Getting Off to a Good Start

I've been enjoying our New Year's teaching series: Getting Off to a Good Start. Two Sundays ago we discussed the importance of Leaving Last Year's Baggage Behind. If we want to have an effective 2009, we cannot allow unforgiveness from 2008 to drag us down. Today, our teaching was Jesus' Job Description. In some ways the Jubilee language of Luke 4:18,19 can only be applied to Jesus. He was the only one who could provide the Jubilee release described by Isaiah. But while this is Jesus' job description, we have to remember that we are Christ's body. We are called to co-mission with him in releasing the poor from their poverty, the prisoners from their chains, the blind from their darkness, the oppressed from their worries and the shamed from their condemnation.

Hang with us over the next three weeks as we explore the story of Gideon in Advancing When Fear Says "Run Away!", Jonathan's encounter with the Philistines in The Law of Momentum, and the parable of the talents in Taking a R.I.S.K. It's going to be a good year!

Our Forgetful God

What a great day! I thoroughly enjoyed church today. We had low attendance two weeks ago, and then had to cancel the service last week, all because of the weather. And the weather didn't really improve much before Christmas Eve, so our service was... I can only say intimate. All that made today even better. We had everyone back, and the enthusiasm was contagious!

As much as I enjoy our worship every Sunday, I really got into putting together and leading worship this morning. Since I'm not leading worship regularly, my throat is really out of shape. During rehearsal, it felt tight and I couldn't reach some of the notes. But what a difference 90 minutes and the presence of the Holy Spirit makes. I felt like I could have sang all day.

I had also felt like I'd left something unfinished, since Christmas was three days ago and I still hadn't preached part four of our Advent series: Christmas Grace. Well, it's not unfinished any more (is that a double negative?). This morning's teaching, only a week late, was Christmas Grace Means God Won't Forget Us.

We read in Isaiah 49:14-16 - Zion said, "The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me."

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"Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? Though she may forget [as unlikely as that is], I will not forget you. See, I have [carved] you on the palms of my hands."

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But God is forgetful about one thing.

I will forgive their wickedness and will remember their sins no more. (Jeremiah 31:34)

God forgets your sin, but he'll never forget you!

You Can't Make this Stuff Up

Yesterday, we talked about some of the metaphors for the church's relationship to the kingdom. Paul wrote that we are letters... written not with pen and ink, but with the Spirit of the living God (2 Corinthians 3:3). Our lives are letters and people are reading them. We could say the church is a window through which people look to see what the kingdom is like. The church is a witness testifying to the realities of the kingdom, a lens bringing into focus the truths of the kingdom, or a headline that makes others want to read the whole story of the kingdom.

As I was researching the headline idea, I Googled headline and came across this story. It was too good not to use, but at the same time I wasn't about to spend too much time there. So here's the scoop. If this story is true, apparently a young man was pulled over by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for erratic driving. Fearful of the probable results from a breathalyzer, he proceeded to eat his underpants in the hope the cotton fabric would absorb enough alcohol to lower his score.

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Did it work?, you ask.

Here's the kicker. Charges were dismissed because his blood alcohol level registered at .08, the legal limit. That means one of two things: 1) He wasn't legally drunk, so he ate his underpants for nothing, or... 2) IT WORKED!!!

Mind you, I found a Google image that fit my needs. I make no claims for the veracity of the story, except Who would make up something like this?

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But you know, someone eating his own underpants really wasn't the point of the story. People who are disconnected from God are looking at us to see if being connected to God makes any difference in who we are, or in how we live, and they're making a judgment about whether or not they should get connected, too.

Question: When people read the headline that is your life, are they excited to read the rest of the story?

Was the Cross Really Necessary (Part Two)

In my last blog post, available here, I began the tale of our cross country trip from Pennsylvania to Oregon. Our second day of actual driving, ended with Janelle's P.T. Cruiser sitting dead along I-70 somewhere in Missouri, necessitating a mid-trip unexpected new car purchase.

We drove from Kansas City to western Kansas, then the next day to Ft. Collins, CO, where we enjoyed lunch with Janelle's niece and her husband, as well as an extensive 45-minute foray into Rocky Mountain National Park. Well, we've seen it. Let's go. (More on that another time -- RMNP is one of our favorite places in the world; it was where we honeymooned 29 years ago, and we hated having to cut our visit short.) From Colorado we drove north into Wyoming, where we reconnected with friends in Casper, before heading out for Yellowstone. We actually got to spend an entire day at Yellowstone, thanks to the gracious offer of a cabin just across the Idaho line from the West Yellowstone park entrance. When it was time to get back on the road, we headed across Idaho on US-20. We stopped at a rest area in the middle of nowhere, and this time, my truck wouldn't start. I found it ironic that we were across the street from a nuclear power facility, but I didn't have enough juice to start my truck! Another tow, another diversion from our schedule, and at 3:30 Friday afternoon (October 10th), we started out on our final 580 miles to Portland. We were bound and determined we were going to get to our destination that day, and even though it was about 1:30 a.m. before we arrived, as far as we're concerned, it still counts.

Okay, now bear with me (a little Yellowstone reference there).

We needed a new car. The dealership was very gracious, but still expected payment. If we couldn't have arranged financing, we would have limped along in Janelle's P.T., hoping and praying it would make it to Oregon. If the dealer had said, You can pay the $20K for the new car, OR you can recite the 23rd Psalm, we would have chosen the easier of the two and started our recitation. But the dealer didn't say that. There were financing options, but we still had to pay for the car. The deal is, if offered two ways of accomplishing something, we're going to choose the easiest way that still gets for us what we want.

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, Satan offered, If you will bow down and worship me, I will give you all these things (Matthew 4:9). He was saying, You don't have to go through with the cross and pain thing; just bow down to me and I'll give you the kingdoms of the world.

Just after Peter confessed the lordship of Christ, Jesus explained his coming arrest and execution. Peter got in his face and said, Those things will never happen to you (Matthew 16:22). Jesus rebuked him.

Satan and Peter were both offering Jesus kingship without suffering, lordship without paying the redemption price.

Go to Gethsemane. Abba, take away this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want (Mark 14:36).

If there were an easier way to provide our redemption, Jesus would have taken it, but there wasn't. If righteousness could be gained through the law (or any other way, for that matter), Christ died for nothing (Galatians 2:21).

Savior, thank you for paying the price, and for not settling for a more comfortable route that wouldn't have accomplished what was accomplished through your shed blood.

We talked about the necessity of the cross on Sunday, asking, Why did Jesus have to die? This week we'll be discussing the sufficiency of the cross, asking the question, Was the cross enough?

Are you putting the full weight of your expectations for abundant and eternal life on Christ and his sacrificial death? If you're betting on anything else, you're betting on the wrong thing.

Was the Cross Really Necessary? (Part 1)

Between packing up our Pennsylvania house, moving across country, hitting the ground running at a new church, and moving into a new home, I haven't been around much. I think I'm back now. Anyway, this is my story, and I'm sticking to it.

We recently relocated from Western Pennsylvania to Aloha (pronounced uh - LOH - uh, or maybe it would be easier to just say, the h is silent), Oregon. I don't know why the h is silent; no one I've asked is able to tell me why it's silent; it just is... leave it at that.

Halfway across Missouri, my phone rang about the same time I noticed, in the rearview mirror, that my wife's P.T. Cruiser was on the shoulder behind me coasting to a stop. I tried to start her car, but no luck. We called GEICO and a tow truck arrived to take her car to the nearest Chrysler dealer. I was kind of thinking fuel pump (like I know anything about cars), but they quickly diagnosed that two of her computer sensors were dead. They had one in stock, got the other from a nearby dealer, and promised us we'd be back on the road before long, with about $400 less in our travel budget.

Wrong. Once they got the sensors replaced, the car was still dead. A drooping cable, rubbing on the drive shaft, was apparently shorting out everything else. But they could fix that.

Wrong. Once that was fixed, the car was still dead. This time they acknowledged that we'd have to spend the night in a nearby hotel, and give them a running start in the morning, but they were confident we'd be on our way midmorning... with $500 less in our travel budget (still $400 for the repair, and $100 for the extra night in a hotel).

Wrong. The next morning they alerted me that they had found the problem... something about gel packs in the starboard necell shorting out the warp drive. By this time I was really not listening any more, and getting a cramp from spending so much time in the fetal position. There was a new one (whatever it was) at a St. Louis dealership and they were going to barter for it. If they could procure it, they'd have it within two hours and we'd be back on the road by midafternoon... with only $1,100 less in our travel budget.

In the meantime, I was walking around the hotel parking lot praying: God, you've taken such good care of us this summer; please take care of us now. Amen.

Before long my cell rang. It was the dealership asking if I had considered trading the P.T. Cruiser for something new. The $1,000 was going to get us back on the road, but there were other issues with the car, and no guarantee how far it would carry us. I quickly answered, Oh no, there's no way I could do that, and hung up. Then I got to thinking, You just prayed for God's care. Could that phone call have been God's answer? So, after talking with Janelle, we decided to see what we could work out. I think the paperwork took longer than fixing the car, but by day's end (they were literally shutting down the shop as we were driving away) we had a new car, and we were finally back on the road heading to see Janelle's family in Kansas City.

By this time, even after driving 550 miles the first day, we had lost two of our ten days allotted for driving cross country. That meant we had a day less to spend with Janelle's family, and had to make up another day somewhere else. Janelle was mourning her P.T. (maybe just a little bit), and the adventure was just beginning.

Next time, I'll finish the story, and explain the title. Y'all come back now, ya hear?

All Things for the Good?

Sunday's text was Romans 8:28 (NIV), which reads: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

Let's not assume the Apostle Paul is saying that Christians can expect all good all the time. After all, Jesus himself warned us that we would experience trouble in this world (John 16:33).

The author of James writes: You know that under pressure, your faith-life is forced into the open and shows its true colors. So don't try to get out of anything prematurely. Let it do its work so you become mature and well-developed, not deficient in any way (James 1:3-4, The Message). Instead of taking a short cut and shortcircuiting God's plan for our good, sometimes we just have to give God time to work.

There's an old Chinese story about a poor widowed farmer living on a small plot of land with his only son. The farmer owned an old mare that he used for plowing and pulling his wagon to market, but one day the mare ran off. All the neighbors said, What grave misfortune has befallen you, to lose your mare.

The farmer replied, Why do you say this is misfortune? It's too early to tell.

A few days later the mare returned with two beautiful wild stallions. All the neighbors exclaimed, Fortune has smiled on you. Your mare returned with two stallions.

The farmer answered, Why do you assume this is good fortune? It is too early to tell.

When the farmer's son tried to break the stallions, one of them threw him to the hard ground, breaking his leg. The neighbors all chimed in, Farmer, you are surely cursed; your son has broken his leg.

To which the farmer replied, Once again, why do you think this is necessarily a curse? It's too soon to tell. And the neighbors just shook their heads at the old man's foolishness.

Soon after that, an enemy attacked the Chinese borders. All the able-bodied young men in the villages were drafted to fight, but because of the son's broken leg he was left behind. Although the enemy was repelled, many of those young draftees were killed, never to return to their villages.

The old farmer's neighbors acknowledged, At last we see what you were saying. We thought you were unlucky when your mare ran off, but misfortune turned to fortune when she returned with two stallions. But the blessing of the stallions turned into a curse when your son broke his leg. But even that turned around when the enemy attacked and your son's life was spared because of his injury. What seemed a curse turned into a blessing, which in turn became a curse, which again (with time) became a blessing.

Often what seems like a curse is really just a blessing with a timer. If we can hold on, we will see our redemption.

What is God trying to do in your life right now?

How Not To

Matthew chapter six is Jesus' How Not To chapter: How not to give (vss. 1-4), how not to pray (vss. 5-15), how not to fast (vss. 16-18), how not to save (vss.19-24), and how not to worry (vss. 25-34).

Jesus didn't urge his audience to give, pray or fast. It was a given that they would, part of their cultural DNA. However, he did encourage them to consider why they were giving, praying and fasting. He wanted them to remember their audience and their motivation. If they were doing those things to be seen by people, to gain honor for themselves, then they were sadly missing the point. You mean if I give a thousand dollars to the church from wrong motives it won't do the church any good!? It will do the church a lot of good; it just won't do you any good. I know, in this passage, Jesus was talking about giving to the poor, not giving to the church, but I think the point holds.

In the next section Jesus talks about building wealth. He explains that putting one's trust in treasures that wear out, rust out, or can be stolen, is risky (and foolish) business. Jesus is in no way telling his followers not to make provision for the future, but teaching them there's more to life than Ferraris and stock portfolios.

The basic message of verses 25-34 is that if God has given us life, do we really think he'll shortchange us on the basics necessary to sustain life? If he takes care of the birds, will he not take even better care of us? If the flowers of the field, which bloom today and are gone tomorrow, are arrayed so beautifully, then are we not even more precious in his sight? Besides, worry does absolutely no good anyway. The trick is seeking first the kingdom, and living life one day at a time.

An interesting feature of this passage is a statement that at first take seems to contradict a statement from the previous chapter. 5:16 reads: In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. 6:1 says: Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

The first verse encourages us to engage in good behaviors so that God will be praised. The second warns us not to parade our good behaviors before people to gain that praise for ourselves.

The questions we've got to ask are: 1) Who is my audience? and, 2) What is my motivation?

Righter than Right

Today was one of those days when I felt like my teaching could be summed up like this: good content but poor execution.

Our text was Matthew 5:17-20, which ends with Jesus' statement: For I tell you that unless your righteousess surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.

The writer of Matthew carefully portrays Christ in parallel with Moses. At Moses' birth Pharaoh had the Hebrew baby boys killed. At Jesus' birth Herod ordered the infanticide of the baby boys of Bethlehem. Moses received the law on Mt. Sinai, while Jesus interpreted the law in the Sermon on the Mount (even though Luke assembles many of the same teachings in a sermon on the plain.

Jesus explained that it was not his intention to abolish the law, but to fulfill it. The law could mean the ten commandments, the books of Moses (Genesis-Deuteronomy), or the Law and the Prophets (basically the Old Testament), but the word's most common usage was in reference to the oral or scribal law. The scribes dedicated their lives to interpreting the law, detailing it to apply to any and every life situation. By the third century A.D., the scribal law filled an 800-page book. Whereas the scribes (the teachers of the law) dedicated their whole lives to the law's interpretation, the Pharisees dedicated their lives to living out the oral/scribal law. It was in this context that Jesus charged us saying our rightousness must surpass the teachers of the law and the Pharisees. How is that even possible? I for one, don't have time to dedicate my life to either explaining or living the scribal law and I'm a pastor! How could Jesus reasonably make that kind of demand?

Jesus summed up this higher righteousness when a scribe approached him as he was teaching. Read about it in Mark 12:28-31. The scribe asked Jesus about the most important commandment. In other words, he was asking, Teacher, you're familiar with the scribal law. What's the most important commandment? Jesus answered: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). Then Jesus coupled those verses called the Shema (Shema = hear) with Leviticus 19:18 - Love your neighbor as yourself.

The Mishnah (or scribal law in book form), and its later commentary (the Talmud - basically the size of the Encyclopedia Brittannica!) covered every life situation imaginable. If someone had a question about the lawful thing to do in any given circumstance, a scribe could point to chapter and verse to provide an answer. Jesus, however, freed us from the burden of the scribal law. If that's the case, how can we even attempt to live more righteously than the scribes and Pharisees?

When in doubt, don't ask, Where's the rule that covers this situation? Ask instead, Is this the best way I can show love for God? And is this the best way I can show love for people? If you can answer, Yes, to both of those questions, that's the way to make sure your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and the Pharisees. Then you'll be righter than right.

Eye Contact

In D.C. last weekend, I was surprised to encounter so many homeless. Other than a one-day quick visit, we hadn't been there in several years. On a cold and rainy Sunday morning there were large numbers of impoverished people bundled in dirty blankets sheltered against the elements. At least three people came up to us asking for money, and that's not counting the street musicians, some of whom were very good. I found myself very uncomfortable and avoiding eye contact, as if that made me less responsible to help my fellow man.

Jesus charged us to be salt and light to the world around us. We all know salt doesn't do any good shut up in the shaker, and light doesn't do any good hidden under a basket. In short, the church was not intended to be passive, waiting for the world to come knock its doors down, but to actively engage its culture. The church is you.

In my 365 reading this week, I came across the account of Cain and Abel. The NCV quoted Cain like this: Is it my job to take care of my brother? In avoiding eye contact with the homeless in Washington, I was silently asking the same question: Is it my job to take care of my brother? What I was seeking is plausible deniability. As if by not seeing, I was absolved of my responsibility to render aid.

In Matthew 25:42-44 the King speaks to those on his left: ...I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.

They respond: Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you? We intentionally avoided eye contact to limit our liability! Okay, I added that last part... but you get the point, right?

And it isn't necessarily going to be someone hungry for food. It might be someone hungry for a kind word, or thirsty for a caring smile. It doesn't have to be dramatic to make an impact.

In the coming days you will find yourself in a situation where you're given a choice: you will choose to either 1) avoid eye contact, or 2) intentionally connect with one of God's precious children. Will you go for plausible deniability? Or will you let God touch someone through you? It might happen in church, at Wal-Mart, or out on the street. When it happens, you'll remember this post, and I hope you do the right thing. I hope you do better than I did in D.C. No doubt I'll have another opportunity, too. I hope I do better this time.

Send me a good report of the blessing you receive by simply connecting with one of God's children.

Advent - Week Three

Wow! It's already the third Sunday of Advent. Today we continued our series Who Do You Say I Am? Jesus' answer for this week? The Gift of Living Water.

The Feast of Tabernacles celebrated two things. First, by living for a week in temporary shelters, the people of Israel participated with their ancestors in the wilderness experience. Second, it was a harvest celebration during which the people expressed their thanks to God for his provision and care, especially for the gift of rain that makes the harvest possible.

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Imagine this: It's the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles. The priest gets a pitcher of water from the Pool of Siloam, lifts it high and walks into Jerusalem through the Water Gate, and makes his way to the Temple Courts. Upon his arrival, the gathered people shout the words: With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation (Isaiah 12:3). The priest pours his pitcher of water out on the ground.

Just about then, Jesus makes his presence at the Feast known by crying out in a loud voice: If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him (John 7:37-38).

Living (running) water brings three benefits: 1) it refreshes, 2) brings peace, and 3) gives life. Forgive me for not developing all these thoughts fully, but I'm just going to skim the surface (so to speak).

1. Refreshment - Andrews Glacier and its beautiful lake (Andrews Tarn) sits at 11,000 feet in Rocky Mountain National Park. Park information warns against drinking the water, because of possible parasites, but Janelle and I couldn't resist (thankfully, we didn't suffer any negative consequences). After the climb from our campsite (10,000 feet), that cold water really hit the spot. Isaiah wrote about God providing water in the desert and streams in the wasteland (Isaiah 43:20). God knows how to quench our thirst and provide real refreshment.


2. Peace - For ancient humanity the sea was a source of fear frought with dangers; it's churning was caused by the presence of monsters and evil powers. The psalmist writes: ...we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. [But] there is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy place where the Most High dwells (Psalm 46:2-4). This passage contrasts the terror of the raging seas with a peaceful stream that comes from God.


3. Life - The town of Sychar (where Jesus met with the Samaritan woman) wouldn't have been there except for Jacob's well. While not living (running) water, it provided for the townspeople's needs along with their herds and flocks. Jesus said he was the source of internal springs of water welling up within us to eternal life (John 4:14).

The prophet Jeremiah wrote: My people have committed two sins: They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug their own cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold water (Jeremiah 2:13).

Why is it we've been offered springs of living water welling up within us to eternal life, yet we opt for doing things our way - digging our own wells and making do with whatever muddy water we happen upon?

The disciples had a similar choice. After a particularly difficult teaching (John 6), many of Jesus' followers left him. Do you want to leave, too? Jesus asked. Peter answered: Lord, to whom would we go? You have the words of eternal life.

Christ offers us the gift of living water.

1. Is life all good? Or are you worn out physically, spiritually and emotionally? When life taps your dry, God wants to refresh you in every way and give you the strength to go on.


2. If your life had a name, would it be peace or chaos? Maybe this year you're looking forward to singing Silent Night, but your world is anything but heavenly peace. Micah 5:5 reads: He will be their peace. He wants to be your peace, too.


3. This isn't just a matter of cold drinks and chillaxin'; this is a matter of life and death. When your very life hangs in the balance, God will be there to save you.

Have a fantastic week!

How is Christ living water to your life?

Advent - Week Two

Today is the second Sunday of Advent. Our Advent Series comes from the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:15 – But what about you? Who do you say I am? As we prepare for Christ’s coming, we have his personal challenge to decide for ourselves, Who is this Jesus?

John 8:12 reads: When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Have you ever had a long, dark night? Maybe you’ve been sick, or you’ve nursed a sick child or spouse through the night. Maybe your child was out past curfew and you sat by the phone waiting some word about where he/she might be. Years ago Janelle and I shared a concert in an Ocala, Florida church. We were originally supposed to stay in the pastor’s home, but his family was sick, so the church put us up in a hotel instead. We appreciated their concern for our health, but… TOO LATE! Janelle got sick as a dog. She spent most of the night vomiting, while I was watching reruns of The Courtship of Eddie’s Father. It was a long night for both of us.

The speed of light is 186,000 miles per second, or just over 669 million miles per hour. If light is so fast, on those long dark nights of the soul, why does morning take so long to get here?

The psalmist writes: Weeping may last for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning (Psalm 30:5b). The message here is that even though the night may seem like it stretches on forever, it doesn’t. You’ll know joy once again. The people of Israel had to feel that same way under Roman oppression. Will this long night ever end?

The people walking in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned (Isaiah 9:2).

You may be living through a long dark night right now. It might involve your health, your finances, your relationships, or any number of things. Hang in there; hold on. The One who said, Let there be light, can bring light to your darkness. Even now, God is on his way with your deliverance. Your Redeemer draws nigh.

The How-To's of Being Blessed (Part Two)

We're in Savannah, Georgia on our way to spend Thanksgiving with my mom in Florida. We drove 650 miles yesterday so we could spend part of this morning on the Tybee Island beach and eat lunch at The Crab Shack -- "Where the Elite Eat in Their Bare Feet." Hopefully it will be warm enough to eat out on the bayside deck.

Anyway, here's installment #2 on the Beatitudes. As with Part One, I offer a paraphrase and then a question or two on which each of us might need to percolate. But first, read Matthew 5:6-8 to get started. As Rob Singleton writes, Read it; then come back. Go ahead, I'll wait.

My paraphrase:

How fortunate are those unwilling to settle, not satisfied with where their relationship with God is at right now, those whose reach for righteousness exceeds their grasp, those unwilling to quit until they've got all of God, because that kind of hunger and thirst for God isn't for nothing -- it will result in being truly satisfied.

• What if I wasn't so easily satisfied? What if I didn't try to "squeak by" being just a little better than the next guy in line? What if I knew I could do better, live better and love better, and then went out and did it?

How fortunate are those who don't hold grudges, or look for payback from others for the wrongs inflicted on them, those who refuse to take vengeance, who do good to their enemies even when the court of public opinion would say they were justified to punish, for those who show mercy will receive mercy from God.

• What if I treated others the way I want others to treat me? ...if rather than living by the code an eye for an eye I paid back evil with kindness? What if, rather than looking for reasons I'm justified to exact my pound of flesh, I looked for excuses to show mercy?

How fortunate are those who want only one thing -- God; those who keep their eye on the prize and are not entangled with or distracted by anything else, for that kind of single-minded devotion to God will be rewarded -- their dream will come true and they will see God face-to-face.

• What if I got my eyes off everything else and focused 100% on God? ...if nothing else mattered and nothing else could trip me up? What if I really had no other gods?

What question is the Spirit asking you?

The How-To's of Being Blessed (Part One)

Sunday we started a three-part series on the Beatitudes called The How-To's of Being Blessed. Rather than re-cap these teachings, I have distilled my reflections on these passages into a paraphrase. This week was based on Matthew 5:3-5, and here's the paraphrase, each verse followed by one What if...? question for us to answer in the privacy of our own thoughts:

How fortunate are those who have realized their own emptiness, their own helplessness, those who claim no entitlements, those with no bargaining chips, those who throw themselves on the mercy of Jesus, for they have truly submitted themselves to the rule and reign of God.

• What if, rather than thinking, "How lucky God is to have me," I had the attitude, "How unbelievably blessed I am that God offers me all of himself, when I have nothing to give him in return"?

How fortunate are those who are racked by such deep sorrow that they have no pride left, no concern about what others might think, hearts broken over their own sinfulness and what that does to the heart of God - because people with that kind of unrestrained mourning will find themselves accepted and comforted in the arms of their loving heavenly Father.

• What if I had the same attitude toward sin in my life that God has toward that same sin?

How fortunate are those who are content with who they are, with nothing to prove, those in whom what you see is what you get, those who let God be God and who are willing to admit they don't know it all, for those who are willing to receive will be gifted with what's really important - right relationship with God.

• What if I quit wearing masks to cover my insecurities and self-esteem problems and just admitted I need help? ...if I quit pretending to be someone I'm not, and if I could put away my pride long enough to let God teach me a thing or two?

What's God speaking to your heart through these three verses?

The Temptation of Christ

One of my favorite Henri Nouwen texts is In the Name of Jesus, a book on Christian leadership drawn from Matthew’s temptation of Christ narrative. He writes that turning stones into bread was Jesus’ temptation to be relevant—based in a need to be needed. I would call it the temptation to offer a quick fix. How often does my wife share a concern with me, desiring that I affirm her or take the time to commiserate with her, and all I do is say, “Here, I can fix that for you. Done. There you go.”

Jesus’ second temptation was to be spectacular—the parallel temptation in our culture is to be popular. As pastors, we are often guilty of wearing masks and allowing ourselves to be placed on pedestals all in the quest for popularity. Rather than donning a superhero costume, Nouwen encourages us to regularly confess our weaknesses and be willing to ask forgiveness when required. The pride of being spectacular cannot coexist with the humility of asking forgiveness.

Christ’s third temptation was power. Jesus was offered the kingdoms of the world if he would only bow down to the devil. Nouwen writes: It is easier to be God than to love God, easier to control people than to love people… He likens this to the natural sequence of events in our lives where, as children, we are dressed, fed, and led around by our parents, but upon reaching adulthood we exercise authority over ourselves and those around us. One of the most difficult things for growing Christians is to grow from independence to dependence. We must learn to say, No, to self and, Yes, to God.

A more traditional approach to Matthew’s temptation narrative is comparing Jesus to Israel. The writer of Matthew is very clearly contrasting Jesus’ wilderness obedience with Israel’s wilderness disobedience.

• Christ was tempted as we are tempted
• Where Israel was disobedient, Christ was obedient
• The point is not for us to feel defeated. As the Hebrews passage reminds us, because of Christ's temptation, we can approach his throne with confidence to receive mercy and find grace in our time of need

1. When tempted - go to the throne of grace for help - your Advocate is waiting
2. When you resist temptation - give thanks to God for his indwelling and empowering Spirit
3. When you give in to temptation - thank God that he still loves you, confess your failure and ask him to help you be better prepared for the next time

Jesus and the Baptizer

Matthew chapters 1-2 are all about telling us who Jesus is. The writer pulls out all the stops to show continuity between the Old Testament and Jesus--everything from a 42-generation pedigree to five prophecies fulfilled in Christ. And that word fulfilled is very important when we come to the third chapter.

Here Jesus comes to John to be baptized. There are multiple occasions listed in the gospels where the disciples argued about who was Jesus' favorite, reminiscent of the Smothers Brothers classic Mom always liked you best!

However, when Jesus came for baptism there was no vying for first place. ...John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fufill all righteousness."

There's that word fulfill. There is no Old Testament prophecy about the Messiah needing to be baptized, so what did Jesus mean? Douglas Hare (New Testament scholar from Pittsburgh Theological Seminary) says we would understand this encounter better if we rendered it: It is required that you and I fulfill God's will by allowing me to be baptized. Hare asks the question: Why would Matthew regard it as God's will that the Messiah be baptized? [1]

Jesus was identifing with those he came to save. A few short years down the road Jesus would submit to the baptism of crucifixion, but here and now he was committing himself to his mission -- which Luke referred to in this way: For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost. (Luke 19:10) Unlike his disciples, Jesus was not on an ego trip. The Creator submitted to baptism leveling himself with those he came to save.

If Jesus thought it right and necessary to identify with those he came to save, shouldn't we the church also find a way to identify with those to whom we've been called to minister? Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians: We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.

The question is not How can I save you? The question is How can I serve you? The question is never How important am I? but How important are you that Christ would pay the highest price to purchase your freedom?

If God loves you that much, then you're someone I'd really like to get to know.

[1] Douglas R. A. Hare, Matthew, "Interpretation-A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching" (Louisville: John Knox, 1993), 21.

The God Who Sees Me

Last week I wrote about a girl named Amisi in An Egyptian Flower. If you read Genesis 16 you’ll find more of Amisi’s story, which we addressed in our Sunday Celebration.

But why Amisi? Genesis 16 is the story of Hagar, servant to Sarah (Abraham’s wife), not someone named Amisi. Genesis 12:10-20 tells about Abraham and Sarah living for a time in Egypt, no doubt when Abraham procured Hagar for his wife. But Hagar is not an Egyptian name; it’s Hebrew, and means forsaken. What father would name his precious daughter Forsaken? Amisi's Hebrew name, most likely given by her mistress, makes her story all the more fascinating.

After Hagar got pregnant with Abraham’s child, she despised Sarah and in return Sarah started mistreating her, apparently provoked by feelings of jealousy. When Hagar (Forsaken) could take it no more, she ran away into the most forsaken place she could find, the desert. There she had an encounter with God, who assured her that her cries had been heard.

Hagar was a woman, a foreigner and a slave. She had absolutely no standing in society, and yet the God of all the universe found her in the wilderness, met with her and comforted her there. The Egyptian flower Amisi had received a new name, Hagar (Forsaken), but here in the most lonely place on earth she gave God a new name: You are the God who sees me. Can't you almost hear her? Even though I am forsaken, you are the God who does not forsake me. Even though I am rejected, you are the God who does not reject me. Even though I am unseen, you are the God who sees me.

We all feel forsaken and invisible from time to time. No matter how we feel, it is good to know that God hears and God sees. We are not forsaken, we are not rejected, and we are not unseen.

Pink Traffic Lights

I want to review what we talked about Sunday morning during worship.

Have you ever seen a pink traffic light? That’s when it’s no longer yellow, but it’s not really red yet. It’s those lights we drive through a little later than we should. Maybe we should have stopped but, let’s face it,... we didn’t want to. Do you know what the first thing is that I do after driving through a pink light? I look around. I’m looking for two things: 1) Are there any police officers nearby that might have witnessed my infraction? 2) Did anyone else go through the light after me?

The first question is easy to understand. I would probably say that driving through that reddish light didn’t bother my conscience too much, but by my fear of punishment I acknowledge that I know it was the wrong thing to do. The second question is a little different. If someone else went through the light after me, I feel better about myself because at least I wasn’t as flagrant a lawbreaker as that guy.

This is the same way too many of us think about our standing with God. Rather than Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect (Matthew 5:48), we read Be a hair better than the next person in line. Thinking I’m good enough for eternity with Christ because I don’t use as much foul language as the next person, or don’t cheat on my spouse as much as someone else is completely ludicrous! It’s like trying to jump and reach the moon. You can probably jump higher than I can, but I doubt very much you can break the bonds of earth’s gravity and reach the moon. If the goal is the moon, what difference does it make if you can jump six inches higher than me? You still can’t reach the moon. You might be a little better than me in your behavior, but you still cannot achieve God’s standard of perfection under your own steam.

That’s why you need Jesus. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. (2 Corinthians 5:21) What we cannot do for ourselves, Christ did for us.

It's an awesome thing to be loved by our Creator and Redeemer God.

This Sunday

We're leaving in the morning for Camp Meeting. It will be a spiritually refreshing time for me and my family, and I've done my best to provide for your Sunday experience.

Rev. Bob Strader from World Christian Outreach will be our guest speaker. I know you'll give Bob a warm welcome. Other than that, Robin and her team will take care of everything else. I'm confident you'll enjoy a wonderful sense of God's presence.

We'll miss you and look forward to our return the end of next week. In the mean time, I am reachable by cell phone in case of emergency.

This Weekend

Sunday's going to be a great day! We'll be honoring our High School graduates and previewing our teaching series for the summer: Core Values.

This Sunday will just be an introduction. Next Sunday will be Fathers' Day, and the week after that I'll be gone for the Church of God North American Convention in Anderson, Indiana. So we really won't start any serious unpacking of the summer topic until July 1.

Our church's mission statement (which predates my tenure here) is as follows: Connellsville Church of God exists to connect people with God in a loving Spirit-filled environment of family worship; teaching, discipling and equipping each member to advance God's Kingdom, resulting in changed lives.

That's great, but WHY are those things important to us? Because of our core values. Core values come first. Mission statements are constructed on the foundation of core values. If part of our mission statement is the desire to connect people with God, that has to come from somewhere. We must believe that people need to be connected with God. Connect people with God is the mission; People need God is the core value.

Got the idea? Then join us as we explore these ideas further this summer. You'll even have the opportunity to explore your own core values.

Weekend Report

This morning was weird. Some wonderful stuff happened, but some of it was weird.

We had our Heaven Holds the Ones I Love Memorial. Some beautiful music was playing as pictures scrolled of loved ones who've passed on. Each picture included a caption that explained who the person was, and told who in the church that person was related to and how. It was very emotional, and very well done. My thanks to the team that put it together.

My mom sent me these pictures of my dad through my nephew Bryan. The first is in the early 1960s in front of First Church of God in Erie, Pennsylvania. I barely remember this view of him. I was probably six or seven years old when this picture was taken, which would have made him around 43... five years younger than I am now.

The following picture is in the early 1940s, long before I was ever born. My dad spent most of his service time in the hospital. He was hit by shrapnel in manuevers, and developed a severe infection. He was allergic to sulfa drugs, so finally the doctors had him sign the paperwork to try a brand new experimental drug... penicillen.

This is a picture of Janelle's dad Paul A. Freeland when he was at Anderson College preparing for the ministry. We really wanted pictures of how we remembered our dads, but the pictures we were sent were of how our moms remembered their husbands. In a sense, we were not only honoring our dads through including their pictures, but honoring our moms, too, by using the pictures that spoke to their hearts.

Following that was a short skit by two of our seniors, Don and Effie Clark. They were an old married couple (type casting?) doing some gardening. Don was not into it, and Effie explained that taking care of a garden reminded her of the way God takes care of his children by keeping the bugs away (temptations), weeding us (from the busy-ness of life), and fertilizing us (with the Word of God). They did a great job, but brought some friends... ants... big black ones... thousands of them... well, maybe three or four.

As I was preaching about the Holy Spirit (this was not only Memorial Day Weekend, but Pentecost Sunday as well) I was suddenly aware of something crawling... ON MY FACE!!! In a very manly way I screamed like a little girl... and gently removed it. Five minutes later it was back! Most of the time I can ignore little distractions, but by the second ant I was having trouble keeping my thoughts in line... I don't know, something about coming this close to being eaten alive on stage?

My family and I are going on vacation, but not until Tuesday, so I don't know if there will be any posts tomorrow or not. Just in case, have a great Memorial Day.

And by the way, we're doing some camping on Presque Isle in Erie. We're also going to fish and do some sight-seeing. I usually drive the boys past where I grew up, that kind of thing. Last year we were kept awake by racoons and skunks foraging in our campsite after we were in bed. The first night we were there something was growling just outside the tent ever so close to my head. I think it may have been an ant.