INSIGNIFICANT THINGS!

God uses seemingly insignificant things and people to get His work done and to teach those who love and serve Him!  Who else but God would write the story of the arrival of His Son and have Him spend His first night on earth lying as a newborn infant in a feeding trough for animals?  It catches us by surprise!  We expect high and lofty, but instead we get the commonplace. 

Now, there are times when God does use the awesome and mystifying.  Who can sit unmoved by Handel’s Messiah?  260 pages composed in just twenty-four days!  It brought a king to his feet in praise and adoration! 

But isn’t it comforting that God so often uses the commonplace?

He said to Moses: “What is that in your hand?” 

The answer was – a shepherd’s staff.

Do you realize how common a shepherd’s staff was in Moses’ day?

They were not the ornate staffs of expensive metals we see in cathedrals. 

Rather, they were a stick of wood picked up along the way with natural crooks in it and of sturdy size that would easily serve the needs of the shepherd in tending and protecting his sheep!

David, in his brash youth, stepped forward to face a giant!

When King Saul’s armor didn’t fit, he went to face Goliath with his weapon of choice – a sling and five smooth stones. We know the story, so we don’t laugh; but if we were hearing it for the first time, we’d think it ludicrous!  No club? No sword? No battle-axe?  Against a colossal brute? A leather sling?????

Elijah wanted to help the widow and her son in their poverty.

“What do you have?”

“Oh, I have a little oil and some flour.”

“Use the little you have and make me a loaf of bread.  If you obey, your flask will never run out of oil and your box will never be empty of flour.” 

And it was so. 

A group of thousands had remained in a wilderness area listening to Jesus teach for several days.  They were hungry.  Jesus didn’t want to send them away famished.  He asked His disciples, “How much do we have?”  Andrew was the only one to speak.  He reported that he had found a young boy with a lunch of five small loaves and two fish.  It was all Jesus needed to feed a large crowd!

In the first century, the village of Bethlehem was small and insignificant.  But many years earlier the prophet Micah had declared: ‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are not the least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you shall come a Ruler who will shepherd My people Israel.’”  You know the rest of the story.  Jesus, the Messiah, wasn’t born in mighty Jerusalem.  No.  He was born in a cave, among animals, in Bethlehem!

God simply isn’t limited in the way He does things!  After all, He is GOD!  He can do what He wants to do and when He wants to do it!  And He loves to surprise us! 

__________________________________

NO ONE IS INSIGNIFICANT

If anyone was insignificant, it was Ross.  He lived several blocks from the church I led for thirteen years.  Due to an accident many years earlier, Ross couldn’t speak clearly.  He was always dirty and unkempt.  Most of the time he smelled really badly.  Very few attempted to engage him for the obvious reasons.  Yet, he was a regular attender.  His hair looked like it hadn’t met with a comb in ages.  Yet there he was week after week.  I tried so hard, time after time, to understand him, but with very little success.  Occasionally he’d stop by the church when he saw my car there and try to have a conversation with me. 

Even as the church grew, Ross continued to come.  He did have one friend in the church.  Harvey was a fellow that came real early on Sundays to distribute Sunday School materials.  He didn’t particularly care for the ways I was leading the church.  I had known him for many years because of our district camp meeting. As a kid, I had helped him ‘white-wash’ the trees at the campground.  I had respected him as a godly man because he was often blessed and would let out a loud melodic “Woo Hoo!” when he felt the moving of the Holy Spirit. 

But when I became his pastor, he seemed to see me as a threat to the homeostasis of the church.  He singlehandedly made ministry hard for me. Even when the church doubled in size, he could only see me as a threat. 

Yet, Harvey – unbeknownst to anyone but me – would periodically take Ross into the church’s furnace room and completely bathe him.  He would wash out Ross’ clothes and dry them.  He was Ross’ best friend!  Harvey seemed to be able to understand Ross better than the rest of us.  He exhibited genuine, tangible love for Ross, while most of us did our best to ignore him. 

In spite of the adversarial relationship I had to endure with Harvey, I always admired him for the love and attention that he doled out to Ross. Somehow, Ross had risen above insignificance to Harvey. 

_________________________________

There is no one and no thing that is insignificant to God!  He made it all and He cares for it all! 

I look back and wonder why we didn’t at least try to do more for Ross.  If we had focused our efforts together, it seems that we could have helped him.  Was there a medical procedure that could have given him back his speech?  Could we have helped him learn to be more approachable?  How did so many of us manage to just ignore him Sunday after Sunday?  Where was the love of Christ in me when I was so systematically confronted by one of the least of these? 

God tested our church back then – and we failed the test! I must learn from this failure and be more aware and willing as I live out the rest of my days!

NO ONE IS INSIGNIFICANT TO GOD  -  NO ONE!!!!!

Be aware of that as you move through this day and this week!  Be alert to those who might be invisible to the crowd.  Speak to them.  Recognize them as a gift of God!  Lift their day!  You have the power to change their life!

THIS WAS NOT THE WILL OF GOD!

Words from William Barclay [1907-1978] resonate deeply within me this morning. As a pastor, I have frequently been in situations such as he describes - and always felt the same as he did!

He speaks of a 24-year-old daughter who died in a bizarre accident with no possible explanation. The chief investigator described it as so impossible that it could only be described as "an act of God".

Barclay sees this as a blasphemous phrase!

"What kind of God can people believe in when they attribute the accidental death of a girl of twenty-four years of age to an act of God? How can anyone who is left possibly pray to a God who would do a thing like that?"

[Barclay continues] "During my own parish ministry I was never able to go into a house where there had been an untimely and tragic death or sorrow and say, 'It is the will of God.' When a child or young person dies too soon, when there is a fatal accident, maybe due to someone's mistake or misjudgment, that is not "an act of God", neither is it the will of God. It is, in fact, the precise opposite of the will of God. It is against the will of God, and God is just as grieved about it as we are."

I have made this very same statement repeatedly over the years to parishioners in the face of terrible pain and loss!

[Barclay continues] "If a terrible and an incurable disease strikes someone, if a child is run down and killed by a motor car, driven as it may be by a reckless or drunken driver, if there is a disaster in the air or at sea or on the railway or on the roads, that is not the will of God. It is exactly and precisely what God did not will. It is due not to God's will, but to some human failure or to some human mistake."

He ends with the following:
"God gave men free will because there could neither be goodness nor love without free will and exactly for that reason the action of men can run right counter to the will of God."

_______________________________________

The image of God grieving with us is a POWERFUL one!

It reminds me of a few closing lines to James Weldon Johnson's poem, The Creation:

This great God,
Like a mammy bending over her baby,
Kneeled down in the dust
Toiling over a lump of clay
Till he shaped it in is his own image...

Jesus wept at the death of His friend, Lazarus!

Imagine! A god who weeps! A God who acknowledges in His Word to us that "There is a time to cry...and a time to be sad" [Ecclesiastes 3:4].

A God who included in His Book a section titled: Lamentations! [A lamentation is an expression of sorrow or mourning.]

A God who sent to His people a prophet who became known as the weeping prophet - Jeremiah!

A God who responsively reached out to an inconsolable Mary on the morning of His resurrection. Jesus immediately removed the barrier to her recognition so that He could comfort and encourage her!

I remember a story told by United Methodist Bishop, Earl Hunt, while I was a young student at Asbury Theological Seminary.

He told of being a young pastor appointed to follow a pastor who had been in place for many years.

Upon hearing of the death of a child in one of his families, young Pastor Hunt went immediately to the home. Upon arriving, he shared a scripture of hope with the family and prayed with them.

At that point, the former pastor arrived at the door. Upon entering, he opened his arms and the family fell into his embrace as he wept with them and prayed over them.

The young pastor Hunt was struck immediately - not with anger or jealousy - but with an increased sense of understanding about what it meant to be a pastor!

Part of the role of a pastor has traditionally been to walk with those who are hurting and, in doing so, give them an increased understanding that God is hurting and grieving with them! 

But the CEO role that has been thrust upon maturing pastors in recent decades doesn't encourage or model this level of caring. I had a conversation recently with a younger person who is active in their church. When I shared about Pastor Jerry Dodds [Bethel EPC] coming to visit Debbie while she was in the ER a while back, he simply commented that he couldn't even imagine his pastor doing something like that! 

It struck me: could this be one of the reasons that we are seeing such a decline in church attendance in America? Perhaps that's a topic for the next blog?

HOW IS IT WITH YOUR SOUL?

His name was Jim Heldreth [or Jack - he went by both].  He was a little younger than my parents.  He was - from time to time - a leader in the Pittsburgh Conference [FMC].  He was also a trustee at Roberts Wesleyan College for a number of years.  He was a long-term member of the Oakland Free Methodist Church.  He was a man of strong opinions, and he didn't mind sharing them with you.  He was a big man; handsome, married with no children.  He hailed from West Virginia and was proud of it.  I believe he made his living as a church furniture salesman.

Why am I telling you about this man?

Because when I was a freshman at Roberts, he showed up in my doorway on the fourth floor of Carpenter Hall.  Imagine my surprise!  He sat on my bunkbed, and we talked for half-an-hour.  During that conversation, he asked me how I was handling my new freedom.  He also asked me how I was doing spiritually.  I've often wondered, "Did he just do this with me?  Or did he visit other Pittsburgh Conference students as well?"

This was not shocking.  Although this practice has fallen into disuse, it was fairly common back in the 1960's to ask one another how your spiritual life was going.  It was also common - at least in Free Methodist Churches - to have weekly 'testimony meetings', where we gave public updates on our faith!  I was glad that I was able to give him a good report.  According to my recollection, he did this at least one, maybe two other times.  Although he was a friend of my parents, I really didn't know him personally.  However, when I turned thirty, I was appointed as his pastor, where I served for thirteen years!  😊  We had many deep theological discussions during those years.  When he disagreed with something I was doing or proposing, he had no difficulty in addressing me about it!  

Why is this important enough to be writing about?

Because it doesn't happen anymore!  I'm having difficulty remembering the last time anyone asked me how my spiritual life was going.  

I just read the first paragraph of Galatians 6 - here it is from The Message Bible:

1-3 Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.

These verses clearly imply connection, caring and communication!  

Let's look at these individually:

CONNECTION

You don't speak these kinds of words to just anyone!  This kind of inquiry require connection!  There must be a level of sharing that has been established.  Intimacies have been exchanged.  There's familiarity and some knowledge of one another's pilgrimage.  We KNOW one another!  We have spent time together individually or in a group.  I have a clear sense that you're not trying to gather gossip; I have no fear that you will use my confession against me.  We TRUST one another!  I am confident - without verbally noting it - that you will keep my confidences.  I know this because you have done it before!  I believe that you have a genuine concern for me and my spiritual well-being!

CARING

We have an innate sense about people that has developed from years of inter-relationships.  We can usually tell if someone truly cares about us.  People who simply want to use or manipulate us can be quickly discerned and carefully handled.  They don't have to be removed from our fellowship; just contained from intimacies until they have proven themselves trustworthy.  Jesus said this in Matthew 7:6 [NASB], "Do not give what is holy to dogs, and do not throw your pearls before swine, or they will trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."  Solomon also had some wisdom on this topic:  "A man of too many friends comes to ruin, But there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."  [Proverbs 18:24 NASB]  Do the careful, hard work of discernment and then build relationships that add value to your life!

COMMUNICATION

As a counselor, I was excited years ago when the research was published that 'talking' changes the chemical makeup of the brain!  I've heard the line over and over again - usually from men:  "What good does talking about it do?"  Well, the proof is in!  It actually DOES create real change!  

This is a big part of the value of sincere friends who talk to us and listen to us!  They care!  They want to help!  They want us to be the best we can be!  If you have these kinds of connections - THANK GOD FOR THEM!  They are far more valuable than you probably realize.  Pity the man or woman who has no friends!  They cannot possible be at their best without this essential interaction!  

I recently wrote about the failure of most churches to give us small-setting opportunities that allow these kinds of relationships to flourish!  Environments where we can openly confess that we're not doing well.  Places where I don't have to fear to report that I've fallen off the track and need help realigning my life!  Fellowship circles where the word 'relapse' is not a dirty word!  Encouragement enclaves where people who love me will gather around me and pray with me!  

________________________________

I've had this at times in the past - and it was a precious thing!  But, it takes time and effort to develop.  It is the business of the church - even though many churches seem to have relinquished their responsibility in this area.  

For we who have 'Methodist' as a descriptor - it's in our genetic make-up, thanks to John Wesley!  This seventeenth century revivalist put his people in groups that met at least weekly where they all answered questions such as:

• Am I consciously or unconsciously creating the impression that I am better than I am? In other words, am I a hypocrite? 
• Am I honest in all my acts and words, or do I exaggerate?
• Do I confidentially pass onto another what was told me in confidence? 
• Am I a slave to dress, friends, work, or habits? 
• Am I self-conscious, self-pitying, or self-justifying? 
• Did the Bible live in me today? 
• Do I give it time to speak to me every day? 
• Am I enjoying prayer? 
• When did I last speak to someone about my faith? 
• Do I pray about the money I spend? 
• Do I get to bed on time and get up on time? 
• Do I disobey God in anything? 
• Do I insist upon doing something about which my conscience is uneasy? 
• Am I defeated in any part of my life? 
• Am I jealous, impure, critical, irritable, touchy or distrustful? 
• How do I spend my spare time? 
• Am I proud? 
• Do I thank God that I am not as other people, especially as the Pharisee who despised the publican? 
• Is there anyone whom I fear, dislike, disown, criticize, hold resentment toward or disregard? If so, what am I going to do about it? 
• Do I grumble and complain constantly? 
• Is Christ real to me?

I know:  By now you're either incredulous or laughing.  

But think for a minute honestly:  If you WERE a part of a group that regularly addressed issues like this - might you be a better person and Christian?  

O Holy Spirit,

Help us to find friends that will stick closer than a brother or sister!

Friends who will listen carefully, counsel plainly and model openly.

Friends who will keep our confidence yet hold us accountable!

Friends who will pray for us and with us!

Who will not condemn us or judge us when we fail.

Who will turn to us when they fail or need help!

Friends who will faithfully help us to make it to Heaven!

For the Kingdom's sake.  Amen

HEART CONDITION

 I just finished reading 'The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard' from Matthew 20:1-16.  

In this parable a landowner hired men to work for the day in his vineyard for a denarius.

Then he goes back out and finds more men at 9:00 and hires them.  

Again at noon and 3:00, he hires even more men.

Finally, at 5:00, he hires still more men.

Max Lucado describes these last men:

"They had been sitting in the square all day, shifting their weight from foot to foot, scuffing their sandals in the dust, waiting.

Unless someone came along soon with even the smallest request for work, they would have no money - and no food - to bring home to hungry families. 

When a prosperous farmer came into view, spirits lifted.

He would put the lot of them to work for the rest of the day.  They couldn't hope to earn much in these last few hours - a few sheckles at best - but it was better than nothing.  Gratefully, they joined the other workers in the field.   

 At day's end, they filed out of the fields past the owner with his money purse.  It was then that each man experienced an astonishing kindness.

A full day's wage was placed in each hand.

Though they had arrived late and accomplished little, they experienced the fullness of grace."   [Experiencing the Heart of Jesus, p.66] 

Max puts the emphasis on the needs and desperation of the last men hired.  They were surely overwhelmed with the kindness of this wealthy farmer!

____________________________________

Yet, I must confess that when I read this parable, I almost always identify with the first men hired.  I find myself thinking how unfair it was that they worked so much longer in the heat of the day and received the same pay as those who worked only for an hour.  I find myself thinking about hiding out the next day and only being "discovered" toward the end of the day.  

I know - that's sick!  But I have a high standard of fairness and this passage seems to violate that standard.  

Ah, but what if one of those workers was my brother?  I know he isn't feeling well.  I'm aware of how much he needs money and work.  His children haven't had new shoes in over a year.  His wife faithfully makes the best meals she can with their limited resources.  

I'm excited when I see him show up toward the end of the day!  I'm happy for him!  When he receives a full day's wage, I'm ecstatic for him!  How wonderful!  Praise the Lord!  What a generous and good farmer!  

Why can't I feel the same for all of the men hired later than I was hired?  

Kind and Gracious God,

I'm ashamed of myself.  I am stingy and vengeful.  I need spiritual heart surgery!  

I don't like the way I am.  I want to have the genuine interests of all people in my heart.    I want to really care about them and cheer for them when good things happen.  I don't want all my thoughts to be about me and just my family.  I want to be that guy who congratulates others on their good fortune;  who claps them on the back with real joy at the favorable turn of events in their lives!  I don't want to fake this, I want it to be the real overflow of my heart!   

Help me to view my neighbors, those who ride in my Lyft car, those who serve me at stores and restaurants, those I meet through the course of any given day, those who share a seat with me on the bus, at the doctor's office, or in church - with compassion and caring.   Help me to celebrate their victories and bear their burdens, for Jesus' and His Kingdom's sake.  Amen  

 

 

WOULDN'T IT BE GREAT?

I'm currently reading a novel by Angela Hunt.  In it the protagonist is a famous author whose young-adult son is dealing with alcoholism.  The following dialogue captured my attention:
                                                                                                                                          

"Carl and I attend the worship service, but it’s hard to think about the holiness of God when our souls are stirring with anger, confusion, and fear.  We don’t know if the young man sleeping at our house is a victim, a criminal, a drug addict, or some combination of all three.

Even more difficult is greeting our church friends after the service, all of whom shake our hands or hug our necks after asking, “How are you?” and receiving, “Fine, and you?” in reply.

I’m wearing an artificial grin like the wax lips we bought at the dime store when I was a kid.  I smile and hug, shake hands and smile, and all the while I want to spit off that fake expression and scream that I’m going crazy, hasn’t anyone noticed?

I know it’s my fault.  My tendency toward introversion, combined with my celebrity, has caused me to hold even our church friends at arm’s length.  I’m not used to confiding in people;  I’m not sure I want to.  But that doesn’t stop me from feeling like a wounded warrior beneath a veneer only one smile thick.  If one person would take the time to look into my eyes and ask about the pain flickering there, I’d share everything.

But no one does."      [from THE NOVELIST, by Angela Hunt, pp.129-130]

                                                                                                                                            

Wouldn't it be great if someone did look into the eyes and respond to the pain?

When I read this passage to Debbie, she immediately said, "I've had lots of Sundays like that!"  To be brutally honest, so have I.

Galatians 6:2 says:  "Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ."

Quite a few year ago, I attended a conference and won a book:  CHURCHES THAT HEAL, by Doug Murren.  I took it home and devoured it;  then typed out the significant quotes.  Here are some samples:

“Churches should heal because people need healing!”  p.2

“God’s mandate (is) that His church be a place of safety for the scared, healing for the hurting, reshaping for the hurtful, and acceptance for the unloved.”  p.xiii

“A church that heals understands that its mission is to see broken, hurting people become whole followers of Christ – new creations journeying into the full discovery of their identity in Him.”  p.91

“Environment matters…a strong ‘high-touch’ environment – that is, one that offers very human benefits like friendship, encouragement, and a sense of community – enhances the immune system.”  P.40

In Mark 6:1-6, Jesus visited His hometown, Nazareth, and determined that it was not an environment conducive to healing!  Wow!  Imagine that!  How many churches today would receive a similar judgment?

Having established the topic, I'd like to comment on two facets of this issue:

ONE - WE WHO BELONG

We who belong most likely know the ropes.  Even though the format of worship may be fairly well-established, we know that people care.  We can ask for help from an individual, from the pastor, from a Sunday School class, or even publicly.  It takes great courage to do so - but it can be done.

If you're part of a growing, healthy church, this is why your leaders are always working to initiate or sustain small groups.  They know that the best caring will take place in that more suitable and comfortable environment.  We care best for each other in intimate settings where confidentiality can be limited and special attention can be lavished!

Many congregations have specially gifted individuals who move among the crowd seeming to look for those who are hiding, hurting, hesitant or rejected.  Thank God for these ones who have the eyes, ears and compassion of Jesus!  Their ministry before and after services is often more meaningful and effective than what takes place during the services!

Card-senders, callers and email-senders fit modestly into this category as well.  They seem to make mental notes during worship times and then do follow-up contacts through the week to encourage, comfort and acknowledge people more personally.  This ministry - though less direct - also frequently communicates an accepting and healing component!

There's a ministry of arriving early and staying late for those who might like to have a greater impact.  Something as simple as a change in your Sunday schedule could grow a new, fruitful branch in your life!

When I was on staff at the Cornerstone Church, there were certain individuals who told me privately that they came to our church because they received hugs.  One woman told me, "I'm a single mom and this is the only place where I am touched by others!"  The simple act of caring through an 'appropriate' hug kept her coming!

TWO - THOSE WHO DON'T BELONG OR COME

As a pastor, I was always concerned about new attenders and their comfort level.  So many things we do in church are foreign to secular people.  They're afraid to enter our houses of worship.  One man confessed to me that he first drove through our parking lot on a couple of Sundays.  Next he parked, but stayed in his car for a couple of Sundays.  Finally, he came in and his life was radically transformed!  PTL!!  

Non-churched people are intimidated by our worship centers.  They have preconceived ideas about what we do;  these are often based on what they've learned from television or the movies.

Yet, many churches do little to anything to smooth this transition for guests.

But we can be fairly certain that they have ventured into our space because they have a need or crisis exploding in their families or life!

I challenged leaders to be fully prepared and to lead with excellence.  If guests arrive and we start late or do things poorly, what will they think [this is magnified if we use countdowns]?  If they're not greeted, how will they feel?  Little things matter.  They're unlikely to know the music we sing.  So frequently, Power Point slides are not switched appropriately to allow the congregation to have the words when they need them,  The 'regular' people may know the words, but guests will be frustrated!  If we serve Communion, they will be perplexed.  They will naturally have questions about the things we do during worship;  how will they get answers?

Again, at Cornerstone, new attenders were often overcome with tears during worship - especially during the prayer time.  When they spoke to leaders about this, we got to explain that what they were experiencing was the presence of God!

Churches that want to make a difference in people's lives will be discussing these things at a leadership level and training ALL of their people to be alert to these concerns!

Wouldn't it be great if church could universally be a place where needs and hurts were recognized, addressed and reconciled?