Certitude or Faith?

Have you noticed how much we seek certitude in this life? We want to know what is sure, what can be counted on. We want to know — for certain — what is right, true, exact, precise. The facts. Sometimes our quest for certitude leads us onto paths that lead nowhere or into dark places. We fight for what we think is right, only to wind up fighting the wrong fight. We become indignantly righteous, tearing down others because they can’t see or refuse to see how certain we are and therefore how right we are. If we are not careful, it can lead us to belittling others, treating them as enemies simply because they don’t agree with us. We can even, if we think in some way our right-ness is divine, to demonizing those who don’t agree. We begin to think we are superior and therefore deserve to attack, or even eliminate those who disagree. We can get to a point where we believe we possess the sole source of objective truth. It can lead to the language of expulsion and exclusivity, of extremism and polarization, and the claim that, because God is on our side, God is not on yours. Case in point: our political environment today.

But in the end, is there anything we can be certain of? What do we know today, that will be true decades from now? One Church renewal organization I follow has as one of their guiding principles that in the end, they could be wrong – a principle of humility and openness.  If you are reading this, there are two things that you can be certain of: 1. That you were born and, 2. That you will die. And everything else – everything that goes on between those two certainties needs to be lived through faith.

Remember, faith is being certain of what we cannot see or prove (Hebrews 11:1). Faith is not knowing for certain. Faith is clinging to the promises of our Creator, Redeemer and Sanctifier. Faith is holding tightly onto the hand of a loving Father, trusting him to take care of us, to lead us and keep us safe. Faith is taking each step of each day not trusting in what we think we know, but instead trusting in the Father’s Love – for us, for everyone He’s created and for everything thing he has created. Faith is walking, living, as if it is true that God loves us – you, me, the whole world – so much that he would rescue, redeem and save us by sending his Son to die for us.

Faith. Do not walk in life with certitude. Do not spend your life seeking certitude. It only leads to anger, bitterness, narrow thinking and unloving acts. Instead, live by faith. Live each day clinging to your heavenly Father, trusting him only.

“Trust GOD from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for GOD’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.  Don’t assume that you know it all.” Proverbs 3:5-7

Good advice! Live by Faith!

I’ve noticed a change in how we are doing church.

It’s a change that has been happening, gradually over some time, but it has gotten to a place where it’s more noticeable now. The change is in why we meet.

When I came here Messiah, like almost every church, had lots of meetings. There were committees meeting to do the business of the church – worship preparation, meetings about how we would run Sunday School and Confirmation, meetings to talk about things that need repaired or upgraded in the building. Sometimes it seemed like we just met to meet!

Did you notice, we don’t have committees anymore? And have you also noticed all those things that committees use to do, still get done? By YOU! By so many faithful, dedicated, caring individuals who love their church and who make sure we have what we need to worship , to form the faith of children and adults and who keep our building clean, safe and maintained. Important tasks and service that is critical to our life as a faith community. And to all of you, I express my heartfelt thanks! You are amazing and your service is invaluable! God bless you!

Now back to meetings. We still have meetings, but we meet for different reasons. Now we have meetings to share ideas about how to feed the hungry. We meet to talk about repairing homes or cleaning yards. We meet to plan events like Feeding the Multitude or 30 Hour Famine. We meet with school officials to ask how we can serve them, the teachers and the pupils. We meet with people whose first language is not English to partner in helping them worship God and transition into this North American, Midwestern culture. We meet with leaders from other countries to hear their stories and imagine what it looks like to walk together as brothers and sisters in Christ. There are meetings to disperse funds for ministries and for people. We talk about our relationships with God’s people outside of our Church walls. We even meet to celebrate God’s work among us – hearing testimonies of transformation and love!

Even our Ministry Council meetings have changed. We talk about what God is up to in our lives and in our corporate life as a faith community. We honestly, with love for Jesus and His people, talk about priorities for ministry. We pray for God’s direction and seek to discern, not just decide.

That doesn’t mean that sometimes our meetings are long or spirited! Debate still happens, voices rise, tensions are felt – but it isn’t over the color of carpet or of the hymnal. It’s because we seek to be in mission together and we are passionate about our service and love of God and neighbor!

Now that is growth as a congregation! That is maturity! Just writing this gives me goose bumps because I see God at work in all of this! I see possibilities for the Kingdom! There is still room for more growth – I long for the day we are having more adult baptism than baby baptisms! I hope for meetings that are discussing how to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with pre-Christians. And that will come with our open hearts and God’s leading.

That doesn’t mean it’s easy. Satan would love nothing more than for us to go back to “internal” meetings and decisions about plants in the yard or plaques on the wall. It will take perseverance, and a clear focus on keeping the main thing the main thing.

So would you join me in praying for God’s Spirit to continue to blow through Messiah’s ministry and meetings? Would you be asking God to reveal his hopes and dreams for us? May God bless us as we seek to make the incarnate God visible to the world!

When Is Giving Giving?

It is the air we breathe. Consumerism. Our culture, our livelihood,
our base mode of function is consumerism – that is the understanding that life
is about the acquisition of things. It is measured by such questions as, “What’s
in it for me?” “What am I getting out of this?” “What’s the return on my
investment?” It is a purchase mentality. We purchase goods, services and even
feelings. It is how we function. and it works. For the most part. Except when
we get a little greedy or selfish.

I would suggest that it even permeates our giving to the
point that we rarely, truly, “give.” Most of what we describe as giving in the
church, is really purchasing. We give our offerings to the faith community and
we expect something in return: the building maintained, the staff paid and
therefore available to do what needs to be done. We expect there to be worship,
programming for our children, youth, seniors. We give to special ministries and
we usually expect something in return – a round of golf and a great time with
friends, a spaghetti dinner, a piece of artwork. And of course, we give
expecting a receipt in return that allows us the benefit of paying less taxes.
At the minimum, we give at church expecting “a good feeling” or to be “blessed”
in some way.  And we have to admit we are
a little put off if we give and do not at least receive a thank you. We are
purchasing goods, experiences, feelings.

Now, there is nothing wrong with this system in the church
and is, as a matter of fact, necessary. Please don’t hear me say we should not
do this! God even tells us there are blessings for those who give. But I just
want us to consider that this kind of “transaction” giving is different from “sacrificial”
giving. Have you ever tried to give a gift to someone and they turn it into a
purchase? They reciprocate with a gift to you, or keep trying to “pay you back”
in some way when you really did just want to give and not receive?

It is a rare thing when I have someone come up to me with a
check and just say, “Use it where it is needed.” And even more rare that a gift
comes anonymously, “to the glory of God’s Kingdom” – with no opportunity to
give something in return.

If you were to give with nothing received in return, would
you still give? Would you still give of what God has given you – your time,
your talents, your possessions – even if you weren’t blessed? Have you ever had
the experience of giving just because God calls you to give? With no apparent
return?

I want to challenge you to practice some sacrificial giving.
Just give. Don’t be looking for the pay back. Don’t wait for the blessing. Just
give by giving up something and then forget it. Maybe it is time, maybe your talents,
maybe some money. Just give.

Looking for Fodder in All the Right Places!

Jean has been oh-so very nicely asking for my blog as the
newsletter deadline came and went and then the actual publishing date became…
NOW! Every time I sat down to write something, I hit a wall. I would start
something, but this nagging voice would say, “Boring!” Or, “They don’t want to
hear you rant about that!” Or, “Is this what you call interesting?”

 

I found myself looking through various resources, trying to
come up with a captivating topic, only to be disappointed by the routine-ness
or un-engaging ideas I encountered. Then, it dawned on me – I’m looking in all
the wrong places! I need to go to the source – YOU! If I want to write
something that is relevant to your faith, your lives, your struggles, your
dreams, then I need to ask you – I know – brilliant, isn’t it?!

 

So, here I am! Asking you, “What would you like your pastor
to address?” I suppose it could be biblical or theological questions, but I’m
really more interested in questions about how your faith, your spiritual
framework impacts your day to day living. Maybe it has to do with parenting or
family issues, maybe it has to do with work – ethical dilemmas, relationship
interactions, — whatever it might be for you. Things like:

 

Where are you encountering challenges as you seek to live
out your life as a follower of Christ? What are the questions that come up for
you as you seek to use Jesus as your decision-making compass?

What is hard in the “Jesus ethic” for you to apply at work,
home, with friends?

 

Here’s what I’d like you to do:

 

If you are reading this blog off of my WordPress account,
reply with your questions or scenarios there.

 

Or, if a bit more privacy is preferred, just email it to me
at pastorgreg@messiahfamily.com.

 

Or, if internet and email aren’t your thing, write it out or
type it out and drop it in my mailbox at the church. With this method, name
need not be included.

 

I’m hoping for material to last a long time! Don’t think any
question is too unimportant! I won’t guarantee every question will be addressed
in this space, but if more appropriate, a personal response may be sent. And of
course, confidentiality will be maintained. I will probably include the
question in the blog, but certainly no names.

 

Bring it on! Let me hear what you want to know!

 

Blessings, Peace and Joy!

Pastor Greg

This is all that it really boils down to…

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. When they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.’       (Matthew 28:16-20)

I want to share with you what I shared with our staff and Ministry Council at our annual retreat…

This is all that it really boils down to… Jesus, at the end of his entire earthly ministry and after the work of the cross and resurrection, pulls his followers together and gives them this last and most important instruction: Make Disciples.

In the Greek, there is only one verb in Jesus’ sentence: It reads better if we understand it like this: “As you are going, make disciples…”

Now, let’s unpack that a bit. First, “As you are going…” implies this is about our lifestyle. It is who we are as redeemed children of God, children of the covenant, princesses and princes of the King. Discipleship and making disciples isn’t a program of the church, a class to be mastered, a box to be checked off.  It is how we live daily. It is how we breathe, work, play, learn, rest, struggle. It is how we experience joy, sorrow, anger, hope.

Now, by studying Jesus and reading scripture, we find there are certain characteristics of a disciple that we can strive to emulate in our lives. Here at Messiah, we have chosen to use a framework and vocabulary shared with us by Mike Breen and the team at 3dministries (www.weare3dm.com).

So first, what do we know about a follower of Jesus? A disciple of Christ?

They lead a life of balanced relationships. Their relationship with God, with brothers and sisters of faith and with the rest of the world. We call these relationships Up, In, and Out and it is represented by a triangle. (Imagine with each of these descriptions a geometric shape — they didn’t copy into this blog!)
1. In those balanced relationships we learn. We learn from “kairos” moments. Kairos is God’s time – it is when God breaks into our lives to touch us, reveal himself to us. These kairos can be small or large, positive or negative. When they occur, we process them asking, What is God saying to us and what are we going to do about it? This processing takes the form of a circle with two halves, repent and believe. On the repent side of the circle we serve, reflect and discuss. On the believe side, we plan, form accountability and then act. Notice to learn, requires us to be in fellowship with others with whom we mutually help and hold accountable.

2. Also in those balanced relationships there is a rhythm, like a pendulum that swings in the shape of a semi-circle. The rhythm is one of rest to work, abiding to fruitfulness. Jesus’ teachings using the metaphor of the vine and branches helps us understand this rhythm. To be out of rhythm, makes us unproductive, or the fruit we produce is not as much as it could be. We need to rest, we need to allow God to prune us and draw us into seasons of abiding with him.

3. As we seek to lead this life of a disciple, we are following and imitating others who are maybe in some areas a
little farther along than us. At the same time, there are those who look to us examples and are following us. Mike likes to describes this leading and following this way: “From the front we all look like sheep. From the back, we
all look like shepherds.” This following and leading takes us around a square; side one: I do, you watch; side two: I do, you help; side three: You do, I help; and side four; You do, I watch.

5. All of this life of a disciple is done out of our gifting. Ephesians 4 says that we are gifted some as apostles, some
as evangelist, some prophets, some teachers and some pastors. We call this the five-fold ministry and thus it is represented by the pentagon. We each have a base ministry grounded in one of these five giftings. From that we do discipleship in our unique way. God has created each of us to be unique expressions of His love and character. We each don’t have to be something we are not. We follow, serve, grow according to how God made us.

6. And the whole life of a disciple is grounded and wrapped and shaped by our life of prayer. Jesus taught us how to pray with the form we call The Lord’s Prayer. There are six aspects Jesus shows us in this prayer, so we represent it with the hexagon. If we include these six parts as we converse with God, we will keep our prayers and hence our relationship with the Father and others complete.

So as a faith community and as leaders of that community, there are really just two questions we need to be asking: “What are we doing to make disciples? And, “How are we doing?”

As with any organization or group of people, over time we can get distracted by many things. These can be good things, important things, but may not be what we are really about. Or, we can be doing things that  in the past were really effective at making disciples, but because of changes in our society and lifestyles, no longer help
get the job done. We always need to be ready to let go of what isn’t working, change what can be changed to be more effective and ready to embrace whatever will make disciples. For example, for years we thought if we just created great programs, inspiring worship and topnotch fellowship events, people would be drawn to us and come to know Jesus as they came to us. (A build it and they will come philosophy.) Now we know that no matter how many quality programs we create, unchurched people simply will not come. We know we need to do a better
job of going to where folks are… go where they work, live, play. Go with a heart to love them as God has loved us. We know God is already with them, we just want to go and point out God’s presence and join with them in living in that love and grace!

Well, that’s enough for now, I invite all of you to join with your leadership in the on going conversation around what it means to be a disciple, what we are doing to make disciples, and how it is working! To that end, of mutual conversation, be watching for select Sunday mornings when Ministry Council members will be at the table in the lobby to visit with you!

Now, as you go about your daily life in Christ — shaped by Jesus’ life and teachings, following others, wrapped in prayer — make disciples!

When Jesus Ascended, Where Did He Go? And Where is Jesus Now?

After seminary, early on in my ministry, and thanks to the teachings of Dr. Harry
Wendt of Crossways International, the Ascension of Jesus became one of my
favorite stories and one of my favorite events to celebrate in the church year.
I want to share with you some of Dr. Wendt’s teachings with the hope that this
event will take on new significance for you as well.

We will be celebrating the Ascension on Sunday June 5^th. The Ascension actually occurs 40 days after the resurrection (that would be June 2^nd).

In Acts, chapter 1, we hear that Jesus remains among his disciples for 40 days
after his resurrection, (even as God dwelt among His people in the wilderness
for 40 years after the Exodus from Egypt.) During this 40-day period, he equips
them to perpetuate his ministry after he withdraws his visible presence from
their midst. When Jesus ascended, he did not withdraw his presence; he
transformed it. He remains among his brothers and sisters as God – although
invisibly. His brothers and sisters live out life before his eyes and seek to
make his presence visible in the way they reflect his servant lifestyle.

Back in Acts, while Jesus talks to his disciples, he rises from the ground. It would
have been interesting to see the looks on the disciples’ faces when this was
happening. Jesus rises higher and higher, and finally his presence is swallowed
up in a cloud (a symbol of God’s presence). And while the disciples stand
around confused and flabbergasted, two persons in white robes appear and tell
the disciples that just as Jesus has departed from them, so He will eventually
reappear.

The German composer, Handel, wrote a work titled Zadok the Priest. It begins with a
series of broken chords. Then, as it seems to be developing into something more
consistent, it reverts back to broken chords–this way and that, some in a minor
key. But then it really begins to go somewhere. It begins to swell and surge.
And then the whole work explodes as the choir crashes in! King Solomon is being
crowned! And Zadok is playing a key role in the coronation ceremony.

The Gospels are like that. They lead you here–they lead you there. And suddenly
they explode with their descriptions of Jesus’ coronation. The Gospels
celebrate the coronation of Jesus, the Savior-King. The shock is that Jesus’ throne
is a cross! And while Jesus’ crucifixion was his coronation before human eyes, his
ascension was his enthronement as Lord of the universe.

When in The Apostles’ Creed we speak of Jesus seated at the right hand of the
Father, we shouldn’t think of Him sitting on a literal chair next to a literal
right hand. In the ancient world, the term “right hand” denoted the place of
honor and authority. This means that God the Father endorsed Jesus’ life and
mission, vindicated His Son’s ministry by raising him from the dead, accepted
all that he had done for a fallen humanity, and declared him to be King of the
universe.

Some questions: When Jesus ascended, where did he go to? And where is Jesus now?
Let’s think back to Jesus’ post-resurrection appearances. Jesus appears–and he
disappears. When he appeared, where did he come from? When he disappeared,
where did he go to? The answer in both cases is: he came from nowhere and went
nowhere. Or: he came from everywhere and went everywhere.

When he appeared beyond the resurrection, he was merely letting the disciples know
that he was still around. And when he finally “ascended,” he was not departing.
he was merely saying, “No more little visits–but I am not going away. Even so,
although I will remain with you until the close of the age, you will not see me
again until I reappear.” In short, when Jesus ascended, he did not withdraw his presence–he transformed it.

It follows then that in our lives, individually and collectively, that the only
way it can work is when we submit to Jesus as King and as the Messiah, as
forgiving Savior and Servant Lord. Jesus walked the way of a humble servant-without-limit,
and so calls those who believe and trust in him to walk the same way in all
that they think, say, and do.

Jesus is here! His power to save, to change lives, to transform! His power to
forgive, to demonstrate mercy, justice and compassion remain! Through the
indwelling of the Spirit, Jesus remains in us, with us and through us to
continue the work he did when he walked this earth.

How is it going? Do you live as a representative of the King? Do people encounter King
Jesus and all he brings when they encounter you? Us? Does the power of the
cross still shake the forces of evil and bring about confessions of faith? – Through
you? Through us?

If all that sounds a bit daunting, first things first. Have you submitted to the
Lordship of Jesus? Does Jesus reign King of kings in your heart and life? Do
you make a move without consulting the King?

As we conclude our season of Easter, we declare with continued joy and
expectation, “He is risen! He is risen indeed! The King reigns forever and
ever! Amen and Amen!

And may we live as if it is true!

My continued gratitude and indebtedness to Dr. Harry Wendt: http://www.crossways.org/pdfs/Podcasts_WendtHandoutMay2011.pdf

Imagining the Future…

Remember the Jetsons? It was a great cartoon! A typical
family, with all the typical love, the typical struggles; except that they
lived in the future, a future created out of someone’s imagination with flying
cars, robot maids and technologically created food.

I’ve always loved dreaming, imagining the future. What will
it be like? What will stay the same, what will change? How drastic will the
changes be? I love magazines like, Popular
Mechanics when there are feature articles on future cars, or tools.

Except in the church. It seems when we imagine the future in
the church, it isn’t really any different. Matter of fact, for most of the more
recent history of the church, the only thing you needed imagination for was to
dream up what color the new hymnal would be! We’ve been pretty adventurous
there! Black, to red, to green, with a little blue and purple thrown in with
the “supplemental” hymnals, and now we are back to red. Whoa! What a ride! Most
change, or what we call change, was nothing more than rearranging the furniture
– cassocks to albs, choirs in the balcony, choirs in the chancel…  That’s why the “worship wars” of the 1990’s
were so traumatic for many. Too much change! Too fast!  Some parts of the church have never changed,
or the change has been so slow, its more like evolution…

But that is going to change. The future shape of God’s
church will not be the same.  Really. We
are moving into a whole new world. Corporate, large group worship at the
center, “Come and get it” evangelism, expository teaching and preaching, will
be the rusty shells of their past, resting in the weeds alongside the road.

So what does the “new model” look like? I can’t tell you for
sure. I can’t give you an “artist rendition”, but I can share with you some “marks”,
some characteristics. It will be outward focused. It will not be asking, “How
do we get more people to come to worship?” It will not ask “How many did we get
in?” Instead, it will be asking, “How can we transform our community? How do I
walk and talk like Jesus?” Institutions and structures will be fluid and form-able
so that they are easily adapted to the needs of the world. Jesus will not be in
a box with a cross on top. Jesus will be (actually where Jesus has always been)
with the poor, the lost, least, broken. And that is where you will find His
people. In the future, we won’t be defined by our denomination or doctrinal
agreement. We will be united by our passion for sharing Christ.

The change is already happening. The winds of Pentecost are
blowing! God is on the move! Do you want to be a part of it? Will you go? Will
you be a part of God’s amazing, powerful work? Will you ride on the fresh winds
of God’s new thing?

You don’t have to. You can cling to the old, the classic.
You can still make a church that looks like it did in the 60’s and 70’s. You
can shine up the brass, put a new cover on the hymnal and meet for no good
reason except for the sake of meeting to decide to not to decide. You can do
that. And you’ll be like the restored classic car – an oddity, an eye-catcher
that causes others to reminisce, wax and wane. But it will remain as inefficient,
unreliable as ever.

Change is hard! Darn near impossible when it comes to our
institutional church. But in this case, to change is to move with the Spirit. I
don’t have a clue where it will lead, only a vague idea of how we will get
there, but I’m ready to go! I see the future church! There is no building to
define it. Its shape is the shape of the hearts of disciples of Jesus as they
share Christ and be Christ in their workplaces, homes and play-grounds. People
know it by the power of its transforming presence. They know it not by the name
of a denomination or saint, but only
by the name of Jesus.

Let’s go! Let’s move into the future – God’s future!

Let Lent do its job!

Ran into my liturgy and worship professor from Gettysburg Seminary the other day, The Rev. Dr. Mark Oldenburg – online. Youtube, actually. Boy has he gotten gray! He shared with me some great advice about Lent…

 Lent, he reminded me, has a job to do: It’s job is to draw us so close to Jesus that he as he goes to the cross, he holds onto us and takes us with him – through death into life. This means we have to let go of other things we embrace too tightly that will not lead us through death to life. It means relativizing all other claims upon us. So, Lent is a time to ask what are those competing claims on us? Some might be bad and need to be eliminated – addictions for example. Others are not bad, but just need to be put in their place – parenthood, patriotism, financial security, self worth. We don’t give these up, but we need to make sure they are only ways of living out our Baptismal identity, not giving us identity.

There are four traditional disciplines for living in the embrace of Jesus:

Meditation – Prayer: The basis of any healthy relationship is communication. Do you talk with God and do you listen?

Pamela Young, in her book, “The Good Book”, suggests creating a room in your imagination – a room that is warm and inviting, comfortable for you, a room free of distractions. The only requirement is that you put in your room two comfortable chairs – one for you and one for a guest. The other requirement of the room is that only the truth may be spoken there. This could be a wonderful prayer room. Invite Jesus into your room. Visit with him. Be honest with him. Listen. Enjoy the company.

Almsgiving – Service: We’re talking face to face, hands on service. Going to serve where you have the opportunity to “decentralize” yourself, that is, to put your focus on others and their needs. But it needs to be service that includes relationship – a chance to talk with others, get to know them and hear how God is at work in their lives and through their needs.

Study: Of course we’ll be doing a lot of this during Lent, but Dr. Oldenburg suggested the kind of study where we get intimately involved with a short, weighty text. It is a way to deal with the recordings running through our head that keep us from Jesus’ embrace. Maybe it has to do with the voices that tell us we are unworthy. Then we might want to study Psalm 8, reading it, memorizing it, marinating in it. Ask yourself, “What are the voices in my life that pull me from Jesus’ embrace?” Then, “What word does God have to counter that voice?” Study it. Meditate upon that word.

Fasting: Too often we think of Lenten fasting as giving up something that isn’t good for us. Guess what? If it isn’t good for you, you should eliminate it, not fast it! Fasting is better understood as giving up something that is good for you for awhile (like the Church gives up alleluias during Lent). Removing that object or practice will create a speed bump for prayer and the resources of perhaps money, time, etc. that can be used for service.

These four disciplines are intended to help us get the most out of Lent – to be drawn ever closer to our Lord and Savior, to come to the cross confident, full of hope and ready to die to self and rise to new life in Christ. We will do our best this Lenten season on Sundays and Wednesday and through conversation opportunities to let Lent work in you. Will you join us? Will you make a commitment for six weeks to Lent do it’s job?

Hear just exactly what Dr. Oldenburg had to say at: www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKcWuJVfY30

Have you gotten over Christmas?

How are you doing, “Post-Christmas? Have you gotten over Christmas?

 Is it still magical? Or, is there a huge let down. Do you find yourself relishing the gift of a Savior, or purging your house and soul of all things Christmas so you can move on… ?

There is something magical about Christmas – Santa Claus, snowy scenes, stocking hung with care, piles of presents, smiling families.

But we all know that it isn’t as perfect as we’d like. Some go over the top. Overcrowded stores, overindulgent eating. Maybe it’s overspending – buying presents others don’t need with money we didn’t have. We might even have experienced “Santa-Claustrophobia.”

Here’s some quotes from post-Christmas essays submitted for school: “I know Christmas should be a religious time, but to me Christmas is a time for the necessities of life such as food, presents, and booze.” Another wrote: “After breakfast we go into the living room. Dad comes in drunk with Mom’s tights and an Indian hat on!” His teacher wrote in the margin, “Good old Dad!”

One little girl’s thank you note to Grandma read, “Thank you very much for the nice gloves you sent me for Christmas. There were something I wanted – but not very much!”

For others, it isn’t about going over the top, but going under. Suicide rates go up this time of the year, more marriages fall apart. Psychiatrists’ patients tend to suffer more regressions. One survey suggested that there are three million family arguments each Christmas. One therapist group even ran a workshop entitled, “Stress in the Family: Coping with Christmas.” Another psychiatrist wrote an article on depression at Christmas entitled, “Cheer Up, It’s Soon Over.”

I hope that wasn’t your experience – something just to “get through” or endure. As a matter of fact, I hope you never get over Christmas. Or, more accurately, I hope you never get over the heart of Christmas – Jesus.

Christmas is first and foremost about God, coming down into our world, our lives and our hearts and souls. It is about Jesus. A child, in a manger who is the King of kings and Lord of lords. God Himself as a part of our world.

Let’s review just what it is that makes Christmas last:

Christmas first and foremost is about relationships rather than rules. It’s about a Person more than a philosophy or doctrine. Jesus said the first and greatest commandment is to love God. The second is to love our neighbor. It’s about relationships with God and others. You and I were created to live in a relationship with God. Without that relationship there will always be a gap, an emptiness, a hunger. And Jesus comes and fills that gap, the hunger:

            He satisfies our hunger for meaning and purpose.

           He satisfies our hunger for life beyond death.

            He satisfies our hunger for forgiveness.

Jesus also sets us free. Freedom from and freedom to….

            Freedom from guilt

            Freedom from addiction (slavery to sin)

            Freedom from fear

            Freedom to know God

            Freedom to love

            Freedom to change

May you never get over Christmas! Get to know the central figure of Christmas better! As the decorations are packed, the gifts used up or returned, may the Christ child grow with in and through you! May Post-Christmas be as magical and life-giving as Pre-Christmas and Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

(adapted from “Why Christmas” by Nicky Gumbel, Cook Ministry Resouurces.)

What does it mean to “Abide”?

On the evening of November 14^th, I shared with you, the Messiah Family, that I sense a word from the Lord that we need a time of abiding. In order to move forward and to produce the kind of bountiful fruit God has in mind for us, we need to stop our busyness and start spending time with Jesus.

 Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing… If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. “As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. (John 15:5-10)

So what does it mean to abide? I share with you words from my mentor, Mike Breen, from his book, “Living in Rhythm with Life”. Know that this is where we will start from as we individually and corporately learn to abide!

“VINE GROWING 101

The disciples, like everyone in Israel, knew how to grow vines. You plant a new vine—and then you keep cutting it back, pruning it brutally. The vine is not allowed to bear fruit for three years, not even flowers, not even a leaf. All you can see is a thick, stocky trunk, the vine itself. After those first three years, the vine is finally allowed to grow and produce fruit. It is now ready for a pattern of growth and harvest, growth and harvest. After the harvest you cut back all the branches of the vine, both the fruitful and the dead branches, pruning to within just a couple millimeters of the vine itself. The central plant, which grows to about eighteen inches high, will look like it has died.

Yet the disciples also knew that over the slow growing months of winter the vine would grow around the pruned branches and the branches would seem to disappear. The branches will abide in the vine. They will be in the vine, hidden from normal observation. All anyone can see is a curious-looking stump. When the growing season of early spring arrives, green shoots begin to emerge from the places where the branches have been. You’ll set up a trellis behind the vine to support these green shoots, or set sticks in the dirt like crutches to hold them up.

As they grow on these supports, the branches come into blossom and then bear fruit. …As soon as you pick the fruit, you prune the branches back until they are virtually invisible. Once again, during the slow growing months of winter, the vine grows around the pruned branches, and the branches abide in the vine. Soon enough it will be spring and the cycle will repeat again. This is the pattern of growth and pruning.

When a pendulum swings in rhythm, back and forth, to and fro, it creates the pattern of a Semi-Circle. In this final parable from Jesus before he goes to the cross, Jesus outlines the pattern of life for all of his disciples. It is a rhythmic pattern, back and forth, to and fro. At one end of the pendulum’s arc is abiding; at the other end is fruitfulness.

… So, here’s the pattern:

Abiding

Growing

Bearing fruit

Pruning

Abiding Fruitfulness

…This pattern, this rhythm, reflects God’s plan for our lives. This is how he has designed us to live. I assert that this is the biblical alternative to the overworked, overstressed rat race we often find ourselves in. Jesus points his disciples to a practical pattern of life that is radically different—one that can work well in our culture.

ABIDE WITH ME

The first thing we discover when we look closely at God’s rhythm for our lives is that it starts at a completely different place from what we would expect. We often begin with frenzied activity. We plan our schedules with as much as we can get done in the time that we have. We fill in every square on the calendar, every line in the planner. We work as hard as we can all week, hoping to get a break on the weekend. Some of us don’t ever get a break; we are busy catching up with things around the house or taking children to various activities, or even catching up on work we didn’t finish during the week. And we haven’t even mentioned church activities yet! Instead of resting, we’re simply busy doing something else. Before we know it, it’s Monday morning and the craziness begins all over again. And we’re exhausted.

Disciples of Jesus are called to dance to the beat of a different drum, and that dance begins with abiding. Jesus invites us to abide in him, to abide in his love, to let his words abide in us. What does Jesus mean when he says, “Abide in me”?

Let’s go back to the picture of the vine and the branches. When the branches start out, they are kept close to the vine. The vine surrounds and protects the branches through the harsh winter.

To abide in Jesus means to stay close to him, be with him, to let him surround our lives the same way the vine surrounds the branches. Jesus knows that we branches are vulnerable to the elements of the world around us. The pressure, the stress and strain of everyday life can break even the strongest branch. The only way to get to a place where we can be fruitful is to stay close to the vine. We need Jesus’ words to go down deep within our hearts, but that can’t happen when life is too busy to hear him. We need to stay close to Jesus so that we are reminded every day of his unconditional love, his gift of grace to us. His love gives us a security through life that the world and all its expectations can’t possibly provide.

GOD WANTS OUR COMPANY

[In the summer months]…I try to make space in my calendar to hang out with Jesus. I spend time reading the Bible. I talk to him through the day. I play golf with him. It’s not that I don’t have everyday activities to attend to; I am still a pastor, husband, and father. Abiding doesn’t mean I go into hiding for eight weeks. But my life has a noticeably different pace to it. Abiding is not just for individuals. We abide as a family, taking time to be together. We also have abiding seasons as a church. …[T]he staff team [in my last church] abode during the summer vacation months of July and August. They worked half days. The rest of the time they spent with their families or their friends. Our weekend services took on a more relaxed feel, with a simple time of singing and a brief word of encouragement. Everything was about abiding in Jesus, allowing him to surround us with his love. …

Sometimes we are too busy trying to get things done for God. We try to show him that we are committed, that we love him. But we can get so busy with activity for Jesus that we miss out on simply abiding with him. He wants to speak to you and be close to you. He wants to hang out with you as you work, raise your kids, or spend time with friends. You must realize that he simply wants to enjoy your company. Where do you go or spend time that you could invite God along? What could abiding look like for you from here on out? For your family? For your small group? For your church?

Abiding is the key to growing and becoming fruitful. Do you ever experience those moments in your life where you are constantly asking yourself why all your hard work isn’t paying off? Or do you find yourself relentlessly trying to be fruitful in your career, your home life, your ministry, or even your hobbies without seeing any tangible results? If you are always attempting to grow and multiply the fruits of your labor without taking the time to abide, I can assure you that nothing significant is going to happen in the goals that you have set for your life.

Once you learn that work and rest, fruitfulness and abiding are a process that requires balance, you will begin to see the patterns that God has determined for your life. Once you learn to rest and abide, God will reveal the amazing ways in which you can grow and be fruitful.

From Living in Rhythm with Life, NexGen, Cook Communications Ministries, Colorado Springs, CO, copyright 2006, Mike Breen.