"It is finally here!"
I heard someone say this just a few days ago. I was certain that what was here was this amazing day that we set aside the normalcy of our daily lives in order to gather with family and friends to give thanks to God and celebrate life together. I was certain they were talking about the day that we spend hours in the kitchen and extended time at the table talking, laughing and relaxing.
And then the surprising words came out...
"Black Friday shopping! I've waited all year!!"
In a world bombarded with commercials about the deals of Black Friday and the necessity to go out on Thursday to get those deals, I felt saddened. Saddened that we have lost the ability to be present with our families, to stop the grind of consumerism for one day, to pause and acknowledge all that we have to be thankful for, especially God.
And then it hit me...
I'm saddened about Thanksgiving's loss of importance, but disturbed by our neglect of grasping the following season of Advent which culminates on Christmas. We spend hours and hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars buying stuff but such little time waiting, preparing, longing, expecting, and crying as ancient Israel did- "How long, O Lord?"
Instead, we've traded the richness of Christmas for a lesser vision of buying and gifting things, stuff, trinkets to others. As we slide out of Thanksgiving, perhaps the appropriate response for Advent is that same spirit...a spirit of Thanks! Thanks to the God who hears our cry in the wilderness of life and runs to save us. Thanks to the God who puts flesh on so we can finally grasp the depth of God's character and love. Thanks that Christmas isn't about stuff but is about us- relationships between God and humanity AND humanity with humanity.
Perhaps this year, we turn Christmas upside down. Perhaps we pause for a moment to ask the deeper questions of life like: Why do I celebrate Christmas? What is the appropriate response to God's gift in Jesus Christ? How do I participate in the Great Story of God's salvation by helping to be an agent of change in the lives of others?
Yet first, perhaps we need to pause and say "Thank You" to God, to our family, and to our friends. Let's be a people of Thankfulness first and foremost!
Monday, November 25, 2013
Monday, November 18, 2013
What is your ladder?
Much of our lives are spent outside of our homes. We awaken to head to school for a time; or head to work; get involved in our communities; have families (which leads to a LOT of activities); get into a social gatherings; etc. These are great things! In fact, this is a part of the reason that any community is so vibrant and wonderful! When people engage in their community, beautiful experiences abound and the impact we make is long lasting.
Yet there are times where our core focus gets a bit blurred. We spend so much energy 'doing' that we forget to 'be.' We forget to 'be' with God and allow God to 'be' with us. We spend countless hours searching for importance in all the wrong places while neglecting our opportunity to rest in the reality that God is working at all times, including the times we relax, pause, rest and enjoy that very moment.
Instead, many have adopted the mindset of a sprinter. We think we have to get it all done now and more is better. Yet Paul reminds us that life is more of a marathon than a sprint. Sure, we can run as fast as we possibly can but we gas out far faster than when we pace our lives. Instead, we keep striving for God and the things of God while keeping a pace that is manageable, one that is sane!
I shared this great quote from Father Thomas Merton yesterday...
Yet there are times where our core focus gets a bit blurred. We spend so much energy 'doing' that we forget to 'be.' We forget to 'be' with God and allow God to 'be' with us. We spend countless hours searching for importance in all the wrong places while neglecting our opportunity to rest in the reality that God is working at all times, including the times we relax, pause, rest and enjoy that very moment.
Instead, many have adopted the mindset of a sprinter. We think we have to get it all done now and more is better. Yet Paul reminds us that life is more of a marathon than a sprint. Sure, we can run as fast as we possibly can but we gas out far faster than when we pace our lives. Instead, we keep striving for God and the things of God while keeping a pace that is manageable, one that is sane!
I shared this great quote from Father Thomas Merton yesterday...
“People may spend their whole lives climbing the ladder of
success only to find, once they reach the top, that the ladder is leaning
against the wrong wall.”
As you continue on with life this week, perhaps today is a great day to pause and ask some important questions...
- What ladder am I climbing?
- Is my life in rhythm with God or out of rhythm?
- Am I looking at life like Paul- a marathon where we are reaching toward God?
- Am I willing to abandon the ladder of achievement, pride, power, etc for the ladder of being 'In Christ'?
- What ladder am I climbing?
- Is my life in rhythm with God or out of rhythm?
- Am I looking at life like Paul- a marathon where we are reaching toward God?
- Am I willing to abandon the ladder of achievement, pride, power, etc for the ladder of being 'In Christ'?
May God be with you as you think through your journey of life and faith and may your ladder always lead you to a closer relationship to God!
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Is Unity Possible?
I have often wondered: "How long was the church of the first century gathering in the spirit of unity before divisiveness entered the scene?" For certainly our ancestry of faith has found the idea of unity something to reach for yet falls short in attainment. For example, Acts 2 paints the picture that there was something amazingly unique about these early followers. It states that "all the believers were united and shared everything (2:45)." There was a tangible unity there, something that marked them as different, or maybe unique. Yet something changed...for it isn't long before we see issues arising. And in many ways, we have been chasing this elusive image ever since.
It reminds me of our beginning narrative...a Garden marked by beauty and freedom where God wandered through and conversed with Adam and Eve. In this place was all they knew and needed yet there was just that one thing that they couldn't have...
Power.
The power to know...and when they chose to grasp for that power, the Garden becomes closed to them. Ever since, we have been desiring that initial freedom and connection with God.
Now fast-forward to the Pentecost moment- the Spirit of God descending on each person and the beauty of this God-moment is marked by the unity among them. The typical struggles of flesh seem to dissipate for a time...no more struggle over power but instead a mutual care to the point that not one needed anything! They found a unity around the story of Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit. There it was- for a moment, each person unique yet unified.
Yet something happened. Just as the dismissal from the Garden, these early followers began dealing with the realness of a people that may have alternative motives, selfish ambitions, or a taste for power (see Acts 5!). And with that taste, we have watched close to 2,000 years of divisions, arguments, and debates but certainly not unity.
Is unity even possible? With well over 10,000 denominations, with our long held traditions and new innovations, with our own desire to be right, to be better than others, can we find a place around the table where our ways can yield to the way of Jesus? Paul is pushing this in his letter to the Philippians- quit chasing after what you want! Quit looking out for just what you get! Quit fighting and take on that same character as the one whose name we bear...
Though he was in the form of God, he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit.
But he emptied himself by taking the form of a slave and by becoming like human beings.
When he found himself in the form of a human, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Phil 2:6-8)
Are we willing to live like that? If we seek to find unity in this body of Christ, we must take on the humble nature of a God-man who gives up all power in order to help us find release from our taste for power. I think unity is possible...only when we stop the power struggles- having to be right, or better, or the deciding factor of 'truth'. Instead, let's begin reflecting the heart and soul of the one named Jesus who chooses humility as the way to life and unity!
It reminds me of our beginning narrative...a Garden marked by beauty and freedom where God wandered through and conversed with Adam and Eve. In this place was all they knew and needed yet there was just that one thing that they couldn't have...
Power.
The power to know...and when they chose to grasp for that power, the Garden becomes closed to them. Ever since, we have been desiring that initial freedom and connection with God.
Now fast-forward to the Pentecost moment- the Spirit of God descending on each person and the beauty of this God-moment is marked by the unity among them. The typical struggles of flesh seem to dissipate for a time...no more struggle over power but instead a mutual care to the point that not one needed anything! They found a unity around the story of Jesus and through the power of the Holy Spirit. There it was- for a moment, each person unique yet unified.
Yet something happened. Just as the dismissal from the Garden, these early followers began dealing with the realness of a people that may have alternative motives, selfish ambitions, or a taste for power (see Acts 5!). And with that taste, we have watched close to 2,000 years of divisions, arguments, and debates but certainly not unity.
Is unity even possible? With well over 10,000 denominations, with our long held traditions and new innovations, with our own desire to be right, to be better than others, can we find a place around the table where our ways can yield to the way of Jesus? Paul is pushing this in his letter to the Philippians- quit chasing after what you want! Quit looking out for just what you get! Quit fighting and take on that same character as the one whose name we bear...
Though he was in the form of God, he did not consider being equal with God something to exploit.
But he emptied himself by taking the form of a slave and by becoming like human beings.
When he found himself in the form of a human, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Phil 2:6-8)
Are we willing to live like that? If we seek to find unity in this body of Christ, we must take on the humble nature of a God-man who gives up all power in order to help us find release from our taste for power. I think unity is possible...only when we stop the power struggles- having to be right, or better, or the deciding factor of 'truth'. Instead, let's begin reflecting the heart and soul of the one named Jesus who chooses humility as the way to life and unity!
Monday, November 4, 2013
Endings that Create Beginnings
Life is a series of endings that always mark new beginnings.
Truth be told, we don't always like endings! Perhaps we think of vacation and the ensuing reality of having to head home; maybe the reality that someone we love is living in their final days; perhaps that the beauty of fall is quickly dissipating to the northern winds of winter.
For many, endings are a time of mourning, of grief, of change. It is hard to get ready for something new when we aren't ready for the old to end. Yet not all endings are sad, nor mournful. Some endings are welcomed! An end to a job that one has dreaded; an end to a growing season of life. In the interchange of endings and beginnings is often the place where God works wonders. Yes, at times we must mourn the ending, celebrate what was, and swallow the hard reality of a chapter closing. But we must never stay there!
I would imagine that the days after Jesus' death, they were facing the struggle of an ending that they did not want nor expect. I can hear them gathering around a table and asking deep questions like: "What do we do now that Jesus is dead? Where do I go after I just walked away from our families fishing business? Will dad welcome us home? What happened to Jesus- was he not who he thought he was?"
Yet in the hope of resurrection, we have a new beginning. The reality of a new era, or a new experience of life, erupts on the scene. Resurrected living is like that...God takes endings and creates new beginnings. They may not all turn out as we expect, or even desire, but the newness of these beginnings are founded upon hope- hope of what can be, of what God will do, of a new journey that lies ahead.
The 4 Gospels all have endings that are really new beginnings. In each, there is a transference of leadership. There is a call, an invitation, an imperative command to Go and witness, Go and make disciples, Go and make known all that Jesus has done. Our new beginning is found in our partnership with God! We are ambassadors, as Paul says. We are the very ones that God has equipped and called to share his Good News with all people.
And so, in the endings of your life, where is God's resurrection power starting new beginnings? In those moments of despair, worry, or mournfulness, where is God opening the way to something fresh and new?
Truth be told, we don't always like endings! Perhaps we think of vacation and the ensuing reality of having to head home; maybe the reality that someone we love is living in their final days; perhaps that the beauty of fall is quickly dissipating to the northern winds of winter.
For many, endings are a time of mourning, of grief, of change. It is hard to get ready for something new when we aren't ready for the old to end. Yet not all endings are sad, nor mournful. Some endings are welcomed! An end to a job that one has dreaded; an end to a growing season of life. In the interchange of endings and beginnings is often the place where God works wonders. Yes, at times we must mourn the ending, celebrate what was, and swallow the hard reality of a chapter closing. But we must never stay there!
I would imagine that the days after Jesus' death, they were facing the struggle of an ending that they did not want nor expect. I can hear them gathering around a table and asking deep questions like: "What do we do now that Jesus is dead? Where do I go after I just walked away from our families fishing business? Will dad welcome us home? What happened to Jesus- was he not who he thought he was?"
Yet in the hope of resurrection, we have a new beginning. The reality of a new era, or a new experience of life, erupts on the scene. Resurrected living is like that...God takes endings and creates new beginnings. They may not all turn out as we expect, or even desire, but the newness of these beginnings are founded upon hope- hope of what can be, of what God will do, of a new journey that lies ahead.
The 4 Gospels all have endings that are really new beginnings. In each, there is a transference of leadership. There is a call, an invitation, an imperative command to Go and witness, Go and make disciples, Go and make known all that Jesus has done. Our new beginning is found in our partnership with God! We are ambassadors, as Paul says. We are the very ones that God has equipped and called to share his Good News with all people.
And so, in the endings of your life, where is God's resurrection power starting new beginnings? In those moments of despair, worry, or mournfulness, where is God opening the way to something fresh and new?
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