SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY

Category: Love

  • God is with us

    Right now, for many, these are lonely times.  There is lack of physical interaction.  It is for a really good reason, but we were made for community.  So it makes it extra difficult to find our way when our view of community has changed so drastically and at such a rapid pace.  What most of us imagined as a few weeks of change has become a version of new normality.  Lunch with friends is not so easy to plan.  Vacations are revamped, if happening at all.  It can feel like we have been swallowed up in the chaos of it all.  Air hugs and distance fist bumps just aren’t the same.  But it is where we are.  So what do we do when times feel so lonely and everyone feels so distant?  What happens when we look around and see despair?

    Elijah found himself in a really challenging place in his life.  Our struggles do not compare to his, except to say that God’s Word for him can really ring true to us in our situation.  I think the life that God speaks to Elijah also bring us life if we listen…if we truly hear.

    To give you a brief background, Elijah was a mighty prophet for God.  He was willing to do what God had told him.  He had stood before 450 prophets of Baal, confident in the work that God could do.  God had shown up, in a miraculous way.  He had been strong, he had been faithful, he had conquered his fears and God had honored that.  Baal had been defeated and the prophets had been destroyed.  God was triumphant…and that was the side that Elijah was on – it is always helpful to be on the winning side.  That would mean he would be willing to go up against anyone or anything…why not?  God had shown up once, surely God would show up again.  But Elijah found himself in a place of despair…fearfulness…loneliness…helplessness.  Elijah felt abandoned even despite all that had just happened.  And it wasn’t because Elijah lacked faith.  It wasn’t because Elijah was a wimp or he wasn’t being used by God.  Elijah found himself here even with his strong faith.  Sometimes we find ourselves here and it isn’t our faith that is lacking either.

    1 Kings 19:9-18
    19:9 At that place he came to a cave, and spent the night there. Then the word of the LORD came to him, saying, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
    19:10 He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”
    19:11 He said, “Go out and stand on the mountain before the LORD, for the LORD is about to pass by.” Now there was a great wind, so strong that it was splitting mountains and breaking rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake;
    19:12 and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a sound of sheer silence.
    19:13 When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his mantle and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. Then there came a voice to him that said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
    19:14 He answered, “I have been very zealous for the LORD, the God of hosts; for the Israelites have forsaken your covenant, thrown down your altars, and killed your prophets with the sword. I alone am left, and they are seeking my life, to take it away.”
    19:15 Then the LORD said to him, “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael as king over Aram.
    19:16 Also you shall anoint Jehu son of Nimshi as king over Israel; and you shall anoint Elisha son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah as prophet in your place.
    19:17 Whoever escapes from the sword of Hazael, Jehu shall kill; and whoever escapes from the sword of Jehu, Elisha shall kill.
    19:18 Yet I will leave seven thousand in Israel, all the knees that have not bowed to Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed him.”

    What are you doing here, Elijah?  Remember, God doesn’t ask questions because he doesn’t know.  It isn’t as if God has no clue what Elijah is doing.  He knows.  But he needs to hear why Elijah thinks he is there.  What does Elijah think of his situation?   How is he processing what is going on around him?  And Elijah repeats his perspective, twice.  This was how he felt.  This is where he was.  This was his view of his life and he was being destroyed by it.  We hear his plea, his cry, his heartfelt fear. This was where he was.

    Elijah felt alone.  He felt as though all was against him and he was left alone.  God provided him with an encounter.  He provided him with answers in the silence.  He showed him majestic wonders.  He moved him, literally with the elements.  He spoke to him as he sat.  He spoke to his situation, right where he was.

    We might think that this would do it for Elijah.  We might think this would be the renewal he needed, the boost to continue to move forward.  We might would imagine this would lift his spirits so he would be ready to face anything ahead.  But it wasn’t.  Even after his encounter with God, he still felt all alone.  That did not change him like you might would think it would.  God does not give up on him, though.  He does not leave him alone in his despair.  This speaks to God’s compassion for Elijah.  He doesn’t berate him for not being comforted.  He doesn’t tell him he is on his own now.  He doesn’t scold him or tell him to stop his complaining.  God doesn’t give up on him and I love this.

    He, instead, lets him know that there is support, there are others, God has not abandoned him nor the others.  His mission is not complete.  There are others that are in the same situation.  There is a community.  This is not the end for Elijah or the Israelites.  I hear God tell Elijah to pick up your head and see your tribe.  Lift your eyes to the hills, that is where your help comes from.  Lift up your heart, for God has provided all you need.  This is not the end, you are not alone.

    It is not easy to hear you are not alone when you feel so alone.  Even when circumstances tell you differently…even when God tells you differently.  It can be challenging when you feel pressed to continue going.  So many times, we can find ourselves just wanting to hide out.  We feel alone.  This scripture reminds us that God is not only with us, he provides those along the journey to accompany us.  We may not realize it.  We may not easily see them.  But God provides others.

    I believe that God reminds us that he is with us.  What does it mean to have God with you?  It means that no matter what you face in life, he does not abandon you.  It means that when you feel like you can’t go on, he helps to nurture you and bring you along.  It means that when you can’t take another step, he provides rest and renewal so you can continue the journey.

    I also believe that God tells us to lift up our heads, there are sights we have missed.  Lift up our eyes to the hills, God’s help is here.  Lift up our hearts, we have others with us on this journey.  You are not alone because there are others that travel this journey too.  You have a tribe.  You have people that love and support you on this difficult road.  You do not face this alone.  Look up, my friends, your tribe awaits.  Your tribe can consist of family and friends…people you haven’t even had a chance to meet yet.  It can be your church and your community.  Your tribe also consists of professionals that help you along the way.  Sometimes when we feel all alone, we need help that mental health can offer.  There is no shame in that – only grace.  God has given women and men gifts to help guide and direct us to a better mental place.  It often is that prayer and faith lead us to these gifted people that can help us with therapy and medication.  And there is nothing wrong with that…actually there is so much right with it.

    Today, church, know that you are not alone.  Whether you are hearing this on your phone, your computer, or in person…you are not alone.  Whether you are hearing this alone or with someone else, you are not alone.  God is with us.  God will not leave us.  We are not abandoned.  Lift up your heads, church.  Lift us your eyes, friends.  Lift up your hearts – for God has provided what you need.  May God be with us all as we seek him and find those with us on this journey.

    Amen.

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  • Not Out for the Count

    I don’t know about you – but during times like these, I feel a little beat up.  The continual talk of sickness…the constant fighting and bickering…the judging and pointing fingers…arguing about who is right and who is wrong…it all just becomes overwhelming.  It is a bit depressing and it is hard to escape.  It seems that during these times our faith gets a bit beat up too.  We are not in worship as a community of believers together currently.  We are not serving together.  We are not working through scriptures in person.  Even when it is in person, it is distanced and masked.  It is so different.  And we may wonder how long we can take this.  We feel a little knocked down.  The good news is that we are not out for the count.  We may get beat up a little but we can come out stronger from all of this.  We can survive.  We are built for the struggle.  You are made to be a survivor.  You have been given what you need to hold on and to grow stronger, even in the middle of the challenges.  This is not the end.

    Ephesians 2:1-10

    You were dead through the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient. 3 All of us once lived among them in the passions of our flesh, following the desires of flesh and senses, and we were by nature children of wrath, like everyone else. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us 5 even when we were dead through our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ —by grace you have been saved— 6 and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God— 9 not the result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are what he has made us, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life.

    You have been created for this.  You have been redeemed for this.  You have been set free for times like this.  You are not alone in the battle.  This is not the end.  Your faith may be beat up but it will not fail you.  And all of this is true because we have a Creator that loves us.  The letter to the Ephesians tells us that there has been a time when we were defeated.  There have been times when we were out for the count and out of the battle.  There have been times when it was all over.  But not any longer.  That is not our current situation.  That is not where we are today.  If you are a follower of Christ, you are not there any longer.  There is so much more.

    When we were redeemed and set free, God did so out of his great love.  Think about that…God’s great love for you is given freely.  It is not because of who you are – but because of who he is.  God has so much love to offer his creation – yep, that’s you – that he offers a new life and we are not held back any longer.  What once would have held us down now will lift us up.  What once would have been our defeat now is our victory.  It is through love that this is even offered – now that is powerful love that changes things.

    Because of this love, we are offered grace.  This is the unearned gift of God.  We do not receive grace because we did enough good things.  We receive because we are loved that much.  Since we cannot earn it, we cannot brag about all the things we have done.  God did it.  God is still doing it.  God is the creator and author of it all.  It also means that you didn’t do too many bad things to be loved.  You are not beyond help.  You are not a person that is too far gone.  You are loved.

    What the news does not tell you…what the virus cannot relay to you…what we often fail to understand is that God is bigger than all of this.  When our faith is being beat up on every side, God has not left us to fight alone. When all is out of sorts and there seems to be no end, God is still working.  Thankfully things are not dependent on me…thankfully grace is free and is not a result of me…thankfully God’s love is so powerful it is can conquer even my fears and doubts.

    The key in all of this is God.  God’s great love for you and his grace offered to you is the focus here.  Some of you feel so beat up that you don’t know if you have a place.  Some of you are so defeated that you wonder how God could ever love you.  Some of you feel so overwhelmed that you haven’t heard from God and  you don’t know that you ever will.  I get it.  You know God is love but you don’t feel his love.  You know God is strong but you feel so weak.  You know God is conqueror but all you see is destruction.  I get it.  You don’t feel worthy.  I hear you.

    God is not done with you.  God…is…not…done…with…you.  He hears your cries.  He sees your distress.  He understands your pain.  He knows the struggles.  He feels your fears.  He knows what it takes to face each new day.  And his grace is not measured by your faith.  It is measured by his love.  Grace is freely given.

    Today, your greatest accomplishment may be to simply rest in him.  Rest in God’s promises that you are not alone.  Rest in his love understanding that because you didn’t earn it, you don’t have to work for it.  Rest in the joys of knowing that God is not asleep.  Rest in the peace that when the world is in an uproar, God is not.  There will be days for moving forward…maybe today is your day to rest.

    I am grateful that God created me to follow him.  I am grateful he has called me his own.  I am grateful that his grace is not based on my faith.  I am grateful to be his beloved.  The good news…you are his beloved too.  You have been created to be his.  You have been created to be loved with this powerful love.  You have been created for good.  You have been set free to be redeemed.  It is not because of what you have or have not done…this is a gift of God.

    Know what your role in all of this is?  Your role is to follow.  God calls, you answer, you follow.  He takes care of all the rest.  Simply follow the One that has a path for you more beautiful than you could ever dream.  Follow the One who created an incredible life and loves you because you are his own.  Follow the One who knows your heart, feels your struggles, and offers rest.  Follow the One who has good things prepared, just for you.  You are loved that much – and so much more than you could ever imagine.  Follow.

    It really is that simple and yet that powerful.  Today, you may feel beat up, but today does not define the fight.  Today is simply one day.  The fight is not over.  Grace wins.  Love conquers.  Hope appears.  And we are given new life when we follow…Follow God into a beautifully challenging tomorrow.

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  • Grounding in the Chaos

    Things sure have changed a lot in a short amount of time.  Our secure, comfortable schedules have been displaced and torn to shreds.  The rhythm of our days has become a page of staccatos without the usual flow of the masterpiece.  What we have always relied on has been altered and changed.  And let’s be honest, some of us handle it better than others.  Some are angry at everything…waiting anxiously to lash out at anything that shows up.  Some of us appear a bit lost…wandering around aimlessly trying to find a sense of direction.  And some of us are simply trying to adjust to the new rhythm, trying to find a new sense of normalcy in a chaotic piece of art.  It is scary and enlightning all at the same time.  Every time we think we have this new rhythm down pat, the whole piece changes and we are required to re-adjust.  And some of us are not great at the re-adjustment.  Our world is different and we are not okay with it.  So we might blame anyone we can and yell at anyone who will listen.  We may even find ourselves lost in the mess of it all.

    This isn’t the first time the world has changed in the blink of an eye.  It has been happening since the beginning.  There have been uproars and wars.  There have been times of peace and contentment.  There have been times when things are going well and all seems to be in place.  And there are times when many worried there would never be peace again.  This isn’t the first time.

    I have been thinking about the Israelites in all of this.  What we are encountering is nothing compared to their struggles.  They were slaves in a land that was not their own.  God sees and hears them.  But that meant they had to leave their homes in the middle of the night and run…and keep running.  They kept running until they reached…the wilderness.  That’s right…not the Promised Land they would have liked to have seen.  They reached wilderness – vast dryness and nothingness.  They were there with no food, no water and little supplies.  They reached the end of their lives.  And in their honesty, they found a longing for their days in captivity…at least they knew what was expected there.  Here, everything was unexpected and variable.  They didn’t know about their next meal.  They didn’t know what they would do or where they would go.  They didn’t understand that God was working to rescue them.  All they knew was this place wasn’t what they thought and they just wanted to go back.  Only…they couldn’t.  They had come too far now.  And they were scared.

    What did God do to help them in their fears?  What did he do to show them that this was not the end?  He provided for them.  They were given food and water.  They had tents for shelter.  Their basic needs were cared for.  They were not left alone.  God saw them.  He heard them.  He was in the process of providing rescue.  Along with providing for them, he gave them a visible sign of his presence.  God let them know that he was with them always.  There was a cloud…there was fire…God was there.  They only had to look around them to see that he had not left them.

    And then God gave them a new rhythm.  He gave them something to hold onto.  He gave them something that they could grasp and know he was in this.  It wasn’t what they expected, I am sure.  It wouldn’t be what we would expect either.  But it was God’s response to their human need.  He got that they needed direction and guidance.  He provided the 10 commandments.

    Now before you roll your eyes and dismiss what I am going to say…stay with me.  We have come to view the 10 commandments as an archaic set of rules that should be made into statues or monuments, but not so much followed.  We have viewed them as a list of do nots and a way for punishment.  They are not often seen as God’s answer to the needs of his people.  He gives them these commandments as a guide to help them in their dismay.  They have lost their way.  They do not know which way to turn.  They are looking for stable ground.  When wilderness is all you see, you need direction.  And this was his answer for his people in their time of great need.  It was not for their harm or a way to keep them under control.  This was a gift of protection and love.  This was a reminder that in their great distress, God had not left them.  These words were meant to help them when they didn’t know what else to do.

    So if we read them in a different light, we might hear something different.

    We have the commandments recorded in Exodus 20.  I want to focus only on the first few of the commandments this morning because it is the basis for the rest.  If you get these, the remainder seems to fall into place.  And it seems to me that the first is the first for a really good reason.  I do encourage you to go back and read the remainder.  They all have something powerful to teach us.

    Exodus 20:1-6

    20 Then God spoke all these words:

    2 I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery; 3 you shall have no other gods before me.

    4 You shall not make for yourself an idol, whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above, or that is on the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I the Lord your God am a jealous God, punishing children for the iniquity of parents, to the third and the fourth generation of those who reject me, 6 but showing steadfast love to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments.

    I hear…God brought you here and he hasn’t left you.  I hear that God has brought us here and God has not left us.  This may not be a place we would have picked but this is not the end.  We may only see wilderness, but this is not the end.  God is God and we are not.  And he expects and commands us to keep him first.  To keep him first in all things is the guide.  There should not be competition between God and other things in our lives.  God is first and stays that way.  When we are lost, he is our grounding.  When we are scared, he is our security.  When we feel empty, he takes care of our needs.  His presence is with us…just look around.  While our world is changing, God is not.  He is with us.

    If God is with us, whom do we fear?  Why are we so angry if God is our guide?  Why are so filled with rage if the God of love is our salvation?  Why do we hold so tight to our things on this earth if our treasures are not here anyway?  Why do we fight to have things our way if what we really want is God’s way?

    We are told that God did not give us a spirit of fear…but instead a spirit of power and love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7).  We are given a spirit of love.  That doesn’t leave room for our selfishness.  It doesn’t leave room for our desire to have things our way.  It does give us reason to look at things quite differently.  What would it all look like if we lived in love?  How might it look differently if we found our solid foundation in the commandments to guide us?  We might just find that we are wrong on some things.  We might find some of our fears are not justified.  We might see that those fighting for justice are onto something.  We might realize that God is working and it is a matter of opening our hearts and minds.  We might find a different rhythm and it might be freeing.  It may be a masterpiece God is preparing.  Can you feel it?

    May we find grounding in the commandments…and may they be the guide for our lives in times like these.

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  • Real Freedom

    What would you give to be rich?  What would you do to have it all?  How much would you sacrifice to have the biggest house, the nicest cars, the finest clothes?  What would it mean to you to not have to think about how much money you had, just spend whatever?  If I could just have…if I could just get…if I can just achieve…if I could…if I… What would you do for it all?

    Would you be willing to give up your integrity?  Would you be willing to work so much that you never really did anything but work?  Would you be willing to give up your family?  What cost seems appropriate?  You may be thinking you can’t put a price tag on happiness, but there sure are a lot of people trying.  What would you give?  People put value on things all the time – maybe not blatantly or outright.  But how much something or someone is valued becomes obvious over time.  What is it all worth?  So what if you become the richest, greatest, most achieved…what if?

    We seem to have it upside down too often in our culture.  It seems to be that we value things we can buy and prizes we get to accumulate.  We put a high price tag on wealth and worth.  We treasure fame and reward too often.  Yet, those things are fleeting.  We work so hard to achieve that we are left drained.  We could end up sacrificing what means the most to us in order to achieve things which end up meaning nothing.  We give up our families so we can make more money.  We give up our time so we can achieve more.  And we are rewarded for this.

    I had someone tell me the other day that they were the most accessible person ever.  He carried two phones with him at all times and never ever wasn’t available.  He thought this was a selling point.  I actually found it pretty sad and quite disturbing.  I don’t know him so I don’t know if he has a family.  But if so, they always take second place.  It also says he doesn’t value himself enough to provide self-care.  Frankly, it made me even more determined to not do that.

    So what do we value?  What is important to us?  What really means something to us?  We may think it is one thing but realize it is quite something different.  Our actions…our everyday decisions really tell the story.  What we decide to do reflects our values.  How we live each day says more about us than anything we could speak. And too often, we might be giving others a message we had not even considered.  We may show others we value our own opinion rather than listening to the voices of others.  We may show we value ourselves so much that we are not willing to learn from others.  We may show we value money more than people.  We may show we value winning over growing.  We may show that the only thing that really matters is…me, myself and I.  If it isn’t one of those three, it doesn’t matter.  What does your life say about you?

    I am drawn to today’s passage for that reason.  This is not to be critical…but to encourage us all to take a look at what is being taught to see how we are living.  This is an opportunity to stop and evaluate how we are living our lives and what it is we value.  And we just might be surprised at what we find if we are truly honest and we take a real look.

    Mark 8:34-37

    34 He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. 36 For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? 37 Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? 

    What are you willing to give up to follow Christ?  He has some pretty serious lessons for us if we choose to follow.  He calls us to learn to love…loving God and loving others.  He calls us to learn to sit at the table with those that make us feel uncomfortable.  He demonstrates for us what it means to give up the us versus them mentality.  He opens the minds of the religious and offers freedom in following him.  That’s right…freedom.

    How can we be free if we are following?  What does freedom really mean?  Does it mean getting what we want when we want it how we want it regardless of others?  How about we redefine freedom.  What if freedom is…free of the heavy load that we try to carry.  We are free of the constant thriving for attainment.  We are free from the load of trying to be like someone else.  We are free from needing things to impress people.  We are free from worry that we are not good enough.  We are free from the judgment of others (not because they don’t cast it but because it doesn’t matter – we are his beloved regardless of someone else’s view).  We are free from the demands to be someone we are not.  We are free to live – really live.

    Living is a gift.  And if we can travel this life without a heavy load, even better.  Imagine if we were free to travel without the burden of things.  Imagine if we were free from worry.  Imagine if we were free from constantly having to be someone for others.  Imagine if we could simply live as we were created.  Imagine if we understood we were enough.  Life would certainly change.  That takes freedom.  To really live takes freedom from the daily anxieties that damage us.  That does not mean we do not work.  It doesn’t mean we don’t try to achieve or work to be better. It doesn’t mean we don’t pay bills.  But it does mean that life begins to take on an entirely different view.  We begin to see things differently.  We don’t have to have the latest and greatest.  We don’t have to worry about keeping up with anyone else.  We begin to value our time enough that we spend it sharing love.  We begin to understand that our time on this earth is short and is not best spent trying to get more stuff.  We begin to see that some of the greatest gifts come without the cost of money.  Life begins to take on an entirely different view when we follow Christ.  It is freeing.

    If we are following Christ – it is good to look at his example.  What does he show us?  What does he teach us?  What life does he lay out for us?  He didn’t have things, he had relationships.  He built friendships.  He fought for justice.  He gave people a new view of the world.  He developed relationships with sinners, tax collectors, diseased and forsaken.  He challenged the beliefs of those who thought they knew it all.  Most of all – he loved.  He loved God and he loved others.  He lived and it didn’t take things to do that.

    What is keeping you from living, really living?  What do we value?  Do we value time and relationships and love and opportunities to know God better?  Do we value sharing and reaching out and listening?  Do we value the gift of creation and all that has been provided for us?  Do we understand that following Christ is the greatest life ever?  May we be free.  May we learn to truly live.  May we give of it all to truly follow…and live.  And may it begin with me.

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  • Love Without Agenda

    There are a lot of things I still don’t completely understand about the Bible.  No matter how long I study or how deeply I read, there will always be things that are part of the unknown.  They are mysteries and I am okay with that.  It doesn’t mean I stop searching and digging.  Some mysteries are revealed just as we need them.  Some are meant to be understood in just small fragments, for that is enough.  But there is one overriding, obvious teaching that is not a mystery.  There is one concept that is taught and re-taught and taught in new and different ways.  It is new and old.  It can be easy and it can be challenging.  It is done and it is forgotten.  I personally don’t think we can talk enough about it.  One reason for that belief is that the Bible speaks so much about it.  It fills the pages and is the background of so many of the teachings.  It is not a mystery, even if we treat it like it is.

    1 John 2:7-17

    7 Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you have had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word that you have heard. 8 Yet I am writing you a new commandment that is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining. 9 Whoever says, “I am in the light,” while hating a brother or sister,  is still in the darkness. 10 Whoever loves a brother or sister  lives in the light, and in such a person there is no cause for stumbling. 11 But whoever hates another believer is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know the way to go, because the darkness has brought on blindness.

    12 I am writing to you, little children,
    because your sins are forgiven on account of his name.
    13 I am writing to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
    I am writing to you, young people,
    because you have conquered the evil one.
    14 I write to you, children,
    because you know the Father.
    I write to you, fathers,
    because you know him who is from the beginning.
    I write to you, young people,
    because you are strong
    and the word of God abides in you,
    and you have overcome the evil one.

    15 Do not love the world or the things in the world. The love of the Father is not in those who love the world; 16 for all that is in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, the pride in riches—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 And the world and its desire are passing away, but those who do the will of God live forever.

     

    Yes, you have heard this before.  Yes, you may already know you are to love God and love others.  Yes, it is written over and over in the Old Testament and the New.  Yes, Jesus said it was the hinge for it all.  Yes, I know we say we understand it.  But 1 John is pretty direct about it.  And it should cause us to do a little more exploration of ourselves.  It should give us pause to consider our love.  There is a lot of talk about love.  But this gives us clear direction that there should be action as well.  And maybe you have this without a problem.  I would challenge you to continue to find new ways to love.  You may even want to evaluate your motives and your heart.  We could all use a check-up from time to time.  Maybe this will be ours.

    1 John teaches us that to love is to live in the light.  By loving, we have a clearer path and a clearer direction.  Love lights the way.  It is, by the way, the love of Christ that makes the difference.  It isn’t a simple, cheesy type of love.  This is an intense, deep love that causes us to give of ourselves even when it is uncomfortable.  This is a love that is not always easy.  This is a love that reaches beyond borders and knows no color.  This love pushes us to love those we would not ordinarily consider loving.  This love makes us reach beyond political boundaries and finds new ways to create relationships.  This love calls us to bust down the walls we have built and cross artificial lines we have made.  This love is life changing.  This love does not have room for hate.

    But that really is the kicker, isn’t it?  1 John teaches that when we have hate for another brother or sister…another believer…another of God’s children, we live in darkness.  The darkness brings on blindness and we don’t know which way to go because we do not have the light.  This doesn’t leave us a lot of wiggle room, does it?  This doesn’t give us any reason to hate others because of the color of their skin, where they were born, whether they are citizens or not, whether they worship like us, or whether they believe everything just like we do.  It doesn’t really give us a reason to hate at all.  If anything, it gives us more reasons to love.  We know that love conquers the darkness.  We know love can change the heart of a person.  We know that love enables us to shine bright in difficult situations.

    We get this incredible love by first loving God.  This is not your ‘love at first sight’ kind of love.  This is a powerful love given to us from the author of love.  This is one of a kind that takes away our excuses and gives us a heart to search to love others.  We don’t get to be picky and selective about who we love.  Jesus didn’t come to give us new life so we could be filled with hate.  There is no room for that.  This love isn’t the mushy kind of love either.  This is the type of love that causes us to get involved, become uncomfortable, reach outside of ourselves, and love like Jesus.

    The unfortunate part is that too many of us have decided who we will love based on a set of criteria we have created for ourselves.  We have built this internal list and given ourselves reasons to not love someone else. When it is hard or we don’t agree with someone, we just use one of our excuses so we can give ourselves an out from loving that person.  Surely God wouldn’t want us to love her – doesn’t he know what she has done.  I can’t believe God would cause me to love him – doesn’t he know the life he lives.  God would be okay if I didn’t love that person, he doesn’t believe everything just like I do.  God will give me a pass on loving this one because they don’t speak my language.  We build our list more and more until we are comfortable with whom it is we love.  We end up surrounding ourselves with people like us that believe like us, vote like us, look like us and worship like us.  And we might find we love most of them.  But that completely takes away the point of the entire teaching.  I would even say we have created blinders and we might just find we are really living in darkness.

    We don’t love based on what someone else has or who their parents are.  We don’t love based on agreeing with them or looking like them.  The light is in us so that we can share that light.  Love conquers the darkness but only if we live in the light.

    If you think you have all of this down without a problem, I would challenge you to take a long hard look.  I would push you to begin to seek who it is you love and why.  We may want to spend some time allowing God to show us those that we are not loving.  Too often, we have built our criteria list without even realizing it.  It just happens.  Our list may be long and exclusive.  Tear it up and start reaching out.  May we let the light begin to shine bright.  It is strong and it is powerful…it is, after all, the love of God that provides that light.

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  • Truly Set Free

    Worthless, beat down, invaluable, helpless…he had to feel this way.  He had no choice but to feel this way.  He was paralyzed so he was at the mercy of others, always.  He could not get out of his bed so he had nothing he could contribute, or at least that is the way it seemed.  He existed and not much else could be said – at least from the outside.  But oh he still had personality and character.  He was still who he was created to be.  He had value, but it was difficult for him to see because he was confined to a bed unable to care for himself.  He depended on others for everything.

    But someone cared about him, he was a friend.  He meant something to someone.  He was mother’s son.  He had a father.  He could have been a brother or a nephew.  He was someone’s grandchild.  He was an important person.  He was valued.  There were others that knew him for the guy that he really was.  They heard his story.  They saw his pain.  They got that there was so much more to him than this bed.  This bed was not him.  He was so much more.  He had a name.  He had a life.  He had joys and hopes, dreams and aspirations.  They could look into his eyes and see the desperation.  He didn’t want to be in this place.  He simply wanted to be loved.

    And there were people who saw him.  They wanted to do anything they could to help, no matter the cost.  They loved him.  They believed in him.  And they had experienced someone that would love him just as much as they did.  So they did something which is rarely done…they move him.  Yes – they make him mobile.  It is a difficult task because he can’t help.  He is completely dependent on their efforts.  He can only go where they carry him.  He doesn’t get out or go places, it is too much work for people.  But today, they carry him.  He has somewhere to go.

    Matthew 9:2-8

    2 And just then some people were carrying a paralyzed man lying on a bed. When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, “Take heart, son; your sins are forgiven.” 3 Then some of the scribes said to themselves, “This man is blaspheming.” 4 But Jesus, perceiving their thoughts, said, “Why do you think evil in your hearts? 5 For which is easier, to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Stand up and walk’? 6 But so that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins”—he then said to the paralytic—“Stand up, take your bed and go to your home.” 7 And he stood up and went to his home. 8 When the crowds saw it, they were filled with awe, and they glorified God, who had given such authority to human beings.

    When we read this story, we read the lesson.  There is a lesson about faith.  There is a lesson about who Jesus is.  We could leave it at that.  But I don’t think that is the whole story.  This man, he is not an object lesson, he is a real person.  He is not to be used to make a point, but rather a person to be seen and heard.  He is someone who has suffered and has struggled.  He has led a real life that has been challenging.  His life has been confined to a bed.  Jesus sees him.  Jesus sees him as one of his own.  He calls him his child.  He also sees the hearts of those with him.  They don’t need to say a word.  He gets it.  They have selflessly given of themselves so that this man can have a new life.  They want the best for him.  He isn’t an object, he is God’s beloved.  He is a child of God, no less precious than anyone else.

    Jesus takes care of the man.  He offers forgiveness.  This man must have been weighed down by the things in his life.  Jesus would have noticed more than a paralyzed person.  He would have seen the heart of the man.  He would know what was hurting him.  He would understand that there is so much more going on than his outward situation.  He saw the man’s heart.  And he began healing him on the inside.  That probably isn’t what the friends had in mind.  This wasn’t what the man was expecting, I am sure.  Those in the room were dumbfounded.  Why would this be the answer?  But the man…no one asks him how he feels about all of this.  No one seeks to know how he is –  in the middle of all of this.  They simply begin to make assumptions and criticize.  They want to trap Jesus instead of realizing what has been done for him.

    He has been forgiven, set free.  He has been released from his past.  The heavy weights that have held him down are no longer a factor.  Jesus has done something for him that no doctor could ever do.  He has provided him with new life.  Even if he is still in the bed, he is not consumed by the worry of his past.  He has been set free.  This is an incredible gift.  But instead of celebrating, the religious in the room began to criticize.  Who does Jesus think he is?  What does think he is doing?  Who gave him the right to forgive sins?  And is this guy even worthy?  He isn’t a religious person and he can’t even go to worship.  Is this even happening?

    Just like Jesus sees the heart of the man and the heart of his friends, he also sees the heart of the religious.  And their heart is thinking evil.  Their heart is stained.  They have no clue that their seemingly religious heart is damaged.  They are too busy pointing out the stains of someone else to realize they are covered.  They are too consumed with who is worthy to realize that they need his love more than anyone.  They haven’t looked up from their rule book to see a man, a human, one of God’s children lying on a bed in front of them.  They have missed the person to make a point.  There is a person.  There is a life.  But Jesus sees.  He knows their hearts.  And he understands who truly seeks him.  He gets what is going on.  And he calls them out.  But he doesn’t forget the man.

    After he has taken care of the most important part – the weight of his past – he then gives him the freedom to move, to go on his own.  The healing was taken care of when he released his heart from the pain.  Now he helps him move forward with his new life.  He gives him a new start, a fresh breath, a whole new beginning.  It isn’t just about picking up the mat, it is about moving forward with a whole new life.  He is no longer the paralyzed man.  The bed no longer defines him.  But his past doesn’t define him either.  He has been released.  And he makes it to Jesus because he had friends that saw something special.  He has friends that understood he was more than his circumstance.  They didn’t feel sorry for him, they wanted more for him.  They loved him as he was but knew that so much more was out there for him.  They had faith that his healing could turn things around.  They love him and offer something so much more – they offer to introduce him to the one that would not judge him for his past or his present.  They offer him Jesus, the one that would set him free of it all.

    Those who observed couldn’t believe what had happened.  They were in awe.  I can only imagine the celebration.  The friends would gather round and tell this story for years to come.  It was a truly remarkable event.  But there would always be those who would question…was he worthy…did he deserve to walk…why him…what did it mean to be forgiven…what made him special.  But this man knew his life had been changed forever, and it meant more than the ability to physically take a step.  He had been freed leaps and bounds before he even got up from the bed.  He had been set free.

    What might you do if Jesus set you free?  Maybe he has and you are still confined because you don’t realize how much you have been freed.  Maybe you don’t understand that your healing may be more than a physical healing.  Could it be that you are free because Jesus has healed you spiritually?  Has he called you, forgiven you, and given you a new life?  Are you still held back because of what others think of you?  Are you being held down by the expectations of those that judge?  Are you weighed down by the opinions of others?  Know that when Jesus sets you free, you are free indeed.  You are meant to live abundantly.  He fills you with grace and mercy and gives you a brand new life.  He offers you so much more than to get up.  He provides all you need to really live.

    What’s holding you back?  May you call out to Jesus.  May you realize that you are his beloved.  And may you be set free.

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  • Do We Value Life?

    Today, as I seek God’s word, I struggle.  I struggle with the right words – how do I speak in times like these?  What do I say when tragedies continue over and over again?  I understand my words do not matter – but God’s words do.  So I pray that in the myriad of words I will bring to you today, you will hear something from God.

    I can’t help but wonder….Do we value life?  Do we really value life?  Is one person’s life less valuable than another?  Does one person hold more value because of who they are, where they live, their status, their color, their sex, their sexual orientation?  Does this change the value of a life for us?

    Embedded in our society is the belief that some lives hold more value than others.  The events this week of one man killing George Floyd while handcuffed as he pleads for his life, just to simply take a breath, remind us that racism is still as real and alive as ever.  George Floyd’s life held no value to the one that held him down.  Regardless of whether he had a criminal record, what he had been arrested for or anything else, the bottom line is that his value as a person was diminished.  In our recent past, racism was out in the open – where one goes to the bathroom, where one sits in an establishment or on a bus, what access to education and employment – these were all out in the open.  It was apparent that white supremacy was real, obvious and prevalent.  Since that time, it is still prevalent but hidden…it has been taken out of plain sight.  Anyone can go to any bathroom supposedly or sit anywhere in theory – but you could be looked at differently, and potentially treated differently.  You likely won’t be made to move, just a general wish you had not come.  And let’s be honest, the only reason that this racism is in our face now is because someone recorded it.  If it had not been recorded, it would have likely been swept in someone’s drawer as a closed case in favor of the white man.  Racism is held under such a cover that it is only when exposed that we come face to face with reality.  And reality is, in this case, quite ugly.

    We cannot make excuses for what is happening.  We cannot pretend that it doesn’t happen.  When those we love around us are fearful for their lives and the lives of their children, it is way past time to act.  And as the church, we should know better.  We should be the difference.  We should stand out front and fight against racism and sexism.  But we are often the last to say anything – one because we often find racism in ourselves and two because we know those who are racist.  What this really says is that we do not value all life.  We hold that some lives have more value than others.  Because of the color of skin or the lifestyle chosen, there is more value?  I don’t need to hear stories of where white people have been hurt or where black people have done something to be seen differently.  Bottom line…heterosexual white people have privilege because of ingrained white supremacy.

    Yet, church, this isn’t at all what we are taught.  We are not taught a difference in the eyes of God.  We are not taught that one group is superior to another – or even that there are groups.  There are not divisions based on color.  Jesus never gave us an example of division among his created.  Yet, here we are again.   We are not taught to hate.  We are not taught to decide who is worthy.  We are not taught to judge someone based on looks or appearance.  We are not taught that Jesus loves one group more than the other.  We are not even taught that God loves America more than he does any other country or any other peoples.  We have taken that on – and I cannot imagine that God is pleased with hate, bigotry, racism, sexism, or any of the like.  This is God’s world, not simply God’s country.

    It may be that you are saying we don’t know the other part of anyone’s story.  I am saying we don’t need to.  There is never a reason to hate.  There is never a reason to discriminate.  There is never a reason for white supremacy.  There is never a reason to devalue life.  And again…there is never a reason to hate based on the color of someone’s skin, their culture, their background, or their sexual orientation.  Hate is not the answer.

    I hear in the scriptures this:  For God so loved…God created…The Holy Spirit came upon them…Power was given to them.

    For God so loved the world…the whole world.  We know the scripture and verse.  Many of us have said it since we were children.  We have it memorized.  Even if you have not attended a church, you have likely heard of John 3:16.  Yet we are not hearing John 3:16.  For God so loved the whole world that he gave Jesus.  God loved the whole world.  It does not say that God loved white skin – side note, remember Jesus was not white.  It does not say that God loved those that we think should be loved.  It does not say that God loves those who follow the rules.  It says that God loved the whole world…all of it…all of us.  Jesus was sent because of God’s great love for us.  To devalue a life is to devalue someone God loves.  It is to devalue someone that God sent his son to die for.  Money and privilege and skin color do not change God’s love.

    God created…God created humanity with his own breath.  He breathed life into us.  To take that breath away is to take life away.  To stop breath is to stop life that God has given.  To not see someone as God’s beloved is to take God’s creation and tell God he doesn’t love this life as much.  I don’t see that in God’s word.  But I sure see it in our world.  If we truly believe that God created, then we will work to have equal value for all of God’s creation.  No life is less valuable.

    Today is Pentecost Sunday.  This is the Sunday that we remember the day that the Holy Spirit fell on God’s people – something promised by Jesus as a guide and a comforter.  I want to direct your attention to the scripture where Jesus describes the Holy Spirit.

    John 14:25-29

    25 “I have said these things to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you. 27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. 28 You heard me say to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I. 29 And now I have told you this before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe.

    This is a portion of the description that Jesus offers about the Holy Spirit that is being given to the believers.  In Acts 2 we see the fulfillment of this promise.  As believers, we hold that Jesus offers us the Holy Spirit.  We understand that when we choose to follow Christ, we are given the Holy Spirit to live in us and through us and around us as we seek to fulfill God’s will.  I think that most of us could agree.  But what does the Holy Spirit do?  If the Holy Spirit is living in us, we are guided, helped, taught, courageous, loved, and given peace.  If we are led by Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit, I cannot see where we can be anything but love.  I cannot find where we can be anything but peacemakers.  I cannot see where there is room for hate or judgment.  I cannot find a place for racism or hatred or devaluing life.

    Christians, if we truly believe that God so loved the world…if we believe that God created…if we accept that the Holy Spirit is living in us…how can we tolerate hatred, racism, or the devaluing of any life?  I don’t see how those can be together.  I do not believe that God has filled us with his presence to make us feel superior or full of hatred or supreme to any other human being.  I cannot see how we cannot stand with our black and brown sisters and brothers in a time when there is struggle.  We should be standing with those that are hurting.  We should be fighting for justice.  This should be a time when we are showing that the world may be acting like fools, but the church stands with you, supports you, loves you.  The church should be leading the way.  Where are we church?  What are we doing in times like these?  Do we really value all life?  God created…God loves.

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  • Doing Right and Good

    Act like you know.  Make the right decision.  Do what is right.  Follow the right path.  You were raised to do better.

    We have all of these directives in our lives.  They are often vague.  What is right?  How do we know what is right?  What if we have been raised one way but haven’t actually explored any other way?  How do we know we are doing the right thing or even thinking the right way?  What if the way we have been shaped has so influenced us that we cannot see past that?

    These are all questions that help us to begin to explore doing the right thing.  If we aren’t asking the questions, we may take for granted what we know is the right way.  We may be missing what it means to be just and kind and loving if we are simply basing our decisions on what someone else has told us.

    It reminds me of when I am talking to people about a popular Bible story.  I will mention this story and they might mention…yeah, I remember when that happened.  What comes after that may not even be correct Biblically.  It may not be what is actually even written.  We can remember what people have told us in different ways than may actually be true.  It isn’t the fault the other person or of us.  We interpret what we hear based on our background and circumstances at the time.  It may be that we have learned some things completely wrong and have held fast to a notion that doesn’t really exist, except in our own minds.  We might be surprised if we took the time to read the Bible for ourselves and search deeply for what God is teaching in his Word.  Truly read it without trying to read into it what we think we know…that is the key.

    1 Peter 3:13-22

    3:13 Now who will harm you if you are eager to do what is good?

    3:14 But even if you do suffer for doing what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear, and do not be intimidated,

    3:15 but in your hearts sanctify Christ as Lord. Always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you;

    3:16 yet do it with gentleness and reverence. Keep your conscience clear, so that, when you are maligned, those who abuse you for your good conduct in Christ may be put to shame.

    3:17 For it is better to suffer for doing good, if suffering should be God’s will, than to suffer for doing evil.

    3:18 For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit,

    3:19 in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison,

    3:20 who in former times did not obey, when God waited patiently in the days of Noah, during the building of the ark, in which a few, that is, eight persons, were saved through water.

    3:21 And baptism, which this prefigured, now saves you–not as a removal of dirt from the body, but as an appeal to God for a good conscience, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ,

    3:22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers made subject to him.

    This scripture presents for me questions – Where does your hope come from?  Why do you have hope?  What is it about you that is so hopeful?  What is it that makes you different?  Why is your outlook so unique?

    All of these are based on a couple of things.  First, that we have hope.  And second, that others recognize that we have hope.  Those may seem simple enough but especially in times like these, we don’t often appear very hopeful.  We may appear more angry or disturbed.  We may appear more entitled or belligerent.  We could simply appear anything except hopeful.  But as followers of Christ, hope is a part of us.  It is a part of our lives.  It is a part of how we function in difficult times.  But in times like these, we are really pushed.  So where does our hope come from?  What about the hope that is living in us?

    We find genuine hope when we discover Christ.  Hope comes through Christ and in him.  Hope is found not in our circumstances but in the One who created us, loves us and offers us redemption.  We find hope in Christ.  He offers us hope because we can have a new life in him.  We can find forgiveness when we have gone wrong.  We can find joy where we thought joy was no longer possible.  We can realize that we are loved beyond measure because he loves us so greatly.  This gives us hope that things can be better.  This gives us hope that no matter our situation, God is with us and promises us a new way.  He did not come in anger.  He did not come in spite.  He did not come in fury.  Jesus came to us in love.  And through this, we find hope.  It is also how people can discover the hope in us – by the way we follow Christ.  We are to be known by our love.

    When our hope is genuine, we are often more compassionate because we are not trying to defend something we do not know…something that someone has given us.  We are not trying to create something or contain something that is not truth because we know the truth, and he has set us free.

    When hope is genuine, we do good because it is a part of us because Jesus is a part of us.  We do good by doing what he has called us to do.  Good and right are not defined by our standards.  Think about it – what I may consider good may be different than what you consider good.  What I may determine is right may not be the same as what you determine as right.  So to know what is good and right comes from following Jesus.  He knows what is good and right because he is.  He knows what love is because he is.  He knows how hope feels because he is.  So to know what is good and right, we follow him – not our ideals or feelings.

    As I mentioned last week, good and right does not equal superiority of one person above another.  It does not favor a race or an ethnic group.  Jesus offers true life to all and he sees what is in the heart, not what we see.  So hate, racism, sexism, or any of the like are NEVER a part of what is good and right.  If we are going to follow Jesus, we are going to find the good, but it might be in places we would have deemed wrong.  Be prepared to have our world turned upside down and some of the truths we have so long held to be taken down in favor of the truths of God’s Word.

    When hope is genuine, we will find that we listen.  We listen to God and how he is leading us.  We will listen to where he is guiding us and when he calls us out for our sins, our wrongdoings and our shortcomings.  We will also listen when he calls us his beloved, his child, his disciple.  When we listen, we will read his Word with fresh eyes.  We will hear his commands to love others with fresh ears.  We will live our lives with fresh perspective.  We will be challenged to follow what he has for us.  It will probably mean we begin to mend fences.  It will likely mean we find we have been wrong and ask forgiveness.  It may mean we make amends where we never thought possible.  We may even be convicted for things we held onto so tightly.  We may find we were wrong.  But in the end, we will find what is good and right.

    I pray that we begin to find hope.  May we live what is good and right and may our lives be changed.  May others see the hope in us and may we show them Christ.  And may it begin with me.

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  • Enough

    When is enough really enough?  When do we call out in loud exclamations of ENOUGH!?  How many people have to die at the hands of those who feel superior because of the color of their skin or the location of their upbringing or their sexuality?  When do we, as the church, stand up and proclaim the way of Jesus – which doesn’t look anything like any of this!?  When do we really make movements to show this is not okay?  Are we waiting for a time that it affects us?  Are we waiting for a time when we feel threatened?  Are we simply passing the buck because it isn’t our homes that are terrorized?

    As a white male, I am aware of white privilege and those heavily influenced by white supremacy.  I am aware that I am looked at differently because of the color of my skin and being a heterosexual male.  I understand that I pastor a mostly white church that operates as a white church in an area where the majority of the population is not white.  I get that I have the freedom to move about without worry because I was born here.  As someone that exercises outside, I am aware that I can run or bike in pretty much any area without being looked at as suspicious for the color of my skin.  I am even more aware of these privileges when I consider what is happening on a regular basis in this country and even perpetuated by key leadership that look like me.

    So why mention this as a white heterosexual male minister with privilege in a worship service on a Sunday that is Mother’s Day in the middle of a pandemic, no less?  Why not?  When does it become a good time?  When is it appropriate?  Many non-white churches and places of worship have been speaking of this for years and years.  How many people have to die before it is a good time for the church to call this out?  How much has to happen before enough really is enough for the predominately white church?  What has to happen before white people call out our privilege and begin to work towards a different world?  And I speak of non-white because it is the African American community – but it is also the community that is non-white or different – Hispanic, Jewish, LGBTQ, Muslim and more.

    Sure, the conversation is uncomfortable, terrifying at times, and quite difficult.  I can hear people speaking right now…Pastor Brad – you know I am not racist.  If everyone that says they are not racist weren’t actually racist, we wouldn’t need to have the conversation.  What if racism is so built into our society and into our churches…white privilege so ingrained in our lives…that we don’t even notice when it is being used?  What if it isn’t just about being blatantly racist but about embedded racism that rears its ugly head on a regular basis, often unnoticed by those who use it?

    With this, I think the time is now.  It is Mother’s Day and I cannot imagine the fear a non-white mother must have as she sends her non-white children out into the world, giving them instructions on how to avoid even appearing to do anything wrong.  I cannot image giving them directions on the best way to get places so that they are in places where they should not be.  What about giving them guidance so that the white people won’t think they are dangerous or a threat?  I can’t imagine because I am white.  What I can say is that enough is enough.

    And I don’t know where else to start when enough is enough than the Bible.  I don’t know how else to find direction and guidance than God’s instructions for life – God’s instructions that show love and peace and kindness without any difference.  I don’t know any other place to begin than with the grace that is so freely given.  I can only begin with the life of Jesus – a non-white person that led the way to love.

    There are many places we can go from here.  Jesus ate with sinners and tax collectors when that was not okay – not only shunned but dangerous.  Jesus went and sat down with a Samaritan woman in order to show her love in a time and place that was not acceptable.  He taught a parable about who was our neighbor using someone from a different culture and was despised by those he spoke.  Jesus gave examples of inviting all people to the table and welcoming the forgotten and the oppressed.  He died for all people and gives us the command to love God and love others, regardless.  And we have turned that, all too often, into loving people like us.  If you don’t believe me, look at those that have been accused of these hate crimes over the years…those that claim faith, that claim to be a part of a church, that also claim superiority and fear of someone different taking over.  Wasn’t Jesus hung for similar reasons – fear of someone else taking over and superiority?  We tend to forget that Jesus wasn’t a white male American – or the fact that he wasn’t white at all.

    In Bible Study this week, we looked at 1 Peter 2:2-10.  I want to revisit a particular few verses of this scripture – and for some of us, introduce it for just a moment.  Verses 9-10 read, “2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, in order that you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
    2:10 Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”  One people, holy to God.  That people is not a color or an origin or a sex.  One people because we are God’s people.  This does not mean white people.  This is God’s people.

    If indeed, we are to work to become more like Christ, to be one people, where do we begin?  As white Christians, I have to believe we begin with repentance.  We begin with acknowledgement where we have misunderstood, where we have fallen short, where we have taken advantage of our privilege without fighting for true equality.  We acknowledge that our privilege has held others down.  We begin to understand that we have allowed our fears to direct our actions.  We begin by asking for forgiveness – both from God and from our brothers and sisters that have a different skin color or origin than us.  Forgiveness is hard because it is uncomfortable and causes us to confront the issues we have that we might not otherwise acknowledge.  Being repentant means we don’t want it to be like that any longer – meaning as white heterosexual people, we are willing to release our power and privilege and fight for the rights of those not like us.  Repentance means that we do the frightening work of having conversations of where others have been wronged.  When we are willing to sit down and hear the voices of other people unlike us, we can begin to work towards something different.

    I want to offer one more scripture as I bring this to a beginning (though nearing the end of the message, I pray the beginning of a new start)

    Colossians 1:9-20

    9 For this reason, since the day we heard it, we have not ceased praying for you and asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of God’s[d] will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so that you may lead lives worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, as you bear fruit in every good work and as you grow in the knowledge of God. 11 May you be made strong with all the strength that comes from his glorious power, and may you be prepared to endure everything with patience, while joyfully 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled[e] you[f] to share in the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has rescued us from the power of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.[g]

    15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16 for in[h]him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers—all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He himself is before all things, and in[i] him all things hold together. 18 He is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

    There is a lot packed in this scripture, but I hear the desire to live a life worthy of the gospel.  I want to live fully pleasing to God.  I want to have my eyes opened to the truth – even when it hurts.  I want to enter conversations that challenge my thoughts and actions so that I can see where I have gone wrong.  I want to follow Christ wherever he leads me and his church.  I want to lift up my brothers and sisters, as we begin to ask for forgiveness, a small step in moving forward.  My prayer is that God would be glorified in it all.  I pray that hearts would begin to heal, efforts would be made towards justice, and lives would be changed.  I pray my life begins to show the love of God for all of his children.

    Church – will you begin with me?

    Lord have mercy, Christ have mercy, Lord have mercy.

    Amen.

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    The trail was calling

  • We Need a Shepherd

    Our world has many that claim to be shepherds, leaders, deals, bargains, attractions…we are asked to hear me, follow me, buy me, see me, believe me.  It can be overwhelming.  Some leaders appear to be taking us in one direction, but their lives reflect another.  Some claim to be on the right track and want others to follow, but you have to wonder why God only gave them the right track.  Others try to attract us with fancy shows, big promises, and even material wealth.  Just follow me, they say, and all will be well.  Everyone seems to be searching for a follower, a buyer, a student, seeker.  And so many feel as though they have the answer.  They call…be rich like me, be smart like me, be free like me, be judgmental like me…or whatever.  Whether it is religion, politics, sales, or the like, it all seems to scream, we are the right way!

    So what is the right way?   You are reading or worshiping this morning and so I am sure that you feel like you know the answer.  But there are many in spaces of worship trying to give us a way that is not true, is not valuable, is not right.  I am not going to tell you what to do…I am simply going to point out what I choose and why.

    John 10:1-18 (full scripture below)

    My sheep know my voice and they follow me.  This is the voice I want to follow.  I want Jesus to be my shepherd because Jesus is leading me to a life of love.  He is guiding me to a path of peace and grace and forgiveness.  He has a plan that is good and joyful and full of abundant life.  He offers life…real life, true life.  But in a world full of voices, how do we know the voice of Jesus?  How do we know if it is really Jesus?

    There are a few ways that I think we can detect the voice of Jesus.  And for me, it begins with more than just a feeling.  Sometimes we get caught up in what feels the best, what is the easiest, what seems to be the most attainable.  Unfortunately, nothing about the way that Jesus leads indicates this is the way.  While Jesus promises us peace and love, joy and grace, he doesn’t promise it will be easy.  Actually to love is one of the most difficult things he calls us to do – as he calls us to love everyone.  The way of peace will often make others upset because it isn’t what they wanted to believe.  Grace is such a gift some will not want to accept it – feeling completely unworthy.  It is beautiful but I don’t find it easy.  It also isn’t full of earthy belongings.  Following Jesus isn’t about getting the biggest house or the nicest car or holding in what you have so tight that you are financially secure.  It is about giving and sacrificing and letting go.  So if we are simply looking to our feelings, we might want to dig a little deeper.  Jesus will give us peace, but our abundant life may not feel like we would want it to feel.

    So how does it begin?  I think Jesus speaks to us when we use all of our senses.  He calls in the wind, the songs of birds, the laughter of children, the growth of vegetables, the smell of fresh flowers, the taste of fresh produce, the embrace of a loved one, the eyes of a stranger.  I think he speaks to us in those that do not speak our language and we do not understand except through love.  I think he speaks to us in those that have no food and those that need to know they are worthy.  He speaks to us through a home cooked meal and a fresh baked pie.  He speaks to us in the most unusual ways that we often miss.  But we don’t know it if we aren’t learning about what it means to follow.

    All too often, we have our ideas of what it means to follow.  We have defined how we think Jesus would call, how he would lead, what he would want us to have, what we think it means to love, and how we have the right to judge.  But if take the time to study how Jesus lived and how he led, we might find something completely different.  We just might find we are following others and not Jesus.  We might find we are following leaders rather than Jesus.  We might find we are worshiping people and not Jesus.  It is so easy to do…to slip in behind the magnetic personality…to be drawn in with the promises of wealth or goods…to be enamored with the glitz and glamour.  But that isn’t Jesus at all.  That isn’t how he led or what he taught or how he called at all.  But don’t take my word for it.  I want you to experience it for yourself.

    Maybe it is time that we took the opportunity to study God’s word…took the time to read the teachings of Jesus…see how he lived and what he actually did…find out how he lived.  Maybe we read it with open eyes and an open heart – without judgment or trying to decide how it fits in our lives.  Maybe we just read and learn from the shepherd.  I think when we do that, we begin to hear him, we begin to see him at work, we begin to understand who we might be following.  We need a shepherd…and Jesus is calling us to follow him.  He is, after all, the good shepherd.  We don’t need all those other things that seem so valuable, we simply need to follow.  Let’s follow Jesus together.

    John 10:1-18 (NRSV)

    10 “Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 They will not follow a stranger, but they will run from him because they do not know the voice of strangers.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech with them, but they did not understand what he was saying to them.

    7 So again Jesus said to them, “Very truly, I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who came before me are thieves and bandits; but the sheep did not listen to them. 9 I am the gate. Whoever enters by me will be saved, and will come in and go out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

    11 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away—and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”

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