Theology Blog

As I prepare for Lent, I find myself oddly enough thinking about idol worship. We don’t talk a lot about idol worship, even though it’s a constant theme in Scripture (and not just the Old Testament). It seems to be one of those things that we have tossed aside as a dated idea or concept. Perhaps the Indiana Jones series put our view of idol worship out of whack. Somehow we do not see idol worship as a relevant issue (and we even have a TV show called American Idol). Simply put, idol worship is putting anything before God as an idol, it means that we see something as more significant and important than God. Surely if we are asked we who follow Christ would say that there is nothing more important than God. If we took a deeper look at our lives however we might notice that there is a lot in our life that we prioritize over God. Some of these things may be bad, some may be neutral and others may be good. If I look at my own life there are many things I enjoy; perhaps even too much. I might just as well play a game on my phone instead of praying (not that you cannot play a game on your phone) when I have not taken time at all that day to pray. There are things, ideas, and people that we enjoy so much that they may in fact be idols. It could be a celebrity, a friend, another relationship, an athlete, the idea of success, a product, food, a company or more. It is worth our careful consideration to examine what it is that we place as more important that God.

Today is Ash Wednesday and what marks the beginning of Lent. The celebration or observance of Lent is one of those things that seems to be getting lost in the culture and in our churches. It is not just the mainline churches that should honor this (and other) church seasons as there is a deep history, tradition and theology that comes with these seasons, particularly Lent. Lent is a time to journey to the cross with Jesus, to remember this story so that the Easter story has the fullest meaning possible. Lent is a time of reflection and sacrifice as we think about the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. We are not a culture (or even a church in general in the U.S.) that does well with honoring suffering and sacrifice. We avoid pain and assume that God wants to help us avoid pain even though he used pain and suffering to write the gospel story, the greatest love story ever told. It is easy to assume that the cross not only took care of all of our sins, but our suffering as well, but that is not realistic. While suffering is a reality in life, the way that we deal with it and the way in which God can redeem it in our lives depends a lot on our theology and understanding of suffering. This is one of the great gifts of Martin Luther, that he had a pretty solid (although not perfect) view of suffering. The scripture is clear (and Jesus addresses this directly) that we are to embrace suffering. That is why Lent is so important. In Lent we think about and embrace suffering as we reflect on Christ’s sacrifice and suffering. Sure, life will give us plenty of opportunities to experience sacrifice and suffering, but to take over 6 weeks to carefully reflect on sacrifice and suffering will not only draw us closer to Christ but will enable us to better embrace suffering and sacrifice in our life the way that Christ would want us to. What is your theological view of suffering and sacrifice?

Today I had coffee with a colleague that I have gotten to know over the past six months or so. It was the first time we had the chance to sit down one on one and it was a very enjoyable conversation. We talked about a wide variety of things during our time, but it was not so much the content of the conversation as it was the tone of the conversation that was most beneficial. After some reflection, I am reminded of the practical and theological importance of encouragement. Encouragement is not a natural part of our culture, it is not practiced or celebrated nearly enough. This is also the case in the church, and yet the nature of the Gospel and the message of God in the Scriptures are filled with encouragement. One of the best examples of this is the Apostle Paul. His writings in the New Testament are filled with encouragement. Even in the difficult situations and circumstances, Paul was one who encouraged. His encouragement although consistent was not cheap or simply out of obligation, it is truly genuine. When writing to communities that had significant issues and shortcomings, Paul found a way to be encouraging. His encouragement was true to the individuals and communities but was centered on the character of Christ. It’s a powerful model for us as Christ followers in a world that is increasingly negative, cynical and divisive. Are we world changers who are truly countercultural because we are encouragers? Its worth taking the time to think through the true nature of encouragement as we seek to be more like Christ.

Recently I got to hear somebody speak on the topic of Sabbath and rest. It was an interesting session and even as a spiritual director, I learned a couple new things. There is no question that Sabbath is something that we do not do well in our culture, especially in the church. There is actually no evidence that we are any more efficient than cultures who take rest seriously (such as many European countries) and yet we continue to push for efficiency, speed, and for big. Jesus of course was not very efficient, was never hurried and was all about the small. This kind of hypocrisies is ignored in the church and by pastors and leaders; present company included. We cannot forget that Sabbath is one of the Ten Commandments. Its on the list with murder. It’s the longest commandment and the word literally means to cease. I admit that I am not at all good at ceasing in life and even though I enjoy daily solitude, I do not cease well. While I feel guilty and even more tired when I actually stop and enjoy some time to truly cease, I know that it is what I need to do. I turned my phone off for almost a whole day and it was the best thing I could possibly do for myself. Ironically, I was more productive after a day of rest than I ever could have been if I had worked hard all that day. Its just another reminder that these Biblical truths are not just good ideas or suggestions, they are the path to life that is truly abundant. When is the last time that you truly embraced Sabbath and ceased doing so that you could simply be?

Several years ago, a television show came out that has since run its course called My Name is Earl. The show was about a man who won the lottery and as a result felt that fate, or Karma, required him to make up for every bad thing that he had done in his life. The show shared a variety of stories that affirmed this line of thinking. The basic gist of Karma is that if you do bad things, bad things will happen to you. If you do good things, good things will happen to you. When we, as followers of Christ think about this, we readily recognize that this is a false line of thinking, especially the preposterous way that this show often depicted Karma. Karma is the New Age, postmodern version of a works theology. If we are to be honest, however, we at times hold a view incredibly similar to Karma. When something bad happens we wonder why God is doing this bad thing to us, or why God is allowing it to happen. We wonder what we have done wrong. We feel and live in tremendous guilt when we sin and often look for ways to make up for our sin, while living in our mistakes instead of grace. I am not suggesting we not have remorse for our sin, nor am I suggesting we not engage in authentic repentance. What I am suggesting is that oftentimes we allow suffering and sin to have more power in our lives than grace. When we do so, we fail to live in the resurrection.

The resurrection is the story of new life. Christ died for our sins. We are saved and as we are reminded in 2 Corinthians, we have new life in Jesus Christ. This new life does not exempt us from sin or suffering, but it does guarantee that sin and suffering do not get the final word. Christ was victorious over death. God has made a promise to His people fulfilled in Christ, and it’s a promise God is not going to break. When we live in the resurrection, we recognize that God can redeem all things. God can make all things new. Whether is a major event or a minor issue, regardless of whether is a story of joy or suffering, God is redeeming all things. God wants to take every event, experience, and part of our lives, our families, our churches and our world and make them new creations. It can be tremendously difficult in a time of pain, grief or suffering to see the good; there is no denying that. One of the greatest tools we have in healing from these situations comes when we are able to look for the good that God is, has and wants to do in the midst of the difficulty we are facing. Every individual, family, church and community faces difficulty, but those who live in the hope and promise of the resurrection are able to find not only healing, but also new life. To say that God redeems all things recognizes that through the resurrection, God has promised to take all things, the good, the bad and the ugly, and make them new. To live in the resurrection is to look for the ways God might be redeeming every circumstance, experience and relationship. To live in the resurrection is to reject Karma and believe that even in the midst of sin, suffering, grief and pain, God can write a new, better and more powerful story that not only brings healing and hope, but a new life as well.

To live in the resurrection is to look for and engage with the glorious, redemptive work God is doing in our lives, in our families, in our churches, our communities and the world. Living in the resurrection is trusting that God is going to do amazing things in our lives, our children, our families and our churches even when things seem dark and hopeless. After all, that is the story of Easter when after the darkest hours of the history of the world, the greatest story of redemption broke forth in a way that will never cease to amaze all of creation.

Jesus Christ is risen! May we be a resurrection people. May our lives, our families, our churches and our world reflect the power of the resurrection.

I have long argued that denominations are imperfect institutions but do in fact have great value. My primary view of a denomination is that it is a theological home. As a Lutheran Pastor I do not question my theological home even though there are aspects of the home that I do not love or completely fall in line with. One of the greatest strengths of my theological home is our theology of the cross. A colleague from another theological home once told me “Lutheran’s really get Lent. Lutherans have a great understanding of the cross.” Luther’s theology of the cross is complex, yet simple. It is both rich and deep. Perhaps one of the greatest concepts that Luther brought to light is that “everything is hidden and revealed in the shadow of the cross.” There is far too much depth to that statement to address in my simple little blog here, but it is a phrase that I continually revisit. There is great revelation and mystery in the cross.

My favorite author, Brennan Manning said this about the cross: “The cross confronts the Christian with the cost of discipleship, reminds him there is no cheap Pentecost, and carries within it the living power to enable him to endure the inevitable humiliations, rejections, sacrifices and loneliness that the journey to higher Christian consciousness imposes.” This is a powerful summary that scratches the surface of what the cross means to us in contemporary American society. We are a people of the cross! Discipleship is not cheap, the church is not easy, we are not alone. The cross demonstrates that our suffering is both significant and insignificant. Christ allowed himself to feel alone (my God why have you forsaken me) so that we never have to be alone. Pain is inevitable, but the story of redemption is that God can use our journey of pain to draw us closer to Him, to make us more like Christ. I often wish there was an easier, less painful way than suffering. As I look at the cross, I know that Christ understands that sentiment well.

Someone once told me that ‘comparison is the basis of all unhappiness.’ I hate generalizations and global statements even though I often utilize them in my own life. Since that time, I have looked for exceptions to the rule, and have yet to find any once I really analyze the situation. We are a culture that compares. As I was thinking about this idea one day and doing my devotional, something struck me that I have been pondering since:

Compared to Christ everything is insignificant. Because of Christ, everything can be significant.

In the end, comparison can and should be irrelevant. Compared against or held to the person of Christ, nothing else matters as much, or quite frankly at all. Yet, everything in our lives matters and has meaning and significance. We don’t always see or find that significance or meaning in everything, but God can redeem all things. Everything can be significant because of who Christ is. The true significance of a relationship, an event, a thing is only found by looking at it through the lens of Jesus Christ. When we ask the question, ‘what does my relationship with Jesus say about this?’ we find even greater meaning. There is a dramatic difference between life and abundant life. Our lives are full; but are they busy or are they abundant?

Comparison is the basis of all unhappiness.

There is a difference between simply living and living abundantly.

Compared to Christ, everything is insignificant, because of Christ everything can be significant.

About a month ago, I was meeting with another youth worker and we were talking about life, ministry and our own relationship with God. He shared with me a book that he was reading, required as a part of his job. I had not heard of the book, but he showed it to me and I realized that it was one of many books related to ministry that has encouraged and embraced a consumer mindset. The consumer mindset that has overtaken the church (as the world has changed the church) is perhaps one of the most threatening philosophies to the spiritual life and health of the church and its participants. One of the quotes I read in this book (I forget the name of the book) went like this:

“Another reason to pursue a consumer-oriented ministry mindset is that without it, we are doomed to stay as we are, or worse, to fail.”

There are many things I can say about this statement, and I welcome your comments. SImply put this is HERESY! This hideous theology is a reminder that the church must be about Jesus Christ and must minister out of a theological framework instead of being completely shaped by the culture. Context does matter, nobody knew this better than Jesus, however a consumer-oriented mindset is not a healthy direction for the church at all. Jesus is not a commodity, and even if we win people to jesu or the church with this mindset, we have won them in the wrong way, which can dramatically impact the genuineness of their faith. Sure, the church needs to change in order to prevent its death, but death is also a part of the pruning that the church may need. The church of Jesus Christ will never die, but the church as we know it now may die, and that may be a necessary death. Additionally, failure is not a good thing in terms of the great commission, but we must be careful not to compromise the core values in order to succeed in the eyes of the world. Even if this kind of success is not temporary, it is not the image of the Church that Jesus imagined as he hung on the cross.

Thoughts?

Eugene Peterson wrote: “Any place is the right place to begin to pray. But we must not be afraid of ending up some place quite different from where we start.”

This is a powerful summary of prayer, but also an amazing challenge to consider when we think about prayer and our prayer life. Whether out of habit, duty, need, or some other motivation, prayer can become something that is more about the activity than the change that can come. To pray is to change, to be made new. If prayer is a conversation at or with God, then certainly we must not come at it only out of need, or our own desire or end. Just like any relationship, it must be about the relationship itself, and not what we are trying to get out of it.

Perhaps this is one of the many reasons that I love to pray the Psalms. Certainly the Psalms are scripture and therefore better than my own words, but they also give me words when I do not have them, or provide words when my own are inadequate. What Peterson has to say here is the image of the Psalmist. The Pslams often start in one place and end up in a uniquely different place.

Why do we pray? What is the deeper meaning? I have heard it said that you should be careful what you pray for, and while that is a true statement, it is riddled in a selfish or fearful approach to prayer. We need to begin to think and feel differently about prayer in our own lives.

I have been thinking about fruit lately, particularly in the Biblical sense. In the agrarian culture of Biblical times, fruit is referenced quite a bit. In talking with a youth worker the other day, I made one of those comments that once it came out, I realized there might be something to it.

We are called to bear fruit, not produce it.

I am still thinking about this theologically imperfect comment, because in the midst of its imperfection there is something there.

So what is the difference between bearing fruit and producing it? Very little, and a lot, all at the same time. I am still figure it out and will be pondering the idea for quite some time.

When we produce fruit, we simply create it, or make it. Its like the idea of making believers or focusing on numerical growth. Its all about production, duplication, efficiency and results. It is a consumer mindset, one that is focused on mass production. It is efficient and it looks great on the outside. It is all about what we do–its the human doing concept.

Bearing fruit is more of a way of life. It comes out of who we are, but there is something deeper there. It is the idea of discipleship and is focused on depth and not numbers. It is not necessarily efficient and is more about multiplication and process, not so much about results. It is relational in nature and does not look nearly as good on the outside as it does on the inside. It is about who we are and not what we do. It is focused on the human being concept. It trusts that we are not in charge and we do not have to perform.

We are called to bear fruit, not produce it?

What does this really mean? What are the strengths of this conversations? What are the weaknesses? What the deeply theological, Biblical truths? What are the falsehoods of this statement? I look forward to processing this more.