Your chase will birth only conflict. You will not be spared. This is how you will be made.
Talking to people is something that is difficult for me. You may think that is ridiculous(if you know me), but people have always sort of freaked me out. I never really know what to say to people, and jokes have always been an easy way out of a situation where I can't find the words. So I became known as funny. I got so good at being known as funny, I came in second place in a stand-up comedy contest. I lost by half a point, (some would say) because of my personality, but second place isn't so bad. Unless the competition only has two contestants. Not so impressive now, eh?
Let me take you back to my senior year, only for a moment I promise. In January of 2007 I began feeling God put the idea on my heart of looking into youth ministry. At that point, I was already accepted into Shippensburg University, all ready to start my computer science degree(which requires other stories). I thought to myself, "This is just a stupid thought; a random firing neurons that seeks to ruin my life. I will never be a youth pastor." I told myself that everyday for a while. I just didn't have what it takes, or that's what I thought.
I won't get crazy with the details, but beginning with those thoughts, God has brought me on an insane journey of difficulty. It has been a journey that brought me into the knowledge of who God really is. It has led me up mountains, into books, and close to people that really love Jesus. Now I call myself one of them. I associate myself with those who are trying to follow Jesus wherever He takes us. Before, I only looked at Jesus through a veil or a window. Now my feet long to fill the prints left by His sandals.
Those who follow Jesus do not and will never live an easy life. The teachings of Jesus stand in stark contrast to the ways of the world, and in our culture it is easier than ever to produce death with our lives. And that's just it. When we encounter conflict on earth, it can produce one of two things. Life or death.
The strange yet fitting metaphor I've found for conflict is pregnancy. Don't get me wrong, I am not, nor will I ever (for very good and obvious reasons), be an expert on pregnancy. But I have found that even in scripture, pregnancy and labor and labor pains are made reference to multiple times when there is great conflict. In Matthew chapter 24, Jesus talks of the end times when there will be earthquakes, false prophets, wars, famines, and wickedness - all of which, He says, should be taken as labor pains. A birth is coming. New life is coming.
When we experience conflict, God is giving us a chance to birth new life into our lives. But, like pregnancy, this will be difficult and will hurt. Sometimes it will hurt really badly. If we only press on; if we only continue through the pain can we receive the life.
But what happens when we abuse the potential for life? What happens when we deny and resist what God is doing in our lives? Death. We may not even realize it sometimes. Subtle things we do can impede the ability for that life to come forth, eventually turning it into sin. There are plenty of things one can do during a pregnancy to make the outcome grim. When someone is pregnant, they must be disciplined, so as not to take anything away from the life that is planned.
Our God is a God of life, not death. He is a God of the living. Be assured, God wants for you only to experience life, but He does not bring it to us on a silver platter. God's life must make it's way through a broken world into our broken lives; it's not an easy journey. Like the people of Nazareth, often we expect Jesus to step into our lives, work a few miracles, and make everything nice and peachy. No way. Following Jesus is about as difficult as having a child.
Jesus comes to give life, and not just any old life; life to the full. Don't expect life to the full to come easy. Don't expect life to the full to come strolling into town to fix your life. Expect a road of suffering. Expect a story worth reading. Expect a life without guesswork. Only the assured rock beneath our feet supporting our shaking legs.
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Monday, May 10, 2010
You Will Not be Spared
My hometown is a place called Chambersburg. Chambersburg is (unfortunately, in my opinion) a former small town. I've lived there all my life, aside from the time I've been a student at Shippensburg. But Ship is only twenty minutes outside of Chambersburg, making weekend visits quite prevalent. The city has grown as I have. As far back as I can remember, the place has been under constant construction. When you live in Chambersburg, it's hard to go anywhere without hitting some sort of road reconstruction, new building being established, or new development of some sort. The catch-22 with Chambersburg is that people flock to it because it is a conveniently located small town, but because the people flock to it, it is no longer a small town.
Jesus' hometown was a place called Nazareth. I don't know much about Nazareth other than it must have been a pretty crappy place to live. So crappy was this place, that we have scriptural accounts of folks asking if anything good could ever come from it. When Jesus started His public ministry, He came back to Nazareth and preached a message in the synagogue. The message was some Old Testament scripture from Isaiah and said something like this:
"The spirit of the Lord is on Me because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Isaiah 61: 1-2) Jesus then tells the people in the synagogue that today this scripture is fulfilled.
ALL RIGHT! The dude in the second pew back just had a revelation. "Jesus just said He is here for the poor, oppressed, blind, and the captive. Nazareth is full of sick and dying! Nazareth is full of the oppressed and addicted! Nazareth could use some of the Lord's favor! Nazareth isn't going to suck anymore!" The people of Nazareth were amazed that this was Joseph's kid, the carpenter who had left a couple months ago, but in their astonishment was belief in His words. "This guy could be the real deal. He can really help us!"
Jesus knew what the people wanted. He knew their hearts. I think that is exactly why He did the exact opposite of what they expected Him to do. Jesus tells them that no prophet is accepted in his hometown. He tells the people of Elijah and Elisha; Israelites who were sent not to Israel but to other people and places to do God's work. Elijah and Elisha weren't made to be Israel's "get out of jail free" card, but rather to advance God's story. Jesus was in the same boat. He was not back in Nazareth to save them from their mess. He was there to proclaim the good news. Jesus was saying inadvertently "The year of the Lord's favor has come, but it's not going to look how you think it is."
Needless to say, the people of Nazareth were a bit upset. Upset to the degree that they decided together, "we should throw this man off a cliff." They chased Jesus to the edge of the cliff, but in a perfect example of biblical awesomeness, Jesus somehow inexplicably slipped right through the crowd and was on His way.
Nazareth apparently had a bunch of problems. When the people who lived in Nazareth saw Jesus, they saw Him as nothing more than a way out of those problems. Here we begin to understand again that Jesus did not come to make our lives cake. Nope. We still have a lot of problems. What Jesus did come for though was to "proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Jubilee! Jesus has come to free you from what holds you back from God. Nothing "bad" here on earth can hold us back from God. It's only sin. But with Christ we are free from that. Christ gives us the happy ending we want so badly.
The people of Chambersburg are really no different from the people of Nazareth. Jesus is saying the same things to my people as He said to His people. Jesus is still here in this town, preaching the message "I've come to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor!" Can you hear it? It may be hard to hear in Chambersburg because of all the hustle and bustle of our small-town-no-more lives. We would do well to slow down and listen to Jesus.
Also like Nazareth, people in Chambersburg will hear the message proclaiming God's favor and think "Finally, it's my time! Finally, I don't have to be poor anymore! Finally, I won't be addicted or oppressed! Finally, my life won't suck anymore!" And, like the people of Nazareth, when Jesus tells us that's not the way it's going to be, we will reject Him. In our anger and confusion of this Jesus not being who we thought He was, He will slip right through us and be on His way, yet His message never changes.
Maybe Jesus has slipped through you in your own confusion or anger. Now is the time. Chase Him. Run after Him at full force and do not slow down. But with each step you take, know that your whole existence will be a perilous journey back into life. It will be a test that requires assurance of your answers. It will be a series of pen strokes that compose a reality of God's will.
Your chase will birth only conflict. You will not be spared. This is how you will be made.
Jesus' hometown was a place called Nazareth. I don't know much about Nazareth other than it must have been a pretty crappy place to live. So crappy was this place, that we have scriptural accounts of folks asking if anything good could ever come from it. When Jesus started His public ministry, He came back to Nazareth and preached a message in the synagogue. The message was some Old Testament scripture from Isaiah and said something like this:
"The spirit of the Lord is on Me because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent Me to proclaim freedom to the captives, recovery of sight to the blind, to set free the oppressed; to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." (Isaiah 61: 1-2) Jesus then tells the people in the synagogue that today this scripture is fulfilled.
ALL RIGHT! The dude in the second pew back just had a revelation. "Jesus just said He is here for the poor, oppressed, blind, and the captive. Nazareth is full of sick and dying! Nazareth is full of the oppressed and addicted! Nazareth could use some of the Lord's favor! Nazareth isn't going to suck anymore!" The people of Nazareth were amazed that this was Joseph's kid, the carpenter who had left a couple months ago, but in their astonishment was belief in His words. "This guy could be the real deal. He can really help us!"
Jesus knew what the people wanted. He knew their hearts. I think that is exactly why He did the exact opposite of what they expected Him to do. Jesus tells them that no prophet is accepted in his hometown. He tells the people of Elijah and Elisha; Israelites who were sent not to Israel but to other people and places to do God's work. Elijah and Elisha weren't made to be Israel's "get out of jail free" card, but rather to advance God's story. Jesus was in the same boat. He was not back in Nazareth to save them from their mess. He was there to proclaim the good news. Jesus was saying inadvertently "The year of the Lord's favor has come, but it's not going to look how you think it is."
Needless to say, the people of Nazareth were a bit upset. Upset to the degree that they decided together, "we should throw this man off a cliff." They chased Jesus to the edge of the cliff, but in a perfect example of biblical awesomeness, Jesus somehow inexplicably slipped right through the crowd and was on His way.
Nazareth apparently had a bunch of problems. When the people who lived in Nazareth saw Jesus, they saw Him as nothing more than a way out of those problems. Here we begin to understand again that Jesus did not come to make our lives cake. Nope. We still have a lot of problems. What Jesus did come for though was to "proclaim the year of the Lord's favor." Jubilee! Jesus has come to free you from what holds you back from God. Nothing "bad" here on earth can hold us back from God. It's only sin. But with Christ we are free from that. Christ gives us the happy ending we want so badly.
The people of Chambersburg are really no different from the people of Nazareth. Jesus is saying the same things to my people as He said to His people. Jesus is still here in this town, preaching the message "I've come to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor!" Can you hear it? It may be hard to hear in Chambersburg because of all the hustle and bustle of our small-town-no-more lives. We would do well to slow down and listen to Jesus.
Also like Nazareth, people in Chambersburg will hear the message proclaiming God's favor and think "Finally, it's my time! Finally, I don't have to be poor anymore! Finally, I won't be addicted or oppressed! Finally, my life won't suck anymore!" And, like the people of Nazareth, when Jesus tells us that's not the way it's going to be, we will reject Him. In our anger and confusion of this Jesus not being who we thought He was, He will slip right through us and be on His way, yet His message never changes.
Maybe Jesus has slipped through you in your own confusion or anger. Now is the time. Chase Him. Run after Him at full force and do not slow down. But with each step you take, know that your whole existence will be a perilous journey back into life. It will be a test that requires assurance of your answers. It will be a series of pen strokes that compose a reality of God's will.
Your chase will birth only conflict. You will not be spared. This is how you will be made.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Marching Band
I love marching bands. I love the way they look when they move together, the hypnosis of their ambiance flowing along; the sound is addicting to me. Add a marching band to anything and you have me. Sold.
OK Go - This Too Shall Pass from OK Go on Vimeo.
A while ago Ok Go released this video for their song "This Too Shall Pass." If you watch the video and read the previous paragraph you will understand why I (and now you too probably) was totally obsessed with the video. I think I watched it everyday for nearly 3 weeks. It demonstrates so well why I love marching bands so much. It starts out small, with only one instrument playing, and by the end, a huge beautiful collaboration of musical expertise!
It's poetry really. Think about the marching band for a moment. It speaks a lot about life. Not just one person playing, but a whole group of people playing together to create beauty. That's life right there. What if in that Ok Go song, the guy with the drum had just walked around the whole time singing and beating on his drum by himself? It might still sound good, but there would be so much missing. We need the rest. We need the whole band.
Often times when a person is just playing the clarinet or the trumpet or any instrument for that matter rehearses the piece by themselves, the music doesn't even make sense! A novice musician might think, "this is just random noise!" But the skilled musician knows that when all of the noise comes together, it makes goodness.
In the book of Romans, in chapter 14, Paul tells us to pursue what promotes peace and to do what builds each other up. Everywhere in the Bible there are messages that point to us working together to further God's kingdom. You weren't meant to go it alone. You were meant to be part of the marching band of humanity. There is nothing wrong or sinful about striving for God by yourself, but it certainly isn't meant to be that way forever. When we come together, it makes goodness.
Maybe what you're doing now doesn't even make sense. Maybe it just sounds like random notes on a page. Just wait. Just wait until it all comes together. I promise; when it does, it'll make more than sense, it'll make poetry. It'll make for some great stories.
The band marches onward. The story continues to be written. It is a continuous motion that blurs the lines of beginning and end. You are playing an instrument. How does it fit in with the rest of the band? Life sounds better together. We fit together like poetry. Beautiful.
OK Go - This Too Shall Pass from OK Go on Vimeo.
A while ago Ok Go released this video for their song "This Too Shall Pass." If you watch the video and read the previous paragraph you will understand why I (and now you too probably) was totally obsessed with the video. I think I watched it everyday for nearly 3 weeks. It demonstrates so well why I love marching bands so much. It starts out small, with only one instrument playing, and by the end, a huge beautiful collaboration of musical expertise!
It's poetry really. Think about the marching band for a moment. It speaks a lot about life. Not just one person playing, but a whole group of people playing together to create beauty. That's life right there. What if in that Ok Go song, the guy with the drum had just walked around the whole time singing and beating on his drum by himself? It might still sound good, but there would be so much missing. We need the rest. We need the whole band.
Often times when a person is just playing the clarinet or the trumpet or any instrument for that matter rehearses the piece by themselves, the music doesn't even make sense! A novice musician might think, "this is just random noise!" But the skilled musician knows that when all of the noise comes together, it makes goodness.
In the book of Romans, in chapter 14, Paul tells us to pursue what promotes peace and to do what builds each other up. Everywhere in the Bible there are messages that point to us working together to further God's kingdom. You weren't meant to go it alone. You were meant to be part of the marching band of humanity. There is nothing wrong or sinful about striving for God by yourself, but it certainly isn't meant to be that way forever. When we come together, it makes goodness.
Maybe what you're doing now doesn't even make sense. Maybe it just sounds like random notes on a page. Just wait. Just wait until it all comes together. I promise; when it does, it'll make more than sense, it'll make poetry. It'll make for some great stories.
The band marches onward. The story continues to be written. It is a continuous motion that blurs the lines of beginning and end. You are playing an instrument. How does it fit in with the rest of the band? Life sounds better together. We fit together like poetry. Beautiful.
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