Tag Archives: Easter

New Life Emerges Out of Death

April 16, 2014 Tom Vander Well 1 Comment

He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” Revelation 21:5 (NIV)

A decade ago, this verse from Revelation was about to take on tremendous meaning for me. Upon hearing and digesting my story, I’ll never forget the word picture my therapist gave for my troubled, seventeen year marriage:

“It seems to me that you and your wife have been standing over the casket of your dead marriage for many years, but neither of you have been willing to acknowledge its death.”

Ugh. Divorce was not a snap decision. It was not what I had intended. Yet, there I was standing at a place on life’s road I had never intended on ending up. It was painful. It was hard. It is never pleasant walking through valley of death’s shadow no matter what it is that has died.

In those days I learned to cling to hope that at the other end of the valley of the shadow of death lies the house of the Lord. God redeems broken things. Easter, after all, is about resurrection. New life emerges from that which is dead. Behold, God makes all things new. I even had the Rev 21:5 referenced in the crux of the Celtic cross tattooed on my back during that particular stretch of my journey (it was my first tat).

I am glad to look back across a decade. I have experienced much, learned much, grown much, and I see things with greater clarity than when I was in the chaos of those stressful moments. This Sunday, as Wendy, Taylor, Suzanna and I celebrate Easter together, I have a deeper and more profound understanding of resurrection. I have experienced a kind of death and resurrection which at once provides me evidence of Easter Sunday and foreshadowing of today’s chapter.

Chapter-a-Day

Bad News; Good News

April 15, 2014 Tom Vander Well 4 Comments

The Book of Life 2 — (Photo credit: Waiting For The Word)

And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. Revelation 20:12 (NIV)

This morning as I read through this verse I had a bit of a panic attack. It’s the end. I’m standing before God. The books are opened, and everything I’ve done is recorded in those books. I’m going to be judged according to what’s in the books. Yikes. This is bad news.

All of a sudden the memories of all the shameful things I’ve done come flooding into my mind. Every heinous thought. Every secretive deed. Every self-centered act. Every errant and angry word. I’ve thought, said, and done so many shameful things. There’s no way I’ll make the cut. I’m doomed.

Then I remember all that we’ve read and learned in this story that’s unfolded as we’ve gone through God’s Message a chapter a day. This is the good news and the core theme of the story:

Everyone is doomed. Everyone falls short. Once the books are opened and the truth is revealed there isn’t a person living or dead (Billy Graham, Mother Theresa, and the Pope included) who is “good enough” to earn salvation.
There is another book. If you read the chapter then you know that, along with the book that reveals all we’ve said and done, there is a second book mentioned: The Book of Life. This is the book of those who have “received Jesus, who have believed in His name.”
Grace. Jesus promised that any who seek after him and seek forgiveness for all the crap they’ve every done will be forgiven. This is the crux of the story: Jesus suffering and dying on the cross was, in essence, Him choosing to pay the just penalty for all the shameful thoughts, words, and actions recorded under my name (and yours too) in those books John was describing. Jesus paid the penalty for all I’ve done, so that I don’t have to. I don’t deserve what He did for me. That’s called grace: unmerited favor.
Covered. In the ancient sacrificial system we’ve read about, the people would bring their sins and sacrifice to the priest. The word picture of the sacrifice was that their sins were place beneath the altar. As the lamb was slain and the blood ran across the altar and fell to the ground it was covering the sin underneath the altar. That is why in John’s vision of heaven Jesus is referred to as the “Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” He was the sacrificial Lamb who made atonement to cover all our sins.
Gratitude. So I need not be worried about what is written in those first books John described. My sins are covered by His blood. I have received Him. I have believed in His name and my name is written in the Book of Life. This fact does not give me a sense of pride or arrogance. I am better than no one. I am simply forgiven. I have been given a priceless gift which I do not deserve. I am both eternally humbled and forever grateful.

I find it ironic that we reach this waypoint in our journey the week leading to Easter. This Friday is Good Friday, commemorating the good that Jesus did on the cross for anyone who would seek His grace and forgiveness. It is a good week to think on these things.

Chapter-a-Day

Praise Him with Show Tunes

March 6, 2014 Tom Vander Well 3 Comments

Let them praise his name with dancing
and make music to him with timbrel and harp.

Let his faithful people rejoice in this honor
and sing for joy on their beds.
Psalm 149:3, 5 (NIV)

The lyricist of Psalm 149, writing some 25 centuries ago, describes corporate worship of God with the combination of dancing and music. Anyone who knows me or has followed this blog for any length of time knows that I’m a theatre guy. I majored in it in college and have been actively involved on the stage for many years. So, when I read dancing and music, forgive if me I immediately think: show tunes.

I know that the music and dancing described by the ancient psalmist is far from a Rogers and Hammerstein production number, but I’m also pretty sure that it’s far from being descriptive of my corporate worship experience in Protestant midwest America.

I love that the image the psalmist gave was that the corporate singing and dancing in the day time gives way to singing for joy on your bed at night. Again, I can’t help but think of my experience of being in musicals over the years: Mame, South Pacific, Annie, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. When you are part of a large group of people singing amazing, soul stirring songs while dancing to cardio pumping choreography you can’t help but feel a rush of adrenaline that gives way to a generous release of endorphins. Envision the result: you’re so ecstatic that you go home and jump on your bed at night and keep singing and dancing your heart out because you don’t want it to end.

[Cut to image of the same person sitting in church bored out of their skull, nearly asleep, and looking at their watch while wondering when in the world the service is going to end.]

I will confess that the churches where I have attended over the years have come a long way, at least in the music department. My soul is regularly stirred by the music in corporate worship. I think, however, that it will be a while before I see a conga line or jazz square on Sunday morning.

Nevertheless, as the church enters our most important season of the year, which leads to the most exciting, heart stirring, fist pumping reason for celebration, I personally wish there was a big Broadway style production number on the church’s event schedule for Easter morning.

Wayfarer's Journal

Easter 2013

April 4, 2013 Tom Vander Well Leave a comment

Taylor, Grandma Jeanne, and Jody celebrating Easter with us!

Families tend to get into traditions. The VWs have for years celebrated Easter with a nice dinner at Grandpa Dean and Grandma Jean’s house in the early afternoon. As Wendy and I planned for Easter this year, we thought it might be nice to shake things up and give my folks a break from having to make a meal and host. After getting the quick and joyful approval of my mother (“I don’t have to cook? YAY!”) we decided to broadcast the invite to the rest of our nearby family members.

I wasn’t sure how this was going to go. Sometimes traditions are hard to break and to be honest I didn’t think everyone would want to drive the 1-2 hours from Des Moines, Ames and Boone on a holiday. To our surprise, the only family to turn us down were the two college boys. So it was that 13 of us gathered here at cozy little Vander Well Manor for Easter.

My folks came down early and went to the 11:00 worship service with Wendy and me. Wendy’s folks and Suzanna, Taylor and Clayton, Grandma Vander Hart, and the Keithley clan (Scott, Jody & Emma) all joined us between 12:30 and 1:00. I took care of the main meal (Roast in the crock pot, herbed potatoes and glazed carrots with homemade Italkian bread). Others brought relish, veggies and cinnamon rolls. Wendy took care of the desserts: a key lime cheesecake and white cupcakes decorated in a spring flower theme.

The weather cooperated with sunny skies and relatively warm temps for late March in Iowa. It was an awesome day with the family! Later in the evening after cleaning up, Wendy and got to FaceTime with Maddy Kate who celebrated Easter with Brett & Micki Strait in Colorado Springs. It was so nice to know she had some good Iowa love to share with on Resurrection Day!

Wayfarer's Journal

Easter 2012

April 9, 2012 Tom Vander Well Leave a comment

2012 04 basement waterproofing panorama — Panorama of our basement walls covered in protective waterproof sheeting. Sump pump can be seen along with edge of a pile of our stuff on the left.

I feel like I haven’t posted much but my chapter-a-day for a while. To be honest, it’s been a little crazy around the Vander Well household. We’re experiencing the busiest season of work we’ve had in several years (that’s a good thing) and trying to keep up. We were crazy busy with the play. And then, a construction crew showed up to accomplish a long due project of waterproofing our basement which necessitated us moving everything in our basement into piles in the center of the room, taking anything off the exterior walls (like paneling, insulation, etc. Last week was phase one and it went really well, but now we have everything in piles that has to be put back, and our entire house is covered in a thin layer of concrete dust from the jack hammering and cement pouring, etc. More of that to come in two weeks when phase two shores up the foundation.

2012 04 08 TRC Easter Service — Easter Worship from my camera perch at the back of the sanctuary.

Easter services at our church were great. Wendy and I once again helped out on the tech crew. Easter worship at our church is actually a bit of a technological challenge. We have people in two different rooms. Half the worship band is on one stage in the sanctuary and the other half of the band is on the stage in the auditorium on the other side of the building. So, from my camera in the sanctuary I could hear the lead guitar and bass player, but they were actually playing from another room. The rhythm guitar and keyboard were on stage in front of me, but the folks in the auditorium couldn’t see them other than the video feeds going back and forth. Everything is simulcast between the two rooms. For anybody who’s an audio-video geek it’s a pretty cool thing to be part of and it makes for an interesting experience to pull it off.

2012 04 08 VW Easter Dinner — L-R: Clay, Tay, Emma, Wendy, Jody, Scott, Grandpa Dean, Grandma Jeanne

After worship Wendy and I headed to Des Moines for Easter dinner with my family. It was blissfully low key feast this year. Tay and Clay were there, though we missed Maddy Kate. We got to see her when I called her with FaceTime and she got to see everyone. She got a little taste of home by having Easter dinner with Brett and Micki Strait and the Diehls who just moved to Colorado Springs from Pella. It was nephew Sol’s birthday, so a little birthday cake and pie were in order after dinner.

In the evening we headed downtown to celebrate two more birthdays. Wendy’s friends Shay and Sarah are both celebrating birthdays so we gathered with friends at Django for a wonderful meal and conversation.

It was a wonderful Easter Sunday. The tulips here in Pella are in full bloom about a month earlier than normal. The cloudless, perfect sunny Easter Sunday could not have been more beautiful.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day John 16

April 9, 2012 Tom Vander Well 4 Comments

eagles-are-coming — "The eagles are coming! The eagles are coming!"

I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. John 16:20 (NLT)

Grief suddenly turned to joy. Deliverance in the midst of catastrophe. J.R.R. Tolkien coined a term for this: eucatastrophe. Tolkien himself used eucatastrophe throughout his stories. At Helm’s Deep when the wall is breached and defeat is certain, dawn arrives along with Gandalf, Erkenbrand, and the Huorns. At the gate of Minis Tirith when the black sails of the evil Corsairs sail upstream and the cities defenders are certain it is the last nail in the coffin for the city. In an unexpected surprise Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli come bounding off the evil ships with unexpected reinforcements. At the Black Gate when the allied forces make one last pitiful foray against impossible odds only to experience an improbable chain of events with the arrival of the eagles, Gollum’s desperate last attempt to seize the ring, and the fulfillment of the ring bearer’s quest.

Yesterday in Easter worship our pastor used eucatastrophe in his description of Jesus’ resurrection. The parallel is an apt one because Tolkien himself believed and commented that the resurrection of Jesus was the ultimate example of eucatastrophe. Jesus even describes it in today’s chapter. Eucatastrophe is grief suddenly turned to wonderful joy.

As the sun comes up over the horizon this morning, I’m thinking about the most unusually beautiful spring season I’ve ever experienced. I’m thinking about life, about new life, and about grief suddenly turned to wonderful joy. I’m thanking God for eucatastrophe and the resurrection this morning, and asking that I might experience it more fully in my life.

Wayfarer's Journal

Easter 2011

April 26, 2011 Tom Vander Well 1 Comment

: Cubbie Bear stopped by to wish me a Happy Birthday!

The Easter weekend started with my birthday party which was celebrated a week early. Wendy has always wanted to rent a skybox at Principal Park and have a birthday party for me. The I-Cubs aren’t in town on my actual birthday, so the festivities were planned for last Friday night. It was a cold, drizzly night so it was nice that we had a warm, dry skybox to enjoy the game. As the sun went down, fog started rising from the outfield and the game was eventually called after seven innings because of it. There were, however, fireworks after the game which was a great way to end the evening.

Wendy and I volunteer on the tech team at our church and Easter Sunday is always a major technical production. Half of the worship team is in the sanctuary and half in the auditorium. So the Easter service happens together in two rooms with audio and visual hook up between the two. Wendy was on a camera and I was running a light board. So, Saturday was rehearsal and then all Sunday morning was spent helping with two of the three Easter Sunday services.

After church, we headed to Des Moines to have Easter dinner with the VWs. The Keithley crew were there along with Tay & Clay and Uncle Tim. We were also excited to have our family friend Dave with us. Dave is in from Rhode Island helping renovate Tim’s building. It had been many years since I’d seen him.

We missed Maddy Kate who was in Minneapolis. She is finishing up school and will return to Pella in early May.

Chapter-a-Day

Chapter-a-Day Matthew 17

April 12, 2011 Tom Vander Well Leave a comment

Spa Treatment at Le Telfair Golf & Spa Resort ... — Image by whl.travel via Flickr

His appearance changed from the inside out, right before their eyes. Sunlight poured from his face. His clothes were filled with light. Matthew 17:2 (MSG)

God’s glory is an inside out proposition. The change that God wants to make in us is not a cosmetic one. The beauty and light that God wants to emerge from us as a calling card of His grace begins as a change of heart and pours out as a change of countenance and a change of behavior.

Feeling ugly? There is only so much that make-up and new clothes can do – and it’s a temporary fix at best. Radiant beauty starts with God giving your heart and life a makeover. Gorgeousness eminates from a spiritual spa treatment of the soul.

In just over one week we will be celebrating Easter and Jesus’ resurrection. Many of us are, no doubt, contemplating Easter dresses, bonnets and looking good for Easter Sunday. Perhaps this year when I put on my “Sunday best” for Easter it should not be clothes I’m talking about, but the attitude of my heart, the purity of my thoughts, the love in my words and actions.