Giving Up Popularity

Popularity is something that has changed over time. The way in which we measure popularity has drastically changed with modern advancements. In one era popularity was measured by how many names on a dance card. In another era, the lunch table or the group of people one socialized with determined ones level of popularity. In today’s culture our popularity is measured objectively by the number of friends, hits or downloads one receives on social media. The internet has replaced the dance card and the lunch table as been replaced by re-tweets. Regardless of the method of calculating ones popularity there is a deep intrinsic need each of us possess and that is to be liked and accepted. Either on a small scale or the larger scale of celebrity status, each of us on some level wants the approval and recognition from others. That in its self is not a bad thing, but at what expense are we willing to go to for that acceptance. It feels good when it’s there and can be heartbreaking when it is absence.  Ministers and religious leaders are not immune to this need for popularity. We see it all the time as religious leaders are exposed as their need for popularity is greater than their commitment to following Jesus.

So how does our need for popularity fit in with our relationships with Jesus? We begin by understanding that Jesus knew something about popularity. As we celebrate what is known as Palm Sunday, we are reminded of Jesus’ popularity. Jesus knew that Jerusalem was packed with over two million visitors there to celebrate the religious holiday. His choice of animal to ride was deliberate as described by the prophet Zechariah. The people singing and shouting “Hosanna” this means “Save us now!”  In the minds of the crowds Jesus was the one to defeat the Romans and throw off the yoke of bondage under which they had suffered for many years. At that moment, Jesus was the most popular man in the city. He would have been elected king and he could have gotten anything he ever wanted. But that was not why he did this. Popularity was the last thing Jesus wanted. Jesus purpose was to save us all from ourselves. Besides Jesus knew how popularity works. Today you are popular and everybody loves you. What about the next day? How will they feel about you then? Popularity was not Jesus’ purpose. Jesus knew that popularity is a very fleeting thing. Jesus knew that popularity is determined by the whims of the masses. Jesus knew that popularity has nothing to do with truth, purpose, and vision. Jesus knew despite the crowd’s parade for Him, Jesus knew he had a larger purpose to fulfill in Jerusalem. To give something up as popularity for a bigger purpose takes tremendous courage. Maybe as we approach Holy Week we too can try to give up our popular status for something even greater. Jesus doesn’t call us to be popular, just faithful. May we all have the courage to distinguish the difference?

Peace, Love and Happiness:

Tommy 

Give Up Death

I have been asked several times throughout my spiritual journey by many different people: “Would you die for Jesus?” Each time it was a postlude to a real life tragedy where someone is murdered. Several school shootings have had some type of narrative, where someone was asked the second before they were murdered, do you believe in Jesus? Another scenario plays out in the Islamic terrorist and their encounter with Christians just before a massacre and I will get that question? If someone was holding a gun to your head and you were asked if you believed in Jesus knowing your answer would get you killed, would you denounce the name of Jesus? While it sounds brave and romantic, I can honestly say I have no idea what I would say if someone held a gun to my head. I think I would tell them whatever they wanted to hear so I could get out alive. Using the precedent set by Simon Peter I believe that Jesus would understand that my will to live is greater than my devotion of announcing my loyalty to a lunatic holding gun to my head. Some of us fear death and that I believe is a natural humanistic instinct. And if we do not fear death most of us would like to prolong it as long as we can.  However dramatic it might seem, that is not what Jesus meant when he talked about giving up our life for Him. It’s about remembering, especially at this time of year, that God creates life out of death, nothingness and hopelessness. The Bible is rich full of such paradoxes where Jesus tells us those who try to keep their life will die but those who give up their life for others will live. We are used to thinking and understanding life in terms of fixed beginnings and ends. When we die, what is communicated to the public in our obituary is the day we were born, the beginning, and the date we died, the ending. We all share a beginning and an end. What makes us unique is what we do in-between the two. However the story of Jesus calls us to throw away our old categories and embrace God’s larger vision of eternal life that begins here and now. When we speak of eternal life, most of us think, that it begins when we die. But in reality it is happening right here and now.  Death is a topic our tradition really doesn’t spend too much time on. We think about it only at funerals, when we reality of death is in front of us, or during Lent, when we focus on the death of Jesus. And if we are totally honest, death and dying are not just an enthusiastic, up lighting feel good topic to discuss. If we are able to give up our fear of death, we have the potential to live a more enjoyable life now. Simply put if we don’t fear death we gain more life. Join us this Sunday as we continue our journey through Lent as we examine was to give up our fear of death so we have a greater life now.

Peace, Grace, and Happiness

Tommy  

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