Come and See

Early in the story of Jesus' ministry, we read about John the Baptist recognizing Jesus as the Messiah. As John was with his followers one day, he saw Jesus passing by and said, "Look, the Lamb of God!" Two who heard him decided to pursue whatever that meant, so they got up and followed Jesus. When they asked Jesus where he was staying, he replied, "Come, and you will see." So they went, and spent the day with him.

I love the invitation here, the hospitality extended -- Jesus welcoming others into his space. And the hospitality was spread, too, when Andrew responded in his excitement by bringing his brother Simon to Jesus, and when Philip invited even the rather dismissive-sounding Nathanael.

It seems there was plenty that John the Baptist didn't fully know or understand about Jesus, but he didn't let that keep him from following what he did know and understand. And he didn't keep it to himself; he engaged with others.

And Jesus? He welcomed those who didn't really know who he was but were interested in finding out -- and he still does. He invites each person to not just know about him, but to deeply know him, spending time in his presence and discovering who he is.

-- Pastor Debi

(This account is found in John 1.)

Advent: Hope

I remember being a child and waiting, waiting, waiting for Christmas Day to arrive. I tried really hard to wait patiently. Along the way, Mom got a bunch of those small-sized candy canes and we put them on the tree -- just enough for each of us to have one candy cane from the tree each day until Christmas. That candy cane tradition was a lesson in hope, in finding joy each day of the waiting while still focused with anticipation of what was yet to come.

Advent is a time of remembering, experiencing, and cultivating hope. We remember the many years of waiting for the promised Messiah, and God's faithful fulfillment of His promises. We experience the hope of knowing God in the here and now while also anticipating Christ's eventual return. And as we cultivate hope as we respond to God's promises and character.

Hope is a transformative thing, and I am excited to see what God does as we wait with expectation.

Peace in the Midst - Audio

Dr. Diehl is devoted to Jesus Christ, an experienced preacher/pastor/minister, and a grandfatherly storyteller. He has served in full-time ministry for much of his adult life, including some very challenging roles. I was glad to hear some of his story as he spoke a few weeks back in Nampa, Idaho. I wrote just briefly then about his Wednesday talk, and the audio of Dr. Diehl is available now here.

Sanctuary

"I can't talk with other people about this. They wouldn't understand."

I've heard words like these many times -- and have expressed them some myself, too -- about addiction, abuse, fear, doubt, family trouble, and all sorts of other troubling issues. Though I don't always say it, my internal response is usually "You'd be surprised."

Working in a residential treatment center, serving in hospital chaplaincy, ministering in churches, and talking with friends, I've found the sentiment to be a common one, and it is based on the lie that everyone else has it all together. In hiding from each other, we hide from ourselves and from God, too. We can create barriers that keep us from reaching out even when we're so close. It's an awfully lonely way to live.

Anne Jackson describes the historical right of sanctuary in the Christian church, which defended criminals from execution or other unfair judgment and provided a place for criminals to find refuge until they received pardon or fair punishment. Churches still call their meeting places "sanctuaries," and I love how Jackson describes it:

"Church is a place for us to claim

the right of a modern-day sanctuary

where we can name our sins or ask our questions

and be protected and sheltered while we search

for grace, forgiveness, and answers."

The Church is not a building; it is people who follow God. And Jackson's word describe pretty well the kind of people I want to be.

Generations

I stood on the church lawn recently and watched a group playing games together. The youngest was four years old, I think, and the oldest in his forties. Others representing an even broader range of ages sat and stood nearby, talking and laughing as they watched the fun.

What captured my heart on that afternoon was the interactions within the group. Leaders of all ages made modifications as needed to include the littlest ones. Young children looked up to teens and adults, and found friendly faces smiling back at them. Interactions in all directions reflected genuine respect and affection.

The demographics of Rosewood Lane have shifted during the past year or two. It's exciting to have such a variety of ages coming together now for worship on Sunday mornings, from preschoolers all the way to folks in their eighties, with people from every decade in between. All of them are important at Rosewood Lane.

I love the generational variety, especially as it is lived out in congregational community. Some of the teens have led the way by making space for children within their circles of friends. Seniors play an important part as grandparents and grandparent-like figures in the lives of children, teens, and even adults. Children of all ages figure out ways to play together, not just with others in the same class. In all of it, older ones usually watch out for younger ones.

We're learning together about biblical community. I think what I see here is both part of that process and a reflection of it.

Considering Together

The Sunday School class I facilitate is rather predictable, in a way. After prayer each week, we read a passage from the Bible, usually in a few different translations, and talk about it. The conversation starts with four questions:

What captured your heart?

What captured your mind?

What did you notice?

What questions do you have?

And then we go from there. We talk about the passage, compare translations, consider how the message intersects with our lives.

That's where it becomes much less predictable, because the discussion is significantly shaped by each person's contributions.

A few things I can pretty much count on, though... We'll have a great group of people. Most or all will participate at some point. Each will bring a unique perspective. A sense of community will be developed, with new arrivals being welcomed and existing relationships being strengthened. And we'll be changed in the process.

I love this class!

At the Border, Part 2

The biblical book of Numbers has a reputation for being boring, and that reputation is largely undeserved.  Yes, there are lists of names which are often difficult to read and follow, but there is a lot of meaty story, too.

Within the broader story, the Israelites have escaped from their slavery in Egypt and are heading -- slowly, as it turns out -- toward Canaan.  At God's command, Moses sends a handful of leaders to scout out the land.  The group spends some time discovering what is ahead -- the towns, the soil, the trees, the fruit, the people -- and returns with its report:  "We went into the land to which you sent us, and it does flow with milk and honey!"  They brought back some apparently impressive fruit, too.  The men who had done the exploring were clearly quite impressed with Canaan.

The report continues: "But the people who live there are powerful, and the cities are fortified and very large."  They all agreed that they would likely encounter significant opposition.  While they admired the land, most didn't believe they could have it.  Only two of them -- Caleb and Joshua -- believed they could move forward at God's direction with God's help.

The group's admiration of the land makes sense.  The land promised to them by God was indeed wonderful, and could provide very well for their massive group.  The fear of the majority in the group is also normal and natural.  They saw powerful people and large, fortified cities.  They worried that they might be defeated.  The differences in perspective within the group is not unusual, and it is appropriate to consider the various perspectives among them, to respect each other enough to allow the truth of their fear to be spoken as they figure out what to do next.  So far, that's probably all okay.

But it doesn't stay that way, because rather than recognizing and dealing appropriately with their fear, those who hesitated "spread among the Israelites a bad report about the land they had explored.  They said, 'The land we explored devours those living in it....  We seemed like grasshoppers in our own eyes, and we looked the same to them.'"  Rather than acknowledging their fears and pondering the possibilities together, the foothold of their fears became a stronghold as they stirred up dissension to the point that the whole community started into some pretty serious grumbling.  Through that process, they started to believe that their fears were representative of reality, and allowed those fears to dominate their thoughts.  They started talking foolishly: "Wouldn't it be better for us to go back to Egypt?  We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt."

Back to Egypt?  Seriously?  The land of slavery and oppression?  The place they had miraculously escaped?  The land God had miraculously brought them out of? And this same God promised the great land they'd just explored? What were they thinking??

In the end, they didn't turn around and go back to Egypt, but they also weren't able to really move forward, either.  Their willingness to give in to their fears rather than seek God's direction, exacerbated by banding together with like-minded people, had serious consequences (Numbers 14:20-24).

Human beings are created for relationship and community.  We are designed to work together, to share our ideas, fears, hopes, experiences and perspectives with each other.  Partnering with others is to be a very good thing, a healthy and natural part of who we are.  At the same time, there is also a risk of allowing distortion and distraction to develop when we trust ourselves and others more than God.