Love and sharing the Good News

Merry Christmas Eve!  With Christmas now only a day away we are preparing to switch gears from Advent to Christmas; from the longings in exile to the joy and good news which has come into the world.  Our messiah is coming.  Through Jesus's birth we see God's love demonstrated; we see the lengths He has gone through to show His love of us to us.  Jesus went on a missions trip to Earth to be our good news.

We remember the awesome truth of Emmanuel ("God with us") who came to this dark and lonely world.  God is with us and we can rest in the truth of His love.  We have the assurance that humanity in all our depravity cannot push God from this world.  Try as we have throughout human history, we cannot eclipse His love; we cannot make Him who is faithful give up.  God's love for this world is too great to be drowned out, and this incomprehensible truth continues to bring me awe.

With this in mind, an often un-discussed but central topic to Christmas is the un-reached people groups of the world.  We can relate to the people of Israel who waited in darkness for the coming of the Lord, and now we too are waiting for the Second Coming.  Our hope is in the assurance Jesus is coming back to bring us home.  Our exile will end and we will be with God.  As we prepare to celebrate Jesus's birth and His Second Coming, there are almost 3 billion (Joshua Project) people who have not heard the truth of Jesus's first coming.  Christmas is about the good news coming to Earth; not to certain regions, not only to the Church, but the whole world.

John the Baptist was sent ahead of Jesus to "prepare the way of the Lord" as testified by all four Gospel authors.  He fulfilled Isaiah 40:3-5 and went before Jesus to be the voice crying out in the wilderness.  John's great task was to go into a dark world and begin testifying about Jesus to any and all who would listen; he prepared the way for Jesus's first coming.  Similarly our great task is to (like John) go before Jesus and prepare the way for His second coming.  Like John we are called to be the voice in the wilderness crying out "prepare the way of the Lord."  We are not called the comfortable, we are not called to the complacent; we are called to "the wilderness" and "the desert".  Our task is not an easy one; we are called to serve the hard, dry, and resistant areas.  Finding such places does not require stepping much beyond our front doors, but on a global scale we have to consider the regions and people groups who have no access to the good news of Jesus.

As we transition from Advent to Christmas may we remember the un-reached who have not heard about our Emmanuel.  We will once again celebrate the truth that Jesus has come into the world and life will never be the same.  May we be people who will take this truth, the light of this good news, and carry it to those still in darkness who have no hope.  May we not look to the Second Coming without thinking to share the message of the First with all the world.

What's the deal with the pink Advent candle?

I don't know your traditions, if you have these traditions, but growing up the four Sundays of Advent were Hope, Peace, Joy, and Love. This last Sunday was the third Sunday of Advent and therefore Joy. Another tradition I have often seen in Advent wreaths is having the third candle be pink instead of the typical purple color of Advent. I did a little digging (wikipedia) to find the story behind this pink candle and have discovered the following.

The third Sunday of Advent is called "Gaudete Sunday" in the liturgical calendar, and "gaudete" is Latin for "rejoice". Historically this Sunday's mass begins with Philippians 4:4-6.

But why the pink candle? Turns out the candle is pink to help distinguish and highlight this Sunday and specifically the theme of joyful anticipation of Jesus's coming into the world. I find this idea intriguing.

I don't know about you, but I experience Advent as a quiet and contemplative season of the year. I enjoy reflecting upon the melancholy themes of exile and walking in darkness before Christ's triumphant entry. Just as we are waiting for the light of Christmas and Jesus's first coming, the whole world is still waiting for the light of Jesus's second coming.

But Christmas is not only about the solemn reflection upon the state of the world, it is a joyful celebration of Emmanuel, our God who came to be with us. After being rejected by humanity God in His goodness He sent us His Son. Jesus came back to this dark world which He could have easily given up on (I would not blame Him if He had). We have hope, peace, joy and love because Jesus has come into the world. Jesus is coming and nothing will ever be the same.

And so it is fitting for Christmas to be a fun and festive season; to give gifts, sing carols, eat cookies, and be with family. Our God is a God of celebration. In the Torah He very specifically called the Israelites to celebrate three festivals in remembrance of what God had done for them (Passover, Booths, and Pentecost). It is only appropriate we too be a people of celebration as we remember all the Lord has done for us.

Yes this world is still in darkness, but we joyfully await Jesus's triumphant return.

What a candle taught me about Advent

A few years ago I had the opportunity to spend Thanksgiving with my sister in Copenhagen Denmark.  Without Thanksgiving to get in the way the whole city was in full Christmas-mode.

A fun Danish Christmas tradition my sister showed me is burning Advent calendar candles (pictured) called a kalenderlys.  The idea is simple enough, each day you burn one day's worth of candle counting down until Christmas.

This last summer we found one of these candles in our travels, and for the month of December I have been burning the candle each day.  This task is nice and cozy, but it has required more intention than I initially expected.  Each day I am forced to find time for the day's burning.  This requires me to plan my days in such a way I will have time for the kalenderlys.  If a day were to be missed I know the little golden numbers on the candle would be there taunting me until the time had been redeemed.

It's amazing how restful it is to daily spend time watching a candle burn.  Since I can't leave the flame unattended, I am required to sit and be still.  So far the time burning the kalenderlys is either spent praying or sitting with my wife Emily (my two favorite people).  The Advent calendars I had growing up (opening a door each day) helped me count the days until Christmas, but they did not require a daily pause from me.  A picture or Bible verse can be merely glanced at; a candle takes time to burn.  I am held accountable for spending time each day resting and reflecting upon the miracle of Emmanuel.

I don't know about you, but I at least can make the idea of spending time with Jesus into this great overwhelming task.  Jesus did not come to add clutter to our lives, but we have a knack for missing this point.  It is easy for me to confuse quantity and quality of time spent with God.  The kalenderlys helps me also remember even a small portion of time spend well with the Lord is time well spent.

This advent season instead of buying into the craziness of our modern holiday let us make room to be still and remember what the Lord has done for us.

Advent is not like a Civil War reenactment

Once again the season of Advent is upon us and with it come a whirlwind of emotions.  I love the season of Advent.  And I especially love how Advent is not like a Civil War reenactment.

There is great power in remembrance.  One of God's most frequent commands throughout scripture is to remember, and we see this in various expressions from piles of stones to Passover dinners.  Even beyond the Lord's direction we understand the power of recall and contemplation.

Advent is a wondrous time of remembering, to take time and be still, and think about the Lord's coming to Earth.  We contemplate the truth of how before Jesus's arrival we all were a people in darkness, but with His coming "the people walking in darkness have seen a great light" (Isa 9:2).  We remember the miracle of Emmanuel, "God with us"; the impossible truth that despite our rebellion and rejection of God He came back for us.  We are not alone.  It is powerful to remind ourselves of this truth.

But the similarities between Advent and a Civil War reenactment end here.  A reenactment has the power to help us remember, to visualize and experience the past, but the events are forever locked in the past.  No matter of contemplation and recollection will ever cause change.

Advent is a season of hope not only in events of the past but also events of the future.  As the world waited in darkness for Jesus's first advent, we now quietly await Jesus's second advent.  We can relate to lyrics such as "O come, O come, Emmanuel, and ransom captive Israel, that mourns in lonely exile here until the Son of God appear" because this too is our story.  Our lives are in exile upon this rock.  Earth is not my home.

We do not reenact or remember the events of two thousand years ago only to recreate the memories or experiences of Christ's advent; we are not merely trying to recapture every year the wonder of events past.  We also contemplate Christ's first coming to give us hope and help prepare us for His second.  Our lives should look different in light of our hope of Advent.  Emmanuel not only came back to save us, but is coming back to bring us home.  The conclusion of Christ's Second Advent is our return to Paradise and God's presence; the restoration of everything we lost at the Fall.  Our hope is in going home.

Are we looking to the future this Advent?  May we contemplate Jesus's first advent as a reminder of the hope we have in His second.

E. coli and Multigenerational Thinking

I love bacteria (mostly).  We can learn a lot from these little bugs, about Biochemistry and a couple Theological metaphors too.  Today we will look at our friend (most of the time) Escherichia coli (E. coli).  E. coli and the Apostle Paul both have the same idea about replication and discipleship.

An often under-appreciated component of our faith and the proper functioning of a church body is the raising up of new leaders.  Leaders demonstrate a lot of their vision for the Church by how they work to raise up new leaders.  A "God-sized vision" is bigger than any of us.  No one person is the answer to what and where God is leading His people, globally and also locally.

A proper stewardship of God's call/gifting to leadership is illustrated by a person's ability to pass the baton and allow others to step in to be a part of God's process.  Not only does this help guard us against the aptitude of power to corrupt, but it also prepares the community for when a specific leader leaves.  All of us within the body of Christ are replaceable, and must be, because God's work of redemption on Earth is greater than any of us.  Are our leaders, and we as leaders, working to prepare our replacements?

The book of Judges is a story of failed leadership.  Over and over we see this cycle of failure and bondage which stems from the leaders' inability to raise up the next generation of leaders.  Before Judges we see Moses lead God's people.  Moses discipled Joshua, and when Moses dies Joshua is prepared to take over (Deuteronomy 34:9, Joshua 1:).  We see is Judges 2:7 Joshua too raised up other leaders after himself.  The breakdown in leadership, which sets the stage for the entire book of Judges, comes in Judges 2:10 "After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the LORD nor what he had done for Israel".

If this is the problem, the answer, according to Paul and E. coli, is a multigenerational view of replication.

The whole life-cycle of an E. coli cell takes 60 minutes to complete, but under ideal circumstances E. coli cells are able to divide ever 20 minutes1.  E. coli achieves this rate of replication by reinitiating DNA replication before the previous round of replication finishes.  Within a given cell we see "mother" chromosome, "daughter" chromosome, as well as "granddaughter" chromosome2.  For optimal growth E. coli has to think beyond the daughter generation and onto the granddaughter generation.

The Apostle Paul had the same idea.  In his final letter to Timothy, his primary disciple, Paul writes in 2 Timothy2:2 "the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others."  Within this one sentence we see Paul describe four generations of leaders; Paul, Timothy, reliable people, and others.  Paul understood for the First Century Church to grow and persist it was crucial to have a multigenerational mindset.  This remains true of the Church even today.

As Paul writes and E. coli shows, let us grasp and practice the work of multigenerational thinking.  As my father-in-law and veteran church planting coach Kevin Sutter puts it, our goal should be to train up others and "work yourself out of a job."3

---

1. Ingraham, John L. et al.  Microbe.  ASM Press. 2006. p.172.

2. Crooke, E. et al. Organization of sister origins and replisomes during multifork DNA replication in Escherichia coli. PubMed. 2007.

3. Sutter, Kevin.  Keys to Church Planting Movements. 2006. p. 63.

Why I give my money to Jesus and you should too

Money can be a very uncomfortable subject for people, especially in the Church and involving the Church.  Most of us have a sense we should be giving to God, but we often don't know why or how much and can feel pressured by words like "tithe" and "stewardship".  Additionally our culture tells us to guard our money; we should be wary of anyone who mentions money and scrutinize everyone for ulterior motives.  I find it interesting, but not too surprising, to see societies with the most money are often the most obsessed and grudging about it.

The Bible however offers a very different view of money and tithing.  The first corporate offering from the Israelites happens at Sinai.  God is speaking to Moses on the mountain and He is getting ready to instruct Moses in how to build the Tabernacle.  God says to Moses "take for me an offering; from all whose hearts prompt them to give you shall receive the offering for me." (Ex 25:2)

God wants to build the Tabernacle so He collects an offering.  As you may remember at this point the Israelites had just left Egypt, where they were slaves, three months prior.  How did they have anything to offer God?  Before leaving the land of Egypt God provided for the Israelites by enabling them to plunder the Egyptians (Ex 3:21-22, Ex 12:35-36).

With the building the Tabernacle God offered the Israelites the opportunity to give back to God, and not only do they have the chance to give to Him, but they have the chance to partner with God in establishing His earthly dwelling.  Before Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, for centuries the Tabernacle was the place where God's presence dwelt on Earth.  Here we have the whole nation of Israel in the desert, with nothing but what God has already brought them, and He provides the option for the Israelites to worship Him with their wealth.  God's first corporate offering is a chance to sow into His work of redemption and reconciliation on Earth.  What an awesome and powerful opportunity these Israelites had, to be given the chance to help establish God's Kingdom here on Earth.

How else did the Israelites make use of their plundered treasure?  You may remember a certain golden calf which they also used their gold to build.

Whether worshiping God or worshiping idols, there is power in what we invest our money in.  Jesus wisely said "where your treasure is, there your heart will be also" (Mt 6:19-21).  Our investments often betray our true priorities and insecurities.

At its heart tithing to God and His ministry is not some grudging demand for my dues, but an invitation to invest in His Kingdom.  By accepting His offer we can sow into His Kingdom and see it come to Earth; to help create God's dwelling place here.  How blessed are we to have this opportunity to partner with God and His work.

Ideas v. people

Do we love the Church or do we merely love the idea of the Church?

What happens when our concept of someone, our expectations, our projection of who they are does not match up with reality?  What happens when we fail to live up to each other's expectations?  I will surely fail you all at some point; I probably already have.  And the Church will do the same.

Do we believe in the Church, or just the idea of Church?

I have to ask myself this question a lot.  In part this is because my job as a campus pastor requires me to.  As a leader I am helping guide a community of faith (in my case college students), and to effectively lead I must have an understanding of what this community is called to do and be.  I have heard it said (cannot remember the source) a pastor must lead two churches, the church existing now, and the church this community is becoming.  But the gap between these two churches can be frustrating.

So do I love college students, or do I merely love the idea of college students?

But this question about loving the Church is not just for vocational ministers, but for everyone in the Body of Christ.  We all need to be asking ourselves this; to be a follower of Jesus means to be a part of the Church.

The idea of Church is neat and exciting; it is balanced, void of ego, and clean.

The reality of Church is exciting and messy, full of broken people and crying babies.  We often think the chaos of life gets in the way of our faith, when in fact our faith is truly lived in the midst of, not despite, the messiness and unpredictability of life.  If your problem with Church has to do with people no denomiation, para-church organization, or worship model will be able to solve your issue.  We are not called to merely love and serve those who are easy to love and serve.

I have known people who love the concept of Church; who love to theorize about the fullness of Church and contemplate all which the Church is called to be.  But I have also known people so fixated on these ideas and ideals that no real church has ever been enough, and they have not participated in a community of faith.

Church is more challenging in practice than in theory.  You have to get your hands dirty to be a part of it.  We have to engage with others in the fullness of our humanity, weakness, and sin.  I have begun to see all those inconveniences which have bothered me, which were so disruptive to the sanctity of the moment, are in fact the reality of Church.  Church is not a perfect worship service.  Church is not a deeply contemplative moment.  Church is living our lives and our faith together with others; where we are free to be open and honest, even if we disturb each other's peace at times.  We love the idea of individual faith.  Autonomy is so appealing.  But we have not been created or called to walk this out alone.  We need each other.  I need you.  And life lived with others is so much better.

It is hard to love the Church at times.  I can get discouraged by students' lack of maturity or commitment.  Because I am called to help encourage and support students in becoming who God has created them to be, I can get frustrated when students do not live up to their calling.

In spite of all this, our call is not to the idea of Church, but to the practice of Church.  Faith lived out in community.

Do You Bail Water or Abandon Ship?

I believe in the Church.  It may be increasingly popular not to.  There is a lot of criticism and cynicism revolving around the Church.

Such feelings are understandable.  Many people have been burned by the Church whether through legalism, hypocrisy, or abuse of authority.  And I cannot blame anyone for these feelings.

There also seems to be a growing conviction our faith is something personal and solitary.  Why would I need others to be involve in my private spirituality?  While I agree about the importance of individual faith and personal salvation, I do not believe it negates the very real need for others.  Our faith is not our own at the expense of involving community.

Past wounds coupled with an over-emphasis on the individuality of faith can produce a very anti-Church sentiment.

Given the fallen state of things and the brokenness of the Church we have to ask ourselves if we will bail water or abandon ship?  With the reality of our situation what will we do?  Do we fight on?  Do we jump ship?  Will we work to help build the Church into who God has designed us to be or will we give up?

It is important we ask ourselves our expectations of the Church.  Why does it surprise us when the Church acts like a bunch of broken people?  We are all in progress.  I am a hypocrite, not for lack of effort, but because the goal set before me and my current level of sanctification are not equal.  I have to be honest about my short-comings, while keeping my eyes upon Jesus.  The Church is not a place for perfect people, there are none.  The Church is a home for the sick and hurting.  Can we give the Church enough grace to be the Church?

Life is not a solitary experience.  Our faith, while personal, has never been intended to be lived alone.  In fact isolation was the first "not good" thing in all of Creation, "it is not good for man to be alone" (Gen 2:18).  Too much of scripture testifies to our corporate design.  Heb 10:24-25 exhorts meeting together and encouraging each other to grow in our faith.  1 Cor 12:12-27 and Rom 12:4-8 both describe how we as a body are to function together.

We in the Church need each other.  I am not autonomous; I cannot do this on my own.  Often we have this "American dream" view of faith which is not Biblical and is not real.  Life is full of hurt and challenges, and we need each other to stand firm.  I have seen too many friends walk away from their faith not because of Theological problems, not because of inconsistency, not because of imperfections, but because of a lack of community.

Something greater happens when we come together; in community there is power beyond the sum of each of us.  Corporate worship is not just about meeting at a regular time or socializing after service, but is about the Body of Christ coming together to grow and uplift and re-calibrate ourselves to be better equipped for going out into this dark and broken world.

Ultimately I believe in the Church because Jesus believes in the Church.  He has wept, bled, and died for the Church.  Jesus would not have come to earth, been rejected by people He loves, and died painfully on the cross if He did not believe we were worth it.  Similarly He would not have left His ministry of reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18-20) to us if He did not believe in the Church.  

Grace is not a one shot opportunity; Jesus did not give us just one second-chance but instead opened the door for us to come home.  I may want to limit how much I forgive the Church, but Jesus in His infinite forgiveness of my sins has not called me to be limited in forgiveness.

Instead may we also sacrifice for the bride whom Christ has declared to be worth it.

The Myth of Utopia and Why I Don't Live There (yet)

This world is a broken place, there is not much use in denying it.  I am broken.  And I am honestly more broken than I realize (or want to admit).

But what do we do in the face of such brokenness?  How do we respond?  What options do we have?

One option is the idea of utopia.  The world is broken?  We can fix that.  Look at all that humanity has overcome.  Society, technology, medicine.  We killed Smallpox!  We have built cities, written constitutions, formed elaborate systems of civilization.  Life expectancy, quality of life, so many mountains we have scaled.    This world is ours to steward, and we will subdue it (Gen 1:28-29), this is our Manifest Destiny.  What holds us back from achieving this dream?

Us

me

Because despite all our accomplishments, we cannot save us from ourselves.  The factor in any hypothetical situation which leads to the inevitable downfall of a utopia is always the human element.  The laws of Physics, Bio-chemistry, etc. can be mastered and manipulated, but in any scenario humanity always finds a way to be its undoing.  Left to my own devices I am as selfish as ever.

Yet we still try to be our own salvation.  Legalism thrives on the belief I can fix myself.  Religion encourages it.  The idols of human logic and Secular Humanism worship it too.  At times I find this idea alluring.  But utopia is a myth.  And I would not fit in.

But what shall we do in the face of such brokenness?  If we cannot fix ourselves what hope is there?  Many understandably give up.  What else can we do?  Sure we can try, but either we deceive ourselves or we will eventually grow too weary from trying.

And here we find the critical junction.  What do you do then? Everything hangs upon what we do next.  We can collapse into depression and eventual destruction.  Or we can call out to Him who can save us from us.

I have found that many of my most broken moments are my most peaceful moments.   Brokenness leads to dependency, which leads to intimacy, and intimacy brings "a peace which surpasses all understanding" (Phil 4:7).  My hope for salvation and utopia is not in myself.  It is God alone who is redeeming and reconciling the world back to Himself.  And in His infinite goodness He lets us join the fun.  So we cannot save ourselves, but we can partner with Him who can (2 Cor 5:18-20).

a lesson in herbs: Leaves and Fruit (inspired by Tad)

Over a year ago I started an herb garden in our apartment.  I chose herbs because they are edible.  This is my chili pepper plant.  As you may notice it has a lot of leaves and only one little white flower.  I will probably not harvest a lot off this pepper plant.

I recently had the privilege to eat lunch with my friend Tad.  In the course of hanging out we discussed the fact as Americans we focus a lot upon goals and achievements.  We often determine an endeavor successful based upon the yield.  This crosses over into ministry as well.  How many people came to our event, do we have more small groups than last year, are we building moment etc.  And this is okay, fruit is a good thing.  Jesus Himself talks about "the harvest".

As Tad pointed out the problem comes when we only look at the fruit.  Yes, success is exciting, new people is encouraging, but we forget a plant only bears fruit in a season.  The rest of the year the plant is absorbing light, water (both, as Tad mentioned, have huge metaphorical values) etc.  We look at the fruit only, and forget the rest of the plant which sustains the fruit.  This is why Jesus tells us to abide (John 15:5).  But even here the danger is we will see abiding as a formula for success.

Our desire to bear fruit should stem from seeking to obediently follow God.  And our desire for obedience should stem from a submission and surrender to God.  His love and His worthiness should be what inspires our obedience.  When I was in sin over my head my God died for me and justified me by His blood (Romans 5:8-11).  He rose to new life, victorious over sin and death, and has called me to follow Him.  Because God loves me, I desire to obey Him.  But our culture of success and achievement believes instead because I obey God, God should love me.  An obsession with fruit is dangerous because it can warp our understanding of grace by faith.

Instead of earning our merit, earning our fruit, we need to abide in Him.  He is our source and our success.  Once we are rooted in Christ next we need to take steps of preparation.  We need to put out leaves of prayer, organization, community, etc.  Planning and preparation are needed for long term growth.  An ardent but impatient attitude will yield unripe fruit.  Just as the plant requires leaves and roots before producing anything, we have to build ourselves and our ministries with the proper infrastructure to do so too.  We have to understand it will not be the successes, but persistence, which carries us through the long seasons between harvests.  Seasons of reaping, seasons of planting, tending, etc. are all a part of the rhythms of our temporal existence.  We cannot skip steps and simply go from harvest to harvest; to do so we will only be sowing burn-out.  Sabbaths, rhythms, and structures are necessary for longevity.  

Let us not despise the season of preparation between harvests and let us not neglect our leaves.  Let us abide in Christ, that we may bear good fruit.

Idols and Free Radicals

I hate to break it to you, but oxygen is a poison.  Yes, the O2 gas you are breathing and I am breathing is extremely toxic.  This is where we get free radicals which need to be combated with antioxidants.  Yes, oxygen left to its own devices is a killer.  Every cell in your body is constantly fighting against the threat of oxygen (called oxidative stress).  So why do we breathe it and die without it?  Our bodies have learned to harness the same chemical properties which make it so reactive to drive our cellular metabolism.  But this comes at a great cost.  Common free radicals like O2- (superoxide) can bind to proteins and DNA, causing cell death or triggering cancer.  

Exciting right?  This simple element you cannot live without may one day kill you.  Why bring this up?  Because free radicals are a good illustration of our idolatrous hearts.

We were created good and whole, meant to worship God alone, but the ionizing radiation of the Fall has left us broken and reactive.  We are now predisposed to idol making and everyone is worshiping something.  Like the free radicals which destroy whatever they bind to, we continue reaching for the next unsatisfying idol trying to fill this broken bond.  Under the pressure of idolization we corrupt whatever our idol is.  Many of our worst idols were previously good things before we warped them with our fallenness.  Ministry for example can become a terrible terrible idol if I allow my heart to twist it into such.  Similarly relationships, accomplishments, or acceptance can become horrible idols.  Now I must wrestle with my old-self to keep Jesus on the throne and not my idols.  I need my ionization discharged.

Our only hope is in Jesus, who is able to heal us and satisfy the unpaired electrons in our souls.  Only a covalent bond with Him can put my radical nature to rest and make me whole and holy again.

Re-Entry Into Life Post-Missions Trip

And we're back....

This last week I had the opportunity to go on our ministry's missions trip to Baja California.  We arrived home just two nights ago.

And now to begin the re-entry process.

I am always depressed after a missions trip.  For a week (however long) it is like we step out of time into some alternate world.  We have awesome encounters and crazy Jesus-y experiences.  And then we step back into reality as though nothing happened and nothing changed.  And I hate that.  I hate coming home to a world which is exactly the same as I left it. After all these experiences I just had I am not the same.  I am changed.  But my surroundings are not.  And it can be so easy to default back into old patterns.  But by doing so I begin to act like everything is the same.  The passage of time also threatens my experiences, to wipe away and dilute out everything I have seen.   I hate the idea I will lose sight of all these powerful experiences.

There is also the fact these children and these people, who just days ago I was helping and serving, are still there and still in need.  Meanwhile I find myself back at home in my comfortable life-style.  There was this sense on the trip that I was actually doing something, living for God, accomplishing something.  Now I am home and what am I doing?  What purpose am I achieving now?  I have to recalculate and re-calibrate my daily purpose.

All of this can be exacerbated by people (understandably) wanting to know how the trip was.  How do you capture in a sentence everything about the trip?  "It was challenging" or "it was life changing" just cannot express everything I want it to.  It can feel like I devalue the memories by trying to reduce them into a couple words.  But it can also be overwhelming for you and your friend when you go into the 55 minute answer to the question "how was Mexico?"  I find myself wanting to be around those who also went, who are also processing, because we do not have to explain anything.  Even if we are not talking about our experiences we understand without words what each other are going through.

I do not want to forget Mexico.  I do not want to forget the people I met in Mexico.  I do not want to forget all God taught me in Mexico.  It was only a week and the experiences were not too different from other missions trips I have been on, but still the truth is I am different and things are not the same.  The challenge ahead is figuring out how to walk in this truth.

Shakespeare, Jesus, and fandom

I remember in middle school being grudgingly forced to read a few classic works by William Shakespeare.  Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, and at least one other which I have forced from my memory.  Having grown up around people reading old school King James version of the Bible, understanding the Shakespearean language was not too difficult for me.  But throughout middle school and high school I rather despised Shakespeare. Honestly for me it was not Shakespeare himself who bothered me, it was the fans.

You can spot a Shakespeare fan a mile away.  Just say his name, any character's name, or sometimes even words like "doth" and "yonder" and their eyes light up, glaze over, and they begin foaming at the mouth.  By the time I reached high school I was sick of English teachers swooning over his words.

But somewhere in college I decided to give Shakespeare another chance.  I accepted maybe there was a reason for all the hype even if the fans drive me crazy.  I realized my issue was not with Shakespeare.  Once I got over this I discovered I do in fact appreciate Shakespeare.  

I feel Jesus can get the same kind of backlash from His fans as Shakespeare.  Too many people dismiss Jesus because of His fans; hypocritical, not relatable, and broken.  It is sad to think people can miss the God of the universe because of some crazy fans.  What is the solution?  Do we need to set standards before someone is allowed to be a part of the Church?  In an age where marketability and branding are so important do we need to protect our image from anyone who might infringe upon our trademark or defame Jesus and the Church?

Some people get upset when the Church is full of broken people, but this is exactly what the Church was created to be, a body of broken people seeking after the one who can save them.  While it would be nice if the Jesus fans could behave in a more marketable fashion, most of the burden of missing the Truth lies with the person who judges based on the fans.  Who are we to dictate what the fans and followers must be like before we will make the commitment?  It is true dealing with other broken people as a broken person can be aggravating, but Truth is not determined by fandom or popular vote.  Jesus is worth it whether His fans act like it or not.

What do you do when a poor kid hands you food?

What do you do when a poor kid hands you food?  Specifically, what do you do when this poor kid, Iago, hands you food?

Let me back up.

Several years ago I had the opportunity to go on a missions trip to Brazil.  It was a life changing experience.  We worked in a favela (slum/squatter village) called Jaragua on the edge of the city of Bauru.  For a week we spent all daylight hours playing with the children of prostitutes and drug dealers.  We ran around the dirt streets, gave piggy-back rides, and just spent time with the kids.

One of the most amazing experiences for me happened on the second to last day.  All week we had been giving out food whether bread rolls, gummy vitamins, or snacks.

On this second to last day I was sitting down between games of tag when Iago came over.  He proudly showed me the snack bag he had just been given, sat down in my lap, and began to eat.

And then he offered me a piece. . . 

You have to understand a couple things.  

1.  I studied microbiology in college, I know too much about diseases.

2.  Iago was not hungry.  Not hungry enough to even think about sharing his food.  These kids never get enough food.  After a week of our giving out food this child is full, full for the first time in who knows how long?

3.  For this first time in who knows how long Iago has the opportunity to give something to someone else.  For once his circumstances did not require Iago think only of himself.

So what do you do when Iago offers you food with his dirty favela hand?

You reach out with your dirty favela hand and you eat the gift he just offered you.  And you praise Jesus for the work He is doing in that moment which you are privileged to be a part of. 

Sure you say a little prayer asking God to kill the bacteria and inactivate any viruses, but mostly you thank God.

It makes you wonder if we really believe it is better to give than to receive?  If so then at times we should gratefully give others the opportunity.  

It is so easy in the face of such extreme poverty to think I am here only to give, to serve, to provide for these children and these people.  But there can be pride in thinking I have everything to give and others have nothing to offer me.  They are people too with plenty to offer others.  My focus should be less on what I can give and more on how to truly love and serve these children, whether giving or receiving.  It can be a hard balance at times, but my goal should be on what best serves them not on what best serves my feelings to serves.  As many people prepare to go on short term missions trips may we keep these ideas in mind.

Jesus' Defense

I find it both inspiring and sobering that during Jesus' entire trial, flogging, and execution only one person ever stood up for him.  Not the crowd, they deserted him.  The disciples fled during his arrest.  We all know Peter denied Jesus three times.  Pilate was too afraid of the mob to do something, Herod wanted a show, the Roman soldiers saw easy prey.  Even one of the two men crucified with Jesus mocked him (Lk 23:39).  But the one person who stood up for Jesus was the second man being crucified.  Lk 23:39-42:

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

Here we have the God of the universe being falsely accused and executed, and only one person stands up for him.  Jesus died a rebel's death to atone for rebels like me.  Maybe this other guy was the one person who at that moment understood how much he needed a savior.

I would like to think I would stand up for Jesus in this sort of situation.  I have never been asked to lay down my physical life for my God.  Hopefully I would.  But self-preservation can be so tempting.  Granted at this point the bandit on the cross next to Jesus was being executed, but even then it would be easy to sink into anger or cynicism, to lash out like the other convict.  We see it is only the man who had all hope stripped from him stand up for Jesus.  It is fascinating how much clarity comes from brokenness (or an awareness of our brokenness).  Discomfort has a way of pushing us toward God or away from God.

May we not be too comfortable to take a stand for our faith, and maybe allow brokenness and discomfort to push us toward our loving God who suffered so much for us.

Palm Branches of the Rebellion

Palm Sunday has become one of my favorite liturgical holidays.

Having grown up in a liturgical church we celebrated Palm Sunday each year complete with waving palm branches.  And I understood we waved the palms because the crowd had waved them during Jesus's triumphant entry into Jerusalem (Jn 12:12-15).  But I never wondered why the crowd waved palms in the first place.  And the answer is what makes things interesting.

According to Jewish tradition Jesus was not the first person to have palm branches waving as he marched into Jerusalem.  Over a hundred years prior the Jewish crowds had waved palm branches as a symbol of the Maccabean victory over the Greeks.

And so as Jesus rides into Jerusalem on the eve of Passover, the great festival of their ancestors freedom from slavery in Egypt, the question for the Jews and the Romans alike is what kind of king is Jesus?  The crowd waved palms as a symbol of victory over their oppressors.  They spread their cloaks in homage to their king.  This was rebellion against Rome.

Everyone thought Jesus came to be a political king.  The Jews saw his arrival in Jerusalem for Passover as the perfect time to begin his uprising.  Little did they know His plans were so much greater.

The people wanted a rebellion.  Jesus came to start a revolution.  They wanted to seize power, Jesus came to lay down his power for us (Phil 2:5-11).  The crowd underestimated the extent of Jesus's kingdom.  And often we do too.

I like to think somehow Jesus is only king over segments of my life, my moral behavior, or the "spiritual" portions, as if his truth and his kingdom do not affect all aspects of who I am.  The truth is we all have been seduced by the appeals of empire, and have accepted the values of this world as "normal".  But Jesus is not just an addendum to my nice comfortable life.  

In reality Jesus's plans are so much greater than mine.  His ways are more encompassing than we want to believe.  I have to surrender more than I expected.  I am still learning the extent of what truly following Jesus costs.  My hope is to one day leave the empire behind completely and to be free from the propaganda.

I love that hosanna means "save now".  Here we have the crowd cheering "save now, save now" without understanding Jesus has come to die for our sins so we may be saved.  Jesus in his goodness knows what we really need.  He understands our desperation better than we do.  And he is faithful to answer us even when we do not understand.

So let us wave our palm branches in protest of the empire which has seduced us into complacency.  Let us walk in the ways of the kingdom as exiles not a part of this world.  May we proclaim truth and fight injustice, starting with the injustice in our own lives.  Jesus please "save now" because I need you to save me.

Do I really love the Gospel?

Do I really love the Gospel?

Yes, I do.  I especially love certain parts of the Gospel, the things which benefit me.  Salvation, peace, hope, joy, I love all these aspects.  It's the parts about sacrifice and serving others I have a harder time with.

I find the Apostle Paul's love of the Gospel inspiring.  Woven throughout his letters we see Paul's diligence to the Gospel message.  He is consumed with an urgency to see the Gospel spread.

It is convicting to see how Paul will gladly give up his rights and ours for the sake of the Gospel.  There are social norms and social institutions which Paul restricts not out of inherent sinfulness, but because sharing the Gospel is better.  Slavery, eating meat sacrificed to idols, women being allowed to preach are among some First Century examples.  I have the freedom in Christ to eat meat sacrificed to idols unless doing so hinders someone from receiving the Gospel.

Why did Paul not abolish slavery in his day?  It is not because slavery is good, it's not.  But tackling this social issue would not advance the message.  Salvation is based upon the finished work of Jesus, and if I make altering your beliefs about a non-salvation issue a prerequisite to salvation I am getting in the way of the Gospel.  Paul's aim is not societal reform but eternal salvation.

So what does this mean for us now?  Does this mean social justice is bad?  No.  Both Jesus and Paul radically challenged social norms and institutions, but they did so not to the point of interfering with the Gospel spreading.

I should really love the Gospel more in its fullness, and yearn more to see the message shared.  It also means there are freedoms I have to give up for the Gospel.  The difficulty is not in finding opportunities.

Any thoughts or examples of situations where the freedoms we have in Christ which may be hindering the Gospel for others?  May we be more conscious of how our freedoms affect other's openness to the Gospel.

Heartbreak

Does it ever seem to you that our faith is somewhat lopsided?  Off-balanced?  In my relationship with God I have observed that God does most of the work.  And by most I mean all.

I cannot save myself.  I cannot even sanctify myself.  At the end of the day, all I can do is have the faintest of "yes" in my heart toward God.  And somehow in His magnitude that is enough.

On our own, of our own volition, we as humanity have only broken God's heart.  We had the option to choose God or choose Self, and we chose Self.  Left to my own devices I will gravitate to my own destruction.  The only hope I have is that even after rejecting God, breaking His heart, God still reached down and intervened in my life.

And God has not merely saved me from my sins, He continuously saves me from myself and my sins.  I don't know about you, but I repeatedly stumble.  To be blunt I find myself over and over saying "I love you Lord" with my words, will, and intentions, but with my actions too often I shout "Crucify."  I keep breaking His heart.

Maybe this is just me wrestling with a grace beyond what I can comprehend and certainly beyond what I deserve.  But God's love just doesn't make sense.  

The good news is that what seems like flawed logic to me is actually truth, and it is my logic, my paradigm centered on receiving rather than giving, that is flawed.  The economy of the Kingdom is not about what you can get, but what you can give.

And so I know that God loves me, not by my determination, but by His.  I don't have to win His heart, He  already has and forever will love me.  Not my words.  Not my actions.  Not my achievements.

Me
Just me

God is so relentless in His love for us.  I cannot get over this awesome truth.  I never will, and that is okay because God is more than worthy of all worship for all time.  May I learn to walk in obedience out of a deep love and a recognition of the heartache my sin still causes God.  May we remember that God is not the cruel judge waiting to smite us, but an intimate friend who's heart we have broken over and over, and still says that we are worth it.  And may all conviction we have spur us back into the loving arms of Jesus who is with us and waiting for us.

The Good News is that God Does Not Need Us!

On a particularly existential day we may wonder about why it is God made humanity.  I know I have found myself contemplating this.  And the answer I have often heard given is that God made us because He needed us or was lonely or something to that effect.  This sentiment is usually well intended, but the truth is that God does not need us.   However weird this may seem, it is some of the best news ever.

One of the many beautiful facets of Trinity is that it disproves this idea that God is isolated.  With Trinity God is His own best friend on levels that a finite being as myself will never comprehend.  If God gets lonely He hangs out with Himself.  God also is perfect which means He does not need anything.  We cannot contribute to God's independence.  So why is this good news?  It is kind of like eating.

Now I like food and I enjoy eating.  But I also frequently find myself eating merely out of metabolic necessity, and on those occasions there is no enjoyment in eating.  Here food merely serves a utilitarian purpose.

And this is an example of why it is so awesome that God does not need us.  If God needed us like I need food, then it means we serve some utilitarian purpose.  But because God does not need us, we can be confident that God is free then to want us.  We are not filling some void in a perfect and independent God, we exist as the overflow of His love.  In His goodness and perfection of love God created us.  That is why we exist.  And that is really cool.

Stellar Group Health

Churches, college ministries, small group communities, etc are like stars.  

Within a healthy (stable) star the dominant forces are the gravitational force (stars are really big) and the expansive force (stars are really big nuclear fusion reactions).  Normally a star's stability comes from a balancing of the gravitational pull inward and the expansive push outward.

Disturb this equilibrium and we get things like supernovae and black holes.  Without gravity a star's explosive nature would rip it apart.  Without the expansive force the star undergoes gravitational collapse, then supernovas, and creates a black hole.

Christian communities are like stars.  Discipleship is like gravity and outreach is the expansive force within a given community.  For a group to excel we need a balance of both.

With a "no discipleship all outreach" mentality a community will send people out, but will have nothing to draw them back in.  Eventually the group will come unglued and drift apart.  It is hard to stay committed to, let alone invite others into, a group that has nothing to offer you.  It's a used car salesman sort of situation; things seemed to interesting until you signed up.

A group without outreach will become too inward focused and the group will collapse in on itself.  As cliques form and the group breaks down many of the former members will leave like the supernova blast before the final celestial death.  A black hole is so named because even light cannot escape from its gravity.  It is invisible to anyone on the outside and dead to the world.  You cannot be the light of the world if no one else can see you.  

Instead of either scenario discipleship and outreach should reinforce and spur each other on.  As we mature our desire to reach out should only increase, and outreach should drive discipleship.  

In my experience our tendency is the inward discipleship of those already within the group.  This is fine, it simply means that more attention must actively be given to outreach and evangelism.  If our default is inward may we work all the more to push outward for others, ourselves, and the health of the group.

And so may we be the "light of the world" that "the people who have walked in darkness" may see a great light. Christ has come into the world, let us walk forward in that truth.