This Christmas, Keep It Real

We all have our own Christmas traditions - things that must happen every year in order for Christmas to be Christmas. We get the tree on this date, we attend this Christmas show, we watch this Christmas special on TV, we view our Christmas movies in this order. We arrange it all in hopes that Christmas will feel like Christmas. I think that what we really long for, what I know I long for this time of year, is that Christmas be meaningful and real. That it affect me personally, emotionally, spiritually. This is a high standard to set for Christmas because there are so many artificial things involved and so many people with an interest in selling us on the idea that we can ‘purchase’ a real and meaningful Christmas.

I recently received an email reminding the Church that it might be time to order new candles for the Christmas Eve service. In the email they advertised different kinds of candles that could be purchased, and as I scrolled down I saw something that I never thought I would see, something unimaginable – fake, plastic candles. Yes, you can buy plastic, battery-powered candles to hold as you sing Silent Night, complete with “white plastic flame tip for elegant and realistic look when candle is on or off!” And a “flame that flickers like a real flame!”

They sell these because real candles pose a risk – namely of burning down the church, or at least Aunt Mable’s petticoat. But we use real candles because we want the real thing, risk and all. During Advent, as we prepare for Christ’s coming, if we want this season to be real and meaningful, it make require us to take some risks. To find quiet time, to pray, to search our past, present, and future, and make our hearts and minds a place where Jesus has room to stay. As John says about Christ: “In him was life,^* and the life was the light of all people” (John 1:4). Let’s allow that light to shine on us this year. It might expose some unpleasant things, but it’s worth the risk – it always is if you want the real thing.

Just like a candle – but without the flame, wax, or heat!

The Definitive Mid-Term Election Voting Guide

Ah, yes. It’s a crisp, cool autumn day. Leaves are floating lazily down from trees, blanketing the earth with a collage of orange, brown, red and yellow. The World Series is on the television and the Braves are at home watching it with the rest of us. Pumpkins are smiling at us from people’s front porches and thanksgiving plans are being finalized. Well, all of that it true, except the crisp, cool part – today’s high is 87 – and the part about the leaves blanketing the ground. This is fall in Savannah, so you’ve got to use your imagination a little bit.

There are other things adorning lawns lately, as well as the un-mowed corners and vacant lots of our fair city: political yard signs. That’s right, in case you have not noticed, the Mid-term elections are, well, now. News reports describe voters this cycle as either angry, frustrated, cynical, or just plain apathetic. It is natural when things aren’t going well to express our frustration and anger by demonizing the opposition or whoever we perceive to be at fault. But as Christians we are called to rise above the merely natural to a more spiritual approach.

Although we are citizens of the United States, our primary identity is that of children in the Kingdom of God. We look to Jesus to lead us, and his name won’t be appearing on the ballot this fall or any other time. The signal of his coming won’t be a new congress, but a new heaven and a new earth. He won’t come to fix a broken system in Washington, but to fix a broken world and mend our broken hearts and spirits. He won’t come with a slogan or a platform or talking points, but with Truth that he is and the peace that he brings. The psalmist writes:

Do not put your trust in princes,
in mortals, in whom there is no help.

Happy are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the Lord their God,
The Lord will reign for ever,
Praise the Lord! (Psalm 146 – check out the whole psalm)

There are reasons for anger and frustration in this world, but we have been given far, far greater reasons for faith, hope, and love. Cast your vote (metaphorically speaking) for them, and you will not be disappointed.

Halloween Approaches! Good Christians Take Cover! (Newsletter Article)

This morning I walked into the grocery to a glorious sight – the Halloween candy was neatly tucked into the large shelves that greet you directly upon your entrance into the store. You can always count on the candy aisle of the grocery store to cue you in on what season is approaching (sometimes months in advance). See an orange bag of assorted bite-sized mass produced chocolate covered nougat filled candy bars? Halloween is on its way. Red, green, and gold wrapped Hershey Kisses? Hello Christmas. Sugar covered marshmallow bunnies and baby chickens? Easter approaches.

Where would we be without candy to mark our time? As a kid though, I was told by a teacher not to eat the Halloween candy I “worked” so hard to earn. She said that people might hide little razors in there. That was a risk I was willing to take. I think the real danger of Halloween candy is “candy corn.” It seems that for years now people have believed that this stuff is supposed to be eaten, but in my experience it is mostly composed of wax and more suitable as an adhesive for emergency home repairs.

Apart from the dangers of candy and the general scary nature of Halloween, some Christians have proposed that Halloween is not a suitable holiday to be celebrated by Jesus’ followers. But really, Halloween is really All Hallow’s Eve, or All Saint’s Eve, since the next day is All Saint’s Day, the day when we remember those who have died in the faith, who have joined in Christ’s victory over death to enter into his eternal presence. Really, what we recognize on All Saint’s Day is, to many people, the most hopeful and wonderful things that our faith proclaims – that death is not the final word, but God’s love for us in Christ Jesus is, and with it, eternal life beyond and after and above death.

So if anyone should be making merriment on Halloween, it should be us Christians, because we’ve truly got something to celebrate. If we dress up and act silly and (inexplicably) eat candy corn, we do so with a spirit that says, “Where, o death, is your victory? Where, o death, is your sting?” (1 Corinthians 15:55).

Not for eating.

Another Look: "Getting Lost"

First off, my apologies for being less than regular with the blog, but summer has a way of killing momentum, and I guess that is kind of the point of summer.

On to yesterday's Sermon, "Getting Lost."

We looked at the famous Parable of the Lost Sheep, as it is usually referred to. It could also be called the "Parable of the Dedicated Shepherd."

The parable can be challenging for church folk who have been Christians for a long time. This is because the parable seems to be all about the "lost sheep" and Jesus going out and bringing them in - adding to the kingdom, new church members, new converts. Nothing here for me, thanks, I'm already on the team.

But the message for religiously established (like the Pharisees) and most Presbyterian Church-goers, comes in the line about the "righteous who need no repentance."

These are the found sheep, or in the parable that closely follows, the Older Brother who despises the party thrown for his wreckless brother who thinks he can just stumble home after squandering the gifts his father had given him. The Found Sheep are responsible, respectable, and serious about their faith. All nice things to strive for.

But what have the Found Sheep lost? Often, they've lost the joy of being welcomed by God - sins forgiven, past forgotten, embraced and given a new chance to live. Not that God has withheld these things, but that the found no longer experience them as the amazing gifts they are.

I admit that I often envy people who are fresh off a religious conversion. They act like people who have been given a new life because they have. Everything is new and exciting and wonderful and they are just so thankful for it all. It's like the party that Jesus describes when what is lost is found.

It seems to me that in order to remember and live again in this kind of wonder, we need to get lost a little bit ourselves. We need to lose our serious attitude toward faith, our sense of being an established Christian, our belief that we more or less have things figured out about God and the world. We need to lose those things because they things we build on our own and they become our possessions - the lost sheep on the other hand know that they have nothing and receive everything from God as a pure gift. In that knowledge comes a joy and freedom that comes with emptiness - empty hands are open hands, ready to receive (same with hearts and minds).

Of course, we mature in faith and become more or less "established," but we never want to become those "righteous who need no repentance," because if we no longer think we need to repent, then we have likely forgotten just how much we depend upon God for every moment of every day - each of which is a gift beyond our comprehension.

Another "Come to Jesus" sermon it seems. He keeps calling people to himself, and we can be happy that he always will - again and again.

Another Look: Peace

Christians and peace.



I was watching a documentary yesterday on people who believe that the End Times are very near. Various preachers presented evidence, both biblical and from current events, that the End is near, and with it a last great battle on the earth. They spoke in great detail about the suffering that would occur to those left behind on earth once the believers were raised to the sky. And then this one guy, smiling and excited said, "And we [christians] will get to watch the whole thing happen, looking down on it - I'm really looking forward to that." And then he sort of backpeddled a bit - "I mean...not all the suffering for those people left behind...but, you know, it will be neat to see the end."



The truth is that many people like war and conflict. It can entertain us and give us a 'side' to be on. Unfortunately, alot of folks don't know what they believe or who they are if they arent given a side to be on, and with it, someone or something to oppose and fight against.



But Jesus says, "Blessed are the peacemakers for they will be called the children of God."

But Jesus says, "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you."



In Christ, what divides us from God has been overcome. If we can accept that mercy and the peace that comes with it, we may be able to show mercy to others instead of judgment, and we may begin to look like people who are resting in the peace of Christ, instead of those who are marching to fight a battle that is God's alone to fight.

Paul says it well, "If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all." (Romans 12:18)

****

Well now that the serious stuff is out of the way, how about some song recommendations that have to do with peace:

Mindy Smith, "Peace of Mind" - Not an artist in the Christian Industry, but a Christian making music in the secular/normal market in Nashville. In my experience, the best Christian music is the kind that happens outside of the CCM (contemporary christian music) industry, because that industry favors light-hearted and overly optimistic songs, or 100% effusive praise music - essentially focusing on the %3 of life when we are on a spiritual high. Christian artists outside of those strictures can write about the other %97 of christian life - the part where we need hope, love, faith, and peace - and they do it very well.

Anyhow, look up the lyrics to "Peace of Mind" or give it a listen on iTunes or Myspace - I tried to post the lyrics but the formatting went all crazy.

The Fruit of the Spirit is Love

A couple of songs I would have liked to sing this past Sunday (but that wouldn't work well with in the guy with guitar format).

A beautiful song by one of my favorite songwriters, Andrew Peterson.

"Just As I Am"

hat's that on the ground?
It's what's left of my heart
Somebody named Jesus
Took up the pieces
And planted the shards

And they're coming up green
They're coming in bloom
I can hardly believe
This is all coming true

Just as I am and just as I was
Just as I will be He loves me, He does
He showed me the day that He shed His own blood
He loves me, oh, He loves me, He does

All of my life
I've held on to this fear
Its thistles and vines
Ensnare and entwine
What flowers appeared

It's the fear that I'll fall
One too many times
It's the fear that His love
Is no better than mine
(but He says that)
Just as I am and just as I was
Just as I will be He loves me, He does
He showed me the day that He shed His own blood
He loves me, oh, He loves me, He does
He loves me, oh, He loves me, He does

It's time now to harvest
What little that grew
This man they call Jesus
Who planted the seeds
Has come for the fruit

And the best that I've got
Isn't nearly enough
He's glad for the crop
But it's me that He loves

Just as I am and just as I was
Just as I will be He loves me, He does
The same as the day that He shed His own blood
He loves me, oh, He loves me, He does
***

An important point to remember about bearing fruit as a Christian - God wants us to bear fruit (John 15), but God it is us that God loves - just as we are. It doesn't matter how much fruit we bear - God's love is not based on that. But accepting God's love and knowing how much God loves us, we are free and ready to bear fruit. And we can bear fruit as a joyful pursuit, and not as the burdensome quest to earn favor in God's eyes.

Another excellent song, this one with an edge to it - "They'll Know Us by the T-Shirts that We Wear," by Derek Webb.

We sang "They'll know we are Christians by our love" today in church, but this song points to what people typically tend to notice about Christians and what we might notice if we were honest about what we see.

Get ready, this one is not for those who think the church is a club for the perfect:

They’ll know us by the T-shirts that we wear
They’ll know us by the way we point and stare
At anyone whose sin looks worse than ours
Who cannot hide the scars of this curse that we all bare

They’ll know us by our picket lines and signs
They’ll know us by the pride we hide behind
Like anyone on earth is living right
And that isn’t why Jesus died
Not to make us think we’re right

[Chorus]
When love, love, love
Is what we should be known for
Love, love, love
It’s the how and it’s the why
We live and breathe and we die

They’ll know us by reasons we divide
And how we can’t seem to unify
Because we’ve gotta sing songs a certain style
Or we’ll walk right down that aisle
And just leave ‘em all behind

They’ll know us by the billboards that we make
Just turning God’s words to cheap cliches
Says “what part of murder don’t you understand?”
But we hate our fellow man
And point a finger at his grave

[Chorus]

They’ll know us by the T-shirts that we wear
They’ll know us by the way we point and stare
Telling ‘em their sins are worse than ours
Thinking we can hide our scars
Beneath these T-shirts that we wear

****

Love, Love, Love - it's what we should be known for - can't really argue with that.

1 John agrees, "Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God."

Another Look: "Mystery"

Here are the lyrics from the song that Ashley sang, "Beautiful Mystery," by Caedmon's Call.

I tried to know
Every mystery
Soon realized, no
It was too much for me

'Cause most things true
Are simple and complex
So it is with You
What else should I expect

You suffer the seeker
In You they abide

You are to me
A beautiful mystery
You are to me
A Servant and a King
You're a beautiful mystery

You're like the water
I can feel but not grasp
Still You say all I've gotta do
Is seek and knock and ask

You are to the river
What hems it in and sets it free

The truth is a river
Where the strong can swim down deep
The weak and the broken
Can walk across so easily

******

The part I put in bold is my favorite. That is the message I wanted to convey on Sunday regarding how we know, and what we know about, God. We feel God, know God in many ways, but we cannot grasp, we cannot hold all knowledge about God. That is because we arent designed to hold that kind of truth, because what usually happens with us (humans) is that once we think we have something completely figured out, then it is at our command, it is our possession. When I see people speaking so confidently about what "God wants" or "God's plan" in certain scenarios I wonder how they can be so sure. Often times this sort of talk occurs when we have placed ourselves in the judge's chair - a seat that only Christ can sit in.

The reference to myself in college during the sermon had to do with the fact that I found this one theologian who I thought had really figured it all out - and he thought so too. So I had this air-tight, argument proof system. And really, this for me was more important than following Jesus, than loving God or neighbor. I was more concerned with being right than with having faith - because as a speaker at the conference I was at said recently, "Defending the faith requires believing that you are right; leaning into faith requires believing in God." Another way to say it is that when we think we have the whole truth, then we become defensive of it - "I'm gonna make a stand for the truth in a world where no one believes in the truth anymore" and so forth. But of course the Bible tells us that Jesus is the Truth, and the Jesus is not one to be defended or stood up for or held in our hands, Jesus is one to be followed.

He leaves his disciples with this direction: "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth." John 16:13

Another Look: "City Life"

To be honest, sometimes I'm not sure what to make of the book of Revelation in the Bible (really, it is a letter and not a book). But the thing that struck me most about yesterday's passage (Rev 21:1-6) was the idea of God bringing a city down from heaven to earth. The next thing that struck me is that God wants to live with us in that city. Later in Revelation we find that the city will have alot of things in common with the Garden of Eden - so it will be the combination of the beginning of human history (Garden) and the end (city).



I like this, because I'm often torn between living in the city - with all the culture, restaurants, parks, coffee shops, arts, and the ability to walk to all these things, and living in the country - with an abundance of natural things, clean air, space, quiet, and simplicity (though driving everywhere is much more complex than walking). At Princeton I literally walked to everything I did during the week and I grew to love it. It made me much observant to my surroundings and led me to pray much more often as I walked alone from home to school to work and everywhere else.

Of course none of us can be certain about all the details of the life to come or "end times" (though If you write a book about it you can make alot of money - see Left Behind series) but whether in a city or a garden we know that God will meet all our needs, that he will be there to welcome us home, and that he will "wipe every tear from our eyes" (Rev. 21:4).

May Newsletter Entry: Christians and the Environmnetal (Green) Movement

John Muir, son of a Presbyterian Minister, poet and defender of creation, sits and ponders his next quotable phrase.

As Christians, we sometimes aren’t sure what to think about things like Earth Day and environmentalism and the proliferation of “Green” products and services in our society. If we join the cause, does that mean we will soon find ourselves living in a tent in Oregon, eating soy burgers and chaining ourselves to redwood trees? Maybe, but those are all things we associate with the “environmental movement.” Christians may be a part of that, but the main difference is that we are not so much concerned with “saving the Earth” as we are with caring for Creation.

We know that one day God will save the Earth and all within it, creating a new heaven and a new earth (Rev. 21:1). It is not up to us to save the creation, but to be a part of it, to care for it, and to enjoy it. The Creation is first of all something that God created, and being created by God it contains and reflects the creativity, beauty, and wisdom of its Creator. That alone is incentive for us to want to treat it with respect and even reverence, for it is not simply the background of our lives, but is a medium for God’s Word to us – “The heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1 – Good psalm on this topic).

This isn’t hippie talk – unless you consider Jesus to be a hippie. He points our attention to the creation, “Consider the lilies of the field…” He took personal time in the mountains to pray. He often taught about God’s kingdom by pointing to things in the creation from farming and fishing to fig trees and seeds. Paul tells us in Colossians that “in [Christ] all things in heaven and on earth were created…and have been created through him and for him…and in him all things hold together” (1:16-17).

So is it up to us to save the earth? Not really. But it is our joy and blessed opportunity to care for it, to enjoy it, and to see God’s beauty in it. And if we want our children and grandchildren to be able to worship God in the many temples of forest and mountain, lake and stream, then we have reason enough to do what we can. The great environmentalist John Muir, while campaigning to preserve the redwoods of West Coast wrote: “Through all the wonderful, eventful centuries God has cared for these trees, saved them from drought, disease, avalanches, and a thousand straining, leveling tempests and floods; but he cannot save them from fools.” Let us join God in caring for these wonders that worship God with effortless obedience and simple beauty, so that, with God’s help, we might be more like them.

Another Look: "Balancing Act"

Recap
Last week through Jesus' interaction with Thomas we learned about faith and doubt.
This week (yesterday) through Jesus' interaction with Peter we learned about sin and redemption.

Peter of "three denials."
Jesus giving him three chances to express his love and faith by asking, "Peter, do you love me?"
This way, Peter gets to hear himself speak the words, "yes, I love you," one time for every time he spoke "I do not know this man" back during Jesus' passion.

the balance between the two encounters is really quite amazing and beautiful and reminds us of God's mercy - how it always gives us another chance, how it matches our sin and then goes beyond.

The Braves...

are very bad right now. But the way Bobby Cox treats his players is a nice analogy for the mercy of God.

Consider Troy Glaus (and of course the lillies of the field.. the first baseman of the field?)

Playing pretty bad right now, doesn't deserve to be on the field - but Bobby keeps giving him a chance. The other night vs. the Phillies, Glaus was having a horrible game, Bobby left him in and he hit a 2 run homerun in the 9th to begin a rally that would win the game a little later.

The reason this reminds us of God's mercy is that God does not "pull us out of the game" because of our failures, but he keeps giving us chances, keeps forgiving us, keeps giving us a way out so that we aren't prisoners to our failures and our past.

So What?

The real practical thrust of this passage and the sermon is not to let our sins make us prisoners of our past, of guilt and shame - don't hide like Peter when he jumped out of the boat when he noticed Jesus nearby. Come to God with all the weight of your sin and your past and let him take it from you and replace it with forgiveness and peace. Even if we don't come to him, like we see with Jesus going to Peter and initiating the conversation, God will call us out our darkness and into his light.

Jesus ends his redemptive encounter with Peter by giving him some direction, "follow me."

In bumper sticker form: "Don't Wallow; Just Follow"

Another Look - "Faithful Doubt"

The sermon yesterday on "Faithful Doubt" explored the notion that John's account of "doubting Thomas" has something to teach disciples of Jesus about faith - and faith's relation to doubt.

I love the doubting Thomas story because it gives us all a chance to relax a little bit and realize that doubt is okay. Thomas doubts, he's blunt about it, and Jesus meets his doubt and unbelief with just the thing he needs. The story gives us permission to voice our doubts and questions to God, and gives us reason to believe that God will, in some way, in some time, answer our doubts and questions - either with evidence (the marks of the nails in Jesus hands) or by simply strengthening our faith in such a way that we trust God's wisdom and goodness even if we cannot understand God's ways (for example, Hurricane Katrina or the earthquake in Haiti).

Key Quotes:
"Doubts are the ants in the pants of faith. They keep it awake and moving."
- Frederick Buechner, "Beyond Words"
"Faith has reasons that reason does not know."
- Heard it before but cannot find the source. The point is that faith is not unreasonable or irrational, but that faith is deeper than reason - meaning that it is not just a matter of the mind but of the heart and the soul as well.

Good Songs about Doubt:
"Doubting Thomas" by Nickel Creek on album "This Side."
"In My Bones" by Andy Gullahorn on "The Law of Gravity."
Some lyrics from "In My Bones":

I was serious as a heart attack
when I came to you with the doubts I had
I never heard an answer back,
but I feel it in my bones.

When my mind wants to see some proof
My heart knows its no use
when I feel it in my bones...

A great, theologically astute and honest album. I highly recommend.
Check it out here.

Proofs of God
As promised, here is a link to more arguments for the existence of God.I did not mean to dismiss these arguments - as arguments they are pretty good. My point was that our belief in God, or our faith, is not based on arguments and logic and reason the kind of mathematical thinking that these proofs consist of. Our faith consists in following Christ - as whole people, and loving God with heart, mind, soul, and strength.

Another Look

In this space I will re-examine the sermon from the previous Sunday. I may make clarifications of something I thought was confusing, or I may try to restate the main idea in case it got obscured among the elements. The real advantage of this blog format is that I can post pictures and videos of things that I discuss in the sermon that I can only describe with words from the pulpit. I may also include illustrations or practical applications from the sermon that I had to leave out due to length.

Posts that address the sermons will be titled, "Another Look."

Last week I was on a refreshing vacation, but the week before - Easter Sunday - I spoke about the sad, little fig tree in our yard and about its magnificent green leaves. Here is a photo of that tree:

A Message from the (Rev.) Pope - April 2010

Yesterday I took a moment to venture outside of the church walls and into the grounds. I took a folding chair and a Bible and sat facing the sun and the scattered white puffy clouds that floated lazily by in a sky of the purest blue. It was about 72 degrees with a slight breeze, the kind of day in which just a hint of coolness in the air mixes perfectly with the warmth of the sun, seemingly inviting anyone who is listening to “come and sit awhile.” As I sat there, I simply closed my eyes and reveled in the warmth of the sun on my face and I thanked God for spring, for how sweet is it’s coming after waiting out the winter. It felt like thawing out. It felt like being re-introduced to the beautiful world that God has made. It felt like…like stinging…and itching.
The gnats had found me. And so I folded up my chair, closed my Bible, and hauled back inside to get on with the day. Just like that my glorious springtime moment was over. And that, as we all know, is life in Coastal Georgia. When the weather is the most beautiful, our insect friends are at their most spry. If you want to venture into sights and smells of spring, you must pay the price of bug spray, swatting, slapping and itching. But we venture on nonetheless because the sweetness is worth the bitter sting of sand gnats and mosquitoes.
That’s not just life in Coastal Georgia, that is the Christian life too – the good and the bad, light and dark, sweetness and bitterness mixed together. After the winter of Christ’s suffering and death, spring came in his resurrection and victory over sin and death. The disciples were there for the whole thing. And they were there when Christ ascended and left the Spirit to be with them. In the wake of such joyful and warm moments the disciples faced persecution, division, and the hardships of being the Body of Christ, now that his body was no longer with them. We are in the same boat. And as we celebrate Easter we rejoice in the warmth of new life, knowing that the bitterness of death and the sting of our humanity are always with us – but knowing that winter always ends with spring, and that one day spring will come fully and finally at last – no more tears, no more death, and, we can hope, no more sand gnats either.