Tag Archives: Christ

Love is the only way

23 Saturday Jun 2018

Posted by in Humanity, Theology

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It is easy to get distracted.  It’s easy to get pulled away.  Oh so often have I fallen away, being drug back to a way of politics and partisanship – a way that doesn’t lead to life.  Rather it leads to competition, compliance, demand, division, separation, anger, fear, and so much more.  All of these things pull at me time and time again.  Oh so often have I succumbed to them.  They are a hard task master – a way that demands things from its followers.  A way that is heavy.  A way that beats down all who are not strong.

But this is not the way of Christ.  Love is the only way.

As I have struggled through this week over everything surrounding immigration, the separation of children from parents, the comments in response, the rhetoric, the stories, and more, I have wandered in what feels like a haze.  I have felt the grasp of fear and anger all around.  Anxiety has made its home in the pit of my stomach.

My heart has broken over and over again.  I have gone through a range of emotions – not all of them healthy.  I have been angry at those who seem blinded to the plight of the refugee seeking asylum.  I have wondered why people can’t see their plight.

Why do Christians, those who claim to follow Christ and all he taught, seem blind to the plight of other human beings?  To turn our backs on those who suffer?  To block out the humanity of the most vulnerable?  To turn our backs on the least of these – our brothers and sisters.

My anger is gone now.  My sorrow flows freely though.  I am sad for the refugees.  But my heart breaks even more for this nation and the people who are gripped by fear and anger.  My heart rips open for those who live by fear and anger.  Fear and anger consume so many and consume our nation.  And when words fail to settle our differences, when words fail to bring calm, then fear and anger will lead to violence.  And my heart breaks more.

My heart breaks over and over.  And I am reminded that love is the only way.  Fear leads to death.  Anger leads to death.  Love is the only way to life.

We are called to love.  Not cheap love – very costly love.  Love isn’t about being right and convincing others to follow along.  Love sees no enemies – only fellow children of God.  We are called to love our neighbors.   We are called to love our enemies.  We are called to love refugees and strangers.   We are called to love the most vulnerable.  We are called to love those that we fear the most.

Love is vulnerable.  Love is risky.  Love is uncontrollable.  Love is costly.

Jesus asks the disciples in Mark 4 “Why are you afraid?” He asks us this same question at this moment in history.  He asks us why we are afraid of refugees.  Jesus asks us, not to gain political points.  Not to get voters in a political party.  Jesus asks us why we are afraid because we have lost sight of him and his way – love.  Love is the only way.  Nothing else matters.  Nothing else will survive.  Nothing else will change the world.

Do we believe Jesus?  Do we believe Jesus’ way?  Or do think that it is just a bunch of nice ideas that can never really work?  Now is the time to show what we truly believe.  The old hymn tells us that “they will know we are Christians by our love.”  Now is the time Christian.  Now is the time to live by love.  Because love is the only way.

Force, strength, control, walls, violence, separation, rhetoric – none of these can ever conquer the world.  None of these can change the world.  None of these are the way of Christ.  None of these will last.  Love is the only way.

And so I love the refugees and my heart breaks for them.  I love the border guards who are doing their duty and my heart breaks for them.  I love the vocal defenders and those who willingly dehumanize children sent to cages and my heart breaks for them.  I love Jeff Sessions and my heart breaks for him.  I love Donald Trump and my heart breaks for him.  This is a painful love.  But it is the only way that I know to go forward.  It is the only way that has not been tried.  It is the only way to really follow Christ.

Love is the only way.

You Brood of Vipers…

04 Friday May 2018

Posted by in Church, Humanity, Politics, Theology

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Here’s your fair warning – this is going to be political – painfully political.  And no, I’m not going to apologize.  I can’t just sit by and be silent.  My focus isn’t even on the politicians.  If you know me at all, you’ll know that I don’t put much faith in politicians, political parties, or ideology.  I find most of them to be worthless and primarily interested in power.  All of them are seriously flawed and frankly, I expect them to worship their idols of power, influence, money, and their other gods that they create in their own image.  I hope this post is extremely uncomfortable.  I hope it is inconvenient.  I hope this because it sucked writing this.  The focus of this post is on the Christians who read this.

Jesus said:

‘Either make the tree good, and its fruit good; or make the tree bad, and its fruit bad; for the tree is known by its fruit. You brood of vipers! How can you speak good things, when you are evil? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. The good person brings good things out of a good treasure, and the evil person brings evil things out of an evil treasure. I tell you, on the day of judgement you will have to give an account for every careless word you utter; for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.’

(Matthew 12:33-37)

I can think of no better passage of Scripture that applies to the filthy state of partisan politics today than this passage spoken by Jesus.

Yesterday I received an e-mail with a link to an article by Jeff Roe on why Republicans would be mistaken to abandon Trump in the mid-term elections.  Persona and policy can get mixed up.  The GOP should celebrate the policies and not the distraction of the persona – that’s the argument anyway.  The essential argument is this – the ends justify the means.

Yesterday as I was driving around I flipped through radio stations.  Occasionally I flip over to talk radio to hear what the chattering is about.  I can usually handle about five minutes worth before having to turn the station.  Yesterday I heard the host in his usual blind allegiance of the president and the actions to cover up his affair with a porn star.  The ends justified the means apparently.  Don’t you know, it was the porn star in the wrong.

Today I saw Rudy Giuliani’s interview on Sean Hannity’s show.  During this interview, Giuliani contradicts statements Trump made about knowing there was a payoff and where the money for the payoff came from.  When the ends justify the means, who cares what was said before.

Yesterday was the so-called National Day of Prayer.  People gathered and there was an official prayer stated.  The prayer is eloquent and hits on some very good points – turning from sin, unity of the body of Christ, turning from evil, forgiveness, reconciliation, healing, etc.  All things that I can get behind, but the problem is that I’m not sure if all Christians agree with the definitions of these terms.

I’m not sure that I have the same definition of unity as our “Christian” politicians and those that support their policies that do more harm than good, that uphold Social Darwinism (where only the strong survive), and where the end justifies the means is the foundation of life.

I’m not sure I have the same definition of turning from evil as our “Christian” politicians and those that support their actions by making excuses for behaviors that are unacceptable for you or I, but seem to be just fine because it was two consenting adults, don’t you know.  Yet these same people threw a hissy fit when another president screwed around with someone in the White House – which was just as terrible. But hey, when you believe that it’s a Christian virtue to lay the foundation of your life at the altar of the ends justify the means, then anything goes, right?

Does turning from evil mean that it’s ok to knowingly lie and defend those lies because the truth is inconvenient and is costly?  Does turning from evil mean that you pay hush money for an affair or that you defend someone who does this?  Does turning from evil mean that you use your Christian label as a pastor to make excuses for a worldly powerful person.  I thought we were called to deny ourselves, pick up our cross, and follow Jesus if we claimed the label of Christian.

I’m not sure I have the same understanding of the following line of prayer as our “Christian” politicians and those that support their rhetoric:

We pray for all people of all ethnicities and races in America to come together as one, living in peace and unity together.

I’m not sure how anyone can claim to be a Christian and make excuses for a “Christian” politician who offers support to neo-nazis, labels all Mexicans as rapists and murders, who disparages numerous other groups of people.  I’m not twisting words here, go back and see what was actually said.  If you feel the need to defend these words that he said, why?  Why would you defend such vile language from anyone?  Would you defend the same exact words, spoken in the same exact tone if they came from a politician that you didn’t like?  Or do the ends justify the means?

I’m not sure I have the same understanding of the following line of prayer as our “Christian” politicians and those that support their policy actions:

We pray for God’s power to unify families, workplaces, communities, and cities in America. By Your Spirit, lead us to forgiveness, reconciliation, healing, and unity.

I find it hard to say we are all seeking to unify families and communities when we put up more roadblocks to the homeless and poor.  We have families who are living in their vehicles at truck stops.  And they are working, but don’t make enough to find adequate housing.  Men, women, and children living in their vehicles.  And the typical response is something along these lines – well, they should work harder.  Well, they should have not made so many bad decisions.  Well, they get what they deserve.  Well, if they only did this or that.  Well, the churches can take care of them.

BS.

As a pastor who does ministry with the homeless, I can tell you that churches are not equipped to do this.  We don’t have the resources, the training, or the people to do this.  We can do small things, but we don’t have unlimited resources.  We aren’t trained in how to deal with mental illness.  We aren’t taught what to do when we run out of money trying to help someone and they end up back on the street again because all the shelters are full and they have nowhere to turn.

If your response is “well, you should open your own doors then,” or some other snide remark, then you are missing the whole point here.

Jesus never said the ends justify the means.  That’s about as far away from what it means to be a Christian as you can get.  If that is your belief of what it means to be a Christian – then you and I can’t be unified because we don’t have the same foundation.

Is the defense of something and someone who is indefensible worth it?

Or as Jesus said:

Then Jesus told his disciples, ‘If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake will find it. For what will it profit them if they gain the whole world but forfeit their life? Or what will they give in return for their life?

(Matthew 16:24-26)

You want to get mad at me – go for it.  I’ve got thick skin.  Frankly, I’m not too happy with you either.  And I refuse to shut up because I’m pointing out something uncomfortable and inconvenient.  Your comfort is not my concern.  Especially when we have people who are homeless, people who haven’t had a meal on a plate since August, people who have families that are living in vehicles, people who are being trafficked on our interstates, people who are treated as second class citizens because of their skin color or orientation.  If that’s uncomfortable, then it should be.  Being a Christian is not comfortable or convenient.  It’s not suppose to be.  It’s supposed to smack us in the face and make us so uncomfortable and inconvenienced that we respond to the injustice we see around us.

Frankly, I’m tired of Christians who want the label, but refuse to live out the calling.  I’m tired of Christians who value their loyalty to a politician or party (any politician in either party – yes, this applies to Democrats just as much as Republicans) above Jesus.  I’m tired of Christians making excuses for “bad trees,” as Jesus called them, all because they believe that the ends justify the means when it comes to policies.

We are called to live out what Jesus commands us to do, not to have blind loyalty to some politician who is temporarily in power.

Pick up your cross and follow Jesus.  Jesus didn’t say, pick up your tweet and follow Trump.  Jesus didn’t say, pick up your sign and follow some other candidate.  Jesus didn’t say send in a check and blindly follow your party.

These are difficult times in our nation.  The call for unity is something that is needed.  However, it is not possible to have unity where there is a strongly held belief that not everyone is equal in value and worth.  How can there be unity when there are some who create us vs. them situations, where the poor are seen as an expense, where we have leaders who firmly believe that only the strong should survive, where we value things over people, etc.

But not all is hopeless or lost.  Last night I heard something that hit me.  I don’t remember the exact words, but here’s what I heard – when everything has been exhausted, there is grace.

Even in this situation, there is grace.  It’s the only thing that can carry us forward.  We humans can’t fix this ourselves – we are too devoted to our divisions and separations.  We have blind worship of our leaders and ideologies.  We cling to our sin and brokenness.

Only God can fix this.  And it may require something else – something that is deeply associated with being a follower of Christ.  It will require death.  Death of our egos.  Death of our loyalties.  Death of our certainties and answers.  Death of our attitudes towards one another.  Death of excuses.  Death of our sin and brokenness.

Only then will we experience the fullness of being a Christ follower – resurrection.  New life, renewed life, restored life, transformed life.

This is my hope.  This is my prayer.  It’s time to start acting out what we claim to believe.  It’s time to start actually being Christians, not just taking on the label.  If we don’t, we’re no better than the people who Jesus called out as a brood of vipers.

Idols among us

07 Wednesday Feb 2018

Posted by in Politics, Theology

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What is an idol?  Something either highly revered or worshiped.

When we think of idols, often we think of the Old Testament.  But idols are hardly lost to the distant past.  There are many human made idols that are among us these days.

President Trump is an idol for some.  I recently saw a video of several Evangelical Christian women who were interviewed about their thoughts about Trump.  These were solid Trump supporters.  They were asked about the controversy over the hush money allegedly paid to porn star Stormy Daniels.  They talked about grace and everyone getting a second chance.  They talked about how he changed once in office because he handed his life over to Christ.  They talked about excusing his behavior and tone and name calling because he was supporting “Christian” policies.  The line that sums it up came from the reporter asking this question – “So, he can’t do any wrong then, can he?”  The answer was to agree with this idea.

President Obama was an idol for others.  Remember all the statements about Obama being a type of Messiah figure?  Remember how blind supporters of his were so moved by his speeches?  Remember how pundits who were infatuated with him talked about how they got a tingle in their spine that went down their leg by just being in his presence?  I imagine that if the same reporter asked a group of die-hard Obama supporters if the man could do no wrong, they would have to agree with that statement.

These are just men.  Flawed human beings.  Broken in many different ways.  They make mistakes and sometimes worse – do things that cause problems for people, stoke anger and divisiveness, and do things that many others see as wrong.  But then again, so do all of us.  They aren’t special in that regard.  They just happen to be on a bigger stage where their actions and words impact more people than anyone else – for a time.  And then their time is done and someone new steps in.  A new idol that still others will worship.

And it is all folly.  The idea of worshipping a person – to the point where you can see no fault ever in anything the person does or says – is misguided.  It’s sinful.  We aren’t supposed to live like this.

There is only one who we worship – God.  When we put someone or something at the level in which they guide our thoughts, beliefs, and daily actions, then we being idolatrous.  We have confused the temporal with the eternal.  We have traded in faith from God for table scraps from idols.  We have traded in holy daily living for anger, division, fear, and mistrust.  And when we follow this path, we should not be surprised that our human-made systems are broken.  Our systems are made up of human beings.  We are broken.

This is not the time for idols.  Let us put them aside.  Instead of giving our daily attention to the idols we make in our own image, let us listen to God’s calling for our lives.  Instead of listening to the daily talking points of our partisan loyalties, let us hear and live out the teachings of God.  Instead of swearing allegiance to and making excuses for the actions of our idols, let us respond in trust to the call of Christ to pick up our cross and follow him, to go and teach all that he taught, to live out the Sermon on the Mount.

What do you pledge allegiance to?

25 Thursday Jan 2018

Posted by in Theology

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I’m sure that the title of this blog post will strike a nerve with some.  You may be wondering where I am going with this.  Am I going to touch a third rail?  Am I going to say something considered unpatriotic?  Am I going to make some kind of statement that aligns me with one of the two partisan political parties in the US – or at least the perceptions that people have about the “other” party, whichever one they are not aligned with?

My question is this – who or what do you swear your ultimate allegiance to?  Who or what is the thing or person that you swear ultimate loyalty to?  Who or what are you willing to die for when it comes down to it?

I know many soldiers who have pledged their lives for the sake of the country.  They do so because of what they see the country standing for – freedom and liberty.  There have been soldiers that have died in defense of this country and these ideals.  There is much to be commended for this.  It is the ultimate price that they paid.  We live in a violent world, filled with division, mistrust, and war and soldiers dedicate their lives to a set of ideals that others can live by.

And, at the same time, I have trouble with the language that is often used to describe these soldiers and what they did – terms like sacrifice, died so that others may live, shedding blood, they saved the nation, etc.

These are religious terms.  These are faith terms.  These are terms with deep theological meaning.  Specifically, they utilize Christian theological terms and concepts used in reference to Christ, his suffering, and ultimate sacrifice of crucifixion on the cross where he shed blood in order to save creation.  He died as part of being the Savior.  He didn’t die in order to promote civic religion.

And he didn’t do it through military action and violence either.  He didn’t save creation the way that nations have long utilized to “solve” their problems and deal with their enemies.  He lived and died differently.  Paying the ultimate price.

And I think it raises the question for the average person – where does one’s ultimate allegiance lie?  Does that allegiance mean that a person is excluded from swearing allegiance to a nation?  What about service in the military?  I don’t think so.  Even in the bible, there are stories of centurions who converted and continued in service to the Roman empire.  But you have to wonder, how did they change after their conversion?  How did it impact them in their daily life?

The question can be asked another way – what is it that shapes you so much, that impacts you so much, that it changes you and guides your daily life?  Your ultimate allegiance is the foundation of your life.  It shapes you in your daily interactions.  It guides you in how you relate to and with others.

When you look at your life, is your ultimate allegiance to a person, party, or nation?    Are you guided by resistance to those in power?  In your daily interactions, are you often angry, upset, or worse because of what happens around you?  Are you guided by suspicion of others and mistrust?  Are you guided by assuming the worst from others and how they are just working the system?  Are you guided by judgement of people who you see as just blind to the obvious?

If you are Christian, what are you known for?  Being judgmental? Excluding people? Being against a group of people for who they are, what they believe, or how they live their lives?  For your anger at those who don’t agree with you or can’t pass your purity test?

Or are you known for something else?  The old hymn stated that “they’ll know we are Christians by our love…” Do we live that out?  Or are we too busy confusing our allegiances to earthly things and people.

As Christians we claim grace, not karma, as the way of God.  We don’t get what we deserve (karma), we get what we don’t deserve (grace).  Do we live that out?  Or are we too busy showing everyone else how right we are and that they better get on board or else they are just idiots or worse?

As Christians, we claim to be given forgiveness from God – especially in times we don’t deserve it.  Do we live that out?  Or are we too busy judging everyone, throwing vitriol at them, shaming them, or worse?

What is your ultimate allegiance?  As a Christian, it should be to Christ.  And it should impact how you live.  That doesn’t mean that you’ll be perfect.  In fact, you’ll fail pretty often.  But every day, even every moment, you’ll receive grace, love, and forgiveness.  These are reset buttons for us – the opportunity to be lifted up and try again.  And fail again.  And be lifted up again.  And on occasion to actually live out what has been given to us from God so that others may experience these as well.

Our ultimate allegiance is what guides our daily life.  It’s the core of who we claim to be and what we claim to stand for.  It’s the foundation of our lives.  It’s what we would be willing to die for.  As Christians, we die each day when we live out that allegiance to Christ.  Christ calls on us to take up our cross (the thing that will ultimately kill us shamefully by the world’s standards), and to follow him.  This isn’t a light commitment where we mouth the words and go on living as we want.  It’s much deeper.  It’s transformative.  In it, we die, and God resurrects us to live life following and serving.

 

 

While I was away…

26 Monday Jun 2017

Posted by in Humanity, Politics, Theology

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We took a two-week vacation for the first time and returned back the middle of last week.  It was wonderful to get away.  It was a little disconcerting to come back though.  While away I only went through some social media notifications, but mostly just so I wouldn’t have a 1000 when I came back.  I didn’t read anything political or partisan – I didn’t want to.  I was on vacation.  I didn’t touch e-mail, even though I knew I would have a ton to go through.  I didn’t care though, I was on vacation.

Then we came back.   Going through e-mail I discovered that there was lots of chaos in the world.  Most of which I didn’t know about and didn’t want to know about.  Most of it was more than I cared to know about.

There also seemed to be a good deal of enraged people too.  Enraged over various things.  But I just couldn’t get enraged.

One thing I learned from this vacation is that when we start from a position of rage and anger, it is us that get burned…and tired…and exhausted…and irrational…and more.

Being enraged and angry all the time doesn’t help.  It doesn’t change anything.  Actually, it usually makes things worse.  That’s not to say we should just throw our hands up and surrender when we see or experience injustice.  Far from it.  From my experience an enraged response will get a reaction.  But it probably won’t be the one you want.  Unless you like anger and being enraged.

What I learned from vacation is that I need more silence and contemplation, not more news and data.  What will more news and data actually accomplish in my life?  Maybe more emotional responses.  It certainly won’t stop the chaos.  It only contributes to it.

I think that we don’t need more social media in the world.  Instead, how about more social contact – real contact – in person.  Or better yet – better social media and better social contact.

We need to start acting like what we want the world to be like, not just say “I’ll pray for you.”  Or wait for someone else to start.

If we are Christians we are each called to follow Jesus into this world and start living in a Christ-like manner.  We can start right now.  But only if we so choose.  Only if we decide to put the anger and rage aside.

Need a reminder of what this might look like – maybe start with the Beatitudes or the Sermon on the Mount.  Or Jesus’ admonition to visit the visit the sick and imprisoned, to feed the hungry, etc.  No where in the bible does it say to wait for someone else to do it, or for government to do it, or work to get certain politicians elected so they can do it, or call some non-profit so they can do it (all the while we complain at non-profit employees get paid because 100% of the donation isn’t going to “the cause.”  Never mind that without these dedicated people there would be no cause – they are doing the work of the cause, so stop complaining.  They don’t make enough.)

You want society to change, start living differently and actually impacting lives.  And take some time for silence.  We need silence in our lives.

What is natural?

24 Friday Mar 2017

Posted by in Humanity, Society, Theology

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An accompanying question would be “what is normal?”  I’m thinking specifically of American culture right now.  Is what we are experiencing normal?  Is it natural?  Are we on a trajectory on the cycle of civilization?  Can it be stopped or changed?  Should it?

I don’t have the answers.  But then again, I don’t think the answers matter that much.  It’s the questions that matter.  The questions are what open us up to possibilities.

These questions have been a constant through theological history too.  It’s a question of predestination – or is everything all set and there can be no variation?  Another variation of this expresses a different view – the end result is set, but the way we get there is open.  This opens up possibilities whereas the first view leaves us hopeless, mere puppets in a play.  I wonder how there can be love when there is no openness to possibilities of how things progress.

What is natural in our world?  Sin, death, anger, violence, power, control.  There have been more positive things too, but when we measure and mark history, it is often based on events like war, devastation, and rulers.

The Gospel and the reign of God are the things that are unnatural in this world.  That’s because the world is broken by sin.  The world’s norm is that might makes right. Yet Christ declares that the meek and poor in Spirit are blessed.  The world celebrates the division and war, yet Christ declares that those who are doers of peace are the blessed ones.

What is natural?  What is normal?  Is it what the vast majority of human history has been made up of?  Or maybe this history is not normal at all.  Maybe it’s out of whack.  Maybe Christ has what normal is, but we’ve been looking at the world upside down.  Maybe he’s turning the world right side up again – making all things right – bringing the world back to normal.

What does it mean to be a Christian today?

23 Friday Dec 2016

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So what does it mean to be a Christian at the end of 2016 in America?

Have you ever really thought about this question?

For many, being a Christian is just another identity to add to other secular identities.  Apparently, many seem to think that Christian is just another moniker to add to the list of how a person defines themselves – adding to the list that includes their political party loyalty, nationality, and a host of other things I’m not going to get into here.  Because that’s not the point of why I write this.

What does it mean to be a Christian?

It’s something that transforms who we are.  Our loyalties lie with God and the Kingdom of God first.  A Christian follows the way of Christ – attempting to follow out what he told us to do and be.  Forgiving as we are forgiven.  Living peace, as are instruments of peace.  Showing mercy, as mercy has been shown to us.  Offering love, as we have been loved.  Giving grace, as we have received grace.  And when we screw up and break relationships with God, one another, ourselves, and the rest of creation – then acknowledging that, and receiving forgiveness so we can go at it again.

That’s one answer to what it means.  But not “the” answer.

It seems easier to define what being a Christian is not.  But what’s the point of talking about that – there are plenty of voices who argue about this already.

Being a Christian isn’t about fighting over what being a Christian is not.  It’s about how Christ transforms us and changes us to be something different in a world that is more interested in power, being right, control, violence, dominance, might, and more.

Being a Christian is attempting to live out an ideal – one we will never live up.  Yet, that doesn’t mean we give up on it.  If Christians kept trying to live into what we were called into, the world would change.

However, here’s the rub.  It’s not about what we do.  That should be apparent.  We’ve been trying for centuries – and the result has been a ton of death and destruction and lives ruined.  Most of the time because it’s our version of what we think Christianity is and using Christ to support our way of thinking and believing.

Yet, being a Christian isn’t about that at all.  It’s about dying to self.  It’s not using God for our advantage.  It’s being conformed to God’s will.  It’s surrendering.  It’s being in a right relationship with God.  It’s not about rules.  It’s about joyful living. It’s about accompanying people in the crap of life.  It’s about so much more than most of us even come close to knowing.

What would it mean for your life if you actually lived out what Jesus calls us to?

How would that change your life?  What are you waiting for?

How would it affect the world?

Being a Christian today is more than a political party sub-label.  If that’s all it is, it’s worthless.

But if it’s something that changes lives – then watch out.  Christ might just call us to live differently.  Christ might just call on us to interact with other differently – especially those we consider our enemies and opponents.  Christ might just call on us to give up some things so there is room for us to receive other, better, things.

What does it mean to be a Christian today?  I would guess it looks a lot different than what most people think it does.

Take the first step

22 Thursday Dec 2016

Posted by in Humanity, Theology

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Take the first step…

That’s the anthem that is going through my head these days.

Take the first step…

We Christians claim to believe in and have faith in faith, hope, and love.  Yet, how often do we wait to receive these things before we step out in faith, hope, and love?

Take the first step…

We Christians claim to follow Jesus, one who lived his life by way of peace.  Yet, how often are we clamoring for war, violence, and revenge?  How often are we more concerned with being right and making everyone else agree with our ideas – beating them into submission?

Take the first step…

We Christians want to keep Christ in Christmas.  Yet, how often do we not want that to change our lives?  How often would we rather just mouth the words, rather than live them because Jesus would be too inconvenient to our schedules and plans?

Take the first step…

We are called to live a Christ-like life, not wait and respond.  We are called to act first, not wait until our lives are in perfect order.  We are called to walk by faith, not by sight.  We are called to follow Jesus, not shove our version of him down others throats.

Take the first step…

It’s a step of faith to be the first to stop the circle of violence when we respond with prayer, when we show love, when we speak words of forgiveness, when serve our neighbors.

Take the first step…

That is the only way the world will ever change.  If we wait for someone else to start, it will never happen.  God calls on us to take the first step…

Walk with me, we’ll take the first step together.

Can peaceful individuals change violent systems?

02 Tuesday Aug 2016

Posted by in Organizational theory, Theology

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narrow-gauge-model-train-shunting

I have never seen an example and can’t think of an example of a person who pursues to live peacefully or be an instrument of peace that has been the cause of anyone else dying or causing destruction.  Can you?

I have never seen anyone who was concerned and committed with living out what Christ truly calls us to be end up being the cause of violence, death, or destruction.  Have you?

What I have seen is that the common cause of death and destruction has been people who make an idol out of being right.  This can come under the label of religion, nation, philosophy, power, politics, etc., but it is never from people who set aside the concern of being right in order to live out a call from Christ and follow what Christ actually said.  But of course being right isn’t the only cause though either.

A friend reminded me though that living peacefully is much easier for individuals than it is when we deal with systems.  Especially systems that bombard people with messages that tell them lies about themselves.  Individuals have a responsibility to live out peacefully.  And our systems should reflect this as well.

I wonder, can systems be altered and changed by individuals choosing to live differently?  I wonder what the critical mass would be to cause such a change.  How does a system change?  Aren’t systems made up of people?  Yet, I know they are more than that too.

Can a peaceful person change a violent system?  Can a group?  Maybe it starts by asking the question if its possible.  Then we go from there.

 

 

Prepackaged Communion

09 Tuesday Sep 2014

Posted by in Church

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A couple of days ago, I was asked by my father-in-law to comment on what I thought about this:

(Source: http://www.reddit.com/r/mildlyinteresting/comments/2fkxmd/my_church_gave_prepackaged_communion/)

My initial reaction was, let’s say, negative.  It went something along the lines of “seriously?!”

Then it went to theology – “How could this even be considered communion – it’s individual and prepackaged.  Where is the community aspect in communion?”

Then it went to satire – “next thing you know, we’ll be offering the body of Christ in five great flavors and trying to super-size our portions.”

I wasn’t the only one – if you read the comments on the article, you’ll see some pretty clever satire and “marketing” names for what is pictures.  I have to admit, I thought some of the names were pretty funny.

So, this all seems so cut and dry right?  Wrong.  One comment that I read put a different spin on the whole thing – The person said that this would be great for military chaplains who are on the front lines.  Wow, I didn’t see that coming.

I’m amazed at how God is active in the world – even in pre-packaged bite-sized communion.  I was looking at the world through the context I am most familiar with when it comes to communion – Communion on Sundays and special occasions in a church.  I couldn’t possibly think of a good reason to have prepackaged individual communion packets.

But all it took was one person coming up with something reasonable as a mere possibility.  Now, I really have no idea why the prepackaged communion was created, or for what denomination.  I still have issues with it theologically for most contexts and wouldn’t ever think about using it a “normal” congregation.  But I can also see how it could be used in a Christ-centered way.  I just hope that McDonald’s doesn’t start thinking it can ask if you want Christ with that.