Jesus is coming into Jerusalem surrounded by other pilgrims. He
rides on a donkey which would have raised eyebrows. The prophet Zechariah
in 9:9 had predicted that a victorious king would come riding on such an
animal.
The crowd spreads their garments on the ground before him which the people had
done for king Jehu much earlier. The crowd is looking to Jesus to be a
powerful king who will fix everything that is wrong with the world.
When they shout “Hosanna!” it isn’t necessarily a song of praise to Jesus, but
a cry for God to act. The word means “Save now!”
The people are tired of waiting for God to put things right. I get
that. You understand it too, don’t you? We can’t log onto the
internet, or open a newspaper, or turn on a news broadcast without seeing one
more reminder of how violent and unjust the world too often is.
What we want from God is a Savior who will step in and fix the things around us
that are broken and wrong. What Jesus does, though, is go to work on a
deeper level. Jesus doesn’t want to simply address the broken things in
the world around us, but Jesus addresses the brokenness in us.
Usually when a parade goes by we can stand safely on the sidewalk. Watch
the floats. Grade the bands. Laugh at the clowns. Jesus
brings a different kind of parade to town: he calls us to step off the sidewalk
and become a part of the thing God is doing. Will you watch from a safe
place, or will you step out and follow the Shepherd King?
To step off the curb is to get mixed up in Jesus’ work to fix a broken
world. To step off the sidewalk and join the parade is to let him go to
work on you. What will you do?
In Christ and for Christ,
Mark
Friday, March 30, 2012
Friday, March 23, 2012
IT’S MORE THAN X’s and O’s: IT’S THE JOY
There is no way Indiana’s mens basketball team can be on its way to a
Sweet Sixteen matchup with the Kentucky Wildcats this weekend without me saying
something about this season. What strikes me about Coach Tom Crean’s
squad isn’t just the number of times they have won, but the joy we see in the
way these athletes play the game.
I was in a corner of Assembly Hall the night Christian Watford launched the 3-point shot that beat Kentucky earlier this season. It was a great moment in IU athletic history, but what I remember about the night is the energy and joy I saw in the players. I was close enough to watch the expressions on their faces. They encouraged one another, they cheered one another, and they laughed with delight at a steal or a breakaway dunk. What stands out about this team is the joy.
Each seems to have a clear sense of their role. If sitting on the bench will help, that is what they’ll do. If handling the ball while giving up scoring opportunities will help the team, that is what they’ll do.
Maybe there is a lesson in there for us…how we do life together in the name of Christ.
Jesus says (John 13) that it is in serving one another and God that we find joy. Whatever happens Friday night, I am thankful for this season of joy on the hardwood.
(Hard to believe: last Saturday I was pulling past the drive thru window of a local fast food restaurant, and the very pleasant manager said, “Root for Kentucky this weekend.” I stopped the car and said, “I’ll not be rooting for the boys in blue.” Can you believe what he asked me to do -in Bloomington the weekend of the VCU game?! I was, however, rooting for Purdue against Kansas. Congratulations to the Boilermakers on a magnificent effort and good season.)
In Christ and for Christ,
Mark
I was in a corner of Assembly Hall the night Christian Watford launched the 3-point shot that beat Kentucky earlier this season. It was a great moment in IU athletic history, but what I remember about the night is the energy and joy I saw in the players. I was close enough to watch the expressions on their faces. They encouraged one another, they cheered one another, and they laughed with delight at a steal or a breakaway dunk. What stands out about this team is the joy.
Each seems to have a clear sense of their role. If sitting on the bench will help, that is what they’ll do. If handling the ball while giving up scoring opportunities will help the team, that is what they’ll do.
Maybe there is a lesson in there for us…how we do life together in the name of Christ.
Jesus says (John 13) that it is in serving one another and God that we find joy. Whatever happens Friday night, I am thankful for this season of joy on the hardwood.
(Hard to believe: last Saturday I was pulling past the drive thru window of a local fast food restaurant, and the very pleasant manager said, “Root for Kentucky this weekend.” I stopped the car and said, “I’ll not be rooting for the boys in blue.” Can you believe what he asked me to do -in Bloomington the weekend of the VCU game?! I was, however, rooting for Purdue against Kansas. Congratulations to the Boilermakers on a magnificent effort and good season.)
In Christ and for Christ,
Mark
Friday, March 16, 2012
WHO’S ON FIRST?
Abbot and Costello, a
comedy team from an earlier era, had a routine they did about baseball titled
“Who’s on First?” The audio of that bit is frantic and funny.
Figuring out who or what comes first with us turns out to be a real challenge. It’s not a comedy bit!
Some of us went to camp or worshipped in churches where we sang the chorus Seek Ye First. The words rolled off our tongues easily enough. Looking at us standing there, singing the song, side-by-side you would think putting Christ first would be an easy thing -but it’s not easy. It turns out to be a challenging, hard, controversial thing.
I remember the first time I worked with a confirmation group, and we laid out the expectations of those who said they wanted to explore joining the church and following Jesus. We said confirmands needed to participate in worship, Sunday school, and youth fellowship. One parent was furious with me. “What does being in worship have to do with joining the church?” he asked. (I hunch the same parent would not have raised an objection if the basketball coach had laid out a practice schedule, or a drama coach had handed out rehearsal dates and times.)
Following Jesus, being a disciple, means we will be different from other people. Being a disciple will mean our relationship with him will shape how we spend our money instead of our money shaping how we live out our faith. Being a disciple will mean our love for him and his way will shape the way we fill in our calendar with commitments instead of having soccer/gymnastics/basketball/work determine how much room we will have left over for God.
Will Willimon was a pastor in South Carolina years ago, and he talked to a rabbi who said Jews in the Deep South told their children, “You are going to be different than the people around you.”
We have a class of confirmands meeting now. We are challenging them to take a radical step.
I wonder if we as adults still realize what a radical commitment it is to follow Jesus? A friend came back from Africa last week and tells the story of people saying, “I want to follow Jesus.” I wonder if they know how that decision will complicate their lives?
“Seek first the kingdom and God’s righteousness,” Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, “and all these things -your basic needs- will be given to you as well.”
Singing the song is easy. Living the life is tough! (But this tough decision sets us free in all sorts of ways…)
Figuring out who or what comes first with us turns out to be a real challenge. It’s not a comedy bit!
Some of us went to camp or worshipped in churches where we sang the chorus Seek Ye First. The words rolled off our tongues easily enough. Looking at us standing there, singing the song, side-by-side you would think putting Christ first would be an easy thing -but it’s not easy. It turns out to be a challenging, hard, controversial thing.
I remember the first time I worked with a confirmation group, and we laid out the expectations of those who said they wanted to explore joining the church and following Jesus. We said confirmands needed to participate in worship, Sunday school, and youth fellowship. One parent was furious with me. “What does being in worship have to do with joining the church?” he asked. (I hunch the same parent would not have raised an objection if the basketball coach had laid out a practice schedule, or a drama coach had handed out rehearsal dates and times.)
Following Jesus, being a disciple, means we will be different from other people. Being a disciple will mean our relationship with him will shape how we spend our money instead of our money shaping how we live out our faith. Being a disciple will mean our love for him and his way will shape the way we fill in our calendar with commitments instead of having soccer/gymnastics/basketball/work determine how much room we will have left over for God.
Will Willimon was a pastor in South Carolina years ago, and he talked to a rabbi who said Jews in the Deep South told their children, “You are going to be different than the people around you.”
We have a class of confirmands meeting now. We are challenging them to take a radical step.
I wonder if we as adults still realize what a radical commitment it is to follow Jesus? A friend came back from Africa last week and tells the story of people saying, “I want to follow Jesus.” I wonder if they know how that decision will complicate their lives?
“Seek first the kingdom and God’s righteousness,” Jesus says in Matthew 6:33, “and all these things -your basic needs- will be given to you as well.”
Singing the song is easy. Living the life is tough! (But this tough decision sets us free in all sorts of ways…)
In Christ and for Christ,
Mark
Friday, March 9, 2012
THE COMMUNITY OF THE APRON
A bib and an apron may
be made out of the same material, but there is a world of difference between
the two. As we finish this three week series of articles about the three
priorities identified by our leaders, I want to talk with you about putting on
an apron and finding your place to serve.
More than fifty leaders of First UMC gathered together for a recent Leadership & Vision Retreat. At that time they identified three priorities for this chapter in our life as a congregation.
The first is developing an extraordinary, gracious culture of welcome that connects people to the fellowship. (Think Velcro!)
The second is becoming a congregation that helps people grow through all sorts of life changing experiences with God. Spiritual formation & Christian education for all ages and stages will be a hallmark of our life together. (Think plant!)
The third priority is equipping people to serve. We are talking about being a congregation where everyone is helped to find a place to serve that meets human need, glorifies God, and maximizes their areas of strength.
Everyone who is a part of First/ The Open Door would be helped to:
+Identify their spiritual gifts, talents, and passions.
+Develop an understanding of the serving teams inside the church and out where they might serve in a way that would bring joy to them and glorify God.
+Step into a serving team or leadership role that is appropriate and has the potential to grow them as a person and disciple. Every committee and serving team would develop a culture of invitation where they are reaching out to invite new servants in.
One of the unique elements in John’s description (Jn 13) of the Last Supper is his telling of the washing of the disciples’ feet by Jesus. The other gospels omit this extraordinary moment. John tells us Jesus, after the meal, took off his outer clothing, put a servant’s towel around his waist and began to wash the feet of his friends.
In a community of the bib, people tend to sit around and wait for a core of dedicated laity and the paid staff to do the work. The general environment is one of selfishness. People go around saying “take care of me” or outlining what they think should be done. The tradition is that people think up ideas for a small core of volunteers and paid staff to do.
In a community of the apron people are engaged. The work of God in the world is everyone’s business. Almost everyone is engaged in a serving ministry. The focus isn’t on being taken care of, but looking for ways to bless and serve others.
You can see this sort of thing in our food ministry on Wednesdays, the sheltering ministry, youth volunteers, fantastic receptionists who show up every day to welcome visitors to our office, dedicated and passionate musicians who show up and sing week after week.
Building ministry teams involving as many people as we can in the work God is giving us in Bloomington and around the world will become essential work for us.
Think apron. Jesus says, in John 13, that if you know all about serving, then “you will be blessed if you do them.”
More than fifty leaders of First UMC gathered together for a recent Leadership & Vision Retreat. At that time they identified three priorities for this chapter in our life as a congregation.
The first is developing an extraordinary, gracious culture of welcome that connects people to the fellowship. (Think Velcro!)
The second is becoming a congregation that helps people grow through all sorts of life changing experiences with God. Spiritual formation & Christian education for all ages and stages will be a hallmark of our life together. (Think plant!)
The third priority is equipping people to serve. We are talking about being a congregation where everyone is helped to find a place to serve that meets human need, glorifies God, and maximizes their areas of strength.
Everyone who is a part of First/ The Open Door would be helped to:
+Identify their spiritual gifts, talents, and passions.
+Develop an understanding of the serving teams inside the church and out where they might serve in a way that would bring joy to them and glorify God.
+Step into a serving team or leadership role that is appropriate and has the potential to grow them as a person and disciple. Every committee and serving team would develop a culture of invitation where they are reaching out to invite new servants in.
One of the unique elements in John’s description (Jn 13) of the Last Supper is his telling of the washing of the disciples’ feet by Jesus. The other gospels omit this extraordinary moment. John tells us Jesus, after the meal, took off his outer clothing, put a servant’s towel around his waist and began to wash the feet of his friends.
In a community of the bib, people tend to sit around and wait for a core of dedicated laity and the paid staff to do the work. The general environment is one of selfishness. People go around saying “take care of me” or outlining what they think should be done. The tradition is that people think up ideas for a small core of volunteers and paid staff to do.
In a community of the apron people are engaged. The work of God in the world is everyone’s business. Almost everyone is engaged in a serving ministry. The focus isn’t on being taken care of, but looking for ways to bless and serve others.
You can see this sort of thing in our food ministry on Wednesdays, the sheltering ministry, youth volunteers, fantastic receptionists who show up every day to welcome visitors to our office, dedicated and passionate musicians who show up and sing week after week.
Building ministry teams involving as many people as we can in the work God is giving us in Bloomington and around the world will become essential work for us.
Think apron. Jesus says, in John 13, that if you know all about serving, then “you will be blessed if you do them.”
Welcome to the adventure!
In Christ and for Christ,
Saturday, March 3, 2012
ICHEPUCKSASSA
(Curious about the word? Worried you are going to be asked to
pronounce it, or that we are going to print it on banners and post the word all
over the church? Let me tell -later in this note- why that
particular word is at the top of this week’s article.)
Our neighbors, Kenny and Beverly, had a passion about the large vegetable garden behind their house.
In the Winter they would plan out the garden, and they would order seeds.
In the Spring they would be out there with a roto-tiller turning over that St. Joseph County clay, and then they would plant their seeds.
In the middle of the Summer you would find them in their garden (I think it was about an acre in size) weeding the garden, staking up the tomato plants, etc.
In the Fall, they would be taking things out of the garden and blessing the neighborhood.
They were into growing things. That was just who they were. (By the way, what they grew best were friendships…they loved God very much, and they were amazingly gracious to all who knew them!)
At our recent Leadership & Vision Retreat our leaders identified three priorities for this chapter in our life as a church. The first is that we would offer a gracious, radical, thoughtful, comprehensive welcome to all who come here and help them connect with others (and, of course, with God). Think Velcro…
The second priority is that we would be a community where we grow people as disciples by offering life transforming experiences with God. These would be designed to meet the needs of people of every age and in every stage of their spiritual life. These growing places would include new member classes, small groups, Sunday school classes, Bible studies, spiritual retreats and other experiences (imagine fly fishing trips and whitewater rafting journeys with a spiritual component, faith in film small groups, Habitat Teams, etc). Think plants…think spiritual formation and Christian education.
People believe God wants us to be a people who are Biblically literate, know how to pray, understand how to stay connected to God, and live out our faith. We believe God is calling us to be a learning community!
The leaders of First said they believe God wants learning and growing to be a fundamental part of who we are. So that 75% of the worshipping congregation (that would be around 500 persons!) would be involved in some kind of ongoing small group, class, or retreat experience each year AND that every leader in the church would be going deeper in a soul-growing kind of experience.
Called to be a learning community where people have life changing experiences with God: this is God’s call to us.
Several writers have said these kinds of discipleship opportunities need to be simple, strategic, and obvious. All of us in the church would know how to answer the guest who says, “I want to get started with God…with First…where do I go and what is next?” Like four year olds in their first season of T-ball, many people new to the faith may not be sure which direction to run…where to start!
At the heart of what we do, then, is to seek to live out the call of Jesus in Matthew 28 to make disciples. We would be serious about the work (see Colossians 1) of “teaching everyone with all wisdom” so that everyone might be “fully mature in Christ.”
Think grow. Think of our church as God’s garden. Where are you growing… what is your next step in our journey with God? How will you help others have a life changing experience with God?
Now about that word: Ichepucksassa. It is the native American name for what we now call Plant City, Florida. I’ve never been to Plant City -and I now know it is named after a railroad executive- but I was thinking about God’s church as a Plant City kind of place – all about plants, and growth, and lives “rooted and built up” in Christ. I just love that word: Ichepucksassa. It just rolls off the tongue, don’t you think? (Okay…maybe not…)
Remember Beverly and Kenny planning their garden? What does your next season with God look like? What does God want to plant in the soil that is your life?
Think plants…think grow. This is the second priority of this chapter in our life.
Welcome to the adventure!
In Christ and for Christ,
Mark
Our neighbors, Kenny and Beverly, had a passion about the large vegetable garden behind their house.
In the Winter they would plan out the garden, and they would order seeds.
In the Spring they would be out there with a roto-tiller turning over that St. Joseph County clay, and then they would plant their seeds.
In the middle of the Summer you would find them in their garden (I think it was about an acre in size) weeding the garden, staking up the tomato plants, etc.
In the Fall, they would be taking things out of the garden and blessing the neighborhood.
They were into growing things. That was just who they were. (By the way, what they grew best were friendships…they loved God very much, and they were amazingly gracious to all who knew them!)
At our recent Leadership & Vision Retreat our leaders identified three priorities for this chapter in our life as a church. The first is that we would offer a gracious, radical, thoughtful, comprehensive welcome to all who come here and help them connect with others (and, of course, with God). Think Velcro…
The second priority is that we would be a community where we grow people as disciples by offering life transforming experiences with God. These would be designed to meet the needs of people of every age and in every stage of their spiritual life. These growing places would include new member classes, small groups, Sunday school classes, Bible studies, spiritual retreats and other experiences (imagine fly fishing trips and whitewater rafting journeys with a spiritual component, faith in film small groups, Habitat Teams, etc). Think plants…think spiritual formation and Christian education.
People believe God wants us to be a people who are Biblically literate, know how to pray, understand how to stay connected to God, and live out our faith. We believe God is calling us to be a learning community!
The leaders of First said they believe God wants learning and growing to be a fundamental part of who we are. So that 75% of the worshipping congregation (that would be around 500 persons!) would be involved in some kind of ongoing small group, class, or retreat experience each year AND that every leader in the church would be going deeper in a soul-growing kind of experience.
Called to be a learning community where people have life changing experiences with God: this is God’s call to us.
Several writers have said these kinds of discipleship opportunities need to be simple, strategic, and obvious. All of us in the church would know how to answer the guest who says, “I want to get started with God…with First…where do I go and what is next?” Like four year olds in their first season of T-ball, many people new to the faith may not be sure which direction to run…where to start!
At the heart of what we do, then, is to seek to live out the call of Jesus in Matthew 28 to make disciples. We would be serious about the work (see Colossians 1) of “teaching everyone with all wisdom” so that everyone might be “fully mature in Christ.”
Think grow. Think of our church as God’s garden. Where are you growing… what is your next step in our journey with God? How will you help others have a life changing experience with God?
Now about that word: Ichepucksassa. It is the native American name for what we now call Plant City, Florida. I’ve never been to Plant City -and I now know it is named after a railroad executive- but I was thinking about God’s church as a Plant City kind of place – all about plants, and growth, and lives “rooted and built up” in Christ. I just love that word: Ichepucksassa. It just rolls off the tongue, don’t you think? (Okay…maybe not…)
Remember Beverly and Kenny planning their garden? What does your next season with God look like? What does God want to plant in the soil that is your life?
Think plants…think grow. This is the second priority of this chapter in our life.
Welcome to the adventure!
In Christ and for Christ,
Mark
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