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.

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.”

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!