Angry? Who Me?

"Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out all the people buying and selling animals for sacrifice. He knocked over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves." (Matthew 21:12)

I saw a poster the other day on the internet that really made me chuckle.  It read " Just remember when asking yourself "What Would Jesus Do?" yelling and turning over tables is an option.  It's a reference, of course, to the Scripture you see at the top of the blog.  I laughed because there are days when, quite frankly, that's the option I would like to take.  And I don't think I'm alone on that.  All of us have days when we want to just start flipping over tables. 

And if we are to be disciples of Jesus, we must admit that this indeed is a viable option.  There is such a thing as righteous anger. But in that freedom also comes a great conviction.  We must ask ourselves what makes Jesus angry enough to turn over tables? And do the same things make us angry?

That's the problem. In all honesty, what makes me angry in life probably doesn't bother Jesus a lot.  In fact there are a lot of times when I bring those things that anger me, that make me want to flip over tables, to the throne of God in prayer. I'm looking for validation for my anger. I'm looking for a little celestial retribution. What I receive is God's gentle chastisement asking me "Why are you so bothered by this?" "Wouldn't you be happier to just let this go?"  or even worse "Yes, I remember when you did the same thing and came to me asking to be forgiven."  In the end, it's a Lordship issue. If it doesn't anger God, do I have the right to be angry about it?  If He is willing to forgive, am I placing myself above Him when I refuse?

Isn't it ironic that we get angry about things that God could care less about, but the things that anger God we ignore?  Look again at this Scripture. What makes Jesus so angry? What cause Jesus to "cleanse the temple?"  It's the abuse of the poor. The money changers were gouging the poorest people to buy doves for sacrifices. The lamb was the traditional sacrifice, but God had made provision for those who were so poor they couldn't afford a lamb. They could use a dove. The money changers were keeping people from experiencing the Grace of God.

How angry do we get when we see the poor being barred from the grace of God?  Poverty extends way beyond the pocket book doesn't it?  What about the people who are poor in fellowship? Who are lonely? Do we even make the most simple of gestures to sit with them in church, welcoming the stranger? Do we extend that grace beyond the four walls of the church and the worship hour? Do we recognize that loneliness goes far beyond just "church?"

What about the poor in spirit?  We come across them everywhere. The lost, sin sick souls of the world. You carry within you the Good News of Jesus Christ. When was the last time you went to those with impoverished spirits and told them about Jesus? Prayed with or for them? Offered them a loving witness?

What about that person who simply has a poor attitude and made you miserable today. Were you miserable right back or were you determined to love them and be gracious? What did you do to make their lives better? Where did they see Jesus?

It ought to make us a bit angry when we see within ourselves an attitude that withholds grace from someone.  It ought to make us a bit repentant. It ought to cause us to turn over a few tables. Tables with names like indifference, pettiness, or a self-centered spirit. Let's begin to get angry at what angers Jesus. A little righteous anger is good for the soul.

In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><
  

No Small Moment

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not" (1 John 3:3)

As I walked into the cottage at Lakeside last week during Annual Conference I found everyone abuzz with excitement about the latest news. Our grandson Sean had finally gotten his first tooth.  Everyone was trying to take pictures and trying to get a finger in to find his tooth. When we called people that week, especially people in the family,  this is how we began every conversation: "Hello. Did you know Sean has his first tooth?"  And, of course, because we have such nice friends and family, everyone was either excited or feigned excitement for us. To be honest I'm a bit surprised and not a little offended that CNN and Fox didn't make this their lead story "Local, incredibly smart and bright child develops first tooth all on his own."

Once the furor died down, and as we drew close to Father's day, I began to think about how excited we got at such a small thing.  If you think about it, he really didn't accomplish much on his own other than some tireless chewing to get the tooth to finally poke through.  He didn't event a cure for a disease.  It's just a tooth. A small, tiny, seemingly perfect tooth.  If you came to me and told me that your child or grandchild had gotten their first tooth, I would smile and congratulate you I'm sure. And then I'd probably forget all about it.  So why are we so excited? Because this small thing happened to one of ours.

That's what parents (and grandparents) do isn't it? We get excited over what are, in truth, fairly mundane accomplishments. Look! Little Allie tied her shoe! Let's go get ice cream. I've tied my shoes for years now and nobody ever notices. No one gets excited. The best I can hope for is that someone will tell me when they come untied. We rejoice the first time a child rides a bike. Why? Billions of people all over the world are doing the same thing at the exact same moment. So why do we get so excited?

Because this child is ours.  And there are no small accomplishments. Even the failures are celebrated if the child tries. When it's our child, there are no small accomplishments.  Only milestones. With each small step we see them move toward the person they will become. That first tooth will be the smile they flash at graduation. That first step your daughter takes one day becomes the step down the aisle as she gets married. The first bike ride becomes a step toward becoming the person God created them to be as they go out to tackle their own problems.

 As I read the Scripture at the top of page, it occurred to me this is exactly how God loves us. John says, "Behold: look at the manner the Father loves us!"  He loves us as a father loves his children. John is caught up in wonder at the passionate love of God for His children.  Can you imagine? Every time you make even a small step in your Christian faith all of heaven is abuzz. Did you hear? John prayed today for someone other than himself?  Did I tell you? Mary read her Bible today.  Everyone, come get a picture. David is helping with vacation Bible School. Mark and Katie put a tithe in the offering plate!

And, at the center of this mob, is the one who is cheering and bragging the most. It's God our Father. But why? The things we do as we grow in spiritual maturity seem awfully small. They really aren't that big a deal. Lots of people do them.  We don't even do them that well sometimes. So why would God get so excited? Because you are His. Before you were born God knew you and had a plan for your life.  For our heavenly Father, there are no small accomplishments. They are milestones, as we move toward the mature Christ-like beings we were meant to be.  The small step you take will one day be the walk of the church, the bride of Christ as she comes to meet her groom, her beloved Jesus. And God rejoices.

Little wonder God gets so excited. After all you are His.  Today, if you find yourself even taking a small step toward God, rejoice.  He does.  Behold what manner of love the Father has given unto us.  Behold indeed.

In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><

Hot Pursuit

 "The Lord said to me again, "Go love a woman who is an adulteress, just as the Lord loves the people of Israel, though they turn to other gods...So I bought her" (Hosea 3:1-2a)


I was watching the news last night before going to bed when they ran one of those "have you seen..." segments.  Do you know the ones I am talking about?  They feature the top four or five criminals believed to be in the viewing area and ask if anyone has seen them.  They give you a profile of the person, what they have been accused of and a hotline number.  They ask that you use the number should you have any information or know the whereabouts of the suspects.

This particular segment was done in conjunction with the US Marshall service.  I was impressed by the demeanor of the Deputy Marshall.  He spoke with great confidence that the suspects would be caught.  At no time did he give the impression they would stop looking for the suspects.  They would be pursued no matter where they went.

I think Hosea would have made a great Marshall.  At the very least he displays the same dogged determination to pursue someone until they had been caught.  No matter how many times they ran, Hosea went after them.

Are you familiar with the story of Hosea? He's one of the minor prophets in the Bible. When we say minor prophets we don't mean minor in importance, but simply in length of their writing. What Hosea writes is just as :major" as the bigger books written by the prophets. Although it might be better to say what Hosea lived was just as important.

Funny thing about being a prophet in Israel and Judah. Very often God didn't just give you a message to share with people. He asked you to live it out.  A prophet's life became a living visual aid to the message God had for His people.

And so it is with Hosea. God asks him to love and marry a woman who will be unfaithful to him.  I want you to catch the three parts of that statement.  She will be unfaithful.  You are to marry her. In other words while she will not be faithful to you, you are to be faithful and make a covenant with her. And Hosea was to love her.  Can you imagine? God doesn't ask Hosea to go through the motions but actually love this woman, who has the unfortunate name of Gomer.

And Hosea does. And Gomer is unfaithful time and time again and Hosea has to go looking for her. She leaves him with the children. Finally Gomer becomes so destitute and caught up in the wrong crowd, used and abused, she is sold into slavery.

And it is then something mind boggling happens. God tells Hosea to go get her. And he does. Hosea finds his wife. He pays for her, pays for the one to whom he had given his love, buys her back, and restores her not as a slave, which would have been his right, but as his wife. Let's see Nicholas Sparks write a sorry that beats that.

Hosea's story isn't just about his relationship with Gomer. It was to illustrate God's relationship with Israel. But it also illustrates our relationship with God, doesn't it? This is our story. We are all Gomer's when you get down to it.  God has made a covenant with us, loved us more than we can fathom. But time and time again we are unfaithful. We look to other gods to make sense of our world and make us happy. Oh, we apologize and say it will never happen again, all the time making our plans for the next thing coming down the road.

But when we are sold into slavery to sin, Jesus buys us back. He paid the price for us on the cross and set us free. Not to make us slaves but to reestablish us as His beloved.  How passionately God loves us. How relentless He is in His pursuit of us.

Have you been running from God? Do you feel as if you've used up your chances and God has turned His back on you?  He hasn't.  He also hasn't stopped pursuing those you love who don't know Jesus. So keep praying for them. The story of Hosea, the cross, and the empty grave tell us that God will never stop pursuing you. He loves you and wants to restore you. So let Him. Allow yourself to be caught again by His love. Allow Jesus to set you free.

In Christ,
Dr. Brian Jones <><

The Church is not a building

I was always told that a church isn’t just the building; it’s the people in attendance. For seventeen years, I have attended the same church – Trinity UMC. I was baptized and confirmed there, and yet I never really knew what went on behind the scenes. I knew about the ministers and the secretary, but that was about it, and I was ignorant about everything else going on. For my senior year at Columbus School for Girls (CSG), I was assigned a senior project (Senior May Program) to go out and intern for the month of May. I barely knew what I was having for breakfast the next morning, let alone the entire month of May! My mom suggested contacting Rev. Katy Wheat, who is the Associate Minister for Mission and Small Groups, to see if she would allow me to work with her for the duration of May. When Rev. Wheat accepted, I had no idea what was in store for me. All I could do was eagerly wait.

A very memorable experience is when I accompanied the pastoral staff to two home blessings at the Forum, which is a retirement community in Columbus. One of the women knows my mother and it was such a meaningful experience that I won’t ever forget. I saw these women gain instant comfort once their home was blessed; it was unbelievable!  It was not just comfort - it was the joy I could see in their eyes that made it such a happy and unforgettable experience.

Deciding to work at Trinity UMC was one of the most eye-opening experiences that I have ever had. I had the opportunity to work with so many different people and groups in and out of the church that I would have never gotten to otherwise. One of the things that touched my heart the most was being at New Life United Methodist Church on a Sunday morning. I had the chance to lead a Sunday school class that had four “tween” girls in attendance. Before I went to New Life Church, I had never had much experience in this kind of situation. I went to Upper Arlington schools through 8^th grade.  Most of the kids who go there have parents in an very comfortable financial situation. Then, for high school, I transferred to CSG. Almost all of the girls there have fairly wealthy parents. Between Upper Arlington and CSG, money wasn’t an issue for most people and I never knew of anyone who didn’t have enough money to buy food. Growing up, I never knew anyone who was in a situation any different from mine, and that’s just how it was.

When I walked into this Sunday school class, I had no idea what to expect. They didn’t seem any different from 13-year-old me, but I started noticing differences when they were telling me their grades. I was going into eighth grade when I turned 13, and they were going into sixth. Then they started talking about a girl who wasn’t there. When I asked where she was, and one of the girls said “In a homeless shelter.” I was not expecting this at all! I have never known anyone who had to go to a homeless shelter; the only experience I ever had was when I was volunteering. Later I found out that having to live in a homeless shelter was always a worry in the back of those girls’ minds. This experience helped me realize: it’s not only foreign countries that need our help - our neighbor’s right here in Central Ohio need assistance, too.

            All these opportunities strengthened my faith in so many ways. I saw people who had been Christians for 80 years, and I saw girls in situations where they were in fear of losing their houses, but still able to keep their faith in God. I thought that my faith would be strengthened by the amount of time I spent in worship, but I was completely wrong. All the new people that I met made up the Church, whether they were spending their free time volunteering or going about with their daily business. I never thought these people would change my life and teach me to be so thankful for everything I have. My faith is so much stronger especially because of what I learned from these 13-year-old girls. I learned that my faith may be shaken, but never broken. I feel God put me with Rev. Wheat to experience new situations outside of my comfort zone and my faith is so much stronger because of it.

Ellie Thompson is currently a senior at Columbus School for Girls and will be graduating on June 6, 2013. In the fall, she plans to attend Xavier University where she will double-major in marketing and finance. While at Trinity, Ellie’s main focus has been on communication and mission work. 

Remember

"So remember this and keep it firmly in mind: The Lord is God both in heaven and on earth, and there is no other" Deuteronomy 4:39

One of the most fascinating abilities of  human beings lies in our ability to remember.  Just think about all the things you have experienced and memorized in your life. Bible verses, songs, phone numbers, addresses. The Preamble to the Constitution, who won the World Series in 1990.

And it goes beyond facts and figures. Memory is tied to our senses as well. We remember what we see and can call up those memories. We not only remember our favorite blue shirt but can see it. We have memories triggered by smells and touch as well. Think about your home on Thanksgiving, or Christmas. The smells of those holidays come rushing back. We remember the sensation of holding the hand of our beloved for the first time.

How powerful is our memory? Our memories are so powerful they can trigger the emotions associated with remembered events. How big is our memory? I don't know if anyone knows. I am told that we never really forget anything. It's all there simply needing the right stimulus to bring it back.

I know.  You're reading this thinking, "If my memory is so powerful, why did it take me five minutes to remember my password to log onto my computer today? Or why did I pause on the stairs this morning trying to remember where I was going and what I was going after?"

While we never forget anything, it seems our  memories  put things in a proper order. So the things that are more immediate and important to you (Anniversaries birthdays, the words to Freebird) are easier to pull up in our head then say, an address we haven't needed in thirty years. We tend to forget, or lay aside certain things, if they are not immediate or seen as a priority.

God always wants to be the immediate and the ultimate priority of our lives. He knows that what was true of Israel in the book of Deuteronomy is also true for you and me. We can get caught up in our problems. We can get overwhelmed by stress and the situations of life. And when we do, we can forget we have a God who is more powerful than our situations. Or we can get so full of ourselves during times of success that we forget God altogether. We have a few successes in life, some good days, and all of a sudden our worship time begins to grow shorter. And we forget the God who makes all things possible through His blessings. Or the weight of our sin can erase a God of love and mercy from our minds.

And so God says daily you must remember that I am God. Keep it firmly in your mind. I am God. Bigger than your problems, the author of all your blessings, the finisher of your faith, the one who loves you even in the midst of your sins.

So how can we remember? Its not that hard.  Read your Bibles daily.  Pray daily. And when you pray, begin your prayer time not with a request but with thanksgiving.  Take a moment today and remember. And let that memory change your life.

In Christ,
Rev. Dr. Brian Jones <><

 

 

The Global Church

"Now You are the Body of Christ, and individually members of it."  1 Corinthians 12:27

I got into an interesting discussion with another pastor the other day if the United Methodist church is really an international church. His arguments were compelling to be honest.  He noted that we all have different issues. Concerns for us here in the US are not the major issues facing the church in Africa for instance. We have cultural differences. We have different economic issues.

He also noted what he saw as an imbalance in the church. Because the church is exploding in the third world, they will have an increasing influence and voice in the denomination. Yet the US, and Europe to a lesser degree, will bear most of the burden economically.  "Why should we be forced to pay and they not carry more of the burden?"

All fair questions to be sure.  Fair, but they also illustrate a wrong understanding of what the church is.  If we were talking about a business that had stores all over the world his arguments would make a lot of sense. But we are not. We are talking about the church. And the church is unlike anything else we have ever seen.

We do not get to dictate the parameters of what the church is. Only the one who created it, the foundation itself, can define what the church is.  The church is global because Jesus has declared it to be so.  In fact as we look at Scripture I don't think Jesus looks at the church as the Asian church, the European church, the rural church or the upper class suburban church. Jesus simply sees the church. Each group working together with the blessings they have to further the Kingdom of God.

Early in 1 Corinthians, Paul talks about the love feast, the regular celebration of the church. The people of God would join together each bringing what they had, as they had been blessed by God, and they would share it together. They would celebrate. There was no place for arguing over who brought what, or to whom more was due.  In fact Paul goes to great lengths to tell the people they should no do this.

I see now Paul is talking about more than how we should behave at potlucks. The meal serves as an example of what the church is. This incredible, fallible, stumbling blessed instrument is somehow being used by God to tell the world about Jesus, from the home church in China, to the mega church in Texas, from Trinity to Scum of The Earth Church (It's actual name) in Denver.

We saw this last week as our annual conference joined together to bless the plane we helped purchase for Wings of the Morning. As we prayed, it struck me we prayed with a great crowd of witnesses, those missionaries who first went to the Congo, to the Christians there who prayed for this miracle, to the saints who took a young man in and helped him get his education and pilots license, from the churches that made great monetary contributions, to the child who emptied her piggy bank. Each one of us is a part of this great ministry.

Yesterday we brought 19 young people into membership of the church.  Not the four walls that bear our name, but the church I described above. For this we should be thankful. The church indeed is a wonder. And at times, when we work together, a miracle.

In Christ,
Dr. Brian Jones <><

Test Him

"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in him" Psalm 34:8

We've all seen those blind comparison commercials.  You know the ones I'm talking about? They put their product up against a "leading competitor" and they ask you to try them out.  And, of course, in the commercials, they always pick  the one they are selling. Of course we can thank some creative editing on their part for this.

But the point is, whether it's a search engine test, a soft drink test, a razor or a shampoo, there is a common theme. The owners of the product have so much faith in their product that they are willing to put it to the test to compare it with everything else because they are sure they will come out on top. In other words, they have great faith in their product. 

In a way that's what David suggests in this Psalm. "Taste and see that the Lord is good." In other words I believe God is so good I'm not even going to try to convince you about His goodness. Try Him out. Test Him. Examine His goodness. See what He can do.

This seems to be a major theme in David's faith.  It certainly is one He revisits time and time again in the Psalms. Put God to the test, David writes.  Taste and see His goodness.  He almost dares the reader to test God. He dares us to explore the limits of the limitless God of love, power and grace. David's faith that God is more than able to prove His Goodness is unshakable.

Now I know the more astute of you will be thinking. "Wait a minute. Doesn't the Bible say not to put the Lord God to a test?"  (Deuteronomy 6:16)?  Yes it does. But in that instance, God is drawing a comparison  to a willful child who keeps pushing the boundaries to see how much he can get away with before he is punished. God doesn't want us to be obedient because we are afraid of getting punished, but because we have found peace and satisfaction in a life of obedience.

As I look at the church today, I don't think our problem is that we don't test God.  I think it's that we don't test Him enough. Oh, we test Him plenty in the sense of Deuteronomy. We push the boundaries trying to see what we can get away with. We still struggle with obedience that arises out of guilt and an obedience that arises out of love and passion.

But what we don't do enough is test God the way David suggests.  If we did, we probably wouldn't struggle with the Deuteronomy passage. Taste and see that the Lord is good. Listen to Him. Follow Him. Obey His commands and then see if you are happier. Are you more satisfied? Is life making more sense? If God is good, it will.

But we also don't test Him out in faith enough. This is the God who created the universe and who, by His Spirit, does all the miracles in the book of Acts. So why are we so afraid to believe he can actually move in our lives? Why do we not pray with boldness, expecting God to move and act? We fill our prayer lives with loopholes and second guesses. "Help me Oh God. But, of course, if You do not, I understand."  I have a hard time seeing David pray this way. He knew God is good. He knew we could pray with boldness.

So what about you? Are you willing to take the most important test of all? Test Him. Taste and see that the Lord is good.  Put Him to the test.  Pray and live in faith and boldness. See what God can do with your life.

In Christ,
Dr. Brian Jones <><