Give it Up: Superiority

Anyone can become a pastor these days. Anyone can buy an old building, invite some friends, play some music, and have a church. Anyone can preach as all one needs is an audience.  Anyone can start a church with no training or education. But they can’t be a real pastor. I mean I’m a real pastor. I hold a Masters of Divinity Degree from a distinguished reputable institution of higher education. I have studied both Hebrew and Greek in order to interrupt more clearly the ancient scriptures.  I have completed the ordination processes and have reached the highest credentials one can achieve by being ordained by a denomination. Certainly I am a real pastor and the others are not.  I mean they are cute with their little churches and videos but I am the real deal.  Shamefully this was my attitude until I met a group of Orphans in a dilapidated building in the slums of Honduras.  It was being accepted by a group of abandoned children that taught me a valuable lesson about superiority. They did not care what degrees I had, how many people I preach to each week, if I was ordained or that I was American. They just needed to be loved, held, nurtured, played with, accepted and shown the love, mercy and grace of Jesus.  They were totally oblivious to my accomplishments, achievements, and accolades.  All they cared about was I was one person who showed up when everyone else had abandoned them. It was at that moment  I realized before this encounter that I had become a modern day Pharisees. I had become what opposed and questioned Jesus’ ministry and forgotten to live like Jesus. The Pharisee opposed Jesus because they thought they were superior to his ragamuffin group of followers or his unorthodox method of ministry.

When we look at the life and ministry of Jesus we find that Jesus broke all social conventions. Jesus did not fit society’s expectations of a Holy man. He dined with sinners and tax collectors. He spoke to a Samaritan woman alone at a well. He healed on the Sabbath. When confronted by the educated ordained religious leaders, Jesus one each debate with grace, ease, and authority. Instead of a position of superiority, Jesus brought a grace and freedom knowing that in humility we will hear and respond. When the religious leaders were too busy or important to hear or respond to the needs of the people, there was Jesus. Rolling up his garment, bending down, and washing feet serving those who needed him the most. God doesn’t care about the artificial lines we draw to make ourselves feel superior to others.  As I learned, if we are able to let go of our status symbols and judgmental attitude e too can hear Jesus’ call more clearly and respond more faithfully.  And that is what makes a real pastor and follower of Jesus. During this season of Lent, join us as we all learn to give up some of our superior attitude and learn some humility in order to spread the love of Jesus. 

Just Love Somebody

Tommy 

“It’s Not Too Late to Say I’m Sorry”

Many times in life we have more questions than we have answers. Is it worth the risk? Has he truly changed? He has burned us before and taken advantage of us. How do we know he will not do it again? How do we know that he is truly sorry? What about all those in the community that know what he did? What he did has caused tension and awkwardness for this community and his family. So the question is: Is it too late to for him to say I’m sorry and can we have a fresh start.

We live in a cultural climate that thrives on conflict, division, and detachment. We like disguise retaliation as justice and restitution. Even in entertainment we like the bad guys dead or punished harshly and the good guys rewarded. If the villain just apologizes, admits their guilt, and tries to make restitution then we feel slighted. Many times we carry this attitude over into our relationships as well.  If someone we care about says or posts something we don’t agree with or is offensive we quickly delete and unfollow them from our lives. So when we mess up is there a relevant way to say I’m sorry. Is there steps we can do to reestablish what has been lost? Can we move from estrangement to true reconciliation?  We are reminded of a little fellow Jesus me who had a large negative influence on his community. Most of us know him as the wee little man who climbed up into a tree. Jesus tells this man to come down from the tree and that Jesus desired to share at his house.  Like a TMZ special this infuriated the people as to why would Jesus eat with a guy no one really liked.  And in this tension Zacchaeus has something important to say: “I’m sorry.” Zacchaeus honesty admits his mistakes and wrong doings. We on the other hand like to hide our mistakes and rather not admit we disappointed God and others. We can learn a lot from this exchange between Jesus and Zacchaeus. We can learn certain principles that if we apply them to our own life we will uncover that it is not too late to say I’m sorry. They might not change our world but they can change the relationships in your world.

Serve, Love and live:

Tommy 

It's Not Too Late

It is not too late. For many of us that simple statement is hard to believe. Many of us have bought into the lie that it is too late. The longer we believe that it is too late the truer it becomes. I have heard it from couples who are headed for a divorce: “We want to save our marriage but it’s just too late.” Grown sisters as their Mom is placed in Hospice care, coordinate their visits so they don’t have to run into each other: It’s just too late to make amends.  I hear it from the addict who says the addiction to heroin is too powerful, its too late spoken from a 19 year old. A fourteen year old kid comes home, locks himself in his room to play video games. His parents try to follow him on Facebook and Twitter but he blocks him. It’s too late.  I hear it in the husband that comes home, plops down in the lazy boy, turn on the flat screen, his wife comes home but neither acknowledges the other. They both want something different. A commercial comes on, both want to go to the bedroom, hold hands and pray for their children… but there is that awkwardness, he had missed his chance.. it’s just too late.. 

We find ourselves saying that a lot; “it’s just too late.” The children are too old, the marriage is too cold, the friend is too angry, and the dead are too painful, the addiction is too powerful, the reputation is too shot. It’s just too late. That is a lie that many of us believe. It is a lie that is told to us whenever we want to try something different We live in a culture where individualism is valued, we find that times of struggle often seem lonely and hopeless. But we were never meant to live life on our own--and it's not too late to ask for help. We think about making a change then we are told it’s just too late.

Over the next few weeks we will be discovering the truth that it is not too late to make changes in our life. We will uncover how if we have the courage to ask for help it will change the trajectory of the rest of our life.

We will begin with Jesus’ encounter with a crippled man who felt the exact same way. He had been in the same situation in life for 38 years. That is a long time for things to never change. But that one minute beside the pool of Bethzatha, Jesus healed him and changed his life forever. We too can learn from this man’s story. Join us for this exciting sermon series as we debunk the lie that it’s too late for change in our life. Because the truth is it’s not too late to ask for help.

Peace, Love and Happiness

Tommy

Hope in the King

In the midst of the Christmas story we easily can find our self in a strange predicament. We are now in the third week of Advent; Christmas is less than two weeks away. By this time most of us have our Christmas trees up, houses decorated, and been to at least one Christmas party and we wait to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Except that in the middle of all the planning, shopping, celebrating and running about there does seem a greater amount of fear and doubt at this time of the year as well. Physicians, physiologists, and counselors all report an increase in request for counseling, admissions to mental health facilities, and suicides all peak right in the middle of the holiday season. We hope and wait for the coming of Emmanuel asking the preverbal question: Is this all worth it? We try desperately to cover our darkness during this time a year by lighting candles on wreath, putting lights on a tree, and praying for peace on earth and in our family. We are full of Christmas cheer and all it takes is the loss of a friend or loved one, getting laid off from our job, and like a bubble being popped our joy and spirit. We quickly become disappointed in our selves, with the world, and even with God, which feels worse at Christmastime. We desperately wait and want at strong Messiah for a strong people, a Messiah who helps those who help themselves, a Messiah who knows how to stand up for His people and a Messiah we can be proud of.  But what we get instead is Jesus. And measured against all the expectations and hopes of all the people, Jesus probably falls short of the mark disappointing many. I mean, let’s face it. The people Jesus seems preoccupied with- the lame, the deaf, the poor, the ill, and the dead are not exactly the popular or mover and shakers of our world. These people are not going to change anything. They can barely take care of themselves much less help someone else.

We are taught not to trust anyone, take nothing for granted, and cover all our bases. And so when push comes to shove we regularly hide behind our insecurities and fears, we hind behind our houses and careers, and desperately hide our failings and infirmities. We hold it all together until the word “cancer, downsized or divorce” is breathed and we find ourselves just as fragile and vulnerable as anyone else. And at these moment, especially during this time of year, the words of Jesus speaks offers some measure of comfort.  This is what we prepare for during this season. This is the hope we find in our King. When we at times feel stuck between God’s promises made and God’s promises kept, when we , too, at times, know ourselves to live between Christ’s first coming at Bethlehem and his second coming. We can at t times feel disappointed at ourselves, the world, and even God, find ourselves whispering underneath our stress “Come Lord Jesus Come.” At those moments, we know whatever our misgivings, whatever our disappointment, God is not disappointed in us and comes to us anyway. Jesus comes to us eager to join us in our weakness, to hold us in our insecurities, and to comfort us in or fears. God in Jesus came to us not for the strong and the proud but the weak and the vulnerable. God in Jesus came for us which is cause to celebrate despite our fear, worries and doubts.

Peace, Love, Hope and Joy

Tommy 

Hope is On the Way!

After the turkey is eaten, football is watched and shopping and decorations unpacked, we begin the season of Advent. Advent is a time rich with restlessness, anticipation and eventually joy. There are still lots of things to get done, gifts to buy, houses to be cleaned and decorated, food that needs to be cooked, and family to visit. On our faith side it is the time to remember not just the birth of Jesus but also remember his journey as a prophet and teacher destined to light a way to God. If we are not cautious, it is easy to fall into the trap of just solely focusing on the birth of Jesus.  Yes a little baby Jesus in a manger is important but is not the only important piece of this advent puzzle. While Walmart and other stores begin putting up their Christmas seasonal items out now in June, while people begin to argue over the whole "Happy Holidays" I say "Merry Christmas" debate or diatribe, the world is telling us Christmas is coming and you better be ready. But our society doesn’t really tell us to be ready for the birth of Jesus but to be ready to buy stuff, take advantage of discounts, and an unspoken permission to eat more stuff. But now we as a faith family begin the season of Advent. Advent is a time of ready but not yet. It’s an in between time where we remember the past but look to the future. It’s a tension between the past and the future as we must live in the present. We desperately try to place Advent or Christmas on our timeline, but as followers of Jesus, we find like the birth of any child, it comes on their time: their schedule not ours.  In the decorating, present buying, family visiting, and tradition keeping of our lives, which are all important, we tend to forget God has His own timing and agenda for things. We tend to get so distracted that we forget Christmas is so much richer, more fulfilling, and a deeper meaning than just a baby, born in a manger in Bethlehem. We tend to rush through Advent and forget that the Christ child, the Messiah, is hope for us all. We forget that the birth of Jesus is only the beginning and we don’t even know how the story ends yet. So as we prepare for Christmas let us be mindful that as we celebrate the birth of Jesus there is still hope is on the way. Let us allow this Advent season be one of getting ready but not yet finished. Because isn’t the true meaning of Christmas something that comes from the heart?

Love, Serve, and Happiness

Tommy 

Love Where You Are? You Are Here

In the wake of the Paris terrorist attacks it seems death, destruction and evil are raising its nasty head once again.  For some of us, this is just one more such event added to a list of death and destructions. For others, this is the first such event we have witnessed played out on news and social media. Either way it strikes shock, fear, hopelessness, and mayhem. It is unimaginable to most sensible people how anyone or group could attack innocent people with such fervor, violence, hatred and organization. There is no logical explanation for any attack on the innocent. We might find ourselves full of hate, anger, and rage which are all natural emotions when we see images of the attacks. So what do we do? How do we respond if we proclaim we are followers of Jesus? We basically have only two options: first we can accept what has happened, add it to the list of tragedies we have witnessed in our life time, and accept the fact there will be more added to the list as well. We can easily change our Facebook photo to red, white, and blue, move on with our life, and “do” nothing more than add another layer of callousness over our protected souls.  These can be great coping mechanisms if we are solely believers in Jesus but not if we are followers of Jesus.

If we are followers of Jesus our second option is to use Jesus’ life, words, and instructions in times such as these. I am reminded of Jesus’ last instructions to all His disciples before he ascended into heaven. Just like a coach giving a pregame speech to the disciples Jesus fires them up to change the world. Hearing the words of the resurrected Jesus, I envisioned the disciples running down the mountain fired up and ready to do exactly what Jesus told them to do. Instead they stood still looking up, frozen in time, doing nothing. We can’t blame the disciples because we are like that as well. Jesus’ instruction said simply to go love people. Jesus said go care for them, notice them, serve them, meet their needs, and love them as you would like to beloved. Do something don’t just stand here looking up. So what can we do in wake of the Paris tragedy or any other attack? We can stop staring at the sky, hoping for an answer, or waiting for someone else to come along. We can begin to love where we are. We might not be able to travel to France but we can begin to love here. We can begin to heal here. We begin by implement three vital habits. First habit is to be present for those we love in our life. Turn off the television, turn off the volume social media has on us, and focus on those whom God has placed in front of us today. Especially if you have young children in your life as they are sacred and are looking to adults for reassurance, safety, and protection. Second habit is to be prayerful. Pray for France. Pray for peace. Pray for the innocent families directly impacted by this horrible act. Pray that God’s grace, love, and mercy will be the light in a dark world. Pray with your children and grandchildren. Let them witness and participate in relevant faith. Prayer opens us up to Gods perspective. The last habit is to be perceptive. Stop looking up and look around you. You will find others that feel the same as you. Let there be strength, comfort and hope in community. It is unrealistic that you can directly help those in Paris but you can help those in our own community. When we do acts of kindness and love for others good wins over evil even if evil is manifested in another country. It demonstrates to the world that we as followers of Jesus are people of love, mercy, and forgiveness. These core virtues are contrary to those of the attackers. When love wins here, love wins everywhere. We must realize the opportunities to love that God places in our lives on a daily basis. God will not lead you somewhere He has no intention of using you. So let us stop looking up, let’s run down the mountain, and love as Jesus calls us to love. Then with the light of God’s love shining through us, on an individual basis, our dark world will become brighter: one life at a time.

Serve, Love and be Happy:

Tommy  

Just Go!

Many people use the Bible to prove a point, reinforce their own opinions, and proof text their values, morals and ideals. If one took an honest, open minded approach to studying the Bible for what it actually says instead of what we think it says or what someone else told us it says, we would find there are some things that are ambiguous at best.  While the Bible can be misused, misrepresented, and misunderstood there are certain things especially in the New Testament that Jesus made perfectly clear. We find in the scripture of Matthew, what is known as The Great Commission. Before leaving earth and ascending in to heaven Jesus leaves some very clear and specific instructions not just for those who were there at the time but for all people who follow Jesus.  There is a big distinction in knowing or believing in Jesus and following or being a disciple of Jesus. In the Great Commission Jesus says “go” and love. It’s really that simple. When we look at the life of Jesus that is exactly what Jesus did.  Whenever reading the Bible about Jesus it’s important to notice what is included but also what is omitted.  For example, the bible states that the son of God, Jesus, had no place to lay his head. It tells us Jesus had no home. We never read anything about Jesus buying a house, owning land, starting a business, or settling roots anywhere. We read just the opposite. Jesus was always on the go. He was always moving from town to town going to wherever there was a need.

 But honestly it is hard for us today to be on the go for Jesus. We prefer to stay at home. It is just safer, easier to control, and a lot more comfortable to just stay where we are. Jesus made it clear that love and serve were synonymous. When questioned when his followers ever showed their love to him, Jesus responded when you fed, clothed, visited, cared the least of the marginal people.  We hear the words of Jesus but our culture and our world tells us something different: “I was hungry and you went out to eat again. I was thirsty and you needed cold bottles of water. I was a stranger and you called the police. I needed clothes but you needed newer clothes. I was sick and you pointed out my behavior that led to my sickness. I was in prison and you said I got exactly what I deserved.”  The culture and environment we must live in bombards us with images and messages that are counter intuitive to Jesus instructions. We have opportunities daily to show our love for Jesus but we tend to only focus on ourselves.  We justify this sometimes by saying we are compassionate people. But compassion is a word that is action oriented. Feeling for people in need and not doing anything is not compassion. That is empathy not compassion. So we must begin to love people one at a time. Jesus met people all the time that was not a planned. We must share the love of Jesus as we go. The single most consistent proclamation of the Bible and what is at core of Jesus’ heart is that He loves people. Jesus loves all people regardless of any circumstance, bad decision, past or current situation. Every day we, as Jesus followers, have opportunities to do exactly that: love as we go. As we “go” to show our love for others, we are also showing our love for the One who loved us first.

Go love/serve somebody

Tommy