So, there are those moments you live for in ministry and those moments where if you didn't laugh, you'd cry. One of my fellow ministers had one of those moments yesterday, and it's a story I had to share.
While manning the phones at the office, he received a phone call from a man who had a concern, but wished to remain anonymous (I'd have hung up right then, but my fellow ministers are more patient than me). The man had seen a sign at one of the local churches that read "Homosexuals Welcome" and wondered what stance our church would take.
Of course, this gets into difficult issues of "love the sinner, hate the sin" and of selecting certain sins as "unforgivables." I won't get into those here, and my fellow minister didn't necessarily want to get into them with an anonymous stranger over the phone. Nevertheless, he began with "well, my feeling is-"
He didn't get much farther than that. The man cut him off and said, "I don't want to know your feeling, what is your church's stance?"
My fellow minister tried a different approach. "We try to be like Jesus. His example shows-"
Here's where the wheels came off the conversation. The caller (who, if you missed it, had his own agenda) said "don't bring Jesus into it, what does your church think?"
Of course, the notion is laughable. Imagine trying to take a position or develop a doctrine without bringing Jesus into it. Problem is, many of us don't have to. We've seen it done.
We've seen (and, let's be honest, been a part of) churches developing their own views and then calling them God's will. We've heard preachers, pundits, and politicians co-opt Christ for their own initiatives. We've put together a plan or program and then asked that God would bless it. We've read the Bible in order to know the Bible better instead of knowing God. Being a Christian is so much easier when you can just leave Christ out of it.
When Christ jumps in, things get messier. Our world gets shaken up, the Spirit moves like a whirlwind and only what is of God remains. Then we have to decide whether we follow Christ or cling to what is being blown away.
Christ brings in a new kingdom with new values, new ways, new meanings for what is "good." Good people don't hang out with "good" people, but with sinners and tax collectors and prostitutes and (dare we suggest it) homosexuals. "Don't kill" becomes "don't hate" and "love your neighbor" goes hand in hand with "love your enemy." The new regime doesn't fit into the old world without completely destroying it. This is why we die and are brought to life again; anything less wouldn't change us.
And we must be changed. The new kingdom can't simply be placed over the old one any more than new wine can go into old wineskins. The new kingdom bursts the seams and breaks through in dramatic, and often painful, ways. New life means new birth and all the labor and joy that go with it. The new kingdom is foolishness to the old world and a stumbling block to its citizens.
I once taught a class on "love your enemies" and was confronted by an irate parent who, unknowingly, summed up the gospel of Christ by shouting "you are teaching our kids to love to an unnatural extreme." One can only hope.
But she was right to be upset. These teachings are scandalous. They subversive, they are a danger to the old ways. They could get someone killed.
They did, in fact. That's our story. "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son..." He loved the world so much that He brought Jesus into it. Praise God for His infinite grace.
Friday, March 18, 2005
Friday, March 11, 2005
Why the Heaven Are You Waiting For?
Sometimes a scripture just falls in the middle of a study of Luke and you have to know better than to avoid it, and the beginning of Luke 13 is one of those. I don’t know if your Bible has a heading at the beginning of Luke 13, but mine reads “Repent or Perish.” That kind of heading doesn’t say “pick me up” and it makes it an easy text to want to avoid.
Part of the reason we avoid it is that we're embarrassed by our history. There was a time when every sermon was “repent or perish”. We sang six verses of “Just As I Am” or repeated the chorus of “Why Not Tonight?” until somebody came forward. Unfortunately, our response to that history has been to avoid the topic of hell altogether. If only hell itself could be avoided so easily. The fact is, hell is a reality. It may not be one we like to talk about, but it’s one that many will have to face. I guess when you look at it that way, it’s better to talk about it.
There’s an old story that’s told about a meeting between Satan and some of his demons. They’re trying to come up with a plan to mess up mankind. One of the demons suggests, “let’s tell them there’s no heaven,” but Satan doesn’t think it will work. Another says, “let’s convince them there’s no hell,” but Satan turns that down too. Finally, one of the demons says, “let’s tell them there’s no hurry.” “Yes,” Satan smiles, “that will do nicely.”
That’s the temptation. That feeling like we have all the time in the world. The desire to live our lives as we see fit and then get in that last minute death bed confession. Of course, we can't always know when that last minute comes. Sometimes it comes and we’re too late. For those of us who have heard the message of Christ, but have been slow to respond, there is a message that has moved through Luke’s gospel since John the Baptist spoke in chapter 2; “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” We were chosen to bear fruit, and we won’t be fulfilled or find purpose until we do. In that same sermon, John says that the axe is waiting to cut down any tree that does not produce good fruit. Jesus says much the same thing in His parable in Luke 13, “If it bears fruit, fine. If not, then cut it down.” The time to die may come later, but the time to repent is now.
Now, I know this is beginning to sound like one of the old “if you died tonight” sermons and, in part, it is. For those who die without Christ, there is a hell that waits. It is a frightening reality, but a reality nonetheless. The question of what will happen if you die tonight is a question we must all ask ourselves.
But that isn’t the only question that bears asking. The hell to come isn’t the only one we have to fear. Just as important as asking “what if you die tonight?” is the question “what if you live tomorrow?” The chances are that most of us will. The question is, do you want to try and do that without Christ?
You see, the flaw in the logic of the deathbed confession is that it assumes that this life is better lived without Christ. Those of us who have tried it know that simply isn’t true. Trying to get through this life without Jesus is like trying to get through the next life without Jesus –either way, it’s going to be hell. Forget for a minute the hell or heaven that the next life might bring and focus for a moment on this life.
Those of us who have heard this message, but have not accepted it have a chance to begin a new life today. Eternal life in Christ doesn’t begin when we die, it begins the second that we are in Christ. When that happens, everything changes. For those who repent and believe, eternity begins today.
Now, what does it mean to repent? Literally, it means to turn and move in a new direction. It does not mean that I keep walking this way, but feel bad about it, it means I turn around and start going in the right direction. Those of us who are tied up in this life are committed to pursuing specific things. The call of Christ is to give up those pursuits, to change direction, and to follow Him.
Some of us may be pursuing the American dream. It calls us to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Too many have tried and found that road empty. Happy may satisfy, but only for a moment. The pursuit of happiness is an empty pursuit when compared to the pursuit of holiness. If you’re pursuing happiness, you are pursuing the wrong thing, you are headed in the wrong direction, you’ve got to turn around, you’ve got to repent. If you’re pursuing freedom for freedom’s sake, you are pursuing the wrong thing. We praise God for freedom in Christ, but only because it is in Christ. It has been said that it is “better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven.” We are here to declare that is a lie. Better to serve God than to do anything else. It is what we were created to do. Those of us committed to our own lives must remember that those who try to save their lives will lose them, and only those willing to give up life itself will receive life eternal.
Some of us, even those who have claimed Christ, pursue goodness instead of pursuing God. That isn’t to say that goodness isn’t good, but if you’re pursuing goodness, you are pursuing the wrong thing, if it is goodness for goodness sake. The only goodness we pursue is for God’s sake, for only God is good.
We cannot go along just to get along and call it unity, we cannot compromise the truth in the pursuit of peace. We cannot shape God in our image, we must be shaped in His and every time we choose our way instead of His way, we must stop what we’re doing and cry out to God, we must change direction, we must repent.
It doesn’t matter how off course you are if you’re headed in the wrong direction. It doesn’t matter who you’re following if you aren’t following Christ. Every pursuit will come up empty and this life will truly be a living hell.
But it doesn't have to be. In Christ's life, death, and resurrection, a new world breaks through. A world in which suffering is only temporary and death has no sting. A world with politics based upon love as "the greatest of these" and service to "the least of these." A world that turns this world upside down, a world promised through the prophets, sung of in the magnificat, brought in through Christ's sacrifice and completed in Christ's return. A world that looks to those who would make war, those who would oppress, those who would pursue what is good over what is best and says "your time has come." A world where the meek shall inherit the earth and the peacemakers and poor in spirit shall be blessed. It is a new world, a better world, the only world worth defecting to, and that defection can begin today. A new citizenship in the kingdom of God.
There are many who have not made the decision to repent of their old life and put on a new one. Now, we always want to be careful with a text like this. Just as Jesus parable speaks about time to fertilize, we don’t want to rush anyone who simply isn’t ready to make the decision to follow Christ. However, some have been hearing this call, but have avoided it. Some avoid it because they still want to run their own lives, even when doing so takes them in the wrong direction. Some are too committed to their own way, their own addiction, their own sin, to commit to anything else. Some are ready to call Jesus Savior, but aren’t prepared to call Him Lord. To those we say, it is time to give in, admit you’re lost, and start moving in the right direction. It is time to repent, the kingdom of God is at hand.
Some have waited simply because they didn’t feel good enough to come. The truth is this, if you wait until you’re good enough, you won’t ever come at all. As lost people, we are not expected to find our own way out, we just have to be ready to go in the right direction, to repent and get turned around. To be ready to join in a higher truth and a better way.
There are also those who have made that decision to follow Christ, but keep getting off course. We made a promise to change direction, but we keep heading back to where we were. That is why, in Luke 9:23, Jesus says that we must take up our cross daily. He understands that this repentance is something we do again and again as we continue to follow in Christ’s footsteps.
In the words to the song “Amazing Grace” we sing that “grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.” That is what grace is and what it does. It is not a cheap grace that says we can go any way and follow any truth, it is the grace of Christ who IS the Way and IS the Truth. Forgiveness and repentance go hand in hand. Christ has come to lead us home, if we will simply change our course and start going in the right direction.
The good news is that there is always forgiveness for those who repent. Whether you have never made the choice to follow Christ, or have made the choice but have veered off course, the message is the same. Repent and receive forgiveness. Change direction and discover new life. For we believe that those who have died with Christ will also live with Him, dead to sin but alive in Christ. The invitation is to new direction, new life, and new world. The old world is rapidly aging. The new world is new every morning. The kingdom of heaven is breaking through. Your citizenship begins today. Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.
Part of the reason we avoid it is that we're embarrassed by our history. There was a time when every sermon was “repent or perish”. We sang six verses of “Just As I Am” or repeated the chorus of “Why Not Tonight?” until somebody came forward. Unfortunately, our response to that history has been to avoid the topic of hell altogether. If only hell itself could be avoided so easily. The fact is, hell is a reality. It may not be one we like to talk about, but it’s one that many will have to face. I guess when you look at it that way, it’s better to talk about it.
There’s an old story that’s told about a meeting between Satan and some of his demons. They’re trying to come up with a plan to mess up mankind. One of the demons suggests, “let’s tell them there’s no heaven,” but Satan doesn’t think it will work. Another says, “let’s convince them there’s no hell,” but Satan turns that down too. Finally, one of the demons says, “let’s tell them there’s no hurry.” “Yes,” Satan smiles, “that will do nicely.”
That’s the temptation. That feeling like we have all the time in the world. The desire to live our lives as we see fit and then get in that last minute death bed confession. Of course, we can't always know when that last minute comes. Sometimes it comes and we’re too late. For those of us who have heard the message of Christ, but have been slow to respond, there is a message that has moved through Luke’s gospel since John the Baptist spoke in chapter 2; “Bear fruit in keeping with repentance.” We were chosen to bear fruit, and we won’t be fulfilled or find purpose until we do. In that same sermon, John says that the axe is waiting to cut down any tree that does not produce good fruit. Jesus says much the same thing in His parable in Luke 13, “If it bears fruit, fine. If not, then cut it down.” The time to die may come later, but the time to repent is now.
Now, I know this is beginning to sound like one of the old “if you died tonight” sermons and, in part, it is. For those who die without Christ, there is a hell that waits. It is a frightening reality, but a reality nonetheless. The question of what will happen if you die tonight is a question we must all ask ourselves.
But that isn’t the only question that bears asking. The hell to come isn’t the only one we have to fear. Just as important as asking “what if you die tonight?” is the question “what if you live tomorrow?” The chances are that most of us will. The question is, do you want to try and do that without Christ?
You see, the flaw in the logic of the deathbed confession is that it assumes that this life is better lived without Christ. Those of us who have tried it know that simply isn’t true. Trying to get through this life without Jesus is like trying to get through the next life without Jesus –either way, it’s going to be hell. Forget for a minute the hell or heaven that the next life might bring and focus for a moment on this life.
Those of us who have heard this message, but have not accepted it have a chance to begin a new life today. Eternal life in Christ doesn’t begin when we die, it begins the second that we are in Christ. When that happens, everything changes. For those who repent and believe, eternity begins today.
Now, what does it mean to repent? Literally, it means to turn and move in a new direction. It does not mean that I keep walking this way, but feel bad about it, it means I turn around and start going in the right direction. Those of us who are tied up in this life are committed to pursuing specific things. The call of Christ is to give up those pursuits, to change direction, and to follow Him.
Some of us may be pursuing the American dream. It calls us to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Too many have tried and found that road empty. Happy may satisfy, but only for a moment. The pursuit of happiness is an empty pursuit when compared to the pursuit of holiness. If you’re pursuing happiness, you are pursuing the wrong thing, you are headed in the wrong direction, you’ve got to turn around, you’ve got to repent. If you’re pursuing freedom for freedom’s sake, you are pursuing the wrong thing. We praise God for freedom in Christ, but only because it is in Christ. It has been said that it is “better to reign in hell than to serve in heaven.” We are here to declare that is a lie. Better to serve God than to do anything else. It is what we were created to do. Those of us committed to our own lives must remember that those who try to save their lives will lose them, and only those willing to give up life itself will receive life eternal.
Some of us, even those who have claimed Christ, pursue goodness instead of pursuing God. That isn’t to say that goodness isn’t good, but if you’re pursuing goodness, you are pursuing the wrong thing, if it is goodness for goodness sake. The only goodness we pursue is for God’s sake, for only God is good.
We cannot go along just to get along and call it unity, we cannot compromise the truth in the pursuit of peace. We cannot shape God in our image, we must be shaped in His and every time we choose our way instead of His way, we must stop what we’re doing and cry out to God, we must change direction, we must repent.
It doesn’t matter how off course you are if you’re headed in the wrong direction. It doesn’t matter who you’re following if you aren’t following Christ. Every pursuit will come up empty and this life will truly be a living hell.
But it doesn't have to be. In Christ's life, death, and resurrection, a new world breaks through. A world in which suffering is only temporary and death has no sting. A world with politics based upon love as "the greatest of these" and service to "the least of these." A world that turns this world upside down, a world promised through the prophets, sung of in the magnificat, brought in through Christ's sacrifice and completed in Christ's return. A world that looks to those who would make war, those who would oppress, those who would pursue what is good over what is best and says "your time has come." A world where the meek shall inherit the earth and the peacemakers and poor in spirit shall be blessed. It is a new world, a better world, the only world worth defecting to, and that defection can begin today. A new citizenship in the kingdom of God.
There are many who have not made the decision to repent of their old life and put on a new one. Now, we always want to be careful with a text like this. Just as Jesus parable speaks about time to fertilize, we don’t want to rush anyone who simply isn’t ready to make the decision to follow Christ. However, some have been hearing this call, but have avoided it. Some avoid it because they still want to run their own lives, even when doing so takes them in the wrong direction. Some are too committed to their own way, their own addiction, their own sin, to commit to anything else. Some are ready to call Jesus Savior, but aren’t prepared to call Him Lord. To those we say, it is time to give in, admit you’re lost, and start moving in the right direction. It is time to repent, the kingdom of God is at hand.
Some have waited simply because they didn’t feel good enough to come. The truth is this, if you wait until you’re good enough, you won’t ever come at all. As lost people, we are not expected to find our own way out, we just have to be ready to go in the right direction, to repent and get turned around. To be ready to join in a higher truth and a better way.
There are also those who have made that decision to follow Christ, but keep getting off course. We made a promise to change direction, but we keep heading back to where we were. That is why, in Luke 9:23, Jesus says that we must take up our cross daily. He understands that this repentance is something we do again and again as we continue to follow in Christ’s footsteps.
In the words to the song “Amazing Grace” we sing that “grace has brought me safe thus far, and grace will lead me home.” That is what grace is and what it does. It is not a cheap grace that says we can go any way and follow any truth, it is the grace of Christ who IS the Way and IS the Truth. Forgiveness and repentance go hand in hand. Christ has come to lead us home, if we will simply change our course and start going in the right direction.
The good news is that there is always forgiveness for those who repent. Whether you have never made the choice to follow Christ, or have made the choice but have veered off course, the message is the same. Repent and receive forgiveness. Change direction and discover new life. For we believe that those who have died with Christ will also live with Him, dead to sin but alive in Christ. The invitation is to new direction, new life, and new world. The old world is rapidly aging. The new world is new every morning. The kingdom of heaven is breaking through. Your citizenship begins today. Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand.
Wednesday, January 19, 2005
God Bless Lorraine Controis
I'd like to begin this contribution by recommending that you not fly Delta airlines. That's how I would have begun if I had written this two weekends ago. After all, they booked us on three separate flights all of which were cancelled before sending us somewhere besides where we needed to go. It all worked out in the end, but the beginning and middle were fairly annoying. Delta is a problem airline.
That's what I'd have said before I flew again the following weekend. Then I'd have added that United isn't a great idea either. Three flights booked, three flights cancelled, home a day late (though not a dollar short if you're comforted by $72 worth of meal vouchers). I might also have suggested that you avoid any trip that takes you through Dulles airport. It makes Midway seem effecient and organized.
At that point I could have gone on to tell you about how I finally lost it and chewed out a helpless flight attendant for everything that was keeping me away from home. I could have shared how the Nathan's hot dog guy got a punch to the face when he said my meal voucher didn't cover two hot dogs. But someone saved me from all that. Her name was Lorraine Controis.
I should begin by telling you that her last name is pronounced Cohn-twah and not Cahn-troys. She'd want you to know that. She is very proud of her last name. After all, a very loving and supporting husband of some 60 years gave her that name. And that loving and supporting husband passed away that week. And my first interaction with Lorraine was when my wife, Rachel, heard her say "I'm lost, will someone please help me."
Someone did, and that someone was helped by Lorraine as much as Lorraine was helped by him. For the next 36 hours, Lorraine stuck to me like glue. She told stories of family and of her husband, she tried not to cry and cried anyway and we held hands and cried together. She used my cell phone to call home and I made sure she stayed at the same hotel as we did when it looked like we'd be spending the night outside Washington D.C.
In the end, Lorraine got home just fine, and we were relieved to get the phone call that assured us of that. In the beginning and middle, Lorraine's lostness helped to remind me what was really important. We formed a little community and we kept each other from getting further lost along the way.
Today I thank God for cancelled flights and for people like Lorraine Controis. I thank God for her husband's legacy of kindness that inspires me to love my wife even more. I thank God for opportunities to help the lost and reminders that I am not lost, I have simply lost focus. I thank God for little communities and the help that they provide. I thank God for His Son, Jesus, who showed us to "look not only to our own interests, but also the interests of others." I thank Him for showing me that is the only way to live.
So fly the friendly skies, folks. And make sure to keep them friendly.
That's what I'd have said before I flew again the following weekend. Then I'd have added that United isn't a great idea either. Three flights booked, three flights cancelled, home a day late (though not a dollar short if you're comforted by $72 worth of meal vouchers). I might also have suggested that you avoid any trip that takes you through Dulles airport. It makes Midway seem effecient and organized.
At that point I could have gone on to tell you about how I finally lost it and chewed out a helpless flight attendant for everything that was keeping me away from home. I could have shared how the Nathan's hot dog guy got a punch to the face when he said my meal voucher didn't cover two hot dogs. But someone saved me from all that. Her name was Lorraine Controis.
I should begin by telling you that her last name is pronounced Cohn-twah and not Cahn-troys. She'd want you to know that. She is very proud of her last name. After all, a very loving and supporting husband of some 60 years gave her that name. And that loving and supporting husband passed away that week. And my first interaction with Lorraine was when my wife, Rachel, heard her say "I'm lost, will someone please help me."
Someone did, and that someone was helped by Lorraine as much as Lorraine was helped by him. For the next 36 hours, Lorraine stuck to me like glue. She told stories of family and of her husband, she tried not to cry and cried anyway and we held hands and cried together. She used my cell phone to call home and I made sure she stayed at the same hotel as we did when it looked like we'd be spending the night outside Washington D.C.
In the end, Lorraine got home just fine, and we were relieved to get the phone call that assured us of that. In the beginning and middle, Lorraine's lostness helped to remind me what was really important. We formed a little community and we kept each other from getting further lost along the way.
Today I thank God for cancelled flights and for people like Lorraine Controis. I thank God for her husband's legacy of kindness that inspires me to love my wife even more. I thank God for opportunities to help the lost and reminders that I am not lost, I have simply lost focus. I thank God for little communities and the help that they provide. I thank God for His Son, Jesus, who showed us to "look not only to our own interests, but also the interests of others." I thank Him for showing me that is the only way to live.
So fly the friendly skies, folks. And make sure to keep them friendly.
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