Our “falls” to bring us Advent

Advent is the first month of the Christian calendar and the season we have entered. I confessed recently at church that I was unprepared for Advent and its cultural trappings…lights, decorations, Christmas cards, gifts, gatherings. In fact, I was loathing it! But, thankfully, I am neither unprepared for or unwelcoming of this season of Christ’s “coming”. I desire it very much. It’s the other stuff I wanted to jettison.

So what should we be mindful of in this season? Of Advent, and its precursor, fall?

You might need the reminder, as I did, that as children of God our seasons are filled with divine purpose, especially when the outlook is bleak. Tracey and I have come to expect that every fall we will navigate the doldrums. Perhaps it is my internal clock, or spiritual warfare surrounding Halloween, or the nature of fall itself, but my doldrums ALWAYS happen in the fall, never in spring. They can either defeat me in 100 different ways or I can embrace them for lessons they teach.

Parker Palmer writes,
“Autumn is a season of great beauty, but it is also a season of decline: the days grow shorter, the light is suffused, and summer’s abundance decays toward winter’s death. Faced with this inevitable winter, what does nature do in autumn? It scatters the seeds that will bring new growth in the spring—and scatters them with amazing abandon…

“In my own experience of autumn, I am rarely aware that seeds are being planted. Instead, my mind is on the fact that the green growth of summer is browning and beginning to die. my delight in the autumn colors is always tinged with melancholy, a sense of impending loss that is only heightened by the beauty all around. I am drawn down by the prospect of death more than I am lifted by the hope of new life…

“But as I explore autumn’s paradox of dying and seeding, I feel the power of metaphor. In the autumnal events of my own experience, I am easily fitted on surface appearances—on the decline of meaning, the decay of relationships, the death of a work. And yet if I look more deeply, I may see the myriad possibilities being planted to bear fruit in some season yet to come…

“In retrospect, I can see in my own life what I could not see at the time—how the job I lost helped me find work I needed to do, how the ‘road closed’ signed turned me toward terrain I needed to travel, how losses that felt irredeemable forced me to discern meanings I needed to know. On the surface, it seemed that life was lessening, but silently and lavishly the seeds of new life were always being sown…

“This hopeful notion that living is hidden with dying is surely enhanced by the visual glories of autumn. What artist would ever have painted a season of dying with such a vivid palette if nature had not done it first? Does death possess a beauty that we—who fear death, who find it ugly and obscene—cannot see? How shall we understand autumn’s testimony that death and elegance go hand in hand?

“Autumn constantly reminds me that my daily dyings are necessary precursors to new life. If I try to ‘make’ a life that defies the diminishments of autumn, the life I end up with will be artificial, at best, and utterly colorless as well. But when I yield to the endless interplay of living and dying, dying and living, the life I am given will be real and colorful, fruitful and whole.” (Palmer, Let Your Life Speak, p. 79)

Can you recognize “living hidden with dying”? The “falls” that bring you to Advent?  And embrace them as necessary? I am learning that my fall doldrums are the natural progression of life’s seasons. We all must go through the fall to harvest the fruits of spring. The more we fix our eyes on Jesus and embrace the pain, disappointments, failures, closures, etc. with faith in God’s purpose and plan, the more lasting the spiritual fruits will be. So live into this season and look ahead.

Jesus is coming.

Advertisement

This is What You Were Baptized For

Soon after his baptism, Jesus entered the synagogue in Nazareth and read these words from Isaiah…
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed; (Luke 4:18)

Are you aware that this is what you were baptized for as well? When you were baptized, you were filled with the Spirit of God for what reason? To impress people? To have the respect and admiration of your peers? To please a parent, spouse, or friend?

The Spirit of the Lord is upon you and me for preaching Good News, works of reconciliation, mercy, deliverance, justice, and healing. This is what we were baptized for.

Recent events inspire me to emphasize two of these areas: racial reconciliation (“setting at liberty those who are oppressed”) and healing (“recovery of sight”).

In the last few years it has seemed we are returning to the Civil Rights movement of the 1960’s. With murders, police brutality, demonstrations, and clashes between racially distinct groups from Ferguson to Charlottesville, and many places in between, we have seen how far we are from reconciling the races in America.

I finished watching I Am Not Your Negro by James Baldwin yesterday (on Amazon). It is a movie with scenes from movies and interviews, stark photographs, and articulate commentary. And it is quite painful to watch. Overall it is outstanding and I highly encourage everyone to view it.

Two scenes haunt me. One is of Dorothy Counts, age 15 from Charlotte, N.C., who is walking to school surrounded by a mob of adults and children, as school integration is happening. She is spat on, insulted, mocked, and she is alone. Tall and lanky, she looks like she could be my daughter.

And then there is a scene from the movie, Imitation of Life when a black woman whose daughter passes for white comes to the school during a storm to collect her daughter. She goes into the classroom and the teacher greets her at the door. “I am here to get my daughter”. “I am sorry but we have no black children in this classroom”. The daughter is ashamed of her black mother and puts a book up to hide her face from her. Then the mother sees her. “No. There she is.” And the little girl stands up and all the children start whispering…”I didn’t know she was black. I didn’t know she was black. She’s black?!?” She gets past her mother and then runs away crying and shouting at her, “I hate you I hate you I hate you!”

One of these portrays was an actual event. One was fictionalized from all-too-true reality in white-dominated society. James Baldwin asks rhetorically when reflecting on our history, “Where are the Christians?” It is pointed out that Sunday at 11:00 remains the most segregated hour of the week!

My friends, we have to lead the way in racial reconciliation. This is what we were baptized for.

Then on the healing side. I must confess that I am tired of those questions pastors get…”how is your church?” meaning, “How big is it? How many staff? How big a budget? How many churches have you planted?” Be careful how you answer because you will be graded, judged, and pigeon-holed accordingly.

I got here and my pastor/brother/friend Dr. Dan Sandoval asked me, “What is the spiritual climate in Santa Barbara right now?”

I love that question! I told him that the spiritual climate was very promising. Revival and renewal have been prophesied over the city for years now and I believe it is coming! But there are also challenges.

There is the reality of three pastors with three sad stories weighing us down in our city right now. One pastor was removed from his position for a moral failure and has moved out of the state. Another pastor was hurt by trusted friends and is in need of healing. The third pastor is avoiding confrontation and is allowing his worship pastor and youth minister to walk in sin because the numbers are up.

I believe these very different, but common tragedies could all be avoided by good accountability and healthy networking of pastors and churches outside their own bubble. We have to have humility and courage to ask and answer honestly such questions as “How is your soul? In what areas do you need encouragement right now? What, if anything, is hindering you from living more fully to God?” These are an example of what can bring healing and recovery to those broken, hurting, confused, and blind.

Now I am all about 3000 getting saved in one day, as Acts 2 reports. That is one of the things that will happen when believers are filled with the Spirit of God!

Keep in mind, however, that it is more than numbers alone, but also about reconciling those oppressed, brokenhearted, and ostracized for the color of their skin or their country of origin. It is about justice for the poor, recovery of sight for the blind, and deliverance for the captives. This is what you were baptized for.

The Encouraging Community

I want to tell you the story of a parent and a child. The parent was a committed parent who loved his child. The child was a kind-hearted, good child. One morning said parent awoke at his normal time and made preparations for the day. This included awakening the child, reminding him of his morning duties, preparing his breakfast and a sack lunch for the day.

The child, who is a teenager, remained asleep after the first, second, and third exhortations to wake up. When the child finally did awake, his breakfast was uneaten and the parent, whose patience was wearing thin, lost his cool.

“What have you been doing?!?! Sit down and eat your breakfast! We have to leave in 10 minutes!”

The child’s response?
“It’s not my fault. You didn’t tell me to come to the table!”

Now, in this story, at whose feet would you place the blame/responsibility for this mishap? Well, I believe it falls at the feet of the parent (who, of course, is me). The parent is doing too much for the child. The child is not learning the responsibilities he needs to learn. Simply put, he is getting spoiled.

Now with this in mind, I want to ask you to imagine the community of the church and the responsibilities we should ask for and expect of its members. Should there be any? If so, what should we ask/expect of each other?

Transformation into Christlikeness is the aim and responsibility of the church. We believe that this does not happen in a vacuum. There are no “Lone Ranger” Christians. We are called to be in relationship with one another. Romans 12:5 says, “so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

The church is to be the “encouraging community” to this end. It is a primary, essential function of the church. Perhaps THE essential function.

But beware! Forces are aligned to keep us from this development! James Bryan Smith believes that our consumer culture is one of them. The culture does not help foster this encouraging Christian community that calls one another to maturity and responsibility. He writes,

“We live in a consumer culture. Each day we are treated as a customer, and this leads us to believe we are entitled to have all of our needs met. We have become spoiled. The modern ethos of narcissism is pervasive in our culture and prevalent in our churches. The phenomenon of ‘church shopping’ reveals our comfort with the consumer narrative. It is also revealed when we are treated as something other than consumers.
Several years ago I was speaking with a group of pastors about this false narrative, and one of them had a story that illustrates this. ‘A years ago I felt called by God to encourage our people to read the Bible more,’ he said. ‘I challenged them, from the pulpit, to read the Bible for an hour a week. Not all at once, but perhaps for ten to twenty minutes on different occasions. After offering this challenge on several Sundays, a woman who had been in the church for several years came up to me and said, ‘Pastor, I want you to know that I am leaving the church.’ I asked why, and she said, ‘Because when I joined this church, reading the Bible was not in the contract.’” (Smith. The Good and Beautiful Community, p. 128)

It should be obvious that this is unacceptable. The encouraging community that we are called to be is filled with an eternal purpose—to become Christlike people who are constantly growing in our life with God and each other. The encouraging community that we are to be exists to shape and guide our souls. It will provide encouragement and accountability, and has the right to expect certain behaviors from each other.

This fall we will be moving into a new era in the life of our church congregation. We will be incorporating small groups into the life of our congregation. These will meet weekly. Each member is expected to join a small group. The purpose of these groups will be encouragement, accountability, prayer, spiritual gift identification and engagement, fellowship and fun.

Let’s fulfill our purpose, church, and become mature, responsible, holy Christians.

The Essentials

This morning my wife was describing “essential oils” to me. Many bath and body products now use “essential oils”. They are the oils distilled or pressed from plants that serve in medicines, lotions, incense, etc. They are highly concentrated, fragrant, and potent in what they do. Hence “essential”.

Tracey then showed me some essential oils and I saw that they come in tiny bottles and vials. It literally only takes a drop of something like Eucalyptus oil to fill the room with its fragrance.

I also learned that many products have to use other carrier oils along with the essential oils to serve as filler. They are the non-essential oils. It’s the fluff that combines with the essential oils so the product can be put in a more substantial bottle or tube.

And that got me thinking about church.

How much of the western version of church is not essential? Lots! It’s almost like McDonald’s packaging. How much money do they spend on packaging the value meal? It’s got to be a ton, right?!?!

We need to make it our business to be about the essentials, such as love, obedience, service, faithfulness, holiness, and the Word of God.

Leave the fog machines and disco balls to others with the bigger, more colorful packaging.

We’ll stick to the essentials.

The Practice of Forgiveness

Luke 7:47 “Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love”

The most difficult time of my life was also the most stretching/maturing/developing time of my life. It was when I was part of an unhealthy, independent church in L.A. called True Worship Christian Fellowship.

The church was so named because they (I should say “we” because I was part of it) believed they were true worshippers whereas others were not. Talk about pride and presumption!

But do you know that now there are over 30,000 Protestant denominations in the world? In America, especially, we are masters of breaking free of yokes (oppressive or otherwise) and making our own way. It’s in the fabric of our history and founding.

So, when we find fault or find ourselves in disagreements with others, we choose isolation, judgment, suspicion, and condemnation of those we disagree with. It is so much easier than talking it through, listening well, and extending grace. This tendency of ours is seen in churches, politics, and race relations. It is why Sunday mornings are still the most segregated hours of the week.

So as my soul languished in many ways at this church, a few important things developed anyhow. One was an understanding of what NOT to do as a pastor and church leader. The other was to grow, often painfully, in my knowledge and understanding of African-American culture. It paved the way to meet and marry Tracey Bucker in 17 years ago.

Much good can come of increasing our understanding of other races and cultures. For example, when was the last time you read a book by an author of the opposing political party? And tried to listen to the message without throwing the book down in disgust at the very sentence you disagreed with?

These are very helpful practices, but one practice helps more than any other…the practice of forgiveness.

When we understand the depth of our own forgiveness, we can love like the woman with the alabaster jar—Mary Magdalene—who “loved much because she was forgiven much”. It changes everything! I don’t need to fear other races or political parties or the future or _____ because “perfect love casts out all fear” (1 John 4:18).

This is not a small task. It’s a huge one. But one possible to achieve in many ways. And we are especially poised to realize this at Light and Life Isla Vista because we are cognizant of our sin and need. Remember that song, “Ain’t Too Proud to Beg”, by the Temptations? It’s much preferable to be a Mary Magdalene than a Pharisee. Can I get an Amen?

Our human nature dictates that if people look or act or believe differently than we do, we get uncomfortable and fearful because we can’t control them or their behavior or the outcomes. So how do we overcome this? Stanley Hauerwas (a professor at Duke) says, “This love that is characteristic of God’s kingdom is possible only for a forgiven people—a people who have learned not to fear one another…Only when my self—my character—has been formed by God’s love, do I know I have no reason to fear the other.”

None of our doctrines and definitions are flawlessly perfect. We see through a glass dimly. But if your heart declares Jesus is Lord, then we can walk together in fellowship! And the world needs to see that in us, now more than ever.

The Witness of the Whale

The “Resurrection Celebration” on Easter Sunday at Light and Life church has always been special, but this year was exceptional.

After worship, a message on “Baseball, Egypt, and Holding Firm”, and three wonderful baptisms, a church member (John Perry) whispered in Pastor Dave’s ear, “I think you should cast the net out there and see if there are others who want to be baptized today.”  Pastor Dave casted the net but caught nothing.  John, channeling his inner Jesus, said “cast it again.”  This time, five people came forward and asked to be baptized.  Just as they came forward, a huge whale breached behind us and drew forth gasps, ooh’s, and aah’s.  Many present had never seen a whale breach off the SB coast before.

For those who hadn’t discerned it earlier, it became clear to all that God was truly present among us.

Four of the five people were unknown to all of us prior to the day’s start.  Two families had come to Refugio Beach for a weekend of RV camping and were having a leisurely breakfast when one said, “Are those guitars?  I think they are about to have a church service.  Let’s go check it out.”  Apparently God touched this family during the course of worship.  One of the mothers had always wanted to have her children baptized, but her husband had disallowed it for 18 years.  Now he was “no longer in the picture” (Pastor Dave didn’t press her as to what that meant).  The children agreed that they wanted to be baptized.  Then the woman’s sister who she was camping with asked her own two daughters if they would like to be baptized and they said yes also.  (It was wonderful to see that two of these children were older teenagers)

For the Resurrection Celebration, over 100 people joined us at the beach for worship, a huge feast, basketball, surfing, and fellowship.  It was truly a gathering of Biblical proportions.
He is Risen.  He is Risen Indeed!

Ambition and the Christian

I don’t know much about Napoleon and I never have. He is a towering figure in history who needs no reference to his last name, but I don’t know much about the guy other than the fact that he was a short, successful general and a bit of a showoff. That’s it.

So I picked up a book about him.

Among other things I learned that Napoleon’s first ambition was to become a writer. Here is a quote from a teenage Napoleon on ambition… “Ambition, like all disordered passions, is a violent and unthinking delirium…Like a fire fed by a pitiless wind, it only burns out after having consumed everything in its path.”

How’s that for irony?

His story has me thinking a lot about ambition and the Word of God, and the right balance of ambition for a Christian.

In the New Testament there is really no clear word that translates for our English word, ambition. The Greek word, “zeloo” and “orego” are used to express the ideas of “desire” or “covet after”. “Dioko” can mean “to follow after”, but it is used mostly in the negative sense of “to persecute”.

In 1 Corinthians 14:1 we read, “Pursue love (dioko) and strive (zeloo) for the spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy.” In other words, we should zealously strive for love and desire spiritual gifts for the encouragement and uplifting of others (not ourselves).

One of the few occasions where the word “ambition” is used in any translation of the New Testament is in 1 Thessalonians 4:11— “make it your ambition to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we directed you”. But there is no Greek basis for the word “ambition”. It is the translator taking a measure of rhetorical license.

Our modern-day sense of ladder-climbing-ambition as a good thing (the only thing?) for achieving successful is non-existent in the New Testament. It seems as if Napoleon had it correct when he was a teenager.

Do you? Do I?

Sometimes, yes. Other times? No.

Let’s give the Apostle Paul the last word, so that we will set our ambitions on the things of God and not the things of this world…

1 Timothy 4:6 If you put these instructions before the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with profane myths and old wives’ tales. Train yourself in godliness, 8 for, while physical training is of some value, godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 9 The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance. 10 For to this end we toil and struggle, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
11 These are the things you must insist on and teach. 12 Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. 15 Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Praying for our Leaders…

1 Timothy 2:1-4 reads, “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, 2 for kings and all who are in high positions, so that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is right and is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires everyone to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

Wherever we traveled during our historic tour of the nation’s capital, we were confronted with the need for successful prayers, and the positive outcomes that often came about. Whether it was the miraculous success of George Washington crossing the Delaware or the continued struggle of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the fight for civil rights, we need to PRAY!

My highlight of our trip to Washington DC was captured in the picture posted here (at the left). That picture is yours truly, sitting in the House of Representatives, praying for our country’s leaders. We had the unusual opportunity to have a “behind the scenes” tour of the Capital with a six-term congressman from Ohio. We were able to sit in both the Senate and House of Representatives. We were all alone (it was a Saturday) and were able to pray boldly for our country and our elected leaders.

Psalm 45:4 says, “In your majesty ride forth victoriously
in the cause of truth, humility and justice;
let your right hand achieve awesome deeds.”

This is the essential stuff of our prayers for our country and our leaders…that God would be victorious for the cause of truth, humility, justice, and awesome deeds!

The Prime Directive

On a recent prayer retreat (Thanks, Tracey!), I made some important connections regarding priorities in ministry. When I came down from my mountain top I undoubtedly had a different perspective, which is the whole idea of a prayer retreat.

And I came back down with a load of zeal for ministry. My head was spinning (and still is) with ideas for jail ministry, retirement home ministry, food distribution, small groups, and a ministry to the severely disabled. I also want to inject new people into our existing ministries. These are all good things.

Moreover, these ideas came from good motives, which has not always been the case with me. Often I have focused on a ministry because I thought we might attract new members or get some kind of good press for it. The motives were NOT to love people. Sure, it probably factored in there somewhere down the line, but it was not the PRIME DIRECTIVE.

Dr. Joseph Dongell, Professor of Biblical theology at Asbury Seminary says it is one thing…there is one answer and there is one target…Only Holy Love.

John Wesley wrote, “Of a thousand mistakes is this: not considering deeply enough that love is the highest gift of God; humble, gentle patient love; that all visions, revelations, or manifestations whatever, are little things compared to love; and that all (other) gifts…are either the same with or infinitely inferior to it. You should be thoroughly aware of this—the heaven of heavens is love. There is nothing higher in religion; there is, in effect, nothing else; if you look for anything but more love, you are looking wide of the mark, you are getting out of the royal way.”

I desperately want us to get on the Good Works train burning down the tracks at one hundred mph, but God stopped me in my “tracks” to remind me how important motives are. I believe God has prepared amazing good works for us to walk in, but we have to be careful how we go about it.

Dr. Dongell writes, “A nurse, for example, can provide life-saving treatment to patients without having or desiring any particular relationship with them. One may be a Christian, and may be functioning effectively in ministry, and may even act so benevolently as to give away all of one’s possession for others, and still not have love, that is, not be a person fundamentally characterized by love. In other words, I may exhaust myself in compassion ministries, and yet at the same time be hyper-competitive, or consumed with self-image, or abrasive, or unforgiving, or impure. This is why a focus on action, a focus simply on motivating people to become active doers may be a far shallower project that we imagine, and may be largely accomplishable in the power of the flesh.”

Ephesians 3:14-19 says it best…
“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

It was love for God that filled my heart on that prayer retreat, and it was love that birthed the ideas for ministry of every sort. I can’t forget that. And neither should you. The first thing, the PRIME DIRECTIVE, of the Christian life is to know and be filled with the Love of God.

Dr. Dongell gets the last word…
“For to be filled with love from God is to be energized by the same passion that has been energizing God’s whole redemptive mission. Remember, it was because God so loved the world that he willingly sacrificed his own Son. Love is that unstoppable energy powering every heroic undertaking.”

“Don’t Trust People who Tout their own Wisdom” by JD Walt

Proverbs 26:12
Do you see a person wise in their own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for them.

CONSIDER THIS
One of the hallmarks of wisdom is the way its possession is hidden from its bearer. Said another way: You don’t know it when you have it. If you think you are a wise person, the chances are you aren’t. It takes us back to one of our earlier core convictions about humility being the beginning of wisdom and pride being its antithesis.

So does this mean that one of the marks of a wise person is they think they aren’t wise? No. Humility is not thinking less of yourself. Humility is thinking less about oneself.

A person convinced of their own wisdom is not only not wise, but worse off than a fool.

So on the one hand, we are exhorted to seek after wisdom with all we’ve got, yet on the other we are never to consider that we have attained it. That’s an interesting way to live.

One of the properties of true wisdom is it is not conscious of itself. It makes sense then that the one who possesses it is not conscious of possessing it. What if, in fact, we don’t “possess” wisdom? What if wisdom possesses us? Maybe that’s the big deception– that we can somehow “possess” wisdom. All of this would seem to suggest the quest is not to be a wise person but to belong to the Person of Wisdom: Jesus.

Jesus is the Wisdom of God. To the extent that I belong to Jesus, I am possessed by Wisdom.

THE PRAYER
Abba Father, thank you for sending and showing us wisdom in the face of a person, your Son, Jesus Christ. Teach us to seek wisdom not that we may “possess” it but that we might be “possessed” by the person of your Spirit. Shape our mind by the mind of Christ. It is in Jesus’ name we pray. Amen.