What's the Center?

In the realm of politics a "centrist" is one who doesn't fit neatly in one party or the other. They are a middle ground sort and find that they agree and disagree with bits of both ideologies. In the church there is a debate about what the center of the faith ought to be. Some argue for the Scriptures while others argue for Christ. What is the center?It is interesting isn't it? If we place the Scriptures over and above Jesus then are we really being faithful to Jesus? Are we deifying the Scriptures? Some have said that in the evangelical church the trinity is God the Father, God the Son, and God the Bible. 

On the other hand, if we set the Scriptures on the outside of things then what do we have? A few years ago there was a burgeoning Christian subculture called "Emergent" and it offered some really helpful critiques of mainstream evangelicalism. They were very Jesus centered and talked about how the Scriptures were one voice in the discussion. In other traditions Christians are not encouraged to read or study the Bible, that's better left to the clergy. 

What do we do with this? Is Jesus the center or is the Scripture the center? What is the center?

John 1 is really helpful in untangling this, 

The Word was first, the Word present to God, God present to the Word. The Word was God, in readiness for God from day one.

Everything was created through him; nothing-not one thing!-came into being without him. What came into existence was Life, and the Life was Light to live by. The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out.

The word translated as "Word" is the Greek word "logos". The concept of the logos in the Greek mind was full of meaning. It was weighted and heavy.  It was the basis of knowledge and reason. Here, John personifies the logos and places it at the foundation of creation. It was pre-existent with God the Father.

Later in the chapter John says,

The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.

This is a remarkable statement. He is saying that Jesus is the logos. Jesus is the Word. This does not mean that the Scriptures = the logos. So, we can't go too far with this connection. However, it does inform us as to how we approach the issue of the "center".

Hebrews 1 says,

Going through a long line of prophets, God has been addressing our ancestors in different ways for centuries. Recently he spoke to us directly through his Son. By his Son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end.

The author to the Hebrews says that Jesus is the ultimate self-expression of God to us.  What's the center? Is it Jesus or the Scriptures?

The answer is, "yes". Jesus is the center but the Scriptures reveal Jesus to us. So, we can't have one at the center without the other. We must properly place them both at the center of our faith because apart from the Scriptures displaying Jesus for us we will merely create him in our own image. When this happens we place ourselves at the center.

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Where's Your Heart?

A good friend asked me this question the other day. It might be the most important question that we can ask ourselves. 

With the Antioch Movement we are starting something called Huddles. These are high invitation and high challenge discipleship groups of 3-5 individuals or couples. We are looking to delve into kairos moments (kairos moments are those moments where we experience God breaking in..) in our lives to discover what the Father is inviting us into. How is he challenging us? In what ways is he calling us to step out in faith? 

So really the question is, “where’s my heart?” We keep asking and asking because as we wrestle with this question we find that we have kairos moments all over the place and miss them, usually. It is amazing what happens when you begin to try and see them. They are everywhere!

*Where’s my heart?* I am looking at my heart these days through a triangle matrix of up, in, and out. First, “out”. This is my heart towards people who are not followers of Jesus. At no time in my life have I ever been so comfortable and happy to be around people who don’t know Jesus. A number of years ago if I were to look at my life and see the world within which I now live, I don’t think I would have believed it. Most of my time is spent with people who are far from God and it fills me up. The conversations we have are deep and meaningful. As a result I can’t wait to hit the ground running every single day. 

Second, “in”. The community of the Antioch Movement - Ypsilanti is amazing. The people who call AM home are beautiful people who love well. We are able to do life deeply together. We fight and argue. We forgive and receive forgiveness. My heart towards believers has experienced a revival or renewal these last number of months as I see this authentic community growing up around me. There is honesty and humility. But most of all there is love. It is overwhelmingly beautiful. 

Finally, “up”. It’s a struggle these days. I am going through a bit of a dry period and it’s really hard. Ever since we moved to Ypsilanti, about 12 months ago, I have been struggling to really find an ever deepening level of intimacy with Jesus. I connect with God through the study of the Scriptures and I have found over the years that I needs large chunks of time. When I was serving at Grace Chapel, I had a wonderful study where I could close the door and get lost in the Scriptures. For the last year that has alluded me. My heart aches to write this and I long for time and a space. It’s been a strange experience because I am blown away by God’s great faithfulness and care in all things. He keeps showing me how awesome he is through our community. Yet, there is a lack of intimacy. It’s that feeling of longing you have when you haven’t seen a close friend for a period of time. My “up” needs some work.

So, I’m living in a kairos right now where I am longing for more of God. It’s a good place to be but my heart is heavy as a result. I can’t wait for one of those days where I get lost in the Scriptures for 3 or 4 hours. It will be amazing

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In The Beginning…

Photo Courtesy: Todd Waller

I have been thinking about this post for a few days. How do you begin a 28 day blogging experiment? You begin at the beginning and the beginning is...

Why?

A friend, +Todd Waller,  has said that anything worth doing must begin with the an answer to the question, “Why?”

I have been blogging for years. However, it has been marked by fits and starts. The concept of continuity and consistency has been largely lost on my blogging experience. Some weeks or months see a good number of blog posts. Then all of a sudden everything dries up. There are no words and there are no posts. So, this blog experiment is an act of discipline for me. Writing every single day, even if it’s not very good, it doesn’t matter. I am going to discipline myself to put something out: Every. Single. Day.

The second reason is that I am intrigued by the Google+ platform. I have been reading some articles about how Google+ could be a game changer in the realm of blogging and social networking. There have been a number of guys who have committed fully to the platform and even some who have left the world of traditional blogging to blog only on Google+. They have found that engagement was significantly higher as a result. So, I am going to compare engagement at Google+ with that of the Tumblr platform.

Finally, 28 Posts in 28 Days is going to force me to slow down, process, and create. Human beings are created in the image of God. As image bearers we only experience our full humanness when we create. I don’t paint or build things. But, I have always enjoyed the creative process of writing. I remember being in Mrs. Kramer’s fifth grade class and writing an epic science fiction story. It was the first time I remember actually creating something. Ever since then I have loved writing. So, for 28 days I will write and seek to live out who I am as an image bearer of God.

Those are the “why’s”. I hope you consider coming along for the journey. 

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How To Write A Better Sermon

Over the last number of years I have worked really hard on developing my craft as one who preaches the Gospel. Pulpit ministry is tricky because there is a sense that you look for affirmation in the wrong places. You want people to like what you say, but, if you're preaching the subversive gospel then they probably won't like what you have to say very often. 

I have come to realize that it doesn't matter whether people like my message. I want the message to stick and I want it to be fruitful. That means, when I preach my hope is that life change follows.

Early on in my days of preaching I would often bite off more than I could effectively communicate. I studied so hard and prepared so much that messages would last 45 minutes and really be all over the place. I would over illustrate, over metaphor, and educate. 

A few years ago at Grace Chapel we began writing children's questions for every sermon. If you were preaching you were responsible to write the questions. I have found that thinking through these questions with children (4-12 year olds) in mind has transformed my preaching. 

One of my good friends said that the best thing that he had to do in seminary was give a message to 5 year-olds. I believe it, now, more than ever. 

You see when you are thinking about communicating the Scriptures to a child you know that there have to be a few things that are true of your message:

• It has to have movement. This means that you need to have a narrative arc to your message. If you don't then boredom will set in. There must be a clearly defined beginning, middle, and end. 
• It has to be focused. You can't go on rabbit trails. If you do they lose interest.
• It has to be concrete. Your messages can't be theoretical. Kids don't get the theoretical, they don't have the intellectual hooks for it. 

Here's my secret: The things that are true about speaking to kids are the same things that are true for speaking to adults. 

The beginning of this process for me is writing children's questions. This exercise forces me out of my "great" theological mind and into the necessity of movement, focus, and the concrete. 

Do you want to be a better preacher? Write a few children's questions. 

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How Should Christians Respond to the Demise of Public Officials

Today in Detroit, former mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, was found guilty and sent to prison. As a mayor he failed and did some horrific things. The evidence proved his guilt. Most of the response in my social network feeds is that of jubilation and mockery.

Mostly by Christians.

It seems that this kind of response is not the way that we ought to respond. As a people we are called by God to pray for those in authority. We are also supposed to pray for our enemies.

It's interesting, when I regularly pray for someone it makes it very difficult to hate them. I find myself seeing things from their perspective. I begin to experience empathy.

In the case of Kilpatrick I am thankful that the city of Detroit and our metro area will experience closure. But, I am saddened that a family has been destroyed. What is lost in all the mess is that Kilpatrick through his decisions destroyed a city and his family. His children won't have a dad around.

This is not a time for celebration. It's a time for somber reflection.

It's a time to ask hard questions of ourselves and those we have placed in public office.

There is joy when justice happens. There is also sadness when we see the effects of evil. I hope that we as Christians will bring both to the public forum.

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Modeling and Engaging Faith is Better Than Separation and Isolation

We do things really weird at +The Antioch Movement.

It's true.

Really weird.

For starters we include our children in everything we do. We place a high value on inclusion. The reason is simple, we believe that discipleship is the proper model of the spiritual growth of our children, and all people.   If we think that discipleship is the means by which to best reach others, then we must be committed to it in the context of our own families. We believe that the primary discipler is the parent, Mom and Dad.

In most of the West when Mom and Dad arrive at church they are told to drop off they kids in "children's wing". Where wonderful Christian men and women will teach their children. They are wonderful. They are amazing. My kids have benefited deeply from Sunday School. They are benefiting even more as they see us engage with others and others engage and model the faith for them and with them in a multi-generational context.

We are in a time of training and preparation in the Antioch Movement. Part of this is me as the "professional" getting out of the way and letting go of leadership. We have been learning a model of bible study leading that is simple and can be with anyone and led by anyone. So, I started getting out of the way,

"Who would like to lead our conversation next week?" I asked.

"Is there an age limit?" asked the 11 year old.

"No."

"I want to wead..." said the four year old.

Silence.

"Ummm....OK. Sidney you're leading next week." I responded.

"Sid, we'll practice this week together. OK?" her dad chimed in.

"OK, and Vinnie will help too!" Beamed Sidney...

A week later, we had a great conversation. Sidney's dad asked the question, Sidney repeated it. It was fantastic. It was proof that anyone can lead a discussion about the Scriptures and do so well. For the adults in the room I think it showed them that we need not fear leadership.

A four year old did it.

That's not the best part though. The best part is that Sidney wants to lead it every week. She is engaged and interested in our gathering around the Scriptures. She has meaningful training from her parents. Her parents are training her and helping her grow in the Lord.

The rest of us saw this, experienced this, and profited from this.

Discipleship is something that is central to who we are as the church. It is our central means for reaching the lost and maturing the found. If we believe this then our practices must reflect our belief.

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We Must Change Our Thinking On Property

Photo Courtesy of Todd Waller

This week I was in a meeting with church leaders and civic leaders in our city. There are some amazing people and things happening in our town. There are people who have huge hearts and care deeply for the people of our city. I was impressed and thankful to be among them. 

There was a brief side conversation that took place about a church purchasing a significant piece of property in town. As a result of the church buying the property it came off the tax roles. While many see this as a huge benefit, I struggle with this reality. Many smaller cities like ours are in need of taxes to keep things balanced and to provide core services. I appreciated the fact the official from the city is hopeful that the people coming in for church programs will spend money at local businesses and in this way add to the tax base. Just to be clear nobody from the city had anything bad to say about the church buying the property.

This conversation confirmed some thoughts I have been having about the role of the church in a city. I am convinced that the Church should not own property, or if it is going to, should willingly choose to pay property taxes. Another thought would be to consider repurposing the building to something for-profit that would cover the taxes and provide a service to the community while simultaneously funding the mission.

Why?

It's because often times we own some of the best property in a city. We have a responsibility to the city to be stewards of the city. Part stewarding the city is paying our fair share. This is significant. I know many will read this and say, "It's not right to pay taxes off of offerings given by the congregation. That money has been taxed already." Or they might say, "If we had to pay taxes then we wouldn't be able to afford the building at all!"

To both these critiques I say, "Then don't own property."

It is my hope that +The Antioch Movement will some day rent property that owned by a local person. We will be adding to the economy of the city and not simply taking. The other thing this allows for is the ability to respond and adapt to the needs of our community and city. A church that rents can choose to not be building poor. Maintenance will be done by the landlord. Parking lots, landscaping, etc...all would be taken care of by someone else. 

This kind of change is foreign in our thinking. The American Dream is to own property and this dream has extended to the local church. Why? Because the Church in America became domesticated and institutional. It is time for the church to return to its roots as an ever changing community that proclaims the excellencies of Jesus in word and deed.

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