These are questions I ask myself each Sunday?

• Isn’t it theologically wrong to call a building “church?”
• Is God proud of us for our faithfulness to a denomination?
• Isn’t it really, really shallow when we call a half hour of music “worship?”
• Are there people who are withholding their talents and time from others?
• Would Jesus be bored at church?
• Would Jesus know that our church service is supposed to be about him?

On Sunday, our pastor dug into what it means to serve and have a heart of service.

He explored Jesus’ response to the quarreling of the disciples over who would be greatest in God’s Kingdom:

For who is greater, the one who is at the table or the one who serves? Is it not the one who is at the table? But I am among you as one who serves.

Look around at the people in your life. Who is serving you? Who is demanding service from you? You’ll find Jesus in the one serving you.

• You’ll find Jesus in your waiter, your valet, your caddy.
• You’ll see Jesus in the family that invites you over for dinner.
• Jesus is in the years and years your parents cared for you (let’s be honest, you did little to repay their service).
• Jesus is in a wife that pauses what she’s doing to reheat some leftovers, even when you didn’t ask.
• Jesus is in the janitor.
• Jesus is in the guys stacking chairs after church is over.
• Jesus is in the businessman who helps the newly married couple get their finances straight.
• Jesus is in those who have given up their time and money to serve someone in need.
• Jesus is serving in the food line at the homeless shelter.
• Jesus is in the guy volunteering his time (lots of it) to orchestrate the band and lead worship on Sunday mornings.

Sometimes we try to introduce Jesus to others by telling them stuff.
Maybe we should just show them where Jesus already is…..

Matthew 11:28-30. From The Message paraphrase:

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”

Sitting in a meeting, one person used the word “missional” and another asked what it meant. Therefore, I am posting this video which I found via Alan Hirsch.

This morning, I read this in Deuteronomy 19 and then did some cross referencing. I found 3 places that basically say the same thing:

• “Show no pity: life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot.” ~Deuteronomy 19~
• “…fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth. As he has injured the other, so he is to be injured.” ~Leviticus 24~
• “But if there is serious injury, you are to take life for life…” ~Exodus 21~

But Jesus said this in Matthew 5:

• “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”

What do we do this this contradiction? What does it show us? What does it teach us? How do we respond?

“I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” ~Jesus~

When Jesus said this, He was talking about these Kids.

if you can’t see the video, click here.

the Church is the Body of Christ

your local congregation is not the entirity of the Church

the Church is supposed to be a lot of things

• caring for the marginalized
• teaching Truth
• providing for one another
• spending time with one another
• visiting those who are sick
• teaching children
• teaching teenagers
• a place for everyone to belong
• a place to share needs
• a community
• a place that cares for every nation
• a center for communal worship
• a center for communal action
• a center for communion

your local church doesn’t have enough people to do all these things regularly and with perfection

so understand that your church isn’t going to be everything.

and that’s OK

your church may just be a ligament in the Big Toe of the Left Foot of the Body of Christ

if you try to be a bicep, you’ll ruin the whole Body

if you get strained, then the whole Body gets spiritual turf toe

I just finished reading “Primal” by Mark Batterson. I’ve got a Review and then a Reflection. I hope both are beneficial to you.

A Review

Batterson writes “Primal” out of the inspiration coming from a trip to an ancient church gathering space. Mark explored an underground place where Christians gathered back when the death penalty was a very real consequence of their faith. “Primal” is an attempt to explore the raw, unpolished core of the Christian faith. What is it that seemed to precious to early believers that caused them to gather in spite of persecution? What did they see in the faith that was worth it? What did they experience? What did they know about God.

In today’s world, gathering with other believers often is less of a priority than sleeping in or taking our 4th grader to baseball. Why the shift? The thrust of Mark’s exploration starts here: “…some of the sacrifices you’ve made for the cause of Christ might not even qualify under a second century definition.” Mark spends the rest of the book elaborating on how Jesus teaches the “primal” core of discipleship in saying, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”

A Reflection

I couldn’t put this book down. I devoured it in 2 days. While I love books and reading, something about this book totally hooked me and I was unsure of what that something was until I thought about it….

I work in a church. I work with Christians. I work in a church filled with upper class Christians. Except for one or two families in our congregation, there aren’t any external needs. In fact, I’ve had to spend 18 months with the teenagers there to begin to see some of the deepest issues that can linger under the surface in suburbia.

Sometimes I just want someone to shake me. Sometimes I just want to shake someone.

This book shakes.

It names realities. It doesn’t sugarcoat. It doesn’t pull punches.

#3 Love = Energy

You cannot really love without breaking a sweat. You can observe. You can enjoy. You can hope. You can like.

But you CANNOT LOVE with burning some calories.

Parable #1 :: Growing up on a farm, I once fell into a feed bin. I was too little/weak to crawl out myself. My dad lowered down a rope and – while standing 30 feet in the air on a sloped surface – pulled me out.

Parable #2 :: My wife and I have a friend. Her name is Catherine. She loves us. Loves us more than just saying “Hi” on our facebook walls. She drove 12 hours to hang out with us for 24 hours. Also, she MADE us a Christmas present.

Parable #3 :: God could have – in God’s power – snapped fingers, and made us perfect (and boring). God didn’t. Incarnation happened. God becomes man. God burnes some calories showing humanity how much God loves us. God gave time, sweat, and blood to show us how to love each other.

last night I sat down with some teenagers and we read through the Christmas story.

I asked them the question, “what does this story teach us about God or about Jesus?”

here are some responses:

• God sent angels to the outcast of society (the shepherds)
• God decided He’d be best represented in this world by being born inside of an unmarried teenage girl.
• God was born homeless
• Jesus was of both earthly and heavenly “royal blood” (line of David and God’s son)