Friday, November 30, 2007

fishing

In today's Sacred Space the passage was about the call of Simon (later called Peter by Jesus) and Andrew, who were fishing with a net at the time. Jesus told them to follow him and they would fish for people. What does it mean to fish for people? I wonder what Peter and Andrew thought of Jesus' use of the phrase?

It struck me that a good fisherman probably knows a lot about fish, can even "think like a fish" in a weird sort of way. Peter and Andrew knew where the fish were at that time of day and were going after them. They didn't try to fish from their house or some other place where they were comfortable. They knew they had to get wet and messy in order to fish.

And what's the goal? Peter and Andrew weren't fishing with rods and reels, they were using a net. They weren't after individual "converts", they were going to where the fish were and then casting their net. Here's where the metaphor breaks down for me: only Peter ended up as a mass evangelist, with 3000 becoming followers of Jesus after his sermon in Acts 2. But maybe that's the point. It's not up to us to do the converting, we're just supposed to cast the net.

Flash back to Darren's sermon title from last Sunday: outreach isn't reaching out. It's not staying where we're comfortable and hoping people will come to us. It's being like Jesus out where people are so that they can see something of God's hope and healing through us. Which is something else to note: Jesus didn't call Peter, he called Peter and Andrew (and James and John right afterward). Fishing for people isn't something we're expected to do alone. It takes several people to cast a net and haul it back in. It's something we do together.

inside stuff

I've often wished that people knew what was going on inside of me, but I hesitate to be too self-disclosing for lots of (mostly neurotic) reasons. I'm worried about what they might think of me, what sort of impression I'm making, or I'm just ashamed of what I'm thinking about or feeling.

And I've often wished that I knew more of what was going on inside of other people. It's funny how people that I'm "close" to often have no idea what's going on inside of me nor I of what's going in inside of them. We're pretty selective about what we want others to know about us.

God isn't like that. He wants us to know everything about him. He invites us into the inner recesses of his heart. He longs for us to know his mind. What we don't know about him is our own fault: we're too self-absorbed, too narrow-minded, too immature.

Unlike me, God doesn't get defensive or put up walls. He was willing to get hurt, even to the point of dying. He didn't try to protect himself. And, in a weird way, that is the source of his power. His love, which made him take on the vulnerability of a Jewish baby born to peasants who were part of an oppressed people, compelled him all the way to death as a counter-cultural teacher. And that death conquered Death and the power of sin because he wasn't just a baby or a teacher, he was God who is love.

I need the transforming power of that love. If you could see inside me, you'd know how much I need it.

a sign of the times?

Yesterday, as I often do, I was praying at my computer using the website Sacred Space (sacredspace.ie/prayer). The prayer of presence was, "I will leave aside my chores and preoccupations; I will take rest and refreshment in your presence, Lord." Some glitch in their server wouldn't let me leave that prayer. I clicked "move on" and the site directed me back to that prayer. I tried several times, then thought "Maybe God is trying to tell me something."

Do I know how to find rest and refreshment in God's presence? The season of Advent is supposed to be a time of preparation, but it's the Christmas shopping season, too, along with Christmas decorating and Christmas entertaining. If there's any time I need rest and refreshment, it's during Advent, but it's hard to come by.

I don't have a quick and easy answer for this dilemma. Which is the point, I guess. Finding rest and refreshment in God's presence is something that one learns to do over a long period of time. It's part of the reason for "devotions". The more devoted we become to God, the more readily we are able to access the life-giving love, joy and peace of his Spirit. So Advent is as good a time as any to start.

Tuesday, November 27, 2007

shopper or hunter?

Why do Christians celebrate Advent? I'm aware that it can seem like just one more thing to add to a busy life: trying to carve out time for Advent candle lightings or Advent meditations when there's shopping to be done and parties to attend.

Advent is meant to shape us. As creatures of time and space, we are shaped by how we spend our time and what we pay attention to. I'm not a shopper, I'm a hunter. I scope out the terrain (through newspaper ads), find my prey, and swoop in for the kill, all of which is accomplished in the least amount of time. Other people love to walk through the aisles finding bargains or just admiring interesting items. They know what time of year the best sales can be found or when the interesting merchandise is put out. They know the mall parking lot like the back of their hand. Their lives are shaped by shopping.

Do we give that kind of attention to the seasons of the Christian year? Do we enjoy the changes in the seasons that remind us of Jesus' birth, events of his life, events of his death and resurrection, and the founding of his Church? Do we know the stories and the traditions and the colors of the Christian seasons?

I was raised to not have a lot of regard for the Christian year. Sure, Christmas and Easter were important, but the notion of a rhythm to the year was thought to be too Roman Catholic for a good Baptist kid. So I was raised with a hunting mentality: bypass Advent and Lent, forget Pentecost, just swoop in and grab what's necessary for Christmas and Easter.

But over the years I've become a holy-day shopper, learning to slow down and enjoy the sights and sounds of the Christian year and have my life shaped by the annual cycle of days and seasons repeating the story of God's love and redemptive activity in our world. The music, the prayers, the colors, and other traditions have become ways that God can shape my heart.

So this Advent season: hunt for gifts and shop for grace.

devotion(s)

Some people who've been Christians for a while use the word "devotions" to refer to their times of Bible reading, prayer, meditation, or whatever they do to set aside time just for God. I've always been intrigued by this word.

When someone is devoted to something, you can always tell. Over time and with a lot of repetition that thing shapes her/his life. If someone is devoted to cooking, s/he will read magazines and books about cooking, buy cooking gadgets and gear, wear cooking apparel, and get joy out of tasting foods or developing a menu.

Am I devoted to God? What effect do my "devotions" have on me? Do they shape me? Maybe the things that really shape me are my true "devotions". And if my life is to be "conformed to the image of Christ" (Rom. 8:29) then I may need to get rid of some of these other devotions.

I was thinking about this as I considered how to fast during this Advent season (see the previous post for my reason for fasting for Advent). I could fast from food one day a week, which would be fairly traditional. But I want to fast in such a way that I'm reminded daily of the fact that I'm fasting. I want to set aside something that I'm devoted to and give that intentionally created space to God. The purpose is not to prove my devotion to God. The purpose is to give God a chance to shape me.

mirror or window?

What does it mean to be a leader? What does it mean to be a leader in a church community?

Grace Community is not growing. Growth is a sign of health. There's no magic pill to take to get healthy. It takes exercise, a good diet, good amounts of rest, and a good frame of mind. And you have to keep doing it.

Good leaders look in the mirror when assessing blame and look out the window when giving credit. Jim Collins (Good to Great) writes about leaders of successful corporations who, when they couldn't find anyone but themselves to give credit to, would resort to "blaming" luck or timing for what everyone else knew was the leader's wisdom and perseverance. Conversely, if we're not exercising or not eating well, we're not going to get any healthier if we blame it on being in the wrong neighborhood or not having enough volunteers. We have to look in the mirror and ask, "What am I doing wrong and what do I need to change?" And then we have to do it.

So I've challenged the leadership team (including me) to use this Advent season as a time for prayer and fasting. Our prayer question is "How am I hindering God's work in Grace Community and what does he want me to do differently?" Please pray for the leadership team as we take this time to listen to God. Pray that we'll hear God as we continue to serve him and the church community. And pray that we'll have the courage to do what he's directing.