The Devil Made Me Do It
Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, left the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, 2 where for forty days he was temptedby the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and at the end of them he was hungry.
3 The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone.’”
5 The devil led him up to a high place and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world. 6 And he said to him, “I will give you all their authority and splendor; it has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to. 7 If you worship me, it will all be yours.”
8 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God and serve him only.’”
9 The devil led him to Jerusalem and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down from here. 10 For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you
to guard you carefully;
11 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’”
12 Jesus answered, “It is said: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”
13 When the devil had finished all this tempting, he left him until an opportune time. – Luke 4:1-13
When the devil tempted Jesus, what do you think Jesus saw?
During Halloween, when I was growing up, I’d see other kids dress up like the devil with the red mask and plastic body suit and it would freak me out! I knew it wasn’t real, but still, you have to wonder what kind of kid picks Satan as his costume of choice. Probably someone you want to avoid. Of course, if the devil showed up in person, I don’t think that’s what he would look like. Too obvious. I like the way Aaron described the devil in the film Broadcast News. “What do you think the devil’s going to look like if he’s around? Come on, no one is going to be taken in by a guy with a long, red pointy tail… He will be attractive. He’ll be nice and helpful. He’ll get a job where he’ll influence a great, God-fearing nation. He’ll never do an evil thing, he’ll never deliberately hurt a living thing. He’ll just bit by little bit lower our standards where they’re important. Just a tiny little bit. Just coax along. Flash over substance. Just a tiny little bit…and he’ll get all the great women.” So, what do you think Jesus saw in the desert during those forty days?
Would it surprise you to know the devil is never described in the Bible?
At least not in a physical sense. There’s no mention anywhere of what Satan looks like in any of the times he pops up. But I think that’s on purpose. Because evil can take many different forms. Like a chocolate chip cookie. Certainly, THAT’S evil. At least to my stomach. But seriously, evil can appear in many ways – temptation, gossip, slander, abuse. Sure, a guy with red skin, horns and a tail might be scary, but scary and evil are two different things. It would make more sense if the devil were just as Aaron described, someone attractive and charismatic who would catch you off guard and compromise your morals.
And does the devil even exist?
Some believe the devil is a physical being. Some believe the devil is a spiritual being. And some believe the devil is the personification of evil in the world. There are a ton of references in the Bible to evil but surprisingly very few specifically about Satan or the devil or any of the other names we’ve come to associate with him. And none of them actually tell us if these different incarnations of evil are the same. But maybe that doesn’t matter. No matter what form you believe the devil takes, we can all agree evil exists and we are called to resist and fight it wherever it crops up. When Jesus was tempted in the desert by the devil, he was challenged in many ways – and none of them by what we would probably think of as “evil.” The devil didn’t torture Jesus. He didn’t attack him. He simply tempted him with rational arguments and promises of an easier life. That is the real trick of the devil – not to come at us directly, but to tempt us in our weakest areas.
Sometimes I think it’s better if we don’t believe in the devil.
At least not as some sort of physical being like we read about in this passage. Not that he does or doesn’t exist. Not that he might be a physical or spiritual being. But for us to stand up to evil in the world, we are better off not believing there is one being orchestrating all of it. Because when we believe in the devil, it becomes too easy for us to relinquish any personal responsibility for the horrors we either allow to happen or don’t do anything to prevent. It is so easy for us to say “the devil made me do it” when (let’s face it) you did it. Or I did it. Or someone else did it. The devil didn’t make you do it. In fact, the devil doesn’t hold any power over any of us. The only way the devil succeeds in his schemes is because we give him the power to do so – either by our actions or inactions. We can justify it any way we want, but it amounts to the same thing – we are complicit in the evil around us.
Humanity loves to avoid responsibility.
Just turn on the news any day of the week and you can watch the circus of blame as people keep pointing fingers at one another. Whether the issue is healthcare, homelessness, or racism, everyone is blaming someone, but no one is getting anything done. It’s like that poem about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody. There was an important job to be done (insert your favorite cause here) and Everybody was sure that Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it. Somebody got angry about that because it was Everybody’s job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it, but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn’t do it. It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
Every time there’s a mass shooting, I think of this story.
“Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.” The number of mass shootings since the pandemic has remained extremely high. Last year was the lowest in five years and there were still over 500 events in America alone.[1] A study done in 2023 shows Americans in are in favor of still stricter gun control laws (58% although some as high as 64%) even after the passage of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act which enacted significant gun control legislation for the first time in three decades.[2] And while there is disagreement about how it should get done, there are a couple of issues where there is wide agreement – banning gun sales to those with mental illness and raising the minimum age to 21.[3] And nearly two-thirds of all Americans are in favor of banning high-capacity magazines (66%) and assault-style weapons (64%).[4] Yet it took three decades to pass something meaningful because Congress was afraid. Afraid of the NRA. Afraid of losing power. Afraid of losing funding. Fear has held them back from doing the right thing for thirty years, and even then we did not have the courage to do more when Americans were crying out for more. The words of Jesus echo loudly in my ears, “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? (Matthew 16:26)”
Is that the devil’s fault?
Did the devil make them water down legislation that could have done more? Or is evil as simple as good men doing nothing? John Stuart Mill said it in 1867, “Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.”[5] We have to be better. We have to do better. For evil to thrive in the world doesn’t have to be the machinations of some evil being manipulating the world from behind. For evil to thrive is simply good men looking on and doing nothing. We all get caught in situations where it would be easier, simpler, less problematic, less hassle, and less headache for us to do nothing. We’ve all been there when we would rather call in sick, skip church, relax and watch a football game. Challenge yourself the next time you are tempted to sit idly by when you could or should do something, to do it. When you think about the injustice in the world, just remember, we can do something about it. The devil only has power over us when we allow it. The devil’s greatest power is in the willfulness of humankind sitting idly by when we could be doing something to stop the evil in the world.
[1] https://www.cnn.com/us/mass-shootings-fast-facts/index.html (A mass shooting is defined as a gun incident where 4 or more people are either injured or killed as a result of the use of a firearm)
[2] https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/07/24/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns/ and https://www.cnn.com/2023/05/26/politics/cnn-poll-gun-laws/index.html ; Bipartisan Safer Communities Act – https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bipartisan_Safer_Communities_Act
[3] https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2024/07/24/key-facts-about-americans-and-guns/
[4] Ibid.
[5] https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/top-10-misattributed-quotations-a7910361.html
Writing With Ink
Betty Nesmith Graham made her fortune because of me.
At least in part. Betty is the mother of Michael Nesmith from the hit 1960’s band The Monkees. But she is probably more well known, if not by name then by her invention – Liquid Paper. Betty worked as an executive secretary and wanted to find a way to more easily fix her typos. At the time, computers were a thing of science-fiction instead of real life and typewriters didn’t have a good way erasing her mistakes. Being an artist, she took the lessons learned from her artistry and applied them to her work. She was quoted as saying, “…an artist never corrects by erasing, but always paints over the error.”[1] She applied that to her work by creating her own paint solution and thus Liquid Paper was born! I still remember the first time at school I was asked to write with a pen. It was exciting! And a bit nerve-wracking. Not being able to erase my mistakes bothered me. If I made a mistake, I wasn’t the kind to just keep going. I would stop. Erase it as best as I could (sometimes ripping the paper I was trying so hard). And make the correction. But with a pen, that wasn’t possible. Until Liquid Paper. What a Godsend that was! Make a mistake? No problem. Just “white it out.” Sure, you’d have to wait a few seconds, but it looked so clean and neat afterward. I can’t remember when it happened, but one of my teachers (I think it was Ms. Logan in junior high) told us she didn’t want us using Liquid Paper. Or erasable pens. Or pencils. She said, if we made a mistake, just cross it out and keep going. Seriously? That bothered me. If you’ve got something why not use it? It just looked ugly crossing things out. The first time I did it, there was this one section where I basically crossed out nearly an entire paragraph. It was actually just one sentence I had to keep re-writing because I kept making mistakes, but it looked like a paragraph it was so long. But I learned an important lesson from her. If I wanted to improve, I had to take the time and be intentional about what I was doing.
Intention provides direction.
Richard Branson wrote, “A day without intention is a day wasted. It doesn’t matter if you want to get some exercise, write an essay, or start a business; without intention, there can be no productivity, and in turn no success.”[2] Living a life of intention helps to guide us and give us a sense of direction, a sense of purpose. It also provides a space between impulse and reckless abandon. How many times have you said something rash or did something out of anger or spite? How many times have you maybe said what you were thinking and wish you hadn’t let that little nugget out? If we’re honest about it, at one time or another we probably have all done that. But wouldn’t it be great if we didn’t? I find my life turns out for the best when I live a life of intention, and I think that’s the kind of life God wants us to lead. If you have a Bible or a Bible app, would you please turn to Philippians 4:8-9? It’s toward the back half of the New Testament. Philippians 4:8-9. Now, that is not to say we have to live a regimented life or a life devoid of spontaneity. One of my favorite lines in the movie The Sure Thing is when Alison tells Walter, “Spontaneity has its time and its place.” But that’s not what I mean at all. You CAN be spontaneous and still be intentional because being intentional means being purposeful. It means directing your life in a certain direction. If all we are is regimented, if all we can do is live by a specific plan, then we won’t know what to do when something surprises us as life often does. Being intentional doesn’t mean we have to plan for everything. Being intentional is a matter of being and of thought. Intentionality is a matter of spiritual discipline.
8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9 Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you. – Philippians 4:8-9
Think about such things!
“Whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable – if anything is excellent or praiseworthy – think about such things.” That’s the kind of life God wants for us to lead, to focus on the aspects of life that are good and true and to leave everything else behind. Paul teaches us that when we are able to do that, when we fill our minds with the excellent and praiseworthy, we will have the peace of Christ in our hearts. Paul is writing to the people in the church at Philippi. And to hear these words from him at this time in his life is pretty astonishing. Paul is writing from prison and yet he is full of hope. Instead of seeing failure, he sees opportunity. He talks about how he is reaching the prison guards with the good news of Jesus and anticipates he will be released. But even if not, even if this is where he will die, Paul is satisfied. And that’s the kind of life he is writing about to this church. He encourages them to “conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ (Philippians 1:27).”
For us to grow in our faith we have to be intentional.
We have to be intentional in our prayer life. We have to be intentional in our reading of the Bible. We have to be intentional about seeing the world through the eyes of Jesus. Of loving the unlovable. Of reaching those furthest from God. Of looking for opportunities to share the love of Christ. It’s so easy to become “too busy” for God. But that’s what happens when we are not intentional about putting God first. We drift away and pretty soon, we don’t even realize how far we have left the path. The passage we read from Matthew this morning is one that sticks with me constantly. “‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding; you will be ever seeing but never perceiving. 15 For this people’s heart has become calloused; they hardly hear with their ears, and they have closed their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears, understand with their hearts and turn, and I would heal them (Matthew 13:14-15).’” It pains me to think that so many people in the world have eyes to see and ears to hear, but neither see nor hear God in their lives. But couldn’t the same be true of us? Aren’t there times we drift away from God and become lackadaisical in our faith? Being intentional is a discipline and one if we aren’t careful to cultivate easily slips away from us.
Intentionality is the key to life.
You’ve probably read those guides to a healthy marriage. Almost every single one says to carve out time for your spouse. Seems obvious. But most marriages suffer because they forget this one simple rule. And from this one simple rule an entire host of problems happens. Lack of communication, feeling lonely, working at odds with one another, feeling unwanted. Which of course leads to even worse problems and which often leads to divorce when we aren’t even looking. But that’s the problem isn’t it? We aren’t even looking. Ferris Bueller said, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.”[3] We don’t want that to happen to us, especially in the areas of our life that are most important – our spouse, our kids, our faith. But that’s what happens when we let things slip away.
Andy Stanley gave this great example once.
He gave the example that we often sacrifice family time because of work or school or other obligations, but that you can’t ever get those moments back. He was pointing out how important it is to be intentional with your family, to carve out time for them and not let life slip away from you. It’s not like you can gather up your family on Sunday morning and say to them, “Okay, I know I said I’d be home to have dinner with you all week, but I wasn’t able to do it, so here’s what we’re going to do. On the way to church this morning, we’re going to stop by Waffle House and have some pecan waffles and hash browns scattered and smothered! When we’re done there, we’ll drive over to Denny’s and eat the Grand Slam. After that we’ll head over to IHOP and have all-you-can eat pancakes, okay? That will make up for all the meals I missed this week and we can have this great family bonding time and everything will be okay.” It just doesn’t work like that.
If we aren’t intentional, we lose focus, and our lives can become just a long string of events.
In a world of growing choices, it’s easier and easier to drift from one thing to another and not really think about what it is YOU can contribute to the great tapestry of life. It’s too easy to let your gifts become squandered as the little things eat up your time, your money, and your attention. Like we’ve been saying, you have to be intentional in what you do, including and maybe especially your faith. God shouldn’t take a back seat in your life. There was a great line from the very first episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip where these two characters are talking about how topsy-turvy everything is on the set and one of them says, “do we let Jesus be our co-pilot?” And the other one responds, “My mom used to say to me, ‘If Jesus is your co-pilot, you should trade seats.’” Be intentional. About your family. About your marriage. About your job. About your faith. Take time for the things that are important and don’t let time escape you for the things that aren’t. Make sure to avoid the rabbit holes and bunny trails that so easily divert us from what we intend to do. The truth is, none of this is anything you probably don’t already know, but if we don’t remind ourselves once in a while what’s important, we can lose everything of any real meaning. Our lives are not written in pencil. They are written in ink. And there is no Liquid Paper to correct some of the mistakes we make if we are not careful.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bette_Nesmith_Graham
[2] https://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/power-intention
[3] Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Judge Me By My Size Do You?
Size isn’t everything. Just ask Yoda.
Yoda is a Jedi Master, a wielder of the Force, and the one who trained Luke Skywalker to become a Jedi Knight. But it took some heavy convincing. Yoda wasn’t sold on Luke to begin with. Too old, too fixed in his ways. But finally, he gives in and Luke actually makes some real progress, becoming more and more adept at wielding the Force. While they were training, Luke’s X-Wing starfighter sinks into the swamp and in distress Luke exclaims, “We’ll never get it out now,” as all but a small part of the wing is below the muck. Immediately Yoda chirps up and says, “So sure are you? Tried have you? Always with you it can’t be done.” After some arguing Luke says, he’ll try and Yoda exclaims, “No! Do or do not. There is no try.” But Luke can’t do it and he tells Yoda that the ship is too big. Yoda tells him, “Size has no meaning. It matters not. Look at me. Judge me by my size do you?” Then Yoda does what seems impossible and single-handedly lifts this gigantic starship out of the swamp. Luke looks on in awe and whispers, “I don’t believe it.” And Yoda responds, “That is why you fail.”
Luke’s failure had little to do with the size of the ship.
He fails because he lacks faith. And who could blame him? Faced with such a daunting task, would we believe any differently? His ship is literally made of tons of metal and Yoda expects him to move it with just the power of the Force. Luke says to him, “Master, moving stones around is one thing. This is totally different!” And Yoda responds, “No, only difference is in your mind! You must unlearn what you have learned.” What is it we have learned that we might have to unlearn?
We are a size-oriented society.
In so many ways we equate “bigger” with “better.” In sports we value home runs over singles, the slam dunk over the lay-up, the “Hail Mary” over the slow march down the field. We talk about “Big Business” and “Big Money” and look at the driving influence of such wealthy entrepreneurs as the Koch brothers, Bill and Melinda Gates, and Warren Buffett. Even in the church we talk about the “size” of our congregations. Mega-churches are seen as more “successful” because they have higher attendance, can afford big buildings and newer technology, and have large campuses. But before we buy in to the philosophy that “bigger is better” let’s not forget that Christianity, the world’s “biggest” religion[1] was not started by the rich and powerful, but by a Jewish carpenter and his twelve, normal, everyday followers. We are so quick to believe that a task is too big or a job too daunting because of its scope and size, but the truth is success can happen on any level.
Think back to the early church.
I mean the REALLY early church. The church before buildings and sanctuaries and fellowship halls. Now, they not only didn’t have a regular place to meet, they didn’t have much of anything else either, but the Bible describes this group of people as being completely at peace with one another. We stress out over a lack of money, lack of resources, and lack of people, but the early church didn’t have any of those things either. What they DID have was something available to any church no matter what size they were. As we read this passage, think about the things they did have and how similar or different it is to our churches today.
42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. – Acts 2:42-47
Did you notice what the church had?
Devotion. Awe. Common belief. Giving spirit. Togetherness. Did you notice what wasn’t mentioned? Money. Buildings. Pews. Programs. None of the things we associate with the modern church. The only time they came close to talking about money was when they mentioned that the followers sold their things and gave to everyone who had need. And still “the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” Could you imagine if that were true here? Even if the Lord added to our number weekly, we would grow faster than our building could handle. All they needed were these common core attributes – devotion, which they exhibited through worship and study; an awe of God and the work he was doing in the world; common belief in Christ without fighting about the little things; a giving spirit which they showed by doing for those around them; and being together. That word is mentioned three times in this short passage. “Together.” They were together in serving the Lord. When we have those attributes, we are open to the designs of the Holy Spirit, and he can do amazing things with us that we haven’t even thought of.
Size alone is not a measure of worth to God.
If God only cared about size or wealth or prestige or any of the other things the world generally measures “success” by, he never would have chosen Israel to be his chosen people. Listen again to what Moses himself told the assembled peoples of Israel in Deuteronomy, “The Lord did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” (Deuteronomy 7:7-8). We see in the Bible, time and time again how true this statement is; that God does not pick the mightiest or the smartest or the strongest of people to be his messengers. Often, they are normal, flawed people like you and me. Take for example the story of Samuel. If you remember, God rejects Saul as King of Israel and tells Samuel to go looking for a new one. During his search he goes to meet Jesse of Bethlehem and immediately, he thinks he’s found the new king in Eliab, Jesse’s oldest son, but the Lord hears Samuel’s thoughts and says to him in 1 Samuel 16:7, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at outward appearances, but the Lord looks at the heart.” So in a scene reminiscent of Cinderella[2], Samuel asks to see each of Jesse’s other sons. But as each one walks by, God says “Nope, not the one.” And after all seven of Jesse’s oldest sons walk by and having the Lord reject them all, Samuel asks “Are these all the sons you have?” and Jesse admits, “There is one more, but he’s out in the back tending the sheep.” Tending the sheep! Could there BE any clearer sign for Samuel? It was like the glass slipper fit right on this youngest son’s foot. And when the youngest son walks in, God tells Samuel, “That’s the one.” And so began the reign of King David, slayer of Goliath and long considered the greatest king of the Israeli people. David wasn’t the biggest or the oldest or the smartest nor was he free of sin, but God did say David was a man after His own heart, and THAT’S what was important to God. His heart, not his size.
Craig Groeschel is one of my favorite pastors.
And it’s not because we share the same name, although admittedly it’s kind of cool. And it’s not because he has a HUGE church, because he does. It’s because he had the bravery and most importantly, the FAITH to step out and do what God was calling him to do. Craig actually used to be a United Methodist pastor, but he felt called to start a new church and for whatever reason, the United Methodist church told him “No.” So, he left. Not with a grudge. Not with bitterness. But with a strong sense of what God was calling on him to do. He didn’t have anything to start with that you would think would set him up for success. They didn’t have a big building to meet in. They didn’t have a ton of money. They didn’t have a large children’s ministry. He often tells the story that they were so small that worship consisted of meeting in a garage with an overhead projector run by a guy with a missing finger. The children’s ministry literally met in a closet in the garage, and he likes to joke that they came out of the closet every week. But he felt sure this was what God called him to do. He stayed faithful to it, he dared to do things differently, he followed where God was leading instead of taking the safe route and more people came to Christ. Today that church that started in a garage now has more than 26,000 people every week. But it’s not because his church is big that people are coming to Christ. People are coming to Christ and as a result the church is big. We often confuse the two and make size the goal instead of what we’re supposed to do – transform lives.
Like Yoda said, “Size has no meaning.”
We’ve seen throughout the Bible that God does amazing things with small groups of people. Gideon and his army of 300. David and his slingshot. Jesus and the 12 disciples. As Mark Twain put it, “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight. It’s the size of the fight in the dog.” That’s what matters. Are we willing to live up to the core values that Christ taught us? Because there really isn’t anything we can’t do if we are willing to go all out. If we are willing to do what’s necessary to reach people for God, we can make it happen. But are we willing? Because we will only succeed if like those early disciples we are devoted, we are in awe of what God can do in us, we agree on our common beliefs, we have a giving spirit, and we do it TOGETHER. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[1] https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2015/04/02/397042004/muslim-population-will-surpass-christians-this-century-pew-says
[2] http://www.asails.freeserve.co.uk/King%20Eliab.htm. Rev. Andrew Sails used the Cinderella reference in a sermon on a completely different subject, but it was such a clever comparison, I wanted to use it.
The Lasting Power of Casserole
What images come to mind when you hear the word “church?”
If you’re like most people, you probably think of a building with a steeple on top and a cross towering high overhead. You might picture stained glass windows or pews or a preacher. Maybe pulpits and potluck dinners. A lot of things with the letter “p.” But none of those things are “church.” Church is another “p” word – people. The church is a people instead of a place. The word “church” comes from the Greek ekklesia or “assembly.” It has nothing to do with a building and it doesn’t have any special definition beyond that….until Jesus gave it one. When Jesus asked Simon who he was and Simon said, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God,” Jesus responded, “…I tell you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my ekklesia… my church…” In that moment, the word ekklesia gathered a new meaning, because Jesus wasn’t talking about any assembly of people. He was talking about HIS assembly – the children of God.
But before you let that go to your heads, think about this.
Being the children of God and acting like it are two totally different things. It goes back to what we’ve shared before, “Being in church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than being in a garage makes you a car.”[1] So what does it actually mean to be the church? When we recite the Apostles’ Creed, we say we believe in the “holy catholic church” and the “communion of saints” but it doesn’t take a long, meaningful look at church history to realize there were plenty of times we didn’t act very holy or saint-like. Those words meant something different when the creed was written. Back then, “Holy” simply meant “sacred to” or “set apart for” and in our case holy means we are people who recognize we are set apart for God. That doesn’t mean God has a gold star next to our name and it certainly doesn’t mean we are perfect. It is just our recognition that our lives are devoted to God and not the other way around. As Adam Hamilton wrote in his book, Creed, the church is holy “when those who consider the church home don’t ask ‘What do we want our church to do for us?’ but rather ‘What does God want his church to do for him?’”[2] The same thing is true for the word “saint.” “Saint” is derived from the Greek hagios which is often translated as “holy.” It simply refers to a person who acts as if their life belongs to God.
That is the work God calls on us to do as his people.
To be devoted to God. We are supposed to be the people of God in the world, but even our perception of “church” has evolved over the years. It’s flipped from its original meaning. Today it’s more about a place than a people. But that’s not at all the way God meant for it to be. Back in the days of the disciples, they didn’t have a regular place of worship unless it was the temple. Interesting note: Today we define a “regular churchgoer” as someone who attends more than once a month but back then they would go twice in one day! First to the temple and then to the gathering of God’s people, usually in someone’s home. God’s idea of church was something inside of us. His ekklesia was wherever they were gathered not in a location as Peter wrote in his first letter to the church.
4 As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by humans but chosen by God and precious to him— 5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. 10 Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy. – 1 Peter 2:4-5, 9-10
YOU are the church!
Like the words to that classic hymn, “I am the church, YOU are the church, WE are the church together.” And that’s what Peter was trying to make clear to the Christ followers of his time. He told them God was building them up not from the outside but from the inside. He was telling them, yes, God is building his church, but it isn’t a place but a people. The spiritual house God is building starts with Jesus as the cornerstone and each one of us are the brick and mortar of this never-ending structure known as the people of God. In my head, I picture a sort of Winchester House for Jesus, a building always under construction, shaped by the people who comprise it. If you’ve ever been to the Winchester House, you know Sarah Winchester had the superstitious belief that construction on the house must be never-ending to appease the spirits of those killed from the rifles made by her husband’s rifle company. Legend has it that Mrs. Winchester never stopped adding to her house, constantly adding new features, rooms, and adornments throughout her life. That sense of never-ending construction of God’s house is how I picture each of us being worked on all throughout our lives; to become better disciples of Christ and to add to the beauty of the spiritual house we call the church.
Too often church becomes simplified to a building.
And we forget that WE are the actual church. How we act, how we behave, says more than the building itself. When I was in seminary, one of my fellow pastors told us about a congregation he knew of that split over a couch. By all measures, it was an ugly couch. It was lopsided. It had lumps. It was an eyesore to most. But it was donated by a beloved member who had a lot of family who came to that place. For years, no one said anything but finally someone suggested they replace it with a new couch and almost immediately people took sides – those who wanted to keep it and those who wanted to get rid of it. In the end, they couldn’t resolve their differences and they split the church in two. Over an ugly couch. It’s one of the reasons why I am opposed to putting plaques on things. I don’t know why we feel the need to memorialize someone by putting a metal plaque on some object. It just makes it five times harder to get rid of when it’s time. You know the old saying about not naming your food? It’s doubly true for the church. We just can’t let it go if it has a name on it.
For me, church became real in the power of a casserole.
For all the knowledge I had gained about what it meant to be a follower of Christ, it took on new life in a casserole dish. When Cassie gave birth to Emma, the families belonging to our Sunday School group all took turns and brought food to us for the entire week. THE ENTIRE WEEK! And there was always enough for leftovers so I pretty much didn’t have to cook or make anything at all. And they didn’t just bring casserole, but chicken and spaghetti and lasagna and other dishes so we had a variety every single day. And it wasn’t just the main course either. They brought salads, veggies, and even dessert. Pretty much all I supplied was the milk. We hadn’t asked for the help, but that made it all the more meaningful. They anticipated our need before we even expressed it. It gave me more time to dote on Cassie and our new baby girl, Emma. It gave me time to make sure Eve was doing okay and to spend time with her, too. It was just a tremendous blessing to our family. These people not only WENT to church, but they WERE the church. And that’s what I believe God calls on all of us to do – to be the church in the world today.
What we do every Sunday is important.
And it is such a blessing we get to gather in as nice a place as this. Worship is the heartbeat of what we do. It sets the tone for the week. It’s a time to draw closer to God. And if it wasn’t for a worship service that touched my heart, I don’t think I would have stayed around long enough to know the God that loves me the way I do today. Good sermons teased my brain about who God was and gave me the confidence to keep asking questions. Incredible music uplifted my spirit and revealed God to me in a new and different way. Praying, giving, helping out in worship, all of it helped me to know God in a deeper more meaningful way. But it wasn’t the building that did those things. It was the people. The building was simply the place we did it. What we do as a church is important. But never forget this. Jesus didn’t give his life for us just so we could GO to church. He wanted us to BE the church, too.
[1] I wish I could claim credit for that snappy line, but I heard it from someone else and if I ever figure out who, I will give them full credit!
[2] Adam Hamilton, Creed, p. 108.
Happy Puppy Sermon
Jesus can be such a downer.
Not that it’s his fault. He led a pretty tragic life. Died at 32 for a crime he didn’t commit. Executed in the most brutal way possible at the time. Forced to carry the instrument of his own death. Mocked and ridiculed by the very people he tried to save. And even his closest friends abandoned him when things got tough. When a sliver of hope opened up and Pontius Pilate offered the people the chance to free one of the prisoners from death, the crowd chose Barabbas, a man condemned for murder and insurrection. As we come up to the Easter season, we tend to talk a lot about the death of Jesus and our own broken nature. About how horrible we are to one another. About how petty and small we can be. I look at the story about the crowds wanting to stone to death the adulterous woman and Jesus saying to them, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone,” and realizing none of us would qualify to do it. I would hope none of us would want to stone another living being but then I’m reminded of the hate crimes against the LGBTQ community, the Muslim community, and the Asian community for just being who they are. Or how Joseph’s own brothers were so jealous of him that they first plotted to kill him and then instead sold him into slavery and profited off his misery. And talking about being petty, I remember the story of the guy in the temple talking about how he is so much better than other people while disguising it as a prayer. And while each week, I hope you walk away feeling inspired and empowered to do amazing things in the name of Christ, it can be depressing to see how hurtful, petty, and selfish we can be. Every once in a while, we just need a reminder we are worthy of being loved. That God don’t make no junk.
Sometimes we need a sabbath day even in worship.
A day where we can simply rejoice in being the Children of God and remind ourselves of the God who loves us. We don’t want church to become a chore or a task – we have enough of those days during the week. The idea of constantly pushing yourself without taking a break is a part of our culture, as if taking time off means we aren’t committed or that we don’t have the same effort as someone else. But would you be surprised that idea isn’t something new? The Romans used to bad mouth the Jewish people for taking a sabbath day, characterizing them as lazy for doing so.[1] But today we know so much more about the idea of rest – rest from work, rest from computer screens, rest from social media[2] – the prescription is clear; we need rest. Normally when we talk about needing a break it usually is a reference to work life, and the statistics are clear. Men who don’t take a vacation are 30% more likely to suffer from a heart attack than men who do.[3] Working long hours in general increases mortality by 20%. There have also been associations between long work hours and type 2 diabetes, weight gain, and increased alcohol use.[4] But we need rest in other areas of life, too. Today’s message is just a happy puppy. It’s a message where the only purpose is to fill you with happiness and love. To remind you of the God who loves you. To walk away feeling as if you were surrounded by puppies.
There are so many inspirational passages in the Bible.
So many stories of hope and encouragement. If you have a Bible or a Bible app on your phones, please go to the book of Acts in the New Testament, chapter 4, verse 8. Acts 4:8. All throughout the Bible are stories of people coming from different circumstances who are given another chance, who are filled with doubt, and who are put into unusual positions. Gideon and Moses both doubted where God was leading them, but when they put their trust in the Lord, he turned them into powerful leaders. Deborah was lifted up as a leader of the Israeli people in a time when women were looked down upon but was so blessed by God even the men in her army bowed down to her. And the story of the criminal who was crucified next to Jesus might be the most inspirational of all. A man who led a life of bad enough to be sentenced to a horrible death, but who recognized Jesus as savior and Jesus offers him salvation. “You will be with me in paradise.” No one is past redemption. And everyone has hope for something better. Then we hear this story about Peter and John. Let me set up the story. Peter and John are passing by the temple telling everyone they meet about the glory of Jesus, and they see a beggar in front of the temple gate. The beggar, who was born unable to walk, asks for money, but instead Peter and John give him something more valuable, they heal him! The priests had Peter and John arrested and thrown in jail hoping to stem the tide of people who are coming to faith in Christ, but word spreads and the number of followers keeps growing. The next day they bring Peter and John in front of the temple leaders and ask them, “By what power or what name did you do this? (Acts 4:7)” And this is what happens next.
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people! 9 If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, 10 then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. 11 Jesus is
“‘the stone you builders rejected,
which has become the cornerstone.’
12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”
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 4:8-22
How great would it be to know you are so loved you felt able to do anything!
Here they are, standing in front of the religious leaders who literally hold the power of life and death in front of them. They could have succumbed to pressure and just said or did what the priests wanted. But instead, they boldly proclaim that all they have done was in the name of Christ. And it works. The leaders are trapped. They can’t deny the miracle these two men have performed. The evidence is right there in the room with them. And so many people saw it. The courage of Peter and John inspires those who are witnessing these events, too. In the end, they just let them go. Peter and John were so filled with the Holy Spirit, they were so confident that they had a God who loved them, they were emboldened to do what most people would have been afraid to do. That’s what it is like to know you are loved by God.
I had a friend who thought she was unworthy of God’s love.
Maybe you know someone like that. Maybe you are that person. She thought she had done too much wrong in her life to ever be forgiven by God. And I’m not talking murder, theft, kidnapping or anything she would be arrested for. She just felt she had made too many mistakes in life and there was no hope for her and my pastor at the time reminded her, as I am reminding you, that you are worthy of God’s love. That you are worthy of God’s forgiveness. And that we all have a chance at redemption and salvation. When we realize this is true; when we understand deep in our hearts that Jesus loved us so much he gave his life for us, when we internalize the great love of God, we become as confident and bold as Peter and John.
Sabbath means rest, and we can all use that from time to time.
Even in church. As Ferris Bueller said at the end of his movie, “Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.” In a way, that’s true in church, too. We need to stop occasionally and just reflect on how much God loves us. And how much we love God. It’s a different kind of sabbath but an important one. Not every message needs to remind us what we could be doing better or challenge us to do more. Sometimes we need to step back and simply know we are loved. And if you need a reminder, go hug a puppy.
[1] https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-weekend-essay/the-quiet-revolution-of-the-sabbath
[2] https://summer.harvard.edu/blog/need-a-break-from-social-media-heres-why-you-should-and-how-to-do-it/#content
[3] https://www.howwegettonext.com/the-ideal-workweek-according-to-science/
The Blind Spot
Did you know you have a blind spot?
I don’t mean the area of your car you can’t see in your side view mirrors. I mean a literal blind spot right in front of your face. Apparently, everyone has one in each eye. It’s the spot where the retina and the optical nerve are joined together. Normally, you don’t notice because your other eye fills in the information to your brain, so you think you’re seeing everything, but literally there is a blind spot right in front of your face. You can find a simple experiment online so you can see this for yourself.[1] There are two spots on a piece of paper, a dot and a cross. If you cover your right eye and focus on the green dot and move your face toward the screen, there’s a certain distance where the red dot simply vanishes! Move just a centimeter closer or farther away and it reappears. Go to that one particular spot and the dot disappears. Because your mind can’t “fill in” the information for you, it appears white like the color surrounding it. Even though you KNOW it’s red, it fills it in with white. Your mind makes the best guess possible given the information it has. Even when reality is staring us in the face, there are times when we can’t see reality for what it is but instead what we perceive it to be.
We all have blind spots. And not just in front of our eyes, but in our hearts and minds as well.
If we can have literal blind spots, is it hard to believe we can have intellectual and emotional blind spots as well? Most of us have had a friend or family member who was dating someone they shouldn’t have. We could see it. Everyone around them could see it. But no matter what was said or done, they were blind to it. The same thing with ideas. I still have a hard time wrapping my mind around the idea that Pluto is no longer a planet because that’s the way I grew up. It just became part of “the things we know.” There are nine planets in the solar system – not eight! When we believe in something – whether it’s a person or an idea, it’s tough to let it go, even if the evidence is staring you in the face. We will defend it even beyond reason, and faith is one of those hardcore beliefs. At some level, we realize how hard it is to convince people to abandon their faith in favor of another. Hinduism and Buddhism both began long before the birth of Christ and their vision of faith is radically different than our own. People of Islamic faith are a little bit closer. We at least share some of the same fundamental roots of our faith, but there are foundational differences where we can see why it would be hard for someone to suddenly believe Jesus was their Lord and Savior. But Judaism? What happened there?
Why didn’t Jews believe in Christ?
Of all the religions we’ve looked at, Christianity and Judaism have the most in common. In fact, we believe in the same God, we have the same ancestors, and up through the Old Testament, we even have the same Scripture. So why did the people of Israel not believe Jesus was the Son of God? First, we have to dispel that notion because obviously many of them did. There would be no Christianity if the Hebrew people didn’t believe in him. In fact, Hamilton estimates that 1/3rd of all Jewish people during that time came to faith in Christ. 33%! When you think how we were just talking about how hard it would be for someone to change their mind about faith, it’s a miracle in itself so many people believed Christ was the promised savior.
Put yourself in the shoes of an average, everyday Jewish person at the time of Christ.
You are not a free people. You have been conquered by the Roman Empire. And if it wasn’t the Romans, it would have been somebody else. Over the course of the history of your people, you have been conquered time and time again. Your kings have often failed you. But the one hope you cling to is God’s promise that one day…ONE DAY…your people would lead a Golden Age of the world. The prophets speak about a savior who would come and raise the banner of Israel high! He would lead them to become the powerhouse of the world! One day the people of Israel would defeat every enemy and all the people of the world would recognize that only Israel followed the one true God. In your head, you’ve grown up with the image of a savior who was this charismatic, brilliant, military leader, so when this young carpenter comes to your temple in Nazareth, reads the words of the great prophet Isaiah, and proclaims that the Scriptures are fulfilled in him, you’re probably thinking, you’ve got to be kidding! Isn’t this Mary and Joseph’s son? Who does he think he is? He doesn’t seem to be some brilliant, charismatic military leader. He’s just a carpenter’s son. Even if you had kept up with the goings on of Jesus, even if you had heard about some of the miracles, you probably would have dismissed them as being made up unless you were there. Think about the feeding of the 5,000. It’s not as if people saw this mountain of bread and fish fall from the skies. If you were in the crowd, you probably would have just seen these baskets being passed around and just assumed they had more than you thought. Only a very few saw the water turn into wine. Only those present saw Lazarus was actually dead and rose again. Sure, Jesus was a great teacher, but THE savior? He couldn’t even save himself! We often talk about the radical nature of Jesus’ ministry, but this is how radical it was. It defied nearly everything they believed in. Their understanding of good works, their understanding of the law, their understanding of God, and most importantly their understanding of their savior. Nearly everything Jesus taught was different from what they believed.
As if that wasn’t enough, his disciples began accepting Gentiles into the faith.
If Israel was God’s chosen people, then what does it mean when you let in a group of people who don’t follow the law, who aren’t circumcised, and who don’t study the Torah? The passage we’re about to read takes place after the Roman centurion Cornelius sends for Peter to come visit him. Cornelius is a man who despite being a Gentile was a devout follower of God. He obeyed God’s commandments and lived a life that honored God. So God sent an angel to Cornelius’ house to share with him how his actions have proven his faith and he tells Cornelius to send for Peter the Apostle. So he does. He sends two servants to ask Peter to come to his house. Before Cornelius’ messengers arrive at the place Peter is staying, Peter receives a vision from God making it clear that only God has the right to judge what is pure and impure. So when the messengers arrive, Peter who normally would refuse to be in the company of Gentiles agrees to go with them. When he gets there, it’s obvious why God sent him and he begins to tell Cornelius about the truth of Jesus. This is where we pick up in our reading this morning.
44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God.
Then Peter said, 47 “Surely no one can stand in the way of their being baptized with water. They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days. – Acts 10:44-48
For us, when we hear this message, it seems obvious that God is reaching out to the Gentiles.
But this was a huge revelation for Peter and the other disciples. This was groundbreaking. It meant Jesus had come not just for the Israelites, but for the entire world. God’s message of salvation was meant for everyone. Even among the Jews who were followers of Christ, this was astonishing because it went against everything they had believed for so long. Jesus did not herald a Golden Age for Israel the way they imagined it. He did not raise the banner of Israel as they expected. And now God was telling them salvation was meant for everyone? As Hamilton pointed out, this likely alienated most of the Jewish community. If there was a chance of some of them being brought to Christ, this would have shoved them the other way. So, when we wonder why it is that the early Jewish people didn’t all believe Jesus was the Savior, this can explain it. Jesus upended their entire concept of salvation. He came for a spiritual conquest not a military one. He defeated his enemies with love instead of a sword. And Jesus promised salvation in Heaven, not on Earth.
We all have blind spots.
They just take different forms. Even today there are some bizarre ones that stand out. At last count there were still 420 people who belonged to the Flat Earth Society, including the famous rock musician Thomas Dolby.[2] As late as 2009, between 6% of Americans still believe the Apollo moon landings never happened.[3] That would be over 20 million people. Twenty million people who believe we never landed on the moon. And there are actually people who believe that the Holocaust never happened. You and I live in a world where these things are a reality. We can prove the Earth is round. We can prove we landed on the moon. And we even have first-hand accounts of the horrors of the Holocaust. How people can live in such a state of denial is unfathomable. So, to think there are people who didn’t and still don’t accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior isn’t a stretch of the imagination. But that doesn’t mean we should stop trying to share God’s love with them. All roads do not lead to the same God. Some roads don’t lead to God at all. But most people are trying to find answers to life’s deepest questions – Why is there suffering? What’s the meaning of existence? Who am I and do I matter? I want to challenge you to go deeper into your own faith and find these answers for yourself. Come to one of our Bible studies. Pick up one of the books we offer. Pray daily and ask for answers. But actively engage in your faith. We become the best witnesses for Christ when we know what and why we believe. As Peter writes, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have (1 Peter 3:15).”
[1] https://www.exploratorium.edu/snacks/blind-spot
[2] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_Earth_Society
[3] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moon_landing_conspiracy_theories
A Few Bad Apples
A few bad apples ruin the bunch.
Isn’t that the truth? You find a few and it’s easy to assume the whole bunch is like that. We tend to define people by the lowest common denominator. Instead of looking to the best and the brightest as examples of a group of people, we tend to take the worst of them and then lump them all together. Think of the stereotypes that define you. Male, female. Young, old. White, Asian, Hispanic, African. Gay, straight. There are tons of them out there. I don’t know about you, but I cringe every time I see a bad Asian driver. There’s a stereotype out there that we’re all horrible on the road, so who needs another guy to mess that up? The truth is Asians are among the country’s best drivers! According to a study by the American Council on Science and Health, Asians had the lowest number of fatal car crashes by far compared to other ethnicities. White people had a rate of about 12 car deaths per 100,000 while Blacks had a rate of about 13 and Native Americans had the worst rate at 17. Asians on the other hand only had 5 deaths per 100,000.[1] How do you like them apples? But the stereotypes get perpetuated by what we choose to notice rather than what is real. You know who else are really good drivers? Women. The fatality rate of men and women in car accidents favors women over two to one.[2]
After 9/11 there was hatred in the air toward anyone who even LOOKED Arabic.
Even though the attacks were brought about by a small, militant, terrorist group of jihadists from across the globe, suddenly anyone of Middle Eastern heritage was suspect. I can’t even say Muslim, because the prejudice went beyond that. If you wore a hijab and looked Arabic, people would suddenly become nervous around you. You were the target of law enforcement all over the country. People of Arab decent were pulled aside in airport security lines routinely and inspected. There were even suggestions of “rounding up all of the Arabs” and locking them behind barbed wire fences “for their own safety.” Nightmare flashbacks to the internment of the Japanese population sprang immediately to mind. It’s sad to think that in all of these intervening years, in all of the speeches, movies, shows, and educational programs we’ve had about the internment, there are still people who haven’t learned that a person’s gender, faith, or ethnicity does not define who they are. Even today violence and discrimination against people of the Islamic faith continues. In 2023, the Council on American-Islamic Relations reported the highest number of hate crimes against Muslim people with over 8,000 incidents.[3] So that distrust and rage hasn’t gone away over time. But we allow ourselves to be convinced that every Muslim person is suddenly suspect, even though the Islamic faith has been in existence for centuries, even though there were mosques before 9/11. It’s as if we suddenly took notice and in an awful way. We allowed our perception of Muslims be tainted by a few bad apples.
I can understand that fear.
I can understand why we revert to a protectionist mode when we feel endangered or when our loved ones are in danger. And it’s easy to let that fear grow into blind hatred, but if it means anything to be Christian, we can’t allow ourselves to do that. We have to step up and embrace with love even those who might be our enemies – real or imagined. Because we are called upon by God to do more. This is from Paul’s second letter to the church at Corinth. He may have written many more, but this is the second of the letters we have collected in the Bible and in this particular passage, he’s writing to the church about how Christ’s death and resurrection has changed how we look at the world and here he defines that for us.
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:The old has gone, the new is here! 18 All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. 20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. 21 God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. – 2 Corinthians 5:16-21
We are Christ’s ambassadors.
And Paul tells us that we aren’t just trying to convince people for our own sake. We’re trying to bring them to Christ “as though God were making his appeal through us.” Paul tries to convince us that just as we see the world differently because of Christ in our lives, we also have to act differently. Not because God is forcing us to, but because if we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, we can’t help but be transformed by his life-giving message. We can’t help but be motivated to show others the love of Jesus. And in one line, Paul makes it abundantly clear what Christ expects of us: “he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.” We must do whatever we can to heal the rift between humanity and God. And that means we need to bridge the gap between us. We are called to make the first step, to make the first move, to be the ones to show humility and love before anyone asks us to. That is our role as Christians, to show the abundant love of God to others..
This is the role we are meant to play, not only with our Muslim friends but all of humanity.
To be certain there are wide differences between us – between Christians and Muslims, but there are many similarities as well. Both consider Abraham as one of the fathers of our faith. In fact each religion traces it’s roots back to Abraham’s two sons, Ishmael and Isaac – Ishmael is considered to be the ancestor of Mohammed and Isaac the ancestor of Jesus. And contrary to some popular belief, we worship the same God. Muslims refer to God as Allah, but that difference is in name only. Just as French use the word Dieu to refer to God or Japanese say kami-sama or people who speak Spanish say Dios people who speak Arabic refer to God as Allah. Allah is to Arabic as God is to English. Both faiths believe that salvation comes by submitting to God. In our Western culture, we tend to downplay the role of submission in our faith, but we shouldn’t. It’s that unwillingness to submit that brings pride, arrogance, and self-reliance upon us and makes it difficult for us to fully rely on God. In Islam, submission is at the heart of their faith. In fact, it’s even part of their very name. The root word “slm” means “to submit.” So the word Islam is roughly translated as “submission to Allah.” And a Muslim person is defined as “one who submits to the will of God.” A Muslim person is “one who submits to the will of God.”
There are differences to be sure. Differences that cannot be overlooked.
In the Islamic faith, Jesus, while thought to be a great prophet, second only to Mohammed himself, is not considered divine. He is not the Son of God, but merely a man favored by God. He did not die on the cross and was not resurrected, and these are essential elements of our faith. We believe Jesus is the savior precisely because he DID die on the cross and in that act of sacrifice covered the stain of sin on our lives so we could be reconciled to God. In his resurrection, we know that he truly is God because only God could conquer both death and sin. In Islam, they confirm the life of Christ and even the virgin birth, but deny that Jesus sacrificed his life on the cross. They also believe that the Quran is the final revelation of God. Unlike the Bible which was written by human hands that we believe was inspired by God, the words in the Quran are thought to actually be God’s words. In fact, they are written as if God is speaking. Mohammed’s followers would in fact write down the visions God revealed to him using the first-person vocabulary. As Hamilton wrote in his book, for them the Quran is the equivalent of Jesus because it is thought to be his final word. As we worship Jesus, God made flesh, they worship the Quran as God himself being revealed through Mohammed. It is also why to followers of Islam that the Quran is only to be read in Arabic because it is the language through which God revealed himself to Mohammed.
But what does that mean for us as Christians?
It’s true we have our differences, differences which divide us from being able to agree, but how is that any different than being fans of the Dodgers or Giants? UCLA or USC? Chocolate or vanilla? Does that mean we have to hate one another? God calls us to be ambassadors for Christ, but who are we being an ambassador to? Christ himself said, “If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that (Matthew 5:46-47)?” We need to reach out to people who are not like us. We have to show people the love of Jesus through our actions. Not by beating them over the head with Bible verses but turning the other cheek, giving to those in need, welcoming those who are different. In the beginning of the Christian movement, people didn’t come to Christ because of what we taught, but because of how we acted. People were astonished by the loving kindness of this group of people who called themselves the followers of the Way. And they saw a love and peace about them that convinced them to give their lives to Christ. Application comes before education. Showing others the love of Christ can lead them to seek out Christ. And it must be so again. Challenge yourself to exhibit this radical love Christ had for others be they Muslim or Jewish or Buddhist or Hindu or even atheist. Let the love of Christ shine within you by your actions. Show kindness and even interest in others’ beliefs. Be willing to talk to them about their understanding of God and show respect for them even if you disagree. Make new friends. Keep reaching out to old ones. But always remember that you are an ambassador for Christ. Don’t let the few bad apples convince you otherwise.
[1] https://www.acsh.org/news/2018/08/10/most-dangerous-drivers-ranked-state-age-race-and-sex-13300
[2] Ibid. Women’s fatality rate is 6.6 per 100,000 while men are an alarming 16.8!
[3] https://www.reuters.com/world/us/us-anti-muslim-incidents-hit-record-high-2023-due-israel-gaza-war-2024-04-02/
All About Me
Let me tell you a story.
Once upon a time, there was a prince who was sheltered all his life from the outside world. His father the King sought to protect him from the suffering and pain he might encounter, hoping that would be enough to insure his son would inherit his throne. Prophets had come to him and predicted that the young prince would either one day become a great king or a great spiritual leader and the king wanted his son to follow him on the throne. So he gave his son everything any man would want and more. But the son became more and more curious about what was on the other side of the wall and one day he decided to go and explore. He took his charioteer, Channa, with him and together they rode through the countryside. As they were riding, they encountered an old man. The prince was shocked, having never seen an elderly person before and he asked his charioteer, “Is this the fate of all people?” “Yes,” Channa replied. “All people suffer from aging.” The prince had much to think about. On their second journey, they encountered a man who was ill and sickly. The prince asked his charioteer again, “Is this the fate of all people?” “Yes,” Channa replied. “All people suffer illness.” And again, the prince had much to think about. On their third journey, the prince saw a funeral procession. It was the first time he had looked upon the body of a person who had died and he asked his charioteer, “Is this the fate of all people?” And Channa replied, “Yes, all people eventually suffer from death.” This created a lot of angst in the prince and he began contemplating the meaning of all this suffering. He went out once more with his charioteer and on the way they encountered an ascetic monk who seemed quite at peace with the world and it gave the young prince hope. He decided to leave his life of luxury and pursue the answers that would bring him the peace he saw in this monk and eventually became the great spiritual leader the prophets had predicted.
It sounds like a fairy tale, but this is the traditional story of how the Buddha began his quest.
Siddhartha Gautama was a great spiritual leader born about 500 years before Christ. He was the son of a wealthy man. Most say he was a king or at the very least a tribal leader. But in the caste system of his day, Siddhartha was born into the warrior class, ranked just below the priests and holy men and in comparison he indeed led a life of luxury. However, after venturing out among the people, Siddhartha was disturbed by the suffering he saw and felt compelled to find the answers to some of the questions we still seek today. Why is there suffering in the world? What purpose does it serve if any? And so on the night of his son’s birth, he gave his newborn the name Rahula (which means “fettered”) and left his family for his spiritual quest. He named him Rahula because he felt his son would become an attachment that would prevent him from understanding suffering. Those journeys in the story that propelled him on his quest are called the Four Sights[1] and they were the beginning of what would eventually become Buddhism. One common misconception is that the Buddha is worshipped by Buddhists. He is not. He is revered for his work and for his insight and he is thought to be a spiritual model for his followers, but he is not worshipped. Buddhists do not worship anyone or anything. It’s part of the centrality of their belief system. Buddhism is the only major religion that is non-theistic meaning they neither confirm or deny the existence of God. Buddhism is the only major religion that is non-theistic meaning they neither confirm or deny the existence of God. Whether or not God exists is outside the scope of Buddhism because in the Buddhist scheme of things God doesn’t matter. There may be a God, there may not be a God, but God has nothing to do with enlightenment. Enlightenment comes from within one’s self.
Despite their differences, Buddhism and Christianity share a lot in common.[2]
The Buddhist way of life is very similar to the Christian way of life. They believe you shouldn’t lie, cheat, or steal; you shouldn’t covet what someone else has; and you shouldn’t take a life. They believe you should be compassionate and kind. That you should think before you speak to avoid saying something you would regret. They believe human beings become too attached to the things of this world – money, fame, power, objects – and that by ridding ourselves of these things we can become the persons we were meant to be. But there are some very big fundamental differences as well as we will see in our passage this morning. If you have a Bible or a Bible app on your phone, would you please go to Matthew 19 beginning with verse 21. Matthew 19:21. This is the story of the rich man who comes to Jesus and asks him, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” And Jesus responds by saying he must keep the commandments. And the man says, “All these I have kept. What do I still lack?” And then Jesus responds with what we hear in our passage today.
21 Jesus answered, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth.
23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it is hard for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”
25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and asked, “Who then can be saved?”
26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
27 Peter answered him, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”
28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, at the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife[e] or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. 30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. – Matthew 19:21-30
“With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
This is the key phrase for us this morning and it’s what differentiates us the most from our Buddhist friends. Humanity is not able to save itself. We rely on the grace of God through the actions of Jesus Christ. Buddhists believe that by meditation, following a series of precepts and paths, you can attain enlightenment by yourself and be free of the eternal cycle of samsara – life, death, and rebirth. Christianity focuses on “He” and Buddhism focuses on “me.” Christianity focuses on “He” and Buddhism focuses on “me.” In this passage, there is much that both religions would agree on. Jesus tells the man to sell his possessions and give it to the poor. He implies that it is his attachment to these material things that is holding him back and the Buddha would agree. The Buddha would say that it is the attachment to things – all things – that holds us back. When Jesus says that everyone who has left houses, family, and fields for the sake of Christ will receive a hundred times as much, the Buddha would agree, again saying that our attachments are what get in the way. But in the way of what? For us as Christians, the material things of this world keep us from really understanding God, and we see this as an essential part of our faith lives. We believe as we grow closer to God, we are better able to live to our potential and be the kind of people God hoped for. It’s not that God wants us to abandon our family and friends. On the contrary, God calls us to live in community. But in this passage, God is warning us that there will be many obstacles in life as we journey in faith and if we are unwilling to leave them behind, we’ll never receive the full reward that God has in store for us. Not as punishment, but simply because there will always be a part of us that relies on something other than God. For the Buddhist, the things of this world, ALL things including family and friends, can be impediments to our journey toward enlightenment. Our fallacy, according to the Buddhist tradition, is that our faith on anything is false because all things are transient. God. The world. Even the concept of “you.” “You” do not exist. “You” are simply a consciousness residing in a body that has experienced the world in a certain way based on your previous life experience. But there is no real “you” out there. Enlightenment comes from learning these things and accepting them as part of life. Christians and Buddhists hold something in common. We are both searching for the truth. We are both searching for the Truth. But we see truth very differently. Buddhists believe that the only truth is impermanence. Impermanence. That nothing lasts forever. But isn’t a belief in the permanence of impermanence itself a contradiction? Christians, however, believe truth lies in Jesus Christ who is the “same yesterday, today, and forever.” We believe God is eternal. Many people believe Christianity and Buddhism are very much alike, but our concepts of the world are very different. Buddhists believe in self-reliance. Christians believe in reliance on God.
Maybe part of the appeal of Buddhism, especially in America is the idea we can do it ourselves.
There’s an element of control that you are the master of your own destiny, which appeals to people. We like to feel in control. We like to feel like we determine what happens to us despite the changes that occur in everyday life. We have a hard time giving that up, to let go and to accept the fact that a great many things are out of our control. We struggle with change. We don’t like to rely on others. And it’s hard for many of us to admit that we need help or that we cannot do it alone. Think about all of the idioms we use in our lives. “Pull yourself up by your bootstraps.” “Look out for #1.” “To the victor goes the spoils.” And the erroneous, “God helps those who help themselves.” But we in fact believe the opposite. We believe Christ came to save those who needed it the most. He came for the lost, the sinners, and the hopeless. And we thank God everyday for that. Because we are those people. We are the ones who need God. And knowing God is in control and God has a plan for our lives gives us a peace and joy that can only come from Him.
[1] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_sights – this is only one of many websites with the retelling of this ages old story. A version of it appears in Adam Hamilton’s book Christianity and World Religions.
[2] Other than Adam Hamilton’s book Christianity and World Religions some websites that have produced useful background information are www.buddha101.com, www.buddhanet.net, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gautama_Buddha
Holy Cows
Could Robin the Boy Wonder have been Hindu?
Holy Eastern Religions, Batman! Robin used to call EVERYTHING holy. Holy cow, holy guacamole, holy hole in a doughnut, and my favorite – Holy Haberdashery! In fact, Burt Ward who played Robin on TV said he used the “Holy” phrase about 378 times which came out to around three times per episode.[1] And the belief that everything is holy or has part of the divine essence of God within it, is consistent with Hinduism. Like Christianity, Hinduism believes there is only one God. They call God, Brahman and Brahman to a Hindu person is manifest in every aspect of creation while Christians believe God is separate from creation. On TV and in the popular media, people joke about the Hindu worship of cows as gods, but that misrepresents the complexity of the Hindu religion. It would be like saying Christians are cannibals because we feast on the body and blood of Christ. It reduces something holy to be a mockery of those beliefs. Knowing what others believe helps us to become more understanding, more accepting, and more loving toward people of other faiths. And at the same time, it helps us better understand why our own faith is important to us.
Call it the Progressive Insurance Method of Christianity.
You’ve seen those commercials on TV where Progressive Insurance offers you quotes from other insurance companies. The person in the commercial always looks on in disbelief, as if Progressive Insurance is crazy for showing you what other companies offer. But they are so confident in what they have to offer, they are not afraid of the others. In a way, that’s what this is. We are exploring different faiths to come to a better understanding of our own, and through that understanding build a solid foundation for our own faith to rest upon (Matthew 7:24-29). Our faith is strengthened when we understand what others believe. Bad theology begins by an incomplete understanding of OUR faith, not the faith of others. Hopefully, our exploration of other faiths will help us grow even closer to God. Today, we’re going to explore the Hindu faith.
I need to preface this by saying I am not an expert on Hinduism.
These are some of the very raw basics about the Hindu faith and we need to realize there are many different variations in Hinduism just as there are different variations of Christianity. As the basis for our study together, we’re looking at Adam Hamilton’s Christianity and World Religions. In it Hamilton tells us that there are three fundamental characteristics of understanding the Hindu faith – dharma, karma, and samsara. Dharma, karma, and samsara. Dharma is the idea that good works coupled with spiritual knowledge sets us free. Hinduism teaches that dharma or “duty” is needed to be done to build up good karma. At the end of our lives if we have built up more good karma than bad, then we will be better off in the next life. If not, then we will be worse off and we will suffer more for it. Suffering, however, is not seen necessarily as punishment, but a tool to help us gain spiritual knowledge so we can obtain a state of self that frees us from this cycle of life, death, and rebirth. This cycle is called samsara. Samsara. And we are not free from this cycle until we have emptied ourselves of bad karma. When we do, we reach nirvana. But nirvana is not a place. It’s not like the heaven we often imagine in our Christian faith. Rather it is the condition of the divine within us rejoining with Brahman. We become part of the divine once again.
These concepts are part of what separates us from one another in our faith.
We’re going to take a look at a reading from Scripture that helps us better define our own faith. This passage captures the essence of our ideas of salvation and how we obtain it. When you read it, think about how our view of salvation is very different from the view Hinduism shares with us and think even about how our definition of what salvation is is very different from theirs.
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. – Ephesians 2:1-10
As Christians, we believe we are sinners.
It defines who we are. It is the building block from which we understand our relationship to God. A fundamental aspect of who we are is that we are sinners seeking redemption. From Adam and Eve to the modern day, every aspect of our lives as Christians is to seek this redemption in the eyes of God. And we believe this is only accomplished by the life, death, and resurrection of one man – Jesus Christ. Not in the cycle of life, death, and reincarnation of all men, but by the life-giving actions of the Son of God. We don’t believe Jesus was just another human who was more in touch with his divine self. We believe that Jesus and only Jesus was fully human and fully divine. He truly embodies the name Immanuel – God with us. And only by the grace of a loving God are we offered salvation, “not by works, so that no one can boast.” We are saved by God’s grace alone.
This is one of the fundamental differences between Christianity and Hinduism.
We cannot save ourselves. There is no amount of “good karma” we can earn that will help us obtain salvation, because we believe humanity is inclined to sin. In Hinduism, we are not seeking redemption but awareness – awareness of the divine within us. In the Hindu faith, spiritual knowledge and karma help us obtain that awareness. But it is propelled by the individual. It is through the individual’s actions they break the cycle of samsara. As Christians, we need the grace of God – not the divine god within us, but the one who created us. We believe human beings are a separate creation from God, that each of us is unique. And while we do believe the Holy Spirit resides within us to guide us and journey with us, we are not the Holy Spirit ourselves. Our relationship to God is like our children’s relationship to us. Part of who we are goes into making them and we feel an instant connection to them because a part of us is within them, but they are not us. They are distinct, unique, wonderful creations separate from us. And when we die, we believe there is a place we go to be with God. We don’t believe we actually join with God. Instead, we get to ENJOY being in the presence of God.
There are a great many valuable teachings in the Hindu faith.
Most people who follow Hinduism are good, loving, interesting people who are out to make the world a better place. They have families they love and strive to take care of. They worship earnestly the revelation of God in their lives. But for us as Christians, what God has revealed to us through Scripture, the prophets, and ultimately through Jesus Christ himself, is at times at odds with the tents of the Hindu faith. This does not make us enemies. This does not mean they don’t earnestly seek God. It simply means our understanding of God is different. We believe that we are God’s creation, that we are his children. We are not part of the divine, but we live in a state of sin. We need the grace of God for our redemption and that is only possible because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We do not believe we can save ourselves or that any amount of good work can redeem us. We seek redemption through resurrection, not release through reincarnation. Those differences are why we view the world from a different perspective.
Something Hamilton wrote in his book made me think deeply.
He talked about how different it would be to approach a family with these two different faith backgrounds and as a pastor what you would say. In our faith tradition, we have hope for the life that comes after because of Jesus and the promise he shares of a home in Heaven. We can feel comforted knowing that our Creator waits for us with loving, open arms, and those we have cherished in this life who have gone before us will be there when we arrive. It wouldn’t be much comfort to me to think we simply come back over and over again, throughout time, hoping to do a little better each pass through this life. After centuries and millennia of existence, I can see why Hinduism looks at the ultimate goal of life not as a new beginning but as an ending. I can see the appeal of a release from suffering if you think you had to return to the grind and the pain of being in the world until you got it right. As Christians, we believe God is our Creator. That he is knowable. That he loves each and every one of us. And that in the end, we are saved because of the grace and mercy of our savior and for that we can truly be grateful. We are a people who live in hope for a brighter tomorrow. See you next week. Same Bat-time. Same Bat-channel.
[1] https://www.cinemablend.com/television/1580210/the-crazy-number-of-times-robin-said-holy-something-in-the-original-batman-series
Tomorrowland
The Land That Time Forgot
That’s what they should call Tomorrowland, because it stopped being about tomorrow a long time ago. If you’ve been to Disneyland in the past ten years, you know what I mean. Take Autopia for instance. I used to love Autopia. As a kid, it was one of the rides I always wanted to go on, but even then, it seemed kind of odd to be in Tomorrowland. Now when Disneyland opened back in 1955, Autopia was cutting edge. At the time, there was no such thing as an interstate highway system.[1] Hard to believe but true. People didn’t drive on multi-lane highways that stretched across the country. This idea was so new to America that it made Autopia a natural fit in the land of the future. Today it makes no sense. In fact most of the rides in Tomorrowland make no sense. The monorail is an early predecessor of trams used in airports all over the world. Submersible vehicles are used by both the military and private owners. And the Orbitron is basically a carousel version of Space X. Over the years, Tomorrowland has become more and more obsolete, and while they have added new attractions like Star Tours, they’ve also let many things become outdated or simply disappear. The Peoplemover track lies empty and has for almost 30 years. The Magic Eye Theater which once housed state-of-the-art movies in 3D with actual physical special effects is now completely empty. And the Autopia? It’s still driving cars on highways from 1955.
The problem is Tomorrowland stopped being about tomorrow.
Walt always wanted to keep this area on the cutting edge of innovation, to give guests a glimpse into the future. But instead, you have gas-powered cars instead of solar cars, electric cars, or self-driving vehicles on the Autopia track. It’s fun, but they drifted away from Walt’s vision because it was “good enough.” People enjoyed it; they continued to make money from it; so they just stopped trying to make it better. But that is so short-sighted. If we simply wait for a need to arise, then by the time we can fix it we are already too far behind. Either someone else has met the need or we have to spend much more time, effort, and money to catch up. “Good enough” shouldn’t be our standard. Like Walt’s original vision for Tomorrowland, we need to constantly strive toward a better future, so we are prepared for what comes ahead. The writer in Hebrews said it so well that’s what we are going to read from this morning. If you have a Bible or a Bible app on your phone, find the letter to the Hebrews in the New Testament, chapter 11 beginning with verse 8. Hebrews 11:8. It is important to be future-oriented. Looking forward keeps us focused on how we can make the world a better place. It also keeps us from being complacent. And it drives innovation and creativity. When Walt Disney wanted to put in a Christmas parade at Disneyland, his financial advisors told him not to spend the money; that it would cost too much; that nobody would complain because they wouldn’t be expecting it and he said to them, “That’s just the point…We should do the parade precisely because no one’s expecting it. Our goal at Disneyland is to always give the people more than they expect. As long as we keep surprising them, they’ll keep coming back. But if they ever stop coming, it’ll cost us ten times that much to get them to come back.”[2] Give people more than they expect. Don’t just focus on what’s needed now, but plan ahead for the future. And he was right. Don’t settle for “good enough.” Figure out how we can do it better, even when (and maybe especially when) it’s going good.
8 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. 9 By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. 10 For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God. 11 And by faith even Sarah, who was past childbearing age, was enabled to bear children because she[b] considered him faithful who had made the promise. 12 And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.
13 All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance, admitting that they were foreigners and strangers on earth. 14 People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. 15 If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. – Hebrews 11:8-16
They were longing for a better country.
These forefathers of faith trusted in the vision that God had presented to them and did what they knew to be right. And even though they never lived long enough to see it all come to fruition, they trusted that their efforts led them toward a brighter future.[3] The Scripture says to us, “they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance.” The things God promised to the people of Israel and by extension to all of us was not something they could tangibly touch or experience, but they honored God with their efforts even though they didn’t know how it would all work out and that pleased God. God is future-oriented. Think about it. It was the same in the Old Testament as it is in the New Testament. God promised Abraham that his people would spread throughout the Earth and even though as long as Abraham lived he didn’t see it, that promise came true. God promised Moses that he would lead his people to the promised land and even though Moses didn’t live to see it, that promise came true. Jesus promised when he returned to Heaven, he would send the Holy Spirit to be with us and guides us, and that promise also came true. God is always looking ahead to the future. Jesus trained up his disciples because he knew one day he would no longer be there, and he wanted to be sure the movement would continue long after he was gone. He pulled them aside and taught them. He explained the parables to them, knowing that eventually the lessons would sink in. And he had them do the work in the field. Jesus was constantly working toward a future he wouldn’t be alive to see.
As a parent, that makes sense to me.
Since Emma was born, I wanted to help build a foundation to support her in life. I want to support her dreams. I want to support her hopes. I want her to know she is loved. And I hope to help her be grounded in faith. I try to teach her the practical things that will help her out in day-to-day life. And although I hope and pray I’m here for a long time to come, I certainly hope I leave this planet before she does and that when that time comes she has what she needs to have a long and happy life. My actions now will hopefully lead to a brighter tomorrow. That’s why it is so important to keep striving to make things better. A better tomorrow. Human beings love the path of least resistance, so it’s tempting to stop when things are just the way we like it. After all, most of have seen what happens when people mess with a good thing. Sometimes it turns out disastrous. Like New Coke. That fear of failure prevents us from doing something amazing. We tend to look at failure as a waste instead of a learning opportunity. But failure is the greatest teacher there is. It’s only when we refuse to learn from the past that we truly fail. But when we succeed! We can make an impact that lasts for generations.
But what happens when we don’t?
What happens when we choose to stay still; when we choose the path of least resistance? When we stop looking to the future, we start looking to the finish line instead. We go into survival mode. We constantly try to extend the time we have, and we give up on the future. But that only delays the inevitable. It’s like a sinking boat. If we only concentrate on bailing out the water, we’ll stop from sinking for a while, but eventually the hole will get bigger and the water will overwhelm us. But if we let in a little water while we fix the boat, we can keep going for untold distances into the future. Keep focused on the future and always have hope for a brighter tomorrow. Will we always get there? Maybe not, but if we never try we surely won’t.
Jesus was a futurist.
Walt Disney was a futurist. Martin Luther King, Jr. was a futurist. Most of the great leaders and innovators of our nation and our world were futurists. They were always looking ahead to what was possible and trying to work toward THAT. How can we do anything different? As Robert Kennedy once said (paraphrasing George Bernard Shaw), “Some people see things as they are and say why? I dream things that never were and say, why not?”[4] What is your why not? What is something you have held back from daring to dream? What is something you would like to accomplish but haven’t done so? Now ask yourself, why not? The Autopia is great. But it’ll never be more than it is unless someone does the work to make it better. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Autopia
[2] http://grumpymickey.com/tag/plussing-it/
[3] This section was inspired by Thom Rainer’s book Autopsy of A Deceased Church, Chapter 3.
[4] https://www.jfklibrary.org/Research/Research-Aids/Ready-Reference/RFK-Speeches/Remarks-of-Robert-F-Kennedy-at-the-University-of-Kansas-March-18-1968.aspx
Craig's Corner 