Maybe You're Not Hitler

As it happens each New Years Day, people engage in the making of resolutions.  What is it about your life that you plan on changing in the coming year.  Sure, most of these are over before the end of the Rose Parade, but still we make them.  In the spirit of continual improvement, I would like to offer a resolution for all of us.  Each individual and across society as a whole, we should all resolve to listen more and talk less.

Throughout our society people are quick to give opinions and slow to listen to the opinions of others.  This doesn't change when you consider the expertise that a person has in a given area.  We treat the man on the street interview with the same credibility as overwhelming scientific research.  And it doesn't matter because we aren't listening.  We are waiting our turn to speak.

Political talk shows are the perfect embodiment of this effect.  Have you ever watched the McLaughlin Group?  It is a PBS talk show involving a moderator and pundits who spend most of the half hour talking over each other.   It is one of several like this on the different channels.  Just once, wouldn't you like to see someone present their side of an argument and the other speaker say, "You know, I've never really thought of it that way.  Maybe you're right." And with that, the show is over.

Lack of listening to others is a problem that we all face.  Think about this.  When was the last time that you were talking about an issue with someone else and your opinion was changed as a result.  Think about it.  We interact with people all of the time.  We offer out opinion of social and political causes, the merits of Obamacare, gun policies, immigration reform, affirmative action.  The other person speaks theirs and no one is different.  Our news shows repeat our points of view and discount the opposition, and we tend to do the same.

Do you know what happens when you listen?  I mean really listen.  I mean open up your mind and think this person speaking is an intelligent thoughtful person with something to say.  You walk away thinking that the other person is not crazy, foolish or immoral.  They are not the reincarnation of Hitler.  They just have a different point of view.  

Take a divisive issue in our country like gun control/gun rights.  Both sides want to feel safe.  Both sides want liberty and freedom.  Both sides want good things for their families and their children to grow up in a world that is safe.  One side thinks the bast way to do this is to remove  guns from society and the other thinks it would be better if more people had guns.  Both sides have similar goals.  Both sides involve good people who want the best for this country and society as a whole.  Neither side is either trying to take over the country nor destroy it.  If we spent more time listening and less time talking, we would all know this.

As Christians we should be the stars of listening.  We are called to spread the Good news.  There is no way to do this with out communicating.  We would be better to find out why people believe what they do. 

Watch this clip from Pastor Sparks.

When we listen to other people remember that this person is not the opposition. They are a person who is important to God and loved by God.  Therefore, they should be important to me as well.  

Be it resolved, in 2015 we should all listen more and talk less.

Looking for What Is Lost

Have you ever lost something that was important to you?  When I was born, my great grandmother made me a quilt.  It is large an blue and on it are several panels that she embroidered scenes from children stories and nursery rhymes.  And while I don't use it anymore, it is important to me.  In making the transitions between college and work and marriage there was a period where I moved multiple times within a few years and in that time I lost it.

Boxes of my things had been stored here and there and honestly, I hadn't thought about my old baby quilt in some time.  One day I remembered it and wondered where I had put it.  I started looking and it was no where to be found.  I stewed about it fo a while, then one day I got serious.  I went through it all, looking in all of the boxes.  It made me sick to think about, but it was gone.  

After some time I was looking in a box for some thing else and there it was.  What a relief.  I had given it up for gone, but it was back.  Now it is in that same box.  It's not like I use it, but I like knowing where it is and that it is secure.  When something is lost and it's important to us we put a lot effort into its return.

The great Commission is all about finding the lost.  As Christians people should be important to us and we should be putting effort into their safe return.  Watch this clip from Pastor Sparks.

People are important to God and they should be important to us as well.  In that regard we need to be always looking.

New In Box

In the world of toys there are really two types of consumers, collectors and players.  Of course most toys are bought to be played with.  Christmas morning the paper gets ripped, the boxes are opened, the assembly is required and the games begin.  Imagine telling the kids on Christmas morning, "No!  Don't play with it.  If you leave it in the box it will be worth more later."

There is that other groups of consumers, the collectors.  They have no intention of playing with the toys, ever.  They will be left in the box.  They are valued certainly, but never ever used.  Both the player and collector appreciates the new toy, but in very different ways.  

Christmas is a time where we celebrate God's great gift to humanity, Jesus Christ.  He gives us the chance to rebuild our relationship with Him and find peace in a troubled world.  But just like with the toys, there are those who take it out of the box and those who leave it on the shelf.

Watch this clip from Pastor Mike.

There are those who dive into their faith.  They wear it every day and it becomes part of who they are.  Others leave their faith on the shelf.  They get it out and dust it off on special occasions like Christmas, Easter and Funerals, but by and large, it still in the box.  

Faith isn't really like a collectible figurine that loses value when it's opened.  Rather, it is more like a cast iron skillet.  The more it is used, the more it is seasoned and the better it becomes.   Merry Christmas, time to open the box.

Aloha

I have never been to Hawaii, but I was recently talking with a friend of mine.  He described Hawaii as the perfect place to be.  Perfect weather, beautiful scenery and friendly people.  He said he wanted to go back to Hawaii every year if he could.

The Hawaiian greeting, "Aloha" doesn't have a direct translation in English.  It is an idea that combines affection, peace, compassion and mercy and of course it is used as a common greeting.  It is not just part of the Hawaiian language but part of the culture.  We think of Christmas as the season of peace, mercy and charity.  We could think of it as the Aloha season.

Of course, the attitude is easy to maintain when you are on vacation.  There are a lot of places that seem like paradise when you are on vacation.  A cabin by a lake, a deer camp with a wood stove, or even a Super 8 Motel with a pool.  It's easy to have peace when you are separated from the daily stress.  It's a little harder day to day.

The trick is to get the peace of Aloha in our every day with out a several hour plane ride.

There may not be a word for Aloha in English, but in Hebrew it is called Shalom.  It is also used as a greeting and a wish of peace.  I am sure that a linguist would explain how these words are totally different, but from my limited perspective they seem pretty close.  Peace, Aloha, Shalom.

But the peace of Shalom does not just mean a lack of conflict.  There are conflicts and problems and turmoil.  To be at peace is not to just avoid conflict, or to be on vacation from them, but to be at peace in spite of them.  In the classic hymn, "It is Well With My Soul" the verse says Whatever my lot, though has taught me to say, It is well, It is well, with my soul.    Not that everything will be easy, but no matter what, I will have peace.

Watch this clip from Pastor Mike.

Christmas is a time of peace,  Not just good will and feelings of charity to all.  No this is true peace.  Emmanuel, God is with us and everything will be ok.  No matter what else happens, you can be at peace with it.  Peace.  Shalom.  Aloha.  Merry Christmas.

Are You In?

The third installment in the Hobbit series has just been released.  I haven't seen it yet, but soon.  The Hobbit is a classic story of a simple man (or rather a Hobbit) caught up in an adventure and discovering that there is more inside of himself than he ever expected.  There comes a point in the story, early on when Bilbo needs to decide if he is going on the adventure.  Most of the Dwarfs believe what Bilbo knows for certain in his heart, Bilbo is not up to the task.  He is a soft little man who only wants comfort and is not prepared for an adventure.

So Bilbo decides that he is in.  He is very stressed that he left in a rush and forgot his pocket handkerchief, but he is in.  And along the way he discovers more than he bargained for.

We love the story of the unlikely hero against great odds.  Think about how interesting would a story be if it was about a well prepared, well trained, well equipped hero facing a reasonable foe that is dispatched according to plan and the hero is home for supper.  I can see it now.


Jumping In

At some point our unlikely adventurer has to decide if they are in our out.  Like the person at the pool, are you on the deck or in the water.  You can only hover in the air for so long.  I think that making the commitment changes our perspective from a spectator to an adventurer.  It makes us say to ourselves, "OK, I'm in, time to rise and meet the challenge."  Up until that point we are asking ourselves, "Can I do it?." After the commitment it becomes, "How will I do it?" And those are two very different questions.

Watch this clip from Pastor Mike.

God wants us in.  He has great adventures for us, but first we need to be in.  We can ask ourselves how will we ever do it?  The answer is always, "with God's help." but that is hard to see from the outside.

Joseph and Mary and the shepherds and the magi all had to say at one point, "I'm in." The world was never the same and neither were they.  Now it's our turn.

Twenty Miles and a Power Point

There is a saying in sales that you are an expert when you are at least 20 miles from home and have a powerpoint presentation.  There is something about our natural tendency to give instant credibility to some one new.  It is like we are saying, "I don't know you, so you must be an expert," When we only look at the surface we see more polish than blemish and the pitch sounds like a winner.

It probably isn't the credibility of the new comer as much as we discount the familiar.  We want to say "Oh right, you're the expert." With the familiar we have long known about the blemishes below the polish.  We want to say how could this person be an expert, I knew them back when.  Life is often about the ordinary every day stuff.  How could what we see every day be truly special.

It makes me think about the fall of the Berlin Wall.  Stay with me here.  I remember growing up learning about the Berlin Wall.  The Berlin Air Lift was before my time, but I remember Reagan calling out Gorbachev telling him to "Tear down this wall."  At some level I knew that the wall couldn't last forever, but still.  The day that I heard on the radio that the Wall was coming down, it was unbelievable.  To think now?  Right now?  This is the time?  It didn't feel like a special day.

Sometimes the extraordinary is right in front of us all of the time.  Watch this clip from Pastor Mike.

The Jews believed that God would send a messiah.  They really did.  But now?  Today?  And it's Him?  I knew Him back when.

We believe that someday Jesus will return.  But today?  Who knows.

From Ordinary to Extraordinary

I'm sure that you know the story of "The Wizard of Oz".  The book was originally written as a political satire of the 1896 presidential election and was turned into one of the most beloved movies of all time.  One of the things that I like about the story is that the characters are so often much more than they first appear.  The scarecrow professes to have a head full of straw, but is called upon to solve the problems, the heartless tin man has the most compassion and the cowardly lion stands his ground when it's needed.  Most people are actually like this.

Most people are more than the labels that define us.  Most people are deeper when you get to know them.  Most people, when the time calls for it, rise above their circumstances to perform great things.  I think of Rosa Parks refusing to give up her seat on the bus or the passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 who overcame the hijackers to crash their plane during the September 11th attacks. They didn't get up that day intending for it go that way.  The circumstances presented them selves and they were there.

God is well known for calling on the ordinary to achieve the extraordinary.  With God it so often seems to be about the person and purpose rather than the position.  Sure, there are time when God's purpose is fulfilled by a King or a Priest, but it is just as likely a shepherd or tax collector.  

Watch this clip from Pastor Mike.

God uses ordinary people for extraordinary purposes when they obey His commands.  Mary and Joseph were ordinary people called to raise Jesus, the son of God.  I think that any of us could use a bit of extraordinary in our life.

Arriving in Style

When I was in college I had a job through a county program watching special needs children.  Parents of autistic and hyperactive children have a very hard time finding sitters.  So the county hired some sitters, provided training and filled the need.  One family that I became acquainted with during this time was hiring a limousine to take them around places on one of their birthdays.  They were really poor and it seemed pretty extravagant to me at the time.  But for once they wanted to go in style.

 

Let's face it, extravagance can be fun.   We see what's out there and dip or toes in the water. For some people though, extravagance is just a way of life.   In Calumet, Michigan there is a mansion that you can tour that was once owned by one of the miner barons.  Everything about it is over the top and excessive.  In one room, in place of wall paper the walls were covered with hand painted albino elephant skin.  I can't even wrap my head around how you come to the conclusion that what this room needs is the hide from albino elephants.  

While most of us don't live lives to be featured on "Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous", we do have standards.  We don't buy that brand, go to that restaurant, stay at that motel, go in that neighborhood.  Me too.  And for the most part we have good reasons for this.  We have experience that tells us the other isn't worth it.  It still costs money and it won't be very good.  I think that we need to watch though that we don't fall into the trap of thinking "a person like would never go to a place like that"  Is it a question of preference or do we think that the other is somehow beneath us.

Watch this clip from Pastor Mike.

There is an expression, "Were you born in a barn?" which I often hear used when someone leaves a door open, but is sometimes used to call someone a hic, a redneck or uncultured.  For Jesus, the answer would be a resounding, "Yes.  I was born in a barn." He wasn't too good for it.  Many of the greats in the Bible come from humble beginning.  David was born in the home of shepherds.  Moses was born in the home of slaves and abandoned in a river.  And of course Jesus himself was born in a barn.  

God isn't concerned about where we come from only where we are going and that is truly extravagant. 

A Day We Remember

Politicians are always trying to drum up support and public opinion for their causes.  They can't pass laws, so they have to convince the public to put pressure on their representatives to get the job done.  Teddy Roosevelt said that he had a "Bully Pulpit"for making his case.  In that effort sometimes politicians use a declaration of war to try to communicate that they are serious about something.  So we get the War on Poverty, or the War on Drugs, but no one, not even the politician making the declaration believes that it's the same thing as a real war.

When a real war is declared, the country is saying "We are all in." We have an enemy.  It is them and we want the world to know it.  We will make sacrifices and do what it takes to see this through.  Such was the case after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  There was no turning back.  President Franklin Roosevelt called it a day that will live in infamy and we remember it this time every year.  The US joined the war in an effort involving sacrifices both nationally and for each individual.

Of course, there is another day that we remember at this time of year.  We often think of Christmas as a time of Peace, not a time of war.  But that really depends on your perspective.  I often think of the Old Testament in the Bible and God's way of showing us that it just doesn't work.  Whatever you are thinking, apart from God humanity can't work.

Living as slaves, living as freemen, nomads in the desert with manna falling from the sky, living under judges, living under kings, living as conquerors, living as refugees, living with prophets wiping it all out and starting over.  None of it woks.  At best people will follow good for a little bit, then it all falls apart again.  Christmas remembers the time when God said that enough was enough and it was time to bring his children home.

Watch this clip from Pastor Mike.

And the battle begins.  The final assault was started by a baby in a stable surrounded by shepherds.  It seems a little different than d-day, but it has worked out well so far.

The Position is Taken

You may find this hard to believe, but there are many decisions made in this world where no one, and I mean no one, bothered to check with me first. I mean there are several nights that there really isn't anything interesting on television and other nights there are multiple shows all on at the same time.  I could halo them with that if they only asked.  Our state legislature could use my help.  There are any number of laws that should pass that don't and other laws that do pass but shouldn't.  And of course the Tigers bullpen is in serious need of my advice.  I wonder why no one asks.

Most of us have strong opinions about something.  There's that table in the corner of the restaraunt where the old guys meet each day.  Most coaches hear a lot of suggestions about who to play when and where and for how long.  And those are the comments that they hear.  Often other people's thought processes make no sense.  It's hard to remember that just because our decisions would have been different, does not mean that they would be better.

And if people don't make sense, it's even harder to wrap our head around what God is thinking.  Why would God pick Moses, who stuttered, to go and talk to Pharaoh?  Why would God have picked Joan of Arc, a teenage peasant girl, to lead an army.  Why?  I'm sure that I wouldn't have made those decisions.

And so we come to the Christmas story.  Watch this clip from Pastor Mike.

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God is in the habit of using ordinary people for extraordinary purposes.  Mary, Joseph, Shepherds, Magi they all seem like an unlikely cast.  But in the mix of it, they story works.  The disciples were an unlikely group that formed the basis of the new way.  David was an unlikely hero defeating Goliath and an even more unlikely king, but God makes the improbably look like the obvious choice.

There was a movie about the creation of the first atomic bomb called, "Fat Man and Little Boy".  It stars Paul Newman as General Leslie Groves.  At one point in the movie a doctor is talking with Robert Oppenheimer and says to him the line..

"Stop playing God Oppenheimer.  You're not good at it, and the position is taken."

I think that we would all do good to remember that advice.  God is God.  We are not.  The position is taken.

Hiding in Plain Sight

This is a true story.  A friend of mine once bought himself a ukulele.   His wife had told hime not to buy more things.  They had too much stuff and in particular he had too many musical instruments.  He didn't need any more but this was a particularly nice one at a good price.  So he came up with a plan.  He would put it behind the sofa.  And after a day or two he would move it so that a little of it could be seen.  Then a little more and a little more each day.  His plan was to slowly get her used to seeing it, until it seemed like it had always been there.  I would put this plan into the category of just crazy enough to work, because amazingly, it did.  That was several years ago, and if I'm outing you with this blog post, sorry,  Sometimes we don't see what is in front of our eyes.

Sometimes we don't see what is right in front of our eyes.  Sometimes at school when I am looking for a student, it turns out that they are in the front row, right in front of me.  They were too close to see.  There are all types of examples of things we look past because we are used to it.  We don't see the spot on the rug, be no longer hear the humming of a fan, the ache in our knees.  We become used to it and it just seems like it was always there.  In the movie "The Blues Brothers" they are living right next to the train tracks.  When asked how often the train goes by, Elwood responds, "So often you won't even notice it."  We don't notice things that we see all of the time.

This is equally true for our sense of awe.  The amazing is just normal when we get used to it.  When my son was little he would ask me to "make up"a story.  I put it in quotes because I would shamelessly tell classic stories as if I were making them up.  I remember telling him the story of jack and the beanstalk.  Jack climbs the stalk and sees a castle in the clouds, my son's eyes got wide with excitement.  He was seeing the story in his mind for the first time.  

And so it's the Christmas season.  Pastor Mike used to say that preaching at Christmas was difficult because most people had been hearing the Christmas story since they were children.  It was very familiar and unlike a fairy tale, these events happened and are relevant to peophe trick is getting people to see it.  Here, watch this clip from Pastor Mike.

Our Christmas traditions are familiar and comfortable.  The trick for each of us is to keep it fresh as if we are hearing it for the first time.