the Spirit and the waters

up in the north country, you don't go to a cabin or a cottage, you go to camp. so that's where i was for a few days with pastor prohl and our new vicar scott. we went to dream dreams; to see where God is leading us. the vista is really amazing . . . pine trees suround this pristine glacier-lake in the middle of wisconsin. the wildlife walks through the back patio with an unusual concentration of hummingbirds. but for me it's all about the water.

what is it about water that so calms the soul? is it the purity? is it it's life-giving necessity? is it the stillness that beckons you to be still and know that He is God and you're not. nevertheless, God's Spirit seems to still hover over the waters (see gen. 1:2).

whether it was the water or not, God's Spirit was alive and active in our hearts and minds, and we have a clearer idea where He is leading us. if you have the chance before summer's out. find some water. take a moment to be still. and give God's Spirit a chance to speak.

wrestling with sex

i've been wrestling with sex for weeks now. this weekend at north, and two sundays from now at sanctuary, i'm preaching on the sixth commandment: thou shall not commit adultery. how salacious! how titillating! how fun!

it hasn't been so fun. my heart has been in serious turmoil as i've looked at the omnipresence of sex in our culture. the world tells us that our sexuality defines who we are. the world tells us that freedom of sexual expression is a right that is virtually guaranteed in the constitution (somewhere in the back). the world tells us that limitations on sexuality are archaic, completely disconnected from the real world, and will result in a wholly dysfunctional 40-year-old virgin.

the very idea of saying no to sex is like trying to swim against the riptide, or spitting into a hurricane-force wind. the cultural tsunami has knocked us down and is now dragging us all out to sea. is there any standing against this terrible force?

absolutely yes! for greater is He who is in me that he who is in the world! and not only that, He's done it before. we think things are bad now, but in the greco-roman world in which the church was born, it was a thousand times worse! sexual expression was indulged in without limitation. in this environment, paul writes to the corinthians, "flee from sexual immorality." they didn't always get it right; but they believed they could. they took a stand against their culture. and used this stand for sex to say, "we're Christians. we're different. we love Jesus. and He blesses us with an even better way to live and love in this world."

it's good to wrestle with sex.

if you're dating, be different (and stay away from the corners of the couch, only bad things happen there). wait for marriage, it's SOOOO worth it. and if you've fallen, Jesus will dust you off to start all over again.

if you're married, be different. protect your marriage vigorously. love your spouse unashamedly! don't just follow "the guys" or "the gals" (it's such a lame excuse for doing stuff that doesn't honor spouse or God). and never give up.

if you've children or grandchildren, be different. model patient, kind, giving love (they ARE watching).

this isn't a one-shot deal. it's about the struggle. we all will wrestle with sex (you can't watch a movie without being subjected to this garbage). there's no mr. or ms. perfect out there. rather, it's about being made perfect in Christ. and if you're not struggling to keep God's standard before you're married, you won't wrestle after you're married either where the stakes are even higher.

that's where i'm at i guess. a little scattered. a lot troubled. and a little more hopeful because our "rose again on the third day" Jesus can do the impossible.

God's not afraid of your questions

so i was on a roll yesterday. preaching is a funny thing. it never turns out just how you expect it to. i was preaching on noah and the ark. a particularly light and fluffy topic. God keeps his promises. this was the point of the message. and it kind of took an unexpected turn; which i kind of hope for when i'm preaching. i think it was the Spirit. i hope it was the Spirit. because it got real heavy, real fast.

i was thinking of noah and wife and kids sitting under that roof as the rain fell. i was wondering aloud what they might have been thinking as they sat there. how hard it must have been to see their friends and family drown before their very eyes. how ridden with survivor's guilt they might have felt as they floated high above the earth. how terrified they must been as the wind and waves toss them about. how puzzled they might have been about this God who changes his mind and calls a do-over for humanity.

those are some tough questions. but God isn't afraid of our questions.

He is big enough to handle them. the question is . . . are we big enough to ask them?

what questions puzzle you about God?

jonas brothers love

a couple of weeks ago, i was home for my niece’s eleventh birthday. while opening presents, she unwrapped a gift card; which is a common enough gift. her response, however, was anything but. she squealed; and then kissed it! it was a burger king gift card, so at first i thought she may have had an unhealthy affection for the whopper. to my surprise, it was the picture on the front of that card that was the object of her affection . . . none other than the power-pop-sensation . . . the jonas brothers.

now, i’m completely out of touch with this realm of teen-mania, i can’t tell the difference between joe, nick, and any of the other new kids on the block. i know for a fact, nothing could move me to kiss a burger king gift card (i think). but, i was moved by her affection. i don’t know if i have ever loved anything as much as she loved these three rockin’ brothers. my nieces were here this weekend in chicago for the jb concert: jonas brothers unashamedly tatooed on their faces, arms, pants and signs that brazenly declared, “don’t charge me for the crime of loving you.”

paul describes our relationship with God in 2 Corinthians 1, saying, “He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” in the ancient rites of baptism, the anointing with aromatic chrism filled the baptismal chambers with the scent of one who had crossed from death to life so that anyone within nose-shot could smell that this one was a Christ-one. the seal from the baptismal tradition not only served to protect the believer’s ears, eyes, and mouth, but also served as an invisible sign on the forehead which bore the name of the one who died for all to see that this one is a Christ-one (for the flip-side see Rev. 13:16-18).

the baptized believer bears the name of Jesus for the world to see that this one is a Christ-one. yet how often have i hidden it like a tattoo that sounded like a good idea at the time. i don’t want to be ashamed of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. yet for something that is infinitely more worthy of honor than the jo-bro’s, there are times when i pull up my spiritual hoody, duck my head, and hope nobody notices. Lord, when will i finally grow up and wear my faith like an 11-year old girl?

the all-nighter

So I pulled an all-nighter last night. Haven’t done that since a final project was due on Amos chapter 5 in seminary sometime back in the 90’s. I had the privilege of sitting beside a family as they said goodbye to their wife and mother. I entered the room moments after she had passed; and we spent the night remembering good times and hard times, crying and laughing, grieving and celebrating.

There is nothing more painful than losing the ones we love to the cold grip of death. But to a world that was all too familiar with infant mortality, horrific suffering, and the false promises of charlatans, St. Paul offered a completely different view of the world:

we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. we believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. 1Thessalonians 4:13-14

The Greco-Roman world had no concept of a personal afterlife. Aristotle would sum it up by saying, “Life is short; art is long.” It was into this world that Christians saw the greatest of opportunities. Despite the derision, neglecting the mockery, Christians held out a different view for the way that life could be. And in so doing, changed their world.

As we gathered around that lifeless body, it would have been easy to believe our eyes and weep over an ending to a life that was too nasty and brutish, and way too short. And we did weep; but not as those who have no hope. For as surely as Jesus painfully gasped and exhaled his last, he pulled an all-nighter of his own, and just as surely filled his lungs again with the breath of life on that Easter morning. We must still endure this long night; but dawn is breaking sooner than we know.

That’s the kind of hope that pulls you through a long night. That’s the kind of hope that can change the world.

what's with the funny communion?

last sunday at sanctuary, we tried something we haven't done before. we came to the communion table: palms stained with the dirty ash of sin, hands wrapped in the coarse burlap of sackcloth and repentance, and powerless as a child we approached Jesus in communion pleading for forgiveness, pleading for release.

when i went to the table, helpless, powerless, like a little child, something powerful happened. the Father reached down from heaven, and didn't smack me around, like i deserve. He filled me with the life, salvation, strength, forgiveness, and promise of eternity that is not in my power to grasp. i opened my mouth and received the body and blood of Jesus as it truly is: a gift of grace. when i in turn shared the cup of salvation personally, with each of you, it was a moving experience for me as a pastor. becasue in the end, all i ever want to do is give you Jesus.

after service i heard all sorts of things. that was amazing. that was differnt. that was so intimate. i was totally wierded out. what did you think?

Introducing narthex.theblog

And Now for Something Completely Different - narthex.theblog

In respect to Dan and his commitment to Sanctuary and the narthex, this article is being written from the Starbucks, which happens to be across the street from the Caribou. Good bye my dear friend; Caribou that is, and I suppose you too Dan :)

I don't know about you, but for the longest time since Dan was working on these random thoughts from the Caribou window I have wanted the chance to continue the conversation. You too? Sweet. Great minds think alike. Therefore, drum roll please . . .
the narthex is proud to introduce . . . narthex theblog

now we'll be able to continue the conversation. let's get off to a great start.