Wednesday, May 27, 2015

Sacrifice for Others




The American summer is bracketed with the two holidays of Memorial Day and Labor Day and highlighted in the middle with Independence Day. We citizens of the grand old United States make the most of these holidays as they give us a day off from work and often make for an extended weekend free from office or manual labor.

They should represent days of greater importance to us, however, than simply days not to have to go to the office or the factory. They are times we need to remember the sacrifice that created the desire to have these days set aside in the first place.

We have just come out of the Memorial Day weekend holiday. This day was first recognized in the late 1860’s as a way to remember the many soldiers who had fallen during the American Civil War. Since then the day has taken on the added importance as a time to remember all fallen American soldiers of every military conflict. In many instances people also use the occasion to remember and show respect for deceased family members and friends, civilian or military.

Labor Day is celebrated on the first Monday of September. Each year this guarantees a long weekend to workers as a way to close what has become traditionally seen as summer activities. The day itself is a celebration of the American worker. Originally it was focused upon the manufacturing segment of the economy. Now it is enjoyed by all, although I cannot remember our work on the farm as a boy being interrupted by this day!

When we talk about “the 4th of July”, everyone knows we are referring to the American Independence Day of July 4, 1776 when tradition says the Declaration of Independence from England was signed. It probably took several days for representatives from sufficient colonies to make it a go, but the 4th is a great day to pick as THE DAY. We wave our flag, shoot off fireworks, and tell anybody we know who has helped us maintain our freedom, “Thank you.”

These three holidays all refer to sacrifices Americans have made across the centuries to make this a great nation. Families have sacrificed, soldiers have suffered and died, and workers have marched, gone on strike, and risked losing their jobs to earn the respect every human being deserves.

In the midst of all this celebration and time of vacationing, we need to remember what we believe is the real foundation for it all. God’s love for every person gives that person a value and dignity no law, no dictator, or social pressure can take away. Created in the image of God, every individual has the innate right to be respected and treated with dignity. We as Americans when at our best have fought across the generations and around the world to guarantee that respect and dignity.

Gen 1:27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

The foundation we recognize in the love of God was not something man created. It was born in the actions God himself initiated. Man didn’t dream up the idea of freedom for each man that should impact human society. God had already exemplified that with his own actions.

Joh 3:16  For God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not die but have eternal life.

We measure in tears the sacrifices made by our family and community members to give us freedom and a society in which every individual can have the respect of others. The sacrifice God made was to give up his own purity and omnipotence to carry the weight and penalty of the sin of mankind.

That sacrifice bought us forgiveness. It bought us freedom from the penalty of sin. It bought us a new perspective on how we can view our fellow man. It bought us a chance to see our value, not from the human perspective, but as through the eyes of God himself.

Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Talk and Walk




I stopped in to say hello at the pastor’s office. Thirty minutes later I left having heard another chapter in the life of a minister trying to lead God’s people to practice the gospel of God’s love, but instead he spent his time dealing with people who wanted to look pious without having to live out the love. He had heard the songs of God’s love, but actions he saw said only our kind of people are welcome here.

The prophet Isaiah was forced to deliver the message of God’s condemnation to a people who acted just such a way. They could do a good job of “talking the talk”, but they failed when it came to walking in a way that reflected that talk.

Isa 1:11-17 He says, "Do you think I want all these sacrifices you keep offering to me? I have had more than enough of the sheep you burn as sacrifices and of the fat of your fine animals. I am tired of the blood of bulls and sheep and goats. Who asked you to bring me all this when you come to worship me? Who asked you to do all this tramping around in my Temple? It's useless to bring your offerings. I am disgusted with the smell of the incense you burn. I cannot stand your New Moon Festivals, your Sabbaths, and your religious gatherings; they are all corrupted by your sins. I hate your New Moon Festivals and holy days; they are a burden that I am tired of bearing. When you lift your hands in prayer, I will not look at you. No matter how much you pray, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with blood. Wash yourselves clean. Stop all this evil that I see you doing. Yes, stop doing evil and learn to do right. See that justice is done---help those who are oppressed, give orphans their rights, and defend widows."

We use the statement, “If you are going to talk the talk, then walk the walk”, to emphasize the need to speak with integrity so that what we say reflects what we believe. No one wants that more than God. He wants those who worship him and call themselves his disciples to be honest in their practice.

That pastor had heard one of his parishioners complain that people of color were now in the congregation. A gospel that was revealed on a cross through the Crucified God was meant to be shared with everyone. Too many individuals who call themselves Christians have placed themselves in the position of judge to decide who ought to receive this gospel of love and forgiveness. The result is a world that sees no difference in those who say they are followers of Christ and those who are not. In response those in the world turn away believing there is no reason to seek the One who is the Author of life itself.

The Church is a force that is not bounded by the walls of a building or the perimeter of a piece of land. The Church is the people of God at work in the world in the Name of the Son of God and carrying his likeness in both word and deed. The Church sees human need and acts to meet that need. The Gospel has been placed in the hands of the Church to share with the world, and judgment is left in the hands of God. The Church is to exercise love, mercy, and grace with discernment so as to bring the world to God. What happens then is up to God.

Until God is ready to exercise judgment, the Church must talk the talk of the gospel to the world, and then walk the walk of gospel integrity before the world. Unless the world sees the talk in action, it has no reason to believe there is any substance to the talk. Belief will follow practice with integrity.

Wednesday, May 13, 2015

Sword or Cross




When Jesus gave us the conditions for being a faithful follower of his, he described what he was about to do in his own life.

Luk 9:23 Then Jesus said to all the people: If any of you want to be my followers, you must forget about yourself. You must take up your cross each day and follow me. (CEV)

He lived out his title of Prince of Peace by offering peace to anyone who would be his disciple, accepting him for he was and submitting to his Lordship. He coerced no one. He offered no terrible options to those who refused to follow him. He offered hope to those who followed him and pictured the consequences of their own freely made choices to those who refused.

In this 21st century both as individuals and as groups we must also make some kind of response to this plan laid out by Jesus. If we accept him as Lord of our lives, then we must accept the pattern of life Jesus describes. We must place our own desires and wills behind the demands of God and the needs of others. We must live the crucified life which involves a full submission to the will of God, and we must identify with the One whom we follow in a way the world will recognize.

In other parts of the world, followers of Jesus are doing this and finding they are persecuted for their faith in the Prince of Peace. Their stories are being recorded on web sites such as www.persecution.com; www.morningstarnews.org; and www.opendoor.org. Other sites are also active in spreading the news of persecuted Christians and seeking to raise both awareness of their plight and finances to help in their support.

Jesus carried a cross as the primary symbol of his devotion to God and the lifestyle to which he called his followers. That cross has served through the centuries as a symbol of self-sacrifice and love that brings about reconciliation. Jesus was nailed on the cross at the demand of an angry mob. His words of response were the words of the Prince of Peace.

Luk 23:34 Jesus said, "Father, forgive these people! They don't know what they're doing." While the crowd stood there watching Jesus, the soldiers gambled for his clothes. The leaders insulted him by saying, "He saved others. Now he should save himself, if he really is God's chosen Messiah!"

There was a time when Christianity was spread with a sword – convert or die. All Christians today condemn such actions of the past. They were not and are not the actions of the true followers of the Prince of Peace. The message of Christianity must be shared by love and acceptance even in the face of rejection. Jesus loved and forgave. That is the message of the cross.

As surely as the Prince of Peace reigns over his Kingdom through his self-sacrifice and resurrection from the dead, so his followers must also be a force for his Kingdom through self-sacrifice. This does not come through coercion with a sword, but through love and compassion while bearing a cross. Each believer in Christ is called to live a life of self-denial and daily crucifixion so that others will see the Prince of Peace living through their life.

The follower of Jesus loves God first and foremost, and then his neighbor as he loves himself. Such love is submissive to God and servant-like before our fellow man. The servant of Jesus reveals the demands of love but does not fill the role of judge when that love is rejected. The cross is for the believer, not the one who refuses God’s love and offer of forgiveness and then walks away.

God commands a specific way of life from all his creatures. We as his children do not make commands. We offer. We offer love and forgiveness freely extended from a cross. We carry no sword. The decisions and transformations we seek come from the power of love under the control of God’s Holy Spirit.

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Older, Not Old




You have probably heard the warning about aging. You start dying the day you are born. It is only a matter of how and when. There is more truth here than we would like to think.

Biologists tell us that we are losing body cells every day. For many years the addition of cells is greater than the loss of cells, hence we grow (in multiple directions!). Then there comes the time in our lives when the reverse happens. The number of cells dying outnumbers those that are created. It can be a slow process. We don’t necessarily shrink in size, but certain organs cannot repair themselves as they did before and they function on a weaker level.

How depressing! It is depressing if we think of living as preserving what we had at a specific age. Pick your age of choice. Perhaps it would be the freedom you felt as you entered your late teens. Maybe it is the sense of power and control as those first significant paychecks came in and you felt an independence you had never felt before. Perhaps you would pick the age in which you established those intimate relationships you had sought for so many years. Whatever the age might be, it offered something you had never before experienced and you look back now and wish you could have held on to it.

We start dying the day we are born. What we do with the days we have until death comes is up to us. Our lives are made up of the choices we make. Rarely will we ever face a situation in which we only have one choice. There will almost always be the preferred option, but others will exist.

Growing older is like that. We don’t have to be old. We can just be older. It is a choice. It is a mindset. It is a way of facing life.

Jesus confronted the Apostle Peter in the days before his ascension about Peter’s attitude and choices. What was important was the present moment.

Joh 21:18 I am telling you the truth: when you were young, you used to get ready and go anywhere you wanted to; but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will tie you up and take you where you don't want to go." (In saying this, Jesus was indicating the way in which Peter would die and bring glory to God.) Then Jesus said to him, "Follow me!"

Events would take place in the future over which Peter would have no control. Those events, however, should have no affect on Peter’s loyalty and faithfulness. Peter was to see each moment as an opportunity to follow Jesus faithfully.

When individuals get old, the tendency is to focus upon “what used to be”, the good old days. The priority is upon what was lost rather than the choices that still exist. Old is when regrets outnumber dreams. Old is when the “if only’s” fill our thoughts more than the “what if’s”. Old is when we grieve over what we once could do and ignore the joy we can experience in what we still can do.

Peter would be able to follow Jesus throughout his life. He would have to change what he did, but he would still be expressing his faithfulness and loyalty. Peter would get older, but he could choose not to be old.

This week contains two relevant events. On Monday evening I shared in a senior adult banquet with nearly 250 other individuals. We celebrated our ages and applauded the eldest among us. She was 93. We listened to a guest speaker who was more than a few years younger than we. He told us we have a legacy to leave for those who follow us, and we need to be working on that legacy until we surrender our last breath.

The second event is I turn 65, a senior adult in anyone’s eyes. I fully intend to get older, not old. Faithfulness to my Lord and Savior says I still have a choice.