Thank You, James Cameron
Now that James Cameron is saying they found the tomb of Jesus, does this mean I can stay home Sunday? After all, if Christ is not raised, then our faith is in vain. And if our faith is in vain, then there is no need to wake the LutherPunk up at 5:30 am.
So did anyone notice that with all the media buzz this has gotten, that the discovery they are talking about is almost 30 years old and already dismissed by *real* archaeologists?
My response to the whole situation: yawn. Seriously, did James Cameron run out of Titanic money or something so that he is now making these sorts of documentaries for cable?
Oh well, I think back to the words of Samuel Medley, who put it much more beautifully than I:
I know that my Redeemer lives;
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, He lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my ever living Head.
He lives to bless me with His love,
He lives to plead for me above.
He lives my hungry soul to feed,
He lives to help in time of need.
He lives triumphant from the grave,
He lives eternally to save,
He lives all glorious in the sky,
He lives exalted there on high.
He lives to grant me rich supply,
He lives to guide me with His eye,
He lives to comfort me when faint,
He lives to hear my soul’s complaint.
He lives to silence all my fears,
He lives to wipe away my tears
He lives to calm my troubled heart,
He lives all blessings to impart.
He lives, my kind, wise, heavenly Friend,
He lives and loves me to the end;
He lives, and while He lives, I’ll sing;
He lives, my Prophet, Priest, and King.
He lives and grants me daily breath;
He lives, and I shall conquer death:
He lives my mansion to prepare;
He lives to bring me safely there.
He lives, all glory to His Name!
He lives, my Jesus, still the same.
Oh, the sweet joy this sentence gives,
I know that my Redeemer lives!
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What a great song. I haven’t heard it in awhile. I think it is the essence of what a hymn should be: about God and what God has done, in contrast to the navel-gazing songs about what “I” will do.
What are Cameron’s words? I know where my redeemer lies?
The commentators on TV aren’t buying this report about Jesus’ tomb, it seems.
Amen.
“My response to the whole situation: yawn.” Absolutely agreed. It was funny, I was talking about this with a friend yesterday and I told him, “You know, if I was forced to choose a recent heresy —- I think I’d go with the Gospel of Judas over this one. At least it’s a LITTLE more believable.”
I’d like to thank James Cameron for the ULTIMATE real-life tie-in to the book my congregation’s book group will be reading next month: “A Skeleton in God’s Closet” by Paul Maier. It’s one I read every year during Lent anyway, and does a very good job of exploring the implications of a discovery like the one Cameron’s “documentary” is claiming.
I wrote a little about the book here in my blog (ironically, before any of this stuff hit the news): http://lutheranhusker.blogspot.com/2007/02/christ-has-died-christ-is-risen-christ.html
One positive of the whole Discovery Channel fiasco is that it’s bringing Christ’s death and resurrection to the forefront of popular culture and watercooler conversation, even if for just a short while. Anything that makes folks examine their faith is okay by me.
Thank you Samuel Medley.