At What Point...

Do we become slaves to technology?

And sports?

And money?

And possessions?

And activities?

And busy-ness?

And pleasure?

And social media?

And blogging?

Some might go so far as to say that such things are actually modern day idols--false gods.

I've just come off a week of Spring Break.  I didn't blog at all.  Got back to the office yesterday and had a class to attend.  Normally, I would have rushed to put together a blog post.  "If you don't keep it up, people won't read."  Such was the advice I heard repeatedly to be a "successful" blog.

But I was different after coming back from Spring Break.  Something happened to me while I was gone.

I spent a couple of days on a piece of property my wife and I bought in Rocksprings, TX.  The land is completely raw.  No electricity.  No telephone.  No running water.  Nothing.  Cell phone signal?  At intervals--depending upon where you stood and how the wind was blowing--literally.  No internet through the phone.  No ability to check Facebook or blog.  No way to stay connected to the outside world.

Somewhat of a detox occurred.  It was quite heavenly.

No.  I didn't hear God's voice telling me to stop using Facebook or quit blogging.  I didn't see a vision of a technology free world where people actually talked to one another instead of spending time glued to cell phone screens.  Nothing of the sort.

In fact, all I heard was nothing.  No airplanes.  Few vehicles. Not even a coyote at night.  Quiet.  Stillness.

Do you want to get away?

Yeah.  I did.

And I started to realize just how much time I spent on Facebook.  I started to realize how much time I spent blogging.  I started to realize these places were places I was trying to find some sort of worth.  (How many hits did your blog get today?  How many likes did you get on Facebook?)  Does it matter?

Not in the big scheme of things.  Such idols demand a lot and offer little in return.  They beckon with promises of fame and fulfillment, but they never deliver. 

Only One gives such fulfillment.  Not these modern day idols.  Only One isn't a false god. 

Jesus.

I'm not going to stop blogging, but I will be doing less of it. 

I'm not going to stop using Facebook, but I'm not checking it numerous times a day.

Technology and social media won't bring members to the church.  It's not likely going to influence many people to become Christian.  It's more likely to suck you in and dominate your life.  It had a grip on mine.  Perhaps it's trying to wrap its tentacles around me once more.

No thank you.

The Great Reversal or Don't Wait Until Death is Imminent

Yesterday, I had lunch with a man who is dying of cancer.

Don't get me wrong.  He's hopeful--as anyone would be hopeful.  But he also knows the facts.

His cancer is not responding to the latest chemo.

Docs told him it wouldn't be very long.

He's losing copious amounts of weight.

But, he's at peace.  He's getting things in order, but hoping he will live.

I noticed something about him that I have noticed repeatedly about folks who are facing imminent death.

There almost always is a great reversal.  Almost always.

The things once thought of as trivial become important, and the things once believed to be of utmost importance become trivial.

Maybe another way of saying this is: the things we take for granted become precious and the things we think precious become taken for granted--minor.

Family and their well being becomes prominent.  Things once argued over (what to wear, whether one is right or wrong about a minor fact, what kind of music one prefers, what kind of car one drives) all become irrelevant.  Expensive cars, good paying jobs, cheering on one's favorite team diminish in importance as time becomes a precious commodity to be spent with those who one loves.

Faith asserts itself.  Whereas prayer and times of quiet reflection seemed so tedious and superfluous, they now become profound times of healing--not in the sense of physical healing, but spiritual and mental healing--which lead to peace and acceptance of what is going on.  Marveling at the good, the beautiful of creation happens time and again throughout the day--not just on special occasions.

Why is it that for many, this only occurs when confronting one's mortality?
Why is it that we get convinced so easily that trivial things become important and important things are trivial?
What is it about this world we live in; this culture we are a part of that keeps us so focused on, well, us?

Perhaps when confronted with the final loss of "us" in death; before we go to be with God, we come to see it's really not about us.  It is about us in relationship with others.  It's not about how my needs are satisfied by what I want to pursue.  It's about how I seek the good of others as they seek my good.

One of the most interesting things I have heard to explain the nature of God--the Christian perspective of the Trinity--is that the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, have lived from eternity in a mutual relationship of glorifying one another.  The Father glorifies the Son and the Spirit.  The Son glorifies the Spirit and the Father.  The Spirit glorifies the Son and the Father.  The constant glorification and love that the "persons" of the Trinity give to each other fulfills them completely.  They had no need for anyone or anything to give them glory or worship.

So why create humans?  Not to receive, but to share.  To share the wonderful sense of love and fulfillment of this relationship.

Too many times, folks only begin to understand this when their death is imminent.

Why wait?

Awesome: Trinity Sunday Sermon

This past week, I had a text conversation about some church matters with one of our members. This member needed Sam to send something, but Sam was home sick. I have permission to share the following, so please allow me a moment to do this:

Me: Sure. I’ll have Sam send it tomorrow. I sent her home because she was sick.

Our member: No problem. I hope she feels better.

Me: Me too. Working without your secretary is like steering a boat without a rudder.

Our member: Awww, I am sure you do a great job. You are awesome.

Me: I am only as awesome as those I work and serve with.

Now, why would I say such a thing instead of blushing and offering a word of thanks? Why even say anything at all? Why not just let the comment stand alone since a response can either seem conceited or self-depreciating? Why tie this member’s thoughts about the job I do to the congregation as a whole? Why?

Because, I believe this whole Christianity thing is about individuals who live in relationship with one another.

Let’s talk a moment about the way a congregation works. All too often, our congregations are only focused upon the pastor and the job he or she does. But is this fair? I mean, don’t get me wrong, a pastor is very important to the life of a church. He or she serves as its spiritual leader.
If a pastor doesn’t have a solid relationship with God, can’t preach a decent sermon, and does not show kindness and compassion along with having a strong sense of doctrine, problems will arise. Effective pastors are essential to the health of a congregation.

But pastors can’t make a congregation thrive alone. I think you know this, but let me repeat it just so it sinks in: pastors can’t make a congregation thrive alone. I mean, what if a pastor preaches excellent sermons, shows kindness and compassion to everyone he or she meets, has a strong sense of doctrine and belief, and has a solid relationship with God–what if a pastor has all these traits, yet, his or her congregation continually bickers with each other, refuses to invite and welcome others into its midst, or refuses to give to support the ministries of the church or try to connect with the community and its needs? Do you think that congregation will thrive? Of course it won’t. The pastor and congregation must work together as a team in order for a church to thrive. This is why I said, "I am only as awesome as those I work with and serve." It’s about relationship.

But there is one more component to this whole dynamic. At this point, we have a pastor and a congregation. Is this enough? Is this alone enough to make a church thrive in this world? At this point, I will argue no. That might raise a few eyebrows, I am sure, but none the less, I believe I am correct. It is not enough for a church to thrive to have a good pastor and a good group of people. This relationship is not enough. Yes, you heard me correctly, this relationship is not enough.

For, you see, the Pastor and the congregation must be intimately connected to God. In order for a congregation to truly be effective in doing God’s work, in order for a pastor to be effective in doing God’s work, they each must be connected to Him. The relationship actually forms a triangle–a dance between three entities that work together to accomplish what needs to be done in spreading the good news of Jesus Christ to the world.

And how is that accomplished? Well, we have to move the points of the triangle a little bit. The pastor is now included into this entity that is called the congregation. There now exists a relationship between God and the congregation, but one more component is now added–the surrounding community. We bring people within the community into the relationship dance. The triangle continues and shifts. What I find interesting is how the relationships I am talking about need three entities.

God + the congregation + the pastor = a thriving church–relationship.

God + the congregation (including the pastor) + the community = fulfillment of the Great
Commission–relationship.

Relationship is at the core of the Christian message, and can anyone here see the mirror yet with the nature of God Himself? If you can’t, please let me attempt to show it to you.

Today is Trinity Sunday. It is the Sunday of the church calendar where we celebrate the nature of God. God is the Father. God is the Son. God is the Holy Spirit. Yet, these three do not make up three Gods but one God. Logically, this does not make any sense. Mathematically, it doesn’t make any sense. But relationally, it makes plenty of sense. Relationally, three are one and one is three. At the core of God is a relationship; a relationship that is so strong between the entities that they cannot be seen as separate.

And, here is an intriguing thought based upon a portion of our gospel text for today. Jesus says about the Spirit, "14He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you." The Spirit will glorify Jesus. But we know later that Jesus says He strives to glorify the Father. And we also know that the Father glorifies the Son.

In this relationship called the Trinity, all three parts continuously strive to glorify each other. Let’s put this into different terms. In this relationship called the Trinity, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit work diligently to make one another awesome. They love one another to the point that they strive diligently and with reckless abandon to build each other up in a glorious dance of eternal love.

Is it possible for us to do likewise?

We know that God loves us and wants us to be awesome.

We know God loves the community and wants it to be awesome.

Do pastors love their congregations and seek their awesomeness?

Do congregations love their pastors and seek their awesomeness?

Do congregations love their communities and seek their awesomeness?

And can you imagine what would happen if we set aside our own personal desires to implement those kinds of relationships in the world? What effect would that kind of love have in communities affected by disaster like in Oklahoma? What effect would that kind of love have with parents who have lost their children to tragedy? What kind of effect would that kind of love have with people who were striving to find their purpose in life? What kind of effect would that kind of love have on people who truly are seeking to know whether or not God existed? What kind of effect would that kind of love have on those who struggle with abusive relationships? What kind of effect would that kind of love have on the world?

Well, in a word, I guess it would be awesome. Amen.