It's Madness!

Christians are supposed to be different. What does that mean? Well, Scripture is chock full of verses that tell us we should be light in a dark world, that we should not be like the world. We are ambassadors for Christ and, as Christ was hated by the world, we will and should (if we truly imitate Christ) be hated by some as well. Not a very appealing prospect, is it? Who wants that? But here's the crazy part, the world knows things are a mess. Stand in any checkout line, ride any bus, spend any time at all where people have time and inclination to converse, and you will find someone complaining about the state of affairs. And there will be someone right near them complaining about the uber-morality of Christians causing the problem. The world blames that mess on Christ! The Holy One, the One who died that sin might be done away with, the One who said Love your neighbor as yourself. And if that isn't the worst of it, many Christians are striving to be like the world, to "fit in" to that absurdity!

In Psalm 84:10, the psalmist declares, I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness. The Cambridge Bible says the sense here is, 'I had rather perform the humblest service at the temple of Him who tolerates no evil (Psalm 5:4) than be entertained as a guest where wickedness makes its home.' Is that what's going on in the world today? Are Christians taking joy in being poor or unwell? Are Christians finding blessedness in servitude and meekness? I don't think so. We've got churches with light shows and smoke machines, Super Bowl parties, and motorcycles --on Sunday morning! in the name of worship! There are preachers teaching prosperity is a right and healing this side of heaven is promised, using trade journals and poetry over Scripture as their text on Sunday mornings. We've got "Bible" teachers having extramarital affairs and "changing their view" on topics Scripture clearly forbids. A longtime Christian music artist has been called on the carpet over and over for his despicable behavior on and off stage; he and his wife are now the stars of a "matchmaking reality show" in which couples live together before marriage to "see if they can find love." (Probably the most extreme example, but he doesn't stand alone in his apostacy.) Why?! Why are "Christians" trying so hard to look like a group of people who will themselves admit, are living under horrible, debauched conditions?! I had rather perform the humblest service at the temple of Him who tolerates not evil, than be entertained as a guest where wickedness makes its home.

And how does the world, this group of people living under these chaotic conditions explain it? It's God's fault. How can there be a God when things are so terrible? If Christians would show more love rather than judgment, more people might come to know God. From what I can see, many if not most Christians have either been silenced or have sold out. I'm not seeing a whole lot of this "judgment" the world is always whining about. Have you ever been accosted at Home Depot by someone screaming about hellfire? Has anyone ever condemned you for your tight pants or choice of music? And these crazy churches, preachers, teachers, and artists who have "defected" to the ways of the world are joining in the battle cry of a miserable, discontent people! They have left the temple of Him who tolerates no evil to be entertained as a guest where wickedness makes its home. What would happen if every Christians shut their mouth? or disappeared? What would happen if every church shuttered its doors? Does anyone really believe conditions would improve? Those who, from birth, have resided in the home of wickedness have not just the nerve, but the naivete to blame the One who would never tolerate such evil. None of this makes sense! 

Jesus changed the world; He was not changed by it. Likewise, we are to be salt and light. Where are His ambassadors? The presence of God --even as a lowly servant --is much better than the tent of the wicked as an honored guest. And until we as Christians believe that with our whole hearts and follow that with our whole lives, we will never be able to affirm How lovely is Your tabernacle, O Lord of Hosts! (Psalm 84:1) and the world will not either.

Midweek: Caring for the Least of These

May is both Mental Health Awareness Month and National Foster Care Month. Having experienced the mental health issues that plague children in foster care, I think it's fitting those two issues share the same space. And I think we, as a society, should do a better job of caring for our weakest members; but that's a sermon for another day. For now, I will leave you with this excerpt from Ryan Casey Waller's book, Depression, Anxiety, and Other Things We Don't Want to Talk About:

Why is this the world we live in?

The best answer I can find is the one revealed in the first pages of Genesis when God created humans and made them distinct from other creatures in a very particular manner: He gave us freedom.

God told Adam and Eve that they could have their run of the garden of Eden. They had total dominion over the land and could do as they saw fit with only one exception: They were not to eat the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. But you know the story. They did just that, demonstrating in that moment what has been and remains true for all of humanity: we have the freedom to choose what we do in this life.

God, apparently, loves freedom....

Could God have set this whole affair up differently? Of course. God is God, and God can do whatever God wants to do. But this is what God has done. This is the world we live in, and this is the world we must learn to make sense of if we are to find some semblance of peace within the suffering.

...Mental illness is not the fault of any one individual but rather a disappointing reality for what it means to live life on this earth.

To accept this mindset requires a certain deference and humility toward God, for it could be easy to stamp our feet and demand that it ought not to be so....

This brand of humility is exemplified quite beautifully in the words from a survivor of Auschwitz:

It never occurred to me to question God’s doing or lack of doings while I was an inmate at Auschwitz, although of course, I understand others did… I was no less or no more religious because of what the Nazis did to us; and I believe my faith in God was not undermined in the least. It just never occurred to me to associate the calamity we were experiencing with God, to blame Him, or to believe in Him less or to cease believing in Him at all because He didn’t come to our aid.

God doesn’t owe us that. Or anything. We owe our lives to Him. If someone believes God is responsible for the death of six million because He didn’t somehow do something to save them, he’s got his thinking reversed. We owe God our lives for the few or many years we live, and we have the duty to worship Him and do all that He commands us. That’s what we’re here on this earth for, to be in God’s service, to do God’s bidding. [Reeve Robert Brenner, The Faith and Doubt of Holocaust Survivors(New Brunswick, NJ: Transaction Publishers, 2014), 102.]

There is something to this. It is hard to swallow, for sure, but there is a deep truth in these words. If our purpose in life is to journey back to God and become fully human along the way, then, yes, we must oppose suffering at every opportunity; but to find ourselves stuck in an existential crisis over the nature of this existence is to miss the boat entirely. The point, as a Christian, is not to eradicate all suffering or even overcome suffering but to endure it faithfully and ease it in people and places when we are able to do so, as Jesus did.

...God doesn’t stop every panic attack, nor does He stay the finger on the trigger of a barrel pointed in one’s own mouth. He doesn’t prevent the brain from sloshing into dementia, nor does He protect children from a father who promises to come home early but stays at the bar all night instead. He doesn’t stop these things. What He does, I believe, is experience them with us.

He rides out the panic attack, feeling its uncontrolled bursts of adrenaline, and His hands shake as the suicidal person quakes with fear and hatred and utter despair. He comes alongside the disappointed boy, who only wished to see his father for a few moments before bedtime.

He does not take this pain away. What He does is envelope Himself in it and whisper:

Me too.

~ Ryan Casey Waller

Depression, Anxiety, and Other Things We Don't Want to Talk About

Passion for a Purpose

I had a conversation with someone a couple weeks back. She wanted to know where my ___ came from (a character trait that she found admirable). Because I don't care too much for personal attention and because the topic of our discussion is not the result of anything I've done, I pointed upward. She knew what I meant, but she persisted. Well, yes, I know that, but where? how? I had nothing. I mean, really, I had nothing. Good genes? A good education? A passion for something? As I reflected back on that conversation, I realized it is not only the talents or resources we have that come from the Lord, but it is our passions as well. Now, this may be one of those Well, duh! things for you, but for me, it hit just a little differently.

For instance, look at the flowers, Jesus says, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. (Matthew 6:28-30) Jesus assures us we have no reason to worry for things; our Father in Heaven will provide. And that is true, but He also declares the glory of the flowers, the pageantry of a sunrise, the balance of a biome --there is nothing mankind can create, absent the character of God, that even compares to these things. Can we experience relationships without recognizing we are created by a triune God who sent His Son to die that mankind might be joined again in relationship with Him? Can we breathe in fresh air without acknowledging it is God's breath itself that gives us life? Can we love another without knowing true love is God's essence? Can we be kind or patient or gentle or good without the Holy Spirit at work? Life, creation, these are attributes of God Himself; and those passions people talk about --things like rescuing terrapins or developing green spaces (or just longing for green spaces) --those are attributes of our Heavenly Father as well. 

By the time Jesus was twelve, He was teaching and learning in the temple. I love to teach. Did Jesus give me that gift? Yep. But He gave me that passion as well. It's my love of teaching that causes me to partner with Him, to follow His example, and to read and learn myself, so I become a better teacher. To realize the passion for teaching or for making people laugh or for seeing others made well comes from God's very own character is pretty staggering. He has a passion for those things, and He has passed it on to you! But why? For you to enjoy it? Absolutely! God wants His children to enjoy the gifts He gives. But also, to serve Him and bring others to know who He is. God knows --God knew long before you did --that you would one day come in contact with the people you see every day; He knew you'd live in that cute little apartment just above the beach --the one you waited years to get because, well, the beach is just your dream! He knew one day you would finally land that job designing for the clothing store you spent most of your teen years funding. He gave you that love of design and even your sense of style because the people you work with need to hear about Him; He gave you the responsibility for doing that through the passion He's given you. I don't just teach because I enjoy it: I teach because teaching is the love He instilled in me so that I might spread the Good News of Jesus to the people He desires to reach. That's some pretty forward thinking there. 

It doesn't always work this way, of course. Sometimes God takes the person least likely to be a public speaker and transforms him into a wonderful preacher, or takes the introvert and gives her six children and a surly, burly, boisterous, ornery husband (but I digress). Maybe God has a plan for your passion. What is it you just love to do? Drive? Maybe you could visit your local retirement home and see if anyone there needs a ride; you could minister by taking folks to doctor's appointments or the market and tell them about Jesus as you do. Do you love to paint? You could teach classes or simply set up on the grounds of local parks; you could share with the curious or admiring the beauty you find in God's creation. Are you zealous for Zelda? Mentor some youth with a gaming group; encourage them to reach new levels not only in their favorite games but by memorizing Scriptures. 

Your Creator planned your passion for a purpose! What are you passionate about?