Engaging Scripture

Have you ever thought communion is a bit strange?

A little tiny piece of bread.

An equally small cup of juice.

Most often, that is how we take communion at Faith Church. We also practice intinction, where people rip off a piece of bread and dip it in a cup. Since I am usually holding one of the cups, I have to admit that it is humorous when people, trying to make sure there is enough bread left for others, rip off the smallest flakes of break you ever saw. When they attempt to dip their crumb into the cup, the realize it is too small, and they accidentally dunk the tips of their fingers. Then the juice starts dripping on the hands, shirt, floor, and they get quite embarrassed. To avoid this, I have taken to whispering “it’s okay…take a big chunk!”

Have you ever thought that communion is strange?

Is this what Jesus really intended that ominous Passover night when he at the Jewish Seder with his disciples, and he said “Do this in remembrance of me”?

Christians through the ages have debated what is the appropriate meaning and practice of communion. Confusing words like transubstantiation and consubstantiation get flown around, along with memorial, spiritual presence, mass, Eucharist, and a curious one…viaticum. (That is actually one of my favorite!)

As we continue our series in Corinth, we’ll see that the Christians in Corinth were quite confused about the meaning and practice of the supper, and they had allowed themselves to make a mockery of it. I very much wish I could have witnessed that scene with my own eyes! It was wild.

Want to get a sneak peak? Check our 1st Corinthians 11:17-34

I personally have thought that communion is strange, but the more I look at it, the more compelling it becomes!

Join us tomorrow at Faith Church to learn more!

Jesus & Paul were feminists? – 1st Corinthians 11:2-16

This past Sunday my sermon was about 1st Corinthians 11:2-16, where Paul talks about women in worship. After giving the sermon, we had an excellent time at sermon discussion group. I want to review some of the questions we talked about.

As I mentioned in the intro post last week, I’m concerned that bringing up the topic of women in worship could lead to divisiveness, but that is not my intent. The moment I decided to preach through 1st Corinthians, I knew that the study would take us into some difficult territory. But since Paul knew he needed to address it, we should too. I’ve been regularly astounded at how often Paul’s words from nearly 2000 years ago speak so powerfully to us today. This section about women in worship is no different. Hear my heart: I want to raise some questions, and perhaps even challenge your thinking, but in so doing, my intent is to promote love and unity, even with those of you who disagree. So here goes:

If I could summarize what Paul says about the role of women in the church it seems that he is teaching egalitarianism in complementarian clothing.

What do I mean that I think Paul is teaching egalitarianism in complementarian clothes? Because the culture in Corinth, and really in the whole Roman Empire, was extremely patriarchal, women were most often viewed far below men, sometimes as possessions, sometimes lower than animals. So when the women in the church at Corinth started behaving in an extremely counter-cultural way, perhaps removing their veils, perhaps cutting their hair to look like men’s hair, Paul knows that this behavior could marginalize the church and it’s influence for the mission of Christ. Basically, if the church gets the reputation for having out-of-control women, likely very few people would want to be a part of the church. Therefore Paul tells the women to act in a way that is in keeping with cultural norms. But he doesn’t stop there. Right in the center of the passage, verses 11-12, he clearly explains that men and women are equal in God’s eyes, a radical notion for the men of that culture!

Do you see what Paul does there? By asking the women to maintain a complementarian approach to worship, Paul preserves the deeper teaching of egalitarianism for the future! It is a move of genius that lays a foundation for a very different approach to the role of women in the future. We see Paul’s teaching bearing fruit in our country today. In the USA we believe that men and women are equal, though we still have work to do! One issue, for example, is women not receiving equal pay for equal work.

Going back to what Paul was teaching, I think Paul was a radical feminist. Look at the place he gives to women in Romans 16. I think Jesus was a radical feminist. Look at the all the ways he dignifies women and includes them in his ministry. One person calls Christianity the best thing that ever happened to women. When we look at Jesus and Paul from the vantage point of our culture, it can be very easy to think that they could have done a lot more to enhance women’s rights. Why didn’t they teach more clearly that women should rise up and take their freedom?, we wonder. But seen from the viewpoint of the Ancient Near East in the first century AD, Jesus and Paul were egalitarians, pro-equality for women, in their teaching and ministry practice!

What this says is that Paul’s teaching to the women to cover their heads, to have long hair, and to learn in quietness in the church, was intended as temporary, for that church in that culture to maintain its viability and thus to advance the Gospel. Clearly in Romans 16, Paul refers with gratefulness to the women who were serving well in various roles in the church. This is evidence that perhaps even Paul didn’t feel his teaching to the Corinthians (and similar things he would say to the church in Ephesus in the letters to the Ephesians and to Timothy who pastored there) was universally applicable. Therefore, if a church is located in a cultural situation such that men and women are considered equal, for example a cultural situation like ours in the USA, we can, and I would say should, practice egalitarianism in the church.

The battleground is whether or not Paul’s teaching here in 1st Corinthians is for all time, all churches everywhere, or just for the Corinthians in their time. I believe Paul’s was complementarian teaching for the specific situation of that time, while laying an egalitarian foundation for very different cultural situations then and in the future. If that is true, is it possible that complementarian teaching and expression might actually be a hindrance in our egalitarian culture? Given the godly, deeply scholarly evidence for egalitarian approaches to ministry and the church, why do some people hold on to complementarian approaches, approaches which by their nature lower women? I have read numerous complementarian approaches by men who love their wives and want to promote equality for women. I give them credit. Deep down they are trying to be faithful to how they read the Scripture. I’m not trying to tear them down. I know women who hold to a complementarian approach as well. They love the Lord and are deeply passionate about serving him. So please know that when I ask the questions above, I ask them in a spirit of love.

What hits me in the gut about Paul’s teaching is the motivation behind it. I see Paul as lovingly, passionately concerned that this church, this group of people he has great affection for, was jeopardizing the mission of God’s Kingdom. That means we disciples of Jesus need to ask ourselves, is there any way that we are being a hindrance to the Gospel? How might our church be a hindrance to the Gospel? At this point the sermon discussion group had some great ideas! Here are some examples of how we can potentially be an hindrance to people becoming disciples of Jesus:

Our desire to get people to come to us, rather than us going to them.
Being so busy about our lives that we have little or no time for neighbors and friends.
An expression of church that is legalistic, rule-based.
Asking people to conform to our rules before being a part of our fellowship.

What other ideas can you think of?

The Monday Clean Office Report – July 21, 2014

My Friday tidy office has been miraculously clean on Monday! For two weeks in a row. While I enjoy writing these posts as I enjoy being surprised with what I’ll find in here on Monday mornings, the last two Mondays have been slim pickings. Nothing to write about. So there you have it. Just thought I’d let you know in case you were wondering!

The role of women in church

I was very nervous a couple months ago when our sermon series in 1st Corinthians took us to the topic of homosexuality. I’m nervous again.

In our passage for this coming Sunday, Paul brings up a situation in the church at Corinth about women and their role in worship. It seems to me that the role of women has been one of the most discussed and most debated issues in recent years.

I’m not interested in taking sides or being negative about one side or the other. The way I see it, both of the primary two points of view are motivated by a heart to honor the Lord. Or at least I think their foundational motivation could, and perhaps should, be understood that way. Of course, plenty of people carry their point of view like a weapon, and use it as such. I don’t want to perpetuate that kind of damage in the least.

Here’s a brief description of those two points of view:

Complementarianism – Women are to complement men. God ordained this. Both are equally loved in his eyes. In marriage and in the church, though, men are to lead. We might not understand why God would want one gender to complement another, but we can trust that God’s way are best. This view stems from reading certain New Testament passages as universally binding. Thus, if this view is held, it should be held humbly and lovingly by the men and women who hold to it.
Egalitarianism – Men and women are equal in every way. God created both equally in his image, and he loves both equally. In heaven this expression will be the norm, and so now on earth we can and should work toward gender equality, in society, marriage and in the church. This view stems from seeing certain New Testament teachings as only pertaining to certain first-century churches. This view should also be held humbly and lovingly.

As you can see, proponents of either side can have a heart of love for God in their view. I think that is very important to see.

Paul was writing to a society steeped in patriarchy. Women were seen as possessions. What would he say, when he heard reports of women exercising a freedom that was counter-cultural? Would he cheer them or chastise them? What is the main concern Paul has for the Christians in Corinth? Might there be a principle that could carry over to our church, our era?

So, trepidatiously, I invite you to hear a sermon about 1 Corinthians 11:2-16 this coming Sunday at Faith Church.

On taking a sabbatical to get ripped abs… – 1st Corinthians 10:14-22

I debated talking about American Idols in this post. Not the show American Idol, but the idols that we Americans worship, no matter if we are Christians or not. Money, consumerism, material things.

I think it is important to mention those, but I’ve talked a lot about them already. Might there be other forms of idolatry that we need to think about. Admittedly, idolatry can be a bit confusing. We American Christians aren’t tempted, for the most part, to offer sacrifices in pagan temples to false gods made of stone, wood, clay or metal. In our area, those kinds of temples are pretty much non-existent. So when we hear Paul talk about idolatry, as we did in this past Sunday’s sermon from 1 Corinthians 10:14-22, it can be kind of hard to identify with.

What comes to your mind when you think of idols in our culture? Do you know if you yourself worship an idol? I posed this question to some of my pastor friends this week, and I got a number of great responses.

We start with a definition of idolatry. When you can’t point to a statue in a temple and say “That! There is an idol”, you have to look at the principle of idolatry. Idolatry can be a concept and idea, as much as it is a physical statue. One pastor said this: idolatry is so often “When a good thing becomes a god thing, that’s a bad thing”. I didn’t make that up. Can’t take credit for it. But I like it.

There are so many things in our lives that God has blessed us with that are good things. But those things can become gods to us. Lower-case g. False gods.

That pastor said that they knew someone who had idolize movies. Movies are a very good thing. But someone could start to expect more of those movies than they should. They can go to the movies to escape life. The big screen (or better yet IMAX!), exciting filming, intense music, great stories and acting all come together to give you a wonderful feeling. The experience of seeing a movie can be so cool. But we can start to expect more out of a movie than what we should expect. We can put movie in a place of God. For example, we can want it to ease the pain of life, take us away to another place. And for a moment in time it does. But the credits roll, the lights come up, and we walk out of the theater, the experience over, with an empty feeling that slowly seeps back in. We’ve made a god out of the experience. That is Idolatry.

We should be participating with Christ and Christ alone. We should be finding our fulfillment in him alone!

Another pastor friend said: “The Bible, worship service, family, I realize these are all counter intuitive and in and of themselves are not idols but they can become idols when they are substituted for trust in and obedience to Jesus.” That one led to some lengthy discussion in our sermon discussion group! But all those good things can become god things, and that is a bad thing. How can the Bible become idolatry, you ask? Good question. Think about it this way: the Pharisees in Jesus’ day would say that they were dedicated followers of the Bible (the Old Testament for them). But Jesus confronted them strongly, and said repeatedly that they were way off base. Why? Because they worshipped a Bible of their own making. How many times did Jesus say things like “Guys! Do you read the Bible? How is it that you don’t know what it says?” Pretty harsh, but true, words to the religious elite who were supposed to know the Bible inside and out. Instead they were following something that they called the Bible, and maybe that they even thought was the actual Bible, but, as Jesus pointed out, wasn’t anything like the Bible. They idolized their own version. Can you think how we evangelical Christians do something like this in our day? At sermon discussion what came up was Sabbath rules, like forbidding mowing the lawn on Sunday. There are many other more serious examples we could point to, examples of so-called doctrines that Christians are taught to be adamant about, but are not justified when doing serious study of Scripture. I think it would be very helpful to talk more about this, so please feel free to comment.

Another pastor friend said: “The greatest idol is the one looking back at us in the mirror. As long as we keep saying things like “God has a perfect plan for MY life”, the idol gains more power. Once in control, it won’t allow us to even consider the wisdom of humility, repentance, and sacrifice for something so much bigger than “me”. The idol in the mirror must die.”

For me, exercise and body image easily could become an idol. We see pictures all the time, on TV, online, of people with perfectly toned bodies. Here’s where the crazy comes out. I actually had this thought the other day…I have a pouch down there on my belly. I started working out in late 2009, and while I lost a lot of weight, I have done sit-ups days upon days and the pouch remains. It is frustrating, but to be honest, I know what it will take to get rid of it. I read an article about Hollywood actors who get toned in a short period of time. You know what I mean: the ladies who have a baby and three weeks later it looks like they were never pregnant? How do they do it? The article interviewed a famous Hollywood trainer who said, it’s simple…kinda: just work out hard 3 hours per day, eat 2000 calories or less per day, and sleep 10 hours per day. In other words, your full-time job needs to be getting in shape. Who has that time though? If I tried that now, it would be easy to see how a good thing became a god thing and that’s a bad thing.

Watch the crazy come come out: so I thought, what if I took a sabbatical to do this? Our denomination suggests that churches give pastors sabbaticals…

But before you start to think that I seriously entertained that suggestion, a sabbatical so I get ripped abs, you see just how quickly a good thing becomes a bad thing in our minds.

What about you? Have you let anything take the place of God in your life?

American idols?

Do a Google image search for “idolatry in America” and the results are interesting. What is idolatry in America?

If we were in many countries around the world today, and I asked a group of Christians that same question, “What is idolatry?” then could walk you out the front doors of the place they were meeting for worship, point down the street to the Hindu temple and say “right down there…they have idols made of wood and metal that they worship.”

Here in the USA we have Hindu temples, as well as other religions that worship idols. In Lancaster, though, those idols are very hard to find. A few years ago I did a ride-along with a local police officer, who wanted to show me some areas in our township where we have section 8 housing that our church might be able to help out with. Just as we were getting into the car, he got a call for a drug bust at a local hotel. After they arrested the suspects, the officer came back to his car where I nervously waited, and he said “Come here, you gotta see this.” With all kinds of police personnel around, I walked into the hotel room and there on the counter was a statue of a Buddha. In Lancaster County I found an idol. Why in the world a couple of small-time drug dealers had an idol in a dingy hotel room, who knows.

But that is rare. I have learned not to be surprised by much anymore, but I would be surprised if I learned that one of you worshiped a statue of an idol in your home. There are, however, many other kinds of idols. And those other kinds of idols might very well be in your homes.

They can be difficult to pinpoint though. But we’re going to try.

A few years ago, I preached a series based on a seminary class, American Idols: Money & Consumerism. I agree that those things could easily be idols. But why? What is idolatry? And is it possible that other things can become idols too? That’s what we’re talking about on Sunday!

How to defeat temptation – 1st Corinthians 10:1-13

What tempts you? Delicious foods? Overindulgence of food? TV shows? Hobbies? Possessions? A new car? Men? Women? You name it.

Temptation in and of itself is simply an invitation. Admittedly, it is a very enticing, powerful invitation that can be hard to turn away from. How do you say “no” to temptation? Is it possible to be strong enough? In 1st Corinthians 10:1-13, Paul says that we need to be careful that we don’t think of ourselves as stronger than we really are. Instead we need to be strengthened by God to stand up under the temptation.

“So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.”

I love and I hate that image. I love it because it is real. Temptation doesn’t just go away like I wish it would. And Paul is saying that, despite my protestations to the contrary, God doesn’t always just remove the temptation. In fact, it seems most often he allows it to remain. That’s why I hate this image. The image of Atlas holding up the world, or a weightlifter standing up under a heavy barbell. I want life to be easy, comfortable, and temptation is the opposite. I don’t know that I want to be strengthened to stand up under temptation because that means I have to deal with temptation. I often don’t want to deal with it at all. But there is God saying that he will strengthen us to stand up under temptation.

How does that work, though? How does God strengthen us to defeat temptation?

First, like Paul said, we need to be careful that we don’t fall, if we think we are standing firm. Admit our weaknesses. Be honest about it. It will do no good lying to yourself and others. Admit it straight up. The first step toward victory is admitting that you have a temptation. Admit it to yourself first. Then admit it to the Lord. Take it to him in prayer.

Remember the Lord’s Prayer? “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” I love that because it is admission of our weakness, and it is a cry out to the Lord for help! That line from the Lord’s Prayer should be on the tips of our tongues all day long. It says “Lord, I don’t have the strength to be holy like you want to be holy. Would you strengthen me? Would you help me stand up under the temptation?”

Second, talk about it with others. We ALL struggle. We’re not the only ones.

And getting it out in the open with people will do a couple things. 1. Verify that you are not alone, and that you are not the only. It is encouraging when you realize that others are struggling alongside you. 2. It will lead toward accountability.

The internet is one of the most tempting places ever invented. If you are standing firm, be careful you don’t fall. Put internet filters on your computers and on your cell phones. There are a number of excellent options. Write down these names: Accountable2You, Covenant Eyes, and X3. I have X3 on my laptop. We have Covenant Eyes on our home computer. This is for men and women!

These filters/accountability software programs are great ways that you can be strengthened to stand up under temptation.

Another big one that Paul brings up is that the Israelites grumbled. Again, men and women: When things got tough, they got so negative. What about you? How do you handle the difficulties, the difficult people? Do you quickly get negative, grumble, complain? Look over your Facebook posts from the last few weeks. Are they fussy, critical, and complaining? There is a way out. Before you type the words and hit the “post” button, are you evaluating yourself? Do you have someone in your life that can speak honestly to you, if your attitude, your words are negative.

If you need to make a change somehow, then make a change!

Finally, make your temptations a matter of prayer. Paul says that the Lord will strengthen you to stand up under the temptation.

Feel free to discuss below, and listen to the whole sermon here.

Books & Performance Reviews – The Monday Messy Office Report – July 7, 2014

My Friday tidy office is mysteriously messy on Monday! Here’s what I found this week:

1. Two books: No names in the books, no note with them explaining why they are in my office. One copy of Loren Cunningham’s Daring to Live on the Edge: The Adventure of Faith and Finances. And one copy of The Hebrew-Greek Key Study Bible: New American Standard Version. I have a feeling the Bible is for the missionary project I mentioned last week, but if so, I’m wondering if the Hebrew-Greek Study Bible could be an intimidating choice for a person receiving a Bible for the first time. You ought to see this thing. There are numbers next to three or four words in every single verse. In the back those numbers correspond to Hebrew and Greek words, with the idea that a person could dig a bit deeper to learn how about the decisions the translation team made. Personally, I have been very intrigued and blessed by studying the original languages of the Bible. I sometimes joke that my job is largely working with dead languages. In the last ten years or so I have relied heavily on Logos Bible Software, and I recommend it highly. But I don’t think it would be wise to give original language materials to someone desiring to the read the Bible for the first time! Either way, it was a very nice gesture, and it will be perfect for our missionary to give to someone he knows who would be ready for that deeper kind of study. The Cunningham book looks interesting. Cunningham founded Youth With A Mission years ago and is a respected voice. Since a couple of Ladies are about to revitalize (think resurrection) our church library, perhaps this could be a title for that collection. I’m super excited about their ideas for the new library!

2. Staff evaluations: There were some envelopes with staff evaluations in my office. I get evaluated every year by our Pastoral Relations Committee, and I help evaluate the staff every year. Do you get evaluated? It is not fun. It is also not fun being the reviewer.

Even when the evaluation is overwhelmingly good, the reviewers feel they have to include some kind of critique. And usually the positive parts get talked about for 10% of the meeting, though the positive parts are 90% of the evaluation! So as we begin having annual evaluations, I hope they are honest, helpful, and redemptive! Correcting what needs to be corrected. Affirming what needs to be affirmed. Providing hope and encouragement for the next year. So if you are getting evaluated in your job, here’s a little clip to get you psyched up for it:

Now it’s time to clean up!

Buffets & Temptation

We have a lot of buffets in Lancaster. A Grand Smorgasbord is just down the road one way, and another one is close too. Then there are the Chinese buffets battling to outdo one another in their scope and size.

I’ll admit it, I love buffets.

The idea that you pay one price and can eat all you want is very enticing to me. I walk through row after row of serving tables loaded with food and think that I will beat the system. I not only want to get my money’s worth, I want the restaurant to lose money on me. It is very easy to argue that this is good stewardship of God’s money. If I only pay $10, but I eat $20 worth of food, than I just got a good deal right. I’m laughing inwardly at those stupid restaurant owners who created the idea of a buffet in the first place. Who came up with that proposition to lose money, I think to myself.

As I indulge. Overeat. Stuff my face.

See those words. Indulge. Maybe there is more to the buffet for me than getting a good deal. Maybe there is a temptation. I suspect I’m not the only one.

A friend of mine worked for a company who did some work at the granddaddy of all smorgasbords near us, and he told me that they had a special request for the plumbing when they expanded their building. They wanted extra-large pipes coming from their commodes to avoid the clogging that people were frequently causing in their old building. I wonder why??? Could it be the result of overindulgence?

Today we talk about temptation, how some people were faced with powerful temptations, how they indulged. See 1st Corinthians 10:1-13 as you prepare for worship this morning.

We’ll talk about what it can mean to defeat temptation rather than having it defeat you. Join us!

Full (or Fool?) Marathons & Beating Our Bodies – 1st Corinthians 9:19-27

Running has been an exciting part of my life for the past 5 years. As we continue studying the letter of 1st Corinthians, in the section from this past Sunday, Paul talks about running to get a prize and the necessary training that goes into getting in shape. I started training for the Bird-in-Hand Half Marathon which is taking place on my 40th birthday, September 6th. So I get the training part, especially on a crazy humid morning like we had today. And yet, as some of you have found out, there is a joy to be found in training. Your body can grow to like it, even crave it.

Crave training? Beating our bodies?

I introduced the sermon by talking about self-enslavement to everyone. Paul starts off the section (1 Cor. 9:19-27) by talking about self-enslavement. Now at the end of the section, he come full circle back to this slave stuff. “I beat my body and make it my slave.” My goodness, Paul. I think this is part of the reason why some people don’t like you.

On one hand Paul is talking about his personal practice of discipleship to Jesus. He wants his body to be in check, he doesn’t want to sin. And we should follow that pattern. Are you a spiritually disciplined person? Is your body in check? Spiritually, physically, emotionally? Disciples of Jesus, Paul is saying, surrender their bodies to a training regimen. Not because we’re into pain. But as he says at the end of the passage: “I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”

As much as this passage can seem like Paul-crazy-talk, two things he refers to actually turn out to be great blessings from self-enslavement: 1. Reaching others for Christ and 2. Winning the prize.

The prize. Yeah! I want the prize. In marathon training there are a couple prizes. The first is just finishing! When I ran my first marathon, even after having completed the 18-week training regimen, I was still nervous and could hardly sleep, wondering if I would actually be able to finish the whole 26.2 miles. The Baltimore Running Festival includes a marathon and half marathon simultaneously. The full marathoners are given small bibs saying “Full” to distinguish them from the halfers. One of my friends, hurting badly after the race, wondered aloud if those bibs ought to say “Fool”! In fact the odd distance of 26.2 miles has a scary history that could add anxiety to an already nervous first-time marathoner. Check it out on Wikipedia…the very first marathoner died after running. Thankfully the group of us that ran all finished! Just crossing that finish line was a prize.

But when you do cross the line, you actually get a real prize! The finisher medal. If you’re really, really good, you might win your age bracket, or the whole thing. I cross-referenced my score, and I would have won the 55 year old women’s category. So my prizes for the two marathons and one half marathon that I ran in the past three years are finisher medals and I treasure them.

Paul is not talking about that kind of prize; he is talking about the spiritual prize. To hear about that jump back to Philippians 3:10-17. The prize of abundant life in Christ, and eternal life in heaven. That is the amazing blessing that is in store for us when we beat our bodies and make them slaves.

I wonder if there are some untrained, undisciplined, spiritually flabby people who have not beat their bodies, who have not entered into spiritual self-enslavement, and yet who are expecting to win the prize. I think Paul would say that those people never truly knew Jesus. When Jesus made himself a slave for us, we need to respond with joy, with thankfulness, with love and burst out of the gate to become slaves for him. Jesus is the prime example of one who practice self-enslavement, beating his body, so that he might reach people.

This is a challenging section for me.

How is it challenging for you? Are you practicing self-enslavement, beating your body in order that God might use you to share his love with people in your life? Do you know your neighbors? Do you know your regular hair dresser? Barber? Do you know the local market stand owner? How do you relate to them? The people at the gym? The parents of your children’s friends? Are you/Am I willing to sacrifice my comfort, my time, my emotional energy to be involved in another’s life…People’s lives are messy (I know this because I know my own life is messy)…and we become all things (parent, counselor, banker, taxi driver, etc …) at different times to different people – for the purpose of being like Jesus – who gave all and became all for us.