The Kingdom, The Kids, & The Cowboys

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The Crown

March 19, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Scripture tells us Jesus set his face toward Jerusalem. The Gospel of Mark describes this last journey for our Lord as Jesus “being on the way.” He was heading to Jerusalem with purpose, with great determination. Jesus was on a mission and nothing was going to stop him.

When he arrives near the holy city, he is greeted by cheering crowds. They praise him. They submit to him, throwing their cloaks in the path before him. They applaud him because of his miracles and his powerful teachings. They want to crown him their king. They’ve been praying for this King for generations, for centuries. They had heard the prophesies. They had told the stories. Luke says “the people thought that the Kingdom of God was going to appear at once.” They want to crown Jesus their king.

The crowds are cheering. But Jesus is crying. Isn’t that interesting? What a crazy contrast. What an unexpected bit of information.  The people are cheering and praising and exalting Jesus. But he’s crying.

Jesus willingly rode into Jerusalem to be crowned. With a crown of thorns. A crown of suffering and pain, anguish and shame. This crown of thorns is a strong statement about the kingship of Jesus. This crown represents a whole new way of experiencing the world. This crown represents an entirely different way of seeing success. It shows us a new way to view time and history and reality. This crown is powerful.

The King who wore this crown loved his enemies. His righteousness was greater than that of the Pharisees. He was rich, but he became poor in order to save the world. And as he’s dying on the cross — suffering, suffocating, gasping for his last breath — he uses his final ounces of energy to intercede for his killers, “Father, forgive them; they don’t know what they’re doing.”

This crown of thorns is not a detour on the way to the Kingdom of God. It’s not an inconvenient hurdle, not even a necessary obstacle that has to be overcome to get to the Kingdom of God. This crown IS the Kingdom of God! This crown and everything it represents IS the Kingdom of God come on earth just as it is in heaven! It is an eternal statement about the kingship of Jesus and it communicates to us very clearly what God’s Kingdom is all about.

Some people accept this statement. Some people don’t fully understand the statement. And some people flat-out reject it. But, make no mistake: it IS the statement. It is the revelation. Jesus’ victory over sin and death was won in suffering and shame. He willingly, intentionally, determinedly wore the crown. And he is our Almighty King!

Peace,

Allan

The Anti-Triumphal Entry

March 15, 2012 / / 3 Comments

March Madness is upon us. I saw a report yesterday that claimed nearly 40-percent of America’s workplaces have some kind of a bracket contest going among employees. I wonder how many churches are involved? I’ve got brackets entered at home against Whitney, here at church with the other ministers and staff, and in an ESPN group of our Central church young families. For the record I’ve got Kentucky, Ohio State, Missouri, and Kansas in the Final Four with the Jayhawks beating Mizzou for the title. Matthew and Greg made fun of my picks this morning. It’s on!

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Luke’s portrait of Jesus’ final entry into Jerusalem is striking in its contrasts. The crowd is cheering, but Jesus is crying. The people are shouting and praising; they’re exalting Jesus. But Jesus is crying.

The people believe Jesus has come to purge the nation of their Roman oppressors. They want Jesus to revive the ancient glories of Israel’s heyday under King David. That’s what the people want. And they’re not bashful about it.

“Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Blessed is the King of Israel!”

Jesus is the only one in this scene who really knows what’s happening. What Jesus is doing as he rides into the holy city is revealing God. What Jesus is doing shows us the heart of God and the plan of God. It shows us what God is all about. This deliberate and determined ride into Jerusalem is an unforgettable statement about the nature of the King and the Kingdom of God. Some people today rejoice in this statement; some people still don’t understand this statement; and some people flat out reject it.

See, Jesus is riding into Jerusalem to die. He’s coming to suffer and die.

This is not like the typical entry into a capitol city of a triumphant king. This is really like the anti-triumphal entry. Jesus does not enter Jerusalem on a white charger or a black horse of war. He rides a lowly beast of burden. He doesn’t carry a bunch of war trophies and a train of captives behind him. In fact, by the end of the week, he’ll be the one led as a captive outside the city gates and killed. Jesus doesn’t share everyone’s hopes and dreams of earthly glory and power. He doesn’t come to establish a kingdom to rival Rome. He comes to suffer. And sacrifice. He comes to die. He comes as a king who will be crowned not with priceless jewels, but with painful thorns. He doesn’t come to sit on a throne, but to hang from a tree. He’s doing the exact opposite of what the people expect out of a king.

Jesus is not a man of chariots and swords; he is the One who brings peace to all nations. His gift is a gift of life, not force or power. The people are expecting a mighty and conquering king; but in Jesus they get a sacrificial servant. And when he doesn’t deliver on their political and economic desires, they kill him.

The people shout, “Hosanna! Save Us!” And when Jesus says, “I will save you, just not in the ways you expect,” they begin to shout, “Crucify him!” When Jesus says, “I am coming to save you in ways that will far surpass in eternal glory anything you or your ancestors ever experienced or even dreamed about with the kingdom of David,” they kill him.

Jesus is not a way for us to get what we want politically or economically or socially or nationally. He didn’t come so we could create a better version of the kingdom of the world. Jesus came so we could be a part of an entirely new and eternal Kingdom of God.

Peace,

Allan

We’re All Ministers

March 14, 2012 / / 2 Comments

We just returned home from Fort Worth last night after spending a couple of days down there at and around Carrie-Anne’s mom’s wedding. That’s right, Gram got married Monday afternoon to a wonderful guy she’s been dating for almost three years, Jim Cayey. Of course, we’ve seen this coming now for quite a while. But true to Gram’s form — and, honestly, just about everybody on that side of the family is like this — we got a whole ten day’s notice before the actual ceremony.

Carrie-Anne’s family is so laid back, so casual, so “whatever” about almost everything. So slow. It takes them an hour and a half to watch “60 Minutes.” They rarely make any plans very far in advance. They just make it up as they go along. And the wedding Monday in Jim’s living room in Arlington was kinda like that. It took a while to get everybody there and, then, to get everybody in place. But it happened; and it was beautiful.

It was my great honor and privilege to preside over the exchange of rings and vows. It was to my great delight when Jim mistook “belong wholly to you” in his vows to Judy for “be unholy to you.” (We re-did that part after everybody stopped laughing.) And it’s to my great joy that they both love each other so much. They’re perfect together.

Jim and Gram, may the love of Christ Jesus guard your new marriage relationship. May the blessings of heaven crown your marriage with increasing joy and peace. And may your hearts and lives be forever united in his truth and grace.

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I’m not the minister at the Central Church of Christ. I’m one of the ministers. We have nearly 800 ministers here and I’m blessed to be one of them. By virtue of our baptisms into Christ, by virtue of the new creation and the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit, we are all called to be Christian ministers. Every one of us.

“Ministry in the Christian church is derived from the ministry of Christ, who calls all persons to receive God’s gift of salvation and follow in the way of love and service. The whole church receives and accepts this call, and all Christians participate in this continuing ministry.”  ~Discipline, United Methodist Church

We all pray. We all comfort. We all proclaim the Gospel. We all serve sacrificially. We all give our lives daily for the benefit of the world.

We’re all ministers. Ordained by God to partner with him as he reconciles and restores, as he forgives and redeems. We’re all ministers in the name and manner of Jesus. We’re all ministers.

Peace,

Allan

Can You Hear the Prayers?

March 11, 2012 / / 1 Comment

We were so blessed to have four crazy Legacy kids crash at our house last night as they swung through town on their way to snowboard in Colorado. Payton, Chris, Landon, and Paul arrived in time to share a full Carrie-Anne cooked Mexican food dinner complete with sopapilla cheesecake and ice cream and a couple of college basketball games on TV. I’m pleased to report that Chris has lost his lip ring; but Landon showed up with two huge honkin’ earrings! It’s always good to have Payton around because he makes me feel so young. Seriously. He acts older than my dad! And Paul was able to refresh me on my very limited Russian vocabulary. (Remind me to call David Nelson soon. Apparently, the word Nelson taught me to say as “Thank you” while we were in Kharkov is actually “Delicious!” It’s a wonder I didn’t get arrested over there! Somebody’s messing with me.)

We teased each other mercilessly into the night. We reminded one another about goldfish in the back of my pickup, glow sticks in the front yard, apple trees on the front porch, and living room furniture in the lawn. And we talked about Quincy and praying together and serving the homeless and ministering to the outcast in the name of our King. These are the prayingest young men I’ve ever known. And sacrificial. Servant hearted. What a blessing to have them as friends. What a blessing to be able to worship with these great kids this morning at Central.

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“About noon the following day as they were on their journey and approaching the city, Peter went up on the roof to pray.” ~Acts 10:9

I love the way this one verse ties two stories together. This one verse takes two men and their two different stories and eternally connects them into one unforgettable reminder of God’s mission and his power to accomplish it. Cornelius’ men had left Caeasarea to find Peter in Joppa. Peter goes up on the roof to pray, not knowing he’s already part of a story that began the day before. Peter is the answer to the prayer of a guy he’s never met. Cornelius’ men are on their way to get Peter and Peter doesn’t even know he’s got an appointment. He just thinks it’s lunch.

The angel of the Lord has already told Cornelius that his prayers have been heard by God and are being honored. His prayers are being answered. Peter is that answer. Peter is the one who will open up the truth of salvation from the crucified and risen Christ Jesus to Cornelius.

See how that works?

I wish we could hear the world praying.

“God, I don’t know where else to turn; I don’t know what to do. God, who’s going to take care of me?”

“Father, I’m at the end of my rope; I’m desperate. Please help me, God; please help me.”

Lord, I want to know you. Please show yourself to me. Please reveal your will to me. I want to belong to you, God.”

“Holy God, please provide someone to help me. Please, God, send somebody to help me.”

I wish we could hear the prayers of everybody at the apartment complex on Washington Avenue. I wish we could hear the prayers of all the kids at Bivins Elementary. I wish we could hear the prayers of the guys living under the bridge at Paramount and I-40. I wish we could hear the prayers of the man across the street in his $200,000 house. I wish we could hear the prayers of the single mom around the corner and the widowed lady who greets us at Wal-Mart and the waiter at The Burger Bar. I wish we could hear their prayers because I bet a bunch of them are praying for us. They’re praying for our hearts and our minds and our attitudes and our mission. They’re praying for God to shake us out of our comfort zones and get us moving in a reconciliation direction.

Can you hear your own prayers? How do you pray? What do you pray? If every single one of your prayers from last week were answered, would the whole world change? Or just your world? Seriously, how do you pray?

God, help us. May God give us minds and dreams and prayers big enough to imagine what he’s going to have us do next.

Peace,

Allan

Forever Changed

March 8, 2012 / / 0 Comments

You can fertilize your lawn. You can mow and edge, water and weed. You can get your yard in Chamber of Commerce shape, putting green great. But it won’t last forever.

You can clean out your garage. You can throw away and sweep. You can organize and shelve, hang and hook for three straight weekends. You can buy a bunch of plastic bins and put all the junk up in the attic. You can get your garage into mint move-in condition. But it won’t last forever.

You can scrub your oven and vacuum the carpets. You can get a haircut and a manicure. You can wash the car and repaint the kids’ rooms. But it won’t be perfect forever.

We can clean up our church. We can plant new flowers, clear out from under the stairwells, and plug all the holes with spackle. We can polish off another mission statement, coordinate our ministries, re-emphasize our doctrines, and unify our beliefs. But it won’t be nice and neat forever.

We can choose to share Jesus with a neighbor. We can love the guy across the street in Christ’s name. We can reach out to strangers and friends, men and women, rich and poor, with our Father’s mercy and grace. And they will be changed forever. They will be transformed, radically and dramatically re-made for eternity. They will never be the same again. Ever.

The Apostle Peter gets a clear call from our God in Acts 10 to get out of his comfort zone and take the Gospel to people who don’t look like him, talk like him, or think like him. Peter was shocked by the command. And he was astonished by the results.

Jesus says the harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

Peace,

Allan

Difficult and Untried

March 6, 2012 / / 1 Comment

Philip Yancey says that American Christians have become the kind of men and women that people appreciate as neighbors but don’t want to spend much time with. We take ourselves too seriously. Yancey points to theologians with long faces and loud voices, lecturing on the imperatives of the faith. I’ve certainly seen the pride and arrogance of those who write and present papers to counter papers that were written twenty years ago which were written and presented to oppose papers that were written two hundred years ago. I’ve seen the TV evangelists with every dyed hair perfectly in place naming the current Antichrist and pointing out their own healthy and wealthy lives as the way to salvation. I’ve seen and heard — especially in this election year; God help us! — the religious right talking about their issues and their great morality and their hard line stances on what’s absolutely right and absolutely wrong with the world.

We’re so eager to point out how good we all are, I fear we’re neglecting the very basic fact that the Gospel is a spectacularly good thing that is happening to spectacularly bad people. Those people should never dare to speak for all Christians the way they do. And they certainly shouldn’t call themselves the Moral Majority. Shouldn’t it be the Repentant Majority or the Forgiven Majority?

G. K. Chesterton wrote, “The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult; and left untried.”

The question is not, “Why is Christianity so bad when it claims to be so good?” The question is, “Why are all human things so bad when they claim to be so good?”

We are failing the Good News of Jesus Christ when we run around acting like we’ve got everything figured out; like we’ve got all the answers; like there’s no more mystery. We distort the Gospel and do violence to the Scriptures when we proclaim that God sent his Son to establish the United States as some kind of beacon of Truth to the world.

As children of God and disciples of his Christ, if we have any answers at all to what’s wrong with the world, it has nothing to do with our morals or our laws or our candidates. The solution to what’s wrong is not found in anybody’s constitution or declaration or form of government or economic system or military strategies or might. What’s wrong with the world is sin and the solution is only found in the crucified and risen Lord Jesus.

God revealed himself in Christ Jesus to show us how he’s fixing things. It’s in sacrificial service. It’s in unconditional love. It’s in forgiveness and reconciliation. Peace. Obedience. Prayer. Worship. Suffering. Death.

Of course, you already knew that. This is not new information. You’ve known it a long time. It’s just that it’s very difficult. And mostly untried.

Peace,

Allan

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