Merry Christmas!
As I was going about my day today, I realized that sometimes when I read the Bible, the last person I expect to encounter is God. It’s kind of like Christmas for many of us…the last person we really expect to encounter at Christmas is the Lord of the universe, who came to earth as a baby. No, all we really expect is a sweet memorial of a baby in a manger and some familiar carols to make us nostalgic about life in general. And not that there is anything wrong with being nostalgic, but if that’s all there is, no wonder so many of us really don’t like this time of year!
Now, if you’re thinking, “Wow! What an encouraging Christmas blog!”, realize this is going somewhere. You see, as I read my Bible today, I was reading because I am “supposed” to…because it’s the “right” thing to do. And so, the last Person I was expecting to encounter was God…and yet, there He was.
I came upon the following verses out of the book of Isaiah, foretelling the just judgment that would come upon the earth when the Messiah came:
“See, the LORD is going to lay waste the earth and devastate it; he will ruin its face and scatter its inhabitants-- it will be the same for priest as for people, for master as for servant, for mistress as for maid, for seller as for buyer, for borrower as for lender, for debtor as for creditor. The earth will be completely laid waste and totally plundered. The LORD has spoken this word.” –Isaiah 24:1-3
Not exactly the picture of nostalgia, huh? In fact, it’s a pretty overwhelming picture of destruction…for ALL of us. Merry Christmas, right? These are the verses that we all wish were not in the Bible. This is the picture of a warrior God that just doesn’t fit with the God of peace and love that we love to see illuminated on our lawns surrounded by sheep and goats…and yet they’re here. Why? And if they’re true, how do they make sense with what is said in the very next chapter of Isaiah:
“In that day they will say, "Surely this is our God; we trusted in him, and he saved us. This is the LORD, we trusted in him; let us rejoice and be glad in his salvation." –Isaiah 25:9
The short answer is these verses don’t make sense and they cannot go together. They completely contradict each other and therefore logically invalidate each other. And as a Christian, I am way too quick to simply pass over such a contradiction! Way too ready to not wrestle with the fact that these two passages in Isaiah simply cannot go together. But today, God stopped me and made me wrestle here. Because it’s here that I get to see who He really is. It’s here that I encounter the God of the Bible and the Christ of Christmas. Because it’s here that I see the irony of Christmas.
How can God say that He is going to mete out justice for my transgressions and save me at the same time? Christmas, that’s how!
You see, the good news of Christmas is NOT that God is ready to give us a pat answer that makes us feel better about some of the things that make it difficult to believe He’s really there. No, the good news of Christmas is God coming to us, to BE our answer. The only way these two passages in Isaiah (or any passages of the Bible) make sense, is when you or I take time to realize that Christmas is all about God taking the fall for me. It’s all about God the Son putting on skin to become human so that He could die for the wrongs I’ve done. Who would sign up for such a job? What greater gift could God offer me?
“Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.” –Isaiah 53:4-6
Have you wrestled with the injustice of Christmas yet? Surely you don’t need me to tell you that like me, you’re a pretty big screw up? I mean, honestly…right? And if that’s the case, then what news could bring more joy to your world than the truth of Christmas? What a present that manger held for us! What a gift is ours for the asking in Christ!
I’m sorry to go off on this (I guess I’m in the right line of work for my big mouth!), but I was so struck by this today that I just had to share it. Only when I take the time to be honest about my brokenness and denial of God (Isaiah 24), am I able to know the abiding joy of Christmas (Isaiah 25), and the Christ whose mercy knows no end (Isaiah 53).
Thanks for reading, and for wrestling. May God bless each of you with Himself this Christmas!
peace,
Will
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Vision Study- Giving Birth (12/7/08)
For our Final Vision Study of 2008, I thought it would be a good time to step back and ask…WHERE are we on the church planting timeline and WHERE do we go from here?
For those of you who are not part of our core group, some of the things on this blog might not make sense or might generate a question or two. If that is you, and you would like to find out more about our church, please email me at: will@nanuetproject.com.
Here is a summary of our discussion:
Two weeks ago, I emailed you all to challenge you to wrestle with one question, “How on earth are we going to do this crazy thing called church planting?” Hopefully as you’ve thought and prayed about that, what you’ve realized is that in order for this church to be “born”, there is much work to be done! And quite honestly...we can't do it. So up front in this discussion, we need to freely admit that this is not about our own efforts and/or coercive abilities, but about the work of God and our participation in it. With that as our starting point, we are free to be real, free to fail, and free to trust that God is at work (even if that looks differently than what we first thought it might).
However, admitting that church-birthing is God's work, does not mean it's unhelpful to recognize where we are at in the process, and how we can be working with (instead of against) Him. So to get at the answer to this question, "Where are we?", we took a look at the stages of pregnancy, because after all, church planting is a lot like giving birth—it takes INCUBATION!
A natural way to describe a pregnancy is in terms of trimesters of development. In the first trimester, the baby develops organs & a central nervous system, and the parents start to tell all their friends they’re pregnant. In the second trimester, the various parts of the body begin to develop (fingers, toes, nose, etc.) and exercise their functions. In the third trimester, the baby grows! This is when the baby matures to the point of being able to sustain life outside the womb.
Giving birth to a church follows the same general pattern. In the First Trimester, we focus our energy on developing all the necessary organs of a church & spreading the news that a birth is coming. In the Second Trimester, we focus on preparing. This is where we are at right now…getting our hearts & minds in the right/same place, and developing our corporate body so that our various parts can function and aid our growth. The Third Trimester is all about Growing! This is the stage we are about to enter, and just like a fetus, we need our body to be at a critical mass before birth happens, otherwise we will be premature and will struggle to survive from Day 1. But just a pregnant woman gets anxious to have her baby in her arms, especially as it seems to be growing quite well, we too will struggle to want the baby here before it’s ready! In patience, but with eager expectancy, we need to focus on exercising our particular function as a member of this body, so that we can grow (both in depth & in breadth). This means each of us wrestling in prayer with how God wants us to use our time, talents & treasure to see this church plant come to fruition. NOT so we can simply plant a church, but so we can see the renewal of our lives, our families, and our community through the power of the gospel. We want to know what it means to truly live…and we want to invite others to join us in that quest.
So where are we? Second Trimester
Where are we going? Third Trimester
What is our hope in Christ as we walk this path? Real life...to live...and to share!
Praying,
Will
For those of you who are not part of our core group, some of the things on this blog might not make sense or might generate a question or two. If that is you, and you would like to find out more about our church, please email me at: will@nanuetproject.com.
Here is a summary of our discussion:
Two weeks ago, I emailed you all to challenge you to wrestle with one question, “How on earth are we going to do this crazy thing called church planting?” Hopefully as you’ve thought and prayed about that, what you’ve realized is that in order for this church to be “born”, there is much work to be done! And quite honestly...we can't do it. So up front in this discussion, we need to freely admit that this is not about our own efforts and/or coercive abilities, but about the work of God and our participation in it. With that as our starting point, we are free to be real, free to fail, and free to trust that God is at work (even if that looks differently than what we first thought it might).
However, admitting that church-birthing is God's work, does not mean it's unhelpful to recognize where we are at in the process, and how we can be working with (instead of against) Him. So to get at the answer to this question, "Where are we?", we took a look at the stages of pregnancy, because after all, church planting is a lot like giving birth—it takes INCUBATION!
A natural way to describe a pregnancy is in terms of trimesters of development. In the first trimester, the baby develops organs & a central nervous system, and the parents start to tell all their friends they’re pregnant. In the second trimester, the various parts of the body begin to develop (fingers, toes, nose, etc.) and exercise their functions. In the third trimester, the baby grows! This is when the baby matures to the point of being able to sustain life outside the womb.
Giving birth to a church follows the same general pattern. In the First Trimester, we focus our energy on developing all the necessary organs of a church & spreading the news that a birth is coming. In the Second Trimester, we focus on preparing. This is where we are at right now…getting our hearts & minds in the right/same place, and developing our corporate body so that our various parts can function and aid our growth. The Third Trimester is all about Growing! This is the stage we are about to enter, and just like a fetus, we need our body to be at a critical mass before birth happens, otherwise we will be premature and will struggle to survive from Day 1. But just a pregnant woman gets anxious to have her baby in her arms, especially as it seems to be growing quite well, we too will struggle to want the baby here before it’s ready! In patience, but with eager expectancy, we need to focus on exercising our particular function as a member of this body, so that we can grow (both in depth & in breadth). This means each of us wrestling in prayer with how God wants us to use our time, talents & treasure to see this church plant come to fruition. NOT so we can simply plant a church, but so we can see the renewal of our lives, our families, and our community through the power of the gospel. We want to know what it means to truly live…and we want to invite others to join us in that quest.
So where are we? Second Trimester
Where are we going? Third Trimester
What is our hope in Christ as we walk this path? Real life...to live...and to share!
Praying,
Will
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