No Shirt, No Shoes, Know Jesus

Deep Thoughts

We have been doing a series at church entitled, "Vintage Jesus" in which we have been stripping away opinions about Christ and focusing on what He said and did Himself.  This has prompted some great questions.  Great...but deep.  What follows is my attempt to answer those questions.

Question 1 - When and where did Jesus go from being God to the Son of God?  And wouldn't using the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be incorrect?

OK...let's start with Trinity questions. (cause they aren't hard at all!)  The Trinity, God expressed as three persons, is a doctrine that is prevalent through out both the Old and New Testaments.  It is also one that is impossible to process.  But as I said on Sunday, just because we cannot fully understand something doesn't make it less true.  I think the point of this question is whether or not Jesus existed as the Son of God before He was born on earth.  The answer is yes.

The gospel of John gives us insight into the existence and work of Jesus prior to His time on earth.  Check out this passage from John 1:

  

In the beginning the Word already existed.
  The Word was with God,
  and the Word was God.
     He existed in the beginning with God.
     God created everything through him,
  and nothing was created except through him.  John 1:1-3

Context shows us that the Word that John is referencing is Jesus.  Consider verse one specifically.  Jesus existed in the beginning, was with God and yet was God.  That means the Trinity has always existed eternally with each aspect of God working harmoniously to accomplish His purposes.  Pretty deep thoughts for a Tuesday but important for us to understand.  It demonstrates the nature of God as well as emphasizing just how much Christ left behind to take on humanity.  I can't think of anything more important than understanding who God is and how much He loves me.  Hope that answers the question.

Question 2 - Does the fact that Jesus is relatable mean that He should be more evident in my heart? 

Ummmm...yes.  When we learn things like Jesus' humanity makes Him more relatable to us, the Holy Spirit challenges our heart to connect with Him in a greater capacity and inspires us to follow more faithfully.  I hope everyone experienced that on Sunday.  I know I did.  If that is the case, we need to respond to that challenge.  Here's some practical ways:

1. Learn more about Jesus! (crack open the Bible, take some notes,)

2. Spend more time with Him (you only grow close to people if you are hanging out with them)

3. Change your behavior (we can't be around Jesus without being inspired to do greater things with our lives.  Respond to that!)

Well, there you have it.  Hope I answered your questions to your satisfaction! 

Worth Loving

There are times when I don't like myself.  Trust me, I see my faults and missteps more clearly than anyone else.  And the reality is, there are lots of things about me not to like.  When I become self aware of those things, not only is it hard to like myself but I wonder how anyone else could love me.  I can't help but believe that if my weaknesses were laid bare, everyone would walk away from me and not want to have anything to do with me again.  That is a terrible place to be.

I was recently asked the question "how do you allow someone to love you when you feel unworthy of love?"  It certainly echoes of the above sentiment and it forced me to consider how I transition from feelings of worthlessness to accepting who I am and trusting that I have value to others.  My conclusion is this: our ability to love ourselves and, thus to receive love in return, is a learned behavior based on how others have communicated our worth.  No one loves themselves unless someone has taught them to.  Whether it is good parents who instill that ability or loyal friendships which help us develop, no one accepts their value without it being demonstrated to them first.

This is problematic.  For every person that is given a sense of worth, there are many who receive the opposite.  We are often the victims of others who give us nothing but self-loathing, who hammer away at our ability to accept love till we feel utterly worthless.  When we are treated like we are unworthy of love, we tend to believe it and are ruined by it.  So how do we deal with it?

When I was a little boy, I, like most kids who attended church, used to sing "Jesus loves me." This statement is both simple and complex.  It is simple in that it is the most condensed truth that I have ever learned.  It is the most true.  It is complex in how it relates to me specifically.  I have learned that Jesus loves me no matter what and with a clear view and understanding of all the things that might cause others to reject me.  He sees the deep things of my heart, the guilt and sense of worthlessness and still loves me.  As a matter of fact, armed with the knowledge of my short comings, His response was to suffer excruciatingly so that I would never be separated from Him.  I have never experienced a love like that...and it changes everything.

Do you want to know you personal value today?  Would you like to comprehend you worth?  You and I are worth the life of God's Son.  That is a high cost and it sets a high value.  If we can come to accept that in our lives, our standard for feeling worth and our ability to love and be loved is no longer hinged on how other people treat us.  If I accept that, no matter what, I am completely accepted and loved perfectly by Jesus, than I am confident enough to respond to others, both when they are positive and when they are negative.  No one sets my worth but Christ.

My prayer today would be that anyone who feels devalued, who feels unlovable, would grab ahold of this truth and allow yourself to find value in the way Jesus loves you.  It will change your life and the lives of those around you.  Because when we are loved so freely, we can freely love in return.

What I'm Thinking...

Some random thoughts as we head into the weekend:

1. Tiger Woods deserves some grace.  I don't know his heart but it seems like he is sorry for what he did to his family.  I'm pulling for him @ the Master's.

2. I can't believe it is snowing!  And the forecast for tomorrow? Sunny and sixty-three degrees!  This is where colds are born. 

3. Been reading about Jesus being funny!  Could be the most fun bible study I have ever had!  Can't wait to talk about it on Sunday.  My most favorite topic in awhile.

4.  Note to movie producers:  not everything has to be in 3D! (I'm talking to you, Clash of the Titans!)

5.  I'm confused.  Is the iPad just a super-sized version of the iPod Touch?  Not sure if that's cool or not.

6.  Top Chef Masters is back on!  If you love cooking shows, do not miss this one.  Airs on Wednesday here in Cleveland.

7.  Trying to get over the Easter downswing.  Weeks of getting ready for Easter and then its over.  Leaves me tired and slightly grumpy.  Somehow that seems like the opposite of what I should feel.

8.  Did I mention that I hate snow in April?  (I think I only like Christmas snow now...or those blizzards that make you stay in all day with the family.)

9.  The video from Sunday is being edited and should be up on the website really soon.  Mad props to Richard for making this finally happen.

10.  I don't really have a ten.  Just seems like these list always have ten items.  I'll try and do better next time.

Fashionista Part III

The most expensive article of clothing that I have ever possessed (apart from a suit, but I didn't really want that so it doesn't count) was a pair of special edition Barry Sanders Nike's,  They cost $150 dollars.  My wife, because she loves me like crazy (emphasis on the crazy), bought them for me.  I wore them until they fell apart.  I loved those shoes!  I loved em cause I looked cool in them and I loved them cause they were a constant reminder that Julie is crazy for me.  That level of extravagance cannot help but make you feel special.

Jesus once told a story about a kid who wasted his inheritance and found himself living in squalor.  He eventually decided that he'd try to get a menial job working for his dad's company.  After all the bridges he had burnt, that was the best he could expect.  The story eventually became known as "the prodigal son".  Perhaps you've heard of it.  If not, here's a big fat spoiler for ya: the kid's dad accepts him back with open arms and restores him to the family.  Happy endings all around.  One of my favorite stories ever.  But there is a part in the story that is not always emphasized that I want to consider.  Look at this passage...

 “But his father said to the servants, ‘Quick! Bring the finest robe in the house and put it on him. Get a ring for his finger and sandals for his feet."   Luke 15:22

This could have just been a "I told you so" kinda reunion where the son has to suck it up and listen to years worth of well deserved criticism.  It could have simply been a understated welcome home where the Dad is hopeful that the kid is changed but is taking a wait-and-see approach.  But no, this dad orders his workers to dress the kid up with the finest threads, throw some bling on his finger, and some nice kicks on his feet and get ready to party like it's ninety-nine! 

It's no surprise that Jesus told this story.  That's the kind of extravagant love God has for us.  No matter how far away we are from Him, no matter how we have treated Him, He is not only willing to take us back but He desires to pour out His love, blessing, and acceptance on us.  Maybe you feel like you are living in emotional and spiritual squalor today.  Maybe you are hoping that something could change.  If so, let me give ya some advice: run home to Dad, experience His crazy love, and let Him dress you up with forgiveness, healing, and hope.  I know this from experience...and I got the threads to prove it!

Fashionista Part II

I always think the strangest part of the Crucifixion account is the gambling.  All the gospels reference that the soldiers who were in charge of Jesus' execution decided to gamble for who got his clothes.  This is weird.  Number one, you gotta be a cold piece of work or in desperate need of Gambler's Anonymous to roll dice in earshot of people dying in agony.  Number two, who wants to wear some dead guy's threads?  That's straight up creepy!  Yet Scripture records that is exactly what happened.  Why?  The guy was a homeless teacher, living off the generosity of others?  It's not like he was wearing the Roman world's version of Armini.  Or was He?  John 19 records that Jesus had a seamless robe woven in one piece from top to bottom.  Apparently, this was high quality and worth the creepiest game of craps ever played.

So why include it in the account?  Just to be detail oriented?  Or can we learn something from this?  We have already discussed that clothes were invented out of shame, a direct result of rebelling against God.  We continue to do this metaphorically, projecting a pleasing outward persona to disguise our inner brokenness.  We hope that no one will ever see the shame and ugliness that can be inside us.  Yet, sooner or later, just like with real clothes, our persona slips and people see the real us. We are exposed.  And the shame is too much to bear.  Compound that with the fact that God was never fooled in the first place and one cannot help but wonder how we can go on.  We need something to cover us, something to hide our shame, something that will make us acceptable to God.  Perhaps...a seamless robe?

Galatians 3:27 teaches us that we can be clothed with Christ, that we can put on what He has done for us like a new set of clothes.  In affect, He seamlessly covers all our rebellion, all our brokenness, and all shame, so that all God sees when He looks at us is Jesus.  There are no leaks, no splits, no rips, just Jesus, one size fits all.  It's pretty wonderful not to have to be ashamed, to know that Father God looks on me and I'm not exposed.  No, I look better than I ever could have on my own.  And it's no gamble, it's a sure thing.

Startin' Something!

So yesterday marked the start of The Open Source Church, our complete re-vamp of Riverside.  Seemed like the perfect time to launch, it being Easter and all.  Sunday dawned warm and sunny, which was a shock since this is Cleveland and it is common to see colored eggs pushing up through the snow.  I got to church early and set up our new signs, hung the new backdrop, and got everything ready to go.  We managed to start right on time (a personal best for me) and proceeded to have...a normal morning.  Oh, it was a great time, we started a cool series, and there were a few more people than usual, but all in all, there wasn't that much difference than the week before when we called ourselves Riverside.  Or was there?

I would argue that this Sunday was the most important one in the history of our church.  It marked the point where we identified ourselves with the vision that God has given us.  There was a sense of ownership, not just by me as the pastor or a few key leaders, but by our entire community.  We know who we are, we understand what God has for us, and we are embracing it.  That is going to make all the difference. 

So I want this to be the blog equivalent of a high five!  I want us to get pumped up!  I want us to have expectations!  That means we have faith that God will do what He has promised.  Sunday, we stared something, something big, something world changing, that God has allowed us to be a part of.  That's worth getting excited about!  Can't wait to see what happens this week! (and the week after, and the week after that, and the one after that, and...well, you get the idea.)