Who Knows What?

“Whoooaa!” I hollered to the little boy who careened around the corner and tried to be-bop past me.  I reached out and scooped him into my arms. It was VBS and I was patrolling the hallways, alert for opportunities just like this.  

“Where are you supposed to be?” I asked.  

He looked at me like I was a typical grownup asking one of those typical crazy questions.  

“I don’t know,” he explained. “You’re supposed to know that.”

He was right. So I helped him find his place.  

Kids are smart and they know more than we give them credit for, but they also need to be told stuff, shown stuff, and helped down life’s pathway (or the church hallway).  They need to hear our stories, feel our love, and be fed, clothed and sheltered.  

And if we’re the grownups, we’re supposed to know how to do that.

I know it sounds pretty basic, but grownups can get pretty rattled and unsure of themselves. And we find out we’re not off the hook once our own kids are grown. Next are the grandkids.  But not only that, I believe we adults need to address ourselves to the needs of all children.  

The little boy said it plainly:    

“You’re supposed to know that.” 

Personality Profile--Sort Of.

According to the Myers-Briggs Personality profiles, I’m probably an ENFP, which sounds like a sports radio station to me. But in actuality the letters stand for traits that are especially strong in me. 

This personality type is bit of a performer, loyal and places extremely high value in relationships, is interested in many things, willing to negotiate, focuses on ideas, concepts, and possibilities, improvises, cares about people, get bored easily, gets annoyed with details—I’d list more, but I’m losing interest….

Somebody said Mark Twain was one. He once said—and this tickles me: "I have been told that Wagner's music is better than it sounds."

He also said, "Who prays for Satan? Who, in eighteen centuries, has had the common humanity to pray for the one sinner that needed it most?" It’s an out-of-the-box thought, and my personality profile suggests I like those kinds of things.  So I’m thinking it over.

It is further stated that Oscar Wilde had a similar personality type. He once wrote, "A dreamer is one who can only find his way by moonlight, and his punishment is that he sees the dawn before the rest of the world." 

That last statement? I kinda love that one. 

This is not really a formalized essay. I just felt chatty.  My profile says I’m like that.  :)  

The Hell Factor

What if the threat of hell no longer existed?  Would there be any point of spreading the message of Christ?

It’s a question worth asking because frankly, hell just doesn’t scare people anymore. And maybe that’s okay, because sustained fear is not a great motivator.  Oh it’s good for the short term urgent stuff, like running from wild rhinos, but on a daily basis it doesn’t work so well. In fact it makes us crazy and if it gets bad enough we go to the doctor for medication. 

It certainly doesn’t inspire nobility. 

Think about it. Do the following statements really make any sense?

I’m going to feed the hungry, tend the sick, and love my neighbor because I don’t want to go to hell. 

I sing joyful hymns to God because I don’t want to go to hell.

In prayer, I share the depths of my soul with God because I don’t want to go to hell. 

It doesn't surprise me that our society turns a deaf ear to a fear-based religious message. And that’s a problem because avoiding hell has always been our big selling point. If people aren’t motivated by fear anymore, why become a Christian?

“Okay Pastor. If there is no fear of hell, what motivates people?”

Great question. Glad you asked. Consider the following as a partial reply:

How about finding wholeness where you experience the full activation of your being? How about trading self-indulgent misery for adventurous living for the sake of goodness?  How about finding a strength that sustains you even when you feel your weakest?   How about finding hope and values that guide you? How about living in a Presence that completes us, unites us, and heals us?

Is all this laid at your feet the moment you accept Christ into your heart? Well, no. But the path is set before you. And you can leave certain baggage behind, one of which is fear of hell.   

"There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love." (1 John 4:18).

Without Ceasing

“Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thess. 5:17)

If this is a command, it's impossible to obey—one more thing that makes us feel shame--without ceasing.   

But what if we turned this around and concentrated on how God is present without ceasing, going beyond conversation to deep communion with our spirit?

Think of the God who is always in touch with the deepest part of us, guiding us, healing us, whispering to our hearts his word of affection and wisdom.

This isn’t a command. It’s a gift without ceasing.

The psalmist said it this way:

You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.

You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.

You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain.

Where can I go from your Spirit?
    Where can I flee from your presence?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
    if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

If I rise on the wings of the dawn,
    if I settle on the far side of the sea,
even there your hand will guide me,
    your right hand will hold me fast.

                                                                              --Psalm 139:1-10

Dreams and Visions

The prophet Joel predicted it. The church experienced it. The disciples acted by its power. I’m talking about the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit was poured out onto the church. The wind blew, the fire burned, and people could really talk to each other. 

I have yet to attend a worship service like that first one.  Oh, I’ve seen bells and whistles, and I’ve heard some mighty fine music and occasionally an interesting sermon.  But I’ve witnessed nothing with the power described in Acts 2.

In fact, for all the energy we pour into our churches, we are rather anemic. 

So what’s going on?

Was it a singular event to celebrate the entrance of the church into the world? Possibly, but I’m going to assume that God still pours his Presence into the church and into our hearts, whether I feel it or not.  So how do we see it? How can we work in concert with this mysterious Spirit, so we can benefit from its power?

As I read through Acts 2 again, I note Joel’s words about young men having visions and old men having dreams.  What dreams? What visions?

I believe people actually get what they envision. Does the church have dream of a great performance team? They can have that. Want a bigger building? That’s possible. A hotshot, spellbinding, fireball of a speaker? They’re out there.  But these are not necessarily vessels of the Spirit.

What if we dream with the Spirit of a God who longs to heal and minister to others? What if we see ourselves as vessels of compassion, mercy, and love? What if the church envisions itself helping a dark and crooked world to become bright and happy? We could have that.

Perhaps these visions can open our eyes to the same Spirit whose presence was poured out on the people at Pentecost. And we’ll see it has always been right there.

Awareness of God

In the Gospel of John, the author emphasized the deity of Christ, where Jesus existed before the creation of the world and took part in that creation. He wanted us to see the Jesus who maintained the full authority of God, and knew what would happen before it happened. 

I think about how Jesus walked this earth as a human and at the same time was fully conscious of the entire cosmos. Could he hear angels singing while eating dinner with the disciples? When he traveled across the Sea of Galilee, could he also see the Crystal Sea of heaven? When he walked into a house, could he see heaven’s mansions at the same time?

When he looked to the heavens, did he see all the stars and galaxies and planets that are not visible to the human eye? When he worked with wood, could he see even the sub-atomic particles in its structure?

And what was it like to one with the Father? “I in thee, and thee in me.”(John 17:21).To know God’s thoughts and for God to know his? To share feelings and enjoy each Other’s presence?

Did he have a difficult time managing the limitations of a physical body while being aware of all of heaven? What was it like to know the fullness of heaven and at the same time endure the emptiness of hunger? Was it harder or easier to be aware of heaven when he was tired and hurting?

The reason I wonder these things is that this heavenly awareness is accessible to all of us, through the Holy Spirit.  He “has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” (Eph. 1:3).

As I work and pray, how aware am I of the larger spiritual world around me, where the eternal qualities of love, joy, and hope supersede the impotent qualities of greed, rage, and power?  And how would that change my behavior?

“I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better.” (Eph 1:17).

Better Is Not Easier

“Come to church and your life will be so much better.”

That’s the promise that we often use to attract people, but I think we might want to define more precisely the word “better.” “Better” may not mean pain free and fun.

We’re rarely going to be as entertaining as an amusement park or a Las Vegas Act because our goals are different.   

But here are some things we can offer if you come to church:  

To love and be loved. Love is good, but it is not easy. Love always has joy, but sometimes it’s sad, too. Sometimes it’s scary. And it’s not uncommon for love to be exasperating. 

To be healed. Healing involves change, humility, maturity, courage, forgiveness, etc. These things may not always be fun, but they’re pretty necessary. 

  

To trade small problems for bigger ones. Come to focus on the needs of the globe, the community, and the person next to you (this is one of the things that can bring healing to you, too). Coming to church might make you feel the weight of responsibility.

To focus on heavenly issues.  Instead of the issues of earthly kingdoms (or governments), we focus on the Kingdom of God, where truth, beauty, and love are more important than money and power.  

To grow in your awareness of God which could be daunting but also joyful and wonderful

So yeah, come to church. It can make your life better. Just not necessarily easier.