Reflections on Worshiping with Passion

The purpose of worship is to encounter God in Christ through the Holy Spirit, so that God might heal us, change us, transform us, or encourage us. Worship is about connecting to the divine, of being attentive to the presence of God in our midst. And as Moses teaches us, when one is in the presence of God, that person is changed. Moses had a glow that was so bright, he had to wear a veil over his face when he came down from the mountain. By worshiping God, being in the presence of God, we anticipate that something will happen to us. We expect, in the act of worship, to be changed.
To be passionate means to express desire. To do something with passion means to do it with feeling, expressing something deep within. To do something with passion means to do it with soul rather than going through the motions or just being present. To be passionate is to give your all to the moment, with great focus and driven by the need to express yourself. You are fully engaged and caught up in whatever you are doing with passion.
So, passionate worship is being fully attentive, fully engaged, expressing a deep desire to encounter God. A person who is worshipping with passion is giving it their all, their heart and soul, completely caught up in the act of worship, out of a deep longing to connect with God. That deep desire to connect with God lies in all of us, because in that connection we are healed. We want that connection, and worshipping God with passion is what gets us there because we are totally focused and actively engaged in worshipping God.
There are four things that worship is not. First, worship is not a performance. Now, of course, there are some of us up front, exercising worship leadership: myself, the choir, the organist, the lay reader. But we are not performing for you. To perform would be like putting on a show, and you all would be the audience watching us and responding to what we are doing. Our intention as worship leaders is not to perform for you, but to assist you in your worship. To be worship leaders means to lead the congregation into worship. It is not a performance, it is the providing of content, the establishment of a context, the provoking of inspiration, so that the congregation can join us worship leaders in the worship of God. So, worship is not a performance, not the putting on of a show, not something done so that we can be seen and approved by others.
Second, worship is not forms and rituals. The structure of a worship service, the order of worship, the written responses and prayers, the rituals, the saying of the Lord’s Prayer, these are like musical notes on a page. They give structure, form, and content to the service so that everything is done in order and it’s not a wild free-for-all. It is critical to have forms and rituals in worship so that there is a shape, something that we all can work with. But, you know the difference between a musician playing the notes on one hand and making music on the other. There is a difference between a singer singing the notes and making the song come to life. Just singing the notes is not enough. You eventually have to know the notes so well that you don’t even have to look at them anymore. You’re then singing from your heart. Just so with the forms and rituals of our worship; we have to move past just saying the words and following the order so that the worship comes to life, so that we are saying the words and following the order by heart, so that it’s not rote and rigid, but living and vibrant because we have moved from reciting words to speaking them from the heart. That is where worship takes place, when we take the forms and rituals and sing them, breathe life into them, connect the words with our hearts.
Third, worship is not self-focused. Although I understand what people are saying when they judge the effectiveness of a worship service as to whether they have been “fed” or not, I cringe a little when I hear it. Now, of course, we worship God with the expectation that something will happen. We cannot stand in the presence of God and be unchanged. But the focus of Christian worship is God, and not one’s own needs. Yes, we come to worship with needs. We are broken people in need of healing and wholeness. But our healing does not come from focusing on our own wants, needs, and desires, what makes us feel good about ourselves. We don’t want to say we are worshipping God when really we are worshipping our own cultural values and preferences. Again, if we want our needs met in the worship experience, this happens when we forget about ourselves and worship God.
Fourth, worship is not automatic or accidental. It is not a formula, where you do this and this and expect a certain result. And worship is not something that just happens to you as a passive observer. No, to worship God requires preparation and intentionality. We have to prepare our hearts. We have to set aside our worldly cares and focus on God. We have to center ourselves in the worship space. We have to be intentional participants in the worship act and not passive observers hoping to catch something of the holy if we’re lucky. Worship takes effort, attention, and focus. When worship is over, you ought to leave here just a little tired because you have been putting forth some effort rather than sitting here and zoning out for an hour.
So, what is worship? It is an expression of your love and devotion to God. The degree to which you love God determines the intensity of your worship. If you have little love for God, worship of God is going to be a bit perfunctory. But if your love for God is deep and passionate, worship for you will have a bit more significance and intentionality. The intensity and seriousness of your worship experience can be a sign of the intensity of your love and devotion to God.
Worship is what breathes life into the community of faith. Primarily public worship on Sunday morning, what we are doing together gives life to us as a community. It is a common experience that shapes our identity as a unique congregation, a small part of the universal body of Christ. Public worship is the lungs and the heartbeat of our community of faith. In worship we encounter God, individually and as a community. We are shaped by God, individually but also as a community through the act of worship. When we worship together, something happens. As a community, we are given fuel which we need to function. We are filled up in worship so we have something to pour out through the week, until we come back to the well to be filled up again.
Of course, it must be said that worship can happen pretty much anywhere. Public worship typically happens in a sanctuary. But public worship can take place anywhere, when two or more gather in Christ’s name. And we must not neglect private worship. Public worship is an extension of private worship. Public worship typically only happens one hour a week. That is certainly not sufficient for a Christian. If worship was understood as dining on spiritual food, none of us would survive if we ate one meal a week. Our daily bread is received by daily worship. We worship privately every day, and come together one day a week, Sunday, in order to celebrate the resurrection of Christ and be encouraged by worshipping with fellow believers. So, since most of our worship life is private, it can certainly happen in places other than the sanctuary. The home, actually, should be considered the primary place of worship, not the church. But, you get the idea. God’s creation provides limitless inspiration for focusing on God and worshipping God’s goodness. So, we must not limit our worship to Sunday morning in the sanctuary. Public worship is an extension of our primary worship life, which is a private affair that likely takes place in your home. In fact, Jesus suggests that when you pray you should go into your closet and shut the door, doing it in secret. “And the Father, who sees what you do in secret, will reward you”, Jesus said.
Finally, worship is the context in which we most likely encounter God in our midst. We know God is always around us. We just don’t pay much attention to this reality because God is invisible and His voice tends to be a whisper in the midst of so much noise. Worship, then, filters out the noise so we can hear the quiet whisper of God within and around us. And when we hear the voice of God, or sense God’s presence, we are connecting to the holy, and that changes us, and heals us. The more we take time to focus on God through worship, the greater the opportunity God has to heal us and make us well.
Quickly, two things I want to share about what the practice of worship requires. First, worship requires effort on your part. Like I’ve said earlier, worship is something you do, not something that happens to you. Worship is the act of focusing on God that requires our intentionality. And the more passionately we focus on God and worship God, the better. Worship is work. It is a participatory activity, and the intensity of your participation relates directly to the effectiveness and fruitfulness of the activity. Like Jesus said, “Knock and the door will be opened.” If you don’t knock, the door won’t be opened. And perhaps a heavy banging may be more effective than a light tap.
Second, public worship requires flexibility and diversity to help people connect to God in different ways. How good it is to know that our worship is primarily a private activity. Privately, we can feel free to do what helps us best connect with God. Publicly, though, the needs of many have to be accommodated the best we can. And that’s where it gets tricky. As United Methodists, we have traditions that have been handed down to us. Traditions are good because they force us to get out of our own individuality and conform to a broader shared experience. Still, people have different tastes and can more easily connect with God in different ways. This is the main reason why we have a traditional worship service and a contemporary service. By offering this variety, we are utilizing the worship leadership we have to provide greater opportunity for people to connect with God than if we only offered one option. And in public worship, not every song and not every aspect of the service will resonate with you all the way through. Again, privately you can tailor your worship experience and utilize resources that resonate with you. But in a public setting, flexibility and generosity is required so that the maximum number of people can participate in some way. We need to be open to the diversity among us and be grateful that whatever part of the service that doesn’t really “work” for us does “work” for others. Again, worship is primarily an activity where we focus on God and not get caught up on the forms and rituals, or the style of music or quality of the singing, playing, and preaching. And remember, public worship must not be the only worship you do. It supplements your primary worship life, which is in private, where you can utilize whatever most effectively leads you into worship. You deprive yourself if your only experience of worship is one hour on Sunday morning.
The bottom line is this: passionate worship springs from an attitude and has little to do with styles or forms. What is done in worship, and the quality of what is done does have an impact. Styles and forms, and the execution of them, do matter. But for worship to be passionate, the key factor is not the quality of the worship leadership but the attitude of the worshipper. One who worships with passion is one who is deeply in love with God and wants to express that love. One who worships with passion is one who anticipates and longs to encounter God, knowing that God will bring healing into their lives. One who worships with passion is one who is putting forth the effort to be attentive and focused on God. Styles and forms only provide a framework and some inspiration for the primary activity, which is all of us actively focused on God and expressing to God our love for Him.
What is your attitude toward worship? What or who are you focused on? What level is your passion? A healthy, fruitful congregation is one where the majority of worshippers are worshipping with passion. Are you one of that number? Let us pray.
God of wonder, we do worship You. We long to be in Your presence. We desire to encounter You so that we can be healed and renewed. We know that You desire that we worship You in spirit and in truth. Give us grace, dear Lord, to worship You with greater passion and devotion, every day of our life. Help us to grow in our capacity to worship, so that when our time on earth comes to an end, we may more fully join with all the saints and the angels, gathered around Your throne, offering up a pure sacrifice of praise. We ask this in the name of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Reflections on Radical Hospitality

Christian life can be described as a set of practices. For example, prayer, fasting, giving, worship, scripture study, witnessing to your faith, these are all practices. A practice is something you do, something you work at, so that you can get better. Micah is in band, learning to play the trumpet. For him to become a great trumpet player, Micah is going to have to practice. And no matter how good a trumpet player he will be, he will always have to practice. It is the same with becoming a Christian. We have to practice. And no matter how great a Christian we grow to be, we never stop practicing.
Doing Christian practices over time makes us into better Christians. We become better servants of Jesus Christ our Lord as we practice the Christian life daily and diligently, with the help of God’s grace.
Churches also have practices. The Christian life is not just an individual matter. It is also a communal matter. Not only are we to practice in order to become better individual Christians, we are also to practice being a better church, so that we can be a more effective body of Christ. These are examples of church practices: radical hospitality, passionate worship, intentional faith development, risk-taking mission and service, and extravagant generosity. A church that does these practices over time becomes a better church, a more effective and fruitful community of servants.
Today marks the beginning of a five week series on these five practices. The catalyst for this series is that as a district we are emphasizing these practices, using the insights of Bishop Robert Schnase in his book Cultivating Fruitfulness. When Charge Conference comes up in a few weeks, this will be the focus of our time together. So, this wasn’t just my idea, it’s a concerted effort by all the churches in our district to turn to this theme. It will be good for us as a reminder of what we are to be about doing, the purpose of our being a church. And we will discover over the next few weeks that, as a congregation, we are doing these things. These practices are not unfamiliar to us at all. My hope is that through this series we will be encouraged to keep doing what we are doing and improve what we are doing, so that we can stretch ourselves more and grow, to become more effective servants of Jesus Christ our Lord. To grow as a musician, what you practice needs to become more difficult so you can grow. So it is with our Christian practices, individually and collectively. We need to challenge ourselves in our practice so that we can grow and be effective. Hopefully this series will inspire you to stretch yourselves in your participation in these church practices, so that our church will grow and be more fruitful, by the grace of God.
The first practice we will reflect on is radical hospitality.
Imagine what it is like to enter a church as a stranger? You first have to find your way in the building. Where’s the bathroom? Where’s the sanctuary? You might wonder if there is anyone there you might know. You may wonder where would be a good place to sit, hoping you don’t take someone else’s seat. And you wonder what’s going to happen during the service. Will anyone say “hi” to me? You tend to be paying great attention to what’s going on around you to pick up non verbal cues, the body language of others, so you can tell whether you are welcome or being held at arms length. And, when you enter into a space for the first time you notice things that become unnoticeable as time goes by: the smell, the neatness of the space, the lighting, and the behaviors of the more colorful people that are present. Coming in to a strange place is a little confusing, lots of questions, a little uncertainty, it’s slightly uncomfortable.
Now think about how you might respond when you see this stranger enter into the sanctuary? How might you approach that person? It would seem that the best body language to have would be a smile, and not one of staring at and sizing up. Introducing yourself may be a good thing to do. And then maybe before asking questions like, “Who are you? Where are you from? Why are you here?” You could say, “Do you have any questions about the service or can I help you find anything?” It’s helpful for us to try to get into the shoes of a stranger, to imagine what we might be feeling or wondering about, so that when we have the opportunity to meet a stranger, anywhere, not just in church, then we can respond more effectively to what they need. Not to mention the biblical teaching that when we entertain strangers, we may be entertaining angels without knowing it.
But if you are like me, sometimes it is hard to even see strangers, or visitors. There have been a few Sundays where during joys and concerns, someone who has been ill a long time is present and asks to speak, and it’s the first time I notice they are here! It is surprising, when you become so familiar with a place and the people in it, that those you don’t come into immediate contact with become almost invisible. We have our regular seat. We participate in worship. We head out. And unless we are intentional about scanning the room, we can easily not know all who are here. Just look right past them. It’s a strange thing. Many people have said that the loneliest place can be in a city, surrounded by people you don’t know. People can walk right past each other all day long. It’s possible for us to look right past each other even in this worship space if we aren’t attentive. I know this from personal experience, because I’ve done it.
There’s something else that needs to be said about visitors to our church. Visitors come to our church because they are looking for something and they feel our church might have something they need. Depending on the person, it takes a lot of nerve to enter a church where no one knows you. That’s one reason why a vast majority of newcomers to a church come because someone invited them. People just showing up, of course, happens. Most people don’t have that kind of courage. If we want more people in our church, the main way that will happen is by you inviting someone to come with you.
What are visitors to our church looking for? Perhaps they are looking for answers to faith questions. Maybe they are looking for solace and peace in the midst of their stress filled life. Maybe they are lonely and are searching for a community where people will know their name and genuinely care about their welfare. Maybe they are here because something is stirring in their spirit. They feel that God is pulling them toward the church. And they have driven by this building for quite some time, and every time they drove by, they had this inner voice saying, “You need to visit there.” And finally, they make that visit. There are a number of reasons why someone visits a church. But it is not by accident. It’s not because they were wandering aimlessly down the sidewalk and thought to just stumble in on a Sunday morning. It’s safe to say every visitor of this church intended to be here.
So, visitors come here in need of something. They believe, or at least hope, that we have what they are looking for. Do we have it? Do we have the capacity to help them search for the answers to their faith questions? Do we provide that peace, a sanctuary, from the stresses of life? Can we be that community where a stranger’s name is known, and that person is cared for? Could it be that God actually leads people to us? Believe it or not, we have something that people are looking for. We do have something to offer. God does meet the needs of people through us.
But also, visitors have something that we need. They remind us that we are not here just for ourselves, but that we are a part of a wider community. They come with a fresh perspective, not burdened by the past troubles, issues, and history of this church. They have life experiences to share and new gifts to offer. Visitors add to the vitality of our community. Truly, when visitors come to us, we should see them as precious gifts sent from God.
The truth is, we need each other. We need the familiar and the stranger, those that have been dear friends for years and those who can become new friends, so that as a community we can be more whole, more diverse, more vibrant. We are less than we can become without new people among us. New people have need for spiritual community which we can offer. This is what hospitality, then, is about. It is about enabling interdependence, giving and receiving. We have something to offer the visitor. The visitor has something to offer us. Mutuality, interdependence, community, all of this is characteristic of a healthy and vital church. The practice of hospitality helps to nourish mutuality.
Hospitality as a Christian practice does not have to be limited to people who visit the church. Hospitality can be something that is offered to anyone out in the community. What happens when a new family moves into your neighborhood? Or you have a new co-worker? Or you find yourself having to interact with someone you don’t know?
In the end, radical hospitality is a matter of the heart. It is an attitude and behavior. It’s much more than simply being polite. It is how you look at the stranger. It is seeing the stranger not as a threat, but as a gift; not someone you need to keep at a distance, but someone you ought to get to know; not someone you have to do something for, but someone who has something you need. What is your attitude toward people you don’t know? How you answer that will go a long way in shaping how well you practice hospitality.
So, what can you do to be more hospitable? A healthy church is a church that practices radical hospitality. That practice is not about warm handshakes, coffee and cookies. It is not a program or the job of a committee or the ushers and greeters. It is an attitude. And each of us should have a similar attitude toward the stranger. What is your attitude toward strangers? How do you see them?
Let us pray. O God, when we look through the scriptures, we see how often you revealed yourself as a stranger. You were the three wayfarers that had a message for Abraham. You taught us that when we welcome the least of these, we welcome Jesus. You led Paul to teach that we should offer hospitality to strangers, for some have entertained angels unawares. We confess that we often are reserved toward the stranger. We are often shy and uncomfortable around people we don’t know or don’t look like us. Forgive us when we look past the stranger. Forgive us when we keep strangers at arm’s reach. Shape the attitude we have toward the stranger, that we might see them as the precious gift that they are, for we are all made in Your image, and we are all here for a reason, and we all have something to share. We offer this prayer in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God, now, and ever, and to the ages of ages. Amen.

Life on the Road

Reflections on Hebrews 4:12-16

When someone says to you, “I love you,” how does that affect you? Doesn’t that cause you to look into your heart so you know how to respond? You may ask yourself, “Do I love that person?” Or, you may ask, “Do they really love me?” I remember when my fellow pastors first met with our district superintendent, Rev. Stearns, and he said to us, “I love you.” I never had a D.S. say that to a gathering of clergy. It took me aback. It was a little awkward. He loves me? Do I love him? What he said caused me to look at my own heart. Such can be the power of words. They can strike us to the heart.
So it is with the word of God. Paul writes that the word of God is sharper than a two-edged sword that divides soul from spirit, joints from marrow. The word of God is able to judge the intentions and thoughts of the heart. The word of God is truth. God’s Truth is not relative. It is something that we must contend with and respond to. So, when we hear Jesus saying to us, “You did not choose me, but I chose you,” we have to respond to that. What does it mean, that I didn’t choose Jesus, but Jesus chose me? Just take a minute. Let that settle in. Jesus said, “You did not choose me, I chose you.”
The word of God is like a two-edged sword that judges the thoughts and intentions of our hearts. When we allow the word of God to enter in to our minds and hearts, something should happen. There should be a piercing, a stirring within, rumination on what we are hearing or reading. And along with that is the acknowledgment that we stand naked before God. No secrets. We don’t know very much about God, but God knows everything about us. There’s another piercing truth to mull over. God knows the inner recesses of our hearts. God knows every one of our thoughts and intentions. Should this not give us pause?
It should. Because, as Paul continues, the day will come when each of us will give an account of our life. Our thoughts, our words, and our deeds, the good and the bad, will all be laid before us one day when we stand before God. What will God see? Certainly, for all of us, it will be a mixed bag. None of us will come out smelling like a rose.
And so, we need a savior. We need an advocate. If God is the judge, we need a lawyer. Or, in the language of the church, we need a priest. A priest is someone who stands before God on our behalf. The priest is a sort of intermediary, or an advocate. For the Jews, during the times when there was a Temple, God had appointed for them that they have priests who would do their assigned work, receiving the offerings of the people and then sacrificing those offerings on their behalf. And once a year, the high priest would enter the Holy of Holies, to represent all of the people before God, asking for the cleansing of sin of all the people.
The work of the high priest entering the holy of holies for the annual plea that God cleanse all the people of the stain of sin is a symbol of another high priest, whose name is Jesus. By his own blood, Jesus offered up the sacrifice that cleanses the sin of all people for all generations. That is what happened at Calvary. But, the work of Jesus is not done. When he said on the cross, “It is finished,” Jesus was talking about the destruction of the power of death. It did not mean that Jesus was going to sit back and wait until the time comes for him to return as judge of the heavens and earth. No, Jesus is still active.
Jesus is our high priest. None of us can stand before God, for God is holy and nothing corrupt can stand before Him. We cannot stand before God by ourselves. We need to stand behind someone else, someone who is incorrupt, who can stand before God on our behalf. That someone is Jesus. And Jesus, the God-Man, is standing before God interceding for us, representing us.
And since we have Jesus standing before God on our behalf, Paul says, let us hold on to our confession. What is that confession? It can be as clear cut and simple as saying “Jesus is Lord.” No one can say that except by the help of the Holy Spirit. Our confession can be stated in various creeds, either the Apostles’ Creed or other affirmations of faith. Paul is telling us to hold on to what the church has received as truth. Jesus is representing us. Let us not forsake him who will never forsake us.
The temptation does come, from time to time, to quit. Life can be a long and weary struggle at times. Sometimes, life becomes a real burden. Prospects don’t look good. We sometimes relate to the psalmist who cried out, “For I was envious of the arrogant; I saw the prosperity of the wicked. All in vain I have kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence. For all day long I have been plagued, and am punished every morning. When I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I perceived their end. When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in my heart, I was stupid and ignorant; I was like a brute beast toward you. Nevertheless I am continually with you; you hold my right hand. You guide me with your counsel, and afterward you will receive me with honor. Whom have I in heaven but you? And there is nothing on earth that I desire other than you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
Yes, living the life of a Christian at times can be a struggle. We can become weary in doing good. We can become frustrated with ourselves, for try as we might, we continue to stumble, we continue to do the things we don’t want to do and fail to do the things that we know we should do. Sometimes, it may seem our Christian journey is similar to wandering around in a wilderness, and the temptation besets us to give up.
But we must hold on to our confession and trust that although life can be weary at times, that there is an end point, the Promised Land of rest. Eventually, we are all going to get there. And when we do, our life will be laid out before God and we will be judged. What will God see?
This thought may cause us to want to give up again. But that would be folly, because right now, the throne of judgment is the throne of grace and mercy. Jesus stands before the throne, and He knows what we are going through. He is sympathetic because He has experienced every temptation that we have and will experience. He’s been there. He knows how tough life can be, and how hard it is. Just because Jesus didn’t sin doesn’t mean it was easy for Him. Being fully human, Jesus knows what it’s like to be human, save sinning. So when Jesus prays for you and me, He prays as one who understands how hard it is. And so Jesus pleads to God on our behalf to have mercy on us. And Jesus, being righteous, offers an effective prayer. God answers that prayer. And God is merciful to us. And Jesus asks God to give us grace so that we can live a righteous life. And God answers that prayer too.
So, we can come before the throne of God, and we should regularly, both in public worship and privately, so that we might receive mercy and grace. Now is the time for us to receive this mercy and grace, so that we can become more righteous, so that we can live a better life, so that we can receive the strength we need to press on for the prize that awaits us. There is no good reason for us to quit in the journey of our life in Christ. God is our refuge and strength. We can receive mercy and find grace to help in our time of need. And we can come before the throne any time we want. Certainly, this is why we come to worship here, to receive God’s mercy and grace. But it doesn’t have to be only in this building that we come before the throne. It is as simple as whispering the prayer, “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me.”
So, brothers and sisters in Christ, “let us make every effort to enter that rest,” the rest that is the Promised Land. The doors to heaven have been opened to us by Christ Jesus. We are now on our journey through the wilderness, laboring to walk on the narrow path, surrounded by temptation and danger. We are not alone. Jesus never stops praying for us. Trusting that, let us hold on to our confession, and never grow weary in doing good.

But What About Them?

Reflections on Mark 9:38-50

“But what about them?” That’s the question that John asked Jesus, and people in the church have always asked. So and so is ministering in Christ’s name, but he isn’t one of us. Do they have the right? Do they have the authority? Are they leading others astray? Are they competing with us for the same person?
I confess, I’ve been a part of that. I have my own prejudice against certain ministers of whom I question their integrity who are ministering to a lot more people than I am. Perhaps you have done the same thing. It is a subtle form of religious bigotry, to either dismiss or actively undermine others who are ministering in Christ’s name who do not fit with our theology, tradition, or way of doing things.
We have to avoid and abhor this sort of attitude toward other Christians, pastors, and churches who minister in Christ’s name but who don’t belong with us. First of all, to be in ministry at all is a challenging thing. It gets Satan’s attention. The Evil One never stops seeking to undermine and disrupt ministry. Why should we assist the devil by piling on? We need to encourage anyone who is trying to minister to others in the name of Christ, not help the devil by running them down or discouraging them.
We must also avoid this attitude because it does not build up the body of Christ but tears it apart. The hand cannot say to the eye, “I have no need of you.” The church, to be whole and healthy, needs everyone who is seeking to serve God and minister to others. How does dismissing or trying to prevent or undermine the ministry of another person or church help build up the body of Christ?
Finally, we must avoid this attitude because the truth is no one can minister in Christ’s name without the grace of God working through that person. If people are being ministered to, are drawing closer to God and maturing in Christ as the result of someone’s efforts, for us to dismiss or oppose that person is equivalent to opposing God. And that is a losing proposition.
So, when Jesus was confronted with one of his disciples revealing a bigoted attitude toward someone who was ministering in Christ’s name but wasn’t “one of them,” Jesus is very magnanimous by saying, “Whoever is not against us, is for us.” In other words, if a person is not explicitly an enemy of God, then they should be treated as a friend. Jesus does not say this other person is correct in all matters. Jesus is not saying the disciples have to take this person in as “one of their own.” Jesus didn’t say, “Go and be like them or do what they are doing.” Jesus is simply saying, “Leave them be, and be grateful that people are being healed.”
Jesus then goes on to talk about being careful that one does not cause a person who is weak or young in the faith to stumble. Jesus refocuses the disciples’ judging spirit in a different direction, not on “others,” but on themselves. And Jesus makes it very clear, as we saw last week, that He takes very seriously the care of those who are young, or vulnerable. Like last week, Jesus said that when you welcome a little child, you welcome Him, and the One who sent Him. This week, Jesus says that a person that causes a little one to stumble should desire to have a millstone tied around their neck and be thrown into the sea, because what God is going to do to that person is much worse than that. This should get the attention of all of us. Jesus makes it very clear, He is less concerned about who is authorized to minister in His name and more concerned that people who are weak in faith do not lose their faith.
And one way people who are not grounded in their faith can lose their faith is when they see disciples, committed Christians, casting aspersions on other Christians. Divisiveness is a scandal. A new Christian is not going to understand all the nuances of doctrinal differences and reasons why some Christians do things this way and some another way. They aren’t going to know why there are all these different denominations or ways churches are organized. What they see is that Christ changes lives through people. And if they see someone, or some church, where people are coming to Christ, a new Christian is not going to get hung up over that, but are going to naturally give thanks to God. But when they see other Christians run down or dismiss another church or another person just because they aren’t “one of us”, that causes the new Christian to be confused. “How can this person or this church be wrong if people are coming to Christ?” And that confusion may cause someone new in the faith to lose their faith. And when that happens, where will God’s anger be directed?
A healthy community safe for those who are weak or new in faith is a community where there is love and charity for all, and where there is a spirit of support and encouragement for the ministry of other churches. A healthy community is one that is secure in its own identity, heritage, traditions, and understandings of God, and feels no need to run down other churches in order to feel secure about itself. A healthy community is one that appreciates and celebrates the church of Christ that is diverse, and yet united by one Spirit, one Creed, one Eucharist. A healthy community can say about others, “Yes, we are not a part of that church, they are not one of us, we have our ways, they have theirs, but we are all ministering in the name of Christ, and God is working through them like God is working through us. Glory to God!” This is a healthy attitude that Christ desires for His Church.
For those within the church who do not hold this attitude and try to infect a community of faith with a spirit of divisiveness and religious bigotry, Jesus instructs: “If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off, for it is better to enter the kingdom maimed than have both hands and go to eternal punishment.” This is a teaching about internal discipline. We are not to judge others who are not a part of our fellowship, but we must hold each other accountable and cut off those who would seek to poison our fellowship, not out of hatred or animosity, but for the sake of the community, and especially for those who are weak in faith.
Consider, you discover that one of your eyes is diseased. To keep that diseased eye in your body would lead you to a painful death. But to have that diseased eye removed would allow you to live well for many more years. Although it is painful and not a pleasing thing to do, because you would want both of your eyes, but for the sake of your whole body, you must have the diseased eye removed. It is of this spirit that we watch over one another in love and, if need be, cut off those among us who are harming the whole body. What a difficult thing. It is an action that requires much discernment and hesitancy. By God’s grace let it never be. But Christ is clear. A healthy community is critical for the protection of those who are weak in faith. Rigorous internal discipline must be there, and we all must make every effort to build one another up.
It is a difficult struggle. God knows this. And it is a battle to maintain a healthy community of faith because the Adversary never tires in disrupting our fellowship. God is gracious, and full of mercy. God can heal every wound if we turn to Him in repentance and humility. May the Holy Spirit continue to work among us and within our hearts, that we might grow in our love for God, and for all whom God loves, that there would be increasingly among us a spirit of unity in the bond of peace, for the sake of the least of these and for the glory of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

So, You Want to be First?

Reflections on Mark 9:30-37

The vanity of the disciples is on display in this passage. But, you can’t really blame them. They were victims of their own misunderstanding of what it meant for Jesus to be the messiah. The disciples thought that the longed for messiah would be a charismatic leader that would mobilize the masses, renew the strength of Israel, bring back the golden days. And they were blessed to be hand-picked by the messiah, in spite of their humble background, to be on the inside of this great restoration. Surely, visions of grandeur played out in their cumulative fantasies. Filled with such glorious and foolish thoughts, their minds turned naturally toward figuring out who among them ought to be first in command, underneath Jesus of course. Perhaps there had been some internal bickering. Why did Peter, James, and John get singled out as the inner circle? What did it mean that Peter was going to get the keys to the kingdom?
And so, while Jesus was announcing to His disciples a second time that He would be betrayed into human hands, be killed, and on the third day be raised, the disciples were truly flummoxed. What does this mean, that the messiah would be betrayed? Not by any of them! Who would be so foolish? And how does being killed help the cause? And what does Jesus mean that he will come back to life? No one comes back to life. Their conception of Jesus and their place in relationship with Him did not square with what Jesus was telling them. And in that moment of confusion, that seemed to call into question their fantasy of future glory, they chose to be silent and feared to ask Him about it, for fear of what Jesus might say. Instead, they all set what Jesus said in the back of their minds and went on discussing with one another who ought to be second-in-command, first among the disciples. Instead of coming to terms with reality, they decided to stick with their fantasy.
Once again, Jesus demonstrates His great patience and compassion for the disciples He chose. He did not lash out at them for their foolish vanity. Instead, he turned this situation into a teachable moment. He sat down, taking the position of a teacher. And He gathered the disciples around Him, as if they are His students. We are drawn into this, seeing that what Jesus is about to say is very important, not only for the disciples, but for us. Jesus is about to state another core teaching.
The teaching begins with the phrase, “If you want…”. It is similar to last week’s teaching on being a follower of Jesus. Jesus again makes it clear that free will is critical. Nothing is coerced or forced from Jesus. Everything about our relationship with Christ, and with God for that matter, is based on free choice. We can choose to believe or not believe, to follow or not follow, to love or not love, to be obedient or do our own thing.
And so, Jesus teaches, “If you want to be first, you must be last of all and servant of all.” This is a teaching that is aimed squarely at the vanity and envy of the disciples. It is aimed at those who jockey for position and status, who force their need to be heard, to have the final word, to be the decider, or to be the person in charge. Jesus disarms this kind of cunning and politicking. Jesus dismisses such envy, arrogance, false pride and vanity. Instead, Jesus points to the truth of the matter, that those of first importance are those who assume the lowest place and assists everyone who is in need. It is the truth that those who are most highly regarded are those that are too busy serving others that they don’t have time or interest in arguing about who is most important, pushing themselves to the top, or protecting their preeminence. They are too busy serving to worry about who is calling the shots, or who may be questioning their authority, what little they have.

Of course, the One who should have first place in our lives, the One calling the shots, Who has the greatest influence on our life is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ, who did not consider equality with God the Father as something to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking on the role of a servant, condescending to suffer death, and now has ascended to the highest heaven, and exalted, so that His name is above all names. Jesus our Lord became a servant of all. The One through whom all life came to be, emptied Himself of life and suffered death so that the permanence of death could be undone by His resurrection, so that through Him all may be saved and have eternal life. In this way, Jesus has been a servant to all humanity, for through Him death has been defeated for all and the gate to eternal life has been opened for all to walk through who choose to. Eternal life is available to all through the servant work of Jesus.
And Jesus serves those who can in no way reciprocate tangibly for the service rendered. Not one of us can offer our life to redeem Christ’s life. We can do no good thing without the grace of God that works in and through us. We cannot bestow any honor or dignity on the Lord of Lords. We can only receive gratefully what Christ has done for our behalf with a thankful heart. We can’t elevate Jesus any higher than He already is, sitting at the right hand of God the Father. His name is already above every other name. We can’t return the favor for what Jesus has done for us. Jesus will not get any extra benefit from us for the service He rendered us.
Nor does Jesus demand repayment from us. All Jesus wants is to be in relationship with us, to live in our hearts, to be in communion with Him, to come and enter into the joy of the Master.
This leads Jesus to place before them a little child. In what way can we, in serving a child, be compensated by that child for our service? Can the child grant us a promotion? Can the child put us in a position of greater authority and responsibility? Can the child pay us money as compensation for whatever we have done for them? What can a child do to reciprocate for what you have done in meeting their needs?
Children cannot pay us back when we help them. They cannot grant us any privilege or benefit. They cannot return the favor. We cannot “network” with a child. And so it is, that by serving a child, by assisting those, offering hospitality to, welcoming and associating with those who cannot compensate us for our efforts, this causes us to follow the example of Christ, who has served us who can never adequately compensate Him for His effort. So it is, that by welcoming a child, we welcome Christ, and the One who sent Him, our Heavenly Father. This is a mystery that we can’t comprehend. But we can comprehend following the example of Christ, who came not to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for our lives, for us who cannot give our lives as a ransom for His, for Jesus is the giver of life, every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of lights, all power and authority comes from God, and the name of Jesus is above every name, and at the name of Jesus every knee will bow in heaven and earth.
We are, then, to put to death within us all vanity, envy, and desire for power and influence, to empty ourselves, and to be servants to all. Our goal, our struggle in life, should be to seek the lowest position and not the highest. And when we are placed in positions of honor, or of authority, we must submit to this position with genuine humility and with hesitance, and with a true sense of unworthiness. As an example, we look to Paul, regarded as the greatest of apostles, yet he was one untimely called, for he was not one of the Twelve, he persecuted the church, and he considers himself the chief of sinners.
Maybe you don’t want to be first. Maybe you do not desire a place of honor. You are perfectly content to be unremarkable, unknown, of no consequence, behind the scenes, unacknowledged. If that is true for you, keep it that way and do not change your course. Remain motivated simply to follow the example of Christ, and be rewarded in knowing that when you welcome a child, or one who is similar to a child in lack of power or ability to repay or reward you, then you welcome Christ, and the One who sent Christ for our salvation.

The Most Important Question

Reflections on Mark 8:27-38

“Who do you say I am?” This question that Jesus asked his disciples, and asks each of us, is the most important question we have to answer, because the answer to that question has profound implications on our life, and on our salvation. It is no trivial matter in coming to terms with the identity of Jesus. What a person thinks about Jesus, believes about Jesus, matters.
Some believe Jesus is a wonder-worker, a healer. They look to Jesus as one whom they hope will save them of their problems or bring healing into their life. They are looking for a blessing. They are looking for prosperity. They are looking for a victorious life. They look to Jesus and believe, as Jesus says, “whatever you ask for in my name, I will do it.” Jesus wants to bless us. Jesus wants to give us the victory. We just have to trust Jesus and everything will be all right, because Jesus works miracles. He will give us an abundant life. He is a wonder-worker.
Some believe Jesus is a prophet. He speaks truth to power. He uncovers the hypocrisy of the religious leaders and lifts up the dignity of the downtrodden and discounted. He comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. He proclaims a call to true holiness based on the heart and not on external appearance or ethnicity. Jesus echoes the message of all the great prophets, calling the people to repent and return to God with a pure heart.
Some believe Jesus is a great teacher. Through his parables he imparts deep spiritual truths that instruct us on how we should live. His wisdom is profound. In Jesus’ teachings we find truth that is purer than gold, that is timeless, and a sure foundation upon which to build one’s life.
When Jesus asked the disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” all the disciples answered. The responses of the people were unbiased. They reflected what they had seen and heard about Jesus. Their opinion of Jesus was not completely correct. The opinions of the masses was only partially true. People in general had impressions of who Jesus was. But they did not have the complete picture.
So it was that Jesus invited his disciples to reflect more deeply by asking them, “But who do you say I am?” That question infers that Jesus is more than what most people believed. And whereas before, all the disciples responded to the question Jesus asked, this time only Peter spoke by saying, “You are the Christ.” God gave Peter that revelation. By God’s grace, Peter was able to confess that Jesus was more than a wonder-worker, more than a prophet, more than a teacher. He is the anointed one, the redeemer, the messiah, the Christ. Making that confession has implications too. If Jesus is the Christ, then the implication would be a desire to follow Him, for the Christ comes to save, to redeem, to lead out of bondage into freedom.
So, if the disciples believe that Jesus is the Christ, then Jesus tells them what the implications are. Jesus says, “If any want to become my followers…” Note here that no one is compelled to follow Jesus. No one is coerced. But each person is free to choose whether or not they will follow Jesus. Along with answering the question, “Who is Jesus,” is the related choice, “Will you follow Him?” If a person, who believes that Jesus is the Christ, desires to follow Him, this is what that person must do.
First, you must deny yourself. The word used for “deny” is the same word used when Peter denied knowing Jesus. When Peter was questioned whether he was one of Jesus’ followers, Peter denied it. He said, “I do not belong with him. I do not know him.” Peter renounced Jesus. He separated himself from any relationship with Jesus. He distanced himself from him. This is what Jesus is demanding of one who would follow him. The follower of Jesus must first renounce himself. You are to distance yourself from yourself. That is, you are to renounce any attachment to your self-interest or selfish desires and ambitions. You are to disregard any notion of what belongs to you, what you deserve, what is in your rights to have. You are to care nothing for your self. How many of us stumble at this beginning point? How many of us are often more concerned about self-preservation, self-interest, for what makes us comfortable? Our self-centeredness is profound and is nourished by a self-centered society. The only way to break out of our selfishness is by the grace of God to assist us. We cannot do it on our own.
Second, you must take up your cross. The cross was the first century version of the lynching tree or the electric chair. It is designed to be a shameful way to die. What does it mean to embrace the first century version of the lynching tree as your lot? When Jesus tells us to take up our cross, it is to be ever mindful of our mortality, and the truth that in the great scheme of things, our deaths will be hardly noticed by anybody. In a way, constantly acknowledging our mortality and our general insignificance in the scope of time helps us put into proper perspective our own self. Why get caught up in your own life, in what you want and desire, when your life is basically meaningless? You can gain the whole world, and you will still die and be forgotten as time rolls on. How much do we resist contemplating our own mortality. How much we refuse to own up to the truth that when we die, most of the world won’t even know we existed, and even those we leave behind, although they will grieve, will pick up and move on in their lives without us. To ponder our mortality is truly depressing. And Jesus says, if you want to follow him, you have to carry your cross, you have to be ever mindful of your own mortality. Only by the grace of God can we get to this second implication of being a follower of Jesus. Disavowing self-interest and acknowledging one’s mortality go hand in hand.
Third, Jesus says that by denying your self, by being mindful of your death that will be unacknowledged by most people, you then follow Jesus. Where is Jesus? Jesus is sitting at the right hand of the Father in heaven. By following Jesus, you eventually end up before the Throne of God. You end up in Paradise. You end up in a place so beautiful, so peaceful, so filled with life, beauty and rapture, that puts all the glories of this world to shame. The greatest riches of this world pale in comparison to the great riches that await those who enter paradise. The end of the journey to where Jesus is, is a glorious end. And as the grace of God helps us deny ourselves, and helps us be mindful of our mortality and general insignificance, so it is by God’s grace that we find ourselves eventually before His Throne. And it is by God’s grace that we will hear those glorious words, “Well done, my good and faithful servant, enter into the joy of your Master.”
If any of you are like me, I’m still stuck on the first requirement of following Jesus. I believe Jesus is the Christ, as I’m sure you all do as well. But my selfishness is deep. I suppose I am not alone. Let this be continually our prayer, that God would forgive us, that God would help us die to ourselves, fill us with the Holy Spirit and with joy, and grant us grace and mercy. If there’s anything we learn from this passage, it is that we cannot save ourselves. We don’t need a miracle worker. We don’t need a prophet. We don’t need a teacher. We need a savior. And Jesus Christ is our savior. And if we are mindful of Christ’s invitation to follow Him, and allow the Holy Spirit to work in us, day by day, year by year, we can hope to slowly deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him into paradise.

Reflection on Mark 7:24-37

It is one of the more shocking sentences that comes from Jesus’ mouth when he says to the woman, “It is not right to give the children’s bread to the dogs.” It flies in the face of what we think should come out of Jesus’ mouth. We presume Jesus would never say such a thing. But He does, and we are scandalized.
However, this woman has no presumption at all about what Jesus might say. And her humility is truly astounding. How many of us, in her position, would have been discouraged and ashamed and run off after being told this? Or would we perhaps have gotten angry and defensive? She did neither, but willingly admitted that in fact she is a dog, and not a child of God. She makes no claim to have any right to sit at the table. Nor does she presume that this is necessary. She believes that if she could just receive a crumb of blessing, that would be enough.
When Jesus tells her that it is not right to give the bread to the dogs, Jesus is not talking about literal food. The bread he is talking about is spiritual food. It is precious and holy and must be handled with care. She understood that she was not deserving of, nor could lay claim, to this spiritual food, this bread that Jesus provides. She is fully aware of how precious this bread is and would not presume to eat of it or be served it. She does not demand a seat at the table. She knows that if she just had a crumb that fell from the table, that would be enough to heal her daughter. It’s just like the woman with the hemorrhage, that believed, “If I just touch the hem of His garment, I will be healed.” It is like the centurion who sought the healing of his servant, who said to Jesus, “I am not worthy that you enter my house, just say the word and I know he will be healed.” In these three people, they display a deep sense of humility and show no sign of presumption regarding what Jesus might do for them. They are great examples to emulate, that we too might have that same humility and guard ourselves from being presumptuous of God’s favor.
But note this, although the woman was extremely humble and placed no demands on Jesus, she also was bold in her request and self-possessed enough to respond to Jesus’ words with great clarity. She was humble and courageous, not presuming any blessing yet persistent when first denied. We also should develop this capacity in ourselves in our relationship with God, and perhaps with others, to be both humble and courageous, to presume nothing yet be bold and persistent in asking for help from those who we believe can help us or those we love, and to ask for help from God who can do all things.
What is common in both healing stories is that the one who is ill needs someone to pray on their behalf, to go and ask Jesus to heal them. The little child could not speak for herself, nor could the deaf-mute man. They were dependent on the advocacy of others. Not everyone who is ill has the capacity to pray to God to heal them. Perhaps they are too young. Or they have some physical or mental limitation. Or perhaps they are not a believer, or they have lost their faith, or so deep in despair that words escape them and find themselves unable to pray.
We see in these healing stories that the prayers offered on behalf of others are prayers that God can answer. People can be healed for whom we pray. We have heard many testimonies of this truth in our congregation during times of sharing joys and concerns. It is a great privilege and obligation that we have, to pray on behalf of others for their healing.
Praying for the healing of others is an act of love. See how in these healing stories, the mother and the friends did not ask Jesus to strengthen themselves. The mother did not ask Jesus to strengthen her so she could care for her daughter in her illness. The friends did not ask Jesus to strengthen them so that they could care better for their friend. Of course, there is nothing wrong about asking for strength if you are a caregiver. I can imagine the strain placed on those of you who find yourself caring for an aging parent. But the people in these healing stories did not ask that God might strengthen them in their care giving capacity. They prayed that the one they love would be healed, so that they can take care of themselves. The mother wanted her daughter to be healed. The friends wanted their friend to be able to see and speak. They wanted those whom they loved to be made whole. They were not asking for strength and endurance in adversity, they were praying that the situation would change, that things would be made right, that there would be life, deliverance, and wholeness.
The mother and these friends did not want those they loved to remain in a state of illness. Motivated by love, they came to Jesus to seek healing. And they came with no preconceived notion of how Jesus would heal. The woman was grateful for a crumb of blessing. The friends were fine with the unusual way Jesus healed their friend by sticking his fingers in their friend’s ears and on his tongue and spitting on the ground. However, and even if, Jesus could heal the one they loved was up to Jesus. All they wanted was for there to be healing and they were confident that Jesus could heal them, undeserving though they are for such a blessing. In other words, the woman and the friends, out of love, were desperate for healing and were willing to humbly but boldly ask for Jesus to heal if He so chooses.
Praying for the healing of others is a loving act. It is a proactive way that we can respond to the suffering of those who love, to ask God to heal them, to deliver them, to make them whole, to forgive them, and to receive them in His arms when death comes. To pray for others, and not just for ourselves, is an act of love. So let us be steadfast in praying for the healing of those we love, with humility and not with a sense of entitlement to God’s blessing, and with no preconceived ideas of how this healing should take place or even if it will, and be grateful for whatever healing takes place. And let us not take for granted the great privilege we have to pray on behalf of others. With humility, boldness, and persistence, let us continue to pray on behalf of the world and all the people.