In, but not of, but called to embrace and change

I think we forget that Christ’s words about being in the world but not of the world come with a mission. Sure, those that have been redeemed are no a part of the kingdom of light, but we have a missional calling that comes from being in, but not of the world. The challenge and the fear for the Church is that if it embraces culture, it will somehow be swallowed up by that culture. So, the Church has chosen the opposite path, stay separate from the culture, and keep the Church pure. This latter mindset has come with a great price. The Church has gotten good at turning to a deaf ear to culture. But what if God could be remotely seen through the arts, media, movies, and music? What if seekers sincerely caught a glimpse of the Divine in an unorthodox setting. Does that take away from the Church’s mission to take the gospel to these same souls? Of course not.

I think we have hindered a great many of souls by disallowing culture to to be filtered by and through the Gospel. I think the best of culture, whatever socio-cultural context that may be, can be redeemed by the Gospel. But we live in a cultural/church disconnect. Our kids are growing up in a world, growing up in a culture that allows questions to be asked, and is totally okay with mystery and paradox. Our churches for the most part of stuck in the rut of modernity and teach that faith, and practice is beyond the realm of question. The faith one for all delivered is easily discernible to the rational and hungry for truth. We have not time for mystery and paradox. Church is to be well ordered and everyone is to wear their Sunday best. And so the two realms collide. But, I think this ongoing collision will be a good thing. It will force one side to recognize stagnancy, and the other side to appreciate legacy and concern for the Church.

The Church can embrace culture, not to become like the prevailing culture in which it presides but to embrace the best of what that particular culture offers and redeem it and put it to use to continue to reach those that haven’t seen the best of what the Church offers. If the church is to follow through on the Great Commission, then we must go. Go is a verb. To go into all the world, to effect change in our culture settings we must get of our churches and out into the community. People in our towns need to see us at grocery stores, at the coffee houses, banks, restaurants, bowling allies, shopping malls, movies, art shows, living and sharing this Christ that we hear about every Sunday and wednesday. I still believe that the good news is to good not to share. If we are to in, but not of, we are certainly called to embrace and change the world around us.

What a wonder

I have written a couple of posts over the last month or so about my fascination with the cross. The wonder and the awe that surround Calvary, move me more than my first time seeing the ocean, is more exhilarating than my first kiss, more graceful than dancing with my wife. It seems most days very little is said about the cross. I wonder why that is.

I know that Mel Gibson masterfully portrayed the brutality and the grace of the cross, but where does a cross-centered Christianty rank in our well ordered and facade ridden lives? I say facade, because a lot of church folk play a game on Sundays and Wednesdays. We pretend everything is good, and that our lives are above sin. Our vocabulary is heavily churched, and we sure know how to sound like a Christian.

Cross shattered discipleship embraces the ugliness of the world we live in. Not to follow the present darkness, but to promote the ministry of reconcliation that has been entrusted to cross-shaped disciples. I think one of the beauties of the cross is reliazation that the incarnation (God becoming a man, and embracing human culture) is visibly demonstrable. A cross-shattered Christ is the epitomy of all that incarnation implies and inspires. Cross-shattered incarnational ministry is intentional ministry to the sick, downtrodden, to the poor, to the widow, to the postmodern coffe house professional, to the single un-wed teenage mother. Incarnational ministry will flesh out the best of what it means to be a neigbor to those we come into contact with.

If we are to emulate and follow the one who broke into our world humbly, and without royal regalia, we will empty our selves of the materialistic, self-centeredness that is often visible in Christian circles. Jesus words to take up our crosses and follow him, is an invitation to become cross-shaped, and shattered by the same splinters that our Savior endured. Less of me, and more of Him.

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Rachel and her cousin Emma swinging at Nana’s. 

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Rachel’s first real ice cream cone. All be herself, I might add. 

May 26, 1977

I turned 28 today. My wife surprised me with a wonderful day of gifts, triple chocolate cake, Star Wars Episode III, and Chinese food.

I don’t feel any different than I did at 18, except my shoulders ache, my knees ache, and I don’t quite run as well as I used to. Hmm, 30 is a little closer than I suspected.

Yoda: “Older you have become.”

Darfur in the news

Don’t forget about the people of Darfur. Here are a couple of links that I encourage you read and see what’s going in Darfur.

1. WFP Says Sudan Short of Food Aid

2. UN Secretary-General Travels to Africa Seeking Help for Darfur

3. EU Pledges Logistical Support for African Union in Darfur

4. Sudan Accuses Opposition of Inciting Clashes

5. 17 Sudanese Die in Refugee Camp Clash

6. African Leaders: Darfur Peace Talks to Resume May 30th

7. Pope Calls for Focus On Africa

8. Darfur: Help African Union Boost Troops Now
Sudanese Government Should End Its Harassment of Aid Agencies

“If African countries contribute more troops and donors provide needed technical and logistical support now, it should be possible to speed up protection efforts in Darfur. The people of Darfur can’t wait until next spring for the African Union to reach its planned troop deployment.” Quote from Peter Takirambudde, Africa director at Human Rights Watch

The Emergent Order

Wade shares the Emergent Order that clarifies certain questions raised by others concerning the Emerging church movement.

You can read Wade’s full post here, but here is a summary of the four values. By clicking on the link on each of the values, you can read a more fuller treatment of what each value entails.

1. Commitment to God in the Way of Jesus

2. Commitment to the Church in all its Forms

3. Commitment to God’s World

4. Commitment to One Another

Meditations on the cross

Of all that attracts me to the way of God as revealed in Jesus, it is the cross. I can’t quite express the magnitude of joy, gratitude and awe that surround the allure of the cross. Certainly, without the cross, Christianity is not worth our allegiance, and the trouble that a life radically altered by the Spirit of this crucified-resurrected Jesus causes in this world. The cross is essential to salvation, for without the cross of Christ our world is lost in sinful oblivion.

No one would dare subject himself to the horrors of the cross. This instrument of torture was the most severe and terrible of deaths. Reserved for the Scythian, slave, and the worst of criminals, to have been reserved a cross was not a moment of joy.

Our world is dramatically altered by what takes place on a hill outside of Jerusalem some 2000 years ago. The kingdom of God having already broken into the world through the incarnation (God becoming flesh), appears to crumple to an unexpected ending. I love the God-paradox that is manifested on Calvary. The darkest day in the creation becomes the seed of eternal hope. The same unassuming child that was fully God and fully man at his birth is the same unassuming Savior struggling for one last breath. From the perspective of the principalities and the enemies of the supposed Messiah Jesus, this Galilean rabble rouser was finished.

I love the tension that exists between Friday’s mangled mess and Sunday’s greatest comeback. We live with this tension, between the now and the not yet. A tension that will one day be overcome.

The cross is the beginning place of understanding how dark and rebellious humanity’s sin is. I know for me, I deserve the middle cross. His desperation for each breath, should have been mine. The mind numbing constant throbbing coursing through his nerves should have been mine. His lashes, still freshly oozing and pulverize with each thrust upward should be mine. I deserve the death He died. But somehow, He did then and still does today, offers mercy and grace for the sin-sick.

What an awesome God we serve!

Joining the conversation

I haven’t seen episode III yet, but plan to on Thursday. I have recently rented the first two episodes to refresh my memory of the happenings. I am looking forward to having some questions answered.

More on Lamenting…

I found this article on Lament Psalms, and thought it would be worth your reading pleasure.

We need to understand that lamenting is acceptable and much needed not only in our individual lives but in the corportate life of the Church.

Lament Psalms: Weeping with God
The Book of psalms is God’s book of worship, not only for the Old Testament but for the New Testament church also. It is this book that sets the principles, patterns and attitudes that must characterise our worship and prayer life both privately and corporately. In the light of this it is an interesting and notable fact that more than half the psalms in the book of Psalms are ‘laments.’ A lament is quite simply an expression of grief before God. So if it is true that the Book of Psalms is the part of the bible that largely defines what worship is and what the priorities in our personal and corporate worship should be – why does the lament have no place today, generally speaking, in church worship, when over half the biblical psalms are lament psalms?
It seems that not only are we not following the biblical pattern in this respect but we have ventured far from it. As a result of this our worship has become shallow and in many cases our rejoicing is quite superficial. There is a time for rejoicing in the church and in private and a time for lament. Lament is not something that belongs back in the Old Testament. The New Testament also calls us to lament in this life of struggle, sin and grief (James 4:9,10). Despite this however there is a tendency to regard lament as something that belongs in the Old Testament. Now that Christ has come, it is thought, we have joy – there is nothing to lament in this time of the new covenant. It is not hard to see that this is a false assumption. We only need to spend a moment considering why it was that the psalmists lamented in the Old Testament times and consider whether these also have application in our time:

The psalmist laments because he suffers:
Be merciful to me, LORD, for I am faint;
O LORD, heal me, for my bones are in agony.
My soul is in anguish. Psalm 6:2,3.

The psalmist laments because of heartbrokenness and loneliness:

Read the rest of the article here.