John Daly is a former PGA golfer known for his overweight build and unhealthy lifestyle.  Despite spending more time in bars than in the gym, he had a remarkable career. He once said, “That’s why I never get injured. You can pull a muscle, but you can’t pull fat.” 

The church in the West has gotten flabby. For ages, Christianity in America had privilege, priority, and influence in society. There are many advantages to this. It’s like playing a home game. There are also liabilities. You get lazy, spoiled, and selfish. We have come to love American comfort and convenience.  ​

Here is where we learn from global brothers and sisters. Christians from other contexts demonstrate the sacrificial muscle. I know immigrant Christians who left everything back home, not for “a better life in America,” but because they know America needs the gospel.  They left careers as doctors, architects, and electrical engineers to come to the U.S. and drive for Uber and Fed Ex. They know that America is a mission frontier, and they are willing to sacrifice to be “salt and light” in a new land. We are humbled when we see the sacrificial muscle flexed in extremity.  

Are you a church leader? Come join us for the Loved+Sent Summit. This is an organic movement of the church, flexing the sacrificial muscle.  It's a "reverse conference." We're not asking what we can get, but what we can give. A line we've used is, "The Summit is free, but participation will cost you." 

What is God calling us to sacrifice?  Where must we lose in order to gain?  ​

In the last twelve months, I’ve had unique opportunities to connect with the broader church. This involved visiting friends, pastors, and church leaders across the country.  I gave presentations to a variety of gatherings:

Austin, TX
St. Paul, MN
Sacramento, CA
Spokane, WA
Lansing, MI
The Multiethnic Symposium at Concordia Seminary, St. Louis, MO

My goal was simple. At a time when many in the church are experiencing loss, be helpful and hopeful. Network. Share. Build up. Bring together.

The Loved+Sent Summit emerged from this collaborative movement. There is a committee of advisors planning the event. A network of business leaders investing in it. A collaborative of 15 churches hosting it. And a team of over 100 pitching in to pull it off.  

Here’s what the Summit is all about.  

Here’s Something Great is Asked, a paper about what I sense and see in our national church body.

A line we’ve been using is, “The Summit is free, but participation will cost you.” In other words, there is no registration fee. All food, refreshments, and materials are covered.  But if you come, prepare to give something. Your time, energy, insight, and resources. 

We received 23 nominations from emerging ministries answering “Who’s Next?” Our goal is to showcase three. An announcement of the finalists will come on July 15th.  These three ministries will present their work at the Summit, and every participant will be invited to respond with insight, ideas, and support. We have a phenomenal facilitator, Leah Abel, who will lead a guided discussion toward fruitful ends.

The Summit will bring together leaders and churches from across the country to exercise these important values:

Sacrificial:  We will all lose something for the sake of Kingdom gain. There is no profit, pride, or platform promotion. The aim is not for our individual churches, but for THE church. Unlike a conference where you ask, “What will I get?” we’ll ask, “What will I give?” 

Collaborative:  No leader, pastor, or congregation is independent. Gone are the days of “compare and compete.” We are an ecosystem, inter-dependent upon one another.  When we gather together, it is an exercise in mutual sharing.  Everyone has something to contribute, and everyone has something to receive.  

Margins:  We believe the best things in ministry are happening on the frontline, on the edges. This is always how the Kingdom of God arrives. Seed and leaven. Weak people with a mighty God. Unexpected places and miraculous mercy. The Spirit is working in the places that are often overlooked and under the radar. The Summit will lift up the people and places on the margins.  
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Consider this your invitation to join us for the Loved+Sent Summit.  Fifteen St. Louis area congregations are eager to host you.  Register here.  It’s free, but remember that it will cost you.  What will you give? 

Israel and Gaza. Ukraine and Russia. Is anyone in charge? Young people killing themselves. A generation plagued with doubt and worry. Paying bills and working yourself to the bone. A life-changing decision to make and you have no idea what to do.  Watching a loved one slip away. Sitting next to an empty chair at the table where he used to sit. Family members who refuse to talk to you. You have real problems and a nostalgic view of baby Jesus seems naive and powerless.  

The birth of Jesus is given very little real estate in the Bible. Only two of the four gospels record anything about his birth. And even then, it’s two chapters in Luke and a couple in Matthew. Only about 4% of what’s written in the gospels is about Jesus’ birth. Not to say that it's unimportant. The incarnation is a critical reality for us - God became man! It’s not unimportant, but it’s not all there is.  

A friend of mine told me about a 3 year old boy in his congregation. It was Christmas and the Nativity scene was set up in the front of the church. Of course there was the stable, Mary, Joseph, and animals. And then the manger where you put the baby Jesus doll. Someone handed the doll to the boy. “Put the baby Jesus where he goes,” they said. 

The boy took the baby and walked past the stable and the manger. He climbed the steps and placed the baby on the alter, under the cross. “He’s the cross baby,” the boy proclaimed.  

In a world of real problems, you need more than a cute Nativity Jesus. You need the cross baby.

You need a friend who will stay with you when you’ve made a mess.
You need a Lord who will lead you through uncertainty.
You need someone to heal not just your body, but your very soul.
You need a God who will forgive you when you can’t forgive yourself.
You need a King who will kick Satan in the teeth and dismantle death.
You need a Savior who can get you out of the pit when no one else can.  
You need the cross baby.

The baby in the manger is the man on the cross.  The man on the cross is the King on the throne.  
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O Jesus, you are the "cross baby,"
Born in a manger to be the man on the cross.
As you were once born, be born anew in us today.
As you came close to us, draw us close to you.
​As you are King, rule in us now and evermore.  Amen. ​

For the record, the Bible does not endorse either of these dispositions. The Christian life is simply different, neither angry or anxious. God’s people ought to stand out in this social climate.  I’m concerned about pastors who post political statements cut and paste from FOX or CNN.  They have succumbed to the dialect of the age, and employed the tools of anger and anxiety.  

So what does “different” mean? Regardless of election results, how will we be different in the coming days?  

Among the original twelve disciples, there was a Jew employed by the Roman government to assess and collect taxes from his own people. Matthew was seen as a traitor to his people, a “government guy.”  

Also listed among the Twelve was Simon the Zealot.  Zealots were an anti-government party, or more accurately, a revolutionary movement that wanted to overthrow the Romans.  The Zealot movement led to a Jewish revolt in 70 AD. The Roman empire squashed the uprising and destroyed Jerusalem, including the temple.  

When Jesus called Matthew and Simon, we are given every indication that something changed.  We don’t hear anything about Matthew going back to the Roman tax trade.  We don’t hear anything about Simon showing his Zealot card.  Apparently, the labels “tax collector” and “Zealot” became secondary identifiers.  They were now disciples of Jesus Christ.  Once Jesus called them, something was different.  They had a new Lord with new priorities.  

What was different for the first disciples? A core body of Jesus’ teaching is called The Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7).  You might call it The Constitution of the Kingdom of God.  And in it, Jesus does an exercise of compare and contrast.  He repeats a pattern: “You have heard it said . . . But I say . . .” (Matt. 5:21-22 and following). By doing this he demonstrates that the Kingdom of God is different.  Here are samples of the Sermon on the Mount:

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." (5:10)  You’re supposed to stand up for your rights! Defend yourself! Win at all costs! Suffering unjustly and being persecuted?  No one says that.  

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” (5:44)  You’re supposed to defeat your opponents.  Never back down.  Love your enemies?  No one says that. 

“For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.” (6:14)  You’re never supposed to admit wrong.  Forgive?  Ask for forgiveness?  No one says that.   

“Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this the Law and the Prophets.” (7:12)  You’re supposed to say, “Whatever someone does to you, DO IT BACK TO THEM!”  No one says, “Do to others what you would want done to you.”  

This is different from any rhetoric you will hear today.  It’s different because the One who said it is different.  And you are different because the One who has called you by name is different. 

Election day is November 5th. Vote thoughtfully and prayerfully. It is the duty of God’s people as citizens of a nation. On Wednesday, November 6th, you will wake up. It is likely that many will be angry or anxious. Regardless of what happens, you will still be a citizen of the Kingdom of God and Jesus will remain Lord.  And you will still be called to live differently.  

Don’t post stupid stuff (Matt. 5:37).
Be gracious to those on the other side (Matt. 5:7,44; Matt. 7:5,12).  
Be truthful without being arrogant or demeaning. 
Be people of remarkable peace (Matt. 5:9).
Be composed and full of holy confidence in the Lord (Matt. 6:33-34).  

A tree is known by its fruit (Matt. 7:17). Others will look at you and say, “You’re different. I want to be around you.”  And you’re different because you have the same Lord as Matthew the tax collector and Simon the Zealot, Jesus Christ, the eternal King.  

Messianic language is often existential language - that our very existence depends on a particular outcome.  Political rhetoric has often used religiously suggestive language to create urgency and action.  When political parties use existential language, there is a feeling that heaven or hell are at stake.  Our survival is up for grabs.  

Whenever we feel our existence is threatened, we move toward extremes.   Anger, worry, hysteria, conspiracy, paranoia, and even violence.  We are witnessing this right now, even (and especially) from Christians.
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Of course, the Christian already has a Messiah.  “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ” (Phil. 3:20).  Our very essence and identity is in the Messiah, King Jesus, Lord over every lord, president, and prime minister.  If this is true, no election should be existential in nature.  And no candidate is messianic in character. “Put not your trust in princes” (Ps. 146:3).  

I do not dismiss the significance of this moment for our country.  But for those under the reign of Jesus, elections are important, not existential.  My ultimate existence is not bound to a party, a candidate, or the fate of a nation.  Do you remember the candidacy of Caesar Augustus?  No, but you know Jesus of Nazareth.  Do you remember Herod the Great’s time in office?  It’s only a backdrop in the salvation story of Christ the King.  In the Scriptures, rulers of the nations are footnotes in the much larger movement of the kingdom of God.

This moment is consequential, but not existential.  If that’s true, it changes how Christians compose themselves in this climate.  We are the steady presence in a sea of turmoil.  We are people of peace in a land of hysteria.  

There is nothing in the Bible that says, “freak out” or “obsess.”  Rather we have exhortations to such things as contentedness in all circumstances (Phil. 4:11; I Tim. 6:6).  Living wisely toward outsiders (Col. 4:6).  Practicing the “fruits of the Spirit” in the face of the world’s tumult (Gal. 5:22-23).

The coming weeks will be a test of faith and character.  You have a Messiah.  All existential questions were answered eternally at the cross.  “Put not your trust in princes.”  This frees us to be distinctive people, ambassadors for the Prince of Peace.  
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We live in an era that places the highest confidence on the rational and explainable.  It is as if the only things that are true are the things that can be explained.  

• “There are no mysteries.  If we just research and study enough, we can solve any problem.”  
• “If we just get the right diagnosis, there’s a pill that can cure that.”  
• “If you just follow the right parenting philosophy, you won’t mess up your kids.”  
• Even in the church, a pastor might say, “If you just do these spiritual step-by-steps, you’ll be blessed.”  

But for all of our knowledge, mysteries remain.  We still have unanswered questions.  

• What happens when science reaches its limit and there is no explanation?  
• What happens when medicine doesn’t work and you still suffer?  
• What happens when you do all the right things as a parent, and your kids still struggle?  
• What happens when you work hard your whole life but you’re still not happy?  
• What happens when you did your best to be a good Christian and God still seems silent?

Some women went to the gravesite.  There were so many questions.  “Why did he die, and why did he die this way?  Like a criminal?  How could such a good man deserve an end like this?  What will we do next?  Is there a “next?”  As they got closer to the cemetery, they had another more practical question.  “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?” (Mark 16:3)  

Then - somehow! - the stone was rolled away and the door was open.  Then, somehow, there was a young man in a white robe who said to them, “Do not be alarmed.  You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.  He has risen; he is not here.”  (16:6).   Somehow!

Mark's gospel has an odd ending: “Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.”  (Mark 16:8)  Scholars believe this is the last line of Mark’s gospel.  It’s the strangest ending of the four gospels because it’s not neat and tidy.  Instead of “happily ever after,” it’s “trembling and bewilderment.”  

Verse eight is really important because it tells us that the Christian life is often unresolved.  Even after the resurrection, they were afraid and bewildered.  You too are left with questions. Logic and reason can’t get you out of it.  There is no clear answer or rational way forward.  How often as a Christian are you just “trembling and bewildered”?

At graveside committal services, I lead the casket from the hearse to the hole in the ground.  And the pallbearers place it on a lift above the plot.  We huddle around the body one last time before it is buried.  And I look the family in the eye and say the most preposterous thing.  “This is not the end.  God will raise this body from the ground.”  And I speak the words of Jesus standing over a dead body, “I am the resurrection and the life, whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”  

It is irrational to say this in a yard full of headstones.  Yet it’s precisely at the cemetery that Christianity gives answer to the unexplainable mystery we call death.  As the body is laid in the cold ground, somehow we say, “I will rise.”  With an instrument of death we call a cross, somehow there is life.  At the tomb, somehow Christ is risen.  Somehow happens in the cemetery, at the very moment of impossibility.   

In your life, you have unresolved questions.  Impossible challenges where it seems there will never be a change.  You say, “God, I don’t understand!”  Augustine, a 4th century church father, once wrote, 

There is much in Christianity that can be explained and understood, but the greatest things are mystery and miracle.  And for that, the only thing we can say is “somehow.”  

Somehow, God so loved this rebellious race of humans that he chose to become one. 
​Somehow, a brutal instrument of death means life.  
Somehow, a dead man came back to life again.  
Somehow, he is currently the world-wide King, with dominion over all powers and principalities.  
Somehow, the God of the universe knows you.  Forgives you.  Calls you his child.  
Somehow, he uses you to do his will and work in the world.   

Somehow - after all this is over -  the One that you have believed by faith, you will see by sight with your own eyes.  You will hear his voice on your very eardrums.  Jesus will say, “Behold I make all things new.”   It is beyond our explanation and understanding, against all reason and logic.  All we can say is, “Somehow Christ is risen.”  And “somehow” still happens today.    ​

It would be a wild scenario if it was my birthday, and everyone showed up to the party with presents for each other but not me.  "Um, do we know why we're here?"  It’s like a backwards birthday.  The birthday boy shows up and we all celebrate by doing things for ourselves.  

At this time of year the Birthday Boy often gets ignored.  Or he gets our apathy, ignorance, and a passing glance.  And we get gifts.  How funny, but how appropriate.  This was his mission.  He arrived as the incarnate Son of God to give all the gifts - love, forgiveness, deliverance, salvation.  We give nothing.  He is entirely gracious.  

My point is not that all the presents under the tree need Jesus’ name on them.  After all, he's hard to buy for.  What do you get the King of Kings?  There's nothing you can do to earn or deserve his favor.  Nonetheless, he desires a response.  It's the rhythm of the Christian life: receive and respond.  He doesn’t want a package or a toy.  He wants you.  

Could you respond like Jesus' mother?  She responded to an angel's preposterous birth announcement with simple faith.  "Let it be to me as you have spoken."  In other word, "Lord, whatever you want."  

We often tell what we want for Christmas.  This year, ask Jesus what he wants.  "Thy will be done."  Then make yourself available.  Obedient.  Faithful.  Humble.  Selfless.  Say to the Birthday Boy, "Whatever you want."

Jesus, you are the all-surpassing gift.  In response for what you've given, I ask, "What do you want?"  Not my will, but yours be done.  Everything I have is not enough, but it's all I've got.  Receive my humble praise.  Amen.  

The Temptation:  I Am What I Have

​Why do we want to have more?  Under bald materialism is a desire for choice.  Control.  Power.  I don’t really love money.  I love what money can do for me, the choice and control it gives me.  

In many respects, “I am what I have” means “I am what I choose.”  With more money, the self is free to feed itself.  With more resources, I break free of limits and constrictions.  “Be who you want.  Do what you want.  Choose what you want.”  Money is the means.  Expressive individualism is the end.  

​George MacDonald once wrote, ​