Looking forward to Christmas?

It's interesting to see all the opinions of the playing of Christmas music before Thanksgiving. I've even seen pictures of a Turkey threatening Santa, telling him to wait his turn. I admit, it's pretty comical. Now obviously, Santa as we have come to know the myth, has nothing to do with Christmas, really. Here's the question, is there a place for the anticipation of Christmas. My answer . . . absolutely!

Traditionally Advent is a looking forward to the coming of Christ. It is a season that we don't hear a lot about in our churches (Restoration Movement). And to be completely forthcoming it isn't a prescribed Biblical practice. So why do we think about it? Is there any value in it? Should we make a nod to the season of Advent (literally "the coming")? All good questions. I'm glad you asked!

It is good for us to think about it because we live in a day and age of materialistically anticipating Christmas. I enjoy the giving and receiving of presents, I'll admit. But when that is the most important consideration, we need to refocus. On this side of the Messiah coming we can't understand what it meant to eagerly wait for his first coming. He has already come. But we can certainly anticipate the second coming. It brings to mind the Hope we have in Christ. It reminds us of the Love he has shown, and will continue to show until he returns.

In a culture that gives value to elaborate spending and over consumption, there is value in remembering God's simple gift. And after further examination we realize that in God's simple gift of a baby in a manger actually lies the most extravagant show of love and affection for His creation. There is Joy in the birth of a baby. There is peace in His gift.

We can certainly give Advent a look, through the scriptures, and fully anticipate the coming of Christmas. And in doing so we may discover, or rediscover the meaning of the first coming and the implications of His second coming. And maybe, just maybe, we will begin the process of turning our Christmas celebrations away from the materialism and toward an opportunity to share the hope, love, joy, and peace of God this Christmas. I'm looking forward to it. Are you?

Humbly,
Dave

Worship . . . is it Worth it?

Would it surprise you if I said no? I hope that you are a bit shocked at this point, but hear me out. Worship isn't anything in and of itself. The way we practice worship is not sacred or meaningful in a vacuum. There is a difference between worshipping God and worshipping worship. And we, as God followers, must be on the proper side of that fence.

The Bible has a lot to say about worship. It is full of instruction and exhortation. In the Old Testament there are rules and regulations for the sacrificial system as in the first seven chapters of Leviticus. There are descriptions on how King David centralized and organized Israel's practice of worship as in 1 Chronicles 15. In 2 Kings 23 we can see how King Josiah completely reformed Israel's practices of worship after rediscovering the book of the Law. The New Testament contains some descriptions (Acts 2) and admonishments (1 corinthians 11), but unlike the Old Testament, has few rules and prescriptions.

There are a two main principles that I would like to highlight that come from both Old and New Testaments. First, God's worship is meant to bring everyone together. Unity is the biggest prescription in the New Testament for worship. Read 1 Corinthians 11:17ff and you get a strong sense of the need for unity and the distraction of division. But the more important principle that is absolutely essential when it comes to worship is this: God is the most important aspect of worship! Maybe that sounds like a no-brainer, but I don't believe that we can take Him for granted in this way. Far too often when we gather we worry about the music, how we dress, what time it is, how long things are, where things happen, what the room looks like, who we are sitting by, what we're doing after church, how loud or soft it is, what temperature the room is, I think we get the point. When we gather, we gather in the name of God, His son Jesus Christ, and His Spirit.

Consider this, the word "worship" is a shortening of the Old English word "worthship." We gather because of His worthship, because He is worthy of praise. We gather for worthship because He has invited and initiated it. We gather for worthship because de desires it of us. It is not our worship. It is not our worthship. We are not worthy. We cannot possess worship. When we try to, we make it about everything else other than God, the immortal invisible. We make it about us. When we say "our worship" we make the most important thing us. Maybe it is semantics, but we must see it in the light that scripture sees it.

Worship isn't worth it. God is worth it, and He is worthy, and he deserves the praise of His people. In fact, he inhabits the praise of His people (Psalm 22:3). If there is a difference between worshipping worship and worshipping God, let us worship God. "Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care." (Psalm 95:6-7)

Humbly,
Dave

Shortening the Gap

My heart has been so full watching Jackson begin Kindergarten. I am so proud to be his Dad. And at the same time I am wondering if I have taught him enough to be a good example. I love seeing him grow to be independent. But at the same time I mourn a little for him not needing me as much as he used to. Even in a few short days it has gone from "Dad, walk me into the school." to "Dad, can you just drop me off at the curb?"

I wasn't prepared for everything that becoming a father would bring, but there are two major things that stick out from that list that have surprised me. The first is the tension of loving to see my kids reach milestones and being sad that they have moved past a certain "stage" at the same time. Loving to see them grow and be their own person, but losing some of the innocence and childlikeness in the same stroke. Part of it has to do with wishing that time would slow down a bit, but in a bigger broader way it's more about knowing that each moment that God gives us they move farther from me. I am not meaning to be overly dramatic here. It's a simple fact that the older they get, the more they learn, the less they need for me to help sustain their life. It is a ongoing, ever-growing, and sometimes almost ruthless separation. It may be easier to see with Mothers, who at one time were actually physically bound to their child, then after they become an adult they no longer live in the same house, or town, or even the same state or country.

The second item on my list that has caught me off guard is a spiritual irony, one that has been staring me in the face for a while now. There are so many things I learn about God by being a dad, so many parallels, but this one is the inverse. It is this, I want my children to grow and become their own person. I want them to learn to think for themselves and to take care of themselves and be responsible. As we grow in our relationship with our kids, we seek to make them need us less, but as we grow in relationship to God, He seeks to be everything we need. Always. Nothing held back. Complete and utter dependance. It is something I still, at times, struggle to learn.

As I seek to make my son and daughters independent, it is my calling as a father to make them completely dependent at the same time. Independent from me, and dependent on God the father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Only through total surrender is this possible. I hope I get it right and I will work to make it so. Humbly, Dave

To worship God or not to worship God? . . . that is the question.

Each day we are given to live, we have many choices before us. What should we wear? What should we eat? What should we do today? It is inevitable that some of the choices have already been made. Some have been made for us. But no matter if choices are made already, by you or someone else, there is one that you must make each and every day. It is this . . . who will I live for today?

Every other choice that you make is wrapped up in that one, all encompassing choice? One might argue that there are more than 2 choices in answering that question. But I believe it comes down to 2 main choices. Will I choose to live for God, creator, our redeemer? Or will I choose to live for myself? Everything else is a symptom of how we answer this question.

If we choose to live for God we will live life intentionally for Him. We will stay away from the things that will destroy us, and others. We will stay close to the things that will bring us life. Will will worship Him when we gather together because of who He is and what he's done. We will be actively in His word, learning to understand God's heart for this earth and His people in it. We will be still and wait patiently for the Lord. We will see people the way God sees them. We will treat people with respect, and better yet, grace. And that is just a start of a list.

But if we choose to live for ourselves, there is nothing we won't do. We will potentially engage in harmful behavior. We will act on every whim that is inherent in our sinful nature. In essence, we will be controlled by this world and what it offers, and essentially the evil one himself. If we choose to live for God, we are, in all essences of the word, worshipping God. If we choose to live for ourselves we worship all sorts of idols, false Gods. But you can't just say whom you will worship, it will be determined by your actions and attitudes.

Joshua 24:14-15 “Now fear the LORD and serve him with all faithfulness. Throw away the gods your ancestors worshiped beyond the Euphrates River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served beyond the Euphrates, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”

I don't always make the right choices. I sometimes choose myself over the Lord. It is always the wrong choice. But as I watch my wife, as I watch over my kids, as I pray over my family and as I look at myself in the spiritual mirror, I pray that I answer like Joshua, always.

So who will you worship today? Tomorrow? Forever?

Humbly,
Dave

What will it take for you to Worship?

I have often asked myself this very question. Because, let's be honest, I don't always feel like it. And I know that I'm not all alone. This very fact reveals something about us, me, that is unsettling. What is it? I don't trust and understand God the way that He longs for me to. Here is a truth that we need to sink our teeth into: We cannot worship God and walk away unchanged. When we really worship, He infects us with himself and we are different. So then the inverse is true. If we aren't different, we haven't worshipped. This is true too often for me. I would venture for you too. So what will it take? Most would argue that true freedom and peace around your life would inspire us to worship. But I find that the times when I am the most attentive to God in our worship services is when there is more turmoil around me. It's a direct correlation. The more turmoil, the more attentive I am in worship. The more outward conflict, the more connection to God. Peace and prosperity lull me into indifference. And I see it in so many others eyes when we gather. So what will it take for you to worship God? To really worship him. If it's hardship, then bring it on. But when there isn't hardship, let us fully embrace an attitude of thankfulness and praise. We must stop turning to God only when we think we need him. Because the truth is that in times of peace and non-conflict, we need him more. Humbly, Dave

It's Not the End of the World as We Know it . . .

There's a good chance that you've heard the predictions about may 21st and judgement day.  Now come and gone with no fulfillment, there is a lot of talk about the claims of a man named Harold. But is is also incredibly en vogue to talk about the need to be ready.  Even my own initial thoughts centered around the fact that we all need to be ready for the end at any moment, whether it comes through the second coming or some sort of personal tragedy.  Jesus could come back, or we could get hit by a car while crossing the road.  Either way, live for Jesus like it's your last moments.  It's what everyone is saying, and it's true.  But let's take it a step further.

No matter if our life ends through eschatological means or life circumstances, we must die.  We all must die to ourselves.  Every day we have to not only live like it's our last, but live like we've already died and Jesus lives through us.

It's not the end of the world as we know it . . . it's the end of me as I know it.  And it needs to be the end of us as we are known.  "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

Worship as Remembrance

I need to be constantly reminded that I am forgetful.  And therefore, it is important to build constant reminders into my life.  Things that I pass by every day, technology that repeats reminders and beeps at me, and habits and patterns that remind me to be faithful.  God certainly understands this about us.  He asked people to set up altars and monuments to commemorate what He had done.  He instituted yearly festivals like passover to remind His people of His goodness and provision.  And Jesus set us on a pattern of remembrance with the Last Supper.

As I was reading through Deuteronomy 8 recently I was again reminded of our forgetfulness.  All 20 verses serve as a warning and reminder to the people.  You should read it, but for the sake of conversation, let me summarize.  God tells his people to be careful to obey his commands.  He reminds them who He is and what he has done for his people.  And He warns them that when they inherit the land and become rich, eating whatever they want and living in houses that are nice, they will have a tendency to forget who gets the credit, who gave it to them in the first place.  And if they forget?  Destruction will come.

When you read the entire chapter, I wonder if you will see the same parallel that I see.  To me, it sounds like America.  It sounds like us.  It sounds like me.  We live a pretty good life, and that good life numbs us to God.  We forget that He gives us the ability to be productive.  We tend to look at our own hands for the provision placed before us.  And we are in danger.  We are in danger of destruction through our own forgetfulness and pride.  And people who call themselves Christians are not immune.

So set up patterns of remembrance.  Make worship and spiritual disciplines a priority.  Don't schedule things on Sunday Mornings.  Read God's Word every day.  It's as easy and this:  Remember God by obeying Him.  It's also how we show our love for Him.

Now if I could just remember where I put my keys.

Humbly,

Dave

Church Culture

If you've ever been to Jamaica, you probably noticed something right away.  They pride themselves on tourism.  Kristin and I just returned from an anniversary trip to a resort in Negril, Jamaica (we left the kids with Grammy and Papa).  It was an amazingly relaxing time and a much appreciated getaway.  Jamaicans who worked at the resort would ask what we have been doing and it was great to reply, "NOTHING!"  The local Jamaican culture is very laid back, and it makes for a great setting to relax.  But there is something strikingly more noticable than that. While the resort was luxurious, it was definately out of character for the rest of the country.  Once you get more than 1000 ft from the ocean (at most) things take a drastic turn toward poverty and ruin.  Luxury and beauty are set diametrically opposed to slums, literally.  But as long as you stay in the resort, you never have to experience any of the brokenness of the other side of the culture.

I feel like we do the same with our church culture.  We have what we want here.  We put on smiles and act like everything is "No Problem."  And as long as we stay here, we don't have to experience the brokenness of our city.  As long as we don't let the city in, we can have a nice, clean church experience.  We can put up fences and post people at the gates so that the luxury doesn't get out and the slum doesn't get in.  This should never be.

There are three things that we should do to counteract this sort of legalism.  First, we need to be OK with messy people coming in.  In fact, we should be inviting them in.  Will it change the complexion (possibly even literally) of our church?  You bet.  These are whom Jesus came to save. Jesus' own words from Luke 5:32, "I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance." He didn't come to call the clean, but the dirty.  He didn't come to call the healthy, but the sick.  We are called as christians to not only welcome them in, but to bring them here.  Secondly, we must worship in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:23).  This means to worship God through his spirit and with honesty.  When we simply go through the acts of worship and don't truly interact with God we may not only be giving people an inaccurate view of who we are, but who God is.  God is Spirit and we must worship him in Spirit and truth.  No masks.  No facades.  No fake smiles.  No empty motions. Just fellow sojourners walking toward the light of Jesus, longing to really experience who He is.  And finally, we must let the luxury we have here out.  We must not limit it to the walls of First Christian.  We must spill it everywhere we step.  We must smudge it on everything we touch.  We must breathe it out with each and every exhale.  We have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in Christ (Ephesians 1:3) and we must, therefore, be a blessing (Genesis 12:3).

We had a great time in Jamaica, but I left with a sense of wondering if we had really experienced Jamaica, or if it was just a microcosmic mutation of the real thing.  When people come here, when we bring them here, let us not show them a religious people who do the church culture well.  Let us show them God in Christ through his Holy spirit as we really experience Him together.

Humbly,

Dave

 

A COMM(uni)ON Misconception

In my experience there is quite a bit of confusion when it comes to the moments that we use to celebrate the Lord’s Supper. I think that it is important for us to look to the scriptures in order to bring some clarity in our hearts and minds. Not to learn some knowledge in our heads, but to influence the way that we practice and experience the Eucharist. We choose to celebrate the Lord’s supper every Sunday (and more often on occasion). The inherent danger is that we make it too common, and the Lord’s supper is not common, it is extremely deep and meaningful.

Communion is not about personal confession. Confessing our sins to God is not only a good practice, we are told to do it. But that is not the purpose or the design of the Lord’s Supper. Somewhere along the way someone has misinterpreted the scripture from 1 Corinthians 11 that talks about examining yourself before you digest the cup and loaf. For years people have interpreted this to mean to find the sin in your life and confess it and then partake, because if you don’t you partake in an unworthy manner. And, out of it’s context, it is easy to read that interpretation into the text. But look at the verses before and after. “Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.” (1 Corinthians 11:27-29) If we spend the time we are given thinking about ourselves and the sins that we have committed we are very possibly guilty of partaking in an unworthy manner. Why? Because we are not thinking about what God has done, we are only thinking of ourselves. Communion isn’t for guilt or a “woe is me” attitude.

The Lord’s Supper, Communion, the Eucharist, is all about God and what He has done through his son. That is what we are to think about, His body, His Blood, His death, His resurrection, all because of His love. After all, Jesus gave us the instruction himself. “After taking the cup, he gave thanks and said, ‘Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.’ And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’” (Luke 22:17-19) Really, it’s that simple.

Humbly,
Dave

Aligning Word and Deed

Our lives are invaded with words and information. Sometimes I feel like we are on overload. We watch TV, especially news programs and they not only talk to us, but they have words scrolling along the bottom of the screen. Some even have 2 lines of text scrolling at the bottom. Who can process that much information? Our culture has numbed us to words. Words don’t carry the weight they used to. Words have become almost meaningless.

Two things come to mind when I ponder all of this. First of all, we need to slow down and quiet ourselves so that we can take God at His Word. And secondly we need to allow His word to have weight. Allow it to have a place that all other words don’t. To allow them to have a drastic, life-altering effect in our hearts and minds, which is reflected by our actions.
For a long time now I feel like the church, or the sermon, will speak life-giving words and the reaction is more along the lines of, “well, that’s what the church/minister is supposed to say, it has no relevance for me.” Instead we should look deeply into His word and allow it to change us, transforming our very being. God’s word hidden in our hearts will change our actions. It’s time for us to be people of action again. Not just people who talk up a good game and don’t produce any fruit.

Listen to this from Psalm 119:5-6 in the New Living Translation: “Oh, that my actions would consistently reflect your decrees! Then I will not be ashamed when I compare my life with your commands.” It is all about how we act, not what we say. Listen to what it says in James 1:22-25 “Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”

But then again, I’m a minister, and that’s just what I’m supposed to say.

Humbly,
Dave

The Pareto principle in the Church?

Wikipedia defines the Pareto principle as follows: The Pareto principle (also known as the 80-20 rule, the law of the vital few, and the principle of factor sparsity) states that, for many events, roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes.

Is it possible that this principle is active in the church? I don’t believe that it is intentionally active, but that it is certainly something that needs to be considered. I also believe that, as the church, we don’t do enough to intentionally make it not true. Simply stated, if the Pareto principle is true for the Church, 80% of the action and movement of our church is accomplished by 20% of our people. Let me ask a few questions to break it down a little further. Do 20% of our people do 80% of the volunteer work needed to accomplish our mission? Is 80% of our church budget provided by 20% of the congregation? I would say that in theory this is true. Having said that, it may not be 80-20, but I would imagine there is a great disparity.

Why, then, is this a concern? First of all, if you are one of the “vital few” it may be easy to wear this theory as a badge of honor. It is even possible for the “vital few” to become proud and hold this idea over those who may not be in the “vital few.” If that is you, we are certainly grateful for your contributions to the work of the church. But always keep in mind that it is worship and service, and a great deal of humility is needed to accompany any gift or act. Secondly, if you are a member of the 80% that only gives or accomplishes 20%, then it’s time to invest more of yourself. No matter if you are new to the kingdom and haven’t jumped in yet, or if you feel like you have nothing left to give (either burned out, or feel it’s time for others to do it), it is still vital to the kingdom for you to give of yourself. And finally, you are all vital to the Kingdom. In the kingdom of God there is no “vital few.” I think Jesus illustrated this with the widow and her gift. It’s all about the heart. It is vital that we all have the right heart. Anytime we approach God with a sense of entitlement or with the wrong motivations, we mar the gift.

What if we all gave our all? What if we all used the gifts that God has given us 100% for His purposes? What if we all tithed with a sense of gratitude instead of obligation or neglect? If it is true that 20% are doing and giving, and our church is operation and accomplishing the things that we do, can you imagine what would happen to Salem and the world if 100% of us made that kind of sacrificial contribution?

Think about it. Dream about it. Then jump in with your whole heart.