Dancing with The Beast

A couple weeks ago, Tiffany and I had the opportunity to take an adults only trip to our favorite destination, Walt Disney World. We had an amazing time getting to act like kids, and act like kids we did! We stayed up late, ate junk food, rode rides, and soaked up all the fun that Disney has to offer. It really was a great trip, but something happened on the day we visited the Magic Kingdom that set this visit above many others.

We went to see the Enchanted Tales with Belle attraction, which is a neat little experience. When you first arrive, you tour a mock-up of the cottage where Belle from Beauty and the Beast lived with her inventor father, Maurice. You work your way into Maurice’s workshop and are granted access into a special room through a “magical portal” where an abbreviated version of the story of Beauty and the Beast is presented, complete with a young lady dressed like Belle and some impressive audio-animatronics of famous characters from the movie. What really makes the attraction special, though, is that members from the audience get selected to play other roles and be part of the story. Much to my surprise, I was conscripted to play a suit of armor in the show and it was a thrill, especially getting my picture taken with the princess after the show.

Now one of the things that Disney does that makes it such a special place, and it goes back to Walt Disney’s original vision for his Disneyland Park, is it invites people of all ages and backgrounds to enter into the stories told in their movies. So what I witnessed as part of that story time attraction accomplished that goal in spades.

When it came time to cast the role of the Beast, I was curious who would be chosen. I figured a child would be selected, and most likely an adolescent boy who felt he was too cool for the moment, but the person who was chosen shattered any hint of type-casting. A little girl with Down Syndrome, probably no older than five-years-old, dressed in her own yellow Beauty and the Beast ball gown was asked to play the Beast. My heart was warmed, though I was a little curious how it would play out, but when the lights came on, she was ready! Wearing a little red cape, she growled and roared right on cue and illuminated the room with her effervescent exuberance and an uncontainable smile.

The highlight of the whole experience occurred toward the end of the story time when Belle was to dance with the Beast. As the beautiful princess in her flowing yellow ball gown held hands with this precious little girl and they “glided” across the floor, the little girl looked up at Belle with a star struck gaze that could only be interpreted as, “This is REAL!” Needless to say, there wasn’t a dry eye in the entire room and I was glad I had my knight’s helmet I could hide behind.

By my estimation, the Disney employee who selected the guests for the roles made a calculated risk in casting the little girl as the Beast. She could have clammed up, clung to her parents, or broke character in her scene-stealing role, but in choosing the least likely of “actors” for that role, magic was made that left a lasting impression on me, the others who witnessed that show, and I imagine most of all, the girl herself. If only for a few minutes in time on a January afternoon, she really was the Beast, dancing with the beautiful princess after finding the love that changed her life. Getting to play a part acting out a fairytale was something we will likely never forget, but it also points to a role in a bigger story that must be told.

All of us have the opportunity to allow love to touch our hearts and change our lives as we take our part in GOD’s love story to change the world. We are invited to take on a new wardrobe (Colossians 3:12) and experience a new existence thanks to what GOD did for us in Jesus Christ (Galatians 2:20). This is something that is available for all…it matters not who we are, where we have been, or what we have done…all that matters is acknowledging the truth that GOD has chosen to make salvation available to all of us, and not just a select few, thanks to Jesus (1Timothy 2.3-6)!

Another truth we must confront and conquer, though, is that there are people right around us who need to be shown that love and grace. We might look down on them because they are different or don’t fit our own preconceived mold of what is right, good, comfortable, or acceptable. When we look down at people like this, we make them out to be less than human – “beasts” if you will – the very ones Jesus gave His life to save. Beasts like you. Beasts like me. Beasts like all of us who would do well to realize that the Lord is offering His hand to join Him in the dance of life to gaze into His eyes and realize His love is real enough to soften the hardest of hearts!

Watching “The Beast” dance with the princess touched my heart in ways an animated movie never could. I think more importantly, I was impressed by how the people at Disney looked for an opportunity to make a magical moment for a little girl and her family at the risk of everyone else’s experience. And for an organization that prides itself in perfection, this was no small risk. But in the end, it was more than just a magical moment, because it was an example for how we all are called to look for those opportunities to show others – even the last, the lost, and the least – how special they are in the eyes of GOD.

As you look at your life, look for opportunities to help connect someone to the loving embrace of the Prince of Peace. He is looking to join us all in the dance of life, even the beasts that we might be. And when we realize the depth of His love, it will soften your heart, redirect your life, removing the shadow of a shallow existence, and transform you into the beautiful creature you were designed to be. For as Paul wrote: “We all show the Lord’s glory, and we are being changed to be like him. This change in us brings ever greater glory, which comes from the Lord…” (2 Corinthians 3:18, NCV)

Always Open

I saw a poster last week that made me smile. It was a poster for a church that showed a young person standing on top of a hill with his or her arms opened wide as though to give a hug. Beneath the picture was a caption that said something to the effect of, “Come to the church that’s always open.” Always open…there’s a neat concept for a church, but open to what? Does it mean that the doors never close? Does it mean that the hearts of the people never close? Does it infer that some churches are closed in every possible way? I suppose the answer to all of these is ‘yes,’ at least to some degree.

This led me to think about another place that boasts it is always open, the Waffle House. I went to the Waffle House web site, www.wafflehouse.com, and found the following interesting facts: Waffle House is open 365 days a year. More than 877,388,027 waffles have been served since the first Waffle House opened in 1955. Also, since 1955, approximately 1.3 billion cups of coffee have been served. The Waffle House found 22,020,096 different ways to prepare its hamburgers. Waffle Houses serves 2,501,866,574 eggs each year. If you stack all the sausage patties sold in one day, the stack would be four-times taller than the Empire State Building. And Waffle House sells enough bacon in one year to stretch all the way around the equator…that’s 25,000 miles! These are some staggering facts that proves how much can be accomplished when something is actually, “Always Open!”

I know something—or should I say someone—who is also always open: God! God created you for one purpose: relationship. It is out of God’s love that you were created and it is in God’s love that you live. Sometimes people do pretty well without God in their lives, but think about how much better it would be if we were living faithful lives; lives with our eyes fixed firmly upon Jesus, the One who openly gave His life, that we might know just how much God loves us!

When we speak of God’s love, there are many who want to put qualifiers on it. Some might think that you have to be in worship and Sunday School or a small group every week to experience God’s saving love. Some might think you aren’t saved until you tithe to a church. Some might even think you have to know how to spell all the books in the Bible (and yes, Old Testament included), let alone recite them in order. All of these can help strengthen your faith and relationship with God, but friends, let me tell you this right here, right now…God’s love is for you! There is nothing you can do to deserve it save realize you are a child in need, turning to God, the ultimate giver.

God’s love is always open and inviting you in. It does not matter what you bring with you to read this article, but you have the chance to get up a changed person. It does not mean you are better than everyone else, just better than the person you were. Ask God to forgive your sin. Place your faith to live life in Jesus Christ. Then commit your life to living in God’s love through a local church as a child of the One who is always open in love!

Friends, it is staggering what Waffle House can do with coffee, waffles, sausage, and bacon. It is even more staggering what God can do with a life committed to Him. So take this day to turn your eyes upon Jesus. Take this season of Lent to recommit your heart to the Almighty. And above all, make yourself open to receiving the love that has been meant for you all along…the open, freeing, and saving love of God in Christ Jesus!

My Thoughts on the Recent Duck Dynasty Controversy

I have been intrigued by the recent controversy caused by Duck Commander, Phil Robertson’s comments on sinfulness. I must confess that I am a fan of the show, Duck Dynasty; I find it charming and entertaining. I'll also be honest and say that some of the things that are said and done on the show can make me a bit uncomfortable, but I know it’s entertainment and I do not turn to the Robertson clan...as nice and famous as they might be...for advice, wisdom, moral authority, and spiritual instruction, because quite frankly, that is not the show’s purpose. The purpose of the show is to entertain and make money for the A&E network and the Duck Commander brand.

The Bible tells us that none of us are righteous (Romans 3:9). The Bible also tells us that God loves the world so much that He sent Jesus to save the world and not condemn it (John 3:16-18). And then there’s this, “But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). 

Sinners…all of us…people of faith and otherwise…we are all sinners. Some really good news is that even though we’re sinners, God doesn’t cast us out or throw us away; instead, He chooses to work in, with, for, and through us. God does this even in spite of us and our bent toward sinning. 

Something I have learned along the way is that God can work through our own sinfulness for the sake of His glory. I know the Lord has turned some of the muck of my life into something, and for that, I’m thankful! God has used my mistakes to keep me humble. God has used my mistakes to help me learn. God has used my mistakes to give me a witness, opportunity, and platform that declares God loves me in spite of myself. And God has used my mistakes to help me realize that He does indeed love me enough to save me when I deserve the exact opposite. 

I am watching what my friends on both sides of this Duck Dynasty issue are saying about this controversy. In my opinion, it isn’t a free speech issue, and it isn’t really an expression of faith issue. To me, this is a humanity issue! God doesn’t want anyone dehumanized; in fact, God embodied this in Jesus by becoming human Himself to show us the way to live and love in God’s world (Philippians 2:1-11, John 14:6). 

Phil Robertson, while speaking categorically about sin, took the bait from GQ and began categorizing sinfulness. In Matthew 23:13, Jesus took on the hypocrisy of the Pharisees who in their attempt to preserve and protect the Kingdom of God were blocking out the very ones who needed it most! Lest we forget, Jesus told us that all authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Him, and He has charged us to go out and promote the Kingdom.

One of the tools of our enemy, the deceiver, is to cast believers in a poor light in order to discredit the entire lot. I’m not a fan of the comments made by Robertson, but I am a fan of his freedom to share them. I’m also no fan of the hysteria from both sides of the debate. If we are going to combat the techniques of the evil one, and point others to God, then love is the only useful tool in our arsenal. 

I have had a number of Facebook friends invite me to either join in the boycott of Duck Dynasty or to “Stand with Phil”. After some thought, I have decided to do neither, but to stand with Christ who tells us not to judge or condemn or risk the same treatment in kind (Luke 6:37). I want to love God and love others, regardless what “category” they might belong. After all, this is what I want and need at the core of my being, and if the Golden Rule has taught me anything, I need to treat others according to the way I want to be treated (Matthew 7:12).

Remember, God’s love came to us in Christ in the midst of our darkness and sinfulness. Through His love, God decided to save us. May we resist the temptation to dehumanize others in their sinfulness – specifically the categories with which we don’t agree or like – as we remember that God has saved us from our own. And just as Jesus came for all people, may we love others as Jesus has taught us, so everyone can know of the love and grace of God Almighty!

Merry Christmas,

Mark

A Christmas Miracle!

During our stewardship campaign in the month of October, we adopted the Liberdade United Methodist Church for our Miracles for Mozambique outreach project. Throughout the campaign, we asked people in our church and community to help provide gifts of Bibles and hymnals to the church. We set a goal of $200, which we estimated would purchase approximately 200 Bibles and hymnals. Thanks to the generosity of this wonderful congregation, over $2,700 was raised, shattering our goal, and increasing our miraculous outreach to Mozambique!

Last week, I received an email message from Rev. Sambo from Liberdade UMC about our gift. I want to share that note with you.

Dear Pastor Jordan,

Greetings from me and from Liberdade UMC. We are doing fine here and very grateful for working/partnering together in the making of Disciples for Christ. When the idea of Miracles for Mozambique started, I just thought of BIG possibilities and of open hearts and minds to sustain this project. My family and I started praying for Miracles for Mozambique.

Upon the Press Release in the local News in Atlanta, the congregation was thrilled and I said, lets pray that this Miracles for Mozambique's dream come true. Soon after the Press Release, I shared the good news with my Bishop here. She was also excited about hearing that people of God from overseas are partnering with a Congregation in Mozambique. She said: "Rev Sambo, lets pray with thankful hearts because while we journey in faith and ministry, God uses people as His hands and feet to help the need". Our bishop was right and I never doubted on her. The dream "Miracles for Mozambique" is coming true.

I have ordered the Bibles and Hymnals. I will have them Monday, and this will enable us distribute them to our Congregation before Christmas. It's going to be a wonderful Christmas Gift to our Congregation. I am excited about that day. Certainly, certainly we'll make sure we document that through pictures taking to share with you.

This Sunday Dec 15, we'll announce the Bibles and Hymnals' distribution for Sunday Dec 22. Our calculations will enable us purchase more than 200 Bibles and 150 Hymnals. Like I said, the order has been made and will be collected Monday.

Dr Mark, please, convey our gratitude and greet the Cokes Chapel UMC members. Inform them, their generous donations will continue to change and transform people's lives and expands the kingdom of God in Mozambique. You are a blessing to Liberdade Community in Mozambique Conference.

Yours,

In the same vineyard,

Rev. Joao Sambo

Friends, it warms my heart and blows me away that this project coalesces at Christmas! It is during this season that we celebrate GOD’s sending Jesus, the living Word of GOD, to us to light our path and show us the way. Consider John 1.14: “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (NIV) I also love how it is stated in The Message version: “The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, generous inside and out, true from start to finish.” And since we know Jesus as the Word of GOD, our church…here in Sharpsburg, Georgia…is generously giving the gift of Jesus to a church half-a-world-away! Isn’t it amazing how GOD works?

Friends, I hope as we prepare for next week’s Christmas Eve services, you will add an extra mention in your prayers for our brothers and sisters in Mozambique. I know as I think about the literal shelves of Bibles I have in my office and at home how blessed I am, but the thought that someone might hold a Bible for the first time in his/her entire life, thanks to the generosity of this church, fills my heart with all kinds of Christmas joy!

As Pastor Sambo said, we are all “in the same vineyard”! May our joy be complete this Christmas knowing that something as simple as placing a dollar or two in a treasure chest over a month ago is helping to bring the Word of GOD to people across the world. Thanks for being the church. Thanks for living out your ministry of generosity. And thanks for being part of the miracle…the Christmas miracle!

The Intersection of Hope & Fear

I love Christmas music; always have. It is not uncommon for me to pull out some of my favorite recordings even in the middle of the summer when it is time for me to begin thinking about planning for Advent and Christmas. Nothing quite gets me in the mood like my favorite Christmas carols and songs. But something happened a couple weeks ago that caught me off guard.

I was driving home from a church function right after Thanksgiving. Just before I got to the house, one of my all-time favorite Christmas songs, O Little Town Of Bethlehem, began playing. When I pulled into the garage, I sat back and allowed the words to waft into my heart like the aroma of fresh coffee first thing in the morning. As I listened, one line in particular gave a jolt I was not expecting.

There is a line in the song that goes, “The hopes and fears of all the years are met in thee tonight.” Hopes and fears; quite an interesting dichotomy, isn’t it? There is very little that separates a hope and a fear. They both live in the future and are shrouded by uncertainty. We all hope for something, but all too often fear creeps in. The “what ifs?” of life seem almost deafening compared to our dreams. Success vs. failure; blessings vs. breakdowns; determination vs. disappointment; when all we want is to succeed. In the baby Jesus, God meets us at the intersection of hope and fear and empowers us to go His direction. Also, in the baby Jesus, we find hope because we find love—a perfect love! And as the good book tells us, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear…” (1 John 4.18)

Secondly, when the song says “of all the years,” it can only mean eternity. From the fall of Adam and Eve, God set a plan in motion to break the power of sin and redeem His beloved children. That plan was none other than Jesus lying in his manger bed to one day lead the way to God and eternal life. All of our hopes for a promising future and our fears of dread for a dead-end future collided in the coos of a little boy.

The prophet Jeremiah records the words of God as telling His lost and hopeless people, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the LORD, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” (Jeremiah 29.11, NIV, emphasis mine) It has always been God’s plan to give us hope and a future, but our own fear of failure clouds our vision.

It was certainly a moment that has given me renewed vigor and vision for this Advent and upcoming Christmas season. I hope that as you see the sights and hear the music of Christmas, you will see the tiny face, hands, and toes of the little Christ child born to set us free. We all hope for a better tomorrow and often fear the worst. But Jesus is God’s gift of love…a great and wonderful gift.

So this Christmas above all others, may you find in the manger and in your heart God’s gift and promise for hope and a future, knowing love drives out fear! Just as He did on that very first Christmas, God has come to stand at the intersection of our hopes and fears to show us the way, the truth, and the life…His way! So as we get ever closer to this Christmas, may you be blessed by His gift of love and find Him again, right in the middle of your (new) life!

Advent

I got a special gift in the mail the other day; it was from my mom and was actually shipped from her house in Canada before she came home. What is this gift? Well, I’m glad you asked…it is a chocolate Advent calendar!

The chocolate Advent calendar was an annual tradition in the Jordan household. Mom would always buy the family one toward the end of November so we were ready once December 1st arrived. And what was particularly fun for me, having a December birthday and all, was setting up the order in which my brother, sister, and I got to open the windows and reveal the daily treat. I always got to open it on my birthday, so Greg and Kate got to take turns kicking off the month. As the days would pass, and the calendar would become emptier and emptier, we could literally feel the building anticipation of Christmas! After all, isn’t this the purpose of the Advent calendar, and by virtue, Advent itself?

This past Sunday began the season of Advent. Advent is the season of preparation, including four Sundays, that helps us get ready for Christmas. Many churches hold a service of preparation for Christ's coming, which includes hanging greenery traditionally associated with everlasting life. Greens such as cedar for royalty, fir and pine boughs for everlasting life, holly symbolizing Jesus' death and ivy representing the resurrection are used (from www.umc.org). We had more of a festive approach to the traditional Hanging of the Greens as we gathered last Saturday to decorate our facilities and then shared in a potluck chili lunch. It was a lot of fun transforming our worship spaces and chowing down together!

The term, Advent, comes from the Latin, adventus, which literally means, coming. It is during this season when we commemorate the first coming of the Messiah in the Christ child while looking forward to the second coming of Jesus and the complete institution of the Reign of GOD. It is a season of excitement, anticipation, and focusing on the adventure of a life lived in GOD!

Advent is not Christmas, even though culturally we see a lot of bleed-over. Before the Halloween jack-o-lanterns are even been carved,  Christmas decorations tend to appear in our favorite retail outlets and festive music begins to hit the airwaves. We tend to get so inundated with the approaching holidays, that by the time the Thanksgiving turkeys are ready for dinner, the Christmas season has already begun. Then, once December 26^th arrives, we are so over Christmas that we are ready to put away our decorations and the stores are trying to prepare us for Valentine’s Day. The problem is, by then we have just entered into the Christmas season and are to begin celebrating GOD’s gift of Jesus to us. When you think about it, it really is sad.

The Church really wants us to be more intentional about our preparation for Christmas, hence the season of Advent. Advent is designed to help us strategically connect the miracle of Christmas to our everyday lives. This way, by the time the big day has arrived, the excitement and anticipation has built to a fever pitch that we are so ready for the celebration we do not want it to end! So as we go through these four weeks of Advent, we will focus on the hope, peace, joy, and love of GOD so that we are almost ready to burst with the excitement and anticipation that comes with Christmas. Thinking of it this way, Advent should be much more like an adventure than the motions through which we go to mark off the days of a calendar.

I hope you will make every effort to be part of this adventure as we prepare for the glory of Christmas! We have a bevy of fun and worshipful events to help us prepare for Christmas, culminating in our Christmas Eve Candlelight and Communion services at 7pm (contemporary) and 9pm (traditional).

When GOD came in Jesus, everything else was different forever. It was a miraculous event that still causes miracles today. So come, partake of the sweetness of this special season, and make a point to connect the miracle of Christmas for someone else, introducing them to the love and light of GOD in Christ Jesus this Advent and beyond!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It is Thanksgiving morning. Sportakiss the elf is once again on the shelf; I'm surrounded by Tiff, Ethan, and our fur babies; biscuits for breakfast are in the oven; cup-o-coffee is in my favorite mug; the Macy's parade is on the TV (in HD, no less); we're getting ready to head to mom's for a Thanksgiving feast that will be so grand she called to tell me to bring my own to-go containers; I get to spend the holiday with my brother, sister, and all my nieces and nephews; I'm taking a quick peek at facebook and see lots of thankfulness; and everywhere I turn I am made aware of the power of God's love that not just directs my life, but shapes it. Yes indeed, there is a lot for which to be thankful! So know how thankful I am for all of my friends, my family, my church peeps, my Savior, and yes, even the challenges that cause me to grow stronger and stronger. 

May you have a blessed Thanksgiving Day as you pause, identify, and reflect over the many things for which you have to be thankful! And as you celebrate, remember those who are serving our country; protecting and caring for our communities; are working today to make our lives safer, easier and/or more convenient; and especially for those who spend this holiday missing a loved one.

Happy Thanksgiving, my friends!

(This was originally a Facebook post from Thanksgiving morning -- 11/28/13 -- that I wanted to post on my separate blog)