Courier-Times Article for December 8, 2007
God chose to reveal His nature in an event we call advent or Christmas time. He used his powerful angels, not to bring death and destruction but, to sing songs of joy and good tidings.
Hail the heav'n born Prince of Peace! / Hail the Sun of righteousness! / Light and life to all He brings, / Ris'n with healing in His wings. / Mild He lays His glory by, / Born that man no more may die; / Born to raise the sons of earth, / Born to give them second birth. / Hark! the herald angels sing, / "Glory to the newborn King!"
He chose to reveal Himself, not to royalty or power-brokers but, to shepherds tending their flocks at night.
While shepherds kept their watching, / O'er silent flocks by night; / Behold throughout the heavens, / There shone a holy light. / The shepherds feared and trembled, / When lo above the earth; / Rang out the angel chorus, / That hailed our Savior's birth.
He chose to reveal Himself, not in the capitol or royal city but, in a humble village suburb near Herod’s palace.
Come to Bethlehem and see, / Him whose birth the angels sing; / Come adore on bended knee, / Christ the Lord, the newborn King.
He chose to reveal Himself, not to experienced respectable parents but, to a bewildered teen couple, engaged to be married, and unexpectedly pregnant.
What Child is this, who laid to rest / On Mary's lap is sleeping? / Whom angels greet with anthems sweet / While shepherds watch are keeping? / This, this is Christ the King, / Whom shepherds guard and angels sing. / Haste, haste to bring Him laud, / The Babe the Son of Mary.
He chose to reveal Himself, not as a mighty warrior or eloquent politician but, as a defenseless, vulnerable baby.
Born Thy people to deliver, / Born a Child and yet a King; / Born to reign in us forever, / Now Thy gracious kingdom bring. / By Thine own eternal Spirit, / Rule in all our hearts alone; / By Thine all sufficient merit, / Raise us to Thy glorious throne.
He chose to reveal Himself, not as an invincible, unbreakable hero but, as a bruised and battered servant, who died and was buried in a borrowed grave.
Good Christian men, rejoice / With heart, and soul, and voice; / Now ye need not fear the grave, / Peace! Peace! / Jesus Christ was born to save! / Calls you one calls you all, / To gain His everlasting hall. / Christ was born to save! / Christ was born to save!
Then He chose to reveal himself as Messiah, Christ, and Savior of the world!
He rules the world with truth and grace / And makes the nations prove. / The glories of His righteousness / And wonders of His love, / And wonders of His love, / And wonders / And wonders of His love.
He chose to reveal Himself, not as a mean-spirited God of wrath, but as a God of peace and a God of second chances.
Then pealed the bells more loud and deep, / "God is not dead, nor doth He sleep; / The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, / With peace on earth, good will to men."
He chose to reveal Himself as a loving God who is worthy of our worship.
Then let us all with one accord / Sing praises to our heavenly Lord, / That hath made heaven and earth of naught, / And with His blood mankind hath bought. / Noel, noel! Noel, noel! / Born is the King of Israel!
If you desire to worship the God of Peace, who revealed Himself during Advent, take some time in the next few days and invest it in a local church. Who knows? God might reveal Himself to you this Christmas.
On Sunday night, December 16th at 6:00 pm South Memorial Drive Church of God will celebrate Candles and Carols. We will be reading the Christmas story and singing traditional Christmas carols. At 5:40 pm the Woodwind Instrumental Choir from New Castle High School will be providing our pre-service music. Join us in worshiping Christ, the newborn King!
O come let us adore Him, / O come let us adore Him, / O come let us adore Him, / Christ the Lord.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Friday, October 26, 2007
There's a Higher Moral Law
I am writing in response to the Cokie and Steven V. Roberts, Newspaper Enterprise Assn., article “The ‘agents of intolerance’ return” published in The Courier-Times on Wednesday, October 17, 2008.
What role should faith play in American politics? How compatible is orthodox religion with the practical functioning of democracy?
That was a great way to start an article. Unfortunately, what followed is proof that the Roberts’ totally misunderstand people with a conservative Christian world view.
Texas preacher Rick Scarborough had it exactly right; it’s not about winning elections. For the conservative Christian it is exclusively about honoring Christ and the authority of God’s word.
Politics is about compromise and there are many areas where we can reason together and reach compromises. Should we pave or gravel-top this road? Should we spend 5 million or 10 million on cancer research? Should we mandate full-day Kindergarten and allow school vouchers for private schools? In all of these areas compromises can be reached that benefit the community while not violating a moral law. However, following the Judeo-Christian God with integrity has nothing to do with compromise when it comes to moral law, or what conservative Christians would call “clear biblical truth.”
Ask Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the Hebrew Scriptures who said, “We will not bow!” Translation: we will not compromise about this. Daniel even accommodated the king who kidnapped him along with other promising young leaders like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego by serving as a royal advisor, and eventually as the king’s most loved and trusted advisor. But when it came to things as simple as his personal prayer life or diet, Daniel drew a line in the Babylonian sand and said, “I will not disobey God. There are some things that I just will not do.”
In the New Testament the Apostle Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthian church, “What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” And the Apostle John wrote that “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.
Following God is about purity in thought and deed. In our own power, we cannot attain absolute purity, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive for it. Just because compromise is easy and/or acceptable in the political realm doesn’t mean we should lay aside strongly held beliefs simply to gain a political victory. Even our own poets like Frost say we will be rewarded if we “take the road less traveled.”
Sean Hannity is right when he says that if conservative Christians abstain from the political process, “the result will be far worse for the cause that I know [James Dobson] passionately and deeply” believes in, and the nation will live with the consequences. But God forbid if we sell our souls for a short lived, hollow, political victory.
Religion as the dominant credo or a blueprint for public policy may or may not be a source of discord. But religion as the blueprint for a well lived life is essential. Voting for someone who doesn’t value life enough to protect it, is a violation of a biblically informed personal blueprint, and red flag indicating a life that is being lived without moral integrity. In 2007, no one in their right mind would vote for someone advocating slavery. But that was not the case 140 years ago.
In the pre- and post-Civil War years, politicians were having a very similar discussion as the one we find ourselves in today. But they were not discussing the right-to-life or the sanctity of marriage, they were discussing the right to buy, own, and sell other people. Slavery isn’t wrong because we all decided it was wrong. And slavery wouldn’t have been right if the Confederate States had won the war. Slavery is wrong because a higher moral law says it is wrong. Killing pre-born babies, and destroying the definition and structure of marriage, is wrong because that same moral law declares it is wrong.
The congressional votes cited by Senator John Danforth (R-MO) regarding stem-cell research and Terri Schiavo can be seen clearly in the light of this higher moral law. Polls, political practice, Senators, and opinion writers cannot change that law.
Many times we enter the voting booth, hold our noses, and pick the candidate we can tolerate the best, not the one we like the most. However, there may come a time when people of faith cannot, in good conscience, vote for any of the candidates presented by the political machine. Abstaining at the ballot box is not the equivalent of political ignorance or of moral intolerance. Sometimes choosing not to vote is the only choice you can make and still sleep well at night. Conservative Christians who refuse to make “compromises” on moral issues may or may not understand the American system. But a nation that refuses to acknowledge a higher moral law, as well as the Giver of that moral law, does so at its own peril, and a Christian who does so will certainly have a higher authority to answer to.
What role should faith play in American politics? How compatible is orthodox religion with the practical functioning of democracy?
That was a great way to start an article. Unfortunately, what followed is proof that the Roberts’ totally misunderstand people with a conservative Christian world view.
Texas preacher Rick Scarborough had it exactly right; it’s not about winning elections. For the conservative Christian it is exclusively about honoring Christ and the authority of God’s word.
Politics is about compromise and there are many areas where we can reason together and reach compromises. Should we pave or gravel-top this road? Should we spend 5 million or 10 million on cancer research? Should we mandate full-day Kindergarten and allow school vouchers for private schools? In all of these areas compromises can be reached that benefit the community while not violating a moral law. However, following the Judeo-Christian God with integrity has nothing to do with compromise when it comes to moral law, or what conservative Christians would call “clear biblical truth.”
Ask Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego from the Hebrew Scriptures who said, “We will not bow!” Translation: we will not compromise about this. Daniel even accommodated the king who kidnapped him along with other promising young leaders like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego by serving as a royal advisor, and eventually as the king’s most loved and trusted advisor. But when it came to things as simple as his personal prayer life or diet, Daniel drew a line in the Babylonian sand and said, “I will not disobey God. There are some things that I just will not do.”
In the New Testament the Apostle Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthian church, “What do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness?” And the Apostle John wrote that “God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.
Following God is about purity in thought and deed. In our own power, we cannot attain absolute purity, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t strive for it. Just because compromise is easy and/or acceptable in the political realm doesn’t mean we should lay aside strongly held beliefs simply to gain a political victory. Even our own poets like Frost say we will be rewarded if we “take the road less traveled.”
Sean Hannity is right when he says that if conservative Christians abstain from the political process, “the result will be far worse for the cause that I know [James Dobson] passionately and deeply” believes in, and the nation will live with the consequences. But God forbid if we sell our souls for a short lived, hollow, political victory.
Religion as the dominant credo or a blueprint for public policy may or may not be a source of discord. But religion as the blueprint for a well lived life is essential. Voting for someone who doesn’t value life enough to protect it, is a violation of a biblically informed personal blueprint, and red flag indicating a life that is being lived without moral integrity. In 2007, no one in their right mind would vote for someone advocating slavery. But that was not the case 140 years ago.
In the pre- and post-Civil War years, politicians were having a very similar discussion as the one we find ourselves in today. But they were not discussing the right-to-life or the sanctity of marriage, they were discussing the right to buy, own, and sell other people. Slavery isn’t wrong because we all decided it was wrong. And slavery wouldn’t have been right if the Confederate States had won the war. Slavery is wrong because a higher moral law says it is wrong. Killing pre-born babies, and destroying the definition and structure of marriage, is wrong because that same moral law declares it is wrong.
The congressional votes cited by Senator John Danforth (R-MO) regarding stem-cell research and Terri Schiavo can be seen clearly in the light of this higher moral law. Polls, political practice, Senators, and opinion writers cannot change that law.
Many times we enter the voting booth, hold our noses, and pick the candidate we can tolerate the best, not the one we like the most. However, there may come a time when people of faith cannot, in good conscience, vote for any of the candidates presented by the political machine. Abstaining at the ballot box is not the equivalent of political ignorance or of moral intolerance. Sometimes choosing not to vote is the only choice you can make and still sleep well at night. Conservative Christians who refuse to make “compromises” on moral issues may or may not understand the American system. But a nation that refuses to acknowledge a higher moral law, as well as the Giver of that moral law, does so at its own peril, and a Christian who does so will certainly have a higher authority to answer to.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
It’s Time to Pray – Two Years Later
Christian Perspectives Article – Courier-Times – September 22, 2007
It’s time to pray. It’s always been time to pray. This time it’s the youth’s turn.
That’s how I started my article two years ago. Not much has changed.
On Wednesday, September 26, 2007 students all across the country will gather again outside their school around the flagpole to pray for their school, their teachers, their principals, their fellow students, as well as the nation.
At first glance, our nation appears to be experiencing an extended period of peace. It’s been six years since terrorists have launched an attack on this land. It’s been eight and one-half years since the Columbine shootings. And the war in Iraq has not directly impacted most of the country. We don’t feel like we’re at war.
But a closer look still reveals several raging battles with new battle lines being formed every day.
The drug abuse problem in Henry County is still destroying families, causing financial heartache, and robbing the future of too many of our young people. Alcohol abuse on our high school and college campuses is so pervasive that many college freshmen think that “keggers” are one of the most significant parts of college life.
Modern media outlets, including movies, television, and popular music still promote a sexually experimental lifestyle that threatens our students with Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and emotional abandonment. Entertainers are now open hostile toward Christ and the church and receive praise for their verbal attacks.
Just this week a State Senator in Nebraska filed a lawsuit against God for terroristic threats and untold damages from natural disasters. And because our courts have lost their way with regard to abortion, there are over forty-eight-million fewer citizens of the United States who are thirty years and under. In this war, we have had enough infant casualties to fill more than forty-eight cities the size of Indianapolis.
Two years of “recovery” from the damage caused by Katrina still reveals racial and class divisions that are deep and growing deeper. A friend of mine from Louisiana believes that racial hatred is strong in New Castle. Is he right?
Our political system has been reduced to deceptive power plays and character assassination. We no longer look for the best candidate or nominee, but the person what will do our biding. There are few statesmen, and precious little leaders with personal or professional integrity. Gone are the days where we can have honest debates over the facts and refrain from personal attacks. Negative attack ads and “October political surprises” are the norm.
Even the church is showing signs of moral failure and battle fatigue. National religious leaders continue to be caught in scandals, whole denominations are rejecting the authority of the Word of God, and faith statements are now being used as political tools. Have we forgotten that St. Anne’s Catholic Church was burned on the morning before Easter Sunday? Are you aware of the spiritual crisis that many churches in Henry County are experiencing?
I want to believe that our youth know what is required in times like these, but the unity we experienced two years ago is waning. Many of them led the way that summer with Project 4.12 when they spent one week working to make our community a better place to live. They invested hundreds of work-hours cleaning, painting, raking, and ministering. They set an example that few adults have followed; and now I fear the youth themselves have become jaded.
This Wednesday morning they will again have the opportunity to lead the way by gathering across denominational boundaries and praying for our community. Many will sing songs of praise with fellow students who worship weekly in different buildings with distinct liturgies. Some will shed tears for friends and teachers as they intercede for them before a Holy God. School administrators will be lifted up in prayer, as well as city, state, and national governmental leaders.
If you know of a student in the school system, encourage him or her to discover more information about See You at the Pole and how it will be observed at their school. If no student in your school has begun planning for this year, it’s not too late. Go to www.syatp.com to find out how your student can organize a morning prayer time around the flag pole.
Is there any reason to petition God to intervene on behalf of this nation? Do we need to pray for this community? Are we too busy to talk to God about our youth?
It’s time to pray. It’s always been time to pray. The See You at the Pole event starts at 7:00 am at your local school flagpole. Parents and other interested individuals are encouraged to gather off school property and participate in their own prayer time.
It’s time to pray. It’s always been time to pray. This time it’s the youth’s turn.
That’s how I started my article two years ago. Not much has changed.
On Wednesday, September 26, 2007 students all across the country will gather again outside their school around the flagpole to pray for their school, their teachers, their principals, their fellow students, as well as the nation.
At first glance, our nation appears to be experiencing an extended period of peace. It’s been six years since terrorists have launched an attack on this land. It’s been eight and one-half years since the Columbine shootings. And the war in Iraq has not directly impacted most of the country. We don’t feel like we’re at war.
But a closer look still reveals several raging battles with new battle lines being formed every day.
The drug abuse problem in Henry County is still destroying families, causing financial heartache, and robbing the future of too many of our young people. Alcohol abuse on our high school and college campuses is so pervasive that many college freshmen think that “keggers” are one of the most significant parts of college life.
Modern media outlets, including movies, television, and popular music still promote a sexually experimental lifestyle that threatens our students with Sexually Transmitted Diseases (STDs) and emotional abandonment. Entertainers are now open hostile toward Christ and the church and receive praise for their verbal attacks.
Just this week a State Senator in Nebraska filed a lawsuit against God for terroristic threats and untold damages from natural disasters. And because our courts have lost their way with regard to abortion, there are over forty-eight-million fewer citizens of the United States who are thirty years and under. In this war, we have had enough infant casualties to fill more than forty-eight cities the size of Indianapolis.
Two years of “recovery” from the damage caused by Katrina still reveals racial and class divisions that are deep and growing deeper. A friend of mine from Louisiana believes that racial hatred is strong in New Castle. Is he right?
Our political system has been reduced to deceptive power plays and character assassination. We no longer look for the best candidate or nominee, but the person what will do our biding. There are few statesmen, and precious little leaders with personal or professional integrity. Gone are the days where we can have honest debates over the facts and refrain from personal attacks. Negative attack ads and “October political surprises” are the norm.
Even the church is showing signs of moral failure and battle fatigue. National religious leaders continue to be caught in scandals, whole denominations are rejecting the authority of the Word of God, and faith statements are now being used as political tools. Have we forgotten that St. Anne’s Catholic Church was burned on the morning before Easter Sunday? Are you aware of the spiritual crisis that many churches in Henry County are experiencing?
I want to believe that our youth know what is required in times like these, but the unity we experienced two years ago is waning. Many of them led the way that summer with Project 4.12 when they spent one week working to make our community a better place to live. They invested hundreds of work-hours cleaning, painting, raking, and ministering. They set an example that few adults have followed; and now I fear the youth themselves have become jaded.
This Wednesday morning they will again have the opportunity to lead the way by gathering across denominational boundaries and praying for our community. Many will sing songs of praise with fellow students who worship weekly in different buildings with distinct liturgies. Some will shed tears for friends and teachers as they intercede for them before a Holy God. School administrators will be lifted up in prayer, as well as city, state, and national governmental leaders.
If you know of a student in the school system, encourage him or her to discover more information about See You at the Pole and how it will be observed at their school. If no student in your school has begun planning for this year, it’s not too late. Go to www.syatp.com to find out how your student can organize a morning prayer time around the flag pole.
Is there any reason to petition God to intervene on behalf of this nation? Do we need to pray for this community? Are we too busy to talk to God about our youth?
It’s time to pray. It’s always been time to pray. The See You at the Pole event starts at 7:00 am at your local school flagpole. Parents and other interested individuals are encouraged to gather off school property and participate in their own prayer time.
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
Taxes, Truth, and Theology
Courier-Times Article for Saturday, September 1, 2007
Last weekend the Courier-Times published an article suggesting that State Representative Tom Saunders (R-Lewisville) was soon to present a bill that would require churches to pay a portion of property taxes to cover the expense of police, ambulance, and fire. When asked to comment about the alleged church tax proposal, I said I was surprised because Rep. Saunders helped our church, as well as many others in Henry County and across the state, when reporting requirements by the government changed from once in a lifetime, to once a year.
Apparently Rep. Saunders was just as surprised. Since I was quoted in the article, he called the house on Saturday morning to assure me that he had no intention of asking churches to pay taxes on church ministry property. Crisis averted . . . or maybe it wasn’t even there in the first place.
So I began to think about taxes, and truth, and what the bible teaches.
When Jesus was asked if we should pay taxes, He responded with a question of His own. “Show me a coin. Whose image is on the coin?” Caesar’s image was on the coin, so Jesus commanded, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what belongs to God.” The remarkable thing about this answer was that it challenged both the secular and religious communities while avoiding an obvious trap.
We are commanded both by the government and by Jesus to pay our fair share of taxes to the government. At the same time, Jesus challenged everyone who is created in the image of God, believers and non-believers, to give to God what belongs to God.
The church, if it is true to scripture, will never preach against paying taxes. That would contradict Jesus’ own words. However, the church will also challenge everyone to give to God those things that belong to God; the things that hold the very image of God. Each individual is precious to God because we each bear His image.
Then I imagined a culture that would want to tax churches. This would be a culture that had forgotten the overwhelming positive benefits that churches provide to a community.
People of faith were the first to build schools, and hospitals. People of faith provide a safe place for alcoholics, and drug addicts to recover with grace and truth. People of faith help restore broken homes, feed those who are hungry, and provide a father for the fatherless. People of faith have proven that they can dramatically reduce the chance that prisoners will become repeat offenders. To advocate taking money from these communities of faith, money that could be used for ministry, to pay for infrastructure in a neighborhood is very short sighted and contrary to common sense.
A culture that would want to tax churches would be in the final stages of moral and intellectual bankruptcy. Or maybe they just haven’t seen the church . . .
Is it possible that churches have entered an era where they are more concerned with elections than souls? Is it possible that people of faith are more concerned about keeping up with the Joneses than keeping the commandment to take care of the orphan and the widow? Is it possible that the body of Christ can no longer make a positive impact on the world because we are too much like the world? Has the church become invisible?
Tax exemptions for the church is not a ‘right.’ Tax exemptions have been a way for God to bless the church as the church ministers to and blesses its neighbors. Is it possible that God’s blessings on the church are now uncertain because of the actions, or inactions, of the people of God? Just a question.
I trust Tom Saunders when he says that he does not want to tax church ministry property. In Central Indiana, that would be a major political miscalculation. The question that remains is the one Christ asks the church, “I was hungry, did you give me food? I was thirsty, did you give me drink? I was naked, did you clothe me? I was sick and in prison, did you visit me?” The truth could prove very taxing.
Last weekend the Courier-Times published an article suggesting that State Representative Tom Saunders (R-Lewisville) was soon to present a bill that would require churches to pay a portion of property taxes to cover the expense of police, ambulance, and fire. When asked to comment about the alleged church tax proposal, I said I was surprised because Rep. Saunders helped our church, as well as many others in Henry County and across the state, when reporting requirements by the government changed from once in a lifetime, to once a year.
Apparently Rep. Saunders was just as surprised. Since I was quoted in the article, he called the house on Saturday morning to assure me that he had no intention of asking churches to pay taxes on church ministry property. Crisis averted . . . or maybe it wasn’t even there in the first place.
So I began to think about taxes, and truth, and what the bible teaches.
When Jesus was asked if we should pay taxes, He responded with a question of His own. “Show me a coin. Whose image is on the coin?” Caesar’s image was on the coin, so Jesus commanded, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s and give to God what belongs to God.” The remarkable thing about this answer was that it challenged both the secular and religious communities while avoiding an obvious trap.
We are commanded both by the government and by Jesus to pay our fair share of taxes to the government. At the same time, Jesus challenged everyone who is created in the image of God, believers and non-believers, to give to God what belongs to God.
The church, if it is true to scripture, will never preach against paying taxes. That would contradict Jesus’ own words. However, the church will also challenge everyone to give to God those things that belong to God; the things that hold the very image of God. Each individual is precious to God because we each bear His image.
Then I imagined a culture that would want to tax churches. This would be a culture that had forgotten the overwhelming positive benefits that churches provide to a community.
People of faith were the first to build schools, and hospitals. People of faith provide a safe place for alcoholics, and drug addicts to recover with grace and truth. People of faith help restore broken homes, feed those who are hungry, and provide a father for the fatherless. People of faith have proven that they can dramatically reduce the chance that prisoners will become repeat offenders. To advocate taking money from these communities of faith, money that could be used for ministry, to pay for infrastructure in a neighborhood is very short sighted and contrary to common sense.
A culture that would want to tax churches would be in the final stages of moral and intellectual bankruptcy. Or maybe they just haven’t seen the church . . .
Is it possible that churches have entered an era where they are more concerned with elections than souls? Is it possible that people of faith are more concerned about keeping up with the Joneses than keeping the commandment to take care of the orphan and the widow? Is it possible that the body of Christ can no longer make a positive impact on the world because we are too much like the world? Has the church become invisible?
Tax exemptions for the church is not a ‘right.’ Tax exemptions have been a way for God to bless the church as the church ministers to and blesses its neighbors. Is it possible that God’s blessings on the church are now uncertain because of the actions, or inactions, of the people of God? Just a question.
I trust Tom Saunders when he says that he does not want to tax church ministry property. In Central Indiana, that would be a major political miscalculation. The question that remains is the one Christ asks the church, “I was hungry, did you give me food? I was thirsty, did you give me drink? I was naked, did you clothe me? I was sick and in prison, did you visit me?” The truth could prove very taxing.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Thoughts on Worship
Courier-Times Article for Saturday, August 11, 2007
There are three fundamental questions that need to be answered regarding Christian worship.
First, what is God ordained worship? The essence of worship can be found in the first ten verses of the 26th chapter of Deuteronomy.
This portion of the law outlines the process that God established for encountering Him in a worship experience. Verses 5 and 6 call for us to remember who we were before we were transformed by the presence of God in our lives. Verses 7 and 8 call for us to remember what actions God took when He transformed our lives. Verses 9 and 10 call for us to remember the blessing of transformation that has been generated in our lives by God. This is who I was; this is what God did; this is where I am now. Praise and worship naturally flow out of our lives each time we walk through this process.
If our worship life is deficient in one of these “areas or remembrance”, then what we experience is something less than God ordained worship.
The second question to be answered is what is the proper posture in worship? We are not talking about an external posture but an internal posture. How are we to approach God? In twenty-first century America we are immersed in a culture of personal growth, self satisfaction, and a positive bottom line. In other words, how does this benefit me?
In direct contradiction to this cultural mindset, King David makes a remarkable statement found in 2 Samuel 24:24, considering that he was the ruler of all Israel. “I will not offer to God that which costs me nothing.” In this simple statement David indicates His posture when he approached God. He was not approaching God with the idea that he was going to benefit from this encounter. He was not even approaching with the idea that somehow he could use his position and authority to influence God. David came to offer a sacrificial gift to God, something that was costly to him personally.
Worship is not about getting anything from God. Worship is about giving something of worth to God. The posture of a true worshiper is one that indicates humble sacrifice, not prideful self-gratification.
Finally, what is the function of worship? True worship has one function with two products. Worship is a vehicle.
Worship functions as a vehicle in two ways. In the first instance, worship carries the individual, or a collected body of worshipers, into a realization of the presence of God. This means that, as worship leaders, we need to understand who will be “riding” in the vehicle. If I am leading a gathering of Frenchmen into worship, my worship should be in the French language. If I am leading a group of children into worship, my worship selection should include elements of worship that are easily accessible to the child. If I am leading a group of senior citizens in worship, the structure of the “vehicle” I assemble needs to accommodate those that will be taking the ride.
Secondly, worship carries the individual, or a collected body of worshipers, into an environment where the Word of God can have its best effect on their lives. This second product of worship enables the worship leader to partner with, and serve, the one who is called to proclaim the Word of God. In this way, we “set the table” for the main course.
In the design world, form follows function. What a thing does, or is supposed to do, has a direct impact on how that thing looks or how it is structured. This brings us back to the answer to the first question.
If we follow the form found in Deuteronomy, we can create a vehicle that is designed to carry people into a realization of the presence of God, where they can offer sacrificial gifts of thanksgiving and praise, and where they can be transformed anew by the Word of God.
There are three fundamental questions that need to be answered regarding Christian worship.
First, what is God ordained worship? The essence of worship can be found in the first ten verses of the 26th chapter of Deuteronomy.
This portion of the law outlines the process that God established for encountering Him in a worship experience. Verses 5 and 6 call for us to remember who we were before we were transformed by the presence of God in our lives. Verses 7 and 8 call for us to remember what actions God took when He transformed our lives. Verses 9 and 10 call for us to remember the blessing of transformation that has been generated in our lives by God. This is who I was; this is what God did; this is where I am now. Praise and worship naturally flow out of our lives each time we walk through this process.
If our worship life is deficient in one of these “areas or remembrance”, then what we experience is something less than God ordained worship.
The second question to be answered is what is the proper posture in worship? We are not talking about an external posture but an internal posture. How are we to approach God? In twenty-first century America we are immersed in a culture of personal growth, self satisfaction, and a positive bottom line. In other words, how does this benefit me?
In direct contradiction to this cultural mindset, King David makes a remarkable statement found in 2 Samuel 24:24, considering that he was the ruler of all Israel. “I will not offer to God that which costs me nothing.” In this simple statement David indicates His posture when he approached God. He was not approaching God with the idea that he was going to benefit from this encounter. He was not even approaching with the idea that somehow he could use his position and authority to influence God. David came to offer a sacrificial gift to God, something that was costly to him personally.
Worship is not about getting anything from God. Worship is about giving something of worth to God. The posture of a true worshiper is one that indicates humble sacrifice, not prideful self-gratification.
Finally, what is the function of worship? True worship has one function with two products. Worship is a vehicle.
Worship functions as a vehicle in two ways. In the first instance, worship carries the individual, or a collected body of worshipers, into a realization of the presence of God. This means that, as worship leaders, we need to understand who will be “riding” in the vehicle. If I am leading a gathering of Frenchmen into worship, my worship should be in the French language. If I am leading a group of children into worship, my worship selection should include elements of worship that are easily accessible to the child. If I am leading a group of senior citizens in worship, the structure of the “vehicle” I assemble needs to accommodate those that will be taking the ride.
Secondly, worship carries the individual, or a collected body of worshipers, into an environment where the Word of God can have its best effect on their lives. This second product of worship enables the worship leader to partner with, and serve, the one who is called to proclaim the Word of God. In this way, we “set the table” for the main course.
In the design world, form follows function. What a thing does, or is supposed to do, has a direct impact on how that thing looks or how it is structured. This brings us back to the answer to the first question.
If we follow the form found in Deuteronomy, we can create a vehicle that is designed to carry people into a realization of the presence of God, where they can offer sacrificial gifts of thanksgiving and praise, and where they can be transformed anew by the Word of God.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
When Tolerance Masquerades As Grace
Courier-Times Article for Saturday, May 26, 2007
John, a disciple of Jesus, said, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth . . . From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.”
Is Grace available from Christ and from the church? Yes, but Grace does not come alone, she always comes with Truth. They are two sides of the same coin.
Grace without Truth is simply Tolerance, and Tolerance doesn’t care about the truth. In fact, the kind of Tolerance we see in today’s society denies the very existence of truth. The one-word, hallmark response of Tolerance is, “Whatever.”
Hank Aaron’s homerun record is about to be eclipsed by a man who has probably used steroids to achieve that feat. Whatever.
Another drunk-driver kills an innocent traveler. Whatever.
Drug abuse is ravaging our neighborhoods, destroying families, and fueling violent crime. Whatever.
Since 1973, defenseless infants have been killed in the womb 48.5 million times in the United States alone. Whatever.
A convicted sex-offender, a repeat offender while out on bail for three new counts of child sexual molestation, is arrested for raping and killing a 16-year-old girl in Cambridge City. Whatever.
Tolerance doesn’t care about the truth. Tolerance is killing our society.
Tolerance says, “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just act like it didn’t happen.” Grace and Truth say, “What happened was wrong. It will not be tolerated, but confession, repentance, and redemption are possible.”
Tolerance says, “Judge not, lest you be judged.” Grace and Truth say, “Today I set before you life and death. Choose life!”
Grace is not cheap, and it is not painless but it is the only way to fight and overcome evil in our world. Tolerance seems free, but in the end the price we all pay is greater pain, destruction, and death. Tolerance extends and enables evil, and when we promote Tolerance without Truth, you and I are the ones responsible for all the evil that follows.
Many good words in the English language have been hijacked, and had their meanings changed. Tolerance is one of those words.
In the real world, Tolerance is a measurement with specific boundaries. If a car part is manufactured with a tolerance of plus or minus 3/16ths of an inch, all parts made outside that tolerance are judged flawed and unusable.
If a drug is manufactured with a Tolerance of 0.2% contaminants, any batch measuring 99.7% pure is rejected and unfit for human consumption.
Tolerance, when used accurately, is when we recognize a true standard, and then judge the results by that standard. And thank God for specific boundaries on tolerance. Otherwise replacement parts for cars wouldn’t fit, and prescription drugs would be killing people instead of healing them.
The word, Whatever, should only be used on holiday weekends when deciding between a hamburger or a hotdog. It should never be used when talking about steroid use in sports, drunk-driving, drug abuse, abortion on demand, or sex-offenders. These things are wrong! We need to say it, and mean it, and do something to ruthlessly eliminate them from our society.
But Christ and the church also say to the individuals who have been caught up in these intolerable actions, “There is One who purchased a way out. You are not hopeless, choose life. You must live with the earthly consequences of your actions because your behavior cannot be tolerated. You can, however, choose a new road, a new direction, and a new destination.” Grace and Truth.
Is Grace available? Only when accompanied by Truth. When Grace comes alone, it’s only Tolerance in disguise. We cannot tolerate anything less than Grace and Truth together.
John, a disciple of Jesus, said, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth . . . From the fullness of his grace we have all received one blessing after another. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.”
Is Grace available from Christ and from the church? Yes, but Grace does not come alone, she always comes with Truth. They are two sides of the same coin.
Grace without Truth is simply Tolerance, and Tolerance doesn’t care about the truth. In fact, the kind of Tolerance we see in today’s society denies the very existence of truth. The one-word, hallmark response of Tolerance is, “Whatever.”
Hank Aaron’s homerun record is about to be eclipsed by a man who has probably used steroids to achieve that feat. Whatever.
Another drunk-driver kills an innocent traveler. Whatever.
Drug abuse is ravaging our neighborhoods, destroying families, and fueling violent crime. Whatever.
Since 1973, defenseless infants have been killed in the womb 48.5 million times in the United States alone. Whatever.
A convicted sex-offender, a repeat offender while out on bail for three new counts of child sexual molestation, is arrested for raping and killing a 16-year-old girl in Cambridge City. Whatever.
Tolerance doesn’t care about the truth. Tolerance is killing our society.
Tolerance says, “Don’t worry about it. Let’s just act like it didn’t happen.” Grace and Truth say, “What happened was wrong. It will not be tolerated, but confession, repentance, and redemption are possible.”
Tolerance says, “Judge not, lest you be judged.” Grace and Truth say, “Today I set before you life and death. Choose life!”
Grace is not cheap, and it is not painless but it is the only way to fight and overcome evil in our world. Tolerance seems free, but in the end the price we all pay is greater pain, destruction, and death. Tolerance extends and enables evil, and when we promote Tolerance without Truth, you and I are the ones responsible for all the evil that follows.
Many good words in the English language have been hijacked, and had their meanings changed. Tolerance is one of those words.
In the real world, Tolerance is a measurement with specific boundaries. If a car part is manufactured with a tolerance of plus or minus 3/16ths of an inch, all parts made outside that tolerance are judged flawed and unusable.
If a drug is manufactured with a Tolerance of 0.2% contaminants, any batch measuring 99.7% pure is rejected and unfit for human consumption.
Tolerance, when used accurately, is when we recognize a true standard, and then judge the results by that standard. And thank God for specific boundaries on tolerance. Otherwise replacement parts for cars wouldn’t fit, and prescription drugs would be killing people instead of healing them.
The word, Whatever, should only be used on holiday weekends when deciding between a hamburger or a hotdog. It should never be used when talking about steroid use in sports, drunk-driving, drug abuse, abortion on demand, or sex-offenders. These things are wrong! We need to say it, and mean it, and do something to ruthlessly eliminate them from our society.
But Christ and the church also say to the individuals who have been caught up in these intolerable actions, “There is One who purchased a way out. You are not hopeless, choose life. You must live with the earthly consequences of your actions because your behavior cannot be tolerated. You can, however, choose a new road, a new direction, and a new destination.” Grace and Truth.
Is Grace available? Only when accompanied by Truth. When Grace comes alone, it’s only Tolerance in disguise. We cannot tolerate anything less than Grace and Truth together.
Thursday, May 3, 2007
Is Grace Available?
Courier-Times Article for Saturday, May 5, 2007
I got a phone call from God on Wednesday. Actually, it was from one of those telephone sales people, but I’m sure that God was behind it.
Wednesday afternoon was busy, as usual, and we were short-handed in the church office. When one of the secondary phone lines started to ring, I knew it must be a sales call. I don’t like sales phone calls and I really didn’t have time for this one, so I was going to dismiss it as quickly as possible.
“Hello. Church of God, Curt speaking.”
“My name is . . .” at this point I was so disinterested in the call that I can’t even remember the lady’s name or the company she was calling from. I instantly came to attention when she asked, “Is Grace available?”
Just then, I had one of those moments where time slows down and you have an extended conversation with yourself. I wanted to say, “There is no Grace here.” But my mind said, “Actually, there IS grace here, but not a person called Grace.”
The conversation in my head continued, “Right, but if I try to explain that to . . . ‘what’s-her-name’ from ‘what’s-that-company’, she won’t understand. Then we’ll have a longer conversation and she really doesn’t want to have a long conversation. She just wants to sell me something.”
Being slightly frustrated at the conversation going on in my head and feeling awkward about the extended pause in the conversation in the real world, I answered, “I think you have the wrong number.”
She apologized and hung-up, but that’s when God picked up the phone and continued the conversation. “Is it really the wrong number?”
Is Grace available? How about Joy, is Joy available? If I knock on your door, will you answer with Charity? If I come to visit, will I meet Hope? If I visit your home will I be greeted by Faith?
I didn’t answer quickly because I know that when God asks a question, it’s not because He doesn’t know the answer. He wants to know if I know the answer.
Talking-the-talk is easy, but walking-the-walk is challenging. I hope the answer to all of those questions is, “Yes!” But I fear that many times I am so consumed with things that are urgent, I respond in ways that prevent Grace, Joy, Charity, Hope, and Faith from showing up.
When God calls your number and asks you those questions, how will you respond?
Today you may witness Cinco de Mayo celebrations among many of our Hispanic neighbors. Given the national debate about immigration, legal and illegal, when you greet someone celebrating Cinco de Mayo, will Grace be available?
We have several prisoners in Henry County, some from out of state. If you visit them will you bring Hope along?
New Castle is full of nursing homes, transitional care facilities, and those who are simply shut-in. Could you take Joy with you the next time you visit?
Look at your community and ask yourself, “What is it that Charity is asking me to do for my neighbors?”
If you are facing dark days of depression, or sickness, or family strife, how would Faith deal with the situation?
I pray that you will be ready to respond the next time the phone rings. By the way, when God does call, you don’t have to worry about the phone bill. That fee has already been paid by His Son.
I got a phone call from God on Wednesday. Actually, it was from one of those telephone sales people, but I’m sure that God was behind it.
Wednesday afternoon was busy, as usual, and we were short-handed in the church office. When one of the secondary phone lines started to ring, I knew it must be a sales call. I don’t like sales phone calls and I really didn’t have time for this one, so I was going to dismiss it as quickly as possible.
“Hello. Church of God, Curt speaking.”
“My name is . . .” at this point I was so disinterested in the call that I can’t even remember the lady’s name or the company she was calling from. I instantly came to attention when she asked, “Is Grace available?”
Just then, I had one of those moments where time slows down and you have an extended conversation with yourself. I wanted to say, “There is no Grace here.” But my mind said, “Actually, there IS grace here, but not a person called Grace.”
The conversation in my head continued, “Right, but if I try to explain that to . . . ‘what’s-her-name’ from ‘what’s-that-company’, she won’t understand. Then we’ll have a longer conversation and she really doesn’t want to have a long conversation. She just wants to sell me something.”
Being slightly frustrated at the conversation going on in my head and feeling awkward about the extended pause in the conversation in the real world, I answered, “I think you have the wrong number.”
She apologized and hung-up, but that’s when God picked up the phone and continued the conversation. “Is it really the wrong number?”
Is Grace available? How about Joy, is Joy available? If I knock on your door, will you answer with Charity? If I come to visit, will I meet Hope? If I visit your home will I be greeted by Faith?
I didn’t answer quickly because I know that when God asks a question, it’s not because He doesn’t know the answer. He wants to know if I know the answer.
Talking-the-talk is easy, but walking-the-walk is challenging. I hope the answer to all of those questions is, “Yes!” But I fear that many times I am so consumed with things that are urgent, I respond in ways that prevent Grace, Joy, Charity, Hope, and Faith from showing up.
When God calls your number and asks you those questions, how will you respond?
Today you may witness Cinco de Mayo celebrations among many of our Hispanic neighbors. Given the national debate about immigration, legal and illegal, when you greet someone celebrating Cinco de Mayo, will Grace be available?
We have several prisoners in Henry County, some from out of state. If you visit them will you bring Hope along?
New Castle is full of nursing homes, transitional care facilities, and those who are simply shut-in. Could you take Joy with you the next time you visit?
Look at your community and ask yourself, “What is it that Charity is asking me to do for my neighbors?”
If you are facing dark days of depression, or sickness, or family strife, how would Faith deal with the situation?
I pray that you will be ready to respond the next time the phone rings. By the way, when God does call, you don’t have to worry about the phone bill. That fee has already been paid by His Son.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
A Week Of Questions About Life And Death
Courier-Times Article for Saturday, April 21, 2007
Monday, April 16th, 2007 is a day that many will not soon forget. It was a day of unimagined tragedy on a university campus in Virginia. It was a day of several heroes and at least one coward who took the lives of 32 other people rather than deal honestly with the pain in his own life. It was a day of death and dying.
It was also a day of life and living. On Monday, I became an uncle again. My brother and his wife brought an 8-pound, 20-1/2 inch bundle of joy into the world; her name is Jessica. In a hospital in Michigan it was a day of unimaginable possibilities. It was a day of hope and excitement.
The questions that are being asked today in Virginia are the same we ones being asked after 9-11 and Columbine. They are the same questions that were being asked on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941 in Pearl Harbor and in the concentration camps in Germany. They are the same questions that were asked after the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 where at least 8000 people lost their lives. Why did it happen? Could it have been prevented? If God is a loving God why did He let this happen?
These are valid questions. And it is important to wrestle with these questions. In the days following these tragedies many got tired of answering these questions and turned to entertainment. We needed a distraction because we didn’t want to deal with the questions. But we must wrestle with these questions until we understand who God is and who we are.
There is a character in the bible named Jacob who wrestled with God. It was only recently that I’ve come to see what that wrestling match was all about. When I was younger, it just seemed like a weird story about God wrestling with Jacob, Jacob not letting go of God until God blessed him, and Jacob being injured in the wrestling match resulting in a life-long limp. The key to this story is God’s question to Jacob, “What is your name?”
When God asks a question, it’s not because He doesn’t know the answer. God knew who Jacob was; He wanted to know if Jacob would be honest about who he was.
The last time Jacob was asked that question was also the last time Jacob was seeking a blessing from his father Isaac. When Isaac asked Jacob who he was, Jacob lied and said he was Esau, Jacob’s older brother. Jacob was seeking a blessing that wasn’t rightfully his; it belonged to his brother Esau. Jacob’s deception with Isaac resulted in a time of wandering, loneliness, and wrestling.
When we wrestle with God about issues, the only way to be blessed is to deal honestly with who we are and who God is. It might be painful, but it is the only way to be released from the time of wrestling.
If we are honest we will see that God is good, all the time; He is good in Virginia Tech and He is good in a hospital in Michigan. If we are candid we will also understand that we are imperfect; Cho Seung-Hui was imperfect and baby Jessica is imperfect. Also, if we are transparent with God, we will realize that we will all die just as we were all given life on the day of our birth. We may never know all of the reasons behind the tragedies in Virginia Tech, Columbine, Pearl Harbor, Dachau, or any of a thousand other heartrending locations. The question today is, will we discover the reasons for God giving us life?
The question about why God gave us birth is even greater than the questions about why God allowed “unexpected” deaths. As we wrestle with the life and death events of this past week, including the United States Supreme Court decision to uphold a ban on partial-birth abortions, remember the example of Jacob and how his honesty with God resulted in the birth of a nation. That nation bears Jacob’s new name even today, the name that God gave him after their wrestling match – Israel.
Why did God give you life? For what reason did God bring you into this world? You’ll only find out if you deal honestly with God even in the dark days. My prayer is that my new niece will discover the “whys” behind her birth and will choose to fulfill God’s plan for her life.
Monday, April 16th, 2007 is a day that many will not soon forget. It was a day of unimagined tragedy on a university campus in Virginia. It was a day of several heroes and at least one coward who took the lives of 32 other people rather than deal honestly with the pain in his own life. It was a day of death and dying.
It was also a day of life and living. On Monday, I became an uncle again. My brother and his wife brought an 8-pound, 20-1/2 inch bundle of joy into the world; her name is Jessica. In a hospital in Michigan it was a day of unimaginable possibilities. It was a day of hope and excitement.
The questions that are being asked today in Virginia are the same we ones being asked after 9-11 and Columbine. They are the same questions that were being asked on Sunday morning, December 7, 1941 in Pearl Harbor and in the concentration camps in Germany. They are the same questions that were asked after the Galveston Hurricane of 1900 where at least 8000 people lost their lives. Why did it happen? Could it have been prevented? If God is a loving God why did He let this happen?
These are valid questions. And it is important to wrestle with these questions. In the days following these tragedies many got tired of answering these questions and turned to entertainment. We needed a distraction because we didn’t want to deal with the questions. But we must wrestle with these questions until we understand who God is and who we are.
There is a character in the bible named Jacob who wrestled with God. It was only recently that I’ve come to see what that wrestling match was all about. When I was younger, it just seemed like a weird story about God wrestling with Jacob, Jacob not letting go of God until God blessed him, and Jacob being injured in the wrestling match resulting in a life-long limp. The key to this story is God’s question to Jacob, “What is your name?”
When God asks a question, it’s not because He doesn’t know the answer. God knew who Jacob was; He wanted to know if Jacob would be honest about who he was.
The last time Jacob was asked that question was also the last time Jacob was seeking a blessing from his father Isaac. When Isaac asked Jacob who he was, Jacob lied and said he was Esau, Jacob’s older brother. Jacob was seeking a blessing that wasn’t rightfully his; it belonged to his brother Esau. Jacob’s deception with Isaac resulted in a time of wandering, loneliness, and wrestling.
When we wrestle with God about issues, the only way to be blessed is to deal honestly with who we are and who God is. It might be painful, but it is the only way to be released from the time of wrestling.
If we are honest we will see that God is good, all the time; He is good in Virginia Tech and He is good in a hospital in Michigan. If we are candid we will also understand that we are imperfect; Cho Seung-Hui was imperfect and baby Jessica is imperfect. Also, if we are transparent with God, we will realize that we will all die just as we were all given life on the day of our birth. We may never know all of the reasons behind the tragedies in Virginia Tech, Columbine, Pearl Harbor, Dachau, or any of a thousand other heartrending locations. The question today is, will we discover the reasons for God giving us life?
The question about why God gave us birth is even greater than the questions about why God allowed “unexpected” deaths. As we wrestle with the life and death events of this past week, including the United States Supreme Court decision to uphold a ban on partial-birth abortions, remember the example of Jacob and how his honesty with God resulted in the birth of a nation. That nation bears Jacob’s new name even today, the name that God gave him after their wrestling match – Israel.
Why did God give you life? For what reason did God bring you into this world? You’ll only find out if you deal honestly with God even in the dark days. My prayer is that my new niece will discover the “whys” behind her birth and will choose to fulfill God’s plan for her life.
Thursday, April 12, 2007
The Well Of Community Is Dry
Courier-Times, New Castle, IN - July 8, 2006
I hear it all the time. The problems all seem different, but they have the same source. “People just aren’t committed any more.” “We have to cancel the meeting, we can’t get a quorum.” “I just don’t understand them, how can they think that way?” “I can believe it. Another minister (or lay person) is going down in flames!” “I just don’t trust him anymore.” “I don’t understand why people don’t give to the church like they used to.”
All of these issues in life, both inside and outside of the church, flow from one well. Actually, these are all problems that indicate a lack of flow from a well that has nearly run dry. That well is what we used to call community.
We still believe that we have community and that we live in community, but rarely to 21st century Americans experience genuine community. We used to sit on our front porch and wave at the neighbors driving down the street, or those tending to their own front porch. Now we stay inside our air-conditioned homes and watch the latest sitcom on TV.
We used to gather the entire family, or neighborhood around the TV to watch the Ed Sullivan Show or pre-WWF wrestling. Now we have four TVs in a household of three and, if we all happen to be in the house at the same time, we are watching at least three different stations in three different rooms.
People used to show up for Sunday Evening service, even non-church-goers, just to be with the rest of the community. Now church is a second thought if it even ends up in our minds at all.
What we are witnessing is the drying up of the well of community, what researchers call social capital. Fewer people are participating in group activities and more and more are participating in solo activities. We bowl alone, eat alone, commute to work alone, play video games alone, surf the web alone. We have fewer common experiences. We watch television shows designed for our specific demographic. We stop listening to the local radio station (a common experience) and start listening to our I-Pods (a personal experience). We’ve even stopped worshiping together and demanded “our own style of worship service.”
Often, as a result, we don’t trust each other, we don’t understand each other, we don’t work together, we don’t pool our resources like we once did, and we are more likely to fail when it comes to moral accountability. There is a reason why God said, “It is not good for man to be alone.” Even before the fall of humankind, and the first act of sin, there was something in the garden that was not good and that something was aloneness.
It is not good to be alone. But we live in a culture that elevates the personal preference over the common good. If we are to replenish the dried up well of community, we will have to make intentional decisions to make it happen. Community doesn’t happen accidentally in American culture. We must decide to recapture or reinvent community. That’s where you come in.
When was the last time you invited someone over after church, or after the game, and just sat around the backyard and talked? When was the last time you talked to your neighbor down the street? When was the last time you turned off the technology and ate dinner together as a family? When was the last time you and your spouse had a casual conversation that didn’t anticipate an end result or by-product? Only you have the power to make community happen in your life. It is not good for you or me to be alone.
You can make a difference and help replenish the well of community, and I hope you make an effort to do just that.
Friday, April 6, 2007
The Lone Ranger Wasn’t Really Alone
August 19, 2006 – Christian Perspectives - New Castle Courier-Times, IN
Growing up in America, I’ve learned a few things that are as American as apple pie and Chevrolet. The Cubs will probably never win a World Series Championship. You can remember the names of the Great Lakes because each lake starts with a letter in the word HOMES. Columbus discovered the New World; or was it Leif Eriksson, or maybe Americus, or maybe the Native Americans?
Anyway, I also learned that the heart of the American Spirit was the self-sufficient, entrepreneurial pioneer most typified by the Lone Ranger. I’ve been taught that Donald Trump is a self-made man, that Rambo and the Terminator can each save the world all by themselves, and that Elvis and Frank both did it “My way!” And while this might be the heart of the American Spirit, it is far from God’s design for us.
Scripture teaches us that it is God who made us and, not we ourselves. It also shows us that very rarely does God use a lone individual to accomplish His purposes. Moses needed Aaron and Hur. When Moses tried to be the lone judge of the people, his father-in-law, Jethro, convinced Moses to select several judges to help with the work load. David had his mighty men. When Elijah was depressed thinking he was the only one serving the Lord, God reminded him that there were still 7000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal.
We see the same pattern in the New Testament. When Jesus sent the twelve out to minister the Good News, He sent them two by two. Jesus did the same thing with the 72 followers who were sent out to do ministry. The missionary tours of Paul were not taken alone. It was Paul and Barnabas, then Paul and Silas. Dr. Luke tells us that the church spent time working and worshiping together as a community.
I am becoming more and more convinced that effective, God-honoring, Kingdom advancing ministry can only happen within the context of community. God doesn’t desire, and hasn’t designed Lone Ranger Christians; He has made us for community.
Evangelism, when practiced outside of full participation in the community we are evangelizing, may still win souls to Christ. But the motivation for that kind of evangelism is rarely compassion for lost souls. Instead, the motivation is a self-serving, check-list, do-the-right-thing mentality.
Giving a turkey to the homeless on Thanksgiving is better than not giving one. But the motivation behind this once a year, social-sacrifice is usually to appease our guilt and not based on love or concern for those in a desperate situation.
When we lose our identity as a body of believers, even worship gatherings can become centers for selfish spiritual consumers, rather than communities of grace.
Grace, compassion, love, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness, joy, goodness, self-control, and many other marks of true Christ followers all indicate a relationship with someone else. You cannot have compassion except for someone else. You cannot show kindness except to someone else. There is no need for self-control except in dealing with others. You cannot show faithfulness without someone else to be faithful to.
Our very nature, as new creatures in the Kingdom of God, presupposes that we will live, and work, and laugh, and grieve, and experience joy, and peace within a community. To live outside of community is to deny the very core of our new nature.
I’m still not sure who first discovered the New World but it was probably some guy who wouldn’t stop and ask for directions. Maybe the Cubs will win a World Series, but I’m not holding my breath. And if Donald Trump could do it by himself, why does he need an apprentice?
However, I am convinced that the Lone Ranger didn’t do it “on his own.” He had Tonto and they worked as a team. The Lone Ranger is not only fiction, it’s a myth. The Lone Ranger Christian is also a myth, whose legend is better suited for the comic books than real life.
Growing up in America, I’ve learned a few things that are as American as apple pie and Chevrolet. The Cubs will probably never win a World Series Championship. You can remember the names of the Great Lakes because each lake starts with a letter in the word HOMES. Columbus discovered the New World; or was it Leif Eriksson, or maybe Americus, or maybe the Native Americans?
Anyway, I also learned that the heart of the American Spirit was the self-sufficient, entrepreneurial pioneer most typified by the Lone Ranger. I’ve been taught that Donald Trump is a self-made man, that Rambo and the Terminator can each save the world all by themselves, and that Elvis and Frank both did it “My way!” And while this might be the heart of the American Spirit, it is far from God’s design for us.
Scripture teaches us that it is God who made us and, not we ourselves. It also shows us that very rarely does God use a lone individual to accomplish His purposes. Moses needed Aaron and Hur. When Moses tried to be the lone judge of the people, his father-in-law, Jethro, convinced Moses to select several judges to help with the work load. David had his mighty men. When Elijah was depressed thinking he was the only one serving the Lord, God reminded him that there were still 7000 who had not bowed the knee to Baal.
We see the same pattern in the New Testament. When Jesus sent the twelve out to minister the Good News, He sent them two by two. Jesus did the same thing with the 72 followers who were sent out to do ministry. The missionary tours of Paul were not taken alone. It was Paul and Barnabas, then Paul and Silas. Dr. Luke tells us that the church spent time working and worshiping together as a community.
I am becoming more and more convinced that effective, God-honoring, Kingdom advancing ministry can only happen within the context of community. God doesn’t desire, and hasn’t designed Lone Ranger Christians; He has made us for community.
Evangelism, when practiced outside of full participation in the community we are evangelizing, may still win souls to Christ. But the motivation for that kind of evangelism is rarely compassion for lost souls. Instead, the motivation is a self-serving, check-list, do-the-right-thing mentality.
Giving a turkey to the homeless on Thanksgiving is better than not giving one. But the motivation behind this once a year, social-sacrifice is usually to appease our guilt and not based on love or concern for those in a desperate situation.
When we lose our identity as a body of believers, even worship gatherings can become centers for selfish spiritual consumers, rather than communities of grace.
Grace, compassion, love, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, faithfulness, joy, goodness, self-control, and many other marks of true Christ followers all indicate a relationship with someone else. You cannot have compassion except for someone else. You cannot show kindness except to someone else. There is no need for self-control except in dealing with others. You cannot show faithfulness without someone else to be faithful to.
Our very nature, as new creatures in the Kingdom of God, presupposes that we will live, and work, and laugh, and grieve, and experience joy, and peace within a community. To live outside of community is to deny the very core of our new nature.
I’m still not sure who first discovered the New World but it was probably some guy who wouldn’t stop and ask for directions. Maybe the Cubs will win a World Series, but I’m not holding my breath. And if Donald Trump could do it by himself, why does he need an apprentice?
However, I am convinced that the Lone Ranger didn’t do it “on his own.” He had Tonto and they worked as a team. The Lone Ranger is not only fiction, it’s a myth. The Lone Ranger Christian is also a myth, whose legend is better suited for the comic books than real life.
Friday, March 30, 2007
Even Peyton Longs for Community
Christian Perspectives Article 08-26-06
I watched the Indianapolis Colts’ preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks last week and something that John Madden said caught my attention. He said that Peyton Manning said something that Madden hadn’t heard in twenty years. Peyton startled him by asking, “Do you know what I love about training camp?”
John Madden’s broadcasting partner interrupted with the play by play and then followed up. “Well, what was it?” Good question.
What could possibly be loveable about training camp? Is there anything appealing about two practices a day in 90 degree heat in Central Indiana in August? What could one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL like, let alone love, about training camp?
Peyton said, “I love the fact that we can’t get away from each other. Guys come by the room and hang out. We play cards. We’re together.” What Peyton Manning loves about training camp is community.
But Peyton’s not alone. Ask any kid what they like most about the summer and more often than not they will respond with something like this: “I loved camp with all my friends,” or “our family vacation together,” or “when our little league team won the championship together.” The highlights of people’s lives are the times when they experience togetherness.
What was so magical about the days following September 11, 2001? We had all experienced something together as a nation. What is so appealing about a honeymoon? It’s the time that two people can focus exclusively on their “togetherness.”
Have you ever spent a relaxing evening together with friends that you haven’t seen “in forever”? As the evening winds to an end, you look at each other and say, “We should do this again!” What did you want to do again? It was the experience of togetherness or community.
God created us for community. Many of us are deficient in experiencing community. We feel that there is something missing but we can’t quite put our finger on it. When it finally happens, often by accident, it takes us by surprise and overwhelms us. We don’t want to leave, and when we are forced to leave we are eager to reproduce the experience as soon as possible.
The writer of Hebrews says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing.” Why? Because we need to encourage one another. We need to love one another. We need to help one another. We need to bless one another. We need to challenge one another to do great things for the kingdom. We need to weep with one another. We need to party with one another. We simply need one another.
How good do you think the Colts would be if they refused to attend training camp with each other? They need to spend time with each other so that they can accomplish the job that they were assembled for – to win every game they play.
How good can the church possibly be if we refuse to spend time with one another? We need to spend time together so that we can accomplish the job that we were assembled for – to advance the Kingdom of God.
They probably didn’t know it, but Sunday Night Football touched on a profound truth that effects every person alive. We were made for community. We crave community. We are at our best when we live in community.
For Peyton and the Colts, the season is just around the corner. For the church, we are very likely in the second half of the most important game of the season. It’s time to get together and build community.
I watched the Indianapolis Colts’ preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks last week and something that John Madden said caught my attention. He said that Peyton Manning said something that Madden hadn’t heard in twenty years. Peyton startled him by asking, “Do you know what I love about training camp?”
John Madden’s broadcasting partner interrupted with the play by play and then followed up. “Well, what was it?” Good question.
What could possibly be loveable about training camp? Is there anything appealing about two practices a day in 90 degree heat in Central Indiana in August? What could one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL like, let alone love, about training camp?
Peyton said, “I love the fact that we can’t get away from each other. Guys come by the room and hang out. We play cards. We’re together.” What Peyton Manning loves about training camp is community.
But Peyton’s not alone. Ask any kid what they like most about the summer and more often than not they will respond with something like this: “I loved camp with all my friends,” or “our family vacation together,” or “when our little league team won the championship together.” The highlights of people’s lives are the times when they experience togetherness.
What was so magical about the days following September 11, 2001? We had all experienced something together as a nation. What is so appealing about a honeymoon? It’s the time that two people can focus exclusively on their “togetherness.”
Have you ever spent a relaxing evening together with friends that you haven’t seen “in forever”? As the evening winds to an end, you look at each other and say, “We should do this again!” What did you want to do again? It was the experience of togetherness or community.
God created us for community. Many of us are deficient in experiencing community. We feel that there is something missing but we can’t quite put our finger on it. When it finally happens, often by accident, it takes us by surprise and overwhelms us. We don’t want to leave, and when we are forced to leave we are eager to reproduce the experience as soon as possible.
The writer of Hebrews says, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing.” Why? Because we need to encourage one another. We need to love one another. We need to help one another. We need to bless one another. We need to challenge one another to do great things for the kingdom. We need to weep with one another. We need to party with one another. We simply need one another.
How good do you think the Colts would be if they refused to attend training camp with each other? They need to spend time with each other so that they can accomplish the job that they were assembled for – to win every game they play.
How good can the church possibly be if we refuse to spend time with one another? We need to spend time together so that we can accomplish the job that we were assembled for – to advance the Kingdom of God.
They probably didn’t know it, but Sunday Night Football touched on a profound truth that effects every person alive. We were made for community. We crave community. We are at our best when we live in community.
For Peyton and the Colts, the season is just around the corner. For the church, we are very likely in the second half of the most important game of the season. It’s time to get together and build community.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Is It God Or A Ghost?
HeartLine Newsletter Article February 2007
This story has recently piqued my imagination. The gospel writer, Mark, at the end of chapter 6, tells of Jesus walking on the water. The amazing thing about this story is the response of the disciples.
They all saw Him, but they were terrified because they all thought He was a ghost. Question: How did they know what a ghost looked like? Had they ever seen a ghost before? Why was it easier for them to believe that this image of Jesus was a ghost and not Jesus Himself walking in their midst?
Many times I have missed God as He walked nearby because I was unable to identify Him. I have said things like, “What a strange coincidence.” I have been puzzled by the events taking place around me. Sometimes I was even fearful and unsure of what future events would hold me and my family.
Now I am trying a new response. I’ve not got it down perfect, but I am getting better. You might want to try it yourself. My new response is this: I ask how is God working in my life? What is God doing in the people around me? Has God been speaking to me, and if so, what is He saying?
It’s amazing how the ghosts in our lives disappear when we begin to look for the hand of God. It’s incredible to see how consistent His message is when we intentionally listen for God’s voice. My prayer for us is that we will see God walking among us, and respond with hope, not fear.
This story has recently piqued my imagination. The gospel writer, Mark, at the end of chapter 6, tells of Jesus walking on the water. The amazing thing about this story is the response of the disciples.
They all saw Him, but they were terrified because they all thought He was a ghost. Question: How did they know what a ghost looked like? Had they ever seen a ghost before? Why was it easier for them to believe that this image of Jesus was a ghost and not Jesus Himself walking in their midst?
Many times I have missed God as He walked nearby because I was unable to identify Him. I have said things like, “What a strange coincidence.” I have been puzzled by the events taking place around me. Sometimes I was even fearful and unsure of what future events would hold me and my family.
Now I am trying a new response. I’ve not got it down perfect, but I am getting better. You might want to try it yourself. My new response is this: I ask how is God working in my life? What is God doing in the people around me? Has God been speaking to me, and if so, what is He saying?
It’s amazing how the ghosts in our lives disappear when we begin to look for the hand of God. It’s incredible to see how consistent His message is when we intentionally listen for God’s voice. My prayer for us is that we will see God walking among us, and respond with hope, not fear.
Do I Really Love My Neighbor?
Christian Perspectives Article – Saturday, March 17th, 2007
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
One month ago the body of four-year-old Ariana Payne was discovered in a storage locker in Arizona. She had been dead for at least six months and no one knew. Her five-year-old brother, Tyler, has been missing at least that long and is feared dead, but no one has missed him either. It is possible that these kids have been missing for almost a year but it didn’t bother anyone until they found little Ariana.
On the same day Ariana was found, police entered a Long Island apartment and found the body of 70-year-old blind, diabetic Vincenzo Riccardi, sitting in front of a TV that was still on. No one had seen Vincenzo for more than a year. No one had missed him. His neighbors thought he had been hospitalized or moved to a nursing home so they didn’t check on him.
Two cases, a country apart. Two souls, a generation apart.
What breaks down in a society, or in a nation, that allows the most vulnerable to disappear without notice? Why is that two individuals, who should be receiving the most watch-care, can be missing for a year and no one knows? No one cares.
It is the second great commandment that is broken; Love your neighbor as yourself. It is community that has disintegrated. How can we love our neighbors when we don’t even recognize that they are missing?
I am convinced that most Americans are so busy with the busy-ness of life, so focused on our own needs, so consumed with consumer-ism, that we have left the “community” and not even recognized it. Do you know your neighbors? Could your neighbor be missing for more than a year and you not know about it, or care about it?
There are neighbors within one-hundred-yards of my house that I am ashamed to say could have been missing for a year and I wouldn’t know.
Sometimes we get tied up in do’s and don’ts, trying to live up to the standard we think God has set for our lives. Or we reach for the “brass ring” of success by climbing the next rung on the corporate ladder. We strive for athletic, academic, or artistic success and sacrifice time and relationships to attain it. Even in the church sometimes there is more busy-ness than effectiveness.
But Jesus said only two things are required; Love God and love your neighbor. If you do these things, the rest of the law of God will take care of itself. But how can you love God if you don’t invest any energy in getting to know Him? And how can you love your neighbor, if you don’t even know that they are missing?
John, Jesus’ closest friend during His earthly ministry, goes even farther. “Anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” John ties the two together. If we don’t love our neighbor, how can we claim to love God? If we truly love God, we must also love our neighbor.
Who do you know that needs extra watch-care? Who are the ones in your neighborhood that need “checking in on?” Who’s watching out for you? Who should have been watching our for Ariana and Vincenzo?
I was stunned by the recent re-publication of pictures of the destruction in the wake of the 1917 New Castle Tornado. Whole neighborhoods were destroyed. 22 people lost their lives, and hundreds were injured. If we were hit by another tornado in 2007, would you know who to look for in the piles of rubble? Would you know if your neighbor was missing? Would you care?
During this season as we prepare for an Easter celebration, let’s build community on all levels. Get to know your neighbors and what their needs are. Only then will you be able to love them. And get to know God and what He desires. Only then will you be able to love Him.
"Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the Law?" Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments."
One month ago the body of four-year-old Ariana Payne was discovered in a storage locker in Arizona. She had been dead for at least six months and no one knew. Her five-year-old brother, Tyler, has been missing at least that long and is feared dead, but no one has missed him either. It is possible that these kids have been missing for almost a year but it didn’t bother anyone until they found little Ariana.
On the same day Ariana was found, police entered a Long Island apartment and found the body of 70-year-old blind, diabetic Vincenzo Riccardi, sitting in front of a TV that was still on. No one had seen Vincenzo for more than a year. No one had missed him. His neighbors thought he had been hospitalized or moved to a nursing home so they didn’t check on him.
Two cases, a country apart. Two souls, a generation apart.
What breaks down in a society, or in a nation, that allows the most vulnerable to disappear without notice? Why is that two individuals, who should be receiving the most watch-care, can be missing for a year and no one knows? No one cares.
It is the second great commandment that is broken; Love your neighbor as yourself. It is community that has disintegrated. How can we love our neighbors when we don’t even recognize that they are missing?
I am convinced that most Americans are so busy with the busy-ness of life, so focused on our own needs, so consumed with consumer-ism, that we have left the “community” and not even recognized it. Do you know your neighbors? Could your neighbor be missing for more than a year and you not know about it, or care about it?
There are neighbors within one-hundred-yards of my house that I am ashamed to say could have been missing for a year and I wouldn’t know.
Sometimes we get tied up in do’s and don’ts, trying to live up to the standard we think God has set for our lives. Or we reach for the “brass ring” of success by climbing the next rung on the corporate ladder. We strive for athletic, academic, or artistic success and sacrifice time and relationships to attain it. Even in the church sometimes there is more busy-ness than effectiveness.
But Jesus said only two things are required; Love God and love your neighbor. If you do these things, the rest of the law of God will take care of itself. But how can you love God if you don’t invest any energy in getting to know Him? And how can you love your neighbor, if you don’t even know that they are missing?
John, Jesus’ closest friend during His earthly ministry, goes even farther. “Anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. And he has given us this command: Whoever loves God must also love his brother.” John ties the two together. If we don’t love our neighbor, how can we claim to love God? If we truly love God, we must also love our neighbor.
Who do you know that needs extra watch-care? Who are the ones in your neighborhood that need “checking in on?” Who’s watching out for you? Who should have been watching our for Ariana and Vincenzo?
I was stunned by the recent re-publication of pictures of the destruction in the wake of the 1917 New Castle Tornado. Whole neighborhoods were destroyed. 22 people lost their lives, and hundreds were injured. If we were hit by another tornado in 2007, would you know who to look for in the piles of rubble? Would you know if your neighbor was missing? Would you care?
During this season as we prepare for an Easter celebration, let’s build community on all levels. Get to know your neighbors and what their needs are. Only then will you be able to love them. And get to know God and what He desires. Only then will you be able to love Him.
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