Sunday, September 27, 2015

What if We're Wrong


Mark 9:38-50
 “What if We’re Wrong?”
27 September 2015 St. Andrew’s Chapel Singapore

Confession time: street preachers cause me all kinds of frustration and unease. Living in downtown San Diego, I would see and hear my fair share of people telling everyone that the end was nigh and we were all going to hell. My first thought is usually, “C’mon man, my job is hard enough already without you yelling hellfire and damnation to everyone you see.” My problem is the assumption that none of us just going to the grocery store, out for a run, heading to a ball game, or taking kids to the park have faith really gets my blood boiling. It’s really bad during Comic Con because the street preachers are playing off a stereotype and approaching it in the absolute worst way.

  Now, have I ever stopped and talked to these preachers and asked them their reasons for such an approach? Nope. Have I ever told them how I feel? Nope. I did participate in a counter protest of Westboro Baptist while I was in seminary, but they never showed up so that doesn’t really count. Did I ever muster up the courage to take the advice and example of my preaching professor and counter their preaching with my own street preaching emphasizing grace and love over judgment and despair? Not a chance. Have I mumbled and grumbled to God about how I don’t like what they are doing? Of course.

Which places me squarely in the line of the disciples in this passage, and that’s probably not a good thing. I think that if I asked Christ his answer would be, “he’s not against us, so he’s for us.” And I really don’t want to hear that I’m on the same side as that guy, especially because his theology isn’t my theology. I’m not really a huge theology snob, but there are a few theological interpretations that will really get me fired up.

As I read and pondered this passage over the week, while on one hand it was convicting my own behavior towards certain lines of thought and interpretation. This passage also made me think about what kind of theological stumbling block merits a millstone around my neck?

Mark writes that Jesus used the Greek word micron in this passage. We tend to interpret this as we shouldn’t cause children to stumble, but we can also translate micron as “of least importance, insignificant, or humble.” If we go that route, it still includes our children, but it also widens those we should prevent causing a stumbling block to any who are marginalized or new to the faith.

Theology matters and is important, but how we express and explain theology is also of vital importance. And that importance may be difficult to reconcile with the fact that no one may be fully equipped to judge another’s theology. By definition, theology is an inherently impossible task. How can a finite being fully understand the infinite God? Like the disciples, my interpretation may be wrong and I may be expecting everyone to follow the same theological interpretation I have. The disciples are mad that this exorcist isn’t following them. They assume he has gone rogue because he isn’t in their group.

Jesus quickly tells them, he isn’t against us so he’s for us. Notice that word choice. It casts a wide net for following Christ. It pitches a big tent in which we can hold a large variety of theological viewpoints and teachings and all get along. As long as you aren’t working against Christ, you are working for him. Just sit with that for a minute. If our theology isn’t working against the work of Christ in the world, we’re with Jesus. If we use Jesus’ name and power for good, we’re probably doing it right and are not against him.

Now, some of you are better Biblical scholars than myself and might want to bring up Matthew 12:30. In that verse Jesus says, “whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” He says if you are not with Jesus, you are against him. Loyalty to Jesus is important, not loyalty to our interpretation of Jesus. We don’t control God and his work. The Gospel is the Gospel and will always be the Gospel despite any of our attempts to put it into a certain box or theological framework. We must remain faithful to the Gospel because our theology may just miss the mark and not be the correct interpretation. Where we come from and how we have grown in Christ color how we interpret his work in the world. Again, theology is important, but Mark is telling us we must handle the act of teaching theology with care.

Those that are young, either in age or faith, are malleable and impressionable. When we are new to an experience, we tend to drink it in and experience as much as fast as possible. We pay more attention to things. Just look at the young people in our midst. Infants are wide eyed, observing how things are and what things mean. Toddlers are experimenting with walking and talking and figuring out how to make it in the world. Elementary aged children are excited to learn something new, even more so when they feel they’ve mastered something. Remember the first time you rode a bike without training wheels or an adult holding the bike running along beside. Oh the sweet feel of freedom blowing through your hair, the sheer joy at pedaling on your own, leaving mom or dad in the dust. It didn’t matter if you crashed after 100 yards, you were free!

And isn’t that the same sweet taste of freedom we savor when we find the Gospel. When we finally get it and fully surrender. That ironic freedom in surrender is at the heart of the Gospel. So shouldn’t all of our teaching, all of our interactions with others be such that the other walks away not in fear of or disgusted with a Gospel encounter, but excited and reenergized by the prospect of such freedom. But, even if they aren’t wholly convinced shouldn’t they at least walk away curious as to how we can live with such freedom and long for a moment like that first bike ride?

What might this church look like? It would be one that isn’t worried about how many people show up, but how much like Christ the ones that do show up become. We’d focus less on growing numbers and more on growing disciples. When we say all are welcome we’d mean it. It wouldn’t matter how holy someone is or isn’t, nor how much they make or don’t, nor how they look, nor what gifts they posses. A former pastor I worked under told me during my first week, “I’ve got Bible thumpin’ conservatives sharing communion with tree hugging, gay loving liberals, so we’re doing something right.” We’d focus on hospitality and relationships because we’re all broken yet redeemed and seek for all to be redeemed, so we treat them as such.

We’d find a place for everyone’s gifts and talents. We wouldn’t brag about the work we do as the hands and feet of Christ, but rather we’d be the type that would blow off lunch with power brokers when they only want us there to bolster their image to spend it with the least of these because that is where we are called. When we see someone living out the Gospel, casting out demons in Christ’s name, we’d applaud her even if her theology isn’t ours.

This chaplain would finally quit his silent judgment of street preachers. We’d fight for a few underdogs. When the world kicks in our teeth, we’ll give the best we’ve got anyways. We’d be humble enough to listen to Christ speaking through others even if what he is saying isn’t what we want to hear. We’d be humble enough to know that our human attempts at theology, in other words, our attempts to define God might just be wrong. We’d acknowledge that misinterpretation, adjust, and move on.

In a nutshell: We’d love God, love people, and reach the world for Christ.

Is this list all inclusive? Of course not. Could it be wrong? Yes, because I’m sure there are flaws in my theology. But it’s my prayer that all of us are striving towards the goal of living faithfully into the freedom of the Gospel where our love of Christ overflows into love for everyone we encounter.

So, let us strive to make our theology less right and more solid, more in line with Jesus’ idea that those who aren’t against us are with us. What a different perception of the church we would have if we could break the stereotype of Christianity as being about rules and who isn’t part of the club, but rather about a place where we recognize that Christ works in mysterious ways, through people I may never expect to do the works of Christ. For then we’d be a salty church bringing flavor and peace not only to ourselves but to the entire world.

Important Questions


Mark 9:30-37
 “Important Questions”
20 September 2015 St. Andrew’s Chapel Singapore

Have you ever been scared to ask someone a question? Maybe it was your first crush and wanting to know if he/she liked you back? For those that are married, I’m sure the one asking the question was scared out of their ever loving mind, no matter how sure you were of the answer. What if you froze at the idea of asking someone about career advice, taking a specific job, or asking about getting a raise or promotion? Well, today we see a group of men scared to ask a question about where they rank on the hierarchy of status within their merry band of brothers.

Today, Mark passes along Jesus’ words saying not only are we to care for the least of these, but “whomever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” He then says that by welcoming children we welcome not only Christ, but God as well. Sometimes I really want to just tell Jesus to stop with the demands.

So why does he hold up children as the example in this passage? Probably because they have no fear in questioning everything while the disciples preferred to quarrel with each other rather than risk the chance of asking a stupid question.

Like our disciples, I know I hold back on complaints and questions knowing that Christ is convicting the selfishness inside. And who really wants to ask Jesus selfish questions? Even the disciples showed trepidation in asking Jesus to clarify a statement, so I don’t feel too alone in fear of looking dumb in front of the professor. But, what are we afraid to ask Christ?

Of course he knew the disciples didn’t want to show ignorance in front of each other after Jesus predicts his death and resurrection. Who really wants to be the one that asks the stupid question? Plus, when you’re competing to be the #1 EP on that eval or FITREP you can’t show any chinks in the armor. So it’s interesting that Jesus uses children as the example in this passage.

Now before we get totally enthralled with children, I will make this disclaimer: children are broken sinners just like us. They aren’t perfect angels and idealizing them is just as dangerous as ignoring them. We all know I don’t have any, so someone like me doesn’t have to live with them 24/7. Neither did Jesus, but he doesn’t put children on a pedestal.

Why would Jesus pick children as the example of least to first in this passage? Why not focus on the same groups he mentioned in Matthew 25? What else is there about children and their faith that is drawing Jesus’ attention?

Jesus picks children because they had a tough go back in the first century. Children could just be left on the road to die of exposure. Children were considered property of the parent and how you raised them, if you sold them to slavery, if you let them die were all the sole decision of the father. Back then children had no rights. They were thought of as a burden first, future income second, and never really considered as a blessing to the world.

So, Jesus is showing children as an object lesson in how what the world considers the least, the lowest on the social ladder is actually a beautiful gift in the heavenly economy. What all can we learn from children and what makes them an example of least to greatest, especially after learning that the disciples were scared to ask Jesus a question they were obviously having heated debates over?

Compare our adult fear of asking questions with the inability of children to hold back in their questioning of everything. They always ask questions. About. Everything. They want to know why. About. Everything. To paraphrase the GEICO commercials: It’s what they do. The disciples were afraid to ask Jesus who was the greatest. A kid wouldn’t hesitate. Then they’d ask fifty times to make sure Jesus kept his story straight. And woe upon Jesus if the story changed in the slightest.

            Children ask questions and in the life of faith, that is an important trait to have and practice. As a recovering Nuke, I still remember the mantra that we needed to have a questioning attitude beat into my vocabulary from day one of Nuke School. What is interesting is that as I grew out of childhood through High School and college, I had lost the ability to question those in authority. And, in a broken and hurting world, maybe we need more people to question why things are the way they are rather than lemmings following the crowd. Hence the reason Jesus raises ever questioning children as an example of faithfulness.

We all need someone around to question us, to make sure we are following Christ and keeping ourselves on track. Many in this room participate in a small group of some kind throughout the week. That is where most of this process of iron sharpening iron occurs. Those questions make us take a look at how we are living out Christ’s call on our lives and how we interpret Scripture. It takes a lot of faith in yourself to stand up and question what the world considers normal. Kids do this regularly, adults not so much and when we are questioned, we tend to get a bit defensive. That’s a natural reaction, but we follow a supernatural being.

While it may just seem that a child is asking questions due to stream of consciousness and that it isn’t really thought through, those questions help them learn where they stand in the world. Their questions force us to explain sometimes complex topics in ways that not only do they understand, but in language we can express. Our faith requires us to ask questions of ourselves and each other in order to understand what we believe about God. Sometimes in the answering, we are forced to put the answer in terms the other will understand, which deepens our own understanding.

People may feel uncomfortable with questioning what Jesus said in the Bible because it can feel like a lack of faith. But, Jesus mainly taught through parables which are designed to make us question how we see the world through countercultural and counterintuitive stories. Personally, I have to sit for a few minutes scratching my head after reading a parable asking what just happened. Through those questions and the challenge to how I live out the specific parable, my faith deepens, even if just a tiny bit.

Our questions aren’t a lack of faith, but a deepening and strengthening of our faith. If, as children, we had blindly accepted everything that we were told we would never personalize our learning. Answering our own questions allows us to internalize and own our learning. The harder and more important the subject, the tougher and deeper the questions. Because this story is so important, we should expect tough and life changing questions as we digest what Christ means in our lives.

So, if we are to have the faith of children who ask questions when the disciples (and us adults) are afraid of looking stupid, what questions should we ask of the world? How do we treat the other, the immigrant, especially in light of the fact that we are the other here in Singapore? Who is my neighbor? Why do bad things happen to good people? How do we balance national security with accepting refugees from a place dominated by a religion we don’t agree with? What do we mean by national security?

How do we better reflect Christ in all we do? Are we welcoming to all we meet throughout the week? How can Christ sustain us on our bad days? Do we use Christ as an ATM of grace? Do we look at children as a burden or a joy (and yes that probably changes from minute to minute)? What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow? What am I being sent into the world to accomplish for Christ this week? Who has the church ignored or forgotten for social or selfish reasons and how do I show them they matter to Christ?

How deep and wide is our forgiveness? How do we speak the grace of Christ into difficult situations? How do I navigate following Christ in the military? What defines who I am? My job, my money, my status, my accomplishments, my children, my ability, my deficiencies, or being named a wonderfully made child of God? How do I help the world elevate the least of these to those worthy of God’s promises? What else can those I consider the least of these teach me about my faith?

Our questions matter, just like the questions of the least of these matter, because we all matter in the eyes of God. So let us go forth questioning the world like a child to strengthen our own faith while we show Christ to those who think he has forgotten about them.

Sunday, September 6, 2015

Living Out The Gospel


Matthew 25:31-40
 “Living Out the Gospel”
06 September 2015 St. Andrew’s Chapel Singapore

“Preach the Gospel, use words when necessary.” Famous and deep words attributed to St. Francis of Assisi and a pretty good summation of this passage. Now, this is a tough passage to hear because this is Christ calling us out. I know you say you believe and are following me, but if you aren’t immersed in the pain of the world you won’t find me.

We don’t like to sit with pain, we hate to see suffering, we don’t like to be uncomfortable at all. I’ve often heard that one of the jobs of the preacher is to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. Based on this passage, maybe that mandate is a call for all Christians, for we are all called to minister to the world in accordance with our gifts.

So today, you won’t hear my voice as much as the voices of those who chose to step into discomfort and sit with the hungry, the thirsty, the stranger, the naked, the sick, and the prisoner. At some point each of these people experienced a moment that illuminated their calling in a sort of Popeye moment where they thought, “I’s got to do what I’s got to do.”

In 1998 a former Marine Chaplain’s Assistant during Vietnam who later went and earned a Master of Divinity and was ordained in the Methodist church realized there is enough food to feed everyone about 4 pounds a day. He left his job at another aid agency and started a charity Stop Hunger Now which in just 17 years has packaged over 211 million meals in 71 countries. (Play video)

In 2004, Scott Harrison felt spiritually bankrupt and made a trip to Africa with Mercy Ships, which we’ll highlight shortly. He saw the joy in the volunteers he journeyed with and he fell in love with Liberia. He recognized the need for clean water and used his Manhattan connections to fund wells around the water with his organization Charity:Water. (Play video)

Gary Haugen was a human rights lawyer for the US focused on cases of police misconduct. In 1994, he was sent to Rwanda with the UN to investigate the genocide there. What he saw changed his life. He realized that the rule of law was important for protecting the poor around the world. Because of this he started International Justice Mission in 1997 and they are a key player in combatting the trafficking in persons right in our neighborhood in SE Asia. (Play video)

In 1952, the American evangelist Everett Swanson travelled to South Korea to preach to US servicemen and was convicted to help the orphans he encountered. Over time, the name changed to Compassion International and thousands of children each year are cared for, educated and introduced to Christ through partnerships with local churches, many in countries we partner with for CARAT.

In 1978 Don and Deyon Stephens heeded God’s call on their lives to bring the love of Christ to those in medical need. So, he bought a ship on which they lived for the next 10 years, and took it to ports in poor countries to provide life changing surgery free of charge. Additionally, everyone onboard the ships are there voluntarily and pay their own way. (Play video)

From 1969-1973 Charles Colson was Richard Nixon’s hatchet man in the administration. A ruthless operator, he was convicted during Watergate and spent 7 months in prison. He became a Christian just a year before his time in prison. During his incarceration, he saw a need for ministry to his fellow inmates so upon his release he founded International Prison Fellowship. (play video)

All of these are just a small sample of the many ways in which people are the hands and feet of Christ in the world. We aren’t all called to found NGOs. We are just called to give Christ our time, talent, and treasure both locally here in the chapel community and in the larger world.

Maybe we volunteer our time to help lead worship, sing in the praise band, or take and count the offering on Sundays. Maybe we volunteer with AWANA, the youth group, or Sunday School. It doesn’t have to be every week for if we all pitch in, we get to share the load. Perhaps we share our time through service in the wider community through Scouts, a soup kitchen, coaching a sport, and other community service opportunities available.

Perhaps we want to offer our talents and sing a solo or present another talent during the offertory. Maybe we share our talents with the local community by sewing clothes, knitting for newborns with Navy Marine Corps Relief Society, etc.

For some of us, our lives are so busy that we can’t imagine putting any extra time into our schedule for volunteering or taking on any additional responsibilities. Well, you can still live into this scripture by funding not just these Christian charities highlighted today, but many others that you have encountered in your lives. Aid agencies need financing and some of us are better equipped for that than others. The money from our offering gets spent in many ways. From providing food at fellowship events to directly funding Christ centered charities. In the coming weeks, we’ll have a discussion as to where those funds are going and where we think they are best directed going forward.

There are many ways to glorify Christ in our actions to the sick, hungry, thirsty, poor, naked, stranger, and prisoner we encounter in our lives and even the ones we may never encounter on this side of eternity. Christ calls us to action and to a living faith so that when he sees us we didn’t know we were serving him. He wants us to live in such a way that, because we treat everyone as if they are Christ among us, we don’t realize he was in front of us the entire time. Then, on that day we’ll say, “when did we encounter you among the suffering” and he’ll respond with “good and faithful servant, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.”