No Crayons In Aisle Four

American consumerism is soaring. And for those shopping for crayons on the night before the last day of school before Christmas break...fair warning, the teachers have bought out the packs of regular 16 crayons to a pack for $.99.

Despite the shortage of crayons, it seems we have decided that the cure for a slowing economy may be to require store employees to work around the clock to satisfy our notion that "shopping til we drop" is the finest expression of Christmas cheer. I was in a mall department store last night and asked how late they would be open. The weary clerk said, "Midnight." For a Tuesday, I was amazed. In a place where it is hard to find a cup of coffee after nine, that is a "new sign of the times."

The other side of that same equation is not the convenience of access to goods, but the price we pay when we create a convenient, but difficult context for families, for children, for those who desire to worship, for those who would enjoy a break from the rigorous demands of crowds and customers in favor of a time of reflection and prayer and meaningful conversation with family and friends.

The societal pressure to "make profits" continues to dictate in ways that we subtlely find ourselves influenced by. Coupons for "Sunday only" sale days. "Early bird" shopping appeals that invite customers to come at 4 AM. Both miss the mark in failures to recognize the importance of rest, of Sabbath, of time for the human body to recoup and utilize normative sleep cycles for health and positive functioning.

All around us are people being led to use "performance-enhancing" drugs for the purposes, not of athletic competition, but for the means by which they can attempt to stay alert for long extended periods without rest. Check out the local counters at your nearest truck stop or drive-in market. Patterns of abuse develop quickly with all types of stimulants and counter-acting sleep aids to modify their effects used when sleep patterns are disrupted. Physical depression caused by sheer fatigue is not uncommon. Likewise, long periods of sustained depression can cause clinical depression that often requires medical attention due to its severity.

The need for work, more income, and satisfying the requirements of employers has always been an argument for going "above and beyond" -- I speak from the background of frequently extended hours in ministry and a childhood of parents with similar demands. We adapt and we can work for long periods, but there comes to all of us the reality that at some level, there is no justification for the abandonment of what we value the most to attain what satifies the least.

For those who are dedicated to avoiding crowds, you may internet shop or home shopping network through the wee hours. For those who must enter the fray of satisfying a child's television-engineered and commercially brainwashed mindset to want and demand a certain fad or fashion created by the lastest round of advertising executives, then there will always be some level of disappointing returns.

If, on the other hand, you teach your children the value of your love for them, your time and attention to their real needs, and the importance of valuing others and showing respect to neighbors and those who help us each day in the workplaces, school houses, and community gathering places we engage, then that is a lesson that will be treasured for a lifetime.

Likewise,at this season of the year, if you point those you love and those within your circle of influence to the person of Jesus and his giving of himself to us all, then that will be the best gift ever received and celebrated...day or night, now and later, even...forever.

Essentials for the Season

With all the preoccupations of this season with those things that have so little to do with Christ or "Christ-mass" or Christian anything for that matter, it is no wonder that some dear souls have chosen to barricade themselves into a total rejection of the season out of a sense of duty or desperation to preserve the real focus and meaning of the coming of Christ.

For those of us who search for "middle ground" on which to stand during these times, it is a perilous journey. Yet, interestingly, it was into just such a world as ours that Jesus came. The political climate was intense. There were wars and battles being fought to preserve territories and to protect interests. There were many who were the victims of exploitation. There were slaves. There were many desperately poor and others who demonstrated every excess imaginable in displays of power and wasteful self-indulgence. Jesus came into a world very much like our own times and season.

His coming brought much anticipation of change. He preached repentance and offered an invitation to discover the Kingdom of God at hand in one's own heart and life. He showed compassion and mercy and extended healing and welcome. He moved aside the distinctions of race and class and social expectation and entered into the homes and workplaces and gathering places of the men and women and children. He blessed all with his presence, his touch, and his message of life. In our generation, the same word of truth needs to be heard, received, and believed.

There is no escaping the fact that we live in desperate times. Jesus came to save us. His word to us is the resounding word of promise and hope for all. If you have to leave something out this Christmas, don't let it be that.

Conversations and Conversions

Few conversations are as important as those between parents and children relating to the meaning of conversion. Children often reflect their sensitivity to the spirit of God in compelling ways. They often communicate initially with a question. Asking questions about the meaning of baptism or the Lord's supper; asking about why Jesus died on the cross; asking about the difference between God and Jesus -- all are good opportunities for discussions about faith. Children very often make sincere commitments when they are able to understand the basic good news of the Gospel.

At the same time, there is a tragic disconnect that also can occur. If parents are not sensitive to the moments when such questions are being asked, or not helpful in guiding a child to an understanding of faith and trust in Jesus Christ as Lord, those precious opportunities are lost.

Hopefully, children and youth continue to grow personally in their knowledge and understanding, but without Christian parents offering support, guidance, and models of Christian discipleship, it poses a difficult challenge for the church to reach those children.

As the secular focus of our culture continues to engage those within the church in ways that counter the intentional priorities of bible study, prayer, and worship, we will see entire generations negatively affected.

The church is to be a light to the world, salt to the earth, like a city set on a hill that cannot be hidden...such metaphors for our influence are important to remember. Even more so, are those that commend families to prioritize the observance of God's instruction as guidance for daily living. Parents are given the clear responsibility to instruct their children in matters of faith. Communicating that story will require frequent and informative conversations. Christian conversion will follow in due season when a child's life is impacted with the blessing of parents who love the Lord and demonstrate in service and graciousness, the nature of the Gospel at work in them.

Back From the State Baptist Convention

Baptists of our dear state have proven once more that we know how to be nearly impossible to describe, amazing to watch for our inconsistencies, easily provoked to show our prejudices, clearly respectful of our unique relationships and at the same time often showing our lack of respect for the strengths that enable us to be a cooperative body. We are autonomous churches, missionally engaged as intentional partners in shared ministry endeavors. For us to get together in the first place is, as the song says, "a miracle of love and grace."

In that spirit, perhaps we should confess our sins. We can too easily stand to confess the sins of others or to imply our superior position and in turn to set others apart from us in ways that are less than honest about our own brokenness and failures before God. We are sinners all. As Jesus said, "He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone." Jesus also said "go and sin no more." That is a word to every last one of us. Confession is in order, but likewise the opportunity to "forgive one another" is in my mind the best possible pursuit of Jesus' way for his people.

By design and necessity, the commuting of future educational institution trustee approvals through the state convention seems to be a wise step toward a respectful and friendly cooperation, coupled with an affirmation of Christian Higher Education via student scholarship provisions.

In the same way, though frought with questions, the actions of other institutional entities to protect and exercise their autonomous ties to the convention will in some ways reorder, but nonetheless strengthen the work that each is doing.

As a convention, Baptists in general could benefit from a good history lesson regarding polity. That is the basic and clear recognition that each congregation participates in voluntary cooperative endeavor with every other Baptist body with which it is engaged. We need to remember that none of our connections are heirarchical, but only in the sense of seeking divine leading as believers acting in shared community to discern God's will. Responses of faith, undertaken for the glory of God will reflect that spirit...before, during, and after all our vocalizing and voting. We pray God's hand to be upon us; to proclaim God's grace sufficient for us; and life in Christ to be our daily desire in every dimension of living.

We have shared in a great heritage of faith, but great work remains to be be done.
May God receive the glory as we pray for His help to do those things well.

Warren Buffett on Justice

This week, a man said to the the 2nd richest billionaire in the world did an analysis of his income versus that of his secretary. He found out what many Americans will be surprised to know. Mr. Buffett pays considerably less of a percentage of his income for taxes than does his secretary. Mr. Buffett went on to suggest that most of the Fortune 500 executives were in the same boat…paying less percentage of their income in taxes than their secretaries. And Mr. Buffett offered a considerable sum of money to anyone who could prove otherwise. No one to date has taken him up on the offer. And the difference is significant. Eighteen percent of total income for Mr. Buffett. Thirty-three percent for his secretary.

America’s tax system should not create a culture whereby the extremely wealthy are freed from the burden placed upon the rest of the population. Interestingly, Mr. Buffett agrees. Percentage corrections in the tax code could eliminate such inequity and improve the economic picture for us all. We perhaps could return to rebuilding America’s infrastructure…bridges, sewage treatment plants, water systems, etc. and with a change in hostilities begin to apply some resources to the good rather than the battlegrounds.

I for one appreciate Mr. Buffett’s candor when it comes to his resources and what he sees as inequities, but it would also behoove the general population to observe that at some levels greed deserves not to be rewarded in the tax structure of the nation. Call for change. Write, petition for a redress of grievances. Vote. Apply the political pressure of a population that cares about its government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Liberty and justice for all may be a dream, but it is worth pursuing.

As the Old Testament prophet declared…”let justice roll down like a mighty stream.”

Challenges to Christian Educators

A recent article for Christian educators pointed to the plethora of resources now being marketed to churches for enhancing Christian education programs. The nature of much of the effort is “market driven” accommodation to meet calls for limited preparation demands for those using the materials to fast paced, catchy titled, video enhanced, sound modified, contemporary, traditional, ecumenical, or conservative, globally focused or community minded tracts capable of meeting the religious education needs of churches everywhere.

It’s a long way from the picture card and “quarterly” offered to a generation past. It’s long past the posters and resource kits that targeted age graded groups by developmental needs and age focused content. It’s gone the way of the media minded gameboy generation that must insert religious instruction between the inflatable blow up mangers and the bible verse wrapped candy pacifiers. (Sad, but true…I have the catalog to prove it.)

On the other end of the spectrum are well prepared, carefully designed efforts to share biblical story and knowledge with integrity and impact for the present generation of learners. To learn the scriptures in new ways is a positive in every way. Some bible study tools of this age are more than amazing for their speed and facility in allowing us to study the scriptures with ever increasing comprehension because of links to those enhancing information sources that blend our study of scripture with the culture, the geography, the history and the experiences of those periods of time. As computer resources supplement translators and enhance language review of ancient manuscripts, our knowledge is greater as a reservoir for learning.

At the same time, the question becomes, at what level is the benefit of utilizing this vast array of sources lost in the complexity of determining which of those is beneficial and on what basis? Our decision-making regarding Christian education falls into many categories. Do we require a denomination focus? Do we require a certain theological interpretation of certain material? Do we encourage an ecumenical spirit or something more distinctive? Do we limit discussion and interaction or encourage it? Do we utilize teams of teachers or look for “master teachers” over large groups? Do we wish to utilize drama, music, and the arts, or do we wish to avoid them?
All are questions linked to decisions made by Christian educators today. Even more challenging is the reality that many churches have no one who is instrumental in the responsibility to review these resources or in the position to make good decisions about their application. Denominational publishing, while still widely available, is fragmented and shrinking, while marketing of an expanded list of “outsourced” resources is commonplace. Churches of tomorrow may have more choices than ever, not unlike Toffler’s “overchoice” scenario, but will it be of real value in the basic endeavor to nurture Christian faith? “Faith development” and “maturation” are important to support in positive ways, but we will have to make some difficult choices in regard to the methods of instruction incorporated by the local congregation.

Sound theology, tasteful and appropriate design, clearly biblical insight and focus – all should be hallmarks of good Christian education resources. May their presence be celebrated and their use multiplied!

Losing Ground in Glorifying Sounds?

It has been a long time since the pioneer communities hosted singing conventions featuring guest musicians who taught entire communities how to sing the great hymns and songs of faith. In backwoods locations where instruments were few and musical training scarce, it was none the less a backbone for the future development of musical gifts in the service of the Lord.

“Lining out” a hymn was a typical teaching technique with the leader singing the line first, followed by repetition by the congregation. Some communities having no instruments utilized a pitch pipe and an acapella choir, often with great harmonies.

As further progress was made in musical training, more instruments were utilized with an increasing popularity in the use of pianos and small pedal powered pump organs. My grandmother played such an instrument and it was always with considerable enthusiasm that she pumped the pedals and played the keys. The introduction of electricity allowed for motors and bellows to be attached, thus allowing the organist to give more attention to the music rather than their athletic ability.

While it was always common to have singers with unique skill as soloists and sharing in small ensembles, the tradition of congregational singing became very much developed as printed music became more available and songbooks and hymnals became more broadly utilized. The range of music included in such collections varied from toe tapping Stamps-Baxter styles to the classical works of Bach, Beethoven and Handel. The old Broadman hymnal among Baptists included the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah.

Long utilized Christian Hymns and classical forms of religious music began to fall into less frequent use by numbers of churches in more recent history. That pattern was seen in churches utilizing less formal physical structures. The utilization of hymnals gave way to projection of lyrics without musical notations on large screens and the utilization of a small number of “lead singers” as opposed to large choir participation. Such options gave the congregation less to do and more to observe. It also was a factor of cost and mobility. A traveling “praise band” could set up in a matter of hours and transform most any hall or movie theatre into a worship venue. Without hymnals and training environments for singers, congregational participation became reduced to long patterns of repeated choruses and few words. While some were encouraged to stand and clap or sway with the sound, the theological content and learning shared by the previous generation has been significantly diminished.

Music in worship continues to morph into ever increasing variety and forms. The skilled techno musicians of the present can emulate sounds from every period of history, but they seldom bring forth from congregations the ability to share as participants in the process. Audiences are present to see and hear sound and light extravaganzas, but the praise that is so often called for falls flat in the face of little understanding of what we are singing about and to whom.

I am not solely a traditionalist when I speak to this matter. I value and appreciate contemporary sounds and musical expressions that glorify God. Nevertheless, I find that this present generation of church musicianship, while capable in many aspects of music within small numbers, seems to lack an intentional focus upon building the capacity of future generations of Christians in the theological and musical skills necessary to sustain prolonged church music leadership and participation. In the absence of musical scores during the singing, vocal harmonies and arrangements are seldom heard. The pattern of pre-recorded accompaniment for singers has left a void in the pattern of training and utilizing trained musicians in the service of the church. Even the vast theological influence of what has been familiar hymnody has now eroded significantly.

When the digital age turned key changes into push button variations, musicianship began its decline. The challenge is clearly before us. Will the next generation of churches have music as a part of their worship at all…at least in the sense of having congregational singing and participation? It looks like it may be fast becoming a “dying practice.”

My sense is the need for a rejuvenation of musical training at all levels to prepare the congregation to sing…to read music…to learn new songs and to write them with enthusiasm and joy in the service of the Lord.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” (Colossians 4:16 NKJV)

Theory or Fact?

Has the economic profitability of war-making become an engine for maintaining and producing conflict in the world?

Our recent period of conflict in Afghanistan and Iraq has clearly continued to escalate in terms of economic commitment and the outlay of resources and manpower. In the midst of this measurable military escalation has been an accompanying civilian escalation of war related goods and services that exceeds the military led activity underway.

A recent military contractor has advertised over 100 available jobs in all areas of materials procurement, computer analysis, engineering development, and a wide range of support systems for military activity. The top executives of this military contract firm have salaries above $400,000 annually. This firm has close ties to Pentagon officials and key political leadership. Strangely but true, this company provides funding for interim military civilian personnel without requiring those personnel to do any work for their company. The reason…this company is regarded as a non-profit charitable organization.

But don’t be too surprised when $45 million dollars is handed over to this company for its work on behalf of government projects…all while enjoying profitable tax free status. Even if this corporation is totally legitimate and legal…in its documents for job openings, one of the positions is to oversee a team of 70 to generate a revenue stream of over $20 million annually. Are we “revenue streaming” war these days? I’m afraid so.

To make matters worse, if we are calling these endeavors a non-profit initiative…do we further promote the sacrifice of soldiers on the battlefield in the name of profitable enterprise? Is that the ultimate motivation for prolonging conflicts?

If war has become the motivator of ever bigger business endeavors…there will be no peace if profit-taking is the initiative that propels greed deeper into our mentality and calls for reckless pursuit of military activity.

The truth is … I was almost tempted to solicit a $14,000 a month paycheck for myself. I felt confident I could do nothing but be assigned an in name only consultant title and could even help them develop some imaginary non-profit “faith initiatives” like metal welding and computer programming to go along with similar efforts now underway. Profiteering and war…it sounds like a match made for the evening news.

In the midst of these revelations…remember the words of Jesus to his followers…”You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” Matthew 5:13 NIV

We are called to influence our world…to preserve it…to help it to be healed…to share the light and love of Christ…to wage peace as peacemakers…and those who show mercy. It is time to act.

Fraud, Deception, and Business as Usual

American banking interests have long been aggressive in their marketing of loan products to consumers. Some have shown remarkable capacity to increase their profits by utilizing plans for mass market solicitation. Invariably the targets of these efforts are consumers with an immediate financial need that the institutions suggest can be remedied quickly and easily by their easy to meet terms.

Now before I go any further, let me say that I have significant respect for financial institutions and their necessity for both making reasonable profits and their need to cover the risks of their financial lending decisions. What I find striking is the fact that they are willing to offer ever increasing amounts to consumers who do not have the means or capacity or record of timely payment and responsible financial management. That is where there seems to be a rub.

Loan sharks and street lenders who charge exorbitant interest for small loans for short periods are the subject of many dark novels and the back pages of many crime reports. They are joined by many “finance companies” that fall under more lenient lending structures, in terms of commercial banking laws, and in turn move interest rates into the 20-30% plus range. Banks and credit unions began to offer their customers short term loans with warnings about the serious overuse of short term debt in light of its high cost. Similarly, credit card companies stepped in to offer their version of “quick loans”via cash advances and monthly “cash” check offerings. Now we are coming to my point.

Somewhere along the line, the lines between the street loan shark and the corporate institutional lender were merged. Today, the greatest schemes in the world are mass marketed with the names of worldwide lenders attached to them. Banks of high renown are the ones who solicit in the microprint the consumer to use their “low interest”cash availability…only to find in the microprint the statement of immediate 4% fees attached to the availability of those funds. For a short term debt, if the fees are added, the APR moves to astronomical figures…in other words …you have been taken. If bychance that consumer is a vulnerable one financially and circumstances cause them to be late in any payment, formerly “market interest” can be transformed overnight to amounts that sound less reasonable than the thug with the wad of bills and a baseball bat for repayment insurance.

Interest rates in the twenty and thirty percent zone become the consequences of slow payments and some even allowing for that increase in light of any late payments on any of a creditor’s credit reports. Suddenly…the consumer loan user is put over barrel after barrel of legalized “thieves” taking more and more out of their pocket while forcing an ever spiraling increase in costs, fees, penalties, and interest.

The add-on schemes are equally galling. They start with the offering of a service, a form of insurance, or a freebie to be yours simply for signing below…then in the fine print, you are told that this service comes with annual charges, monthly added costs that will be automatically billed to your credit card. In the middle of many of those offers for free things there is a microprint disclaimer noting that if this “Free check” is cashed, you will be automatically enrolled in an offering of one sort or another that will be billed monthly thereafter. People with poor vision would never know they had signed up for anything until after the charges started automatically accruing to their account.

Last week, I received a notice in changes in one of my credit card agreements. It was a multi-paged microprinted document with so much doubletalk, I do not believe a Harvard business school finance major could have understood it. It described its formulas for imposing fees, increased interest rates based on payments, and a new policy regarding the minimum payments for those who only paid minimum payments. It was as confusing a statement as any I have seen in my life. And the gist of it all was simply, some people are going to be taken for a very long cash depleting ride as they use this particular card.

Is all this legal…by current laws?…apparently. Is it right? Questionably not. The scriptures remind us that things hidden will one day be shouted from the housetops. Perhaps this sinister or not so sinister “theft” by fineprint should be regarded as a matter of justice for all and taken to lawmakers for better regulation. Where is the Christian community when it comes to speaking for fairness, clarity, honesty, and integrity in the marketplace? Should we not be making more of a ruckus about such clearly destructive behaviors on the part of corporate entities when the results can be so devastating to so many in our community?

There is another reality at work, as Proverbs 28:8 says so well…”He who increases his wealth by exorbitant interest amasses it for another, who will be kind to the poor.”

The Cost of War

Economies of scale similar to the expenditures for prolonged modern warfare equal the gross national product totals of many nations. Current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq are costing hundreds of billions of dollars. It must be considered that rarely do we count the cost in honest evaluations of the investments made in war machinery and its related upkeep; much less do we begin to consider the immeasurable factors of grief,death, suffering, loss, pain, disease, hunger, animosity, anger, fear and unending tragedy associated with the ongoing progression of such conflicts. In the midst of such conflicts,the only numbers that seem to matter are “our” casualties. How many bodies have we sent home to be buried? How many more have we sent home mutilated and maimed in countless waves by bullets and bombs and shrapnel of all sorts? How many have we sent home with all their body parts, but with their minds in agony, confusion, and disarray? How many can’t sleep? How many can’t work? How many can’t relate to their children for fear of an ingrained response to every sight and sound around them? How many come home and find that things are not the way they were when they left? How many lose their spouses, lose their jobs, lose their dreams? How many suffer from the delayed consequences of exposure to unhealthy environments, physical conditions that bring debilitation and pain? How many beyond our “own” suffer because the collateral damages are just a part of war? Who counts the children caught in the crossfire? Who counts the children laden with explosives and sent into populated places? Who counts the wounds of the natives, the innocents, the local poor who cannot escape the conflict zone because they have no means? Who counts the enemy dead beyond those on the“most wanted” card deck hit list? Who counts the dead in the refugee camps who die from disease and starvation? Who counts the dead who die trying to get to safety or trying to rebuild their country? Who counts the cost and does not see the need for somebody to make an effort to make peace?

Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.”Matthew 5:9 NRSV.

Possibilities for a Dysfunctional Family – A Word Study

• Dysfunction – impaired or abnormal functioning
• Functioning - serving
• Dysfunction – impaired service
• Dysfunction – abnormal service
• Dysfunction - serving in a broken state
• Dysfunction – inability to contribute to the development and maintenance of a larger whole
• Dysfunction – a breakdown in unity due to a failure of relationships
• Dysfunction – a weakening or failure in culturally and socially interdependent relationships
• Dysfunction - connected with, but not fulfilling the expected service of a person associated with their special relationship to others
• Dysfunction – impairment in fulfilling the acts or service expected of a person
• Dysfunction – a breakdown in fulfilling ones duty
• Dysfunction – impairment in usefulness
• Dys – bad, impaired, difficult, abnormal
• Dysfunctional – bad service; impaired service; difficult service; abnormal service
  

Those aspects of our lives that cause us to be dysfunctional should remind us daily of our need of grace, forgiveness, and God’s mercy. It should also remind us of our need to forgive others, to offer mercy and grace and to bear witness to the never failing, never dysfunctional love of God who calls us to move past the dysfunctions of our lives toward His divine purpose. When we discover in Christ the power from above -- and in turn begin to move and to act and to live in His strength, there are no dysfunctions that can prevent us from serving and honoring Him. To bring that relationship with Christ into the center of our families – at home, at church, and in community, is to discover the enabling power of God to transform circumstances broken by sin into places of forgiveness, places of love, places of upbuilding, places of positive influence, places of relationship that bear witness to the power of God at work in us.

Organizational Models and the Church

Exploring with churches the opportunities for ministry and service often shows significant need in the areas of organizational development and relationship building.Communities of faith have often been the unsuspecting recipients, rather than the instigators, of organizational models for church ministry. Many denominational bodies have utilized patterns for church development that are presented as models for duplication and in turn often frame structures and programming. At times those efforts have brought forth fruit, and on other occasions, they imposed a whirlwind that at best may have met the needs of only a very narrow range of churches.

We don’t have to look far to find evidence of great success and great failure in utilizing “packaged plans.” Church planting efforts staged by the North American Mission Board and its collaborators often evidenced a very small rate of success in “getting young congregations off the ground.” In fact, less than 1 in 20 according to some analyses were even in existence after 5 years. That realization should have sparked some significant reworking of church planting models, but it did not. Instead the patterns of “sink or swim” support for young pastors and churches continues to set the stage for ongoing weakness and a landscape of “tiny church” development that often creates dismal opportunity for future growth and effective ministry.

Specifically, data indicated that models of church planting that were not indigenous within communities, but rather were efforts imposed from outside those communities found little success. Some might ask then, “How did any church get started?” They were most often successfully begun by Christians who as members of a community joined together to establish a church. Short-term and artificially created communities do exist (i.e. military compounds, prisons, or newly planned communities established by corporate builders) but the gathering of those people who eventually form those communities, while random and a function of economic development, do eventually coalesce into some units of gathered cooperation over time…churches can at that point find the internalized initiatives within those communities to emerge.

Today, there is evidence that many congregations are limited in their abilities to carry out effective ministry by organizational models that were imposed upon them at some point in time, and perhaps with good result, but which in the meantime have continued without change and now hinder rather than enhance ministry endeavor.

Generational shifts alone have made some models of organizational “style”ineffective. Demographic changes equally have influenced countless congregations that may be vibrant in spirit, but poor in resources and burdened with a history of imposing structure and now derelict effectiveness.

Recalibration is an important aspect of scientific instrument use and measurement. Changes in temperature, humidity, and air pressure can create differencesthat must be taken into consideration for precise measurements. Similarly, churches that fail to recalibrate their organizational structures in accordance with changing conditions often find their effectiveness diminished.

Church documents that “show their age” by reflecting a structure of organizational relationships that no longer exists need updating for more useful explanation and clearer effectiveness in charting the course of responsibilities and expectations. Models that often need rethinking are those that repeatedly exclude certain groups of persons within the church from participation. Self-perpetuating models that become “clubish” more by habit than intention should not be allowed to stand over against mission, all the while diminishing the work of the church. The opportunity of as many as possible of a Christian community to be equipped and engaged in ministry and witness is critical to the life and vitality of congregations. In other words, there should not be a felt need to “get permission” to act in the name of Christ. Structures that mitigate against ministry rather than for it should be recalibrated, discarded, or reworked.

Churches that have suffered fractures of relationship, theological diversification to the point of disunity, and that continue to show an unwillingness to seek reconciliation inthe spirit of Christ’s love, will continue to be suffer the outcomes of dysfunctional witness. Such a state yields broken community, suffering souls, and the abandonment of shared dreams and visions. Only in repentance, renewed commitment, and in a recalibration of present circumstances will such congregations emerge from conflict to a restoration of grace and grace-giving.

Organizational models have never been the basis for effectiveness. Personal and corporate commitment to the way of Christ has marked the vitality of ministry and service in congregations that are showing effectiveness today. Testimony, service, discipleship – all are marks of congregations that find at their core the incentive of grace to share their faith in ways that bear witness to the world. We must organize and yes,value that organization that allows creative, positive, Christ-like witness to the world. But we cannot stand still; we cannot refuse to acknowledge the present as our time for engagement and service; and we cannot be intimidated by the past in such a way as to refuse to act to bring glory and honor to our Lord today.

Crises of Faith

This week’s revelation of Mother Teresa’s letters outlining a painful personal struggle accompanying her 50 years of ministry to the poor and dying is no surprise for most of us who engage in ministry. What may come as a surprise to many however is the fact that people of faith do struggle with the painful and often debilitating realities of ministry in a world full of pain and suffering and difficulty.

Even more so today than a generation ago when ministers received in general a more respected place in our American culture, the emotional and spiritual struggles of service remain a constant of most ministry endeavors. The question is, how does that inpact our personal faith and our personal emotions? For Mother Teresa, her letters to a spiritual advisor were open and honest about her spiritual and no doubt physical “emptiness.” As St. John of the Cross described…she experienced “a dark night of the soul.”

Martin Marty, a contemporary theologian wrote of his similar feelings in “The Cry of Absence” following the death of his wife. Both of these accounts relate the very human emotions of such times and the very honest struggle with God about the reasons for such painful experiences. Mother Teresa endured her hearts pain as she labored tirelessly (but nonetheless in exhaustion). She endured…persevered…and was sustained to serve. In the same way she recounts moments when she “has no faith.” She is certainly not alone. The scriptures frequently recount Jesus challenging his own disciples as they experienced similar moments. He asked them “Where is your faith?” …”Have you no faith?”…and said “O ye of little faith.” And then he reminded them that faith, in the smallest “quantity” could move mountains. Sometimes we stand mercifully at the place of utter loss…feeling empty…alone…and without any measure of faith at all…yet Christ’s love abides…His presence in the darkness…in the most “absent” of our feelings…still abides with us. His word is, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” Mother Teresa’s life is proof of God’s capacity to use empty vessels that He fills. As we allow him to use us, darkness may well be a part of the journey…but we are not forsaken.

As I thought of Mother Teresa’s struggles, I thought of gifted pediatric oncologist who was one of the most amazing doctors anyone knew. He took all the patients that everyone else had already given up on, who had cancer…and these were all children. Day after day he labored to save them and day after day he faced the reality of disease and advanced stages of illness that could not be turned back. At the same time he comforted, consoled, and grieved each loss. It became a heart-wrenching and emotionally devastating occupation. One day, this amazing doctor, came to the end of his own ability to cope…and he took his own life. Such is the pain that can overwhelm us. For all of us who would dare to follow Christ and who would touch the suffering, the poor, the weak, the hungry…we will grow weary…we will reach the end of our limits. The question is, will we understand in those moments that we are not alone? God is with us there…at the hour of our betrayal, in the passages of our own humiliation, in the moments of our agony, at the instant of our anguishing thirst, in the struggles of our hearts bursting at their seams, in all the vulnerability of our humanity and weakness…He is with us there.

And that is not the end of the story. It is in the face of death that God has conquered …For with God, nothing is impossible. For those enduring a crisis of faith, keep going…share your heart and its suffering …there is healing in talking to God about it all…He can take our pain and transform it into a thing of beauty and a testimony of God’s redemption. Remember Jesus’ words -- The Kingdom of God is at hand – as near as your heart’s door. Remember…God is with us…He knows the dark road we may be traveling and he has come to save us. Look to Him…and find in Him the life…and the way. Follow on…

Checks and Balances

Life has interesting ways of bringing us to value certain things at certain times in certain ways. A woman reported the loss of her home in a flood but said she was able to save everything important to her -- her six children. On another day of the week, in ordinary times, it might have felt important to have the stuff in that house. But in the face of a house headed downstream, one’s children have sure capacity to rise to the top as first priorities.

So it was for the children of Israel, getting out of Egypt was their first priority after years of slavery and oppressive labors, but when Pharaoh’s army came after them, the stakes suddenly turned and nothing seemed more important that simply staying alive. By God’s grace, a miracle occurred that opened the way before them and delivered them from their enemies.

So it is in any time, we can understand the love of God to guide us and lead us to His future for ourselves and our families and our community and our nation. The question is, will it take the urgency of danger, a certain threat, or a disastrous set of circumstances to get our attention away from lesser things to what ultimately matters most?

Jesus found many in his time eager to follow him out of their anxiety about where the next meal would come from, but not so interested in following him if it meant more from them than going after an easy source of food. At the same time, real sustenance for life was at the very heart of what Jesus offered -- sustaining strength and power to face whatever the world would bring. The times do come, when our heads are too often turned to “quick and easy and very temporary” interests rather than the eternal blessings of God.

The love of God and His indwelling Spirit can enable every one of us to face, as Kipling described -- “those two imposters,” “Triumph and Disaster.” Both have the capacity to overwhelm and defeat us if we forget the nature of real values that extend to the relationships with our neighbors and our Heavenly Father.

Checks and balances…ways of seeing things more clearly…are found in looking to Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. His actions, his words, his calling to each of us, sets the standard that is unmatched for discovering the true riches of life.

True Stories I Wish I Never Heard…God Forgive Them!

The lady who repeatedly goes to the recently divorced mother and always asks “Where are your children today?” Note: Divorced parents often share custodial time with their children, particularly on weekends and holidays. Don’t be so insensitive as to keep asking the same question when to explain it all over again is already painful to the parent and often just plain cruel.

The preschooler’s mother who sends emails to a dozen of her children’s former classmates informing them that her child is now in the “smart class” at preschool and theirs are in the “dumb class” because the classroom supply list for her child’s room says to bring a pencil….which obviously means that her class will do advanced work that the others won’t do because a pencil is not on their supply list. Note: Many teachers supply the pencils for their students. This mother obviously is not headed to the “brilliant class” herself.

A church usher asks the same man every week…”What is your name?” Note: The usher may have a really poor memory or he may be asking only out of habit and the fact that he never bothers to really listen to the answer. If you don’t want to learn the names, don’t bother asking.

A church member voices an opinion that a certain person should not join because they are not “in a position” to contribute to the church. Note: Material contributions are not the only contributions people make. We are called to be stewards of all our gifts and chances are the person that has few physical possessions may be a person of great faith and witness to the church based upon their trust in God. For example, note the widow who Jesus commended as she gave her very last small coins. Also, Jesus described himself as “not having a place to lay his head.” Would you exclude him?

A person loudly asserts all individuals of a certain nationality to be “lazy.” Note: Caricatures of people groups are never true representations and rarely truthful in their often demeaning identifications. The last time I checked “laziness” seemed equally represented in every people group I could think of.

To see children playing whose only word to express their anxiety, their excitement, their amazement, or pretty much any other emotion…is to take the name of the Lord in vain. Note: Children do not learn in a vacuum. From television “comics”, to talk show hosts, to “movie stars”, to popular musicians, we see this disconnect with honoring God and having a worshipful attitude in the use of His name. In this case, no one blames the children, yet it does make you wonder what they hear at home.

“And she wrapped the babe in swaddling clothes…”

More often than not, that particular detail of the birth narrative of Jesus made little impression on me. Yet, in that small matter of providing protective covering for this newborn, it dawned on me, just what a beautiful and significant act it was.

We live in a time of incredible availability of clothes. Most of our clothes are fashioned by designers and sold in marketplaces around the world, and manufactured in mass-production facilities providing duplicates of what we wear in hundreds of cities across the globe. From swaddling clothes, we have come a long way, baby!

Mary’s act of caring in wrapping her newborn in swaddling clothes was undoubtedly a task long anticipated. Knowing of her child’s approaching birth, for certain, preparations had been made for appropriate garments for her little one.

But in first century Bethlehem or Nazareth, there would not have been boutiques and malls to supply such needs. Instead, the preparations would be noted in much more humble forms. In certain days in our own nation’s history, a mother might have stitched together a simple garment from the flour sacks that she might have preserved and washed and fashioned carefully to meet the need of the day. For Mary, those swaddling clothes would no doubt have been humble garments, but perhaps the long worn, many times washed garments of her own that now would be soft and comforting, much more so than stiffer cloth of recent weaving.

Today’s acid washed, stone-washed, bleached and “worn” manufactured efforts would not have matched the soft and carefully prepared strips of cloth she selected for her precious newborn.

Mary gave to her child the makings of warmth and comfort and protection…the remnants of other garments, perhaps, but nonetheless, the best for this time and place.
I had in my closet a shirt, over worn, almost in tatters, but a shirt that when I put it on felt like the finest silk. It was delightful to wear, on any day, it felt good. Its long sleeves kept off a chill; its size was right, its extra thinned condition the evidence of much satisfaction in the wearing of it. I would not have parted with it, except as I sent my son off to college last year, I remembered he sometimes liked to wear some of my old shirts that I had “outgrown”… I handed him my favorite on a hanger.

That shirt has no doubt passed its prime and it is time for another, but when I think of Mary and the swaddling clothes…I think I understand exactly what she felt in her giving. And it made me think even more about how God felt about the giving of his own son…to us all.

Reflections of a Jet-lagged Pilgrim

I just returned from two weeks in the Holy Land. It was my “trip of a lifetime” experience to see these places and to learn about the diverse people of Israel. Places I have often read of now have “come alive” for me in a very special way. Scenes from the scriptures “replayed” before my eyes as I traveled in the countryside and climbed the hills of Galilee and Judea. The mountains around Jerusalem, the place of Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem, the communities that Jesus touched with his presence and ministry were amazing sights to see and remember.

I will also remember the message of Christ to a people who struggle against the same circumstances today. Today Jesus’ message to the poor, to the imprisoned, to the strangers within the gates, is a reminder that Christ’s message is for now! Our world’s tragic attachments to fear monopolized upon by political pundits from every corner creates a climate of conflict and suffering. The opportunity for peace will only become real peace when the hearts of individuals, families, and communities, begin to recognize the good news of hope in Christ’s love. Jesus preached repentance and forgiveness and showed grace and mercy to us all. It seems strange to me, thinking on these things, that the world would so strive in conflict in the face of the one who came to save us all.

Whether Baptist or Buddhist, whether Moslem or Jew, Jesus came with good news for us all. Fear not! Great Joy! God loves us and sent his son to save us. Believe and Receive! Christ is Lord of all.

21st Century Slavery

Documentation of a world wide plague of human trafficking on every continent should create in all of us a sense of righteous anger and zeal for stamping out the circumstances that allow for such in our generation. The buying and selling of human beings is being carried on in many forms…in an underworld of crime and drugs and prostitution…and in a very visible world of poverty, war, and disease. The exploiters are those who feed off of the brutal exploitation of children, forcing them into battle or drug peddling or fodder for the pornography industry and sex trade.

An estimated quarter of a million individuals in the United States are being held in some form of controlling and illegal bondage. Young women and children have been the most frequently victimized. Typically those from other countries are invited to take on work and then after entering the country, forced into environments where their credentials are taken away, their communication with family is cut off, and their identity hidden. They are in turn forced to participate in all kinds of illegal activity under the threat of death or being told that they will be beaten or maimed or in some other way intimidated into submission. The examples are many and the methods abominable.

It is time for the nations of the world to work together to bring an end to the stealing of children to force them to become child laborers or child soldiers in the armies of warlords and tyrants. It is time for the sick mentality of those who use children for profit to end. It is time for those who allow the exploitation of children to be named, blamed, and shamed for the crimes they perpetrate.

The O. T. prophets cried out for justice and righteousness in the land. When something else is the norm of the day, the very foundations of what we value as liberty will falter and fail. Lest we forget, the strength of a nation is revealed in how it treats its most vulnerable citizens. Likewise, the weak and the poor should not be condemned to death because of where they are born or because there are no voices to speak for them. Speak out…do what you can do…stop the apathy.

Why Some Preachers Hate Mother’s Day

The nature of Mother’s Day observances in churches is certainly diverse. One colleague in ministry describes it as an exercise in “keeping women in their place,” while others give flowers to the “most-fertile” mother and ascribe the day as set aside for sentimental journeys. Other ministers bemoan the unintentional “recognition” of the “youngest mother” who was an unmarried teen and others struggle to recognize the oldest mother who is unwilling to tell the truth about her age. Even in the early years following the designation of Mother’s Day as a national observance, those who had petitioned for it grieved the fact of their success because of its blatant commercialization.

Few days are as capable of stirring emotions as this one – and for all sorts of reasons. Inevitably every congregation has those women who are unable to conceive and have never known the opportunity of motherhood. Similarly there are those who have suffered the loss of a child, and perhaps their only child, and such a time brings a refocusing on their loss. Others recently lost their mothers to death and that grief causes them to in some cases seek an escape from those fresh tears.

Yes, all of us do have a biological mother; and many, if not most, were women who provided the care and love and encouragement that are so nobly understood to be the essential elements of Christian virtue and nurturing. Nonetheless, others have experienced far less than that kind of love, and in fact may have suffered at the hands of an abusive or violent matriarch. There are those children who were brought into the world drug-addicted and abandoned. There are those who were emotionally abandoned and ignored. There are those who were constantly reminded of their inadequacies and inabilities and never offered affirmation and praise. Such mothers rarely invoke the sentiments of joy that proper mothering should render.

At the same time there are those incredible women, who in the midst of every trial and circumstance, provide a place of comfort and strength and meaning that creates an environment in which children thrive and grow and mature. They are to be commended and thanked and praised for the good works that they do and we are to be grateful for their love and the many essential blessings they provide to our lives.

In these times of many choices, we see an increasing pattern of single mothers, giving birth to those who will never know a home that included a father and a mother. Others end their pregnancy for fear of the consequences of their choices. Some never are able to conceive again because of those choices and the grief is real that accompanies that recognition. Still others struggle in the midst of troubled families, caught in the pains of strife and anger and bitterness that too often describe the “life and times” of homes and families in need of hope and new beginnings.

Into such a mix of emotions come those ministers, often in their own souls struggling to face the onslaught of emotions and potential pain that might be created by uttering almost any word. Yet Christian ministers are called to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ…a gospel meant for a hurting world full of anxieties, troubles, and misplaced allegiances. This gospel is good news to the poor, forgiveness to every repentant heart, love unbounded and full of promise for new beginnings. This gospel of Jesus is fortunately an appropriate message and when it is the message, it is always to welcoming hearts. The truth is, without God’s help, none of us would have a prayer of getting through the day...any day... much less Mother’s Day.

Motives for Personal Ministry

Christian community finds its center in the common life-changing relationship we theologically refer to as the Kingdom of God. It is the rule and reign of Christ as Lord of our lives. It is the company of those called and committed to following Christ. Yet the community we call the church very often acts like it is on the verge of collapse, at the point of exhaustion, making last-gasp efforts in the face of unquestioned opportunities for ministry. What gives? If the church is the gifted and spirit-led community of faith…should we rethink and reconsider our practice of ministry? Could it be that we are working without direction, ignoring the spirit of God? Could it be that we have professionalized our ideas about ministry to the degree that we have forgotten the calling of every believer to service? The reality of few attempting the labors needing the many is a circumstance not unlike that noted by Jesus when he called for prayer that there may be more laborers in the harvest. Do we point to such realities as a symptom of limited faith or disinterest or a failure of organization and inspirational motivators? At the same time, there is the reality, that in many cultures, the church that follows Christ will endure conflict with the culture, and can be confronted with persecution and suffering for Jesus’ sake.

Personally, I have spent a lifetime in ministry and observing churches of many sizes and shapes. Young churches, old churches, small churches, large churches…but some things are evident in them all. The work that accomplishes the most for the kingdom of God is born out of personal devotion to God, a sense of divine calling and a utilization of divinely given gifts and spiritually directed endeavor. Very often that form of ministry receives little fanfare and is bound to a humility and compassion that seldom calls attention to itself. The nature of this relationship is exactly what can be described only as God working in persons who make themselves available to God and who in turn are sensitive and willing to respond in the face of God’s opportunities to them. I think those who act from such motives and influences are serving today and serving well, doing the things God has laid before them to do.

God still works His wonders among us, reminding us that it is not in our strength that we do His will, but in His. Yet there are many, even within the community of faith, who are missing the blessings of such service because of unconfessed sin, unwillingness to forgive, or because of their failure to make themselves available to God in a spirit of humility and genuine worship. If at places, the church appears to flounder, you can be assured it is not God who has broken his word, abandoned his truth, or denied his love. He waits for us to recognize his voice, and to follow Him who leads us to life abundant. We are called to follow Christ…it is a call to a new life…born from above… for the glory of God. Such a relationship is gifted with divine blessings …every day and forever.

Aromatherapy

The power of the nose! Some say we can differentiate between 10,000 odors -- so distinct are the sensory capacities to isolate specific odors. If perfumers are any indicator, the industry for smell-production is astronomical. It is interesting to note that most of the early perfumers were doing their best to mask odors due to limited soap and water resources. Nonetheless, smell is in…even in theological circles. There is strong encouragement that our sensory experiences have gone lacking and that worship should incorporate more of our capacities to attach meaning and memory to the smell of our worship.

Yes, there are those wonderful odorous memories, perhaps far removed from the ancient sacrifices and incense burning…but they are a part of the memory of worship…that electric light bulb burning smell from too many lights on the sanctuary Christmas decorations and the wiring starting to overheat. Then there is the smell of the burning carpet when the candle wax dripped too fast under the air-conditioning duct. There is of course the smell of that dear older lady who offers sweet smelling hugs to everyone who comes within her arms reach. And there is that smell of the new Sunday School quarterlies that makes you sneeze sometimes. Then there is the smell of the Easter lilies that causes the preacher’s eyes to water and the smell of the baptistery when it heats up with warmed baptismal water. There is the smell of the grape juice at the Lord’s Supper and the smell of the hymnbooks (when they are new). There is the smell of the choir robe that has been worn too many times between dry cleanings. There is the smell of hair burning when someone gets too close to someone else during the candlelight service. Yes, the smells of worship and the church continue to remind us of wonderful and memorable times of worship.

And then there is the smell of welcome, and the smell of praise, and the smell of laughter and love and hope. There is the smell that is the sweet fragrance of mercy and grace and good news. There is the smell of time standing still in the awareness of the holy presence of God. There is the smell of a dream and a revelation, a truth and a promise. There is the smell of God with us and the smell of testimony and witness and life abundant. These smells are there too in this gathering we call church. And indeed such smells are healing and life-giving and glorious.

An Educated Faithful?

Paul’s admonished Timothy to “study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” 2 Tim. 2:15. It seems that there is a growing call for religious people to come out of their state of ignorance regarding the scriptures and the major religious traditions of the world and to aspire to a greater understanding of holy texts and its content.

A Boston University religious studies professor cites a quiz of his students regarding simple facts from general religious knowledge. He asked students to list the four Gospels, to name Roman Catholicism’s seven sacraments, and the Ten Commandments. He also asked them to name the holy book of Islam. Over the past two years fewer than 17% of his students could pass the quiz. He cites a Hindu student who could not name one Hindu scripture, a Baptist student that did not recognize “Blessed are the poor in spirit” as a bible quotation, and a Catholic student unfamiliar with the golden rule.

While many suggest there is a serious lack of cultural literacy in terms of knowledge, religious illiteracy is perhaps even greater and possibly more dangerous. When we make assumptions about religion from ignorance, we generate the possibilities of grave misunderstanding, serious misuse of religious texts, and ultimately a disaster in terms of application. If most American adults, as recent polls indicate cannot name even one of the four Gospels, we have a serious information gap to overcome. If we expect those who share in our culture to understand the meaning of much of the Bible and in fact they don’t, then vast aspects of communication are meaningless or grossly subject to misrepresentation. Religious ignorance plays havoc with public policy, ethics, law, and is linked to all types of general knowledge from literature, history, sociology, and science.

Interestingly, more and more thinkers of our time are suggesting we do a better job of teaching religion in public life. Attempts to be religiously neutral in public education have been misapplications of law against state mandated religious practices. Religion is a key element of our shared experience in every generation. To discount or neglect its study is to create gross ignorance that tragically affects our capacities for relationship on many levels. Religious literacy is well-advised for an educated people.
The capacities of our culture to derive meaning and to share experiences of faith through religious study will likely be documented, but to ignore religion is to ignore our minds necessity for responding to the human condition with the perspective of the divine that so addresses the needs of our time.

For Christians, perhaps we should remind ourselves that Christian devotion should include our minds engagement and our willingness to study and learn and teach. We should not forget the reminders of Jesus to instruct others in all the things he taught us. We have a new opportunity to relate biblical knowledge in a positive and influential way. Let’s encourage the possibilities, for the sake of world that needs to know who Jesus is.

Worship

Whether or not we ever understand the reason for worship, the human spirit craves the gift of Otherness and the capacity to find in transcendent relationship the center for life and understanding of our purpose. For myself, I find that best fulfilled in the Christian tradition of faith and practice in relationship to God. The context for my worship lies in a commitment to the enterprise of knowing God, not in universal capacities to humanize the divine, but in the awareness of divine initiative toward me. That initiative has been transforming, life-changing, and indeed personal. God has entered into my history with His story. In doing so, He has helped me to define and understand my story.

Worship is response. It is the response to truth revealed. It is the response to love made intimate in the personality of Christ. It is response to the experience of grace and forgiveness. It is a respect and an attitude. Worship is a confessing heart, open to God, seeking and centered upon Christ’s way. Worship reflects our aims and intentions. It defines our obedience and our struggles with sin. Worship takes form and shape first in the heart and mind of the believer. Public or private, our worship focus requires the spirit of truth in relating honestly and openly to God. Worship is sharing as well. Worship is sharing witness to trust and giving testimony to God’s actions and mighty works.

The church takes up the practice of worship as central to its form and substance. The worshipping church is the center-point for the Christian community’s definition of itself in modern times. At the same time, worship can be mistakenly preempted by a failure of the gathered community to engage in that aspect of personal as well as corporate participation in acknowledging and seeking God’s way.

Modern discussions regarding worship too often become wordplays upon gadgetry and modalities of participatory style. The “new thing” sought by God is the heart of faith, acting in trust and obedience toward the Almighty. Worship, as referenced in Romans 12:1-2, is a “presentation” of ourselves as “living sacrifices” unto God. The physical patterns of modalities attached to that proposition pale in significance to the key matters of conviction and trust.

In similar fashion, worship practices that carry marks of tradition associated with a wide variety of denominational and historical and geographic and cultural significance must knowingly acknowledge the basis for such “developments” in context and embrace them to the degree that they allow for communication to a people in need of a cultural translation of the gospel that faithfully calls for faith in ways that do not diminish or destroy the character and nature of divine revelation and the basis for taking such a message of good news to the world. As each of us experience and exercise our faith toward God –let us always remember that He is forever worthy of worship.

Donkeys and Crosses

Easter week is too often filled with a delirious mix of confusing imagery. These days we see Easter bunnies, Easter egg trees, and green plastic “basket” grass as the symbols of the season more frequently than we reflect on the cross and the open tomb.

It is hard for Sunday School teachers to crack open eggs and attempt to relate a connection to the empty tomb. Everyone wants something to be in their egg. Especially some form of something sweet. The trouble we have with Holy Week is the abandonment of the story of Christ’s passion in the first place. Easter Sunday gets all the hype to the neglect of the events that led up to it.

For some reason, I think it would do us well to get back to some of the other images of that week to remind ourselves where we probably fit in the most. When Jesus rode into town on that little donkey, it wasn’t the kind of entry many were supposing would come. Why isn’t Jesus mounted on a white horse?…that would seem to be far more appropriate in our minds. We want the symbol of battle, or power, or authority. Yet Jesus came on a donkey. I have a friend with one of those humble beasts. That donkey has two front legs that look knobby kneed and planted firmly side by side, with its rear legs planted slightly apart as if just waiting for the load it would so ably carry. I think of Jesus riding that donkey…Jesus, who would have his arms stretched wide to receive the nails in his hands and then his knees bent and turned to nail his feet together on a cross….there bearing such a load – the sins of the world. Donkeys may understand more about bearing such a load than we would ever begin to consider.

Crosses are not the subject of pleasantries…but the cross is the symbol of discipleship for those who will follow Jesus. It is a symbol of sacrifice and of hope and of forgiveness and of promise. And like many of those early disciples, when the cross came into view it was more a reason to run than to remain. Perhaps running away from the cross is still the pattern. Perhaps the idea of sacrifice is just a little too uncomfortable. But getting to the Resurrection we would do well not to bypass the humble reminders of service and humiliation, of sacrifice and dying. For in dying for us, Jesus made known the love of God in ways more powerful than any king or ruler’s army. Jesus died to save us. He laid down his life for us. And in the power of God’s glory, he took up that life again…to proclaim good news for all who will receive it and follow Him.

The Power of a Holy Life

Piety seldom gets attention these days. Some don’t really have a sense of what it means. As a culture, we find religious practice and discipleship increasingly secularized to reject personal and corporate piety as insignificant. Modalities of religious experience that reflect this include the mass cult-styled events, where religious behaviors are called to mimic the cultural responses of the age. We make noise to avoid the silence. We interrupt sharing a message in order to substitute a cacophony of sound that avoids allowing the message to be heard. We connect with the beat of our rhythms and social customs, but often refuse to bow before the Lord our God. We enter into conversation using every known appliance for communication, but do not speak of God or his love or his grace.

Perhaps the time has come for retraining ourselves in the way of those who found listening to God as important as shouting at him or suggestions. Bible literacy has fallen to new lows in the face of ever-rising sales of bibles aimed to appeal based on color matched leathers and magazine style illustrations and pop theologians’ cliché’s mixed in. Publishers and editors far too frequently reinvent the scriptures under a “marketing scheme” rather than to emphasize a respect for content and understanding. Different versions are called to appeal to the political statements of the time rather than the witness of divine revelation. We cast about using the bible as the proof text for our pre-stated prejudices and ignore its invitation to transformation in the power of Christ Jesus our Lord.

A holy life is a life attentive to God…it is a life yielded to God’s purpose and leading…it is a life of shared experience with Christ. It is a life of fullness and joy, purpose and direction, truth and justice and bold expression of faith in the face of every challenge to substitute the lesser for the greatest gift of all, life in Christ.

If yours is not a holy life, consider the mess you are in…heading down a road you already know leads to the wrong destination. Entrust your heart and mind and soul to the one who came to save you. His righteousness will sustain you and change you, for the glory of God.

Holy Interruptions

The Psalmist reminds us that “the heavens declare the glory of God.” We don’t have to look far to find a witness of God’s incredible gifts to all of us. The magnificent pallet of color seen in an evening sunset, the glorious beauty of trees bursting with spring flowers…everywhere we turn, the presence of God’s work is evident. What is often missing is our attention to the giver. What is often missing is our thanksgiving and praise to the one who has provided us with such a blessing of beauty and wonder. God has allowed us all at some time or another to become startled into awareness of his mighty acts; and in doing so, we have opportunity for honoring Him. Acknowledge the holy interruptions of your day with prayer and praise and public expressions of “blessed be the name of the Lord.” He is worthy of worship and praise and our wonder and awe in the presence of his glory.

With God

Life is always interesting; and many days quite challenging, but I find an incredible assurance in the relationship that God has invited me to share with Him.
To live with God each day is to recognize His daily gifts. Taking stock of God’s blessings is an opportunity to spend every minute of every day for the rest of my life expressing thanks. God has shown us in Jesus Christ a way of living that distinguishes those who follow Him in ways that bring glory to God. Jesus teaches us the most amazing truths that apply to every generation of believers. Learning from him is to be constantly shown opportunities for positive directions and actions. Jesus reminds us that to follow him is to put God’s way first. To follow in that path, Jesus said meant taking up a cross, denying self, and following daily. It meant to face the world’s standards and to recognize them as sub-standard to the divine initiative being shown toward us in God’s love. To follow Jesus means learning the characteristics of Christ and embracing them as our lifestyle. It is not the action of the disinterested experimenter; it is the action of faith, trusting God, and walking with Him. To live with God is to know a relationship that will not fail. To live with God is to know His presence and His provision. To live with God is to understand that the love of God is what secures our place with Him. With God, life is abundant and filled with joy forever.

The Popularity of a Popular Message

The role of the Old Testament prophet was often a difficult one. Many times the message they were called to bring was poorly received by the multitudes of their day. At times the message was confrontational, and precipitated a violent reaction from those who rejected it. At other times, it was well illustrated, clearly understood, but ignored in light of the “good times” being celebrated. Repeatedly, such events were followed by the painful result of rejecting the word of the Lord.

Today, we find the multitudes uninspired by prophetic voices. The preference is for those who espouse an “easy to hear” message. Lost are the warnings and implications of sin, instead replaced with the welcomed invitations to double prosperity and worldly success. Multitudes flock to the stadiums of “happiness” to be inspired by corny jokes, bumper sticker platitudes and affirmations of desires to get something for nothing, to find prosperity as the aim for life apart from any talk that includes Christ’s call for repentance, service, commitment, and sacrifice. Such pulpits to not proclaim Christ crucified, buried, and resurrected…instead they call for investment, instant success, and wealth.

Today, biblical illiteracy is at an all time high, in the pew and in the culture at large. People take Ben Franklin’s quotes as “scripture” and “take the language of scripture and adapt it to the latest advertising campaigns” We are told to find our “sole” in the shoe department; to have faith in our used car salesman; to wear diamonds that are “forever,” and to discover our “security” in the latest home protection company.

While the Psalmist reasonably asks “Why do the nations rage?”(Psalm 2); we find our nation of prosperity being ever linked as the initiator of conflict in a world that longs for peace. It is time to listen to the prophets again. To ignore their truth-bearing witness is to fall prey to the political machines, the manipulating marketers, and the sin which will always bring its consequences.

Peoples across the globe are engaged in cultures of conflict that will only be transformed in the power of Christ to bring a new mind and heart for God and for others, instructed by His word. Justice must move from the courthouse mandate to the common life of every believer. Truth must not be heralded as an ambiguous compromise of vague never-to-be-known values, but must be centered in the heart of God by hearts of men and women and children turned to God for guidance. Our unpeaceful world longs for God’s peace. The common lack of civility and the bloodlust for power seen in so many corners of the world can only be changed by the power of God at work in and through his people.

The voices of the prophets are called to remain faithful “in season and out.” The truth of their message will always come to light in the testimony of history bearing witness to God’s faithful revelation. As Jesus said, “Those with ears to hear, let them hear.”

Baptism

Baptism is the rite of Christian initiation. It is a public witness, giving testimony to the commitment of one’s life in faith to Jesus Christ as Lord. In the history of Christianity, baptism has been the act that noted the identity of a believing Christian with the community of believers. Early Christian converts were noted as being baptized by immersion and in baptism expressing their intention to renounce sin and turn to Christ. In other words, baptism was a public affirmation of personal repentance and faith. Later, some Christian bodies implemented a pattern of baptizing infants. This was encouraged under the pretext that baptism was necessary for salvation, and thus important to have carried out in the event of an early death. Thus, infants were frequently baptized, long before the capacity for their own understanding of personal commitment to Christ. Later “confirmations” or “adult confession” was added to the earlier event as a connection to clearly identify Christian discipleship. With infant baptism came the adoption of baptismal practice with less water. While the Greek Orthodox community retained immersion, even of infants, the Roman Catholic Church adopted only a marking of the infant with water sprinkled and did the same for adult converts. Other communities of Christians have adopted variations of sprinkling, pouring, or “christening,” and some offer immersion as an “optional form.”

Baptists have largely held to a practice of “believer’s baptism” on the basis of practice as noted in the New Testament. Baptism is carried out in conjunction with or following one’s coming to faith. That expression of baptism then is believer’s baptism by immersion. The New Testament Greek word for baptism means “to immerse” as was clearly the practice of early believers.

Baptists do not believe that baptism is a necessity for salvation. We believe that while baptism is a witness of Christian faith and a testimony to one’s new life in Christ, its importance lies in the clear sense of new beginnings that come with one’s decision to follow Jesus, who himself was baptized and said it is “proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” (See Matthew 3:13-17)

Baptism allows us to give public witness to our faith. It allows us to identify with Jesus in both his baptism and his resurrection. It is an act of obedience. Today, there are some Baptist churches that welcome professing Christians who have not been immersed, but which have given testimony to their prior baptism and public commitment to faith in Jesus Christ. Other Baptist church’s request individuals requesting membership be “rebaptized” if they were not believers when they were first baptized or if they were not baptized by immersion.

As I said before, Baptists do not go so far as to suggest that baptism is necessary for salvation; we can turn to the circumstances of the thief on the cross (See Luke 23:39-43) and recognize that the promise of being with Jesus in Paradise was certainly the clear promise for his future, though no opportunity of baptism before death was possible.

In similar fashion, Baptists likewise hold to the assurance of God’s grace for those who are not yet able in maturity or mental capacity to acknowledge Christ in faith. Infants and children are blessed by Christ and loved by him and welcomed by him. When one reaches an age of understanding and is aware of the Holy Spirit’s leading in regard to repentance and faith, then it is the appropriate time to publicly declare one’s faith and commitment to Christ, and in turn to be baptized and to share evidence of that testimony of faith in the daily actions and responses of following Jesus.

Those with Ears to Hear…

The polls are in…25% of Christians think 2007 may be the year of Christ’s return. It is no wonder people think the Lord may come this year…in light of the news of the day. Wars and rumors of wars…Iraq suffers greatest attacks of the war, hundreds killed and wounded in a marketplace when a truck carrying thousands of pounds of explosives was detonated.

The morning news had a lot more than the Super Bowl scores to report: While New Orleans struggles to make even minor progress in rebuilding, word comes that devastating wildfires are destroying large areas of Australia, which is suffering a severe drought. At the same time, the Midwest states and Mountain States are suffering with intense cold, winter blizzards of unusual frequency, white-out conditions that have closed major highways and winds that have literally blown vehicles off the road. During the same weekend, central Florida has been hit with a series of tornados that have left four counties reeling from the destruction. On the other side of the planet, people in the city of Jakarta, Indonesia are flooded out from torrential rains and more coming with thousands displaced, water, electricity, and telephone services cut off.

Whether you identify with these “signs of the times” or not, will we consider the words of Jesus that remind us to prepare daily for His coming…for understanding that now is the time for salvation…through trust in Him? Will we listen to Him who encouraged us to fear not, but to trust Him and to follow Him? He called us to learn from Him. If hearing the teaching of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount and responding to its truths does not help the world, nothing will.

Will we join in helping our neighbors, or pretend our neighbor is no further than our sight? Will we read of the homeless in our own town and ignore the needs of the multitudes dying of hunger and disease a few hours flying time away? Will we examine our stewardship of resources in a new light and consider our personal responsibilities as stewards of creation? Will we join in fighting the battles against disease and poverty as earnestly as we call for ideas and creativity in meeting the demand for newer technology and better safety nets for our own comfort?

Jesus said that we won’t know the day or the hour of His coming, but He did say to be ready. That’s a word for all of us…today!

Balance

It takes a lot more “horse-sense” than most horses have to overcome the kinds of injuries suffered by last year’s Kentucky Derby winner. Despite heroic efforts on the part of veterinarians and the horse’s owners, the decision was made to euthanize the horse because of extensive and recurring complications.

Thoroughbreds are amazing to watch at full speed. Some say they shouldn’t be able to run at all considering the pressure put on their limbs. The years I lived in Kentucky brought a somewhat close association with the “neighborhood” of Kentucky Derby activity.

Many injured horses are immediately euthanized because the problems with recovery are overwhelming and costly due to the persisting complications brought about by imbalance. The inability of a horse to maintain a balanced load on its limbs creates multiple problems for the animal. Injured limbs can be almost impossible to heal because of the pressure on the other limbs being overstressed. Suddenly more than one limb becomes compromised and circumstances go from bad to worse.

Humans who fail to exercise good “horse-sense” often fail to maintain balance in their lives. Balance is needed in many dimensions of life. A relentless pursuit of material gain may provoke a person to work long and hard, but if ultimately they ruin their health, neglect their family, and ignore acknowledging their Lord, the consequences will be anything but desirable. A focus of faith that helps us to relate positively to family and friends is important for achieving balanced living. That doesn’t undermine passion, or determination, or drive, but enhances it. To live a life that acknowledges with thanksgiving God’s blessings each day and to share that joy with one’s family, friends, and neighbors, is to achieve a great measure of success for which many, looking back at their lives, could only wish they might achieve. It starts with balance, and that just makes good horse-sense.

The Joy of the LORD is Your Strength

The discovery of joy is often found in the experience of repentance. The turning from sin and the turning to God that marks the conscious decision of a repentant heart is the place from which God can begin to work to bring us joy.

Whether we read of joy in the O.T., as in the book of Nehemiah, the eighth chapter, when people discovered in God’s law their call to relationship and obedience to God or in Paul’s words to the Philippians reminding them that joy was at the heart of every expression of worship in spite of the obstacles and distractions of the world--We rejoice in the Lord! We celebrate the gift of a relationship with Almighty God! We mark our joy in the midst of remembering the provision God has made for us through Jesus Christ.

Jesus said, “If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love; just as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:10-11 NRSV)

Jesus’ commands inspire us, allow us, and enable us to love one another. His commands “keep us from stumbling” and “guide us into all truth” as we are led by the Spirit of God to glorify Him and to prepare us for that day when we will see Christ and our hearts will rejoice. The promise is…no one will take your joy from you…when your joy is the Lord who brings you life everlasting.

Jesus describes our experiences as those like a woman in labor, who in one minute is in pain, but when the child is born, delights with joy. As we turn to Christ, our joy will be full…complete…and the continuing reason for our worship and praise to God.

Trouble Enough

Jesus said, “So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:34)

He shared those words after reminding us that our Heavenly Father knows about our needs and will supply them as we remember to “strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness.”

I almost think Jesus was smiling as he finished speaking about this subject with those words reminding us that one day’s trouble is enough for one day. Too often we “load up” mentally and emotionally trying to cover all our concerns about tomorrow – fretting about things we as yet have no capacity to handle. Living in the present, in the moment, in the context of what we can change and act upon is our challenge. So much of our anxiety is not about the things we truly have to deal with but the things beyond that. Jesus reminds us to let them go…worrying about tomorrow is utterly useless. It doesn’t benefit us in any way, it accomplishes nothing, and often it is detrimental to our overall health and well-being. Let tomorrow be handled tomorrow. Do today what you can do.

Do today what you know is in your capacity to accomplish or at least to begin to accomplish. Set the goal for today. Set your mind and heart and life to the living -- now. It is where you can hear Jesus’ words and smile with him. “Today’s trouble is enough.” AMEN.

FOR THOSE WHO NEED HELP

Psalm 124:8 “Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.”


My desk at this New Year’s dawn is in need of “spring cleaning.” The reality is I feel a bit intimidated by the daunting task of reconnecting with so many appeals for help that are represented by the mass of paper sitting before me. A great deal of good was accomplished last year, and many commitments were fulfilled in terms of ministry and service and resources directed to meet needs. But the needs are almost immeasurably great. At times I would like to disengage from them. But then I remember the words of Jesus…”as you did it to one of the least of these…you did it to me” and the more intimidating reminder…”as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.” (See Matt. 25:31-46)

So here I write, remembering and praying for those needs to be met…
remembering that God is at work to awaken in many the recognition of His work to be done in this world. So to the teenagers who needed funds to rebuild homes in Louisiana; to Habitat for Humanity, appealing for funds for nails and roofs and timber to build affordable homes for deserving working families; to World Hunger ministries seeking to feed the dying in many lands; to the friends ministering to refugees in war-torn lands of conflict; to those carrying the Gospel to unreached people groups; to those in search of means to gain an education in preparation for Christian ministry; to those buying women out of sexual slavery and teaching them skills by which they can earn a living; to those who are separated from family and friends while serving on military assignments far away; for those who sacrifice daily to share the good news of Jesus….you and many others are all in my prayers, in my heart, in my mind…in my petitions to God for your blessing and encouragement and enablement to do those things which will ever bring glory to God.

It is a New Year. Every day is a new day for sharing the love of Jesus Christ in all the ways we can, to all the people we can, with all the means we have, for as long as God sustains us in his mercy to serve Him in this world.

“Our help is in the name of the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.” AMEN