The Road Goes Ever On and On

The Power of the Table

I've heard it said that most of the ministry Jesus did was on the streets.  That would be true; he taught in the synagoge, but most of his miralces were done in the marketplace.  If you look at how Jesus evangelized, however, another interesting trend emerges.

The gospel accounts show that Jesus did most of his evangelism in the homes of average people while sharing a meal.  This stands in stark contrast to our stadium-driven events complete with internationally known evangelist.  Are things just different nowadays, or can we learn from Jesus' example?

I think we can.  Here are a few points I take from Jesus' use of the table:

1. He had the potential to wow the crowds with all manner of signs and wonders, yet curiously chose not to. When he did miralces, it was because he was "moved with compassion."  He chose not to perform, but to engage.

2. Presumably, as God, he could have chosen to utilize speaking abilities bordering on the magical; if he can speak worlds into existence, certainly he can hypnotize human hearts with words.  Yet again, he chose not to.  He spoke and he listened.

3. Not only was his intervention in our world incarnational (i.e., he became one of us), his ministry was incarnational too.  In other words, he ministered in very human, ordinary ways, such as while sharing a meal.

4.When Jesus chose the table as his primary means of encountering people, he sanctified the partaking of meals and fellowship and made it holy.  Even our reunion with God in heaven will be a "marriage supper," again a very regular, human event.

5. Finally, if we as the church empower the ordinary, everyday saint in the pew to engage their neighbors this way, perhaps we can see more impact in lives and number beyond the loud, flashy, event driven experience that creates spectators and not individuals.

All this is just food for thought.  Not saying I'm right, but I'm just wondering if there might be a better way to engage people than some of the ways we've tried.  Thoughts, replies, snide remarks and amens welcome (just be civil please). 

The Preaching of Pixar

Sometimes the best sermons are not preached in church . .

My two oldest kids went to church camp this week, so I've been having some awesome time with my youngest son James.  Among other things, James asked to see the movie "UP."  Being a Dad who likes to say yes whenever he can, I agreed.  I'm more drawn to your action/adventure genre, so I wasn't necessarily pumped about seeing it, but I was more blown away by "UP" than any thriller I've ever seen.

I cried in the beginning montage and I cried at the end.  If you haven't seen it, you should.  I won't give away the plot (though by this time most of you who are going to see it have seen it), but here is what I will say: what a sermon!  If pastors in churches across the country could preach this good, the church would be bringing 'em in more than the local cinema 24.

I was never reminded so strongly of how powerful human relationships can be.  I for one tend to be drawn to the big, the flashy, the "important" stuff like position or accomplishments.  But as one of the quotes in the movie goes, "It's the boring stuff that's the best."  The little boy character was referring to the times spent with his dad doing nothing in particular.  God has lived in relationship as three persons throughout eternity, and we who are made in his image find our greatest significance in relationships too.  Everything else in life is temporary, but people are forever.  Sometimes I forget that.  "UP" reminded me that if I live my life without love, I'm nothing (I Corinthians 13).

By the way, if you don't believe sermons can come from outside church, check this out: 

One day I walked by the field of an old lazybones,
   and then passed the vineyard of a lout;
They were overgrown with weeds,
   thick with thistles, all the fences broken down.
I took a long look and pondered what I saw; 
   the fields preached me a sermon and I listened:
"A nap here, a nap there, a day off here, a day off there,
   sit back, take it easy—do you know what comes next?
Just this: You can look forward to a dirt-poor life,
   with poverty as your permanent houseguest!"  Proverbs 24:30-34 (The Message)

I'll take God's word any way he wants to send it, whether it be through nature, Hollywood, a good novel or my wife and kids. 

Land of the Free

Yesterday I read something by Eugene Peterson (the guy who translated The Message) commenting about why he wrote one of his books.  In essence, he wrote the book (can't remember the title, sorry) as a pastor concerned about American Christianity.  His main idea was that those living in the land of the free and the home of the brave should have a bit more spontaneity in their lives.   Instead, we live very boring, secure, insulated lives.

I don't want to come across as a cultural critic, because I value security just like the next guy.  But you can't take all the variables out of life, nor should  you try.  That is where faith comes in.

As a man who is stepping over the threshold of middle age, I find myself bored in many ways.  Don't get me wrong; I don't want to hear that my wife has cancer or one of my kids has a meth addiction.  But does our demand to insulate ourselves from the messiness of life also insulate us from some of its blessings?  It can be like the couple who refuses to have kids because they fear bringing them into the world, they aren't sure they can afford them, or they just don't want to sacrifice a secure income. And then you miss out on one of life's greatest blessings, nurturing another human being to maturity. Yes it is messy, risky, and downright difficult.  But the payoff can be one of the greatest joys in human experience.

I want to live more like Jesus, who didn't have a place to lay his head, yet lived to the full, in dependence on his Father, bringing the coming Kingdom into the world now.

Modern life can confine and even imprison us in our security, simply because we don't want to take risks or mess with the challenges.  But I'm asking God to show me how to live with "responsible irresponsibility instead of irresponsible responsibility" (Mark Batterson, Wild Goose Chase).  I'm asking God to lead me from the secure slavery of Egypt into the unknown freedom of the promised land.