But the day after Christmas we have to ask… where do we go from here?

Yesterday I posted four verses I felt captured the grace, peace and joy of Christmas. The first two looked forward to the coming of Christ and the second two used [...]]]> Christmas is meant to be a crescendo in the year.

But the day after Christmas we have to ask… where do we go from here?

Yesterday I posted four verses I felt captured the grace, peace and joy of Christmas. The first two looked forward to the coming of Christ and the second two used the words of Jesus to share why his presence was so powerful in our lives.

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son,
and they shall call his name Immanuel.”
(which means, God with us).
— Isaiah 7:14

“For to us a child is born…
and his name shall be called,
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”
— Isaiah 9:6

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, he has anointed me to proclaim good news…
and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
— Jesus (Luke 4:18)

“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,
but in order that the world might be saved through him.”
— Jesus (John 3:17)

This idea that God loved the world so much — so much he would send his own Son to die for it — is revolutionary. He didn’t send his son to condemn, but to save.

The season of Advent celebrates the idea that Christ is returning. And the writers of the New Testament are adamant: Christ’s return is not yet fulfilled, but already started. And it’s right here, all around us. And we are caught up in it.

Whether it’s bringing peace to your family, restoring a relationship or walking in grace and peace when it’s far from easy — we join Christ in his his work of making all things new.

It’s a new way of living — a way that doesn’t jettison the spirit of Christmas, but applies it ways that change relationships, jobs and lives.

Helping people in need will always be ‘charity’ – a place I give, but get nothing. Giving to a [...]]]> If the people I share time and resources with are supposed to share of their time and resources with me in return, I’ll be greatly limited in what and whom I choose to give myself to.

Helping people in need will always be ‘charity’ – a place I give, but get nothing. Giving to a church will seem more like paying a tab at a restaurant – an exchange of money for services. And I’ll guard my time closely so I don’t end up wasting it on something that doesn’t benefit me.

As I was read 1 Samuel 26 today I realized I wasn’t just reading about how David spared Saul’s life when he could have pinned the king to the ground with his own spear, I was eavesdropping on a great man of God’s value system. Its one of those rare times when you get to see the unique way a genius views the world.

David said to Saul: Behold, as you life was precious this day in my sight, so may my life be precious in the sight of the Lord, and my he deliver me out of all tribulation.

I can’t have been the first person to be stunned by this – David is essentially saying, just as I have treated you, may God treat me the same way.

Most people pander to the king – because he has the power to treat you anyway he pleases. But David goes far beyond what most people would do. He treats the king well because God has treated him well and he asks God, in return, treat him the way he is treating other people.

If this is the way I view the world, charity isn’t just charity. I give money to a child in Sri Lanka because God has provided me with all the money I have – and I ask God to provide for my needs regularly, the same way I provide for this little girl’s needs.

Giving to a church isn’t just an exchange of money for services, it’s investing into a Kingdom that is every expanding with hope, reconciliation and joy. And I ask God to invest into expanding his Kingdom in and through my life, the same way I am investing in expanding it in the lives of others.

And my time, as precious as it is, is something I can share with others – because God has given me time and patience as he walks with me. So I ask God to walk with me patiently, lovingly and generously, just as I am walking with others.

It’s a new way of living that doesn’t comply with the way most social systems view the world. But it’s not just subversive, it’s risky – because I’m asking God to treat me the same way I treat others.

And Jacob was alone when a man came and wrestled with him through the night. The man said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go until you bless me.” And the man said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.”

Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…

It’s a calling to cultivate. A blessing from God to humanity in the first part of the book of Genesis. It’s a [...]]]> Before the call to be a Christian, or even the call to be Jewish, there was a call to be human:

Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…

It’s a calling to cultivate. A blessing from God to humanity in the first part of the book of Genesis. It’s a calling that the authors of Scripture only deepen and explore – it is never revoked.

While God asks humanity to cultivate, we live in a culture begging us to consume.

To be fully human – fully embracing ourselves as images of God – is to live as a cultivator. Anything less is dehumanizing.

We’re less than human if all we do is consume:  our planet’s resources, food, television, information online. Maybe it’s most apparent that consumption is less than human when we move it out of the inanimate. Ever been around someone who consumes people through relationships? Taking what they need from someone (emotionally, physically, financially…) and withdrawing when they’re satisfied? It’s dehumanizing because it’s less than God dreams for us.

Maybe that’s part of why so many people are discouraged – our soul was not designed to endlessly consume.

Cultivators create. Cultivators unite. Cultivators stir up. Cultivators dream. Cultivators pour their energy into something beyond themselves.

Cultivators go to bed at the end of the day satisfied – because we are created to cultivate.

It’s the word shalom. An all-encompasing peace that represents things being exactly as God would will them to be: man at peace with God, at peace with himself, with others and with this world.

Peace is what the prophets were talking about, what the [...]]]> For all of the Hebrew Scriptures the central theme is peace.

It’s the word shalom. An all-encompasing peace that represents things being exactly as God would will them to be: man at peace with God, at peace with himself, with others and with this world.

Peace is what the prophets were talking about, what the sacrificial system was working toward and what every ancient Jewish person dreamed about when the dreamed of the Messiah.

Shalom.

Then the Messiah comes. As does peace.

But the message the writers of the New Testament leave us is not just peace, it’s grace.

It’s revolutionary. Every Jewish listener would have been rocked out of their seat. More than peace?

Peace was the universal blessing – and Paul just added to it.

Grace. It’s the way to peace. It’s what allows us to live at peace. It’s what we show because we are at peace. It’s the fruit of peace. It’s the new way that changes everything. It’s grace. And peace.

So may it be exactly as God wills for our lives – not because we’ve earned it or worked for it, but because God is grace. And may we live at peace because we’ve been shown grace. And may we show grace, because we live at peace.

Grace and peace.

There is a long pause between the final words of the Hebrew Scripture and the beginning of the Christian New Testament. Most scholars mark this pause as a time when [...]]]> If you turn the page in your Bible from Malachi to Matthew too quickly it’s easy to forget you’re passing roughly 400 years of history.

There is a long pause between the final words of the Hebrew Scripture and the beginning of the Christian New Testament. Most scholars mark this pause as a time when prophecy stopped, a time when people leaned in to the words that they had already been given.

If you look in to what happened during the time you realize that Jewish faith went through some pretty interesting transitions.

• They studied in depth the word that God had already spoken.
• They dove into systematizing and organizing their theology and beliefs.
• They tightened paradigms with which people should view God, and in particular the Messiah.
• There was renewed clarity and uniformity to how people were supposed to read God’s word – that way everyone would know what to look for when Messiah came.
• A religious elite arose, profiting (largely) from an organized religious system that revolved around a central location where people gathered.
• Those who made their money and gained their authority and security from religion formed a tight bond together and cast out, or murdered, anyone who threatened their way of life.

All this organization, all this systematizing, all this orthodox understanding, and when the Messiah came nearly everyone missed him.

He didn’t look like the system wanted him to. He walked the earth, sat with sinners, healed the broken, raised the dead, fulfilled massive amounts of prophecy, spoke the words of God, died to pay the price for the sins of the world, miraculously resurrected and ascended to the right hand of God himself – and it wasn’t until after all of this that a few people inside the system even started to get it.

So… some of his followers quickly penned what would become a canon of text regarded as a new word from God. And for hundreds of years, people would study this text. Systematizing their theology and beliefs, tightening paradigms with which to view God, giving clarity and uniformity for how people should view the text. These people would form a religious elite, and some would profiteer from the acts of religion – which would revolve around a central location where people gather.

And one day, we believe, the Messiah will return. The question now is, will we be humble enough to see him if he doesn’t look like our system wants him to? Because if our system could keep us from seeing him then, we would certainly miss out on what his Kingdom looks like now.

We just wrapped up the first day and it brought a diversity of speakers, backgrounds, religions and worldviews together in an unprecedented way.

I’m always for learning from people – regardless of [...]]]>

We just wrapped up the first day and it brought a diversity of speakers, backgrounds, religions and worldviews together in an unprecedented way.

I’m always for learning from people – regardless of their faith – allowing the way that others worship, believe and walk to impact the way that I interact with God. And last night was no different; I was deeply challenged by what was said, as well as what went unsaid.

The first general session started with a powerful reading of the Hebrew Scriptures by the cantor from Temple Shalom in Dallas. Hearing the words of Scripture read in Hebrew is always beautiful, refreshing and awaking to my soul.

Then Sirin Hamsho took the stage – and her story is as powerful as the beauty of the Arabic she so eloquently sang. I sat on the edge of my seat and wished I could understand every word because her passion and voice were so inspiring.

In case you couldn’t tell, this forum is about multi-faith – allowing each faith to express themselves in full, respective and open ways. So it opened with Jew, Muslim… and now comes the Christian part.

The lights faded and a video started. It mixed computer graphics with visceral images from human history that bent your emotions exactly like the director would have wanted.

And I sank down in my chair.

The juxtaposition made it so evident that western Christianity stands alone among world religions – in that it has nearly completely lost touch with its ancient origins.

Or maybe its worse. Maybe we’re a group of people who found the trick of manipulating emotions and getting a response from people – and we have replaced the depth of our faith with Final Cut, Smoke and HD projection.

Either way, my heart broke for my faith.

I don’t say all this to be negative on the conference. It has been powerful and simply gathering Christians together and talking about the world could not replace what I’ve been learning. You have to bring the world together like this. I say it because I’m learning. I don’t know that six months ago I would have even noticed the transition.

This is a central realization I feel like God wants me to have on my journey to start a new faith community. It is a word of caution for myself and others who have chosen to lead in the Christian Church. We have the responsibility – and honor – to lead our communities in discovering and practicing ancient, historic Christianity.

We have the joy of working with a text that pre-dates much of the literature in the world. The opportunity to join in centuries and centuries of people pursuing God. The privilege of joining people who formed practices, prayers and celebrations that helped them navigate a highly pluralistic, secular and violent world in holy and righteous ways.

We need to rediscover ancient Christianity. We need to return to the basics.

Live in community.

Join in the reconciliation of all things.

Explore historic Scripture.

(On a side note: those three may make a good strategy for a new community of Jesus followers… maybe in New York City…)

*photo above via Chris Johns Media