Who Does This?

Here in Michigan the news is always flush with tales of the problems in Detroit.  For a while it was the city government, its travels through the bankruptcy courts and whether the great art collections could be saved.

Now it is all about the city schools.  Detroit Public Schools has had more than its share of problems over the years.  And as the lawmakers in Lansing debate the terms of a bail out, tales of corruption have been bubbling to the top.  The big one these days is about the principals who received kick backs from allowing bills from fake purchases to be paid by the district.  If you aren't familiar with the story, several principals took payments from a supplier.  The supplier billed the district for materials that were never delivered, and the principals gave the approval.  Which leaves me with the frustrated question, "Who does this sort of thing?"

I work at a public school and it seems that there is never quite enough money.  There is a perpetual balancing of priorities.  There is never enough to do it all.  And because I'm sure it is the same everywhere, I just can't wrap my head around the actions of these principals.  And we aren't talking about a supplier taking the principals out for a nice dinner to schmooze a bit.  We are talking about made up bills and money funneled through checks to third parties to cover their tracks.  

The school needs a host of repairs and students are lacking in basic materials and you are stealing from THEM.  How do you see the children every day, then go home and sleep at night?

And this is what I started thinking about when Pastor Chris began talking about Matthew.  Matthew was one of the disciples and before following Christ was a tax collector.  In those days, tax collectors routinely over and above the required amount to pad their pockets.  I have heard that today, in some third world countries they don't even pay the police.  It is assumed that they will make their money on the bribes.  A Roman tax collector was like this.  And Matthew was a Jew.

Who does this sort of thing?  Matthew was a Jew who was working with the Roman occupiers and stealing from his fellow Jews to enrich both himself and Rome.  So he and those like him were incredibly unpopular.  

But when Jesus came to Matthew, he looked past all of that and saw more.  Much, much more. 

Watch this video from Pastor Chris.

I think that in this story there is hope for all of us.  We are not defined by the worst mistakes that we make in our lives.  The Detroit principals will have consequences to pay for their actions and I am sure that their careers as principals are over.  But that doesn't have to be the final story for them any more than my worst actions are the last word on me.

Jesus offers hope, redemption and a fresh start for each of us. 

Indicators

If you are a chemist, acids and bases look pretty much the same.  Or if you aren't a chemist, we could say the same thing about the water in your swimming pool or hot tub.  Water looks like water whether it is completely neutral or acidic enough to ruin your swimsuit.  So to tell the difference we use indicators.  An indicator is a chemical that will change colors depending on how acidic the water is.  For a swimming pool we dip out some water, put in a few drops of indicator, then check the color to see if the water is safe enough.

According to Google, the substance that they use in swimming pool kits is called "phenol".  And while that isn't too familiar, there are many indicators in our refrigerator.  Red cabbage, blueberries and rhubarb will all change colors depending on acidity.

Indicators go far beyond chemistry.  If you are a poker player you look for indicators in the body language of your opponents.  But in poker they aren't called indicators, but rather "Tells", but it is the same thing.  The cards are hidden from view, so we look for outward signs of what is going on below the surface.  Some people might fidget or play with their chips or tap or look around more.  And this might mean that they have a good hand or a bad hand.  So a tell in poker is like a swimming pool test, they help us see what is going on in the unseen world below.

If you think about it, life is full of indicators.  We say one thing but do another.  Our actions are the tell that reveals what is hidden in our character below.  We can say that we are Christians.  We can claim redemption.  But there is no way for another human to look into our souls and find what lurks below.  Those around us see the indicators of a redeemed life.  The Bible lists the tells and calls them the "fruit of the spirit".  

Jesus used indicators too.  When Jesus was walking the Earth he preached love and forgiveness.  But he was more than a great teacher.  When they brought the paralytic, Jesus forgave him of the his sins.  But no one could tell what happened.  Jesus knew and the paralytic man knew, but the crowd around them heard blasphemy.  So Jesus provided an indicator for his divine authority.  Jesus healed the paralytic so that no one could question his authority.  The miracles are the indicator that Jesus was who he said he was.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

No one can see into the depths of our soul.  If we want the world to know that we have been redeemed through the grace of Jesus Christ, and if we want the world to see the light of God through us, then we need to live our lives in a way that provides an indicator.

Through An Interpreter

One time President Jimmy Carter was speaking in Japan.  He had just lost his bid for reelection and he was afraid that the crowd would feel a bit uncomfortable, so he decided to open with a joke.  He picked a joke which was fairly short because everything said had to go through an interpreter.  The joke was told and the crowd roared with laughter.  After the speech, President Carter asked the interpreter to relate how exactly he had told the joke, considering it had never gone off quite so well.  At first the interpreter was evasive but finally admitted that what he actually said was, "President Carter has just told a funny story and we should all laugh now."

Wouldn't it be handy in life to always have such a personal translator.  We could speak and the translator could tell people, "This is what he meant and this is how you should respond." It might make a lot of situations a bit easier.

True story.  There were two of my co-workers that we having an issue.  One of them perceived an unintended slight from the other who then became a bit distant.  This made the other feel a bit put off which led to some hard feeling.  So they started avoiding each other assuming that the other was nursing some sort of beef or grudge.  Neither of them were actually mad or had any idea how it started.  It just took a little communication to work things out.  An interpreter could have been a handy thing.

There is a saying in Christianity that we should hate the sin but love the sinner.  I am afraid that our actions too often emphasize the former rather than the latter.  There are too many Christians who feel the need to point out where others don't quite measure up to their standings.  Too many times the message given by Christians is you're no good. 

While there are those who do look down their noses at the ill performing masses, that is not the norm.  Not by far.  Most Christians that I know are well aware of their own short comings.  Most would encourage others to lead a good life walking in the light of God's plan so that they can have a life of fulfillment.  However, that is not they way it is always heard.  I think that as Christians we need to guard against our own issues clouding our message, because first and foremost we need to let the message of God's love shine through us.

Watch this video from Pastor Chris.

We all know that Christians are not perfect.  Accepting the redemption of Jesus Christ does not erase every issue that we carry.  We need to make sure that it is the love of God and not our issues that are communicated to those around us.  With or without an interpreter.

It's Pretty Simple

Most topics have deepening levels of understanding.  Take baseball for example.  On the surface there are two teams.  One wins, one loses.  If we go a bit deeper, we start looking at player statistics.  We see batting average, hits and home runs and pitcher's "wins" or ERA.  We can go even deeper into the advanced analytics used by many today.  So we see WAR or a batter's OPS or BABIP or a pitcher's  FIP or WHIP.   And the list goes on and on.  There are so many stats out there that we can get lost in it all.  So much so that we can forget that in the end what counts is one team wins and one team loses.

As a teacher, it seems that there is a never ending deluge of minutiae coming down the pipe.  The program or that standard.  We align and we test and as soon we are done, the next one comes along.  We can get pulled into the programs and politics and it can get discouraging.  But in the end it is simple.   There are small humans that are on their way to being bigger humans and we need to help that process to the best of our ability.  All of the programs and plans do not change that.  

In the world of religiosity there is also the side issues that can get in the way.  We are supposed to dress a certain way or travel in certain circles.  We are expected to have certain political views.  The list goes on an on.  But in the end it is pretty simple.  Our walk is all about a relationship.  We surrender our will to that of God's.  And that's it.  Everything else will come or not as a result of that relationship.  The expectations that matter are the ones from God not from the world, and sometimes it's easy to lose sight of that.

Watch this video from Pastor Chris.

We have a tendency to make things more complicated than they really should be.  But many issues only seem complicated. that seem complicated and can be much simpler if we remember the main point.

Deformed Slinkys - Or Maybe Popcorn

They walk down stairs, alone or in pairs and make a slinkety sound.  A spring, a spring, a wonderful thing; everyone knows its slinky.

Who doesn't love a slinky?  There is something relaxing about holding one and letting the coils shift back and forth.  In my classroom when the subject of waves comes up there is a box of slinkys that come out.  The student's use them to demonstrate properties of waves.  And like all things, there are those students who treat them with care and others who push the bounds of what can be done.  So there is a point where a group comes to me with a tangled up ball of wire that once looked like a slinky, but now is a bit unrecognizable.

There of course are the all-stars of slinky tangles.  There was this time that I watched a student who had finished toss their slinky indiscriminately into the box of slinkys sitting in a line.  This caused theirs to inter-tangle between several others.  Or the time that their teacher (yes me)had the bright idea to connect several slinkys end to end using strips of duct tape.  This created a super slinky that went on an on and on down the hall.  A super-slinky if you will.  But as great power brings great responsibility; super-slinkys bring super tangles.

The thing about getting a slinky untangled is that it is never quite the same again.  It doesn't quite lie flat anymore.  Sometimes pieces need to be cut out and the sections reconnected with (you guessed it) duct tape.  There is one slinky that I have that looks perfectly fine, but when you let go, it springs out to maximum length.

There are many things that are like slinkys in this way.  They never go back to the original shape.  It's like a new sleeping bag that was shipped with all of the air squeezed out.  Once expanded it is never going back in the bag.  Or the toy that comes shrink wrapped and wire tied, it is never going back in the box.

Our Christian walk should be like this.  Changing, deforming, impossible to go back.  But instead of damaged slinkys and frustrating packaging, we should think of it more like popcorn.  We heat the corn and it pops.  There is no way to put it back as a kernel, but who would want to.  The good stuff only happens once it is popped.  The heat causes and explosion inside that reveals the greatness that was there all along, but covered with a hard shell.

Yeah, That's it.  Our Christian walk is like popcorn.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

The Christian walk changes us.  Every step of the journey is a transformation.  And one that from which we can never return to the original shape.

Getting Around to It

I was once having a conversation with one of my nephews who said, "I really need to do something about my procrastination, but it's not happening this year."

And with that he summarized an attitude that so many of us have.  Why do today what we can put off until tomorrow.  Most of us are guilty of selective procrastination.  We don't put off everything, only those things that are hard or not that much fun.  For instance if you have a large project that needs to be done, whether that project is for an employer, a teacher or self imposed yard work, it is easy to put it off.  We don't put off eating lunch or watching youtube videos.  We put off the project.  We do this because either it is overwhelming or we just would rather eat and watch youtube videos.  And let's be honest, who wouldn't.

And if we are reluctant to get started on the yard work, how much more does it apply when we are talking about major life changes.  We need to exercise more, eat better, worry less, or what ever else is on our personal to do list.  It's just hard to get started.  These are major life changes and there are reasons that we don't although we know that we should.  Our default position is the one we are in right now and making a change requires us to go beyond what we are predisposed to do.

That's why New Year's resolutions are so popular.  They are like 1, 2, 3, jump.  Now is the time so let's get started.  But that is also why so few New Year's resolutions provide real life changes.  If we aren't ready to make the big change then arbitrarily starting on January 1 won't make the difference.

Which brings us to the brief exchange in Matthew 8 between a man who wanted to go and bury his father before following Christ.  Jesus told him to let the dead bury themselves and to be a follower now.  This is a hard passage and one that a little more context would help with.  

We know that if you surrender your life, then your walk with God is part of everything that you do.  It is part of your profession, your free time, your relationships and even the burial of your parents.  I think that Jesus was saying that you are in or you are out.  If your top priority is the events of this world then it will never be your calling from God.  If we aren't going to follow God now, then when?

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

God is calling us to be followers today.  We can put it off and wait for things to be right, but that isn't the call.  God is prepared to use us where we are and grow us in the direction to follow His plan for our lives.  We just need to decide if we are in or we are out.  And there in no need to put it off.

Legacy Preference

There is a practice at some Universities called "Legacy Preference".  In this system an applicant is given extra status if their parents also attended the university.  So they factor in your grade point average and your SAT score and what ever else they consider, then add some more points on if your parents went to school there.  Depending on how much of a bonus they give, this can catapult a less qualified candidate over several more qualified candidates.

This practice is not without controversy.  We like to think that we live in a meritocracy.  We like to think that each person should stand on their own.  But in practice, being from the right family can be a real advantage.

This practice isn't exclusive to university admissions.  There are a lot of situations where knowing someone can get you a foot in the door.  It might be helping a relative get a job at the local factory or putting in a good word with management or having a relative on the right board or committee.  

I once heard a story about a person who was hiring for a specific position.  They had one opening and 200 applicants.  They took 50 resumes at random at tossed the others back in the drawer without a look.  Think about that, the first cut which eliminated 75% of applicants was random.  We can see that having a person on the inside that just got your resume looked at would be a huge advantage.

There is one place that no legacy points are awarded and that is in our standing with God.  None of us can measure up to the holiness of God and all of us need the redemption promised by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.  And it doesn't matter what family we are from.

Sure, living in America makes it more likely that you will have at least heard the Gospel.  And if you happen to grow up in a Christian family, all the better.  But none of that can make the commitment for you.  We all have free will and no matter how faithful our parents or grandparents, faith is between us and God and no one else.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

In this story the Roman Centurion was praised by Jesus because he had faith where others did not.  Jesus made it clear that being one of God's chosen people was not the key to salvation.  Salvation comes from faith and faith alone and so it is accessible to us all.

Authority

We are Americans, which means first and foremost we are people who make out own rules.  In 1975 Congress passed the "Metric Conversion Act" which described the metric system as the preferred system of measure for the US.  President Ford issued an executive order instructing the government to change to the metric system.  But nobody did it.  The people said Nah.

And of course, it goes beyond the metric system.  The state police when assigning speed limits realize that people are going to drive what ever speed they feel comfortable driving.  The number on the sign has almost no effect on that.  They just put the speed at what the traffic moves on a normal day and call it good.

Going our own way is part of our national identity.  We threw the tea into the harbor and said no to the rules.  We celebrate the boycotts and marches of the Civil Rights movement.  These are days in out past that we hold up as examples.  

In the history of Oklahoma, there was a time when the entire territory was reserved for Native Americans.  Then there came a point that it was to be opened for white settlement.So April 22, 1889 white settlers could stake their claim to land.  But people went in early, so that when the rule followers arrived, much of the best land was already taken.  They called these people the "Sooners" because they went in to soon.  And not only isn't this a problem, but the University of Oklahoma use the Sooners as their mascot.  They embrace this idea.

As Americans we are really bad at accepting the authority of others, which is one thing that makes Christianity so difficult.  We live in a culture that embraces self-determination.  But the very nature of Christianity is submission to the authority of Jesus Christ.  We recognize that our way of doing things doesn't work.  We recognize that what we think is control is only an illusion.  We acknowledge that true freedom comes when we accept the authority of God over our lives.  But it isn't easy.

The clip today refers to the story of the Faith of the Centurion.  In this story a Roman Centurion came to Jesus and asked him to heal a servant.  In this process the centurion submitted to the authority of Jesus even though he himself was a man who commanded soldiers.  You can read about it in Matthew Chapter 8.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.  

Jesus was given all authority in Heaven and Earth.  That includes authority over you and I.  If we are to walk in the fullness of His grace, we need to begin by accepting this authority over us.  Just because it is difficult doesn't mean that it won't be worth it.

Unexpected

We live in a world where things pretty much work out exactly in the way we expect them to.  The Sun rises in the east, winter turns into spring and day follows night.  But there are other expectations that feel that way, but really aren't.  We expect that every commercial for prescription medication will include 50% side effect disclaimers.  We expect Black Friday shopping will be overblown and bit ridiculous.  And we expect that the election season will mean the saturation of outrageous attack adds.  But it doesn't have to be, it just is very, very likely.

As people we have roles with certain expectations,  I am a husband, a father, a teacher and oh yeah, a blogger.  And each of those roles come with certain expectations.  I was at  a meeting recently and the subject came up about teachers getting in trouble through social media.  The problem is that there is a certain expected standard of conduct for a teacher whether on or off duty.  It would be the same for a police officer, politician, athlete or pastor.  There are expectations.

One thing that we expect out of everybody is that they will act in their own self interest.  By and large, people act in the way that is best for them.  That is why we are so blown away when people defy this expectation and do something selfless.  

Which brings us to the story of the Roman Centurion in the eighth chapter of Matthew.  (You can Read it Here.)  The centurion had a paralyzed servant.  The centurion went to Jesus Christ and asked for him to be healed.  Jesus was moved by the centurion's faith and healed the servant.

The amazing thing about this story is the degree to which this centurion defied the expectations that were placed on him.  He was a Roman of standing.  He had much to lose in standing even showing compassion towards his servant, let alone seeking Jesus as a means to that end.  

As Christians, we need to be willing to defy the expectations of self interest.  We need to be willing to go beyond what society expects and embrace what God expects, to love our neighbors as our self.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

The expectations of society are different than those of God.  We need to decide which expectations are most important for us to meet.