Watching for the Morning

All week long Psalm 130: 6 has been playing over and over in my mind: “My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchman wait for the morning.” 

In the first 5 verses, the Psalmist has openly expressed his cry for mercy.  He feels like he is in the dark of a long night.  Have you ever been there?  I have.  Sometimes it has actually been a long dark night when I cannot sleep because my mind is troubled.  At other times the sun is shining but in my spirit I still feel like it is midnight.  Can you relate to the cry of the Psalmist?  May be you feel like you are in the midst of a long night right now. 

We have three families in our church grieving the loss of a loved one this week.  Gator Hullinger lost his sister, Cindy Schmidt, her Mother and Ruth Carey, her Father.  Certainly times of loss can usher in the night. 

What brings the night to you?  Broken relationships?  A difficult work environment?  Hurt from the past?  Stress in the present? 

It is easy to begin to think, “This is never going to end. This will never get any better.  I don’t know if I can make it through this.” 

But just when the night seems darkest the Psalmist is captured by hope.  “My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning…”  The watchman, of course, was the person stationed at the city wall to keep watch over the city at night.  Every night, no matter how dark or long, the watchmen knew that the sun would rise.  Just as it had come the day before and the day before and ever since God spoke and there was light, the watchmen knew that the morning would come.  And like the watchman, the Psalmist is suddenly reminded that the morning will dawn for him as well.  It is not a question of “if” the dark night will cease, but “when?” 

Friends, the same is true for you and me.  The morning is coming.  Take hold of this hope with me.  The stress may seem unbearable right now in the dark night.  The pressure may seem too much.  Doubt may be screaming in your ear.  Weariness may be setting in and discouragement may be heavy on your heart.  But the morning always comes for the one who waits for the Lord.  God will bring an end to the night and you will see a sunrise again. 

So, in the meantime, may God help you and me both to watch for the morning like a watchman.  Expect it!  Anticipate it!  Thank God for it in advance! 

You are Fearfully and Wonderfully Made

A few years ago I answered the phone at the church office. 

“Hello, Church of the Nazarene, this is Chad, how can I help you?”

“Hi.  My husband and I moved here about a year ago. I want to the pastor.”

“This is the Pastor.  How can I be of a help?”

“Are you like Hagge?”

“I’m sorry.  Who?” 

“You know John Hagge.  The Pastor at Cornerstone Church in Texas.  Are you like him?   My husband and I have been looking for a Pastor like him.  We want a man just like him. So before we come to your church we want to ask upfront if you are like him.”

“No, I am afraid if I can only be me so if you are looking for Hagge you may be better served to watch him on TV this Sunday than to come here.” 

The person on the other end said, “You are not what we are looking for” and hung up. 

As I sat there with the phone in my hand as I listened to the busy signal ringing in my ear, I thought how much I appreciated that call.  I mean don’t get me wrong, it was kind of crazy, but at the same time I appreciated that the person flat out said out loud exactly who she wanted me to be.  And when I could not meet that standard, she was honest enough about what she wanted to hang up. 

Oddly enough, that strange and abrupt phone conversation was as if it was from God himself.  You see I have been guilty of playing the comparison game over the years.  Maybe you have played the game a time or two…you pick out somebody and you begin to measure yourself against them.  You may even begin to wish you more like someone else than yourself.  It is not a fun game to play and obviously it is pointless, but it does seem to be quite popular.  As a pastor I would compare myself to other pastors.  I would think, “I wish I had a speaking voice like that guy” or “I will never be able to preach like that” or “Wow…look how that church has grown under his leadership” or “That guy can even sing and lead worship” or “That Pastor has something so good to say that people actually read his book.” 

But on that day, through that strange phone call, it was if the Holy Spirit whispered to my spirit, “Stop it!”  “Stop playing the comparison game as it is not honoring of God.”  I was then reminded of Moses as he stood barefoot by the not-burning bush.  He said, “Lord, send someone else because I cannot speak well.”  God granted Moses’ request, but not before he blasted him with a truth that may be al we who are tempted to play the comparison game need to hear: “Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what I say.”

It is interesting to me that the things I would see as something would make me less is something that God says he sees quite differently.  In fact, he reminds Moses that as our Creator he knows what he is doing.  In fact, he even designs our weaknesses on purpose because, if we will let him, he will use our weakness to teach us to depend on his help and teaching.

It’s funny the things God will use to get us to quit playing the comparison game and better learn to value how he uniquely made us and to even learn to see our weaknesses as part of his intentional design for our spiritual growth.  For Moses God used a not-burning bush.  For me it was a crazy phone call. I don’t know what it will be for you, but I pray, if it has not already come, that you will soon have that moment of clarity where you see that even with your weaknesses you are “fearfully and wonderfully made.”

Good-bye McChurch

I think it took a couple of days for me to really realize what an amazing display of God’s spirit and unity we experienced together on Sunday.  Sunday you were invited to come forward to pray for the staff, board and refocus team as your way of telling your church leadership that we have permission to lead us to ask what does God want and what do lost people need to be introduced to Jesus.  You gave your church leadership permission to not make decisions based upon what you or we want, like, prefer or need as Christians.  You gave your church leadership permission to let go of the red balloon of Christian consumerism.  Do you realize how big this is?!  It would have been one thing if a handful of you gave this permission, but almost everyone in attendance came forward to prayerfully give this permission.  Wow!  Praise God!  And hold on because now the engine is revved up and ready to go!

In case you missed this past Sunday, before this permission was given we asked the question, “When did it become possible to write the same letter to McDonald’s and a church?”  When did it become acceptable to call our search for a church, “Church Shopping?”  When did we bring the spirit of consumerism into the church so much so that believers come and go to churches based upon what is on the “menu”?  How did we come to feel justified in referring to the church as a business and the gospel as a product?  Does not doing so tell people that the point of church and the gospel is to make me feel good or to get me something I need?  When did we start to tell church leadership that it is their job to keep everybody happy so they will fill a seat and put money in the plate on Sunday?  Again, I ask, when did it become possible to write the same letter to McDonald’s and to the church?

For example…

Dear McDonald’s:  This past winter, during my travels back and forth between Dayton and Canton, your McDonald’s in Mansfield became a convenient stopping point.  I am not a huge McDonald’s fan, but it was as if your golden arches heard my cry for something different.  I was introduced to the southwest grilled mcchicken wrap.  It was spicy, with a good flavor and it was only 11 weight watcher points.  That and a diet coke and I was set.  The kids would not hear me complain about McDonald’s again.  Finally, the whole family could eat there happily.  But then, suddenly, with no warning at all…we made a stop at the Mansfield McDonald’s and I asked for the southwest mcchicken wrap and they said, “Sorry we don’t sell that anymore.” But it was OK b/c here in Canton they still did, at least for a while.  First it was the one on Cleveland Ave. That stopped selling it, then the one on Tusc and then on Everhard and then…on, no, the humanity, the one at Belden village.  It is now official: McDonald’s no longer serves a southwest grilled mc chicken wrap.  Can you believe that?  That was the one reason I did not mind eating there.  How dare you take that away? I even mentioned to a manager at more than one store how much I loved that wrap.  They looked at me like I was nuts and tried to pretend to care when they said, “sorry.”  I told my family.  That’s it. No more McDonalds for us.  Kimberly urged me to try the other wraps but I would rather eat my own puke.  They were nasty. No thanks.  The southwest wrap either comes back or I don’t go back,” I said.  And my boycott was going strong until…well…I don’t know how you knew how much I loved them…but you found a way to get me back…I mean who could resist…this summer McDonalds started selling vanilla ice cream cones dipped in chocolate for only $0.99 (which by the way are only 5 weight watcher points), so let’s just say I have had one of those at least once a week all summer long so I guess you could say McDonalds is back on my favorite list.  Thank you McDonald’s for giving me what I want.

Can I ask you a question?  When did it become possible to remove the word McDonald’s in the true story I just told and replace it with the word church?  Listen to what happens if I do so:

Dear McChurch:  This past winter, during my travels back and forth between Dayton and Canton, McChurch in Mansfield became a convenient stopping point.  I am not a huge McChurch fan, but then it was if your steeple heard my cry for something different.  I was introduced to the McBible/praise and worship wrap.  It was spicy, with a good flavor and it was only 11 weight watcher points, so to speak—you know just enough truth not to convict you.  The kids would not hear me complain about McChurch again.  Finally, the whole family could eat there happily.  But then, suddenly, with no warning at all….we made a stop at the Mansfield McChurch and I asked for the McBible/praise and worship wrap and they said, “sorry we don’t sell that anymore.” But it was OK b/c here in Canton they still did.  First it was the church on Cleveland Ave. That stopped selling it, then the one on Tusc and then on Everhard and then…on, no, the humanity, the one at Belden village.  It is now official.  McChurch no longer serves a Bible/praise and worship wrap.  Can you believe that?  That was the one reason I did not mind eating there.  How dare you take that away? I even mentioned to a board member at more than one mcchurch how much I loved that wrap.  They looked at me like I was nuts and tried to pretend to care when they said, “sorry.”  I told my family.  That’s it. No more mcchurches for us.  Kimberly urged me to try the other wraps but I would rather eat my own puke.  They were nasty. No thanks.  The mcbible/praise and worship wrap either comes back or I don’t go back. And my boycott was going strong, until…well…I don’t know how you knew how much I loved them…but you found a way to get me back…I mean who could resist…this summer McChurch started selling a sermon dipped in humor and you don’t even make me feel guilty for only giving $0.99 in the offering, so let’s just say I have had one of those at least once a week all summer long.  So I guess you could say McChurch is back on my favorite list.  Thank you McChurch for giving me what I want.

Thank you again CFNAZ family for giving us permission to say good-bye to McChurch!