Wednesday, September 5, 2012
Christ Transforming Culture
A sermon that I delivered some time ago, though not the complete manuscript that seemed timely to post now. I look forward to comments!
Nov. 14 Art “How to say it” Matthew 7:24-27 movies/books/tv/music
Intro-We have spent the last 2 weeks talking about investments and returns and the opportunities we have to make investments that have returns with eternal implications with our time, or talent, and our resources, though we might never see it with our own eyes, we are called to sow. Last week we talked about God’s call for us to sow for the harvest is plenty but the workers are few.
For the next two weeks we will talk about opportunities for sowing in our everyday lives that we might not be aware of…in a sense we are going to talk about evangelism. But I really want you to throw out your definitions of that word. I am not talking about standing on a street corner with a bull horn telling people they need to turn or they’re gonna burn. I’m talking about being a living witness to what God is doing in your life so that God might work through your life.
Text today comes from the gospel of matthew 7:24-27 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. 26 But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. 27 The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”
mission—The first time I really gave that passage of scripture any time beyond a cursory reading was four years ago. Mexico, Jesus, flooding, infrastructure…
what are you building your life on? The passage says the storms will come. It doesn’t say if, it says when. Is your house, your life on high ground, a strong foundation? This relationship this process we are all in our relationship with God takes time and intention. An hour or two here on Sunday ain’t good enough. This walk, this life we are called to is 24/7, encompassing the entirety of life. It’s not just about us but all of the lives that we touch as well. That is what Jesus is calling our attention to here.
This 24/7 living intentionally, Using your life and your relationships and your resources for his glory, building on a strong foundation. It’s really all his anyway, right? We just have it on loan. This text that I read is the last thing Jesus has to say in the Sermon on the Mount. A sermon that began with the beatitudes, blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are the meek, etc followed by instructions on living, this section is on not judging or criticizing. It is the concluding parable to the sermon on the mount, with a choice between two opposite outcomes. Essentially we are being called to live our lives with great intention.
Luke’s sermon on the plain ends much the same way 6:47-49 and takes it a step further. One who does word not only builds house on rock but is one who has literally dug, and deepened and laid a foundation. These instructions, not only to be heard but done, are followed in the gospel of Matthew by amazing healings, one after the other. It is not about the pursuit of righteousness in obeying commandments but about the good news of the dawning kingdom. That good news has healing effects. As bearers of that same news we have the same potential
I’ve heard it said before that my life…your life, might be the only bible people ever read. What are people reading? and I don’t know about you but when I read the bible I experience many things, but one of those things is how far I have fallen short. Is that what people think when they look at your life, interact with you? Not because of what you have done but because of what God has done, is doing, in you. That’s the humility piece. That humility causes us to come with questions instead of answers. Get curious about people and ask questions. Get people thinking. Acting like you have all of the answers is pretty arrogant and off putting…ask questions, engage people and show them the firmness of your foundation
Those who Hear word-do word-wise-rock-sustain stormThose who Hear word-don’t do-foolish-sand-fall
Anything that we build expecting quality or do with intention often requires more time, and sometimes pain at least initially, until it becomes a habit, like teaching things to our children…supernanny
Whatever our context we can be intentional in it. But just what is our context the world outside our doors is much different than the kingdom living God calls us to? Sometimes I have felt like a cross cultural missionary, speaking a different language
For years Christians have felt they needed to hunker down in order to protect themselves from the outside world lest they might be dirtied or…protect ourselves form the outside world instead of engaging in it. Letting culture around us influence us rather than being influencers in it. This hiding, in a sense, has caused the church to rapidly lose its vibrancy.
The church of the 20th century had 2 ways of teaching and modeling the Christians role in society, to separate spending time and money on their own, protecting selves from the corrupted nature of the world, seeing culture as sinful and our job to oppose it. Secondly was the cultural view, labeling themselves as Christian, an important part of their cultural identity. Generally good people but often with a connection to faith no more than a genealogical hand me down, volunteering time attending church on holidays and special occasions but never personalizing the work of Jesus as the motivator for life and the work they do. Intentions good but missing the holistic mark to which the gospel calls us forth.
Enter the 21st century …, founder of the Q learning community and author of The Next Christians, Gabe Lyons calls attention to a new, yet faithful way of seeing 21st century culture and therefore our ways of relating in it…restorers, as he calls them, take the gospel seriously holding Jesus redemptive work on the cross and his resurrection as the main motivator for why they give their lives to bring God’s transforming love and renewal into every area of the world. They are purposeful in their careers and generous with their time and possessions. They don’t separate from the world or blend in, they thoughtfully engage. So instead of hiding from the outside world we engage in it, just like Jesus did. Rather than fearing the surrounding culture’s influence on us, we engage in it and become influencers of it. Working redemptively.
In this journey, in this process we need to -speak the language of the natives-Jesus did, he engaged in the culture. Jesus took the form of a man. Jesus got dirty, ate with sinners. Jesus chose to come
Many Christians have retreated from culture making it adversarial
Whether we like it or not media—books, news, tv, movies, influence what we talk about. Communicating through existing channels will facilitate ease in discussions and we will talk about what that looks like a little more next week, but it is important to know. What is engaging people’s thoughts and minds and time?
Start with common ground, common interests -ask questions- Build agreements instead of arguments
Introduce the person to Christ by talking about your own life and allow the Holy Spirit to complete the work
Good news-he is providing the instructions, we look back at the beautitudes and Jesus instructions for living that follow and we have been shown the way, we try to make it all complicated and it’s really not…not about just talking the talk or just coming here on Sunday and calling it good for the week, but about walking the talk and daily surrendering so that healing, real restoration of the planet might happen
We must be careful not to separate ourselves out of the world any more than Jesus did. Our goal is to be like him. In the world but not of it. Jesus came to restore and is calling us to partner with him in this restoration
Tending the soil-the ongoing process-living with intentionality about the foundation you are building, that others might as well.
Richard Niebuhr was, by training, a Christian ethicist. In this capacity, his biggest concern was the way in which human beings relate to God, to each other, to their communities, and to the world.
His most famous work is Christ and Culture 1951. It is often referenced in discussions and writings on a Christian's response to the world's culture. In the book, Niebuhr gives a history of how Christianity has responded to culture. He outlines five prevalent viewpoints:
Christ against Culture. Christ of Culture.
Christ above Culture. Christ and Culture in Paradox.
Christ Transforming Culture. live somewhat less “between the times” and somewhat more in the divine “now” than do the followers listed above. Eternity, focuses less on the action of God before time or life with God after time, and more on the presence of God in time. more concerned with the divine possibility of a present renewal than with conservation of what has been given in creation or preparing for what will be given in a final redemption.
You read it and decide for yourself
I will say it again how important humility is, how important it is to come with questions instead of answers, engaging, in instead of running from culture…One of my favorite proverbs He who answers before listening that is his folly and his shame Prov. 18:13.
End with the story of going to the church the first night after a full day’s work. What I thought they needed was not it at all. I came thinking I had something to give, an answer or something material, but They were celebrating what they had. I needed to ask questions. Take time to have conversations, to share stories.
How strong is your foundation? There are two outcomes to this scripture, the one who hears and acts on what he hears, called wise, withstanding the storms of life and the one who hears and does nothing, called foolish, and falling with the storms of life.
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Why Train?
This is the second in a three part series "Why"
As always note that this is a manuscript and it's delivery had some additions and subtractions. Your comments are welcome!
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Intro with the Super Bowl and the training it takes to be an athlete on that field…
Many of you know I have signed up to compete in my first Triathalon this June. That’s a race where you swim, bike, and run. I’ve been doing a lot of training and so when this text from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians came up in the lectionary for this Sunday it resonated deeply. As Paul points out there are so many ways the goal, discipline, and focus of training as an athlete relates to our spiritual journeys and our relationships with God. And so I thought we would discuss the need to train this week.
I started training last year in order to run in the Warrior Dash. This thing is crazy, it doesn’t only involve running a 5k but 13 obstacles including a 30 foot wall, mud pits and leaping over fire just to name a few. The event was in May but I started running last February. I have never been a runner. I didn’t do it in high school or college or since. This was the first time ever. I started out by just trying to run to the end of my street and gradually began to add distance. The day of the event I was a nervous wreck. Everyone was ready to go but I started doubting my readiness wondering if I had run enough, far enough, if my endurance was all that it could be. I mean running a 5k is one thing but throw in some obstacles and climbing and add in the fact that some of the running is through the woods in the mountains. Well that is a whole different ball game.
I still say I hate it, running that is, now a year later. Well actually it is kind of a love hate relationship. At least every time I get out and start I hate it. I don’t want to do it. It is such a mental battle, but when I am done, I feel so much better, I know I am closer to my goal and more prepared to accomplish it. I know I have done the work that needs to be done and there are many other positive things that have resulted from the training.
I have run in several 5ks in the last year. That has been great for my training, something to continue to work toward to get a better time and run with others. I have won some nice medals and picked up many t-shirts for my efforts. None of them really matter. They are tokens. I like to think of them as reminders of the journey from where I was to where I am. It has taken a lot of time and effort. It has meant rearranging my schedule to accommodate training. It has meant running and biking in the cold and in the rain. It has meant getting out of my warm cozy bed on Saturday mornings when it is still dark and cold, fully convinced that everyone else on the planet is still sleeping. It has meant doing a lot of things I did not feel like doing because I was working toward an end. I had a goal in mind. It wasn’t going to happen magically. I wasn’t going to be able to roll out of bed one day and run a 5k or swim and ride a bike 13 miles. It took time and intention.
What Paul is writing to the church of Corinth here is that our spiritual fitness takes the same amount of time and energy and intentionality as an athlete in training if we are to grow in our relationship with God. God wants that relationship and has gone to great lengths to have it with each and every one of us through his son Jesus, but like any relationship it is a two way street. It requires effort on our part to grow and build the muscles of our faith, sometimes tiring them out in order that they will develop and mature. Then we are prepared to handle the 30 ft walls that are thrown in our paths midrun when we are already tired and muddy or the fire we have to leap over when we think we have come to the end of the sprint. If you have been disciplined and done the training those obstacles are so much easier to overcome. If you haven’t it is a whole different ball game. Training takes a goal and it takes discipline.
John Wesley would say we are working out our own salvation. Yes Christ’s death on the cross atoned for our sin once for all, but when we accept that gift of God’s love and grace we bear a responsibility, a respons—ability. We are working out our salvation, but we do not do it alone, we do it empowered by the Holy Spirit. We just have to be open to hear that voice calling to us come on Heather you can do it. Come on you’re doing great. You are not here alone.
Many of the things we work hard for in our lives will pass away from this world, all of those medals both real or imagined, but our relationship with God is eternal. Why are you running the race? Is the reward you are seeking one that is perishable or imperishable? Are you running aimlessly or are you training for eternity?
I joined a group this January of others training for their first Tri. They split us up into groups based on what our times were like running a mile. Some of us were faster than others obviously. This has been an amazing experience. It has really helped me improve my time chasing people that are faster than me and being spurred on and encouraged by them as well. I have also had the opportunity to cheer others on and help them with their pace. As the church we can do that for one another. We are all at different parts of our training, of our journeys, and in our relationships with God and in that we are called to spur others on that are coming behind us and run toward those who have gone before us. We have the responsibility to do this for one another as brothers and sisters, fellow athletes, disciplining ourselves to run the race that has been set before us.
Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers, gathers and reflects on the stories of a number of people in a variety of walks of life whose success has been remarkable. None of these people, by their own admission, he affirms, were especially talented to do what they did. They all got to where they are today because an opportunity opened up to them that they were committed to take, and they spent at least 10,000 hours of practice in the kinds of skills needed to take advantage of that opportunity. 10,000 hours!
How many hours do you spend on spiritual fitness each week? In prayer, reading the scripture, studying, meditating on the scripture, fasting?
Besides time, my practice requires proper equipment…shoes, the right ones, made all the difference. Bible translation (if you don’t understand the one you have try another, talk to me and maybe I can help you find the right one for you….bike…learning how to use it your equipment…shift the gears at the right time makes a whole lot of difference in your speed and momentum when you are going up hill and down. Do you know how to read your bible? Why fasting is important (not to lose weight) Is prayer intimidating?…helmet…prayer/journal….goggles/see clearly, Do you have the eyes of faith to see the world? Do you need practice seeing people through God’s eyes and loving people with God’s heart using scripture as the lens?
How long will it take you to get to 10,000 hours? Are you a competitor or are you just warming the bench talking about how the athletes on the field could do it better?
I want to encourage you. You can be spiritually fit. It takes a goal. It takes a desire to know the God we say we love and long to spend eternity. It requires discipline—making room in our schedules, doing things we sometimes don’t want to do or are inconvenient or uncomfortable. Like the disciplined training of an athlete, these are the things that will strengthen our spiritual fitness and our relationship with God.
The Warrior Dash, that first race last year with the 13 obstacles was hard. I really had to fight to finish. I wanted to stop and walk off the course so any times. But I didn’t. One of the biggest reasons was I did it with my pastor friend. She had been in hardcore training for her first tri for several months. She completed a half ironman this past September, just to give you an idea of how dedicated she was to her training. During the race she was so great about circling back to run with me, encouraging me to press on and reassuring me I could do it.
Christ has done the hard training, has run before us that we might run toward him, and he is coming back for us. Be encouraged in knowing that you are not running the race alone. The Spirit of Christ runs with you. Your brothers and sisters are here to spur you on to greater victories through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
As always note that this is a manuscript and it's delivery had some additions and subtractions. Your comments are welcome!
1 Corinthians 9:24-27
Intro with the Super Bowl and the training it takes to be an athlete on that field…
Many of you know I have signed up to compete in my first Triathalon this June. That’s a race where you swim, bike, and run. I’ve been doing a lot of training and so when this text from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians came up in the lectionary for this Sunday it resonated deeply. As Paul points out there are so many ways the goal, discipline, and focus of training as an athlete relates to our spiritual journeys and our relationships with God. And so I thought we would discuss the need to train this week.
I started training last year in order to run in the Warrior Dash. This thing is crazy, it doesn’t only involve running a 5k but 13 obstacles including a 30 foot wall, mud pits and leaping over fire just to name a few. The event was in May but I started running last February. I have never been a runner. I didn’t do it in high school or college or since. This was the first time ever. I started out by just trying to run to the end of my street and gradually began to add distance. The day of the event I was a nervous wreck. Everyone was ready to go but I started doubting my readiness wondering if I had run enough, far enough, if my endurance was all that it could be. I mean running a 5k is one thing but throw in some obstacles and climbing and add in the fact that some of the running is through the woods in the mountains. Well that is a whole different ball game.
I still say I hate it, running that is, now a year later. Well actually it is kind of a love hate relationship. At least every time I get out and start I hate it. I don’t want to do it. It is such a mental battle, but when I am done, I feel so much better, I know I am closer to my goal and more prepared to accomplish it. I know I have done the work that needs to be done and there are many other positive things that have resulted from the training.
I have run in several 5ks in the last year. That has been great for my training, something to continue to work toward to get a better time and run with others. I have won some nice medals and picked up many t-shirts for my efforts. None of them really matter. They are tokens. I like to think of them as reminders of the journey from where I was to where I am. It has taken a lot of time and effort. It has meant rearranging my schedule to accommodate training. It has meant running and biking in the cold and in the rain. It has meant getting out of my warm cozy bed on Saturday mornings when it is still dark and cold, fully convinced that everyone else on the planet is still sleeping. It has meant doing a lot of things I did not feel like doing because I was working toward an end. I had a goal in mind. It wasn’t going to happen magically. I wasn’t going to be able to roll out of bed one day and run a 5k or swim and ride a bike 13 miles. It took time and intention.
What Paul is writing to the church of Corinth here is that our spiritual fitness takes the same amount of time and energy and intentionality as an athlete in training if we are to grow in our relationship with God. God wants that relationship and has gone to great lengths to have it with each and every one of us through his son Jesus, but like any relationship it is a two way street. It requires effort on our part to grow and build the muscles of our faith, sometimes tiring them out in order that they will develop and mature. Then we are prepared to handle the 30 ft walls that are thrown in our paths midrun when we are already tired and muddy or the fire we have to leap over when we think we have come to the end of the sprint. If you have been disciplined and done the training those obstacles are so much easier to overcome. If you haven’t it is a whole different ball game. Training takes a goal and it takes discipline.
John Wesley would say we are working out our own salvation. Yes Christ’s death on the cross atoned for our sin once for all, but when we accept that gift of God’s love and grace we bear a responsibility, a respons—ability. We are working out our salvation, but we do not do it alone, we do it empowered by the Holy Spirit. We just have to be open to hear that voice calling to us come on Heather you can do it. Come on you’re doing great. You are not here alone.
Many of the things we work hard for in our lives will pass away from this world, all of those medals both real or imagined, but our relationship with God is eternal. Why are you running the race? Is the reward you are seeking one that is perishable or imperishable? Are you running aimlessly or are you training for eternity?
I joined a group this January of others training for their first Tri. They split us up into groups based on what our times were like running a mile. Some of us were faster than others obviously. This has been an amazing experience. It has really helped me improve my time chasing people that are faster than me and being spurred on and encouraged by them as well. I have also had the opportunity to cheer others on and help them with their pace. As the church we can do that for one another. We are all at different parts of our training, of our journeys, and in our relationships with God and in that we are called to spur others on that are coming behind us and run toward those who have gone before us. We have the responsibility to do this for one another as brothers and sisters, fellow athletes, disciplining ourselves to run the race that has been set before us.
Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers, gathers and reflects on the stories of a number of people in a variety of walks of life whose success has been remarkable. None of these people, by their own admission, he affirms, were especially talented to do what they did. They all got to where they are today because an opportunity opened up to them that they were committed to take, and they spent at least 10,000 hours of practice in the kinds of skills needed to take advantage of that opportunity. 10,000 hours!
How many hours do you spend on spiritual fitness each week? In prayer, reading the scripture, studying, meditating on the scripture, fasting?
Besides time, my practice requires proper equipment…shoes, the right ones, made all the difference. Bible translation (if you don’t understand the one you have try another, talk to me and maybe I can help you find the right one for you….bike…learning how to use it your equipment…shift the gears at the right time makes a whole lot of difference in your speed and momentum when you are going up hill and down. Do you know how to read your bible? Why fasting is important (not to lose weight) Is prayer intimidating?…helmet…prayer/journal….goggles/see clearly, Do you have the eyes of faith to see the world? Do you need practice seeing people through God’s eyes and loving people with God’s heart using scripture as the lens?
How long will it take you to get to 10,000 hours? Are you a competitor or are you just warming the bench talking about how the athletes on the field could do it better?
I want to encourage you. You can be spiritually fit. It takes a goal. It takes a desire to know the God we say we love and long to spend eternity. It requires discipline—making room in our schedules, doing things we sometimes don’t want to do or are inconvenient or uncomfortable. Like the disciplined training of an athlete, these are the things that will strengthen our spiritual fitness and our relationship with God.
The Warrior Dash, that first race last year with the 13 obstacles was hard. I really had to fight to finish. I wanted to stop and walk off the course so any times. But I didn’t. One of the biggest reasons was I did it with my pastor friend. She had been in hardcore training for her first tri for several months. She completed a half ironman this past September, just to give you an idea of how dedicated she was to her training. During the race she was so great about circling back to run with me, encouraging me to press on and reassuring me I could do it.
Christ has done the hard training, has run before us that we might run toward him, and he is coming back for us. Be encouraged in knowing that you are not running the race alone. The Spirit of Christ runs with you. Your brothers and sisters are here to spur you on to greater victories through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Dear Jesus
I came across this prayer the other day in my reading and wanted to share it. A portion of it became very dear to me at a particular time in my life. It is highlighted below. It was written by Cardinal Newman and used in slightly altered form as a daily community prayer by Mother Teresa and the Sisters of the Missionaries of Charity.
Dear Jesus,
help me to spread thy fragrance everywhere I go.
Flood my soul with Thy spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly
that all my life may only be a radiance of thine.
Shine through me,
and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with
may feel thy presence in my soul.
Let them look up and see no longer me
but only Jesus!
Stay with me,
and then I shall begin to shine
as Thou shinest,
so to shine as to be a light to others;
the light, O Jesus, will be all from Thee;
none of it will be mine;
it will be Thou shining on others through me.
Let me thus praise Thee in the way Thou dost love best
by shining on those around me.
Let me preach Thee without preaching,
not by words but by my example,
by the catching force of the sympathetic influence
of what I do,
the evident fullness of the love my heart bears to Thee.
Amen
Dear Jesus,
help me to spread thy fragrance everywhere I go.
Flood my soul with Thy spirit and life.
Penetrate and possess my whole being so utterly
that all my life may only be a radiance of thine.
Shine through me,
and be so in me that every soul I come in contact with
may feel thy presence in my soul.
Let them look up and see no longer me
but only Jesus!
Stay with me,
and then I shall begin to shine
as Thou shinest,
so to shine as to be a light to others;
the light, O Jesus, will be all from Thee;
none of it will be mine;
it will be Thou shining on others through me.
Let me thus praise Thee in the way Thou dost love best
by shining on those around me.
Let me preach Thee without preaching,
not by words but by my example,
by the catching force of the sympathetic influence
of what I do,
the evident fullness of the love my heart bears to Thee.
Amen
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Gratified
The sermon I preached this Sunday, more or less as it never comes out the way it is written. This is the first of a four part series "Wrestling with God"
Genesis 25:19-34
Within the book of Genesis is the unfolding story of the Patriarchs, the father’s of our faith, Abraham, Isaac, and is it Esau or Jacob? We find ourselves today midway through the book at chapter 25.
Abraham has died and his son Isaac is set to carry on his legacy through his relationship with God and yet his wife is unable to conceive, he’s forty years old and he prays to God on behalf of his wife. It’s funny, I don’t want you to miss this because verse 21 says he prayed and verse 22 says the Lord answered but if you look at verse 26 it says Isaac is 60 when the twins Jacob and Esau are born. Wait, hold up, 20 years have passes between the prayer being prayed and the answer Isaac was looking for. In contrast, if you read the story just prior to this in chapter 24 Abraham has sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac. Read 24:42-46. Even before this servant prayed for God to reveal the identity of the woman to which Isaac should marry she was there God was answering. Twenty years have passed since Isaac has prayed this prayer for his wife and just now it is being answered. What is God up to? The boys grow up and they have different likes and dislikes, different gifts and skills, and one is more a quiet mama’s boy and the other daddy’s little wildman. Esau is the older, the firstborn and therefore according to tradition is set to inherit a double portion of what his younger brother would as well as the privilege of becoming the leader of the family upon the event of Isaac’s death. This was his prized birthright. Then we come to this pivotal moment.
Esau has been out climbing and hunting and basically wearing himself out when he comes home overcome by hunger. (Hangry anyone else become irritable and unreasonable besides me when they are hungry?) He is so overcome that he gets more than a little dramatic when he says he is about to die of hunger and will do just about anything to get a bowl of stew. And that is pretty much what he does. Wait, seriously? I mean who would forfeit their future, possessions, leadership, stats, authority, integrity, respect, over something as temporary as a bowl of stew?
Ok has anyone here ever made the mistake of going to the grocery store when they were hungry? Confess! What happens? Maybe we don’t make the best choices. Maybe we go a bit off plan or off the list because Everything looks good! Meeting this immediate need, feeling some sense of gratification, no matter the cost, the calories, the guilt that is experienced later, we feel compelled, we must feed the hungry beast within, even at the cost of a birthright. Even at the cost of his future. I mean what good is a birthright when you are starving? What good is saving for a rainy day when ipad2 is released or the coolest new hybrid (I mean I will be saving the planet, right?). Or maybe it’s your personal integrity. I mean you are the only one that really knows if you slip up a little in that department, right? It won’t hurt anyone else, right? Sometimes those marriage vows can be a little inconvenient too. What good are they when the one you made them to barely gives you the time of day, so what if you reciprocate some of that attention you’ve been getting from that certain someone. We all have appetites whether they be physical, or emotional, or spiritual. We all have them. And the pressure of these moments distorts our perspective. It becomes the only thing of importance. We almost have tunnel vision. The big picture seems to fade away. Esau says he is about to die. Is he? We get tunnel vision and fail to see long term. Shopping while hungry can be hazardous to your waistline and to your wallet.
The dictionary defines gratify as to reward, to be a source of or give pleasure or satisfaction to, to give in to, to indulge. What did Esau forfeit by indulging his appetite? And at what cost do we indulge our own appetites? What if God was know of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Esau instead? What future might God have had in mind for Esau? What future does God have in mind for you? I mean God more than instantly answered the prayer of Abraham’s servant when he was sent to find a wife for Isaac and yet 20 years passed from the time Isaac prayed for his barren wife until Esau and Jacob were born. Do we forfeit our future by quote, filling our bellies anyway we can? Because our short term satisfaction has in many cases long term implications and consequences. But the pressure of those moments when our appetites are screaming somehow causes us to lose sight of those long term implications and consequences.
There are many things in life we all like to think we know how we would handle if encountered with them, then, there are those who believe it is impossible to really know unless you are in it. I believe if we look at the context of this story we can reframe our appetites in the broader context of what we have been called to, 5 or even 10 yrs from now…I know the speed of life today. It’s all you can do to think ahead more than 5 minutes, but “indulge” me for a moment
What do you want?
For your Marriage, Your Children, Your Ministry, Your Health, Your Work, Your legacy?
Because you have no idea what God wants to accomplish through you…or frankly how long that will take.
Ultimately no one can force you to be who, or what you were created to be; but don’t you want to make your life count? Each of us was bought at a costly price with the blood of Christ. The frightening thought is that we each have the choice, we don’t have to make it count, we can cruise through gratifying our every appetite with no thought of the implications. But there is something bigger going on, God has called us to something greater through Jesus Christ. When we profess our faith and become followers of Jesus we are called to come and die that we might truly live. Die to life in the flesh and begin life anew in the Spirit and the Spiritual life transcends our physical existence. Our physical bodies will someday die but our spirit will live on to eternity.
Paul says in Romans 8-you are no longer in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit dwells in you
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
And to the Galatians 5 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.
The bottom line is, if we base our whole life on the immediacies of physical existence we will lose it all because one day we are going to die. It is God’s gift that we are more than our physical existence, our spiritual nature is our greatest birthright, don’t forfeit that! God means to strengthen, uplift, partner. God has something in mind that you and I cannot see and it might be life changing when you walk out of this building and it might be 20 years from now.
God sees the fullness of time. Our lives were meant to have meaning and purpose for God, our Creator. Your life, my life was bought at a costly price with the blood of Christ. When we profess our faith in Christ, knowing we are unable to do life on our own, he bids us to come and die, die to the flesh, and live life in the Spirit, the Spirit that lives in us for eternity. The Spirit that testifies with our spirit that we are children of God and we have been given the greatest inheritance, a new birthright as sons and daughters of God. Do you live like it or do we like Esau despise our birthright? You have no idea what God wants to accomplish through you, but God does. God holds eternity in God’s hand and calls us sons and daughters. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and...you?
Genesis 25:19-34
Within the book of Genesis is the unfolding story of the Patriarchs, the father’s of our faith, Abraham, Isaac, and is it Esau or Jacob? We find ourselves today midway through the book at chapter 25.
Abraham has died and his son Isaac is set to carry on his legacy through his relationship with God and yet his wife is unable to conceive, he’s forty years old and he prays to God on behalf of his wife. It’s funny, I don’t want you to miss this because verse 21 says he prayed and verse 22 says the Lord answered but if you look at verse 26 it says Isaac is 60 when the twins Jacob and Esau are born. Wait, hold up, 20 years have passes between the prayer being prayed and the answer Isaac was looking for. In contrast, if you read the story just prior to this in chapter 24 Abraham has sent his servant to find a wife for Isaac. Read 24:42-46. Even before this servant prayed for God to reveal the identity of the woman to which Isaac should marry she was there God was answering. Twenty years have passed since Isaac has prayed this prayer for his wife and just now it is being answered. What is God up to? The boys grow up and they have different likes and dislikes, different gifts and skills, and one is more a quiet mama’s boy and the other daddy’s little wildman. Esau is the older, the firstborn and therefore according to tradition is set to inherit a double portion of what his younger brother would as well as the privilege of becoming the leader of the family upon the event of Isaac’s death. This was his prized birthright. Then we come to this pivotal moment.
Esau has been out climbing and hunting and basically wearing himself out when he comes home overcome by hunger. (Hangry anyone else become irritable and unreasonable besides me when they are hungry?) He is so overcome that he gets more than a little dramatic when he says he is about to die of hunger and will do just about anything to get a bowl of stew. And that is pretty much what he does. Wait, seriously? I mean who would forfeit their future, possessions, leadership, stats, authority, integrity, respect, over something as temporary as a bowl of stew?
Ok has anyone here ever made the mistake of going to the grocery store when they were hungry? Confess! What happens? Maybe we don’t make the best choices. Maybe we go a bit off plan or off the list because Everything looks good! Meeting this immediate need, feeling some sense of gratification, no matter the cost, the calories, the guilt that is experienced later, we feel compelled, we must feed the hungry beast within, even at the cost of a birthright. Even at the cost of his future. I mean what good is a birthright when you are starving? What good is saving for a rainy day when ipad2 is released or the coolest new hybrid (I mean I will be saving the planet, right?). Or maybe it’s your personal integrity. I mean you are the only one that really knows if you slip up a little in that department, right? It won’t hurt anyone else, right? Sometimes those marriage vows can be a little inconvenient too. What good are they when the one you made them to barely gives you the time of day, so what if you reciprocate some of that attention you’ve been getting from that certain someone. We all have appetites whether they be physical, or emotional, or spiritual. We all have them. And the pressure of these moments distorts our perspective. It becomes the only thing of importance. We almost have tunnel vision. The big picture seems to fade away. Esau says he is about to die. Is he? We get tunnel vision and fail to see long term. Shopping while hungry can be hazardous to your waistline and to your wallet.
The dictionary defines gratify as to reward, to be a source of or give pleasure or satisfaction to, to give in to, to indulge. What did Esau forfeit by indulging his appetite? And at what cost do we indulge our own appetites? What if God was know of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Esau instead? What future might God have had in mind for Esau? What future does God have in mind for you? I mean God more than instantly answered the prayer of Abraham’s servant when he was sent to find a wife for Isaac and yet 20 years passed from the time Isaac prayed for his barren wife until Esau and Jacob were born. Do we forfeit our future by quote, filling our bellies anyway we can? Because our short term satisfaction has in many cases long term implications and consequences. But the pressure of those moments when our appetites are screaming somehow causes us to lose sight of those long term implications and consequences.
There are many things in life we all like to think we know how we would handle if encountered with them, then, there are those who believe it is impossible to really know unless you are in it. I believe if we look at the context of this story we can reframe our appetites in the broader context of what we have been called to, 5 or even 10 yrs from now…I know the speed of life today. It’s all you can do to think ahead more than 5 minutes, but “indulge” me for a moment
What do you want?
For your Marriage, Your Children, Your Ministry, Your Health, Your Work, Your legacy?
Because you have no idea what God wants to accomplish through you…or frankly how long that will take.
Ultimately no one can force you to be who, or what you were created to be; but don’t you want to make your life count? Each of us was bought at a costly price with the blood of Christ. The frightening thought is that we each have the choice, we don’t have to make it count, we can cruise through gratifying our every appetite with no thought of the implications. But there is something bigger going on, God has called us to something greater through Jesus Christ. When we profess our faith and become followers of Jesus we are called to come and die that we might truly live. Die to life in the flesh and begin life anew in the Spirit and the Spiritual life transcends our physical existence. Our physical bodies will someday die but our spirit will live on to eternity.
Paul says in Romans 8-you are no longer in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit dwells in you
5 Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. 6 The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
And to the Galatians 5 16 So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.
The bottom line is, if we base our whole life on the immediacies of physical existence we will lose it all because one day we are going to die. It is God’s gift that we are more than our physical existence, our spiritual nature is our greatest birthright, don’t forfeit that! God means to strengthen, uplift, partner. God has something in mind that you and I cannot see and it might be life changing when you walk out of this building and it might be 20 years from now.
God sees the fullness of time. Our lives were meant to have meaning and purpose for God, our Creator. Your life, my life was bought at a costly price with the blood of Christ. When we profess our faith in Christ, knowing we are unable to do life on our own, he bids us to come and die, die to the flesh, and live life in the Spirit, the Spirit that lives in us for eternity. The Spirit that testifies with our spirit that we are children of God and we have been given the greatest inheritance, a new birthright as sons and daughters of God. Do you live like it or do we like Esau despise our birthright? You have no idea what God wants to accomplish through you, but God does. God holds eternity in God’s hand and calls us sons and daughters. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and...you?
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
The Weight of the Role
Being named or called Pastor is weighty. I am constantly aware of this and all of its implications. I have known someone now for nearly two decades that left the Church due to the decision of the pastor to not perform a marraige between this person and their fiance due to the religious beliefs of the fiance. This person that had grown up in the Church, left, and never went back. I have heard similar stories over the years, both before and since becoming a pastor myself. Some have told me they were "hurt by the Church" in some way or another and I have reminded them that we are all human beings and that it was a human being that hurt them or wronged them, but that Jesus had nothing to do with it. That Jesus would not have hurt them, rejected them, judged them, in that way that sent them running in the other direction. I pray that they give the Church, Jesus' Church, another try, because it can be the most amazing and wonderful community to be a part of in life and ultimately a means of God's grace to grow us into God's intended image and reflection of God and God's love. This cannot be done alone!
Unfortunately our failings as pastors have far further reaching implications than we might ever imagine. This friend of mine recently shared a conversation they had with their now aging sibling. They talked about God, and faith, and the Church. The sibling confessed that after what had happened to their loved one, they too had left the Church (they have lived in different countries for 45 years) and never looked back because they too were so hurt and felt so betrayed by this pastor and therefore the Church.
It is a weighty role. For better or worse a pastor can become synonomous with a person's image of the Church, grace, forgiveness, judgment, etc. The bottom line is however that all who believe are called to be ambassadors for Christ. How we live what we say we believe has broad sweeping implications for many that we may never even know. How do you live what you say you believe?
2Corinthians 5:20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
Unfortunately our failings as pastors have far further reaching implications than we might ever imagine. This friend of mine recently shared a conversation they had with their now aging sibling. They talked about God, and faith, and the Church. The sibling confessed that after what had happened to their loved one, they too had left the Church (they have lived in different countries for 45 years) and never looked back because they too were so hurt and felt so betrayed by this pastor and therefore the Church.
It is a weighty role. For better or worse a pastor can become synonomous with a person's image of the Church, grace, forgiveness, judgment, etc. The bottom line is however that all who believe are called to be ambassadors for Christ. How we live what we say we believe has broad sweeping implications for many that we may never even know. How do you live what you say you believe?
2Corinthians 5:20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Chchchchanges
I am about to begin my second year serving as pastor to a 118 year old church. As the first female pastor in their history some new territory is being forged and will continue to be over the course of the next year. Today is the day many United Methodist pastor's preached their last sermons before moving on to new appointments in new churches. It is a bittersweet time for both pastors and congregations. Some are sad to leave and some are sad to be left while some are anxious to move on and some congregations can't wait for the pastor to move on :). All that being said these changes can be difficult on everyone involved. There are few people I know who like change or seek it out. It's hard, it's uncomfortable, it's takes a lot of energy. Sometimes difference feels like the wrong way to some, just because it's different. What I know is this. A lot of prayer and discernment goes into these decisions and moves and I believe that God is in it. I believe that God knows far more than we do and that these changes should be seen as opportunities to grow for all involved. Ultimately it's not about us, it is about God and God's purposes and plans for us all. Surrendering to that is the hard part.
What I do know for sure is that in a world that is constantly changing around us, change is inevitable. The challenge is seeing these changes as an opportunity to grow, to sharpen our skills, and tone some muscles. As the church we must be poised to meet the changing landscape both inside and outside the doors of the buildings where we worship, to step outside our comfort zones, and learn who our neighbors are and what speaks to their hearts. We have to be willing to put our own likes, preferences, and comfort aside for the opportunity to share God's love with others.
I pray this year of continuing change will be instrumental in my "going on to perfection" as John Wesley would say, and that we all might be further shaped into the reflection of God we were created to be.
What I do know for sure is that in a world that is constantly changing around us, change is inevitable. The challenge is seeing these changes as an opportunity to grow, to sharpen our skills, and tone some muscles. As the church we must be poised to meet the changing landscape both inside and outside the doors of the buildings where we worship, to step outside our comfort zones, and learn who our neighbors are and what speaks to their hearts. We have to be willing to put our own likes, preferences, and comfort aside for the opportunity to share God's love with others.
I pray this year of continuing change will be instrumental in my "going on to perfection" as John Wesley would say, and that we all might be further shaped into the reflection of God we were created to be.
Sunday, May 22, 2011
The Way
I have yet to do this but thought today might be the day to post the manuscript for the sermon I preached this morning. Mind you, though it is a manuscript it never comes out the way it is written.
Your comments are welcome!
The text is John 14:1-14 Read it first!
Some interesting events have unfolded in these last few weeks with Harold Camping, president of Christian Radio Network, predicting the beginning of the end, or the rapture, yesterday. Interestingly Family Radio’s website was offering special promotions as late as Friday that expired May 28.
All false prophets and shenanigans aside, If it was your last day, or if you knew death was imminent is there anything you would have made it a point to do, like something on your bucket list, or made it a point to say to your loved ones?
I confess I have not thought a lot about final words in regards to my own life, though I have had the privilege to sit with both loved ones and practical strangers as they passed from this world. I’ve thought about hymns and music for my funeral and scripture that I want read, but as far as the words that will be said before that day, not so much. The closest I have come was when after having Sierra I experienced some strange symptoms that prompted many medical tests and a possible diagnosis of MS that really rocked my world in considering the span of my life and just how much of my two daughter’s I would be able to be a part of. I began to think about what I would want them to know about me, my life and my hopes and dreams for them, what wisdom I would want to share born of my own experience, and what comfort and love and peace I would want them to know in spite of my own imminent death.
Oddly enough most of us don’t give a lot of thought, at least with great intention, to these things unless they are staring us right in the face. Thing is, life is fatal. We will all die a physical death. What are your hopes and dreams for those whom you love? Do you tell them or hold them in your heart for the “right time”. Will your own loved ones be able to find peace and comfort and a reason for living differently in your absence? Will their journey be different because of your life?
Death bed confessions, death bed instructions…or as this text is referred to by biblical scholars, a farewell discourse is a place where deepest desires and concerns are expressed and a quality and character of one’s life is shared. A farewell discourse, a speech delivered in the face of imminent death or departure, known from ancient Jewish literature. The speaker makes known his deepest desires and concerns for those he leaves behind. In this text Jesus expresses his concern for the community he leaves behind, for the quality and character of their life together, and for the witness they bear to him in the world.
Jesus repeats the words believe and dwelling several times in this passage. So much so that one is led to believe that we come to believe and know based on where we dwell.
These words are words of comfort. Christ, knowing he was about to face a bodily death, a painful death, was comforting those whom he would leave behind. Those who would be asked to carry on what he began. How are they to do this? The way “Hodos” in the Greek is also used as a path or a road, journey. The path of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection is one that we are being called to as well. We try to make it complicated, we strive, to work, and maybe these words of comfort should resonate more deeply…just do what I do, just dwell in me, live in me. The disciples are troubled, saying “don’t leave us we don’t know what we are doing, we don’t know where we are going, where you are going”. Jesus says, “Don’t be troubled”. I am the image of the invisible God…you know me, you know God. You know me, you know the way. You’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.
Many get caught up in the “no one comes to the Father except by me” and many a heated debate has been had in regards to these words. Like all of scripture we have to consider the context in which they were spoken before jumping to conclusions.
These words are meant to bring comfort to some pretty distraught disciples. They are words of peace and assurance. “I go to prepare a place, a dwelling, and I will come back”. This place, this Oikos in the biblical Greek this (household)—oikia house…also used in the same context is monay…dwelling
As Peter’s epistle instructs, we too are being built into something as we dwell in Christ we become a dwelling of his Spirit. The way can be understood as a place or as an action, a state of living with vitality. A way of living, the journey, not the destination at all. It is in the journey that we are being built into this house, this dwelling for the Spirit of God.
If you knew your death was imminent what would you say to those you leave behind? What would your wishes be? What great wisdom would you want to share? Would you make video tapes like some of those who are dying to their children? What I wish for you. Would it be a means of comfort or a charge as to how to live? Because, if you read a little further Jesus is doing both, comforting and charging. Would your words convey something to the effect, I have done some living, I am facing death, do it this way. Or, if I could do it all over again. If you were on your death bed, what would you want to tell your loved ones? How would you give them peace? What legacy would you leave? How would you bring them comfort?
This is what Jesus is doing in his farewell discourses. Death was imminent and yet he wanted to leave those closest to him with some final words of comfort and peace as well as instructions on how to live and assurance that they would be together again. Are the instructions something you do joyfully in loving memory or are do they become a burden to those you leave behind? Lest they do become a burden, Jesus assures them further if you read further in this passage, that he is not leaving them orphans but instead is providing an Advocate, that will equip, counsel, comfort and convict in his absence, the Holy Spirit.
You do know the way. I am the way. No one comes to the Father, except through me. So rest assured, you know me therefore you know my Father and the way to him. Christ’s message to his disciples is the same for us today. Know me, know the way.
He is the way, the journey. Do you know him? Where are you living? It is not just about that one time decision to make Christ your savior, it is about molding your life after his example. It is about joining him on the path, the road, the journey toward God. Your life is hidden with God in Christ. Christ, as Paul writes in Colossians 1:15, is the image of the invisible God. Know him, know God. Know him, know the way. How? What do you know about the way he lived his life? Anyone can tell you he was a good man. Anyone can tell you he did good things. How? Why? How do our lives embody the same today? What does it look like in the 21st century? What is righteous anger because Christ displayed it when injustices were done and when people served themselves instead of others, particularly those in places of authority and wealth? To him who much is given, much is expected, or with great power, comes great responsibility. Christ gave his disciples all authority in heaven and on earth.
Hearing these words, these parting words from this perspective, then can change some of the common hang-ups about them. They are meant to bring comfort and simplicity and peace, not division, and exclusion.
These words meant to bring comfort and peace to Christ disciples both then and now call us to live accordingly, following him with our lives, making him our dwelling place. Modeling our lives after his example, not because we have to, but in response to what has been done on our behalf in his life, death, and resurrection, in a desire to embody his way and point to him with our lives for others.
What would our journey, our way look like if we lived as though we were part of the household of God; not self-righteous but the embodiment of the righteousness of God, like Christ, the image of the invisible God, faithful in the small things? Making our lives about knowing him and making him known. What would it look like if our dwelling was the very heart of God rather than one made with human hands?
The way, is the journey. Live in him. Dwell in him. Be a household of faith. Abide in him. Abide in the vine that as branches we might bear much fruit. Read your Bible. Pray. Study. Share the stories of God’s faithfulness, forgiveness, transforming love and grace in your life. Bear one another’s burdens and know with Christ as your savior, the forgiver of your sins and the Lord of your life you know the way.
Your comments are welcome!
The text is John 14:1-14 Read it first!
Some interesting events have unfolded in these last few weeks with Harold Camping, president of Christian Radio Network, predicting the beginning of the end, or the rapture, yesterday. Interestingly Family Radio’s website was offering special promotions as late as Friday that expired May 28.
All false prophets and shenanigans aside, If it was your last day, or if you knew death was imminent is there anything you would have made it a point to do, like something on your bucket list, or made it a point to say to your loved ones?
I confess I have not thought a lot about final words in regards to my own life, though I have had the privilege to sit with both loved ones and practical strangers as they passed from this world. I’ve thought about hymns and music for my funeral and scripture that I want read, but as far as the words that will be said before that day, not so much. The closest I have come was when after having Sierra I experienced some strange symptoms that prompted many medical tests and a possible diagnosis of MS that really rocked my world in considering the span of my life and just how much of my two daughter’s I would be able to be a part of. I began to think about what I would want them to know about me, my life and my hopes and dreams for them, what wisdom I would want to share born of my own experience, and what comfort and love and peace I would want them to know in spite of my own imminent death.
Oddly enough most of us don’t give a lot of thought, at least with great intention, to these things unless they are staring us right in the face. Thing is, life is fatal. We will all die a physical death. What are your hopes and dreams for those whom you love? Do you tell them or hold them in your heart for the “right time”. Will your own loved ones be able to find peace and comfort and a reason for living differently in your absence? Will their journey be different because of your life?
Death bed confessions, death bed instructions…or as this text is referred to by biblical scholars, a farewell discourse is a place where deepest desires and concerns are expressed and a quality and character of one’s life is shared. A farewell discourse, a speech delivered in the face of imminent death or departure, known from ancient Jewish literature. The speaker makes known his deepest desires and concerns for those he leaves behind. In this text Jesus expresses his concern for the community he leaves behind, for the quality and character of their life together, and for the witness they bear to him in the world.
Jesus repeats the words believe and dwelling several times in this passage. So much so that one is led to believe that we come to believe and know based on where we dwell.
These words are words of comfort. Christ, knowing he was about to face a bodily death, a painful death, was comforting those whom he would leave behind. Those who would be asked to carry on what he began. How are they to do this? The way “Hodos” in the Greek is also used as a path or a road, journey. The path of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection is one that we are being called to as well. We try to make it complicated, we strive, to work, and maybe these words of comfort should resonate more deeply…just do what I do, just dwell in me, live in me. The disciples are troubled, saying “don’t leave us we don’t know what we are doing, we don’t know where we are going, where you are going”. Jesus says, “Don’t be troubled”. I am the image of the invisible God…you know me, you know God. You know me, you know the way. You’ve seen me, you’ve seen the Father.
Many get caught up in the “no one comes to the Father except by me” and many a heated debate has been had in regards to these words. Like all of scripture we have to consider the context in which they were spoken before jumping to conclusions.
These words are meant to bring comfort to some pretty distraught disciples. They are words of peace and assurance. “I go to prepare a place, a dwelling, and I will come back”. This place, this Oikos in the biblical Greek this (household)—oikia house…also used in the same context is monay…dwelling
As Peter’s epistle instructs, we too are being built into something as we dwell in Christ we become a dwelling of his Spirit. The way can be understood as a place or as an action, a state of living with vitality. A way of living, the journey, not the destination at all. It is in the journey that we are being built into this house, this dwelling for the Spirit of God.
If you knew your death was imminent what would you say to those you leave behind? What would your wishes be? What great wisdom would you want to share? Would you make video tapes like some of those who are dying to their children? What I wish for you. Would it be a means of comfort or a charge as to how to live? Because, if you read a little further Jesus is doing both, comforting and charging. Would your words convey something to the effect, I have done some living, I am facing death, do it this way. Or, if I could do it all over again. If you were on your death bed, what would you want to tell your loved ones? How would you give them peace? What legacy would you leave? How would you bring them comfort?
This is what Jesus is doing in his farewell discourses. Death was imminent and yet he wanted to leave those closest to him with some final words of comfort and peace as well as instructions on how to live and assurance that they would be together again. Are the instructions something you do joyfully in loving memory or are do they become a burden to those you leave behind? Lest they do become a burden, Jesus assures them further if you read further in this passage, that he is not leaving them orphans but instead is providing an Advocate, that will equip, counsel, comfort and convict in his absence, the Holy Spirit.
You do know the way. I am the way. No one comes to the Father, except through me. So rest assured, you know me therefore you know my Father and the way to him. Christ’s message to his disciples is the same for us today. Know me, know the way.
He is the way, the journey. Do you know him? Where are you living? It is not just about that one time decision to make Christ your savior, it is about molding your life after his example. It is about joining him on the path, the road, the journey toward God. Your life is hidden with God in Christ. Christ, as Paul writes in Colossians 1:15, is the image of the invisible God. Know him, know God. Know him, know the way. How? What do you know about the way he lived his life? Anyone can tell you he was a good man. Anyone can tell you he did good things. How? Why? How do our lives embody the same today? What does it look like in the 21st century? What is righteous anger because Christ displayed it when injustices were done and when people served themselves instead of others, particularly those in places of authority and wealth? To him who much is given, much is expected, or with great power, comes great responsibility. Christ gave his disciples all authority in heaven and on earth.
Hearing these words, these parting words from this perspective, then can change some of the common hang-ups about them. They are meant to bring comfort and simplicity and peace, not division, and exclusion.
These words meant to bring comfort and peace to Christ disciples both then and now call us to live accordingly, following him with our lives, making him our dwelling place. Modeling our lives after his example, not because we have to, but in response to what has been done on our behalf in his life, death, and resurrection, in a desire to embody his way and point to him with our lives for others.
What would our journey, our way look like if we lived as though we were part of the household of God; not self-righteous but the embodiment of the righteousness of God, like Christ, the image of the invisible God, faithful in the small things? Making our lives about knowing him and making him known. What would it look like if our dwelling was the very heart of God rather than one made with human hands?
The way, is the journey. Live in him. Dwell in him. Be a household of faith. Abide in him. Abide in the vine that as branches we might bear much fruit. Read your Bible. Pray. Study. Share the stories of God’s faithfulness, forgiveness, transforming love and grace in your life. Bear one another’s burdens and know with Christ as your savior, the forgiver of your sins and the Lord of your life you know the way.
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