Dear Family,
One of my biggest joys, growing up, was putting on a new pair of wrestling shoes. Something amazingly fresh about lacing them up and tightening them, for the first time of the season, that gave me hope that this year could be better than last year. I felt deep excitement and anxiety as i tied the laces together, bringing the two sides of my shoes together, in perfect harmony. It was as if i could feel the past year, even if it was a good one, dissipate into the abyss of some other memory. As i doubled knotted my shoes, i knew nothing in the past could affect my future. I had a clean slate, and these shoes reminded me of the power of a new beginning.
And it is this way every year, on December 31st, as the clock inches towards midnight, we begin to feel the anticipation of a new year, proming a new beginning, a new hope, a new chance at life, health, and love. As the ball drops on 2011 inviting 2012 to burst into our lives, it is like those new wrestling shoes on my feet, giving me a new chance to write a different story, maybe one with a much better ending than the previous year had been. We stand on the cusp of letting 2011 go the way of parachute pants, and i, for one, thank God 2011 is coming to an end.
I cant get away from 2011 fast enough.
And faith is like this too. According to our Scripture focus, faith is like a new beginning, one full of hope and promise, as the believer looks to a day when Jesus will restore all that is broken. Peter continues to encourage the reader, who in his day probably faced serious persecution, that to hold onto Jesus, even in the face of painful adversity, brings a deep hope, a deep sense of joy, and a deep sense of newness.
In other words. When we accept the challenge to believe in Jesus, and we embrace the cross of following Jesus, the old has fallen away, a new dawn has come, and our lives have something that they might have been missing all along: a new pair of wrestling shoes? No. New eyes to see our lives, no matter how difficult they might be, through the lens of Jesus. And Jesus always brings joy to those who see Him.
I do not want to overlook the painful aspects of life, even for Christians, but i do want to highlight a powerful reality: faith in Jesus promises peace and joy in the midst of the craziest storms. But we have to trust in Jesus, not in ourselves.
But new wrestling shoes are hard to manage on the mat. They are rigid, and i had to break them in by wearing them, over and over and over again. In order for the shoes to be fully effective, i had to use them, fully. So it is with faith. Faith might be good to save us from our darkness, but it has little power if we put it on once, ensuring salvation, and then put our faith on a mantel, like a trophy or consolation prize. Instead, like my wrestling shoes, faith is at its best when it is used, overworked, exhausted, and spent, then faith feels natural, works well, and serves its purpose.
So put on the shoes of a new year and embrace the clean slate God has given us that is 2012, and in the words of some wise sage from KLove, say "peace out to 2011." But do not let that clean slate remain clean; if we come to 2012 in faith, lets fill this slate with as much faith-filled ministries as possible, and if we do, 2012 will invite us to eat the delicious fruits of our faith at the great table of Love. Amen.
Shalom,
jerry
Friday, December 30, 2011
Friday, December 23, 2011
Odd Way to Save the World Matthew 1
Dear Family,
I am going to keep this short and sweet, i know, i know, that seems impossible for someone like me who never seems to shut up. But i am going to keep this short and sweet. There are gifts to be. Cookies to bake. Trees to gather around. And an important birthday party to plan. When there is so much to do, reading a blog from a hot airbag falls down the list of important things to do.
Anyway. I have spent a lot of time reflecting on my journey, so far, with my church family at the West Milton Church of the Brethren. Eight plus years of mountaintops and valleys, good times and bad, laughter and tears, makes for a wonderfully entertaining narrative, if anyone wants to hear about it. However, as i reflect, which is a godly thing to do at the end of every calendar year, i realize that i still have no idea how to pastor a church.
I have read as many texts as i can find on how to be a better pastor, more effective leader, more godly teacher, and vision/mission focused shepherd, but it seems little fruit comes to bear. I have studied different worship styles, trying to discern how to create a worship that brings the people in by the waves, so that our empty pews would have warm seats in them. But any look at the attendance board tells the painful story. And i have asked, ad nauseum, different pastors their secrets to success, and i have done my best to implement these ideas at West Milton, but i still feel like i have failed.
And that, i think ,wont change until the tide turns on our church community, and we begin tasting the delicious fruit of our labor.
But i have to wonder if i am missing the point, at least a little bit. God used the son of a poor carpenter, from Nazareth, to heal and save the world. Jesus didn't have a great education. He wasn't published in First Century Palestinian Theology. And He wasn't even a powerful figure head in His community, ensuring that Jesus would always know success. Instead He was the son of a poor carpenter from the part of Palestine many Jews overlooked. This is how God saves the world?
Where are the vision statements? Where are the consultants assisting God in forming a healthier mission and vision for God's Kingdom? Where are the great authors paving the way for Jesus to now how better to minister? And where are the great success stories, something akin to the great Mega Church models of today, which enabled Jesus to go into the world preaching the Gospel? They weren't there.
Sure Jesus had his Jewish tradition/narrative to fall back on, but at the core of His ministry wasn't a Saddleback or Willow Creek or even a Ginghamsburg model. Nope. Jesus' model was simpler than that. He chose love. And he let that love take Him to the margins where so many exist and are overlooked. It took the son of a poor carpenter to realize that the most effective ministry doesn't occur in the temple, but in the bars. The most powerful ministry doesn't happen during Sunday morning worship, but it heals under the cover of darkness, on the streets of desire, and in the alleys of ill repute. And the most successful means of ushering in the Kingdom of God doesn't come through 'models' but through authentic love and empathy for so many the world has forgotten.
It seems a strange way to save the world: the son of a carpenter who spends a good deal of His time ministering to people who will get Him nowhere good. (Few would argue the Cross being a wonderful place to end His ministry, even if Jesus knew it was inevitable and necessary). And yet, regardless of the 'benefits' of ministering to the poor, the sick, the forgotten, the pagan, the drunk, or tax collector, (there were no real benefits only social ostracism), Jesus, and by proxy God, chose this unorthodox method to heal the world.
It must have worked, because all other church models become obsolete, eventually, but loving people, well that is eternal. Amen.
Shalom,
jerry
I am going to keep this short and sweet, i know, i know, that seems impossible for someone like me who never seems to shut up. But i am going to keep this short and sweet. There are gifts to be. Cookies to bake. Trees to gather around. And an important birthday party to plan. When there is so much to do, reading a blog from a hot airbag falls down the list of important things to do.
Anyway. I have spent a lot of time reflecting on my journey, so far, with my church family at the West Milton Church of the Brethren. Eight plus years of mountaintops and valleys, good times and bad, laughter and tears, makes for a wonderfully entertaining narrative, if anyone wants to hear about it. However, as i reflect, which is a godly thing to do at the end of every calendar year, i realize that i still have no idea how to pastor a church.
I have read as many texts as i can find on how to be a better pastor, more effective leader, more godly teacher, and vision/mission focused shepherd, but it seems little fruit comes to bear. I have studied different worship styles, trying to discern how to create a worship that brings the people in by the waves, so that our empty pews would have warm seats in them. But any look at the attendance board tells the painful story. And i have asked, ad nauseum, different pastors their secrets to success, and i have done my best to implement these ideas at West Milton, but i still feel like i have failed.
And that, i think ,wont change until the tide turns on our church community, and we begin tasting the delicious fruit of our labor.
But i have to wonder if i am missing the point, at least a little bit. God used the son of a poor carpenter, from Nazareth, to heal and save the world. Jesus didn't have a great education. He wasn't published in First Century Palestinian Theology. And He wasn't even a powerful figure head in His community, ensuring that Jesus would always know success. Instead He was the son of a poor carpenter from the part of Palestine many Jews overlooked. This is how God saves the world?
Where are the vision statements? Where are the consultants assisting God in forming a healthier mission and vision for God's Kingdom? Where are the great authors paving the way for Jesus to now how better to minister? And where are the great success stories, something akin to the great Mega Church models of today, which enabled Jesus to go into the world preaching the Gospel? They weren't there.
Sure Jesus had his Jewish tradition/narrative to fall back on, but at the core of His ministry wasn't a Saddleback or Willow Creek or even a Ginghamsburg model. Nope. Jesus' model was simpler than that. He chose love. And he let that love take Him to the margins where so many exist and are overlooked. It took the son of a poor carpenter to realize that the most effective ministry doesn't occur in the temple, but in the bars. The most powerful ministry doesn't happen during Sunday morning worship, but it heals under the cover of darkness, on the streets of desire, and in the alleys of ill repute. And the most successful means of ushering in the Kingdom of God doesn't come through 'models' but through authentic love and empathy for so many the world has forgotten.
It seems a strange way to save the world: the son of a carpenter who spends a good deal of His time ministering to people who will get Him nowhere good. (Few would argue the Cross being a wonderful place to end His ministry, even if Jesus knew it was inevitable and necessary). And yet, regardless of the 'benefits' of ministering to the poor, the sick, the forgotten, the pagan, the drunk, or tax collector, (there were no real benefits only social ostracism), Jesus, and by proxy God, chose this unorthodox method to heal the world.
It must have worked, because all other church models become obsolete, eventually, but loving people, well that is eternal. Amen.
Shalom,
jerry
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Born Again? John 3: 1-21
Dear Family,
I am supposed to post this by Friday, and normally i do, but this week has been an exception to the rule. If you need to know why, i invite you to call me, email me, or even better have coffee with me, and i will explain the beauty that has been my week. Needless to say, at times like this, even the blog, which i enjoy so much, gets put back on the to do when i have time list. Now is the time.
If you read the Johannine text, you would glean that Jesus is trying to help Nicodemus understand the need for one to be born again, and we would come to the conclusion that the message and the blog would and should be about salvation. But not this time.
But what does it mean to be a born again Christian?
This phrase, "I am a born again Christian" has tremendous popularity, and it should. It is, afterall, biblical. But what it means and the weight it carries perhaps doesn't always translate as well. Many times, and i add my name to this list, born again Christians feel like the judgement line for all those who fail to 'meet' our 'standards.' And i wonder if being critical judges honors Jesus?
IF we claim to be born again, do we live like it? Or do we live like some other theology?
Last night Kendra and i saw the movie "New Years Eve," and i highly recommend it. We laughed. We teared up. And yes, i even wept a little bit. Why? Because at the end of the movie, the plot, the thesis, the purpose of the movie is revealed: to teach the audience the power of love. Love has the power to forgive and heal. Love has the power to restore and reunite. And love has the power to hope in the midst of deep sadness and despair. As i experienced this truth, through the movie, it struck me that the church, which should be the greatest example of love, hope, joy, and peace, often feels contrarian to this message.
And i had to weep that Hollywood gets it, and the Church of Jesus Christ seems to miss it.
So how can we be born again, if our message, our lives, and our language fail to honor the author of unlimited love? Perhaps it is time for the church to reclaim its mission to be the great ambassador of love, of hope, of joy, and of peace, because it seems the world wants all of these things, and the church has had them now for two thousand years.
Its time to let them go and let them guide our way, then we can claim to be born again. Amen.
Shalom,
jerry
I am supposed to post this by Friday, and normally i do, but this week has been an exception to the rule. If you need to know why, i invite you to call me, email me, or even better have coffee with me, and i will explain the beauty that has been my week. Needless to say, at times like this, even the blog, which i enjoy so much, gets put back on the to do when i have time list. Now is the time.
If you read the Johannine text, you would glean that Jesus is trying to help Nicodemus understand the need for one to be born again, and we would come to the conclusion that the message and the blog would and should be about salvation. But not this time.
But what does it mean to be a born again Christian?
This phrase, "I am a born again Christian" has tremendous popularity, and it should. It is, afterall, biblical. But what it means and the weight it carries perhaps doesn't always translate as well. Many times, and i add my name to this list, born again Christians feel like the judgement line for all those who fail to 'meet' our 'standards.' And i wonder if being critical judges honors Jesus?
IF we claim to be born again, do we live like it? Or do we live like some other theology?
Last night Kendra and i saw the movie "New Years Eve," and i highly recommend it. We laughed. We teared up. And yes, i even wept a little bit. Why? Because at the end of the movie, the plot, the thesis, the purpose of the movie is revealed: to teach the audience the power of love. Love has the power to forgive and heal. Love has the power to restore and reunite. And love has the power to hope in the midst of deep sadness and despair. As i experienced this truth, through the movie, it struck me that the church, which should be the greatest example of love, hope, joy, and peace, often feels contrarian to this message.
And i had to weep that Hollywood gets it, and the Church of Jesus Christ seems to miss it.
So how can we be born again, if our message, our lives, and our language fail to honor the author of unlimited love? Perhaps it is time for the church to reclaim its mission to be the great ambassador of love, of hope, of joy, and of peace, because it seems the world wants all of these things, and the church has had them now for two thousand years.
Its time to let them go and let them guide our way, then we can claim to be born again. Amen.
Shalom,
jerry
Friday, December 9, 2011
The Table is Set: Mark 2: 13-17
Fellow Journey Folk...
Have any of you ever someone say, "I would never be seen with him/her?" The statement reveals the speakers perception of the less than ideal person that they would never be seen with, right? Or maybe its not so obvious how one feels about the company around us, maybe its a deeper feeling of unrest that makes us hope and wish that no one sees us with so and so, from the other side of the tracks. Heaven forbid that person not only be from the other side of the tracks, but they are also a 'sinner.'
I am not talking about the hidden sins that you and i cover up and throw into our closet with the other skeletons which never see the light of day. I am talking about the overt sins: going to bars, dancing at the clubs, wearing clothes that snug the body, or maybe they even drive a foreign car, like a Jetta. These are the sins that everyone knows about and makes us wince at the thought of being seen with them, at least in public.
Or maybe we have that friend, i am pretty sure we all have one, that is really loud and obnoxious and cant help but draw attention to herself or himself. How many of us know of a friend like that? If you dont have that friend, you might do what i just did, look at the mirror and wonder if you are that friend. But anyway.
Social perception of who is and who is not acceptable can affect our level of comfort. How many of us would feel right at home walking with a known prostitute or drug dealer? How many of us would not bat an eye at shopping with the town drunk or tax collection agent? I am not talking about the agent that is doing her job; i am talking about the agent that goes above and beyond his call to duty and shuts down the ma and pa store everyone loves, because mom and dad cant pay their taxes. Do you dare walk out in public with that person?
How many of us would worship with the man on trial for killing his wife? Or how many of us would share a pew with the teacher who molested a student? Or, speaking for myself, how many of us would share our worship space with the person we detest the most, for me it is someone who spews hatred and racist remarks along with homophobic words. I would have a hard time worshipping our God with someone i deemed out of line.
But if God is God, Jesus is truth, and the Spirit is real, these are the people we must be seen with. No more than that, we must be intimate with. For so long the table was the best symbol of intimacy and walls coming down. When settling a financial deal, for work, we come to the bargaining table. When nations need to broker a peace deal, they come to the table and work out a peace agreement. We break bread around the family table. The table has always been a sign of deep intimacy and trust, so when Jesus eats with sinners and tax-collectors, he does more than be seen with them.
He sees them.
He sees them not as the sinner and tax collectors that society labels them. He sees them as children of a Loving Father/Nurturing Mother, and Jesus can't wait to be intimate with them. Jesus comes to their table or invites them to His, so that His amazing grace, love, and healing can do something truly miraculous: heal the sinner.
Not just heal the sinner in a way that encourages the person to leave their life of sin. But heal them in a way that society and time has all too often ignored. Jesus gives them something they have never known before: an identity as someone of value. He sees them as a treasure. Someone worthy enough to break bread with around His table of love, compassion, and grace. If the table remains a symbol of intimacy and trust; Jesus' invitation to the sinners to come to the table remains the greatest illustration of ministry.
So who are we inviting to our tables? And how many invitations are we accepting? Because the table is more than a tool for bargaining and peace building; it is the means to build a new heaven and a new earth in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Shalom
Salam
Peace
jerry
Have any of you ever someone say, "I would never be seen with him/her?" The statement reveals the speakers perception of the less than ideal person that they would never be seen with, right? Or maybe its not so obvious how one feels about the company around us, maybe its a deeper feeling of unrest that makes us hope and wish that no one sees us with so and so, from the other side of the tracks. Heaven forbid that person not only be from the other side of the tracks, but they are also a 'sinner.'
I am not talking about the hidden sins that you and i cover up and throw into our closet with the other skeletons which never see the light of day. I am talking about the overt sins: going to bars, dancing at the clubs, wearing clothes that snug the body, or maybe they even drive a foreign car, like a Jetta. These are the sins that everyone knows about and makes us wince at the thought of being seen with them, at least in public.
Or maybe we have that friend, i am pretty sure we all have one, that is really loud and obnoxious and cant help but draw attention to herself or himself. How many of us know of a friend like that? If you dont have that friend, you might do what i just did, look at the mirror and wonder if you are that friend. But anyway.
Social perception of who is and who is not acceptable can affect our level of comfort. How many of us would feel right at home walking with a known prostitute or drug dealer? How many of us would not bat an eye at shopping with the town drunk or tax collection agent? I am not talking about the agent that is doing her job; i am talking about the agent that goes above and beyond his call to duty and shuts down the ma and pa store everyone loves, because mom and dad cant pay their taxes. Do you dare walk out in public with that person?
How many of us would worship with the man on trial for killing his wife? Or how many of us would share a pew with the teacher who molested a student? Or, speaking for myself, how many of us would share our worship space with the person we detest the most, for me it is someone who spews hatred and racist remarks along with homophobic words. I would have a hard time worshipping our God with someone i deemed out of line.
But if God is God, Jesus is truth, and the Spirit is real, these are the people we must be seen with. No more than that, we must be intimate with. For so long the table was the best symbol of intimacy and walls coming down. When settling a financial deal, for work, we come to the bargaining table. When nations need to broker a peace deal, they come to the table and work out a peace agreement. We break bread around the family table. The table has always been a sign of deep intimacy and trust, so when Jesus eats with sinners and tax-collectors, he does more than be seen with them.
He sees them.
He sees them not as the sinner and tax collectors that society labels them. He sees them as children of a Loving Father/Nurturing Mother, and Jesus can't wait to be intimate with them. Jesus comes to their table or invites them to His, so that His amazing grace, love, and healing can do something truly miraculous: heal the sinner.
Not just heal the sinner in a way that encourages the person to leave their life of sin. But heal them in a way that society and time has all too often ignored. Jesus gives them something they have never known before: an identity as someone of value. He sees them as a treasure. Someone worthy enough to break bread with around His table of love, compassion, and grace. If the table remains a symbol of intimacy and trust; Jesus' invitation to the sinners to come to the table remains the greatest illustration of ministry.
So who are we inviting to our tables? And how many invitations are we accepting? Because the table is more than a tool for bargaining and peace building; it is the means to build a new heaven and a new earth in the name of Jesus. Amen.
Shalom
Salam
Peace
jerry
Friday, December 2, 2011
We Can Go Home Again: Luke 15: 11-32
Dear Family,
There was this man who was trying to clean up his act, so he went to church hoping to find support for his new life and new journey. He had a checkered past. He had been in and out of jail. He lost every job he had held because of the addiction robbing him of life. But then a friend invited him to church, and so our broken soul started going. At first it seemed like a new home. Everyone appeared to be accepting, warm, and loving. He found something he thought he never could, especially at a church, a new home.
But our pasts always catch up to us.
Eventually someone recognized this new face and approached him. The long standing member of the church knew this man from their days working together, and the long time follower of Jesus went up to the new attender and said, "I know who you are, and i know about your past..." Then the member walked away. The message was clear: i know who you are, so you had better watch your step.
The broken soul never returned to that church again. I dont know if he goes anywhere or what happened to him. For all i know he is still lost, hoping someone, somewhere sees beyond his past and helps the wounded soul see his value as a child of God. I can only pray that this broken brother finds someone in the world, someone who represents the teachings of Jesus, truly. What would might have happened if the long standing member of the church said to the lost soul, "I love you and am so thankful you are here, if you need anything, let me know...?" Might we have another angel singing praise to our God?
Thats what the parable of the Prodigal is all about: redemption. It is not about earning one's spot in God's good graces. It is about accepting the free, amazing, redeeming gift of God's love, God's acceptance, and God's salvation. All we have to do, like the younger son, is turn around and let the loving embrace of God surround and heal us.
But we want to be fair. We need fairness. We demand fairness. Afterall we never did anything wrong, so why should the sinners of the world receive such a great welcome home party, when we labor all our lives, and all we get is a nice parting gift. Right? God doesn't care about OUR understanding and perceptions of what is fair. God has His own standards for what is fair, and i for one am thankful God doesn't measure what is fair according to my failures or limited understanding of what is fair. God's measuring stick is perfect.
That is why the younger son, full of sin, darkness, and failure can return to his father and not have to beg for forgiveness. No. All the son has to do is return to his father. His dad, like our Father in Heaven, can't wait to immerse his son in his love. And folks, that is all God wants to do for us: Immerse us in His Love if and when we return home.
So we can go home again, because the Lord of this house is LORD of all, and He can't wait to put his robe on us and throw us a great welcome home party. We can go home afterall, in fact God is waiting for us to do so. Let's go home and lets find our true selves. Amen.
Shalom,
jerry
There was this man who was trying to clean up his act, so he went to church hoping to find support for his new life and new journey. He had a checkered past. He had been in and out of jail. He lost every job he had held because of the addiction robbing him of life. But then a friend invited him to church, and so our broken soul started going. At first it seemed like a new home. Everyone appeared to be accepting, warm, and loving. He found something he thought he never could, especially at a church, a new home.
But our pasts always catch up to us.
Eventually someone recognized this new face and approached him. The long standing member of the church knew this man from their days working together, and the long time follower of Jesus went up to the new attender and said, "I know who you are, and i know about your past..." Then the member walked away. The message was clear: i know who you are, so you had better watch your step.
The broken soul never returned to that church again. I dont know if he goes anywhere or what happened to him. For all i know he is still lost, hoping someone, somewhere sees beyond his past and helps the wounded soul see his value as a child of God. I can only pray that this broken brother finds someone in the world, someone who represents the teachings of Jesus, truly. What would might have happened if the long standing member of the church said to the lost soul, "I love you and am so thankful you are here, if you need anything, let me know...?" Might we have another angel singing praise to our God?
Thats what the parable of the Prodigal is all about: redemption. It is not about earning one's spot in God's good graces. It is about accepting the free, amazing, redeeming gift of God's love, God's acceptance, and God's salvation. All we have to do, like the younger son, is turn around and let the loving embrace of God surround and heal us.
But we want to be fair. We need fairness. We demand fairness. Afterall we never did anything wrong, so why should the sinners of the world receive such a great welcome home party, when we labor all our lives, and all we get is a nice parting gift. Right? God doesn't care about OUR understanding and perceptions of what is fair. God has His own standards for what is fair, and i for one am thankful God doesn't measure what is fair according to my failures or limited understanding of what is fair. God's measuring stick is perfect.
That is why the younger son, full of sin, darkness, and failure can return to his father and not have to beg for forgiveness. No. All the son has to do is return to his father. His dad, like our Father in Heaven, can't wait to immerse his son in his love. And folks, that is all God wants to do for us: Immerse us in His Love if and when we return home.
So we can go home again, because the Lord of this house is LORD of all, and He can't wait to put his robe on us and throw us a great welcome home party. We can go home afterall, in fact God is waiting for us to do so. Let's go home and lets find our true selves. Amen.
Shalom,
jerry
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