Sunday, November 28, 2010

Revelation: The Lamb at the Center

[sermon notes from the Vineyard Church of Milan 11/28/2010]

[audio link not yet available]

Invitation to open to Revelation, chapter 5.

Part 2 in a 2 part series on the Apocalypse. Apocalypse meaning “to lay bare, to make naked, to reveal, as in the lifting of a veil.” St. John’s Apocalypse is not a book about the end of the world, as many assume, but a book that helps us see reality as it really is, helps us see what’s going on behind the scenes of our everyday, ordinary lives.

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[Biggest loser race for the car…Revelation 5 shows us what was really going on there…]

Reiterate key idea from last week:

Apocalyptic language is designed to engage our imaginations, to wake us up to things that have already been revealed, but that are easy to forget as we get numbed to them by ordinary life. Kind of like smelling salts for our souls. Revelation brings us to our senses.

Like a stylized painting, not a Polaroid picture…

For example, 4v4 says: Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads.

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Option A: There are 24 people in heaven with crowns and front row seats to God. This is good information because if you do get to heaven and you meet one of these blokes, you really should ask for an autograph. Plus, it makes God look kind of cool because he’s got these guys falling down before him several times a day, singing songs to him. Or…

Option B: The crowns and thrones and white clothes are all meant to paint a picture of people in whom the image of God has been restored, who are now able to finally take their proper place in the purposes of God in creation. The picture of 24 elders in thrones is meant to reveal to us that when we place God at the center of our lives, his image in us is restored, and every surrendered, faith-filled action becomes an image-bearing action, filled with the restorative authority of the creator of all things.

(So when you serve the needy out of love for the God who says that when you serve the least of our brothers and sisters you are really serving him, or when you love your enemies, or forgive those who wrong you, or give hospitality to the stranger, or mourn with those who mourn, or rejoice with those who rejoice, or give generously out of faith in God’s generosity, or confess your sins to your friend and repent so that their power over your life comes undone, when you pray for the sick, or intercede for the weary, or encourage the broken hearted, or seek justice for the oppressed, or rouse yourself from your bed so that you can join the church in worship and sing glory to the saving one, when you do any of these or countless other faith-filled actions, you are in fact taking your proper place in the universe with the children of God, the princes of the king.)

What seems to be mundane and ordinary actions are, in fact, noble and holy, and humming with the energetic power of the heavens.

For what it’s worth, I’ll take option B.

As we discussed at length last week, the first thing we notice in Revelation 4 and 5 is that we are not the center, that there is another center to the universe, a true center, a throne which is not ours and on which we are not meant to sit. Which of course, gives us great freedom when we apprehend and make our peace with that reality.

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But the second thing we notice, the thing which is really meant to arrest our attention in this apocalyptic vision, are the ones who are at the center of everything. The one on the throne, and the lamb.

[play Revelation 4&5 composition, inviting congregation to join their voices to the 5 songs contained in it...]

Revelation 4 & 5 composition

4 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“ ‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,’

who was, and is, and is to come.”

9Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

11“You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they were created

and have their being.”

The Scroll and the Lamb

5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

6Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center before the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

because you were slain,

and with your blood you purchased for God

members of every tribe and language and people and nation.

10You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,

and they will reign on the earth.”

11Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and praise!”

13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be praise and honor and glory and power,

for ever and ever!”

14The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

The entrance of the lamb is the climax of everything. St. John wants us to be awakened to the lamb at the center of it all. Because everything in the universe must one day come to terms with the one at the center, the one who is the gravity drawing all things unto himself. Because everything in the universe is shaped by its center, and what is at the center determines where everything is heading and how everything is going to get there.

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Notice how the lamb’s entrance is made dramatic by everything that precedes it. The stage is set with the throne, and the elders, and the creatures, and the sea of glass. Visual splendor. Majestic figures. John has our attention. Then he directs it at a mystery: this scroll.

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A sealed scroll in the right hand of the one who sits on the throne. And a loud voice talking about the scroll, asking a question, bringing all of the worshippers’ attention to that one question.

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Who? Who? Clearly, it matters who.

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This is the question of the hour, the century, the millennium, the ages. Who?

That’s why there is weeping when no one is found.

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What’s up with that? Have you ever seen someone weeping when something is lost? We don’t weep when we can’t find our toothbrush, or even our keys. [my experiences…emotions a far cry from tears…] But have you seen a child when they cannot find their special blanket or stuffed animal? The world collapses around them. Or, perhaps closer to the sense of this passage, a mother who can’t find her child? (wept and wept, the grief of the mourner…)

We only weep when we cannot find something of supreme value, something that cannot be replaced. That’s what’s going on here. There is something absent from the throne room of the universe - from the center of everything - that is of supreme value. And the heartrending image of John’s weeping helps us see that, feel that, share in that devastating absence. It brings to mind a woman named Mary, doesn’t it, weeping in a garden one Sunday morning outside of a tomb because she cannot find the one who was buried there, the one who cast 7 demons out of her and saved her life.

What is the importance of someone to open this scroll sealed with 7 seals that would inspire such terrible grief if he could not be found?

It was ancient Roman custom that last wills and testaments be written on a scroll, wrapped in 7 strings, and each string would be sealed with a wax seal to verify and protect its integrity, its contents a mystery locked away and impotent until the authorized executer of the will opened it. This will is no ordinary will, though, is it? It is in the right hand of the one seated on the throne at the center of the universe, the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come. What does this Father of all things leave to his children, to his creation? And who will carry out his will, ensure that it is perfectly executed?

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In the text, the moment passes by in a heartbeat, but if you’ve ever experienced one of those heartbeats where you thought everything was lost, you know it feels like an eternity, doesn’t it? Time stops. And we are meant to feel that stoppage of time in John’s weeping. He wept. And wept. Because no one was found. Which implies a search was underway, and the results were not promising.

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If no one is found, what does that mean? Does that mean there is no true heir to the life and glory of the heavens? Does that mean this Father’s sons have all died before him, or been disowned? Does that mean it all is coming to an end?

And then, “Don’t weep, see!” Something had happened while he was weeping, and his tears were obscuring his vision. Don’t weep. See! See what?

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The Lion of the tribe of Judah, the root of David.

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When the patriarch Jacob (Israel) blessed his sons, this was his blessing to his son, Judah:

9You are a lion’s cub, Judah;

you return from the prey, my son.

Like a lion he crouches and lies down,

like a lioness—who dares to rouse him?

10The scepter will not depart from Judah,

nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,

until he to whom it belongs shall come

and the obedience of the nations be his.

Genesis 49:9-10

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The root of David is a reference to the prophecies that the Messiah would come from ancient King David’s lineage. Here, in the throne room, in other words, the Messiah has arrived. The strong one promised in Judah’s blessing who will rule over all the earth. He, the elder says, has triumphed, and is standing in front of you, able to open the scroll and the 7 seals.

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Only, when John looks, he doesn’t see a lion, does he? He sees a Lamb. Talk about a double take. Lions were the ultimate symbol of power, and lambs were considered powerless. And this lamb looked as if it had been slain (although, at the same time, it was standing, alive before the throne).

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This lion/lamb is Jesus of Nazareth, the one worthy son of the Almighty God. The one who has triumphed over death and now is ready to take the scroll from his Father, the almighty God, and open it up so that he can carry out his Father’s perfect will. And so that the inheritance of the adopted children of God can be generously distributed.

Did you see the recent Robin Hood film with Russell Crowe? In it, the central mystery revolves around a sword the inscription: “Rise, and rise again, until Lambs become lions.” A stirring quote, is it not? Yet, it is exactly the opposite of what has taken place here in Revelation.

John is painting a word picture of a Lion who stooped, and stooped again until he became a lamb. A Lion, the son of the living God, the word of God through whom all things were made, in heaven and on the earth, stooped down to be clothed in human flesh. Jesus, the son of Mary and Joseph. And he stooped to live the life of a servant to all. And he stooped again to die as the worst kind of criminal, a sacrificial offering for the redemption of all human kind. And in so doing became the Lamb of God, the lamb who was slain for our transgressions.

At the center of everything is a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain.

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You and I are shaped by our center… Families are shaped by their center… Crowds are shaped by their center… Nations and kings are shaped by their center… The earth is shaped by its center… The solar system is shaped by its center…The universe is shaped by its center…

At the center of everything is a lamb looking as if it had been slain.

The real power at the center of everything is one who emptied himself of power. So that the love of power would be defeated by the power of love. If we want to be tapped into the power at the center of the universe, that is the kind of power we must be tapped into.

We’ve heard the expression: “You become what you worship.” It is absolutely true. Worship money and you will become cold and hard, like cash. Worship success and you will come out on top, and empty. Worship popularity and you will become nothing but surface and image, weightless and blown by every passing breeze.

But when we worship at the throne, at the true center, we worship the Lamb, looking as if it had been slain. And it is like him that we are becoming as we worship him. Humble, generous, servants of all, living sacrifices.

Because notice, he looks as if he had been slain. He had been, but He is no longer. He is alive now. Brimming with life, life that spills over as his blood had previously done, and makes members of every tribe and language and people and nation into a kingdom and priests to serve our God and they will reign on the earth. And triumphant, as the elder first describes him.

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This is the way of triumph in the kingdom of God. We follow our savior in dying to ourselves, and resurrection life fills our veins. It is in embracing powerlessness that God’s power is released for new creation, and everything is set right.

Those who have as themselves the center look at those who embrace powerlessness, and they mock. It looks like foolishness. (Worthy is the Lion who takes down his prey to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!”) [The Apprentice boardroom…]

But John’s apocalyptic vision reveals that the way of the Lion who becomes a Lamb is the wisdom of God. (Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive…)

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And so we, the community of worshippers gathered around the lamb looking as if it had been slain, when we’ve seen the one who is at the center, and we see how he looks, are to say “Amen.” Yes. So be it. Believe. May it be fulfilled. Yes! Whenever we see forgiveness. Amen. Whenever we see generosity. Amen. Whenever we see sacrificial suffering. Amen. Whenever we see someone dying to themselves so that others might live. Whenever we see someone enduring judgment in favor of casting judgment. Whenever we see someone serving under instead of lording over. Amen. Amen. Amen. Wherever we Lions looking like lambs, we say, Yes, that is what the Lion looks like now.

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Practical Tips:

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1. Look at yourself in the mirror of your most important relationships. What are you starting to look like? More like a lion or more like a lamb? More angry? Or more gentle? More powerful but less loving? Or less powerful but more loving? More defensive and aggressive? Or more willing to lose so others can gain? If you’re brave enough, ask one of those people for their opinion. The answer you come up with may show you what’s at the center of your life. The Lamb who was slain, or something else.

2. Go do something lamb-like this week. If we want Jesus to be worshipped as the Lion that he is, we would do well to reveal him by being lambs.

3. Write a note applauding someone who is imitating the Lamb. Tell them the strength and triumph you observe in their lives. You may think you sound like a lone voice, but your voice will be joined by myriads and myriads, and it will swell up louder than every other voice in their life.

4. Celebrate the Lord’s supper. Regularly. Nothing keeps lions at bay as well.

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Revelation: We Are Not the Center

sermon notes from the Vineyard Church of Milan 11/21/2010

[audio link not yet available]

Invitation to open to Revelation, chapter 4.

The last book of the bible was written by a pastor who had been sent into exile on the Isle of Patmos, 13 square miles of land off the coast of Greece, in the Aegean Sea. The pastor is named John, and tradition holds that he is the same John who wrote the 4th Gospel, the gospel of John. In Greek, the original language of the New Testament, the book is called "the Apocalypse". Although apocalypse is often used by people to refer to the end of the world, that’s not what it means. Apocalypse just means "to lay bare, to make naked, to reveal, as in the lifting of a veil." Which is why we call it the book of Revelation. There are things going on around us that are hidden, covered in a veil, as it were, but if we could see them as they really are, there would be power in beholding them.

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Revelation is written in a unique style, using a particular kind of language, common at the time, but uncommon today, called apocalyptic language. Which can make Revelation seem foreign to us, intimidating, inaccessible, mysterious, wild - especially since we are accustomed to reading in order to gain information. Apocalyptic literature, however, is not written primarily to give us information. It's designed to engage our imaginations, so that we can see the truth that is hidden behind the veil of our ordinary lives and world.

Wendell Berry writes: The imagination is our way into the divine imagination, permitting us to see wholly - as whole and holy - what we perceive as scattered, as order what we perceive as random.

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Eugene Peterson says of the book of Revelation: Everything in the Revelation can be found in the previous 65 books of the Bible. The Revelation adds nothing of substance to what we already know. The truth of the gospel is already complete, revealed in Jesus Christ. There is nothing new to say on the subject. But there is a new way to say it. I read the Revelation not to get more information, but to revive my imagination. St. John uses words the way poets do, recombining them in fresh ways so that old truth is freshly perceived...Familiarity dulls my perceptions. Hurry scatters my attention. Ambition fogs my intelligence. Selfishness restricts my range. Anxiety robs me of appetite. Envy distracts me from what is good and blessed right before me. And then St. John's apocalyptic vision brings me to my senses, body and soul.

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This morning we are going to look at chapters 4 and 5 of revelation to see what it means to be brought to our senses about worship. This very thing we do on Sunday mornings, or in our cars, or in our small groups, or with our families, or alone walking through the woods. Worship. What is really going on in worship? What's the point? Why do we do it? When we worship, what's happening, anyway?

Keep in mind, what you are going to see is an apocalyptic picture - a revealing picture - not a literal picture. In other words, the scene that will be described is not intended to be what we see if we were to take a photograph of the worship going on to God; it's intended to be an artistic rendering of what goes on in worship that helps us see what a photograph might not reveal. For example, there is a picture of a lamb with 7 horns and 7 eyes. Does that mean there actually exists a lamb with 7 horns and 7 eyes? Not at all. It means that the person represented by the lamb has perfect authority and sees reality perfectly, as it really, truly is.

It is through our imagination that we are woken up, that the revelation of truth happens, so let us begin with our imaginations fully engaged to receive what Jesus wants us to receive today...

Look around you. You see the walls, the pews, the carpet, the people, yourself, the windows, some of the landscape around. The lights, the roof. Your eyes see accurately enough, but not truly enough. What if there is more to see this morning than your eyes are capable of perceiving? What if you could be awakened through your imagination to truth hidden by these familiar, ordinary sights? May you and I, may all of us together, share in an apocalypse today...

[play Revelation 4&5 composition, inviting congregation to join their voices to the 5 songs contained in it...]

 

Revelation 4 & 5

4 After this I looked, and there before me was a door standing open in heaven. And the voice I had first heard speaking to me like a trumpet said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after this.” 2At once I was in the Spirit, and there before me was a throne in heaven with someone sitting on it. 3And the one who sat there had the appearance of jasper and ruby. A rainbow that shone like an emerald encircled the throne. 4Surrounding the throne were twenty-four other thrones, and seated on them were twenty-four elders. They were dressed in white and had crowns of gold on their heads. 5From the throne came flashes of lightning, rumblings and peals of thunder. Before the throne, seven lamps were blazing. These are the seven spirits of God. 6Also before the throne there was what looked like a sea of glass, clear as crystal.

In the center, around the throne, were four living creatures, and they were covered with eyes, in front and in back. 7The first living creature was like a lion, the second was like an ox, the third had a face like a man, the fourth was like a flying eagle. 8Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“ ‘Holy, holy, holy

is the Lord God Almighty,’

who was, and is, and is to come.”

9Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, 10the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

11“You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory and honor and power,

for you created all things,

and by your will they were created

and have their being.”

The Scroll and the Lamb

5 Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”

6Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center before the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God’s people. 9And they sang a new song, saying:

“You are worthy to take the scroll

and to open its seals,

because you were slain,

and with your blood you purchased for God

members of every tribe and language and people and nation.

10You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,

and they will reign on the earth.”

11Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12In a loud voice they were saying:

“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,

to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength

and honor and glory and praise!”

13Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:

“To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb

be praise and honor and glory and power,

for ever and ever!”

14The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.

The throne. Everything revolves around the throne.

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Our attention is drawn at first to the throne at the center of the picture.

John says he sees a door standing open. It must be open to something. The first thing we wonder is: what is on the other side of that door? And then there is an invitation: Come up here and I will show you what must take place after this. We're curious, breathless, anticipating, what will we see?

And what do we see?

A throne. Occupied by an initially nameless and extraordinary someone. And all of the action starts at the throne, and comes from the throne, and centers around the throne, and flows back to the throne. Lightning. Rumbles. Peals of thunder. Pulsing, dynamic power, emanating from the center of the scene, crashing outward, rippling back again. Lamps, blazing light, rainbows, a sea of glass.

Then, our attention goes to those surrounding the throne.

Twenty four other thrones. Elders dressed in white with crowns on their heads.

And a tireless zoological quartet. Living creatures, with eyes and wings aplenty.

Not to mention Angels. Myriads of them, thousands, tens of thousands of angels. Filling the stands.

And from the upper decks and the parking lots and the apartment buildings surrounding the stadium, there is a roar. The voices of every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them.

All of them, around the throne and the one seated on the throne. All of them worshipping. Laying down crowns. Falling down. Surrendered,

centered,

focused.

Eyes and voices fixed on the throne, on the center of everything.

Notice what this scene does to our attention: starting with the center, moving out to take in the scene, back to the center, then back out further and further, then back to the center, waves coming from and crashing back towards the center. The center of the scene is now the center of our attention.

When our imaginations take in this scene, we cannot help but become aware of one undeniable fact.

We are not the center.

There is a center to the universe, to life, to power and activity, to all that is and ever has been and ever will be and all that happens and has happened and is yet to happen. And we are not it.

The throne at the center is not ours and we are not on it.

And the whole universe is not standing at attention in response to us. The whole universe is not giving us its worship. Not me. Not you either. Not anyone in the Milan News Leader or the New York Times or the Washington Post or People magazine or Forbes or Rolling Stone or Sports Illustrated or even Marvel Comics.

John's apocalypse lays bare the reality that the universe is preoccupied with only one throne, and with the one seated on that throne. And when we enter into worship, we too are invited to be preoccupied and reoccupied. [Mackinac Island, guy one with nature...]

First and foremost, when we enter into worship, we are reminded that we are not the center.

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When you awoke this morning, there was an open door before you. An opportunity to escape a false world that had been built up around you where you were the center of everything, and step into the true world, the real world, where there is another center, a worthy center.

When you joined together with your sisters and your brothers, you joined together with others who were, like you, escaping that false world, leaving it behind to plant your feet firmly in the universe that has a glorious center, a gravity that will never fail to hold it together.

And when the first note was played, and you joined your voices in the first words, you said, loudly enough for your self to hear: "Self, you are not the center of the universe. There is a throne, and there is someone on it, and it is not you."

We need to know this. We need to be reminded of this regularly. We are not the center. This is freedom. This is life for us. We are not the center. Hallelujah!

Think about your responsibilities, your work, the place you go to earn a living, the children you spend the day caring for, the household you run. The stress, the challenges, the pressure, the anxieties. Like it's all coming down on you.

Think about your relationships. Your friends, your family, the people that matter in your life. The drama, the concerns, the fine lines you walk, the judgments, the worries, the demands placed on you.

Think about your inner life. The struggles, the hopes, the confusion, the striving, the doubts, the pressure you place on yourself, the hopelessness that sometimes creeps in.

And then you are awakened to this simple fact. You are not the center. It's not all about you. You are not the center of your work. You are not the center of your relationships. You are not even the center of your own life.

Can you feel the freedom that truth brings? The fresh breeze that washes over you as you awaken to that truth?

As long as we are the center of anything that God is meant to be the center of, our destruction is inevitable. Not because God will come and kick us out, but because we are no longer under the influence of his gravity, no longer connected to the waves of life emanating from his throne. It happens gradually to us at first, but it does happen, sure as the sun sets in the west. It is the first thing the snake said to Eve. "You won't die...your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God." What he was saying, in essence, was: God isn't the only one fit to be on the throne; why don't you make your own throne and sit on it?

The experience of being the center is intoxicating at first. But is always dangerous to be intoxicated, despite its allure. That balloon will always pop. It happens so often to celebrities and athletes and the ego driven and the power hungry. [kids at their own birthday party...]

When we are the center, when we become pretenders to the throne, when it occurs to us that worship would be a nice thing to receive, then Shalom is disrupted, and life leaks from us at an accelerated pace.

Others are there to be taken from. Others are there to be afraid of. Others are there to be competed with. Others are there to get in our way.

We exist only for our own pleasure. For our own sakes. Yet we will never be enough for ourselves, and after we have consumed everyone else, we will consume ourselves and there will be nothing left, not even for the vultures.

The truth is, we are made to be near the center. We are made in the image of the one on the throne. That's who the 24 elders are - they represent those in whom the image of God has been restored: the 12 tribes of Israel and the 12 disciples of Jesus, the 24 orders of priests. They have crowns, like the crown of the one on the throne. They have thrones of their own, thrones given to them by God from which they are to bear his image to all of creation. But they are not on the throne.

"Failure to worship consigns us to a life of spasms and jerks, at the mercy of every advertisement, every seduction, and every siren. Without worship we live manipulated and manipulating lives. We move in either frightened panic or deluded lethargy as we are, in turn, alarmed by specters and soothed by placebos. If there is no center, there is no circumference. People who do not worship are swept into a vast restlessness, epidemic in the world, with no steady direction and no sustaining purpose." - Eugene Peterson.

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When we are the center, we aren't enough for ourselves, so advertisements appeal to us. Perhaps that is what I need. Or that. Or that! And so we run this way and that, after this and after that. And we go nowhere but further in debt.

When we are at the center, our primary aim is our pleasure and glory, and so we are susceptible to seduction. Anything that wants to use or enslave us can simply promise us pleasure or glory, and we run after it like dogs after a bone, tongues slobbering out of our mouths. Oh, you'll promote me if I just do this? Oh, you'll love me if I just do this? Oh, you'll give me your attention if I just do this?

When we are at the center, we have everything to lose, and so every alarming thing gets us running for shelter, for safety, for security. We become afraid of everything, and willing to do anything that will save us from our fears coming true.

The revelation of St. John says to us that when we worship, we gather together around another center, a center that is not us. And so when we worship, our lives become lives that are a response to the true center. We live lives that flow from the true center.

At the center is a throne.

Everything that is good and true, starts and ends with the throne, and with the one who is on the throne.

When we worship, we join something that was going on forever before and will be going on forever after (Day and Night they never stop saying). It doesn't start with us. It doesn't end with us.

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And look what happens when we worship:

We fall down.

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The crowns come off our heads (tumbling, perhaps?) and we lay them on the ground, surrendered to the one on the throne at the center.

And we say, and we sing.

We say and we sing. These are no small things.

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Consider this question. How does the world get set right when billions of egos are the centers of their own existence? Is this not why there are wars and oppression and conflict and jealousy and hatred and misunderstandings and addictions and fears and road rage and black friday tramplings? Is this not the ultimate source of death?

The world gets set right when we find a way to gather together around the true center, from which love flows, and life, and healing, and truth. When we have something else we are surrendered to who has surrendered himself to us and calls us to be surrendered for his sake and for the sake of those for whom he has surrendered himself.

And the way to gather around the true center, the way that is natural for us, even if it feels at first unnatural, is for us to join our voices together in saying and in song.

Words and melodies and harmonies and rhythms are those things which we can join in together that carry us together, that point us together, with all of our egos and desires and worries and anxieties and brokenness, and center us around the throne.

[Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come...]

[Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see...]

And in that throng, and at that throne, we do not lose ourselves, we do not become muddied and gray. But instead, because of the radiance of the one on the throne, our true colors are revealed. (the value of precious stones in ancient culture was not their capacity for decoration, but what they did with light, the way they brought the invisible colors of light into the light, scattering them about for our eyes to see). Jasper and ruby, emeralds, rainbows bathing the worshippers in the light of the one they worshipped.

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This is why when we sing, when we give all of ourselves to it, each of us in our own way, with our own weaknesses and strengths, with our bodies, our minds, our hearts, each one of us bringing something different to it, each one of us getting something different out of it, we are caught up in the Spirit of God that brings us to life.

And we help each other come around the center as we sing together, too. Oh, he is not the center, she is not the center, oh, I am not the center either. Who is she looking to...? who is he laying his crown before...? aha, there is the throne! There is the my center too. And oh what a center that would have to be to be the center to a group as diverse as this group, to be the center to one who is as different from me as that person is from me and I from him and I from her. [going to a concert and looking around at the crowd...] [this is why the worship with Agape was so powerful and life-laden last week, and by the grace of God will be tonight as well...]

Notice the four living creatures.

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They represent all of sentient life on planet earth: the lion, the noblest, the ox the strongest, the man the wisest, the eagle the swiftest. They all share something in common: eyes and wings. Each one in worship is fully alert (covered in eyes), soaring on 6 wings... We come to life in worship! Because we are gathered around the true center of all life, the Lord God Almighty, the source of life.

And of course, there is at the center the one who sits on the throne, and there is also the Lamb.

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Oh, the lamb! Next week we talk about the Lamb. Because not only does it matter that we are not the center. It matters most the one who is the center. The Lamb who was slain. Jesus, the Christ.

Practical Tips:

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1. Do an advertisement, seduction, and siren inventory. Consider the intended course of your life, and ask yourself if you have been derailed in any way by your responses to advertising, seductions, or sirens. May this inventory awaken you to ways in which you have bought the snake's lie that you are the center of your universe. Repent, and respond to the door Jesus has opened to you for wakeful worship.

2. Worship like your life depends on it. And with others, as often as possible. And when you do, start by saying to yourself: There is a center to this universe, and I am not it. And we are not it.

3. Memorize "Holy, Holy, Holy..." Commit "Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty, who was, and is and is to come" to memory. Say it at the first sighting of every advertisement, seduction, and siren. And every time you say it, remember that you are not alone in saying it, and you are not the first to say it, and you will not be the last to say it; your voice is joining countless other voices in the stream of eternity.

4. Coax all of your self into worship. Involve as much of yourself as you are able in your worship. Involve a little bit more of yourself than you did the last time you worshipped. More mind (use your imagination), more body (use your voice, your hands, your arms, your legs, your knees), more heart (choose to yield your place at the center), more soul (we come with cracked and brittle relationships - bring yourself to the one on the throne, inviting him to be the center of each of those others).

additional resources:  Reversed Thunder, by Eugene Peterson

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Love Affairs Happen Here

sermon notes from the Vineyard Church of Milan 11/07/2010

[audio link not yet available]

Invitation to turn to Matthew 13v44.

We just wrapped up twin sermon series - Nudge and Seeds & Soil - about evangelism and spiritual growth. What we have been talking about is central to who we are as a community following Jesus.

Remember our mission statement: Together we follow the way of Jesus and create breathing room. Breathing room for the disfavored to find favor, for the discounted to count, and for the disconnected to connect. Starting here.

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The parable about the sower taught us that following the way of Jesus together is a process. That it takes patience. Patience with ourselves and one another, because spiritual growth is often slow & uncomfortable. That we need to make room for mixed results in our lives, and in one another's lives, because Jesus does. But not to give up, because the seed will take root, and it will produce an overwhelming crop - our rescuer, Jesus will prevail over the accuser, his Love will displace fear, and his Truth will subvert all the lies on which the broken systems of this world depend.

And the stories about the resurrected Jesus awakening people to his living presence taught us that loving nudges are the way to create breathing room for people to receive the good news. They taught us that no one and nowhere is off limits to his resurrected presence. That we are to be a church always learning to pay attention, to keep our eyes open for what the Father is doing around us, in every situation and relationship. To be keeping our senses sensitive to the needs and hurts and fears and confusions and dreams and longings of others around us, because it is there we can expect the resurrected Jesus to be making his presence known. That we are always to be looking for opportunities to join in with what we notice the resurrected Jesus doing through his Holy Spirit. Especially by inviting people to come and have breakfast with us - because it is at the family meal where the richest favor is poured out, where everyone at the table counts, and where the deepest connection and love happens.

That's the kind of church we want to be. A church where two love affairs are in process. A love affair between us and the God who is love. And a love affair between us and the other image-bearers of the God who is love.

Love affairs happen here.

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My hope is to do two things today. First, to look at twin parables about the love affairs that happen here. And secondly, to give you two things you can draw on napkins that might be a conversation catalyst, that might be seeds, that might help open the door to a nudge when someone asks you the question: "What kind of a church do you go to?" You know, in the event simply saying, "I go to a church where love affairs happen" isn't answer enough.

44“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again, and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

45“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking fine pearls. 46 and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

Matthew 13v44-46

Newton's 3rd Law: Actioni contrariam semper et æqualem esse reactionem (for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction). This parable highlights the response to finding the treasure, which tells us a lot about the treasure buried in the field. Look at the response the kingdom of God produces in people when they find it.

To this guy, it's a find. It stops him in his tracks. Perhaps he wasn't even looking for it. Perhaps he was working as a laborer in the field. Planting. Harvesting. No matter, now that he's found it, he realizes he's been looking for it his whole life. And he realizes everyone else has been too. There's a suggestion of scandal here. He hides it again. Not sure how it got here, or why, or who hid it here. Who cares! This guy has got to make it his.

This is a love affair story, isn't it? Stopped in our tracks. Maybe we weren't even looking for her. But I've been looking for her my whole life. And if anyone else could see what I see, they'd be feeling the same way. Not sure how she got here, or why, or who came before me and abandoned her here. But who cares! Heaven help me if I don't make her mine.

The kingdom of God is like this. We - the vineyard church of Milan - are meant to be like that field. A place where love affairs start. Where people come across treasures buried, hidden in our everyday lives and love and service and worship, and think to themselves, I've been looking for that my whole life. I've got to make that mine.

And joy. Joy! From joy over it he goes. He goes and sells all that he has. Everything valuable, everything mundane. Things useful, things sentimental. All of it. To buy the field and have rights to the treasure. (Couldn't he have just walked off with it? Sure, but it wouldn't have been his. It would have still belonged to the landowner.)

Notice what the point of the parable is not. It's not that the man, or the merchant, should sell everything he has. As if it's primarily some moral imperative. As if the man found the treasure, and thought to himself: Uh, oh, now that I've found this, it's my duty to buy it. Oh, man, what are people going to say when they see me selling all my stuff. And darn, I really like some of my stuff - I wish I could keep a few of my things and have this treasure too, but I guess I'm stuck selling everything now. I wouldn't want to be caught coming up just a little short of the selling price of the land because I held on to a few things. And then the man consulted with his accountant, who told him: you'll get a 243% return on investment if you sell everything and buy this land, even after capital gains taxes. I see no reason not to do it. And the man fretted and worried, and slept on it for a week, and then finally decided: ok, I only live once. Here goes. And then he sold all that he had and bought the field, with his fingers crossed.

[play song clip, "What Happiness Means To Me" by Amy Macdonald in background, from 2:44-4:50...]

No! He finds the treasure, and joy floods him, and joy is the stream from which everything else flows. (Perhaps if there were no joy, it would be a sign that the treasure you think you'd found wasn't the kingdom of God, but something less.) Joy never runs out of steam. Oh, it can be forgotten. It can be stolen. But it never runs out of energizing capacity. [jumping rope, survivor...]

The kingdom of God is like this. It produces joy when it's discovered, the kind of joy from which everything else flows. We - the vineyard church of Milan - want to be a church who dig to find the kingdom until a geyser of joy starts flowing up. And then let the selling begin.

We don't want to be a church dictating the responses of the treasure seekers. We want to be a church helping one another find the treasure, and let the treasure produce the response the treasure produces. Joy, joy, joy. [Chara = Joy; at the center of the good news (which is the field in which the treasure is buried) is Grace = Charis, that which affords joy...]

Love affairs happen here. Not employment contracts. Not even prenuptial agreements.

There is another way to understand this parable. A way that would surely have eluded Jesus' original hearers at first, but by the time Matthew's good news story was written, would have been hard to miss.

Remember, in true love affairs, love flows in both directions. The treasure of the kingdom produces joy in people, joy that causes them to sell everything to have it. This response isn't only our response to God, though. It's also God's response to us.

Jesus paints a picture of God as someone for whom people are the treasure hidden in the field, the pearl of great value. Jesus is the man, and the merchant. And upon finding us, buried in a field, for sale on the open market, from joy he goes. From joy! He goes and sells everything. He cashes in his very life. From joy! To buy us, to make the whole field his. (Hebrews 12: For the joy set before him, he endured the cross...)

Love affairs happen here. We - the vineyard church of Milan - want to be a church where we embody and reflect and communicate the joy with which God responds to finding the treasure in the field, the pearl of great value that is the disfavored person, the discounted person, the disconnected person.

Regardless of how buried they might be. Regardless of the field in which they are hidden. Regardless of the market in which they have been offered for sale. It is with joy that he goes. May it always be with joy that we go to sell all that we have - whether it be useful, or sentimental - in order to buy that field, in order to bring that pearl home where it's value is no longer exchanged for money, but treasured in love.

Ok, so how about the napkins? You might be inviting someone to come serve with you. Or you might be inviting someone to come to a weekend celebration or small group get-together. Or you might just be talking about life. And the question comes up: what kind of church is your church?

So you grab a napkin. Or a piece of paper. Or your iPad. Or whatever. And you start to draw. Because drawing draws people in. Drawing sparks the imagination in an image based world. Because drawing gives you something to talk about. Because drawing is shoulder to shoulder, a common object of your attention. Because your drawing might be bad, and that's good for humility, which is always good for love. Because drawing opens the door to questions. Because it slows things down. Helps you pay attention, notice if God might be there doing something.

So what do you draw? Let me suggest this one first, especially for someone with limited or negative experiences with "church":

Sometimes people experience Christianity like a bounded set .

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A bounded set church is experienced in terms of "in" or "out." Because there is an invisible but well defined boundary drawn by the beliefs and practices of a group of people. If you don't toe the line on all the beliefs and practices, you're out. If you do, you're in. But all of the attention is given to the boundary markers.

What do you claim is true about God, about the bible, about creation and evolution, about the end times, about what is sin and what isn't sin, about the virgin birth, about speaking in tongues, about pre-destination or free will, about the communion meal, about baptism, about what it means to be saved? And on and on.

And also, what behaviors and practices mark you as "in" or "out?" Do you go to R-rated movies? Do you listen to this music or that music? Do you pray in this way or that way? Do you dress this way or that way? Do you use these words or those words? Do you smoke? Or have tattoos? Or wear earrings? Or have any other piercings? Do you date? Or only court? Are you divorced? Or was your marriage annulled? Do you vote this way or that way? Do you use contraception? Or natural family planning? Do you watch this network or that network? Or never watch TV at all? Do you play cards? Do you go to bars? And on and on.

And so all of the attention is on the boundaries. Both when we look at ourselves: how are we doing with this or that boundary marker? And when we look at others: have they made the switch to our side about this or that issue or behavior yet?

And not enough of the attention is on the pearl of great price or the treasure hidden in the field that brought us together in the first place. And none of the attention is on our hearts, which is where joy and love flow from - and truth be told - is the place that ultimately shapes how we live, after all.

Listen to what Matthew Henry says about the text we just read:

The gospel is the field in which this treasure is hid...It is hid as the milk in the breast, the marrow in the bone, the manna in the dew, the water in the well, the honey in the honey comb. It is hid, not in a garden enclosed, or a spring shut up, but in a field, an open field; whoever will, let him come, and search the scriptures; let him dig in this field; and whatever royal mines we find, they are all our own, if we take the right course. - Matthew Henry's Commentary

It is hid, not in a garden enclosed, or a spring shut up, but in a field, an open field; whoever will, let him come...

[Draw fish in the center, with arrows facing different directions...] We are trying to be a church that functions as a centered set.

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We think of church not in terms of inside or outside the boundaries, but in terms of the direction our hearts are pointed. What matters to us is the God we've fallen in love with, the pearl of great value, the treasure hidden in the field that is the kingdom of God. We might be in all sorts of places in our lives with regard to different beliefs and behaviors and practices - but the one thing we've got in common is the direction our heart is pointed. [Draw blob shape around inward pointed arrows...] We want to draw closer to Jesus. We want more and more of the rule and reign of God to be present in our lives.

And it doesn't matter to us how long it takes, as long as we keep our hearts pointed towards him, and keep trying to take one step closer from wherever we happen to be right now. It doesn't matter if you feel like you've got all the right beliefs and behaviors - if you're heart isn't pointed towards the center (for us, that's Jesus), then you're turning away from the life God has for you, and you're missing all of the joy, and the love affair is growing cold. It doesn't matter if you feel like you don't have hardly any of the right beliefs and behaviors - if you're heart is pointed toward Jesus, then his life is rushing towards you, and joy can overtake you even though it doesn't make sense to you, and the love affair is in full swing. And your next step will be in a direction that leads to more life.

And we can love and embrace one another, even though we may be in different places on our journey. Because we are all on a pilgrimage to the same place. And we all have a long way to go. And we can all learn from one another about the one to whom we are heading, because we are all seeing the treasure from unique perspectives and angles. Love affairs happening all over the place.

Think back to the parable. We tend to see doing business with God as a one-time thing...but here it is a process. One transaction after another. Selling this. and this. And this. Oh and this. and this. and this. Every transaction giving more to apply to the purchase. Perhaps even the purchase a process. Perhaps some now, and more later, like down payments and installments. And so we're all nudging one another, because it takes all of us together to buy this pearl of great value. Because all of our payments together - the crosses we pick up and carry daily in the name of Jesus - are a participation in the payment that has already been made by Jesus in our name. Love affairs happen here - Love affairs that just keep getting steamier and steamier.

Or maybe you draw this one, especially for someone with experiences with churches, but not with our church.

[Draw 2 intersecting lines., forming a grid...] Churches often fall in one of 4 quadrants.

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Liturgical: Some see church as something where the life of God comes to us through the proper and faith filled celebration of liturgy - rituals, symbols, robes, candles, memorized prayers, sacraments and scripture readings, great feasts and holy days. Roman Catholics, Episcopals, Anglicans, Eastern Orthodox, some Lutherans.

Social Justice: Some see church as something where the life of God comes to us through the things we do together to set the world right - to alleviate poverty and suffering and inequality and oppression and other forms of injustice. United Methodists, some Presbyterians, many African American churches and Menonites and Quakers, especially.

Renewalist: Some see church as something where the life of God comes to us through our experiences of God in full-bodied worship, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit like prophecy and tongues, and healing. Especially many Pentecostal and Charismatic churches, Church of God in Christ and Assemblies of God, for example.

Evangelical: Some see church as something where the life of God comes to us through the transformation of lives (often called being born-again) that happens as a result of conversion, when we turn away from sin and entrust our lives to the Lordship of Jesus. The Bible and preaching the gospel are big deals in Evangelical churches. Especially Baptist churches, Nazarenes, and Free Methodists, as well as various fundamentalist churches, like Plymouth Brethren Churches for example.

[Draw swirl at the center...] We want to be a church caught up in the swirl of border blending that is happening at the center of all these quadrants, because we believe the Kingdom of God is the treasure and it gives birth to all of the things all of these churches treasure. We don't think the life of God comes to us in the corners, where we try to defend and protect any particular treasure, but that it comes to us as we seek the full expression of God's kingdom hidden in the middle of the field. And so we want to love and incorporate and learn from and benefit from the treasures all of these pilgrims bring along the journey as we follow Jesus together, leaving only those behind that do not find their home in the city of God towards which we are journeying. The city in which the great wedding of Jesus and the followers of his way will be consummated. [note about next week's join service with Agape...]

further resources: for a more in-depth discussion of the 4 quadrants, see my dad's book: Jesus Brand Spirituality

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

Seeds & Soil: Contested at Every Turn

seeds and soil

sermon notes from the Vineyard Church of Milan 10/31/2010

[audio link]

Last week of seeds and soil series...invitation to turn to Mark 4.

Ever notice how hard it is to make positive progress in life?

Let's say you want to get in shape, gain some strength, pump up your cardio-pulmonary system, up your endorphin levels, develop better eating habits, increase your metabolism. You dive right in. You can do this. You will do this. Nothing is going to stop you this time. And then you get sore. Or hungry. Or sick. Or hurt. Or work gets super busy and you're on the road, surrounded by fast food and no place to exercise. Or you get some bad news that saps all your enthusiasm. Or you don't see results fast enough. Or you see somebody else getting results way faster than you. It's like the universe is against you. Which you assume is probably God saying something to you. And all of that discourages you to no end, making you want to just embrace your inner sloth.

And if you do - if you just start heading the other direction, man oh man is it easy. You can add pounds and get moody and short of breath and weak in almost no time at all. It's like the whole universe is cheering you on. Which you assume is probably God saying something to you.

Or you want to get more patient, more loving towards the key people in your life, less angry. So you start doing nice things, taking deep breaths to calm yourself. And then, invariably, those people get extra-annoying. They don't appreciate your efforts. They still remember the old you, and they don't trust the new you, they think you're trying to get something from them. Or you have a bad day at work, and your patience is shot by the time you get home. Or you get some bad news, and you don't have any energy to focus on anything else. It's like the universe is against you. Clearly, God isn't interested in throwing you a bone, right? And all of that just ticks you off even more than when you were just your normal selfish self, making you want to embrace your inner Tony Soprano.

And if you do - if you just start heading in the other direction, man oh man is it easy. It's like you're the incredible hulk and you don't even care what the universe says anymore.

It's that way with everything good and right and holy and healthy in the world. Movement in that direction will always encounter resistance. Even God gets resistance in the world he created.

Consider Jesus, God made flesh coming among us on a rescue mission. No room at the inn. The king sending soldiers to kill him shortly after his birth. Tempted by the devil in the desert. Almost stoned after his first sermon. Slander and critique and accusations of blasphemy from the religious leaders. Eventually, a plot to crucify him.

But it doesn't discourage Jesus, does it? Because he knows: this is what it's like when the seeds of the new creation arrive in the soil of corrupted creation. When the seeds of the rule and reign of God's kingdom are planted in the soil presently occupied by the enslaving rule of the kingdom of darkness. Real, true growth is contested at every turn.

Mark 4v1-8,13-20

Reminder: spiritual growth is the increase of life-giving capacity of our relationships with God, with one another, and with the world in which we are called to be image-bearers.

When the good news of the kingdom takes root in us, there is an exponential increase in our capacity to draw life from God, and to give life to and receive life from one another and our world.

And the forces arrayed against life always contest the growth of anything that increases the capacity of creation to receive and breathe life.

[balloon illustration...increasing difficulty initially, then easing up...]

Just like there is resistance to air being breathed into the balloon, there is resistance to life coming into the earth through God-breathed words.

In the parable, the resistance comes in the form of birds, and the scorching sun, and weeds.

The birds, Jesus explains, are the "satan" coming and taking the seeds away. Satan is just a word meaning the adversary, or the accuser. The scorching sun is trouble and persecution that wither the new plants. The weeds are various worries, temptations, and desires that compete with the growth, choking it off before it can bear fruit - before it can bring multiplying life.

All of this resistance to growth comes because there is an enemy of God whose agenda is to disrupt Shalom and drain God's good creation of life. An enemy whose tools are accusations, fear, and lies. [Tabloid...] Humanity has listened to his accusations, been enslaved to the fear he instills, and bought his lies, hook, line and sinker. The enemy has no real power to destroy us without our cooperation, but we have made a home for his seeds in us, and they have taken root and borne rotten, poisonous fruit throughout the earth. His seeds are a catalyst for death, which is intended to stop all growth.

Remember the first accusation, against God - "he's lied to you, it's good to eat, he just doesn't want you to be like him." received and multiplying - "it was her, she made me do it!" the first a whisper, because that's the only voice the enemy has. The second an amplifying shout, because it comes from our lungs. The accusations fly, and the world is no longer a safe place to be - God can't be trusted, and neither can anyone else. So now fear gains a foothold. And when we are enslaved to fear, all kinds of lies will be gobbled up. Money and possessions will give you life. Power is the only security. Pleasing others will make you feel good about yourself. Wearing the right mask will give you the respect you crave. Sometimes these lies take hold as worry, sometimes as deceptive distractions, sometimes as things that we actively choose over God. Because fear has made us desperate, and no rationality goes out the window when we are desperate (frontal lobe vs. amygdala). And pretty soon the whole of our world is built on a framework of lies promising growth and life but yielding only atrophy and death.

It's into this world that the Farmer comes sowing seeds. And as we've explored before, every seed is love, because the Farmer is God, and God is love. And every seed is a word from the God who is love, a word that subverts the accusations, subverts the fear, subverts the lies.

And what is required for soil to receive the seeds? Trust. Trust is what is required for the objects of love to receive love, to make a home for it.

Jesus said, The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy, I have come that you might have life and have it to the full, abundant life. (John 10v10) Jesus' tools are the good news of the grace present in the kingdom of God, perfect love that drives out fear, and truth that sets us free. [Newspaper vs Tabloid...] The question for us is will we receive his words - will we repent (turn away) from listening to the accusations, from acting out of the fear stirred up by one who is less than God, from basing our lives on the system of lies that undergirds our relationships, and will we believe (act in trust of) his good news, act freely in the light of perfect love, and bank everything on his truth?

In this parable, in our world, trust is under siege by the enemy of life, by the satan who brings fresh accusations, who conspires to reinforce fear from trouble and persecution, who scatters the seeds of insidious, choking lies in the same soil on which the seeds of love all.

Growth Contester #1: Accusations steal Love from untrusting soil. We've all heard the accusations. God doesn't deserve your love - look what he allowed to happen. He doesn't actually care about you, only himself. Or, why would any of this apply to you? You're not anyone God would be paying attention to, what have you done to make you think he would? Or, you don't deserve God's love - look at what you've done. And when we listen to those accusations, we don't trust the seeds God is trying to sow, so they don't stick around long enough to take root. [Chris Farley show...]

Growth Contester #2: Fear limits Love's roots in un-surrendered soil. Sometimes we only let the love of God scratch the surface, because as soil, we're not actually surrendered to him and his seeds. We're just in it for what we think he and his seed will add to our lives.

Ah, the good news that God loves me? Of course he does, why wouldn't he? But we won't let his love go all the way in, and touch the parts of us that we are ashamed of, the dark and ugly parts of our lives. And the fear remains deep down in us, the fear that God will abandon us when our darkness becomes clear. And so the heat of day comes. The going gets tough. And that plant that began to grow has nothing to draw life from, and it withers.

Or the good news that forgiveness is here? Yes! of course it is - this world would be such a better place if everyone would just forgive one another! But we don't let this seed go all the way in, and touch the things we need forgiveness for, or the things we need to forgive others for. And the fear remains deep down in us, that we won't be forgiven, or that actually forgiving those who've wronged us will leave us too vulnerable. And so the heat of day comes. The going gets tough. And that plant that began to grow has nothing to draw life from, and it withers.

Growth Contester #3: Lies keep love from bearing fruit in uncommitted soil. There is a way in which we can hear the good news of the kingdom of God, receive it, and keep our options open. I'm going to follow Jesus, and make as much money, enjoy as much comfort and pleasure, gain as much power, achieve as much success in this world as I can. I'll love and forgive and give God glory, as long as it doesn't cost me too much money. Or too many of my friends. Or cramp my style too much. Or make me lose that promotion. And here's the deal - the seed takes root and grows, because seeds are like that, they'll find their way into any opening they can find. But it never bears fruit - it never multiplies and brings the fullness of kingdom life - as long as enough seeds of the enemy are welcomed into your soil as well.

Know this: Jesus doesn't tell his disciples all of this to discourage them. No, just the opposite. Jesus tells them this so that when they encounter the enemy's resistance, they would recognize it for what it is, and be able to respond to it with perseverance.

In fact, when we encounter resistance to growth, in light of Jesus' good news, we can take it not as a discouragement, but as an encouragement. Real growth is always contested; the contest is in fact a sign of the seeds of the kingdom being scattered on the soil of your life.

And there is good news about the outcome of the contest too. Jesus tells his disciples later: I have told you these things, so that you may have peace in me. In this world, you will have trouble. But take heart, I have overcome the world. (John 16v33) When Jesus speaks of the "world" here, he's referring to the system of death built on the foundation of accusations, fear, and lies that has corrupted the first creation.

And how has he overcome it? Like a seed being planted in the soil. On his journey to the cross, Jesus faces all of the obstacles the seeds face And he has a way through those obstacles, a way through the accusations, and fear, and lies for us to imitate as we pick up our crosses daily and follow him.

Jesus, heading to the cross, gives no ear to the accusations. He acts freely in the face of fear. He banks everything on the truth that his Father's rule and reign has come. And as a result, he becomes a seed that goes into the ground, dies, takes root in the soil of the old creation and grows up into a tree of life that breaks above the surface on Easter Sunday. And so now the accusations have been countered, the grip of fear has been broken, and the lies have been proven false. They may contest growth, but they will not prevail. Because in the resurrection, life has prevailed over death once and for all.

(the mustard seed, so small but grows to be the largest - larger than the choking weeds, large enough to provide shade from the sun, so large in fact that the birds can perch in its shade - all of the evil overcome)

What can we take from Jesus' example?

When accusations come, ask yourself where the words are coming from. (Truth be told, we have a very hard time telling whether or not what we hear is true or not...)

You do, however, know the words that come from love versus the words that come from unauthorized judgment. It's the dove vs. crow. Listen to the former. Don't engage with the latter.

Notice that Jesus only engages with the crows when the accusations are meant to make the sheep afraid, but when they are directed at him directly, he is silent. Presumably because he's keeping his ears open for the Father's voice, and the Father's voice alone. Maybe Adam's and Eve's first mistake wasn't eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil...maybe it was engaging the serpent in conversation at all.

When trouble and persecution come, it's always a choice between responding to fear, or to love. Which is always about who is on the throne in your life. Is it you, who has everything to lose? Or is it the one who has nothing to lose because he's already lost everything in loving you? Then we can act freely in light of that love. (Peter's abandoning Jesus, and then - do you love me, do you love me, do you love me - ok, now go feed my sheep. Now it's not about Peter any more, and yet now Peter is most fully himself.)

And what do we do about the worry, the deception, the desires? The only antidote to the lies is going all in on the truth. Selling everything to buy the treasure in the field. Banking everything on the kingdom of God. Everything you hold back makes room for weeds that can choke, and make the seeds unfruitful. Seek first the kingdom, and all these other things will be added to you.

Practical Tips:

1. Try a pundit and ad fast for a week. See what happens when you're not exposed to a constant flow of accusations, fear, lies.

2: Try a do over, this time starting with the seed.

Take something you've had a false start on in the past (getting in shape, becoming more patient, overcoming a fear, eliminating a bad habit, etc.), and start fresh, this time by identifying the seed of good news God is planting. Your body is a good gift, blessed by God for his purposes in your life and in the world, for example. Now, take just one step in a new direction, but this time your goal is to make a home for that seed so it can multiply and grow, not to get in shape so that girls will think you're hot, or whatever else might motivate you. Now, watch for the accusations, and when they come, if they come from the crow not the dove, ignore them and press on. When the going gets tough - you get afraid you'll never make any progress, your life will just be miserable, etc., ask yourself who is on the throne. You or Jesus? If it's not Jesus, repent and put him there again. And then press on, doing the things that make a home for that seed, trusting him and his love for you. When you start to worry what others are thinking, or get discouraged because you don't look as good or eat as well as so and so, resolve to go all in on the truth. The truth that your body is a good gift, blessed by God for his purposes in your life and in the world. Then the lies won't matter, and you'll be free, and the truth will bear fruit.

3: Try the generosity experiment.

Of all the things that are signs of the rule and reign of God growing in a person's life, wouldn't you agree that generosity would be low hanging fruit? Compared to say, loving your enemies, turning the other cheek, not holding others in contempt, having a heart free of lust, willingness to give up your life for others... Generosity, relatively speaking, is kind of square one, right? It's also directly connected to trusting the good news of God's kingdom, isn't it? Generosity makes no real sense except in light of God's love. And in light of his love, it's the only way to love that really makes sense. Every time you see generosity on display, doesn't it make you get a little choked up? Every time you experience it. Participate it. And it's simple, isn't it? It's not complicated or complex. Any one of us could think of some way to be generous today, without needing to take a course on it.

So try out what we've learned about spiritual growth today in the area of generosity.

For example, Find your tax return from last year and look at schedule A line 19, charitable contributions. Bible doesn't make a law about this because generosity can't be legislated. But the biblical tradition of giving in the Bible is a tenth. The average charitable contribution in the U.S. is 2.2% (after taxes).

When you see the number, keep an eye out for a flock of accusatory thoughts. Toward God. Toward yourself. Toward me for even bringing the subject up.

Consider that those thoughts might be an indication of the presence of a kingdom seed. Pay them no mind, press on. "To make a home for the seeds of God's generosity towards me, whatever I gave last year, I commit here and now to increase it. Even if it means I have to consume less this year." Maybe you gave less than 5%. Double it. Maybe you gave less than 10%. Increase it to 10%. Maybe you have 10%. Increase it 1%. See what happens to the accusations - watch them fly away.

[doesn't matter to me where it goes - give it to another church if you're skeptical about my motivations, give it to a good charity, give it anonymously to a neighbor in need.]

Then, along the way, pay attention to trouble that comes up, and accompanying fear. You have an unexpected repair or medical bill: I'd better not give this month, we might not make it. Your friends or parents or accountant tells you your crazy. Yeah, this is silly, God doesn't need my money. Ask yourself where the voice comes from - the crow or the dove. Fear or love. Ask yourself who is the throne of your life. You or the one who has lost everything for your sake. Repent and put him on the throne again. Notice how when he is on the throne you start to notice not the things that make you afraid, but the way in which God continues to provide in the midst of difficulty. See what kind of freedom that brings.

Notice the worry that tries to come in, the deceit, the lies. When you notice it, commit yourself all in to the kingdom of God, trusting that everything else will be added to you according to the one who loves you and knows your needs. See what kind of fruit that bears in the life-giving capacity of all your relationships.