May you be greatly disturbed!

Following the lead of angels who announced the birth of Jesus with well-known words about “peace to men on whom God’s favor rests,” there will be many Christmas messages built around the theme. The preachers proclaim, “Peace with God.” Singers laud “Peace on Earth.” I am grateful, deeply so, that Christ brought us reconciliation with our Father. But, His birth also caused consternation! When the Magi showed up at the royal palace asking about a new-born King, Matthew tells us that "King Herod was deeply disturbed when he heard this, as was everyone in Jerusalem." (Matthew 2:3, NLT)

The most natural thing in the world for us humans is to settle into ruts of routine that keep us snug our comfortable cubbies of complacency. The troubles of the world are shut out, needs ignored, responsibility shunted aside. And this, we call ‘peace.’ Like Herod of old, preserving our position can become our paramount priority. This is not the ‘peace’ that Jesus left Heaven to bring to you and me! He did not come to help us be indulged, self-satisfied, or smug. He came to make peace with God, to call us back to our Father and into His mission of the restoration of all Creation.

Yesterday I knocked on the door of a motel room where a young woman, a single mother of two toddlers, has been housed by the local welfare office. She called the church to tell us that she had no gifts for her little ones. Thankful for the generosity of our congregation that provides resources for such situations, I took some things to her including a small Christmas tree, hoping to make the holiday a bit brighter for her. Her face was full of gratitude when I handed the gifts and money to her. Her little girl giggled and offered her little hand to me for a high-five of thanks. But, it wasn’t a Hallmark moment. It was disturbing! As much as I was glad to provide a moment of joy for that little family, she became the symbol of all things broken in this world for me. Driving away, I wept, knowing that her real need is much greater than a few bucks for the holidays. She needs to be loved and helped to find a way out of the cycle of poverty, physical and spiritual, that has become her life. I am greatly disturbed by the brokenness of the world around me!

When shocked out of complacency by some epiphany of human suffering, the knee-jerk reaction of many is simply to throw money at the need and then to go home and to try to forget about it. “I can’t think about it. It’s just so sad. But, what can I do? I’m just one person.” God disturb us!

Keep the living hell of little girls who are sex slaves to men enslaved by their lusts before us.
Keep the hopelessness of those trapped in our inner cities, in endless cycles of bad choices in our minds. Keep the fear of those dying without hope, without knowing God’s promise of eternal life in our consciousness. LORD, DISTURB US in our palaces!

No real change comes to the lives of those most in need unless we get involved, surrender ourselves, share our homes and lives, and let the messes that the unloved and unlovely bring with them into our hearts. We cannot allow ourselves to think that we can turn sinners into saints by singing them a sweet song of salvation. We must be like Jesus. The Bible tells us that "He had equal status with God but didn’t think so much of himself that he had to cling to the advantages of that status no matter what. Not at all. When the time came, he set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process. He didn’t claim special privileges. Instead, he lived a selfless, obedient life and then died a selfless, obedient death—and the worst kind of death at that—a crucifixion." (Philippians 2:6-8, The Message) That is disturbing!

Disciple, you will not experience the deep peace of God until you are fully aligned with the purposes of God. No amount of festive celebration can replace the high call of love which we hear when we receive the love of the Savior. He reconciles us to our Father and "he has committed to us the message of reconciliation." (2 Corinthians 5:19, NIV) The words of Jim Elliott, a young intelligent man with a promising future, who died a martyr in the jungles of Ecuador in 1956, are my message to you this Christmas.
“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.”

Read all of the words in this carol. Full of promise, their fulfillment will be disturbing. Merry Christmas!
__________________


Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled."
Joyful, all ye nations, rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With angelic hosts proclaim,
"Christ is born in Bethlehem."
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King."

Christ, by highest heav'n adored,
Christ, the everlasting Lord;
Late in time behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin's womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see,
Hail, the incarnate Deity!
Pleased as man with men to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King."

Hail the heav'n born Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris'n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die;
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King!"

Come, Desire of nations, come!
Fix in us Thy humble home.
Rise, the woman's conqu'ring seed,
Bruise in us the serpent's head;
Adam's likeness now efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place;
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Hark! the herald angels sing,
"Glory to the newborn King."
Hark The Herald Angels Sing
Wesley, Charles / Mendelssohn, Felix
© Public Domain

Lord, what will I do?

I was awake for a couple of hours early this morning thinking and praying about a tough decision that is confronting me. It’s time to decide! There’s no easy or right answer for this situation as both options carry both reward and risk. Choices confront us every day. How we make them reveals much about our character, commitment, and core values! The easy ones, for me anyway, are those that are clearly black and white issues, the right and wrong ones starkly defined. Millions of people find an excuse for choosing the wrong one anyway. The choices much more difficult to make are the ones involving equally good outcomes. For example, a person with a good job that adequately meets his needs is offered a new position requiring relocation but with a promise of greater responsibility in the future. Does he stay where he’s happy or make the choice for growth?

Jesus spoke of choices and reminds us that the choice that offers Self the most comfort is also the choice for death. "The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it." (Matthew 7:13-14, NLT) Depravity and sin see to it that default settings of this world lead to destruction. If you slip and slide through life, letting decisions be made for you by others or refusing to challenge your impulses, you will not succeed in building a life pleasing to God or that blesses others. That’s a certainty! Right choices usually go against the flow requiring that we resist temptation.

The Bible says, "If all you want is your own way, flirting with the world every chance you get, you end up enemies of God and his way." (James 4:4, The Message) As we choose, we need to be honest about our true motives. Recently, as I sought the counsel of a trusted friend, I explained the options in front of me. Then, I told him, “Here is a complicating factor that is part of the background. I know I’m emotionally attracted to this idea.” Why did I reveal something that seemingly was unrelated to the decision of the moment? Because I don’t trust myself! I need to be transparent, to give others permission to point out flawed motives that could corrupt my decision making process. Over the course of my pastoral ministry, I have heard people rationalize thousands of wrong and/or sinful choices because they refused to admit that they were flirting with the world or just being selfish! The worst excuse? “God told me I could…” Don’t misuse His Name in this way!

Though we are ultimately responsible to God for our own choices, the truly wise person makes his decisions as he considers the advice of others. Proverbs promises that "Without counsel, plans go awry, but in the multitude of counselors they are established." (Proverbs 15:22, NKJV) Even then, there is a choice! What kind of counsel will we seek? Will we look for those we know will agree with us, or will we look for those known for honest, tough counsel? The Word lauds good counsel. "Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. But they delight in the law of the Lord, meditating on it day and night. They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do." (Psalm 1:1-3, NLT)
As we near the end of 2009, there are choices to be made. Choose rightly and wisely. As I thought about my choice today, I was reminded of two promises Jesus made to us. As you meditate on them, give thanks and invite the Lord of life to lead you to the right way.

First is the promise of the Holy Spirit Who lives in us! "When he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." (John 16:13, NIV)

Second is the promise of fellowship with Christ Himself! "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 him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20, NIV)

____________


Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah,
Pilgrim through this barren land;
I am weak, but Thou art mighty,
Hold me with Thy pow'rful hand.
Bread of heaven, Bread of heaven,
Feed me till I want no more;
Feed me till I want no more.

Open now the crystal fountain,
Whence the healing stream doth flow;
Let the fire and cloudy pillar
Lead me all my journey through.
Strong Deliverer, strong Deliverer,
Be Thou still my strength and shield;

Be Thou still my strength and shield.
When I tread the verge of Jordan,
Bid my anxious fears subside;
Bear me thro' the swelling current,
Land me safe on Canaan's side.
Songs and praises, songs and praises,
I will ever give to Thee;
I will ever give to Thee.

Guide Me O Thou Great Jehovah
Williams, William / Fosdick, Harry E. / Hughes, John / William, Peter
© Public Domain

Life at the beach

Many years ago, I was at the Jersey shore, enjoying a day at the ocean. I was 11 or 12 years of age and carefree as kids are. Playing in water that was about waist deep, I suddenly found myself in the grip of a hidden force that pulled me off my feet. Frantically, I watched the safety of the sandy beach grow further away. Coughing and choking, it seemed like I would drown until the father of the family I was with appeared next to me and told me to hang onto him. 20 seconds of sheer terror is how I remember that day. Later I learned it was called a ‘riptide.’ It’s like a river in the ocean that causes a strong, narrow current that flows directly away from the shoreline. Most ocean drowning deaths are caused by rip currents, hidden and very dangerous.

We all get caught in rip currents that drag us into deep water from time to time, don’t we? A phone call announces a crisis, the boss hands us a lay-off notice, a child becomes ill, war breaks out, the economy fails, emotions go haywire, faith disappears into the fog of doubt – that list goes on and on! People ‘die’ in those kinds of situations; perhaps not physically, but some just give up hope and become the living dead. Some decide to hid in a some substance that lets them escape, if only for a few hours at a time. Some make self-destructive choices, losing integrity in the process.

Rip currents are one of the reasons why I am so thankful for the Church, the Body of Christ! IF she is functioning as she is designed, a lifeguard will appear offering the one in the rip current a rescue, pulling him to safety, or at least helping him stay afloat until the current gives out. Disciple, that is why you need to be networked into a local church, building and protecting strong ties to others who will see your distress and come alongside of you with more than platitudes or condemnation. An authentic church is not a place where neatly dressed people with beautifully ordered lives show up for a couple of hours a week to boast about their accomplishments or to sneer at people whose lives are ‘such a mess.’ It’s a place where real people celebrate God’s goodness and hang onto each other for dear life. It’s a ‘family’ where hurting people are re-connected to the healing Presence of the Spirit. It’s a spiritual hospital where sinful people find a Savior who restores them to the wholeness that God created them to enjoy.

Have we forgotten what the announcement of Jesus’ birth was about? It was not about a coronation! "An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21, NIV)
If you’re enjoying a sunny day at the beach in your life right now (figuratively speaking), give thanks! If you’re caught in a rip current that is dragging you down, YELL- to God, to a trusted disciple. A simple prayer will suffice – “Lord, help me!” There’s hope in Him. The teenage girl who became the mother of Jesus, found her life turned upside by a divine visitation that seemed more like a riptide than a blessing, at first. Tucked into the story of her encounter is a phrase I want to leave with you today. "Mary said to the angel, “But how? … His reply, “Nothing, you see, is impossible with God.” (Luke 1:34, 37, The Message)

Hang on to hope today! A Savior has been born. He is Christ, the Lord!
_______________

Jesus! What a friend for sinners!
Jesus lover of my soul!
Friends may fail me, foes assail me;
He, my Savior, makes me whole.

Jesus! What a strength in weakness!
Let me hide myself in Him;
Tempted tried and sometimes failing,
He, my strength my victory wins.

Hallelujah what a Savior.
Hallelujah what a Friend.
Saving, helping, keeping, loving,
He is with me to the end.

Jesus! I do now receive Him;
More than all in Him I find.
He hath granted me forgiveness;
I am His and He is mine.

Our Great Savior
Chapman, J. Wilbur / Prichard, Rowland H.

© Public Domain

Going “Primal”

The word means ‘of first importance, original.’ In a book simply titled Primal, (Multnomah, 2009) Mark Batterson leads his readers to reconsider the basics of being a disciple of Christ. On page 2, we learn about his tour of the Church of San Clemente in Rome, where he descends below the existing church to the catacombs that lay beneath several layers of civilizations. There Christians worshipped during Roman persecutions. “I was overcome by the fact that I was standing in a place where my spiritual ancestors risked everything, even their lives, to worship God. … I couldn’t help but wonder if we have diluted the truths of Christianity and settled for superficialities.”

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30, NIV) The author breaks down his call to basic faith by using that primal call of Jesus. We can load up our walk of faith with bells and whistles of our preferences, add our trinkets of religious traditions, but if we are serious disciples nothing replaces loving God first and others second. Batterson reminded me, with his stories, that love is an action verb, engaged with the real world where each one of us live. He reminds me that “God loves the smell of your sweat. Your sweat is sacred incense God loves it when we break a sweat serving His purposes.”

I urge you to think long and hard about what you’re pouring yourself into, to whom you’re giving the rapidly disappearing days of your life. If the foundation from which you build is solid, the structure will be too. If you want a book to help you start 2010 with some fresh thoughts about getting back to basics, Primal, would be good choice. Buy it at:  http://www.amazon.com/Primal-Quest-Lost-Soul-Christianity/dp/1601421311/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1261396677&sr=1-1

Mark Batterson is the lead Pastor of National Community Church in Washington, DC. He lives on Capitol Hill with his wife and three children.