Speak Sweeter: The Words We Use

This Sunday we continued our Live Like You Were Dying message series. John-David delivered the message. It made me think about my household growing up. It was a pretty rough place when it came to words. The dinner table was typically a time for barbs and personal jabs. It became a, “who could make fun of the other brother the most” contest.

When we had kids I was determined to make the kitchen table a safe place. I didn’t want to give them a hard time but instead encourage them. What I have discovered is that desire to make fun of other people, it doesn’t just happen because it is modeled. No it happens because it is a part of our broken flesh.

We have always tried to keep the dinner table a positive place but even with our modeling our kids are at an age where they want to attack each other. They want to cut the other down. It is certainly not a place where people speak sweeter.

So we attempt to teach our children better knowing that the broken flesh pushes them in a different direction. I worry about parents who think some how they can protect their children from such behavior, as if we can build a world where no one says anything mean or hurtful to their kids.

We have made it an effort in our home and still it creeps in. I know people who take their children out of public schools. I know of people who try to protect their children from every hurtful word. They try to punish every negative thing said to their child. NO only is this unreasonable it misses the fact that their own child is saying hurtful things. No, not because you haven’t taught them any better. It is because they have a sin problem. They are broken. They are not perfectly little angels they are sinners in need of a Savior.

So please stop trying to protect them. They are their own worst enemy. Do teach them. Teach them that, “The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” (Proverbs 18:21 NIV)

Stop acting like it is always the other child’s fault. Both are probably to blame. Start living with realistic expectations. Trying to protect them is probably the worst thing you can do.

James said in James 1:1 that we should consider it pure joy when we face trials. Maybe we should see these times as an opportunity to grow. A time to turn the other cheek. A time to speak sweeter.

Judas and Jesus

Have I told you how much I am enjoying the book A Better Freedom by Michael Card? One of the items he mentions is the cost charged for betraying Jesus. He notes that the price of thirty pieces of silver was the price paid to the owner of a slave when they were gored by an ox (Exodus 21:32).

Jesus was valued as a slave. Many people speculate as to why Judas did this. Some present the idea that Judas was trying to force Jesus’ hand. I wonder if it wasn’t worse than that. I wonder if he did it because Jesus disgusted him. I wonder if he felt contempt for this man with the power to bring people back to life. The man with the power to heal the sick and the lame, and yet he acted like such a no one.

He lived without any of the trappings that would be expected of a king. He put himself below others and served them. No, I wonder if Judas had not had enough of this groveling slave like attitude that Jesus had. I wonder if he wasn’t fed up waiting for Him to act like a king.

Are we any different today? When Jesus doesn’t step into our life when we ask in just the way we expect, with the actions we deem necessary, do we feel disgust? Contempt? Why don’t you act like a king should act…If you were a king wouldn’t you…

He lived like a slave to all.

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a [slave]…” (Philippians 2:5-7a)

Becoming a slave. We translate it servant because it sounds nicer but the point of the book is that the word means slave. The point of the book is if you look at what happened you understand many people saw Jesus as no better than a slave.

We decry Judas actions but what do our actions say? How many of us want to have “this mind” among ourselves?

The image of slavery in our nation is disturbing as it should be and yet Jesus entered into it willingly, would you…

Simeon Blesses Jesus

Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
“Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace,
according to your word;
for my eyes have seen your salvation
that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles,
and for glory to your people Israel.”
And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.”
Luke 2:25-35

Can you imagine waiting for something so long? Simeon was waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and waiting… For what? To see Jesus. To see Jesus heal? No. To see Jesus rebuke? No. Just to see Jesus. Not to ask Jesus for something or to look for any personal gain. He thanks God for allowing him to see the day. To know that the King has come into the world. That salvation has come. That a light has entered the world, a light for Jews and Gentiles.

To wait for just a glimpse of the King. Can you imagine waiting that way? Would you wait that way? Take a moment today to reflect on the simple joy of being in the presence of the King.

That Jesus is Out of His Mind

“Behold, I am the slave of the Master.” Mary’s words after being informed by Gabriel that she will give birth to the King.

Most translations do not use the word slave and yet that is what the Greek word means. Mary informs the angel that she is totally under the authority of her Master.

At one point in my life I used to think that maybe Mary forgot this promise when she was older. Maybe that is why she thought Jesus was out of His mind. To be fair the text doesn’t really say this happened but many scholars link the words in Mark 3:21 and the actions of Jesus’ brothers and mother as recorded later in Mark 3:31-35.

As I read Michael Card’s book A better Freedom I began to think that maybe the problem wasn’t that Mary had forgotten the promise made. In fact maybe it was the promise that fueled her attempts to take Jesus home. Maybe she thought Jesus had to be mad since the angel said he would be called great and would reign over the house of Jacob forever.

Could it have been that she viewed His ministry as a failure? Could it be that she came to get him back on track? “Jesus stop antagonizing the Jewish leaders, you’re going to need their support when you establish your Kingdom?”

No, I started to see her actions differently. I think many of us want to do the same today. How many times do you see people equate Jesus with power? Power over the economy? Jesus make me rich. Power over possessions? Jesus give me the nice things that I want.

She forgot that she acknowledged that she was a slave. That she was owned by God for His purpose and His will. She forgot that Jesus was the Master. He gets to do what he believes is best. It must have shocked her to see her son, born in such a miraculous way, living as a servant to all. Taking time for the poor and needy. Spending his days with the undesirable. It must have shocked her that this miracle baby, called to be King, wasn’t building an army and making connections with those in power.

No, I think she went to get Him because she didn’t understand our servant King. How many of us still don’t follow today for the same reasons? How many don’t truly follow because of the places we are asked to go and the things we are expected to do?

How many of us think Jesus is crazy….

Hey Bono: ONE

This is a continued discussion inspired by the recent U2 Concert. I repeat that I loved the show and the experience but hey there were some things I would have liked to say to Bono after a few of the corny “we are the world” moments.

I truly love the U2 song One. In fact a couple of years ago it inspired our yearly theme. At one point the lyrics go, “One love, One blood , One life, You got to do what you should, One life, With each other, Sisters, Brothers, One life, But we’re not the same, We get to , Carry each other , Carry each other….”

Before the song Bono informed us that the song related his hope that we could all be one. No borders, no nationalities, all just united as one. You know, go around singing kumbaya together.

Do you know how well things go when we humans get together and try to be united? Genesis 11 shows us an example of humans uniting. There is a lot of one in the text. Now depending on your take of the story, God was either extremely jealous or extremely concerned about what we humans would do to ourselves as we built this city instead of spreading out obediently over the earth.

I tend to believe the later. One study had this to say about urban areas, “Throughout most of human history, populations were not large enough to sustain highly transmissible infectious diseases for long periods of time. Now, however, this is no longer the case. Because people are living closer to one another in often unsanitary environments, the potential for infectious disease transmission is much higher.”

Can you imagine what the world would have been like if we had tried to all stay as one?

No, I think that unity isn’t always good. Unfortunately the idea of uniting to rid the world of hunger or homelessness or disease are coming at us more and more. I think the idea of 2 Corinthians 6:14 comes into play here. What partnership exists between righteousness and lawlessness? What fellowship is there with light and darkness?

Wanting to do good is great. We are called to do justice. Wanting to impact the world in a positive way for God’s glory is a part of the Kingdom’s mission, but if we are part of the Kingdom we should know that this won’t come uniting around poverty or disease, it will come when people unite around Christ.

When “every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” then and only then we will be one.

Until that time lets do good when and where we can but let’s not forget Jesus is still the answer.

Hey Bono: WAR

We went to see U2 in concert Sunday night in Norman, Oklahoma. I have always loved U2 music and so my wife and I decided to take the plunge and see them in concert. It was a great show and while there are always songs you wished they had performed, all in all it was worth it. With that said I think Bono is a little misguided in some areas and since we didn’t get a chance to talk to him, I thought I would place that information here.

Bono sounds in many ways just like Shane Claiborne and Chris Haw in the book Jesus for President. There seems to be this notion that ending war as we know it should be the mission of believers around the world. While I hate war and what it brings I don’t understand the idea that this should be the mission of Christians or that this attempt will make the world a better place.

Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ, and will deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Matthew 24:4-6

I guess I can tell Bono that he will fail in his efforts to rid the world of wars. I can actually tell him that not only will there be wars there will even be a lot of talk about more wars. Jesus seemed to think that the idea of wars shouldn’t alarm us. He even says that “such things must happen.”

Why take on a cause or effort that in the end is pointless? I’m not saying support wars or pray for them. I believe that is equally wrong and misguided. No, I’m simply saying that to focus as Christians on stopping wars is to focus on the wrong thing.

The beauty of the Christian faith is that it works anywhere. Loving your neighbor doesn’t depend on a world without war. Loving your neighbor comes in good times and bad, times of peace and conflict. The beauty of God’s Kingdom is that it functions no matter what the situation. I just see a very misguided mission when people like Bono talk about ending war in the world.

It also misses the fact that the world we live in is broken and will always be broken until Jesus returns. Jesus is the salvation of the world, not you and I getting together deciding we don’t like war and spending the rest of our life in protest.

The reality is some times war is needed. Peter tells those earlier followers that God sent governments to punish those who do evil (1 Peter 2:14). Surely no one contends that they carried out this punishment without some form of power and force?

Certainly nonviolent protests can be effective but you will notice that the only times they have are in places that have a Judeo-Christian ethos. So it worked for Gandhi because he was protesting against the British Empire shaped by a Christian ethic. It worked for Martin Luther King Jr. for the same reason.

It did not work against Hitler and there are many places around the world where it hasn’t because there rulers have not been influenced by the Christian faith. They simply kill the person and move on. The reason you have not heard of them is because they were dead before their nonviolent protest ever got off the ground.

No, Jesus Christ is the answer to war. War simply gives His body the opportunity to be his hands and feet. In war torn areas it should be the church binding up the brokenhearted. It should be the church sharing the good news that Jesus Christ is the answer. I’m just not sure how people wearing paper masks of the imprisoned dissident Aung San Suu Kyi does any real good for the world. In fact I think it can be harmful becuse the people with the paper masks may actually leave thinking they have accomplished something with their efforts.

Do we really think that the imprisoned Paul would sit around hoping someone somewhere was wearing a paper mask for him….

Making Mud Pies

…The gracious hand of his God was on him, because Ezra had determined in his heart to study the law of the LORD, obey [it], and teach [it] statutes and ordinances in Israel. Ezra 7:9b-10 (HCSB)

A simple post this morning, one that has been on my heart the past week or so. Or better put, been convicted of. Ezra led the people of Israel in a great revival after their exile in Babylon. But this didn’t happen overnight. We see in this verse that he prepared his heart for the things of God. Paul echoes this same sentiment to Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who doesn’t need to be ashamed, correctly teaching the word of truth.” 2 Timothy 2:15 (HCSB)

There’s a problem in our churches today when followers of Christ spend more time on facebook than they do in the Word of God. Father, forgive me, for being satisfied for making mud pies in the slum and not understanding what a holiday at the beach means. I am too easily pleased. (paraphrased from a C.S. Lewis quote)

John-David Meissner

Can we shut up?

Could we keep quiet? I was reading Joshua 6 recently and I really thought about what God told the people of Israel to do as they circled the city of Jericho. On the seventh day after marching around the city seven times make a trumpet blast and have everyone shout.

In verse 10 it says, “But Joshua had commanded the people, “Do not give a war cry, do not raise your voices, do not say a word until the day I tell you to shout. Then shout!”

I was thinking would we listen today? Would we wait. Would we think it was ridiculous to wait until the seventh day? Would we think it silly that we couldn’t just do it on day one and be done with it? I mean God was going to deliver the city into their hands anyway, why not just get it over with? Would we argue with Joshua? Tell him he probably didn’t hear from God. Doesn’t sound like something God would have us do?

Would we respect the leadership of Joshua enough to comply?

If God asked your church what would they do? I’m not sure we would make it today. Not sure wall would ever come down. Not sure we would even recognize what we did. No, I’m thinking we would sit around talking about how weak God was, couldn’t even get a wall down.

I think we would spend most of our time talking.

Abundant Life

How do we lock on to some verses and just never let them go? You would almost think that the Bible begins with, “In the beginning God came to give us abundant life…”

In John 10:10 we find that fateful verse that has been deployed so often in the American Church as a promise made to all. Now, I know what you are thinking, it is what Jesus said. Well he certainly did but what did he mean and have we ever stopped to think about how focusing on that verse and this idea has totally stilted the American church?

What happens to the broken person who comes to Christ because he promises abundant life and there life is a mess? What happens when they still struggle with all of the same feelings the day after they surrender their life to Christ? What happens when the marriage is still the same, the job, the kids? What happens when our American idea of abundant life and the very reason they look to Christ seems to fall short?

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10

What if the way the thief has come to steal and kill and destroy is to get people obsessed with their life and it being “good”? What happens if the church is just playing into Satan’s hand by twisting a statement of Jesus into something he never intended?

I wonder what abundant life meant to Peter when Jesus explained later in the gospel of John just how he would die. I agree it was abundant, just not how we American’s typically measure or look for abundant.

I tell you the truth, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!” John 21:18, 19

Goals and Growth

If I told you my goal growing up was to be a 6’ 4” shooting guard for the Boston Celtics, kind of a shorter Larry Bird (I think I could have the ’stash for it), you would tell me I failed. I have good and bad days shooting the basketball but I’m not close to 6’4”.

I have reached my five year anniversary at New Heights Church, or at least close enough to call it five years. I started November 1 of 2004. When I came I believed God wanted me to commit to the work for five years. With those five years coming to an end I have been reflecting on the past five years recently.

Can I be honest? It has been tough. You see when I came to New Heights I really liked their attitude about reaching out to the community. I found something attractive, dare I say biblical, about the idea of trying to be the hands and feet of Jesus for the world that surrounds us.

If I am being totally straight I would tell you that I believed a lot of people would find it attractive. I believed a lot of Christians would say, “Ya that is what Christianity is supposed to be about, I have been looking for a church like that.” These inspired believers would come together and because they loved the vision of the church they would reach out to the poor, the widow and orphan, the alien, and we would see people join the kingdom of God because of it.

We would grow because people bring people. I guess I thought that after five years we would be a further along on that road, closer to 6’4” if you understand where I am going.

No, Christians didn’t come and say we love what you are doing and we have dreamed about a place with such a focus. The majority have come and asked us to explain what we would do for them. They made pleasant about all we did for the community and we never saw them again. They looked to see how many kids were the same ages as their own. They had questions about denominational background, style of worship and even if it is okay to laugh during church, but not many made their choice because they wanted to impact the world.

To be truthful it has made for a hard few weeks, reconciling the vision of pushing out as God’s Kingdom with my goals. At times I have wondered if I am doing something wrong. Maybe I’m not cut out to lead. Maybe my sermons stink. Maybe I am the problem. Maybe I should be doing something else because we don’t seem to be meeting my mental goals.

God has shown me a lot about goals. When I went into ministry he asked that I follow nothing more or less.

In the end I had a view of where I would be. If I had really dreamed of being a 6’4” point guard for the Boston Celtics what would have happened since I never reached 6’4”? Would I be satisfied with almost 6’1”? Would I be satisfied with being the tallest of the three Hamm boys? That doesn’t even get us to my level of basketball competition. The junior varsity in high school hardly correlates to professional basketball. A slow kid with limited range isn’t making the NBA anytime soon.

If that was my goal then my life would look like a failure. But let’s say I measured it by growth? Sure I didn’t do much in high school basketball but I have played pretty well since. I will never forget when a guy who played college ball at the University of Northern Iowa told me I had a good shot and should shoot more. We played in a league together. I have done okay with my left-handed hook shot.

No, I came a long way as a basketball player and as I look at ministry I think the same. Our church has come a long way, from a clothes closet and a yearly medical ministry to a monthly medical ministry and countless other efforts that bring glory to God and impact the world.

I was reminded of this several times yesterday. A woman called to find out if we were still offering tutoring. She also had three students who will not have coats for winter. She knew we had a clothes closet so she wanted to check our hours. I told her to get me their sizes, we would do whatever it took to make sure they had something. She went on to explain that we have an excellent reputation in the Hispanic population for all that we do. You know, those aliens the Bible talks about.

I stopped in at another place and the first person I saw was someone I knew from our ministry. She recognized me but didn’t know from where. I explained and she immediately asked about our dental work. I told her we would be doing it again next year and that she really needed to call ahead.

This all happened in one hour of my day yesterday.

We are being salt and light and that is what matters. Do I still wish more believers would join our mission? Yes because it takes people to reach people, but I won’t let that ruin five years of successfully following Jesus Christ. It won’t keep me from looking forward to five more.

God bless.