"Mother" John 2:1-11

There was never a doubt in my mind that my mother was proud of me and always wanted me to do well. When I played football in high school she sat in the same place and watched the game intently hoping that I would do well. I am pretty sure she never really understood the game completely because she never watched football on T.V. with dad and me. So she probably cheered for the wrong things sometimes.

"Holding, number 63 for Salem," the announcer would say.

"Yeah, Scott, that's my boy," mom would say.

It is in those moments if I were there I would say, "Mommmmmm!"

She probably said things like, "Doesn't he really look cute in his outfit."

First it is a uniform not an outfit. Second football players do not want to look cute they want to look tough and intimidating.

She loved watching me play, even if she may not have completely understood the game. My senior year when she was sick, I brought home the films so she could watch my games. She died on a Thursday morning, Tuesday evening she was watching the film until she got to tired.

I am fortunate to have a mother that was easy to respect and honor. I know it is difficult for some. But as a follower of Jesus we have to find a way to live by the
5th command in the 10 commandments. "Honor your father and mother so that you may live long in the land of the Lord your God is giving you" (Exodus 20:12). As a follower of Jesus we need to learn to live by all the teachings of God.

Jesus, even though he was God, had to fulfill the law perfectly. He was not exempt from the very law he created. In John 2, he is at a wedding feast. They run out of wine for the feast. It was going to be a moment of embarrassment for the groom. Mary, Jesus' mother goes to him telling her son they don't have any more wine (some speculate this may be a relatives wedding because of Mary's concern for the groom).

Jesus said to her, "Why do you involve me? My time has not yet come." It is almost like he is saying, "Mommmmmm!" as he roles his eyes. He gives us a glimpse of his divinity by saying "his time had not yet come." But his human side comes out as he lives by the 5th command and honors his mothers wishes.

Like any proud mother who wants to give praise to her son she begins to tell the servants to do whatever Jesus tells you to do. Like any good son Jesus gives them directions and he turns water into wine, saving the day just like his mother knew he could.

Mary may not have completely understood the mission her son had come to accomplish, but she was proud of him and knew he had the ability to take care of the problem at the wedding feast.

So what does this mean for us? Jesus came to teach us how to live as followers of God. Being a follower of God means we obey what he teaches us to do in scripture. Obedience to God always takes precedent over whatever it is you are trying to accomplish. Obeying God's commands will make what we are trying to accomlish easier. Jesus came for a greater mission and purpose than changing water to wine. Yet when his mother involved him, he honored her request.

Our problem is that we have a tendency to rationalize why we should not follow a certain teaching. Jesus had a good excuse here to rationalize why he should not get involved, but he didn't. Why do we think we get a pass when Jesus doesn't?

John says this was Jesus' first miracle in Galilee and it revealed his glory and his disciples put his trust in him. See,obedience to God's teaching actually helped Jesus in his mission.

If we trust him, we will live like him in every way.

The Rabbi

I have gotten behind on posting lately. I am going to catch up on the series in John I have been doing. As I have been studying for this series I am learning so much about the difference between Jesus and the religious culture. Living like Jesus is counter to the religious culture not only in his day, but also today. While it is hard to live like Jesus because of the criticism from the religious culture, it is more appealing to those who are true followers and to the unchurched world. I would describe striving to live like Jesus as freeing, exciting and refreshing.

In John 1:35-51 we have Jesus calling some men to become his disciples. In Rob Bell's book, "Velvet Elvis," he describes how Rabbi's would look for the best of the best young men to become their disciples. A young man may apply to a Rabbi by saying to a rabbi, "I want to become one of your disciples."

The rabbi would then begin the interview the young man to find out if he was capable of becoming like the Rabbi in every way. Once the Rabbi decided a young man was worthy to be one of his disciples he would simply say, "Follow me." From that day forward that young man would walk behind that Rabbi learning how to be exactly like the rabbi.

This has great significance for Christians today. Jesus has asked all of us to follow him and to become one of his disciples. We need to study diligently the life and ways of Jesus and then live like him. It is not a religion, but a way to live as true worshippers of God. Living like Jesus is counter cultural to the religious community, it always has been and always will be.

Religion happens when we stop focusing on living like Jesus. When we stop focusing on Jesus we begin to focus on ourselves. We live by the law or rules and regulations created by man. We (our religion) becomes greater and Jesus becomes less.

Look either we are going to follow THE RABBI or we are going to do something else. Who or what are you following?

What Church Would Jesus go to?

I just started reading "The Intangible Kingdom" by Hugh Halter and Matt Smay. In the second chapter they are talking about not being anti-church but pro-church, "the type of church Jesus would go to, the type he died to give flight to." This made me start thinking about what that church would look like.

I posted the question on my Facebook page and hope to get some responses. I am not sure I want to answer this question because I am afraid it would be to much about "me." What I would like to see the church become. To really answer this question one really needs to get into the heart of Jesus and listen to his heartbeat.

I do not want to answer this question because I am afraid. I am afraid of what it might reveal about myself and the church I serve at.

I do not want to answer this question because it may be to hard. Not hard to answer, but hard to become that church. Too many paradigms to change and people who would get upset. It is easier just being the church which has lost its voice and influence in our culture.

I want to answer it because I love the church and I love Jesus and what both are suppose to represent. I want to answer it because then Jesus becomes the focus and he becomes the draw. It is no longer about buildings, budgets and programs, it is about life, a life lived out to please Jesus and fulfill His mission. I want to answer this question because it would be refreshing to be a part of a movement like this.

What about you? What would the church Jesus would go to look like? Any thoughts?

Why Can't We Just Be A Church?

Growing up in a the Independent Church of Christ/Christian church has been a blessing and a curse. It has been a blessing because I am a part of the Restoration Movement. A movement which truly started out to restore the church to first century form. A movement which strives to drop man made creeds and get back to Jesus. It strives to simplify Christianity rather than complicate it with so many divisions. It tries to make it easy for people to follow Jesus rather than have a bunch of man made traditional hoops for people to jump through to become a member of a specific church or denomination.

The curse is that it is hard to explain to people that we are nondenominational. When people see a title like Church of Christ or Christian church they assume there is a loyalty to a bigger organization. It is the Restoration Movements fault though. When you read early documents written in the Restoration Movement they will refer to the church as: Christian church or church of Christ. Notice that the word "church" is not capitalized. Why is that? Because the goal of the Restoration Movement was to be a "church" that followed Christ. It was never meant to be a title. The goal was to just be a "church" that followed Jesus. When we started capitalizing the word "church" we started to give the perception we were a denomination.

The hope is that we get back to the basic intention of the Restoration Movement. It is the hope that we just get back to following Jesus rather than man made creeds whether they are written out or just understood.

Why can't we just be a church?

Conversation with a Hindu (4)

Last night I had a conversation with my Hindu friend. He has invited me to go to a meditation class he leads next week. This led into a discussion on prayer. I told him if I were to go, I would take that time to focus on God. I would take the time to pray and listen to God.

He explained to me the idea of meditation. That the goal was to remove your thoughts from the conscious (10% of the brain we use) and move to the subconscious part of our mind. He said the deeper we get into our subconscious the closer we get to becoming one with god (meaning we become god).

Here is the thing though, I learned something about prayer. Many times we pray intellectually. What I mean by that is we pray within the 10% of our brain we use to reason. There is something to be said of clearing our minds of our thoughts and focusing on God. Paul tells us to "pray in the Spirit on all occasions" (Ephesians 6:18). I am not saying we need to go into a subconscious state of mind(there is a danger in relying on our subconsciousness to lead us), but we do need to clear our minds of fleshly things so we can engage in a authentic conversation with God rather than a surface conversation.

The second thing we talked about was Jesus. The enlightened master my friend is a disciple of speaks of Jesus as an enlightened master. My friend would consider Jesus as an enlightened master as well. My Hindu friend said that his perception of Christianity is that it is anti-christ.

Why would he say such a thing? He has studied the teachings and life of Jesus. As a matter of fact he knows the Bible pretty well for not being a follower. So he looks at the life of Jesus and compares it to the lives of those who profess to be Christians and sees two different lifestyles.

We can be angry that he would say such a thing and react in one of two ways. 1) We could blow off his statement and not believe it, continuing to live our life the way we always have. 2) We could listen to what he says, look at the life of Jesus and examine ourselves to see if we really are following Jesus. The Bible tells us, "Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you--unless, of course, you fail the test?" (2 Corinthians 13:5)

I believe we all need to examine ourselves to see how we are doing when it comes to following Jesus. The problem is we will most likely need to make some life adjustments. We may need to take some unpopular stances within our church. We may be seen as a radical or revolutionary. If this is the case chances are you are on your way to following Jesus.

Conversaton with a Hindu (3)

I met with my Hindu friend last night. We are going to set up a time to go eat Indian Food together. I want him to show me what to order. There is nothing like sharing a meal together.

Last night we talked about Genesis, particularly Adam, Eve and the fall. When Ram got there he said he wanted to talk about Genesis. I saw this as a moment of God's providence because I too was feeling led to talk about Genesis.

He asked me about the forbidden tree, the tree of "knowledge." He wanted me to define "knowledge." I knew where he was going because in the Hindu way of life, knowledge is important. There is a point in which we reach a level of enlightenment. I believe this is true in Christianity as well. Although our points of enlightenment are different.

I explained to him I have often wondered why God placed a tree in the garden, pointed it out and said "don't eat the fruit from this tree." It is like telling a child not to play with something. The child probably wouldn't have messed with "whatever," if you had not drawn attention to it. I told him that the purpose of the tree was to provide a way for man to "choose" to follow God with "free will."

But there is another part to the tree of knowledge of good and evil. We have to understand good and evil in order to truly be enlightened to God's love for people. This enlightenment revolves around grace. Grace is the point of enlightenment for a Christian. It goes beyond just using the word "grace." It's the point in which we realize we do not deserve God's love, we can not buy God's love and we can not earn God's love. God freely gives us grace because of our condition due to sin. It is freeing when we realize we are no longer bound by a law system.

Another thing I am finding out about the Hindu way of life is that they are trying to achieve a point where they become one with God. So are we as Christians aren't we? Now it is a much different way of thinking than Christianity, but the goal is the same. I asked Ram how do you reach the goal of being one with God? He told me this is where meditation becomes important.

I told him Christians desire oneness with God also. Our oneness though is an eternal relationship with God, in His presence. This oneness comes through grace. Our grace comes only through Jesus. We have to believe in Jesus, who did not deserve to die. He chose to die and pay our penalty for sin. He was buired and resurrected. All of which happened so our penalty could be paid in full.

At one point in the conversation he did say he believed in Jesus. I need to talk to him further on that comment. Next time he is going to talk about the importance of meditation for a Hindu and how that brings us into oneness the Brahman. I am going to talk about becoming one with Jesus' death, burial and Resurrection through Christian baptism. Which again tells the story of Grace.

Keep praying God leads this discussion. Less of me, more of God.

Tax Collectors and Prostitutes

I was reading in Matthew 21 this morning and something Jesus said caught my attention: "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you" (Matthew 21:31).

Who is the "you?" Because whoever it is, tax collectors and prostitutes have a better place in the kingdom of God. Right now I do not have much good to say about our tax collectors in the United States and I completely understand why the Bible puts them in the same class as prostitutes. This still doesn't answer the "you" question though.

Who is the "you?" "When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them" (Matthew 21:45). The "you" are religious people. Not just religious people, but pious religious people. People who just don't get it.

The "you" are those who are unwilling to follow Jesus. They prefer to stay focused on what they know and are not easily persuaded. They are people who just want to go to church, not be the church. They have wrapped themselves around tradition, rituals and the law. They may talk about grace, but they don't live by grace.

Jesus also says about the "you" and their refusal to buy in, "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from "you" and given to people who will produce fruit" (Matthew 21:43). Wow! If you are not going to follow the way of the Father, the kingdom of God will be passed on to those who will follow. In this case, he is talking about tax collectors and prostitutes who surrender themselves to the mission of God, giving up the ways of their past.

While we as the church keep looking at the tax collectors and prostitutes of the world with judgement, God is using them to advance His kingdom.

Francis Chan asks this question in "Crazy Love" (I read this this morning also), "I wonder how many church doors God wants to shut today?"

How does God look at "you?" Is it the same way Jesus looked at the most pious and religious or is it like the tax collectors and prostitutes?

Blue or White Collar Jesus?

I was driving in the car the other day and heard a discussion about blue collar workers and white collar workers. I had never really thought about it before but when we study the life of Jesus where would he fall, blue or white collar?

To answer this question we really need to understand what is meant by the term blue collar and white collar. A white collar worker is a person who is in the work force in the role of management or administration. Blue collar workers would be more manual labor. White collar workers would have more of a formal education. Blue collar would be more skilled labor.

So, what would Jesus be, white collar or blue collar? Without any formal education Jesus worked a trade as a carpenter. In religious circles he was far from the upper management team. He was more of a common worker within his Father's line of work. He did not tell people what they were to do while sitting back and watching to see if the tasks were carried out. He worked on the ground level showing people how to serve at a very high level.

I would say Jesus was more of a blue collar worker in the business of the Father. On the other hand, the religious leaders were carrying themselves as upper management. They touted their formal education and made those who were a part of the organization walk a narrow path.

This very easily carries over to today and the church. We have become a movement made up of mostly white collar workers. We come together and worship touting our formal church education. We look down on those who have not had the same church background as ourselves. We do this even though Jesus taught us to live as blue collar workers in His kingdom.

Jesus lived as a labor worker in the kingdom. If Jesus lived that way shouldn't we? Or do we like the status of being a white collar Christian with all its perks?

If Jesus worked in the kingdom as a blue collar worker, that is good enough for me. It is time we stop touting our formal church education and start to do the labor required to build His kingdom. Even if we have to get our hands dirty.

Any thoughts?

How to Create a Movement

I often read Seth Godin's Blog. It has a lot of short but insightful posts. I read one a couple weeks ago called "First, ten." You can read it yourself here.

Although, it is insightful, it's not ground breaking. Jesus did it, but he started with twelve which ended up to be eleven until they added another and it was back to twelve again. The fact is it does work if . . . the "first, ten" are sold out to the cause. Whether the concept is right or wrong, good or bad, it works if there is buy in.

The success of blogs rely on the idea. Jesus began a movement. Amway built an international company. We are in a War on Terror fighting against radicals who use the tactic to their advantage. The secularist movement is growing. The church in China is exploding because of the concept. But what about the church in America? How are we doing with the "first, ten?" Some do well, but most don't.

Godin points out "you can no longer market to the anonymous masses. They're not anonymous and they're not masses. You can only market to people who are willing participants." The truth is, the American church is still stuck in marketing to the anonymous masses. In the process we have lost the Rabbi's comission to make disciples.

So how can we change the American church and create a movement that sweeps our nation and the world? It is simple. If you believe with all your heart in Jesus, find ten people who as Godin says, "trust you/respect you/need you/listen to you... Those ten people need what you have to sell, or want it. And if they love it, you win."

The challenge is on . . . pick your "first, ten."

You Aren't Swayed by Men

The religious leaders are attempting to trap Jesus in his words. They send their disciples to Jesus who preface their question to Him with the following description:

"We know you are a man of integrity and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You aren't swayed by men, because you pay no attention to who they are" (Matthew 22:16).

They had watched Jesus enough to notice some awesome things about Him.

As much as they didn't like Him, they still saw a man who had deep values. He did not lie, he did not cheat, he was humble--the list could go on. He showed us as His followers how to live a life of integrity. Now the religious leaders were trying to use this against Him.

I was confused by the second thing they said about Him. "You teach the way of God in accordance with the truth." They were always questioning Him and the way he interpreted the law. Is it possible they began to see a new way to live out the law? A way in which drew them closer to God? A way that was more relational with Yahweh and not bogged down by religious acts? The way God had intended it when he gave the law to Moses?

The last thing they said to Him impresses me the most. "You are not swayed by men, because you pay no attention who they are." This is where they thought they had Him. They buttered Him up, stroked His ego (as if he had an ego) and knowing he was His own man wanted to portray Him as rebel against the Roman Government (that's why they brought the Herodians with them).

The disciples of the Pharisees ask Jesus, "In your opinion, is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?"

Jesus asked for them to show Him a coin used for paying taxes. "Whose portrait is on the coin? And whose inscription?" They replied, "Caesar." Jesus said, "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's and to God what is God's."

They thought He would say, "There is no king but God." But Jesus' integrity and God's law would not allow it. As a man, Jesus is bound by the same principles we must live by. As a man, He would have to pay taxes to Caesar like everyone else and live by the law of the land.

So with this in mind how does the "not swayed by man" and "because you pay no attention to who they are" statement apply. The religious leaders are right in saying this about Jesus, but what does it mean. It means Jesus does not play favorites when it comes to having a relationship with Him.

One of the things the religious leaders could not get past was how Jesus did not give them the honor they thought was deserved. They saw themselves as being righteous before God and this righteousness gave them a special place. They were wrong. Jesus sees all people the same when it comes to righteousness. We are not righteous by our own doing. We are made righteous through our faith in Jesus.

"Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather through the law we become conscious of [our] sin. But now a righteousness from God, apart from the law, has been made known . . . This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Jesus" (Romans 3:20-24).

I get tired of people who think I am "so righteous" because I am a minister. I am no different than anyone else. Ask my dad. Ask Rhonda. I know what she would say, "He gets skid marks on his underwear like every other man."

This description of Jesus is both humbling and promising for me. It reminds me that I am like everyone else. I am know different, for like you, I have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. The promise comes from knowing Jesus loves me regardless of the sin and that he died for me even though I am not perfect.

The lesson we take away is this: To live like Jesus we need to be people of integrity, people who teach the word of God in accordance with the truth and people who look at other people the same.

How are you doing? Are you following Jesus?

Why Does He Eat With Sinners?

Jesus was always accused of associating with sinners and tax collectors. In Matthew 9:11 and Mark 2:16 the religious leaders question Jesus' disciples. They asked, "Why does he eat with sinners and tax collectors?" They ask this question because it really bothered them. The law taught that these people were dirty, not physically, but spiritually. Associating with these people would make you unclean.

There are two things that sticks out to me in both of these accounts. The religious leaders approached the disciples with this question, not Jesus. Why? Is it possible they did not want to get close to Jesus because he was now considered unclean? Chew on that thought for a moment. No wonder these sinners and tax collectors did not want anything to do with religion.

And what about the disciples? The question asked did not include them. The religious leaders did not say, "Why do 'you' eat with sinners and tax collectors?" Were they just standing back and watching Jesus hang out with these outcasts? Maybe they were shocked as well. It was just so uncommon for a religious figure to mix and mingle with people who were so far from God.

Not much has changed has it? I have watched religious leaders criticize followers of Jesus for hanging out in places that are full of "sinners." It is becoming more common for Christians to create their own utopia society where they never hang out with people who are far from God.

But Jesus did it? Why did Jesus hang out with sinners and tax collectors?

Jesus hears the question and says:

"It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy not sacrifice.' For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (Matthew 9:13)

Jesus went to the margins of society to find people who were far from God. He did not wait for them to come to Him. When he got there he showed them mercy by eating with them, talking with them and rubbing shoulders with them. This is something they had never experienced from anyone associated with Judaism.

Not only did Jesus show those far from God mercy, he showed religious leaders and his disciples how to love people who are far from God.

Here's a challenge to you. Start spending some time with people far from God. And if some Christian questions you and says, "Why do you hang out with people like that?" Simply answer:

"Because Jesus did it."

The World Wants More Jesus

As I am reading "ReJesus: A Wild Messiah for a Missional Church," I am becoming convicted that something radical needs to be done in the church. I am talking about at the level of Reformation proportions.

One of the things that Hirsch and Frost point out is that we have to stop going back and looking at our denominational leaders to see what we need to become. We need to go back to Jesus to see how we should live. As I was reading the chapter "ReJesus and Personal Renewal," I was looking up the verses that were referenced. One of the verses was Matthew 4:19 where Jesus said, "Come follow me and I will make you fishers of men."

"Follow Me." What does that mean? Is following Jesus just making the statement that you believe in him? Was the follow me statement made to his disciples so they would just walk around with him? No. The "follow me" statement means that we become like Jesus. We live on earth, like he lived on earth.

The problem is that we have locked him out of our institutions because he calls us to live a radical lifestyle. At least it is radical to most of western Christianity. It is not radical to the world. The world misses the presence of Jesus. The world is starved for the presence of Jesus.

I can't believe I am going to embed this youtube video. The reason I am going to embed it is because it is the world crying out for the church to be more like Jesus. As Frost and Hirsch point out, "Sinead O'Conner, who in 2007 released her album "Theology," an anthology of reflections on various Old Testament passages that cry out in anguish for a faith not stained by the church that bears God's name. Raised Catholic, the brunt of her attacks has invariably been born by the church of her childhood, but the sting in her beautiful songs can be felt by any church or denomination that shuts Jesus out of its religious system."

The song is based on Psalm 130. Listen and tell me what you think.

It is all about the love

I have been reading an entry in Thomas a Kempis' book "Imitation of Christ" in the mornings I come into the office. This morning it was an entry on "Works Done in Charity." Here is a quote from the entry:

"God weighs the love with which a man acts, rather than the deed itself."

It reminded me of what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 13:3, "If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing."

In a church culture that places a high emphasis on serving others and giving to the poor throughout the world, it is important to stress the motivation for such charity. Kempis correctly points out that God weighs the love more than the act itself. If we are giving to and serving others for self promotion or self fulfillment, we have missed the mark.

Charity is a way to show our love for both God and others. This should be our motivation. This is what we are called to do as followers of Jesus. Jesus, surrendered his body to the flames because he loved us. He did not surrender himself for his own good. His surrender showed all humanity the weight of his love for you and me.