The Word

It is very interesting to me to see the different ways that people read the text of the Bible. There are many different approaches taken, and though it has taken me longer to realize than it should have, each of the approaches are valuable and have an important place in the church body. Some people read the Bible academically; they enjoy studying the socio-political intricacies that surround the author and his text. Often the academic’s goal is to understand what the author was saying to his original audience, so that one may discover how that text should apply to us today.

Approaching the Bible academically is not the only way to approach the Bible, it is also accessible through devotional reading. Instead of attempting to enter into deep study into the particulars surrounding the text, the devotional reader opens their heart and mind to God while they read through the text. While academic reading benefits from structure, devotional reading benefits from the lack thereof, allowing God to move through the very reading of the text.

These are just two simple examples of different ways that we as Christians approach the word of God. We also read by ourselves, and in community, in silence, and in proclamation. I think it’s a testament to the power and love of God for his people that the text can be approached in so many different ways by so many different people, and yet all can come away from the text having heard the Word of the Lord!

I Wonder

The following is from “Dear Church” by Sarah Cunningham, in reference to an informal survey she conducted while studying urban ministry:

“The comments from a woman working in connection with the local justice department summarized the feelings of many. ‘What do you think churches could do to improve their relationship with the local community?’ I asked… ‘I don’t see anything that churches could do.’ She wasn’t being mean, but rather to-the-point. ‘We’ve already got tons of churches. …And nothing has changed, has it? Did you know that three or four of these churches have been here since the town was on the map? But some of the social issues just keep getting worse and worse… People don’t have enough job training or employment opportunities. Drunks wander the streets. The same homeless people have been circling in and out of the shelters for the last fifteen years. Kids don’t have anything to do to keep them out of trouble. Meanwhile, the churches keep right on existing, holding their services every Sunday. And it never changes anything. It seems pretty obvious to me that churches are not the answer.’”

What a convicting answer! This text caused me to think, and I wonder what the people in our community might say about churches in the area. We have several missions that reach out to the community, one of our most active being the food bank, but I wonder if we can do more. I wonder if we just simply exist, or if we are agents of positive change in people’s lives. I know Elmwood, and I think we can.

Happy New Year!

For many Christians around the world, last Sunday marked the beginning of the New Year. The season of Advent (the beginning of the church year) began on December second and will end on Christmas day. Advent is a season of remembering and reenacting the anticipation of the Christ’s coming. In addition to remembering the Hebrew anticipation for the Messiah’s arrival, Advent also serves as a reminder that we as Christians are waiting for Christ’s second coming.

It’s easy to get caught up in the secular properties of Christmas, distracted by the bright flashing lights and flashy wrapping paper and forget about the Christ story. Though Advent is not traditionally observed within our heritage, it has been a part of the Christian life for at least 1400 years, and I believe that there is value in observing, or at least thinking about the Christmas season within the context of our Christian faith, Advent helps me do that.

This year, let’s remember the Christmas story, but let’s also remember that Christ is coming again at some time in the future, which is yet another reason to have great joy during the Christmas season.

Action

“Therefore prepare your minds for action; set all your hope on the grace that Jesus Christ will bring you when he is revealed” 1 Peter 1:13 NRSV

This section of text intrigues me primarily because of the “therefore” and what the therefore requires of the reader. Prior to this text Peter tells his readers that they are saved because of “the outcome of [their] faith”. In light of this salvation (therefore) they are to, as the original text puts it “gird up the loins of your mind” or “prepare your minds for action. The placing of these texts next to one another is important, especially because when an author uses “therefore” he is practically yelling “Hey look at these texts together!!!”

This section of text captures something that I think in modern America, many people have forgotten about. The message of the gospel is often designed to show the listeners how they can benefit from hearing the gospel, but Peter has taken the message of the gospel to its proper end. Peter is saying… since you have received salvation of your souls because of your faith; prepare your minds for action.

As Christians, we are called to act in response to our salvation, to gird up the loins of our minds in response to the grace which we have received. In other words, the acceptance of Christ in baptism is simply the first step in a life of action, a life of service to others that a Christian performs in response to the grace which he or she has received.

Are you ready for action?

God is Good

“God is good all the time” is quite an amazing theological statement. This statement is fairly unique to the Judeo-Christian heritage. In many cultures, especially those with a plurality of gods, deities often are fickle characters that are good if one does what is required of him or her by the god. What an interesting statement then, to say that our God is good all of the time! This would be especially interesting in the Greco-Roman world, this type of plurality of gods permeated the culture.

And yet, what is perhaps more interesting is the circumstances under which the phrase (or others like it) were uttered. The Jewish people had no country of their own, no king or kingdom. And yet, God is good.

The story of Joseph is excellent at expressing the fact that God is good during times of difficulty and during times of greatness. Joseph’s story spans across a good ten chapters towards the end of Genesis. The story of Joseph details not only personal triumphs and failures, but also nation-wide abundance, and famine. Joseph is put in charge of a large estate, and God is good. Joseph is thrown in jail based on false charges, and yet God is good. There are seven years of abundance followed by seven years of famine in the land, and still God is good.

We come from a heritage with a rich theology that realizes that both in times of famine and in times of plenty, out God is in control, and our God is good, what an encouraging place to be!

Evan Almighty

The movie Evan Almighty recently came out on DVD so I finally got a chance to watch it. I thought it was pretty good, there were some good morals and values in it, but there was a quote that really stood out to me as something. A short plot synopsis: A man, wanting to change the world is tasked by God to build an ark in preparation of an impending flood. This of course causes job issues and family issues as Evan reluctantly begins his task. At one point in time, Morgan Freeman, who portrays God in the film is talking to Evan’s wife, who had prayed that their family could be closer, and he says: “Let me ask you something. If someone prays for patience, you think God gives them patience? Or does he give them the opportunity to be patient? If he prayed for courage, does God give him courage, or does he give him opportunities to be courageous? If someone prayed for the family to be closer, do you think God zaps them with warm fuzzy feelings, or does he give them opportunities to love each other?”

What an interesting idea! I don’t know about you but I often have the expectation that God will zap-fry me some patience or self-control or whatever but I don’t think often enough about what spiritual development really looks like. Spiritual disciplines, are just that, and like any other discipline, they require training to become proficient in them.

And God Said

Well, I’m in a new place in the Newsletter, and when I found out, the first thing I wanted to know was how big the column was, how many words I could write, so I could plan accordingly. Unfortunately, there is less space in this new location (maybe you don’t see that as unfortunate!), but this change got me thinking about the nature of words, and how powerful they are. In the Genesis narrative, God’s creative power is unleashed by the speaking of words. Physical existence began with the intonation of “Let there be…” John writes that Christ himself is the Word, and that he is life (John 1:1ff). Words have the ability to unite countries and cultures, or to cause holocausts.

The word, whether spoken or written is powerful. But perhaps more exciting than the power of the word, is the fact that God’s word is “living and active, sharper than any double edged sword it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb. 4:12). This text is heartening, because we are told that unlike written word, the Word of God is living and active, it has ongoing action within out lives. So not only is the Word powerful, it is relevant, it has the life to convict us and to encourage us, and that is a comforting thought, and it leaves me with a question:

How is the Word of God speaking into your life?

Oasis

I spent my time this weekend at the Oasis conference where we discussed outreach to the Muslim community. It was an opportunity to learn more about the Islamic faith and to understand how to reach out to the Muslim community in our everyday lives, by simply inviting another person to share in your life.

There were many interesting facts presented during the weekend, including the fact that 85 – 90% of Muslims in America are not simply non-militant, but also want to be integrated into American culture. Sadly, we heard many accounts of Muslims that had not been asked into a Christian’s home at all for years on end during their time in America.

There are many misperceptions within the Islamic community about Christianity, primarily because they do not have a chance to interact with Christians, so the images that they receive are solely from American TV, broadcasting shows like Desperate Housewives, or Britney Spears’ latest mistake. Often the perception is that a white American is a Christian, so many people who are acquainted with neither America nor Christianity are often under the impression that Christians act the way they see people act on TV.

The most eye-opening portion of the weekend was when the group took a trip to a mosque and witnessed a weekly service, the equivalent of our Sunday morning services.

All of this leads to the conference’s main point of the weekend, which was exploring what I call life-based ministry, which I referred to earlier. The Oasis method of ministry to Muslims is difficult, but not demanding. It does not require that one moves across the world to lead an underground church in the heart of an Islamic country, instead there is something that I know this church body can do, because I’ve experienced it!

The way that the Oasis group recommends ministering to the Muslim community in America is quite simple. One must only strike up a conversation with a Muslim, and become a friend.

Perhaps opening your home to a person from another country, and another religion is a difficult thing to conceive of, I would encourage you to start with something perhaps a little easier, Inviting Gilbert, Kate, and Cole into your home would be an excellent ministry to them, as well as a great way to expand your personal ministry to those around you!

The Story

If you have read my column regularly (thanks!) then you will know that I enjoy watching movies and television, and particularly fond of searching for glimpses of God within those forms of media. What you may not know is that I also enjoy reading, novels, short stories, even theological journals (in small doses). I love a good story.

I think that most anyone can resonate with that idea; there is something about a story that is very powerful. We are people of stories, and not just Americans, but all people, are people of stories. From the caveman’s writing on the walls, to ancient oral tradition from all reaches of the globe, people have been formed by stories of their ancestors, and others. Stories fueled by fear, anger, love, hope, desire, despair and longing are common in any culture.

Stories have infiltrated every form of media; we have books, books on tape, plays, newspapers, television, movies, movies on television, all concerned with telling stories. There is something about a story that reveals truths in our lives in such a powerful way, that it makes other things, like textbooks for example, seem dry in comparison. Cultures are defined by their stories, their narratives forming them and reflecting their form simultaneously. There is a lot of power in stories.

Now you may understand why I try to take in media, because it is the framework which holds our stories. Not only am I a part of those stories, and they a part of me, but with careful consideration, they are also reveal much about myself as well as the culture around me. With careful consideration, a movie transforms into a short dossier on the culture of which I am a part, and of which we are trying to transform.

There is more value in media, however and again, if you have read my articles on a regular basis, you will see that I often talk about spiritual or Biblical truths found within the movie or TV show that I am talking about. Part of the reason that there are Biblical truths within our media is because we are a culture arisen from Christianity, and though not all media makers are Christian, they do all come from a culture formed from Christianity. Furthermore, that I believe that there is one great story: that of God’s working in the world and all stories, in some way, reflect the one great story. Watching media with a discerning eye, not only strengthens your ability to see God in the everyday, but it also offers an opportunity for one to examine oneself, and the culture that surrounds us, a useful tool when thinking about evangelism.

1 Corinthians 13: The Communal Life

The following is a rough transcript from class that i don't have enough time to reformulate into a proper blog post, but I think it has some good thoughts, so ill pot it anyway.

We have been talking about why we have joy for the past few months, this week I’d like to talk a little about what that joy looks like, or how it plays out in our lives. Paul might encourage us this way: “Become who you have been called to be”.

Eph 4:22-25

You were taught to put away your former way of life, your old self, corrupt and deluded by its lusts, ²³and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, ²⁴and to clothe yourselves with the new self, created according to the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness.Rules for the New Life25 So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbours, for we are members of one another.

Much like what we talked about on Sunday night, what we are going to talk about tonight, are not rules that we must follow to be Christians, rather we are asked to step into this type of life, to become what we have been called to be in response to the Joy that we have been given.

Throughout the New Testament, we are given examples and encouragement to become what we have been called to be within the community of Christian believers. The cross changes not only ourselves, but the way that we act within the community of believers

1 Pet 5:5

In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders.^* And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another

Philippians 2:1-4

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, any consolation from love, any sharing in the Spirit, any compassion and sympathy, ²make my joy complete: be of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. ³Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility regard others as better than yourselves. ⁴Let each of you look not to your own interests, but to the interests of others.

In John 13:34 Jesus says:

“Just as I have loved you, you should love one another”

There are many other texts in the New Testament that talk give encouragement to the readers to live in unity and love with one another, but we are going to focus in on 1 Corinthians 13

What was happening in Corinth that Paul had to write this text?

This text is often used at weddings as an encouragement for the bride and groom to live with one another in love, and while that is an acceptable application, its original intent and purpose was for the body of believers as they walked through life together.

Like most families, the Church family in Corinth was not perfect; Paul had founded the church and stayed there for about a year and a half (Acts 18), which is certainly not enough time to teach new converts the way to live in community with each other. The whole book is filled with specific advice from Paul to the Church in Corinth about the problems that they are having in their community. There is evidence of the community conflict peppered through the text, in 1:10; 3:3,4 ; 5- end of the book. Paul instructs his readers on how to become what they have been called to be.

One of those problems the problem dealt with in chapter 13 was that there were people in the community who believed they were better than others because of the spiritual gifts that they had been blessed with. These people, had the ability to speak in tongues, and all of Chapters 12 through 14 deal with this problem that had arisen.

In Chapter 12 Paul reminds his readers that the community of God is like a body, and as such it has different parts that function, not only differently, but co-operatively. The body does not attack itself, but it works together so that the whole body may be strengthened.

Immediately following this, Paul launches into his discussion on community life, and how that life is characterized by love:

1 Cor 13

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. ²And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. ³If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast,^* but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant ⁵or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; ⁶it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. ⁷It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

8 Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. ⁹For we know only in part, and we prophesy only in part; ¹⁰but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. ¹¹When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. ¹²For now we see in a mirror, dimly,^* but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. ¹³And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

What is Paul Saying here?

Paul is careful to make sure that his readers understand that their gifts are secondary to the gift of love, and that the love for one another within the community is more important than their individual gifts.

What does this mean though?

Paul has quite a high view of love in this chapter, and it is more than what we often consider it to be. For Paul, love, especially within the community of God, is self-sacrificial, it is putting another’s needs before our own, and doing things that are in the other person’s, or the community’s best interest. It is a love that is characterized by the things that it does or does not do, it is an active love.

What does having an active love look like here at the CSC?

In the Corinthian context, Paul tells the church in Corinth that their gifts are not given to them simply so that the person with the gift is encouraged and edified, but instead -just like the parts of the body exist for the benefit not of themselves, but the body - so too the members of the community of God are given gifts to strengthen and encourage the whole body of believers.

Paul also wants his readers to know the importance of love and unity within the body of believers

What's in a name?

A couple of posts ago, I talked about how the Christ event changes your life entirely, and a short, but good discussion was had there, but it got me thinking... and so, here is a post about names.
In American culture, it is well known that a person is given a name before, or shortly after they are born, and they are saddled with that name for the rest of their life (barring legal changes).
But there are other cultures that derive their names from the things that a person has accomplished, or what he or she is known for. The name of a person changes after a major life-event to describe who that person is, or what that person is like. I think that is a fascinating idea, that one can simply know a person's name, and immediately know something about that person.
There is something powerful about names, even in our culture, they hold some power... have you ever met someone and thought "he doesn't look like a 'Ned' to me" That is because the name Ned gives of a certain feeling about a person. If you are like me, when you think of the name "Ned" you think of a pencil-necked geek, clean, probably rich, but still quite odd.
Now I am not suggesting that when we become Christians, that we start calling ourselves Phil-follower-of-Jesus or anything like that, but wouldn't it be interesting if we put more significance on our names, and what they mean, to the point where we would have to change them to reflect the radical change that occurs when one steps into the community of God?

What are your Gifts?

In the book of First Corinthians, Paul is greatly concerned with the workings of the community to which he is writing. Nearly the entire book is devoted to encouraging and explaining to the Corinthians how to live in this new community to which they have been called. The oft-used chapter thirteen, while certainly applicable to marriage, has a much richer meaning within the context of the Church community.

In chapter fourteen, Paul continues his thoughts from the previous chapter, now narrowing his focus down to the issue at hand for the community in Corinth. Here Paul talks about the gifts of prophecy and speaking in tongues. While we could get sidetracked on a long discussion about the workings of the Holy Spirit and the validity of speaking in tongues today, I think there is a much more available lesson to be found in the text, the lesson which Paul was trying to get across in the first place.

Apparently in Corinth, the Christians who had been blessed with the ability to speak in tongues, esteemed themselves, thinking themselves better than the rest of the congregation, it is in that context which Paul writes to the church saying:

“Pursue love and strive for the spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy. For those who speak in a tongue do not speak to other people but to God; for nobody understands them, since they are speaking mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, those who prophesy speak to other people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. Those who speak in a tongue build up themselves, but those who prophesy build up the Church. Now I would like all of you to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. One who prophesies is greater than one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the Church may be built up.” (1 Cor 14:1-5 NRSV)

While it seems that Paul is telling the Corinthians that people that prophesy are better than those that speak in tongues, the point of the text is not which spiritual gift is better or worse, but the usefulness of that gift to the community. Prophecy is greater, not in and of itself, but because it has the ability, unlike speaking in tongues, to enrich the community of believers. We have individually been given gifts, talents, and abilities; Are we ready to use them to strengthen and encourage the body of believers?

Chuck

NBC has put out a variety of new shows this season, one of which is called “Chuck”. It is the story of a young man, working for the “Nerd Herd” at a “Buy More” store (an obvious nod to Best Buy’s Geek Squad) but has government secrets accidentally implanted into his brain, making him a very valuable person to the government.

So, with his new-found knowledge, Chuck finds himself in a very different world, having his actions controlled by two professional spies, and going on various missions, because he is the only source of the information which got downloaded into his brain. Admittedly, the plot is a little far-fetched, but the show is part of the action-comedy genre that could perhaps also include movies like the Pink Panther.

Chuck’s life changes quite drastically, but he must keep everything a secret, again because of the value of the information that he has. He keeps his job at Buy More, but is often in trouble because he cannot explain where he has been when he goes off on a mission. His new girlfriend, who his sister is thrilled about, is really just a secret agent sent to protect him. Chuck’s whole life changes, but he can’t tell anyone about it, which leads to some fairly comical moments for the audience, if not for Chuck!

The Christian life has some similarities with Chuck’s life, as well as some marked differences! First, there is the fact that everything about Chuck’s life has undergone a drastic change. In the same way, when a person accepts Christianity, their whole life changes, Paul writes it this way: “You were dead through the trespasses and sins in which you once lived, following the course of this world, following the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work among those who are disobedient… But God, who is rich in mercy, out of the great love with which he loved us even when we were dead through out trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” (Eph 2:1-2, 4-5)

The difference between Chuck’s transformation, and the transformation that a Christian undergoes, is that while Chuck struggles and strives to keep this change a secret, especially from the ones that he loves, the Christian story changes one so that one cannot keep it a secret. One is to “make disciples” and “teach them to obey everything [Jesus] commanded [us].” (Matt 28:19,20)

Let us remember that accepting the Grace of God changes us radically! We are now alive, when we had been dead! Let us not forget that we are to bring others to Christ so they too might share in the life which we now have!

Really?

Okay, so last year you may remember the "I love Boobs" shirts to help raise money for breast cancer awareness/ treatment. Offensive... definitely. well, they are at it again, this year the theme is "Help save second base". Yeah, you read that right. Now remember girls, the only reason you are worth anything is because you have breasts that men can stare at and fondle.

I mean come on! Is it really necessary to sexualize this disease? Can't we focus on someone else long enough to get over our own perverted sexual desires (because true sex is all about focusing on another person... but not really in this way).

It sickens and offends me that these shirts are somehow seen as a good thing, that we can be so crass on a t-shirt but its okay because the money you spent to buy it goes to a good cause. Bleh. I don't like it. How do parents explain this crass term? Cause you know kids are going to ask. Well hunny, immature people like to make poor decisions and then boast about them, but they aren't even mature enough to talk about it in a normal way, instead they reduce sexuality to a sport...

Amos

The first couple of chapters in the book of Amos make up one of my favorite passages in the Bible. It’s not really my favorite passage because it conveys deep spiritual truths (at least not in and of itself), but because I can imagine the reaction that the text (or the voice of Amos) would receive when presented to the Israelite people.

Amos’ job, being a prophet, was not to bring comfort or stability to the Israelite people, it was his job to stir up the people and show them how they had departed from Yahweh. It was his job to stand up and shout “Hey, you are doing it all wrong, return to the LORD!”

In the very opening section of the book, Amos really lays into Israel’s enemies, talking about each of Israel’s neighbors, Amos says the word of the LORD: “For three transgressions and for four, I will not revoke the punishment” and then proceeds to explain why each country is receiving punishment and what that punishment will be.

Six times, with six different countries that are enemies to Israel Amos outlines their foibles and their punishments. Saying over and over again “for three transgressions and for four”. One can imagine the speech, given in a strong voice. The Israelites are getting whipped into a frenzy, thinking to themselves “YES! Those people are scum, we hate them, we can’t wait to see their punishment!” Then Amos turns the screw a little tighter, Judah, Israel’s long lost brother, now being a strenuous relationship between them due to political circumstances is under attack.

At this point, the crowd must have been shouting their assent, they were finally able to see that all of their enemies were going to be punished because their enemies did not follow the LORD, but then the hammer falls, all the wind leaves their sails, and they are horrified. Amos says “For three transgressions of Israel” One can imagine the crowd immediately becoming silent with fear and hurt, knowing that soon their offenses to God and their punishment will be revealed.

The prophet Amos had stirred up the people, shown them their faults and called them back to God, but the way he did it was amazing, a verbal trap, designed to ensnare the listener to hear the word of the LORD.

So what’s the point? Well, I’ve often thought that Amos was applicable to the Church on many occasions, I encourage us to not simply point fingers and those around us and say “look how they don’t follow the Lord”, but to also be active in self examination so that we are not caught off guard by a prophet bringing God’s word to us about our own faults. The Israelites problem was that they were greedy with their money, and they didn’t take care of the poor and the helpless, in fact, they cheated them. Do we have things that we need to work on, Do we have transgressions?

I've always like Amos, he uses such a great rhetorical device, craftily ensnaring his listeners into his speech, opening them up their hearts for critical damage. The change in the crowd is almost palpable in the text int he transition from 2:5 to 2:6. I've always thought that this text would preach extremely well, but then, it would be a risky sermon to preach as well, probably leading to a quick dismissal. The prophet's life is much different than that of the Priest. On the other hand, we have lost the voice of the prophet in many of our Church communities, and with it have often lost the voice that calls us back to the LORD.
What role should the minister in a Church play.. Prophet, or priest, one who holds to tradition and ensures that the community of God stays safe, and within God's arms, or one who stands up and shouts when tradition, and accepted practices are exactly what is driving the community away from the LORD? Can one be both?

Retreat Report

This past weekend, students from the Christian Student Center went traveled to Camp Tecumseh, a large YMCA camp north of Brookston, for our annual campus retreat.

For those who don’t know, the purpose of the retreat is to have a time away from the pressures of school where the students can both study the word of God more intensely than during a normal week. This week also serves to give the students time to build relationships with one another that are so very important to the Christian walk.

We asked Sam Barrington, a minister a at church in South Bend, Indiana to come down for the weekend and join us, and lead us through a study. His series of talks were titled “High Energy Faith” and he used energy drinks (A popular type of drink for late night study sessions) as a spring board to talk about three areas of our faith.

His first talk was titled “Tapping into God’s energy source” where he stressed the importance of remembering the power of the Holy Spirit in our daily lives, especially when we need that “spiritual energy boost” to be able to continue on.

Sam’s second talk was called “Entering Into Training” and he focused on encouraging us to stop trying to be like Christ, and to start Training to be like Christ. His thesis was that training is something that one can do now by sheer effort, to build up strength to have the ability to do something that they cannot do now by sheer effort.

Finally Sam talked about how to handle those spiritual low times. Sam directed us towards the Psalms and reminded us that it is good to be honest with God and oneself when experiencing a spiritual low. Sam pointed to many of David’s Psalms that express frustration, despair, and a questioning attitude towards God.

There was also much to do in the way of building relationships between students. Besides having some free time to simply talk and learn more about each other, there were many activities that the students good participate in.

Some of the many activities that students took part in were: Ultimate Frisbee, Basketball, Rock Climbing, riflery, archery, Horse-back riding, campfire, and sliding down large pipes on plastic snow sleds.

All in all, it was a good week for deepening our relationship with God as well as creating new relationships, and deepening our already cherished relationships with one another. Thanks to everyone who went to the trip, and to everyone who made it possible!

Heroes!

Heroes, Prison Break, The Office!! All new seasons!

Now that Summer is over, I really wish I had tv channels... Nobody talk about any TV show until i give you the okay!!

Zombies!

Ever since the classic “Night of the Living Dead” America has had some fascination with zombie movies, it seems like a summer doesn’t go by without at least one major zombie movie being released. Personally, I’m not a huge fan of the genre, I’ve only seen one or two of them, but I do find some of the concepts interesting.

Zombies are these no-longer humans that have died and come back to life. With that transformation, there is radical change in the Zombies look, behavior, actions and thoughts (or lack thereof).

I think that there are some things that we could learn from those zombies. Obviously, I don’t recommend that we all go out and start to attack people, there are some differences between evil zombies and us, but lets think about the idea of being radically changed for a minute.

Romans 6:3-4: “Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the father, so we too might walk in the newness of life.” (NRSV)

“So we too might walk in the newness of life”, what a powerful statement! What a radical change that comes from this death and new life. Paul goes on to say that we are no longer enslaved by Sin, but are dead to it. With this freedom, this death to Sin, we are given new life.

Perhaps our culture is enamored with zombies because they represent a huge change that can take place in a person. While the becoming-a-zombie process is an evil and perverted change, the change of becoming a Christian is Holy and blessed. We are called to live a different life, for a purpose. While the zombie has no leader and does not have a purpose, the Christian follows Christ and his or her purpose is to show others what Christ is like. Lets try to think of ourselves as radically changed followers of Christ.

What is the Cost?

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 is a message to the Israelites about the decision that was set before them after they had received the Law. “See I have set before you today life and prosperity, death and adversity. If you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, that I am commanding you today, by loving the Lord your God, walking in his ways, and observing his commandments, decrees, and ordinances, then you shall live and become numerous and the Lord your God will bless you in the land that you are entering to possess. But if your heart turns away and you do not hear, but are led astray to bow down to other Gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall perish; you shall not live long in the land that you are crossing the Jordan to enter and possess.” (15-18)

There is a stark contrast between the two options, death or life, punishment or reward. It is an interesting concept, the Law required many things of the people, it required them to be completely different from the rest of the world. Not all of the differences were easy to cope with, there were many difficult things that were required of the Israelites to be able to stay in a right relationship with God.

As Christians it is sometimes easy to say that the Israelites have a much more difficult time at being in a right relationship with God than we do as Christians, but Jesus does not make Christianity any easier when in Luke 15 he talks about the cost of being a Christian. “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 15:26)

Now, I will be honest, I’m not entirely sure what exactly Jesus means here. Is he being literal? Well, that brings up a set of problems within the Christian story that are not easily reconciled. What I do think though, is that even if Jesus is not being literal here, he is expressing an important idea. Christianity, just like Judaism before it, requires much from its adherents. It requires sacrifice and devotion to God above all other things.

Can you handle the cost?

The new iPod

Well Apple, you finally did it, you finally made a product that I actually like. Congratulations. True it is still incredibly overpriced, has meager storage capacity, and I will not be allowed to buy it, but the new iPod Touch looks slick, has a screen big enough to watch video on* (unlike the iPod "Classic") and has finally ditched the wheel.


*Edit-
Sorry Mara "a screen big enough on which to watch video"

Quick Update

Well, the semester is now in full swing, and as was the plan, I have now started to work in the campus ministry at Purdue, and it is an enjoyable experience. I thought I would let you all know about some of the things that we have done, and some of the things that are coming up in the campus ministry.

During the first week of classes, we had an event every night to welcome both newcomers and our returning students. We brought in the new semester with activities like a cook-out, a rousing game of kickball, as well as devotionals and Bible Study.

We have a lot of things planned for the semester as well. Soon we will be going on our annual Fall retreat (September 21-23) which is a time for the students at the CSC to really spend time with one another and get to know each other better. I haven’t been yet, but I have heard that it is the highlight of many students’ year.

We also have various activities that happen on a regular basis during the week. On Tuesdays, we have men’s and women’s Bible Study. Wednesdays, we have our Encounter Bible class. Thursday evenings there is an activity night at the CSC, providing a safe place for students to hang out. Saturday mornings, the CSC members take part in Men’s and Women’s Prayer Breakfasts.

You may be wondering how you can get involved with the campus ministry (If you aren’t wondering that, I wish you would!) It is actually not too difficult. One good way to get to know a lot of students at the CSC is to bring your LIFE group to the CSC on Sunday night. Purdue does not serve dinner on Sunday nights, so we ask LIFE groups to bring dinner, and fellowship with our students. Talk to Jimmy Huff if your LIFE group is interested (or he may talk to you!)

If you would like to get to know a student in a little more personal way, please sign up for our “Adopt-A-College Student” program. This program will allow you to meet a student, and get to know him or her. We encourage you to bring them into your home, make dinner for them, or do anything to build a relationship with them. It may be intimidating at first, but it is well worth it! Please get involved with these wonderful students!

Philemon

The topic of slavery and freedom is an interesting one in the New Testament. It is a common theme throughout many of Paul’s letters, and he relies on it heavily to get many various points across.

One of the books that I am particularly fond of in the New Testament is the book of Philemon. This seemingly personal letter has long held a position in the canon of the New Testament, yet it is often asked “why”.

Paul’s letter to Philemon is a unique one, it is his shortest letter and it is often overlooked, but I think that, even though it doesn’t have any expressly theological statements, it is still a valuable resource and speaks to the Christian wondering how Christ should change his or her life.

Philemon, a slave-owner and recent convert to Christianity by Paul, has had a slave run away from him for some unidentified reason. The slave’s name is Onesimus, which means useful. Onesimus has come to Paul for protection from his master, as running away from one’s master could be punished by death if the master so chose. In the meantime, Onesimus has also become a Christian.

It is into this delicate socio-political atmosphere that Paul writes to Philemon concerning his slave.

Philemon has in the past been used inappropriately to support slavery, because Paul does not choose to fight the systemic slavery which is in place in the Roman Empire. This reading, however, misses the more important point of Paul’s letter.

While it is true that Paul does not try to fight the cultural situation of Slavery outright, he does something much more subversive and powerful and makes sure that this personal letter, with this message is read to the entire congregation of which Philemon is a part.

Paul tells Philemon to receive Onesimus no longer as a slave, but as a beloved brother (16). This statement sums up Paul’s message in his letter to Philemon. To expand on this idea, and to put it in different terms, Paul is telling Philemon that the message of Christ, and being a Christian profoundly changes your life. Your relationships are no longer defined by culture. Your society and it’s norms can no longer hamper your relationships with other people. One must see other people through different eyes when one becomes part of the body of Christ, and this necessitates change with or without political action. This applies to us as well as to Philemon. No longer can we allow social strictures confine our relationships, when we have been called by Christ to be brother and sister to the outcast.

Run Christian Run!

I’ve known a few runners in my life. It’s not something that I am particularly fond of. Running is so much work, and not just during the race, but there is so much training and working before hand. Running, or perhaps more accurately, racing sort of takes over your life.

Despite my avoidance of the track, I think there are a couple of good lessons that we, as Christians can learn from runners. Paul used the language of running a race in his first letter to the Corinthians, so if you think I am copying from someone; I am.

In 1 Corinthians 9:25 Paul says “Athletes exercise self-control in all things…” (NRSV). And it’s true! The athlete changes the way in which he or she lives his or her life for the purpose of training his or her body to be good at the sport in which they participate. Everything that the athlete does is taken into consideration: sleep, diet, exercise, extra-curricular activities. In other words, the athlete’s life is centered on the sport. It defines who he is and what he does in all situations.

This is what Christianity should look like for us as well, Paul continues: “Athletes exercise self-control in all things; they do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable one.” (NRSV) Paul connects something that the Corinthians were familiar with to the Christian walk. Athletes train all the time, and in all things. In the same way, the Christian’s life is centered around Christ, and every action is part of the game. Every action is important to the Christian and every action that one makes should bring him or her closer to the center, closer to Christ.

A second lesson we can learn from the runner is this: to run a race requires training. We may understand this, but I don’t think that we often internalize it. I think that we have become very good at trying but not so good at training. In reality, if I were told to run the marathon in the Olympics tomorrow, I could TRY with all my heart, and I would not be able to cross the finish line, let alone win the race. It would require TRAINING. In the same way, I do not think that we can be faithful to our mission, which is to show other people Christ’s love, by trying really hard. To be able to show others love, we need to train ourselves.

And like with runners, training can be difficult, but it also brings about its own set of joys.

Does Anybody Know What Time It Is?

Great philosophers have been saying it for years: Alexander the Great, Jesus, Paul, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Zane Williams, TONS of different bands and vocal groups. Yet, it is possibly the most ignored piece of advice ever given. Perhaps that is why so many people have said it, hoping that maybe with enough repetition maybe someone will understand it. Well, let me add my voice to the throng, though I too need to heed this advice.

You may be wondering what that piece of advice is, what is so important that so many important philosophers would all say the same thing? Well, they say it in different ways, Alexander the Great said “Carpe Diem” (or so the history books tell us), Jesus said “Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring worries of its own. Today’s trouble is enough for today.” (Matthew 6:34).

In his letters Paul changes the terminology and adds the concept of change to the idea when he tells his readers that they are a new creation, freed from the bondage of Sin, and thus they should not act as if they were still enslaved to sin.

A quick google search of “Live for today” lyrics shows many different bands have expressed this, or a similar message. With this message everywhere (admittedly, not all of them with the proper worldview in place) why is it that I still can’t seem to figure out how to accomplish this? Why is it so important anyway?

How often do we worry about what the future may bring, unable to live now, for fear of the future, or live in the past, unable to move on from “that one mistake”? It is important to be able to live in the now, for one thing, it is WAY more relaxing than trying to live either in the future or in the past. For another thing, we will be able to show our families the love and attention that they deserve, when we put away our troubles of the future. It is hard to listen to someone and really be present with them, when our minds are wandering away into the future or the past, worrying about that which has been, or that which is not yet.

It’s true that when Paul writes his letters to his readers, he asks them to look backwards, towards the cross to act in response to the sacrifice that was given there. He also asks them to look toward the future, and act in anticipation of the future. He calls them to be what they have been called to be, to live out their baptism and act in accordance to God’s will. But he tells them to live in the now, in the in-between time. It really is the only time that we can do anything about, our actions now cannot change the past, nor can they reveal the future. But if we focus on doing the right thing now, those actions can redeem the past, and bring us to a better future.

Hurry Home

It doesn't matter what you've done, I still love you
It doesn't matter where you've been, you can still come home
And honey if it's you
We've got a lot of makin' up to do
And I can't hug you on the phone
So hurry home

The above text is from a song by a musician named Zane Williams, and talks about a father’s love for his daughter and his desire for her to return to him after she had run away. Leaving the Chorus of the song (the above text) as his answering machine welcome, he hopes that his daughter will hear his love for her and realize that she can still come home.

The song has inspiration in the parable of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32), though it has been updated to have a more contemporary feel, the message and idea behind the song were lifted directly from the parable by the author.

This story about the young man who defies his father and is still welcomed back, even longed for still amazes me. This is a radical statement about the love of God and the redemptive power of Jesus’ blood.

It is so difficult to understand that a perfect and Holy God, who cannot enter into the presence of evil because of how clean and holy he is. And yet he looks for and anticipates our return to him, seeing us from a long way off, running to us to take care of us and reinstating us as his son or daughter, even after we have failed to act as his son or daughter by dishonoring him.

How Great and mysterious is our God!

Eucharistic Emulation

I went to a church service this weekend, and like all good Church of Christ services, the contribution was preceded by a short speech that outlined why we should put our money in the plate.
There is a phrase that is common to the pre-contribution speech; You've all heard it, maybe you've said it, maybe I have, but this week, I just couldn't stand it.

"It's God's money anyway, so why shouldn't we give? We are just giving that which isn't ours in the first place."

Maybe I'm wrong here, but I mean come on, that's ridiculous! Okay, so technically it is good theology. Yes, everything belongs to God, so we really are just giving what doesn't really belong to us anyway. But tell this to a father with 4 kids and is struggling to make ends meet, tell him that it is God's money so he should just give it up, but be prepared for a fist fight.

I often wondered why we had a fascination with the phrase "seperate and apart". I mean, I understand that collection was not a part of the Eucharist, so we use those words to save our butts, but why didn't we just put the collection at a completely different part of the church service? I was often told the rote answer: "It's convenient to do it all at once." But that argument doesn't hold water for me, perhaps there is something more.

After thinking about it for the past 20 years or so, I finally have an answer that I find to be satisfactory; According to Church of Christ tradition, the Lord's Supper is a time to remember the life-saving actions of Jesus on Gethsemane. But it is not simply a mental assent to the fact that those actions took place, but something much deeper.

The Lord's Supper is a time to step into the world of Jesus, to experience again the sacrifice of the cross. We do not step into this world to simply remember with our heads, but to remember with our hearts. This type of remembrance is not simply to know what happened, to encourage us to emulate that spirit of Christ which was self-sacrificial. Emulation is the point of the Lord's Supper, not simply knowing.

So then, if the Lord's Supper is meant to draw a response out of us, in response to, and emulation of the sacrifice of Christ, maybe, the collection has been placed in the correct place after all.

"We are just giving to God what is already his", how trite and small that makes the offering, how devoid of theological and personal significance! The offering is not, should not, and can not be an easy thing, it is precisely the opposite, it is a sacrifice!

In the past we have, in attempts to make it easier for people to give, reduced the sacrifice required of us to "It's God's anyway, right? So we might as well give it to him, cause it's not ours."

Following the Lord's Supper with the collection is a beautiful, appropriate, theological progression. We move the Church from remembering what Christ did, to experience and emulate the concept of sacrifice. The collection is not a time for us give to God what is already his, it is a time to practice and begin entering into a Christ-shaped life: a life of sacrifice.

Church

Last Sunday night at Elmwood was an interesting one for me; It was a unique, experience that I had never had within the walls of a church before. We had Choir practice.
Okay okay, so a lot of Churches of Choir practice, but usually those are churches that actually have a choir. No this took place during our normal meeting time and was a time to learn new songs.
I struggle with this, on one hand I think "We are giving up a time set apart for edification and growth so that we can learn how to support our voices by using our diaphragm". Also along those same thoughts were: "Is this inviting for a visitor, what would a visitor think if they walked in right now?" Most people don't know how to read music, or really care to, yet there is little help for them, because we don't have a piano to play out their notes so that they can follow along. Is a Sunday Night really the right time to learn a new song?
On the other hand, I really do appreciate singing new music and I think that it is good for the church to learn new texts etc. Especially when they are interesting tunes... I like interesting tunes.
So here I am at an impasse, on one hand, I think its kind of a waste of time to be learning new songs instead of, i don't know, having a class or something. On the other hand, if I think new songs are good and important, when do we learn those songs? Should we try to learn them on Sunday Morning? Wouldn't that make the church service, instead of class time, difficult?
Ideally I would like to find another way around this issue, perhaps a praise team (sitting, sitting, don't freak out on me!) would be helpful. People that are trained to sing and sing well could help guide the rest of the congregation through microphones. Or perhaps setting up a meeting on... a TUESday would be the right way to go about it, but we have small numbers on any day that isn't Sunday Morning as it is, I find it unlikely that many would participate if we had a "non-church" day as our meeting time.
Well, I'm pretty sure I don't like it, but on the other hand, perhaps it is the best option for this church at this time to learn new songs... but I still think a praise team would work better

In the Know

In the movie “The Man Who Knew Too Little”, Bill Murray portrays a man, “Wally”, who signs up to participate in an audience participation theatre, but, unbeknownst to him, gets involved in an actual adventure. He doesn’t know the guns are real, and the danger is imminent as he continues to believe that he is part of the show.

This knowledge, though comically misguided, changes the way that Wally reacts to the things that are happening to him. When he is in an extremely difficult situation he acts as if he were a secret agent, believing that no real harm can come to him since, after all, it is all just make- believe anyway. This idea intrigues me.

What if we all were part of an audience participation theatre? Would it change the way that you handled everyday interactions? Should it change the way that you see yourself, and others? Would we be more heroic? If everything were fake, would we be able to act in a manner in which, at the end of the day, everyone goes home happy?

The truth of the matter is that no, not everything is fake; we live in a very real place and time. But we do know something. Or perhaps, more accurately, we know someone.

As Christians, we have entered into a relationship with the creator and sustainer of the universe, the LORD of Heaven and Earth, and our ever-faithful father. But does this change us? Should it? The early church was encouraged by Paul to let their relationship with God change their lives.

In Galatians, Paul reminds his readers that their relationship with God means that they no longer act in the way that they used to when they were enslaved to other things “Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to beings that by nature are not gods. Now, however, that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elemental spirits? How can you want to be enslaved to them again?” (Gal 4:8,9 NRSV)

Again, in Romans, Paul encourages his readers to turn away from sin “We know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be destroyed, and we might no longer be enslaved to sin…. So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus” (Romans 6:6,11 NRSV).

We have knowledge that can and should change our lives, drastically altering the way that we see God, those around us, and ourselves. Will we let this knowledge change our behaviors this week?

Other passages to consider: Eph 6:9 , Rom 5:1-5

Skills

The theme for this year’s camp at Spring Mill was “Whose Life is it Anyway?” and we discussed the importance of giving of our lives to God, since our lives belong to him already.

There was, of course, a time for the campers to write down the areas with which they struggled in their lives, and to give them to God. Many campers went to the front of the stage and dropped their cards in a black bucket. This was not really unexpected, as this is a common theme at many camps, youth rallys, and Sunday morning services.

However, later on in the week, the campers were invited once again to the stage to fill out new cards. Instead of writing down the things that they struggled with, the campers were asked to write down all of their skills and abilities that they were willing to give to God. Suggestions such as teaching and singing ability were present, but also offered as possible ideas were ability to work on computers and other “non-churchy” skills and talents. These abilities were offered to God along with the camper’s struggles.

I thought that this was a great idea, for a long time, it has been the mindset of many people that they really don’t have anything to offer to the church community. The simple truth is that you don’t need a degree in religion to be a fruitful member in the faith community. There are many things that the Church could really use some help in that Lee and I, though we have degrees, can’t do very well (It’s hard to believe, I know).

Do you like to organize? The library tends to get a little disorderly every couple of months. Do you like to cook? There are a lot of people that for one reason or another would appreciate an occasional meal (trust me; you do NOT want me doing that ministry). Maybe you like kids; offering free babysitting to members of the church (or to the community around you!!) so that the parents can go grocery shopping or have a night out is a great way to use your passions to help others.

This is also what we are attempting to do with the SHAPE program; we don’t want anybody to volunteer for something that they don’t really want to do; that makes it difficult on all parties involved. With a congregation the size of Elmwood, there are enough people, with enough different interests and passions that many things can be accomplished, simply by doing something you love to do, and would do anyway. Maybe you think you have a weird useless skill… maybe your skill is playing Parcheesi… maybe you could start a Parcheesi league and invite church members, and non-church members as a way to introduce people to Christian community. Everyone is important and everybody’s skills are valuable!

Christian Community

Community is an essential part of Christianity. Though there are times when being alone is an important part of a person’s spiritual journey, the Church is the dmode in which people travel the path of faith.

It seems that the early church in Jerusalem that each day was spent with other Christians in fellowship, in community (Acts 2:42-47) For better or for worse, that model has been forgotte, changed or replaced in America by weekly meetings and, perhaps, small group meetings.

I don’t believe that it is essential to be exactly limke the Jerusalem church to be a Christian community, there is not evidence from the letters to the other early churches that this was the general model to be followed by all Christians, but I do think that there is something very powerful within a caring, involved Christian community.

For so many people, church has simply become another social group that one can join. It has it’s dues, but it also has it’s benefits, ultimately though, it does not infiltrate the entirety of one’s life, but simply remains something that one is a part of.,

This is part of the reason that I love working with young people, both college-aged as well as teenagers. There is a growing trend amoung the youth of our nation(the sub-thirty crowd) that wants something more than just Sunday morning and Wednesday night. People that understand that things that are worthwhile cost something.

I am excited to begin working at the CSC, because here is a place that each and every day, Christians come together, not just for a scripture, a prayer and a rousing chorus of “Just as I am” (Not that any of those things are bad). It is a place where Christians can come together to just live life together, where they can experience each other’s lives, all the issues and the mess, the victories and blessing. A Place where people are loved

This is also why I love working with the youth group. During the summer, especially, teens tend to have a decent amount of time on their hands, and they often choose to share that with other members of the group, daily coming together to live life together.

This model is a powerful one, one which I think we could all benefit from. That is why I encourage all of us to build relationships with the people in the next pew. People that we have perhaps only seen on Sundays before, and invite them into our lives, into the dull and mundane, into the fun and exciting, and into the love of God.

Camp C.U.M.O.

This week many teens from the ECY will be at camp C.U.M.O. (Cincinnati Urban Mission Outreach). For those of you who do not know, the camp is run in large part by ECY and the youth group from the Withamsville Church of Christ in Cincinnati. This is the third time that ECY will be going to camp C.U.M.O. and we are all excited for this opportunity to serve others.

C.U.M.O., is a unique camping experience, for our youth, is not really a vacation for the teens, it is a lot of hard work, and requires a ton of patience. This camp is not created for the teenagers, instead the teens are asked to be the counselors to a whole crew of inner-city elementary school children.

This week of camp is not a walk in the park; it is taxing mentally, emotionally and physically as we try to wrestle with keeping all those kids under control as well as trying to fulfill our mission of helping those who are less fortunate than ourselves. Many of the teens going have been before, and know the challenges that lay ahead, yet they know that their presence in the camper’s lives means something very real to the campers. For some campers, this is the only week where they will eat three meals a day, and many of them will be safer at camp going down the zip line, then they would be in their beds at home.

This week is very important to the campers, not only is it a safe place, where there are three meals a day (which they love!) but it is also a place where they can learn about God. It is surprising how little many of these children know about God and Christianity, but this camp is a place where they can learn how to follow God.

This week’s theme is “Crossover”, it emphasizes the change that takes place when one becomes a Christian and there are three main points. “From one coach to another” teaches the campers that Christians follow God. “From one team to another” encourages the campers to work together and not be divided by worldly things. Finally “One Attitude to Another” reminds the campers that a Christian has a different attitude then non-Christians.

This week will be taxing, but rewarding for all of the camp’s volunteers, please remember them in your prayers as they empty themselves for others for the glory of God.

I have read a fiery gospel writ in burnished rows of steel

A Parody;

Mine eyes have seen the orgy of the launching of the Sword;
He is searching out the hoardings where the stranger's wealth is stored;
He hath loosed his fateful lightnings, and with woe and death has scored;
His lust is marching on.

I have seen him in the watch-fires of a hundred circling camps;
They have builded him an altar in the Eastern dews and damps;
I have read his doomful mission by the dim and flaring lamps--
His night is marching on.

I have read his bandit gospel writ in burnished rows of steel:
"As ye deal with my pretensions, so with you my wrath shall deal;
Let the faithless son of Freedom crush the patriot with his heel;
Lo, Greed is marching on!"

We have legalized the strumpet and are guarding her retreat;*
Greed is seeking out commercial souls before his judgement seat;
O, be swift, ye clods, to answer him! be jubilant my feet!
Our god is marching on!

In a sordid slime harmonious Greed was born in yonder ditch,
With a longing in his bosom--and for others' goods an itch.
As Christ died to make men holy, let men die to make us rich--
Our god is marching on.

~Mark Twain~

Independance Day

Patriotic holidays are always difficult for me. It is in these times, perhaps more than any that I feel estranged the most from America at large. In my family, these holidays were times for all my aunts, uncles, and cousins to get together at my grandparent’s farm for a cookout, some football, softball, and volleyball and to just spend time together. For my family, nationalistic pride was not on the menu for Independence Day, or Memorial Day, but instead, they functioned more as a sort of Thanksgiving. That’s not the only reason I feel disunity with most of America, though I’m sure the way I was raised does factor into the equation.

The way in which I understand Christianity, there is not much room for rampant patriotism or nationalism. I’m not saying that one cannot be happy, thankful, and proud of where they come from (though pride is perhaps difficult when one generally has very little choice over their citizenship), but I think it is difficult to give as much allegiance as the country leaders would hope for. It is difficult to give allegiance to a country when we have been baptized into a new, world-wide community and sworn fealty to a King which supercedes governments on Earth.

Nationalism is a very dangerous force, and it is in it’s nature to both draw together and divide. It is the part that divides people which makes me nervous. Nationalism draws together people like “me”, people who live in America, and though there is surely a lot of variation within America, I think we are more similar than different. But that same force causes us to drive others away. Nationalism places people into two different categories; American, and Not American. It is this divisive force which worries and upsets me.

While Nationalism holds its ground based on division, Christianity places all people into one group: God’s beloved. Christianity calls us to love those that are not like us, the tax collector, the prostitute, the Samaritan, the enemy. Jesus says in Matthew that anyone can love people that love them. Anyone can love a friend, but it takes God’s love to love an enemy, yet that is what we are called to do.

What makes me most uneasy is the marrying of nationalism and Christianity to the point where God is seen as America’s God to the exclusion of other peoples. This is often done unknowingly and inadvertently, but the danger still remains. For more thoughts on this topic, presented in a more complete way, read Lee Camp’s “Mere Discipleship”.

Plans

Uh-oh, I may have made a mistake. Last week I referenced Star Wars in my article… now that seems to be all I can think about, so you may be locked into a series of Star Wars related articles for the next little while… if they get old, let me know. I will try to eliminate as much geek-speak as possible, but for those of you that know me well, that is pretty difficult!

Anyway, I was thinking about one of the main characters from the movies, Luke. Now Luke goes through quite the adventure and changes drastically from the first movie (okay, I know technically it’s the “fourth”, but I’ll be referring to them in order of production) to the third. I’d like to take a minute to focus in on young Luke.

If you recall, in the first scene that has Luke in it, he is portrayed as a whiney teenager. Let’s not even get onto the topic of how despite how the media portrays them, not all teenagers are whiney all of the time, as that is its own can of worms. Instead I would like to talk about the way that Luke views his world.

A fan of the series will remember that Luke is anxious to leave his hometown to go to the Imperial Flight School, to join his friends. He is not happy with his place in the universe, he is far outside of the normally travelled area of the galaxy (he lives in “The Outer Rim” if you’re interested), and he is just a farmer on a desert planet.

As any good movie maker knows, you can’t leave your character on a desert planet as a farmer if you want to make a really good science fiction movie. He can stay there for a little while, but at some point in time he is going to have to stop traipsing around the desert looking for rouge droids and instead eventually (SPOILER ALERT!!) blow up the Death Star.

Here’s the deal though, if Luke wasn’t on that planet that he was on, the epic story about him could never have taken place. If Luke wasn’t on Tatooine, then he wouldn’t have come across the droids, Obi-wan, Han or Chewie, and would have never saved the princess. It turns out that the very thing that he found to be unbearable was the very thing that was necessary for a happy ending for the rebellion.

George Lucas is a good screenwriter, so he had a plan for his characters in his characters, and knew what they needed. How much more then, will God, the author and perfecter of life have a plan for each of us! Jeremiah 29:11: “For surely I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord, plans for your welfare and not for harm, to give you a future with hope.”

Heroes

I like the Star Wars Epic. I see the scrolling golden text and I am filled with giddiness. Judging from the franchise’s staying-power and financial success, I think that I am not the only one! I think there are a lot of aspects about Star Wars that makes it so likeable. I think everyone secretly wants to be caught up in some grand adventure, where their dearest loved ones are in danger, and the dreamer is the one who springs to action at the last minute, defeating all odds to rescue all those in danger. I think everyone wants to be a Hero.

I remember as a child that most of my imaginations had a common plot line: One of my friends, or members of my family (or the girl I had a crush on at that point in time) was in trouble, and I, with all the gusto my 60 pound body could muster, took it upon myself to save that person from certain doom. It was a simple plot, but the circumstances could be varied greatly, and they always had the same happy outcome: Everyone was safe in the end. It was my imagination; of course I was the hero!

I wrote a series of short stories that involved my older brother, and myself, as well as our respective best-friends Mark and Trent. In each of the stories someone was in trouble, or a mystery had to be solved, and even though adults were baffled or unable to take action, the four of us were ready to serve.

I don’t imagine hero stories for myself much anymore, although I have caught myself “saving” my fiancé a couple of times! I usually imagine different things, like cars that I want, or computer parts that I want, or books that I want. I want, I want, I want… far less noble, I think, than the imaginations of my youth. In fact, I think that young me might be a bit disappointed with what the current me imagines; cars and computers are awfully dull compared to an action story filled with speeding trains, power-hungry bad guys, and damsels in distress!

I think young me, if he did exist, would be right to be upset with me. I think that young people sometimes tap into something, quite inadvertently that is vital to the human story. This something is what we “educated adults” would call “Truth” I think. I did not realize it then, but at that young age, I was recreating the Jesus event in my own life, I was doing Christianity. The New Testament Scriptures are peppered with phrases like “in humility regard others as better than yourselves” (Phil. 2:3) and “Be Subject to one another out of reverence for Christ” (Eph 5:21).

Even if it was only imaginatively, what I was unknowingly doing was emptying myself (Phil 2:1-11) for others, doing in my mind what Christ did in the world, for all people. It is this self-emptying that we are called to. We aren’t called to wax philosophical laboriously over who really wrote the book of Hebrews, we are supposed to go out there and serve. Now, it may not take the form of a rescue, and hopefully it is more than just imagination, but service is indeed what we are called to.

Are we ready to put away our adult imaginations and remember the truth of what we are called to? Are we ready to live cruciform “cross-shaped” lives? Are we ready to be Heroes?