Jumbo Shrimp and Other Oxymorons

In the interest of full disclosure, this has nothing to do with seafood. 

But wait!! 

Please don’t go just yet.  This is about something far more important than seafood.

A quick definition – oxymoron: a statement or phrase that seems to be self-contradictory.  Example: jumbo shrimp.  Jumbo: something very large.  Shrimp: something very small.

Here’s another example – good excuse.  Good: virtuous; righteous; honorable.  Excuse: an explanation offered for choosing not to live up to one’s obligation or promise.

(Okay, I’m taking some slight linguistic liberty here, but I think you’ll see why.)

Can there really be a virtuous, righteous or honorable explanation for choosing not to live up to an obligation or promise?  I’m not talking about circumstances where there is no choice in the matter.  I know I promised to be there, but I was receiving treatment in the emergency room at that time. 

No.  I’m talking about something like this: I know I promised to be there, but… but…, well, I just had something else come up that I wanted to do.  Not virtuous.  Not righteous.  Not honorable.  Rather than be so brutally honest, however, most of us would make up a little white lie.

Consider this example.  Different traditions use different words, but when one becomes a member of a Christian church (Methodist, Baptist, etc.), one promises certain things.  For example, there is the promise to support the ministries of the church with your time, talents and gifts. 

In my understanding, that is a promise to attend Sunday worship as the “rule” rather than the “exception,” unless physically unable to do so, of course.  However, “physically unable to do so” does not include waking up on Sunday morning and deciding to go on a picnic instead of going to church! 

 A person’s decision to neglect his/her promises to his/her church is frustrating and discouraging to all those who depend on them to keep those promises.  However, frustration and discouragement on the part of fellow church members are not the primary problems here.  Far from it!

When you made those promises at church, you did not make them to the church!  You made those promises to the head of the church!  Jesus Christ!  The loyalty and dedication you professed, was loyalty and dedication to our Lord Jesus Christ, not to any person or group or institution!  When you break these promises, you are not breaking your promises to the pastor or to your fellow church members; you are breaking your promises to Jesus!

I don’t know about you, but I want to do my very best never to break my promises to Jesus!

(By the way, I am aware that the proper plural for oxymoron is oxymora, but it just sounds funny.)

Until next time,

Pastor Mark

Hee-Haw! (or something like that)

The Israelites are wandering around in the desert after their exodus from Egypt.  There are a lot of folks!  They covered the land for miles around.  Their next-door neighbors, Moab and Midian, were afraid of them because of their number.  They decided to do something to calm their fears.

Enter Balaam.  Balaam is the local seer, or prophet.  You might think of him as a sort of psychic.  He had a good reputation: whomever he blessed was blessed and whomever he cursed was cursed.  So, Balak, the king of Moab, decided to try and buy a favorable "reading" from Balaam.

Balak was ready to pay a handsome price to get Balaam to pronounce a curse on the Israelites so that the way would be paved for Balak to defeat them and drive them away.  Balak sent mid-level officials to Balaam with his proposal.

As it turns out, Balaam didn't just make up stuff or make pronouncements according to the highest bidder; he consulted God.  God told Balaam not to go along with Balak's plan, and Balaam sent word back.  Balak figured Balaam just wanted more money, so he sent high-level officials with a follow-up proposal.  This time, Balaam figured he'd have to tell Balak the bad news personally.

A funny thing happened on the way to Moab.  God's messenger, commonly referred to as angels, stood in Balaam's way to stop him, but Balaam couldn't see the angel.  His donkey, however, DID see the angel, and veered off the road.  Balaam, not understanding what was going on, beat the donkey to steer him back to the road.  A second time, the angel stood in the way.  Balaam couldn't see, but the donkey could and leaned against a wall, mashing Balaam's foot.  Another beating.  Finally, the angel positioned himself in a place that could not be circumvented.  Yet again, Balaam couldn't see, but the donkey could and just flopped down on the road.

After another beating, the donkey had had enough!  He spoke: "What have I done to you that you've beaten me these three times?"  Curiously, Balaam didn't seem surprised that his donkey had just talked.  Well, they had a discussion wherein the donkey explained about the angel - did I mention that the angel held a sword and seemed prepared to destroy Balaam?  Balaam apologized to the angel, but not to the donkey - go figure.

Anyway, when was the last time you were going down the wrong road and God put obstacles in your way that you didn't recognize as coming from God?  When has an inconvenient and frustrating detour saved your life?  Could God be speaking to you in unconventional ways, but you haven't figured it out yet? 

Pray for God to open your eyes and ears to see and hear Him clearly.

Until next time...
Be Blessed
Pastor Mark

What Do You Want Me to Do for You?

He heard them as they departed from Jericho.  There were several of them, following their leader wherever he went.  He was sitting at the side of the road, just outside of town.  He didn't have much choice; he was unclean and not allowed to mingle with the public.  He was blind.  His name was Bartimaeus.

Somehow, Bartimaeus found out who the leader of this throng of travelers was; it was Jesus of Nazareth, a descendant of King David.  Bartimaeus pondered his choices: he could just sit there and hope Jesus would notice him, or he could make a spectacle of himself and be sure of getting his attention.

"Jesus, Son of David, show me mercy!" he yelled.  Some of the travelers told him to hush.

"Jesus, Son of Daivd, show me mercy!" he yelled all the louder.

His plan worked!  Jesus sent for him.

"What do you want me to do for you?" Jesus asked.

What a question!  It was obvious what was wrong with Bartimaeus; wasn't it just as obvious what he wanted Jesus to do for him?

Maybe so.  But Jesus must have had a reason for asking the obvious question.  One thing a question does is force us to come up with an answer.  Sometimes the answer can be a knee-jerk reaction to the question, given without much thought.  Sometimes, the obvious answer is the real answer, as it was in Bartimaeus' case: "I want to see!"

Sometimes, we are not quite sure of the real answer. 

"Jesus, show me mercy!" 

"What do you want me to do for you?" 

Good question. 

Our plea is general, nebulous.  The question forces clarity.  In order to answer the question, we have to think!  We have to come to grips with what it really is that we want Jesus to do for us.

Mark says: "Jesus, show me mercy!"  Jesus answers, "What do you want me to do for you?"  Gulp!

Asbury says: "Jesus, show us mercy!"  Jesus answers, "What do you want me to do for you?" 

Well...  What DO we want Jesus to do for us?  We need to think.  We need to focus.  We desperately need to be able to articulate a real answer!  If you were answering this question on behalf of Asbury, what would you say?  Make that your prayer for Asbury.

You say: "Jesus, show me mercy!"

Jesus answers: "What do you want me to do for you?"

What is your real answer?

Until next time...
Be blessed.
Pastor Mark

Merry Christmas and Happy Birthday to the Bride!

No. I haven't completely lost my mind.  Yes.  I realize that we are at the end of May and not at the end of December.

So, what's up with this Merry Christmas thing?  And, what does Happy Birthday to the Bride have to do with it?

Pentecost. 

Oh, you want a more complete explanation.

We have just celebrated a special day in the Christian year.  The Day of Pentecost.  This is the day when the Holy Spirit, the Counselor Jesus promised, descended upon the disciples gathered in the upper room.  Miracles were seen that day!  The sound of a rushing mighty wind was heard, but there was no rushing mighty wind.  Tonues of fire floated about the room and rested upon the head of each disciple, but no one suffered injury.  People spoke in languages they did not know.  Words that were spoken in one language were heard in a different language, the native language if the hearer.  Because these words were proclaiming the Good News of Jesus Christ, more than three thousand souls were saved in a matter of minutes!

The Church has traditionally understood the Day of Pentecost as the birthday of the Church.  Tradition also teaches us that the Church is the Bride of Christ.  Ergo, Happy Birthday to the Bride!

Ok.  The Merry Christmas thing might be a stretch, but here is what I am thinking.

At Christmastime, we celebrate the Incarnation, or the inbreaking of Christ into human history as a human being.  One of the names he goes by during that season is Emmanuel.  The word Emmanuel means "God with us." 

As Emmanuel - God with us - Jesus promised to be with us always, even to the end of the age.  Yet, Jesus departed by ascending to heaven to sit at the right hand of God the Father.  If Jesus is in heaven, then how can he be with us?

Enter the Holy Spirit.

As the third person of the Triune God (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit), the Holy Spirit is the presence of God with us.  "God with us!"  Emmanuel!

Merry Christmas!

Be blessed,
Pastor Mark

In the Presence of My Enemies

The twenty-third Psalm is perhaps the most well-known and most beloved of any Scripture in the Bible.  It starts out declaring that God takes care of his people; he is their Shepherd.  The Shepherd provides food (green pastures), drink (quiet waters), and life (he restores my soul).  The Shepherd guides us where we need to go (he guides me in paths of righteousness), and protects us through even the worst of circumstances (even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me).  Then at the end we have more comforting words: "Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever."  Is it any wonder that this is an all-time favorite passage of Scripture?

Just before the end, however, something strange happens.  The Shepherd prepares a table before me with all the goodness of life; there is more goodness than I can take in (my cup overflows)!  But notice who is there with me.  My enemies!

My enemies!?  What are they doing there?  I don't want to sit at the table with all my enemies hovering over me, bearing down on me!  My enemies (other people, stressful situations, my own attitudes, etc.) want to harm me; they make me stress out, they make me angry and depressed, they take away the joy of life!  I want to get away from my enemies, not sit down at the table with them!

The psalm seems to be indicating that we will not always be able to get away from our enemies.  What it also indicates is that when we are seated at God's table, our enemies have no power over us!  They cannot harm us!  They cannot stress us out.  They cannot make us angry.  They cannot make us act hatefully.  They cannot depress us.  They cannot take away our joy!

When we are seated at God's table, the Shepherd's table, the Lord's table.  Kinda makes me think about Holy Communion.  It also makes me think about the fellowship I enjoy by being around other people who belong to God.

Are your enemies getting the upper hand over you?  Are you seated at the Lord's table?  Are you spending enough time with the Lord and with his people?

Something to think about.

Be Blessed
Pastor Mark

The Heart of Worship

Worship.  What is it all about? 

Is it about the style of music we want to hear and sing?  If you prefer traditional hymns, but contemporary songs are sung and played, does that interfere with your ability to worship? 

Is it about which version of the Bible from which the Scripures are read?  Can you hear Scripture only if it is from the old King James version?  Does that version turn you off so that you can't hear what the Bible says?

Must the pastor wear robe and stole for it to be "real" worship?  Does the robe and stole seem too pretentious or "high and mighty"?  What if the pastor were to wear blue jeans and a "WWJD" T-shirt while preaching?

Worship includes such things as style of music, different versions of the Bible, different dress codes for the pastor, and many, many other things.  However, worship is not ABOUT any of those things!

When certain elements of a worship service prevent us from worshipping, perhaps we have lost sight of what worship is really all about.  So, what is worship all about?  What is the heart of worship?

Worship is all about Jesus!  You knew I was going to say that didn't you?  Well, it happens to be true. 

Our music should point us to Jesus, no matter what the style.  We should try to hear the message of the music, even if we don't like the tune. 

Scripture, by definition, points us to Jesus.  I understand the all the "thees and thous" of the King James version are foreign to our ears, but some Christian traditions refuse to hear any other version.  That is sad.  Because the version of Scripture used is far from the point.  The point is allowing the Scripture to show us something about Jesus.

And really?  What do the preacher's clothes have to do with anything?  Sure, the preacher should be presentable, but does wearing a robe, or not, really matter?  There are times when I feel that wearing a robe and stole are more appropriate for the occasion, Communion Sunday for example.  But, there are other times when it might be most appropriate for me to wear jeans!  It depends more on what message God gives me than on what is comfortable.

Oops.  I think I just stumbled across the thing that most often gets in the way of our worship.  It's that word "comfortable"!  Can we be uncomfortable and worship at the same time?

You betcha!  Think about Paul and Silas, in prision, their feet in stocks, their hands shackled.  They were singing and praying and praising God even in those decidedly uncomfortable circumstances!  Oh! and mighty things happened as a result of their worship!

We can worship under any circumstances, as long as we remember that Jesus is the heart of worship.  Whenever we forget that truth and start thinking that WE are the heart of worship ... well, you know what happens.

Be blessed!
Pastor Mark

From Disciples to Apostles

On Sunday, April 15, we explored the idea that Jesus can and will appear in the middle of the spaces in our hearts and lives that we have closed off and locked up tight.  He comes to this space, not to bring additional fear, that is why we have sealed off this space in the first place!  No, Jesus comes to bring us peace, shalom.  We have prayed, and I hope you will continue to pray, that Jesus will prepare us for his appearance in our sealed-off places.

There is another significant piece to the passage we were discussing (John 20:19-31).  Jesus told his disciples, "As the Father has sent me, I am sending you."  Then, he breathed on them, giving them the gift of the Holy Spirit.  This is John's version of what we usually think of as the Day of Pentecost.  Luke's version in Acts 2 comes some 50 days later and is told in much elaborate detail, but the main point of both versions is that the disciples receive the gift of the Holy Spirit and a charge to spread the gospel. 

Before, they were disciples.  After, they were apostles.  A disciple is one who learns.  An apostle is one who is sent.  Isn't it time we made the transition from disciple to apostle?

Hold on there, Preacher!  I wasn't there when Jesus told the disciples that he was sending them, so maybe that means only they were apostles, and not me!

Nice try.

Sure, they are the Apostles (notice the capital A?).  They were the first apostles, the ones who witnessed the resurrected Christ in the flesh.  Nevertheless, we also are apostles, because through this passage Jesus speaks to us, Jesus sends us.  If it were not so, then the Bible is a dead book and can have no real affect on us in our time and place in the world.  Besides, Thomas wasn't there when Jesus said those words (you remember "Doubting Thomas" don't you?).  Would you deny Thomas the role of Apostle?

Some of us are still young in the Christian faith, so it is appropriate for these to keep their focus on learning, on being disciples.  Most of us have been in the faith for many years and it is time we made the transition! 

We never stop being disciples; there is always more to learn.  Likewise, even when we are babes in the faith, little baby disciples, we have received the charge to tell others about it.  The more mature we are in the faith, the more clearly we are able to articulate it. 

Consider this, Mary Magdelene encountered the resurrected Christ and in a matter of moments, he sent her (apostle: one who is sent) to spread the word.  We all have the responsibility and the calling to tell others about what Jesus has done for them!  The easiest, simplest way to start is by sharing what Jesus has done for you.  Mary Magdalene's first witness was very simple, "I have seen the Lord!"  Give it just a tiny bit of thought and it will not be difficult to come up with something Jesus has done for you.

By all means, keep on being a disciple, keep on learning.  But let us make that very important transition into apostleship.  The Word of God (Jesus) sends us into the world to share the good news: Jesus Christ died for us while we were yet sinners; that proves God's love toward us! 

Be an apostle, tell somebody today!

Be blessed,
Pastor Mark