Two Vessels

What do you see when you look at the picture above?

If you are like most people you probably just recognize two old broken down vehicles.

But there is something special about both of these vehicles. This picture was actually taken at an exhibit at the Houston Holocaust Museum.  In the picture we see two vessels: a train car and a boat.  They are two vehicles that are normally understood to be used for different purposes but these differences are only even more exaggerated when you understand the history of this specific train car and this specific ship.

The train car to the left is on display because it was used during World War II by the Nazi’s to transport victims of the holocaust to concentration camps, often leading to their tragic end. 

The vehicle to the right is a fishing boat that was used during the fall of 1943 by the people of Denmark to ferry the majority of their over 7000 Jewish neighbors to safety in Sweden, far from the threat of Nazi violence.

Two different vehicles.

Two radically different purposes.

In Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan three pedestrians approach the man left for dead on the side of the road: two religious leaders and a Samaritan.  Now to the average hearer in our times we would not notice much difference between the people who approached the man left for dead that day.  We would simply see this as a story where some people made right choices and others made wrong ones. Sadly not even the piety of the two less than sympathetic travelers would probably be a shock to most people today. 

But Jesus’ story of the Good Samaritan was meant to create a sense of dissonance with its original hearers.  It was meant to create a ringing in their heads as they tried to understand how the hero in the story could be the enemy in their lives.  For the original hearers of Jesus’ story the picture that Jesus was creating would have given them a vision of two stark contrasting figures.  The great irony of the story is that the person who should have left the man for dead is actually the one who risks their own life and limb to restore the stranger to health. 

The great challenge of Jesus’ story continues to remind us that there are differences and then there are differences.  The original hearers of Jesus’ story would have seen the differences between the characters based on their religious or ethnic identities.  Jesus wanted to teach us to see a deeper difference based on their willingness to serve others.                                                                           

May we be the kinds of people who are slow to making judgments because of the differences we see on the appearances of others, and may we be the kinds of people who are patient enough to know that the differences that we make are differences worth making. 

The Empty Chair: In Tribute to Brennan Manning

The early 90's seem like forever from where we are now.  In those days the theme of most Christian worship gatherings were far from what one would describe as "fire and brimstone", but the medium was not.  Most chapels and services would culminate in a passionate plea by a well dressed male figure for some form of moral life change.  

But then stepped Brennan Manning onto the church and college campus circuit. A man of small stature, but with a distinctively throaty tone that completely took you by surprise and held you so captive that it felt like time stood still.  His message of the shocking grace and acceptance of God's love were as needed then as they are now.  Yesterday was Brennan Manning's last in this life.  In tribute to the life and ministry of Brennan Manning we are posting a story that Brennan shared in numerous Christian gatherings when Abba's Child was first released.  

Rest in peace, Brennan.

Once a woman asked me to come and pray with her father, who was dying of cancer. When I arrived, I found the man lying in bed with his head propped up on two pillows and an empty chair beside his bed.

I assumed the old fellow had been informed of my visit. “I guess you were expecting me,”

I said. “No, who are you?”

“I’m the new associate at your parish,” I replied. “When I saw the empty chair, I figured you knew I was going to show up.”

“Oh yeah, the chair,” said the bed-ridden man. “Would you mind closing the door?”

Puzzled, I shut the door.

“I’ve never told anyone this, not even my daughter,” said the man, “but all my life I have never known how to pray. At the Sunday Mass I used to hear the pastor talk about prayer, but it always went right over my head. I abandoned any attempt at prayer,” he continued, “until one day about four years ago my best friend said to me, ‘Joe, prayer is just a simple matter of having a conversation with Jesus. Here’s what I suggest. Sit down on a chair, place an empty chair in front of you, and in faith see Jesus on the chair. It’s not spooky because He promised, “I’ll be with you all days.” Then just speak to Him and listen in the same way you’re doing with me right now.’

“So, Padre, I tried it, and I like it so much that I do it a couple of hours every day.

I’m careful though. If my daughter saw me talking to an empty chair, she’d send me off to the funny farm.”

I was deeply moved by the story and encouraged the old guy to continue on the journey. Then I prayed with him, anointed him with oil, and returned to the rectory.

Two nights later the daughter called to tell me that her daddy had died that afternoon. “Did he seem to die in peace?” I asked. “Yes. But there was something strange. In fact, beyond strange—kinda weird. Apparently just before Daddy died, he leaned over and rested his head on a chair beside his bed.”

From Abba’s Child by Brennan Manning

Rhythms: The Lost Art of Listening

For the next minute try just close your eyes and listen.  Try to only focus on what you are able to hear for the next 60 seconds….Ready…Go.

….15….

….30….

….45….

Okay….What did you hear?  Did you hear anything that surprised you?

How often do you think you just sit and listen to the world around you?  If you are like most people it is probably pretty rare.  Most of us are consumed with doing and speaking so much that we rarely take time to pause and just observe.  Even our conversations can become so much about what we are trying to unload on others that we never actually listen to what they might be trying to communicate.

This last rhythm for being a Jesus follower is the practice of listening.

Listening is a great art form often lost in our culture.  Our hope is that the church can restore this practice.  (God knows there are many times that those who represent the church in our world would have served her better if they had just remained silent...ourselves included.)

In the story of God we see His compassion at work when he is listening to those enslaved in Egypt (Exodus 3).  We see His justice at work when we see Him closing His ears to those who prefer their religious activities over love for their neighbor (Isaiah 1).  We even see His love expressed through a Son who listens to those who are in need all around Him (John 4).

So what did you hear when you took time to listen?  When you first pause you often hear the things you would expect (people talking, appliances running, traffic outside, etc.) but as you listen deeper you will begin to hear things beneath the surface.

Here is your challenge: In the next conversation you have today, try to listen for at least a minute to what the other person has to share before you offer your thoughts.  You may even have to ask questions about what they are saying to make it work.

As you take time to listen today may you learn to listen to people and needs beneath the surface and how God might enable you to serve others this week.

Image Credit: http://bit.ly/M93DLZ

Rhythms#5 Give

When was the last time you felt like you contributed something?

       Maybe it was teaching a great lesson to a classroom.

       Maybe it was cooking a great meal for your family.

       Maybe it was finishing a project at work.

There is nothing like the feeling of being necessary.  There is nothing like recognizing that you are a valuable part of your family, your office, your community, your church. 

The fourth rhythm that we want you to see as a vital practice of following Jesus is the rhythm giving.  Now in one of our previous rhythms we talked about sharing resources, but here we are talking about not just giving stuff, but giving ourselves.  This rhythm understands that every member of the church has a vital gift to give.  Paul used the image of the body to describe how each member plays an essential role.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in his classic work Life Together uses the image a chain and suggests that each member is an indispensible link.  He states that a community which allows unemployed members to exist within it will perish because of them… It will be well, therefore, if every member receives a definite task to perform for the community, that he may know in hours of doubt that he, too, is not useless and unusable.

       Your church is as talented as you have the capacity to see. (Erwin McManus,Mosaic Church)

To follow Jesus requires that you know that you have something to give 

                                                                 and that you find ways to give it.

                              

From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. Ephesians 4:16

The question is what do you have to give?

 

Rhythms#4 Include

When did you first feel like you belonged to a church?

Who made you feel welcome?

Sadly, there are those who have not always experienced the open arms that they might have hoped for.

We see this hesitancy in the early church as well.  In Acts 15 we have the early leaders of the church having an emergency council.  The elders gathered to discuss the newest problem, what to do with these Gentiles who were fast becoming members of the church as it spread outside of Jerusalem.  Many of the leaders had difficulty learning to view these newcomers as full members because of their ethnic and previous religious differences.  Unfortunately today we still struggle with these same issues.

But following Jesus requires challenging many of the ways that the church has been guilty of excluding others in the past.  That’s why the third rhythm in following Jesus is to include, to embody radical inclusivity.

The challenge of being radically inclusive is understand that to be the church is to value unity over uniformity. To be inclusive like Jesus, means to learn to not limit God’s family only to those we might be comfortable sitting next to at dinner.

Who was the last person to make you feel included in an uncomfortable setting?

Who do you think needs to be included in your local church community? What can you do to make them more welcome?

Rhythm#3 Sharing

One of the more radical passages of scripture is Leviticus 25. Leviticus 25 is a part of the Mosaic Covenant where God is instructing the people of Israel about what life should be like in the Promised Land. It describes how when they enter the land God will be their provider for them and because of this they should make sure to practice Sabbath rest.  Most of us know the practice of weekly Sabbath, where we rest one day a week from work.  But Leviticus 25 also included rest for the land every seventh year, and every fiftieth year was to be a celebration of Sabbath life called the Year of Jubilee. 

The Year of Jubilee was a radical call to a life of sharing in their community. When the Israelites entered into their new land they were each given a portion of land for their family to farm and sustain themselves.  Over time there would inevitably people who lost their land or become indebted to others because of a failure of the land to produce enough resources for their family.  Leviticus 25 is this incredibly radical call for God’s people to revert back to status quo every 50 years.  Now this may seem like an incredibly gracious gift to those whose families were on the downside of those 50 years.  But for those who found themselves owners of multiple land portions this would have been a difficult command to follow for sure.  In fact there is no evidence that the year of Jubilee was actually celebrated.

Now the point of this is not to suggest that we all sell our possessions and join a commune. (Although there are a number of groups who have found that to be a faithful expression of the Christian faith.)  The point is that following the rhythms of Jesus requires that we reevaluate the ways that we view our property. 

Following Jesus means that we must begin to reevaluate how we view our stuff as ours and ours alone.

Following Jesus means that we have to live like it is always the Year of Jubilee and we are responsible to find ways to make sure our neighbors are not going without if we can make sure they could have enough.

In the book of Acts we see the new Jesus community embodying this in their new life together. It describes how…

“all the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of their possessions was their own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And God’s grace was so powerfully at work in them all that there were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned land or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles’ feet, and it was distributed to anyone who had need.” (Acts 4:32-35)

What are some ways that you have seen radical sharing in the church?

Rhythms#2: Forgive

When was the last time you had to forgive someone?
                 Can you remember what it was that they did to you?

When was the last time you had to ask someone to forgive you?
                 Can you remember how long it took for you to have the courage to ask them?

If you interact with human beings, chances are you will at some point have reason to forgive or be forgiven.  None of us are innocent.  Everyone has been hurt or has hurt someone else.  The importance of following Jesus is in what you do with that hurt.

If you live in a household with kids you probably see the importance of forgiveness played out on a daily basis.  Inevitably someone is going to hit, or say a mean name or take a toy from someone else.  No household could survive if there was not a means of dealing with all the hurt that we do to one another on a regular basis.  The practice of forgiveness allows us the opportunity to "deal" with this hurt without simply sweeping it under the rug.

In Matthew 18:15-18 Jesus says to his disciples....

If your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. ¹⁶ But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.' ¹⁷ If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector. ¹⁸ Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

Here in the text, Jesus makes it clear that "sinning" or harming one another is not acceptable behavior, but he also makes it clear that being harmed is not an excuse to harm someone else.  He challenges the disciples that when they are harmed they need to approach the offender privately. (assuming that this is something that can be done safely)  The hope of verse 15 is that despite the fact that this person has harmed you, you still want what's best for them, and you still value their reputation.  If the person is willing to change then great, but if the person wants to continue down a path of harming others then verse 17 makes it clear that this person needs to be told that their choice of destructive behavior will only mean their absence from a relationship with you in the future.

Jesus makes it clear that while we are called to forgive, we are certainly not always called to forget.

Jesus' type of forgiveness requires us to always want what is best for every person, no matter what they have been guilty of doing, but it does not mean that we allow them to be in positions where they can continue to hurt us or others.  As Jesus' followers we have to hope for healing and reconciliation for the Jerry Sandusky's of the world, but that certainly doesn't mean that we would ask him to babysit our children.

Jesus ends his discussion of forgiveness using the images of binding and loosing, tying things up and setting things free.  These are great images for us to think about the rhythm of forgiveness.

Who have we bound up because of what they have done to us?
Who might God be calling for us to set free?

The following clip from the film version of Les Miserables is an incredible image of what loosing, or setting free can look like.