Episode 3: A Kingdom of Conscience

Episode 3 is now live. Listen to it here.

http://bit.ly/VIFhvf

The Night Before

So, I'm scheduled to preach tomorrow and I'm terrified. Okay, terrified may be a bit too strong because I'm finding time to blog about it. Let's call it concerned instead. When I preach I usually leave a lot to my imagination in the moment. I don't prepare a manuscript because my speaking voice is so much stronger than my writing voice. I do usually script my transitions and I always script my closing. One of my pet peeves is a preacher who can't end their damn sermon. I joke that the hardest words for a preacher to say are, "Let us stand and sing." I'm about as prepared as I ever am. Maybe a little less than usual.

My concern is not over what I haven't done but rather over my inability to grasp the implications of the sermon. I'm preaching from Revelation 1:4-20 and talking about Jesus as the King. It is Christ the King Sunday. The day when the old calendar year comes to a conclusion and we launch ourselves into the mystery of Advent. I grew up in a tradition that didn't really embrace the Christian calendar too much. We celebrated Easter and Christmas (usually) but we didn't pay much attention to the rest of the year. Furthermore we never really talked much about the Kingdom of Heaven except to point out that it was the church and that to be a part of the kingdom you must be baptized. As an adult. My canon was Acts and Paul so concepts found in other placed were not really emphasized.

I find myself returning to Jesus' paraballic metaphors. The kingdom of heaven is like:
. . . a mustard seed, a weed, planted in a garden.
. . . a careless sower flinging seed everywhere.
. . . a treasure hidden in a field which a man will sell all that he has to possess.
. . . a merchant in search of pearls willing to sell all that he possess to procure the pearl he has been searching for all his life.

Even these are more question than answer. The kingdom of heaven is LIKE this. These are close approximations. The kingdom of heaven is more question than answer. Maybe this is why Jesus tells those who'll listen to seek first the kingdom and trust God on everything else.  Active pursuit of the kingdom rather than passive waiting for it to drop into our lap. The vision of Jesus in Revelation 1 is of a powerful, active being at work in and for his church. He's not standing still, and he calls us to follow him.

I have always wanted things in my life to be easy. I have expected that as I get older I'll get better at life and it will come easier to me. What I've learned is that things that are easy are cheap and without real value. Things that are worth having require effort and blood and sweat and tears. Jesus wants to welcome us into the reign of God. Seek and you will find he says. Knock and the door will be opened. Ask and it will be given.

A quick note on Scheduling

The regularly scheduled podcast for this week will be delayed until next Sunday (12/2) because I am preaching at Servant Church and I need to be able to apply my whole creative effort to that first. Because of the delay, however, I will be posting on back-to-back weeks before taking some time off for the holidays. I will be back in the new year with a special series that will take us through the Sermon on the mount and launch us into the meat of Matthew's gospel.

Thank you for your patience.

What to expect:
11/25 - Preaching at Servant Church (a link to the recording to be posted later that week)
12/2 - Episode 3 "He's A Lumberjack and it's not okay" (working title)
12/9 - Episode 4 "Untitled"
1/6 - Episode 5 Sermon on the Mount Special part 1

Episode 2: We Three Kings

Here is episode 2 of Taking the Motley Cross, "We Three Kings."

Download here: http://bit.ly/WRA4aU

Leave a comment and let me know what you think.

~H

Episode 1: Building the Alps

Here is the link to download Episode 1 of Taking the Motley Cross. It is about 9 minutes long and I would love to hear your feedback and any questions you may have in the Comments section.

~H

Friday Letters

Letters of Note is one of my most favorite places on the internet and one of the reasons why the internet exists and is valuable. Here is one that brought tears to my eyes. It is an exchange between a 16 year old and J.K. Rowling. Be sure to read the fan letter first as it provides valuable context for the correspondence.

-People who take the time to take others seriously and treat them with dignity and respect are not far from the kingdom of God.

Introducing "The Crazy"

From Matthew 14:22-30

Immediately he made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead to the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone, but by this time the boat, battered by the waves, was far from the land, for the wind was against them. And early in the morning he came walking towards them on the lake. But when the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified, saying, ‘It is a ghost!’ And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them and said, ‘Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.’

 Peter answered him, ‘Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.’ He said, ‘Come.’ So Peter got out of the boat, started walking on the water, and came towards Jesus.

Peter and the disciples were struggling across treacherous waters in a small boat in the dead of night. It was pitch black and everyone was exhausted. They had been working all day feeding and teaching and collecting the leftovers and now they had been working all night rowing and bailing and praying desperately for relief. It is no wonder, then, in this perilous place that they see a ghost walking toward them. I wonder if some of them thought that they were dead and were now crossing into the underworld and this specter was here to show them the way. When the ghost speaks and reveals himself to be Jesus and not death, they still do not believe him. Peter tests him by asking him to do something only Jesus would tell him to do, something so absolutely insane that no one but Jesus would think of it. If that's you, tell me to get out of the boat and walk toward you.


Friends, the call of Christ is not entirely rational. The call of Christ is not about safety and comfort. When Jesus calls a people he calls them into what I have been calling "the crazy." What Peter does is not a sane thing. Getting out of a perfectly good boat on a windy night to go for a little stroll on the water with a ghost is crazy. Eleven men stayed in the boat because it was safer in the boat than out on the water. Jesus doesn't want us to stay safe. He didn't call us and then empower us with the Holy Spirit of God so we could all live comfortable lives in our 3.2 bedroom homes with our 1.2 cars in the garage and our kids and our wife. Following Jesus is not about living the American Dream. The American dream is just that, a dream, and if we stay in it long enough it will sink because the only truly safe place in this world is out on the water with Jesus surrounded by "the Crazy."


Is it scary, yes. Is it terrifying, yes. Does it mean everything will change, yes. Is it worth it, yes.


~More to follow . . .

Welcome to a new chapter in my life

The fool has license to say what needs to be said and the crusader is on a mission from which he cannot be distracted. I aim to be both, a fool on a mission.

More to follow.