Things Above

What is the true meaning of Christmas? In this episode of the Things Above podcast, James Bryan Smith shares about growing up in the Methodist Church and the influence John Wesley had on his life. Interestingly enough, Richard Foster was the one who pointed Jim to Wesley’s writings and sermons. If he were alive today, Jim would ask John Wesley, “What does the incarnation mean for you and, consequently, for all of us?” Jim believes Wesley would say that, first and foremost, the coming of the Christ child means our transformation. In other words, we can be changed. But how? We no longer stand guilty before God. Jesus broke the power of original sin, which allows us to experience peace and freedom. For Wesley, Christmas was about God’s triumph over sin and death. Because of the incarnation, life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus, we can now be people of love, joy, peace and hope. Jim’s favorite movie (not just Christmas movie) is “It’s A Wonderful Life,” which begins in heaven. In that scene, God sends Clarence the angel help George Bailey realize what a wonderful life he has. The movie ends with everyone gathered at George’s house singing, “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” – a song written by John’s brother, Charles Wesley.

The events of our world can be troubling - leading to fear, anxiety and panic. In this episode of the Things above podcast, James Bryan Smith asks, “Is our world governed by fear? Is our fate decided by a roll of the dice?” The short answer is no – because we live in the strong and unshakable kingdom of God. Jesuit priest Luis Espinal wrote a mediation that helps us grapple with the events of our world and the hope we have through Jesus. What troubles are you facing? Can you hear the alleluia beyond the wounds of this life? This world is not a roll of the dice. A new world has begun since Christ is risen. And God has the last word.

Is it possible for God to overcome our shame? In this episode of the Things Above podcast, James Bryan Smith tells the story of how the great Christian writer, Simone Weil, came to faith simply by reading a poem written by George Herbert, entitled “Love III.” Jim explains that there are certain ideas that we, as humans, believe about yourselves. Yet there are certain things God says that refute those ideas. For instance, we feel guilty because of sin, yet God still loves us. We feel unworthy before God, yet God determines and affirms our worth. We feel our shame is deserved, yet God’s Son bore our shame on the cross and invites us to experience and enjoy His goodness. So yes, it is possible for God to overcome our shame – when we embrace God’s love, affirmation and goodness.

Many Christians are living into a shrunken, incomplete gospel that leads to sin management. To be sure, our relationship with God was severed by sin. But our sin problem is only a part of the issue. In this episode of the Things Above podcast, James Bryan Smith looks at our sin problem and offers, perhaps more importantly, that we also have a life problem and a longing problem. Even if we never sinned, we would still need God’s grace – God’s action in our lives. Our life problem, Jim believes, can be found in the words of the Apostle Paul in Ephesians 2:1-7. While we are physically alive, we are spiritually dead without Christ, according to Paul. This leads us to our longing problem, which was articulated in the book “Donald Grant,” written by author and theologian George MacDonald. The main character, Donald Grant, encounters a woman who was having disturbing dreams of damnation. She was ultimately concerned about avoiding hell. Afterwards, Grant wonders, “When our longing after a living God is met with the offer of an escape from hell, how is the creature to live? It is God we want, not heaven. God, not an imputed righteousness. Love, not endurance for the sake of another.” This reminds Jim of those billboards located alongside the highways of America that ask, “If you died tonight, where would you go?” Jim recalls Dallas Willard asking a different, if not more significant, question: “If you wake up tomorrow, how would you live?” The goal of the Christian life is not hell avoidance. It is an interactive, loving and life-giving relationship with God.

As humans, we all experience problems and trials. Not just the small things, like spilling our coffee or forgetting to reply to our mom’s text message. We experience big problems, such as prolonged illness and career struggles. What trials are you facing right now? Are you in need of protection? In this episode of the Things above podcast, James Bryan Smith shares the little-known story of Saint Patrick, who was taken by pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland where Christianity was not present. Following his release and return to his native England, Saint Patrick had a vision from God, who urged him to get ordained and serve as a missionary in Ireland. There, Saint Patrick converted thousands of Irish to Christianity and built several churches. During his time in the mission field, Saint Patrick wrote a prayer of protection that is commonly known as “St. Patrick’s Breastplate.” James Bryan Smith shares his version of that prayer and asks, “Are you in need of protection?” If so, this prayer can be a wonderful soul training exercise to help set your minds on things above.

How do you understand the kingdom of God, Jesus’ gospel and salvation? In episode 15 of the Things Above podcast, James Bryan Smith sits down for a conversation with pastor and author Brian Zahnd who, many years ago, experienced a growing discontent with the version of Christianity he knew and was living. Then he stumbled across a little book called The Divine Conspiracy, which helped him see the kingdom of God with fresh eyes and reconstructed his faith in a life-changing way. Both Jim and Brian trade stories of how their understanding of the gospel has shifted over time and what was of utmost importance to Jesus. This understanding has also had an enormous influence on how they understand salvation. This episode ends with Jim asking Brian a hypothetical question: If the Apostle Paul walked into an American church in our day and heard the gospel presented strictly as penal substitutionary atonement, how would he respond? You’ll have to listen to hear the answer! Key Scripture passages include Matthew 5.

What can a Martin guitar, autographed by music legend Eric Clapton, teach us about God? In this episode of the Things Above podcast, James Bryan Smith continues his story about one of the greatest gifts ever given to him and the epiphanies that came through it. So what can an expensive guitar teach us about God? Well first, that Jesus wants to be the maestro of our life. When we run our little "kingdoms and queendoms" on our own and the music isn’t very good. But when we surrender to Jesus and start living in the Kingdom of God, something wonderful happens. In the hands of the “Great Musician,” our lives are capable of beautiful music. In the second lesson, we learn that God only gives us His very best. And we see that through Jesus’ loving, sacrificial act on the cross. This episode ends with a sampling of a very talented musician playing the now-famous Martin guitar in studio!

Is giving truly better than receiving? Most of the time, the answer is yes. But sometimes receiving can be a life-changing experience too. In this episode, James Bryan Smith tells of how the gift of a valuable, limited-edition guitar helped him understand that we are people of sacred worth. When receiving something of great value, we naturally feel the need to take extra special care of that gift. As Jim received the guitar, he immediately felt the need to do everything he could to keep the guitar in perfect condition. He realized that if he cared this much for a guitar, why wouldn’t he do the same for himself? Jim goes on to explain that we are unceasing spiritual beings with an eternal destiny in God’s great universe, a glorious thought that informs us of our sacred worth. Once we begin to embrace this, we will in turn take greater care of ourselves and others.

Forgiving others can be hard. Forgiving ourselves can be harder. Yet forgiveness is the way to freedom.

God’s love is revealed in beauty. Because of that, beauty is a large part of our spiritual journey. In episode 11 of Things Above, James Bryan Smith invites you to rethink how you understand beauty. Drawing from the wisdom of people like Thomas Aquinas, Hans Urs von Balthasar, John O’Donohue and Simone Weil, we discover that beauty has the power to transport us to love. O’Donohue writes, “In order to become attentive to beauty, we need to rediscover the art of reverence. Reverence bestows dignity and it is only in the light of dignity that beauty will become visible. Reverence is also the companion of humility. A sense of reverence opens pathways to beauty that surprise us. The earth is full of thresholds where beauty awaits the wonder of our gaze.” James Bryan Smith closes this episode with a glorious thought that came to him while sitting in the beauty of nature: God sings his love to you in birdsong. God smiles at you in maple trees. God charms you with the color green. He gave you eyes to see sunsets, ears to hear rainfall, a nose to smell a rose. God's massive love appears in small fragments. God is loving you in these moments, even if you do not know it. This week, you are invited to notice beauty. Let God speak love to you. Write what you see in a “Beauty Journal” or take a picture of something that pleases your sense of sight.