December 3, 2018

Jesus Welcomed Everyone

When the teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw him eating with the sinners and tax collectors, they asked his disciples: “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?” – Mark 2:16

“Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.”

– Revelation 3:20

There’s a parable in Luke 14 about the man who prepared a great banquet for many people. When all was ready, he sent his servants to tell them to come and enjoy the feast. The invited guests responded with excuses as to why they couldn’t come.

The man then sent his servants to the streets and alleys of the town to invite the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame. Then the servants went out to the roads and country lanes and invited more so that the man’s house would be full.

I love this parable because it’s a reminder than Jesus invites everyone to His table. He doesn’t exclude someone because they aren’t wealthy enough. He doesn’t exclude someone because they aren’t part of the “in” crowd. He doesn’t look at weight or dress or skin color. Everyone is invited.

Yesterday I heard a young woman talk about the support she’d received through a church-sponsored program that helps people gain the skills they need to succeed. She talked about being accepted and supported and how that makes all the difference when you’re struggling to succeed.

We tend to assume that everyone has a support system made up of family and friends. We just “know” that everyone knows how to craft a resume or dress for a job interview or balance a checkbook. But the reality is that so many people don’t have that support or those skills. This program is all about giving people both.

We are all about our little cliques. We don’t always see it that way. We’ve got our group of folks we sit with, eat with, socialize with. Certainly, there’s nothing wrong with that. But how often do we exclude someone who longs for a place to belong?

It’s probably not intentional, though adult Christians can certainly be mean and unwelcoming to those who look and dress differently than they do. It’s just that we get so caught up in our own lives and our own habits that we don’t see those lingering on the fringes on our world. We don’t want to see. We don’t want to spend the time to get to know someone else. We don’t want them to become our “problem.”

I’m so very thankful that Jesus never looked at anyone that way. I’m grateful that He invited me to His table. Because, honestly, I know what it’s like to sit alone. I know what it’s like to be excluded from the photographs, from the outing, from the conversation. Have you been there? Have you felt that stab of pain?

Because it hurts. We tell ourselves it doesn’t matter. We put up a strong façade. We hide behind the smile, the right words, the necessity of checking our phone right then. But Jesus sees the silent tears. He knows the pain of rejection.

This Christmas season we remember the birth of our Savior, the One who came to save us all. No exclusions. Everyone is invited to partake of His free gift of salvation.

What gift can we give to Jesus for all He has done and continues to do for each of us? Perhaps we can love those He has placed in our paths. Maybe we can notice the outcast, those on the fringes of our worlds. Surely we can invite them to our table, to sit beside us, to learn their names and their stories.

Jesus welcomed everyone. Shouldn’t we do the same?

November 3, 2018

Would You Help?

“But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him.” – Luke 10:33

Most of us are familiar with this story. Jesus told us how the priest and the Levite saw the victim of a brutal attack and just kept on walking. The Samaritan, the one who knew rejection, was the one who stopped to help.

We all know the point of the story. We are to love others as ourselves, to show kindness and compassion to everyone. We miss that Jesus meant just that: everyone. Not just those who look and believe like us.

The Samaritans were half-Jewish and half-Gentile. The Jewish people wanted no part of them. They were all about purity in their bloodline. Do you remember the woman at the well? She was surprised that Jesus would talk to her because she was a Samaritan.

I wonder if the Samaritan was able to show such kindness because he knew what it was like to be rejected. I wonder if perhaps he helped because he understood what it felt like to be cast aside. I wonder if his actions changed the man he helped.

The hard truth is that those who have suffered greatly sometimes have a greater compassion for others. Those who have had their lives destroyed are more likely to show mercy on those who are experiencing the same. We reach out and embrace those who are hurting because we, too, have known deep hurt.

I’ve heard all those sayings about how God breaks us in order to remake us. There’s some truth in that. How could we possibly know how blessed we are if we never experience true heartbreak?

Please note, too, that it wasn’t the religious leaders who helped. It wasn’t those who thought of themselves as men of God who gave of themselves. Did they consider themselves too important? Were they worried they would be defiled and kept from the temple for a time? Did they truly have no compassion on someone who was in such sad shape?

The Samaritan didn’t just offer a prayer. He didn’t thrust a few coins in the man’s hands and go on his way. He gave of himself. He tended the man himself. He paid for him to stay in a hotel. He sacrificed his time and his money to see to the needs of a total stranger.

Would you have done the same? Probably not. Most of us would have walked on by. We might have called the police. We might have said a prayer or offered money. But we wouldn’t have stopped. We wouldn’t have gotten involved.

I know. There’s a real danger in our world. Sometimes people die when all they’re trying to do is good. Therein lies the true question: How much are we willing to risk to follow Jesus?

Jesus said to love others as ourselves. He didn’t say to only love those who look like us. He didn’t say to only love those we actually like. He didn’t say to love those who see the world as we do. Jesus said to love everyone.

Can we do that? Can you do it? Can I? It’s not an easy road. But, then, following Jesus was never meant to be easy.

June 24, 2018

What Do Your Actions Say?

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.”

– Matthew 18:12-14

She couldn’t remember where she left her. She was a new mama and trying to balance staying with the herd and responsibly taking care of her calf caused her to make a decision she regretted.

She bellowed loudly at me as she searched franticly for her tiny baby girl. The cow had no doubt that I could find the baby she’d misplaced. She just wanted me to do it immediately.

It took a while but I did find the baby. I watched her trot toward a relieved mama cow. She had never intended to lose her baby. She just wanted to be with the herd. We aren’t much different. Sometimes we’re so focused on being with the crowd that we don’t realize we’re ignoring those who desperately need help.

I could have ignored the cow. That baby was her responsibility. Eventually, she’d have found it. But I didn’t. I knew I could help her and, frankly, I wanted to. I care about the cows. Do I care about others just as much? Do you?

We never intend to be a bad influence. We never intend to teach children, by our actions, to use bad language or complain about “having” to attend church. We never intend to show that things come before people or that helping someone else is a chore to be avoided whenever possible.

How we live our lives is what shows others our faith. It shows up in the children we are around, whether our own or someone else’s children. It speaks to those who aren’t believers but are looking to see what sets us apart to determine if maybe Jesus is the answer for them.

We rarely think about the silent influence we might have on people. Most of the time we aren’t even concerned about others. We’re just focused on ourselves and those closest to us. We don’t care too much about the lost, the hurting, the disenfranchised. And then we wonder why there’s so much violence in our schools and workplaces.

Hatred isn’t a trait we’re born with; it’s one we are taught. Anger bubbles up and we ignore it or walk away. It’s not our problem, we explain. But Jesus says it is. I wonder what would happen if we were kind to people we don’t like. I wonder what would happen if we noticed people who aren’t just like us.

Jesus notices those who are lost. He cares deeply about those who are hurting, angry, marginal. Why do we think it’s okay to ignore them?

I know. Sometimes we don’t want to get involved because the situation is dangerous or it is so overwhelming that we don’t know what to do. But most of the time we don’t want to be bothered with the needs of someone else. We’re too busy protecting and caring for what is ours to even notice someone else.

Stop making excuses and look around you. Lost people are everywhere. It doesn’t cost anything to be kind. Smiles are free. When we ignore or hate, we tell others we don’t love Jesus. What do your actions say?

April 18, 2016

What Are You Storing Up?

16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’

18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’

20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’

21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” -- Luke 12:16-21

What does someone else have that you want? Oh, come on. You know there’s something. There’s always something. For all of us. Yeah. Me too. Why is it that we never seem quite satisfied with what we have?

Our pastor is doing a series titled “Is Jesus enough?” In the manner of moving Methodist preachers, he and his family are headed south at the end of June. They are giving up a 3,000 square foot house for a small three bedroom, two bath parsonage. I can’t say they are happy about it.

But he, at least, has a sense of humor. He noted that God obviously thought he had more house than he needed and had decided to downsize him. God has a way of doing that sometimes. It’s all for our own good though it doesn’t always feel that way.

During my college years there were certain brands in clothing and shoes that spoke of status. There was a certain look that helped you to fit in. I didn’t fit in. I hated it at the time. Now I’m thankful. I really don’t want to be like everyone else.

That’s not the case for many people. Or for many churches. There’s a competition -- usually unspoken -- that says we’ve got to be better, louder, offer more programs, have greater attendance. And let’s not forget status. That really matters to some.

Sometimes I want to scream in frustration. We’re all in this together. Does it really matter? Can’t we all serve God together? Really?!

It’s like that with life. We’re so busy competing with each other when really we should just focus on cheering for each other. There’s plenty to go around, whatever it is that you’ve got to have. Everybody has talents. Everybody has something someone else wants. And everybody wants something somebody else has.

News flash: None of it matters. We waste so much time wanting, wanting, wanting. At the end of the day, all that will matter is that we’re spending eternity with Jesus. That’s it. All this stuff, all this drama and longing, is rubbish.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Do Our Actions Reflect Our Faith?

“What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’

‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.

Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go.

“Which of the two did what his father wanted?”

“The first,” they answered. -- Matthew 21:28-31a

What have you done for God today? Reading the Bible or praying doesn’t count in this because, truly, you do those things for yourself. Were you kind to a stranger? Did you give food to the poor? Did you visit a shut-in? Did you grant mercy and forgiveness to someone who had wronged you?

Or did you go about your day as you always do, focused on yourself and those closest to you without even a thought to those you passed on by? Did you even see them? Do you consider their hurts? Did you pray for their souls?

What did you tell yourself today to justify your actions? You probably are a pretty good person. Maybe you’re even one of the few who tithe faithfully and attend church regularly. Maybe you volunteer at church. Or maybe you simply show up. You do what is comfortable but anything else is, well, uncomfortable.

We look like followers of Jesus. We obey the rules. We go through the motions. We wear crosses around our necks and we read our Bibles sometimes. We know Jesus. We do. We are proud to call ourselves Christians.

We seem to do everything right. The only problem with that is that we’re so caught up in our own little world that we are passive when it comes to the hurting, lost souls that inhabit our world. Our sins, as Pastor Rob pointed out earlier this year, are sins of omission. Outwardly we look just like followers of Jesus but deep in our hearts we are only posing.

See, we don’t want to get dirty. We want the homeless to house themselves. We blame them for their plight, with no sign of compassion or guilt over judging what we do not know. We condemn the hungry, the unemployed, those going through a tough time. It is easier to blame them, to focus on what they may or may not have done wrong, than to look in the mirror and consider what we have done wrong in our hearts and our actions.

We know that God has called us to action. We answer that call with a resounding, “Yes, Lord!” And then we go our own way, filled with excuses and blame for everyone. So are we followers of Jesus? Or are we posers with empty hearts?

There is no limit to what we can do if Christ is the center of our world, Pastor Rob said. But we can’t do anything by merely talking about we should do. Christ didn’t call us to be passive observers filled with condemnation and excuses. He called us to have a positive impact on our communities and those around us by taking action to help others.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

True Faith Grows Deep

“But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.” -- Luke 8:15

He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. -- Psalm 1:3a

Her roots grow deep. She has weathered many a storm in her life. That’s natural for a widow who has passed her 80^th birthday. But to lose four friends in four days would be overwhelming for anyone.

Yet her faith stands strong. She speaks of rejoicing that her friends have gone home, that they are no longer trapped in bodies that didn’t function too well anymore. She reminds us that cancer ravages the spirit as well as the body. She speaks of hope and good times.

And, still, she grieves. Her card-playing friend, with whom she and others shared many joyful afternoons, has gone home. I saw her faithfulness as his cancer was diagnosed and his spirit fell into depression. She and others took food several days a week and continued to bring laughter, and card playing, into his life for as long as he was able.

I saw how she prayed and checked on the wife of another friend, as he lay unresponsive in a hospital bed. She spoke of the need for a living will so that spouses and children aren’t faced with agonizing decisions in the final days and moments of our time here on earth.

She shows us all how to live our faith in the midst of tragedy. In times of great grief, it is normal to question God. We don’t understand, especially, when it comes again and again and again and again. Surely it is too much. Unless, of course, your roots grow deep down in the soil.

Jesus spoke of this when He taught the parable of the four soils. The first seeds fell on the ground and were quickly eaten by birds. Then seeds fell on rocky places. The seeds sprouted quickly but didn’t last long. Because the soil was shallow, when the sun came up the plants were scorched and withered and died.

Other seeds fell among thorns, which choked the plants. The last seeds fell on good soil, where they grew and produced much fruit. Why? Because their roots grew deep and they could weather any storm life through at them.

My friend is like that good soil. Life has thrown tragedy at her time and again, yet she still calls herself blessed. Her health, her ability to live alone, being financially comfortable, her friends and family. She counts her blessings. A lesson for us all.

This dear woman teaches us so much by her actions, by her words, by her deep faith.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

What Kind Of Farmer Are You?

"The good soil represents the hearts of those who truly accept God's message and produce a huge harvest -- thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted."
-- Matthew 13:23

Most folks around here know a bit about farming. Some are actually farmers. Some have gardens growing in their backyards. Others content themselves with visits to the farmers’ market downtown.

We even know how difficult it sometimes can be to grow crops. Too little rain and the hard dirt won’t allow the seeds to grow. Too much rain and the tender roots just rot beneath the loose dirt. Crops need just the right amount of sun and water to grow into glorious crops that feed us all.

God’s seeds are a lot like that. Pastor Rob talked about the parable of the sower last Sunday. You’ve probably all heard the story that Jesus told about the seeds a farmer threw out. The birds ate some seeds. Other seeds fell on shallow ground. The seeds grew quickly but soon died from lack of nourishment. Still other seeds fell on fertile soil and produced a good crop.

Pastor Rob likened the first seeds as those being thrown at a hard heart. The seed of the gospel can’t take root in a hard heart. We have to be careful not to let the world -- with its murders, economic woes and constant bad news -- desensitize us to the point that we can’t hear what God has to say.

The second batch of seeds fell on the briar patches of worry and wealth, he said. We are a nation dealing with junk overload. It doesn’t mean that some of our activities aren't good -- like caring for our loved ones -- but we obsess over things that must be done right now. We don’t allow ourselves time for reflection and prayer. We aren’t nourishing our souls and we will wither away over time.

The good and fertile soil represents someone who hears the Word of God and acts accordingly. This person spends time daily with God, listening for His direction. This person gives back and gets involved, refusing to delegate the task of living his faith to someone else.

Goodness does have a chance in this life, Pastor Rob said. But the dirt is hard and the road is difficult. What kind of farmer are you? Will God’s seeds find fertile soil in your heart?

Helping Others

"Jesus told him, "Go and do likewise."

Luke 10:37b

This quote ends the parable Jesus told about the Good Samaritan. Most Christians are familiar with the story. Robbers attacked a man as he traveled from Jerusalem to Jericho. A priest came along and, seeing the man, passed by on the other side of the road. A Levite did the same. It was the Samaritan -- a mixed race viewed as inferior by the Jews -- who stopped to help. He bandaged the man's wounds, placed the victim on his own donkey, took him to an inn and cared for him. The next day the Samaritan paid the innkeeper to look after the man, promising to reimburse the innkeeper for any extra expense.

The priest and the Levite looked down from their lofty perch as God's chosen people and viewed the Samaritan as inferior to them. Yet it was the Samaritan who showed the kindness and compassion that is a mark of Christianity.

Our country is in a heated debate over health care reform. It pits the Republicans -- who frequently claim the Christian mantle for themselves -- against the Liberal -- and supposedly immoral -- Democrats. The leading industrial nation in the world can't afford to provide health care for the working poor. How sad is that? How can anyone claim to be a Christian and yet cross to the other side of the road and walk on by?

I don't have any answers when it comes to health care reform beyond the obvious need. It's way past time for the Republicans to get off their high road and get down in the trenches to help Democrats formulate a workable plan that would make Jesus proud. Jesus would take care of the working poor. Will we?