Naughty or Nice?

“He’s making a list/he’s checking it twice/gonna find out who’s naughty or nice/Santa Claus is coming to town.” 

“So,” Santa asked, “what do you want for Christmas?”  I listed all the toys I’d been circling in the Sears catalog.  “Well, have you been a good boy this year?”

How do you answer that when you’re 6 years old?  I knew the answer wasn't always yes.  I’d disobeyed my folks, I’d made my little sister’s life miserable as much as I could…a whole year is an awfully long time to be good.  But if I told the truth, I knew I wouldn't get any presents.  So I lied to Santa about how good I’d been.

To my 6-year-old mind, that’s what Santa was about – be good if you want good things.  How easy is it to think that God works the same way?  If you live right, you get God’s blessings.  If you don’t, then watch out.

But the two names given in the Christmas narrative tell another story.  In Matthew 1:23, we find His name is Emmanuel, God With Us.  It’s not Us With God, but God With Us.  He takes the initiative – He comes to us.  In verse 21 we find His name is Jesus, “because He will save His people from their sins.”

These names tell me that the work is His, not mine.  He comes, He saves.  Not once in these verses does it ask if I've been good.  Instead, it assumes I haven’t, which is why He has to come in the first place.

This Christmas, I’m thankful for a God who steps into my messy world, and does for me what I cannot do for myself.  No, Jesus, I can’t say I've been good.  But I’m so thankful that You are.

Hurt by His Followers

Last night I was watching the fourth installment of Mark Burnett's mini-series, "The Bible," on The History Channel.  One scene in particular jumped out at me, one that often gets overlooked when the story of Jesus' arrest is told.

Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane.  He asks the disciples to pray, as He goes deeper into the garden to pray Himself.  The disciples fall asleep, but Jesus agonizes in prayer, begging for "this cup to be taken from Me."  In the end, He surrenders Himself to the Father's will.  Soon after, Judas leads the crowd into the garden, and the soldiers capture Jesus.  The disciples, awakened from their slumber, see what's happening, and they're ready to fight.  They promised Jesus they would stand by Him, and now's their chance to prove it. Peter pulls out a sword, and in the melee, he cuts off Malchus' ear.  Malchus is the high priest's servant.  He falls to the ground in pain, as the fight continues.

But then Jesus speaks up:  "Peter, put away your sword.  He who lives by the sword will die by the sword." Then, in the middle of the fighting, the confusion, Jesus reaches out and touches Malchus' ear.  He heals him. There's Jesus, being arrested, about to be put to death - and He's still doing what He's spent His ministry doing:  bringing healing to others.

What jumped out at me as I watched this on the TV was who the characters were:  Peter,  follower of Christ; Malchus, servant to Jesus' enemy, the high priest.  Peter was doing what seemed like the right thing - fighting for Jesus.  In his zeal, he inflicts great pain on whoever is standing nearest, in order to protect His Lord.  But Jesus makes it clear that what seemed to Peter to be the right thing, really wasn't.  Peter, in spite of His zeal, missed what Jesus was doing.  Then Jesus stepped in and brought healing.

Maybe you've been hurt by the followers of Jesus.  So many Christians stand up for Jesus, for what is right, and though they may not swing a sword,they brandish words that create deep hurt.  They think what they are doing is the right thing, and their zeal is admirable.  But they miss what Jesus really calls us to do, to bring healing.  So, since we don't do what we should, He does.  He brings the healing to those who've been hurt, even when the hurt comes from His followers.

As I write, I realize that I'm Peter far too often.  Maybe my words have caused hurt.  I pray that God would open my eyes and let me see through His, that I might make things right, that I might be an instrument of healing.

So, for those who have been hurt by His followers, whether it was me or someone else in the church - I pray that you will see Jesus reaching out to you, with the healing touch that only He can provide, the touch that can make you whole again.

Unity

"Unity" is a hot topic in the Adventist church right now.  Church leadership has issued statements, declaring that unity is the most important thing for our church to focus on.  They quote Jesus' prayer in John 17, in which Jesus prays that His followers would all be one, as He and the Father are one.  This sounds good, until one understands the issues behind it.

The Adventist church currently does not ordain women as pastors.  Women can serve as pastors, but their title is "commissioned" pastor, rather than "ordained" pastor.  For the past 40-50 years, there have been those in the church who have felt this is inappropriate, that it is discrimination against women, as well as a refusal to recognize the work and gifts of the Holy Spirit in women.  The church has studied the issue for decades, and each study has concluded that there is no theological reason to withhold ordination.  My dear friends in the Southern Baptist denomination will disagree with that, but this is the conclusion our denomination has come to.

In spite of this conclusion from many studies, there are many Adventists around the world who still believe it is inappropriate to ordain women, opinions largely shaped by the cultures they live in.  Since these church members represent a large majority of the Adventist church membership, the General Conference has continued to withhold ordination of women, mostly through delay tactics when the subject is brought up.

Two weeks ago, however, the Columbia Union Conference, which represents a number of states in the eastern United States, voted to move forward with ordination of women.  (It is the union conferences which approve candidates for ordination.)  The membership here believes that the current practice is wrong, is discriminatory, and fails to recognize the gifts of the Spirit in some of the church's members, based on gender.  The union delegates voted to move forward, in spite of opposition from the church leadership.

In response, the General Conference president, along with the thirteen world division leaders, have issued calls for unity.  They have sent strong appeals that no other union follow the example of the Columbia Union, and that the Columbia Union reconsider its action.  They suggest that this vote threatens the unity of the church, and that this unity is more important than the union's "unilateral" decision to move separately from the official policy of the world church (though there is disagreement as to what the policy actually states.)

Much has been written about this in the last two weeks - on Facebook, blogs, and other Adventist media.  So why am I writing this today?  Because it touches on an issue I have thought about for many years - the unity of the church.  I agree with our president, Elder Wilson, that unity is extremely important.  Indeed, Jesus did pray that His followers would be one.  Paul writes to the Ephesians, "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." (Eph 4:3)

But through the years I have realized that this church is full of divisions, many of which will never be overcome. One example is the division over worship styles. There are many Adventists who find contemporary worship to be very meaningful and relevant.  They enjoy worshiping through music styles that they can relate to.  They are blessed by worship services that are interactive, and include a variety of elements, such as drama and video.  On the other hand, there are many who prefer a much more conservative and traditional worship service.  They enjoy the music of the organ and the choir, and the traditional liturgy they have been blessed by for many years.  The solution seems simple:  provide different services so people can choose.  The problem is that each of these two groups feel that the other is in the wrong.  Many of those who prefer the traditional service feel that bringing contemporary music into the service is wrong, that current music styles have no place in the church.  They would suggest that this music is from the evil one, and that using it in worship is bringing worldly elements into the church, and is the beginning of a "creeping compromise."

At the same time, many of those who prefer contemporary worship look down on the conservatives, feeling that they are stuck in their ways, living in the past, and that their worship is not relevant to the world today.  They suggest that we will never bring our unchurched neighbors into the church by using dated and worn methods and worship styles.  In the end, both sides distrust one another.  And while some may think it's just a matter of personal taste, it ends up much bigger than that, especially since one group feels that it is not about taste, but about right and wrong.

So here's an area of division that appears to me to have no way of coming to agreement.  Both sides will continue to disagree with the other side.  The question I've wondered about for years is this:  Recognizing this division, and realizing that the two sides will never agree, how do we find unity with each other?  How do we learn to love each other, to show that love, in spite of disagreement?  Do I have to demand that you agree with me in order to have unity?  Do I need to change my ways, even though I disagree, in order to have unity?

There are other examples.  Racial issues still divide our denomination.  Theological issues, such as Last Generation Theology, divide us.  There are many areas in which we don't have agreement between our members.  So how does Jesus' prayer in John 17, and Paul's counsel to the Ephesians, apply to us as a church?  Can we have unity, when we have so many divisions?

Jesus tells us in John 13 that His disciples will be recognized by the love they have for one another.  It seems that this is the only place our unity can be found.  If my fellow church member disagrees with me, can I love them anyway?  Can I have fellowship with a member of the church across town who doesn't like the way I play my guitar in church?  Can we still work together for the kingdom of God, even though we disagree?  Can we still call each other brother and sister, without demanding that the other change the way they do things?  I would suggest that this is the only way we can have unity.  Our unity is not in doing things the same way.  It's not in getting rid of all disagreement.  It comes from loving each other in Jesus in spite of our differences.  The world will not say, "Look how united these people are - one group gave up its policy for the sake of the other."  It will instead see unity when it can say, "Look how much these people love each other, even in their differences."

Lord Jesus, make us one, even as You and the Father are one...

Halloween, good; Christmas, bad...

Halloween will be here in just a few days.  Costumes, candy, trick-or-treating...  I have great memories of going door to door as a kid, collecting bags of candy.  I loved (and still love) carving pumpkins.

Many Christians, however, feel that we shouldn't be a part of the Halloween celebration.  They point to its pagan origin, and question why we would take part in such a ritual.  And I must say, I agree with them to a point.  I'm not bothered as much by its origin as I am by the way it's celebrated today.  Basically, Halloween is a celebration of death.  People decorate their yards with tombstones.  They hang what appears to be dead bodies from trees.  They go to haunted houses where actors replay scenes from the most gruesome and violent horror movies ever made.  We celebrate death and call it entertainment.

Here's the problem - as I read scripture, death is not something to be celebrated.  Death is the tool of the enemy.  "By one man sin entered the world, and death by sin..."  "The wages of sin is death..."  Why would we celebrate something so terrible?  Death isn't part of God's plan.  He came to destroy death, to give us life.  So, quite honestly, I want nothing to do with glorifying death, giving glory to the enemy.

There's really only one death that's worth celebrating, one death that brings us life, and that's the death of Jesus.  If we're going to celebrate death, let's celebrate that one, because it purchased our salvation.  And the One who died didn't stay there, but is alive today.  For that death, I'm thankful.

So what do we do with this holiday that our neighbors are celebrating?  What do we do when the neighborhood kids are going door to door?  Do we turn out the lights and pretend we're not home?  Turning to scripture, I ask, What did Paul do with pagan celebrations?  In the book of Acts, we find Paul talking with the people of Athens.  He sees an altar with the inscription, "To an unknown god."  The people of Athens would worship anything, even things they couldn't identify.  In the midst of this pagan culture, Paul said, "Let me tell you about this unknown god."  He then proceeded to tell them about the God of Heaven, and His great salvation.  Paul took this pagan celebration, and redeemed it for Jesus.  Can we do the same with Halloween?

Author and songwriter John Fischer suggests that, as Christians, we should be out there with our neighbors on this holiday.  We should be going door to door with our kids, meeting our neighbors, building relationships.  We should be giving the best candy, the biggest candy, so that those around will say, "Go to that house - theirs is the best!" instead of, "Those Christians have nothing to do with us."  This makes sense to me.  We don't have to decorate in ways that celebrate death.  Just be willing to be part of the community, to be salt and light by simply being there, and giving the best stuff. 

So now, let's get to the title statement of this blog, "Halloween, good; Christmas, bad..."  What's this all about?

I would suggest that, as they are celebrated today by our society, Halloween is good and Christmas is bad.  Think about it: at Christmas, kids are asked, "Have you been a good boy or girl?"  If they have, then they get good presents.  If they haven't, they get a lump of coal in their stocking.  So what they get depends entirely on their behavior all year.  If they get good gifts, it's because they earned it.

Halloween, on the other hand, is all about grace.  When I come to your door trick-or-treating, I'm looking my worst.  I've put on my scariest, ugliest costume.  Then I've even threatened you - "Trick or treat!"  And what do you do?  You reach into your bowl and give me some candy.  Why?  Because you're a nice person.  I came at my worst, and you gave me your best.  That is a picture of grace.  Isn't that what God does?  We come at our worst - our scariest, our ugliest, covered in sin - and He gives His best.  He clothes us with His righteousness.  He promises us eternity.  Not because we're nice, but because He is. 

So this Halloween, I'll be sitting in my driveway with a big bowl of candy, porch lights shining, and representing God's grace to the kids in my neighborhood.  Happy Halloween!

6 Months of Running

New Year's Day, 2011 - I was visiting my parents over the holiday, and after a shower, I stepped on their bathroom scale.  I hadn't been on one for a while, as ours was still packed away in a box after our latest move.  As I stepped on the scale, it began showing bigger numbers than I'd ever seen on a scale.  I didn't realize the numbers went that high...

I decided I needed to do something about it.  So when I got back home, I went to the gym and started running.  I ran a couple of times on the treadmill, but didn't really enjoy it much.  I knew I'd need some sort of goal if I was going to keep this up.  So I downloaded an app on my phone called "CouchTo10K".  This program acts as a trainer, taking a person from no activity to running a 10k race in 13 weeks.  The first week, the program tells you to run 30 seconds, then walk 4 1/2 minutes, and repeat 8 or 9 times.  I started with week 3 or 4, which had me running 2 minutes, walking three, repeating for an hour.  As the weeks went by, the running time increased, while the walking time decreased.

When I think back to those first runs in January, I would have laughed at anyone who suggested that in three months I could be running over 6 miles without stopping.  But using the training the app provided, I made it.  By the end of April, I ran 7 miles non-stop.

So then I asked, what next?  I'd met my goal of being able to run a 10k - now I needed a new goal.  Looking at upcoming runs in my area, I saw that there is a half-marathon on a Sunday in October.  There it was - my new goal.  So now I'm training for that event.  I run 3 times a week - my Wednesday and Friday runs are shorter runs at a faster pace, and on Sundays I do a longer run at a comfortable speed.  Over the next few months, I hope to bring those together - being able to do a longer run at a good pace.  I'm hoping to run the half-marathon in less than two hours.  We'll see how it goes...

One of the things that has kept me going is that I've become part of a running community on Facebook.  Every time I run, my phone posts my results on my Facebook page.  When I started, I wasn't the least bit proud of my times or distances, but I enjoyed being able to see my progress as the weeks went by.  But something else happened.  When these postings went up on my Facebook page, friends who are also runners would leave encouraging comments, pushing me to keep it up.  The comments were always positive, and I found the encouragement incredibly motivating.  There are often days when I don't feel like running, but as I look back at the comments that have been left on my wall, I'm motivated to go out there and do it again.

Something else happened that I found interesting, as well.  As my runner friends posted runs on their walls, I found motivation from their activities.  I would see a friend whose pace was picking up over time, and it would make me want to do that, too.  Because I found so much encouragement from others' comments, I started to leave comments on their runs, also.  It has amazed me that some of these friends have found either my runs or my comments encouraging, and they have been motivated to push on, just as I have been.  Knowing that my runs make someone else want to get out there and do it keeps me running on those days I don't want to.

As I think about the last six months, and this running community I've become a part of, I'm reminded that this is exactly what the Christian community should be.  What if we, as Christians, were known for encouraging one another.  What if we celebrated each others victories, and encouraged each other when we just weren't feeling it, when things aren't going so well.  What if I found motivation from your victories, and you found the same in mine.  I want to be part of a Christian community that does what this running community does.  I want to live a life that motivates others to push on.  I want to encourage those who are struggling to go the next mile.  I want to surround myself with those who will encourage me when I need those things.

I feel blessed to be part of communities like this here in the Dayton area, just as I was in Hamilton Church in Chattanooga.  I praise God today for community, both in my running, as well as in life.

(Dedicated to my running/working out friends:  Andre, Julie, Mindy, Dora, Silke, Chuck, Ben, Steve, Stefan, Dawn, Russ, Brittney, Anita, Ali, Roger, Sara, Craig, Bob, Pete, Kathy, and Debbie - you guys are the best!  Keep it up!)

It's the End of the World As We Know It

So today's the day.  Harold Camping, a Christian radio host, says today is judgment day.  This evening at 6:00 the rapture will take place.  He and his faithful listeners have spent $100 million to get the word out, and now they wait out the hours, while the world laughs at them.

How I wish he was right.  I would be thrilled to think that within the next 12 hours, we'll be home with Jesus.  I'd love to know that before the day is over, sin and death would be no more - no more tears, no more sorrow.  But scripture doesn't tell me that.  From my own reading of scripture, I fully expect to wake up tomorrow morning here in Ohio for another day of life, and that's OK.

I'm reminded of a song by the Christian band White Heart.  20 years ago they sang a song that said, "Maybe today, maybe tomorrow, that's not the question for me...no matter how long, I'm going to follow the Maker of all eternity."  Would I love to see Jesus come back today?  Absolutely!  But does it matter if it's today, tomorrow, or 100 years from now?  Not really.  It's in His hands.  I guess what that means for me is that I need to live every day for Jesus, not worrying about whether today's the day or not.  We'll see Him eventually.  But for today, I get to live with the knowledge of His presence, walking and talking with Him, even if it's not yet face to face.  I get to enjoy the joy of His salvation, the wonder of His grace, and the hope for greater things yet to come - in His time.

As you read this, please pray for Mr. Camping and his listeners.  They're in for a very real disappointment today, followed by discouragement tomorrow.  Pray for comfort and strength for them, and pray that they would find the truth in Scripture - that what matters is not when, but that they are living in Jesus every day.

Death of bin Laden

Let me start by saying how very thankful and grateful I am to the men and women of our military.  Every day they put their lives on the line to protect us and our country.  So, Thank You for all you do!

I heard the news last night that Osama bin Laden had been killed.  Immediately Facebook lit up with people expressing their thoughts - some celebrating, some concerned for what happens next.  A number of people have questioned whether or not this is something that we, as Christians, should be celebrating.  Do we rejoice over the death of someone, even if they are terrorists?

If we want answers as Christians, we have to start with the Bible.  Ezekiel 33:11 tells us that God does not rejoice in the destruction of the wicked.  So I would have to imagine that He's not up in Heaven waving the stars and stripes, and shouting "USA! USA!"  I imagine that the death of any of His children brings Him great sadness, even those who have chosen a life of evil.

This is balanced, however, by the fact that those who bring oppression and destruction to innocent people are brought to justice in scripture.  It was God's working to use David to kill Goliath.  Don't you imagine the Israelites rejoiced and celebrated when that happened?

So the celebration is not in death, but in the removal of evil, and the person who has chosen to side with evil - to the point of exercising evil on others.  If people want to celebrate that, personally, I'm OK with that.  But I say that carefully, recognizing that I myself choose evil far too often.  "Let he who is without sin cast the first stone..."

For me, it ultimately comes down to this...we live in a world of sin, pain, war, and death.  I wish we didn't.  But as long as we do, war is part of our lives, a very real part of our reality.  Knowing this, I realize that sometimes this means killing the enemy.  I don't like the fact that war happens, but in time of war, this was the right decision to make.  I celebrate our freedom, I celebrate the men and women of the military who make it possible.

But the real celebration is yet to come.  I look forward to the day we will celebrate the end of wars, pain, death, and all that is evil in the world.  However you choose to observe the events of the last 24 hours, I hope it makes us yearn for the day when this will all be over forever, and we will enjoy life eternal, the peace of Christ, forever in His presence.  Even so, Lord Jesus, come quickly.