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.

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.

Fishtails and anger (Luke 14)

Are we really ready to give Christ everything? Our lives? Our friends? Our careers? Our country? Our social gatherings? Our anger?

I remember one evening with my friends when we decided to go into town. I was in high school and we lived in a little town of 2400 people. So to do anything really we had to drive at least and hour to get to the nearest bigger town. I was a little ticked that night. I was sure a friend of mine was giving up on our Christian morals and going to go to far with his girlfriend. For some reason unknown to me my other friend handed me the keys to their car.

We took off and I was driving fast. One of the things you need to know about our “road to town” is, we had to go around a lake. This meant lots of sharp corners. I was driving fast venting my frustration to my other friends and wishing I could control my friend back home. In my speed I whipped around a corner too fast and started fish tailing. I cranked the wheel of the suburban the other way and then the other and then the other. I think we went back and forth a good 4 or 5 times before we stopped. We sat there wide-eyed unbelieving of what had just happened. Needless to say my anger was gone and I was high just to be alive.

What do we do with our anger? In Luke 14 Jesus tells the story of a banquet. It is a wedding feast and he has prepared everything and invited his important guests to come. But they all start making their excuses, I bought new land, I just got married, I bought new oxen, sorry I just can’t come. Jesus tells us the master of the house gets angry. Now the master of the house is a representation of God. So what does God do when he gets angry? He invites the poor, blind, and lame into the banquet and when the house still isn’t full he invites anyone he can find to come and fill the table.

How does this compare with what we do with our anger? I hit the gas and just about killed a couple of my friends. Jesus tells us here when God gets mad he reaches out to the less fortunate. What a concept. Can we really give God our anger? I think the answer is yes. Anger is a lot of energy and that energy can be used for many, many things.

Jesus then goes further and lays out the cost of discipleship. The cost is everything. Jesus calls us to be willing to leave behind everything to follow him. Our family, our work, our possessions, our social status, and yes our anger.

Imagine the things God could do in our lives if we surrendered everything to God? I don’t think we should fool ourselves into thinking this kind of surrender will bring us prosperity. It will not be easy. This is a cost. We loose our lives so that we might find it. A greater life, a more fulfilled life, a more abundant life but in God’s will and God’s way.

Anger is not fulfilled through revenge or punishment it is transformed into a passionate seeking and serving on those who need it most.

May we give our everything to God today and find it transformed. May even our anger transform the world.

The church and the bar (luke 13)

Have you ever been two very different places and had them feel very much the same?

I had an interesting day. It began this morning with church. We wondered into a church I had never been to before. We looked up the times for services on the web site and showed up at the according time. When we arrived we went down stairs to find the class for my daughter as directed by the greeter at the door. After waiting for 15 minutes in an empty hallway for the teachers and the rest of the class to show up, we finally went back up stairs to find out from the same greeter, perhaps the children’s programs start half an hour later. I was ready to spend the rest of our worship time at the park when Lorelai got interested in some toys and remained until her class started and then went in cheerfully.

This evening I went to a local lounge. One of my favorite uncles was a contestant on a local version of the dating game. He was one of the bachelors to be interviewed and possibly picked by the eligible young lady on the other side of the screen. It was a fun little experience to watch and listen to my uncles responses. Unfortunately he was not picked, but he sure had fun. We sat and talked for a while with the rest of my family who was there. Sipping on my roy Rodgers (cherry coke) and watching the interactions of those around me.

As I look back on it now. It is strange to me the people at the bar seemed not a whole lot different to me than the ones at church. Sure the music, language, and comments were very much different. But I didn’t have more connection with anyone at either place. I was a rather passive observer at both. Recognizing the differences between my points of view and those around me at both places.

Tonight as I was taking some time for reflection I was reading in Luke chapter 13. Jesus is approached by a very strange subject of some of the Galileans who were slain by pilot. Jesus asks if the people around him think these individuals were any worse of than the rest of them. Jesus’ response is no. He gives another scenario and asks if those people were any more guilty than the others. Again the answer is no. Jesus goes on to say in both situations, there is an equal need for repentance for all those involved.

The people at church today, the people in the bar, and myself are all in the same boat. No sin is greater than another. We all need to come to a place of repentance We all need to come to Christ and open our hearts to him. He is the only one who makes any difference. It’s not us, it’s him.

I don’t know what sort of vibe I put off at the church tonight or at the bar. But I came to realize we are all in the same boat. All of us. We all need to come to a place in our lives where we repent, which means turn around and run after God. Those in church who have forsaken the world around them and just blame it on the world coming to the end of time and people not wanting church need to repent. And those in the bar just looking to get laid need to repent too. And I as the impassive observer of both need to repent as well.

It’s not about where we are from or whom we say we know. It is about what we do next and whom we are pursuing. If we are pursuing Christ, then I cannot remain dispassionate and disconnected in either place.

We are all in the same place my friends. May we come to that realization and turn around and run after God whether we spent the day in church, in the bar, or in both.

Waterfalls and Tempers - Fear and Value (Luke 12)

Can we fear God and believe we are valuable to him at the same time?

There are two different kinds of fear. The first I remember feeling after taking a nice long walk in the woods on the Columbia Gorge trails. I was on one of my retreat days with God and really having a fantastic time walking and listening to music and books along the way. I love the combination of physically pushing myself and wrapping my mind around spiritual concepts at the same time. It's just good stuff. When I got to the climax of the hike I found myself standing at the edge of a cliff in awe of the drop below and the water fall taking the leap. The foaming water spraying off in a mist as it hurled itself off the cliff. There was fear is peering over the precipice mixed with amazement and wonder.

The second kind of fear is the one I don't like. It's the look in the eyes of my daughter when I have lost my temper, given in, and yelled at her. I hate it when i do this. It breaks my heart as soon as the words come out of my mouth and I see the look in her eyes. Just writing about it makes me melt in my seat. I have felt this fear as well, not just caused it. It's crippling and paralyzing. You want to crumble or bolt.

In Luke 12 Jesus tells us not to fear the one who can destroy the body, but rather to fear the one who has the power to throw our souls into hell. This of course is God. He is the only one who has the authority to do this. Hell is not something the Devil is in charge of. If you don't believe me check out Revelation chapter 20. The lake of fire, hell fire, was made for the devil and his angels to be burned up in not to be put in charge of. It's not an eternal torture chamber,its the means of destroying sin once and for all.

So we are to fear God, but in what way? Jesus doesn't leave us hanging on this one. He immediately tells us God sees every sparrow and we are much more valuable than them. He knows ever hair on our heads. A little later in the chapter he pushes the point again. Don't worry about what you will eat, drink, or wear. God takes care of the birds of the air and we are much more valuable than them.

Are we to fear God with the eyes of the child whose parent has just lost his temper? I don't think so. He is awesome in power and he will do away with sin in the end, for which I am eternally grateful for and long for with everything that is in me. I am tired of the suffering in this world because of our choices to hurt one another and the decay of nature around us.

But we do not fear him as one who is to be punished. We fear him as a child who is valuable in the eyes of their father. A father who knows every hair on our heads and who seeks to care for us even better than the birds of the air and the lilies of the field. He deserves our awe and wonder because he is powerful and because he loves us and values us so completely.

While we were yet sinners Jesus came to die for us. The sin/hell problem is taken care of. As we choose to run into the arms of our Father we have no need to fear the fire only accept his love and the value he places on us.

May you know today, you matter to God. You are his prized possession and he has not forgotten you. Bask in the wonder and awe of the value he places on you today.

Jesus are you listening? (Luke 11)

Have you ever asked boldly for anything?

We have many conversations in our home with our daughter about how to ask for things. She is very good at demanding things. She is not so good at asking for things. Some days she uses please and thank you as a natural part of who she is and some times we seem to need to remind her at every turn along the way. One thing is sure however our little girl is not shy to tell us what she wants. She is not timid, she is very bold.

I think it is interesting the disciples of Jesus ask him to teach them how to pray after they have observed him praying. There must have been something inspiring about the way the son communicated with his Father. So they ask him to teach them how to pray and he does. He teaches them the famous Lords prayer. Many of us have memorized this set of several lines. Jesus, however, doesn’t stop teaching about prayer when he finishes the prayer.

He continues with a story in Luke chap 11. He tells the story of a man going to his neighbor in the middle of the night to ask for some bread to serve the guests he has arriving the next day. These guests are last minute surprises and he needs food for them. The man in the house says go away I am already in bed the door is locked I’m not coming out. Then Jesus says something interesting. It is not the friendship between the two that brings the man to the door with the food in the end, but the boldness of the request.

He goes on then to say the words many of us have memorized. Knock and is will be opened to you, seek and you will find, ask and it will be given to you. For those who seek find and those who ask receive and those who knock it will be opened unto you… If you who are evil know to give good gifts how much more so will your father and in heaven give you the holy spirit when you ask him.

This teaching is hard for me to swallow. How many things have I asked for and not received them? How many times have I asked for clarity and still feel like I am in the dark? Jesus how can you make these promises? Then I step back for a moment, take a deep breath, and refocus.

Jesus has answered many of my prayers and he has provided for my family and I. We have been lead into the decisions of our lives each time by his leading. What we are taught to ask boldly for here is the Holy Spirit.

So today I do. Father give me your Holy Spirit to guide me in today, the decisions I make, the conversations I have, how I care for my family, those around me, and even myself. Wash away my worry and fear, come oh comforter come.

Thank you Father, Amen.

Weiner Dogs and Good Samaritans (Luke 10)

Do we see with our hearts or just our eyes?

So yesterday was a sad day in the Wetterlin household. Our little wiener dog of 10 years with us, and who knows how many before, went to sleep for the long nap. I had mixed reactions to this passing. The poor old guy was very old and getting sicker by the day. His care was getting more and more involved. It was time for him to go. When Laura called me and told me he was actually at the point of painful suffering yesterday I took it rather matter of factly it was time to put him down. Taking him to the vet and putting him to sleep was something that needed to be done and I was ready to do so. I saw our little dog with the eyes of logic and good care.

Laura on the other hand saw little wienie with the eyes of her heart. When she looked at him trembling and she was moved with pity deep in her soul. She knew it was time but she didn't want him to go. Her grief was tangible and came pouring out in sobs.

I had a decision to make. I could either continue to move through the process of burying him with the calculated "this needs to be done" mindset which saw my wife's grief as an obstacle of what needed to be done. Or I could choose to be moved with pity for my wife in her suffering and open up to see her with my heart. I choose to reach out to her and to share the memories of our little doggy having joyful little memories and holding her as she cried.

In Luke chap 10 we have the story of the good Samaritan. Jesus is asked how to gain eternal life. The answer give is to love God first and then love your neighbor as yourself. The teacher of the law who asked this question tries to justify himself by asking a follow up question, "Who is my neighbor." Jesus tells the story of a man traveling from Jericho to Jerusalem who is robbed and left for dead. A priest saw him and passed by on the other side continuing on his way. A Levite saw him and passed by on the other side continuing on his way. A Samaritan saw him and was moved with pity.

All three men saw this half dead beaten man on the side of the road. Their eyes worked fine. Only one of the men felt pity for the man and was willing to care for him because of it.

When we look at the people in our lives, family, friends, colleagues, or strangers beaten in the street are we moved with pity? When we see them half dead emotionally, spiritually, socially, or physically are we moved with compassion to act? We all have the choice to make.

I could have simply seen the grief of my wife and moved over to the other side of the road to simply carry out the deed of burying our dog who had lived a full and long life. But instead I choose to be moved by pity and compassion to care for her and comfort her.

May we all see with our hearts today and choose to be moved the way the Samaritan was moved, the way Jesus was moved time and time again by the desperate need of the people around him. I pray we would truly see today.