October 2017 – Breaking Into Peace

October 19, 2017January 30, 2018

Broken bread

Today I had lunch with a young man I have not see in years, who I got to know through my first full-time ministry in Ohio. He is now involved with a church plant in the Columbus area and we talked about the faith community he is part of and how they are seeking to be more transparent, vulnerable, and real.

This led to an honest conversation about our own struggles and challenges in life and how brokenness is often avoided in church. His faith community seeks to be about openness, honesty, and unconditional love.

Reflecting on today’s conversation I was thinking about communion, the Lord’s Supper, the Eucharist, or whatever your particular faith tradition calls it. Some do it weekly, others monthly, or other variations as well. But I wonder if we really miss an important part of this ritual.

Have we focused so much on the ritual that we miss the point?

I don’t want to get into the theological weeds at this point, I simply want to offer a few thoughts and questions…

What if Christ calls us to the table to remember that just as his body was broken, we are broken, too?

What if Christ calls us to the table to remember that just as his blood was spilled, our blood has been spilled, too.

As much as we attribute the Lord’s Supper to a remembrance of what Jesus did on the cross, what if it is a remembrance of what Jesus DID on the cross?

What if the bread and wine are not just about the suffering that Christ did on the cross, but a reminder that we too suffer? And that Christ’s mission was about more than a free pass to heaven, but a pathway to bringing heaven to earth?

What if the Lord’s Supper is less about a ritual to make sure we are okay with God and more of a time for community, a time for healing?

What if we changed the way we did communion? What if, rather than passing plates and drinking a shot of grape juice, we turned to our neighbor and confessed our sins and struggles? I mean the real ones. The ones we don’t talk about in church.

To me, that may be the heart of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus sat around a table with twelve men, one of whom was about to betray him, and shared a meal. A meal drenched in meaning for these Jewish men, but also a meal where Jesus washed feet and discussed so many things.

What if communion is really about community? What if we viewed it as a chance to be transparent and honest? Maybe instead of just breaking bread, we could break down walls and heal hearts in the process.

October 17, 2017January 30, 2018

Five Stones

A friend recently gave me these five stones as a gift. They serve as an important reminder to me…

Most people are familiar with the story of David and Goliath. Goliath was a mighty Philistine warrior challenging the Israelite army. David, a mere shepherd boy, was sent by his father to check on his older brothers at the Israelite camp.

When David arrived, he offered to battle Goliath. While doubtful about David’s chances, King Saul allowed him to face the mighty warrior. Saul offered David his tunic for battle, but when David put on the tunic, armor, and sword he said, “I cannot go in these, because I am not used to them.” So he took them off, grabbed his staff, five smooth stones from the stream, and with his sling in his hand, approached Goliath.

David killed Goliath with one stone.

We all have distinct gifts, talents, and abilities. Life’s experiences and lessons, along with the personality and attributes that are hardwired into us, make us unique. Saul was a warrior. David was a shepherd. Both could go to battle, but each had to do it in a way that was true to who they were.

We must do the same.

I don’t believe that God picks out one job for us or has predetermined what we are going to do with our life. But I do believe that each of us is special and has something to offer the world. Regardless of where we have been, what we have experienced, or what other people tell us, we are all valuable.

Sometimes we find ourselves in places we shouldn’t be because we ignore who we are. We ignore our strengths and our weaknesses and avoid honest self-evaluation.

I am not saying that we should wait for God to show us that one perfect job, partner, friend, house, opportunity, etc. However, we must be willing to do the hard work to understand who we are, how we are made, and how life has shaped us up to this moment. When we do that and find moments to be still, we can start to discern how we might make the best impact in the world.

I believe that David would not have won the battle if he had worn the armor. It didn’t fit him, physically or in terms of who he was. Yes, David trusted in God, but one of the main ways he trusted in God was to realize who God had made him to be. David was a shepherd, and shepherds fight differently than warriors.

Whatever lies before you in your life, think about who you are and how you have been shaped up to this moment. Who are you? What have you experienced? What has prepared you for this moment in your life?

Maybe you need to lay down the armor and sword and pick up a few stones.

October 10, 2017January 30, 2018

Peacefulness and the party

This past weekend I officiated a wedding for an incredible young woman who is one of my former youth ministry students. It was a beautiful day and evening.

As we transitioned from dinner to music and dancing, the celebration moved outside. Enjoying the moment, I glanced between two columns and noticed the view above. Lights from the party glowed on the columns while a beautiful sunset faded behind the lake.

There was a tension between the two. The lights, the party, loud music, all right here in front of me. Life in motion, calling me to participate. People around me, talking loudly, enjoying an evening of celebration. A hundred different sounds and images clamoring for my attention.

The lake, the breeze, the calming effects of nature, gently calling me into a place of peace. Hundreds of hues painting a scene of beauty. Nature reminding me of the importance of silence and pause.

Neither could garner my complete attention. I couldn’t help but glance at the beautiful scene on the horizon, even in the midst of the voices, music, dancing, and more. When I found myself pulled towards nature’s silent call, the party would pull me back in, demanding my presence.

Even Jesus struggled with this tension. Consider the story we encounter in Mark 1:35-37…

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. Simon and his companions went to look for him, and when they found him, they exclaimed: “Everyone is looking for you!”

Jesus, like all of us, struggled to find time for peace and for people, for solitude and for solidarity, for calm and for community. It is part of the human experience.

I know plenty of people who beat themselves up emotionally for not having enough quiet time, whether it be Bible reading, prayer, meditation, or just “me time.” Others may feel like they don’t have enough time for the demands of life, work, family, friends, activities, and more.

The reality is, we need to learn to extend grace to ourselves and accept we will likely never maintain a balance we are completely satisfied with. Life cannot be about the pursuit of the perfect balance. Rather, let’s learn to enjoy every minute of life, whether we get it right or not. Maybe in the midst of the tension between peacefulness and the party are the places of mystery where we most fully experience what it means to be human.

“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.””

Mark 1:35-37
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/MRK.1.35-37

Mark 1:35-37
https://www.bible.com/bible/59/MRK.1.35-37“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking for you.””

Mark 1:35-37
https://www.bible.com/bible/59

October 5, 2017January 30, 2018

Stuck in a rut

This week there has been some major road construction going on in front of my house. The other morning I was summoned to the front door by a loud grinding noise. Stepping to the window, I looked out to see a large machine digging up my yard and the end of my driveway and creating a pile of stone and dirt. The result was a large rut at the end of my driveway making it impossible to drive in or out.

How often do we find ourselves trapped in a rut that either we or someone else has dug? I don’t mean a physical rut in the front yard, but rather an emotional, relational, or mental rut.

I have discovered in my life that there are many sources of ruts. Fear. Worry. Poor decisions. Past experiences. Toxic environments. Laziness. Bad habits. The list could go on and on.

What happens when we find ourselves stuck in a rut? How do we get out? There is no simple, formulaic answer. Often we look for the right “5 step” method, some pill we can take, or a convenient shortcut. The reality is that often the only way out of a rut is hard work, diligence, and community. Our best effort over a long period of time supported by a community of friends will usually offer the most fruitful path to growth.

Hard work brings us strength. Diligence develops perseverance. Community allows us to develop relationships and trust. Those things not only get us out of this rut, but build us up for future obstacles we must face.

Later in the day, a large front loader dropped some dirt and stone in the rut and I was able to get in and out of my driveway once again. Usually in life, there isn’t a front-loader that just comes along and does things for us. And if there is, whether it be a person, an organization, or some numbing agent, it usually won’t bring true success and growth that lasts. Rather, it hampers and handicaps us for the next challenge we will face.

We will all find ourselves stuck in ruts throughout our lives. Often the trajectory of our life is determined more by our reaction to them than the ruts themselves.