Occasio

Colossians 1:15-20 -- what should be our response?

I delivered the following sermon on November 7, 2009 at a gathering of West Coast Mennonite Brethren churches known as the Pacific District Conference. My task, along with three other preachers, was to focus on the text from Colossians 1:15-20 and the theme of Christ's supremacy and centrality. In this sermon I suggest that our response to this cosmic Christ should be one of love, sacrifice and service, motivated from a heart of gratitude and humility.

Here's a bit of the introduction. Click here if you'd like to read the entire fifteen minute sermon.

Our text today, Colossians 1:15-20, is a beautiful poem used by Paul in the church at Colossae. It’s possible that this was not only a masterful piece of prose, but that it might also have been a hymn sung by the Colossians, a small band of believers struggling to find their place as a new sect in the midst of a culture that was potentially dangerous for the young church.

Paul was probably using this Christological hymn to offset several threats. Colossae was a cosmopolitan center of religion, trade and culture. The Colossian Christians were confronted with Mideastern astrology, lingering Jewish traditions, a plethora of Greek gods and goddesses, and a Roman empire that impacted everyone. It appears that these prevailing ideologies and religions were influencing a set of teachers in this New Testament church. These false teachers were advocating for beliefs and practices that were not a part of the apostles’ original Gospel.

Some in the Colossian church believed that Christ was just one in a chain of holy beings that would lead to God. This Gnostic worldview held that the stars all represented angels, spirits, or gods that were lesser deities than the God of heaven. These divine beings were believed to control humanity and act as gatekeepers for the afterlife. This hierarchical configuration of deities was probably affecting the beliefs of the first Christians in Colossae and threatened to displace Christ as their sole focus.

Another significant threat to the Colossians was the ever-present all-encompassing Roman Empire. The value system of the empire would have been inescapable; it would have reached into every aspect of daily life. In Roman culture, Caesar was the savior, the son of God, and the sole mediator of hope and peace for the world. Caesar’s picture, along with other symbols of Rome, was everywhere – on coins, in the marketplace, at sports events, and on jewelry, pottery, furniture, paintings and more. Caesar’s influence permeated life and demanded allegiance.

Paul quickly and appropriately moved to correct these potential heresies....

Here is the doc file of the entire sermon.
 

Colossians 1:15-20 NLT

¹⁵Christ is the visible image of the invisible God.
  He existed before anything was created and is supreme over all creation,

 ¹⁶ for through him God created everything
  in the heavenly realms and on earth.
   He made the things we can see
  and the things we can’t see—
   such as thrones, kingdoms, rulers, and authorities in the unseen world.
  Everything was created through him and for him.

 ¹⁷ He existed before anything else,
  and he holds all creation together.

 ¹⁸ Christ is also the head of the church,
  which is his body.
   He is the beginning,
  supreme over all who rise from the dead.
  So he is first in everything.

 ¹⁹ For God in all his fullness
  was pleased to live in Christ,

 ²⁰ and through him God reconciled
  everything to himself.
   He made peace with everything in heaven and on earth
  by means of Christ’s blood on the cross.

Psalm 23 provides clues for dealing with uncertain times

Here's a brief article I just published through Fresno Pacific University's "Scholars Speak" feature. Click on he link below if you want to read the rest of the piece.

The most famous ancient Hebrew poem is Psalm 23, “The Lord is my shepherd…” and the main context for its reading is funerals. But like the most popular prayer (“Our Father who art in heaven”) and the most popular verse (“For God so loved the world”) this psalm is often recited without much reflection. Though it may be customary to use Psalm 23 at a memorial service, it is even more appropriate as an expression of hope and life in the troubled here-and-now.

Read the full article here.

FPU Ministry Forum with Ray Bakke

I’m blogging from the annual Ministry Forum at Fresno Pacific University today. Our keynote speaker is Ray Bakke, a pastor, teacher, and professor of urban theology. Ray is the chancellor of the Bakke Graduate University. Our theme for the forum is “One Church, One City.” Ray is a brilliant theologian with provocative and relevant thoughts for the urban church. Rather than editorialize, I thought I’d just share a cluster of ideas he’s been sharing today. These are loose paraphrases of his comments.

In 1800 2%, 1900 8%, 2000 50% of the planet lives in cities
Cities are growing by 100,000 per day; ½ by birth, ½ by relocation

Ray’s most shocking experience was to watch churches flee the cities in the 60s. Those who sang “red and yellow, black and white” bought into “white flight.”

Christians fled L.A. and Chicago and met in Colorado Springs

Evangelicals think they can’t survive in the cities because there’s a belief that gardens are good and cities are evil; there is an exodus theology in play

In the bible: 1250 texts regarding the city, 141 individual cities mentioned. Ez 16: cities are families (this is the part of focusing on the family that Dobson has left out). Biblical idea of family - hooked to geography and history.

Paul’s use of contextualization in the city:
Philippi - Lydia and women in an upper class city lead the church
Athens - quoted Greeks at Mars Hill
Corinth - he made tents, the crossroads the marketplace/commerce (urban and rural)
Ephesus - went to synagogue to dialogue (Socratic method)
Paul adjusts his message, methods and meaning places to meet people where they where
A theology as big as the city includes all of these

Luther and Calvin had a marketplace theology
Common Grace: taking care of schools, hospitals, public sector
Saving Grace: in the churches paid for by tithes
Tax money or tithe money - it’s all God’s
Why have Christians removed themselves from Common Grace theology? (This comes largely through American revivalism and personal piety movements)

God is bringing the nations to the city neighborhoods
The Lord of history is bringing the nations to California - why is he doing this? what does this mean?
This is not the time to flee the city in favor of gated communities. We need common grace.

Four worlds people live in: biological, geographical, relational, recreational worlds
The task of the pastor is not to get 10% growth this year but to get congregants into their four worlds as missionaries
“Evangelism is scratching people where they itch in the name of Jesus”
“Church growth” is about getting a hundred people into four hundred worlds touching thousands of people
Church Growth strategies have typically encouraged a pastor to build a church in his/her own image and then attract others to it creating homogeneous cultures
“I had to decide if I wanted to be a come-structured pastor or a go-structured pastor”

Form the second century in Epistle to Diognetus: what the soul is to the body, the Christian is to the city

Jesus died in the city and the church was born in the city at Pentecost

Does any of this get you thinking about Christianity, ministry and the urban context? I’d love to hear your thoughts.

We're not electing Jesus!

I’m stunned at how many Christians think they’re electing Jesus on November 4. I’m getting pretty tired of being phoned, emailed, spammed, FaceBooked and in other ways accosted by well-meaning believers who have completely come to find their identity in a political candidate or proposition.

There are at least two major issues that Christians are divided on this time around: the presidential election and, in California, Proposition 8. It’s times like these that bring out the most irrational thinking and the sloppiest hermeneutics. It’s time for a reality check: all campaigns lie, make unfounded accusations and spread disinformation. Depending on who you talk to, McCain and Obama can each be viewed as the Antichrist (no such character found in scripture by the way) or the Savior. And I love the way each side paints their candidate as “the” Christian in the race. In addition, one candidate is “guilty by association,” another for having too many addresses and another for dressing sharp.

Prop 8 raises a whole other set of issues. This is the attempt to modify the California constitution to define marriage as limited to one man and one woman. The “yes” folks warn we will get “gay education” if it’s not passed, and the “no” population learns to hate the church with a new vigor. “This” church invokes biblical authority, "that" church opens their arms with Christ’s love.

As I said above, I see two primary flaws in the way many Christians approach elections. First, there’s a sense of irrationality. Say goodbye to any kind of an intelligent conversation; pick a side and call the other whackos and lunatics. “Oh, they’re well-meaning,” we say, “they just don’t have any brains (AND they’re ruining the country!). A recent psych study at Cornell University verifies the human propensity toward an “unshakeable self-confidence in one’s decisions” and the myth of “the feeling of being right.” The problem with convictions, gut feelings, and hunches is that we rely exclusively on these intuitions at the expense of logical conversation. Hence, a debate is an opportunity to bolster what one already believes (cyclical reasoning) rather than a chance to expand ones understanding and knowledge.

"Feelings of absolute certainty and utter conviction are not rational deliberate conclusions; they are involuntary mental sensations generated by the brain. Like other powerful mental states such as love, anger and fear, they are extraordinarily difficult to dislodge through rational arguments. Just as it's nearly impossible to reason with someone who's enraged and combative, refuting or diminishing one's sense of certainty is extraordinarily difficult. Certainty is neither created by nor dispelled by reason.”

A second flaw in our approach to elections is that of prooftexting. Christians taking ANY position, be it on a presidential candidate or a proposition, can find support for their position in scripture. James Dobson does this. The Reverend Jeremiah Wright does as well. Cult leaders do it best.

Prooftexting is the practice of selecting verses out of scripture that support what one already believes, regardless of the context they were originally written for. A classic example: we often hear the verse, “where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in their midst” and apply it to the topic of prayer.  If we read the whole chapter of Matthew 18 however, we don’t hear a word about prayer. The chapter is entirely about conflict and forgiveness. The implication: When two or three come together to reconcile and forgive, there am I in their midst. Go ahead, read it.

Because so many Christians are prone to irrationality and prooftexting, they vilify one candidate and praise another. Obama is a kills babies. McCain kills Iraqis. And there is very little ground in between for conversation. Families are divided, friendships are strained and congregations stand against one another, always in the “name of Jesus.”

Maybe that’s the gist of the problem – we keep claiming the name of Jesus in ways that are inappropriate. I’m lucky, my wife and I cancel two or three of each other’s votes on candidates and ballot propositions every election. We see issues differently; sometimes we agree, sometimes we don’t. That doesn’t make either one of us less Christian. Just because she voted different than me doesn’t mean she’s dumb or unholy. (Although I often remind her that I am smarter than her – after all, when we got married look what she got and look what I got!)

So let’s find our identity in Christ, not in politicians or political causes. If the Jews and Gentiles could do it, Dems and Reps might just have a chance.

In the end, we’re not electing Jesus. If we did, I’m sure he’d just get crucified.

   

The NFC pastoral staff at our Halloween carnival:

Loren "Biden" Dubberke, Terron "Obama" Nolan, James "McCain" Bergen, Krystal "Palin" Klaassen

Ancient Spiritual Practices

I wrote an article for our monthly Mennonite Brethren publication, Christian Leader, entitled "The New Old Spirituality." The result was a fair amount of critique and criticism and three months worth of letters-to-the-editor. My intent was to demonstrate how teens and young adults are vitalized by new forms of prayer, forms which have their roots in ancient practices. Here's a thrilling image: teens waiting in line to pray! Somehow that got lost amongst a discussion of what is orthodox or pagan. Prayer, it seems, is only to be practiced in certain approved fashions.

Here's what I've learned:

• There are many MBs who are anti-Catholic; my apologies to my Catholic friends, people who are deeply committed to following Christ and his teachings.
• There are many MBs who are afraid of anything new. Many complaints came from those saying that Menno (Simons) would never do this (whatever "this" practice might be). They point back to a standard that was set by Menno and must be maintained. Hmm, but didn't Menno himself start new practices? See http://rollovermenno.wordpress.com/ for more critique at this level from a group of folks who are self-proclaimed gatekeepers of Menno-traditions. [Update: I just discovered that this site is now password protected - not quite sure why.]
• There are many MBs who are afraid of anything old (or older than 1525). Prayer labyrinths, lectio divina,the Jesus Prayer - not acceptable, they're not found in the Bible. Hmm, tell me again what verse the organ is found in? (I do think I saw some cymbals and tambourines mentioned a number of times however.) How about a sanctuary, pews, the sermon, the baptistry, the professional pastor, etc.?
• Paranoia spreads quickly and anything a person disagrees with can be labeled heresy.
• We're becoming more Southern Baptist by the day; my apologies to my SBC friends, people who are deeply committed to following Christ and his teachings.

If you are interested in reading the article that started the controversy, here is is. Here's a teaser as well:

Imagine this scene. Teens silently form a line in a hallway, patiently waiting late into the night to enter a room in which they will experience an ancient spiritual discipline: contemplative prayer. When they emerge from the prayer room an hour later, many have tears in their eyes, smiles on their faces and peace in their hearts. They have just walked a prayer labyrinth, an interactive eleven-station experience in which the participants learn to practice the presence of Christ.  Scenes like this are happening again and again in churches, camps and conferences all over North America.

Interested in reading some of the letters-to-the-editor? Here are a few snippets and links for full texts.

"As MB congregations are moving further away from a historical connection with their Anabaptist heritage, they may be hindering their ability to present the gospel to a postmodern world." full text

"Why is the prayer labyrinth, an ancient pagan practice, entering into MB circles?" "We need to remember that Menno Simons wrote a renunciation of the Roman Catholic Church...." "These 'new old practices' you are advocating are dangerous and experiential of old forms of mysticism. It sounds no different than promoting Ophraism and her influences with new age gurus." full text

"All this makes me think that perhaps a practice's origins in pagan culture or its absence from biblical text isn't the guiding principle for whether we reject or accept it, but rather whether or not it reflects biblical truth and principles and either draws us to Jesus and each other or not." full text

Please leave a comment if you would like to add to the conversation. Here's a previous post I did on a prayer labyrinth.

Here's a picture of Menno. He really was an amazing and inspiring man of God. In this picture he appears as preacher and theologian.

The Economic Stimulus Payment: how will you spend yours?

I will receive $1,800 this May. The IRS will pay me $1,200 because I’m married and $600 for my children. The money comes with no strings. And therein lies my quandary—how will I use my economic stimulus payment?

Through the Economic Stimulus Act, Washington wants 130 million recipients to spend $168 billion in an attempt to bolster the economy. The prescription is consumption.

The message is striking. The American economic engine requires an ever-increasing rate of consumption to remain functional. Good Americans are good consumers because when they stop consuming, the system fails. Like a junkie in search of a fix, the economy needs an injection of cash.

Is consumption really a viable answer? I find two problems with this approach: one practical, one theological.

This is the intro for an article I wrote for FPU's Scholars Speak feature. I raised the issue at faculty prayers the other day and was surprised by the vigorous amd engaging reactions I got. The dilemma is this: as Christians we claim that material possessions should be low priority and that our "treasure is in heaven," but our government is telling us that spending and consuming is the answer to a weak economy. This raises all sorts of questions: Should good Americans be good consumers? Can an economy continue to grow and can Americans continue to consume in greater quantities at an endless pace? Is there also a place for saving and sharing our money? Is it un-American not to spend the stimulus rebate? Are there any theological implications? What should Christians do with the stimulus checks that will be sent out in May?

In my recent research I have been shocked to discover that no one is raising these questions. I suspect that there are people who are interested in the theological ramifications of the stimulus package, I simply can't find a public place of discourse on the issue.

I offer the following suggestion in the spirit of being transparent, certainly not to be haughty.... Tracy and I are giving our rebate away. We'll split it between an urban ministry in Fresno, a transitional home for homeless families in Pasadena and a HIV/AIDS clinic in Jos, Nigeria.

What will you do with yours? Would you consider giving a portion to a ministry or charity? Would you leave a comment and let other readers know about your issues, dilemmas, concerns, and suggestions? I know money is a private matter, but maybe on the advent of May's stimulus rebate it should be a public discussion.

Here's the full article to spur other thoughts and conversations.

Urban Los Angeles Immersion

I spent the past weekend leading students from Fresno Pacific University on an urban Los Angeles immersion. We took a significant amount of time to process a couple of biblical texts (Luke 4, Amos 8); learn about systemic injustice, sweatshops, immigration, etc.; visit ministries and agencies in downtown L.A.; walk on skid row; and talk with the homeless. Here are a few snapshots of the weekend.

Dinner at a Peruvian restaurant, complete with Inca Kola.

Learning about and praying for L.A.City Hall.

Los Angeles City Hall.

Downtown Los Angeles.

9th Street Elementary School - children who attend here are all on meal assistance and walk daily through gang territory to attend school. Many are classified as homeless since they live in the skid row hotels. Notice the lack of grass, the high fence and the signs in multiple languages prohibiting intruders, drugs and alcohol, and weapons. Here's an article from the L.A. Times about what a student faces on a daily basis as he tries to attend high school.

Filming is quite common in inner-city L.A. These trees were brought in and the street was swept clean for a Subaru commercial. In other areas of downtown we watched the filming of a movie staring Jamie Fox and Robert Downey Jr. The movie is about the life of Nathaniel Ayers, a Juilliard-trained cellist who now lives in poverty on the streets of L.A.(read here for a 12-part L.A. Times feature on Ayers) Ironically, we watched as the police kept movie sets free of local homeless people while actors who played homeless people lined up for a shoot at a mock soup kitchen. Caitlin made an insightful comment as we were walking down the street, "I'm starting to wonder what is really real in this town."

 

Another irony. The tattered and weather-beaten mural reads, "When kids read, anything's possible." There's not much hope on skid row.

Our new friend, Donny, a homeless man who helped us understand what life on the streets is like as we had breakfast. Here's a moving five-part video series discussing life on skid row (also includes footage from Central City Community Church, see below).

Debriefing at Pershing Square.

Cleaning at Central City Community Church, the only church on skid row. This congregation is comprised almost entirely of homeless people. They received a grant to install a youth room and kitchen. One of the most creative church programs I have ever encountered happens at this church. Every Wednesday night 200-300 homeless people come to the church for Karaoke. It's the happiest and strangest crowd I've ever been with. It reminds me of Jesus partying with the "sinners and tax collectors" at Levi's house.

Painting at Central City Community Church.

Sunday afternoon at Olympic Convalescent Home. It's the elderly and the children who are the most neglected. They are the widows, orphans and aliens the prophets warned Israel to care for.

Painting nails at Olympic.

A group photo at the Center for Student Missions.

The gang with Tim Peters at the Door of Hope (read a previous post on Door here). This is a Christian transitional home for homeless families. Up to eight families live at this 106-year old facility. We heard story after story of families who have made it off the streets and into stable living situations. It was a wonderful and hopeful way to end our trip.

God's Christmas graffiti

Merry Christmas! Last night I gave a meditation for North Fresno Church's Christmas Eve service. The inspiration for the short devotional came from a sermon by Archbishop Desmond Tutu on Christmas Day of 1999 in the National Cathedral (see The aWAKE Project). He noted that the birth of Jesus is like God's graffiti announcing, "I love you with a love that cannot change."

For most of us the Christmas story has lost its jarring sense of surprise. It no longer shocks us like it should; like graffiti scrawled across a freeway overpass, school building or sanctuary wall. If we forget about the cards, carols and dramatic presentations we're left with a very simple text full of odd twists and surprises.

If you are interested in reading an abbreviated version of my message click here (this is a piece I published through Fresno Pacific University's "Scholars Speak" forum). Here is an excerpt:

Where would God show up? I do not know, but there is one thing I am sure of: He wouldn’t be in the places or with the people I would expect. This is the danger of discrimination. Nazareth, Bethlehem, unwed mothers, stables, shepherds—all the stuff of first-century discrimination. I wonder, would God appear with the people I am most prejudiced against? Will He continue to come to the places I and others might find offensive?

An ancient practice

I'm blogging tonight from the Prayer Path at FPU. I and my Worship Ministries class present this annually. The Prayer Path is an adaptation of an ancient practice. Labyrinths were used in medieval cathedrals in Europe. Our path is a 21st century re-imagining of a 12th century practice.

Participants walk the maze of the labyrinth and engage with eleven separate prayer stations while listening to music and narration on a personal CD player. At one station they grasp a rock and drop it into a bucket of water symbolizing the release of anxiety, doubt or sin (I just heard the unmistakable "plunk" of a stone falling...); at another they gaze at a reflection of the self in a mirror and fathom the work of the Creator; at still another station they watch a giant projection of the Earth rising in space while planting a seed and contemplating God's (and humanity's) connection to the planet (I'm watching that one right now as I write this). At the center of the labyrinth the participants celebrate communion.

The path is really about three journeys: an inward one in which the focus is on the self in relation to God; a centered one where communion happens; and an outward one in which the focus is on our relation to the world. In America the Prayer Path has been made available in a kit from Group Publishing. If you would like to experience the online version of the labyrinth check this out.

The eleven stations of the Prayer Path are: Inward Journey, Noise, Letting Go, Hurts, Distractions, Holy Space, Outward Journey, Self, Planet, Others, and Impression.

Some comments from tonight's journal:

• This is absolutely peaceful, tranquil and I feel like I just had a shower!
• This experience was amazing. I can't say how much I needed this. God really spoke and touched me during this experience and I would love to spend time doing this labyrinth more often. I feel so at peace and I've been tingling with goosebumps for the past hour. As followers of Christ we don't do this sort of thing often enough. We have such busy lives and such short attention spans. Our world is so loud, but God deserves this special time.
• It made me stop or pause and get away from the business and craziness of life. I felt relaxed and in God's presence. Who would have thought that something as simple as this could have such a tremendous effect.
• I had a chance to realize that the world does not revolve around me. I had a chance to stop - pause for a time in my busy schedule and simply hear God, re-position my life/thoughts/priorities. I had a chance to spend time with God in a way of communion. I really loved the station with bread and juice. I did not want to move from that spot becuase I felt that I was at a dinner table with God!

Can Christians support Buddhist monks?

Here's an excerpt from a recent article I published for FPU's "Scholars Speak" feature. It also landed in a couple of local papers. The article is based on my post "Remember Burma and Aung San Suu Kyi."

Cultures are colliding at an unparalleled rate. As the globe continues to shrink via media, Internet and other communications, there is increased awareness of similarities and differences between groups of people. This new understanding can lead to fresh questions, particularly with regard to theology. As a follower of Christ I have witnessed the recent atrocities in Southeast Asia and have been forced to ask, “What is the Christian’s responsibility toward the Buddhist neighbor?” Surely we must do something.

The full article is here.