Pastor's Blog

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?

After a nearly year-long blogbatical* this blog is returning with a slightly different (and at this point, experimental) format.

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*A neologism not of my invention, but useful.

John Ortberg is one of those authors who seems to make every topic seem very understandable. Here he discusses the gospel and hits it out of the park.

The paradign shift that Ortberg touches on has been recently studied by Leadership magazine. The results of this study mirror my own spiritual journey over the last 20 years.

Mark Roberts is in the midst of a great series of blog posts entitled Spiritual Gifts in the Body of Christ. Great stuff, as usual.

Scot McKnight's new book The Blue Parakeet is in the "next to read" position on the shelf. He recently discussed some of the high points of the book at the Catalyst conference. Skye Jethani gives us the outline.

Skye also recently blogged on the Cult of Mac. I know a few members.

Finally, Michael Spencer really got my attention with his post "Do You Really Trust Your Father With Your Life?"

Do not put your trust in princes,
       in human beings, who cannot save.

When their spirit departs, they return to the ground;
       on that very day their plans come to nothing.

Blessed are those whose help is the God of Jacob,
       whose hope is in the LORD their God.

Psalm 146:3-5 (TNIV)