echoes of redemption

So living in a part of the world where the norms are radically out of proportion can change how I view the world.

Even the basics are drastically different. Most of the world cannot read or write their own name. Much of the world doesn’t have access to clean water. Most of the world is hungry.

I can easily feel guilty about that – but guilt is a terrible motivator and a useless in bringing about change.

I can choose to ignore it – but that’s not the way of Jesus. It would be no better than the rich man who chose himself over others, and in doing so the pathway of hell over the lifestyle of heaven.

Or I can choose to engage. To find a place I can make a difference and dedicate myself to bringing about change.

And that’s why the mission of the Church is so critical to the world. That’s why we need groups of people, living in the image of Jesus, bringing about measurable difference in this world.

Together we can make a difference.

It starts with awareness. It takes risk. It takes decisions that are backwards from what most people in our culture are used to. It takes willingness to pour yourself out.

It’s easy to find God in places we perceive our need him, places that seemed prepared for nothing less than divine intervention.

It’s harder to find God in places we’re not used to looking. Which should make us ask ourselves, where is it I look for God?

Only where I’m ready for him (like Martha).

Where he fits inside my standard of living without challenging it (like the rich man).

Or where he plays by my rules (like the pharisees).

All of these people knew they needed God. All were, in some way, searching for him. And all of them missed it when he came.

He wasn’t the strong wind of change that Elijah thought he would be in.

And he wasn’t the earthquake that boasted its power as it shook the earth to its foundation.

Or the fire, consuming all that stood against it.

He was in the stillness.

And finding God in the stillness was enough to shake the prophet to his core.

Because when we live a life that finds God outside where we’ve been taught to expect him, where it is typical to search for him, we encounter him in ways we never imagined.

Of course, we might not be ready for what he has for us.

He might challenge us to the core of who we are and how we live.

And he might not play by the rules we thought he played by.

But it’s not until God has exceeded our expectations in every way that we’ve truly began to experience the divine.

This week I want to discuss some of the things central to the expression of Jesus’ faith. Because when you get around a person worth following you learn a lot by walking with them.

This isn’t a discussion about key issues in faith and culture – and that’s actually the point. Jesus’ faith wasn’t issue driven.

It’s easy to leverage religion for a cause. To rally, picket and protest. If you can tie your issue to eternity that’s even better. (Anyone who believes or does this is going to hell. The only people in heaven will think, live and vote exactly as I do.)

Jesus was masterful at keeping himself from becoming entangled in the issues of his day.

Slavery was a massive global injustice. And instead of organizing protestors, Jesus seems to be publicly silent. His followers taught slaves and masters to live more like Jesus modeled and how God created people to live.

Taxes were an oppressive system that essentially equated government-sanctioned robbery. Instead of creating a political movement, Jesus taught people to respect their government. (He actually ate with the tax collectors – thus sharing in the benefits of their injustice.)

In fact, nearly everything the Jews expected from Jesus was political. And Jesus refused to engage publicly. He worked with people’s hearts, built relationships, showed respect and was patient with people.

One of the most amazing things you’ll see when you watch Jesus in the New Testament is how much tangible impact he made. He brought measurable change into people’s lives. He brought the fulfillment of the law (living every letter perfectly, so as to complete the fullness of the law). Oh, and there’s the whole savior-of-the-world thing.

Jesus respected, spent time with and seemed to enjoy hanging out with people whose political views differed from his.

Jesus befriended (and defended) people who didn’t hold his views on marriage.

Jesus told stories where the heroes were people who sacrificed from their surplus to provide for those who did not have access to healthcare.

And because he wouldn’t engage politically, because he cared for people so deeply, the religious people of his day hated him. They talked about how far off base he was spiritually. They killed him.

But they couldn’t stop the tide of change that Jesus brought with his radical faith. He worked with people. He cared deeply. He sought to know people for who they were. He didn’t view people as targets for change, but accepted them where they were.

And that kind of faith changes things.