Who can we trust?
How difficult it is these days to fully trust people...
Look at this week:
The New York Times--arguably the best Newspaper in the world--has had to fire and suspend two of their reporters because they lied. There is concern now that the Jessica Lynch story was exagerated by the media to hype up support for the war. No wonder it is difficult for us to believe that something is true simply because someone says so.
So how can we as Christians tell the world that Jesus really is the only way to heaven?
The problem is that we are asking people to trust us (youth trust the leaders, friends trust the church going youth, etc.). Instead of saying let's investigate this God thing together...
That is why we have youth group, church, etc. because we want to walk this journey together and figure out exactly who Jesus is, and why His life transformed all of history.
Tuesday, May 13, 2003
sheep
The other week, I heard a great sermon on John 10:7-18. Most of the time people use this scripture to talk about Jesus the Good Shepherd. But there is an interesting twist to the story that often gets neglected.
First, Jesus calls us sheep. And to let you know, sheep are stupid. Sheep have been known to stand and eat all the grass in one spot, then proceed to eat the dirt once the grass is gone. They have also been known to walk off cliffs, get stuck in briar patches and basically do stupid dangerous stuff...And that is the animal Jesus compares us to (which I know for me is fitting).
Anyway, Jesus as the good shepherd means that he will tend to our wounds, heal our cuts and bruises and keep us from the edge of cliffs. But it also means he will allow us to get near the edge, to find the briars, and to eat dirt occasionally.
A quick agricultural lesson is that sheep were kept in pens. In safe, restraining pens, that kept all the sheep out of the dangers and perils of the pasture. Each day the shepherd would come to the only door in the pen and call the sheep to the gate, and lead them out into the pasture. Now the pasture was not only full of water and delicious grass, but also wolves, briars and those dang cliffs.
I think that is a great way to look at the church and our responsibilities there. I think we often believe that the church should be this safe, constant place like the pen. But if that is true than we cannot enjoy the freedom and excitement the pasture provides. Instead we should view the church, and our duties in the church, as a trip into the pasture. One that will provide us with green grass and water, but also one that contains wolves and briars. If we listen to the Shepherd, Jesus, he is at the gate of the pen calling us to a pasture full of peril and danger, but the exciting news is that he will remain there with us. We may get a few scrapes and bruises, but he will protect us from the ultimate danger.
Mark, my friend preaching on this lesson, closed the sermon with this point. I think this is a great way we should view our role as youth ministries, we are here not to heal, but to point to the Healer: "I do not know what frustrations you brought to the service today. And I cannot give you the balm and elixir to heal your cuts and bruises [like a shepherd does]. But I can recall for you the promise the good shepherd makes. And suggest that you stop, listen and hear for yourself the promise of full life and healing."
First, Jesus calls us sheep. And to let you know, sheep are stupid. Sheep have been known to stand and eat all the grass in one spot, then proceed to eat the dirt once the grass is gone. They have also been known to walk off cliffs, get stuck in briar patches and basically do stupid dangerous stuff...And that is the animal Jesus compares us to (which I know for me is fitting).
Anyway, Jesus as the good shepherd means that he will tend to our wounds, heal our cuts and bruises and keep us from the edge of cliffs. But it also means he will allow us to get near the edge, to find the briars, and to eat dirt occasionally.
A quick agricultural lesson is that sheep were kept in pens. In safe, restraining pens, that kept all the sheep out of the dangers and perils of the pasture. Each day the shepherd would come to the only door in the pen and call the sheep to the gate, and lead them out into the pasture. Now the pasture was not only full of water and delicious grass, but also wolves, briars and those dang cliffs.
I think that is a great way to look at the church and our responsibilities there. I think we often believe that the church should be this safe, constant place like the pen. But if that is true than we cannot enjoy the freedom and excitement the pasture provides. Instead we should view the church, and our duties in the church, as a trip into the pasture. One that will provide us with green grass and water, but also one that contains wolves and briars. If we listen to the Shepherd, Jesus, he is at the gate of the pen calling us to a pasture full of peril and danger, but the exciting news is that he will remain there with us. We may get a few scrapes and bruises, but he will protect us from the ultimate danger.
Mark, my friend preaching on this lesson, closed the sermon with this point. I think this is a great way we should view our role as youth ministries, we are here not to heal, but to point to the Healer: "I do not know what frustrations you brought to the service today. And I cannot give you the balm and elixir to heal your cuts and bruises [like a shepherd does]. But I can recall for you the promise the good shepherd makes. And suggest that you stop, listen and hear for yourself the promise of full life and healing."
silence
When was the last time you drove anywhere with out the radio or a cd blaring in the car? When was the last time you spent five minutes without the distraction of a computer, or television or gameboy?
Personally I struggle to find a few minutes in the day to be in silence. I hate silence. I hate being alone. I hate not having something to grab my attention. I hate feeling bored. But I also realize the importance.
Two years ago I went to visit a friend of mine in Scotland. For 36 hours I flew to Europe, checked into a hotel in London and visited sites around London. Not knowing a sole, not wanting to meet new people. So besides checking into the hotel, I did not speak to sole for those 36 hours. At that moment I realized how much I hate being by myself. At the same time though I realized the importance of silence.
Silence offers us an opportunity to think, without distraction. And it also allows God to speak to us, without distractions. We fill our lives with noise every day of the week, but I challenge you to find five minutes at some point this week to sit without the television, radio or computer on.
And my guess your experience might go something like this:
First Ten seconds: "Five minutes, no problem, I'll just close my eyes and pray".
10secs-1 Minute: Okay, I'm done praying, I should open my eyes and I'll bet I have 20 seconds left. Four more minutes! Oh great I'm bored.
1 Minute- 2nd minute: I'm really bored!
2nd minute- 3rd minute: Questions will start to pop into your head, some personal: "Does Steve/Susan really like me?", "Do I like myself?" some spiritual: "What is important to my life?" "Do I really think God is part of my life".
3rd minute-5th minute: Questions like those above will swirl around your head.
So give it a try. Turn of the computer screen and that cd playing in the back ground. And for five minutes just sit there and ask yourself these two questions: "What is important in my life?" and "Do I think, or want, God to be part of my life?" And I promise as those questions race through your head for five minutes, you might hear the soft, quite voice of God saying: "I have come to bring you life and life to the full" (John 10:10).
Personally I struggle to find a few minutes in the day to be in silence. I hate silence. I hate being alone. I hate not having something to grab my attention. I hate feeling bored. But I also realize the importance.
Two years ago I went to visit a friend of mine in Scotland. For 36 hours I flew to Europe, checked into a hotel in London and visited sites around London. Not knowing a sole, not wanting to meet new people. So besides checking into the hotel, I did not speak to sole for those 36 hours. At that moment I realized how much I hate being by myself. At the same time though I realized the importance of silence.
Silence offers us an opportunity to think, without distraction. And it also allows God to speak to us, without distractions. We fill our lives with noise every day of the week, but I challenge you to find five minutes at some point this week to sit without the television, radio or computer on.
And my guess your experience might go something like this:
First Ten seconds: "Five minutes, no problem, I'll just close my eyes and pray".
10secs-1 Minute: Okay, I'm done praying, I should open my eyes and I'll bet I have 20 seconds left. Four more minutes! Oh great I'm bored.
1 Minute- 2nd minute: I'm really bored!
2nd minute- 3rd minute: Questions will start to pop into your head, some personal: "Does Steve/Susan really like me?", "Do I like myself?" some spiritual: "What is important to my life?" "Do I really think God is part of my life".
3rd minute-5th minute: Questions like those above will swirl around your head.
So give it a try. Turn of the computer screen and that cd playing in the back ground. And for five minutes just sit there and ask yourself these two questions: "What is important in my life?" and "Do I think, or want, God to be part of my life?" And I promise as those questions race through your head for five minutes, you might hear the soft, quite voice of God saying: "I have come to bring you life and life to the full" (John 10:10).
a letter
I wanted to share with you all, a story from my friend in West Philadelphia. He grew up in Winston Salem, did Young Life in Concord and graduated from Davidson College with me. Then he decided to move up to West Philly to do a thing called the mission year. He and five other white graduates moved into one of the poorest, most dangerous neighborhoods in America. He said that community is used to white people coming down there for three reasons: 1) to buy drugs 2) as cops or 3) as narks to the cops. Therefore he has had a very difficult time feeling like he can minister to this community. I just got this email from him today, and thought it is a perfect example of how God will pursue each of us.
"On January 22, I finally began a new community service job as a teacher’s assistant at Overbrook High School. During the weeks that I waited for my paperwork to clear, I often walked past that massive five-story schoolhouse, towering over its neighboring row houses like a medieval cathedral. Occasionally I saw a face or two pushed against the windowpanes, or loud voices within. Maybe it was only the effect of months of anticipation, but I began to suspect, with fear and excitement, that working at Overbrook would be my biggest challenge yet.
My first two weeks in Ms. Breese’s ninth-grade English class quickly confirmed this. I have discovered that caring is not enough to be a good teacher at Overbrook. You have to be willing to aggressively enforce the rules and win regular power struggles with kids who are determined to break them. As Ms. Breese explained to me, discipline is the affection for which these kids are the most starved, and they clamor for it all day long. Teaching is a luxury that we have when we are not physically keeping these kids in the room, or keeping those kids out, or telling any combination to watch their mouths. I was cussed out on day two for asking someone to return to their seat. As you might imagine this can be fairly discouraging and quickly exhausting.
That’s why when the moment of grace arrived, it was not a moment too soon. I walked out the front door of the school at the end of a full week of tutoring and began the long walk back through the snow to Master Street.
About a block away, I saw Justin from my fourth period class heading the same way. He shuffled his feet and pulled his hood up over his head.
“Justin!” I yelled. He turned and waited for me to catch up.
“Mind if I walk with you?” I asked.
“Nah,” he said. We kept walking, and I kept the conversation going, asking dumb questions and probably talking too much. Finally, we got to his house.
“Mr. Hughes, is this the way you usually walk home?” he turned and asked.
I said no.
“Then why you walkin’ this way now?” he asked.
“I guess I just wanted to talk to you,” I said.
He thought about this for a second. If you had turned your head for even a moment, you might have missed Justin’s smile.
“That’s cool,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Nah, next week,” I said. He said okay, waved goodbye, and was gone."
--Even though it was a quick smile, and an even quicker goodbye, I believe that Justin understood for the first time what it means to be pursued and cared for by someone. Tim simply walked out of his way, yet that floored this teenager. No one, especially a teacher, has probably ever showed Justin that kind of attention and care. Yet Tim is doing this ministry not to make himself feel better (it has been a very difficult thing for him), but so that he could move into a community and share the Gospel with his life. Please keep Tim in your prayers, and it is my hope that you too will know that God will pursue beacuse "I guess I just wanted to talk to you."
"On January 22, I finally began a new community service job as a teacher’s assistant at Overbrook High School. During the weeks that I waited for my paperwork to clear, I often walked past that massive five-story schoolhouse, towering over its neighboring row houses like a medieval cathedral. Occasionally I saw a face or two pushed against the windowpanes, or loud voices within. Maybe it was only the effect of months of anticipation, but I began to suspect, with fear and excitement, that working at Overbrook would be my biggest challenge yet.
My first two weeks in Ms. Breese’s ninth-grade English class quickly confirmed this. I have discovered that caring is not enough to be a good teacher at Overbrook. You have to be willing to aggressively enforce the rules and win regular power struggles with kids who are determined to break them. As Ms. Breese explained to me, discipline is the affection for which these kids are the most starved, and they clamor for it all day long. Teaching is a luxury that we have when we are not physically keeping these kids in the room, or keeping those kids out, or telling any combination to watch their mouths. I was cussed out on day two for asking someone to return to their seat. As you might imagine this can be fairly discouraging and quickly exhausting.
That’s why when the moment of grace arrived, it was not a moment too soon. I walked out the front door of the school at the end of a full week of tutoring and began the long walk back through the snow to Master Street.
About a block away, I saw Justin from my fourth period class heading the same way. He shuffled his feet and pulled his hood up over his head.
“Justin!” I yelled. He turned and waited for me to catch up.
“Mind if I walk with you?” I asked.
“Nah,” he said. We kept walking, and I kept the conversation going, asking dumb questions and probably talking too much. Finally, we got to his house.
“Mr. Hughes, is this the way you usually walk home?” he turned and asked.
I said no.
“Then why you walkin’ this way now?” he asked.
“I guess I just wanted to talk to you,” I said.
He thought about this for a second. If you had turned your head for even a moment, you might have missed Justin’s smile.
“That’s cool,” he said. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Nah, next week,” I said. He said okay, waved goodbye, and was gone."
--Even though it was a quick smile, and an even quicker goodbye, I believe that Justin understood for the first time what it means to be pursued and cared for by someone. Tim simply walked out of his way, yet that floored this teenager. No one, especially a teacher, has probably ever showed Justin that kind of attention and care. Yet Tim is doing this ministry not to make himself feel better (it has been a very difficult thing for him), but so that he could move into a community and share the Gospel with his life. Please keep Tim in your prayers, and it is my hope that you too will know that God will pursue beacuse "I guess I just wanted to talk to you."
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