Royal Distraction

Dear Family,

I know i will probably stand outside the norm and be labeled anti something or rather, but as i sit in my place of study and writing, Oakwood Starbucks, i realize that what is popping up all over the news, right now, "The Royal Wedding," just doesn't do it for me. It is something that, to me, consumes too much attention and news space, when there seems to be so much more that should be talked about, reported, illuminated, and shared. A wedding, with two people i dont know or have no interest in, means little to me. But the ongoing violence in Libya, Syria, and Nigeria, well those move my emotions and interests.


And as we sit on the resurrection side of Easter, having been commissioned by Jesus to go and preach the Gospel, i wonder what should be our focus, as Christ followers? What should move our monitors when it comes to global news? Is it wrong to watch or be curious about a royal get together? No. But when we become obsessed with two lives that do little for the Kingdom of God transforms something from a passing interest to a royal pain. The church, as far as i see it, needs less pain and more ministry.


Even as i write, what seems so impossible to grasp, is that our news covers the wedding, but in Alabama scores of people lost their lives, more lost homes, and the clean up will take weeks. Their story, their struggle is being trumped by money making media that worries less about the suffering of the little people than it does about the high society of royalty. Last i checked our country, the United States of America, was still supposed to be exist for the people, the little person, the person who doesn't know what Buckingham Palace is or looks like, and the person who may never know what living like a prince or princess feels like, though they might watch a good Disney flick to imagine it.


This is where the church must stand against the grain. It is easy, as we all know, to let the high society of life take priority and center stage, but as followers of Jesus, we must stand against, YES AGAINST, this all too easily accepted trend. We must, MUST, stand up and give voice to the widow and orphan. Jesus commands, COMMANDS, us to see the often ignored and easily forgotten. God, as the prophets of the Hebrew Testament illustrate, worries more about the poor and how they are treated than the rich and their elaborate weddings. It feels unjust to give so much attention to people whose wedding invite list seems more important than the sons and daughters in Iraq who are fighting a war for the same royalty. But thats just me.


But we can be different. No. We must be different. We must be in the world but not of it. We have to show the least of these that they have a voice; they have an advocate; they have a community to call their own; and there is a God who chooses them over CEO's of corrupt corporations. It is time, folks, for the church to be the church and let the chips fall where they fall, because wherever they fall, at least God's face will be shining upon us. And that makes it more than worthwhile. Amen...

Shalom,
Jerry

Will You Let Me?

Dear Family,
I have a confession to make. I love to help people. I love to volunteer and work myself to the bone helping others. It feels good. It feels right. It feels godly to help and be available for those who need help. I love it. But that is not my confession, though doing the work and getting joy out of it might seem like ulterior motives, so perhaps a confession is necessary in that sense, though some layers of my being will have to be shelved until further notice. However, the confession that i would like to share is this: I do not like to ask for help. And in that sense i am the biggest hypocrite out there.


Why? Because i have no issue or problems encouraging others to ask for help. I even use biblical language as justification and motivation for people to ask for help, and yet all too often when push comes to shove i find myself unwilling and unable to ask for help. Pride is a pain, and one that i could live without. What about you?


Along those lines, i also feel helpless and unworthy when someone desires to serve me. I make a great argument why others are more needy and that i simply am ok. I dont need help. Serve someone else, i say. Pride rears its ugly head once again; if only i could shake this demonic traveler, because pride loves to chain me to lies and hinder my ability to grow and become all God wills and desires for me to be.


Which brings me to what this week's blog is about. Tomorrow night we will bend down and wash one another's feet. Many of us forging forward to be the first to serve, the first to dirty ourselves proving our love for brother, sister, neighbor. But the beauty of Love Feast is more than washing feet and breaking bread; it is having the true humility and love to be ok with letting someone wash our feet. Being served is just as Christlike as serving, and yet it is one aspect of being like Jesus that we skip over, all too easily.


If we are to immerse ourselves into the narrative and worship of Love Feast, we must don the clothe, absolutely, but we also must trust our feet, our lives, and our stories into the hands of our sisters, brothers, and our Savior, because unless we are willing to let others serve us, as Peter protested, Jesus truly will have nothing to do with us. Why? Because it is not just the sister or brother washing our feet; it is the resurrected Christ cleansing us, and don't we all need Jesus?


I have a lot to learn on what it means to truly be a mature follower of Christ. It involves serving, of course. But it also involves serving. It is in helping the least of these. But it is also includes asking for help, without reservation. Pride, as beautiful and addictive as it might be, is a demonic force that blinds us to the power of Jesus, through the hands of our sisters and brothers.


One more thing: Easter is coming! And the stone was rolled away. The tomb was empty. HE IS RISEN!


Shalom,
jerry

All We Need is Love...

Dear Family, I have to say that if the Beatles were around today, we could use some of their great theology guiding us in our journeys. Although the atmosphere of the Starbucks that i am enjoying my latte feels rather loving; i rest here knowing that a storm is coming. Japan is still recovering from the disastrous earthquake and tsunami that have put the entire globe on high alert as nuclear wastes could pollute the seas and a valuable ecosystem, and as that crosses our sceens nightly, Japan has just been hit, again, with a 7 plus earthquake. And as catastrophic as that could be; i am not talking about Japan. At midnight our government could shut down. Not literally, as police and fire rescue personel will still do their jobs, but the loss of wages for a huge population of government employees will happen. National parks closed. IRS offices closed. This could be a good thing or a bad thing. Military personel will receive a check, but the second check of the month wont make it, and after this initial check; they wont get anymore until the government starts back up. Medicaid. Social Security. And the list goes on and on and on. It is a crazy time for our government employees, and we if do not realize the larger ripple from this; we have our heads in the sand. I wonder if our president will lose his check? Senators? Representative Boehner? I doubt any of them would sacrifice their income, and yet they seem to have no qualms or hesitation to affect the less thans within the government hierarchy, and i find that to be a true abomination, an embarassment, a charge against our government. Why will they shut down? Because they cant agree on a budget. They would rather fight, tooth and nail, then come to an agreement that truly, TRULY, benefits the American people. This is not just asanine. It is a severe injustice, and i wonder what we can do about it? Or maybe this us versus them is so innate, so ingrained into our psyches that we can't exist or dream of a life without constant conflict and struggle. Why shed light on the government shut down on a blog about our religious community? Because the government side taking, name calling, hair pulling, and just juvenile behavior exists everywhere, and this behavior is to the detriment of the Kingdom of God. When God's children, who gather as the church, would rather anchor down and wage war against each other, so that they can have what they want, God gets pushed aside. Hate wins. Love loses. And as Paul wrote in I Corinthians 13; the first and most important fruit of the Spirit is LOVE! Love will navigate our ship through the murky waters of the unknown. Love will unite as sisters and brothers no matter what political, social, or economic affliliation we find ourselves. And love will create a community where conflict is mediated and worked through for the good of the whole, where we will commit to one another, serve one another, live for one another, and put childish ways behind for one another. These are the symptoms of Godly love, and ironically this love, God's Love, is what the world, Japan, and especially our political leaders, need now more than ever. Amen. Shalom, jerry