Integrity isn't just about being the upright individual, who sets themselves apart from the immoral society around them. People of integrity also have the daunting task of making the community around them a good place to live. The truth is we can spend our energy on making a separate community within our neighborhoods because we're afraid of being associated with the broken people around us. We're scared that their burdens might become our burdens.
I remember one guy in particular in high school. People spent time mocking him and hurling insults at his family. He didn't grow up in a strong home. He wasn't good looking, was unpopular, didn't play any sports, and wasn't involved with any groups. No one wanted anything to do with him. He was never invited to try out another way of living. This guy had no chance of getting into a positive community. Things we take for granted like deep conversations, positive touch (hand shakes, hugs, arm around the shoulder), accountability.
About a year ago I read on someone's Facebook page that this guy had been arrested for charges of having relations with a minor. That's scary, disgusting, and vile. It's crazy to think that I went to school with rapists, prostitutes, drug abusers, etc. Comments began to surface from other people I went to school with. I became angry and flustered. They didn't accept this guy before this moral failure. He wasn't accepted because of who he always was, and who he was always going to be. That was evident all throughout middle school and high school. No one wanted anything to do with this guy and his sister. He was immoral, and he was cheap. Because he had no values he could not be valued. I had forgotten what his face even looked like until I saw the article. It's a face I'll now never forget. It's because someone was desperate enough to try something stupid. Desperate enough to find value in girls he never met, and some too young.
In Mark 2:13-17 Jesus is heading into the city. He runs into Levi the tax collector. A Jew who made his living taking advantage of other Jews. Due to Levi's occupation he couldn't associate with the kind of people you'd want your kids hanging out with. Levi spent most of his time hanging out with harlots and other tax collectors. He associated with sinners because he was one. Jesus invites him along as his disciple. Levi accepts Christ's invite and then holds a meal at his house. The meal consists of reclining at a table with harlots, sinners, and tax collectors. So Jesus is celebrating with a sinner at a sinners house. The Pharisees had a reform going on where they were pushing a "holier than though art" mentality. You were holy when you had morals and only associated with moral people. You weren't supposed to eat with harlots, tax collectors, sinners. Sound familiar?
I wouldn't be surprised if this is the first time Levi has an important official eating with him in his house. I wouldn't be surprised if this is the first time he's had a pleasant conversation from a man of high position in society, whom some called Rabbi. Maybe Levi felt freed from his position of tax collector because of Jesus' call and plan. The repentance is coming later for Levi, but let's eat and recline first. Let Jesus spend time in your company first and tend to your needs. Let Jesus meet and celebrate with all of your friends.
Maybe we could look at this kids story and say, unlike Levi, he had nothing to celebrate. Levi didn't necessarily celebrate life change here. Levi hasn't done anything in his own story just yet. The tax collector celebrated the arrival of a Rabbi. Levi celebrated a new found relationship. He celebrates the hand that kept him. My kid in my past lashed out without positive reinforcement. He used his hands and heart to latch on to something because no one dared latch unto him. Anyone in a position of some integrity or some faith could have given a cause of celebration to the kid in my story.
Now, this isn't to say we just accept the sin of a person. I don't know who you are, and what your stance is on the issue of helping strangers and enemies, You've probably have been burned by people who took advantage of your good intentions. You probably struggle with uplifting, celebrating, or looking out for people who you think don't want to better themselves. The debate on where we overlook sin, and where the law comes in to play weighs heavily on all of us. Let's put this debate aside, and simply ask, "How am I bettering my community today? If God tells me to love my neighbor, then how can I look out for my neighbor today?" If loving our neighbor is the second greatest on commandment, how do can you make it a focal point in your life? If we come at this with the debate about law vs. love, then we can start going against what Jesus taught about neighbors. The lesson from the Good Samaritan isn't learned, and we can all walk around with a jaded perspective about everyone else. Loving your neighbor is a blanket statement, that is all inclusive. It includes the guy who asks for hand outs only to turn around and buy alcohol. Even this guy has a seat at your table, and is deserving of a community. Let loving your neighbor be the law, and then decide every moment forward whether or not tough love is needed.
In 2 Kings 19 Elijah calls Elisha. Both Elisha and Levi celebrate with a big feast. Both invite their inner circle to dine with their new Rabbi. Both called by God. One was a farmer who burned his plow. One was a tax collector who took from people. Both could find a celebration feast even though they were coming from two very different lifestyles. Elisha was a noble worker, where Levi was a crooked one. Are you only making room for Elisha's in your life? Can you care for the Levi's too?
Back in Mark's story, the Pharisees come later asking why Jesus is eating with sinners and tax collectors. Vs. 17 Jesus states that he had come for the lost. This isn't referring to the broad term, sinners. We're all sinners. That would make Jesus' statement too easy to follow. It would be easy to use this as an excuse to associate with some sinners and not others. No, Jesus is referring to immoral people (Luke 24:7). For Jesus, being clean isn't required to dine at this table. This is a table reserved for sinners.
When's the last time you reserved a table for an immoral person? I never reserved a table for me and the guy. I was scared of the association. And I had split thoughts of "Thank God I didn't hang out with him." I wonder if anyone ever did.
When we witness someone being arrested for charges in the news we usually have one or two responses. 1) They chose this for themselves. They deserve whatever they receive. Doesn't matter where they came from. 2) They came from a tough place. They never could have made anything better for themselves.
A girl gets pregnant outside of marriage in high school... what do you do?
- What about the boy friend? ... will he never become a man? ... who's to teach him?
A woman/man gets divorced for petty reasons... what do you do?
A person loses their kid to social services... what do you do for the adult?
The problem with these two responses are they make excuses for not associating with the other person. Much like the Pharisees were making excuses of association for some tax collectors and harlots. "They grew up with sinners for parents." "She's a gentile." "He cost my brother his camel." "She doesn't dress according the Law. I'm losing holistic men because of her." I think Jesus is more interested in you, if you're a follower of his. He sees you pass Levi's, harlots and sinners all the time. He sees us raising glasses for the Elisha's of the world, but not the Levi's. For me, this is a tough message to carry out. Because it puts me in places of association. It puts me at unclean tables.
He became a doctor for the immoral.
What's your excuse?
Wednesday, October 16, 2013
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Leader tracks: in the water. Thoughts on a passage
In Matthew chapter 14 Jesus feeds the five thousand. As a leader, no one compares to Christ. The miracles he did were signs of his authority... that often left him sighing of the fact many people saw these miracles and still didn't believe who he was.
What comes after in Matthew 14:23-32 gives us an idea of spiritual leaderhsip, rest, prayer, and helping foster other spiritual leaders.
A. Matthew 14:22-23; Jesus often, after crouds were dismissed would go to a quiet place to pray.
1. It says Christ dismissed the twelve "immediately" and stayed apart from them for quite some time, because it also says "Later that night, he was there alone," and the boat was a good distance from the land. Mark 6 says they were in the middle of the lake, and Jesus could see they were straining at the oars. He was within distance to know if they were struggling or not, but they had space from him to try to live their own faith. They were the fishing experts afterall.
2.It says Christ stayed on this mountainside for a long time. A considerable time for any spiritual leader. I know some ministers who can't go an hour without someone from their congregations giving them a call or asking for assistance in something... so why would Jesus leave his twelve followers... and send them on a lone voyage to Bethsaida?
3. His followers were trained at what they were doing. Most were fisherman. They were well prepared for the voyage ahead. Jesus gave his twelve a task he knew they could succeed within and this kind of gives them a push in what it means to lead. This was a faith building tool, and Christ was never far behind them. At dawn he headed out to them, walking on water.
B. Matthew 14:25-32; When we are around followers, as spiritual leaders, we need to be able to help people get out of their "spiritual boats"
1. Peter felt he was ready to step out unto the water. Jesus invited him to do so.
2. It looks like Peter failed, but he had a healthy place to fail. - Jesus said he would meet them and he meant it. - Even before they got the other side of the lake, because they had been straining against the wind for quite some time. Jesus kept them in sight and in distance to reach them, but also left them to carry out a task they were professionals at.
3. Jesus had them all at a safe place to fail, to grow and succeed
C. What this means for the leader:
1. People need to be equipped to handle certain tasks on their own.
2. Leaders simply need opportunities to get away for a time.
3. Leaders need to ready to answer the call or check up with their congregations.
4. Christians need to be introduced to new experiences out of their "boats" or gifts, skills, or professions that will equip them ever more.
5. They need chances to paddle out with other followers
6. They need chances to step out and have their faith stretched.
7. They need reminders of why they worship God, that He is worthy of praise, and that He needs us to not grow stagnant in our walk. - vs. 33
8. People need a safety net, Vs. 31 "Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him..." Petter didn't drown hahah
- Immediately people need to be sent out to be salt, and the be light and to use their gifts vs. 22
- Immediately we need to be ready to be a source of encouragment to them. vs. 27
- Immediately they need to be picked up before they fall. God will never leave or forsake them. vs. 31
- Healthy experiences "whether a failed attempt or successful attempt" can be spiritual triumphs and periods of worship for those involved.
Last but not least... get some rest and then get back to work: vs. 34-36 "When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
Trying to add in vs. 25-27. Don't have anything yet to write beyond "immediately."
What comes after in Matthew 14:23-32 gives us an idea of spiritual leaderhsip, rest, prayer, and helping foster other spiritual leaders.
A. Matthew 14:22-23; Jesus often, after crouds were dismissed would go to a quiet place to pray.
1. It says Christ dismissed the twelve "immediately" and stayed apart from them for quite some time, because it also says "Later that night, he was there alone," and the boat was a good distance from the land. Mark 6 says they were in the middle of the lake, and Jesus could see they were straining at the oars. He was within distance to know if they were struggling or not, but they had space from him to try to live their own faith. They were the fishing experts afterall.
2.It says Christ stayed on this mountainside for a long time. A considerable time for any spiritual leader. I know some ministers who can't go an hour without someone from their congregations giving them a call or asking for assistance in something... so why would Jesus leave his twelve followers... and send them on a lone voyage to Bethsaida?
3. His followers were trained at what they were doing. Most were fisherman. They were well prepared for the voyage ahead. Jesus gave his twelve a task he knew they could succeed within and this kind of gives them a push in what it means to lead. This was a faith building tool, and Christ was never far behind them. At dawn he headed out to them, walking on water.
B. Matthew 14:25-32; When we are around followers, as spiritual leaders, we need to be able to help people get out of their "spiritual boats"
1. Peter felt he was ready to step out unto the water. Jesus invited him to do so.
2. It looks like Peter failed, but he had a healthy place to fail. - Jesus said he would meet them and he meant it. - Even before they got the other side of the lake, because they had been straining against the wind for quite some time. Jesus kept them in sight and in distance to reach them, but also left them to carry out a task they were professionals at.
3. Jesus had them all at a safe place to fail, to grow and succeed
C. What this means for the leader:
1. People need to be equipped to handle certain tasks on their own.
2. Leaders simply need opportunities to get away for a time.
3. Leaders need to ready to answer the call or check up with their congregations.
4. Christians need to be introduced to new experiences out of their "boats" or gifts, skills, or professions that will equip them ever more.
5. They need chances to paddle out with other followers
6. They need chances to step out and have their faith stretched.
7. They need reminders of why they worship God, that He is worthy of praise, and that He needs us to not grow stagnant in our walk. - vs. 33
8. People need a safety net, Vs. 31 "Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him..." Petter didn't drown hahah
- Immediately people need to be sent out to be salt, and the be light and to use their gifts vs. 22
- Immediately we need to be ready to be a source of encouragment to them. vs. 27
- Immediately they need to be picked up before they fall. God will never leave or forsake them. vs. 31
- Healthy experiences "whether a failed attempt or successful attempt" can be spiritual triumphs and periods of worship for those involved.
Last but not least... get some rest and then get back to work: vs. 34-36 "When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret. And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.
Trying to add in vs. 25-27. Don't have anything yet to write beyond "immediately."
Monday, August 6, 2012
Why do we fall Bruce?
I saw the Dark Knight Rises a few weeks ago... the midnight release actually. If you haven't seen it yet you are sorely missing out. Nolan does this amazing job capturing the essence of the first movie,Begins and drawing a firm conclusion for the trilogy in Rises. One of the critical moments of the trilogy happens in Begins. It's where Bruce Wayne, as a boy falls into a well. His father comes down the well, and these bats have just busted out over Bruce. His father reaches out his hand and asks, "And why, do we fall, Bruce?" The young Bruce is terrified and is effected by the trauma from the bats all the way into adulthood.
The reason I even bother to mention this quote is because throughout the three movies this scene shows at important points. Usually when Batman is fighting a villain or has to do some daunting task that many would be too scared to take on. Batman loses a battle or gets beaten down mentally, and then the memory of the well plays back. Bruce is left with the choice to get up or to stay down.
Generally, there is nothing significant going on before these pitfalls. Like the young Wayne falling down the well, we are usually just minding our own business, and then we feel ourselves get ripped away from our securities. This happens all the time in the church. This could be caused by people, worship styles, buildings, leadership changes, or any number of things. Maybe you are leaving youth group into adulthood, but you don't want to leave the youth ministry behind you. Or maybe something that we've had all along with our faith becomes tarnished or doesn't seem all that important anymore. All of a sudden we have a pitfall. These pitfalls are frantic and they happen at times when we don't feel ready for them, but we need to learn to get back up. "Why do we fall Bruce?" "So we can learn to get back up again?"
It's reminds me of the story about Joseph in the Bible who also ended up in a hole/well. Joseph was the favorite son out of his brothers. His brothers envied what Joseph had so they threw him down this well and he got sold off into slavery. Joseph didn't lose faith or purpose despite his circumstances. Rather, he worked hard, grew in favor of God, and was blessed during his time away from his family. Later it would be Joseph who would bring his family to come stay and have a place in Egypt, and would save them from a severe famine.
The church can end up focusing a lot on it's members, and meeting their wants and needs. We have become a society that is often catered to by our leaders. We are all Joseph's in this sense. We are the favorites and we all have something resembling a "coat of many colors." The difference between Joseph and many Christians is he never lost his faith after he was stripped of his coat and had his pitfall.
Bruce feared bats and the darkness they lived in, but then they became a symbol to him. He embraced the nature of the bats and became Batman. He learned to serve the people of Gotham, and not fear the darkness around him. We fear losing our luxuries and traditions, people, and places. God fears that we will never learn to stand up when these things get taken away.
The reason I even bother to mention this quote is because throughout the three movies this scene shows at important points. Usually when Batman is fighting a villain or has to do some daunting task that many would be too scared to take on. Batman loses a battle or gets beaten down mentally, and then the memory of the well plays back. Bruce is left with the choice to get up or to stay down.
Generally, there is nothing significant going on before these pitfalls. Like the young Wayne falling down the well, we are usually just minding our own business, and then we feel ourselves get ripped away from our securities. This happens all the time in the church. This could be caused by people, worship styles, buildings, leadership changes, or any number of things. Maybe you are leaving youth group into adulthood, but you don't want to leave the youth ministry behind you. Or maybe something that we've had all along with our faith becomes tarnished or doesn't seem all that important anymore. All of a sudden we have a pitfall. These pitfalls are frantic and they happen at times when we don't feel ready for them, but we need to learn to get back up. "Why do we fall Bruce?" "So we can learn to get back up again?"
It's reminds me of the story about Joseph in the Bible who also ended up in a hole/well. Joseph was the favorite son out of his brothers. His brothers envied what Joseph had so they threw him down this well and he got sold off into slavery. Joseph didn't lose faith or purpose despite his circumstances. Rather, he worked hard, grew in favor of God, and was blessed during his time away from his family. Later it would be Joseph who would bring his family to come stay and have a place in Egypt, and would save them from a severe famine.
The church can end up focusing a lot on it's members, and meeting their wants and needs. We have become a society that is often catered to by our leaders. We are all Joseph's in this sense. We are the favorites and we all have something resembling a "coat of many colors." The difference between Joseph and many Christians is he never lost his faith after he was stripped of his coat and had his pitfall.
Bruce feared bats and the darkness they lived in, but then they became a symbol to him. He embraced the nature of the bats and became Batman. He learned to serve the people of Gotham, and not fear the darkness around him. We fear losing our luxuries and traditions, people, and places. God fears that we will never learn to stand up when these things get taken away.
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