Speaker: Jesus Faced Evil in Remarkable Ways

ROSEMONT, IL (February 2, 2005) - Dr. Marva Dawn's Tuesday evening message during the Evangelical Covenant Church (ECC) Midwinter Pastors Conference wasn't one for the timid souls in ministry – but, then again, Jesus' act of "self-donation" wasn't timid either.

Dawn used a variety of scriptural references to lead her audience back to the cross, the ultimate act of sacrifice, during a multifaceted talk entitled "Evil in All Its Forms: How God Overcomes It." The noted speaker, theologian, author and educator challenged political agendas, told a few humorous anecdotes and showed how Jesus faced evil at every turn during his life while demonstrating "remarkable ways in dealing with evil differently than we would assume he would."

Using Hebrews 4:14-16 as her text, Dawn began by reminding conference participants that Jesus encountered the same kind of evil we encounter in our lives, though his response was counter-cultural at nearly every turn.

"I find it truly amazing that Jesus Christ became human just as we are and understands every single evil we could ever encounter," she said. "One of the problems in our community is that we don't get personal enough . . . but Jesus calls us to a human life that is personal. He calls us to the nitty-gritty. He calls us to die."

Dawn used gospel accounts to show Tuesday's audience that, among other things:

• Jesus knew about what it meant to be threatened (Matthew 1) but managed to offer the world his heart anyway
• Jesus knew what it meant to be exiled and oppressed (Matthew 2) yet it gave him a perspective that aided his ministry
• Jesus knew what it was like to be tempted (Luke 4) but could resist due to his long-term view of what was truly important
• Jesus knew what it was like to be marginalized and it drove him to advocate for the marginalized at every turn
• Jesus knew what it was like to suffer (John 9) but accepted the ultimate suffering for our sake
• Jesus knew what it was like to be lied to and betrayed (John 13) but continued to speak the truth until his dying breath

In dealing with those forms of evil, Jesus responded with what Dawn described as "a love so deep that it woos them into a different morality." Ultimately, those qualities are among those that provide Christians with a different model to reflect to others, the model of one who could change the world.

"Jesus showed us, Jesus lived it as a model," she added. "But that's not all. Jesus was killed so he could raise us in a whole new way."

Following the conclusion of her remarks, one of Tuesday's worship leaders, Paul Lessard, may have best summed up the reaction of the audience as he turned to her and said, "Marva, thank you for challenging us more than we had hoped to be challenged."

During the early portion of the worship service, ECC President Glenn R. Palmberg presented longtime Covenant worship leader and music minister Royce Eckhardt with a plaque recognizing his 20 years of directing the Covenant Minister's Chorus and more than four decades of service to Covenant churches, annual meeting events and other Covenant-sponsored institutions/projects.

Later, Lessard and other praise band leaders and worship leaders guided the audience through a period of corporate confession using texts from Isaiah 6 along with liturgy and song.

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