SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY

Category: Love

  • Love Disturbs

    This is the day when we consider the magnitude of love which this world received the very first Christmas – and really has ever since that day.  Love hasn’t stopped.  Love hasn’t slowed down.  Love continues to pursue us and change us and ignite us.  Love did come to us at Christmas and continues to reside in us today.  This should be a warm and comforting, even reassuring thought as we muddle through in times which are so uncertain.  What is always certain and guaranteed is God’s love.  What is always given is an amazing, life changing, overwhelming love that transforms us from the inside out.  This world does not and cannot change this fact.

    But love is also disturbing.  Love does transform and renew.  Love does give us new life.  Love does change everything.  Change is hard, though.  And love can disturb what we have always known.  It can upset our status quo we hold onto with white knuckle fists, clinging to our ways with everything we have.  Love does change us, but sometimes that change is difficult and disturbing.  

    We listen to Christmas carols and get excited about the holidays – and we should.  We celebrate the joy that is unexplainable.  We feel the hope that wells up in us as we look forward to Christmas.  This is all good.  But let us not forget the first Christmas wasn’t all joy and excitement.  Lives were turning upside down – some welcomed it, some were completely fighting it.  It was a Christmas to remember, for sure. 

    Luke 2:1-7

    2 In those days a decree went out from Emperor Augustus that all the world should be registered. 2 This was the first registration and was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. 3 All went to their own towns to be registered. 4 Joseph also went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to the city of David called Bethlehem, because he was descended from the house and family of David. 5 He went to be registered with Mary, to whom he was engaged and who was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for her to deliver her child. 7 And she gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.

    It is a story we remember, we tell, we celebrate.  Let us not forget the lives being changed, though.  Don’t miss the worlds being transformed moment by moment.  Mary and Joseph have a new baby that God has sent to them.  They have to raise God’s baby.  Think about it – they are responsible for loving and caring for Love himself.  They are cleaning and feeding, protecting and raising God’s own child.  That had to be some pressure.  Elizabeth and Zechariah are raising a new child who will help others know who God’s baby really is.  They are older and more wise, faithful and trusting.  Yet, their child will be quite unique, the talk of the town even.  Shepherds leave their jobs behind in search of the Messiah – God sent the ultimate birth announcement of his child to shepherds!  That speaks volumes in itself about how God works.  Their world had forever changed.  Magi would later show up to pay homage to this new king.  But the leadership was not happy and was triggered by these men searching for a new king.  The current king felt threatened.  The religious people weren’t ready to welcome him.  Babies would die in an effort to find this one and stop him.  There would be fleeing and hiding and relocating – all to save this baby, God’s baby.  Lives certainly were changed and love disturbed the norm.  There was Simeon and Anna who had been waiting their whole lives to see and experience this new baby – destined to live and die for this whole world.  Some welcomed love, some shut it out with all the power they could muster.

    Love came to earth and when he did, he taught what love really does look like.  And it didn’t fit the mold anyone wanted to put him in.  He changed the landscape of love.  He disturbed the status quo and changed the landscape of the faithful.  Love came to earth and flipped everything around.  He opened doors for those who had been locked out.  He sought out those who had been abandoned on the streets.  He lifted up those who had fallen so hard they thought they would never rise again.  Love changed everything – and sometimes love is disturbing.  

    But love is always good.  When we allow God to transform and change us, love seeps into our heart and creates a new life.  Love begins to flow through our blood stream and enables us to live like never before.  Love opens our eyes to the things we always miss.  It guides us to welcome those who have always felt unwelcomed.  It opens our hands to give, not seeking to receive.  Love disturbs – but oh how good love is, because oh how good God is.

    His name is Jesus, Immanuel, God with us.  His name is love.  He is the ultimate transformer.  He is the great redeemer.  He is more than we could ever comprehend.  Yet, he came as one of us to show us how to live and how to love.  He came because we are loved that much.  His name is Jesus.  He is with us.  He is still changing us.  He is still transforming lives and opening doors.  He is still seeking and calling us.  We still are being given the choice to allow love to change us or to avoid it.  Our actions reflect our decisions.  Will you live in love as love transforms you this Christmas?  May we live in love…may it be so in God.

  • A Call to Christians PT 2 – Faith Defined by Stones

    It can be really difficult for us to hear the call to put down our stones.  While on the surface, it sounds so easy – give up your anger, rage, hatred, and divisions.  Give all of that up and gather together to work for the good of those called according to God’s purpose.  It sounds great – even makes me feel great to write it.  But for some, it is the most frightening thing that could be asked of many Christians. 

    Our faith can easily become defined by the stones we carry.  We hold so tight to those stones that when pushed, they make our hands bleed – but we would never consider putting them down.  Stones make us comfortable.  They are our security pieces.  They have made us who we are and how dare we become challenged to give that up.  Stones become our closest friends.  And when pushed, we just gather bigger stones until our hands are full and we feel good about ourselves.  

    Stones enable us to feel better about ourselves.  If I can condemn you and show you all the things you do wrong, then I feel better about me.  We begin to think… “at least I am not doing that” or “look at how wrong he is”.  I become the hero, the good one, the chosen.  We begin to sit from our mighty stone thrones and cast judgment on those who don’t follow our rules.  We banish people who refuse to carry our stones.  The stones have become the bedrock of our faith – not Jesus.  But this was not the original intention.  

    I often have people tell me that I should preach more about hell and less about love.  I am always taken back at this comment, no matter how many times I hear it.  But I get it – condemnation is comforting for those who feel good about where they are sitting.  And it helps others feel bad for not agreeing.  But for me, I have to look at the life of Jesus.  I don’t recall Jesus gathering prostitutes, tax collectors and sinners around the table to tell them to get their life straight or they were going to hell.  It seems to me that the fact he was even willing to sit around the table speaks more welcome than anything else.  And all the words to them speak abundant love.  I don’t hear condemnation or judgment.  I hear love.  Where I do hear Jesus get angry is at the religious folk – those carrying stones.  I do hear Jesus telling them they can’t hear his message because they are so stuck in theirs.  I hear Jesus tell those who dragged a woman before him to put down their stones of contempt and judgment.  And I hear non-judgment for the woman.  I hear love. 

    When we become defined as Christians by our judgment, condemnation and divisiveness in the name of our faith – we have a faith built with stones.  Jesus said we should be known by our love.  The only way is to let those stones crumble to dust right before your eyes.  This is only done with the love of Christ.  It will be hard.  It will challenge us to our core.  It will change how we approach our faith.  It is not about compromising what we believe – it is about finding out how those beliefs are wrapped in love.  

    May our stones crumble to dust – and may others see our love.  May we welcome to the table.  We don’t need those stones, Christians.  Our hearts can be filled with the love of Christ.  Live as the beloved.

    Focus Scripture:

    Luke 18:9-14

    9 He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and regarded others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, was praying thus, ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people: thieves, rogues, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give a tenth of all my income.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even look up to heaven, but was beating his breast and saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his home justified rather than the other; for all who exalt themselves will be humbled, but all who humble themselves will be exalted.”

  • CHRISTIANS, Put Down Your Stones AGAIN

    Here we are again…the day after an election with a narrow gap between two candidates for President.  It is a place we are all too familiar.  This is not new for us.  It is definitely a sign of where we are as a people – split right down the middle.  Divisiveness never seems to turn out well.  If we could be divided on a candidate but still come together as a united people, this would be fine.  But if we are honest, this isn’t happening.  It didn’t happen last time and it is unlikely to happen again.  I wrote a blog on this day after the election 4 years ago as this same scenario was playing out (copied below).  It seems just as important today as it did then.  But I share this with a bit less hope than I had then.  Christians have continued to cast stones in an effort to show “the right way” (beat it into them if they won’t listen??).  Those of us who claim the way of Christ have often shown anything but love for anyone who thinks, votes, or believes differently.  And it just cannot continue.  

    So I am up early this morning with concern.  It isn’t over who will actually win the election (although we all want our candidate to win).  It isn’t over the future of our country.  I am up early this morning concerned about those of us who love Jesus.  Since the vote is split in the middle, this means those of faith are also split.  Essentially, you are likely sitting on the same pew or in the same place of worship or the same park bench with someone who did not vote like you.  We have friends and family members who did not vote the same.  We have coworkers who are divided on their vote.  And if we claim the Christian faith, we must find a way forward together.  There has been damage – words have been said and actions have been shown – and all too many were really ugly.  But Jesus’ love is the great repairer.  

    Repairing does not mean changing everyone to be like me.  Repairing means we change to become more like Christ – and neither political party or candidate is Christ.  You can be on both sides of the spectrum and still love Jesus.  One more time…YOU CAN BE ON BOTH SIDES OF A POLITICAL SPECTRUM AND STILL LOVE JESUS.  So I still believe the only way forward is to put down our stones and work together to share the love of Christ.  We cannot cast stones and show love at the same time.  And the Gospel of John reads that Jesus believed the one without sin was the only with the ability to cast a stone.  That means there won’t be any stone casting from anyone who follows him – there simply can’t be.  

    So, one more time – let’s drop our stones and find healing in the love of Jesus Christ.  Christians, let’s lead the way – not in contempt or bullying – but in love.  This is the only way.  

    Put Down Your Stone…A Call to Christians (published November 9, 2016)

    It is the day after the Presidential Election.  We are a nation divided.  The narrow victory certainly tells many stories about how our country feels.  There has been so much divisiveness and dissension.  It has been a time of turmoil as we have watched candidates debate, argue, and even fist fight.  With such a narrow victory, the next president certainly has his work cut out for him to unite this country.  That is all stating the obvious.

    What is also obvious is the underlying current of hate and anger that has been simmering and occasionally spewing to the top.  There has been name calling and people made to feel belittled for supporting one candidate or the other.  There have been phrases like…if you vote for ____, then you are just stupid (or an idiot or whatever other negative connotation you can come up with).  Phrases like…you can’t possibly be a Christian and vote for _____.  Or, who in their right mind would vote for _____.  Honestly, it has felt more like being on the playground in middle school than being adults “debating” the issues for the future of our country.  It definitely is a sign that many Americans lack the basic skill of effective communication and instead, lean towards bullying and fear mongering.

    The most disheartening of it all for me is that much of this hate, anger, belittling, and casting of fear has come from my Christian brothers and sisters.  On social media, on the TV, in ads, and in person, one cannot tell if a person is a Christian or not by actions or by their love.  I have heard just as many negative comments and hateful spewing from Christians as from anyone else.  And since Jesus wasn’t running (or anyone who even resembles his actions or values), there should not have been a “Christian vote.”  Since the vote was nearly 50/50, that would suggest that there are Christians who love the Lord with all their heart on BOTH sides.  What a concept.  It has been difficult to see the love of Christ show up in anything that has been done over the last few months.  Apparently when the heat is turned up, Christians don’t seem to react any different than anyone else…and that is painful and sad.

    So, the election is over (and we all say a collective THANK GOD).  But damage has been done.  Christians, it is time for us to drop the stones that we have been casting and find unity.  We must find a way to come together as God’s people to do God’s work REGARDLESS of who is president or whether or not we voted for him.  For me, it starts with humility, looking to Christ as my guide.  We must seek forgiveness, both from God for the way we have acted, and from our neighbors for the stones that have been cast.  We must turn our hearts and minds to Christ and to LOVING OTHERS.   We cannot join hands in this world while holding stones.  We cannot offer a helping hand or help a brother or sister up while carrying the stones.  We cannot be the hands and feet of Christ while burdened down with our anger and fear and hatred.  We have to drop it all in surrender to the ONE that can bring us together.  Regardless of whether or not this country unites, Christians are called to be different, to act different, and to love different.

    Brothers and Sisters, may we drop our stones today seeking forgiveness, joining hands with our neighbors in love and unity, and moving forward doing the work of Christ.  If you are looking for a change in this country…this is where it really begins…

    And may it begin with me.

    A Place Where Stones Belong

  • It Really Is About Love

    It’s difficult to believe it can be this simple.  We try to make it more difficult than it should be.  We try to interject our opinions and our ways into it.  We don’t allow what is there to speak for itself.  It is loud and clear and yet we want to make it quiet and unnoticeable.  God has spoken these words over and over and over – and too many times, we just ignore these are his words…or we choose other words we would rather hear or speak or believe.  But these words are bold and bright and brilliant.  They are challenging and they cause us to change if we take them seriously.  We don’t get to live our lives the way we might want to if we follow these teachings.  We don’t get to change the words around if we take God seriously.  We take them as he says them, as he writes them, and as he shares them.  

    This morning, I am going to do something a little different.  I want to read several scriptures in a row and then bring the message together in a way that I hope will lead us to the teachings of Jesus.  So walk with me on this quick journey.  It begins early in the Bible…

    Leviticus 19:15-18

    15 You shall not render an unjust judgment; you shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great: with justice you shall judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not profit by the blood of your neighbor: I am the Lord.

    17 You shall not hate in your heart anyone of your kin; you shall reprove your neighbor, or you will incur guilt yourself. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against any of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.

    This is among many laws that God has given his people – these things separate them from all the others in the land.  It doesn’t stop here, though.  Jesus had some things to clarify for the people:

    Matthew 5:43-44

    43 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,

    Love your neighbor…there it is again…

    Matthew 22:34-40

    34 When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, 35 and one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” 37 He said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the greatest and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

    Jesus clarifies this in the parable of the Good Samaritan…a story he teaches about who is our neighbor.  He leaves this teaching with his disciples and thus, with us:

    John13:34-35

    34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

    Paul reiterates this to the church at Galatia which was having some issues:

    Galatians 5:13-14

    13 For you were called to freedom, brothers and sisters; only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for self-indulgence, but through love become slaves to one another. 14 For the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” 

    And I think John sums it up well:

    1 John 3:11, 14-17

    11 For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.  14 We know that we have passed from death to life because we love one another. Whoever does not love abides in death. 15 All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them. 16 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 17 How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?

    So there are all these teachings about loving our neighbor.  We are called, instructed, and directed to love one another.  This teaching repeats itself over and over – love being the central theme of the Bible, in my opinion.  Yet, this is one of the most challenging teachings we are called to follow.  It is much easier to judge.  It is easier to dismiss. It is easier to ignore.  It is easier to not love.  We even try to devise reasons for not loving.  We do this by clumping people into groups so that we can just not love a whole group.  It is, after all, easier to dismiss a group than it is to dismiss one person we see and know and talk with.  But that isn’t the point…that isn’t the teaching…that isn’t the instruction.  We are to love others.  

    Loving others requires us to push past our preconceived notions.  Loving others requires us to reach from a place where we realize we are loved.  Loving others comes from knowing that Jesus loves us – despite who we are and where we have been.  Loving others is more than a command, it must be a part of who we are and how we live.  It cannot be something we talk about – it must be something we live.  It has to be how we are known.  If it is not, we are missing something.  

    I understand the challenges of loving others, I do.  I get why it can be so difficult.  I hear how you struggle with this – so do I.  I am not saying this is easy.  I am not saying we will get this right all the time.  But if we never try, how will we ever change?  If we never begin to take this teaching seriously, how will we ever love?  If we never really listen to God, how can we expect God to change us?  We are loved beyond measure.  We are loved, even despite the mess we are or the mess we may find ourselves.  We are God’s beloved.  God is just asking us to carry this love forward.  He is asking us to take what we have been given and share it with others.  He is asking us to take this amazing love and put it into action.  Instead of ignoring this love or denying it, we begin with welcoming in the fact we are loved.  It starts here.  When we begin to sense how much we are loved, we have a wellspring of love to share.  We can only love others when we sense how much we are loved.  Maybe that’s where we start today.  Maybe it begins with – YOU ARE GOD’S BELOVED.  YOU ARE LOVED.  Take it in.  Live with it.  Let it become a part of you.  It will change us.  And we just may find ourselves loving others.  May it begin with me.

  • Presence

    He is everywhere.  He is here – he is there. He is with us, acknowledgement not needed.  He goes with us.  We sometimes notice, often we don’t.  Sometimes we care and then there are times when we don’t seem to.  We wonder if it is true but don’t dare talk about it.  And yet, there is something comforting and reassuring to know we are not alone.  We do not travel alone.  We do not face life’s most difficult challenges by ourselves.  We do not celebrate our accomplishments without him.  Our lives are filled with his presence.  We have a million opportunities to feel his love.  Yet, most of the time, we just miss it.  We are caught up in the other things which feel more real, which consume our minds, which fill our pockets.  Yet, he is here.  His name even tell us so.  His name is Immanuel – God with us.  

    How might life look different if we realized that God is really with us?  Would we make better choices?  Would we hold our tongue?  Would we more readily forgive?  Would we become more bold or more quiet?  Would we listen or would be rebel?  Would we even care?  

    Today, we are taking just a glimpse into the life of Moses.  Moses has had some pretty incredible experiences with God – probably more than many will realize. God was with him as he was born and as he was raised in a palace. God was with him when he fled to the countryside.  God was with him as he married.  And God reminded him very evidently as he approached him through a burning bush.  God sent plagues, right before the eyes of Moses.  God split a sea – right in his presence.  Moses had felt God’s power in some small fraction as he held the rod.  He had experienced his anger as the people did what they wanted and built a calf to worship.  Moses had been in God’s presence enough to glow – actually change his countenance after being with God.  Moses and God spoke often.  And God showed Moses what to do and how to do it.  This seems to be a unique relationship.  This bond reminds Moses he doesn’t want to do this alone.  After being with God all this time, he wants even more time with him.  He wants more of a relationship.  He wants even more of a deep experience.  And he asks for it, even refuses to move forward without God.  

    Exodus 33:12-23
    33:12 Moses said to the LORD, “See, you have said to me, ‘Bring up this people’; but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, ‘I know you by name, and you have also found favor in my sight.’
    33:13 Now if I have found favor in your sight, show me your ways, so that I may know you and find favor in your sight. Consider too that this nation is your people.”
    33:14 He said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.”
    33:15 And he said to him, “If your presence will not go, do not carry us up from here.
    33:16 For how shall it be known that I have found favor in your sight, I and your people, unless you go with us? In this way, we shall be distinct, I and your people, from every people on the face of the earth.”
    33:17 The LORD said to Moses, “I will do the very thing that you have asked; for you have found favor in my sight, and I know you by name.”
    33:18 Moses said, “Show me your glory, I pray.”
    33:19 And he said, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and will proclaim before you the name, ‘The LORD’; and I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy.
    33:20 But,” he said, “you cannot see my face; for no one shall see me and live.”
    33:21 And the LORD continued, “See, there is a place by me where you shall stand on the rock;
    33:22 and while my glory passes by I will put you in a cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until I have passed by;
    33:23 then I will take away my hand, and you shall see my back; but my face shall not be seen.”

    Moses essentially tells God that he cannot move forward without him.  He doesn’t want to proceed unless God is there.  He doesn’t want to take another step unless God is present.  He has been with him enough to know in God’s presence is exactly where he needs to be.  He doesn’t want to make it alone.  He can’t make it alone.  

    Moses asks to experience God’s glory.  He wants even more of God.  He wants to embrace the goodness of God in all fullness.  God realizes that Moses heart is to know he is known and loved.  And God helps him to realize this.  He helps him to experience, at least as much as he can, the goodness of God.  He gives him a sense of his might and power in a moment.  But that is all it takes, really.  None else is needed.  This is more than sufficient.

    Do you believe God is with us – all the time?  Most of us would say we do.  We would want to believe it.  We say it is true.  But we don’t actually act like it.  I mean, we get caught up in the day’s activities and forget it.  We don’t audibly hear him so surely he can’t actually be there.  How can he lead us without speaking to us?  It must mean that God has given us more than just hearing – more than just speech to communicate.  It seems to me that we have put God in a box and decided he can only communicate like us.  But that isn’t at all how God shows Moses his glory.  No words are needed for this moment.  It is an experience.  There are sights, sounds, feelings, emotions, smells all wrapped into a moment – words not needed.  Experiencing God is often most noticed in silence.

    If that is true – if God is most evident in silence – then why do we limit him to speech and to English for that matter?  Why do we decide he isn’t near because we can’t hear him? Why do we feel like he can’t lead unless he is speaking?  What about the subtle yet powerful things which happen all around us?  Are they not enough?  Do they not say something to us?  Does God’s creation not speak to us if we simply stop and sense it?  Sure, God doesn’t speak audibly – at least not in my experience.  But God is not limited to speaking through words.  And we shouldn’t put that binding on him.  He created it all so we can experience him through it all.  

    That would mean God is evident all the time – always with us – if we pay attention.  We may see the signs and smell the signals.  We may sense the direction or feel the need for forgiveness.  We may taste the bread of redemption.  We may feel the waters of baptism.  We may be cleansed of mistakes through the powerful winds that blow.  It just might be God is speaking to us every so loudly without ever speaking a word in our language.  It might be we have limited him so much that his voice has become indistinguishable.  And that may just be what is wrong with us.  God is near – we just don’t get it.

    So maybe we start back at the beginning.  God created and it was good.  God created it all and uses all of his creation to lead, guide, and direct.  God loves.  He shows his love through so many ways that we need to acknowledge.  The simplest things bring the greatest joys.  His greatest love has already been given to us in Jesus.  And he tells us his name is Immanuel – God with us.  

    May God’s presence overwhelm you.  May his presence be sensed without any words needed.  May he guide.  May he show us love so we can love him and our neighbor.  And may we be awakened to his presence.  Show us your glory, Lord.  Show us your glory.

  • Rejoice? Really?

    Sometimes when I read particular scriptures, my eyes roll.  I understand it isn’t very pastoral of me.  I also understand that it isn’t how I should feel about what I am reading.  It is just that some scriptures sound so difficult – so out of reach – so unrealistic that I find my eyes rolling before I even think about it.  I can imagine that God isn’t pleased with how I feel as I know my parents weren’t okay when I rolled my eyes around them.  I’m pretty sure my parents wanted to knock my eyes out a few times – but I am grateful they didn’t.  But, for some reason, I feel that God understands my frustration.  I think he gets why this makes me so upset.  It is like when someone tells you how perfect they are- you know it isn’t happening and you just want it to be over.  The problem is that this scripture is meant for us.  It is a possibility.  It is a part of being one of God’s children.  It actually is part of living for Christ.  So, here we go – no eye rolls please.

    Philippians 4:1-9
    4:1 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, whom I love and long for, my joy and crown, stand firm in the Lord in this way, my beloved.
    4:2 I urge Euodia and I urge Syntyche to be of the same mind in the Lord.
    4:3 Yes, and I ask you also, my loyal companion, help these women, for they have struggled beside me in the work of the gospel, together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers, whose names are in the book of life.
    4:4 Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice.
    4:5 Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near.
    4:6 Do not worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
    4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
    4:8 Finally, beloved, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.
    4:9 Keep on doing the things that you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, and the God of peace will be with you.

    Joy in all circumstances.  Really?  This is what is asked of us?  Does Paul not understand that we are in the midst of a pandemic and how much of a strain it is putting on us?  Does he not understand how difficult life is right now?  Actually, yes he does.  He writes these words from prison.  That’s right – he is in prison when he pens the words “rejoice always.”  So yes, Paul gets it and still writes it.  

    What do we do with this?  It seems so difficult – so challenging – almost impossible.  We are to rejoice always and think on things that are praiseworthy.  Our response may be – if only.  I would rejoice if I didn’t have so many bills.  I would think about things that were praiseworthy if I didn’t have this job or this doctor’s appointment or this situation going on.  The problem is that when we live with “if onlys” in our lives, we never achieve anything.  We hunker down in a hole of excuses that eventually covers us so we see no way out.  “If onlys” are dangerous.  They are making things and situations responsible for our joy and our praise.  We are giving stuff the responsibility for our thoughts and our actions.  Is that really where we want to be?  Do we want things and people and situations to control our thoughts and steal our joy? 

    This scripture brings even more interesting parts we might otherwise miss.  Paul is writing about a disagreement among church leaders.  That never happens, right?  He reminds both of them to have the same mind as Christ – to come together for the glory of God – to focus on what God is calling and instruction – to live like Jesus.  And in doing that, in the middle of the disagreement, as he sits in a prison cell – Paul writes – “rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice.”  He reminds them to let their gentleness (or forbearance) be known to everyone.  What is forbearance?  It is patient self-control – a restraint.  It means not self-seeking but a willingness to work with others.  It leads to peace, he says.  

    Sounds great, doesn’t it?  But to put into practice is much more challenging, seemingly impossible.  Paul must have meant this for someone else.  He couldn’t really mean we should do these things, right?  Yet, I think we actually make things more challenging than they are.  We don’t want to put forth the effort because that would mean we give up our own opinions or ways of doing something.  We don’t want to restrain ourselves, it is easier not to.  Yet, to work as the people of God in fellowship requires just that.  And it isn’t easy – not for a moment.  But it also isn’t impossible.  If it was impossible, we wouldn’t be given this word as something to do.  It isn’t unachievable.  It is within our grasp.  But it means working together, encouraging one another, and loving even those we may not agree with.  

    If we monitored our speech and our thoughts by these measures given to us, we might find we are rejoicing more.  We might find that even in the middle of a situation, there is so much to be joyful for.  We may even find our joy is a part of our everyday lives – despite the harshness of the day.  Joy can ignite a fire in us to live as Christ taught us to live.  Joy can light up a room when it is otherwise harsh and cold.  Joy can change circumstances because it presents a different outlook.  There are different possibilities.  We are not held to the place where we find ourselves.  There is another way.  And it begins with joy because it begins with Jesus.

    Maybe we begin with reading the scripture differently.  Maybe we should read it as something we can do rather than the impossible.  Rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice – it is more than a great set of words, but is a beautiful command that helps us to focus on the Lord and not on us.  We rejoice through thinking about the true, honorable, just, pure, pleasing, commendable, and praiseworthy.  Think on these things.  Measure our thoughts with these things.  Filter our comments through these things.  Who knows – we may find peace filling our lives despite our circumstances.  We may find we are known for loving others regardless and our selflessness will be shown brightly.  We may even bring glory to God.  It is certainly worth the effort.  And the time to begin is now.

  • You Welcomed Me

    We live in times of great division.  There is real palpable stress and it seems the smallest difference sets off sparks that create fireworks of heated disagreement.  Election time is always challenging.  It appears to be a pitting of one group verses another.  If you are in one camp, you can’t talk to the other.  This year, it seems that the animosity has grown even thicker – causing constant unrest.  It is evident everywhere you turn.  There are differing opinions on most everything you can imagine and voices rain down louder than a symphony of broken instruments all being played in disarray.  It is confusing and hurtful and punishing.  Unfortunately, the church is not immune to this either.  

    The church is to be a beloved community made up of different people with different backgrounds and different affiliations.  There are unique gifts and talents brought to the table.  There are strong personalities and quiet hard workers.  There are people of different ethnicities, different upbringings, and different ways of viewing the world.  Actually, if the church is optimal, it is made up of people that are completely unique who express their authenticity in a community which comes together in a way different than the world.  We do not need to vote the same way.  We do not need to have the same color skin.  We do not have to agree on much of anything.  If we are all alike and all have the same opinions, we haven’t done a really good job of being the church.  All we have done is sought out people like us and excluded anyone that didn’t fit that description.  Jesus had a whole lot to say about that – and none of it was good.  

    In a world so ravaged by division, how does the church respond?  How do we come together when we are so different?  What is it that unites us?  What are we doing and why are we doing it in the first place?  

    The answer is, well, complicated – except it isn’t.  What is always the right answer when an answer is asked in a Christian church?  The first response is Jesus.  And yep, that is the right answer today, too.  So good job if that was your answer.  Seems easy enough, right?  Jesus is the common factor, the great equalizer, the ultimate Savior for this whole mess.  But with Jesus as the answer – it complicates things.  

    Jesus was quite the controversial person.  He stirred up more than his fair share of trouble.  To really read his words and follow his teachings calls us to be someone different.  It calls us to come together in unique and challenging ways.  To follow Jesus means we seek his will and way, leaving ours behind.  For Jesus to be the answer means we can worship together, no matter our backgrounds, because it is all about him and not at all about us.  Our political opinions, our views of the hot topics, our decisions in everyday life can all be different and we can still come together as God’s children – adopted into the family because of the sacrifice and love of Jesus Christ.  

    We didn’t become a child of God because of the way we talked, walked, or thought.  It wasn’t because we were born into the right family or we were made powerful by the world or because we hold some position in life.  We didn’t become a child of God because of who our mama or daddy is, because of our origin or ethnicity, because we were born in the right country or because we deserved it.  Quite the opposite is true.  None of those are factors God considered.  He created you because he loved you.  Jesus died for us because he knew we were a big messed up bunch that basically gets most everything wrong.  God understood that we wouldn’t get it without the saving love and grace only he could give.  And since we couldn’t be good enough, nothing we do qualified us.  You are a child of God because Jesus was willing to stretch out his arms in an expression of the ultimate love – and welcome you in.  

    If that really is the case – if it really is because of the love and sacrifice of Jesus – if it really is when we follow Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior – if it really is about the call and welcome of Jesus and not the qualifications of anything we put in place…then we have a starting point for a community of the beloved.  That starting point is Jesus and not us.  Our purpose, our goal, our focus, and our whole reason for being has to be Jesus.  That means we leave our egos checked at the door – and if we are honest, that’s not easy.  

    This morning, I want to look at a scripture that packs a powerful punch – and often is taken as a wake-up call for the church and for Christians to reorient back to the mission and vision of Jesus.  I want you to hear this, but I also want to focus on one particular teaching.  This could be something we miss and also could be the key for coming together, even and especially in times like these.

    Matthew 25:34-40

     34 Then the king will say to those at his right hand, ‘Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? 38 And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? 39 And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you?’ 40 And the king will answer them, ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’ 

    I do want to offer that this scripture is the positive note in this teaching.  There is an equally negative note about what happens when you do not do these things.  I chose this because this should be where we are aiming.  You can decide of the opposite is where we already are.  We often hear that we are to feed, clothe, visit, and provide water.  Those are tangible teachings we hear and understand.  Sometimes we even try to do them.  But what we may miss is something in the middle of all of this, and may be more challenging.  It says, “I was a stranger and you welcomed me.”  You welcomed me.  You…welcomed…me.  That seems to be one of the main challenges of the church.  That seems to be one of the most difficult parts of this whole thing.  We can hold a feeding ministry, we can have a clothing closet, we can have or support a prison ministry, and we can help people have access to water.  These are all things we set up ministries to accomplish.  We seek to do them as God’s children.  And they are good and needed and more valuable than we can imagine.  But is not the whole deal.  You welcomed me.  Now that is a little more challenging.

    We can give someone food without developing a relationship.  We can give away coats without actually talking to others.  We can set up all kinds of barriers between us and those in need so that we are doing what we need to do but don’t have to get closely involved.  Those people can stay those people and we can stay comfortable as us.  We can form a group of people like us which doesn’t overly challenge us.  But to welcome – that’s a different story.

    To welcome is to see something in someone that is useful and valuable.  We see a person, a child of God, someone worthy of love.  We are required to see past the exterior.  To welcome means you look past all of the things you would normally judge.  You don’t worry about appearance or background, you don’t think about their political affiliation or opinions, you don’t care about the native language or where they were born.  To welcome means that nothing matters except to show the love of Christ.  In Matthew 25 – it does not give qualifications to be welcomed.  It doesn’t list things to accomplish before being welcomed.  It isn’t based on anything.  Humanity is welcomed.  And the point is that we welcome without judgment because we never know when we have welcomed Jesus into our community.  

    But, let’s be honest, that really is the kicker, isn’t it?  It makes us uncomfortable to have people we don’t agree with.  It causes us to evaluate how we do things if there are people from different backgrounds or ethnicities.  It challenges us to change because we grow stagnant in the way we do things and changing is just hard.  But Jesus never said it was to be easy – he said it was the mission.  

    You welcomed me.  Those words ring so powerfully to me in the times we find ourselves.  Who will you welcome?  How will you welcome?  What will you do to show welcome – to the least of these?  Christ…may you be welcome here.

  • The Unworthy

    One of my favorite people to read about in the Bible is Jonah.  That may sound strange because what most of us know about him deals with the whole whale of an incident.  But that is only one small blip in his life.  It’s interesting to say that smelling fish guts for a few days while God puts you in time out is a blip.  But when we consider the scope of his life, we really know very little.  What we do know of Jonah reminds me of his humanity. 

    We often think of Jonah as the disobedient one.  We think of him as the runner – the run as far and fast as you can from what God wants you to do kind of guy.  We think of him as the one that God had to teach a lesson.  That may all be true, but that misses what Jonah was running from, what he was called to do, and what he never really wanted to do.  It misses that Jonah was given this mission he didn’t really want, he didn’t really believe in, and he never fully accepted.  It wasn’t because he was a horrible guy.  God used him in a mighty way.  He may have been one the worst speakers but God had a plan for him.  Jonah didn’t like the plan and God still used him.  I think it was because Jonah had some redemptive qualities that God saw.  Jonah had potential that even he didn’t recognize.  And the lesson I learn from Jonah is one that leads and guides so much of my life.  

    Where we will join Jonah in his story this morning is after the most famous and known part of his journey.  He has already been called by God to go to these particular people that he did not want to help.  He has run the other way, jumped a ship, thrown overboard, spent time with the fish, and found himself on the shore.  What a ride.  But that isn’t the end.  He does go to the people of Nineveh – though more than reluctantly.  God gave him another chance to do the right thing (and maybe God gives him a swift kick to get it done).  So he does it, in what seems to be a half-hearted attempt.  And God used it.  God used the seemingly pitiful message.  The people of Nineveh heard it, took it to heart, and changed.  They repented.  They heard that God cared about them and destruction was coming – they listened.  Even the King got the message and made a decree – everyone would be in on this.  They would change their ways.  Great news, right?!  Yes, for everyone but Jonah.  

    Jonah 3:10-4:11

    3:10 When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil ways, God changed his mind about the calamity that he had said he would bring upon them; and he did not do it.

    4:1 But this was very displeasing to Jonah, and he became angry.

    4:2 He prayed to the LORD and said, “O LORD! Is not this what I said while I was still in my own country? That is why I fled to Tarshish at the beginning; for I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and ready to relent from punishing.

    4:3 And now, O LORD, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live.”

    4:4 And the LORD said, “Is it right for you to be angry?”

    4:5 Then Jonah went out of the city and sat down east of the city, and made a booth for himself there. He sat under it in the shade, waiting to see what would become of the city.

    4:6 The LORD God appointed a bush, and made it come up over Jonah, to give shade over his head, to save him from his discomfort; so Jonah was very happy about the bush.

    4:7 But when dawn came up the next day, God appointed a worm that attacked the bush, so that it withered.

    4:8 When the sun rose, God prepared a sultry east wind, and the sun beat down on the head of Jonah so that he was faint and asked that he might die. He said, “It is better for me to die than to live.”

    4:9 But God said to Jonah, “Is it right for you to be angry about the bush?” And he said, “Yes, angry enough to die.” 

    4:10 Then the LORD said, “You are concerned about the bush, for which you did not labor and which you did not grow; it came into being in a night and perished in a night.

    4:11 And should I not be concerned about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not know their right hand from their left, and also many animals?”

    Don’t miss this.  God saved the people and the land of Nineveh.  The proclamation of Jonah was heard.  He did what he was sent to do and the people heard it and changed.  God did not bring the destruction he had planned.  They were saved.  That should be reason to celebrate.  But Jonah was angry.  Yes, you heard that correctly – Jonah was angry.  He was angry with God.  He basically tells God that he knew this would happen.  God is too kind and merciful and loving.  He just knew God wouldn’t destroy them and that’s why he didn’t want to do this in the first place.  How dare God be so loving and kind!

    I have to pause there.  This is something we do not always hear and if we do, we are ready to cast judgment on Jonah.  How dare he act like this!  How could he make such a call on those people!  Who does he think he is!  Yet, what we don’t always consider is who they were to Jonah.  Nineveh is the enemy.  They are the opposing force.  Jonah wants them destroyed because Jonah has identified these people as his enemy.  They have sought to destroy his people.  How could God care about them?  Jonah wanted to see God wipe them out – it seemed only right to him.  He didn’t want to care about them and he didn’t want them saved.

    That sounds selfish, but I wonder how many times that happens today.  We decide who is the enemy and we want them destroyed.  We certainly don’t see how God could love them.  We don’t want to consider that God created them too and there is any potential in them.  They are the “other” and we don’t see value in “those” people.  They are the enemy.  Yet, if we believe that God is creator of the entire world, there are more people God created than just us.  There are more to love outside of our country.  There are more valuable people outside of our realm of what we consider worthy.  God actually loves the whole world – the whole entire world.  And if that is true, that means he loves those we have decided aren’t worthy.  It means those we don’t agree with.  It means those who don’t look like us or talk like us or think like us.  It means God has a plan which is good for all humankind.  That could come as a shocker to some of us who feel like the privileged and favored few.

    But the story doesn’t end there for Jonah.  God decides to teach Jonah a lesson he can grasp.  As he did with the big fish, he does with the plant.  Jonah is miserable.  He has gone to sulk.  He wanted to see them destroyed.  So he goes and sits down.  God provides him shade.  It is perfect.  It is just what Jonah needed.  It saves him for the day.  The next day, the shade is eaten by bugs.  And Jonah has to face the heat and wind without it.  He is angry.  God reminds him that Jonah cared about a shade he did not create, he did not do anything for – because it was protecting him.  God tells him that there are people in Nineveh that do not understand and that need direction.  God cares for them too.  He has good things for them too.  

    God has so much more planned than we could ever imagine.  He is using us for his good and loving plan.  We don’t always like or understand the plan.  We don’t understand how we are to love the enemy.  But this is exactly what Jesus taught.  We are to love those we consider unlovable and unworthy.  God does not appoint us as judge.  He does not give us the option to decide who is worthless or worthy.  He sees children without direction.  And he may just see that in us.  

    May God open our eyes to see others as he does.  May we show love to all – even those we consider the “other”.  May it begin today.

  • Don’t Quit

    We can be much better cheerleaders for others than for ourselves.  We will support our friends through their most difficult times.  We will stand behind our children or grandchildren in their challenges and as they seek to find their place in this world.  We know that God has a plan and a purpose for them and it is good.  We will pray for them and love them, no matter where they may find themselves.  We watch them stumble and we beam with pride as they pick themselves up and go one more time.  When they stumble and struggle, we are there to encourage them.  We believe in them.  We know they are capable of good things.  We see the beauty and the strength – even when they have no idea.  We will never give up on them.  But we don’t treat ourselves the same.

    It can be that in becoming an encourager of others, we forget to encourage ourselves.  I am not talking about a false sense of pride.  I am not talking about a “look at me and how good I am” type of encouragement.  We don’t encourage others in that way.  When we see potential in other people, we try to help them find their best.  We try to help them live out what God has given them.  We try to direct them in the way that God has created.  But we don’t always do this for ourselves.  We don’t always look in the mirror and see potential.  We see flaws.  We see reasons we can’t.  We see the things which hold us back.  We see every reason not to do something.  We know things about ourselves no one else does.  And so we end up encouraging others while beating ourselves up.  We end up uplifting others and tearing ourselves down.  And God has called us to something different.  If only we knew what God knows about us – we might see potential in those eyes.  We might see love in our heart.  We may see joy in our smile.  We might just see God at work – in us.  

    But if only they knew… I wonder how many times we think or say that to ourselves.  If only they knew what my past looks like.  If only they knew how many times I have tried.  If only they knew how many times I have messed up.  If only they knew.  Yet, the only “they” who matters is God.  And here’s a fact – he already knows.  God knows and God still believes in you.  God still has a plan and a purpose for you.  God has not left you because of who you were.  God has not deserted you because of the things you did.  God sees something incredible in you and is just waiting for you to live it out.  He hasn’t given up on you – so why have you given up on you?

    Whenever I am struggling with who God would have me to be – or struggling with my place in this world – or just struggling with me in general – I turn to this scripture.  This particular Psalm says more to me about who I am than any other I know.  It also gives me encouragement to see someone different in the mirror.  I am given courage to look beyond the flaws and see the man God has created.  I see more because God shows me more.  

    Psalm 139:1-18 – Hear God speak life over you.

    1 O Lord, you have searched me and known me.
    2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
        you discern my thoughts from far away.
    3 You search out my path and my lying down,
        and are acquainted with all my ways.
    4 Even before a word is on my tongue,
        O Lord, you know it completely.
    5 You hem me in, behind and before,
        and lay your hand upon me.
    6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
        it is so high that I cannot attain it.

    7 Where can I go from your spirit?
        Or where can I flee from your presence?
    8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there;
        if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.
    9 If I take the wings of the morning
        and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
    10 even there your hand shall lead me,
        and your right hand shall hold me fast.
    11 If I say, “Surely the darkness shall cover me,
        and the light around me become night,”
    12 even the darkness is not dark to you;
        the night is as bright as the day,
        for darkness is as light to you.

    13 For it was you who formed my inward parts;
        you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
    14 I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
        Wonderful are your works;
    that I know very well.
    15     My frame was not hidden from you,
    when I was being made in secret,
        intricately woven in the depths of the earth.
    16 Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
    In your book were written
        all the days that were formed for me,
        when none of them as yet existed.
    17 How weighty to me are your thoughts, O God!
        How vast is the sum of them!
    18 I try to count them—they are more than the sand;
        I come to the end—I am still with you.

    The Psalmist concludes with:

    23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
        test me and know my thoughts.
    24 See if there is any wicked way in me,
        and lead me in the way everlasting. 

    God sees , God knows, God hears and God is with us.  Yet God does not leave us.  He does not give up on us.  He does not dismiss us.  He does not throw us into the trash heap because we are not good enough.

    We are encouraged to look for the perfect in life. We are encouraged to only take the best and to dismiss the rest.  But we miss so much when we do.  In our home, we have fruits and veggies sent to us from the dismissed.  In other words, the fruits and veggies that are imperfect – those that farmers cannot sell in the store – are packaged and sent out.  When we go to the grocery store, we look for the absolute best fruit and will not take one that has a mark on it.  There is nothing wrong with it, we just want the best.  So the fruits and veggies that are marked or didn’t grow perfectly become waste.  We want the best and expect the best and seek out only the best.  Yet, the rest of the produce is just fine.  It may not be pleasing to our eyes, but it is just as good to our stomachs – where it really matters.  But we are conditioned to only take the best.  And it happens that way in our own lives too.  

    We dismiss the good in us because we don’t feel like we are the best at something.  We don’t want to pursue something because we may be just okay.  We don’t see God at work in us because we have bruises and imperfections.  Yet, God sees so much more.  He doesn’t care about all that stuff.  He sees good.  He sees possibility.  He sees opportunity.  He created you for something amazing – amazing in his eyes, not the worlds.  We have to change our vision.  We need correction to see the possibilities.  We must stop seeing the reasons why not and see what God is up to.  We may see a completely different person – loved and called by God.  

    God has not given up on you.  That I can promise you.  He sees someone that he created and he loves.  He is encouraging you to follow, serve, and live out all that he has for you.  This isn’t about  – “look at me and all I have done” – but rather “look at what God is doing.”  God has something good – and it just may be looking you in the mirror.  Let’s move forward, children of God.  There is work to be done.

  • Teachable

    At some point, it seems we gain a sense of confidence about the things we know.  We develop a knowledge base and choose to become satisfied with our current state.  It is almost as if we cut off our ability to learn and to grow because we feel like we have matured to the point that we no longer need it.  We become confident, maybe overly confident, about the things that we know and do not allow any other information to be considered.  We know what we know and we become stuck in this.  Anything that challenges what we know, we dismiss or become angry.  We defend what we know with all our might.  And, in turn, we lose the ability to listen, grow and learn.  This seems to especially happen with our faith.  And the chances of it happening seem to grow exponentially if we were raised in church.  We become less willing to hear and learn and dismiss anything that doesn’t coincide with what we think we know.  We look for people that think like us and dismiss all else.  What happens, though, is we grow stagnant.  When we are not learning and growing, we become stuck and unable to live out our faith.  We can even become frustrated and angry.  We are no longer teachable.  

    An easy example of this is when we look at scriptures we have heard over and over again.  We have heard them taught every way you might can imagine.  For instance, the parable of the prodigal son is one.  This has been taught from a thousand different angles.  So when this becomes the scripture for us to read or we hear a message about it, we can begin to tune out.  We can turn off the switch and go into autopilot because we know the answers – or at least we think we do.  If we do decide to listen and something is unusual that we hear, we just dismiss the entire message.  We are not growing and we are not teachable because we have decided we know it all.  

    But that really isn’t how God’s Word works.  This isn’t really how the Christian faith is to be lived out.  This isn’t why God has given us this guide we know as the Bible.  It isn’t so that we can look at it and memorize it and quote it but not live it.  It isn’t so that we can use it to judge others or beat others over the head with facts we aren’t even willing to accept ourselves.  It isn’t so that we take this Word and decide one way of looking at it and stop growing.  We are given God’s Word that speaks to us where we are.  If we believe that the Word is alive and active, then we cannot know it all.  It requires us to be teachable, all the time.  It means we are never an expert.  We never have all the answers.  It forces us to listen, even when we think we know it all.  God gave us this Word so we could become more like him – not more confident in who we think we are.

    If we are going to be teachable at all times, it means we must be willing to listen – really listen.  Listening requires active tuning in without trying to answer all the questions.  It means keeping our mouths closed and minds open because we do not know it all.  We do not have all the answers.  And that is hard – especially when we have grown up studying the Word.  But since we are not God, there is still so much to learn.  

    Today’s scripture is Romans 13:8-14.

    In this scripture, Paul is teaching what it means to live in the way of Christ.  He is challenging believers to wake up – to pay attention – to listen to the direction of Christ.  He is pushing them to go beyond where they already are and not to become stagnant in their faith.  Don’t stay in one place, stuck in your beliefs.  Grow and stretch – and these words certainly do stretch us.

    Romans 13:8-14

    13:8 Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law.

    13:9 The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; You shall not murder; You shall not steal; You shall not covet”; and any other commandment, are summed up in this word, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”

    13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law.

    13:11 Besides this, you know what time it is, how it is now the moment for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we became believers;

    13:12 the night is far gone, the day is near. Let us then lay aside the works of darkness and put on the armor of light;

    13:13 let us live honorably as in the day, not in reveling and drunkenness, not in debauchery and licentiousness, not in quarreling and jealousy.

    13:14 Instead, put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.

    Love one another.  It seems so simple.  It is written so many times in the Bible that we could identify this as one of the major themes.  Jesus said that to love God and to love others is central to it all.  We know that we are to love our neighbor.  And so, when we hear this again, we could easily hear…blah, blah, blah.  It could be like the teacher on Charlie Brown – wank, wank, wank.  We tune out all the rest because we think we have it.  We feel sure, because we have heard it so often, that we understand it.  Yet, I wonder if we are living it.  Understanding it, hearing it, knowing it is completely different than living it.  

    That may be why God has it so many times in his Word.  This may be why the Bible repeats it and there are stories of it over and over again.  God taught it, Jesus lived it, but do we?  Do we really get it?  Do we really love our neighbor?  Do we really live honorably?  Do we live without quarreling and jealousy?  Do we live without hatred and meanness?  Do we live without judgment and name calling?  I don’t think so.  I think that even after all the lessons, we still don’t get it.  And it could be because we aren’t willing to hear it any longer.  It could be that we have decided that we know it all and cut all the rest off.  It could be that we are no longer teachable.  And that should scare us.  

    Loving our neighbor requires us to love without judgment.  If we only love those that look like us and believe like us and act like us, we haven’t really done anything.  If we gang up together with other people that are just like us, we look like the enforcement rather than love.  Jesus constantly went to those who were different, who were not accepted, who were the least – and brought them love.  He tried to love the religious people but they were often so stuck in their own worlds that they could not understand what love really looked like.  Have we become the religious people?  Are we so determined that we are right that we cannot reach out to others?  Have we become an exclusive club rather than a welcoming home for those that are weary?  Have we decided who belongs rather than showing the love of Christ to all?  

    I’m not sure we reach many people with God’s love when we become forceful or hateful or malicious.  I’m not sure we set a good example when we look like we know everything and everyone else is simply stupid.  I’m not sure that approach solves anything.  And it could make us a bit overconfident about the things we think we know.  

    The challenge really becomes – what does it really look like to love our neighbor?  And I think it looks differently than we imagine.  I don’t think it only means to love those who look, think, believe or act like us.  I think it means exactly the opposite.  And that may be the greatest challenge of all.