Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Counterintuitive Week 2

"Bigger is _________."

What did you put in that blank? Most people choose the word BETTER. Why?

Because we're indoctrinated. Our culture screams that more is better. (Think super-sized food portions, ever expanding home sq footage, TV dimensions, etc.)

Amidst the din of the marketing onslaught comes this whisper from Jesus:

"I know you're thinking bigger, but I'm thinking smaller."
In Matthew 13:31-33, Jesus tells two brief stories to describe His Kingdom. Both suggest an affection for the small.

JESUS AIN'T MUCH TO LOOK AT...
Jesus claims that He is like a seed. Have any seeds in the house? Find one. Squeeze it between your fingers. What comes to mind? It is impressive?

Before our Sunday gathering @ CNX, I placed a single sesame seed on every chair. No one noticed. Why?

Because seeds are INSIGNIFICANT- especially compared to our Hummers.

Jesus also compares His Kingdom to a bit of yeast- a COMMMON ingredient that even the sparsest pantry probably contains.

Apparently, Jesus isn't worried about impressing us.


His m.o. reveals that Jesus prefers to be unimpressive- being born in a barn, raised in a country holler, selecting below-average apprentices, etc.

Maybe God is smaller than we think He is.

What if Jesus shows up in our lives every day- only instead of being miraculous and impressive- He appears in the common and the ordinary? Keep your eyes open this week for seeds and yeast.

...BUT IF WE LET HIM IN...
Both stories continue. The seed gets planted by a gardener. The yeast gets mixed into the dough by a baker.

The phrase "The Kingdom of God" didn't scream "choice" to Jesus' first listeners. Kingdoms were forced on you. God was a given in that culture.

Jesus says that He is different. He won't strong arm us. He isn't ours by birthright.

We have to choose to plant Jesus in our lives. To mix His ways in our souls.

Out of curiosity, what does this look like for you? How do you let Jesus into your daily life?

Bible study? Worship services? Small groups? Serving the needy? Something else?

...AND GIVE HIM TIME AND SPACE TO WORK...

In a world where instant is the norm, this can be hard to swallow. Not only is Jesus small, but He is slow.

Seeds take time to germinate, sprout and grow. Yeast works its way through the dough , if you leave it alone.

Jesus needs time and space to get things done in our lives. Although God might be able to hothouse or microwave our spiritual journeys- He usually doesn't choose to do so.

God doesn't seem to be in as big a hurry as we are.


Don't believe me? Breeze through the Old Testament and note God's timetables. They are usually measured in decades if not centuries.

So why do we expect God to make radical changes in our lives in a year? Or double the size of our church in two?

Maybe we're projecting our natures and expectations on Jesus.

...THEN HE PRODUCES CRAZY RESULTS!
So far, Jesus has asked a lot of us. Accept His smallness. Adopt His lifestyle. Be patient.

Here's where it pays off. In both stories, something big happens.

The seed takes time to grow, but exceeds expectations when it does- providing not only a crop, but a birdhouse. It redefines the landscape of the garden.

The yeast changes the nature and the future of the dough. Crackers become yeast rolls.

Q: Has Jesus been up to the same stuff in your life? In your faith community?
Is God doing more than you thought He would? Is He redefining the landscape of your heart? Family? Workplace? Neighborhood?

If not, He wants to.

If you are willing to give an unimpressive, non-aggressive, slow-moving God a chance- that is.

Thursday, October 25, 2007

Counterintuitive...You Figure It Out

Most of us find our way through the day based on our “gut.” Gut defined: The collection of education, life experiences and instincts that helps us make tons of micro-decisions each day. (Ex. Flip the light switch up to turn it on, hot water is on the left side of the sink, turn the lid left to loosen and right to tighten.) We don’t think every action through, but go with what “feels right.”

This works until we face “counterintuitive” situations that go against the grain of what we expect. For me, Jesus falls into this category. He may seem pedestrian or predictable to some, but Jesus is fond of turning our expectations on their heads. For example, think about the way He teaches.

WAS JESUS A BAD OR LAZY TEACHER?
Great teachers explain things so that you understand them. Based on this standard, was Jesus a great teacher?

When Jesus taught the masses, He often told simple stories about everyday stuff (fishing, farming, weddings, etc.) and then offered no further explanation. Explanations are usually given in private to His inner circle. With the crowds, Jesus spins a yarn, hints that it relates to His Kingdom and then says: “Now you go figure it out.”

What gives? Why is Jesus so veiled? Is He unprepared? Lazy? Uncaring? Isn’t His mission to help the world understand who He is? Why doesn’t He explain Himself more? We aren’t the first to ask these questions.

THE MADNESS BEHIND THE METHOD
After another fantastic (but unexplained) story in Matthew 13:1-9, Jesus’ followers request an explanation: The disciples (Mt 13:10) asked him, “Why do you use stories as illustrations when you speak to people?”

Jesus answered, “Knowledge about the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you. But it has not been given to the crowd. Those who understand these mysteries will be given more knowledge, and they will excel in understanding them. However, some people don’t understand these mysteries. Even what they understand will be taken away from them.” (Mt 13:11-12)

Maybe I’m reading it wrong, but this doesn’t sound right or fair. Jesus teaches in stories so that some people WON’T understand? It might help to let Jesus finish His train of thought:

This is why I speak to them this way. They see, but they’re blind. They hear, but they don’t listen. They don’t even try to understand. So they make Isaiah’s prophecy come true: ‘You will hear clearly but never understand. You will see clearly but never comprehend. These people have become close-minded and hard of hearing. They have shut their eyes so that their eyes never see. Their ears never hear. Their minds never understand. And they never return to me for healing!’ (Matthew 13:13-15)

Why doesn’t Jesus explain Himself more clearly? Because everyone in the crowd doesn’t really want to understand. Tasking them to wrestle with the stories reveals their level of spiritual hunger and openness.

And catch this- geographic proximity isn’t enough. Jesus is talking about people who showed up and listened to Him teach. They came to the right place, but didn’t bring open hearts and minds with them. Could the same thing be said about us? We may show up on a Sunday, read the Bible, serve the needy or have conversations about faith with friends- but if our hearts and minds aren’t open, we won’t get it.

IT’S A TEST
Jesus tells us to go figure out His stories to test our desire for Him. He wants to know how much we want it. We’ve experienced this before. Ever tried out for a sports team? The first few practices are tortuous tests of desire. The coach doesn’t care how well you can play. She wants to know if you WANT to play. Ever taken an entry-level job? Been given grunt work that seems to have little to do with the profession? A test to see if you WANT to work there.

After the explanation in Matthew 13, Jesus tells a follow-up story in Mark 4:21-25: Jesus said to them, “Does anyone bring a lamp into a room to put it under a basket or under a bed? Isn’t it put on a lamp stand? There is nothing hidden that will not be revealed. There is nothing kept secret that will not come to light. Let the person who has ears listen!” (vv. 21-23)

What is this yarn about? What every teacher longs to see happen for his or her pupils: ENLIGHTENMENT. Jesus wants to see the light come on in our eyes. How does that happen? He went on to say, “Pay attention to what you’re listening to! Knowledge will be measured out to you by the measure of attention you give. This is the way knowledge increases.” (vs. 24)

How do we come to know Jesus? We pay attention. We question, seek after and wrestle with the person and ways of Jesus.

And catch this -- our desire for God has a multiplying effect: "Those who understand these mysteries will be given more knowledge. However, some people don’t understand these mysteries. Even what they understand will be taken away from them.” (vs. 25)

What happens if this plays out in our lives? If our hunger and pursuit of God is multiplied? Will we get more of Jesus because we are seeking more of Him? Will we get less because we don’t really want to know anyway?

FINAL GRADES
For Jesus as a teacher? A+ in my book. For us as students? The test is still in progress. And it isn’t a measurement of the knowledge in our heads, but of the desire in our hearts and our willingness to pay attention to God.

Some questions to help in our prep:

  • If my desire for God were a candle, how would I describe the flame today? Smoldering? Flickering? Out? Steady? Raging? Something else?
  • Which is easier for me- to put my eyes and ears in the right place to hear God- or to open my heart and mind to him? Why? What helps me do both?
  • If “knowledge is measured out to us by the measure of attention we give”, what am I doing to pay attention to God today? How am I seeking Him?
And by the way, feel free to ask a friend what they got on this one.

Wednesday, October 24, 2007

Dealing with Global Poverty

Rather than cite the tragic statistics about global poverty or give a list of 20 things we can do to get involved, I want to instead offer a look at the cause of global poverty from a uniquely Christian perspective. How does God see the problem? How did our world get broken in this way, and how can Jesus people live differently and create an impact?

What is broken: our unity
If the whole earth was to be stewarded and developed by the whole people for the good of the whole planet (Genesis 1:28), how did we get so unbalanced? Like kids taping a line down the middle of the backseat, we have built walls to separate ourselves. The Great Wall of China. The Berlin Wall. The border fence between Texas and Mexico.

Of course, God knows that "nation will rise against nation." But Scripture tells us that the multiplicity of rival nations is a consequence of sin (Gen 11). God furthermore promised to redeem this lack of unity.

The point of the "good Samaritan" parable is it's racial twist on a border story: it would be like an illegal Mexican going out of his way to help a dying Texas rancher. In Christ, the walls are completely removed (Eph 2:14-15). Although of course, we often still behave as if they aren't. It's incredibly difficult to overcome generations of division.

A story about inequality of privilege
It would be easy to say, "Let my sisters and brothers on the other side of the wall have food. Or clean water, or a voice in how their country is run." But often, they just don't have the opportunity.

NPR recently aired a Marketplace story called "Rwanda is in women's hands." 1994, 1 million people, mostly men, died during the Rwandan genocide. When it was over, 70% of the people left in the country were women. The gender imbalance has allowed women to make ground-breaking changes in the country. Women can now inherit land, they hold high positions in government, and today half the Parliament is women (the highest percentage in the world). These women are changing Rwanda for the better, making food and education for their children a priority. God has brought incredible change for the good out of this tragedy.

Jesus people are called to act to restore unity and equality of privilege, to speak in the face of injustice. Let it not take more Rwandan genocides (or Darfurs) before we are able to have an impact for the good.

So, should rich Christians become poor?
We know to "store our treasure in heaven, not on earth." We know to put devotion to God's rule above material things. We know we "can't serve God and money at the same time." And Jesus definitely invited many of his followers to give up everything to follow him. But Jesus didn't tell all his followers to get rid of all their possessions. Joseph of Arimathea "a rich man" and "a disciple of Jesus." Zaccheus was a wealthy tax collector who gave half his possessions to the poor. But he kept the rest! And Jesus said "salvation had come to him." So the scripture does not establish the case that all Christians should become materially poor.

Should rich Christians stay rich?
Some churches teach that wealth is the clear outcome of following Jesus. This so-called "prosperity gospel" (usually based on Deut 28:8,12) omits some important biblical understandings.

1. The biblical principle that the earth is to be developed for the common good, and it's riches shared with all humankind.
2. The OT economy which promised wealth ALSO commanded the care of the poor.
3. And there is a parable about a rich man who went to hell NOT because he was rich, but because he consistently ignored the beggar at his gate.

In the end, the Scripture warns us of the danger of riches, and teaches us to practice generosity with our wealth (1 Timothy 6:17-19). Of course, that will result in a lowering of our standard of living. God calls us to live simply by giving all we can.

A Prayer for Change:
Creator God, help us to see clearly how rich those of us reading this post and hearing this message are. Help us call one another to account for our brothers and sisters here at home and around the world who live in dire poverty. Open our hands to share our resources freely. Open our ears to hear not only the cries of our brothers and sisters around our communities and around the globe, but open our ears to hear your direction. Grant us the wisdom and the courage to take the first small steps toward change. Amen.

Friday, October 12, 2007

Arlo Guthrie

Heard from the worship leader during closing praise, on the Sunday in which we explored the topic "Waging Peace in a Violent World":

"If you want to end war and stuff, you gotta sing loud!"

(Originally said by Arlo Guthrie, in Alice's Restaurant)

War is not a Game

Heard in worship:

My friend told me he doesn't play computer war games any more. I asked him why. "My brother's in Iraq," he said.

Waging Peace in a Violent World

by Matt Brown

To wage means to engage and carry on. To wage peace in a violent world we must adopt God’s vision for us and for the world. To a large extent that means focusing on these four pitfalls in our lives:

  1. Trivialization – making light of our priorities or not taking seriously our mission.
  2. Perspective – we often react in a uniform way no matter what the outside conflict is. We need to be strong enough to temper our response to the situation
  3. Pride – we invest our ego so often into areas of conflict that we seal off alternatives of peace so that we can save face.
  4. Absence of Prayer – Our world is full of noise and distraction. As a people we have become addicted to this.
Our scriptures for this week suggest layers of peace in our own lives:

A. Interpersonal Peace

Romans 12:17-21 (NIV)
17Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. 18If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. 19Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. 20On the contrary:
"If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head." 21Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Person to person peace is perhaps the most effective way that we can wage peace in our lives and yet it is often the most overlooked, perhaps because it is the most difficult to manage.

Trivialization – Simply put we gossip and make fun of people. Both of these sins trivialize the real suffering that our neighbors are going through. Trivialization also rebounds back on us. We become less authentic and willing to share because we are afraid (know) that others will make fun of our weaknesses. Through trivialization we become singled out by sin and prey to the enemy (I am reminded of a wounded gazelle and a stalking lion).

Perspective – at an individual level we avoid or seek out conflict in very uneven ways. In our attitudes and reactions to others we have to be willing to be more measured in our responses.

Pride – The correct perspective also leads to an understanding of pride’s role in conflict. We often feel injured on a personal level and are in need of rebuilding our building up. Our egos must often have it their way, or they won’t engage or look for peace. The truth is that peace and ego are very far removed. Being a servant of God and an operative in Kingdom building means that we gain our identity through our value to God and not through our value relative to others.

Absence of Prayer – We are addicted to noise and entertainment. When we lay in bed at night our minds race with the worries of the day past or the expectations of tomorrow. Seeking silence, “white space”, or contemplative time has is hard and has become devalued. We live in an information consumer age and if you are not involved in consuming or making information, then (by the world’s standards) you’re wasting time. Stop reading right now and take a minute of silence.

B. Peace among Groups of People

Romans 13:1-7 (NIV)
1Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. 2Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves. 3For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you. 4For he is God's servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. 5Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience. 6This is also why you pay taxes, for the authorities are God's servants, who give their full time to governing. 7Give everyone what you owe him: If you owe taxes, pay taxes; if revenue, then revenue; if respect, then respect; if honor, then honor.

We are a part of many different groups, and to strive for peace at this level we need to be cognizant of our place and effectiveness in the groups that we serve and lead in.

Trivialization – We make little of our leaders. Are we making fun of God? As humans we have a tough balancing act, we must work things out within the freedom that we are given by Jesus and the ordinances and structures that God has established through our leaders. So, when is it ok to rebel and when is it not? In the USA, we are pretty lucky. We can operate in a system that allows for feedback. The danger of trivialization is one of becoming jaded by our system and unplugging from it.

Perspective – You work and serve Jesus, not just a boss. The key to perspective in social group peace is keeping that truth out in front of you at all times. In your office job today you are serving Jesus. In your church job you are serving Jesus. When you stand for social justice you are serving Jesus.

Pride – National pride and patriotism can be extremely problematic. In fact they can be downright deadly. I see national pride as something a kin to money. People are willing to steal, die, and kill for it. Yet we are to be good stewards of what we are given. I will therefore, be a good steward of my freedoms, and remember that I am an eternal citizen of God’s Kingdom.

Absence of Prayer – praying for our leaders in not in vogue. In fact, it can be very hard. Who leads you? As you answer that question (and take it seriously) you can begin to see that they need your prayers. It can be the bad boss, the fatuous senator, or the goofy president.

C. Global Peace

Isaiah 2:2-5 (NIV)
2 In the last days
the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established
as chief among the mountains;
it will be raised above the hills,
and all nations will stream to it.

3 Many peoples will come and say,
"Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob.
He will teach us his ways,
so that we may walk in his paths."
The law will go out from Zion,
the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

This passage shows us God’s plan for how we are to ultimately live. Of course we will continue to live in a world of strife for the present, but that is no reason to blunt the message of peace and freedom that the Gospel of Jesus Christ spells out. God’s restoration of his Kingdom started with Jesus and continues through the church.

Trivialization – Globally we trivialize our world. I have a friend who cannot play video games anymore because the true nature of video games that deal with war has come home to him. He has a loved one in Iraq. We amuse ourselves with gratuitous violence without really knowing (or rather considering) what real violence in the world looks like. Our bubble of easy living has not been given to us so that we can kick back and indulge ourselves, but so that we have a place to stand when we reach out to help the world.

Perspective – Neglecting the perspective of others in the world that see us abusing that we have is another way that we fail to wage peace and goes hand-in-hand with trivialization. We may not mean to consume all the resources that we do, but we need to begin to see our action through the eyes of others.

Pride – Race and place of birth often make us feel like we are superior to other people and their cultures. We see this often even with the church, when we combine our ethnic identities with the identity of Christ. Both in cultural outlook and in physical appearance we can fall into the easy temptation of re-creating God in our own image (I have seen a lot of blond, blue-eyed Jesuses).

Absence of Prayer – We also fall into habits of focusing our prayers in a commercial and consumer-oriented way. Our concept of a personal God moves away from the creator of the Universe as we look for God to grant our wishes or deal with our laundry list of very narrowly focused prayer. Instead we need to turn our prayer lives outward and bring more focus to the world and peace among nations and among the individuals in our lives.

Thursday, October 4, 2007

How we can respond to injustice in Darfur

by Scott Sutton

My Background
I really miss braided goat intestines. It’s not so much their taste that I miss. Instead, I long for what they represent to the people of the vast Sub-Saharan plains of Eastern Chad. Braided intestines are eaten only at joyous occasions where entire clans came together to celebrate life, good food and close friends. Growing up there as the son of a missionary doctor, I remember sitting with friends around a bowl of this tasty treat and eagerly digging in with our hands. We laughed together, we played soccer in the streets together and we shared our passions and dreams with each other.

I spent 11 years of my life growing up in the sand dunes of Eastern Chad, where my only running water was on the back on a trotting donkey. Although I would to tell you stories of climbing mango trees and riding camels, the sad truth is that I am sharing with you a little about the chaos, misery and suffering that is currently engulfing my friends there.

The Crisis
Ever since 2001, government-back militias in the Darfur region of Sudan have been systematically attacking the local tribes in an “ethnic cleansing” campaign that the UN calls the “world’s worst humanitarian crisis.” More than 200,000 men, women and children have died in this violence and almost 3 million are running for their lives. Many of these refugees have flowed over the border into Chad (where I grew up) and the violence has followed. To give you an idea of the severity of the crisis and the strain on local resources, a small village named Farchana – which use to be home to about 200 people – is now home to a UN refugee camp with 80,000 refugees. This situation drains water, food and firewood supplies and exacerbates the conflict. The atrocities, such as rape, maiming and massacres, continue to this day.

The World’s Response
The UN has agreed to send 26,000 peacekeepers, but there has been little movement on the ground. China is a major financial backer of Sudan and is doing little with its vast influence to affect change. Currently in Darfur, the world’s largest humanitarian mission is in progress, with daily handouts keeping millions of people alive but a lack of security and harsh weather are serious obstacles. Groups like Save Darfur Coalition and Genocide Intervention Network are focused on raising awareness in the US to help us understand the significance of this genocide.

Our Response
We must have a mature, Godly response this kind of injustice. According to Gary Haugen, author of Good News about Injustice, the step to get this response is to have compassion permanence. Hebrews 13:3 implores us to “remember those who are being mistreated as if you yourself were suffering.” We cannot simply flip the channels from torture to touchdowns and let reality be forgotten. Secondly, we must understand that God knows the world is fallen but commands us to fight injustice. Luke 11:42 describes how God dislikes people who are careful to obey the letter of His law but ignore justice and the love of God.

So What Can I Do?
Although the crisis is really horrible and the numbers are staggering, we should not lose hope. There are many ways that ordinary people like you and I can help the situation. First, we can learn more and keep the situation in our prayers. Secondly, we can apply pressure by lobbying our elected officials, using the media to spread the word and divesting from companies that are helping fund the genocide. Third, we can support progress in the area by funding humanitarian, security or missionary agencies working to bring real hope to the people of Darfur. For more stories, ideas and recent media clippings about this subject, go to www.dyinginthedust.com.

20 Ways to Help in Darfur

A resource guide for those seeking to be God's "hands and feet" to fight injustice in Darfur. Compiled by Scott Sutton

Excellent General Resources:
Save Darfur Coalition: www.savedarfur.org
Genocide Intervention Network: www.genocideintervention.net
US Holocaust Memorial Museum: www.ushmm.org/conscience

LEARN:Although there is a serious lack of media coverage, some can be found if you look hard enough.
1. Seek out media reports on the area:
BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/Africa
CNN: www.cnn.com/WORLD/africa
African media: www.AllAfrica.com

2. Get current news directly from agencies working in Darfur:
Reuter’s humanitarian agency news: www.alertnet.org
World Vision: www.worldvision.org
Amnesty International: http://news.amnesty.org/regions/AFR

3. Browse online journals (blogs):
www.DyingintheDust.com (my personal site)
www.passionofthepresent.com
www.coalitionfordarfur.blogspot.com
Search Google Blogs for posts on Darfur

4. Sign up for alerts from any of the three “general resources” above.

ATTEND: Seek out events about Darfur in our community
5. Check out events calendar on www.savedarfur.com

6. Join groups on social networking sites such as Facebook.com, Meetup.com and MySpace.com and subscribe to email distribution lists. http://sudanpeace.meetup.com/84/?gj=sj3

EDUCATE/VOLUNTEER: Don’t keep it to yourself – share!
7. Share what you are learning with your family, closest friends and Bible Study members.
-Darfur on Google Earth for “techies”
-MTVU for teens

8. Plan a fundraising event
5K Run, Dimes for Darfur, classic fundraisers, etc.
www.genocideintervention.net/fundraising

9. Plan an awareness event
-Darfur Stories – a theatre piece www.darfurstories.org
-Film showings (Hotel Rwanda), Dinners for Darfur, Dream for Darfur gatherings
-Publish it: www.savedarfur.org
-Check out the event planning guides from the “general” resources

LOBBY
10. 1-800-GENOCIDE (easy to use system tells you the latest talking points and automatically connects you with your elected official)

11. Encourage your senators to support the Darfur Accountability and Divestment Act (DADA) which passed the House of Representatives 418-1 on July 31, 2007.
Senator Elizabeth Dole (R-NC): 202-224-6342, dole.senate.gov
Senator Richard Burr (R-NC): 202-224-3154, burr.senate.gov

12. Stay current on how all elected officials are doing: www.DarfurScores.org
U.S. Rep David Price (D-NC4): (202) 225-1784
U.S. Rep Brad Miller (D-NC13): (202) 225-3032

HIGHLIGHT
13. Generate press coverage of your events and the crisis
-Issue press releases, media advisories prior to event

14. Make sure the crisis is covered in the news when important events occur
-Write a guest editorial for a newspaper
-Write a Letter to the Editor in response to an article

15. Publish posts online about the crisis or in magazines

CONTRIBUTE
16. Provide funding for the humanitarian missions
Great list of groups on BBC: How to help. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3793577.stm

17. Provide funding for security/protection missions
Genocide Intervention Network provides funding for “non-lethal” security aid

18. Provide support for missionaries working in the area
WEC International (USA) www.wec-usa.org

DIVEST
19. Make sure you are not unintentionally funding genocide. www.sudandivestment.org

PRAY
20. Never underestimate the power of prayer. Make lifting up Darfur a regular part of your prayer life.