Davenport, Iowa made the decision this week to officially change "Good Friday" to "Spring Holiday" (Read Article here). The Davenport Civil Rights Commission recommended the name to be changed. Seriously, don't they have better things to do other than attack Christianity?
Think about it, a lot of the holidays we have in our country are motivated by Christianity. Don't they understand it is a paid day off? Look if you seriously do not want to celebrate Good Friday that's fine, then go to work. And when there is a Christmas bonus, give it back. I did think it is funny that the unions were upset because their contracts give them "Good Friday" off, but not "Spring Holiday." The sad thing is this would be the first thing many Christians would think of also.
Enough with the Political Correctness already. The more we try to become politically correct the more ridiculous we look. How can anybody take the civil rights commission seriously anymore? And what about the anti-religious movement that does not believe in God? You want to come off as intelligent and in touch with culture yet you lack creativity and logic.
I know you look at the Westboro Baptist Church as the example of how bad Christians are, but they are as anti-Jesus as you. I read "God is Not Great" by Hitchens and have to agree with the premise of the book--in the name of religion many horrible things have been done throughout the history of the world. It was in fact religion that brought about the crucifixion of Jesus and why we are even having this discussion about Good Friday. But Jesus did not come to start a religion, he came to show us the best way to live as followers of God.
At least if you are going to attack Christianity at every turn come up with a viable option. "Spring Holiday?" There were a lot of creative juices flowing when you came up with that alternative. And even if you are going to use that name, why wouldn't it be on the first day of spring? I guess I shouldn't expect a lot though, it is the same movement that came up with the logical argument of the "Spaghetti Monster' and the "orbiting teapot" to prove God does not exist.
I am not trying to make you believe in God. I want you to believe in God, but I am not trying to force you to believe nor do I think I can. All I ask is for you to be considerate to my beliefs and the beliefs of billions of others. So to all who read this--enjoy Good Friday and pause to remember this is the day Jesus paid your penalty of sin so that when this world comes to an end, just as he was resurrected to live forever, you can live forever with Him!
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus. Show all posts
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Lost Sheep of Israel
"When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, 'The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field'" (Matthew 9:36-37).
Keep in mind how Matthew described the people Jesus saw, "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." When I read that I think of people wandering looking for a place to settle. The people Jesus is looking at are people who have become disenfranchised from Judaism. They have been harassed because they are not devout followers of Judaism. They are helpless because the most religious have harassed them to the point they feel like God is so far away.
Maybe they are believers in God, but not sold out to the institution. The yoke has become so heavy they feel like there is no way they can live up to the standards placed upon them by the most religious. They live their daily lives believing, but not participating in the religion of the day. Jesus looked upon them and had compassion on them. He includes them in the harvest that is plentiful. He is looking for workers to go into this harvest field, giving them hope in God.
Matthew 10 starts with Jesus gathering his disciples and sending them out with instructions to gather the wandering sheep. The instructions begin with Jesus saying, "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel" (Matthew 10:5-6).
Who are these "lost sheep of Israel"? They are the same people Jesus has compassion on, the "harassed and helpless." Those who are not a part of the religious institution. The religious leaders call them sinners, "people of the land." Jesus calls them important worth leaving the ninety-nine to go after the one (Matthew 18:10-14).
How does this apply today? After reading books like "Revolution" (Barna), "Essential Church" (Rainer), "They Like Jesus but not the Church" (Kimball) and others, there are people who believe but are tired of the institution. I am hesitant to call them lost because they believe, but they are wandering looking for something authentic, something real.
Look, I am not trying to bash the church here, I have been a part of the institution all my life. I love the church. But as church leaders we have to admit there is something really wrong with the institutional church. We have become more like the religious leaders in Jesus' day than Jesus himself. The caution for every church, even new churches, is to be careful not to become an institution. This seems to be the tendency of every church at some point in its life.
Jesus changed his strategy during the last part of his ministry on earth. He was trying to build something that would last. So he instructed his disciples to go after a harvest that had the most potential of producing a large crop. It was not the most religious. It was not the Gentiles, those who were farthest from God. He went after the sheep who were wandering. People who knew God and wanted a relationship with God. People who were harassed by the institution.
As church leaders we need to change or strategy. Churches are in decline because of our unwillingness to change our strategy. The strategy Jesus instructs his disciples to have is the same strategy that would work best today in our culture. We need to leave the ninety-nine and pursue the lost sheep of the church.
When we reach the point of becoming an institution, protecting and sustaining the institution, people begin to wander.
More on this later.
Keep in mind how Matthew described the people Jesus saw, "harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." When I read that I think of people wandering looking for a place to settle. The people Jesus is looking at are people who have become disenfranchised from Judaism. They have been harassed because they are not devout followers of Judaism. They are helpless because the most religious have harassed them to the point they feel like God is so far away.
Maybe they are believers in God, but not sold out to the institution. The yoke has become so heavy they feel like there is no way they can live up to the standards placed upon them by the most religious. They live their daily lives believing, but not participating in the religion of the day. Jesus looked upon them and had compassion on them. He includes them in the harvest that is plentiful. He is looking for workers to go into this harvest field, giving them hope in God.
Matthew 10 starts with Jesus gathering his disciples and sending them out with instructions to gather the wandering sheep. The instructions begin with Jesus saying, "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel" (Matthew 10:5-6).
Who are these "lost sheep of Israel"? They are the same people Jesus has compassion on, the "harassed and helpless." Those who are not a part of the religious institution. The religious leaders call them sinners, "people of the land." Jesus calls them important worth leaving the ninety-nine to go after the one (Matthew 18:10-14).
How does this apply today? After reading books like "Revolution" (Barna), "Essential Church" (Rainer), "They Like Jesus but not the Church" (Kimball) and others, there are people who believe but are tired of the institution. I am hesitant to call them lost because they believe, but they are wandering looking for something authentic, something real.
Look, I am not trying to bash the church here, I have been a part of the institution all my life. I love the church. But as church leaders we have to admit there is something really wrong with the institutional church. We have become more like the religious leaders in Jesus' day than Jesus himself. The caution for every church, even new churches, is to be careful not to become an institution. This seems to be the tendency of every church at some point in its life.
Jesus changed his strategy during the last part of his ministry on earth. He was trying to build something that would last. So he instructed his disciples to go after a harvest that had the most potential of producing a large crop. It was not the most religious. It was not the Gentiles, those who were farthest from God. He went after the sheep who were wandering. People who knew God and wanted a relationship with God. People who were harassed by the institution.
As church leaders we need to change or strategy. Churches are in decline because of our unwillingness to change our strategy. The strategy Jesus instructs his disciples to have is the same strategy that would work best today in our culture. We need to leave the ninety-nine and pursue the lost sheep of the church.
When we reach the point of becoming an institution, protecting and sustaining the institution, people begin to wander.
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Did He Call Her a Dog?
I was reading Matthew 15:21-28 last night and read a story I had read before. This time something really bothered me. A Canaanite woman came up to Jesus asking for him to have mercy on her. She had a daughter who was possessed by a demon.
Matthew records that Jesus "did not answer a word." He snubbed her, blew her off, he ignored her. I was amazed. Jesus usually acknowledges people who seek him out, it's in his character, right?
This woman persisted to the point that Jesus' disciples came up to him and asked him to do something about her. Jesus said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." Wait, I thought he was sent for all mankind. He talked with the Samaritan woman, the centurion and others. What is going on here?
The woman throws herself at Jesus' feet and pleads with Jesus, "Lord, help me!"
Jesus said, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." Did he just call her a dog? He is referring to all Gentiles here, but that includes this woman.
This is toward the end of Jesus' ministry while living among men. He has narrowed his focus and his strategy has changed. He spends the last months of his life trying to connect the lost sheep of Israel to the kingdom.
In Matthew 10:5-6 Jesus went to his twelve disciples and told them, "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel." He has narrowed the people he wants to reach to only the lost sheep of Israel.
But something happened with this woman that changed his mind. After he called her a dog, she said, "Yes Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." She plays along, accepts what he said and even uses the dog analogy. Then she says to Jesus, "All I want is a crumb Master."
She knew who she was talking with and knew that a crumb would be enough. That is some serious faith. She understood that all it took was faith as large as a mustard seed so she asked for a crumb.
Jesus was moved by her faith. He answered her saying, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." Even though he began to focus on the lost sheep of Israel, he was not going to ignore this person who had a complete understanding of the man Jesus.
Next post I will address the the idea of "the lost sheep of Israel.
Matthew records that Jesus "did not answer a word." He snubbed her, blew her off, he ignored her. I was amazed. Jesus usually acknowledges people who seek him out, it's in his character, right?
This woman persisted to the point that Jesus' disciples came up to him and asked him to do something about her. Jesus said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel." Wait, I thought he was sent for all mankind. He talked with the Samaritan woman, the centurion and others. What is going on here?
The woman throws herself at Jesus' feet and pleads with Jesus, "Lord, help me!"
Jesus said, "It is not right to take the children's bread and toss it to their dogs." Did he just call her a dog? He is referring to all Gentiles here, but that includes this woman.
This is toward the end of Jesus' ministry while living among men. He has narrowed his focus and his strategy has changed. He spends the last months of his life trying to connect the lost sheep of Israel to the kingdom.
In Matthew 10:5-6 Jesus went to his twelve disciples and told them, "Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel." He has narrowed the people he wants to reach to only the lost sheep of Israel.
But something happened with this woman that changed his mind. After he called her a dog, she said, "Yes Lord, but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their master's table." She plays along, accepts what he said and even uses the dog analogy. Then she says to Jesus, "All I want is a crumb Master."
She knew who she was talking with and knew that a crumb would be enough. That is some serious faith. She understood that all it took was faith as large as a mustard seed so she asked for a crumb.
Jesus was moved by her faith. He answered her saying, "Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted." Even though he began to focus on the lost sheep of Israel, he was not going to ignore this person who had a complete understanding of the man Jesus.
Next post I will address the the idea of "the lost sheep of Israel.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Are We Blind Too?
In John 9, Jesus heals a man who had been blind from birth. He does it in a very unusual way. He spit(that's right Jesus can spit) on the ground and made some mud. Then he rubs this saliva filled dirt on the eyes of the blind man. Then he proceeds to tell him to go to the pool of Siloam and wash it off. The man went home seeing.
Can you imagine what it must have been like for this man as he walked home? It would have been like Dorthy stepping into Oz in full color. He had never seen a tree, a bird or water and now everything was clear to him. I wonder what he stared at the most? Did he stare at the sun which he had felt the warmth of for so many years? Did he stare at his hands which he had used to idnetify people and objects?
One thing that bothered me about this passage is that the man did not go looking for Jesus. I think I would have wanted to go see the man who had rubbed spit on my face.
This miracle caused a scene amongst the religious leaders. They began to question the man about his healing. Instead of being excited about the healing that took place the religous leaders were offended. They said, "This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath."
We learn something about Jesus here by what his enemies said about him. We learn that Jesus was not going to let religious practices created by man get in the way of being God. It was not that he was not going to keep the Sabbath. He was going to show us how to live on the Sabbath.
The blind man broke the Sabbath by washing. Washing according to the Rabbidical law was work. Maybe Jesus rubbed this mud on his eyes to force him to wash that day. Because if he hadn't washed the mud off his face that day he would not have seen God.
Sometimes we do not see God because we're too religious. We hold on to traditions and laws that get in the way of truly experiencing Jesus. It is our own man made mud, that for one reason or another we refuse to wash off.
Later in John 9 when the man meets Jesus it says, "The man said, 'Lord, I believe,' and he worshipped him." He called Jesus Lord and then worshipped him. He experienced the awe and wonder of Jesus.
He washed on the Sabbath and saw God. He didn't allow religious acts keep him from seeing the one who gives sight to the blind, the one who brings salvation--His name is Jesus.
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