Tag Archive for: Luke

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Begin to Engage Your Community – Prayer

This is part 2 of Begin to Engage Your Community. Read Part 1.

As a follower of Jesus in a rapidly changing world, you have the responsibility to engage your church in loving and caring for your community. By centering on God’s mission, embracing your local context, and engaging with the community, you lead the way by modeling purpose and authenticity. You have the opportunity to lead your church in reclaiming its role as a vibrant and relevant force in the lives of the people in your community and beyond. 

Engaging the mission is about following Jesus into the community and being about God’s business. It is a way of relating to and loving others within the community in which you are located.

Engaging In Missions

As much as churches talk about caring and serving, your life changes when you engage in missions. Whether it is your life or the life of your church, engaging the community means constantly challenging personal preferences, the fear of losing control of who to serve, and the anxiety of not having enough resources. 

Although the work is challenging, engaging in mission means you can relax in the experience of loving others as you have been loved. Engaging the community is an experience of transformation and new life.

Focus on the Mission of God’s Love

When I reflect upon the presence and power of God in and through the Holy Spirit, I discover that the early church was focused on the mission of God’s love and that the power of the Holy Spirit helped those early followers to overcome the barriers of race, gender, theology, faith, and persecution.

When engaging the community, you are given the power to overcome the barriers that keep people from experiencing God’s love by resisting evil in whatever form it presents itself.

So, the question is, “What do you need to do to engage the community with God’s love? 

Start with Prayer

Prayer facilitates your engaging the community. Since you are engaging in God’s business, it makes sense to seek God’s direction. So, as you begin to engage the community, provide opportunities for everyone in the congregation as well as your leaders to pray. 

Make prayer part of every Sunday School class, small group, administrative meetings (Administrative Council, Leader Board, Finance, Trustees, Pastor Parish Relations, etc.) rehearsals, trainings, or other gatherings of your church community.  

Remind your leaders, in whatever context they are leading, that when there is no prayer, there is no power. When there is a little prayer there is little power. When there is much prayer there is much power. Said another way: No prayer, no power. Little prayer, little power. Much prayer, much power. 

Ask God for new possibilities to break through in your church and community. Ask God to give you the eyes to see and hearts and minds to receive and understand what God is doing in the community.

  • Ask God to help you discover what you need to do that no one else is doing in the community. Ask God to send you the people no one else wants and for the grace to receive the people God sends to you.
  • As you surrender yourself to God’s direction, be mindful of how God can use you and your church to make a difference in your community.    

Prayer

To get you started, here is a sample prayer:   

O God, by your grace give each of us obedience to yield a little more of ourselves today.  Put us where you want us and help us be content.  If we can’t be content, make us faithful.  Let us be a part of what you are blessing and let us learn everything we need to learn in every situation and circumstance.  Teach us and equip us to bring here on earth what you have in heaven.  Break our hearts for the church and the church’s heart for the community. Send to us the people no one else wants and by your grace help us receive the people you send to us.  Let us see you in the tasks you have given us to perform and may you find us faithfully performing those tasks.  Fill us with your grace and glory so all with whom we come in contact will experience your grace and glory in us. 

Remember, prayer facilitates engaging the community. No prayer, no power. Little prayer, little power. Much prayer, much prayer. It was while the disciples were praying that the Holy Spirit came upon them. They received power to be witnesses (the Greek work means “martyrs) starting where they were and moving into their communities, surrounding areas, and to the world 

Engage in the Seven Missional Questions 

Read Begin to Engage Your Community – Preparation – Part 1  or Engaging in Mission: Seven Missional Questions (This article gives you the details of each question.) 

The questions are:

  1. Where have you witnessed God’s presence in your community? (God’s Presence)
  2. What is the mission of the church (Mission)
  3. What is our mission field? (Mission Field)
  4. What are the assets of our community? (Assets)
  5.  What are the needs of our community (Needs)
  6. What relationships exist with leaders in our community? (Relationships)
  7. What is one way we can collaborate with other churches? (Collaborations)

To engage the community, prepare your heart and mind with prayer. Ask God to help you to be aware of and sensitive to the people you encounter in your mission field. 

Prepare your heart and mind with bible study. Read Luke 10:1-12 and ask God to send you out as missionaries to learn about the mission field in which you live and serve.  

Engage the leaders of your church in participating in the seven questions above. Send your leaders out in teams of two or three to experience the mission, to encounter the people, to assess the assets and needs of the mission field. 

Assist your leaders in identifying and developing the relationships within your mission field. What relationships need to be nurtured, reconciled, or re-established? 

Continue to engage your team in prayer and study. Continue to ask God to help you be aware of and sensitive to the people you encounter. 

Read, Reflect, Respond, Return

When you are engaging the community, you are loving and serving people in all you do. Keep in mind that you are about God’s business as a follower of Jesus whether you are feeding people, providing housing, caring for children, sharing in a work team, or on a mission trip. To assist you in keeping focused, use the following pattern as a way of focusing upon God’s business and growing as a follower of Jesus. 

Before leaving for the site on which you are serving, gather your team together. The team must gather before arriving at the site. In other words, the focus is on becoming who God created you to be, a follower of Jesus, and not upon the work you are involved in or the service you are providing. Both are important but becoming a disciple of Jesus and being about God’s business of loving others is the main focus. 

As important as this is, before leaving for the site, take no more than 15 minutes to do the following: 

Read

Pick a scripture for the day. Before reading it, ask each member of the team to focus upon a part of the scripture, then read it aloud for the team to hear. 

Reflect

Have each person briefly tell which part of the scripture they will carry with them throughout the experience. Keeping the scripture in mind, ask each member of the team to be aware of the people they meet and to look for Jesus in the midst of their serving, working, and interactions. 

Pray

Remember, prayer facilitates your engaging the community. So, before you leave for the site, pray. It can be short and simple. Here are three examples: 

“O God, make us aware of the people around us today so that we may be a blessing to someone, somewhere today. Use us as instruments of your love and peace.” 

“O God, give us the eyes to see, ears to ear, hearts to receive, and minds to understand your presence in our experience today. Give us pure hearts, because blessed are the pure in heart, they will see You.” 

“O God, make me aware of the people around me today. By your grace, help me be an extension of your love in the lives of the people you send my way. Help me yield a little more of myself so that I may love others as you have loved me. Help me be faithful to your call upon my life so that I may be a blessing to someone, somewhere, today. Amen” 

Respond

Remind each person to be aware of how they will be living the scripture in the places they encounter. Sounds simple enough, but keep the following in mind:

  • How will you love the people God sends your way?
  • How will you reach and receive them in love?
  • How will you introduce them to God’s love?
  • How will you practice who you are as a follower of Jesus? 
  • In what new way will you love them as Christ has loved you? 

Return

At the end of the experience, gather the team together. Give God thanks for the experience and for the people with whom you interacted. Then, in small groups of 3 or 4 persons, ask them to discuss the following questions:

  • How did you live the scripture today?
  • How did you experience God’s love? In whom did you see Jesus?
  • What did you learn about yourself?
  • Were there times you felt uncomfortable, afraid, or alone? How did you respond?  
  • For whom are you grateful at this moment? Give God thanks for them. 

Engage The Community

There are many ways to engage the community. Each context will call for specific ways of loving and serving. As you move forward, use the tools of prayer, 7 Missional Questions, and the pattern of “Read, Reflect, Respond, and Return to keep you focused on the mission. 

You have been commissioned to love others as you love Jesus. As you engage in mission you will be transformed, so be aware of what helps turn your love for Jesus into an outward expression of love and care. 

It is time to engage the community. You have been given the power to love as you have been loved, to overcome the barriers that keep people from experiencing God’s love, and to resist evil in whatever form it presents itself.

Listen for your call into the neighborhood. It will come with the words of Jesus, “Just as the Father has sent me, so I send you.” Go and live into the life God has created you to live.

Becoming One Who Offers Christ Part Three

This is part 3 of a 3-part series.

Read Becoming One Who Offers Christ Part One and

Becoming One Who Offers Christ Part Two

As a follower of Jesus, you model for and assist others in becoming people who offer Christ. You have the responsibility to remind them that they are God’s beloved children, and as God’s children, they are about doing God’s business. They are living God’s love by loving others as they have been loved. So, to become one who offers Christ, you are about God’s business in your living and loving each day.

(Read Preparing for Mission: Being About God’s Business).

How to Engage People in Offering Christ?

The question for most of us comes down to how. How do you engage people in God’s business of love? How do you engage people in offering Christ?

At this point, it is easy to jump into techniques and practices of faith sharing. I believe there are practical ways of living your faith that naturally lead to sharing your faith and offering Christ. But I also believe many of those practical ways fall short without a clear understanding of who you are as a follower of Jesus.

Who are You as a Follower of Jesus?

As a follower of Jesus, you have the opportunity and responsibility to remind those who are entrusted to your care that:

They are beloved children of God. 

They are claimed by God and commissioned to be about God’s business. With that in mind and heart, offering Christ is not a personal choice of whether you are good at it or not. It is how you live your life in relationship with the people you encounter each day. When you are claimed as a beloved child of God, you are also equipped with a love that will not let you go and a love that is meant to be lived out and shared in every situation and circumstance in which you find yourself. Offering Christ is about loving others as you have been loved.

God’s claim upon their lives is bigger than themselves…

God’s claim on their lives is also bigger than their church and their denomination. They have been claimed, commissioned, and equipped to be the human touch of God’s love in the places they live, work, and play. Every time you say the words “remember your baptism and be thankful” you are reminding them that they have been claimed and commissioned to be God’s love with family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, strangers, and even enemies. Offering Christ is about loving others as you have been loved.

Jesus is the way of love. 

Offering Christ is about Jesus. It is not about getting people into the church, or getting people to worship, or getting people to believe what you believe, or about gender, sexuality, politics, economics, race, nationality, (add what I left out), etc. When you are a follower of Jesus, you love others as God in Jesus has loved you. Offering Christ is about Jesus.

All people are included in God’s love. 

Offering Christ is about loving people. I know that sounds redundant, but your responsibility is to lead people into God’s business. People thrive and find fulfillment in companionship, support, and relationships. Relationships play a significant role in the overall well-being, happiness, and fulfillment in everyday living. Offering Christ, as difficult and inconvenient as it can be at times, is loving others as God has loved you. It is who you are as a follower of Jesus. (Read: Reflections on 50 years of Ministry: The Importance of People).

When you engage in the mission of offering Christ, people respond in different ways. Below are seven responses to God’s love. It is certainly not an exhaustive list but is an offering of several “biblical models of offering Christ.” 

Saul Encounters Christ Acts 9:1-19

A dramatic experience of someone coming to Jesus is found in Acts 9:1-19. It is the story of Saul of Tarsus and his experience of the Risen Christ. Saul was so firm in his faith convictions as a Pharisee, that he participated in persecuting Stephen and other early followers of Jesus.

The offer of Christ came as he experienced the faith and forgiveness of those he was persecuting. His transforming experience came, not in dialogue with Christians, but in his interaction with them. Even in the midst of his misguided theological views, he received a clear offer of God’s love through the Christians around him. 

Cleopas on the Road to Emmaus Luke 24:13-32

Another experience of the Risen Christ is found in Luke 24:13-32. It is the story of Cleopas and his companion walking on the road to Emmaus. As they are walking, they are talking about the events of the crucifixion and the resurrection related to Jesus.  In the midst of their conversation, a stranger joins them. As the stranger is invited into the conversation, he begins to teach them.

Beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interprets to them “the things about (Jesus)” in all the scriptures.  Cleopas invites the stranger into his home. It is in the midst of this act of hospitality, while breaking bread together, that Cleopas and his companion recognize the stranger as Jesus. The offer of Christ came in their offer of hospitality. In the midst of welcoming a stranger, they received a clear offer of God’s presence. In whom have you experienced Jesus lately? Where have you seen Jesus? 

Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy – 2 Timothy 1

Another experience of an offer of Christ comes in Paul’s second letter to Timothy (II Timothy 1:3-5). In his letter, he remembers Timothy’s sincere faith, a faith that lived first in his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice. From Paul’s perspective, it was a faith learned at home. The offer of Christ came through the faithful living and loving of family. 

The Gospel of John & Offering Christ

In John’s story of good news, there are several experiences of offering Christ. In John 1:40-42, Andrew, after spending the day with Jesus, finds his brother Simon and says, “We have found the Messiah.” (which translated Anointed). He brings Simon to Jesus, who looks at him and says, “You are Simon, son of John.  You are to be called ‘Cephas’ (which is translated Peter).” The offer of Christ comes through the excitement of a brother. 

In John 1:43-46, Philip, after being invited by Jesus to follow, Philip finds his friend, Nathanael, and invites him to follow Jesus as well.  Even faced with Nathanael’s skepticism, Philip offers the invitation, “come and see.” Come and see is a common theme of offering Christ in John’s good news about Jesus. (For more, read Becoming One Who Offers Christ Part One and Becoming One Who Offers Christ Part Two).

Simon Peter Encounters Jesus

There are several stories of Simon Peter experiencing the love of God in and through Jesus. Most of his stories focus on his struggles with faith. After he drops his fishing net to follow Jesus (Matthew 4:18-20), his faith journey is anything but a smooth one. He argues with the other disciples over which of them is to be regarded as the greatest (Luke 22:24).  

He challenges Jesus to allow him to walk on the water and cries out to be saved when he becomes frightened (Matthew 14:25-33).  He is affirmed by Jesus when he confesses his faith by saying “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:13-20).  Then, the very night he tells Jesus, “I will never desert you,” he denies Jesus three times (Matthew 26:31-35, 69-75).  Yet his faith matures through his struggles.  

Because of his faithful response and his proclaiming Christ, “More than ever believers were added to the Lord…so that they even carried out the sick into the streets, and laid them on cots and mats, in order that Peter’s shadow might fall on some of them as he came by” (Acts 5:12-15).  Simon Peter offered Christ through his own experiences of failure and maturity. His faith was anchored in his strong commitment, but his faith grew because of the grace he experienced in both good and not so good ways.

Experience Jesus for Yourself

And maybe one of the most dramatic experiences of offering Christ comes in John 4:39-42. It is a story of a woman who encounters Jesus and begins to tell everyone in the community about him. John writes that many of the people from the community believed in Jesus because of her testimony.  

They say to the woman, “It is no longer because of what you said that we believe, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that he is truly the Savior of the world.” The offer of Christ is to experience Jesus for themselves. Again, the offer came through the invitation to “come and see.” 

Love People as You Have Been Loved

So, as you engage in offering Christ, practice loving the people around you as you have been loved. 

Think of two or three people with whom you will interact over the next week. The people might be friends, family, neighbors, or colleagues. Write their names in your phone, or a piece of paper you will carry with you or make a mental note not to forget them. 

A Commitment of Prayer

Commit yourself to pray for each person, especially when they come to mind. Give God thanks for their lives and for what they mean to you. Pray for their well-being and health. Offer them to God’s love and care.  Your prayer might be like this: 

O God, I give you thanks for _______ and her ministry. I pray that she might have a good day as she experiences your love in and through the people she meets. I also pray that she might be an instrument of your love to those people as well. Keep her safe as I offer her to your love in Jesus’ name. 

As you go through each day, continue to offer yourself as an instrument of love and peace in the situations and circumstances in which you find yourself. Make yourself available to be a conduit of God’s love for the people you meet. 

Always be ready to offer a kind, caring, encouraging word. In each encounter, you are offering Christ just by being who God created you to be. 

Prayer

Here is a prayer for today:  

Lord, send me the people no one else wants and help me receive the people you are sending to me. By your grace, help me offer them Christ by the way I live out your love. Make me a blessing to someone, somewhere, today.  

Reflect on Offering Christ 

At the end of the day, reflect on the following regarding Offering Christ: As you reflect upon your day, give God thanks for God’s call to follow Jesus. Who did you meet who needed a kind, caring, encouraging word? In what ways did you offer Christ to the people you met? What did you learn about yourself? Give God thanks for the opportunities you had to offer Christ. To whom do you need to respond with words of hope, words of encouragement, or words of forgiveness? What will you do differently tomorrow?

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Becoming One Who Offers Christ – Part Two

 

This is Part Two of a three-part series on Offering Christ. Read Part One

As you begin to engage in the mission of offering Christ, take some time to reflect upon what offering Christ means to you. I ask that question because many people think that offering Christ is about personally witnessing by either going “door to door” to invite people to attend worship or by asking people carefully worded questions to engage in a conversation which leads to a faith conversion.

I am in full agreement that offering Christ is both personal and about giving a witness to God’s love, but if either of the above statements are true for you, I invite you to read this blog on Offering Christ. Although you have heard that both are necessary, this is neither a blog on “how to convert” nor on how to share your faith. This is a blog on how you, as a follower of Jesus, offer God’s love in everyday, ordinary situations.  So, as a follower of Jesus, before you engage in the mission of offering Christ, take time to reflect upon what offering Christ means to you.

Be Who God Created You to Be

With that in mind, to offer Christ is to be who God created you to be, a beloved child of God. 

It is more than sharing “spiritual facts” or biblical beliefs. For some, to offer Christ has been reduced to a list of beliefs. If you believe the beliefs on the list, you are saved. This is a form of mental assent to correct beliefs that leads to logical decisions. You and I don’t experience God’s love as a form of indoctrination. We experience God’s love through relationships with one another.

The offer of Christ is not, what I grew up hearing, “closing the deal” for Jesus.  You and I don’t experience God’s love by being manipulated into saying “yes” to carefully worded questions. We experience God’s love through relationships with one another.

Offering Christ – An Honest Interaction

The offer of Christ is a two-way process of honest interaction. Because you and I simply have the same need for love, particularly God’s love, we develop a friend-to-friend relationship.  So, the offer of Christ is not a single encounter.  It is an extended relationship of mutual respect and care.  It is in and through our relationship that God’s love is experienced, and hope is developed, and transformation takes place.

As important as it is, the offer of Christ is more than inviting people to worship or to participate in the programs of the church.  To offer Christ is to offer God’s love to those who are discontented and dissatisfied in their search for God. It is an offer of God’s love to those who are disenfranchised and separated. It is an offer of God’s love to those who are up and out as well as those who are down and out. It is in and through relationships that we can share experiences of God searching for us in Jesus.  New possibilities are found in the love you offer. All that is to say, offering Christ becomes who you are and is expressed in how you live in everyday ordinary situations and relationships.

Offering Christ – It Matters Where You Start

There is another important aspect of offering Christ that must be taken into consideration as you begin to engage in the mission. It matters where you start regarding your understanding of offering Christ.

The very origin, pattern, and basis for offering Christ is rooted in the nature of God’s mission. (Read: What Is Mission” Part One).

In the New Testament, the word for evangelism, what I am calling offering Christ, comes from two words which mean a good message. We have shortened it to “good news” or “gospel.” As a verb, evangelism (offering Christ) means “bringing, spreading or announcing the good news.” So, evangelism, offering Christ, describes the spreading of the good news of God’s love in and through Jesus Christ.

Offer Christ – Love Others as God Loves You

Notice that the primary focus is on the living and sharing of God’s love and not on the recipient or target of the message. In other words, to offer Christ is to love others as God in Jesus has loved you and not to convert or save someone.

In recent years, it seems that we have confused the process of offering Christ with the goal of the process. We do not evangelize people or nations, or even structures. We evangelize the gospel, which is to introduce people to the love of God in life-changing ways.

So, it matters where you start. 

Evangelize the Gospel – Four Perspectives

The words used for evangelism were common words when the New Testament was written. They were used to bring good news about a great event. The words were picked up by the followers of Jesus to describe the great event of Jesus coming into the world. 

Each of the gospel writers share the good news in different ways based on their context and their listeners. They evangelized Jesus so we, the hearers, can live the life of God’s love experienced in and through Jesus the Christ. 

As you begin to engage in the mission of offering Christ, it will be helpful to study and understand the gospel stories. For example: (Although these are brief and incomplete summaries of the good news presented by each gospel writer, they are examples of offering Christ). 

The Good News – Matthew

The good news according to Matthew is, “God sent Jesus to teach us how to live a holy or righteous life.” From Matthew’s perspective, “holy” and “righteous” are related to relationships.  When you read Matthew 28:20, “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you…,” you will find that the word “teaching” in this place refers to what Matthew wants us to know about “holiness.”  It is what we learn as followers of Jesus. It is what the movement of God is all about.  At the very heart of “holiness” or “righteousness” is relationship, relationship with God and with one another. (Read the blog “What Is Mission? Part 2). To offer Christ from Matthew’s perspective is to build and maintain healthy relationships with family, friends, colleagues, neighbors, strangers, and enemies. 

The Good News – Mark

The good news according to Mark is, “God sent Jesus to oppose the evil, suffering, pain, in the world.” Mark’s community was facing persecution.  The good news of Jesus is that he faced the pain and suffering of those being persecuted. Half of Mark’s gospel is about the suffering and death of Jesus. You get a clue to Mark’s good news when Jesus heals a man with leprosy (Mark 1:40-45). Leprosy was a sign of suffering and separation. When a person suffered with leprosy, they were separated from all that was important and meaningful to them. To be healed was to be restored to family, work, synagogue, and all that was meaningful. To offer Christ from Mark’s perspective is to work to oppose the structures and behaviors that separate people from God and from one another.   

The Good News – Luke 

The good news according to Luke is “Jesus not only possessed the Holy Spirit but promised the Holy Spirit to his followers.” The Holy Spirit, God’s presence and power, gave the followers of Jesus the power to witness beyond the barriers of race, gender, age, nationality, theology, religion, and influence. The witness was both in word and deed. Take for example the baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch or Simon Peter visiting Cornelious’ house. Both are examples of offering Christ to people, in word and action, who were considered unacceptable or were outsiders, or people of influence who were not Hebrews. To offer Christ from Luke’s perspective was to work to overcome the barriers that separated people from God’s acceptance and from accepting one another.    

The Good News – John 

The good news according to John is “if you have seen Jesus, you have seen God.” On several occasions Jesus says, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” John knows people want to know God. Even Philip says to Jesus in John 14, “Show us God and we will be satisfied.” Throughout John’s good news there are stories of seeing Jesus. When John the Baptist sees Jesus coming toward him, he says to his followers, “Behold the Lamb of God” (John 1:29). Even Jesus responds to two of John’s disciples with “come and you will see” (John 1:39). And when Philip goes to tell his brother, Nathanael, about seeing Jesus, he says to him, “Come and see” (John 1:46). When some Greeks came seeking Jesus, they came to Philip and made a request, “Sir, we want to see Jesus” John 12:20-22). Even at the tomb on the morning of the resurrection, Mary sees Jesus and she goes to tell the disciples the news, “I have seen the Lord!” (John 20: 18). If you have seen Jesus, you have seen God. (Listen to Transforming Mission Podcast Episode 314). 

There is one other aspect of offering Christ in John’s gospel. To offer Christ is to love others as God has loved you. Loving others becomes who you are.

Preach What You Practice

N.T. Wright wrote it this way, “If you want to know who God is, look at Jesus. If you want to know what it means to be human, look at Jesus. If you want to know what love is, look at Jesus.  If you want to know what grief is, look at Jesus.  And go on looking until you’re not just a spectator, but you’re actually part of the drama which has him as the central character.”

To offer Christ means you become part of the story. You shift from “practicing what you preach” to “preaching what you practice.” The more you tell the story, the more you live the story. 

Love Others as God Loves You

So, what does offering Christ mean to you? Before engaging in the mission of offering Christ, practice loving others as God in Christ has loved you. Learn of God’s mission and how you have been invited into it. Become an instrument of God’s love and then you can tell people what you are doing.

Next week, I look forward to sharing with you part 3 of Becoming One Who Offers Christ.

Prayer

Lord, send me the people no one else wants and help me receive the people you are sending to me. By your grace, help me offer them Christ by the way I live out your love. Make me a blessing to someone, somewhere, today. 

Reflect on Offering Christ

At the end of the day, reflect on the following regarding Offering Christ: 

As you reflect upon your day, give God thanks for God’s call to follow Jesus. Who did you meet who needed a kind, caring, encouraging word? In what ways did you offer Christ to the people you met? What did you learn about yourself? Give God thanks for the opportunities you had to offer Christ. To whom do you need to respond with words of hope, words of encouragement, or words of forgiveness? What will you do differently tomorrow?

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Becoming a Person of Hospitality – Part 2

This is Part 2 on Hospitality

Read Part 1 Here

As a follower of Jesus, you have an opportunity for hospitality with every person you encounter. Whether family, friend, colleague, neighbor, stranger, or enemy, you have the opportunity to be God’s loving presence in the way you receive them and interact with them. Hospitality is part of God’s mission, and you were invited into that mission when you were claimed as a “beloved child of God, called and commissioned for ministry at your baptism.

Explore more: Preparing for Mission: Being About God’s Business and Preparing for Mission: Hospitality is a Lifestyle

Why Does the Church Exist?

With that in mind, think of the church as a community of Jesus followers who exist primarily for people who are not members. As a follower of Jesus, you are an instrument of God’s love for people who do not know or understand the love of God.  The apostle Paul instructed the church in Rome, “Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God” (Romans 15:7). Hospitality is your response to God’s grace; God’s great hospitality offered to you in Jesus.  

Said another way, as a beloved child of God, you love others for the purpose of being who God created you to be. You become an instrument of God’s grace, extending a welcoming heart and hand in the name of Jesus. Hospitality becomes who you are. It becomes the way you live your life. God sends people your way every day. So, reach out and receive them for the glory of God. It is who you are. Love them the way you have been loved by God in and through Jesus.  

The story of the road to Emmaus gives us insight into Luke’s understanding of hospitality. 

Read Luke 24:28-32 

When they came to Emmaus, he acted as if he was going on ahead. But they urged him, saying, “Stay with us. It’s nearly evening, and the day is almost over.” So, he went in to stay with them. After he took his seat at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Their eyes were opened, and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. They said to each other, “Weren’t our hearts on fire when he spoke to us along the road and when he explained the scriptures for us?” 

Reflect on Luke 24

Luke’s story clearly reveals his understanding of the resurrection faith being an act of hospitality. It is a story of two Jesus followers, walking to Emmaus, having a conversation about the events over the past couple of days. 

In the middle of their conversation, Jesus joins them on their journey. He is received as a stranger. Luke writes, “Their eyes were kept from recognizing him.” This is Luke’s way of saying that being with the earthly Jesus, hearing his teaching, seeing his miracles and knowing the example of his life are not enough apart from an experience of the risen Christ and the gift of the Holy Spirit. In other words, to recognize God’s act in Jesus is not a matter of our human insight but is a divine gift. 

Understanding the Divine Gift

Jesus, the stranger in their midst, asks, “What are you talking about?” The one named Cleopas replied, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who is unaware of the things that have taken place over the last few days?” And Jesus asks, “What things?”

The two Jesus followers began to give a summary of what had happened. Their summary was not wrong but, because of his death, they did not perceive that Jesus was the promised Messiah, the anointed one. They recited the correct events but had a different perception of what had happened. The events did not fit their understanding of Messiah. 

One of them said, “We had hoped he was the one who would redeem Israel.” It is important to understand that Jesus’ followers believed that God was present in what Jesus said and what he did. They believed that God’s kingdom of justice was about to dawn. 

There is Always Hope

Then came the crucifixion and the shattering of their hopes. Their human wisdom said, “While there’s life, there’s hope.” The death of Jesus was the death of their hope. Even though they had his message, his example, and his ministry, the crucifixion meant that Jesus was another failed idealist. They had no reason to think differently. 

Their hope was that God would send the Messiah to restore Israel and set Israel free from oppression. These two on the road with Jesus perceived God’s redeeming work in nationalistic terms. For them, it was over. Hope was gone. 

A Clue About Hospitality

While on the road with the two travelers, Jesus is not recognized as the Christ but only as a weary fellow traveler. The two extend an invitation to food and fellowship. As they offer hospitality, Jesus is revealed to them. It is here we get a clue about hospitality. 

Luke tells us, “So, he went in to stay with them. After he took his seat at the table with them, he took the bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Their eyes were opened, and they recognized him…” Luke 24:29-31. Jesus did not force himself on them, but when invited, the guest became the host. The meal was an ordinary meal, but the words were the familiar words of Holy Communion. The words, “took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it…” reflect the language of the liturgy of the Lord’s Table. It was the language of “do this in remembrance of me.” 

Hospitality is Demonstrated

Hospitality was shown in the blessing and breaking of the bread. Blessing in the Greek is the word “eulogy.” To bless was to eulogize God. 

Three times in Luke’s gospel, we get a story of eating with others: feeding of the 5000, last supper in the Upper Room, and with the travelers on the road to Emmaus. In each story, we have the “blessing, breaking, and giving” of bread. Could it be that hospitality is extended in and through Holy Communion?

The Lord’s Supper, Holy Communion, is central to the life of the Church. In the house at Emmaus Jesus is a stranger, yet a guest. Even though he is the guest he becomes the host. 

It is in the breaking of the bread that the stranger, the outsider, becomes known to them as Jesus himself. 

Hospitality to the Stranger

For Luke, this is the church. To read and understand the scriptures is not solely a matter of human intellect and insight but is a gift in and through Jesus, the risen Christ.

When the Lord’s Supper takes place, there is an invitation to the outsider and hospitality to the stranger. It is in the breaking of bread that the risen Christ is made known to the community.

Even though there were only three at the table that day, the table was large enough for the stranger. 

Respond to Luke 24: Four Ways to Extend Hospitality 

(Read the blog: Extending Hospitality is Offering Hope) 

Here are four practical ways you can extend hospitality: 

1.      Be Curious and Listen

Seek to understand. Jesus was interested in the two walking on the road. He asked questions and listened. His offerings in the conversation were for clarity and direction.   

Seeking to learn or to understand could be as simple as getting to know your neighbors. Learn their names, their needs, talents, and interests. Show an interest in people as a way of building relationships. Soong-Chan Rah writes, “In the household of God, we are called to a humility that places our relationships in a new light.” 

2.      Learn the language of the community.

Although Jesus was the Risen Christ, he took an interest in the two on the road. Even though they did not know who he was, He was able to communicate through their grief and hopelessness. 

Learning the language of the community could mean learning the language of teens and young adults.  It could also mean communicating with a Hispanic population, Congolese, or Vietnamese population. You might consider it could also mean that you are sensitive to different styles of music, and that you learn and participate in different cultural experiences. It means listening to the community and learning to communicate in ways that the people who live in the community understand and appreciate. Attempting to learn the language is a sign of hospitality that brings hope. 

3.      Share a meal together.

Jesus shared a meal with the two. Although Jesus was invited to eat with them, Jesus extended an invitation as a stranger. Jesus was present as a stranger. 

It is around the table, sharing a meal, that you have the opportunity to make room for others, especially the strangers and the outcasts. In the fourth grade, I had a Sunday school teacher who taught us, “There is always enough room at Jesus’ table.” You can always add an extension to the table. 

We extend hospitality when we bring children, teens, and senior adults together. How could you create cross-cultural connections with another congregation or with other groups of people in the community?  What would happen if you offered to provide the food they liked and gave them the opportunity to prepare it for everyone? 

4.      Examine and Evaluate

How are you inviting people to the movement of God’s grace and the mission of God’s love? Within the church building, practice hospitality by offering people opportunities to interact with one another. Even if they know one another, offer opportunities to practice hospitality.  “Welcome one another as God in Jesus has welcomed you.” And remember, your extension of hospitality is always to God’s glory. 

Be aware and sensitive to the practices you take for granted. Make everything you do an extension of hospitality. Do strangers know your routines? Who explains to people why you do what you do? Do the announcements include language that outsiders can understand? Do not assume people know the Lord’s Prayer, how to respond following the reading of scripture, and/or how to pray before worship begins. Just simple acts of hospitality are signs of hope to those being included.

Practice Hospitality

As you are working on the four practical ways to extend hospitality, practice praying, “Lord, send us the people no one else wants” and “Help us receive the people you are sending to us.”  When you do, you will find the above suggestions helpful. 

Remember, we love like Jesus because that is the way we thank Jesus for loving us.  I am convinced that when you extend hospitality, you can expect your church and community to experience the beauty, complexity, and love that comes with recognizing Jesus in the strangers you meet along the way.

Welcome one another as God in Christ welcomed you. Engaging in mission is extending hospitality. And hospitality is a sign of hope. 

Prayer

Lord, send me the people no one else wants and help me receive the people you are sending to me. By your grace, help me welcome others as you have welcomed me. Make me a blessing to someone, somewhere, today. 

Return

As you reflect upon your day, give thanks for God’s call to follow Jesus. In what ways did you invite strangers into conversation? How were you curious? What questions did you ask? What did you learn about others as you asked questions and listened? Did you learn new ways to communicate with the people encountered today? How will you incorporate what you have learned? Did God send you anyone? How did you receive them? How did you express God’s love? What will you do differently tomorrow? 

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Focused Prayer Makes a Difference

It is the season for financial stewardship campaigns in the church. This blog is focused on prayer; one of the primary values you need to make your financial commitment.

Over my years in ministry, I have met few people who have given God thanks for the opportunity to give. Today, I want to explore the opportunity to not only to give but to focus on God, the giver of all good gifts, in and through prayer.

For most of us, prayer is difficult. It is so difficult that we can only take it in small doses and usually with humor. So, let’s begin.

Mastering Prayer

Two women met unexpectedly one day in the parking lot of a local bookstore. One had a bundle of books in her arms.

Her friend asked her, “What in the world are you doing? Opening your own bookstore?”

The woman with the books replied, “No, these are all books about prayer. All my life I have been hearing about the importance of prayer, so I finally decided to learn how to pray. I have bought fourteen books on the subject. And not only that, but I have also signed up for two courses in prayer, one at my church and one at a friend’s church. I am really going to master the subject!”

Several weeks later, the friend ran into the woman again, this time at the grocery store. “How is the big project going?” the friend asked. “Have you learned to pray?”

The woman hung her head and made a gesture of despair. “It was too complicated, and I gave it up.” As an afterthought, she added, “Now I’m taking a course in yoga.”

The Difficulty of Prayer

Is prayer really that difficult? I know that often we turn to prayer when we are in distress. I heard about a football coach in a re-building season, who was desperate.

Someone asked him, “Coach, I hear you keep a chaplain on the bench to pray for your team during the games. Would you mind introducing me to him?”

The coach replied, “I’d be glad to. Did you want to meet the offensive chaplain or the defensive chaplain?”

All of us utter desperate prayers in times of distress. But prayer is not just for the crisis in our lives. Prayer is an ongoing part of life. It is a fundamental value as a follower of Jesus.

Prayer was so important to the gospel writer, Luke, that he wrote about the prayer life of Jesus and recorded several stories Jesus told using prayer as the subject. Let’s start with one of those parables.

Read Luke 18:1-8

18 Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. 2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. 3 In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Grant me justice against my accuser.’ 4 For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, ‘Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.’ ” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. 7 And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? 8 I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Reflect on Luke 18

“Then Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart.” To understand the depth of the parable there are a couple of things to remember. Parables are reflections of reality as opposed to being mirrors of morality. Said another way, parables do not tell us what we should be doing but rather what we are doing. At a deeper level, parables show us who God is and reflect who we are in relationship to God and God’s action.

With that in mind, this parable is not about praying more or praying harder. The instruction to “pray always and not lose heart” reflects a greater reality.  The parable is about focusing on God. Let’s look at the parable.

Will Not God Grant Justice?

There are two characters. The first is a judge who “neither feared God nor had respect for people.” By biblical standards he was a bad judge. The judge’s responsibility was to settle disputes fairly and to restore justice. The weaker members of the community were dependent on him.

The second is a widow who was one of the weaker members of the community. Widows in the Israelite tradition were extremely vulnerable. They could not inherit their husband’s property, there was no organized social welfare program, and there was no opportunity for employment. Since they were easily victimized, widows were dependent on the judge for protection and fairness. In this story the judge is the woman’s only hope for justice.

So, “the widow kept coming to the judge asking for justice.” For a while he refused, but later he said to himself, “I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.”

The words “so that she may not wear me out” literally mean “hit me the eye” or is a metaphor for “give me a black eye.” The judge responded to the widow’s persistence, not with justice or compassion, but with concern for his reputation with the public. Part of the reflection of reality is, even the bad judge does the unexpected thing of granting justice in response to a powerless widow.

“Will not God grant justice?” If an unjust judge responds, not based on justice and compassion, but merely because of persistence, how much more will the just and loving God respond to those who appeal to him.

This is the reflection of reality. God will not hesitate, as did the unjust judge, to respond to those who call on him.

Respond to Luke 18

Prayer is mentioned in each of the gospels. Both Matthew and Luke record “the Lord’s prayer.” John records a prayer by Jesus in the 17th chapter of his good news. But only Luke focuses on the prayer life of Jesus.

The Focus of Prayer

Luke points out that Jesus had a pattern of doing ministry and then retreating to pray. Jesus would feed people, teach them, and heal them and then go to a lonely place to pray.

Luke records Jesus praying after his baptism. While he was praying, heaven was opened, and the Holy Spirit came down on him in the bodily form of a dove. And there was a voice from heaven: “You are my beloved son….” While he was praying, Jesus received his call to ministry.

Still wet from his baptism, he goes off to a deserted place, the wilderness, to pray. He goes to focus on God’s call for his life. And he is tempted. Is he to be a humanitarian or a politician? Is he to keep the crowds happy by doing more spectacular things? He had experienced success. I think his temptation was to stay with the crowds. But he prayed to keep his focus upon God’s call. Do I go with the crowd, or do I go to the cross?

Jesus’ Pattern of Prayer

On one occasion, he went to the mountain to pray and prayed to God all night long. Early the next morning he called together his disciples. He focused his prayer upon God and God’s purposes in an all-night prayer vigil before choosing his disciples.

On another occasion, he was in his pattern of going off to pray and returning to minister. When he had finished praying, one of his disciples said, “Lord, teach us to pray…”

As Jesus had kept his focus upon God’s call, his followers were now asking him to teach them to keep that focus. Jesus gave them a prayer, but he did not instruct them on a certain posture. He gave them a pattern to help them keep focus.

God’s Generosity

Luke even has Jesus telling parables, using prayer as an example. Immediately after giving them the pattern of the “Lord’s prayer,” he tells the story of the grouchy neighbor. Then he says, “Ask and you will receive. Seek and you will find. Knock and the door will be opened to you. Everyone who asks, receives. Whoever seeks, finds. To everyone who knocks, the door is opened. The reflection? If a grouchy neighbor responds after saying “no,” how much more will God give to those who ask. The focus is upon God’s generosity.

The parable of the judge and widow is similar. Jesus uses prayer to keep focus upon God. Let’s look at the widow. Because she is marginalized and powerless, she is vulnerable. Is she the main focus of the parable? What is the reality being reflected? She persists in her asking the judge for justice but is the parable telling us we should care for the marginalized and powerless? Or does it reflect the need to focus our prayer upon the One who responds quickly?

Care for One Another

Let’s look at the judge. He has the power. Is he the main focus of the parable? Does he represent the government that has the power to provide feeding programs for children, care and support for women, healthcare for the elderly?

Does he represent the church that has the opportunity to provide care and compassion through missional giving (apportionments)?

Does he represent those of us who make up the body of Christ, the church? We are in the middle of another stewardship campaign, doing the best we can do to convince ourselves of our need to give.

The judge represents all the above. He represents all who must be asked over and over, whether government, church, or individuals, to give so we can be faithful in our care for one another.

Focus Your Prayer

Take that reality and listen to the words of the parable, “And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you; he will quickly grant justice to them.”

The reflection of reality is, if we receive from all our asking from the government, for the church, and from individuals, how much more will we receive from the God who loves us. So, where do we focus our asking, our prayers?

Thank you, Lord

Jim Wallis, founder of Sojourners magazine and of the Sojourners community located in Washington, D.C., talks about a group of Christians who were doing their part to respond to the needs of people. It was a Saturday morning. The food line had formed early outside the Sojourners Neighborhood Center, just one‑and‑a‑half miles from the White House. Three hundred families stood in line to receive a meal and a bag of groceries that would get them through the week.

Just before the doors opened, those who had prepared food and were going to hand out the groceries, joined hands in a circle to pray. The one who usually led the prayer was Mary Glover, a sixty-year-old black woman who knew what it meant to be poor. She was known as the best person to pray in the group because she talked to God like she knew who she was talking to.

On this particular Saturday, she first gave thanks for the day, “Thank you, Lord, for another day to serve you.” Then she said, “Lord, help us be focused. We know that you’ll be coming through this line today, so help us to treat you well.”

So, where will you focus your prayers? In the pattern of Jesus, go off to a lonely place and focus upon God’s call to love as you have been loved, and to give as you have received. Then come back to do ministry. Be as generous with the people around you as God has been generous to you!

Return

Give God thanks for the people you encountered today. How did you focus your prayers? What did you learn about yourself? What will you do differently tomorrow? Give God thanks for the people who have helped you become more who God created you to be.

Prayer

Blessed are you O God, giver of all good gifts to me, my family, friends, and colleagues. Thank you for the opportunity to be in partnership with you in loving your people at Christ Church, in Charleston, the Kanawha Valley, West Virginia, and the world. You have been so good to me through so many people and through so many circumstances. I am grateful. I give you thanks, for the opportunity, to give as you have given to me. I offer myself and my financial stewardship to you in the name of Jesus. Amen

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Love Your Neighbor: A Call to Empathy

Empathy is an essential response in loving your neighbor. Brené Brown defines empathy as “the skill to connect with the emotions of other persons’ experiences by tapping into your own experiences to understand their feelings.” She adds that this is done without judgment.

For Brown, empathy involves a non-judgmental perspective of recognizing the emotions of others that you have felt yourself and of communicating that recognition to them. She says empathy is a vulnerable, active choice that fuels connection. She also says that empathy is different from sympathy. Empathy drives connection. Sympathy drives disconnection and is a feeling of pity or feeling sorry for someone.  

That is why I say empathy, not sympathy, is an essential response in loving your neighbor. Empathy is rooted in the teachings of Jesus. We read more of empathy than we do of sympathy in his responses to the needs of people.

Look at Luke’ good news:

Read Luke 6:31

Do unto others as you would have them do to you.

Reflect on Luke 6

These words are part of the Sermon on the Plain in Luke. They can also be found in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew. Luke has them coming immediately after the teaching to love your enemies. In this context, love in the Greek word “agape.” Luke uses “agape” as the love of God revealed in Jesus. So, as God loves even the enemy and is kind to the ungrateful and wicked, we love others without regard to whether the love is accepted or returned. We love because that is who we are as followers of Jesus.

In this context, as followers of Jesus, we do not seek revenge but seek the positive good of those who abuse us. Jesus lived out this expression of God’s love for those who missed the point or misunderstood God’s love.

The Golden Rule

Then the words, “Do unto others as you would have them do to you,” follow. For followers of Jesus, this is the expression of unselfish, uncalculating love for others. It has come to be known as the “Golden Rule” and is found in both positive and negative forms in various Jewish and pagan cultures.

This teaching is not about good manners. It is about living the love of God. Jesus loved and forgave, even those who mistreated him. As followers of Jesus, we treat others with that same grace. In John’s good news, Jesus said it this way, “Love one another. By the way you love one another, people will know that you are my followers.”  By doing unto others as you would have them do unto you, you are being the human touch of God’s love.

Respond to Luke 6

When did you first hear the words, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you?” They are simple enough to remember, but not always easy to live. Even though you might have learned them as a moral saying, they are saying more. The words are the very heart of the teachings of Jesus.

They call to work for the good of others. They challenge you to move from self-centered living to other-centered love. Jesus said, “Do unto others…” It is love in action. In other words, it is not about avoiding doing harm to others, it is taking the initiative to do good to and for others.

A Call for Empathy

They call for empathy. They challenge you to ask the question, “How do I feel when I am in their situation or circumstance?” When you pause to see life through another’s eyes, your reactions change. When grace replaces irritation and understanding replaces judgment, you respond with love. The kind of loving response you want to receive when you are in the same situation.

This week try putting “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you” into action.

  • At home: Treat your family with the same respect you desire in return. Speak kind, caring, supportive, encouraging words. And love the way you want to be loved.
  •  At work: Be the kind of coworker you want others to be to you. Be patient and kind, be encouraging and trustworthy. Listen before you speak and be generous in your assessment of others.  Put yourself in their position to understand what they are feeling and experiencing.
  •  On social media: If you need to respond, respond only in ways you want people to respond to you. Be aware to whom you are responding. You have the opportunity to make a huge difference in the way you respond. And remember, your words reflect who you are as a follower of Jesus.
  • In the community: Choose kindness in the small moments. Practice kindness and patience in traffic, at the grocery store, and in the line to get your coffee.

I am sure you can name other ways to respond. Just keep in mind that each moment is an opportunity to live out Christ’s love in real time.

Loving Your Neighbor

Empathy is an essential response to loving your neighbor. It might sound simple, but it has the power to transform hearts and communities. When you live it out, you make the love of God real in human form.

Just simple acts of kindness will make the difference.

It was a rainy Monday morning. Jane felt rushed and stressed. As she stood in line at her favorite coffee shop, she began to get anxious. She was running late for work and the line was not moving. At that moment, the barista dropped a full cup and coffee. People in the line groaned audibly.  

Jane felt the tension and irritation rise. But in that moment, she sensed a quiet reminder:

“How would I want someone to treat me if you were the one who dropped that full cup of coffee?

Instead of snapping a snarky response, she smiled and said kindly, “It’s okay. We all have mornings like this.”

The barista looked up and smiled weakly. Jane paid for her drink and then decided to cover the cost for the person behind her. She didn’t stay to see what happened next, but her one small act of kindness brought smiles to the faces of the people in line behind her.

That morning, Jane learned something deeper than caffeine could ever offer. She learned that when you treat others the way you want to be treated, you become a blessing to others by letting God’s love shine through you. She realized that her kind response changed her too.

Every day you face small choices that test your patience, grace, and compassion. Jesus’ words of “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you,” are an invitation to pause, imagine yourself in the other person’s place, and to act with the same kindness and understanding that you want. One act of grace can start a chain reaction of kindness.

Empathy is an essential response in loving your neighbor. It connects you with the emotions of others’ experiences by tapping into your own experiences to understand their feelings. Your response of “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you” will change the world.

Return at the end of the day

Give God thanks for the people you encountered today. How did you respond by “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you?” What did you learn about yourself? What will you do differently tomorrow? Give God thanks for the experiences that have helped you become more who God created you to be.

Prayer

O God, teach me to see others as you see them. When I am tempted to react with frustration, fill me with self-awareness and compassion. Help me love as I have been loved in every action and attitude. Help me reflect your love and mercy in every situation and circumstance.

Amen.

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Being a Good Neighbor – Part 2

Read Being a Good Neighbor Part 1 here.

As I write these words, we have had four more shootings in public places like churches and bars. Such events create anxiety and fear within us. Last week I was contacted to make sure we still have a police presence on Sunday mornings. It is in times like these, we want to know we are surrounded by people who we trust, especially in the places we live, work, play, and worship.

As I have reflected upon these events, I have asked myself “How can I be a good neighbor to the people around me?” “How can I be an agent of the “perfect love that casts out fear?” 

The Dead Sea & Neighboring Well

I know this will sound strange, but in my reflection, I was reminded of the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth. It is nine times saltier than the ocean, making it unfit for sustaining plant and animal life. The Jordan River constantly fills it, yet it has no outlet. Because it only receives but never releases, it has become stagnant and lifeless.

Now, what does that have to do with being a good neighbor? We are living in some low times in the history of our country. It is hard to feel productive when you don’t feel safe in the places you associate with people. When you don’t feel safe, the world shrinks, and you become less aware of the people around you. Much like the Dead Sea, you are taking things in but putting little out.

As I have reflected upon it, being a good neighbor is about what I pass on more than what I gain. It is about sharing what I have received. It is about developing lasting relationships built on contribution, rather than accumulation.

To get an insight into being a good neighbor, read this story told by Jesus.

Read Luke16:19-31

19 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day. 20 And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, 21 who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table; even the dogs would come and lick his sores. 22 The poor man died and was carried away by the angels to be with Abraham.[a] The rich man also died and was buried. 23 In Hades, where he was being tormented, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away with Lazarus by his side 24 He called out, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am in agony in these flames.’ 25 But Abraham said, ‘Child, remember that during your lifetime you received your good things and Lazarus in like manner evil things, but now he is comforted here, and you are in agony. 26 Besides all this, between you and us a great chasm has been fixed, so that those who might want to pass from here to you cannot do so, and no one can cross from there to us.’ 27 He said, ‘Then I beg you, father, to send him to my father’s house— 28 for I have five brothers—that he may warn them, so that they will not also come into this place of torment.’ 29 Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the prophets; they should listen to them.’ 30 He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ 31 He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

Reflect on Luke 16

In this parable when Jesus says, “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and who feasted sumptuously every day,” he is describing a person who has expensive clothes and who lives in luxury.

When he says, “And at his gate lay a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who longed to satisfy his hunger with what fell from the rich man’s table…,” he is pointing out that most of the man’s blessings got clogged in his own hand and rarely flowed through his life to others.

So, this story begins to reflect that a lot of life’s blessings flowed into this man’s life and that nothing flowed through him to other people.

Being a Blessing 

With that in mind, have you considered that the blessings you have received might have been given to you to bless others? Could it be that you have been blessed to be a blessing? That you are loved for the purpose of loving others?

Again, being a neighbor is about what you pass on more than you gain. It is about sharing what you have received, and developing relationships built working for the good of others.

So, how will you be a neighbor to the people around you? And how will you be an agent of the “perfect love that casts out fear?” The question I ask myself is, how do I create safe places in the midst of fear and confusion?

Being a Good Neighbor

One way of being a neighbor is by allowing God’s love and healing flow through you to the people around you. In Luke’s gospel, when Jesus started his ministry, he was filled with the Holy Spirit. God’s power and blessing flowed through him for the good of others. He became a blessing to others.

In the story, Jesus never once faulted the man for being rich. The man’s tragedy was that he was unaware of the people around him. All he had received stayed with him. He was blessed, but he never became a blessing to others.

In other words, he did not practice good stewardship. What was only loaned to him he thought he owned. He stopped the flow, the exhilaration, the fulfillment, the purpose, and the joy of life when he became a container instead of an instrument.

With that in mind, where will you become an instrument of God’s love and healing? In the midst of the pain and crisis of our day, how will you become a good neighbor?

Look around you in the places where you spend your day. See the people around you. Some of them have broken hearts, others need someone to listen, and still others need a caring hand. How will be a blessing by letting God’s blessings flow through you?

It is my hope that you will always be as blessed as you are a blessing!

Respond to Luke 16

George Schuler wrote the words to the hymn we know as “Make Me A Blessing.” Let these words be a prayer in shaping you into a neighbor of God’s love.

Out in the highways and byways of life, many are weary and sad;
Carry the sunshine where darkness is rife making the sorrowing glad.

Make me a blessing, make me a blessing, out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O savior, I pray, make me a blessing to someone today.

Tell the sweet story of Christ and His love; tell of His power to forgive;
Others will trust Him if only you prove true every moment you live.

Make me a blessing, make me a blessing, out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O savior, I pray, make me a blessing to someone today.

Give as was given to you in your need; love as the Master loved you;
Be to the helpless a helper; indeed, unto your mission be true.

Make me a blessing, make me a blessing, out of my life may Jesus shine;
Make me a blessing, O savior, I pray, make me a blessing to someone today.

Return

Give God thanks for the neighbors you encountered today. How were you a blessing to those around you? What did you learn about them? What did you learn about yourself? What will you do differently tomorrow? Give God thanks for the experiences that have helped you become more who God created you to be.

O God, make me a blessing to someone, somewhere today!

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It Matters Where You Start – Part 2

It is one thing to say, “The bible is the word of God” and go no farther, and it is another thing to say, “The Bible is the word of God that shows us the living Word of God, the Word made flesh, Jesus.” 

The distinction is subtle, but the difference is a matter of who or what you trust. As a follower. Of Jesus, your life is transformed by God’s love in and through Jesus. Your response to God’s love is a response of faith. Where you place your faith impacts who you are as a Christian. 

As far back as I can remember, the Bible has been important to me. I learned a lot about the Bible through my formative years. From the influence of my grandmothers to the lessons of my fourth grade Sunday School teacher, to the devotions I led or experienced in youth fellowship, the bible became an anchor in my faith.   

Faith in the Bible or Faith in Jesus?

I was in my first year in college when I experienced my initial crisis with the bible. Up to that point, my faith was anchored in the bible. In my freshman year, I had an “Introduction to the Bible” course. Without going into all the details, my faith was tested. Because I had put my faith in the bible, and not in Jesus, any questions of faith related to the bible, challenged my faith. With the assistance of a trusted friend and mentor, I came through my initial faith crisis. What I learned was, I had put more faith in the bible than I did in Jesus. 

Let me say that in another way. Faith in Jesus and faith in the bible are not the same thing.  The written word of God points us to the living word of God. Over my 50 years of ministry, I have learned that most people conflate the two, the written word is not the living word. Jesus is the living word in the flesh. The Bible is the written word that points us to Jesus.

Living Word and Written Word

I am sure I have said more than enough to create some anxiety, so let’s move to the pattern of READ, REFLECT, REPOND, and RETURN to focus on the living Word as it is revealed in the written word. 

Before we move to scripture, there are two things to keep in mind with each scripture reference and reflection. The first is context. Each gospel writer is addressing people in a specific context. So, we want to look at the scripture from the point of view of their context. The second is the understanding of “to believe.” The word believe in the scripture means to trust and obey. It is an action of trust and obedience as opposed to a passive acceptance of a list of beliefs. 

All that is to say, it matters where you start. 

Read Matthew 28:18-20

16 Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him, but they doubted. 18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit 20 and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” 

Reflect

The good news in Matthew is “God sent Jesus to teach us how to live before God.” So, to believe in Jesus, to trust and obey Jesus, is to live a life of righteousness. When you read Matthew’s story of Jesus, righteousness is not the purity of living as much as living in the right relationship with God, “Love the Lord your God…” and right relationship with others, “love your neighbor as yourself.” 

When Jesus says, in what we know as the great commission, “teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you,” he is referring to living in a loving relationship, working for the well-being of, neighbor, stranger, and enemy. Jesus is referring to the way you make promises and commitments to the people around you. Jesus is referring to forgiving others as you have been forgiven. 

Jesus in Matthew’s Gospel

Matthew writes for a Hebrew Christian community. The people in his community know the Laws of God, but there has been a shift in their faith. They have placed their faith more in the Law than in the God who gave them the Law. So, you have Jesus teaching them, “You have heard that it was said…but I tell you…” 

It matters where you start. When you start with Jesus, people and relationships are a priority. To believe is an active response of trust and obedience in developing healthy relationships, working for the good of others, and living with integrity. 

Read Mark 1:21-27 

21 They went to Capernaum, and when the Sabbath came, he entered the synagogue and taught. 22 They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority and not as the scribes. 23 Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24 and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25 But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet and come out of him!” 26 And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him. 27 They were all amazed, and they kept on asking one another, “What is this? A new teaching—with authority! He[a] commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him.” 

Reflect

The good news in Mark’s Gospel is “God sent Jesus to oppose all the evil, suffering, and pain in the world.” So, to believe in Jesus, to trust and obey Jesus, is to oppose the evil, suffering, and pain in your communities, neighborhoods, and the world at large. A close read of that scripture implies that there are opposing forces and views at work. 

Mark is writing to a community whose life has been disrupted by persecution. He is offering hope in the midst of suffering and pain by telling stories of Jesus restoring relationships. When Jesus heals a man with leprosy, he is restoring the man to his family, to his community, to his synagogue, to his job. When Jesus encounters a man with demons in the cemetery, he frees the man from living life as if he were dead, trapped in the evil of his living. 

Jesus in Mark’s Gospel

Over and over in Mark’s story, Jesus is facing and overcoming evil, suffering, and pain. Half of his story is about Jesus’ own suffering and death. The question is, “Did Jesus overcome the conflicting forces in the sanctuary?” Did he overcome evil, suffering, and pain? 

It matters where you start. In the story, the unclean spirits know who Jesus is, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” There is no change in behavior. No love of neighbor or enemy. Just a disruption of the life of a man who knows who Jesus is, but who does not live in trust and obedience. 

Yet, over my years of ministry, I have experienced hundreds of people who have given hours upon hours of their lives to relieve pain and suffering, to work for mercy and justice. Again, with his response to the evil, suffering, and pain, did Jesus win in the sanctuary that day? 

The answer to the question is found in your own living, in your own heart. When you start with Jesus, people and relationships are a priority. Your response of trust and obedience makes a difference in opposing the forces that separate people from God and one another. To believe is an active response of trust and obedience in developing healthy relationships, working to address evil, pain, and suffering in whatever form they present themselves. 

Read Luke 4:14-21 

14 Then Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, returned to Galilee, and a report about him spread through all the surrounding region. 15 He began to teach in their synagogues and was praised by everyone.

16 When he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written: 18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set free those who are oppressed, 19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” 

20 And he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down. The eyes of all in the synagogue were fixed on him. 21 Then he began to say to them, “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” 

Reflect on Luke 4:14-21

The good news in Luke is “Jesus not only possessed the Holy Spirit but offered the Holy Spirit to his followers.” So, to believe in Jesus, to trust and obey Jesus, to have the power to communicate across the barriers of race, nation, gender, and culture. When you read Luke’s story of Jesus, you read stories of the Holy Spirit moving the church past theological, cultural, and marginal differences. 

When Jesus says, “let the children come to me. Do not hinder them…” he is addressing the need in the church to accept persons who have little to offer, and who are not candidates for ministry. When he says, “If they are not against us, they are for us,” he is addressing the concern that there are persons outside of the group of disciples who are working for the good of others. 

Jesus in Luke’s Gospel

Luke tells stories of Saul of Tarsus, who we might say was theological and religiously misaligned with the new community of Jesus followers, he is telling his community that Jesus is greater than the barriers of theology and religion.  When he tells the story of the Ethiopian eunuch, he is telling his community that Jesus cares for those who have been pushed to the edges of society, cut off from the community of faith, and who are not taken seriously. When he tells the story of Simon Peter visiting Cornelius and his family, he is telling us that Jesus is greater than cultural norms and religious laws. 

Luke helps his community understand that even Peter, the leader of the whole movement, had to learn that God does not create anyone to be profane. The power to overcome the barriers comes from the Spirit who is in Jesus, who is in the church, and in you as the followers of Jesus. 

It matters where you start. When you start with Jesus, people and relationships are a priority. God provides the power and insight to navigate the barriers that separate people from God and one another. To believe is an active response of trust and obedience in developing healthy relationships, working to overcome the barriers that separate us from one another, and living with integrity. 

Read John 4:5-9 

Thomas said to him, “Lord, we do not know where you are going. How can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. 7 If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”

Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.”  Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. 

Reflect

Jesus in John’s Gospel

The good news in John is “If you have seen Jesus, you have seen God.” So, to believe in Jesus, to trust and obey Jesus, is to trust and obey God. When Philip says, “Show us the Father and we will be satisfied,” he is speaking on behalf of all of us. humanity. Just show us God, that is all we need to trust and obey. Jesus responds by saying, “Have I been with you all this time and you still do not know me?” 

John tells his followers that they see God at work in and through Jesus when he feeds 5000 people with loaves and fish, when he heals a woman pushing her way through the crowd, when he relieves a boy of seizures, when a man returns to his family after being healed of leprosy, when he washes their feet, and when he dies upon a cross. John’s good news is experienced in Jesus saying, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father.” 

The implication is that the work of God is seen in the work of Jesus. The work of God’s love is seen in the way Jesus loves. If you have seen Jesus, you have seen God. 

Then, as if to turn things around, Jesus says, “As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” In other words, to trust and obey Jesus is to live the life of Jesus, loving people the way Jesus has loved you. 

It matters where you start. When you start with Jesus, people and relationships are a priority. To believe means you will be loving others through your feeding, healing, loving, and serving. To say you believe in Jesus is to love others the way God in Jesus has loved you by developing healthy relationships and living with integrity. 

Respond to Jesus

Throughout my years in ministry, I have learned that making assumptions is an essential part of leadership. But, when you fill in the gaps in your understanding with unchecked and unexamined assumptions, you set in motion a set of chain reactions of bad decisions and miscommunication. 

Your unchecked assumptions pertain to the scriptures as well. I have experienced gifted leaders who have been fairly accurate in their assumptions. I have also experienced gifted leaders who have alienated themselves from the people they are serving because their assumptions were not accurate. 

The tricky thing about assumptions, especially regarding the scripture, is that you don’t always know when you are relying on them. You are designed, as a human being, to develop shortcuts and to eliminate excess mental processing. The problem is that once your assumptions have been established in your mind, they tend to be enshrined in your heart, never to be questioned again. 

When it comes to the interpretation and understanding of scripture, inaccurate assumptions are blind spots that lead to misconceptions and misunderstandings. When you place your faith in misconceptions and misunderstandings, you cause unnecessary pain and anxiety. The pain and anxiety can be cured through healthy self-awareness and a clearer focus on the living word, Jesus. 

It matters where you start. As a follower of Jesus, you start with Jesus. It is Jesus who makes you who you are, and who you are is how you live your life in everyday and ordinary ways. 

Return

Give God thanks for the people you met today. How did you experience placing your faith in Jesus? How did the scripture point to Jesus? In whom did you experience God’s love? With whom did you share God’s love? Who is helping you grow as a leader? What will you do differently tomorrow? Ask God to give you the faith to be the leader God has created you to be. 

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The Grace in Gratitude

If I could give one quality gift to you, I would give you the gift of gratitude. I have found gratitude to be the fundamental value of the followers of Jesus. It has the potential to transform your life, impact your relationships, and change the world. If I could have God do anything for you, I would ask that God make you a grateful person. 

Here’s why.  The words “grace” and “gratitude” have the same root in Greek. In other words, if there is no awareness of the grace of God, there is no gratitude. And there is no gratitude without an awareness of the grace of God. Throughout my years of ministry, I have never encountered a grateful person who was also bitter, hurtful, mean, or vengeful.   

Words of Gratitude

As I began my first appointment, I was introduced to the song “My Tribute.” Andre Crouch, who wrote and recorded the song, put words to what I understood to be my call to ministry.   

How can I say thanks for the things You have done for me?

Things so undeserved yet You gave to prove Your love for me.

The voices of a million angels could not express my gratitude.

All that I am and ever hope to be, I owe it all to Thee.

To God be the glory. To God be the glory. To God be the glory.

For the things He has done. 

Gratitude in Everyday Life

As I have matured in my faith, I have grown to understand that gratitude is more than something I simply express with words. Gratitude is woven into the fabric of everyday living, relationships, perspectives and assumptions, and the way I see the world. 

As I have searched the scriptures, I have found that the Bible emphasizes the importance of gratitude from “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus…” (I Thessalonians 5:18) to “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, his love endures forever” (Psalm 107:1). 

In the scripture and in the Christian community, gratitude is seen as a virtue that fosters a positive and humble attitude, acknowledging the blessing of God in people and all of creation.

Read Luke 17:11-19 

11 On the way to Jerusalem Jesus[a] was going through the region between Samaria and Galilee. 12 As he entered a village, ten men with a skin disease approached him. Keeping their distance, 13 they called out, saying, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” 14 When he saw them, he said to them, “Go and show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were made clean. 15 Then one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, praising God with a loud voice. 16 He prostrated himself at Jesus’s[b] feet and thanked him. And he was a Samaritan. 17 Then Jesus asked, “Were not ten made clean? So where are the other nine? 18 Did none of them return to give glory to God except this foreigner?” 19 Then he said to him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.” 

Reflect on Luke 17

Leprosy was a physical condition that had broad implications. It was an incurable disease that separated people from one another. It was a living death. Individuals with leprosy were required, by their religion, to stay outside the boundaries of the community.  

If you had leprosy, you were physically, as well as socially, isolated from family, friends, synagogue, and all that gave meaning and purpose to your life. To have leprosy meant that you had no quality relationships outside of the diseased community. Your only means of living was to beg for handouts. And not only were you isolated, but you had the responsibility of announcing your condition to everyone who came close. In other words, because of your condition, you were marginalized, ostracized, and humiliated.  

In the story, as Jesus walks by, it is not clear whether they were begging or if they had confidence in Jesus’ power to cleanse them. But as Jesus passed, they cried out, “Jesus, master, have mercy on us.” Although they did nothing to get leprosy, they have no rights to which they can appeal. Healing is not owed to them.  

Jesus directed them to “Go show yourselves to the priest.” The priest was one who could announce that each of them was cleansed of the disease. What is interesting here is Jesus gave each of them what was needed for healing and wholeness. His direction was an act of grace. 

They followed his direction. Their action of going to show themselves to the priest was their response. On their way, they were healed of their leprosy. They did not first simply believe and then go to the priest. They followed the direction of Jesus. As they followed his direction, they discovered they had been restored to health. Each of them received the same direction, the same grace, and were given hope of a new life. 

No Gratitude Without an Awareness of Grace

There is no gratitude without an awareness of grace. In the story, ten individuals experienced God’s grace. Each of them returned from the world in which they had been isolated. Each of them experienced a new life. Even though they each received grace and did what Jesus told them to do, there was no requirement to return. Yet, in a completely spontaneous expression of gratitude, one returned giving thanks and praise to God.  

Gratitude is a response to experience grace. It is the fundamental value of following Jesus. 

Respond by Starting the Day with Gratitude

Being a follower of Jesus starts with gratitude. So, how will you express your gratitude this week? Below are several things you might do to cultivate gratitude in your life. 

First, may I suggest that you start the day for the gift of life, for the breath you are taking, and for the opportunity to live another day. By giving thanks, you are putting life in its proper perspective.

Give thanks for the people in your life, those persons who bring joy to everyday living. Give thanks for the people who you will meet during the day, they will bring new perspectives to your living.

Say a word of thanks over the things you possess. By giving thanks, you live more by the God who holds you than by the things you are trying to hand onto. 

Because gratitude is the central virtue of the Christian life. There is no other virtue like it. Let me say it (write it again). I have never known a person who was grateful who was at the same time, mean or small or bitter or hurtful. 

Make Gratitude a Way of Life

Secondly, when you express gratitude, you weave gratitude into the fabric of your life. When you are a person of gratitude you lead with gratitude. Your relationships are immersed in gratitude, and your everyday outlook is one of grace.

You can explore more on gratitude being a way of life through the resources below: 

·   For an excellent story of gratitude, read Gratitude.

·   Explore the topic of leading with gratitude here:

·    Leading with Gratitude

·    Gratitude in Leadership  

·    Effective Leadership Begins With Gratitude 

·    Leading With Glad and Generous Hearts  

Make Time to Be Grateful

Third, if you are ready to become more deeply rooted in grace, another way to express your gratitude is:  

Over the next 5 days, make time each day to think about being grateful. Notice the people who inspire you. What do you see that makes you smile or to notice their actions? Keep in mind that no person or experience is insignificant. From the person who started a friendly conversation to the laughter of children, they are all part of what makes you who you are. The small joys are just as valuable as all the others. Give God thanks for the people you encounter each day.

Think about what makes your life easier. Is it the alarm that reminds you to get up each morning? The water in the shower? Your car, umbrella, cellphone? The list goes on. For what are you grateful at this moment? Give God thanks for what makes life easier.

Consider past relationships. Upon whose shoulders are you standing? What did the person do to make life better for you? Why are you better off for having known that person? Give thanks for the toughest relationship of the day. On my best days, I have come to experience sincere gratitude, even for difficult people, by looking for the good in my encounters with them. Give God thanks for the people who have gone before you, who are mentoring you, and who are helping you grow more in grace and generosity.

Add yourself to your gratitude list. You might feel uncomfortable. Most of the time you quickly focus upon things you do not like about yourself. But, when you practice gratitude, you can alter that negative cycle. What would happen if you, instead of focusing on your flaws, paid attention to what makes you most proud of yourself? Make a list of the talents and strengths God has given you. Now, give God thanks for those gifts and how God is using you to make a difference in the lives of the people entrusted to your care.

Finally, remember, who you are a beloved child of God. Give God thanks with a grateful heart for the opportunity to be who God has created you to be. 

Return

Give God thanks for the people you met today. 

·   Did you give God thanks for the day? For the people who bring

  you joy? For the people who help change your life perspective?

·   Did you say grace over your possessions? Why? Why not? 

·   How did you notice that gratitude is woven into the fabric of

  your life? If it is not, what will do to cultivate gratitude in your   

  living and leading? 

·   What did you learn about yourself and about your feelings and

  actions of gratitude? 

·   How did you experience God’s love? 

·   With whom did you share God’s love? 

·   Who is helping you grow as a leader? 

·   What will you do differently tomorrow? 

Ask God to give you the faith to be who God has created you to be. 

Prayer

O God, I give you thanks for the people and things in my life that make life meaningful and easy. Help me remember that I can let go of the things that hold me captive and trust you for meaning and purpose.  I give you thanks for my friends and colleagues who, through their gratitude, are helping me become more who you created me to be. I am grateful. Amen.

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Evidence of the Resurrection

He is Risen! He is Risen indeed! Happy Easter!

On Sunday, we celebrated the crowning event of the Christian faith, the Resurrection of Jesus. Like many of you, I have been celebrating the Resurrection all my life, especially since I was in the church (which has been my whole life). I have often asked the question, “How do we know that Jesus was raised from the dead?”

I have heard sermons and listened to bible studies talking about the empty grave and the rolled away stone. Both are true, but neither answered my question.

So, let me attempt to answer the question for me. See if this might work for you.

Read Luke 24:1-12

24 But on the first day of the week, at early dawn, they went to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they went in they did not find the body. 4 While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. 5 The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here but has risen. 6 Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, 7 that the Son of Man must be handed over to the hands of sinners and be crucified and on the third day rise again.” 8 Then they remembered his words, 9 and returning from the tomb they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But these words seemed to them an idle tale, and they did not believe them. 12 But Peter got up and ran to the tomb; stooping and looking in, he saw the linen cloths by themselves; then he went home, amazed at what had happened.

Reflect on Luke 24

Kirk Byron Jones, author of The Jazz of Preaching and editor of The African American Preaching Library writes:

“Handling the resurrection is challenging; being handled by the resurrection is even more challenging.  In Alaine Alsire’s novel, Lazarus’ problem was not being raised; his problem was being raised ‘different.’ He was not the same person. Christian resurrection is not just about coming back to life but coming back to life ‘different.’  We don’t do different well. In social relations, all too often we interpret different as deficient…

Being handled by the resurrection means constantly challenging our fear of the unknown, and even more…constantly challenging our fear ‘of the loss of the known.’ Being handled by the resurrection means learning to relax in the experience of new life. May we enter with God into the work of changing and recomposing our lives. May we rise and cheer such resurrections.”

The Risen Christ

Any reflection I do upon the resurrection brings me to the discovery that the attention of the early church was focused on the transforming power of the risen Christ.  Those early followers of Jesus understood themselves as evidence of the power of the Resurrection to transform lives.

With that in mind, remember that there were people who did not want the ministry of Jesus. So, they attempted to get rid of him by crucifying him. But God raised him up and put him back to preaching, teaching, and healing. The early followers of Jesus, sustained by his presence, were the proof of God’s love in everyday and ordinary relationships.

Proof of the Resurrection

So, on the morning of the Resurrection, God gave us God’s transforming presence.  The proof of the resurrection, then, is not the empty tomb, but the full hearts of transformed Jesus followers. The crowning evidence that Jesus lives is not a vacant grave, but a Spirit-filled fellowship.  Not a rolled-away stone, but a carried-away church. The proof of the resurrection is in our transformed lives and in the transformation of the community and the world.

The power of Jesus’ resurrection is to reshape our lives to live the way Jesus lived and to think the way Jesus thought. The thrust of the resurrection is to help us change our way of living so that it begins to resemble the life of Jesus.  For you and me, the resurrection is the greatest event in all of life. It means that we live all of life in the presence, love, and power of Jesus, the Risen Christ.

The late Dr. Peter J. Gomes, Plummer Professor of Christian Morals at Harvard wrote:

“…the resurrection is a continuing event which involves everyone who dares be involved in it.  Easter is not just about Jesus, it’s about you.  Jesus has already claimed his new life.  What about you?  Easter is not just about the past; it’s about the future.  Your best days are ahead of you.  The proof of the resurrection is in your hands and in your life.”

Respond to Luke 24

So, what does that mean for us?

A quick look at the good news according to Luke and The Acts of the Apostles reveals that the resurrection led the disciples to transform the world beginning in Jerusalem and moving out eventually to Rome.

The evidence of the resurrection was experienced in the good news being communicated in ways people could understand at Pentecost. It was seen in the transformation of Saul of Tarsus to Paul the Apostle, in the acceptance of the Ethiopian eunuch, in the vision experienced by Simon Peter, and the conversation of Cornelious’ family.

Evidence of the Resurrection

So, as stated above, the evidence of the resurrection was not a vacant grave, but a ministry of love and acceptance. The proof of the resurrection is not a rolled away stone, but our transformed lives, our communities, and the world.

So, how will you live your resurrection life today? Who will you love? Who will you accept? How will you work for the good of people with whom you live, work, and play?

How will your community, Charleston, the Kanawha Valley, or West Virginia be different because of who you are as a transformed follower of Jesus Christ?

Return

Give God thanks for the people you met today. Reflect upon how you were the evidence of the Resurrection. Who did you extend your love and care today? How did you work for the good of people around you? How will your community be different because of the presence of Christ in and through you? As you reflect upon and grow into being the evidence of the Resurrection, what will you do differently tomorrow? Give God thanks for the opportunities you had to love others as you have been loved. Ask God to give you the faith to live and lead with quiet trust and confidence. 

Happy resurrection living!