Why Ashes?

Christmas has been hijacked by Walmart and the Easter Bunny has hijacked the resurrection but no one seems too eager to hijack Ash Wednesday. There is something about being reminded that you are going to die. It is hard to market that one (but at the off chance that Walmart starts selling coffins remember you heard it here first!) but at its core Ash Wednesday is a reminder that we will at some point die.

For most of us this is not a fact that we celebrate but instead we run from, ignore and do everything we can to avoid death. This is why we need Ash Wednesday. The first thing that Ash Wednesday does is it connects us to the life of Jesus. Ash Wednesday begins the church season of Lent and during this season of Lent we journey with Jesus to the cross. It is not a pleasant journey and it is not supposed to be. The challenge here is if we do not understand what Jesus went through to get to Easter morning can we fully appreciate his sacrifice? Can we fully appreciate the gift of the resurrection? So we sing some songs that aren't as upbeat, we go to church a little more frequently (or at least a hand full of you do) and we either deprive ourselves of something we like or add something that we should be doing to help us understand the significance of this season. The more we understand the struggle the more we understand the victory.

Ash Wednesday also reminds us that there is something more. It is oh too easy for us to become connected to this world and we have every right to be. We have made life pretty good for ourselves down here. We can get pretty much anything we want whenever we want it and when we become too comfortable, we forget that there is something more waiting for us when we do die. As great as this world is it is not even a fraction of what Heaven is, but we have allowed ourselves to become distracted. Ash Wednesday reminds us that one day we will die but instead of hearing this as condemnation we should welcome this fact, because our death here leads to life eternal. A life greater than anything we could ever imagine, a life with God forever.

So why ashes? Because we need them. We need to be reminded of the difficult things that Jesus did for us even if they are a little bloody and messy. We need ashes because we need to be reminded that there is something more, there is something better and one day we will find it.

See you in church,

Chris

Walking the Talk

I recently heard from a former college classmate of mine, who works at a church in the Indianapolis area, that the Westoboro Baptist Church (WBC) has decided to protest their congregation this (Sunday) morning. Apparently WBC is in the area to protest the Super Bowl and they decided to use the free time, on Sunday morning, to rail against this particular congregation because they preach that "God loves everyone." Now this is where it gets weird, what my friend is asking for more than anything else are prayers. Obviously prayers for the congregation but also prayers for the protestors! Now I am not going to use the "H" word (that rhymes with eight) but I REALLY don't like these guys. If you are not familiar with WBC these are the individuals who protest military funerals because they believe the death of the soldier is God's punishment on this country due to our tolerance of homosexuality. Regardless of your stance on this controversial issue, to protest someone's funeral, especially the funeral of someone who lost their life serving in the military, who died far too young, is simply unacceptable. I REALLY don't like these guys. But here is my friend, face to face with their hate, and he is asking us to pray for those who hate.

Being a follower of Jesus was never meant to be easy. Jesus said a lot of challenging things and too often we soften those commands. We choose to focus on the side of Jesus that best fits the comfortable spot that we are in, instead of wrestling with the challenges that Jesus laid before us. Jesus told us to "love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us." How many times have we heard this? How many times have we not lived up to it? Conceptually we get it. We can put this verse back into the context of the "Sermon on the Mount" but when the rubber hits the road and we have been wronged and we are face to face with our enemies and those who hate us, is praying for them the first thing that comes to mind or is it something else? Are we walking the talk? Martin Luther King Jr once said that only love can drive out hate. What is our response to hate? Is it more evil or is it love? Being a follower of Jesus was never meant to be easy, it is a challenge, but it is also how we know we should live. I will leave you with the last line from what my friend wrote as he and his congregation prepared to pray for those who hate:

"We've been working hard for the past two weeks since we learned of the protest to craft our responses to the matter in such a way that God's love would shine in everything we say and do."

Who are you praying for?

See you in church.

Chris

Helpless.

For the most part we like to be in control, or at least think we are in control. We like to call the shots, make the decisions and have a pretty good idea of how everything will turn out. But when that control is out of our hands and we feel helpless, that is a feeling we seldom welcome.

In a very simple form I have been forced to deal with feelings of helplessness. Seven weeks ago I injured my knee in a basketball game and for six of those seven weeks I have tried to pretend that I am in control. I visited the doctor a couple of times but I was pretty sure I could do something, anything to fix my knee. Whether it was ice, or rest or the right exercise I really thought I could fix this one. An MRI destroyed all of those thoughts. A torn ACL is not something I can fix on my own and I am in the hands of the doctor and his staff to make this one right.

When it comes to our faith are we in control? Do we like to be in charge, call the shots and have a pretty good idea how everything will work out? When we talk about faith and salvation those are things that are entirely and completely out of our control. It is nothing that we do, can do or will do, it is what has been done for us in the life, death and resurrection of Jesus. It is completely out of our control. And as hard as it is we need to let go, trust God, and allow him to fix this one for us.

I am going to do my best to take my own advice and trust that I am in good hands and that this one can and will be fixed without me. For my knee but also for my soul.

See you in church,

Chris

Someone You Can Relate too

The other night my family and I watched the new film "Dolphin Tale." It is a movie based on the true story of Winter, a dolphin who lost her tail at two months old after it became entangled with a crab trap. Now as you can imagine, or if you have seen the trailer, this movie is a tear jerker, (my kids and I have a contest to see how many times my wife will cry in such a movie-I think Dolphin Tale is the new leader) and more than a few tears were shed as we watched the film. One of the things that I enjoyed most about the movie was how this dolphin was an inspiration for others, especially children, who had lost legs or weren't able to run, jump, etc like the other kids. At one point this girl who had lost one leg (we never know how it happened) drives a long way to see Winter and when she does she says, "she is just like me." Winter was an inspiration to this girl and many others because they could relate to her.

There is a parallel here with the Christian faith, God is someone that we can relate to through Jesus Christ. When we read the Gospels we see that Jesus' life was anything but easy. He is dismissed by his hometown, his own family calls him crazy, and the few friends he has abandon him when he faces his most difficult challenges. And then he experiences death. Whatever you have been through God has been there too.

Are you able to relate to God? Do you believe that when you struggle you don't struggle alone? That whatever you are going through God has experienced before and he experiences it again with you? Are you able to relate to God? Too often we think of God as this distant deity that rules from afar, deeply removed from us and our experiences. If we feel that way we need to remind ourselves of the 30+ years that God spent on this earth in the form of his son. God can say, with complete certainty and confidence, "I know what its like, I have been there too, you are not alone" because he has been there before and he is there with you now.

God IS someone we can relate to. I hope you feel that way too.

See you in church,

Chris

Is God a Broncos Fan?

Just in case you aren't a sports fan let me give you a quick update. For the past few weeks Tim Tebow, the quarterback for the Denver Broncos, has been the talk of the NFL. Tebow was an enormously successful college quarterback but nearly every scout said he did not have what it takes to succeed in the NFL. Since Tebow has taken over as the starting quarterback for the Broncos they have won six games in a row and 7 of their last 8 games. And, I have to admit, that I have jumped on board the Tim Tebow bandwagon. Yes, it is Tebow time.

Now aside from his uncanny ability to win games Tebow has been extensively criticized about the fact that he is outspoken regarding his faith. He already has a patented move, a prayer like pose that he strikes quite frequently, and Jesus and his faith are routinely a part of his post game interviews. For some they find this offensive, some fellow Christians (including another former NFL quarterback and strong believer Kurt Warner) have told him to tone it down and even Tebow's pastor in Denver is saying that they are winning because of his faith. So is God a Denver Broncos fan?

I do not believe that the Broncos are winning because God is willing it to happen. I do not trivialize God to be a good luck charm that helps us win and those non-believing heathens to lose. But for whatever reason I am cheering for this guy. I am cheering for Tebow not because I am a Broncos fan (actually they beat my team last week and I may have been secretly pulling for the opposition) and I am not cheering for him because of his faith (even though I do find it refreshing.) I am cheering for Tim Tebow because he is not ashamed to be himself. If faith is a part of who he is that is what you are going to get. Like it or not, that is who he is. He may not be the prototypical type quarterback but he doesn't change just because he doesn't fit in. This is who he is.

Too often I fear we worry about offending others or we worry that we don't fit in so we deviate from who God made us to be. Too often I worry that the church has softened the Gospel because we don't want to rock the boat for fear of losing people or turning them away. Being a follower of Jesus means a lot of things that we have hushed into the corner. Being a follower of Jesus means that we are generous. Being a follower of Jesus means that we care for those who are hurting. Being a follower of Jesus means we live our lives according to a specific code that typically goes against the norms of the world. And I worry, we may at times, shy away from this because it doesn't fit in.

I am not a Broncos fan (and I don't think God is either) but I am pulling for Tebow. I appreciate his courage and confidence to be who God has called him to be, even if that isn't the most popular thing. Who has God called you to be? Are you being that person? Or are you too concerned about fitting in?

See you in church,

Chris

A Bold Vote Forward!

I feel as if much of the past 13 years has been working towards this one vote on Sunday, December 11.

After years of buying land, eliminating debt, expanding parking, meeting with the builder, designing with the architect and raising money, this congregation voted to move forward with The Master's Plan on Sunday. It was an overwhelming affirmation without a single negative vote. We all know about the concerns for the money, attendance and debt but after weighing all the options, we have decided that now is the time for construction of our new sanctuary, youth space and commons area.

So, mark you calendar for a ceremonial groundbreaking on January 15. The actual construction will take about 14 months. Tell your family and friends now to join you for Easter worship at CLC on March 31, 2013 for the first worship service in the new sanctuary.

What excites you about this project?

Peace,
Pastor Scott

Historical Vote on December 11

It has been a long time in the making. No one can complain, "Why are we rushing this?"

I'm talking, of course, about moving forward with the Master's Plan. The congregation generously increased its commitments from 6 Million to 7 Million at this halfway point in the campaign. I am humbled and excited about this high level of support across the entire congregation with a participation rate of about 80% of our active members.

December 11 will be decision day. We will review the numbers and bids from our Contractor and vote whether or not to approve the contract. In addition, we will also look at the bank financing and make an informed decision on that.

I want to urge the congregation to attend this historic congregational vote, ask the hard question, examine the information and cast your vote. This is a significant moment in the life of Christ Lutheran. This will impact our congregation and the community for the next 100 years!

So December 11 is important. It is historic. It is bold. But the one thing it is not is hasty. We have been working towards this day for at least 15 years. Now it is time for a decision.

See you on the 11th.

Peace,
Pastor Scott