Where Is Your Brother?

Last Sunday we continued our Questions GOD Asks Us message series pondering the question GOD asked of Cain in Genesis 4.9: “Where is your brother?” You can read the entire account of Cain, Able, and GOD by clicking here.

This question is asked just after Cain’s murder of Abel. The context is that Cain and Abel both brought offerings to GOD. Cain, who worked the ground, and Abel, who worked with animals, both brought gifts according to their trade. The Bible reports that Cain brought his fruit, but Abel brought his firstlings. GOD preferred Abel’s offering over Cain’s, which infuriated the older brother. Moses is giving us a clue as to what happened here. When we make an offering to GOD, He wants our best, not the rest. So as we read that Cain gave fruit, but Abel gave the firstlings, we see that Abel gave his best, while Cain gave the rest. This is why GOD held Abel’s offering in higher regard than Cain’s.

GOD could see Cain’s attitude shift and this concerned Him, prompting him to give Cain a poignant warning as noted in verse 7: “…sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”As the Lord saw Cain’s attitude shift, He knew that the enemy was at work in Cain, hence the warning. Satan was looking for a foothold, and Cain gave him two: (1) by not giving GOD his best, and (2) by allowing his anger to burn out of control. As Cain spiraled downward, the devil saw his opening and he took it.

We can certainly identify with this, can’t we? Something bad happens to us and then it seems like all you-know-what breaks loose. This isn’t GOD fault…GOD has given us the warnings, as well as the disciplines (things like prayer, worship, study, etc) to combat the tools of the enemy. Cain didn’t heed GOD’s warning, though, and verse 8 tells us that he led Abel out into the field to commit his remediated malice murder.

Much like with Adam and Eve, GOD gave Cain the opportunity to come clean and confess his sin as He asked our focus question, “Where is your brother?” Personally, I am struck by the arrogance in Cain’s answering GOD’s question with another question: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” In the Biblical language, the word Cain used for “keeper” refers to the work of a shepherd or other husbandry professional. Essentially, as Cain asks GOD his question, he is referring to Abel as an animal, essentially dehumanizing him to help rationalize his sinful and violent behavior.

This is something else to which we can likely relate. When we are hurt or angered with someone, we often times take it out in safer places. Cain was really angry with GOD for not regarding his offering, and he was probably angrier with himself for not giving GOD his best. Cain decided not to act out against GOD or enter into penitent reflection and repentance, but decided to eradicate his rival.

This is a powerful story about sin and our susceptibility to it, and as we read it, we, too, might wonder how much responsibility we have for others. I believe GOD’s question presupposes that we do have responsibility for others. This does not absolve us of personal responsibility for our decisions, actions, and inactions, but we have a responsibility to help support others and hold them account to GOD’s standard. This also becomes a powerful protection against the sin that lurks at the door for us. So as we reflect over GOD’s warning to Cain in verse 7, we also get a model for how we can work with others when we see them entering a downward spiral.

We all have witnessed it – a friend, family member, coworker, neighbor, etc who begins spiraling out of control as a result of sin. GOD’s caution to Cain gives an example to follow about warning people not to give in to the power of sin. It also gives us an example to follow in offering grace to people when they do fall.

So as we look back to our focus question for this lesson – Where is your brother?  -- it is prudent for us to not just think in terms of where he/she might be located, but also in proximity to the snare of sin. If you see your brother heading down a dangerous path, hold him to account and help him deal with the problems he is facing. If he still chooses to act badly, that’s on him, but you still have the responsibility to show grace in the face of sin, which leads me to my last point.

This episode did not necessarily change Cain, because when GOD pronounced His judgment on Cain, Cain remained self-centered worrying about himself, but GOD shows grace and promised to protect Cain. This proves the preeminence of grace, which is always greater than all our sin.

Where is your brother? Is there someone in your life who needs to be warned about sin lurking at the door of his or her heart? Has someone you know succumbed to temptation and sinned? Then he or she needs the power of grace to help overcome sin’s treachery. Paul says it this way: “But sin didn’t, and doesn’t, have a chance in competition with the aggressive forgiveness we call grace. When it’s sin versus grace, grace wins hands down. All sin can do is threaten us with death, and that’s the end of it. Grace, because God is putting everything together again through the Messiah, invites us into life—a life that goes on and on and on, world without end.” (Romans 5.20-21, The Message)

May this be our strength and comfort in the face of sin. May it be our compulsion to help our neighbor when we see him or her spiraling out of control. And when we fall, because we all will, may we be changed by the power of love and grace.

Have a great rest of the week and I hope you'll join us Sunday as we explore our next question, "What is that in your hand?"

Ash Wednesday

Today, Wednesday March, 5^th is Ash Wednesday; the annual “celebration” in the church that marks the beginning of Lent. Ash Wednesday derives its name from the practice of placing ashes on the foreheads as a reminder of human mortality and as a sign of repentance to GOD. Ashes were used in the Bible as a way to show mourning and reliance on GOD; for example, the prophet Daniel said, “I turned to the Lord God, pleading in earnest prayer, with fasting, sackcloth and ashes (Daniel 9:3).” As we gather for Ash Wednesday worship tonight, we will celebrate with the imposition of ashes as we remember from dust we came and to dust we will return. This recollection of our mortality places us in the correct posture, if you will, by which to prepare for Easter through the season of Lent.

Lent lasts 40 days (six weeks, excluding Sundays) and it is to remind us of the time Jesus spent in the wilderness being tempted by Satan (see Luke 4.1-11). This is a time when Jesus fasted, prayed, and spent time alone with GOD the Father to help prepare Him for His public ministry. And it was a good thing, too, because according to Luke, as soon as Jesus came out of the wilderness, He faced rejection in His own hometown! It was that time in the wilderness that helped Jesus get His heart and mind aligned with GOD’s so He could follow through faithfully with His holy task.

The season of Lent calls us into a similar time of preparation. Christians are called to prepare primarily by praying, fasting, and giving. Prayer might seem self explanatory, but I think that the prayer Jesus used in the desert is different from the way many of us pray today. We often run to GOD with a wish list of things we would like for Him to do for us, and then we’re quickly on our way. For Jesus, however, prayer was something that was far more about the position and condition of His heart. Jesus spent weeks upon weeks praying for guidance, listening for answers, and just finding His heart centered in GOD. During this year’s Lent, I would like to encourage you to try something a little different in your prayer life – as opposed to just taking a wish list to GOD, spend some time sharing with Him the things going on in your heart, but provide time to listen for the voice of GOD. This can be a challenge, because we don’t do too well sitting still and listening with so many welcomed distractions, so spend this Lent trying something new in your prayer life.

Another aspect of Lenten discipline is fasting. Fasting sounds awful daunting to many, – and it can be – but there are different degrees of fasting you can practice. Instead of doing like Jesus did and fasting from food and water for six-weeks, maybe you could try a practice of abstaining from certain vices or treats like sodas, sweets, alcohol, tobacco, or fast food. The idea is to give up something you would miss, and when you miss it, spend time in prayer with GOD. One other comment about fasting, and that is if you are fasting from something that costs you money, the money saved from these “vices” should be given to the poor.

Speaking of giving to the poor, this is the third primary practice of Lent. GOD is generous and asks us to be generous. GOD knows that we tend to use money as a means of power and/or discrimination. We are called to use our blessings to bring blessings to others, but the reality is we often hold on to them as opposed to being willing to give them solely for the benefit of another. This Lent, as you restructure your prayer life, and focus on giving up something that you will miss, you will likely find that your priorities change and your heart is being softened for others in need. Then give from your blessings to help someone else in need. And to help you with this in the church, we will be serving Communion weekly in both Sunday services (not to mention our Wednesday Communion services at noon) collecting money to help those in our community who are in need. You can make weekly offerings during Communion at the altar in our two Sunday services, as well as our Wednesday noon Communion services.

I hope that you will join us for our annual Ash Wednesday service on March 5^th either at noon or 7pm. As I said earlier, we will commemorate the day with the imposition of ashes as well as the celebration of Holy Communion. It promises to be a powerfully significant evening, and we hope you will join us as we begin our journey to the cross and the empty tomb!

Where Are You?

Last Sunday we continued our new message series, Questions God Asks Us. In week one, we explored the three reasons God asks us questions: (1) to be in relationship with us on God's terms; (2) to give us dignity in the relationship by allowing us to hear and be heard; and (3) to make us like Jesus. In continuing our series, we looked at the question found in Genesis 3:9, "Where are you?"

This question was asked by God of Adam and Eve at the Fall. After eating from the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam and Eve's eyes were opened and they realized they were naked, causing them to make clothes out of fig leaves and go into hiding. God, of course, knew right where they were, but looking at our three reasons, He asked the question to remain relational (even though their sin created a schism); give them dignity by allowing them to answer (like a parent who asks a child what he/she did, even knowing what the answer should be); and to focus back on God's character of honesty to truly make them more like Him (not as the way they were tempted by Satan). 

I think it is interesting to look at the idea that Adam and Eve felt naked. I think this means they felt exposed. We know how this can feel, don't we? Being exposed causes us to feel vulnerable, so we run into hiding. These days we don't do too much sewing of fig leaves, but we certainly know how to hide...perhaps we hide in our jobs, relationships, technology, entertainment, video games, and other forms of escape. Often the things in which we hide are positive and can be quite meaningful, but when we use them to hide from God or others, then we distort their purpose and continue in the schism created by Adam and Eve.

There is good news, though, and that is we have a God who pursues us! Like the Lord walking through the garden to hunt for Adam and Eve essentially saying, "come out, come out, wherever you are...", God speaks into our lives and nudges us to come out of hiding and enter into the relationship for which we were created. Sure, this can make us feel vulnerable when we have to face the questions we don't want to answer, but our relational God, who wants to give us dignity in the relationship so we can be more like Him, wants the most out of us and for us. 

So like God walking through to the Garden of Eden on that fateful day, I ask you the same question, "Where are you?" Are you hiding from God or someone else? Are you pouring your life into good things in a way that distorts purpose? Are you being called out of hiding to face life's vulnerabilities? Come out of hiding and receive the offer of relationship that is being offered to you...the very same relationship for which you were created in the first place!

I hope you will come and join us on Sunday as we continue our series exploring God's question to Cain after Abel's murder: "Where is your brother?" (Genesis 4:9) This week's message will help us consider touchy subjects like forgiveness and reconciliation. Hope to see you then!

From the Eye of the Storm

This past Sunday we began our new message series entitled, Questions GOD Asks Us, which will take us all the way up to Easter morning. The series is an exploration of ten questions asked by GOD to people in the Scriptures – five in the Old Testament and five in the New Testament – that hold relevance for us even today. These questions, as Pastor Mark taught on Sunday, have a three-fold purpose:

1. To help us reset our relational boundaries with GOD, coming to Him on His terms as opposed to ours (Exodus 19:5).
2. To give us dignity in the relationship, so we can work out our salvation with GOD’s help (Philippians 2:12-13).
3. To mold and shape us into the likeness of Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18).

When we think about GOD and questions, we probably gravitate toward the questions we have for Him. Since GOD wants to be in relationship with us, we need to pause and allow GOD the time and space to respond, acknowledging that He will often ask questions of us in return. We need to ponder GOD’s replies (even in the form of more questions!), so we can grow in relationship with Him and be made more like Jesus.

In our introductory message (which you can watch by clicking here: http://youtu.be/JR-g2lwxgko), Pastor Mark used Job 38:1-18 to illustrate how GOD used questions in a conversation with Job to reset the boundaries of their relationship. Framing this Scripture passage, we read these words that GOD spoke to Job: “I have some questions for you, and I want some straight answers.... Tell me, since you know so much! Speak up if you have even the beginning of an answer.” The questions that GOD asked Job worked to reset the boundaries of their relationship so Job could learn from, and be comforted by, GOD. As powerful as that concept is, there was a verse in that reading that did not really strike me until after the services were completed. In Job 38:1 – after Job had arrogantly and ignorantly peppered GOD with questions – we see the shift in the narrative: “And now, finally, God answered Job from the eye of a violent storm.”

There is no doubt that Job was going through the proverbial storms of life. He had been inundated with loss, struggle, and calamity, and he wanted to know why. So Job 38:1 tells us that GOD replied, but it started while Job was in the eye of the storm. If you think about a hurricane, you will recall that the leading edge of the storm first hits, and then the eye, which is calm compared to the rest of the storm. Once the eye passes, however, the second part of the storm hits. In this case, the first part of the storm was Job’s calamity and second part of that storm is GOD’s reply to Job. This GOD-driven part of the conversation starts in chapter 38 and goes all the way through chapter 41. Then, as chapter 42 begins, we read Job’s reply to GOD:

“[GOD] asked, ‘Who is this muddying the water, ignorantly confusing the issue, second-guessing my purposes?’ I (Job) admit it. I was the one. I babbled on about things far beyond me, made small talk about wonders way over my head. [GOD] told me, ‘Listen, and let me do the talking. Let me ask the questions. You give the answers.’ I (Job) admit I once lived by rumors of you; now I have it all firsthand—from my own eyes and ears!”

So often we take our questions to GOD and dump them at His feet without providing GOD the time and space to reply. When we allow GOD time to reply, however, even in the form of more questions, we can discover the answers that we seek firsthand – with our own eyes and ears – from the very One who spun the universe into motion.

Up next in our series we will explore the first question in our series: Where Are You? GOD asked this question of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden right after the Fall (Genesis 3:1-13). GOD knew exactly where they were, but asked that question not just to probe Adam and Eve for their physical location, but their relational proximity to GOD as well.

Just as Adam and Eve were hiding, we have the tendency to hide from GOD and others when enduring the storms of life. As we hear GOD ask the question, “Where Are You?” you must consider if you are physically or figuratively hiding from GOD. Then, you can emerge from your hiding and meet the One who is relentlessly pursuing your heart for the salvation of your soul.

Have a great rest of the week and I hope to see you Sunday as we explore GOD’s question: “Where are you?”

The Heart of the Matter

This past weekend I had the privilege of serving in a retreat for students that’s prime purpose is to show and share the love of God with others. After coming home, I find myself humbly returning to the core concept of the weekend message – God loves you! It seems like such a simple concept, but it can take a lifetime to comprehend.

As I reflect over my life and how God has revealed His love to me, it is obvious just how much I still have to learn. Living life with such a powerful and loving God inspires me, empowers me, and encourages me, but it also has the ability to intimidate me, convict me, and challenge me. I hear Jesus say that I am to love God with all of my heart, soul, mind, and strength, AND my neighbor as myself. The truth is the moment I think I have it down, something happens that shows me just how far I have to go.

Rock-n-roll singer, Don Henley, had a line in his hit song, The Heart of the Matter, which says, “The more I know, the less I understand, and all the things I thought I’d figured out, I have to learn again. I’ve been trying to get down to the heart of the matter, but my will gets weak and my thoughts seem to scatter; but I think it’s about forgiveness…” This represents something known as The Island Theory which states that the more we know, the more we realize how much we do not know. For me, just when I think I have it all figured out, God does, says, reveals, withholds, inspires, convicts, or challenges me with something new that stretches my faith and helps me grow.

Over the past month in worship, we have been exploring the power of God and how it changes the human heart. The Bible teaches that our faith is to rest on God’s power. This is the power that first brought life to our barren planet and the same power that brings new life to our barren lives. Theologian, Søren Kierkegaard once wrote, God creates out of nothing. Wonderful, you say. Yes, to be sure, but He does what is still more wonderful: He makes saints out of sinners."

I am a sinner. I am no saint. After a time of being confronted with God’s relentless pursuit of my heart, I am being called to consider what that means and to commit my life anew to knowing and showing the love of God. It is true that the more I know, the less I understand, but the best news is that God is still revealing His heart and molding me into the person I am called to be. The trick for me, though, is to acknowledge my powerlessness (something we human beings are reluctant to do) and accept God’s gift of grace. As Romans 5.6&8 says, “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly…But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

I suppose this is the heart of the matter: we are all sinners and powerless to save ourselves. God’s relentless pursuit of us shows us that even though we are powerless, we are loved! God’s forgiveness – the same power that makes saints out of sinners – is the mobilized love that empowers us for the sake of sharing His love with the world. It might be harder to understand at certain times than others, but it doesn’t change the fact that God loves you with a powerful love to bring you into His eternal family. Saints out of sinners sinners. Powerful, isn’t it? 

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!