What Do We Learn About God From His Methods

What does the fact that God communicates to us in mysterious (yet clear and certain) ways tell us about his character? What benefit might he intend in making himself known to us without putting an instant end to our problems, bringing down corrupt governments, or healing every sickness we suffer?

MM

Christmas Too Close To See

G.K. Chesterton tells a story about a young boy who goes out to sit on a hill to draw with pieces of chalk on a scrap of brown paper. The boy is initially excited, but then frustrated upon realizing he has forgotten the piece he thinks most important—the white chalk. He mulls in frustration for a short time, then erupts into laughter as it dawns upon him that the hill he sits on is itself made entirely of white chalk. I see a profound picture of Christmas in Chesterton’s story.

It’s easy to forget in the midst of Christmas festivities that, for many, Christmas will not be so festive this year. For a lot of people, this will be the first Christmas after losing a spouse or child. Others will experience Christmas as spectators, watching the world around them celebrate, as they would love to do if only they still had, or just once could have, the wealth necessary for a Christmas celebration. For some, every holiday song, every advertisement and decoration only serves as an amplifier of pain: “There’ll be no need to go across town to his favorite store this year,” so the Christmas-sale ad seems to say to the widow. “This is how most people (except you) enjoy Christmas shopping,” says the mall commercial to the minimum-wage-earning, single mom of three. What a heart-stab every mention of Christmas toys must be to those who have lost a child? There are many—very many—who watch all of Christmas as orphans watching through the orphanage window as families play across the street.

From this it is extremely tempting to give up our cheer and take a view that is more “mature,” a level-headed view that pulls our head out of the clouds, one that sobers us with the “real world,” and prevents us from getting caught up in all the childish Christmas hype. But such a view is short-sighted to say the least.

Before I go any further, please don’t take this as some muddle-headed attempt to counter deep pain with trite Bible clichés. Make no mistake; pain hurts. But one can either hurt in hope or hurt in despair, all depending on the level of insight and faith.

I said to lose cheer is tempting but short-sighted, because to do so is to stop and turn around within sight of the finish line. As dark as many situations may seem, the light is ironically close. The remedy to the pain evoked in so many by Christmas celebrations can only be had in looking past the celebrations to their source. If shiny tinsel and lights and family dinners are really all Christmas is about, hurting, lonely people have little hope. But what (rather who) lies at the very bedrock of all the Christmas cheer? It is the Father, the Lover, the one who ultimately defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow. The great irony is, in many people, loneliness and pain is intensified by the celebration of the coming of the only One who can cure our loneliness and pain. Those whose pain is aggravated by Christmas are in a situation much like a man stranded on a desert island who is irritated when the island’s silence is broken by the foghorn of a rescue ship. With Chesterton’s story in mind, Christmas makes us aware that no matter how bad we are hurting, we sit on a hill of white chalk.

MM

Christmas And The Greater Story

Once we consider God's plan unfolding through history, centering on the arrival of the Messiah, does it strike you as an exaggeration to say that we live everyday in a great drama--one of higher stakes than anything we might see in an episode of 24 or a spy novel? Why or Why not? 

MM

Christmas Overlooked

What do you think is the most important aspect of Christmas that doesn't get the emphasis it deserves? 

MM

The Gap Between Appearance And Power

Considering the difference between the appearance and the real power between King Herod, in his mighty palace, and King Jesus in his lowly stable, what are some modern examples of something (or someone) which has a big difference between appearance and real power? And how does this hinder or help us as we live out the Christian mission? 

MM

The Qualitative Difference

When Christians talk about giving or sacrificing for the cause of Christ, we often emphasize our sense of duty: "We're supposed to sacrifice for Christ because of all that Jesus did for us." This is, of course, a true statement, but what we should also emphasize is the qualitative difference in a life of sacrifice compared to a life driven by a concern for personal wealth and security. 

There is not only the quantitative difference in the sacrificial versus the self-indulgent lifestyle (in that one results in a smaller bank account and fewer "toys" than the other), but there is definitely a qualitative difference as well. There is a solidness or a richness in the experience of sacrificial giving that is just not present in things done only for the self. 

When this is understood, it becomes clear that, in the big picture, not sacrificing is really the more painful and regrettable option, but why is this so often hard to realize when we are in the contemplation stage before making a decision about how to spend our resources? 

MM

It's What's In The Image That Counts?

It's safe to say we live in an image-driven culture, where image is usually prized above the substance underneath. I was recently disturbed to see a poster of Kobe Bryant (whose adulterous relationship was made very public a few years ago) hanging in the entrance to by sons' elementary school. It's not that Bryant should be shunned or condemned, it's just that a man who's had to hold a press conference announcing and apologizing for his adultery is not really one whose motivational poster belongs in an elementary school. But he looks good in a Lakers uniform (I guess) and performs well on the court, and for many, these are much weightier issues than moral character. 

So, in such an environment where image is king, how can Christians shift the focus to what really matters and keep ourselves from getting sucked into the hollow pursuit of image for its own sake? 

How do we teach our children about this? 

MM

20/80 80/20 or 100/100 ?

A few years ago, the Serendipity Publishing Group printed what could be called an 80/20 model of church involvement, which explained the percentage of people attending church who actually contribute to the mission of their church (and thus to the mission of The Church).

The 80/20 chart showed that in churches across the country, 20% of the people in most congregations contributed 80% of the money, time, and other resources, and 80% of the people contributed 20%.

This raises an important question:

What is something specific that would change (maybe overnight) in a town or larger community if just one congregation operated on a 100/100 relationship between the people who attend and those who contribute to the mission of The Church? In other words, what would change if every person who regularly attends a Christian congregation (let's say of a few hundred) believed that all his or her resources were on loan from God and based every decision on the question, "How can I use all of what's been given to me to make the maximum impact on the world around me for the purposes of Jesus?"

MM

On Earth As It Is In Heaven

Taking seriously Jesus' words about bringing forth God's will "on earth as it is in Heaven" reminds us that the Christian life is about action and about rearranging our lives so that God's will--his purposes, his agenda, his goals, etc.--are the driving factors in all our decision making. 

But far too often people think of the Christian life as more of a private thing, focused only on one's self. What is a specific example of how this mistake shows up in a person's thinking or actions? What can we do to get on track? 

MM

Questions on Hell.

1. What do you think is the biggest misconception about Hell?

2. Do you think the explanation of God allowing us freedom (and we've abused the freedom by making bad choices) is adequate in explaining the reality of Hell? Why or why not?

MM

Everything In Light Of The End

Two questions this week:

1) What's your idea of what Heaven will be like and why?

2) What's a specific example of how the future reality of Heaven should change the way we experience something in the present? 

MM

Heaven Our True Home

If everyone realized that the good things in life, like good relationships and careers and hobbies, are very important, but were never meant to give us ultimate fulfillment, (they are inns to stop at on the way home, as Lewis says), and that our ultimate satisfaction comes only when we are with God in our true home (AKA Heaven), how would this change people? How would this change the crime rate? The divorce rate? Would it have any bearing on the current economic problems we've been hearing so much about on the news?

What do you think?

MM

Where Lies Our Security?

If given the choice, do you think most Americans would give up their freedoms of religion, speech and press, (say, to a dictator) in exchange for guaranteed economic and military security?

What perspective does the Bible (especially OT books like Hosea) give on this question? 

MM

 

Real Change

In light of Paul's story, and the other points made about personal change, what is a mark of authenticity that indicates real change in a person's life once he or she begins to follow Christ? In other words, what's an indicator that a person is truly serious about living the Christian life and not just treating it like a hobby?

(Maybe consider Jesus' descriptions of the different types of soil in the parable of the sower and the seed in Matthew 13)

MM

Experiencing God Through Scripture

Feel free to post a comment on the sermon. Since the topic for this week is experiencing God through Scripture, instead of posting a question, I thought it would be good to list three of the best Bible study resources available on the web. 

The Online Bible site is especially helpful because it allows you to download Bible study and research software, whole searchable texts of the Bible, and many commentaries and maps, all for free. 

Here's the list: 

http://www.onlinebible.net/

http://www.biblegateway.com/

http://biblos.com/

MM

Love As A Key To Knowing

It's a common idea that love blurs people's vision--that it distorts people's view of reality. In the message for today, I've said the opposite--that a truly loving heart brings one closer to the truth and makes a person's perception of reality more clear and accurate. 

Usually someone's judgment is clouded by "love" when love is understood only as an emotion. Considering the way Jesus equates love for him with obedience to his commands in John 14:19-24, what more is love than just emotion? 

What would be a good example of someone acting in love when the loving act may not involve warm feelings? 

MM

Let Go and Let God

What things do we need to let go of in our lives and let God be the center?  What will this accomplish?

Are there things you have let go of and given to God?  What changed?

 

Bobby Gohn

Defining Sin

When Christians talk about sin with people outside the Church (and sometimes inside), they're often perceived as prudish, hypocritical or arrogant. 

When is this an accurate perception and when is it not? When is it appropriate for Christians to protest sin in the larger culture and when is it inappropriate? 

MM

Gwen's Story

What in Gwen's story about her experience in prayer struck you the most? 

Also, most of us know well the external factors that keep us distracted, like Martha doing kitchen work while Mary sat at Jesus' feet (Luke 10). But what are some internal factors that keep us from realizing the active and immediate presence of God? Maybe inner attitudes, or perhaps our secular culture has shaped our thinking in such a way that we've often trained ourselves not to see the supernatural, resulting in a cultivated blindness. 

MM

Passover and Communion

How does knowing God orchestrated the connection between Passover and Easter in such a detailed way over a period of 1,300 years change our perspective on experiences of suffering or confusion in our own lives?

MM

Thinking Allowed Q & A

Several people who attended the Thinking Allowed event on August 12th raised some great questions. I'm posting them and some brief responses on the Bethany UMC website, linked below: 

Thinking Allowed Q&A

If you want to comment on any of the responses I give there, just post you thoughts here. 

MM

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Please feel free to post a comment about the sermon. For this week's blog entry, however, I wanted to hear from some of you about the sign displayed directly across from the Bethany booth at the Red Lion street fair on Saturday. 

I post this with two assumptions: 

1) That we all realize the practice of homosexuality, just like the practice of sexual promiscuity and greed and grudge-holding and gossip, is sinful. 

2) That this sign is NOT a good way to engage people on this issue. (In his defense, the guy who put up the sign said he didn't agree with it either, but was only using it to start conversations--bad judgment in my view)

So, what exactly is wrong with this sign and its approach to the issue? In what ways could this be counter productive to our interests as Christians? 

Any other thoughts?  

MM

Real Life and Life's Real Meaning

This week the focus is on our desire to matter. No one is OK if they don't. Remember Viktor Frankl's observation in the Nazi concentration camp; there were two prisoners, one relatively healthy and robust, the other emaciated and apparently on the verge of death. Yet the the weaker one maintained a strong sense of purpose and lived, and the stronger had stopped believing his life had any significance and died.

This shows the depth of our need for purpose in life. We need to know we count for something, literally more than we need food and air.

The overwhelmingly wonderful thing about following Christ is that in doing so we experience the exact purpose for which we were created, and the complete fulfillment that comes with it.

But this is so frustratingly easy for Christians to lose site of. We are all vulnerable to falling for the idea that we can find real significance in life through some pursuit that's not related to God. And usually this happens without us realizing it.

Why is this so? What makes it so easy for us to anticipate fulfillment from things that won't deliver in the end, and drift away from the only One who will?

MM

God's Invasion

If you had access to all the "treasures of wisdom and knowledge," and knew what an ancient middle eastern religious leader calls the "mystery of God," how would this change you? 

According to John 1:1-14 and Colossians 1:26--2:3, we do know precisely these things, if we truly accept Jesus for who he claims to be. 

But what kinds of things can keep us from fully realizing this? What kinds of things could prevent the effect this should have on us?  

Speaking Big Hearing Small

This week's message focuses on the way people often fail to see how great and how serious a thing it is to follow Jesus. He offers us something huge, but we only want to take something small. 

What are some specific things that often keep us from "full blooded" discipleship--things that keep us from jumping in all the way to follow Christ? What can change this? 

MM

God's Celebration

In light of the three parables of the lost sheep, coin, and son in Luke 15, this week's message is about the thing that makes God celebrate: sinful people repenting and seeking him.

But to many outside the Church the theme of God's love is sometimes perceived as a vague, sappy idea disconnected from real experience. For some, the concept of God's concern for individual people is just altogether hard to believe.

Why is this? What makes this hard to accept? And how do we communicate to people the real solidness and vigor of the love of God and the difference it makes in everyday life?

MM

Haunted by God

This week's message is about being "haunted" by God--about that point where we realize God is truly alive and present in our every experience, and what a difference this makes. So what difference does it make?

Christians often use cliches about this: "Things happen for a reason," "God is in control," etc. But what's an example of a specific way our decision-making and everyday experiences are affected (or should be) by the realization that we are not only known, but pursued by God, and that he is present and aware in everything we do?

"Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." (Matthew 10:29-31)

"Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account." (Hebrews 4:13)

MM