Ephesians - Slaves Obey Your Masters

So, I'm trying something different, and yes, Glenn... I'm planning on sticking with it for a long time!  :-)

As shepherd of the people who claim The River as their spiritual home (and anyone else who may listen), it is my heart's desire to get everyone reading the Word of God regularly - so that they may hear the voice of, and better discern the love and grace continually poured out by our Father in heaven.


So just to keep everyone on the same page... and to make it easy, I've been encouraging everyone to read (at a minimum) one book of the Bible per week. As it is, we've been making our way through the New Testament for a few weeks now, and at our current pace, we'll be on track to finish it by Easter Sunday.


This week's focus book is EPHESIANS (This link sends you to the NLT translation, which, along with The Message, are my personal preferences). My sermons will not necessarily follow the reading schedule, so instead I'll resurrect this blog site to journal about something I read each week... while continuing to blog about the upcoming sermon at River Ramblings. Clear as mud?


Anyway, today, I was struck by Ephesians 6:5-8, as follows:

 ⁵ Slaves, obey your earthly masters with deep respect and fear. Serve them sincerely as you would serve Christ. ⁶ Try to please them all the time, not just when they are watching you. As slaves of Christ, do the will of God with all your heart. ⁷ Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people. ⁸ Remember that the Lord will reward each one of us for the good we do, whether we are slaves or free.

Okay, so it's not likely anyone reading this is a slave - at least in the sense of slavery as we know it, marked by it's brutality and bondage. However, all of us who claim that Jesus is Lord is considered a "slave to righteousness"... so as far as I'm concerned, this is a passage for you and me just as much as anyone else.


We are willing subjects of God's kingdom, bond-servants of the One who sits enthroned above and has all power and authority to rule over us as He sees fit. So, if we are not "independent" contractors, but indeed slaves to the cause of Jesus Christ (as Paul so often described himself in various ways) - then what do you think it means to serve Him, O Christian? Haphazardly? Once in awhile? However and whenever we want? When it fits our busy schedule? When it's fun? When it stays within our comfort zone? When it doesn't hurt?


Um... no. I don't think so. Serving the Lord with all your heart and soul and mind and strength can be a pretty frightening experience sometimes. And yes, servanthood can potentially bring about a huge amount of pain and suffering on our part. Let's face it... being a disciple of Christ is not easy. Sometimes it's lonely and often it's frustrating doing what you hear the voice of God calling you to do.


But it's worth it. I heard someone say once... "God isn't interested in our happiness, He's interested in our holiness." However, even though that expression may have a ring of truth to it, I tend to think the gospel of Christ goes much deeper than that. I definitely don't think following Christ was ever meant to be easy, but on the other hand, God is eager to pour out His Spirit on His children, to make even the most difficult of circumstances lead to joy. Joy isn't what's felt on the surface when we get what we want out of life... it's what is felt deep down inside when we humbly obey God's will for our lives. Joy is what comes about when we, "Work with enthusiasm, as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people."

Pathways

I had a nice conversation with a good friend the other day. We talked about pathways to God and other mysteries of life... you know, some light conversation over coffee. Anyway, according to the well-known religious guru, Oprah Winfrey, there are many pathways to God, and (my interpretation of her words) Christians are rather arrogant to think they know the only way to eternal life.

Hmmmm... I realize Oprah is a very good and very powerful person. She has very publicly, very generously given away many things to needy people, and has poured herself into causes of injustice around the world. But just because she's popular... just because she's giving... just because she's a celebrity (in a culture that worships celebrities)... just because she's a "good" person, I have - and always did have - a problem with Oprah's "many pathways to God" theology. Just who is her god anyway? I submit she believes that "god" is found deep within ourselves. With enough positive thinking, we can tap into our inner god. A novel idea, but one that goes against the Jewish/Christian concept of a powerful creator.

For example, here is an Oprah quote from a 2002 article: "I became calm inside myself and I thought, The outside world is always going to be telling you one thing, have one impression—accusatory, blaming, and so forth. And you are to stand still inside yourself and know the truth, and let it set you free. And in that moment, I won that trial."

Now, I don't pretend to know whether "good" sacrificial, generous, god-fearing (i.e., Christlike) people of other world religions are on the right pathway toward salvation. No one knows the eternal destiny of other human beings... only God alone knows that. As followers of the Way, we are called to discern a person's standing before God perhaps - and be witnesses of His mercy and grace - but never to judge or condemn them to "hell".

Like Oprah, I do not believe that people must (magically) utter the name of Jesus, or bow down to the cross, or read a Bible, or say the sinner's prayer... or (for heaven's sake) be regular church attenders in order to be on the "path" of salvation. So, if Oprah believes Christians are arrogant to think they are the only people on earth who have even a glimmer of hope of eternity (just because they were lucky enough to be born into the right culture)... I would agree with her. I firmly believe salvation is far more complex, far messier than that... part of the divine mystery. Finite creatures attempting to know the ways of the infinite God will never fully grasp Him.

However, unlike Oprah, I don't believe there are many pathways to God... there is only one... and that is right response to the light we have been given (by whatever means that light may be shed). In other words, I believe the One true God can and does have the power and motivation to reveal Himself to humanity... ALL of humanity. And ultimately, He invites every human being to look outside themselves - to walk on the path of eternity - through His Spirit. For many, this light is the gospel of Jesus Christ... that is, an invitation to walk in relationship with the Jewish Messiah - to live as he lived, and believe as he taught. For others, the light... the revelation of God... may be cast in different shades or colors... but nevertheless, the invitation to turn away from self-worship (to repent) and turn toward something far more powerful than themselves... is given. Now, just how and where salvation plays out in the midst of this revelatory transaction takes place is a complete mystery... wouldn't you agree?

Anyway, here's my beef with Oprah. Ultimately, it seems her god is found from within... in other words, we are god. If we just believe in ourselves more, if we search deeply inside our soul... our inner sanctuary, if we seek inner peace and harmony (the goodness within us all)... we will find salvation... bliss... the pathway to God.

But the God I know... the One who whispered my name and revealed Himself to me... The One who was, and is, and always will be... let me in on a little secret: Creation is good, very good... but within the bounds of human history, something very bad occurred... something which profoundly damaged the goodness of creation... In the context of freedom, a wrong choice was made, thereby damaging humanity's eternal relationship with God. But God - knowing our determined desire to find the answer within ourselves - allowed humanity to attempt to fix their own problems... to be "good" and moral beings strong enough and righteous enough to restore the broken relationship (in their own strength... with some help from God). But after thousands of years and countless cycles of failure (as told in the Old Testament stories of God's chosen people)... After it became abundantly clear humanity is "lost" apart from God... In the fullness of time, God revealed Himself more fully, more personally. The Lord Himself joined us in our stead, He came to our world and personally paid the high cost of our salvation. We, therefore - through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ - have the opportunity to live in a restored relationship with our Creator.

The answer is not found within ourselves, Ms. Winfrey... the answer is found outside of us, as we invite Him to come near. The answer is found in the loving, faithful, ever-so-patient, sacrificial, and yet oft-frustrated God who made us, cares for us, disciplines us, goes to the ends of the earth for our sake... and yes, the God - the ONLY God - who provides the Way for our eternity. "god" has a name - He revealed Himself to us as Yahweh. He then chose to more fully reveal Himself to us through His Son, Jesus... and by His Spirit. That is not a statement of arrogance... it is a Trinitarian statement of faith - it is an articulation of hope for those who seek something powerful and grace-filled of which they can cling to... forever.

Cafe Living

It's been a couple hundred years since I made a post at good ole' Cafe Verona... but I really miss it! And things have certainly changed since the last time I wrote down my spiritual thoughts here in this thoughtful, friendly, cozy, and powerfully aromatic Italian espresso bar at the far reaches of my mind. Actually, there are several reasons I haven't written for so long... one is the Daily Word, which takes a lot more time than I would have ever supposed. But the overriding reason is pure and unadulterated laziness!

One thing I have experienced since I last visited the Cafe is an unforgettable time working for several months as a Barista at Starbucks. Holy cow... that is one butt-kicking (but wonderful) job! I don't know if I miss making endless lines of lattes and caramel macciotos, but I really do miss the people a lot... both fellow partners (employees) and customers! Someday soon, I'm going to post on some of the lessons learned at Starbucks. It's been a couple of weeks now since I've "retired" from the Canyon Road (Ellensburg) location, but my body is still trying to get used to not getting up at O'Dark-thirty. Seriously, I believe a middle-aged guy getting out of bed at 3:30 in the morning to go to work has learned the definition of hell on earth! No biggie for the young kids I worked with - sometimes they came in to work without sleeping at all the night before... a suicidal approach my brain can't even begin to fathom. Let's face it, quad-grande americanos might help (and taste really good), but NOTHING could give me the energy to think and do all the necessary things if I even dared walk in the door with less than six hours of sleep. After a few minutes, they'd send me home in a basket.

So, here I am... all of a sudden I have more time on my hands than I've had in nearly eight years (after a lifetime in seminary, and nearly a year as a bi-vocational church planter)... I'm actually able to read more, think more, and write more. Oh, don't get me wrong... I manage to stay really busy these days, but it's amazing how different it is to have only one full-time job, rather than trying to keep several plates balanced in the air and constantly spinning.

So anyway, my new goal is to post my thoughts here on a weekly(ish) basis. Sounds easy, I know... but do you have a blog? If so, are you consistent with it? Ha... I thought so!

The way I see it, I have about a 12 month (give or take) window of opportunity to see for certain if God has something special in mind for creating a new kind of church in the Burg. After that, things get a bit more complicated, especially financially... but for the next year, I can focus all my energy and effort into The River. As I step back from my job as Barista and once again begin to dream big dreams about this church-planting adventure, I am fearful yet confident, anxious yet relaxed, and overwhelmed yet faith-filled. I'm likely to have a lot of thoughts along the journey... and I'd love to get your input as I write down my random thoughts on church-planting, discipleship, and life-in-general.

So... welcome back to Cafe Verona. Grab a chair, sit back, relax, order your favorite coffee beverage, and join in on the conversation!

Authentic

authentic | involved | eclectic | missional

Authentic [aw-then-tic]

1.	not false or copied; genuine; real

2.	having the origin supported by unquestionable evidence; authenticated; verified

3.	entitled to acceptance or belief because of agreement with known facts or experience; reliable; trustworthy

Source: http://www.dictionary.com/

We at The River seek to be a community of faith that is authentic. But what exactly does that mean? Isn't every church authentic? Well, maybe... and maybe not. But we're not trying to presume the motives of other groups in this discussion. We are simply asking what the shape and priorities of our church should be if we're seeking to be (as in definition number one) "genuine" followers of Jesus in this little corner of the world.

One thing that comes to mind for me is that we need to see people here as loved by God - no matter where they are in their beliefs. There is a huge population of spiritual believers and seekers in the Pacific Northwest. But - here's a shock - not all of them are looking for... or finding their answers in Christ. I don't know if that is the church's fault or not... but I do know that we have kind of settled into a polarized society here: Essentially, the Christians and the non-Christians.

We have a decent (if not statistically low) number of Bible-believing, regularly church-attending folks who make it to worship service each Sunday. And then we have a massive group of people who don't fit into that category... probably because there are so many outdoor activities in (or close to) this little valley. Why mess up a perfectly good chance to go skiing or snowmobiling by going to church?

I don't have a great answer to that last point. Sometimes I wish I could go fishing, or skiing, or hiking, or camping, or river-floating (or whatever) on a weekend without having to go to the modern version of church. But hey, that's the price you pay to be a disciple, isn't it? By now, you may be asking yourself... Does Jeff have a point to make here? Actually, I don't know for certain - but I do know I'm kind of sick of the polarity.

Perhaps it's just the nature of the beast, but why do Christians have to be so different than the rest of society? Why do we have to put up so many walls... blocking the way for people to experience what we have to offer... that is, the person of Jesus in our midst? Why have we positioned ourselves as so different from (i.e., out of touch with) our unbelieving friends and neighbors?

I understand that not everyone wants to know about Jesus... BOY do I understand that! But how many people would demonstrate more interest in the Christian faith if they encountered more authentic Christ followers in their daily lives? What if - instead of taking pride in our separation from the "sinners" among us - we took pride in our integration into the lives of pre-Christians... that is, people who don't yet know (but have a destiny with) Christ?

Okay... a controversial point perhaps... but let's say we agree that we need to be more integrated into our local community... Somehow we need to overcome our collective "holier-than-thou" reputation, and earn a new reputation as authentic, empathetic and completely trustworthy. But how do we go about it? How do we change our reputation? Is it even possible? How do we allow others to see that we're real people... with real problems and concerns? How do we live among the people and tell them the truth... the compelling story of God's relentless pursuit of our salvation... without coming across as jerks and self-seeking manipulators?

Wikipedia says that authenticity "refers to the truthfulness of origins, attributions, commitments, sincerity, devotion, and intentions" and "a particular way of dealing with the external world." Wow... If we could stop trying to build a church... (yes, that's what I said). If we could stop trying to win more people to Jesus (don't faint... stay with me). Heck, if we could just somehow, some way resist the overwhelming sense of "us and them" syndrome for just a little while... If we could live our lives before God with "truthfulness of origins; attributions; commitments; sincerity; devotion; and intentions"...

Who knows what God could do with that kind of authenticity from His followers!

So, blog reader... what does authentic Christian discipleship mean to you? I know, I know... online comments are about as popular as a root canal... but just this once, give it a try... There is no right or wrong here (well, unless you're really off the deep end). I'm simply curious what people think when they hear the term "authentic follower of Christ." How does a little, emerging, and (hopefully) out of the box gathering of everyday people live in, and connect with folks on a deep level... and find creative new ways to "deal with the external world?"

How do we spread the good news authentically (that is... with our actions as well as our words)? How do we speak the language of "outsiders" so they hear the relevance of Christ... and positively respond to Him? Just what does it mean to be aw-then-tik?

Hmmmmmm... I'm curious to read what you think.

Daily Word

Ya, I know it's been awhile since I have posted anything at this blog... but trust me, I have been busy! Ever since we have been gathering (at The River) as a small group for the past few weeks, I set up a new blog at the church website with the daily gospel reading from the Revised Common Lectionary. There are some really good resources that teach about the Lectionary at The Voice. Anyway, I have been providing the Gospel portion of the Scriptures along with an image and short devotional thought. It's a quick read (about 5 minutes), and hopefully worthwhile in the lives of busy, overtaxed disciples of Jesus.

The church website is www.kvriver.com and the devotional reading for each day is on the tab (at the top of the page) called "Daily Word". Unlike this blog, there is not a subscription button for email. However, if you'd like me to add you to (or remove you from) the list, I can send you an email each day as I update the blog.

To all my adoring fans (:-) I'll get back to posting more at this site pretty soon... However, I'm having a lot of fun and getting challenged by writing these short, simple devotional thoughts each day. They are not terribly deep or profound, but nevertheless, the discipline is having a deep, profound impact on me... and so are our small group discussions. Your online comments are welcome and appreciated... assuming you're not trying to sabotage our efforts.

Finally, I'm also writing a weekly devotional thought each week for my previous employer (Children's Ministries) in Kansas City. They are posted at http://cmc.nazarene.org. These short sermonettes have proven to be fun (and challenging) as well.

Gee, all this responsibility is causing me to actually read the Bible once in a while!

Who woulda thunk it?

The Lectionary

Wow, I never, ever thought I'd be considering using the Lectionary. I mean, that's just a tool of high church tradition, right? A boring, mind-numbing string of Bible passages that have no connection to one another, and no rhyme or reason to their selection. Besides, this is a complex world. People need help with specific issues in their lives, so in order to do it right, a preacher should exegete his congregation properly and use relevant, helpful topical series to preach where people live - not some ancient, holier-than-thou, outdated, powerless ministry tool.

At least, that's what I used to think.

 

However, more and more, I'm beginning to appreciate the Lectionary as something powerful, useful - and quite possibly even relevant for use in local church ministry. It's not just the Sunday readings that intrigue me - you know, the Psalms, Old Testament, Epistle, and Gospel selections. There's another function of the Lectionary - something I never even knew of until recently - called The Daily Office. The purpose of the Lectionary goes well beyond Sunday mornings (who knew?). It also provides us an excellent resource for daily Bible reading. Generally speaking, it is designed to help students of the Word (i.e., disciples of Jesus) gain a more fully-orbed experience of the biblical stories and teachings through a two-year cycle. Essentially, if you consistently read the Daily Office for two full years, you'd have a solid understanding of the major stories, teachings and doctrines found in God's Word. Not bad.

Not only that, but the Lectionary readings beautifully coincide with the Church calendar, connecting us with a 2,000 year old tradition of attuning ourselves with the major events in the life and ministry of Jesus. For example, there are two major seasons of the church year which make up "Sacred Time", (1) Advent-Christmas-Epiphany, and (2) Lent-Easter-Pentecost. The balance of the year is known as "Ordinary Time." Ordinary in this case does not mean mundane, but rather "counted time." Alternative terms for this season of the church calendar are Kingdomtide and Dominiontide. Whatever you choose to call it, this period begins on the Monday after Pentecost and lasts until the day before the First Sunday in Advent.

I know this may be basic stuff for some of you... and yet completely alien territory for many others. Nevertheless, it's a rather new concept for me, and I'm finding the Lectionary to be an intriguing resource - one in which I'm becoming more and more comfortable reading and utilizing personally. What I'd really like to do is find a way to combine all the daily readings in one place - to make it easy for people to read each section without having to do a lot of flipping back and forth in their Bible or surf the web incessantly. It's a fast-food, sound byte generation, you know. :-) 

I may be wrong, but I'm convinced that most Christians today are biblically illiterate. Hey, I struggle to read the Bible consistently and systematically each day... and for goodness sake, I'm a pastor! How much more difficult for people whose living is not at least partially made by studying and interpreting the Bible? Perhaps the Lectionary could help maxed-out generation of busy disciples by providing a timely, communal, comprehensive, and yet mercifully short daily guide through the Scriptures? Is there a downside to this?

However, so far I've not yet found the Daily Office in one convenient place. Perhaps that is what the Book of Common Prayer is all about... I don't really know. (I know... another ignorant Protestant!) Anyway, currently, I use Bible Gateway to look up each text based on the Lectionary resource at CRI Voice. But frankly, that takes a lot of time and energy... more that most would probably be willing to spend each morning. There's got to be a better way.

Do you know of one? What is your plan for daily Bible reading?

Or, maybe I should ask it this way: Do you have a plan for reading the Bible?

Please, don't be shy. Tell me about it.

Doing Church

I love God. I love that God loves me, in spite of my warts - and I love that He loves loves the whole world, in spite of its collective evil... that is, thanks to His special creation (humanity).

And I love the Church - that is - the gathering of saints, singing spiritual songs and hymns, prayer, Communion, confession, encouragement, laughter, tears, serving others, excitement, brokenness, conversation, breaking of bread, laying on of hands, accountability, sacrifice, healing, forgiveness, redemption, grace. In a phrase... Joyful struggle. I told a listening friend recently that starting a new church is hard... it's a huge, very lonely, sometimes depressing struggle... but somehow, some way there is an inexpressible joy contained within the struggle. I know God has called us here to plant His church... but sometimes I really begin to doubt. Then someone or something comes along and the doubts begin to melt, at least for awhile.

Anyway, I had a nice conversation over lunch today... I was talking with my friend Bill about church. Nothing earth shattering, just trying to articulate what church is and perhaps what it should be. Just why do I want to start a new church in Ellensburg, anyway? I mean, there's already a ton of Christian churches in town... more than enough to handle its relatively small population. Well, not enough for the whole population I suppose, but more than enough to provide a place of community for Christians. So, do I think they're all doing it wrong, and I need to start a new church that does it "right"? No, I really don't think that's my motivation... although in my heart of hearts I do admit I believe there is some truth to that. 

I guess my real angst is that (in my experience) churches are designed to go after and do their best to retain existing Christians (by serving their needs) - rather than doing what Jesus told us to do... look for creative, out-of-the-box new ways to seek and save the lost. Yes, I know... laypeople are trained (for better or worse) to evangelize their friends, family, neighbors, etc. to get them all to come to church (where they can presumably experience God). But - this is where it gets messy for me - here is my question: should we try to get unbelievers into our churches to save them... or should we be going to them to preach the gospel (and sometimes use words)?

Perhaps it's not a yes or no, but a yes/and kind of answer. Perhaps it is good to gather as a community of God's people to worship and seek to experience the powerful presence of God together. But in all honesty... is that enough? Is it even the most necessary thing? Doesn't it seem like "church" has become this thing that we do... rather than something we are? Doesn't it seem like typical Sunday morning worship services inspire us to listen (and take notes) and receive (and learn)... rather than converse together (and become vulnerable) and give sacrificially (and grow)? Doesn't Sunday morning church attendance seem like it encourages individualistic mask-wearing rather than participation in the gospel story? Is Sunday morning church all there is to the Christian life...? That is, one hour of sitting and listening to people sing and talk about God? What about the other 167 hours of a person's week? Isn't Christian discipleship supposed to be a 24/7 thing? Isn't following God supposed to be the aim and passion of our whole lives?

Let me ask you... because frankly, I'm curious... If you consider yourself a mature follower of Christ, and yet the sum total of your time each week is spent worshipping God in a Sunday morning (or evening) "service"... how are you able to grow in your walk with Jesus? Are you accountable to anyone about your temptation to rebel against God? Does anyone know your story... your fears... your victories... your failures... your dreams... In other words, does anyone in the Christian community really know the real you? Who encourages you? Who prays for you (no, I mean really intercede on your behalf and stands between you and God)? Who depends on you to join their spiritual battle and seek God's will for their lives?

Maybe I'm missing something, but those things have never happened to me in a "come and see" atmosphere. Oh, don't get me wrong, I have been convicted of my sin, and I have poured out my heart to God during an altar call... but other than the token pray-er who bravely decided to join me and pray for me while I blubbered about my spiritual concerns... no one has ever come alongside me in the midst of my battles with Satan as a direct result of a Sunday morning worship service. 

Informal small groups, however, have utterly shaped and formed my Christian experience. Breaking bread with empathetic and trustworthy Christ followers has led to profoundly deep conversations about God's grace... and deep change within my soul. Missional activities, like visiting someone without hope in a hospital, or serving dinner to a bunch of homeless men, have provided me a closeness to God I never thought imaginable. Each of these activities shares common threads I believe are vitally important to discipleship: two-way interaction, and human presence.

Does all my ranting above mean I'm against Sunday morning worship? No... not at all. I guess I'm just trying to say I don't think simple church attendance has the same power to transform hearts that it used to have. I know, I know... small groups are all the rage in churches these days - and good as the idea might be... small groups have the same propensity to grow inward and become cliquish as Sunday morning worship services. Besides... most small group "ministries" seem to be designed to serve the purposes of the church more than its members.

 

So what would the ideal church look like? What would the ideal church encourage from its members? What would it require and/or enforce? When and how would it gather as a community? How could it get whacked-out busy people to slow down and give more time to God... to make time to establish authentic, self-giving vertical (toward God) worship and horizontal (toward others) relationships? What would its goals and values be as a community of Christ? How could it balance the need for Christian fellowship with the commandment to serve others?

Oh God... How are we to live (and gather and serve and worship) in this confusing, caffeine-enriched, crazy culture we live in? Where are you at work in our world... and how may we join you? How may we serve you... and best represent your holy presence in this place? How are we to be and do Church?