A love of the underdog...

Many of you have probably seen the video of Jonathan and Charlotte, the British singing duo, floating around the Internet this week.  The twosome recently performed on Simon Crowell's Britain's Got Talent.  Jonathan is a heavyset, disheveled teenager who appears to lean heavily on his partner.  Simon Crowell, with his usual disgust, appears to judge the young duo as they walk on to the stage.  Whether Crowell's comments are just setting the stage or are an accurate depiction of his feelings, he shows a human tendency to pre-judge a given situation.  As viewers learned from Paul Potts and Susan Boyle however, appearances can be deceiving.  Jonathan blows away the crowd with the power of his voice.  Soon all audience members and judges are standing in ovation.  Another unlikely star may have just been born.

What is about this type of story that has such wide appeal in our world?  Perhaps it is the fact that we are guilty of the oft-repeated sin of Crowell, prejudice and judgment.  Almost everyone has the tendency to judge based on surface appearances and often we do not take the time to know people on a deeper level.  Of course the opposite direction is true as well.  A great many of us have felt judged and excluded by others due to our ethnicity, our looks, our economic status or a diagnosis.  Surely this is one of the great issues of our humanity: we often exclude others while desperately trying to be accepted for who we are.

Jesus dealt with this issue in Matthew 9.  After calling the sinful publican Matthew to be a disciple, He then joins Matthew at a banquet at Matthew's home.  Other tax collectors and sinners gather to share the banquet along with Jesus' disciples.  On the skirts of the party are the Pharisees, pious, proper and judgmental.  They demand to know why Jesus' is sullying His reputation with this sort of crowd.  Jesus answers their questions by stating a principle which all of them would have acknowledged to be true: it is the sick and not the healthy who need a physician.  In other words, it is just these sort of people that need accepting the most.  If you already feel included, I can't give you anything, but if you feel left out I can bring you into fellowship.

The Pharisees thought by judging others they could gain position.  Jesus lets it be known that position is gained by accepting others into relationship.  These notorious sinners that Jesus associated with knew what it was like to be excluded from fellowship and community.  What Jesus offered to them and offers to us is a merciful acceptance that restores relationship.  The next time we are tempted to judge people based on external appearances let us remember how painful it is to be excluded and how wonderful it is to be accepted in Him.

Fellow FHU grad Madison Chandler...

"I want to take the word Christianity back to Christ himself, back to that mighty heart whose pulse seems to throb through the world today, that endless fountain of charity out of which I believe has come all true progress and all civilization that deserves the name ... I go back to that great Spirit which contemplated a sacrifice for the whole of humanity. That sacrifice is not one of exclusion, but of an infinite and endless and joyous inclusion. And I thank God for it."

~ Julia Ward Howe

"Oh God, be truly present in our lives and allow us to be truly present in the lives of others."

Junk Mail and True Communication

It seems as if more and more of the mail I receive could be classified as "junk mail."  Not only does my physical mailbox receive several pieces of this type mail a week, I get literally hundreds of junk/spam mail messages in my e-mail account.  Despite filtering the account, occasionally a few pieces of junk mail make it into my Inbox.

There are a lot of messages floating around in our world today.  We receive them in our mailboxes, in our e-mail, on our Facebook walls, and through our television sets.  We have access to more information at the touch of a finger than previous generations ever could have dreamed.  We can video chat with friends around the world and know the latest political, sports, and celebrity news within seconds of it happening.

Yet, for all this information, we have less real communication.  Fewer and fewer families spend time together eating and sharing news from their day.  Friends communicate more by forwarded e-mail than in meetings over dinner and one-on-one conversations.  Even churches have fallen victim to this avalanche of information.  People feel less connected to their congregations and so when the slightest trouble or discomfort comes they disconnect completely.

We need to get back to communicating with each other.  Families need conversation instead of just cohabitation.  Friends need quality time spent in meaningful activities instead of mere status updates.  Churches need to engage our current congregates in meaningful and useful service as well as uplifting, unifying worship.

With so many messages, it is easy to get confused about what is important.  We must remember that it is people and the relationships that we build with them that will last beyond this life.  Once we filter out the excess noise and flashy technology, what remains will hopefully be solid relationships built on love and mutual respect.

And that's not junk.

"Most of the world's great souls have been lonely."

-A.W. Tozer

Relationship dynamics are everywhere

I was reading an article recently about one of my favorite bands who have been playing together for over 35 years.  The article outlined how the band members, five in all, had each had various troubles with infidelity, substance abuse, ego trips and health challenges.  The members of the band, now in their sixties, now lead much calmer lifestyles, but the effects of all those years in the wilderness are still informing the way they make music.

Being a preacher I guess I just think this way, but I couldn't help but draw some similarities to how the church functions.  We all have our own personal demons and when we are brought together in Christ we are not automatically cured of our selfish personalities, health problems or relationship baggage.  Sometimes people argue over who will be lead singer as it were.  Members of the congregation may feel that the role they play is not respected or seen as important.  Christians become involved in the lives of other Christians and not always with positive results.

Fortunately, maturity and spiritual growth can overcome the problems that we as people bring into the church.  Our experiences in the wilderness inform the people we become as mature Christians.  Those who have not suffered and searched have a hard time identifying with the broken people that the church is supposed to reach. Communication, acceptance and tolerance can enable us to not only coexist but to thrive.  When we all work together, we can make a beautiful sound to the LORD.  Our harmony will attract others to the church and we will be able to help them overcome the challenges they face as well.

Let's make music together.

A Personal Favorite

I have been read Ann Voskamp's blog for quite a while now.  This entry from several years ago is my favorite.  We often think we can read the minds and intentions of others.  Many times we may be right, but rarely, we are caught by surprise in the best kind of way.  

This is a bit lengthy, but I think some of you can identify with the characters presented.

Enjoy.

http://www.aholyexperience.com/2008/09/seekers-repenters-and-love/

Belonging

One of the greatest desires any of us face as human beings is a desire to belong.  Thousands of houses of worship, thousands more clubs and fraternities, millions of marriages...all bear out the fact that part of the human experience is to want to share that experience with others.

I must confess this has always been difficult for me; belonging that is.  I never seem to stay satisfied to be placed in one particular group and therefore excluded from others.  I consider myself to be an intensely private person although in my life I have always held very public jobs and positions.  I often don't feel capable of belonging (at least totally).  It is not so much that I desire to stand apart, in fact the opposite is true, but I don't feel able to give myself totally to a cause, a club, a community, a family, a friend group.  I am probably too suspicious of "joiners," but it has never been a role I am comfortable in.

Hopefully my fear of being truly known will be overcome by the desire to belong and I will begin to build relationships that are more positive and lasting.

I believe God made us to live in community, but I guess every community needs a loner or two.