About Grumbling…

Well, it’s been a while…busy December and then three weeks of travel…but I’m back…just a short thought to start the New Year…not so much a resolution as a heartfelt desire…

This morning I was reading Philippians 2:12-18 and was really struck by verse 14, “Do all things without grumbling or questioning…”  As a parent, I think this is a great verse.  I had my kids memorize this verse in the NIV (it has “complaining” instead of “questioning”[i]) because I hoped they would learn to obey Angie and me with less complaining and arguing than we usually heard.  It had mixed results…

But today, I was convicted that this was a verse I needed to hear.  I think I grumble and complain, argue and question a lot in my own life and in my various situations.  I mean, things don’t always go the way I want; I often have too much to do; people sometimes inconvenience me; I could go on, but I think you get the picture…

I don’t want to be that way.  I don’t want to grumble and question, argue and complain.  I want to have a cheerful heart.  I want to see all of life as a gift and its challenges as opportunities to grow and learn.  I want to be grateful and joyful.  I want to smile more and laugh more and not take life quite so seriously…or at least not take myself quite so seriously…

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[i] In Greek the word has the idea of disputing or question in an argumentative way.

On Shepherds

8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:8-12)

The savior of the world is being born.  Angels are ready to make the announcement.  Magi are already beginning their trek across hostile lands.  Who will be the first to hear the good news?  Who will be the Messiah’s first visitors?  The Chief Priest?  The Pharisees and Sadducees?  King Herod? 

Shepherds.  No good, dirty, lying, unclean shepherds.  They were considered the dregs of society.  They weren’t trusted.  They weren’t even allowed to testify in a court of law. 

And God chose them.  God chose them to be the first ones to hear the announcement of “good news of great joy that will be for all people.”  It wasn’t the religious elite or the high and mighty.  It wasn’t anyone we might expect.  Shepherds.

Why?  Why would God “waste” such good news on people so…despised, outcast, marginalized, disliked?

Maybe they had time and were willing to listen.  With all the hustle and bustle of the census; with all the tensions of the Roman Empire; with all the religious duties to perform…maybe they were the ones who were available.  Maybe they would listen. 

And more than just listen, they responded.  Remember when the Magi came to see King Herod and he called the religious people to find out where the Messiah was to be born, not one of them went to Bethlehem to check things out…not one!  But after the lowly shepherds heard the angel army proclaim the original “Hallelujah Chorus”, we read:

15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told. (Luke 2:15-20)

 

The shepherds went to see if what the angels said was true.  They spread the word about the child to everyone who would listen.  Many were amazed but did they go?  Did they check things out?  We don’t know.  But the shepherds went back to the fields glorifying and praising God because everything was just like the angels said.

I think there might be a second reason God chose to reveal the Messiah to lowly shepherds.  Our King is also a Shepherd…and a lamb.  Jesus is the Good Shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep (John 10:11).  And he is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the whole world (John 1:29). 

Despite their lowly status, God identifies the Messiah with shepherds and sheep throughout the Scriptures.  Jesus, 6 who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!  (Philippians 2:6-8).

Consider:

Isaiah 40:11 – He tends his flock like a shepherd: He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

Ezekiel 34:23-24 – I will place over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he will tend them; he will tend them and be their shepherd. I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David will be prince among them. I the LORD have spoken.

Isaiah 53:5-7 – He was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

 

Mark 2:17 – Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus, the Messiah, the Savior born to us that first Christmas day in Bethlehem – he came for the sick and the sinners, not those who think they’re healthy and righteous.  He came gently, as a shepherd tending his flock.  He laid down his life for his sheep.  He became the Lamb who takes away sin. 

From the beginning of Jesus’ earthly life, God makes it clear that everything will be turned upside down.  Nothing will be as it was expected.  He doesn’t come to establish an earthly kingdom or to overthrow an earthly government.  He comes and invites people – all people – to enter into God’s Kingdom…not of this world; now but not yet; inaugurated in his first coming and to be fully consummated at his second.

But it all began with shepherds.  They were available.  They listened.  They responded.

This Christmas, what will you do?

A Faithful Response?

1 Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, wise men from the east came to Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is he who has been born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

11 And going into the house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.

Advent is a time to reflect on God’s faithfulness.  From the beginning when Adam and Eve fell, God promised he would send a Messiah to crush Satan’s head (Genesis 3:15).  Over the centuries more promises were given – a virgin would be with child and they would call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14); he would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 2:2); one of David’s offspring (the Messiah) would reign on David’s throne forever (2 Samuel 7:16); the Messiah would suffer and die (Isaiah 53); and so many others that were fulfilled in Christ while others await his return to be realized.

But Advent is also a time to reflect on our faithfulness.  How have we responded to God and all he has done for us?  Have we responded to God’s incredible love and grace in sending Jesus to live the perfect life we were required to live and to die the death our sinful actions deserved. 

This past week I pondered the contrast between the Magi and the religious leaders at the time of Jesus’ birth.  If the Magi were from Persia as many traditions hold, Daniel and the other exiles had been there.  For centuries since Daniel had lived among them, this group of star gazers were looking for a star.  Perhaps Daniel and others told them the promises of God and the stories of his faithfulness.  Over the centuries those stories were passed on from generation to generation.  They knew a king was to be born.  They knew he would be the Messiah.  And they had been watching for the sign.  They had been watching for the star. 

When Jesus was born and the star appeared, the Magi loaded up their camels and took the dangerous 1300 kilometer trip through hostile lands to meet the Messiah.  

Contrast that with the people of Jerusalem – the priests and religious leaders at the time of Jesus’ birth.  They knew the Scriptures.   They knew God’s promises to send the Messiah.  They should have been watching and longing for his coming.  Yet the Scribes and Pharisees and religious men refused to join the Magi for the short trip from Jerusalem to Bethlehem to see if God’s Word really was true. The religious leaders of the people were not faithful. 

Not one priest, scribe, Pharisee, or teacher of the Law – no one – went to see if the Messiah might really have come. They missed out on one of the two most central events in human history. Gentile star gazers – the Magi – they were the ones who went and worshiped the King – Jesus.

Are we more like the Magi or the religious leaders?  Are we looking with anticipation for God’s activity all around us?  Do we make space for God in our daily lives?  Are we being faithful to seek after him and to open our hearts and lives to whatever he might want to do in or through us?  Or are we so caught up with our own lives and the things we want that we miss what God’s doing all around us.  Do we spend more time trying to make people think we’re the people we want to be than letting God into our lives to actually transform us into the people he wants us to be? 

God is faithful.  He made promises and he has gone to great lengths to bring those promises to pass.  Are we faithful?  Are our lives different because Jesus is in them?  Is our focus different?  Do we spend our time differently?  The Magi believed God’s promises and looked for their fulfillment.  They were expectantly watching for what God would do.  Are we living with the hope that God is faithful and he is active all around us? 

Take time this week to let the wonder of Advent – the wonder of God’s love and grace in sending Jesus –  sink in afresh.  Consider God’s faithfulness…and consider yours.  May we be a people faithfully watching and waiting for God to move – available and expectant – that we don’t miss anything he is doing in or around us!  May our lives be full of faith…

Through Local Eyes

Last time I shared three of the spiritual lessons I’ve learned from Arab culture.  Perhaps I’ll share more another time.  Today my friend Mark encouraged me to share a few of the ways that living in the Middle East has made the Bible come alive to me.  The parables of Jesus especially jump off the page when one understands the cultural context which is still so much a part of the Middle East.  The first example will be longer but I’ll include a two shorter ones too.

1. Luke 11:5-13

5 And he [Jesus] said to them [his disciples], “Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves, 6 for a friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; 7 and he will answer from within, ‘Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed. I cannot get up and give you anything’? 8 I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him whatever he needs. 9 And I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

As a westerner reading this passage, the first thing I think strange is that anyone would go to visit his friend at midnight.  Who would do that?  Come spend time in the hot Middle Eastern sun and you will quickly realize that walking long distances during the day was often not an option.  As a result, people also were more apt to take an afternoon nap when the sun was its hottest and then to stay up late when the evening air cooled off.  This is one of my favorite things in Jordan.  No matter how hot the day may be, in the evening there is inevitably a nice breeze and one can sit on his/her porch until very late enjoying the company of friends and family.

The second thing that strikes my western mind as odd is that the fellow at the door asks for three loaves of bread. Only one meal in the Middle East will show you that bread is the most fundamental element of any meal.  Especially in Jesus’ day, one would have used bread instead of a fork or spoon.  It was essential.  And in a village where there may have been just one oven to bake bread for all the families, you knew who had baked bread that day.  It would have been unthinkable to set before your guest a partial piece of pita or stale bread…no, you would go to your neighbor who had just baked and ask for a few loaves. 

Someone in the west might argue, “Couldn’t they wait until morning?  Wouldn’t they be tired?  Why not just go to sleep?”  But in Middle Eastern culture, if you are in my home I must offer you something to eat and drink and you must accept.  For either of us to refuse would be unthinkable.

Now, from my western mind, the man inside the home is completely justified to not get up and give his neighbor the bread.  But that’s my twenty-first century American mindset.  Again, in this part of the world, especially in that day, if the man refuses to get up and give his friend the bread, the seeker would go to his neighbor and say, “Can you believe Abu Fulan over there?  He wouldn’t even give me three loaves of bread…and his wife just baked this morning!”  And by morning, everyone in the village would know and the man inside would be shamed.  His reputation would be established as a stingy, inhospitable, rude, inconsiderate so-and-so. 

In verse 8, Jesus says, “I tell you, though he will not get up and give him anything because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him whatever he needs.”  Kenneth Bailey in his excellent work Poet and Peasant (Eerdmans, 1976) points out that the word translated “persistence” means literally “persistence in avoiding shame” (pp. 125ff).  In a Middle Eastern culture where avoiding shame is the highest virtue, the parable becomes clear.  The man inside will get up to help the man asking, not because they are friends, but because he will persist in avoiding shame.  He will do the right thing and he will do more (whatever he needs).

And now the parable makes sense…we can approach God and knock on his door in prayer knowing that his character is such that he will do everything in his unlimited power to avoid shame.  Therefore we should ask, seek, and knock because it will be given, we will find, and it will be opened to us. 

11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion?  None of us would do that to our children we love…in the same way – and even more! God will not do that to us!  We can pray knowing that his character is perfect; he will do what is right!  13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”

Reading this parable in its cultural context makes it come to life.  I love that my Jordanian and Arab friends can read this parable and understand its context innately. 

2. Jeremiah 2:12-13

12 Be appalled, O heavens, at this; be shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the LORD, 13 for my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, broken cisterns that can hold no water.

Water is a precious commodity here in the desert.  Fresh water especially so.  But since springs are often hard to come by people and communities often collect water in cisterns (or nowadays, dams!).  This is good and helpful for the summer months when it doesn’t rain and springs run dry, but the water from cisterns isn’t fresh; it often tastes funny; and it certainly smells funny!  If you had the choice between a fountain of living water or a cistern, you would always choose the freely flowing fountain of water.

But God’s people had committed two evils.  They had left God, the source of pure, living water and run after manmade thoughts and false gods (broken cisterns that leaked!).  Unthinkable…yet something we as humans do far, far too often.  But living in the Middle East where water is such an issue, the passage comes to life!

3. Jude 1:12

Jude writes about false teachers who were trying to infect the church with their false doctrines.  He speaks harshly about them and calls them…waterless clouds, swept along by winds…

Growing up in the Midwestern United States, rain could come nine months out of the year.  The other three it was so cold, we would get snow.  When I saw clouds on the horizon, more often than not I hoped they wouldn’t bring rain.  I wasn’t opposed to rain, but I took it for granted.  It rained a lot.  If I had a picnic planned or just wanted to be outside playing, I wanted waterless clouds.

Living in Jordan where it might rain between November and April – and even then there might be long periods between rains – I have learned that rain is a precious commodity.  When I see clouds in the sky, I get excited because it might rain!  Waterless clouds are incredibly disappointing.  They offer so much promise that the land will be nourished but then they bring nothing of value.  They are a waste.

Jude is telling us that false teachers are like waterless clouds.  They promise much – teaching that is edifying and useful – but they deliver nothing.  They do not bring life, but death.  For someone in the Middle East this is a vivid picture and one that continues to haunt me since the first time its full weight hit me.

Spiritual lessons learned from Arab culture

Arab culture differs in many ways from the American culture I was raised in.  Much of it still retains values we see of biblical cultures in the Old and New Testaments.  As I was reflecting on Arab culture and my experiences recently I was reminded of three ways Arab culture has encouraged me in my walk with Jesus.

1.  Even before we moved to Jordan, we knew how important it is in Arab culture to host and visit friends.  Initially we did not have many Arabs come to visit us, but we enjoyed taking time to get to know neighbors and others we came in contact with in their homes.  Often we would take flowers or chocolate or some small gift to thank them for their hospitality.  Sometimes we would take a gift that was wrapped or was in a nice bag – perhaps some candles or dish towels.  As our children began to make friends at school, they were invited to birthday parties and would, of course, take a gift for the birthday girl or boy.

We began to notice a pattern.  If we were visiting a family they would take our gift and set it aside.  They would say thank you, but would not open it.  We would not hear about it again during the visit though often they would thank us later.  At birthday parties, all the gifts would sit on a table in the corner, unopened.  Even as guests began leaving, no one moved to open them and no one seemed to object.

When we asked our friends about this we learned it would be shameful, in Arab culture, to open a gift in front of the giver.  To do such a thing would be to say that you treasure the gift more than the giver.  Instead, the gift is set aside so the hosts can give their guests their full and undivided attention. 

I’ve often thought of that in relationship to Christ.  Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Matthew 6:21).  Sometimes I catch myself treasuring the gifts more than the God who gives them.  He also said we should “seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all (the things we need) will be given to you as well” (Matthew 6:33).  I want to be a man whose treasure is Jesus.  I want to be like Mary, delighted to sit at Jesus’ feet and just be with him.  Somehow I know that if that’s the case…whether I have the stuff or not really won’t matter.  But wouldn’t it be sad to gain all the stuff and lose what’s most important?

2.  When we visit friends, inevitably they make enough food to feed a small army.  It’s way, way more than we could possibly eat.  Even if they are dirt poor, they go above and beyond what would be expected to provide a feast fit for a king. 

Naturally we thank them profusely and tell them how amazingly delicious the food is (even if on rare occasions it isn’t!).  In response they always say to us, “في بس الواجب ما” which means essentially, “We’ve only done our obligation.”  Now at first this seemed sort of offensive.  Us: “Thanks for the amazing meal!  It was great!”  Them: “We only did what we had to.  No big deal.”  But as we learned more about Arab culture, we realized that we were hearing them through our American filters…what they were really saying was, “We are so honored to have you visit, this was the least we could do.  It’s our delight to do this, but you deserve even more!” 

Jesus said in Luke 17:10: “So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty.’”  This isn’t an incredibly popular verse.  But I think it points to the same truth that our Arab friends live out when we visit…namely, when you have someone worthy of honor before you, everything you do is the least you can do.  It should be our joy and our delight to give all we have and do all we can for God…not treat it like dull drudgery.  And the beauty is that he is not a hard taskmaster, but a loving Father and he will bless us for our obedience.

3. Arab culture puts a premium on relationships.  Relationships trump task more times than not.  For Americans, this can be frustrating at times.  We call someone on the phone and we want to get right to the point.  Our Arab friends call and they want to find out how our family is – wife, kids, parents, siblings.  They want to know about my work.  They want to know about my health.  Eventually, they will get to the point of their call.  But more important – like the giver and the gift – is the relationship.  To me, the conversation can seem like a colossal waste of time…to them I am incredibly rude if I don’t ask these questions of them.

I’ve learned, at least in this culture, I am rude when I make the task more important than the relationship.  I should ask more about their family and friends and health and work.  The relationship is more important.  I can wait to find out the information I need, but my friend should know I care.  To not call a friend regularly to check in, to see someone from across the street and not walk over to shake hands and greet them, to stop by to borrow something and not sit down for a few minutes for a cup of tea…it all says that my relationship with this person is not significant.

Do I bring that attitude to my relationship with God?  Jesus prayed in John 17:3 saying, “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”  He defined eternal life as a relationship – knowing the one true God and Jesus.  How do I approach that relationship?  How often do I sit and just “be” with Jesus?  Do I linger in his presence and do the spiritual equivalent of asking about his family etc.?  Do I listen?  Or do I just read a few verses, give a few orders (um, I mean prayers) and hurry off to do the Lord’s work?  Does my life reflect that my relationship with Jesus is the most important thing to me?  I definitely need to set specific time to sit in his presence and interact through prayer, listening, reading etc. but I also need to tune my heart to walk with him throughout the day…to center my life around Him and let Jesus be the heart of all I do and am.

No culture is perfect.  Each has positive things and negative things.  I am thankful for the time I’ve had here in Jordan and the way living here has brought much of the Bible to life.  I’m also thankful for so many friends who have allowed our family into their lives and for the many lessons we’ve learned and continue to learn through them and their culture.

The Word became text…

In my reading this week, I was intrigued by M. Robert Mulholland when he writes: “Here is my set of working assumptions as to the nature of scripture: (1) The Word became text (2) to provide a place of transforming encounter with God (3) so that the Word might become flesh in us (4) for the sake of the world” (The Way of Scripture, p. 16).  His premise is that the Word of God is far deeper than we realize.  We often come to it with preconceived notions and already formed ideas of what we will find, but when we let the text of God’s Word speak for itself – as much as we are able – we find there is much more than meets the eye.

(1) The Word became text…We are familiar with John 1:14, “The Word became flesh…” It is the mystery of Jesus as fully God and fully man.  Mulholland suggests the fact that the Word was written down is also an incarnational mystery.  The text of Scripture also has a sense in which it is fully divine – inspired, inerrant – and fully human – written down by human authors under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration for human readers who need the same Holy Spirit to make clear it’s message and meaning.

(2) …to provide a place of transforming encounter with God…The text of Scripture confronts our preconceived notions.  It challenges our “sacred cows”.  It presents a radically different normal that challenges our cultural understanding of what normal is.  In the Bible, we encounter a kingdom turned upside down.  Mulholland suggests “our problem lies in assuming that life should be understood from within the framework of our worldview” (p. 20, emphasis his).  We need to be open to the reality that a biblical worldview may not be synonymous with my worldview – no matter what home culture I come from.  To open our hearts and lives to God’s Word is to open ourselves to being confronted and transformed.  “Through the transformation process we grow ever deeper into the loving union with God for which we were created and into which God continually nurtures us” (pp. 22-23).  We become the people God wants us to be.  We become people who are Christlike; who touch other’s lives with love, mercy, and grace.

(3) …that the Word might become flesh in us…Paul teaches us that “In (Jesus) all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell” (Colossians 1:19).  We know and have heard that.  But Paul also prays for the Ephesians, “that you would be filled with all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:19).  Peter suggests much the same when he tells us that we “may become partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4).  As we are transformed by God’s Word, as we are conformed into Christ’s image, we grow into the image of Jesus.  We become like him.  We live like him.  Christ is formed in us (Galatians 4:19).  The Word becomes “enfleshed” or incarnated in our lives.

(4) …for the sake of the world.  In Jesus’ prayer in John 17, he prays that we would enjoy the kind of unity with the Father that he himself enjoyed with the Father (John 17:21).  The purpose for our having this unity with the Father is “that the world might believe that you sent me” (John 17:23).  More than good theology or nice church buildings or great worship music or a perfect doctrine or inspiring liturgy…“the world will know and believe when it sees Jesus in us. The Word becomes flesh in us so that God’s transforming love might touch a broken and hurting world through us” (p. 26, emphasis his).  God’s Word takes root in us – not as an end in itself – but so that we know and love God more intimately and out of that transformational love, we love and touch others.  Mulholland states, “We will not find the ultimate meaning of scripture in an intellectual construct or formula.  The meaning of scripture is incarnational.  We never know scripture until we have allowed it to be a means of God’s transforming grace, empowering us to live the reality of the Word into our world” (p. 26, emphasis his).

May we come daily to God’s Word and in it truly encounter God in a way that changes us at our very core.  May we be a people who are seeped in God’s Word so much that it becomes flesh in us in such a way that we impact the world around us with God’s love for His glory!

Mass Appeal or Pastoral Integrity?

How does a pastor measure ministry success?  Is it in the size of the congregation?  Is it in the programs the church offers?  Is it in how many people are “converted” or “delivered” or (fill in the blank)?  Years ago Jack Lemmon starred as a priest in the movie Mass Appeal.  In it he counsels an intern that the offering, taken after the sermon, is a bit like the Nielsen ratings – the amount taken in shows how well the priest did in his preaching.  Is that how we measure ministry success?  Is being a pastor about meeting people’s expectations…about pleasing them…about style over substance?

In his book, The Contemplative Pastor, Eugene Peterson discusses pastoral integrity.  He writes that “the image aspects of being a pastor, the parts that have to do with meeting people’s expectations, can be faked easily.  We can impersonate a pastor without being a pastor.” 

The issue is whether we approach pastoral ministry as a job, a craft or a profession.  Peterson suggests that a job “is what we do to complete an assignment.  Its primary requirement is that we give satisfaction to whoever makes the assignment or pays our wage.”  Doing jobs is not bad.  But when we approach pastoral ministry as a job, we miss out on something.  Pastoral ministry goes deeper than just fulfilling people’s expectations.  We can maintain an image and meet expectations without really being a pastor.

Treating pastoral ministry as a craft is a step in the right direction.  With crafts “we are dealing with visible realities.” We go beyond pleasing people.  In a craft we have an obligation to that with which we work.  “A good woodworker knows his woods and treats them with respect.”  There is an integrity involved with the materials being crafted.

But even this is not enough for pastoral ministry.  Being a pastor, according to Peterson, is a profession.  “With professions the integrity has to do with the invisibles: for physicians it is health (not merely making people feel good); with lawyers, justice (not helping people getting their own way)…and with pastors it is God (not relieving anxiety, or giving comfort, or running a religious establishment).”

Most of the time people in the church want a pastor to do certain religious duties.  These are tasks we can carry out reasonably easily…without God.  But true pastors will not be satisfied by simply doing a job.  We don’t want to simply please people.  That’s not what we’re supposed to be about.  We have a higher calling.  It is a holy calling.  It is not to please (primarily) people…it is to please God.

Richard Rohr has written, “What is the source of your spiritual power?  It’s radical union with God, not just doing good things or holding a role or function. Often we make the basis for ministry professionalism, education, and up-to-date-ism, which are all good in themselves.  But in the end, the only basis for fruitful Christianity is divine union.  Such people change you and change the world.”

1 “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. 3 You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. 4 Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:1-4).

Our ministry “success” as pastors ultimately will be measured by our connection to Jesus.  Are we in Christ?  Are we connected to the vine?  Are we remaining in Christ?  “The only basis for fruitful Christianity is divine union.”  Amen! 

May we not get caught up in meeting expectations or pleasing people…but may we be pastors whose hearts are deeply and significantly connected to Jesus.  Apart from him we can do nothing!

Elections in America

I requested an absentee ballot for yesterday’s election, but it never came.  I do try to stay informed and make good, educated decisions and vote each chance I get.  I suppose this time it’s just as well I didn’t get the ballot as I really didn’t know the candidates or the issues like I would like.  Of course, in American politics these days, I’m not sure if knowing the issues matters.  What matters is picking a party and making sure they win…right? 

One of the things that scares me about ever living in the US again is how polarized it appears the country has become politically.  Instead of a civil discourse on issues, each party seems to dig their heels in as deeply as possible so they can defend their views and shred their opponents to pieces.  There is no attempt to reach a common ground; no attempt to see what’s useful in the other’s thoughts; no attempt to have any sort of meaningful conversation.   At least that’s how it looks from here. 

Maybe I’m the only one who feels this way, but American politics makes me sick to my stomach.  It seems like instead of trying to win people’s hearts and convince them with substantive discussion, politicians and pundits insult and belittle; caricaturize and stereotype.  It’s all about winning…but at what price?  What ever happened to being “one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all”?  What ever happened to agreeing to disagree?  What ever happened to “I may not agree with what you say, but I’ll defend to the death your right to say it”?

I know, I know.  I’m naïve to think such things.  I’m sure people on both ends of the spectrum will have plenty of good reasons to defend their actions and attitudes.  I’m sure there are plenty of reasons why I don’t know what I’m talking about.  But, at least do me one favor when you tell me so, could you at least tell me in a nice way?  I’d like to learn something and I do better at that when I’m not being put down or insulted.  And who knows, I might have something useful to say too.  Would you listen?

Integrity

Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.”  As we seek to get ahead and make a name for ourselves in the world, there is always a temptation to compromise our principles or fudge a bit on what we believe.   Cultivating a life filled with integrity takes time and patience.  It takes a commitment to know the truth and to live it out.  I used the following story last weekend in a talk I did.  I was unable to find the author, but I think it makes the point well. 

A Chinese emperor was growing old and he needed a successor. He didn’t want to choose someone high up in the government, or one of his own relatives. Instead, he called all of the school children to a meeting, and told them he was going to give each one of them a seed, and he wanted them to plant the seed and return a year later with their plant. Based on their progress, he would choose one of them to take over as emperor after he died.

One particular boy, named Ling, planted his seed very carefully in a pot of rich black soil, and faithfully watered it. However, day after day passed, and it did not sprout. Soon weeks had passed, and there was no sign of growth at all. He visited some of his friends, and their seeds were growing nicely. For the entire year he tried everything he could think of to make his seed grow, but nothing worked. When it came time for the children to bring their plants to the meeting with the emperor, Ling was almost too embarrassed to go. However, he felt that it was his duty to tell the emperor the truth about his failure.

All the children were gathered together in a huge hall, and the emperor moved quickly from child to child, examining their plants. Way in the back was Ling with his empty pot. When the emperor saw him, he immediately asked his guards to bring Ling up on the stage in front of all the people. Ling was horrified, thinking that he was going to be punished in front of all the others.

Instead, the emperor announced that Ling was to be their next emperor. Everyone was shocked, but especially Ling. And then the emperor began to explain. “Before I handed out the seeds last year,” he said, “I boiled them all, making it impossible for them to grow into new plants. I wanted a successor who would be honest, even if it made him look bad, and Ling is that person. The rest of you cheated, in an attempt to impress me; but Ling was faithful, and he was honest.”

If you plant honesty, you will reap trust. If you plant goodness, you will reap friends. If you plant humility, you will reap greatness. If you plant perseverance, you will reap victory. If you plant consideration, you will reap harmony. If you plant hard work, you will reap success. If you plant forgiveness, you will reap reconciliation. If you plant openness, you will reap intimacy. If you plant patience, you will reap improvements. If you plant faith, you will reap miracles.

But if you plant dishonesty, you will reap distrust. If you plant selfishness, you will reap loneliness. If you plant pride, you will reap destruction. If you plant envy, you will reap trouble. If you plant laziness, you will reap stagnation. If you plant bitterness, you will reap isolation. If you plant greed, you will reap loss. If you plant gossip, you will reap enemies. If you plant worries, you will reap wrinkles. If you plant sin, you will reap guilt.

So let’s commit ourselves to being people who seek to live with integrity in all things – how we spend our time and money; how we approach work and play; how we think and speak…may all we do be done for the Lord.  Such labor is never in vain.

Bo Diddley and My Letter of Recommendation

Bo Diddley once sang:

You can’t judge an apple by looking at the tree,
You can’t judge honey by looking at the bee,
You can’t judge the daughter by looking at her mother,
You can’t judge a book by looking at the cover…

You can’t judge sugar by looking at the cane,
You can’t judge a woman by looking at her man,
You can’t judge a sister by looking at her brother,
You can’t judge a book by looking at the cover…

 But I’m not sure the Apostle Paul would agree.  He wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:

1 Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, like some people, letters of recommendation to you or from you? 2 You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. 3 You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.

People who did not know Paul could look at the Corinthian church and tell a lot about him as an apostle.  They were his “letter, written on” their “hearts.”  For better or worse, Paul knew that people would look at their lives following Christ and see the results of his ministry.  And that was ok with Paul.

Some time ago, I read those verses when Angie and I were away from our children for a getaway in Malta.  It occurred to me that Bethany, Joshua, and Jonathan are my letter – are Angie and my letter – known and read by everybody.  People in St. Louis meet Bethany and as they interact with her, they draw conclusions about me.  People in Amman or elsewhere meet Joshua and Jonathan and interact with them and they draw conclusions about me.  Perhaps they don’t do it consciously and maybe not everyone does, but many do.

My children are my letter of recommendation…and I’m ok with that.  In fact, it makes me proud to think that people might draw conclusions about me based on my kids – because they are amazing!   Each of them loves the Lord and is seeking to walk with him.  Each is in a different stage in that journey.  Each is mature, kind, generous, friendly, creative, fun, and a good friend.  They love music.  They love laughing.  They are loyal friends.  They are fun people to hang out with.

So, if you’ve met Bethany, Joshua or Jonathan but never met me…the truth is they probably make me look better than I deserve…(but factor in how amazing their mother is and then you’ll understand)…I have no idea what twists and turns life will take for my children.  I don’t know what choices – good or bad – they might make.  But they are my letter, written on my heart, and I don’t mind a bit that they’re read by everybody.