Pastor’s Point - Do What You’re Told

If you’re a parent, you’ve probably found yourself saying it. If you ever had a parent, you probably heard it, and maybe more than once. Do what you’re told. Maybe you can even recall the phrase, because your father said so. As those contaminated with a sinful nature, we generally are tempted to react negatively to such edicts. As those created with a free will, it is almost instinctive to resist letting someone else be “the boss of us.” But have you ever thought about how such words, when spoken of/by a benevolent authority figure, can actually bring comfort, security, even expectancy?

The writer to the Hebrews wrote in chapter 12 that Jesus, for the joy set before him, “endured the cross, despising its shame, and [then] sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” What kept him focused through all of that torment? How was he able to persevere in the midst of such grave temptation? No question, Jesus anticipated one phenomenal outcome of his finished work was “bringing many sons to glory.” (Heb. 2:10) So we often conclude it was mainly because of His great love for us. But I would contend that the gospels also strongly suggest another motivation: He lived to please His Father.

Consider just the events that transpired from Palm Sunday to his resurrection. As he made his way through the crowds, even as he listened to their shouts of ‘Hosanna’, he was aware that these accolades came from people with all kind of agendas for him. Maybe you can relate to that part of the journey—the temptation to meet everybody else’s expectations along the way to following Jesus.

But because He lived to please His Father, it was His Father’s agenda that held Jesus’ attention. When pressed by unbelieving Jews as to his true identity, He answered: “I am not of this world…He who sent me is reliable, and what I have heard from Him I tell the world. When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am the one I claim to be, and that I do nothing on my own but speak just what the Father has taught me…I always do what pleases Him.” (John 8: 23-29)

Hundreds of years before that final week, the prophet Isaiah had already hinted at what was to come. “It was the Lord’s [Father’s] will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes his (Jesus’) life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord [Father] will prosper in his hand” (Isaiah 53:10)

So what might that final memo have looked like?

To: Jesus

From: Your Heavenly Father

Re: Things to accomplish during this week

1) Ride into town, not on a mighty stallion, but on a lowly donkey.

2) Curse a fig tree for not bearing fruit, and do it within earshot of your friends so they get the point.

3) Clear the temple of the money-changers and call these merchants a bunch of “robbers.”

4) Continue publicly debating the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the church elders, while fully aware that they are weighing every word, in order to find some reason to arrest you.

5) Endure the same political posturing with the Pharisees, the Herodians, and the Sadducees.

6) Receive a PDA (public display of affection) from a woman with a “past,”only to have its merits questioned by none other than Judas Iscariot. His PDA is just ahead.

7) Break bread with your best buds and remind them that the next time you drink wine with them, EVERYTHING will have changed. Oh, and even after three years of intense ministry with them, sadly behold their clueless expressions.

8) Visit the garden of Gethsemane, pray in agony as your very best buds fall asleep.

9) Get arrested, falsely accused, humiliated, stripped, beaten, convicted and nailed naked to a tree. (And the world will call it “Good” Friday.)

But one more thing, Son.

10) Because You will have chosen to “humble yourself and become obedient to death –even death on a cross”, by journey’s end you will be exalted to the highest place and given “the name that is above every name, so that at your name, [Jesus,] every knee will bow, in heaven and on earth, and every tongue will confess that you, Jesus, are Lord of all, to the glory of God the Father.”

So fellow disciples of Jesus, I ask you: With all the different voices clamoring for your attention, what keeps you motivated? Whose agenda keeps you focused and fulfilled? And whose power are you leaning on to finish the race? Let’s pray that each of us finds more and more delight in doing what pleases our Father simply because He said so. It’s one of the things that made Holy Week so holy. Jesus was just doing what He was told.

                                                                                                                                          tad

Pastor’s Point: Meeting the Man Empty-Handed

Probably my favorite story in the life of Jesus involves one of his last acts of ministry before His death. It is his encounter with the two thieves on the cross. One of the songs on our Holy Week CD—How Love Wins—describes the account from the viewpoint of one of those two thieves. The scripture version is brief and to the point:


Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed. When they came to the place called the Skull, they crucified him there, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left. One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.” Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Literally and figuratively, Jesus was the man in the middle. That is how he died, between two others, two needy ones…like you and me. Died right where he belonged, in a sense—at the center. I don’t think it’s coincidental that the gospel writer pays attention to Jesus’ position in relationship to them. One was on his right, the other on his left. Both sensed that this Jesus was no ordinary criminal. The one says, “if you are the Messiah…” The other one suspects Jesus’s kingdom lies just ahead. “Remember me” then, he pleads. And what could these two guys offer him in exchange? Absolutely nothing. Or more specifically, lives of brokenness and squandered opportunities. They are meeting The Man empty-handed, and would face Him, their Maker, again—in a few short hours.

What does this encounter have to do with you and me? Everything. I believe this scene is a kind of template for all of humankind, when we stand before The Man someday to be judged. The English hymnwriter, Augustus Toplady, wrote these words in 1763:

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee;

Let the water and the blood, from Thy wounded side which flowed,

Be of sin the double cure, save me from its guilt and power.

Not the labor of my hands can fulfill Thy law's demands;

Could my zeal no respite know, could my tears forever flow,

All for sin could not atone; Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to Thy cross I cling;

Naked, come to Thee for dress; helpless, look to Thee for grace;

Foul, I to the fountain fly; wash me, Savior, or I die.

While I draw this fleeting breath, when my eyes shall close in death,

When I rise to worlds unknown, and behold Thee on Thy throne,

Rock of Ages, cleft for me, let me hide myself in Thee.

These were the very sentiments of the thief on the cross, bringing nothing to the table: like you and me, he came naked, helpless, foul. The solution to his desperate situation was the same as yours and mine. The great apostle Paul admits this in his letter to Titus:

 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

 As we near Holy week, I urge you to take time to position yourself before Christ—willingly, not reluctantly. Agree with the thief who found the Man in the middle to be His savior and king. Admit your desperate need, and savor the grace that follows. It’s what makes Good Friday so good.

                                                                                                                                           tad

                                                                                                                                                                        

Pastor’s Point: The music’s too loud!!! revisited…

One of my favorite scenes from Back to the Future is when a young Marty McFly is auditioning for the battle of the bands before a panel of teacher/judges. In a cameo appearance, Huey Lewis (himself an ‘80’s rock star in real life), plays one of the uptight teachers who must inform Marty that his band’s sound is “just too darn loud”. (Catch the scene online: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cZ8FvjsbKE)

It’s an ironic moment meant to get a laugh, but it also reminds me how subjective art and artistic tastes can be, even over the simplest ingredients like volume. What is too loud for some is not loud enough for others. Our technical director Darren Mitchell, and our sound engineer Nick Smith, work very hard to strike a balance, given the various styles and generations they have to work with on any given Sunday. Their heart attitude is amazing in all this—very humble and very teachable. Above all they want to glorify God and their goal is to make the technical part of corporate worship “invisible,” so to speak. The less aware of it that we are, the more likely the worshiper can focus on the message in the art.

Recently I ran across this humorous, tongue in cheek, ‘adaptation’ of one of Paul’s letters (don’t think it made it to the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit). My suspicions about its veracity are only strengthened by the fact that I don’t believe too many Corinthian church buildings would have had pipe organs. But as a parable for what it’s like today trying to appeal to everyone’s “volume preference,” I find it instructive.

1 And It Came to Pass, when Paul was at Corinth, he and certain disciples came upon a mob that was stoning an organist. 2 And Paul said unto them, “What then hath he done unto thee that his head should be bruised?” 3 And the people cried with one voice, “He hath played too loud. 4 Yea, in the singing of psalms, he maketh our heads to ring as if they were beaten with hammers. 5 Behold, he sitteth up high in the loft; and mighty are the pipes and mighty is the noise thereof, and though there be few of us below, he nonetheless playeth with all the stops, the Assyrian trumpet stop, and the stop of the ram's horn and the stop that soundeth like the sawing of stone, and we cannot hear the words that do come out of our own mouths. 6 He always tosseth in variations that confuse us mightily and he playeth loud and discordantly and always in militant tempo, so that we have not time to breathe as we sing. 7 Lo, he is a plague upon the faith and should be chastised.” 8 Paul, hearing this, had himself picked up a small stone, and was about to cast it., but he set it down, and bade the organist come forward. 9 He was a narrow man, pale of complexion, dry, flaking, thin of hair. 10 And Paul said unto him, “Why hast thou so abused thy brethren?” 11 And the organist replied, “I could not hear them singing from where I sat, and therefore played the louder so as to encourage them.”12 And Paul turned around to the mob and said loudly, “Let him who has never played an organ cast the first stone!” 13 And they cast stones for a while until their arms were tired and Paul bade the organist repent and he did. 14 And Paul said unto him, “Thou shalt take up the flute and play it for thirty days, to cleanse thy spirit,” and afterwards they returned to Corinth and sang psalms unaccompanied and then had coffee and were refreshed in the faith.

                         Attributed to Garrison Keillor: manuscript edited and corrected.

 Bottom line:  The more things change the more they stay the same.  In the meantime, let’s be thankful for—and loving to—our amazing tech guys. They’re the best!         
                                                                                                                       tad                 

Pastor’s Point: Final Four


This Sunday in our worship community, we will conclude the series on our core values, called Sweet Sixteen. We have intentionally grouped the last four together. Call it “killing four birds with one boulder.” The final four are: stimulate creativity, remain culturally relevant, reproduce the next generation of artistic leaders, and always be loving. One common theme in the first three of these is the idea of thinking ahead. Living things are growing things, and nothing says a church is alive better than newness of life, whether it is new converts, a renewed spirit in worship, new ideas for communicating old truths, even just new faces. The first chapter of the book of Genesis says that God created the heavens and the earth. Later in the same chapter, it says that God made us in His image. Part of being image-bearers of the One who made us is to exhibit creativity ourselves. I once heard it said that people often choose to live in either one of two places: their memories or their imagination. The issue is not whether or not we retain our memory, but rather, do we camp out there, pitch our tent there, so to speak. Sadly, the local churches that exist mainly to perpetuate their own tradition have made that choice.

The problem with this approach can be illustrated by driving a car. As you sit in the driver’s seat and survey all the potential choices before you, there is always that little rear-view mirror which could occupy your time and attention. But it was actually designed to provide you a reference point and a reminder of what is behind you. Organizations which become preoccupied with maintaining their heritage, reputation, or even their buildings (call it the edifice complex), have little time to dream, imagine, or create. The result is oftentimes a loss of credibility and relevancy within the larger culture or community they attempt to engage.

Think about the world of recorded music in our culture. Forty years ago you had only a few AM stations, a handful of accepted musical styles, and products to reproduce music like LPs and 45s (as they were called). When I was growing up, I could not have imagined the number of options which might be available to me even within my own lifetime. What changed? The culture, technology, people’s free time, you name it. And with that evolution, the language of the arts moved to keep up.

So it is with the worship community of any local church if it is to remain sensitive to and reflective of the culture it endeavors to reach. The message needn’t change but the medium must. Bible translators know this. Church architects certainly know this. Those involved in the arts and technology definitely should realize this. Not staying current with these trends is like traveling to a foreign country and assuming all American customs and language are completely transferable. If the message is to be understood, its presentation must relate to its surroundings.

What can help us keep up with this “warp-speed” revolution? I believe it requires our raising up the next generation of leaders in this area. To do this, we must first be willing to listen to our youth and young adults. It will involve engaging them in open-minded dialogue about the way their culture learns and experiences things. And it must include providing them opportunities to actually teach and lead us in these areas. It can be yet another testimony to the work of the Holy Spirit in a church when there is a discernible, intentional passing of the baton to the next generation in full view. No one promises it won’t be messy at times, or never need tweaking or correction. But it is those very times when the love of God, like fine cream, rises to the top and displays itself. And that is exactly where we land…on our final, but perhaps highest, value—always be loving.

Church cultures whose unity sounds more like unison don’t require a lot of love. In fact, in those kinds of environments, when someone starts singing slightly out of tune, or even a different tune, members simply withdraw or, worse, begin the dismantling process of the fellowship. The agape love of the first church was tested early on. It had to intentionally set aside the need for ethnic (cultural) “purity.” They did, after all, start out “all Jewish—all the time,” remember? (Acts 10). Agape love also meant stepping out in faith, being willing to be lovingly corrected by their spiritual leaders, and, at times, even risking death. But their true mark on the world, the distinctive which ultimately turned that world upside down, was not their great faith, not their gifts, or creativity, not even their open-mindedness. Rather, it was how they loved each other.

Imagine, if you will, two piles of bricks standing side by side, one with mortar and the other without. Now think of the love of God as the mortar connecting the one stack of stones which He is using to build a beautiful temple of worship. When viewed side by side, the two stacks neatly piled on top of each other really don’t look all that different. But let the first quake of adversity or division hit, and one thing becomes clear. Without that love, without the connective adhesive of the Holy Spirit in our lives, we will not stand. Our mission is lost. And God moves on.

As we conclude this journey through our ministry’s core values, let me just take a moment to thank you personally for your sacrifice, your faith, your hard work, but mostly for the primary evidence of God’s work in you…His love. To quote an anthem we sang a few years back: “Love with His hands, see with His eyes. Bind it around you, let it never leave you, and they will know us by our love!”

                                                                                                                           tad