A voice for the Kingdom of Heaven

Hey Paul,

We’re back in the saddle again… I trust your time in Abilene was uplifting and worthwhile.

I appreciate the piece you shared yesterday from Carlson Reed. It is always healthy for us to think about why we do the things we do. Currently I’m teaching a series of lessons on habits that help a church be effective. By effective I do not mean successful. By effective I mean to say how a church can be more of what God calls it to be. Churches that are motivated by fear say things like "We’ve never done that before," or "I’m not sure we’re ready for it," or "It’s a good idea but impractical for now" or "Couldn’t that get us criticized?" or "You’re right about that, but . . . "

A church motivated by hope says things like “We have to listen to the voice of God" or "The Spirit of God is calling us to this" or "What would Jesus do here?" or "Can this make a kingdom difference in someone’s life?"

A church motivated by hope desires to be a voice for the kingdom of heaven. And this voice values healthy relationships, unselfish service and faithful witness.

Why You Do the Things You Do

I like this little piece from Carson Reed:

What motivates a church?

Some churches can find themselves motivated by guilt. “We’ve got to do it the right way or we will be wrong!” Of course, often the right way is really simply doing things the way they were done twenty years ago. But worrying about doing it wrong, more often than not, keeps a church from doing something right!

Some churches are motivated by fear. “We can’t do that; we might fail!” The fear of failure has stopped many churches from doing anything at all. Paralyzed, like a deer in the headlights of the oncoming collision with cultural shifts, some churches simply hunker down and hope that the truck hurdling down the road will miss.

Some churches are motivated by innovation. “Let’s do that; we want to be different and distinctive!” Some churches think that the key to the future is by promoting change. Now it is true that churches have, through the generations, worked through change. And it is vital that churches must understand the need for change and courageously bring about change today. Yet, for some churches, the tendency is to think that the answer is innovation. “If we keep changing, then something will finally work to help us grow.” My response: Nothing grows on a rolling stone.

Yet other churches are motivated by hope. “We trust in God’s power to work through us.” These churches believe that the gospel is stronger than fear and refuse to be paralyzed in the swiftly changing currents of culture. These churches believe that God’s love is larger than any narrow memory of tradition and reject thinking that God’s purposes will be disclosed in doing things the same way year after year. And these churches believe that the truth of the Christian faith means that even in changing times, the eternal realities of Jesus’ message are changeless and are ever powerful. Innovation takes a back seat to authentic Christian witness.

Guilt, fear, innovation, or hope. Of these four motivators, only hope provides the necessary resource for a bright future for a congregation. Hope in the work of God, not in the past. Hope in God’s grace to sustain, even when we are uncertain of the outcome. Hope in the simple confession of Jesus, not in the latest fad. Hope in God’s faithfulness—hope that spurs us to leave Ur and venture forth into the land that is promised (Genesis 12).

What motivates a church?

On Being Church...

I am in Abilene, Texas for the next couple of days. Mark, Bill and I are attending a church leadership conference. The presenter for this conference is Alan Roxburgh. I recently read an article he wrote on what it means to be church for today and the future. Below is a snipet. Here's the link for the full article:

Reflections on Being Church

"I see a new imagination at work in these places and sense the contrast from so many of the congregations I encounter where the primary activities are shaped around the anxious need to figure out how to get people to come and join their congregation. This in no way suggests that there’s no place for a worshiping community shaped around Scripture, learning and liturgy. Of course there is - there is no church without a gathered community formed around Scripture, prayer, Eucharist and baptism. That’s not the point! Each of the communities I’ve described is integrally shaped around these basic marks of the church. But they’re discovering something radically different – that they’re formed as witnessing communities as they enter, live in, love, listen to and participate within the neighborhoods and communities where they live. This means living and forming church within neighborhoods; it means taking seriously the Incarnation and pitching tents beside neighbors as a way of life. They are discovering a Luke 10 way of being the church which is such a radically different imagination from the way so many congregations still operate.

In these emerging experiments are we getting a glimpse of what God may be shaping and the church that might be emerging? These stories are not the result of powerful, entrepreneurial leaders, big programs or an expert’s prescriptions. They’re about ordinary Christians rediscovering neighborhood, entering their communities to discover what God is already doing, listening to the narratives of neighbors (rather than assuming they know already) and forming communities of the kingdom in the midst of this living, listening and talking. The good news is that any congregation can do this! Any pastor and any leader can enter this narrative of the kingdom."

Jesus and Donkeys

What a quote by Chris Erdman!

"I think a congregation rarely responds well to being told what to do. And a leader who pushes and cajoles a congregation into missional engagement will tire and often times get downright cranky. It's hard to push a donkey from behind, and too often pastors view their congregations as resistant beasts. They are not asses and so long as we think and talk about them with derision we will fail to lead them and certainly will not love them. Jesus liked donkeys; I think we should too. And if your congregation is like a donkey and seems stubborn and willful and difficult to get moving, well, lead the delightful little creature by walking in front, talking her past her fears, inviting her to faith. She might come along. Then again she might not. If she doesn't, you've still had a ball being yourself, seeing the world from out in front, and not made your happiness dependent upon the response of a creature over whom you have wonderfully very little control."

Blogging Blues

Scot and I want to let you know that our postings will be sparse this week. Besides our weekly ministry responsiblities, we each are swamped with some extra projects. I am trying to finish a couple of presentations in preparation for a trip I am taking to Texas at the end of the week. Scot is finishing a major project for his graduate class. It is due by week's end.

So...we've got the blogging blues this week. But, please, don't forget us. We'll be back on-line shortly. Keep checking back, something will show up this week perhaps. I'll even try to reflect while on my trip.

Have a God-blessed week all!

Getting In The Way Of The Bible

I read this reflection this morning and found it to be pretty challenging. Here's a quote and a link to read the full article (but beware of reading if you like your life just the way it is):

Full Article

If I Do That...
by Soren Kierkegaard

"The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church’s prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes, it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament."

And I count myself to be a Christian "scholar." Oops! I better look at myself in the mirror and see if I might be getting in the way of the bible....who it is calling us to be and what it is calling us to do.

Love is Patient

The series of lessons I'm preaching are title "Living in the Overflow of God's Love." The series is focused on 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a. This past Sunday we spoke about love being patient. Below is a story I pick up as I organized my lesson...

There was a monk who was very impatient. You may wonder why would a monk be impatient? Don't they become monks so that they don't have to deal with the world? Yes, that's true. So imagine how impatient this monk was...

The more he tried, the more impatient he became, so he decided that he must get away altogether, to learn to be patient. So he built himself a little home deep in the woods, far away from civilization.

Years later, a man was traveling in those woods and met him. The man was amazed to find anyone living so far away from the rest of the world, so he asked the monk why he was there all by himself.

The monk said that he was there to learn to be patient.

The traveler asked how long he had been there, and the monk replied: seven years.
Stunned, the traveler asked, "If there is no one around to bother you, how will you know when you are patient?"

Annoyed, the monk replied, "Get away from me, I have no time for you."

Well, I'm off to Connecticut for the day...

remember, be patient with those you come in contact with today and be patient with God...

Scot ;-)

Baptism Evangelism

I had lunch yesterday with Bob Randolph. Bob is a good friend who lives in Boston and works as a Dean of Students at MIT. Bob is also a minister. Over lunch, Bob told me about last Sunday at his church. A young man, a college student at Harvard, had shared the Good News with his girlfriend. In response, she wanted to be baptized. So, last Sunday, a baptism took place at the church building. A few friends from Harvard were there as well in support of their friend. To Bob's understanding, these friends are not regular worshippers.

Another person was there too. A young man who attends MIT. He is a student in a class that Bob teaches on Judaism, Muslim, and Christianity. This young man googled Bob's name, found out where Bob worshipped, and one Sunday showed up at church services. Surprised the socks off Bob. He hadn't engaged this young man in an intentional conversation about Christianity, but he knew Bob was a Christ-follower. This young man and his girlfriend have been attending Bob's church somewhat regularly, even showing up when Bob wasn't in town. This young man knew the baptism was going to take place last Sunday, so he came to the baptismal ceremony. Following the baptism, this young man wanted to set up a time to visit with Bob. Evidently, he has some questions about Christianity.

Oh, by the way, did I mention that this young man is Muslim?

Can you imagine that...some Harvard friends and a Muslim MIT student moving closer to the Kingdom of God as they witness a baptism?

Pretty cool stuff!

A New England Tradition of Worship

Yesterday was a cool day. Ok, so the weather was cool, but something happened that was even more cool. It was the opening day at Fenway Park and the 2004 World Series championship ring ceremony. In case you didn't hear about it, you can read a summary at the Boston Globe site: Homecoming Kings. Here are a few choice article quotes:

"But it was the pregame festivities that connected generations of New Englanders, moved grown men to tears (I saw one in the press box), and created a memory guaranteed to be shared whenever two or more Sox fans gather to reminisce about the glory days of 2004."

"Baseball. The best game. The New England game . . . the thing that brought so many people together in yesterday's celebration for the ages."

There is one thing in common about us New Englanders: we love tradition. We love the past. We worship our sports hero's. Bobby Orr of the Boston Bruins. Bill Russell of the Boston Celtics. Teddy Bruschi of the New England Patriots. And our beloved Boston Red Sox. We love baseball. It is a religion up here. Yesterday, worship was held at Fenway. Two or more gathered....

I know we are not allowed to have any other gods before THE GOD. And I don't want to take the Lord's name in vain. I know we are supposed to worship the Lord and serve him only. God is the only one worthy of true worship. But yesterday's ceremony was as close to worship that many fans have experienced...probably in quite some time.

And it was a celebration. People didn't care about themselves, they only wanted to honor their hero's. They simply wanted to sing their praise. They event particpated in a moment of reverent silence when called to remembrance. The crowd became a community of worshippers. And they left Fenway to tell the good news of the ceremony and the win (Red Sox over the NY Yankees, 8-1).

Sounds like a pretty good worship service yesterday....perhaps we could learn a little from the Fenway Faithful?

All I know is that I hope the tradition continues. I wouldn't mind watching a 2005 ring ceremony next year. That would be a worship service worth participating in.



Hey Paul (aka- Basketball Jones),

Interesting post today my friend.

Just last week I shared a lesson from Luke 7. This is the story of the woman (perhaps an ex-prostitute) who comes to a Pharisee’s house (Simon) unannounced. What amazes me about this story is that this woman is so moved by Jesus presence and by his love and forgiveness––she crashes Simon’s party, knowing that Jesus is inside. No doubt that Simon’s house was filled with religious people who would have some pretty strong opinions about this woman and her lifestyle. But amazingly, she doesn’t let this stop her from coming to Jesus. Evidently this woman was not coming to Simon’s house for them! She was coming to see and touch Jesus. And what we see her doing once she gets inside Simon’s house is… well… it seems to be a little over the top, doesn’t it? This woman, moved by Jesus’ love and forgiveness… falls to Jesus’ feet… washes Jesus’ feet with her tears and wipes Jesus’ feet with her hair, and then massages Jesus’ feet with perfume.

Now this is a little much for almost anyone’s standards of worship. After all, what will people think?

Paul, I’ve discovered that there comes a time in a person's journey with Jesus, that it doesn’t matter what others think about our desire to worship Him with all of our heart, mind, and soul.

OK... back to Red Sox mania!

Go Sox Go!

The Wind of the Spirit

Last night, some from our church gathered for worship. Our worship team facilitated the experience and we worshipped in the Spirit. Two special moments occurred during the evening.

First, a young girl, Hannah (age 4) just burst out in song. She could be heard over the whole gathering. She sang out in pure joy! It was incredible.

Second, towards the end of our time together each person gathered with others in small circles to pray. The Spirit moving in our midst, people praying for each other, people seeking God, people asking God to produce the fruit of His Spirit in their lives. It was amazing!

The wind of the Spirit is blowing through this church, I can't wait to see what the Holy Spirit does next! May we be ready for it! May we partner with him.

Here's a thought for today:

Something New
by C. F. Blumhardt

It is my fervent hope that we Christians will not be forever stuck in our Christianity. Look for something new; for a life in God. Look for God's spirit in everyone you meet.

Can I Get A Witness!

Leanne heads back to school full-time this fall. Actually, she'll start this summer. Hopefully, after three semesters, we'll have an elementary school teacher in our family.

She let her boss and the principal at the elementary school (where she works) know about her intentions. She'll have to leave her current para-professional job at the school. As some of you know, another woman from our congregation (Candace) works at the school too. She and Leanne are great friends and people know their connection of friendship and church participation. They have witnessed both of these women handle a lot of things together, both good and ugly. They have heard them speak words of faith. They have seen them interact with their co-workers, the parents, and the kids.

When Leanne's principal heard that she was leaving, he said, "Do you think someone from Candace and Leanne's church would take Leanne's place? I'd hire that person."

Salt! Light! Leaven! Kingdom action! Making the world a beautiful place!

Can I get a witness!

Saints

Scot,

Thanks for your thoughts yesterday on grace. God really is believable, isn't he. I am so grateful that he is truly "for me and not against me."

Your word, "saint," caught my eye. I've been working this week on an epilogue sermon to the Fruit of the Spirit series I've been preaching the last couple of months. It strikes me that the common word that the Apostle Paul uses to describe the people of God is that word: saint. To Paul, it simply means: God's holy people. And for Paul, he understands saints to be God-intoxicated, Christ-following, Holy Spirit-filled folk who live differently in their relationships with one another, and are empowered to do so, because they are Spirit people. We are set apart for God, to be his holy people in this world. We are a community who lives for the sake of God and for the sake of our neighbors. Loving God and loving neighbor is our saintly calling.

You are so right to say that being a saint is a gift. And we are empowered to live as saints by, through, and because of the Holy Spirit. God's Spirit really lives in us and reproduces the life of Christ within us and among us as his people.

Now THAT is a gift worth celebrating!!!! That is GRACE!!!

Have a great day! The Masters golf tournament starts today. It is my official indication that Spring has arrived!

God is Believable

I was thinking about grace today. Grace is one of those difficult things to get our minds around. Don’t get me wrong–– I think I understand what it means. It’s that sometimes my mind just doesn’t buy it. Talk about something that’s to good to be true. Grace––a free gift, “unmerited favor.”

I like what Marva Dawn says about grace. “We became saints not by working harder, but totally by sheer, unadulterated gift.” The idea of being a saint is probably where the hang up is for most of us. Hang-up or no hang-up, it is essential we know we are saints. And if it’s true that you know that you’re not good enough to be a saint––I’m happy for you.

Perhaps some of us struggle with the reality that we’re not good enough for grace. And because some of us struggle with this we struggle with not being good enough to be saints. If so, consider this––perhaps we struggle with grace due to our longing to be in control of our own lives and therefore put forth our own effort in hopes of being credited with some level of righteousness. Look at how shocking and how truthful the following statement Dawn makes is: “absolutely all of our efforts are unnecessary.” I know what you’re thinking… I’m thinking it too. But the truth is, I’m not a saint by my own righteousness because I have no righteousness (the Lord knows this is true!). But I do have the righteousness that God grants to those who have faith in Jesus Christ.

Chew on this a little–– “Are you faithful to God because you are a good “faith-er,” or because God is absolutely faith-worthy?”

I have come to this understanding that I do not believe that I am a good believer or even good at believing. No… what I understand is “I believe because God is believable.”

What has been the Pope's influence on the Lives of non-Catholics?

My friend, Greg Taylor, has today written a fascinating piece over on the Wineskins blog. He reflects on the place of the Pope in the lives of non-Catholics. I'd encourage you to read it when you have time.

Wineskins Blog

What's On The Inside AND Outside?

Scot,

You're sick (or is it "gross")! HA! Just what I'd want to do on my day-off...look at a colon. Next thing you'll want me to do is to go with you to attend an autopsy. :-)

But you do make an interesting point. How many times we look at the outside and say, "What a vibrant, healthy body." But inside, it is decaying or dying or at least it is diseased. It seems to me that for a body to BE a body it should be vibrant and healthy BOTH on the outside and on the inside.

How does this consistency come about? How is a church body called authentic? How does a church environmnent experience wholeness (that is, the outside and inside are connected not dis-connected)?

On the inside, it has to do with our interaction with the Holy Spirit and with our understanding of what God's mission is all about. On the outside, it is forming a congregational culture through common habits, values, and practices that support the DNA (internals)of that group. In other words, a church will act like it is a place of the Holy Spirit and will behave in ways consistent with God's missional intent.

If there is a dis-connect between the inside and the outside, then the body may be ill...not to mention it may not be all that pretty to look at. Kind of like a colon, eh?!

Sunday's Sermon

Paul,

I really did have my sermon done this past Friday. In fact, I'm preaching a new series of lessons titled "Living in the Overflow of God's Love." This series is influenced by Max Lucado's book "A Love Worth Giving." I appreciate Max's talent to see, but I so much more appreciate how powerful the Word of God is for our lives.

Here's a quote I picked up a few weeks ago:

If you have any knowledge at all of human nature, you know that those who only admire the truth will, when danger appears, become traitors. The admirer is infatuated with the false security of greatness; but if there is any inconvenience or trouble, he pulls back. Admiring the truth, instead of following it, is just as dubious a fire as the fire of erotic love, which at the turn of the hand can be changed into exactly the opposite, to hate, jealousy, and revenge. Christ, however, never asked for admirers, worshippers, or adherents. He consistently spoke of "followers" and "disciples." Soren Kierkegaard

Scot,

I love this quote. Kierkegaard, as you know, was a Danish theologian of the 1840-50's who lived in a land that was "Christian" but that had so few christians. He fought for an authentic expression of faith that would consistently live out the values and mind of Christ. In other words, you were not christian simply by drinking the water (or just by attendance in a church or simply by belonging to a christian state). He called for a purity of the heart to will one thing....to be a lover of God and consequently to follow him in all aspects of living.

Sounds a like a wonderful sermon series. I'm sure it will bless the good folks at Chelmsford.

A Colon Connection?

Scot,

What's this I hear about your recent interaction with a colon? You've got me curious..........do tell.

Paul,

Yeah... I did have an interesting encounter today. My wife works at a local hospital where she is surrounded by body parts. I know it sounds like a sick job. I assure you–– it is a sick job! But it helps to pay the bills.

Today, I stopped by Helen’s station in the Pathology lab to ask her out for a coffee. Her co-worker, a PA, was "grossing." No, the word "gross" doesn’t mean what you’re thinking, but it is pretty gross. Grossing is a part of every surgical pathology report. Each separately identified tissue specimen submitted for individual examination and diagnosis has its own gross description. Whether "part" or "all" of the specimen has been submitted for microscopic examination, it’s always recorded in the gross description. A good gross description includes measurements of the specimen in three dimensions, appearance or color (tan, yellow, white, etc.), consistency (soft, hard, rubbery, fleshy, etc.). Gross lesions, tumors or abnormalities within the specimen should also be described in detail: location within the specimen, if single or multiple, measurements, color, consistency, and if relevant margins of resection, etc.

I know, this is probably a whole lot more than you ever wanted to know.

Well, today’s surprise was that I saw a colon being grossed. The colon was large and ugly. And I mean this thing was ugly! Helen’s co-worker pointed out where the cancer was and then proceeded to show me the healthy parts of the colon. Other then the texture of the cancer being different than the rest of the colon, the entire thing was ugly.

You know, we spend so much time making the outside of our bodies look nice and attractive, but take a look on the inside and it’s a whole different story.

Beauty my friend is only skin deep!

There’s got to be some spiritual significance to this!

Sunday's Sermon

This Sunday I am preaching on the final fruit in the Spirit's list (Gal. 5)...the fruit of self-control. More and more, I am discovering that the key to living a self-controlled life is to remember (and therefore act on it) that SELF has been put to death. When SELF is off center stage, the Spirit can take control. And living this self-controlled life can then focus on authentically loving God and neighbor.

Here's a quote I read today that compliments the life of self-control:

"Of what use to God is all our cleverness? What does he get out of it if we move heaven and earth to amass great wealth and provide ourselves with a pleasant life? Everything that we do that is not done for God is harmful. Whether it is your piety or your money you keep for yourself, it is all the same; it does nothing but harm, and nothing good will come of it.

But in Jesus all things are for God. This is why we raise him high above all else. He is our consolation, and in him we see victory, even over death. When we join with him in this victory, our self-seeking flesh dies, and we have the faith that overcomes the world. This is something we will never know if our belief in Jesus centers only on what we will gain through it."

Christoph Friedrich Blumhardt, from Die, and Jesus Will Live.

Have a blessed Sunday!

Weekend Reading

Well...my sermon is written (Scot, are you done?) and I am anxious to get into a new book. It arrived at my door yesterday and I had to fight hard not to pick it up and start right then. But with Sunday's responsibilities ready to go, I am ready to dive in.

The book is Brian McLaren's latest: The Last Word and the Word After That: A Tale of Faith, Doubt, and a New Kind of Christianity.

I am a HUGE fan of McLaren's writings. I have also heard him speak on CD as well as in person. He is someone who has a keen sense of the gospel, culture, and the church's role with both.

This book is his conclusion to A New Kind of Christian trilogy. These three books center around a fictional conversation between two friends (and other acquaintances)about gospel, culture, and church. In particular, this book discusses the ways we view God and subsequently how we live our life in response.

Here's one quote to get you interested (McLaren quoting William Temple): "...If your concept of God is radically false, the more devoted you are, the worse off you will be."

And I'd add: the worse off others will be who come in contact with you. Sobering words and challenging words to us all.

I can't wait to hear what happens to Dan and Neo (the main characters). It's going to rain all weekend. Sounds like a good time to curl up with a good book. I'm certain you'll be reading a few selected quotes in the coming weeks.