There’s a Wideness in God’s Mercy

In the Gospels when someone asks Jesus to have mercy on them they are asking Him to share of himself, that they might be made whole.  As one body of Christ, and as a part of the larger body of Christ, that is our calling, God’s vision for our church.

A little over a month ago Jenn Lebow began Mercy Mondays on her blog.  I have been meaning to join in ever since but this week’s prompt really got me thinking.  She asked about groups or organization who are spreading mercy.  This, of course, made me think of Bethany, and whether or not we are spreading mercy.  I thought about God’s vision for our church and realized that sharing mercy, in the Gospel sense, was really what it was all about.  But are we following God’s vision for us?

The answer is a “Yes and…”  Yes, we have people sharing the gifts and experiences God has given them.  ”And” we are going to continue to get better at doing so.

“Yes” we had a member talking about his past struggles, sharing how the mercy of this congregation has helped him have another chance.  ”And” others will learn to share how they have experienced mercy because of him and his sharing.

“Yes” we had a member share the ministry he experienced with prisoners, how through these imprisoned men God spoke to him and showed him what freedom looked like.  ”And” because of his sharing others have started seeking their own freedom.

“Yes” our doors have opened for the homeless, both literally and spiritually.  ”And” they have had the chance to find themselves, and helped me find myself.

That’s the great thing about being an organization of mercy, the mercy cycles back around, and continues to spread out.  It grows, so fast that we think it will have to stop soon.  In fact, it can be scary thinking that it will.  But it doesn’t.  It just spreads, going wider and deeper all at the same time.

I’m realizing that “Yes” we are an organization the acts out mercy and holds mercy as a core value.  ”And” we will continue to grow in that mercy, allowing it to deepen us as it widens to draw others in.

 

Bethany’s Currency

I am rich beyond measure.  I have so much that I will never run out of and I can give away freely without concern for the future.  Ministers aren’t supposed to be rich, but I am – just not in the traditional sense.

Sunday, June 3rd, was one of the most difficult days  in the life of Bethany and as difficult a worship service as I have ever led.  We lost a wonderful man who added a great deal of life, energy and love to our congregation far too early.  We mourned our loss, prayed for his wife and their daughter and all those who were also mourning.  We remembered him and sought to learn from the example that his life left for us.  At the beginning of the service and again at the end of the service we paid each other in the currency that matters most to churches, the currency I realized makes me rich, the currency Tom used with people and with animals (he was a veterinarian), hugs.

You may wonder how hugs are a currency but I am starting to wonder how we have never seen them as such.  The American currency is the dollar, a representation of monetary value or worth.  There is nothing that makes a dollar worth anything other than the fact that we all recognize it as what it is meant to represent.  Well, if a dollar is a representation of monetary worth then why can’t hugs be a representation of human value and worth.  Not just hugs, but any kind of physical act meant to convey love, grace, comfort, and hope.  Shouldn’t this be the currency of the church?

It’s kind of funny and kind of sad that we have thousands of books on money espousing so many different theories all based on a system that is purely a human construct.  But we don’t have much in the way of books on hugs, or even the importance of physical gestures of caring.  At the end of the day, though, we mourn those who offered those kinds of gestures, we most miss those who were most adept at showing love, at using this different kind of currency.  Sure, the rich and famous get the big headlines, but the impact is not as deep, except with those they knew and loved and those who knew and loved them.

Jesus was asked a question about paying taxes and responded by saying that that which is Caesar’s should be rendered unto Caesar.  It seems to me that He was saying that coins were valuable to Caesar and the Roman empire but they were nothing more than a construct, they were false and unimportant.  If Caesar wants the coins, then give them to him, because there are things that are more important.  Then they asked, if this doesn’t matter what does?  Jesus said, Love.  Love the Lord your God with everything, and love your neighbor as yourself.

We will miss Tom because of his love for us, for children, youth, adults and for all of God’s creatures.  He traded heavily in this currency.  It is also a currency that is always left behind, in limitless amounts for all who need it.  All we have to do is think about the sound of his walking stick, his big grinning face and those long arms opened wide for a hug.  He was rich, as we all are, when we trade in that currency.

 

Mistakes, I’ve Made a Few

And then some.  This Sunday I am preaching on messing up and redemption.  I want to use a personal story, the problem is that I have too many to choose from.  My goal on Sunday is to get across that there is nothing that we can do to make ourselves unredeemable, so I want it to be a pretty big mess up.  You’d think that would narrow the field pretty significantly, but I’ve still got a number of options.  I used one in a blog last week, http://wp.me/pO6ct-3N.  As I have been thinking about all of these mistakes, the biggest ones, I have noticed that there is not just one mistake but a multiplicity.

The biggest mess ups of my life have happened because I did one thing wrong, and then tried to cover it up and then lied about the cover up.  It’s a scenario we see a lot with celebrities as well, but I think it’s pretty common among normal people, just without the cameras.  When I was a senior in high school I got a speeding ticket.  It wasn’t my first but for some reason I thought that this would be the ticket that would push my dad over the edge.  So, I tried to cover it up, pretending like it didn’t happen and hoping it would go away.  It didn’t and the court contacted my dad to let him know what was happening.  So, I lied to him, told him I didn’t get the ticket and I didn’t know what it was all about.  I kept lying and he finally went to the Clerk of Court who showed him my signature on the ticket.  (BTW, he forgave me and still loves me)

I was certain that what I had done was unforgivable, for whatever reason.  So I covered it up and then lied about it.  I think that’s one of the lies that is most destructive and also most perpetuated.  If you mess up don’t let anybody know because they won’t forgive/love/like/be friends with you if they knew your mistakes.  In fact, we live in a society that suggests we should only allow people to see us when we are at our best, perfected, or at least covered up.  It is these expectations and lies that create the biggest catastrophes and the gravest mistakes.

Even worse, many churches tend to tell people the same thing.  Show up looking your best.  Follow the bulletin.  Don’t let your baby cry.  Stand up and sit down at the right moments.  Don’t tell people about your struggles, sins, mistakes or deepest pains.  Many churches, without meaning to, communicate the message that only perfect people are allowed.  I am thankful that Bethany has allowed me to make numerous mistakes and still accepted me as its Pastor, and it is my hope that anyone who visits will find that as well.

Here’s why.  We are all flawed, we all make mistakes, we all mess up.  But that’s how we learn, that’s how we grow, the mistakes and mess ups are what God uses to make us the people we were created to be.  It is only when we dive into the waters of God’s grace and swim around that we learn what freedom it gives us to try, to grow, to learn and to realize that perfect is a lie.  We were not created to be some idyllic perfection, we were created to be unique individuals, learning and growing together.  If we can’t admit our mistakes, we can’t learn from them, we can only attempt to be something that goes against what we were created to be.

The choice is left to us.  As individuals, we can choose to continue to try to cover up our mistakes, run away from them, hide from them or pretend they don’t exist, presenting a fake shell to the world and shackled to a group of lies.  Or we can jump in, taste what true freedom is, swim in the vast waters of God’s grace and live into who we were truly created to be.  As churches, we can choose to uphold societal standards, and teach others that there really isn’t forgiveness.  Or, we can be the place where those waters of God’s grace pool, where flawed but real individuals come and where people learn who God created them to be.

Come on in, the water’s fine!

 

A Whole New World

As I sit at my desk today I am watching a 16 year old young lady being taught to drive by her grandfather. The excitement on her face as she got out of the passenger seat and ran around the front of the car was palpable, even from across the parking lot. This is a sort of right of passage in many parts of our society, receiving the learners permits, learning to drive and finally getting the license to drive on your own. As with any right of passage, first wisdom must be imparted, talents gained, and numerous hours of practice put in. The work is not done only by the learner, the young lady in this case, but also by those with the experience and wisdom to impart, the grandfather.

At some point after completing the right of passage, the young lady will receive that which makes her so excited, some modicum of freedom and possibility will open to her which was not previously available. She will be handed the keys to a car and she will be given the opportunity to use what she has learned, from the instruction and experience of her grandfather, and from the experience she has received in our parking lot. She will use this new talent to open up new possibilities and to live life in her own way. The experience and wisdom passed on to her by her grandfather will not be used in the same way he has used, but for something new and different, for it is her life that she is living, not his. That is what rights of passage are all about, preparing someone with the wisdom and experience of generations in order to help bring about new life.

All of this raises a question for me about the church, where are our rights of passage? I know, our right of passage, in a believers baptism church, is baptism, or confirmation in a church that baptizes infants. But, does this really do the same thing as a right of passage elsewhere in the world. It fits, in that we pass on knowledge and experience through pastor/confirmation class, but it seems lacking in the handing over the keys after we are done. Sure, those who have completed the class are welcomed as members and offered communion, but, that is doing the same thing with what they have been given as has always been done. Where is the freedom, possibility and opportunity that is supposed to come along with a right of passage? We, as in the Church, still have some learning to do when it comes to empowering believers for ministry.

 

Fake it til you make it

At the beginning of the year I decided to try to post once a week to this blog. A quick glance at the date of the last post will show my lack of success. It is now June and I have posted once since the end of March, although there are three more drafts that I have started in that time. On the other hand, I was on pace through March 23rd to post once a week.

I have started five posts but either have not felt good enough about them to publish, haven’t known how to finish them, they have lost their timeliness or I am not sure if they should be published yet. There have been a couple weeks out of the last nine when I have not written for the blog at all, but I have written most weeks. At some point I simply lost my comfort level with finishing the job or publishing or both.

The same thing can happen to our relationship with God. We don’t feel like we are ready or we are good enough or the timing is right and so we don’t really do anything. We may try to make a start but we certainly don’t make a commitment. We say a few prayers and maybe attend church but we don’t commit ourselves to the relationship.

We’ve all heard stories about perseverance like the inventor who took 408 failures before finally creating formula 409, now one of the top cleaning products around. Too often we don’t show that kind of “never give up” attitude on things that are important, not because we are lazy but because we don’t think we can do it. Sometimes, though, we just have fake it ’til we make it. Sometimes we just have to give it our best and trust that God can do something with it. Sometimes we have to remember that God knows the unfinished product. Sometimes we have to remember that the finishing is God’s job.

I am going to be publishing those posts in the next week, and catch up on the weeks I have missed. I’m also going to try to spend more time committing to my relationship with God. I hope you will too.

 

Acts of God

It’s amazing how quickly after any kind of disaster people begin to claim to know why or how something happened or who is to blame, even in the cases of natural disasters.  Whether it is Christian leaders, pop stars, politicians or athletes, people seem to trip over each other trying to be the first to offer up an explanation, often times not even stopping to think before they pronounce judgment.  A quick sampling can remind us that people have said that terrorists attacked America because of homosexuality, the earthquake in Haiti was caused by a deal with the devil, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans because it is a city full of sin, and, now, among other things Japan has been hit by an earthquake, that then caused a tsunami, that then caused nuclear plants to move towards meltdowns, because of Pearl Harbor.

Whether seen through the lens of a vengeful God or karmic retribution these statements are reprehensible and show a greater concern to feel comforted and safe than they do for the lives that have been lost and those who teeter on the brink of disaster.  We have such a great desire to feel like we understand something so tragic so that we can feel like we can avoid it.  It gives us a sense of control over our lives when we have been confronted by something so far beyond our control or our understanding.  We build our lives around the idea that we can control them, that we can understand them, and we cannot let go of this, even if it means laying blame implicitly or explicitly at the feet of the victims of such a tragedy.

This does not simply lay the blame at the feet of the victims, though, it also lays the blame at the feet of the God who is proclaimed to be a God of love.  This problem shows itself in our language about tragedy, as we call what happened in New Orleans, Haiti and Japan “Acts of God”.  It also shows itself when honest atheistic and agnostic people ask Christians to explain how God can allow something like this to happen, or possibly even cause it.  I have sought an answer to this question many times, and while I think I can touch on the subject, I certainly cannot explain it beyond a reasonable doubt.  Many of my answers, such as free will or God is there with those who suffer, fall short of what I wish I knew and could report to those asking the questions.

All I can say is this, God is big enough to take the blame from those seeking to discredit God but Christians don’t do any good suggesting God acts heinously; the victims deserve our prayers and help not our blame; I do not believe this or other tragedies to be “Acts of God”; and God is there with the victims seeking to comfort, heal and restore and we should be doing the same.

 

The Changing of the Seasons

“Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.”  ~Gimli, “The Lord of the Rings”

Today is the beginning of the Lenten Season, which has become a time to give up one of your favorite things for forty days.  (It’s okay, you can cheat on Sundays.)  Whether you are giving up chocolate, soda, television, facebook or anything else, it has primarily become a time to change on the surface, and only as a symbol of what you are willing to give up for God.  As soon as Lent is over we oftentimes gorge ourselves on whatever it is we have given up.  So, then, what is the purpose of Lent, what good does it do, and is it a worthwhile endeavor at all?

If this is all Lent is, then no, it is not really worthwhile because we are not doing anything that could change us.  There are many things that Lent is supposed to be about as a season, and I don’t intend to cover them all here, just one.  Lent is, or at least can be, about journeying with the Messiah from the relative safety and comfort of a normal life towards a life of sacrifice, from the chasing after ease at all costs towards seeking the Kingdom of God in an oftentimes hostile world.

This journey is certainly not for the faint of heart, nor is it for those who want their faith to do something for them instead of asking something of them.  This road will darken the further we travel down it, and it will test us to the depths of our faith.  This is indeed the road that led to the Messiah’s suffering and crucifixion, and to the death of many of His followers in the early church.  This is a road that leads many to say farewell to following Christ.

But it is the fact that the road darkens that calls us to follow the Messiah down it.  If we are truly people of the light then the road which darkens is where we are called to shine our light.  It does not do us any good to shine our light where there is already light, but where there is darkness our light is needed.  This is the journey which Lent beckons us on, the journey that shapes our faith, that strengthen our character and provides us the opportunity to do something tangible.  I hope that we are not found to be faithless during this journey.

 

Don’t Make Promises

“Again, you heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.’  But I tell you, Do not swear at all.”  ~Matthew 5:33-34

Recently, I saw a new commercial on TV for a movement called “Keep the Promise”.  There is a guy sitting at a table in a restaurant waiting on someone.  He pulls out an engagement ring and says, “God, if she can just say yes, I promise I’ll…”  The scene pauses and the words “Keep the Promise” appear on screen.  I appreciate what this campaign is attempting to do, and I especially applaud that for each promise kept there is something tangible being done for those who otherwise would have to go without.  At the same time, I think it is time to change the conversation on this topic, not just encourage people to follow through on their promises made in desperation.

The leading reason I think it is time to change the conversation is because Jesus said as much.  In response to the ideology which is being espoused by “Keep the Promise” and many others Jesus says, “No, don’t do that, don’t do it at all in any way.  Don’t keep your promises, never make them.”  He says  that we shouldn’t swear by anything because, well, anything we could swear by we don’t have control over.  Just do what you say you will do and don’t do what you say you won’t do.

But that still doesn’t necessarily answer the why.  I think there are probably a large number of reasons.  I want to cover three of them.  First, I think that when we make these kinds of promises we are trying to take control over something that we currently can’t control and shouldn’t control.  To use the example of the guy waiting to propose, he is trying to control the answer of his hoped-for wife.  Probably not the best way to start a relationship, trying to control the other person.  But, beyond this particular example, we turn to God with these kinds of pleas because we know that God can control the things that we can’t and we want God to do that for us.  In return, we will give our first born child, or an hour a week studying scripture, or regular worship attendance, or twenty percent of our future earnings, whatever it is that we think of to offer God.  And so, we hope that our offering is good enough for God to allow us control that we currently don’t and shouldn’t have control over.

The second problem is that when we try this bargaining we are suggesting that we should only do the right thing if we get something in return.  When Jesus says let your yeses be yeses and your nos nos he is saying do what’s right because it is a good thing and don’t do what’s wrong because it is a bad thing.  In the end, it’s not only what we do that matters but why we do it.  If we will only do the right thing because there is something in it for us then we won’t do it when there is nothing in it for us, and that is not what followers of Christ should base their actions on.

Finally, when we make deals with God it shows a lack of faith and trust that God cares for us, wants what is good for us and knows better than we do what is good.  This does not mean that we shouldn’t talk to God about our wants and desires, or have a relationship with God that is open and honest.  What it means is that when we try to bargain with God we aren’t talking about the good and bad of something we want, just trying to get it.  But God doesn’t want these offerings, God wants us, wants a relationship with us where we talk about our wants, fears, problems and joys.  If we bargain with God we are shortchanging God and ourselves.  So, no, we shouldn’t make promises.  We should do what’s right no matter what is in it for us and engage God about our desires, our inadequacies, and all of our lives.

 

The Two Brothers

I used this story in the sermon on Sunday to help us examine how we live out our faith and how we live into the words of Micah 6:8, “To do justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with our God.”  Who do we identify with in this story, if not both?  In what ways does each brother live out Micah 6:8 and what ways does each brother fail?  What can we learn from their successes and failures?

There were once two brothers who both grew up without really going to church.  When they reached their teenage years each of the brothers was invited by a friend to go to two very different churches.  The one brother went to a church where they were told that God had explained, in the bible and through correct doctrine, exactly how to live and how to think.  They were told that they should give ten percent of their income, no matter how much or little they made.  They were taught that they should go to worship and bible study on a weekly basis.  They were taught to say prayers in the morning, in the evening and before they had meals.  They were taught to do devotionals each day and to read the bible from cover to cover every year.  They were taught not to put themselves in situations where they might sin, and exactly what those situations looked like and what exactly was a sin.

The other brother went to a church that taught him about having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  This church also taught about the importance of bible study, worship and prayer.  It taught him that it is important to avoid sin.  But, it taught him that he would know these things just by having a personal relationship with God.  As long as he kept that relationship he wouldn’t need to worry about sinning or behaving in the right way, because God would lead him.  It emphasized the importance of feeling and experiencing God, that worshiping God was simply an experience and response to that experience and there was no one way to do it.

Both brothers grew up and were very successful in the business world, acquiring reasonable amounts of wealth and comfort.  The first brother continued to attend church weekly, to tithe his income, to do his bible study and devotions, as well as his morning and evening prayers.  He continued to stay away from temptations to do anything that he had been told was a sin and did not associate with anyone who was known to commit those sins.

The second brother continued to pray whenever he felt he should, to read the bible whenever he was in need of guidance and to go to church whenever he thought he needed to or was hurting.  As the years wore on he prayed a little less, studied the bible a little bit less and became very irregular in church attendance.  But he still tried to have a relationship with God and continued to trust that God was guiding his life.  He did God on his own time and in his own way and to him that meant that he had a true relationship with God.

Which of these two better lived out the instructions to do justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God?  Let those who have ears hear.

 

Maybe it’s time to stop talking…

In his book In the Name of Jesus Henri Nouwen writes, “Words like ‘right-wing,’ ‘reactionary,’ ‘ conservative,’ ‘liberal,’ and ‘left-wing’ are used to describe people’s opinions, and many discussions then seem more like political battles for power than spiritual searches for the truth.

“Christian leaders cannot simply be persons who have well-informed opinions about the issues of our time.  Their leadership must be rooted in the permanent, intimate relationship with the incarnate Word, Jesus, and they need to find there the source for their words, advice, and guidance.”

Following the mass shooting in Arizona I felt like I needed to write something or say something that would be insightful and perhaps even revelatory.  I felt the deep need to attempt point out what went wrong, or how we could do better or something, anything.  Thankfully, I had not found the time to actually do so.  I am not nearly wise enough to speak to the depths of this situation.  As much as I would like to be relevant, and as much as I would like to have something profound to say, I don’t.

I have read the words of famous columnists, as well as people I know, that have said that now is the time to reflect but then gone on to say that this happened because of such and such or we must do this in response to what has happened.  Right now, maybe it’s time to stop talking, to pray for the victims and center ourselves in the God whose love remains with us no matter what.  Maybe its time to stop talking and allow God to search our souls and speak to us words of forgiveness, healing and hope.  There is nothing that has to be said right this moment, no insight that simply can’t wait, no thought that wouldn’t do better if given more time in the presence of God.  Maybe it’s time we all stop talking and allow ourselves to be examined.