They Walk Among Us

Ephesians 4: 11-13:  ¹¹So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, ¹²to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up ¹³until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

In our desperate need for political correctness we use different terms and titles and churches who adopt the New Testament terminology for ministries are looked upon as cults, sects, and wacko offshoots. Nevertheless, apostles are at work in the earth.

Men and women moving in an apostolic ministry are possessed of a keen revelation of Jesus Christ, a risen savior, Lord of Lords, God. They have a deep sense of their calling and freely give in to the compulsion to serve; they know the specific calling upon their lives just as Paul knew he was called as apostle to the gentiles and Peter knew he was an apostle to the Jews (Gal. 2: 7-10). Apostles preach the message, ‘The kingdom of heaven is near’ (Matthew 10: 7-8) and they give witness to Jesus’ resurrection and the many ways they’ve seen it in action (Acts 1:22). From their ministry arise pastors, prophets, teachers, evangelists, and churches equipped to stand as witness to the ministry and the enduring kingdom of heaven.

Often times those who participate in the apostolic ministry are drawn to the mission field just as Paul had been. From Paul’s vagabond ministry we have letters to churches and pastors and spiritual sons. Those letters continue to teach, instruct, and equip pastoral and teaching ministries and will do so until Christ’s coming again. The same can be said of today’s apostles.

I have had the occasion to hike in the high country with some of these modern day apostolic ministers. I’ve watched others as they raised families while they were here in the states formalizing their deep understanding of the Gospel within seminary classrooms and libraries. I am blessed to have seen them for their calling and thereby honored to pray for a bountiful harvest from their labors in the field.

Ephesians 2: 19-22: ¹⁹Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, ²⁰built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. ²¹In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. ²²And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

Others of the foundational ministries are active in our congregations teaching, evangelizing, and pastoring and go without ordination by the governing bodies of the churches in which they serve. Their ordination comes from elsewhere. It’s not the title that is important, it is the ministry that is paramount. Today’s foundational ministers would most likely agree and continue on making disciples.

In His grip, jerry

The Loft

Artwork via Graphicstock.com subscription

Luke 22 7-13 (ESV) ⁷Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. ⁸So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.” ⁹They said to him, “Where will you have us prepare it?” ¹⁰He said to them, ‘Behold, when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him into the house that he enters ¹¹and tell the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says to you, Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹²And he will show you a large upper room furnished; prepare it there.’ ¹³And they went and found it just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.

I confess that I’ve romanticized the ‘upper room’. It probably stems from my recreational reading, and that mostly from the Sci-fi and Fantasy genres. I’ve pictured the upper room as a banquet room above a tavern associated with an inn. Tolkien filled his with hobbits, dwarves, and wizards; Eddings filled his with a sorcerer and his cadre of adventurers.  I have pictured Jesus with his disciples tramping through the common room of an inn, a tavern, to the backstairs and up to a banquet hall there to celebrate the Passover meal, wash the disciples’ feet, and challenge Judas to do what he must.

Quiet upper rooms and the solitude they offer amidst the hubbub of life have always attracted me, it may have something to do with growing up in an upstairs bedroom where I could get away from things whenever I needed to. I am writing this in our office having closed the door and shut the blinds and I feel that I’ve separated myself from our three-dog pack and the awakening household. It feels right, as though I have been successful at making this a sanctuary for a brief time.

Though my analogy somewhat falls apart in the face of the scriptures and the commentary I read I still get the sense that Jesus and the disciples separated themselves from the city with all of its energy surrounding the Passover celebration as well as the Pharisee’s hunt for Jesus in their efforts to put an end to his revolution. Rather than pass through a raucous room full of weary travelers washing the dust of the road from their throats with tankards of ale, they walked through a man’s house to a room he kept to let out for such occasions as the Last Supper.

My interest in the upper room was piqued by taking the Lord’s Supper with a group called the Eucharist of the Beloved. I met 13 or 14 others in the loft at the Lucky Baldwins Pub in Pasadena. They were all strangers to me with the exception of Dave Cameron whom I’d met briefly and only once. The loft sits above the barroom with only a railing to separate us from the crowd, on this night some sports team celebrated the end of a season of competition. Flat screens adorn the walls of the pub and loft alike, thankfully the two in the loft were muted, a soccer game on one and a basketball game on the other, silent struggles for supremacy.

Dave and his wife Christy prepared a litany for the evening. As we ate a meal, just as I picture the disciples with Jesus for the Passover, we went through the litany filled with scripture and prayers given by various folks in the group that Dave called upon. The others of us gave corporate responses as directed.

As the decibel levels varied below us, Malia shared her story of stroke and miracle healing, of working through rehab some had told her was useless, and of the pastoral care she received from her husband, Dave and Christy, and others. She spoke of great strength that came to her through her weakness and a final victory over the cane with the prayers of Spirit-filled young men who prayed for her as she entered a venue for a revival.

I was uplifted by her story and the common bond we all felt as we continued through the Eucharist serving each other the cup and the bread of life. It was refreshing to be in a group from various church backgrounds, a sprinkling of Presbyterians, some from Christian Assembly, and others from places I didn’t have the opportunity to learn about – it mattered not, we were of one mind.

Dale Bruner spoke to us about the Beatitudes and I was struck by how some people can be speaker and scribe at one and the same time. As Dale spoke to us about God’s word and how it touches us he was also scribbling the Word on our hearts. God bless Dale as he retires from a teaching position at the First Presbyterian Church at Hollywood and continues on his walk with God in the writing of a commentary of the Gospel of John. I have a couple of nuggets from Dr. Dale’s talk and I hope to distill them to a meaningful post in the coming days.

We broke during our time together to go out into Old Town Pasadena in small groups to pray over the town and read from scripture with each other and to talk over our experience and what it meant to us to be in the world but not of it. The exercise stretched my comfort zone and I plan to do it again.

A couple of observations/recommendations based on my evening:

V  Find your upper room and visit it often, alone and with other believers

V  Seek out experiences apart from your home church, it freshens your outlook

V  Pray and recite scripture while you’re out and about, it keeps you connected to the Holy Spirit and salts the earth, even if you do it silently

V  Be poor in spirit, help others who are also poor find their inheritance

In His grip, jerry

Eucharist of the Beloved meets monthly. For more information on the group please follow this link:

http://bridgesus.org/bridge-leaders-form-communities-dave-camerons-eucharist-of-the-beloved-in-old-town-pasadena-part-3-of-4/

Blood On My Hands

/w permission from Graphicstock.com

Matthew 26:27 - 29 “²⁷Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.²⁸This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

I had finished my part in the service of Communion having carried the bread to believers who could not walk to the front for one reason or another, they were; infirm, working the sound board, in the Bawl Room with little ones, or playing their instruments as background while the ambulatory amongst the congregation came forward to be served. Andy offered me the bread and I broke a piece off hearing his words, “the body of Christ, broken for you.” Greg followed up with the cup and the words, “the blood of Christ, shed for you.”

When I took the bread and dipped it in the cup to complete the intinction some dripped on my hand. I nearly froze as the analogy washed over me like the waterfall of a high mountain stream. I was shocked and saddened and incredibly thankful. I had blood on my hands, the blood of Christ.

I am the reason he went to the cross. It’s my fault that the King of Kings stood before a corrupt court and suffered indignation, insults, and false accusations. He was beaten for me, stood in my place and took the whip. He trudged up the hill dragging the cross while his people rejected him, reviled him, and turned their backs on him. He did all of this on account of me, so that I could draw near to the Father without being destroyed, so that I might be able to be in communion with the great Jehovah. So that I might serve the King of Kings as He is meant to be served.

I didn’t dip the bread and take the communion to myself alone. The cup is filled by the pouring out “for many for the forgiveness of sins”. All who dipped that day with me and repented were forgiven, washed clean and were made able to stand in His presence. We all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23) and, thank God, we have the sacrifice made available to us always.

So come to the table to eat and drink. Busy? Infirm? Beckon the servers to bring the communion to you and partake because, “²⁶For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (I Corinthians 11: 26).

In His grip, jerry

The Dark Roots of Entitlement

I need to preface this post, or my ramblings on entitlement, with a disclaimer of sorts. I’m an old telephone man, one who failed as a gym teacher, no less. So, if in reading this you find a nugget that weighs out as a truth that you can cash in, thank God. Also, this post was inspired by a Facebook question posed by Elisabeth Kennedy and the wonderful replies she has received by her considerable community. For them all, I thank God.

The question is, “What do you think creates entitlement – in a child, or a culture? And how does one work to change it once it has reared its ugly head?”

Entitlement as defined by Merriam-Webster is “- the condition of having a right to have, do, or get something or the feeling or belief that you deserve to be given something (such as special privileges)” Without defining ‘sense’ of entitlement, my friends have addressed the meaning in their second definition. My Urban Dictionary app, as it likes to, gets into more politically incorrect usages. However, the UD opens with a sentence that I found useful in my consideration on the topic. Sense of entitlement is “the idea that one has a right to be given something which others believe should be obtained through effort.”

I frequently feel better when I’ve mulled over the key definitions when I approach subjects of this nature. Now, to the question at hand I have to turn to Genesis 3 where mankind’s flawed nature is exploited by the serpent. We were born with the capacity to have a sense of entitlement and the serpent exploits that sense in us and uses many guises to do so because the serpent seeks to separate us from God. We are kept at arm’s length from our Lord as soon as we feel entitled to God’s presence in our lives and to any of the promises He offers. If we want His presence and believe we need it, yes. Believe we deserve it? Not so much.

That’s all well and good for spiritual things but how do we apply this to the practical life of raising kids or leading churches, countries, or cultures? Good grief! God has been wrestling with us forever on that and He doesn’t have to deal with entitlement within Himself. God freed his people and Moses dealt with the grumbling to the point of exasperation whereupon he struck the rock to shut them up. How many of us have capitulated to our children’s cries for something and shoved the coveted item into their hands while growling out, “Here! Now leave me alone.”? It is no easy task to instill a sense of appreciation and a capacity for being thankful for what we have when we ourselves struggle with the disorder.

We need to apply a firm but loving hand in the teachable moments with our children in order to foster a sense of appreciation for the things they have instead of a sense of disappointment for the things they want but don’t have. Likewise, when we are responsible for churches or segments of churches, countries, or cultures, we need to use a steady approach to instill the sense of thankfulness over entitlement. And in the end? We hand it back to God to bear fruit.

Used from my GraphicStock account. *

If anyone is entitled to anything, everything, it is Jesus. Paul tells us of Jesus’ heart in Philippians 2: 5-8 (NIV): “⁵In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: ⁶Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; ⁷rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ⁸And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross!”

A sense of entitlement is the absence of humility. The Great Teacher explained things to that point in the beatitudes, two of his first three deal with humility and their rewards:

Matthew 5: 1-3 (NIV) “¹Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, ²and he began to teach them, saying: ³Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. ⁴Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted. ⁵Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.”

So, we must realize that we are born with the capacity to have a sense of entitlement and then use teachable moments with those for whom we are responsible and demonstrate humility and thankfulness and expect the same in return. Pray for patience. Pray for humility. Pray for discernment, wisdom, and unflinching love. By all means, pray.

In His grip, jerry

*Regarding my graphic search in GraphicStock, I found nothing when using the terms entitlement. A photo of someone doing a selfie came up for selfishness. However, when I used ‘humility’ as my search term all of the graphics that came up had the cross, Jesus, or both and many of them referred to Good Friday within the text of the graphic. 

Life as Advent

Luke 2: 6-15 (NIV) “⁸And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. ¹¹Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. ¹²This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”

¹³Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

¹⁴“Glory to God in the highest heaven,

and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”

¹⁵When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let’s go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”

Merriam-Webster describes the term “Advent” in three ways: ‘the period beginning four Sundays before Christmas and observed by some Christians as a season of prayer and fasting’, ‘the coming of Christ at the incarnation’, and ‘second coming’. Prayer and fasting are a strong way to get into the coming of Christ.

photo courtesy of
GraphicStock

Churches all over the globe and of a wide range of denominations celebrate Advent with the lighting of five candles, one for each of the four Sundays before Christmas and the fifth for Christmas Eve as the Christ Candle. As I watched the Love candle being lit this past Sunday, the third of Advent, I considered the meaning of Advent, considered it to the point that it framed my write up of the El Rio Toy Ride in which I’d ridden in the day before.

If we are practitioners of Advent, to what purpose is our practice? To improve at lighting the Advent candles of Hope, Peace, Love, Joy, and finally the Christ Candle? No, I don’t think that is the case. Rather, I believe that our liturgical approach to Advent is to serve as inspiration to improve at hoping, loving, being joyful, and in finding and advocating peace. Finally, we are to improve at being Christians. That is, we must improve at being Christ’s expression on earth of the four elements of Advent; hope, peace, love, and joy.

My friends Merriam and Webster go on to say that the non-capitalized version of advent is ‘a coming into being or use’ as in the advent of winter for the start of our flu season. I feel like this is a more action oriented version, the verb sense, than the noun ‘Advent’ as a thing or season. I like this because it can spur us into the action of living our lives as the advent of Christ’s coming, His presence now on earth.

I’m going to risk getting a little deeper with what I found during my research than I usually do and if my friends Lee and Darren read this and find my interpretation off, they are welcome to weigh in. Advent comes from the Latin adventus which is the common translation of the Greek parousia. Parousia is referenced to the Second Coming of Christ. This allows us to share in the longing for the Messiah as well as encouraging us to be vigilant to His Second Coming, to advent it now and to all whom we meet and in how we live. Life as Advent.

I’ll wrap it up by providing a YouTube link to Charles Shultz’s Linus reading the scripture I led off with, the advent descending upon the shepherds. This is my all-time favorite Christmas video clip:

Enjoy, go out and advent Christ in all you do to everyone you meet. Turn the tide. Merry Christmas.

In His grip, jerry

This Crooked Stick

“²⁶Brothers and sisters, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. ²⁷But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. ²⁸God chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, ²⁹so that no one may boast before him. ³⁰It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. ³¹Therefore, as it is written: “Let the one who boasts boast in the Lord.”1 Corinthians 1: 26 -31 (NIV)

          My friend Josh Horton said something about God using crooked sticks to draw straight lines and attributed his quote to the artist Propaganda, a rap artist that has been billed as a poet and political activist, a husband and father, and an academic and emcee. This was a couple of weeks ago at The Big Picture Weekend and the saying has been rattling around in my thoughts since then. I suppose that it resonates with me in identifiable ways beginning with my paternally given nickname “Stick” and ending with my knowledge that I am imperfect and anything good that comes out of me must be from God.

          I researched the phrase and found that some of the earliest attributions date back to the German reformer Martin Luther (1483-1546) as well as Ignatius Loyola (1491-1556), Founder of the Jesuit Order. A similar quote from Thomas Watson (1620-1686), Puritan and Nonconformist preacher and author, reads "God can strike a straight stroke by a crooked stick." The thought has been around for a long time and these are variations on theme from my leadoff scripture, 1 Corinthians 1: 26-31. Most of us are well aware of our shortcomings when stacking ourselves up to Godliness and yet Christ is able to use us and loves doing so.

          Other sayings offer the same sentiment. “God Uses Cracked Pots” is a book by Patsy Clairmont. See 2 Corinthians 4: 7. Another is when God used a donkey to speak to Balaam to show Balaam the truth. (Numbers 22) And, earlier today Jim McClelland and I were riffing during a text session about some events that adversely affected how we go about things and surprising both of us. To a final comment Jim said, “The imperfections of each strand of the rope, eh?” Ecclesiastes 4: 12b says this about that, ”A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.” (NIV) This is especially true when we are finely twined with Christ, our imperfects become moot.

          We’ve used the theme “It’s Not About Me” in Junior High Ministries often. When I am asked about, or rather, unduly praised about Mission Arizona this is most likely to be my response, “It cannot be about me.” If it were, the results would blow around like the sands of the Sonoran Desert rather than take root in the kids and bear fruit in many wonderful ways.

          As it goes, this crooked stick is pleased to be of service and if my pot is cracked, let the light of Christ shine through.

Even the crooked stick
can bloom

For the record when Paul said “as it is written” he quoted Jeremiah 9: 23 – 24:

²³This is what the Lord says:

“Let not the wise boast of their wisdom

or the strong boast of their strength

or the rich boast of their riches,

²⁴but let the one who boasts boast about this:

that they have the understanding to know me,

that I am the Lord, who exercises kindness,

justice and righteousness on earth,

for in these I delight,” (NIV)

In His grip, jerry

Many Hats

^“19Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible.²⁰To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. ²¹To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. ²²To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. ²³I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.” 1 Corinthians 9: 19 -23

          This morning I awoke to for a short communications update prior to heading out to work with my contactor on our new front deck and cover. One of my friends posted a beautifully written sentiment on how she will have a week alone with each of her sons over the next month and contrasted how each of those weeks was likely to pan out, so different from each other; one with a fast pace filled with projects, friends, and spontaneity, the other to be simplified and basic, honoring each other’s space while inviting the other into deep thought and consideration. In the post, I could sense her excitement at both of the coming weeks and her wonder at having two boys so very different from one another.

          The thought came to me that she was being ‘all things to all people’ and I commented on that in my reply to her. I took the above scripture out to front and had it rattling around in my mind and spirit as I worked the jackhammer on a stubborn bit of concrete on an ancient landing to our front door.

          We know that as Christians we are to be in the world but not of it. Upon reading First Corinthians 9 I see that we need to be all things to all people. For me; when writing this post I need to perceptive, when working the jackhammer with a contractor – rough and ready, when riding motorcycles with friends – Shakespeare on a bike, when with kids – as a child, when with family – a son, dad, brother, whatever to whomever.

          Something stood out for me in reading my friend’s post. For her sons she will behave differently for each so that each will feel valued, honored…loved. And yet, she will be the same thing for both – mother. It is like that for Christians as we are out and about in the world in the various venues that we find ourselves, we will be different for the different folks that we encounter but we must remain one thing for them all – a child of Christ. In that regard we must be consistent.

          In my work-a-day world I often described myself as a chameleon and often changed my modus operandi to fit the meeting and meet the needs of those present in order to move things along and accomplish our goals. I’ve carried that modus into life. I do this, we do this, not without some risk. We change how we are operating at the risk of losing sight of who we are in Christ. It is then that we lose touch with Jesus and lose the opportunity so “that by all possible means I might save some.”  And there lies the tragedy if we do not remain firmly planted in the Kingdom while wondering around on earth.

So we should be all things to all people, God’s handymen and handywomen, jacks of all trades, wearers of many hats, and remain steadfast in ourselves as Christ’s disciples.

In His grip, jerry