On Baptism

This is a sermon I gave at St. Luke Lutheran Church on March 30, 2011. I apologize if it's not very readable, it was meant to be read aloud.

Edit: Here is the scripture reading for this sermon: Romans 6:3-11

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Brothers and Sisters, grace to you and peace from God our father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

As many of you know, I was raised in a Baptist church and I have been a Lutheran for only a few years. One of the biggest disagreements between Baptists and Lutherans is, of course, baptism. So doesn’t it seem appropriate that I of all people would be the one to teach about baptism?!? Preparing for this lesson has been as much a learning experience for me as I hope it will for one or two of you! Anyway, because of my background, I am going to begin by talking a little bit about my baptism and what I was taught, and then compare that to what I’ve come to know about baptism as a Lutheran.

My baptism was very different than how baptisms are done here. I was baptized on Aug. 21^st, 2001 (I was 14). I had decided at a church camp earlier that summer that I needed to dedicate my life to God and be a better person, so I decided to show that to my church by being baptized. At the church I grew up in, every summer we would have a youth baptism event. The congregation would go out to Lake Whatcom, we’d have a potluck and then the youth who were to be baptized would wade out with the pastor (all in their swimsuits, of course) and be baptized, one by one.

The day I was baptized, it was raining and really not a great day for a picnic, but there were still a lot of people there. So when it was my turn, I waded out, the Pastor asked me some simple questions (such as ‘Do you accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord?’), and then he baptized me (by submerging me, of course) in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Now, in the weeks leading up to this, I had been attending a class on Baptism, and here’s what I was taught:

· Baptism is a public declaration of faith in God, and that’s all it is, it’s really no different than telling your church that you’re a Christian.

o This means that only people who can say they believe in Jesus and the Bible can be baptized, otherwise it’s not real

o This also means no baptizing babies, because they can’t declare their faith

· Baptism is only a symbol

o Nothing happens to you in Baptism, it just represents what Christ has done and what is supposed to happen to you in your life

· Baptism is something we do as followers of God

o Jesus commanded it in Matthew 28

This idea of Baptism is much different than what we believe in the Lutheran tradition. Here’s section two of baptism in Luther’s Small Catechism:

“What gifts or benefits does baptism grant?
It brings about forgiveness of sins, redeems from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe it, as the words and promise of God declare.
What are these words and promises of God?
Where our Lord Christ says in Mark 16,‘The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned.’”

Notice how different this is from what I was taught!

o I was taught that Baptism is nothing more than a declaration of faith, but we believe that it brings about our entire salvation!

o I was taught that Baptism is only a symbol, but we believe (as Paul says in our Romans reading) that it actually buries us with Christ into death—actually kills us—so that we can have new life!

o I was taught that Baptism was something that I did, but we believe that it is something that God does to us. We believe that God actually makes a change in us.

So how can it be that water does all this? I mean, it seems like magic! It seems like it doesn’t matter what we believe, all that matters is that we have a baptism. It seems like we should just take a hose out onto the street and start spraying everyone we can! And what about faith? In Romans 3, Paul says very clearly that it is by faith that we are justified, so how can we say that baptism saves us?

Well, faith on its own accomplishes nothing; faith needs something to believe in, to cling to. Obviously having faith in Shiva is not the same as having faith in Christ. Well, I have faith in Jesus Christ and in what he accomplished for me, but how can I be certain that the promises in scripture are mine? After all, God didn’t come down from heaven and physically tell me these things. How do I know that I’m saved? Is it because I believe the right things? I’m almost 100% certain that none of us have it all figured out. And I know that I’m nowhere close. So that doesn’t help. Do I know I’m saved because I have faith? Well, I certainly do have faith, but if my beliefs are wrong, then how do I know that have the right faith? Also, sometimes I have doubts, how do I know that I have enough faith to make up for my doubts? No, I can’t rely on that. Do I look at my works? No, there’s not one of those that’s good all the way through. Do I weigh my sins against my repenting? No, my sins would win outright.

You see, without something concrete to cling to, we flit about helplessly, trying to find a sign or something with which we can calm our fear and convince ourselves that we’ll make it. Baptism gives faith something to cling to. Because the water was poured over you, and the words were spoken to you, you can know that the promise is meant for you. You see, the promise of salvation is like a precious jewel. It’s incredibly valuable in and of itself, but you can’t really do anything with it. Without a ring to put it in, you’re just left holding this jewel, scared that you’ll drop it. You’re sort of paralyzed; it’s too valuable to risk losing. Baptism is the ring in which you can set the jewel securely and go about your business. Baptism binds you to the precious word of God. It takes the universal promise of Jesus on the cross and binds it to you in particular.

But what if you didn’t believe during your baptism? I mean, infants don’t have any idea what’s going on, so do they need to be re-baptized? Or what about my baptism? I didn’t believe that God was doing anything to me, and neither did my Pastor, or anyone else involved. Does it still count? If baptism is there to give faith something to cling to, than how can we baptize someone who doesn’t have faith, or who has wrong faith?

Well, think again about the analogy of baptism being a ring that holds the promise of God like a jewel. Does that ring have any less value if I don’t wear it? Do my beliefs about the value of that ring have any effect on its price? Just as my ignorance of the ring’s value doesn’t make it worthless, neither did my wrong beliefs make my baptism wrong, nor does an infant’s lack of belief nullify her baptism. The baptism still contains the promise of God, even if I was unable to hear it at the time. And just as I can put on a ring I once considered worthless, so I can now cling to the promise given to me in my baptism. I do not need a new baptism, as though my ignorance somehow overpowered God’s promise. No, rather I need to reclaim what I once considered to be worthless. Before I did not understand the value of my baptism; now I cling to it with all I have.

So cling to your baptism! When you are attacked by sin and conscience, when it looks from all appearances that you are lost, remember that you were baptized, and if you were baptized, then you have the promise that you will be saved. Nothing in all creation can take that away from you! Hold fast to your baptism. Protect it, for it is the surest sign you have that you are a child of God. Let it free you from worry and fear, so that you may live the life God has laid out for you, so that you can take your mind off of heaven and do the work prepared for you here on Earth. You are a child of God, sealed with the cross of Christ, and filled with the Holy Spirit. God has made you a promise, and he will keep it. Amen.

Faith & Doubt

Another Talk.

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I’m going to be a little sporadic when it comes to our scripture during this talk, but bear with me, I’ll only make us go through a few… and I think it’ll make sense.

Tonight I want to talk to you about a topic that is very dear to me.

It is dear to me because I think it is something that we as humans have to really take seriously.

Not only as human beings alone, but also as Christians.

This is an issue that many of my friends and I do not see eye to eye on.

And this is something that I personally have wrestled with immensely.

The topic is that of Faith & Doubt.

Now, many of you know that I studied theology in college, which just means that I spent a whole bunch of money to read the Bible, but hear me when I say that I am no the expert on this topic

So when I’m out and about and people learn that I majored in theology I usually get some very interesting responses.

Some people react with interest, or intrigue because they know a little about the issue or want to hear from someone who’s studied it for a while.

Some react with awkwardness or apathy, because they are not really sure what to say.

While others respond with anger or accusations, as if I was the reason for all the problems around religion or the church.

Now I may be the problem, but that’s not the point… just joking.

But I have heard it said that the two topics one should never bring up in public are politics and religion.

And I think this is because they are touchy issues, which many people have strong opinions about.

But I also believe that these two topics make an individual really take a look at where they personally stand concerning them.

And many people don’t want to share that part of his or herself, or they may don’t want to share because in the past they have been burnt when they’ve tried.

The thing is that wherever you find yourself, you will have to deal with politics of some kind and with spiritual matter of some kind, in school, your house or a job.

Now, there are some issues that my family tends to shy away from, but I know that whenever politics or religion arise it tends to heighten emotions.

But, these are hard issues and they are hard issues, I think, because they are public and hard to escape… if not impossible to escape.

Anyways, this topic of Faith and Doubt is a touchy issue for me because I have many friends who once confessed a faith in Jesus, but now left the faith for whatever reason.

It doesn’t feel good to watch friends go that direction and I know that at least a few of you have similar friends.

Some of my friends left their faith behind because they have grown up in very stifling family or school situations.

They have told me that religion or Christianity was shoved down their throat.

Some have left because they just don’t like Christian culture as it has developed around them.

Some because they have wrestled personally with some really hard circumstances, including rape or the death of a father.

And still others have walked away because they have chosen not to believe that there is actually a God.

But this is personally a tough issue for me because I myself have wrestled with it.

I shared once before that my middle school and high school experience was really hard for me

I witnessed my mom almost die about 5 times, and even though my mom is doing well now, during that time the part of the bible that I least agreed with was Jeremiah 29:11

It says... For I know the plans I have for you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.

Now, I just didn’t believe this for a long time, and I fell into a depression in which I would get home from school and ponder how I could escape the crap in life.

Thankfully I had a great community around me at that time that loved me well but ultimately God delivered me from it.

Community is a great gift to each of us in times of trouble and for sure it is something that we should strive for and continue to cultivate.

But I am definitely grateful for the fact that God actually open my eyes to the truth that He did have a hope and a future for me, and still does.

All that to say; I have many friends who are in a deep time of doubt and I have been there too and it can be hard to be around

But that is exactly what they need—the presence of a friend, even if its just your presence.

But I think in the Christian community there is a large stigma against the concept of doubt

There are multitudes of songs, movies, even personalities that I’ve met that are crafted around the destruction of faith by the mighty power of doubt.

As if they were two separate and mutually exclusive entities

If you have a little bit of one then you can’t possibly have anything to do with the other.

But I don’t believe it is that black and white.

And I think scripture has examples of God giving us the freedom to wrestle Him and question Him.

I think of Jacob’s night where he wrestles with God Himself in Genesis 32:28

Or, the all the prophets of old who stood between Israel and God… and at times questioned Him about his plan for His nation Israel.

Or, Job where he basically attacks God for letting such a horrible thing happen to his family

Or Doubting Thomas: Who wanted to know it for Himself whether the rumors of Jesus’ resurrection were true.

Or John the Baptist: Who while in Jail sent his followers to Jesus to clarify whether or not Jesus is the messiah or whether world should still be waiting.

Or even 1 Thes. 5:21 – That says: ‘but test everything; hold fast what is good’

I think this concept of Doubt is not that easy to get around but I do think that it has been misunderstood.

It seems that when any certain word is vilified in culture that everything that has anything to do with it is evil too.

But I think doubt at its best is more for inquisitive sake.

Through doubt one can search for clarity, and maybe more importantly when you find yourself doubting…

It is an assurance that you are awake, that you are present… and not taking something hook, line and sinker.

In fact it has been through my most doubting times in life that I have found the most clarity in faith. Something, which I can only attribute to Jesus

It is as if the way to the Promised Land is through the Wilderness.

Hmmm.

We are called to have a child-like faith…

And if any of you have been around any children, my host family has two that this is definitely true for; then you know that they ask a million questions… one right after another.

God has called us into a child-like faith… not a child-ish faith

The thing is: It’s OK to struggle… and it’s OK to wrestle with God.

He can take it, and He wants that more than for you to be apathetic towards Him.

But I do think that Doubt at its worst is a deep well of depression.

Many of my friends have found themselves sunk under the weight

And whether it’s because of arrogance that they believe they know the ‘truth’ or comfort in a familiar depressing place, many of then don’t look for help to rise out of it and continue in their self-destructive habits.

But one of the beauties of God is the fact that God allows us to doubt.

It is as if He really understands us human beings.

Knowing that all of us little stubborn people are only willing to come to Him if we are not forced.

Because it is in the freedom not to believe that we are free to believe.

I know personally that when someone tries to force me into something… I will try to do anything not to comply.

And that is the great thing about our Lord – He doesn’t force us… he stands at the door waiting for the knock

But even if you find yourself in the deepest darkest dungeon, He comes after you to rescue you.

We have the freedom for faith, but also and God who is Faithful.

But… I may be wrong but I think we as Christians we tend to speak about faith like something we can collect, maybe like artist cd’s or books

Both of these I can be horribly addicted to buying at times.

Maybe you are like me sometimes when…

I can start think: if only I have one more cd, I’ll find the best artist that will have the most timeless record that fits into every experience that I’ll ever have and I wont ever need to buy another one again.

But music can fade. And where one artist is perfect for me at one time, inevitably I start the search anew.

Or I can think at times: if only I get some more books I’ll have the best library a 23-year-old has ever had.

But I haven’t even read all of the books I own yet, and I’m sure there is a more intelligent 23-year-old out there who has more money than me and has already won that race.

Now I know that I have at times and maybe you too, considered faith in the same way…

Maybe if I get faith like that person, I’ll have made it.

Maybe if I read enough Christian books, I’ll have the knowledge to get me through.

Or maybe sometimes we think of faith like a bucket.

Where I can collect 2 points today, because it has been a really good day or flattered someone. And lose 4 points tomorrow, because I stubbed my toe or told a lie.

But when Jesus was talking about the Faith as small as a Mustard seed he wasn’t saying that if you had a million mustard seeds of faith that you’d be better off.

He was just making the point that even the smallest faith blooms into a giant tree.

But, I think we as Christians have a tendency to collect things we believe like a ‘to do’ list.

If we don’t believe in ‘a’ ‘b’ ‘c’ or ‘d’ then there might be something wrong with us.

Or if we don’t have faith in this or that doctrine, issue, social concern, or whatever… then we must not be Christians.

I’ve heard it from many people that they aren’t religious or Christians because there are just too many rules.

Which is funny to say because on a side note there are less rules in the law of the Old Testament then there are in Pro Football.

Now, I don’t really care about sports unless I’m at the game, so shoot me.

But I think that is an interesting thought.

I mean, what are some things that are expected of a Christian to believe?

We should …

Go to church on Sunday

Be concerned about the poor

Be nice to everyone

Not gamble, drink, smoke, or whatever.

Now those may be good for you, guidelines to keep you from doing certain things that may be destructive

Or, to keep you doing things that are good.

But as a Christian this is not what defines you.

These things may even define a good moral atheist… well maybe not so much the going to church on Sunday, but you get the point.

This isn’t what makes us Christians… So what does?

I think the Biblical and true response and maybe the word for you tonight is Jesus.

There is a difference between a ‘Belief in’ and a ‘Belief that’

We can fall into a faith that believes that I should do this or that… ‘a’ b’ ‘c’ or ‘d’

Or, that I should have a faith like Jenn’s or JoAnne’s or even my own.

But God doesn’t want you to have the faith of someone else, He wants you to have yours

Which leads me to the other option.

If a ‘Belief that’ can lead to an inappropriate checklist or ultimately a faith in a friend, family member, or leader, what is there to believe?

What kind of Faith does God want?

I believe that God wants us, our own individual selves, to have a faith IN Him Himself.

Jesus’ question to you tonight may be like his in Caesarea Philippi to his disciples: ‘Who do you say that I am?’

And that is a daily question… for each one of us.

It’s a question that when we wake up, we will answer… whether we neglect the question or not… we answer it—and we have to answer it for ourselves.

Faith is kind of like the manna from heaven.

Manna (Which means ‘what is it’)

Could not be stored up (Because it would spoil)

It was from God Himself (It was not from their own creation)

And it was new every morning (It was something that the people of Israel had to depend on God for)

The thing is: You can’t necessarily have Jesus, I mean not even the crowds in the gospels could capture Him—But, Jesus has you.

And that’s it: We have someone who we can believe in.

Who is greater than us and the problems around around.

Who became man, died for us, and brought New life

So that we can live truly in this world and love those around us.

Who is faithful and worthy of trust.

God is who he says He is.

And He is one that we can truly believe in.

God is For us.

So, when you find yourself doubting or wrestling with the hard things in life… Take Heart.

You are not alone, and you are not a pagan.

There is one who has overcome the world and overcome our sin.

And you can look to Jesus, and ask Him if He is the messiah or if we should be looking for another.

For surely He will respond like He does to John’s disciples: Matthew 11:4-5

And you can take that as response Jesus’ response to you.

He heals the Blind, Deaf and Dumb

But not only is He the messiah.

He can do this work in your life as well.

Jesus can open your eyes.

He can unclog your ears.

And He can give you a word to speak.

God is who He says He is.

And the great thing is that He has given us a great resource for learning about Him.

It’s the Bible.

It’s kind of a good tool. *wink

I had a professor while I was in college at Whitworth up in Spokane, Washington.

His name’s Adam Neder… He’s the man.

He was one of my theology teachers, and my favorite professor, because he and I could talk about whatever. Movies, music, life, and whatever piqued out fancy.

But he also understood who Jesus was and is and that Jesus knows each one of us intimately

Anyways, during a lecture about why one could or should study theology he once told our class:

‘You know, God has never been apathetic when dealing with us Humans.’

And then he got all squinty eyed, like he does when he gets sarcastic and at the same time really serious

‘I mean God did everything He could do; He became man and died for each one of us. The least we can do is attempt to speak about Him in the most appropriate way.

Now, I think what Adam was getting at is the fact that we should really start to become students of this thing called the Bible, but even more of God Himself.

So, my challenge to each one of you, and myself is: go Home…whenever you do… and check the Bible to see if what I’m saying is true… and dive in.

Let’s Pray: Lord I believe, help my unbelief.

The Righteousness of Faith According to Luther

I was reading something by H. J. Iwand, a German contemporary of Barth, entitled "The Righteousness of Faith According to Luther" and I came across something really profound. I want to try and share it with you, so I'm going to do my best in this post. All quotes are from Iwand, unless otherwise stated. Scripture quotations are from the ESV. So let's begin:

Sins that are interpreted as emanating from a person are really sins of action and constitute a knowledge of sin in terms of "thoughts, words, and deeds." Ultimately when people conceive of sin in this way, they are considering the "fruits" of sin which are mere symptoms of the true sin that is concealed behind them. With such a concept of sin, one is misled to consider all manner of sins without recognizing the true nature of the sickness. Furthermore, if one succeeds in repressing the symptoms, the sickness will attack from the inside. Any righteousness shown in this manner is really hypocrisy. In his natural despair--which, in the last analysis is a false one because the person is despairing only of the "appearance" of what he is--the person will not look at himself, but will always try to break free of the mistakes and weaknesses that tarnish the picture of the perfect human being to which that person aspires. He will try to cast off his sins and faults, but will remain the same even in the attempt.

Sin is not merely the bad things we do (or the good things we don't) but it is a state of being, a condition in which we are completely and hopelessly stuck. What we often call "sins" are just the results of this condition. Even if we are able to suppress these sins, we are still a sinner. In fact, if the symptoms are suppressed, the disease becomes even more dangerous, for we are likely to forget that we have this fatal disease at all and we stop relying on the healer. In fact, we never truly suppress the symptoms, we just put them in a form where they are difficult to recognize. Isaiah 64:6 says "all our righteous deeds are like a polluted garment." The works that we call good are actually sinful, for we do them not for God's sake, but for our own. They are almost always (and perhaps actually always) an attempt to justify ourselves, either before others or before God, rather than to receive justification from God.

Also, notice in the second-to-last sentence, that it is not God's standard of perfection that is being aspired to, but our own. Our standard is much different from God's standard, although we generally think that our standard is God's standard.

However, casting off one's sin is quite impossible. A person must first be destroyed because he is the person who holds out his own ideal of what is good, true, just, and godly. Such a person believes he needs to be directed to God only because of his incomplete, weak nature (as if the goal of perfection is not to need God!) he thinks that grace is only a stage; some kind of beneficent, helping gesture on God's part to help people to reach their own goal of perfection by means of his holy power, because they are simply not strong enough or perfect enough to do it on their own. If that is the case, then God would be merely a means to one's achieving one's own self-perfection. It is exactly this kind of person who uses God, but does not believe in him.

Our standard of the perfect human being is clearly stated in the fifth verse of Genesis 3: "when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." We view human perfection as perfect divine knowledge, which brings with it perfect divine independence and perfect divine power. We really want to be "like God." The fact is we really aren't that interested in being human at all, we have always wanted to be more heavenly and less earthly. We want to ascend above our station, to become "more" than we were created to be. This is the essence of our rebellion. The fall is really an upward fall, not a downward one. It is not that we became too entrenched in earthly things, but rather that we abandoned our charge (see Genesis 1:28, 2:15) in order to storm heaven and position ourselves as gods. The life of faith, of relying on God for everything including our righteousness, is not a stopgap made necessary by the fall--rather it is the way things were always meant to be. We were designed to rely on God; the ideal of a perfect human who does it all himself is our own sinful machination.

This type of person would be happiest if he could do it alone--without God--since even his own mistakes irritate him because they show him that he is not God and that he is actually God's enemy and opponent. God's judgment stands firmly over against this person. He must be destroyed. His mistakes and weaknesses, however, must not be lightened too soon just so that they are easier for him to carry. In other words, our sins prompt us to seek mercy anew and in so doing they make clear to us that everything works for good for those who love God. For the reminder of God's mercy and the admonition that we always live in his mercy and are never in a position of not needing it--that is the best thing that the new person in us can encounter.

We need to know our place, to be content with being human and not aspire to be gods. The only way to do this is through the cross. The old person, the person above condemned by God, must be killed so that the new person can be raised in his place. (See Romans 6:6) As Luther puts it: "[God] makes us conform to himself and crucifies us, thus making real, that is, wretched and sinful men, out of unhappy and proud gods."

So, if the perfect human is not the god we want it to be, what, or perhaps who, is it? The answer is simple, if not easy: Jesus Christ (surprise, huh?) To free us from our attempt to be gods, God became human to show us what we were created to be. We were created to be earthly creatures, relying on God for everything, perfectly trusting that he is God for us, working everything for our good.

So what do you think?

Obedience...

Hey all, so this is a talk i'm doing tonight.

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“Obedience”

Hi everyone. Let me share a story about my childhood.

I was a mischievous little dude when I was younger, and I used to climb everything I could.

There was just something about getting above the ground, and I loved it. So when I became a pole-vaulter in high school this wasn’t a surprise.

But, when I was about 2ish I for some reason thought it would be fun to play in the downstairs sink.

So I climbed up a few boxes… and reached the sink.

Now the faucet in this sink was one of those kinds of faucets that sprays water everywhere at an ungodly speed.

And I probably thought this was the coolest thing ever… so I turned it on… full blast.

And like all kids, who are unconcerned about the effects of their actions… I let it be.

The problem was, my mom was upstairs… for a while… a really long while.

So long that the water filled the sink and started to pour over the counter and on the floor.

Now, I don’t have a clue where my brothers were… I have four of them, and they are all older than me. So you would have assumed they could have stopped what I began.

But, they were probably at a friend’s house, or maybe they thought this a natural occurrence… who knows?

Either way, when my mom finally made it down stairs, there was about two inches of standing water everywhere in the basement.

And the basement in my house isn’t small.

She scooped me up, splashed through the water to turned off the faucet and called my dad who was at work.

The conversation went something like, ‘Hi, Craig? … you need to come home.’

‘Uh, what’s wrong Anita?’

‘There’s water in the basement.’

‘Well, just get some towels and mop it up.’

‘No, you need to come home now… it’s everywhere and we don’t have enough towels.’

Soon, my mom told him what went down and he finally left work to come home and clean up.

I became the reason for the re-carpeting. It wasn’t until I was much older that I realized what a mess I had made; I always had thought growing up that it was just because they didn’t like the color. Woops.

Anyways, tonight I’m going to be speaking to you about Obedience.

So, I decided to go easy on myself and talk to you about obedience in the beginning of Acts 1

So lets read it: Read Acts 1:8-11 (Before I go any further I should tell you that Acts is the second half of Luke… Luke, Part 2, or like Luke’s p.s. at the end of a letter) – Continue…

Now, I said I would be going easy on myself because really what I want to talk to you about tonight is the idea of ‘following Jesus’

And if I am to talk to you about obedience in regards to ‘following Jesus’, basically what I am going to do is something like talking about literature in regards to Shakespeare.

Shakespeare wrote a lot of different things. Plays, Poetry, what have you. But all of them are forms of literature.

Following Jesus involves a lot of different things. But all of them are forms of obedience.

Jesus commands. We obey. That’s all there is to the Christian life. There’s nothing else to it.

Faith, love, prayer, service. Whatever. They’re all forms of obedience.

SO, ‘obedience’ is just a synonym for ‘following Jesus’

But anyone who tries to follow Jesus knows that we don’t always do what he tells us to do. We also reject him.

We don’t always love him. We also hate him at times.

We’re his friends, for sure. But we have also been his enemy at times.

Basically what I’m trying to get at is that, every moment of the Christian life is lived in either obedience or disobedience. There is no middle option.

To say it like a neurotic, but brilliant, and who I think is a most important writer—a guy named Søren Kierkegaard: ‘Our lives are governed by an inexorable (unpreventable) either-or – Either obedience or disobedience.’ These are the only options.

What he is saying is that there are no neutral zones in the Christian life. No empty spaces in our lives where Jesus’ command to obey doesn’t reach us.

Jesus’ command covers every little part of our lives.

Now when I say this, it probably makes you feel a little claustrophobic.

Maybe you hear it and are like me in saying, ‘Dang Jesus. Why don’t you relax a little? Chill out for a second. Come on, give me some space.’

Maybe Jesus makes you feel a bit like you do about tests.

No matter how much you like the subject matter, there’s always a part you, maybe a big part, that is happy to be done.

I can only speak for myself, but I admit that sometimes I just wish that Jesus would leave me alone.

I feel like the demands that he places on me are more than I can bear.

And for sure, they are more than I initially signed up for.

I grew up in a Christian home, with a lovely family. I was the youngest of 4 boys and I have the scars to prove it. Probably the most of them are internal.

But I actually became a Christian at summer camp when I was just entering middle school.

Think about this for a second. I became a Christian at camp… And this camp was like a resort for me. I played Ultimate Frisbee everyday. I could gorge myself with amazing food three times a day. And I could hang out with people who I thought were way cooler than me.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into. And the ideas that I did have about the Christian life were mostly wrong.

I became a Christian because I thought it was the best way to be happy, get what I wanted, or avoid pain and suffering.

At camp, they told me that if I had faith in Jesus, then he would give me life.

And that turned out to be true.

But what they didn’t tell me was that being a Christian didn’t make me impervious to the problems of the world.

The year after I became a Christian my mom almost died in a bicycle accident. A few years later was she diagnosed with breast cancer.

And then when I was a senior she almost died again. She went in for a hysterectomy and they nicked her rectum, which if that mistake wasn’t caught, she would’ve died within a week.

School before college wasn’t easy for me… to say the least.

I learned that that the life Jesus gives often feels like a living death.

And it feels like that because that’s exactly what it is!

Life with Jesus is a constant dying to oneself in obedience to him.

Let me say that again… Life with Jesus is a constant dying to oneself in obedience to him.

And it’s impossibly demanding!

It asks for things that you don’t have. And it claims more than you want to give.

And I’m not just speaking rhetorically.

Listen to how Jesus himself describes what it’s like to follow him.

In Luke, the same author of the previous passage we read. 14:26-27…

Now, Jesus isn’t saying necessarily that you are supposed to hate you parents, siblings, or children.

But in comparison to loving Jesus, it will seem as if you hate your family.

When many, if not most of us, hear this we’re inclined to think that it’s just a bit too much. I mean it’s overboard!

And we especially feel this way when we get tired of grinding out the Christian life.

We’re tempted to just… Give Up.

I thought about this so many times.

… Because the Christian life is really hard.

And we don’t see much progress.

We feel like we’re just banging our heads against a door.

And we’re tempted to think it would be easier to stop trying.

If you have ever felt that way, you need to hear what I’m about to say. Because it is God’s word for you.

You are not alone.

You are not the only one who has these kinds of thoughts.

And, it’s not just that other Christians feel like you do. They do, for sure.

But what I want you to hear tonight is that Jesus Christ himself knows how you feel.

He knows how hard it is to obey.

He knows because his whole life was one of total obedience to his Father.

Think about that. Our Lord – the one who commands us to obey – was himself a servant.

He knows what it’s like to struggle to respond obediently to the command of God.

He wrestled so much with obedience that he actually sweated blood before he took on the cross.

Now Jesus obeyed perfectly throughout his whole life, but we don’t.

I struggle with obedience all the time.

I could keep in better touch with my friends.

I could be less critical of myself.

I could be less lazy.

And when hard times come along in my life I could be less apathetic, more hopeful, and more loving.

But when things get really nasty in your life – you need to know this.

No matter how tired, empty, or disobedient you feel. You need to know that Jesus will not leave you or forsake you.

He will always be with you. No matter what.

But here’s the thing…

Jesus Christ is the Lord. And he can only be with you in one way.

As your Lord.

He can only share himself with you in one way – by becoming your God.

If you think about what I am saying for a second, you’ll realize that what I’m saying is just strange.

I’m saying that when we’re exhausted, Jesus gives us peace by freeing us and putting us to work.

It’s kind of like procrastination… something I’m horrible at.

In college I would wait to the last minute, staying up all night to finish a paper and I would find myself running, literally running, to class to get there on time, paper flapping in hand as I ran through campus.

It was a horrible habit of mine and I always exhausted myself trying to make up time that I had thrown away on things I thought more important.

It took all of college to realize that when I actually did the daily work of preparation and such that I wouldn’t be so anxious… in fact it felt good.

Strange.

Now when we’re anxious, Jesus calms us down by giving us something to do.

May it be faith, love, prayer, service. Or whatever.

I’m saying that Jesus showers us with Love by showering us with commands.

Because it’s as we obey him that we are joined to him and enjoy him.

It is as we submit to him that we are united to him and share in his life.

But the problem is that instead of seeing this as freedom, we often see it as slavery.

And like all slaves do, we dream of escape.

And so we do. We escape.

We begin to live as we please. To live as our own Lord.

But it doesn’t work.

We think, at times, that living as we please is a wide-open landscape. But, it turns out to be a dingy little prison.

It doesn’t make us happy. We develop an uncontrollable desire for more, and it makes us miserable.

But, for some reason we keep trying it out anyway.

Now, please, don’t let this sound pious or churchy. To most people, what I’m about to say is just insane.

Because if our culture is sure about one thing, it’s that freedom is having the means to live as you please.

But the Gospel tells us that living like Paris Hilton or Donald Trump isn’t freedom. It is imprisonment in the dungeon of our own little appetites.

From the standpoint of the Gospel, the good life isn’t freedom to cultivate and satisfy your every desire.

It is permission to stop obsessing about yourself.

That’s why Jesus’ statement in Acts 1:8 is so crucial.

Listen:

“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you. And you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

“You will be my witnesses.” That’s a command. And it’s a command that contains the secret of the Christian Life.

By calling us to be His witnesses, Jesus is freeing us from a narrow obsession with our own little stories.

By calling us to point to him, he’s rescuing us from ourselves.

This is crucial to see.

When Jesus commands us to be his witnesses, he’s commanding us to tell his story. Not our personal stories.

And, he is definitely not calling us to point out what’s wrong with everyone else’s story, or even our own.

I mean come on; he’s calling us to be witnesses, not prosecuting attorneys or judges.

He is calling us to point away from ourselves to him.

Let me say that again… He is calling us to point away from ourselves to him.

And, that is something that anyone can do.

You don’t have to be an expert to do it. You don’t have to know the answers to all the questions that people might ask you about him.

And, you certainly don’t have to have your life under control.

Anyone can point to Jesus.

And that doesn’t mean that you go around with a billboard tied to your neck.

As monk by the name of Francis of Assisi once said, ‘preach the gospel always, and when necessary… use words’.

Which can come out in many ways. In Faith, Love, Prayer, Service.

And, We are called to love because Jesus loved us.

By loving others, we show gratitude for God’s love for us.

And anyone can respond with gratitude to the grace that he has shown us.

Jesus doesn’t want you to be a super-Christian.

He doesn’t want you to be an expert.

He just wants you to be you—The ordinary person that you are.

Someone who has experienced his grace and forgiveness and who now just wants to share it with others.

So, as you try to live as his obedient witnesses, remember that he has promised to strengthen you with the Holy Spirit.

And know, that even if you don’t obey Jesus at times… There is nothing that will exhaust the grace of God… Lets Pray:

A Definition of Sin

I came across a definition of sin (actually a definition of sinner, but one extends from the other) a while back that I've been mulling over for quite some time, and I want to hear what people think of it. It was long enough ago that I don't remember what book it was from, but I'm almost positive the author was Gerhard Forde. It went something like this: "a sinner, in the final analysis, is someone who fails to receive from God." So, I've been thinking of sin as failure to receive from God. Seems pretty straightforward.

The more I've thought about this definition of sin, the more I've come to like it. At first it seemed overly simplistic, or at least incomplete. It seemed to exclude a lot of things that I considered to be sin.

First, let's look at what is obviously included in this definition. In the section that this "quote" appears (as I remember it, anyway), Forde is talking about salvation as God's gift to us, and our tendency to refuse that gift and insist on doing it ourselves, or at least helping. This insistence on making salvation depend on something that we do* rather than what God has done is the essence of sin according to this definition. This seems strange when you really consider it, because the manifestations of this insistence (see footnote) are often exactly what we would list if we were asked to describe "holiness." It seems that sin is indistinguishable from holiness, at least from the outside.

But what about the inside? Can we at least make the distinction that these "good works" are sin when done with an ulterior motive, and holiness when done with pure motives? Well, what exactly would a pure motive be? Take tithing as an example. Obviously we would consider doing it for glory or influence to be an impure motive. What about doing it for the reward in heaven? Doesn't seem much different than doing it for a reward on earth. How about doing it to better the church which we attend? Well, that's also fairly self-centered, who's to say that my church is more deserving than another church? What about doing it to please God? That depends, what am I hoping to get out of it? If I'm hoping to gain favor or something, then I am really trying to manipulate God, which isn't much different than performing a ritual to coerce the spirits to my purposes. What about just doing it because I am told? Well, again, what do I hope to gain from my obedience? How about the satisfaction of knowing I did something good? Once again, I'm doing it ultimately for my own benefit. Even assuming we could agree on a pure motive, do you honestly believe that you could ever be completely free of any other motivation? My point in saying all this is that we almost never do anything altruistically. In fact, it may be that the only time we do anything with 100% pure motive is when we don't even know we're doing it. Perhaps the only time we ever actually do anything good is when we do it mindlessly, or better yet, when God does it through us while we aren't looking. Perhaps good works themselves are a gift from God.

So this definition covers all of our good works and classifies them as sin... what about our bad works? At first, I didn't think this definition included those things such as lying, adultery, and murder, but now I think that it may. The gift of eternal life isn't all that we receive from God, there is also scripture. Even though the law may be of little use when it comes to getting into heaven, and in fact may be worse than worthless, it still has plenty of use when it comes to the here and now. Scripture has been given to us, and failure to give heed to scripture is in fact a failure to receive a gift from God.

Still though, I think the most important part of this definition, especially for those of us who consider ourselves to be religious, is that part which deals with our "good" works. So, maybe instead of focusing so much on not doing bad things and trying to do more good things, we should be trying to receive all that God is giving us.

What do you think? What are you refusing to receive from God?

*such as: living a moral life, "making Jesus the Lord of my life" (as if he isn't already), being circumcised, making my "decision for Jesus" (as though there is just one decision to be made), voting Republican, asking Jesus into my heart, doing volunteer work, having "a personal relationship" with Jesus, charity, fasting, tithing, not watching rated R movies, joining a monastery, looking the "right" way, trying my darnedest, etc.

Yes, I'm still here

At the goading of my loyal fans Annie Dugas, I feel that I should put a little something up here to confirm that this blog, despite all outward appearances, is still active. It's been a busy month and I haven't had a chance to sit and think, let alone write. So, to sum it all up, I'm still here and I will be updating soon.

John out.

Hospitality, What's That?

Here's a thought/email response I had to John about my experience in Turkey concerning the concept of hospitality. It is added to, but hopefully makes one think.

--

Setting: Istanbul (population: almost 13 million, in Istanbul alone)-At the last dinner together as a study-tour group. This dinner is a culmination of a month in western Turkey (the less hostile towards Christians side of Turkey). We are in a seafood restaurant that we are familiar with. There is a man who walked into the restaurant with a tray of clams. This man is going around selling the clams to the patrons, and a few of us at our table take the offer. Our tour guide Aydin (eye-din [like dinner]) is walking around as we are being served our last course before dessert. And a few of us have questions for him, so we catch his attention as he is surveying the group and looking to meet our needs if they are there and unsatisfied.

Story Goes: A classmate, a fellow table member (across from me), of mine pipes in, 'so Aydin, what is with this guy with the clams? Does he work here? Or is he a street vendor? Is that normal here in Turkey?' Aydin responds, 'Yes, yes! No, he doesn't work here. This is quite normal. That is his catch of the day. His wife is probably preparing these clams at home and he comes to the local restaurants to sell them to the costumers. This isn't a problem here, its normal and the money he gets will support his family. We have a real symbiotic relationship within our society. Between restaurant owners and those who don't have a one. Restaurants don't mind this either, it's like a family here, and they are both just trying to serve the costumer what they want.'

'Huh.' We are all baffled at the idea and the lack of food codes. This wouldn't work at all in America we reflect later together. But there's more.

Another classmate continues, 'yeah, I mean here we are at the end of the trip and throughout the trip it was really hard for us to spot the homeless in your country. So we were wondering, do you have a large population of homeless here? Or is that a problem? Are there organizations that help them out or what?' Aydin responds, 'well that's interesting friends, because we really don't have homeless. If someone needs a bed-they are taken in. If someone needs a meal-they are given one. If someone is in need, they are treated like family. We just don't have homeless here; it is a concept that is foreign to us.' We are all impressed, even if it sounds too good... after all, I didn't see any myself.

And then I remember something that Aydin said earlier in the trip-on the bus, 'Here in Turkey, hospitality is of utmost importance. We believe, in Islam, that if a stranger comes to your door, then it is Allah who sent them. So we give respect to Allah by being hospitable to any stranger we meet.' And it clicks. This is a societal idea, since Turkey is secular, this is just in their culture and thus it works. Of course it would be strange to attempt this off the bat here in America because we already have so many homeless. But my hope is there.

--

When I returned to America I realized that this made a deep impression on me. I saw the homeless on at a local intersection and every time I passed my heart wrenched. Why don't we stop at all when we see someone homeless? Is it there stench? Are we in the belief that they can't possibly be truly homeless? I mean it's America, right? I actually had a short conversation with a lady at an intersection the other day who had this opinion, and therefore wouldn't even walk past someone on the street, or look in their eyes. But, can we be this cold? I'm not trying to say that we should all become hippies, or start the next World Vision. But, really? You can't even look at them in the face, even in spite of the possibility that they are on the street just to pay the bills? I don't want to be too critical, because i can ask myself the same if not similar questions. Why don't i stop and have a conversation with someone on the street? Or why don't i give them a meal? An orange? Banana? What have you.

But, I do think that there is a lost sense of hospitality in our society. And a strong sense of individual self-perpetuation, that shies away from the homeless man or woman, and gives not a care for the 'least of these'. But... wait, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.' Matt. 25:45.

I don't want to make the wrong conclusion and say that solely because Turkey seems to have this down better than America, that they are a better country. Or that because an 'Islamic' country has it down better than a 'Christian' country, that one should forsake Christ and take up Allah's banner. This would be a catastrophe. But, I do believe that one can take a lesson from the people of Turkey who find this as a matter of course. Or, better yet, be challenged by the Word, and the fact that Christ calls us into obedience and to meet our neighbor... whoever it may be.