4th Sunday of Easter: Follow the Leader

Lectionary Readings for Sunday, April 29th

As a child did you ever play follow the leader?  I did and I pretty much didn't like it unless I was the leader.  It got really old, really fast otherwise.  As adults, I don't think we much like playing that game either.  And I'm not talking about playing the actual game with our kids.  I'm talking about life.  We tend to like being our own leader.  We like to be in control of where we are going and what we are doing.  Of course freedom is a value we hold dear in this country and freedom and equal opportunity are good values to uphold.  But we have to be careful about hyper individualism.  Take a look at something Jesus recognized.

As he saw the crowds, his heart was filled with pity for them, because they were worried and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Matthew 9:36 (GNT)


Sheep without a shepherd.  When faced with the problems of this world and what lies behind them, I think one could make the argument that we are just sheep without a shepherd.  We are lost, worried, and helpless when it comes to fixing what ails us.  The fourth Sunday in Easter is known as the Sunday of the Good Shepherd.  On it, we always read or sing the 23rd Psalm.  We read from John 10 about Jesus being the Good Shepherd.  Jesus, the Good Shepherd.  Good = Morally excellent, virtuous, righteous.  Shepherd = A person who herds, tends, or guides sheep.  And it is used metaphorically as one who protects, guides, or watches over a person or group.  So if one could argue that the main problem of this world is that we are sheep without a shepherd, one could also argue that we need a Good Shepherd.  Not any shepherd, but a truly Good Shepherd.  In John chapter 10, Jesus lays claim to that title.  He says,  "I am the good shepherd, who is willing to die for the sheep." (v.14)  He is truly good, because He is free from ego.  He has no selfish motivation.  He is truly good because He loves the sheep sacrificially.  Their interest and well being is above His own.  

Now if we all could be led by Jesus into loving the way He does, this world would be a much different place.  It is in that sense that I believe that Jesus is "the way, the truth, and the life." It is not in an exclusive sense where only those who have prayed a prayer of agreement with a concept of a Jesus, the personal Savior Who will snatch them from the fire of Hell and set them on the path to Heaven, are saved.  No. Jesus is the One Good Shepherd who truly can lead the world to salvation, and in fact is alive and is doing it.  

Jesus also said, "My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." John 10:27 (GNT)  Jesus identifies two characteristics of His sheep.  First, they listen to His voice.  Second, they follow Him.  Both of these require faith.  Notice that I said faith and not belief.  There is a difference.  Perhaps when we feel we are struggling with faith, we are really struggling with belief.  I constantly struggle with belief.  My theological beliefs have evolved tremendously and I'm sure will continue to do so.  Yet, as I look at my life, I have come this far by faith.  Why?  Because faith is action.  It is movement.  It is faithfulness in following.  Faith has more to do with the true meaning of belief.  Look up the etymology of the word, "believe" and you will find that its root meaning is "to hold dear, love" as in "beloved."  What motivates my faith are not ever changing concepts.  It is rather an ever deepening love for the Good Shepherd who is willing to lay down His life.  


How then do we come to know His voice and thus listen and follow?  Unfortunately, I think we often read the Bible, and are taught to do so, in the wrong way.  We construct systematic theologies based on various precepts and principles we think we have found in the Bible.  Then we use what we have constructed as a way to cage in the Living Word.  Jesus cannot and will not be jailed by our systematic theologies.  Jesus jumps right out of those theological prison doors when we read the Bible and specifically the Gospels as a story.  I don't mean as a fairy tale, but a story.  Jesus himself did less "in your face" preaching and a lot more story telling.  Why?  Because a good story has a way of pulling us in.  We suspend disbelief and find ourselves IN the story.  We relate to various characters.  In fact we ARE certain characters.  And those characters always stand in some way relative to the story teller, Jesus Himself.  At times, I have realized that I am the older brother in the Prodigal Son story left asking myself, am I going to join the party called God's Kingdom being thrown by my Heavenly Father, or am I going to stand outside in judgment?  At other times, I have definitely realized that I am not Peter willing to jump out of the boat in faith.  At other times, I have realized that I am the Pius Levite of the Good Samaritan story.  On my way to doing "God's work" will I avoid the person most in need of compassion?  The Good Shepherd's stories confront.  They challenge.  Most of all they show us the state of our hearts and call us to true repentance.  Therefore they have the power to change our hearts so that we become like our Shepherd.

Let's not trap Jesus, the Living Word, inside of our man made ideas.  Instead, let's allow the gentle voice of the Good Shepherd to tell us life changing stories and may we always seek to follow Him so we can hear His voice! 

  

3rd Sunday of Easter: Scandalous Worship

This Sunday's Scripture Readings

See how much the Father has loved us! His love is so great that we are called God's children… 1 John 3:1a (NRSV)

John could boldly make this claim because of Jesus. The religious elite of Jesus’ day had constructed elaborate walls that excluded those deemed outsiders, unclean, or unworthy from access to God. They were excluded from both Synagogue and Temple worship. They were excluded from upstanding society. But Jesus came along and started busting down those walls. Jesus welcomed outcasts (sinners) and ate with them. (Luke 15:2) Scandalous!

There is a powerful story of scandalous worship offered by a sinful woman found in Luke 7:36-50.

36 A Pharisee invited Jesus to have dinner with him, and Jesus went to his house and sat down to eat. 37 In that town was a woman who lived a sinful life. She heard that Jesus was eating in the Pharisee's house, so she brought an alabaster jar full of perfume 38 and stood behind Jesus, by his feet, crying and wetting his feet with her tears. Then she dried his feet with her hair, kissed them, and poured the perfume on them. Luke 7:36-38 (GNT)

It would have been common in those days for people to enter a home to hear a well known rabbi. The woman had heard that Jesus was going to be at this Pharisee’s house and was no doubt drawn there by Jesus’ reputation for accepting people like her. Although the Pharisee was probably bothered by her presence in his home, he did not prevent her or anyone else from coming in to hear Jesus. However, he surely kept a close eye on her to make sure that she was kept in her place as an outsider. Probably as she listened to Jesus speak, she was overcome by His openness and acceptance. She, for once, did not feel hostility, but hospitality. As a result, as she stood by Jesus she began to weep and I imagine big tears fell creating small blotches of mud on Jesus’ dusty feet. Her heart swelling with love and gratitude, she then dried His feet, kissed them, and poured perfume on them. Kissing of the feet was, in no way an erotic act but an expression of reverence.

But this woman was most likely a prostitute and as such an outcast. “Respectable” people would not associate with her, let alone allow themselves to be touched by her. She was unclean and to be touched by her would make the person touched unclean as well. Notice the Pharisee’s reaction.

When the Pharisee saw this, he said to himself, "If this man really were a prophet, he would know who this woman is who is touching him; he would know what kind of sinful life she lives!" Luke 7:39 (GNT)

Of course Jesus knew what kind of woman she was. Jesus would have also known the kind of bad news injustice that trapped this woman in her “sin.” Perhaps she, like most prostitutes of her day, were faced with the choice of selling their bodies or starving (and watching their children starve). It would not be surprising if there were upstanding men in that same room who might have been secret customers of this woman. Yes, Jesus knew what kind of a woman she was. In fact He knew what kind of people everyone in the room were. Yet there was one person in the room who showed great love and worship. It wasn’t the “saints” in the room. It was the “sinner” who offered worthy worship as scandalous as it might have been to the onlookers.

How do we feel about scandalous acts of worship in our own houses of worship? I wonder if we are ever like the Pharisee, who in the presence of Christ, offers little but is scandalized by the “sinner” who dares to pour out his or her best effort to express Him honest love. I’m talking raised eyebrows when someone who doesn’t fit the perception of a worthy worshiper attempts to offer or even lead others in offering honest worship. Thoughts start rushing through the heads of Pharisees. “Wait, but that person is living in sin. How could they possibly lead me in worship?” But in that Pharisee's house that day, the sinful woman was the example of worthy worship. She was the worship leader.

The fact of the matter is that none of us are “worthy worship leaders.” In that Pharisee's home that day was assembled a group of sinners. One of them was a well known sinner. Some were secret sinners whose sins were only known to themselves. Some were sinners but had forgotten it. Jesus knew the heart of each one and told a story to remind everyone of what is most important in worship.

40 Jesus spoke up and said to him, "Simon, I have something to tell you." "Yes, Teacher," he said, "tell me." 41 "There were two men who owed money to a moneylender," Jesus began. "One owed him five hundred silver coins, and the other owed him fifty. 42 Neither of them could pay him back, so he canceled the debts of both. Which one, then, will love him more?" 43 "I suppose," answered Simon, "that it would be the one who was forgiven more." "You are right," said Jesus. 44 Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I came into your home, and you gave me no water for my feet, but she has washed my feet with her tears and dried them with her hair. 45 You did not welcome me with a kiss, but she has not stopped kissing my feet since I came. 46 You provided no olive oil for my head, but she has covered my feet with perfume. 47 I tell you, then, the great love she has shown proves that her many sins have been forgiven. But whoever has been forgiven little shows only a little love." 48 Then Jesus said to the woman, "Your sins are forgiven.” Luke 7:40-48 (GNT)

Two words come to mind here; hospitality and gratitude. Simon, the Pharisee failed to show proper hospitality because he failed to comprehend the hospitality that was offered by his most important guest that day. After all, he did not need acceptance from Jesus. He was a respectable religious elite. He had spent so long showing everyone how perfect he was that he began to believe it himself. He had no need for forgiveness and thus had no gratitude for the grace extended. The woman, on the other hand, was accepted and forgiven by no one except by Jesus, and as a result she realized for the first time in her life that she was accepted by God. She experienced the Good News and she was overcome with gratitude.

How do we approach worship? Do we approach it as religious elites who have got the rules and rituals all figured out and thus possess the status of worthy worshipers? Or do we approach the worship setting as sinners overwhelmed with gratitude for the hospitality given us? The real scandal of worship is not when people who don’t have their lives all together offer God their hearts in the best and most honest way that they can. It is when those of us who know the acceptable rules and rituals of church worship fail to appreciate the hospitality of God given to us through Jesus Christ. When we fail in this area, we will always fail to be hospitable to others. We will find ourselves judging the worthiness of other worshipers rather than focusing on the worthiness of the One Who is worthy.

2nd Sunday of Easter: Kinship

How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity! Psalm 133:1 (NRSV)

Who are the kindred? In the past and still in many cultures today, your kindred group is dictated by your birth. But in our culture, we often have more freedom to choose our kindred. And who do we usually choose? Those we like. Those with whom we easily relate. Those who "get us" and those "we get."

But I think one reason God invented the Church was to afford us an opportunity to come into kinship with those who we don't get, those to whom we may not choose to associate, and those who don't get us. You see, we all have something in common. That is that God desires kinship with me as much as He desires kinship with the person I can't even begin to imagine being in kinship with. Therefore, we have much more in common with each other than we would probably like to think. Why then do we continue to be snobs? Why then do churches tend to be hotbeds of snobbery? Before you deflect by wholeheartedly agreeing with me, stop and look in the mirror. I know that when I take an honest look at myself, I have a snobby attitude with some people. Of course, I do a good job hiding that fact, especially at church. But the fact of the matter is that my heart has a long way to go when it comes to understanding the kind of kinship that God offers each of us the same. It has even farther to go when it comes to learning how to drop my snobby attitudes so that I can be in true kinship with others. Kyrie Eleison!

I know that I need to keep moving into the light of God. God's light is truth and grace. Only God has perfect truth and offers perfect grace. He sees all of the truth about us yet offers us infinite compassion and grace. He offers us kinship. When I choose to stay in the shadows, I imagine that what I am seeing about others is the truth. I get judgmental as if I can see into a heart. Being judgmental is snobbery. Grace is not extended. I am up here and you, who I judge, is down there. I am in the right, you are in the wrong. I think I am enlightened and you need to be enlightened. No! What we all need is to be enlightened by the pure light of God's truth and grace. When we stand there, we understand that we are all on equal ground before the cross. We leave judgment up to the One who has the ability to judge but who made a way for mercy to triumph over justice. We allow the light of God's truth and grace to shine into our own hearts. When we all begin to step into that light, we begin to have true fellowship with one another.

This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him while we are walking in darkness, we lie and do not do what is true; but if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:5-7 (NRSV)

What fellowship is there between light and darkness? Our fellowship with one another happens when we step out of the darkness of our own faulty judgment of one another and into the light of God's truth and grace.

Father Gregory Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries in the Boyle Heights area of Los Angeles (pictured above), speaks of kinship in the video link below. His actual talk is about an hour long, but it is an hour well spent. I promise! (You can scroll past the first 5 minutes of introduction and the last 15 minutes is Q&A which can also be skipped). I highly encourage you to watch and listen. Alert! He does use some colorful language, so you might not want to listen with kids around.

Father Boyle - Tattoos on the Heart: Lessons from the Barrio

5th Sunday of Lent: Germination

Very truly, I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains just a single grain; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. John 12:24 (NRSV)

Jesus uses these words to describe his own impending death and resurrection. But He also uses them to describe what happens to His true followers as well. A seed stays a mere seed unless something happens to it. It must cease to exist as a seed. It must germinate.

Seeds that germinate grow into mature plants. Mature plants yield fruit of some sort. Saint Paul gives us an idea of the fruit that a mature follower of Christ will produce.

...the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Galatians 5:22 (NRSV)

There are three things a seed needs in order to germinate; water, oxygen, and the right temperature. In the same way, we must be immersed in the life of the Holy Trinity in order to germinate and grow into maturity.

Jesus, the Water of Life
In order for a seed to germinate it must start taking in water. Jesus said, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, and let the one who believes in me drink." John 7:37-38 (NRSV) The grace that is ours through faith in Jesus Christ is the water we need.

Holy Spirit, the Oxygen
Oxygen is needed by the seed for aerobic respiration which is a seedlings main source of energy until it grows leaves. Jesus said, The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." John 3:8 (NRSV) Healthy seedlings need to be in an environment where oxygen is not stifled. If seeds are buried in soil that is too deep or dense, there are not enough air pores for it to get the oxygen that it needs. As a result it will not germinate. We need atmospheres where the Holy Spirit is free to move as He will in our lives in order to grow to spiritual maturity.

Father, the Heat
Seeds need to be at the right temperature to germinate. Here in Southern California we have chaparral that depends on fire in the ecosystem for seeds to germinate. The extreme heat from fire cracks the hard shell of the seed allowing its potential to emerge. "For the Lord disciplines those whom he loves, and chastises every child whom he accepts." Hebrews 12:6 (NRSV) We tend to think of discipline as punishment. Although discipline can involve punishment at times, its purpose is to train a person. The goal of God's discipline is to bring us into alignment with the character of Jesus. In order for that to happen, our loving Father must turn up the heat at times.

Corporate worship brings us into the life of the Trinity. Traditional Christian liturgy begins with, "In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit" and ends with, "Go in the blessing of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit." Healthy corporate worship provides both structure and freedom that brings us into contact with God's grace, allows the Holy Spirit to move freely, and even allows God to turn up the heat on us.

It is this third aspect that I think is often missing in typical American churches. Recently I read a blog by someone who was complaining about another person who was making them feel uncomfortable during worship. I respect this person because she basically is honest enough to say what a lot of other people would like to say but just won't. However, she also said something that made me take note. She said something to the effect of, "I should be able to go to church without others making me feel uncomfortable."

I tend to think that is the typical American attitude about our corporate worship. I know it can be my attitude more often than not. We don't want an environment where the heat may be turned up on us. We tend to over plan our services so that we control all of the variable so that nothing awkward happens. We want music that fits our taste, a sermon that I will agree with but won't challenge, and everything neatly packaged so we know what to expect. We also tend to like to stay in our little bubbles at church where we are not exposed to anyone who we don't like, is different, or basically makes us uncomfortable. We never stop to think that perhaps God might have put those "thorns" in the congregation for a reason. It might be a way of turning up the heat on us a bit. Recently another worship leader told me about 9 homeless people who showed up by invitation one Sunday at his church and how uncomfortable and cold the congregation was toward them. How about the smelly homeless guy who comes in and plops down beside you? For me, my thorn is the conservative fundamentalist guy who always seems to catch me at the door to say something theological that I disagree with or political that is going to tick me off. The heat starts rising... "Help me Lord, I need patience!" "Help me Lord, my mouth needs some self control right about now!" "Help me Lord to be gentle and kind." "Help me Lord to know that you love this person who is ticking me off. Help me to love Him the way you do."

I need grace. I need the life giving power of the Holy Spirit. I need the heat to crack open the tough shell of my heart so that love in the form of patience, self control, kindness, and gentleness can begin to grow. I need the discomfort of worshiping in a diverse Body!

Twenty First Sunday after Pentecost: Will All Believer's Be "Left Behind" When Christ Returns?

This Sunday's Scripture Readings

Eschatology - The part of theology concerned with death, judgment, and the final destiny of the soul and of humankind.

Two of the readings this Sunday deal with eschatology. The reading from 1 Thessalonians 4 has been the main scripture that many have used to support a "rapture" where believers will suddenly be caught up to meet the Lord in the sky. However we run into problems when we try to make literal sense of out of passages that use word pictures to describe something that we cannot fully grasp. New Testament theologian N.T. Wright likens it to trying to describe the color red to a blind person.

One of the most popular beliefs about the end times held by American evangelicals is in a rapture which will take place before a great tribulation and apocalypse. The popular book and movie series entitled, "Left Behind" is based on that premise. However, there are those, myself included, that tend to think that all believers will be left behind when Christ returns. That is because of what we see in the final part of the Bible and what we pray for in the Lord's prayer (Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on EARTH as it is in heaven) is a joining of heaven and earth. All things will be renewed and the glory of the Lord will fill the renewed creation. Take a look at this interview with N.T. Wright from ABC Nightline where he says that those who believe in a "rapture" and that our final destination is heaven (as a spiritual sky place) have got it wrong.

Regardless of what our end time viewpoints may be, I doubt if Paul's main point in 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 was intended to tell us that we will be raptured up to live with the Lord in the clouds for eternity. He is talking about Christian hope! What is that hope? If we back up to verse 14 of the same chapter, we will see it. Our hope is based in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Put that together with the verses that follow and we have the mystery of our faith which we proclaim in worship and communion: Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again.

When we gather for worship Christ is with us. We receive Him and know His presence by faith. But when we say He is present, we don't just mean that He is present because we are thinking about Him. He is present in a real way. All of Christ, including the reality of His death, resurrection, and second coming are with us. This is especially true when we come to the Lord's table in faith with thanksgiving. His death is brought to the present. His sacrifice to cleanse us from sin and to destroy our death is not just a historical event that we remember with strong emotion. The reality of it is brought to us in the now! His resurrection is also brought to us now. We are restored and regenerated by the reality of Christ's resurrection. And finally, as hard as this is to fathom, I believe we receive a taste of our future at the Lord's table. The reality of His coming and the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:7-9) is on our tongues when we take the communion elements in faith. We are in communion with Christ in His death, resurrection, and coming. It is not just something we think about. It is all made reality in the present by faith.

Paul's point in I Thessalonians 4:13-18 is comfort. Our circumstances will change. Death will indeed touch all of us in some way. But suffering and death are not the ultimate reality. What is ultimately real is God and His kingdom. We experience it when we experience the real presence of Christ in our worship and communion. Our God saves! Christ has died, Christ is risen, Christ will come again! Have hope and take comfort!

Check out this video of the Charlie Hall song that proclaims the MYSTERY of our faith.

All Saints

This Sunday's Readings

Two of my favorite services of the year are All Saints and Ash Wednesday. You can't get through either of these services without coming face to face with the reality of death. It's not that I have a morbid fascination with death or anything. It is just that life cannot be fully lived in the way it ought without a reminder that at some point we will all die. In fact life is a series of "deaths" if you think about it. Often one thing must be sacrificed in order to experience another. And of course we, as Christians, understand that even to enter the Kingdom of God, we must put to death our old self in order to experience new life. That is why we practice the sacrament of baptism.

As we prepare for our Sunday celebration of All Saints Day, take a look at this video by Francis Chan. He makes a good point with this simple illustration. Although I would not agree with Chan's assertion that eternity will be spent in some other spiritual place (heaven) but rather here in the new heavens AND earth that we see portrayed at the end of Revelation, his overall point is good.

What Are You Living For? (Video Link)

Finally, All Saints Sunday is one of my favorite because it provides a clear picture of how we are still so close with our loved ones who have died in the faith. When we worship here on earth, we are joining with those who have gone before and are doing the same thing in such a more vivid way (in high definition if you will). I would encourage you to keep those dear "saints" close in your mind and hearts as we worship, and especially as we come to the table this Sunday. As we experience the presence of Christ, we will also experience their presence with us as we are, together, the communion of Saints!

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost: The Pearl of Great Value

Sunday's Lectionary Passages

"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls; on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it." Matthew 13:45-46 (NRSV)

The Apostle Paul experienced this wisdom of Jesus first hand. In his letter to the Philippians, he rattles off a list of all the things that he used to treasure; his race, culture, religion, status and accomplishments. This passage echoes the above parable.

4 even though I, too, have reason for confidence in the flesh. If anyone else has reason to be confident in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, a member of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless. 7 Yet whatever gains I had, these I have come to regard as loss because of Christ. 8 More than that, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ.
Philippians 3: 4-8 (NRSV)

As we prepare for worship this Sunday, let's reflect on what we treasure. Let's not just reflect on the obvious things that may interfere with our intimacy with Christ, but also on those things that are much more subtle. Examine the things that are good in your life, the things that we might even consider godly, and even our desires to minister and serve. Why do we treasure these things? Is what we truly treasure of eternal value? All other treasures will turn out to be fools gold and will disappoint and leave us empty in the long run.

May our times of worship, both corporate and personal, be times where we come to know more deeply the true pearl of great value and as a result be willing to let go of all else.

The song Lay It Down by Matt Maher is a good reflection on this subject. The lyrics are below.

Verse 1
Ev'rything I am
Ev'rything I long to be
I lay it down at Your feet

Chorus 1
I lay it down
I lay it down
I lay it down at Your feet

(BRIDGE)
Oh pearl of greatest price
No act of sacrifice
Can match the gift of life
I find within Your gaze
Oh what a sweet exchange
I die to rise again
Lifted up from the grave
Into Your hands of grace

Chorus 2
I lay it down
Lay it down
Lay it down at Your feet