Born This Way
“Beatrice Zinker always did her best thinking upside down.”
What a great way to start a book. Disney used to send me tons of books to review and one of them in particular caught my eye: Beatrice Zinker, Upside Down Thinker. Somehow, I knew it was going to be good. First-time author Shelley Johannes wrote this endearing story about a girl who was “different.” She dresses different, she acts different, she even EATS different – dessert first! Of course, her favorite is pineapple upside-down cake (one of mine, too)! But what makes Beatrice fun and unique is she EMBRACES her difference. She doesn’t have any angst about being herself. Despite peer pressure (and there’s plenty of it), she doesn’t try to be someone she isn’t. Even when she is criticized or misunderstood, she is always true to herself and instead turns these moments into ways to connect with others in new ways.
We could use all use a little of Beatrice inside of us.
I remember as a young kid in elementary school, standing in line for recess when some boy came up and taunted me with that horrible rhyme, “Chinese, Japanese, dirty knees, look at these!” Looking back now, it makes me livid with anger that this kid thought it was funny. But then… I don’t know why, but I cried. Even though I had no reason to be ashamed of my Japanese heritage, it still hurts to be singled out, to be told you don’t belong. It’s tough to stay true to yourself when people around you – whether at school or work or church – belittle, insult, or make fun of you simply for being who you are. I’ve been made fun of for being fat, for wearing glasses, for laughing funny (interestingly you should NEVER make fun of someone’s laugh – it’s not something they can help), and probably for more that I just can’t think of right now. I’m sure you’ve been made fun of, too, and didn’t it feel awful? What I love about Shelley’s book is not just that Beatrice remains true to herself, but Shelley recognizes it isn’t always easy to do. She doesn’t paint some Pollyanna picture of Beatrice’s life where everything works out perfectly. She shows the struggle Beatrice goes through in trying to find out how to do it. Which only makes Beatrice that much more of a hero!
It’s probably why the story of Gideon is one of my favorites in the Bible.
The Bible is full of stories about people, like Beatrice, who don’t fit the mold of what society would consider “normal.” Jesus himself didn’t live up to expectations. Everyone thought the savior of the Israeli people would be a mighty warrior like Captain America or Iron Man or Thor, a capable leader who would defeat all those who would stand up to God’s chosen people. But instead God sent a Jewish carpenter who gave up his own life rather than take the life of another. He rode in on a donkey instead of a horse. He talked about the value of women and children when no one else gave them a thought. But God was doing that all the time, breaking the mold of our expectations, taking people who are “different” and making them into shining examples of the very best of who we are capable of being. Gideon is one of those people. Let’s share together in his story, a different kind of guy who God believed in.
11 The angel of the Lord came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to keep it from the Midianites. 12 When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, “The Lord is with you, mighty warrior.”
13 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian.”
14 The Lord turned to him and said, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?”
15 “Pardon me, my lord,” Gideon replied, “but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.”
16 The Lord answered, “I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive.” – Judges 6:11-16
We worry a lot about “optics” these days.
We’re so worried about how things look, sometimes we fail to see what God has always known – it’s what’s inside that counts. It’s your heart. It’s your compassion, your thoughtfulness, your faith that matters the most. Not whether you look the part. Look at Gideon. Gideon was anything but the perfect leader. If God was looking for a commander to protect the people of Israel, even Gideon thought God was crazy. Verse 15 is my favorite. “Pardon me, my lord, but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family.” But God tells him, “Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand.” That line is so powerful and key. “Go in the strength you have…” God isn’t calling on Gideon to be someone he’s not. He’s calling on him to be the person he was created to be. And that is enough.
Sometimes it can be a challenge to embrace your differences.
But it’s those very differences that set you apart. “Go in the strength you have…” Such powerful words, but also encouraging. They tell us that we are enough in God’s eyes. We have gifts of our own to contribute. Shelley told me a quote from director and writer Joss Whedon inspired her to chase her dreams. Joss said, “Whatever makes you weird is probably your greatest asset.” She thought her “weirdness” was her creativity! Her love of writing and drawing is what might very well be her greatest asset. All her life she loved writing and drawing, but she wasn’t sure if those things had value. Her creativity felt like a flaw instead of something to be celebrated. Certainly nothing you could make into a career, but she realized perhaps it was not the flaw she had imagined, but instead her gift and her strength. She told me, “I had to come to grips with that. My brain was intuitive. I thought intuitively, not chronologically. I wasn’t ‘wrong.’ My brain was just different.” Shelley wanted to share that celebration of differences with every child to encourage them to embrace their differences, too. And that’s how Beatrice Zinker was born.
Shelley’s story reminds me of my own life.
When I was a kid, I talked a lot. If you asked my family today, I think they’d say things haven’t changed. My voice was always loud and booming. My parents could hear me from virtually anywhere in the house. I remember one time we went to the doctor and my mom even asked if there was anything they could do to curb my talking and I’ll never forget my pediatrician Dr. Thom told her that talking was a sign of intelligence. My mom probably thought if that was true then I must be a certified genius! All the time growing up, people would tell me my voice carried or that I was too loud and I became pretty self-conscious about it. But that was good because I learned how to control it and keep it “normal” when I needed to and allow it free reign when it was warranted. Still, I always wondered what someone could do with a loud voice and a penchant for talking. Then I started doing this. Instead of being “too loud” people told me from the beginning that they loved my voice. They liked that it carried, that I was easy to hear, and it felt like for the first time this thing that made me stand out did so in a way that was a real blessing.
We try so hard to be “normal.”
But what is “normal” anyway? We’re all “different” in some way and the trick is to turn those differences into something useful, to find out how being “weird” might be your greatest asset. God wants you to use your gifts in your own unique way. Not to shy away from them, but to find out how they can build us up together and give us the chance to be the best version of oursleves that God created us to be. If we truly believe God created us in his image (not literally in his image or we would all look like clones, but in his character), then we must believe we have gifts God meant for us to use to make this world a better, a more loving place. We are not mistakes. We have the chance to contribute to the world around us. Kids are not encouraged often enough to be the best version of themselves, but instead the best version of what the world expects. We celebrate when children do things the world labels as valuable instead of the gifts and personality they already have. That impacts our whole lives. If you have kids or grandkids, help celebrate not who you think they should be but who they are. Encourage them to seek out their own gifts and how that might make a lasting contribution to their lives and the world around them. And I want to encourage you to do the same for yourselves. At every age and every stage our gifts grow and change. Where and who we are when we are 20 is far different from where we are supposed to be when we are 40 or 60 or 100. So pray about it and seek out what makes you different NOW and see how God might want you to use that to be your best self. “Go in the strength you have,” and know it is enough for God.
Love Is A Verb
Have you ever heard of the seven stages of the married cold?
It’s one of those stories that’s been floating around for years, but it keeps coming back because it’s both funny and unfortunately true.[1]
In your 1st year of marriage, if your loving spouse gets sick, you say with all sincerity – “Oh, sweetie pie, I’m really worried about those nasty sniffles you have! There’s no telling what that could turn into with all the strep that’s been going around. I’m going to take you right down to the hospital and have you admitted for a couple days of rest. I know the food is lousy there, so I’m going to bring you takeout from your favorite restaurant. I’ve already arranged it with the head nurse.”
In your 2nd year of marriage, if your spouse gets sick, you still show much loving concern – “Listen, honey, I don’t like the sound of that cough. I called the doc and he’s going to stop by here and take a look at you. Why don’t you just go on to bed and get the rest you need?”
In the 3rd year, you say – “Maybe you better go lie down, darling. When you feel lousy you need the rest. I’ll bring you something. Do we have any canned soup around here?”
By the 4th year, you say with love – “No sense wearing yourself out when you’re under the weather. When you finish those dishes and the kids’ baths and get them to bed, you ought to go to bed yourself!”
5th year – “Why don’t you take a couple aspirin?”
6th year – “You oughta go gargle or something, instead of sitting around barking like a dog!”
And by the 7th year, you turn to the love of your life and say – “For Pete’s sake, stop sneezing. Are you trying to give me pneumonia? You’d better pick up some tissues while you’re at the store.”
If this isn’t you and your spouse, odds are you probably know someone like this. Most of us consider this to be the natural progression of a love relationship. As we spend more and more time together, we tend to lose not only the fire and passion of our early days, but also that “other-centered” focus that is typical at the beginning. But have you ever wished it wasn’t that way? Have you ever wondered if you could rekindle that intimacy? More time doesn’t have to equal less passion. How we treat each other is a choice we make everyday. It comes naturally at the beginning to be so “other-centered” because we are desperately trying to convince the other person we are worth putting in the time. We are more sensitive, more thoughtful, and more willing to compromise. It’s like those two gophers in the Warner Bros. cartoons who are so deferential to each other and so polite. That’s how we act in a new relationship. But once we have been together for a while all those things seem to fade. And when the relationship starts to get a little dull around the edges, when it isn’t so sparkly new and shining bright, we tend to dump it instead of work on it. In our disposable lifestyles, we tend to have disposable relationships.
Why do you think that is?
Why are we willing to dump something just because it isn’t working the way we expect it too?[2] Obviously, if you decide to get married, you don’t sit there with the intention it’s going to end. Most people think of marriage as a lifelong commitment otherwise why bother? Yet somehow, we chuck it all out the window pretty quickly. Don’t get me wrong, there are DEFINITELY relationships that NEED to end. There are times when staying together isn’t just unhealthy for us, but can be dangerous. I’m not advocating for staying together no matter what, but instead to give things a chance before chucking it out the window. Like anything worthwhile, a love that lasts a lifetime takes work and time and effort. It may not be that fiery, passionate love we had at the beginning, but can become a love that nourishes us and envelopes us with security and hope. And sometimes still with that fiery passion, too. Andy Stanley put it succinctly, “Falling in love requires a pulse, but staying in love requires a plan.” And guess what? God has a plan. In this letter to the church at Philippi, Paul is writing to them to give them encouragement to keep on growing in Christ. Apparently, Paul had spent a lot of time in Philippi and now that he’s been thrown in prison, he’s worried that they’ll forget the lessons of Christ as they think about what will happen to them so he’s writing this to bolster their confidence and to remind them of how Christ would have them behave toward one another. This model of behavior isn’t just for churches, but for our everyday lives and in our marriages as well and this is where we pick up in our Bible.
1 Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.
5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in very natureGod,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross! – Philippians 2:1-8
This is God’s recipe for a healthy relationship.
Take equal parts humility and equal parts concern for others and mix it together and you have the perfect recipe. Paul reminds us that even Jesus, Jesus who is by his nature God on Earth, even Jesus didn’t take advantage of who he was to make us bend to his will. Instead, Jesus, the creator and most powerful person in the universe, took on the attitude of a servant because he wanted to model for us the kind of life we could live if we just listened to God. God gives us these life lessons to make our lives better. But it takes faith to do it. Faith not only in God that what he says is true, but faith in one another. It takes conscious effort. It’s not something that comes naturally to us, so we have to actively do these things. We have to actively act in humility, to think of our partner more than ourselves, to react not in haste but in kindness, to take the attitude of a servant. To use another Andy quote, we have to learn to make love a verb. Love is a choice we make every day and if we ignore that choice we will see the seven stages of the married cold become a reality in our relationships. But if we DO actively choose to love one another, to think of them before ourselves, we can have the healthy, loving relationship we desire.
There is always a gap between our expectations and our reality.
It’s how we fill that gap that makes all the difference in the world. The most successful couples, the ones who report the most happiness, are the ones who fill that gap with the best of expectations.[3] They believe the best about their spouses, even when they are wrong. They CHOOSE to believe the best even though it’s likely not to be true. It’s that positive attitude that ends up inspiring their significant other to become the best partner they can be and in turn give them the relationship they always hoped for. There’s a book I’ve read that has some great ideas how you can put your spouse or significant other above yourself. It’s called The Love Dare. Some of you may have heard of it. It was a big deal about ten years ago, but the lessons and suggestions it has are still relevant today. But you don’t need a book to do this. All you need is the willingness to put others’ needs before your own. Think of how incredible of a world this would be if everyone thought of other people’s needs more than their own. Challenge yourself this week to do something unexpected for those that you love. Put their needs, their wants, and their desires above your own and see how that can brighten up their day. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[1] Found in different sermon illustrations and on the Internet.
[2] https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/living-single/201702/what-is-the-divorce-rate-really
[3] From Andy Stanley’s Staying In Love sermon series
Wired for Community
I am a self-made man.
Nobody has ever helped me. Why just this morning, I cooked two eggs and bacon for breakfast from chickens that I raised and a pig that I butchered myself. I cooked it in a pan that I made from steel that I forged in a blacksmith shop I created. I put on shoes that I sewed together from the skin of that same pig I got the bacon from, and then I laced them up from cotton I grew in my backyard that I harvested and spun into thread. I walked to the church on pavement that I put down myself and a sidewalk I formed by laying down concrete that I mixed on my own. I did this because I taught myself everything I know without anyone ever helping me. Yes, sir, I am a self-made man.
We all know that isn’t true.
Nobody could do all those things without help from not just somebody but a whole bunch of somebodies. How would I have been able to cook my own meals as a baby, let alone as a full-grown man without somebody somewhere helping me? How often when we give thanks for our meal do we stop to think about the farmer who grew the vegetables on our plate or the rancher who raised the animals that provided the meat. How often do we think of the people who package our food and the truck drivers who take it to market so we can buy it? How often do we give thanks for the army of people who make it possible for our lives to keep moving forward every single day? Probably not often. Whenever we complain about life, we talk about “those people” who are ruining things for us. Whether “those people” are Democrats or Republicans, Christians or Muslims, Dodgers fans and Giants fans – there always seems to be a “those people.” But the truth is, there isn’t “those people.” There’s just us.
We live in community because we are wired for community. Literally.
Amy Banks, a doctor and an instructor in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School said, “Neuroscience is confirming that our nervous systems want us to connect with other human beings.”[1] There was a study done on metastatic breast cancer patients back in 1989 where one group was placed in a supportive group environment and the other was given the standard care all patients received and what they found was that those placed in a supportive environment lived twice as long! Twice! There are truly tangible benefits of being part of a community. We talked last week about the children left in Romanian state care and how that sadly affected their lives, but there was also a study done with monkeys where they placed two “substitute mothers” in with them. One was a wire mother and one was a cloth mother. The wire mother had a bottle to feed the monkeys and the cloth mother did not. Yet the monkeys preferred spending time with the cloth mother despite the fact that the wire mother had food. Sadly, these monkeys – with no real mother to care for them – developed autistic tendencies just like the Romanian children did. There is more to life than just things like food, water, and air. As important as those are, living in community is just as important as these studies keep showing us.
That’s because God wired us for community.
Without community we cannot be the people God created us to be. But more than that, we need community because none of us are completely self-sufficient. We need others to help us. Not just with our physical needs, but our emotional and intellectual needs, too. We provide pieces of the puzzle to life that no one of us has by ourselves. And that’s how Paul described it in his letter to the church at Corinth. He talked about us being the body of Christ together and despite our protests otherwise, we cannot ignore that fact.
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body. – 1 Corinthians 12:12-20
The Body of Christ is like Voltron.
When I was growing up, there was an anime on TV about the pilots of five giant robot lions. These five lions had the ability to join together to form one giant robot named Voltron. In virtually every episode, there was a bad guy who threatened ALL of humanity, and at first they would try to beat him with just the lions. But ultimately, the only way to win was to form Voltron. The lions would connect to form the giant robot and they would defeat the bad guy! I always wondered why they didn’t just form Voltron right at the beginning of every battle except it would make for a very short show. But that’s the image that comes to mind for me when I read this passage. That we are like Voltron. Together we can do just about anything. Apart, we are only as good as a hand or an eye or a foot. Important, but only part of a whole. Sometimes I wonder if we are the cause of many of our own problems because we choose not to work together, to find the value in each person’s gifts.
It makes sense God created us for community.
After all we worship a God who is a community all by himself. God the Father. God the Son. God the Holy Spirit. Together but distinct. We refer to the Holy Trinity as the 3-in-1. And if we believe that we are formed in God’s image like it says in Genesis, it wouldn’t be a stretch to believe we are made to live in community like God. God seems to reward being in community. In our passage from Ecclesiastes, Solomon extols the virtues of supporting one another. Jesus told us anytime two or three are gathered in his name he is there (Matthew 18:19-20). And the writer of Hebrews encourages us to come together regularly to build one another up and support each other in our faith (Hebrews 10:24-25). But even if you didn’t believe a word of the Bible, the scientific evidence points the same way. Community is our natural state.
John Donne once penned a famous piece of writing called Meditation XVII.
You probably know the famous ending because it’s the title of a very famous Hemmingway book, For Whom the Bell Tolls. But Donne’s piece is much more than that one title. He wrote, “No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main. If a clod be washed away by the sea, Europe is the less, as well as if a promontory were, as well as if a manor of thy friend’s or of thine own were: any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind, and therefore never send to know for whom the bells tolls; it tolls for thee.”[2] Because we are all connected, when something happens to one of us, in a sense it happens to all of us. When any of us are diminished, whether it be by death or loss or persecution, it takes away from all we could be.[3] No man is an island. We are all part of the main. Or as we might say in the language of faith, we are all part of the body of Christ. God made us that way. All with different gifts, but united in the Spirit. Watching the news, listening to the radio, reading articles on the Internet or in print, it has become obvious we are less and less willing to live in community. In some bizarre way we are not willing to compromise. We are not willing to put ourselves in the other person’s shoes. Instead, we dig a trench. We jump in. And we refuse to budge. But that is not how we were created. We were not meant to be divided. We are meant to find a way to live together in community so that we can make each other better people. We are meant to find a way to live in community so we can learn and grow from each other. We were not meant to be as divisive and divided as we have become. And just as we would not be able to easily just cut off our hand or leg or any body part, we should also treat our brothers and sisters in Christ with honor and love and grace. Instead of continuing to fracture ourselves based on our own personal likes and dislikes, interpretations and understandings, we should find ways to keep coming back to the table that represents what Christ gave for us all.
God wired humanity a specific way.
All of those impulses, all of those deep desires, all of those longings of the heart – for relationships, for love, for meaning, even for God – are because that’s how God made you. One of the most profound questions in life we all ask is “Who am I?” And the answer is the person God made you to be. Like it says in Psalm 139, “I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” But you are also shaped by your beliefs, your environment, and the people around you and that can change us both positively and negatively. Sometimes those things turn us away from seeing God or distracting us from a meaningful chance to know God. And when that happens we are less than what God intended for us to be. The world can be a harsh place. Not because of God but because of us. But these cravings of the human spirit were always meant to bring us back to him. That’s why we linger on them so much. That’s why we wonder about the meaning of life and if there is a purpose and if there is a God. Because God created us in such a way that no matter how far away you are from him in your spiritual life, there will always be a door open for you to come back, if you decide to pursue it. If you already have a deep faith in Christ, then I hope you think more about the incredible way God put us together and give thanks to Him for loving us so much that he would think about these things long before we ever did. And if you have doubts about God and where he is in your life, I hope you will decide to pursue it. I hope you will take the time to find out if it was God who really made you this way. I think you’ll be astonished by what you find.
[1] All of the examples in this section come from the article: http://www.theunlost.com/relationships/science-confirms-love-is-all-you-need-except-for-food-stuff/
[2] http://www.online-literature.com/donne/409/
[3] https://interestingliterature.com/2021/08/never-send-for-whom-the-bell-tolls-it-tolls-for-thee-meaning-analysis/# – Fun Fact: Donne wasn’t just a literary person but was Dean of St. Paul’s Cathedral! Faith was very important to him and this writing was done toward the end of his life as he reflected on the meaning of it all. Read the article for more info. It’s quite fascinating.
Wired for Love
7 Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. – 1 John 4:7-12
I was sure I finally found “the one.”
At the tender age of six years old, I thought I found her. Her name was Kari Covey. She had long blond hair that she wore in ponytails on either side of her head and I thought she was great. When I was pencil monitor, I would save the newest, sharpest pencil for her. When I was paper monitor, I would give her a piece of paper first and then go back and hand it out to everyone else. It was pretty obvious how much I liked her. The best thing was, I think she liked me too. I invited her and a bunch of my classmates to my birthday party when I turned six and at some point during the party, she started to chase me all around the house. I ended up trapped in my sister’s room and in front of all of my friends, Kari kissed me full on the lips. That was a great day! But alas it was not meant to be. That summer, Kari moved away. I didn’t even know until the beginning of the next school year when I couldn’t find her. One of her neighbors said her parents moved to Utah. I hope it wasn’t because of me. But it was okay, because I fell in love many, many more times after that. And each time I fell in love, I was sure she was the one.
When I was younger, I was worried about that. Worried about finding “the one.”
I remember making the comment to my friend Lance, “What if my one lives in China and we never meet? Or what if by the time we meet she’s already married because she couldn’t wait any longer?” The idea that there is only one person out there who is your soul mate is everywhere in our culture. It’s on TV, in movies, in books, in pretty much every storytelling medium there is. Even in video games! After all Mario had his Princess Peach, Pac Man had Ms. Pac Man. And Space Ace had Daphne. This idea of “the one” is everywhere. With just three words I think Tom Cruise ruined a generation of youth looking for love when he said to Renee Zellweger, “You complete me.” Now, I’m as much a romantic as anybody and I loved the movie Jerry Maguire, but this idea that there is only one human being out there we are searching for who can make us whole just isn’t true. The odds of anybody finding their “one” would be astronomical. That idea of love is too restrictive and doesn’t give credit to all the different ways God created for us to experience and give love – the love of friends, the love of family, parental love, and even love of humanity.
We are wired for love.
It is an essential part of who we are. We literally NEED love in our lives. That’s why we search so hard for it. Love is essential for life. Study after study has proven that. John Bowlby’s work on attachment theory[1], Rene Spitz’ work on maternal deprivation[2], and the awful condition of the children in Romanian orphanages gave ample evidence that love is an essential component of our lives.[3] It is one of the saddest stories of our time. Over 100,000 children were living in Romanian government institutions, the victims of a series of failed policies by the Romanian government who kept them in horrible conditions with poorly trained attendants. Even after the atrocious conditions were uncovered Romanian orphans still received only 5 to 6 minutes of attention per day.[4] Could you imagine a baby laying in his crib and only having human contact for 5 to 6 minutes a day? The New York Times reported, “Attendants still loll in the corridors, smoking and drinking coffee, leaving the children to rock in their cots.”[5] They estimated that 10% of all of these children will develop so poorly mentally and emotionally they will end their lives in a psychiatric institution.[6] They found that it wasn’t a lack of food or healthcare that was stunting their development, it was a lack of attention. A lack of love. Medically speaking the lack of contact, the lack of interaction, the lack of comfort and security made these children mentally deficient. Their brains were literally smaller than other children their age. We are wired for love.
Interestingly, we are not only wired to be loved, but we are also wired TO love.
An article by Psychology Today stated our need TO love is as strong as our desire to BE loved.[7] Dr. Raj Raghunathan wrote that being generous in our care and love for others does three things for us.[8] One, it encourages others to be generous to us. When we do nice things for people they often feel the desire and even the need to do something nice back. Two, something called homophily happens. Homophily is the propensity to attract like-minded people. So if you are a generous person, you tend to attract generous people in your life which is far better than being surrounded by selfish, self-centered people. And three, when we are generous, we are subconsciously saying to ourselves we are fulfilled. In fact, we have extra and our generosity stems from the overflow of our well-being. When we are stingy, we tell ourselves we don’t have enough and we need more – whether or not that’s true. We approach life from a “need” perspective and it not only colors our behavior but how we see ourselves. All of these reasons point to the idea that we are wired to love and be loved.
To fully love others, we need to know God’s love in our own lives.
It’s like those safety videos on an airplane where they tell you in case of an emergency to first put the oxygen mask on yourself before you put it on your child. As a parent, your first instinct is to protect your child, but the truth is the best way to help your child is to help yourself first. That way, you are clear-minded and in the best possible situation to make sure your child is okay. In the same way, we can’t fully love others until we realize we are fully loved ourselves. When we feel loved, when our love tank is full, it’s so much easier for us to love others in a way that fills them up too. So if we know in our hearts that there is a God who loves us, who has given so much for us, who loves us unconditionally and is constantly reaching out to us; when we internalize THAT and make that part of who we are, it frees us to be loving to others. Like it says in verse 10-11, “This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us… since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” God first loved us. Not that we loved God first, but he first loved us and because he loved us he taught us how to love one another. The key to a successful loving relationship is to first know and understand that you are loved and to know that God loves you abundantly. When you realize that, when you know that you are loved by the God of all love, you can enter into a loving relationship with confidence ready to give love out of the excess of what God has given you. But if you don’t feel that security of God’s love, if you enter into a relationship without the sureness of the love of God, you’re not able to fully give of yourself and you rob yourself of having the kind of love relationship God wants for you to have. Not just with your significant other, but with all of those around you.
That doesn’t mean that people who don’t believe in God don’t experience love.
Of course they do. Everyone has the capacity to experience love. It’s not only the way God made us, but the primary way he reaches out to us. God hopes that through love you will come to know him and believe in him. But you can experience love and never know where it comes from. It’s just that in that case, it’s going be like seeing a 3D movie and forgetting the glasses. You can still see the movie, but it’s a little out of focus most of the time. Not knowing or not believing that love comes from God robs you of the assurance that comes from his love. There is a strength in knowing that no matter what happens, you are loved by someone tremendously and unconditionally. Knowing that frees us from the pitfalls of the Jerry Maguire Syndrome – always searching for someone to complete us. Let’s face it, we can’t rely on other people to make us whole. We need to have that kind of self-assurance BEFORE we go out into the world so that we’re equipped to love someone else. So we can love from our overflow.
Don’t look to me as an expert.
I’ve made plenty of mistakes. And I haven’t always come from a place of self-assurance. Just ask Cassie. I’m far from perfect in this category. I struggle with doubts and when I’m hurting it’s not easy for me to remember I’m loved by God. But I do know God’s love has made me a stronger person. God’s love has helped to see me through some pretty difficult times. And knowing God loves me gives me the strength to love Cassie and Emma the way I hope they deserve to be loved. I still make mistakes. I still sometimes succumb to my own internal doubts and fears. But having God in my life has helped me to overcome those doubts and fears and to be a stronger person. I hope God will do that for you, too. I hope that in your own doubts and fears, in those times when you feel distant from God or you resort to your own inner weaknesses, that you’ll remember these words and gain strength from them. I hope you’ll realize that you don’t need someone to “complete” you because God loves you completely already. And that in your times of doubt, you’ll think about how you are made to love and be loved and that gift comes from God.
[1] http://www.simplypsychology.org/bowlby.html
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ren%C3%A9_Spitz
[3] http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2014/02/20/280237833/orphans-lonely-beginnings-reveal-how-parents-shape-a-childs-brain
[4] http://www.nytimes.com/1996/03/25/world/romanian-orphans-prisoners-of-their-cribs.html?_r=0
[5] ibid
[6] ibid
[7] https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/sapient-nature/201401/the-need-love
[8] Each of these are found in the above article
Wired to Find the Meaning of Life
What is the meaning of life?
It’s a question most of us have asked at one time or another. In fact, 81% of Americans believe there is a higher purpose and meaning to their lives, and 73% believe finding that higher purpose is important.[1] This isn’t 81% of Christian Americans or religious Americans, this is 81% of ALL Americans. An even higher number, 85%, believe “there is more to life than the physical world and society.”[2] 85%! Which means even those who don’t see a higher purpose still ponder the meaning of life. In a Pew Gallop poll, nearly 20% of atheists said they believe in a higher power and although they don’t typically pray or feel religion is important, 35% said they often think about the purpose and meaning of their life at least weekly and almost the same number feel a deep sense of spiritual peace and well-being.[3] From a group of ATHEISTS! They don’t believe in God or an afterlife, but they do believe there is a higher purpose. There is something that compels us beyond just religious belief to seek the meaning of life.
As Christians, we believe that “something” is God.
God compels us to search for the meaning of life, to find some way to make our lives MATTER! We’re told our goal in life is to love God and love one another and to help others know God through our love, but how we do that is up to us. And as a kid, I thought I had it all figured out. I was sure it was to be a doctor. Even though at the tender age of 5 I had no idea who God was, I felt compelled to move in that direction. In fact, I was so sure, I never wavered all throughout school and declared pre-med when applying to college, even though I knew it would make it harder for me to get into some of the top universities. Because…you know…I had it all figured out. But college has a funny way of upending your carefully laid plans. It only took until the end of year one for me to realize being a doctor wasn’t going to be my path. Thirteen years of being sure, and it only took one to change my life completely. I floundered finding a new direction in life until I realized where God was leading me the whole time. And that’s how I ended up here. I knew God wanted me to find a way to help people, but it just did not happen in the way I had imagined.
Most of us flounder at some point in our lives to figure out what we are doing here on this great big planet.
Whether you believe in God or not, we ponder that overriding question. But we do believe we are meant for some purpose. When asked about it, even teenagers across the US overwhelmingly felt a deep sense of meaning to their lives. 87%! When asked what they thought that purpose was, again the answer was overwhelming – to help others. Nearly 50% thought they were meant to help others or to be a good person.[4] The next highest answer at 8% was to have a good job. Only 3% of teens thought their goal in life was to be successful or famous. A 17-year-old in Kentucky said, “I think that my purpose in life is to help people. I’ve gone through hard times myself, and I can’t even imagine the situations some kids are in — much worse even than the life that I’ve had growing up. I think that as long as I have the ability, and want to help people, that’s what I should do.” A 17-year-old from Utah said, “Everyone is here to fill in the holes in other people’s lives, whether little or big holes. Not everybody is the same, and we all need to share our talents and strengths to uplift other people.” And a 15-year-old girl from California impressed me so much when she said, “I am here to mourn with those that mourn, help those in need, comfort those who stand in need of comfort, and to stand as a witness to God at all times and in all things and in all places. I am here to stand for faith, divine nature, individual worth, knowledge, choice and accountability, good works, and integrity.”[5] At 15, she had a much more mature, well-thought-out answer than most adults.
But it just goes to show we really are wired for a higher purpose.
If you have a Bible or a Bible app on your phone, would you go to Matthew 5 beginning with verse 14. Matthew 5:14. We feel our lives are given meaning when we DO something meaningful and most of us believe that something is helping others. As Christians, we identify that through Jesus, but you don’t have to be religious to sense you have a higher purpose beyond just yourself. And that’s because God wired us that way. We are wired to find the meaning of life and that meaning lies in helping others. But you don’t have to take my word for it, or even God’s. From a purely scientific point of view, helping others gives meaning to our lives. Researchers have studied this and have found that helping others gives us a sense of free will, it helps us to feel like we are good people, and it strengthens our relationships to others both in a specific and a general sense.[6] But it also gives us a sense of purpose. Helping others makes us feel that life has meaning.[7] And if you’re a Christian that all makes sense. Most of what the prophets and the disciples record for us tells us to help others and to build one another up. There is testimony after testimony recorded in the Bible of different people who believe this to be true. New Testament. Old Testament. It doesn’t matter. The prophet Micah tells us that God asks of us “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God (Micah 6:8).” Paul wrote in his letter to the church in Galatia, “…do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Galatians 5:13-14).’” Jesus tells us, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself (Luke 10:27).” And God himself tells us in Leviticus, “The foreigner residing among you must be treated as your native-born. Love them as yourself, for you were foreigners in Egypt. I am the LORD your God.” Helping is a part of who we are and who were created to be. And here’s why.
14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. – Matthew 5:14-16
We are meant to be a city on a hill.
We are meant to point the way to God. As Christians we understand God has already done so much for us that we are compelled to do good things for others. We know Christ sacrificed everything so we might have eternal life and so we dedicate ourselves to helping others receive God into their lives too. We join together in God’s quest to bring as many as possible to him. So for us, doing good, helping others is not only what we feel compelled to do to love our neighbor, but is our way of honoring what God has done for us. Anybody can do good, but knowing why we do good and where this drive comes from gives us a sense of peace and wholeness that comes from nowhere else.
We often don’t spend enough time trying to figure out how to live out this deeper meaning.
We may believe there is one, but we don’t spend time thinking about it or how we can accomplish it. When asked how much time they spend on this question, almost 30% of people say they barely think about it if at all. When you add in the people who weren’t sure how often they think about it, that number jumps to 44%.[8] For something that’s so important, it’s amazing how many people don’t even consider the question. And if you’re a Christian, this is especially true. I hope it’s something you ponder more than once or twice a year. Because if our goal really is to love God and love one another, if our goal is to be a city on a hill so others know the love of God, we should be thinking about how to do that. I want to challenge you to go deeper in your faith this year. Whether that’s through a Bible or book study, a small group, volunteer efforts, or spending time in prayer (or all of them!), I hope you will be intentional in your efforts. Cassie is already leading a book study during the Lenten season as one way to kick start this Year of Growing Deeper and we will be adding more and more opportunities in the coming months. I hope you will find at least one to connect with and challenge yourself to grow closer to God. God loves you. God wants you. And God constantly is reaching out to you so you will find the peace and love through him that he hopes for you. So let’s do this together. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[1] https://research.lifeway.com/2021/04/06/americans-views-of-lifes-meaning-and-purpose-are-changing/ – by “important to them” they say it is a high priority in their life.
[2] Ibid
[3] https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2019/12/06/10-facts-about-atheists/
[4] Data about teens comes from http://www.gallup.com/poll/11215/how-many-teens-see-purpose-life.aspx
[5] http://www.gallup.com/poll/11215/how-many-teens-see-purpose-life.aspx
[6] http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/can_helping_others_help_you_find_meaning_in_life
[7] Ibid.
[8] All data in this section comes from https://research.lifeway.com/2021/04/06/americans-views-of-lifes-meaning-and-purpose-are-changing/
Wired for God
Why are people sending us “good thoughts?”
I know it’s meant with the best of intentions, but what does that mean? I see this a lot on Facebook, mostly from non-religious friends but occasionally from religious ones, too. Usually, it’s in response to someone you care about going through a hard time. Whether it’s a health situation or the loss of someone close to them or getting fired from a job, if you scroll down the comments you’ll usually find someone who will say, “Sending you good thoughts” or “My thoughts are with you.” At first, I thought this was nice, a way for people to show they care, but it’s also an empty platitude. “Sending you good thoughts.” What does that mean? Are they facing the general direction of the person when they are sending these good thoughts? What is the person on the other end supposed to be doing with these good thoughts? It would be better to send money. After all thoughts are only worth a penny.
When people make these comments, I know it’s only meant in the best way.
But without God what does it really mean. When people are offering their prayers, they are offering something tangible. You might be thinking prayers are about as tangible as good thoughts, but when we offer a prayer for people, we are offering our commitment. We’re offering our time, we’re standing in solidarity with those we love by appealing to God on behalf of someone else, we’re offering our humility by bowing before God and asking him if not downright begging him for some kind of intervention. We are putting ourselves in front of the Creator of the Universe and saying, “Pay attention! This person is worthy of your help.” And people understand that idea. Whether they are religious or not, people appreciate your prayers. Because even if they don’t believe, there’s a part of them that understands the commitment you are making on their behalf. But here’s the thing. I think, deep down, most people believe in God. I don’t think there are as many atheists as we commonly believe. They might not believe in God the way we understand God, but people have this inclination to believe in something higher than themselves. And that’s why they say things like “sending good thoughts.” They may not believe in God, they may not believe in the power of prayer, but they believe there is something out there they can appeal to even if they don’t know what that something is.
That’s because we are wired for God.
We are wired for God. When God created humanity, he put within us this longing to search for him. We want to know God. We might refer to God in different ways, we might understand God in different ways, but we are all pointed in our lives toward God. Does that mean every religion is true? No. Does that mean we all believe in the same God? No. But it does mean that people encounter the Holy Spirit whether or not they believe in it or call it by that name. It means God is constantly revealing himself to us in and through the world around us. But our hearts have become hardened. Like the callous at the bottom of your big toe or on your writing hand. Remember that? When people used to write for a living and they would develop a callous on whatever hand they used for writing? That’s pretty much gone away because of computers, but like that callous that naturally forms over time by being constantly rubbed the wrong way, our hearts get hardened too as we get rubbed the wrong way, and it makes it more difficult for us to see God. That’s why Jesus told the disciples Isaiah’s prophecy has come true. We have eyes to see and ears to hear, and can’t seem to do either. But despite this callousness of life, despite our own hard-heartedness, despite all of that, we can’t help but seek God.
24 “The God who made the world and everything in it is the Lord of heaven and earth and does not live in temples built by human hands. 25 And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else. 26 From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. 27 God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us. 28 ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’[b] As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’[c]
29 “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill. 30 In the past God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. 31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.” – Acts 17:24-31
God created us and gave us life and in doing so hoped we would one day seek him and find him.
It’s simply part of who we are. It’s built into our DNA. If there was ever a way to dissect the spiritual part of our lives, we would find that God put us together in a certain way and that this desire to know him and to seek him is built into every strand within us. God isn’t something you leave behind at church. Instead God is always with us. That’s why Luke wrote in this book that God does not live in temples built by human hands. Because God lives within us! We are just very good at ignoring him. Instead we turn to other things to fill that part of our lives. We turn to other gods and other goals and other desires to fulfill this basic need to search for the divine. It’s so much a part of us that we don’t even realize how it bleeds into how we act and behave. That’s where phrases like “sending good thoughts” or “my thoughts are with you” enter into our vocabulary. There’s a part of us that wants to pray, to communicate with God, but we just don’t know it or understand it. Maybe we’re just flat out opposed to it. Maybe all your life you were told that if you prayed and believed, God would answer and he just flat out didn’t. And so, you gave up on prayer. But there’s a part of you that yearns to communicate again. There’s a part of you that wants to appeal to something greater than ourselves either individually or collectively to do something. But we just can’t bring ourselves to do it.
I have found most people are not truly atheists.
They may not believe in God the way we talk about God in church, but they are not truly atheists. To be sure there are some out there, but most people object to God not because the thought of God is stupid or childish or immature. But because they have found fault with him. God wasn’t there for them in their moment of crisis. God didn’t keep his promises. God allows evil to exist in the world. The God in the Old Testament and the God of the New Testament don’t add up to the same God. And if our understanding of God crashes head long into our experiences in life, God often is the victim. If God can’t uphold his end of the bargain, then he must not be real. But those objections are more about religion than the existence of God. Most people’s objections to faith are more about religion than God. They are more about our understanding of God rather than if he exists. I’ve heard horror stories about people who have a deep misunderstanding of God who are self-professed Christians and sometimes even pastors and church leaders, and if they were my experience with the God of Christianity, I wouldn’t believe in him either. My friend Jon from when we lived in Atlanta was so turned off by the church because of the hypocrisy and outright racism he found there. His friend and her fiancé went to her pastor to be married…and the pastor refused. She was white and was in love with an African-American man and the minister refused to do the ceremony because he said it was unbiblical. Sadly, he added it was an abomination before God. I don’t know where he got that from, but I know for a fact it doesn’t say that anywhere in the Bible, but he used the Bible as a defense to justify his own racism. If that was your experience with religion, maybe you wouldn’t believe either. I had a friend who used to be a pastor. He was consoling a grieving mother whose son had committed suicide. They were talking after the memorial service when one of his parishioners came up and told this bereaved woman that her son was going to hell for what he did. By the way, also not in the Bible. These are simply outdated untruths that a few ignorant people never bothered to question. And if that were typical of your experience with God, you probably wouldn’t believe in him either.
Instead people turn elsewhere to connect with God.
They turn to other religions or to other philosophies like Buddhism. They turn to material things like money. They put their faith instead in science. Because people are yearning to connect with SOMETHING even if they can’t put their finger on it. People everywhere are searching for answers. They are searching for meaning in life. They are hoping to find the answer to the eternal question, “Why am I here?” And if they really didn’t believe in something more, if they really didn’t believe in God, they would stop searching because without God there is no meaning. Without God, life simply is. There is no good and evil. Those are just constructs of the human mind. There is no love. That is just a chemical reaction within the body responding to external and internal stimuli. There is no soul or inner self. It’s all just an illusion. And most people just can’t go that far. They believe in love. They believe in the soul or something like a soul that defines who they are. They believe in good and evil. So their objection isn’t to the possibility of God but in how we’ve come to understand him. But this search. This search for answers. This search for meaning. These are things that God put within the DNA of our soul to make us curious so that even the most jaded people amongst us might be tempted to seek him out.
I was watching The Big Bang Theory the other day.
And there was this episode where the guys are trying to buy tickets to the new Star Wars movie. Leonard finds out tickets went on sale but when they try to buy them, they are all locked out. They try refreshing their screens, they try different websites, but nothing is working so Sheldon – a self-proclaimed atheist – announces that “desperate times call for desperate measures” and he drops to his knees to pray. “Lord, this is Sheldon Cooper. You’re good friends with my mom. I know I’ve spent my whole life denying that you exist.” Suddenly Wolowitz shouts out, “Got it!” And Sheldon concludes, “And I will continue to do so!” There is something in us that believes in something more, even if we are only willing to believe for the moment. There is something in us that hopes for something more. If you’ve never fully explored what that something is; if you’ve felt that pull in your life but haven’t really done much about it, I want you to consider that maybe, just maybe God wired you this way. That he has been tugging at your thoughts because he wants you to be connected to him. And I ask you to simply open up your heart to the possibility of God in your life. I’m going to ask you to take some time to really think about God and to actively search for him in everything you do. I’m hoping you will develop that desire to have eyes that see and ears that hear because I know God wants you to be a part of what he has in store for you. If you’ve already made that choice to open up to God, I challenge you to open your life to him even more. To allow him access to those areas you have always been resistant to, and only you and he know what those areas are. God made you to be naturally curious about life because he wants you to find him. And in addition to good thoughts, I’ll be saying a prayer for you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The 12th Day of Christmas
Christmas is not what you think it is.
Everyone, whether they are religious or not, knows December 25th is when we celebrate the birth of Jesus…except it wasn’t. His birthday that is. Scholars believe if he was born in a manger, it was likely closer to spring or summer. It would have been way too cold otherwise. There are different theories why we celebrate on December 25th, but none of them are because he was born on that date.[1] Most nativity scenes show Jesus born in some kind of barn or stable, but it’s more likely he was born in a cave where many Israelites kept their animals.[2] And speaking of animals, we often picture sheep, cows, donkeys, maybe even some camels at the birth of Christ, but if you read it carefully, there is no mention of any animals present at Jesus’ birth. But perhaps what trips up people the most is the song “The 12 Days of Christmas.” It sounds like a countdown song to Jesus’ birthday, but December 25th is the FIRST of the 12 days of Christmas. It’s what the church calls Christmastime and it ended with the biggest Christian holiday of all – Epiphany! What’s that you say? You don’t know what the Epiphany is? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. Believe it or not, Epiphany used to be bigger than Christmas and was one of the most celebrated days of the year.
Somehow over time, it took a backseat to Christmas and Easter.
But really it should be one of the most important days in our calendar, because it was on the Epiphany when the magi arrived to honor Christ. We often think the magi arrived on Christmas Day, but if the star they saw in the sky was the Star of Bethlehem that rose at Jesus’ birth, they couldn’t have arrived until much later. Some scholars speculate it could have been as long as two years after.[3] In his book Christianity and World Religions, Adam Hamilton writes these magi were not “kings” but Zoroastrian priests – followers of a completely different faith who believed the stars revealed certain truths about the universe.[4] Zoroastrianism was originated in what is now modern-day Iraq[5] – about 800 to 900 miles away from where Jesus was born. That trip would have taken two to three months if they left the moment they saw the star, and it’s more likely they would’ve needed to prepare for the journey before undertaking it.[6] Rounding up supplies, the animals, the gifts, and their families and staff, would have taken a lot of time and the thought only three of them went on this massive journey would have been unlikely. So where did the number three come from and why did people assume they were kings? Let’s listen to the source itself. The story of the magi is only in Matthew’s version of the Gospel so we’ll read that passage today.
After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.” – Matthew 2
Herod upon hearing this, became frightened because he believed like most other Jews, that the savior would come and take control of Israel. That would mean Herod and his family would lose power if this child ever came to claim the throne. Fearful for his crown, Herod secretly met with the magi and sent them to Bethlehem to search for the Christ child, with every intent of killing this possible threat. The story continues.
9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. 10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. 11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. – Matthew 2
The Epiphany is about the revelation of Christ to the world.
And the reason this is so significant is that it proves God’s intention to include ALL of humanity in his plan for salvation. It was the first-time people outside the Israelites saw Christ and believed He was the Messiah! It was the moment God’s covenant in Christ was extended to everyone. Paul understood this as he proclaimed the Word of God to the Romans. He says in chapter 3, verse 29, “Is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles too? Yes, of Gentiles too…” And then in Romans 10:11-13, Paul continues, “As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.” For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Most of the Jewish people believed God was their God only, that God would be revealed to the people of Israel and those who did not follow the faith according to Torah would never be accepted by the Lord. Even most of the Gentile converts believed they had to become Jewish for Christ to accept them. They believed this so firmly, men were having adult circumcisions to comply with Jewish tradition and Paul had to write to the churches in Rome, Corinth, Galatia, and Colossae to tell them to stop! Not only was it extremely painful, but it could result in infection or even death. Paul told them Christ accepted them as they were. In Galatians 5:6 he wrote, “For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love.”
What it meant to be a “chosen people” radically changed with Jesus.
Instead of it being a “Hebrews only” club, the Israelites found out it was the polar opposite. They became God’s ambassadors to the world. It was going to be up to them to bring people into the fold. I’m sure it was a shock to many of the Jewish people. To so radically have your understanding of God flipped on its head must have been tough to process. But God knew these were the right people to share his message. And God didn’t stop there. God was reaching out to the rest of the world in ways that the rest of the world would understand – like these Zoroastrian priests. He didn’t bring this collection of Zoroastrian priests to Christ DESPITE their faith in another religion, but THROUGH their faith. It might seem like a contradiction if you read other parts of the Bible. After all, these Zoroastrian priests relied on astrology to figure out Jesus was the Christ child. And in the book of Deuteronomy, Moses clearly tells the people of Israel, “Let no one be found among you who sacrifices their son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11 or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12 Anyone who does these things is detestable to the Lord… (Deuteronomy 18)” Yet, God used the priests’ belief in astrology to bring them to Jesus. Why were the Israelites forbidden from things like astrology and other sorts of divination when it worked for the magi? It’s because once you know Christ as Lord, to rely on these other forms of faith is to lose faith in Christ. But to those who do not know Christ as Lord, God reaches out to them in ways they can understand.
It’s continued evidence of God’s love for all of creation.
Epiphany is such an important part of our Christian calendar. It opened up our idea of salvation to be for everyone. And just as God has opened up his love for us, we too can open up our love for others, for not only do we gain hope from this day, but an example of the kind of love God wants us to express to all of those around us. Because when you understand how God loved us despite all our faults and failings and how God continues to reach out to the world despite so many who reject him, you begin to see how great God’s love is for us. And you also begin to understand how our own prejudices set us against one another when God wants us to instead reach out in love. We have to continually challenge ourselves to put aside our own biases and our own misconceptions about others and learn to love each other. That is the true meaning of the Epiphany. God’s acceptance of us all. Dennis Bratcher summarized these thoughts in a simple but beautiful prayer that I’d like to share with you.
“Father, we thank you for revealing yourself to us through Jesus. As ancient Israel confessed long ago, we realize it was not because of our own righteousness, or our wisdom, or strength, or power, or numbers. It was simply because you loved us and chose to show us that love in Christ.
As you have accepted us when we did not deserve your love, will you help us to accept those whom we find it hard to love? Forgive us, O Lord, for any attitude we hold onto that sees ourselves as better or more righteous than others. Will you help us to remove the barriers of prejudice and to tear down the walls of bigotry, religious, political, or social? Lord, help us realize the walls we erect for others only form our own prisons!
Will you fill us so full of your love there is no more room for intolerance. As you have forgiven us much, will you enable us with your strength to forgive others even more? Will you enable us through your abiding Presence among us, communally and individually, to live our lives in a manner worthy of the Name we bear?
May we, through your guidance and our faithful obedience, find new avenues in ways that we have not imagined of holding the Light of your love so that it may be a Light of revelation for all people. We thank you for your love, praise you for your Gift, ask for your continued Presence, and bring these petitions in the name of your Son, who has truly revealed your heart. Amen”[7]
[1] The first and most popular theory is that the church wanted to find an alternative to the merry-making around a celebration of Saturnalia and devised Christmas to focus people on something more holy. The second and less well-known theory involves the supposition that Christmas Day was about nine months after Passover and thus links the two dates together. Jesus’ death and Jesus’ Second Coming – although why they didn’t instead make Christmas nine months before Easter would be a mystery.
[2] A cave provided better shelter and didn’t require much construction other than a fence.
[3] Stephen M. Miller, The Jesus of the Bible, p.60.
[4] Adam Hamilton, Christianity and World Religions, p.27.
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism
[6] OpCit., Miller, p.60.
[7] http://www.crivoice.org/cyepiph.html. – I did edit the prayer for grammar and for flow and time.
明けましておめでとうございます
Akemashite Omedetou Gozaimasu
Happy New Year everyone! Now, I realize it’s not quite the New Year yet, but with January 1st coming up, I thought it would be a good idea to get just a little bit ahead of the game. After all, one of my New Year’s resolutions is to stop procrastinating. I was going to make that my resolution last year, but I decided to put it off. This is the time of year where we spend a lot of time looking back on what’s been going on in our lives. You can’t go on social media and not see posts about the “Top 9” something of 2023 or listen to the radio and hear the countdown of the year’s biggest hits. Wherever you turn people are reflecting on the past year – where it went right and where we could improve. As a person, as a nation, as a global community, how did last year go? And that’s a good thing. Reflecting on the past will help us do better in the future. One area I’m going to challenge ALL of us to do better in (myself included) is to grow deeper in faith. Let those roots of our faith dig down deep and take hold. Whether that’s coming to worship more often, joining a small group, volunteering, giving, or even praying, spend time next year doing something MORE than what you did this year and see how God will bless your life. And if there is someone in your life who could use some encouragement to come to church more often (or come at all), here are some facts you could share with them.
Coming to church regularly is associated with …[1]
- 55% lower risk for mortality among middle-aged people
- 68% lower risk of death among women due to drugs, alcohol, and suicide and 33% lower among men
- 22% decrease in the incidence of depression
- Better time and life management skills
- Decrease use of drugs, violence, and delinquency among at risk youth
- Higher math and reading scores, and greater educational aspirations
- Being more likely to finish homework and degree programs
- Better intimate relationships
- Young adults being 18% more likely to report higher happiness, 29% more likely to volunteer, and 33% less likely to use drugs
But even if there were not all of these statistical reasons to come to church, even if I didn’t have facts and figures to back up why coming to church is a smart and healthy thing to do, I’d say it’s still the right thing because faith is best in community. Faith is best in community. Our faith is something God meant for us to develop together as we are about to read in our passage today. If you’ll please go to Hebrews 10:19 in your Bibles or your Bible app we’ll begin there this morning. In this passage, the author has just finished writing about how people used to offer sacrifices to God in hope of cleansing themselves and starting life anew. But that obviously didn’t work because day after day, year after year, the priests continually offered sacrifices to God to cleanse themselves, but now…now that God has written his law on our hearts as we heard in Jeremiah, now that God has written a new covenant with us, we are cleansed in his sight. We are covered in forgiveness. And that is where we enter the Scripture.
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. – Hebrews 10:19-25
Seems that even as early as 70 AD, the church had a problem with worship attendance.
And they didn’t even have Sunday morning football to worry about. This letter was written only about 40 years after the death of Christ and Paul already feels the need to tell people to keep going to church. People were deciding they didn’t need to bother, the same sentiment many have today. Even if you considered yourself a follower of Christ, even if you wanted your daily or weekly dose of spiritual fulfillment, why bother coming to Sunday worship? You can listen to sermons via podcast. You can sing worship songs on your iPhone. You can even donate to your church or other organization through a mobile app. Who needs to step foot in a building? According to the research, only 23% of Americans both profess faith in Christ and attend church as an active participant.[2] Only 23%. The sad part is “active participant” is defined as someone who comes only once a month. On any given weekend, 17.5% of Americans can be found in a Christian church. You might think, “Well, maybe they’re going to other churches,” but that’s not it either. When you add in all the other religious groups, the number only goes up by 2%.[3] We, as Americans, have decided to devote our time elsewhere.
But we are NEEDED in the church as much as we need to be there.
When we took our membership vows, we promised to give our prayers, our presence, our gifts, our service, and our witness to God and to this church. And when we say presence, it means presence in the body of Christ. Presence means participating in this community of faith. Because even though we could sing praises to God in our showers; even though we could listen to sermons in our car; and even though we can give our offerings by mail or even on our phones, worship is more than that. Worship is more than the sum of its parts. It means fully and whole-heartedly giving of yourself to this time together. Of being fully present in worship, of being aware of those around you and what is happening. Presence means more than simply attendance. It means more than sitting in a chair or giving your offering to God. It means really being present for one another. It means sharing in fellowship and community because our Lord Jesus Christ told us that where two or more gather in his name he will be there. It means engagement in the community. Because worship is many things, and it is not just about us. Worship is many things, it is not just about us. It never has been. It’s about the body of Christ. And at different times and in different ways we contribute to the faith development of those around us, whether we are conscious of it or not.
We often dub the success or failure of a worship experience by what we get out of it.
But not every sermon was written for you. Not every song was played for you. Not every prayer was said just for you. Some weeks you’ll get more out of the message than other weeks. Some Sundays you’ll be profoundly moved by the Word of God or by a song we’ve sung. But even in those weeks when you didn’t connect to the sermon or the music, YOU may still have an important role to play. Maybe you’ll notice that person in the pew who needs a loving hand. Maybe you’ll notice that first time visitor who is feeling awkward and alone. Maybe you’ll be sitting next to someone who is having doubts about God. Maybe you’ll be the person they need.
That’s what happened to me when I was serving at Roswell UMC.
It was a rare occasion when I wasn’t either involved in worship or teaching a Sunday School class or something, but on this one particular Sunday, I wasn’t doing any of those things. I planned to simply show up, experience, and be a part of worship. Now, on those rare occasions, I usually sit up front or near the front, but because I had been talking to someone outside, I was a bit late and decided to sit in the next to last row. There was only me and one other woman in the pew and she was sitting pretty far away from me. I noticed she had a diaper bag, so I guessed that her little one was in the nursery and sure enough, she was. When it was time for the greeting, I made it a point to walk over to her and say “hello.” She turned to me and said, “Hi, I’m so glad you were sitting here. I’ve been meaning to talk to you.” I couldn’t help but wonder if she meant me specifically or just one of us since we had five full-time elders on staff. But she literally meant me. She had seen me and my family when coming to worship and noticed we were a mixed-race family and she was too. She wanted to ask me privately if this would be a welcome place for her child who was a blend of Asian and Caucasian heritage and she knew I could relate. I was able to set her concerns at ease and not long after she became a member of the church and we had the chance to baptize her child. It always felt to me as if this was one of those moments when God placed me in that place at that time for someone else. To be honest, I couldn’t remember a bit about the sermon or any of the songs we sung, but I have always remembered that woman and her family. Maybe you’re here for the same reason. Maybe you’re here to help someone else. Or maybe someone is here to help you.
We come to church for the promise of a better life.
But that better life starts here and now. It starts with each one of us, here today, offering ourselves to God as a living sacrifice for his will. To allow God to use our presence to serve his Kingdom. And while there are lots of benefits for us to be in worship, perhaps the biggest benefit is the community of Christ that surrounds us and that we are a part of. We made a promise when we joined this church to give of our prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness. Fulfill that promise today and everyday for the Lord and Savior who gave his life for you.
[1] Please note that while these benefits are AWESOME, your mileage may vary! You can read the details for yourself at the following websites: Vanderbilt University, JAMA Psychiatry, Peter Haas,
[2] David T. Olson, The American Church in Crisis, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2008), 29-30.
[3] The American Church Research Project.
“Hello, My Name is Jesus”
The first time I put on my nametag at Disneyland was when I believed I actually had a job at the Happiest Place on Earth. Up until then, it didn’t seem quite real. To be sure, I went through the hiring process, got assigned my first area, went through Disney University, and attended Traditions like every single cast member to walk through the doors of a Disney theme park. But it was when I was given my nametag and put it on in the upper left corner of my shirt that it all clicked into place. I was a cast member of the Walt Disney Company. In life there are moments when something becomes real for us, like putting on a nametag. But other times life unfolds over a series of small moments, each one leading to the next until we come to realize we are living in a new reality. That’s how it was for me when I started to attend UCLA. I remember waiting to hear back from all the schools I applied to and was ecstatic when my acceptance letter came in the mail, but it wasn’t quite real yet that I was about to attend UCLA. When I went to orientation on campus and had the chance to buy my first UCLA sweatshirt, it still wasn’t quite real. I think it all crystallized in my mind when my parents left me at the dorm for the first time and I was completely on my own. Then it became REAL! But it wasn’t like the nametag. Instead, it was this slow-growing realization that crystalized in that moment. I was a UCLA Bruin.
No matter how it happens, when that realization hits, our life changes perspectives.
A new reality sets in, a new way of looking at things. Becoming a cast member was incredibly meaningful to me. That nametag meant something when I put it on. It meant I was part of something bigger than myself. It meant I belonged to a community that stood for something, that believed in something. “We create happiness.” I was part of that now. Becoming a Bruin was the same way. I was there for an education, but at the same time I now belonged to a community and shared something in common with everyone around me. Together we were part of something bigger. For all the brochures I read about the school, for all the information I gathered from books and magazines, it was a different feeling than actually becoming a student at UCLA. I was a Bruin! Becoming a follower of Christ is like that too. When you GET IT, when Jesus becomes real to you, you realize you are part of something bigger than yourself. That you are part of a much larger community. That being Christian means something. It stands for something. It shapes you and changes you in ways it’s hard to describe, more than a job, more than a school. And I’d have to say in even more profound and deep ways than you can probably imagine. But like those other moments, it has to become REAL for you. It has to become more than just words on a page or an hour of your life every Sunday. Because if the words on the page don’t make it into your heart, the Bible is nothing more than a book of interesting stories. And to be honest, not all that well written. Not a lot of character development, no climatic build-up, no dramatic tension, GREAT overarching theme and some pretty amazing events happen, but Matthew, Mark, Luke and John weren’t exactly J.R.R. Tolkein.
But the Bible is one of the most amazing books ever written.
What makes it so brilliant is as much what is NOT said as what IS said. Exploring the Bible is like an archaeological dig right in the comfort of my chair. The more I dig, the more I find. And that’s because the Bible is more than just words on a page. When I read it, I get something new from it almost every time. I feel like in some ways, God is talking to me through the words on the page, giving me new insight into my life and the world I live in. But I don’t think any of that would have happened if my own faith in Christ didn’t become real for me. And I can be slow on the uptake at times so this was a long process. It started probably from birth, but my first recollection of someone helping to make Christ real in my life was my mom back when I was 8 years old. From there it wouldn’t be until college when I met Lisa who really made an impact on me and got me thinking again about God. Then it was Mark and Steve and Andrea, friends of mine I met while working at Disneyland who kept inviting me to church. It was then I started to become more serious in my faith. And of course my wife, Cassie who supported me in this journey so I could stand before you here today. And that’s just some of the people who helped me get to know Jesus. There wasn’t one “aha” moment like Paul on the Road to Damascus. Instead, it was a series of events that changed the course of my entire life – one after another after another that changed me and then inspired me to want to do this – to share how life-changing, peace-giving, and satisfying it could be to have Christ in your life. I figure that’s what it must have been like for those shepherds nearly 2000 years ago when they first heard the news.
And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,
14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,
and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”
15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”
16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. – Luke 2:8-20
I don’t know about you, but I think I would have collapsed on the spot.
We tend to think of angels as these chubby little dudes with harps who float around playing sweet music, but that isn’t at all the image the Bible gives us. We read about seraphim and their six wings; two covered their face, two covered their feet, and two helped them to fly (Isaiah 6:2). Not what I’m used to imagining. The Bible tells us about cherubim too, and they aren’t nice and cuddly. They had four heads, four eyes, and four wheels and all of it was covered with eyes (Ezekiel 10:11-12). They were the guardians of the Tree of Life in Eden and carried flaming swords. So imagine you’re one of the shepherds and suddenly this vision of an angel pops up out of nowhere. Immediately, terror probably sinks into your heart. But the angel says to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.” And then after giving them this pronouncement an entire army of these scary, powerful beings appear right around them. But as impressive as that was, that moment didn’t make Jesus real for them. It was when they saw him in person lying in the manger. When they encountered Christ for themselves was when they believed and they went out and told everyone they knew. Only then did it go from being just words to becoming a reality. When they encountered Christ for themselves was when all of the stories went from being just words to becoming a reality.
We call that the incarnation of Christ.
The incarnation of Christ. It’s a fancy word meaning that Christ becomes real for us in this life. For the shepherds, for Mary and Joseph, for the early disciples, Jesus literally became real. But today, Christ becomes real for us through the love of other people. Jesus knew this would happen. He knew that people would have a difficult time believing and he knew he wasn’t always going to be here for us in person. But that’s why he spent time with the disciples training them to spread the Gospel. That’s why he sent the Holy Spirit, to embolden and empower those early followers. That’s why he said to Thomas, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed (John 20:29).” Jesus was talking about us. But in a way, we have seen him. We may not have seen him directly, but for each of you who experiences the reality of Christ in your heart, for those of you where Jesus isn’t just some guy in a book, but a living, breathing being, this stuff is REAL. Christianity isn’t a religion based on blind faith, but a faith based on our experience with Jesus through the world around us. The love of a friend, the kind words of a stranger, the tough love of those closest to us; those are the things that make Christ a reality for us today. We may not have burning bushes or witness the resurrection of a friend, but we can’t say God isn’t active in the world because he is. Christ is alive in us. Christ is alive in us.
Many of us don’t yet experience that reality.
We know that the world is only about 1/3rd Christian as it is, which means the vast majority of people don’t live with this view of life. And of that part of the world that is Christian, not all of them live with that feeling of assuredness either. I don’t. There are times when I worry or question where God is in the world. There is too much cruelty and evil and greed and selfishness in the world not to experience moments of doubt. But for the most part, the love of God is just too evident in my life to turn away. That’s not the case for everyone. There are many people who turn away. There are many people who never experience God’s love in the first place. There are many who are overwhelmed by doubt or anger or pain and who cannot reconcile that with a loving God. Then there are those who feel they don’t need God. They don’t necessarily believe or not believe, but Christ isn’t a reality for them in a way that makes it evident why they need to do anything about it in their lives. It’s up to those of us who believe to make Christ real for them, too. It’s up to us to make the reality of the love of God so evident that they can’t help but believe. It will take humility. It will take perseverance. It will take patience. And most of all it will take love. I want to challenge you to think of someone in your life who could really use a good dose of God’s love and spend time thinking how you could make Christ a reality for them. Think about what they need, who they are, what’s gone on in their life that might have distanced them from Christ and pray about what you could do for them. And if you ARE that person, if you are the one for whom Christ is not a reality, please simply open up your heart to the possibility of God’s great love. Ask questions. Explore your doubts. Challenge yourself that maybe you need God in your life more than you are willing to admit. And see where it leads you. As we go out into the world and celebrate the love of Jesus made real for us in the world, let us also be a beacon of light and life to those around us. Let the incarnation of Christ work through us that we might touch the life of another and help them to know that Jesus loves them, too.
The Unreliable Bible
Don’t tell anyone, but I had a little crush on my Den Mother.
I loved being in Cub Scouts, and not just because of her. It was fun to earn the badges and hang out with my friends. It was cool to go to school in our uniforms and see all the other kids who belonged to your troop. At the time I didn’t realize it, but it was great to feel part of something bigger than yourself. I loved all the doodads you could get for your uniform, too. I had this one cravat for my kerchief that I particularly thought was cool. It was blue and gold and just looked awesome. Everyone in scouts had a handbook and we used that as a guide to help us earn each badge. You’d have to fulfill certain requirements to progress to the next level. We started at Bobcat and then moved to Wolf and then Bear and finally Webelos. Earning my Arrow of Light badge was bittersweet. It was the highest honor you could achieve as a Cub Scout so I was happy and proud to have achieved it, but it also meant it was time to graduate to the Boy Scouts. It was the end of an era. But what made me a scout wasn’t the uniform or the awards or even the scouting handbook. It was an adherence to the ideals of scouting. Going through the book and earning the awards was evidence of my character, but it wasn’t those things that made me a scout. It was about upholding the Cub Scout motto to do my best.
In the same way, our faith doesn’t come from the Bible.
Like the Cub Scout handbook, it’s meant to help us and guide us and in the case of the Bible get to know God better and draw closer to him. But if the Bible were the end-all-be-all of existence, we’d be in a lot of trouble because there are so many things the Bible never addressed. The internet, genetically modified fruit, modern medicine to name just a few. And within the Bible are contradictory narratives. Right from the very beginning. The first chapter tells us that God created the Heavens and the Earth. Then he created the seas and the land. Then he created the plants and after that the animals. And only after everything else was created did he make people. The Bible is very clear on this. Until chapter two. Because in that chapter it says God made man and breathed life into him before any other living thing. When Adam was created, there were no plants or animals. There weren’t even any women. Just him. So, if your faith rests only on the inerrancy of the Bible, you’ll eventually find you have no faith at all. But thankfully, it doesn’t. Our faith does not rest on the Bible. Our faith rests on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, “If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied (1 Corinthians 15:13-14, 19).”
Christianity does not exist because of the Bible. The Bible exists because of Christianity.
Christianity does not exist because of the Bible. The Bible exists because of Christianity. We do not believe in Jesus because it’s in a book. We believe in Jesus because he was born to a virgin, lived amongst us, performed miracles only God could perform, died for our sins, and rose from the dead. And while the Bible chronicles the life and teachings of Jesus, the Bible is not why we are Christian. Andy Stanley used this example in a sermon. He said you don’t exist because of your birth certificate. If something happened to your birth certificate, you wouldn’t cease to exist. Your birth certificate documents something that happened.[1] In the same way, the Bible documents something that happened. And this is exactly why Christianity spread, because the early disciples believed that Jesus rose from the dead and died for their sins. We see this in our reading.
13 When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. 14 But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. 15 So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. 16 “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. 17 But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.”
18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. 19 But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! 20 As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.”
21 After further threats they let them go. They could not decide how to punish them, because all the people were praising God for what had happened. 22 For the man who was miraculously healed was over forty years old. – Acts 14:13-22
Peter and John weren’t putting their lives on the line because of the Bible.
The Bible didn’t exist and would not exist until hundreds of years after their death. In fact, some of the most important letters and teachings of the Bible were written or said to be written by them. But Peter and John put their lives on the line because they believed Christ was the risen Savior, and they believed because they witnessed him after his death. They said to the Jewish elders who were putting them on trial, “As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” It didn’t matter their lives were being threatened, they could not deny their own experience and so eventually the Sanhedrin had to let them go. They believed because of what they knew. Not because of something they read or some theory they heard. They believed because of what they knew and eventually they wrote it down and it became part of what we know to be the Bible today.
But no one in the first century came to believe in Christ because of the Bible.
They didn’t believe because of the Bible in the second century either. Or the third. It wasn’t until Easter in the year 367 that Athanasius, the Bishop of Alexandria, first issued the 27-book list that we call the New Testament.[2] It didn’t become officially canon until the Synod of Hippo in 393.[3] And during that time, Christianity grew BEFORE there was a Bible. Despite persecution, their numbers went from a dozen men to thousands of people to literally millions, until by the year 300 they accounted for 10% of the population of the Roman Empire.[4] In the year 313, Emperor Constantine made Christianity legitimate and by 380, Emperor Theodosius made it the official state religion of the Empire.[5] So for the first 360 years of its existence, Christianity grew from a small group of followers to a Jewish sect to the official state religion of the biggest empire in the known world, and that whole time they didn’t have a Bible. How in the world did they come to believe?
People believed in Jesus Christ because of the transformative power of faith.
People believed in Jesus because of the transformative power of faith. It wasn’t because of a book. It was because they saw for themselves how faith in Christ changed those around them. I’m sure the same is true for you. Although you may have read the Bible as a kid or sung that song we all know and love (“Jesus loves me this I know, for the Bible tells me so…”), that’s not why you believed in Jesus. It’s because you trusted whoever it was that took you to Sunday School. It’s because you thought your pastor knew what he was talking about. It’s because your grandmother had such overpowering faith that you felt compelled to learn more about God. No matter how it happened, you came to have faith in Christ because of the people around you who in either overt or subtle ways convinced you this was something worth believing in. But you didn’t come to faith because of a book. You came to faith in Christ because it was made real to you through the love of those around you, just as it did for Peter and John and Matthew and Luke and Mark and Paul who were so overwhelmed by the love of Christ they had to write about it and tell it to everyone they knew. Love became real for them and through that love they had faith.
The Bible is important.
Please don’t misunderstand that point. I do believe the writers of the Bible were inspired by God. I believe that the words within it are useful to teach, rebuke, and correct as Paul wrote to Timothy. But I also believe human beings are fallible and we have often misinterpreted the words contained within it. I believe human beings even with the best of intentions interpret the Bible in ways that do NOT reflect God’s will. And I know the Bible contains contradictions we cannot resolve. And if the Bible has been used in your life to make you afraid; if the Bible has been used against you as a weapon; if the Bible has been the justification for causing you pain and anguish, I am so sorry. Because that was not why the Bible was written. To quote Jesus’ disciple, John, “Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believethat Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” The Bible was meant to tell the story of God’s great love. A love so great that Jesus gave himself up on the cross for us as a sacrifice for our sins. A love that moved dozens and then thousands and then millions of people to love one another so radically that it convinced others to do the same, and hopefully it has or will do the same for you. The next time you read the Bible, keep that in mind. If you have given up your faith in Christ because of the Bible, please come back. If you have stayed away from believing in Jesus because of the Bible, please give it a chance. And if you have doubts because of the Bible, please feel free to share and ask about it. But know that we believe in Jesus not because of a book, but a book was written because we believe so strongly and want to share that love with the world.
[1] Andy Stanley in his sermon, “Who Needs God?: The Bible Told Me So,” August 27, 2016. Also attributed to that sermon is a variation of the quote “Christianity doesn’t exist because of the Bible…”
[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_of_the_New_Testament_canon#Muratorian_fragment
[3] https://gotquestions.org/canon-Bible.html
[4] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_church_of_the_Roman_Empire
[5] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christianity_in_the_4th_century
Craig's Corner 