My Christmas season got off to a great start last night. I attended a concert by the combined choirs of Middletown Christian Church, that included folks from The Valley campus. It was wonderful. I love the focus on traditional carols that were done beautifully. I always thought "O Holy Night" was my favorite carol, but I've come to hear others that do my heart good. They include "The First Noel," and "Angels We Have Heard on High." Then there is also the beauty in the simplicity of "Silent Night." I can't hear that song without having a picture of candles raised near midnight on Christmas Eve and the voices of the church raised in holy worship of the newborn Son of God.
Yes, Christmas is coming and my heart is ready for it.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Are You Sure You Want to Hit "Send?"
Sometimes you have to stop yourself from hitting the "send" button when you write things that will be seen on the Internet. Last week I was feeling overwhelmed and defeated and looking for someone to join my in a pity party. For some reason I thought Facebook was the place to post the emotions that were flowing through me. I was quite eloquent and self-righteous at the same time. Then I read what I wrote for a third time and then I realize just exactly where this was going to be read. I immediately hit the delete button. There is a time and place for everything, this was neither. I'm glad I didn't hit "send." In the days that followed my near meltdown I had some new insights into the situation that was about to send me over the edge. These insights were hidden by my anger and frustration. Sometimes anger and frustration blind us to what needs to be seen and understood. Hitting the send button would not have improved the situation...and could have made it much worse.
In Matthew 15 Jesus tells a crowd of people, "It's not what goes into the mouth that contaminates a person in God's sight. It's what comes out of the mouth that contaminates the person." He goes on to say a little later, "Don't you know that everything that goes into the mouth enters the stomach and goes out into the sewer? But what goes out of the mouth comes from the heart. And that's what contaminates a person in God's sight."
What comes out of our mouths not only contaminates the person, but it can also damage those to whom words are directed and even the innocent who are part of the collateral damage done. We have the ability to damage ourselves and so many others when our mouths go unchecked. Before we speak we need to make sure whether or not we want to hit the "send" button. We may not want to, but quite often the better button to his is "delete."
In Matthew 15 Jesus tells a crowd of people, "It's not what goes into the mouth that contaminates a person in God's sight. It's what comes out of the mouth that contaminates the person." He goes on to say a little later, "Don't you know that everything that goes into the mouth enters the stomach and goes out into the sewer? But what goes out of the mouth comes from the heart. And that's what contaminates a person in God's sight."
What comes out of our mouths not only contaminates the person, but it can also damage those to whom words are directed and even the innocent who are part of the collateral damage done. We have the ability to damage ourselves and so many others when our mouths go unchecked. Before we speak we need to make sure whether or not we want to hit the "send" button. We may not want to, but quite often the better button to his is "delete."
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Brought to My Knees
When I survery the wondrous cross on which the Prince of glory died,
my richest gain i county but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ, my God;
all the vain things that charm me most I sacrifice them to his blood.
See, from his head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small;
love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.
These words were written in 1707 by Isaac Watts. 304 years later they brought me to my knees when I heard them again in a contemporary song from 2003. The image of sorrow and love mingling down in the blood shed by Christ for me, for you, for the world is an image that shatters my heart and shakes me from the shackles the world would place on my soul. Why would God do such a thing? Why would Jesus submit to such cruelty? Why would I chase after the vain things of the world when so much has been done for me for such a greater good? On my knees I confess I am a sinner in need of a Savior, a Savior who loved me so much He allowed His sorrow over my sins and his love of my soul to mingle with His blood. In this life I will never fully comprehend what was done for me.
Love so amazing so divine demands my soul, my life, my all.
my richest gain i county but loss, and pour contempt on all my pride.
Forbid it Lord, that I should boast, save in the death of Christ, my God;
all the vain things that charm me most I sacrifice them to his blood.
See, from his head, his hands, his feet, sorrow and love flow mingled down!
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet, or thorns compose so rich a crown?
Were the whole realm of nature mine, that were a present far too small;
love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all.
These words were written in 1707 by Isaac Watts. 304 years later they brought me to my knees when I heard them again in a contemporary song from 2003. The image of sorrow and love mingling down in the blood shed by Christ for me, for you, for the world is an image that shatters my heart and shakes me from the shackles the world would place on my soul. Why would God do such a thing? Why would Jesus submit to such cruelty? Why would I chase after the vain things of the world when so much has been done for me for such a greater good? On my knees I confess I am a sinner in need of a Savior, a Savior who loved me so much He allowed His sorrow over my sins and his love of my soul to mingle with His blood. In this life I will never fully comprehend what was done for me.
Love so amazing so divine demands my soul, my life, my all.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
Civil War 2.0
I've written about this before but I'm more convinced than ever that while I am very happy to live in such a prosperous country, we are a nation that is teetering on the brink of a 2nd civil war. No, I don't think there will be armies at war with each other between regions or states, but we are a deeply divided country that has little tolerance for anyone who isn't a part of the far left or far right politically, theologically, or even patriotically. At times we've taken the slogan, "America, love it or leave it," to the extreme. Those who do not align with the tea party are deemed a threat to the American way of life (a way of life they define for themselves and everyone else) while those on the extreme left believe those on the right support tyranny. There is no room for middle ground which is why our government is so divided. There is no room for compromise, which is why our nation is in economic peril. I see this coming to life in a recent report that the economic disparity in America between whites and blacks continues to expand. It is because our nation tends to favor the haves over the have nots, the haves can influence legislation while the have nots can only look from the outside in. How long will it be before the have nots decide they will take what has been withheld from them.
The same philosophy seems to have invaded our churches. The division is between fundamentalists and liberals, those who say every letter of every word is infalible to those who believe the Bible is a collection of writings about a divine being. Those who are somewhere between those views are becoming fewer and fewer. The middle ground is disappearing. Why?
And it seems we are divided about what it means to be a patriot. Growing up in the 1950's and 60's I remember being proud to be an American. Let me explain that. I was proud because I wasn't Mexican, I wasn't French, I wasn't Russian, or I wasn't some other nationality. I was proud because I was told how much better it was to be American. The message that was sent and that I received was that I was better than other people in the world simply by reason of my place of birth. Later in life I began to see how arrogant I had become about my nationality.
I think this really came to the forefront in my mind during a church youth group meeting when I was an adult leader. We were talking about how much of the world doesn't have clean drinking water while we in America take it for granted and seldom try to conserve water. One of the kids said, "Why should we (Americans) worry about other people's water. We're smarter than they are or they would have clean water too. If they were smart like us they wouldn't live like they do." My heart broke when I heard that. The youth was only parroting what he had heard at home and elsewhere. I love this country, but I am not blind to its faults.
So we are a nation at odds with each other. At times I believe we literally believe that we are at war with anyone who doesn't agree with our political, theological, or patriotic point of view. We have started to see ourselves as enemies. A next door neighbor, a liberal, is not to be trusted. A co-worker, an evangelical fundamentalist, wants everyone brainwashed. A family member believes his version of America is the only way. All who disagree are enemies. If this is true then we are fighting Civil War 2.0.
I don't know where this will lead us. Maybe the destructive tendencies we have will lead us to a new and better world...but it won't happen until we start to listen to other people instead of doing all the talking.
The same philosophy seems to have invaded our churches. The division is between fundamentalists and liberals, those who say every letter of every word is infalible to those who believe the Bible is a collection of writings about a divine being. Those who are somewhere between those views are becoming fewer and fewer. The middle ground is disappearing. Why?
And it seems we are divided about what it means to be a patriot. Growing up in the 1950's and 60's I remember being proud to be an American. Let me explain that. I was proud because I wasn't Mexican, I wasn't French, I wasn't Russian, or I wasn't some other nationality. I was proud because I was told how much better it was to be American. The message that was sent and that I received was that I was better than other people in the world simply by reason of my place of birth. Later in life I began to see how arrogant I had become about my nationality.
I think this really came to the forefront in my mind during a church youth group meeting when I was an adult leader. We were talking about how much of the world doesn't have clean drinking water while we in America take it for granted and seldom try to conserve water. One of the kids said, "Why should we (Americans) worry about other people's water. We're smarter than they are or they would have clean water too. If they were smart like us they wouldn't live like they do." My heart broke when I heard that. The youth was only parroting what he had heard at home and elsewhere. I love this country, but I am not blind to its faults.
So we are a nation at odds with each other. At times I believe we literally believe that we are at war with anyone who doesn't agree with our political, theological, or patriotic point of view. We have started to see ourselves as enemies. A next door neighbor, a liberal, is not to be trusted. A co-worker, an evangelical fundamentalist, wants everyone brainwashed. A family member believes his version of America is the only way. All who disagree are enemies. If this is true then we are fighting Civil War 2.0.
I don't know where this will lead us. Maybe the destructive tendencies we have will lead us to a new and better world...but it won't happen until we start to listen to other people instead of doing all the talking.
Monday, July 25, 2011
I am reading John Ortberg's "The Me I Want to Be." Its a fairly easy read but Ortberg, a Presbyterian pastor in Menlo Park, CA, always has a way of saying things that catch my attention and cause me to think a little deeper. At the conclusion of chapter 2 he writes, "Jesus once said that with God, all things are possible, and the great thing about life with God is that your next step is always possible. That step toward God is always waiting, no matter what you have done or how you messed up your life."
I meet and talk with people who have the very stated position that God could never love them or accept them because they have messed up too often and too deeply. They are convinced that a loving God doesn't have enough mercy and forgiveness to ever offer it to them. While they point the finger at God's inability to forgive I think the real issue is quite often our own inability to accept forgiveness and mercy. Some of the folks I talk with say they want out of their problems but they aren't willing to do what it takes to overcome them, so they find ways of being content in their misery. This breaks my heart and I know it breaks the heart of God whom I believe calls out to them to accept his love and his deep desire for their lives to be better.
A better life is what we all want. If I want a better life then I must first decide I no longer want the life I am currently living and begin to change the way I am living and the way I make decisions, even little ones. This is called transformation. Its about change. Possibly the hardest part about change is that we have too tight a grip on our past and are unwilling to let go of it because the future is at best uncertain. But with God our future is not uncertain, accept God's forgiveness and mercy and we can begin to experience life to the fullest.
It begins when you and I make the decision to change who we are into what God calls us to become.
I meet and talk with people who have the very stated position that God could never love them or accept them because they have messed up too often and too deeply. They are convinced that a loving God doesn't have enough mercy and forgiveness to ever offer it to them. While they point the finger at God's inability to forgive I think the real issue is quite often our own inability to accept forgiveness and mercy. Some of the folks I talk with say they want out of their problems but they aren't willing to do what it takes to overcome them, so they find ways of being content in their misery. This breaks my heart and I know it breaks the heart of God whom I believe calls out to them to accept his love and his deep desire for their lives to be better.
A better life is what we all want. If I want a better life then I must first decide I no longer want the life I am currently living and begin to change the way I am living and the way I make decisions, even little ones. This is called transformation. Its about change. Possibly the hardest part about change is that we have too tight a grip on our past and are unwilling to let go of it because the future is at best uncertain. But with God our future is not uncertain, accept God's forgiveness and mercy and we can begin to experience life to the fullest.
It begins when you and I make the decision to change who we are into what God calls us to become.
Monday, May 23, 2011
The End of the World
Well, it seems we're all still here. The end was supposed to have occured on May 21st at 6pm, at least according to a man who said he had "done the math" on the dates he lifted from the Bible. This man caused two things to happen (probably more but two I'm willing to write about). First, people in our churches actually got out their Bibles to see what is written about the "end of times," and at least at The Valley there was some real discussion about what that means and what the scriptures tell us.
Second, this claim brought untold ridicule upon the church. Why is it that some religious zealots believe they can outwit God? What is their point? Aren't there bigger issues we need to wrestle with than the "end of the world." I heard more about people planning "end of the world" parties than much of anything else. Unfortunately, there will be many who will use this incident as grounds for not believing anything the church has to say about life, in particular their life.
With these "religious leaders" who claim to know when the end will come I'm afraid it will cause non-believers to see us as crying wolf. They won't believe there is any real reason for them to consider placing their faith in God and becoming a follower of Jesus.
Yes, I was among some of the people who were making sport of this "end of the world" claim. I had to make light of it, especially among non-believers, in hopes of letting them know that this claim was not a claim supported by scripture or the faith I proclaim.
And, O by the way, we get to do this again next year. 2012 is when the Myans say the world comes to an end...at least we can blame that on an ancient people. Unless they're right!
Second, this claim brought untold ridicule upon the church. Why is it that some religious zealots believe they can outwit God? What is their point? Aren't there bigger issues we need to wrestle with than the "end of the world." I heard more about people planning "end of the world" parties than much of anything else. Unfortunately, there will be many who will use this incident as grounds for not believing anything the church has to say about life, in particular their life.
With these "religious leaders" who claim to know when the end will come I'm afraid it will cause non-believers to see us as crying wolf. They won't believe there is any real reason for them to consider placing their faith in God and becoming a follower of Jesus.
Yes, I was among some of the people who were making sport of this "end of the world" claim. I had to make light of it, especially among non-believers, in hopes of letting them know that this claim was not a claim supported by scripture or the faith I proclaim.
And, O by the way, we get to do this again next year. 2012 is when the Myans say the world comes to an end...at least we can blame that on an ancient people. Unless they're right!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
Wake Up to Grace
I read a story recently of a father and his two-year-old son who was in-between crawling and walking. The child could crawl up the stairs to the 2nd floor of their home, but couldn't get back down. This was cute the first few times, but became a real pain when it kept happening and the child crying out, "come get me." The child kept going up the steps knowing that he wouldn't be able to get back down. The child knew better but couldn't stop himself from doing it. The child could only focus on one thing, getting up the stairs. He was too young to understand that the same intentional act would always have the same results.
We are much the same. We know there are sinful temptations in our lives that are too much for us to resist, so we act on the temptations. We know the result, or maybe we just hope the result will be different this time or we won't get caught. If we aren't caught we quickly find out the result is still the same.
In Ephesians 2 Paul lays out for us a vivid picture of who we are and what God has done to wake up our lives to the fact that we will go nowhere without him. We will not find real purpose or value to our lives outside of a relationship with him. We will not find the glorious life (chapter 5) God desires for us unless we accept God's grace as a gift, a gift we did not earn through hardwork or following all the rules. Grace is not a paycheck to be cashed. Grace is a gift freely given by God and to be freely received by us.
Ephesians 2:8 remains a verse that remains close to my heart. "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, it is the gift of God."
We are much the same. We know there are sinful temptations in our lives that are too much for us to resist, so we act on the temptations. We know the result, or maybe we just hope the result will be different this time or we won't get caught. If we aren't caught we quickly find out the result is still the same.
In Ephesians 2 Paul lays out for us a vivid picture of who we are and what God has done to wake up our lives to the fact that we will go nowhere without him. We will not find real purpose or value to our lives outside of a relationship with him. We will not find the glorious life (chapter 5) God desires for us unless we accept God's grace as a gift, a gift we did not earn through hardwork or following all the rules. Grace is not a paycheck to be cashed. Grace is a gift freely given by God and to be freely received by us.
Ephesians 2:8 remains a verse that remains close to my heart. "For it is by grace you have been saved through faith, it is the gift of God."
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