It is Christmas-time 2019. Our theme for this season’s sermons and worship services is “Christmas in One Word.” Yesterday was “Joy.” The upcoming week’s topic will be “Peace.”

Those sound pretty easy to work through and talk about right? We have joy… we know what peace looks like. Right?…… Right? Maybe not. We’re too easily confused these days about some of the core concepts of faith and belief. It is true that God desires Joy and Peace in our lives. Those two aspects are quite the blessing, and we would be glad to receive them in heaping measures.

But we must beware… because: CONTEXT!!

We want the blessings. ALL THE BLESSINGS! Well, at least all the blessings we can imagine that look like money, health, and all that good stuff we hear so much about. We forget the context of blessing through most of the Bible: suffering. Thats right, its all about the context!

We are blessed through the suffering of Jesus. We receive peace and joy because of the suffering of the Messiah. If we want to join Him in those blessings we must be prepared for a vastly different context to our lives than what we’ve typically expected.

Having Joy, true biblical and worshipful joy, means we worship and praise God no matter the circumstances. We may find ourselves joining Paul and Silas in their worship – in prison, under threat to their lives, having been beaten, and falsely accused, and….you get the point. CONTEXT!

If we want peace, true peace that passes understanding, we will have to understand the context in which peace is given: submission, sacrifice, and suffering. Peace is not the absence of conflict but the presence of submission to the will of God. Jesus knew peace as He walked toward the Cross. Not because it was a pleasurable experience, but rather because it was the will of God.

Pain is often a companion to Joy. Sacrifice is a close companion to Peace. Yes we can find both without the hardship, but those will most likely be fleeting moments. The joy and peace of Christ often comes in the context of crisis, anxiety, and sacrifice. Look to the story of Joseph in Genesis 37 – 50. Joy and peace were constant companions to Joseph. Despite his MISERABLE circumstances.

It’s all about the context. When God is present, peace and joy will be found.

Philippians 4: 10 -13 10 How I praise the Lord that you are concerned about me again. I know you have always been concerned for me, but you didn’t have the chance to help me. 11 Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. 12 I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. 13 For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength.

Don’t say Christmas…. or Black Friday… or nausea.

Ok, you’re probably all saying that because that’s where our minds go when asked that question. Children’s eyes are now FIRMLY fixed on the many benefits of Christmas.

Our eyes… (assuming everyone reading this is mostly an adult), should be fixed on the truest benefit we’ve received because of Christmas, Jesus. Now, that sounds trite and rather lame. Yes. But it is true in a far more dynamic way than just saying “Jesus is the Reason for the Season.”

We are to be fixed on Jesus because what comes after Thanksgiving is Worship. Take some time and re-read the story of the healing of the 10 Lepers in Luke 17: 11 – 19. (it is below if you’re wondering).

We have men who were given EVERYTHING. Literally. We cannot understate this. They were given everything from Jesus: Health; Family; Jobs; Community; Acceptance; Hope. When the world (and their disease) stripped everything away from them, Jesus returned everything.

The story is mentioned to us by Luke not because of the power of Jesus’ hands and healing. We’ve seen all this done before. Luke tells us this story because of the one who returns. What comes after Thanksgiving? Worship. And the dreadful Samaritan shows us what that looks like.

Instead of running home, he runs back to his knees in front of his Savior. Instead of hugging his family, he hugs the feet of the Christ. Instead of returning to civility and acceptance he returns to the One who returned it all back to him.

What comes after Thanksgiving for us, Church? Please let it be worship.

Luke 17: 11 – 19 11 As Jesus continued on toward Jerusalem, he reached the border between Galilee and Samaria. 12 As he entered a village there, ten men with leprosy stood at a distance, 13 crying out, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 He looked at them and said, “Go show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed of their leprosy. 15 One of them, when he saw that he was healed, came back to Jesus, shouting, “Praise God!” 16 He fell to the ground at Jesus’ feet, thanking him for what he had done. This man was a Samaritan. 17 Jesus asked, “Didn’t I heal ten men? Where are the other nine? 18 Has no one returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 And Jesus said to the man, “Stand up and go. Your faith has healed you.”

when he sang: “One of God’s greatest gifts….. is unanswered prayers.” (click here if that reference isn’t understood) Ok, maybe that was a bit too dramatic and WAY too country to start a blog. But let’s explore the concept of God’s response to our prayers for a short moment today.

There is a chasm-sized difference between what we expect God to do and what God historically has done. Now, historically, God has done some AMAZING things in response to human requests. He parted the Red Sea, healed people, etc… Lots of great moments laid out for us in the Bible.

Now – let’s make sure we’re on the same page… because if we’re not, we could walk away from this blog with the idea that if God doesn’t part the Red Sea in front of us or heal our great aunt He isn’t listening to us. God is listening, and God is able to do great things.

Why do we sometimes feel like He doesn’t answer most of our prayers then? The biggest clue we need is in the context of God’s great movements in the Bible AND in Paul’s discourse on prayer in Philippians 4.

* When God did amazing things in the text for people, it is often clearing the path for them on a journey HE set in front of them. They are following His will, plan, and path. Israel was leaving Egypt by the Hand of God – and He removed barriers. Elijah called down fire from Heaven in response to God’s message and identity over the false prophets of Baal. Jesus healed and brought the dead back to life – because He is Jesus – the ultimate display of God on earth. * Paul, in the text of Philippians 4 that we featured in yesterday’s sermon (11/17/19) never once mentions God’s immediate response to our prayers. Here is his process (paraphrased): Don’t worry, pray about everything, thank God for what He’s done, get peace. Peace comes because God is. Peace comes because God has done. Peace comes because God. Peace does not arrive because we get everything we want.

God’s greatest gift is that God is, was, and will be. God has done amazing things. God is doing amazing things. God will do amazing things. This is the source of our peace. God, not answered prayers. God, not blessings. God, not prosperity, health, and wealth.

Think about the context of our obstacles as well… If we are truly following God’s will then the obstacles we face will be addressed like the Red Sea. If we are doing what God wants from us (hungering and thirsting for righteousness) then we will be satisfied and amazing things will happen.

Perhaps…perhaps…. we continually face unanswered prayers because we are trying to align God to our will and not the other way around. God’s will is perfect… Ours, not so much. God’s greatest gift is God – manifest in Jesus.

Philippians 4: 4 – 9 4 Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again—rejoice! 5 Let everyone see that you are considerate in all you do. Remember, the Lord is coming soon. 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. (NLT)

There are a few lessons that we (adults) like to keep our distance from. Those lessons are: obedience and sharing. We like them……..for children and dogs. Adults traditionally do not like being told to follow the rules (just go to a little league game and watch the stands) or to share what they have.

As Christians we are called to do both. Without question. Limitlessly. Period. Without a doubt.

Simple, right? I mean, we have Jesus and God and the Holy Spirit who make things like this super easy. Why would we struggle with obeying the God who set the sun, moon, and stars into motion? Who would think to question the direct words and commands of Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount? (you know, “love your enemies…and all that”). Why would there be any doubt left within us when we’ve been promised and have felt the Holy Spirit move within and around us?

Sigh.

I have a job because Christians like to sit in the same spot hearing basically the same message over and over, week after week, for a lifetime. Before I get a rock lobbed at my face, I’m also a part of the problem because I like having said job.

One of the biggest flaws (this is my opinion) in Western Christianity is the ability for Christians to receive the profound blessings of God without sharing one bit of those blessings with anyone outside of their inner circle.

Selfish Christians. Yep. That is the heart of the prosperity gospel which has tens of thousands (probably in the hundreds of thousands) of followers seeking every earthly blessing because they’re told thats what God wants to give them. If things look bad, send more money to your favorite televangelist or pray a different prayer, and poof! Blessings!

Those blessings are there, have no doubt about that. God is not selfish about sharing everything with us (see The Gospels for proof). God shared Himself – all of Himself with us. What is expected of us is to do so in kind. Not because we’re earning another jewel in our crown, but because we’re overflowing with His generosity.

That is the heart of evangelism. It cannot nor will it not succeed because of a catchy program. Evangelism is an overflowing of the blessings God has given us. Hoarding them to ourselves and doling them out sparingly to those who pass the tests and jump through the right hoops is not sharing. That is being selfish and ignoring the Great Commission.

Imagine if we wanted people to actually know as much about God and eternity and Jesus and the Holy Spirit as we do! Imagine having all eternity to smile at each other because we finally have complete union with God!

Imagine what it would look like if the Church mobilized in evangelism not out of guilt or pressure, but out of a longing to share. Just like we tell our children to.

Let’s be real – we’ve made a mess of our (Church) own history. Do me a favor and check out this simplified Church History diagram, I’ll wait… (click here)

Did you do it? Because what they show is a looooooong line of splits and disagreements and divides and…. you get the picture. What are those splits about? MOST of them (not all, but most) are about the HOW of Church.

Seriously – the How. We agree on the Who. We agree on the Why. We can’t seem to get together on the How and it drives us apart. What is worse is that the How has made us competitors at best for attention, attendance, and membership. All because of the How.

Now, there are some biblical mandates that determine some of the How – and we’re not pulling anything into question there. So lets pull focus and turn our eyes much closer than the entirety of Western Church History: Sunday morning at your home congregation.

What has divided us there? Is it the Who? No. Is it the Why? No. It is the How.

Worship Wars exist because of the How of worship. Church splits happen because of immensely important things like carpet updating, furniture moving, and paint colors. Seriously. I wish I were exaggerating.

Yesterday our sermon time was spent on an examination of the powerful moment of Communion that the Restoration Movement Churches celebrate every week. We dove into the four aspects that have driven us to this moment: Historical Significance, Physical Significance, Mental Significance, and the Proclamation we make when we gather around the table.

Three of the four were relatively benign and not really news, we’ve got this thing down. Where the tension could have ramped up was when we started down the road of the How. Nowhere in Scripture is there a mandate for the How – just the Why and Who. We don’t have to use unleavened bread. There is no commandment to do so – we just follow the one example of the Passover meal (Jesus’ last supper where He instituted what we remember each week). He used unleavened bread because of the Jewish celebration of Passover. That isn’t what we’re celebrating at all – but try, just try to slip in bread with active yeast on a Sunday morning! CHAOS! Tears! Angst!

All because of How we’ve always done it. I repeat a true statement I made during the sermon: There was a near (we’re talking NEAR) church split because the communion table was moved from the front of the auditorium off to the side. It did not change communion – it did not affect Who we remembered… but it messed with people’s How. And when the How gets messed with – well, we plant our feet, pull up our fists, and get ready to fight.

Shame on us, all those inhabitants of “How’s-ville.” We want things our way – and will fight to keep it that way. Doing so has blinded us to the Who, What, and Why of Communion, Worship, and Church.

Philippians 3: 17 – 21 17 Dear brothers and sisters, pattern your lives after mine, and learn from those who follow our example. 18 For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. 19 They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. 20 But we are citizens of heaven, where the Lord Jesus Christ lives.

What happened to Grace? 

We happened to Grace. 

Throughout history there have been those that assume they are the chosen, select, most-favored. Right now I’m pretty sure we think that. Along with that thinking comes the temptation and tendency to hoard the blessings that so obviously ours. 

Let’s not get confused though – I’m not talking about tithing or even money at all. I’m talking about the base concepts that define the characteristics of a Christian: Love, Joy, Peace, Patience,….you know the rest.  

We receive those from God (especially the patience part) and in turn do not shed those blessings onto others. There is a hint of nationalism here – THEY don’t believe like I do. There is a hint of doctrinal exclusivity here too – THEY don’t believe like I do. There is a dash of prejudice – THEY don’t believe like I do. All of those create a recipe for selfishness, hoarding, and exclusivity. 

That includes Grace. 

We receive it and want the measures of Grace to expand greater and greater in our lives. We want the blessings of this earth to be a measure of God’s Grace in our lives. We want to be able to weigh the standards of Grace and Mercy and Love. 

Therein lies our small thinking about Grace. What happened to it? We started treating Grace like a popsicle. “You can have one if you finish your supper.” 

The problem is, none of us has eaten enough to deserve dessert. We’ve barely scratched the surface of earning a lick of blessing. 

But we’ve gotten a whole box of popsicles. Because God loves us THAT much. He even bought the good box with more purple and red flavored ones. 

Church, it is time to share the popsicles. (boy, this blog really dove into the shallow analogy). We cannot consider ourselves high enough to decide who does and who does not receive a blessing. Because of the work of the Spirit in our lives, the Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Gentleness, Faithfulness, and Self Control, we extend any and all blessings from God outward. 

That is the role of the Church in this messy world – Time to share the popsicles. 

Matthew 5: 43 – 48 “You have heard the law that says, ‘Love your neighbor’ and hate your enemy. 44 But I say, love your enemies![r] Pray for those who persecute you! 45 In that way, you will be acting as true children of your Father in heaven. For he gives his sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and the unjust alike. 46 If you love only those who love you, what reward is there for that? Even corrupt tax collectors do that much. 47 If you are kind only to your friends, how are you different from anyone else? Even pagans do that. 48 But you are to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect.

What is the first thing most of us think when we hear the alarm clock go off in the morning?

“I wish I had more time to sleep.” 

What is the thought most of us have when the weekend comes to a close and we look back on all the things we wish we could’ve accomplished?“I wish I had more time to do stuff.” 

I wish I had more time. 

Time is the enemy – or let us say that in a better way – time has been elevated to our greatest enemy by us. We have created an enemy out of time because we have spent so much of it in pursuit of……  (you can fill-in the blank here). 

Time has become a ruler of men. We have time clocks at work that create our paychecks. We have time limits for tests that determine our knowledge base. We have time outs in sports to give us a break from the hustle. Time rules us. 

All of that makes the conversation on Eternity a trickier one that I believe it was meant to be. Jesus, in my opinion, never intended for his disciples to get fixated on eternity or Heaven. There were times it was mentioned as a location, a source of blessings, and as an illustration for the coming Kingdom. It was never really given much specificity in where, what, or how. 

Jesus was consistently getting his disciples heads back into the here and now by focusing on service and love and compassion and generosity. When they started bickering and bargaining for better positions of rule and priority in this Kingdom He showed them just how much further they had to go in order to achieve greatness. 

I strongly believe those lessons of time spent in love and compassion and generosity and service apply to the Church today. We cannot get so fixated on what is to come (Eternity) that we lose sight of what is happening right in front of us. 

It is time to stretch our Love God, Share Jesus, Serve Humbly muscles. What happens here is shaping eternity. The hard work here will pay off – not in the sense of a greater reward – but in the volume of people going there with us. Invite someone to know Christ. Invite someone to walk alongside you in your own journey of love and compassion and generosity and service. 

Ephesians 2: 8 – 10 God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God.9Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.10For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

That is a great question. If you’re following along at home, our sermon series has been all about Big Thinking – adjusting how we think about the churchy stuff we talk about a lot but never seem to get a solid grasp of.

Yesterday’s (10/13/19) Big Thinking moment was on Discipleship. That is most definitely a churchy word. The conclusion we came to was equal to surrender, submission without exceptions. We must be so covered in the dust of our Rabbi that our very identity and look matches Him and Him alone.

So the question is raised, after now thinking BIG – how do we do that and what should we do next? The Bible has a handy little section that draws my attention as we ask that very question – because there were a few people who asked it to John.

Luke 3: 7 – 9 John LAYS it on the people. Seriously, this is a bold message he drops on them like a ton of bricks. He calls them names, tells them that God can make better Jews out of the rocks laying nearby, and that the axe of judgement is hanging over their head. This is no children’s message.

The beauty of it is this: they respond well!!! They don’t pick up the rocks with the intent to bean John with them – they ask what they should do. (3:10). And John provides a familiar formula of repentant response to the coming Messiah – be honest, kind, and generous.

If you want to show yourself as a repentant and redeemed soul, share what you have with others generously – 3:11.

If you are engaged in a job or task that has the risk of cheating or questionable morality, stop it and treat people fairly – 3:12 – 13

If you are employed by the State and have genuine power of others, treat them kindly and respectfully, and be content with your station – 3:14

If you were expecting a grand edict of penance, poverty, depravity, or self harm – you’re looking at the wrong book. The character of a disciple is well within our reach. John doesn’t tell tax collectors and soldiers to change professions, drop their money bags and swords, and run into a mission field. He tells them to be good, kind, and just.

The character of Christ is needed in so many places that if we all dropped everything and sought out a corner of the world in which the Gospel hasn’t been heard yet we would be neglecting those spaces closest to us. Christ-like character is needed in teacher break rooms, plumbing warehouses, coffee shops, buses, trains, planes, in taxis and limos……. you get the point!

Discipleship, while it leads us into the stormy places and valleys that look like what David walked through in Psalm 23, also requires us to walk like Christ in the normal everyday places. Christ is leading you to work this morning with justice, righteousness, holiness, and integrity in mind for your work place.

What should we do? Be like Christ. Everywhere. Especially in those places and look just like a tax booth. Uncle Ben said it best when he told Peter: “With great power (the Holy Spirit) comes great responsibility (Christlikeness).”

Luke 3: 10 – 14 10 The crowds asked, “What should we do?” 11 John replied, “If you have two shirts, give one to the poor. If you have food, share it with those who are hungry.” 12 Even corrupt tax collectors came to be baptized and asked, “Teacher, what should we do?” 13 He replied, “Collect no more taxes than the government requires.” 14 “What should we do?” asked some soldiers.

There are a few words in the English language that don’t seem to belong together – most of the time we call those “oxymorons.” And most of the time, the pairing of those two words creates a humorous, disjointed connection. (i.e. jumbo-shrimp).

Let me throw the two words we spent time with yesterday (10/06/19) back together and see what response we get: Worship-War.

Now that should not evoke anything but dread and fear, because those two words are not only opposites – but directly contradict each other. Worship is the elevation of God alone – offering what we have because He is The I AM. Worship proves our love and devotion to our Creator, not because we think we can fully repay Him, but because we are thankful.

War is (mostly) about conquering, vanquishing, and/or eliminating. There is nearly always violence involved.

How in the world have we allowed those two concepts to coexist within the Church for so long?

The answer is simple: We have forgotten the Who and the Why that is the foundation for the We. Church has become all about the all-powerful “me.” Opinion has become our new Theology, the shaper of doctrine. It has become a sign of the times in the world, with the newest killer being the statement: “I’m offended.” War has become our mantra. We stand our ground for things we believe and are wiling to fight for to the death.

For centuries now worship has been a hill some will die upon no matter the casualties involved or the sacredness of what is being fought over.

Paul writes about how a Church, specifically the gathering of believers in Philippi can look like Christ even more than they already are in Philippians 2. One of the biggest warnings is against SELFISHNESS. (1Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.)

We must separate those concepts (Worship and War) from each other and no longer allow them to exist in the same breath. Worship is the elevation of God alone – not me. It is not about my comfort or preference or opinion. Cain and Able, seemingly on their own volition, gave what they had to God. God exists therefore man worships. We cannot get confused and turn that concept around.

Small thinking is a BIG problem. If there are problems with the stability of a home, small thinking looks at the roof joists and not the foundation. If there is a problem with a relationship, small thinking looks at only the most recent interaction and not the history of the relationship. Small thinking looks at symptoms and not the root.

Lets talk then about Church and how we address the big things that really matter… Yesterday (09/29/19) we examined Baptism and what it means when we think big. Small thinking makes Baptism a thing, the end of a process that gives a particular person the right of passage into The Church. While it is an essential aspect of our Christian identity, we cannot continue to look at it with small thinking.

Baptism is a big deal! It is connection with God through a desire to live an immersed life. Thinking big means we are entering into that covenant relationship with Christ through death to ourselves. Death is all or nothing folks. There is no “mostly dead to the power of sin.” There is no “mostly dead to my old self.” If we live an immersed life we are thinking BIG!

Last series we focused a lot on asking a better question. This go-round we need to stop with small thinking. Coming up are some subjects that have notoriously been shelved in the small thinking categories. (Think about Worship and Grace!!)

Small thinking has kept the Church looking inward as well – focused on inside stuff when what needs us most is the outside stuff. Remember when Jesus gave His final charge to the Apostles? He gave them a BIG thinking strategy: Acts 1 8b “…and you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere – in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”

Small thinking would’ve kept their witness within the relative safety of Jerusalem. It was right in front of them, close to home. They were comfortable with its streets and knew where to hide when things got sketchy.

Small thinking would’ve wiped Samaria right off of that list – because ew! Samaritans. Gross.

Small thinking would’ve wiped all of the Western World off of that list – because ew! Americans!

Small thinking… well, you get the point.

Are we small thinkers? Focused on what is only in our immediacy? Will we open our eyes to the bigger thinking of God? Even if that takes us to Samaria and the ends of the earth? He is already there thinking bigger than we can even imagine. Maybe we should see where our imaginations can take us when we think like God.

Start this week by thinking big about Baptism – get into Romans 6. Fall in love with an immersed life once again and remember why that decision was so important to you when you made the plunge into covenant relationship.

Start thinking about Worship in a big way. Our definition needs to change from a scheduled program to a lifestyle of elevating God. Start thinking BIG about Grace and Hope and Salvation! Start imitation Christ in our compassion, giving, and forgiveness.

Start thinking Big.