After3: Day 1: The Worst King Ever!

After3 is a blog series intended to help you prepare this Holy Week...to anticipate the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ!

Yesterday Jesus rode into Jerusalem with the Passover quickly approaching. 

Passover only heightened the Jewish masses' appetite for deliverance. Scattered Jews converged in Jerusalem not simply to celebrate the historical exodus from Egypt but to lean into history for the sake of the future. Passover anticipated the next exodus...freedom from Roman and all foreign dominion. Passover, like the famous Bonnie Tyler hit, was like living in a powder keg and giving off sparks (Oh yes I did! I just quoted Turn Around. At least you don't have to hear me sing it). In other words, Passover was charged. Something was likely to happen. Perhaps this Passover would be the moment God would raise up his Anointed One, the new King of Israel!

Yesterday Jesus rode into Jerusalem draped in the image of a coming king.

Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, a sign reminiscent of King Solomon's coronation (I Kings 1:32-33). The festival crowds welcomed Jesus by spreading their coats before him just as they had done hundreds of years before at King Jehu's coronation (II Kings 9:13). As he made his way through the tunnel of people they sang words of hope and salvation over him: Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!...who comes to save us! Among the crowd, some looked to Jesus as the coming king, the one who would initiate the New Passover.

They were right but they were wrong. Jesus was a king, but a king far removed from their expectations.

Kings assert power. Kings lead battles with weapons that maim and kill. Kings live in palaces, put their image on gold coins, demand reverence, sit on thrones, build monuments for their name, command servants, institute taxes, and eat the best food! Kings go first!

Jesus came as a king...as The King, but he came to surrender his power. He led the battle against sin by submitting to death. He lived among the people. He fed the hungry. He paid taxes. We posses no original depiction of his image. The only monument in his name is a symbol of execution, his only crown...one fashioned of thorns. He went last! 

Yesterday Jesus rode into Jerusalem to die as King.

As you enter Holy Week may you walk the path of The King:

• Use your power to give life rather than take it.
• Don't always have the last word.
• Forgive easily.
• Treat your servers and cashiers as people.
• Lift up those who are beneath you...employees, children and students.
• Give instead of taking.
• Boast about others instead of yourself.
• Invest in making other people successful.
• Celebrate others.
• Speak encouraging words.  
• Let someone "cut in" during rush hour.
• Pick the least athletic kids for your summer baseball team.
• Give credit to others when things go well and take responsibility when things don't.
• Go last!

Yesterday Jesus rode into Jerusalem.

Ruminations (of the Spirit?)

It's already January 8th and I have no New Year's resolutions. I'm not really a yearly resolution guy. As I continue to grow and backslide in my faith. Yes, I wish I could say I was on a linear upward projection in Quadrant I of the x-y axis, but in reality it's more like a trip to Six Flags. In this divine dance, we call life, I'm discovering God is far less interested in my "achieving" as he is in my "becoming." I've learned spiritual accomplishments are more about me than him.

So...no resolutions for me. Instead, I've been trying to discern the Spirit's voice..."What areas of my life need to become?" Discerning the Spirit is not science. Sometimes it is hard to tell if the Spirit is talking or if it is the overdose of salsa. So...I figure if the message I'm sensing makes me uncomfortable, it is probably the Spirit.

This is a list of my spiritual ruminations for 2014...so far. It's too much to chew in one bite. Not sure where to start. Not sure if it is all from the Spirit. Some of it seems contradictory...but all of these things are stirring my soul. This is pretty random!

1. Love your city! I'm hearing this both in my personal life and in my church leadership life. Scary, because I think it begins with praying for my city, but eventually it will lead to investing my time and energy in my city. I don't have time...which means shifting my schedule, re-prioritizing my "to do" list, and sacrificing some things I want to do.
2. Starve your appetites! Sounds a lot like fasting. My physical appetites consume so much of my mind-space and energy...everything from food, fitness and sex. All are great and God-given for our enjoyment (and most everything in between), but many of these natural desires easily become idols. Not sure what to do with this one and not excited about some of the implications.
3. Make time for people! I run a tight schedule from the moment I get up until about 9 PM. I throttle in 5th -gear, which means I often miss out on people. This becomes even more challenging since I'm an introvert and need some "me time" (sometimes a lot).
4. Simplicity! I know this is the Spirit because he tells me this every year. At first it seems to fly in the face of all the other holy nudges, but I'm beginning to believe it is the fertile ground that allows all the other "stirrings" to grow. The question I always have, "How far do I go?"
5. Talk about Sin! The Spirit speaks this into my preaching and pastoral life. I'm convinced I need to talk more about sin, repentance and holiness. We tend to ignore both the vertical and horizontal destruction our sin causes. 
6. What is the modern "Oikos?": Oikos is the Greek word for "household." In the New Testament it refers to the patriarch, his wife, children, and servants. It served as the most effective form of evangelism in the First Century. When the head of the household converted, the rest of the family followed suit. Is there a modern day equivalent to the "Oikos," not necessarily the family, but effective ways to engage communities of people with the good news of Jesus?

I write this to encourage those of you whose journey with Jesus is more of dance than a march. I pray God will give you discernment as your ruminations turn to action. Happy New Year....a bit late.

Brokeness Speaks

Ministry is not about what I can do for you, but sharing from what Christ is doing in me. I love this quote from Ian Cron's book Chasing Francis.