Who?

I saw this picture on Facebook today, and I was struck by both the simplicity and the profundity of the message.  I mean, if we take just a minute and think about the implications of it all, it's huge - and scary, and daunting, and oh so many other huge things!

Read:  Ezekiel 33: 1-9

A watchman... someone looking out for people so they won't be destroyed.  A watchman (or watchperson, if you wish)... someone who wants others to have what they have and so is ever mindful of the urgency to tell them about what they have!  A watchman... you and me... yes, that's what I said - you and me!  We are watchmen, people who have something to share, something huge that others need to know about, and others need to have, and so we share it, right?  All the time, right?  After all, we are responsible to do this, right?  Right?

There's a great passage in the Bible (New Testament) that also addresses this:

Romans 10: 14-15
How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?  And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone preaching to them?  And how can anyone preach unless they are sent?  As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

How indeed!  You see, it's like you know someone is in danger, and so you tell them about it, you warn them.  Why?  Because you don't want them to be in danger, you don't want them hurt.  So if we know that living life as a believer in Jesus, accepting Him as our Saviour and Lord, means spending forever with Him, and we don't bother telling anyone else about it - ever! - then what?  Well, those we don't tell may never hear what they need to hear in order to be in a relationship with Jesus and to spend forever with Him in heaven.  Can we say ouch!  We are watchmen, watchpeople, and as such, we indeed have a responsibility to share what we know and live, with... well, basically everyone who breathes!  It's that simple!  And if we don't... well, Ezekiel makes it pretty clear the result. 

This is not meant to frighten anyone, but to encourage everyone.  This is not meant to make us feel obligated, but to allow us to exercise our basic privileges as believers.  Do we always do it?  No.  Should we always do it?  Yes. 

Now the biggie:  Will we always do it? 

Yes, we are responsible for the things we say, but it just doesn't end there - we are perhaps even more responsible for what we do not say, because the consequences are eternal.  So I ask you:

• Who are you going to share Jesus with this week? 
• Who are you going to say something to this week? 
• Who?

PRAYER

God, thank you for speaking to us through the Bible - your Word.  Even if/when we don't want to hear what you have to say to us, because it might convict us or whatever, help us to listen, and then do something about what we hear and read. 
Amen.

Grace-Space

I recently read a book called "UnLearning Church" - quite the read!  I was struck by one comment made in the book, where it referred to what I think all churches should be:

Communities of grace-space.

In John 15:7 (The Message), we see where Jesus said:

Make yourselves at home in my love.

I read these two short comments and thought to myself: "Self, isn't this what church is supposed to be anyhow?"  Seriously, isn't it?  If we make ourselves at home in the love that Jesus has for everyone, then we are at home in the very best environment we can be in, don'tcha think! 

Church is a safe place, or at least ought to be - a place where we can work on the stuff we need to work on, in order to be the people that Jesus wants us to be.  Sounds like a lot, but really it's just stuff - working on our stuff.  And isn't that what grace is all about?  What's grace, you say?  Well, it's God's unmerited favour - it's what God gives to us, even though we may not (read: don't!) deserve  it.  Even though we have done, and maybe even do, things wrong.  Even though we may still do things wrong.  It's a learning process, this journey we call the Christian life - living life with Jesus as our guide.  And in this process, there's God, giving us something that allows us to keep on keeping on despite how we might feel about how we are, or what we've done, or... well, anything!  And churches... well, they ought to be filled with people who have been given grace by God, and so they just can't wait to give it to others!  Hence the name 'grace-space'.  I love it - a place, a space, where we know grace.  Church.  Grace-space.  Oh yea, I'm seeing the same place, aren't you!

Now I'm not naive enough to think all churches have "perfected" being grace-spaces, but I am also not naive enough to think that all churches cannot be grace-spaces.  They can.  They should.  And, God willing, they will.  Because there's a whole world full of hurting people "out there" who need to know God, and to experience His grace - and they need to see it in us and through us.  Right?  Right! 

• Have you experienced your church being a grace-space?
• How have you been able to contribute to your church being a grace-space?

I love the church - the people, the experience, everything.  And I love the fact that church is, or can be, a community of grace-space.  I love that people can come in and make themselves at home in God's love - I mean, how great is that! 

PRAYER

Thank you, God, for giving us the gift of your grace.  Thank you for giving us places where we are able to go to experience your grace - those "grace-spaces" full of people who know you as Lord and Saviour.  Help us to always be vessels of grace for you.
Amen.

Don't be discouraged!

How many of you out there get discouraged?  Are discouraged?  C'mon, put up your hands... higher, so I can see them...  Seriously, discouragement is... well, discouraging, and it often means we don't get things accomplished that we want to get accomplished.  We just don't do well... no matter what...  And it's not a new thing, a 'today' thing, by any means - the Jews back in the Old Testament times experienced it.

READ:  Nehemiah 4

The WHOLE chapter?  Yes... 'cause it's a wonderful example of people getting excited, then getting discouraged, then getting energized, then getting things accomplished.  So NOW go ahead and read the WHOLE chapter, k...

I was reading an article the other day, and it was talking about discouragement - the article stated that discouragement is 3 things: universal, recurring, and contagious.  Universal because we all can become discouraged; recurring because it often doesn't take much to get discouraged again and again; and contagious because if you're discouraged, then others around you might also be discouraged - it just kinda flows out of us and into others!  And then I thought of Nehemiah.  He was a leader of the Jewish people.  They had just returned from being in exile in Babylon, and discovered that the walls around Jerusalem had been destroyed.  They wanted to rebuild so they would be safe from their enemies.  They started out, full of vim and vigour, spit and vinegar if you will, but soon became discouraged.  If we look at Nehemiah 4:6 and then 4:12, we see a world of difference:

Nehemiah 4:6
So we rebuilt the wall until all of it reached half its height, for the people worked with all their heart...
Nehemiah 4:12
Then the Jews who lived near them came and told us 10 times over, "Wherever you turn, they will attack you".

Hmm... what was once excitement now became discouragement.  Why?  They worked long hours, worked very hard, didn't even change their clothes.  They were drained, emotionally and physically, and they were only halfway done!  And isn't that when we, too, often become discouraged - we get halfway to our goal, and cannot for the life of us seem to get motivated to continue.  This leads to... well, you know!  It's like wanting to lose 50 lbs - you lose the first 25 lbs fairly easily, but then... I mean, how difficult is it to lose the rest, or anymore for that matter!  Yup, it's real - discouragement sets in, and it's never a good thing.

Nehemiah 4:14
Nehemiah said, “After I looked things over, I stood up and said to the nobles, the officials, and the rest of the people, `Don’t be afraid of them.  Remember the Lord, who is great and awesome".

You know, it CAN be done - discouragement CAN be defeated and we CAN re-energized once again.  How, you might ask?  Glad you did...  GOD.  Yup, GOD.  There's this neat book in the Bible, one the apostle Paul wrote to the Philippians, and in it, there's this verse that maybe should become the life-verse of each of us who believe in Jesus:

Philippians 4:13
I can do ALL things through CHRIST [Jesus] who gives me strength.

There you go - it's there, in black and white - words to live by. 

I CAN DO ALL THINGS BECAUSE OF THE STRENGTH I HAVE IN JESUS. 

It's not at all about us, 'cause we don't have the oomph to do what we can do if we just let God do it, if we just do it in His strength.  The post-exile Jews realized this, after being reminded by Nehemiah (!), and so they moved forward, building their little hearts out until they had completely rebuilt the wall.  "Not because of who I am, but because of what You've done" - it's not what we can do, but rather what we can do because of what Jesus has done for us!  Yuppers... and that can, and will, drive any discouragement away that we might have!

Ever watch the show "Friendly Giant"?  (I'm dating myself, I know!)  He would instruct viewers to see him by saying to them, "Look up... waaaaaay up".  Well, the Jews, under Nehemiah, accomplished great things because they did His work in His strength!  And that means that, next time you feel discouraged - feel down - look up... waaaaay up... it's there that we find our strength.

PRAYER
God, help us to realize it's not about us, but about you.  Help us to always be seeking you and your strength, in order to accomplish the great things you want us to accomplish.
Amen.
 

Turn! Turn! Turn!

READ:  2 Chronicles 7:14

Max Lucado is perhaps the most widely-read Christian author today; in his book "Turn", he writes:

God simply asks us to turn.  He asks us... to turn from self-promotion to God-promotion ('called by my name'); to turn from self-reliance to God-dependence ('humble themselves and pray'); to turn from self-direction to God-direction ('seek my face'); to turn from self-service to repentance ('turn from their wicked ways').  When will God heal the land?  When people turn back to Him!

Turn.  In other words, change direction.  Turn from self to God.  Turn from "it's all about me" to "it's all about you, Jesus".  Turn. 

In 1959, Pete Seeger wrote a song called "Turn!  Turn!  Turn!", which was covered by a group called The Byrds in 1965.  The words come from the Bible, from the book of Ecclesiastes.  The song reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, an amazing feat for a song that, as Wikepedia claims, "easily holds the record for the number 1 hit with the oldest lyrics".  But I digress... the lyrics include words such as:

"To everything, turn, turn turn, there is a season, turn, turn, turn, and a time for every purpose under heaven"

Turn.  Turn.  Turn.  God's very purpose for us under heaven is to turn to Him, to know Him, to love Him, to do His work, His will.  Turn. 

The writer of 2 Chronicles reminds us that we need to turn.  His words - God's words to the people of his day, and to us today - speak of turning back to Him... but there's an IF...  aarrgghh!  Those IF's...  Listen again to what God says:

IF my people, who are called by my name, will HUMBLE THEMSELVES, and PRAY, and SEEK MY FACE, and TURN FROM THEIR WICKED WAYS, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

IF we recognize God as being supreme and act like we know it - IF we talk to God - IF we look for Him - and IF we stop doing what we shouldn't be doing - then God will forgive us and heal us.  And the "IF's"?  Those are the places where we TURN... TURN from being us-centred, TURN towards God through speaking to Him and looking for Him, and TURN away from doing wrong.  In other words, a U-TURN.  Not a GOD-TURN, but a YOU-TURN!  God says IF His people do this, He will honour that.  God will heal us, God will forgive, us, God will work in us and through us... IF we TURN.

• Which direction are YOU going?
• How are you doing with that direction decision?
• Are you willing to TURN, to give God a chance?

If we do what we are supposed to do, God will do what He has promised He will do - oh, how can we not want to live in that experience?  Turn, Turn, Turn... you'll be forever glad you did!

PRAYER
God, I need your help - I know I need to TURN my life around, and I can't do it myself.  Help me, Lord, please help me.  I want to be the person you want me to be, and do the things you want me to do.  
Amen.
   

Come as you are...

I remember an old A&W jingle, that used to play all the time on radio and TV: "Hop in the car, come as you are, to A&W".  I always used to envision our entire family getting into the car, all of us dressed in our pyjamas, going to A&W - after all, they did say come as you are...

READ:  Mark 10:14

Jesus was telling His disciples that they needed to let the children come to Him, that people needed to be like children in order to come to Him.  What Jesus meant was that people needed to just be themselves - no pretenses, no masks - so that when they came to Him, they would be real.  Come as you are...

Churches are those places, or at least they ought to be!  People ought to be able to come as they are, not worry about being judged or ridiculed or condemned or... well, anything negative.  People ought to be able to feel comfortable attending church, to come as they are, knowing they will be accepted and loved.  If a church isn't able to be that place, then where will they be able to go!

"Come as you are.  You will be loved."  This is our slogan at McKernan Christian Church, but that's not all it is.  It is our way of doing things, or at least it ought to be!  As a pastor, I don't want to see people come to church, only to be turned off by a offhand comment, or a rude gesture, or a unloving attitude.  I want people to see Jesus in me, in us, in the Church, don't you?  Of course you do!  So at MCC, we strive to be what we feel Jesus wants us to be - loving, welcoming people.  Come as you are...

So if someone sees this slogan on our Facebook page, or on our website, or in our bulletin, I hope they know we mean it.  I hope they know we accept and love whoever walks through our doors.  I hope they feel they can come as they are, that they will be loved.  I hope they hear the old A&W jingle as they experience our church, our people - the words 'hop in the car, come as you are' that means they are welcome - and yes, even if they show up in their pyjamas!

PRAYER
God, thank you for loving us.  Thank you for giving us such a love that we can give to others.  Help us to accept anyone, to love anyone, to be your hands and feet and presence in this world.  Help us to be the type of people who will show others that they can 'come as they are', that they 'will be loved'.
Amen.

All About Him

"When the music fades, all is stripped away, and I simply come..."

When we come to worship God - in our private place, in church, anywhere - it's all about what we can get from it, or how those leading worship can please us.  Um, NO!!!  Something's wrong with that picture.  Something's missing from that picture... or more precisely, someONE is missing!  GOD.  Yes, GOD. 

READ:  Psalm 29

See verse 2?  "Worship the Lord in the splendour of His holiness".  That's what it says, and that's what it means - worship GOD.  Don't worship the worship leader, or the musician(s), or the building in which we worship, or the music, or... well, anything or anyone other than GOD.

"It's all about you, Jesus, and all this is for you, for the glory of your name, it's not about me, as if you should do things my way, you alone are God and I surrender, to your name"

The words of this chorus say it all, don't you think.  It's all about GOD - it's not all about you, nor me, nor anyone nor anything else.  It's all about GOD.  He alone is worthy of our praise; He alone is the one to whom we direct our worship.  The Bible doesn't say worship stuff, but it does say worship GOD. 

• Where is your focus today - on you or stuff in your life, or on God?
• What are you doing to keep your focus on God, where it should be?
• What do you do to help keep your focus on God?

Someone who used to attend our church used to make this remark:  'Focus, people, focus'.  A very... well, focused remark, to say the least.  If you come to church to see what they can offer you, or to see what you can 'get out of it', then you need a focus-shift.  You see, it really isn't all about you, no matter what you might think - it is indeed all about God.  When we have nothing else - when everything else is stripped away - we simply come to God, and worship Him in the splendour of His holiness.

I mean, really, is there any better way!?!?

PRAYER

God, sometimes it's not easy to keep our focus where it ought to be, so we need help.  God, please help us to bask in your presence, to keep focused on you... always!
Amen.

D.U.S.T.Y.

Do
U
Still
Trust
Yahweh (God)?

Don't let the book get dusty, but better still, get D.U.S.T.Y. yourself...