The Best Group Project Member

Raise your hand if you hated group projects in school.

Group projects were so stressful! Trying to coordinate schedules, figuring out how each person could contribute, trying to put all the pieces together into a coherent whole... The. Worst.

And the worst member? That person that doesn’t tell you what they’re doing and you just hope they will come through in time.

I was speaking with God today about our group project that we are working on, also known as “the church,” and I suggested that I would appreciate a little more communication.

And then it hit me with such incredible clarity: God is the best team member ever! All I need to do is focus on my part of the project and let God focus on God’s part of the project. It is super tempting to try to “help” God, maybe try and move things along. I have definitely had to cover for people who didn’t come through.

But God always comes through with the highest quality work at just the right time.

I guess I will stick with him and keep doing my part of the assignment.

“He has shown you, O mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.” Micah 6:8

5 Ways Church Should Be More Like Zumba

Recently, I went with my mom to a Zumba party at her gym. The whole time I was there, I kept thinking, “man, I wish church was more like this.”

So here we go, the ways I wish church was more like a Zumba party:

1. It was beautifully diverse. Just so everyone is comfortable reading this, let me start out by talking about race! But seriously, if you are also the kind of person who needs gallons of sunscreen to make it through an hour of pool time, does it ever bother you that most everyone at church looks similar? I think (I hope) we all know, on some level, that the Gospel isn’t just for white people, yet our congregations do not often reflect that.

Zumba class had all kinds of people of all kinds of races and ages and backgrounds. I saw the full spectrum of hair color, including some that do not occur in nature. All were welcome and no one stood out.

2. The leaders were women! And as an added bonus, 75% of those leaders were women of color! I can’t help but think that a lot of that amazing diversity in point #1 is directly linked to point #2. If your church is struggling to grow or to “reach your community” for Jesus, take a look at the people who are making the decisions. If there are a whole lot of very pale, very masculine faces, it might be time to elevate some women and/or women of color to leadership positions. And not just as a mascot or token board member – put them in charge of things. Homogeny is too limiting for such an expansive Gospel. 

3. Global solidarity. The steps to these dances are the same all over the world, anywhere there is a Zumba class. This is pretty much the goal of global missions but notice a key difference: Zumba isn’t just exporting an American version of itself to other countries. We danced to Beyoncé (as is right and salutary) but we also danced to reggaeton, salsa, samba, and Kpop. The songs were in English, Spanish, Portuguese and Korean. Zumba incorporates groovy beats from anywhere.

Our churches could benefit from incorporating the worldviews and experiences of believers from cultures very different from our own. What can a grandmother is Guatemala teach us about community? What can a sweat-shop worker in Bangladesh teach us about materialism?

4. It was a judgement-free zone. Confession time: I can move my legs OR my arms, but certainly not both at the same time. I am not a good dancer. This is how I Zumba: My feet do what now? Oh, we’re going in a circle! But not that direction! Jazz hands.

Guess what – no one cared! No one gave me side eye or whispered behind my back. Everyone there was just trying to figure it out too. Zumba doesn’t exist for professionally trained dancers. It’s for anyone who ate too much dip at a Super Bowl party or just wants to burn some calories while having fun. There was no special lingo to learn or specific doctrinal hoops to jump through. We just tried to do what our leader was doing. 

Church doesn’t exist for good people who have it all together. What if anyone off the street could enter our churches and immediately feel comfortable enough to jump in and dance? Can we be that accessible?

When every song ended, we clapped like crazy for each other. We spoke words of encouragement and made eye contact with strangers to share smiles of chagrin but also triumph. Because…

5. Doing it right wasn’t as important as doing it. Every wrong-footed cha-cha or robotic shimmy was still a movement toward health. My cardiovascular system didn’t care how graceful I looked – exercise is exercise, ya’ll.

What if our churches were healthier because the people in them were active? Sedentary Christians easily become consumers of religion instead of the hands and feet of Jesus. We get entrenched in being right instead of overflowing with love. Shouldn’t we be known for good we are doing in our neighborhoods and our world? (Spoiler: yes we should. See Matthew 5:16)

We can’t expect pastors to do the work of getting healthy for us any more than we can expect the Zumba instructor to lose our weight. We, the pewsitters, have to get up and start dancing along to the rhythms of grace, even if we’re initially really awkward (If you’re not sure what the steps to the dance are, you can find them pretty easily in Matthew 25 and Isaiah 58). Don’t worry about doing everything right, get out there and love people!

Love, like Zumba, is good for the heart.

A Show of Good Grace

But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 2 Peter 3:18a

In chapel today the preacher read from the end of second Peter and asked how you know if you’re getting the scriptures right. They can be confusing, sometimes even contradictory, other times they are downright weird! Everyone has a different interpretation and it can bend the idea of truth into knots. So how do you know if you’re getting it right?

The answer is blessedly simple: You are growing in grace.

This week it seems that this concept is popping up everywhere, so maybe it’s best I pay attention! It all started with a friend of mine posting an article on Facebook. I made a comment that, I will admit, was unnecessarily glib. I over-exaggerated my point, both for emphasis and for humor. A guy I do not know reacted rather defensively in response. I let it go because not everyone has a sense of humor and that is his own problem ok. But I was pleased that my friend, the original poster of the article, called him out for his bad behavior and gently invited him to be a more positive contributor to the discussion.

The guy said something that really struck me: “I’d like a little more of a show of good faith before I bothered…” I don’t want to make too many assumptions about a perfect stranger, but I would hazard a guess that he has had several negative experiences with non-Christians attacking his faith and now requires proof that you are in the club before he’ll engage.

But this kind of bunker mentality has no place in the church.

My point here is not to bash this guy. I understand where he’s coming from and sympathize deeply – it’s hostile out there! Nor is he any kind of an anomaly. We all do this; I know I do it all the time! What I want to share with you is that this was a moment for me when the Holy Spirit whispered in my heart, “this is not what we do.” Christ did not wait for me to prove or even acquire some credentials before he showed me grace.

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Romans 5:8

In Colossians[1] Paul again points out that while God was doing his redemptive work, we were busy being his enemies. God does not need a show of good faith; he freely extends grace. Hostile, bitter, broken people who dish out nothing but hostility and bitterness to break those around them are who grace is actually for.

If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them. Luke 6:32

If you’re anything like me, those words of Jesus often end up in the file of Things I Wish He Hadn’t Said. I would so much rather just be nice to people who are easy to be nice to! Can I get an Amen? No? Yeah, you're probably right. But this is HARD!

This came up again in the Nehemiah study my evening ladies bible study is working through. One of the homework questions to reflect on was “what is the Spirit prompting you to change?” And the Spirit did less gentle whispering and more insistently flicking my ear saying, “this! Grow in grace!”

So this is my prayer, that God will give me his eyes to see past people’s crusty, unfriendly exteriors and to give grace no matter how little I may think they deserve it. And although right now my grace is a weak and puny little sprout, I know a guy “who makes things grow.[2]”

---

[1] Colossians 1:21

[2] 1 Corinthians 3:7b

Meet Me in Saint Louis

Recently, I read an article that St. Louis is listed as one of the worst cities in the U.S. We came in fourth, ahead of (behind?) only Detroit; Birmingham, Alabama; and Flint, Michigan. Illustrious company, that ain't.

The list, released by 24/7 Wall St., ranked us so low due to factors such as a high poverty rate and "the highest violent crime rate in the U.S." (we're #1!!) It also noted that "Decades of manufacturing decline, white flight, and exclusionary zoning in St. Louis have led to some of the worst urban decay, racial segregation and income inequality of any major city today." If you've seen any news lately, this will not come as a huge shock - but it's still fairly jarring to see it laid out so starkly.

That very same day, I also read an article, "Why is it so hard to make friends in St. Louis?". It's a question I've felt ever since I moved back here but have been unable to really articulate. I chalked it up to my age group, or my busy schedule, or perhaps my lack of willingness to talk to strangers. The fact is, it's really hard to make friends when you're an adult in a new city. Apparently, it's especially difficult here in STL where "everyone is friendly but no one wants to be your friend."

You know what I feel when I read all those articles? Excitement.

I'm not crazy, stick with me here!

I'm excited by this because of the third thing I've been reading lately: a book called "Joining Jesus on His Mission: How to Be an Everyday Missionary" by Greg Finke. The book focuses on a simple mindset change that turns mission work from something that certain people do on the other side of the globe to something we do on the other side of the street.

In a chapter called "What does the Kingdom of God Look Like?" Finke distinguishes between what the presence of God's Kingdom looks like for people who already have the good news (love, joy, peace, patience - stop me if you've heard this one) and people who don't have it yet. Just because people aren't Christians doesn't mean God isn't present and active in their lives. What does that look like? "It will usually look like human need."

When people need safety,
jobs,
food for their families,
access to education;
when people feel marginalized,
helpless,
desperately lonely;
Where there is injustice,
inequality,
violence,

Right there, THAT is a blazing neon sign saying God is Working Here. St. Louis so clearly is filled with human need, which means we have this amazing opportunity to love our neighbors like never before. God's Kingdom is bursting through right here where we live! That's kind of exciting, don't you think?

A Tale of Two Mountains

“But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.” – 2 Peter 3:8

For all my liturgically-bent friends, I hope you are having a blessed Lenten season of spiritual (and possibly literal) house-cleaning in preparation for the Resurrection of our Lord. And greetings to the rest of you who may or may not have even realized that we are eye-ball deep in Lent.

I know it’s supposed to be a solemn time of reflection, ashes and repentance, but I must confess, I love me some Lent! And it’s not just my joy in Fish Fry, or the good excuse to give up an unhealthy habit; I love the regular rhythm of Seasons in the church year. I don’t know if you also find this to be true, but my life has a tendency to spin out of control after a while and I need a fixed time and space to push the reset button and refocus on what really matters. After the craziness of Christmas but before the victory dance of Easter, there’s a deep breath in. And out. The Peace of Lent.

This year I need this peace more than ever. Everywhere I look, the world is worse and everyone is angry and afraid. Each day seems to bring less and less justice for the poor and marginalized.

One of the passages we read every year during this season is the Transfiguration of Jesus. Basically, Jesus, Peter and John go up on a mountain, Moses and Elijah appear, and then Jesus gets his glow on.

I have always thought this particular story was, well, pretty weird. I mean, I kind of get why Elijah shows up. To this day, the Jewish Seder meal includes a whole section on sending the youngest child to the door to look for him. Elijah is like a giant billboard announcing “Hey guys! The Messiah is here!”

But why is Moses there?

I’ve always been told that he’s there because he’s an important figure for the Jews but that answer isn’t particularly satisfying. Why not Abraham or Jacob? Or even King David? Those were all pretty important figures too.

So really, why is Moses there?

Well let’s talk about Moses for a minute. This was God’s chosen guy, Called and Sent to deliver the Hebrews out of slavery with signs and wonders. For forty years he had the unenviable job of leading the aggressively whiny people as they wandered the Wilderness while God forged them into a nation. The Bible tells us there has never been a prophet like Moses, “whom the Lord knew face to face.” And after all the dangers, miracles, and countless pairs of replacement sandals, Moses gets right to the edge of the Promised Land… aaaaaaaand then screws up one time and doesn’t get to go. What?! That’s just…so… monstrously unfair! Moses knew God better than anyone except Jesus and he doesn’t get to set one foot in the Promised Land?

In my evening ladies Bible study, we’ve been going through a study on Mark’s Gospel by Lisa Harper. As she taught through the portion containing the Transfiguration, she pointed out that in Matthew's version of the Transfiguration, he tells us that the mountain Jesus went up on was in Caesarea Philippi, north of the Sea of Galilee, well within the borders of the land God promised to Abraham and his descendants. 

Moses makes it in.

He died on a mountain within sight of the land across the Jordan and that seems like a terrible ending to his story. But that isn’t the end of the story. God authored this and He isn’t bound by our limitations of time and space or even of life and death. God is much, much bigger. The next time we see Moses he has both feet planted firmly on a different mountain – one in Israel, in the presence of the Deliverer.

I love that!

When we try to limit God by our own expectations and our own time, the world does seem so unjust. Why is He waiting so long to come back and fix everything? But Peter tells us not to forget that God doesn’t deal with time the same way we do and His Day of Justice IS coming.

Peter, who, incidentally, was also there on that mountain, watching Moses finally enter the Promised Land. 

God's Not For You

First off:  A Caveat.  I mean no disrespect to the musicians who wrote, or the worship pastors who choose these songs.  You have a high calling of ushering us into the Presence of the Almighty, and I trust that you are holier than I am. 

That said, I have noticed, in the past few years, a trend in worship music to include, and indeed even focus on the phrase, “God is for you, or us.” One song even goes on to say, “He is on our side.”

Now, you might be thinking, “Heck yeah, God is for us.  Just look at all He’s done for us.”  Well, I know.  God does love us.  I cannot overstate this.  His love, His forgiveness are unfathomably deep toward us.  And he is “for us” if by that you mean that He is “for us” becoming like Christ.  But that’s not exactly what, I think, we are saying when we sing that God is  “For us” or, “on our side.”  And I’ll tell you what I think Scripture tells us on the subject. 

First, let’s go to the story of Joshua (Joshua 5:13-15). If God was ever “for” anyone, surely it was the Israelites.   He sees a man approaching the camp, and he calls out, “Are you for us, or for our enemies?” The man says, “Neither!  But as the commander of the armies of the Lord, I come.” Wait!  That must be one of those pesky Biblical typos- right.  (Note: This is sarcasm, and I do not believe the Bible to contain any typos.)  Shouldn’t that read, “I’m so totally for you.  And as the commander of the armies of the Lord, I come.”?  Nope.  Because, in essence, he’s saying.  I’m not for you.  I’m not for your enemies.  I’m for God.  And if you had any sense at all, so would you be. 

Ok, hop with me to the book of Job.  Job is a tricky book.  I don’t pretend to get it.  But this is what I think I understand:  Job keeps saying that even though he did NOTHING to deserve it, God is against him.  Then all his friends keep telling him that he must have done some bad stuff for God to be so against him.  (But in truth, Job really has done nothing wrong, and God is not against him, though He has removed His blessings from his life.)  Then God shows up and in essence responds: Are you kidding me?  I am God.  I am frickin God. Your side?!  I’M GOD!  Oh, and you’d better pray for these losers, or I’m going to kill them for maligning your name. 

In both stories, God is not on their side, even though they are super holy men who are doing exactly what God has asked of them. 

Perhaps you are thinking, yes, but in the NT, in Romans 8: 28 to be exact, doesn’t it say, “And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”  Well, yes, indeed, how very astute of you. But I believe that this verse is in the broad sense that I mentioned earlier.  God does work all things our for our eventual good.  Many times, we do not see that lovely twist of the story on this earth, though.  So, please, hope in that glorious promise, that God does not waste our pain.  God, being good, works all things according to His nature for the ultimate good.  Not exactly what I’m thinking when I say that someone is for me, though.

But is there anything wrong with saying that God is for us?  Well, I think it is dangerous for one reason.  It inverts our position with God’s.  It is a way to mentally haul our scrawny haunches onto His glorious throne, and have Him offer His services to us.  This is a ridiculous picture.  Because though he is a good King, He is most assuredly King.  And we will never be that.  God doesn’t have to align Himself to our plans.  We need to be on His side, jump into what He’s doing.  Break our lives over what breaks His heart.  Know Him enough to even know what His side looks like.

So, if we find ourselves awkwardly disagreeing with a worship song, what to do?  Nip out for a potty break?  Sing along anyway?  Pretend to sing?  Write a long blogpost, link it to facebook, and hope your worship leader reads it?  

Bethany

Tell Our Story Again

Marissa and I were discussing the Seder meal yesterday and if it’s appropriate for Christians to celebrate. A book she had read was of the option that it is offensive but I think it’s important. These ancient stories and rituals that we observe, especially during Holy Week, are relevant to us because they help us remember that these are OUR stories. God didn’t act once a long time ago and roll over and go back to sleep. He is alive and active in this world and in his people.

WE were slaves in Egypt.

Many years ago I attended a “real” Seder run by straight up Rabbis and everything. Obviously there was no overt Christian slant in an authentic Jewish Seder, even though they were kind and gracious enough to ask the Jesus people there how we interpreted it. My favorite part of the evening was sitting in the Rabbi’s living room and going around and speaking of what we had been released from that year. It was a powerful time of testimony and rejoicing.

We all begin our story as slaves in our own special Egypts. Our bondage may be to addiction, or crippling self-doubt, or even something as pernicious as un-forgiveness. God is continually setting us free. He is battling the tiny gods we cling to, proving them worthless, and leading us through the waters into becoming a new people, a holy priesthood.

Today is Good Friday and that is our story too.

WE are the mob. WE killed Christ.

Last Sunday we hailed the coming King with palm branches and shouts of Hosanna. It’s about time God fixed things, we thought. Look at this world! It’s dangerous, it’s broken, riddled with disease, poverty, crime, injustice. Why does God let bad things happen to good people? Why doesn’t he come and save us?  Hosanna to the Conquering King! The Son of David should show up to overthrow our oppressors and make us important again.

Except Jesus isn’t the king we want. He’s not about violent revolution, or Making America Great Again, or giving us a desperately sought sense of security. Rome was in charge when he was born and still in charge when he left. The Promised King of Israel did absolutely nothing to stop the Romans from paving over the temple and slaughtering everyone in sight in 70 A.D.

Some king, we think. This king doesn’t meet our expectations so we, in our fickle humanity, reject him and look for a better one. A politician can get elected in a landslide and a year later tank in the polls. That is who we are. Get rid of this Jesus and we’ll find a new one, a better one, who will do what we want.

Crucify him. Crucify him.

We aren’t only slaves in Egypt, we’re also evil and depraved. We lynched God.

Jesus isn’t the king we want, he’s the king we need.

He’s not looking for the next step up. Jesus is all about the next step down. He who was rich became poor; the Almighty of Heaven became a regular man, walking around in our painful, dying skin and bones. He ate with the hated and shunned, he took the rabbi-school dropouts under his wing and made them his crew. He showed us how to live in freedom, how to BE the holy people of God.

Our story could have ended at the cross, as it has ended for so many would-be revolutionaries and saviors, in violence and death. But, as Tony Campolo proclaims, that was Friday. Sunday’s a coming!

Death no longer has the final word. Love wins. Jesus is the king we need. The king who overthrows, not governments or invaders, but the power of Death itself. We try so hard to make God tiny and predictable like our nice Egyptian gods, but when the Lamb is slain and the Firstborn die, the seas split and we can walk right out of slavery and into adoption.

WE are the children of God.

Easter is our story too. Just as everything is looking bleak and hopeless, God comes to us. Jesus is alive! We are forgiven!

These stories are important – not because they happened, but because they happen. The Kingdom has come AND it’s coming. Redemption’s work is done AND it continues.

Maybe right now you are feeling hopeless, weighed down by life, overwhelmed by the world. Lift up your head. Love is coming. Easter is almost here again; New Life is bursting forth to kick evil in the teeth. Hope is born once more.

Welcome to the story, friend.