the consequences of sin, which is eternal death.

Romans 6:23 (NKJV)
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

While the entire world around us reeks with danger and threatenings, you and I can live with great peace of mind because of the safety we have in Christ. What great assurance! 02-21-09

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Cartoonoloby

Cartoonology. There is great theology in cartoons and comics.

Generation gaps have always been a problem, I suppose. Bridging those gaps has been a challenge. We baby boomers are finding ourselves moving over into the slow lanes while the younger generations are swiftly passing us by. Since I started driving school busses, I have realized how wide the gap has gotten. I remember when a stick was a stick, a “byte” was something you ate, a blackberry was a fruit you picked off a vine, a mouse was a rodent and a cell was a room at the local jailhouse.
My wife and I took our children to visit one of my uncles in West Virginia in the early 1980’s. He lived close to the New River Gorge and took us to see the construction of the New River Gorge Bridge, which was to be the longest arch bridge in the world. It was awesome at 900 feet above the river. The gorge is awesome. We drove down into the gorge and across the old tiny bridge. He took us up close to the project, which was in its early stages. We looked a the pin, which was 6 feet in diameter, that served to hinge the bridge as it was being built from both sides of the gorge to meet in the middle. Cables were suspended across the gorge from which some workers were suspended to work on the bridge below them. This new bridge would allow vehicles to cross in seconds what once took a lot of time and energy to cross. The four-lane roadbed would seem like you were flying in mid-air as you looked to either side of the bridge. Bridging this gap was quite a project.
Bridging any gap can be quite a task, especially the generation gap. One thing about bridges, though, is that they are designed to allow traffic from both directions. You can jump on at either end. Of course, that is if no one also constructs a gate, but bridges and gates don’t seem compatible, unless you are a communist dictator. I say this to also say that bridges across generation gaps need to allow the traffic to flow both directions, too. Our youth and young adults need to travel on it too. Some of us need to move over into the slow lane and let the traffic flow. Don’t jump over the edge. That can be fatal, if not crippling. Just move over a little and give some room for the youth to contribute.

Jesus was a bridge builder. He called young men to His side as disciples. Some were probably just teenagers. Jesus stretched out his arms on the cross as they nailed Him to it. They thought they were killing Him. He was just building another bridge across the great chasm that separates men from God. The apostle Paul was a bridge builder. He wrote to young timothy, his child in the faith.

1 Timothy 4:12 (HCSB)
12 No one should despise your youth; instead, you should be an example to the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

In other words, Paul was saying to young Timothy, I have mentored you to be a leader. Be a godly leader. I’m moving over. 02-20-09

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Cartoonology

Cartoonology. There is great theology in cartoons.

My parents bought a BB rifle for me when I was a young child. I was probably too young. My mother, bless her heart, told me I could shoot it in the house. She just didn’t know how dangerous it was. I ended up shooting one of my five sisters, and, yes, it was an accident – I think. She recently reminded me of that incident and the scar it left. Sorry, Rayetta.

Most of us do not want people to see our scars, whether they are physical, emotional or spiritual, but sometimes they just can’t be hidden. Scars are constant reminders of painful times. I have one on my left forearm that I got from running in the church fellowship hall. That is another story for another time. Sometimes people ask me about it, because it is so obvious.

Jesus showed His scars to the doubting Thomas.

John 20:24-29 (NKJV)
24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 The other disciples therefore said to him, "We have seen the Lord." So he said to them, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe."
26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, "Peace to you!"
27 Then He said to Thomas, "Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing."
28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, "My Lord and my God!"
29 Jesus said to him, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."

We can’t see the physical scars of Jesus today, but it is not necessary. In some way, I think Jesus was reprimanding Thomas for not believing the testimony of his fellow disciples, who had already seen Jesus after His resurrection. Faith is the essential lesson for Thomas and for you and me. “Do not be unbelieving”, Jesus said to him. If you are unbelieving, Jesus can still show Himself to you. He is risen from the grave, and He is still alive. In addition, we have much more testimony to rely upon today than Thomas did then. The eternal, living, inerrant Word of God, the Bible, reveals Him clearly. His Holy Spirit speaks of Him, and the testimony of changed lives still speaks down through the ages.

Perhaps, you have wounds and scars of your own. Let Christ heal them for you, even the wounds that doubt and despair can bring. His hand is still outstretched. Take heart. Take hold. 02-19-09

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