Dealing with people you may love but don't like

I was talking with gentleman the other day when in frustration he said something to this effect, "I wish that I could just forget for a day that I follow Jesus." When I asked him why, he mentioned how there was a person in his life right now that he was so angry and frustrated with, didn't really trust, who he simply wanted to tell them off really good. I thought to myself, I wonder how many of us face the same thing, we're supposed to "love our neighbour as our self," but can't we just can't stand our neighbour. I've said in jest, kind of anyway, that I have times where I love my neighbour but don't like them. 

These are the people that we find it hard to speak well of, people that we think inside our own heads, "You fool," or worse. Then I come across those words of Jesus that challenge my thoughts, "I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother will be subject to punishment, any one who says, 'You fool,' will be in danger of the fire of hell.' This is the same punishment for those who murder! 

It's hard to really love others at times and it's hard to control our negative thoughts about others, but I'm starting to understand where Jesus is coming from. In the long run, the way we think about others and the way we speak about others shapes how we will treat them. If I am constantly negative towards someone in my thoughts or words, I will never find it in my heart to love them, to wish the best for them, to respect and honour them. I have to take responsibility for my thoughts and my words, even though I can understand what that frustrated gentleman said the other day abut wishing he could forget for one day that he is a Jesus follower. Yet simply by allowing those thoughts and words inside us even for one day sows a seed that will find way too many opportunities to grow. 

It sounds so easy to summarize life into two rules; to love God with everything you have and are, and to love your neighbour as yourself, but when you really get serious about following Jesus, you quickly discover that these are the two most difficult rules to live by. It is only by the grace of God that we are able to even want to begin to live this way and experience the wonder of living out of love instead of anger, frustration or hate. 

relationship with my parents

If you've read the past few posts, you've probably figured out I've been reflecting on the 10 Commandments and how I've been focusing on them in my own life. I remember how they felt like a whole list of don't and didn't really pay too much attention to them when I was learning them in church and school, especially the honour your parents one. It's not that I was a bad kid, it's more that I kind of ignored my parents. If figured as long as I mostly followed the rules they set and made sure they didn't catch me in the ones I didn't follow, that I was alright.
This commandment took on a lot more meaning when I became an adult and a parent, not because I wanted my kids to obey me without any questions because of my great wisdom (well maybe), but because I felt a call into ministry in my 30s and this meant giving up a really good job and moving my family far away from my family. But what worried my parent more was the financial hit this was going to give my wife and I. Not having a university degree at the time meant that there was 8 years of school ahead of us and lots of student loans. My father strongly urged me to reconsider as it would mean a lot of lean years for my family and big debt afterwards. My dad had immigrated to Canada after WW 2 for a better life and he worked hard to make sure we had things he didn't as a child. He wanted the best for my family and thought I was throwing away a secure financial future.
That's when this commandment really bothered me, did honoring my dad mean not going into ministry? I sat with this question for quite a while because I really wanted to honour my dad's concern and love. Early one morning, while working at the bakery, it struck me that by sitting with this question was honouring my dad, even if I went against his advice, I gave it weight in my decision. It allowed me and my wife and kids to head off into the great unknown of 8 years of school and a call on my heart into ministry with a clear conscience.
I'm grateful for a father and mother who cared enough to challenge my plans and then support us when we went against their advice. The Lord provided for us over the next 8 years, many times in ways that brought tears to our eyes and I believe that I made my parents proud, even if I was a little bit stubborn.
Thanks mom and dad.

resting

I'm sitting here at home with my grandson, playing in the dirt, had a haircut earlier on, moved our trailer, and now am watching the rain come in. It's been a full and yet restful day; at least for my soul as it has been spent with those I love, helping others out, and just resting before going out to a gospel concert tonight with my wife. Today is a gift, not just because it's a day off from from the other six days which are filled with church oriented activities, but because it's been filled with connecting with those especially close to me.
This is what the whole Sabbath day off is really all about. It's a gift of time every week that God offers to spend time connecting with those especially close to us; think of God here, but also your church family. It's a time of playing as we laugh and share our week, but also a time of helping as we have opportunities to pray for and with each other. It's a day where we're given time to do helping activities with our church family for each other or within the community openly in the name of Jesus, worshiping God in our service and acts of love and grace. It's also a time to simply observe the world around you and the people in it and see how God is moving.
I often feel sorry for those who turn down God's gift of a day set aside to connect with him and each other, to serve others with each other, and to laugh and play with people important to me. For me as a pastor, Sunday often slips into being 'work,' though it is deeply satisfying and fulfilling work, it usually isn't about rest. This is why today, a Saturday, is my rest day, my Sabbath day as the Bible calls it. I thank God for offering it and I embrace it gladly as the gift it is. How about you, do you accept God's gift of a Sabbath day?

the language we use

I always find it interesting listening to how people express themselves. That doesn't mean I'm always impressed by how they express themselves, just in how. Over the years I've noticed a decline in how people express themselves; people tend to be much cruder than before. Now admittedly we often don't have very good examples when we listen to our politicians, sports or entertainment stars speak, however I also have to say that even in the church I sometimes cringe when I listen to how people engage in discussions and conversations, even when they're friendly. My father often said that you can tell a person;s intelligence by how they say things; those who swear and use foul language are obviously less intelligent as they are unable to express themselves without resorting to less than edifying language.
But it's in the casual expressions that I hear where I wonder when, as followers of Jesus, we need to be more of an example to the culture we're a part of. Here in Quebec, a very common expression is "Mon Dieu" or "My God." I know it's used in English as well, but you also hear Jesus' name used to express anger, frustration, excitement and in more ways that have nothing to do with talking with Jesus, and I wonder, why aren't we more offended? Why don't we speak up? My father told me right before I left home that he had only one precious thing to give me, my family name, and to protect it as my life reflected on the rest of my family; and I would also say my speech reflected on them too.
When God tells us to not use his name in ways that dishonour it, he's also protecting us and our reputation as his children. How you speak, the language you use reflects not only on you, but on God and all the other followers of Jesus. Perhaps if we thought more about God and each other as we look at how God tells us to live, we might understand how we are interconnected and how what we do does affects each other and God. I encourage to listen to yourself this week and think, "How does the way I'm saying this reflect on God and on the other people in my church family? Am I making them look good, or am I embarrassing them?"

images of God

Over the Good Friday/Easter weekend I was thinking about the images we have of God and Jesus. Most of us, at least not until the book The Shack came out really had an image of the Holy Spirit. I wonder how often our images of God have become idols that allow us to keep God small so we can do our own thing and not feel as guilty as we need to, guilty enough to do the repentance thing and actually allow the Holy Spirit to change us, transform us into who we are called to be.
I wrestle with this. I read about the 'Ancient of Days' in Daniel and am filled with awe and wonder at the image we're given of this patriarch who is dressed in clothing white as snow and hair white like wool. His throne is even more amazing as it flames with fire and its wheels are all blazing with fire. Then there's that river of fire that flows out from in front of him and I go, "Wow! so cool!" This is an image of power, but as I embrace this image of God, I pass over who God is besides just a powerful eastern patriarch, that he's also like a mother hen, that he's an artist and a physician, the king and judge, but also father and friend. When I embrace an image of God I tend to make him less; more my size, someone I can handle and shape in my own image.
God tells us not to make idols and I wonder if our images of God or Jesus become mental idols. This is dangerous because our image of who God is shapes how we interpret Scripture and how we live with others. Look at how thinking about Jesus as a handsome man with blondish hair and blue eyes made, and makes, it easier to justify such evils as apartheid or anti-Semitism. Seeing God as a kindly father figure with white hair and a bit of a paunch allows us to believe that God would never really punish us for doing something wrong, after-all, his job is to forgive us right? Would this kind of a fatherly-like God really want us to carry a cross and experience suffering? This then gives us permission that when anything causes us pain, we can do almost anything to numb the pain, or to run away from the things that hurt and are hard, instead of learning how to handle these things with wisdom, grace, perseverance, and so learn character and what it means to be more like Jesus in suffering and pain.
The remedy to using images of God as a way to keep him small is to read all of the Bible, not just the parts that make us feel good or tell us what we want to hear. It means really listening to everything that Jesus taught, not just the blessings parts, but also the 'carry your cross' and 'forgiving' parts. As you fill your mind with all the images of God the Bible reveals to us, you will learn that God is always much bigger, more complex, and less tame than you could ever have imagined. It will give you the freedom to simply trust is a really big God who, for some reason way beyond our comprehension, chose to have a relationship with us.
Learn to rest in the mystery of God and life will become richer and more awe-inspiring that you could ever have thought before.

no other gods

The past few weeks for me has all been about looking ahead to the Good Friday and Easter weekend and all the extra things that go on; an extra worship service tonight, church pot-luck breakfast on Sunday (it's at 9 if you want to come!), and the whole focus on Jesus, death and resurrection and new life. Even those who seldom set foot in a church, or think about God, find it hard to not notice all this focus on Jesus. Some may even find their way into a church on Sunday because it seems the thing to do, but they come to worship God as only one of the many other gods they are following.

I wonder if on Easter, rather than focusing on the stone rolled away, we should be focusing on having no other gods before Yahweh. We have a big tendency to create gods; we so often take God's blessings and turn them into Baals. The old gods such as Thor, Zeus, Aphrodite, Freya have faded away, or at least their names have faded away except in the Marvel comics and Agents of Shield, but the power they represent is still here. We tend to make gods out of everything; eros, money, pleasure, fun, food, beauty, and the list goes on. You might protest that there really aren't other gods and say it's unfair for me to accuse you of worshipping other gods, and yes, I'll agree that other gods don't exist, that the Thors and Baals don’t really exist, but our yearning for prosperity, passionate love, power and strife still do exist today and all too often these things grab our hearts and desires more than God.

The Bible calls for you to make a choice for only one God and to worship him alone. It has to be a radical choice; it’s not both-and, but either-or. You can't choose God and continue to worship whatever else you've been chasing after. As Jesus says, “You can't have two masters.”

One thing that strikes me in the Bible is how often the people of God renewed their covenant with God. It seems as if this needs to be done regularly for our sake so that we can make our choice over again, reinforcing it each time in our hearts and lives.

Choosing God means loving God. The Jews regularly recited the Shema, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God will all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might.” This love is emotional, something you experience in your heart for in our love we are responding to God’s love toward us. We understand more clearly what love toward God really is when we see love as a choice. To love God means you stick with your choice. This is about faithfulness to God where nothing is allowed to come between you and God. Jesus later on tells us that love means that we keep his commandments; that we live in the way he has told us to live.

Following Jesus, embracing the Christian faith comes down to worshipping God with an undivided heart; there is no “God and ...” in your hearts; you serve and follow God alone. 
So maybe this Easter we should be covenant renewing; challenging each other to have only one God, and not a god we make, but approaching the God who loved us so much he sent his Son to die and make our promises to love him alone again as God renewed his promises to us through Jesus. Just a thought. 

the future is in His hands

It's been a while since the last post. It's good to be back. It's been a time of reflecting and looking ahead, wondering what God has in mind and where he's leading our church and my family. It's a time of transition for both our church and possibly for our family, a time of potential renewing which is both exciting and a bit anxiety provoking. It came to a head this past Sunday as the text I preached on was Revelation 5 and how heaven was looking for one who was worthy to take the scroll of creation history and open it, setting it in motion and directing it on behalf of God the Father. Jesus, the slain Lamb is found to be worthy because he was slain for the sins of the world, he purchased people for God and has established a kingdom and priests for God. He is worthy because of his obedience and his great love for his people.
I realised that, while the future of our church isn't necessarily clear in terms of what we will look like or where we will even be, there are exciting possibilities and the ability to move forward with the opportunity to do some amazing ministry here, that though as a family we are wrestling through a number of things, we can move forward in trust and with hope because Jesus is in control and, as Paul says, "works everything out for our good," whatever that may be. That doesn't mean we simply drift along trusting in God to do his thing, it means we work hard on where we are heading as a church, that as a family we pray and work out the decisions we need to make. But we can do all this with the confidence that we are not walking along, that we don't need to trust simply in our own wisdom and strength, that God will bless us as we plan and work on doing the work he has placed here for us to do and being his presence here.
With that realization, a peace has come, knowing that the future is in good hands and they're not mine; that as we work on where God is leading, it will work out. I do hope that for those of you who may face big decisions, those of you who may be wondering about your future, that you will realise that it is in Jesus' hands and that by working hard with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you will be led in the right direction where God will be honoured and you will be blessed.