Simple Church

i know, i know.  i’ve preached this all before.  but it needed to be said again.  simple church (SC) is where it’s at!  uncomplicated…minimal…straightforward…down-to-earth…common.  it’s what we all need.

the bottom line?  church is people.  it is not a building.  it is not a location.  it is not a weekly event.  period.  here are some other observations to help you distinguish what is, and what isn’t, church:

• if it’s not drawing you deeper into relationships, it’s not church. SC is about people. 
• if it’s not drawing you deeper into service, it’s not church.  SC is about caring for others…first.
• if it’s not causing you to evaluate and redefine your personal priorities, it’s not church.  SC doesn’t just do things because we’ve always done them.
• if it’s about what you are getting, it’s not church.  SC is not a “smorg” where you pay your tab and get what you pay for.
• if it causes you to extol the virtue or talent of the pastor, it’s not church.  SC is not about how good I do…but what you do.
• if you are entertained by it, it’s not church. SC is about participation, not amusement.
• if you can hide at it, it’s not church.  SC is not about putting on sunday best, sunday handshake or a sunday smile.
• if it creates co-dependency, it’s not church.  SC is not about having to be here or impressing god or working off guilt…it’s simply living life together.
• f you think you don’t need to be there, it’s not church.  in the institution, you are a number or a statistic…in SC, everyone matters, everyone has a place, everyone is needed.
• if church is an event you attend, it’s not church.  SC is not about watching…it’s about doing.
• if it’s about sitting and watching, it’s not church.  SC is not about sundays…it’s about the other six.
• if it’s not compelling you to give your money, it’s not church.  SC is about sacrifice.

the church meets together, but church is not a meeting.  church is not an event.  church does not have hours or meeting times or schedules.  although when we meet, we sing and somebody teaches, church is not a spectator sport.  church is not a service, a performance, a show, a presentation or a routine.  church does not have stars.  church does not have performers on the stage.  the only audience in church is god.

there you have it.  welcome to simple church.

A Simple Faith

man, i was really blown away by the insight god revealed through his word this week!

• imagine for a moment you are mary…young…secretly pregnant…told by an angel that the child you are carrying was god’s baby…crazy!
• you know, without a doubt, that the penalty for sex outside of marriage is steep…maybe even death
• or if things went really, really, well, you could probably count on being divorced and abandoned by your young husband
• you face the public disgrace and humiliation for you and your family
• and the prospect of being completely ostracized from your community is something more than just a possibility!

this is a bad situation…really bad.  there is no question that she could have:

• been swallowed by self pity…and cried “why me?”
• been inflated by thinking that she knew what was best for her life…and argued with God
• been focused on her discontent…and complained
• let her intellect and human logic overtake her…and doubted
• been consumed by her fear…and ran 

instead, she cried these deep and passionate words of faith: 

“i am the lord’s servant…may it be to me as you have said” – luke 1:38

here is the heart of our christmas message:

•  like young mary, our faith is neither blind nor ignorant…it recognizes the craziness and unpredictability of a sovereign god and says, “may it be as you have said”
• like this young servant, our faith is neither self-centered, nor self serving…faith is not about us.  it is not my faith…as if i can shape and mold and define faith as i choose…”may it be as you have said”
• like this unwed, pregnant, scared teenager, our faith is to see beyond circumstances to the ultimate “big picture”…the one that god sees…so that we can say, “may it be as you have said”
• like this humble, child-follower, our faith resonates above logic and intellect…defining it and giving substance and meaning to our thoughts and fears and reasons and excuses…overtaking them with a simple statement of faith:  “may it be as you have said”

what do you think?

A Simple Life

in the parable of the ten bridesmaids, jesus teaches his followers a pretty simple lesson:  don’t be caught off guard when the end comes.  the five foolish bridesmaids ran out of oil to light their torches and usher in the bridegroom.  because they ran to the store, they were shut out of the wedding feast.

lesson?  remember the oil.  if you don’t, you could lose it all.

but there’s a lesson within the lesson in this one.

why did the bridesmaids forget the oil?  because their lives got too complicated.  too many things going on.  too many roads to get sidetracked on.  too many other things on their minds.  they didn’t remember the most important.  this is a lesson for all of us.

it’s time to simplify…jesus’ style.  his words in sermon on the mount should resonate with us:

 but seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.  matthew 6:33

inherent in the life of Jesus is simplicity.  his call…his attitude…his relationships…his purpose…his plan…his love…his lifestyle.  his message to seek the kingdom of god first, is a call to single-minded simplicity that is to define the lives of his followers.

simply put…what is best for the kingdom should dictate everything i do.  it removes every other complication.  it gives parameters to my decision making.  it creates objectivity.  it narrows my choices…removes obstacles…gives definition…and moves my life from complexity to simplicity.

do what is best for the kingdom.  that’s it.  it doesn’t necessarily make the decisions easy, but it does make them simple.

 

Have a simple Christmas

the prophet isaiah said it a few thousand years ago:

“All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’).” NLT

it’s all in a name.  his name would be called immanuel.  god is with us. isaiah got this vision from god that someday…someday…god would actually be with his people…walk among his children…become a man…

god with us…the presence of god…outrageous…unbelievable…absurd…god, right here on earth?  it was ludicrous…even gross irreverence to think, let alone believe, that god would become one of us…the presence of god among us…incredible.

the day before, at holiday at the hall, we did something godly.  we gave presence.  we rolled up our sleeves and became a presence in our neighborhood.  did we change lives?  i doubt it.  did we heal the sick?  probably not.  did masses come to know christ because we built a float?  be serious.  but we did something godly.  we gave presence.

and when we give presence, god has something to work with.

john wrote this about jesus in the first chapter of his account of the the life of jesus:

the word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  John 1:14

eugene peterson translates the same verse in the message this way:

“The Word became flesh and blood and moved into the neighborhood”.  John 1:14  (MSG)

i like that.

you want a simpler christmas?  move into the neighborhood.  of your marriage.   in your kid’s lives.  of your co-worker’s world.  on your own block.  give presence.  

 

Raising the bar on gratitude

even after preaching through this passage, it still blows me away:

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.  1Thessalonians 5:16-18

there is no question that these words from the apostle paul are some of the most radically life-altering words that anyone has ever heard!

we are so quick to be thankful for the good weather, our health, our family, our job, our stuff, our good fortune…but what happens to the “thanks” when the circumstances take a turn?  

• did we thank god for the weather the day hurricane ike hit? 
• what happens when our health fails?  do we thank him then?
• or what about the hidden disappointments in our marriages or family members that cause chaos?  does gratitude pour from our mouths then?
• is thankfulness the order of the day when co-workers gossip behind our backs or bosses become overbearing or work schedules turn out of control?
• how do you feel about your stuff when you begin to recognize that it is out of date, run down, broken, in need of repair or replacement?  are you a quick to extol the love and blessing of god…or do you reserve that only for times of economic good fortune?

i can’t help but think that the one thing our skeptical world needs to see from us christ followers is gratitude.  can you imagine how completely bizarre a lifestyle of uncompromising gratitude would look?  gratitude that sits totally outside circumstances…gratitude that is totally unrelated to how good or bad things are going, but simply flowing out of a trust relationship with god?

Gratitude is the barometer of faith.  If I trust God, I can be thankful.  If I simply trust myself…my talent, my ingenuity, my education, my hard work…there is no need, or room, for thankfulness.

Thankfulness pours out of humility.  Thankfulness understands dependence.  Thankfulness is the expression of a heart that comprehends grace…the grace of God.