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Posts Tagged ‘way of Jesus’

Incremental Truths

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , on August 25, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 12:16
“I have still many things to say to you, but you are not able to bear them or to take them upon you or to grasp them now.” [Amplified]

The whole truth and nothing but the truth?… it’s not going to happen. Even though the Holy Spirit (Spirit of Truth/Counselor) is here with us, is even within us, still we are unable to handle the whole truth. Nothing much has changed on that score.

Is the Bible truth? Yes, but no one has the inside track on the meanings, interpretations, inspiration, implications of that collection of writings. Truth may be absolute, but our world is not. We are limited in our ability to understand truth and apply it to our world, to our culture, to our daily lives.

Like the story about Corrie Ten Boom whose father showed her by example that she could not carry the heavy suitcase off the train until she was older/stronger. The father would give her the suitcase suitable for her size and ability.

The Holy Spirit, through Christ Jesus, gives us the truth we can bear and understand.

Sometimes, we fight these truths. I have heard myself say, “Don’t tell me, I don’t want to know…” to my teenagers. There is a perceived safety in ignorance. But that is foolish.

Today, I open my heart and mind to the truth God is willing to give and I ask forgiveness for the truth I have turned away. Grace and mercy can only abound where truth lives.

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Grief in Change

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , on August 24, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 16:6
“…Because I have said these things, you are filled with grief…”

It couldn’t have been easy listening to Jesus tell the disciples that he was leaving. If they were grieving, they were also believing… he wasn’t kidding. From their perspective, the most amazing experience of their lives was ending.

They were so disappointed. They were not so savvy (in fact, far from it), to be able to see the big picture or expect it could possibly be better than it had already been with Jesus. Not possible!

Grief is one of the strongest emotions that humans feel. It can be overwhelming. Sometimes, it is so intense that a person becomes numb, removed from life and unable to carry on daily activities. Grief is a reaction to loss. Grief is a reaction to change.

On this occasion, the disciples were feeling “anticipatory grief” which strikes in the face of an anticipated loss or change. Jesus was helping them identify what they were feeling. He was also trying to prepare them for the next phase of their lives as his followers.

God is about change because God is creative. And so is life. When we hold too tightly to what is now, we will find change more difficult. We will dig in our heels and try to slow down the process.

There is nothing inherently wrong with grief. It’s the emotional process of accepting change in our lives. But we cannot remain there or we’ll miss the next stage of our life’s trajectory.

I embrace change and I embrace the feelings that go with it. It’s my personal “creation” story.

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The Counselor is Here

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , on August 22, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 15:26
“When the Counselor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me.”

The Counselor is the Spirit of Truth. This Counselor was promised by Jesus and sent out from the Father. The Counselor is not human but Spirit. This Counselor is still here.

In human terms, how does a counselor operate? A counselor is a listener. He/she is paid to listen, or if not paid, it’s a clear-cut part of the unwritten contract between the counselor and the client. A counselor cares about the client. A counselor is focused on the client and is interested in the progress of the client. A counselor is committed to the client.

A counselor is a mirror and assists the client in seeing him or herself more clearly. The counselor asks questions to help the client dig deeper. The counselor is an observer. The counselor is available and non-judgmental. The counselor is a truth-teller.

As believers, we have access to a Holy Counselor. But we tend to wait too long before we enter into dialogue with this counselor.

Instead, we tend to look to upon our triune God as a fixer. We act and when/if we act in error, we cry out for help. We are “reactive” and not “proactive” [that is, in the language of our current culture].

And it’s just like in “real life,” when we need the assistance of a human counselor, we must step away from our regular lives and schedule. We must commit to the time and energy and honesty it takes to look within. The counselor is a type of integrator but the process requires our trust and desire to move forward.

We must choose to enter into this relationship on the long term. The Holy Counselor is not into the quick fix. The Holy Counselor is in it with us for the long haul.

Holy Counselor, let us begin anew.

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WWJD for Dummies

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , on August 20, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 15:20a
“Remember the words I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master….”

For anyone out there who hasn’t seen the flexible wristbands, t-shirts, or bumper stickers, and other “Jesus Junk,” WWJD stands for “What Would Jesus Do.” (In actuality, this phrase was birthed in an old book entitled In His Steps by Charles Monroe Sheldon back in 1896.

The idea behind the phrase is a sort of “imitation of Christ,” and the challenge is to ask (and answer) this question before taking any action or making any decision. In my view, if people could do this, there would be a lot more saints by now. There are only a few ways that anyone could begin to answer this question authoritatively…

  • Know the scriptures, particularly the words of Jesus thoroughly.
  • Know the culture and historical context of Jesus’s time period.
  • Lay the groundwork for actions by establishing his norms: poverty, self-sacrifice, love, inclusion (for example)

If we can’t do these things, then it’s pretty unlikely that we’ll have much luck with the WWJD mentality.

Instead, I’m thinking I’ll go for a more general guideline, like WWJFD (what would Jesus’s family do)…

In ancient times, when kings and wealthy householders died, they often buried the household with them. The idea was clear, what’s good for the master is good for the family and servants. This is good enough for me.

And so I envision myself in his circle of friends and family. If we could just work together on this process, we would all get further along. Jesus promised that we have the potential to do the works that he did and get the rewards. Jesus also promised that we have the potential to suffer as he did. Jesus recommended we do this as a community.

Answering the WWJD question as an individual will rarely work. Let’s get together.

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Friends or Servants

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , on August 19, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 15:15
“I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you.”

So which is it? Friend or servant?

Jesus is talking to his disciples, summarily on the same night that he just washed their feet. This section of the book of John is part of a very long record of Jesus’s final teachings to the disciples.

He pronounces them friends because he has shared everything he received from the Father. There is only one proviso: obey his commands. And two verses later, he brings it down to the same singular command: Love each other.

Friends love each other. Servants do not… necessarily. A friend of Jesus follows in the way. A friend of Jesus bears the fruit. A friend of Jesus can ask for whatever … because he/she is in the way of Jesus. The foundation is there before the asking. The love is there before the asking. So many folks wonder why they don’t get their prayers answered… well, answered the way they want them answered. My guess, the problem is that the relationship is not a friend relationship, it’s a servant one.

I want to be a friend to Jesus and others. Make it so Lord Jesus.

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Hedging on Obedience

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , on August 18, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 15:10
“If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in his love.”

Want to get someone’s hackles up? Just tell them to obey. This is a word/idea that is no longer popular in today’s culture, particularly in the West. Too bad, I think we’re missing the point.

Why do we balk? What does it take to obey? First of all, it takes a certain humility. To obey a person, we must have respect for that person. We must believe in that person’s authority to command. We must trust in the commander to command wisely.

In a family, we expect children to obey their parents… these elements would still apply: respect, authority, and trust. Once any one of these elements is missing, natural obedience breaks down. Then parents try to demand obedience. But what do we get: obedience from fear. It’s a type of obedience but it is layered with rebellion. In other words, there will be hedging whenever possible.

In fact, hedging is counter to obedience. Whether we want to hear this or not, obedience is pretty much black or white. We complain about our kids, but truthfully, we adults are doing this all the time… we break the speed limit, we make photocopies at work, we cheat (just a little) on our taxes, we abuse our bodies with too much food, drink, you name it, we tell only part of the story, and we listen to only part of the command. Basically, we analyze the commands in relation to what we personally want to do or not do.

In the end, obedience is a choice. Here’s the sad part of this story: the primary command that Jesus is laying out here is to “love others as he loved us.” Why are we still hedging on that one? We have to be commanded to love? Think about it.

I’m guessing, if we were to obey this one foundational command, a lot of other things (relationships, needs, desires, for example) would just fall into place. In the next sentence Jesus says, “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” It’s a command with a promise. I could use a little joy today. I can love today. I can choose to love.

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What is the Fruit Anyway?

Posted in Ordinary Time, tagged , , , , , , , , , on August 17, 2009| Leave a Comment »

John 15:5b, 8
“If a man [or woman] remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing…This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.”

The whole issue of the fruit metaphor has plagued me over the years. I got hung up on it when a well meaning friend pronounced fruit as the number of converts I brought into the Body of Christ. For him, the process of “harvesting fruit” (probably based on Matthew 9:37) was a frontal assault: bring the person through the “sinner’s prayer” or share the “4 Spiritual Laws” or whatever it takes to close the deal and get the person to “yes.” It reminds me of sales talk: get to the “ask.” [“Ask” in this context meaning to pop the question: do you want to buy this product or do you want to support this cause with a donation?]

First of all, let me say, I am not against drawing others to Christ, far from it. But I’m thinking differently these days about the way. I’m thinking it’s the fruit that actually draws a new believer, not the other way around. The fruit, like fruits of the spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) or the description by James [3:17] of being wise, peace-loving, considerate, merciful and so forth, these are transforming energies. These fruits come from the heart. These are fruits of love. These are fruits that draw others to us. And when they are drawn to us, they are drawn to Christ.

Ezekiel says [47:12] “…every month they will bear [fruit], because the water from the sanctuary flows to them. Their fruit will serve for food and their leaves for healing.” This is our future. As the water/spirit of God flows through us, we offer the fruit of love and healing for wounds, both emotional and physical. We are in the restoration business. As we give of ourselves, we are giving life-changing fruit.

Doesn’t it make so much sense that God uses the idea of “feast” … the abundance of fruit … available to us all. And how foolish of us to miss such a feast.

Lord, mark the time for me today. Give me awareness that I might recognize the hunger of others. I don’t want to just “invite” them to the feast, I want to give them a taste of Christ’s fruit. Keep my heart tender, receptive and transparent.

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