Silence

I can't remember who exactly it was who said that when we appreciate poetry we assume silence as the starting place and then ask ourselves the question why and with what has the silence been broken?

I trust the same is true of our speech in worship. We could gather and a la Quaker worship, say nothing.  In the silence we would wait on God to move us to speech and break the silence only when there was fresh revelation from the Holy Spirit.

What we do instead is come with intentional speech.  We pray, we sing, we speak the word, we challenge, we praise, we hope and expect, we speak healing.  Being silent is something we could do alone.  But speaking is something that requires a hearer.  God hears our speech.  But it isn't only to God we are speaking.  Why our gathering is so important is that we have opportunity to speak INTO the lives of others who have drawn near to the person of Jesus.

Some (probably most) of the people speak the same language that we do.  But occasionally, and surprisingly, someone shows up to the place where the body meets who speaks a slightly different language.  Sometimes, different nouns describe the entities that populate their universe and so we try to translate and understand what parallels exist between our language and theirs.  Sometimes, we use the same nouns, but different verbs and the joy becomes trying to appreciate the other's experience of  life and the ways they have come to apprehend life's process and flow on terms other than the one we're accustomed to.  As challenging as this is at times, it doesn't negate the absolute value of speaking intentionally together and in our web of language pressing each other forward to a greater and deeper appreciation of God's movement in our world and in ourselves.

It's when we cease the conversation that we make the subtle declaration that our language has triumphed and there is nothing more of value to learn.  And what a small world that would be.

The Words You Speak...

...create atmosphere! I know it's difficult because the world seems to wire us otherwise, but try to think of the growth and maturity that happens naturally when we face challenge rather than focusing on "why is this happening to me." Every interaction with someone, every conversation, every Facebook post or comment, every bill you pay, every interruption of your schedule is an opportunity to model Jesus-like love and grow in grace. It's inside of that place of grace that we have our capacity increased to live and enjoy LIFE!

So, taking a cue from Paul in Colossians 4:6, "Let your conversation be always full of grace."

Freedom!

Reading through Romans 6 today and listening to Paul's thoughts about being free from the law. Freedom isn't living without boundaries and constraints. A life without any parameters wouldn't be life at all; it would be chaos! Real freedom through Christ is about being given through grace a new "end point" to life. We all have end points. An end point is that light at the end of the tunnel that guides our movement forward. In Christ, we have the "end point" of enjoying life close to the Father, living as we were created by Him to live, experiencing blessing, having things we are thankful for, and celebrating with others the thousand joys the Father has scattered wonderfully along our path. The end point for someone without faith is oneself. Without Christ, one is left to become the measure of their own life - which means all of those fears, doubts, insecurities, inadequacies, and failures loom large in our view. When we're our own end point we wonder how we could ever transcend ourselves - which we can never do... on our own.

That's why life in Jesus is freedom. It means I'm not God and God is. And that's good news.

Father's Day

It's impossible to be the best father one can be without a relationship with THE Father. It's out of our recognition of His unconditional love for us that we are able to love unconditionally, with no strings attached, no agenda to be fulfilled. He loved us while we were still in sin, self-deception, and selfishness - pouring life and love into us even when we were in rebellion against the way He created things to be.

Because He fathers us, we father others. As my good friend (now deceased), M.A. Thomas, once remarked to me, "Why wouldn't we want to share with those we love the most the relationship that matters the most." Our encounter with God isn't ours to horde. God changes us as part of His larger mission to change the universe. What a blessing that He considers us worthy of being a part of that mission.

Why church?

Because we always run the risk of personalizing our faith to suit our preferences. It's only in the company of others that we have our egos checked and our idol-making tendencies challenged.