"We teach what we believe, but we reproduce what we are."
Scary statement from Conformed to His Image by Kenneth Boa - sounds like my "are" needs to catch up with my beliefs.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
A Very Different Perspective on Worship
From Eugene Peterson's "A Long Obedience in the Same Direction" (book about discipleship):
"An excellent way to test people's values is to observe what we do when we don't have to do anything, how we spend our leisure time, how we spend our extra money. Even in a time when church attendance is not considered to be on the upswing in the United States, the numbers are impressive. There are more people at worship on any given Sunday, for instance, than are at all the football games or on the golf links or fishing or taking walks in the woods. Worship is the single most popular act in this land."
Now there's a different perspective....
"An excellent way to test people's values is to observe what we do when we don't have to do anything, how we spend our leisure time, how we spend our extra money. Even in a time when church attendance is not considered to be on the upswing in the United States, the numbers are impressive. There are more people at worship on any given Sunday, for instance, than are at all the football games or on the golf links or fishing or taking walks in the woods. Worship is the single most popular act in this land."
Now there's a different perspective....
Prayer
Have been studying prayer for adult Sunday School, ran across this quote in Leith Anderson's book, "Praying to the God You Can Trust":
"Some Christians mistakenly think that the Bible's call for faith means believing God will answer a prayer precisely as it is requested. Faith isn't faith in an answer. It isn't faith in prayer. It is faith in God."
We need to be aware that God answers prayers as He sees fit - not on the basis of how much "faith" we can work up in the answer we want.
By the way, this little book has been excellent so far, particularly the section on how God answers contradictory prayers.
"Some Christians mistakenly think that the Bible's call for faith means believing God will answer a prayer precisely as it is requested. Faith isn't faith in an answer. It isn't faith in prayer. It is faith in God."
We need to be aware that God answers prayers as He sees fit - not on the basis of how much "faith" we can work up in the answer we want.
By the way, this little book has been excellent so far, particularly the section on how God answers contradictory prayers.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Sunday Sermon on Joy
Posting my sermon notes for the upcoming Sunday so that you can review them - there's a lot in here, easy to miss something or forget.
Life is Hard, Then You Die – Not!
Product packaging warning – this is an intense, packed with scripture & thoughts, but joyful message.
Life is Hard
How many of you remember the children’s book, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”? He wakes up with gum in his hair, doesn’t get a prize in his cereal (unlike his two brothers), his teacher doesn’t like his drawing of an invisible castle, he loses his yo-yo, there is no dessert in his lunch, the dentist tells him he has a cavity, there is kissing on TV and he has to wear his hated railroad train pajamas. His conclusion – he wants to move to Australia!
“Life is hard. Then you die. Then they throw dirt in your face. Then the worms eat you. Be grateful it happens in that order.” David Gerrold
Or the 1993 song (I don’t claim this is all truth, but it is a reflection of this life philosophy):
LIFE IS HARD (THEN YOU DIE)
Charlie turned to Sam and said I hate to burst your bubble
But you ain't the only one in this world who's seen trouble
You been going on 'bout how your life is in a rut
Well good buddy I sure hate to disappoint you but
Life is hard then you die
It don't matter how you carve up that old existential pie
It ain't always cherry filling' in between the crust and sky
Life is hard then you die
He said Sam don't get me wrong it's not that I ain't sympathetic
But you don't gotta go on like your life is so pathetic
In between the tears you got to find a way to laugh
You've already lost more than some folks will ever have
Life is hard then you die
And though I'll admit there's prob'ly more to it than meetsthe eye
It'll take a better man than me to try and tell you why
Life is hard then you die
Philosophers, theologians, folksingers and bums
All got their own slant on what inevitably comes
I think God's a jazz man and eternity's a riff
And every day above the ground's a pure and precious gift
Life is hard then you die
In the blinking of a cosmic eye
There'll be tears for all those who deny
Life is hard then you die
Sam said Charlie thank you for those words of consolation
You've been like a beacon in my fog of desperation
Just when I was thinking that at least things couldn't be
Any worse than they are right now you've reminded me...
Life is hard then you die
It don't matter how you carve up that old existential pie
It ain't always cherry filling' in between the crust and sky
Life is hard then you die
© 1993 Flying Stone Music
Life is hard, as Solomon attests in Ecclesiastes (book about man’s best wisdom):
- “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (1:2)
- “All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again.” (1:8-9)
- “What a heavy burden God has laid on men! I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” (1:13b-14)
- “Man’s fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath, man has no advantage over the animal! Everything is meaningless!”
- Happy little book!
Jesus concurs, “In this world you will have trouble.” However, He then says, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
But….
Psalm 23 captures the tension between our troubles & our joys well:
- Read verses 1-6
- David faces the evil, the valley of the shadow of death, the enemies
- But he rejoices in his relationship with the Lord (shepherd)
- He rejoices in God’s activity in his life (leading, guiding, restoring, correcting, preparing, anointing
- His conclusion? “Surely goodness and love (not necessarily happy circumstances) will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
We Shall Have Joy
There are 242 references in scripture to joy, 156 to rejoicing, 38 to laughing. Joy is part of the package of the Christian life. Romans 14 states that the kingdom of God is about righteousness, peace and joy. One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. I Thessalonians 5:16 states we can be joyful always.
There is the joy of circumstances. Numerous times in scripture followers of God are encouraged to be joyful at their holiday feasts and special occasions, whether it’s the Old Testament Passover or the joy of Christ’s birth (Luke 2:10) and resurrection (Matthew 28:8). Scripture speaks of the joy of success, of a good harvest, of rebuilding the house of God, of winning a battle and many others. There is the joy that came from winning the two softball championships this week! There is the joy of hearing about the Brazil Team’s blessings. We often draw a distinction between happiness and joy, but I don’t find this distinction in scripture. As mature believers, we need to realize this joy is temporary, but nevertheless it is a gift from God.
There is the joy of seeing God at work. God called creation very good, and “the morning stars sang together, and all the angels shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). The parting of the Red Sea led to dancing, Jehoshaphat’s “no shots fired” victory was a source of national joy, Jesus experienced full joy over God’s work through His disciples (Luke 10:21), a whole city in Samaria experienced joy over God’s work there (Acts 8:8). Little down in the mouth? Depressed? Remind yourself – as the psalms often do during trials – about what God has done.
There is the joy of salvation. David prays, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalm 51:12) Isaiah writes, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” (12:3) The Philippian jailer experienced great joy when he came to the Lord (Acts 16:34). Think for a moment – you were an enemy of God, a rebel, a sinner. You had no hope. Jesus died on the cross not only for the world but for you, to take away the guilt and penalty of your sins. You have been set free. What’s not to rejoice about?
There is the joy of on-going relationship with the Lord. “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm 16:11) “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” (Psalm 90:14) “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight.” (Jeremiah 15:16) This includes our obedience, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love…I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:10-11, selected)
There is even the joy of adversity. Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus could endure the cross because of the joy of its impact, particularly on believers. James tells us we can consider trials to be pure joy because of the impact they will have on our lives. ‘Life is hard” can actually be a source of joy.
Let me conclude with Steven Curtis Chapman’s son, “More to This Life”:
Today I watched in silence as people passed me by,
And I strained to see if there wassomething hidden in their eyes;
But they all looked at me as if to say
Life just goes on.
The old familiar story told in different ways,
Make the most of your own journeyfrom the cradle to the grave;
Dream your dreams tomorrow because today
Life must go on.
CHORUS
But there's more to this life than living and dying,
More than just trying to make it through the day;
More to this life, more than these eyes alone can see,
And there's more than this life alone can be.
Tonight he lies in silence staring into space,
And looks for ways to make tomorrow better than today,
But in the morning light it looks the same;
Life just goes on.
He takes care of his family, he takes care of his work,
And every Sunday morning he takes his place at the church;
And somehow he still feels a need to search,
But life just goes on.
CHORUS
So where do we start to find every part
Of what makes this life complete;
If we turn our eyes to Jesus we'll find
Life's true beginning is there atthe cross where He died.
He died to bring us . . . (more to this life, part of which is joy)
Life is Hard, Then You Die – Not!
Product packaging warning – this is an intense, packed with scripture & thoughts, but joyful message.
Life is Hard
How many of you remember the children’s book, “Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day”? He wakes up with gum in his hair, doesn’t get a prize in his cereal (unlike his two brothers), his teacher doesn’t like his drawing of an invisible castle, he loses his yo-yo, there is no dessert in his lunch, the dentist tells him he has a cavity, there is kissing on TV and he has to wear his hated railroad train pajamas. His conclusion – he wants to move to Australia!
“Life is hard. Then you die. Then they throw dirt in your face. Then the worms eat you. Be grateful it happens in that order.” David Gerrold
Or the 1993 song (I don’t claim this is all truth, but it is a reflection of this life philosophy):
LIFE IS HARD (THEN YOU DIE)
Charlie turned to Sam and said I hate to burst your bubble
But you ain't the only one in this world who's seen trouble
You been going on 'bout how your life is in a rut
Well good buddy I sure hate to disappoint you but
Life is hard then you die
It don't matter how you carve up that old existential pie
It ain't always cherry filling' in between the crust and sky
Life is hard then you die
He said Sam don't get me wrong it's not that I ain't sympathetic
But you don't gotta go on like your life is so pathetic
In between the tears you got to find a way to laugh
You've already lost more than some folks will ever have
Life is hard then you die
And though I'll admit there's prob'ly more to it than meetsthe eye
It'll take a better man than me to try and tell you why
Life is hard then you die
Philosophers, theologians, folksingers and bums
All got their own slant on what inevitably comes
I think God's a jazz man and eternity's a riff
And every day above the ground's a pure and precious gift
Life is hard then you die
In the blinking of a cosmic eye
There'll be tears for all those who deny
Life is hard then you die
Sam said Charlie thank you for those words of consolation
You've been like a beacon in my fog of desperation
Just when I was thinking that at least things couldn't be
Any worse than they are right now you've reminded me...
Life is hard then you die
It don't matter how you carve up that old existential pie
It ain't always cherry filling' in between the crust and sky
Life is hard then you die
© 1993 Flying Stone Music
Life is hard, as Solomon attests in Ecclesiastes (book about man’s best wisdom):
- “Meaningless! Meaningless! Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless.” (1:2)
- “All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again.” (1:8-9)
- “What a heavy burden God has laid on men! I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind.” (1:13b-14)
- “Man’s fate is like that of the animals; the same fate awaits them both: As one dies, so dies the other. All have the same breath, man has no advantage over the animal! Everything is meaningless!”
- Happy little book!
Jesus concurs, “In this world you will have trouble.” However, He then says, “But take heart! I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33)
But….
Psalm 23 captures the tension between our troubles & our joys well:
- Read verses 1-6
- David faces the evil, the valley of the shadow of death, the enemies
- But he rejoices in his relationship with the Lord (shepherd)
- He rejoices in God’s activity in his life (leading, guiding, restoring, correcting, preparing, anointing
- His conclusion? “Surely goodness and love (not necessarily happy circumstances) will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
We Shall Have Joy
There are 242 references in scripture to joy, 156 to rejoicing, 38 to laughing. Joy is part of the package of the Christian life. Romans 14 states that the kingdom of God is about righteousness, peace and joy. One of the fruits of the Spirit is joy. I Thessalonians 5:16 states we can be joyful always.
There is the joy of circumstances. Numerous times in scripture followers of God are encouraged to be joyful at their holiday feasts and special occasions, whether it’s the Old Testament Passover or the joy of Christ’s birth (Luke 2:10) and resurrection (Matthew 28:8). Scripture speaks of the joy of success, of a good harvest, of rebuilding the house of God, of winning a battle and many others. There is the joy that came from winning the two softball championships this week! There is the joy of hearing about the Brazil Team’s blessings. We often draw a distinction between happiness and joy, but I don’t find this distinction in scripture. As mature believers, we need to realize this joy is temporary, but nevertheless it is a gift from God.
There is the joy of seeing God at work. God called creation very good, and “the morning stars sang together, and all the angels shouted for joy” (Job 38:7). The parting of the Red Sea led to dancing, Jehoshaphat’s “no shots fired” victory was a source of national joy, Jesus experienced full joy over God’s work through His disciples (Luke 10:21), a whole city in Samaria experienced joy over God’s work there (Acts 8:8). Little down in the mouth? Depressed? Remind yourself – as the psalms often do during trials – about what God has done.
There is the joy of salvation. David prays, “Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.” (Psalm 51:12) Isaiah writes, “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” (12:3) The Philippian jailer experienced great joy when he came to the Lord (Acts 16:34). Think for a moment – you were an enemy of God, a rebel, a sinner. You had no hope. Jesus died on the cross not only for the world but for you, to take away the guilt and penalty of your sins. You have been set free. What’s not to rejoice about?
There is the joy of on-going relationship with the Lord. “You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand.” (Psalm 16:11) “Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love, that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days.” (Psalm 90:14) “When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight.” (Jeremiah 15:16) This includes our obedience, “If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love…I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:10-11, selected)
There is even the joy of adversity. Hebrews 12:2 tells us that Jesus could endure the cross because of the joy of its impact, particularly on believers. James tells us we can consider trials to be pure joy because of the impact they will have on our lives. ‘Life is hard” can actually be a source of joy.
Let me conclude with Steven Curtis Chapman’s son, “More to This Life”:
Today I watched in silence as people passed me by,
And I strained to see if there wassomething hidden in their eyes;
But they all looked at me as if to say
Life just goes on.
The old familiar story told in different ways,
Make the most of your own journeyfrom the cradle to the grave;
Dream your dreams tomorrow because today
Life must go on.
CHORUS
But there's more to this life than living and dying,
More than just trying to make it through the day;
More to this life, more than these eyes alone can see,
And there's more than this life alone can be.
Tonight he lies in silence staring into space,
And looks for ways to make tomorrow better than today,
But in the morning light it looks the same;
Life just goes on.
He takes care of his family, he takes care of his work,
And every Sunday morning he takes his place at the church;
And somehow he still feels a need to search,
But life just goes on.
CHORUS
So where do we start to find every part
Of what makes this life complete;
If we turn our eyes to Jesus we'll find
Life's true beginning is there atthe cross where He died.
He died to bring us . . . (more to this life, part of which is joy)
Friday, August 15, 2008
Second Reflection on the Funeral
I was approached today by a person who attended yesterday's funeral. They remarked on what a difficult audience this must have been to preach to (tavern customers, etc.).
On one level I understood the person's comment - it certainly wasn't a typical church audience - who didn't respond in classic "churchy" ways.
On another level I deeply disagreed. This wasn't a difficult audience at all. In fact, it's the exact audience one hopes for - most not knowing the Lord, but potentially open to hearing about Him through grief's door.
Frankly I would love to see more of this type of audience at PEFC - people who have not yet started their journey of faith - people like our neighbors, friends, co-workers, acquaintances.
Of course, wishing won't bring them here....
On one level I understood the person's comment - it certainly wasn't a typical church audience - who didn't respond in classic "churchy" ways.
On another level I deeply disagreed. This wasn't a difficult audience at all. In fact, it's the exact audience one hopes for - most not knowing the Lord, but potentially open to hearing about Him through grief's door.
Frankly I would love to see more of this type of audience at PEFC - people who have not yet started their journey of faith - people like our neighbors, friends, co-workers, acquaintances.
Of course, wishing won't bring them here....
Community
Men & women desperately desire community.
This was evident yesterday at a funeral I preached at. The lady who passed away worked for a tavern in the cities - many of the attendees were customers or employees of that tavern - frankly, she was deeply loved by them.
They showed this love practically through financial (and other) gifts while she struggled with cancer - through participating in a home makeover that "blessed her socks off" - by donating the food for the funeral dinner - by grieving together with the family.
Sort of sounds like church, doesn't it - particularly when the church is loving each other and the community as it (we) should.
On one hand, I often see members and attendees of our church doing the exact same thing for others - and my heart sings when this happens. On other occasions, people live out on the fringes of the church, don't feel as connected, and sometimes aren't ministered to in their needs.
This is one of the reasons we are emphasizing small groups this fall. We need community. We need the friendship/fellowship, the accountability, the mutual prayer, the sharing of the word, sharing of like & dislike interests - the connecting.
Let me encourage each of you to sign up for a small group this fall, to "test drive" community.
Have a great weekend.
This was evident yesterday at a funeral I preached at. The lady who passed away worked for a tavern in the cities - many of the attendees were customers or employees of that tavern - frankly, she was deeply loved by them.
They showed this love practically through financial (and other) gifts while she struggled with cancer - through participating in a home makeover that "blessed her socks off" - by donating the food for the funeral dinner - by grieving together with the family.
Sort of sounds like church, doesn't it - particularly when the church is loving each other and the community as it (we) should.
On one hand, I often see members and attendees of our church doing the exact same thing for others - and my heart sings when this happens. On other occasions, people live out on the fringes of the church, don't feel as connected, and sometimes aren't ministered to in their needs.
This is one of the reasons we are emphasizing small groups this fall. We need community. We need the friendship/fellowship, the accountability, the mutual prayer, the sharing of the word, sharing of like & dislike interests - the connecting.
Let me encourage each of you to sign up for a small group this fall, to "test drive" community.
Have a great weekend.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Self Protection
In Karen Mains excellent "Tales of the Kingdom" (I highly recommend both the book and the series for children and adults - the stories are good, the illustrations exceptional), Scarboy always covers the scar on his face with his hand when he's with other people - even if they are working together. Obviously this hurts his ability to help, until he is encouraged to use two hands when sawing wood - and it feels so good.
Metaphorically, I wonder how many of us have at least one spiritual hand covering our scars, our weaknesses, our problems - and how this hinders our walk with and ministry for the Lord.
This Sunday's Myth Busters message is, "I Have to Protect Myself - Not!" Hope to see you there.
Metaphorically, I wonder how many of us have at least one spiritual hand covering our scars, our weaknesses, our problems - and how this hinders our walk with and ministry for the Lord.
This Sunday's Myth Busters message is, "I Have to Protect Myself - Not!" Hope to see you there.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Discipleship
Are we disciples of Jesus Christ?
The word for disciple in the original Greek of the New Testament means "follower", implies a personal attachment to a teacher, allowing the teacher to exercise formative power in the follower's life. It implied commitment and obedience.
Christ said that his followers would:
* Deny themselves, take up their crosses, follow Him (Luke 9:23-25)
* Put Jesus before self, family and possessions (Luke 14:25-35)
* Be committed to His teachings (John 8:31)
* Be committed to personal and world evangelism (Matthew 28:18-20)
* Love others as Christ loves them (John 13:34-35)
* Abide in Christ in relationship, obedience and impact (John 15)
(Adapted from Bill Hull's, "The Disciple Making Pastor")
So, are we disciples of Jesus Christ, or simply American church attendees? This is a tough question that I need to ask myself first.
(We will be addressing this topic from the pulpit in September.)
The word for disciple in the original Greek of the New Testament means "follower", implies a personal attachment to a teacher, allowing the teacher to exercise formative power in the follower's life. It implied commitment and obedience.
Christ said that his followers would:
* Deny themselves, take up their crosses, follow Him (Luke 9:23-25)
* Put Jesus before self, family and possessions (Luke 14:25-35)
* Be committed to His teachings (John 8:31)
* Be committed to personal and world evangelism (Matthew 28:18-20)
* Love others as Christ loves them (John 13:34-35)
* Abide in Christ in relationship, obedience and impact (John 15)
(Adapted from Bill Hull's, "The Disciple Making Pastor")
So, are we disciples of Jesus Christ, or simply American church attendees? This is a tough question that I need to ask myself first.
(We will be addressing this topic from the pulpit in September.)
Friday, August 1, 2008
Faith, Understanding or God?
Today (August 1st) our church celebrated a 90 year old’s birthday with a church open house, and mourned an infant’s passing at a graveside service. Life can be so backwards.
The death of a child – and other “backwards” trials of life – can leave us spiritually gasping for breath. We feel the wrongness of such an event on at least two levels: general day to day expectations, and deep inside where the sense of fairness/justice/rightness resides.
Children are conceived to be born, born to live, live to have rich and full experiences of life. Any interference, vertically or horizontally, deeply tests our souls.
Some would encourage us to have faith – and such is correct, as far as it goes. But faith is like the tubing leading from an oxygen machine to the mask of a patient – essential, but what is needed is the oxygen! So faith connects us to what is essential – or, more correctly, who is essential – God. We certainly need faith, but we need Him, His words, His truth, His presence to bring us through those gut-wrenching, horrific experiences that life brings.
We must be cautious in another way. Sometimes what we think is faith is actually analysis. If we can simply figure out the situation, see what the benefits are, see the “why”, then our souls can rest more easily. This is not faith, it’s understanding – and it’s potentially dangerous (see Proverbs 3:5-6) – because our souls cannot feed on understanding over the long term – and there’s always the good possibility that our analysis is wrong! There’s certainly nothing wrong with asking (or crying out, for that matter) “why” – Job and the Psalms are full of such questions – but the asking is, ultimately, another way of finding God.
So, seek to understand – have faith – but remember both are vehicles to experiencing God’s presence, comfort and truth – not answers in and of themselves.
(We also experienced a birth in the last 24 hours, a source of joy!)
The death of a child – and other “backwards” trials of life – can leave us spiritually gasping for breath. We feel the wrongness of such an event on at least two levels: general day to day expectations, and deep inside where the sense of fairness/justice/rightness resides.
Children are conceived to be born, born to live, live to have rich and full experiences of life. Any interference, vertically or horizontally, deeply tests our souls.
Some would encourage us to have faith – and such is correct, as far as it goes. But faith is like the tubing leading from an oxygen machine to the mask of a patient – essential, but what is needed is the oxygen! So faith connects us to what is essential – or, more correctly, who is essential – God. We certainly need faith, but we need Him, His words, His truth, His presence to bring us through those gut-wrenching, horrific experiences that life brings.
We must be cautious in another way. Sometimes what we think is faith is actually analysis. If we can simply figure out the situation, see what the benefits are, see the “why”, then our souls can rest more easily. This is not faith, it’s understanding – and it’s potentially dangerous (see Proverbs 3:5-6) – because our souls cannot feed on understanding over the long term – and there’s always the good possibility that our analysis is wrong! There’s certainly nothing wrong with asking (or crying out, for that matter) “why” – Job and the Psalms are full of such questions – but the asking is, ultimately, another way of finding God.
So, seek to understand – have faith – but remember both are vehicles to experiencing God’s presence, comfort and truth – not answers in and of themselves.
(We also experienced a birth in the last 24 hours, a source of joy!)
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