Pastor’s Point: God Is Not a Morning Person

One of the things I have learned about myself at this season of my life is that I am not a morning person. That’s not to say I don’t have to get up early to spend some time with God, fulfill all my familial/household duties, and get to work on time.  But let me have a day off or a time of vacation, and you won’t find me, naturally bounding out of bed before the sun rises. One can conclude that since I am not a morning person, I must be a night person, and one would conclude correctly.  I love to stay up late.  It’s hard to slow my rpm’s down much before midnight on any night, and that goes back as far as I can remember. 

Maybe, I postulate, it all started in early childhood with a simple four line prayer my mom taught me.  It may be familiar to some of you.  

                                                    Now I lay me down to sleep,

                                                  I pray the Lord my soul to keep,

                                                    If I should die before I wake,

                                                  I pray the Lord my soul to take.

I began praying that prayer sometime in early childhood years, you know, when most data predicts I would live 75 or even 80 years as an American male.  But here I am—three, four years old—every night, tacitly anticipating my imminent demise.  “If I should die before I wake” kind of jumps out at you as a preschooler.  So if death is a real possibility every single night of my little life, I best stay awake as long as I can. I am aware that other (probably early) childhood educators softened this prayer a bit in later years to go something like this:

Now I lay me down to sleep,
I pray the Lord my soul to keep.
Angels watch me through the night,
And wake me with the morning light.

A little less threatening, I agree, but had that been the version my parents used, I still would have been wondering why the Lord had to “keep my soul.” After all, I did have this neurotic fear of jungle animals getting into my bedroom at night to the point where I always insisted on sleeping on the top bunk!  True story.  How pathetic.  So the notion of entering unconsciousness at the end of every day was something to be avoided or at least delayed until the very last moment.

Sadly, it was this very anxiety which I believe my parents were seeking to relieve by teaching me this prayer. The God they loved and taught me to love had me on His radar—even when I wasn’t awake or aware of it. His love was a very individual, up all night care for me as I lay sleeping.  I guess you could say that I learned very early on that God is not a morning person, nor an evening person.  He’s 24-7.  Up all night and up all day.  His word clearly teaches this.  Psalm 121 describes it this way:

He who watches over you will not slumber;

indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord watches over you—the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.  (3b-6)

And better yet, God is not just some security guard drearily checking his watch every 15 minutes for his next break.  He doesn’t just provide general oversight and protection.  Rather, He is ministering to us while we sleep, loving us in quiet ways that perhaps we may never even know until we are with Him in heaven.  The prophet Zephaniah wrote this:

For the Lord your God is living among you.  He is a mighty savior.
He will take delight in you with gladness.  With his love, he will calm all your fears.
He will rejoice over you with joyful songs.” (NLT)

Taken together, these two references (Psalm 121 and Zephaniah 3) remind us that God is always concerned for our well-being, our peace of mind, even when we are not consciously aware of it.  He never leaves us alone. He is never asleep on the job.  In another psalm, David lifts a prayer of praise to this 24-7 God of ours:

How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!
I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! 

And when I wake up, You are still with me!

(Ps. 139:17,18)

Why not thank Him right now for such amazing care. I know He’s still up.

tad

Pastor’s Point: Soapboxes…and other rickety platforms

At some point in our lives, most of us have gathered enough observations about something that we feel very passionate about (and which we fear has escaped other people’s notice or equal passion), that we just have to let the world know about it. Some take the time to listen, while others may just roll their eyes and tell you to “get off your soap box.” Given today’s technology, we might shout, “Can someone mute this guy!?!”

Last week was one such occasion for me as I spoke to the choir off the cuff, even prefacing my comments with some casual aside like, “I’m going to get up on my soapbox now.”  [Being the curious fellow that I am, I later reflected on the origin of that concept, and naturally, Google came to my rescue.  Apparently, there really is no exact origin of the phrase, “get up on my soapbox.” It is an idiom that came into our culture and just stuck. The soap box itself does, however, have a history. In the early 1900s soap was delivered to retailers in large wooden crates. After the soap was unloaded, the boxes were discarded in the alleyway. The construction of the box was very sturdy.]

While the soapbox made a wonderfully supportive platform for street corner entertainers and public speakers, the fact that this phrase is rarely greeted with enthusiasm from the listener would suggest that it was a pretty rickety device for actually influencing thought.  Why?  Because it was mainly one-way communication.  The elevated one talked.  Those lower down listened.  Who knows, this might have even been the origin of the much loved phrase, “blah, blah, blah!”

This is a lesson I learned (once again) this week. Monday morning, in fact. I received a special gift in the form of a personal visit from a choir member.  I say gift, because though her words and observations were a bit hard to receive, they came from a loving heart and a desire for us to stay united.  Every leader should be so blessed. She came, not to talk about what I had said, necessarily, from my soapbox, but rather what she had heard.  After listening, I couldn’t help but marvel at what kind of gap (a chasm really) there appeared to be between what (I thought) I said and what she received. 

This, in a nutshell, is the problem with soapboxes and other rickety forms of communication.  There is no dialogue—only a monologue.  And, after reflection, I realized that even if I had thrown open the door for discussion, many, if not most, probably would not have felt the freedom to voice their questions or challenges to my opinions.

So what was the big issue anyway? Well, for more on that you’ll just have to wait ‘til next week, when I actually address what I was trying to say in greater detail.  (For those who were there, I’m sure you are just dying to hear it all over again. I see your eyes glazing over.)  Specifically, I was addressing the topic of reading music.  I was trying to state it as a principle, a value, a goal, if you will, that all of us can and should be pursuing, but particularly those in leadership in the church.  What was received, however, is that this principle or standard should be the universal measuring stick or litmus test for any and all participating in this ministry. 

Though the issue was about learning to read a musical score, I could have been addressing being punctual.  Or more consistent in attendance.  Or better prepared each week.  Or more loving to one another.  Or dressing appropriately at all times.  Smelling better.  Whatever.  It doesn’t matter.  All are areas in which we, as Christ followers and God’s image-bearers, can assess, grow, improve.  What I sought to say was “let’s keep learning, let’s keep moving.”  As a team, let’s outdo each other in finding ways to honor God and one another. 

But because I chose the soapbox instead of the town meeting approach, I was left to hope you got what I meant, and you were left to wonder if you were still needed or wanted on the team.  Thanks to one brave soul among you, I was able to hear the truth in love and keep a short account with you.  Please forgive me if you left that rehearsal or have left any rehearsal with the feeling that you’re not welcome.  You’re not good enough.  That only a few music specialists belong here.  Under my watch, there will never be such litmus tests.  There will never be such a pecking order or musical food chain.  Each one of you is precious to me and exactly where you belong—leaders, learners, followers, stragglers.

What I can say is that just like you and I face challenges daily to keep up with technology and artistic expressions thought unheard of in our lifetimes, we must resist the temptation to settle in the area of how it is we do our ministry. It is because God loves us just as we are that He must be worthy of nothing less than our very best.  It’s supposed to be a sacrifice of praise, remember?

In the meantime, as your leader I commit to doing more consensus building and less bloviating.  OK, you may have to Google that one. 

tad

Pastor’s Point: Welcome, all ye Bravehearts!!!

 Welcome to all of you who are joining us this evening for the Easter Choir!  We know it took a bit of courage to step out of the bleachers, so to speak, and to be willing to join a somewhat, at least, unfamiliar group of people.  Who knows what we might ask you to do?  Shave your head, take a music IQ test, provide a background check, offer your firstborn or maybe a treasured pet as proof of your commitment.  Or worse, sing alone for an audition…in front of the choir. 

Well, before you make a beeline for the exits, let me reassure you, you are in a safe place, and we will do our best to make you feel welcome and NOT embarrassed.  So, fret not any of the aforementioned hypotheticals, sit back (or should I say sit UP), and relax!  We think you’ll enjoy this ride! Who knows, after six weeks with us, you may just want to sign up for a contract extension.  (Sorry, no signing bonuses!)

Also, welcome, everyone, to that great time of the year when we begin anticipating and preparing for the most “game-changing” week in all of recorded history…Holy Week.  It’s called “holy” week for just that reason…it is set apart from all others.  In last Sunday’s sermon, Pastor Brian mentioned that one way we renew our minds is by observing or keeping certain “patterns” in our life, and in the church these are sometimes referred to as seasons or days of the church year.   For some, this term or concept may be completely foreign to you, especially if your church background is not from a liturgical tradition, such as Roman Catholic, Episcopalian, Lutheran, etc.

In those cultures, the Christian church has marked certain seasons and dates as worth honoring and repeating every year.  So they have made their way into what is universally called The Church Year.  Such terms as Advent, Christmas, Lent, Good Friday, Easter, Pentecost, etc. are all meant to refer to those events and commemorations which represent the core of our faith. 

Those not making the “Church Year?”  Well, Groundhog Day, Valentine’s Day, July 4^th, Halloween (go 

figure), even Thanksgiving, to name a few.  They may get you a day off work, but as part of an overarching outline of our faith, not so critical.  And none of those dates was born out of a biblical event.  As an evangelical church, most people would not consider Hope traditional, perhaps, but we do have and try to honor certain traditions which we find meaningful.  

In our values statements, referred to as our Sweet Sixteen (available on our welcome table), we actually address this issue in Value 11.  Here are a few excerpts:

“The tension among different generations or cultures when it comes to honoring tradition isn’t so much about having traditions, but what makes them meaningful?  So it is with the family of faith when we seek to pass on what experiences should be universally treasured, as opposed to what is valued by certain individuals. 

“Coming from a very traditional, ritualistic even, church background, I understand this concern.  There is a commonly held axiom in communication that to the extent that something is familiar, it loses its impact.  Said another way, the more we know what’s coming, the less intently or expectantly we receive or anticipate it.  So traditions and rituals can have their downside.

“But let’s not throw the proverbial ‘baby out with the bath water.’  While Jesus warns us against vain repetition (Matthew 6:7), he does not advocate never repeating anything.  Indeed, that is what traditions are: determining those events, occurrences, and corporate experiences which are repeated, whether it is weekly, monthly, annually or otherwise.  This is suggested in the Old Testament in the book of Numbers: “Also at your times of rejoicing—your appointed feasts and New Moon festivals—you are to sound the trumpets over your burnt offerings and fellowship offerings, and they will be a memorial for you before your God.” (Numbers 10:10)  This wasn’t just a Hebrew thing, it was a people of God thing, suggesting that part of trusting God for our future was remembering our past.  And part of retaining the identity as a unique work of God’s hand was to replay, occasionally, our unique story.”

As we begin again this exciting and sobering season, let’s realize the incredible continuum on which we find ourselves, and do our part to faithfully declare God’s goodness to this generation and the next.  We are, after all, part of God’s ongoing story.  Through the use of the arts and particularly through our music, let us collectively savor each step on our journey to Jerusalem, to the upper room, the Garden of Gethsemane, to Calvary and ultimately to the sight of the gloriously empty tomb.  He Is Risen, yes, but let’s not be quick to skip over the parts that are a bit more uncomfortable for us.

Again, welcome, all you newbies and returnees!  We are so glad you have made this choice.  We trust you won’t be disappointed.   Let us know if there is anything we can do to make the journey more enjoyable.

tad    

Pastor’s Point: In or Out of Hot Water

A familiar metaphor in our culture today is the “frog in the kettle” syndrome. Briefly stated, its premise is that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. The story is often used to describe the inability or unwillingness of people to react to significant changes that occur gradually.  (According to contemporary biologists the premise of the story is not literally true; a frog submerged and gradually heated will jump out. However, some 19th-century experiments suggested that the underlying premise is true, provided the heating is sufficiently gradual.)

The boiling frog story is often used as a warning that people should make themselves aware of gradual change, however small and incremental, lest they suffer eventual undesirable consequences. This may be in support of a ‘slippery slope’ argument.  The psalmist Asaph described it like this in Psalm 73:

Surely God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart.  

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;
I had nearly lost my foothold,

 for I envied the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.

They say, “How would God know?  Does the Most High know anything?”

This is what the wicked are like—always free of care, they go on amassing wealth.

Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure and have washed my hands in innocence.

When I tried to understand all this, it troubled me deeply till I entered the sanctuary of God;
    then I understood their final destiny.

Surely you place them on slippery ground; you cast them down to ruin.
How suddenly are they destroyed, completely swept away by terrors!

When my heart was grieved and my spirit embittered,

I was senseless and ignorant; I was a brute beast before you.

Whom have I in heaven but you?  And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.

The world and all its pleasures were a pretty intoxicating mixture for Asaph to deal with…its value system was in direct contrast to what He believed about God and His values.  Asaph’s reaction was to despair and to question God. “I was a brute beast before You.” Eventually, though, he came to his senses; he changed the way he was thinking.

This week as we look at Romans 12:2, we are faced with two other alternatives from despair or blaming God, when we sense the pull or appeal of the world and its Godless agenda.  We can cave and become like it, (“go along to get along”, so to speak) or we can have a complete change of mind.  Here’s the text for this week:

“Do not conform to the pattern of this world,

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—

his good, pleasing and perfect will.”

So what’ll it be?  Become like the world, albeit slowly and often times without even noticing, like the frog in the kettle? OR…get a mind makeover?  Start thinking differently.  If it sounds easier said than done, it is…and it isn’t. First, do what Paul reminds us to do in verse one:

Reflect (on the mercies of God),

Present (yourselves to God as an offering), and

Die (to doing what comes naturally, and open yourself to “Jesus in you.”) 

And then be alert and sober to the ways the world seeks to influence and direct you on a path which is completely counter to the life and revealed will of God.  As good as God is to give us His Holy Spirit to help discern these ways, He has not limited us to the Spirit, but has also given us His precious Word.  

As those who bear the name of Christ, let’s keep offering ourselves to God, recognizing the deceitful ways of this world, and letting the Spirit transform us with a new mind.  And as those who lead others in the offering of song to the Lord as expressions of worship, let us follow Paul’s challenge to the Church at Colossae:

“Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly 

as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom,

and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs 

with gratitude in your hearts to God.”  Colossians 3:16

At the end of the day, whether the frog would be smart enough to jump out of the kettle or not, let’s agree that to be in hot water is never a good thing.

                                                                                           tad