Christmas is crazy. I’m not necessarily referring to the hustle and bustle of the season. Not to mention the overspending. Who can understand the frenzy at Wal-Mart to get a cruddy DVD player? Why all the hype? Does the holiday music really have to start filling the stores around the end of October?

These insanities are not why I think Christmas is crazy however. My thoughts are of the theological nature. The Word of God is full of absurdities.

The first and foremost one is that God would become a baby. Please don’t miss the magnitude of this: God and Baby. Big and Little. Powerful and Weak. Go figure. How is it possible to have the fullness of the Godhead reduced down into an 8 pound 10 ounce bundle of energy? It’s similar to the task of putting a nuclear power plant into a thimble!

In the end we are grasping the ungraspable and that might be just how God wants it.

In Ephesians 3:19 the reader can find two tension-filled concepts that emphasize the absurdity of the Gospel. In Paul’s prayer he asks that Christ might dwell in our hearts and that we might be able to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ. This prayer seems simple enough. It’s the desire of earnest, growing believers to have Jesus be at home within our hearts. And we most certainly want to have the love of Christ flowing in and through us.

But then it gets weird. Paul goes postal and the Bible gets bizarre. It’s says, catch this: “and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

How does one know what can’t be known? The love of God surpasses knowledge according to this passage. So how can we know it then? It’s like roping the wind or catching a sunbeam or defying gravity. Doesn’t this sound absurd? But wait, there’s more…

Try comprehending how we as humans can be filled with all the fullness of God. Finite simply cannot contain the infinite. Right? That goes back to the whole nuclear power plant/thimble scenario! I can understand how we could have a part or portion of God fill us up. In Exodus 33, Moses was allowed to see only God’s back side because if he saw the magnitude of God’s being then he would not live. The fullness of God’s presence is simply more than we can handle. And yet Paul has the audacity to pray for us to be filled with the full measure of God! Can we really handle it?

I’m convinced that God thrives on this craziness. He loves the tension and the absurdity because it fuels the mystery and feeds our faith (or lack thereof). Just when we think we’ve got God all figured out we unwrap another layer of his complexity. That’s what makes Christmas so ‘wonder full’ – the knowing what can’t be known – the being filled with someone so much bigger than ourselves.

This is grasping the ungraspable and that might be just how God wants it to be.

Merry Christmas you and yours.

John

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Matthew9:35-38
“Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

I’m a preacher and teacher. So, it always intrigues me when I see Jesus doing the things that I have dedicated the better part of my life to doing. I’d be a fool to not take note of how Jesus ministered, the context, the topics, the passion, the creativity and the outcomes.

I noticed again today in my devotions that Jesus was a traveling preacher that gave a great portion of his messages in the marketplace. Jesus’ primary pulpit was the street corner. He would “go through all the TOWNS and VILLAGES” (vs. 35), “see the CROWDS” (vs. 36), and “send OUT workers into his harvest FIELD” (vs. 38).

Sometimes he would teach in the synagogues, but his preaching, healing and ministering happened almost exclusively in the public square. I wonder if we’ve tried to get our evangelism so firmly located within our church services and congregational gatherings that we’ve missed key opportunities. Have we made it more about providing a great program or about releasing a great people? Could our attractional style of ministry (build it and they will come) perhaps be getting in the way (or a replacement for) the equipping and sending of missionaries into their personal “harvest fields?”

Years ago, Jerry Cook gave us the concept of “field / force.” He believes (and I wholeheartedly agree) that the church is a force that is to be equipped and released into the field to minister in the name of Jesus. It’s common and natural to mistakenly think that the church is the field and if we could just get them into our wonderful buildings they will immediately surrender their hearts and lives to the Lord. This can indeed happen (occasionally), however, the sheer statistics are stacked against us.

Consider your city. How many people are there? Now consider your church. How many people attend regularly? Is there a huge difference between those numbers? More than likely, the answer is YES. Even if your church filled every seat for dozens of services, it probably wouldn’t come close to reaching a large percentage of pre-Christians in your community.

Jesus saw the “crowds” in the “towns and villages” and he preached the good news to them and healed them. These are folks that may or may not follow him or step foot into one of his services at the local synagogue.

Jesus’ primary pulpit was in the street. What is your primary pulpit?

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This is the third chapter of a booklet I’m working on called “Intentional Impressions for Future Generations”. I will release it chapter by chapter. Give me your thoughts and input. I will be revising it until it’s print release in June 2010.

You can read it and other articles & papers I’ve written here.

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This is the second chapter of a booklet I’m working on called “Intentional Impressions for Future Generations”. I will release it chapter by chapter. Give me your thoughts and input. I will be revising it until it’s print release in June 2010.

You can read it and other articles & papers I’ve written here.

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This is the opening chapter of a booklet I’m working on called “Intentional Impressions for Future Generations”. I will release it chapter by chapter. Give me your thoughts and input. I will be revising it until it’s print release in June 2010.

You can read it and other articles & papers I’ve written here.

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This week was the launch of the Fall season of NBC‘s “Must See TV”. Now, I‘m not a huge TV guy except for the occasional Man vs. Food or Shark Week on Discovery. But I will openly admit that I‘m an avid Michael Scott & Co. fan. It‘s really hard to not make comparisons to The Office and our Church Office. I‘m musing about who on our team I think is most like Dwight as I write this!!!!

However, I was most excited to watch a new comedy called “Community“. It‘s based at a community college with a strange yet stereotypical cast that forms a study group (think The Breakfast Club of the 80‘s). I loved the quick wit and cheesy dialogue and it always warms my heart when Chevy Chase surfaces. But more than anything I was intrigued at how a group of disconnected individuals could find commonality and friendship.

I was particularly gripped by the crowning observation made by the makeshift leader of the study group: “You just stopped being a study group. You‘ve become something unstoppable. I hearby pronounce you a community.”

What brought about this shift from study group to community? How does this happen in the life of a church and in its small groups? Does it happen with some groups and not with others? Is there a formula? Well, the answer to the last question is a resounding “NO” – there is no formula, but there are some consistent factors that contribute to the nurturing of real, authentic community in people‘s lives. In all my years of being in small groups, I have found the following three elements to be present.

1. Care: The Bible says over and over that we should “love one another” and “prefer one another”. These challenges don‘t come easy. Many of us have enough to care for with our immediate families and our personal well-being. It‘s tough to then extend ourselves beyond that. Yet, the life of Jesus shows us how to be people that care for each other. Community is developed when its members intentionally and authentically care for one another.

2. Conflict: Oddly, one key element to community life is conflict. Every good story has conflict and so does every good relationship. Nothing bonds hearts together like a good brewing of tension and turmoil. Granted, it‘s those very elements that can ruin community as well, and yet, when it can also serve to unite a group of people more than anything else. Conflict, and it‘s hopeful resolution, is what sucks us into a good novel or television program, and it is what forges depth of community in churches and families.

3. Chemistry: Finally, one can‘t overlook the aspect of pure chemistry. Simple put, you gotta enjoy being together. Yes, there may be times of conflict (that‘s normal and often helpful), but overall, there must be a sense of “man, I like hanging out with you.” It‘s that chemistry that Denise and I have enjoyed when it comes to the small groups we have been a part of. Currently, we are meeting with a group of people for our LEGENDS small group at WSFC and frankly: we dig these people. They‘re just fun to hang with. It‘s that kind of chemistry that makes community enjoyable.

We are all called to be in community (see Acts 2 & 4). God designed us to go beyond just a “study group” or “acquaintances”. He lives in community (the Trinity) and desires the same for our lives!

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Taco Bell vs. The Humble Beagle?

Recently I took a quick (ok, not so quick) run to Eugene. Some fellow pastor friends were up from California and we decided to meet up at the Foursquare Church in Eugene for their midweek service. Pastor Wayne Corderio was in town speaking so we thought it would be fun to see Wayne and then grab a bite afterward. Hey, don’t mock us…it’s what pastors do for fun.

I drove through Albany around 6 pm and was starving so I did what any seemingly indestructible young man would do…I pulled over at Taco Bell. In exchange for just over five bucks the drive-through attendant gave me three of their finest burritos and a wad of napkins. I needed every one of those precious napkins for my “driving while eating” stunt on I-5 South. At one point I had a Double-Decker Taco Supreme in one hand, my cell phone in the other and my steering wheel was being operated by my knee. It was for only a brief moment, mind you, but it was ugly nonetheless. Sanity got the better part of me and I set the taco down and wrapped up my call. You can stop judging me now!!!!

I then arrived at the church with a stout stomach ache. Oddly, after the service we all went out for a bite to eat together. I prayerfully justified that the Taco Bell was a thin fabrication of actual food and therefore for me to really survive I would need something with higher levels of nutrition in my system. Enter stage right: The Humble Beagle.

The Humble Beagle is a small, locally owned and operated establishment that my buddy had read about online. It had only been open for a few months and had gotten great reviews already. It was late and thankfully it was open. What proceeded was a delightful evening of eating really fresh, locally grown, healthy food and extended conversations with the couple that owned the eatery. They were very pleasant – the kind of folks that I could see becoming really good friends with. The hummus/pita plate was great. The beer-battered organic vegetables were delicious. The blue-cheese burger was…wow. All the food was split and shared among us and we enjoyed a nice evening of conversation together.

Go ahead now and compare my two food stops last night.

And now, let me ask you…how do you like your spirituality?

Are you shoving it down while driving with your knee?

Is it organic or heavily processed?

Are you getting your spiritual feeding while on the run or are you sitting down and enjoying the journey with Jesus?

Questions.

Questions I’m personally wrestling with. Perhaps you are too. That’s what the journey is all about – asking questions of our lives and seeking the Lord Jesus for direction. Let’s keep doing that together.

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It’s been so unbelievably hot right lately. Seriously. I was not prepared for this.

Everything I do is laborious. Moving is difficult. Sleeping is fitful. My laptop is overheating. My perspiration is sweating. It’s pretty much bad. Today hit around 104 degrees…in the shade. I felt like a HotPocket in my truck. It served as a metallic sleeve wrapped around me as I drove around in one big microwave oven. The imagery could go on and on.

Bottom line: I am longing for January.

Ah, January. The month that gave us more snow than we had had in a long, long time. Those were the days.

Isn’t it interesting how we go from one extreme to another. Hot…cold…hot…cold.

I guess it’s better than being lukewarm. Scripture makes it clear that we should avoid lukewarmness (see Revelation 3:16).

Sadly, we crave the comfort of lukewarm living – like warm milk, it’s safe and calming.

But it’s not very exciting.

The days we are living in need people that will live extreme. Not lukewarm. Hot or cold.

What will you be?

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