podcast
I wanted to let you know that the teachings from Denver Community Church are now available on the Podcast Directory. If you click on the Podcast Icon on the right side of the page it will take you directly to our Podcast site. You will need iTunes in order to download. Enjoy listening.
eyes to see
This past Thursday night, I sent out the following email to many in our faith community at Denver Community Church.
Today I received a phone call at our building from a woman named Diane. She is trying to move out of her apartment and into a new one. The place she is living in now is run over with mildew, and mold. Bottom line, she needs to get out. Here is the problem she is having. She does not have a driver's license. Therefore, she cannot rent a truck, so she cannot move. So she called me today to ask if there was any way someone with a license could help her out. I took down her information and said, "Yeah, let me see what I can do to help." I heard nothing on the other end, and it became very quiet. I waited, and then said, "Hello?"
Diane was choked up and said, "No one has ever told me they would help me before."
I was stoked. So here is my thought ... rather than drive her around a little, what would it look like if a faith community helped her move?!? I spoke with her tonight, and she would love to be able to move by Sunday. I know this is last minute, but I thought we could gather together and then head off to "Moving Day 2007." If you are willing to come and move some furniture, drive a truck, and have a back slappin' good time serving someone, please reply as soon as you are able if you are interested.
A few days later a large group from our faith community showed up at Diane’s apartment to load up her belongings in our cars, SUV’s, and pickup trucks and move them to her beautiful new apartment.
The morning before I sent that email I came across a quote from Mother Theresa. Throughout her life many people contacted her and wanted to travel to Calcutta to serve alongside her and the sisters of Missionaries of Charity. She was known to say “Calcuttas area everywhere if only we have eyes to see.” I read that, and paused for a moment. I said out loud, “God give us eyes to see.” An hour or so later, the phone on my desk rang and it was Diane. As she was speaking I heard, “Do you see?”
Diane’s response floored me. Just saying, “Yeah, let me see what I can do to help,” induced tears from this woman who had a need. When I called her to tell her that a group was coming to help her move she cried again, and said, “I love whoever created you all.” Fast forward to “Moving Day 2007.” When I met Diane, she gave me a huge hug, and with tears in her eyes said to all of us, “Thank you, thank you all so much … you have no idea.” Her words trailed off as tears fell from her eyes. She made my week.
It was so great. There were no committees that met to decide if this was something we could do. No money was raised for a missions project. There was not a church-moving program created to handle this. There was just a group of willing men and women who had eyes to see the need, and without any fanfare did what needed to be done.
As we moved the last box into Diane’s beautiful new apartment, and helped get the day-bed into the right spot she gave more hugs to everyone. Then she said, “Now you make sure you come back around Thanksgiving for some sweet-potato pie! Then she asked me for our church’s address. As I wrote it down for her, she said, “I want to send you my tithe so you can keep on helping people.” I smiled and in that moment knew that Diane also had eyes to see.
Today I received a phone call at our building from a woman named Diane. She is trying to move out of her apartment and into a new one. The place she is living in now is run over with mildew, and mold. Bottom line, she needs to get out. Here is the problem she is having. She does not have a driver's license. Therefore, she cannot rent a truck, so she cannot move. So she called me today to ask if there was any way someone with a license could help her out. I took down her information and said, "Yeah, let me see what I can do to help." I heard nothing on the other end, and it became very quiet. I waited, and then said, "Hello?"
Diane was choked up and said, "No one has ever told me they would help me before."
I was stoked. So here is my thought ... rather than drive her around a little, what would it look like if a faith community helped her move?!? I spoke with her tonight, and she would love to be able to move by Sunday. I know this is last minute, but I thought we could gather together and then head off to "Moving Day 2007." If you are willing to come and move some furniture, drive a truck, and have a back slappin' good time serving someone, please reply as soon as you are able if you are interested.
A few days later a large group from our faith community showed up at Diane’s apartment to load up her belongings in our cars, SUV’s, and pickup trucks and move them to her beautiful new apartment.
The morning before I sent that email I came across a quote from Mother Theresa. Throughout her life many people contacted her and wanted to travel to Calcutta to serve alongside her and the sisters of Missionaries of Charity. She was known to say “Calcuttas area everywhere if only we have eyes to see.” I read that, and paused for a moment. I said out loud, “God give us eyes to see.” An hour or so later, the phone on my desk rang and it was Diane. As she was speaking I heard, “Do you see?”
Diane’s response floored me. Just saying, “Yeah, let me see what I can do to help,” induced tears from this woman who had a need. When I called her to tell her that a group was coming to help her move she cried again, and said, “I love whoever created you all.” Fast forward to “Moving Day 2007.” When I met Diane, she gave me a huge hug, and with tears in her eyes said to all of us, “Thank you, thank you all so much … you have no idea.” Her words trailed off as tears fell from her eyes. She made my week.
It was so great. There were no committees that met to decide if this was something we could do. No money was raised for a missions project. There was not a church-moving program created to handle this. There was just a group of willing men and women who had eyes to see the need, and without any fanfare did what needed to be done.
As we moved the last box into Diane’s beautiful new apartment, and helped get the day-bed into the right spot she gave more hugs to everyone. Then she said, “Now you make sure you come back around Thanksgiving for some sweet-potato pie! Then she asked me for our church’s address. As I wrote it down for her, she said, “I want to send you my tithe so you can keep on helping people.” I smiled and in that moment knew that Diane also had eyes to see.
fight for whose right?
Over the last few years occasionally a story will appear on the news wire related to the Ten Commandments being removed from a public building. Maybe the story is about prayer being disallowed in schools, or the really inflammatory story about removing “under God” from the pledge of allegiance that is recited in schools all across the country.
The amazing thing about all of these stories, is not the stories themselves. Rather it is the reaction of the Christian community to these actions taken by our government. To say that some Christians are outraged may not be going far enough. There are legal strategists who argue against the rulings of courts in our country proving them wrong. They demand that we put back the Ten Commandments in the courthouses and schools. They spend money on campaigns, commercials, and even form protests. All of these things are geared toward demanding our rights. And come hell or high water we will see to it that we get what we deserve.
Does this rub anyone else the wrong way?
It is not so much that some are protesting and demanding rights, but the fact that so many are silent about other “more important matters of the law” (See Matthew 23:23). So often those who are angry about not being able to pray in school, or have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse which they rarely go to are strangely silent about issues that affect others. Those who want to defend the “Christian nation” seem very interested in themselves, which is a thoroughly non-Christian attitude. They want what is coming to them. I cannot figure out where this attitude comes from.
Jesus was killed not for demanding his rights. He was killed because he told the greedy, the religious, the oppressors, the wealthy, and the powerful that the way they treated the poor, the widow, and the orphan was despicable. Jesus called out the false front of Rome and proclaimed a new way. He did not protest and say, “Why can’t Rome recognize my Father!” He never made signs that said, “Caesar is a Sinner!” He never chanted outside the pagan temples, wore religious t-shirts that decried the sins of people, or promoted a particular nation, assembled people to march on Rome in protest of his rights, or demanded that Rome be Christian.
Jesus simply pointed to a third way. He said, it is not the way of Rome or the way of the hyper-religious. It is about proclaiming the good news of a Kingdom that is available to all people. He also included, in no uncertain terms, that when one joins with him they will more than likely be persecuted for how they live. Jesus said, in the words of Paul Simon, “Blessed are the sat upon, spat upon, ratted on.” Jesus not only pointed to the fact that persecution would come, but he said that we would be blessed when it did come.
He expected persecution because that is what happens to people who are in the gutter. And it was precisely the people in the gutter that Jesus hung out with - and those in the gutter are also the ones that many of those who today demand rights for themselves, flatly ignore. Moreover, when someone stands up and demands rights for the poor, the single moms, the underpaid, the homeless, the sick, the imprisoned, the immigrants, the hungry and those in need, the eyes of those who demand their own rights roll upward, and the eye roll is often accompanied by a long sigh. This is to be expected, because if we demand equality for all men and women, if we demand that all people be treated equally and fairly, if we demand that all people have the same opportunities then those in power may actually have to give some of their power away. So it is easier to focus on what is good for us and our rights, because then we may actually gain power.
If the Church continues to head in this direction then we are definitely headed for destruction. One does not have to travel too far back to remember another nation that called itself Christian, but in no way was. It was a nation that was wealthy, powerful, and influential. Yet the more they called themselves Christian, the less Christian they became. The trappings of wealth, power, and their self-interested rights caused the Roman Empire to implode. I am afraid we are not far behind. The way of Jesus was never one that demanded rights for oneself.
Jesus came to “to proclaim good news to the poor … to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.” Jesus came because the “sick needed a doctor.” Jesus never came demanding his own rights, but he recognized that while he was entitled to all the rights of God he did “not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature [b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!”
If this is the Jesus we follow how have we gotten so off course? We must remember that the Church is the only organization that exists for the benefit of its non-members. As such can we just stop spending our time and money on demanding our rights? The person of Jesus will not be heard on t-shirts, or protest signs. Jesus will be heard loudly when his people are in the gutters, loving those in the cardboard boxes that house the homeless, sitting on the bed of the dying, visiting men and women in prison cells, and in the laughter of the hungry who have been fed. This may not be our idea of a kingdom … but then again it wasn’t the popular idea in Jesus’ day either. If you are going to fight for your rights, check yourself, and ask, is there something that may be more worth my fighting for? You just may find yourself (or a still small voice within you) saying “Yes.”
The amazing thing about all of these stories, is not the stories themselves. Rather it is the reaction of the Christian community to these actions taken by our government. To say that some Christians are outraged may not be going far enough. There are legal strategists who argue against the rulings of courts in our country proving them wrong. They demand that we put back the Ten Commandments in the courthouses and schools. They spend money on campaigns, commercials, and even form protests. All of these things are geared toward demanding our rights. And come hell or high water we will see to it that we get what we deserve.
Does this rub anyone else the wrong way?
It is not so much that some are protesting and demanding rights, but the fact that so many are silent about other “more important matters of the law” (See Matthew 23:23). So often those who are angry about not being able to pray in school, or have the Ten Commandments posted in a courthouse which they rarely go to are strangely silent about issues that affect others. Those who want to defend the “Christian nation” seem very interested in themselves, which is a thoroughly non-Christian attitude. They want what is coming to them. I cannot figure out where this attitude comes from.
Jesus was killed not for demanding his rights. He was killed because he told the greedy, the religious, the oppressors, the wealthy, and the powerful that the way they treated the poor, the widow, and the orphan was despicable. Jesus called out the false front of Rome and proclaimed a new way. He did not protest and say, “Why can’t Rome recognize my Father!” He never made signs that said, “Caesar is a Sinner!” He never chanted outside the pagan temples, wore religious t-shirts that decried the sins of people, or promoted a particular nation, assembled people to march on Rome in protest of his rights, or demanded that Rome be Christian.
Jesus simply pointed to a third way. He said, it is not the way of Rome or the way of the hyper-religious. It is about proclaiming the good news of a Kingdom that is available to all people. He also included, in no uncertain terms, that when one joins with him they will more than likely be persecuted for how they live. Jesus said, in the words of Paul Simon, “Blessed are the sat upon, spat upon, ratted on.” Jesus not only pointed to the fact that persecution would come, but he said that we would be blessed when it did come.
He expected persecution because that is what happens to people who are in the gutter. And it was precisely the people in the gutter that Jesus hung out with - and those in the gutter are also the ones that many of those who today demand rights for themselves, flatly ignore. Moreover, when someone stands up and demands rights for the poor, the single moms, the underpaid, the homeless, the sick, the imprisoned, the immigrants, the hungry and those in need, the eyes of those who demand their own rights roll upward, and the eye roll is often accompanied by a long sigh. This is to be expected, because if we demand equality for all men and women, if we demand that all people be treated equally and fairly, if we demand that all people have the same opportunities then those in power may actually have to give some of their power away. So it is easier to focus on what is good for us and our rights, because then we may actually gain power.
If the Church continues to head in this direction then we are definitely headed for destruction. One does not have to travel too far back to remember another nation that called itself Christian, but in no way was. It was a nation that was wealthy, powerful, and influential. Yet the more they called themselves Christian, the less Christian they became. The trappings of wealth, power, and their self-interested rights caused the Roman Empire to implode. I am afraid we are not far behind. The way of Jesus was never one that demanded rights for oneself.
Jesus came to “to proclaim good news to the poor … to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives, and release from darkness for the prisoners, to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn.” Jesus came because the “sick needed a doctor.” Jesus never came demanding his own rights, but he recognized that while he was entitled to all the rights of God he did “not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature [b] of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a human being, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death - even death on a cross!”
If this is the Jesus we follow how have we gotten so off course? We must remember that the Church is the only organization that exists for the benefit of its non-members. As such can we just stop spending our time and money on demanding our rights? The person of Jesus will not be heard on t-shirts, or protest signs. Jesus will be heard loudly when his people are in the gutters, loving those in the cardboard boxes that house the homeless, sitting on the bed of the dying, visiting men and women in prison cells, and in the laughter of the hungry who have been fed. This may not be our idea of a kingdom … but then again it wasn’t the popular idea in Jesus’ day either. If you are going to fight for your rights, check yourself, and ask, is there something that may be more worth my fighting for? You just may find yourself (or a still small voice within you) saying “Yes.”
mike vick part 2: is that a plank?
This morning Mike Vick pled guilty to the charges for which he was indicted. All of the charges were heinous, and definitely worthy of punishment. Shortly after his court appearance he spoke to the world with a few brief statements in the form of an apology (If you would like to watch it click here). So of course ESPN among other news outlets aired the apology. Waiting in the wings were all the media personnel who were there to help people like you and me better understand what happened.
The first person I heard this morning was an “Apology Expert” (incidentally wouldn’t you think that someone who is an expert in apologies has had a lot to apologize for? I mean how else would one become an expert?). The question was asked in reference to his apology, “What grade would you give to Mike Vick?” The same question was asked to another expert, this one was a “Reputation Expert” (no official word yet on what people think of him). Both of these men spouted the most arrogant rhetoric of what Vick was really thinking.
I was sitting there thinking, “How do they even know?” Both of them admitted to not ever meeting Vick. Yet they were experts about how he delivered the apology and the authenticity that went with it. The best part was how both of them spoke toward how Vick could have been better coached before delivering his apology (now I am no expert but doesn’t coaching in an apology make it a tad less authentic?).
This was the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back for me. Throughout the last few weeks I have received emails about Vick that make jokes to his detriment, mock his having to be incarcerated, point the finger at him in a patronizing way, and rip on his friends. Through all of this I have become more angry, and my question has become, “Who do we think we are?”
We sit on the seat of judgment regarding this guy’s heart, intentions, authenticity, motives, and everything else. Yet as we turn to speak to one another in jest we smack each other with the large plank sticking out of our own eyes. The reality is that none of us are fit to speak down to Mike Vick - rather we can only speak to him on the same level recognizing that we have all, in our own way, killed a few dogs along the way.
I look at my own life and see times that I laugh at others, because they are easy to ridicule. I want to critique someone’s sincerity to cover up my own inauthenticity. I want to discuss the matters of someone’s heart only to cover over my own deficits. Yet the reality is, that in all of that I am no expert. I cannot stand and speak authoritatively about anything this guy has done. All I know is that he killed dogs, and helped other people do awful things. The other thing I know is that for whatever reason he apologized.
Our only job, is to forgive him. Think this sounds crazy? Well, in 1983, just over two years after Pope John Paul II recovered from gunshot wounds in an assassination attempt, the Pope visited the man who tried to kill him. The Pope spoke privately to the gunman and forgave him for his actions. The gunman was clearly moved and humbled. The Pope had extended forgiveness to his enemy.
Arthur Blank, the owner of the Atlanta Falcons was asked how he felt about the situation. Understanding that Blank has been more hurt by this than most anyone who will read this blog. In a forgiving spirit reminiscent of the late Pope he said, “I do believe in redemption … How I feel is less important, this is not about me.” So who do we think we are to hold this against Mike Vick? Who do we think we are to stand as judge? Who are we to throw the first stone?
I realize there are consequences to our actions, but should those who represent Jesus (and his forgiveness) be the purveyors of arrogance as we stand and mock this guy? My vote, for what it is worth, is no. So the next time someone mocks Mike Vick, talks about the ugliness of his actions, sends an email that mocks him … simply ask, “Do you really think this is how we should respond?” But before any of us ask that question, let us all ask it of ourselves.
The first person I heard this morning was an “Apology Expert” (incidentally wouldn’t you think that someone who is an expert in apologies has had a lot to apologize for? I mean how else would one become an expert?). The question was asked in reference to his apology, “What grade would you give to Mike Vick?” The same question was asked to another expert, this one was a “Reputation Expert” (no official word yet on what people think of him). Both of these men spouted the most arrogant rhetoric of what Vick was really thinking.
I was sitting there thinking, “How do they even know?” Both of them admitted to not ever meeting Vick. Yet they were experts about how he delivered the apology and the authenticity that went with it. The best part was how both of them spoke toward how Vick could have been better coached before delivering his apology (now I am no expert but doesn’t coaching in an apology make it a tad less authentic?).
This was the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back for me. Throughout the last few weeks I have received emails about Vick that make jokes to his detriment, mock his having to be incarcerated, point the finger at him in a patronizing way, and rip on his friends. Through all of this I have become more angry, and my question has become, “Who do we think we are?”
We sit on the seat of judgment regarding this guy’s heart, intentions, authenticity, motives, and everything else. Yet as we turn to speak to one another in jest we smack each other with the large plank sticking out of our own eyes. The reality is that none of us are fit to speak down to Mike Vick - rather we can only speak to him on the same level recognizing that we have all, in our own way, killed a few dogs along the way.
I look at my own life and see times that I laugh at others, because they are easy to ridicule. I want to critique someone’s sincerity to cover up my own inauthenticity. I want to discuss the matters of someone’s heart only to cover over my own deficits. Yet the reality is, that in all of that I am no expert. I cannot stand and speak authoritatively about anything this guy has done. All I know is that he killed dogs, and helped other people do awful things. The other thing I know is that for whatever reason he apologized.
Our only job, is to forgive him. Think this sounds crazy? Well, in 1983, just over two years after Pope John Paul II recovered from gunshot wounds in an assassination attempt, the Pope visited the man who tried to kill him. The Pope spoke privately to the gunman and forgave him for his actions. The gunman was clearly moved and humbled. The Pope had extended forgiveness to his enemy.
Arthur Blank, the owner of the Atlanta Falcons was asked how he felt about the situation. Understanding that Blank has been more hurt by this than most anyone who will read this blog. In a forgiving spirit reminiscent of the late Pope he said, “I do believe in redemption … How I feel is less important, this is not about me.” So who do we think we are to hold this against Mike Vick? Who do we think we are to stand as judge? Who are we to throw the first stone?
I realize there are consequences to our actions, but should those who represent Jesus (and his forgiveness) be the purveyors of arrogance as we stand and mock this guy? My vote, for what it is worth, is no. So the next time someone mocks Mike Vick, talks about the ugliness of his actions, sends an email that mocks him … simply ask, “Do you really think this is how we should respond?” But before any of us ask that question, let us all ask it of ourselves.
mike vick part 1: is that a sweater?
If you have been alive over the last few months you have been made aware, thanks to constant media attention, of the mistakes that Mike Vick has made. What has really begun to bother me as of late is the way our culture has addressed the issues. So please allow me to rant for a time and suggest possible other ways of dealing with said crisis. In a two-part blog, I want to ask questions about two (of many more) things that have surrounded this case, which to millions of Americans has seemed normal.
First off (and perhaps the more insensitive part of the two), let’s remember that Mike Vick killed dogs. Now I am not an inhumane person, and I do love dogs. I think that what Vick and his friends did was disgusting and makes my stomach turn. But dogs do not, as the saying goes, all go to heaven. Not that they go to the other place, the fact is they do not go anywhere. However, the hype around this has been amazing. Thousands of people across the country have sat on their leather couches with their little furry friends next to them. They watch and listen in horror of the news of what Vick did. I am sure there are even some who cover their dogs ears so as not to expose them to the news. They probably whisper things like, “Don’t worry baby girl daddy (or mommy) won’t let that mean man get to you.” They then call friends and doglovers together and say things like, “Dog lovers unite!” Then they go and protest the teammates of Mike Vick who knew nothing of what was happening in the first place.
Meanwhile the dog sits their seeing our HD in black and white and hears, “Blah blah blah blah blahhy blah blah blah blah.” The dog then gets up, stops by its $69 doggie dish and laps up a few drops of purified water, on its way to its personalized bed that has its name embroidered on it. Meanwhile its owner calls the vet to get some pills because clearly his or her dog is depressed. Does this sound ridiculous to anyone else? Let me make a casual observation - dogs are not people, they are animals. Yet for some reason we care for them more than we do people.
Think this isn’t true? Well according to APPMA the spending on pets in 2006 in America was $38,400,000,000. In case you are not good at counting zeros that was billions, not millions. This spending includes things like the Louis Vuitton purses that the Paris Hiltons of this world buy for their little dogs, doggie DVD’s that are sure to stimulate your dog, food, water filters (or you could just buy bottles of Evian), bones, and all kinds of clothing. This comes to an average of roughly $556 per year spent on each pet. On medication and veterinarians alone we spend over $100 per year per pet.
While this sounds like a negligible amount, consider that the average person in Africa receives a meager $14 per year toward healthcare according to the Institute for Health and Social Justice at the Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School. According to United Nations Millennium Project Taskforce on Water and Sanitation, the cost to provide clean drinking water to half of the 1.1 billion who need it by the year 2015 is between $10 and $30 billion a year. Our disposable income is going to animal sweaters while men, women, and children die. Our extra cash goes toward a water purifier for our dogs while one person every 18 seconds dies because of unclean water. So we are forced to ask the difficult question, more doggie sweaters or more lives saved?
Do we still say that we don’t value dogs over people? Consider something less damning of Americans who spend more than five times as much on dogs as they do on people. Pet owners across the States call their doggies “their little girls” and refer to themselves as “Mommy” and “Daddy.” We dress them in shirts that say “Big Brother” and even send them to daycare. So elevating their status to that of a person is fine, and some may even argue of their innate worth as beings. Yet, try calling a guy a “horn-dog” and see how that pans out for you. Or call a random woman a b-tch and see how she responds. I can guarantee that in either situation we should probably not expect them to run toward us panting and wanting to be scratched behind their ears, or have them roll over to scratch their little tummies. To spend an insane amount of money on dogs while people die does not make sense, and beyond that it is murder.
Doesn’t the root of this incredible outrage over the criminal activity of Mike Vick point to some sort of illness in our society? Can we just let dogs be dogs, let cats be cats, and give men and women our place as beings made in the image of God? One ESPN reporter remarked, “If Mike Vick had shot and killed someone, there would be less public outrage, compared with what he did.” Indeed we are sick. In fact, in a completely different way, our pursuit of animal equality is as sick as what Mike Vick did.
So let’s take off our dog’s sweaters, stop carrying them around in Italian leather bags, stop calling them sons and daughters (no doubt the chagrin of our biological children), stop comparing them to beings made in the Image of God, and value and appreciate animals for what they are. They are a part of the wonderful creation that God has given to us to care for. Dogs are wonderful animals and truly can bring a smile to us when we are down, keep us company when we are lonely, and remind us of the Creator that chose to create something so wonderful. Oh - and if you are reading this with your dog, there is no need to read it aloud, because they cannot understand one word you are saying.
For the purposes of maintaining some credibility I have listed the sources from which I took the information in this blog:
Institute for Health and Social Justice at the Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School - Reported in the Boston Globe on July 11
American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, http://www.appma.org/default.asp
Pet Smart Stores, http://www.petsmart.com
First off (and perhaps the more insensitive part of the two), let’s remember that Mike Vick killed dogs. Now I am not an inhumane person, and I do love dogs. I think that what Vick and his friends did was disgusting and makes my stomach turn. But dogs do not, as the saying goes, all go to heaven. Not that they go to the other place, the fact is they do not go anywhere. However, the hype around this has been amazing. Thousands of people across the country have sat on their leather couches with their little furry friends next to them. They watch and listen in horror of the news of what Vick did. I am sure there are even some who cover their dogs ears so as not to expose them to the news. They probably whisper things like, “Don’t worry baby girl daddy (or mommy) won’t let that mean man get to you.” They then call friends and doglovers together and say things like, “Dog lovers unite!” Then they go and protest the teammates of Mike Vick who knew nothing of what was happening in the first place.
Meanwhile the dog sits their seeing our HD in black and white and hears, “Blah blah blah blah blahhy blah blah blah blah.” The dog then gets up, stops by its $69 doggie dish and laps up a few drops of purified water, on its way to its personalized bed that has its name embroidered on it. Meanwhile its owner calls the vet to get some pills because clearly his or her dog is depressed. Does this sound ridiculous to anyone else? Let me make a casual observation - dogs are not people, they are animals. Yet for some reason we care for them more than we do people.
Think this isn’t true? Well according to APPMA the spending on pets in 2006 in America was $38,400,000,000. In case you are not good at counting zeros that was billions, not millions. This spending includes things like the Louis Vuitton purses that the Paris Hiltons of this world buy for their little dogs, doggie DVD’s that are sure to stimulate your dog, food, water filters (or you could just buy bottles of Evian), bones, and all kinds of clothing. This comes to an average of roughly $556 per year spent on each pet. On medication and veterinarians alone we spend over $100 per year per pet.
While this sounds like a negligible amount, consider that the average person in Africa receives a meager $14 per year toward healthcare according to the Institute for Health and Social Justice at the Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School. According to United Nations Millennium Project Taskforce on Water and Sanitation, the cost to provide clean drinking water to half of the 1.1 billion who need it by the year 2015 is between $10 and $30 billion a year. Our disposable income is going to animal sweaters while men, women, and children die. Our extra cash goes toward a water purifier for our dogs while one person every 18 seconds dies because of unclean water. So we are forced to ask the difficult question, more doggie sweaters or more lives saved?
Do we still say that we don’t value dogs over people? Consider something less damning of Americans who spend more than five times as much on dogs as they do on people. Pet owners across the States call their doggies “their little girls” and refer to themselves as “Mommy” and “Daddy.” We dress them in shirts that say “Big Brother” and even send them to daycare. So elevating their status to that of a person is fine, and some may even argue of their innate worth as beings. Yet, try calling a guy a “horn-dog” and see how that pans out for you. Or call a random woman a b-tch and see how she responds. I can guarantee that in either situation we should probably not expect them to run toward us panting and wanting to be scratched behind their ears, or have them roll over to scratch their little tummies. To spend an insane amount of money on dogs while people die does not make sense, and beyond that it is murder.
Doesn’t the root of this incredible outrage over the criminal activity of Mike Vick point to some sort of illness in our society? Can we just let dogs be dogs, let cats be cats, and give men and women our place as beings made in the image of God? One ESPN reporter remarked, “If Mike Vick had shot and killed someone, there would be less public outrage, compared with what he did.” Indeed we are sick. In fact, in a completely different way, our pursuit of animal equality is as sick as what Mike Vick did.
So let’s take off our dog’s sweaters, stop carrying them around in Italian leather bags, stop calling them sons and daughters (no doubt the chagrin of our biological children), stop comparing them to beings made in the Image of God, and value and appreciate animals for what they are. They are a part of the wonderful creation that God has given to us to care for. Dogs are wonderful animals and truly can bring a smile to us when we are down, keep us company when we are lonely, and remind us of the Creator that chose to create something so wonderful. Oh - and if you are reading this with your dog, there is no need to read it aloud, because they cannot understand one word you are saying.
For the purposes of maintaining some credibility I have listed the sources from which I took the information in this blog:
Institute for Health and Social Justice at the Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School - Reported in the Boston Globe on July 11
American Pet Products Manufacturers Association, http://www.appma.org/default.asp
Pet Smart Stores, http://www.petsmart.com
the 50 books of the bible
For many years I read the Bible. But I never read all of it. Perhaps I should take more responsibility for this, however, I never heard all of the Bible spoken about. There was a group of books that the world in which I lived flatly ignored. Perhaps it was because these ignored books talked about cooking food in your own dung, marrying prostitutes, and the death of many people, including women and children.
The prophets are really hard to deal with. Occasionally one might quote Isaiah or Micah around Christmas or Easter. Those quotes were only a couple of chapters about Jesus. Other than that the prophets were silent. As such I knew very little about anything they said regarding life and living it. Over the last several years I have begun to study the prophets and it has profoundly changed my life.
As I read the prophets the words of Jesus speak in a new way. As I read the prophets, the rest of the Bible becomes much clearer. Yet, as I read the prophets the way I had been living, and the way the Church in America has been living made much less sense.
If you are like me, you have always heard about the people of Israel being unfaithful. This unfaithfulness is often expressed by Israel worshipping other gods. Often the church speaks of being unfaithful, and asks, “What are your gods?” Then we walk through the list … money, cars, houses, sports, etc. We also talk about being more faithful and not being bad people. By that we encourage people not to drink, smoke, swear, maybe even dance … we focus on what not to do. This makes sense especially if we believe that the prophets told Israel “not” to worship other gods.
While the prophets did speak about not worshipping other gods, they spoke more about justice. Their message that demanded justice focused on what we should do regarding the poor, the widow, the orphan and the foreigner in their midst. God’s anger against Israel of which the prophets spoke had everything to do with their lack of justice.
Yet today, justice seems to be a much smaller part of what the Church is about. So many churches pour their time, energy and money into their buildings, weekends, youth programs, activities, or retreats so that people can gather together and hear about how everything will be okay in their life if they just don’t do things like drink, smoke, swear, or __________ (you fill in the blank).
The scary thing is that this sounds exactly like what Israel was being accused of by the very books that we neglected. Listen to the prophetic message regarding God’s attitude toward those who worship without justice:
"I hate, I despise your religious festivals; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! Amos 5:21-24
"The multitude of your sacrifices - what are they to me?" says the LORD. "I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations - I cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1.11-17
God tells Israel through the prophets, “I reject your worship because of a lack of justice.” But he never says, "I reject your justice because of your lack of worship."1
I wonder what the prophets would say to the Church in America today? Maybe something like this:
The size of your buildings … do you really think they I am impressed? Consider the universe I have created. Your Sunday services have all the accoutrements for entertainment one could ask for. Yet your laughter and singing sound like nails on a chalkboard. Your Christmas concerts are worse than eating two week old ham, and your money that you proudly give for more staff so that you do not have to serve others is sickening. I hate your sermons, your worship choruses are an insult to me, and your hymns are like vomit in my mouth. You argue and divide over worship style yet ignore those who are starving in your midst. It is not about your style it smells like a carcass, I care about your justice. I care about your concern for the poor, your defense of the defenseless, and the message of redemption you proclaim to the hopeless. Stop doing all of this crap on weekends, and humble yourselves and serve the poor, the hopeless, and the needy. Proclaim to them the love I have for them. Live in such a way that they understand my justice, my provision, and my hope. Then your songs will be a sweet, sweet sound in my ear.
Sounds harsh doesn’t it? Yet this is what the prophets were saying to the wealthy, religious, elite in their day. It is this message that I heard God speak to me that has profoundly changed my life. It is this message that led me to recognize that though I may preach and worship with passion, if it is without justice, and belief in equality, it is as poison.
It is time for the Church to start reading and teaching all 66 books again. If you are wondering where to start, why not the prophets?
1 This is a quote that I borrowed from a book titled The Last Week by Borg and Crossan
The prophets are really hard to deal with. Occasionally one might quote Isaiah or Micah around Christmas or Easter. Those quotes were only a couple of chapters about Jesus. Other than that the prophets were silent. As such I knew very little about anything they said regarding life and living it. Over the last several years I have begun to study the prophets and it has profoundly changed my life.
As I read the prophets the words of Jesus speak in a new way. As I read the prophets, the rest of the Bible becomes much clearer. Yet, as I read the prophets the way I had been living, and the way the Church in America has been living made much less sense.
If you are like me, you have always heard about the people of Israel being unfaithful. This unfaithfulness is often expressed by Israel worshipping other gods. Often the church speaks of being unfaithful, and asks, “What are your gods?” Then we walk through the list … money, cars, houses, sports, etc. We also talk about being more faithful and not being bad people. By that we encourage people not to drink, smoke, swear, maybe even dance … we focus on what not to do. This makes sense especially if we believe that the prophets told Israel “not” to worship other gods.
While the prophets did speak about not worshipping other gods, they spoke more about justice. Their message that demanded justice focused on what we should do regarding the poor, the widow, the orphan and the foreigner in their midst. God’s anger against Israel of which the prophets spoke had everything to do with their lack of justice.
Yet today, justice seems to be a much smaller part of what the Church is about. So many churches pour their time, energy and money into their buildings, weekends, youth programs, activities, or retreats so that people can gather together and hear about how everything will be okay in their life if they just don’t do things like drink, smoke, swear, or __________ (you fill in the blank).
The scary thing is that this sounds exactly like what Israel was being accused of by the very books that we neglected. Listen to the prophetic message regarding God’s attitude toward those who worship without justice:
"I hate, I despise your religious festivals; I cannot stand your assemblies. Even though you bring me burnt offerings and grain offerings, I will not accept them. Though you bring choice fellowship offerings, I will have no regard for them. Away with the noise of your songs! I will not listen to the music of your harps. But let justice roll on like a river, righteousness like a never-failing stream! Amos 5:21-24
"The multitude of your sacrifices - what are they to me?" says the LORD. "I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? Stop bringing meaningless offerings! Your incense is detestable to me. New Moons, Sabbaths and convocations - I cannot bear your evil assemblies. Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide my eyes from you; even if you offer many prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are full of blood; wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight! Stop doing wrong, learn to do right! Seek justice, encourage the oppressed. Defend the cause of the fatherless, plead the case of the widow. Isaiah 1.11-17
God tells Israel through the prophets, “I reject your worship because of a lack of justice.” But he never says, "I reject your justice because of your lack of worship."1
I wonder what the prophets would say to the Church in America today? Maybe something like this:
The size of your buildings … do you really think they I am impressed? Consider the universe I have created. Your Sunday services have all the accoutrements for entertainment one could ask for. Yet your laughter and singing sound like nails on a chalkboard. Your Christmas concerts are worse than eating two week old ham, and your money that you proudly give for more staff so that you do not have to serve others is sickening. I hate your sermons, your worship choruses are an insult to me, and your hymns are like vomit in my mouth. You argue and divide over worship style yet ignore those who are starving in your midst. It is not about your style it smells like a carcass, I care about your justice. I care about your concern for the poor, your defense of the defenseless, and the message of redemption you proclaim to the hopeless. Stop doing all of this crap on weekends, and humble yourselves and serve the poor, the hopeless, and the needy. Proclaim to them the love I have for them. Live in such a way that they understand my justice, my provision, and my hope. Then your songs will be a sweet, sweet sound in my ear.
Sounds harsh doesn’t it? Yet this is what the prophets were saying to the wealthy, religious, elite in their day. It is this message that I heard God speak to me that has profoundly changed my life. It is this message that led me to recognize that though I may preach and worship with passion, if it is without justice, and belief in equality, it is as poison.
It is time for the Church to start reading and teaching all 66 books again. If you are wondering where to start, why not the prophets?
1 This is a quote that I borrowed from a book titled The Last Week by Borg and Crossan
heroes of the faith, part 3
I apologize for taking so long to complete installment number three (See: Heroes of the Faith, Introduction). I have been chided by many for taking so long. I am sure that many of you expected this blog to be about Sir Paul Hewson, known better by the name, Bono. However, this is not true. One can assume that he is the “unspoken hero of the faith” in my life. I want to write now about another rock star.
His name was Polycarp. I know it may not set well with some to speak about an early church father as a rock star, however when one hears of his life few labels speak as well about him. Polycarp lived in the first century, and many believe, as I do, that he was a disciple of the St. John the disciple of Jesus. Polycarp would never have described himself as an Early Church Father, even though he possessed the formal title “Bishop of Smyrna.” More than likely he would have simply said that he was a pastor. Several ancient records show that he wrote letters to the fledgling churches throughout the Roman Empire, including the church at Philippi.
My favorite thing about Polycarp however, was his understanding of the Empire. Those who lived under the rule of the Caesars in the first century were bombarded with messages, advertisements, and symbols that were proclaiming the Kingdom of Rome and the deity of Caesar. On the money used in the marketplace there were coins with an image of Caesar. The inscription around his head said, “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” Throughout the Empire there were temples for the Imperial Cult (dedicated to the worship of Caesar). There you would hear loyal subjects proclaim their allegiance to Caesar as they proclaimed, “Caesar is Lord.”
The empire controlled everything, everywhere and fed the citizens of Rome a lie called Pax Romana. This lie told people that under Rome there would be peace forever and ever. Peace, that is for those who fell in line and worshipped Caesar. Peace for those who believed in the Empire of Rome and all the lies it fed its people.
Most in the first century went along with this lie. They believed in riches that were made through the oppression of the poor and the slaves. They believed in the pursuit of perfection that led to them abandoning children with deformities or handicaps on the trash heap. They ate and drank in excess while others in their city starved. The Empire that these people lived within, bought into, and championed was oppressive and evil. It was under this Empire that Polycarp lived … lived a different way.
Polycarp, as a follower of Jesus, proclaimed another King. Polycarp lived simply with a community with whom he shared everything in common. This community did not oppress but lifted up the weak and the poor. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. This community of people went to the trash heaps early in the morning and listened quietly for the cries of babies. These children became the adopted sons and daughters of families who were a part of the community. The Empire that Polycarp lived for was the Kingdom of Heaven that told Caesar and Rome that they were not the way or the truth.
Living for the Kingdom of Heaven as Polycarp did was a threat to the Empire of Rome. It threatened the very foundations of “civilization” (if one could call the Empire of Rome civilized). Eventually Polycarp was called to testify by the Empire for his being a part of a dangerous, heretical, politically subversive group called Christians. The Christians were considered Atheists for they did not believe Caesar was divine. Polycarp was questioned by the Proconsul of Smyrna. The ancient record, The Martyrdom of Polycarp, tells us what happened:
"The Proconsul sought to persuade him to deny Christ, saying, 'Swear by the fortune of Caesar; repent, and say, Away with the Atheists.' But Polycarp, gazing with a stern countenance on all the multitude … declared, 'Eighty and six years have I served my Him [Jesus], and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior? … I am a Christian. And if you wish to learn what the doctrines of Christianity are, appoint me a day, and you shall hear them.'"
Polycarp was then sentenced to death by burning. The amazing thing is that history says that the flames had no effect on him. It was if his denial of the Empire was so sincere that even the fire of the Empire could not touch him. The executioner then stabbed him with a dagger killing him in front of the people who were there.
So here I am 1,900 years later, and I wonder whose Kingdom have I bought into? We live in a time in which we see people pursue the American Dream, we immerse ourselves in materialism, wealth, appearance and sex, we hear the promise of men to bring “peace” and security through governments and militaries, and we gorge ourselves without shame as children throughout the world die of starvation.
I ask myself, “Am I buying into this?”
It is people like Polycarp that force me to stop and consider in whom I place my allegiance. He lived proclaiming in the face of Caesar, “You are no King, but if you’d like I will tell you who is.” It can be no flippant thing to ask ourselves these questions. For if we trivialize these questions today we shrug off the life of a man like Polycarp, a man who served Jesus for eighty-six years and was killed because of it.
His name was Polycarp. I know it may not set well with some to speak about an early church father as a rock star, however when one hears of his life few labels speak as well about him. Polycarp lived in the first century, and many believe, as I do, that he was a disciple of the St. John the disciple of Jesus. Polycarp would never have described himself as an Early Church Father, even though he possessed the formal title “Bishop of Smyrna.” More than likely he would have simply said that he was a pastor. Several ancient records show that he wrote letters to the fledgling churches throughout the Roman Empire, including the church at Philippi.
My favorite thing about Polycarp however, was his understanding of the Empire. Those who lived under the rule of the Caesars in the first century were bombarded with messages, advertisements, and symbols that were proclaiming the Kingdom of Rome and the deity of Caesar. On the money used in the marketplace there were coins with an image of Caesar. The inscription around his head said, “King of Kings and Lord of Lords.” Throughout the Empire there were temples for the Imperial Cult (dedicated to the worship of Caesar). There you would hear loyal subjects proclaim their allegiance to Caesar as they proclaimed, “Caesar is Lord.”
The empire controlled everything, everywhere and fed the citizens of Rome a lie called Pax Romana. This lie told people that under Rome there would be peace forever and ever. Peace, that is for those who fell in line and worshipped Caesar. Peace for those who believed in the Empire of Rome and all the lies it fed its people.
Most in the first century went along with this lie. They believed in riches that were made through the oppression of the poor and the slaves. They believed in the pursuit of perfection that led to them abandoning children with deformities or handicaps on the trash heap. They ate and drank in excess while others in their city starved. The Empire that these people lived within, bought into, and championed was oppressive and evil. It was under this Empire that Polycarp lived … lived a different way.
Polycarp, as a follower of Jesus, proclaimed another King. Polycarp lived simply with a community with whom he shared everything in common. This community did not oppress but lifted up the weak and the poor. They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. This community of people went to the trash heaps early in the morning and listened quietly for the cries of babies. These children became the adopted sons and daughters of families who were a part of the community. The Empire that Polycarp lived for was the Kingdom of Heaven that told Caesar and Rome that they were not the way or the truth.
Living for the Kingdom of Heaven as Polycarp did was a threat to the Empire of Rome. It threatened the very foundations of “civilization” (if one could call the Empire of Rome civilized). Eventually Polycarp was called to testify by the Empire for his being a part of a dangerous, heretical, politically subversive group called Christians. The Christians were considered Atheists for they did not believe Caesar was divine. Polycarp was questioned by the Proconsul of Smyrna. The ancient record, The Martyrdom of Polycarp, tells us what happened:
"The Proconsul sought to persuade him to deny Christ, saying, 'Swear by the fortune of Caesar; repent, and say, Away with the Atheists.' But Polycarp, gazing with a stern countenance on all the multitude … declared, 'Eighty and six years have I served my Him [Jesus], and He never did me any injury: how then can I blaspheme my King and my Savior? … I am a Christian. And if you wish to learn what the doctrines of Christianity are, appoint me a day, and you shall hear them.'"
Polycarp was then sentenced to death by burning. The amazing thing is that history says that the flames had no effect on him. It was if his denial of the Empire was so sincere that even the fire of the Empire could not touch him. The executioner then stabbed him with a dagger killing him in front of the people who were there.
So here I am 1,900 years later, and I wonder whose Kingdom have I bought into? We live in a time in which we see people pursue the American Dream, we immerse ourselves in materialism, wealth, appearance and sex, we hear the promise of men to bring “peace” and security through governments and militaries, and we gorge ourselves without shame as children throughout the world die of starvation.
I ask myself, “Am I buying into this?”
It is people like Polycarp that force me to stop and consider in whom I place my allegiance. He lived proclaiming in the face of Caesar, “You are no King, but if you’d like I will tell you who is.” It can be no flippant thing to ask ourselves these questions. For if we trivialize these questions today we shrug off the life of a man like Polycarp, a man who served Jesus for eighty-six years and was killed because of it.
what if?
Last night at Denver Community Church I was a part of our first gathering with our members. Beth and I were excited to meet the group. I stood and spoke for about ten minutes, and we spent some time in prayer. Below is what I shared with the group who was assembled.
I want to take some time and just imagine together … remember what it was like to imagine? You all have been through a difficult transition - which any transition from one pastor to the next is indeed difficult - for a time you were in survival mode. My wife and I have been through the valleys together, and in those times you do not dream, you do not plan, you simply survive.
Tonight I want to call all if you out of those shadows into the light of day, and invite you to dream with me … to imagine what could be. To be like children who can imagine what is there before it ever is.
We are poised to begin a study of the Sermon on the Mount. We need to understand that this teaching of Jesus was a lightning rod in His day. It was groundbreaking, threatening to the powers that be, would have been considered treasonous by the Roman Government, and was an invitation to a new world, a new way of living … Jesus was launching a revolution.
I recall that a friend of mine was speaking with someone and made a comment about the revolution of Jesus. The person replied, “Be careful using that word. It started riots in the 60’s.” He was right. That word not only started riots in the sixties, but revolutions topple governments and lead to bloodshed … and this is exactly what the life, sacrifice and teachings of Jesus lead to. Mary, the mother of Jesus, prophesies about this in the Magnificat when she says, "He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty." ( Luke 1.51-53).
Jesus started a revolution. Tonight I want us to dream together about what it might be like to be a part of that revolution. I want to raise some questions about what it might be like to be a faith community of whom it is said, “They are a part of the revolution that Jesus started 2,000 years ago.”
What would it be like if we were a faith community who said that we were about the Kingdom of Heaven? What if people knew that we did not care about possessions, buying, selling, making tons of money, fame and fortune. What if we did not by into the lie that Empire has fed to us called the "American Dream" of health, wealth and happiness? What if we lived as people who shared everything, and gave to those who had need? What if we were people who chose to be among the poor, the outcasts and the least of these? What if we proclaimed the words of Jesus, "The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these?"
What would it be like if we were a faith community who lived within the darkest places in our city? The whorehouses, the porn shops, the crack neighborhoods, and were seen as a city that was shining on a hill that cannot be hidden? What if we engrossed ourselves in the lives of the unlovely. What if we believed that the hungry, the homeless, the imprisoned, the sick, the thirsty, and the outcasts were Jesus in disguise? What if we were known as a place who loved these people and pointed them toward Jesus?
What would it be like if we were a faith community who were concerned about life? Not just life before birth but after. What if we were known as people who cared for the widow, the orphan, and the stranger within our gates? What if we were people who were known to be proactive about all issues concerning the health of all people and the quality of life for all people in this world? What would that mean for the elderly, those with special needs, those with disease? What would people say if they knew we cared about all men and women who were living in our world and took action to assure that as men and women in the image of God they were treated with dignity?
What would it be like if we were a faith community who were known to promote peace and wholeness in the lives of people across our world. What if instead of retaliating when we were done wrong we became a creative group of peacemakers who said, “I will not fire back, but I will lay down my gun, risk my life and respond to you in peace and love so that you might know about this God who is in heaven?” What if we were people who loved those who are considered to be our enemies … what if we prayed for them and cared for them? What if people said, "Those people love and pray for the terrorists?"
What would it be like if we were a faith community who was spoken of a place of prayer and worship? What if people said, “Those people … when you are with them it is like you are in this boundless conversation with God?" "When you are with them there is this good vibe like someone else is present with them … there is love, peace, grace and compassion that exists among them." What if people found something beyond us when they were in our presence?
What would it be like if we were a faith community who was known to be generous? What would it be like if we gave out of our poverty? What would it be like to known as a place that has much because we give much? What would it be like to not only give away food, but teach others how to make it so they can teach others, who teach others? What would it be like if we gave freely to those who had need with no expectation of return?
What would it be like if we were a faith community who was known as safe? What if we were a place where those with addictions, prostitutes, criminals, gang members could come and receive a warm hug and be welcomed? What would it be like if we were a place where the a person with no home sat next to a wealthy person with five homes? What would it be like if no matter what you had done in the past we were known as people who accepted all who came to our door?
What would it be like to be this kind of faith community?
What would happen to this city if we were this kind of faith community?
What would people say about us?
As we become this kind of community who take seriously the call to live out the teachings of Jesus - as we become this kind of community who embodies the truth of the Gospel - the reality is that people will not see us, they will see Jesus. Paul tells us that we are the Body of Jesus. Instead of him having two eyes, two, ears, two hands, two feet, and one mouth .., he now has millions of eyes, millions of ears, millions of hands, millions of feet, and millions of mouths. As we become this kind of faith community people will say, “They seem to be a part of the revolution that Jesus started 2,000 years ago.”
I want to take some time and just imagine together … remember what it was like to imagine? You all have been through a difficult transition - which any transition from one pastor to the next is indeed difficult - for a time you were in survival mode. My wife and I have been through the valleys together, and in those times you do not dream, you do not plan, you simply survive.
Tonight I want to call all if you out of those shadows into the light of day, and invite you to dream with me … to imagine what could be. To be like children who can imagine what is there before it ever is.
We are poised to begin a study of the Sermon on the Mount. We need to understand that this teaching of Jesus was a lightning rod in His day. It was groundbreaking, threatening to the powers that be, would have been considered treasonous by the Roman Government, and was an invitation to a new world, a new way of living … Jesus was launching a revolution.
I recall that a friend of mine was speaking with someone and made a comment about the revolution of Jesus. The person replied, “Be careful using that word. It started riots in the 60’s.” He was right. That word not only started riots in the sixties, but revolutions topple governments and lead to bloodshed … and this is exactly what the life, sacrifice and teachings of Jesus lead to. Mary, the mother of Jesus, prophesies about this in the Magnificat when she says, "He has performed mighty deeds with his arm; he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts. He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble. He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty." ( Luke 1.51-53).
Jesus started a revolution. Tonight I want us to dream together about what it might be like to be a part of that revolution. I want to raise some questions about what it might be like to be a faith community of whom it is said, “They are a part of the revolution that Jesus started 2,000 years ago.”
What would it be like if we were a faith community who said that we were about the Kingdom of Heaven? What if people knew that we did not care about possessions, buying, selling, making tons of money, fame and fortune. What if we did not by into the lie that Empire has fed to us called the "American Dream" of health, wealth and happiness? What if we lived as people who shared everything, and gave to those who had need? What if we were people who chose to be among the poor, the outcasts and the least of these? What if we proclaimed the words of Jesus, "The Kingdom of Heaven belongs to such as these?"
What would it be like if we were a faith community who lived within the darkest places in our city? The whorehouses, the porn shops, the crack neighborhoods, and were seen as a city that was shining on a hill that cannot be hidden? What if we engrossed ourselves in the lives of the unlovely. What if we believed that the hungry, the homeless, the imprisoned, the sick, the thirsty, and the outcasts were Jesus in disguise? What if we were known as a place who loved these people and pointed them toward Jesus?
What would it be like if we were a faith community who were concerned about life? Not just life before birth but after. What if we were known as people who cared for the widow, the orphan, and the stranger within our gates? What if we were people who were known to be proactive about all issues concerning the health of all people and the quality of life for all people in this world? What would that mean for the elderly, those with special needs, those with disease? What would people say if they knew we cared about all men and women who were living in our world and took action to assure that as men and women in the image of God they were treated with dignity?
What would it be like if we were a faith community who were known to promote peace and wholeness in the lives of people across our world. What if instead of retaliating when we were done wrong we became a creative group of peacemakers who said, “I will not fire back, but I will lay down my gun, risk my life and respond to you in peace and love so that you might know about this God who is in heaven?” What if we were people who loved those who are considered to be our enemies … what if we prayed for them and cared for them? What if people said, "Those people love and pray for the terrorists?"
What would it be like if we were a faith community who was spoken of a place of prayer and worship? What if people said, “Those people … when you are with them it is like you are in this boundless conversation with God?" "When you are with them there is this good vibe like someone else is present with them … there is love, peace, grace and compassion that exists among them." What if people found something beyond us when they were in our presence?
What would it be like if we were a faith community who was known to be generous? What would it be like if we gave out of our poverty? What would it be like to known as a place that has much because we give much? What would it be like to not only give away food, but teach others how to make it so they can teach others, who teach others? What would it be like if we gave freely to those who had need with no expectation of return?
What would it be like if we were a faith community who was known as safe? What if we were a place where those with addictions, prostitutes, criminals, gang members could come and receive a warm hug and be welcomed? What would it be like if we were a place where the a person with no home sat next to a wealthy person with five homes? What would it be like if no matter what you had done in the past we were known as people who accepted all who came to our door?
What would it be like to be this kind of faith community?
What would happen to this city if we were this kind of faith community?
What would people say about us?
As we become this kind of community who take seriously the call to live out the teachings of Jesus - as we become this kind of community who embodies the truth of the Gospel - the reality is that people will not see us, they will see Jesus. Paul tells us that we are the Body of Jesus. Instead of him having two eyes, two, ears, two hands, two feet, and one mouth .., he now has millions of eyes, millions of ears, millions of hands, millions of feet, and millions of mouths. As we become this kind of faith community people will say, “They seem to be a part of the revolution that Jesus started 2,000 years ago.”