If you follow the news you may have heard of the 'radical' shift the Catholic Church is proposing in how it defines marriage and family relations. The sensationalized story that mainstream media has produced would have you believe that the Catholic Church is eliminating restrictions on participation within the church for cohabiting couples, divorcees, and individuals in committed homosexual relationships. One could even stretch their interpretation of the Report on Family (full text here) to read it as affirming these relationships as the norm--the Church is finally going to throw open its doors to some enlightened thinking. In fact, the Report on Family does show a great deal of enlightened thinking, although it is not particularly ground breaking in its proposals. The central theme of this document is about acknowledging the reality of societal pressures on family relationships; it seeks to affirm the positive, life-giving elements found in cohabitation, civil marriage, divorce, and committed homosexual relationships while acknowledging these are not ideals. This report is a positive step toward recognizing the brokenness within family relationships while also looking for moments of redemption in which to speak words of grace. In short, it is an exhortation to pastoral sensitivity in dealing with painful and divisive issues whereas in the past, the church sought a one size fits all approach to dealing with family issues. The church needs to major in the art of accompaniment as individuals walk with each other pointing out sin but importantly also proclaiming grace. As I said previously, this is not a new theological framework. It is in fact the very thing Jesus modeled. When dealing with sin, Jesus affirms the ideal laid out by God but always speaks words of grace into the life of the broken person (people). Perhaps the clearest example of this comes in Matthew 19 where Jesus teaches on divorce. He affirms God's desire for family from Genesis 1 & 2 but then acknowledges divorce as a reality because of hardness of heart. The church needs to major in the art of accompaniment as individuals walk with each other pointing out sin but importantly also proclaiming grace. This pastoral sensitivity needs to be applied to all areas of life, balancing law which lays out God's standards/ideals for life while also speaking Gospel in the midst of brokenness. It is like dealing with my children. I do not expect them to get everything right, they will try and not be able to do somethings, they will rebel and choose to disobey me for which there are consequences but there are also opportunities to instruct, encourage, and show compassion. There are redemptive moments in the midst of struggling, suffering, and hurt. The church is full of broken people whose lives are in varying degrees of mess. We need to walk with one another humbly, supporting each other, mourning, hurting, and rejoicing together. As we do so with authenticity and openness, there will be moments where the Gospel can be shared. In the midst of all of our brokenness, we each need to hear the life-giving message of the Gospel set against the ideal which the church is called to model as a Christ's body on earth. So, this document is not groundbreaking in the ways that mainstream media has portrayed and yet it is groundbreaking because it admits the church's failures in seeking redemption in society. It is groundbreaking in the very fact that it calls the church toward God's redemptive heart in announcing the life changing message of forgiveness, reconciliation, and love of Jesus. Photo: https://www.flickr.com/photos/53558245@N02/4979010754/in/photostream/ Not changed. Used under creative commons license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
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As we’ve been looking at the opening scenes in the book of Genesis, one of the important things we’ve done is to take some time to think about who is God. It may not seem like it is worth spending much time on. Perhaps we think we’ve got it all figured out already or that God doesn’t really matter that much. In fact, I would be willing to bet that some of us would be willing to keep God out of our lives until it is convenient or we think He is needed. I’ve had the privilege of looking closely at Genesis 1-11 over the past several months (spending time in the Word is one of the greatest blessings of what I do). As I have read the text and commentaries about the text, I have been reminded repeatedly about why I love and serve God the way I do. Genesis clearly paints a picture of a loving, interactive, all-powerful God who longs for relationship with all He has made. A lot of time could be spent wading through all the characteristics of God which are presented in Genesis. But the one that I can’t get over is God’s interaction with His creation. Some much of what we hear about God or gods points us in the direction of a God who doesn’t want to be involved in the daily grind of our life. And yet, the God of Genesis is shown to be active in each day of Creation and in everyday since. I need a God who is all powerful to be active in my life because too often I come up short. I need a God who is loving because too often I am not. I need a God who is relational because too I would shrink back to my own life and only care about my own wants & needs. The God we read about in Genesis is not a myth, fairy-tale, or an invention of human imagination. This God is real, active, sustaining, loving. In short, thinking about God involves more than just using your mind. It is about an encounter with the living God; an encounter that aims to be life changing. Photo: Used under Creative Commons License: CC0 Public Domain. http://pixabay.com/en/thinker-thinking-person-idea-28741/
If you follow US news, you’ll be familiar with the happenings in Ferguson, Missouri, a normally sleepy suburb of St. Louis. It is there where a police officer shot a man following an apparent scuffle. Seems innocuous enough until you fill in some details. The shooting officer was white while the young man who was killed was black and apparently had his hands in the air while being shot. Protests have been going on for the better part of two weeks which have been focused on the injustice done presumably because of the young man’s race. The protesting group, which is largely black, is outraged that the white police officer could get away with killing this young man. Racial tension has been the common theme when discussing the events that occurred in Ferguson, in large part because that is still a real issue in America (something Canadians can’t fully understand or appreciate). The focus on race is really a focus on the visible things that separate us. Each of us consciously or unconsciously focus on the things that unite and divide us. You more readily gather with like-minded people, you start a conversation with someone when you notice they have the same shirt as you, or you acknowledge that guy driving down the road in the same car that you have. We find comfort in being surrounded by people who are like us, there is a built in sense of trust when you encounter someone who looks, thinks, talks or acts similar to you. Experience tells us this happens all the time, science supports this gathering of like things, and Scripture points to this as well. When we open the book of Genesis we see that once there was openness and commonality within human relationships which didn’t last long. Soon sin, which is a fancy word for separation, entered the scene and people became divided. Wars were fought between people groups and dividing lines were drawn around food, traditions, appearances, and the like. With sin came a division of people. One place in Genesis where people were working together was the building of the Tower of Babel. In this instance, unity of the people was not to be celebrated because they were not working together to further their relationship with the One who mattered, God their Creator, but to make their own name great. As a result, God divided the people into different language groups so that they could no longer understand each other. When we think about the issues of life that seem to be as simple (in actuality as complex) as the colour of our skin, or the different language we speak, we need to remember the deeper reason for the divide. It is a direct result of our disobedience, our deciding we want to live our own lives as we see fit apart from God. There is much more at play than (simply) race in the events unfolding in Ferguson. Ferguson is just a reminder of the bigger problem in our world, separation from God which leads to brokenness of relationship and separation from other humans. It would be nice if there was an easy way to fix the systemic brokenness in the world, to heal the hurts of our differences. Apart from Jesus and His coming again to re-create the world, everything else will just be a Band-Aid solution. Photo: Used under Creative Commons License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/ No changes made. Image link: https://www.flickr.com/photos/notionscapital/14918918396/in/photostream/
We in the church are pretty good at the ‘soft sell,’ the advertising approach that presents an easy and friendly message in the hope you’ll respond and buy something. “Grace is free! Come and get it!” “You’re welcome here and we’ll make no demands on your life.” “Come as you are to meet new people and get great coffee.” The church has mastered the soft sell. All the lines are memorized and put out there, just waiting for someone to come along and find us irresistibly cozy and non-demanding. “We want you, no strings attached.” But look around, how is this approach working? We thought that all we had to do was say the things everyone wanted to hear and they would come streaming in our doors. The fact of the matter is we like to emphasise the privilege of the Gospel without mentioning the responsibility of the Gospel. We emphasise God’s free gift of Jesus Christ for all who believe (which is good and important) but hardly make mention of the fact that we are to be sent out to make more disciples. What results is the misconception that all I have to do is make an intellectual consent to Jesus once in my life and I am automatically heaven bound. But Christianity is harder than we make it out to be. Absolutely we need to be about the free gift of Jesus for anyone who trusts in him. But that is not where the message is meant to stop. Jesus didn’t just gather a group of people around himself, waited for them to say “I trust you” and then leave them. No! He discipled them, mentored them, shared life with them, and yes, even challenged how they were living and thinking. We are caught up in making a mental decision for Christ that we aren’t fulfilling the Gospel commission to make disciples, to follow Jesus with our whole lives. This is the part that the church has been weak on for a long time. We are caught up in making a mental decision for Christ that we aren’t fulfilling the Gospel commission to make disciples, to follow Jesus with our whole lives. We aren't walking with each other, mentoring each other, or challenging each other onward to a Christ-centred life. We’re content to leave people as they are as long as they’ve said ‘yes’ to Jesus. But thanks be to God that Jesus isn’t content to leave us as we are as long as we’ve said ‘yes’ to Jesus. He desires so much more for our lives that we would have an abundant and joyful life with Him even if it doesn’t look like we think it should. The truth is following Jesus is harder than we make it seem. Everyone in the church (and outside of the church) struggles, has doubts or questions. Can’t we just be truthful and say that Jesus wants more from us than merely a part of our minds, that He wants (and demands) our whole lives? It’s not a popular message, it won’t always make people feel good about themselves, but it is the message that you, I, and the whole world needs to hear. Jesus wants all of you, even all the way to giving up your life for His sake. Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it.” Matt. 16:24-25 Picture: Public Domain, CC0. Text added. Website: http://pixabay.com/en/couch-sofa-settee-furniture-blue-147558/
On Sunday, the Mission Minute featured the Voice of the Martyrs, an organization which is dedicated to helping the persecuted church around the world and to bringing the stories of the persecuted church to an insulated North American church. It is easy to feel disconnected from events that are happening around the world and yet it is important that we are aware of what’s going on and not think of it as something irrelevant for our daily lives. The beauty of the Christian church is that we are all in mission together (even though with the disunity and in-fighting within the church it may not always seem that way). We all have a common conviction and are devoting our lives to the one Lord Jesus Christ; that is why we speak the words of the Apostles’ or Nicene Creed every Sunday. Those ancient words keep us accountable for our words and actions and they connect us to the church through time and space. Christians all over the world speak these same words as a reminder of why they gather. We are united with our brothers and sisters across the world in our common belief. It is also important to pay attention to the persecuted church around the world because it may not be too long until we experience persecution. We like to think that we are already experiencing persecution (and to a certain extent we are seeing mild persecution on the rise) but it is nothing in comparison to what others around the world are experiencing and likely what we might experience in the years to come. So what can you do? Here are three practical ways to be engaged: 1. Read and follow organizations dedicated to the persecuted church around the world. A great resource is the Voice of the Martyrs (www.persecution.net). Also, I shared a link (http://frrme.org/) earlier in the week about the work of the Bishop of Baghdad Canon Andrew White. You can check out his blog and one of the organizations that are supporting the Christian church in Iraq. 2. Pray for fellow brothers & sisters around the world who are giving up their lives, their families, their security, and all they own for the sake of Jesus Christ. Ask for God’s protection, strength, and encouragement as they stand for their belief. 3. Watch that we don’t get complacent with the Gospel and the rights/freedoms we have to meet and share the Goodnews of Jesus. Take advantage of the opportunities we have to share Jesus with those around us. Commit yourself to be a student of the Word that you will not be deceived or convinced to compromise on the whole truth of the Gospel. Above picture from: http://frrme.org/what-we-do/st-georges-church-baghdad/life-at-st-georges/
In just a few short weeks my family will be taking a couple weeks of holidays going to beautiful British Columbia. I am really looking forward to this time of seeing family and friends and just being about to have some time away. It is not that I don't like to work in fact, I love what I do and the people I get to spend time with. It is just that as much as we have been programmed to work, we've also been programmed to rest (see Genesis 1-2). Some times, the resting part comes easy like looking ahead to vacation time or counting down the days until retirement. But more often than not, working is what comes more readily to us. We like the idea of rest but we feel compelled to work. I don't think it is uncommon for many of us to work 50-60 hours a week without even knowing it (I am guilty of this on occasion). The mentality of society says that we have to keep going, keep keeping up with everyone else around us and the only way to do that is by spending more time working. I would argue that we are being conditioned to work 24/7 especially now that we can carry our work in our pockets wherever we go (who's not guilty of checking a work email just before you crawl into bed?). Unfortunately, this working mentality has made its way into the church. The most obvious way it presents itself is in the amount of time we have to give to Jesus. Where we once were able to give a couple nights a week to church activities, we are now find it hard to give an hour (and only an hour!) to the Lord on Sunday mornings. The bigger issue might be the mentality of working that has crept into our churches. We have bought into the notion that we always have to be doing something--there's always more work to be done (and in some ways, this is true). But this expresses itself in the push for new programs, new ways of doing the service, always doing something to try to attract more people. This push to keep doing is leading us all to fatigue. The few that are very active in the church are stretched to capacity while those who are not very active think they can't possible measure up. We have fallen into the trap of a works based religion. We tell ourselves (usually subconsciously) that if we aren't actively sharing/talking about Jesus every minute of every day then we are failing; if we aren't doing all that we can to build/save the church then we are not worthy followers of Jesus We have fallen into the trap of a works based religion. But the good news is that is not what the church is supposed to be about! Sure, in Matthew 28 Jesus tells his disciples to Go and make disciples... we always focus on the verbs in that verse which make it sound like the mission is up to us. When we make that our focus we forget that Jesus declared that he has all authority in heaven and on earth and that he will be with us always (in the person of the Holy Spirit pointing us to Christ). It is not up to us to convert the world or to fill the church. It is the Holy Spirit's job to call the world to Christ using His hands and feet- the body of Christ, the church. The assurance is in the power authority of Jesus as expressed in the Spirit who sustains the church and keeps it focused on Jesus Christ. Instead of striving and working to try to 'save the church' simply listen (which requires we put the work aside for a time). Listen for the voice of God through the Holy Spirit and be ready to move where He leads. Image: Public Domain: CC0 http://pixabay.com/en/man-person-business-businessman-319286/
Many of you know that I love old hymns. As much as the new choruses draw us into a heart of worship, you just can't beat the theology of the old classics. There are many songs that speak about our hope in Jesus--after all, that is the whole point of our faith. But none support this idea quite like the hymn, My Hope is Built on Nothing Less:
There is some much in this hymn: Christ is the foundation upon which we stand; He supports us at all times; there is nothing that we can do in our own strength or might to help sustain ourselves; Christ holds us tight through the storms of life--even when everything has gone wrong; and finally, He is our reason for standing before God which assurance of life forever. Redemption is a word not often used outside of 'Christianese' so I'll explain a bit what it is. It is a legal term dealing with the idea of being purchased from slavery or debts; much like you redeem a coupon to reduce the cost of your Swiffer sweeper or Glade Plug-ins. You exchange the value of the coupon for the product. The logical question is what do we need to be redeemed (bought back) from? The list starts with disobedience to God (who created us, loves us, and sustains us) and the list continues from there: worries, fear, anger, depression, jealousy, envy, bitterness, woundedness, diseases... All these things are a consequence of our failure to recognize God as our Creator, and our Master. God is all holy and all good which means He can't stand to be in the presence of these things (it is like trying to mix oil and water, it just won't work). But the hope we have is in the death (ironically enough) and the resurrection of Jesus, the Son of God who has paid the price for our short-comings before God. When God looks at those who have put their confidence in the all-sufficient death of Jesus, he sees us as holy--Jesus' value has been assigned to us. That doesn't mean life suddenly becomes easy, but as the hymn suggests that we can endure when the going gets tough because we are drawn up into life with Christ. The burden is lifted from us to perform, to earn our way to God's good favour, or to be our own source of strength during the difficult times of life. Jesus is the rock upon which we stand, the rock which will never give way. Image used under Creative Commons: Attribution: https://www.flickr.com/photos/keepitsurreal/2067277798/. No changes made.
I'll share some reflections on the past week which my family and I spent at Camp Simmie. It was a refreshing week for me: the people there are awesome, the kids had a blast, the worship was Spirit-filled, and the speakers were out of this world (I may be a little biased). During the morning study session, I led us in thinking about the hope that we have as God's people. It is a pretty basic concept but it is one that we need to return to constantly. All we have to do is look around us at the world in which we are living to get discouraged. It could be the pile of bills waiting to be opened and paid, a sickness of a family member that is causing them pain and discomfort, or just the everyday grind of life. We were reminded this week that these things were not in God's original design (they are a result of humanity's continued rejection of God's working in us) and that they will continue until Jesus comes again to make God's dwelling place with humanity. But we were also reminded that there is hope in the midst of disconcerting times. In fact, God alone is the only source of lasting hope that we can have! The next few posts will draw out the idea of our hope being rooted fully in God. Our hope is in God the Father's Faithfulness. When you are reading Scripture, one of the most prominent themes is that of God's action on behalf of His people. The Bible is a story of God's faithful work in His people. The Bible is a story of God's faithful work in His people Go ahead and read it! Time and time again, you'll see stories of God's promise and action on behalf of the people He created and loves. Turn to Genesis 21:1 and you'll see God fulfilling the promise He gave to Abraham and Sarah that they'd have a son in their old age. Turn to Genesis 45:4-8 and you'll hear of God's plan for feeding His people in the midst of famine, through the 'disposal' of the despised brother Joseph. The whole book of Exodus is one story after another of God's action in bringing His people out from under the oppression of slavery in Egypt. (Especially Exodus 15 where the story is retold in song). There are countless other examples that'd I'd encourage you to take note of because we have a God of promises and covenant! The point of having a collection of such stories is that we need to be reminded of God's faithfulness, His constant action on behalf of His people, His unending love for us in the good times and especially in the bad. We are quick to forget and quick to complain. God's Word constantly calls us back to trust in God's all-sufficient action in our lives. I'd encourage you to read Psalm 136, which is a retelling of the work of God for His people. After reading it, perhaps you'd find it helpful to write your own Psalm with the refrain, "His love endures forever." Fill in the blanks with your story of remembering God's actions toward you. Here is a template for you to print off, fill out, and keep in a prominent place to remind you of God's faithful work in your life. Image: Public Domain, http://pixabay.com/en/rainbow-nature-horizon-colors-110953/
How would you respond to the question: Who is God to you? Take a moment to think about it. My guess is that this is a question we don’t often ponder even though it should be central to our lives as followers of Christ. Who God is to us is so important because it takes the focus off ourselves and rightly readjusts it toward God. A.W. Tozer, an influential preacher and author from the first half of the 20th century, once said, “What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us.” That is not the way we are used to thinking; we are more accustom to thinking about our own successes and failures rather than who God has proven Himself to be in and through us. What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us. Scripture provides a constant reminder of who God is and how He has faithfully worked in the lives of His people. You could open to almost any page in the Bible and see that reality staring back at you. The Psalm on Sunday (145) reminded me of how our lives have been designed to be God-oriented; to be focused on His good work in us. The Psalmist begins with words of praise and exaltation and then continues the Psalm by making declarative statements about who God is:
Great is the Lord and most worthy of praise. The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. The Lord is good to all; he has compassion on all he has made. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does The Lord is near to all who call on him. The Lord watches over all who love him. While the question, "Who is God to You?" seems subjective, the answer is objective. These statements that the Psalmist (David) wrote reveal the truth of God as they speak about God's unchanging character as one who is loving, caring, and infinitely compassionate. They recount who God is, what He has done in David’s life, and hold out the promise of God’s continued good work in David’s life. But these are just a fraction of the ways that God could be described and much is dependent on your life circumstances. Either God needs to reveal Himself in a certain way to you or you can only see a part of who God is because of where you are in your life. No matter the state of your relationship with God, it is important to reflect on His good work in your life. Take some time today to orient your life around God and think about how would you answer the question, “Who is God to you?” Perhaps the answer comes easily to you or maybe you are struggling to see how God has worked and is working in your life. Take time to look; examine your life and see how God is revealing Himself to you today. He is present even when we have trouble seeing Him or when we choose not to see Him. The old maxim, "Forgive and forget" is not particularly helpful in many situations as it puts the burden on us to hurry up and get over things, usually without actually dealing with the issue. On an interpersonal level, this has had disastrous consequences for many people leaving them with wounds that are covered over but aren't healed. The redeeming quality in this line of thinking is the desire to help the person make a fresh start. God often calls us to hurry up and get over things, more specifically, to make a clean break from those things that were in the way of fully living for Him. As I continued to read from 1 Kings, I was convicted by the call of Elisha and especially its corresponding parallels with New Testament themes and my own life. Here's the story from 1 Kings 19:
When the call of God came on Elisha through the prophet Elijah, look at how quickly he responded. He didn't just drop everything and go. Rather he make a complete break with his old way of life: saying goodbye to his family (a radical step in itself in ancient times), burning his livelihood, and having a celebratory farewell feast with it! There was no going back for Elisha, he was all in.
That is the kind of clean break God desires from us when our whole lives are entrusted to him. Put aside the old way of living, the ways we remain self-dependent and self-sufficient. It is a call to live in the radical love, grace, and mercy of Jesus Christ who was the ultimate sacrifice for our sins so that we stand before our Creator as ones who are holy and righteous in His sight. The only authentic response to a love so amazing is to surrender ourselves to the One who calls us, to make a clean break from those things that we are holding onto that hinder our following Jesus wholeheartedly. "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Cor. 5:17 Today God is calling you into new life with Him. What is the Holy Spirit calling you to give up in order for you to fully live in the fresh start that God has given to you? God is calling. Are you willing to follow potentially at great cost? Are you ready to burn the plough of your old way of living to set off on a new journey with God? |
AuthorPastor J-M shares some occasional thoughts and musings on our life together as followers of Christ. The views are his own. Archives
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