Prototype Pulpit has Moved!

After some thought, I am choosing to revive this project.  However, we’re gonna try something a bit different.  Prototype pulpit is now a vlog on YouTube.    Head on over to My new YouTube Channel to catch up.

Grace and Need

40 Days of Focus: Days 3-8

As I write this, I am wiped out.  I’ve been driving all over Omaha, lifting boxes and suitcases, and having in-depth, life altering conversations all day…   but that’s not why I’m wiped…

I’m wiped out because, today I witnessed God’s grace descend in a big way in the life of a young man.  He was in a hopeless situation, without much in the way of options, and was more than a little responsible for how he got there.  Questions I take for granted like, “where is my next meal coming from?”, or “Where will I sleep tonight?” had suddenly become his new “normal”.  Yet, in 24 hours, I witnessed him go from pit of despair to having all of his needs met, and a plan to move forward from that point.  I saw a handful of servants rise to the challenge and find him a way to get meals, a place to sleep that was warm, dry, and safe.  I saw people draft plans and expectations to get him to a place of responsibility and self-sufficiency.  Finally, I saw people take responsibility for their fellow man, rising to the occasion and filling needs as they came, whether it was providing shelter or carrying a bag.  In the end I saw a young man go from hopelessness to excited and hopeful in a matter of days, all because he came face to face with real, tangible grace.

Every single person that served this young man, knew that he was in this situation due to choices he had made.  Every single servant knew that they were called to help someone who put himself in this situation.  Yet, every single person didn’t care.  It didn’t matter.  It was all about how to get this young man back on the right track.  Whatever was in the past was forgotten, and all they saw was a brother in need, not just for tangible things like shelter and food, but also for someone to care enough to fight for him.

To those that were somehow a part of this process, whether directly or indirectly, and you know who you are, I say thank you!  Not just for taking care of this young man’s needs, but also for displaying life changing grace in your lives, and modeling that for the world to see.

So I’m wiped… not because I’m tired, or out of steam.  But because I’ve witnessed just a small taste of the kind of grace that comes from Christ, and the only real reaction to such a thing, is stunned, grateful silence.

40 Days of Focus: Day 2, Combating Cynicism

I’ve always viewed myself as a bit of an outsider when it comes to the Church.  I typically don’t buy into the mainstream image of the American Christian.  I don’t listen to K-Love, I send my kids to public school, and I dislike how my country’s politics have found themselves leaching off my faith for the purpose of emotional appeal.  I typically dislike “Christian-ese” phrases like “I have a heart for _____.”, and it grates on me when I hear someone use the word “just” 14 times in a two-minute prayer.  I have simply written off popular Christian teachers like Chan, Giglio, or Warren for being too “mass-produced”, and often failed to even acknowledge any aspect of the teaching that they bring.  The only mainstream Christian  worship musician that I intrinsically trust is Crowder, because he consistently does things in a weird, new way… or is it because he wears a trucker hat and a beard…?  I analyze each an every bit of material for the most minute theological fallacy, looking for a reason to discredit the entire library.  I am distrustful, elitist, and arrogant when it comes to my faith life.

I am a cynical Christian…

Now, to be clear, there is a difference between open cynicism and having a heart for discernment being a discerning Christian.  We are absolutely supposed to be able to discern whether a teaching is true or not.  We must be equipped with the tools to evaluate claims made on Christ’s behalf.  However, discernment can easily cross over into cynicism when it is done to inflate ourselves instead; tearing others down to increase your personal sense of elitism.  Discernment elevates and protects the authority of Christ and his teaching.  Cynicism leads to elevation and protection of you own authority, cementing yourself as the only trustworthy voice.  One is about submission and one is about collecting social currency, or leveraging power. I am guilty of this.  I want to be the smartest person in the room.  I want people to know that I’m the smartest person in the room.  Unfortunately, that usually results in me attempting to discredit the competition.  This is Pride, pure and simple.  While it may mask itself as discerning wisdom, it is in fact, sinful.

So, how do we combat this?  Learn to be submissive to the Holy Spirit.  That is exactly what I am trying to do during this season of lent… to quiet down, and listen.  God uses imperfect vessels all the time for his teaching…  after all He uses me, and I’m about as imperfect as it comes.  I need to remember that I don’t want people throwing out what I have to say, because I stumbled in my theology at some point in the past, or because I occasionally act like an arrogant “know-it-all”.  The scripture that I teach every week isn’t about me.  I’m just the imperfect vessel…  The broken pot that carries the water for a time.

Toby Mac

If that’s true for me, then its true for others.  I need to let go of my need to be the smartest person in the room, and simply be submissive to the Spirit’s work.  Sure, I still think its silly that Toby Mac, a man in his 50’s, still dresses and talks like Justin Bieber…  or that Judah Smith panders to Sea Hawks fans in his opening prayer at Passion 2014…  or that stylistically, modern worship seems cookie cutter and over-produced…

However, God is using these things to reach scores of people with the message of Christ.  Yes, I must practice discernment to make sure that I’m hearing truth about God.  However, when that discernment gives way to cynicism and pride, I need to take a step back and get out of God’s way.

40 Days of Focus: Day 1

Today is the beginning of the season of Lent, otherwise known as Ash Wednesday, the traditional 40 day period (not including Sundays) of focus that prepares the way for the reality of Easter.  Some people fast during this time, choosing to refrain from eating meat, or drinking soda, or using Facebook.  Some people use this time for personal reflection, choosing to focus on re-orienting their faith through study and prayer.  All of this serves to prepare the individual for the reality that is Easter.

So, I have decided to also launch into a period of reflection and focus as well.  But rather than give up something or set off on some epic, symbolic journey, I am going to commit to setting aside additional time each day to simply pray and ask God to prepare me for Easter…

… I know…   It sounds like a cop-out.   Follow me though, I think this might be cool….

I am terrible at letting my schedule fill up, and bumping out time for prayer and study.  I make myself too busy to stop and listen to God.  So I am using this season of Lent to change that.  I suspect that by changing my habits, something more might change in me as well.  For that reason, I am going to attempt to write a blog post every single day of Lent.  That would be a single post every day, for forty days, excluding Sundays.

I know what your thinking…

“You have only updated one in 6 months!  What makes you  think you can do a daily bog?!”  well…  i dunno.   Frankly, I don’t think I can, but I’m counting on you to keep me accountable.

So, I invite you to take this journey with me.  Take some time each day to listen to God speak into your life.  It may be through prayer, Scripture, personal reflection, or maybe even in a conversation with a friend.  But, truly take time to listen.  And I invite you to call me out if I miss a post.  In fact we may even have to come up with punishments for missed posts.  I’ll let you guys figure that out.  🙂

Well, today is day one, and the thought that has been dominating my prayers and thoughts as of late has been on how to align myself with what God is already doing.

I serve as the NexGen (Young Adult) Pastor for First Christian Church in Council Bluffs, IA.  We are attempting to launch a series of ministries that reach the needs of the 18-30 year olds in this community.  The extent of these ministries have never been done at this church, or even in this city.  In other words, everything I do is new.  So, it’s easy to feel like a soldier charging the hill with a dagger in my teeth and an army at my back.  However, I have been convicted lately to take a step back and listen…  listen to what God is already doing in our community and come alongside it and add our resources to the mix.

Therefore, I have been spending a lot of time trying to re-orient myself into a position that can recognize and react to what God is doing, and what I’m finding is awesome!

I honestly feel like we are on the cusp of something huge in our city.  College students I talk to are hungry for grace, and people are actually interested in talking about faith issues.  I don’t know what God is planning, but I can’t wait to see it.  Sure, “church” is still seen as old-fashioned or close minded by many people in our generation, however Truth… actual Truth…  is being engaged a every level.  Students want to know why the bible is so important.  Engaged couple want more than just a piece of paper to proclaim their marriage.  People are waking up to the deeper realities around us, and are failing to be satisfied by the matter-of-fact answers offered by culture.   Truth is being sought after on a regular basis.  Our culture is primed and ready for a spark…  and then boom!  Revival!

I don’t use that word flippantly either.  I’m hoping for actual revival… and not just big shows under sweltering tents.  I’m looking forward to a re-emergence of faith from the generation that is routinely referred to as the lost generation.  I see a revolution on the horizon…

…Now I just need to find out how we can help.

See you tomorrow!

My thoughts on Phil Robertson’s Dismissal from “Duck Dynasty”

Because everybody is doing it… here’s my thoughts on this whole … Phil Robertson… thing…

Phil Robertson of “Duck Dynasty”

This really isn’t a case of freedom of religion or freedom of speech.

Phil still has the same freedoms he had last week, and A&E producers also have the freedom to employ who they want. He is not facing charges, prison time, or FCC fines for his comments. He is facing the response of a private company. Phil will be OK. He has made enough money over the years to weather this storm just fine, and I’m sure that was why he was so comfortable saying the things he did.

In the end, this story is not really a “sad” story about the state of American culture. It’s an “opportunity” to discuss these topics in a respectful and loving way. Reacting as if the Church, or our freedoms, are somehow being persecuted by Phil Robertson’s dismissal is simply not helpful…. and here’s why…

1)the Church is not being persecuted in the dismissal of Phil Robertson. One man is being removed from his position as an entertainer over philosophical differences with his employer. No one is forcing you to renounce your faith at the end of a shotgun. No one is threatening our solidarity as a Church. The secular world is simply continuing to be secular. If you want to experience true persecution, preach in SE Asia or the Middle East.

2) Persecution for your faith is not a bad thing!!! It means you’re doing something right. We should never run from persecution, nor be surprised when persecution happens. Jesus said to “pick up your cross and follow me”. That was before the crucifixion. So, in other words, following Christ means a death sentence, and taking it willingly and even joyfully. We need to rejoice in our persecution. Not stomp our feet and shout “unfair!”

So, regardless of how you feel about his comments. Please do not equate one millionaire entertainer having to terminate his contract as persecution of the Church.  If you really think that, then when real persecution comes, you will blow away like ash in a tornado.   

Campus Ministers Retreat

English: McCormick’s Creek Inn Category:Images of Indiana (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Last week, I had the opportunity to travel with the Christian Student Fellowship team in Nebraska to the Campus Minister’s retreat at McCormick’s Creek State Park in Spencer Indiana.  This was a wonderful opportunity to connect with other campus ministers and get an idea of what their various ministries look like.  I expected to be met with an arena filled with straight-laced pastors, each eager to share the models and programs they adopted to generate huge turn-outs at campus revivals.  I expected to be the untested rookie, humbled by the magic key that these men and women held to effective student ministry.  I have no idea why I expected this.  I have been preaching the need to abandon models and templates for years, focusing on relational ministry over event-based in nearly everything I write on the topic.  Yet, here, I expected to learn how to plan the perfect event.

Just a bunch of campus ministers singing praises.

What I was met with was a room of only about a hundred people who had a deep, palpable passion for reaching college students.  This passion precluded any personal pride that may have existed, and “magic keys” simply didn’t exist.  We were all rookies.  Whether someone was starting their first year of campus ministry, or entering their twentieth year working on the same campus, everyone was seeking new ideas, new concepts, and new encouragements.  Why? Because there is no template for honest relationship.  Each relationship was something entirely new and unique, and what was true for one relationship doesn’t necessarily apply to the next one.  In reality, a real relational minister must be willing to admit the each new relationship requires new investment, new rules, and there simply isn’t any time for pride or programs.   Here, I was standing in a room full of truly relational ministers, and it was indeed humbling, but not in the way I had expected.

The Campus House at the University of Missouri

We left on Monday evening, and drove to the University of Missouri in Columbia MO.  We stayed overnight in the “campus house”, a collection of dormitories, owned and operated by Christian Student Fellowship.  Early in the morning, we set off for an all-day drive out to the Indianapolis area, stopping to pick up another minister in St. Louis and for a much-regretted dinner at a roadside Mexican restaurant (We all paid for that one…).  We arrived at the Canyon Inn, in the center of McCormick’s Creek State Park, at around 6:00 pm, got checked in, and prepared for our first session.

Mark Moore

Mark Moore was our key-note speaker for the event.  Mark is a pastor at Christ’s Church of the Valley in Peoria, AZ.  His preaching style is forceful and direct, holding your attention from beginning to end.  However, he seemed a bit too forceful at times, coming off instead as contrived fury.  All in all, what he had to say was spot on: as ministers, we have to take care of our own physical and spiritual health if we are ever going to be able to care for those we’re ministering to.  His advice was solid, focusing on ways to guard your time and make the greatest impact, while still balancing the realities of relational ministry.

My Golf-cart buddy, Brock with his first Par.

The next day, I had the opportunity to play a round of golf with the Nebraska crew.  Now, I LOVE to play golf, but I am about the worst golfer to ever pick up a club.  Even using the name “golfer” to describe what I do is a stretch.  That being said, four and a half hours of hacking away at tall grass and searching for golf balls quickly turned into an opportunity to build real friendships.  As we each laughed over our terrible shots, conversation happens, ideas are exchanged, and epiphanies are had.  When we returned to the hotel, these relationships stayed, and conversation kept rolling.

Our Chariot…

This is the aspect of the trip that had the largest impact.  These people didn’t have magic keys.  They didn’t hold some secret skill in relationship building.  They loved college students, pure and simple.  Beyond that, they were the same as me: trying to figure it out as we went along, and willing to mess up along the way.  The “secret” was authenticity.  They authentically love their students, and authentically want to see students come to Christ.  They are willing to pour themselves into these students, one at a time if necessary.  Now, I can’t speak for every college minister out there, but as for the people I traveled with, they brought to mind the quote: “Preach the Gospel always.  If necessary, use words.”

Related articles

• College Ministry: Where to Start? (prototypepulpit.wordpress.com)

College Ministry: Where to Start?

As I discussed in my last post, I was recently hired as the “NexGen” Pastor at First Christian Church in Council Bluffs, Iowa. This is a church that has been blessed with decades of stability, built on a real collective passion for worshiping our creator. With three full services, First Christian Church (FCC) easily serves over 1200 people each week. However, there is a definitive and highly visible gap in participation from adults from the age of 18 to 30. There are a few high-school graduates who have continued to have a part in the student ministry, as well as a few couples in their late twenties that have begun to raise families, but this generation is largely absent on Sunday Morning.

This story isn’t exactly unique…

Whether you call us (I’m 30, so I guess I’m included) “Millennials”, “Mosaics”, “Generation Y”, or “Stalled Adolescents”, my generation is leaving the church in droves. What is unique, is that the leadership at FCC saw it as a big enough need to hire a full-time pastor, devoted entirely to bridging the gap between the Church, and this next generation of Christian leaders… hence “NexGen” pastor…

…no pressure…

Now, Omaha/Council Bluffs is blessed with having over 11 different post-secondary schools (universities, colleges, community colleges, tech schools, etc.), and one of the largest schools in the area (Iowa Western Community College) is just a few miles from our church. Therefore, I have decided that my first goal is to build a ministry that serves those college students in our neighborhood, and move from there.

I have begun a campaign to learn as much about the specifics of college ministry as I can. The time and effort I have decided to put into this research phase will easily eclipse even the most in-depth papers for my Old Testament professor (whose name, believe it or not was Dr. Sprinkle). However, I believe the benefit in learning from those who paved the trail vastly outweighs the headache I will get from reading too much.

I am about two weeks into this project, and wanted to share some of the highlights so far. If you are considering starting a college ministry in your church, these might work as good starting points. Note: I am not claiming to be an expert in this field. I am just a guy staring at the giant mountain, and I’m looking for good footholds for the climb. Some may help, some my end up not being able to bear your weight at all, but at least you’re not climbing blind.

You Lost Me: Why Young Christians are Leaving the Church, and Rethinking Faith by David Kinnaman

David Kinnaman is the current president of the Barna Group, a market analyst firm whose specialty is faith-based research.  In You Lost Me, Kinnaman lays out the hard-to-dismiss disconnect between the Church, as it is currently perceived, and Millennials.  With the full weight of Barna research at his back, Kinnaman shows us a Church in trouble, arguing that the data suggests that the current participation drop-off that seems to happen after age 18 is motivated by a full cultural shift and not merely teens asserting themselves.  In other words, the reasons for the current gap in millennial participation will fundamentally change the North American Church.  Either we will shrink in size and influence over the coming decades, or we will learn to frame Truth in a way that spans the generation gap, yet doesn’t diminish the message.  You Lost Me is accompanied by a myriad of study guides, small group studies, and conference tours.  So, access to the information, as well as churches who have used their materials, is wide.

In the book, however, not much is put into making the solutions to these problems practical.  The solutions that Kinnaman offers are awesome, but theoretical in nature.  But then again, Kinnaman is an analyst and author, and while he seems to have great pastoral instincts, he is not a pastor.  That’s not a bad thing.  Sometimes, we need the facts as they are, and not as we perceive.  Kinnaman is great for that.  I highly recommend using this book, or even the accompanied study materials, to introduce the problem to your church, or even yourself.  We have to see the problem for what it is before we can make any real strides in tackling it.

Warning: if you don’t like numbers and statistics, move along.  This is a book written by the president of an analyst firm.  Its entire reason for being is to process the results of faith-based statistical analysis of 18-30 year olds.  He does it in an interesting way, and it is certainly does not come off as cold and over-analytical, but you can only dress up a list of numbers so much, and lists of numbers don’t really hold my attention (I’m talking to you fantasy football coaches).  That being said, I recommend starting your quest here, if only to understand just what you’re up against.  Just, don’t stop there.

Gen Ex-Christian: Why Young People are Leaving the Church, and how to Bring Them Back by Drew Dyck

This was a paradigm shifting read for me.  Dyck…

I can’t even type that with a straight face…

probably because I’m a 12 year-old boy…

My good buddy, Drew illustrates the need for some reform in how we approach ministry in ways that are similar to Kinnaman.  However, Drew’s (yeah I’m sticking with that) solution resonated much more with me.  He contends that the reason for the gap is really a result of post-modernism, while much of the more traditional church still operates under a modernist framework, a fact that I agree with almost completely.

Now I could write for years on the gap between post-modernism and modernism, and how it relates to the church, but I will spare you all that reading here.  The bottom line is that the Christian worldview isn’t “Modern” or “Post-Modern”.  It is something different, altogether. So, arguing about how post modernism is killing the church, or how modernism is keeping the church from being effective are completely fruit-less.  The reality is that Christianity isn’t really a worldview, or a philosophy, or an ethic, or a building.  To the follower of Christ it is simply reality, a reality based on love and grace.

This is why Drew’s solutions don’t address too many program/template issues with the church.  His tactics are far more fundamental in that they are about cultivating relationships, and learning individual stories.  It is about grace and love on a person by person basis, and not about marketing, gimmicks, or trends.  Drew’s ideas require investment in the complete person, not simply the culture.  However, the reality of church leadership is that we often have to work within organized structures that require our organization to be transparent.  Drew offers little help here.  His ideas are more about building bridges with individuals, one relationship at a time.

College Ministry From Scratch by Chuck Bomar

(OK, confession:  I’m only about halfway through this book, but I’m loving it so much I decided to list it here.)

Bomer served as a College Minister under Francis Chan.  This book is written from the perspective of someone with his feet on the ground, navigating both the realities of the culture as well as navigating the realities of church organization.  There is very little talk about “post-modern shifts” or “market research”, however there are solid gold examples of bible study ideas, excuses for visiting campuses in the name of ministry, and how to focus on discipleship rather than numbers.  I am not finished with this book yet, but I have already found it invaluable.

Bomer points out that the role of college ministry should reflect the role of college, itself: to transition individuals into full adulthood.  The only difference is that college ministry should help individuals transition into adulthood in the Church.  Therefore, tackling issues like vocation, identity, and independence are vital to the college minister.

However, it doesn’t have much to say about why the culture gap exists in the first place.  Therefore, I recommend reading this after one (or both) of the previous two books I mentioned.  This is tactics pure and simple.  YOu already know what you have to do, and you already know why.  Bomar works on giving us the “How” in that equation.  I will update you when I finish reading it.

Get in Touch with a Local Para-Church Campus Ministry

I am writing this from the second row in a 15 passenger van, riding with a team of campus ministers from Christian Student Fellowship, a para-church organization that operates campus-based ministry all over the area.  I bumped into their area coordinator a few days ago, started talking about what they are doing, and the next thing I know, I’m attending a week-long retreat with his team.  This gives me the opportunity to make several connections and hear many different models for college ministry.

Too often, ministries “compete” for participants.  I find this incredibly disturbing.  The realty is we are all in this together, and we should not be competing with each other.  the more teams that are united, the more people we can all reach.  Organizations like Campus Crusade, Navigators, and Christian Student Fellowship are everywhere, and they are more than eager to make new connections with other ministries.  Reach out, touch base, and share war-stories.  These men and women can be your greatest ally in getting on local campuses.

Campus Ministers Retreat

As I said above, I’ve been given the chance to attend the Campus Ministers Retreat out in Indianapolis this week.  This will be a chance to meet campus ministers from all over the country and hear what they have dealt with in their ministries.  In fact, over the next few days, I will be posting updates from the retreat.  Who knows, maybe I will make a connection that will ultimately shift how I will do College ministry at FCC.

Events like this are obviously amazing resources for information and fellowship.  If you have a chance to go to a conference, convention, or retreat early in the ministry planning process, TAKE IT.  There has never been a ministry that failed because the leaders had too much information, or too many connections with other pastors.  It is our job to unite and come together for the sake of THE ministry, not just MY ministry.  So, why not go to the biggest concentration of college ministry leaders that you can find?

My office/bedroom tonight. Then tomorrow, back on the road.

Well, I’m settling into my dorm room at University of Missouri: Columbia.  Tomorrow, the eight of us (7 from CSF and myself) will drive through to Indianapolis, stopping in Quincy, IL to pick up one more, topping our group off at nine.  We will be checking into the event tomorrow afternoon.

Well, off to bed…Stay tuned…

Ch… Ch… Ch… Changes

So, I’ve been missing for the past few weeks.  Sorry about that.  My family has actually been in the middle of a move to a different city, different job, and different life.  I have no idea where the best groceries are located, or where the doctor is.  I suppose I need a new Driver’s License/plates in the coming weeks, since we are now in a different state.  And, weirdest of all,  the Walmart here is actually better than the Target…  which even now is incredibly difficult to even type, let alone comprehend.

I have recently begun serving as the newly-created NexGen Pastor at First Christian Church in Council Bluffs, IA.  Our life is now centered around serving the next generation (18-30) of adult Christ followers in the Omaha/Council Bluffs area.  In other words, I have been given the humbling opportunity to create and maintain a ministry that exists to serve millennial adults.  This is an area that has 11 colleges, and over 60,000 college students.  Once you include young married couples, working singles, and single parents, we are talking about a mission field of well over 100,000 people within a twenty-minute drive.

…no pressure…

So as of now, I am in the research phase of ministry preparation.  Over the next several weeks, I will be begging as many people in similar ministries to have coffee with me, or go out to lunch, or late night pizza… basically, a lot of  calories and caffeine.   After all, we are all on the same team, and increased collaboration with area ministers can only be beneficial to those we are called to serve.  I will also be making trips to area campuses, getting in touch with local charities, and meeting with a few Christian Marriage counselors; reading countless books, and sending more emails than a time-share company in Tampa.   Basically, I am seeking as much information as I can find.

I’ve decided that the only way this will work, is if we build on what is already being done.  I’m not interested in competing with Campus Crusade or Navigators for students.  We are all working toward the same goal.  So my goal is to work alongside them, and others, in the coming months in order to open those lines of communication, so that together we can do something bigger than either of us could do alone.

Our Goal is to unite the passion of the various Christ followers that are already present in this age group, and then use that passion to make real changes in our community, through evangelism and outreach.  That being said, do you have some insight into this type of ministry?  If so, share it in the comments below.  I’m one of the few people on the planet who loves getting schooled.  So, by all means, let the advice fly.

 

The Resurrection: My Response to a Common Question.

I was scanning some of the newer posts here on WordPress, when I stumbled across this post, by Comradedread, on his blog House of Dread.

“Between the Bible mini-series that just concluded on the History channel and the Passion of the Christ movie that was out a while ago, I get the impression that a lot of Christians really want to see Jesus getting tortured and killed and see the resurrection as more of an epilogue or afterthought to the gospels.

‘Do you find that accurate as well? Why do you suppose that is?”

I had three reactions to this post, each within moments of each other.  At first, I dismissed it as just someone else poking fun at the way Christians are perceived.  Then, moments later, I was offended that someone could think that we somehow “enjoy” watching Christ suffer more than contemplating his resurrection.  Then, after I processed it for a minute, I realized that this post brings up a solid point; a point rooted in a deep theological issue, and is tied to a huge number of complex issues.

Which is more important: the death or the resurrection of Christ?  Have we misrepresented this at all? What could be the cause of this misrepresentation?  What is the Christian’s responsibility when producing, engaging, and consuming media?  The answers to these questions will have a profound impact on the way we live out our calling as members of the Body of Christ, and in many cases may even expose weaknesses in our understanding of the Gospel, itself.  So, how deep does the rabbit hole go?

First and foremost, I don’t think that there is any question that the death of Jesus is featured much more in public media.  Movies that claim to tell Christ’s story are notorious for either leaving out the empty tomb, or glossing over it as if it isn’t important… or at least not nearly as important as the death.  Even the universal symbol for Christianity is the cross, a torture and execution device that symbolises the death, yet says very little about the resurrection.  Granted, as a friend of mine pointed out, it is very difficult to design jewelry around the concept of the empty tomb.  However, I can see how, to the outside world, it may seem that we are obsessed with the death of Jesus, almost to the point of “enjoyment”.

So, is this ok?  After all, it is Jesus’ death that pays for our sins, right?  In fact, it is the fact that Jesus died for our sins that forms the very heart of the Gospel, right?

This is only partly true…

Yes, Jesus died for your sins, and because of that his atoning sacrifice is integral to Christian theology.  The fact that Christ died for your sins is of extreme importance.  However, this is not the heart of the “Gospel”.

The Gospel, or “good news” was the message of Christ, and Christ started preaching that message long before he went to the cross.  The “good news” is Christ’s teaching.  I don’t simply mean the Beatitudes, or some of his parables.  I mean His central teaching; the thing that he came down to say.  If one were to scour the words of Jesus, there is one phrase that stands out more than anything else, one thought that everything revolves around:  “The Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Mat 10:7).  In order to understand what this means, we have to understand what the Jews of Jesus’ time would have understood this to mean.

The Jews of Jesus’ time were eagerly awaiting a “messiah”, or “anointed one” that would usher in the eternal kingdom promised to David (2 Samuel 7:10).  This meant deliverance from their oppressors, and freedom that would never end.  They were promised that one of David’s descendents was going to throw off their chains for good and lead a restored Israel back to their proper place.  All would be right with the world, God’s people would take center stage.  Most saw this as a political and military restoration, rather than a spiritual one.  However the fact remained, that “the kingdom” meant a drastic shift from the status quo, and justification for the Israelites.

This all means that when Jesus would say something like “the kingdom of heaven is at hand”, it would ruffle more than a few feathers.  He was saying that the promise made to David had been fulfilled.  Yet, the jews were still oppressed.  They were still occupied, and the former glory of Israel was locked away in the cultural memory of a people who still had no country to call their own.  This meant that “the kingdom” would have to mean something different from the political revolution that many Jews had in mind.

This clarified understanding of “kingdom” is the heart of the Gospel.

Jesus was indeed fulfilling the Davidic promise, but in a way that reaches so much deeper than merely building a powerful earthly nation-state.  He was completing a task set in motion thousands of years before, allowing for the salvation and restoration of the entirety of Gods creation.  In other words, Jesus was eradicating the corruption of Sin, and in doing so, uniting His people to himself, and therefore each other as well.  This creates an ever-expanding community of restored people, united in the gift of grace that they have all accepted, and chose to pass on.  So, here we have a diverse group of people, united in cause…   one might call that a nation…

God is just, and the wages for sin is death.  The wage must be paid.  If He were to merely “forget” about this fact, God would not be just.  However, he is also merciful.  Therefore, Christ, being in nature God, himself, paid our debt for us, releasing us from the consequences of sin, thus allowing us to participate in the “kingdom”.

So why not end the story there?  In simplified terms, this model only satisfies sin, it does not conquer it.  In fact, if this is where the story ends, we would have to say that sin and its consequences are above God.  Christ, being God, submitted to the consequences of Sin, implying a recognition of Sin’s power over life and death.  However, in his resurrection, Christ shows his authority over life and death, and therefore Sin as well, while also maintaining God’s promised Justice.

The empty tomb is as vital to Christian theology as the realities of the Cross.

Without the death of Christ, we could not participate in the kingdom.  Without the resurrection, Christ merely succumbs to death, and could not be God, and therefore doesn’t have the authority to usher in the “kingdom”.   Therefore it is impossible to separate the death from resurrection, and still maintain the “Kingdom” as Christ taught it.

Now, I have skipped over some pretty large details in this explanation:  How are we connected to Christ’s Resurrection?  If the Kingdom is “at hand” (now) why is there still death?  What is the Holy Spirit’s role in all of this?  These are all questions that I hope to address in future posts, but for now, it is important to understand that the death of Christ cannot be separated from the Resurrection, or vice versa.

So, what does that mean for the issues raised by the original question?  Why does a bias exist towards Jesus’ death and His resurrection?  What responsibility do we have, as Christians, when engaging/consuming/creating media?  I would like to hear your thoughts in the comments below.  What do you think?  Does this understanding of the Gospel effect these things at all?  Let me know.

The Cross, The Empty Tomb, …and Chocolate Eggs

He is risen!  Let us celebrate Christ’s power over death by… hunting for chocolate-filled, plastic eggs…

yeah, doesn’t make much sense to me either…

Here we are, neck-deep in Jelly Bellies and Cadbury Cream Eggs, and like every year before, we are looking to justify the secular symbols of our culture’s understanding of Easter with the celebration of arguably the most important event in scripture.  However, trying to reconcile chocolate eggs and the empty tomb is even more difficult than cleaning up all the plastic Easter grass left over after the kids tear open their Easter baskets.  Don’t get me wrong, I think that the Cadbury Creme Egg might possibly be the single greatest confectionary delight that humans have ever laid their eyes on.  After all, the sugary bliss that results from biting into a Cadbury egg makes you not mind the diabetic shock that comes afterward.  However, despite all of this glucose overload, a Cadbury Creme Egg has about as much business being associated with the Easter message as Nicki Minaj has in judging vocal talent.

Sure, I’ve heard all the arguments that egg stands for “rebirth”, so it makes sense with the Resurrection. In actuality, they are symbols of fertility, associated with the pagan celebration of the Spring Equinox.  You can certainly try to stretch their meaning to maybe have some plausible connection to Christ, but in the end that is sort of like trying to cram a square peg in a round hole.  With enough force, it might cram in there, but it doesn’t change the fact that you’ve used the wrong peg.  However, the pervasiveness of these associations has very little to do with paganism, and much more to do with consumerism.

Easter is certainly not the only holiday to get distorted by American consumerism.  St. Valentine’s day, St. Patrick’s day, and of course Christmas are all celebrations of the Church that have taken on new identities in light of consumerism.  In fact, you would be hard pressed to name a popular, United States holiday that isn’t culturally defined by what you are supposed to buy.  At Easter, you buy candy and eggs.  At Christmas you buy presents and winter decorations.  Valentine’s day has chocolate and pithy cards.  Thanksgiving has massive amounts of food.  Halloween has costumes and candy.  Independence Day has fireworks and burgers.  Every popular holiday in this country is largely defined by what we buy.  The truth is that, as North Americans, we celebrate with the “almighty purchase”.

So, is consumerism bad?  It certainly can be.  If our reliance on stuff gets in the way of our relationship with God, then absolutely.  However, it may not be that simple.

In our culture, we have blended the secular with the sacred so well, that it is often difficult to tell when something has crossed that line.  Is buying an Easter basket crossing that line? Is putting up a Christmas tree? We often treat these things as if they are indispensible to the celebration.  Does our “need” for these superficial symbols threaten the integrity of the holiday?  In all honesty, I’m not sure.  You see, I like those things.  I like putting up a Christmas tree, and hiding Easter eggs. I especially like eating chocolate.

My two children will be opening up small Easter baskets this year.  We will eat jelly beans, hunt for hidden eggs, and eat a large meal with family.  However, we will also worship this morning, and talk a lot about the Empty Tomb.  I doubt we’ll do the whole “Easter Bunny” thing, simply because the idea of a giant, long-eared rodent, sneaking across the country-side, depositing candy-filled eggs is probably more likely to cause nightmares than have my kids contemplating the risen Lord, but that’s me and my kids.  I would certainly not blame other parents for doing something different.

Last night, I had a moment with my children that seemed to perfectly sum up how I want to celebrate this awesome holiday.  It was about 9:00 pm, and I was watching the kids while my wife was out.  They were sitting in my lap, eating some chocolate eggs, while I read “The Legend of the Three Trees” to them.  One tree wanted to be made into a treasure chest, and was made into a manger instead.  The next one wanted to be a mighty war galley, and ended up being made into a tiny Galilean fishing boat instead.  The last wanted to stand tall, forever pointing to the heavens, and was instead fashioned into a rugged wooden cross that held Christ.  At the end of the story, my five-year old began to explain to my two-year old that she shouldn’t be sad because “Jesus doesn’t die forever, He wakes up on Easter.”

I replied,”I couldn’t have said it better myself,” and then we ate more chocolate eggs.

Happy Easter everyone!