What Does God Say about Money?

What does God say about money?

At Church of the Resurrection this summer we worked through a sermon series asking what God has to say about five relevant topics (politics, health, money, our bodies, and how we spend our time). I am going to write a blog post about each topic as we work our way through each of them. You can read the post on politics by clicking here, and our health by clicking here.

Essentially, this is a series about the Bible. We know what God thinks about these topics by looking to the Bible. As I’ve said in previous blog posts, we know God because he has chosen to reveal himself to us through Scripture. We know him because he wants to be known. We call this special revelation. But certain truths are evident to all people, apart from the Bible. When we raise the topic of money, there are plenty of wise quotes out there that are not from the Bible. Here are a few:

 Too many people spend money they earned to buy things they don't want to impress people that they don't like. – Will Rogers

 Wealth consists not in having great possessions, but in having few wants. –Epictetus

 And one from the movie Heist, where Danny DeVito’s character says:

 Everyone needs money. That’s why it’s called money!

 We know that money has been around for thousands of years, and by the time Jesus walked the earth it was customary to use coins not just to purchase food, goods, or land, but also to tithe to the Temple. One of the most frequently misquoted bits of Scripture comes from First Timothy 6, where Paul writes, “For the love of money is the root of all evil (emphasis added).” Some people will say money itself is the root of all evil, but that is quite evidently not the case. Money exists. We use it to pay our rent or mortgage, to feed our families, and in our tithes and offerings. Money isn’t good or evil, but we must be on guard against our human propensity to not be satisfied with what we have.

 Jesus warns us to “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions (Luke 12:15).” It’s curious how many churches warn Christians to be on guard against sin, but how many churches emphasize the dangers of covetousness? It’s true that we are bombarded with sex. Sex sells, so in music, movies, tv shows, advertising, and all throughout the public square we encounter images and ideas that appeal to our lustful predisposition.  We should be on guard against how that can affect us. But it is also true that there is a multi-billion-dollar advertising industry out there with the singular goal of convincing us to not be content with what we have. If we buy that candle and light it we will feel calm. If we buy that Swiffer Wet Jet, it will make cleaning easier. Not only that, it will motivate us to clean because now cleaning will not just be easy, it will be fun!

 Any tech product we enjoy that doesn’t cost money isn’t really free. One of the most valuable parts of us in their eyes is our data. Or we can put it this way: if you are not paying for something, you’re not the customer; you’re the product. Think of all the free apps and services we use online. They’re not really free. They’re collecting data so they can sell us things. Things we need? Maybe. Things they think they can convince us we need? Certainly.

 We need to guard our hearts against covetousness because our hearts are naturally covetous, and we live in a world that exploits that for profit. One part of guarding our hearts against covetousness is to heed the wisdom of Scripture, which tells us to “Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have (Hebrews 13:5).”

 Jesus addresses money in the Sermon on the Mount. He says, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6:19-21).”

 Each of us is familiar with the idea of depreciation. If I buy a brand new car, it doesn’t remain shiny or new for long. Soon, there will be a newer model, and my formerly new car is worth a fraction of what I paid for it. With clothing, unlike in Bible times, we don’t worry about moths. Fashions will change long before moths get to our clothes.

 Jesus sums up the issue with consumerism in this passage when he says, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” If our treasure lies externally in the things we own, we are putting our contentment in a hunger that can never be satisfied. There’s always something newer, better, bigger. But put your treasure in the Lord and you will be satisfied with what you have.

 In Matthew 6:25 Jesus continues by moving on to urge us not to be anxious about whether we will have food to eat or clothes to wear. God has created the birds of the air and the lilies of the field and God provides for them. Will he not do even more for you who are made in his image? Don’t worry about the things God knows you need. Worry is the most worthless emotion because it doesn’t actually help us get the thing we need. “Has being anxious added a single hour to your life?” Don’t be anxious about tomorrow. Let tomorrow be anxious for itself.”

God knows what you need. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. Put your treasure in him and his kingdom and then he will provide for you.

 How does God most frequently provide for those in need who seek his kingdom? It’s through the body of Christ, the Church. While the kingdom of God is more than the Church, the Kingdom of God cannot be found outside the Church, and it is the Church that most often provides for the needs of those who seek the Kingdom. In Acts 2 we see this modeled where they distributed the proceeds of the sale of possessions to any who had needs. We see it continued in Acts 6 where there is a daily distribution for the widows. We see it in Second Corinthians 9. Paul is taking a collection for the Church in Jerusalem. It took a long time to collect this money and to take it across the Roman empire to Jerusalem, but that’s how the Body of Christ works.

 Our theology is found in our liturgy, and when the offering is collected our priest says, “Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for everything in heaven and on earth is yours; yours is the Kingdom, O Lord, and you are exalted as Head above all. All things come from you, O Lord.” The people reply, “And of your own have we given you.”

 We believe that all that we have comes from the Lord. God has given us the physical and mental gifts that we have, and has opened doors to the jobs that provide for us. All things come from God. By tithing to him we are acknowledging that all that we have is his. He just asks us to give a small portion of it back to acknowledge this.

 Because all that we have is a gift, we don’t guard it so tightly. We don’t even see it as our own, so it is easier to give when the time comes. Paul writes in the first lesson, “Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly.” Those who clutch the little they have, do not have the freedom and faith of those who give generously. Those who sow sparingly, who are not generous will never be satisfied with what they have because they live with a theology of scarcity, not of abundance. Being a Christian means opening our eyes to the abundance we have in Christ. You or I may not have much, but the Body of Christ does, and God will provide our needs through the Body of Christ. When one in the Church is needy, the Church, when it is obedient, provides for that person.

 He gives us what we need. And In Christ we have abundance because our treasure is found in heaven. Earthly treasure does not ultimately satisfy because someone always has a faster car, bigger house, nicer jet. But if our treasure is in heaven, if we see everything we receive as a gift from God, then we will never be poor.

 Here’s a question: is it sinful to be wealthy? Jesus says it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God. Can a camel go through the eye of a needle? Of course not. Then is it impossible for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God? Although few of us consider ourselves to be rich, it’s sobering to acknowledge that the average American is actually quite wealthy compared to the average person on earth. The average American is almost 7 times wealthier than the average person on earth. Is it impossible for us to enter the kingdom of God? 

The context of this quote from Jesus is important. His disciples are astonished at this teaching. They rightly believed that all things come from God. Less correctly, they believed that those who have great wealth must be in God’s favor. It was astonishing to them that a wealthy person could be excluded from the kingdom. So they ask Jesus, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus answers, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” 

Of course we are saved by grace through faith, not a result of works (Ephesians 2:8-9). God does the impossible by saving us. But the disciples still don’t get this teaching. Peter tries to justify himself by works. He says, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my name's sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life.”

Here we see Jesus promising abundance in the next life. But I also wonder if some of these promises are for the here and now. Those who have left houses, lands, and family for his name’s sake will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. The houses, land, and family are things we receive in the here and now, but not in the prosperity gospel fashion. We don’t each get mansions. In the Church we have fathers and mothers and brothers and sisters and children. In the Church we will never lack because there is an abundance of land and homes for those of us who might lose ours.

Wealth itself isn’t evil. It can be an impediment to salvation if we cling to it and fail to acknowledge that it’s a gift. It’s a gift and we look to share it. As Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35).” As John Wesley said, “Earn all you can. Save all you can. Give all you can.” We don’t accumulate wealth for our own sake. God gives us wealth so we can have what we need, and so we can provide for those in need. At the beginning of Luke 8 we see women accompanying Jesus who provided for him and his disciples out of their means. Jesus had wealthy benefactors! When Jesus sent out his disciples two by two “he charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts.” God provided for them through the people of God who would provide for them bread, money, and shelter. The disciples relied on people with wealth to provide their needs.

Money isn’t evil, but if we don’t have the right relationship with it, it can be corrosive to our souls. We need to realize it’s a lie that we would be satisfied if we had just a little more money. We will never be satisfied with wealth until we learn to be satisfied with what we have, whether it’s $1 or $1 billion. Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

What Does God Say About Our Health?

What does God say about health? 

At Church of the Resurrection this June we are working through a sermon series asking what God has to say about five relevant topics (politics, health, money, our bodies, and how we spend our time). I am going to write a blog post about each topic as we work our way through each of them. You can read the post on politics by clicking here.

One thing we will come back to time and time again during this series is that the Bible is often misused by Christians. The Bible is not a guidebook for life, with sections on topics like politics, health, money, etc. To Be a Christian: An Anglican Catechism says, “Holy Scripture is “God’s Word written” (Articles of Religion, 20), given by the Holy Spirit through prophets and apostles as the revelation of God and his acts in human history, and is therefore the Church’s final authority in all matters of faith and practice.” We know God because he has made himself known to us. He has revealed himself to us many times and in many ways, and his most full revelation is his Son Jesus Christ. All this is found in the Bible, and because the Bible is God’s Word, it is our final authority on all matters of faith and practice. But there are plenty of things the Bible says little or nothing about. The Bible doesn’t give us stock tips. The Bible isn’t a science textbook. The Bible doesn’t address many things that we may have questions about, and the Bible most definitely isn’t a guide for healthy eating.

Yet, there is a whole cottage industry that sells biblical secrets for good health. Here are a few books for sale at Amazon:
·      Healthy Eating, God's Way: Weight Loss Devotional and Challenge: Calm Your Cravings, Overcome Obsessing, Hone Healthy Habits, and Build Biblical Boundaries.
·       What Would Jesus Eat Cookbook: Eat Well, Feel Great, and Live Longer.
·       Miracle Food Cures from the Bible
·       The food and feasts of Jesus: the original Mediterranean Diet, with menus and recipes.
·       The Hallelujah Diet: Experience the Optimal Health You Were Meant to Have.

 Each of these books presupposes that hidden in the Bible is the key for optimal health. But nowhere does the Bible claim to be a guide for healthy eating. There is no “biblical” diet. If we can take anything from the Bible about our diet it is that we are permitted to eat anything. 

Let’s start there. Why are Christians permitted to eat food that was deemed unclean by the Old Testament? Well, first off, because Jesus said we could. Mark 7 opens with the scribes and Pharisees approaching Jesus and asking him why his disciples eat with defiled hands. Among the many “traditions of the elders” includes the washing of hands before eating (as well as the washing of cups, pots, copper vessels, and dining couches). Jesus responds at length, saying:

“Hear me, all of you, and understand:  There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”  And when he had entered the house and left the people, his disciples asked him about the parable.  And he said to them, “Then are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him,  since it enters not his heart but his stomach, and is expelled?” (Thus he declared all foods clean.)  And he said, “What comes out of a person is what defiles him.  For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery,  coveting, wickedness, deceit, sensuality, envy, slander, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

 Jesus came to fulfill the law. The civil and ceremonial law was fulfilled in the person and work of Jesus Christ, but the moral law remains. We have this further clarified by other parts of the New Testament.  

Paul addresses this in Romans chapter 14. It’s clear that this freedom in Christ has been a source of division in Rome. While he says, “I know and am persuaded in the Lord Jesus that nothing is unclean in itself,” he also urges those who enjoy this freedom to sacrifice it for the sake of the weak.

In his first letter to the Corinthians, he points out that just because we are free to do something does not mean we ought to do it. Someone made the statement to Paul that all things are lawful, but Paul points out that “not all things are helpful.” Sure, I am free to eat a thousand donuts a day. But should I? While all foods are lawful to eat, Paul warns us not to be dominated by anything. All you can eat shrimp put Red Lobster out of business, and it isn’t all that good for you and me either.

And while Paul is talking about the body in this passage he moves into sexuality when he makes this statement. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. 

Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Our bodies are significant. Self-control is urged in the Bible. But the human tendency to go from one extreme to another can cause us to make health an idol. Yes, it matters what we put in our bodies, but becoming obsessed with clean living can become idolatrous. For freedom we’ve been set free, yet some have become enslaved to the idea of purity through clean eating.

The reality is we feel better when we eat better. Should we eat well? Of course. Should we exercise? Of course. But to quote and old teacher of mine, “Be careful not to should on yourself.” Are you a victim of this? Do you find yourself frequently telling yourself what you “should” do? You should exercise. You should lose weight. You should order a salad instead of a burger. You should read a book instead of watching TV. Most often this doesn’t motivate good behavior. It makes you feel bad no matter what you do, because you can always do better.

Each of us are susceptible to body image issues. When I look in the mirror, I often expect to see a much younger face and am disappointed that age has affected me the way it has. Original sin has affected each of us in the way we look at ourselves and others. We listen to the voice of the accuser who says we aren’t good enough. Who says we are only lovable if we look a certain way. Believe me when I say that this is not an affliction the good-looking are immune from. Those who are beautiful have so tied their identity to being beautiful that they are among the most insecure. You and I must stop basing our worth on what we look like.

In preparing for this sermon (and blog post) I listened to a podcast where the hosts were addressing questions from the audience. One person wrote it saying that she struggles with body image, and this is exacerbated by comments her father and brothers make when she eats foods that are fattening. Her father and brothers mean well. They want good things for her, but the result of this is that she has come to believe a lie that is being reinforced each time they make a comment, that she is only lovable if she is skinny. So each time she takes a bite of a high calorie food, she feels guilt and shame.

Is this what God wants for us? For the Church to be the skinny club at the expense of contentment in Christ? This is not freedom in Christ. We should not believe the lies of the devil that says we are not lovable if we are overweight or have wrinkles or sun damage on our skin. Yes, eat well, watch your cholesterol, put on sunscreen, be healthy. But this is not what makes us holy.

When we ask the question, “What does God say about our health,” There’s another whole area we haven’t touched on, and this may be the most pertinent question regarding God and our health. Does God promise us good health? It’s interesting that in John 9, Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Who sinned that this man was born blind? This man, or his parents?” They’re not asking whether God is up in heaven, sitting by the smite button, waiting for you or me to mess up so he can rain down plague and pestilence. Assumed in this question “who sinned that this man was born blind?” is that good health is a reward for good behavior and disease is a consequence of our own sin. Want to avoid cancer? Watch your p’s and q’s!

This is the lie of the prosperity gospel, a false gospel that promises health and wealth for those who follow the Lord. It’s a lie, and it misses the truth and beauty of the real gospel that promises grace and peace to those who suffer. Jesus, who chose the way of the cross does not promise a life free of pain for you and me. Sickness and disease are the way of the world since sin entered the world in the garden. Our hope is not found in a life of perfect health. Our hope is for the fulness of the Spirit in those low places (Luke 11:11-13). Our hope is in a God whose power is made perfect in weakness (2 Cor 12:9).

God, who has good things for us (Rom 8:28), who has promised that even in the low places of life, he is working for good, has not promised that you will not suffer from health ailments, but has promised to be with you and lift you up in your time of need.

God’s promise for our health is not that we who seek the Lord would have perfect health, and health problems are not evidence of secret sin. Our hope is in a risen Lord who will raise our mortal bodies from the dead on the last day, when he returns in glory. So enjoy that bacon cheeseburger, but do so in moderation. If you feel that you’ve been dominated by your desire for food, maybe you should go on a diet. But “the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking but of righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17).” So, if you eat, enjoy. If you abstain, do so with freedom. If you suffer ill health, go to our Father in prayer. Go to your doctor. Promote your health, but don’t hold it up as an idol. But whatever you do, do it in the freedom you have in Christ, knowing that God wants good things for you.

What Does God Say About Politics?

At Church of the Resurrection this June we are working through a sermon series asking what God has to say about five relevant topics (politics, health, money, our bodies, and how we spend our time). I am going to write a blog post about each topic as we work our way through each of them.

 What does God say about politics?

 “If God is real, why does he align perfectly with our views? We should expect God to challenge us on what we think is right somewhere.” – Tim Keller

This is a great quote to start us off. Often we impose our thoughts on God, saying “I think God __________.” The reality is that we only know what God thinks because he has chosen to reveal himself to us. He has revealed himself to us at many times and in many ways – to Adam and Eve in the garden, to Moses in the burning bush, to the prophets, and most of all through his son Jesus Christ. And you and I know him because all of these things have been written down in the Bible. How do we know what God has to say? We look to the Bible.

As we look at each topic it is imperative that we do our best to set aside our personal prejudices and understand that if God is real – and we think he is – then he will disagree with us somewhere. We don’t get to make him in our image. We must conform our thoughts to his.

What we will find each week as we take these questions to the Bible is that the Bible is not a comprehensive guide for life. The Bible is God’s progressive1 revelation about himself from the creation of the world in Genesis, to the choice of Abram to the father of many nations, to the life of Israel, through the life of Jesus, through the beginning of the Church, and the book of Revelation itself, which gives us a glimpse of what is to come. The Bible isn’t really a book, it is a library with different genres: narrative histories, law, wisdom, poetry, prophecy, and letters. Nowhere in this library is a section on politics or monetary policy or foreign policy.

Before we answer the question “What does God say about politics?” we must establish what the Bible actually is. It’s God’s gracious revelation about himself so that we would seek him and know him.2 One other thing we should establish before we answer the question is that we have a human tendency to make matters into black and white issues, and God rarely deals in black and white. He challenges us to think in shades of gray. It’s not very often that we have either/or scenarios in the Bible. More often we have both/and.

Okay, with those things established, let’s jump in and look at some parts of Scripture that might influence how we should think about politics. In Jeremiah chapter 29, God gives instructions to his people in exile. It would have been understandable if they had assumed that as exiles they should just ride it out until their restored to their homeland, to hunker down and wait for God’s deliverance. But God instructed them to “build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat their produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters; take wives for your sons, and give your daughters in marriage, that they may bear sons and daughters; multiply there, and do not decrease. But seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare.”

This is a both/and scenario. They are both resident aliens, and God is commanding them to seek the welfare of the city. We see something similar from 1 Peter where he addresses the recipients of his letter as sojourners and exiles. He’s not speaking in an ethnic sense, but in a spiritual one. All those who call Jesus Lord have our citizenship in heaven. We are to live in this world and know that we are not of this world. One writer described it this way: when we come up from the waters of baptism, it’s as if the church hands us our green card. To be united with Christ means being a resident alien. And yet, God calls us to seek the welfare of the city, to live as if we’re here for the long haul.

Peter calls us to keep [our] conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against us as evildoers, they may see our good deeds and glorify God.3 One of our values as a church is to seek renewal in our community. We do so because God calls us to, and each bit of healing they see through our work testifies to the healing work of our God.

In Mark 12, the Pharisees team up with the Herodians in an attempt to trap Jesus. They say politics makes for strange bedfellows and this is certainly an example of that. After ingratiating him saying, “Teacher, we know that you are true and do not care about anyone's opinion. For you are not swayed by appearances, but truly teach the way of God,” they continue by asking, “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them, or should we not?” They had no interest in seeking his wisdom, but thought they had trapped him with the question. If he had said they should not pay the tax, he would have retained the favor of the people, but been guilty of treason. If he said they should pay the tax, he would have lost favor with the people. The very coin they would use to pay the tax bore a graven image of Caesar and that coin recognized Caesar as a god. This was blasphemous, and Jesus couldn’t possibly endorse this.

And yet, Jesus blows all our minds. He responds, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” What does he mean? As always, Jesus is making a really sophisticated argument. He exposes the hypocrisy of the Pharisees for using these coins in the first place since they’re an abomination. Jesus says, “Look at the image on the coin. It’s Caesar. So give him back the coin he is due.”

But while we’re talking about images, what does God say about us? That we are made in the image and likeness of God. So if we owe Caesar things bearing his likeness, what does that say about our bodies and our lives? Remember these famous words from Romans 12: I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship” Jesus is saying the same thing here. Our bodies and our lives are to be living sacrifices to God.

While we’re on the topic of Romans, there is more in the book of Romans about how we deal with government than in most parts of the Bible, and it largely agrees with what our reading from First Peter says. Peter says, “Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme,or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good.” Paul writes in Romans 13: Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.

Government isn’t a necessary evil, we’re told by the scriptures that secular governments have been instituted by God. That raises the question though: if we are to be subject to these human institutions because God has appointed them to punish those who do evil, what happens when those very institutions “become destructive of these ends?”

Do those words sound familiar to you? “Destructive of these ends?” Let me put them in a deeper context:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government…

These, of course, are words from the Declaration of Independence. Let’s remember the Roman governments Peter and Paul were writing about in First Peter and Romans respectively were far from just, but they still urged obedience and submissiveness to these authorities. This raises the question: If we are to be subject to governing authorities, does that mean the American Revolution was sinful? Does this mean the civil rights movement was sinful?

Remember when I said interpreting scripture is more about both/and rather than either/or? We hold certain things in tension. Yes, we subject ourselves to the governing authorities, but there comes a time when we say, “We must obey God rather than men.”This famous quote comes from Peter himself in Acts 5. Peter and John had been preaching in the Temple, day after day. They were arrested and an angel of the Lord opened the doors of the jail in the middle of the night, freeing them. They went right back to the Temple to preach.  When the Jewish authorities arrested Peter again and said, “We strictly charged you not to teach in this name, yet here you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and you intend to bring this man's blood upon us.” And Peter responds, “We must obey God rather than men.” There comes a time when these principles come into conflict so seriously, that the God of justice and mercy cries out for the action of his people on behalf of the powerless.

You may be wondering how any of this applies to our upcoming presidential election. Does God want you to vote Republican or Democrat? Or independent?

If only it were only so clear. Life is complicated. In life, there are no solutions, only tradeoffs. We have two flawed parties with two flawed candidates. I’m sorry if this is news to you. As far as political systems, there are no perfect, Christian systems, only tradeoffs. Capitalism has been the engine that has lifted billions of people out of poverty, but our instantiation of it has its flaws. We saw voluntary socialism in the book of Acts where there was not a needy person among them. People gladly gave what they had to support those in need, but this isn’t an endorsement of Communism on a large scale.

It’s not simple enough that the Bible endorses one form of government over another. The Bible doesn’t endorse voting Republican or Democrat. Let me say this: be careful about becoming too involved with a particular party. What do I mean? We are called to be salt and light. By all means, join a party, and influence that party with biblical values. But if we become too blindly partisan, voting for party over principle, we lose the ability to influence that party. If the party we vote for knows they have our vote no matter what, why would they work to get our vote? Why would they bend their platform to please the Lord? So if you’re going to be a Republican, influence them for good. Same thing with the Democratic party. If you want to join, by all means, join. But don’t let them count on your vote so that they don’t have to cater to the principles of biblical justice and mercy.

And by all means remember that you are resident aliens. Build houses and live in them. Join political parties, but remember that all this is going away. Think about this tension in Scripture. God urges all of us to prudence, to plan ahead, to save, and to be wise with our money. He also calls us to be generous and to look out for the needy. Do you remember the parable of the rich fool? This is from Luke 20: Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”  But he said to him, “Man, who made me a judge or arbitrator over you?” And he said to them, “Take care, and be on your guard against all covetousness, for one's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions.” And he told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man produced plentifully, and he thought to himself, ‘What shall I do, for I have nowhere to store my crops?’ And he said, ‘I will do this: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.”’ But God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul is required of you, and the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So is the one who lays up treasure for himself and is not rich toward God.”

The person who approaches Jesus wants Jesus, who cares deeply about justice, to be the arbiter in this case. And Jesus is like, “Dude, all this stuff is going away. Be careful about getting too invested in it.” When we face Jesus, he won’t pat us on the back because we were good Republicans or Democrats. He’ll ask us how we treated the hungry and the thirsty and the naked, the outcast and the refugee.

As we live in the world while not being of the world we don’t opt out of politics and sit on the sideline as the world burns. We don’t say, “Well, in the end God will make all things right.”  We don’t sit this stuff out. We know that Jesus will come again on the last day and make all things right, but God wishes justice to roll down like waters today. Injustice can’t wait for Christ to return and sort this all out.

We also don’t lose our saltiness, putting all our hope in politics to make all things right. We don’t fall for the trap of the easy answer because we know difficult problems do not call for simple solutions. We maintain our humility, always going back to Scripture. We can’t be so active on our crusades that we don’t stop to check and make sure we’re still on the right side. We need to remember that we have this human propensity to bend God to our will rather than bending our will to God’s.

President Lincoln was once asked if God was on his side. He answered, “Sir, my concern is not whether God is on our side, my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.” This should be a constant thing in our lives. We should always be checking our own intuitions with what God has to say in the Bible.

What does God have to say about politics? A lot. What does God require of you? “To do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with your God.”4 To “honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.”5 To remember that we are strangers in this land. To render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and unto God what is God’s.

What does this mean as far as casting a vote? Part of being made in the image of God is that you have been given a mind and a conscience. But to operate our minds and consciences without input from God’s Word is to do this irresponsibly. The only way we can vote knowing we are being faithful is to be in the Scriptures regularly, praying for the Spirit’s illumination. God’s will is not unknown or far away but is near us. As we ask what God has to say about politics, we must constantly be looking to God’s Word for the answers.

 Footnotes: 

1 By “progressive revelation” I don’t mean politically progressive, I mean bit by bit, a little at a time.
2 Acts 17:27
3 1 Peter 2:12
4 Micah 6:8
5 First Peter 2:17

Why Lent? How Meaningful Traditions Shape Our Modern Lives

American Christianity has largely left behind the liturgical traditions of the church. The practice of Lent is more than a religious ritual- it’s a season of spiritual enrichment that points to the Resurrection.

Blog by Rev. Tim Fountain

“We’re Christians. We don’t do Lent.”

Such was the snark from a mega-church friend when my wife mentioned our preparations to observe Lent. Is Lent just a human invention, a fussy religious ritual instead of “real Christianity”?

And shouldn’t we be doing the Lent stuff that the Book of Common Prayer lays out– self-examination and repentance…prayer, fasting, and alms-giving…reading and meditating on God’s holy Word–all the time?

Why Lent?

First, Christians grow in fits and starts, not all at once.  The mystery of our faith is the replacement of our sinful, mortal self with the righteous and eternal life of Christ (Galatians 2:20), and that life of Christ is such that the world cannot contain the books needed to record all of his words and deeds (John 21:25).  The flippant boast that “We’re just Christians all the time” is to ignore and even deny the majestic mystery of our ongoing transformation (2 Corinthians 3:18).  Lent is an opportunity for intentional growth toward Christ-likeness.

Jesus himself sent the church to coach us along in this growth. When he gave his Great Commission, he was clear that we wouldn’t “just be Christians” all at once. Rather, he sent his Apostles to “make disciples… teaching them…” (Matthew 28:19-20) Lent is an opportunity to bear down on some remedial learning in the school of discipleship, and to identify where we’ve ignored or even flunked the teachings of Christ.

Lent is a recurring intensive course in our lifelong work of discipleship toward eternal life.  Just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we shall also bear the image of the man of heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:49)  Lent is an annual exploration of our conformity to the man of dust, but also another opportunity to discover our God-given progress toward unity with the man of heaven, triumphant at Easter.

Why Lent?

A second explanation is that God wove holy seasons into the creation for our benefit:

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. (Genesis 1:14-15)

Even our mega-church, nondenominational friends recognize holy seasons. They’re always busting out “40 Days of Prayer for This, That and The Other Thing” campaigns.

Our Anglican tradition continues the longstanding use of the Christian year, using a repeating series of seasons and Holy Days to teach “salvation history,” the proclamation of the life, words and deeds of Christ as set forth in the Bible. 

Again, we don’t “get it all at once.” It’s too much wonder and we’re too limited to take it all in! By living in the Church year, year in and year out, we discover truths we’ve missed. We learn more of Christ as, by God’s grace, we are ready to receive more of him.

Why Lent?

Finally, there are the time-tested benefits that Lent has provided to the whole church. The Ash Wednesday service informs us:

The first Christians observed with great devotion the days of our Lord’s passion and resurrection, and it became the custom of the Church to prepare for them by a season of penitence and fasting. This season of Lent provided a time in which converts to the faith were prepared for Holy Baptism. It was also a time when those who, because of notorious sins, had been separated from the body of the faithful, were reconciled by penitence and forgiveness, and restored to the fellowship of the Church. In this manner, the whole Congregation was put in mind of the message of pardon and absolution set forth in the Gospel of our Savior, and of the need that all Christians continually have to renew our repentance and faith.  (Book of Common Prayer 2019, p. 543)

Why Lent? Because Christians grow in fits and starts, not all at once. God graciously wove holy seasons into the creation for our benefit. Over time, the season of Lent has provided particular benefits to the whole church, calling forth great devotion and putting God’s people in mind of the Gospel of our Savior, to whom be all glory, laud, and honor, now and forever. Amen.

Walking Together Daily: Friday

Friday | Bless the Outsider

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14-16

All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.
2 Cor 5:18-21

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...
1 Pet 3:15

The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance.
2 Pet 3:9

Friday | Bless the Outsider: Our part in this is simpler than we might think. Jesus asked us to be His witnesses. We can only share what we have seen, what we have experienced, what we know. It’s ok if we don’t have all the answers. No one wants to talk to those people anyway! Simply be willing, be ready, be available, be obedient. We don’t always know how God will use us, and it’s not something we can measure. Trust that the Holy Spirit dwelling in you will give you both wisdom and words as you seek to love your neighbor in practical ways. We do not initiate spiritual conversations with unbelievers out of compulsion or fear, but rather freely and with joy, as the Holy Spirit leads and guides. Because we ourselves have been raised from death to life, we desire that others learn to follow Jesus and walk in the way of life. If this is not yet your experience, be honest. We are all in process as we walk this journey, and God will honor our simple efforts to love and bless others as we serve and share our story. 

The Bible is a story about the Perfect Lover who set his heart on his Beloved. Even as she is repeatedly unfaithful, He relentlessly pursues her until her heart belongs wholly to Him. While our culture accuses the Church of being exclusive, the truth is that God’s love is radically inclusive. From the beginning, God set his love on a particular people for the explicit purpose of extending his blessing, through them, into the entire world. Through relationship with Jesus, we have become a part of God’s chosen people, His Beloved. We are blessed to be a blessing, to join God in His quest to fully reconcile all things to Himself.

Rick Richardson recently shared two acronyms that are helpful in this conversation, which are in the table below. FRANC helps us identify the people whom God has already providentially placed in your circles, and BLESS includes five practical steps as we seek to become a blessing to those around us.

On the first Friday we do this together we will together put together a FRANC list.  Who are some friends, relatives, acquaintances, neighbors, and co-workers who don’t know the Lord? Spend some time creating a list.  You’ll notice some gaps and as we listen to the Lord in the coming weeks hopefully we will add to our FRANC list.  

Once we have an idea of who the Lord is calling us to reach out to, we work our way through the BLESS list.  We’ll encourage one another and spur each other on as we begin with prayer and move our way through this list.  Bless stands for Begin with Prayer, Listen with care, Eat together, Serve in love, and Share your story.

Walking Together Daily: Thursday

Thursday | Listen & Hear

But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
John 14:26

And behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper. And when Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And behold, there came a voice to him and said, “What are you doing here, Elijah?”
1 Kings 19:10-13

Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Luke 10:38-42

In sacrifice and offering you have not delighted,
 but you have given me an open ear.
Psalm 40:6

Thursday | Listen & Hear: Have a posture of listening, stillness, attentiveness today. Intentionally and repeatedly quiet your heart and your mind as you are going about your day. Perhaps you will sense that God is saying something to you. It could be a word of encouragement, or a specific way to take action in your life. God can and does speak anytime, but during this season we are asking him to speak to us on this day, trusting that he will honor our discipline to listen and desire and hear his voice more clearly. 

We may do a lot of reading and thinking about God, talking about God, and even talking to God, and all of that is good!  But when do we listen? Do we actually expect God to speak to us? Do we expect him to respond to our prayers with real answers? Give us clear direction when we are faced with a hard decision? Give us wisdom and counsel? Encourage us? Instruct us? Ask us to do specific things? When Jesus ascended to the Father after his death and resurrection, he sent the promised Holy Spirit, who would be our Helper and Comforter, the real presence of Jesus dwelling with and within us. We learn to recognize this “still, small voice” not only as we quiet our hearts and pay attention, but as we are willing to “hear,” that is, to respond with obedience and our whole lives.

Walking Together Daily: Wednesday

Wednesday | Meditate on God’s Word

But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
 but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” 
Matthew 4:4

Blessed is the man
 who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
  and on his law he meditates day and night.
He is like a tree
 planted by streams of water
that yields its fruit in its season,
   and its leaf does not wither.
In all that he does, he prospers.

 Psalm 1:1-3

Oh how I love your law!
It is my meditation all the day.
Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies,
    for it is ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers,
    for your testimonies are my meditation.
I understand more than the aged,
for I keep your precepts.
I hold back my feet from every evil way,
  in order to keep your word.
I do not turn aside from your rules,
 for you have taught me.
How sweet are your words to my taste,
    sweeter than honey to my mouth!
Through your precepts I get understanding;
    therefore I hate every false way.

Psalm 119: 97-104

Wednesday | Meditate on God’s Word: Read the Scripture passage for the day, aloud and silently, and multiple times if you can. Take time to imagine the story as you read. Make observations and connections, and write down questions. If you have time, you can consult Bible commentaries or friends who have been studying the Bible for longer than you.

Wednesday evenings we meet for a Bible study hosted by McKeevers on Zoom. Come at 6:30pm for fellowship and we’ll begin the Bible study at 7pm. The weekly announcement email will include the passage we’ll be studying, so that you can spend time there in advance. Even if you aren’t able to attend, we will all be reading the same Scripture each Wednesday and can share our reflections, questions and insights on the Facebook page or with a friend.

Some things we know intuitively and instinctively. Other things we know as we study an orderly world, and we can gain wisdom from life experience. And yet knowledge and understanding of the things of God— of the Father, His Son Jesus, and the Holy Spirit— we can only know through the divine revelation given to us in the Bible. We learn who God is and what God is like. Likewise, we learn who we are. We are confronted, rebuked and corrected; we find comfort, wisdom, and instruction! All these things the Holy Spirit applies to the particulars of our lives as we are willing to listen and obey. Echoing God’s Law given to Moses, Jesus taught that the first and greatest commandment was “to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.” This also informs the way we read God’s Word. We come, as best we can in our brokenness, with our whole selves. We come to the text with engaged minds, and open hearts and surrendered wills.

Walking Together Daily: Tuesday

Tuesday | Dependence & Petition

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
Matthew 7:7-11

The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed fervently that it might not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the earth.
James 5:16b-17

In you, O Lord, do I take refuge;
    let me never be put to shame!
In your righteousness deliver me and rescue me;
    incline your ear to me, and save me!
Be to me a rock of refuge,
  to which I may continually come;
you have given the command to save me,
 for you are my rock and my fortress.
Psalm 71:1-13

Tuesday | Dependence & Petition: Journal / pray / share your needs and desires, along with those of others. These lists can get long once we get going (and that’s ok!) but we don’t always know where to begin. We can always pray for community requests posted on the Facebook page, for the people in your life who don’t yet know Jesus, and for those suffering hunger, sickness, and unemployment as a result of the pandemic. 

Jesus, the perfect human being, modeled a life of complete dependence on his Father. Because of His work on the cross, we too are now called children of God. Like Jesus, we can boldly approach our Father with every need and good desire. We didn’t become God’s children for our own sake alone, but have been made into a kingdom of priests and given a sacred charge to intercede for the world. Christians pray with confidence, creativity, and expectation because God has promised to hear and respond to our prayers. This is not merely a nice gesture or a way to get things off our chest, but rather a real place of refuge for us and a powerful move in the spiritual realm. It matters that we pray because God takes us seriously. He has given redeemed humanity a profound dignity: the prayers of his children move his hand to act in the world and bring his kingdom. Part of our work and calling is to become in this way like Jesus, who even now is seated at the right hand of the Father interceding for us!

As we come to God in a posture of dependence and humility, we might also spend time today in lament as we encounter sorrow in our hearts, or confession as we become aware of our sin. In the writings of the prophet Isaiah, Jesus is described as a man of sorrows, familiar with grief; we can entrust our tears to the God who has suffered the full depth of sorrow. We can tell the truth about our sin without fear, because our sin has already been paid for on the cross. We don’t need to wallow in guilt and must be wary of falling into the enemy’s temptation to live in shame, which often keeps us from intimacy with God and others because of feelings of unworthiness. We can simply repent and then by faith receive and claim God's forgiveness. The Holy Spirit never accuses or condemns. If we feel guilt, we can be thankful that the Spirit convicts us of sin so that we can return to unhindered friendship with God. 

We can and must bring all these things to God—needs and desires, failures and sorrows—as his dependent and beloved children.

Walking Together Daily: Monday

Monday | Praise & Thanksgiving

Now Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.” And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name…”  Luke 11:1-2

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good;
  his love endures forever…
Let them give thanks to the Lord for his unfailing love
  and his wonderful deeds for mankind,
for he satisfies the thirsty
  and fills the hungry with good things.

Psalm 107:1, 8-9

Praise the Lord, for it is a good thing to sing praises unto our God; *
indeed, a joyful and pleasant thing it is to be thankful. 

Psalm 147:1

Monday | Praise & Thanksgiving: Journal /  pray / share thanksgiving and praises. Consider grand general truths about God’s character as well as the ways you experience God’s goodness in your own life, even in the small details. We might simply notice the spring flowers and attribute their beauty to God’s creativity and kindness, or remember particular people in our lives who have in some way blessed us, or take time to thank God for the ways that he has answered our prayers. If you are struggling to identify good things in your life, begin wherever you can, asking for God's help to see things as he sees. The one place we always can, and perhaps should, begin is to praise and thank God for manifesting His love for us through the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Jesus taught his disciples to begin their prayers with worship, and we also want to begin each week with praise and thanksgiving. As we look outside of ourselves to declare the perfection of God’s goodness, truth, and beauty, we align our hearts with the ultimate reality of the eternal God who does not change. We do not always have access to the feelings that ought to accompany a knowledge of God’s character as He is revealed in the Scriptures. But we can always choose with our wills to praise God, and to offer thanksgiving for every good and perfect gift. This delights our Father and ushers us into a new joy and freedom as we begin to see the world through the lens of God’s holiness and love. This discipline doesn’t ask us to pretend or ignore our pain, questions or disappointments. Instead, we learn how to bring those things to God in truth as we practice setting our focus first on his goodness, his faithfulness to us, and his love for the world.

Walking Together Daily

We are endeavoring to walk together through our weekdays in a particular way for the next 5 weeks. We’re calling it Walking Together Daily. Just what does that mean? It’s a weekly liturgy for us.

Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. Luke 9:23

“Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:29-30

Introduction | How to Use this Daily Guide

The thing that unites us as Church of the Resurrection is our shared journey following Jesus. Some have been walking this path for many years, while others may still be investigating or wrestling with doubts. Whatever your story, we invite you to join us for a season of Walking Together Daily as we follow a weekly liturgy, or rhythm of spiritual practices. These disciplines, integral to the Christian life, are powerful to shape our hearts and make us more fully human, more like Jesus. We were never meant to walk this Resurrection Way alone, but to find companionship, encouragement and strength from our brothers and sisters.

This weekly rhythm has an intentional flow. We will begin each week by fixing our gaze on the ultimate reality of God through praise and thanksgiving, then acknowledging our complete dependence on Him by offering prayers of petition and intercession. We invite and expect God to speak to us as we meditate on His Word and then make quiet space to listen for the still, small voice of the Holy Spirit. As our hearts become more aligned with God’s heart through these practices, we are moved into the world on a mission to extend the blessings of God’s love.

There are personal, relational and corporate ways to engage, respond and share. As we sit alone with God to practice each day’s discipline, we might meditate on a passage of Scriptures and respond by journaling prayers, reflections and questions. For those of us walking with others in spiritual friendship, we support and encourage each other by sharing how God is shaping us through these experiences, or we can even practice some of these disciplines together. Finally, there will be a place for community dialogue on the Facebook discussion thread each day. We are doing this together! 

We invite you to participate as you’re able. This is intended to be a simple structure that makes space for us to pursue deeper relationships with God and each other. Scripture passages introduce each day’s focus to allow the compelling words of Jesus, and God’s Word through other biblical authors, to invite us into this way of walking together. There are suggestions for how to enter into each day, followed by a more thorough explanation of how we understand each practice in the broader context of the biblical narrative.

World Mission Sunday

This past Sunday we observed World Mission Sunday, a province-wide observation in our church.  On this day we remember Jesus’ call to be his witnesses in Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.  We remember that we are called not just to gather on the Lord’s Day for Word and Sacrament, but we are also sent out into the world with a purpose.  We have made changes to our habits as we go about our lives here in Sioux Falls so that we might be witnesses of Jesus Christ to those who don’t know him.  But we never want to forget the call to the nations.

Those in the missions field have counted 16,800 distinct people groups in the world.  Of these almost 17,000 people groups, almost 7,000 of them remain unreached.  Just what exactly does this mean?  An unreached people group is a group in which fewer than 2 percent of the population are evangelical Christians. By evangelical, I don’t mean adherents of a particular church or creed or confession, but Christians who are working to evangelize the rest of the people group.  When a people group has no effective outreach to the rest of the group they are considered unreached.

But more than 3,000 people groups are not only unreached, they have no church and no missionaries working to evangelize the population.  This is all to say that there is work to be done.  God desires that all might know him, and there are still billions of people who don’t.  

This is a reminder of our call to be a part of the mission of God.  There are many things we focus on locally, but we can never lose sight of our call to reach the nations with the good news of Jesus Christ.

What does this mean for you? Well, pray about what the Lord is calling you to.  Not all of us are called to cross-cultural missions, but more are called than go.  Is the Lord calling you to be his witness to an unreached people group?  If not, what are some ways you can participate in the Missio Dei.  Is God calling you to commit to supporting a missionary?  

I’d like to call each of us reading this to pray for the nations, to pray for the Holy Spirit to prepare the way for the Gospel.  I’d like to call us to heed the words of Jesus who told his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few.  Therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest.”  Would you join me in prayer for the Lord to raise up laborers to go into the harvest?  

One thing we are doing as a church is selecting the 100 largest unreached people groups and praying for 2 of these groups a day until we’ve gotten through the list.  Consider it a pre-Lenten discipline that we are starting now and continuing through Lent.  You can find a list of the 100 largest unreached people groups here.  Would you join us in prayer for these groups and for the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into the harvest?  Let us never lose sight of our call to the nations.

Resurrection Family Values

I’m very excited to be kicking off a sermon series this Sunday.  This will be the first sermon series we’ve ever done at Church of the Resurrection.  Usually we follow the lectionary which assigns the readings for each Sunday.  During the first half of the church year we follow the life of Jesus Christ from the anticipation of his birth (and return) during Advent, through the Christmas season, into the season after Epiphany where we see the manifestations of Jesus as the Christ.  We then move into Lent where we spend 40 days in preparation to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus.  This 40 day season of preparation for Easter is followed by 50 days of celebrating the resurrection of our Lord.  We are still in this season. In his resurrection, as I say during our liturgy, he broke the bonds of death, trampling Hell and Satan under his feet.

So I generally like to follow the lectionary because it draws us near to Christ.  It draws us near to Christ and near to our brothers and sisters throughout the world who are encountering the same Bible readings as us. There is a beauty in walking through the Word of God as a global body of believers.  So why are we straying from that during this season?

This Sunday will kick off a sermon series on our values as a church.  This will be an opportunity for me to preach about who we are as a people.  Our values aren’t statements that have been written up only to be placed in a file somewhere.  They’re statements that embody who we are as a body.  So, what are our values as a church?  Well, you can find them here, but I’ll save you a click.  Our values are:

·     Finding our identity in Christ
·     Living with a new purpose in Christ
·     Seeking renewal in our community
·     The intentional nurturing of children
·     Practicing hospitality

 So as we explore each of these values I hope I can help to cultivate these values in you as we are transformed from glory into glory.  

Preparing to Prepare

We at Church of the Resurrection are people who are seeking to draw near to Jesus.  One of the ways we do this is by uniting our story with his story through the observation of the church calendar.  We are currently in the season after Epiphany, and during this season we look at some of the manifestations of Christ’s divinity.  We behold his glory in his work here on earth in his changing of water into wine, and in his fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. 

Ash Wednesday is in just one month, which means Lent is fast-approaching.  Even in this season in which we see the glory of God in the person of Jesus Christ the specter of his coming death looms large.  This should be no surprise to anyone who has read the Old Testament prophecies of the suffering servant or to anyone who has read the words of Christ in the gospels.  Christ’s glory is in suffering and death.

We have the benefit of reading the whole Bible unlike the disciples who were shocked and offended at the idea that Jesus would lay his life down.  I heard something last week that I hadn’t thought of.  I have always used Ash Wednesday as an opportunity to kick off Lent, so to speak.  But I heard it suggested that Ash Wednesday is way too late.

So here I am, one month away from Lent, broaching the topic of Lent.  And I’m only going to do that.  I’m going to raise the topic of Lent.  Yes, Lent is a season of fasting and preparation, and I am calling us to a season of preparation for the season of preparation.  Weird?  Maybe.

But I’ll ask you this.  What is your plan to draw near to Jesus this Lent?  What is keeping you from drawing near to Jesus?  Is there something you need to lay at the feet of Jesus?  Is there a secret sin in your life that you need to lay at his feet?  What is something you can give up that will draw you to him?  If you give up chocolate will you really run to him when you get the urge for it?  Is there a devotional habit you can pick up during this season?

Let’s use the next month to pray to the Lord about what he is calling us to this Lent.  How can we prepare for this season?  How can we use it to draw near to the Lord?

How has planting a church affected my life?

So, it’s been a while since I posted to the blog.  It’s about time to add another post.  I just read through my last post and saw that I promised to “talk about refining our process of reaching others with the gospel.”  I guess I’ll be faithful to my word and do that.

I think one of the biggest barriers to evangelism is the old way of thinking that reduces the work of evangelism to a gospel presentation followed by a sinner’s prayer.  Don’t stop reading.  I’m not crazy.  I do believe that a gospel presentation is absolutely necessary for someone to become a Christian.  Otherwise, what are they responding to?  What are they putting their faith in?  My point is that there are often many steps necessary to win someone to Christ before they hear and believe the good news that through the life, death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus we can be called children of God and are heirs of his eternal kingdom. 

Imagine approaching someone in a coffee shop, interrupting their peaceful ingestion of caffeine, and telling them that Jesus died for their sins.  Would you expect a positive reaction?  Of course not.  And this is why many people don’t feel equipped to do the work of evangelism.  People generally don’t respond to personal appeals like this outside of a relationship.  They probably are thinking, “Who are you to tell me about this Jesus?  You don’t know me.”  But what if we considered any trust-building or bridge-building between you, a believer, and any unbeliever to be doing the work of evangelism?  What if we considered the formation of relationships with non-believers to be the beginning of evangelism?  What if we started to see building healthy relationships with non-believers as an integral part of moving them toward a relationship with Christ?

I think we need to assume that those who don’t believe have at least some hostility toward Christianity.  At the very least they’re indifferent.  They have no interest and wonder why anyone would be interested in Jesus.  How do we take Jesus into a hostile and indifferent world?  We do so by building relationships.  We do so by living really intentionally.  Even strategically.

I’ve changed my habits so that I can build relationships with those around me.  I’ve started to be strategic about where I shop so I run into the same employees.  When I eat at a restaurant, I ask my server if there’s anything going on in his or her life that I can pray about.  I’m going to pray anyway!  Why not include them in my prayer?  And the area I need the most help in is reaching out in my neighborhood.  We need to break the idea of seeing our home as our refuge.  Jesus is our refuge.  We need to spend our time and home welcoming others into it.  We need to spend more time in our front yard rather than our backyard.  Last fall I bought a fire pit to drag into my driveway on Fridays to connect with people in the neighborhood.  We’ll see what fruit this will bear. 

Here’s the reality.  When we encounter people we always encounter them as people with whom God has started a conversation.  Let’s continue that conversation.  Let’s do it relationally.  Let’s do it lovingly.  Let’s do it as people whose lives have been changed by God.  Let’s share the good news, one relationship at a time.

What is church planting and why would anyone want to plant a new church?

Part II:

In the previous entry I talked about how our discipleship calls us to make disciples.  And as daunting as this sounds, when we set out to make disciples we are partnering with God.  So what does this have to do with church planting?  Everything!  We are planting a church not because there is something wrong with each of the hundreds of churches in Sioux Falls.  We are planting a church because new churches have proven to be highly effective at reaching un-churched people for the sake of Christ.  Sioux Falls doesn’t need one new church; it needs dozens of new churches.  One local ministry estimated that there are at least 100,000 un-churched people in the city of Sioux Falls.  These are our neighbors, our co-workers, our cashiers, our servers, our baristas, and our friends.  And God is calling us to reach them with the good news of new life in Christ. 

In my next post I will begin to talk about refining our process of reaching out to others with the gospel.  While I think even the newest convert is capable (and called) to reach others with the gospel, I do think there are ways we can each grow as disciple-makers.  But for today I want to focus more on the task of church planting.  Not all pastors are called to church planting.  It is a particular call, and churches examine potential planters closely because they want them to succeed.  I don’t want to challenge you to go plant a church.  What I do want to ask you today is whether you feel called to assist in the task of church planting.  I’m not asking for the sake of the church I am planting but for the sake of church planting in general.  As I said we need dozens of new churches in Sioux Falls and beyond, and just as much as these churches need good leadership, they need people like you to lend your assistance to them. 

A while back I read the book Sticky Faith.  Most Christian parents want their children to stick with the faith they are raised with.  But how?  How do we nurture a faith that sticks?  One researcher estimated that something like 80 percent of Christians leave the faith in college.  Whatever the number, the attrition rate is appalling.  Two of the elements the authors of Sticky Faith pointed to (that led to children sticking with their faith) were 1) it is clear to the children that a parent’s faith matters to them in their day-to-day life and 2) children are given opportunities to play a role in church.

The reason I raise these two elements is that by joining a church plant, you are not only blessing a missionary endeavor that makes new disciples, you are actively showing your children how much your faith means to you.  You are showing that your faith is so important you are leaving your comfort zone to help take the gospel to the least, the last, and the lost.  And in church plants children have an opportunity to put their faith into action and participate in the work of the church. 

For the sake of brevity I’ll sum up by saying this: the work of church planting is work, but it is important, impactful, and satisfying work.  I pray that you will prayerfully consider how you are called to support the work of church planting in your life.

What is church planting and why would anyone want to plant a new church?

Let me preface my comments by saying I’ve been thinking a lot lately about being a disciple of Jesus.  I mean more than usual.  I’ve been visiting a friend’s discipleship group (and shout-out to discipleship ministry Primary for their work in this area) for the past three weeks finding out what it’s all about.  What’s different about their discipleship group is its missional orientation.  Too often we think of our own discipleship as learning more about the God who is revealed in Scripture.  Far be it for me to dissuade anyone from reading their Bible more, but there is much more to our own discipleship than building ourselves up as followers of Jesus.  Our own discipleship ought to be just as much concerned with making disciples as it is with our own growth in Jesus.  After all, if we want to be obedient to Jesus that necessarily entails obeying his command to “make disciples of all nations” in Matthew 28.

But, I often hear people say, “I don’t have the right gifts for that.”  Maybe, but if you know Jesus you have everything you need.  You’re not a salesman who must go on a company retreat to get the requisite training.  If you know Jesus you are ready to make disciples.  When we seek to make disciples we are partnering with God himself.  What better partner can there be?  Anytime we encounter someone who doesn’t know Jesus we can be assured that God has already started a conversation with them.  We’re just continuing a conversation God has started. 

Consider the Samaritan woman Jesus meets at a well (John 4).  She has been called the first missionary by some because she left Jesus and immediately returned to town to tell her neighbors about Jesus.  She didn’t have the “right words.”  She hadn’t been to a single Christian church service.  All she knew is that she had met “the Christ.”

Friends, we have been empowered to take this good news of Jesus Christ to the ends of the earth.  You don’t need a degree in theology or a sophisticated presentation.  You have everything you need.  I want to be clear: I definitely think there are ways we can grow as disciple-makers, but we don’t need to wait until we are a Level-10 Christian to start the task of making disciples.*

What does this have to do with church planting?  I guess you’ll have to read the next post to find out. 

- Christopher

*There are no “Level-10” Christians.  There are no levels at all.