I always find it to be a poor choice to speculate on what Jesus would say when there is such a wealth of his actual words collected, sequenced, and bound that we can turn to. John Edwards says that Jesus would be ashamed of American’s selfishness. Perhaps that spectacular mansion far beyond the needed living space of his family should be removed before he points at my mote of selfishness. I’m sorry but this guy is just not credible speaking to the topic of poverty.
On the Mountainside with Jesus: Lent Reflection 8
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
To become sons (and daughters) of almighty God is the gift of grace bestowed on those who believe in the speaker of these mighty words. They act like sons and daughters of God when the seek the peace in which the original world was enveloped. Peace is a product of our willingness to live among the tares without exclusion or violence against them until the day of the Harvest, as much as it depends on us.
We can use our meditative focus during the Lenten season to consider how we are each contributing to the peace of our little place in the world. Are we using our faith as a bludgeon to summarily judge those who disagree with us or are we converting faith into action, hoping to show the truth to one more? Have we reconciled broken relationships within our own family? The choices for action are endless.
We can be peacemakers, accepting the responsibility of our sonship and working where our Father is working. Or, (no flippant discourse today in the interest of peace.)
Me, Change? Church Shopping Time
Though Out Of Ur is using her quote to entice new subscribers to Leadership, Sarah Cunningham voices the fear that most pastors face every week. We know deep down that the easy grace and undemanding faith that many in pews crave is not the discipleship that Jesus demands but we are also afraid of the impact of calling for radical life change among the congregation. Sarah gives this answer to the question “If you could say one thing to church leaders, what would you tell them?”
“I would say that faith systems that don’t compel transformation are empty. … But few people see Christianity as a shift of allegiance that prompts us to make personal changes in beliefs, habits, and lifestyles. We must continually examine our churches to make sure our message is one that requires transformation.” (Leadership, Winter 2007)
One of the defining characteristics of the missional church is a high membership requirement based upon a demanding discipleship. Is this going to be attractive to the majority of church consumers? Most likely not, but it is going to resonate with those who seek authenticity in their faith. Trying to move a settled congregation toward a higher order of discipleship has been the beginning of the end for some pastorates. Church plants that germinate with high lifestyle and discipleship demands often fail to blossom as they appear unfriendly compared to the seeker sensitive plant around the corner. Both, understandable fears for those called to shepherd God’s beloved.
Understandable but not fears to be clung to. As a pastor, responsible to God for the call He has issued to me, I must be accountable to the Bible’s clear demands for our pursuit of holiness. If this requires changes in beliefs, habits, and lifestyles then I must not blink when calling those I shepherd to follow. If the price to be paid is the failure of the plant then so be it, as it pales in comparison to sacrifice made on my behalf.
Technorati tags: Missional Church, Discipleship, Christianity, Faith
The Real Mary, Mother of God
Calling Mary the Mother of God is enough in some evangelical circles to start a division of fellowship that may never be repaired. This seemingly innocent title has a logical basis that cannot be impugned. Mary gave birth to Jesus, Jesus is God, ipso facto, Mary is the Mother of God. Why then does a statement such as this raise such ire? For the answer, the evangelical body must face the dichotomy of Mary: the Mary of the New Testament and the Mary of Roman Catholic sacred tradition. The last section of Scot McKnight’s book help us to briefly survey these differences and face them fairly.
The greatest difference in how evangelicals and Catholics devise their Maryology comes down to sola scriptura. While the evangelical necessarily limits their view of Mary to what appears in the canonized scriptures, the Roman Catholic view is developed through a combination of scripture and sacred tradition. Further, it’s important to note that Catholic sacred tradition is ongoing in its development and subject to modification over time as each revelation unfolds new ways of looking at Mary.
Beliefs such as Mary’s sinlessness, perpetual virginity, and appearance in Revelation 12 divide the traditions but should they also divide fellowship? Evangelical positions on these issues often attribute the Catholic belief to nothing more than pure fantasy evolved from an incorrect veneration of the Holy Mother. This is a wholly uncharitable view of the theological basis that undergirds the Catholic position and makes the holder appear religiously bigoted and uninformed. It also causes us to be challenged in our own Bible scholarship. Why is it, for example, that we read words such as “brothers and sisters” and others see “cousins” or “relatives”? Are we equally trusting in our own tradition to understand the meaning of the words or have we done the necessary Greek translation, cross referencing the semantic domains in Louw-Nida to come to our conclusions?
Neither McKnight nor myself argues for the adoption of the Catholic position, only the need for a better understanding of how such tradition-based beliefs have developed through the history of the Church. By removing the fractiousness from Mary caused by the divide, the evangelical experience is enriched as we are free to see the important role that she plays in the life of the Savior and in God’s history of His world. Is that such a bad thing?
Second Sunday in Lent Readings
The reading for this morning is Genesis 15:5 – 18 and Psalm 27 in response to this great promise. The only correct response to a 
calling from God is obedience without hesitation. Abram faces the challenging promise of God, which includes a long period of oppression and difficulty, with a stutter. He only sees the possibilities within himself. But, as he discovers, God is not limited by our frailties. He makes only God-sized promises and asks only that we trust and obey.
On the Mountainside with Jesus: Lent Reflection 7
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
The radical, uncompromising Jesus is unpopular wherever cheap grace has taken hold. Simply reading the Beatitudes tells the disciple that there is to be a ruthless break with one’s old ways. We cannot be people who go through the motions of following Jesus in his sacrifice while all the while allowing our hearts to be polluted by their hold on our ways. Purity of heart is integrity; our outward actions match our internal intentions. Our hearts are not divided between longing for God and longing for the things of this world.
As Jesus progresses toward the cross in our observation of Lent, the radical nature of his mission must cause us to become little radicals as well. Cheap grace is not for us. We will count the cost of our freedom and we will rid our lives of everything that threatens to divide our hearts. Our vision will clear as we focus on a single master rather than trying to keep two or more in our sight.
Or, we can give up listening to the radio for Lent. We might miss something Rush or Medved says but we can always fill the silence with some other distraction.
Nature Girl
Where’s Skink? Long time readers of Carl Hiaasen will be turning the pages of this tropical romp looking for him to make an appearance from around a bush or in the light of an evening fire. He and Honey Santana (Born to Be Wild/My Way) would be the perfect team to restore some common decency to the Florida coastline. Despite the Skink’s absence, Hiaasen has populated this fast read with enough uniquely Floridian characters to make you question your future vacation plans anywhere near the Sunshine State.
Honey (18 and Life/You Can’t Hurry Love) is disturbed at dinner with her precocious son Fry by telemarketer Boyd Shreave. Boyd mistakenly insults her, setting off her relentless plan to teach him some common decency. Not only will Honey (Too Fast for Love/Giant Steps) set up a shell of an adventure company, she will lure Boyd and his mistress to Florida, put them in kayaks and paddle them out to one of hundreds of tiny islands. Once there Honey (She’s Beautiful/Cat Scratch Fever) just knows that a simple lecture on how people are to be treated will succeed in turning the “greedhead” around.
If only it were that simple. Hiaasen’s novels inevitably involve the intersection of many lives and their entangling threads. Sammy Tigertail is a half-Seminole who is trying to find his identity while being haunted by the ghost of a tourist who had the audacity to die of a heart attack when struck by small water snake as Sammy took him on a high speed boat ride. Chasing Honey (Star Spangled Banner!/something Afro-Cuban that she can’t quite identify) is Louis Piejack, a filthy deviant whose smell precedes every appearance on the pages of the book and a walking warning against sexual harassment at work. Fry’s father Perry, Gillian the amorous coed, and Eugenie the mistress all find themselves entangled in Honey’s ( Mustang Sally / Hot Rod Lincoln) plan as it goes awry.
Nature Girl is a good read but not Hiaasen’s best. The characters are memorable more for their oddities than for their personalities and, while everyone gets what they deserve when the last page turns, much of the action is standard Hiaasen-Florida. Of all of his works, Nature Girl is also Hiaasen’s most explicit. The physical intertwining of Boyd and Eugenie is given great detail, perhaps to support his wife’s prurient desires to have the action recorded. Perhaps a little more can be left to the imagination next time Carl.
Oh, the song’s in Honey’s head will become the songs in your head. Be warned.
On the Mountainside with Jesus: Lent Reflection 6
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
What does it mean to merciful in our world. Is it simply serving a meal or soothing a hurt? These are certainly merciful acts but are the reflective of our Spirit transformed core? The mercy that is blessed goes beyond compassion, it is measured by forgiveness. Forgive as you have been forgiven.
As we reflect during our observation of Lent on the mercy that has been shown to us, we are called to bring that mercy to life, to be incarnational. The news invades our meditations. A young woman in nearby Pueblo has traded her baby for the down payment on a gold Dodge Intrepid. Our mercy is gauged in our reaction to this evil act. Does our mercy extend to her, praying for her restoration and for the welfare of the family or are we quick to pass judgement? Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
No, lets just give up sugar instead. It’s easier and each cup of coffee without it will remind us with each bitter swallow of the sacrifice that we are soon to commemorate. Or, we can consider the mercy that has transformed our standing before God and pray that this same mercy can be visited on the lives of others.
Technorati tags: Lent, Jesus, Sermon on The Mount, Mercy, Faith, Christianity
STOP DHMO!
Watch the facts about this dangerous compound…
All this time, and we didn’t even know….
Stop the Madness of Dihydrogen Monoxide
The overnight climate change that has caused the Eastern source snowstorm that is blanketing the Denver basin this morning is obviously rooted in the scourge, Dihydrogen Monoxide and its pervasiveness in todays world. Learn more here at www.dhmo.org
LOVE | ACCEPT | FORGIVE 