111127 Reflections from the Wall

When you sense God calling you to restore, restore.  Nehemiah had a fine life.  Fine food.  Fine wine.  Fine clothes.  Fine vacations.  Life was pretty fine as the highly trusted servant of Artaxerxes, ruler of the world's superpower at that time.  But upon hearing word of his hometown Jerusalem's disrepair, something happened inside of him.  Something bigger and more powerful than he could have imagined.  It soon became clear to him that he was called by God to do something about it.

     If we are paying any attention at all, we will have moments like this throughout our lives.  This is God breaking in, inviting us to something more, better, whole.  Most of the time, to pursue the renovation project in our lives, we will become really anxious and fearful to the point of not even beginning.  But chances are that if you are sensing the need to change that strongly, the pain of not changing outweighs the pain of pursuing health.

     Let's take low self-esteem as an example, which is often caused by some serious pain.  We try to satisfy the emptiness, loneliness, and shame with all sorts of stuff: alcohol, drugs, food, sex, porn, staying too busy, exercise, etc.  The irony is that we engage lots of pain-inducing behavior to help us deal with the pain that is at the root of our self-loathing.  To heal that (or those) root causes requires facing down some serious, ugly voices inside our head.  Very frightening stuff.  The only thing worse than pursuing health is to remain the same and continue living in hell.

Take time to evaluate the problems.  Once Nehemiah decided to move forward, he had to assess the wall he was going to restore.  At the right time, in the right way, he investigated the wall.  Too often we jump into fixing our respective walls without first taking the time to evaluate what we're dealing with.  We may gain some ground right away, but find out later that we could have saved a lot of effort and energy if we had been more thoughtful about things.

     For our low self-esteem issue, we might want to focus on a key behavior which stands out the most.  But dealing with one behavior alone won't solve the root of the problem.  We may think we're done when we stop eating so much, or tell somebody that they have really hurt our feelings, but this may be the tip of the iceberg.  Taking time up front to evaluate the complexity of the stuff you are dealing with is really, really wise.  Getting insight from those you trust is also incredibly helpful.

Expect external opposition to restoration.  From the outset, Nehemiah encountered opposition from those who hated his people.  At first it was just vocal stuff, but eventually the opposition threatened violence, and created a hostile environment which slowed the work on the wall considerably, and took a serious toll on morale, too.

     You and I do not live in a vacuum.  We live in systems that have "helped" us live our lives just the way we've been living them.  When we do something new and unexpected, the system - which is people - generally react in opposition.  When we start to restore broken places in our lives - like low self-esteem - we change for the healthier.  When we change, we change a part of our system, and it will react to protect itself.  We can hope for support from those around us, but don't be at all surprised if your good pursuit is met with resistance from surprising places.  Pretty normal.  Keep moving toward health.

Expect internal opposition to restoration.  Nehemiah thought he had enough trouble with external opposition, and then he learned that he needed to deal with serious issues within.  The wealthy among his people were not treating their fellow countrymen ethically, even if they were treating them legally.  He had to face the internal stuff, too, if he wanted to restore the wall.

     When we work toward restoration, we can expect problems from... ourselves!  We discover that we are part of the reason why we have low self-esteem.  It's not just outside voices who have encouraged us to feel like losers - we tell ourselves the same lie.  Holding ourselves accountable is painful, difficult, and frustrating just like facing external opposition.  But we must, if we hope to see the wall restored.

When the heat turns up, stay focused and keep moving forward.  Nehemiah clearly held a Master's degree in cheer leading, because when pressure mounted from within and outside the wall, he just kept cheering people onward.  Systems don't like to be broken.  Not changing makes the system happy - everything goes back to normal.  But normal stinks.

     Expect to face incredible pressure when you answer God's call to pursue restoration.  Expect to want to give up at multiple points in the process.  Expect to feel exhausted in your pursuit.  If you expect it, you won't be as surprised when it hits, and you'll be more likely to stay focused on your goal of becoming increasingly whole.

Celebrate milestones. The wall was functional after 52 days of hard work.  It would take a couple more years to bring it up to code.  But Nehemiah knew the importance of taking time to celebrate progress.  They took a week off to reflect on how far they had come, to rest, party, restore their relationship with God, and renew relationship with each other.

     When we relentlessly pursue our goals without ever taking pause, we fry.  Regarding low self-esteem, we may find ourselves so fried that we lapse into self-destructive behavior we thought we'd left behind.  We do this because we are designed to rest, not to go on and on and on without pause.  In our creation story, God rests after working his tail off for seven days.  So take a healthy break.  Celebrate how far you've come.  Thank God for the ground you've gained.

Continually pursue restoration.  The story didn't end for Nehemiah after the celebration came to a close.  Under his leadership, the wall continued to be fully restored, and many other social changes were enacted to protect from internal meltdown.  

     We are flawed human beings surrounded and shaped by other flawed human beings.  The bad news is that this means we will always be in need of restoration of some sort.  The good news is that as God highlights more areas that need to be addressed, or takes us deeper into restoration along the lines we've been working, God will be with us through it all.  God is a restorer.  God is a healer.  God saves.

May you reflect on Nehemiah's journey and find direction and great comfort as you follow in his footsteps rebuilding the wall you are called to restore.

111120 Building on the Legacy: Covenant

The gospel doesn't work for spectators; you have to participate for it to work it powers.

- Scot McKnight, The King Jesus Gospel

In his book, The King Jesus Gospel, Scot McKnight answers a question not many have thought to ask: Is the good news our churches are proclaiming today the same good news that Jesus and his first followers proclaimed?  The answer, in short, is a resounding NO!

     McKnight argues that Evangelical churches in particular have unwittingly moved away from Jesus' primary message and lifted up a mere sliver of it.  He notes that much of what the majority of Evangelical churches teach is simply sin management: Jesus came to forgive sins so that we can go to heaven once this life is over.  While forgiveness of sin is certainly part of the message, it is not anywhere near the entirety of the message.

     Jesus' good news was the same good news that had been communicated throughout Jewish history: God is good, God is loving, God wants life to be the best possible for all humanity and the creation they inhabit, and the way to experience that life is to fully trust God and follow God in relationship with God.  This good news was very good because it meant that God didn't play favorites - your station in life did not determine your capacity to have audience with the King.  This good news was very good because it promised help in the form of the very Spirit of God to help restore every person to health.  This good news was very good, too, because it gave hope beyond the grave.  This good news was very good, too, because it meant that God would be with you through the darkest valleys.

     But none of it really happens from the sidelines.

     The Jewish people who inhabited Jerusalem in 450 BC were no strangers to this truth.  When they finally heard how life could have been if they and their ancestors would have trusted and followed God, they collectively wept.  They realized that they had been non-participants in what God had invited them to engage.  they chose their own way, and it caught up with them: their city was in ruins, their people scattered, their name and their God ridiculed.

     In light of their understanding of history, the people repented: they confessed their apathy to God, asking for forgiveness from the God who had been so consistently graceful.  And then they made a covenant with God to be God's people anew.  They would do their best to follow God with every aspect of their lives.  They were back on track.

     We all have moments in our lives when we see our own reflection in the mirror and are shocked at what we've done or have become.  Relationship with God leads to a healthy self-image, healthy relationships with those closest to us as well as those who we can't stand to be around.  Relationship with God leads to a healthy balance in our relationship with the material world - our money, toys, and dreams of acquisition.  Relationship with God leads to a healthy lifestyle devoid of using any number of things to give us peace in our lives: no more addiction to food, exercise, alcohol, drugs, smokes, porn, etc.  Relationship with God leads to healthy conflict resolution instead of increased anger.  Relationship with God leads to an increased awareness and concern for the world around us - our hearts grow bigger toward the things God cares about.  The list goes on and on and on, but the theme remains: relationship with God leads to health in every aspect of life.

     So, it stands to reason, then, that if there are areas of our lives that are not so healthy, it could very well be an indicator of the absence of relationship with God, or at least a lack of following God in those particular areas.

     Take a moment and ask yourself what areas of your life stand out like sore thumbs?  How have you participated with God in restoring those areas to health?

     The people of God, with Nehemiah and Ezra's leadership, committed themselves anew to their relationship with God.  May you have the same resolve, and begin to live the good news we have discovered in relationship with God.


Bonus: Baptism/Communion Credo

We believe that Jesus lived, died, and lived again

out of love for us and all people.

We see in Jesus God’s personality.

We see in Jesus what walking with God looks like.

We see in Jesus what life can be for everyone.

We see in Jesus the power of love.

Therefore:

We know we are loved by God,

and that our sins are forgiven,

We know we are invited to walk as Jesus,

which leads to the best of life for everyone.

We know our future in heaven is certain.

With the Spirit’s power, we will strive every day

to follow however and wherever God leads us.

111113 Our Story

Just 52 days after the project began, the wall which had been in shambles was once again functional.  While it would take a few years to bring it up to code, the wall was doing its job: providing protection and security for the people who needed it most.  Up until that point, life had to have been fairly chaotic for Jerusalem's inhabitants.

     When we live in crisis mode, we don't really live.  We survive.  Our focus is on getting through one day at a time without going under emotionally, physically, financially, spiritually, relationally, vocationally, etc.  We don't choose to neglect important aspects of our lives, we just can't get to them because we are consumed with simply getting through the day.  The people of Israel were surviving for decades.  Imagine what having the wall back meant for all the things they never got to.

     With the wall up, an announcement was made that Ezra was going to read portions of the Book of the Law aloud for people to hear - many for the first time. Thousands upon thousands turned out for this unprecedented event.  Think Washington Mall gathering for a rally.  People had heard pieces of the story over the years as it was passed down from generation to generation.  How much was missed?  This was an opportunity to hear the real deal.

     The reading commenced.  Creation.  Adam and Eve.  Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph.  Moses.  The Exodus.  Law.  Wandering.  Joshua.  Promised Land.  Judges.  Kings.  Turmoil.  Faithful God.  Unruly people.  Graceful God.  Ungrateful masses.  Exile.

     Deuteronomy was undoubtedly read - Moses' farewell speech to Israel.  After people heard it, many things came into focus for them.  God was extremely accommodating.  People rebelled.  A lot.  The people heard how God wanted to redeem a world through a people who walked closely with their Maker.  Their rule of life and connection with God would be contagious.  That dream didn't realize, however.  Instead, the people at this point in the story were looking around at what they had in light of what could have been.  It was a moment of great clarity.

     Israel wept.

     Ezra recognized what was happening, and allowed the look in the mirror to have its affect.  But then he quieted the crowd.  He pulled out a calendar and reminded them that this was the time of year when the Jewish people celebrated the Feast of Tabernacles.  They wold party for a week, tent camping together as a reminder of how they lived for 40 years en route to the Promised Land.  It was a time when they remembered how good God was to them, providing for them from Egypt all the home, even when they were defiant.  God was that good.

     Ezra probably had them look around at the wall that had been restored in 52 days - a miracle.  God was obviously behind this.  God had not given up on them.  So, while humility in light of reality was appropriate, so was celebration.  This was a time to thank God and recommit to the Story God had been weaving for millennium.

     We can relate.  Our story has similar themes.  Our story built upon theirs.  Christ came to wrap up unresolved portions of the Jewish story while pointing to the same hope God communicated in the very beginning.  The people of God would live by another Kingdom's rule, led by a different King - Christ - who would be forever just, compassionate, good, true.  Those who embraced this King's leadership wold have a markedly different experience of life.  A quality that circumstances cannot fatally impact.  Hope that springs eternal.  Grace in abundance.  These followers could change the world through their love and allegiance to this King.

     When we think about where we are - the condition of our lives and life all around us, I think we can understand why the Jews wept in Jerusalem that day.  In so many ways, we who have claimed to be "little Christs" (literal meaning of "Christian") have overemphasized "little" as witnessed by our apathy, lethargy, ignorance, immaturity, obstinacy.  We have been the keepers of the Story, charged with the privilege to share it far and wide, and we have hid it under a bushel.  And the world we live in reflects it.  Easy to well up when we come to grips with what could be in the face of what is.

     We need to sit in ashes for awhile.

     But not too long, because the God who began the Story still wants us in it, and still invites us to find ourselves in its unfolding.  Our God is a redeemer.  Humility is wonderful for our relationship with God.  And humility that leads to worshipful commitment is even more breathtaking - it marks a new chapter of hope for our day.  As we turn the page, we realize that we play a role in how fast repairs will be made to broken places and lives in our world.  Our love toward, obedience to, and worship of the God who has given us Christ the King will change us and the world right along with it.

     Let's set up the tents.  Let's stay up late sharing life together.  Let's gather around the fire and remember Our Story, and bring its Good News - the gospel - to a world longing for restoration.

Walls and Mortar

This is part five of a series on Nehemiah.  This week focuses on Nehemiah's chapters 6 & 7.

Nehemiah was laser-focused on completing the wall.  During the nearly two months that he pursued his goal , he endured personal fear, threats, low morale, internal injustice, requests for creating a peace treaty, and a prophet calling him to secure himself in the Temple.  All of these could have easily sidetracked him away from his central calling.  

We face similar challenges as we are called to do whatever god is calling us to do in a particular moment or season.

• Sometimes the call is to go deeper in your faith - beyond the comfort zones of where you have been.  Sometimes we wake up and discover that we haven't hosted or investigated a new thought about God for weeks, or months, or years, or decades.
• Sometimes the call is to take steps to improve your relationship with your children, so that you don't find yourself simply their acquaintance.
• Sometimes the call is to talk to your boss about a better way to approach a particular facet of work that may ruffle feathers.
• Sometimes it's being honest with ourselves about the pain we have tried to ignore in our lives.  We know it's there, but we manage to ignore it.

We know what Nehemiah faced in his lifetime, because we hear the same voices tempting us away from what we know we really need to be doing.  We sometimes even listen for the distraction so that we can avoid the hard work before us.  We get busy with a hundred things except the thing that really needs our attention.  All the other stuff is probably good, but not the priority it has commanded.  We know the book we need to read, the quality time with our kids we need to spend, the appointment with our boss we need to make, and the counselor we need to call.  But instead we find another project, take another call, watch another TV show, whatever...  We know we do it, and we know it gets us nowhere.

How did Nehemiah stay so focused?  Surely he wasn't the first to think of rebuilding the wall over several decades, right?  What can we learn from him?

The calling us really irrelevant - the thing we need to focus on.  Nehemiah's call was fitting for where he was in his journey relative to his skill set, spiritual maturity, and level of courage.  His wall me be your relationship - both equally tough for each of you.

I don't think it was altogether easy for Nehemiah.  Check out his prayers along the way - this was no cakewalk for him.  

"⁴ Then I prayed, “Hear us, our God, for we are being mocked. May their scoffing fall back on their own heads, and may they themselves become captives in a foreign land! ⁵ Do not ignore their guilt. Do not blot out their sins, for they have provoked you to anger here in front of the builders.” (Nehemiah 4:4)

¹⁴ Remember, O my God, all the evil things that Tobiah and Sanballat have done. And remember Noadiah the prophet and all the prophets like her who have tried to intimidate me.  (Nehemiah 6:14)

I think the main thing I am taking away from Nehemiah's experience is that the wall's foundation was relationship more than mortar.  While there may have been a range of motives at work in him, the king, and the people, I believe his relationship with God was what moved him to act and continue to act when the pressure mounted.  deep in his belly I think he connected somehow to God, and I think it changed everything.  I think it changed his view of his task, his hopefulness and his leadership voice.  I think people were rallied to his cause because he was such a raving fan of God and what the wall represented.  He was contagious.

Whatever walls we face, I think the foundation issue is relationship more than anything else.  Our relationship to God informs our steps.  Our relationship with God opens the valve for God's power to move in us and through us, enlivening us even as we put ourselves to the task.  Our relationship with God is ultimately our foundation for life and all its struggles.  When it is strong, we prevail, even if we fail.

You are human, just like the Bible's Abraham, Jacob, Moses, Daniel, Jesus, Peter, Paul; just like me.  we all struggle. And we all find our strength to complete our call in the same God.  When we keep our relationship with God tight, we are more likely to face the challenges before us, and less likely to give into the distractions that never cease.

Sometimes our relationship with God is the very thing we struggle to maintain.  There are some things that will make your relationship more likely to flourish.  Consider these ideas and integrate whatever works...

• Determine when you will begin your daily conversation with God.  Just making this habitual will help a bunch.  For me, it's the first thing I do in my day.  I find myself centered and stronger as I lose myself in God.
• Review your God-driven dreams for your life daily to keep yourself on track.  I remind myself daily of a handful of goals: to have a healthy spirit, a healthy body, a healthy emotional life, a healthy marriage, a healthy relationship with my kids, healthy friendships, healthy relationship with my work, healthy extended family relationships, a healthy relationship with my stuff, and a healthy relationship to my world.  Reviewing these every day keeps me focused. 
• Throughout the day, remind yourself that love is the foundation, the behavior, the outcome, and the reward of all we do.  Love changes everything.

May you be encouraged by Nehemiah's example and face your walls.  May you be a Nehemiah for others as they face theirs.