Advent(ure) of the Shepherds

Today we begin, what is known in the Christian world and in the Christian calendar and year, as Advent. For those not familiar with the concept of Advent, Advent is celebrated during the four weeks prior to the birth of Jesus. It the Christian church it is a time of waiting and longing for the coming of the Christ child. It is also a time of preparing for the coming of Jesus. The traditional 4 weeks in Advent are normally about Hope Peace, Joy and Love. And so many churches throughout the world during the next 4 weeks will be preparing themselves spiritually for Christmas.

And so our next 4 weeks will also be centered around Advent but in a different kind of way. Our theme during Advent is entitled Advent(ure). And our hope is that we can restore the adventure back into advent. This theme will cover 4 weeks looking at the adventure of the main characters in what we call the Christmas story. We’ll look today at the adventure of the Shepherds. Next week we’ll look at the adventure of the Wise Men. In two weeks we’ll be looking at the adventure of Mary and Joseph. And our fourth and final week we’ll look at the adventure of the Christ child himself.

Back in 1924 the author D.H. Lawrence penned these words, “the adventure has gone out of the Christian venture.” But it didn’t originally start out that way. So I am hoping that by the end of Advent we’ll see and be able to restore and recover the sense of adventure in our lives as individuals, as a community, and as part of the church universal I also hope and pray that through our 4 weeks together looking at Advent(ure) that we’ll see the sense of risk, adventure, and journey wrapped up in the four stories that we’ll be looking at together over the next 4 weeks.

So, as I mentioned, today for the 1st Sunday in Advent we’ll be looking at the adventure of the Shepherds found in Luke 2:8-20. Luke 2:8-20 that famous passage, that many of us know either straight from the Bible, or through the reciting of the words by Linus during a Charlie Brown’s Christmas. Luke tells the story of that first advent and the adventure of the Shepherds this way, “And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord.  This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.” So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.”

So what might this text say to us 2,000 years later about the adventure of following the baby born in the manger? What can we apply to our own lives and what can we learn about being on this adventure of being a community of missional disciples? Let’s look at a few things before we seek to unpack the application of it for our everyday lives.

The first thing we see in this text is that the angel appears to Shepherds watching their flocks out in the fields. Now something that you need to know about Shepherds in those days. Shepherds were a marginalized people. In fact if you had to go to court and your only witnesses were shepherds, you were in a lot of trouble. Shepherds were seen as unclean, unreliable, and weren’t able to testify in court. God chose to share the amazing news of the Savior of the world’s birth with people whose word wasn’t seen as reliable. Who weren't the power brokers, politicians, Kings of their day. No, in this adventure of living out the Kingdom of God, God chooses the weak, the not yet, the marginalized, those on the outside, to further his kingdom. 1 Corinthians 1:27-28 puts it this way, “God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are”

The next thing we notice is what the angel says to the Shepherds. The angels appear and the Shepherds were terrified. I imagine if an angel appeared to me or to you our first reaction would be the same as the Shepherds. And so wherever an angel of the Lord appears in Scripture, the typical reaction was fear and the response of the angel was “Don’t be afraid.” It happened earlier with Zechariah and Mary. And also many places in the Old Testament (including Judges 12:22) In fact the command of “Don’t be afraid” or “Do not fear” appears over 100 times in the Scriptures. I truly believe that this is one of things we need to be aware of in this adventure called the Christian life. That all too often we live our life out of fear. We need to take the angels’ words to heart. Too often we live with a fear of the unknown, a fear of the what if, a fear of what people might think, a fear that God isn’t who he says he is and that he will leave us and forsake us. But if we truly want to follow Jesus and live out an adventurous life as a follower of Jesus, we must wrestle our fear to the ground and trust that God is who he says he is and that he will watch over us and that he in fact wants the best for us.

So we find out that the Angel is not there to strike them dead or to pronounce judgment. Instead they are there to bring good tidings of great joy. In fact, they are there to preach the gospel to the Shepherds. The word gospel literally means good news. But what is the good news that God sent the angels to pronounce to the Shepherds? We find what the good news that the angels are sent to proclaim to the Shepherds in verses 10-12 and verse 14.

Right after the angels calm the shepherds down by their words to not be afraid, they speak these words, “I bring you good news (gospel) that will cause great joy for all the people.” This statement that the gospel is for all people underscores the universalism of the gospel. The fact is that this adventure, the adventure of following Jesus is not for a select few. It is for all and open to all. This is also underscored by probably the most famous Scripture of all time, one that many of us, if we grew up in the Church, memorized in our childhood, John 3:16. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” His love is for the world, and the adventure of this life, following Jesus is for the world as well. And this announcement would fly in the face of the Jewish belief system that the Savior would come and only “save” the Jews. Right from the start, as we’ll also see next week, Jesus was to be the Savior, Redeemer, and Lord not only of the Jewish people but of all people who have ever walked the face of this plant, and for all people who have undertaken this adventure called life.

After making this announcement the one angel is joined by a group of other angels and they begin to make another proclamation about this advent(ure) of following Jesus and another proclamation about what the gospel is all about. They speak these words, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.” When it all comes down to this adventure. When it all gets wrapped up. The gospel of Jesus is all about peace. The elusive peace promised by the Roman Empire was now being offered through Jesus to all people on earth. This peace has it’s root in the Jewish idea of Shalom, which means wholeness. To be whole means that one has right relations with God, other people, one self and all of creation.

And so that fateful night on that hillside, the angels proclaim the gospel of the adventure of following Jesus to the Shepherds. They proclaimed that this adventure is an adventure for all people, that the adventure is about the Shalom of God that only Jesus can bring, and that when we follow Jesus into this adventure we need to trust him and not to be afraid because he will be with us

There is so much more we can say about that night long ago, about what the Shepherds experienced, and then how these Shepherds whose words weren’t trusted in a court, were the first evangelists using their words to spread the gospel of the Shalom of God to everyone they met.

But let’s take some time now to unpack the Scripture and the message together. Let’s talk about the advent(ure) of following Jesus, our fear, his peace, and his desire for all people to begin the advent(ure). Let’s talk about what God might be saying to each one of us and our community as a whole.

1. What are your thoughts, comments, insights, questions, etc.. regarding the Scripture and the message?

2. What fears are you currently facing in relation to this advent(ure) of life and in following Jesus? How might the angels words of “Do Not be afraid” speak into your life and in your situation?

3. How might we work with and for the Shalom of God in our relationships, our work environment, our neighborhoods, in our community and in our world? Is there someone that you can proclaim the gospel of the Shalom of God to, and share with them the words of the angel “Do not be afraid”? If so, who is it and what steps might you take to do that?

4. What is God saying to you and what are you going to do about it? What is God saying to us and what are we going to do about it?

#instalife week 4: You are a Priest

Today we come to the end of our 4 week series #instalife, looking at the concept of identity and where we derive our self worth and identity from. I don’t know about you but it has really challenged me to look inside and figure out where I have been deriving my identity from.

We started this series by hosting the art series by the same name by the artist Tobias Treppemann on First Friday. Then the first week of our series we looked at the idea that we are friends of God. That we are no longer slaves or servants, but that we are actually friends of God. That God is actually for us and not against us.

Two weeks we we talked about the idea that we are all children of God, no matter where we are with Jesus (Acts 17:28-29) But at the same time those who follow Jesus are adopted sons and daughters of the Father. We are the ones who have taken on the family name, so to speak. Not that he loves us more or loves those who haven’t taken on the family name yet less. We have been adopted, not by what we have done, or by our own strength, power, and might. But only through the amazing, redeeming, love of God the Father.

Last week we talked about the idea that we are masterpieces created and crafted by the master artist. We talked about the idea that when we look in the mirror do we see that masterpiece, or do we see the mud (the brokenness, the sin, etc..). We also talked about the idea that when we look at others do we see the mud (the sin, the brokenness) that people are mired in, or do we see the masterpiece that God has created. I also had several conversations that many of us struggle not with seeing the masterpiece in others, but we struggle more seeing the masterpiece within our own lives. (myself included).

Today we wrap up our #instalife conversation looking at an idea that is not only about just ourselves, but about our community as a whole. And that questions of identity not on extend to the individual but also extends to community. And the question that I want us to wrestle with is what is our corporate identity. Where do we get our corporate identity from and what is God’s calling for us as a people of God in this time and in this place. Not that there isn’t an individual calling and identity that God wants us to wrestle with in this text, and we’ll also address this as well. But this text, that we are looking at today, definitely speaks to us as a community and what our identity should be as a community of people who are seeking to follow Jesus together.

So we are going to look at 1 Peter 2:9 together and talk about the idea that you are a priest. So let’s turn to 1 Peter 2:9 and see what it might say to us as individuals but almost more importantly what it has to say to us as a community of the people of God.

1 Peter 2:9 says this, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.”

So the first thing that we see is that there is this one word that is repeated 3 times in this one verse. The word you is repeated. Now you might know this already but whenever you read the word you in the Bible, most if not all of the time this word is plural and not singular. So it means you all. That it is not you as an individual. In fact the idea of the individual is mostly a modern idea and invention. In fact everything that Peter says that we are, we have to be together. You can’t be a people, a priesthood, a holy nation alone. All of these things are, by definition, for a group of people. And so 1 Peter 2:9 is written to a community of followers of Jesus. We see who it was written to in 1 Peter 1:1 when Peter says, “To God’s elect, exiles scattered throughout the provinces of Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia,” So Peter is speaking to the church.

Also what we see in 1 Peter 2:9 are words that could have been said of Israel in the NT. The words chosen people, priesthood, and nation all point directly to the Old Testament and this connection that the things that once exclusively belonged to Israel- their election, their priesthood, and their calling, are now no longer the property of Israel. These are now the property of every follower of Jesus. These are now the property of every community of followers of Jesus.

So let’s go phrase by phrase and see what each phrase might say to us about our identity as the people of God.

So Peter first calls us a chosen people. What does he mean by chosen? We see that he is repeating this idea from 1:1 where he says to God’s elect. But what does this all mean? I believe this idea of being chosen or elect if you will, is not what so many people believe it to be. I believe that being chosen is always on a corporate level. Notice the next word, a chosen people. Not a chosen person. Secondly I believe we are chosen not to the exclusion of others but for others. Look at the first calling of the chosen people, the Israelites, found in Genesis 12:1-3. They are blessed, not to the exclusion of others but for others. So that they can be a blessing. I think too often when we see the word chosen we believe it implies the rejection of those not chosen. But I don’t believe that to be. I believe that our being chosen is for the benefit and the blessing of others in the world around us. We are chosen in Christ for the purpose or the mission of declaring the praises of him who called us out of darkness into his wonderful light. And when we live out this mission, we hope and pray that the whole world will be saved, restored (remember our conversation from last week about the word saved means being restored to the original condition that God created us to be and for) and to find justice in him.

And this calling to be a blessing and to work to see the world world restored, redeemed, and renewed by Jesus, takes us to the next calling that God, through Peter calls his church to be, that of a royal priesthood. The offices of royalty and priesthood in the Old Testament were jealously separated but Jesus, who is our King and our priest brought them together for his people, his church. So what does it mean then to say that this body of followers of Jesus are to be a royal priesthood? Well what was and is the royal of a Priest? According to 1 Peter 2:5 one of our roles as Kingdom Priests (we are God’s New Testament Kingdom of Priests much like the nation of Israel was in the OT) is to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. So therefore, as fellow priests with our great High Priest Jesus, we offer up to God our sacrifices of praise, our Kingdom work of being a blessing in the world, and all of our lives, as well as reflecting God in our lives, interceding for others before God, and to represent and serve him and his Kingdom in our world.

We are to be a holy nation. This again drives us right back to the OT, and more specifically, right back to Genesis 12 verse 2 which says, “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great and you will be a blessing.” And so God, through Abram, calls those who follow in his footsteps, to be a holy nation. A nation whose calling in life is to be blessed in order to be a blessing. But this nation is not derived by states and borders. We aren’t talking about nations like the nation of the United States, as this nation transcends all divisions of the nations, that we set up. Instead this holy nation is made off of people from every tribe, nation, place and people. A nation of followers of Jesus called to live out the Abrahamic call to be a nation of blessing to everyone they meet.

And lastly he calls us his special possession. When we come to know Jesus, and place him first in our lives, we give up possession of ourselves and give it to him. We give up our calling, our dreams, our identities, and our mission and begin to take on his calling, his dreams, his identity, and his mission. And we become his special possession.

And that calling, that identity, that mission that he calls us to is spelled out in the ending of verse 9, “that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” That we may proclaim the love, mercy, forgiveness, grace and compassion of Jesus to all people. That we could proclaim the freedom that life in the Kingdom is about. And that, like Peter says only 1 chapter later, “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,”

So let’s talk about what it might look like in our everyday reality to live this identity of being chosen people, royal priesthood, holy nation and God’s special possession. Let’s talk about how these things can give us true identity. And let’s talk about how these things play out in the world, in our missional Kingdom life and who we might be called to be a priest to (a people, a place, etc..)

1. What thoughts, comments, insights, questions, push back, etc.. do you have regarding the Scripture text and/or the message?

2. What does this Scripture say to you about who you are in Christ and in your sense of identity? How does knowing these things (in your head) make a difference in your heart? What impact can this make tomorrow when you get out of bed?

3. To where or to whom might God be calling/sending you to be a priest to? How might/could you “declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” to the people or place God is calling/sending you?

4. What is God saying to you and what are you going to do about it? What is God saying to us and what are we going to do about it?

#instalife Week 3: You are a Masterpiece

I want you to imagine with me that following our gatherings this morning and afternoon, that you take a walk through Lancaster city. As you go out of our door you take a left onto King Street and then another left onto Water Street. You walk down Water Street and as you do, something catches your eye in an alleyway just off the street. The thing that catches your eye is the corner of a frame that is sitting in a pool of mud, dirt water and filth. You walk on over and as you pull on the frame you begin to make out the entire piece of art that lies beneath the mud, dirt and filth. And you gasp, because you realize that beneath all of the junk, you are holding in your hands an original painting by Rembrandt himself. It’s hardly recognizable as it is also torn, stained, and fully covered. But you know it is an original Rembrandt. What do you do with it? Do you treat it as worthless and throw it back into the pool of mud and filth? Or do you treat it for what it truly is, a masterpiece? I don’t know about you but I would treat it as a masterpiece, and quickly take it to someone, a master, who can renew, restore, and redeem the masterpiece that lies beneath the mud and mess.

So let me ask you these questions. What do you see when you look in the mirror? Do you see the mud and the mess or do you see what God sees, a Masterpiece? Also what do you see when you look at others? Do you see the mud and the mess or do you see what God sees, a Masterpiece?

Today we are continuing our series entitled #instalife looking at the issue of identity and where we draw our sense of identity, self worth, and value from. Today we are talking about the fact that you are a Masterpiece. And to look at the concept that God, the Master artist has designed us in such a way, we’ll be looking at Ephesians 2:10.

Now for those who have spent any time in the church and in the Bible, I would imagine that the verses directly preceding our verse for the morning might be familiar. These verses (verses 8-9) say this, “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.” So the Apostle Paul is saying that, as a Masterpiece, we aren’t the ones who created ourselves. We aren’t the master artist, we are just his handiwork, or his masterpiece. This idea of saved that the Apostle Paul mentioned, I believe is one that isn’t truly understood in our modern evangelical Christian world. Too often we talk about being saved from and not saved to. We talk about being saved from sin and hell and death (and yes that is true). But if you were to talk with a 1st century Jewish person, they would define the word save as meaning to make whole, to restore to it’s original condition. And so right from the start of this text, we see that we can’t restore (or save) the Masterpieces that are muddy, beat up, torn, ripped, and soiled. But we know someone who can take the mud, grim and mess off of the Masterpieces and restore the Masterpiece to it’s original condition.

Now let’s look at the very next verse, verse 10. Verse 10 says this, “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Now what we see in this text is that we are created by God and in Christ. Some texts use the word handiwork (like the NIV), some like the NLT use the word Masterpiece, and some like the KJV use the word workmanship. The word translated “masterpiece” or “workmanship” is the Greek word poiema—from which we get the word “poem.” So in a very real way, the first thing we see in this text is that we are all created by the hand of the Master Artist. That we are all living poems, so to speak, that point not to the art but to the artist. So God, the Master Artist, pictures you as someone more awesome and wonderful than your imagination has ever dreamed. He sees the artwork, the masterpiece that will be developed from your blank canvas, or the broken, messed up, torn, ripped, and muddy canvas of our lives. Just like Jesus, when he renamed Simon as Peter (which means Rock), calling Peter to live into his name. Or like the story of Sculptor Gutzon Borglum. Gutzon Borglum (1867-1941) gazed at the cliffs of South Dakota's Black Hills. He envisioned what no one else could—the sculpted faces of US presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, and Theodore Roosevelt.

Borglum and his crew were suspended on ropes 500 feet above the valley floor. They used everything from chisels to dynamite to create the 5-story-high visages. It took 14 years to complete the project.

Borglum's housekeeper occasionally went to visit the site. She once asked a worker, "How did Mr. Borglum know that Mr. Lincoln was in that rock?"

How indeed? Borglum knew what was in the rock because he saw with his artist's eye what he could create out of the raw material with which he had to work.

So God is calling us, through Jesus to live into the realization that we are a Masterpiece of the master artist. Even if we can’t see it, God through Jesus Christ can. That we need to submit our lives, our canvas, our granite, our musical staff lines, our clay, to his hands, his chisel, his paint brush, his musical instrument so that what comes out of our lives is a beautiful painting, sculpture, song, or poem. And that these things point to the master artist who has redeemed, renewed, released and restored us through Jesus. In fact, just as the poem, the song, the painting, the dance points not to itself but to its artist, we are also called to not point to ourselves but to the Master artist.

But what is the purpose of our lives. What is the reason for our masterpiece to exist? It is true that God in fact saves us, as is mentioned in Ephesians 2:8-9, but why are we saved? I believe God saves us to make something beautiful out of us, and then through us. I believe we are saved, as the Apostle Paul says, to do good works. The Apostle Paul is not saying that we are saved through our good works, but that we are saved to do good works. That salvation means that as Masterpieces created by God, we are called to get off the wall, off the page, out of the CD or mp3 so to speak, and go out into the world to point other masterpieces, who don’t believe that they are, that there is a master artists who loves them, cares for them, and wants them to be restored to the original condition that they were created to be. But as I said before, we can’t do the restoring, but we can take these masterpieces to the master artist who can do the restoring. As followers of Jesus we are called to live out what I believe was one of the driving reasons Jesus came. In fact when asked that same pointed question of why he came, he pointed to an Old Testament passage from Isaiah and said these words, “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” Part of being “saved” (restored to our original condition as a masterpiece) is to be about the good works that Jesus has in mind for us to be about. That being restored to right relationship with Him, means not being about ourselves. In fact, I can truly say this, if you are a follower of Jesus, your life should no longer revolve around you and your wants. That being restored, as a masterpiece, means living for the ultimate and master artist, and helping other masterpieces live into that reality. By taking the masterpieces to the master so that he can restore them, wipe away the mud, mess, grim, and dirt, and set them right, the way they were originally meant to be. And that our good works, as followers of Jesus, are the means of pointing to, and helping bring others to the Master artist.

But what does this all mean? What do you see when you look in the mirror? The mud or the masterpiece? What do you see when you look at others? The mud or the masterpiece beneath the mud? And how does the fact that we are all masterpieces make a difference in our lives and in the way we engage with the world around us? Those are the questions that we are going to unpack together.

1. What thoughts, comments, insights, questions, etc.. do you have regarding the text and the Scripture this morning?

2. Do you tend to focus more on the mud or the Masterpiece when you see yourself? Why? How can this verse that we just looked at speak into your life and help with your identity?

3. Do you tend to focus on the mud or the Masterpiece when you see others muddied by sin and brokenness? In what ways can our good works help others see the Masterpiece within themselves? What good works has God restored you for?

4. What is God saying to you and what are you going to do about it? What is God saying to us and what are we going to do about it?

#instalife Week 2: You are a Child of God

Today we continue our series entitled #instalife using the art show that happened on 1st Friday as inspiration to look at issues of identity. We will spend a total of 4 weeks looking at identity through the lens of social media as well as rooting our identity in the truths of Scripture, and what God has to say about who we are in him.

All too often our sense of identity comes from places other than from what God has to say about us. Our identity can be wrapped up in what others think about us, the number of our Facebook friends, the number of comments on our status update, the number of likes on an instagram photo, and instead of thinking about what God has to say we worry about what others say. Our identity can also come from our family of origin, our socio-economic status in the world (what kind of car we drive, our occupation), our looks, our abilities and talent and a host of other things.

And so last week we started our #instalife series out by looking at the idea that part of our identity as followers of Jesus is that we are friends of Jesus. That Jesus no longer calls us servants but he calls us friends. So believe it or not you, if you are a follower of Jesus, are a friend of Jesus. And if you aren’t there yet, Jesus wants a friendship with you, wants the best for you, and is for you (not against you).

Today we are talking about something I believe that is more significant in terms of our identity than being a friend of Jesus. I believe one of the most significant foundations for our identity is in the fact that we are called children of God. That if we are followers of Jesus, we have been adopted into the family of God and are children of the Heavenly Father.

Now before I jump into our text this morning I need to say this. The question might be raised, “aren’t all people children of God, no matter where they are with Jesus?” I would say yes that is true. Look at Acts 17:28-29 which says that we are all his offspring. We are all children of God in a way. But at the same time and according to the text we will be looking at in a minute, there are those who are also heirs and adopted children of God. There are those who have taken on the role of adopted sons and daughter’s, who claim their Father’s name (taken on his last name so to speak) and are, in a different way, children of God. But I also have to say that the door to being adopted children of God, to claiming and taking on the name of the Father, and becoming part of the family is always open and is open to everyone who has, is, and will ever walk the face of this planet.

So let’s look at our text this morning and talk about this idea of being adopted into God’s family, and being a son or daughter of God. The text that we’ll be looking at together is found in Galatians 4:1-7. “What I am saying is that as long as an heir is underage, he is no different from a slave, although he owns the whole estate. The heir is subject to guardians and trustees until the time set by his father. So also, when we were underage, we were in slavery under the elemental spiritual forces of the world. But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir.”

So the first thing we notice in this text is that the Apostle Paul is comparing two identities if you will or two roles. The identity and role of a slave versus the role and identity of an heir or a child. So Paul is comparing the identity of slave and a child and then he also makes a transition halfway through the text from the physical reality to the deeper spiritual (yet physical reality) of the our slavery to sin, and our subsequent adoption into sonship and daughtership.

Now in the first part of the text a child, as mentioned, is a minor or underage and during that time is really no different than a servant, even though the heir truly owns the estate. The question would then become when does a child truly become an heir or an adult. In Greek and Jewish culture there was a definite “coming of age” ceremony where a boy stopped being a child, and started being a man with the legal rights as an heir. In Roman culture however there was no specific age when the son became a man. It was when the father thought that the son was ready. And when the father thought the son was ready to become an adult there was a sacred family festival known as the Liberalia, which was held annually on March 17. At this time the child was formally “adopted” by the father as his acknowledged son and heir.

We see that when the Apostle Paul uses the phrase, ‘until the time appointed by the Father” that is shows us that he has the Roman ‘coming of age” in mind more than the Jewish or Greek custom/culture. We also know that in Roman custom in relation to adoption, that the adopted sons were given absolutely equal privileges in the family and equal status as heir.

It is there that the Apostle Paul makes the transition from talking about physical adoption and becoming an heir to the deeper spirituality reality (though nonetheless real and physical) of being adopted into the family of God and an heir to the spiritual blessings bought by Jesus Christ.

So the first thing we see in this transition is the phrase, “But when the set time had fully come.” Have you ever wondered why Jesus came to earth when and where he did? Why did he come to earth in the 1st century? Why did he come to earth in a Jewish context? Jesus came at just the right time in God’s redemptive plan, when the world was perfectly prepared for Gods’ work. But there was more to it than that. It was a time when the pax Romana extended over most of the civilized earth and when travel and commerce were therefore possible in a way that had formerly been impossible. Great roads linked the empire of the Caesars, and its diverse regions were linked far more significantly by the all-pervasive language of the Greeks. Add the fact that the world was sunk in a moral abyss so low that even the pagan cried out against it and that spiritual hunger was everywhere evident, and one has a perfect time for the coming of Christ and for the early expansion of the Christian gospel.

Paul makes it crystal clear when he says, “to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship” that our adopted to sonship and daughtership is only possible through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. Only through that, do we have the privilege, ability, and the right to cry out to God using the same intimate term that Jesus used, that of Abba, which is best translated as daddy. Just like it is not possible to be adopted into a family by your own strength, merit, or will, you can’t be adopted into the family of God through your own strength, merit, or will. But what a privilege, what an amazing gift that we are adopted into sonship and daughtership, into the family of God, through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

And so the Apostle Paul then ending this thought about sonship/daughtership and adoption into God’s family wraps the entire process that he has talked about into 3 parts. First, Paul states that we are no longer slaves. That we have been set free by Jesus from what he calls the, “elemental spiritual forces of the world.” It is then, once we have been freed from slavery, that we are then declared sons and daughters and adopted in God’s family. And finally, reminiscent of the Roman adoption that I mentioned before, once we have been adopted into God’s family we become heirs. But what is an heir? Heirs inherit something, and what do we inherit? Paul makes it clear: an heir of God through Christ. We inherit God Himself. For some, this might seem like a paltry inheritance. But for those who are really in Christ, who really love God, to be an heir of God is the richest inheritance of all. And one of the best inheritances that we can’t truly even being to fathom is the fact that, as I mentioned before, and as the Apostle Paul mentions in verse 6, that we can call God father, just not father in a “formal” sense, but also “Abba. Daddy.” That our inheritance, at least part of it, is that we have access to the same intimacy with God the Father that God the Son, that Jesus had. That we get to call God the Father who is the Creator of the Universe, Sustainer of the cosmos, Redeemer of the world, King, Lord of all. We get to call him Dad and that we are adopted children. Adopted sons and daughters of our Heavenly Father.

But what does this mean for you and I and for our identity? How does this giving meaning to our lives? What does this look like played out each and every day, in our on the ground reality? And what might being adopted sons and daughters say to us and to our world as we go about a missional Kingdom life? How might this be good news to people that we meet each and every day? These are some of the questions that we are going to unpack together in our time of discussion.

1. What thoughts, comments, insights, questions, etc.. do you have regarding the Scripture text and the message? 2. How does this idea of being adopted sons and daughters of God give meaning to our lives? What does this or how can this look like played out each and every day, in our on the ground reality? 3. How could this idea of being adopted sons and daughters be good news in our missional contexts? How might this impact the way we share the good news about Jesus in the world? 4. What is God saying to you and what are you going to do about it? What is God saying to us and what are we going to do about it?

#instalife Week 1: More than Facebook Friends

Today we start a four week series entitled #instalife inspired by the art show that we just held on Friday night. The idea behind the art show can best be summed up by the words of the artist who put the work together. Tobias Treppmann says this about #instalife, “In 1998 the movie The Truman Show commented on the then new trend of reality TV cultural voyeurism. Truman was the victim, chosen without his consent, to entertain the world with every little detail of his everyday life. 15 years later we are all Truman, but by choice. The social media revolution has provided a platform on which we can present ourselves to the world and star in our own reality show. #INSTALIFE explores this new facet of our society and the stories we tell about our lives on Instagram. #INSTALIFE seeks to be a cultural commentary on the social sharing phenomenon — on voyeurism, exhibitionism, the desire to curate the way we portray our lives and the stories we tell and on what happens when this content is consumed out of context.

In reference to the movie poster art of The Truman Show #INSTALIFE employs the photomosaic technique to tell a story using public instagram photos with hashtags. Each photo has been replicated as a photomosaic out of hundreds of public instagram photos shared with the same hashtag.”

Our theme derived from the art show deals with the deeper questions of identity. The social media revolution of Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram has provided a platform on which we can present ourselves to the world, star in our own reality show and create our own identity. But where does our identity ultimately come from? From the number of Facebook friends we have? From the number of likes to a picture we post on Instagram? From how many responses we get from a status update? From the online persona that we create on Facebook, twitter, and instagram? Or does our identity come from something much deeper, longer lasting, and more fulfilling? Over the next four weeks we’ll be looking at some of the art that is hanging on our walls, what they might say when it comes to our identity, what we might say about our identity, and what God ultimately has to say about who we are and where we draw our identity from.

Today we are going to be using John 15:13-15 to look at our identity and the word that Jesus uses when it comes to who we really are in Jesus. But before I read the Scripture, let me ask you to play word association with me, Or to define for me the meaning of a word, that we’ll look at more together. When I say friend what does that word mean? Or when I say friend what thoughts, images, words, feelings, come to mind? (spend a few minutes getting the thoughts of the people).

That question, “what does friend mean” was address by a writer when he said, “a friend is a confidant who shares the knowledge of his superior’s purpose and voluntarily adopts it as his own.”

With that understanding in our minds, let’s turn now to John 15:13-15 and what it might have for us in terms of understanding our identity and where it truly comes from. John 15:13-15 are the words of Jesus, and I believe these words concerning our identity and who we truly are in Christ should be louder than the voices in our head and the voice of the evil one, trying to tell us what our identity is and what it isn’t. John 15:13-15 says, “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

The first thing we see in these verses are the words found in verse 13 which says, Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. Obviously Jesus is referring to what will take place in his life in the not to distance future. And that he would go to the cross, lay his life down for his disciples, for us, and I believe for the entire world. You see this is where a title that was given to Jesus, maybe as a derogatory term given by the Pharisee’s, comes into play. Jesus was called a Friend of Tax Collectors and sinners. And so if Jesus, while he was bodily on earth, was a friend to sinners, than doesn’t it follow that he was laying his life down for each and every person who has ever walked the face of this earth? Jesus put first a willingness to spend himself for the other, and not grudgingly but eagerly. The great philosopher Aristotle put it like this, “Friendship seems to be in the loving rather than in the being loved.” And so for Jesus, a huge part of being a friend means laying your life down for others. Putting others first and above your own needs, wants, desires, etc….

And so in a very real way, part of everyone’s identity that has ever lived, is this idea of being a friend of Jesus. That deep down in the core of everyone, whether they know Jesus or not, whether they live for him or not, Jesus is and wants to be their friend. Now you may disagree with me on this but I believe Jesus wants to be a friend to everyone but not everyone wants to be a friend of Jesus. And when I read friend, I believe that Jesus is actually for each and every one of us and not against us. Too often people claiming to represent Jesus, forget the fact that he was a friend to sinners and instead somehow make Jesus out to be about judgment and condemnation. No matter where you are with Jesus today, know that he is for you, wants the best for you, and he wants to be a friend to you and for you to be his friend.

Now here is where it gets tricky. Where this might seem like a contradiction, a mystery, or a paradox. Look at verse 14 and how he describes who his friends are, “You are my friends if you do what I command.” If the disciples are loyal to his instructions, he gives them the rank of friends. If we do what Jesus commands, if we obey him, than we are his friends. Now you are starting to see a possible contradiction or mystery. You might be saying, “Ryan..you said Jesus is a friend to everyone but here Jesus is giving a pretty clear statement about who his friends are. It is those who obey him.” And I would say yes. Jesus is a friend to everyone and to those who do what he commands. Maybe we can describe it like this. Jesus is a friend to all but not all want to be a friend of Jesus. So in one sense the friendship that Jesus wants to have with everyone is a one way street, and when we turn around and begin to obey him we make the friendship what it should be, a two way street. And so when we begin to obey “everything that I have commanded” we become a friend.

And then Jesus says these words, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.” You see Jesus wants more from us than just mere obedience. He wants us to have a relationship that is more friend than servant. You see a servant is simply an agent doing what his master commands, and often does not understand his master’s purpose. But Jesus takes his friends (us) into his confidence. Also another difference between a servant and a friend is not between diligent obedience and disobedience (or even casual obedience). The difference is between understanding and not understanding. Because friends have a close relationship, they understand while servants do not. And so in real friendship, in real fellowship, the kind that Jesus is spelling out in verses 14-15 there is a trust in the other that believes in him, risks on him, doesn’t doubt his loyalty, but looks toward him with confidence. And that is exactly what Jesus does when he calls us his friend. He believes in us, his risked his life for us, he looks towards us and has taken us into his mission, his purpose, his plan for the renewal of all things. So one of the core identities for those of us who are followers of Jesus, and for those who desire to obtain this identity, is that of friend. Friend of Jesus. When you are tempted to ask “What is my identity? What is it wrapped up in it? Or Who am I?” One of the answers that you should tell yourself when you hear the voices of culture and the evil one seeking to give you another identity is that “I am a friend of Jesus. He wants a relationship with me. He wants the best for me. And he has taken me into his purpose and mission for the world and I can be a part of his renewal and redemption of the world. I am a friend of Jesus.”

And so thinking and praying about the ending of this message, I do what every Pastor does when looking for inspiration, I jumped on Facebook and that is when I found this status from a friend of mine. "What if the basis of our friendship is not based on how little you sin, but based on how much you let me love you? -God" ~John Lynch”

So let’s unpack what it means to base your identity on the fact that you are a friend of Jesus. Have you ever thought about being a friend of Jesus? How can knowing that your identity is one of being a friend of Jesus change your life and your understanding of yourself? And how might understanding that you are a friend of Jesus propel you into a missional kingdom life? Let’s spend some time talking about those questions together.

1. What thoughts, comments, insights, questions, push back, etc.. do you have regarding the Scripture text and the message? 2. Have you ever thought about being a friend of Jesus? Yes or No. If not, why not? How can knowing that your identity is one of being a friend of Jesus change your life and your understanding of yourself? 3. how might understanding that you are a friend of Jesus propel you into a missional kingdom life? 4. What is God saying to you and what are you going to do about it? What is God saying to us and what should we do about it?

Journey Week 3: The Apostle Paul

So today we wrap up our three week series entitled Journey looking at the journeys of 2 biblical characters as well as 1 from within our community.

Two weeks ago when we started this series we looked at the journey of Terah, who is the father of Abram (or Abraham). We talked about how Terah got stuck in his journey due to the loss of his son Haran. We talked about how sometimes we get stuck in our journey due to significant loss, struggle or pain. And sometimes to heal we actually have to go through it to get to the other side, much like how Terah actually went to the town of Haran, but instead of moving through it, he settled there.

Last week we had Lindsay share what God has taught her along her journey both before her experiences and also during her experiences the last two summers in Mexico.

This week we are looking at probably one of the main figures within the Bible and within the history of the church. This figure is the Apostle Paul. We are going to look at his journey and see what his experience in his missionary journeys can teach us about living a missional, Kingdom life today in the 21st century.

To start reflecting on the journey of the Apostle Paul I want to share a saying that many of us have probably heard sometime in our life. And at face value it might sound correct, but as I looked at it more deeply, I realized that it actually might not be totally accurate. Have you ever heard the saying, “the safest place to be is in the center of God’s will.”? Part of it, I understand that God does in fact provide safety, but that doesn’t mean following Christ is safe. In fact, it is probably the exact opposite. I wonder if instead of saying “the safest place to be is in the center of God’s will” it should read, “the most dangerous place to be is in the center of God’s will.” Author and visionary Erwin McManus says: “The truth of the matter is that the center of God’s will is not a safe place but the most dangerous place in the world! To live outside of God’s will puts us in danger; to live in his will makes us dangerous.” Faith isn’t safe. Fulfilling your destiny isn’t a walk in the park. It will require thousands of deaths – learning to say no, making better choices, putting others’ needs before your own. In The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis, one of the children (Lucy) asked Mr. Beaver if Aslan the Lion is safe. “Safe?” said Mr. Beaver; “don’t you hear what Mrs. Beaver tells you? Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you.” So this statement got me wondering about the journey of the Apostle Paul and what he would think if he heard it. After all his journey was not one of safety but of risk and danger. Let’s look together at how he explains his missionary journey and see what it might say to us today. We’ll be unpacking 2 Corinthians 11:21b-33 together. “Whatever anyone else dares to boast about—I am speaking as a fool—I also dare to boast about. Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I. Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness. The God and Father of the Lord Jesus, who is to be praised forever, knows that I am not lying. In Damascus the governor under King Aretas had the city of the Damascenes guarded in order to arrest me. But I was lowered in a basket from a window in the wall and slipped through his hands.” So the first thing we need to get straight is who is Paul continually referring to when he says, “they”. To answer that question we need to go back to verse 5 which says, “ I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.” Now anyone who says sarcasm never appears in Scripture never read this verse. This is Paul’s sarcastic way of referring to the false teachers who had infiltrated their way into the Corinthian church and they apparently were “preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached.” These “super apostles” were boasting about their pedigree if you will, their qualifications to be an apostle. So Paul bites and begins to lay out his qualifications as well. He begins to boast. But as so often is the case when it comes to the Kingdom of God, these qualifications, his resume so to speak, what he “boasts” about seems to be upside down. These false teachers had inflated the idea that apostle or minister was a title of exaltation and privilege. In fact they would probably have said being a minister or apostle meant the less you should have to work and the more others should serve you. Paul, in this text, is seeking to dispel that myth and reverses it by saying that ministers/apostles (we are all ministers/apostles) mean the more you work and serve others. In fact the Greek word for minister is diakonos which describes a humble servant, a menial worker. Like Jesus who came to serve and not to be served. Not a superstar, super apostle or a person of privilege. So Paul lays out his resume, his qualifications, his journey if you will, and as I said before, they are upside down Kingdom qualifications. They are qualifications that the super apostles would say that he was crazy. They would find nothing to boast about in hardships. They would probably believe that if they experienced hardships that, “God is not with me.” They could only glory in the image of power and the appearance of success. If they did not have that, they felt that God was against them. They thought this way because their thinking was worldly instead of like Jesus (Philippians 2:5-11) and by definition, Paul. The first thing Paul lays out from his journey is his lineage to the people of God. In verse 22 he says, “Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they Abraham’s descendants? So am I.” The claim implied here on the part of the false apostles indicate that they were Jews who felt superior to Gentile Christians. Meaning that they were Judaizers, who wish to impose distinctive Jewish practices on Gentile converts. In verses 23-27, Paul lays out, in opposition to the “super apostles” what his missional Kingdom life has meant. To be an apostle meant for him (it doesn’t necessarily mean that for us to be an apostle that we will have to go through the same things and that if we don’t we aren’t living a missional Kingdom life) that he worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, exposed to death, beaten by the Jews, beaten by the Romans, shipwrecked, spent time in the open sea, and in danger from his own countrymen, and in danger in so many other ways. But probably what was more burdensome, more heavy on his heart, wasn’t the physical things he had to go through that I just mentioned, but the burden of anxiety about the spiritual welfare of the churches that he had founded. Christian faith, for Paul and for us, doesn’t take away our burdens (if anyone tells you it does, don’t believe them) it just changes their nature. We see his Pastoral and missionary heart in verses 28-29 when we read, “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?” To put it succinctly, Paul simply lived a hard life as a missionary, traveling and preaching the gospel. His journey wasn’t one of ease, status, position and power. It was one of doing what Jesus said all followers of Jesus should do, Paul truly lived out the words of Luke 9:23, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.”

What might we learn about our journeys from the journey of Paul? What does his missional “resume” say to each of us living in the 21st century? And how might the missional journey of Paul resonate or spur our community onto a communal missional journey? Those are some of the questions that we are going to unpack together.

1. What are your thoughts, comments, insights, questions, push back, etc.. regarding the Scriptures and the message? 2. What are your thoughts regarding the statement, “The safest place to be is in the center of God’s will”? Do you agree or disagree? Why? When have you experienced this idea of being in the center of God’s will? Has it been in a place of “safety” or in a place of “risk”? 3. Paul had a burden to the churches that he had planted, a call that he lived out. To whom is God placing a burden on your heart for? Or another way to put it, who might you be sent to? 4. What is God saying to you and what are you going to do about it? What is God saying to us and what are we going to do about it?

The Journey of Terah

Here is our first message in our new series entitled "Journey" looking at the journey of a man named Terah. I would love to hear your thoughts, comments, insights, and questions.

Today we begin a 3 week series entitled Journey looking at 2 stories of journey found in the Bible. Today we talk about the journey of Terah, and in 2 weeks we’ll be looking at the journey of the Apostle Paul. Next week we’ll be talking about the journey of a person within our own community. Next week we’ll be talking about the journey of Lindsay and she’ll be sharing her journey, what God laid on her heart while in Mexico this past summer, and how those things on her heart impact our community.

So today we are talking about a guy that many of us have never heard of before, and if we have read the 6 verses that I will read in a minute, we promptly forget about him. In fact if he is known at all, it isn’t because of anything he ever did. He is in fact overshadowed by his descendant. If we know him at all it is because he is the father of Abram (or later on in Genesis…Abraham). His name is Terah and the account of his journey is found in Genesis 11:27-32.

Genesis 11:27-32 says, “This is the account of Terah’s family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot. While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth. Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there. Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.”

So what might we learn about our journey of following Jesus in the 21st century from a man, who when mentioned in Joshua 24 is a worshipper of other Gods? What can we learn about our journey from his physical journey from out of the Ur of the Chaldeans and towards Canaan, but eventually settling in Haran? What might we learn about being sent out as missionaries to our schools, neighborhoods, work, and our city from the Father of our Father Abraham? That is what we are going to talk about, unpack together, and dialogue around for the next few minutes.

So when the curtain comes up on the story we have just read we find Terah, whose name can either mean delay or wanderer, and his sons, Abram (most likely the youngest but listed first due to importance), Nahor, and Haran. They are living in the Ur of the Chaldeans, which is in present day southern Iraq. Haran has a son, Lot, who we read about later in Genesis 13 and 19.

The next scene following the listing of Terah’s family tree is where we witness these heartbreaking lines, “While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.” Now when we read these words we realize their meaning that Haran died before his father. One of the worst things in all of life happened to Terah, his son died before he died. Normally the parents are the ones who are supposed to die first. You aren’t supposed to out live your kids. But if that wasn’t bad enough, some translations like the English Standard Version (ESV) actually read like this, “Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans.” So it is quite possible that not only did Haran die time wise before his father, he actually died before, or in the presence of his father. That Terah actually watched his son die. Whether it was from disease, sickness, or an accident we don’t know. But that is something that no one should ever have to witness. I can’t imagine the pain, the grief, the loss that Terah went through following the loss of his son Haran. The death of Haran, then colors everything else in Terah’s life, everything else in his journey.

Following some additional verses regarding family tree issues, like his remaining sons getting married, we come to our next scene found in verse 31. Verse 31 reads like this, “Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.” This is where Terah gets up, takes his family, and heads out on a journey from his homeland to Canaan. We aren’t told what prompted Terah to take his family and migrate from the Ur of the Chaldeans to Canaan. But that they “settled there” parallels verse 2 earlier in chapter 11 where people settled in Babel. While the first migration at the beginning of this chapter ended in dispersal, this migration would eventually lead to Abram’s call to be a nation that is blessed to be a blessing, and by definition that calling to be a blessing goes through time all the way through the OT, through the NT, into the life of the early church, and all through the life of the church, down to you and I today sitting here in 2013.

There are many speculations on why Terah took his family, left the Ur of the Chaldeans and headed for Canaan. We are, as I said before, never told why he packs it in in Ur and heads for Canaan. But here are a few possibilities. It could be that they left in obedience to the call of God, which we read more of in Genesis 12. Or in other words, some believe the prime motive to this change of abode (if you will) was the call of Abraham directly following this passage. It could be that the death of Haran loosened Terah’s attachment to his homeland. Maybe he began to view Ur as unlucky. After all his son died before and in his presence, and his daughter was childless and unable to conceive. And so maybe he thought that a change of scenery would change his luck. Maybe Terah was designed to fulfill the one meaning of his name and wander. Maybe he was the kind of guy who normally didn’t settle down but always kept looking at the horizon, kept dreaming, kept longing for more. But whatever the reason the fact remains, Terah got up, took his family and headed off to Canaan. It was the design of Terah himself to settle in Canaan. And so he set out from a place of hurt to a place of hope.

So Terah headed off towards Canaan. The route from the Ur of the Chaldeans went directly through the town of Haran, which was about halfway between Ur and Canaan. Haran was apparently a settlement that had been established by Terah’s son Haran, or to which at least his name had become attached. The family was originally from there before they move to Ur of the Chaldeans. In the Hebrew language, the language that the OT was written in, the place name Haran begins with a different consonant than the personal name Haran. But no doubt that coming to the town that bore the name of his dead son caused Terah to relive the pain of losing his son. All those emotions and pain that he tried to push down, I am sure resurfaced. I truly believe that his pain and loss derailed his journey. Terah had to pass through a place that reminded him of his greatest relational pain. To get to the land of hope, he had to again go through hurt.

The next scene we see is that when they arrive in Haran, they settle there and that is where Terah died never ending his journey in Canaan. He had a dream to make it to Canaan but the dream died with him in Haran. Instead of moving forward in his journey, he “dwelt” in Haran. The word dwelt indicates that they remained there for an extended period. It was no mere overnight stop by a group of pilgrimage at a hotel. Now there is a lot of speculation on why Terah’s journey to Canaan was derailed. Many believe that it had to do with his health. Maybe it was failing health that made them stop and dwell in Haran. Maybe it was that he came down with a disease and could physically go no farther. Or maybe his journey just got stuck. Maybe he just thought that he didn’t deserve to hope, to have a better life. Maybe he thought, this is all there is and I should stop dreaming and just settle. Terah is the picture of a man who caught a sense of something more, of something new but stopped along the way and settled and never reached it. His journey never made it to Canaan, the land of hope.

The last scene that we see is the sad ending of the story in verse 32, “Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.” His journey derailed. His journey stuck. His journey, I am sure, didn’t end up the way that he had hoped it would when he set out from Ur of the Chaldeans years before. He settled for less. His losses began to define him. His relational wounds overcame him and stagnated his journey. His pain derailed the journey to the land of hope.

How many of us mirror in our lives what happened to Terah? Maybe we began this faith journey with hope, excitement, and passion, but now we are stagnant, bitter, disillusioned with people and the church, and we are stuck. Maybe we have some significant relational wounds. Maybe we have witnessed the physical death of someone and it has shaken us or maybe we have witnessed the relational death of some relationships that at one time were strong and those relationships were helping us to continue the journey. And now we feel like settling for less. Maybe God put a vision, a dream, a goal in our life and we dream, planned, and took steps toward those things but now it seems like we are stuck. That our dreams are dead or dying. That we have lost hope or we are in the midst of losing it. Maybe you are feeling stuck in your journey and you don’t know how to get it unstuck.

We are going to spend some time now talking about our journeys and how they might mirror the journey of Terah’s. We are going to share honestly about where we are on the journey. Where we are “dwelling” or feeling stuck? And what things have sidetracked or derailed us? And maybe what relational wounds we have had to deal with that have caused us to “dwell” where we currently are. I’m praying that we can be open, honest, and full of grace as we dialogue about some real issues today around our journeys.

Discussion Questions: 1. What are your thoughts, comments, insights, questions, push back, etc… when it comes to Genesis 11:27-32 and the message? 2. What are some of the visions, dreams and goals that you have for your life? Where are you with them in the midst of your journey? How can our community help you continue to move forward in your journey towards those visions and dreams? 3. Where are you currently dwelling in your journey? Are you “dwelling”, feeling stuck, or are you moving forward in your journey? If you are dwelling and feeling stuck, what do you need to start moving and to get unstuck? How can Veritas help? If you are moving forward, what has helped you continue the journey? 4. What is God saying to you and what are you going to do about it? What is God saying to us and what are we going to do about it?

Renovation Week 3

Below is the message and discussion questions from our 3rd week of our Renovation series. This week we looked at the Renovation of the Body. So I would love to hear your thoughts, insights, questions, comments, etc...

This week we are continuing our series entitled Renovation. Over the last 2 weeks we have looked at the work of renovating our lives so that progressively they look more and more like Jesus. We have talked about the renovation of the mind. And the work of renewing our minds so that we have the mind of Christ. Last week we talked about the import work of renovating our hearts and wills, so that are hearts beat with the heart beat of Jesus. That we are single-minded and single heartedly following Jesus and being renovated from the heart out.

Today we are talking about something I don’t believe gets a lot of “air time” so to speak in many circles within the Christian church. That of renovation of the body. We will be talking about the idea that what happens to our bodies goes along with what happens with our souls and spirit. That the body and the spirit are inexplicably connected and what happens in one area affects what takes place in the other. We’ll also look at a historical belief that was addressed in the NT as “heretical” that maybe today we unknowingly buy into. And we’ll talk about ways that we can renovate our bodies so that even our bodies reflect the life of Jesus.

To do this we’ll be looking at 1st Corinthians 6:19-20. The Apostle Paul writes to the church at Corinth these words, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”

Now the context of this passage is all about sexual ethics. But verse 19-20 go way beyond just sexuality into many different realms. And so we can open this text up not only to sexuality, but so many areas of our bodies’ life and so many other things that we wrestle with as a society and as a people. And so the principles laid out in verses 19-20 apply to more than just sexual conduct.

Paul in this text makes it abundantly clear that if we are apprentices to Jesus, then even our bodies belong to Jesus just as much as our spirit. You see Paul is writing to combat a movement called Gnosticism. One of Gnosticism’s main tenets was that the sprit was totally good and the body was totally evil. But here Paul is saying that the body isn’t evil. Otherwise you couldn’t possibly honor God with your body. If the body was entirely evil, then there would be no possible way for you, with your evil body, to worship, honor and praise God with it. But true Biblical Christianity doesn’t say that the spirit is good and the body is evil. No, after all, Jesus literally took on flesh and blood. So it isn’t that the body is evil. It needs renovating so that it can bring honor and glory to Jesus. In fact someone once said these words, which we sometimes mix up and rearrange. This author said, “Glorify God in your body and the spiritual side will take care of itself.” Christians correctly see the power of sin that really in the actual body and its parts. But sometimes we mistakenly assume that the evil is the body and its parts.

For far too long we have divorced these two things, the spiritual side and the physical side and only believe God cares about the spiritual side of our lives and not on the physical side. But Jesus didn’t come to this earth just to redeem our souls through his life, death and resurrection, but to renovate everything, all of creation which includes our physical bodies. I mentioned last week once of my favorite verses Colossians 1:20 which says, “And through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.” It seems all too familiar in the “Christian world” of today that we have bought into this Gnostic belief system. We all too often believe that there is a sacred side to life (when we pray, read the bible, “go to church”, etc…) and a secular life (when we pay bills, when those of us who are married have relations with our spouses, go to work, etc..). But Jesus and Paul and the entire Bible (and the Hebraic worldview) only knows one side of life. The sacred side. All of our lives are sacred when we are under the rule and reign of King Jesus. Not only that there is no sacred and secular divide, there is something else that is very crucial when it comes to the talk about the renovation of the body and the connection between our bodies and our spiritual life. You see Jesus knew something when he walked the face of this earth, that we are just starting to know and to realize. That our bodies and our spirits are linked in a very profound way.

To illustrate this let me tell you a story that I found while reading “Renovation of the Heart” by Dallas Willard. Frank Laubach was a missionary who was also working at a college in the Philippians lost a vote to become president of this college by 1 vote, his. He, trying to be noble, voted for the other man. But because of that he was frustrated and bitter and for 2 years he was almost continuously ill. He suffered from flue, appendicitis, paratyphoid, a strained leg muscle, an ulcerated eye, and shingles. He was in a state of bitter self-pity and he hobbled around, worked inefficiently, and wore a patch over one eye. His failure to accept the defeat was costing him his health. His soul disruption manifested itself in disorders of the body, which in turn could have lead to having those things take over this body and lead ultimately to death. But He found the spiritual key to turning all this around and bringing his spirit and body under the rule and reign of Christ. When he did that, all the other bodily symptoms faded away.

Why did I tell that story? To show us that what we have been talking about the last 2 weeks and this week are intertwined. How our minds and hearts/will are renovated by Jesus can play itself out in profound ways within the body. When our mind, will and heart are renovated under the rule and reign of King Jesus, our bodies follow suit and vice versa.

And the key to the renovation, as I have mentioned many times over the last few weeks, is the fact that the renovation is done by and under the rule and reign of Jesus. The Apostle Paul says it this way, in referring to the body, “You are not your own; you were bought at a price.” Christians are the last people on earth who could say “My body is my own and I shall do with it as I please.” Because our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, our bodies belong to God, and not to ourselves. And so if is true that as followers of Jesus, that our body is a temple filled with the spirit, than our bodies should be continually under renovation by the Spirit of God. And so we need to realize that the human body, this wonderfully simple but amazingly complex thing, is created for spiritual life in the Kingdom of God and that a huge purpose of our bodies is to honor, and glorify God. We are God’s temple indwelt by the spirit of God and this is true both individually (1 Cor. 6:19-20) and corporately (1 Cor. 3:16…”Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?”).

But what does it mean to renovate our bodies? What does it mean that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit and that we are called to glorify God with our bodies? What are some things that can be done to place our body and its parts fully at the disposal of the redeeming power that God intends to live in them? We will discuss some of these questions together but before we do here are some thoughts about our renovation of the body while living under the rule and reign of King Jesus and what it might mean to us. First of all we need to release our body to God. This is what the Apostle Paul means when he says to “present your bodies to God as living sacrifices.” Secondly, we must no longer idolize our bodies. It means that we no longer make it an object of ultimate concern. You have, after all (if you are a follower of Jesus) given it up to God and he can do with it as he wishes. Thirdly, and closely aligned with the second thought is that we must not misuse our bodies. Meaning we don’t use it as a source of sensual gratification and you don’t use it to dominate or manipulate others. And lastly is that the body is to be properly honored and cared for. It is to be regarded as holy, because it is owned and inhabited by God.

So let’s talk about renovation of the body, the bodies’ connection to our spiritual life, what you and I can do to bring our bodies under the rule and reign of Jesus, and what God might be saying to us about our bodies and the work of renovating them.

1. What are your thoughts, comments, insights, questions, etc.. regarding the Scripture text and the message? 2. When have you experienced the connection between your body and your spiritual life? Share a time or a story when you realized that these two things were more closely aligned than what you had thought before. 3. What can you and I do to bring our bodies under the rule and reign of Jesus and in what ways can we renovate our bodies? 4. What is God saying to you and what are you going to do about it? What is God saying to us and what are we going to do about it?

Renovation Week 2

Here is our message and conversation from this past Sunday's gathering where we looked at Renovation of the Heart and Will. Would love to hear your thoughts, questions, comments, and insights.

Last week we began our series entitled Renovation looking at the need for our lives, much like the space that we’ll soon be inhabiting, to be renovated. We need our minds, our wills/heart, our bodies and our world to be renovated to look more and more like Jesus each and every day. Just like our space is becoming more and more what it will one day be, our lives when they are renovated under the power of the Holy Spirit, are becoming more and more like Jesus intends us to look like. Also just like our space isn’t renovated in one quick fell swoop and isn’t instantaneous, our lives won’t be renovated in one quick fell swoop and won’t be instantaneous. The renovation of our lives to look more and more like Jesus will take time, energy, work, perseverance, and trust. And it will probably take more time than we can even imagine, just like the renovation of our space. In fact, the renovation of our life will take all of our life and the renovation won’t be done until our journey on earth is over.

So last week we talked about renovating our mind so that we have the mind of Christ. We talked about how we renew our minds so that we can be transformed and renovated. We talked about what types of things we can do individually and corporately to obtain the mind of Christ and renovate our minds.

Today we are talking about some more substantial work of renovation. That of renovating our will and our hearts. Because I believe it is true, “Out of the overflow of the heart, the mouth speaks.” I believe what resides in our hearts (things like love, grace, mercy, compassion but also hate, anger, judgment, lust, etc..) will be manifested in our external lives. So we need Jesus to renovate our will and our hearts so that the Kingdom of God values will be lived in us and through us.

To look at the renovation work that needs to be done in our heart and will we’ll be looking at Romans 14:17-18 in the Message version of the Scriptures put out by Eugene Peterson. We’ll talk about the Kingdom of God, what it looks like when our will and heart are renovated, and what being single-minded has to do with renovation.

Romans 14:17-18 says, “God’s kingdom isn’t a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness’ sake. It’s what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy. Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you’ll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.”

So in this context, in Romans 14 the Apostle Paul, the writer of this book, is talking about the cultivating of relationships. Talking about followers of Jesus having differing opinions about things like holy days, and eating meat and also the importance of loving each other in the midst of differing opinions and thoughts. And then we come to the line “God’s Kingdom isn’t a matter of what you put in your stomach, for goodness’ sake.” Paul is getting at the importance of the Kingdom of God. In fact, the Kingdom of God is so important that Jesus spoke more about life in the Kingdom of God than any other thing. The gospels record Jesus talking about the Kingdom (of God, of heaven, etc..) more than 100 times. Jesus speaks more about the Kingdom than about money, pride, heaven, hell, etc… So there must be something substantial about the importance of the Kingdom of God if Jesus talks about this more than any other thing. If we want to talk renovation of the will and heart than we need to place that work within the Kingdom of God. And that ultimately the work of renovation of the heart and will, will ultimately leak out of us, into others lives, and into the world, and will help move the Kingdom of God forward. In other words, the work of renovating your life, your will, and your heart, isn’t just for yourself. In fact, it is so that you’ll be a blessing to the world, and partner with what God wants to do in the world, and for the Kingdom of God.

So my question to you now is, what does it look like when your heart and will are renovated? How can you tell when your heart and will have been renovated? How can you tell when the heart and will of others are in the process of being renovated? I believe the next part of this text has something to say about these questions. “It’s what God does with your life as he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy.” There are a few things that stand out in this part of the text when it comes to the work of renovating our heart and will that I want to spend a few minutes focusing on. The first thing that we need to realize and know regarding this renovation work of our heart and will is that the renovation comes from God. It is what he does, and not what we do. Scripture says in 1st Corinthians 1:30, “It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God--that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.” Jesus Christ is the ultimate renovator. We are righteous, holy, redeemed, set right, etc… because of the renovation that Jesus has done to us through his life, death, and resurrection. To believe that we are the ones that can renovate our lives, that we have the power to set ourselves right, is about as ridiculous as believing that I could do all the renovation to the new space by myself. That I could do the electric without getting fried. That I could lay all the flooring by myself. All the painting by myself. All the plumbing, etc… I can’t do that all by myself I need others to do what they can do (plumbing, electric, etc..).

And so what happens when we realize that we can’t renovate ourselves? When we realize that only through Jesus can we be renovated? What happens when we stop trying to renovate our lives and open ourselves up to the renovation that only God can bring? The next part of the verse tells us that, “he sets it right, puts it together, and completes it with joy”. When we give our lives, our hearts and wills, over to Jesus, he begins the work of renovating. And he begins to set our lives right. He begins to put it together, and at the end of it all he completes us with joy. Not unlike what is happening with our space. It is being renovated. It can’t renovate itself. And it is being set right, into what it will be. It is being put together. And we’ll have joy when it is completed. But what is awesome about the work of renovation that is being done by Jesus, isn’t just on our lives and our hearts and will, it is awesome happening to everything (the creation itself is being renovated). By Jesus life, death and resurrection everything is being set right, put together, and will be completed with joy when Jesus comes back. Look at Colossians 1:20, “and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”

But what does all this have to do with the heart and will? I believe to desire to live out the Kingdom, have our hearts and wills renovated, we need to be about what the Apostle Paul speaks about next in verse 18, “Your task is to single-mindedly serve Christ. Do that and you’ll kill two birds with one stone: pleasing the God above you and proving your worth to the people around you.” Jesus also speaks about how to renovate our heart and will when he responds to Satan during this temptation in Matthew 4:10, “Worship the Lord your God, and only him. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness.” Both Jesus and the Apostle Paul are saying the same thing. That if we want to follow Jesus, we need to have that as our one overriding purpose or goal in life. To Single-mindedly or single-heartedly serve Jesus means that there is only one life being lived here- God’s. God’s life is freely coming forth from your heart and will when you single heartedly and single-mindedly live for him. When your heart and will are firmly set on following him and him only. When you seek to live solely for him, your heart and will are changed, and it leaks out into your life, as well as the people around you. And the more your heart and will are renovated, the more you’ll want to single heartedly and single-mindedly live for Jesus, and the cycle continues.

So my questions to all of us this morning are these: Where are we in the process of having our heart and will renovated? Are we single heartedly following Jesus? Is that our overriding purpose and concern in our life or are we double-minded, and double-hearted? And how do we have our hearts and wills renovated so that we are single heartedly following Jesus? We’ll spend some time talking about these questions.

And during our musical worship time following our discussion, we’ll have a few of us available to pray and anoint you with oil. If you feel that you need prayer and anointing to help you with the renovation of your heart and will so that you singleheartedly follow Jesus, come up to one of us, we’ll pray for you and anoint you.

1. What thoughts, comments, insights, questions, etc.. do you have regarding the passage and the message? 2. What has God set right, put together, and completed with joy when it comes to the renovation of the heart and will? 3. What area does God need to set right, put together, and complete with joy when it comes to the renovation of the heart and will? 4. What is God saying to you and what are you going to do about it? What is God saying to us and what should we do about it?

Renovation Week 1

Our gathering this past Sunday took place at City Gate Lancaster instead of at The Community Room on King (our new space at 106 W. King Street) due to the fact that it isn't done being renovated. But nevertheless we kicked off our new series entitled Renovation, inspired by the renovation work that is being done to our new space. Below is the message from Sunday along with our discussion questions. I'd love to hear your comments, insights, questions, etc....

So today we start a 4 week series entitled Renovation. The theme of this series was inspired by 2 different things. First, the series was inspired by the renovation work that is currently being done at our new space, The Community Room on King. I realized that the metaphor of renovation not only works for renovating buildings and spaces, but it also works for the renovating work that needs to happen in our own lives. The renovation that is done through the ministry of the Trinity in our lives, when we are open to it.

The second inspiration was a book that I have on my Kindle app on my iPhone entitled Renovation of the Heart by Dallas Willard. About the time that the renovation work started on the space, I was praying about the fall and what we should spend time unpacking together. I also pulled up my Kindle and started reading a book that I had almost finished. When I finished the book I went to the list of books that I had and saw Renovation of the Heart, and thought Renovation. That is perfect. Connects with our current situation as a community and also what I believe God wants to do in each of our lives. Renovate our lives to look more and more like Jesus. Tear down the old structure of our lives (our old thoughts, old ways of being, our old “man” if you will) and build up a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17- “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”)

So over the next few weeks we’ll be covering the Renovation of many different parts of our lives. Today we are talking about the Renovation of the Mind. Next week we’ll be talking about the Renovation of the Will focusing on how the will is based in our hearts. The third week of the series we’ll be talking about Renovation of the body. And the final week, the 5th Sunday in September, we’ll be working on renovating the world by having our 5th Sunday Day of Service.

One of the chapters in the book Renovation of the Heart is on renovating the mind and the author Dallas Willard says this about the mind and thoughts, “Thoughts are the place where we can and must begin to change.” He also said this about our mind and thoughts, “The single most important thing in our mind is our idea of God and the associated images.” So that is where we are starting, with our thoughts, mind, ideas and images and how the mind can be renovated and how we can obtain the mind of Christ. And to do that we’ll be looking at Romans 12:1-2.

Romans 12:1-2 says, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” According to the Apostle Paul, if you want your life to be renovated or transformed, than you need to have your mind renewed. You need to present your body as a living sacrifice, and as part of that living sacrifice you need your mind to be renovated. We need to realize that spiritual formation, being a living sacrifice, includes the renewing of our mind. In fact, the battle ground between conforming to the world and being transformed or renovated is within the mind of the believer. Christians must think differently. Because Proverbs 23:7 is true. “As a man thinks in his heart, so he is.” If we are to change, if the work of renovation can happen in our lives, and then through us, our thoughts, ideas, and our minds must change. But how?

In Romans 12:2 the Apostle Paul is contrasting two different realms, two different Kingdoms if you will. The Apostle Paul is contrasting the Kingdom of this world and the Kingdom of God. The contrast between the Kingdom of this world and its’ idea system and the Kingdom of God and its’ idea system is very sharp, because the fundamental assumptions (about who God is and who we are) are totally different. The two options that he is laying before us is either be conformed to the pattern of this world or be transformed by the renewing of our mind.

The word that the Apostle Paul uses for the word transform is the word metamorphoo, in which we get the word metamorphosis. The word metamorphoo means to change into another form, to transform, to transfigure. In fact the same word is used for Jesus and his transfiguration. The work being done in our new space is the work of metamorphosis, it is being changed from an unusable space to a usable space. It is being renovated. It is being transformed. Our minds need to be renovated, transformed, renewed just like our space. This Spiritual formation (transformation, renovation) in Christ happens when we experience an interchange of our ideas and images with the ideas and images of Jesus. To renew our minds, to be renovated to be like Jesus, means that we need to progressively replace those destructive images and ideas in our minds with the ideas and images that filled the mind of Jesus himself. You see Spiritual Formation/Renovation must transform ideas. But how? How can our minds be renovated to be like the mind of Christ? How can we have the mind of Christ so that, as the Apostle Paul says, “then we’ll be able to test and approve what God’s will is’?

I believe the way to do that is through the person and gospel of Jesus Christ. This is the only complete answer to the false and destructive images and ideas that control the life of those away from God. The Apostle Paul knew that we could only escape being conformed to a fallen humanity by receiving the mind of Christ himself. He knew that how we think, the ideas and images within our mind, are the primary focus of Satan’s efforts to defeat God’s purposes with and for humankind. And that to be transformed, to be renovated, to be changed, means that the work of renovation needs to start internal. And when the work of renovation is at the level of the mind, it will indeed work its way out from our mind, into our lives, and then out from our lives into the world and the people around us. You see all external change would be worthless if the mind is not change, renewed, renovated. If the mind isn’t actually changed, the external isn’t actually transformed or renovated. It’s like Jesus said (in my paraphrase) you are like whitewash tombs. White and clean on the outside, but inside you are full of dead mans bones. It’s like if you cleaned the outside windows of our space, put signage on the doors and windows, promoted the space on Facebook, Twitter, instagram, foursquare, etc… but left the inside of the space totally unfinished. What would be the point? If the mind isn’t renewed, transformed, renovated, than all the outside “renovation” isn’t truly renovated. Isn’t truly renewed. Isn’t truly transformed.

If you want to live a life for the King and the Kingdom of God you need to start with the work of renovating the mind. You need to be renovated from the inside out. Just like we are in the process of renovating the internal part of the space, before we worry about cleaning the windows and putting signage on the door. But how? How do you, in the words of the Apostle Paul, “be transformed by the renewing of your mind”? What are those things that we can do both individually and corporately that will help us renovate our minds? Transform them into the mind of Christ. Those are the questions that we will unpack together.

1. What thoughts, comments, insights, questions, push back, clarifications, etc.. do you have regarding the Scripture and the message? 2. What are some areas of your mind (ideas, images, thoughts, etc..) that need renovating? 3. How are you renovating your mind to be like the mind of Christ? What are some disciplines that you are engaged in that is helping you with the renovation work? 4. In what ways can our community help each other go about the work of renovating our minds to be like the mind of Christ? 5. What is God saying to you and what are you going to do about it? What is God saying to us and what are we going to do about it?

How to be a Missionary without ever leaving Lancaster: Final Week

Believe it or not, here we are at the end of the summer and the end of the series entitled “How to be a missionary without ever leaving Lancaster.” Where did the summer and this series go? It totally flew by. But this summer and series helped us refocus on how we have been seeking to plant Veritas, not as a church, but as a missional community of authentic worshippers. Not as an institution, and not as a church plant, but more of a missionary community. The question that we wrestled with this summer was if you and 15 friends move to a city, how would you seek to start a faith community? Would you do it the way it has always been done, even though the times are radically changing and different? Or would you seek to plant a church as a missionary would? We have taken the approach that we are a missionary community together and seeking to plant Veritas as a missionary community.

Over the course of the summer we have talked about the 3 parts, the 3 steps if you will, to being a missionary, and planting a missional church.

In June we covered the first stage in being a missionary/missional church that of Engaging the Culture. We talked about being a blessing, seeking the peace of the city to which he has sent you, realizing that you are sent into the world (Just as Jesus was sent), that one of the first things missionary/missional communities need to do is to look and listen to their context, and then we wrapped up the Engaging Culture month by taking a day to serve our community through making lunches and feeding people as well as sharing, talking, and praying with people.

In July we covered the second part, that of Forming Community. We talked about the idea that as followers of Jesus (and as people in general) we can’t do life alone. We absolutely need each other. We talked about the importance of being in community together. We talked about church being more like a family. And we talked about the importance of biblical hospitality in the life of a missionary/missional community.

In the month of August we covered the last of the 3 stages of being a missionary/planting a missional church. We talked about the importance that we live in such a way as individuals and as a community, where we give total allegiance to Jesus, and that Jesus is the head of the church. We talked about the gifts that Jesus has given to his church (APEST) to grow, mature, and bring the body to unity and how we as a community can develop and use those gifts. And then last week Matt Kirkley did a great job talking about the importance of meeting together and the importance of encouraging each other on the journey.

And so we come to the end of our series and I wanted to focus on a Scripture that will wrap up the series, tie it all together, and bring us back to the crux of the matter for any follower of Jesus, and any community of followers of Jesus. That Scripture being Matthew 28:16-20 and sometimes called The Great Commission.

This text is basically the last thing Jesus said to his disciples before he returned to his Heavenly Father. Think about your own life and if you were to die today, what would be the final words you would say to your love ones. To sum up your whole life, what you want your relatives and friends to know, and what legacy you want them to live out. This is what Jesus is doing with these words. He is summing up his entire life and ministry, and what he wants his disciples to be about when he returns to the Heavenly Father. The idea that we are to continue the work of Jesus after he leaves, and he is sharing what that work is. The work of being and making disciples.

Matthew 28:16-20 says this, “Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

So the 11 disciples, minus Judas who was no longer, head to the mountain where Jesus told them to go, so that he could give them his final words, his lasting legacy. And I find verse 17 very interesting, the two different responses to the resurrection appearance of Jesus. The first response is one of worship. The appropriate response to the resurrection of Jesus, is one of worship. But the other response to his resurrection, even while he was physically standing there was one of doubt. “But some doubted”. I don’t know about you, but I feel these disciples get hammered, like “How can you doubt? Jesus has been with you for 40 days after his resurrection, you’ve seen his hands and feet, you’ve eaten with him, and yet you continue to doubt”. But to me, I resonate strongly with those disciples. That even after all that I have seen, experienced, and lived through, I still doubt. I still struggle in my faith. I still struggle seeing the resurrected Jesus and worshipping him. I still doubt. This part of the text actually brings me hope, that even in the midst of my doubt, I can still follow, serve, and live for him. That I can still be a disciple of Jesus, and that I don’t have to have it all together, and all figured out. That you can be a disciple of Jesus, still have doubts, but still follow, serve, live and seek to make disciples as well.

And so then Jesus, once the disciples have gathered begins to share with them, his final address, his legacy speech, his call for his disciples to continue his work. The first thing he says is “All authority in heaven and earth has been given to me.” He couches what he is about to say in the fact that Jesus is Lord of all. That he is truly King of Kings. That his resurrection showed the world that he had authority over life and death. And that what was about to come wasn’t just some nice information, or a suggestion. No, Jesus was saying, because I have been given authority, what I am about to tell you is of utmost importance for your life and for the church moving forward and that it wasn’t just a suggestion, or a nice thought. But a calling for each person who names the name of Jesus to live into, to follow and to put into practice.

And what is the calling that Jesus has called all followers of Jesus to, from those early disciples who literally heard his words, down through the ages and to us today in the 21st century? These words, “Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.” Here Jesus was giving us our mission, to be disciples and make disciples. He wasn’t saying to make converts, believers, people who agreeing with your mental propositions, or anything other than disciples. He wasn’t calling us to wait for people to come to us. To open the doors of the building and just wait. No, both of the words in this verse are active words, they are verbs. Go and Make. Not wait and hope. Not come and convert. Our job is not to wait and convert people. Our job is to go and make disciples.

And probably the better wording for “go and make disciples” is “as you are going, making disciples”. It is this idea that as you go about your work, your play, your recreation, your life, etc…It isn’t something that you need to add to your life. Like take this evangelism class, or this discipleship seminar, or this workshop (though if you want to do those things, by all means). It is the idea that as you go about your life, you are seeking to be a disciple of Jesus. To look, act, think, and be like Jesus in the world. And then living that way in front of others and helping them point their lives to Jesus, wherever they are on the journey.

You see, it is because of this Scripture that I don’t believe in evangelism. I believe in making disciples. I believe that everything you do is about making disciples. As soon as you meet someone, no matter where they are on the journey, if they know Jesus or they don’t know Jesus, you are discipling them towards something. Either towards the Kingdom of God or away from the Kingdom.

Now if our mission is to be a disciple that makes disciples, we have to ask the question, “But what is a disciple?” This word is one that we don’t normally use but in Jesus day it was prevalent. So what does it mean to be a disciple? In Jesus day rabbi’s had disciples. A disciple of a rabbi would be taught what the rabbi taught, so that the disciple could teach what the rabbi taught, and do what the rabbi did. It wasn’t just about information, though that was important. It was more about imitation (maybe the words from the apostle Paul would work well here, “Imitate me as I imitate Christ”) They would live in close proximity to the rabbi, that when they would walk around the dusty roads, they were literally covered in the dust from their rabbi. So Jesus is our rabbi. We need to walk in the footsteps of Jesus so closely, that in a way, we get covered in his dust. That we get taught what Jesus taught so that we could teach what he taught, and do what Jesus did. That is what it means to be a disciple. To live, obey, do, and be Jesus in the world.

Probably a term that would fit for our world might be learner, student, or my favorite apprentice. An apprentice, especially in relation to the technical trades is one who apprentices to a master plumber, builder, electrician and then learns what the master knows, and then seeks to do what the master does. So as an apprentice of Jesus, we learn from the Master about what life looks like in the Kingdom of God. How to live a missional, Kingdom life. And we are apprenticed in the ways of the Kingdom, in the same way Jesus apprenticed his early disciples into ways of the Kingdom. Through relationships, experience, and information. What I call REI. We become more like Jesus and help others become more like Jesus when we are in relationship with others who are further along the path than we are (as well as with Jesus), when we experience life and mission in the Kingdom, and when we include information as part of our discipleship. (Though information I don’t believe is as important as relationship and experience. Information derived because of relationship and experience is, in my understanding how Jesus taught and discipled his followers)

So let’s unpack together what it looks like on the ground to go and make disciples. Let’s talk about how you and I are being disciples who make disciples. And let’s dream together about how Veritas might be better in making disciples (especially using the REI idea) of each other and also people who God brings across our paths.

1. What would be the words that you would want to share if you knew that they would be your last? What lasting legacy/"mission" would you want to share with people? 2. If the calling that Jesus left us with is to be and make disciples how are you being a disciple and how are you making disciples? Who might God be calling you to disciple? 3. How might Veritas be better in being and making disciples especially in r elation to REI (Relationship, Experience, Information) 4. What is God saying to you and what are you going to do about it? What is God saying to us and what are we going to do about it?

How to be a Missionary without ever leaving Lancaster: Week 12

On Sunday I took the week off from preaching and leading the discussion. I have been thinking about doing that every other month or at least once a quarter. Just to give opportunities for others to lead, use their gifts, etc... So this past Sunday Matt Kirkley shared the message and these are his notes and what we then discussed. As well as a link to a blog by a member of our community on his experience that morning.

1. Slides to meditate 2. Chestnut hill a. Needed to work on message b. Gorgeous eve to sit outside and a café to relax and work on it. No tables were available and asked if I could sit at a table with 2 ladies. They were more than happy to let me. As I am working, I hear that they are both going through divorces. Painful stories and yet there they are c. They need each other d. They need to hear the words. e. They need to be encouraged. 3. Emerson said, “Our chief want is someone who will inspire us to be what we know we could be.” a. Even the world knows that people need encouragement. Imagine a group of Christ followers and the encouragement that they could be to each other. Where do we get encouragement from. How can we learn to encourage? 4. Countless verses state the benefits of encouragement. a. Proverbs 12:25. “Worry weighs a person down; an encouraging word cheers a person up.” b. I Thess 5:11. “So encourage each other and build each other up.” 5. Jesus is talking to the disciples in John 13:34-35. “Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” Our love and encouragement shows the world a different way, but again how? How do we encourage. Luckily we have a model. Jesus told us about how to do it. In John 15 Jesus says, “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow! This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. “ 6. So what can we encourage each other to do. We should encourage for a purpose…to a purpose. We can encourage each other to things that are BIGGER, BETTER and do them TOGETHER. In Acts, Barnabas (son of encourager) did this. Paul and he had gone on a missionary trip together. John Mark went with them, but left in the middle. When it came time for a second trip, Paul did not want to take John-Mark. Barnabas believed in him. Barnabas knew that John-Mark was destined for great things. 7. Sometimes it is hard to encourage. Sometimes, we just don’t have it in us. How did Jesus have the ability to always encourage. He spent time with God. Drawing toward God allows us to encourage others. Strength comes from time with God. Isaiah 41:10 “Don’t be afraid, for I am with you. Don’t be discouraged, for I am your God.” 8. Finally in verse 25, the writer of Hebrews says to not give up meeting together. By us gathering together as a body of Christ. On a morning. There is something important happening. So what are some of the things that happen when we gather together. a. It keeps us balanced. We are stretched, pulled, challenged. Not just alone time with God, or with a couple friends, but time with a larger community centered around the love and worship of God b. It brings us to God. By gathering for the express purpose of worshipping God, we learn more about him and how to be better encouragers. c. It fills our tanks. When we gather together, Jesus is there. In talking about Jesus and gathering together, we fill our tanks to be able to love and encourage others. d. You can’t be encouraged if you don’t come. If you don’t come, you miss out on others speaking into your life. 9. So I want to tell you a story to end our time. A story of two people…etc… 10. What happens if rather than unload, they each encourage? 11. Mother Teresa once said, “Kind words can be short & easy to speak, but their echoes are endless.” 12. Activity

Discussion Questions:

1. Encouragement activity 2. Thoughts, comments, feelings, etc.. about activity. 3. Thoughts, ideas, questions, comments, etc.. about message and Scripture. 4. What are we going to do about it?

Here is the blog from our friend Eric Bierker about his thoughts on our discussion about encouragement.

Community Roughly Hewn

Mission

Last night I attended a get together of a group in Lancaster called The Collective, which is made up of artists and musicians with the express purpose of collaboration, networking, and sharing the art that each person is making. It was a good night to see people doing some great work. On the way home I was listening to an album that I hadn't listened to in sometime. The album was Gretchen Goes to Nebraska by the band King's X. As I drove home, reflecting on the night, thinking about the mission and ministry of Veritas in relation to the music and arts scene within Lancaster, one of my favorite songs on the album came on. The song was a strong reminder to me that sometimes the church can lose it's way, forget why it exists, and drifts away from the mission that God has given to it (that of making disciples and being a part of what God wants to do in this world and in the building of the Kingdom). The song was a strong reminder to me about the mission and ministry of Veritas and why we exist and why we should exist. So take some time to read the lyrics, listen to the song, and be reminded that as a follower of Jesus we are called to be on mission together with other follower's of Jesus, and bring blessing wherever we go.

Oh broken body, it's joints at war Religious vipers sucking royal blood The price is paid, the final score The truth exists even through pious mud

Who are these people behind the stained glass windows? Have they forgotten just what they came here for? Was it salvation or scared of hell Or an assembly of a social get-together?

What's the mission of the Preacher Man? Some are true, some do lie What's the mission of the Preacher Man? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

A threat of justice, the lazy judge The governess teaches his son to scream Adopted child, true path to trudge No minor plot to undermine his dream

Who are these people behind the stained glass windows ? Have they forgotten just what they came here for? Was it salvation or scared of hell Or an assembly of a social get-together?

What's the mission of the Preacher Man? Some are true, some do lie What's the mission of the Preacher Man? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Bless God, the more I think about it The more I think I was preaching the truth I went down to the Cadillac Agency and one hour later I drove out a new Cadillac, Hallelujah Say "Praise the Lord," bless God I'm gonna drive that Cadillac down here and Get it dusty and dirty and use it for God Hallelujah, thank You Jesus

Who are these people behind the stained glass windows? Have they forgotten just what they came here for? Was it salvation or scared of hell Or an assembly of a social get-together?

What's the mission of Preacher Man? Some are true, some do lie What's the mission of the Preacher Man? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Say what's the mission of preacher, the Preacher Man? Some are true, some do lie What's the mission of, of the Preacher Man? Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

Community Room on King- Construction Photos

Well we have finally settled on a name for our new space, which is at 106 W. King Street. We have decided to keep the name Community Room and just add on King, instead of on Prince. Keeps the continuity that we have had the last 2 1/2 years and our missional engagement in the city through arts and music. We are hoping to open our space on the First Friday in September (September 6) but there is a lot yet to do with the space. The construction crew needs to put the bathroom in, put the walls up, work on lighting. We need to lay the wood laminate floors, put the Kitchen together (in a closet no less), put up some of the lights, and put up the art gallery hanging system. So lot's to do in the next few weeks to prepare for the opening of our new space. But the work is being done slowly and surely. In fact, I stopped by there today and took 2 pictures of the ceiling, which was just painted. So I thought I would put them here on the blog for people to see and I'll work on taking pictures of the space every so often so that you can see the progress in the space. So keep an eye out on this blog for new pictures.

Also the Community Room on King is on many social media sites. Follow us here:

Community Room on King

Community Room on King on Twitter

How to be a Missionary without ever leaving Lancaster: Week 11

Yesterday we continued our series looking at How to be a Missionary without ever leaving Lancaster. We talked about how a missional church should use the gifts that Jesus has given and how those gifts play out in the life of the community and the missional context that it finds itself in. We talked about APEST (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelistic, Shepherd/Pastor, Teacher) and even had each person identify what gifting they had, and had them brainstorm together ways of using that gift within Veritas. I'd love to hear your thoughts, comments, insights, questions, and where you find yourself APEST wise (and if you need help visit fivefoldsurvey.com)

Last week we began the final section of our 3 section sermon series entitled “How to be a Missionary without ever leaving Lancaster.” The 3 sections that we have covered during this summer have been Engaging Culture, Forming Community, and finally Structuring Congregations.

A good missionary and a good missional church will spend time engaging the local context, the place or the people in which we have been called. We engage the culture by being a blessing, by seeking the peace of the city, by living sent lives (as Jesus live a sent life), by listening to our context (a crucial part of being a missionary to understand our local context) and by many acts of service.

A good missionary and missional church will fight the individualistic western mindset. All too often, especially in the west, we think way too often in individualistic terms. A good missionary and missional church will form community. We will realize that we can’t do life alone, especially the life of a missional disciple. That the early church was a community in which if things went south, they had each others’ backs in profound ways. Missionaries and Missional churches will create space for relationships to form. We should continue creating open space and opportunities for people to hang out together, and invite others into those spaces with us.

Lastly a good missionary and missional church will structure congregations based on the engagement with the local context. Based on the relationships that are being built. And most of all in allegiance to Jesus Christ as the Head of the church. But what does a missional church with Jesus as head looks like? How does a missional church with Jesus as head structure itself? How does a missional church with Jesus as head grow into maturity? Those are some of the questions that I have been wrestling with over the last few months. Especially the question of how do followers of Jesus grow into mature missional disciples. And so those are some of the questions that will be driving us this morning as we continue to look at how a missional church structures itself.

To look at these questions we’ll be turning to the letter to the church at Ephesus. And to a section that is the Apostle Paul’s primary tract on the nature of the church itself and the nature of the ministry of the church. In fact the entire section of this chapter has been entitled Unity and Maturity in the body of Christ. The Apostle Paul is getting at how the body of Christ becomes unified as well as becoming mature, obtaining what he calls the fullness of Christ. So let’s turn to Ephesians 4:11-13 and see what this passage of Scripture can say to us about structuring missional churches and maturing as followers of Jesus together.

“So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.”

So the first thing that I need to share with you is that theologians aren’t united when it comes to this text. There are some who believe this is only for leaders and not the entire church. There are those who believe that if you are a follower of Jesus, than you can find one of these in your gift mix. Also there are those who truly believe that the APE part of the mix was only for Biblical times (or at least the AP part) and there are those who believe that our current expression of church only emphasizes and uses the gifts of the Shepherd/Pastors and Teachers and marginalizes Apostles, Prophets, and Evangelists. But I believe that if we look back at the context of the 3 verses that we are looking at we run into verse 7 which I believe spells out that these gifts are for all, “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” One of the ways that grace has been given to us is by the gifts that are described in verse 11. If we take that phrase in verse 7, together with the repeated phrase “gave some to be…” this quite naturally implies that all Christians are included in some part of APEST. APEST must not merely be limited to the leadership community within the church, but must be exercised by the whole church.

Verse 11 lays out 5 different gifts that Jesus himself gave to the church. These gifts were perfectly lived out in Jesus. In fact Jesus had all of these gifts. He was definitely apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic, a shepherd and a master teacher. And so when we engage with others using our primary gift, we in a very real way are living into the reality of Jesus. That we are living out God’s divine reflection in our lives. So but what exactly do we mean by Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd and Teacher? What does these gifts that have been given to the church by Jesus look like lived out in our world and in the church? And what is the purpose of these gifts?

First of all the purpose of these gifts of leadership are very clear. It is so that the body of Jesus, the church, might be equipped for service, and that the body of Jesus, the church would be built and come to maturity and unity. This world equipping has the idea of being put right. It was used for setting bones and fixing nets. And so when we equip the body of Jesus in the world to live out their giftings, we are setting things right, and for things to properly grow and mature. Just like your human body can’t mature and grow properly if your bones are sticking out your leg, the body of Jesus can’t function, grow and be effectively missional unless the five fold ministry is operating. In fact, the Apostle Paul sees that APEST ministry as the very mechanism for achieving mission and ministry effectiveness which leads to Christian Maturity.

So what does it mean if you are an Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Shepherd, Teacher. Well let me give you a brief run down of each of these gifts and how they function. (I could do a 5 week series probably and spend 1 week on each of the 5 giftings.)

The primary concern of apostles is to help people and communities live out their calling in the church and world. They do this by cultivating a thriving environment, calling people to join God in the renewal of all things. They create a discipleship ethos in the congregation and call people to participate in advancing God’s kingdom. While they can wear any of the equipper’s hats, they seek to build a team of equippers who activate the entire body to fulfill God’s mission in the world through the church.

The primary concern of prophets is that the congregation pursues God’s shalom. They do this by cultivating a liberating environment that calls the church to live in God’s new social order and stand with the poor and the oppressed, in the power of the Spirit.

The primary concern of evangelist is helping the community to incarnate the good news in their neighborhood. They help to cultivate a welcoming environment that helps the community practice hospitality as a way of life. They invite the congregation to proclaim the good news by being witnesses and being redemptive agents in their vocation and neighborhood. They help the community to live and share the good news.

The primary concern of soul healers is helping people to pursue wholeness and holiness. They do this by cultivating a healing environment where people feel safe to be real and move from their false selves toward authentic community. They create a sense of family and belonging, helping the congregation to love one another, encourage one another, exhort one another, get along with each other, comfort one another as well as play with one another. They help the community cultivate a life-giving spirituality and embody reconciliation.

The primary concern of teachers is that the community inhabits the sacred text. They create a learning environment where people immerse themselves in the scriptures in order to be formed by them. They shed light on the text in such a way that people hear the voice of God through the scripture. They encourage people to participate in sacred assemblies so that God’s story re-shapes them. They seek to help people understand God’s narrative so that they may live faithfully in God’s story and become signposts of the New Creation.

So when these gifts are functioning in the church what happens? Look at verse 12-13, “so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” In fact someone once said that “the primary purpose of the Church isn’t to convert sinners to Christianity, but to perfect (complete and mature) the saints for ministry and edification of the body.” I believe any missional church that will embrace the APEST model will find itself more equipped to be missional. More equipped to grow deeper in community with each other. More equipped to grow deeper in their relationship with Jesus. More equipped to do the work of the mission and the ministry and not to leave it in the hands of the “professionals”.

But what would it look like if our missional church were to implement the APEST Model within our own community? How would implementing an APEST model for Veritas help us grow in mission, discipleship and community? How would APEST equip and mature us as the body of Christ? And how would you and those who have the same gifting, whether apostolic, prophetic, evangelistic, shepherding, or teaching, use those giftings together to build up, strengthen, encouraging, and push Veritas into great mission, deeper community, and deeper discipleship? That is what we are going to talk together, unpack together, and dream together about over the next several minutes.

1. What are your thoughts, comments, insights, questions, etc.. about the text, message and APEST? 2. What is your primary gifting (Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor ,Teacher)? 3. Get together with those who have the same primary gifting as you. How could you individually and corporately live out the gifting that you have? Brainstorm ways that your gifting group could help mature and move Veritas forward. Come up with 1 idea that stands out and begin to work on implementation. What, where, when, how, who, etc… Share the idea when the entire groups come back together.