What Can Be Done?

I really believe it’s the Church’s job to lead people back to each other.

In this time of COVID-19 quarantine we have experienced intense separation due to biological realities. These months of social distancing and the lingering uncertainty make it seem scary to try to get back together. Yet, our governmental and health care leaders have given the “go ahead” for churches like ours to start gathering—with certain recommendations.

So Living Streams Church will be resuming our Sunday morning in-person services on June 28th. We will communicate more details soon, but I wanted to let you know so you can set the date. We are very excited about this and, at the same time, we know there are some who will not be excited about this. If you are not excited about this, no worries at all. We will also continue to live stream our services.

Another way we can apply the phrase, “It’s the Church’s job to lead people back to each other” is in the arena of racial reconciliation. The horrific death of George Floyd has reignited a longstanding powder keg of racial unrest. The injustices our African American brothers and sisters have endured over many years have left a wound that is not easily healed. For many African Americans the pain is real and the anger is justified. So what can be done? 

Paul the Apostle, who was himself familiar with racial injustice and inequality, wrote a lot about what we can do. In his day the Jews and Gentiles, or Jews and Romans, were at odds. He wrote a letter which was inspired by the Spirit of God to the church at Corinth which says this:

“Our firm decision is to work from this focused center: One man died for everyone. That puts everyone in the same boat. He included everyone in his death so that everyone could also be included in his life, a resurrection life, a far better life than people ever lived on their own. Because of this decision we don’t evaluate people by what they have or how they look. We looked at the Messiah that way once and got it all wrong, as you know. We certainly don’t look at him that way anymore. Now we look inside, and what we see is that anyone united with the Messiah gets a fresh start, is created new. The old life is gone; a new life burgeons! Look at it! All this comes from the God who settled the relationship between us and him, and then called us to settle our relationships with each other. God put the world square with himself through the Messiah, giving the world a fresh start by offering forgiveness of sins. God has given us the task of telling everyone what he is doing. We’re Christ’s representatives. God uses us to persuade men and women to drop their differences and enter into God’s work of making things right between them. –2 Corinthians 5:14-19 MSG

God has given us the ministry of reconciliation. If your gospel does not include racial reconciliation it is not the gospel of Jesus Christ put forth by the New Testament. Jesus’ desire is expressed through His prayer in John 17. He prayed that everyone would become one, no matter their gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, religious affiliation, or physical condition. He loves it when brothers and sisters of all diversities dwell together in unity. 

We must never forget that sin is what has brought about all the evils in our world today, including racism. But we also must never forget that nothing else but Jesus’ blood can cleanse us of our sin. Nothing else but Jesus’ Spirit can empower us to overcome our sinful nature. And nothing else but Jesus’ return will bring about the full eradication of sin and the sinful nature forevermore. Jesus is the answer for the world today. Above Him there is no other. Jesus is the way.

We have a lot of work to do to lead people back to each other. We have a lot of listening to do. We have a lot to learn about each other. We need to invite people who don’t look like us or think like us into our homes and venture into theirs. Let us eat together at the table of brotherhood. We have a lot of pride to swallow and humility to put forth. But Church, Jesus has given us all we need to accomplish the ministry of reconciliation. Led by His Sprit let’s do our part.

David

P.S. Don’t forget the work we have ahead of us leading Democrats and Republicans back to each other as well. Lord, have mercy! 

A Beautiful Heart

I’m a bit of a kleptomaniac in one area of my life. No, I’m not into stealing cars, stealing from the government, or picking pockets. And I’m not talking about stealing candy (like when my eighth-grade friends and I went on a two-week stealing spree at 7-Eleven and Woolworths). 

I’m talking about the fine art of stealing words. And my problem with “word thieving” is so profound it may even be affecting the way I speak.

People ask me about my accent all the time. When I tell those people I was born and raised in Arizona they are usually a bit surprised—and thoroughly disappointed. But I think my accent is connected to my word stealing. When I hear people say words that inspire or awaken, I don’t just want to steal the words, I also want to steal the way the person said the words. I think it’s a subconscious attempt to incorporate into my own speech the way the words sounded to me. Some call it an accent—but it is probably more like schizophrenic speech. 

For our next sermon series at Living Streams Church I am once again stealing some words. The source is a nonprofit organization called “Family Matters.”  I first heard these words grouped together when I heard a talk given by the founders of Family Matters at Phoenix Seminary. 

What the founders were teaching is this: True greatness comes from having a Humble Heart, a Servant Heart, a Grateful Heart, and a Generous Heart. I have been “chewing on that” ever since I heard it. I even bought my daughters heart boxes; and for a while, I would give them a heart sticker whenever I saw them demonstrate one of these types of hearts. 

People often search to know who they are and how they can be better. The enneagram is really helpful at teaching us about personality and the pitfalls connected with our own. The Myers-Briggs personality test will teach us about what drains us and what fills our tanks. The Strengths Finder test can help us know the good we have to offer humanity. But these “four hearts” make the deeper magic that lives underneath our personality and can cause us to shine.

Sunday, November 10, we’ll begin a sermon series that will peel back the confusion in our culture, silence the incessant banter of our society, and study the beautiful heart of Jesus—so humble, helpful, grateful, and generous.

David

Just a Link in the Chain

After six straight 15-hour work days (including a basketball tournament from midnight to 2:30 am), we found ourselves on top of a boat in the Caribbean. The boat was a water taxi carrying us back from a day of relaxing on Caye Caulker. The speed of the boat produced a consistent breeze to keep us cool.

From the top of the boat we could see for miles in every direction. The “Caribbean” blue water was in perfect harmony with the expansive sky overhead. The setting sun cast dazzling colors across the sky and made everything appear in its best light.

Our team of seven Americans sat with our Belizean brothers Kenny and Orelle, as we took it all in. The introvert in me was grateful for the soft hum of the engine that kept us from feeling the need for conversation. I could feel my depleted soul filling up as my eyes drank it all in. Then, just as with everything in this life, the depravity of man tainted our glorious moment.

One the guys on our team was standing and enjoying the view when a young boy about 10 years old started talking with him. They both looked over to me at one point, so I did what any good pastor would do. I stuck my tongue out and made a funny face at them. The kid seemed to be pleasantly surprised and made his way to where I was sitting. He asked me if I had any water and I gave him a water bottle I had in my backpack. He drank it very quickly.

Just before he was done, he leaned over the rail, looked at a man seated on the lower deck, and spit a whole bunch of water on him. He quickly sat down and stared forward, hoping no one would catch him. I made another face at him and this one wasn’t very funny.

The man who he spit water on came up and gave him a talking to. As he did, I noticed the young boy’s eyes were intense and also bloodshot. He showed slight signs of remorse, even though he was denying he had done anything. I apologized to the man and told him the boy did it. That seemed to appease him and he went away. Just then, the kid sprang to his feet and ran to the other side of the boat and starting talking to some other people.

We were all discussing the erractic behavior of the kid when one of the guys on our team, who has a background in drug addiction, said, “That kid is high as a kite.” Here in this moment, with the backdrop of God’s glorious, soul-filling creation, the depravity of man showed up and pierced our joy.

Because of man’s propensity to misuse and abuse the gifts of God’s creation we have so many sad stories. The misuse and abuse of plants, the misuse and abuse of our bodies, the misuse and abuse of our intellects, the misuse and abuse of our sexuality, the misuse and abuse of our children, all lead to heartbreak and destruction.

We might think a little marijuana use here, a little porn use there, doesn’t really hurt anyone, but it does. Our misuse and abuse is a link in the chain that enslaves all of humanity. And the ones who suffer the most are our children.

My heart cries out the same things as the writer of Hebrews declared so long ago: “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. But encourage one another daily so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”

For just as powerful for destruction is our sin, our righteousness is powerful for building God’s glory here, as it is in heaven.

David

God's Dream

When our eyes have been blinded by the searing pain of deadly shootings, the heavy burden of poverty's ramifications, and the crippling curse that sin has brought upon humanity—we need a vision. 

Like Martin Luther King Jr. said at a dark, tumultuous time in our nation’s history: 

“We've got some difficult days ahead. But it doesn't matter with me now. Because I've been to the mountaintop…and I've looked over. And I've seen the promised land….'mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord.'”

Or when Matisyahu sings over our world full of war and hate violence: 

"Sometimes in my tears I drown, 
But I never let it get me down
So when negativity surrounds
I know some day it'll all turn around
Because
All my life I've been waiting for
I've been praying for
For the people to say
That we don't wanna fight no more
They'll be no more wars
And our children will play"

Like when Paul the Apostle writes to a painfully persecuted minority: 

“God chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight… With all wisdom and understanding he made known to us the mystery of his will…to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.”

And like when my old friend Zach Vestney sang to hearts worn down by the  ceaseless, gnawing of sin's curse: 

“We will soon be with Him forevermore,
where we can walk with Him on that crystal shore.
And talk with all the of saints of old.
And bow before the mighty throne of God."

One day we are going to see the full revelation of God’s dream. We get glimpses here and there. Prophets remind us from time to time. And the Scriptures stand firm, like a soldier pointing the way to that perfect day when our faith becomes sight. 

Onward Christian soldiers. Keep your eyes on the prize.

This Sunday we will start a series on Ephesians and we'll take a look at God’s dream.
 
David