UPDATED: The video has been included for those who would like to be guided through the resource below.
It is designed to help us pray intentionally in times of social strife and unrest. As we confess sin and plead with our Heavenly Father to provide us wisdom and to hear our prayers, we are forced to face our weaknesses. Forced to acknowledge the deep needs of our own hearts as we look for ways of living in a world marked by peace and justice.
To those who have laid claim to the name above every name. We must repent. We must turn away from violence. We must turn away from the hardness of heart that would consume us. We must plead with the Father to replace our heart of stone with one of flesh. We must embrace the prospect that we are like sheep being led to the slaughter. Not as a political cause, but as a righteous act in the name of the one true God.
How we as a nation respond to tragedies of injustice reveals how well we have prepared to get closer to a just society. In the unfortunate shadow of recent events, a horrifying truth has become clear. The lessons of the past have not been heeded. What is worse, they have been used as weapons.
How we as a people called Christian, engage in the conversation of justice also reveals how well we have internalized the Gospel of Jesus, and how well we have embraced the difficult work of the ministry of reconciliation. Again, the events that have transpired in recent weeks have exposed a trajectory that can only be described as devastating. The witness of many claiming to be a part of the Church in these last few weeks has been laid bare. We have rejected the fountain of living water. We have hewn for ourselves broken cisterns (Jer. 2:13). We have walked away from God for the gods and idols of this world.
You would have to be completely blind to miss how the world appears to be growing dark. The light of God seems to be waning in those places where it is needed most. How do we account for this? How do we explain the drift in this direction?
It can only be explained as an abandonment of the unifying and fortifying power of the Gospel of Jesus. It can only be described as a rejection of the most fundamental realities of our identity in Christ.
We have rejected the call to make disciples of all nations (ethnos).
We have rejected the power of the Gospel to transform murderers into saints, prostitutes into princesses, paupers into kings, and slaves into freedmen. We have rejected the purpose of the church to declare truth both to power and to the poor. We have rejected the responsibility of the ministry of reconciliation we have been called to. We have rejected the promise that comes from being made one in Christ and for Christ.
We have rejected the reality that to see as God sees is to see past the flesh and see to the heart. We have rejected the hard work of forgiveness and replaced it with the easy path of blame and even indifference. We have rejected the deep and dangerous call of dying to self and even of forfeiting our lives, even for our enemies.
We have rejected so much of what it means to be a follower of Jesus, a disciple of Jesus, an ambassador for Jesus. We have rejected the power of God for the power of fame. We have rejected the truth of eternal life for the lie of living our best lives now.
We have rejected every good and perfect gift being given to us because we have longed for short-sighted pleasures this world has to offer. We want our reward now. And then we are surprised with the consequences of these exchanges.
This is the life we have chosen, and now we cry out for relief. This is the society we have fashioned, and we have fashioned it in our own image. And now we cry out in horror at the distorted image we see being reflected back at us.
Dear friends, this is us as we are.
We cannot change ourselves, only God can do that. We cannot love our neighbors as we ought, only God can do that through us. We cannot love our enemies when we hate the people we are becoming but cannot escape. We cannot be conformed into the image of Christ when we are trying to incarnate the next version of what social media says is good.
We are one nation. Warts and all. We all are responsible to chart a way forward. The atrocities of the past cannot be undone. They cannot be erased. We cannot escape the consequences. But the past must not be repeated. And it cannot be relitigated. True forgiveness, true learning, true sacrifice requires our letting go of our need for revenge.
How long will we hold on to that which is infecting us, rotting us from the soul on out? How long will we demand justice while perpetrating injustice in the process?
Two wrongs do not make right. They reinforce the evil of the cycle.
At some point we must realize that in order for change to come we will have to receive in our own bodies, the same way Jesus did, the suffering of the unjust realities of life we see. It is only then that those who are longing for change will know how to be free from chains they have felt. Only then will those who are the victims of injustice have advocates worthy of their suffering.
We must learn to be afflicted but not become the perpetrators of affliction to another generation. It was not until today that I have begun to finally understand the words of the Apostle Paul.
8 We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying in the body the death of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may also be manifested in our bodies. 11 For we who live are always being given over to death for Jesus’ sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. 12 So death is at work in us, but life in you.
13 Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, 14 knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. 15 For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.
16 So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. 17 For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, 18 as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal. (2 Cor. 4:8-18 ESV, emphasis added)
Enough is enough. I am not speaking to the world. I have no authority over them. But, I speak to those who, with me, reside within the bounds of the mystical body of Jesus Christ. The walls of separation were broken down at the Cross. We must never take part in building them back up. God laid waste to that which keeps us from one another.
To those who have laid claim to the name above every name. We must repent. We must turn away from violence. We must turn away from the hardness of heart that would consume us. We must plead with the Father to replace our heart of stone with one of flesh. We must embrace the prospect that we are like sheep being led to the slaughter. Not as a political cause, but as a righteous act in the name of the one true God.
This is the burden that I have felt but could not find a way to express. This is the passion that has been percolating within my soul these last few weeks.
The world in which we live is suffering. It is heading headlong into the abyss. And there are some who claim to be Christian, who claim to speak for the church, who are participating in its destruction. Rejoicing in the calamity befalling our nation and communities. May God have mercy upon them.
Whether we have found a voice to our fears or not; whether we have been able to find ways of being instruments of change or not; whether we are ready or not. The time is now upon us. We must call upon our Helper, the Holy Spirit of God, to gird us up for action. It does not have to look like everyone else. But the time for waiting must end.
How do I know? Because through it all, whether through active choice or passive complacency we have forsaken our identity. We have forsaken our calling. We have forsaken the sacrifice of Christ. It is frightening to step into the breach. To take a stand, even if it is among our circle of influence. But we must reclaim what has been slipping away from us.
I plead that all of us repent. Let us turn back to Jesus. Let us turn back to God. Let us turn again to the only weapon we have been given, the “sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God” (Eph. 6:17b).
God has shown mercy to entire nations before. I pray that he will show mercy to us now.
Injustice in any form, against any person is an affront to the character of God. It must be confronted and it must be denounced.
In the past several days, new information has come to light and our nation has suffered a severe blow. That blow came in the form of the untimely death of a young black man, Ahmaud Arbery, in Southeast Georgia, at the end of February. Not only is our nation dealing with the ramifications of Covid-19 at every level, but the ugly specter of racism has reared its head once again. The circumstances still have to be properly investigated (and this failure only exacerbates the problem) and the results of this process may very well contribute to feelings of “nothing ever changes.”
As an ethnically Latino man, as a native-son and resident of Georgia, as a pastor in a ministry that serves congregations that are majority Black and Latino, I have been trying to process how to respond. It is not easy and the reasons are many.
When events like this take place I find myself compelled to speak, as many others have justifiably done already. But I know my heart well enough to know that if I speak in a way inconsistent with my faith and convictions, I may very well do more harm than good. I do not want to speak in anger, even though I am angry. I do not want to succumb to hate, and then become guilty of the same sin as those who killed Ahmaud. As a believer and follower of Jesus, I want to speak in a way that helps bring me, and those who listen to what I say, closer to Him.
I know emotions are running high. I know that the calls for action are continuing to climb. I know that when news like this happens, we feel the frustration and emotions of what we can only describe as regression. I know because I feel it too!
But, I had to hit the pause button. Not because I didn’t want to speak out. I had to take a step back because I know that once I speak, I could never take those words back.
As our nation grapples once again with the actions of a few, I am convicted by several realizations that this has exposed in me. Introspection is an appropriate response to times like this. Not to make it about ourselves, but to determine if we too have become susceptible to the influences that lead to tragedies and injustices we have seen too often.
As a believer in Jesus Christ, as a believer in the God who speaks and reveals, I am convinced that the problems we face are fundamentally spiritual problems. They may and have manifested themselves in physical actions and resulted in unthinkable tragedies. But these actions are the final expression of what has been broken in humanity from the fall.
As a member of the body of Christ, I believe we have failed to see what God said about the war we are fighting. And it is a war. We are fighting principalities and powers that are spiritual. But the weapons of the secular world can only control the body. They cannot change or heal what is truly broken in the human heart. It is only the power of God, working in and through faith that can bring about the transformation of the soul and the mind. Not everyone will agree. I will concede that. But, I am trying to live as consistently as I can. I believe the foundations of my faith provide answers to what we have seen repeated in our nation.
What I have come to realize in the shadow of Ahmaud’s death I will attempt to summarize in the following way.
First, injustice in any form, against any person is an affront to the character of God. It must be confronted and it must be denounced. The violation of the image of God in any person is a damnable act. It is irreversible and it damages not only the victim but also the perpetrator and all who witness it. One of the primary reasons injustice is so harmful is that it leaves a vacuum in the lives, minds, and spirits of all who are affected by it.
Second, any calls for justice will ultimately leave many of us unsatisfied. This is an unfortunate consequence of living in a world filled with brokenness. For those who seek and desire justice, they will never be able to genuinely enjoy its application. The effects of the trauma received can never be erased nor forgotten. For those who deserve to be punished, nothing short of vengeance will suffice. But, that action belongs to God, and God alone.
Third, and this may be the most difficult one to accept, we will continue to see and feel the frustration sparked by Ahmaud Arbery’s death, and others like it, as long as we continue to point the finger at others, after the fact, rather than also looking inward before they happen. Until we confront the sin problem that exists within each of us, we will continue to be drawn into the darkness of a world wanting of God’s presence.
I do not know what you are going to do. I am not telling you what you should do. I can only tell you what I am going to do.
I will seek to be just in my own actions. I will seek to comfort those who have been victimized. I will pray for our nation to see that what it needs is revival and not more laws.
I will continue to call those who will listen to repentance and to greater obedience to Jesus. I do not have the power to change the world. I do not even have the power to change myself. All I can do is surrender to the one who can.
Today is Easter Sunday.
At our local congregation, we like to celebrate it as Resurrection Sunday. I find that it helps us to focus in on the reality we are remembering and celebrating.
Like so many other Christians, I celebrate this wonderful miracle at a distance. While I do not need to be in a building to remember and worship my God and my Savior, I feel a renewed appreciation for the corporeal existence of the children of God called the Church. I miss being with them.
This will be an Easter for the ages. I hope and prayer is that we do not forget the lessons learned in this difficult time.
That first Saturday after Jesus’ crucifixion had to be complete agony for the disciples. The doubt and fear that must have been present in them can only be described as unimaginable.
They had given three years of their lives to follow Jesus. They had invested so much time and effort in learning and practicing everything that Jesus had taught them. They had been looking forward to the fulfillment of everything Jesus had talked about.
But in a moment, their world was turned upside down. In a flash, their hopes had been ripped from them and their faith had been shredded by death.
That first Saturday must have felt like it would never end.
Unlike those first disciples, we know how the story ends!
While they waited, filled with anxiety; on this Saturday we wait with anticipation.
I know that the world had gone mad with fear and anxiety over the global pandemic. But, as a follower of Christ, I find comfort that death is not an end or the end. In Christ, the sting of death has been removed, even though I have to endure the difficulty of dying.
Because I know that there was a resurrection, that Jesus rose on Sunday morning almost two thousand years ago, I can wait on this Saturday. I can live in comfort knowing that in spite of all that may be going wrong in the world, God has made a way for our souls to be made right with Him!
Hallelujah!
NOTE: I was so busy getting ready for Good Friday, I forgot to post this! I apologize for that.
The word focus for today is “fear.”
Fear is the most natural instinct in the human experience. It is a gift from God. It helps to keep us safe in times of danger.
Even when we do not know “why” we are afraid, we know that something is “off” around us. It is not something we need to be taught. We have it from birth. This is what I call natural fear.
There is a second kind of fear: spiritual fear.
Spiritual fear is the fear that comes upon us when we consider ourselves in the grander reality of life. When we stop to take inventory of the world in which we live and ask the question: Why do I exist?
How we answer the question of existence will impact how we live our lives. What kind of people we want to be.
Spiritual fear speaks to the character we form and shape as we experience the highs and lows of life.
I don’t want to start splitting too many hairs here, but I think there is a third kind of fear. This one I want to call supernatural fear or “divine fear.”
Divine fear is the fear we experience when we come in contact with God. When we have a true and intimate apprehension of who God is and what he expects from us.
The longer live the greater our ability to tell the difference between all of these kinds of fear. And, as we grow the more we become less susceptible to the first two and become focused on the third.
The “fear of the Lord,” as the Scriptures describe it is the only safeguard we have against being ruled and ruined by our emotions. We have to look to God and trust in his provision.
On this Good Friday, this is one of the most important lessons of Jesus’ crucifixion. We can face anything that comes at us if we are moving and living in the will of God.
As a Christian, the message of salvation in Jesus Christ is at the heart of the Church’s identity. Without the Gospel, the reason for which the Church exists would fade away.
Whenever we fail to hold to the Gospel, we will inevitably find ourselves losing what it means to be a disciple of Jesus. One of the key elements of the Gospel is that it serves a steady and unchanging truth that grounds us in life. But especially in difficult times.
In this Holy Week, I would encourage you to look to the Cross, rehearse the message of the Gospel and rejoice in what God has done for you and me. We have been saved. We have been restored. We have been given eternal life. These precious gifts are not for our indulgence. They are reminders of God’s grace and Jesus’s sacrifice.
The Gospel is the most important message we can every carry with us and convey to others. We must do all we cant to get it out and to live it consistently in our lives.
The entire model of the contemporary American church is centered upon attraction and motivational appeals. I grew up in this church culture so I know it well. The contemporary churches of today are merely adult versions of the youth groups of yesterday. My “youth group” experience simply followed me into my adult life.
And the tactics are the same: attract them and then hope you can motivate them.
How well has this “American marketing strategy” for spiritual growth worked out for us? Considering nearly 85% of teenagers leave the church after going off to college…you might say not so well (Click Here to listen to a podcast about this problem between minute markers 19:21 and 21:15).
The problem is spiritual formation is ultimately not attractional. I mean, what’s attractional about a cross?
And so if our strategy is attraction, at best we are playing a bait-and-switch game in order to get someone to grow spiritually. At worst we are intentionally lying to them upfront and hoping they forgive you on the back end. And most of all we start to look far more like American salesmen than we do little-Christs.
Jesus was never concerned with attracting people. He was concerned with calling people.
It’s fascinating because we can see all of the negative side effects of this sort of model at play in our churches today, but then are scared to do anything different. It’s easier to boast about numbers on the front end than deal with how many are leaving the church on the back end after they find their experience lacking.
When someone is attracted to something, as soon as that attraction goes away they have no reason to stay. However, when someone feels called to something, lack of attraction doesn’t factor into their decision to stay.
Attraction may have brought crowds to Jesus. But calling is what led Jesus to the cross.
Our over-fascination with numbers has led to all sorts of problems in our understanding of spiritual formation. Not only is the attractional model not producing long-term results, but it’s causing us to quantify spiritual growth or discipleship in odd ways: like offering sequenced classes (as if spiritual growth happens in a straight line), like not taking our time in someone’s spiritual growth but just throwing them into roles of leadership, or like assuming whatever is numerically growing must be healthy.
The reality is that things in nature that grow the fastest and get the biggest are not always healthy and fruitful. Two examples: weeds and tumors.
Yet the narrative in the American church is unmistakable: if your group is not big and does not experience fast growth at some point, you’re not healthy or fruitful.
That’s a tough standard to meet. Even Jesus after 3 years with his disciples was struggling with numeric growth…should make us wonder what the experts today would say about him…
Spiritual formation ultimately is not defined by the measurements and strategies of man. This is why Jesus wasn’t offering his disciples a business plan (as if discipleship is a multilevel marketing scheme) but rather relationships. He knew that spiritual formation only truly happens in the context of relationships forged over long periods of time.
In fact, it was Paul who pointed this out in the life of Timothy when he reminded him of how he had been spiritually formed by his grandmother and mother (2 Timothy 1:5).
It’s long past time that as Christians in America we jettisoned these Americanized understandings of spiritual growth and return to the model Jesus lived out and the early church multiplied.
As we close out Lent together and set our trajectory to the cross, death, and resurrection of Jesus, let us read a story that best exemplifies the depth of spiritual growth we see in the life of Jesus that we desperately need in our lives today:
“And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. When He arrived at the place, He said to them, ‘Pray that you may not enter into temptation.’ And He withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and He knelt down and began to pray, saying, ‘Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.’ Now an angel from heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground.” (Luke 22:39-44)
The focus for today is “looking.”
When we look, we are usually doing it on purpose. This is implied in the word but is often taken for granted. And that is part of the problem.
The life of faith is a life of searching. We are introduced to God through the preaching of the Gospel. It is a notice that God has done something for us. God has made it possible for us to enter into his presence. But, we have something we must do. We must seek him even though we have been found.
I think what trips people up is not understanding that our seeking of God has nothing to do with God. When we seek God, we are embracing the journey that prepares us to meet him. We need to look for him. Not because he is not there, but because we don’t always notice his presence.
The apostle Paul said that the glory of God is seen in what has been made. That means that evidence of God’s reality is all around us… if we would just look. We have to be intentional in our looking. It is not enough of light and images to hit our eyeballs. We have to be purposeful in our observation.
This is the power of the liturgical calendar. The church year is a simple pattern of remembering the work of God year in and year out. The cycle of the Christian journey is expressed through a steady movement through important commemorations of God’s works in the world.
As we approach Easter, it is so important to not allow it just pass by as usual. I hope that we are looking forward to this Easter, in spite of all the challenges. I pray that you are looking forward to celebrating the resurrection of Jesus, and all the promise it holds for us who believe.
I know I am this year!
When I saw the word for today the phrase that jumped into my mind was: “Great are you, Lord.”
I find that we often used words in a way that actually diminishes what the words are designed to express. How many things actually inspire awe in us? And yet we use the word awesome. How many things are genuinely wonderful? But we will casually say that something is wonderful.
There are truly few things that should be described with these and other words. But, we have to slow down enough to consider what we are saying. That is not always easy. We have gotten so used to talking like this. Even if it’s not accurate.
This is what I am thinking about the word “great.” How many truly great things have I experienced? The easiest way I can describe what I am thinking is in terms of impact. How many things have truly caused a change in my life? I can name a few truly significant events. My marriage. The birth of my children. My call to ministry. These and a few others have been great moments. They have shaped who I am and even altered the trajectory of my life.
In spite of all that is going on in the world, the truth of the matter is that what God accomplished in and through Jesus’s sacrifice can truly be described as great. Maybe even the greatest of things.
As we make our way through Holy Week this year, and as we approach the glorious celebration of Christ’s resurrection, my hope is simple: May we honor God as he deserves.
Great is the Lord. And he is worthy to be praised.
