A HUGE hurdle to believing Jesus.

Though I love sports, I am definitely not "all in" with any particular team.  On the one hand, I'll definitely take any opportunity to watch or support my favorite teams like the Broncos, the Twins, the Timberwolves, or my hometown Dutchmen.  Yet, what have they promised me in return?  That they'll make sure my time and money spent is worth the entertainment dollar?  Yea!?  What good, in the long run, does that do?  I guess it's better than choosing entertainment options that are blatantly harmful to me in some way.  So what, or WHO, is worth being "all in" for?

Short answer:  Jesus.

There aren't many people who would say they don't believe Jesus existed or that He was a bad guy.  Now-a-days, it seems like a pretty safe conversation to talk about who Jesus was and how it's important to do life the way Jesus said it should be done.  Yet, fewer and fewer people are choosing to change anything in their life around being a follower of Jesus.  There's some sort of bias against or fear concerning the whole idea of "following Jesus".  How many people really know what it means to follow Jesus?  How many people have really tried it?

Not many. Why is that?

One main reason is that the church (at least in much of America) doesn't really ask a whole lot from people who want to be a part of their church.  As a pastor, I know what that's like because, if I were really honest, it is much easier to prepare sermons and keep a Sunday morning service going than it is to call people (literally and figuratively) to surrender their lives to Jesus.  No matter whose fault it is, we've allowed ourselves to think that just "being" a Christian, rather than an atheist or a Buddhist or a Muslim, or an agnostic or undecided, is good enough.

Fans of sports teams, I mean TRUE fans that have the gear, watch all the games, and know all the players, hate it when the fan-base increases dramatically when the team does really well.  Where were all these people earlier, right?  I should be court-side, rink-side, at the 50-yard line for free simply based on how big of a fan I am, right?  We should be way more concerned about a Christian who only owns that title on Sundays, or when they're with other Christians, or when it doesn't interfere with their life.  After all, Jesus never called people to simply cheer for Him or be "on His side."  Jesus always pursued worship of Him and lives that completely surrendered to what He commanded.  

When there's a hurdle to jump over in your occupation, your family, your personal life, you do all you can to get the right help you need.  Don't want to jump into Christianity?  Don't know how to jump into Christianity?  Take it up with the namesake of Christianity, Jesus Christ as He describes Christianity in Matthew 10:34-39.  It's a little different than the "just get along and love everybody" vibe that people connect with Jesus, though it dovetails nicely with it.  

The biggest hurdle to following Jesus?  Denying yourself.

What's really needed during and after Covid.

 

"We need football now more than ever."

It's the way that Peyton Manning, a person I greatly respect (and not just because I'm a Bronco fan), introduces season two of his ESPN+ series, "Peyton's Place."  Does football help us get through difficult times?  Yes.  Isn't football a great way to have some good, clean fun when your stuck at home in the middle of winter?  Certainly.  

Without reading more into this statement than Peyton intended, I do want to point out the use of the word, "need."  Many would place football in that category even before 2020.  It holds a role in our society where emotional attachments, entertainment dollars, betting dollars, and bragging rights are hanging in the balance on a week-by-week basis.  I would argue, though, that it falls more accurately into the category of "healthy distractions that keep us from better things?"

As an example, allow me to turn to a culture without football or any other trappings of 21st Century America.  A missionary friend of mine relays a recent story of how Christian leaders in the Central African countries of Rwanda, Kenya, and Uganda are spending their time.  

When churches are kept from meeting together for seven months, what did these native pastors and leaders do?  Did they put up a fight against their government over-reach?  African governments typically don't work the way us in America are used to.  Did they go online-only in order to keep up the "habit"?  This isn't an option for many churches who don't have such capabilities.  Did they spend loads of time deciding on whether to jump through hoops or simply defy mask orders in order to meet?  According to my friend's report, they had too much to do to be concerned with that.

You see, these church leaders were trying to put into practice what the Bible defines as "better things."  Instead of looking to other things to take up our time and instead of trying to "do church" the way we've always done it, why not change our application of what the church should actually be doing?

After all, the church was not invented in the U.S. with this American culture doing things in our particular way.  The church was started by God in 1st Century Rome, in the religious center of the Jewish faith.  

As we're trying to do here in the middle of Minnesota, my encouragement to you is to remind yourself of the basics of church in Scripture.  Hebrews 3:13 says to, everyday, encourage your fellow believers in Jesus.  1 John 4:11,12 tells us the the world (who is the the church's target audience) can best see God when Christians love the way Jesus did.  Finally, in Philippians 2:3,4, we are hit with the challenge of having attitudes that place others as more important than ourselves.  

Now, how is YOUR church characterized?  Is it an accurate assessment based on the above passages?  Are you spending more time being a biblical church or are you spending more time trying to feel and look important in this world.

What is REALLY needed?  Churches full of believers in Jesus that act like Him, not churches fighting for their own existence.

Exactly who are we giving thanks to? And for what?

Recently, an NFL receiver who fumbled in OT to contribute to his team’s loss, stated on Twitter that he had received numerous death threats from fans.

One of his tweets was . . .

Thank you, God.  Without failure there is no growth.

 

In order to by thankful to God for something that didn’t go well, a person must have a healthy view of life, right?  He realized that he can grow from this.  He realized that the best way to practice self-care is to see failure or hardship as something meant to make us better.

 

Of the many wonderful quotes about self-care (out of the way-too-many self-centered ones), this is one of my favorites:

Self-care is never a selfish act — it is simply good stewardship of the only gift I have, the gift I was put on earth to offer to others.   – Parker Palmer

This perspective rightly takes the focus of self-care off of personal comfort and places it on other things, or, people, in this case.  Yet, at least in this one sentence, it doesn’t pinpoint WHO put us on earth and WHO gave us the gifts that we have.  Which brings me to this  NFL player’s other tweet in direct response to the death threats:

 

Jesus you people need help.

 

We put God into some impersonal box when we can open it (“Thank you, God”) and close it (use Him as an expletive) whenever we want.  Jesus is a real person, is really the Son of God, and  personally died for our sins.  Jesus himself asks us to believe in Him, receive the gift of eternal life that He provides through the cross, and follow Him.  So, to help us keep thankfulness more personal, let’s switch that Tweet around and confess our need for HELP:

 

Help, you people need Jesus.

 

The source of true thankfulness is an admittance that we need help, that if it wasn’t for the person we are saying “Thank You” too, we would be in a much different place.  It's true in the most basic of ways:  When you say, "Thank you," to the Fed-Ex person, you are saying, "without you I would not be getting this today, so I want to give credit where credit is due."  Thankfulness ought to always be personal.

 

If the SOURCE of our thankfulness is a heart that recognizes its need for help, the OBJECT would be the person that provides that help, the “You” of “Thank You.”  Ultimately, this comes around to the maker of all good things, God.  The ultimate good that God provided was His Son Jesus Christ “who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2).  He conquered death in our place and offered us life eternal: “The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” (John 3:36).

 

Let’s make Thanksgiving about thanking God, not just others or even a general, impersonal, overall “thankfulness.”  Thanking God himself is the foundational and most important act of self-care, because no one cares for you more than He does.  “This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.” (1 John 4:10)

 

 

Behind the COVID numbers - fear and hopelessness

I’m going to go ahead and tread on some shaky ground.

 

Death

 

• Yes, 2020 will probably result in a record number of deaths in America, most likely as a result of this pandemic.
• Yes, people that are physically vulnerable, especially the elderly and those with respiratory issues, must be protected and ministered to in a variety of ways.
• Also, their are many people that are NOT at risk of dying, yet must be ministered to in unique ways as well, for each and every one of us has been affected by this pandemic.

So, without casting blame, but with the intent of helping us minister to more people through the gospel of Jesus Christ, I want to point out some numbers that we must not ignore.

 

This year, as of September 30, 1% of all Covid-related deaths have been people under 35, that’s 1,942 people. In 2018, the last year we have stats for suicide, there were 14,827 people in the same age group (under 35) that died from suicide.  All indications show that this number will go up this year because of the added stresses that 2020 has brought. 

 

So, by the end of 2020, it’s not a stretch to say that deaths by suicide in America for those under 35 will outnumber Covid-related deaths in the same age category 6:1!

 

According to rollcall.com . . .

The nation’s suicide rate reached historic highs prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, with rates at the highest levels since World War II. Economic and social pressures this year have heightened the risks, worrying experts, health officials and lawmakers.

Suicide mortality rates that were rising over the past two decades combined with the current pandemic are a “perfect storm,” found a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in April. Factors include economic stress, social isolation, reduced access to religious services, overall national anxiety, increased firearm sales and increases in health care provider suicides.

The National Alliance on Mental Illness HelpLine has seen a 65 percent increase in calls and emails since March, according to the organization, though it is not a crisis hotline.

 

By the way, an additional 10,000 in that same age group in 2018 were by homicide, another result of people desperate and angry and hopeless.  For the first half of 2020, the most conservative estimate is that homicides have increased 15% in the U.S. from 2019.

 

We cannot, as followers of Jesus Christ, determine our focus by what everybody else sees as important.  Yes, we need to be respectful of those around us by doing something as easy as putting on a mask.  Yet, we cannot allow the news of our culture or the different ideology of our neighbor shut us down from addressing a bigger need in our culture – fear and hopelessness.  Maybe Jesus will or won’t keep COVID from your house, maybe Jesus will or won’t provide for all of the material things and money issues you have.  Yet, He will, beyond any shadow of doubt, provide for your most important need – getting into a right relationship with Him so that your life will be lived to the full.  This means a life (including an eternal, heaven-bound life) that is full of His joy, His peace, His strength.  Couldn't we all agree at this point that we'll take those things even if it isn’t full of perfect health, all the money we want, or relationships that always work out perfectly.

 

If you are in a right relationship with your Creator, you ought to have a perspective of death that does NOT elicit fear and hopelessness, but a perspective of respect and a hopeful anticipation of eternity with Jesus forever.

 

If you are not in a right relationship with your Creator, get it right.  Just like we are told to “get your affairs in order” when we’re nearing the end of their life, it is appropriate, when we are thinking more about death, to get our affairs in order regarding our eternity.  Did you know that Jesus, the Son of God, died on the cross in your place so that you can know, for certain, that you have eternal life.  You can know, not because you’ve done the right things, but because you’ve trusted the right person and followed the right God.  Give your life to Jesus today and he will not only give you eternal life, but He will give you joy and peace right now, in the midst of whatever this world may become.

 

May our mission NOT be about mask policies, but about how 2020 has unmasked people's need for a Savior, for hope, for something (someone) solid.  

 

¹⁰ In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

¹⁷ By this is love perfected with us, so that we may have confidence for the day of judgment, because as he is so also are we in this world. ¹⁸ There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. ¹⁹ We love because he first loved us.                                                                                    First John, Chapter 4

Confession: I'm a straight white evangelical middle class male.

 I definitely need to get this off of my chest.  

It's been bothering me for quite awhile now; you see, I've been trying to ignore the weight of all of these descriptive words.  Actually, come to think of it, after reading that last sentence, I realize that many may question how being white, for instance, is "weighty."

Allow me to briefly explain.  Much of the words which describe me have been linked to some pretty serious allegations:

I know that there has been and continues to be an uneasiness and awkwardness when a gay person is in the midst of a Christian family or community.

I know that there are numerous ways that America has favored and continues to favor white people.

I know that, in the name of Jesus, churches have judged or labeled people unfairly based on skin color, demeanor, age, or social standing.

I know that there has been a patriarchal bias in our country that has carried over from England and still has plenty of remnants today, even in the Christian world.

I know that, having never experienced empty cupboards, homelessness,  or even a lack of transportation, I don't have a clue what hopelessness feels like.

Finally, I know how many hundreds of thousands of people have suffered mistreatment, bias, or abuse at the hands of church leaders that they trusted.

Oh yea, I'm a pastor as well . . . what does that do for your labeling of me?

How much am I trying to distance myself from the history of "my kind"?  Well, all of the things just mentioned, actually.

How much do I need to outright apologize for?  If it does any lasting good, I would love to be a part of apologizing to the many people who have suffered as a result of the actions of those that have common histories as myself.

How much of my heritage am I proud of?  Actually, a great majority of it.  You see, I have very little knowledge of people in my personal history that are guilty of anything above (outside of a former pastor of mine that was, unbeknownst to me, taking advantage of teenage girls while I knew him).  My parents have accepted people into their home for pizza night without taking into consideration their background or beliefs.  God has chosen to, for some reason, surround me with people who have done nothing but encourage me, equip me, and prepare me for making good life choices.  I am currently part of a movement of churches that are passionate about getting things right, whether it be teaching from the Bible, ministry done in a safe way, or helping people recover from all sorts of troubles this world brings on.  Do we always get it right?  No.  Do we prayerfully seek God in making decisions?  Yes.

Each of us has stuff from our personal, ethnic, or general history that we aren't proud of.  

Each of us,also, has things outside of our control or input that has shaped who we are and where we're currently standing.

I am most certainly not a racist, for I do not determine value based on color of skin or on ethnic background.  I am most certainly not a homophobe, for I know that each person is created in God's image and that each person has the same need for a Savior.  I am most certainly aware of my privilege, for how I treat and think about other people is mainly the result of the beautiful people who raised me and the additional people that have shaped me the first 52 years of my life.

I have lots of growing to do.  As I talk with friends who have opposite views as I about __________ (fill in the blank), I realize how much I don't understand and how much God continues to heap His mercy and grace on me and us.

 

When challenged to speak only truth

The following is a transcript from my Ordination Service on October 23, 2020, during which I was affirmed as someone who was committed to and able to teach the Bible accurately.  I was also challenged to do it more and more, with a growing love for the Lord and for people.  Here was my response during the service:

Thank you so much for coming.  I had no idea who was back there. I’ve been sitting up here this whole time.

I am thrilled to share this challenge with Birch Hills Community Church, those that are Covenant Members, those that call us their church home, and those who will.  Thank you, Dan and Jeff for your support of me and your faithfulness to the Lord. 

Thank you to all who have been and continue to be a part of my life, the life of my family, the life of this church.  I’ve said often that I’m so thankful that our church does not see our children as children that need to act differently than other children because their pastor’s kid.  Thank you to people in this community and for people in our neighborhood that have accepted my invitation this morning.  I will single out one person, though.  I don’t do it very often (pause as I start choking up, proving why I don't do this often :-)) because she wouldn’t want me to.  Becky, your love for God and support of me is truly a God send in more ways than you know.  I love you. 

I am willing to accept this challenge, personally, in as much as I know that you know something:

Everything that happens, good, bad, and indifferent, happens because of God’s perfect ability to manage life and it happens out of his perfect love for each and every one of us.  If you know me, you know of my foibles, my weaknesses, and the mistakes I’ve made and the mistakes I’m prone to make.  The more you know me, the more of these things you know about me. 

Standing before you is a man that is an exhibit of God’s grace.

• My sins have been forgiven and God will never hold them against me.
• God continues to graciously forgiving me as I come to Him day-by-day.
• I know that I am forever His.

But this isn’t just for the ordained or the ones who have straightened out their lives or the ones that are “churchgoers”.  This is for every single person.  This call of the Lord that Dan alluded to.  This is why we’re here, this is why I do what I do – for those that don’t know yet how full and final and forever God’s love for you. 

Until the day the Lord calls me home, I will plant my convictions in the fertile soil of God’s Word.  Let's take Psalm 23 as an example.   As some of you know, our call to worship is many times the Psalm number based on the day of the month.  Today is August 23:

1    The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
²     He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
³     He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness
    for his name's sake.

Don’t you want your life grounded in a God like that?  In words of life like that?

Through this, and only through the Word of God, by the power of the Holy Spirit, can mankind make any sense out of a pandemic, out of ongoing systemic and individual hatred or racism.  It’s only through the Word of God that we can wade through the waters of disagreement and confusion in this world.  I am here . . . and we are here . . . to display to people that “turning to Jesus” is not just a nicey-nice pie in the sky statement that cannot speak into the “real issues” of the world.  “Sure, you can have your Jesus, but how is He going to take care of me?”  Oh, He does!  Rather, He is the only person, the only truth, that tells the truth into any circumstance, that tells us that repentance comes before any lasting personal change, that tells us that taking care of your own stuff comes before being able help or being able to fill other people’s needs, that He brings lasting peace to you, NO MATTER WHAT!

Finally, I want you do know that no one can speak against God’s activity in our world and that nobody can accuse God of anything until they’ve given their life to Him, until you’ve given Him a chance in their life.  Go ahead, give your life to Him.  

10 years ago, I wrote down all the things in my life that I hold dear on a rock – the names of each person in my family, my reputation, my most valuable possessions, my future.  I threw that rock off of the 3^rd Ave. foot bridge over there, into the Sauk River.  I prayed a prayer of surrender and I threw it in.  I said, “God, this is Yours, all these things that I hold dear.”  We’re going to close after the prayer with a song that has spoken to me ever since high school.  Fortunately Daniel likes it to, and Kimi, who will sing with him. Enjoy it, the words are in front of you (written below).  It has those words that need to be said often because, I don’t know about you, but do you ever want to take your life back and say, “Well, I’m not sure I want you to have this part, God.”  So try Him, trust Him, dive in with us.

Amen.

 

Surrender

by Marc James

Verse 1

I'm giving You my heart
And all that is within
I lay it all down
For the sake of You my King
I'm giving You my dreams
I'm laying down my rights
I'm giving up my pride
For the promise of new life

Chorus

And I surrender,

All to You all to You
And I surrender,

All to You all to You

Verse 2

I'm singing You this song
I'm waiting at the cross
And all the world holds dear
I count it all as loss
For the sake of knowing You
The glory of Your name
To know the lasting joy
Even sharing in Your pain

CCLI Song # 3033179

CCLI License # 11006188

The THEY mentality that kills (or silences) love.

"They always act that way."
"Look what they've done to our country."
"They think they're better than us."
"They don't know what it's like."

Benjamin Watson wrote a wonderful book (Under Our Skin) based on his viral Facebook post following the deeply unfortunate Ferguson, Missouri death and riots.  In chapter 7, talking about the offensive language and symbols that intensify the racial divide in our country, he refers to something called "The Danger of a Single Story."  This is the same title of a TED talk from 2009 by Nigerian Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.  Without getting into her creatively written and communicated talk, she summarizes the essence of bigotry, racism, and prejudice: we use single or similar accounts to make conclusions about a certain group of people.  It may or may not be on purpose and it may or may not be based on the right information, but it still happens.

Generalizing a "they" from single stories and accounts creates a danger that keeps us from truly loving, understanding, and relating to people.  It also creates a chasm between different age groups that live life differently from each other.  For example, our young people that are currently entering college-age have never not known life without internet, smart phones, social media.  Ever since our teenagers were infants their parents have had access to information and entertainment rather quickly. Now, people my age (50ish) observe what these "Millenials" are doing and we make all kinds of assumptions regarding what our current societal struggles are.

"Well, if they'd put down their phone more often . . ."
"They just need more actual human interaction."
"How will they lead in the future, from their phone?"

How much of our information comes from the media, or our neighbor's perspective, or our own prejudice's growing up?  God gives us the best perspective on people in Isaiah 53:6 - All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

The TED talk was 11 years ago, the Ferguson riots were 6 years ago.  Over the past 6 years, and especially over the last 6 months, there have been many other people who have creatively and eloquently tried to communicate what is happening and what we need to do.  Yet, no matter how many games are boycotted, how many statements are written, how many peaceful protests there are, it almost seems like we'll be returning to these same concepts (or worse) in 6 and 11 years.  

Let's, together, run to Jesus, on whom the iniquity of us all has been laid, for He died for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).  Did you see that . . . THE WHOLE WORLD.  None of us have this figured out and none of us can say that we have all the answers.  The best advice that I've heard is ONE WORD.  IT's a word that's only truly possible to do AFTER running to Jesus.  It's a word that, if we all practice it consistently and compassionately, will revive this love that's been lost - the word is . . . listen.