On This Side...

On Easter, I shared with the congregation a message that spoke to the fact that those early disciples encountered something that was so dramatic, it literally shook their worldview – that is, how they came to understand their world and how it works.  When our worldview changes, we are changed.  We can no longer operate with the same set of notions and ideas that define us.  We are forced to redefine ourselves.

I gave as examples some dates in history that changed the way that we view the world: December 7, 1941, November 22, 1963, September 11, 2001.  These dates changed the way our world operates.  We began to turn around our world in late 1941, with an increase in manufacturing of war materials, of rationing, and of victory gardens.  We saw the world differently after Pearl Harbor.

Camelot came to an end in Dallas, Texas that late fall morning.  Suddenly, the hopes of a new generation were changed into a coping strategy as folks began to ask a whole new set of questions: “What will happen now in Cuba?”  “What will happen in Southeast Asia?”  “Will we be attacked by our enemies when we are so vulnerable?” 

Our worldview changed again in our post-9/11 world.  We even developed a new dictionary of terms: “9/11”, “Homeland Security”, “Airport full-body-scans” just to name a few.  And our worldview has not stopped changing, especially with the turmoil in the Middle East and Northern Africa.  The earthquake and tsunami have spawned concerns about global prices of goods and services.  Oil prices have become a part of everyday dinner conversation in many households, as well as other topics that are too numerous to mention. 

 
In short, our world has changed and evolved once again.  The once-sacredly held beliefs that were built on rock-solid foundations have crumbled, and we are left standing in the rubble.  To begin to pick up the pieces is but a small start in trying to understand what has happened, and how our lives will be different. 

This is much the same as the disciples encountered that first Easter morning.  Their worldview had totally changed!  The man they saw dead and buried had come back to life – not resuscitated, RESURRECTED!  And to top it all off, this man breathed on them and gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit!  The same Holy Spirit that he had received when he was baptized – the same Holy Spirit YOU received when YOU were baptized!  Death was no longer the end – it was just a stage.  Sin was no longer a hindrance for us, but was wiped clean.  The cross was no longer a symbol of shame, but a sign of hope and victory.  With boldness, those disciples, who had been cowering just a few hours before, would now proclaim to the world that they have seen the Messiah!  And the world took notice!

With the faith and perseverance, they shared a message of hope and good news that God’s love was permanent – and was not based on merit.  It was a free gift of grace.  And people were (are) invited to live into that newly consecrated relationship with God in the resurrected Jesus Christ.  Through the power of the Holy Spirit, Christ has been raised from the dead – and so have we!  We are on THIS SIDE of the Resurrection – and we’ve a message to proclaim!  Christ is Risen!  He is Risen indeed!  Alleluia!  Amen!

See you in Church!

Grace and peace,

Brad

The Journey...

It has been said that “a journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” (I’m not sure just exactly WHO said that, but I’ve heard it said…) With each step, though, the destination draws nearer. The markers that define the journey draw nearer, and gather behind us as we travel. The same can be true of life itself. As each morning dawns, an evening closes. As each season approaches, another one fades from view. As each year advances, another one ends. Ironically, when we were younger, it seemed that the future was so distant, so remote, so small, so slow and long in coming. Now, as I grow older, it seems as though my middle years have started picking up speed. But each new chapter is a new adventure in the journey. And when I look back, I can see that I was not alone. It was almost as if there was a pattern, or a momentum that was drawing me in a particular direction.


Surprisingly enough, our faith has many of the same characteristics. I am forever being asked by people how we can have the faith that seems to sustain others so wondrously when they are in great need. “I want the faith that they have – they seem to have everything together,” they say. And yet, so few people are willing to invest in the steps that it takes to make that journey become a reality. It is as if folks want the benefit of the destination without the hassles of the excursion.

But the faith journey is one that doesn’t work on the microwave principle – it doesn’t happen quickly. The journey itself is fraught with peril, headache, heartache, joys, thrills, fears, and everything in between. The journey is just that – a journey. There’s no magic time-portal that enables us to know God’s will completely, without taking the time to get to know more about God.

This past Saturday, a person in a Mission Matters Conference that I attended, asked a similar question about mission work, and how to discern what God’s will is. When the leader of the small group asked me to help her out, I shared with the group that part of the discernment process has to do with the fact that we need to take the time to get to know God. We need to know what moves God, what God loves, what breaks God’s heart, in order to know what God wants us to do. That which breaks God’s heart is what should break our hearts, too. And that should motivate us to move and act. But this doesn’t happen – indeed it cannot happen – if we do not first take the time to get to know God.

And that is exactly what the journey of faith is all about. It is about taking the time with one another to get to know God together. And it doesn’t happen all at once. It happens over time. With intention. One step at a time.

Have you taken the first step yet? How about the next one? The good news is that each step you take draws you closer to God.

See you in Church!

Grace and peace,

Brad