Friday, May 27, 2016
Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Adorn
I read a scripture this morning during my devotions that has been rolling around in my head all day. I thought I'd put some of these thoughts to paper before I hit the sack. The word that jumped out at me in Titus 2 is the word "adorn."
According to Webster's dictionary, the verb adorn means "to enhance the appearance of especially with beautiful things." As you can imagine, of the 20 times that word is used in the Bible (or form of the word) it most often refers to the clothing or jewelry with which people adorn themselves "to enhance" their appearance. Our thinking goes like this...wearing beautiful things makes us more beautiful/good looking. If we are honest, none of us will deny that it really is true...what we've got on either enhances or detracts from our appearance. If you were to dress and look like you did in your high school year book we'd all silently judge you and probably talk about you behind your back. Who here hasn't watched the movie Sabrina or the show What Not to Wear and seen the beauty of someone transformed before your very eyes. It's amazing how much more beautiful someone can appear with some cool clothes, a fresh haircut, and some accessories for the ladies!
Is this shallow? Perhaps. The Scriptures do warn about over emphasizing the adornments and under appreciating matters of character such as humility and integrity. If you are going to put something good on, don't leave those two in the closet. Who you are is more beautiful than what you look like, but stick with me for a minute.
So in Scripture we read about what people adorn themselves with. We read about how homes and physical structures are adorned to enhance their appearance and make them more attractive in the eye of the beholder. But the scripture in Titus that caught my attention in chapter 2 verse 10 speaks to how our life of faith "adorns the doctrine of God our Savior." Specifically Paul was writing to slaves telling them not to be argumentative or to steal stuff from their masters. The idea here is simple...how you live will either make Jesus look like he belongs on the cover of GQ or look like he belongs on the next episode of Swamp People. The person of Jesus on the inside is the same, but the level of people's attraction to him is more up to us than we think. The slave whining and arguing with his master makes Jesus less attractive to the master. Swamp People Jesus. The slave showing his boss respect and treating the master better than he deserves makes Jesus more attractive. GQ Jesus. I don't know about you, but I think God has put entirely too much influence in our hands.
I wonder if the Apostle Paul in writing those words wished that the Jesus that appeared to him on the way to Damascus would appear to others. It was a Jesus not dependent on anyone's presentation of him. Imagine that. No one had a chance to adorn him with hypocrisy, no one had a chance to clothe him with anything else hideous that believers have been guilty of over the years. I can't count the number of times I've encouraged unbelievers to spend less time judging Christianity based on its followers and more time judging the faith based on the one we're trying to follow. In other words, bypass me and look in the pages of scripture directly to him. The problem is that they seldom do that and so what we are left with is the wisdom of the apostle, "adorn the doctrine of God our Savior." Live in such a way that our friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors are more inclined to draw near to Christ as a result of what they see in you. Is that possible? Yep, I know from experience. What does this look like? Well that's for you to roll around in your head. I'm going to bed.
According to Webster's dictionary, the verb adorn means "to enhance the appearance of especially with beautiful things." As you can imagine, of the 20 times that word is used in the Bible (or form of the word) it most often refers to the clothing or jewelry with which people adorn themselves "to enhance" their appearance. Our thinking goes like this...wearing beautiful things makes us more beautiful/good looking. If we are honest, none of us will deny that it really is true...what we've got on either enhances or detracts from our appearance. If you were to dress and look like you did in your high school year book we'd all silently judge you and probably talk about you behind your back. Who here hasn't watched the movie Sabrina or the show What Not to Wear and seen the beauty of someone transformed before your very eyes. It's amazing how much more beautiful someone can appear with some cool clothes, a fresh haircut, and some accessories for the ladies!
Is this shallow? Perhaps. The Scriptures do warn about over emphasizing the adornments and under appreciating matters of character such as humility and integrity. If you are going to put something good on, don't leave those two in the closet. Who you are is more beautiful than what you look like, but stick with me for a minute.
So in Scripture we read about what people adorn themselves with. We read about how homes and physical structures are adorned to enhance their appearance and make them more attractive in the eye of the beholder. But the scripture in Titus that caught my attention in chapter 2 verse 10 speaks to how our life of faith "adorns the doctrine of God our Savior." Specifically Paul was writing to slaves telling them not to be argumentative or to steal stuff from their masters. The idea here is simple...how you live will either make Jesus look like he belongs on the cover of GQ or look like he belongs on the next episode of Swamp People. The person of Jesus on the inside is the same, but the level of people's attraction to him is more up to us than we think. The slave whining and arguing with his master makes Jesus less attractive to the master. Swamp People Jesus. The slave showing his boss respect and treating the master better than he deserves makes Jesus more attractive. GQ Jesus. I don't know about you, but I think God has put entirely too much influence in our hands.
I wonder if the Apostle Paul in writing those words wished that the Jesus that appeared to him on the way to Damascus would appear to others. It was a Jesus not dependent on anyone's presentation of him. Imagine that. No one had a chance to adorn him with hypocrisy, no one had a chance to clothe him with anything else hideous that believers have been guilty of over the years. I can't count the number of times I've encouraged unbelievers to spend less time judging Christianity based on its followers and more time judging the faith based on the one we're trying to follow. In other words, bypass me and look in the pages of scripture directly to him. The problem is that they seldom do that and so what we are left with is the wisdom of the apostle, "adorn the doctrine of God our Savior." Live in such a way that our friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors are more inclined to draw near to Christ as a result of what they see in you. Is that possible? Yep, I know from experience. What does this look like? Well that's for you to roll around in your head. I'm going to bed.
Friday, October 30, 2009
Two Thumbs Up
I'm doing a dangerous thing. I'm attempting to read Matthew's account of Jesus' life and ministry with fresh eyes. I'm trying to trick my brain into imagining that this was the first time I've discovered him, like some buried treasure I just found in the back yard and I'm lifting the lid for the first time.You'd think I would be excited but instead I've come to see why Jesus wanted to slap a warning label on his ministry. Rather than passing out Bibles I'm left to wonder if the contents aren't so disturbing that we shouldn't duct tape them shut and write, "Do not enter" on the cover. In the 8th chapter he does the most intriguing thing and actually discourages men from following him. Just think about that for a minute. When is the last time you heard a pastor give a reverse altar call..."there's the exit, last chance."
Part of the reason this is striking to me is because if I've heard it once I've heard it a hundred times. The saying goes that people today "like Jesus but it's the church they can't stand." The implication is that if we were a little more like Jesus both Jesus and the Church would get a big thumbs up from society, shame on us but yay for him. On the surface it sounds good, I've even said this myself. And to be sure, much of the criticism of the Church is fair. But Jesus was under the impression that neither would get a thumbs up and they would BOTH get a thumbs down.
In Matthew 10:22 Jesus said, "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved." Really? What is it about this message of love, grace and redemption that would lead Jesus to instruct the 12 that "when you are persecuted in one place, flee to another (v.23)"? Why? I thought we were dispensers of hope! It gets worse, our Good Shepherd said that there are those you can't trust from within the flock, there are wolves that dress up like sheep...people who call him "Lord" but it's an empty word (7:15-23). In other words, authentic followers experience friction from those inside and outside the church. The absence of heat, in fact, may indicate something other than a life lived like Jesus.
John's gospel has a very simple but sobering explanation for why friction is to be expected, "This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil." (John 3:19) The love of God is rejected because the heart of man is twisted.
I'm the kind of guy that sits in my study and imagines what it would be like to live in a world where there is no suffering, where power is used for the benefit of others not for the abuse of others, and where the Kingdom of God is established behind every front door. I like envisioning a world where Jesus' prayer has been answered that God's kingdom "has come on earth as it is in heaven." Imagine Salem being a slice of heaven on earth. However, these words of Jesus are like an alarm going off in the middle of my dream and it awakens me to the cold hard reality of this mission. Any Jesus that wins the popularity contest most likely isn't the Jesus I'm reading about in the book of Matthew. Yes, he is full of grace...thank God. He is the God of the underdog, friend to the forgotten. But the Bible also tells us that he is full of truth and therein lies the rub. The truth hurts.
So I'm going to continue reading through Matthew, I think I know where the story is going. I still think that anybody that doesn't want to know Jesus and follow him is nuts...and I still think that his greatest creation is this beautiful thing called the Church, a collection of "new creations." I give them both two thumbs up. But in these days the Lord has reminded me that this empire of darkness is strong. Let's not be naive. The allegiance of men has been stolen from the true King and we have enthroned ourselves. But fighting in the shadows is a counter-rebellion of light, and that light has changed my life when I was the one walking in darkness.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
Your Story
First let me say that I’m sorry for the lack of blog entries lately…been a little busy. I don’t know that I should be taking the time right now, but when you have a buddy in Australia that keeps nagging/encouraging you, sometimes you just give in. Someday I’ll have to tell you about Corey.
Have you ever thought about the number of story lines of which you are a part? I know that may be a boring way to start a blog entry, but stay with me. Writers often refer to these as narratives. For example, here are a couple of stories in which I, like it or not, am a character.
I grew up hearing stories of my German Ritter heritage and the approximate time frame (1800’s) in which a Michael Ritter jumped on a boat and set sail to America. I love the story of my family. Roscoe Ritter once got too close to the railroad tracks so Great Great Grandpa Roscoe lived with one leg. Roscoe won the 100 yard dash in the first ever Special Olympics. No, that’s a lie, but you get the picture. This is my family. Ritter means “knight/horse rider” in German, so we either come from noble stock that fought in the Crusades or we raised ponies…I’m going with the former.
I am also a part of the American story, home of the red white and blue. I’m proud to be associated with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Perhaps a little American arrogance, but I get to call home the greatest country in the world. Home of Route 66 and apple pie, land of the free and home of the brave. As a white male I’ve experienced this country a little differently than, oh say, my African-American friends whose narrative is that of overcoming slavery and obtaining equality. But you get the picture, I’m an American and this is my story.
Some of you are with me in another story, the beginning of a new church called Oasis Community Church. Like all the other stories, I’ve already got heroes and people who have made sacrifices that later generations will one day appreciate. There will be stories told of faith and adventure. I’ve never been part of a book that begins with chapter 1 and page 1, but I trust the Author and am thrilled that along with everybody else I get to be one character involved in the victories that will be won.
This leads me to the larger story, which reminds me that Oasis is one letter on one page in one book on one shelf in one room in a massive library that is the story of God. I’m a part of a story that began with the creation of the heavens and the earth. Sin screwed up paradise destroying relationships with God and one another. We know this story. Abraham, Moses, Sinai, the prophets all help to define who we are as God’s people. It’s a story of a God who in His love made a way through His son Jesus, “born of the virgin Mary, crucified, dead and buried and on the third day rose again”…in the words of the Apostle’s Creed. The Father and the Son then sent the Spirit who has brought the resurrection life to all those who trust and believe.
A question I’m asking myself these days is, “Which story most influences my view of reality?” In other words, “What story is shaping my thinking the most?” Which begs the question, “What happens when these stories contradict one another, which story wins out?”
Suppose your family story is one of abuse yet you are now a part of the story of God where the people of God love their enemies. Will your personal story or your Christian story determine your actions and attitudes? I know I know, easy for me to say.
Here’s another one, what to do when other ethnicities move into the neighborhood or even folks from other religions! If Jesus were their neighbor, how would he treat them? Is that how I’m treating them or have I followed a narrative different than that of my Savior?
When we choose to seek our identity and understand the truth of ourselves from the Christian story, more so than our personal or American story, our lives take on a very different shape.
For example, suppose your family is going through a crises right now where circumstances have created emotional chaos. Life is hard for you. The spiritual leader’s job is to define reality in light of the gospel. Your job is to frame things so that others in the home move from panic to trust. In times of panic people compromise, they turn on each other…they are acting as if the story doesn’t include God because they are reacting more in the way they were raised than what scripture says. The spiritual leader shapes a new reality by reminding us of the truth…there is a God.
I don’t know. These are unfinished thoughts that I want to throw out there. What are some other ways in which you see Christians living out of the wrong story? Is your thinking shaped more on your family of origin, the American ways, or the story of God? What are your thoughts on this?
Have you ever thought about the number of story lines of which you are a part? I know that may be a boring way to start a blog entry, but stay with me. Writers often refer to these as narratives. For example, here are a couple of stories in which I, like it or not, am a character.
I grew up hearing stories of my German Ritter heritage and the approximate time frame (1800’s) in which a Michael Ritter jumped on a boat and set sail to America. I love the story of my family. Roscoe Ritter once got too close to the railroad tracks so Great Great Grandpa Roscoe lived with one leg. Roscoe won the 100 yard dash in the first ever Special Olympics. No, that’s a lie, but you get the picture. This is my family. Ritter means “knight/horse rider” in German, so we either come from noble stock that fought in the Crusades or we raised ponies…I’m going with the former.
I am also a part of the American story, home of the red white and blue. I’m proud to be associated with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Perhaps a little American arrogance, but I get to call home the greatest country in the world. Home of Route 66 and apple pie, land of the free and home of the brave. As a white male I’ve experienced this country a little differently than, oh say, my African-American friends whose narrative is that of overcoming slavery and obtaining equality. But you get the picture, I’m an American and this is my story.
Some of you are with me in another story, the beginning of a new church called Oasis Community Church. Like all the other stories, I’ve already got heroes and people who have made sacrifices that later generations will one day appreciate. There will be stories told of faith and adventure. I’ve never been part of a book that begins with chapter 1 and page 1, but I trust the Author and am thrilled that along with everybody else I get to be one character involved in the victories that will be won.
This leads me to the larger story, which reminds me that Oasis is one letter on one page in one book on one shelf in one room in a massive library that is the story of God. I’m a part of a story that began with the creation of the heavens and the earth. Sin screwed up paradise destroying relationships with God and one another. We know this story. Abraham, Moses, Sinai, the prophets all help to define who we are as God’s people. It’s a story of a God who in His love made a way through His son Jesus, “born of the virgin Mary, crucified, dead and buried and on the third day rose again”…in the words of the Apostle’s Creed. The Father and the Son then sent the Spirit who has brought the resurrection life to all those who trust and believe.
A question I’m asking myself these days is, “Which story most influences my view of reality?” In other words, “What story is shaping my thinking the most?” Which begs the question, “What happens when these stories contradict one another, which story wins out?”
Suppose your family story is one of abuse yet you are now a part of the story of God where the people of God love their enemies. Will your personal story or your Christian story determine your actions and attitudes? I know I know, easy for me to say.
Here’s another one, what to do when other ethnicities move into the neighborhood or even folks from other religions! If Jesus were their neighbor, how would he treat them? Is that how I’m treating them or have I followed a narrative different than that of my Savior?
When we choose to seek our identity and understand the truth of ourselves from the Christian story, more so than our personal or American story, our lives take on a very different shape.
For example, suppose your family is going through a crises right now where circumstances have created emotional chaos. Life is hard for you. The spiritual leader’s job is to define reality in light of the gospel. Your job is to frame things so that others in the home move from panic to trust. In times of panic people compromise, they turn on each other…they are acting as if the story doesn’t include God because they are reacting more in the way they were raised than what scripture says. The spiritual leader shapes a new reality by reminding us of the truth…there is a God.
I don’t know. These are unfinished thoughts that I want to throw out there. What are some other ways in which you see Christians living out of the wrong story? Is your thinking shaped more on your family of origin, the American ways, or the story of God? What are your thoughts on this?
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Ash Wednesday
It’s a question I ask every couple that comes to me for pre-marital counseling. Actually it is a two-part question but their answers are always very interesting. At some point in our time together I’ll ask them “What have you seen and experienced in the home you grew up in that you want to carry into your new home and what do you want to do differently? As you can imagine, there are often very strong feelings and opinions on this. Then, after the “I do’s,” the couple gives it a shot to build the more perfect union.
As a student of church history I can see this same attempt with each new generation of leaders. Every generation assesses the church environment they grew up in, they then try and bring with them the good and dump the bad. I think it’s how the Holy Spirit reforms his Church. Sometimes, due to an overreaction, things get tossed out that shouldn’t have hit the dumpster. For example, years ago some thought that people were putting their trust in the sacrament of baptism or communion instead of in Christ. The church in which they grew up essentially said that you were good to go if you were baptized. So, baptism got sent to Exile Island and we have denominations that to this day don’t celebrate either sacrament.
One of the more exciting works of the Spirit that I see going on today is to see the return of some of those items that were shelved be taken back off the shelf for the good of God’s people. Forgive me for mixing metaphors, but many in the emerging church have gone dumpster diving and discovered the church calendar which centers our lives and our year on Christ rather than secular holidays or the months of the year. I’m married to a woman that would remind us that there are other goodies buried under the trash that also need to be rediscovered for the good of God’s people, the Feasts of the Lord…maybe she should write the next posting on this blog!
So, today is Ash Wednesday but the fact that so many have no idea why that’s important or what that means gives me a wonderful opportunity to talk about one of our ancient, centuries old, traditions in the church. Ash Wednesday begins the 40-day journey, which ends the Saturday between Good Friday and Easter. For those of you that are turning to your calendar to count, Sundays are not included in the 40 days because for the early church every Sunday is a day to celebrate the resurrection and Christ’s conquering of sin and death and the new life we have in Him.
The 40 days is significant because: Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days in which he faced the devil’s temptations; tradition holds that Jesus was in the tomb for 40 hours; for 40 years the Israelites wandered in the wilderness; for 40 days Moses was on Mt. Sinai; “it rained and poured for 40 daysies daysies…Noah in the ark (sorry, I had to); Jonah gave the city of Ninevah 40 days to repent; and it took Elijah 40 days to walk to Mt. Horeb. Christians call this 40-day period between Ash Wednesday and Easter “Lent” which originally came from the Dutch word lente meaning Spring.
I think the spiritual value for you and me in this period of time, which is often marked by fasting or denying ourselves of something, is two-fold. First, it helps to spiritually prepare us for Easter as we are connected with other Christians around the world. The events of our Lord Jesus on Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday deserve hearts that are focused and open.
The other spiritual benefit to Lent is this idea of denial. There have been some years that I’ve “given up” something for Lent and other times when I made new commitments, such as reading several books that have been a spiritual boost to me. One year I gave up TV, another year I gave up pop/soda, and then came the hardest of all…the year I gave up coffee. What was interesting after each of those periods of time was that those things didn’t “taste” as good once I started doing them again. (I know what you are thinking…it’s a very good question.) Coffee was bitter. Pop was too sweet and tasted like medicine. I couldn’t believe the vulgarity and violence carried over the networks. Through each of those experiences I began to see how “starving the flesh” raised the question of what I had developed a taste for. In the end, it’s not about pop, coffee, or TV, but what you and I have an appetite for…the things of this world or the things of the next.
So, what to do with this? Good question. If there is an appetite you have for something that is coming between you and the Lord, fast from it. Starve the flesh. Take a bold step. Reach out for help. Maybe there is something in your life that isn’t a bad thing, but you feel led to practice this ancient tradition of denial and it will be a token of your love for God as we march toward the cross and empty tomb. In whatever shape or form, use these days to draw near to the God who wants to draw near to us.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Subversive Christianity
Here is an article I wrote for Rethink Magazine...
I have a horrible memory, which makes it all the more surprising to me how vividly I remember the moment that “Lisa” walked up to me. You might think this is weird, but it’s times like this that make me love being a pastor. It was after one of those infamous church potlucks in a basement fellowship hall, my empty plate still in hand, that she approached me with a burning question. The concern was written all over her middle-aged face. Lisa had a dilemma and in her mind I knew the heart and mind of God in all things…if only she knew.
“Pastor, I don’t know what to do…a gay couple just moved in next door.” Those were the only words that left her lips as she then stood there staring at me.
Talk about left field, I didn’t see that one coming. In the two seconds before I responded, I had a variety of emotions race through my body. Part of me wanted to laugh because judging by the look on her face you would have thought that she discovered a terrorist cell in her cul-de-sac. Al-Qaeda right here in Oregon. Another part of me was disappointed. What about the neighbors on the other side who broke the Sabbath, or the father who worked too much and neglected his family, or the two women who met at the mailboxes to share the dirt on the other neighbors? Why didn’t those require a pastoral consultation? This is why in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made me step down and recuse myself from the jury. We can’t be trusted to dispense judgment evenly. Mostly, though, as I looked into her waiting eyes, I was proud of her. Proud that behind the question was a woman that wanted to get it right. Proud that she was trying to sort out what faithfulness to God meant on her street.
When you become a follower of Jesus you are making the choice to walk down a different road than what most of those around you are walking. As people who are “in the world but not of the world” we face these kinds of issues daily. It is helpful to know that the early church took their cues from Jesus on how to conduct yourself in a world where you are the minority and what you stand for is being consistently violated by culture.
According to Luke’s Gospel, as Jesus stood before Pilate trumped up charges were flying left and right, but there was one accusation that was true.
“Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, ‘We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king.’
So Pilate asked Jesus, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’
‘Yes, it is as you say,’ Jesus replied.” (Luke 23:1-3 NIV)
If we were sitting in a Bible Study I’d have you underline that word “subverting” five times, maybe six. It is really a powerful concept. To “subvert” literally means to “turn from beneath.” It carries with it this idea that something can be overthrown through unassuming means. It is the stealing of an allegiance as opposed to forcefully gaining control. Think about it. According to Jesus’ accusers, in just a few short years, Jesus had managed to dethrone both Caesar and Herod in the hearts of people and win over the allegiance of many…without ever picking up a sword. How can someone be such a threat when his weapon of choice is a towel?
The concern that I have is that the church is losing its subversive power when it favors the sword over the towel. The religious right has made a name for itself as a political force to be reckoned with but it has come with unintended consequences. Rather than vying for hearts we have tried to seize the scepter and as a result, hearts have been hardened toward the faith and a divorce has happened in the minds of people who are drawn to Jesus but want little to do with His church. It may be that when the church is in the majority you can use political tactics to shape culture because there is an agreed on set of values, but not when you are the minority.
I saw subversive Christianity at work several years ago. When I first moved to Salem and introduced myself to my old neighbor Fred he was pleased to meet me…until he found out I was a pastor. Upon the delivery of the bad news, Fred proceeded to do his best Lou Piniella imitation as he kicked the dirt in disgust. His dumb luck that a preacher would live across the street.
Every now and then I would see a girl in a wheel chair visiting Fred along with her grandpa. One day I walked over to meet this girl whose head kept slumping off to the side, a bib gently placed around her neck to catch the drool. Cerebral Palsy had immobilized this beautiful little girl. The grandpa expressed frustration that the wheel chair wasn’t adequate to hold her head up; that he didn’t have any money to fix the problem and that government had not come through as they had promised.
A week later I was still upset about this when I mentioned her story in a sermon I preached on the brokenness of our world. I wasn’t soliciting anything, I was just venting. Our people, led by our senior pastor, rose up and committed to purchasing a new wheelchair for this complete stranger. I will never forget the look on Fred’s face as he overheard me extend the offer to the girl’s grandfather. All of his angst against religion and the church had been…subverted. From that point forward Fred never once missed an opportunity to chat or wave as I drove by.
The new church some of us are planting in West Salem, Oasis Community Church, recently held a Heaven on Earth Campaign where I commissioned 4 teams to bring a taste of heaven to someone whose life might be a living hell. We sent them out with $500 each. Several of our teams experienced that same kind of story that I just told where an openness to the things of God was created where there was previously a closed door. We have no idea how powerful love really is.
Subversive Christianity is the church that served lemonade to those waiting in line at a Marilyn Manson concert. It is our Lord extending forgiveness to the soldiers at Golgotha shocking them and igniting faith. Subversive Christianity undermined the idol making businesses in Ephesus leading to a riot in the book of Acts. These businesses weren’t tanking because someone signed a petition but because so many of the former patrons became followers of Jesus. Subversive Christianity is what happens when you and I genuinely care for people and express the love of God in ways that make no sense to the unbelieving world. Perhaps that is why in His last meal with his disciples that Jesus then put us in charge of the towel.
So, what to do about the gay couple that moved in next door. I told her to “bake them some cookies.”
I have a horrible memory, which makes it all the more surprising to me how vividly I remember the moment that “Lisa” walked up to me. You might think this is weird, but it’s times like this that make me love being a pastor. It was after one of those infamous church potlucks in a basement fellowship hall, my empty plate still in hand, that she approached me with a burning question. The concern was written all over her middle-aged face. Lisa had a dilemma and in her mind I knew the heart and mind of God in all things…if only she knew.
“Pastor, I don’t know what to do…a gay couple just moved in next door.” Those were the only words that left her lips as she then stood there staring at me.
Talk about left field, I didn’t see that one coming. In the two seconds before I responded, I had a variety of emotions race through my body. Part of me wanted to laugh because judging by the look on her face you would have thought that she discovered a terrorist cell in her cul-de-sac. Al-Qaeda right here in Oregon. Another part of me was disappointed. What about the neighbors on the other side who broke the Sabbath, or the father who worked too much and neglected his family, or the two women who met at the mailboxes to share the dirt on the other neighbors? Why didn’t those require a pastoral consultation? This is why in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus made me step down and recuse myself from the jury. We can’t be trusted to dispense judgment evenly. Mostly, though, as I looked into her waiting eyes, I was proud of her. Proud that behind the question was a woman that wanted to get it right. Proud that she was trying to sort out what faithfulness to God meant on her street.
When you become a follower of Jesus you are making the choice to walk down a different road than what most of those around you are walking. As people who are “in the world but not of the world” we face these kinds of issues daily. It is helpful to know that the early church took their cues from Jesus on how to conduct yourself in a world where you are the minority and what you stand for is being consistently violated by culture.
According to Luke’s Gospel, as Jesus stood before Pilate trumped up charges were flying left and right, but there was one accusation that was true.
“Then the whole assembly rose and led him off to Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, ‘We have found this man subverting our nation. He opposes payment of taxes to Caesar and claims to be Christ, a king.’
So Pilate asked Jesus, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’
‘Yes, it is as you say,’ Jesus replied.” (Luke 23:1-3 NIV)
If we were sitting in a Bible Study I’d have you underline that word “subverting” five times, maybe six. It is really a powerful concept. To “subvert” literally means to “turn from beneath.” It carries with it this idea that something can be overthrown through unassuming means. It is the stealing of an allegiance as opposed to forcefully gaining control. Think about it. According to Jesus’ accusers, in just a few short years, Jesus had managed to dethrone both Caesar and Herod in the hearts of people and win over the allegiance of many…without ever picking up a sword. How can someone be such a threat when his weapon of choice is a towel?
The concern that I have is that the church is losing its subversive power when it favors the sword over the towel. The religious right has made a name for itself as a political force to be reckoned with but it has come with unintended consequences. Rather than vying for hearts we have tried to seize the scepter and as a result, hearts have been hardened toward the faith and a divorce has happened in the minds of people who are drawn to Jesus but want little to do with His church. It may be that when the church is in the majority you can use political tactics to shape culture because there is an agreed on set of values, but not when you are the minority.
I saw subversive Christianity at work several years ago. When I first moved to Salem and introduced myself to my old neighbor Fred he was pleased to meet me…until he found out I was a pastor. Upon the delivery of the bad news, Fred proceeded to do his best Lou Piniella imitation as he kicked the dirt in disgust. His dumb luck that a preacher would live across the street.
Every now and then I would see a girl in a wheel chair visiting Fred along with her grandpa. One day I walked over to meet this girl whose head kept slumping off to the side, a bib gently placed around her neck to catch the drool. Cerebral Palsy had immobilized this beautiful little girl. The grandpa expressed frustration that the wheel chair wasn’t adequate to hold her head up; that he didn’t have any money to fix the problem and that government had not come through as they had promised.
A week later I was still upset about this when I mentioned her story in a sermon I preached on the brokenness of our world. I wasn’t soliciting anything, I was just venting. Our people, led by our senior pastor, rose up and committed to purchasing a new wheelchair for this complete stranger. I will never forget the look on Fred’s face as he overheard me extend the offer to the girl’s grandfather. All of his angst against religion and the church had been…subverted. From that point forward Fred never once missed an opportunity to chat or wave as I drove by.
The new church some of us are planting in West Salem, Oasis Community Church, recently held a Heaven on Earth Campaign where I commissioned 4 teams to bring a taste of heaven to someone whose life might be a living hell. We sent them out with $500 each. Several of our teams experienced that same kind of story that I just told where an openness to the things of God was created where there was previously a closed door. We have no idea how powerful love really is.
Subversive Christianity is the church that served lemonade to those waiting in line at a Marilyn Manson concert. It is our Lord extending forgiveness to the soldiers at Golgotha shocking them and igniting faith. Subversive Christianity undermined the idol making businesses in Ephesus leading to a riot in the book of Acts. These businesses weren’t tanking because someone signed a petition but because so many of the former patrons became followers of Jesus. Subversive Christianity is what happens when you and I genuinely care for people and express the love of God in ways that make no sense to the unbelieving world. Perhaps that is why in His last meal with his disciples that Jesus then put us in charge of the towel.
So, what to do about the gay couple that moved in next door. I told her to “bake them some cookies.”
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
Launched
Launched. It's a good word. Just for you all, I did my homework on the word. It comes from the same Latin root as our word "lance." A lance is launched at the enemy. It carries with it this idea of something being catapulted forward that was previously at rest. A ship on a dock is launched. A rocket is launched. I've launched my kids through the air when I jumped on the trampoline. It's not a word found in the New Testament, but it's a word we use to describe the start of a new church and I'm please to announce, that Oasis is officially launched! It was an exciting day, with a lot of new faces. When this was nothing but a call in my heart and a dream in my head we had a group of 4...Michele, Ben, Abby and me, but less than a year later a total of 103 gathered together as the journey began.
For those of you that committed to being a part of the launch team and stepped out on faith and have helped to carry the load, you will never know how much I love and am grateful for each of you. For most of you there was a cost involved as you left the familiar, the comfortable, and ventured with me out into the unknown. I think about names that are mentioned in the New Testament of people who helped to start new churches and now your names will join the ranks of those that have gone before and will come after. I'm proud to be your pastor.
So, I say let the journey begin!
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