Classified, Ranked, and Found…?

This year at our church’s kids club, we played a game to illustrate the classes of the feudal system. Maybe you’re familiar with the game “Predator and Prey” that illustrates the food cycle? It’s similar: peasants were the most plentiful, but the lowest ranked group. They were allowed to be tagged by anyone, but couldn’t tag anyone themselves. Lords and ladies were the lowest members of the court: they could tag only the peasants, and could be tagged by anyone ranking higher than them. Counts and Countesses were next in rank, followed by the Duke and Duchess. Prince and Princesses outranked the members of the court, with the Crown Prince being highest ranked of them. The King and his Queen were the highest rank and could not be tagged by anyone.

It’s funny how human nature is to rank oneself above another or one group above another. It’s rampant based upon popularity in schools, in Hollywood, and in social media. It’s the base for racism, sexism, and a host of social problems.

Of course, some areas of society require ranking systems for order. The army wouldn’t be very effective without commanding officers, would it? What about a business? Someone needs to be “in charge” for order to be maintained, and for projects to be accomplished. God has even set up order for the family (see Ephesians 5-6). A group is only as effective as its leaders, in their ability to communicate and execute a vision and accomplish a purpose.

We’re blessed at our church to have some excellent leaders; not just our pastors, but many who are servant-leaders who are willing to come alongside and help. That’s one of the specific gifts our church has. Isn’t it neat how God’s system is backwards from the world?

They came to Capernaum. When he was in the house, he asked them, “What were you arguing about on the road?” But they kept quiet because on the way they had argued about who was the greatest.
Sitting down, Jesus called the Twelve and said, “Anyone who wants to be first must be the very last, and the servant of all.”
He took a little child whom he placed among them. Taking the child in his arms, he said to them, “Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me,” (Mark 9:33-37).

I was honored earlier this month when several of our congregation members who I consider to be my spiritual leaders came alongside to help with our conclusion to our kids program – a Medieval Feast. So many gave their time, their talents, their feedback, even their presence, to make the evening a success. Your humility, your willingness and your insights are greatly appreciated. Thank you for all that you give. We are blessed by everything you share on our behalf!

Christian Liberty

How did it feel to be in Easter Sunday service for you last week?  I hope it was an awesome time for you to connect with God.  I caught myself midway through the service really feeling the words, “I am free to run, I am free to dance.  I am free to live for You…..”  It felt like after 40 days of various types of deprivation in the forms of fasting and abstaining, I was released from that commitment, and I had a deep appreciation for the things I could now do.  Easter Sunday marked the day that I could choose what I wanted to eat, when I wanted to eat it, and what I wanted to do and when to do it.  The thought took me by surprise, because wasn’t it supposed to feel good and spiritual to fast?

The answer I felt I got to that question was yes, it is good to fast.  And yes, it is also good to appreciate the freedom and abundance we’re blessed with.  We may not always have that.  God loves to give us good things, and He loves it when we appreciate them.

Galatians 5 says, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage,” (verse 1).

“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another,” (verse 13).

“But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!” (verse 15).

The passage goes on to describe the work of the flesh and the way it is contrary to the work of the Spirit. “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit,” (verses 19-23, bold added for emphasis).

Paul isn’t talking to the world here; he’s talking to the church.  He’s illustrating the way that the church can act with godly character, and how we can act without submitting to the Spirit.  Think about it: do people of the world see the church as acting with godly character, as being the most loving, joyful, peaceful, patient etc people that they know?  Or do they see our faults when we’re acting without the Spirit and see that we’re just like they are?

The liberty that we have because of Christ’s death allows us the freedom to choose how we will behave.  But our actions have consequences: will our actions cause us to lose inheritance in the kingdom of God, or will they be such that there is no law against what we do?  Are we representing the Spirit with what we do?

No law = no consequences = freedom.  Let’s make sure that our actions SHOW that we’re walking in the freedom of the Spirit.

The Power of Our Words

Have you ever had a casual conversation with someone and walked away knowing exactly who and what is important to them?  I can think of several occasions where I’ve had an in-depth conversation with someone I didn’t know well prior to the conversation, and after walking away I felt like I could recount interesting tidbits not only about the person I’d been speaking with, but his or her spouse, family, and possibly even friends.  I do this in my own conversations: I’m more likely to tell a story about something one of my loved ones said or did than to tell you the specifics of the projects I’ve been working on.  Relationships are important, aren’t they?  And the depth of their importance will be revealed by the fact that you refer to that person in your conversation.  I’m not talking about gossiping about your loved ones – we need to be certain that our conversation about them is uplifting, don’t we?  Even the way we speak about the loved one can be a hint as to how the relationship is going.  If I speak negatively about my husband to you in a casual conversation, you’re likely to know that I’m not feeling warm fuzzy feelings toward him at that moment.  You may feel concern about the solidity of the relationship.  But if my words about him are praising him and are positive about his actions, then you will know that our relationship is solid and strong, even if it may be going through a difficult time.  Our words have a huge impact on the state of our lives, don’t they?

What about God?  If you reflect on your casual conversation with others, including non-believers, do they know that you are a Christian by the way you speak?  Is God entangled in your life to the point where He comes up when you’re speaking with your friends?  Do you mention your church involvement with others?  What about speaking differently with different groups of people: do you censor what you say around non-believers, and inject “Hallelujah” and “Praise the Lord” as much as possible with your believing friends?  You’re not fooling anyone – and the Lord sees your heart.  Is he pleased with the words you speak?  Matthew 12:36-37 says: “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.  For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” Harsh words, aren’t they?  If we’re going to be judged for eternity on the words that we speak, shouldn’t we be judging them critically now before we speak them?

Repurposed

This gallery contains 4 photos.

I’m really good at finding (and buying) bargains on Christmas items after Christmas Day.  I love getting a great deal on something that inspires me! Only problem is I’m less good at remembering what my intended purpose for that item … Continue reading →

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Homeless – A New Perspective on the Christmas Story

 

I have seen 4 homeless men in [a walkway in downtown Calgary full of shops and restaurants] trying to stay warm and I have watched endless amounts of people walk by in their designer clothes and high end accessories ignore the requests of some small change!! Get off your cushy life and help someone out! #unacceptable!!

Many are just a pay cheque away from that. What is money if you can’t help someone out here and there? They even just like to see someone say hi. They are human, and someone’s child… they need love too.

~ Status post and response on Facebook (copied with permission)

I spent hours poring over the Christmas story recently, attempting to create a script for our church’s Christmas musical that seems to be coming up entirely too quickly.  In an attempt to be as accurate to scripture as possible, I wanted to make sure I had all of my facts sorted from traditional characters and props that we tend to assume are there.

There definitely was an angel, Mary, Joseph, Jesus, and manger.  Tyrant king – check. Conspicuously missing from the written account was a donkey, an innkeeper (and his wife, or any other assorted relations), a specified number of wise men.  And possibly a stable.

One outstanding questionable fact has popped into my brain that I can neither shake nor prove with my research to date (which aside from the accounts in Matthew and Luke includes a search engine and few typed letters – so definitely not an exhaustive search).  Each time the account talks about Jesus in the manger, that is the only word mentioned.  The stable is never specifically referred to.

My question is whether the stable is implied with the word “manger”, as tradition has assumed.  One source suggested that a manger at that time was not the basket-style feeding trough that we picture today, but rather a ledge in the stable or cave wall.  If that was the case, end of discussion.

But picture for a moment with me a third world country in a warm climate, even today.  Animals roam freely, with no fences to keep them in place.  Do they have a designated feeding area?  Yes, possibly.  But they are also free to scavenge food from any place they can.  No one is any more offended by their presence as the children running about freely.  Both are an accepted part of life.

Now imagine the Bethlehem to which Mary and Joseph would have journeyed.  Caesar Augustus has called an unprecedented census.  Heads of households were expected to appear in the town of their origin.  Travel to Jerusalem annually would have been expected for many of the Jewish residents, however Bethlehem had obviously never seen such traffic.  The place that was available for travelers to stay would have been filled after the arrival of only a few men!

Consider the situation of the holy couple.  If Joseph is the head of his household, he has been left without male family members.  Does this mean he has followed the Greek tradition of marrying a woman many years his junior?  Possibly.  Or possibly he is very young, and has been given much responsibility at a young age.  Mary is likely around thirteen years old.  She is spunky enough to have traveled to her distant cousin’s home by herself while newly pregnant.  The scripture says “At that time Mary got ready and hurried to a town in the hill country of Judea…” (Lk1:39).  Does this mean she ran away when she faced rejection from her family at her “happy” news?  Possibly.  So the teen runaway and her brave fiancé have decided that they will make things “work”.  He’s all she has in the world, so she begs him to take her with him on the journey – she can’t imagine bearing this child without him!  Somehow he relents, and allows her to come with him.  Is he anxious during the entire journey about her?  Most likely.  Does she slow him down in his travel?  Also likely.  Does the trip wear her?  Definitely.  And yet none of those details are recorded.  (We can possibly rule out the tradition of travel by donkey because it’s not mentioned, and because Mary and Joseph later offer the “poor” sacrifice for her purification at the temple.)

But she’s expecting the Child to arrive while she’s in Bethlehem.  She has swaddling clothes for Him that she’s either brought with her, or acquired in Bethlehem.    She also has a manger to lay the Holy Child in.  Whether the manger has been borrowed with or without permission of its owner, the story doesn’t tell us.  It does tell us of the humble beginnings of our Saviour whose first “bouncy chair” was an animal’s feeding trough. 

Whether the manger was indoors or out, we don’t know either.  We tend to assume indoors.  After all, how could anyone keep a baby out in the cold?  This is a more comfortable version of the story than the family making their bed on the streets of Bethlehem.  But based on the statements made in scripture, it is definitely possible that they were sleeping outdoors.   

Regardless of the technicality of whether He was born indoors or out, the fact remains that the family was alone, unemployed, and without shelter in a strange community.  Does this sound much different than the needs of the homeless people in today’s society?  The correlation is so strong with Matthew 25: “³⁴ Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: ³⁵ for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
³⁷ “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? ³⁸ When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? ³⁹ Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ ⁴⁰ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me’ (bold added).

Just as Jesus’ family must have wanted to be cared for by someone when they were in their most difficult circumstances, we are called to do the same for others in our world.  Who are we called to bless this CHRISTmas season?

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Is Your Fruit Sweet?

The Fruit of the Spirit has been a theme that keeps popping up in areas of my life over the last four years.  It has recently come back into my life, and I loved this little analogy that got downloaded to me recently as I was working on cleaning a bowl of strawberries.

^“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self control.” Galatians 5:22

Have you ever bitten into a promising looking piece of fruit, only to be sorely disappointed by its taste? It looked great on the outside, but the inside certainly did not measure up with your expectations. Giving it a second thought though, there were some warning signs that it might not taste as good as it looked. Maybe the skin was a bit pale or brown, there was a bad spot you missed, or the stem was a color it shouldn’t be.

I’m sure we’ve all met Christians with attitudes that are similar to this fruit. They look like everything’s great on the outside, but a conversation or two reveals some mouldy spots. Maybe it’s anger, unforgiveness, bitterness, or negative talk. It’s still fruit, but whatever it is sure isn’t sweet.

But the fruit of Galatians 5:22 is always sweet. “Against such things there is no law,” the second half of the verse states. Do you know why? Because these behaviours aren’t frozen, mouldy, sour or rotten. They simply don’t offend anyone.

And we should be the same. “If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone,” Paul writes to the Romans in 12:18.

Take a moment to take stock of your outlook. Does your fruit taste sweet? What flavour are you leaving behind  for others?

And – where did the other half of this carton of strawberries I was cleaning disappear to?

9/11 Anniversary

Did you spend time reflecting on the events of 9/11, that fateful day ten years ago?  Can you still recall what you were doing the day the world changed?

 I found myself obsessively interested in many of the stories that were shared on television leading up to
and on the day of the anniversary.  Each story was a memory, and each memory was precious.  Somehow the stories that were impossible to tell immediately following the tragedy were easier to tell today.  And yet – the pain is still there.

Of particular interest to me was one story about two men who had been working on the 88^th floor of the
tower that rescued their coworkers, then made the fateful decision to go up the tower rather than down, setting free many other office workers who were trapped behind debris and parts of the broken building.   These workers were ordinary men who sacrificed their lives so that more than seventy others were able to return to
their families that day.

I wonder what sort of conversations people would have had on the plane and in the building once they realized that the crisis they were facing may not see them come out alive.  Were there Christians strategically placed
with pockets of non-believers who were able to provide comfort and offer hope?  Were at least some of those killed on that day able to make a commitment before they had to face their eternal destiny?  Only God knows.

It seems to be more likely that people will turn to each other for comfort, and to consider eternity in the midst
of a crisis.  And yet, why should it take a crisis for us to share the love that we’ve been blessed with?  Like it or not, this world is going to come to an end – we’re in a building that’s going to fall at some point.  What are we doing to rescue those that are trapped and dying?  Are you seeking the Lord for opportunities to share His love with others, or are you content to live in your “office cubicle”, sitting on an amazing story just waiting to be shared?

*Photo compliments of Andrea Wellard Haab.