Everything That's On My Mind

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the season of Lent on the traditional church calendar. That word, “traditional”, has a tendency to cause many evangelicals to break out in hives. Traditions (or more accurately, traditions older than a generation or two) tend to be greeted with suspicion at best and contempt at worst. Just as Lent has fallen out of favor, fasting in general has fallen out of favor. That is unfortunate, because there are great benefits to be found in these great traditions of the church if we consider them seriously.

During Jesus’ lifetime, fasting was a common practice. Devout Jews would fast from sunrise to sunset on Mondays and Thursdays of every week, as well as other fasts throughout the year such as the Day of Atonement. The early church, according to the Didache, fasted on Wednesdays and Fridays to distinguish themselves from their Jewish counterparts. They also fasted for special events such as baptisms. In fact, Lent most likely originated as a fast for people preparing to be baptized on Easter.

The importance of fasting has diminished in modern times for many reasons. Fasting has become tied to body discipline. If the body is unruly, fasting is used to “punish” it. This way of thinking misses the primary function of fasting: Fasting is body prayer. It is a way of integrating of physicality into our spirituality. Pentecostals and charismatics are good at integrating physicality into worship through clapping, raising hands, and perhaps even a little dancing, but fasting is an area where we have room to improve.

At the root of all fasting is a hunger for God. A hunger for God’s forgiveness, for his deliverance, for his presence. By fasting something we need (food) we proclaim that there is a deeper need in our lives: A need for God. In this way, we echo the words of Christ when he was fasting: “People do not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” If we are truly hungry for God’s involvement in our lives, we will express that desire not just with our minds and our hearts and our mouths, but also with our bodies through fasting.

We’re back in Acts for a while, picking up where we left off in chapter 23. Paul is in the midst of a major confrontation with the Jewish establishment in Jerusalem. Confrontation is something that we all have to endure. Even if we try our hardest to avoid it, confrontation will come our way. As Steven Covey has said, only 10% of life is what happens to us. The other 90% is how we react. This is never more true that in the midst of confrontation. Rather than trying to avoid confrontations, we must learn to react well in confrontations. From Paul’s example we can learn the following lessons.

Allow yourself to be emotional and to express your emotions, but stay in control

When in a confrontation, some people let their emotions rule them. Others try to suppress and hide their emotions. Neither is healthy. In verse 3, Paul clearly does not hide his emotions. He has been wronged and expresses himself emotionally. God has created us as emotional beings, we should not try to hide our emotions. Honest anger is better than a dishonest smile. That being said, our emotions cannot rule us. Paul told the Ephesians “in your anger do not sin”. He did not tell them to suppress their emotions, only to stay in control. We have been promised that the Holy Spirit will give us self-control, we need to rely on the Spirit in times of confrontation.

Quickly admit your mistakes

When Paul is confronted with the fact that he is speaking to the high priest, he quickly admits his mistake. He easily could have responded with accusations of his own, but instead he repents and moves on. Most parents have heard some variation of the “He hit me!” “He hit me first!” conversation. Responding to criticism with criticisms of our own is human nature. We must resist this natural response and instead model repentance. This is especially true when dealing with those who are not followers of Christ. If we are calling people to repent and seek Christ’s forgiveness, we should be living examples.

Find common ground and support wherever you can

Paul walked into the Sanhedrin as one man against a mob. By seeking common ground with his adversaries he found allies, even if they didn’t agree with him on every point. Within a confrontation, we should try to find common ground with people rather than simply seeing them as adversaries. There is always common ground to be found, and even if we do not win an argument we may win a friend.

Stay “on message”

In verse 6 we also see Paul striving to get back to his main message, the resurrection of Jesus. Throughout the New Testament we see that the resurrection is the central message of Paul’s gospel. Rather than allowing his opponents to control the agenda, Paul strives to stay “on message.” When we find ourselves in a confrontation, we can easily be sidetracked. We must focus our efforts on the important issues and not be distracted by more trivial issues. Even in our efforts to share the Gospel, we often spend too much time debating side issues (politics, culture, etc.). We would do well to keep our focus on what’s important: Jesus Christ.

Draw courage from knowing God is with you

Our passage concludes with God encouraging Paul to not give up but to continue contending for the faith. We too must take courage knowing that God is with us. As we recognize and rely on the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives we will see the fruit of the Holy Spirit in action, especially in times of confrontation. As Jesus promised, the Spirit will give us the words we need to say. There is no need to fear.

The days after Christmas, especially for children, are all about the gifts. Exploring new toys, trying to figure out new technology, playing new games, trying on new clothes, etc. Much shopping is done in the days after Christmas, too, spending gift cards and returning gifts for whatever reason. Soon, however, the gloss will come off and “regular” life will return. Often a gift that is enjoyed for a few days following Christmas will find its way into a closet never to be seen again. The same is true for our focus on the things of God. During the Christmas season we celebrate God’s love and the gifts we’ve received, but soon afterward daily life tends to distract us. Before this happens, let’s determine to handle our gifts well.

• Gifts to cherish – The Christmas season is a time when we focus on love; God’s love for us, our love for friends and family, and showing love to those in need. This focus is a gift that we need to continue to cherish throughout the year. We can’t afford to put it away with the decorations. Especially our focus on those in need. Jesus said that giving to others is a blessing for us. Don’t let the return to every day life diminish your focus on the priority of love.
  
• Gift cards to spend – As we look forward to 2010 remember that the time and resources God has given us are a great gift, but they are gifts that we control. We can make the most of them or squander them, it’s our choice. The Apostle Paul challenges us to make the most of ever opportunity we’ve been given, because the need for the good news of God’s Kingdom is so great.
  
• Gifts to return – 2009 has left us with gifts as well, but they may not be welcome gifts. Failures, regrets, grudges, and excuses are all “gifts” of the past that we are tempted to carry into the future. Make sure to return these gifts to the year gone past and not to drag them into 2010. Start the new year with a clean slate, committed to throwing off anything that hinders you from being who God created you to be.
  
• Gifts to re-gift – God’s Christmas gifts to us are all meant to be re-gifted. God does not give us His Son, the Holy Spirit, and all the fruit of the Spirit simply for our benefit. He gives these things to us so that we can share them with others and so build the Kingdom of God. The wonderful truth about God’s gifts is that no matter how much we give them away, we still get to enjoy them fully ourselves.

Soon, life will get back to “normal” for most of us. Back to work, back to school, back to everyday life. Christmas is such a high point of the year, especially for Christians, that a bit of a let down is inevitable. Can you imagine the let down for Mary and Joseph; going from visitations of angels, shepherds, and magi…back to their everyday life? It couldn’t have been easy. Just like Mary, we must determine to treasure in our hearts all the gifts of Christmas and keep our focus on the Kingdom of God all year round.

Most parents remember the moment their child stops believing in Santa Claus, it’s an “aw, they’re growing up” moment. It’s a natural reaction, our rationalistic society values reason and logic above all other virtues. Our culture believes that the human intellect is the greatest power in the universe. We’re all influenced by this philosophy, whether we realize it or not.

Christmas is a holiday that reminds us that there is more to our existence than what reason can understand and logic can explain. A God-man in the form of a baby born of a virgin defies all logic. There is no rational explanation for it. In fact, all of the critical events of the Christian faith are beyond logical analysis. Creation, incarnation, resurrection; all of them incomprehensible by the human mind. At Christmas we’re reminded that it is not reason or logic that God requires, but faith. Faith in a God who is greater than our intellect, who accomplishes miracles that make little rational sense to us.

Contrary to popular opinion, faith does not require us to turn off our brains. Faith is not opposed to logic, faith goes beyond logic. Faith simply recognizes the limitations of the human mind. We are not able to fully grasp the complexities of God’s creation, let alone the plan that He is unfolding in, around, and through us. Faith rejects the intellectual arrogance of humanistic rationalism and humbly admits that God is greater. Science continues to understand more and more about God’s creation, and often those discoveries seem to support what people of faith have always believed. Yet we understand that God is and will always be greater.

In the movie Miracle on 34th Street, rationalism and logic are challenged by events that are unexplainable by logic. In the end the faith of a child is rewarded, and we are left to decide for ourselves whether it was coincidental or miraculous. Our society tends to celebrate when a child leaves behind their childish thinking and becomes more logical. As followers of Christ, we must constantly be reminded that the reverse is true. For us the challenge is to become more childlike. This Christmas, as we celebrate the miraculous birth of God’s Son, let’s celebrate childlikeness. For it is the humble, trusting nature of a child that God requires of us all.

This morning we continued our series with Frank Capra’s classic It’s A Wonderful Life, perhaps the most iconic of all Christmas movies. The movie was the first for both Capra and Jimmy Stewart following their service in WWII. It was not a smash hit when it was originally released, and didn’t become a cultural phenomenon until the 1970’s when the copyright lapsed and every television station in the country aired it continually during the Christmas season. It is now considered by many to be one of the greatest American films.

The “everyman” of the story is George Bailey, a young man with big dreams and a big heart. He never reaches any of his great goals. At every turn, his plans are thwarted. This is what makes him “everyman,” for every one of us has had plans in life that have not panned out. In fact, it is doubtful that anyone’s life turns out exactly as they plan it. The key for everyone is to learn how to handle those moments of disappointment.

We find helpful instructions from God in Jeremiah chapter 29. Here the people of Judea find all their hopes and plans crushed as they find themselves in captivity in Babylon. Through the prophet Jeremiah God instructs them and us how to handle disappointment when plans collapse.

1. Be content and diligent in the situation where God has placed you
   This is George Bailey’s great strength. Despite his disappointment, he diligently tries to accomplish what he can in whatever situation he finds himself. He may not always be content, but he does not idly wait for a better situation to arrive. This is what God commands His people in captivity in v5-6, that they should be diligent and not become idle. When our plans fail the temptation is to sulk and do as little as possible as we wait for a better situation to come along. We must resist this temptation and continue to be diligent, understanding that we are working for the Lord in all things.
   
2. Seek to be a blessing to those around you.
   Once again, George Bailey provides a great example. He consistently lives a life of self-sacrifice, giving of himself for the benefit of others. God also commands the Judeans in Babylon to be a blessing to those around them. This is no easy task, since these people are in captivity in the land of the very people who conquered them. Here we find an echo of Christ’s command to love our enemies. When our plans fail we are tempted to focus all our energies inward, but we must continue to seek to do good to all men, despite our disappointment.
   
3. Be careful who you listen to
   George’s despair was fueled by his frustration that others (like his brother and Sam Wainwright) had achieved what he believed was his destiny. When we listen to the voices of our culture telling us what we should expect from our lives, we magnify the disappointment we feel when our plans fail. Many times those claiming to speak for God actually reinforce the standards of our culture rather than point us to God. Like the captives in Babylon, we must ignore those voices and find our significance in God’s purposes for us, which are found only through prayer and studying His word for ourselves.
   
4. Make knowing God your highest priority
   This is where George Bailey finds his great transformation. When he finally calls out to God for salvation, his perspective is changed and he finds new life. God longs to provide relief from our disappointments, but we must seek Him to find Him. God reminds those in captivity in Babylon that He is there to provide for them, but they must seek him with all their heart. The same is true today, God will provide the new life we long for when knowing Him is our highest priority.
   
5. Trust that God’s plans are better than yours
   The climactic scene of It’s A Wonderful Life finds George Bailey running through town rejoicing in his disappointments. He jumps for joy seeing his crashed car, he wishes a merry Christmas to his enemy, Mister Potter. He runs home to find the police ready to arrest him and proclaims: “Isn’t it great? I’m going to jail!” This is an echo of the command we receive from Paul, Peter, and James – to rejoice in our suffering. The only way this is possible is to trust that God’s plans for us are better than our own plans. Only then can we rejoice in all circumstances.
   
6. Live in patient expectation of God’s promises
   God promised His people in Babylon that they would be rescued and restored, but that they would have to wait. We too must patiently wait to see God’s purposes revealed in our lives, but we can do so expectantly. This is the message of Christmas, that God keeps his promises to those who wait expectantly. Those waiting expectantly for the Messiah saw the first Advent and rejoiced. Those waiting expectantly for His next Advent will not be disappointed.

The wonderful life that we all long for is not found when God makes all of our plans succeed. It is found when we accept that God’s plans are better than our plans and commit ourselves to His purposes rather than ours.

Our Christmas @ The Movies series continued this morning with How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Chuck Jones’ wonderfully faithful adaptation of Dr. Seuss’ classic tale. Seuss, who’s real name was Theodor Geisel, was a cartoonist and writer of uncommon skill and also a devout Lutheran. His tales, though written for children, had their source in deeper adult themes. The story of the Grinch grew out of Geisel’s distaste for the commercialization of Christmas. There is much that adults today could and should learn from our dear Dr. Seuss. Perhaps they should give out copies at Walmart on Black Friday.

As a villain, Geisel’s Grinch bears a little resemblance to the great villain of the Christmas story: Herod the Great. Herod, like the Grinch, had a heart that was “two sizes too small.” Heart trouble is a common problem for humans and The Teacher of Proverbs warns us to guard our hearts. In the story of Herod we find four symptoms of heart trouble that we should be aware of.

Uncontrolled Anger – Herod’s rage drove him to command the terrible Slaughter of the Innocents in Bethlehem. Uncontrolled anger always has disastrous consequences, and is a sure sign of heart trouble. The Teacher encourages us to control our anger, while Paul recommends ridding ourselves of anger altogether. At times we may be tempted to rationalize our anger by saying “even Jesus got angry.” While it is true that Jesus did express anger, we must remind ourselves that His anger was directed at much more significant offenses than, for example, someone cutting in front of us at the checkout line. Often the best way to control our anger is to resist becoming angry in the first place.

Jealousy – Herod was enraged by the possibility that a child had been born that would take his throne. He jealously strove to protect what he believed was rightfully his. He failed to recognize that everything he had was a gift from God. Protecting what we have rather than sharing with those in need is a sure sign of heart trouble. Economic uncertainty should not keep us from being generous with what God has given us, it should inspire us to be all the more generous toward those in need.

Envy – Many people misuse the word “jealousy” when they really mean “envy.” To put it simply, jealousy is selfishness while envy is covetousness. Envy happens when we desire what someone else has. Herod was envious that the Magi would give their gifts and worship to a babe in a manger rather than to him. Envy is a symptom of heart trouble because it indicates a lack of contentedness. Paul reminds Timothy of the benefits of godliness with contentment. The advertising industry is built around creating discontentedness and envy. We must not allow ourselves to be caught in their trap.

Fear – Herod was a man driven by fear. In addition to the murder of children in Bethlehem, history records that his paranoia drove him to murder his own wife and children when he suspected they were conspiring against him. Decisions based on fear are always flawed and never God-inspired. The apostle John reminds us that God is not the author of fear. Fear is a sign of heart trouble because it indicates a lack of trust in God’s power and His love. Especially given the conditions of our world today, followers of Christ should be notable for their freedom from fear.

Let us guard our hearts this Christmas by watching for these symptoms of heart trouble lest we become Grinches ourselves. May our hearts be filled with the peace that surpasses all understanding so that we can truly celebrate Christ’s birth by sharing God’s love.

Today we began our Advent series: “Christmas @ The Movies”. Along the way, we will see how the popular stories of our day contain echoes of the Great Story that God is telling through Creation. First up is Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, and unless you’re Amish (and if you’re reading this, you’re not), you’ve seen it. It’s the story of a misfit, an outcast, who finds many other misfits along his way and eventually becomes a hero. Robert May, the original creator of the Rudolph story, drew on his own childhood memories of being a misfit and an outcast in creating this iconic character. The theme of a misfit becoming a hero is common in our culture, whether it’s Peter Parker or Luke Skywalker or “Chuck”. It’s common because many people feel like  misfits at one time or another in life, and who doesn’t dream of being a hero. No one wants to stay a misfit.

Yet this is precisely how God chose to reveal His son Jesus to the world: As a misfit and an outcast. Mary and Joseph were nobodies living in a tiny backwater town. The only notable characteristic Joseph had was that he was “righteous”. To be known as “righteous” meant acceptance within the religious community. God put Joseph into a position where he had to sacrifice his only notable quality, his “righteousness”, by accepting Mary as his wife and the child to come as his son. In the same way, Mary’s only distinguishing quality, her virginity, had to be sacrificed for God’s Son to be born. Mary and Joseph were made to be misfits and outcasts even within their own religious community and their families to accomplish God’s purposes. God chose to reveal Jesus to the world as someone with none of the normal characteristics of respectability, the characteristics that the world finds attractive (Isaiah 53:2-3).

This illustrates a truth that we don’t like to admit: We are all called to be misfits. Citizens of the Kingdom of God will never feel at home in a world that is twisted and corrupted by sin. The way of Jesus is the way of the misfit, to reject what this world finds lovely and valuable and to find our worth and purpose in Him. Then we fulfill the purpose for which we were created: Building God’s Kingdom. When we do that we truly become misfits in this world…and heroes in the Kingdom of God.

Prejudice [ˈpre-jə-dəs]: A preconceived opinion or feeling, either favorable or unfavorable.

In Acts 21 and 22, Paul is confronted by a mob determined to kill him because of his ministry to non-Jews. In his defense, Paul tries to help the crowd recognize their prejudice; not just racial and ethnic prejudice but their preconceived opinions about God and how His plan would unfold. Paul did this by explaining how God forced him to confront and surrender his own prejudices about God, Jesus, and the Kingdom of God. Unfortunately, Paul's listeners were unable to surrender their prejudices and become part of God's Kingdom. Soon their entire religious system, including their temple, would come crashing down.

We all have preconceived opinions about God, about His Kingdom, about ourselves, and about others. Often these prejudices are shaped by our upbringing, our experiences, and our culture. Often we don’t even realize we have them. The question is: When God shines the light of truth on our prejudices, are we willing to surrender them and allow Him to transform us by renewing our minds? If we do, then we can participate in building His Kingdom on earth. If we don't, we risk a fate similar to that of Paul's original audience.

What pre-conceived ideas about God, about His Kingdom, about yourself, or about others does God want you to confront?