Our Jesus, the Rich Man, and Lazarus (with Audio)

(Click here for the audio)

“Once there was a rich man,” Jesus says again. This time he is not talking to his disciples like he was when he told the parable of the dishonest manager. This time he is talking to the money-loving church folk, the Pharisees, and they are upset at him for his previous comments about the dishonest manager. He turns his attention to them fully and says, “There once was a rich man, and he put on his tux and stiff shirt, and staged a big affair every day. And there was laid at his gate a poor guy by the name of Lazarus, full of sores, and so hungry he wanted to fill up on the rich man’s table scraps. On top of this, the dogs came and licked his sores.

“It so happened that the poor fellow died, and the angels seated him at the table with Abraham. The rich man died, too, and was buried. And in the hereafter, the rich man, in great agony, looked up and saw from afar Abraham, and Lazarus sitting beside him at the table. So he shouted to him, ‘Mr. Abraham, please take pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the end of his finger in some water and rub it over my tongue, because I’m scorching in this heat.’

“Abraham replied, ‘Boy, you remember that while you were alive you got the good things (the good jobs, schools, streets, houses, etc.), while at the same time Lazarus got the left-overs. But now, here he’s got it made, and you’re scorching. And on top of all this, somebody has dug a yawning chasm between us and you, so that people trying to get through from here to you can’t make it, neither can they get through from there to us.’

“The rich man said, ‘Well, then, Mr. Abraham, will you please send him to my father’s house, for I have five brothers; let him thoroughly warn them so they won’t come to this hellish condition.’

“Then Abraham said, ‘They’ve got Moses and the prophets; let them listen to them.’

“But he said, ‘No, they won’t do that, Mr. Abraham. But if somebody will go to them from the dead, they’ll change their ways!’

“He replied, ‘Well, if they won’t listen to Moses and the prophets, they won’t be persuaded even if someone does get up from the dead.’” (Luke 16:19-31. The Cotton Patch Gospel).

It needs to be said the parable of the rich man and Lazarus is not about the afterlife. Jesus is not asked a question about the afterlife. In fact he is not asked a question about anything. He hears the groaning of the Pharisees, who, Luke writes, love money. Jesus tells them, “You people make yourselves look pretty in public, but God knows your hearts. And what is highly valued among men is detestable in God’s sight.” (Luke 16: 14-15. TCPG).  So the parable is not about heaven and hell but about something else. Something of greater importance, a warning.

The rich man learns that death comes very democratically. One day he is dining in luxury and the next he is taking an eternal dirt nap. He dies just as Lazarus does; yet Lazarus is carried away to Abraham while the rich man falls into the pit of hades. The rich man begs Abraham for just a drop of water to cool his tongue, and Abraham reminds him of the vast springs he enjoyed in his life thanks to his wealth.

“Boy,” Abraham says, “You remember that while you were alive you got the good things (the good jobs, schools, streets, houses, etc.), while at the same time Lazarus got the left-overs. But now, here he’s got it made, and you’re scorching.” We are not told the specific reason or deed as to why the rich man is in hell and why Lazarus is at Abraham’s table. We just know Jesus is telling the money loving Pharisees that those who have it made it in this life will not have it made in the next. Likewise, those suffering in this world, who are left to eat from their scraps, like Lazarus, will not suffer as they did, in the next.

Skipping over the specific deed or wrong of the rich man and the good of Lazarus, Jesus tells us that the rich man pleaded with Abraham to raise Lazarus from the dead so his brothers might know the fate which awaits them. Abraham tells him that his brothers have the law (Moses) and the prophets to listen to, and here we discover that neither the rich man nor his brothers have listened to Moses and the prophets. If they wouldn’t listen to the seventy-five or so commands in the Law or the one-hundred and fifteen or so commands of the prophets concerning how the wealthy are to treat the poor, widowed, orphaned, or foreigner, then why on earth would they believe the word of the risen beggar at their gates?

Jesus places the money loving Pharisees in predicament. Who do they wish to be identified with now? The rich man who had all the luxuries in this life and suffered in the next or with the poor Lazarus who suffered in this life and feasted at the table of Abraham. Are they going to continue to love their wealth and power or are they going to love their neighbor as their selves? They know how clear Moses and the prophets are about issues of justice and assistance for the poor. Jesus is once again pointing towards the actions required at the coming of the kingdom are the actions God always wanted from humans.

In the parable, Jesus does not vilify wealth nor does he suggest that poverty is a gift from God, but a problem. A problem which is often the result of abuse and sin by numerous people, and needs relieving. While wealth may indeed be a blessing of God and the result of hard work, sit reminds us, “Prosperity is a veil for many evils” (Guy, Laurie. “The Interplay of the Present and the Future in the Kingdom of God: Luke 19:11-14,” TynBul 48: 119-37). What the parable attacks is a particular kind of wealth, the kind of wealth that does not see the poverty or suffering at the gates.

Which leads me to a little congregation Bible game. I’ll ask a series of questions and you answer with your best guess. How many books make up the Bible? (66, 39 OT, 27). Now, these next few can be answered in with approximate numbers: How many verses are in the sixty-six books? (31,173). Now of those 31,173 verses how many contain the word abortion (0)? How many verses are about homosexuality (6)? How many are about baptized communion (0)? How many verses contain the word hell, not counting the Hebrew word Sheol since the word means pit or grave (22)? How many contain the word heaven? (600). How many times is the kingdom of God mentioned (68)? How many times is divorce mentioned (roughly more than a dozen)? How many times is the word love used in the Bible (500-700)? Last one, how many verses are about caring for the poor, the orphaned, the widow, the foreigner, and justice (3479)?

With that knowledge, I wish to share with you some more numbers from a recent census. In King and Queen County approximately 10.90% of the population and 7.80% of families are below the poverty line. Out of the total people living in poverty, 8.10% are under the age of 18 and 14.80% are 65 or older. There were 2,673 households out of which 26.80% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 52.60% were married couples living together, 13.50% had a female householder with no husband present, 11.00% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. Which means not only are 8.10% of teenagers and children living in poverty, but 13.5% are fatherless. And, not only 14.80% of adults 65 or older living in poverty, approximately 11% of them are living by themselves. Our county high school ranks 278 out of 313 in Virginia and while it holds a 65% graduation rate that means 35% of our community teenagers will not graduate high school; and 54.9% of the students qualify for either reduced or free lunch.

Those numbers barely break the tip of the iceberg of the kinds of suffering taking place in our community. There is suffering all around our church walls, some that we can see and tally, and some we cannot.  We may be able to see some of the physical suffering around us but what of the spiritual and mental suffering? What about those who are struggling with depression, bipolar disorders, or those fighting the demonic voices in their heads, urging them to take their own life? (Suicide ranks as the 3^rd leading cause of death in Virginia among 10-24 year olds). What about the families suffering through trials of cancer or trials of loss and anguish? What about the children who have to tuck themselves in at night and dress themselves in the morning for school? What about the struggles of the single parent raising their children on the income of a part time salary? What about the struggles of parents raising children who are suffering the effects of cancer, polio, or any of the numerous diseases that have invaded the innocent bodies of their lives?  What about the vast struggles of marriages and the effects divorce has on the husband, the wife, and the children?

What about…

We do not need to go far to see suffering, indeed it is inside our very church door and seated within our church pews. To ignore such suffering around us is to sing “Were You There” and not tremble. To ignore such suffering is to deny the promise of our baptism in these very waters. To ignore such suffering is to deny the very presence of Christ in their lives. Someone once told me that the chasm between the suffering and the blessed is too great but I do not think they know our Jesus. You see, our Jesus’ reach expands across chasm upon chasm. If they believe the chasm is too great for Jesus, then they don’t know Jesus.

Let me tell you about our Jesus…Our Jesus knows no boundaries. Our Jesus knows no chasms. Our Jesus can be found everywhere, even in our schools. Our Jesus is sitting beside the student struggling to get the answer right. Our Jesus is standing next to the student being bullied because they’re different. Our Jesus wanders the halls without a hall pass. Our Jesus sits in the empty desk next the lonely kid. Our Jesus knows no lock door, no hidden stairwell. Our Jesus carries our teachers when they are weary.

Yes, let me tell you about our Jesus. Our Jesus spent his time with thieves, liars, prostitutes, lepers, the paralyzed, the possessed, the weak, as well as the money loving Pharisees. Our Jesus is able to cross the vast borders of life and death. Our Jesus made the blind man see. Our Jesus set the possessed man free. Our Jesus told the woman her daughter was just asleep. Our Jesus made the woman stand up straight. Our Jesus cured the lepers. Our Jesus told the man to pick up his mat. Our Jesus told the woman her sins were forgiven. Our Jesus opened the tomb and told Lazarus, “Come out!” Our Jesus welcomed the little children. Our Jesus fed the five thousand. Our Jesus walked on water. Our Jesus calmed the storm. Our Jesus told the criminal that he would be in paradise with him. Our Jesus forgave his enemies. Our Jesus died on a cross. Our Jesus was buried in a borrowed tomb. Our Jesus rose from the dead. Our Jesus doesn’t know a chasm he can’t cross.

Yes. Let me tell you about our Jesus for he is speaking clearly, “Out there, out there hidden in the trees beyond your farms and homes, sits wretched Lazarus. Go to them. Love them, feed them, clothe them, and give them something to drink, let them know I am not some distant savior. Let them know I am beside them and I love them, just as I love you.”

Creative Dishonesty Resurrecting

The Parable of the Dishonest Manager

Audio here

I am not entirely sure what to do with this parable. I know that’s not what you want to hear your pastor say but this parable has me stumped. It is not that this parable has never been written on or studied, in fact it is the opposite. There are more scholarly interpretations on this complex story than there are on some of Paul’s letters. In one of my books, there were 15 suggested interpretations alone. I guess I could have just picked one of those fifteen and preached from that perspective but none seemed to fit our specific context and I believe our messages should, in the very best way possible, be tailor made to our context.

I preface with that honesty to simply say, I think I landed on something late last night that fits our context. I could be wrong and it might get me kicked out of the academic circles but I think it holds true to the text and to our context.

In the parable of the dishonest manager we have a manager who is about to be fired for mismanaging his bosses funds. We are not told how he mismanaged the funds or where the funds disappeared too. He might have taken on the job claiming to have great skills as an accountant but really didn’t know a thing. Whatever the reason, the rich man either fires him or is about to fire him, thus the manager decides to go into business for himself. Since he is apparently too lazy to bale hay and he’s too proud to beg, he summons his master’s debtors one by one and makes a deal with them. He settles their accounts for less than what they owe. Some suggest all he is doing is taking off the interest of the loan, still he positions himself to secure favors from his new friends when the boss returns with his pink slip.

By reducing their debts, he not only secures himself a favor or a job, he also places his boss in a bit of a bind. The boss commends the dishonest manager for his shrewdness but what else can he really do? He cannot go to his debtors and demand the money that was erased from the debt, for if he did, he would be seen as a liar and a fool. However, the manager also helps his boss by giving the people the impression that he is a man piety and a man of charity. It is as if Bob Cratchit went through the books on Christmas Eve and forgave the interest on the loans owed to Ebenezer Scrooge. As much as Scrooge dislikes Christmas and loves his money, he would not be able to fire Cratchit for Cratchit had shown mercy in Scrooge’s name. To demand the interest would shame Scrooge and cost him business in the long run.

Verses 9-10 trip us preachers up. We’re not sure what to do with his words of wisdom to his disciples to make friends by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes. The statement is heavy and suggests Jesus is giving us permission to make friends by dishonest means or perhaps make our wealth by dishonest means but I seriously doubt Jesus would approve of the wealth many have made in the form of their Ponzi schemes or raises they gave themselves with the bailouts a few years ago. No, I think Jesus would not approve that; however he might have approved the use of that dishonest wealth if financial managers and CEOs didn’t give themselves bonuses but their workers bonuses. If they used that money to pay off the debts of their workers or used it wisely instead of using it to fly to the Bahamas for a corporate retreat.

Exactly what does that have to do with us? Well, I think it has something to do with the resurrection. On Easter Sunday we all get ourselves prettified. We find our best suit, our best tie, our best dress, our best hat, our best shoes, and we dress ourselves all up and look like we’re all kinds of dignified folk. We come to church and we sing about how up from the grave he arose and how one day Jesus is going to come and take us up to heaven. It’s all very nice and we look very nice and most of us smell very pretty but that’s not what the resurrection is all about. As Clarence Jordan says, “God didn’t raise Jesus from the dead to prove he could raise a few cankerous saints.” God raised Jesus from the dead for a different purpose.

You see, we crucified Jesus. I am not speaking in some spiritual or figurative sense about how our sin placed Jesus up on the cross. I am speaking literally. We, the good church folk, crucified Jesus. When Jesus came we didn’t like having God around. It was a bad place for God to be. It was like having the preacher hang out at the local tavern. We felt uncomfortable having him around. I think we (the church) were (are) the boss in this story and Jesus was our dishonest manager who spent his time off eating with the sinners, tax collectors, and prostitutes so we crucified him. We nailed him to the cross saying, “You go back home, God! Don’t you mess around down here. We have to watch our language too much with you around. We have to watch our bank accounts too much when you’re looking over our shoulder. And we have to be too careful on a Saturday night when we’re hitting the bottle too heavy. Now you, you go back home, back to where you belong and be a good God, and we’ll see you at eleven o’clock on Sunday morning.” (Jordan, Clarence. “The Humanity of God”, The Substance of Faith and Other Cotton Path Sermons. Pg. 25-26).

We crucified God because God mismanaged our church funds.

Like the dishonest manager, God showcases a bit of dishonesty by raising Jesus from the dead. Death is supposed to be the finale, the end, and God decides to trick us, church folk, by raising Jesus from the dead. By doing so, God is refusing to take our No for an answer. He’s saying, “You can kill my boy if you wish, but I’m going to raise him from the dead, and put him right smack dab down there on earth again!” It’s God saying, “I’m not going to take man’s No for an answer. I’m going to raise him up, plant his feet on the earth, and put him to preaching, teaching, and healing again.” (Jordan, Clarence. “The Humanity of God”, The Substance of Faith and Other Cotton Path Sermons. Pg. 25-26).

The resurrection of Jesus was simply God’s unwillingness to fire Jesus as our manager. He raised Jesus, not as invitation to heaven when we die, but as a declaration that He Himself has now established permanent, eternal residence on earth. The resurrection places Jesus on this side of the grace, here and now, in the midst of this life.

At Joyce Turner’s funeral this past Tuesday I shared this story: Last year I went to visit Joyce in the hospital after the doctors gave her little time to live. I stood at her bedside and she kept talking about this man who was coming in and out of the door. The problem was, there wasn’t a door or man where she said there was. I asked her if she recognized the man, if she knew him. She said she did. I asked her what he is wanting from her. She told me, “He wants me to go with him.” I replied, “Do you want to go with him.” She sternly shook her head no and I said we would ask him to wait a while until she was ready.

Death is hard. No matter how democratic it is, no matter at what age it comes, it is hard. It is hard to lose someone you love:  your wife, your father, mother, daughter, or son, or uncle, or aunt, or friend. Death is hard and it is hard reality to face. In that moment though I realized Joyce was not alone. She was surrounded by her family, and she would spend the next year surrounded by the love and care of her family, friends, neighbors, caretakers and Warner (who to my knowledge never left her side, except for a few weeks due to a pacemaker issue); yet even when they would leave or change shifts, or the family had to go back and forth to the hospital while Warner was getting treatment, I knew she was never alone.

I believe, with all my heart, Jesus was in the room with her. Sitting beside her, offering words of comfort and hope. I believe he abided by her and by her family until she finally took her last breathe and awoke in his presence. I truly believe that.”

Jesus is not standing on the shore of eternity beckoning us to join him there. He is standing beside us, strengthening us in this life. The good news of the resurrection of Jesus is not that we shall die and go home with him, but that he has risen and comes home with us. But he doesn’t come here alone. He comes to this place bringing all of his hungry, naked, thirsty, sick, and imprisoned friends with him.

And, in the past, we have said, “Jesus, we’d be glad to have you, but all these motley friends of yours, you had better send them home. You come in and we’ll have some fried chicken. But you get your sick, naked, cold friends out of here. We don’t want them getting the carpet all dirty.”

The resurrection is simply God’s way of saying to man, “You might reject me if you will, but I’m going to have the last word. I’m going to put my son right down there in the midst of you and he’s going to dwell among you from here on out.” (Jordan, Clarence. “The Humanity of God”, The Substance of Faith and Other Cotton Path Sermons. Pg. 25-26).

In that way God becomes like the dishonest manager by securing his place among us through the dishonest means of using his wealth, his power to raise Jesus up, and forever changing the church. And the world needs to know that. There are people in need, wanting to know that Jesus is not off on some distant shore waiting but here in our midst suffering with us, loving us, and strengthening us as we tread through the murky muddy waters of life.  By raising Jesus from the dead, we, like the rich man, are left with no choice but to proclaim such news to those in desperate need; for if we don’t, if we choose not to proclaim such a truth, then we shame God, calling him a liar, and nailing him once again to the cross.

And God is not a liar.

So what does this parable have to do with us?

Well, on the morning of the resurrection, God put life in the present tense, not in the future. He gave us not a promise but a presence. Not a hope for the future but power for the present. Not so much the assurance that we shall live someday but that he is risen today! Jesus’ resurrection is not to convince the skeptical nor to reassure the fearful, but to enkindle the believers. The proof that God raised Jesus from the dead is not the empty tomb, but the full hearts of his transformed disciples. The crowning evidence that he lives is not a vacant grave, but a spirit-filled community of faith. Not a rolled-away stone, but a carried-away church. (Jordan, Clarence. “The Humanity of God”, The Substance of Faith and Other Cotton Path Sermons. Pg. 25-26).

And, if my eyes have observed correctly, we are on the road to becoming a carried-away church. We are no longer a place concerned about protecting what is ours but a place concerned about the entire lives, both the spiritual and physical, of our families. We are church. Let’s continue to be carried-away.

A Basket of Summer Fools

As I read Amos’ disturbing prophecy and Jesus’ unsettling parable of the rich fool, an equally upsetting question was spoken to me: “Why do so many white ministers leave seminary called to serve the poor only to abandon that call to be paid by the wealthy?”

I immediately threw my bible away and went in search for a kinder, gentler interpretation. Alas I did not find one. So I did what almost every minister my age does, I posted my question to twitter. I had two wonderful and very different conversations, of course neither really were able to fully answer the question. It is a hard question for me because I am deeply a part of this question. I constantly hear from others, "Invoke change but make sure you can get paid." Over the past 7 years since beginning and ending seminary I have watched others I went to school with proclaim a very challenging gospel that railed against the wealthy and remembered the poor. Several went on to be missionaries for a few years advocating for the end of abusive power structures and an end to modern-day slavery. Several also went out and began working directly with the poor in real meaningful ways. As time went on and funding disappeared things changed.

When the funding disappeared for several missionaries they cried victim and tearfully packed their bags and left a place they believed whole heartedly called to serve. Eventually they found their way back to America, accepted a position at an upper-middle class white church, and bought home, a car, a motorcycle, kayaks, and a whole host of other "American" ideals while still railing against the power structures.

Why didn't they stay?

I know there are numerous reasons and I understand those reasons while understanding those reasons to be complicated; however the question comes to mind, "Why not stay? Why not become just like the people who you were helping, to live as they do, to work as they do, and to really be a part of their lives? Why come back embracing the lifestyle you once called immoral? Why not stay?”

Amos speaks to an unjust system of which we stand in our pulpits and preach against while taking the “bribe” and profiting from that unjust system. Amos and Jesus are urging ministers to speak from a position of poverty and lowliness instead of one from a position of power and wealth. When we wish to speak prophetically from a position of power we are limited in how prophetic we can be; we can only be as prophetic as the budget giving allows. Our prophetic pastoral voice is neutered and controlled by our desires for security and comfort, as we believe we have earned the right to enjoy.

The question, “Why do so many white ministers abandon their call to serve the poor?” is answered by the false notion that the pastor must be able to make a living as a pastor. We give up a portion of our prophetic voice when we take on a paid full-time ministerial position for when we speak out against the powerful, against the majority, we will find ourselves on the outside, possibly jobless. We believe the church is a place where everyone is supposed to get along and you can speak of God’s movement without ever taking your place on the cross. Even though Jesus clearly says that’s impossible, twice.

It is why we seek churches that believe and act just like we do. If a church’s theological understanding of scripture, mission, and Jesus fits into ours we have the freedom to speak openly against “the majority” even though the majority we are speaking to would be the minority in our context. It is not prophetic pastoral speech if the majority of the people who hear it agree and give us a raise. That’s called preaching to the choir. Prophetic pastoral speech, unfiltered prophetic pastoral speech carries with it only one guarantee: the cross and a set of nails.

And we are deeply afraid of that guarantee. We leave seminary embracing our cross until the day comes we are nailed to it, then we call ourselves victims and quit the church.

That is why we must learn how to preach from a position of poverty or a position of servitude in our Christian faith communities. By doing so we then become free to be nailed to the cross we carry for the burden of security in wealth has been removed. We no longer become afraid of the cross Jesus tells us we must carry, instead we lovingly embrace it for we know it brings new life.

Michael Graves writes, “What if we have misunderstood prophetic preaching, and not just in ancient Israel? What if we have defined it too narrowly for our day, made a caricature of it in the process? In her new book, Prophetic Preaching, Nora Tisdale paraphrases Walter Brueggemann’s description of the prophet’s task as “perceiving the world as God sees it and having our hearts break over the things that break God’s heart.” Prophetic preaching entails speaking the very agenda of God.”

We struggle with our prophetic pastoral voice because we have been conditioned to believe our pastoral voice and prophetic voice are separate; yet that is not the case. In fact it is furthest from the truth. Our pastoral voice is in which the prophetic voice speaks. Do we not understand when we preach from the scriptures we are speaking prophetically? We are speaking to God’s agenda. When we speak of a messiah who showed us how to love unconditionally, was crucified and raised from the dead, we are speaking prophetically because we are sharing God’s movement and inviting others to join that movement. Do we not realize when we sit with the dying and with great hope say, “This is not the end. Your seat at the banquet table is waiting for you.” we are speaking the prophetic voice that death no longer has its evil sting? We cannot have a pastoral voice without our prophetic voice nor can we have a prophetic voice without our pastoral voice.

Why are we afraid? Why do we lack the courage to embrace our prophetic pastoral role?

If I were to guess, with the help of social media, I would suggest we are afraid of losing what is ours. We have become the rich fool Jesus speaks against, for we have cultivated a Church culture which for a short time prospered and we built our buildings so that we could hoard our ‘goods’, our people, and live off what we had “earned”. Now as our pews are becoming empty and budgets are struggling to be made and ministers are losing their jobs, we have turned our attention to how we can once again prosper. So our prophetic pastoral voice has become one concerned with trends and millennialist.

We post our articles about why millennialist are leaving the church, each one claiming to speak a need for change in the church culture; yet these articles do not speak to a change in thought or change in practice but a change in how we protect what is ours. I believe our concern about why millennialist are leaving the church is, deep down in places we do not talk about at parties, about why a bunch of middle-upper middle class white kids in their twenties are no longer going to church. We are not concerned with why we still worship separately from our black brothers and sisters, our Hispanic brothers and sisters, or our brothers and sisters of other races and cultures. We are not concerned with truly helping free the poor, or the oppressed, or heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, feed the hungry, or give a drink to the thirsty. We are not concerned about them because they can’t afford to pay us.

While others are being enslaved, abused, or fall further into addictions, as children sit abandoned by parents (43% grow up without a father), or dropout of high school because they’ve been told they weren’t good enough (73% of dropouts come from fatherless homes), and our economic system continues to keep people on welfare, we sit in our lawn chairs saying to ourselves, “If we can just get those good white millennialist folk back in our churches, then we can focus on the Jesus stuff.”

We have become a summer basket of rich fools. We have lost our courage. We have lost our prophetic pastoral voice. We have given over to what Martin Luther King Jr. calls the drum major instinct. We have given ourselves over to the desires for wealth, power, and control.  By giving ourselves over to such desires we will do whatever it takes to maintain what is ours. During our most recent election season the following amounts were spent: The presidential candidates spent nearly $1 billion on television ads and other campaign advertisements. The men who ran for our district's congressional seat raised close to $1 million for their advertisements to be elected. Several Christian organizations gave close $600 million for advertisements to try and get someone elected. Let us ask ourselves this serious question: Could that 1.7 billion dollars have been given to a better use? Could that amount of money gone to organizations like Habitat for Humanity or countless other organizations who work to ease the worries for the homeless, the hungry, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned? Could that amount of money gone to something that is more important than an election? That’s a lot of money to maintain the status quo.

If Jesus is right and where we store our treasures is where our heart is also, then we must admit we have become fools whose hearts are not set on God’s movement, for we no longer look to the birds or to the tiger lilies to see how God provides. We have placed our faith in the power of men and in the power of wealth in hopes they will provide for us, ministers, a lush home on the golf course with a balcony to put our feet up and relax as others tee off. We are striving for things of the nation, things of this world, and not for things of the kingdom.

There is good news though, if we can transform our minds and hearts from a position of power, stature, control, and wealth, to a position of poverty and humility. I believe the good news is in ministers fully imitating the humility of Jesus from a position of poverty. What I mean by that is what Henri Nouwen calls the descending way of Jesus. Paul writes that we are to imitate Jesus just as the writer of Hebrews suggests we are to fixate our eyes on Jesus because he is our perfector, our forerunner of the faith. Nouwen writes, “In his servanthood God does not disfigure himself, he does not take on something alien to himself, he does not act against or in spite of his divine self. On the contrary, it is his servanthood that God chooses to reveal himself as God to us.” (Nouwen, Henri, Show Me the Way pg. 63).

When we speak of poverty, we are not using it in terms of a person’s economic situation. Remember the poor are never told they are virtuous (neither are the wealthy) instead they are told theirs is the kingdom. So they are blessed not because of what they do not have but by what they will have. A position of poverty for us then becomes a position in which we preach from with humility in truth and grace. It is a position that challenges those in our midst knowing all the while we the minister are being challenged most of all. We are not excused from the harsh words of Amos or the foolishness of the rich man, and we must allow the words to penetrate our hearts and transform us, for God is not just speaking to them, God is speaking deeply to us as well. If we can alter our belief of what ministry is and what church is from a place which functions as a system of power, wealth, and control to a functioning system of poverty, humility, and the cross, I believe we will see a greater change in the church system than any that could from power, wealth, or control.

If we can learn to preach, minister, and live from a position of poverty, humility, and lowliness we can fully embrace our prophetic pastoral role for we no longer have the fear of “what do I have to lose”. Instead we have the joy of generosity and hope, so we are able to give more, to speak more honestly and in greater tenderness than before because we are speaking from the downward pull of Jesus. Instead of fearing the cross, we embrace it, as Jesus does, because we see it as a part of our lives not as a consequence of our actions. Meaning when we are nailed to the cross for speaking the light of God into the dark world, we do not hang there as victims. Instead we hang there knowing this comes with the ordination of the minister.

Jesus tells his disciples to be as wise as serpents and as gentle as doves. Often we have come to interpret those words from a prophetic pastoral perspective as, “Choose wisely the place you wish to make your last stand.” However, from a position of poverty and humility, we are able to reimagine in way that stays true to the nature of Christ, the nature we are called to emulate. At this moment we may be a summer basket of fools; yet God offers hope in the form of a downward lifted up Jesus, whom we are called to follow and imitate.

I’ll close with excerpt from King’s sermon, “A Tough Mind and Tenderheart”:

“At times we (the minister and congregation) need to know that the Lord is a God of justice. When slumbering giants of injustice emerge in the earth, we need to know that there is a God who can cut the giants down like the grass and leave them withering like the Greek herb. When our most tireless efforts fail to stop the surging sweep of oppression, we need to know that in this universe is a God whose matchless strength is a fit contrast to the sordid weakness of humanity. But there also times when we need to know that God possess love and mercy. When we are staggered by the chilly winds of adversity and battered by the raging storms of disappointment and when through our folly and sin we stray into some destructive far country and are frustrated because of a strange feeling of homesickness, we need to know that there is Someone who loves us, cares for us, understands us, and will give us another chance. When days grow dark and nights grow dreary, we can be thankful our God combines in his nature a creative synthesis of love and justice that will lead us through the life’s dark valleys and into sunlit pathways of hope and fulfillment.” (King Jr. Martin Luther. “A Tough Mind and a Tenderheart”, Strength to Love pg. 9).

Amen

There Once Was a Party

Lately the talk around the minister water-cooler has been all about the millennialist trend within the church. The focus is always on why they are leaving the church. Notice the word leaving. Leaving implies they had some relationship with the church through either attending with family or friends, on their own, or through another source. I take that to mean they, like so many do, became upset about something happening or not happening in the church so they are leaving or they left.

In an article by Rachel Held Evans, a list of reasons was given as to why they are leaving the church. The list is interesting and good but as I read it, I find myself in the minority on it's challenge. I feel the wrong people are being challenged.

You see, if millennialist attended any of my friend's churches in which they minister, they would find most of her items on her list are indeed checked off. My friends are challenging their congregations to live holy lives by discovering and living out their call as followers of Christ. They would find an allegiance to the kingdom of God and not to a party or flag. They would find Jesus if they simply took a moment and looked. But they are a part of a culture that has forgotten how to look hard and look beyond the scars and tragedies of those in their midst. All they have to do is look and they will find a church of numerous denomination's, all of whom are living out those "items" she lists.

In that spirit, I challenged any who agreed with her article to come and spend a week ministering with me in my context. I challenged that not only would they find these items being met day and day out by people who are doing their very best to live as one who follows Christ; but they would find a generation in desperate need of more than what this trend can provide.

None accepted my challenge.

Of course, while they can find the church they are looking for, all they have to do is look and they will find ones that do not as well, and there I suspect is the real issue.

I am not a sociologist or culturist or researcher but I am a minister and this is my observation. We have entered, as my friend Adj says, a new paradigm in which (he'll have to correct me because I know I am going to misspeak) we are shifting out of the modern/post-modern paradigm into one that is not yet fully defined. He suggests what is important in the new paradigm is dialogue and acceptance of the experience in life of another. Meaning, my experiences have shaped how I interpret or read as your experiences shape you; yet we must be able to dialogue through those experiences in order to better understand one another.

At least that is what I believe he tells me every time we get into a Twitter conversation. Which one of the many reasons I love him dearly.

Back to my point.

As I read the list, I found myself not amening but asking a question with one word: And?

The article and the article that followed in which Evans spells out why they cannot leave the church does not answer my question, and?

And how do you propose ministers relay this information to their congregations?

And how are you going to address it? From another blog?

And how does this information help bring about the kingdom of heaven?

And how does this help the poor, the oppressed, the hungry, the sick, the lost, the abandoned, the unloved, the thirsty, the naked, or the imprisoned?

And where is the challenge to the millennialist to stay in the church and help reform from within?

A couple of years ago, CM Punk's contract was up in the WWE and he did not want to leave but he did not want to re-sign either. He wanted to change the system but felt it would be best to change it by leaving. A friend told him (I'm paraphrasing): If you want to change the system you cannot change it from your couch.

I remembered those words when I read the articles on milliennialist and the church. A certain age group, upset with the church culture, took their cue from other generations, and leaves and will not return until the church is made "right". This argument is one I hear on a daily basis in congregational ministry. So-So is upset and will not come back to church until the pastor's fired. So-So is upset at Mary Lou and will not come back to church until she leaves or apologizes. The examples go on and on. So when I read the reasons why milliennialist are leaving the church I become frustrated because they are, in reality, no different than their predecessors.

The lack of grace and forgiveness is evident in their own lives as they claim is evident in others. They are just like their father's generation.

I know I am in the minority when it comes to this trend and I have not even began to mention the racial and class aspect of this trend (mostly white middle to upper middleclass), but I simply do not understand why this is the issue it has become. I do not understand why ministers who bash the church and leave it gladly allow the church to ordain them or pay them. I do not understand the selfishness of believers who leave their faith communities and make ungracious demands before they return. I simply do not understand this and I am not sure I will.

It reminds me of a story I once heard:

There was this young teenager. One day she decided to throw a great party and invited all her friends. She invited everyone she knew. Word got around town about the people she invited. The seniors did not want to come because the freshman had been invited, so they rejected the invitation saying, "We cannot come because we have a graduation meeting to attend." The juniors did not want to come because the seniors were not going to be there, so they too rejected the invitation saying, "We have college visits to make." The freshman were excited to receive an invitation but upon hearing the anger of the seniors felt uninvited. Having received their invitation to the party, the sophomores rejected the invitation as well, writing to the host: "We would attend your party but since you invited the seniors, and they rejected because of the freshmen, and the juniors rejected because the seniors were not attending, thus exiling the freshmen, a group which decided not to attend for that reason, we too must decline your invitation. We will not take part in a party with such hypocrisy." They did promise to attend if she confronted the seniors and juniors. They however were just going to have their own party and invite the freshmen.

Frustrated and angry, she told her mom, "That's it. Invite all the kids from across town. Invite all the kids from the orphanage, and the shelters. Invite all the kids from at the recovery centers, from the parks, from the ghettoes, and slums. And, because our house will still not be filled, go and bring in every kid from the Y, the annex, and the hospital. Go and invite every single kid who cannot see or hear; or walk, or drive. Invite every single kid who has been exiled for their autism, down syndrome, or any other illness defined as socially unacceptable. Invite every single kid who has been abandoned, forsaken, abused, and unloved. Go and invite every single one you meet. We will fill this house and none of the seniors or juniors or sophomores will ever taste this cake or drink this punch for they rejected my invitation."

I think of that story, told a little different in Luke, and I fully understand why I do not understand this trend.

The 1 Percenters & The Other 99ers

“Now all the tax collectors and sinner were gathering around him to listen. And the church people and Sunday school teachers were raising cain, saying, “This fellow associates with sinners and eats with them.” So Jesus gave them this comparison:

“Is there a person among you who, if he has a hundred sheep and loses one of them, will not leave the ninety-nine in the pasture and go hunt for the lost one? And when he finds it, he joyfully puts it on his shoulders, and goes home with it. He calls over to his friends and neighbors, “Hey, y’all, I found my lost sheep! Isn’t that wonderful?” I’m telling you, in the same way there’ll be more joy among the spiritually sensitive ones over a single “outsider” who reshapes his life than over the ninety-nine “righteous people who don’t need to change their ways.”

”Or suppose a woman has ten dimes and loses one of them; won’t she get the flashlight and a broom and sweep and look carefully till she finds it? And when she does find it, she calls over to her friends and neighbors and says, “Hey, y’all, you know that dime I lost? Well, I found it. Isn’t that nice?” In the same way, I tell you, there’s a rejoicing on the part of God’s faithful ones over a single “outsider” who reshapes her life.” (Luke 15:1-10 Cotton Patch Gospel).

It is easy to get lost sometimes, even in places you’ve been a hundred times. You are traveling along, focused, and without ever realizing it, you have missed your turn and end up lost in the deep forest of Endor or Mirkwood or as my brother would say, in Oklahoma. The same can be said of one’s spiritual life and that is what I would like to talk about with us this morning. I would like to talk about three different types of “being lost”.

1) Not all who wander are lost

Our story this morning picks up as Jesus is having dinner with the tax collectors and sinners (people he shouldn’t be having dinner with) and the people he should have been having dinner with, all the good God fearing folk, were upset at him. How dare he eat or associate with such people! Doesn’t he know better?

Jesus hears their murmuring and responds with three different parables about the lost. The first of a sheep that wanders from the herd and the shepherd must go and find it. He leaves behind the 99 and goes after the one. He looks far and wide for this little lamb until it is found. Typically when we hear this parable we think of those who are not with us, those who have wandered off and gotten lost or those who have not yet joined. In the shallow end of the pool, this interpretation works, but as we swim further out we begin to see our first type of “being lost”.

In the first book of the Lord of the Rings, Frodo meets a wayward stranger dressed in a green hooded cloak, bearded, and disheveled shadowy figure at the Prancing Pony. The man is called Strider but that is not his true name. Before arriving at Bree, Gandalf tells Frodo in a letter that read in part: “All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost; the old that is strong does not wither, deep roots are not reached by the frost.” Frodo does not know when he meets the mysterious Strider that he is meeting the true king of Gondor. It is not until Bilbo tells him he wrote the poem after Strider revealed his true nature as Aragorn.

The poem reminds us that not all who wander are lost nor are all who are seen are found. We believe the sheep the shepherd is searching for is one who has never known the shepherd but how can the shepherd expect the lamb to answer his call if the sheep never knew his voice?

In our technological age, in which the world has grown smaller, we are bombarded with different voices daily. There are so many voices speaking it is hard to know if you are truly following the voice of the shepherd. Especially with all the Christian voices there are in our world. It is hard, when standing at your local bookstore, to pick from one of the vast voices in print under the “Christianity” heading. Not all who wander from the herd are truly lost. They have simply lost their way and need someone to show them the way back home.

One Sunday morning a pastor was heading to the worship service when he passed a prominent member going the opposite way to the front door. The pastor stopped her and asked, “Not staying for church?” She smiled and said, “Well, this morning I watched the preacher from Houston, and preached about money and how I could get some. On the drive in I listened to the preacher from Alabama on the radio, and he preached about how this country’s gone to the toilet. Then, I get here and heard my Sunday school teacher preach about how the world is ending and the signs to look for. Not sure what you plan on preaching on but I need to go home cause I ain’t sure I heard Jesus at all today.”

Not all who wander are lost, they are simply wandering from voice to voice in hopes they finally hear the voice of the shepherd.

Just as not all who wander are lost, not all who are seen found.

2) Not all who are seen are found

There are good people who attend daily church meetings, watch their religious shows, and listen to only a certain radio station, vote for the candidate who mentions Jesus; but they mistake attendance, television programs, radio stations, and politics to be the true measure as one who follows Christ. They too have listened to the many voices and picked one they feel fits them best; yet the voice they listen to daily has never really introduced them to the voice of Jesus. They know what Christians are supposed to be against (at least from that voice’s perspective) but they know nothing of what we are to be for. This voice claims to speak the words of Jesus but it only speak half-truths and unchallenging thoughts. This voice has lead them to chase the golden road of wealth and power, of security and prejudice, of flag-waving and idol worshipping.

This year marks the 50^th year of the Civil Rights movement and you have heard me speak on it so much you might be weary of hearing it again; but I hope for today we perk our ears up for this moment in history. 50 years ago, to the exact date and day, Bobby Frank Cherry, Thomas Blanton, Herman Frank Cash, and Robert Chambliss, members of the United Klans of America, planted a box of dynamite with a time delay under the steps of the church, near the basement. At about 10:22 am, twenty-six children were walking into the basement assembly room to prepare for the sermon entitled, “A Love that Forgives” when the bomb exploded. Four little girls, Addie Mae Collins, Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley were killed, and twenty-two others were injured. It wasn’t until 1977, 2001, and 2002 until 3 of the 4 men were finally convicted.

Four little girls lost their life because these men listened to the voice of their Imperial Wizards and other members who were mostly white protestant ministers and to the voice of a governor who declared, “Segregation now, segregation tomorrow, and segregation forever.” They listened to voices who believed the true faith of Jesus was one in which you keep those who are Black, Hispanic, Arab, gay, mentally or physically handicapped, homeless, poor, hungry, sick, or imprisoned separate from the good, decent Church-Folk. Those voices know no more of Jesus than those who wander in the forest in search for the voice of Christ.

There once was a college student who volunteered at her church to be their youth minister. After a few months the church gathered up enough funds to put together a little stipend. It wasn’t much but for her, it was enough to feel like she found her calling. There were a group teenagers who hung around the church skateboarding and on the occasion they were seen smoking. The newly appointed youth minister approached the teens one day and began to strike up a conversation. In her conversation she discovered the struggles in their life and she began to minister to them.

Eventually, as they grew to trust her, they found their way into the church and one particular Sunday morning, they sat in the balcony because she was going to preach her very first sermon. As she approached the pulpit, they cheered and smiled, yelling, “We love you!” “You’re awesome!” “You’re the best!”

Immediately after the service the deacon chair pulled her off to the side and said, “If those kids wish to ever come here again, you need to tell them to behave. They are to still quietly.” She never had that conversation and the youth group grew. Those teenagers began showing up to church week after week for service and during the week. Many in the congregation grew uncomfortable because she never told them not to smoke in front of the church or to watch their language or not to ask questions. She loved them for who they were.

Eventually the time came when enough of the good Christian folk complained and she was fired. The kids left and all that remained were those who seen but never found.

3) Those who have been shelved.

After he finished with the parable of the lost sheep, he shared another story: “Suppose a woman has ten dimes and loses one of them; won’t she get the flashlight and a broom and sweep and look carefully till she finds it?”

In Toy Story 2, Woody is shelved because his arm is ripped during playtime with Buzz Lightyear and Andy. Andy’s mother puts Woody on the top shelf to stay there until he can be repaired. While sitting on the dusty bookshelf, he hears a soft squeak from behind a book, and he discovers Wheezy, a forgotten penguin who had been waiting on a new squeaker.

As with those in our fellowship, in our faith, who get lost in the woods because of the barrage voices, there are those who become lost because they have stumbled or fallen and find themselves judged by voices in their faith community to be found wanting. They are with us until we hit a bump, then they are knocked out of the pocket, kicked to the side, and become lost in the dusty corners of the dresser. They remain there, forgotten.

Being a Christian is a hard task. Besides the discerning through infinite various voices of leaders in our faith community, we are saddled with great expectations by not only the world but (sadly) other Christians as well. We are expected to live to a higher standard than others and when we fall, as we all do from time to time, we are not met immediately with kind voices but with harsh voices, “You should know better”, “See, this is why I don’t go to church. Hypocrites.”

Too many struggle with the false perception that the Christian is to led a perfect life and if “their house” is not in order, they are told by others they are not really a Christian. Instead of being told or seeing a messy life as a life that looks lived in, they are told they need to get all together before they serve on any committee or as a deacon or stand up preach or even attempt to follow Jesus again.

Life is already messy and hard, being a follower of Christ makes it harder and messier. With unreasonable expectations they stumble and fall off to the side where they are kicked into the dusty corner of the dresser, forgotten.

There is a voice that tells us not to believe what the old woman does. A voice that says we are unable to return. A voice that says Christ's love is conditional, small, and selfish. Christ's mercy is for a few elected. Christ's grace is only for those who pray the ABCs. The voice tells us that he will not keep your promise. A voice that says Christ is not strong enough to be faithful.

We listen to that voice over and over again. We convince ourselves that we are unlovable, unwanted. We believe our imperfections, imperfections we were born with, are imperfections that are too much for you. We seek reassurance that he is who he says he is. We seek reassurance that he will keep his promise. We seek reassurance that his are strong enough to stay faithful when we stray. And each time we seek reassurance, we hear the voice that says, "There are no returns."

Those are the three general types of “being lost” hear that voice and here Jesus offers good news.

The time has come for us to raise the voice of the shepherd, of Jesus above the other voices so that the lost may hear his voice and return home. For you see, in these parables, the shepherd and the old woman do not form a committee to search for what they lost. They do not elect a government official to care for them while they attending to the other 99. They do not complain about how in their day sheep didn’t run off and dimes didn’t fall out of pockets. No, the shepherd searched day and night until he found the lost lamb. The woman swept and cleaned, and moved heaven and earth until she found the lost dime. They searched and they searched until they found what they were searching for.

Jesus wraps up his story-time with the good Church-Folk upset he’s hanging out with those sinners with a story of a man who had two sons. The younger decided he wanted his inheritance and took off to Las Vegas, spending his money on women, wine, and having a time. He returns home broke, destitute, hungry, desperate, and lost. He returns home simply to survive. While he was still a ways off, the father sees his son and he runs to him, embraces him, kisses him, clothes him, and celebrates. If we listen to the voice of the shepherd, the old woman, and the father, then hear a distinct voice. One that says:

"I am your God, I have molded you with my own hands, and I love what I have made. I love you with a love that has no limits. Do not runaway from me. Come back to me--not once, not twice, but always again. You are my child. How can you ever doubt that I will embrace you again, hold you against my breast, kiss you and let my hands run through your hair? I am your God--the God of mercy and compassion, the God of pardon and love, the God of tenderness and care. Please do not say that I have given up on you, that I cannot stand you any more, that there is no way back. It is not true. I so much want you to be with me. I so much want you to be close to me. I know all your thoughts. I hear all your words. I see all of your actions. And I love you because you are beautiful, made in my image, an expression of my most intimate love. Do not judge yourself. Do not condemn yourself. Do not reject yourself. Let my love touch the deepest, most hidden corners of your heart and reveal to you your own beauty, a beauty that you have lost sight of, but that will become visible to you again in the light of my mercy. Come, come, let me wipe your tears, and let my mouth come close your ear and say to you, 'I love you, I love you'" (Henri Nouwen, Show Me the Way,pg 76-77)

Be Kind To Our Congregation

A couple of months ago I posted a blog titled, "Be Kind To Our Ministers", after a conversation yesterday with several ministers and other uppity church folk, I felt convicted to write one titled, "Be Kind To Our Congregation".

Here it goes...

Being a Christian is difficult. There is a certain amount expectation that comes with making a decision to follow Christ. The world sees you differently and you are held to a higher standard than anyone else. When you mess up people will yell at you and say, "You should know better." It's true we should know better but there needs to be the honest realization that Christians are flawed human beings and no two are a like.

I Hear Voices in My Head

One of the many universal truths about church ministry is this: our congregation will stumble while they are following Christ. Many in our churches are doing their very best to live the Christian life, yet they are bombarded by different voices, mostly other ministers or authors, who constantly tell them what that Christian life should look like. They are told that Christians don't drink, smoke, do drugs, sleep around, vote Democrat/Republican, or do anything immoral. They are told Christians give to the poor, feed the hungry, clothe the naked, go out and save the lost (something a Christian author/speaker says if they are not doing daily then they are going to hell), and that's just a partial list.

And to top that list off, those voices they are listening too often tell them to not listen to the other voice. How can expect normal, every day Christians, whose lives are a series of ups and downs, and do not work in a church or get paid to write books, differentiate from the voices?

Come to church?

With the vast varying Christian voices out there by prominent preachers, of course our congregation is going to stumble. Their ears are being deafen by voice after voice yelling, "Listen to my voice!"

The House Looks Lived In

Many struggle with the perception that the Christian is perfect and if their "house" is not in order, they are told by others they are not really Christian. Instead of being told that a messy life is indeed a life that looks lived in, they are urged to get it together before they serve on any committee. Life is messy and it is hard. It is hard to maintain a decent job, be a parent, be a faithful, loving, supportive spouse; it is hard to be an adult period.

Unhealthy Great Expectations

Ministers tend to have unhealthy expectations for their church members. They are expected to be a full-time parent, child, or student, while balancing stressful jobs, and stressful home lives; and keeping their commitments to the church. When they fail in any of those ares they do not need us to pounce them, calling them uncommitted, and telling them if they can't do they shouldn't have signed up for it. Our expectations for them are as unhealthy as some of their expectations for us.

As stated above, and restated, life is hard. Being a Christian and living a Christian is even harder. We struggle with unhealthy expectations set by the world as well as struggle with faces of Christianity clamoring for the spotlight or for power or for money.

How can we expect them to live faithfully into God's call as followers of Christ they are given unreasonable expectations and when they fail or falter they are met with chastisement and blog posts on how it's their fault people are turning away from the church.

The healthiest expectation we can have of one another is this: We promise to do our best. We promise to follow Christ the best we know how. We know we do not have it all figured out and we know we will stumble and fall; yet by the grace of God we know we are still loved. When our brothers and sisters miss up, we will not judge. Instead we will sit beside them until they are ready to walk again. When they stumble we will forgive as Christ forgave.

Ministers, It's Not Your Church

I posted this story in my previous post but will share again because it applies: A minister was once told by a congregant, "I was here before you got here and I will be here after you leave." The statement serves as a reminder that we entering into a place not only has a history but was also already at work.

We sometimes believe we are taking the gospel or the Spirit of God with us when we go into a new church. We forget that the Spirit was there working long before we ever showed, and that Spirit will continue to work there long after we leave. God doesn't show up when we do. God is already working in the people who are there, who live in the community, and who have belonged to that community longer than many of us have been alive.

I know it's a shot to the ego but God was there before us and God will be there after us.

It is indeed Christ's church, and we need to remember the same grace we expect to be given to us must be given to our congregation.

Because They Need to Know They Are Loved

You and I know how difficult it can be to work in a church as a minister. Many of us do not know how difficult it can be to follow Christ in a corporate setting or at the mill or in life where daily church stuff is not the norm. When our congregation comes together on Sunday mornings (or whenever) they need to not only be challenged but they need to know they are loved. They need to know that we have been in prayer for them. They need to know they are cared for and appreciated and welcomed with all their faults.

They need to know their minister will reassure them God loves them when they discover their child is an addict. They need to know they are loved when their marriages fall apart or when tragedy strikes. They need to know they are loved when they are not which voice is speaking for God's voice so they try them all. They need to know they are loved and that we will not quit on them.

Just as you and I are children of God, they too are a child of God. They are in need of ministers who will not give up on them. They need ministers who are willing to leave behind the 99 and search out for that one who got lost in the darkness.

They are doing their best to follow Jesus so be kind to them and love them. Put away your stones and know it is not easy to be a Christian and _______, __________, and _________.

Remember, just as it not okay for them to mistreat us and our spouses, it is not okay for us to mistreat them.

Love them for who they are and who they are growing to be. Challenge but always challenge in love, grace, and kindness.

Are We Prepared for our cross? (Audio)

“Quite a crowd was trailing him, and he turned and said to them, “If you anyone is considering joining me, and does not break his attachment for father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, indeed—his own life—he simply cannot belong to my fellowship. Anyone who does not accept his own cross and fall in behind me cannot belong to my fellowship.

If any of you were intending to put up a house, wouldn’t you first sit down and figure out the cost, so you could see if you had enough to finish it? Otherwise you might lay the foundation, and because you didn’t have funds to go any further, people would be begin making cracks about you, saying, ‘This fellow is a great hand at starting things, but he can’t carry through on them.’” (Luke 14:25-31 Cotton Patch Gospel)

If you are like me, you have a lot of unfinished projects around the house: an unfinished basement, unfinished garden, unfinished fence, unfinished mowed lawn, unfinished dishes or laundry. Many of us start something with joy and glee and then we get to the middle of the project and it has no longer become fun, it has become tedious, boring, and never-ending. Then we find ourselves distracted by something else, something more exciting and we turn our attention elsewhere.

It is true in life as well. Many relationships begin with excitement and joy and adventure, then comes a bump in the road, the middle of the long stretch, the reality of the honeymoon being over, and people simple quit on another. They have affairs or shut-down or turn their attention to work or fall into addictions, because they were not prepared for the difficulty of the journey.

Jesus’ parable is not about unfinished projects around the house or unfinished goals or ambitions. Jesus’ parable and his words for us this morning are about the middle; and it serendipitous that the lectionary had this passage on the day we chose to baptize two new members. The middle of the journey is the most difficult part of life, specifically the Christian journey. It is akin to the long drive on 95/85 to Raleigh. You leave Richmond fast and enter Petersburg and then you find yourself on a long stretch of highway nothingness and you wonder if it will ever end. Following Christ is such a journey.

Today is an exciting day. You can feel the joy and excitement in the fresh air as we gather by the river in preparation for baptism. You can sense the hope and newness of life. Yet this is just the beginning of the journey. We excitedly pick up our crosses and carry them, following Jesus wherever he leads until he leads us to a place we really didn’t want to go.

In our age though, we need willing Christians to follow Christ where he leads, even if that place is somewhere we hoped not to go. The world doesn’t need church-goers, it needs above all else, Christians who are willing to abandon the securities of home for the insecurities of our cross. The world needs followers of Christ who endure the middle of their journey.

It reminds me of another story:

One day a farmer went out to sow some seeds. As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path; it was trampled on, and the birds ate right up. Some fell on rock, and when it came up, the plants withered because they had no moisture. Other seeds fell among the thorns, which grew up with it and choked the plants. Still other seed fell on good soil. It came up and yielded a crop, a hundred times what was sown.

This is the meaning of the parable: The seed is the word of God. Those along the path are the ones who hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their heart hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved. Those on the rock are the ones who receive the word with great joy when they hear it, but they have no root. They believe for a while, but in the time of testing they fall away. The seed that fell among the thorns stands for those who hear the word, but as they go about their way they are choked by life’s worries, riches, pleasures, and they do not mature. But the seed on the good soil stand for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain, and by persevering produce a crop.

We have cultivated culture of followers who are planted among the rocks and thorns. It is time to change that culture. It is time for us to embrace our call, pick up our cross and carry on. In our serious time, we need serious Christians who see the cross as a way of life, not just a way to eternal life. We need to cultivate deeper roots so that when the time of testing comes, we will not wither or fade away. We need to be a church that cultivates deep healthy soil so when the time of testing comes for our new friends in Christ, they will have a church community with deep roots to lean on until theirs become firmly planted.

Incomplete Projects Part 1

I was working through Luke 14:25-30 for Sunday when I came across this statement, "This fellow is a great hand at starting things, but he can't carry through on them." (Luke 14:30 Cotton Patch Gospel). I read those words in Jesus' parable and since I take my call very seriously, I began to ponder how often I have left something unfinished.

Sadly there is a lot.

There are four attempts at this blog, this one being the longest one maintained. There are projects here and there around the house that I started but didn't finish. There are projects around the church that I started but didn't finish. I have a plethora of books that I started but didn't finish. The same can be said of the books I said I was going to write, which is a total of about ten. It appears that I start a lot stuff and never finish it.

As I fight that little voice in my head that tells me I am a complete failure, I focus on what Jesus was actually saying and things become clearer.

When I die, Connor will sit down at my desk and begin shifting through my things. He will find incomplete journals, incomplete books, incomplete websites, incomplete lists of goals and things to do, all of which would say to him that his father was an incomplete man. Yet when that voice enters his head he will most likely have memories of why those things are incomplete. An interruption for a funeral here, a wedding there, a hospital visit here, and a "Daddy, come play with me!" there. What I think he will discover is not an incomplete life but an interrupted one filled holy interruptions of games, dinners, and laughter.

At least that is what I hope he discovers.

Because it is what I am discovering.

Jesus' parable of the man building a building is not about finishing your do-it-yourself projects or your honey-do list. It is not a parable about finishing your books on preaching or ministry (There's enough of those out there). It is not about anything except starting and finishing following Jesus and being an active participant in the kingdom of heaven no matter the cost.

And that is something I know I am not incomplete in rather I am following with every fiber of my being.

It reminds me of my ordination gift the deacons at Hatcher gave me. It reads, "This life therefore is not righteousness, but growth in righteousness, not health but healing, not being but becoming, not rest but exercise. We are not yet what we shall be but we are growing toward it, the process is not yet finished but it going on, this not the end but it is the road. All does not yet gleam in glory but all is being purified."

Suddenly that little voice disappears and I get back to work.

Luke 14:1,7-14 (Jesus' Challenge)

The one consistent in Luke’s gospel is that Jesus likes to eat (obviously he was a Baptist) and several of the doings of Jesus take place in the middle of eating. Luke is not shy about with who Jesus visits and eats with, from eating with the who who’s, Simon the Pharisee, Zacheaus, or with other tax collectors, prostitutes, and sinners. Jesus eats with anyone who invites to him to dinner. Of course inviting Jesus to dinner, especially after church, is an invitation to danger and trouble as we are see here:

“Now it so happened one Sunday that he went to home to dinner with one of the denominational leaders, who were keeping a close eye on him. Noting the scramble for the places of honor at the table, he gave some advice to the church leaders who invited him. “When you are invited by someone to a banquet, don’t go immediately to the head of the table. It might be that some big shot with a higher title than yours has been invited, too, and the person in charge of seating arrangements will have to say to you, “Please let this gentleman have your seat.” Then with embarrassment you’ll begin to step down to the lower seat. But when you’re invited, take the most inconspicuous seat, and if the emcee comes in and says to you, “Hello, my friend. Come on up here,” then you’ll feel honored before all the guests. For anyone who promotes himself will be humiliated, and he who humbles himself will be promoted.” (Luke 14:1, 7-11 Cotton Patch Gospel).

This is one the most self-explanatory “parables” Jesus gives, next to the parable of the sower sowing seeds one day; and we would be justified to end our service here with the simple challenge: When you’re invited to dinner, take the inconspicuous seat so that you may be moved up instead taking the important seat and being asked to give up your seat. It is an easy challenge and perhaps on the simplest level that is all Jesus is saying to us, but I doubt this is just about which seat we have chosen. I think though this more than about taking our seats at the banquet table.

Jesus, after making his parable observation, turns his attention to his host, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, don’t invite your close friends or your family or relatives or your rich neighbors, because they might invite you to theirs or repay you in some honoring form, and you’ll break even. But when you give any kind of a party, invite the poor, the disabled, the crippled, and the blind. It will make you very happy, because they don’t have anything with which to pay you back. Yet you’ll be amply ‘repaid’ when the truly good are made to live.”

Again, Jesus’ instructions are very self-explanatory and each of you are old enough to understand what Jesus is saying. He speaks very plainly and I am not one to attempt to out-teach Jesus so I will simply skip the brouhaha and go to my conclusion.

School starts Tuesday for most of our students and children and our teachers. We all know what that first day of school is like: a mix of emotions of excitement and dread. Parents are excited to get the kids out of the house. The kids are dreading the end of summer vacation. Teachers, depending on their length of experience, are also mixed with emotions of joy, excitement, worry, and dread. The school year always carries with it the potential to change lives and provide a new start for many. It is also a time when teachers and students can change a system built on bullying and status.

So here is where Jesus’ words apply to us today: Teachers, pray every day for your students. Do not just pray for your favorite ones or the ones with money or with the good parents. Pray for them all. Pray for the child whose mother is dying from cancer. Pray the teenager whose parents are addicted to drugs and alcohol. Pray and lift up the student who is wearing clothes too small or too big because their parents could not afford new clothes that fit just right. Pray for the teenager who feels she must give herself away in order to be loved. Pray for the boys who feel the pressure to man up by belittling and bullying the social outcast. Pray for your fellow teachers and administrators and lift them up, knowing they, like their students, are going through struggles of their own.

St. Francis of Assai once said, “Preach the gospel at all times. Use words when necessary.” Teachers, let your actions speak louder than your words. Let your students know that you believe in them and that love them because they are a beloved child of God. Have the patience of one who knows the patience of God. Remember Jesus did not say, “They will know you are my disciples by your bumper-sticker.” He said, “By your love they will know you are my disciple.” Let his parable today challenge you to be his disciple through your actions and not your words.

Love your students and show them how much they are valued even when they push your patience to the end of the earth.

Students, (what did you think you’d be exempt?) remember the words of Jesus when you take your seat at the lunch table. Remember the words of Jesus when you see the quiet one sitting by themselves. Remember Jesus’ words when you send invitations out for you parties and gatherings. Remember Jesus’ words when you invite others to the movies or to your church events. Remember to not just invite your friends but those who are looking for a friend, those who are in need of a friend who will love them for themselves. Remember Jesus’ words before you get on Facebook, Twitter, Snapshot, Tumbler, Instagram, or when you text, or whatever new social media app there is, remember his words and do not let your faith just be something you have on Sunday. Be kind to everyone, love everyone because Christ loved you.

Remember to pray for your teachers as well. They are human and bound to make mistakes. They are human with lives outside the school and those lives, like yours, can become hectic, stressful, and painful. Pray for them and love them, even when you think they don’t like you. Remember the words of Jesus about humility and loving those who are outsiders and know the outsiders are not just the “uncool” kids but may be your teacher as well.

Students, take a risk this year and befriend the unfriendly and care for the outcast. Do not be afraid to stand up for those being bullied or picked on. Do not be afraid to change the social order in your school. Remember these challenging questions:

1)      What would it be like to invite a kid who seems to be alone to sit with your group?

2)      What would it be like to reach out to someone who is very different from you? (BTW, my best friend in high school was/is extremely different than me and has been my friend for 17 years).

3)      What would it be like to give up your seat on the bus to someone who got on late?

4)      What would it be like to stop someone from bullying someone else?

5)      What would it be like to post on Facebook something kind about someone who rarely gets noticed?

6)      What would it be like to invite someone that doesn’t often get invited to a party or an outing?

7)      What would it be like to tweet a quotation—maybe even verse 13 from today’s reading?

8)      What would it be like, if someone asks you why you’re doing this, to say, it’s because it’s what you think God wants?

Students and Teachers, I not only dare you or double dog dare you, no I triple dog dare you to defy the social convention of our schools and stand up for justice as Christ commands us to do. Things won’t change overnight, they rarely ever do, and you will experience setbacks and frustrations but you are not on your own.

Right, church? (What, did you think the rest of us were getting exempt?”)

Our challenge is to commit to praying and lifting up our youth and children and our teachers that they may maintain courage, patience, and love as they work and struggle through the school year. Our challenge is commit ourselves to being the church for the churchless, for the broken, for the students who feel alone and lost, for the students who are absent fathers or mothers, for the students who feel they will never amount to anything. Our challenge is commit ourselves to praying for them and for our teachers. We are being challenged to pray they live out their call and that they love each student as if they carried them for nine months.

Jesus is challenging us to give up our seats to those students who looking to be loved and to feed them with the love of Christ not in word but in our deeds. Our challenge is to make lots of room at the table for the students who are hungry and thirsty, lost and alone, tired and weary, angry and addicted. Our challenge is to accept them, feed them, and love them.

Are we up for this challenge?