Emoji

My friend Betty, a 90-plus-year-old writer and author, recently sent me an email, “I don’t know how to add those cute little thingamajigs [emoji] so you’ll have to add your own.” I laughed at her comment until I took it a step further and realized that many of us are guilty of doing something similar with the Word of God. Today’s culture wants to add their own emoji to Scripture. "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths” (2 Tim 4:3-4 NIV).

The Caretaker

We anticipate changes in career and life situations as not only bettering ourselves, but also giving us an element of control over our own destiny. God swore to the forefathers of the Israelites that they would possess a land flowing with milk and honey; however, there were caveats. Moses said, “The land you are entering to take over is not like the land of Egypt, from which you have come, where you planted your seed and irrigated it by foot as in a vegetable garden. But the land you are crossing the Jordan to take possession of is a land of mountains and valleys that drinks rain from heaven. It is a land the LORD your God cares for; the eyes of the LORD your God are continually on it from the beginning of the year to its end” (Deut 11:10-12 NIV). And then some of us seem surprised when we wind up in a land/career/situation where God is the Caretaker.

Producing Wealth

Some people dislike President-elect Trump because of his wealth and ego…and the fact that most of his cabinet picks are billionaires and millionaires doesn’t help. There are men who claim to be self-made; however, Moses tells us otherwise, “You may say to yourself, “My power and the strength of my hands have produced this wealth for me.” But remember the LORD your God, for it is he who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms his covenant, which he swore to your forefathers, as it is today” (Deut 8:17:18 NIV).

Merry Christmas

I took a telephone survey and at the end of the conversation the man said, “Thank you and Happy Holidays.” I responded, “Merry Christmas” and after a pause he confided apologetically, “I’m not allowed to say that.” Obviously the man had to bow to the requirements of his employer, but rather than letting the conversation simply end with my Christmas wish to him, he found a way around political correctness. There are times we believers feel enslaved by the culture, but Paul reminds us, “You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men. Brothers, each man, as responsible to God, should remain in the situation God called him to” (1 Cor 7:23 NIV).

His Kingdom Will Never End

Mary was greatly troubled by the angel’s words, “But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:30-33 NIV).

Welcomed By the Church

In some churches the pastor seems to rush around the auditorium trying to speak to and shake hands with one or two members of the congregation prior to the service. I recently visited a church where ushers, leadership and the pastor were all in the foyer welcoming members and visitors (170 in attendance). The pastor appeared so prepared for the service and with his sermon that he could put on a host-hat and welcome the entire flock into fellowship. I have to say I was impressed and I felt as though I was being welcomed by the whole church, not simply a door greeter handing me a bulletin. I suspect Paul and Barnabas had a similar reaction when they went to see apostles and the elders, “When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them” (Acts 15:4 NIV).

Train Up a Child

During a recent church visit the pastor justified his church model of not having children’s church or youth groups and keeping the membership together generationally. “The culture segregates by age and so does the church. Nothing in God’s Word says to separate by age. People say children can’t sit through a service…of course they can!” This pastor puts great emphasis on God’s call for us to live intergenerational and places the responsibility for training children on parents. Bemoaning the fact that less than one-half of one-percent of Millennials (18-23 years old) have a biblical world view, he said, “It’s about the fact that the church quit training children. God did not call the world to raise children.” From personal experience it was the church, not my parents, who was equipped to train and give me instruction in the Lord. “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6 NIV).

A Letter From Christ

One pastor spoke about the Human Library Project, a human book site where you get people on loan. The person making the appointment sits down for 30-minutes and visits with people of different faiths, singles, the unemployed, the homeless, the blind, etc. The gist of his message, “What if people checked us out? What if people borrowed us for 30-minutes? Would we be hard to read, or would we be an open book? What would they learn?” The sermon was thought provoking; however, I suspect some folks might think it easier and less messy to participate in the Human Library Project than to participate in the Good Samaritan Project. Paul said, “You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Cor 3:2-3 NIV).

Generosity in Sharing

For service industry personnel my normal practice is to tip for good service. On a few occasions when my morning newspaper was not delivered I had to call for redelivery. Occasionally I find the paper on the sidewalk or in the gutter, rather than in the driveway. I ignore the solicitation that comes through the newspaper asking me if I want to add a carrier tip on my remittance, as well as the preprinted card reminding me to think of my carrier during the holiday season. This year however, my carrier sent me a personally addressed Christmas card, so I mailed a monetary gift…and my newspaper began inching it’s way closer to the door.  On Saturday morning I woke up to about six inches of snow on the ground and the morning paper on the door threshold. I’ll be honest, it tweaks me to have to pay for good service. However, Paul tells me there is another way to look at the situation, “This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God’s people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you” (2 Cor 9:12-14 NIV).

The Best of the Best

Most of us understand the Old Testament concept of firstfruits, a token of the harvest that belonged to God. God’s portion was not what was left over after the harvesters went through the field, but rather the first of the harvest. In my mind I’ve always imagined the firstfruits to be the cream of the crop. It never occurred to me that even firstfruits can be graded and categorized. The Lord told Moses, “Bring the best of the firstfruits of your soil to the house of the LORD your God” (Ex 34:26a NIV).

Fiscally Content

Fast food jobs in Chicago and New York are no longer entry level positions for young people getting into the workforce. Workers insist on being paid what they deem a living wage regardless of the fact that their education, productivity and skill level remains the same. As John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus, “Tax collectors also came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked, “what should we do?” “Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them. Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?” He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely—be content with your pay” (Luke 3:12-14 NIV).

Wrong Motives

When it comes to budgeting big expenditures many government agencies anticipate coming in under budget. In some cases, they tell the public how they intend to spend any surplus funds; in other cases, the funds are not publicly accounted for unless someone asks. During a recent city meeting all the bids for replacing equipment came in under budget and it was stated that the unused funds go back into the Fleet Fund. The city manager then said, “That’s how we got money for the golf course [needs/equipment]. We loaned money from the Fleet Fund to the golf course.” Coming in under budget so you can divert surplus funds to pet projects is very disconcerting. Spiritually speaking James saw something similar being played out in the church, “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you? You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures” (James 4:1-3 NIV).

Train Up a Child

During a recent church visit the pastor justified his church model of not having children’s church or youth groups and keeping the membership together generationally. “The culture segregates by age and so does the church. Nothing in God’s Word says to separate by age. People say children can’t sit through a service…of course they can!” This pastor puts great emphasis on God’s call for us to live intergenerational and places the responsibility for training children on parents. Bemoaning the fact that less than one-half of one-percent of Millennials (18-23 years old) have a biblical world view, he said, “It’s about the fact that the church quit training children. God did not call the world to raise children.” From personal experience it was the church, not my parents, who was equipped to train and give me instruction in the Lord. “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6 NIV).

Train Up a Child

During a recent church visit the pastor justified his church model of not having children’s church or youth groups and keeping the membership together generationally. “The culture segregates by age and so does the church. Nothing in God’s Word says to separate by age. People say children can’t sit through a service…of course they can!” This pastor puts great emphasis on God’s call for us to live intergenerational and places the responsibility for training children on parents. Then, bemoaning the fact that less than one-half of one-percent of Millennials (18-23 years old) have a biblical world view, he said, “It’s about the fact that the church quit training children. God did not call the world to raise children.” From personal experience it was the church, not my parents, who was equipped to train and give me instruction in the Lord. “Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it” (Proverbs 22:6 NIV).

Starting Over

We’ve all seen and read the cardboard signs held by people panhandling and looking for a handout. All the signs, whether they invoke a laugh or a tear, are intended to hit a compassion nerve. Recently a woman who appeared to be in her late 30’s stood on a grassy street corner holding a cardboard sign that read, “Christian Family Starting Over.” Jesus said he would never leave us as orphans, so I’m not sure how the Lord reacts to seeing his name on a cardboard sign that implies the needs of this Christian family have not been met. These folks take the name Christian and I have to wonder what happened to their faith based support network — their biological, extended and church family. On practicing religion James said, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world” (James 1:27 NIV).

Fake News

Hillary Clinton suggested that fake news not only thwarted her campaign, but has “real world consequences.” Although Christians haven’t labeled it as such, we’ve been dealing with fake news for 2000 years. When the chief priests learned that the body of Jesus was missing they paid the soldiers a large sum of money to fabricate a story. They told the soldiers, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.’ If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day” (Matt 28:13-15 NIV).

On Guard

On December 6, 2016 I checked the online obituary listings at one of the local mortuaries and found a man listed as dying on December 7, 2016, the following day. Another woman’s death was listed as December 21, 2016...two weeks from now. No doubt the erroneous listings are disconcerting for the families. However, it gave me pause to think about seeing my own name and expiration date listed as tomorrow, or two weeks from now. Jesus said, “No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come” (Mark 13:32-33 NIV).

Clanging Cymbal

During my church visits there have been a couple of instances where the worship service has turned into an opportunity for the leadership to air their differences, or conduct business. As a visitor I sense the undertow, but I can’t with any amount of certainty wrap my head around a sermon laden with innuendo. Paul very pointedly labels those who speak with words and phrases that are not understood by others, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1Cor 13:1 NIV).

Slow to Speak

Today’s young service employees seem to think if they talk fast and move you along quickly it somehow equates to efficiency. I recently purchased two T-shirts and the clerk gave me the spiel about the money I could save by getting a store credit card and then she quickly shifted to asking me if I wanted to donate to the stores designated charity…no and no. I pulled cash from my wallet and she gave me yet another option that the store would pay the $5.00 donation to the charity for me and I could still save some on my purchase. With my head spinning she proceeded to “help” me with my cash by telling me which bills would make the transaction (in her mind) easier to deal with.  The clerk and I could both benefit from James, “My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires” (James 1:19-20 NIV).

Living and Active

Most of us understand the difference between a Nativity and a Live Nativity, where actors and animals bring the Christmas story to life. In our local church directory one church touts having a “Live Praise Band,” I’m now trying to conjure up in my head the image of a dead praise band. There are some who mistakenly view the Word of God as dead literature; however, the writer of Hebrews reminds us, “For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double–edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart” (Heb 4:12 NIV).

Morning Joe

I was greeted by coffee wafting through the front door of a large church. The beverage menu was displayed behind the coffee bar and the servers were ready to take my order. In the foyer people sat around small tables and leaned against the wall as they shared their morning cup of java. This could have been any coffeehouse in America and there was no hint that I had just walked into a place of worship. At the beginning of the church service the membership director announced visitors would receive a voucher for a free cup of coffee if they filled out a visitor card and dropped it in the offering plate. One can argue that selling coffee in the church foyer, or offering a voucher during announcements is no big deal. I’m not so sure that Jesus would buy that argument. “Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are making it a ‘den of robbers’” (Matt 21:12-13 NIV).

Children of the Light

I attended a contemporary worship service which, rather than being held in the sanctuary, was held in the youth center. Dark curtains covered the windows, the black backdrop for the stage held unreadable florescent chalk drawings and words, and the black ceiling dulled any illumination in the room. The lighting was so dim that I could hardly take notes, much less read the 10-point font in my Bible. More than a third of the audience was made up of seniors and retirees, who obviously did not find the nightclub atmosphere as disconcerting as I did. As children of the light it’s curious that some people of faith seek an environment of darkness. “For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light” (Psalm 36:9 NIV).

He Who Has an Ear

More and more churches are using video clips before, during and after church for announcements, testimonies and, as I recently discovered…confessions. There are even clips of countdown clocks to tell the audience services will start in minutes and seconds —  5, 4, 3, 2, 1. Gone are the days of people visiting with one another before and after worship service begins. During a recent church visit a video clip was played at the first of the service and when the pastor took the platform he said, “I’m going to ask that we replay that video. Some people were coming in late and didn’t get to see it.” Hummm…maybe there is a reason they are coming in late. John said, “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches” (Rev 3:6 NIV).

Unscripted

It’s not unusual for the person giving announcements, meditations or leading the music to go off script. During their time on the platform they might share something the Spirit has laid on their heart, try to warm up the audience by getting them engaged, or even try their hand at being a standup comedian to get a laugh. Mega churches have always controlled worship structure, but I’m now seeing the trend in smaller churches to reign in the extemporaneous comments and control the service. Rather than train people in the proper way to give announcements and meditations, preachers and staff are taking over those segments of worship. Personally I don’t like rabbit trails and I understand the time restraints of the worship service; however, leaders seem to forget they are not the only ones qualified to speak in the assembly of believers. Paul addressed being spiritually equipped, “Now about virgins: I have no command from the Lord, but I give a judgment as one who by the Lord’s mercy is trustworthy… and I think that I too have the Spirit of God” (1 Cor 7:25; 7:40b NIV).