“When you have a god that is a thing, a god that you can use, an object, neighbors also become things, something to use, objects. With an impersonal god, you end up as an impersonal neighbor”

Eugene Peterson

- Edward Gilbreath

As followers of Jesus, we participate in his ministry of peace and justice. He has called us to find our blessing in making peace and seeking justice. We do so in a spirit of gentleness, willing to be persecuted for righteousness’ sake. As disciples of Christ, we do not prepare for war, or participate in war or military service. The same Spirit that empowered Jesus also empowers us to love enemies, to forgive rather than to seek revenge, to practice right relationships, to rely on the community of faith to settle disputes, and to resist evil without violence.

Led by the Spirit, and beginning in the church, we witness to all people that violence is not the will of God. We witness against all forms of violence, including war among nations, hostility among races and classes, abuse of children and women, violence between men and women, abortion, and capital punishment.

–The Mennonite Confession of Faith

As a church, we are called to be active peacemakers. Active peacemaking is different from ‘passive’ peacemaking because it requires action. Action to say that our loyalty is not with governments or military might, but in the Kingdom of God. Many followers of Jesus do not embrace this path, and I respect that opinion, but in my desire to follow Jesus, I have chosen the ‘road less traveled’ of nonviolence and rejection of war & violence in the name of any nation, state or group.

In following Jesus, it’s always about how we interact with others and the world, and less about if we believe the correct things.  Action truly speaks louder than words.  Our process is more of a serving to belonging to believing than the traditional view of believing to belonging to serving.

Thanks to Dr. Leonard Sweet for this question.

So, we are expecting!

WOO HOO!

Projected due date: 12/19

Projected awesomeness factor (out of 10):  29

Let us lay down our idols of safety, despair and consumption
as we grab hold of the courage,
hope and simplicity we long for.

Let us seek justice, mercy,
and humility.
As neighbors,
we have a choice to make:
We can choose love.
We can choose life – together.

May we imagine creative ways
to love our neighbors
where we live and work.
May we find our locations and
vocations bringing life and meaning to real people in real relationships.

Together, we must seek out
the root causes that undermine
the health of our neighborhoods.

Our opportunity is to merge our
urban and suburban worlds,
socially and professionally,
including the outcast.

Let us rise up and love our neighbor.

We’ve got some work to do.

This liturgy was inspired by “An Appeal to March,” an invitation which called people to join the 1963 March on Washington during the Civil Rights Movement.

source:  ( http://awaken-neighbor.com/2010/02/an-appeal-to-neighbor/ )

We woke up and made pancakes and went to the market and none of it was planned.

And listened to Iron & Wine’s version of ‘Such Great Heights’

And I feel like the world is looking at us and telling us to come down now, and I am ignoring them, because this Sabbath is teaching me about a God who cares truly for me and the world.

It’s a miracle!

A day we planned nothing.

A day we rested and relaxed within the creation and the Creator.

A day that we say, “God, you are in control, and I am not, and there is no need for me to work to keep things in order, because you hold the whole world in Your hands.”

This something that is radically counter-cultural.  It’s something that flies in the face of the empire that tells us, “You must be faster, quicker & stronger!  You must be the best and the only way you can be the best is by working 24/7/365!”

This speaks of a God who DID NOT design us to never stop, because when we stop, we remember that we are not truly in control, and that’s OK.

Bless the Sabbath, make it your own and accept the gift, the gift of rest.

So, Shabbat Shalom, and go and rest in the God who created for you to take some time and JUST STOP.

A friend of mine, Christopher, posted this on Facebook:

It’s not about donkeys and elephants, liberals and conservatives, or socialists and capitalists, folks. It’s about sheep and goats. Matthew 25:31–46

And it got me thinking:

How much of our anger at things that happen in the government is because we truly believe it’s the worst thing for the ‘poor, downtrodden and marginalized’ or if we feel like it’s an attack on our wealth and status quo of how America should be?

I have friends that are truly passionate for the healthcare reform.  They see it as a mandate of providing for the least of these.  They see it as not a perfect piece of legislation, because there is not any, but as one that is genuinely aimed at creating a more just and compassionate society.

I also have friends that are against the healthcare bill.  They see this is another way of the government trying to take the place of the church.  They see it as an attack on individual liberty and freedom.  They love people and they love Jesus, and they just don’t see this as the best possible solution.

Both of these groups genuinely are  compassionate and committed to the way of Jesus.  But this all goes down to motive like I (and Christopher) said before.  If it’s about power and wealth, then it’s not the way of Jesus, plain and simple.  If it’s about sustaining the empire and creating a culture of classes, it’s not the way of Jesus.  If it’s about anything but providing for the poor, marginialized and oppressed, then we are flirting dangerously close with being in with the goats.

Capitalism is not the answer.   God only knows the problems in the world caused by this economic system.

Socialism is not the answer.  Socialism stills creates chasms of misfortune even when claiming equality for all.

The answer lies in answering the question of Jesus:

³¹“When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory. ³²All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

³⁴“Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, ³⁶I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

³⁷“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? ³⁸When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? ³⁹When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

⁴⁰“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’

⁴¹“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.’

⁴⁴“They also will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?’

⁴⁵“He will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.’

⁴⁶“Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life.”

Matthew 25:31–46

In my personal journal, on this blog, for my position with Genesis Church

I have had a serious case of writer’s block.

and in the midst of that I was going through some of the roughest and most dramatic changes in my life so far.

Getting married, becoming an instant-dad, moving away from family and friends, losing a job, getting a new job, and working 60+ hours.

And now, getting another job with less hours and resigning from my leadership position with Genesis Church.

If you asked me if this is how I planned my last 6 months, I would say no, but would I change it, definitely not.

And in the midst of all this, I am studying and teaching through the first part of the Torah, Genesis.  The first 12 chapters of Genesis set the stage with a mix of poems, metaphors, allegories and stories that tell us a lot about God.  Our understanding of who and what this God is about really begins to form in those first pages.

The amazing story of not only who God is, but how he views us and how our story begins all start with those first words:  ‘In the beginning, God created…’

Our identity is formed within those chapters.  Our identity as not evil, good for nothing beings to beings that are created in the image of God.  Beings that are created to be stewards and co-creators with God in this ever expanding and evolving world that He created.

And that identity helps inform me when I life’s events do go as planned, because it takes me realizing that my story is only a part of the greater narrative that God has written, is writing and will write for this element of His creation.

So there, my writer’s block is gone.  My life is back on this page, for all to see, and hopefully, for it to bear witness to the one who has created you and me to be bearers and creators in this world.