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.

What, Me Worry?

OK, confession time here.  I am a worrier, though I prefer to think of it as more of a planner.  There is nothing wrong with planning ahead in fact it is a really good idea.  The problem comes when we focus on the things that we can't prepare for.  Our lives are made up of millions of factors that we have no control over.  So I think the difference between planning and worry is about productivity.  If there are reasonable things that I can do to help for the future, like saving money or getting a physical then it is planning, but if there is nothing that can be done, then it is worry.  And worry is not a good thing.   Truth be told, I do both.

Disclaimer: Anxiety is not worry.  Some people have an anxiety disorder where through the chemical make up of their brains they feel the emotional responses panic or worry at inappropriate times.  Anxiety disorder is a medical condition and one that I am not well qualified to talk about.  So to be clear, when I talk about worry, I am not talking about anxiety. With worry we have a choice.

So why do we do it?  Why do so many of us spend much of our energy worried about things that we can't control?  I think of places and times where people live day to day.  If things go well today, they get food for today.  If not, they are hungry.  If things are going well today, is there a way to stretch this good fortune into tomorrow?  Who knows.  

I think that in our abundance we feel that everything should be under our control.  Since so many of our basic needs are met, we focus on things that are outside of our reach.  And when we let our minds sit there, then we can sink into a funk of worry.  

There is a difference between thinking "I will be happy today, no matter what the future brings" and "Sure, things are good now, but just how long will that last." And that is the real damage in worry.  It takes away today's happiness.

For a Christian, worry is really a spiritual issue.  On the one hand we know that God has a plan for us.  On the other hand, we don't always see what that plan is or how we will get there.  But that is what worry is all about.  Obsessing about things we don't know or can't control.  I think things would be easier if God just laid out the plan.  If He said "Here, You will do this and this and in the end you do this.  See," 

And while that would be easier from my perspective as a worrier, it would do nothing under the category of TRUST.  As we build our relationship with God, we need to trust in God.  And we need need to trust that His plan is the fight plan for the future.

Watch this video from Pastor Chris.

Worry will not add an hour to our lives.  Not only that but it can suck the joy out of the hours that we do have and it can separate us from a trusting relationship with God.

Silly Season

This election year is the one that never ends.  Usually at this point in the cycle each party has a nominee and things settle to the back burner for a while.  They pick up a bit for the conventions in the summer then on to full speed post Labor Day.  But nothing of the kind this cycle.  Each week brings us another do or die contest, and with the prospect of a brokered convention, the talking heads just can't get enough.

And since actual voting only happens every so often, the newies have to fill in the gaps with analysis.  There are the speeches and endorsements and polls.  And polls.  And Polls.  And then the breakdowns of the polls.

Part of the breakdown inevitably is about how candidates are doing with the "Christian Vote".   This always confuses me.  I know a lot of Christians who have vastly different political views including the subject of to what extent their Christianity should effect their political activism.  So when they talk about Christians as a demographic, I'm not really sure what that means.

I will say this.  There is a major difference between principles and politics.  As Christians there should be a set of principles that guide our life.  First and foremost we need to show love in all that we do.  The Bible says that the fruit of the spirit is "Love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control".  It would seem that as Christians we should be selecting candidates and positions that emulate these same principles.  But as we don't all agree with what these principles look like, it all becomes that much harder.  

Politics is something different.  Politics is all about amassing and maintaining power.  We build alliances.  And maybe we don't completely agree with that other group but we will still work together.  We do that for a while, then their issues get mixed up with our issues.  After a while the issue becomes about winning or losing.  It becomes about us vs them.  We can't act on that right now because there is an election coming up and we might lose.  

When losing is worse than accomplishing nothing, We have left the world of principles and entered the world of politics.

And that's what was going on when Jesus came to town.  Jesus brought a message of hope and love to a land that was thick with ceremony and tradition.  Jesus represented a challenge to the authority of the day,  The religious leaders had power and position and Jesus represented an end to it all.  

So they killed him.

In politics, position and power is more important than anything else.  But as Christians we should have other priorities.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

Jesus represented a threat to the leaders of His time.  It is no different today,  Christian principles should never take a back seat to winning or losing. 

Forts, Castles and Walls to Hide Behind

When I was growing up and we went on family vacations we would often stop at forts.  We would see the displays and uniformed soldiers and watch them fire the cannons.  These were secure military facilities to house the troops and armaments safely.  In other times people built castles for the same purpose.  But here's the thing. A castle or a fort is not very significant if the soldiers stay inside.

So let's think about that for a minute.  A fort is in a single location that provides security to a larger area.  It is a secure place for the soldiers to sleep at night and to keep supplies, but how much influence can be exerted from behind the walls.  Enemies could go around it and avoid the conflict.  To be able to secure an area, the soldiers must leave the security of the fort and explore the world beyond.

 

So let's compare a fort to a sanctuary.  A sanctuary is a safe place and you stay there.  Lately in the news there has been a controversy over "sanctuary cities", cities that don'y follow federal immigration laws.  Illegal immigrants can stay there in safety, but only if they stay there.  They aren't leaving and they don't plan on leaving.  In a wildlife sanctuary animals live there and they don't often leave.  

 

I think that our churches should be less like sanctuaries and more like forts.  We come into the church to recharge and recoup,  We can profess our faith and worship among other believers.  But if we are to have an impact we have to move beyond our walls and out into the world.

Of course we all physically leave the church building, but some of us never mentally leave the building.  We work around Christians.  All of our friends are Christians.  We watch Christian TV and listen to Christian radio.  And all of these things are good.  But if we never leave the fort, we have a very limited effect on the world around us.

Watch this video from Pastor Chris.

Jesus worshiped in the temple and prayed with His disciples, but he also walked among the masses and shared hope and healing with a part of the world that desperately needed it.  Just like today.  We would all do better to remember that part of Jesus's ministry so that the light of God can shine through us.

Technicalities

Our society is run on systems of laws and rules.  These come into play because there is a general principle that most people believe in.  Whether we are talking about sporting events or the common good, the trick comes when we have to define exactly what the standard is.  Take football for example, someone throws the ball, someone catches the ball.  Easy.

But what does it mean to catch the ball?  Well, you need to be on the field.  And what does that mean exactly?  Well both feet have to be on the field.  It's ok if your momentum carries you out of bounds afterwards, but when you actually catch the ball, both feet need to be on the field.  So they have got to a point where receivers practice dragging their toes along the grass as they reach for the ball and high def cameras are recording the rising of dust.  The question really isn't whether or not he caught the ball.  The question is if it should technically count as catching the ball.

So if there is a system of rules, then there are those things that are within the rules and those things that are outside and some things that are right on the edge.  I don't know how common it is in real life (I guess that it's not too common) but on TV it seems like the police are constantly performing illegal searches which result in evidence being disqualified.  It creates drama on the show because now we all know that they are guilty, but they may get found not guilty because of a technicality.

I think that it can work the other way too.  I have heard stories where evidence emerges that proves someone has been wrongly convicted of a crime, and yet they sit in jail because technicalities in the law forbid this new evidence being considered after a certain point in the process.  

Like most people, 90% of what I know about the legal system comes from watching TV, which means I really know nothing.  But it still goes along with my greater point.  Rules are good, but if we get too hung up on the technicalities, it is bad.

Which brings us to Jewish Law.  We are all familiar with the 10 commandments, but there are many more rules and laws than that.  Many Many more.  In total there are 613 Mitzvot or Laws.  Including prohibition against trimming your beard or women wearing men's clothing.  If we are looking at a set of rules with technicalities, there you go.  Jesus taught to look beyond the law to it's true purpose.  Jesus taught that all things must be done in love and while the law should be respected, it can never descend into a system that is just technicalities.

Watch this video from Pastor Chris.

Jesus taught us that the first and greatest commandment was to love.  God first, then each other.  The rules of the law should always be seen through the filter of love and never as a set of technicalities.  If we try to gain justification through the technicalities of the law, none of us can succeed.  If we gain justification through the love of Jesus Christ, then none of us can fail.

Check Check Check

If you have never been to a high school wrestling meet there is this point before it gets started where they do a skin check.  All of the wrestlers line up and the referee looks over their arms fingers and torso looking for rashes or other skin infections.  The reason they do this is easy to understand.  We know that certain skin issues are contagious and left unchecked it could spread through all of the wrestlers, and nobody wants that.

Sometime I think about how our understanding of disease has changed in the last 100-200 years.  The idea that germs cause disease was proven shortly before the Civil War and took a while to catch on.  Penicillin, the first true antibiotic wasn't discovered until 1928.  Think about that for a second.  Just 100 years ago if you were sick and went to the doctor, there was nothing that they could give you to make you better.

When we read about the leper colonies in ancient times, I think that we can be a little hard on the people of the day.  Leper colonies sound harsh and beating lepers away with a stick even more so.  But that is looking at it through our prism of modern medicine.  If one our family had a disease like leprosy, we would get them medicine and in the mean time care for them in ways that won't let the disease spread.  

But in those days all that they knew is that if you had contact with a leper, then there was a good chance that you would become a leper too.  And since they didn't know about bacteria, they assumed that their sin became your sin through this contact.  Based on the information that they had a the time, it was a pretty reasonable conclusion.

And all of this makes the actions of Jesus comforting and healing lepers so incredible.  He walked among the lepers and healed their diseases.  Maybe he knew that he couldn't catch leprosy that way.  Maybe he knew that he could be healed.  Maybe he knew that he would soon be killed and it wouldn't matter if he did catch it. Maybe Maybe Maybe. 

Personally, I like to think that His heart was so full of compassion that He couldn't help Himself.  He saw someone in pain, someone who was suffering, someone who needed to know that they mattered in the world, and Jesus was there.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

Jesus touched the untouchable.  He loved the unloved.  He brought healing to a badly wounded world, and he is still doing it today.

The Right Address

For most of us our house number is just where we get our mail.  The actual digits that make up the number really aren't that important.  But there are some people for whom that number is a very big deal.

So every city has the old money area.  These people got their fortunes the old fashioned way, they inherited it from rich ancestors.  Their relatives came over on the Mayflower and made a fortune investing in corn futures.  You get the point.  So in one particular neighborhood in the Detroit area, the more established, old money streets have three digit addresses, and it is a big deal.  This means if your address is 231 Oak Lane that is more prestigious that 25641 Sycamore Place,  This is so important that some of the residents of five digit streets petitioned the city to change their addresses to three digits thus improving their property values.  And the current three digit street residents are objecting as to protect their standing.  And yes this is a real thing.

For most of us the address thing seems ridiculous.  But it all comes down to associating with the "right types" of people. The thinking goes that there are certain types of people and we don't want those people living here, then we would be like them.  

There is a posh resort in Florida that has been in the news lately due to its connection to a certain outspoken business man turned politician.  It is said that it is open to anyone and everyone.  All you need to do to join is pay the $150,000 annual membership fee.  So yeah, pretty much anyone can join.

It is all the same thing.  Their are certain social classes and often one class puts up barriers to prevent another class from entering.  They see status by association and it can be lost if the wrong sort are milling around.

 

This sense of class and association is nothing new.  It has been around since there have been people living in groups.  I'm sure that once upon a time there was a caveman who would wouldn't want those people living in the cave next door.  And of course it was true in Israel 2000 years ago when the son of a carpenter came on the scene.

Jesus didn't come to town and ingratiate himself into the right circles with the best people.  No, Jesus went to the masses.  Jesus went to the down and out.  He went to the sinners.  He went to those who needed him most.  And in doing so he taught us all that true status is not achieved through our associations with other people, out three digit addresses or the type of country club we can belong to.  True status comes from our relationship with God and nothing else.

Watch this video from Pastor Chris.

Maybe the most widely known verse in the Bible is John 3:16.  "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only son, that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life."

God loved the world and whoever believes.  It does not say that the right people have special favor with God.  Jesus came for everyone to establish a relationship with God.  And that is something that we all need, no matter what social class we were born into.

From the Abyss

Living in Michigan we get used to being surrounded by big water.  I grew up near Lake St Claire and never understood why it wasn't one of them, until I looked at a map.  For as big as it is, it is no where near the size of the five.  The biggest of the bigs is Lake Superior.  All by itself it is about the size of South Carolina and at one point it is 1200 feet deep.  The cold deep waters are home to whitefish and shipwrecks.  And while Lake Superior is deep, it is no where close to the record.

The deepest lake in the world is Lake Baikal in Russia.  It is over 5,000 feet deep and it is the largest lake by volume in the world.  But even Baikal is a mere puddle compared to the oceans.  When we talk about the depth of the ocean we like to focus on the Mariana Trench and its 36,000 feet of depth, but I like to think of the ocean floor.  The ocean floor is made of vast, sediment covered planes that are 2-3 miles down.  They call this feature the abyssal plane.  

The abyssal plane covers 50% of the Earth's surface and is home to all manner of strange creatures.  These creatures exist without light, under near freezing temperatures and pressures 200 times greater than on the surface.

So this is our abyss.  Deep.  Cold.  Devoid of Light.  

Jesus told His disciples that they were to become fishers of men.  They would be pulling people out of the deep.  They would retrieving the lost and bringing them to the surface.  Now I know that when the Bible refers to the abyss, the writers are referring to Hell and not the ocean.  But pulling a drowning person from the cold dark of the ocean may be as good of an analogy as we can muster in our limited experiences.

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

Jesus brought a message of hope.  He told the disciples that they would be pulling people out of the depths and back from the brink.  As Christians we can let this same hope shine through us to provide light to those in deep.

Norm Reference

Grading on a curve.  This is a practice in some college classes for assigning grades.  It works like this.  The scores are ranked from lowest to highest.  The average score and those around it are given a grade of C.  Those a bit farther away from the middle are given Bs and Ds, while those at the extremes are given As and Fs.  It is called a curve because when the grades are ranked there are more scores near the average and it creates a graph that looks like a bell.

Now the curve has advantages and disadvantages.  In some college classes there are a certain number of students who don't take it seriously and will fill in the bottom.  There are also those students who excel and they will take the places at the top.  So what is created is more or less a competition of sorts.  It doesn't matter how much of the material that you master as long as you are better than the others.  On the other hand, if you are in a particularly great group, but the worst in that group, it doesn't look so good for you.

What we call "Grading on a Curve", statisticians call "Norm Reference".  It means how well we perform compared to the average or the "Norm".  By contrast, "Criteria Reference" means that there is some objective standard.  The grade is assigned based on how well you meet that standard, not how well you compare to others,  

It is like the baby development charts.  It says that at three months the baby should be holding their head up.  It doesn't say which baby is the best at holding their head up or the first (though parents might be watching for this).  The chart sets a specific milestone and we evaluate whether or not they meet the expectation.

So in school, work or life we have certain expectation of how the world should be.  Whether we have them in written form or just in the back of our heads, the expectations are still there.  Expectations, however, are limited by vision.  We use our own experiences to set goals that are reasonable or even ambitious, but maybe even that is way below what is possible,

God has a vision for each of us.  It is not a norm referenced vision that ranks us based on how good other people are or on the average standard of living.  It is not criteria referenced to the worlds standard of success.  It is a vision based on the potential that each of us has when following the path that God has for us.

Watch this video from Pastor Chris.

Jesus brought Heaven to Earth.  Jesus brought the divine to the mundane.  And in doing so, Jesus change the expectations for everyone for all time.  It is a standard that we can never measure up to on our own, but through surrendering out will to God, success is guaranteed.

Endorsements

Celebrity endorsements have been a mainstay of advertisers for generations.  They say that over two hundred years ago the Wedgwood Pottery Company used the fact that the royal family used their pieces to bolster their brand.  And in the 19th century Mark Twain appeared in advertisements for cigars.  And today of course, celebrity endorsements are so common that they are expected.  Some pro athletes make much more money on endorsements than on the sport that they play.

Some celebrities endorse political candidates.  This doesn't make a lot of sense to me.  We are left thinking, "This person is a great singer and actor, so it would only make sense that they would be a great judge of who should run the country." I think that it is mostly about attention.  The celebrity gets attention and the politician gets attention and the news channels cover it like it is actual news, so why not.  

My personal favorite of the celebrity endorsements is the "Most Interesting Man in the World" campaign.  It is an endorsement, but the person wasn't a celebrity before the add campaign.  They were actually able to create their own celebrity then use his fame to promote their product.  I'm not sure if beer sales have gone up under this campaign, but there have been an incredible number of internet memes spawned as a result. 

So celebrity endorsements are a powerful tool.  But what is even more powerful is a message that sells itself without endorsements and ad campaigns.  Many business owners will tell you that their best advertisement is through word-of-mouth or that their product sells itself.

And so it went when Jesus Christ began his ministry.  He could have gone to the religious leaders in Jerusalem and then used their notoriety and standing to legitimize his own.  But that was not the route that he took.  He went to Galilee.  He went to the outcasts, the sick, the unclean.  He spoke of love and redemption and that the Kingdom of God was open to all.  It was a message so powerful that it needed no endorsement then and it still resonates today.  

Watch this clip from Pastor Chris.

The message of Jesus Christ is that we all have sinned, we all have made mistakes, we all fallen short of the Glory of God.  But also redemption is available to us all.  Redemption is not a Wedgwood Vase found in a royal palace, or a Ferrari driven by a rich athlete.  Redemption is available to all who seek it.  Redemption is there for each of us and all we need to do is ask.  

That is a message that spreads no matter who is saying it. 

On Time

Some people have different opinions on the subject of punctuality.  One summer, long ago, when I was working at summer camp, we had a camp director that liked to schedule things with an ish.  "We need to have a staff meeting this afternoon, let's say two-ish." If this sounds frustrating, you have no idea.

In practice, the way this would work is that we would show up pretty near to the time.  As he was always behind, he would be the last to arrive.  When he finally did arrive, the meeting would start.  He probably never saw a problem with it because he was never the one waiting.

In every circle there are those people who are chronically late.  (If you can't think of anyone like that, It's you.)  But just as aggravating are those who come early.  Now if you are supposed to meet someplace and they are early you may never know about it.  But sometimes our early birds are sitting on our doorsteps.  This is frustrating because we aren't quite ready for them and now there is this pressure to be ready too.  Why can't people just be on time?

So what is all of this about?  As we walk with God, part of the path is understanding that God's time and our time is not the same thing.  God does all things at the appropriate time.  And sometimes we approach God's instructions to us with a big ISH.  We know what God would have us do, but we say "Yeah, I'll get after that this afternoon ish." We don't approach God's priorities as if they are our priorities.  We treat them as more distant goals than pressing needs.

Other time we show up early on God's plans.  We are sitting on God's doorstep saying, "Are you ready yet God?  Come on, let's go." But God's time is not our time.  He will wait for the perfect time and we should too.

This clip from Pastor Chris refers to Jesus calling His disciples as told in Matthew 4:12-25.

Jesus waited for the right time.  He let the preparations of John the Baptist run their course, then at the right time he was on his way.  We should all appreciate that example.  There is that perfect time for God's will and we should be ready for it.

What Ever You Want

Has anyone ever said that to you? "What Ever You Want." We all know that they really don't mean it.  They are letting you decide and sounding generous, but there are always limits.  When you tell your five year old to choose a restaurant and say, "Where ever you want," You usually mean "Any fast food place that isn't too far away." We would all be surprised if they asked for surf and turf in the grand ballroom.

Just for the sake of curiosity I googled the most expensive restaurants and as the most expensive restaurant in the United States they have a place called Masa in New York.  Their website does not have a menu, but one review said that the AVERAGE dinner bill was $1269.  Masa seems to be the name of their chef.  Oh, and it's a sushi place.  It would seem like for that much money they could at least cook the food.

So for most of us. "Anything you want" really means "Anything within reason."  We all have limits and we don't get the blank check for truly ANYTHING.  But that is where God is different.  When Christ came to Earth he was fully God and fully man.  He had the universe at his fingertips.  He truly could have anything that he wanted.  He could have set himself up as eternal king in the grandest of palace.  He could have gone to such excess that even Donald Trump would say, "Don't you think you should tone it down?" 

He could have, but he chose the life of humility.  He chose to walk with the common people, feel their pain and cure their diseases.  He could have had a thousand servants but chose to wash the feet of others.  He could have lead a great army, but he chose to die on a cross.  He could have chose anything, and he chose to die for us.

Watch this video from Pastor Chris.

Christ could have chosen anything and he chose to serve.  He chose to put others before himself and to follow the will of God.  Now it's our turn.  What will we choose?