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Posts Tagged ‘way of Jesus’

Practice Hospitality

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , on March 16, 2010| Leave a Comment »

This should be a no-brainer. Of course I should practice hospitality . . . except when I haven’t mopped the floors or gone to the grocery store or finished that novel or walked the dog or put the dishes in the dishwasher. Oh yeah, clearly, I’ve missed the practice part.

Romans 12:13
Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

A quick definition of practice is “to repeat an action to improve.” And clearly, I need to improve. It’s not that I don’t love being around people. I do. But bringing them home seems to take more and more energy. It’s unfortunate that having people over has turned into the requisite dinner party or the gathering has to be for a clear purpose/event. Whatever happened to just getting together?

When Mike and I were newly married and living in Atlanta, there was rarely a Sunday that went by that one family or another wouldn’t invite us over for dinner after church, unplanned. They didn’t call us the week before or even the night before. It was on the moment, “Come share a meal with us.” And it wasn’t a special meal picked out for us because we were guests. We were just enveloped into family that day.

Hospitality is not just providing food, drink, and clean sheets for an overnight stay. It’s an invitation into who I really am. When I am hospitable, I am inviting the person to share in my “real.” I am opening a door to my private self. I am giving permission for the guest to know me.

Funny. I think about Jesus who didn’t have a place to invite people to visit. Instead, he made himself the guest in a variety of places and homes. He was giving them opportunity to know him in reverse. He was teaching them how to practice.

I understand why the first churches were house churches and why they are becoming such a phenomenon today. Home is one of the few safety nets most people still have. And if they don’t, they need one. Home: where the door swings wide and one enters into a wide embrace.

Practicing hospitality means practicing an open heart. Welcome is the first word toward koinonia.

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Mutually Dependent

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 12, 2010| 2 Comments »

Interesting concept really, to be mutually dependent. Think about it: we assume a dependent person needs or relies on someone else for protection or caregiving, or knowledge even. But mutual vulnerability implies that each person has his/her own set of weaknesses and strengths, both needed and provided by one another.

Romans 12:4-5
For as in one physical body we have many parts (organs, members) and all of these parts do not have the same function or use, so we, numerous as we are, are one body in Christ (the Messiah) and individually we are parts one of another [mutually dependent on one another]. [Amplified]

This basic idea is the foundation of teams in the workplace. The combination of skills and strengths leads to higher levels of understanding and success. God is asking no less of the body of Christ. Unfortunately, many of us tend to sit back and allow others to do their thing while we absorb all their good stuff, giving little of what we are good at doing back.

Churches are filled with folks who show up regularly on Sunday mornings but rarely extend themselves beyond the pew. So many of us make excuses as we watch talented folks sing, preach, play instruments, run committees, and lead classes. We tell ourselves we have no abilities in those areas and therefore, nothing more can be demanded. But what are we good at doing?

I know there is an entire teaching on those verses about being strong in weakness [II Corinthians 12:10] and how God will give us what we need if we step up to the plate. And I don’t really disagree. However, I also think we may be missing something valuable in the church: taking advantage of the gifts people do have, gifts that may not seem useful at first blush but could be used creatively for the body of Christ.

Church life is so locked up in tradition; sometimes there’s little room for innovation and creativity. More than likely, where I am weak, there is someone else who is strong. And where I am strong, it is up to me to offer those strengths for the edifying of those who are weak.

People think of me as strong, but truthfully, I am not “all that.” There are many places and times where I am foolish and insecure, just like anyone else. I am lonely and do not have many close friends. I am a spendthrift and spend money on the wrong things. I make quick judgments. I fill my schedule to overflowing, doing too many things acceptably well, but not really well. I am performance-oriented and put high expectations on those around me. But I am also funny and energetic. I like to draw people together. I like to be the hostess. I like to plan events and watch others enjoy the fruits of those labors. I am smart enough to enjoy reading, studying, and observing others. I love change and new things. I enjoy being with people. I enjoy teaching what I know and writing. I enjoy discovery. But I am not particularly spontaneous because I am also fearful of making mistakes. I can be a control freak. But I can also create something out of nothing.

These are my “I am’s” today.

But, there are people around me who are strong in my weak areas. I want to reach out to them and allow myself to be weak with them. I want to be part of the balance in the body of Christ.

I surrender that part of myself today that has been hiding. It’s time.

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Living Sacrifices

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , on March 11, 2010| 2 Comments »

More and more paradox! Think about it: how can I be a “living” sacrifice? Sacrifice implies giving up one’s life. And yet, that is exactly the point.

Romans 12:1a
I APPEAL to you therefore, brethren, and beg of you in view of [all] the mercies of God, to make a decisive dedication of your bodies [presenting all your members and faculties] as a living sacrifice, holy (devoted, consecrated) and well pleasing to God. . . . [Amplified]

Among many definitions, this one caught my eye: “The surrender or destruction of something prized or desirable for the sake of something considered as having a higher or more pressing claim (or value).” In ancient times, sacrifices were usually animals, as close to perfect as possible. These animals were offered as a substitution for the person who was confessing sin, making a vow, or giving thanksgiving. But once the Messiah had completed the ultimate sacrifice, Paul lays it out quite plainly: the new sacrifice is human, but spiritually based.

This is a very well known and often quoted section of Romans. What can I add that hasn’t been said a million times already?

Just do it. That’s all that comes to mind. Just do it. Every day. Today.

Today, I choose. Today I trust God has something for me that is better than anything I can manifest on my own.

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Windows of Opportunity

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 8, 2010| 2 Comments »

The passage I read today from Romans is not a particular favorite. Talk of cutting off and God’s sternness and unbelief is always difficult. As I contemplated these unpleasant attributes of God, I considered the importance of timing.

Romans 11:23
And if they [Israelites] do not persist in unbelief, they will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

Each of us has windows of opportunity to experience or meet God. I can certainly look back and see some of those windows that opened and closed. They were crossroads I didn’t recognize at the time because I took the other way. As a child, I can remember going to Vacation Bible School and although I enjoyed the activities and “something to do” in the summer, I didn’t meet God there. And later in high school, one of my closest friends was a PK (preacher’s kid) and I adored her family but it never occurred to me to embrace their God. In college, I was in a sorority where many of the girls were active in Campus Crusade, but I didn’t even consider attending a meeting. There must have been more of these “close calls from Christ” in my young adult years, but I don’t remember them.

God reached out to me and for that season of time, I could have looked through and believed. Who would I have become? No telling.

I am grateful there were many windows.

If there were many windows for me, then there are many windows for others. Christians get so hung up thinking about someone who hasn’t “accepted Christ” and “oh, they will be lost forever.” But there is always another opportunity. There is always another moment in time. We just can’t see it now.

My mother was against all things religious for years and years. By the time she reached her nineties and was living with us, I assumed she would never experience God in any kind of real way. Then, as dementia set in, the likelihood seemed even more remote. But one night, while I was sitting by her bed, chatting quietly until she fell asleep, she said, “Oh, look, it’s Jesus,” and then, “Oh, he’s reaching out to me with an invitation (this was all in Latvian, so the word was specific to a card or written invitation),” and then, after some moments she said, “I think I’ll take it. Yes, I’m going to take it.” And then after some silence, she opened her eyes and told me how beautiful it all was. I was mesmerized. I thought she might die in that moment and just go on to be with the Christ. It was an amazing experience to watch her face, her countenance and to hear the quality of her voice. It was a different woman, totally coherent, and totally enraptured. She died a few weeks later.

My mother had missed ninety years of open windows, but there was still another window ready to open again.

God can be stern and even close windows for a season, but in the end, there is still that grace and mercy and kindness. God will reach in. Today or tomorrow. It doesn’t matter to God who exists outside of human time. Holy, holy, holy.

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Wild Olive Shoot

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , , on March 6, 2010| 1 Comment »

Consider this: all of us, unless descended from a Jewish heritage, are wild olive shoots. And yet, most believers are quite complacent about their place in the olive tree as though we are entitled. This attitude can lead to cheap grace.

Romans 11:17-18
If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you.

It’s hard to keep appreciating something wonderful. I live a pretty easy life: middle class with upper class taste. I don’t get to eat whatever I want, but I still treat myself to expensive ice cream, craisins, pistachios, and dinner in a restaurant several times a month. We have 4 cats, 2 dogs, and three fairly spoiled teenagers. We are a two-income family. I don’t dress from Nordstrom’s, but I do refresh my closet pretty regularly. We have 5 computers and two TV sets. (Ok, so we don’t have a flat screen yet, but it’s on the list. It’s expected.) We have three cars, all used, but still, each teen expects his/her own car and when that time comes, we’ll have five. Oh, I forgot, we actually have four cars, Mike has a “collector” car (a 1962 Valiant – don’t get me started on that one). We live on a street where most of the houses look the same, in other words, a subdivision. We have 4 bedrooms and 3.5 baths. We have heat when it’s cold and we have air conditioning when it’s hot. Our yard has trees and flowers and a view of the woods. It is a life of relative safety.

But grace is better than all that. Grace is better than winning the lottery.

And yet, I lose sight of this gift. I am wrapped in my comforts and forget about the wonder of my soul’s relationship with the God of the Universe. I forget I’m a wild shoot.

Give me a spirit of thankfulness this day.

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Holy Roots

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on March 5, 2010| 2 Comments »

Isn’t the root issue always the most important? So often, we judge people and circumstances by first impressions or appearances without looking for the heart. But looking inside can be treacherous.

Romans 11:16
If the part of the dough offered as first fruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.

In the plant world, roots have very particular responsibilities. They absorb water and inorganic nutrients and they anchor the plant to the ground. They also control how quickly a plant will grow and store nutrients for later use. (Wikipedia for more on roots)

This description is not much different than the work of the human spirit who ultimately directs our growth and maturation into adults. A child whose spirit is broken will not thrive. A wounded soul is incapable of experiencing the fullness of love or hope: essentials to happiness. A slumbering spirit will no longer absorb truth.

Some years ago I was active in the Elijah House ministry. This is where I first heard about the negative power of “bitter root judgments” [See to it that no one misses the grace of God and that no bitter root grows up to cause trouble and defile many. Romans 12:15]. It is so important to search out and prayerfully confront deep root problems. As long as these issues from a person’s past are boxed up and unattended, they will continue to impair and cloud daily life (sometimes without our conscious knowledge). Elijah House was instrumental in revealing some of these obstacles in my own life and how to become aware of their negative influence. Some of those roots had to be pulled out altogether and cast away. Some were cleaned and lovingly returned to the soil of my heart by the Holy Spirit: inner healing.

When a personal spirit is united with the Holy Spirit, the process toward wholeness [holiness] begins. It is just another way of explaining “sanctification.”

Sanctification works both directions, from the outside in and from inside out. Yes, we must choose to change our behaviors and extend ourselves outside the comfort zone: loving the unlovely, helping those less fortunate than we are, investing our “talents” in those people and areas that can use them. But we must also change from within, exposing our hearts and spirits to the Light of God’s Holy Spirit. And as our roots are healed, the outside choices become much easier.

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Pick me! Pick Me!

Posted in Lent, tagged , , , , , , , , , on March 4, 2010| 2 Comments »

Can’t even begin to say how uncomfortable I am with the phrase “chosen by God.” I think it’s supposed to be a comforting thought, instead I feel traitorous to all the “rejected” ones. After all, I grew up the last one picked for kickball, I know what it means to be left out.

Romans 11:5
So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace.

Sometimes I’m glad I’m not Jewish and have to contend with the idea of an entire people group being “chosen.” No thanks. This chosen thing carries a lot of responsibility. It’s like being a perpetual PK (preacher’s kid). Every mistake is amplified. Every wrong word is noted. Every outfit is scrutinized. On a national level, it’s the policies, wars, peace treaties, etc. It’s being under a microscope.

Nonetheless, God is in the choosing business, whether I am comfortable with the idea or not. Some people die, some live, some people win the lottery, some lose their loved ones, some people struggle with illness while others struggle with poverty or stigmas. There are lots and lots of things that are out of our control. How we respond to our circumstances is our responsibility. That is where we choose.

Being chosen for a 4th grade kickball team was usually based on my ability (or lack thereof) to kick and catch a ball. The few times I wasn’t a default choice, but chosen at the beginning, I felt the pressure of performing. But of course, whether I was chosen first or last, I still couldn’t kick worth a toot or catch. And so the cycle would continue.

But God’s choosing parameters are outside anything we can possibly understand. Our “goodness” or “abilities” do not put us on God’s team. This is the grace part.

When I chose to follow God through Christ, I was fulfilling my small part of the equation, but truthfully, God had already done an awful lot of reaching out to me first. Am I unique because I’m a follower of Christ? Don’t think so. Am I part of some remnant? Doubt it.

This is all a mystery to me. But I do know God is a God of love and mercy and grace. This I truly know. And I believe anyone can cry out to God: Pick me! Pick me! And God will choose by grace.

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