an apology…

Many times the loudest and most vocal voices that identify themselves as Christians are those who really do not represent or embody the way, life, and teachings of Jesus. This is unfortunate because these judgmental and condemning voices become the face of the Christian in the community and the larger world, leaving many who do not know anything about Jesus with a bad taste in their mouths and a deep contempt for Christianity in general. I have the same bad taste in my mouth, because this is not a true representation of Jesus in the world.

So many times these voices are quick to say that they are the “defenders of the faith,” or the “protectors of our Christians heritage.” Yet one wonders if it is appropriate to compromise the way of Jesus…as long as it is done in the name of Jesus. Yet one wonders again if Jesus would even be spending his time isolating and targeting special “sin groups” or trying to defend his positions through arguing and debating. I do not think so.

The way of Jesus does not have to be defended; it must be demonstrated. It never moves out in judgment; it moves out in love. It never extends in condemnation to the world; it extends in grace and mercy. The ways of arguing, defending, judging, and condemning always build up walls and embitter those in the world who are on the receiving end.

How is it that one can be so eager to accept the grace of God, yet be so unwilling to extend it? How is it that one can be so eager to accept the love of God, yet be so unwilling to demonstrate it? How is it that one can be so eager to accept the mercy of God, yet be so unwilling to give it?

How is it that when Jesus did not come into the world to condemn it, we believe that it is our responsibility to condemn it? How is it that when Jesus said he did not come into the world to judge it, we believe it is our responsibility to judge it? How is it that when Jesus told his followers to “judge not,” that we have decided to judge anyway? And how is it that when Paul asked the Church, “What business is it of mine to judge those outside the Church?” we have instead decided that we should be the judges of the world?

I am not the official spokesman for Christianity in Columbus, or even Christianity in the United States, but to any or all of you who have been on the receiving end of judgment, condemnation, or abuse from those who label themselves as Christians, I personally apologize. We have not represented the love, grace, mercy, and heart of Jesus very well…and we desperately need your forgiveness.

And to the Christian…let us lose our need to argue, defend, judge, and condemn. Instead, when the world hits you, do not retaliate, but give the other cheek. When the world is weighing you down with heavy requests, don’t just go one mile with the request but go two miles. When the world takes everything you have, even the coat off of your back, don’t just give your coat but go even further by offering your shirt. When the way of the world harbors anger and holds grudges, be one who forgives your friends and your enemies alike. And, don’t just forgive once, but forgive and forgive and forgive.

When the world is quick to respond and rip a person to shreds, be one who controls your anger and the words that come from your mouth. When the world devalues relationships and marriages, be one who looks to the interest of others, honors commitments, and always remains selfless. When the world looks out for and protects its own pursuits and interests to the detriment of others, be one who treats others as you would want to be treated yourself. When the world is ready to cast the stone of judgment at the sinner, be one who loves and stands beside every single person without judgment. When the world shuns the outcast and pushes him to the edges of society, be one who befriends the outcast and welcomes him back into loving community.

When the world lords over you with mighty power and authority, be one who is humble and comes from the bottom-up to serve everyone. When the world takes the seat of honor so it can be seen and noticed by everyone, be one who takes the seat of low-position in the back of the room. When the world puts on a show of being pure and good but is corrupt at the very core, be one who is pure from the inside and let it work out through your life. When the world continues in the ways of injustice and is merciless to the least in society, be one who stands for the least and for those who cannot defend themselves by demanding justice and mercy.

When the world fights and wars, be one who always stands on the side of peace no matter the situation and no matter the circumstance. When the world insults, ridicules, and curses you, be one who blesses in return. When the evil of the world assaults you, be the one who does not resist the evil. And when the world beats you, spits upon you, and is preparing to crucify you, continue on the way of forgiveness and self-sacrificial love.

This is the way of Jesus and the way of the follower of Jesus in the world.

brandon

suffering and the unanswered prayer…

A line from the song Casimir Pulaski Day, written by my favorite musician Sufjan Stevens, says, “Tuesday night at the Bible study we lift our hands and pray over your body but nothing ever happens.”

It is with notions and sentiments such as this that we uncover the difficult areas of faith that are many times too taboo, or too controversial, for the Church to entertain. It is as if our recognition of the fact that God sometimes does not seem to answer our prayers somehow then compromises our faith at its very core.

The truth of the matter is that there is nothing wrong with recognizing the fact that there are times when God does not answer prayer the way that I would like. And sometimes that means the unanswered prayer will make my life hard…sometimes unbearable…but it doesn’t mean that God is not there suffering with me or that God has turned against me and does not love me.

I don’t speak of such matters in ignorance, for over the last ten years of my life I have dealt with severe body pain. For the most part I keep it to myself. I don’t talk about it much, only to a few close friends, because I can’t stand to be the center of attention. So the less I share about it, the less people will focus on me. That is the way I like it. But in those few instances when I have opened up with others about it, they were very surprised at how much I suffer through the pain.

I can identify with the cry of the Psalmist, in my suffering through unanswered prayer, as he writes, “O Lord, heal me, for my bones are in agony. My soul is in anguish. How long, O Lord, how long? Turn, O Lord, and deliver me. Save me because of your unfailing love.”

But there is only silence and questions.

Why is it that God has not answered my prayers when I have asked for relief from this excruciating pain that won’t go away? Why is it that God has not answered the prayers of those closest to me when they have prayed for me? Why is it that God did not answer the prayers of one of my closest friends yesterday when he put his arms around me and prayed for me like no one has ever prayed for me before?

Am I now a man that has compromised his faith by asking such pointed and direct questions as to the distant hand of God? Or could it be that I am just a guy that embodies on a small scale the much larger reality of life- the unresolved tension between the pain and suffering in this life and the hope and anticipation of what is to come? I believe it is the latter. We carry this tension with us everywhere we go, waiting patiently and contently in hope, while continuing to give praise to God with every breath in great anticipation of this tension being resolved and all things being restored as God always intended.

It isn’t as if this is unique to humanity. We witness this same tension all throughout creation. There is a frustration and an anticipation all throughout creation, from what it is to what it will become, from bondage to decay to glorious freedom. This is the consistent condition that we find ourselves in, and through which we have hope of being rescued and renewed.

Paul writes that, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will.”

In our humanity it is impossible to grasp the will of God. And in our limited humanity we ask questions and wonder why some prayers are answered, while others seem to be ignored. It is only the Spirit who works and intercedes on our behalf in those moments of weakness and who helps us to understand that God’s greater purposes and will is being done whether our prayer is answered or unanswered. For in the answered prayer we trust and celebrate that the goodness and glory of God is being extended from person to person throughout the world. And in the unanswered prayer we trust that the goodness and glory of God is being extended in the world as others witness our patience, contentment, and joy through suffering.

That is how I choose to extend the greater purposes of God in this world through my suffering. Let me be a patient, content, and joyful example of what it looks like to bear the tension of pain and suffering and the anticipation of what is to come. I know that it is through my sufferings that I persevere in order to develop the character that embodies the hope of what is to come, and it is through this that I…and the Christian…can live contently now with the tension of suffering and the unanswered prayer.

brandon

the evolution of sunday sing-a-long…

I have written previously on how we need a fresh perspective on worship within the church. And while I pray that our understanding and practice of worship is being transformed, it is also necessary for us to have a fresh perspective on our praise.

Again, worship has become synonymous with singing songs on Sundays or a certain style of music. A much richer and deeper understanding of worship is found in the Greek word proskuneo, translated as worship throughout the New Testament.

The word proskuneo simply means to lie prostrate before one who is worthy. The one lying down with his or her face pressed to the floor becomes less, and the one who is worthy becomes more. Our worship is an emptying of ourselves of our wants, needs, and desires so as to be filled by the One who is worthy.

We become a vessel…or a conduit…filled by the Holy Spirit extending outward in the world. Our worship is us getting out of the way so the Spirit of God can work through our hands, our legs, our voices, and our entire bodies for Kingdom purposes in the world. Through our worship, we become the point where God meets a hurting world in need of healing and restoring.

If our understanding of worship has been so twisted and misunderstood in the church, is it possible that our understanding of praise could be just as twisted and misunderstood? Is it possible that we have reduced our praise to a Sunday sing-a-long? Is it possible that our praise has centered on what we get out of it rather than what God is doing through it?

Throughout the Old Testament, a common response to God as deliverer and liberator was a song of praise. When God delivered the Israelites out of slavery, through the water, and into freedom, the response from Moses and the Israelites was a new song of praise. It was a great retelling through song of what God had done, how God delivered, and the great characteristics of God. This pattern continued throughout the Old Testament and into the New Testament culminating in the apocalyptic of Revelation.

John sees a vision of the throne room of God with Jesus encircled by four creatures, twenty four elders, thousands upon thousands of angels, and every creature on earth singing praise to the liberator and deliverer, who brought his people out of slavery, through the water, and into freedom.

In our praise, we come united joining this mighty chorus…this heavenly refrain of the created order…this great retelling of liberation and freedom. Our praise brings us together in our common experience so as to never forget who He is and what He has done. It is the song of a common and united people responding in recognition and exhaltation of the one who saves.

But there has to be more going on in our praise than a common people simply joining together for the great retelling. There has to be something more that is going on of which we may not be aware.

When Jesus entered the temple area, children were singing praises to him. The religious leaders were angry at what they saw. Jesus said to them, “From the lips of children and infants [God] has ordained praise.” This quick reply gives us great insight, as Jesus was quoting from Psalm 8, “From the lips of children and infants you have ordained praise because of your enemies, to silence the foe and the avenger.”

Did you get that? There is great power in the praise of a child. Such power that it can actually silence the foe or avenger. It is no wonder that Jesus says that to enter the Kingdom of God…one must become like a little child. When we get out of the way with our own selfish pursuits, our own ego-driven agendas, and become like little children, our praise has the power to silence the foe and avenger. Our praise has the power to push back the forces of evil and extend God’s Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

For our battle is not against flesh and blood, but against the powers and principalities of evil…and our praise is one way that battle is fought. So when we join together united in the common chorus…the heavenly refrain…the great retelling of Jesus as liberator and deliverer, let us know that the praise we sing is not about what we can get out of it, but what God is doing through us to break down the gates of hell. For we know that it is through our praise that the gates will not stand.

brandon