Life occasionally presents us with interesting juxtapositions, times when we become aware of our great diversity and the infinite creativity of God. Today is one of those times for me.
Yesterday, I met with a friend who offered his consulting services to our church. We spent a couple of hours looking at ways to enhance the audio/visual system in our Sanctuary. We discussed difference between projection systems and LCD flat screens. We discussed video editing, computers and software for managing our presentations. We even looked at ways to begin live streaming our Sunday Services. It was a wonderful time spent looking at incorporating modern technology into our ministry.
Today, I am awaiting a shipment of materials including a portable altar set and a processional cross. Both items are part of the traditional representation of our faith. As I pondered this position over breakfast, I thought about how wonderful it is to bridge connections between our past and our future and the words of Jesus came to mind, "Therefore every teacher of the law who has been instructed about the kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who brings out of his storeroom new treasures as well as old." (Matthew 13:52 NIV)
I realize that Jesus was not referring to PowerPoint and processional crosses, but the theology of how and why we worship, along with how and why we share the Gospel message, are deeply connected to his words. There are wonderful possibilities awaiting as we embrace the future and it's tools for communication and ministry. There is also a depth of richness to be found in the teaching and traditions of our past. As we learn to draw both treasures from the storehouse, we make our spiritual life and ministry sing with the words and images of our infinitely creative God.
Along this Lenten journey we, "remember that we are dust and to dust we will return." we remember our brokenness and the wounding of our Savior. We draw on powerful words and images of the past to understand our place in the present. Yet, as we make our way, our hearts and minds begin yearning for the future, for words of justification and restoration, for signs of divine love and for opportunities to embrace the "new thing" God is doing in our day.
It is a strange and wonderful juxtaposition, but should really expect anything less when we travel this path with God? Is it surprising that the God of possibilities would weave something beautiful from ancient and future treasures? If we will let the Spirit enliven our senses and clarify our vision, we will see ever more of God's revelation in our lives, our ministry and the world.
May your eyes, physical and spiritual, be open to God's presence in your past, present and future, and may you celebrate each and every treasure along the way.
Thursday, March 31, 2011
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Encouraged to Encourage
The past two days, my morning devotional readings were on the subject of encouragement. Specifically, they were focused on the value of being and encourager. At first, I found myself walking away from the readings saying to myself, "That's nice. It is a good idea to encourage others," but honestly, I was not very moved by what I read. Little did I know, those readings were changing my attention and the direction of my thoughts.
I began pondering the people who have been an encouragement to me. I thought of my family who have stood by my in my successes and failures, who prayed for me when I was wandering from God and who helped me discern God's direction in my life. I thought of my grandfather who showed me great love and inspired much of my personal faith in God. I also thought of my uncle who helped me discern and refine my call to ministry, and my mom, who still encourages me and brags about her son. Of course, I could not miss the great support I receive from my wife and children who make my life beautiful. Whenever I am feeling unsure of what to do, I hear my wife saying, "You can do it. You can do anything."
I reflected on my college professor and advisor, who taught me one of the greatest lessons of my academic career. I went to his office to complain because a classmate received a grade similar to mine when I had done so much more work on the project than he had. He smiled and said, "Well Mr. Smith, I don't expect the same things from him that I expect from you." I didn't like the answer then, but now it comes to me frequently as a gentle word from God reminding me to offer my best.
I looked again at the file folder in my office and the similar one I keep at home, in which I keep cards of encouragement from people I minister to. It was heartwarming to see the places where I touched the lives of those around me and reaffirmed why I do what I do.
By now, you might think that I completely missed the message of the devotionals I read with my attention focused on how much I appreciated the encouragement, instead of being challenged to be an encourager, but my experience was quite the opposite. The more I considered the blessing of being encouraged, the more I felt the urge to offer that blessing to others. When I thought about how the words and actions of others helped me to follow God's path and live with hope and passion, when I considered how my encouragers helped me overcome difficult times in my own journey, I became excited by the possibility of helping others do the same.
As we approach this Third Sunday of Lent, remembering Jesus who gave his life in order that we might have life, may we all be challenged to offer a part of ourselves to others to encourage them with the same encouragement we receive from Christ, and those who bless us in his name.
Now, it is time to go find a way to encourage someone else...
I began pondering the people who have been an encouragement to me. I thought of my family who have stood by my in my successes and failures, who prayed for me when I was wandering from God and who helped me discern God's direction in my life. I thought of my grandfather who showed me great love and inspired much of my personal faith in God. I also thought of my uncle who helped me discern and refine my call to ministry, and my mom, who still encourages me and brags about her son. Of course, I could not miss the great support I receive from my wife and children who make my life beautiful. Whenever I am feeling unsure of what to do, I hear my wife saying, "You can do it. You can do anything."
I reflected on my college professor and advisor, who taught me one of the greatest lessons of my academic career. I went to his office to complain because a classmate received a grade similar to mine when I had done so much more work on the project than he had. He smiled and said, "Well Mr. Smith, I don't expect the same things from him that I expect from you." I didn't like the answer then, but now it comes to me frequently as a gentle word from God reminding me to offer my best.
I looked again at the file folder in my office and the similar one I keep at home, in which I keep cards of encouragement from people I minister to. It was heartwarming to see the places where I touched the lives of those around me and reaffirmed why I do what I do.
By now, you might think that I completely missed the message of the devotionals I read with my attention focused on how much I appreciated the encouragement, instead of being challenged to be an encourager, but my experience was quite the opposite. The more I considered the blessing of being encouraged, the more I felt the urge to offer that blessing to others. When I thought about how the words and actions of others helped me to follow God's path and live with hope and passion, when I considered how my encouragers helped me overcome difficult times in my own journey, I became excited by the possibility of helping others do the same.
As we approach this Third Sunday of Lent, remembering Jesus who gave his life in order that we might have life, may we all be challenged to offer a part of ourselves to others to encourage them with the same encouragement we receive from Christ, and those who bless us in his name.
Now, it is time to go find a way to encourage someone else...
Thursday, March 24, 2011
Belief When We Cannot See
It is springtime in Western New York and its arrival was marked by cold winds and yesterday, a snow storm. I found myself in that storm as I made hospital visits and a few meetings. I was amazed just how much snow we received.
Now, I chose to live here and I enjoy winter and its snow, but this year, I am looking forward to warmer days, greener trees and other outdoor activities. Putting gas in the car as the strong winds drove the sleet against my face, and driving along the slush covered roads, I was thinking of what was yet to come. Over and over, I told myself, "I may not see it, but it is spring." Nothing around me looked like spring, but nevertheless, it was.
As I sat next to the fire in our fireplace at the end of the day, I reflected on how similar the days experiences were to the walk of faith. Driving in the car, facing the inclement weather, it took great faith to believe it was spring. All I had was the date on the calendar, the words of the newscasters and the knowledge of the science that affirms the time of the vernal equinox. I could not base my beliefs upon what I saw. Instead, I had to base them upon what I knew to be true.
The same is true for our walk of faith. Often, our circumstances seem to contradict the things we believe and all we have to base our stance upon is what we can read from the Word of God, what we can hear from those declaring that Word, and what, in the end, we know to be true. Walking in faith is about trust and conviction. We trust God and God's Word, and we stand upon our convictions believing in the truth even when we cannot see it.
It is easy to base our beliefs and feelings on our experiences, but our experiences can be wrong. Think of the number of time you were convinced of something that you later discovered was completely wrong. Monsters in the closet that were only shirts and shadows to the hurtful actions of others that we later discover were misunderstandings on our part, these are just the beginning of the ways we misunderstand our circumstances. This is where faith steps in. Through our belief in God, we can see beyond our circumstances to embrace what is real and true.
Even now, as I look out the window, the sun and blue skies seem to be pointing toward spring, but the several inches of snow on the yard look more like winter. Likewise, as I look at my life, what I see often sends mixed messages. Thank God for the knowledge of the truth and the faith it forms that gives me strength to believe even where I cannot see.
Now, I chose to live here and I enjoy winter and its snow, but this year, I am looking forward to warmer days, greener trees and other outdoor activities. Putting gas in the car as the strong winds drove the sleet against my face, and driving along the slush covered roads, I was thinking of what was yet to come. Over and over, I told myself, "I may not see it, but it is spring." Nothing around me looked like spring, but nevertheless, it was.
As I sat next to the fire in our fireplace at the end of the day, I reflected on how similar the days experiences were to the walk of faith. Driving in the car, facing the inclement weather, it took great faith to believe it was spring. All I had was the date on the calendar, the words of the newscasters and the knowledge of the science that affirms the time of the vernal equinox. I could not base my beliefs upon what I saw. Instead, I had to base them upon what I knew to be true.
The same is true for our walk of faith. Often, our circumstances seem to contradict the things we believe and all we have to base our stance upon is what we can read from the Word of God, what we can hear from those declaring that Word, and what, in the end, we know to be true. Walking in faith is about trust and conviction. We trust God and God's Word, and we stand upon our convictions believing in the truth even when we cannot see it.
It is easy to base our beliefs and feelings on our experiences, but our experiences can be wrong. Think of the number of time you were convinced of something that you later discovered was completely wrong. Monsters in the closet that were only shirts and shadows to the hurtful actions of others that we later discover were misunderstandings on our part, these are just the beginning of the ways we misunderstand our circumstances. This is where faith steps in. Through our belief in God, we can see beyond our circumstances to embrace what is real and true.
Even now, as I look out the window, the sun and blue skies seem to be pointing toward spring, but the several inches of snow on the yard look more like winter. Likewise, as I look at my life, what I see often sends mixed messages. Thank God for the knowledge of the truth and the faith it forms that gives me strength to believe even where I cannot see.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Out of the Ashes
“Remember that you are dust, and to dust you will return.” The words are stark, but this traditional phrase, spoken at the imposition of ashes during the Ash Wednesday service, is a powerful entrance to the meaning of the Lenten season.
Lent began yesterday, and once again we embarked upon our 40 day journey toward the joy of Easter. These precious days give us an opportunity to reflect on our humanity and our need for Jesus Christ. They allow us to consider the frailty of our lives and the brokenness of humanity, while celebrating the transforming presence of God in our lives, and the need that all of us have to experience the grace and salvation Jesus offers.
As special as this season is, many Christians miss the full beauty of Lent. They attend most of the six Sunday Worships, but they miss the power of the special services on Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday. Yet, these special times of worship offer some of the most meaningful moments on the Lenten journey. It is within these holy moments that the traditional symbols and scriptures impart their deepest meaning.
Growing up, my church never offered a service on Ash Wednesday. To be honest, we hardly even mentioned Lent. In fact, I was well into my teens when I first understood what it was. Rituals, symbols and seasons of the Church calendar were not included in our church life. At first, the whole idea seemed foreign to me – something that belonged to another denomination, but not to me. However, as I learned about their meaning and took the risk to participate in the experience, I began to see the beauty and wonder they created.
I felt a little silly as I approached the pastor the first time to have the dust of burnt palm branches placed on my forehead, but as his finger traced the sign of the cross and heard the words of imposition, I felt the emotion well up inside me. Here I was, connecting to Christians around the world and throughout history, being reminded of my need for the cross of Christ to connect with the broken dust of my life. Without Christ in my life, all I was, was a creature of dust, but through the cross, that dust had an eternal future.
The symbols and rituals of Lent are new, and different for many of us, but when we allow ourselves to participate in them, we can experience their power as they re-present Christ to us in ways that connect us to one another and to all the faithful throughout history. While there is no magic in the palm ashes or in the words of the ritual, there is tremendous meaning that can change, not only our experience of Lent, but our entire journey of faith.
This year, will you let the symbols of our faith deepen your spiritual journey as you share in these special experiences together? You may just discover something you never expected.
Lent began yesterday, and once again we embarked upon our 40 day journey toward the joy of Easter. These precious days give us an opportunity to reflect on our humanity and our need for Jesus Christ. They allow us to consider the frailty of our lives and the brokenness of humanity, while celebrating the transforming presence of God in our lives, and the need that all of us have to experience the grace and salvation Jesus offers.
As special as this season is, many Christians miss the full beauty of Lent. They attend most of the six Sunday Worships, but they miss the power of the special services on Ash Wednesday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday. Yet, these special times of worship offer some of the most meaningful moments on the Lenten journey. It is within these holy moments that the traditional symbols and scriptures impart their deepest meaning.
Growing up, my church never offered a service on Ash Wednesday. To be honest, we hardly even mentioned Lent. In fact, I was well into my teens when I first understood what it was. Rituals, symbols and seasons of the Church calendar were not included in our church life. At first, the whole idea seemed foreign to me – something that belonged to another denomination, but not to me. However, as I learned about their meaning and took the risk to participate in the experience, I began to see the beauty and wonder they created.
I felt a little silly as I approached the pastor the first time to have the dust of burnt palm branches placed on my forehead, but as his finger traced the sign of the cross and heard the words of imposition, I felt the emotion well up inside me. Here I was, connecting to Christians around the world and throughout history, being reminded of my need for the cross of Christ to connect with the broken dust of my life. Without Christ in my life, all I was, was a creature of dust, but through the cross, that dust had an eternal future.
The symbols and rituals of Lent are new, and different for many of us, but when we allow ourselves to participate in them, we can experience their power as they re-present Christ to us in ways that connect us to one another and to all the faithful throughout history. While there is no magic in the palm ashes or in the words of the ritual, there is tremendous meaning that can change, not only our experience of Lent, but our entire journey of faith.
This year, will you let the symbols of our faith deepen your spiritual journey as you share in these special experiences together? You may just discover something you never expected.
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Power in Preparation
New action requires new preparation. We can dream and vision throughout our lives, but if we never move into action, we will effectively daydream our lives away. At the same time, if we launch into action without some preparation we do little more than gamble our future on a good break. Achieving our destiny is the result of listening to God and acting on His word to us.
Pastor David Cho of Seoul, Korea, pastors the largest church in the world. His oversight includes more than 500,000 people and a tremendous global ministry. Once, during an interview, Pastor Cho was asked how he organized the ministry. What was this successful pastor’s secret to such a powerful impact? He humbly suggested that the power principal he based his leadership upon was simply this, “I pray and I obey.”
To our ears this is “nice,” but we are easily tempted to think that this was just a simplistic spiritual response. However, this truly is a powerful spiritual principle. When we seek to hear from heaven, then act on earth we connect with the heart of God and with the heart of people. If Jesus thought it was important to hear God's heart in every situation, then you and I need to follow that model. We too want to be able to say that we only do what we see our Father in heaven doing.
Today we enter into the season of Lent, a forty-day period (plus Sundays) where we participate in acts of self-denial and reflection in preparation for the celebration of Easter. Often we participate in the self-denial and reflection, yet we miss the preparation. We give up a favorite food or hobby as a way to honor God during this season and our acts of devotion have a profound impact upon us. Still, there is even more to be gained through our Lenten activities. If we are open to the Spirit, willing to look for heaven’s vision for our lives, we will find that we are preparing for something new God wants to do in and through us.
When we listen to God’s direction and obediently follow, we invite the power of divine possibility into our lives and we increase our effectiveness in ministry. We move into a greater fulfillment of our destiny and we begin to experience the satisfaction that comes from walking in the pleasure of God.
Such spiritual success does not come by chance. It does not come by sitting on the sofa and waiting for something important to happen. Instead, we prepare ourselves to live out our calling by learning to pray and obey.
I pray this season of preparation will lead you further in the destiny God has for you. God is confident of your ability if you put your trust in him and are willing to follow his lead. May it be so.
Pastor David Cho of Seoul, Korea, pastors the largest church in the world. His oversight includes more than 500,000 people and a tremendous global ministry. Once, during an interview, Pastor Cho was asked how he organized the ministry. What was this successful pastor’s secret to such a powerful impact? He humbly suggested that the power principal he based his leadership upon was simply this, “I pray and I obey.”
To our ears this is “nice,” but we are easily tempted to think that this was just a simplistic spiritual response. However, this truly is a powerful spiritual principle. When we seek to hear from heaven, then act on earth we connect with the heart of God and with the heart of people. If Jesus thought it was important to hear God's heart in every situation, then you and I need to follow that model. We too want to be able to say that we only do what we see our Father in heaven doing.
Today we enter into the season of Lent, a forty-day period (plus Sundays) where we participate in acts of self-denial and reflection in preparation for the celebration of Easter. Often we participate in the self-denial and reflection, yet we miss the preparation. We give up a favorite food or hobby as a way to honor God during this season and our acts of devotion have a profound impact upon us. Still, there is even more to be gained through our Lenten activities. If we are open to the Spirit, willing to look for heaven’s vision for our lives, we will find that we are preparing for something new God wants to do in and through us.
When we listen to God’s direction and obediently follow, we invite the power of divine possibility into our lives and we increase our effectiveness in ministry. We move into a greater fulfillment of our destiny and we begin to experience the satisfaction that comes from walking in the pleasure of God.
Such spiritual success does not come by chance. It does not come by sitting on the sofa and waiting for something important to happen. Instead, we prepare ourselves to live out our calling by learning to pray and obey.
I pray this season of preparation will lead you further in the destiny God has for you. God is confident of your ability if you put your trust in him and are willing to follow his lead. May it be so.
Saturday, March 5, 2011
Inspiration
"I am just not feelin' it."
That was exactly how I felt yesterday, as I stared at a blank screen pondering what to write for my blog post. I've actually felt that way off-and-on for several days. I love to write, but I simply did not feel inspired. Then, last night, I got the word.
While watching a rerun of an episode of Art Race, one of the competitors shared some insight with a class of art students. Sharing a quote he heard, he said, "Inspiration is for amateurs; real artists go to work."
I was cut to the quick. Sitting around waiting for inspiration, I avoided taking the difficult step of being creative anyway. I was waiting for some external stimulus to motivate me, when that motivation needed to come from me.
It is all too easy to allow our actions to follow our feelings, but that is a backward approach. In reality, our feelings follow our actions. We do not wait for the endorphins to kick in before we begin our exercise. We do not wait to feel loving before we begin to love. We do not wait for inspiration to take on the tasks of the day. In each situation, we decide to act and then we can celebrate when the feelings follow.
So, truthfully, I am not sure I am feeling inspired, but I am stepping out in faith, believing inspiration will rise up with each step. I can feel it stirring even now.
That was exactly how I felt yesterday, as I stared at a blank screen pondering what to write for my blog post. I've actually felt that way off-and-on for several days. I love to write, but I simply did not feel inspired. Then, last night, I got the word.
While watching a rerun of an episode of Art Race, one of the competitors shared some insight with a class of art students. Sharing a quote he heard, he said, "Inspiration is for amateurs; real artists go to work."
I was cut to the quick. Sitting around waiting for inspiration, I avoided taking the difficult step of being creative anyway. I was waiting for some external stimulus to motivate me, when that motivation needed to come from me.
It is all too easy to allow our actions to follow our feelings, but that is a backward approach. In reality, our feelings follow our actions. We do not wait for the endorphins to kick in before we begin our exercise. We do not wait to feel loving before we begin to love. We do not wait for inspiration to take on the tasks of the day. In each situation, we decide to act and then we can celebrate when the feelings follow.
So, truthfully, I am not sure I am feeling inspired, but I am stepping out in faith, believing inspiration will rise up with each step. I can feel it stirring even now.
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
The Lesson of Lent
Ash Wednesday is fast approaching and with it, the beginning of Lent. As the first signs of spring make their appearance, we give our attention to a season of reflection and repentance. But why do we give six-and-a-half weeks to such somber reflection, put ashes on our foreheads, and take on special Lenten disciplines?
There are many things that we would enjoy more, and if the meaning of life was merely to do what we liked and have what we wanted, there would be little need for this season of the year. But, life is not just about us. It is about God and about others. We do not exist just to feed our desires; instead, we were made to bring pleasure to the heart of God and the grace of God to the world that he made. We need the time that Lent offers us to capture a better vision of our place in the world and in God’s plan, to learn the virtue of humility and the dangers of pride - to see what life is really about.
It is not easy to be humble. None of us likes to be made aware of our weaknesses. Especially in our culture, we like to celebrate that we are self-made people and we like others to recognize our accomplishments. It is hard to confess our dependence on others and on God. Truthfully though, we need God’s help. We do not have all that it takes to be successful and we often chase after the things that draw us away from God and lead us toward our own destruction, and sometimes, the destruction of others.
The Bible tells us that, “We shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free.” Lent is designed to help us see the truth, to make an honest assessment of our lives and an affirmation of our complete dependence upon God. As the words of the Ash Wednesday liturgy remind us, our flesh is, “dust and to dust we shall return.” While that may seem ominous, the blessing hiding therein is that when we bring our flawed flesh to the cross, God can renew our spirits and strengthen us to live as we were made to live.
As we enter this precious season, may we humbly allow it to crucify our pride and resurrect our spirits to new life in Jesus Christ. May this Lent be truly blessed.
There are many things that we would enjoy more, and if the meaning of life was merely to do what we liked and have what we wanted, there would be little need for this season of the year. But, life is not just about us. It is about God and about others. We do not exist just to feed our desires; instead, we were made to bring pleasure to the heart of God and the grace of God to the world that he made. We need the time that Lent offers us to capture a better vision of our place in the world and in God’s plan, to learn the virtue of humility and the dangers of pride - to see what life is really about.
It is not easy to be humble. None of us likes to be made aware of our weaknesses. Especially in our culture, we like to celebrate that we are self-made people and we like others to recognize our accomplishments. It is hard to confess our dependence on others and on God. Truthfully though, we need God’s help. We do not have all that it takes to be successful and we often chase after the things that draw us away from God and lead us toward our own destruction, and sometimes, the destruction of others.
The Bible tells us that, “We shall know the truth and the truth shall set us free.” Lent is designed to help us see the truth, to make an honest assessment of our lives and an affirmation of our complete dependence upon God. As the words of the Ash Wednesday liturgy remind us, our flesh is, “dust and to dust we shall return.” While that may seem ominous, the blessing hiding therein is that when we bring our flawed flesh to the cross, God can renew our spirits and strengthen us to live as we were made to live.
As we enter this precious season, may we humbly allow it to crucify our pride and resurrect our spirits to new life in Jesus Christ. May this Lent be truly blessed.
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