Friday, March 28, 2008
Living a Show Me Faith
I grew up in a Christian home in Missouri, “The Show Me State.” 
Our family always took our faith seriously and some of my earliest memories involve going to church. I went to youth group in high school and was active in a campus ministry in college. Despite what I thought were all the “trappings” of a Christian lifestyle, I was stunned by a conversation that I had with a friend during my senior year. We talked a great deal about faith and I shared a little bit about my belief. At the end of our conversation, this friend of four years said to me, “Dave, I never knew you were a Christian.” I think about those words often. Do the people around me know what I really believe? Do I display my love for God in my day to day routine? I may come from “The Show Me State,” but I do not always show off my faith the way I should.
There is a popular story about a drunk named Joe who was once miraculously converted at a Bowery mission. Prior to his conversion, Joe had gained the reputation of being a dirty wino for whom there was no hope, only a miserable existence in the ghetto. But following his conversion to a new life with God, everything changed. Joe became the most caring person that anyone associated with the mission had ever known. Joe spent his days and nights hanging out at the mission doing whatever needed to be done. There was never anything that he was asked to do that he considered beneath him. Whether it was cleaning up the vomit left by some violently sick alcoholic or scrubbing the toilets after careless men left the bathroom filthy Joe did what was asked with a soft smile on his face and with gratitude for the chance to help. He could be counted on to feed feeble men who wandered into the mission off the street, and to undress and tuck into bed men who were too out of it to take care of themselves. One evening, when the director of the mission was delivering his regular evangelistic message to the usual crowd of still and sullen men with drooped heads there was one man who looked up, came down the aisle to the altar and knelt to pray, crying out for God to help him to change. This repentant drunk kept shouting, "Oh God, make me like Joe! Make me like Joe! Make me like Joe!" The director of the mission leaned over and said to the man, "Son, I think it would be better if you prayed, 'Make me like Jesus!" The man looked up at the director with a quizzical expression on his face and asked, "Is HE like Joe?"
I think a lot of us struggle with the question, “What Would Jesus Do?” The answers, of course, are not always cut and dry. It is likely we have all had some people in our lives who have exhibited the love of Christ to us. It may be a grandparent who took the time to read the Bible with us. It might be a friend who sat at our bedside while we were sick. It may be a pastor who helped us find the God who had been pursuing us all along.
I believe God comes to us through other people. Think back on the times in your life where a warm smile or a kind word really put your heart at ease. Are you passing along this legacy of love? Are you quick to judge or quick to forgive? Do you hold grudges or hold hands in love? “You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness. Therefore rid yourselves of all sordidness and rank growth of wickedness, and welcome with meekness the implanted word that has the power to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not merely hearers who deceive themselves (James 1:19-22).” My prayer is we will all have the courage to show off our faith in this show me world.
In Hope and Confidence,
Pastor Dave
The Other Side of the Fence
The poet Robert Frost writes, “Good fences make good neighbors.” He is pointing out the need for some level of privacy in all of our relationships; that things work out better when we keep a healthy distance from our neighbors. Unfortunately, many of us take this axiom to an extreme and struggle with putting up walls in our lives. In keeping our distance we often fail to see those God is calling us to love.
The theologian William Barclay writes about a group of soldiers during World War II who had lost a friend in battle and wanted to give their fallen comrade a decent burial. So they found a church with a graveyard behind it, surrounded by a white fence. They found the parish priest and asked if their friend could be buried there in the church graveyard.
“Was he Catholic?” the priest inquired.
“No he was not,” answered the soldiers.
“I’m sorry, then,” said the priest. “Our graveyard is reserved for members of the holy church. But you can bury your friend outside the fence. I will see that the gravesite is cared for.”
“Thank you Father,” said the soldiers, and they proceeded to bury their friend just outside the graveyard on the other side of the fence.
When the war had finally ended, before the soldiers returned home, they decided to visit the gravesite of their friend. They remembered the location of the church – and the grave, just outside the fence. They searched for it, but couldn’t find it. Finally, they went to the priest to inquire as to its location.
“Sir, we cannot find our friend’s grave,” said the soldiers to the priest.
“Well,” answered the priest. “After you buried your fallen friend, it just didn’t seem right to me that he should be buried there, outside the fence.”
“So you moved his grave?” asked the soldiers.
“No,” said the priest. “I moved the fence.”
I wonder how many times in life I look at people around me as “outside the fence.” They may look different, dress different or live in a different neighborhood. They may worship at another church or not go to church all together. They may support a different presidential candidate or work for a different cause. It is very easy to label others and thus keep our distance. When our ideas or assumptions are challenged, we build up our fence all the higher and make sure we surround ourselves with people who see the world the exact same way.
I believe many of us live in gated communities of faith. 
We gather all the like-minded people on one side and leave the “other folks” on the outside. We wonder why the church is not growing, while all the while we are pushing people away. The Bible is filled with many stories of religious types trying to get Jesus to condemn someone on the outside. This includes drunks, tax collectors and a woman who had committed adultery. Every time the proper church going folk called on Jesus to condemn these people outside the fence, Jesus welcomed them in. Jesus moved the fence so that God’s love would include them. God moved the fence so that we could be written into the divine plan of salvation.
As we celebrate Valentine’s Day and remember those we love with cards, candy and flowers, let’s not forget about those on the other side of the fence. God calls all of us to mirror the unconditional love of Jesus Christ. Good fences may make good neighbors, but they make lousy Christians. Take down your walls and make it a point to reach out to others. Make it a point to move your fence and love your neighbors.
Why Don’t You Just Give Up?
“Once you learn to quit, it becomes a habit.” – Vince Lombardi
I do not know of anyone who likes to be known as a quitter. When I played sports growing up, that was just about the worst thing anyone could call you. However, as I reflect on the race of life that we are running, I am reminded of the need to prepare our hearts for Easter and be strong as we journey with Jesus towards the cross. The best way to do this is to quit our selfishness and to start serving others.
Christians all over the world began a special journey this past Wednesday. This is a 40 day trek that will take them through Lent and into Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter. This is a season of prayer, penitence and self -reflection. All followers of Christ, regardless of their denomination are called to get their hearts right with the Lord. Some think this requires believers to give up something they love in order to grow closer to God. While there are certainly Godly benefits to personal sacrifice, it is not an end in itself. There is more to it than that. Sacrifice without service is ultimately a very hollow experience. The Lord wants our entire lives to glorify God.
This time before Holy Week is there for all of us to take a personal inventory of our lives and confess our shortcomings to our loving Lord. The Scriptures remind us that everyone sins and fall short of God’s divine plan. The problem is compounded when we act as if we have made no mistakes and attack those we deem “sinners”. The Bible tells many stories of God forgiving those who are truly sorry for their actions and desire a new life. One good example comes to us in Matthew 9:10-13. “And as Jesus sat at dinner in the house, many tax-collectors and sinners came and were sitting with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax-collectors and sinners?’ But when he heard this, he said, ‘Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have come to call not the righteous but sinners.”
I encourage all of you to be quitters in the coming months. Stop thinking about yourself and start looking out for your neighbors. You may find that your burden becomes much lighter when you help someone else carry their load. Quit gossiping and bickering amongst yourselves. A kind word at a difficult time can make a world of difference in a neighbor’s life. Stop trying to sacrifice for the Lord and start serving God’s kingdom and one another. Quitting is a wonderful thing when we put aside unhealthy habits and honor God with merciful hearts.
The 19th Century Preacher Henry Ward Beecher puts it best when he writes, “In this world it is not what we take up, but what we give up that makes us rich.”
I pray that God will richly bless you in the coming 40 days as you grow closer to God and one another.
In Hope and Confidence,Pastor Dave
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