Here's one of my favorite quotes from the late "Great Dane", Soren Kierkegaard:
"The matter is quite simple. The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly. Take any words in the New Testament and forget everything except pledging yourself to act accordingly. My God, you will say, if I do that my whole life will be ruined. How would I ever get on in the world? Herein lies the real place of Christian scholarship. Christian scholarship is the Church's prodigious invention to defend itself against the Bible, to ensure that we can continue to be good Christians without the Bible coming too close. Oh, priceless scholarship, what would we do without you? Dreadful it is to fall into the hands of the living God. Yes it is even dreadful to be alone with the New Testament."
Kierkegaard wrote these words in the nineteenth century, and we are fortunate to have Christian scholars today who are calling the church back to a proper reading of the Scriptures and to her missional roots. Interesting, though, how Kierkegaard's critique of the Church from 150 years ago is still applicable today. Do you agree?
Tuesday, December 11, 2007
Monday, December 10, 2007
My Blogs Gotta Name
As you can see, I finally named my blog. I went through about a dozen other name possibilities and Shannon thought they were too "cute." I've always loved Mustard Seed and, at one point, I was hoping to name our church plant The Mustard Seed. That got overruled, and I'm glad it did. I love that we've named our church The Well.
But Jesus chose a powerful visual image for his audience when he compared the kingdom to a mustard seed.
“Again he said, ‘What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.’" Mark 4:30-32 (TNIV)
Anyway, I’m going to get back to sharing quotes with you and I look forward to our Mustard Seed Sessions. Be a blessing and expose the Kingdom wherever you are today!
But Jesus chose a powerful visual image for his audience when he compared the kingdom to a mustard seed.
“Again he said, ‘What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.’" Mark 4:30-32 (TNIV)
Anyway, I’m going to get back to sharing quotes with you and I look forward to our Mustard Seed Sessions. Be a blessing and expose the Kingdom wherever you are today!
Friday, December 7, 2007
rethinking Christmas: the conclusion
What do we do at Christmas that really reflects the change-the-world reality of Christ’s birth?
I’ve spent a lot of time lately considering this question. Here’s how I sum up the conclusion I’ve come to (for now): I think Christmas is a time for Christians and the Church to be exceptional…even extraordinary.
The Church is always supposed to be that anyway. We are to mirror our Leader by being a people of celebration, of abundant life, of healing and peace, of hospitality and uplifting conversation, of open arms to all, of generosity and compassion. But don’t just frame up your perception of these things on the cultural norm. Think counter-cultural. Think next-level. Jesus did. He said that people would know we are His disciples in two primary ways: our love for one another (John 13:34-35) and our good works (John 15:8; Matthew 5:16).
So, let us be extraordinary this Christmas. Let’s love one another and demonstrate love to a broken world in exceptional ways. Give of your time, your energy, your money, your love. Give to people who can’t give back to you. Give so much that you’ll have to learn what it means to live by faith—even if just for awhile (just don’t go into debt!). Do it now, while it’s cool and trendy (‘cause it’s Christmas) and then keep doing it long after that…and surprise people with the way you live, and love, and give all year through.
Alas, my ramblings have led me to another conclusion, and I’ll end with this: Perhaps what we Christians should do every Christmas to reflect the change-the-world reality of Christ’s birth is to stretch our hearts with greater commitments to love, compassion and generosity so that we can fit more of that stuff in throughout the next year.
I’ve spent a lot of time lately considering this question. Here’s how I sum up the conclusion I’ve come to (for now): I think Christmas is a time for Christians and the Church to be exceptional…even extraordinary.
The Church is always supposed to be that anyway. We are to mirror our Leader by being a people of celebration, of abundant life, of healing and peace, of hospitality and uplifting conversation, of open arms to all, of generosity and compassion. But don’t just frame up your perception of these things on the cultural norm. Think counter-cultural. Think next-level. Jesus did. He said that people would know we are His disciples in two primary ways: our love for one another (John 13:34-35) and our good works (John 15:8; Matthew 5:16).
So, let us be extraordinary this Christmas. Let’s love one another and demonstrate love to a broken world in exceptional ways. Give of your time, your energy, your money, your love. Give to people who can’t give back to you. Give so much that you’ll have to learn what it means to live by faith—even if just for awhile (just don’t go into debt!). Do it now, while it’s cool and trendy (‘cause it’s Christmas) and then keep doing it long after that…and surprise people with the way you live, and love, and give all year through.
Alas, my ramblings have led me to another conclusion, and I’ll end with this: Perhaps what we Christians should do every Christmas to reflect the change-the-world reality of Christ’s birth is to stretch our hearts with greater commitments to love, compassion and generosity so that we can fit more of that stuff in throughout the next year.
Thursday, December 6, 2007
rethinking Christmas part III
Here’s another interesting site that is dedicated to “restoring the scandal of Christmas by worshipping Jesus through compassion, not consumption.” www.adventconspiracy.org Although I wouldn’t go so far as to label Christmas a “scandal” (and yes, I get that it aligns with the conspiracy theme), I think this campaign is on the right track.
The Well didn’t sign up to participate in the campaign, although one of our church leaders pointed out to me that we actually commit to the concept year round by attempting to invest between 80 & 90 percent of our offerings in our missional partners and by what we teach about living generous lives.
Anyway, let me know what you think about Advent Conspiracy.
The Well didn’t sign up to participate in the campaign, although one of our church leaders pointed out to me that we actually commit to the concept year round by attempting to invest between 80 & 90 percent of our offerings in our missional partners and by what we teach about living generous lives.
Anyway, let me know what you think about Advent Conspiracy.
Tuesday, December 4, 2007
rethinking Christmas part II
Perhaps the most obvious distraction from Christ at Christmas is consumerism. I would dare go so far as to say that the primary reason we (adults and children alike) get excited about Christmas is because of the giving and receiving of gifts that takes place. Yes, the food is good. Being with family and friends is wonderful. But, giving and getting stuff wins the spotlight every time.
I’d like you to check out a blog entry from thinkchristian.net. I shared this at a worship gathering of The Well a few weeks back. It addresses the consumerism at Christmas issue and has some links to other sites with suggestions for alternatives to a consumer Christmas. http://www.thinkchristian.net/index.php/2006/12/03/taking-the-consumerism-out-of-christmas/
Let me close with a few thoughts. First, with regard to Christmas, I think every Christ follower ought to wonder: “Is this how Jesus would want us to celebrate His coming to earth?” Now, don’t brand me a Scrooge when it comes to gift-giving. I’m giving and receiving gifts this Christmas. But, I think we’ve become way too distracted by festivities and traditions that don’t even remotely reflect the good news that Jesus repeatedly said was “good news to the poor” (Matthew 11:5; Luke 4:18; Luke 7:22). And so I’ll again raise the question that I’m going to return to throughout my little blogging mini-series: “What do we do at Christmas that really reflects the change-the-world reality of Christ’s birth?”
I’d like you to check out a blog entry from thinkchristian.net. I shared this at a worship gathering of The Well a few weeks back. It addresses the consumerism at Christmas issue and has some links to other sites with suggestions for alternatives to a consumer Christmas. http://www.thinkchristian.net/index.php/2006/12/03/taking-the-consumerism-out-of-christmas/
Let me close with a few thoughts. First, with regard to Christmas, I think every Christ follower ought to wonder: “Is this how Jesus would want us to celebrate His coming to earth?” Now, don’t brand me a Scrooge when it comes to gift-giving. I’m giving and receiving gifts this Christmas. But, I think we’ve become way too distracted by festivities and traditions that don’t even remotely reflect the good news that Jesus repeatedly said was “good news to the poor” (Matthew 11:5; Luke 4:18; Luke 7:22). And so I’ll again raise the question that I’m going to return to throughout my little blogging mini-series: “What do we do at Christmas that really reflects the change-the-world reality of Christ’s birth?”
Monday, December 3, 2007
rethinking Christmas
I’ve spent the last couple years rethinking a lot of things about faith, church, money, the kingdom, and, of course, how those things are supposed to be played out in my day-to-day life. One of the things I’m rethinking these days is Christmas. I’ve been studying the history of Christmas and I’ve discovered just how unrelated our faith is to our traditions—trees, gifts, flying reindeer, figgy pudding. Don’t get me wrong, that stuff is fun and festive and I’m not suggesting we reject it outright. What I am wondering is this: what do we do at Christmas that really reflects the change-the-world reality of Christ’s birth?
I stumbled onto a website that posed the following thoughts: “When we celebrate a birthday, we are careful to give what the person really wants or needs. Is there any doubt what Jesus wants from us? He insists that in order to give to him, we must find him in the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the imprisoned.” http://www.simpleliving.org/indexoth.php?place=archives/XB/XB_XBGift.php (accessed December 3, 2007).
I’m gonna stick with this rethinking Christmas theme for the next week or so and maybe we can put our heads together and figure out what it would look like to celebrate Jesus’ birthday as Jesus would have us do.
In the meantime, if you’re looking to actually give a birthday gift or two to Jesus this year, then you can be assured that when you give it to any of those that Jesus lists in Matthew 25, you are giving it directly to Him.
I stumbled onto a website that posed the following thoughts: “When we celebrate a birthday, we are careful to give what the person really wants or needs. Is there any doubt what Jesus wants from us? He insists that in order to give to him, we must find him in the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick and the imprisoned.” http://www.simpleliving.org/indexoth.php?place=archives/XB/XB_XBGift.php (accessed December 3, 2007).
I’m gonna stick with this rethinking Christmas theme for the next week or so and maybe we can put our heads together and figure out what it would look like to celebrate Jesus’ birthday as Jesus would have us do.
In the meantime, if you’re looking to actually give a birthday gift or two to Jesus this year, then you can be assured that when you give it to any of those that Jesus lists in Matthew 25, you are giving it directly to Him.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
Some sobering stats
Every once in awhile I encounter some stats that remind me how critical it is for the church in America to rethink things. Have a look:
“Christianity has been largely abandoned in Britain and the rest of Europe…Christianity has partly faded in Canada, where only 20% of adults say that they attend church regularly, and only about 10% actually do. In about the year 1990, Christianity started to lose market share in the U.S. The percentage of American adults who identify themselves as Christians is dropping by about 1 percentage point per year. The percentage who say that they attend church on most weeks is 40%. [Sociological research in the U.S. and Canada shows that self-reporting of church attendance in polls overestimates actual weekly attendance by around 80%, indicating 20-30% of the population of the U.S. actually attends church as of 2004.]” Penny Long Marler and C. Kirk Hadaway, “Testing the Attendance Gap in a Conservative Church,” Sociology of Religion Journal (Summer 1999): www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0SOR/is_2_60/ai_55208518/pg_1 (accessed December 2, 2007).
Here’s another report:
“Despite what we print in our own press releases, the numbers don’t look good. According to 2003 actual attendance counts, adult church-going is at 18 percent nationally and dropping. Evangelical attendance (again, actual seat-numbers, not telephone responses) accounts for 9% of the population, down from 9.2% in 1990. Mainline attendance accounts for 3.4% of the national population, down from 3.9% the previous decade. And Catholics are down a full percentage point in the same ten-year period: 6.2% from 7.2% in 1990. Of the 3,098 counties in the United States, 2,303 declined in church attendance.” Sally Morganthaler, “Windows in Caves and Other Things We Do with Perfectly Good Prisms,” Fuller Theological Seminary Theology News and Notes (Spring 2005). Can be downloaded at http://www.easumbandy.com/resources/index.php?action=details&record=1386
Any thoughts?
“Christianity has been largely abandoned in Britain and the rest of Europe…Christianity has partly faded in Canada, where only 20% of adults say that they attend church regularly, and only about 10% actually do. In about the year 1990, Christianity started to lose market share in the U.S. The percentage of American adults who identify themselves as Christians is dropping by about 1 percentage point per year. The percentage who say that they attend church on most weeks is 40%. [Sociological research in the U.S. and Canada shows that self-reporting of church attendance in polls overestimates actual weekly attendance by around 80%, indicating 20-30% of the population of the U.S. actually attends church as of 2004.]” Penny Long Marler and C. Kirk Hadaway, “Testing the Attendance Gap in a Conservative Church,” Sociology of Religion Journal (Summer 1999): www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0SOR/is_2_60/ai_55208518/pg_1 (accessed December 2, 2007).
Here’s another report:
“Despite what we print in our own press releases, the numbers don’t look good. According to 2003 actual attendance counts, adult church-going is at 18 percent nationally and dropping. Evangelical attendance (again, actual seat-numbers, not telephone responses) accounts for 9% of the population, down from 9.2% in 1990. Mainline attendance accounts for 3.4% of the national population, down from 3.9% the previous decade. And Catholics are down a full percentage point in the same ten-year period: 6.2% from 7.2% in 1990. Of the 3,098 counties in the United States, 2,303 declined in church attendance.” Sally Morganthaler, “Windows in Caves and Other Things We Do with Perfectly Good Prisms,” Fuller Theological Seminary Theology News and Notes (Spring 2005). Can be downloaded at http://www.easumbandy.com/resources/index.php?action=details&record=1386
Any thoughts?
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