There are far too many people who have given their lives nobly on a day such as this.
Today, I will choose to remember these people:
Jesus
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Gandhi
Tom Fox
Steven Biko
Dorothy Day
Rosa Parks
Mother Teresa
John Howard Yoder
Oscar Romero
Their contributions will not be forgotten.
“Only love can make the lion lay down with the lamb.”
This is the final sermon in my Scarlet Thread series. I try to maintain the same level of warning that Malachi used regarding the twin sins of the Israelite people: idolatry and injustice. Sins that are all too prevalent among us Christians today.
From a year of studying the Old Testament:
I have so many more thoughts, but that’s enough for now. What thoughts do you have?
It’s a few days late but here it is. This is a look at all of the Messianic prophecies contained in Zechariah.
Bringing a discussion from my comments to the main board:
How would applying the teachings of Jesus manifest themselves in 21st Century America? What do we make of His sayings? How do we apply that? How do we live it?
What does this newfound awareness I have of the person of the Christ mean? How does it manifest itself?
I have added to my prayer to love people more that I will not be afraid of the touch. It goes something like this now: “Lord, help me to love people more and not be afraid to be touched by them.”
How do we live like Jesus?
(Tracy cringes at the thought of me doing a series on preaching, but oh well. It is what pays the bills.)
Moving from Texas to Michigan was a huge change. I was transitioning from working exclusively with youth to being “the guy.” No longer would I be preaching whenever the pulpit minister was out of town, I was the pulpit minister.
On that drive, Tracy asked me what my biggest fear was as I shifted roles.
It did not take me long to answer her.
I told her that my biggest fear was that I would be found out to be a fraud. That my private life would be compared against my public message and that I would be found wanting.
My fear was, and still often is, that the disconnect between the certainty of preaching and the inner struggle of my fallen humanity would become too pronounced.
I’ve fallen before. It’s painful, brutal and hurts everyone in close proximity.
I’ve never been one to pretend that I have it all figured out, that I have all the answers, or that I’m more spiritually advanced than anyone else.
No, I’m not the most intelligent person you will ever meet. I was on the 6 year college plan.
I’m not the most spiritual person you will ever meet. I laugh at inappropriate humor and often feel riddled with doubts and uncertainty.
I’ve always been amazed at those who do seem to have it all together, who never struggle and have all the answers. That is my typical experience with preachers.
(Hyperbole alert)
Growing up in the Church of Christ it seemed that there was this unspoken rule that preachers had to be perfect. They never said “I don’t know.”
They could quote the entire Bible backward and diagram Greek. They knew the name of all of Peter’s cousins and the addresses of where Paul stayed in his journey to Rome.
Sin, to them, was something left behind when they enrolled at Harding. It was no longer allowed.
To be honest, and this may be a part of my Gen-X makeup, I don’t relate well to that. I want to hear preachers say “I don’t know.” I want them to say they struggle with the meaning and import of what they say.
Maybe I want that because it it the only way I know how to preach.
Let me be frank, the Bible bothers me. When I open up the Word to begin the sermon prep process, I shake.
I shake because I know that I am undone and that the Scripture is going to convict me.
I know that I have to illuminate truth to people while that Truth is still working on me. Without fail, it shows me something I don’t like. Some part of my life that needs to be surrendered, some aspect that needs transformation.
For me, to be honest in my preaching, I must be transparent. I must show people that the Christ is still working on me.
It may not be the safest way to go about it but, as I wrote yesterday, I don’t believe that preaching is intended to be safe.
I’m preaching on Zechariah this Sunday. It’s Wednesday morning and I still don’t know what I am going to say. The text is too big, too powerful, too pregnant with meaning for me to fully comprehend.
There is so much about the ideas of Covenant, Kingdom, Exile and Eschatology that I just don’t have figured out. The message of God’s extreme patience and violent grace is too vast for me.
I will stand up on Sunday and preach from this book. It will not be the final word on the subject. Instead it will be an understanding of God and His word that is incomplete from a preacher who is undone and uncertain.
These feet of clay will proclaim the Rock of Truth.
This sinful heart will affirm the Grace of God.
This unfinished work will blazon the Author and Perfector.
May those who hear look beyond the imperfections of the messenger and see the beauty of The Message.
There are currently 4 CD’s I cannot get out of my player. Check them out:
All the Roadrunning by Mark Knopfler and Emmylou Harris: This album was 7 years in the making and it was worth every minute of the wait. Their voices meld together beautifully to produce a somewhat restless symphony.
Living with War by Neil Young: The other extreme from Roadrunning, this album was recorded in just 3 weeks. However, it is no less potent and is not for the faint of heart. It is protest music at its finest. Young is channeling the protest spirit of the ’60′s. Again, be warned. It is not a timid album.
We Shall Overcome: The Seeger Sessions by Bruce Springsteen: Speaking of protest music, there is no artist living today that has made a more indelible impression on the landscape of music as activism than Pete Seeger. While breathing new life into these folk staples, Springsteen pays proper tribute to the legend and legacy of Seeger.
Beneath These Fireworks by Matt Nathanson: This album was released three years ago and is Nathanson’s first major label recording. I just recently discovered him and this is pure singer-songwriter excellence. He has rocketed up into my top 10 artists on the strength of this disc alone.
One other recommendation: are you looking for a great book about the mystery of Jesus? Do you want to understand Him a little more than you do? You could go for The Secret Message of Jesus by Brian McLaren and find a few good tidbits. But it is, to me, incredibly uneven and a trifle boring. Opt instead for The Challenge of Jesus: Rediscovering Who Jesus Was and Is by N.T. Wright. This is the far superior book. It’s 7 years older but much more concise and captivating.
What about you? What’s on your turntable?
Shayla, I never stop being surprised by you.
I did not expect another child. I was surprised when we found out your mommy was pregnant.
I did not expect another girl. I was surprised when I found out I would be even more outnumbered.
I did not expect to love you this much. I was surprised at how completely you stole my heart.
I thought we were complete. A family of four was enough, I believed. I was surprised at how unfinished our family was.
This year has been a growing one for me. Transitioning to another child was not especially easy. You did not take to me immediately.
But, each and every day, you grew closer and closer to understanding who I am. And each and every day, I have grown to love you more.
I’ve grown to love your smile. I’ve grown to look forward to seeing your face light up when I walk in the room.
I’ve grown to love the way you love your mommy. I see her every time I look at you.
Most importantly, I see Jesus. You see, every time I see Jesus, He surprises me. Just like you do. There is always something new when I look at Jesus. Just like there is always something new when I see you.
It’s part of growing to be surprised by Him. You introduce me to Him in ways I never would have imagined.
Shayla, you did not have the best birthday ever. Tornadoes and power outages are not what we planned. It was a surprise for us.
That’s fitting in a way. You never fail to surprise us.
Understand this. I love surprises.
And I love you.
Happy Birthday,
Daddy
From Haggai 2:7. Have you heard many sermons from Haggai? Yeah, me either.
So, I am preparing a summer series on dealing with issues that confront us today as Christians. The idea is to redeem spiritual matters from the myopia of a political view, to look at things as a Christian first before we bring country or party into it.
Some of the issues that we will be dealing with are:
What do you think of these issues? What are your thoughts? What would you like to see added to this list? Am I crazy? (Actually, you don’t have to answer that one.)
I really covet your feedback here.
