Understanding

Most of us are hesitant to participate in things unless we understand or "get it". I'm sympathetic to this. I get easily bored and tune out when I don't get the gist of what's going on. So what's wrong with that?

Somehow we've deemed it wrong to be bored or clueless. Boredom makes one look like a slacker; being clueless makes one look dumb.

As I see it, there's nothing wrong with being bored or clueless. I know they feel wrong because of the supposed perceptions of others. But, in and of themselves, they are not wrong. We don't have to be engaged in incessant activity 24/7. We all get bored. So what? We all have times of ignorance. So what?

Boredom and cluelessness are reasons people either don't read Scripture or attend worship. People tend to reject things they don't understand or don't find very exciting. They seem like such time wasters.

Listening to God speak, either in Scripture or worship, is never wasted time. It may feel like it, but it isn't. There's nothing wrong with being bored in church! There's nothing wrong with being clueless in worship! So, be bored and clueless! The only one who has to understand anything is God and what God gives. God's grace is not dependent on your moods and dispositions. God's grace depends on God alone. The Lord's Supper is a meal that is for you, not from you. It's a gift. You don't have to "get it". God "gets it", and that's all that matters.

If you're bored or don't understand worship, then that just may be your nudge to try to understand what's going on. It can be done. And it's not hard! Worship is participation in the reenactment of what God has done for us through Christ Jesus. God is the chief giver, and we receive what God gives. That's all there is to it! If you know this, then perhaps worship will begin to take on more meaning.

Spending Time With God????

A popular televangelist recently said, "Oh, I went to church, but I never spent time with God." This line got whoops, laughs, and applause.

What do you suppose it means to "spend time with God"? Is it something that we're supposed to do? Is integrity compromised if we don't give the Creator of all things a little bit of attention? Does it automatically mean that one is "less than" if quality time isn't spent with the Deity? Do I get a notch in my belt if I sit around and chant and meditate?

The assumption of the televangelist is that "time with God" is something that is initiated by us. And we all know what that means, right? Works-righteousness! It's nothing but just another activity that's foisted upon the viewers to keep them busy with things that are doomed to fail.

I used to be one of these people who had to "spend time with God", and felt guilty when I didn't. No more. I don't spend time with God anymore because time isn't something that's mine to spend. To God belong time and eternity. And besides, I'm tired of spending time with God if it means that I always call the shots.

Here's the real story: God spends time with you!! I think that's the point of church. Through His Word and the Sacraments, God spends time with us. God decides what to do with the time. God calls the shots. Pressure's off! Worship is the reminder of God's pursuit of us to spend time with us.

Stop trying to put time with God on your daily list of things to do, and know that God is there with you in every activity. You don't have to understand how. Just know that He is!!

A Very Holy Weekend

I'm going to take this opportunity, while it's calm before the storm, to post some little reflections on the cross and the empty tomb. I don't know yet if there will be any "practical application" (I don't see the necessity of that anyway), but I hope to paint a picture of why this weekend is holy.

Jesus spoke often of his dying at the hands of his own people and the Gentiles. The Jewish leadership was his accuser; the Roman Empire was his executioner. From the perspective of Rome it was probably just "another day at the office". From the Jewish leadership perspective it was more than likely a relief that they got rid of a troublemaker.

I can't speak for God and His perspective, but from what I can tell from what Scripture says, everything was going according to His plan. When I say that, I don't mean that God pulled a few puppet strings and forced things to happen. What I do mean is God knows the hearts of people. He sent Jesus. Jesus said and did what he said and did. People became disturbed by the implications of what Jesus was saying and doing. People did away with Jesus. This all looks to me like a natural flow of events that God would use for His own redemptive purposes.

So, what did Jesus do that was so bad and disturbing? He told the truth. He spoke God's Word and people did what they did. He didn't force anyone by supernatural might to do anything. He did what he did and said what he said, and then let things take their natural course. He ended up on a Roman cross.

This is why I'm not a big fan of "personal application" of the Scriptures, as if the Bible is just a collection of rules to follow or quaint lessons on morality. I think that when pastors or churches give step-by-step lists on how to do this or that or tell people what's supposed to be done for the sake of the Kingdom, they are unwittingly (and perhaps unknowingly) trying force things out of people through manipulative means. This flies in the face of the Biblical witness.

The Scriptures confront us with the reality of God and His Son. And it continually begs the question, "What do you think of Jesus?" Perhaps every sermon should continually ask this question and let the answers be what they are. In any event, God rose Jesus from the dead! This was not dependent on the reactions of people or how they felt about Jesus. It was solely the work of God. Those who had eyes to see and ears to hear what God was up to were then compelled, not forced, to tell about the truth that was Jesus and about what God was doing through Jesus. They were treated the same way Jesus was treated. Go figure!

They spoke. People either listened or they didn't. Perhaps the church can learn something from this when it devises programs and schemes to get people to act a certain way. Perhaps sermons should be compelling instead of persuasive. What I believe the church needs today is people who have been moved by the Scriptural narrative to tell that narrative over and over again. God's Word always accomplishes its purposes, whether people climb on board or not.

This Easter Sunday, I'm going to ask those who are lax in their church attendance to start coming back more regularly instead of just on Christmas and Easter by telling them that the Scriptures are spoken here. People need to hear God speak. I'm going to promise them that I'm not going to pepper them week in a week out with my own opinions on how they should act or react. Whether people do or don't come back to a regular church attendance is out of my hands. I'll just say what I say and let things take their natural course. People will either listen or they won't. I may even end up getting nailed, as it were. But it isn't up to me, and God will continue to do what He does anyway. He will continue to raise the dead!

Just a Quick Note

To let you know that I haven't fallen off of the face of the earth, I'm sending this brief post. I've been extremely busy writing sermons and preparing for worship this Holy Week. I hope to see you soon to celebrate with you the passion, death, and resurrection of our Lord Christ Jesus.

More Political Indiscretions

What do you do with yet another politician who has been exposed as hypocritical? And why are we so surprised that this kind of thing happens?

As you most likely already know, it was revealed yesterday that New York Governor Eliot Spitzer has been linked to a high-end call girl service. And the press is licking their chops and salivating profusely.

Now, I'm not a pundit or a politician. I'm a theologian, and so I approach things from that perspective. Media hype aside, it's apparent that Spitzer has a dark side to his squeaky clean persona. But don't we all? Don't we all have skeletons in our closets? Put yourself in Spitzer's shoes, if only for a moment. What if your dark side was exposed and plastered on the internet and television? Would you be embarrassed? Ashamed?

All of us have dirt that, placed in the right hands, could lead to a personal downfall. This doesn't excuse what the governor did. It is wrong to cavort with call girls at taxpayer expense. But people are so shocked when things like this happen, and I wonder why! Is our shock just another way of hiding our own indiscretions, or another way of saying, "Thank God it wasn't me!"? Ponder this question carefully. You just may be shocked at yourself! Hopefully this will lead you to repentance for the forgiveness of sins and to prayer.