...as it is in heaven.

Injustice, Suffering, Authenticity, and Faith

The book of Job gives us a clear example of what it looks like to give simple, logical reasoning in the face of utter despair.  This example personified by Eliphaz, Bildad, Zophar, and Elihu should be avoided as a response to those suffering around us.  We see Job wrestling in truth with God throughout the narrative and we see God honoring and responding to Job's authenticity.  As William Safire writes in The First Dissident:

        "If the book of Job reaches across two and a half millenia to teach anything to men and women who consider themselves normal, decent human beings, it is this:  Human beings are sure to wander in ignorance and to fall into error, and it is better - more righteous in the eyes of God - for them to react by questioning rather than accepting.  Confronted with inexplicable injustice, it is better to be irate than resigned."

Radical Shift

As a Christian I aim toward devoting everything that I am toward my faith in Jesus.  My heart, soul, strength, and mind are to be devoted to loving God first and my neighbor second.  The more I fulfill this calling, the more "radical" my faith will be.  I strive toward radical faith.

A fundamental component of faith in Jesus is loving those who are different than me.  This is why I see a need to move away from the term "radical muslim".  To adhere to a faith which holds all-encompassing allegiance central to its structure is to strive with heart, soul, strength, and mind toward radical faith.  Radical in the sense of undeniably set apart from the majority of one's culture.  When we define radical faith as faith that is pursued to the point of hate and violence toward others we rob those who pursue radical faith toward love, discipline, kindness, and trust of the sought-after and honorable title of radical.

Mirroring

As the FIFA 2010 World Cup begins the world turns its focus toward the beautiful game.  People from different regions all throughout the world find themselves with hearts, minds, and souls in alignment with each other.  Although they may view other fans as the supporters of adversaries, they can experience the oneness of the game when a South African striker has a finish reminiscent of a Uruguayan striker.  Paraguay supporters celebrate an upset victory in the same way Swiss fans are grateful for theirs.  Despite fans all over the world hoping for different outcomes in games, there is a oneness founded in a deep love for the game and all that comes with it.

This is an external expression of mirroring hearts.  Our actions give notice to the aim of our hearts.  When we think about the ways in which our faith in God is expressed we must ask ourselves if these are the natural outpourings of a heart moving toward alignment with the heart of God.

Where is the evidence of our faith in our lives?  How is it fleshed out?  Is it manifested through consistent worship attendance?  Rigorous Bible study?  Avoiding social or cultural taboos and sins?

Or is our faith expression representative of a heart moving toward alignment with the heart of God?  Is there more to faith than service attendance and avoiding bad things?

Ultimately we are led to the question, where is God's heart?  What are the things that God cares about?  Who is God for?  Who is God against?  How does God act throughout scripture and the rest of history?

The following passages offer a few insights into the vastness of the heart of God:

Psalm 146:5-10

5 Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob,

whose hope is in the LORD his God,

6 the Maker of heaven and earth,

the sea, and everything in them —

the LORD, who remains faithful forever.

7 He upholds the cause of the oppressed

and gives food to the hungry.

The LORD sets prisoners free,

8 the LORD gives sight to the blind,

the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,

the LORD loves the righteous.

9 The LORD watches over the alien

and sustains the fatherless and the widow,

but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.

10 The LORD reigns forever,

your God, O Zion, for all generations.

Praise the LORD.

Isaiah 1:16-17

Stop doing wrong,

17 learn to do right!

Seek justice,

encourage the oppressed .

Defend the cause of the fatherless,

plead the case of the widow.

Psalm 103:6-8

6 The LORD works righteousness

and justice for all the oppressed .

7 He made known his ways to Moses,

his deeds to the people of Israel:

8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,

slow to anger, abounding in love.

Psalm 10:17-18

17 You hear, O LORD, the desire of the afflicted;

you encourage them, and you listen to their cry,

18 defending the fatherless and the oppressed ,

in order that man, who is of the earth, may terrify no more.

Psalm 9:7-10

7 The LORD reigns forever;

he has established his throne for judgment.

8 He will judge the world in righteousness;

he will govern the peoples with justice.

9 The LORD is a refuge for the oppressed ,

a stronghold in times of trouble.

10 Those who know your name will trust in you,

for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.

1 Samuel 10:18-19

"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'I brought Israel up out of Egypt, and I delivered you from the power of Egypt and all the kingdoms that oppressed you.'

Luke 4:18-19

18 "The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to release the oppressed ,

  19 to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor."

May we all come to further communion with the heart of God through studying His word and growing closer to Him and the oppressed in our midst.  Amen.

What the church could look like...

What does it look like to usher in beauty in the midst of mindless routine?  Ask Improv Everywhere...

Jesus Came Over For Dinner Last Night

On Matthew 25

Jesus had a strong handshake.  His eyes were glossy and bloodshot and penetrating.  Jesus hadn't shaved for a while. Jesus didn't have good small group Bible study social interaction skills.  He monopolized the conversation a lot.  Maybe that's justified.  Jesus has PTSD.  He said he doesn't want to move into an apartment.  He likes sleeping on bricks.  Jesus said he liked coming over for dinner and he hopes he can come again.

Sex, Drugs, and Rock & Roll

Sex, drugs, and rock & roll.  The classics.  The slogan is perhaps dated by today’s standards but the sentiment against the famous rally cry remains strong:  these are bad things.  Bad people do bad things.  Good people don’t.  A line in the sand is drawn so it is us and them.  Good and bad.  Me and you.  Right and wrong.

Do we see this in the church?  In the body of Christ here on Earth do we find ourselves drawing this line in the sand?  Maybe we don’t see as much of a call to battle the literal forces of sex, drugs, and rock & roll these days in church.   Case in point…How many ugly Christian pop stars are there?  How many churches offer caffeine rich coffee drinks during services?  How many “rocking” worship bands are there in the world?

I’m not saying attractive pop stars, coffee, and rockstar worship bands are bad things.  I am just saying that things that were perhaps at one point viewed with varying levels of contempt aren’t as much anymore.  The line has blurred.

To make the issue more relevant, do we find ourselves drawing a line in the sand between us (Christians) and homosexuals?  Us and pro-choice advocates?  Maybe us and democrats?  Us and different denominations?  Protestants and Catholics?  Us and Muslims?  Us and hedonists?  Us and Buddhists?  Us and atheists?  Does the sentiment get stronger with these issues?  Does the flame of passion to assert our self perceived righteousness begin to grow?  Good and bad.  Me and you.  Right and wrong.  I’m right because…

It is questions like these that should send us looking through the gospels to see how this Jesus of Nazareth responded.  We must always recalibrate our theology to have Jesus at the center.  In the words of Alan Hirsch, Christology >>> Missiology >>> Ecclesiology.  In other words, as we study the life and teachings of the Christ we determine the mission of our own lives because we want to be like our rabbi, Jesus.  As we pursue this mission in community, the shape and focus of the church is then determined.  It has to be in that order.  Christology >>> Missiology >>> Ecclesiology.

Below is a drawing done by a world-renown artist by the name of Banksy.  Banksy is a criminal.  He is a graffiti artist and is wanted by many international government agencies for pieces he has done.  I would encourage you to check him out.  His art is subversive, provoking, disturbing, beautiful, and sometimes illegal.  But above all, it’s good.  I added some quotes from Jesus that I felt complement this piece to illustrate my point well:

Here we have Jesus inviting us to recalibrate our mission.  Jesus was speaking to a group of Pharisees by quoting Isaiah that they had missed the point.  They were caught up in the traditions of men and as a result neglected the commands of God.  We all know this was a current theme for the Pharisees, and we all know how Jesus reacted to their actions.

Today I would like us to take an opportunity to recalibrate: Are there gaps between the traditions of Christian culture and the Jesus of the Gospels?  Is our faith expressed through becoming like Jesus?  Or is our faith expressed through the traditions of western Christianity?  This issue is close to my heart because, as a pastor, I see the reactions of non-Christians toward the church constantly.  Conversations like this (often in a bar):  You’re a pastor?!  Uhh, yeah, kind of.  Wow – are you allowed to be in a bar drinking?  Yes.  Are you allowed to have a girlfriend?  Yes.

Perhaps an insignificant conversation, but the proof is in the proverbial pudding.  The face of the church in our culture has become one that stands against many things.  The primary faith expression for many Christians in our culture today is listing out things we don’t do.  We have reduced the message of Jesus to morality management and personal piety (as Brian Bajari says).  Following Jesus cannot be about what we don’t do, it has to be about the things we do.  James 2 illustrates this well.

There are many passages of scripture where Jesus invites us to move beyond a self-righteous faith.  I’ll mention two here.  The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 15) and the woman caught in adultery (John 8).  I’ll let you read those on your own, but we know the basics of those stories, right?  In Luke 15 we see Jesus using a hated Samaritan as the hero of the story.  Perhaps a modern day parable could be titled The Good Muslim.  The Good Atheist.  In John 8 Jesus invites us not worry about focusing on the sins of others and he is the one drawing lines in the sand.  Both of these passages demonstrate how much more important it is to be active in our faith, not reactive.

What should our action look like?  Again, Christology >>> Missiology >>> Ecclesiology.  Our actions should look like Jesus’ actions.  Luke 4 is a great place to start.  Matthew 18 another great passage.  Matthew 25 and Matthew 22 our great.  John 4 is brilliant.  Here is Luke 4: 18-19:

Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to preach good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

to release the oppressed,

to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.

 What if my conversation in the bar went something like this: You’re a pastor?  Yeah.  Wow – what’s it like to champion the cause of the oppressed?  What’s it like to free prisoners from bondage?  What’s it like to spread good news to the poor?

May we constantly look toward Jesus to center ourselves.  May we come to see the Holy Spirit using and honoring the Good Samaritans in our midst.  May we all accept Jesus’ invitation to journey, in love, beyond judgment.  May we find ourselves on the journey to bring God’s kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven.  Amen.

On Being A Good Neighbor

As C.S. Lewis wrote in the Chronicles of Narnia, “Aslan is on the move.”  There has been little debate within the Church that throughout history, Christ and/or the Holy Spirit are on the move.  There has been extensive debate within the church regarding whether or not the bride of Christ is called to join that movement.  Faith vs works?  Does faith save you?  Do works?  Personally, I believe this debate is founded upon a theology with a disproportionate emphasis upon shaky eschatology.  In other words, we’re asking the wrong question.  As Jesus invites us to pray, we are called to take part in the grand redemption story that God has in store for this world by bringing “His kingdom here on Earth as it is in heaven.”  You may or may not have noticed a growing trend within the global church, but the Bride of Christ is on the move (IJM for example).

            I once read a blog post that slammed a well known preacher for incorporating social justice into his messages.  The blog said something to the effect of, “Stick to the gospel only!  Just preach the Bible!”  The irony of course is the gospel itself is a call to social justice.  Jesus was highly political and eventually was crucified for stirring the pot too much (Gerd Thiesen's "Shadow of the Galilean" is a great illustration of this).

            Lately I have been reading a book by one of the most well known preachers/social activists in history, Strength To Love by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  It is a collection of sermons adapted to the written word.  Not surprisingly, it is utterly brilliant.  Below are some quotes I pieced together from his sermon, “On Being A Good Neighbor” where he celebrates three ways in which the Good Samaritan loves the beaten man on the side of the road.  My comments are in red.

In reference to the story found in Luke 10: 25-37

(The Good Samaritan’s) exemplary life will always be a flashing light to plague the dozing conscience of mankind.  His goodness was not found in a passive commitment to a particular creed, but in his active participation in a life-saving deed; not in a moral pilgrimage that reached its destination point, but in the love ethic by which he journeyed life’s highway.

The Samaritan was good because he made concern for others the first law of his life.  The Samaritan had the capacity or a UNIVERSAL ALTRUISM.  He had a piercing insight into that which is beyond the eternal accidents of race, religion, and nationality.  Who are the people in our neighborhood who we fail to love well because of a label we, or others have put upon them?  Who are the people in the world who we don’t love well because of this?  Was Jesus serious when he said we’re supposed to love our enemy?

            The real tragedy of such narrow provincialism is that we see people as entities or merely as things.  Too seldom do we see people in their true humanness.  A spiritual myopia limits our vision to external accidents…We fail to think of them as fellow human beings made from the same basic stuff as we, molded in the same divine image.  Our theology should start from the beginning where God made everything and called it…good.  Too often our theology starts with the fall of man later in Genesis.

            The Samaritan possessed the capacity for a DANGEROUS ALTRUISM.  He risked his life to safe a brother.  I imagine that the first question which the priest and the Levite asked was: “If I stop to help this man, what will happen to me?”  But by the very nature of his concern, the good Samaritan reversed the question: “If I do not stop to help this man, what will happen to him?”  The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.  The true neighbor will risk his position, his prestige, and even his life for the welfare of others.  On a global scale slavery, human trafficking, poverty, and other evil forms of oppression are more prevalent than ever.  May we all recognize our current time of challenge and controversy.

            The Samaritan also possessed EXCESSIVE ALTRUISM.  True altruism is more than the capacity to pity; it is the capacity to sympathize.  Pity may represent little more than the impersonal concern which prompts the mailing of a check, but true sympathy is the personal concern which demands the giving of one’s soul.  Our missionary efforts fail when they are based on pity, rather than true compassion.  Instead of seeking to do something with the African and Asian peoples, we have too often sought only to do something for them.  Man-made laws assure justice, but a higher law produces love.  Do we find ourselves more willing to give away money than give away time?  Are we actively growing and being stretched in our faith?  It was once said, “if your faith in Jesus doesn’t stretch you to places of discomfort, you probably have some growing up to do.”

            I must not ignore the wounded man on life’s Jericho Road, because he is a part of me and I am a part him.  His agony diminishes me, and his salvation enlarges me.  We have…the magnanimous life of our Christ to guide us.  His altruism was universal, for he thought of all men, even publicans and sinners, as brothers.  His altruism was dangerous, for he willingly traveled hazardous roads in a cause he knew was right.  His altruism was excessive, for he chose to die on Calvary, history’s most magnificent expression of obedience to the unenforceable."

             May we all journey to a greater expression of universal, dangerous, and excessive love for God and others in the days to come.  Amen.

Where will you go when you live?

Do you know where you will go when you die?  It's a question often posed by Christians.  A morbid question usually accompanied with a hint of judgment and a dash of condemnation.  Because the question is usually asked in a tone that implies the inquisitor knows the answer,  and the answer...is frightening.

Is this the faith Jesus modeled and invited us to?  Is this how he introduced himself to others?

Jesus invites us to pray.  He even gave us a model to follow:

 "Our Father in heaven,
   hallowed be your name,
 your kingdom come,
   your will be done
      on earth as it is in heaven.
 Give us today our daily bread.
 Forgive us our debts,
      as we also have forgiven our debtors.
 And lead us not into temptation,
   but deliver us from the evil one."

Maybe Jesus isn't as concerned with what happens when we die as he is with what happens while we live.  Maybe that's why he prays for God's kingdom and will to be realized here on earth.  So, where will you go when you live?