When was the last time you shouted in public?
When I was a youth pastor in Denver Colorado I had this group of kids who were completely unashamed. I loved it. I remember one weekend retreat in the mountains. We were walking around the camp with guitars in our hands shouting a song at the top of our lungs and the whole gang was totally going for it. The amazing thing about this group was they would do this in public as well. Another time downtown Boulder we had the guitars out again and we were singing and shouting for the whole street to hear. One of the guys who had some low blood sugar issues went to get some pizza. He sat down next to a guy to eat and while they were sitting there the student asked this random stranger what he thought of those crazy Christians out there singing. These kids were just bold and it was awesome.
I sit here writing this trying to remember the last time I sang at the top of my lungs let alone outside on a public street. It has been a while I have to admit. I might sing at the top of my mind while driving or something, but it has been a while sense it has come out, and a really long time sense anyone else has heard it.
In Luke 18 there is a story of Jesus healing a blind man. When the man hears Jesus is coming by he starts to shout. The people around Jesus try to shut him up. He shouts all the louder. Jesus hears him and comes to him. Jesus heals him and now the man is following Jesus shouting praises to God and everyone else joins in as well. I wonder, do we shut down the praise of God sometimes because we shut down those who are seeking him?
The crowd was not praising God before the healing, they were just walking along following Jesus trying to be a part of what was happening. They even tried to stop the blind man from calling out. That's not proper it's not right do disturb the master. This happens earlier in the passage as well. People are bringing their children to Jesus and the disciples try to send them away. Don't disturb the master he has a lot to do he is too busy for you.
Its no wonder we don't come to God more often in our lives. We are always to busy for others so why wouldn't the God of the universe be to busy for us. He has a lot on his plate after all. But he's not to busy for his children. He wants them near, he wants to bless them, hear their cries, and heal them.
God isn't too busy for you.
I pray we would learn to follow Jesus in this as well. I pray we wouldn't be found too busy or too important to stop for the children and for those in need. I am often caught in this, running too and fro and not taking the time to stop, listen, care, and possibly help someone.
May we know God isn't to busy for us today, and may we also not be to busy for others. May we accept the care Jesus wants to give to us and in turn extend the same care to those around us. And when we meet with God and he with us, may our praise ring out for all to hear and know what he has done!
God isn't to busy, are you?
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Jesus Uncensored...ouch! (Luke 16)
Have you ever let the full impact of Jesus' words hit your life?
When I was in high school, my friend and I rented a movie called fearless with Jeff Bridges. It looked interesting enough, we weren't really all that picky. We were going over to his girlfriend's house. She had one of her friends over. I guess it was supposed to be a double date or something...maybe...I don't know. Anyway we put the movie in and began to watch the story unfold of a man in a plane crash, suffering from PTSD, who thought he was invincible, and saved many of those around him. Only to find out he needed saving himself. We got to the end of the movie and the girls were ready to talk. My friend and I couldn't say a word. He walked up to the VCR, got the movie out, and we walked out the door. The impact of the story was just too strong for words.
I was at a planning meeting the other day for camp meeting. The theme this year for the over all camp meeting is "Coming back home." Basically a call to meet Jesus again and reconnect with him on the foundational level. We talked about what this might mean for the youth tent this year and discovered meeting Jesus might mean something very different then some sort of nostalgic home coming. If we were to meet the real Jesus, to hear the uncut and uncensored message of Jesus, it might just make us a bit uncomfortable. The impact might be more than we are ready for.
I find this to be true in Luke 16. There are several difficult parables and teachings here for us to take in. Jesus starts with the story of the shrewd manager encouraging us to use worldly wealth to make relationships for eternity. That sounds OK, sure we are all for using money in any way we can. But he follows this us with you can't serve God and Money. The money theme is continued with the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. They die and the rich man goes to hell and Lazarus the beggar at his door goes to heaven. We don't have any reason for the disparity other than the rich man had luxury and ease in this life and Lazarus did not. Do we go to hell because we have experienced luxury and ease in this life? This parable suggests the answer might be yes, especially in you have a beggar suffering at your front door and do nothing about it. This is a hard teaching.
In the middle of the money talk Jesus reminds us of his stance on divorce. If you divorce and marry another you commit adultery, if a man marries the woman who has been divorced he commits adultery. When was the last time you hear a sermon on this one? The divorce rate in the church is the same outside the church, both running at about %50. These are hard teachings! Jesus uncensored? It makes us just a little uncomfortable.
The positive side of these teachings are really worth thinking about though. If there are poor on our door step caring for them is important. If the rest of the world is suffering for lack of food and water and we have plenty, then let us care for them. Marriage as well. Rather than having to worry about divorce and adultery let's be intentional in making our marriages even better.
I am glad we have a God who is forgiving and when we are less than loving to the poor or too our spouses he forgives us when we come running back to him. I also want to let the words of Jesus impact my life. It's uncomfortable sometimes to really engage with the down and out, with the poor, with the homeless and addicted. When we are running around in this world just trying to make ends meet, its hard not to get focused on money. With all we need to get done in life it can be difficult to step back, take some time, and focus on our marriages. When was the last time you had a really true heart to heart with your spouse? When things blow up at home the grass is greener on the other side of the desk.
When we let the words of Jesus, the uncensored Jesus, truly impact out lives it can be difficult. But it's worth it! My marriage is living proof!
May we open ourselves up to the words of Christ today and let them impact our lives. May we become followers of the uncensored Jesus.
When I was in high school, my friend and I rented a movie called fearless with Jeff Bridges. It looked interesting enough, we weren't really all that picky. We were going over to his girlfriend's house. She had one of her friends over. I guess it was supposed to be a double date or something...maybe...I don't know. Anyway we put the movie in and began to watch the story unfold of a man in a plane crash, suffering from PTSD, who thought he was invincible, and saved many of those around him. Only to find out he needed saving himself. We got to the end of the movie and the girls were ready to talk. My friend and I couldn't say a word. He walked up to the VCR, got the movie out, and we walked out the door. The impact of the story was just too strong for words.
I was at a planning meeting the other day for camp meeting. The theme this year for the over all camp meeting is "Coming back home." Basically a call to meet Jesus again and reconnect with him on the foundational level. We talked about what this might mean for the youth tent this year and discovered meeting Jesus might mean something very different then some sort of nostalgic home coming. If we were to meet the real Jesus, to hear the uncut and uncensored message of Jesus, it might just make us a bit uncomfortable. The impact might be more than we are ready for.
I find this to be true in Luke 16. There are several difficult parables and teachings here for us to take in. Jesus starts with the story of the shrewd manager encouraging us to use worldly wealth to make relationships for eternity. That sounds OK, sure we are all for using money in any way we can. But he follows this us with you can't serve God and Money. The money theme is continued with the parable of the rich man and Lazarus. They die and the rich man goes to hell and Lazarus the beggar at his door goes to heaven. We don't have any reason for the disparity other than the rich man had luxury and ease in this life and Lazarus did not. Do we go to hell because we have experienced luxury and ease in this life? This parable suggests the answer might be yes, especially in you have a beggar suffering at your front door and do nothing about it. This is a hard teaching.
In the middle of the money talk Jesus reminds us of his stance on divorce. If you divorce and marry another you commit adultery, if a man marries the woman who has been divorced he commits adultery. When was the last time you hear a sermon on this one? The divorce rate in the church is the same outside the church, both running at about %50. These are hard teachings! Jesus uncensored? It makes us just a little uncomfortable.
The positive side of these teachings are really worth thinking about though. If there are poor on our door step caring for them is important. If the rest of the world is suffering for lack of food and water and we have plenty, then let us care for them. Marriage as well. Rather than having to worry about divorce and adultery let's be intentional in making our marriages even better.
I am glad we have a God who is forgiving and when we are less than loving to the poor or too our spouses he forgives us when we come running back to him. I also want to let the words of Jesus impact my life. It's uncomfortable sometimes to really engage with the down and out, with the poor, with the homeless and addicted. When we are running around in this world just trying to make ends meet, its hard not to get focused on money. With all we need to get done in life it can be difficult to step back, take some time, and focus on our marriages. When was the last time you had a really true heart to heart with your spouse? When things blow up at home the grass is greener on the other side of the desk.
When we let the words of Jesus, the uncensored Jesus, truly impact out lives it can be difficult. But it's worth it! My marriage is living proof!
May we open ourselves up to the words of Christ today and let them impact our lives. May we become followers of the uncensored Jesus.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
What are you doing with those punk kids? (luke 15)
Have you ever been drawn to a group of people, just inexplicably drawn?
Sense I started youth ministry there is a group of students I am just drawn too. I think this is true for all of us. There are people who we are drawn too, people we identify with, maybe people who we are like. The whole "birds of a feather" thing. I took one of those silly little face book quizzes a couple of months ago to find out what kind of high school crowd I would be hanging with in today's groups. It turns out I'm an emo punker at heart who really wants pink hair.
I don't know about the pink hair, but I know these are the kids I am drawn to in ministry. The brooding artists, the fringe kids, the one who march to a different drummer who no one else seems to hear and who is playing with some serious ferocity. I remember going on an 8th grad trip a few years back now and meeting one of those kids. I knew the moment I met him, I wanted him for my student leadership team. He was just one of those kids I was inexplicably drawn too. I had to wait 3 years, but he finally came and engaged and led. He is leading still, just by who he is. I had the chance to tell him as well. "I wanted you man, from the first time we skated together, I knew God had something special for you."
These are not the stereotypical youth group kids. These aren't the jocks who are going to draw everyone else in. Not the popular crowd. Jesus didn't hang with the popular crowd either. In fact the pharisees in Luke chap 15 where pretty offended by the crowd Jesus ran with. Why do you spend time with these sinners and eat with them!!! Jesus tells the lost parables at this point. A lost sheep, the shepherd leaves the 99 in open country to find the one. A lost coin, the widow sweeps, cleans, and searches the house although she still has nine others. The lost son, after a life of rebellion returns to his father to be a servant, instead he finds his son-ship reinstated.
Each one of these stories has the "God" figure searching for and drawn to the one who is lost, the one who has wandered off, the one who is in strait up rebellion. I desire for my heart to beat with the heart of God don't you? So who is the one in the corner in your life? Who is the lost one? Who is the one in rebellion? Jesus is drawn to these and so if our hearts are to beat as his, then we must be too.
This is not to say the jocks, scholars, nerds, and pretty people don't need Jesus. Each of us has our affinity for a certain group of people. There are lost sheep, coins, and sons among them all. Search for them, look for them, find them and when you do celebrate them with all your heart. The angels are throwing a party, so let's join in!
May you find yourself drawn today to the lost ones, the rebellious ones, the ones Jesus is drawn too.
Sense I started youth ministry there is a group of students I am just drawn too. I think this is true for all of us. There are people who we are drawn too, people we identify with, maybe people who we are like. The whole "birds of a feather" thing. I took one of those silly little face book quizzes a couple of months ago to find out what kind of high school crowd I would be hanging with in today's groups. It turns out I'm an emo punker at heart who really wants pink hair.
I don't know about the pink hair, but I know these are the kids I am drawn to in ministry. The brooding artists, the fringe kids, the one who march to a different drummer who no one else seems to hear and who is playing with some serious ferocity. I remember going on an 8th grad trip a few years back now and meeting one of those kids. I knew the moment I met him, I wanted him for my student leadership team. He was just one of those kids I was inexplicably drawn too. I had to wait 3 years, but he finally came and engaged and led. He is leading still, just by who he is. I had the chance to tell him as well. "I wanted you man, from the first time we skated together, I knew God had something special for you."
These are not the stereotypical youth group kids. These aren't the jocks who are going to draw everyone else in. Not the popular crowd. Jesus didn't hang with the popular crowd either. In fact the pharisees in Luke chap 15 where pretty offended by the crowd Jesus ran with. Why do you spend time with these sinners and eat with them!!! Jesus tells the lost parables at this point. A lost sheep, the shepherd leaves the 99 in open country to find the one. A lost coin, the widow sweeps, cleans, and searches the house although she still has nine others. The lost son, after a life of rebellion returns to his father to be a servant, instead he finds his son-ship reinstated.
Each one of these stories has the "God" figure searching for and drawn to the one who is lost, the one who has wandered off, the one who is in strait up rebellion. I desire for my heart to beat with the heart of God don't you? So who is the one in the corner in your life? Who is the lost one? Who is the one in rebellion? Jesus is drawn to these and so if our hearts are to beat as his, then we must be too.
This is not to say the jocks, scholars, nerds, and pretty people don't need Jesus. Each of us has our affinity for a certain group of people. There are lost sheep, coins, and sons among them all. Search for them, look for them, find them and when you do celebrate them with all your heart. The angels are throwing a party, so let's join in!
May you find yourself drawn today to the lost ones, the rebellious ones, the ones Jesus is drawn too.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)