Customer Service

Several months ago we landscaped our backyard. I selected, intentionally, a company that prided itself on customer service. For the most part they were dedicated to trying to make me happy.

After a while I started to realize their effort to please was somewhat disconcerting. They continually asked me, What do you want? How many inches of exposed foundation? How many drains? Do you like this drainage system?

As they peppered me with these questions I realized that in some areas of life a high premium on customer service can be problematic. After all, I'm not the expert; they should be telling me this is what we believe will work.

This little lesson applies to the church. The church should not be gripped by the foolish dream of trying to make our "customers" happy. No doubt, we should be hospitable and loving. But should we strive to please? I don't think so.

The church is called to proclaim the truth about God. We don't have the luxury to discern what perceived needs need to be met to keep people happy. Instead we must learn to situate ourselves in the story of God's revelation through Israel and Israel's messiah.

Of course this is no excuse for arrogance or for a refusal to listen. But when it comes down to it, the gospel defines the need as well as the answer. So the question remains, Will we allow our lives to be re-narrated by the story of sin and redemption?

Peace.

Atticus Finch: A Man's Man

Recently I've been reading To Kill A Mockingbird. The book has moved me in countless ways. In particular, it has spoken to me about what it means to be a father and a man.

What I love about Atticus is not only his willingness to suffer for his convictions, but his willingness to let his children suffer as well. Atticus is called upon to defend an African American for an alleged rape of a white woman. He knows his children will suffer for his decision to do what is right yet proceeds anyway. At one point in the story, he tells Scout, his daughter, that he would not be able to discipline her--at least not with integrity--if he did not fulfill his duty.

I find this action challenging to our own cultural assumptions. It seems as if many in our culture believe the worst thing that can happen to our children is that they suffer. Many parents hover near their children to protect them from any challenge or any pain they might experience. This approach helps no one in the end. In fact, I'm coming to believe that there's something much worse than our children suffering, and that's showing them that there's nothing worth suffering for.

This is related to another fear I have about our modern understanding of what it means to be a parent: Our lives are so intertwined with our children's that we don't know where their life ends and where our's begins. Too many parents live to make their children happy, which creates a perpetual childhood. Parents surrender their adulthood, trying to make their children happy, but in the end, give their children little worthy of aspiration.

Atticus is a different. He's a man with values. He's living his own life and inviting his children--gently and slowly--to become adults with him. By embracing justice in an unjust world, Atticus displays a character dedicated to living for what's good and true, even if the result is suffering.

So what am I after here?

To begin, I believe we need to let our children be children. Let them explore again. Give them more freedom. Let them play without adult supervision and let them solve their own problems. The world is safer--at least where we live--than any other time or place in history.

I also believe it's time for adults to be adults. We don't have to live our dreams through our children; we should have our own dreams. We don't have to be fixated on having trophy children; we should be setting examples for our children. We don't have to control their lives and monitor every step of their existence; we should let them figure out some things on their own. Last but not least, we can give up an adolescent desire to be liked, even by our children.

For in the end, if we're not adults, what can we possibly say or give that will really make a difference? It's time for us to become wise, to grow up, and invite our children to do the same. With nurture, patience and most importantly, wisdom and virtue, we can help our children see the world right.

Peace.

Convictions Gone Awry

Recently I've been reading a biography of Jonathan Edwards by George Mardsen. The book is beautifully written, detailing the life and times of Mr. Edwards as well as his theology.

For those of you who don't know, Jonathan Edwards is often considered to be America's greatest theologian. He was a reformed minister, instrumental--both by his preaching and writing--in leading one of America's greatest revivals in the 18th century.

In a chapter entitled "The Crucible" the reader is introduced to Jonathan's forced resignation. Edwards believed that one must show some credible signs of salvation in order to participate in the sacraments. Furthermore, all parents requesting baptism for their infants must testify to a vibrant faith in Christ. Both of these stances, after almost 20 years of ministry in the same town, did not go over well. Eventually, the church voted him out, without really wrestling with the issues at hand.

Here's how Mardsen summarizes Jonathan Edward's reflections upon this event: "It was a great advantage to his opponents, especially in stirring upon the common people, 'that the controversy was a religious controversy.' Because 'a precious and important doctrine of the Word of God' was said to be at stake, the people could 'look on their zeal against me as a virtue.' They could 'christen even their passions and bitterness in such a cause with sanctified names, and to let 'em loose and prosecute the views of their bitterness and violence without check of conscience.'" (Edward's words in italics)

I think he's right. There's something about convictions that can tempt us to embrace ungodly behavior. In fact, religious convictions often inspire us to embrace attitudes and actions that do not reflect the grace of Christ. Does this mean we abandon all convictions? By no means. Rather, we must always pursue truth with a spirit of humility and with a desire to remain reconciled. Anything less than that simple commitment will not serve anyone well, not to mention failing to reflect the grace and truth of the Word.

I imagine this church that ran Edwards out of town has already realized they could have done better had they remembered who and whose they are. Paul's words to the Ephesians applies: "Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism." (Ephesians 4.1-5)

Peace.

Giving Part 3

For this last post on giving I will return to another favorite text of mine--2 Corinthians 8. Paul does something remarkable in this section of scripture by making an intimate (direct?) connection between grace and giving.

Paul writes this chapter to goad the Corinthians into following through with a pledge they had made to give to the poor Christians in Jerusalem (2 Cor. 9; 1 Cor. 16.1-4). As Paul traveled and preached the gospel, he was also asking Gentile churches to give to a fund to support the Jerusalem church which had fallen on hard times. To encourage the Corinthians to make good on their promises, he uses the Macedonian Christians as an example.

Read the text carefully. You will notice that the Macedonians gave out of poverty, not wealth. Though Paul was reluctant to mention his collection because of their own suffering, the Macedonians pleaded and begged to participate in this offering (2 Cor 8.1-4).

Can you imagine it? When's the last time you've heard of Christians begging to participate in an offering. Most of the time, Christians resent any mention of a need in church. But these Macedonians, though lacking in wealth and comfort, wanted to give to support the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem.

But more remarkable still is the language Paul employs to describe the action of the Macedonian churches. Notice, Paul begins by describing the grace of God given to the Macedonian Christians. Then, he continually refers to the offering as a "grace" in the original language, Greek (NSRV: vs. 4--privilege (grace); vs. 6--generous undertaking (grace); vs. 7--generous undertaking (grace); vs. 19--generous undertaking (grace), cf. footnotes in your Bible). To summarize this theme Paul refers to the "'generous act' (grace) of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor . . ." (vs. 19)

To me that places the concept of giving in another realm altogether. In light of God's grace and the grace that has been given to us we're called to participate in the grace of giving, of sacrificing for others and for the common good.

With that in mind, I find myself agreeing with many others who argue that a 10% tithe is merely a good starting point--just a beginning to teach us and shape us so that we might begin to grasp the grace of giving sacrificially. After all, to give in a manner that reflects grace certainly requires us to no longer give merely out of our leftovers. Rather we must grow in stewardship so that our giving actually points to what God has done for us in Christ Jesus.

Wow! I have some thinking and praying to do. I hate when I convict myself.

Peace.

Giving Part 2

We live in a culture that tells us to follow our hearts. You know the routine, you've heard the messages: What's really important is that you really believe in your heart that you're doing the right thing, that you are sincere.

We apply the same logic to the rightful use of our resources. We say, in so many words, what really matters is that you give your heart to Jesus and then you can do whatever you want to with your money and time.

I'm afraid such an approach leads too easily down the well-trodden path of self-deception. It's almost as if this language is a trump-card to avoid any call to obedience or any challenging conversation. To put it more forcefully, perhaps the church has reaped a harvest of souls, but we have not reaped many people who are willing to seek first the kingdom and restructure their lives in light of its coming.

Furthermore, the assumption that we can reduce everything to a personalized decision of what the heart is focussed upon misrepresents what Jesus taught. Jesus does not say, where your heart is there your treasure will be. Instead, he offers a more challenging statement: "Where your treasure is, there you heart will be also" (Matthew 6.21). Do you see the difference? The latter focusses upon something much more concrete. It forces to think about what we treasure more than anything else, what has captured our imagination, what's central in helping us make decisions. And part of Jesus' concern is money in this text. Just a few verses later, Jesus says, "You cannot serve both God and Money."

All of this leads me to a series of questions. How much influence does money have on our lives? Is that our true treasure? Is that what matters to us more than anything else? Can we look at our checkbooks and discern where our true treasure is? Or is that too simplistic? Those are great questions to ponder as we continue to reflect upon what it means to be disciples in God's coming kingdom.

Peace.

Giving Part 1

We had a great discussion in our small group last week about honoring God with our resources. It truly is a challenging concept but one we must take seriously. It is a frequent theme in scripture. Many have claimed that Jesus talked more about recourses and money than any other single subject matter. It doesn't surprise me. After all, the love of money is the root of all evil.

With that in mind, I want us think more about this topic with a series of blogs. Let's begin with Deuteronomy 8.

This chapter is one my favorites. It focusses on the temptation to pride and self-sufficiency. The concern is when the Israelites enter into the promise land and begin to taste success they will forget the Lord:

"Take care that you do not forget the Lord your God, by failing to keep his commandments, his ordinances, and his statutes, which I am commanding you today. When you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied, then do not exalt yourself, forgetting the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" (11-14).

The concept is easy to grasp. Once we taste success, we start to think, I've done it. Hence the warning: "Do not say to yourself, 'My power and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth'" (vs. 17). The temptation is pride and self-sufficiency. The call is to remember that God made it all possible. The warning is, "Do not forget."

This problem is still with us. David Bosch, a man who studied extensively the expansion of the church throughout history, stated that there has never been a significant movement of God in an affluent culture. John Wesley noticed that whenever wealth increased, the passion for God decreased. The lukewarm church in Revelation is probably the wealthiest; they're boasting that they don't need anything (Rev. 3.14-22). Do you see how it works? We become possessed with our possessions.

Perhaps one way to avoid this is learning to give sacrificially. Part of what the Israelites were called to do in Deuteronomy is to bring in their firstfruit offerings and their tithes. As an act of worship, this is a great way to praise God for making it all possible, a great way to remember.

What about us? What do we do? Paying God last, after we've taken care of everything we think important, hardly seems right to me. What if we learn to pay God first and limit our spending because of that commitment? Maybe we need it. What do you think?

Peace.

Vocabulary of Faith

The thought occurred to me the other day that part of the reason Christianity isn't as compelling as it should be has a lot to do with our language. The words of our faith no longer work without careful explanation. They have been soiled with layers of cultural garbage. Words like sin, salvation, grace, justice and mission have lost their true meaning and also their glory. So I will attempt the presumptuous task of creating a vocabulary of faith, doing my best to stay true to the teaching and traditions of the church. I will make them brief, imagining that I must tweet each definition. Here it goes:

Creation--a sign and symbol of God's extravagant love. God needs nothing or no one to be happy or content. He exists in a communion of three--Father, Son, and Spirit. Since he needs nothing, he created for no other reason but to share his beauty and love with us.

Sin--"to be curved in on oneself" (Martin Luther), refusing to let God be God. Which means rebellion against God's truth and beauty, refusing to respond to God because we're distracted by the cares of this world, and even religious activity for the wrong reason are all forms of God-avoidance.

Grace--receiving what you did not and cannot ever deserve or earn. At the foundation of our faith is what God has done in Christ. Even our ability to respond to Christ's calls comes from God's prior work. It's all due to God's faithful and unmerited love; he does not treat us as our sins deserve.

Salvation--to be rescued from our self-centered autonomy through Christ's work and his Spirit so that we can serve God by following Jesus with others, while actively waiting for the redemption of all that is.

Faith--an absolute trust and dependence in God's wisdom and truth revealed in Christ, to have a new orientating concern producing a new way of life--the obedience that comes from faith (Romans 1.5).

Church--a community set apart by God to show the world what God envisions for the entire world. We're called to be a new social order shaped by the sacrificial love of the lamb, embodying the faith, hope and truth of Christ's gracious reign.

Mission--what God is doing to reclaim the world. God is at work in creation, Christ, and the church. To embrace God's mission is to live out the hope and love of his reign by sharing and giving in countless ways.

I hope this helps. If you would like to know more about my approach here, you'll have to treat me to coffee. If you would like scriptural references, you'll have to take me to lunch. Peace!