..ing lot. That's what we did this past Sunday night. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we went in another direction, we adapted, we tried something new. And it was amazing. One of the best Sunday meetings we've had. On a night that celebrated "new"ness and change, it was a reminder never to get too comfortable. Some thoughts from that night:
We live in a world where many feel just as hopeless as the discples must have felt between death and resurrection. The promises of modernism proved to be less concrete than we had hoped, the ideals of postmodernism can prove too unwieldy. Nietzsche said "God is dead" and too often he looks to be right. G. K. Chesterton said that the horrifying thing about a life without God is not that we believe in nothing, but end up believing in anything. The maxim of the day is "it's all good", but when everything is good then none of it is good. We had a war to end all wars, and we have had nothing but wars ever since. We had a sexual revolution and it gave us casual relationships and broken families. We pursued wealth. The poor stay poor and the rich get rich and they all end up empty. Even the "haves" wake up feeling like "have-nots". We can do whatever we like and we have all forgotten why we liked it. Our dreams have gone sour, and we do not even know who we are anymore. Even within the church itself, there are many whose hopes were placed within their own ideas of Messiah, one who would make us prosperous and powerful, and those ideas are dying a slow death.
Jesus walks alongside us and explains how the mission of God is and has always been to heal and restore. He says that no one is good but God and that God is out to recreate humanity and the world as it was meant to be, to deal with evil, to create a new family where forgiveness is common and to challenge the rule of war, sex, money, and power. And, beginning to end, the stranger interprets both old and new testaments and explains how this re-creation and revolution will take place.
Jesus speaks resurrection into our world. He is still calling us to new life, a new way, a new reality. One that leaves room for evidence as well as mystery, but overturns our assumptions about both. The sacrifice of Jesus means death to our old lives, but that is good news. His resurrection means our resurrection. It means everything is different now. Everything is new.
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Telling The Story
Last night was our night to invite friends and tell our story. There were 10 of us, including the 8 members of Immanuel. Not a ragin success by the world's standards, but I'm getting increasingly comfortable not judging by those. This is going to be small and it is going to take awhile. We said all along that we wanted to grow a church from relationships, and relationships take time. We're also discovering that there is a world of difference between a friend who loves and supports you and comes to your home and one who wants to come to your church. Which can be good. It shows those friends take what we believe seriously enough to question it. Not that they can't question it with us. Anyway, a bit from the story I shared last night:
For God was so in love with the world that He sent His only Son, Jesus, so that whoever believed in Him would not die, but live. This state that we put ourselves in is killing us. That was what I realized. I had too many mornings where I woke up and looked in the mirror and hated the guy I was. This guy without purpose. This guy without direction. This guy whose only desire was for his own desires. I suffered from selfishness and self-righteousness and just....self..ness. I was so committed to being liked, to being cool, to fitting in, to being above it all, to using people as connections more than friends that it was destroying me. I wanted to be better than the person I was. I wanted to stop being the person I was. I needed to start over. I recognized all the things about me that were awful, I realized the hole I was in, and I was looking for a new way to be, for some higher truth, for some light to guide me.
My fear was that if I turned to God, as I..d been raised to do, I..d only face condemnation. But I had this story. This story that had been available to me my whole life, sitting on tables in my house. So I started turning the story over to see what I could find.
What I discovered was that Jesus liked to tell stories. Stories about fields and farmers and seeds that were really about the Kingdom of God and how He had come to bring it into the world in a new and powerful way. What I discovered was the story of how and why Jesus came into the world, not to condemn the world but to save it. Sure, He treats my sin seriously, or wouldn..t have had to die for it. But He doesn..t expose my sin so that I can carry it around with me, but so that He can take it away. Through His death, He makes the sacrifice for my sin. Through His resurrection He offers the possibility of new life. Through my repentance and baptism, I die to my old self and begin that new life in Him.
For God was so in love with the world that He sent His only Son, Jesus, so that whoever believed in Him would not die, but live. This state that we put ourselves in is killing us. That was what I realized. I had too many mornings where I woke up and looked in the mirror and hated the guy I was. This guy without purpose. This guy without direction. This guy whose only desire was for his own desires. I suffered from selfishness and self-righteousness and just....self..ness. I was so committed to being liked, to being cool, to fitting in, to being above it all, to using people as connections more than friends that it was destroying me. I wanted to be better than the person I was. I wanted to stop being the person I was. I needed to start over. I recognized all the things about me that were awful, I realized the hole I was in, and I was looking for a new way to be, for some higher truth, for some light to guide me.
My fear was that if I turned to God, as I..d been raised to do, I..d only face condemnation. But I had this story. This story that had been available to me my whole life, sitting on tables in my house. So I started turning the story over to see what I could find.
What I discovered was that Jesus liked to tell stories. Stories about fields and farmers and seeds that were really about the Kingdom of God and how He had come to bring it into the world in a new and powerful way. What I discovered was the story of how and why Jesus came into the world, not to condemn the world but to save it. Sure, He treats my sin seriously, or wouldn..t have had to die for it. But He doesn..t expose my sin so that I can carry it around with me, but so that He can take it away. Through His death, He makes the sacrifice for my sin. Through His resurrection He offers the possibility of new life. Through my repentance and baptism, I die to my old self and begin that new life in Him.
Nothing But The Blood
"For so many in our country -- the homeless and the fatherless, the addicted -- the need is great. Yet there's power, wonder-working power, in the goodness and idealism and faith of the American people."
So spoke President George W. Bush in his 2003 State of the Union address. I was reminded of his speech this past week as I prepared for my sermon last night on the death of Jesus. In this line, President Bush borrows from a Christian hymn I grew up singing, titled "Power In The Blood". The chorus goes as follows:
"There is power, power, wonder-working power, in the precious blood of the lamb."
Powerful words for those of us who believe in them; and the "goodness and idealism and faith of the American people" acts as a poor replacement.
For those who are homeless, fatherless, and addicted, God offers hope; through Himself, through His Son, through His Spirit, and through His church. To offer up less than God as an answer for the world's ills isn't just tactless, it's irresponsible and hopeless.
This isn't meant to be a rant against the President or even against goodness, idealism, and faith. But the Christian story hinges on the truth that nothing but the blood of Jesus can wash away our sin. No one else can save us. No one else but Him.
Our attempts to rely on our own goodness continue to fall short, since only God is good. Our idealism is so often less than ideal and so easily turned into cynicism. Our faith might be something to boast about, if we didn't have so little.
"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
So spoke President George W. Bush in his 2003 State of the Union address. I was reminded of his speech this past week as I prepared for my sermon last night on the death of Jesus. In this line, President Bush borrows from a Christian hymn I grew up singing, titled "Power In The Blood". The chorus goes as follows:
"There is power, power, wonder-working power, in the precious blood of the lamb."
Powerful words for those of us who believe in them; and the "goodness and idealism and faith of the American people" acts as a poor replacement.
For those who are homeless, fatherless, and addicted, God offers hope; through Himself, through His Son, through His Spirit, and through His church. To offer up less than God as an answer for the world's ills isn't just tactless, it's irresponsible and hopeless.
This isn't meant to be a rant against the President or even against goodness, idealism, and faith. But the Christian story hinges on the truth that nothing but the blood of Jesus can wash away our sin. No one else can save us. No one else but Him.
Our attempts to rely on our own goodness continue to fall short, since only God is good. Our idealism is so often less than ideal and so easily turned into cynicism. Our faith might be something to boast about, if we didn't have so little.
"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world."
New Beginnings
We met in our semi-permanent space (Central Christian Church Community Room on 12th and Guadalupe) for the first time. We had an hour to set uo and used every minute of it. Hope to finish with time to spare this next week, but we'll see. This week there were already a few visitors and new faces, which we were excited to see. Hopefully, getting a behind the scenes look didn't put anyone off or scare them away. Personally, I enjoy being with a church where you get to see the man behind the curtain. Hopefully I'm not the only one.
This week we had a prayer service that broke up into Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Thanksgiving centered around the Eucharist (which means, literally, "thanksgiving"). Eucharust/communion/Lord's supper is always such a meaningful time for me. Especially as it followed on the heels of our public and privae confession/s.
I was reminded if the popular website and book PostSecret. The concept is folks sending in their secrets and fears anonymously to this website, where they are then printed on the site (and in the book). Such a great first step and ultimately helpless act. Here's my sin...now what. I out it out there, now what do I do. I believe that such an important part of being the church is being the place where you can post your secret and post your sin. Where you can carry it to the feet of the cross and have it forgiven.
It is a powerful thing to recognize your own sin. Not to recognize it in some generic way ..Yes, I..m a sinner, the Bible says we..re all sinners.. but to know it and own it, to recognize that it was this week that I ignored the homeless guy standing on the corner, that it was just yesterday that I gossiped about my friend, just hours ago that I spoke unkindly to my wife. It..s important to recognize that we are so inclined to sin, it..s a wonder we ever do anything else. It..s important that we see our sin as real, because it is real, and if it isn..t then our Lord isn..t and His sacrifice isn..t. We must recognize that we share a common problem, we are sinful, we are broken, we are evil, we miss the mark almost as often as we shoot. Recognizing that is a powerful thing.
In the beginning, God created a perfect world. He created human beings in His image and hoped to share that world with them and share relationship with them. Within a very short time, they exercised the free will that love requires and they broke the world and that relationship. They sinned. We continue that tradition. Since just after the beginning, humans have sinned, and we are no exception. Recognizing that, the weight of that, is a powerful thing.
What has been done in response is even more powerful. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, was sent to earth to die for our sin. He was raised from the dead to show His power over death and over sin. He has promised that those of us who believe in Him, who live in obedience to Him, can die to sin and be resurrected in Him.
But we..re like prisoners who have been offered a pardon, we have to accept it. We have to be willing to call Jesus our Lord if we want Him to be our Savior. We have to repent of the sin that we confess and we have to choose to be baptized in His name. We have to live in obedience to Him. If we don..t, than we're as helpless as someone with a secret and a postcard, thinking that's all there is.
The Lord..s supper proclaims the good news of Jesus Christ. It proclaims His atoning work and His resurrection victory. It proclaims God..s judgment upon those who reject His offer of grace but it also welcomes all who come in faith. It proclaims hope, but also proclaims the finality of God..s work in Christ. Even as it includes, it excludes those who set themselves against the gospel. It visibly unites the people of God and gives expression to their fellowship with each other and with God. The supper proclaims the gospel.
When we eat and drink we renew our covenant with God. We pledge ourselves to keep the covenant. Just as Israel voiced its willingness to obey the covenant, so we ratify the covenant in our life when we eat and drink. It is a moment of rededication and recommitment. In the context of this worship, we voice our commitment to live worthy of the gospel. We vow to take up our cross, call Jesus Lord and follow Him into the world as obedient servants. The supper is the moment when we renew the vow we made in baptism.
When we take this supper, we remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for our sin. We remember the grace that has been offered to all who believe and obey. We affirm that Jesus is the Son of God and that only through His death and resurrection can our sin be forgiven. That if we call Him Lord we can also call Him Savior. And we give thanks for that. To the One who remembered us in our low estate, who freed us, who gives us this food as His body and blood, we give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.
This week we had a prayer service that broke up into Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication. Thanksgiving centered around the Eucharist (which means, literally, "thanksgiving"). Eucharust/communion/Lord's supper is always such a meaningful time for me. Especially as it followed on the heels of our public and privae confession/s.
I was reminded if the popular website and book PostSecret. The concept is folks sending in their secrets and fears anonymously to this website, where they are then printed on the site (and in the book). Such a great first step and ultimately helpless act. Here's my sin...now what. I out it out there, now what do I do. I believe that such an important part of being the church is being the place where you can post your secret and post your sin. Where you can carry it to the feet of the cross and have it forgiven.
It is a powerful thing to recognize your own sin. Not to recognize it in some generic way ..Yes, I..m a sinner, the Bible says we..re all sinners.. but to know it and own it, to recognize that it was this week that I ignored the homeless guy standing on the corner, that it was just yesterday that I gossiped about my friend, just hours ago that I spoke unkindly to my wife. It..s important to recognize that we are so inclined to sin, it..s a wonder we ever do anything else. It..s important that we see our sin as real, because it is real, and if it isn..t then our Lord isn..t and His sacrifice isn..t. We must recognize that we share a common problem, we are sinful, we are broken, we are evil, we miss the mark almost as often as we shoot. Recognizing that is a powerful thing.
In the beginning, God created a perfect world. He created human beings in His image and hoped to share that world with them and share relationship with them. Within a very short time, they exercised the free will that love requires and they broke the world and that relationship. They sinned. We continue that tradition. Since just after the beginning, humans have sinned, and we are no exception. Recognizing that, the weight of that, is a powerful thing.
What has been done in response is even more powerful. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, was sent to earth to die for our sin. He was raised from the dead to show His power over death and over sin. He has promised that those of us who believe in Him, who live in obedience to Him, can die to sin and be resurrected in Him.
But we..re like prisoners who have been offered a pardon, we have to accept it. We have to be willing to call Jesus our Lord if we want Him to be our Savior. We have to repent of the sin that we confess and we have to choose to be baptized in His name. We have to live in obedience to Him. If we don..t, than we're as helpless as someone with a secret and a postcard, thinking that's all there is.
The Lord..s supper proclaims the good news of Jesus Christ. It proclaims His atoning work and His resurrection victory. It proclaims God..s judgment upon those who reject His offer of grace but it also welcomes all who come in faith. It proclaims hope, but also proclaims the finality of God..s work in Christ. Even as it includes, it excludes those who set themselves against the gospel. It visibly unites the people of God and gives expression to their fellowship with each other and with God. The supper proclaims the gospel.
When we eat and drink we renew our covenant with God. We pledge ourselves to keep the covenant. Just as Israel voiced its willingness to obey the covenant, so we ratify the covenant in our life when we eat and drink. It is a moment of rededication and recommitment. In the context of this worship, we voice our commitment to live worthy of the gospel. We vow to take up our cross, call Jesus Lord and follow Him into the world as obedient servants. The supper is the moment when we renew the vow we made in baptism.
When we take this supper, we remember the sacrifice that Jesus made for our sin. We remember the grace that has been offered to all who believe and obey. We affirm that Jesus is the Son of God and that only through His death and resurrection can our sin be forgiven. That if we call Him Lord we can also call Him Savior. And we give thanks for that. To the One who remembered us in our low estate, who freed us, who gives us this food as His body and blood, we give thanks to the God of heaven. His love endures forever.
Here I Am To Worship
t's a fairly regular occurence for a co-worker or friend to ask me "So, how's the church thing going?" For the past month, as we headed towards a corporate worship time, my response had been "I just want it to be over."
What I meant was that there were so many administrative tasks, and I'm not an administrator. There were so many details, and I'm bad with details. There was a lot of pressure, and I wanted the pressure to end.
Of course, the pressure was mostly self-inflicted. Just over a year ago, Rachel and I moved back to Austin to begin a downtown community known as Immanuel. What began as an vision formed into a core group. That core group began meeting for times of fellowship and discipleship in our home. That group began looking toward a time of worship together.
And as that time approached, the pressure was on. The pressure to produce. Produce big numbers, an elaborate setting, hip music, and all while trying to look like that wasn't what I was doing. And all while worrying that I couldn't produce. So, when people asked, I'd say "our first worship time is coming up soon, and I just want it to end."
Shame on me. What I was saying, without meaning to say it, was that nothing good could come of this time unless I pulled off the most impressive of events. What I was saying is that God couldn't possibly move and shape people better than I could. What I was saying is that because I didn't feel prepared, God must be feeling the same way.
Last night we came together for our first time worshipping together as Immanuel. We found a temporary place to meet last week. We barely had time to invite people or tell them where we'd be. We ended up with a fairly small crowd singing familiar songs, praying together, reading the Bible, confessing sin, and taking communion.
It was awesome. What I had forgotten was that initial call. To move back to Austin and begin sharing Jesus with people by sharing my life with them. To invite them into a community of faith made up of imperfect people doing their best to worship a perfect Lord. That's what we did last night. We worshipped God together. And I would guess that He was pleased. Not because I pretend to know the mind of God or because we were a particularly impressive bunch, but because we remembered (I remembered, we didn't all need as much reminding as I did), just in time, that God loves the worship of a people whose hearts are given over to Him. There's probably a lot that we fell short of doing last night. But we came and we worshipped. And I think it was good. As good as we get anyway. I know that the Spirit of God was there. I know that's always good.
Next week, we'll do it again. We're going to give it our best and know that is never good enough. I hope you'll come and join us. I don't even know where we're going to be, but I hope you'll plan to be there anyway. Come join us in worship to the only One who is worthy of it. If you're like me, you'll never want it to end.
What I meant was that there were so many administrative tasks, and I'm not an administrator. There were so many details, and I'm bad with details. There was a lot of pressure, and I wanted the pressure to end.
Of course, the pressure was mostly self-inflicted. Just over a year ago, Rachel and I moved back to Austin to begin a downtown community known as Immanuel. What began as an vision formed into a core group. That core group began meeting for times of fellowship and discipleship in our home. That group began looking toward a time of worship together.
And as that time approached, the pressure was on. The pressure to produce. Produce big numbers, an elaborate setting, hip music, and all while trying to look like that wasn't what I was doing. And all while worrying that I couldn't produce. So, when people asked, I'd say "our first worship time is coming up soon, and I just want it to end."
Shame on me. What I was saying, without meaning to say it, was that nothing good could come of this time unless I pulled off the most impressive of events. What I was saying is that God couldn't possibly move and shape people better than I could. What I was saying is that because I didn't feel prepared, God must be feeling the same way.
Last night we came together for our first time worshipping together as Immanuel. We found a temporary place to meet last week. We barely had time to invite people or tell them where we'd be. We ended up with a fairly small crowd singing familiar songs, praying together, reading the Bible, confessing sin, and taking communion.
It was awesome. What I had forgotten was that initial call. To move back to Austin and begin sharing Jesus with people by sharing my life with them. To invite them into a community of faith made up of imperfect people doing their best to worship a perfect Lord. That's what we did last night. We worshipped God together. And I would guess that He was pleased. Not because I pretend to know the mind of God or because we were a particularly impressive bunch, but because we remembered (I remembered, we didn't all need as much reminding as I did), just in time, that God loves the worship of a people whose hearts are given over to Him. There's probably a lot that we fell short of doing last night. But we came and we worshipped. And I think it was good. As good as we get anyway. I know that the Spirit of God was there. I know that's always good.
Next week, we'll do it again. We're going to give it our best and know that is never good enough. I hope you'll come and join us. I don't even know where we're going to be, but I hope you'll plan to be there anyway. Come join us in worship to the only One who is worthy of it. If you're like me, you'll never want it to end.
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