Undeservingly Accepted and Invited

“If she can’t control her children, she shouldn’t bring them!”
“They need to be doing what those of us who give the most offering request. We’re the ones who pay the bills and keep the place open.”
“[(S)he] has no right to be [teaching, preaching, sitting in that pew].”
“We shouldn’t be doing his funeral. He never even bothered to show up most of time!”

As I was reading thru the texts for this Sunday, my mind immediately went to these things I’ve heard people say. I found myself thinking about the contempt I’ve seen and heard from others that even the undeserving – the criminals and the adulterers and the poor and the non-churchgoers – are forgiven and supposed to be welcome within the church of Christ. I found myself dwelling on how many times I have felt the hurt and pain of this discrimination – whether it was myself in the position of feeling unwelcome, or the witnessing of others being made to feel unwelcome.

And throughout my thoughts, I kept feeling this tug on my thoughts. I kept feeling this tug at my heart and soul. It finally dawned on me that God was trying to get my attention. God was trying to give me a little kick in the pants. God was trying to tell me I was thinking about this all wrong.

In my thoughts of how these people with “power” were putting people down, I was also thinking about how they are the ones who do not deserve to be here. They are the ones who just don’t get it. They are the people who need Christ the most. I found myself thinking of the joy I would feel if I saw them knocked down a position or two – told to move to a lower place at the wedding banquet. I found myself thinking how wonderful it would be to start a new physical church where those of us “lowly and undeserving” would have a truly Christian place to worship.

I was putting myself on a pedestal, believing myself to be better than those in power. I was seating myself in a higher place at that table. I was being one of the proud and haughty. And more importantly, I was focusing on the absolute wrong point of the Gospel. Or, at the very least, I was not placing my focus where God wanted it.

It is true that we should be a welcoming place. We are to accept the poor and lowly as well as those with money and power. Anger about the mistreatment of anyone, especially within the Church, is understandable. But again, this should not be our focus. Our focus should be on God.

The truth is, not one of us is deserving of the love God pours out for us. Not one of us has the ability to pay God back for the blessings he has bestowed on us. God invites all of us to the table – not one higher than another – knowing that not one of us has the ability to repay him. Christ died for each of us – for the forgiveness of all our sins – and not a single one of us can repay him for that.

The most any of us can do is to follow his example – invite the poor to the table. Eat and drink with even the lowliest. Give of ourselves in every way we can to those who need our gifts the most. No, this will not make us more deserving of a seat at that table. It will not raise us up in better standing before God. It will not place us in a position of power before God.

Every one of us has the ability (and often use that ability) to look at what others are doing as wrong. We all have that ability to turn things inward and look to ourselves to speak for God. What we should be doing instead is looking to God in everything, praying for the strength to be the meek and humble people he wants us to be. With every person we meet – whether friend or enemy, one of power or poverty – we should be accepting and loving and compassionate, striving for that unconditional acceptance, love and compassion God has for us. We should be praying for guidance in how we can use our blessings to bless each person, regardless of their status. We should recognize that we ourselves are not deserving of God’s blessings – we ourselves are not deserving of a place at Christ’s table – at yet we are given those things.

We should not look at others as being undeserving, but rather should look at what God has given us personally despite our own undeserving nature, and be thankful and praise him for these gifts. It is out of our humility and thankfulness that we find the strength and ability through God to accept others and share in our blessings.

Are You a Teenager (like most Bible scholars)?

If you have teenagers, or know teenagers, or were a teenager, then you know this to be true:

Teenagers know EVERYTHING. 

 

Just ask one. They'll tell ya how it is. They know what they're doing. They know right from wrong. They know the meaning of life. They know they're right. And most of all, they know you're wrong. You cannot tell them anything - they already know. And, you're stupid. Especially if you are:

• A parent
• A teacher
• A pastor
• A specialist in any field
• Any authority figure
• A friend who disagrees
• A sibling
• A dog
• An alien
• ...

You get my point.Teenagers think they know more than everyone else, and there is nothing you can say to the contrary. Or, you could say something to the contrary.... but you'll be faced with:

• anger
• resentment
• insults
• "facts" pulled out of thin air
• looping thought processes that are really just meant to confuse you to the point of you bowing down to their superiority.

Bible Scholars are just older teenagers

 

Yes, you read that right. Bible scholars are teenagers. Theologians are teenagers. Seminary students/graduates are teenagers. That one lady who has never missed a Sunday at church, and has read her Bible cover to cover 4 times, and teaches Sunday School/Bible Study/random people on the street - yup, she's a teenager, too.

I gladly admit, I do not know everything about the Bible. In fact, I know quite little about it. I've read it. I've studied it. But the more I study it, the more arrogant I find myself getting. Suddenly I feel God has empowered me with all His wisdom, and anyone who dares disagree with me? Idiot. I'm a teenager for crimminy's sake - I am not wrong!

Young children have an advantage over Teens/Adults

I have six children - five of whom are currently teenagers. The younger two teens aren't quite fully enveloped in that "I know everything and parents are dumb" mindset quite yet... but they're working on it. My youngest child is eleven. And even he is already slipping out of that young child advantage. But I remember when they were all in that place...

Young children are innocent. They're trusting. They're loving. And they're eager to learn. They want to learn. They hunger to follow, and believe, and learn and absorb. And they're humble. They don't claim to know the Bible. They don't claim to know whether or not baptism should be as an infant or as an adult; with a sprinkling of water or with submersion. They just know they want to know God and God's love. They want to hang on His every word. They want to be in His presence.

At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” He called a child, whom he put among them, and said, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me. (Matthew 18:1-5 NRSV)

When Jesus says "unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven", I believe He is wanting us all to become as I just described young children to be. He wants us to hang on His every word. He wants us to want to be in His presence. He wants us to trust and love Him with that same innocence.

There's nothing wrong with studying!

Please do not misunderstand me. There is nothing wrong with learning the Bible, or theology, or doctrine. There is nothing wrong with studying these things, and learning the ancient languages. There is nothing wrong with debating these things with fellow believers. But there is something wrong when we allow our arrogance and pride to interfere. There is something wrong when we begin to act more like teenagers and less like innocent children.

----

Please Lord, help keep our hearts and minds as humble children. As we grow in knowledge and experience and wisdom, help us to keep our arrogance and pride at bay. Help us hunger to keep learning about You, and help us hold on to our humility through the process. Help us to always desire to hang on Your every word and to cling to loving and trusting You.

In Jesus' name, Amen

7 Deadly Sins / 7 Virtues

One of my all-time favorite movies is Se7en with Morgan Freeman. For those who haven't seen it yet, but enjoy a good suspense flick, this is definitely one to see. The movie deals with the seven deadly sins - the killer going after people who are guilty of these sins.

The seven deadly sins was a list created as a way of classifying sins. The list went through a few stages (at one point there were 8, and a few were renamed to be more inclusive and/or just make more sense), and at one point had a severity attached. While most theologians no longer consider this severity, here is the list, from least severe to most severe (per the latest severity rating before it was deemed non-applicable):

• Lust
• Gluttony
• Greed
• Sloth
• Wrath
• Envy
• Pride

Throughout the upcoming weeks, I will delve into each of these a bit more thoroughly. However, I do want to touch on this severity rating. Some may find it strange to find pride to be the most severe of the sins. But if you really think about it, pride is what leads to so many other sins. Envy is also the root of many other sins. The least severe of them all is lust - which is probably a good thing for me considering the most recent "which of the 7 deadly sins fit you the most" quiz I took (actually, 2 of them), showed that lust was the only sin I scored high in. This isn't too surprising for me. I think we all have a little lust in our loins, in addition to the rest of these sins finding their way into our lives at one point or another.

In contrast to these sins, there are also 7 virtues. These virtues are what we should be constantly aiming for, and in doing so, will be less likely to commit the sins. These virtues (in the same order as the sins so it's easier to see which is the virtue that is in contrast to the sin) are:

• Chastity
• Temperance
• Charity
• Diligence
• Patience
• Kindness
• Humility

As with the sins, I will also describe these virtues more in depth in the weeks to pass. 

But for now, I shall leave you all (these pain killers are kicking my ass and I can't hold a thought long enough to finish writing this). Be on the lookout for sermons on each of the deadly sins, and the virtues.