“There Is Nothing Inside Worth Dying For”

On one of my recent jaunts through our new neighborhood I approached a house with a sign that stated: “There Is Nothing Inside Worth Dying For.” The sign was a warning to any intruder to consider before actually invading this dwelling. I found this sign interesting yet not surprising. There were several signals up to this point in the yard and driveway that the resident(s) had some form of military experience. I do not want denigrate any particular branch of the military but I am sure I noticed some Marine paraphernalia in the yard. Not a real surprise. Hurrah!

Being a preacher, I ruminated on that sign for a good while. Also, having a fertile mind – that being one that is well fertilized and we know what fertilizer mostly consists of – I pondered that sign with great intensity. It really had spiritual implications while giving insight into the resident of that house. There was something in that sign that could be preached on. But, of course, all preachers think that about almost anything. I will never forget Henny Youngman (I know many of you have no idea who he was because you are way too young) who was known as the “King of the one liners.” I remember seeing him on Johnny Carson one night (you may be too young to know Johnny Carson too!). Youngman told Carson to say a word and he had a joke about it. Carson picked “penguin” and lo and behold Youngman had a joke. I told my son the other night to pick a word and I could make a sermon about it. I did okay with pineapple but got kind of lost on walrus! So, as I walked along ruminating about that sign I did realize a couple of things that may preach.

While I am sure the sign’s warning was supposed to be a partially humorous attempt to dissuade anyone from breaking into the house, I believe it revealed something about the resident. Did he think his stuff was of little worth compared to any intruder’s life?  In one respect the answer would be yes. That is of course until you don’t heed the warning and attempt to break in and he is willing to protect his stuff at the cost of your life. This sign clearly displays his values.

At my own house I always thought that if somebody wanted my stuff they could have it. Obviously they needed it more than I did. Besides, my stuff was old and I had insurance to replace it. I know the replacement stuff would be better than what was stolen!

Later on during the week, I saw the same sign again at another house. As I began to ruminate on it again, my first vivid thought was how glad I am that Jesus doesn’t feel that way! Applying Jesus’ perspective to the sign made me see things in a different light. Too many people today have the same sign posted on the door of their heart and life. It is almost as if Jesus comes to knock on their heart and there is another big and clear sign on display “No Soliciting!” They want to chase Jesus away and anyone else who wants to have an effect on their hearts for that matter.. They agree with the premise of the sign that “there is nothing inside worth dying for.” They feel they have nothing in their life worth having anyone dying for, even the Son of God. They are not trying to be heretical but they see no need for what Jesus Christ did and think he was basically a fool and so are all of those who believe in him. Their arrogance will be their undoing. Let’s hope they come to their senses before it is too late. Eternity is real and apart from having Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, eternity will be HOT!

In reality, Jesus DID die for what is inside of them and us. And, in his estimation it was worth dying for. Jesus Christ wants to redeem the image of God that is resident in all of us, all human beings. It was given to us at creation and it is what sets us apart from all of the other animals, regardless of whatever nonsense PETA bloviates. There is a reason why, in the first Genesis account of creation, God calls everything “good” until he creates mankind. Only after man comes on the scene does God call his work “very good.” We are the crowning jewel of God’s magnificent work in creation. You have to wonder sometimes if God spoke too soon. But Jesus died for that portion of each and every life that lives in opposition to God.

 There are always going to be a group of people that do not feel worthy of the sacrifice Jesus made for them. And, they are not alone in their unworthiness but they don’t know it. They just feel that there really isn’t anything worth dying for in their lives. There isn’t one thing that is redeemable, that is worth saving. In our disposable culture, they feel they are not worth anything more than ending up on the trash heap of life. Their self-esteem is so low, their psyche so disoriented and abused, their pain so deep and thorough, they cannot image one scenario that would lead Jesus Christ to want to save them. I have actually heard people say that if God knew how bad they had been, he would not give them the time of day. I love that one because they imagine that their life of sin and its severity will come as a surprise to God! That is arrogance of another form. In essence they deny God his almighty power believing they are the only one he cannot or will not save. Everything is possible with God except for them. The other end of the spectrum is the worthless wasted life that has no meaning, purpose or quality and thus would not be of interest as something God would waste his time over. How sad, truly sad, that people actually believe this. The good news – the gospel – is that Jesus ignores the sign that says “There Is Nothing Inside Worth Dying For.” In God’s economy, every life has value and Jesus came to die for each and every one of those. When Jesus restores a life through the work of salvation he wrought on the cross, he reinstates the worth back into that life by his precious shed blood. Regardless of what you have done, what you continue to do, or what you will someday do (again and again and again as our former taekwondo instructor used to say) Jesus still feels that you are worth dying for. He is not going to wait for you to come to your senses, to wake up and smell the coffee. He has already done everything necessary for you to receive what he has to offer. The rest is up to you because there is something inside worth dying for and Jesus is the Lord of Life.

Only 20%? WHERE IS THE CHURCH?

Only 20%? WHERE IS THE CHURCH?

My family and I recently moved to a new city. In an effort to find out more about our new area I searched for demographic information on-line. One web site contained a lot of information including religious affiliation. I realize that Oklahoma is the outer ring, the sort of fly-over waste land of the western portion of the Bible belt. In fact, when we first moved to Oklahoma City, we were jokingly told (at least I think it was a joke) that there was a law that there had to be at least one Baptist church on every corner. It is good to remember that most jokes have some element of truth in them. Even though we only moved less than 10 miles away, we have entered another universe. I was surprised – okay literally appalled – that in my new zip code of at least 16,000 households, only about 20% of the people claimed any religious affiliation. Many people may not answer surveys but I don’t think that is the reason this number is so low. While this statistic is a disturbing, it also offers some hope.

First, let’s discuss the appalling thing. WHERE IS THE CHURCH? Where are all of the disciples that Jesus gave the great Commission to? I just read a Barna Group survey revealing that between 1991 and 2004 the number of unchurched people in North America almost doubled. The number increased from 39 million to 75 million people. I think there was a very wise man who once said the fields were white with the harvest. It is very obvious that North America is the one of the world’s largest mission fields. It is evident that the Church (big “C”) is not fulfilling her calling given to her by Jesus Christ.

A recent excursion through my new neighborhood gives a little insight into this phenomenon. As of this week, we are about two weeks shy of Halloween. From the looks of things in this area, it must be the most celebrated “holiday” in America. I am not sure everyone celebrates the true "meaning" of Halloween but the decorated houses tell a different story. I will have to wait for a couple of months to see if they put as much effort into decorating for Christmas.

I remember at seminary one of the biggest debates was about recognizing Halloween and letting our kids participate in trick-or-treat. At that time my kids did not know much about the day except that you went to as many houses as possible to get as much candy as possible. In my house, we have a rule that all Reese’s Cup go to dad.  So, not wanting to deny my kids their candy or mine, we let them go. They were never to dress in “scary” costumes and they had to say “thank you” at every house. As they got older, I would tell my son to find out which houses gave away Reese’s Cup and come home and change so he could back for more. Alas, he is too big now to pull this off with any sincerity, much to my dismay and Reese's cravings! I’ll just have to hope his being new to the neighborhood will not be a detriment to my sugar fix. As with my kids, I assume many people have no idea what the real meaning of the day is. That may make it worse. I am reminded of Paul’s admonition to the Philippians: “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” I suspect that some of these decorated houses are even inhabited by “professing” Christians. I don’t want to condemn them but it does make one think. Does this send the right message?

As I walked along, I kept wondering why people would put so much effort into this type of decorating. Some were very elaborate and took a lot of time and trouble to construct. As the seasons change, the weather gets colder, the sunlight shrinks, it just seems people need something to get excited about. Again, WHERE IS THE CHURCH? If people only have a release of celebration in Halloween decorations, then the Church has fallen woefully short in being able to reach people with the excitement in the love, grace and  forgiveness of Jesus Christ.

There is good news in this statistic though. If Christians want to truly be Christians and obey Jesus’ commands (which I think is part of being a Christian), they will not have to travel far to find someone in need of what Jesus has to offer. The mission field is right in your own backyard (Jerusalem), in your own subdivision (Judea), in your own zip code (Samaria). You don’t even have to go to the ends of the earth! Your neighbor may be the next person you introduce to Jesus. When Jesus says that he stands at the door and knocks, it is probably at the house right across the street. In fact, he may be knocking at several doors on your block alone. Just think of how many he may be knocking at in your subdivision or in your zip code? The opportunity for the Church is enormous. Yet, we miss these opportunities for a variety of reasons.

The really good news for me as an ordained person is that with numbers like that I have job security. In my own zip code accepting these numbers means there are almost 13,000 households who do not have a religious affiliation much less a relationship with Jesus Christ. My congregation does not need transfer growth – swapping or stealing sheep – when we can go through our own neighborhoods and find many “lost” people, which up to 80 percent of them seem to be. And, we are even willing to share our catch with other congregations who want to reach the unchurched. Our nets won’t break but our facilities might. While it is a headache I would love to have, how would you deal with an influx of huge numbers of people? Any church would have to ramp up everything they do in order to meet the needs of those coming in. I would love to be in that situation and find a way to deal with it. With those kinds of numbers, it should be really easy to fill ministry positions, not to mention the congregation’s softball lineup.

I could go on and on about this topic. But you will have to excuse me. I have to go through my neighborhood and tell some more people about Jesus being the Lord of Life! Want to join me?

Generic or Specific?

Generic or Specific?

 Isn’t it wonderful that, even after three years of seminary and many years in the pastorate, God can show you new things? I must admit that it is humbling and overwhelming at the same time. But it happened today and I am thankful. It occurred during my daily devotional time when I sit in my “prayer chair” and study God’s Word and commune with him in and through prayer. Except for the dogs having to have their affection time, I try to reserve this time for God and me. Most days I am able to accomplish this. I don’t say this to pat myself on the back for my piety but to mention that this has become a “habit” for me, and the dogs! What I found out today radically shook my world and my equilibrium.

As an Anglican I gain perspective by saying the Collect for Purity. I start with this.

            Almighty God, to you all hearts are open, all desires known,

            and from you no secrets are hid: Cleanse the thoughts of my heart
            by the inspiration of your Holy Spirit, that I may perfectly love you,
            and worthily magnify your holy Name; through Christ my Lord.  Amen.

It centers my thoughts and actions for what I am about to do. It gives me the proper perception about who God is and what I want him to do for and in me. For you purists, I have changed the wording from the corporate emphasis to the individual emphasis that pertains to me in this situation. My hope and prayer is that at the end of my time with God, I have a cleansed heart, inspired by the Holy Spirit allowing me to perfectly love him. Not a bad day if you can accomplish that!

After that I say the Confession. Again I use a personal version instead of the corporate version. I know that I am a sinner and that confessing daily still isn’t enough to keep short accounts with God. When I got to the part where it says, “I have left undone those things which I ought to have done, and I have done those things which I ought not to have done,” this is where the seismic rumble began. There are times when I feel as if God is speaking to me. I don’t hear audible sounds but, as someone once said, “knowing’s” in my heart that God is communicating with me. I sensed he was asking me, “What do you mean?” I responded, “Do you want me to get specific, Lord? Boy, you are asking a lot here.” I realized at this point that I was good at the generic confession. I think we all are. We are able to generalize sin and can admit, with no sense of guilt or shame, that we are all sinners. We can admit without confessing. We can agree but we don’t normally name our sins. The generic is always less convicting, less guilt inducing, less shameful than naming each individual transgression. So, I felt compelled to take pen and paper and write down where I missed the mark (one definition of sin). I started with the “things done.” This was easy because I could agree with God on some of them. I suffer from fear, anxiety and worry. But, don’t we all. Yes, they are sins but they are typical of most human beings. But since I committed these offenses I need to confess them. Just when you think you are doing fine God has to interrupt. “Dig deeper,” he said. “Okay.” I also have envy, greed, denial, and pride. “Yes and,” God continued. “Oh, how deep do you want me to go?” Well, true confession means not leaving any stone unturned. As I went deeper, I found more that left me separated from the holy, righteous God of the universe. I will not regale you with the rest of this (it’s not as salacious as much as it is disappointing) but I found I’m not as righteous and pious as I thought. But it didn’t end there.

Don’t you hate it when God won’t let go? At times like these, he reminds me of our little Chihuahua Teenie. She is pesky and will bark and nip at strangers who enter our house. She will not settle down until she is satisfied that all is well and safe. God reminded me that I had not addressed the other portion of the confession. I was leaving out, “I have left undone those things which I ought to have done.” I guess I was settling for “good enough” instead of “best.” God wants the best for us and from us. It is amazing how fast my pen went as I rummaged through my life the past week or so. The first thing I had not done was live with the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians tells us: “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” (Galatians 5:22) That is a rather extensive list to neglect in any life that claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, this was just the beginning. I wish it wasn’t but alas I am not as perfect as I thought (hoped) I was. It becomes more apparent with each passing moment of this exercise, that I am a sinner in need of a Savior. The “left undone” list continues but you get the picture. Later, reading the word of God reinforced this notion powerfully. Micah 6:8 states: “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” God sets the bar high and he does not lower it because we cannot attain his standards.

I must admit that after this careful examination, I realized my need, my failures and my lack of anything remotely resembling holiness. I had a glimpse of me from God’s perspective apart from the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The only word that can best describe this is hopelessness. Wow! What a revelation. But I also had a sense of thankfulness. Without the person and work of Jesus Christ, I will end up being a sinner in the hands of an angry God. He did everything he could do through Jesus Christ and I am glad I have accepted it. I have faith that all of the promises of Jesus are “yes.” That is the only thing that overcomes this hopelessness. Praise God!

Many Christians know, accept and believe the above. And, they think that is enough. But I am here to tell you more is needed. Not in terms of salvation but in terms of a growing, thriving relationship with Jesus Christ that bears fruit and light and life. Too many people though are stuck in the generic. They realize they are sick but have no intention or inclination to get to the specific. I recently went to my family physician. He accessed my ailment and prescribed a treatment. He did not tell me to take two aspirins and call him in the morning. I am so glad he got specific. The generic answer probably would not have solved my problem and left me in the pain and agony in which I was suffering. God, the great healer, the great physician, works with us in the same fashion. Take a pen and paper and record all the things and areas where you have failed to confess your specifics, things done and things left undone. And allow God to deal with you in his mercy and grace for each thing listed. See what a difference this exercise will make in your life. We have a specific God not a generic god and he is the Lord of Life!

M*A*S*H as Church?

Monday September 17^th was the 40^th anniversary of the premier of the television series M*A*S*H. I must admit that over the years I have probably seen every episode at least twice. Next to “Gone with the Wind,” “Caddyshack,” “Animal House,” and “Braveheart,” I am sure I know the most lines from this franchise. Yet, they are still good and worth watching every once in a while. I gleaned three things from years of M*A*S*H viewing which have shaped my vision of mission and ministry.

The first is in this name. “M” stands for mobile. The Church (capital “C”) needs to be on the go. We serve a God who is constantly moving. We need to be like John Wesley who said “the world is my parish.” And Wesley was an Anglican despite claims from the Methodists. He rode over 250,000 miles on horseback to carry the gospel message. I think Col. Sherman T. Potter would have loved Wesley. Remember, the main imperative in the Great Commission is “GO!” The Church on the go needs to take the gospel message to a dark and hurting world. The hurting, in whatever form, fashion or manner, are the ones we need to seek out as we go.

This leads to the second point. The Church should be a M*A*S*H unit. We may need to change the acronym a little. Instead of a “Mobile Army Surgical Hospital” we would be the “Messiah’s Army Spiritual Hospital.” The main objective of the mobile surgical units was to patch up those severely wounded so they could make it to a bigger and better hospital where they would receive the treatment they needed. Those with less severe wounds were patched up and sent back to the front lines. Even self-inflicted wounds are treated with compassion and care. The call the Church possesses should have the same objectives. When people come face-to-face with Jesus Christ – as they should each and every Sunday or other day of the week during a worship service – they will realize the extent of their alienation from him. Much of this alienation, otherwise called sin, is due to our pursuit of our own agenda (self-inflicted wounds) which keep us apart from God. These are the “simple” cases of restoration and renewal. The Church patches them up and send them back to the front lines of life. It is not that the Church puts a Band-Aid on their booboos and sends them back. It is not an “I’m okay, you’re okay” approach. These ailments require heartfelt confession and contrition and true repentance. The Church helps cure the problem, returns people to spiritual health and then returns them back to their unit in the Messiah’s army. Too many churches handle self-inflicted and other wounds much like the incident that got Gen. Patton in hot water. He is reputed as saying that cowards who hurt themselves to get out of the battle should be shot. We, the Church, are not real good at admitting our shortcomings in this area. We tend to shoot our wounded instead of offering healing. Our treatment of these issues needs some recalibration. But that’s not the topic at hand.

The more severe cases take time and effort. There are many maladies that require deep spiritual healing. The efforts of the patient and the healing team to obtain the maximum benefits of therapy are not achieved in a single prayer session or one-time laying on of hands. There is counseling and prayer and deep inner healing required. A whole life of affliction and baggage needs to be dealt with. This requires specialists in that area of healing. These patients need more than the local congregation can usually provide. We need to send them on. More and more people are becoming aware of these spiritual realities and are taking the time and effort to be released from their pain and bondage. Specialists are also training to extend the care needed to release these patients from their afflictions.

The biggest thing I learned from M*A*S*H was from the character Fr. Francis Mulcahy played by William Christopher. He was a quiet Roman Catholic chaplain. But underneath the calm and composed exterior was a strong warrior. While he was a make believe character in a sitcom, his actions and demeanor gave me insight into the role of a priest. Fr. Mulcahy showed that no job was beneath him as he changed bedpans with a song and a smile in one episode. In another, he undertook a dangerous mission to get needed drugs from black market bandits. The mild-mannered priest allowed one soldier to take sanctuary in the mess hall, which was used as the chapel, when the situation arose. He then stood toe to toe with the soldier when he wielded his gun to prevent his being taken back to his unit. The episode that had the most impact on my life and ministry was when Fr. Mulcahy had a discussion with Dr. Hawkeye Pierce. Pierce complained about losing a patient and how much more tragic that was for him than for anything that Fr. Mulcahy was involved in. The dear father responded, “When you lose a patient, they lose their life. When I lose a patient, they lose their immortal soul!” WOW! How is that for a description of ministry? Anyone involved in the ministry who does not have that perspective is missing the point.

I have learned that M*A*S*H is a good model for church. A mobile spiritual hospital is what I think Jesus had in mind. He called us to be mobile, to be on the go to the ends of the earth. Jesus claimed his mission was not to the healthy but to the sick. We follow in his footsteps. Many spiritual afflictions can lead to physical infirmities. Thus we diagnose and respond with the level of care required. And, we do it all with the mindset and attitude of Fr. Mulcahy who knew that souls were on the line with each and every patient. For Fr. Mulcahy knew that losing a patient had eternal consequences. While the television show is still in reruns, I would love to see the Church experiencing these reruns too. Week after week the church reproduces the results that are exemplified in being a M*A*S*H unit, a Messiah’s (mobile) Army Spiritual Hospital: mobilization of the army, healing of soldiers and civilians, and service with a smile andan encouraging word. With a church like this, the Kingdom of God would advance at a great rate and with much success. Praise God!

You Have Permission to Praise!

A funny thing happened at church last Sunday. I usually go to two different churches each week. At the second church they had a new praise and worship leader. He was pretty good but during his leading he said something interesting. He invited everyone to feel free to worship in a manner that made us feel comfortable. If you wanted to raise your hands that was fine, he said. If you wanted to kneel silently that would be okay too. Kneeling is quite difficult in their setting as they are in a theatre building. But it was nice to hear it was okay. As strange as it was to hear it seemed even stranger to be given permission. It made me wonder – hum! – what has the Church (big “C”) done to people – to worshipers – to make it necessary to tell them they have permission to exhibit freedom of expression in worship. I must confess that as Anglicans who are overly @#*%@ (fill in whatever colorful anatomical term that I am loathe to write here) when it comes to doing things “in a fitting and orderly way.” (1 Corinthians 14:40) The King James Version states: “Let all things be done decently and in order.” Either way, Paul must have been an Anglican! I imagine there are many other faith traditions that have placed limits on being expressive during worship. Worshiping “in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24) is interpreted to mean: in a manner acceptable and approved by us.

I suspect that “decently and in order” becomes more valuable and less negotiable the older we get. I am reminded of a scene from the movie “Courageous” when father Adam Mitchell (played by Alex Kendrick) is asked by his daughter Emily (Lauren Etchells) to dance in the bank parking lot. Dad refuses because of the exposure his dancing may generate in such a public setting. He says he was dancing with her in his heart. Later, after Emily is killed in a car accident, Adam is in tears and asks, “Why didn’t I dance with her?” I wonder if our failure to dance with God during church brings tears to his eyes?

When Jesus asked us to have the little children come to him it was because they were uninhibited. They have no adult neurosis, complex or baggage that keeps us adults from freely worshiping Jesus. Read Matthew’s gospel – also Mark and John – and you will read about extravagant worship. (Matthew 26:6-13) It was not only extravagant but it was also costly. Read the story of David dancing before the Ark of the Lord as it was being brought to Jerusalem. (2 Samuel 6:13) When confronted by his wife Michal about his “distinguished” behavior, David replied: “I will become even more undignified than this.” (2 Samuel 6:22) David was not worried about what people thought of his display as long as his heart and body were actively engaged in praising God. Most football games at any level get more exuberant praise for a touchdown than God gets on Sunday mornings!

My first exposure to liturgical dance was at my first Easter service at my the new church I started attending when I moved to Florida. It was a small mission church located in a strip mall. The pews were unmatched and not consistent in length. I had only been attending for a couple of weeks. The bishop was present for this Easter celebration. The bishop was a former Baptist and a former Marine. Liturgical dance was a little out of his comfort zone to say the least! I still remember the mortified look on his face when the ladies performed. I do not remember a thing about their contribution so I cannot comment on it. But I do remember the bishop’s face. I am not sure he considered that “decently and in order.” While he watched, I am not sure he was impressed or moved. And I do not want to blame that on either the Baptist’s or the Marines.

There are many different ways to worship. Different things affect people in different ways. There are some who commune with God in quiet solitude. Others see his face as they are drawn higher through praise music. For some a good pipe organ is all they need. None is necessarily better, nor is any wrong. Many styles can be incorporated into the same worship service. I say this because I am “Unapologetically Anglican” and know that most Anglican worship services offer a variety of settings to foster engagement by the congregation. Join a typical Anglican service and see what I mean. You will encounter an assortment of experiences during any one service. Experience seems to be gaining popularity as many churches now use this term instead of worship or service. The questions is: What are we supposed to experience? Too many people miss the point of worship in the first place. Worship experiences should really be worship encounters. Can you really worship if God is not present? Is there such a thing as faux worship? Can you truly experience “worship” in a godless environment? The answer is emphatically NO! No matter what style floats your boat if you have not come into the presence of the risen Savior you have not worshiped. You may call it whatever you like – experience, worship, or service – but without coming face-to-face with Jesus it is just a waste of time. You could call it a lollapalooza if you want but please do not call it worship. Without God, the service would be like the earth before God spoke life into it. It is 

formless and empty. (Genesis 1:2)

You cannot fake real true worship. You cannot leave church unchanged after worshiping in spirit and in truth, if you have participated wholeheartedly. Loving the Lord with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength (Mark12:30) cannot be a passive activity. It centers on God – who he is and what he has done – and it requires us to move. We move literally and figuratively into God’s presence. If God seems far off, guess who has moved? We need to move back, to engage, to seek his face. I once observed a man with hands held high checking the time on his watch. I had to wonder if he was fully involved in worshiping God. His hands were up but his mind was elsewhere. And, before you chastise and attack me for knowing he was looking at his watch, I admit I probably was not as engaged as I should have been either.

Worship is our personal expression of our love and devotion to Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is done in a public setting that should allow for free flowing moments of intimacy with Jesus. Inhibited worship is not what God requires or approves. Our freedom in Christ allows us to become more undignified in a childlike manner. Being in a congregation that stifles your expression of worship, of your being yourself in front of God, is not doing you any favors. I will offer one caveat here that there is a proper time and place for certain expressions. Liturgical dance would not always work during prayers and singing praises may be considered rude during the sermon. But please find a congregation that allows you the time and space to encounter, to experience, Jesus at some point during the worship service. Whatever fashion or style is valuable to you I give you my permission to demonstrate it. I know of at least two churches where this is possible and acceptable. As the old commercial said: “Try it, you’ll like it!” And God will too!

 

Is Prayer Redundant?

I used to dread praying. I know that sounds ridiculous for a priest – an ordained person in the Church of God - or for anyone calling Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior. I thought prayer was rather redundant. If God knows our needs before we ask (Matthew 6:8), then why bother the Master any longer?  I mean, if He is omnipotent (from Merriam Webster: having unlimited authority or influence), omniscient (possessed of universal or complete knowledge) and omnipresent (present in all places at all times), all at the same time, it would be obvious that our prayers, our requests, intercessions and supplications, would not come to Him as any surprise. I must admit that I had a hard time to see the benefits of prayer until I actively participated in it. It is amazing what results can do to inspire you further.

 My first insight into prayer came when I realized that prayer was a vital part of Jesus’ life. If it was good for Him, and He is the Son of God, how much more could I profit from trying it? Jesus prayed in the morning (Mark 1:35), He prayer during the day (Matthew 14:23) and He prayed all night (Luke 6:12). He would often spend time in prayer after a long day of ministry (Matthew 14:23) and He prayed for strength before He entered into His passion. (Luke 22:44) Because Jesus modeled a life of prayer, His disciples thought it was important to learn how to pray. (Luke 11:2)

What is more, our prayers can help to others. (2 Corinthians 1:11) Paul continually asked for the prayers of the saints for his ministry. (Romans 15:30) Why would he ask if he thought prayer was useless? Scripture also teaches that not praying for someone else is a sin. (1 Samuel 12:23) It would seem that prayer is an integral component to a solid Christian life. That seems obvious but there are still very few Christians for who prayer is not more than a short grace at the evening meal (never in public but only in the privacy of your own home!).

I had to learn about prayer and engage in it to appreciate it. It is true that the more you pray, the more you get from it. I got to the point of asking God every morning to blow my mind that day. He was answering prayer and things were happening. I became like a child being thrown up in the air by an adult. I must brag here because I have done this with many kids. Being of above average height – read not being vertically challenged and never having been lost in a crowd, although I do run into cobwebs nobody else hits – I am able to get kids closer to the ceiling and the ceiling fan far better than most adults. Because of my majestic height, my grandmother and mother until their deaths, and now my wife keep me around to reach the top shelf without a stool or tiptoes. When I hoist kids in the air the first thing I check for is nose bleeds as those kids have never been to those heights before! They get an excited look on their face as they are able to look down on things. They gain a different perspective, a higher perspective. And when you fling them – okay well just lift high and drop – they get very excited about the exhilarating feeling of being free, of almost flying. They also learn to trust as you catch them right before they crash onto the floor. Wee, let’s do it again! One drawback to aging is not being able to do this as often and with as large a child as I once was. But, I digress.  When prayer becomes enjoyable, when God shows up, you will want to say, “Wee, let’s do it again!”

When you catch a child and build that trust, they start trusting you for more. They depend on you. When Paul admonished the Thessalonians (1 Thessalonians 5:17) to “pray continually” (NIV) or “pray without ceasing” (KJV), he was asking something that many people think is an extreme burden. With everything we have to do each day, with all of my duties and responsibilities, all my cares and anxieties, how can we spend that much time in prayer? As a pastor, I have heard all the excuses. The sum of these conclusions is that anything more than one hour on Sunday morning is a demand no one can satisfy. Besides, weren’t prayers offered in church last week? That should be good enough. Living a life of dependence and thanksgiving on God asks the opposite question: “How can I not pray continually to God for all He does and all he provides?”

I remember when I was dating my wife. We would spend hours together talking and getting to know each other. It didn’t hurt that we met at church. We avoided some of the relationship building hassles because we knew what was most important in each of our lives. The more time we spent together, the more time we wanted to spend together. Now, we are spending the rest of our lives together. Our relationship had to build though. We had to work on it and we continue to do so. Any relationship needs to be worked on, worked at to grow. Anything that is not growing is only doing one thing: dying! There is no other option. Spending time in prayer brings us closer to Jesus Christ. It helps give our relationship with Him the solid foundation that will make it thrive. Being a novice in prayer makes one a novice Christian. If you do not work on your relationship with Jesus Christ through prayer, then your relationship is dying and Jesus will not recognize you. We know the results when that happens (Matthew 25:12).

 But more than that, we have the blessed assurance that because of whom Jesus is and what He did, we are praying directly to Him. We do not need to go through any intermediaries or even His mother. We can approach the throne of grace directly. (Hebrews 4:16) There is a confidence in prayers like that.

I have come to appreciate time spent in prayer, time spent in communication with my Lord and Savior. I now know that prayer is not to inform God. It is strengthen and encourage me. I need to pray. I need to spend time with God. I need to thank Him for all He has done in my life and in the lives of those around me. Based on His actions in the past, I can confidently ask for His intervention in the my life and those around me. Now, I look forward to prayer. I know God is listening. I know He wants to spend time with me and me with Him. Lord, blow my mind again. Ask Him! It’s not redundant. Try it; you’ll like it and so will God!

The Cheerful Receiver

One of my favorite John Wayne movies is “McClintock” (1963). It’s not quite the shoot ‘em up flick that the Duke is known for but it has a lot of classic lines. Of course it is set in the old west and there are Indians. Sorry, I’m not trying to be politically incorrect but that is what they were called back then. At one point in the movie, McClintock is asked to speak (translate) for the Comanche chiefs in front of an Indian Commission trying to decide whether to move the whole tribe to Ft. Sill or not. It sets out what I would imagine is a principle of leaders of tribes at that time. I think it also described what “used” to be a philosophy of people in the era just prior to mine. I tried to transcribe while watching the video on YouTube so I hope there are not too many errors. But you can watch the whole movie on YouTube as it is part of the public domain. So, here it is, pilgrim:

            “This that the white man calls charity is a fine thing for widows and orphans but no

            warrior can accept it for if he does, he is no longer a man. He is nothing and better 
            off dead. You say to the Comanche you are widows and orphans, you are not men.
            And, we the Comanche say we would rather be dead. It will not be a remembered
            fight when you kill us because we are few now and have few weapons. But we will
            fight and we will die Comanche.”

Those that we call the “greatest” generation, those who endured and won World War II, used to understand this principle. Many would rather have swept streets, as many did during the Great Depression, than receive charity. Our forefathers and the Comanche lived by Paul’s words from 2 Thessalonians 3:10: “If a man will not work, he shall not eat.” The responsibility for provision for the family was up to the man. Widows and orphans do not have anyone to take care of them and thus can and should accept charity when offered and needed. I am not trying to pick on slackers or those who receive charity. Although I will point out that the government subsidies cannot be considered charity!

One of the profound insights I have gained from being in the ministry runs counter to the aforementioned principle. I am not remarking on the dependency class but on those who occasionally get in a tight spot and need help or are just blessed by others generosity. I think God loves a cheerful receiver too! Here is why. It is hard, when you need or receive charity of any type or form, to accept that which your own efforts and energy have not produced. We hate to admit we needed help. The recent comment by President Obama that “you didn’t build that” irks self-made, self-sufficient people. In giving we tend to take for granted the blessings God has given us. Our superiority in being able to give makes us more content, more able to share. To receive from others tends to make us feel inferior. Yet, in receiving, we should become more aware of the mercies of God, of how he provides and takes care of all our necessities.

Being a cheerful receiver almost feels like we are taking advantage of those who seek to bless us. I used to feel that way. While I am not a Comanche I am a man. The responsibility to take care of my family is my responsibility. I know it’s a guy thing. Men are from Mars and this is a Martian principle. Our pride is hurt when we are not able to do that. It is humbling and drives us to our knees. Yup, there you have it. Being humble is difficult for many people, especially men. There is nothing new in that statement. But Jesus does not call us to be proud. There are times in life when we need to be grateful. Again this is a God thing. We may not like where the charity comes from (someone else), or feel guilty about accepting it (pride), but we are provided for. There are times when we simply need to admit we require help. In many situations, this may lead to soften even the hardest heart. When we receive it gratefully, we model the behavior of Jesus. He allowed a woman of questionable reputation to anoint his feet with oil and wipe them clean with her tears. It was an extravagant gesture and Jesus accepted her gift with gratitude and thankfulness. Others were not as cheerful at her act and they were duly rebuked. (Mark 14:1-9)

When I was in youth ministry a thousand years ago I was given a Christmas gift of cash – please don’t tell the IRS – from a parishioner at the church. She was a grandmother and none of her family attended our church or was part of the ministry. I was a little overwhelmed by the size and generosity of the gift. I complained to the rector that that money could be used for better, more kingdom oriented purposes than giving it to the youth minister. A noble and pious statement if ever there were one! I must admit that I do not remember much of what that man ever said to me and what I do remember never seemed to be encouraging. It suffices to say that he and I very rarely saw eye to eye. But he told me that if I refused this gift I would be denying her the blessing of giving it. She was following Paul’s advice to be a cheerful giver. (2 Corinthians 9:7) It was tremendous blessing to her to be able to do this. She had been blessed and wanted to pass that blessing along to others. I was cut to the quick. Who was I to deny her such a blessing? I learned a valuable lesson that day that I have tried to practice ever since.

I know God has richly blessed me and I want to pass that blessing on. But I also want to be able to bless others when they cheerfully want to give to me. In the end, it is not about me but about what God has enabled them to do. Through it, we all give glory to God for his being ready, willing and able to provide for all our needs because he is a God who will meet all our needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:19) As the Comanche say, “charity is a fine thing for widows and orphans but no warrior can accept it for if he does, he is no longer a man.” I still tend to believe that. Yet, I have been convinced that, at times, being a man means accepting the fact that you need help and in receiving you are allowing others to be blessed by blessing you. While I don’t want to be dependent on the government or other people, I want to thank God for those people who have blessed me in their giving. You were cheerful in giving and I am cheerful in receiving. I thank God for you because of your generous actions I have become more aware of God mercies. It’s a hard lesson but without it how can we ever be cheerful for what Jesus has given us?