Emptied It

I was feeling down today and half way through a bowl of Moose Tracks double chocolate when I came upon this quote at another blog site.  It helped, but I finished my ice cream anyway (thanking God for ice cream and thanks Thomas).

“Many love Christ as long as they encounter no hardship; many praise and bless him as long as they receive some comfort from him. But if Jesus hides himself and leaves them for a while, they either start complaining or become dejected. Those, on the contrary, who love him for his own sake and not for any comfort of their own, praise him both in trial and anguish of heart as well as in the bliss of consolation. Even if Jesus should never comfort them, they would continue to praise and thank him. What power there is in a pure love for Jesus—love that is free from all self-interest and self-love!”

“God often gives in one brief moment that which He has for a long time denied.”

“Be not angry that you cannot make others as you wish them to be, since you cannot make yourself as you wish to be.”

“In Jesus and for Him, enemies and friends alike are to be loved.”

“If thou bear the cross cheerfully, it will bear thee.”

– Thomas a Kempis

A defining moment that left an indelible mark on my view of church came in the mid 1980’s.  I was working in Vienna, Austria with a group that printed bibles in eastern European languages.  Part of my work was to make sure they got into the hands of those who needed them.  I made contact with a pastor in Budapest who could channel bibles into the countries east of Hungary.  We made arrangements to meet early Sunday morning and then he would take me to where his underground (not recognized by the state) church was meeting that Sunday.  The streets that morning were all but deserted and the smell of sulfur was thick in the air (coal was used to heat many buildings).  We took a trolley away from the center of the city and then at it the terminus transferred to a bus.  At the apartment building we quietly walked up several flights of stairs and then came to a door that stood slightly ajar.  We walked into the entryway where we took off our shoes and coats then proceeded into a larger room, which was dark because the shades had been drawn.  There were already a few people there and after introductions were made, one of the brothers began to pray.  And thus began a quiet time of worship.  At the end (after a couple of hours) we talked while the host served juice, coffee and cookies.  Then, as quietly as we arrived people began to disperse, back into the community where they were living “leaven” and “light”.         

I see the Well as an “underground church”, a network of people quietly (but purposefully) following Jesus.  We occasionally gather together but more often than not we see each other at a community gathering, a party or at the work place.  Living in a culture where many churches and Christians feel threatened and under siege we cannot “circle the wagons” and retreat.  A friend who served among Arabs and Muslims once told me that we will not reach out to those we fear.  Who do we fear?  

Passage: John 14:5-14

This week we will be looking at a passage that highly offends our modern western culture.  In the passage Jesus makes some exclusive claims.  I believe that the beauty of the Gospel (Jesus’ message) is that it offends and challenges every culture (and person) at some point.  The paradox is that Jesus (Immanuel) came dressed in a very specific culture in a very specific time of history.  Even though he looked and sounded familiar to the people of his time, his message challenged the social and religious status quo… to the point of death. 

            Every generation has dressed Jesus’ message in their own unique cultural context.  And when allowed, that message has transformed not just the individual but also the society in which they live, work and worship.  What part of Jesus’ message offends you?  Is it his exclusive claim to be God?  Maybe it’s the inclusive way he treats people (“For God so loved the world”) and that he calls his followers to do the same regardless of what “the world” looks like, their sexual preference, or their political ideology?  What happens when Jesus offends you?  Do you look for a church that won’t?  Do you look for a group of people who hold your views?  I’ve done that before.  You know what, Jesus has a way of finding you.  He is tenacious.  See you Friday!

Info:

Mark your calendars. 

http://www.paramountartscenter.com Ashland, KY

Jazz Alley Series

Friday, July 18, 8:30 p.m. features Glenn and Lisa Ginn

Jazz Cats Everywhere! Slink in and curl up to an intimate evening of fine jazz music in a unique club atmosphere–sit on stage with the artists as they play. Each night brings you the finest jazz musicians, groovin’ on the dance floor, and a lot of fun! Drinks, including wine and beer, will be offered for sale.  (Paramount Arts Center)

This “church plant” is new and frustrating.  Those of you who are older will remember the 7Up commercials (late 70’s early 80’s) that featured Geoffrey Holder, a bald guy dressed in white with a heavy Jamaican accent.  He would say…

“It doesn’t look anything like a cola and doesn’t smell anything like a cola.”

“No caffeine, no artificial color, no artificial flavor.”

“Crisp and clean and no caffeine.”

7Up did a great job communicating how they differed from the status quo.  They called it the “Uncola”. 

I have a hard time communicating vision for the Well (sometimes even to myself).  With a few people I’ve even called it the “Unchurch”, with reference to the 7Up commercials.  “It doesn’t look anything like a church and doesn’t smell anything like a church.”  But in fact, it is a church… Ecclesia = “the called out” or “a called out assembly”.  A group of people “called out” of their culture (both secular and religious) learning what it means to follow Jesus by loving God and loving people.  In this “prototype”/“experimental” church I, and others, struggle with what it means to be “christian” without many of the traditional church props.  That is, the 2-3 formal meetings per week, committees, ministries and events that support our churches and fill up our schedule.  Is it enough to only meet once or twice a month with “the fellowship”, work at our jobs and spend more time with family, friends and aquantances while at the same time committing ourselves to reading the book and talking to God?  Going counter to the culture (both societal and religious) that says “what you are doing is not church”, is very difficult. 

Just last night I had a dream that I gave up the idea of planting a “missional church” (one that is outwardly focused).  I joined a church plant that was doing it “right”… contemporary, high impact and well funded (church growth experts say in order to plant a church “right”, one needs around $100,000 on hand for their first three years).  Compare that to The Well… eclectic, low impact and shoe string budget.  In fact, what we are doing is the antithesis of planting a church “right”.  “God help us!”…  this has been the cry of countless servants throughout the ages.

“Never had it, never will.  Ahhh, marvelous!”  

I’m in the middle of reviewing class material for my last two comprehensive exams this week.  One of the classes is World Christianity.  Our world is changing.  The west (Northern hemisphere) is no longer the center of gravity for Christianity.  That has shifted to the South…  Central/South America, Africa and Asia.  And for the most part, their form of Christianity is very conservative.  “By 2050, only about one-fifth of the world’s 3 billion Christians will be non-Hispanic Whites.”  Unfortunately the western Church still acts as if all eyes are on her when in fact the rest of the world couldn’t give a “flying do-da” about how many “mega-churches” we have.  Much less what we have to say (kind of like you with me).  As I was looking at this material these thoughts came to mind…

For years I have heard American Christians (mostly Evangelical) bemoan the state of morality in our country.  Sincerely praying that America would “return to its roots” and that God would save us from the barbarians at our gates.  Now generally when God answers prayer it is not in the way we expect and I believe this is no exception.  We pray expecting him to change everything but us.

What if the influx of Hispanics (both legal and illegal) is his answer to our prayers?  Religiously they are Christian, morally they are conservative and they have strong “family values”.  If only they were white and spoke English, they would be perfect!  I say 3 out of 5 isn’t bad.  But God wants to change us through our prayers, and one of our (my) greatest sins is pride.  He opposes it!  He wants me to lay it down.  Do we find ourselves opposing the very answer to our prayers?  Pride keeps us from receiving the very thing we need… GRACE.  And that grace comes in many forms.

Our culture is going through this same process today. Something is coming. We can’t see it, we can only feel the wind blowing. We know it’s coming. Change is like that. To stretch this train analogy to its over used conclusion, will we be ready to board? I believe God prepares us if we have an attitude of anticipation. This last year (March ’07′– February ’08′) I have been waiting, anticipating what God is doing in and around me. I feel the wind.

“We don’t yet see things clearly. We’re squinting in a fog, peering through a mist. But it won’t be long before the weather clears and the sun shines bright! We’ll see it all then, see it all as clearly as God sees us, knowing him directly just as he knows us!” 1 Corinthians 13:12 (The Message)