My Resignation and My Acceptance of a New Call

Sometime ago, Kimberly and I were at a beach on the Gulf of Mexico.  It was one of those perfect days.  The sun was shining; the sand was white, and the water was calm, clear and that perfect turquoise blue.  It was so beautiful that we just stopped and took it all in.  We barely spoke.  What do you say in the presence of the kind of beauty that reaffirms the only explanation for its existence is that the Creator is behind it all? 

As I think about this past year and a half at CFNAZ, I find myself with a similar realization:  The beauty of what God is creating in our midst is beyond words.  More than 80 people have made decisions to follow Christ!  Of those, 46 have been baptized.  Four new Connection Groups have been formed for mutual accountability and encouragement in discipleship.  Both last summer and this summer, more than 100 people offered hands of hope through service projects.  Human trafficking victims were helped through prayer, awareness and action.  The Pregnancy Support Center was blessed through your gifts on Mother’s Day.  Last year, a few teens went to the summer spiritual retreat; this year, two van loads will participate.  Our children are not only more safe and secure through the check-in system and being loved by small group leaders who know them personally, they are also learning to serve our community through such things as the community egg hunts.  The Belle Stone Pantry and partnership is a shining example of how God can find a way into public schools when his church cares enough to go.  Tutoring at the Sahara Apartment complex is a model of what it means to be missionaries, who rather than expecting others to conform to our church culture meet people where they are so they might see Jesus there too.  NextGen Basketball was not only a great program during the season, but our coaches made it a great opportunity for follow-up after the season.  When we saw that last year’s Biker Sunday no longer brought in unchurched bikers, Gator allowed us to make the bold move to stop that one Sunday service so we could help fund the ministry he does with Biker’s for Christ every week.  Faith Promise Plus is not only helping us join the Nazarene Church in doing ministry around the world but is raising an additional $30,000 for ministry to our community and beyond.  We praise God for 58 new givers who have stepped up to support God’s work among and through us.  And what an honor it is to see not only what Hope House 4 Women is doing every day but firsthand here on Sundays.  When I came to CFNAZ, I was told we had one or two Malone students worshipping with us; we now have several who not only attend but serve with Bryan in worship.  We watched God give the diverse group of people called our Refocus team a clear vision for God’s calling for us to be a church that invests in the next generation with Jesus’ love and gospel through worship, connection, service and living it all out where we live.  Even as I share these things, I realize there is even more I could mention.  It is like walking on the beach on a perfect day—God is doing some beautiful things at CFNAZ.  It is so beautiful that you just want to stop, take it all in and praise God!

As Kimberly and I were taking in the beauty of the beach, we had almost missed the obvious.  The beach was full of people, but no one was in the water where we were.  Why?  I looked around and saw the reason.  At the part of the beach where we were sitting, there were red flags planted in the sand.  Next to one of them was a white sign that warned of the rip tide in this location.  Even on a beautiful day when the water looked so very calm, the red flags and sign warned us: “Don’t be deceived; it may look beautiful, but the rip tide is so strong that even the best swimmers won’t escape its pull.” 

About six months after being at CFNAZ, I began to see red flags on our beach.  In fact, I changed the sermon series I had originally planned for last summer and wrote a new one based on the seven churches of Revelation, which we called “Let it Go.”  You demonstrated great courage and love by naming three red balloons for us to release as a church family so we would not allow a rip tide to ruin the beauty of God’s work.  Those that you named were: traditionalism, putting self before God’s mission and vision, and heart issues of forgiveness, pride and a critical spirit.  What I did not know at that time and what those who have been here for a while have since shared is that those patterns with their various symptoms were not new here because of the refocus process; they were patterns that have been around for a long time.  I listened as a few brave board members dared to ask what we as leadership might do about these longtime, repeated patterns and wondered the same.  In April, I realized that these longtime patterns could not be remedied by me or the pastoral staff but had to be addressed by the church family itself.  I sent an all church letter asking if the church family would be willing to look friends and family in the eye and say, “These old patterns will no longer be tolerated.”  At the annual meeting on April 26, I shared the misconceptions that I was told an anonymous group believed, and I invited people to come and talk with me and the board so the truth might be determined.  No one signed up.  No one called.  However, after that meeting, I was informed that another group left and another group was angry.  Again, the groups were anonymous, allowing for no healthy course of action to be taken. 

In the interview process, I explained that I am not the “feel good, bring you along and wait 20 years for change” pastor.  There is nothing wrong with that kind of pastor, but that is not me.  And while I am convinced that I—and you—answered God’s clear call for the likes of me to have the honor to serve you, it has become apparent that while some encourage me to keep being who God called me to be and hit things straight on, others see me as dealing too directly and harshly with these longtime issues and, in fact, think I should be a different kind of pastor than I am.  While I believe I am living out God’s call as the pastor he has called and gifted me to be, I will agree you are right about other things:  I have many faults; I have made mistakes, and I am weak in many areas.  It will be up to God to work in me and with me, and he knows I gave him permission a long time ago to do that however and whenever he wants in me.  But I wonder if anyone among the lay leadership and among the membership will dare to ask, “What faults, mistakes and weakness might it be healthy for us to allow God to address in us as a church family?”  I share this not because I am angry, but because I believe until this rip tide is acknowledged, people will continue to drown here needlessly.

That being said, I also believe that God could raise up some courageous people from within this church family through whom he will not only turn the tide but turn it into a tidal wave of his power and love.  A tidal wave that could wash over this beautiful church family with a fresh wave of the Spirit in which traditionalism, putting self first and the heart issues of forgiveness, pride and critical spirit could lose their pull once and for all.  I believe that tidal wave of the Spirit could break out of the walls of this building and spill into the community in a way like neither we nor the community could have ever hoped for or imagined.  Yes, you could see a revival in the church and a spiritual awakening in the community that will show the next generation that this is not just something the Bible talks about—it is what God still does today.

This year and a half has been amazingly beautiful and incredibly hard on us all, hasn’t it?  I have no regrets in accepting the call to move my family here.  Kimberly, the kids and I have grown closer to Jesus and to one another. We have been blessed to meet and fall in love with some very special people here and in the East Ohio District.  I thank God for the opportunity to work with such an amazing staff.  It has been an honor to serve a church with such a rich history.  The only regret I have is that you could get to see firsthand the rip tide turned into a tidal wave of the Spirit and I will not.  Instead of seeing it with my own eyes, I will only hear about it from afar.  I have become convinced that my role here was to refocus so we could see his fresh beauty, to name the rip tide for what it is and then to humble myself and admit that I am not the one equipped to lead you to the place where the next move of God will take place.  For that reason, for the sake of being submitted to God’s call, for the best of the church and for the best for my family, I offered my resignation to the you, the Canton First Church Board, yesterday, June 27, as I have accepted a three-year call to serve as a pastor of refocus and new starts for the South West Ohio District Church of the Nazarene.  My last Sunday here will be July 19 and I will begin the new role in August.  I promise you my prayers and I will value yours. 

 

With Hope in Christ,

Chad A. Current

Is His Eye on the Sparrow?

A sparrow chose our deck as the perfect place to build a nest, lay eggs and raise some baby sparrows.  I can look out our kitchen window and see them each morning.  Today, I told Kimberly, “It just hit me…last year a robin nested under the deck but this year we have sparrows.”  She looked at me as if to say, “Yes…and…?”  I said, “God says his eye is on the sparrow and so how much more he has his eye on us as his children.” 

I have been reveling in that thought today: “His eye is the sparrow” (not only that Scripture but the old song that is based on it keeps replaying in my head today).  It is an incredible thought.  If God is attentive to these small, brown birds…if he cares about their well-being…if he is interested in their provision, then how much more attentive is he of you.  His eye is on you.  He cares about your well-being.  He is interested in your provision.  He is so attentive to you that Jesus says knowing that makes worry a sin.  The Father has your back, so cast worry aside. 

It is one thing to read and sing about this truth, the question is how do we help other people experience the truth that God cares?  The answer will require nothing less than becoming incredibly and tirelessly practical.  For example, most Thursdays during the school year, Brenda Walters, would knock on my office door and say, “A guest is here from Belle Stone School.”  I would immediately drop what I was doing and head to the lobby.  There I would find Brenda loading a cart full of children’s clothing, personal care products and food.  Then Brenda would introduce me to our guest.  Our guests from Belle Stone are primarily folks who fall through the cracks and are unable to receive government assistance, but due to circumstances are barely getting by.  Once I had learned their name, I would ask, “Is there anything I can be praying for you about today?”  Not one time did a family answer, “Nope.  We are good.  Everything is just fine.”  Nor did the family talk to me about their financial burdens.  Instead, when asked how we could pray they shared of greater hurts and needs. 

One grandmother wiped away tears as she shared about the recent loss of her husband and son.  As if that was not enough, her grandchildren were being abused and neglected, so she took all 4 of them in under her care.  “Pray for God to give me strength,” she cried.

Another woman did not have tears but fear in her eyes.  She explained that her great nephews and nieces were almost murdered by their mother.  She received the children when the physical and emotional bruises were still fresh.  “Pray for the children to be safe,” she urged.

Another family had been laid off and had exhausted their last resources to move here for a new job.  Once they arrived to Canton, they were informed that the job offered was now withdrawn due to unexpected cutbacks.  You could see the despair in their eyes.  “Pray for something to just work out,” they asked. 

“His eye is on the sparrow.”  I’ll be honest.  Sometimes as I met with our Thursday guests, I have questioned that.  I want to say on their behalf, “God, if your eye is on them, and then why don’t you do something to help them?”  No sooner does that question make it to heaven, then I hear his reply:  “I am doing something to help.  That is why I have left my church here on earth and given them my Spirit so they might be cleansed from selfishness and empowered to serve.  In that way the world will know that if my eye is on the sparrow, how much more I care for them.” 

Canton First Family, will you help us restock our Belle Stone Pantry that helps both families from the school and families in need in our church family?  The list of accepted items are at the welcome center in the lobby or on www.cfnaz.com.  Thank you! 

Stupid Geese

Our house is a street up from Meyers Lake and so many of our neighbors are Canadian Geese.  The geese visit the lake, but they feed and breed in our neighborhood.  The other day, during my walk, I passed by two geese.  They were both drinking from a drainage pipe.  A small stream of water that had traveled off the roof of a home, down into an eave spout, into a drainage tile that was buried underground and was now ending its journey on 21^st Street was now a water fountain for two geese.  I shook my head as I walked by and thought, “These two geese have all of Meyer’s lake at their disposal and they are sipping water out of a drainage tile.”

As I walked a little farther, the Holy Spirit began to apply the thought to my own life.  God’s love and power could fill an infinite number of Meyers Lakes; am I drinking of its depths or have I settled for drinking the little I can slurp up off the street?  It reminded me of Matthew 15:21-28:

“Jesus left Galilee and went to the area of Tyre and Sidon.  A woman from Canaan lived near Tyre and Sidon. She came to him and cried out, “Lord! Son of David! Have mercy on me! A demon controls my daughter. She is suffering terribly.”

Jesus did not say a word. So his disciples came to him. They begged him, “Send her away. She keeps crying out after us.”

Jesus answered, “I was sent only to the people of Israel. They are like lost sheep.”

Then the woman fell to her knees in front of him. “Lord! Help me!” she said.

He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”

“Yes it is, Lord,” she said. “Even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their owner’s table.”

Then Jesus said to her, “Woman, you have great faith! You will be given what you are asking for.” And her daughter was healed at that moment.

In this conversation you cannot miss the satire.  Jesus is not being rude or demeaning.  No, he is speaking tongue in cheek.  He has a smirk on his face that the woman can see and so she plays right along saying that even the dogs eat the crumbs from the table. 

Here this woman, a non-Jew, Canaanite woman, who the Jews of the day looked upon as dogs, was coming to Jesus to drink of his mercy.  The disciples wanted Jesus to rid them of her because this “dog” was bothering them.  Instead Jesus engages in this sarcastic conversation to make a point.  The point is this that the sheep of Israel have been given a feast on the table and they are living on the crumbs of self-righteousness, legalism and religion.  But this spiritual “dog” comes looking for the crumbs and she ends up walking away with more of God’s left-over boxes full mercy than the lost sheep of Israel who should know better. 

What about us?  Are we surviving on crumbs or pulling up a seat at the buffet? Are we sipping water out of a drainage tile or splashing in the lake? 

"What Now?" by Nathan Shaub

This week I received the following email from Nathan Shaub (He helps lead worship on Sundays and does a great and spirit-filled job), who gave me permission to share it as my weekly blog. 

“So we worked for weeks with getting out of the boat. Some of us stayed in the boat knowing that while we may have a rougher time in the boat we are comfortable with those kinds of storms, but for some of us... We Stepped Out...

This may be a spiritual walk but the obstacles we face are very real and feel more threatening than staying in the boat. (I would recommend watching the new movie “Tomorrowland” because it depicts this perfectly. She touches the pin and is taken to another world, she can see and feel and experience things others around her cannot, but when she focuses too much on what she sees while touching the pin she runs into walls, falls down stairs, almost drowns...) I feel like to continue walking on water entire focus must remain on God, but then how do I do my day to day life?

If you know where to find the book titled, "What to do once you've gotten out of the boat..." I would love to read it. I am beginning to understand how Peter with all of the proof required to know God was with him there walking on water, could lose sight of the Lord and begin to sink. The story seems to end there and they are back on the boat immediately after Jesus reaches out and pulls him out of the water, but hadn't he taken a few steps out of the boat? Did Jesus carry him back to safety or did Peter once again have to walk on water but this time with the physical touch of Jesus, more than just the knowledge that he was there with him but the physical help someone with a broken leg would require to walk to a waiting car?”

Thank you, Nate, for your honest thoughts and questions.  I believe it is a fitting end to our “Brave” series.  If you wonder why I have not attempted to offer an answer it is because I think what is happening between you and Jesus is too important for me to get involved in and risk messing it up.  However, I do pray that your thoughts will give others permission to think, pray and wrestle with Jesus and perhaps even write the book, “What to do Once You’ve Gotten Out of the Boat.”

True Faith

Yesterday, after a prayer was prayed, Doug Kandel asked us to sing the following song with him as he lovingly helped his wife, Connie, transition from this life to the next. 

Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

 There's just something about that name

Master, Savior, Jesus
Like the fragrance after the rain

 Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

There's just something about that name

 Master, Savior, Jesus

Like the fragrance after the rain

 Jesus, Jesus, Jesus

Let all heaven and earth proclaim

 Kings and kingdoms will all pass away

But there's just something about that name

 As the song was sung, the presence of Jesus in that hospital room was more than evident.  And how Jesus must have smiled at the Kandel family as he wiped tears from his eyes and interceded on their behalf to the Father because through them true faith was demonstrated. It is a faith that says, “We will trust Jesus no matter what—whether healing is on this side of heaven or in heaven itself; whether life gives us reason to rejoice or to grieve; whether things make sense now, later or never.  At the end of the day we will not submit to anything smaller than Jesus.”  Thank you, Kandel family for the example of true faith you live and that Connie lived.

Which Way?

Yesterday I was driving through downtown Mount Vernon, Ohio.  The road I was to take at the turn-about was closed.  I found myself all turned around.  The person I was riding with asked, “Didn’t you go to college here?”  “Yes,” I said, “But that was a long time ago.”  (Besides when I was at MVNU, the road I needed to take was not closed)!  To make matters worse, I got even more turned around on the way home.  If not for my passenger, who suggested I was headed the wrong way on Rt. 3, I would probably still be trying to find my way home.  I told him that he now knows how Kimberly feels.  She is use to my lack of a sense of direction.  My kids actually moan and say, “Are you lost again, Daddy?” because the occurrence is so common. 

It is one thing to get turned around and even lost when you are driving some place.  That is bad enough!  But isn’t it worst to feel like that is your life?  To be honest, when I was younger I thought my direction for life was pretty clear.  I accepted God’s call to ministry at age 14. I knew where I was going. I went to MVNU.  Then to seminary.  And then…well…after that it has not been nearly as clear.  I mean there are moments of clarity.  But there are also moments when I feel like the road I knew to take has been closed and I am left to guess at which is the best way to go. 

Have you ever wanted to scream:  “God, just tell me which way to go!  I don’t have the strength to figure it out on my own!” 

Jeremiah must have sensed that among the people of Israel as they were entering the land of exile.  They were separated from friends, relocated from their homes and removed from the familiar.  They were wandering and lost in a foreign land.  The road they knew was not only closed but gone.  And right there in the pace where they felt most lost, God spoke a word that still speaks today:

“For I know the plans I have for you” declares the Lord, “Plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call upon me and come to pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord, “and I will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you, “ declares the Lord, “and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.” (Jer. 29:11-14).

It is interesting that God says we are not ready to seek and find him until we first are ready to believe that he has good plans for our future.  “Then”, he says, after we believe that promise, then we are ready to come to him in prayer.  And we will find him.  Apparently, the key to finding the right road back home is not by figuring out which road to take, but by seeking him with all our heart.  And once he is found (and he promises he will be), then he will bring us back from exile. 

“Father, thank you for your promise.  You have plans for us that are good and not to harm us.  Forgive us for trying to figure out the right road to take.  It is not about finding the right road, but about finding you.  Maybe we will stay lost as long as we are trying to find your will and way, because we are making it about something less than you.  We are sorry.  But we are also ready to seek you with all our heart because we don’t want to live lost in the land of exile.  We want you to gather us and bring us back home.  We trust you for this.  We need you in this way.  And we thank you for listening to us. Amen.”

What's in a Name?

If I was asked to share one specific example in which my Mom has had an ongoing impact on my life, I would say it has to do with my name.  I can still remember the day it happened.  I was elementary school age and we were driving some place.  It was during that drive that my mom said, “Do you know what your name means?”  I didn’t so she told me.  “Chad,” she said, “your name means defender or warrior.”  Well, at that age that would have been enough for me as knowing that is what my name meant was pretty cool.  But my Mom did not want me to interpret the meaning of my name without her adding her thoughts.  She went on to say, “Chad, God wants you to defend his truth and to stand up for what is right even if you stand alone.  You won’t always be popular if you live this way, but you will live for something worth more than popularity.  It won’t always be easy if you speak up when everyone else would prefer you to be silent, but it will be worth it, because you will make God happy.” 

That day she did more than interpret the meaning of my name.  She shaped me that day in a way that still influences me through today.  On days when I am tempted to back down, even though I know God is saying stand firm or when I would prefer to remain silent, even though I know God is saying say something or when I would rather give into apathy even though God is saying do something, I not only have the Holy Spirit’s thumb in my back, but my mom’s voice ringing in my head: “Chad, your name means defender.  You are a defender of the faith.”  Sometimes it really ticks me off…I want to scream, “Just be quiet and both of you leave me alone!”  But I am so thankful that neither voice pays a bit of attention to my protests because left to myself I would surely live for less.

Of course, what made her words all the more powerful in my life was that she and Dad lived out what she was trying to get me to hear.  Time and time again, I have watched my parents choose the way less traveled for the sake of God’s grace and truth.  They have embraced people who others rejected.  They have rebuked those that others feared.  They have done something while others were only willing to talk about it.  They have made sacrifices for the cause of Christ while others made excuses.  They were by no means perfect, but while others would have justified their shortcomings, they simply confessed it and even told their sons they were sorry.  Most of all, they showed me that a name is more than something people call you, but a calling to live for something more.   

Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!  Thank you both, Mom and Dad, for showing me what it means to live up to the name you gave me.  I love you!

Nothing is Not an Option

If our minivan is leaking oil and I choose to do nothing, what will happen?

If our marriage is struggling and I choose to do nothing, what will happen?

If my arteries are blocked and I choose to do nothing, what will happen?

If I have a failing grade in geometry and I choose to do nothing, what will happen?

If I splatter grape juice on a white shirt and I choose to do nothing, what will happen?

If I am living pay check to pay check and choose to do nothing, what will happen?

If I am driving down the highway and see the traffic coming to a stop and I choose to do nothing, what will happen?

If my past is negatively impacting my present and I choose to do nothing, what will happen?

If a habit is ruining my life and I choose to nothing, what will happen?

Here you go; try one of your own:  If ____________________________ and I choose to do nothing, what will happen?

Nothing does nothing!

You and I are made in the image of God which means we were not made for nothing and we were not made to do nothing. 

God saw the universe void of order and he created life where there otherwise would have been nothing. 

God saw Adam was alone and so he made Eve from his side so that none of us need to walk this life alone.

When Adam and Eve sinned and hid, God came to the Garden and found them.

When sin broke God’s intended paradise for us, God explained the consequences and made the world a promise that their sin would not have the final say.

When the world got so bad that God’s heart was broken in regret, he told Noah to build an Ark.

When God wanted to raise up a people to become the light of the world and bless the nations, he gave a son to a couple who was long-past retirement.

When God’s people were suffering in captivity, He sent Moses to say, “Let my people go!”

When God’s people chose the desert over the promise land, God led them and provided for them for 40 years.

When a new generation was ready to trust God for more, he gave them a land flowing with milk and honey.

When those who received his gift forgot the source of that gift, he sent prophets to say what they did not want to hear.

When the people punished the prophets he sent, God let his people enter exile.

When God’s voice fell silent, God was still working through a remnant.

When the time was just right, God sent his one and only Son.

When Jesus was here he showed us clearly that God never does nothing! 

Jesus healed, loved, touched, taught, hung out with sinners, rebuked the religious and willingly suffered and died. 

After Jesus lay in the tomb for three days, God called him out!

After 40 days, Jesus ascended to heaven so he could send us his Holy Spirit.

When the people received the cleansing and empowerment of the Holy Spirit, the church was born and began to take the good news everywhere.

When God says it is time, Jesus will return removing all that separates from heaven from earth and returning what was lost with Adam’s sin. 

Nothing does nothing and everything in the Bible shows us that our God never does nothing!  And so now he asks us—his children, his church—what are we going to do?  And just in case you have not figured it out yet, nothing is not an option. 

Detours

You are driving down the road, singing along to a favorite song on the radio.  The sun is shining and life is good.  Then, suddenly, you start to see orange signs and arrows.  You keep driving in hopes that the signs do not refer to the road you intend to follow.  Even though the sign says, “Road ends in 1 mile” followed by another sign that says, “Road ends in ½ mile”, you keep driving forward in complete denial.  Eventually you find yourself at a barricade with a huge sign that says, “Road Closed.”  Still fighting denial, you look down the road to see if may be you can drive around the sign and still get to where you want to go.  Finally, you accept that your road has come to a dead end. 

So, what do you do?  Well, you do the only thing you can do.  You put it in park.  Turn the engine off and wait.  Hopefully, you have a granola bar in the glove box because it is going to be a while.  I mean what else can you do but wait for them to open the road you need to take to get where you are going, right?  Why are you looking at me like I have lost my mind?

No way!  If we come to a dead end on a road, we don’t stop.  We look for the detour signs and if there are no detour signs then we create one of our own.  The point is we would never let a closed road stop us from moving forward. 

The resurrection of Jesus delivers us that very message on an eternal scale.  As we read the story of God through the Bible we see that time and time again the road to God’s “plan A” was regularly closed down because of the choices of his people.  For example, I am sure Abraham and Sarah wished they would have not taken matters into their own hands and involved another woman in their marriage bed. I am sure Lot wished his wife would not have looked over her shoulder so that she would be more than salt at their dinner table. Samuel told the people that God said they would regret having a king, but they demanded one.  I am pretty sure David would have changed the channel instead of watching another man’s wife bathe and maybe she would have rethought bathing on the rooftop in front of the king’s picture window.  Solomon was considered the wisest man to ever live and yet he built God’s temple on the backs of slaves forgetting that God delivered his people from slavery.  On and on the story of God goes with his people making choices that create road blocks to his plan.  It reminds us of the power of our choices.  God’s own people can stop God’s plan from being unfolded.  Heck, God’s people nailed his only Son to a tree.  God so respects the will he has given us that he will let us completely circumvent the direct route to his purposes and plans.  But as powerful as our choices can be they do not create dead ends. 

In the end, God’s way always prevail.  His Son is risen! Whether God’s people choose to follow him is up to them, but God has already told us where he is going with all of this:

“Then I saw a new heaven and new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.  I saw the Holy city, the New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them.  They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.  He will wipe every tear from their eyes.  There will be no more death or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” 

Translation:  Like it or not, God is going to make all things new!  Not even heaven and earth will stay the same. And there are no dead ends we can will into existence that God can’t reroute with a detour to get His true people there!

Looking for Someone

She took her place on the risers with the rest of her first grade classmates.  This was the day of the musical performance they all had been preparing for since the beginning of the school year.  The boys and girls were each dressed up in their homemade costumes.  Their excitement was undeniable.  Even the boys like our son, Seth, could not hide his smile.  This is a big moment.  Would they remember their speaking parts?  Would they sing loud enough?  Would they keep all the motions and lyrics straight?  Would parents and grandparents like their show? 

We took our seat in the front row.  Seth pretended not to see us though I was waved both hands in the air obnoxiously and shouted in pride, “Hi Seth!”  He didn’t acknowledge me but his smile was priceless.  But then I noticed one of his classmates.  She was on the verge of tears.  While the other children were talking to one another, waving to family or trying to act like their family was not there, this little girl was becoming increasingly sad.  Her eyes were frantically searching back and forth across the auditorium.  I heard someone ask, “What’s wrong with that little girl?”  How could they not know what was wrong?  It was obvious. Whoever she was looking for was not there.   She was watching her classmates catch a glimpse of mom or dad or grandma or grandpa, while she saw no one there for her. 

Big tears began to run down her little cheeks.  She was doing her best to fight them back, but her heart was breaking and she could not hide it.  She just wanted someone, anyone to be there for her. I was tempted to jump up, introduce myself, lie and say that I had come especially to see her and Seth, but I knew it would not be anything more than a consolation prize. She was not just looking for anyone.  She was looking for someone in particular. 

The program was about to begin and the Music Teacher offered her opening words of introduction.  The little girl gave up trying to fight back her tears, which now flowed freely.  Finally, a man walked in by himself to the back row.  I have no idea who he was, but I was so glad he came because when the child saw him, her tears stopped as a look of relief washed across her face.  He must have mouthed to her, “What’s wrong?” Because she mouthed back, “I was looking for you.” 

We are all looking for someone to be there for us, aren’t we?  O, we have long-since learned to stuff our tears and hide our disappointment, but I am convinced that even as adults we look around to see if anyone cares enough to be there for us.  It is a special gift to know that someone cares enough to show up just to show you that they care.  And it is a tragedy to be looking for someone to show up when you need them the most and no one comes. 

In a day and age when social media allows us to be more connected than ever loneliness is practically an epidemic.  One of the things I love about my role as a Pastor is that when people will allow me the honor, I love to ask one question, “So, what is your story?”  Time and time again, as I listen to people of all walks of life share their story I am amazed to hear how much those moments of someone either showing up or not showing up impact them for good or bad. 

I suppose it is at this point, when it might be expected that I sum it all up with a simple message about how when you look all over the auditorium of life and see no one there for you that Jesus is standing in the back row trying to get your attention and asking, “What’s wrong?” If it would be helpful for you to go there, please feel free.  However, it would seem that Jesus would rather you receiving something with skin on.  You see, that is why when he left us here to wait for his return, he gave us both his Spirit and his Body.  We who have his Spirit in us are to be that somebody for one another and for the world.  On those days when we see a brother or sister fighting back tears, we are to stand up, wave lovingly and say, “”I’m here!  In Jesus name, I am here for you!”  And on those days when we are looking for someone to be there for us, we are not to fake it and then be disappointed that others did not figure out our need, but to say to the church family, “I’m looking for someone right now; someone who can pray, listen and just plain be there for me for a moment.” 

Romans 12:15 gives us this snapshot of the Body of Christ:  “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.”  Jesus not only gave us his Spirit to be there for us, but he also gave us one another.  Of course, that is easier said than done.  All kinds of things can get in the way of us loving one another.  The rest of Romans 12 admits that and gives us truth to help us overcome our differences.  But why did Jesus not just give us his Spirit—it certainly would be less complicated?  Because God said in the beginning, way before sin entered the world that it is not good for us to be alone.  God does not want even one of his children to look across the auditorium of life and find that no one is there for him or her. And that is why God sends us, His Church, into our community and to the uttermost parts of earth so that tears may be wiped away as those searching for someone, finding no one can hear, “We’re here!  Don’t cry!  In Jesus name, we care enough to show up for you!”

Stepping Out and Pressing On

On Sunday we talked about how Jesus came out of the grave to call us out of the same!  The story of Matthew 14 is a perfect illustration as Jesus calls Peter out of his boat.  But it was not until Peter and the others saw the resurrected Christ that they went from being afraid to step out the boat to being willing to give their very lives for his sake.  The bottom line: If you want to walk on water, you have to step out of the boat.  This week I have been honored to have people share with me about the boat out of which they heard Jesus’ call them on Sunday.  As I have been praying for us all to be brave enough to obey Jesus’ call to come out to the water where he is, I was given an illustration to share with you.  I hope it encourages you as you take that first step out of the boat.

Yesterday, I picked Anna up from gymnastics and she was absolutely beaming.  “Daddy! Daddy!” she exclaimed, “I did it.  I get to move up to the next class.”  This year, Anna decided she wanted to give gymnastics a try.  We quickly learned that most girls interested in gymnastics did not wait to start at age 9.  Nevertheless, Anna did not let it bother her that the other girls were much younger.  She breezed through the first class.  However, the second class was a different story.  One time.  Two times.  Three times.  Four times.  She watched as other girls younger than her were passed through to the next class while she was told she was not yet ready.  Each time Anna would get the disappointing news, she would say to me, “It’s OK, Daddy, each time I take the class I get better.  It will help me be better prepared for the next class.”  It was that perspective that not only kept her going, but also seemed to gain the respect of her instructors.  I watched as the instructors started giving her extra time and tips. They were rooting for her to succeed.  I admit that I was starting to feel bad for her.  I was tempted to say, but I didn’t, “Are you sure you want to keep doing this?”  But Anna did want to keep doing it.  And when a lesser person like me would have given up, she persevered.  And yesterday it all paid off.  She passed! 

I can’t seem to tell her enough of the character trait that I see her nurturing and how proud I am of her.  However, the reason I share this is because as I saw the joy and confidence on Anna’s face as she held up her certificate of completion, I believe I was given a glimpse of what Jesus desires for you and me.  There are plenty of logical reasons to stay in the boat rather than walk on the water.  But this Sunday we will talk about how Jesus’ resurrection invites us to see past the storm.  Anna saw the prize set before her before she attained it and so she found the courage and motivation to press on.  How much more ought the promise of the resurrection to spur us on in the midst of the storm?  How much more ought the prize for which we have been called heavenward to remind us that no matter how bad the storm gets it will not have the final say for he/she who believes?  How much more can we persevere being encouraged by what will follow the storm? 

I hope you will join us Sunday as we talk about how to persevere once you step out of the boat.  Thank you, Anna, for your example and letting God give me an important reminder.  I sure did need it this week as I try to step out and press on!

Open Arms

When I was little, I would call my Grandma Nancy to see if I could spend the night.  She would say, “Well, let me see,” as she would pretend to be looking through a reservation book.  When she knew she had my attention she would say, “Yes…Yes, indeed, there is always room at Grandma’s Open Arms Hotel for you, Chad.” 

I would get off the phone and say, “She said, ‘Yes!’ Mom.”  My mom could not drive the three miles to their home fast enough for my satisfaction.  Once in their driveway, I would jump out of the car and run right into Grandma’s open arms.  There was something incredibly warm and loving about her embrace.  That woman had a way about her that made a little boy feel like he was the most special person in the universe.  I felt like I could do no wrong in her eyes.  And with her in my corner it seemed easier to believe that I was special to God and that he had a plan for my life. 

I would sit at the kitchen table in “my chair” (Grandpa and Grandma each had their own designated chair and mine was right in the middle.  Their kitchen was so small there was only room for three chairs).  As I sat in my chair, I would enjoy watching Grandma do one of her favorite hobbies—cooking!  Of course, eating what she cooked was one of my favorite hobbies.  As she cooked, I would listen to her do her second favorite hobby and that was tell stories.  She would tell stories about family, friends and faith.  Some made me laugh, a few made me cry and they all shaped me in one way or another.

My Grandparents home was small and unimpressive in a small and unimpressive neighborhood, but sometimes when I am back in my hometown, I will drive by their old home.  I stop for a minute by the curb in front of their Seibert Avenue house.  The home is not anything like it was.  Grandpa always kept the hedges perfectly manicured and the paint nice and bright.  But I see past what it is, to what it was—a place where I knew that no matter what and no matter when as long as Grandma and Grandpa were there I would always be received with open arms. 

My Grandma’s Open Arms Hotel comes to mind as I think about some words of Jesus from Matthew 25, “For I was a stranger and you invited me in.”  It is one thing to welcome, with open arms, someone we love, but to offer that same warmth and acceptance to a stranger…well, now that is truly what it means to be Christ-like.  After all, as Jesus mentioned, even pagans love their own.  How much more we who follow Him ought to love those who are strange to us.  For Jesus said by welcoming a stranger with open arms, we welcome Him.  Of course, the negative is true as well:  To not welcome a stranger with open arms is to not welcome Him.

I know there are many objections we might mention here:  What if the stranger takes advantage of us?  What about “stranger danger?”  What about being wise about who you trust?  Yes, those are all legitimate concerns, but Jesus suggests that he would rather us risk it all and err on the side of open arms.  Honestly, take it up with Jesus if you have a problem with welcoming strangers…I dare you, but I also promise you that you will find that the one who was willing to die for a stranger like me and you will not have his mind changed about this one.

Canton First Family, what might God do in hearts and minds, if this Sunday we come ready to receive Jesus by inviting strangers in with open arms during our NextGen celebration?  What if the introverts and extraverts among us went out of our way to make one NextGen family feel like they had just shown up at Grandma’s house this Sunday?  What might God be able to do in a life this Sunday for eternity, if we might step out of our comfort zones and say, “Would you like to sit with my family today?”  How might we shape a child’s life, if we cheered for each child as if he or she were our very own child or grandchild?  What if instead of rushing off to have lunch with “our own family,” we would ask our family to be inconvenienced for the sake of strangers in our midst?  What if we prayed the rest of this week that before a word is said or song is sung that every NextGen player and family would experience Jesus through our welcome?  There is no way to fake hospitality.  Either you got it or you don’t.  And this Sunday, the NextGen celebration will put us to the test.  I have no doubt that we are up for the challenge.

One thing is for sure…if we pass this test, then no matter what else does or does not happen Sunday, we will see Jesus in our midst because Matthew 25 says Jesus always shows up where strangers are welcomed with open arms.    

The Walk

I was so excited to walk in the warmth and sunshine on Monday!  It felt so good to no longer be bundled up and still be cold on my walks.  To be really honest, the last two weeks of sub-zero temperatures finally broke me. I had maintained my walking regiment all winter, but the last two weeks, I just gave up.  The constant cold, ice and snow became a legitimate excuse for me.  As much as I enjoy walking outside, I was just tired of walking in those artic-like winter conditions and I became a fair weather walker.

I guess most of us are tempted to do the same thing in life—who doesn’t want to walk where the sun is shining and it feels good?  I would rather walk toward friends than enemies.  I prefer walking toward success and try to avoid failure.  I prefer walking away from discomfort and pain.  I will walk 5 miles to get ice cream, but broccoli does not motivate me to get off the couch.  You see what I am saying…where I am walking-subzero or sunshine-impacts if I walk.

I think that is what makes Jesus’ choice to walk to Jerusalem so impressive.  All of the Gospels record Jesus saying, “We’re going up to Jerusalem.”  Out of context it does not sound all that extraordinary.  But throw it back into context and it goes from just another sentence to either amazing or down-right scary.  At least that is how those who were following Jesus to Jerusalem felt.  Look at Matthew 10:32-34:

 “They were on their way up to Jerusalem, with Jesus leading the way, and the disciples were astonished, while those who followed were afraid.  Again he took the Twelve aside and told them what was going to happen to him.  ‘We are going up to Jerusalem,’ he said, ‘and the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and teachers of the law.  They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentles, who will mock him and spit upon him, flog him and kill him.  Three days later he will rise.”

The disciples were astonished.  Who knows that betrayal, mocking, spitting and death are waiting for you and walks to it?  I mean it is one thing to risk your life for a person or cause, but Jesus knew for sure he was not going to avoid death in Jerusalem.  The Twelve were astonished by his obedience and love. 

The others who followed Jesus were just afraid.  It is scary to walk with someone to their death.  Isn’t it our natural instinct to help those we love stay safe?  Wouldn’t everything in you want to be doing whatever you could to get Jesus to walk to any place but Jerusalem? 

But nothing will distract or dissuade Jesus from his Father’s purpose.  “We are going up to Jerusalem,” he says.  It is not up for discussion.  There is not a vote to be held.  If you are going to follow Jesus, then you are going to Jerusalem.  And you know what?    They did.  In their astonishment and fear, they followed Jesus all the way to Jerusalem knowing full well that if what Jesus said was true then they were putting a target on their backs as well.  Often we give the disciples a hard time for falling asleep while Jesus was praying and for running when Jesus was betrayed by Judas, but we have to give credit where credit is due.  When Jesus said I am going to Jerusalem where I will be killed, they followed.  They were astonished and they were afraid, but they followed.  They may have ran and hid later, but they followed him all the way to Jerusalem. 

As we go through this season of Lent, our time of simple fasting provokes a series question that every disciple of Jesus must hear at some point or another:  Will you follow Jesus to Jerusalem?  It feels good to follow Jesus to Jerusalem for worship, but how about for a cross?  I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to pull the covers over my head and just stay in bed.   And yet, Jesus insists that if we are going to follow him then sometimes it will lead us to walk to places for the sake of the gospel that we’d prefer not to even crawl toward. 

Can we take a moment to consider some of the “Jerusalems” Jesus might as to walk to for him?

Jesus asks us all to walk to the place called repentance.  Repentance--a turning away from self and a turning toward God—is not just the beginning point of faith, but the ongoing call of Jesus on his followers’ lives.  John Wesley called it a “Believers repentance” in which we remain so constantly open to the Father that we are always willing to turn in whatever direction to which he calls us.  The walk to repentance is no cake walk. 

Jesus asks us to walk to the place called authenticity.  Jesus is not impressed with the way we try to impress others with our spiritual maturity.  Jesus said that the Pharisees of his day would stand on street corners praying out loud about how great they were and how much everyone else needed God.  But Jesus said the prayers that impress him are the ones that come from the one who openly admit before God and others that they have nothing to bring to the table in and of themselves confessing their dependence on God. The walk to authenticity takes a courage that is frightening.

Jesus asks us to walk to the place of interruption.  Jesus said that following him will divide families, arouse enemies, produce persecution and invite trials.  And Jesus said when this happens to us, as it did him, we are to consider ourselves blessed.  How fun does that walk sound?

Jesus asks us to walk to the place of reconciliation.  At first that place sounds inviting.  But then you read Matthew 18:15-20 and realize that the steps Jesus commands us to take to reconciliation with one another, as brothers and sisters in Christ, is anything but natural or easy.

Jesus says, “We are going up to Jerusalem.”  Notice he did not say, “I”, but “we.”  To follow Jesus means we go where he goes and that includes the cross.  But do not miss the last sentence of Matthew 10:34, “Three days later he will rise.”  The end of the walk is never the cross!  When Jesus asks us to walk someplace where the sun is not shining and it is as cold as ice, you can be assured of this: Jerusalem’s cross must give way to its empty tomb! 

Who is ready to follow Jesus to Jerusalem?  Astonishment and fear are welcome as long as you lace up your walking shoes. 

Repairer of Broken Walls

When I was going to school there were with no other option but to handwrite our lecture notes.  In those days, I especially appreciated the margins.  The margins were my momentary escape from lecture monotony.  As the professor would share an illustrative antidote or go off onto a tangent that I was pretty certain would never make it to the final exam, I would begin to doodle.  Sometimes my doodling would be cartoon like figures and others times I would simply draw a series of shapes.  Of course, my lecture notes got the prime real estate on the page, but I always left room in the margins for doodling. 

This is what seemed to keep getting ancient Israel in trouble.  They kept forgetting and, sometimes, outright oppressing people who were in the margins of society.  Now, mind you they kept their elaborate worship and sacrifice system right where in needed to be in the center of the page, so to speak.  When it came to worship they were extremely faithful. They never missed a service.  They knew all of the songs.  They gave only the best offerings.  They paid proper respect to God through offerings, praise and fasting.  They worked hard to keep their worship center page. 

There was only one problem, while they were keeping their mode of worship central, it was deemed by God as dead.  How could they do everything God asked in worship and then be told their worship was empty?  One reason…and just about every Prophet of Israel speaks to this fault…the reason their worship was central and they could be told it was dead was because they allowed their worship of God to excuse them to marginalize the immigrant, the well-fare recipient, the widow, the orphan and their likes.  In a very real sense, Ancient Israel came to see these struggling neighbors as a people deserving no more time and space than “doodles.”  And each time the people of Israel would try to use worship to cover up how they  were shoving people to the margins, God would raise up a prophet to call them back to the point of worship, which was not just to honor God ceremonially, but also practically.

Isaiah spoke this word to Israel:

58 “Shout it aloud, do not hold back. Raise your voice like a trumpet.  Declare to my people their rebellion and to the descendants of Jacob their sins.  For day after day they seek me out; they seem eager to know my ways, as if they were a nation that does what is right and has not forsaken the commands of its God.  They ask me for just decision and seem eager for God to come near them. ‘Why have we fasted,’ they say, ‘and you have not seen it?  ‘Why have we humbled ourselves, and you have not noticed?’ Yet on the day of your fasting, you do as you please and exploit all your workers. Your fasting ends in quarreling and strife, and in striking each other with wicked fists.  You cannot fast as you do today and expect your voice to be heard on high. Is this the kind of fast I have chosen, only a day for people to humble themselves? Is it only for bowing one’s head like a reed and for lying in sackcloth and ashes?  Is that what you call a fast, a day acceptable to the Lord?  Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them, and not to turn away from your own flesh and blood?  Then your light will break forth like the dawn and your healing will quickly appear; then your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will be your rear guard.  Then you will call, and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I.  If you do away with the yoke of oppression, with the pointing finger and malicious talk, and if you spend yourselves in behalf of the hungry and satisfy the needs of the oppressed, then your light will rise in the darkness, and your night will become like the noonday.  The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.  You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail.  Your people will rebuild the ancient ruins and will raise up the age-old foundations; you will be called Repairer of Broken Walls, Restorer of Streets with Dwellings.”

God desires his people then and now to let our worship have meaning by moving people who others have marginalized to the center of the page.  It is not enough to simply “doodle” in the occasional service project, but to actually move the oppressed, forgotten and outcasts of our society to being as central to our lives as worship itself.  When we do that for and with God, then God’s presence, provision and light is not something we will experience in the margins, but in the center of all we do and are and have. 

This Lenten season as I fast to better put myself in position to worship God, I am reminded by Isaiah that I am not only asked to give something up for God but for the sake of others.  For me, this is what Faith Promise Plus is all about--giving over and beyond our regular giving to the point that we actually feel the pain of giving so that we in turn might more intentionally make the “least of these brothers and sisters of mine” as Jesus put it (Matthew 25), feel like the most in his love and care as demonstrated through our action. 

It is exciting to see people in our church family live in this way.  As men and women give of their time in a warm and welcoming way, relationships are being built every week through NextGen basketball that say to children and their families in our community, “You matter to God and his church!”  As we go into Belle Stone Elementary school, we get to say, “We will not say we love God without saying we love you!”  As we begin tutoring at Sahara Apartments we will are saying, “We don’t expect you to come where we are; we will meet you where you are.”  As our Work and Witness team serves in Guatemala they are saying, “You are worth going across the ocean to express God’s love!”  As we will work with Hope House 4 Women in a renovation project this summer, we will join this compassionate ministry center in saying, “Women are valued by God and his Church for more than their sexuality.” 

And as we make this love of the oppressed and forgotten as central as our worship, then we will be called by a beautiful name, “Repairer of Broken Walls!”  I don’t know about you, but that is a nick-name with which I hope God will trust us.

SHHHHH

“Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord” (Psalm 27:14).

Those are the words with which David concludes his Psalm.  He has described an enemy that is dead-set on “devour[ing] my flesh.”  His enemy is not just one but an army.  Reason to fear, trouble and violence have become his normal.  He is so accustomed to the feelings that a child must feel when rejected by his own parents that he actually asks God not to do the same to him. 

How wounded must one be to feel like God too would hurt you if you do not ask that he not?  How forgotten one must feel that he must remind himself that God would never forget him?  How many lies must be told about a person that he actually is tempted to believe the lie that God would turn you over to your foes?  Whatever it requires, David was there.  As one reads Psalm 27, you can feel his desperate attempt to convince himself that God and not his enemies will have the last say.  You can almost see his turmoil.  You can smell his fear.  You can see him clinging to what might be his last strand of faith. 

And then suddenly…abruptly…he ends the Psalm at verse 14:  “Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.”  In that one verse not only does the Psalm end, but so does his struggle.  The whole Psalm, he has went back and forth between fear and faith, hope and despair, truth and lies, but suddenly the inner storm ceases.  The wind dies down, the rain stops and dark clouds give way to rays of sun light.  There is no longer need to run for cover because a place of calm has been found.

When our children were babies and they would be fighting the rest they needed, I would often hold them close and simply repeat not a word, but a sound, “SHHHHHHH…”  It’s as though while David is pacing the floor in anguish, the Father puts his hand on his shoulder and says, “SHHHH!” He has been looking for thunder; he’s been asking for a sign; he’s been begging for deliverance, when what he really needed was, “SHHHH.” It’s amazing what we can hear when we “SHHHH.” 

“Oh, I see, Lord,” you can hear David say.  “You are right.  I am frantically searching for hope and peace and it won’t be found there. What I need to do is quit looking for you and wait for you.” 

Wait…I don’t like to wait…I never pick the longest line in the grocery store and I get frustrated when the short line I pick ends up taking longer than the long line I avoided…I don’t like to wait.  Waiting feels like a waste of time.  Waiting does not come natural to me.  I think David might have felt the same way about waiting, too. 

But when you have paced the floors all night long and realized you’ve made it no farther than where you started, you might just then be ready to hear God say, “Wait for me.”  It’s not just any kind of waiting.  It’s a specific kind—“Wait for the Lord.”  This waiting is not idle, but active.  But by active it does not mean busy, but focused.  Like a child looking out the window for the car of his Grandma and Grandpa to arrive, so we wait for the Lord…looking and longing for God to show up where we need him most.  It is in this place of waiting for the Lord that David says one can “be strong and take heart.” 

This is one of the important themes of Lent—learning to wait.  As I give something up these 40 days, I am asking God to teach me to wait for him all over again.  As I crave what is being denied, I pray for God to make me long for him even more.  And in this waiting, there really is a strength and heart-renewal that can be found no place else.  I have no problem admitting that I especially need his presence in my life right now.  I don’t have a chance without his nearness.  I can’t make it…O…wait a minute…I’m sorry…I have to go, you see…what’s that, Father?  SHHHHHHH….