Church Optional

One the most important things for me as a pastor to remember is that Christians don't need me. They don't need a church either. They need the disciple-making leadership and fellowship that me and a church I pastor should provide, but all the other nonsense that tends to flow out of a typical church, well, no one on earth needs a bit of it. Last week we had a desperate and powerful prayer meeting at our church due to all we're going through. At the end I said that the church is not supposed to be about the church, but it so often is. It so often is all about us. It is Christians looking in mirrors. It is Christians performing in choirs for each other, but making zero impact on the surrounding culture, making zero difference for Jesus Christ in a world dying to know Him. The world is not dying to attend church services or listen to worship songs or sit through sermons. People need the Lord. They want Jesus. This is not news for most of us. The first Christian church service ever is recorded in Matthew 2:11: "On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh." We all need to see Jesus, worship Him, and give Him our best treasures. When we're together in His Name, there ought to be a sense that we've arrived, that we're home.

Are you "going to church," but unsatisfied with your spiritual life? Are you looking for the same thing the Magi were when you attend a worship service?

First Gifts

We give gifts at Christmas. Many of us give gifts to others that we intend to be gifts to God as well. The only way we can really give to God is to give to others. But before we give God anything, we have to give Jesus our sins. Let me speak personally here. As the days unfold at Goodwill, certain sins of certain people (no, not me) will become the news of the day, at least in our circles. This happens in cycles and ought not surprise us. Every time a certain person's certain sins surface in a certain community everyone in that community has an opportunity to examine their own sins and their own souls. This is unpleasant at best. Some say it's good and necessary, but I tend not to have such an optimistic view of the effects of sin. I guess if you need surgery, it's a good thing, but it's best just not to need it. I wish I didn't need it, but I do. I've got sins to give to Jesus for Christmas. If I don't give them to Him, I'll keep them and soon they'll be keeping me. I'm either a slave to Christ or a slave to my sins. No middle ground. The Magi knew this and chose to honor Christ over Herod, a human embodiment of sin. In Matthew 2:16 it says, "When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi." Sin, like Herod, is a terrible, murderous king. When I see Herod's reaction I recoil at it because, in the horror of honesty, I recognize myself. Without Christ, I'm not a better man than Herod. If I think I am a better man on my own, I will surely become my own brand of Herod. Even with Christ, I'm sorely tempted and spiritually frail. My sins are my first gifts to Jesus. He takes them from me because, before I was born, He took them onto His body on the cross. He paid for them. I'm not saying that I'm a sinner because this is what preachers do. I really am. I really need a Savior. I'm that messed up. He's that good.

What first "gifts" do you need to give to Jesus this Christmas, in other words, what sins do you need to confess? If you are setting confession of sins aside or postponing doing it, what is a higher priority to you? How can it be?

Sovereignty

Here's a morning message to myself as a believer in a letter form:

Good Morning,

First of all, there's nothing you can do to make today better or worse than God has planned. The decisions you make in these early moments of your day have nothing to do with your day and everything to do with your heart. Christianity isn't sorcery. You have no power. Your preferences are irrelevant. This day is about submission. God has planned everything today and asked for no advise. You can't love God as you are trying to influence Him. You must aim to do one or the other. This requires radical trust. Pray for your agenda to match His, not for His sake, but yours. Pray for His strength. Get in His Word. Pray it as you read it. As your mind wanders away into the perceived troubles of the day, place those troubles and challenges on the table of prayer. Capture anxieties and fear. They are trying to steal life and energy that belongs to and must be harnessed by faith. Imagine Mary's heart as, in Luke 2:34-35, "Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: 'This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too.'” Did she pray against this? Did she "not receive this word?" Of course not! Clay doesn't bargain with The Potter. It is your task today to be soft in The Potter's hands, willing for and committed to His shaping. Let your soul be pierced by the Word of God. Let your heart be revealed and neither apologize for nor downplay all that rises and falls by the hand of God. He knows what He's doing, and you don't. This is not a source of frustration, but the only source for the "peace that passes understanding."


Would you write a similar letter to yourself today? Would it be different? Simeon prophetically reported "the child's" destiny to his mother, Mary, as a future fact. What parts of your life have this same sense to them?

Christmas Lights

You see them everywhere. All of us develop very early memories of them. At night, the glow and warmth Christmas lights draw our eyes to storefronts and people's yards. I have to admit, I think they are beautiful. They get me every time. On the street where I live just about every house is a strategically planned display of high-electric-bill Christmas cheer. The manufacturers of the lights are getting better too. Some of the outside lights show colors and brilliance I don't remember from past years. What's funny is how these lights look during the day in storefronts and especially in yards. They look sad and trashy. Only in the dark do these lights bless. It was dark in more ways than one when Christ was born. After the Magi left Joseph, Mary, and Jesus, it says in Matthew 2:13 that "an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up,” he said, 'take the child and his mother and escape to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.'” Can you imagine? This is a reminder of how dark a time it was and how evil some men were. Joseph has already been through so much, and now this. He has to make a run for it. Again, notice that he is in charge. He has to do this: protect his betrothed and her newborn son. Still, all this takes nothing away from the hope and glory of the birth of Christ. In fact, it adds to it. Christ is that much more beautiful in the context of the evil and darkness that surrounded His birth, life, death, and resurrection. This can help us today. Whatever evil we face, inside or out, with the light of Christ focused on with eyes of faith, the darkness can be transformed. Jesus came to change everything. The lights and lit-up decorations on my neighbor's yard change everything about how his yard looks at night and remind me of The Light of the World.

What darkness do you face today? How are you intentionally shining the light of Christ on it? Are you a believer and will you live like it today?

A Moment

Luke 2:36-38 says, "There was also a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was very old; she had lived with her husband seven years after her marriage, and then was a widow until she was eighty-four. She never left the temple but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying. Coming up to them at that very moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the child to all who were looking forward to the redemption of Jerusalem." I get it. She hoped for what the Scriptures promised. She waited for "the redemption of Jerusalem." The most important fact in all of this for me is that she spent her days in the temple worshipping, fasting, and praying. Today our church is fasting and tonight we will all be praying in a worshipful gathering. Our actions are based on our hope in Christ. We wait for the redemption of Goodwill Church. We each wait for many other things as well, whether they have to do with what the whole world is going through or what we alone are going through. A lifetime of worship, fasting, and praying can sometimes be only about a moment. Anna's moment is recorded in Scripture. Ours will not be, but Scripture teaches us that if we want to live a life for God we have to be willing to have it all boil down to one grateful moment. Sometimes hindsight can show us that everything we do is really only about a moment.

When you read about Anna do you see her life as unfortunate or blessed? Are you willing to do everything you do for God for one moment? When you worship, fast, and pray, what is it you seek?

Sorry, I'm late

My posting today was very late. There are all kinds of reasons for this that I won't write about here. It reminds me, however, of God's timing. I often consider Him to be late. I often think that I'm waiting too long. Advent is about the fact that 400 years of silence and waiting were pierced by a voice (John the Baptist's) calling out in the desert, "Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for him." (Luke 3:4b)

Generations were born, lived, and died waiting for God in these 400 years between what we call the Old and New Testaments. How those people's ears must have ached to hear the Word of God. Second Temple Judaism, as it is referred to now, developed as a political authority under authority. The answer to the question, "Who's the boss?" changed from the Persians to the Greeks, to the Jewish Hasmoneans, and finally to the Romans. John the Baptist broke the chain with his prophetic cry. He still does. His command is still relevant. I need to remember this today. My entire job and life's purpose is the prepare the way for Him and make a straight path for Him. He's the star. He's the point. As the sign in front of our church says, "Jesus is the reason believers endure any season." He's not just the reason for the season, He's the reason for everything.

What in your life seems late? How has your experience of God's timing helped you understand His faithfulness?

Bigger than Life

A good life is always about more than a good life. It's always bigger. A great life has a purpose that transcends it. The birth of Christ brought together and lifted the life purposes of many people, a few of which we meet in Scripture. In Luke 2:25-26 it says, "Now there was a man in Jerusalem called Simeon, who was righteous and devout. He was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. It had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ." Scripture tells us accounts like this for a reason. We're supposed to look at our own lives. What are we waiting for? The answer to this question reveals our destiny. Is it a fulfillment of something we've heard from God, or is it something less? I feel the Holy Spirit constantly reminding me that settling for something less is never His will. Think of the anticipation of Simeon. It framed his life. It filled his mind. It informed his every decision. He was set up by the Holy Spirit to long for and look for Jesus. His eyes were trained for any sign of the sight of Him. Every day he woke up and thought, "This could be the day that I see the Savior with my own eyes!" One day it was!

What are you looking forward to today? Is your anticipation for Jesus or for something less? Do you have anything in your life that is bigger than your life?

Madrigals

I make fun of my own singing all the time. I'm no Bono, but, actually, at The University of Connecticut in the 80's, I was a bass section leader for the Concert Choir. People filled large venues to hear us perform Handel's "Messiah," Faure's "Requiem," Stravinsky's "Symphony of Psalms," Brahms' "A German Requiem," and Mendelssohn's "Elijah," to name of few masterpieces I had the privilege of performing in my early 20's. I was also a Madrigal, a member of small, select ensemble from within the choir that performed Baroque and Renaissance choral music, especially around Christmas.

For weeks in December, we performed for people in period costumes in a theatrical setting while they ate first rate meals. People paid well for these events, which were sold out far in advance. Even some of the food was authentic to the 16th and 17th centuries. I love these memories. My two loves at the time, music and theatre, combined into a labor-intensive, rewarding experience. The best part came from watching how much fun people had. It was a highlight of the season for many people. We sang from table to table and performed all manner of carefully scripted hijinks. We ended the evening with the best choral performances one can find in a large University setting anywhere. I'm not ashamed to say that I was proud to be a part of these troupes of performers. Though we were only students, we were a driven and able group. We did our best so that our audience/customers enjoyed themselves. I think these experiences help me understand the viewpoint of the angels on the night Christ was born. They put on a show for unsuspecting shepherds that had never been seen and will never be seen again. Luke 2:13-14 says, "Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests.'" There's no way that the shepherds were too busy to notice, yet I wonder about us now. I wonder if the way we live our lives renders us deaf to the voices of angels.

Are you too busy to notice God's attempts to inspire you? Do you appreciate the heart and effort behind all that God does and plans for you? Do you know how much God loves you and loves to bless you?

Government for the People

Isaiah 9:7
"Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the LORD Almighty will accomplish this."

As I read this verse this year I keep staring at the word "government." A few things come to mind:

1) I should want nothing more than government by God. Our world suffers at the hands of men. Our country, great as it is, is being brought down by men, like every over great country in the history of the world. What is government by God? I have no idea. It certainly is not government by people who claim to be Christians. That's what we've had and what we've got now. It must be something different. It must be something spiritual. What thoughts do you have on this?

2) All human governments will end. We place our faith in them at our own peril.

3) Government by God means peace. If there's a lack of peace, there's a lack of God. War is a test, not a validation, of the character and faith of people.

4) False peace is the most deceptive power on earth. It is a "form of Godliness" with no power.

The problem I see in my life is that not only do I want to trust the human government over me, but I want to trust the human government within me. All of it eventually fails. Advent reminds me of this fact and of what God offers as a better alternative: "Christ in me, the hope of glory."

Who's running things in your life and world today? Is there a lack of peace that shows a lack of God in your life?

Christmas Cartoons

When I was kid we didn't even have remote control for our televisions. The first one I saw was a dial exactly like the one on the set with 15-foot, heavy wire leashing it to the television. We also didn't have hundreds of channels. We had three main channels (ABC, NBC, and CBS) and channel 13 (PBS). This meant that when "Frosty the Snowman" or "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" came on in the weeks before Christmas, it was huge event for us. We knew in advance thanks to the TV Guide and we would plan our evenings accordingly. We even made popcorn, which we had to eat out in the hallway; no food in the family room back in those days. I remember thinking that these shows and the nights we watched them were perfect. The greatest of all these shows for me was "A Charlie Brown Christmas." I still get chills when I watch and hear Linus quote from the King James Bible in their Christmas pageant. It was the highlight of the show and the show within the show. Linus read Luke 2:8-15: "And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid. And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." The point of the story of "A Charlie Brown Christmas" is, of course, that we need to remember the real meaning of Christmas, exactly what these verses describe. By the way, Luke 2:14 is written in wooden letters above the cross and altar in Goodwill's sanctuary.

It's three short weeks till Christmas. How are you doing with the real meaning of Christmas? Do you know the peace the angels were talking about?

Tinsel and Tinkles

Shannon and I went to see The Nutcracker at the NYC Ballet a few years ago. She had never seen it. Tchaikovsky is a great composer, so much so that this solid classic is not even one of his best works. Nevertheless, the Nutcracker is like Christmas on steroids. My little sister took ballet and I remember her scurrying across the stage in her tutu every Christmas every year for what felt like the first eighty years of my childhood. Even now, as I'm writing about it and you're reading about it, we can all hear the music in our heads. If you can't, go to the iTunes store, type in Nutcracker, click on the 2nd song they list and hear 20 seconds of it for free. Don't worry, it'll play in your head for the rest of today and tomorrow. There's something about Christmas and fantasy that clings to our minds. It starts when we're kids. I wonder sometimes if this isn't more connected to the true meaning of Christmas than we all realize. In speaking about the quest of the Magi in Matthew 2:9-10 it says, "After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed." Maybe all that is tinsel and tinkles about Christmas is our subconscious attempt to join the Magi in their chase of that eastern star. How brilliant and riveting a sight it must have been. Nothing stokes our imaginations like a chance to touch The Creator of imagination. Every curiosity and fascination of our minds is secondary and subservient to our curiosity and fascination with God. The promise of Christ manifested at His birth is the promise of our curiosity's satisfaction. In Christ, and in Christ alone, we will see God!

Is God the most interesting part of today for you or is there something else? Does faith in Christ inspire your imagination?

Obligated to Give

Sometimes the holidays land us in a position where we feel obligated to give a gift. In Matthew 1:24 it says, "When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife." It seems Joseph was the first person to give a obligatory gift. He had to give up his rights to his future wife to God. I'm always fascinated with Joseph. He was just as chosen as Mary. I could argue that he was more so. His name and pedigree would have to be and would be assigned to Jesus legitimately and permanently. He had to accept bearing Jesus just as much as Mary did. Mary's DNA was used, but something equally intimate from a Biblical standpoint, Joseph's name, was also required. It's what all those "begats" are all about. Joseph was the human father. This meant, in his day, that he was Jesus' main parent. He was the head of the house and 100% responsible for raising Jesus. Imagine this. More than any other human being and much more than Mary while he was alive, Joseph was responsible for Jesus. He had to protect him, feed him, teach him, discipline him, and provide for him and his mother. There's not much written about Joseph, but there would be nothing written about Jesus if Joseph hadn't stepped up to his calling to be Jesus' adoptive father. The thing is, unlike me, he didn't set out to adopt. He was obligated to give himself to Jesus by God. It's important to remember that some obligations end up being worth everything.

What do you feel obligated by God to give? How are you doing with this in your life?

Hidden in Plain Sight

The tradition of wrapping gifts is a good one to my mind. It helps gifts to be savored, anticipated, and, most importantly, appreciated. The birth of Christ is, of course, a gift. It is the ultimate gift. God gives us His Son. Gifts of socks, pants, Altoids, DVDs of movies Shannon thinks I'll like, and books she's picked out for me will soon be hidden in plain sight under our tree. Wrapping paper, Scotch tape, and bows will provide thin but effective camouflage. The gospel of Christ can be similarly camouflaged. It can be hidden in plain sight. The gifts under our tree are sure to be opened. The gift of Jesus Christ, on the other hand, may not be for many people. In Luke 2:12 it says, "This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Despite the star and the concert of angels the shepherds beheld, many in Bethlehem missed unwrapping the gift of Jesus. Consider how many people in this town lived through this event and their entire lives completely oblivious to Christ. All they saw, if they noticed anything at all, was a baby born out of wedlock in a barn. How could this be anything to pay attention to, never mind rejoice in? This is like thinking that all there is to those gifts under the tree is wrapping paper, tape, and bows held in place by empty boxes.

Is Jesus Christ a gift you have received (opened) or one you have ignored? Does it feel like God is hidden in plain sight today?

"I don't know how to worship You, Lord."

Confessions like this are powerful and transforming. I haven't just confessed that I don't know how to worship Him, but that I don't know how to love Him, serve Him, offer Him to others, live for Him, or trust Him. Each time I make such a confession I sense God's presence and blessing. God loves the truth more than anyone I know. When I tell Him the truth, no matter how hard it is, I feel His pleasure and am assured of His love. In Luke 2:9 it says, "An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified." I've often been completely taken by the glory of God in such scenes, but I realize lately than the terror of the shepherds was truth-based and, therefore, had to be pleasing to God as well. The shepherds knew God and knew their own hearts. It wasn't just the appearance of the angel, but how they, the shepherds, appeared and were revealed by God's light that got to them. No one can hide anything from God. To imagine things from God's perspective, our attempts at hiding from Him must be deeply offensive to Him. We actually have record of this in Genesis 3:9. I can still hear The Father in my own life asking, "Where are you?"

Have you told the truth to God this morning? If not, what's keeping you from doing so? Where are you?

The First Day of Advent

Advent means arrival. When we celebrate Advent we celebrate the arrival of Jesus Christ into our world. It is not a one time event, but a continuing event. We continually need God in our lives. We need Him to make an entrance and change the core meaning of everything. I remember my first Christmas as a believer. I insisted on attending church, but had no idea how. A friend of mine was Catholic and agreed to take me to "The Midnight Mass." I remember being lost in the service and in the community within the church. I was 19 and had never attended a church service in my life. The elements of the service were entirely mysterious to me. It seemed like so little was connected to the little I knew about God and Jesus. It was a blur of standing, sitting, and waiting in a line to see the priest up front. I don't remember anyone singing or smiling. The service, which would certainly qualify as beautiful to me now, was simply alien. This, however, was somehow appropriate. Jesus was indeed an alien who had arrived in my life. He seemed to never stop doing strange things and making strange requests of me. (I later learned these were demands.) Some of this initial strangeness has never left me. Jesus never intends to visit with people, but to move in. In Luke 2:11 it says, "Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord." He wasn't voted in. If people didn't think they needed a Savior, Jesus doesn't seem to have cared. He came to take over. He always does. To mention David is to bring up the idea of a king. This is what Jesus is. At advent we celebrate the arrival and Heaven-imposed reign of The King of Kings, Jesus Christ.

How is He a King to you today? Will you serve Him or someone else today?

Capture Your Holiday in a Havahart Trap!

It's here! It has been marching your way all year. There's nothing you can do to stop it. It is one week before the end of the year. (My calendar runs out a week later, which, according to our culture's logic, means the world will end even before 2012.) The Biblically dubious season of Advent and Christmas, upon arrival, will do everything possible to chew through December and disappear into 2010. You've got to capture it in a Havahart trap. Who cares if it's more secular than sacred in origins. (I'll explain all this in future postings.) Jesus owns it now and most of us have seen Him use this season to draw hundreds of millions of people all around the world closer to Him. May He do just this with each of us and our families. May he slow down all that typically races by. May we remember the worship services, songs, laughter of children, food, and the things we did for others that blessed them deeply.