Pete's Ponderings

012212 Fearless 3: Fear of Disappointing God

2012-01-22T12:00:00.000-08:00

We are strange creatures. While talk shows on the radio, TV, and Internet are devoted to lambasting whoever their target might be for the day, I think we generally do not like having the mirror held in front of our faces. Can we dish it out but not take it?

When it comes to our faith, I think this is also true. From the beginning, humanity has not been fond of being told what to do, and typically changes course only when it no longer has any other choice. You can find this phenomenon in the Bible. Starting in Genesis. Extending through Revelation.

The reality is, however, that this tendency is lethal. Our desire to do our own thing restricts us from experiencing life at its best (as modeled and taught by Jesus), and sets us up for an estranged relationship with God because we realize that all of our waywardness is a departure from that which God would have us live. Technical word here: sin. When we come to grips with our junk, we begin to really wonder if God would take us back. We wonder about this because if we were repeatedly offended by someone we cared about deeply, at some point we might stop welcoming them back, right?

Does God really forgive and forget? Or should we fear God?

Now watch Nooma: Lump.

When we really come to grips with our very human tendency to go our own way, its painful. At that moment, we realize that we have caused ourselves great pain, have hurt people we care about and care about us, have caused harm even to people we don't know, and have messed with the good work God is doing in the world, which means we've kicked over God's sandcastle.

Usually, we avoid this realization by thinking of all the bad things other people do which we consider to be far more offensive than our own choices. In a recent episode of The Middle, the mom, Frankie, begins using the neighbor's brand new car without permission for days. The entire family starts enjoying it. Frankie deals with her guilt by saying, "people do meth." In other words, her sin hardly counts for anything in a world where people do far worse. Thank God for terrorists, then, huh - we'll always look good if they are in the picture...

We minimize our grievances. Sexual and material lust. Bitterness. Over indulgence. Unforgiveness. Apathy. Lethargy. Sloth. Immaturity. Gossip. Sloppy language. White lies. Bad attitude. Critical spirit. But enough about me... What do you struggle with?

The truth is all of the above are ours to own. And all of them - even the ones we think are so private, so benign - cause harm to ourselves, to others, and mess with the god God is doing in the world. We need to sit with this for awhile and let it sink in. This may require turning off the TV and computer and smart phone and... so that you can be still long enough to feel the sting.

I really think we are condemning ourselves to repeating all the stuff over and over until we wake up to the reality of where we are.

The beautiful thing about waking up is that your eyes are open. You are less likely to stub your toe or crash into things because you are seeing again. As we begin making amends with the people we've wounded, most of the time we will find forgiveness and grace. Sometimes we have caused so much pain, burned the bridge so thoroughly, that the most we can do is apologize - to push for their forgiveness may cause more harm than good - it becomes, again, about us instead of them. And when we finally get around to considering God's take on things, we discover a beautiful truth.

No matter what, God forgives and supports you in your restoration. No matter what. God was making this clear before Jesus, and Jesus' life and teaching simply gave it a face and hands and feet.

Opening ourselves up to the grace of God is the most powerful move we can make. It was (and is) for me. I find peace in God. I find strength to own my own junk with God. I find power to move forward in health with God. I find new insight and direction with God. I find it easier to forgive others with God. I find my true self with God. I find life with God. I find hope with God. I find love that doesn't evaporate with God.

Read up on Jesus' disciple, Peter. He knew this reality all too well. He completely rejected Jesus, and then found grace, and then went on to become one of the most key leaders in the history of the movement.

May you come to grips with your junk, your sin. May you sit in it's stench long enough to make you wanna puke. May you then turn to God and ask for grace and mercy and strength to move forward. May you seek restoration where you have caused destruction. May you find your true self with God and begin to live to your beautiful potential. May you help others do the same.

Extra Credit. You may find Psalm 51 particularly cathartic. This was a poem written by King David after he got busted for adultery. Read it slowly. See if his words can become yours. Let me know what happens.

011512 Fearless 2: The Fear of Not Mattering

2012-01-15T11:59:00.000-08:00

If you have never watched it, go on YouTube and check our Dr. Suess' The Sneetches. The gist of the story? We make up all sorts of rules to determine who is in and who is out, who matters and who does not.

Do we matter? We fear we don’t. We fear nothingness, insignificance. We fear evaporation. - Max Lucado, Fearless, Chapter 2

When we feel like we don't matter, we do silly things. Guys act more manly, spend crazy amounts of time to make a little more money to buy more stuff, drive the right car, live in the right house, get the promotion, etc., in an effort to proclaim to the world that he exists and should be noticed and respected. Women may do similar things, and are culturally encouraged to be just a little sexier looking, acting and behaving to get noticed and respected. Some women have found themselves in a fearful position of not being adored by a guy, and give themselves away to keep his interest, only to have it backfire and feel worse about herself.

Others make sure they wear the right labels, make the right friends, ignore the losers, and attend the right gatherings. All in an effort to feel like they matter. We don't want life to be for naught...

Connect to someone special and become someone special, right? - Max Lucado, Fearless, Chapter 2

Sometimes we add value to our personal stock by association. We drop impressive names here and there to impress people. Since we know somebody, it means we're kind of a big deal, right?

I fell into this experience several years ago. One day I opened a church-trade magazine to see a familiar face: Rob Bell. The article introduced Rob and his ministry which he just left. He was the founding and Senior Pastor of Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, MI, a church where many thousands gather every week. Rob is also known for his 24 Nooma videos, his speaking tours, and his provocative writing. When I read the article, I was kind of giddy, because Rob is an old high school friend of mine. After I read the article, I gave him a call and we caught up.

When colleagues would mention his films, I would say, "Hey, guess what? He is an old friend of mine!" It was just fun that an old friend was doing cool stuff. But then I noticed that this connection got more response than I expected. I got treated differently simply because I am an old friend of Rob's. For awhile, I must admit, I kind of enjoyed it.

But then you realize that whatever extra stock value you might get from an association really is only because of it, and not you, and that's wonderfully sobering. This actually led me to think about related stuff in my life. My dad was a leader, and being the son of a leader around those he lead meant I got treated different. I could ride on his coat-tails a bit.

Eventually, any time someone made the connection, I would start to make light of it. Just a month ago, I was in a pastor's meeting and someone started talking about Rob, and one of my buddies referenced me as an old friend of Rob's. The truth is, while I love Rob's work, and we have corresponded some, we aren't tight. I am thrilled for him, and glad for our past. But his life and success are in no way tied to me. I now try to make it a point that while I am sure he knows my name, I am also sure I am much more familiar with his face than he is mine.

We eventually get to a place in our lives when we start wondering what it's all worth, what's the point of it all, and what am I worth? Not getting an answer leads to great despair, terrible pain which demands to be addressed. If it goes unanswered, we medicate one way or another, but the pain is still there. Some fill the prescription with addiction to substance which leads to a range of awful consequences. Others fill the pain with more socially acceptable meds: affluence, materialism, fame, sexuality, appearances, which can also lead to a very hollow experience of life. Once in motion, it's hard to pull out of the swirling, chaotic funnel we find ourselves in.

The fear that you are one big zero will become a self-fulfilling prophecy that will ruin your life.

- Max Lucado, Fearless, Chapter 2

It turns out Jesus had some things to say about this.

What is the price of five sparrows—two copper coins? Yet God does not forget a single one of them. And the very hairs on your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are more valuable to God than a whole flock of sparrows. – Jesus in Luke 12:7 (NLT)

But it wasn't just talk with Jesus. Socially, he knew his value in God's eyes and it changed his life. Part of catching God's vision of people's inherent value is making it known, which Jesus did very frequently, dramatically, and effectively.

Jesus was a loser who…

Spoke to a Samaritan woman: loser
Ate with tax collectors and sinners: losers
Forgave an adultress: loser
Healed lepers: losers
Healed the blind and lame: losers
Forgave the priests who killed him: losers
Disciples: fishermen, artisans, tax collectors: losers

If you feel like a loser, you’re in good company…

…people who – through Jesus – understood that they were precious in God’s sight, of incredible inherent value, worthy of respect, capable of brilliance.

They had real, profound, counterintuitive hope.

They changed the world, and continue to do so.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. - The Bible, Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)

May you see yourself from God's perspective more today than yesterday, everyday. May you know you are beautiful, wonderful, capable. May you discover that you have all the strength you are looking for in the face of God who knows you, loves you, and wants you.

010812 Fearless 1: Why Are We Afraid?

2012-01-08T12:00:00.000-08:00

What are people afraid of? What are you afraid of? When is fear good? When is it bad?

Imagine your life wholly untouched by angst. What if faith, not fear, was your default reaction to threats? If you could hover a fear magnet over your heart an extract every last shaving of dread, insecurity, and doubt, what would remain? Envision a day, just one day, absent the dread of failure, rejection, and calamity. Can you imagine a life with no fear? - Max Lucado, Fearless, Chapter 1

How do you know if fear is (or isn't) overly directing your life? How does fear shape sometimes shape your life?

Getting on board with Christ can mean getting soaked with Christ. Disciples can expect rough seas and stout winds. Max Lucado, Fearless, Chapter 1

How much was "better life" a part of your decision to do life with God? How does Lucado's insight mess with your understanding of the benefits of following Christ? Is this a deal breaker?

Fear corrodes our confidence in God's goodness. We begin to wonder if love lives in heaven. Max Lucado, Fearless, Chapter 1

When have you felt like this? How does it impact your faith?

The fear-filled life cannot love deeply. Love is risky. They cannot give to the poor. Benevolence has no guarantee of return. The fear-filled cannot dream wildly. What if their dreams sputter and fall from the sky? The worship of safety emasculates greatness. Max Lucado, Fearless, Chapter 1

From the Bible... Matthew 8:23-27 (NLT)

Then Jesus got into the boat and started across the lake with his disciples. Suddenly, a fierce storm struck the lake, with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping. The disciples went and woke him up, shouting, “Lord, save us! We’re going to drown!”

Jesus responded, “Why are you afraid? You have so little faith!” Then he got up and rebuked the wind and waves, and suddenly there was a great calm.

The disciples were amazed. “Who is this man?” they asked. “Even the winds and waves obey him!”

Jesus found the only protected spot in the boat - in the stern where nets were kept. He was sound asleep while the disciples were freaking out. When they felt they were hopeless, they finally woke Jesus up, asking for him to do something about their perilous predicament.

Do you ever do this? Do you ever put off waking God up from his slumber? Sometimes I think I can handle everything on my own - why bother God with little stuff? Sometimes I am boldly arrogant, wanting to be in control of my own destiny - what if I don't like how God handles my situation? Do you ever approach the storms of life like I sometimes do? In retrospect, how was your quality of life when you were handling everything on your own without bothering God? Would God's approach have made your life worse? Do you suppose God gets annoyed with us asking for help when we're facing storms?

From the Bible... John 8:33 (NLT)

I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world. - Jesus

What difference does Jesus' statement make, really? What does it mean to have peace in me?

From the Bible... 2 Timothy 1:7 (NLT)

For God has not given us a spirit of fear or timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. - Apostle Paul encouraging Timothy, a young pastor getting beat up by his congregation.

Challenge: memorize one or both of the encouraging statements above - Jesus' or Paul's. When you next begin to experience fear, recall and recite these statements. Ask God to help you recognize your fear and ask for God's help facing your fear.

111225 God Is With Us - Are We With God?

2011-12-24T18:00:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Jesus was born into a world of extreme poverty - more extreme, in fact, than at any other time in history. Jesus' face could have easily been on the commercial asking you to adopt a child for $30 a month. Think bare ribs. Imagine ragged clothes. Envision flies. See Jesus. Jesus-as-poor was as important then as it is now. People always assume that worldly success indicates God's blessing. That's a great feeling when we're on top. But what if we're at the low ebb of life? What if we feel like a loser, and everything in our life seems to affirm it? Sometimes we make decisions that land us in the dump - decisions we would love to take back. Things said and done that wound hearts and burn bridges. Sometimes we are the recipient of things said and done by others - we are the damaged goods. Sometimes we discover that the systems we live in have helped create a life without hope - we don't even have a name as far as the system is concerned - it doesn't care - we don't matter. When we read Jesus, we hear words, we see actions, we sense a heart of a man who was truly with us. In our relational, emotional, physical and spiritual poverty. God is with us, he said in his words and actions - don' let the circumstances fool you. God is with us in our suffering - not adding to it, causing it, but to be a redeeming presence in it. God is with us. The incarnation didn't just happen. It happens.

Jesus was a rebel. John the Baptist, undoubtedly a Jewish cynic, was fed up with the way the world was going under the Roman Empire. He was desperately desiring God's Kingdom to break into the world and restore Israel to global power and was certainly okay letting the political powers of the day crumble - including the religious authorities. He spoke of Jesus as greater than himself - a more powerful Jewish cynic. Jesus was. Jesus called out the wrong that he saw wherever it was. He challenged his family, his friends, religious and political authorities alike with the idea that the ways of the world were terribly wrong, and that the Kingdom of God presented a better way for everyone. The Kingdom of God saw everyone as equals - everyone - and treated them accordingly. No more favoritism. The Kingdom of God announced freedom from the tyranny of guilt and shame by proclaiming that God's forgiveness is limitless and free and complete. It cannot be earned or bought. It simply is. The Kingdom of God is also present. It is not something that is to come at some future time, but has been coming, is coming, and will continue to come. In us. Around us. Through us. As we live in the way of the Kingdom of God now, we experience God with us now. We may have to live in the systems we are born into, but we don't have to live by them. Jesus' provocative teaching was that we can experience an abundant, content life in spite of the fact that we live in a world of broken systems. We are not defined by them. Our identity ultimately does not come from the systems here that sort and distort. Our wholeness comes from God with us, from living in the Kingdom of God now. Jesus was a rebel, inviting you to follow him in opposition to the systems that have hurt you and millions and millions of others. Jesus offers another way.

Jesus was more than a rabbi. In his day, Jesus was considered a magician and wisdom teacher. The title rabbi was no doubt a later addition to gain him greater acceptance in the world receiving the Good News proclaimed by the early Gospel writers. This is great news, really, because it simply amplifies God's work in him all the more. God did stuff through Jesus that shouldn't happen - miracles. And he spoke wisdom that was more profound than the all the rabbis before him. Pretty amazing since he wasn't formally trained. All of it combined to point to the fact that God was doing something in and through Jesus that was incredible - in Jesus, the rebel born into extreme poverty (and never left it). God showing up in him means God can show up in us, too. God is with us with incredible potency to help us embrace life in a different way that changes our lives and the lives of everyone we touch.

So this is why Christmas is worth celebrating. Jesus' coming into the world altered history, and it continues to alter history.

Too often, however, we focus so much on God being with us that we neglect a critical question that impacts our experience of God being with us: How are we with God? God being with us is somewhat benign unless we choose to be with God. We can wallow in self-loathing, never experiencing hope, with God sitting right beside us. Why? Because God being with us doesn't do much for us or anyone else unless we choose to be with God. We can be frustrated by the systems that have shaped us with God by our side, but the systems never change unless we choose to be with God in what God is doing to thwart those systems. We can sit and marvel at the wonders of what God can do without experiencing much of it ourselves until we choose to be with God, allowing God's power to work, incredibly, in our lives.

God is with us, but are we with God? The incarnation didn't just happen, it happens. But are we a part of it happening?

If you wonder how we can be with God in order to experience God with us, read the story of Jesus. Where did he show love and grace? What did he say about forgiveness and reconciliation? How did he teach about living in this world? If we start building our life in the Way of Jesus, there's a really good chance we will find ourselves more and more with God, and God with us.

We can also find ourselves with God, and God with us, if we simply take some notes from the Christmas story and build them into our lives. In Jesus, God lived among the extremely poor. How are we invested in being with the extremely poor? We can't all move to Furaha, but we can care for and support them in their life. We aren't called to live in cardboard boxes, but we can care about those who do in Napa. We can't spend our days at Deborah's House helping women and children heal from domestic violence and human trafficking in Tijuana, but we can care for and support them as they do.

We can be rebellious, too. We can stand up to systems that serve to oppress people here and abroad. There are two great forces in the world: greed and God. One will seek to help those who have the power to help themselves at the expense of those who can't or don't. The other helps everybody. Which one are you supporting? We can also rebel against relational systems that are destructive. We don't have to nurse grudges. We can forgive. We can move forward. We can pursue healing and wholeness. We can choose not to add to the relational chasm that conflict creates. We can be peacemakers. These are acts of rebellion.

We can be agents of God's potency. When we are open to God being with us, and choose to be with God, God gives us wisdom beyond our education, beyond our IQ, and beyond our social status. Our touch becomes more powerful when we embrace people with God. Incredible, even miraculous things happen when we choose to be with God in this way. And it is a choice.

As you celebrate Christmas this year, may you be overwhelmed by just how profound God being with us was and is. And may we be moved, then to be with God.

111218 Jesus 101: Reject, Rebel and Rabbi

2011-12-18T12:00:00.000-08:00

He seemed to have power over nature. At his word he commanded the very forces of nature to do his bidding. There was that time when Israel was in drought, and they asked him to pray for rain. He agreed. He drew a circle on the ground and prayed for rain. A few drops came from the sky. He prayed again, asking for rain enough to fill their cisterns. The rain poured with vehemence. He payed again for the rain to back off, lest flooding destroy their fields, homes, and belongings. He prayed for a benevolent rain. Of course, you know about whom I am referring. Rabbi Honi the Circle-maker.

A Rabbi's son was very ill. They sent word to the healer to pray for the boy. He went to an upper room, where he prayed. After some time, he emerged, telling the messengers that the boy's fever was gone. They noted the exact time and returned to the Rabbi, only to discover that the boy became well at the very moment the healer announced it. Of course, you know about whom I am referring. Rabbi Hanina ben Dosa, the most celebrated miracle worker in rabbinic Judaism.

On another occasion, villagers informed him that a venemous lizard was biting people as they prayed. He asked to be shown the hole where the lizard lived. He put his heel over the hole. The lizard came and bit his heel, and the lizard died. From that moment on a saying emerged: Woe to the man who is bitten by a lizard. Woe to the lizard that bites Ben Dosa! Over the years, this story would change significantly. Ben Dosa would be referred to as a rabbi, and the lizard would bite him as he was praying

Jesus, of course, was well known for miracle-working and his words of wisdom. He commanded a storm to cease. He declared people healed from a considerable distance and they were healed at the very moment Jesus spoke the healing words. In Mel Gibson's movie, Jesus even steps on the head of a snake in the Garden of Gethsemane! What are the odds!

What you need to know is that there were people living before and after Jesus who could perform some incredible feats or miraculous proportions, much like the ones Jesus performed. What is also worth noting is that many of these miracle workers also spoke words of great wisdom. About some of them it was said that Wisdom descended upon them.

All of the above were lower class. Peasants or below on the social ladder. All of them performed "magic" and spoke words of wisdom beyond their pay grade.

All of the above posed a challenge - simply by their existence - to organized religion, which was led by men with a significant amount of higher education and were among the upper class by virtue of their office.

Honi the Circle-maker and Hanina ben Dosa experienced a posthumous transformation witnessed in written history. The earliest record of their works shows that they were considered magicians who also spoke wisdom. Their teaching was right in line with Jewish teaching. Their magic - what we would call miracles - were obviously supernatural. At first, this was all that was said of them in their stories.

But over time, this posed a problem for organized religion. Is it okay for such men to profess and prove God's power in and through their lives, even though they were not formally educated, and therefore lacked an authorized title from the religious leadership? Of course not! How could God be officially behind men who had not been endorsed by God's Temple authorities?

An old friend of mine, who went to church as a child but completely rejected church in college and beyond, let me know that he was an ordained minister. This is not one of those I came to Jesus later and now I'm a pastor stories. He let me know that he got ordained through an Internet site - for free - so that he could perform his friend's wedding (who returned the favor). My agnostic friend has the same title I do: Reverend.

I have two other friends who both have a huge heart for God and people, have had their lives radically transformed by God, and are in the trenches with people, helping them encounter the life change that comes with Christ. Both of them wanted some sort of official endorsement for what God was doing in and through them. They each researched various organizations offering on line ordination, and they both received ordination through those sites, for a small fee.

Both of these make folks like me uncomfortable. If you have been ordained through the historical process that most denominations adhere to, it takes a lot more than checking box and clicking a mouse. For many traditions, a Bachelor's degree is not enough. You have to earn a Masters of Divinity degree, which requires around 100 credits to complete - three years, full time - plus internship requirements at a local church. Once you've earned your Masters and had your thesis signed off, then it's off to ordination council, which is comprised of professional peers whose job it is to see if you have any major holes in your foundation: theology and life. You have to write a separate paper for this group - usually highly academic, formal, and long. They also pose complex ministry situations to you, to see if you can handle it. Once you pass the committee, you then go before a large group of your peers - anyone who wants to come - and they grill you for another few hours to see if you have what it takes, after which they vote on whether or not you are worthy or ready to be ordained. Hard work. Vetting. Deep meaning. High cost. This is why most classically trained, ordained ministers today do not treat even their well-meaning Internet-ordained brothers and sisters with equal respect. Except for recent years when sexual misconduct has made the headlines, "clergy" have been in the top ten most respected professions in the US. The clergy, even today, are honored (at least in theory).

The same dynamic existed in Jesus' day. Rabbi's were highly trained, well dressed, and were part of the Upper Class. And they wanted to keep it that way. This is why Jesus so freely criticized the religious officials of his day - they earned it!

This created a problem in antiquity, because everybody - including the religious leaders - knew that these "wise-talking magicians" were being used by God. So, in order to assimilate them into proper history, they were gradually promoted. Usually long after their death. Wherever magical acts took place, they were reframed as acts of prayer. And magicians were given the title Rabbi.

Jesus was less than a peasant. Yet he was referred to as Rabbi according to the stories we have from antiquity. Could it be that, as was the case for Honi the Circle-maker and Hanina ben Rosa, that he was given the title Rabbi posthumously? If that's true, was Jesus really a rabbi, or should we be skeptical, wondering if he got his credentials from some website?

If this was the case, it would not mean that we should then question the validity of everything the Bible says. Actually, it would mean that the Bible is quite authentic in practicing the methods of ancient Jewish writing. Surprisingly, this may actually serve to validate the Bible, not take away from it.

If this was the case, it would also serve to illuminate just how powerful Jesus' message and ministry was. In light of the multitude of rebellious, cynical self-proclaimed messiah figures that lived during the period when Rome occupied Israel, the fact that Jesus made the history books is telling, to say the least. Nobody in the first century would blink at Jesus being called Rabbi, because he was known as one in and through whom God was clearly working.

I have friends in ministry who have spent very little time acquiring a formal education yet are clear conduits of the Spirit of God. People are moved by their message to following God in life-changing ways. Through their prayers God has done amazing things - healings that are inexplicable apart from God. I guess God doesn't predicate his power based on how far we've gone with our education...

It's not that we should abandon learning, of course. Jesus spent three years investing in the disciples for their education. Paul was one of the most highly trained men of his generation. But at the end of the day, we believe not because of titles but because of what we recognize God doing in and through people.

So far, then, we have a Jesus who was a reject based on his occupation, a rebel based on what he said and who endorsed him, and now we see him as a rabbi who earned the title the really hard way - only by the fruit of his life, and only recognized after his death.

This Jesus was a leader who drew a crowd and asked them to follow him. To follow him meant to trust his way over every other way. The payoff was that in living differently, people began living regardless of the oppressive life they lived.

May you pause and consider the invitation being extended to you - an invitation to live - given by a reject, a rebel, and a rabbi.

111211 Jesus 101: Protester

2011-12-11T12:34:00.000-08:00

Before we go deeper into our understanding of who Jesus was, let's recap a bit from last week. In an agrarian culture like the Roman Empire, the chasm between the upper and lower classes is larger than nearly every other culture in every other time. The system was designed so that peasants and those beneath them stayed where they were, and never had opportunity to venture into upper class living.

As I noted last week, peasants barely survived. When that becomes your life, and your only hope for life, however, you learn to deal with it. We all learn to deal with the lives we have. Powerless, they were at the mercy(?) of those above them on the social scale. At times - fairly often, actually - the greed of those above would make life unbearable and unsustainable on those below, who funded the rich with their sacrifice.

What do you do when you can't take it anymore?

Some would suggest violence. That did happen on occasion, and always and ultimately ended badly for the Jews in Roman times.

The poor did learn that they had more power than the social charts gave them credit for. Unofficial, of course, but power nonetheless. What power? How did they use it?

The rich knew that the poor were stupid. And lazy. That's just how poor people are. Or were they?

One of the ways the poor had power was in their productivity. Peasants were the people who worked the land to generate grain for trade and food. What if the peasants decided to stop working? What if they decided to stop working around harvest? Peasants could change the pace of their work to make their lives a little more bearable. Some might see them as being lazy. Others shrewd.

At other times, peasants and other lower class dwellers would engage in non-violent protest. They must have heard about Martin Luther King, Jr's success and decided to give it a shot. On several occasions, the lower class would show up in Jerusalem and host a sit-in which would last for days on end. It worked.

There were always people who recognized the injustices of the world and call attention to it. Epictetus was one such man. He was a famous Stoic of his day. He believed that the secret to living life was to not be affected by the world around you. Free from the passions of the world, you can then pursue more noble, ethical and moral paths. Stoics drew attention to social concerns by not being affected by it's corrosive influence. Subtle, but noticeable.

A more aggressive approach was Cynicism. In this mode, people of means would give up their upper class lifestyle and adopt a more liberated existence. They would wear clothes that were made for durability more than fashion. They kept no belongings other than the clothes on their back, a wallet, and a staff. the sleep under the stars. They begged for food. Diogenes was well known for this form of protest. When a person of means embraces the lifestyle of the poor, people notice, because it is a counter-cultural move. Not subtle, and definitely provocative.

Before Jesus' ministry takes center stage in the Gospels, the spotlight is on John the Baptist. He was a famous, charismatic itinerant preacher proclaiming that times were going to change - God was going to be bringing his judgment. Therefore, people had better repent lest they get swept away with all the other wicked people who deserve such punishment. It is often noted that John wore the clothes of a prophet. But the wardrobe also fits the cynic, and so did John's message. John lived off the land, eating locusts and wild honey. His very presence made a statement.

And his location was also provocative. He called people to become baptized - and they did, coming in droves from all over, including outside of what was traditionally considered as Israel. He chose to baptize in the river Jordan - the same river the people of Israel crossed over when they first entered the Promised Land. Hmmm. A guy looks radical, preaches apocalyptic messages alluding to God taking back his land, and people are flocking from across the border to cross the river (as they once did) to be spiritually renewed before entering the land... Nothing suspicious there... Makes his beheading a little easier to understand, doesn't it? He was a protester, and he was rallying people to get ready for something to happen.

Enter Jesus. Another itinerant preacher roaming the countryside, attracting thousands to hear that they matter to God and that this age was coming to an end. Sure, he healed people of all sorts of stuff, and gave ethical teaching, too. But don't miss what is so obvious to the crowd: he was a highly visible peaceful protester rallying people to believe in God for life.

Like Jesus being less than a peasant, I don't remember ever being taught much about Jesus the social activist, the peaceful, nonviolent protester. While we celebrate our freedom of speech and our freedom to assemble, it's not particularly macho. We like to focus on the Jesus depicted as the guy coming back to kick some serious butt. Jesus as John Wayne would play him.

But Jesus didn't play the role like a rough and tough cowboy. He was a straight-talker when he needed to be, but often he used metaphor to force people to think for themselves. He spoke like a millenarian at times, but this is not what compelled most people to follow then or now. I believe his message of love and grace is what won the hearts and minds of thousands yesterday and still today. Part of his message was being with the people whose cause needed the be championed - he lived his words.

As we celebrate the birth of Jesus this year, I wonder who we are in the audience. Some of us are feeling very peasant-like - we are seeing that a system still exists that serves to keep people in their place. We are comforted by Jesus, who is intimately familiar with our plight, our self-loathing, our hopelessness, and chooses to be there with us, conferring value on our lives and being hope. Some of us are wealthy onlookers. We don't want to see this side of Jesus. We ignore this facet, and choose to focus on the kingly stuff - we identify more with royalty. We find Jesus' message penetratingly uncomfortable. All who claim to follow Jesus must take his approach seriously, and ask ourselves whose cause are we championing? Because if we are not doing as Christ, can we really call ourselves little Christs?

111204 Jesus 101: Less Than Peasant

2011-12-04T19:00:00.000-08:00

Who's birthday do we celebrate this season?

Some of you are groaning, Please don't go down the Jesus is the Reason for the Season path....

Others are recalling signs and Christmas cards calling for us to put Christ back in Christmas.

I know we know the answer to the question above is "Jesus". But which Jesus are we celebrating? Are we celebrating the Jesus we are simply accustomed to, without giving it any thought? What if our picture is totally off? I'm remembering the movie Guess Who's Coming to Dinner from 1967 where a young white woman surprises her parents when she introduces them to her African-American fiancé. It was a brilliant movie, especially for its time. You could feel the tension in the room as if it were your own (which, actually, it was/is).

While we are generally unaware of it, we have strong, deeply-seated notions about the Jesus we celebrate this season. What we probably don't realize is just how much our vision of our Jesus has been shaped by church history 300 years after Jesus walked on this planet. We know he was born into humble surroundings - we love the songs that remind us. But just to be sure our vision resembles reality, let me share some interesting data with you.

During the Roman Empire, everything was designed to serve the Emperor. Power flowed from his throne, money flowed to it. Below is a quick glimpse of the make up of the Empire during the time of Jesus. The list is in a socially ranked order, and percentage of income is also noted where known.

Ancient Upper Class

Ruler: 1 Person/Family; 25% of National Income

Governing Class: 1% of Population; 25% of National Income

Retainer Class (Bureaucrats, military): 5% of Population; 15% of National Income

Market Class: Considerable wealth

Priestly Class: Very few; 15% of Land

Ancient Lower Class: 30% of National Income?

Peasant Class: 80% of Population;

Artisan Class: 5% of Population;

Unclean and Degraded Class: Diseased, Disabled, Tax collectors, Lenders, Retailers

Expendable Class: 7% of Population

Do you remember what Jesus profession was before he began his ministry? He was a carpenter, most likely, as that is what his father Joseph did for a living. A carpenter was an artisan. Where does artisan fall on the list? While things may have changed favorably for artisans in the future, they ranked below an everyday peasant during that time period. This is most likely because a high value was placed on agri-business, and those who worked for a living were just a notch above retailers, tax collectors and lenders. Jesus was an artisan who didn't even get the social respect of a peasant.

To give you an idea of what sweet life was afforded for peasants, consider the following example from several centuries later from a 40-acre farm in Mecklenburg northeastern Germany during 14-15 Centuries CE. Their crops yielded a total of 10,200 pounds of grain. Immediately, they stored 3,400 for seed, fed 2,800 to livestock, paid 2,700 for rent, and were left with 1,300 pounds for personal food. This would provide 1,600 calories per person. We know we need somewhere between 2,000-3,000 calories a day to live. If you were a peasant, you didn't have enough to really live. You were part of a machine to provide for those above you. As one expert put it, peasants of all times and places are structured inferiors. Recall that Jesus wasn't even a peasant.

If that's not bleak enough, let's consider mortality. Currently in the United States, for every 1,000 babies delivered, all but 6.75 will live. Less than 1% of babies die in childbirth. Of those 99.325% who live, they can reasonably expect to live to celebrate their 77th birthday.

When Jesus lived, however, things were a bit different. In Pre-Industrial societies, 33% of live births ended in death by age six. 60% of live births died by age 16. 75% of live births were dead by age 26. 90% of live births were gone by age 46. And only 3% of live births would make it into their 60's.

When we think of Jesus, we think of strong leader. Humble, sure, but we easily see a halo over his head in the cradle. We think of Jesus as a king, as part of the godhead, as eternally omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. In our current culture this type of person is pretty well dressed, in pretty good shape - commanding respect wherever they go.

If that's your image, it's probably wrong.

Conjure poverty in your mind. What's do the poor wear? How do they look? How do they act? Where do they stand in terms of public respect? How are their rights compared to those literally above them who command much more resource than they can ever dare dream of grasping? What's their life expectancy compared to those in the upper class? How is their quality of life? How does their life experience shape their message? How welcome are the poor at the social gatherings of the rich? Would we find ourselves playing the part of Spencer Tracy, struggling to welcome such an unexpected guest?

Which Jesus do you sing Happy Birthday to this Christmas? As you answer the questions above, you are more likely to be addressing the right one, and less likely to be adoring a figment of your imagination.

May you be deeply disturbed and eventually filled with hope as you investigate which Jesus you've invited to your home this Christmas.

111127 Reflections from the Wall

2011-11-28T09:08:00.001-08:00

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

2011-11-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-13T12:00:00.000-08:00

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

2011-11-06T12:00:00.000-08:00

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.

"⁴Then 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! ⁵Do 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)

¹⁴Remember, 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.

Bonus Post: The 1% Leader Who Loved the Other 99

2011-10-31T10:18:00.000-07:00

When he tookoffice, the capitol city’s infrastructure was in shambles. The economy was, of course, in terrible shapeas well. Domestic terrorism was aconstant threat that needed to be constantly monitored and addressed.

Before he went to work on fixingthe problems his governance would face, he took some time to learn about theleadership methodology of his predecessors. Something wasn’t right, of course, since the capitol city had been amess for longer than anyone could remember. It didn’t take long to hear about the former governors’ approach: enjoyall the rights, privileges and perks of the office – at the expense of thepeople – and promote the dignity of the office by staying there – don’t getyour hands dirty with real work among alongside the people you serve.

The new governor could see that thosewho came before him did not confront the obvious problems facing the capitolcity (failing infrastructure), and that the luxurious lifestyle at the expenseof those who were struggling created low morale and distrust among theconstituency.

The first thing he did was get his hands dirty. He dove headfirst into the problems that werekeeping his people from flourishing. Heresearched secretly, in fact, because he wanted an unvarnished view of just howbad things were on the street. Hissecurity detail didn’t even know where he was. He discovered that things were as bad as he had heard. He saw what affect the conditions were havingon the people, and it deeply moved him. As soon as his report was ready, he went into the community, and ralliedthe people’s support from the street level, calling on their sense of pride togive them the energy and focus they had not experienced for years. People gave themselves to the work at hand –they were inspired by the charisma, vision and character of their new leader.

Terror threats rose in light of the new attempt to rebuild themselves,and when they did, the governor spoke encouragement to his people. Everyone took responsibility for their safetyseriously, and people were encouraged to arm and protect themselves ifchallenged.

Not long into his term, however, he learned of an ongoing threat to thefuture of most of his people. Wealthiercitizens came to the aid of the less fortunate in their time of need byproviding them loans to keep them afloat. The loans really didn’t help, though, because the interest they werecharged was sinking them. Children weresent to work to avoid default. None ofthis was illegal, of course. The wealthyagreed to terms that worked for them, and those who needed the loan signed thecontract. The wealthy had every legalright to continue collecting on their loans, regardless of the plight of thepeople making the payments.

But does legally right mean that it’s right?

The governor called these elite folks on the carpet. He painted the picture for them: abusing thepeople had caught up with them. Continuing to demand their legal rights was going to lead to severeoppression on the people, which would be the undoing of the elite in time. He called for them to make deep changes tohelp change the economy.

One of the reasons the governor could speak with such passion andconviction was because of the way he had chosen to live his life while inoffice. In contrast to the leadersbefore him, he did not draw on his luxury allowances, which were funded by themajority of the people who were mostly poor. This decision not only lowered budget expenses, it included a tax cutfor the poor. At the same time, however,he personally continued to foot the bill for many services required by hisoffice. He sacrificed for the good ofthe people. He ate the cost of changewhile he was relieving the price of life for those he led. All the while he served among the people asthey rebuilt their future together.

Amazingly, the wealthy elite changed their approach to their wealth. They forgave loans and returned that whichthey had taken as collateral. In otherwords, they did the right thing even though they didn’t have to legally. They paid the price for a problem they helpedto create. Some of them even got theirhands dirty right alongside the governor.

The time it took to turn the city around was unprecedented. Morale was higher than ever, people wereworking again, the city was safe, and the future was bright.

What would it look like if our country’s leadership would take this sameapproach of being with the people long enough to really understand theproblems? How would things be differentif our leadership led the elite by example, willingly sacrificing luxuries thatultimately are paid for by those who have little to spare? How would the morale of the masses bedifferent if the elected leaders and those who lead with their pocketbookstightened up their lifestyle? What wouldhappen if the leadership and the wealthy few set aside – at least in part –their legal right to accumulate wealth from the poor who pay them, and chosesomething perhaps more “right” in relieving the burdened of those who struggleat their own expense?

This governor got it right. Heinspired the rich and poor alike with his presence, his character, and hischarisma. His name was Nehemiah. He ruled over the city of Jerusalem and itssurrounding areas from 445-432 BCE. While some of the historical context between our time and his isdifficult to appreciate and even harder to reconcile, how Nehemiah led whenfaced with a terrible economy, poverty, terror, and greed is inspiring andinstructive.

111030 Building on the Legacy 4: System Change

2011-10-30T12:00:00.000-07:00

In his latest book, Insurrection, Peter Rollins tells a story about a man who rushed to the home of a local pastor, and banged on the door to speak to her. He explained to the pastor that one of the pastor's church members was in deep need.

"It's a single parent home, and he just lost his job. To make matters worse, the landlord of their apartment is unwilling to give them even the slightest break, and they will be out on the street in days unless someone provides the rent money," the man shared. The man begged the pastor to get funds from the church to help this poor family.

"Certainly! I'll go get some funds right now," the pastor said. "By the way, how do you happen to know the family?"

"I'm their landlord," he said.

While Nehemiah was rallying the people of Israel to rebuild the broken-down wall surrounding Jerusalem (450 BCE), enemies taunted the Jewish people from all sides. They were spreading rumors, in fact, that they would kill these laborers if they got the chance. Why? A strong Jerusalem meant these enemies would no longer be able to wield as much control over the region. Aside from the fact that the animosity between the Jews and their enemies was centuries old, to lose control of this city would certainly affect their bottom line. Jerusalem was a well situated city of commerce. Jerusalem's rise would likely mean a significant change in how business would be handled.

Unfortunately, Nehemiah discovered an enemy within the camp, too.

Families came to Nehemiah complaining that they were struggling to help with the wall because of their debt load (Nehemiah 5). Prior to Nehemiah's arrival, they had come on tough times, and had taken a loan from wealthy Jews among them. When they couldn't make a payment, their land was taken. Some even had to sell their children into slavery to work off the debt (at which point they would return home). Wealthy Jews were taking advantage of their less fortunate countrymen. Note: the wealthy had every legal right to conduct business in this way. But just because it's legal does not make it right.

This infuriated Nehemiah.

Nehemiah reprimanded those who were adding such incredible burden to their fellow Jews, and demanded that they stop charging interest, and that they give back the land, the vineyards, the olive groves, the grain, the oil, the wine, and the homes they legally acquired from the poor. What level of outcry would you expect from the wealthy at this point? Deafening! That's not fair! They signed a contract! We have the legal right! We know this because every time it has happened since that time (as well as before), people cried the same foul.

But legal doesn't make it right.

Then Nehemiah shared his personal approach to this dilemma of being a wealthy person surrounded by need. As the appointed governor, he was allowed (given the legal right) to a wide range of luxuries, all paid for by those he ruled. Food allowances, wine allowances - all sorts of perks - but neither he nor his officials claimed what was their legal right. More than simply refusing such things, Nehemiah went on to describe all that he was willing to do. He himself labored on the wall, he fed 150 people a day, and he provided the food and wine for all his officials and all foreign guests. In short, he limited what he was taking in, and he was generous with what he was expending. This was as uncommon then as it is today. What motivated Nehemiah?

Nehemiah feared God. Uh-oh... When I see the word fear, I cringe as I recall every awful sermon telling people to fear God's wrath and accept Jesus or suffer the consequences of everlasting damnation. In short, be afraid of the God who wants you to suffer continuously yet somehow loves you... I have never been comfortable with fear being a primary motivation for a relationship with God. What did Nehemiah think? Given his time in history, it is entirely possible that fear meant fear - fear of God's wrath being meted out on him and his people if you don't toe the line. Or, it could have meant more of a deep reverence of God. Both are possible. I think the latter makes more sense given his lifestyle, and it certainly resonates more with me.

With this idea of fear-as-reverence, then, we can see the beauty of Nehemiah's actions. He chose to give up what was legally his and give away what was his to save for something more important than himself. He was originally moved to tears and sacrifice by compassion when he first heard of the wall's condition and it's ramifications. It was Nehemiah's heartfelt passion that rallied people to the cause of rebuilding. It was his love of God and God's people that enabled him to give comfort when the threats mounted. And it was a deep reverence for God and what God wanted to do in history with this people that moved him to sacrifice so that the dream would come true.

The landlord in Peter Rollins' story is like a lot of people in our world. He recognized the need and was moved to sound the alarm, yet he was part of the very problem he was wanting the pastor to address. He was not going to give up what was legally his or personally give them what they needed when it really mattered. This is a way-of-thinking-about-life, a system problem. Rollins points out Batman as another example. Batman seeks out evil in the world by night, yet runs a company by day that is so wealthy that it funds a state-of-the-art, covert military operation without getting noticed on the books. What might happen if some of these Wayne Enterprise funds were diverted into programs that would alleviate the poverty and despair that leads so often to crime? Batman might be out of a job. Bruce Wayne, in this light, is a part of the very reason why crime continues and Batman exists. No wonder women don't stick with him for very long...

We desire a world free from systems that are oppressive. We all want world peace. But how many of us want it bad enough to choose to not operate by the system's way of life? How many of us are willing to forgo what is rightfully ours in order to do the right thing which will help change the system? This is what Nehemiah did, and his example beckons us to do the same.

CrossWalk is a place where we seek to recognize the systems that are oppressive and change them - personally, in our families, in our relationships, in our workplace, and in our world. Biblical salvation, really, is about system change - it's not simply about getting your soul to end up in heaven. Salvation is all about breaking free from broken systems and embracing an entirely different system spoken of by Jesus - the system which operates in what Jesus called the Kingdom of God. The incredible news and invitation is that we get to usher in this new way of being now. We don't have to wait until we die. New life now.

But in order to experience it, we have to let go of our landlord tendencies and our Batman arrogance. We need to join Nehemiah, and choose to build on the legacy which really does change the world for good.

May you take a new look at why you live your life the way you do. May you wonder about what you really want to be a part of with your life and resources. May you find yourself building on the legacy of all those who made the shift before us, providing us the opportunity to do the same for ourselves and those yet to come.

Building on the Legacy: Yeahbut Syndrome

2011-10-23T21:37:00.003-07:00

We’re in week three trekking along with Nehemiah. In chapter 4 we found out that Jerusalem’s enemies were increasing their threat of the Jews working feverishly to rebuild the wall. They set up camps outside of Jerusalem’s perimeter, and let their threats be known. In response, Nehemiah had to split the workforce to allow for watchmen. In addition, all the workers carried weapons just in case their enemies attacked. The work was hard and the threat was real, which led to frustration within the ranks. Weariness and hopelessness was creeping in – an enemy of a different sort.

Some people reading this story might be troubled by this development. If God was with them, why was there resistance? Shouldn’t God’s people be covered by some insurance umbrella guaranteeing that everything would go smoothly? And was this project really worth it? Before they started rebuilding, living with a crumbled wall meant vulnerability, but their enemies weren’t trying to kill them. Now their life is literally on the line.

Like Nehemiah, we are called to build something. We are called to usher in the Kingdom of God – taking the presence and ways of God wherever we go. Into relationships, the marketplace, society, the world. The Kingdom of God brings with it healing and restoration. Whenever we bring more health into any system, however, there will be resistance. The fact that it’s good news doesn’t mean that the news will be welcomed with open arms.

Nehemiah faced enemies outside Jerusalem’s crumbled walls. We face enemies, too, but much of the time they are camped within us. We face the enemy of apathy, causing us to wonder if bringing in the good news is worth the effort. We face the enemy of rationalization, which attempts to justify inaction when action is required. And we face the enemy of personal comfort, which demands that we stop what we’re doing in order to maintain our cozy status quo.

When Nehemiah saw the discouragement, he called for he people to remember what they were doing this for: their loved ones and their God. Should the enemy attack, they would be fighting for the very lives of those they loved.

It’s not much different for us, really. When we are called to do the work of God, it is for something bigger than ourselves. Building the Kingdom of God where we are means a healthier existence for all around us, even if it takes tremendous effort. The people you love benefit. The people you barely know benefit. God is honored.

So, if you pray the prayer, God, what do you want me to do, and you get an idea what that might be, expect anxiety to set in. Recall that this is normal and not an indication of being out of step with God, and keep moving forward.

Right now, CrossWalk is in the middle of a Capital Campaign, where we are asking our people to dig deep to give our facility a facelift, to honor God, honor the legacy of the people who worked hard to provide this space for us, and to hopefully cast a good impression to our community that reflects our love of God and our desire to be a pleasing part of our community. I hope you are willing to ask the question of God, and be willing to follow in the footsteps of Nehemiah’s contemporaries. Like those who have gone before us, our faithfulness will bless countless people in the years to come.

111016 Building on the Legacy: Beauty

2011-10-16T12:00:00.000-07:00

So far in the story of Nehemiah, amazing things have taken place. Nehemiah heard of of the conditions in Jerusalem - his hometown - and his heart was broken. He was so overcome by the news that he put his life on the line, asking the King for the moon - time off, papers giving him authority, resources to carry out the work. The king gave him what he asked and more, supplying him with a cavalry unit to ensure safe travels and safe leadership once in Jerusalem. In effect, Nehemiah became governor of Jerusalem and its surrounding region.

After resting and getting his bearings for three days, Nehemiah went out to inspect the wall himself. At night. He had not yet told the city of his plans to rebuild the wall. Strategy must be employed to maximize the momentum for such an undertaking, and to minimize the inevitable impact of voices that would seek to discourage such work before it even got started. Nehemiah knew surrounding regional leaders were not happy to see this newly appointed leader near their turf. At this point, Nehemiah did not know who was on who's side - there could have been eyes and ears present ready to inform his enemies. Under cover of darkness was the wisest choice available.

The conditions were as poor as he had heard.

When he cast the vision for rebuilding the wall of Jerusalem, the people who called the city home stepped up and pitched in. The third chapter of Nehemiah recounts which families tackled which projects. To do the work required significant sacrifice on the part of the volunteers. This wasn't showing up for a couple hours after work, this required making time to give to the project in order for it to be completed. The projects weren't going to get completed with loose change found between their sofa cushions, either. These folks contributed time (which was money then as now) and their own money to get the wall repaired. Nehemiah cast a vision so compelling that they were willing to put other things on hold and move this project ahead of some of their own personal goals.

What was so compelling about the speech that people contributed at such a sacrificial level? Was it that their own homes were vulnerable to attack due to lack of fortification? Was it that the work of the Temple was put under stress because of people having to perform more work to make up for their constant loss? Did it have anything to do with the fact that Humpty Dumpty recently had a great fall, after sitting on that wall, causing such severity of injuries that all the king's horses and all the king's men couldn't put Humpty back together again? I think we're on to something here...

The people were moved not because of Nehemiah's logical conclusion about the features and benefits a repaired wall might bring. Passion enough to generate such sacrifice isn't founded on logic alone. Something else moved the hearts of the listeners, and that something was beauty.

What moved Nehemiah so emotionally when he first heard the news of Jerusalem? He was informed that his hometown was a wreck, a disaster, a ruin. What moved his friends to join him on such a great campaign requiring so much effort? They saw through the eyes of an outsider that which they had become so familar: their home was adorned with rubble. Not beauty.

The God they served, the faith they loved, the people they shared life with - all beautiful. The condition of their space did not adequately reflect the beauty of their belief, and it certainly did not communicate anything beautiful to those who came near. It's like the people were given permission to see the obvious within the context of really being able to do something about it. They didn't have to wallow in hopelessness anymore - now a person with authority was present to help them restore to beauty the place they loved.

Beauty matters. When God breathed everything into creation, beauty was a high value. Beauty in design, beauty in color and contrast, beauty in scale. Whether you are laying eyes on the majestic mountains of the Sierra at Tahoe, walking the beach at Dillon, Doran, or Bodega, strolling through a vineyard in our collective backyard, stopping to notice the detail of a flower or the personality of your pet, you must admit that beauty abounds. We are created beautiful. We are like God in that we appreciate beauty, and love to create beauty.

When we want to communicate honor to someone, we send a beautiful card, beautiful flowers, throw a beautiful party, say beautiful words. We communicate honor through beauty. The people of God who lived in Jerusalem had their hearts broken for years because they were not able to create the beauty deserving of such a God in such a place. But this day was different. Now they had their chance to create something that would reflect their love of God by exercising their capacity to create beauty.

We serve the same beautiful God. We have an opportunity now to build on the legacy of those who came before us, and some who are in our midst still. When our church was built on this site, beauty was a serious consideration. When our gym was built, beauty was a serious consideration. When these pews replaced really uncomfortable metal folding chairs, beauty was a serious consideration. When we renovate this campus, restoring the beauty it was intended to have, we honor those who invested themselves in this place. When we repair and beautify this space, it not only inspires us, it attracts others who are drawn to beauty, and to the people and God who care enough to create such beauty. But most of all, when we do our part to keep this place beautiful, we honor God.

We can do something about this space at this time. Names are written in Nehemiah's book recording the beautiful sacrifices made by his contemporaries. Names have been written here, too, recalling the same. Their names were recorded because they dared to pray the same prayer you are being invited to pray: God, what do you want me to do? It's time for us to write our names on this place, so that a future generation might continue the same beautiful legacy that has captured us today.

May you be overwhelmed by God's beauty as you pray. May your life be a beautiful reflection of God's grace and generosity.

111019 Building on the Legacy: Broken Wall, Broken Heart, Broken Life

2011-10-09T12:00:00.000-07:00

Nehemiah, a Hebrew, was cupbearer to Artaxerxes 1, King of Persia. This was an incredibly high-trust position reserved only for those the King could trust with his life, since whatever the king put to his lips went before the cupbearer first. This was a position of honor and intimacy.

One day, Nehemiah heard from fellow Hebrews that Jerusalem's wall was in shambles, and it broke his heart. Why?

Jerusalem's Temple had been restored about 15 years earlier, which enabled these people of God to resume their centuries-old way of connecting people to God, which transformed lives, gave people direction and hope, and ultimately served to bless the world. If the wall surrounding the city was broken, however, it meant that these people of God were not likely able to carry out the ministry, because they were too busy defending themselves from enemy attack, or rebuilding their homes from constant ransacking and theft.

If the wall was down, it meant the Hebrew people could not carry out their ministry effectively, which meant a whole lot of "bad" for a whole bunch of people.

Nehemiah was so distraught that it caught the attention of the king, who asked him what was wrong.

Nehemiah took a major risk in explaining his sorrow over Jerusalem (was under the king's rule). He really had to trust that what he was going to share and eventually ask for was a God-thing. No doubt, he was inspired by the memory of Esther, who a number of years before was in the very same place trusting God with her life as she stopped genocide from commencing.

The king empathized with Nehemiah and asked what he could do to help. Nehemiah took a deep, prayerful breath and asked the king for the moon - money, resources, letters of authority, and protection. The king agreed! Nehemiah set out to restore the wall, which was really about restoring the ministry the Hebrew people felt called to provide for Jerusalem and ultimately the world. He was making sure the legacy of the Hebrew people's approach to connecting to God was going to continue.

CrossWalk has a 151 year legacy behind her of changing lives. Literally thousands of people have been reconnected to God through our ministries over the years, and thousands upon thousands more through the people who have called our church home. More and more people are falling in love with this place every year.

In order to make sure our ministry legacy moves forward in strength, we have Nehemiah moment before us. We have repairs that must be made to certain parts of our campus to maintain safety and provide for future use. Parts of our facility are also seriously out of date, and in our culture act as a repellent to potential visitors who assume our ministry and message is as out of season as our facade. We have an in-house mission that needs to be expanded, and a larger mission that needs to be more fully funded. And we need to reduce our debt so that funds can go to ministry instead of interest.

I am asking you to ask God, what do you want me to do?

Over the next few weeks, we will be walking with Nehemiah as we ourselves walk toward our own restoration project. I pray that you will be open to God's voice and presence as you listen and look for God's guidance. We love this place. Let's love this space.

111002 The Feast of the Father

2011-10-02T12:00:00.000-07:00

The following was used as part of our worship service to help us prepare for communion in light of all we have learned from during the Prodigal God series.

Preparing for the Feast of the Father...

The younger brother’s mistake was that he believed he could experience the best of life apart from the Father through self-discovery. He sowed his wild oats and found himself knee deep in pig [slop]. He ended up squandering what was afforded him, causing himself and others significant pain. He lost his connection to his father in the process, who was his source for life. How do you resemble the younger brother character? How do you seek to control your life by ignoring God? I am like a younger brother when I…

The older brother’s mistake was that he believed he could guarantee (control) happiness tomorrow through moral conformity today. He worked his father’s fields, sowing bitter herbs deep with his heart. He believed that if he was good, his inheritance would be guaranteed. He also lost his connection to his father in the process, even though he stayed home. How do we resemble the older brother character? How do you seek to control God by being good? I am like an older brother when I…

The father showed his inexhaustible love for his younger son by running to him while he was still some distance from home. He ignored his son’s desire to be considered dead, and instead restored him to full sonship with a robe, sandals, and a signet ring on his finger. That wasn’t enough, however. This was reason to celebrate, so he threw an extravagant party for the whole village honoring his son’s return. The father showed his unending love for his older son when he left the party to seek out and invite his older son inside. He looked past his older son’s disrespectful, hurtful words and tone and focused his attention on communicating his love for his son, and his desire for his family to be restored. Our Father, God, loves humanity like this. God loves you like this. How have you experienced God’s love? God loves me enough to…

A missing character in the story was what the older brother should have been. What the younger brother needed was an older brother who, out of loving concern, sought after his younger sibling to bring him back home. His desire to see him restored to the family would be rooted in his own love for him, as well as out of respect for his father’s love for his younger son. Seeking out the younger brother would be personally costly. Time, money, energy, and emotional investment would be required to succeed in the mission. Who are the younger brothers in our world today? What can we do to help get them back “home”? I will be like a good, true older brother by…

Sunday's Communion Prayer:

My Father, My God

You are generous and good

Loving and kind

Forgiving and restoring

I confess my younger brotherliness...

I sometimes think only of what meets my selfish needs

without wondering what your input might be

I can be self-centered, ignoring my relationship with you

I confess my older brotherliness...

At times I do very good things, but only to earn favor

brokering deals so you'll do something for me in return

I can be judgmental instead of graceful

I ask for your forgiveness and restoration

I thank you that you seek me out

and invite me back into relationship with you

I accept your love and support

in becoming who I was created to be

Help me be a True Elder Brother

So others can find their place at the Table

110925 Prodigal God 6: What's Your Story?

2011-09-25T12:00:00.000-07:00

I like how Rob Bell treats the story of the Prodigal Son in his book, Love Wins. Timothy Keller, as Bell noted, provided some great insight for Love Wins. In fact, I first learned of Keller’s Prodigal God from one of Bell’s footnotes. Read Bell’s book. I’ll be glad you did, and you might be, too.

Bell notes that both the younger and older sons have their stories that they have been living and creating. The younger brother sewing his wild oats, and the older brother sewing bitter herbs. But when each brother was sought out by their father, they were each given an invitation to adopt a new story for their lives and start living by that new script.

The younger son was given the opportunity to leave behind his story of hedonism’s surprising pain and embrace a story where he becomes a son again, fully restored.

The older son was given the opportunity to leave behind his story of self-righteous indignation and embrace a story where he begins to live with and enjoy more than he always wanted.

That Jesus included such a proviso in his story is no surprise, since he lived the story during his ministry. Dramatic, younger brother stories were commonplace for Jesus in his ministry. Remember that Jesus was well known for attracting all sorts of “sinners” during his ministry. With the brief amount of history we have of Jesus, we know that several of these types came to hear Jesus: tax collectors, adulterers, sexually immoral folks. We also know that other dramatic characters were part of Jesus’ story: lepers, blind people, disabled persons, and all manner of ill folks came to Jesus. As each heard Jesus’ message and received healing in various forms, they were invited to adopt a new story for themselves. They no longer needed to live by their sin- or disease-laden identity. They could trade up to a better story, where they were deeply loved and valued by God, and given God’s presence to help them go beyond their former scripts’ parameters.

Older brother types also received the same invitation. Very moral, highly religious self-righteous types also came to hear Jesus (even if simply to try and trip him up). They received the same invitation to trade up on their stories, leaving behind their desire to control others and God, and discover the freedom and love that grace affords. Recall that the Prodigal God parable was itself such an invitation to leave their limited and limiting stories in the past and embrace a much lovelier future.

Regular folks, too, were given the invitation. Most of the disciples fit in this category. They were, for the most part, pretty good people with pretty normal stories. And yet when Jesus invited them to “follow me” they were challenged to evaluate which story they were going to pursue: their predictable, familiar story or the enticing one offered by Jesus.

Read the rest of the Bible and you will discover that Jesus was simply doing what God has always done: ask people to adopt a new story driven by a God-centered plot. The new story is always challenging, but also always an improvement over whatever existing story there might be. God’s story is also better for the betterment of the world and its inhabitants, too – a shift away from our typically egocentric tales.

So, what does this look like in today’s world?

Adopting means identifying yourself more and more with who we are and can become as children of God. We acknowledge how we have been formed by our families, but we no longer limit ourselves by the bad or good script we've been handed. In this way, we are not in denial about how we have been shaped. We acknowledge the good and the bad, and in so doing God sheds contrast on what identifying with him means. It is always better, but rarely easy to adopt.

The invitation to embrace God’s story is always present, which is a good thing, since we regularly run into the limitations of our current script. Sometimes the difficulty is how we are read by others. It takes a while for people to let go of their preconceived expectations of us based on our old scripts. They will unwittingly assume we will be who we have been, which means we will experience pressure to stay in our old character roles. It will be easier, in fact, to stay the same. But we must not if we want to experience the party the Father is throwing. Better isn't always easier...

Are you aware of the invitation that is before you?

I know I haven’t been aware of the invitation if I never ask myself what God’s story line might be as I make life decisions, big and small. How do I manage my schedule? How do I allocate the funds at my disposal? How do I direct my thought-life? How do I steward my personal health? How do I handle stress? How do I love people who are important to me? How do I love people I don’t particularly want to hang out with? How do I decide what qualifies as a job well done in my line of work? How do I pray and what do I pray about? How do I determine my major life goals? How do I sort out what media I will allow into my life and what I will intentionally shut out? If I never even think about how God might weigh in on these questions (and every life question), I am very likely not embracing the invitation to the fullest extent.

To accept the invitation is to be present at the party, to be involved in the relationship, to allow the relationship to guide all of our direction questions because we have learned to trust that God's wisdom is worth heeding. and relationship with God is the very source of life.

The younger brother, wrecked by the life choices he had made, welcomed the invitation with humility.

The older brother, also wrecked by the life choices he had made (even if he couldn’t see it), was given the invitation as well. We don’t know what he chose. All we know is that the invitation was given.

How are you responding to the invitation God is extending to you? Are you ready to trade up your story?

110918 Prodigal God 5: How It Should Have Ended

2011-09-18T12:00:00.000-07:00

Maybe I was too hard on older brothers. Elder brotherliness offers a lot of positives that we shouldn't overlook. For one thing, older brothers, like the one in the Prodigal story we've been looking at from Luke 15, are disciplined. When older brothers are in charge, there's no real chance of those under their care becoming soft. Older brothers run a tight ship, and know that accommodating certain behavior could sink everything they've worked for. That kind of discipline keeps everybody in line. Older brothers are efficient, faithful workers, and expect the same of others. You can count on them to get the job done. That's a good quality. Elder brother's don't get treated like doormats. They are tough cookies. They don't get ripped off. If they are in charge of your stuff, you can rest knowing no foxes are going to get into the hen house. And when things do go wrong, or people go wrong, you can count on swift justice being served. People are held accountable, which raises the bar of performance. This is a sought-after quality in leadership circles, and certainly commands respect.

On the other hand, especially since we're talking about God and the faith in the Prodigal story, elder brothers are deadly to the Great Commission - the lat command, so to speak, of Jesus. He told his disciples to do make disciples of all people everywhere, teaching them to obey everything Jesus had commanded. Obedience is a top priority for older brothers, so how could they struggle with - let alone be a detriment to - the Great Commission? When asked what was the most important laws of God to follow, Jesus gave not one, but two which, if followed, satisfied all the rest. Just two rules to master in order to Ace all the rest. The rules? First, love God with everything you've got. Second, love others as you love yourself. That's it. And that's the problem. Older brothers like the one in the Prodigal story struggle with love. Love isn't a law, it is a way.

When we let our elder brotherliness grow in us, we don't really want our younger brothers back, because they seem more bother than brother. We don't love them much. If they somehow come back, we want justice before they get to eat our food. We want some groveling. We want to impose penalty. We want them to wear a scarlet letter so that nobody will forget what they did. If they want to eat and sleep in our house, it's no too much to ask.

When we let our elder brotherliness get the best of us, we create environments that are hostile to younger brothers. They feel great to us, because they support everything we believe in. We are comfortable. But what is comfortable for us is excruciating for our younger siblings. Worse, creating environments where we are insulated from younger brothers perpetuates our blindness toward our self righteousness. We think we're great, but the world we are supposed to be reaching calls us hypocritical. We even want to blame the media, because it can't be our own fault that people see us this way - we're wonderful - just ask us.

The fact is, the Great Commission relies completely on the Great Commandments. Lack of love leads to failure. Guaranteed.

Keller notes in his book, The Prodigal God, that a character is missing in Jesus' story: a True Elder Brother. According to Keller, it would have been the elder brother's role to seek out his wayward sibling and bring him back. This would have cost him time, money, and energy. Why would he does this? Love. A True Elder Brother would respect the fact that his younger sibling was stuck in a story, and would be more interested in helping him through it that reminding him of it. Why wouldn't he make him recount the painful details of his waywardness? Because he loves him. A True Elder Brother is lavish with grace. Normal older brothers see this as being soft on sin. But the True Elder Brother recognizes (from personal experience, no doubt), that grace provides a higher form of justice than the pursuit of justice alone. Where justice alone is satisfied with restitution, grace goes far beyond it by pursuing redemption and restoration.

As for all the other stuff the run-of-the-mill older brother does which seems good, when compared to a loving True Elder Brother, there is no comparison. The work is done better, with greater passion. People aren't forced to reach a standard, they are won to a cause and want to contribute. When love is absent, it is painfully obvious.

The religious leaders were older brothers. Jesus was a True Elder Brother. What he claimed to believe matched his lifestyle and ministry. He loved people unconditionally, and people were seeing their lives get turned around - folks who had been written off by older brothers of religiosity. Jesus embodied love in everything he did, all the way to the end, when he even died for his cause, even calling for forgiveness for those responsible for his death.

Jesus loved because he knew how much he was loved by God. God's love grounded and overwhelmed him at the same time.

Which are you more like - the older brother or the True Elder Brother? Where is your struggle? What keeps you from loving more fully? What help you experience more love from the Father?

Great Quotes from Timothy Keller's Prodigcal God:

The younger son's level of remorse did not generate greater compassion from the father.

Just the opposite.

The father's lavish affection made the son's expression of remorse far easier.

The elder brother did not get a harsh condemnation but a loving plea to turn from his anger and self-righteousness. Jesus is pleading in love with his deadliest enemies.

He is not a Pharisee about Pharisees; he is not self-righteous about self-righteousness. Nor should we be. He not only loves the wild-living, free-spirited people, but also the hardened religious people.

Our sense of lostness and desire to escape are indications of God's work within us.

To truly become Christians we must also repent of the reasons we ever did anything right...

We must learn how to repent of the sin under all our sins and under all our righteousness

- the sin of seeking to be our own Savior and Lord.

It is only when you see the desire to be your own Savior and Lord - lying beneath both your sins and your moral goodness - that you are on the verge of understanding the gospel and becoming a Christian indeed. When you realize that the antidote to being bad is not just being good, you are on the brink. If you follow through, it will change everything: how you relate to God, self, others, the world, your work, your sins, your virtue. It's called the new birth because it's so radical.

110911 Prodgial God 4: Elder Brotherliness

2011-09-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

Note: Sorry, no audio today...

Caution: Ouch Factor May Be High!

Remember the story of the father of two sons? The younger asked for his inheritance in advance - "I don't want you, Dad, I just want your stuff". Dad granted the request. The younger son blew it all over some period of time, and was destitute. He came to his senses, and decided to try going home. At least he could work for an honest man. His Dad was thrilled to see him, restored his "sonship" and threw a lavish party for him, which included the entire village. The older brother was indignant, however, and would not attend the celebration. Dad went out to coax him in, and the older son's true colors came pouring out. Ugly, smelly stuff that got spread all over. Dad paid no attention, however, reminding him of his love, and inviting him to join the party.

Even though we can glean a lot from the younger son and father characters in this story, the focus, really, is on the older son. They represented the Pharisees and teachers of the religious law. They were not pleased with the company of sinners Jesus was keeping, even though their lives were being changed as they experienced restored relationship with God. The Pharisees were the insiders, the ones in charge.

Are we anything like the older brother? Do we have elder brotherliness in our gene pool? See if any of the following indicators are similar to your life experience.

Indicators of elder brotherliness...

Anger at brother's return where there should have been joy - justice button pushed, which was more important to him than mercy (see Micah 6:6-8). He was distracted by the lesser concern so much that he missed the greater concern of redemption. We want them to admit all their wrongdoing - grovel - before we offer love and grace.
The father's highly unusual begging didn't humble him - his heart was cold as stone.
He lacked respect when addressing the father - no honor given - very uncommon and highly inappropriate in those days.
His perspective on serving was servitude, not servanthood. He was not serving out of love. His motive was what he would gain out of serving.
He was near perfect in his own estimation: never once have I refused to do a single thing... Self-righteousness was his top spiritual gift!
His focus was on the young meatless goat he never asked for (because a good dad would just know how much he wanted it...). But what about all the food he had enjoyed for so long in his father's house? Ingratitude was his next highest spiritual gift...
Undercurrent: The younger brother got to have all the fun and come back with no consequences - not fair or right - why should he have to stay in this drudgery? The younger brother realized that Vegas wasn't as fun as he thought, and what he really lacked was a meaningful relationship with Dad. The older brother glamorized what he didn't have, secretly yearning for it - maybe in retirement, when Dad kicks the bucket and my ship comes in.
Disassociates himself with his brother - "son of yours". "I'm not anything like him - I'm much better."
Judges harshly his father's decision to celebrate - now we know how he feels about Dad.

This was actually one of several accounts of Jesus lifting the value of grace over any other concern. And, like the others, was probably not received well. I the story's point registered with the target audience (religious folks), my bet is that they never admitted it to anyone.

My guess is that most of us are in denial about just how much elder brotherliness swims through our veins.

In his book, The Prodigal God, Timothy Keller challenges us with this thought: If the preaching of our ministers and the practice of our parishioners do not have the same effect on people that Jesus had, then we must not be declaring the same message that Jesus did. If our churches aren't appealing to younger brothers, they must be more full of elder brothers than we'd like to think.

Ouch.

He's right. We very easily slip into elder brother mode. If the Bible is a witness to human tendencies, then we can be certain that we very naturally lose focus on keeping our relationship with God - Dad - central in our lives. We very easily choose hatred over love, revenge over redemption, getting even over grace. When we sense we are wronged, our sense of justice kicks in. Unfortunately, all too often our way of seeing things favors ourselves handsomely, and fails to see the fuller story of what really happened. While we may strive for blind justice in our courts, I think it's a struggle to pull off in our own lives.

What the elder brother experienced throughout his life cannot be boiled down to sheer greed - upset that his share of the estate was being wasted on his idiot brother. Because I believe things like this are layered and complex, I am confident that this fictional character, if he were real, could not even begin to explain all he was feeling, and I am pretty sure he wouldn't be too clear on why he was feeling the way he felt.

That's the case for all of us. We are complex beings for sure.

What was also complicated was the invitation he was given by his dad to join the party. He certainly had many reasons to offer - if given the chance - to refuse the invitation. To attend is to reward bad behavior. To attend is to somehow condone the younger brother's decisions. I haven't heard the apology. I don't believe he has repented.

So why did the father welcome him home to quickly? Why not have a family meeting so that Older Brother could get on board? The simple answer is that none of that really mattered in the end. Dad made a decision to break a system that has been in far too much control from the beginning of time. Quick justice via harsh judgment would certainly have been approved of by all. But it would not have been at all redemptive.

Dad displayed prodigal grace, a bold decision to break the old system. Systems don't change until part of the system changes. Changing even a part of a system is usually difficult. Even though he held all the cards, it was still a courageous decision for the father. I recently read a quote in one of my kid's classroom: What is popular isn't always right. What is right isn't always popular.

In fact, no relationship would ever survive unless we operated with more grace than justice. Our failures would catch up with us very soon. We would be kicked to the curb, or we would kick our partner to the curb.

Grace changes all that. Grace cancels the debt. Grace is bigger than justice, but when received, has a greater impact. Grace received changes us from the inside out because we realize we do not deserve the release, the forgiveness that we have been given. We become humbled. Our eyes get changes when we really come to grips with what has happened to us. Our current view of things changes. our future motivation changes. All because of grace.

So, how much older brother blood are you pumping through your veins? If you've never come to grips with the enormous, lavish, prodigious gift of grace, you have more than you might realize.

To not take this inner search seriously is to endorse the status quo, and to willingly participate in the perpetuation of ongoing judgment, disharmony and strife in your relationships. You may be right in your assessment of justice, but you will also be very alone.

May you take your older brother search seriously, that you may be a part of a revolution that will change the world if we'll have it. In truth, grace is the only thing that ever will. Jesus was so confident in this fact that he died for it.

Inside the Mind of a Younger Brother

2011-09-10T21:33:00.000-07:00

Jesus tells a story (Luke 15:11-32) about a father who had two sons. One requested his inheritance up front, long before his dad’s death. No doubt, when people heard this opening portion of the story, they shook their heads. Nobody makes such a request. It can be interpreted as wishing your father dead.

What was the younger son thinking? How could a person be so bold and rude? Let’s see if we can get inside his head...

Maybe he wasn’t as malicious as it seems. Sure, his request was awful and largely unheard of. But what if he was simply entrepreneurial, and was looking for some venture capital from his dad? Let’s go with that for a moment. So, he heads out toward the big city with a massive wad of cash in his pocket. His plans were to get his business going. But along the way he gave into some compromises that took him in unexpected directions. He started networking with his bankroll, attending the right social gatherings, picking up the tab of the right people. Then he got sucked into a lifestyle he never imagined he would find himself in – eventually all-day drinking, prostitutes – simply out of control. This seems more likely to me, and I think more common.

Instead of a villain, the young son becomes much more human, and more relatable to our experience. How many people start out with good intentions, only to find themselves surprisingly off track down the pike? How many of our country’s heavily-indebted credit abusers began with a plan to rack up enormous credit card bills? How many people set New Year’s resolutions to get their health back under control by carefully monitoring what they eat and making sure they get their cardio in, find themselves in no better shape in February? How many teenagers make a covenant to keep themselves pure until marriage, only to find their commitment fading under pressure? How many struggling addicts start their sobriety afresh today, only to found out tomorrow they’ve succumbed to the power of their drug of choice? Sometimes it’s the smaller, seemingly insignificant turns along our course of life that end up getting us most off track. One degree of separation initially seems like nothing, but the chasm becomes massive the longer the journey goes uncorrected.

This makes more sense to me. This scenario makes the father’s choice to cash in part of his estate more reasonable as well.

Of course, I am thinking about this from a Western, capitalism-driven mindset that did not exist 2,000 years ago…

Adding to the picture, Keller suggests that part of the reason the younger son was the way he was may be related to the older brother’s approach to life:

"When we see the attitude of the elder brother in the story we begin to realize one of the reasons the younger brother wanted to leave in the first place. There are many people today who have abandoned any kind of religious faith because they see clearly that the major religions are simply full of elder brothers. They have come to the conclusion that religion is one of the greatest sources of misery and strife in the world. And guess what? Jesus says through this parable - they are right. The anger and superiority of elder brothers, all growing out of insecurity, fear, and inner emptiness, can create a huge body of guilt-ridden, fear-ridden, spiritually blind people, which is one of the great sources of social injustice, war, and violence." Keller, The Prodigal God

Was the younger son an entrepreneur gone awry or a younger brother simply reacting in polar-opposite fashion to his older sibling? The fact is that whatever he believed at his core motivated what he did, and that got him where he landed. Seen in reverse, what he did shed light on some core issues at work in his life. What we do is one indicator (among others) of our core beliefs.

Keller also notes in his book that the two sons represent two basic kinds of people. One type – the younger son – is the sort of person that wants to call all of his or her own shots. Ultimate freedom to chart one’s own destiny is the way of life all people should embrace. No serious concern for what others – including God – think about it. However good the plan sounded in the beginning, the core orientation toward life emerged for the younger son. The result was not what he had hoped, and he discovered the hard way what mattered most – relationship with his father (and all it meant) – and it seemed out of reach because of the distance he created.

We all have younger brother blood running through our veins. Especially in our Western world, where mobility is so prevalent, and “relationship” so undervalued. Most folks don’t go out of their way to offend God, I don’t think. But I do believe that many people – myself included at times – do a good job of neglecting their relationship with God so effectively that they don’t even wonder if their way resembles the Way spoken of and modeled by Jesus. In this mode, we naturally lend ourselves to a view of God-made-in-our-image, and not the other way around, which allows us to interpret everything we do as probably okay with God, since God is just like us.

Keller gives an insight for identifying older-brotherliness tendencies that I think applies to the younger, too: if our prayer life is dry (or non-existent), we’re probably headed in a direction that will eventually lead to a veritable pigsty. How is your prayer life?

Getting unstuck from younger brotherliness. I wake up out of my younger son stupor when life catches up to me. Like a 2X4 to the head, I can’t miss it when things fall apart and I’m left in whatever pigsty I’ve created. Sometimes that’s the only way we pay attention to what matters. Are you in a pigsty right now? While it sure is fun to blame others for your painful circumstances, what is your share of the reason for your current location?

At other times, I cannot ignore the ugliness that looms around us, and it stirs me from my slumber. Seeing what’s going on in Furaha (slums of Nairobi, Kenya), is like getting sprayed with ice cold water to me face. I am moved to change when faced with such great need. What has moved your heart recently?

Sometimes, I am moved by the good I see and it draws me in. I became a sold out Jesus follower because I saw the beauty of the God-human relationship at work in a close friend’s life. I saw “better” and wanted it. Are there any witnesses to the better around you that are compelling you to seek out a stronger relationship with God?

Sometimes, when I am quiet enough to listen to God, I am shown potential growth areas in my life that I would otherwise avoid or deny. Issues of ego and arrogance, insecurities and frailties. The beauty of getting this kind of coaching from the Holy Spirit is that it is skinned-knee free. If I get the heads up from God, and heed it, it means I avoid learning the same lesson the hard way. How have you carved quiet moments into your life so that you have the opportunity to hear the Spirit speak into your life? How has God been encouraging you to grow lately?

How are you like the younger son? How do you know when you are operating in those tendencies? What does it take for you to come to your senses and journey back toward your Father? Have you experienced enough pain to stop? Have you witnessed enough ugliness to be part of the solution? Have you seen the “better” worth pursuing? Are you quiet enough to hear the whisper of encouragement that helps shape you toward your best?

May you recognize your younger-brotherliness, and may you come home.

I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope therough the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

110828 Prodigal God: The Father's Eyes

2011-08-28T12:00:00.000-07:00

In the story famously known as The Prodigal Son (Luke 15), Jesus describes a father’s interaction with his two sons. Most of our attention gets focused on the sons’ behavior. But what can we learn about the father? Let’s take some liberty and embellish the story a bit. Jesus told the story with holes in it so that we could have such fun.
I think the father was pursuing a dream. He built a good life with whatever his business was – and not just for himself. I think his dream was to be close to his sons. They would slowly take over the business, perhaps. They were the apple of his eye – what could be better than getting to be with them? I love being with my kids. I love seeing through their eyes. I love seeing them grow into the weird mix of me, my wife, and God. Especially since we know the father in the story is God, we know he was therefore good and loving. Imagine what kind of environment that would have been! We don’t need to spend much time adding details, however, because there is plenty of love within the text we have. Consider the following statements of love expressed from a dad to his kids. As you do, place yourself within the story. For this is your father, too.

He loved his youngest son…

· He gave an early inheritance to the younger son. It would have been easy to become angry, offended, and deeply hurt. The father honored the decision of his son, though we can be sure he would not have agreed with the decisions that followed.

· He kept watch for the younger son's return. This is not the action of a man who has written off his son, but a father longing to see his child’s face again.

· He ran to meet the younger son when he returned. Older, stately men in those days in that region did not run. We see that the father’s joy cannot be contained.

· He rejected the younger son's offer to be dead. When the son asked for his share of the inheritance, it could have been taken as a statement wishing his father was dead (which is why the father’s response is so remarkable). When the son asks to be a hired man, he is basically saying to his father that his younger son (himself) was dead – only this willing worker remains. His father wouldn’t hear of it.

· He adorned him with a fine robe and put the signet ring on his finger. Not only did he reject his sons offer to be considered dead, but he reinstated him sully, giving him power over his estate once more.

· He killed the fattened calf for a village-wide celebration. A DJ and full bar can be assumed. This was a once-in-a-lifetime event for those villagers. Dad cashed in some CD’s to pay for this baby.

And he also loved his elder son…

· He went out to meet his elder son when he was throwing a fit. This shows love toward both sons, and honored the elder even though his behavior certainly did not warrant such respect.

· He listened to him with grace-filled ears. The elder son was in a rage, and said things he probably never would have otherwise. He dishonored his father with his tone, his choice of words, and with his decision to stay outside. The father didn’t react with similar passion. He let his son vent. He listened.

· He communicated the fullness of his love and truth to him. The elder son was not reprimanded, but encouraged to see things from a different vantage point. The father’s tone was redemptive, not destructive. He spoke truth to his son, and reminded him of his fatherly goal – to be near his son – the greatest gift a parent longs for.

· He left the door open for him to join the party. The invitation lingered in the air. Had he ordered his son to join in, he probably would have, but for the wrong reasons. He reframed the entire event, and left the son with the question: do I join my father at the party or do I stay out in the dark and cold night?

God is the father in the story. This is how the father feels and behaves toward all of his kids, no matter what they do with their inheritance.

I think it’s important to recognize who the father is in this story, because it helps draw attention to how off the mark both sons were. And how gracious this father was in response.

The Father hasn’t changed.

The father’s goal has always been to have a growing, healthy relationship with his kids. The father knows this will bless him, his kids, and everyone any of them touch.

How has your image of the father changed over the years? How has your life experience distorted your understanding of the character of God? Why do we behave like the sons in the parable, considering our father is the same as theirs? In light of this story, will you begin to trust that Jesus’ depiction of the father is more accurate than the one you have crafted? How have you experienced the Father’s love?

The Prodigal God Overview

2011-08-21T15:16:00.000-07:00

First, do yourself a favor and listen to the overview teaching featuring Timothy Keller (from The Prodigal God Small Group Resource DVD). Then begin to consider the following questions.

1. How have you acted like the younger son toward his father? How have you wanted everything God offers without a relationship with God?

2. When was your pig sty moment? When has the light bulb come on, shining light on the reality that your ideas fall way short of God’s?

3. What restitution plans have you offered God to gain back God’s favor?

4. How have you experienced God’s prodigal grace?

5. How have you been like the older brother – keeping the rules doing the right things, but not caring much about knowing the father? How have you struggled with younger brother types being welcomed fully into the father’s arms? How have you dealt with the celebration of your younger brother at (ultimately) your expense?

6. Have you ever found yourself critical of others who have not been as faithful as you in living ethically?

7. Which kind of “lost” do you lean toward more? Which brother do you more closely resemble today?

8. What is the difference between seeing God as Savior versus seeing God as guide, leader, friend, or boss? Is the difference meaningful?

9. Keller said that not only do we need to repent (turn away from) the obvious things we’ve done wrong, but we also need to repent from the reason behind everything we did right. What do you think he meant by that?

10. What does it mean for you to come home?

11. Like the father did in the story by going out to meet each son, how have you experienced God initiating relationship with you?

12. How has God’s loved melted and moved you lately?

13. Over the course of your life, when and how have you been like a good elder brother? How did it make you feel? What did it cost?

I pray that God, the source of hope, fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. (it’s in the Bible – see if you can find it).

110814 Hope for Creation: Animals

2011-08-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

Do you like a delicious hamburger now and then?

How about a pulled-pork sandwich?

Grilled chicken breast, anyone?

How about eggs for breakfast?

Does the process of how these food items make it to your table matter to you?

Should the process matter to you?

A related passage of Scripture…

¹ After the ordination ceremony, on the eighth day, Moses called together Aaron and his sons and the elders of Israel. ² He said to Aaron, “Take a young bull for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering, both without defects, and present them to the Lord. ³ Then tell the Israelites, ‘Take a male goat for a sin offering, and take a calf and a lamb, both a year old and without defects, for a burnt offering. ⁴ Also take a bull and a ram for a peace offering and flour moistened with olive oil for a grain offering. Present all these offerings to the Lord because the Lord will appear to you today.’ – Leviticus 9:1-4

How do you get a defect-free animal?

If animals are food, does their treatment matter?

Does a cow care if they can’t move?

Are pigs smart enough to know if they are abused?

Does a chicken care if they are cage free?

Do we embrace Darwinian logic when it comes to wild animals – that only the strong survive? What if we are responsible for their hardship? Is that just an example of natural selection? Find out why California Condors almost got wiped out…

The Oxytocin Reality Check: Animals Emote Like Us

Changes need to be made, and change is difficult.

Every area requiring change has a complex backstory.

Oftentimes, our demand for inexpensive food drives industry to focus on the bottom line first. Consumers are happy. Stockholders are happy. Everybody is happy except the ones paying the highest price.

Could it be that sacrifices had to be blemish-free to teach us a lesson about proper stewardship and honor about the animals offered? Perhaps it was way more than simply trying to win God’s favor?

My agenda: get you thinking and asking questions.

How much more are you willing to pay to eat humanely produced food? Would you be willing to spend a little more for an egg?

How much effort are you willing to give to finding out where your food comes from?

You have choices to make that are related to the stewardship God has entrusted you.

How will you move forward in wisdom?

Check out The Bond, by Wayne Pacelle. As the President of the Humane Society, his bias is obvious, but it will provide a framework from which to go deeper, even if you disagree.

110807 Hope for Creation: Soil

2011-08-07T12:00:00.000-07:00

People who know my story know that to say that I grew up in church is a gross understatement. For the first eight years of my life, my dad was the pastor of the church my family attended. We were there early, and always the last to leave. My folks were so ready to leave one Sunday, in fact, that they forgot to take a head count before driving home. When they finally got home, they realized I had been left behind… Oh the pain! The feelings of abandonment! I got over it. Kinda.

My family wasn’t perfect – no matter what they tell youJ - but it provided an environment that was really conducive to faith. Everybody was basically nice to each other. My folks never fought. We prayed before dinner, which we always ate together. During Advent, we would even read a devotional together before we ate (thank God those things were brief!). Faith was a huge part of our family culture, and it made a big difference in how life was for all of us. Raising kids that way doesn’t guarantee that they won’t mess things up, but it sure increases the odds.

With as much conviction as I could muster at 9 years of age, I made a conscious decision to make Jesus the leader of my life as I tried to understand and honor God. Up to that point and for years to come, the soil had been carefully cultivated so that this would be an obvious, positive decision to make. Never pressured, but certainly celebrated, embracing Christ in this way totally fit in my family. I was planted in good soil.

My guess is most families were not like this. The more stories I hear, the more I appreciate Jesus’ parable about the sower, the seeds, and the soil found in Matthew’s chapter 13. Jesus gives an example of four different types of soil, each affecting whether or not the seed would develop into a producing plant.

Some families are like a well-trod path. The seed scattered there doesn’t stand a chance against the on looking birds. Some families, for many reasons, won’t give faith a chance. The seed of hope that comes with Christ is quickly brushed away and unsupported by parents and siblings.

Some families are like rocky soil. Things start great. Sometimes the entire family gets on board. But when life hits the fan, faith hits the road. God wasn’t the genie in a bottle they expected. Their lack of roots made them vulnerable to the heat that comes with struggle.

Some families are like gardens that become overrun with weeds and thorns. The seedling is there, but it gets choked out. This is extremely common, especially for families who go to church. This soil has been compromised by too many other seeds being allowed to take root. The family wants the love, peace, and hope of Christ, but also wants things in this world which are in conflict with the Way of Christ. Materialism and greed are tops, followed by an obsession to always look good, which is defined usually by somebody else. Compassion for those who are desperate and conviction about things that really matter get crowded out as we pursue other things.

What kind of soil describes you when you first heard about Christ?

Unfortunately, soil doesn’t stay good all by itself. If it’s not nurtured and cultivated, it can become depleted, overrun with weeds, etc.

I know about this, because I allowed it to happen in my life. In fact, I am familiar which each type of soil. I placed myself in environments (friends and places) that were about as conducive to a growing faith as that well-trodden path was to allowing the seed to become a plant. The company I kept did not share my interest in pursuing Christ. So I didn’t, either, for a while.

At other times, I have allowed rocks to come into my soil. Each of my rocks represented a piece of my time. When I don’t pay attention, I find I no longer have the time to cultivate my side of a relationship with God. When the heat turns up, I don’t do well, because my roots have been forced to the shallow places.

Living in the Western part of the world, I am constantly invited to allow into my garden the weeds of greed, lust, materialism, image, etc. On the whole, I think I keep the weeds down. But it is constant work.

In the early years of Israel’s history, a God-inspired law was handed down to the people. Every seventh year, farmers were told to let their fields go fallow. They could eat whatever might come up, but they couldn’t cultivate it. We know now that this was incredibly wise, protecting the soil form losing its nutrients. A long term idea that is still valued to some degree today. But to really do that meant the farmers would take a financial hit that year. It meant their lifestyle would change for those many months. My hunch is that the fields were not the only things that were nourished in that Sabbath year.

Our lives are soil. The good news is that if you grew up with not-so-good soil, you can change that. And if your soil has been neglected over the years – trampled smooth by the wrong company, filled with the rocks of a crowded schedule, or overcome with the weeds of our culture – you can change that, too.

The seeds are always being scattered by the farmer. Seeds that, if cultivated and nurtured, will produce not just a great amount of life, but a life so abundant that it defies logic. That’s your potential. If the soil is good.

110731 Hope for Creation: Water

2011-07-31T12:00:00.000-07:00

We are mostly made up of water. Fleshy water bags. Why hasn’t that made it into a Hallmark card yet?

We can go weeks without food – we just get really grumpy and definitely tired. But we can only go a period of days without water.

Everybody relates to water, which is undoubtedly why God used it as a metaphor for and even as evidence of His presence. Pharaoh was demanding signs that the God of the Israelites was powerful. One early sign? The water turned to blood. As Israel fled the army of the Egyptians, they came to the sea – trapped – but at God’s word the water parted and the people were saved. When Israel was in the wilderness en route to the Promised Land and ran out of water, God instructed Moses to strike a rock at God’s command. When he did, water came gushing out – the people were saved from certain, imminent death. God had power over water, and with it, our capacity to live.

Before Jesus made the radar, John the Baptist preached powerful sermons that moved many people to repent – turn away – from their sinful patterns and choose to live in relationship with God. Jesus began his public ministry with baptism – the immersion marked a new beginning. When Jesus broke tradition conversing with a woman drawing water at noonday in Samaria, he piqued her interest by referring to himself as living water that satisfies forever – never running dry. Jesus encouraged a man blind from birth to go wash his face in the pool of Siloam – known for its occasional healing powers. He did, and could see. Jesus was identifying himself with God as he moved around this metaphor.

Just like the Samaritan woman, we are invited to drink of this living water that will satisfy and sustain us forever. If you haven’t yet, come and drink! Enter into intentional relationship with God and allow his graceful presence refresh you like a hot summer’s dip in Lake Tahoe. You don’t realize how refreshing life with God is until you enter into it. Take a drink! Better yet, take the plunge!

But we’re not simply invited to be water-snobs, having found our favorite spring in Jesus. We are called to express our love of the source of our sustenance by offering it lavishly, unselfishly to any and all who are thirsty.

In Luke 7:36-50, Jesus finds himself have dinner at the home of a Pharisee. Somehow, an immoral woman slipped through the front door and began anointing Jesus with extremely expensive perfume, and washing his feet with tears – water from her eyes. The Pharisees, of course, only saw an immoral woman intruding on their fancy dinner. But Jesus saw an act of worship. He railed on the Pharisees for not showing basic hospitality in offering Jesus water to wash his feet. He identified the source of the woman’s generosity: she had received grace from God and could not help but express her gratitude through service.

Jesus makes a marvelous statement: our loving service is an indicator of our understanding of just how wonderfully and fully God has loved us. It’s like the more in touch we are with the love of God in our lives, the more likely we are to give ourselves away.

Right now in Somalia, people are dying of famine. There’s no food because they are in a drought. The drought exacts an unbearable toll because their country doesn’t have the infrastructure to provide water from great distances when needed. We just find a water fountain somewhere. They walk miles to get dirty water that carries more than they bargained for.

Matt Damon realized his fame wasn’t simply meant for his own enjoyment, but that he could do something about it (http://www.fastcompany.com/magazine/157/can-this-man-save-this-girl). He has partnered with other to create www.water.org – an incredibly strategic initiative to help “dry” communities enjoy sustainable wells. You can hear him speak about his efforts at the Clinton Global Initiative here: http://youtu.be/ZX7DmZNbVhQ. The point is this: he realized that he could do something with the resources he has – his fame, his money, his influence.

What can you do? Why would you?

It seems to me that if we spent time walking around with Jesus back in the day, we would have found ourselves serving thousands of people from the inexhaustible well of God’s love. We would be helping in practical ways, not just telling people the God loves them. For some, it would be helping them just get water. When we walk with Jesus today, it’s no different.

So the question is, in light of God’s giving you an endless supply of living water, how will you express your joyful gratitude? By helping fund projects that help others get water? By conserving water in your home so there’s enough to go around? By opting not to buy bottled water which increases the use of petroleum, and choosing instead to filter your own water (for us water snobs) at your home or carrying around a filtered water bottle that can be used over and over again?

May every sip of clean, delicious water cause you to rejoice that we have such a luxury. And may every sip cause you to remember the much more profound water we have been given by God in Jesus Christ – the living water. May that cause you to give generously and with gratitude in a multitude of ways that spreads life wherever you go.

110724 Light

2011-07-24T12:00:00.000-07:00

As a pastor of a church rooted in the Baptist tradition, I find myself in a lot of awkward conversations. Much of the time, when people find out my church tradition, they immediately assume the wrong thing. Every awful experience they’ve had or heard about involving some ultra conservative, judgmental, funeral-picketing Baptist gets painted on me. They don’t know to ask which flavor of Baptist I am. American Baptists have been historically mainline and even progressive. There’s a big difference between what we believe and how we behave compared to other Baptist traditions.

I try to spend more time with people who are curious about God than folks from other churches who are more caricature Baptist than me. But sometimes I run into someone who assumes, based on my title, that I am as fundamental as they are. No less awkward…

Especially with my more conservative friends, things get weird when anything to do with the environment comes up. “Environmentalists” is a derogatory term for these folks. I get an earful of how awful policies are that are ruining business while promoting various tree hugging measures.

I get uneasy in these conversations because in the back of my mind I’m remembering that God charged Adam with caring for the world with thoughtful stewardship. I also remember that God apparently commanded the people of Israel to practice wise farming methods that protected the long-term fertility of the soil. I think of Hezekiah who, when he learned he was going to live his days in luxury even though his grandkids wouldn’t, lived the rest of his life happy. Happy that his grandkids would suffer when he could have done something about it?

And then there’s that other obvious reality… My family camps a lot for vacation. We live in what has to be the most beauty-dense state in the Union, with incredible variety. Want mountains? Want massive beaches? Want rocky beaches? Want cliffs instead of beaches? Want vineyards? Want dormant volcanoes to climb? Want deltas? Want pristine mountain lakes? Want rivers and streams teeming with trout? Want waterfalls, inland or on a beach? Want massive granite domes? Every time our family becomes immersed in the creation that surrounds us, we are awestruck. We need no convincing that this creation is very, very good.

To not take care of it is to slap God in the face.

The environment is such a politicized issue that for me to bring it up is a risk. But to not bring it up is a bigger risk.

Who or what is your primary source for determining your responsibility when it comes to caring for the globe? Your political party? How ‘bout we raise our eyes a bit and let our gaze be fixed on the Creator, and what God calls us to do.

Wouldn’t it be refreshing if we, as the body of Christ, could lead the charge on caring for creation, transcending the political mire than uses it for votes on both sides of the aisle?

It can happen. We can rise above the politics. Let’s show our love for God, at least in part, by caring for the place God has given us to live.

What does it mean for us to be people who have seen the light, who are guided by the light, who are illumined by the light, who are headed toward the light?

How does our “enlightenment” impact our steps?

How bright are we when it comes to our stewardship of our lives and the world we live in together?

When it comes to personal and global stewardship, who or what lightens your path?

When the Bride is Ready

2011-07-17T11:27:00.000-07:00

When Lynne and I found ourselves on our honeymoon on a beach in Cancun, Mexico, the day after we were married, we sat there in silence. For quite a while. For the last nine months, it felt like the only thing we had talked about with each other were wedding preparations. An enormous amount of details to cover, with little family help. Setting a date. Securing the church. Making sure everyone could make it. Settling on invitations. Choosing the wedding party. Finding a dress. And finding a dress for her, too. Just kidding. Registering. Premarital counseling which we discovered was basically a waste of time (as it is for most soon-to-be-marrieds).

Honestly, guys generally get off the hook pretty easy compared to their brides. Even though we pretend to have a say in things, we know better. She gets the final say. Her vote is worth ten times ours. There’s a lot more on the bride’s plate than on the groom’s. There is much preparation to be made, and mostly by the bride.

Most people who become familiar with the love story between God and people as experienced and recorded by ancient Jewish communities come across a strong metaphor in the prophetic writings of Ezekiel and others. The prophet Ezekiel senses God giving him an image and a message to convey to the people of Israel who have suffered exile: God views his people as a woman he nurtured from infancy who, at the proper time, was as a bride to God himself, adorned in beauty and purity.

This theme is picked up again in various places in the New Testament, and at the very end of the Christian Bible. The Apostle John wrote a letter called Revelation while exiled on a penal colony/island called Patmos (think Alcatraz without cells). The book was written with very familiar imagery for people who lived under Roman rule. Some of the book reads like a weird, tripped-out science fiction novel that Lewis Carroll could have written with a few more hits… But to the ancient reader, it made perfect sense.

One of the images that shows up toward the very end of the letter is that of a bride. Specifically, the bride of Christ. She is the Church, the community of those who love and serve God by loving the Groom, Christ.

Within the last 50 years or so, as we’ve become more aware of the state of our world and her people, there has been a steady interest in the Book of Revelation, because from an apocalyptic perspective, it tells how God is going to wrap this story of ours up. Maybe the strong interest is there because it feels like the world has gone to hell, and we’re waiting to be rescued. That’s the tone of much of the interpretation: we wait for the groom to come and sweep us off our feet and make it all better.

But that’s not the only way to read it. Toward the climax of the story, in Revelation 19:7 we read that the bride has prepared herself for the groom. She has been given the clothes to wear, but she has put them on. She has a role to play in order for the wedding ceremony to commence. Sure, the whole thing has been bankrolled by the Father of the Groom, but there’s still much to be done by the bride if she ever wants the marriage to happen.

What if that’s the whole point? What if, all this time, we were supposed to be working toward bringing more and more of the Way, Truth, and Life of Christ into the world? What if we have been given the wardrobe, but it is up to us to get dressed: Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. (Colossians 3:12). Maybe the reason this brings about the arrival of the groom is because it brings about everything that is the groom into being. Our role as the Bride is to prepare ourselves and our world for the Groom. We do that by bringing more and more of the Way, Truth and Life into the world.

In an everyday human marriage, both partners have to do their best to love and serve the other toward their wholeness, completeness, and best in order for the relationship to really reach it’s potential (see Ephesians 5:21). Disaster strikes when one person waits for the other to carry the full load while they just sit there. It doesn’t work in life, and it doesn’t work in faith. As James aptly phrased it, faith without works is dead (James 2:20).

As you consider your faith, may you begin to see yourself as part of the Bride of Christ. How are you doing on the preparations that will bring about his coming? How well are you holding up your end of the covenant?

For further reading and a potent slap in the face, read Ezekiel 16, asking God to reveal any similarities between yourself and the indictment leveled again ancient Israel. Where have you been faithful? Where have you prostituted yourself? What’s your next move?

110710 Let's Go Steady

2011-07-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

When I do premarital counseling, one of my goals is to scare some reality into the couple. Most of the time, it’s in vain. Couples looking to get married are so in love with each other that they cannot fathom life being any other way. It would be helpful if somebody out there could come up with a crystal ball to help people see into the future. There could be legal issues, of course – people checking it for lottery numbers and Super Bowl outcomes, but these issues can be overcome. So if you’ve got some blueprints on one of those, I’d be interested – just for the sake of ministry, of course.

How would a couple enter their nuptials differently if they knew some of the major challenges they would face in their future together? We always imagine the good stuff, but what about some of the inevitable bad stuff that many couples face?

· You’re going to have huge college debt upon graduation, and be welcomed by a lousy job market, or…

· You’re going to get pregnant years sooner than you planned, or…

· You’re going to try and get pregnant and won’t be able to, or…

· Your child is going to be special needs which will require exponentially more from you, or…

· You’re going to struggle with depression, which will seriously impact your marriage, or…

· Your spouse will be diagnosed with stage IV cancer, and happily ever after might not be possible, or…

· You and your spouse will both get pink slipped and wonder how you’re going to make your mortgage, or…

· You and your spouse are going to approach marriage roles very differently, and it will cause major conflict and even despair in your life, or…

· You will be committed but your spouse will not, and you’ll feel more alone than ever, or…

· You fill in the blank.

If couples could be so sober as they approach marriage, they’d ask different questions. They’d actually ask questions instead of assuming they’ve got it figured out.

Jesus did as good a job as anybody could to sober up his disciples leading up to his death. In John 14, Jesus referenced his leaving them – he knew he was going to die. Laced within his warning, however, he offered words of comfort. Why did he offer words of comfort?

The disciples were starting to get the idea. Their Master was going to die at the hands of an angry Jewish and/or Roman authority. What was going to be their fate? Should they expect the same treatment once Jesus is gone? The fairy tale they may have been holding onto was quickly fading into reality. Following this Jesus – being bound to him – was going to bring with it serious challenges.

Jesus did not pat them on the head and suggest that everything was going to be peachy. What he did was offer them words of hope that would help them prevail under the worst circumstances they could imagine.

I am going to prepare a place for you – in my Father’s house – where there’s plenty of room for you – where you’ll be welcome and with me and the Father and Us and God. There’s a future worth hoping for when those around you threaten to take it all away.

Jesus stated that they knew their way “home.” Thomas challenged his assumption: We don’t know where you’re going, so how can we know how to get there?

I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. Jesus was saying to his disciples that remaining in step with him, staying in relationship with him would cultivate their relationship with God that would see them through the tough times here while assuring them of their peace and place to come. The place to come was the full presence of God, the source of life and peace and all that is holy and good. That same presence can be increasingly experienced here and now. Intimacy with God.

In my humble opinion, our culture doesn’t help us walk through the fire with and for each other very well. It feels like there is a lot of cultural support to cut your losses when the relationship loses its luster. You just don’t love each other anymore. You’ve grown apart. Sometimes couples don’t heal from their wounds – I get that – I’m not minimizing the painful reality faced by millions of people in difficult relationships.

What I am saying is that there is a level of loving and being loved, of knowing and being known that can only be experienced by choosing to with someone when you’re going through hell. When I struggle personally and my wife chooses to come alongside, I experience being loved at a profoundly deeper level than when I’m easy to love. When my wife geos through what life throws at her and I choose to stand with her, by her side, instead of bolting or suggesting she go it alone, we both experience love deeper. The relationship becomes something that it couldn’t have apart from the commitment when it counts.

Jesus is making a similar point. The metaphor he uses borrows from that of a groom preparing a place for his bride. He is telling his beloved that there are going to be really tough times ahead. For sure. But don’t run, even if you’re tempted to. Rather, choose, in the heat of the moment, to draw closer to God, walking with Jesus. Because he is the way, the truth, and the life. Walking with Jesus is walking with God.

I wonder how your relationship with God is going right now? I wonder if we, collectively and individually, have succumbed to the cultural norm of keeping relationships at arm’s length even in terms of our faith? When our faith seems dead, or we lack hope, or we struggle, are we moving closer and closer to God by walking more closely in the way, the truth, and the life?

How are you cultivating your walk with God? If you have no idea, you’ve just answered the question. If you were in a marriage and had no idea how you were cultivating your relationship, I’d say you were headed for trouble. I’d advise a serious investment of thought and time and activity focused on rebuilding your relationship. The advice is no different if the scope is Christ.

So, how is your marriage to Christ?

Hell

2011-06-26T17:50:00.001-07:00

When the word “hell” is spoken, what comes to mind? Immediately our minds go to a fiery place of everlasting torment where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. Terrified that this may be our eternal resting place after our bodies die, we may find ourselves looking for a little insurance to avoid such a fate. Sometimes, upon finding such insurance through some form of religious expression, we stop thinking much about hell, except for the fact that we may have family or friends who may end up there. For many people, however, reflecting on hell does not elicit fear of eternal punishment, but disgust and distraction. Why would anybody want to pursue a god who allows such unjust punishment? Especially if faith is primarily presented as afterlife insurance, many have abandoned the concept altogether.

Right now a lot of literary works are being published that either face hell directly or in passing. Publishers don’t publish unless they have a certain level of confidence in forthcoming sales. So, apparently, quite a number of people are taking another look at the concept.

Is hell relevant? Before we take a look at what biblical passages have to say about it, another question: does the conversation even need to happen? If it’s an afterlife thing, or nothing at all, or something in between, does it really make any difference in our lives right now?

Yes, no matter which side you’re on, it makes a difference.

Some fan the flames of hell because it keeps people separated: you’re either in or out. Usually the people who are confident of being in do the fanning. Those who believe God may condemn a person to hell based on a narrow criteria being missed can feel equally condemnatory toward any and all hellbound folks. There are psalms in the Bible which basically confess, “I hate who you hate.” If we’re convinced that someone is going to hell, we no longer need to feel much compassion toward them. This orientation significantly impacts a person’s sense of mission, as well as their motivation. The message of Christ easily gets boiled down to one’s ultimate destination. Everything is moot, really.

Others are so disturbed by the concept that they are repelled from the loving Jesus they are being called to embrace in order to escape God’s wrath. Hell becomes a stumbling block now that makes hell all the more certain in the future. Thinking in terms of missions, this creates a strategic problem, because the bait has become the poison with which some fish for men.

Some folks have built entire ministries on a strong concept of hell. To think differently could jeopardize everything. Fat chance of that changing…

At the same time, everybody wants evildoers held accountable. There are some folks in history that all agree should be in hell, if there is such a place. We just don’t generally think of ourselves going there.

So, what the hell are we talking about? The Bible is split into two parts, the Old and New Testaments. The only word that is translated in the English word hell is Sheol or Hades, which are Hebrew and Greek words, respectively, both referring to the place of the dead. This place, in ancient thought, was a sort of holding area under the earth. But other than a reference to this cemetery-like location, there is no reference to any sort of torturous place of judgment based on how a person lived their life. This is quite startling, since the Old Testament covers the beginning of everything up until around 400 BCE. For the first several thousand years, there’s no mention by any prophets or kings or scribes about the potential fate of those who did not make the right faith decision in life. Hmmm.

In the New Testament, Jesus refers to Sheol/Hades twice. Once, in speaking about how the Kingdom of God will overpower Sheol/Hades – death is no match for God. The other time is in a parable about the importance of the “haves” caring for those caught in extreme poverty. A rich, uncaring man is sent to Hades while a beggar named Lazarus is sent to Heaven. The parable wasn’t an effort by Jesus to teach about heaven and hell – he simply used what the culture believed about afterlife to exalt the importance of charity toward the “have nots”. In one occurrence, the Apostle Peter uses the word Tartarus, translated as hell in English. It’s where tartar sauce is made. Or, it may be a section of Hades where the wicked are punished. Maybe they make the sauce… Tartarus is a borrowed term from Greek Mythology, which would have been readily understood and appreciated by a Greek audience.

None of these, so far, really speak of the fiery destination that has been used to scare the hell out of its potential sojourners.

The imagery finds it roots before Jesus’ day, but also in Jesus’ teaching. Twelve of the 14 references that can be translated as hell come from a different word that will often appear in a Bible’s footnotes: Gehenna (Greek) or Hinnom (Hebrew). Both words refer to a valley right outside the city of Jerusalem. Approximately 600 years before Jesus was born, this valley was a beautiful setting with a grove of trees and lots of people enjoying its park-like location. But around 630 BCE that all changed. Practically overnight, it became a truly unholy place. So unholy, in fact, that it became fit only for the city dump and a graveyard for the poor and wicked. A dump, where fires burned continuously, where wild dogs would gnash their teeth at each other over fresh meat, where people would weep as their loved ones were laid to rest, disgraced forever. Read about it for yourself in 2 Kings 22-23.

Everybody knew about Gehenna’s story. Everybody knew the story. And everybody knew it was the dump.

With only two exceptions, when Jesus speaks of what has been translated as hell, he is referring to the city dump. In most of those cases, he is basically instructing his audience to stop destructive behavior and thought patterns, because if they continue, they will be throwing their life away right now when there is a way that leads to life as it was meant to be – following Jesus.

Not an eternal torment because they failed to accept him as Savior and Lord.

Over time, the concept of hell grew into what we have today. Much of the common depiction actually stems from Dante’s Inferno, written in part as a way to maintain judgment for those who had been saved by infant baptism but strayed away in their lifetime. But that was centuries after the New Testament was completed.

Bigger than Hell Avoidance. If avoiding a hellish afterlife wasn’t a primary concern for Jesus, or Paul, or the rest of the New Testament, perhaps it shouldn’t be primary for us, either. If the primary reason we said that we have chosen Jesus in the past was to avoid hell, I think we may need to reevaluate what we’ve done and make a new, more informed decision. If we’re just concerned about afterlife, we’re likely to miss the life we have right now, or even disregard it is somewhat meaningless. Jesus didn’t spend three years of his life just waiting around so he could secure you a ticket to heaven. He came to teach us how to live life the way it was meant to be lived. Full of meaning. Marked by compassion. Thrilling. Terrifying at times. Deep. Joyous. Peaceful. Whole. Lovely. Risky. A life worth pursuing, and a life worth dying for.

The irony is that if you’re really concerned about afterlife, the only way to gain confidence is through abandoning your obsession with death and give yourself fully to life in Christ. It is then that your relationship with God will begin to flourish, and your confidence about all of life – past, present, and future – will grow. Faith isn’t about saying magic words. Faith is a living relationship with God who is bigger than we can ever imagine and yet visible in the person of Jesus Christ.

I encourage you to let go of your need of hell. There is a better motivation for following God, and it’s right here and now. There is a better message to communicate, one that offers unparalleled hope right now for people who are stuck in life. Following Christ does give hope for today and forevermore. Live in that hope. Live the hope for others to see.

May your life become controversial. Not because you speak so convincingly and passionately about death murky transition, but because you overflow with life so much that people want an explanation for your confident hope.

How To Study the Bible...

2011-06-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

Before you engage a text, you really need to ask yourself if you’re game to study, or if you just want to read on a devotional level. When we read devotionally, we don’t think as critically while we read – it’s more of an in the moment, spiritual kind of thing. There’s nothing wrong with this ancient practice, known as Lectio Divina. In fact, it’s the core of daily devotions. But this kind of approach, especially for more complex topics or passages, just isn’t helpful, and can even be destructive, especially where people are involved. Poor scholarship has made women second-class citizens and kept entire races of people in the chains of slavery. Devotional reading is great, but to experience more of what the Bible has to offer requires some thoughtful prayerful work. That’s what this very brief guide is for.

Before you read a text, take a deep breath, relax, and pray, seeking to be present to God’s presence as you engage the text – the Spirit guides, but guides can’t guide much if the followers aren’t following, or even looking in the guide’s direction!

As you read a text, be aware of the most basic journalism questions: who, what when, where and why? Understanding the most basic context sheds immediate light on the text. What genre is the passage – poetry, history, prophetic words, instruction letter, etc.? What words and phrases need greater clarification? Don’t be afraid to dirty up your Bible with notes and highlights – God will not be offended. In fact, a well-worn Bible would only be a sign of devotion, not disrespect!

Before you consult an outside source for deeper insight, answer some basic questions yourself: what might have been the author’s purpose in writing this particular passage? Who was the audience of the writing, and what difference does that make? How is the author’s worldview different than yours? Does it make a difference regarding the meaning of the text? It is tempting to jump quickly to outside sources, but be patient. Learning to think for yourself by using these questions (and more) will help you dialogue with the outside sources instead of simply adopting their position.

As you consult a study Bible, web sources and commentaries, keep the following in mind. Everybody is biased. Realizing this ahead of time will help you appreciate the vantage point of the source you’re using, and you can mentally dialogue with them. For written sources, check the publisher. If it’s a conservative Christian publishing house, that theology is going to permeate whatever you read. If it’s a romance novel level of publisher, you can bet that the author struggles to find an audience beyond the fringe to take him or her seriously (this is not necessarily bad, but needs to be taken into consideration). Checking the date and location of the author also informs their analysis. Web content can be wonderful and useless. See who a particular person is quoting a lot and you’ll have a quick idea where they are coming from. By the way, you are also biased which greatly colors your rendering of a text.

After you piece all of this together, put all your information in front of you and begin determining again what you think the author of the biblical text was trying to communicate and to whom. How was their context similar or not to yours, and how does that impact your application of a text to the present day?

This is about as preliminary an approach as you can get, but will get you headed in the right direction. This is where I start every week in preparing to teach, even if I have taught the text many times before over the years. The discipline helps insure that you are remaining open to continual learning, and humble enough for the Spirit to move and shape.

110522 Sodom and Gomorrah

2011-05-22T12:00:00.000-07:00

To begin, some givens…

· The Bible wasn’t dictated by God. Inspired, sure. But dictated means that every single word was from God’s mouth, even the stuff that’s not accurate. There are some who want to make a big deal about the Bible being inerrant – without error in its original state – but this is a meaningless statement since we don’t have that document. In addition, one needs to wonder why Judaism has never taken this position, even though the entire Old Testament was from the Jewish tradition, and most, if not all of the New Testament writers would have shared the same Jewish perspective. Why would we adopt a position they would have rejected?

· The Bible as inspired means that God worked with people as they sought to remember and record their personal and national relationship with God. This means that the writers’ worldview is laden within the text, adding really helpful color and context if we’ll allow it.

· Because the Bible includes the worldview of the writers’ when we study a text, we must do our best to understand their perspective. If we do not, we may end up believing something they didn’t, and didn’t intend for us to believe. Or, we may believe something that we shouldn’t because we see the world differently than they did because we have more information.

· Working with a biblical text becomes very engaging as we try to come alongside our ancestors, hear from them, consider their conclusions, and ultimately deciding how we need to apply ancient passages to our contemporary lives.

On to Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19)…

First, some backstory. If you read the chapters preceding the one we’re looking at here, you’ll discover that there’s more going on than simply God getting ticked off at a small town. Lot chose to live in the region where Sodom was located with his family and flocks because it was so lush when Abraham gave him first dibs on which land to graze. That’s how Lot got there in the first place. Maybe the grass isn’t always greener. Or maybe it is, but only because the fertilizer is knee high. Wear boots.

Like the Noah story, Abraham gets a visit from God and along with it an announcement that God has heard of the wickedness in Sodom, and has come to see it for himself before he destroys it. Abraham, showing great hospitality and respect, dialogues with God and negotiates some hopeful terms for the doomed village: if just ten righteous people can be found in the community, God will spare them all. This is reminiscent of God telling Noah that he is the only righteous man in the whole world worth saving. The story is going to come back to this beginning encounter after all hell breaks loose on Sodom. This is a helpful thing to keep in mind because it’s how early communities preserved their history in the oral tradition. It’s called a chiastic structure, or a palistrophe, where the story ends from where it began, making it easy to remember and pass along.

A personal visit from the King. We learn that the two men who enter Sodom were angels. A couple of strange things happen as they enter the town. In our present day, if we are on a trip and enter a town we knew nothing about, we would get a bite to eat, pay the tab, and then find a motel and stay the night. The next morning we would pay our bill, and within two miles down the road we would have forgotten every person we encountered – the restaurant hostess, the wait staff, the motel manager, the housekeeping staff – all deleted from our RAM.

But the ancient world was not so impersonal. If two visitors came to the city gate – where the community leaders gathered to discuss the day’s business – it would be a black mark against the city if nobody offered hospitality to them. Interestingly, the only one who did, according to the story, was Lot, himself an immigrant. When our ancestors heard that detail, they would have gasped – they have been given an early clue that Sodom was inhospitable.

When Lot offers hospitality, however, the men refuse. If no hospitality is offered, people gasp. If hospitality is offered and rejected, people gasp again. You don’t do that in that part of the world, especially at that time. My wife and I have accidently “stepped in it” along these lines. The culture in which we were raised never wanted to impose on anybody. If somebody offered hospitality, it wasn’t to be taken seriously – they were simply being polite, wanting to let us know the gesture was there. When acquaintances have offered a form of hospitality, we deemed it as a non-literal gesture, thanked them and politely refused. If the people were raised like us, all was well. But there have been a few times where the cultures clashed, and we realized that we may have unintentionally offended the one offering a meal. I think more of the world is like these friends who really, genuinely offer the invitation – not just a gesture – and are a little put out when they get rejected. If Lot was like most people, he could have walked away greatly offended. But two things were true of Lot. He was a genuinely kind person (even if he had faults that led to problems down the road), and he knew how awful the streets of Sodom were at night, and insisted that they stay in the safety of his house.

Rough town. Lot was right. The story tells us that all the men of the town – young and old – came to Lot’s house, banged on the door, demanded that the two visitors be released to them so that they might have sex with them. Worst pick up line in history.

What is happening here? Were their wives at Women of Faith for the weekend or something? Some have stopped here, knowing what’s coming, and have concluded that this is the ultimate proof-text for God’s hatred of all things homosexual. That would make sense if we didn’t do some research. Why research, though? Isn’t the truth obvious? How can you mistake it – the men of the town wanted to have sex with the visiting men within Lot’s home – how much more black and white can you get? But what if it’s not that clear? What if our presupposition is wrong? What are we potentially wrongly attributing to the character of God? What hatred are we allowing ourselves to perpetuate if this is where we stop?

The issue in Sodom had nothing to do with sexual orientation. It had everything to do with violence.

If a woman is raped, nobody calls it making love or even sex, because we know that even though what took place may have been forcible intercourse, we see it first and foremost as violence.

This is why Lot acts so passionately – what they were demanding was unthinkable in every culture in the Ancient Near East (ANE). He even offers his virgin daughters to them instead – horrific choice in our estimation – a sign of how wretched the situation must have been. He placed himself outside and shut his front door – willing to die to save the men inside. What the townsmen were doing warranted the death penalty universally in the ANE. The rape they were intending was a form of torture used on prisoners of war. Absolutely inhumane. The outcries heard by God were correct.

Lot leaves, finally. Lot didn’t like change, even when there was nothing worth staying for in Sodom. But he and the fam only left when the angelic men literally took them by the hand and escorted him, his wife and daughters out of town. His daughters’ fiancés, by the way, didn’t heed the warning – they were true-to-form Sodomites, I guess.

Fire from heaven. After some negotiating with the angels (interesting and odd), Sodom and the neighboring city of Gomorrah were destroyed. Lot’s wife, looking back (apparently) longingly turned into a pillar of salt. Stephen Spielberg may have written that part in…

An important thing to keep in mind is that the people of the ANE assumed that bad stuff was due to the wrath of the gods – the gods are angry. Even though our faith heritage made a unique advance with monotheism, they still engaged God from their polytheistic, mythologically-based perspective. All weather disasters, birth defects, military defeats, skin diseases, poor crop harvest, drought, infertility – all the bad stuff – came as judgment from their angry God. Because we have access to information they did not, we appropriately need to ask ourselves if we need to see the world and God through the same lens as our ancient ancestors. There are parts we definitely need to respectfully sequester because of what we know, and there are parts to which we hold fast. That's not easy, is it?

So, if it’s not a story about the wrath of God, what were our ancestors trying to communicate?

Back to Abraham. Once safe, the word came down that the reason God spared Lot and his daughters was because of Abraham’s righteous request more than Lot’s so-so faith. Like the story of Noah, and like many additional stories throughout Genesis, the intended take-away for the ancients as well as us is one word: redemption.

Sending an angelic delegation to Sodom is an act of redemption. Blinding the mob at Lot’s front door – maybe that will get them thinking, since blindness was seen as an act of God's judgment – is an act of redemption. Telling Lot about the forthcoming fate of Sodom, insisting on his leaving town, personally escorting him out of town, negotiating where he stays – all are acts of redemption.

My take away. To spend a lot of time wondering about the literalness of certain aspects of this incredible story is to miss the much greater lesson our ancestors were trying to communicate. In a time when it seemed people were just pawns being moved around by local, geographically-based deities, ancient Jews were experiencing something profoundly different. God was not impersonal, but rather showed up on our respective doorsteps. He was not callous and indifferent to the desires of humanity, but responded to their pleas. And even though bad stuff happened, God paved a way of redemption for any who would take it.

This has not changed. God still shows up personally. God still hears our prayers. God still offers redemption as we move through our journey. Life is not a waste of time. God is not indifferent. God is with us on the journey – even the tough parts – always offering a hand in the direction of our complete wholeness and peace – shalom and salvation in a nutshell.

In light of this then, may you treat with great respect the story we’ve been given by letting it be what it was for its first audience. And may you treat the story and our ancestors with great respect by seeking the primary message of the story they were trying to convey and apply it to your life, that you might truly live and help others do the same.

BONUS! I recently got a link to this essay from a CrossWalker who has discovered great dialogue in this particular site. If you'd like to get great, documented understanding of the Ancient Near East - the landscape and worldview of much of our Old Testament - grab a cup of coffee and dig into the essay. You won't be sorry!

http://biologos.org/uploads/projects/godawa_scholarly_paper_2.pdf