Random Reflection on Love

There is a fierce independence amongst some Christians,

Yet God calls us to be the Body of Christ,

Intertwined,

Each with different functions,

All serving together toward one common goal:

Love,

For God IS love.

 

Love does not haphazardly

Discard differences or

Throw away challenges.

 

Love does not discriminate

By color or age or gender or status.

 

Love does not make swooping changes

Without considering long-term affects.

 

Love does not boast about its accomplishments.

 

Love does not gloat in hurting others.

 

Love is not red.

Or blue.

Or black.

Or white.

 

Love is not inciting battles that turn to wars.

 

Love is not money.

 

Love is not greed.

 

Love is not a business.

 

Love is people,

Real people,

With real needs,

And hurts,

And feelings,

Trying to make it in this world,

And, in America,

Trying to live into the creed

That all humankind is created equal.

Love is a choice.

And an action.

And an outpouring of a heart grounded in

Love that comes from God,

For God IS love,

And anything less than love

Does not come from God.

 

It is that complicatedly simple.

Gracious

I was recently talking to an old Christian camp friend about the

Hot button issues of

Immigration

The LGBTQ+ Community

Pro-life vs. Pro-choice policies

Racism

And

Sexism.

Fun, huh?

 

She made a comment that brought tears to my eyes.

She said:

These are the things my husband and I talk about.

We wonder aloud at how 160+ years ago,

The church was on the wrong side of slavery and

Ask ourselves if given a comparable space and distance,

We might discover that we’re on the wrong side of things now.

We finally settle on this thought:

When we get to heaven,

We would rather hear God say,

“You thought me more gracious than I am.”

Than

“You thought me more harsh than I am.”

 

I don’t know about you,

But in serving a God who deems himself “love,”

And throughout scripture welcomes the outcast

And loves the unloveable,

I would much rather be more gracious than I ought

Than be more harsh than I should.

 

The gospel of Jesus Christ is one of life-giving freedom.

We are saved from fear and damnation, and

Are given a glimpse of eternal life…

May we live as though we’ve been set free to love.

May we live as though God so loved the world.

 

Amen.

Mistake

 

I made a mistake yesterday.

I asked two political questions.

I wasn’t trying to be divisive.

I was genuinely curious as to the answers to my questions.

But both questions garnered answers that were mean-spirited

And I found friends being questioned and attacked for no good reason,

So I took both posts down.

 

I was reminded of a couple of things, though.

 

There are vastly different definitions of Christian in America today.

There is one version of Christian that holds to holiness, purity, and righteousness.

This version is very serious about morality and usually takes scripture literally.

There is another version of Christian that holds to love, grace, and forgiveness.

This version is very serious about welcoming people to Christ’s table and takes scripture as God’s story that is continuing to unfold.

Both are very committed to their faith and their understanding of God.

And while both believe that “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that whosoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life,”

How they interpret that verse and idea is not the same.

 

We, as an American society, have lost the ability to have conversations about hard things.

We resort to name calling and hurl insults at people we’ve never met

And then we assume that the other person is an idiot.

We are so certain that we are right and that “they” are wrong

That we cannot agree to disagree and to treat people with dignity and respect.

We all have thoughts.

We all have opinions.

There are many things about which there is no absolute right or wrong.

But dignity and respect, treating people as human beings,

Is not negotiable.

Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness is not negotiable.

Or it shouldn’t be.

But we’ve made it so.

 

Sometimes it all feels like too much.

Sometimes I feel defeated.

I did yesterday.

Instead of napping,

I found myself on my knees,

Kneeling beside my bed,

Praying with tears

Because I didn’t have words.

 

Help, was all I knew to say.

Help free us from the fear

That you just might

Love us all.

 

Amen.

Gospel Centered Worship

 

For most of my life,

The sermon was the most important part of Sunday morning worship. 

Everything led up to the sermon 

And everything ceased shortly after the sermon.

The sermon was determined by whatever was on the pastor’s heart and mind, 

Which could be from the Old or New Testaments, the Psalms, the Gospels,

One verse or a whole passage. 

Sharing the table was reserved for once every three months so that it would remain special. 

Music was programmed for comfort and emotional connection. 

Prayers were said extemporaneously. 

And the pastor, music minister, and choir/praise team were the worship leaders while the congregants were there primarily to listen. 

 

This style of worship is often celebrated for its freedom to allow the Holy Spirit to move.

 

More recently, 

The Gospel has become the most important part of worship. 

The whole service centers around The Word, the central reading of which is the Gospel text. 

We read aloud together a passage from the Old Testament, the Psalms, the New Testament, and the Gospels.

The passages are determined by the Lectionary,

A three-year scripture cycle read by many churches around the world.

The sermon is the first response to the gospel reading and the remainder of the service allows congregants to respond.

Sharing the table occurs every Sunday so that everyone will know they have a place at God’s table of grace.

Music is programmed to coordinate with the Gospel.

Prayers are written and read aloud together.

And the pastor, musicians, and congregants are all involved in leading and participating in worship.

 

This style of worship is often criticized for not allowing the Holy Spirit to move.

 

For most of my life, I fit within the former style of worship.

Now, I do not.

Now, I find my home in the latter,

And I can honestly say that I wish more people could join me there.

Yes, it’s an adjustment.

But there is something to reading scripture together, praying together, confessing sins together, and sharing the table together every Sunday.

Worship becomes less about one person’s thoughts,

And more about God in God’s fullness.

There is something to reading the difficult parts of scripture as well as the ones that comfort and inspire.

There is something to reading prayers for the earth/environment, the world/leaders, the church, the sick/hurting/oppressed, and ourselves.

There is something to seeing the words on the page that really brings congregant home.

The Holy Spirit makes the words alive and

Reminds us that we’re part of something bigger.

It reminds us that we can and should do better.

It reminds us that the gospel of Jesus Christ is so much bigger than we make it.

And it reminds us that we are often the answer to our very own prayers.

 

I am thankful that there are different types and styles of worship.

And I am thankful that God can speak through them all.

But for me, for now, I am most especially thankful

For worship that focuses on the richness of God,

And challenges me to be more like Christ,

In all that I say and do.

 

Amen.

Missed The Point

 

If I read:

 

“No one can tame the tongue—

a restless evil, full of deadly poison.

With it we bless the Lord and Father,

and with it we curse those who are made in the likeness of God.

From the same mouth come blessing and cursing.

My brothers and sisters, this ought not to be so.

James 3:8-10”

 

And identify as Christian,

 

But call people names,

Slander people’s reputations.

Laugh at people’s mistakes,

Dig up past failures,

Make fun of those different than me,

Believe and perpetuate lies, and

Focus on what is wrong with others,

 

Then I have missed the point.

 

God, forgive us when we miss the point.

You have called us to love one another

And to bless those who persecute us.

 

May it be so.

 

Amen.

Saved

 

Two friends. 

Both persons of faith. 

Both raised in the Southern Baptist Church. 

Both taught that they have a duty and responsibility to save souls through the gospel of Jesus Christ. 

Both spent active periods of their lives using Christian evangelism tools to save souls.

Both are now Christian counselors. 

 

One friend recently had a teenage client in distress because she had broken up with her best friend.

The counselor lamented that she didn’t know if she could work this girl anymore because she doesn’t agree with the girl’s homosexual actions. 

She said she was surprised that the girl wanted to go to Christian counseling if she had those tendencies. 

She said that homosexuality is not something that Christians should be dealing with if their faith is strong enough.

She said that she was confused as to why the girl chose her because her counselor profile did not state that she dealt with issues of sexuality. 

In fact, she had intentionally left those issues off of her profile. 

She must follow what she believes.

 

In contrast, the other friend intentionally included issues of sexuality and faith in her profile.

“When I think of Jesus,” she says, “and how he lived, I am inspired. 

To love the sick and the poor and the children and others who are marginalized.

To tell people they are enough as they are and loved as they are regardless of what anyone else says about them. 

I follow the ways of Christ as he was portrayed as loving others.”

She wants all persons to have a safe place because she knows what it’s like not to have a safe place herself.

She wants to spread love because it literally may save someone’s life. 

She must follow what she believes. 

 

Two friends. 

Both persons of faith. 

Both raised in the Southern Baptist Church. 

Both taught that they have a duty and responsibility to save souls through the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Both are now in positions to help save lives.

Both are following what they believe. 

 

One of these friends probably makes you angry.

 

One of these friends, you likely think is wrong.

 

Oh God, may each of us be willing to see you for who You Are.. Not who we make you to be because of our beliefs, upbringing, and experiences. But who you are throughout time and circumstance, from the beginning of creation until now. Creating, refining, and redeeming, drawing all people to You. Amen.