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2012-01-29 Restart, Part 4: Express |
Week 4: Express
Mark 1:14-15 (New Revised Standard)
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."
Week 4: Express
Today we're at the final week of our series, "Restart."
It's a new year, a new chance for us all to get restarted. Whether you make resolutions or not. Survey says: about 42.5% of Americans make resolutions, so I'm thinking, allowing for the choir, about one-third of the middle pews over to the Pettway section is a representative sample size. Let's say, you're our resolution-makers.
According to the expert at proactivechange.com, Serge Prengel, and I have no reason to doubt Serge's expertise, by July, 46% of *you* people will have broken your resolutions. This brings the sample size down to about, let's say half of the first group. But here's something else Serge says at proactivechange.com: People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times (10 times!) more likely to attain their goals than those who don't. [Repeat that.]
So. In the new year, if you're looking to lose weight, or reduce your debt, or learn to skydive, tell someone. Don't try it alone. Write it down, find an instructor. Don't just open the door on your flight to Atlanta. The new year gives us, gives you, gives us all a chance to do a restart.
We've been looking at how Jesus did his restart, because it's well documented in scripture. We've been looking at the Gospel According to Mark, which you remember, is the shortest gospel and gets straight to the point, unlike many preachers since.
We've expressed the movements in the story of Jesus' restart in three stages.
#1. Confess - he went down to the River Jordan with all the other people and was baptized by John in the baptism for the repentence of sin,
#2. Bless - when Jesus emerged from the waters of confession, they became the waters of blessing. God said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
#3. Possess - IMMEDIATELY after Jesus received God's blessing, he was hurled into the wilderness where he encountered the Tempter, the Adversary, (the Artist Formerly Known as Satan), and where he was ministered to by angels among the creatures of God's kingdom.
Those are the movements so far in Jesus' restart. Confess, Bless, and Possess, and we've talked about how what Jesus in doing these things has blazed a trail, Jesus has drawn out a path, for all of us to follow when we realize we need to resolve to make a change in our lives.
But this is more than a new year's resolution. This is more than losing 20 pounds, this is more than cutting up your credit cards. This isn't changing something you DO. This is changing something you ARE. This is lasting, converting, saving, transforming change. And when you're ready to do that, this is what you have to do. And Jesus didn't just TELL us in a sermon, he LIVED it in his life. When you're ready to follow Jesus, or to re-follow Jesus, when you're ready to tell God you're ready to BE someone else, when you're ready to restart, these steps are what you have to do, what you WILL do, because this is how it works for everyone, even Jesus.
First, we all have to CONFESS that whatever our normal is, isn't going to cut it anymore.
Second, we all have to, or we all get to, hear the BLESS, the blessing of God telling us what God already knows, and that we can't hear until we purge out all the junk in our lives: God says, "You are my beloved son, you are my beloved daughter, you are my blessed child."
And then IMMEDIATELY fourth, the confessing and the blessing gets tested by the (quote) real world (unquote) which by its very nature, aligns itself against the heavenly nature of God. IMMEDIATELY after we have our awakenings, IMMEDIATELY after we have our experience of the living God, the world tempts us to go back to our old ways. The world tempts us to go back and break our own resolve. So, after we do the Confess, after we do the Bless, we are challenged to Possess.
Bless, Confess, Possess.
So, this week, we move on to the last part of the process, where the scripture ends up: Express. God isn't finished with you until you get to Express.
---
Have you ever taken one of those tests where it tells you what kind of person you are? Most women's magazines have them every couple of months. Not that I read those kind of magazines. I subscribe to two magazines, Wired and Presbyterian Outlook. Based on my reading choices, alone, I already know what kind of person I am. Church-Nerd. They make you take those personality tests when you're in seminary to make sure you're only crazy enough to be a preacher, and not, say, the Unabomber. I usually came out pretty strong on the Introverted side. And I know that's odd for being a minister. If it weren't for Kristen and the grace of God, I probably would have ended up in one of those monasteries where they take a vow of silence and build websites for African orphans. Don't get me wrong. I love talking about God, and faith, and church, but it just takes a lot of energy. Like the Apostle Paul, I'm better writing than I am for extended periods of verbal spontaneity. That's why God sent us people like Scott, who can literally speak for hours without taking a breath. Just ask his kids.
Some of you test out as introverts. Some of you test out as extraverts. Studies show more people are extraverts. You know why? We introverts take the tests; we just don't tell anyone how we did.
When it comes to faith, though, all of us - introverts, extraverts, extra-extraverts - when it comes to faith the results poll a little differently. It's one thing to talk about the weather, or about school, or about your spouse - openly, and freely, with therapists, bartenders and total strangers. It's something else totally to talk about your faith.
Another study tells a different story. This is one done by the United Methodists in America a few years ago, and replicated more recently by the united churches in Australia.
http://www.thearda.com/Archive/Files/Analysis/USCLSMA/USCLSMA_Var30_1.asp
http://www.ncls.org.au/default.aspx?sitemapid=6383
Now, you have to assume we are somewhat like Methodists and/or Australians for this to work. The near-worldwide uniformity of the findings, combined with the common-sense knowledge that a person's a person no matter how methodical or crikey they may be... these strongly suggest a degree of accuracy even among people such as ourselves. (OK. I think I've got the legal disclaimer out of the way.)
The survey found this about people who go to church. Among people who go to church, a little more than half of us are comfortable talking about faith. This means, if you took from the middle of the center section over, including the choir, you people are comfortable talking about your faith. But -- and this is a big but -- the survey more precisely said, you are comfortable talking about your faith, and you DO talk about your faith... WHEN THE SUBJECT COMES UP. That puts a wrinkle on it. You're comfortable talking about your faith (dot, dot, dot), when someone else brings up the subject. You're just fine with it. You like it. You enjoy talking about your faith, talking your church, talking about your religion... when someone else asks you about it. When the subject comes up, you're ready to go.
Now. Would you care to guess what percentage of church-goers are comfortable INITIATING conversations about faith? Would you care to guess what percentage SEEK OUT opportunities to talk about their faith? Not the rest of us in the sanctuary. Not even the other one-third of us. Only about one-fourth of people who go to church and take these kind of surveys say they're comfortable talking about faith. Only about one-fourth of church-goers SEEK OUT opportunities to talk about their faith. Does that surprise you? Does that sound accurate? Actually, among Presbyterians, who aren't Australian, I'd think one-fourth would be pretty generous.
So, using our congregation as a graphic example, that would be about the other half of the middle section. These are the people who seek out opportunities to tell others about The Lord. These are the people who make the rest of us a little nervous. These are the people who want to make sure you've not only HEARD the good news, but that you've also confessed, you've been blessed, and you are now possessed.
Why? Because they EXPRESS.
Thank you. We need you. Couldn't do it without you. You, expressers.
---
I think that whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, or some hybrid mutation of the two, I'm going to take a wildly non-scientific leap and say that no matter what personality "type" you are, talking about your faith takes energy. Talking about your faith takes energy. And it takes some courage, too.
A lot of us don't talk about faith because we think we're not smart enough. We don't want to be wrong.
Now, think about that one for a minute. We don't talk about faith because we're afraid we're not smart enough or because we're going to be wrong. Think about that one.
How many of us talk about the weather? How many of us make our own predictions about the weather? Do we know what the weather's going to be, really? Even those who have Doppler Radar mounted on the roof, how many times do those folks get it wrong?
I was sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office a couple of months ago. I was taking a personality survey in a women's magazine. The lady next to me is telling the lady next to her, very loudly, "Spiders are building high this year. Spiders are building high. You know what that means, don't 'cha? Snow. Lots of snow. The spiders. They know. They're building high."
There must be a lot of high spiders this winter. Even the spiders are wrong about the weather. And yet they still make their wrong predictions. Those high spiders express their beliefs. Freely. And openly. At least, they do about the weather.
I have yet to hear a spider say one word about faith. (And my doctor says that's a good thing.)
When it comes to when it's going to rain, when it comes to the temperature on the plateau, we're happy to make predictions. When it comes to whether Newt or Mitt or Barak is going to be the next president... (and really, would our Founding Fathers have ever predicted the election could come down to three men with names like, Newt, Mitt, and Barak? Only in America.) When it comes to politics, we'll gladly make our predictions.
When it comes to what color's going to be the new black... when it comes to what features the new iPhone's going to have... when it comes to who's going to win the Super Bowl... we talk openly, we talk freely, we make predictions, as if we are deeply studied, certified experts. A lack of factual knowledge doesn't stop us. The absence of expertise doesn't even slow us down. If we think it, we'll say it. And often, we'll say it just to beat the other person to the punch. The spiders are building high. My knowledge. My nugget. My sign of the unknown. Beat 'cha.
So why is talking about faith so scary?
Who knows? Maybe it was scary for Jesus, too.
---
The fourth stage of a restart begins with a frightening statement. Now remember, Jesus has just emerged from the time of temptation, the time he was challenged internally (in an introverted kind-of way) to possess the blessing that comes from confessing. That was internally challenging, but what happens next begins with these frightening, external words. Verse 14 begins...
"Now after John was arrested...."
Think about that. John was arrested. John was arrested for doing what we've been talking about these past three weeks. John was arrested for preaching, and teaching, and baptizing people in the journey to restart. Think about that.
I worry that if my sermons aren't good, people will fall asleep. John's sermons were great, and he got arrested. In John and in Jesus' world, the harder you tried to extrovertedly express your faith, the better you were at expressing your faith, the higher the chance your head would end up on a platter, literally.
So, yes, EXPRESS begins on a scary note. But I think John the Baptist, sitting in his prison cell, awaiting decapitation, would probably urge us to maintain some perspective.
The thing about faith, though, is that it's intensely personal. Talking about faith - talking ABOUT faith, talking about faith in general - is one thing. Expressing your personal, inmost faith... Expressing your personal lack of faith, or questions of faith, takes effort. It takes courage. The Bible knows that. It's OK to be scared.
I think most of the three-fourths of church-goers who don't talk about faith don't talk about it because they're worried that they're going to sound dumb. I think we don't talk about faith because we're worried we're going to mess up and say something wrong.
Honestly - more true confession from your pastor - I worry about that, myself. I worry that I'm going to say something dumb, or something wrong. Because I'm a religious professional. I worry that I'll go to some clergy luncheon and they'll seat me between John the Baptist and Bob the Baptist and they'll say something like, "You know, that's just like what Rabshakeh said to Hezekiah in Second Kings," and they'll bust out laughing. (You can't imagine the pressure.)
But here's a secret Bible experts don't often reveal to civilians. When Jesus began his expressing of faith, he didn't say anything witty, or creative, or new. Verse 14 picks up after "Now after John was arrested," and says,
Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."
Jesus came to Galilee, saying, "Repent, and believe in the good news." You know how different that was from John's expression? About two words. John said, "Repent!" Jesus said, "Repent!" John said to repent because the time of God is ABOUT TO come; Jesus said to repent because the time of God is FULFILLED. ABOUT TO come; HAS come. So repent.
When Jesus entered the EXPRESS stage, he expressed what had already been said. He expressed what he already knew. He told the people to restart. And he showed them the way. Keep that in mind, too. He didn't only tell them the way. He showed them the way. And the way may have been something they already knew how to do. But he expressed the faith all the same.
---
We've been talking for four weeks now about the steps in doing a life restart. They're presented in the Bible in a particular order, and I believe the Bible presents things the way it does for a good reason. If you don't clear the decks with a CONFESS, you aren't ready to accept the BLESS. If you haven't experienced the BLESS, you aren't ready for the wilderness challenge to POSSESS. And if you haven't been tested to claim what you believe, you're not going to be comfortable to EXPRESS what that means for you.
I think what I'm about to say is so important. I think it's so important, and I also think it isn't said nearly enough in church. And it is this.
I think some of you have been taught, or you've inherited, or you've just assumed, is that if you're not out there EXPRESSING your faith, you're doing something wrong. I think a lot of you have been told or taught that if you're not out there, knocking on doors, if you're not out there evangelizing, if you're not out there sharing your faith, verbally and articulately, that you're doing something wrong. That you're not good enough. That you're not as good a Christian as other people.
And that is just plain wrong.
It's not wrong because I'm saying it's wrong. It's wrong because the Bible says it's wrong. It's wrong because that's not the way the Bible teaches faith.
I think the word, "Evangelism," has been corrupted by the church. And by that I mean the church, in general, from America to Australia, and back. I think the idea of evangelism has been misused by the church to create the false idea that building up church membership and increasing budgets and Sunday attendance is the point of EXPRESSING your faith. Talking openly about your faith, even when you haven't been asked, is not a church growth tool. EXPRESSING your faith is no more and no less important a step in the life of faith than CONFESSING, BLESSING, and POSSESSING. No matter where you place yourself in that process, you have just as much faith, your faith is just as strong and just as weak as anyone else along that journey. Just as some of us are introverts and some of us are extroverts, some of us are at the point of EXPRESSING our faith, and some of us are at the point of CONFESSING that we've got a lot of junk to clean out before we can go any farther.
You might be the kind of person who would rather die than stand behind a pulpit and talk about faith. Good. There's nothing more annoying than a whole room full of preachers. (Trust me.) I think it's so revealing that the Bible doesn't describe the steps of faith in mechanical, outline form, kind of the way I've done, bless and forgive me. The Bible teaches the steps, the stages of faith by telling a story, the story of Jesus's steps of faith.
So, maybe you're more like the Bible, in that regard. Maybe you'd rather not talk openly about your faith. Maybe you'd rather let your life tell the story. Or let your actions tell the story. Maybe your faith is expressed in the nails you hammer on a mission trip. Maybe your faith is expressed in the casseroles you cook for someone coming home from the hospital. Maybe your faith is brilliantly expressed in a card that just says, "Good job," or "I'm praying for you," in tiny, tiny handwriting, like Betty Kirkland sent to so many people she barely even knew. Good. Good for you. Well done, good and faithful servant. You are God's son. You are God's daughter. And God takes pride in you. No matter where you are in the path of faith.
---
We're starting a new year of life together. We're restarting a new year of faith together as a church. Our challenge is NOT -
is not, is not, is not, is not, is not,
to try to get everyone on the same page. Our challenge is NOT to try to get everyone expressing faith in the same way, at the same time, at the same spiritual place. Those are institutional goals, not Bible goals. The Bible goal is to live the steps of faith, whether we're just starting out and not so sure where this Jesus person is leading, or whether we're proclaiming Christ from the mountaintop. The Bible goal is to live the steps of faith, to live IN the steps of faith. And, the Bible goal is to live WITH the steps of faith, with the people who are taking their own steps. Confessing, blessing, possessing, and expressing just as Jesus did.
So, here's my 2012 challenge to you. It's my challenge to you as a church, and it's my challenge to you as an individual. It's this. And I want to say this in a picture story, kind of like the Bible does.
Imagine how it looked at the River Jordan. Imagine how it looked with the people on the shore. Imagine them, sitting on the shore, maybe in prayer. Maybe eating a picnic lunch. Maybe hiding behind a tree. Imagine seeing John waist deep in the water. Imagine seeing someone with him, being baptized. Imagine seeing the person emerging from the waters of confession to the splashing waters of blessing. Imagine the people crossing over to the other side. Imagine them walking up the hill on that other side. Imagine them talking to their friends, maybe their families, about what just happened. Imagine them walking on, maybe a little scared, maybe a little excited, maybe both.
Now, imagine yourself in that picture. Where would you be? Would you be watching from far away? Would you be waiting in line, working out your confession? Would you be with John, taking a deep breath, or jumping for joy in the splash? Would you be on your way to a new side of the river? Would you be trying to say or trying to practice or trying to teach what you've experienced?
My challenge to you, my challenge to us, is to really, really consider, to really prayerfully consider where we are in that journey to and from the river. Consider where you are in that journey to and from the river, and really, really be there well. Don't worry about what the other people are doing. Don't worry about what other churches are doing. Don't worry that you're going to be left behind because you're not moving fast enough. We won't let that happen. God won't let that happen. Jesus won't let that happen.
My challenge, then, is that you appreciate the steps in the journey. Maybe you can enjoy your current step. Maybe it's not fun at all. Whether you enjoy it or not, appreciate it for what it is.
And it is this, no more and no less. It is a step in the restart that is faith. And it is yours. And it is God's step with you.
Believe that good news. Repent of whatever keeps you from believing it. For the kingdom of God is at hand. And it's closer than you will ever believe.
Mark 1:14-15 (New Revised Standard)
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."
Week 4: Express
Today we're at the final week of our series, "Restart."
It's a new year, a new chance for us all to get restarted. Whether you make resolutions or not. Survey says: about 42.5% of Americans make resolutions, so I'm thinking, allowing for the choir, about one-third of the middle pews over to the Pettway section is a representative sample size. Let's say, you're our resolution-makers.
According to the expert at proactivechange.com, Serge Prengel, and I have no reason to doubt Serge's expertise, by July, 46% of *you* people will have broken your resolutions. This brings the sample size down to about, let's say half of the first group. But here's something else Serge says at proactivechange.com: People who explicitly make resolutions are 10 times (10 times!) more likely to attain their goals than those who don't. [Repeat that.]
So. In the new year, if you're looking to lose weight, or reduce your debt, or learn to skydive, tell someone. Don't try it alone. Write it down, find an instructor. Don't just open the door on your flight to Atlanta. The new year gives us, gives you, gives us all a chance to do a restart.
We've been looking at how Jesus did his restart, because it's well documented in scripture. We've been looking at the Gospel According to Mark, which you remember, is the shortest gospel and gets straight to the point, unlike many preachers since.
We've expressed the movements in the story of Jesus' restart in three stages.
#1. Confess - he went down to the River Jordan with all the other people and was baptized by John in the baptism for the repentence of sin,
#2. Bless - when Jesus emerged from the waters of confession, they became the waters of blessing. God said, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
#3. Possess - IMMEDIATELY after Jesus received God's blessing, he was hurled into the wilderness where he encountered the Tempter, the Adversary, (the Artist Formerly Known as Satan), and where he was ministered to by angels among the creatures of God's kingdom.
Those are the movements so far in Jesus' restart. Confess, Bless, and Possess, and we've talked about how what Jesus in doing these things has blazed a trail, Jesus has drawn out a path, for all of us to follow when we realize we need to resolve to make a change in our lives.
But this is more than a new year's resolution. This is more than losing 20 pounds, this is more than cutting up your credit cards. This isn't changing something you DO. This is changing something you ARE. This is lasting, converting, saving, transforming change. And when you're ready to do that, this is what you have to do. And Jesus didn't just TELL us in a sermon, he LIVED it in his life. When you're ready to follow Jesus, or to re-follow Jesus, when you're ready to tell God you're ready to BE someone else, when you're ready to restart, these steps are what you have to do, what you WILL do, because this is how it works for everyone, even Jesus.
First, we all have to CONFESS that whatever our normal is, isn't going to cut it anymore.
Second, we all have to, or we all get to, hear the BLESS, the blessing of God telling us what God already knows, and that we can't hear until we purge out all the junk in our lives: God says, "You are my beloved son, you are my beloved daughter, you are my blessed child."
And then IMMEDIATELY fourth, the confessing and the blessing gets tested by the (quote) real world (unquote) which by its very nature, aligns itself against the heavenly nature of God. IMMEDIATELY after we have our awakenings, IMMEDIATELY after we have our experience of the living God, the world tempts us to go back to our old ways. The world tempts us to go back and break our own resolve. So, after we do the Confess, after we do the Bless, we are challenged to Possess.
Bless, Confess, Possess.
So, this week, we move on to the last part of the process, where the scripture ends up: Express. God isn't finished with you until you get to Express.
---
Have you ever taken one of those tests where it tells you what kind of person you are? Most women's magazines have them every couple of months. Not that I read those kind of magazines. I subscribe to two magazines, Wired and Presbyterian Outlook. Based on my reading choices, alone, I already know what kind of person I am. Church-Nerd. They make you take those personality tests when you're in seminary to make sure you're only crazy enough to be a preacher, and not, say, the Unabomber. I usually came out pretty strong on the Introverted side. And I know that's odd for being a minister. If it weren't for Kristen and the grace of God, I probably would have ended up in one of those monasteries where they take a vow of silence and build websites for African orphans. Don't get me wrong. I love talking about God, and faith, and church, but it just takes a lot of energy. Like the Apostle Paul, I'm better writing than I am for extended periods of verbal spontaneity. That's why God sent us people like Scott, who can literally speak for hours without taking a breath. Just ask his kids.
Some of you test out as introverts. Some of you test out as extraverts. Studies show more people are extraverts. You know why? We introverts take the tests; we just don't tell anyone how we did.
When it comes to faith, though, all of us - introverts, extraverts, extra-extraverts - when it comes to faith the results poll a little differently. It's one thing to talk about the weather, or about school, or about your spouse - openly, and freely, with therapists, bartenders and total strangers. It's something else totally to talk about your faith.
Another study tells a different story. This is one done by the United Methodists in America a few years ago, and replicated more recently by the united churches in Australia.
http://www.thearda.com/Archive/Files/Analysis/USCLSMA/USCLSMA_Var30_1.asp
http://www.ncls.org.au/default.aspx?sitemapid=6383
Now, you have to assume we are somewhat like Methodists and/or Australians for this to work. The near-worldwide uniformity of the findings, combined with the common-sense knowledge that a person's a person no matter how methodical or crikey they may be... these strongly suggest a degree of accuracy even among people such as ourselves. (OK. I think I've got the legal disclaimer out of the way.)
The survey found this about people who go to church. Among people who go to church, a little more than half of us are comfortable talking about faith. This means, if you took from the middle of the center section over, including the choir, you people are comfortable talking about your faith. But -- and this is a big but -- the survey more precisely said, you are comfortable talking about your faith, and you DO talk about your faith... WHEN THE SUBJECT COMES UP. That puts a wrinkle on it. You're comfortable talking about your faith (dot, dot, dot), when someone else brings up the subject. You're just fine with it. You like it. You enjoy talking about your faith, talking your church, talking about your religion... when someone else asks you about it. When the subject comes up, you're ready to go.
Now. Would you care to guess what percentage of church-goers are comfortable INITIATING conversations about faith? Would you care to guess what percentage SEEK OUT opportunities to talk about their faith? Not the rest of us in the sanctuary. Not even the other one-third of us. Only about one-fourth of people who go to church and take these kind of surveys say they're comfortable talking about faith. Only about one-fourth of church-goers SEEK OUT opportunities to talk about their faith. Does that surprise you? Does that sound accurate? Actually, among Presbyterians, who aren't Australian, I'd think one-fourth would be pretty generous.
So, using our congregation as a graphic example, that would be about the other half of the middle section. These are the people who seek out opportunities to tell others about The Lord. These are the people who make the rest of us a little nervous. These are the people who want to make sure you've not only HEARD the good news, but that you've also confessed, you've been blessed, and you are now possessed.
Why? Because they EXPRESS.
Thank you. We need you. Couldn't do it without you. You, expressers.
---
I think that whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, or some hybrid mutation of the two, I'm going to take a wildly non-scientific leap and say that no matter what personality "type" you are, talking about your faith takes energy. Talking about your faith takes energy. And it takes some courage, too.
A lot of us don't talk about faith because we think we're not smart enough. We don't want to be wrong.
Now, think about that one for a minute. We don't talk about faith because we're afraid we're not smart enough or because we're going to be wrong. Think about that one.
How many of us talk about the weather? How many of us make our own predictions about the weather? Do we know what the weather's going to be, really? Even those who have Doppler Radar mounted on the roof, how many times do those folks get it wrong?
I was sitting in the waiting room at the doctor's office a couple of months ago. I was taking a personality survey in a women's magazine. The lady next to me is telling the lady next to her, very loudly, "Spiders are building high this year. Spiders are building high. You know what that means, don't 'cha? Snow. Lots of snow. The spiders. They know. They're building high."
There must be a lot of high spiders this winter. Even the spiders are wrong about the weather. And yet they still make their wrong predictions. Those high spiders express their beliefs. Freely. And openly. At least, they do about the weather.
I have yet to hear a spider say one word about faith. (And my doctor says that's a good thing.)
When it comes to when it's going to rain, when it comes to the temperature on the plateau, we're happy to make predictions. When it comes to whether Newt or Mitt or Barak is going to be the next president... (and really, would our Founding Fathers have ever predicted the election could come down to three men with names like, Newt, Mitt, and Barak? Only in America.) When it comes to politics, we'll gladly make our predictions.
When it comes to what color's going to be the new black... when it comes to what features the new iPhone's going to have... when it comes to who's going to win the Super Bowl... we talk openly, we talk freely, we make predictions, as if we are deeply studied, certified experts. A lack of factual knowledge doesn't stop us. The absence of expertise doesn't even slow us down. If we think it, we'll say it. And often, we'll say it just to beat the other person to the punch. The spiders are building high. My knowledge. My nugget. My sign of the unknown. Beat 'cha.
So why is talking about faith so scary?
Who knows? Maybe it was scary for Jesus, too.
---
The fourth stage of a restart begins with a frightening statement. Now remember, Jesus has just emerged from the time of temptation, the time he was challenged internally (in an introverted kind-of way) to possess the blessing that comes from confessing. That was internally challenging, but what happens next begins with these frightening, external words. Verse 14 begins...
"Now after John was arrested...."
Think about that. John was arrested. John was arrested for doing what we've been talking about these past three weeks. John was arrested for preaching, and teaching, and baptizing people in the journey to restart. Think about that.
I worry that if my sermons aren't good, people will fall asleep. John's sermons were great, and he got arrested. In John and in Jesus' world, the harder you tried to extrovertedly express your faith, the better you were at expressing your faith, the higher the chance your head would end up on a platter, literally.
So, yes, EXPRESS begins on a scary note. But I think John the Baptist, sitting in his prison cell, awaiting decapitation, would probably urge us to maintain some perspective.
The thing about faith, though, is that it's intensely personal. Talking about faith - talking ABOUT faith, talking about faith in general - is one thing. Expressing your personal, inmost faith... Expressing your personal lack of faith, or questions of faith, takes effort. It takes courage. The Bible knows that. It's OK to be scared.
I think most of the three-fourths of church-goers who don't talk about faith don't talk about it because they're worried that they're going to sound dumb. I think we don't talk about faith because we're worried we're going to mess up and say something wrong.
Honestly - more true confession from your pastor - I worry about that, myself. I worry that I'm going to say something dumb, or something wrong. Because I'm a religious professional. I worry that I'll go to some clergy luncheon and they'll seat me between John the Baptist and Bob the Baptist and they'll say something like, "You know, that's just like what Rabshakeh said to Hezekiah in Second Kings," and they'll bust out laughing. (You can't imagine the pressure.)
But here's a secret Bible experts don't often reveal to civilians. When Jesus began his expressing of faith, he didn't say anything witty, or creative, or new. Verse 14 picks up after "Now after John was arrested," and says,
Jesus came to Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God, 15 and saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news."
Jesus came to Galilee, saying, "Repent, and believe in the good news." You know how different that was from John's expression? About two words. John said, "Repent!" Jesus said, "Repent!" John said to repent because the time of God is ABOUT TO come; Jesus said to repent because the time of God is FULFILLED. ABOUT TO come; HAS come. So repent.
When Jesus entered the EXPRESS stage, he expressed what had already been said. He expressed what he already knew. He told the people to restart. And he showed them the way. Keep that in mind, too. He didn't only tell them the way. He showed them the way. And the way may have been something they already knew how to do. But he expressed the faith all the same.
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We've been talking for four weeks now about the steps in doing a life restart. They're presented in the Bible in a particular order, and I believe the Bible presents things the way it does for a good reason. If you don't clear the decks with a CONFESS, you aren't ready to accept the BLESS. If you haven't experienced the BLESS, you aren't ready for the wilderness challenge to POSSESS. And if you haven't been tested to claim what you believe, you're not going to be comfortable to EXPRESS what that means for you.
I think what I'm about to say is so important. I think it's so important, and I also think it isn't said nearly enough in church. And it is this.
I think some of you have been taught, or you've inherited, or you've just assumed, is that if you're not out there EXPRESSING your faith, you're doing something wrong. I think a lot of you have been told or taught that if you're not out there, knocking on doors, if you're not out there evangelizing, if you're not out there sharing your faith, verbally and articulately, that you're doing something wrong. That you're not good enough. That you're not as good a Christian as other people.
And that is just plain wrong.
It's not wrong because I'm saying it's wrong. It's wrong because the Bible says it's wrong. It's wrong because that's not the way the Bible teaches faith.
I think the word, "Evangelism," has been corrupted by the church. And by that I mean the church, in general, from America to Australia, and back. I think the idea of evangelism has been misused by the church to create the false idea that building up church membership and increasing budgets and Sunday attendance is the point of EXPRESSING your faith. Talking openly about your faith, even when you haven't been asked, is not a church growth tool. EXPRESSING your faith is no more and no less important a step in the life of faith than CONFESSING, BLESSING, and POSSESSING. No matter where you place yourself in that process, you have just as much faith, your faith is just as strong and just as weak as anyone else along that journey. Just as some of us are introverts and some of us are extroverts, some of us are at the point of EXPRESSING our faith, and some of us are at the point of CONFESSING that we've got a lot of junk to clean out before we can go any farther.
You might be the kind of person who would rather die than stand behind a pulpit and talk about faith. Good. There's nothing more annoying than a whole room full of preachers. (Trust me.) I think it's so revealing that the Bible doesn't describe the steps of faith in mechanical, outline form, kind of the way I've done, bless and forgive me. The Bible teaches the steps, the stages of faith by telling a story, the story of Jesus's steps of faith.
So, maybe you're more like the Bible, in that regard. Maybe you'd rather not talk openly about your faith. Maybe you'd rather let your life tell the story. Or let your actions tell the story. Maybe your faith is expressed in the nails you hammer on a mission trip. Maybe your faith is expressed in the casseroles you cook for someone coming home from the hospital. Maybe your faith is brilliantly expressed in a card that just says, "Good job," or "I'm praying for you," in tiny, tiny handwriting, like Betty Kirkland sent to so many people she barely even knew. Good. Good for you. Well done, good and faithful servant. You are God's son. You are God's daughter. And God takes pride in you. No matter where you are in the path of faith.
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We're starting a new year of life together. We're restarting a new year of faith together as a church. Our challenge is NOT -
is not, is not, is not, is not, is not,
to try to get everyone on the same page. Our challenge is NOT to try to get everyone expressing faith in the same way, at the same time, at the same spiritual place. Those are institutional goals, not Bible goals. The Bible goal is to live the steps of faith, whether we're just starting out and not so sure where this Jesus person is leading, or whether we're proclaiming Christ from the mountaintop. The Bible goal is to live the steps of faith, to live IN the steps of faith. And, the Bible goal is to live WITH the steps of faith, with the people who are taking their own steps. Confessing, blessing, possessing, and expressing just as Jesus did.
So, here's my 2012 challenge to you. It's my challenge to you as a church, and it's my challenge to you as an individual. It's this. And I want to say this in a picture story, kind of like the Bible does.
Imagine how it looked at the River Jordan. Imagine how it looked with the people on the shore. Imagine them, sitting on the shore, maybe in prayer. Maybe eating a picnic lunch. Maybe hiding behind a tree. Imagine seeing John waist deep in the water. Imagine seeing someone with him, being baptized. Imagine seeing the person emerging from the waters of confession to the splashing waters of blessing. Imagine the people crossing over to the other side. Imagine them walking up the hill on that other side. Imagine them talking to their friends, maybe their families, about what just happened. Imagine them walking on, maybe a little scared, maybe a little excited, maybe both.
Now, imagine yourself in that picture. Where would you be? Would you be watching from far away? Would you be waiting in line, working out your confession? Would you be with John, taking a deep breath, or jumping for joy in the splash? Would you be on your way to a new side of the river? Would you be trying to say or trying to practice or trying to teach what you've experienced?
My challenge to you, my challenge to us, is to really, really consider, to really prayerfully consider where we are in that journey to and from the river. Consider where you are in that journey to and from the river, and really, really be there well. Don't worry about what the other people are doing. Don't worry about what other churches are doing. Don't worry that you're going to be left behind because you're not moving fast enough. We won't let that happen. God won't let that happen. Jesus won't let that happen.
My challenge, then, is that you appreciate the steps in the journey. Maybe you can enjoy your current step. Maybe it's not fun at all. Whether you enjoy it or not, appreciate it for what it is.
And it is this, no more and no less. It is a step in the restart that is faith. And it is yours. And it is God's step with you.
Believe that good news. Repent of whatever keeps you from believing it. For the kingdom of God is at hand. And it's closer than you will ever believe.
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