Senite has the most beautiful smile. Her joy as she speaks is palpable. She laughs when she talks about being put in prison with her husband. She constantly interrupts herself to give praise to God for His faithfulness. She speaks of persecution and beatings and threats as if these thing are normal, which they are in her context. Her passion to share Christ is contagious and convicting.
Pastor Silvest is an amazing Ugandan pastor who has planted nine churches (and counting) in his country. Humble. Soft-spoken. He speaks of God with a deep voice and an even deeper faith. He has been beaten several times. He has had his home robbed. His family threatened. Early in his ministry, his only means of transportation (a bicycle) was stolen so he walked from church to church to preach on Sundays.
Anarchy. Civil War. Unspeakable tragedy. Lawlessness. Suffering. Drought. Famine. Disease. Death. These are the conditions under which the Kingdom of God is growing in South Sudan. 150,000 new believers in the last ten years. 180 new church plants. 77 indigenous church planters risking their lives for the sake of the gospel. Through these incredible men and women, the Kingdom of God is growing through miracles, signs, and wonders. And I get the pleasure of spending a week with them. Like Elisha of old, I find myself wanting a double portion of their spirit.
On June 17, 2015, 21 year old white supremacist Dylann Roof attended a prayer meeting at the historic Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC. He was not there to pray. He was not there to study the Bible. He was there to kill. After sitting through an hour of the meeting, he opened fire on the 12 other attendees, killing nine of them. All African-American. Six women. Three men. One of them the senior pastor. Another a state senator. Unrepentant, he confessed his crimes to law enforcement officials, boldly proclaiming that he wanted to start a "race war." In December 2016, a jury found him guilty of 33 federal hate crimes and last week sentenced him to death. He is awaiting trial in South Carolina on 13 counts which also will likely merit a death sentence.
Every single human being who has ever been born has carried with them - in their bodies, minds, and spirits - the image of their Creator. As such, we do not draw our primary worth from our utility. From what value we add to society. From what we can produce or achieve. Our value is not extrinsic but intrinsic because we have been endowed by our Creator with a worth we cannot begin to measure.
I realize I am going where angels fear to trod here but I am compelled to do so by the fact that I believe the gospel of Jesus Christ is truly the only hope for the world. It meets us right where we are at in the daily mess we make of our lives on a personal, national, and even global scale. God does have something to say about what's happening in our world today and His Word is too often lost amidst the tumult and noise of our culture.
Recently, I attended a meeting with other pastors of churches that are similar to mine for the purpose of getting some coaching around how to be a better leader. And I have so much to learn. The image I came back with is of me staring down into an abyss, recognizing that what I'm seeing is the darkened depths of my own heart and soul.
"Ain't free will a bitch?" I was walking with one of my favorite theology professors through campus one day and his comment totally caught me off guard. First, because I had never heard the man cuss before. Second, because we were talking about how hard it is to love our enemies like Jesus commanded.
One of the biggest things I've learned is that the myth of a unified nation is really a white man's dream more than it is a black or brown man's experience. It is a white male's dream more than it is an Latino or Asian woman's experience. It is a heterosexual man's dream more than it is an LGBTQ experience. It is a Christian man's dream more than it is a Muslim man's experience. And in the wake of the shattering of such national myths, I find myself crying out with the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, "Is there no balm in Gilead? No physician there? Why is there no healing for the wound of my people?" (Jeremiah 8:22)
We must be tender and compassionate with one another. Gentle. Kind. For this is not an easy process. It is not for the timid or the cowardly. It takes courage to engage. Courage to boldly go into these contested spaces and begin a dialogue. Courage to listen and not speak. Courage to learn from another person's experience. Courage to put aside our need to be right or justified in our own eyes. Courage to learn from those who are on the other side. Courage to leave the echo chambers of our own making and enter the marketplace of ideas to contend for what we believe to be the truth.
There is a "moral vision" in the Bible that we can draw wisdom from as we vote on issues that affect us in the 21st century. It will confront us. Challenge us. Force us to come to grips with the fact that we too often settle for what is most expedient rather than what is best for our nation in the long-term. We too often settle for the "lesser of two evils" without acknowledging that the lesser of two evils is still evil. We too often don't consider our own biases, prejudices, and privilege when we vote and that prevents us from walking a mile in another person's shoes. Ultimately, we tend to vote for what is in our own best interest rather than the collective good.
The bar was packed as usual. Beer was served in a five gallon pail. Literally. The food was greasy but good. Music was loud. Folks were playing cards, pool, and catching the end of the Brewers game. Our team commandeered a table and we began catching up on the week. Chris, our team leader, was telling us about the new law offices he was having remodeled.
Connection begins with God. The Fountain from which all living water flows. Drinking from the spring that is the love of God requires intentionality on our parts. A commitment to make the trek deep into Christ...And once filled, we are then free to give. To share with others our lives. To connect with others in deep ways.
I meet a lot of people in my line of work. They come from all different places and walks of life. They are all over the map spiritually. And almost all of them have a hunger down deep for more of God. They want to experience God. They want to know God. They believe on some level that life is incomplete without a relationship with God.
This past Sunday I had the privilege of speaking at the funeral for a truly great man in our community. A man who loved his wife. Loved his children. Loved his work. Loved his church. A man who brought joy to everyone he met. A man who never said an unkind word about anyone. He was a quiet man. A gentle man. A humble man. The kind of guy who operates best behind the scenes. And yet the impact he had on so many was profound. As hundreds filled the sanctuary to pay their respects to this man and his family, I was moved to tears. What a life! What a gift! What a blessing!
Stephen died doing something he loved...hiking in the mountains. He was a very accomplished and very experienced climber. Careful. Prepared. Never took unnecessary risks. So his tragic fall took us all by surprise. It was a harsh reminder that we live in a broken world. A fallen world. A world that is full of pain and suffering and death. Stephen's death came on the heels of another family in our congregation losing - after a long battle with cancer - a son far too young. It came on the heels of news breaking about more young black men dying and police officers being ambushed. It came on the heels of a terrorist attack in Nice, France and an attempted coup in Turkey. It came in the midst of marriages failing and families falling apart. It came in the midst of jobs being lost and friends losing their homes. Life is just really hard at times.
By the time I got home Sunday evening, I was exhausted. Mentally. Emotionally. Physically. And I know I wasn't the only one. So I sent this brief note out to my church family...
Today we've gathered for two worship services and one funeral. It's been full. It's been rich. It's been good. And if I am completely honest with you, I will tell you I am feeling stretched thin. Burdened almost to the point of breaking. And I know I am not the only one. So many of you have absolutely poured yourself out for others over these last few weeks. You have sent texts, FB messages, and emails. You've called. You've sent cards. You've reached out with food and hugs. You've prepared bulletins. You've arranged flowers. You've greeted and ushered and made coffee and helped prepare a reception. And you've prayed. Oh, how you've prayed! In short, you've been nothing less than the hands and feet of Christ, PEPC!
Now I want you to do just one more thing for me. For each other. For yourselves. Open your hearts to the gift of God's grace. To the affirming presence of the Holy Spirit who says, "Well done." Receive from Christ His strength, His peace, His mercy. Let His steadfast loving-kindness fill your empty tank. As I spoke to many of you today, I could feel the strain. I could see it in your eyes. I could hear the weariness in your voices. You've added all this wonderful, grace-filled work on top of your already busy lives and it has taken it's toll. None of you will complain. None of you regret a minute. All of you would do it all over again if necessary because that's just who you are. So please, take some time to rest this week. To embrace those you love. Take a walk. Breathe deep. Sit in silence. Let the Holy Spirit minister to you as only He can.
The response was overwhelming. The need for rest so apparent. The reminder that it's okay to take a break clearly hit a nerve. In a good way. And I had several folks ask me for guidance and direction on how to rest. Reading between the lines, I gathered they feel trapped. Trapped by their schedules. Trapped by their expectations. Trapped by their fears and anxieties. Everything in them wants off the hamster wheel. Everything in them wants to take the foot off the gas pedal. Everything in them knows the pace they're setting is unsustainable but they aren't sure there's any other alternative.
So let me make a few suggestions...(Note these really aren't my suggestions or new suggestions but a way of life offered to us by a God who loves us and knows what's best for us.)
Keep a Sabbath. The Bible tells us that after God created the heavens and the earth, He rested on the seventh day. Was God tired? Was God worn out? Did God need a nap? No. He rested to set an example for the creatures He had made in His image. He rested to set up a rhythm for His people to follow. Later on, He would teach His people to "Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God." When the people asked God why, He responded by telling them, "It is a sign between Me and you throughout your generations, that you may know that I am the Lord who sanctifies you." God gave us the Sabbath as a gift. To slow us down. To act as a speed bump in an otherwise crazy and anxious and work-filled life. He knows what's best for us. After all, He created us. And He created us with a need for rest. He created us to live according to a specific rhythm. Work six days. Rest one day. Work six days. Rest one day. This is the metronome of our lives and we ignore it at our peril.
So what does it mean to keep a Sabbath? Does it mean I get to sleep in? Not do the dishes? No chores? No homework? Who watches the kids? Who walks the dog? Certainly, life around us doesn't stop! Of course it doesn't. And God's people have been struggling with these same issues for thousands of years. And the wisdom they pass down to us after centuries of practice is that Sabbath should involve the following:
It sounds pretty simple but I find it hard to actually put into practice. You have to be diligent and intentional about guarding and protecting this time. You have to make sacrifices to live according to the rhythm God has set. The world will not make it easy on you. It will do all it can to try and get you to break this rhythm. But before you do...take a look at where the ways of the world get you! Consider carefully what kind of life the world is really offering! Think about what life looks like on the hamster wheel and compare it to life in God's Kingdom.
Next Week: Practicing Hope - Daily Time with God
