"'Lord, when did we ever see you hungry and feed you?  Or thirsty and give you something to drink?'...And the King will tell them, 'I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!'" (Matt 25:37,40, NLT)

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Why do many Christians make feeding Jesus so complicated?  Why aren't they willing to serve at their neighborhood shelter unless they're allowed to lead a little bible study or preach the gospel or at least pray with the clients?  Why can't Christians simply love the unfortunate for love's own sake, or extend acts of kindness without any strings attached?

Isn't it enough of an honor,just being able to feed Jesus?

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Photo credit: © Robert Simon, iStockphoto.com

After teaching through Mark, Luke, and Acts on the topic of discipleship over the past two years, and having been encouraged by the spiritual growth I've seen throughout our congregation, I have nonetheless felt compelled by God's Spirit to encourage those desiring to live as followers of Jesus, to seriously commit themselves to living in ways that always say, "Yes, Lord!"  And...to do so as a community of faith.

In response, I've been encouraging our congregation to "sign-on" to what I've simply called: The "Yes, Lord!" Initiative.  Here it is:

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The "Yes, Lord!" Initiative

"If you love me, you will obey what I command" -- John 14:15

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In a culture dominated by the tenets of individualism, we are all naturally oriented toward what we want, what we need, what we desire, and what we feel.  As devoted followers of the Lord Jesus Christ, however, we choose to live differently, taking seriously His instructions to "Go therefore and make disciples...baptizing them...and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you (Matthew 28:19-20)."  From Mary's "I am the Lord's servant...be it done unto me according to your word," all the way until Jesus' great commission, the New Testament bears clear witness that being a disciple means living as His servant and saying "yes" to whatever the Lord might ask of us.

We therefore pledge that thoughout the coming Christian year -- beginning with Advent, 2006 -- we will strive to live in ways that always say "yes" to the Lord, regardless of what He might ask of us.  This we pledge to do with the help of God's Holy Spirit.

We now sign our names to this inititiative, as an enduring record of the commitment we have made with the Lord and before our brothers and sisters in Christ.

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The result? A little over 45% of those currently attending our weekly worship gatherings have signed on.  Had I hoped for a higher level of commitment?  Sure.  But, having been around churches and statistics for the better part of 25 years, frankly, I'm thrilled!  And... I can hardly wait to see what unfolds in our lives over the coming year.

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Photo credit: © Ted Johns, iStockphoto.com

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Abba Elias said:  Unless the mind sings with the body, the labor is in vain.

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To all ye Pilgrims:

     In as much as the great Father has given us this year an abundant harvest of Indian corn, wheat, peas, beans, squashes, and garden vegetable, and has made the forests to abound with game and the sea with fish and clams, and inasmuch as he has protected us from the ravages of the savages, has spared us from pestilence and disease, has granted us freedom to worship God according to the dictates of our own conscience;
     now I, your magistrate, do proclaim that all ye Pilgrims, with your wives and ye little ones, do gather at ye meeting house, on ye hill, between the hours of 9 and 12 in the day time, on Thursday, November ye 29th, of the year of our Lord on thousand six hundred and twenty-three, and the third year since ye Pilgrims landed on ye Pilgrim Rock, there to listen to ye pastor and render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.

     - William Bradford, Ye Governor of Ye Colony

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(cited in: Feeder, William J., America's God and Country: Encyclopedia of Quotations, Coppell, Texas: FAME Publishing, 1994:pp.66-67)

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The lessons learned from history are often enigmatic. And the  beginnings of "Thanksgiving Day" are no exception.  For me, William Bradford's proclamation (above) both thrills me and grieves me.

As I gather with family today -- I confess -- there, too, are situations which thrill me and situations that grieve me.  Yet... I still choose to give thanks.

To those of you who are celebrating this holiday -- I pray you enjoy a wonderful Thanksgiving Day.  Blessings to you and all who are in your house -- wherever that might be today.

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Cartoon credit: © Dennis Cox, iStockphoto.com
Photo credit: © Nina Shannon, iStockphoto.com

It's exhausting.

The seemingly endless struggle with people -- steadfast in their modernity -- who do not see, do not understand, and therefore do not appreciate or welcome the reforms which are changing our culture, our churches, and even the ways we live out our faith.

In particular, I have the sort of modern sensibilities in mind that convince many Christians that "contemporary" understandings of worship are especially enlightened, anointed, and free from the "religious" shackles of the past.  We moderns are  somehow  further along in Christ than our predecessors, whose faith and practice had become little more than dead orthodoxy.  We claim "relationship" with God rather than "religion", yet cannot see that our own churches and worship services are viewed by millennial/gen-y'rs as being just as worn-out and traditional as we used to claim of the older generation when we were young.

The diversity within Christ's body is beautiful and worth celebrating -- racially, socio-economically, generationally, etc. -- yet the differences I see emerging between modern and postmodern evangelicals (in particular) may prove to be one of the most formidable barriers dividing the body of Christ in coming decades.

Many younger evangelicals are increasingly being drawn to the ancient teachings and practices of the Church.  As both-and postmoderns, they feel right at home blending the old with the new.  Older , "modern" evangelicals, however, often reject the reclaiming of practices such as the use of lectionary readings, common prayers, use of icons, creedal confessions, and following of the liturgical calendar.  For them, such practices "feel" far too much like their religious upbringings (often Roman Catholic, but sometimes Lutheran, Episcopalian, or Presbyterian), reminding them of the "deadness" they had experienced and.... finally broke free from.

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One day Abba Macarius was on his way back to his cell from the marsh, carry palm leaves.  And look!  There was the devil on the road, holding a sickle and trying to attack him.  But he couldn't, and said:  I am suffering a great deal of violence from you, O Macarius.  I do everything you do for sure.  When you fast, I do not eat, and when you keep vigil, I don't go to sleep at all.  Yet there is only one thing in which you outdo me.  Than Abba Macarius asked:  What is it?  The devil replied:  It is your humility, and because of it I am powerless against you.

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Here's what I'm thinking about today:

1. My heart aches for people who, practicing their faith outside of a faith community, don't have the support and blessings that such a family of faith can offer them when a loved one dies or all hell seems to break loose in their life.  I also ache for those who are within a community of faith, but one whose people fail to "be there" for the one hurting or facing a loss.
2. Benjy  -- a good friend -- emailed me about something new his faith community (in the greater Dallas area) has launched -- it's a group called (pub)lic theology.  They meet in a local pub every Tuesday night to discuss.... theology, of course!  This week, they got onto the topic of whether or not anyone can "sin" in ways that only affect them, or does sin always end up affecting others?  That's a pretty important topic, especially in today's culture, don't you think?
3. The docu-movie, Jesus Camp, was released at nearly the same time as the Ted Haggard scandal broke (who appeared in the movie).  The timing couldn't have been much worse.
4. America seems to have sent Congress and the President a very clear message by way of this year's election results: our strategy in Iraq has failed; let's bring our troops home.
5. I'm looking forward to getting inspired and also making some new friends at the inaugural conference on The Call to an Ancient Evangelical Future. Only 27 more days!

Blessings.

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image credit: © Nicola Vernizzi, iStockphoto.com

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Abba Mios was asked by a soldier whether God would forgive a sinner.  After instructing him at some length, the old man asked him:  Tell me, my beloved, if your cloak were torn, would you throw it away?  Oh, no! he replied; I would mend it and wear it again.  The old man said to him:  Well, if you care for your cloak, will not God show mercy to his own creature?

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"Everyone has the right to worship in their own way" -- most of us have either heard this affirmed in one form or another for years, or done so ourselves. For those living here in the United States, such talk bespeaks of one's constitutional right to "freedom of religion".  This "idea" is so commonplace, that it has become part of the very fabric of our culture.   Yet more often than not, it's characteristic of a deeper attitude -- a value system that not only wreaks of individualism and political correctness, but of spiritual deception.  The affirmation, "everyone has the right to worship in their own way" is frequently just another way of saying: "no one has the right to criticize, or even call into question how I choose to pursue matters of faith in my life."   Rhetoric such as this is based on a powerful assumption -- an assumption that's under the radar and that most people rarely consider:  that all spiritual pursuits are inherently equal -- in value, in worth, and in legitimacy.   This is radical egalitarianism plain and simple. By radical egalitarianism,  I mean an insistence on equality, irrespective of merit, effort, precedent, guidelines, or standards.