Defy our Defiance

It is often subtle, but it is always with us. It is often celebrated, but it is always destructive. It motivates us to seek out "our rights" even if our rights run over and crush the rights of others. So often, we might be moved by it, and think that it is a beautiful virtue to treasure not a characteristic to grieve.

We are defiant people... and we enjoy it that way.

Let me ask this question: how would you respond if someone asked you to submit? Not necessarily submitting to them, but being submissive in general.

What rises up in us immediately after considering the question is telling. What floods our thoughts tells us what is in our hearts.

Ephesians 5:21 describes the heart of a group of people who work together and relate together under the leadership of the Spirit of God: "submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ."*

To "submit" is an ugly word to us. We have seen those who have used another's submission to take advantage of them, to gain selfish power over them. It seems unjust. It may even seem un-American.

But, is it good? "Good" like things were in the Garden of Eden "good." Of course, people will take advantage of another's submission. People will think of submitting as weak. We may feel like we will be someone's doormat to wipe their muddy boots on...or ignore altogether. (Really, who ever notices their doormat?)

This is not an invitation to lose your identity or dignity so someone else can feel a sense of power. This is an invitation to be a part of restoring what was lost in work and relationships. It was defiance that motivated the Man and the Woman to eat from the forbidden tree. It is only humility that can recreate what was lost on that day.

Notice that it says "submit to one another" before the text commands any one group to submit to another. That changes everything! When God's Spirit infuses Jesus's life in us as we live our lives in community with others, what He creates is a group of people who work together and relate together, flavored by Jesus' humility.

This humility defies our defiance...and undermines the sin that erodes at everything that really is "good" like the "good" in the Garden.

Another way to put it: God wants to give us good in our relationships and our work by giving us the heart of Jesus to serve one another. The freedom we long for is not found in demanding that we get our rights, but in being set free from the tyranny of always having to get our way.

There is a freedom that is so free that it gives us the ability to defy our defiance and submit to one another. Because Jesus knew his identity as a Child of an accepting Father and knew his power as the One who has all authority in heaven and on earth, he could freely submit himself to the Father’s will and give himself as a servant to defiant people. The freedom that Jesus has, he shares with us. That freedom is a gift he gives to us that makes us want to let go of any desire to keep our rights. Jesus’ freedom shows us that the defiant freedom we fight for is not freedom enough.

When Work Isn't "Good"

It is quiet outside as I write. I don't notice that my neighbor is watering his little patch of Eden until he coughs a few times. Everything is still and deceptively peaceful.

Today is Saturday morning. For many, it is a day off. Today might be a day where the only work that gets done is is hobby work: work that is done for fun. My neighbor isn't gardening because his family needs the food, but because he likes being outside and getting his hand's dirty. (His "I love sushi" shirt gives me a hint that they eat more than what they grow).

It is hard to believe from the view I have on a calm morning that there is something profoundly wrong with our work. The ease of Eden and full delight of work has given way to toil and the feeling of futility. My neighbor's grunts and groans tell me that the amount of work he has put in to his garden is frustratingly more than what he is getting out of it.

"It is what it is" is often our attitude with work. It is a kind of defense mechanism so that we can somehow emotionally survive the dissatisfaction. We have settled in to working for the weekend...looking for escapes from the feelings of failure....accepting the necessary sacrifice of work until we retire or expire. We reflect that looking forward to work is a luxury that some others may get to enjoy, but not many of us.

[Even as I type this I am struggling to find the right words, spelling those words wrong (Thank you red squiggly line for being under the word) and being concerned about whether this communicates at all or is too long or if anyone would read it and be helped.]

When someone asks us about our work we have to quickly decide if we want to share the real story of how it feels like we are frustratingly running though waist deep water to accomplish what we need to accomplish while feeling like an imposter who doesn't deserve our paycheck or position or to say everything is fine.

Each of us has a deep, heart questions about our work. Questions that linger as we toil though the ups and downs of our occupations: is this what work was meant to be? Am I being punished for something I don't know about? Am I the only one who feels this way? Why doesn't my garden just do what I planned it to do?

(That last one might just be for my gardening neighbor)

We don’t live in the Garden of Eden any more, but we were made for it. Because we live outside our home, we feel like everything is off…including our work. We till the soil and plant what we think will be satisfaction, but reap mostly failure, insecurity, toil, annoyance, and futility. We still want to work a nourishing garden, but have seemingly lost our directions to find that garden

But what if this was all on purpose…something God designed? Even in the brokenness of our work and our world there is a reason for our emptiness and ineffectiveness? What if it is because we are working to find our satisfaction in work rather than in Jesus himself. What is the toil is a reminder to have a heart of repentance that leads to something better than we would have desired in the first place?

The fact that our work is no longer “good” like we experienced in Eden is a gift to draw us into seeking something more than Eden…the One whose satisfying beauty was only seen as a reflection in Eden, but makes himself available to be fully known in the person of Jesus.

Good Work

It's that double Sunday night anxiety that would often get me. You know what I am talking about, right? First, it is the thought that the next day (Monday, dreaded Monday) is coming quickly, along with all of the work that was left undone on Friday. Second, it is the lament of "Where did the weekend go?" It seems as if every clock we have laughs at us on the weekend, taunting us by showing just how fast they can go.

Maybe thats a tad dramatic. Maybe.

We tend to have a strained relationship with work. When it comes to our occupation, some days we watch the clock impatiently and barely make it though the end of the day. (Hey clock, where is that weekend speed when we need you on a Tuesday afternoon?!) When it comes to work at home, there is always something to be done. Laundry piles grow bigger while we watch and dust bunnies seem to multiply when we don't.

But there is also the feeling of satisfaction when that project is finally finished. It was completed. The problem was solved. A sense of accomplishment fills us and- maybe- a sense of winning a battle. At the end of it all we can say that it was good.

"Good." Hmmmmmm. Can work really be good? When it so often seems like punishment, can work actually be helpful, satisfying, and good? What is the purpose of work? What does God think about work?

The answer to those questions can be found in a simple phrase spoken at the dawn of our existence: "And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good..." (Genesis 1:31)

Work is intended to be good. Not “average” or “tolerable,” but good. Soul nourishing good. Creating beauty in an ugly world good. Knowing the pleasure of God good. Just as God created then stood back and enjoyed all that he had done, we can join him in work that is- in the best possible, non-selfish sense- good.

The Everyday Reality of the Resurrection

Have you noticed that we live in a skeptical city? Really, a skeptical world. Long gone are the days will mystery and miracles were part of the fabric and language of our society. Such things are now thought of as for those who don't want to "grow up" or face reality.

Many around us put the resurrection of Jesus in the category of a well-meaning myth...a nice idea to base a holiday on, but not a life.

Resurrection is foreign to us. Even those who are honest, authentic followers of Jesus have a hard time with the come-back-from-the-deadness of Jesus. Our only experiences with death have been the grief and finality of losing someone we loved. Heart-rending loss. The awareness that this loved one who was laughing one day had no breath in them another day. It is over. Done. They aren't touchable, hug-able, or next to us any longer.

One who has come back from the dead is not our everyday reality.

Resurrection is too distant. Too "unreal." Too mystical for lives that demand us to be practical. Even if we aren't skeptical about the historicity of Jesus' resurrection, we might be skeptical of the practicality of it. Does the resurrection make a difference? A real difference and not just a pie-in-the-sky religious difference?

What if the truth that Jesus is alive changes everything in our lives? What if his life is the source of our own fullness of life?

The Deep Things of God (part 2!)

1 Peter 2:2–3: Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation- if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.

It is fun watching my girls grow up. Because they are 9 years apart in age, they are in very different stages of their growth. While one is talking about deodorant brands and debating who her "quarantine BFF" is the other is learning what it means to ask for a banana and making time in her busy schedule to snuggle up to her mommy.

Evie is starting to tell us (in not-so-subtle ways) that she knows more than we do. Sophie is soaking in everything we tell her and wanting to know more.

Stages of growth.

It seems to me that our Spiritual growth (yes, that is a capital "S") is at least similar. When we first put our trust in Jesus we want to know him, to know his ways. We are hungry to understand his perspective on ourselves and his world. We know how much we need him. The gospel really is "good news" to us because we have tasted how good God as to an undeserving person like us. We hold in tension that we can be simultaneously undeserving and dearly loved and honored.

But, instead of going deeper into the heart of God, we might think we are growing up in moving away from the simplicity of the gospel. We might think maturity means moving into understanding the so-called "deeper things" like the systems of end-time prophesies or whether we are an Arminians or a Calvinists. We start using obnoxiously big theological words over dinner with friends to prove our maturity to others...or even ourselves.

As we drift away from what drew us to Jesus in the first place we start to subtly think about "the gospel" as what draws us to salvation, but we ultimately leave behind. Like a 9 year old might look at a daily bottle feeding or diaper change- we grow out of "childish" things on on to more mature things.

But what if the "first" thing we knew about our God is what makes us more mature? (Let's call that "pure spiritual milk") What if our life in Jesus doesn't just begin with the gospel, but maturity is letting the truth of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection power affect us more and more each day? If what we call the gospel is the expression of God's deepest heart, then what if subtly saying "I am over that childish stuff" is merely a sign of not knowing what we do not know?

What if real life is plunging the depths of what brought us to Jesus in the first place...that what seemed like a shallow puddle of his character is, actually, a deep ocean of his heart?

The Deep Things of God (Part 1?)

Job 11:7: “Can you find out the deep things of God? Can you find out the limit of the Almighty? (ESV)

Though these words were spoken by a less-than-empathetic friend of the suffering Job, the question is still legitimate.

There is a mystery in God. Though there is nothing about him he hasn't already revealed to us in Jesus, the depth of what he has shown us of his heart is an adventure for us to explore. (And, frankly, we will never exhausted the depth of who he is, but it will be fun trying!)

When we pray, we explore. Yes, he hears and responds. The world is changed through that, and so are we. But, also, we get to explore the heart of God as we deliberately spend time in his presence.

Not Normal at All

“It’s Not Fair!”

When you hear a child use the phrase "its not fair," you know what comes next. It's like it is hardwired into us. You may want to say it now. Let's do it altogether. 1….2....3: "Life's not fair!" (That helps a little, doesn’t it?)

We want children to know from an early age that things won't always work out like we hope them to workout. Things won't be as we think they should. Failure, disappointment, frustration, and injustice are the realities of life. Whether it is being misunderstood in a tense conversation or being passed over for a promotion by someone less qualified or getting a report that your illness is the "C' word, we know the things in life don't seem fair.

Some respond in outward protest to make their voice heard. Some respond in loud cynicism. Some respond with in quiet, hopeless, resignation that is just watching the clock (or TV) until the unfairness of life passes by.

No, its not fair. But, what if what seems so "normal" is actually not normal at all? What if every sickness, every broken relationship, every injustice done from person to person, every corrupted or broken heart is abnormal?

We get a glimpse of this with Jesus among the crowds who came to him. With his strong, but gentle touch a disease that a woman suffered from dissipates as if it had never affected her body. With merely his (authoritative) presence, the powers of darkness tormenting a person flee in fear.

Jesus enters into the unfair world we crafted and is creating all things back into his "normal"- an overwhelming world of goodness. That is hard to imagine. Too good to be true, maybe. But, could that be real…one person’s heart at a time?

Revelation 21:5: And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

One Heart and Soul

We don't gather for church. We gather as the church. That may seem like playing with words, but it makes a significant difference. Its the small words that usually make the biggest difference.

There are a lot of phrases in God's word that seem foreign or hard and at the top of my list is a phrase that seems simple at first: "One another." Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph. 4:32) Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Thess. 5:1) Then read through Romans 12. It's saturated with one anothering.

Understanding it isn't the foreign part. Living it is.

There is an assumption in the text that our very middle class, individualistically-minded lives might miss: the people who are the Church were to be together. I mean together together. One heart and one soul...even when not in one place.

Now, being together in person is hard (and, maybe, unwise) right now, but one anothering transcends place and time. Don't read into "one another" that it is when we go to the church building together. To do so misses the point. This is why it is foreign and hard: all the one anotherings are the joyful overflow of our hearts that cannot be limited to a time and place.

In Jesus, we are connected to one another. Like family, but more than family. One heart and one soul...even if we don't fully understand it.

Those kinds of relationships are what we were made for. This is the kind of community that the Spirit is creating in us. This is God bringing his kingdom.

Where They Were Going: A Journey for their Hearts

There were long walks and long days. They didn't have an itinerary and, even if they did, it wouldn't really tell them where they were going.

Jesus had compellingly invited each of them to "follow" him. Each of these men chose to go after him for their own reasons, but they did go after him. Mile after mile, city after city, sermon after sermon they stuck with him, with every day being drawn into something more than being a learner, but being astonished by their Master's life.

Jesus' words were authoritative and full of grace. He seemed to open up and new kind of world for them when he spoke, one they had seemingly forgotten. The way he came close to the untouchable leper and sat down to dinner with society's rejected ones demonstrated a heart that was extraordinarily free to love people sincerely.

This is not the way they would have gone if they had chosen where they were going. They would have comfortably stayed away from those Jesus spent time with and would probably never have missed the experience.

Though Jesus took them to places and people they would not have gone to otherwise, that wasn't the ultimate goal of what it meant to follow him. He wasn't merely after their obedience, he was taking them into his heart. By inviting them to stay with him he was daily demonstrating the core of who he is: Jesus heart was the wellspring of his life.

These men were invited to follow Jesus so they they could know his heart...and their hearts be transformed in the process. (By the way, the same is true for us)

The Heart of Our Lives

Proverbs 4:23: "Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it."

"Follow your heart." - Every Disney movie and romantic comedy ever.

I am a heart guy. That can mean a lot of things to different people, but for me it means I can be a sentimental sap. I would often keep trinkets that had dreamy nostalgic value way longer than I probably should have. Like the folded up note I found in my desk in third grade, torn from a spiral notebook and full of writing in different colored pens. (Yep, I can still picture it well.) On the page was the handwriting of a cute re-headed girl named Rebecca St. Germain who I would often think about when I should have been paying attention to my multiplication flashcards. I kept that note for at least a couple of years, even after she moved to Minnesota. I continued to dream about what could have been, though I never really made any effort to talk to her.

I think I liked the feeling of puppy love over actually caring about a person. That's what I mean by "heart guy."

But is that what God means by the heart? Maybe in part, but that sentimentality is definitely not all "heart" means. It has to mean more than that, right?!

Though there is no dictionary definition of "heart" in the bible, there are many descriptions. Proverbs 4:23 comes close to a definition though: the heart is where everything we say, think, and do comes from. If you will forgive me for saying it this way, the "heart" is the heart of our lives...the core of who we are...the source of our identity.

It is also where we meet with God...or rebel against him.

So we will begin this Sunday evening a series of messages on "The Heart of Our Lives" to understand our hearts, God's heart, and the mission that God has given us as the overflow of our hearts.

The Hearts of Many Will Be Revealed: A Christmas Meditation

From Luke 2: 21-35

Entering Jerusalem

Many times in their lives they had walked up to the gates of this city. The city stood tall on the hill as did the walls that enclosed it, an imposing site to all, especially to those who loved her.

This pilgrimage was different though. It wasn’t just that they were coming from Bethlehem instead of Nazareth, but because they were coming with a new purpose. Their present was filled with thoughts of the past, but most of their musings were drawn to the future. Their future (and the futures of many others) was with them, asleep in his mother’s arms as they journeyed uphill.

They were hardly noticed as they approached the gate. Soldiers stood vigilant. Traders that had come from the north and the south pressed through the gates (along with all of the others who had business in town) bringing their goods in with hopes of making a good living. The scene was commonplace, as were the people. Work went on during this day as every other day and apart from a surprise appearance from a dignitary making an official visit, not much would stop the hum of everyday life. As this weary family entered the hallowed city, no one stopped to notice them. In the eyes of these city dwellers, nothing important had happened.

It was remarkable that such a young child could sleep though the clamoring of city life. Often changing sounds were startling to the young mom. The call of the vendor selling his wares. The discussion of elders judging a dispute. A poor man asking for alms. An over-confident religious man praying his practiced prayers on the corner of the street. His mom held him closer, covering his ears in a desperate attempt to give him (and her) a few more minutes of the sleep they both needed him to have.

They were headed to the temple to fulfill the commands of their God. Enough time had passed since the little boy’s birth and they were ready. This is what their parents had done, and their parents before them, and their parents before them. Each had placed their feet in the same hallowed ground that Mary and Joseph now walked on. The heritage was more than history…is was a heritage that was defined by God’s promises to rescue and redeem his people. A promise that this couple (and many who had lived and died before them) had waited for so long see fulfilled.

Simeon the Seer

As this couple walked through Jerusalem’s streets and alleyways unrecognized, another man was also walking the city unnoticed. Simeon was different. No one could escape the truth that Simeon was no escapist dreaming his life away, but a man who could see how the “real world” could become the “just world” that he looked forward to. A simple man, Simeon had the gift of hearing the echos of Eden in the discord of his Jewish life.

Waiting is hard for any person, even those who know that they have something meaningful to wait on. The God of Israel had spoken through his prophets that an anointed one would come who would bring wholeness to God’s people, but time had passed and the promise that seemed so strong and substantive had diminished in the hearts of God’s chosen people during that time. What once inspired hope to wait had, for many, become mere legend; inspiring stories to tell children before bed, but surely not something that would actually happen. Could Simeon’s hope of a Just Kingdom make any difference at all in a world ruled over by those who used power to dominate and not to serve?

Somewhere in the quiet moments of his waiting life the Holy Spirit spoke to him (to him!) And strengthened his heart with a personal promise: that he himself would get to see the Lord’s Messiah before his life was over. Hope settles a man’s soul to wait patiently for what he knows will happen. He knew he was one day closer to meeting face to face with the One who would change the “real world” and the lives of all who lived in it.

Providence often looks like coincidence, but those with the eyes of faith can see a well thought out plan. As Simeon stood in the temple complex, waiting, he noticed a young couple with a child in their arms making a slow ascent up the steps to the temple. They weren’t the type of people who would turn your head. There really wasn’t anything about them that stood out, except their countenance. Trying not to stare and (maybe) scare them off, he watched them as they went through the ritual cleansing before coming deeper in.

The Introduction

Simeon approached the couple as they finished their customary washing. As he walked toward them the questions that came to anyone’s mind before meeting strangers came to his “How do I approach them?” “What do I have to say to them?” “Am I as crazy as I feel?”

But, a strange confidence seemed to push out his doubts and draw him towards the family. The first thing he noticed was their eyes. They were the eyes of people who have not seen many days, but they have seen a lot in their days. They were also the eyes of parents who hadn’t slept through the night in a long while.

“Peace be to you! May God’s light shine on you and your family.”

The couple was obviously startled, but responded kindly to the aged stranger. “And God’s peace be to you, sir.” said the husband.

“My name is Simeon. You have a beautiful child. What is the child’s name?”

Mary spoke with an unfiltered pride, “His name is Jesus.” She turned her attention back to her cooing child.

“Ah, a baby boy! You must be proud.”

“Yes, weary, but proud.” Joseph responded with a slow smile.

There was a silence between them as Simeon gazed at the boy.

The Recognition

To fill the awkward silence Joseph offered more: “Our family is from the region of Galilee and the town of Nazareth. We look forward to when we can head home.”

“Ah, where are you staying in the meantime?”

“Bethlehem” Joseph quipped. “Bethlehem is the home of my ancestors. We came because of the Emperor’s census like so many others.” And, nodding towards Jesus, he said “Bethlehem is where he was born.”

Simeon stood, quietly, thoughtfully. He stared off into some unseen distance, taking in what he was seeing and hearing.

“Bethlehem, did you say?”

“Yes” said Mary with a nimble chuckle. “It is a lovely place to visit, but visiting for 6 weeks is quite enough time. Our family int he north is waiting to meet the little one.”

Simeon considered these things again and, just as he knew he should come to the temple on this day he suddenly knew why. This sojourning couple carried a mystery. A secret they couldn’t explain…and no one would believe… even if they could stand on the tower walls and tell all of Jerusalem.

Simeon muttered to himself: “Of course, it all makes sense. Of course. Bethlehem. The city of David, The City of the promised king. The Chosen One. This child is the Promised One I have waited so long to see”

Simeon turned to Mary with tears forming in his eyes “May I hold him?’

With a nod and an approving smile, Mary placed her treasure in Simeon’s arms.

Though he was not much of a speaker he could not hold back the words that God had put in his heart so long ago and with all of the fervor of a song he said,

“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace according to your word. For my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all people, a light for revelation to the Gentile and for glory to your people Israel.”

He held in his hands the One who would save Israel. He held in his hands a child that would bless the nations of the world. But, how could this be? Mystery of all mysteries. God’s salvation is so…vulnerable! The fullness of God in the hands of a mere man!

The little one grew uncomfortable with unfamiliar hands and he began to whimper and cry the weak cry of a new born. Simeon shook with joy as he placed the baby back in the arms of his marveling mother.

Mary’s Marveling

Mary gazed at her boy, amazed at what she just heard from this stranger. First the angels, now, here in the temple, another messenger. She loved her son as any mother would, but she also revered him…placed her hope in all that he represented to her and her people. God’s mysteries are surely wonderful. How can a person not marvel at all of this?!

As a stunned Joseph and Mary looked at Simeon, they noticed a hint of a somberness that had not yet been there. Simeon was not a religious leader or a Rabbi of Israel’s people, but in that moment the Spirit of God had chosen him to share words that would ever define the life of the child. In a region ruled by a foreign power, in a city revered for its concentration of religious power, a short distance from the symbol of God’s power, Simeon spoke his final words to the family:

“Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will piece through your own soul also) so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”

And with a knowing and somber smile, he left them in peace.

Joy and Solemnity

Mary and Joseph looked at the child again. The man’s words had changed them. Their hope wasn’t diminished, but it was transformed. They knew their God’s thoughts were higher than their own, but it was hard for them to comprehend just how much higher.

Jesus was more than they knew. Simeon’s cryptic words were somehow true and, at the same time, distant. What could they mean?

The young family turned to walk back toward Bethlehem, not knowing what was ahead of each of them, but (somehow) knowing they could trust the One who started them on this journey because he would be with them though it. After all, this baby was proof that God was with them.

What could they have known?

Could they have known that in a relatively short time Simeon’s words would come to be real?

They couldn’t have known that soon their Jesus would stir up the jealousy of a king who, in his wrath, steal the lives of innocent children just to keep his power. Herod’s heart would stone be revealed.

They couldn’t have known how those who were known to be “lost souls” (and knew it themselves) would want to come to sit around a table with Jesus and taste the grace he spoke authentically about. Their real heart would be revealed.

They could not have understood that those who were too willing to pray on street corners in order to boast of their own goodness would one day try to rid themselves of the threat Jesus was to their identity. The thoughts of their hearts would be revealed.

Though they may have understood that Jesus was their King, their Messiah, They could not have understood that Jesus’ kingdom would not be defined by war horses and sharpened swords, but though a message of hope and a life laid down for his enemies…in order to reveal people’s hearts.

They would come to see that their Child’s presence alone would reveal the hearts of all of those who were present with him. In his light nothing is hidden. In his love, nothing is left ruined.

Jesus kingdom is not of this world…he exposes it…and transforms it.

They could not fully understand their child, but they would.

Hearts Revealed

Years later, among a raucous crowd outside of this very same city in view of the very same temple, everything that Simeon had said to Mary would come true in front of her eyes. Again she was weary. Again, she felt wonder. But this time it was the weariness and wonder that comes through pain.

The son she carried, nursed through illness, helped take his first steps, watched grow in wisdom and stature over all her years with him would be lifted up above her, crucified underneath a mocking sign that stated “This is Jesus, King of the Jews.” Her soul had been pierced along with her son. On that cross, Jesus’ heart had been fully revealed.

John 3:16-17 says: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. (ESV)

Jesus’ kingdom would not be located on ornate thrones, but it would be a kingdom located in the hearts of those who trust him.

Christmas may be about many things…but ultimately it is about God humbling himself and living among us, revealing his heart to us. Living among those who had no place for him in their own lives. Living among those who despised him. Living among those who needed him.

The heart of Christmas is about the thoughts of Jesus’ heart, revealed.

Glimpses into the Coming Kingdom

"Is everything sad going to come untrue?" Samwise Gamgee in JRR Tolkien's Return of the King

Sometimes when I know I will have a long phone call, I will take a walk. I can focus better and, at the same time, get some precious time outside. With hardly anyone out because of the restrictions I had the sidewalks mostly to myself. But, somewhere around mile 3, another man came towards me on the sidewalk without a mask and without a sense that others were around him. As he got closer it wasn't hard to see that this man's life has not been easy. He talked loudly to either himself or people in his own mind, walking erratically as if the sidewalk was moving up and down and his feet couldn't catch up with the movement.

I didn't know this man's background. Don't know how his parent's cared for him (or didn't) or the trouble he willingly got into in the past (or didn't), but what I did know is that this man has a name. That name is known by his Creator and (though this brings up questions) lovingly crafted in God's image.

I gave him the sidewalk and let him pass. As he did questions flooded my mind in his wake. Questions that all began with either "why God?" or "When God?”

"Why are things like they are?" "When will You make them different?"

There are no simple answers. The reasons behind our brokenness are as complicated as we broken people ourselves.

Though many of my questions that arise as I walk next to men like this will not be answered on this side of eternity, one thing we can know for sure: God entered the world he created in order to restore the world (especially the people he made) back into wholeness and beauty.

This is why Jesus came. With every person he encountered he pushed back the dominion of darkness and the regime of destruction. His miracles were signs that can cause us to wonder at both the depth in which we are twisted, broken and the power of Jesus to undo all the sad things we have created because of it.

When Jesus meets with a person, that person gets a glimpse of restoration for not only men like my neighbor on the sidewalk, but all of us. He is making everything that is sad come untrue.

Not of this World

So Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword into its sheath…” (see John 18:11)

In a place where a peaceful quiet usually reigned, the muffled voices probably started out annoying. But as they grew closer and more determined, the confident speech coming from the disturbers of the peace became more startling for the small band of men looking for rest for the night.

As the flickering light from lanterns and torches grew, so did the anxiety of Jesus’ followers. Something unexpected and unwelcomed was coming with the soldiers and officers. Their hasty path towards Jesus and his friends was a sign that something was dramatically changing in the path of life that they were living: their own expectations.

The numbers they brought and the weapons they carried were a statement of authority. This approaching company came with the overwhelming military might of Rome and the religious power of the Pharisees intent on telling the disciples that their “insurrection” was over and their leader would be under their power from now on and not his own.

But, Jesus was not surprised at all of this. This is how those who are driven to power work. He has lived in a kingdom that sustained itself through dominance, fear, and greed and endured its effects up until this point. But he has experienced only a portion of that wickedness and, from now on, he will experience the full wrath of those who have all of the power and are determined to keep it. Jesus is holding back the completeness of his own power to express the fullness of his love.

But even so, Jesus does reveal who they are coming against in the desolation of the garden. He expresses his character- his glory- in such a way that they will not be consumed, but that they will be humbled. He steps forward when the arresting group states that they are looking for “Jesus of Nazareth,” and the co-eternal Son of God speaks unutterable words with unimaginable effect: “I am he.” A taste of the fullness of his character and kingdom causes the men to stumble and fall, knowing that they are in the presence of Someone who is more than a mere troublemaker. It is if they have been exposed to the reality of the truth of the universe that they are willingly suppressing and cannot stand the weightiness of Him.

Even still, though Jesus could have impressed himself on the soldiers and officials further, he took a step back and let them have their way with him. The fallen men could now get to their feet after their existential crisis was over, but they had not stumbled in their resolve to arrest Jesus.

Peter saw all of this play out, but could not bear to merely watch. Though fear of the power of Rome and the religious authorities might hold the other disciples back, he would not cower while others allowed the injustice to happen in front of them. Peter had invested his life in Jesus and knew him to be not only kingly, but THE king. Jesus would sit on the throne if Peter had any power to do anything about it and the sword that he carried with him was power enough for that moment. With a swing of his own weapon, he stood up against the illegitimate forces that stood against the coming kingdom by cutting off the ear of the high priests’ servant. This fisherman and son of a fisherman was determined that the revolution would come though Peter’s own power, even if he stood alone.

The real revolution was not started by a swing of a weapon, though, but though a confident demonstration of character: “Peter, my kingdom will not come through bloodshed or fear. A brazen use of power over the weak will not define my rule. Put away your sword. My kingdom will come through, not the suffering of others, by my own suffering for others.”

Like a large stone thrown into the current of the river that changes that river’s course, the current of history was challenged and changed. Using power to dominate and control was the weapon of the rulers against the weakness of the ruled. But Jesus’ kingdom would not be defined by raw power to force the nations to submit to his rule, but it would be defined by a love undiminished by the “worldly” powers that would capture the hearts of all peoples.

All the kingdoms of the world are sustained by control and asserting dominance. To a small group of people on a quiet hillside Jesus demonstrates that his reign is radically different; it is not of this world.

You, but New!

With a little disposable income, each of us can be renewed. There are not shortage of products that tell us that if we invest our time and money in them that we can be a "brand new" us in 30 days...or our money back. Whether it is the new look of radiance of our skin or a new feel of our core after (never enough) sit ups, we can be reshaped. The pills are there for the taking.

Many of us though don't want to be swept up in the external vision of a "new" us. That is too shallow so we go for a new "inner" us. As the calendar changes from December 31st to January 1st we reflect on who we have been (and haven't been) since the last moments when we considered those things and are energized to be different next time. Though this year's report card of progress only had C's and D's, next years will be better, right?

All the skin care products available to us, all of the different versions of an ab-roller that are orderable on Amazon, and all the "better you in 30 days" books we could buy (read?), it never seems to be enough. Something is missing. There is still something deeper. More "new" than we can create.

Paul reminds the people living in Galatia that "neither circumcision counts for anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation." (Galatians 6:15) There is a more rooted- more supernatural- "new you."

It is a newness that the Creator creates in us...not a newness that we try to conjure up within ourselves. No amount of disposable income our determination can generate this kind of life.

Why then isn't this more of everyone's experience? Why then isn't this the normal life? Why is this reality not just neglected, but actively rejected?

We Are Family

"Organized Religion," for many, brings to mind great abuses. Wars that were fought over seemingly irrelevant theological issues. Money that has been spent on ornate furniture and gaudy buildings rather than giving to those who are hungry. Children (and adults) being drawn into a depraved trap where someone in power could use devotion to take dignity and hope from them for selfish purposes.

Why would anyone want to join an organization where they might be dictated to by some distant group of officials who seem to hide in religious shadows? Why would anyone willingly submit to new sets of archaic rules that were written by dead men in an era whose values died long ago? Why would a person give money, time, or energy to a group of strange (and emotionally unhealthy) people when spiritual freedom is available for free in so many other ways?

That doesn't sound like freedom at all. It sounds like spiritual slavery.

Though each person that would use the phrase "organized religion" means something different by the phrase, maybe they are on to something. Maybe in their suspicion they are pointing those of us who have entrusted ourselves to Jesus to something different and...more than organized religion.

Even though our friends' bent towards distrust may cause them to throw out the proverbial baby with the metaphorical bathwater, can we learn from the desire of their hearts for something that is more meaningful?

Maybe what we need isn't that kind of organization. Maybe what we need is family.

There is something assumed in the New Testament writings that is easy for 21st century Americans to miss: the Church is not merely an organization or structured institution, the Church is people who are in relationship with Jesus and with each other. Like a family. Messy and beautiful.

I will say it again because I think I need to say it again: both messy and beautiful.

I would go nuts without some sort of organization in my life. It isn't like organization is somehow secretly evil. It is how we organize and for what reason. The reason: relationships. The how? Through relationships.

Both the hardest and the best things in the world have to do with relationships...connection with people. Religion without relationship is just a ploy for power. Real religion, though, is relational. We were created, shaped, formed, built to live life with relatives. (You know, people we relate to.)

Oftentimes the real problem with "organized religion" is that it takes the personal and relational out. Forms and structures are there, but relationships- the kind that are good for all people- are missing. Rules and principles have taken priority over the simplicity of knowing Someone and being known.

Paul the pastor (who wrote many of the writing of the New Testament) did not write in such a way to set up institutions to hold up religion, he wrote urging people to take a chance on relationships. To take a risk that real life might be found more in entrusting ourselves to others who love us than either devotion to a religion or determination to stay away from religion.

"So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to everyone and especially to those who are of the household of faith." Galatians 6:10

"Faith" is not about a religion to work hard to believe in, but about a real confidence in a Person we can trust. All people who have known the goodness of being known by Jesus are free to trust themselves to others who have done the same.

Yes, it is messy because people are messy. Yes, it is risky because we have all been hurt by trusting someone else. But, it is beautiful because real freedom is found in being family. Even if we cannot fully trust each other, we can fully trust our Relational God who is working in our hearts to make us family.

Would you want that? Would you involve yourself in the lives of others? Would you take a risk in order to live the adventure of faith that always means being deeply (heart) connected with others- even if what hurts them, hurts you and what encourages them, encourages you? What if we are disappointed or let down or (God forbid) betrayed? And what if we had conversations that filled our souls and reshaped our lives' trajectory and drew us deeper into the heart of our Father?

This is the type of "organized religion" the Spirit is creating. It starts in people. Its starts with relationships. He is giving us a family to come home to.

A Diseased Peace

“For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.” Paul of Tarsus- a man who didn’t do what he wanted to do.

Until I saw the HBO special, Band of Brothers, I didn’t know anything about the 101st airborne. “Normandy” and “D-day” were vague ideas in my mind from a history class that was longer ago than my memory would easily stretch. The paratroopers that jumped behind Hitler’s front lines were novel to me. Omaha beach made sense to me (though I couldn’t tell you where it was), but jumping into an area in which one would be completely surrounded by an enemy who is bent on destroying you was unfamiliar and intriguing.

I couldn’t get enough of the soldier’s stories and I needed the soldier’s stories to further take me into the stores of the people who lived near Normandy’s quiet, disregarded towns. Towns with unvarnished signs that didn’t have the charm or notoriety of the signs around Paris or Marseilles. There were people who had lived in those areas for generations with little desire to be anywhere else, even if they could.

As I watched (and later read) about the trooper’s battles to liberate the people in Northern France from their Nazi occupiers, I started to pray attention to what it must have been like for the people who lived in those small towns. They were overrun by a “superior” force they couldn’t overcome. Some tried to fight, I am sure, but lost. Some watched as the Nazis took their land and confiscated their goods with a sense of resigned hopelessness. Some saw the inevitability of the power of the new regime and tried to grasp some of that power for themselves. One way or another, everyone was under a new set of masters and those new masters spent their time making sure their subjects knew that fighting back was futile.

After the Nazi’s took control of the area, they brought with them a semblance of what the German regime might call “peace.” It was a diseased peace, but a type of peace nonetheless.

That diseased peace was shaken the night the Allied forces dropped into the occupied territory. The silence of the many nights before was replaced with the deafening sounds of anti-air flack and shots fired from bunkers hidden from view by the darkness.

The allied soldiers triggered an inevitable war as they entered enemy territory and the “peace” that reigned was shattered.
. . .

I don’t know what I expected life in Jesus to be. Words like “love” and “peace” are (rightly) talked about a lot so maybe I assumed that everything would be lovey-dovey and characterized by I’ll-never-be-anxious-about-anything-again peace.

I am not sure if anyone ever told me that the moment that the Spirit of Jesus entered my life that so much of what I wanted before would be pushed back on, opposed. How do I put this without sounding strange? The best words that I can find is that a new war started within me. A war I didn’t expect. A war I didn’t mean to sign up for, but a war that I needed more than I ever knew.

A war that is fought against the corrupt desires that I long to hold on to. A war that is fought by One whose heart’s desire is that my heart’s desires would be whole again. A war fought by the Spirit of Jesus to draw me out of my diseased desired and diseased peace and into the fullness of life he offers. The same fullness of life he lives and is fighting me to give me.

I am not sure if anyone ever really told me that life in Jesus, following Jesus, is war. Not a war that I could or would fight on my own, but still a raging war where the desires that come from my corrupt nature are being acted upon by the Lover of my soul. Where there was once only diseased peace, now there is opposition…where I don’t do what I want to do, but the Spirit is working in me so that (one fine day) I will be able to do everything I want to do all of the time.

Only the regime of selfish pride and destructive desires will be vanquished from my heart and all that will be left is the freedom of the desires of Jesus. Desires that will be more life giving than I could have ever imagined any of my former selfish desires ever could be.

Today, though, it is a war. Today I still want to be known by people around me as “someone special” though real life is being free from that compulsion. Today, I can be more interested in trying to creatively control all aspects of my life rather than entrusting myself to a Father who knows what I and those I love need better than I could ever envision. It is, no doubt, a war within me.

But, the good news is that it is not a fair fight. The Spirit of Jesus is not threatened by my desires from my sinful nature. The Spirit isn’t outmatched or even evenly matched. This is a war where the outcome is already determined. The moment that the Spirit of Jesus dropped behind enemy lines in my heart was the day the war began to be over. In one sense, It was over when it started. Even when I sleep, even when I do not have the heart to help him with the fight, he is taking over territory that is occupied with my own diseased desires and diseased peace.

It is not a fair fight. And one day there will be no more diseased peace in our souls. The war will be over and those of us who are connected to Jesus will know nothing but freedom to express ever desire we ever have because every desire will be a delight to Jesus…and to us.

Philippians 2:13 “…for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” (ESV)

What Freedom Looks Like

In the ancient past people used the word "disciplined." It is still used, but it has been replaced with the word "repressed." Disciplined leans toward holding back desires in our will power. "Repressed" makes us think we are victimized by our society into not being our authentic self. Neither feel like freedom to us.

Recently I asked some friends what they would do if they could express ever desire unhindered. No negative consequences. Just unfettered expression of every desire.

One friend thoughtfully answered, "I wouldn't do anything much differently than I do now." I believe that friend. I think she was honest. But before her answer, there was a profound silence in the room. It is a hard question to answer, I know, because we don't live in a world with no negative consequences to our actions and we hold ourselves back knowing we cannot do everything [italics] we desire.

But, what if we asked that question to a larger group? Or, maybe better yet, gave everyone in the world a "hall pass" for one day and let them be free to do what they want, any old time? (Sorry Mick and Keith) The written laws ("don't run a red light while driving") and the social manners ("don't put your face in your bowl of soup to eat it") are safe, boundary markers to keep us from acting foolishly.

What would people do? Is it fair to say that which is often done in the blinding darkness of night would be done in the exposing light of the day? Could we be confident that we would learn more about our neighbors (and ourselves) than we ever really wanted to know...see more of what is lurking in the dark places of our hearts than we are ever free now to let loose on the world?

I know that some of our desires are fickle and can change based on how well we slept or the food we ate for breakfast. That level of desire is not what I really mean. I mean heart level, unchanging, maybe-I-don't-even-recognize-what-really-motivates-me desire.

I do not think we know what real freedom looks like because we know the freedom to express all of our desires would destroy us. Chaos and confusion would overcome our sense of freedom. We find ourselves to be less than free, but in an acceptable way. We have to hold back to some degree. To be socially acceptable. To hold on to our dignity.

Freedom seems to be that we can do exactly what we want at any moment yet it would not destroy us or anyone else. Let me go one step further: what if we could express our deepest desire at any moment and all of those desires not only didn't create chaos, but actually created flourishing for ourselves and others? What if we had the kind of heart that created desires that only expressed generative love?

I know that seems unrealistic. It feels unrealistic. But, what if what seemed to be unrealistic was actually "normal" and what we live now is (if fully seen for what it is) unreal?

Is your imagination tired like mine is, yet?

But, we don't have to try to imagine that world. We don't have to try to fantasize a reality that looks free like that. We have a person who shows us what freedom looks like. Jesus is freedom embodied.

What we would have to see with our mind is an event in the past. For me it is a foreign land where people are speaking a foreign language and celebrating a foreign ceremony. A group of men are eating a meal together in a room just big enough to hold them all and remembering what God had done for them in the past. It is a joyfully and solemn feast. These men know each other well because they have been together consistently over the last few years. Maybe you could even say they had been too together over the last few years. On this occasion will be obvious that one in their group is still a mystery to them.

They look at their leader strangely as he gets up from the meal and sheds his outer garment. They slow down their talking as one by one they begin to notice that he is filling up a basin with water and taking up a towel.

This is abnormal for a leader. This is something that the most honored of their group should not have to do...and maybe he shouldn't do. They can see he is acting as a servant coming to wash their feet.

But, what they cannot see is that he is not play-acting a role. He is expressing his deep desire to serve. This is who he is, and it is startling to them. It is abnormal and, if honest, uncomfortable to them. It shakes them to see what Jesus' freedom looks like.

Jesus is not repressing his real desires in order to model an ideal for them. Jesus is not being dutifully "disciplined," holding back his true self in order to express love in this way.

No, Jesus is expressing real freedom: the freedom from self-absorbed, self-honoring, self-promoting sin and freedom to express his deepest desire, to love them in such a way that they would flourish. Finding deep joy in knowing that giving for someone else's' good is gain more than striving after selfish longings.

So, what does freedom look like?

Freedom looks like Jesus freely serving those who he loves, unhindered and unfettered by narrow-minded and self-indulgent desires. A heart free to do what he wants, any old time because what he wants is to love another.

More than Imaginary Justice

(A guest post from Adam Warner)

I imagined:

Looking at the news, at the rioting and destruction, the selfishness on all sides, the calls for the removal of earthly authorities, I imagined.

I imagined an alternative world. One where the Body of Christ confronted social issues with the grace and wisdom we are called to. Where, when any member of the body experienced pain or injustice, the other parts quickly rushed in to help support and pray.

I imagined a church that was so interconnected with their brothers and sisters in Christ that it picked up the phone and did outreach and service together, across social and ethnic lines. A church that not only supported and raised money to send people to mission fields around the world, but realized just how fertile and ready for harvest the fields are here.

Don't you have a saying, 'It's still four months until harvest'? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest” John 4:35 NIV

I imagined a church that rushed in instead of sat on the sidelines and condemned. A church that, even if it didn’t fully understand, was there to support and love on others. A church fearless about what others might say or think, considering obedience to God more important than any earthly comfort. A people of God that appeared en masse in places of need.

I imagined that this people of God was there, on the ground, filling the gap so greedily taken by socialist movements, anger, violence, and calls for destruction.

I imagined a resulting social justice movement based on the truth of God. A movement that has a higher, solid foundation for justice and equality.

There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. Galatians 3:28

A movement that doesn’t feel the need to resort to violence, or call for the destruction of authority, because it recognizes God’s authority. A movement that realizes that sin exists in us all, and unless we fix the heart that rebels against Christ, the new systems will be just as corrupt as the old. A movement filled with this humbling truth and that is attractive to all because the only aggressors, the only violence, is caused by those truly opposed to justice. A movement that follows Christ’s lead, willing to suffer and submit to put injustice in stark relief. A movement that only suffers for doing good and whose godly actions prick the heart of those who would oppose it.

I imagined this movement, this church, this people of God, clearly just and unable to be accused by the ignorant of violence and demonization of authority, gaining support by the day. Doing good deeds and marching en masse, locked arm in arm, all races and all denominations. Calling for reform and changes to the nation, broken systems, and above all, a heart change to turn back to God. And ALL repent of our sin that caused this systemic problem to exist, and made us fear to speak out against it when it did.

“Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God.” 1 Peter‬ ‭2:13-16‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The Unbearable Weight of Waiting: Abram, Sarai, Hagar, and Us

(see Genesis 16)

A decade is a long time to wait for someone to make good on their promise, even if you have something to keep you busy.

A few weeks. No problem. We still have the sound of the words in our mind. You can hear the inflection in his voice. The hope of the promise is still fresh.

The first anniversary passes. We begin to recite the promise to ourselves, like it is his voice. It isn't the same, but it is enough to keep waiting.

Two years, then three years. We are still looking forward to the promise being fulfilled, but wonder if we heard him wrong. "Maybe I misunderstood." "Maybe I heard him wrong." But, even still our will keeps us strong in order to keep waiting. This fulfilled promises seemed worth it at the time and we hold on to it, but we quietly wonder "Why is he taking so long?"

As each day passes with the promise unfulfilled, our hope tank empties. Small amounts at a time. Often unnoticeable. At one time we knew he would do something only he could do, but now that is starting to seem to be some vague dream from the past- a past that is almost unrecognizable to us now. We say to ourselves (and only to ourselves) "I was naive then. I have grown up now and realize that if it is going to happen, I have to make it happen."

He is not coming through, we tell ourselves. So we act. No more waiting. Our life is in our hands now. No, its not with the joy that we once carried, but now we are wiser; more realistic. What we once believed could happen- that what He said he will actually do- we know now to be a child's ignorant fantasy. We are on our own. That's what everyone around us told us anyway. We are the last ones to see what is really true.

And despair seems to be "normal." But even though despair seems normal, we know we were made for more life than that. We acted and we failed. Its not what we had hoped for at all.

There is a mystery in why there is often a time gap between what our God has promised and when he fulfills it. There is a painful struggle and an emptying of ourselves in the meantime. Doubt, fear, and often anger replace our hopefulness and rest.

There is a spark of confidence in him that will not die though everything tries to quench it. "How long, O Lord?!" we quietly cry. And wait some more.

But here is where a God-given faith is born. Its not because we want it to be, but because He wills it to be. The questions of why He waits are still unanswered, but what seems to change is our point of view. We have longed for what he would give. We have waiting for it so long. But the entire time He was with us. Often quiet, but present. Something in the process of waiting he is teaching our hearts not to wait on what he can give, but to wait for the gift of himself.

He is willing to let us doubt his goodness for a time so that we might recognize and embrace his presence. And, somewhere in the process of knowing his companionship, we understand his goodness too.

Adopted is Past Tense

I have two beautiful daughters. The older is next to me as I type this and the younger is upstairs fighting the urge to give in into her nighttime sleep. They are, without question, my daughters and I am proud of them.

We share a lot of time together, we share a home, we share a love to be outside and playing, but one thing we don't share is biology. Neither of my precious girls has my eyes. Neither of them has their mother's freckles.

Both of our girls entered our family through adoption. The older was adopted a few years ago and the younger just a month ago. Even so, they are my daughters and there is no way they could be any more my daughter than they are.

Notice what I typed though: I didn't say they "are" adopted as in present tense. "Adopted" is not their identity. They "were" adopted. Past tense. Done. One day they had one heritage and identity and the next day they had a brand new heritage and identity. (In their cases, each of them came from families that wish they could have been their parents; loving and sacrificial. There was never a time in my daughter’s existence that they were unwanted, either by their birth families or our family.)

They are my daughters. They always will be. I treasure that. I treasure them.

In Galatians 4, Paul describes the relationship God the Father has with those who are his children with the metaphor of adoption. Roman adoption that Paul knew was different in many ways than ours, but that kind of adoption is a beautiful picture of how a Father brings his children into his family. One day they had a heritage and identity that was separate from the Father...excluded...alone. Then, by his grace, he adopted us into his family and into a new identity: welcomed, reconciled, dearly loved, forgiven.

All who entrust themselves by grace to Jesus are adopted into God's family. Past tense. Not a second class member of the family, but a child who is fully loved and accepted. And none of it had to be earned, but it is all given as a gift.

Galatians 4:4–7: But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God. (ESV)