Awaiting Approval

Rev’s Reflections

Awaiting Approval

1-27-12

I was at the grocery store check out line and I swiped my debit card through the machine. While the machine was processing my card these words flashed on the screen: Awaiting Approval. It certainly wasn’t the first time I had seen that message. Some form of that message comes on every screen I use with my cards, but for whatever reason this time it was like a neon sign. Sometimes I feel myself getting anxious when the machine is slow, “What if I am not approved?” It is irrational. I wouldn’t use the card if I didn’t think there was enough money in my checking account to cover the charge. I mean, who wants to pay an overdraft fee?

AWAITING APPROVAL!

How much of my life have I spent awaiting approval? I have a love/hate relationship with approval. Like many, I crave approval. I want to be accepted, liked, and approved of, but I usually deflect compliments and affirmation because I find it embarrassing…it makes me uncomfortable. As an athlete I craved the approval and affirmation of my coaches, which motivated me to be the best I could be. As a student, I worked hard and exceeded requirements to receive the approval of my professors. I want my wife to approve of me as a husband and my kids to approve of me as a father and our congregation to approve of me as a Lead Pastor.

Seeking approval leads to a performance mentality. If I am only seeking to receive approval, then I may adjust to simply meet people’s expectations rather than living out of an authentic sense of who God has created me to be.

When Peter and John were brought before the Sanhedrin to justify their ministry in Acts chapter 4, they declared that they were to please God and not man. I believe that philosophically. It is just hard to live out practically.

God has approved of us. He thinks very highly of us. He doesn’t approve of everything we think, do or say. But He approves of us. We are His children whom He loves so much, He sent His Son to die on our behalf. We are the people about whom He says:

“You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God…” (I Peter 2:9)

I may be awaiting approval for my debit card. I may be seeking your approval. But I/we Have already received God’s approval, and we really don’t need anything else!

Oh, by the way, the screen at the grocery store eventually said: APPROVED!

It Makes me Sad

Recently a video entitled “Why I hate religion, but love Jesus” has gone viral. It is frequently posted on Facebook with people indicating that they “like” the video. The video is a four minute poetic rap by a 20-something male who highlights all the negative aspects of “religion” and expounds on how and why Jesus would feel the same.

I have noticed that on my Facebook page most of those who post the video and respond to it are also 20-somethings, and it makes me sad.

Not because I think they shouldn’t like the video, or because some of what he says is wrong, but because there is much more to the church than the way this young man defines as “religion.” I am acutely aware that 20-somethings are not filling our churches and are not interested in faith issues because of their negative experiences with the church and religion. As an “insider,” I understand why they may feel the way they do and agree with some of what is being said. However, there is a bigger picture that I wish would be considered and go viral.

I did some research on Jefferson Bethke, the video’s author and performer, to get perspective. “You have to get back to my definition of religion”, Bethke said in an interview, “(Jesus) was coming to abolish self righteousness, justification and hypocrisy.”

That is one definition. Webster defines religion this way: “service and worship of God or the supernatural; commitment or devotion to religious faith or observance.”

I agree that Jesus had a distaste for self righteousness, justification and hypocrisy, but Jesus wasn’t against religion or the church. In fact, God created the church, the body of Christ. The church is to reflect Christ in attitude and action, which is hard to do perfectly because as Jesus noted the church is filled with imperfect people.

Yet, God created the church, the body of Christ, to be His presence in the world. We haven’t done it perfectly, and in fact, there are many things that the church has distorted with our self interest and our bent toward personal preferences. At the same time, the church, the body of Christ, is the hope of the world. History shows that the church is the foundation of many of our hospitals, higher educational institutions and the first responders when there is a crisis in the world. As you look at local communities, it is the church that sponsors most food pantries, homeless shelters and other assistance programs.

The church is not perfect, but the church is the hope of the world. It makes me sad that a generation of people may believe that the church doesn’t represent Jesus. It makes me sad that they may turn their back on the church. Rather than turning their back on the church I would encourage them to get involved in local churches, voice an opinion, make a difference.

One of the great ironies in Jefferson Bethke’s life is that he is a member of a local church in his hometown of Seattle. It is a church that has brought many people who have been far from God to know Him personally. It is a church that is filled with young adults. However, his pastor is thought to by some to be authoritarian and narrow minded. He is very vocal about what he calls the “feminization” of the church, and does not endorse women in leadership positions in the church. I am not sure if Jesus would see things the same way.

          Jesus said His purpose in coming was to

          “...seek and save the lost...”; (Luke 19:10). 

          In his coming out sermon he affirmed the words of Isaiah:

          The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me

          to preach good news to the poor.

          He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

          and recovery of sight for the blind,

          to release the oppressed,

          to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” (Luke 4:18,19)

         

Jesus’ purpose was not “...to abolish self righteousness, justification and hypocrisy.” Although in the process of fulfilling His mission he did speak out against those issues.

         

I want the church, the body of Christ, to reflect Jesus in word and deed; to be a place of mercy, grace and acceptance. I want us to pay attention to the attitudes and behaviors that the church reflects that may not be in keeping with those values. I want people of all ages to join us in helping the church fulfill that mission. When that doesn’t happen, it makes me sad. But it doesn’t make me want to quit the church and only “hang out” with Jesus on my own, because Jesus said the two are inseparable. The church is the body of Christ. We just have to keep working at being a better body.

Being Visionary

When Apple founder Steve Jobs passed away in early October the word that was used to describe him most often was “visionary.” Steve Jobs was a visionary. He saw things that others couldn’t and encouraged people to pursue that vision. His vision for things changed the world in which we live. The curious thing about Steve Jobs is that we tend to think about him as a technology genius which was not the case. His real genius was in the area of design and what people would find desirable from a stylistic point of view. He had a tremendous gift for designing products that had the “it” factor. Apple products are just plain cool!

Vision is important. I define vision as a picture of our preferred future. We can see what it will look like and want to embrace and achieve it.

• The Wright brothers had a vision for people to fly.
• John F. Kennedy envisioned a man walking on the moon.
• Martin Luther King envisioned a society where all human beings had equal rights.       

If you want to achieve something, you need a vision.

God used visions to inspire people to accomplish God’s preferred future.

• God gave Abraham and Sarah, a childless couple, the vision of being the parents of a nation.
• God gave Moses a vision of leading slaves out of captivity and into a promised land. 
• God gave Peter a vision of a more inclusive church. 

There are many other examples in the bible, but you get my point. God inspired people to great accomplishments with vision.

         

Churches are no different than individuals. We need a picture of our preferred future to inspire us to make a difference in the world and to accomplish what God is calling us to do. In my mind each church that exists has the same mission, “to make disciples of all nations.” I believe that each church has their own unique vision for how we embrace that mission. That vision is based on the history of the congregation, the setting, demographics, a sense of calling and the overall gifts and abilities of a congregation.

Once a congregation has a vision, they align all of their resources (time, talent and treasure) to realize that vision. Everything that a congregation does or considers doing should begin with the question: How will this move us closer to realizing our vision?

Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church is embarking on a “vision process.” It will begin in January with the goal of communicating and embracing the vision in September. There will be lots of different ways for people in our congregation and in our community to participate in that process. As the year progresses you will hear more and more about the vision God is revealing to us.

Let us be in prayer as we seek God’s will and God’s way!

This week in worship we will continue to see how Jesus’ Upside Down Thinking from the Sermon on the Mount directs us to be part of The Next Christians. See you in worship.      

Hang in There

Last week I wrote about SMART goals for the New Year. Today we are six days into the new year. Are you still on track with your resolutions? I have already failed at one!

I set a goal of reading two or more “church related” books a month this year. One of the strategies I listed for doing so was to read those books one or two hours a night when I wasn’t at church for a meeting or out for some other reason.

This week I was home three nights and only followed my strategy on one of the nights. I was distracted by many things; a night of travel in a hotel room, bowl games, and some other reading I chose to do.

Those are not excuses. Those are choices I made. Because of choices I made, I failed to execute my strategy to achieve my goal. For those of you who know me, I am relatively competitive (O.K., that’s an understatement), which means that I will find a way to meet my goal by January 31.

I failed this week, but that doesn’t make me a failure. That’s an important distinction to keep in mind. Failing is something we all do. In fact, we need to be failing at things, because if we aren’t failing, we aren’t pushing ourselves to grow and learn.

I have played golf for many years and for a long time I had never broken 80. I set a goal one summer to break 80. I went several summer months where I failed to achieve that goal, but it didn’t make me a failure. I kept trying. There were setbacks, circumstances, and near misses. At times it seemed as if the golf gods were against me. But I kept trying. It gave me an excuse to play more!

Finally one day, unexpectedly, I shot a 78! Then Becky and I took a planned two-week vacation which included no golf. The day after I returned I played with a friend and after a two week hiatus I shot a 77!  Finally, after failing on numerous occasions, I succeeded. I had failed, but I wasn’t a failure. (Breaking 80 regularly is still an illusive goal.)

Failing at something doesn’t make us a failure. It makes us human.

Being a faithful follower of Jesus is a lot harder than breaking 80 for me. I have good intentions, goals, plans, strategies and systems; but often I fail. But God doesn’t think I’m a failure. In fact, God knows we stumble, miss, and struggle. He doesn’t expect us to be perfect. He knows we can’t be perfect. He only wants us to persevere. In fact when we persevere God boasts about us to others! (2 Thess. 1:4).

So, if you made New Year’s resolutions and have already failed, start again; persevere. If one of your New Year’s resolutions had to do with becoming more like Jesus (and I hope it did), don’t expect to be perfect, but when you fail, remember you are not a failure. Persevere.

I would write more, but I have to go read!

Rev.

Being SMART

I am a list maker, planner, goal setting kind of guy. Becky is not. She is much more seat of the pants, it will all work out, don’t worry about it kind of person. We are good for each other. Although my goal setting and plan making can drive her crazy.

It is the last week of the year, so my mind is already down the road into 2012. What do I want to accomplish? What resolutions should I make?

I heard a commentator say the other day that we shouldn’t bother, we never keep them anyway. It was interesting because on the same show they featured people who had lost half their body weight without surgery. It all began with some kind of resolution to get smaller.

The reason most of us don’t keep our resolutions is because they are too vague. That’s why we all need to set S.M.A.R.T. goals. Smart Goals are Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely.

“Get in shape” is too general. “Join a health club and work out three days a week” is more specific.

If I want to read more, how many books would that be...one a week, two a month? When would I read them? Monday and Thursday evenings? Specific and Measurable.

I must keep the goal Attainable. Is one a week attainable? Two a month might be more attainable.

Is two a month Realistic? I must set the goal high, but also be reasonable.

The Time frame is two a month, twenty four by the end of the year.

As a faithful follower of Jesus, one of my goals for 2012 should be to become more like Christ. However, that is a little vague. What will I do to be more like Jesus? In the first century if someone was a disciple of a particular rabbi, they wanted to follow that rabbi so closely that the dust kicked up while the rabbi walked would land on the disciple’s clothing. You would be embracing the dust of the rabbi.

How can I collect some Jesus dust in 2012?

Research indicates that the two greatest catalysts for spiritual growth are scripture reading and service. If I want to be more like Jesus in 2012, I need to engage in some kind of intentional, disciplined, scripture reading program and find places to serve.

I have a bible app on my phone that offers literally hundreds of bible reading plans, from topical, to chronological, to historical and in increments from reading the entire bible in 90 days to a one year plan.

There are literally hundreds of ways to serve by using the gifts, talents, abilities and passions God has given me. I just need to make a decision on where, when and how. The tricky part for a pastor is that I can’t count anything in my job description as serving!

If you are a faithful follower of Jesus, my guess is that you would like to wear “the dust of the rabbi”. But like any other goal, it requires us to be SMART. We need to be intentional about becoming more like Jesus.

If we all would become more like Jesus, a resolution would become a revolution!

What is your plan?

Happy New Year!

Things Get Lost

The date was chosen for pragmatic reasons. It fit our schedule. I was a first year teacher coaching football and basketball in Eaton Rapids, Michigan (a small town about 20 minutes South of East Lansing). Becky was finishing her senior year at Hope. We had planned to get married in the summer after Becky graduated, but decided to move the date up to December.

The window for our wedding was small. It had to be soon after the first semester finished at Hope so our friends could attend without having to go home and then come to Chicago. It had to fit around my schedule which included teaching and coaching until December 20 and returning for basketball practice and games by December 26. It had to be on a Saturday. Thus we were married on December 22, 1973. That’s right 38 years ago! It is really hard to believe that it has been that long.

One of the things we didn’t anticipate when we chose our date was how easily our wedding anniversary could get lost in the craziness of Christmas festivities. Working in full-time ministry only added to that likelihood. There have been many years where the acknowledgement of out anniversary has been an afterthought, or a “drive-by” acknowledgement as we moved on to another event or responsibility.

This is the time of year when things can get lost. The joy of the season can be drowned out by personal pain and difficulty brought on by financial crises, struggles with illness, or a personal tragedy. The peace that is supposed to be central to Christmas can get lost in family dysfunction and turmoil. The mystery of Christmas can be distorted by all of the events, programs, and functions we have to attend that leave us more filled with weariness than wonder. The central event of Christmas, the gift of God becoming man, is often overshadowed by the demands of gift buying and present giving. It is easy for Christ to get lost in the chaos that is Christmas.

Becky and I will take time out from Christmas festivities to have a quiet dinner together to acknowledge and celebrate the gift of marriage. We will reflect on the great adventure that God designed for us with all the ups and downs that 38 years can bring. We will thank God for His provision on that adventure and ask Him to bless us with many more years of friendship and love.

Sometime later in the week we will take time to thank God for the unbelievable gift of His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whose birth is central to this season of the year. We won’t let Him get lost!

We will also thank God for the gift of ministry in a new place, with new people, who have been wonderfully warm, accepting and encouraging in our brief time at Elmhurst Christian Reformed Church.

It is also easy for some of the more pragmatic aspects of ministry to get lost during the Christmas season. One of those pragmatic things is our church budget which runs through December 31. We have a receipts deficit of $200,000 that we need to receive to meet our budget for 2011. It is imperative that we meet this receipts target to put ourselves in an acceptable position relative to financing opportunities that may be available to us and that we must pursue in 2012. Please consider how you might help us achieve this year end goal.

May God bless all of you as you celebrate Christ’s birth in the many and various ways that will take place. Thank you for the gift of allowing me to be your Lead Pastor.

                              

May God bless us, everyone!

                                                                                 

Rev.

God is Odd

As I have been preparing for this week’s message, I have been reflecting on the events that make up the Christmas story. My text for this Sunday is the story of the angel Gabriel’s visit to Mary (Luke 1:26-38). Gabriel lays out the whole plan for Mary. She is going to become pregnant, through the Holy Spirit, and be the earthly mother of God’s own Son, the long awaited Messiah.

This leaves Mary with a lot of questions. And it makes me wonder. I wonder what I would think if one of our junior high girls came to me with this story. I am pretty sure my reaction would be filled with cynicism and skepticism. I would wonder about her mental stability. I might suspect drug use. I would think she was delusional.

I would spend time with her parents, who would corroborate that she had told them the same story and they had many of the same reactions. That’s why they sent her to the pastor! She had never demonstrated this kind of thinking or dreaming previously.

Can you imagine how this must have unfolded for Mary? What does a teenager tell her friends about this pregnancy? The whole situation was embarrassing and unbelievable. No doubt her friends would abandon her. She would be the talk of the town, but not in a good way.

And her fiance, Joseph, how would he react? He was a super nice guy, but no guy would take this news well.

My guess is that people her at church would whisper about her, wonder, shake their head in dismay, disgust and disbelief.

We have romanticized, sanitized and commercialized the story and in doing so it has lost its scandalous nature.  If this happened today, we wouldn’t do so well with this story, I am afraid. People don’t get visits from angels. Young girls can’t be impregnated by the Holy Spirit. God wouldn’t become a human being. Certainly if Jesus would be born today it would take place in New York, Chicago or Los Angeles, not Hull, Iowa.

There is so much surrounding this Christmas story that is incredible and incredulous. It is hard to believe, which is what makes the story so powerful. It is a story that requires faith; faith that our God is the God of unlikely choices, of unpredictable activity, of unusual means. God doesn’t play by our rules. God is subversive and counter-cultural. Part of what this story teaches us is that God wants to use ordinary people, like you and me, to do extraordinary things. His choices might not seem logical, or fit our idea of how things should work, or be in our plan for how life should go, but “His ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts”.

The stories of Christmas remind us of God’s unusual way of going about His business and call us to be alert to what He may be saying to us and asking us to do today.

Are we watching, listening, and open to the unexpected and usual?