Take off the old human nature with its practices and put on the new nature, which is renewed in knowledge by conforming to the image of the one who created it.  In this image there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all things and in all people.  Colossians 3:9-11

Often, in blogging, I avoid speaking directly to cultural and political circumstances that can be considered “hot topic” or “controversial”.  Yet in reading a recent blog post by author Rachel Held Evans, I’m reminded that Christian writers have a responsibility to speak in times of cultural trial.  Too often, the voice of “Christians” that echoes the loudest across media outlets is one of hate, judgment, bigotry and oppression.  Is it any wonder that more and more Americans are leaving behind the label of “Christian”?

And what is a Christian, anyway?  At its core, a Christian is someone who is a self-professed sinner.  A Christian is someone who knows they are in need of redemption.  For Christians, that redemption comes through God in the form of Jesus Christ.  Once salvation has been accepted, once grace has been received, a Christian seeks to live a life following the example of Jesus Christ.

Following the example of Jesus Christ means practicing humility, not arrogance.  Following the example of Jesus Christ means reaching out in love to others, not standing in judgment and hate.  Following the example of Jesus Christ means standing up for justice, not participating and accepting systems of injustice and oppression.

For white Christians (like myself) following the example of Jesus Christ means acknowledging our blatantly racist past and accepting that we have built systems of inequality and prejudice that exist today.  Following the example of Jesus Christ means that we (white Christians) must stop protecting institutions that promote racial injustice.  We need to acknowledge the fact that our law enforcement systems are racially biased.  We need to stand in solidarity with our African-American brothers and sisters in demanding that those systems change.  We need to accept that the lens by which we view the world is skewed by prejudices handed down over generations.  We need to remember that in Christ, we are all one body.

As I watch demonstrations for racial justice erupt across the nation, I am hopeful that maybe change will finally come.  It will take time.  It will be painful.  It will require humility, compassion, and a careful re-evaluation of our own beliefs, values, and motivations.  However, I think it’s good.

For my part, I will continue to speak out on behalf of those fighting for justice.  I will continue to work to evaluate my own motivations and perceptions when it comes to issues of racial justice.  I will admit that I am a Christian–a sinner in need of redemption and grace.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now ,you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.  1 Peter 1:9

I remember a conversation with my oldest son when he was about three.  He was asking me about God and Jesus, trying to wrap his brain around these great big concepts most adults don’t understand.

“Where is God?” he asked.

“Everywhere,” I replied.

“I don’t see him,” he said.  “I see you.  I see the church.  But, I don’t see God.”

When I sit and consider my faith, it makes absolutely no sense.  The entire Christian religion is based on a story that sounds like it came straight from a sci-fi/fantasy novel.  A man claims to be the Son of God, is executed, and rises from the dead to save the world.  And yet, here we are, over 2,000 years later, still telling the story.

Why?  How is that possible?  Historians might point to the political and economic power and might of the Holy Roman Empire to explain the longevity of the Christian faith.  Both Protestant and Catholic churches have played important roles in world events, politics, and social reform movements over the past 2,000 plus years.

However, I don’t think the institution of the Church explains the lasting power of Christianity.  Faith in Christ is more intangible than that.  Faith in Christ comes from knowing, deep down in your soul, that this story, implausible though it seems,  is true.

There have been times in my life when reason has told me to cast off this faith.  It doesn’t make sense.  It can’t possibly be true.  There’s no evidence whatsoever to support it.

But I can’t.  And the reason I can’t cast off my belief is because I know the story is real.  I have seen God manifest in my life.  I feel his presence with me.  It’s not an emotion, but a true and living Spirit that is there, hovering over, around, and within me all at the same time.

I remember trying to explain this several years ago to some agnostic friends.  I was specifically sharing the experience of feeling God’s Spirit and presence in Sunday worship.  They had never experienced this before, as they felt church was pretty stale and meaningless in their country.  It seemed that they were almost wistful in their response, like they wanted that connection and presence in their lives .

The truth is, we can’t ever “prove” that our faith is valid.  It’s not a scientific hypothesis.  We either believe, or we don’t.  But my experiences with the risen Lord compel me to believe.  I have seen God work in my life.  I have heard him call my name.  I have been guided by his wisdom.  I have been comforted by his presence.  I have experienced his joy.

Jesus told the disciples that they believed because of what they had seen, but blessed are those who believe without seeing.  Seeing is not believing.  What is it that you believe?

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

Blessing, honor, glory and power belong to the one seated on the throne and to the Lamb forever and always.  Revelation 5: 13b

This morning, I’ve been thinking a lot about the nature of our American church.  Reading through the first five books of Revelation, it seems to me that we are broken.  Instead of being ambassadors of God’s love and grace, American Christians are too often emissaries of judgment and condemnation.  Being a Christian becomes more about being right (or self-righteous) than about being a servant of Christ.

Part of the problem, I think, is that as American Christians, we lack humility.  We’ve taken power on ourselves, rather than giving it to the One to whom it rightly belongs.  We call ourselves the standard bearers for morality, proper thinking, correct political beliefs, and accurate ideas for how the universe works.  Again, many American Christians think they’re right, and therefore, anyone else is wrong.

Yet, when I read through Jesus’ condemnation of the churches, I can’t help but our churches fall into the category of the condemned.  Jesus says to the church in Ephesus, “You have forsaken the love you had at first.”  To the Sardinians he says, “…you have a reputation for being alive, but you are dead…I have found your deeds unfinished in the sight of God.”  To the church in Laodicea he says, “…you are neither cold nor hot.  I wish you were either one or the other!”  To the churches in Pergamum and Thyatira he condemns them for engaging in idolatrous practices and following leaders who have gone astray.

I think many of our churches have forsaken the love we had at first.  We follow leaders who are more interested in promoting themselves than God, or follow cultural leaders and celebrities rather than following Jesus.  Many who profess to Christianity only practice that faith on Sunday mornings, leaving many works unfinished.  Our congregations are lukewarm, and that lukewarm nature breeds irrelevancy.

I think, as Christians, we need to go back to the first.  We need to lay aside our political beliefs, our self-righteous practices, and our ambitions for leadership and power.  We need to become, once again, Jesus followers.  And Jesus’ example was always one of humility and service.  Jesus went to the outcasts, the ones the Pharisees held in judgment and condemnation.  Jesus told the ones exiled by the church that they were loved, above all others.  Jesus didn’t say that if you love me, you’ll vote this way.  Rather, he told Peter, if you love me, feed my sheep.

If we want our mainline churches to grow, we need to practice humility.  We need to put aside our judgment and go serve others in need.  We need to stop placing ourselves on church committees and start placing ourselves in the streets.  We need to stop thinking we’re right and start remembering that we, too, are sinners in need of God’s grace, mercy, and redemption.

All honor and glory and wisdom and power and might belong to God forever and always (Revelation 7:12).  Let’s leave these things in God’s hands, and focus on loving him, and loving others.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

Dear friends, don’t be surprised about the fiery trials that have come among you to test you. These are not strange happenings.  Instead, rejoice as you share Christ’s suffering. You share his suffering now so that you may also have overwhelming joy when his glory is revealed.  If you are mocked because of Christ’s name, you are blessed, for the Spirit of glory—indeed, the Spirit of God—rests on you.

 Now none of you should suffer as a murderer or thief or evildoer or rebel.  But don’t be ashamed if you suffer as one who belongs to Christ. Rather, honor God as you bear Christ’s name.  1 Peter 4:12-16 (CEB)

Holy Week.  This is the week for Jesus Followers.  More so even than Christmas, this is the week for those who believe in Christ Jesus.  This is the week when we follow our Savior through the streets of Jerusalem.  We walk beside him as men, women, and children should “Hosanna!” and hail him King.

This is also the week where we gather together with our brothers and sisters in faith to share a last meal with the Teacher.  We listen to him as he tells us that this bread, the bread we eat, is his body broken for us.  We are full of wonder when he takes the cup and says, “This is my blood, poured out as a drink offering for you.”

This is the week where we sit in the garden with the Son, as he begs for the cup of suffering to be taken from him.  We wait, sleepy and full with our eyelids drooping as he agonizes over his fate, finally submitting to the authority and purpose of the Father.

This is the week where we go into the depths of the Antonia Fortress and watch as the Innocent is beaten, humiliated, mocked, tortured and, in agony, is forced to carry a cross he never deserved but chose to carry.

This is the week where we stand, silent, our hearts heavy, as the Lamb of God cries out from his broken body, “It is finished!”

This is the week when our joy turns to sorrow as we stand before a tomb where a battered, broken body lays.  Forgotten are the “Hosannas” that rang throughout the city only days before.  Instead, there is fear, bitterness, and dark, dark grief.

As Jesus people, we can’t forget or ignore the suffering Christ endured during our most holy of weeks.  Because that suffering was ours.  That agony was born for our sins, not his.

And, we can’t forget that there are people who are still suffering this day in his name.

I’m not talking about those American believers who think that because the Ten Commandments aren’t posted in public school we’re “suffering”.  To be sure, being a Jesus follower in the US is lonely at times.  We are living in the midst of modern-day Babylon.  However, we still have the ability to openly practice our faith.  We can, if we choose, go to church on Sunday mornings, gather in  Bible study through the week, pray with our children before they go to school, and put a study Bible in our kids’ backpacks.

But there are believers out there who face the darkness of violent oppression and injustice.  In the past few weeks alone, several Jesus followers have walked the road of unjust imprisonment, torture, and execution because they have professed to believing in their Redeemer.  They have, quite literally, followed Christ down the dark, painful, lonely path that is Holy Week.

As we gather this week to remember Christ’s suffering, Christ’s sacrifice, Christ’s death on the cross, I think we need to remember our fellow brothers and sisters who are sharing that walk with Christ right now.  We need to pray for them–for their strength, their safety, their peace, and their deliverance.

“Remember me…” Jesus said.  Take some time this Holy Week to read through the stories of Christ’s suffering and death once more.  Pray for those who are suffering today in his name.  And remember, it’s not the end of the story.

And the God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm and steadfast.  To him be the power for ever and ever.  Amen.  1 Peter 5: 10-11

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

You people aren’t faithful to God! Don’t you know that if you love the world, you are God’s enemies? And if you decide to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.  Do you doubt the Scriptures that say, “God truly cares about the Spirit he has put in us”?  In fact, God treats us with even greater kindness, just as the Scriptures say,

 Surrender to God! Resist the devil, and he will run from you.   Come near to God, and he will come near to you. James 4:4-8 (CEB)

Yesterday, our Sunday school class was watching Part 3 of Priscilla Shirer’s series He Speaks to Me: Preparing to Hear from God.  In this section of the study, Shier stresses the importance of living a life “set apart” in order to position ourselves to hear God speak.  She makes the statement that living a life set apart can be lonely.

Later, in my husband’s sermon, the focus was on Peter’s denial of Jesus in the courtyard of the High Priest’s home.  Peter, who had just said to Jesus, “I will follow you even to death!” now sits by the light of a fire and says, “I never knew that man!!”

So often, we look at the disciples with pity and judgment.  Those silly fools, we think.  How could they not understand?  But really, are we better?  How often do we deny Christ?  How often do we turn away from those teachings we know to be good and true in order to be a part of the world?

The truth is, if we’re honest, that being a Jesus follower really is a lonely life.  And most of us don’t like feeling lonely.  We might not, like Peter, say out loud, “I never knew that man!”  But, do we need to use the words?  Or is it clear that we deny Christ in our actions?

Just so we’re clear that this is not going to be some sort of holier than thou self-righteous soapbox post, let me tell you how I deny Christ:

I deny Christ when I focus so much on winning an Xbox in a charity raffle that I forget to enjoy time with friends and family

I deny Christ every time I get irritated with my husband for something stupid and indulge in bitter thoughts

I deny Christ when, in the evenings, the kids only have time for one book and I choose Captain Underpants over a Bible story

I deny Christ each time I sit down to a meal and forget (or choose not) to give him thanks and remember him

I deny Christ when I place my kids above everything else, teaching them that they are the most important people in the world, rather than training them to be humble and mindful of the needs of others

I deny Christ every time I gossip with my friends, tearing others down and sitting in judgment rather than building up and encouraging

I deny Christ every time I sit and cringe inwardly when someone makes a sexist, racist, or homophobic remark but say nothing about it.

I deny Christ when I tune out the rest of the world and focus on my own little me bubble, forgetting that I am called to his hands and feet

I deny Christ every Sunday during the Pastoral prayer when, instead of talking to God, I make lists of things I want to get done

Do you see how easy it is to deny Christ?  And so often, our motives for denying Christ are because we don’t want to stand out.  We don’t want to be set apart from the world–we want to be in the world.  We don’t want to say to our girlfriends, “You know, I don’t really want to see that movie.”  Or, tell the sports coach, “We’re not going to participate this year  because games are held on Sunday mornings.”  We don’t want to say, “I’m not going to buy anything today because there’s nothing I really need.”  Or, “I can’t go to dinner Monday night because I have Bible study.”

The thing is, in choosing this world over Christ, we’re denying ourselves access to God’s presence, his love, his peace, and his wisdom.

Peter realized, immediately, his denial of Christ.  Scripture tells us that after his third  Peter remembered Jesus’ words and  went out of the courtyard and wept bitterly.  Fortunately for Peter, and for us, God’s mercy is unending.  Jesus appeared to Peter after his resurrection.  In the Gospel of John, Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love me?”  “YES!” came Peter’s vehement reply.  “Then,” said Jesus, “Feed my sheep.”  In this moment Peter, the denier of Christ, becomes the leader of the church.  He brings Christ’s followers together, and they live in fellowship and unity.

Even though choosing Christ can seem lonely at times, the truth is that we are never alone.  Not only do we have God’s Spirit, we have a community of fellow believers around the world.  Just as Jesus sent the disciples out in pairs, so he has given us companions for the journey, too.  Who are those people in your life working to follow Christ?  Who can you go to when you are feeling alone in this journey?  Talk to them about how you’re feeling.  Read the stories in Scripture about others who have faced the loneliness of their faith.  And talk to God.  Ask him for his presence, his peace, his love, and his wisdom.

As we get ready to make our entrance once more into Holy Week, think about ways you can work to be set apart from this world, and focused on Christ.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

 

 

 

People who live on milk are like babies who don’t really know what is right.  Solid food is for mature people who have been trained to know right from wrong.  We must try to become mature and start thinking about more than just the basic things we were taught about Christ.  Hebrews 5:13-6:1 (CEB)

I’ve been experimenting lately with making waffles out of protein powder.  So far, the flavor is pretty good, (like Cocoa Puffs) but the consistency is a bit off (very crispy).  As I sat crunching on my waffle this morning that’s not really supposed to be crunchy, I thought about the above passage of Scripture.

As Jesus people, I think our flavor is often right, but we lack consistency.  Most of us who profess a faith in Christ want to be close to him.  We desire to grow in our faith, to become mature believers.  However, we often lack consistency in doing the things that get us there.  We don’t make time to read Scripture, our prayers are interrupted by work or kids or burning dinner, we forgo weekly worship for sports or brunch or extra sleep.  We aren’t maturing in our faith because we’re not consistently practicing it.

I know what you’re going to say, “But I….”

1. …don’t have time to read my Bible

2. …don’t understand the Bible when I try to read it

3. …have to take my kids to sports activities

4. ….only have Sunday mornings to spend with my family

5. …get really bored in worship

6. …don’t feel God speaking to me

7. …get distracted when I try to pray

8. …don’t know if God is really listening

I get it, I truly do.  I’ve said many of these same things myself.  But here’s the thing…we are called by the One who created us to actually grow in spiritual maturity.  God doesn’t want to be a babysitter.  God wants to be in a mature relationship with his children!  What an amazing honor that is!!  However, we can’t have that relationship if we’re not willing to put in the work required to maintain it.

So, what do we need to do in order to become mature Jesus people?  My friends, we need consistency…

1. Read the Bible. 

Find a translation that speaks to you (a.k.a. that you understand).  Go to Bible Gateway and read through various translations to see which one you like.  Set aside an extra 10 minutes in your day to read some Scripture.  Write verses down that speak to you and post them around your house/office/car.  Start small.  Read through the book of Philippians, Ruth, or 1 John.  And pray.  God’s Spirit reveals the Scriptures to us, so ask God for that Spirit while you read.

2. Pray often.

Prayer is a conversation.  It doesn’t have to be fancy or poetic.  Just talk to God.  Thank God for the day, for the coffee, for the warm clothes fresh from the dryer.  Thank God for the work you have to do, even if it’s annoying.  Tell God what you’re thinking about.  He knows, but he also likes to hear it from you.  What are you struggling with?  What are you worried about?  Who are you worried about?  Just talk…in the car, while pouring your coffee, while standing at the copy machine, waiting in line, or tossing clothes in the wash.  Just talk…

3. Engage in worship.

Go to church.  Worship with fellow believers.  Maybe you don’t like the music or the sermon or the liturgy…who cares?  If you ask God, he’ll show up.  So, ask God to speak to  you during worship, regardless of the songs that are sung or the message that is delivered.  Focus on God.  Listen to the words of the hymns.  Take time to pray.  Pay attention to the message.  Praise God for all he has done.  And, ask for his presence to guide you in worship and to speak to you.

Let’s grow up, if God is willing, the author of Hebrews writes.  I think God is willing…we just need to practice consistency.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

 

 

 

We must give our full attention to what we were told, so that we won’t drift away.  Hebrews 2: 1 (CEB)

I remember once, when I was a girl, getting ready to walk out the door for school.  My mom said, “Don’t forget your raincoat.”

I looked out the front door at the beautiful sunny morning.  “Mom, it’s sunny.  I don’t need it.”  That afternoon, as I walked home from school in the pouring rain, I thought about that conversation.  Needless to say, the next time my mom told me to grab a raincoat, I listened.

My mom has always had some sort of innate sense about the weather.  She pays attention to the forecasts, watches the signs of nature, and trusts her experiences.  She knows what she’s talking about.

The other day, my second grader brought home notecards to study for a science test.  As we were reviewing, I realized that he had mixed up the definitions for “adaptation” and “camouflage”.  As much as I insisted that I knew the definitions, he refused to listen.  What would his mother know about science class? (Okay, in truth, not a lot.  I’m an English nerd.  But, 2nd grade science I think I’ve got a handle on!)  We finally emailed the teacher.  And, guess what?  Mama knew what she was talking about!

How often do we, as Christians, think we know better than God?  How often do we fail to give our full attention to what God is telling us and stubbornly go our own way?  How often does our own way lead to a great big mess we’re asking God to clean up?

The writer of Hebrews tells us that we need to give our FULL attention to what God has told us (and is telling us).  God wants our full attention on him not because he’s some sort of celestial know-it-all, but because he loves us.  He wants to care for us, to guide us, to support us, to heal us, to empower us, to make us better than what we are now.  Ultimately, God wants to share this life with us.  But we have to give him our full attention.  We have to listen.  And, yes, we have to obey.

If God says, “Take the raincoat”, we have to be willing to take it, regardless of the fact that it’s a beautiful sunny morning.  God knows what’s coming.  He sees the whole picture.

Give your full attention to what you have been told, so you don’t drift away.

Blessings and Peace,

Sara

Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you,  so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody. 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12

The quiet life…I always thought that the writer’s life was the ideal quiet life.  In my mind, it included days spent contemplating higher things, taking walks to admire God’s handiwork, sipping coffee and perusing Scripture with my dogs curled at my feet.  I pictured Emerson and Thoreau rambling around the New England countryside.  Funny, how the mind works, isn’t it?

Yes, my days are now spent in quiet, but it’s hardly the quiet life.  With a handful of freelance projects rolling at once, my brain bounces around like our puppy who spends his day running back and forth from our boys’ room dragging out one toy after another.  While there is quiet around me, my head is full of noise.  I have deadlines to meet and am often stuck in the “me” bubble forgetting all else and striving for a finish line that isn’t really the one God has set.

When Paul talks about Christians living a “quiet” life, he’s not really talking about solitude.  Of course, we need quiet time for reflection, meditation, and prayer, but most of us don’t live a monastic life.  When my boys get home (or are awake),  quiet is completely thrown out the window with shouts, whoops, pounding feet, squeals, calls of “Mama–so and so did this!”, the barking of dogs and the Disney Channel.  Seriously, a barroom brawl could not eclipse the decibel level in our house.  But that’s okay–it’s life–and I wouldn’t trade it.

So, when Paul tells the Thessalonian church to lead a quiet life, he’s really telling them “Lead your own life.”  Look at the very next sentence…”You should mind your own business…”   In other words, don’t be a drama queen.  Don’t gossip.  Don’t get caught up in the drama of the world around you.  Instead, do your work.

Did you catch that?  Do your work–the things God has placed before you to accomplish.  It might not be fun or flashy (like writing hundreds of assessment items), but it’s your work.  And when we work with a focus on God, people notice.  They see us working; not gossiping, slandering, criticizing, or tearing down.  Rather, they see us building up, encouraging, comforting, supporting….in short, they see us practicing God’s love and living in God’s peace.

Living the quiet life is not actually about quiet.  Living the quiet life is about living a life of focus.  It’s about setting our sights solely on the work God has entrusted us with and called us to do.  It is about honoring God with our hands, our minds, our hearts, and our mouths.  The quiet life is a God centered life.  How quiet is your life right now?

Blessings and Peace

Sara

 For this is what the Lord says:

Although Israel’s rebellion against God occurred thousands of years ago, humanity has not ceased to carry that rebellion on throughout the generations.  If we’re being honest with ourselves, we all have turned our backs on God at one time or another.  Our idols might look different than they did during Isaiah’s time, but they are there non-the-less.  I think the fact that they are not golden calves or Asherah poles makes them harder to recognize.  But anytime we put something before God, anytime we turn to someone or something other than God to meet our needs-give us purpose-fulfill us-deliver us, then we are practicing idolatry.

Take a moment and consider the idols which exist in your life.  What pulls you away from God?  What are you placing before God?  What, other than God, has power over your life?

The following is a Prayer of Confession from the United Methodist Book of Worship.  We recite this prayer once a month as part of our Holy Communion liturgy.  I offer this prayer to you today for your own personal use. I have changed the collective “we” and “our” in the original prayer to the singular “I” and “my” for this purpose. And remember, as Isaiah writes so eloquently, “Though your sins be like scarlet;they shall be as white as snow.”

Merciful God, I confess that I have not loved you with my whole heart.  

I have failed to be an obedient servant.  

I have not done your will.

I have broken your law.

I have rebelled against your love.

I have not loved my neighbors.

I have not heard the cry of the needy.  

Forgive me, I pray.  

Free me, for joyful obedience.

Through Jesus Christ my Lord,  Amen.