"The Way to the Cross"

    Holy Week is a precious and distinct time in the Christian calendar. It begins with Jesus being hailed as King, as he rode into Jerusalem on what we celebrate as Palm Sunday. But that proclamation and celebration were short lived - for just a few days later Jesus would be killed by the shouts of the very same crowd that greeted him.
   Jesus enters into the gates of the city that he had wept over - crying because he knew that they wouldn't get it - didn't get who he was and what his Kingdom was about. I wonder if Jesus weeps over us today? Weeps over us as we just want to celebrate the victorious days of the Church calendar - Palm Sunday and Easter, forgetting the pain of the way to the cross that is captured in the entirety of Holy Week.
    Take time this week to reflect - to reflect on the cost of Jesus' sacrifice. Reflect on his true kingship. Reflect upon the things that we just don't get - in order to more fully accept the call of Christ to choose to follow him.

“Renegade Gospel: The Way of the Cross”

   A common question I get asked is when I decided to be a pastor. This question always makes me laugh a little. I didn't choose to be a pastor. God chose me. It wasn't something I woke up wanting to do one day, it came out of a decision to follow God, no matter where God may lead.
   While not all of us are called to be pastors, we do each having a calling from God on our lives. And a choice to make if we will live into that calling. Fair warnings - callings are hard. And often thankless. They involve living for something bigger than yourself that a lot of people just aren't going to understand.
   So why would we ever choose to follow Christ into the calling placed on our hearts? Because we know whose we are, where we came from, and to whom we will return when all is said and done in this life. That doesn't make the decision to live into your calling easy, but it can offer strength in times of trial ahead. What about you? Will you pick up your cross and follow Christ, no matter where he may lead?

"Renegade Gospel: Seeing Jesus Today"

   Sometimes, even when we seek Christ out, we need others to help us see him. When I was in college, one of my favorite places to be was up on the balcony of my school's chapel. It was there that I spent countless hours with a friend pouring over scripture verses that we were studying in our classes as religion majors and talking about things that God had put on our hearts during times of personal devotion.
   Often my friend and I would see something different in scripture or experience how it is lived out differently. But that was vital to both of our faiths. Even though we both sought Christ separately, we needed the experience of another believer to see him more fully.
   Who are the people in your life who help you see and seek Christ more fully?

"Renegade Gospel: The Most Important Question You Will Have to Answer"

    In this week's sermon we talk about the importance of the question that Jesus poses to his disciples: "But who do you believe I am?" This is a question that each of us are going to have to answer some day as well. One that no one else can answer for us. However, we can find support from a community of believers if we declare our answer to be "Jesus is Lord." For this is a statement that requires our very lives. Its an answer that reminds us that faith isn't easy and a community supporting us in our answer reminds us that faith is not solitary - in fact it is very hard to grow in grace by yourself.
   A common response when you ask people what they believe today is that they are "spiritual but not religious." Part of me really wants to affirm this statement. That they are seeking something but are put off by organized religion that waters down the truly spiritual. However, as much as I want to affirm it, I struggle, because I also realize that a large part of religion is doing life together - realizing that Christ does not call us to be lone rangers, but rather to grow in grace together. 
   Right before Jesus asks his disciples this question, he is found in the gospel of Luke feeding the five thousand. This is one of my favorite stores in the Bible. A story of not having enough becoming abundance. But I also like this story because it takes what others may see as a limitation - 5 loaves and 2 fish - and turns it into a testimony. In the words of Pastor Mike Slaughter, “Jesus can do more through our limitations within community than we can ever hope to accomplish using our own strength. We see our limitations; Christ reveals our possibilities.”
   When we declare "Jesus is Lord" and are surrounded by people who believe this as well, then our limitations become possibilities. Our weakness become declarations. And we are reminded that our lives are no longer our own, but are sold out for Christ's purposes. 

"Renegade Gospel: Revolutionary Lifestyle”

   In this week's sermon we talked about the Age of the Marytrs, when tens of thousand of Christians were killed because they declared "Jesus is Lord" and because they took a bold stance on behalf of the Kingdom of God. They believed that Jesus was worth dying for. But I have to wonder, do we believe that same things today? What risks, if any, would the Christian Church in America take on behalf of the Kingdom?
   I'm not necessarily talking about taking a stance on social issues, though the Church seems to be really good at that - putting words into Jesus' mouth that were never said. I'm talking more about what risks do we take to make disciples? What risks to we take to make God's power and love known? What risks do we take to grow deeply in our faith, even if it requires sacrifice? What types of risk do we take that declare, in the words of Pastor Mike Slaughter, “I am all in, but I’m not perfect”.
    What risks are you willing to take this Lenten season because of your faith in the risen Christ?