Blessed are the meek

We spent this past Sunday digging in to Jesus' words "Blessed (it is well with) are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth"

In doing so we first looked at another form of teaching this principle ... found in a parable

Read this Lectio style

• 1st reading … listen for a word or phrase that stands out to you
• 2nd reading … what is it about that word or phrase that is calling to you
• 3rd reading … what is it calling you to do

Luke 18:9-14

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

After meditating on this parable and how it illustrates the beatitude, we then looked at Jesus living out the concept in John chapter 13:

 

2 The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. 3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; 4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

7 Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

8 “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

9 “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

10 Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” 11 For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean.

12 When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. 13 “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. 14 Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. 15 I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. 16 Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

Blessed are the meek …

We have the impression that it's you against me, and I'm either better than you or you are better than me … we are surrounded by it, it forms our political interactions, it forms our relational interactions, it separates us and divides even the Christian community.  May we be a people who rejoice in others and celebrate them rather than find fault … may we seek opportunities to serve and not to conquer … as 

(Bow with hand on heart)   We pray to the Lord, Lead us in the way of humility

This led us into an invitation to join around the table of communion where we lit a candle of someone who God had brought to our minds that we might seek ways to serve in the coming days.

 

Blessed are the poor in spirit

Last night we walked through the first beatitude ... "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven".  Our intent within this series is to examine a teaching of Jesus and then to search the gospels for the practical ways in which he lived them out.  This will lead us into some practical ways that we can live out the counter cultural message in our own lives.


"Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of heaven"

• the example that we looked at can be found in Jesus encounter with the individual known only as the "rich young ruler" found in Mark 10
• ¹⁷ As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
  ¹⁸ “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. ¹⁹ You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’^[d]”
  ²⁰ “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”
  ²¹ Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
  ²² At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
  ²³ Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”
  
  As you read this ... consider a few things:
  
  1. What was his (the young mans) image of obtaining eternal life?
  2. In the end, where did he place his trust? 
• Henri Nouwen identified 3 lies that we listen to in determining our worth
• I am what I have
• I am what I do
• I am who others say that I am

Reflect on a fear that you have based around one of these lies ... how does it control you?  How tightly do you hold on to it?  In our reflection time we took a moment to meditate on what it feels to live with clenched fists and how Jesus calls us to live with hands held open.  We are called to release the lie that we cling so tightly to out of our insecurities and to trust that only He is enough.

• What was the lie that the young ruler could not unclench his fists from?
• What is yours?
• We finished our time with eyes closed, hands open, and praying for Jesus to "lead us in the way of trust"

How do you know that you're following?

In Mark chapter 1 we see another version of last weeks account in Luke and we can add some practical identifying characteristics to a "follower" of Jesus.  In other words, these are the "lived out" qualities of the life of a follower.

16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

From this passage (and other supporting teachings, we concluded that:

1. Following begins by making an informed decision to accept Jesus as Lord

 At first glance, this sounds very disturbing--like Jesus walked up to total strangers and mesmerized them and/or they were gullible cult candidates. But this was not their initial encounter with Jesus, but rather an important juncture in their relationships with him that had been developing for some time

For about a year, they developed a relationship with Jesus while still working at their jobs. (NOTE: Many young Jewish men did this with rabbis of that time.) They watched him turn water into wine, clear the Temple, converse with Nicodemus, reach out to the Samaritan woman, etc. Sometime during this period, they each entrusted themselves to him as the Messiah.

2. Following demands living in vital community with other followers.

    There are a host of metaphors in the New Testament to emphasize this feature of discipleship. We are the family of God, brothers and sisters who have the same Father and Teacher. We are the Temple of God--each of us living stones indwelt by God’s Spirit, but being built together by him into a living building that manifests his presence. We are the Body of Christ--each of us like different members of our physical bodies, but interdependent upon one another as dependent on Jesus as the Head. 

    The bottom line is this. When you respond to Jesus’ call to be his disciple, he calls you into real community with other Christians. There are no exceptions to this rule. It is not possible for you to develop as a healthy and productive disciple of Jesus with only minimal  interaction with other followers. To say “I want to follow Jesus, but I can do this alone/with my spouse” is simply wrong. A huge amount of Jesus’ personal guidance, correction, encouragement, and character development is designed to come to you through the network of close Christian friendships he calls you to form.

3. Following leads to embracing Jesus’ call to influence others for his kingdom.

Jesus called his disciples into community with one another, but he also called them to influence others for him (re-read Mk. 1:17). The phrase “fish for people” does not mean that he would teach them how to manipulate people, or to treat them as sub-human objects, etc. It means that he would teach them how to what he was doing--reaching out beyond himself to gather more people into God’s kingdom, to build them up in God’s kingdom.

    Jesus called them to himself to be with him together--but he also sent them out to tell others (Mk. 3:14). He called them into community to be him and with one another. But always his eye was on those outside

4. Following results in allowing Jesus to continually change your life.

 Responding to Jesus’ call had immediate practical implications for these four men. In their case, it meant walking away from their vocations so Jesus could train them full-time. It also meant a change in family relationships. And this was only the first of many times that Jesus “rocked their worlds.” For the next three years, he introduced all kinds of changes into their lives--geographical mobility, multi-ethnic exposure, conflict with the religious authorities, ministry situations way beyond their human abilities, Following was always strictly voluntary, but Jesus never apologized for the challenges and changes.

 

What does a follower of Jesus really look like? - August 7

This past Sunday we began a journey of discovery to answer the question "What does a follower of Jesus really look like?".  Back in the earliest days of Common Table we centered ourselves on Jesus call in Matthew 28 to "go and make disciples".  He didn't call us to make Christians or church goers or nice people.  He didn't call us to humanitarianism or socialism or any other -ism in particular.  He called us to make disciples ... otherwise known in our terminology as followers.  Now Webster defines a disciple as literally "someone who accepts and helps to spread the teachings of an individual" ... in our case that person is Jesus.  Notice that this implies not just an acceptance of Jesus, most do not struggle there.  The overlooked implication is that a true follower helps "spread the teachings of that individual (Jesus).  This is admittedly where the majority of us fall short.  
It is my belief that we struggle with what a follower looks like (and does) because we are intimidated by the word "disciple".  It seems to be one of those deep, complex, never able to attain, bible concepts reserved for the saints of old.  So we are going to spend some time over the next several weeks taking a look at just what those first "disciples" really looked like ... at what it really looked like to "walk in the dust of the Rabbi" as the ancient Hebrews referred to the process of becoming a disciple (follower).
This past Sunday all began with an examination of the early calling of Simon (Peter), James and John into a life of following.  You can read about it in Luke 5:1-11.
Here are some things we discovered there:
 

Characteristics of a "Jesus follower"

1. (vs 2) Regular people leading regular lives (fishermen, tax collectors, activists, ___________, __________, _________)
2. (vs 5) Regular people leading regular lives with regular doubts
3. (vs 5) Regular people leading regular lives with regular doubts making irregular choices

4. (vs 8) Regular people leading regular lives with regular doubts making irregular choices having an irregular awareness of their need
5. (vs 11) Regular people leading regular lives with regular doubts making irregular choices having an irregular awareness of their need while pursuing an irregular path

Questions ... week 2

This week we dug deep into the parable of the "good Samaritan" where Jesus asked "Which of these three was a neighbor to the man ... ?"  We didn't spend a great deal of time on the answer because it was and still is very apparent who the neighbor was.  What caught our attention was something else ... something that brought up our own question.  Would the story have been the same if Jesus had ended it where the Samaritan took the beaten man to the inn and cared for him?  In the next verse Jesus describes the Samaritan as having gone above and beyond and engaging another, the innkeeper to assist in his care.  The answer to our question again seemed to be simple ... would the story have been the same, would it have made any difference had Jesus ended it prior to this?  Of course it wouldn't.  Jesus was not known for wasting words.  In preachers language he knew how to land the sermon.  This means that verse 35 ... the going above and beyond verse, the including another in the care and well being of the beaten man verse ... this verse needs to mean something to us.  Just maybe its another instance of us not taking this journey alone.  The importance of community and the power of "the other" when it comes to displaying love and serving those on the margins could be on display here as well.  Maybe its just a matter of an overlap of last weeks question which demonstrated the completeness of Jesus healing.  Maybe we need to realize that its one thing to bring comfort in suffering, but let's not stop there when we could be involved completely in the whole healing process.

Questions Jesus asked ... and still does

A question can be a double edged sword.  On one side, the mere asking of a question implies that you don't know something.  It could be a sign of weakness.  Maybe I'm the only one who doesn't know the answer to this.  In a competitive culture this could put you at a disadvantage.  You could be the weakest link.  On the other hand, a question could be a sign of humility, of teachability, a moment of "I'd really like to better myself, can you help me?".  In a completely different sense, a well framed question coming from a teacher can draw tremendous insight.  Jesus used this form of teaching masterfully countless times.  So effective were they that they continue to resonate in our lives if we choose to be participants and not spectators in our study of scripture.  This past Sunday evening we began a new journey in the gospels wrestling with some of the questions that Jesus asked.  We entered into the story of a blind man named Bartimaeus .  Upon engaging him on the edge of the city, Jesus asked him a very simple and yet deeply profound question ... "What is it that you want me to do for you?"  Bartimaeus replied that he wanted his sight.  Well of course he did ... it seems fairly obvious, and yet you might miss this if you're not careful.  This was a blind man who spent his life alongside the road calling out for people to help him.  The help he was anticipating, most likely, would come in the form of food scraps or the ancient version of loose change which could be used to by food scraps.  I'm guessing that not once did he ever expect his sight from a passerby ... yet he did with Jesus.  Think about it for a moment ... his most pressing need was presented to the only one who could take care of it.  He wasn't about to waste this moment on something as momentary as food scraps or loose change.  Those he could get from anyone on any given day... but on this day Jesus asked him "What is it that you want me to do for you?"  The truth of the matter is this;  Jesus asks us the same exact question.  How many of us have wasted the offer on something that could be covered on any other day by any other source?  We waste it by answering the exact same deep and probing question with superficial things like "niceness", "success", "security".  Sometimes we even spiritualize our answers with promises that "if only I had ... then I could ... for the kingdom."  "When I reach a certain level of security, success, living conditions, location, free time ... then I can really get serious about following you."  Most of us, myself included, suffer from any one of a number of forms of blindness ... spiritual blindness.  So I ask myself as I call out to him, when he asks "What is it that you want me to do for you?" ... what's my answer going to be?

A home and a light

This past Sunday evening we enjoyed our first time together in what we have determined to be our new gathering space.  On Sunday evenings and select other opportunities Common Table will call the Cascade "Peoples Center" home.  Sunday we were welcomed by Josh, the manager of the People's Center, with open arms and lots of Theo chocolate.  He was moved by the evening worship time and he shared afterwards that we were just what they were needing there to bring light and life to the center and the neighborhood.  That statement has had me thinking these past few days.  I can't underestimate how important these easily overlooked words actually are to our time at the center.  These words, although meant as sincere eagerness to have us there, hold a profound and deeper challenge for us.  Our task is indeed to bring light and life to wherever we find ourselves.  This is true of us individually, but can be so much more powerful as a community seeking to more faithfully live and love like Jesus.  So here is the challenge ... How will we in fact be light and life here?  I need us, all of us, each one who passes through the doors on a Sunday evening, to be diligently asking that question.  This is not a consumer community because ours is not a consumer faith.  So lets not fall into the trap of "using" the People's Center.  May we instead ask how God may use us within and around the space we've been given, for as long as we've been given it.  Our time there may be short as we continue to seek a permanent home, lets make the most of it.  As you walk past the park, as you drive into the neighborhood, as you come up the gravel path ... don't merely focus on the gathering at hand.  Look beyond, ask for insight, listen to the whisper, and be ready to share with us and challenge us with what God is setting before us.  Life can certainly take place inside the building within the context of our gatherings, but light is going to be a bigger challenge.  We are dead center in the middle of the city.  What greater place to bring light to than that?