Slow

Cost

"Suppose one of you wishes to build a tower. Will he not first sit down and estimate the cost to see if he has enough money to complete it?" (Luke 14:28).

I remember hearing great sermons in the past on "counting the cost of discipleship". They were usually stark reminders of how the disciple of Christ would be rejected by the world and how much we must be willing to pay the price to be a follower of his. I found these sermons to be refreshingly grim reminders that the Way of Christ was not meant simply for our pleasure but for his purpose...and those purposes usually conflict with our desire for comfort, safety, and "success".

I've been thinking of "counting the cost" in other ways lately, not so much in terms of rejection by the world but rather rejection by those you have loved and served. It goes without saying that a lot of what Jesus taught conflicts with the world's systems and values, but to experience the raw, abraisive rejection of those you have given your life to...now that's something else.

That's the Way of Christ.

We often talk of sacrificial love, but I wonder how much I really understand what that means. Sometimes, I think I equate "sacrificial" with money or inconvenience. Is the amount of time and money invested in someone the indicator of "sacrificial"? I'm not so sure. Was Jesus inconvenienced at the cross?

The love of God for humanity took Christ to that hill, and Jesus gave while expecting nothing in return. The very people he gave his life for rejected him at the moment of his sacrifice. And yet he gave. I am humbled by the forgiveness Jesus demonstrated while on the cross, but I am amazed by the willingness to sacrifice his body while possessing the fore-knowledge of the rejection. Love anyhow. I want to love like that. I want to learn from that.

If we want to love like Christ, we can expect nothing in return from those we love and serve. When rejection is heaped upon our gifts, it is easy to say "I'm done" and write the whole matter off...but something in my soul compels me deeper. Can the love of Christ keep me from rejecting those who have rejected me? God, I hope so.

No matter how hurtful, hateful, and venomous the rejection may be, people are worth my time, worth my money, and worth my life. There is, of course, one young man in particular that I am thinking of tonight.

Stick around a church long enough and you might hear something about how Jesus identifies with us in his suffering. Sometimes it is good to have it the other way around. I need to identify with him, grow in him, love like him. Proverbs 4:7 says, "Though it cost all you have, get understanding." It causes me to wonder how much I'm willing to pay to get a better understanding of the Way of Christ.

Served

Frayed

A Thought for the Frayed

I feel so frayed

Like a rug

Trampled on

Torn at the edges

Worn thin in places

The people come

And go

I am left

With my holes

And my flaws.

But there is more

To me than this

I can be more

Because you made me

To be more

I am not a rug

Beaten and scorned

I am something

Beautiful

A tapestry -- a story.

I am loved

My imperfections

Are nothing

To the one Who wove me

He does not see

The worn out holes

Tattered corners

He sees the beauty

I am more

Because he

Made me to be.

-- author unknown

Market

"The good life, the blessed life, is found in living as God's sent people" (Todd D. Hunter).

I have often questioned how much we are influenced by our culture around us. Don't misunderstand me...I don't think we should retreat to our Christian conclaves and withdraw ourselves from the world around us. Quite the opposite, in fact. I think followers of Christ should be engaged and involved in the communities in which we find ourselves...loving and serving neighbor.

I guess I struggle a bit with how often we try to imitate the world around us. I don't know whether we do this to find acceptance or because we think this is the key to "attracting them to us". Very often, our imitation of the society we live in (and the methods that society uses) causes us to come off a bit...weird. It can be an uncomfortable experience when we try to imitate the world rather than imitate Christ.

I've been thinking a lot about evangelism lately, and, to be honest with you, I find our "methods" a bit off-putting -- and I have most of my life. It seems that our methods of evangelism imitate the market-driven culture we find ourselves in. I have grown increasingly distanced from our concepts of "selling the gospel" and "growing our brand".

Many of our methods for evangelism could come right out of the "Marketing 101" textbook: 1) have a product, 2) create a brand, 3) come up with slogans, 4) develop the sales strategy and learn techniques for delivery, 5) engage graphics arts to advertize with t-shirts, bumper stickers, ads, and technology. Marketing is intended to identify the customer, keep the customer, and satisfy the customer.

Uh oh. (Did that last sentence give anyone else the creeps?).

Marketing is a process that companies (or churches) use to create consumer interest in our products (the Gospel) and services (the church). I am not sure why this grieves me as much as it does...

A former pastor of mine is fond of saying, "What you win them with is what you win them to". What are they being "won" to? It's a good question. Consumer entitlement? Brand loyalty ensuring life-long commitment and their dollar? New knowlege or philosophy? I'm afraid that pursuing people in this manner seriously misses the point.

Our market-driven approaches to church growth, I feel, have also left segments of the Body of Christ in arrogant competition with one another. When one church grows, usually another church declines. One wins. One loses. While I agree that churches have natural cycles of life and death, our inner-church competition for customers often resembles the competitive pricing I see between Penny's, Kohl's, and Sears (with each trying to win their "market share"). Since we are but One Body, when one loses, we all lose.

We all lose.

I don't like evangelism when it resembles marketing with the latest slogans, cliches, catch-phrases, and products. Neither do I appreciate evangelism that is nothing but words, whether printed or spoken. When I read the Gospels, I see an evangelism that is lived and embodied in our flesh...through our lives...the Living Christ. Words have never been enough, and to follow the example of Jesus, our hands and feet and flesh are required.

People are not a market. People are people, and they deserve our personal interaction, love, and service. Anything else may be disingenuous.

Others

Life

Grow

"...grow in the grace and the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).

I had a conversation this week with a co-worker who was ready to throw the book at a student for what they interpreted as their blatant disobedience and violation of rules and expectations. Something about this particular bloodlust did not sit well with me, and so I went to bat for the student and insisted that conversation was the way forward, not punitive action. Come to find out, what was interpreted as defiance was little more than a misunderstanding. Had we acted upon this student with vengence, we would of, perhaps, done irreparable damage.

It's easy to forget that we exist to serve others and not the other way around. It's easy for us to forget that sometimes we get it wrong. It's easy for us to do damage to those we view as a threat to our standards and our way of life. How often do we need to be reminded that our methods in dealing with others do not follow the Way of Christ?

When police officers forget that the law exists for the protection of the people and when these same officers live under the fantasy that the people exist to serve them, there is a great danger to the public. In the same way, Christians who forget that they exist to serve humanity can do great damage. Do we dare ignore the example and teachings of Jesus in order to maintain the law? The Lord Jesus Christ himself said, "...the son of man did not come to be served but to serve and give his life as a ransom to many" (Mt. 20:28).

Sometimes, I see in God's people a "fundamental gulf of gracelessness" and a serious lack of knowledge of who Jesus is, what he really taught, and the life he truly calls us to live. I have seen Christianity at its worst when we lack in "the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ". I have seen Christianity at its best when we posses the grace and knowlege of who Jesus truly is.

John 1:17 says "The law came through Moses; grace and truth come through Jesus Christ." As those who claim to follow Christ, we must be careful to interpret the way we live and the way we treat others and the way we read and understand the Scriptures through the lens of Jesus Christ. We do not follow the way of the Pharisees.

We follow Christ.

Hate

Wilderness