Archive for the ‘God’s Word’ Category
As I was working in our church’s kitchen one Sunday morning recently, helping to prepare for an all-church meal on the grounds, I overheard one of my fellow workers ask another, “If Jesus were alive today and came to our church, what would He look like, what would He wear?”
Laughter broke out as a number of suggestions were made. Everything from a “nice suit” to a “robe” was mentioned. I chuckled to myself and thought it a fun topic for some chit-chat to help pass the time.
One person suggested the He would probably dress somewhat generically, like “everyman,” in order to relate to as many as possible and offend no one. Doesn’t scripture say that there was nothing physically about Him that stood out from the ordinary? An interesting perspective, I thought to myself.
I would imagine that most of us have wondered the same thing at times. I know I’ve certainly tossed the idea around in my own head before.
What WOULD Jesus look like? How would He dress? Would His hair be long or short? Would He have a beard? Would He carry a Bible with Him? A cell phone, perhaps? Would He know the songs we sing, or even sing along?
In other words, would He ‘look’ (i.e., dress, act, think, worship) like us?
Let’s be honest. A large part of our identity as believers (particularly in the worshiper-centric culture of the American church) is tied to the deep seeded, but unspoken, concept that He is in fact ‘like us.’ Our music reflects it, our teaching reflects it, our art reflects it, and often our preaching reflects it.
After all, when we take a look around our churches on any given Sunday morning, what do we see? In spite of the minor variations, most everyone there ‘looks’ like us. Even when we attend larger, cross-denominational church functions, it’s same thing. For the most part, we all tend to ‘look’ alike.
Thus, in the recesses of our subconscious minds we’ve determined that He, too, must look like us. He must. Our corporate identity depends on it.
Yet, as I listened to the conversation that morning something else began to tug at the back of my mind. Something seemed amiss with this entire line of thinking. Although the original question was offered out of harmless curiosity, this was altogether the wrong question to be asking.
No, there was another question we should be asking ourselves, both as individuals and as His body.
If Jesus were alive today and came to OUR church, would WE look like HIM?
Would we? Honestly?
Would we relate to Him as He is, whatever His appearance, or only if He looked like US?
Or would we even recognize Him? Are we sure?
In John 10, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me….My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” But knowing, hearing and following are prefaced by watching, listening and recognizing.
I propose to you that on any given Sunday, at any given church, Jesus often slips in (and out), unnoticed.
We don’t see Him when He visits, because we’re not usually watching for Him. Or when do see Him we don’t recognize Him, because He seldom looks like us.
But then, I’m pretty sure we actually have seen Him there, haven’t we? You know…
~ The middle-aged man who sat quietly at the end of our row a few weeks back. We didn’t take the time to meet him. We needed that time instead to complain to the grounds keeper about the trash we found on the sidewalk and to the worship leader for his choice of choruses. Come to think of it, we haven’t seen that man since.
~ Or the young woman three rows back who ‘forgot’ to drop her toddler at the nursery. He made quite a bit of noise during the service, disrupting the usual quiet of the congregation. We might have said something to her afterward about the “wonderful nursery facility” the church offers, but we didn’t recognize her, so we held our tongue and only glared slightly as we walked passed.
~ Then there was that unkempt man from a couple months ago, dressed in dirty jeans and wearing a leather vest – with a chain. Looked like he’d just dropped in from a biker gang. Unshaven, long hair. Might have smelled a bit, too, but we didn’t get close enough to know for sure. Somebody said they thought he was the son of an old widow who lived down the street from the church. Rumored to be into drugs. They didn’t trust him. Good thing he’s not been back.
~ Oh, and there’s that teenage girl who was there last week. Sat alone across the sanctuary. Stared into the distance during the whole service. How odd. Someone should mention to her, in a nice way of course, that short skirts and tights with holes in them are not appropriate for church. And her hair – hot pink! Wow, what’s up with that?
~ And don’t forget the old man who’s always asleep on the bus stop bench at the corner across from the church. The one we pass every Sunday morning on the way to services. The police really ought to do something about him. It IS against the law, after all. Come to think of it, he’s not been there the past two Sundays. Maybe he’s moved on to somewhere else.
Any of these sound familiar? Did we see them when they visited? Could they have been Jesus in disguise? Perhaps? No?
But how would we know unless we take the time to step into their world and find out? And why don’t we?
I’ll ask it again. Is it really because they don’t look like us…or because WE really don’t look like HIM?
If He were to drop in on our church this week, would we even know He had been there? Or would He move quietly on while we concern ourselves with other, ‘more important’ business.
Sadly, for some of us, He may have already moved on. We just don’t know it, yet.
“And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me’.” Matthew 25:40
My Grandmother passed away recently. She lived a long and, by all accounts (including her own), a blessed life. She loved to cook, to quilt, to fish, and to talk. And she was especially good at all of them.
Born in 1914, she grew up during the 1st World War and the “roaring 20’s.” She was raised in north, central Arkansas, where her family suffered through the great depression of the 1930’s. As a young women she worked from dawn to dusk alongside other hired farm hands (both black and white) picking cotton, corn, beans and other crops in the hot, Arkansas sun. As a wife and mother in the 1940’s she watched as family members and friends went off to a 2nd World War, some never to return. She supported her family through difficult economic times as they migrated from place-to-place, getting what work could be found.
She witnessed the advent of so much of what has shaped the face of our world today: revolutions, two world wars, the birth of the atomic age, the atrocities of the Holocaust, the rise of Communism and the Cold War, the race riots of the 1950’s; the dawn of the Space Age, the assassination of a president, the chaos of the 1960’s and 70’s; the explosion of the computer age and modern technology, the fall of the “Evil Empire,” the coming of the “me” generation, and the spread of terrorism in the 1980’s and 90’s; the end of a millennium, the first and second greatest attacks by foreign powers on US soil, the recent rise to power of the generation of radicals forged in the chaos 40 years earlier, and so much, much more.
Although she never learned to drive a car, never flew on an airplane, never bought a television (the family gave her a small 13” black-and-white TV when I was a teenager), and never used a computer, she was quite comfortable navigating her new cell phone at age 90. Yet, interestingly enough, none of these facts or events was mentioned during her funeral.
There was nothing about personal achievements or significant contributions to society, as is often the case for persons of some repute. Instead, those who shared their fondest memories spoke of a woman who was “kind-hearted,” “generous,” “giving,” “thankful” and “loving.” It was said that she “never had very much in the way of worldly goods, and she was content with that,” and that “no matter how much or how little she had, she always had enough to share with those in need.” She was described as having a deep faith and a strong Christian witness. It was said that she “never complained about her lot in life” and “never lost hope, but always endured, no matter what came her way.”
Not to say that she had no faults. We all do. But in her nearly 99 years she brought joy, stability, caring, kindness, guidance, and love to all those around her who were blessed with having known her. She modeled discipline, hard work, caring, generosity, goodwill, faithfulness and contentment to those who were (and still are) paying attention.
That being said, take a minute and grab your favorite version of the Bible. Give Luke 12:22-34 a read; 1 Corinthians 13, also. Now go back and reread the last two paragraphs above. Let it sink in for moment.
What do you notice? Perhaps the same thing I noticed as I was sitting in the church pew that day listening to others describing the life of the woman I knew as “Grandma?”
Kind, generous, hopeful, caring, faithful, thankful, content, loving. As she was eulogized with these words, those two passages of scripture (and several others) came to mind. And then it hit me. And in that moment my sorrow turned to peace.
What they were really describing was a life that, according to Scripture, had been well lived. The life of a servant who had faithfully run the race and finished the course. The life of one who had truly sought first His Kingdom and His righteousness, then trusted that all she needed would in fact be provided by Him. A life filled with all that truly matters and very little of what doesn’t. Simply put, an abundant life.
She had lived through great trials and triumphs, endured poverty and hunger, suffered great losses and experienced great joys. Yet through it all had remained steadfast to the admonition of Scripture to live selflessly, with a loving heart toward others.
Would that we could all say that about ourselves in this consumption driven, accumulation oriented, achievement-at-any-cost world. Sadly, the vast majority of those of us who claim the name of Christ have fallen victim to conformity with the world’s definition of an abundant life, rather than Christ’s.
In Luke 12, He specifically tells us that we are NOT to pursue the things that the nations of the world chase after (my paraphrase). Yet, that’s exactly what we spend most of our lives doing.
Personal achievement, career advancement, “keeping up with the Jonses” (or the Kardashians). We strive to be the “best,” look the “best,” live in the “best,” and have the “best,” not because Scripture commands it or Christ has modeled it, but because the world we live in demands it and has told us that we deserve it. We consume for ourselves most of what we receive and justify or rationalize it by claiming that we’re simply “enjoying the blessings of God.”
We fill our lives with an abundance of stuff and activities, thinking that this is what brings about the abundant life, but instead we’re left empty, tired, stressed out, and discontented. Then we turn away from those who are truly in need because we have little or nothing left to give, neither financially nor emotionally.
I seem to remember reading about another group of religious folk who lived their lives “enjoying the blessings of God.” What did Christ say about them? Oh yes, “truly I tell you, they have their reward.” Not a group I think I would want to be identified with. Would you?
Since her passing a month ago I’ve reflected quite a bit on the life of my Grandmother and the example she left for me. And I can’t seem to get away from the idea that somewhere in the not-too-distant-past we in the Church have gotten terribly off track when it comes to the “seek ye first” of Luke 12. I know I have.
So I challenge you – over the coming month read through Luke 12 and 1 Corinthians 13 each day. Reflect on what’s being said. Ponder its meaning for your life. Compare it to how you’ve been living up to now.
Can what was said of my Grandmother be said of you?
Anything need to change?
In recent months one name has popped up in the world of sports that, at least in the observation of this writer, has shown a unique penchant for polarizing football fans into one of two camps: diehard supporters or vehement detractors. That name is Tim Tebow. And no matter on which side of the fence you happen to fall, if you’re honest with yourself, you’ll have to admit that the primary source of this polarizing effect comes not from his arguable level of skill or his oft proven talent, but from the way in which he overtly demonstrates his faith in God by living it out in the public square.
The fascination with his ‘living faith’ (which he has displayed in various ways, such as the use of Bible verses in his eye black or the now infamous “Te-bow”) has been the subject of numerous articles and sports news stories. There’s even a term that’s been coined to describe this fascination – “Tebowmania.”
But all this came to a peak a few weeks back following the AFC wild-card game between the Denver Broncos and the Pittsburgh Steelers. Once the game was essentially over following an 80-yard touchdown pass on the first play of overtime, there was a myriad of interesting stats which emerged that would have sports commentators and fans alike amazed and wondering whether it was merely coincidence.
For example, Tim threw for a total of 316 yards and set a new NFL playoff passing record with 31.6 yards per completion. One article described it as “an eerie allusion to the Bible’s John 3: 16 passage — whose number Tebow famously wore in the black under his eyes when he led the Florida Gators to victory in the 2009 collegiate national championship game.” (1) Over the week following, sports-centered TV and radio broadcasts were buzzing with the story and the internet exploded with article after article, so much so that 316 and Tebow related searches topped the Google Trends list for several days.
Tebowmania was reaching new heights!
Yet getting back to reality, Tim Tebow is no more special than any other football player and no more special than you or me…at least in the eyes of God, anyway. He is simply a guy who takes his relationship with God seriously, who truly believes what he says he believes and has no qualms about other people seeing him live it. Regrettably, this is often not true for far too many professing Christians today, which is what makes him such a spectacle in the eyes of the world.
God has not gifted him with some sort of “mystical” ability to perform on the football field in order to make a point about the overt practice of one’s faith, as has been inferred by some. Nor is he some sort of “special messenger” sent to prove the power of faith by winning football games. If he were, he would hold every performance record imaginable and the teams he’s played for would be boasting of perfect winning records.
But this is clearly not the case.
Frankly, God doesn’t really care whether Tim Tebow and the Broncos, or any other sports team for that matter, wins or loses games. No matter how much some of us may wish that He was, God is not about football or winning and losing. Nor is He about bringing attention to Tim Tebow.
God is about glorifying His own name among the nations, through the proclamation of His own Word.
The method in which He chooses to do this, who He uses to accomplish it and His timing in bringing His plans to fruition are often so far beyond what you or I can imagine, it’s sometimes laughable. The scale on which He works is so much larger than anything we could possibly dream up, and certainly so much bigger than any single individual, even a true believer like Tim Tebow.
[This reminds me of a story about a few men who wanted to be used of God and a flood, but that’s a story for another day]
Which brings me back to the aftermath of the playoff game and the sports world’s fascination with Tim Tebow.
My own curiosity about the number of “coincidental” statistics led me to view a couple of news reports and to read a few articles on the internet. But as I watched and read, I began to notice an amazing pattern which prompted me to look farther and dig deeper. And what I discovered was truly incredible.
In article after article and one sports news report after another (both here and abroad), the discussion of the Tebow statistics invariably led to the John 3:16 verse being quoted somewhere within the article or report!
For example, the article I quoted above put it this way, “…the 3: 16 passage (“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”)….” (1) Whether singing the praises of Tim Tebow, speculating about the possibility of some sort of divine intervention in the game, lamenting the wasting of time promoting such silly speculations, or decrying the very allusion to anything religious in sports reporting (as was the case with one voraciously anti-Christian commentator), all made reference to and quoted from the Bible passage, without fail.
While many were fascinated with the obvious religiosity of Tim Tebow, God had a plan. While many were distracted with fanciful ideas about some unusual football statistics, God was moving, as he always is, to complete His plan.
By the end of the week following the game, literally thousands of sports news reports, articles and commentaries, broadcast through every available media all across the globe, had quoted John 3:16 – the verse that many consider to be the focal point of the entire Gospel. And in the process they had unknowingly (and in many cases, unwillingly) participated in God’s plan to glorify His name among the nations by the proclaiming of His Word!
So how did the week of Tebowmania end? With a nail-biting, Tebow-driven victory for the Broncos, once again? No, the fervor over Tim Tebow quickly faded after a 45-10 loss of the Broncos to the New England Patriots. But not before our God had put His own exclamation point on the entire narrative.
In case you missed it, the Colorado-based ministry organization, Focus on the Family, produced a very simple, but powerful ad featuring various children reciting John 3:16 in their own words. (2)
Ads of this type have been rejected before, but with the flurry surrounding Tim Tebow, CBS willingly made an exception to its own policy and aired the ad, which ran during an open spot in the second quarter of the game. The same second quarter that has since been reported to have been one of, if not the most watched quarters of any post-season football game, in history.
In all, it is reported that Tebow-related internet searches for “John 3:16” have reached into the 100’s of millions.
“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return there without watering the earth and making it bear and sprout, and furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.” Isaiah 55, 8-11 (NASB)
(1) http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/01/09/tim-tebows-316-passing-yards-evoke-biblical-number/
(2) www.FocusOnTheFamily.com
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