Are We Yet Alive?

I’ve been reading The Collected Works of St John of the Cross, a Christian mystic from the 16th century. Here are some morsels of wisdom, which are also full of sarcastic bite:

1. anyone who complains or grumbles is not perfect, nor even a good Christian.
2. consider it the mercy of God that someone occasionally speaks a good word to you, for you deserve none.
3. the meek are those who know how to put up with their neighbor.
4. as for trials, the more the better.
5. Lord, you return gladly and lovingly to lift up the one who offends you, but I do not turn to raise and honor the one who annoys me.

One of the best books I’ve read in a long time.

Gripping story. Brutally honest. Points to Jesus.

I couldn’t put this book down; literally I read it in one sitting.

Meet Munger Place Church in Dallas, one of my new favorite Methodist Churches.

Here’s their story (taken from their website)…

The original Munger Place Methodist Church was founded in 1913, and the beautiful sanctuary built in 1925.  For years it was one of the largest and most influential churches in Dallas.  In the latter part of the 20th century, however, the section of Dallas called Old East Dallas went through a long period of decline, and so did the church.

By the summer of 2009 the former Munger Place congregation could no longer afford to keep its doors open, and the larger United Methodist church organization in North Texas stepped in.  Nearby Highland Park United Methodist agreed to assume responsibility of the Munger Place site, with the understanding that HPUMC would raise the money necessary to renovate the building, and that as soon as possible, HPUMC would plant a new congregation in the old Munger Place building.  It was really important to everyone involved that the legacy of Munger Place would continue, and that Munger would continue to be a great neighborhood church. The idea was that Munger Place Church would be an extension campus of Highland Park United Methodist, in the same way that the University of Texas at Dallas is an extension campus of the larger University of Texas system.

In October of 2010, after extensive renovations, a new congregation was launched out of the old Munger Place church building: Munger Place Church.  Today, Munger Place Church stands as a symbol of resurrection and renewal for the surrounding community, and seeks to be a place where all are invited and included in God’s loving grace for the world.

Here’s the front of their church (from hpumc.org):

As you can tell it is an old UM building with no congregation. There are many of these types of buildings in every large city.

And now the inside during worship (from mungerplace.org):

I love this model. Thank you Highland Park for seeing a vision of a new church and new people coming to know Jesus in an old place that has seen people come to know Jesus for decades.

For those who may feel called, entrusted, compelled, driven, or led into ministry in any form here’s a little wisdom from NT Wright as he writes about Jesus sharing the Last Supper with his friends in Luke 22:24-38:

“What emerges from this whole picture [of the Last Supper] is the sheer loneliness of Jesus, both at the supper for which he had longed, and as he goes off to wait for betrayal, arrest and all that would follow. There are times when all Christian work carries this element: when the one entrusted with a vision, a vocation, a particular ministry finds that he or she has to carry it forwards despite misunderstanding, opposition, doubt and denial, even from close friends and associates. Those who want to be bearers of the promise must be prepared for this puzzle. It seems to be built in to the fabric of how the Kingdom has come and will come. Part of Jesus’ own vocation, that he would bear the weight of Israel’s and the world’s sin and shame, what that he should do so alone…”

It’s still Monday morning (by just a few minutes), so let me share some of the ways I saw God move among us this weekend.

1. In the VenueAM service this weekend, we got to share in the baptism of little Campbell Kay Heflin. I love infant baptism. I don’t think there is a stronger image of God’s grace towards us than seeing an infant baptized. I’m always reminded of Paul’s words: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). Christ died for us before we ever chose him, and he welcomes us into his family even in our helplessness.

2. Communion is always a powerful time because in this meal we come face-t0-face with Jesus. In his presence, we are healed, and saved, and reconciled, and given power to live a new life.

3. I love this new sermon series we started this week. I’m expecting to see God move among us as we explore these questions asked by Jesus. Jesus’ question “do you want to get well” is such a powerful question to pause and consider for a few moments. It causes us to reconsider what we expect Jesus to do in our lives. It causes us to ask Jesus to come again in our hearts and heal and mend our lives together in him.

Thanks to Sparrow Creative once again for some killer graphics:

I know this is a repeat from one of my re-tweets, but I just love it that much…

via Judah Smith from The City Church (Seattle)

It’s been a couple of weeks since I’ve done a joy report, so here’s one for how I saw God move among us this weekend at Asbury.

1. The worship set for VenuePM was off the charts good this last week. I don’t mean that in a technical way like the music was the best I’ve heard, I mean that like the presence of God was among us as we sang. You need to go and download our second song: One Thirst, although I prefer Ben and Noelle’s version to this recording. We also had bits of Psalm 139 read in between the songs. There was something sacred going on in that set.
2. I don’t preach mother’s day sermons very well, in that I know nothing about being a mom so I just owned that and tried to preach the gospel. Proclaiming God’s names for us was powerful for me. I can’t get over how God calls us names like: holy, blameless, complete, redeemed, child of God, forgiven, rescued, healed. And then wrapping that up with the verse from Rev 2:21 about God having new names for us on white stones, was a powerful reminder of the gospel. I had one person tweet me afterwards with the simple name for her: Rescued. What a great response!
3. We’ve missed having the Central Asia mission team and Mexico mission team last week, and it’s always good to see those who have been out serving come back and worship. I especially liked seeing John Lawrance’s beard. Please don’t shave that!

Most Mondays I like to take a little time and share some places I saw God’s hand among us as we met together on Sunday.

1. The Sunday after Easter is traditionally the lowest attended Sunday of the year. I kept thinking back to a tweet I had read by @bobgoff,

The disciples had to be wondering what would happen tomorrow, now that they knew Jesus was alive. Me too

We’ve celebrated Jesus’ resurrection a week ago on Easter, but now don’t we kind of  have this sense: what now?

2.I also kept thinking about our two mission teams that were out this week: Mexico and Central Asia. The two teams were doing such different kinds of work, but as we were singing God’s praise, they were worshiping in a very different kind of way. I love of seriously Asbury takes this call to go into all the world.

3. I love sharing communion with the church. Yesterday, we were talking God’s grace (charis) and getting to share in the Eucharist makes that grace so real. Grace is the central theme of all of my sermons, and it will continue to be because that is what we are about. Sharing in that Eucharistic meal continues to point us back to grace.

4. Sundays wear me out and I usually go home and watch a movie to unwind. This week on the queue was Rushmore. Right as Max Fisher was finally getting it together at Grover Cleveland High, I read the first tweet (from @ryanhuey, who tends to tweet news before anyone else) about the President addressing the nation, and then briefly later,  found out why. I don’t put Osama bin Laden’s death on the joy report because I’m happy about death. Rather, I’m thankful that a man who has killed thousands will no longer be able to spread his evil and destructive patterns in this world. I wouldn’t say that his death was justice (in a biblical sense), but it does put an end to his reign of evil in the world, and for that I’m thankful.

Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, breathlessly panting, “They took the Master from the tomb. We don’t know where they’ve put him.”

 Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb. They ran, neck and neck. The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter. Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn’t go in. Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself. Then the other disciple, the one who had gotten there first, went into the tomb, took one look at the evidence, and believed. No one yet knew from the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. The disciples then went back home.

But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus’ body had been laid. They said to her, “Woman, why do you weep?”

“They took my Master,” she said, “and I don’t know where they put him.” After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn’t recognize him.

Jesus spoke to her, “Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?”

She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, “Mister, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him.”

Jesus said, “Mary.”

Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” meaning “Teacher!”

Jesus said, “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.’”

Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: “I saw the Master!” And she told them everything he said to her.

Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” Then he showed them his hands and side.

The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were exuberant. Jesus repeated his greeting: “Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.”

Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he said. “If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?”

But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We saw the Master.”

But he said, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe it.”

Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.”

Then he focused his attention on Thomas. “Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don’t be unbelieving. Believe.”

Thomas said, “My Master! My God!”

Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.”

Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.

John 20 (The Message)

So Pilate took Jesus and had him whipped. The soldiers, having braided a crown from thorns, set it on his head, threw a purple robe over him, and approached him with, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they greeted him with slaps in the face.

Pilate went back out again and said to them, “I present him to you, but I want you to know that I do not find him guilty of any crime.” Just then Jesus came out wearing the thorn crown and purple robe.

 Pilate announced, “Here he is: the Man.”

When the high priests and police saw him, they shouted in a frenzy, “Crucify! Crucify!”

Pilate told them, “You take him. You crucify him. I find nothing wrong with him.”

The Jews answered, “We have a law, and by that law he must die because he claimed to be the Son of God.”

When Pilate heard this, he became even more scared. He went back into the palace and said to Jesus, “Where did you come from?”

Jesus gave no answer.

Pilate said, “You won’t talk? Don’t you know that I have the authority to pardon you, and the authority to—crucify you?”

Jesus said, “You haven’t a shred of authority over me except what has been given you from heaven. That’s why the one who betrayed me to you has committed a far greater fault.”

At this, Pilate tried his best to pardon him, but the Jews shouted him down: “If you pardon this man, you’re no friend of Caesar’s. Anyone setting himself up as ‘king’ defies Caesar.”

When Pilate heard those words, he led Jesus outside. He sat down at the judgment seat in the area designated Stone Court (in Hebrew, Gabbatha). It was the preparation day for Passover. The hour was noon. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your king.”

They shouted back, “Kill him! Kill him! Crucify him!”

Pilate said, “I am to crucify your king?”

The high priests answered, “We have no king except Caesar.”

Pilate caved in to their demand. He turned him over to be crucified.

They took Jesus away. Carrying his cross, Jesus went out to the place called Skull Hill (the name in Hebrew is Golgotha), where they crucified him, and with him two others, one on each side, Jesus in the middle. Pilate wrote a sign and had it placed on the cross. It read:

jesus the nazarene, the king of the jews.

Many of the Jews read the sign because the place where Jesus was crucified was right next to the city. It was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. The Jewish high priests objected. “Don’t write,” they said to Pilate, “‘The King of the Jews.’ Make it, ‘This man said, “I am the King of the Jews.”‘”

Pilate said, “What I’ve written, I’ve written.”

When they crucified him, the Roman soldiers took his clothes and divided them up four ways, to each soldier a fourth. But his robe was seamless, a single piece of weaving, so they said to each other, “Let’s not tear it up. Let’s throw dice to see who gets it.” This confirmed the Scripture that said, “They divided up my clothes among them and threw dice for my coat.” (The soldiers validated the Scriptures!)

While the soldiers were looking after themselves, Jesus’ mother, his aunt, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene stood at the foot of the cross. Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her. He said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that moment the disciple accepted her as his own mother.

Jesus, seeing that everything had been completed so that the Scripture record might also be complete, then said, “I’m thirsty.”

A jug of sour wine was standing by. Someone put a sponge soaked with the wine on a javelin and lifted it to his mouth. After he took the wine, Jesus said, “It’s done . . . complete.” Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit.

Then the Jews, since it was the day of Sabbath preparation, and so the bodies wouldn’t stay on the crosses over the Sabbath (it was a high holy day that year), petitioned Pilate that their legs be broken to speed death, and the bodies taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man crucified with Jesus, and then the other. When they got to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. One of the soldiers stabbed him in the side with his spear. Blood and water gushed out.

The eyewitness to these things has presented an accurate report. He saw it himself and is telling the truth so that you, also, will believe.

These things that happened confirmed the Scripture, “Not a bone in his body was broken,” and the other Scripture that reads, “They will stare at the one they pierced.”

After all this, Joseph of Arimathea (he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, because he was intimidated by the Jews) petitioned Pilate to take the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission. So Joseph came and took the body.

Nicodemus, who had first come to Jesus at night, came now in broad daylight carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. They took Jesus’ body and, following the Jewish burial custom, wrapped it in linen with the spices. There was a garden near the place he was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been placed. So, because it was Sabbath preparation for the Jews and the tomb was convenient, they placed Jesus in it.

John 19 (The Message)