Tuesday, February 17, 2009
Dwelling in the Word
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Hypocrite
1"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. (Matthew 7)
So Ted Haggard is back in the news again, he was on Oprah on Wednesday and has a documentary about him airing on HBO tonight. The short version is that Ted was a very influential pastor who was discovered to have had a homosexual affair with a prostitute. He lost his job, but his wife stayed with him and he entered into intense therapy. Now he is telling his story.
I know that the teachings of Jesus above apply to this situation, but these harsh words seem too much to level against a man who was sexually abused as a child. Yet, I imagine that Jesus did not say these words to be easy. Ted very publicly spoke out against secret sin and homosexuality. Plank-eye.
Hypocrisy is probably one of the biggest problems that unchurched people have with Christianity. Yet, the ability to forgive and heal from even such hypocrisy is one of the best things about being a follower of Christ. Is the journey of Ted all that different from the journey of Saul/Paul?
Monday, December 8, 2008
The Margins
"34 "Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.' " (Matt 25 TNIV)
Concern for the marginalized is the criterion for judgment in the mind of Jesus.
We had a good discussion about this text last night and I thought I would share some of it with you.
Does Jesus really judge us based on how we treat the marginalized? What about grace? What about the cross? How could Jesus base our eternal fate on "works"?
I can't ignore the words of Jesus here, so my goal is to find a way to fit this teaching in with the teaching of grace and forgiveness.
What if Jesus is calling us to not just be forgiven, but to be transformed? What if when we are transformed by forgiveness we end up treating people differently. What if Jesus is not judging people by their treatment of the marginalized, but pointing out the transformation that must happen when someone is forgiven and filled with the Spirit?
What do you think?
Friday, November 14, 2008
At a Fork in the Road
Monday, November 10, 2008
that they may be one
20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 17:20-23 TNIV)
I thought we had agreed to get rid of all the difficult stuff . . . no, oh well.
Looking at the fragmented, frustrating, mess of Christian denominations it is difficult to see any unity. Looking at the infighting and bickering in the Restoration movement is is nearly impossible to glimpse Christian love. So what happened to Jesus' prayer?
Last weekend I attended the Converge conference in Bellevue, and learned about the Alpha course. In short, Alpha is an introduction to the basics of the Christian faith. I think you should look into it, it has some really great things to offer, but that's not the point of this post.
Alpha was developed by the Anglican church in London, it has been experienced by 11 million people around the world. I saw Lutherans, Presbyterians, Episcopalians, Church of Christ-ians, Baptists, Methodists, Catholics, etc. all in one room working toward one end worshiping as one body. I heard a Lutheran pastor emphasize to the group that in the New Testament adult baptism was the primary way which people expressed their conversion to faith. I saw an Anglican pastor talk about the powerful work of the Holy Spirit transforming people's lives. I saw a Baptist emphasize the need for free will in the relationship between humanity and God.
If you don't know, pretty much all of those things are way out of character for those denominations.
Last weekend I saw the answer to Jesus' prayer. I saw Christians from around the world and from across the denominational spectrum unite around the issue of sharing the good news of the kingdom. I wish it weren't so amazing - I wish it were common.
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Your Kingdom Come
"your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven"
Today I have to think about what this really means. I have heard Christians praying that John McCain win the election with the assumption that he is God's preferred candidate. I have heard of vile e-mails being sent that portray Barack Obama as evil. I have also heard Christians praying that Obama win and statements vilifying McCain.
I will pray for these men that they hold up well under stress today, that they will be loving and faithful husbands, that they will be strong fathers. But I don't think that Jesus would pray for one person to be elected over another. Jesus isn't thinking about one party versus another or one person versus another. Jesus is desperate to show people the in-breaking of the kingdom of God into a hurting world.
Jesus wants us to bring the kingdom of heaven to earth.
I don't think it really matters who rules the 'kingdom' of this country. What matters is if the kingdom of God is being made manifest.
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Perfection
Talk about Wham-O!! He sticks it straight to us here- no qualifications, no room for justification, no conditions- just “be perfect.”
My impression of myself is that I’m pretty low key and rarely goes out to ‘rock the boat.’ However, I have a side of me that really appreciates things that are in your face, things that hit you head on and force you to deal with them. So I love this command of Jesus for that reason. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about it.
So this verse popped in my head when I was invited to participate in this blog. Looking it up I wanted to check out the almighty Context and see if I can ‘qualify’ it so that my brain can wrap itself around it a bit easier. (Disclaimer: I am fully admitting that any qualifications from context are my own- ie., that of a limited, mortal, finite being- even though I’m approaching something regarding an unlimited, immortal, infinite entity. Proceed with the appropriate grain of salt.)
Low and behold- the context fits in nicely with my ruminations on ‘pure behavior’ that I’ve been exploring on my blog! In other words, it is behaving toward someone not based on who you are or who they are (ie.- our ‘platforms’). Jesus has drawn distinctions between how humans act toward each other (even pagans like their friends!) and how God acts toward others (causing the sun to rise on the evil and the good.)
So I’m seeing the crucial phrase in this verse as being the word ‘as’- how is your Heavenly Father perfect? In what way are we to be perfect ‘as’ He is perfect? Based on the context-in our treatment of others. We should treat everyone with the same love and mercy, regardless of their standing in relation to ours.
Perhaps we can think of it this way: it takes two to Tango. If we have a problem with somebody – or, taking the good and the bad, if we are friends with someone- it is as much a reflection of us as it is of them. Using this analogy, it seems that God acts as the dance itself rather than a participant on one or the other side. When taken with the idea of ‘dying to ourselves’ (ie.,- getting rid of our ‘platform’) I see Jesus as commanding us to be the same- to be the dance.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
And Who Exactly is My Neighbor?
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus, “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
“What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
He answered, “'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and will all your strength and with all you mind’; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’”
“You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
“Who is my neighbor?” I’ve spent a lot of time trying to answer that question, and I pride myself on the fact that my definition is broader than most. I’ve really embraced the idea of a global neighbor—that because of a global economy everything I consume affects some other person positively or negatively. So I don’t shop at Wal-mart, buy most things used, don’t eat meat, sponsor a child, lobby for fair governmental practices and increased giving, and generally attempt to live as simply as I can.
But then, Jesus re-enters the conversation: A man gets mugged traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. A really godly guy, a really smart guy and an average guy who nobody thinks a whole lot of pass by, but the average guy is the only one to stop and help. And Jesus asks which of the three was neighborly? The expert in the law answers correctly, “the one who had mercy on him” (v30-37).
But did you notice that Jesus didn’t answer the man’s question: “Who is my neighbor?” You see, the man had asked the wrong question. The question is not “who is my neighbor?” the question is “what kind of neighbor am I?” The Good Samaritan was a merciful neighbor, and Jesus put him forward as a great example to follow.
Being a good neighbor is not influenced by who your neighbor is or isn’t. Being a good neighbor is being willing to go the extra mile, turn the other cheek, show mercy, offer forgiveness, suffer persecution, take a little less so some one else can have a little more. Being a good neighbor is about learning to live like Jesus lived and to love like Jesus loved. Bottom line? Loving your neighbor as yourself is ultimately about you and the kind of neighbor you choose to be.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
New Mexico Woman Falls in Well
11"Sir," the woman said, "you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?"
13Jesus answered, "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." John 4
If a woman’s concept of God determines the depth of her prayer life, then it’s important for me to ‘Know the Gift of God.’ Like the Woman at the Well, I, don’t realize that I’m thirsty. I think that I am satisfied and have everything I need – AND - I know where the well is when I need to draw more. I don’t realize that I am thirsty, what’s more, that I’m thirsty for Christ. I keep drawing and drinking from the well of earthly possessions, needs, and desires. It barely wets my whistle and merely curbs my thirst.
And, just like the Woman at the Well, I am never truly satisfied. I desire a deeper relationship with Christ. I desire a deeper prayer life. For this to happen, I must first recognize that I AM THIRSTY…….for Jesus. I need the Living Water more than I need my next breath! So, I’m praying for a parched throat, one that aches for, and can only be quenched by the Living Water that is Christ.