“My brothers, as believers in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ, don’t show favoritism.  Suppose a man comes into your meeting wearing a gold ring and fine clothes, and a poor man in shabby clothes also comes in. If you show special attention to the man wearing fine clothes and say, “Here’s a good seat for you,” but say to the poor man, “You stand there” or “Sit on the floor by my feet,” have you not discriminated among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts?”

With this admonition, it becomes clear that James’ concern over treatment of the poor and rich in the church is not a passing issue.  While it can be argued that he was addressing a specific, contextual concern, that the letter is addressed so widely suggests that the writer is confronting a more universal problem facing the all Christian communities.  Is it any surprise that the Book of James has caused such controversy in Church history?

In the NASV, the first line of this section is translated as: “My brethren, do not hold your faith in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ with an attitude of personal favoritism.” It is clear from this that favouring some people in the church according to their financial and/or social capital is not only wrong, but contrary to our submission to the Lordship of Christ.  At stake in this is our very role as disciples.  The word “discriminated” is the same word used in James 1:6, there translated as “doubt”.  This suggests that when we discriminate according wealth in the church, we are choosing to evaluate or question, rather than obey, God’s will.  It is for God alone to judge, and in His eyes, we are all equal (both created in His image & fallen short of His glory through sin).  Faith in our “glorious” Lord is such that we His is the only glory worth favouring.

“Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? But you have insulted the poor. Is it not the rich who are exploiting you? Are they not the ones who are dragging you into court? Are they not the ones who are slandering the noble name of him to whom you belong?  If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, “Love your neighbour as yourself,” you are doing right. But if you show favoritism, you sin and are convicted by the law as lawbreakers. For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said, “Do not commit adultery,” also said, “Do not murder.” If you do not commit adultery but do commit murder, you have become a lawbreaker.”

Here we are clearly reminded of the Lucan Beatitude, “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God”.  Together, we can clearly see that Matthews “poor in spirit” was not completely unrelated to material poverty.  While God does not wish poverty on anyone, He knows that in it that pretense is lost, exposing our absolute dependency- a dependency hidden by the shallow security and power of material wealth.

James is not suggesting that all rich people are somehow bad (as almost all of us in Western Christianity qualify as rich), but rather that, more often than not, those of us with privilege and power are too easily drawn into lifestyles of injustice, sometimes explicitly, but all too often in subtle, but devastating ways.  Rather, he is reminding us that true freedom, true obedience is through relinquishing all of our selves to God.  It is this commitment, demonstrated in this very clear example, that embodies Jesus call to “love your neighbour as yourself”.

Again, it might be quite easy for us to make light of such favourtism.  No example of this was more clear to me than at the funeral of Mother Teresa, where dignitaries and world leaders were given prime seating while the poor, while present, remained in more manageable areas.  All kinds of good reasons could be given for these decisions, but I believe they were contrary to Christ’s teachings and Mother Teresa’s will.  It is all too easy for us to make similar expressions of favourtism.  Do you rewards those who give more to the church or ministry?  Are you more likely to reorganized to accommodate  the needs of the “haves”?  Does your faith community even have representation of a truly diverse socio-economic group?  These failings breech God’s intention, no less sin than murder and adultery.

“Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!”

Again, it is not for us to judge.  It is God who will judge us all and, thankfully, it is mercy and grace that will triumph in our judgment, for we all would otherwise perish.  How then can we judge the value of others in the community?  We must radically embrace the equalizing grace and love of Jesus Christ.  To do so is to actively celebrate and incarnate the truth of God’s saving grace for all creation.

In the first half of James 1, we saw how James exhorted his readers to recognize and respond to the trials and temptations that seek to subvert our commitment to living obediently according to the teachings and example of Jesus.  That the example he cites was how we treat the poor and privileged among us, it says a great deal about what he was presupposing about the nature of Christian community.  For us at Little Flowers Community, this will be a very real challenge for us.

“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. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”

At first, this can seem like fairly obvious advice.  Yet, when we consider how hard this is to practice in every day life, it becomes clear why we need the wisdom and strength of God to get there.  An old rabbinical saying reminds us that We have two ears to listen, but only one tongue to speak- and it’s walled up behind our teeth”.  The disciplines of self-restraint and silence are essential for all believers as we seek to listen- listen to the truth of God through His Word, His Spirit and His people.

When James reminds us that “anger does not bring about the righteous life”, it could also be translated as the “just life”.  Given the previous reference to injustice in the community, this makes a great deal of sense.  When we are confronted by injustice in the world and/or in our community, it is expected to stir a great deal of emotion.  Yet we are called represent the justice of God- a justice that restores and redeems, but does not seek to judge or avenge.

Two things stand in the way of our ability to hear God’s truth- moral filth and evil.  These words can, at times, lose their meaning in the obscurity and familiarity of religious jargon.  However, when we remember that sin is any deviation from the will of God (both in choosing to do wrong AND in failing to do what is right), it becomes clear that James is remind us of how easy it is to stray from the path and lose touch with the guiding truth of God.  This isn’t about moral purity for it’s own sake, but for the sake of God and His Kingdom.  We all must honestly face (together) any sin that keeps us from the purposes we are called to.

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.”

When we cast off sinful ways and are able to hear and understand the truth of God, James reminds us that we are not nearly finished.  Too often we settle for the right understanding of truth, thus deceiving ourselves as though we are being faithful.  However, just as truth is most fully represented in the incarnation of Jesus Christ, so too is it necessary for us to embody His truth through faithful obedience.  In some translations, it calls us to be “doers of the word”.  This word “doer” is the Greek word “poietes”, the same word from which we get the word “poet”.  In other words, we are called to be public performers of truth.  What a beautiful image!

To hear the truth of God but fail to practice it is like looking in a mirror and, seeing the dirt on our face, be satisfied with the knowledge but do nothing to remedy it.  The mirror of truth can feel like a mirror of judgment, but instead it is a gift of grace.  In it we can not only see the sin which keeps us from the Father, but also the image of the Christ we are meant to reflect.  It is a stunning and humbling privilege.

“If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless. 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.”

In the last section of chapter 1, James reminds us again to learn to keep our mouths shut and be “doers” of God’s truth.  He shows us what it means to live truly worshipful lives for God.  Evelyn Underhill defines worship like this:

“The adoring acknowledgment of all that lies beyond us—the glory that fills heaven and earth. It is the response that conscious beings make to their Creator, to the Eternal Reality from which they came forth.”

It is not true worship and devotion to God when we see, acknowledge and proclaim the truth- though these are all essential!  It becomes true worship- true religion- when we live that truth in our own lives together.  James’ emphasis on keeping morally pure and caring for those in need echoes Jesus own calling to love God (righteousness) and love our neighbours (justice).  In this all the Law and the Prophets are summed up- and they do so in a command to be “doers”.  It should be noted here that between helping others and staying pure the word “and” that separates them is not present in the original text, reinforcing the indivisible mandate for Christians to holiness and justice.

Lord, make us doers of Your truth by Your Spirit for Your glory!

In the eight years since we moved to Winnipeg’s West End, a great deal has changed.  While the challenges of poverty and crime are still very much present, as is the wonderful cultural, racial and linguistic diversity, the all too common effects of gentrification are also beginning to the neighbourhood.  Aspects of its influence are positive- the reduction of violence, organized crime and the sex trade, for example- but all too often it is not as a result of the problems being treated as it is that they are simply forced out into other parts of the city.  In other words, the so-called improvements to our community are often the result of lower income residents being forced out.

The West End is our home and the place that Little Flowers Community calls home.  Sustaining relationships with our neighbours is very difficult, as many find themselves pushed out after only a few months.  While some will argue that this transience is typical of the urban poor (and there is an element of truth there), more often than not it is a dynamic created and perpetuated by the trend of the privileged and the wealthy.  This reality has made us consider if we should consider relocating to the more “stable” locus of the poor, but we have felt that we are meant to stay where we are.

In response to the dynamics that make it more difficult for lower income residents (including members of our church community) to stay in the West End, we have tried to find ways to make life more affordable.  Through various methods, such as community gardens & bulk shopping, intentional simplicity, debt/credit counselling, intentional community, etc., we have slowly been able to find ways to resist the impact of the gentrification.  We are working on other approaches too, such as micro-loans, small business plan development and other ideas.  However, the scale is small and the pace is slow.  Most of all, the impact is limited to the small group of people in our immediate community.

One of the bigger dreams that we are pursuing in respect to helping the wider community is the plan to make quality low income housing available in the neighbourhood.  Our immediate plan is to purchase an apartment building in our community where the suites would be made available for low income housing.  This could include those on government subsidies or housing programs for the mentally ill.  We would also hope to have members of our Little Flowers Community living in the building too, nurturing a supportive community atmosphere.  One of the buildings we are considering would even leave space for the intentional community we have been expanding and developing.  We are very excited by this.

The challenge we face, of course, is resources.  In order to make such a dream a reality we will need a great deal of money and skilled labour to purchase, renovate and sustain the building.  We are blessed that a group of Christian business people from the Mennonite community in Manitoba have committed to get behind us in this project, carrying the bulk of the responsibility.  Their goals is to do this without any expectation of return, but rather as a Kingdom investment.  However, we will need a great deal more above and beyond this group.  Our hope and dream would be that we could eventually offer several such facilities that would help protect the unique diversity that is represented in the West End.

We are a small church of 20 to 30 people.  We know that for God’s vision to coming into being in this neighbourhood it will take something amazing and miraculous.  If you are interested in being a part of this, let me know.  While we do need money, we also need people willing to relocate their lives into our neighbourhood and invest themselves in these emerging expressions of the Kingdom.  We also need prayer.  Feel free to fire any questions my way.

At Little Flowers Community we are beginning a series on the Book of James.  I will be posting the parts of the series that I lead, but as I won’t be present for two weeks of the series, there will be some gaps.  Hope you still enjoy it.

“James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes scattered among the nations: Greetings.”

From this simply greeting, we learn a great deal about the people James is writing to.  Like so many other followers of Christ, they are among those who have been scattered by all kind of circumstances.  This is such a critical place to begin, as we see how faithfulness to Christ calls us immediately to the Cross.  Immediately, these challenges are highlighted in the following verses.

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.”

James’ admonition to consider trials as “pure joy” would have immediately been reminiscent to his readers of Jesus teaching in the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:10-12).  Not only does this again reinforce the centrality of our response to suffering, but it highlights how significantly the teaching of Jesus was to shaping how the community of faith lived.  While this may seem an obvious dynamic, consider how much Christendom has shifted the emphasis from following Christ to worshiping Him.  We need reminding that one is impossible- even inseparable- from the other.

If we believe that trials build our faith through developing perseverance, how do we reconcile that with our own culture that teaches us to pursue our own comfort and ease at almost any cost?  Consider your life and the life you share with your community of faith: How have trials brought forth maturity and perseverance?  Or are we avoiding those trials altogether?  What holds us back?

It is clear that, in order for us to build our faith to maturity and completion, we will need to seek God for wisdom.  Again, this might seem like stating the obvious, but sincerely seeking God’s wisdom is also a confession of our insufficiency.  It calls us to humility, honesty and sometimes even repentance.  James knew how strongly we resist this admission of dependency, both to God and the wider community.  When we come to God with sincere supplication- not through empty ritual or unbelieving adherence- God will answer our prayers and lead us into maturity and completion in our faith.

“The brother in humble circumstances ought to take pride in his high position. But the one who is rich should take pride in his low position, because he will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich man will fade away even while he goes about his business.”

Many believe that James seems to go off topic in this section, likening his writings to the wisdom literature of the Old Testament.  While those similarities are present, that is not what we are encountering in this section.  Rather, the teaching on right hospitality speak directly to the issue of trials and temptations.  It speaks directly to a reality the people would have been facing (and one we too will face if we follow Christ together in our communities).

The pursuit of humility as a path to wisdom and maturity is reinforced in a community where the wealthy and the privileged subvert the world’s values through taking the lesser position.  Further, as struggling communities in need of strength and resources, it would be a great temptation to give preference to those who might further the cause of Christ through their means.  James is clearly reminding us that this is unacceptable.

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.  When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”

It is important to remember that, like in the Beatitudes in Matthew 5, James is not promising a blessing as a reward for perseverance, but reminding us that in the present-yet-coming Kingdom of God, we live in the present blessedness of Christ, even in the midst of suffering.  That is most powerfully realized through the incarnation of Jesus Christ present with us and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit which transforms us into that presence for the world.

In the face of trials and temptations, the idealism we often hold falls apart.  We can all too quickly begin to blame God for the tension and suffering we face in these circumstances.  God is not causing us suffering in order that we will mature.  Rather, God is calling us to Himself which cast a light on those things already present in our hearts that hold us back from radical obedience.  The barriers and tensions we experience, then, are not created by God as some kind of test, but a reflection of our own brokenness in need of transformation.  As they say, if you pray for patience, don’t blame God when circumstances test your patience.  God did not make you impatient, but simply provided the opportunity to learn it.

“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created.”

So many excuses keep us in compromise.  We justify our compromises by citing the greater good.  We minimize the demands our temptations make upon us, pointing to God as the one who is testing us.  We make excuses and shift blame, but ultimately we lose out the most.  When God leads us on a path, regardless of how difficult it is, where He leads us always brings life.

Are we willing to follow Christ into a life of radical obedience trusting that, in the face of trials and temptations, we believe that He is bring us towards Himself?  If so, the Epistle of James offers a powerful direction for us to follow together.

While this is our second Easter as a congregation, last year most people were away with family.  Therefore, we are really excited that this year will be having our first real Easter at Little Flowers Community. For those who aren’t familiar, every Sunday we come together for a potluck meal followed by a time of worship and teaching (which happens in the round in a more dialogical style).  After that, we generally hang out for the evening.  This year, however, we’ve integrated the meal with the service.  While a description can’t give you the full experience, I thought I would share an outline of what it was like.

Throughout the early afternoon, people begin to trickle in, usually with their contribution to the potluck in various states of preparedness.  Then the dance of cooking a half dozen meals in our small kitchen begins.  Others hang out in the living room/dining room, making conversation or setting the tables.  This week, we’ve managed to set things up so that up to 25 of us can sit around one “table”.  As 5:30 approaches, the house begins to fill with wonderful sounds and smells.

Once everyone gathers around the table, I stand and welcome them, opening the evening with a prayer.  After explaining how tonight will be a different, I sit and another person stands and reads from Isaiah 51:9-11:

Awake, awake, put on strength,
O arm of the LORD!

Awake, as in days of old,
the generations of long ago!

Was it not you who cut Rahab in pieces,
who pierced the dragon?

Was it not you who dried up the sea,
the waters of the great deep;
who made the depths of the sea a way
for the redeemed to cross over?

So the ransomed of the LORD shall return,
and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.

We then raise our voices together in the Easter hymn, “Man of Sorrows”.  It is a traditional hymn, unusual for a church where the median age is 24.  However, it is deeply fitting on this occasion.  When we are done singing, another person stands and reads:

Rejoice, heavenly powers! Sing, choirs of angels!
Exult, all creation around God’s throne!
Jesus Christ, our King, is risen!
Sound the trumpet of salvation!

Rejoice, O earth, in shining splendour,
radiant in the brightness of your King!
Christ has conquered! Glory fills you!
Darkness vanishes for ever!

Rejoice, O Body, O Church! Exult in glory!
The risen Saviour shines upon you!
Let this place resound with joy,
echoing the mighty song of all God’s people!

For Christ has ransomed us with his blood,
and paid for us the price of Adam’s sin to our eternal Father!

Here I say the blessing over the meal:

God in our waking, God in our speaking;

God in our cooking, God in our eating;

God in our playing, God in our digesting;

God in our working, God in our Resting.

In a world where so many are hungry,

May we eat this food with humble hearts;

In a world where so many are lonely,

May we share this friendship with joyful hearts.  Amen!

And then we eat the meal.  Usually our potluck is a very eclectic collection of very random foods (which is wonderful), but this time we arranged for a more “traditional” Easter meal.  The conversation is always great, if perhaps somewhat atypical to your expected Sunday conversation.

As the meal finishes, it is here that I stand to led us in Communion.  The following is taken (and adapted) from a traditional Anabaptist service:

Sisters & Brothers, if we choose to love God before, in, and above all things, in the power of His holy and living Word, serve Him alone, honour and adore Him and henceforth sanctify His name, submitting our sinful will to His divine will which He has worked in us by His living Word, in life and death, then let each say individually: “I will.”

If we will love our neighbour and serve them with deeds of genuine love, lay down and shed for them our life and blood, be obedient to all godly authorities according to the will of God, and this in the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, who laid down and shed His flesh and blood for us, then let us say together: “We will.”

If we will practice mutual accountability with our brothers and sisters, make peace and unity among them, and reconcile ourselves with all those whom we have offended, abandon all envy, hate, and evil will toward everyone, willingly cease all action and behaviour which causes harm, disadvantage, or offence to our neighbour; and if we will also love our enemies and do good to them, then let each say together: “We will.”

If we desire publicly to confirm before this community of Christ this pledge of love which we will now make, through the Lord’s Supper of Christ, by eating bread and drinking wine, and to testify to it in the power of the living memorial of the suffering and death of Jesus Christ our Lord, then let each say together: “We will”

“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.” (Here we break the bread and share it among us)

“Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.” (Here we raise our glasses and share the cup of Christ)

Therefore, Sisters & Brothers, let us eat and drink with one another in the name of God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. May God Himself accord to all of us the power and the strength that we may worthily carry it out and bring it to its saving conclusion according to his divine will. May the Lord impart his grace.

In the name of the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit, Amen.

As we finish Communion, we sing our next song, “There Is A Redeemer”, followed by this reading:

This is our passover feast,
when Christ, the true Lamb, is slain,
whose blood consecrates the homes of all believers.

This is the night
when first you saved our fathers:
you freed the people of Israel from their slavery
and led them dry-shod through the sea.

This is the night
when the pillar of fire destroyed the darkness of sin!

This is the night
when Christians everywhere,
washed clean of sin and freed from all defilement,
are restored to grace and grow together in holiness.

This is the night
when Jesus Christ broke the chains of death
and rose triumphant from the grave.

When the meal is done, we sing “Up From The Grave”, then someone rises and reads from Luke 24:1-10:

On the first day of the week, at early dawn, the women who had come with Jesus from Galilee came to the tomb, taking the spices that they had prepared. They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they went in, they did not find the body.

While they were perplexed about this, suddenly two men in dazzling clothes stood beside them. The women were terrified and bowed their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen. Remember how he told you, while he was still in Galilee, that the Son of Man must be handed over to sinners, and be crucified, and on the third day rise again.”

Then they remembered his words, and returning from the tomb, they told all this to the eleven and to all the rest. Now it was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women with them who told this to the apostles.

After the final hymn, “He Lives”, we all rise for the Benediction:

Most blessed of all nights, chosen by God to see Christ rising from the dead!

The power of this holy night dispels all evil,
washes guilt away, restores lost innocence,
brings mourners joy;
it casts out hatred, brings us peace,
and humbles earthly pride.

Night truly blessed when heaven is wedded to earth
and man is reconciled with God!

May the Morning Star which never sets
find this flame still burning:
Christ, that Morning Star,
who came back from the dead,
and shed his peaceful light on all mankind,
your Son, who lives and reigns for ever and ever.

This we declare in the name of the Father, the Son & the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

We finish the evening with announcements (as every good church must have), then hang out for the evening as we share our dessert together.  I hope you enjoyed sharing the evening with us.

As we make our way through this Lenten season, towards our celebration of Easter, Little Flowers Community has been meditating on the Cross and its formational work in shaping us into Christ’s Body, a missional-incarnational people together.  This past Wednesday was the Feast of St. Patrick, a man whose life powerfully displayed this pattern of cruciform devotion.  And so today, we spent some time learning from his life, discerning the fingerprints of Christ along the day.

Before going further, please know that I am not suggesting the following as a formula or rigid process, but rather a dynamic and fluid pattern that we see reflected throughout the history of God’s redeeming work among humanity.

Patrick was a Romanized-Celt who enjoyed a life of relative wealth and privilege in a northern district of what is today England.  While his father was a deacon & his grandfather a priest, Patrick showed little interest in the faith, enjoying instead the pleasures of youth.  His was a care-free life.  However, at the age of 16, everything changed.

Raiders from the northern tribes attacked his community, pillaging and killing many.  Patrick was one of many people captured to be taken back as a slave in the uncharted lands of what is now known as Ireland.  Faced with torture and death, the young man was forced to watch as others were beaten and killed on the long journey north.

For years Patrick served as a shepherd for a people he had previously dismissed as savage and inferior.  Now he was among the lowest of the low, valued far less than the livestock he was charged to care for.  As the years slipped away, so did his hope of escape and freedom.

Then, after six long years of servitude, Patrick received a message from God, promising that his freedom was at hand, miraculously providing everything he needed to return home.  Even a ship across the cold, enemy-protected waterways fell neatly into place.  And true to his vision, Patrick escaped freedom and returned home a changed man, humble and contrite and thankful to God.

And yet, truly transformed by the grace of God, Patrick obediently follows the call of Christ to return to the land of his captors as a missionary, engaging the people with a vibrant and creative authority rarely seen among Christian then (or since).  Today, Ireland owes a great debt to this former slave, as does the Church as a whole.  What can we learn from this profoundly moving story?

Patrick lived the life of his youth behind the pretense of wealth and privilege.  Like the plants & skins that Adam & Eve used to cover their own sinful nakedness, so to did Patrick cover up his own emptiness and need.  This Hidden Nakedness– something we all share- belied the true price that sin exacted upon him.  What masks do you wear to cover your own Hidden Nakedness?  What pretense covers up your own fears, doubts & failings?

The false security of Patrick’s life was shattered in the chaos of his violent abduction, reducing his wealth, privilege, education, status- everything!- to nothing in the face of this event.  Confronted with the fragility of his own mortality and the illusion of his own freedom, the young man was crushed in the face of suffering and death.  Here Patrick confronted the reality of The Cross in all its devastating reality.  Have there been moments in your life where the masks & pretense have been shattered through suffering or loss?  Have you experienced the real suffering of The Cross we are called to take up daily?

Death might have seemed a better option for Patrick, rather than facing the emptiness and indignity of been reduced to the lowest slave.  As the days turned to months and the months to years, everything in Patrick died away- his pride, his rights, his expectations, everything.  He was left in the emptiness of The Tomb.  When faced with Christ’s call to fully surrender your life to Him, what parts of your life to most resist letting die?  What aspects hold you back from truly entering The Tomb?  Why?

And yet, out of the emptiness was born a new, humble and contrite heart in Patrick.  When everything died away and he was left fully at the mercy of God, hope was reborn and way to freedom was made clear by His miraculous grace.  Patrick was touched by The Resurrection power of Christ at work in his life.  How has this work of Christ’s Resurrection manifested itself it visible ways in your life?

For most people, Patrick’s freedom would have been enough to demonstrate God’s character and power.  Most of us are satisfied with the saving work of Christ in our lives.  And why not?  It is the greatest reality of love and grace possible!  And yet, the Holy Spirit stirred Patrick yet again, filling him with the power, passion and purpose of Pentecost to become a missional servant among the very people who caused him so much suffering.  Has your Christian devotion largely stopped at the point of redemption and restoration?  How is Christ actively calling you to live Pentecost out in missional service to His Kingdom?

Again, this pattern is not a formula.  It is not a process of steps that can simply be worked out and completed for your own spiritual benefit.  It is the mysterious, but very real work of God through the power of Christ’s death, resurrection, ascension and Pentecost baptism that is available- that is necessary!- for every believer.  It is not about an event where we “achieve” God’s will, but rather a journey we follow in becoming the very Body of Christ to the world.

Lord God, we come out of the darkness into Your presence, exposed in the brokenness of our sin.  Free of from the lies, excuses and pretences that keep us from standing in the purifying light of Your holiness.

Lead us daily to the Cross, even when every instinct and desire is to flee from the suffering it brings.  Help us to truly die to the selfish and narrow impulses of our hearts, relinquishing every right and privilege we hold onto.

Comfort us in the loneliness of the death we must embrace, broken and empty and wholly Yours.  Speak to us Your wisdom with Your still, small voice, quieting our souls in the silence of this necessary grave.

Bring us new life, Lord Jesus, as we share in Your wondrous resurrection, celebrating the promise of new life for all Creation. Bind us to You as a Groom to His Bride, and renew us and transform us together into Your image, Your Body.

Fill us and unite us and empower us with Your Holy Spirit, moving us with Your perfect will.  Lead us into all the world where we will become and live as Your Body, continuing Your mission to every living thing.

All this we ask in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,

Amen.

From my personal blog, A Living Alternative: Our Missional Pilgrimage:

With the recent discussions around missionShift and the Missional Manifesto, much discussion has been stirred again around the true meaning and implications of what it means to be missional.  There are already many incredible contributions (such as these from David Fitch and Brother Maynard, to name just two).  The topic has been on my mind a great deal more of late as well, largely born out the active work of our church, Little Flowers Community, to intentionally pursue a missional identity.  So rooted in the practice of faith, the implications in this context are enormous.  While there is far too much to share in this space, one aspect has been surfacing more for me recently.

When the call was made for a single sentence explanation of “missional”, I had several ideas.  Knowing that a single sentence was going to be (unqualified) inadequate to the task, I decided to give what I see as one facet to this larger picture.  My sentence was:

“Becoming and living Christ together.”

While I am not the theologian that David Fitch is, and though I lack the masterful word/idea craftsmanship of Brother Maynard, let me try to unpack this a bit here.

First, I think it would be fair to share what I have been using as a guiding understanding of the Gospel.  Again, while it is too short to answer all questions, it will be helpful for this discussion.  Here it is:  The Gospel is the glory of the Triune God made manifest in His work to reconcile every person to union with Himself, communion with others, to fullness of life, and to harmony with Creation, in the context of community for the good of all.

Each aspect of this sentence could be further developed, but let me simply state that while not explicit stated in the wording, I do strongly affirm that the death, resurrection and ascension of Christ for the atonement of our sin is central this process.  Atonement theology can be a touchy subject, so I will say that I believe that a variety of atonement themes are represented in Scripture and all must shape and form our understanding of the redemptive work of Christ.  I wanted to put this Gospel explanation at the beginning of this post so that it is clear that I affirm that the work of redemption has a greater scope than saving individual souls from personal damnation.

Read the rest of the entry here.

Part 1 – Setting the Stage

Part 2 – Beatitudes (1)

Part 3 – Beatitudes (2)

Part 4 – Salt & Light/Law

Part 5 – Murder/Adultery/Divorce

Part 6 – Oaths, Eyes & Enemies

Part 7 – Hiding In Plain Sight

Part 8 – The Lord’s Prayer (1)

Part 9 – The Lord’s Prayer (2)

Part 10 – Fasting

Part 11 – Don’t Worry, Be Righteous

Part 12 – Judging Others

Part 13 – Ask, Seek, Knock

Part 14 – Of Gates & Fruits

“Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.” -Matthew 7:24-27

Pulled from the context of the wider Sermon on the Mount and reduced to a well meaning children’s hymn, the parable of the Wise & Foolish Builder is robbed of its place as the powerful conclusion to a powerful message.  When a Jewish teacher finished such a significant teaching, the closing portion was significant, tying the whole thing together in the end.  So then, what this story really mean?

Jesus’ listeners would have made a couple of connections when hearing His words.  First, they would know from living in that arid land the importance of a strong foundation.  It was standard practice to only build homes on solid rock, even if that meant digging quite deep to do so.  This was just common sense.  Alone, this would have been an anti-climactic, simple lesson at the end of a revolutionary teaching.  However, His words would also have brought to mind something far more important.

When Jesus started talking about a strong foundation, the words of the prophet Isaiah would have surely come to mind (Isaiah 28:14-18).  Israel, facing the invading armies of Assyria, decides to make a pact with the Egyptians rather than trust God for deliverance.  Isaiah rebukes her for this unfaithful compromise, likening it to building upon weak foundation of clay that will wash away with the rain.  Any compromise to complete submission and surrender to God would lead to the crumbling of the foundation of their faith.

However, in the middle of his rebuke, Isaiah eludes to a future promise, to a new and real foundation.  The tool that will forge such a foundation?  Righteousness and justice.  Isaiah’s prophecy of this new foundation became a deeply held hope for many generations of Jews, even unto Jesus own time.  At different times in their history, they would attempt to see that promise fulfilled, even establishing an actual stone which they called ‘the foundation’, which became a central aspect of the Temple itself.

Jesus’ words, then, strike at the very heart of their hope, making a claim so powerful that no one would have missed it.  He clearly states that anyone who hears the words of the Sermon on the Mount and puts them into practice builds their life on the true Foundation.  And like Isaiah foretold and Jesus repeated again and again, it is built through righteousness and justice- not merely adherence to the law, but it truly loving God with all that we are and loving others as we would have them love us. He extends the promise, the covenant hope, not only to the Jews, but to any who obey Him as Lord.

‘As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.  For in Scripture it says:   “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”  Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone,” and, “A stone that causes men to stumble and a rock that makes them fall.”  They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.’ -1 Peter 2:4:8

This is not a teaching about Christians vs. non-Christians.  Just like in the previous section of the Sermon where both sides call Jesus Lord, here both sides build a house.  It was not the act of “building” that was crucial, just as prophesying, casting out demons or performing miracles was not the point.  It is not about going to church, being good or doing ministry (though they are important in their own right).  Rather it is only upon the foundation of uncompromising submission to the Lordship of Christ, by living out His teachings to love God and others, that we have any hope of seeing His Kingdom.

John Stott warns us of this:

“In applying this teaching to ourselves, we need to consider that the Bible is a dangerous book to read, and that the church is a dangerous society to join.  For in reading the Bible we hear the words of Christ, and in joining the church we say we believe in Christ.  As a result, we belong to the company described by Jesus as both hearing his teaching and calling him Lord.  Our membership, therefore lays upon us a serious responsibility of ensuring that what we know and what we say is translated into what we do.” (“The Message of the Sermon on the Mount”, IVPress, pg. 210)

“When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law.” -Matthew 7:28,29

When the scribes taught, they only taught with an authority given to them.  Rather, it was the authority of Law and the Prophets.  Jesus, on the other hand, taught from His own authority.  This was demonstrated by the power of His words and the consistency of His example.  They were amazed because the implications of His words was that He was, indeed, the promised Messiah and the very Son of God.

Jesus does not ask for our amazement, though we should be amazed as we hear and understand the words of the Sermon on the Mount and see the example of Love incarnate in His life, death, resurrection and ascension.  No, Jesus does not ask for our amazement.  He asks for our uncompromising and loving obedience, even until death.  Jesus Christ is not only God to be worships, but He must also be a Lord who is followed.

When we decided to partner with Mennonite Church Manitoba to plant Little Flowers Community, one of the core reasons for doing so was a sense of resonance with Anabaptist values and beliefs.  Interestingly, the longer we explore this connection, the more convinced we have become that it is significant, even though almost none us grew up within an Anabaptist tradition.  In addition to the “unchurched” and new believers, we have people who grew up in United, Baptist, Evangelical Covenant, Anglican, Pentecostal and others.

A Mennonite friend recently asked me what it actually meant to us to be Anabaptist.  It was a good question, which I answered as best I could at the time.  Since then I’ve started reading Stuart Murray’s upcoming book “The Naked Anabaptist: The Bare Essentials of a Radical Faith”, which explores seven core convictions of Anabaptism and how they relate to the whole Church.  While each chapter unpacks them in more detail, I thought it would be interesting to reflect on them as they relate to Little Flowers.

1. Jesus is our example, teacher, friend, redeemer, and Lord. He is the source of our life, the central reference point for our faith and lifestyle, for our understanding of church, and our engagement with society. We are committed to following Jesus as well as worshiping him.

While I think most Christians would affirm such a statement, what this has meant for us is that we want to be more intentional about following the example and teachings of Christ in our daily lives.  Beyond living moral lives where we observed the expected Christian practices, few of us were discipled into a way of life that sought to do much of what Jesus taught, such as in the Sermon on the Mount.

Thus far, Little Flowers has been exploring Jesus teachings (most recently with an emphasis on the Sermon on the Mount), intentionally seeking to embrace the values and practices in tangible ways.  We believe that we are, together, an incarnational expression of Christ’s Body to our community, thus committed to actively continuing Christ’s mission to our neighbours.  This has been very rewarding, but difficult as we also wrestle with our own brokenness and sin.

2. Jesus is the focal point of God’s revelation. We are committed to a Jesus-centered approach to the Bible, and to the community of faith as the primary context in which we read the Bible and discern and apply its implications for discipleship.

With the conviction that we are to collectively embody the presence of Christ to our community, it means that the whole community contributes to the process of discipleship and discernment.  We affirm that different ones of us function in different giftings, but resist any hierarchy of value or authority in those giftings.  To that end, while I function as the pastor, I refuse to claim exclusive (or even primary) rights to administering the sacraments or teaching the word.  Yes, my responsibility means I have a degree of authority in that role, but it is not absolute nor any more important than the authority of the other giftings/roles.

It has also meant that, as we explore Scripture together, the teaching is very conversational- interactive and participative.  This allows everyone to bring their unique perspective, while always seeking to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit in guiding us.  Again, my studying and understanding are respected in the community, but this does not mean that I am the final authority on all truth.  A time of worship with us is less than typical, but it is very generative and multifaceted.

3. Western culture is slowly emerging from the Christendom era, when church and state jointly presided over a society in which almost all were assumed to be Christian. Whatever its positive contributions on values and institutions, Christendom seriously distorted the gospel, marginalized Jesus, and has left the churches ill equipped for mission in a post-Christendom culture. As we reflect on this, we are committed to learning from the experience and perspectives of movements such as Anabaptism that rejected standard Christendom assumptions and pursued alternative ways of thinking and behaving.

In some ways, our inner city context lives in extremes in relation to Christendom.  On the one hand, as many of our neighbours are First Nations or immigrants, they have been subject to the some of the more costly aspects of colonialism.  For many, their relationship to the Church has been as recipients of charity, though some times, also of judgment.  On the other hand, because our community often functions on the margins of society, they are not impacted by many aspects of life at the center.

For those of us who have committed to Little Flowers, we decided that we would share life with our neighbours, making the community our own.  While attempting to enter into the fabric of the neighbourhood, we also intentionally extended hospitality to others, which can mean anything from sharing a meal together or having a homeless friend live with us for a few months.  These relationships form with greater ease when we participate on the margins of culture.

4. The frequent association of the church with status, wealth, and force is inappropriate for followers of Jesus and damages our witness. We are committed to exploring ways of being good news to the poor, powerless, and persecuted, aware that such discipleship may attract opposition, resulting in suffering and sometimes ultimately martyrdom.

We have not experienced much opposition for our commitments, but it has meant sacrifice.  In choosing to live more simply, for example, we don’t merely make token sacrifices, but rather relinquish our right to the privileges we are so used to.  We realized that it is not enough to abstain from status, wealth and force on occasion, but rather to embrace it entirely.

This is not an easy one, but we are working to embrace it more every.  For some it has meant moving into intentional community, becoming ethical consumers or giving away much of their possessions.  As we do this and other things, we find that the difference between “us” and “the poor” diminishes, as we share mutual life and faith with people of all walks of life.  This has been very, very difficult for us.

5. Churches are called to be committed communities of discipleship and mission, places of friendship, mutual accountability, and multivoiced worship. As we eat together, sharing bread and wine, we sustain hope as we seek God’s kingdom together. We are committed to nurturing and developing such churches, in which young and old are valued, leadership is consultative, roles are related to gifts rather than gender, and baptism is for believers.

While our time of worship is important each week, our community is more defined by the relationships we share throughout the week.  This relational commitment to each other is part of our missional devotion, submitting to very real mutual accountability.  As was mentioned earlier, we lead as a community, believing that the Holy Spirit best opens God will and His written Word through the context of that community.

6. Spirituality and economics are interconnected. In an individualist and consumerist culture and in a world where economic injustice is rife, we are committed to finding ways of living simply, sharing generously, caring for creation, and working for justice.

Again, as already mentioned earlier, we believe that when the mission of Jesus is the organizing function of our community then we relinquish our rights to such things as materialism and individualism.  While we do not have a “common purse” out of which we live, generosity often blurs the lines of ownership.  Further, in seeking to live simply, we have began to do community gardening, which not only provides healthy and inexpensive food, but also allows us to relate more meaningfully to creation.

7. Peace is at the heart of the gospel. As followers of Jesus in a divided and violent world, we are committed to finding nonviolent alternatives and to learning how to make peace between individuals, within and among churches, in society, and between nations.

Starting within our own relationships, we are committed to keeping short accounts with conflict.  Extending from our open commitment to each other, which requires honesty, humility and confession, we also hope to extend that shalom to our community.  In a neighbourhood where violence is rampant, this has been a real challenge, but one in which we are continuing to pursue.

It should be noted, however, that we do not pursue peace because it is pragmatic.  That is, we do not pursue peace because “it works”.  While those who embrace peace experience many blessings as a result, in a sinful world it is also likely to get your hurt or worse.  We are committed to peace, not because it works, but because it is right.  Thus, our commitment comes with a willingness to suffer for that conviction.  Thankfully none of us has suffered too personally for such a commitment, though we have come close to it many times.

Part 1 – Setting the Stage

Part 2 – Beatitudes (1)

Part 3 – Beatitudes (2)

Part 4 – Salt & Light/Law

Part 5 – Murder/Adultery/Divorce

Part 6 – Oaths, Eyes & Enemies

Part 7 – Hiding In Plain Sight

Part 8 – The Lord’s Prayer (1)

Part 9 – The Lord’s Prayer (2)

Part 10 – Fasting

Part 11 – Don’t Worry, Be Righteous

Part 12 – Judging Others

Part 13 – Ask, Seek, Knock

“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.” Matthew 7:13,14

Once again, Jesus is pointing out to His listeners that follow Him is a singular choice- you either follow or you do not.  There is no third (or any other) option.  There is one Master and one path of obedience.  But what is this path?  Is the narrow path about doctrine?  Is it about developing an idealistic life ethic?  Of course these aspects are present, but this is not what Jesus is primarily calling us to.  He calls us to an uncompromising fidelity of love.  It is the single-minded faithfulness of a lover.

It many ways, a straight and narrow path is the easiest kind of path to follow.  The way is clear and direct.  Conversely, a wide and meandering path can leave much room for error.  It reminds me of the men who were canoeing down the southern end of the Mississippi River during flood season.  They were sure they were following the flow of the river until the floated past a mailbox and a stop sign.  The path had spilled so wide that it had not clear direction at all.

The straight and narrow is not difficult because it offers an impossible ethic to live out (for Jesus constantly leaves room for grace in the face of mistakes), but rather it is difficult because of what it costs.  Have you ever stood on the high board of the high dive at an Olympic sized pool?  Jumping off that height is simple- you just take the step.  Yet for most of us, we are crippled by uncertainty, fear and anxiety.  It is reminiscent of G.K. Chesterton’s words: “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting.  It has been found difficult and left untried”.  This is so because the narrow gate is the gate of the Cross of Christ, where everything is left behind and we embrace death in order to find resurrection life.

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” Matthew 7:15-20

Jesus makes it clear that, as we seek to follow Him in obedience to how He calls us to live, there will be those who will seek to mislead us.  Unlike the cartoonish villains of pop culture, these false teachers will appear to one of us.  While their appearance will be that of a fellow believer of Christ, their hearts will have the intentions of a wolf.  Again, in this Jesus is reminding us that it is the heart that is the source of our character.

However, He also reaffirms that out of the heart our real natures will be made evident in our lives.  Just like a tree can be known by the nature of fruit it produces, so too does the fruit of our lives give evidence of what kind of person we are.  Fruit is the outward product of the inward nature.  But what are these fruit?  What are we to look for?  In the Sermon on the Mount we learn what such fruit is, especially in the Beatitudes.  In Matthew 12:32-34, we learn that our words are the fruit borne of our hearts.  In John 15, Jesus makes it clear that good fruit that is born from Christ within us will be characterized by sacrificial and selfless love.  Later, in Galatians, Paul describes the fruit of the Spirit- love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.

All of these things together represent the fruit that we should look for in peoples lives.  However, like fruit that takes time to grow and come into maturity, we must not too quickly rush to judge people (remember this?), allowing instead for their fruit mature and become evident.  Jesus is not giving us license to become heresy-hunter or truth-police.  We must be careful and vigilant, but also patient and humble.  Only God can truly judge.

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’” Matthew 7:21-23

In these words, Jesus is again call us into the tension between right belief and right action.  He puts neither orthodoxy nor orthopraxy ahead of the other, but makes it clear that true obedience to Him will be reflect in both.  However, even when we believe right doctrine and live righteous lives, this is not enough.  Yes, we must confess with our mouths and believe in our hearts, but this is not suggesting allegiance to a moral, ethical or religious system, but rather to devotion to the very real God- Father, Son and Spirit.  God must know us, be in real, active and dynamic relationship with us.  He is a very present God who will not be satisfied by the most fervent devotion to His ideals.  He wants us to love and worship Him.

Of course, this will produce belief and righteous living.  However, Jesus makes it explicitly clear in the equivalent verses in Luke: “Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say?” (Luke 6:46).  We must do what He says.  True belief- like truth- is fully manifested when it is incarnated.  Jesus is that incarnation and, as His Body, we are to be incarnational expressions of our beliefs.  We are not saved by our works, but faith without works is no faith at all.

This devotion must touch every part of our lives, both public and private.  No time or place is exempt from this radical call to absolute obedience.  It is the one path, the one gate, the one and only way.  It is Jesus Christ.