What the What?!?!?!

Several weeks ago, there was a scuttlebutt in the news about Starbucks red cups. Personally, I didn't see what the big deal about red cups was all about. I mean, there are plenty of other red cups out there, and no one seemed to mind those red cups. Then, at the end of that same red cup week, the tragic events in Paris unfolded. Hundreds of people died while enjoying a concert.

And this got me thinking about how easy it is for us to get distracted and focus on the wrong things. Why is it that we can become so upset about a company using red cups at Christmastime, but we don't get upset enough to reach across cultural or religious lines to understand each other? Maybe, if we listened to each other, and offered our best selves, our sisters and brothers from Paris would still be with us. Why is it that we get so upset over red cups that we fail to pay attention to the hurts deep inside of people's spirits? Pains that are so intense, that those hurting feel that violence is an "okay" outlet. Have we really allowed ourselves to get too busy, too self-centered, or so full of a feeling of entitlement that we stop caring about human lives? And, when did it become okay for a "Christian" school leader to encourage students to arm themselves and teach "those" people a lesson? All this goes against the teachings of our Rabbi - Jesus.

We are in the season of Advent, a time where we focus upon our faith and pay particular attention to hope, peace, joy, and love.  These aren't luxuries in life; they're necessities.  And Jesus knew this. That's why he took the time to invest in relationships with people. And that's what God calls us to do - spend time with people, so that we can love them. And love isn't always easy; it takes intentional work. Love is about our choices and actions. Love, not fear, not retaliation, not "what's in it for me?" Instead, love is giving without any expectation of getting anything in return. And oftentimes, we learn about hope, peace, joy, and love when we slow down and pay attention. That's what Advent encourages us to do.

So I'll leave you with this... today I am busy finishing up preparations for Christmas - our Christmas Eve service, the upcoming Sunday service, our church's newsletter, wrapping personal gifts, etc. While in the church's office, my friend John sits with me. The world defines John as "special needs," but I describe him as one who truly offers special gifts. He's taught me a lot. He makes fun of me when I'm so busy that I'm pinging off the walls. He helps me slow down and listen. Today, while I am busy typing away at the computer, John is in "his" office blasting the radio.  He's listening to a young Michael Jackson singing, "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and singing along - at the top of his lungs. It's beautiful. It's hope-filled. It's peace-filled. It's joy-filled. It's love-filled. When I look at John, I see Jesus. And I see Christmas. John is what's important in life. He's who we should pay attention to. Sing on, brother!

Following Jesus

For the past year, there has been a theme running through our church: it is much easier to believe in Jesus than it is to follow Jesus.  Following takes commitment - duh!  And if you break down that statement, or meditate on it or pray about it, you'd probably come to a 'scare the crap out of you' realization that Jesus is serious.  Like the picture notes, Jesus doesn't want us to be a Twitter follower of Jesus - although the thought of that is pretty cool.  Tweets from Jesus:  "Just wanna say you can do better."  But I digress. 

It's serious stuff when Jesus says, "Say no to yourself, take up your cross daily and follow me."  Taking up one's cross isn't just trudging through life with a good attitude when things aren't going our way.  Jesus was telling his followers to be ready to walk with your cross to your death - in order to show an oppressive regime that you really mean it when you say, "I forgive you. I will turn the other cheek. I will die in order to show you what life really is."  Taking up our crosses is also about us laying down the righteousness we have in our own eyes - pride, arrogance, illusion of control, etc.  It is easy to hear the Word.  It is harder to let the Word guide us.  So, yes...I am waking up to a missional God.  I am waking up to a God who wants me to forsake my shell of introversion in order to go, make, baptize, and teach.  I am waking up to a God who knows that if I follow through with my commitment, the world will experience healing, restoration, peace, and will see glimpses of the Kingdom of Heaven here on earth.  And the more Christ-followers follow through with their commitment, the closer we'll get to heaven on earth.  This isn't easy.  God never said it would be.  In fact (spoiler alert), we know the ending of all in the Bible who stick to their commitment.  But death isn't the ultimate end.  It's just an end of one chapter, one story.  God's story continues.  And it's a story of going, seeking, reaching, loving, and resurrection.  True presence.  

So...believe Jesus or follow Jesus?  May we have the chutzpah to walk the steps Jesus does.  

Are We REALLY Paying Attention

The recent tragic events at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Charleston, SC have caused me to stop for a moment and ask, "Are we really paying attention?"  My heart breaks for the family and friends of those who lost their lives, as well as, the congregation, and we as a people.  I wish I didn't have to write in 2015 about how people are still judged by the color of their skin and not by the content of their spirits, souls, minds, and character.  But the harsh reality is that we as a people still are dealing with hatred and violence - on many levels.

Even though it's summertime, I am reminded of the Christmas message.  This isn't usually the time of year we think about Christmas.  In fact, we are about as far away from Christmas as we can get - both in the calendar year and in our solar system.  At the summer solstice, our earth is the farthest away from the sun that it gets.  Because we are so far away from Christmas, it's easy to forget about the unexpected message of new life and new hope that God brings us.  God hasn't abandoned us to the hopelessness that's so often found in this world.  God came up close and personal in the person of Jesus to teach us to seek higher ground, not just common ground, in the midst of our disagreements.  Jesus modeled real love for us, not just love the feeling.  Jesus showed us that love is about our choices and our actions.  Love gets involved.  Love speaks up for those who aren't heard.  Love lets go of self-focused agendas.  

For those who follow Jesus, not just believe in Jesus, let us remember that our faith is a faith of remembrance.  Since we can be easily distracted, God wants us to remember.  Remember the Christmas story, remember our baptisms, remember the resurrection promise, remember that God works through people.  

Let us remember to be more concerned with God's compassion instead of our agendas.  Let us remember to be more focused on who God loves, not who we dislike.  Let us remember to be more aware of others' concerns, fears, and plights instead of our own convenience.  Let us remember that we follow Jesus and need to be covered in the dust of our rabbi.  

May we always pay attention to what really matters.  And, may we have the courage to do what is right.  In the words of The Rev. Hon. Clementa Pinckney, the pastor of Emanuel AME who lost his life last week, "[to be] involved in the life of the community; [to change] lives and laws; [to help] people live better; freedom from sin, freedom to be full, [and] what God intends us to be; [to] have a quality in the sight of God...sometimes you gotta make some noise to do that...sometimes you have to march, struggle, and be unpopular to do that; sometimes you have to die..."

May we remember to die to self, like our rabbi did.  May we never forget!