It Was Hell Week

That’s what they said when I walked up to the boot camp going on in the church parking lot on Tuesday night. “Welcome to hell week!”

“Perfect,” I thought, “I hadn’t been to one of these in a while, and I happen to pick hell week. This can’t be good.”

The workout lived up to its name. I thought my leg muscles would literally burst into flames. I still feel the after effects a few days later.

After an hour of hell, I went home for an ice pack and sent a text to the leader of the boot camp. I felt a little awkward thanking her for putting me through hell. She laughed and said she was aware of the irony of having “hell week” in a church parking lot.

I told her it wasn’t the first time (and probably wouldn’t be the last time) that someone caught hell at the church.

If you’re surprised by that, let me introduce you to Jesus’ words to the religious leaders in Matthew 23. Jesus is giving hell to the church leaders in this section of the Bible because they had an amazing way of keeping all of God’s rules while completely missing the point.

These church people had forgotten that the point of God’s law was to restore and reconcile people with God and one another. But they were using God’s law to exploit people, condemn people and shut people out of God’s community. This kind of thing made Jesus’ face turn red, his eyes bug out and the veins pop out the side of his neck.

Yeah, it wasn’t the lepers, prostitutes, tax collectors, gay people or those who’ve had abortions that Jesus went off on. That’s something you might not know if all you had was the example of church people in the Bible and church people in the news today.

Contrary to popular belief, Jesus is interested in restoring people in community. He’s interested in including those who don’t feel included. He’s interested in everyone having a part in the redemptive story He is writing for the world.

Some will argue that a holy God demands that we draw the line between the sacred and the secular, the clean and the unclean, the holy and the common, heaven and hell.

That is true. But Jesus makes us rethink where that line is between the sacred and secular, clean and unclean, holy and common, heaven and hell. Jesus surprises us with where God is willing to go, who God is willing to touch and with whom God is willing to hang out. He is much more present on the margins and in hellish places than we might have suspected.

Jesus is far more than a “good example” for us to follow. Jesus is God reaching into the depths of hell to take us back to the place we were made to live. Jesus is God coming to us to do for us what we couldn’t do for ourselves – make us holy.

God, thank you for your grace. Keep us from missing the point, even if it means giving us hell in church.

How Can You Follow a God Like That?

Jesus never gave people a list of things to believe about him. He didn't say, "Pray this prayer so you can be with me in heaven when you die." He didn't give us a list of principals by which to live our life. What he did say over and over to people was, "Follow me."

He didn't give people a lot of information about what following him would mean. In fact, it is obvious that most, if not all, of Jesus' first followers began that journey with assumptions and expectations that Jesus didn't meet. Jesus seems to be perfectly fine with the fact that we don't understand all there is to know about him when we start following him. He seems happy to teach us new things about himself and his mission "in route" - along the way.

I continue to be amazed at people today who hear Jesus say, "Follow me," and then have the nerve to do it. Though we preachers today try hard at it, we struggle to find a good marketing plan for “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.” Or “Sell everything give it to the poor and follow me.” (Both things Jesus said). What kind of person “likes” that on Facebook (or anywhere else for that matter)?!

Jesus is demanding enough, but then you've got to put up with his other followers too. That's the thing that may be the hardest about following Jesus. Contrary to some bad advice from preachers, Jesus never intended us to follow him alone. Jesus may love us personally, but never intended for us to follow him privately. Yes, the greatest challenge might be learning how to live in communion with the other weirdoes who said "yes" to following Jesus too. It's hard to practice forgiveness, loving our enemies and serving others unless you're committed to a particular church for a while. Stay with the church long enough and Jesus will give you plenty of opportunities to forgive and be forgiven.

This week I met a man who told me he had been angry with God for three years because he had prayed for his mother to be healed of breast cancer and she was not. This left the man feeling abandoned and betrayed. God had not heard or answered his prayer, at least not the way he was hoping. In this man's mind this meant God is either mad at him for something, doesn't care or doesn’t' exist at all.

Later I recalled the words of a man in his 60's who had been following Jesus all his life. I remember him saying to a young man struggling with unanswered prayer. "Hey, I have followed Jesus for a lot longer than you, and I promise, you've only just begun to be offended by Jesus." While Jesus encourages us to ask for whatever we want in prayer, he won't be controlled by us as if he were a genie bound by our three best wishes (even if our wish is for the life of one we love). Jesus seems at the ready to shatter our preconcived ideas about who God is and how God ought to operate.

While listening to this man pour out his hurt and anger, I recalled the prayer that Jesus himself had memorized and prayed while he was being executed by the very people he came to love. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?" Psalm 22:1 Who makes up a God who prays like that?! A God who suffers?!

I found a strange sense of hope for this guy knowing that Jesus (God himself) had experienced some of his own feelings of abandonment. Interestingly, this same Psalm ends with these hopeful words that echo resurrection and restoration. "To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down; before him shall bow all who go down to the dust, and I shall live for him." Psalm 22:29

Ah, maybe this sadness, confusion, anger, division and aloneness don't have the last word after all.

Could you follow a God with hope like that? Jesus is still calling, "Follow me."

Faith Steps

Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase.
Martin Luther King, Jr.

This past December my father-in-law graciously had a garage built next to our cabin in western North Carolina. It looks like a barn, so Julia and I like to pretend we’re real country girls by referring to it as “the barn.” Julia of course wishes that we really could put horses in there but instead it houses an old truck, tools and a bunch of wood. There is a loft in “the barn” but instead of having the contractors build a staircase, David and his dad wanted to build it themselves.

“How are you going to build a staircase?” I asked. David answered, “one step at a time.” And that’s what they did. They put together the first step, then the next, then the next and so on. After some time there was a sturdy, good-looking staircase up to the loft.

Our challenge for the folks at Spring of Life this year is to ask yourselves, “What is your next step?” What is your next step in your journey with Christ? You can’t just take one or two steps on a staircase and reach your final destination. You have to keep taking one step at a time.

I love the quote above by Martin Luther King, Jr. reminding us that we’re called to take steps in our faith even when we’re not sure where we’re going or how it’s going to turn out. That’s the essence of having faith in God.

If you’re unsure about your next step in faith, here are a couple of tools that might help:

1. Sunday, February 5 (which is Superbowl Sunday for those of you that don’t have this marked on your calendars!) we will be asking folks at Spring of Life to “Get In the Game.” We will be highlighting different ways you can serve at Spring of Life. There will be people there to answer questions you might have about these opportunities to serve and help get you started.

2. Have you thought about the unique ways that God has gifted you to serve? If not, a helpful thing to do is to take a spiritual gift assessment. This is a simple tool to help you think about how God has gifted you, so that when you take your next step, it can be in an area that really interests you. Go to this link on the United Methodist Church website to learn more about spiritual gifts and take an assessment. It only takes a few minutes.

We look forward to journeying with you.

What's Your Next Step

Charlie Brown is at bat and strikes out again. As he trudges back to the bench, he laments: “Rats! I’ll never be a big-league player. I just don’t have it! All my life I’ve dreamed of playing in the big leagues, but I know I’ll never make it.”

Lucy turns to console him: “Charlie Brown, you’re thinking too far ahead. What you need to do is set some more immediate goals.”

He looks up and asks, “Immediate goals?”

Lucy says, “Yes. Start with this next inning when you go out to pitch. See if you can walk out to the mound without falling down!”

Do you ever feel like that spiritually? Many of us wonder if we’ll ever be in the “big leagues” with our Christian faith. But it’s overwhelming to think that we might have to read the whole Bible or go to Africa or something way out of our comfort zone. So therefore we become spiritually stalled to even take a small step in our growing with God.

If you ever feel like you’re spiritually stalled, you’re not alone. Many people feel like this. Either they’ve gotten comfortable with where they are in their walk with Christ or they don’t know what their next step should be.

A complaint I hear about the church sometimes (the church in general, not specifically about Spring of Life) is that it isn’t challenging enough. The church just wants people to feel good about themselves, live happy lives, and doesn’t challenge people to act or think any differently than the rest of the world.

I hope at Spring of Life we are challenging you to get out of your spiritually-stalled-stage. Don’t be afraid to take the next step that you feel like the Holy Spirit is calling you to take. I was reminded this week in some reading that Jesus didn’t say “think about me for a while,” instead he said “follow me.” If you’re stuck in the thinking stage, take the next step in growing in God by taking some action to follow God. Be intentional. Spiritual growth is intentional, not automatic.

Have you ever looked at a mature believer and wished you could be like him or her? Wouldn’t it be great to know the Bible and know how to pray and be able to lead people to Christ and exhibit joy and peace and goodness and knowledge and self-control and perseverance and godliness and kindness and love? Most of us want instant growth, forgetting that what is behind a godly life is a person who has gone through struggles and trials. Spiritual development only comes through practicing spiritual disciplines like time in the Word, prayer, fellowship, sacrificing, giving, and serving.

There are two truths to balance as you ponder taking the next step.

1. God is committed to our growth. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7: “I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God made it grow. So neither he who plants nor he who waters is anything, but only God, who makes things grow.” God is committed to our growth because He’s the one who planted us. Isaiah 60:21: “They are the shoot I have planted, the work of my hands, for the display of my splendor.” When we grow we show God’s splendor to others.
   


2. We must take responsibility for our growth. Check out 2 Peter 3:18: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ…” 1 Peter 2:2: “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation.” Paul reminded his readers in 2 Corinthians 10:15 that when they grow, the scope of the gospel grows as well: “Our hope is that, as your faith continues to grow, our area of activity among you will greatly expand.” And Paul applauded the Thessalonians for not being stalled spiritually in 2 Thessalonians 1:3: “We ought always to thank God for you, brothers, and rightly so, because your faith is growing more and more, and the love every one of you has for each other is increasing.”

It’s not all up to God and it’s not all up to us. God has designed it so that we work in partnership with God. Philippians 2:12-13 captures our part and God’s part very clearly: “…Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling [that’s our part] for it is God who works in you [that’s God’s part] to will and to act according to his good purpose.”

What’s your next step?

Remembering MLK

I appreciate the fact that Martin Luther King, Jr. is remembered as a national holiday. It is interesting to me that a nation who defines power in the way that we do would dare to set a day apart to let this man's voice be heard. There is hope for us yet. 

This morning I read this excerpt from MLK's sermon on November 6 in Montgomery, Alabama and was challenged, amazed and encouraged to lead the church at least to take up this "most durable power" to fight ongoing injustice and oppression within and without. I've copied it here for you to read.

This excerpt is from a sermon King preached in Montgomery, Alabama on 6 November 1956, just seven days before the U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Alabama's bus segregation laws.

"The Most Durable Power"

Always be sure that you struggle with Christian methods and Christian weapons. Never succumb to the temptation of becoming bitter. As you press on for justice, be sure to move with dignity and discipline, using only the weapon of love. Let no man pull you so low as to hate him. Always avoid violence. If you succumb to the temptation of using violence in your struggle, unborn generations will be the recipients of a long and desolate night of bitterness, and your chief legacy to the future will be an endless reign of meaningless chaos.

In your struggle for justice, let your oppressor know that you are not attempting to defeat or humiliate him, or even to pay him back for injustices that he has heaped upon you. Let him know that you are merely seeking justice for him as well as yourself. Let him know that the festering sore of segregation debilitates the white man as well as the Negro. With this attitude you will be able to keep your struggle on high Christian standards.

Many persons will realize the urgency of seeking to eradicate the evil of segregation. There will be many Negroes who will devote their lives to the cause of freedom. There will be many white persons of good will and strong moral sensitivity who will dare to take a stand for justice. Honesty impels me to admit that such a stand will require willingness to suffer and sacrifice. So don't despaire if you are condemned and persecuted for righteousness' sake. Whenever you take a stand for truth and justice, you are liable to scorn. Often you will be called an impractical idealist or a dangerous radical. Sometimes it might mean going to jail. If such is the case you must honorably grace the jail with your presence. It might even mean physical death. But if physical death is the price that some must pay to free their children from a permanent life of psychological death, then nothing could be more Christian.

I still believe that standing up for the truth of God is the greatest thing in the world. This is the end of life. The end of life is not to be happy. The end of life is not to achieve pleasure and avoid pain. The end of life is to do the will of God, come what may.

I still believe that love is the most durable power in the world. Over the centuries men have sought to discover the highest good. This has been the chief quest of ethical philosophy. This was one of the big questions of Greek philosophy. The Epicureans and the Stoics sought to answer it; Plato and Aristotle sought to answer it. What is the summum bonum of life? I think I have discovered the highest good. It is love. This principle stands at the center of the cosmos. As John says, "God is love." He who loves is a participant in the being of God. He who hates does not know God.

Taking the Next Step

“What is the best thing that you could do for your family, friends, community, nation and world?” When I heard that question this week it made me stop and think. The fact is, most people don’t think about that stuff. We’re dealing with getting through the day to day – taking care of kids, trying to make some money, making the grade at school, dealing with crisis, looking forward to the weekend, whatever.

What is the best thing you could do for your family, friends, community, nation and world?

This answer is what you might expect from a preacher: Take the next step where God is leading you.

Seriously, when was the last time you sat down for 5 minutes and asked God to show you the next step He wants you to take? What if you did?

Some of you are thinking: “When was the last time I sat down for 5 minutes that I wasn’t driving, looking at my phone, eating or in the bathroom?”

In Jesus, we learn that God is interested in being involved in our lives – far more than we realize, and if we’re honest, maybe more than we really want.

God is relentless in His pursuit of us and foolish in his love for us. (See Luke 15).

God wants to include us in his mission to set this broken world right. (See Mark 1:16-20).

God has a way of getting what God wants in spite of hardheaded disciples. (See Mark 9:2-8)

God will direct your steps.

King David said, “You make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence.” Psalm 16:11

“In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths.” Proverbs 3:6

So, why not stop reading this blog and ask God: “What is the next step you have for me today?”

Figuring this out and pursuing it passionately is the best thing you could do for your family, friends, community, nation and world.

Happy New Year

“Never clutch the past so tightly that it leaves your arms unable to embrace the present.”

On New Year’s Day we went out to dinner and as we sat waiting for our food David asked Julia and I what our goals for the New Year were. I hadn’t really thought about it. David talked about possible physical goals for the year (run another marathon, a triathlon), goals of spending more time with Julia (a regular father-daughter “date night”). Julia talked about just wanting to make it through the FCAT and finishing her fourth grade year. I thought about what my goals were…lose weight? Sure. Exercise more? Sure. But what I really want to do is to be more joyful.

So much of our lives are filled with anxiety. It is easy for me to think of things I am anxious about: taking care of my mother as she gets older, Julia growing up too fast, church finances (just to name a few!). And the world seems to run on anxiety. The busier we are the better. Where can we find joy in the midst of the chaos?

I have always relied on the idea that happiness comes and goes with changing circumstances. We can be “happy” one day because something good happened at work. The next day we can be “unhappy” because we had a bad day at work. Happiness comes and goes with circumstances. But real joy is found deep inside of us where the Holy Spirit resides. Fear and anxiety motivate us to put our faith and hope in resources other than the Holy Spirit. We have lost sight of our Lord in our anxious attempts to fix problems by our own efforts. Yes, we need hard work and creativity and conversation with one another in order to respond to the Spirit’s guidance, but we also need to always be praying, “Come, Holy Spirit, come.”

So how do I temper my sense of anxiety with true joy? I am resolving to begin each new day by praying for the Holy Spirit to remind me of God’s grace in my life. When we worship together this is a reminder to us that we are not alone. When we pray in our own quiet time it is a reminder that we are not alone, that the Holy Spirit is with us. As I enter 2012 I invite you to join me in letting go of the anxieties that we hold so tight and open our arms to the movement of God in our lives and the joy that is found in resting in the promises of God.

“Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize.” The Apostle Paul, Philippians 3: 13-14