Room for Reconciliation

When opening the door to the girls’ closet, our eyes are directed straight ahead. There, hanging on the shelving, is an organizing rack. It could be used to organize any number of things from hats to hair-bows to folded clothes. Ronna has chosen to use it to organize the closet in two ways. The first way is it separates Annlyn’s dresses and hanging clothes from Eva’s. Though this will one day be a problem, right now each of them receives half the space in the closet. The other organizing use of the rack is for shoes. The compartments on the rack are the perfect size to store shoes, boots, and flip-flops.

There are an even number of “cubbies” in this organizer which means each of the girls has their own space for their shoes. Again, this will likely one day be a problem, but for now it works. At least it works most of the time. It can be frustrating to open the door in the morning, after all we are trying to get ready and out the door for the day, and the shoes that were once nice and neat and organized are shuffled around. One of Annlyn’s tennis shoes is sitting beside one of Eva’s red sparkly shoes. Eva’s boot is on top of Annlyn’s flip-flop. You walk into the closet to get the pair of shoes you’re looking for, and it is hard to find because it is all mixed together. Then, when we get home for the day, Ronna or I will go to the shoe organizer and separate the shoes out once again, making it easier to find what we’re looking for. The funny thing about this is, though, the girls know exactly where their shoes are. If we ask them to get a certain pair, they are able to go right to them. The shoes are organized in such a way they know where everything is even if they are not separated.

Our culture spends a lot of time, energy, and money on keeping things organized. We buy file boxes for bills, shelving for tools in the garage, and shoe organizers for our children’s closets. We download apps to our phones, tablets, and computers and buy day planners to keep ourselves organized. We live in a world where we like to put everything in it’s place and keep things separated out the way we want them.

But what about in our Christian faith? Do we ever try to keep things so separated and divided out that we do not like for things to touch? Do we live in such a way that we compartmentalize our souls giving God His room and asking God not to move over into other compartments? Do we allow the truth of the gospel to permeate all areas of our lives, our hearts, and our souls or do we wish to keep it in the “Sunday cubbie”? The temptation for us is to carry the practice of closet organization into our Christian lives. But is this the way God has called us to live? Is this what the gospel is meant for?

One of the great theological aspects of the gospel is what we call “reconciliation.” Paul preaches, teaches, and writes to many of the congregations in his ministry about the reconciliation with God that is offered to us by the cross. The more I think about, study, and reflect on Paul’s theology, I am convinced that reconciliation with God is central to his understanding of the good news of Jesus. In the opening portion of his letter to the Colossian congregation, Paul quotes an early Christian hymn:

“For in Him [Christ] all the Fullness was glad to dwell and through him to reconcile all to Himself, making peace through the blood of His cross, through Him – yes, things on earth, and also the things in the heavens” (Colossians 1:19-20, Kingdom New Testament).

To be reconciled is to no longer be separated. To be reconciled is to have two parties pulled into line with one another once again. We can see that by the cross, God was pulling us to Himself. Once we were distanced from God and in need of reconciliation, but through the blood of Jesus, we have been brought near to God in the most real way (Ephesians 2:11-13).

This is all well and good and sound theology. But the temptation is to make the reconciliation of the cross about something that takes place between me and God. We keep it as something that is purely spiritual and theological. Some will go so far as to say it is a legal, justifying transaction. However, when we stop to think about what Paul says in the passages referenced above, we come to see there is much more going on than a spiritual reconciliation with God.

There is an earthly dimension to this as well. To the Colossians, the message is about reconciling things in heaven AND things on earth. To the Ephesians, the message is about reconciling Jew and Gentile to birth one new man in Christ Jesus. Therefore, the good news of reconciliation with God is transferred to the relationships we share on earth. The gospel not only opens the door for us to be reconciled to God, but for us to be reconciled with our fellow human beings.

March 5 is the first Sunday of Lent. During this 40-day season, it is the practice of the church to focus on the cross. To meditate on its power, to scorn its shame, to embrace its message. Therefore, beginning the first Sunday of Lent, we are going to walk our way through Paul’s letter to Philemon. This small letter tucked inside the New Testament is a powerful and living example of the reconciliation of the cross being extended to personal relationships. The title for the series is “Living the Cross.”

But, I warn you: reconciliation with other people is a messy and risky endeavor. It mixes up the shoes and puts them in places we might not want them to go. However, they go in places we need them to go to be fully given to the power of the gospel.  When we open the door of our souls, we find the gospel moves to all the “cubbies” inside. While we might like to keep things organized through separation, the God has invaded our space to bring the light of the cross into every aspect of who and what we are.

It is for this reason that Paul describes the work of the church in terms of having the “ministry of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:18-21). This ministry of reconciliation reorganizes our lives around the messiness of the gospel. After all, wasn’t the cross a pretty messy and disruptive view of God’s saving grace? Reconciliation is the reorganizing of our souls around the good news of Jesus’ work on the cross.

I encourage you to join us for this powerful series of sermons through Lent on the subject of reconciliation. Maybe we all need to check our organization skills at the door and let God do the organizing of our souls. Things might end up in a much better place and we will really know where things are.

SDG…

-Andrew

A Love That Is Bigger....

She said it out of the blue and it totally caught me off guard. However, one of the things I continue to learn is that when things appear to have been said out of the blue, they are often said out of the heart. We may think it is random but there can be great intent, meaning, and even power behind it.

I was helping Annlyn get ready for bed the other night. The day had been a good day. The girls told us all about their time at daycare, their friends, what they had for lunch, and how much they enjoyed the green peas at supper. After giving baths, I was helping Annlyn put her pajamas on and she looked me square in the eyes and said, “The world is bigger than our house, right, dad?”

Again, I tell you, it caught me off guard. I was not sure I heard her right so I replied, “What was that, honey? I’m sorry, I don’t think I understood what you said.” And she said it again, “The world is bigger than our house, right, dad?” Turns out I heard her words right but did I hear her. I responded, “Yes, sweetie. The world is much bigger than our house.” She put on her pajamas and ran off to play with Eva for a few more minutes before bed.

As she bee-bopped down the hallway, I began thinking about her question. I began to wonder where it came from and why she said it. I began to ask questions of myself and of God. Something about it stuck with me that night and the next day, and the next day, and even today. “The world is bigger than our house, right, dad?”

To Annlyn, her whole world is in our house. Her family. Her toys. Her clothes. Her dog. Nearly every physical item that is precious to her and her dearest relationships dwell within the four walls of our house. But as I thought about what she asked me that night, I have come to realize what she was saying – though she may not, in her five-year-old mind have realized it. She was saying that there is much more to the world than what I can put into these four walls. There is more to the world than me and my stuff. There are times in life when we need to hear this – and from the lips of a child, no less. The world is much bigger than me, my stuff and the things that are important to me.

As I have thought through what it was Annlyn was really saying that night, I have come to think about love. Love sees beyond the four walls of our own lives into the bigger, broader, and brighter world of humanity. Love keeps our eyes focused on the God who sees all, knows all, and is working to redeem all through the love expressed in Christ Jesus.

During the month of February, our focus is typically on love. Cards fill the stores where balloons reach high enough for everyone to see. Balloons that are shaped like hearts that are complete with an arrow from cupid through them. There are chocolates, stuffed animals, and jewelry that all represent gifts of love.

Love is for sale while the deeper questions that surround love still linger around unanswered. These deeper questions about the foundation of love, the purpose of love, and the living of love are where the heart of the Christian believer should keep us grounded in our understandings of love. It is Annlyn’s question the other night that has had me thinking about these questions and pondering them in my own life.

When we think about the foundation and purpose of love, it seems the answer is very straightforward. Love sees the world as being bigger than our house. Love sees beyond ourselves, our stuff, our story, our belongings, and the things that are important to us. Love sees beyond who we are and what we are doing and where we are going. Love is not love unless it is grounded in the reality that there is a whole other world other than ourselves. Love is not love unless it is unhindered, unleashed, and undivided.

Love does not have an agenda. Love does not seek a reward. Love is not about reciprocity. If love were about those things, then it would be shrunk back to the boundaries of our own lives. But love is beyond all of that. Love is much, much more. Love is much, much deeper. Because love comes from God.

The bible is chock-full of passages that describe the love of God. How “God demonstrated His own love for us that while we were sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). How God’s love is “wider, deeper, higher, and longer than we could ever imagine” (Ephesians 3:18). How God “will create calm with His love; He will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). How “God has remembered His loyal love and faithfulness to the house of Israel; every corner of the earth has seen our God’s salvation” (Psalm 98:3). How “God so loved the world that He gave His only son that whoever would believe in him would not die but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Each one of these passages – and the countless others like them – the realization is that love is always beyond itself. Love gives. Love restores. Love is always about something bigger than our own world. When we seek to walk in the light of the love of God, we are opening ourselves, the very depths of our soul and being, to see beyond who we are, where we are headed, and what we possess. Thus, love pushes us to see things from the perspective of God.

Since that night when Annlyn’s statement opened my eyes, things have seemed different for me and for her. I have been looking up and seeing much more going on. Annlyn – though she likely does not realize it – has seen more as well. The morning after she said what she said, I was walking into the daycare to drop off all the kids. Under one arm was Caulder in his carrier and in the other hand was his bag with bottles, clothes, and what he needed for the day. In front of me were Annlyn and Eva each holding their coats as they skipped down the hallway. Annlyn looked back at me, noticing I was carrying several things and said, “Dad, would you like for me to carry Caulder’s bag?” I said, “Yes, Annlyn. That would be great! Thanks, sweetheart.”

When our lives are grounded, rooted, established, and built on the love of God, we see so much more. We see things we have never seen before. The eyes of our hearts are pulled upward to see a landscape of life where God is at work. Then, we turn our eyes heavenward, and pray with a smile, “The world is bigger than our house, right, dad?”

Love….

-Andrew

Signs of Sabbath

There are signs all around us. Along sidewalks and corners are signs that let us know a political election is just around the corner. Standing above those signs are signs the seasons are changing. Maples and oaks in their splendor are signs that shorter, cooler days are on the way. Just about three weeks ago, I took Eva with me to Shelby on a Saturday morning. We had a couple of stops to make, one of which was Lowe’s. There were just a couple of items on our shopping list but, when we walked in the door, we were greeted with more signs. There were signs directing us to hardware, lumber, electrical products, kitchen & bath, and lawn & garden. There are signs everywhere.

That Saturday in Lowes, however, I noticed a big sign that was missing. You see, like many major retailers, the Christmas decorations had been on display for nearly two weeks by that point. There were beautiful artificial Christmas trees – pre-lit, of course – on display. There were wreaths, strings of lights, and boxes of ornaments. There were also large inflatable Santa Claus’s and snowmen. Alongside the Christmas decorations were Halloween decorations. There were jack-o-lanterns, a Minion holding a jack-o-lantern, and a large Darth Vader all to go in one’s front yard.

I stopped in the aisle, looked up to see the contrast from Halloween to Christmas and thought about what kind of sings they were. They were signs to customers, encouraging them to purchase these items. Almost as if to say, “Your season will not be complete without this stuff.” Together, they were signs that the holiday season is quickly approaching. The contrast caught my attention, but what has since been gnawing at me is the sign that was missing.

Amidst the clutter of commodity and the promotion of purchases was one sign that was sadly absent. There was nothing about Thanksgiving. There was not even an inflatable turkey or pilgrim hat on display. Nothing. Simply nothing about Thanksgiving. This was the strongest and clearest sign of all. The fact there was nothing about Thanksgiving suggested – to me, anyway – that Thanksgiving, and the actual practice of giving thanks, is not something that is treasured by our culture and society. It is almost as if we cannot stop long enough to give thanks for what we have because we are too busy looking for the next thing we want, need, or desire, when the truth is most of us have more than we want, need, or desire.

Since September we have placed our focus as a congregation on Sabbath. During Sunday morning worship, we have explored the meaning of Sabbath, Sabbath-keeping, and what it means to incorporate Sabbath into our daily living. You work six days and stop one. You are constantly on the move six days and stop one. Rest and satisfaction are at the core of the Sabbath.

One of the things we have learned together is that Sabbath is so much more than a religious command or a set of “blue laws.” Sabbath is a condition of the heart; a structure of character. Sabbath is itself a sign that something deeper is happening in the human soul. Sabbath is a sign that there is a change, a transformation at work. There is a shift in momentum on the Sabbath that causes us to pay attention more closely to what is around us.

Sabbath-keeping is a means of giving thanks. It is an intentional stoppage of life and work that allows time, room, space, and effort to be given to noticing all that is around us for which we are truly thankful. The trouble is our culture does not like to stop. We live in a 24/7 world where the news, the entertainment, the purchasing, and the drive for more is never-ending. It is almost as if we are so concerned with what we need next that we cannot take time to give thanks for what is already here.

In a world where it seems we do not have time to stop, the Sabbath reminds us we do not have time not to stop. The psalmist writes:

“Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD; let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation. Let us come before Him with thanksgiving and extol Him with music and song.”

–Psalm 95:1-2

The invitation issued by the palmist is full of signs. The fact that the invitation is issued to “us” suggests that this is something we do together. We share in giving thanks as a community. Thanksgiving requires stoppage. It is a call to cease the grasping for more and to be satisfied in what is here. According to the psalmist, what is “here” is so much more than one could ever buy, earn, or work for. God is the Rock of our salvation. A sign that God is at work in life.

I believe that one of the greatest signs of our lives is the sign of thanksgiving. It is a sign that we are satisfied. A sign that we are content. A sign that we know where the blessings have come from. A sign that we can rest assured knowing God is the Rock of our salvation, the firm foundation of our living.

I think sometimes we don’t stop because we are afraid that if we stop we will not get started again. As if somehow stopping to give thanks will keep us from getting more; we will wish we had just kept going. Someone else will get the promotion. Someone else will snatch the product. Someone else will….

The truth of the matter is stopping to give thanks is an act of satisfied faith. We know all the things for which we give thanks come from God in the first place, so why be worried about getting more? I don’t know about you, but the sign of a thankful heart is one that I wish to keep growing in to.

Thanksgiving is a sign that God’s satisfied and holy presence is at work in the life of a believer. Let’s all stop, give thanks, and give our culture a new sign.

Thankful...

-ASR