If you have kept an eye on movie and television trends, you would have noticed the current fascination with zombies.  Zombies are humans who have had the unfortunate experience of being bitten (infected), and as a result of that infection, die and come back to physical ”life” without any sense of memory, love, selflessness, care, concern, etc.  Zombies are “The Walking Dead” whom function completely out of instinct (eat and spread their infection).  Their physical bodies operate purely out of the instinctual need of self-survival, looking for uninfected people to feed on and infect.

I think our cultural fascination with zombies exists for a couple of reasons.  First, it feeds off of our fear of infection and a potential future pandemic.  With increased population and new increasingly contagious viruses, we are constantly under threat of a potential pandemic.  The Center for Disease Control (CDC) has even used the popularity of zombies as a fictional and exaggerated means to educate people about how to be prepared for a potential future pandemic.

Second, I think it critiques the perspective that views human beings as simply animals with complicated instincts.  This view understands humans as no more than instinctual creatures.

Humans, I would argue, are more than the pursuit of their primordial desires.  Being human is more than just about procreation and self-survival.  If this were our purpose and chief end, then people would not on a global level seek out love, higher purpose, meaning, and have an overwhelming belief in god.

One of the distinctions of being human is the ability to love sacrificially, help others generously, hope, seek meaning in life, and believe in something bigger than ourselves.

God created us as humanity and He wants us to live fully human lives.  He wants us to be in relationship with Him and with others.  He didn’t create, nor does He desire, a “Walking Dead.”  He wants people fully alive in Him.  Consider the evidence of those who follow Jesus, given in Scripture (love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control).  This is God’s description of those who are fully alive in him.  These are the evidences of humans living fully human lives, devoted to God, living in relationship with others and empowered by His Spirit.

This description is more than the instinctual behavior of animals.  We are called to be more than zombies (controlled simply by animal instincts of survival and reproduction) but fully alive human beings (loving God and loving others).

This is the message of Jesus.  Jesus came so that we could experience life – abundant and eternal life.  Are you living a fully human life – devoted to God and empowered by Him?  If not, you need to know and experience Jesus!

A few weeks ago at Christmas, in a spontaneous act of temporary insanity, I put on my swimming suit, opened the front door, entered the icy air and jumped off of my front step into the snow (I even have the pictures to prove it).  I called it “Canadian Swimming.”  It was one of those events that caught my kids off guard and will be now be one of our family legends.  It was a crazy act, done partially out of rebellion of our long winter season and partially as a spontaneous act of joyful fun.

Upon reflection, and after warming up in a hot shower, I came to the conclusion that we all need to have more spontaneous acts of fun in our lives.  I am not suggesting that we all jump off our front steps into a mountain of snow but there are times when you need to break the cycle and routine of life and engage in some spontaneous fun.  It might be my own experience, but it is precisely these times of spontaneous fun that create memories and sometimes jar us out of our routines and ruts.

As a Christian, and as a pastor, it is often assumed that I must have given up on fun to live the calling I have.  Nothing could be further from the truth.  I love to have fun, love to laugh, enjoy times with friends, and do silly things like jump in snow banks in just my swimming suit.  At the same time, I’m normal (although after Canadian Swimming, this is debatable) and sometimes I get caught in the routine of life, the stress of work, and the busyness of responsibility and I lose track of the joy that I am invited to experience.

I think we can forget that life was created by God to be full of joy.  Even in the creation account of the Bible there is a sense of joy and play in the Garden of Eden.  This is what God intended when he created humanity and what God calls us to.  God calls us to life, abundant and eternal life through Christ Jesus (John 3:16; John 10:10), and this life is not a life intended to be devoid of play and joy but rather filled with it.  There is nothing shameful in laughter and clean humor; God has given us humor and laughter as a beautiful gift, a gift that we are called to embrace rather than erase or suppress.

I think we all need more spontaneous jumps of playful joy as we celebrate the life we have been given and enter into the eternal and abundant life available to us in Christ Jesus.

What are the interruptions God has planned for you this Christmas?  Are you prepared to embrace them as possible opportunities for the extraordinary to break into your ordinary? 

The colours of Fall are everywhere, reminding us of the beauty of the world in which we live. The world is phenomenal, the diversity of ecology and the majesty of landscapes are breathtaking. This world is our home, a home we are not only blessed by God to live in but also to steward and care for. For whatever reasons, Christians do not have the greatest track record with caring for or stewarding the beautiful creation we call home. I want to share three biblical reasons why humanity should care for the environment.

First, Jesus called His followers to love God with all they are and to love their neighbours as themselves (Matthew 22:39). As such, since our world is a finite resource, we need to be sure that what we consume personally is not beyond what is possible for the rest of world, our neighbours on planet earth. In other words, we can’t consume all of the resources at the expense of someone else’s well being, whether that person is on the other side of the planet or a future generation. The biblical call to love our neighbour beacons us to use the earth resources with concern for all people and for future generations. The fact is, at our current rate of consumption in North America, driven by our insatiable appetite to consume, we would need several earths for the entire planet to live as we do. Encouragingly, technology is rapidly evolving. Through sustainable energy, new food production techniques and greater medical care, the ability for everyone on the planet to eat and live with a comfortable and sustainable lifestyle is on the horizon. This does not diminish the need for us to recognize the impact our current lifestyles are having, but it does give us hope for the future.

Secondly, the Bible teaches that the whole earth is God’s (Psalm 24:1), entrusted to us rather than seen as ours to use as we selfishly desire. Scripture clearly teaches here that the world is not ours but God’s and we should treat it as His. The Bible also teaches in the first chapter of Genesis (first book of the Bible) that God gave humanity the role to steward and care for creation.

Thirdly, we are constantly commanded to be good stewards in Scripture. This can extend to our finances, our time, our talents and our resources but surely it also extends to the limited resource of the earth. As such, we should be concerned with how our resources are stewarded and, consequently, Christians should be the first ones to care for the planet and steward God’s creation.

I am not saying this as someone who does all this well. I am challenged with how to consistently live this out in my life, but it is something that I am becoming increasingly concerned about as I reflect on the impact of my choices on those around me, as well as the legacy I am leaving for my children and future generations. This is an area we should be concerned with, an area we should be aware of, and an area where followers of Jesus should be seen as advocates and change agents in our world.