On the Kingdom of Me...
Hey Michael,
What did you find in Russia and India that confirmed to you, "Yep, I am called to be a missionary." You know it isn't something you sit down one day and say, "Gee, I'd like to travel. Hey, I know, I'll become a missionary." It's something, somehow, that God puts on your heart and you respond to.
(Oh - I'll respond to the whole culturally Jewish/religiously Jewish thing later...this is more important to me right now).
I'm pretty sure that what you're "uber cynical" about is not really Christians and Christianity (though I may be wrong) but how we've twisted and broken the truth of the Kingdom of God into the kingdom of me.
I'm also pretty sure that if you go to Africa or India or wherever else God leads you, what you will find is a tiny base of people really living out their faith - really loving like God loves - really trying to live in this great mystery that we call faith. Yes, you'll go to villages, regions, heck - nations - that have no Church to speak of - and you'll share the truth of the Gospel - which has nothing at all to do with drinking or not drinking Coke - and everything to do with inviting people into your life and letting them see that the love of God is your guiding principle - AND that you don't live it out perfectly. The last thing anybody needs to see is somebody so spiritually arrogant to think that they really have all their...um...stuff together.
We're too conditioned to McDonalds here - everything is for convienence - even our faith. It's packaged neatly into hour long increments - woe be to the worship leader/Bible study teacher/whoever who goes over that sacred hour mark. But what you'll see in much of the rest of the world is people for whom faith is an everyday reality. Yes, many of those people will have faith in other gods, but I think there's something to be learned from the dedication of a muslim or a hindu or a buddist - of their faithfulness to what they believe in. Be inspired by that to be committed more to the image of Christ (which, again has nothing to do with doing/not doing this or that - but has everything to do with forming that relationship - praying, reading, writing, thinking about, living in love... - with Christ). But don't beat yourself up that you're not there yet. Who of us is?
My favorite Christian in the world was Mother Teresa. Here's a quote from her Nobel Prize lecture (yep, this is something she said when she won the Nobel Prize for being, well, basically the most perfect human being on earth):
The poor are very wonderful people. One evening we went out and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a most terrible condition - and I told the Sisters: You take care of the other three, I take of this one that looked worse. So I did for her all that my love can do. I put her in bed, and there was such a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my hand, as she said one word only: Thank you - and she died.
I could not help but examine my conscience before her, and I asked what would I say if I was in her place. And my answer was very simple. I would have tried to draw a little attention to myself, I would have said I am hungry, that I am dying, I am cold, I am in pain, or something, but she gave me much more - she gave me her grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face.
She never really did have her...stuff...together, but she knew deeply the love of God in Christ and she lived it - in every moment that she could. And she still screwed it up sometimes. But she never really claimed to have it all together - just that she knew the One who does. That's Kingdom of God - not kingdom of me - stuff.
Stop trying to be legalistic about...well...anything. Have a Coke (sorry Rachel), read the Gospel of John (or your favorite) and fall in love with Jesus again.
What did you find in Russia and India that confirmed to you, "Yep, I am called to be a missionary." You know it isn't something you sit down one day and say, "Gee, I'd like to travel. Hey, I know, I'll become a missionary." It's something, somehow, that God puts on your heart and you respond to.
(Oh - I'll respond to the whole culturally Jewish/religiously Jewish thing later...this is more important to me right now).
I'm pretty sure that what you're "uber cynical" about is not really Christians and Christianity (though I may be wrong) but how we've twisted and broken the truth of the Kingdom of God into the kingdom of me.
I'm also pretty sure that if you go to Africa or India or wherever else God leads you, what you will find is a tiny base of people really living out their faith - really loving like God loves - really trying to live in this great mystery that we call faith. Yes, you'll go to villages, regions, heck - nations - that have no Church to speak of - and you'll share the truth of the Gospel - which has nothing at all to do with drinking or not drinking Coke - and everything to do with inviting people into your life and letting them see that the love of God is your guiding principle - AND that you don't live it out perfectly. The last thing anybody needs to see is somebody so spiritually arrogant to think that they really have all their...um...stuff together.
We're too conditioned to McDonalds here - everything is for convienence - even our faith. It's packaged neatly into hour long increments - woe be to the worship leader/Bible study teacher/whoever who goes over that sacred hour mark. But what you'll see in much of the rest of the world is people for whom faith is an everyday reality. Yes, many of those people will have faith in other gods, but I think there's something to be learned from the dedication of a muslim or a hindu or a buddist - of their faithfulness to what they believe in. Be inspired by that to be committed more to the image of Christ (which, again has nothing to do with doing/not doing this or that - but has everything to do with forming that relationship - praying, reading, writing, thinking about, living in love... - with Christ). But don't beat yourself up that you're not there yet. Who of us is?
My favorite Christian in the world was Mother Teresa. Here's a quote from her Nobel Prize lecture (yep, this is something she said when she won the Nobel Prize for being, well, basically the most perfect human being on earth):
The poor are very wonderful people. One evening we went out and we picked up four people from the street. And one of them was in a most terrible condition - and I told the Sisters: You take care of the other three, I take of this one that looked worse. So I did for her all that my love can do. I put her in bed, and there was such a beautiful smile on her face. She took hold of my hand, as she said one word only: Thank you - and she died.
I could not help but examine my conscience before her, and I asked what would I say if I was in her place. And my answer was very simple. I would have tried to draw a little attention to myself, I would have said I am hungry, that I am dying, I am cold, I am in pain, or something, but she gave me much more - she gave me her grateful love. And she died with a smile on her face.
She never really did have her...stuff...together, but she knew deeply the love of God in Christ and she lived it - in every moment that she could. And she still screwed it up sometimes. But she never really claimed to have it all together - just that she knew the One who does. That's Kingdom of God - not kingdom of me - stuff.
Stop trying to be legalistic about...well...anything. Have a Coke (sorry Rachel), read the Gospel of John (or your favorite) and fall in love with Jesus again.
posted by Pastor Bill at 5:40 PM
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