words of love and warning

Recently my staff and I gathered to plan a service that will in some part deal with Jesus' words in Luke 12:1-7:

Meanwhile, when a crowd of many thousands had gathered, so that they were trampling on one another, Jesus began to speak first to his disciples, saying: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy. There is nothing concealed that will not be disclosed, or hidden that will not be made known. What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.

 "I tell you, my friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body and after that can do no more. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

What an incredibly sharp contrast in that last paragraph.  On the one hand, Jesus says that we should be afraid - yep, that kind of afraid - of God... because of his power to send us to either heaven or hell after death.

And then what does he follow that command to be afraid up with? One of the most commonly used prooftexts when you see it in context - the "hairs on your head" metaphor about how much God knows and cares for us... followed up by a command not to be afraid.

I don't think that these two commands contradict.  I think they are both true, and have to be held in a logical and relational tension.  And for the purposes of this post, I don't think I want to spend any more time talking about how those are both true or how that tension works out.

What I do want to spend time on is this question:

What do we do with that?

Here's what I think:

I think we have to ask ourselves a few questions.

Here's the questions:

Am I attentive to God's words of love and care to me?

Am I attentive to God's words of warning to me?

Am I attentive to one type of God's words to me at the expense of the other?

what heaven will be like.

Today during worship at one of our campuses, I saw something that made me think:

"This is what heaven will be like."

I was standing behind our tech team, observing.  I was observing the team on stage.  I was observing the team in the booth.  And I was observing the people in the seats.

And I was drawn into worship.  I was observing God, watching him move, thanking him for his faithfulness to us.

And then I saw something that made that moment feel even holier than it already was.

One section over, two rows up.  A man stood there in the midst of the crowd.  I couldn't tell you how tall he was; only that he once stood a lot taller, but was hunched over a bit now with age.

I could barely see his face.  His eyes were shut, but shut with intention - almost like he was concentrating.  His head was slightly tilted up, but not enough to betray his spirit of reverence.

And his arms.  His arms.

His arms were outstretched.

His countenance radiated freedom.  His expression was bold.  It was an amazing and humbling sight to behold.

And get this: we were singing a Hillsong United tune - From the Inside Out.

We had people who were barely twenty on stage.  We had the lights going.  We were running around 90dB.  And here is this man, one face in the crowd, long in years, absolutely and 100% sold out in worship before his God.

What an incredible example.  What a statement.  The light of the truth outshines the lie:

Worship is not bound by nor does it pay homage to age.

Lord God, make me like him.

my Jesus wears flannel

I ended my last post with the statement:

"I think that even the old can be new in some instances."

So many examples fall within this truth:

• Scripture.
• the Triune God.
• the local church.
• flannel shirts with pearl button down snaps. (wearing one as I type this.)

Why do these "old" things always seem to retain their newness?  Why do they always seem to have relevance and exert their influence on generation after generation?

Because they touch on something that is alive.

Of course, it was a little irreverent to include flannel shirts in that list.  I'm not saying that they are on the same level as the other three.  (Let's have a sense of humor here, people.)  But I think the same principle is at work.  I think they remain "new" for the same reason as the other three.

No, not that Jesus is a flannel shirt wearer.

But that the spirit of the flannel shirt is very much alive.  Though it went from function to fashion - most of us don't wear them any longer to keep us warm or to aid in the wrangling of cattle - we still like the comfortable look and feel, and like the image it projects.  As cheesy as it sounds: the flannel connects its wearer to something that is alive and well in our culture today.

Just like the Spirit that inspired Scripture and works through the local church is very much alive, and makes us alive as we connect with him.

The old can be new if the old is still alive, or connects us to something that is still alive.  If the old exists outside of a fond memory of days when we used to feel alive.  If the old is more than just nostalgia, a fuzzy feeling, or the longing for days gone by.  If the old resonates and is embraced across culture, time, and generation.

These are the songs like Amazing Grace.

These are the rituals like Communion.

These are the things that connect you to something or Someone who is alive, who makes your spirit alive as you are connected to them.

We aren't just on a quest for the new only, or new for newness' sake.  

We are on a quest to be connected to that which is alive.

So explore some old paths, some old ways, and see if something new doesn't grow up in you.  

You might be pleasantly surprised at what you discover... or Who discovers you.