Suspended Animation

This Sunday at The River, we'll take some time to reflect on the events of September 11, 2001 from the perspective of Christian disciples. 

Matthew 5:43-45a says...

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven."

Ten years. Seems like yesterday, doesn't it?

Where were you when you heard a "small plane" had hit one of the WTC towers? How surreal did it seem when the second commercial jet hit the other tower? Then came the real shocker. To think of all the humanity that was wiped out in a brief few seconds as the first tower came crashing down. Under different circumstances, a thing of beauty and grace. But this event was accompanied by utter death and destruction... violence on a level most of us had ever before personally felt and experienced. All those people inside... dead in the blink of an eye. All those innocent lives. All those heroes. Then the other tower collapsed as well. And the reports of what happened at the Pentagon... and of course the infamous plane crash over Pennsylvania. My God, what had just happened to our safe, relatively peaceful world? How could this be happening to us... one nation under God?

That was the first time in my life I can remember everything stopping. Every person in America was glued to the news of this awful tragedy... this impossible, and disgusting act of war against freedom. No funny chatter on the FM stations... no political ranting on the AM stations... no reruns of Everybody Loves Raymond on the cable channels, or sports footage on ESPN. Nope. Every channel suspended regular programming for CNN news. For a moment in time, everything about typical American culture was on hold. No one cared about the stock market, or what Jennifer Lopez was wearing, or even the weather. Suddenly, our country became smaller, more intimate. Everyone was in shock. Everyone was confused. Everyone was glued to the television to continuously watch the footage of what happened that day... and listened as the newscasters tried to help us make some kind of sense of it all.

None of the nearly 3,000 victims got on a plane that morning - or went to work expecting to be part of a horrendous plot against America. No one had a clue that thousands of people would soon be hurled into a skyscraper... or buried underneath a massive pile of rubble that once was the World Trade Center. None of us had a clue of just how much would life change as a result of that memorable day in America's history. On the positive side, it drew us together as a nation. People in large cities and small towns across the nation mourned for strangers in Washington DC, Pennsylvania, and New York City. All of a sudden, we had something in common like never before (or at least not in our lifetime). On the negative side, our new reality was near strip-searches at the airport, "Terror Alert Orange," Homeland Security, and the image of that evil bastard, Osama bin Laden plastered across the screen of every television in the world... smirking at us infidels in the West.

Now, it's ten years later. Bin Laden is dead, but the war rages on. Many more lives have been lost. I think we should take a few minutes and talk about how 9/11 has changed us, shaped us, and informed our idea of what it means to follow Jesus in a world that is not safe. We have enemies... how does Jesus want us to treat them? How do we interpret patriotism in the light of this American tragedy? What sin must we fight against (as a persecuted country) that seeks to destroy our faith in God? How do we process the anger that accompanies injustice? What can we learn about ourselves in the midst of this awful, ongoing war against terrorism?

I'll come ready to lead a discussion. I hope you'll come ready to engage as a community of people who seek to wrestle with God for answers that satisfy a broken heart... and offer a glimpse of hope for the future.

Imagine No Religion

Text for this Sunday's sermon/conversation: Acts 3:1-4:22

I think religion sucks... at least dead religion. But man, it's pandemic around here. Can you imagine no dead religion in God's Church?


God is the living, breathing Creator of life... He is spirit, and - by extension - we too are spiritual beings. Humans are made in God's image... and the primary thing that sets us apart from all the other animals that dwell on this earth is our ability to create beautiful things. Oh, we can teach chimps to use sign language. Whoopty-doo. Can we teach them to engineer a bridge...? or compose a musical score...? or draft a speech like Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream"...? or paint something hauntingly beautiful like the Mona Lisa? Nope. Mind you, most of us can't do those things either, but all people possess a creative quality that transcends all other species... period. Humanity is special... unique... specially gifted with the ability to imagine and forecast, and ponder, and dream, and visualize something that goes beyond our ability to see with physical eyes.


But when it comes to faith in Jesus Christ... we so easily get stuck in a rut of religiousity. Rather than beauty and passion, our relationship with the One who loves us is often marked by laziness and mediocrity. Rather than living out the life of Christ with zest and gusto... most of us are merely trying to survive the perils of this world. Rather than being in a constant state of awe that sets our hearts on fire... many so-called Christians treat the gospel like its a burden to carry, or a secret to hide. So many of us find ourselves going through the motions with no real sense of trust that God wants to use His Church to turn the world upside down.


Why? Why are we so determined to keep God at arm's length? Why are we so utterly good at holding our Creator in contempt? Why do we continue to wear masks of hypocrisy, even while knowing it breaks the heart of God? He wants all to come to Him... but not halfway... half-baked... half-hearted... half assed. He wants to reconcile this world to Himself... through us - His ambassadors. But how is that supposed to happen if we don't really believe He's capable?


Peter and John believed Jesus is capable. In fact, they were so convinced He can heal the sick, they touched a beggar who couldn't walk... and God instantly gave him the strength to get up and leap for joy! Funny... but the Bible doesn't say it was his faith that did it. Nope... it was Peter and John's faith that God is powerfully at work through those who believe in Him that healed the guy. Do we have that same belief about God? In the midst of a spiritually crippled world... do we really believe that God can radically change lives for the better? For that matter... do we even believe He can change our lives for the better?


Peter and John not only believed it enough to act by faith... they also told the world about Jesus Christ... regardless of what it might cost them personally. Standing there on the street corner... infused with confidence after watching God perform a miracle in their midst... Peter stood up and boldly announced to anyone who would listen that Jesus is Lord. The same man who denied he knew Christ at one time was now truly willing to live (and die) for His Savior. Peter and John knew it was going to cost them, but they actually dared to believe that God would remain with them... and reveal His glory... regardless of the circumstances they found themselves in. Are we willing to share our faith so boldly... even in the face of persecution?


And when they stood before the Jewish council to answer for their "crimes," Peter and John made no apology for their passionate exaltations... in fact, they completely rejected the threats of punishment as nothing more than a bunch of hot air by mere men. They simply didn't care what the council of rulers and elders and teachers thought, or threatened to do. Their lives had been radically transformed by the One who died and was raised again as Lord and Master... so Peter and John weren't going to let some puffed-up religious bullies try to stifle them from shouting God's glory from the rooftops! Peter and John weren't religious, per se. Nope... God revealed Himself to those two men so clearly... so powerfully... so authentically... that they had something far more than a system of religion... they oozed with eternal life born out by God's Holy Spirit! So how about us? Do we ooze with eternal life too? If not... then why the heck not?


That's what I want for me... for my family... for my church... for my denomination... and for my Christian brothers and sisters in this cold, dark world - that we would stop playing religious games, and get serious about being true disciples of Jesus Christ. He doesn't want our dead religion, people... He wants our heart and soul and mind and strength... He wants ALL of us to be always engaged with His Word, His Spirit, His will, and His love. He wants us - His children - to be the creative, passionate, audacious, fearless, kick-ass disciples of Christ we were intended to be... we were re-born to be! Are you ready to change the world yet? Are you ready to stop playing religious games and start healing the spiritually (and physically) sick in Jesus' name? Then c'mon... let's get off our spiritual butts and live as if we believe it!

Here's Spit In Your Eye

Text for the upcoming sermon/conversation: John 9


Well, give Jesus points for using a variety of methods to heal people... but this one is kind of gross! A paste made of dirt and spit? Eeeewwww! Have you ever wondered why Jesus never seemed to deal with anyone in need exactly the same way? Sometimes he would touch them, and other times he would just say the word. Sometimes he was gentle, and at other times he seemed downright rude. Either way the people were healed. But it's almost as if he wants to prevent us from having a formula to follow... cause you know we would if we could, right?


"Isn't this the man who used to sit and beg?" Wow, can you imagine the change that came about in his life? And he wasn't even healed a full day before the Pharisees wanted him to claim it was all just an elaborate hoax. But how could he? Just hours before, the man was reduced to begging, and now he could see the amazing beauty of the Temple. But that's not all he could see... he could see that the Pharisees were a bunch of pompous idiots! “God should get the glory for this, because we know this man Jesus is a sinner.” His response to their stupidity...? Ya, right! (Well, I kind of paraphrased him there). His parents weren't willing to go against the authority figures, but the man born blind could "see" right through their hard hearts. 


He tried to answer patiently, but pretty soon he delivered one of the best lines of the whole story: “I told you once. Didn’t you listen? Why do you want to hear it again? Do you want to become his disciples, too?” Ouch... ouch... and ouch! By that point, I don't think the man really cared if the Pharisees allowed him inside the temple or not... he had sight for the first time in his life, and he wasn't going to let those clowns take away his remarkable testimony... "I was blind, and now I can see."


Amen. I can see too... but all too often, I become blinded by pride and arrogance. Geez, just when I think I'm so different from the Pharisees... I find myself stumbling around in the darkness wondering who turned out the lights!