Some of the most important elements of life seem to defy definition. For instance, what is happiness? Perhaps you are satisfied with the description that Charles Schultz made popular years ago in his Peanuts comic strip: “Happiness is a warm puppy.”
The Peanuts gang also took a stab at defining love. In a collection of their combined efforts entitled, Love is Walking Hand in Hand, you’ll find such gems as “Love is mussing up someone’s hair” and “Love is loaning your best comic magazines.” While these sentiments may begin to communicate something about the nature of love, they certainly leave a lot to be desired.
Lots of other people from many walks of life—poets, philosophers, theologians, and academics—have attempted to define, describe and express this elemental emotion. Still we struggle with what it means to allow it to become the defining principle of our lives.
That is the challenge Jesus presents his followers when he gives them a “new” command: “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34). Even as he gives his followers this “new” command, Jesus also gives them a clue about a new way to live into it. Our standard for loving others is Jesus’ love for us.
When we begin to examine how Jesus put his love into action, we learn that love is more than making someone feel warm inside. It is more than just giving something to someone else. When Jesus expresses his love toward us, he doesn’t just give us something, he gives us himself. Therefore, the essence of the Christian understanding of love is that we give ourselves away. Love is an expression of the character of Jesus. He is calling us to reflect the light of his love to others.
Jesus showed his love by living a life that expressed truth, grace, and justice. He proved that he could be trusted. He accepted those whom others had cast aside. He showed compassion to those who had been treated unfairly. These expressions of love stood in stark contrast to the darkness that was the result of widespread deception, mercilessness, and injustice.
I hope you will engage in this challenge to more fully understand the love of Jesus because he promises, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:35). By our love followers of Jesus will be recognized as God’s people. The result: many will be drawn to become disciples themselves.
That is a fruit worth cultivating.
Friday, June 24, 2011
Friday, June 10, 2011
A Fruitful Harvest
One of the great pleasures of this time of year is walking down the row of a well-tended garden and harvesting produce. Whether you have done all the working of tilling and planting and weeding yourself, or if you are fortunate enough that someone else has invited you to harvest from the garden they have been caring for; it is deeply satisfying to find something that is ready to pick and put it in your basket.
The more carefully the garden has been tended, the more enjoyable it is to harvest the crop. It is quite obvious when a garden has not been weeded. In fact, if the weeds are allowed to grow, they make it hard to even determine where the rows have been planted. Of course, weeds use some of the same nutrients in the soil that the planted crops need, so those plants tend to be less vigorous and produce smaller fruit than they would if they didn’t have to compete with the weeds. Weeds also seem to invite pests to come and feast on the plants that are working to produce the fruit you hope to enjoy.
You know that God was the first gardener. He planted a garden in Eden and would take walks there with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening. God would often inspire the prophets to remind the people of Israel of God’s care for them with the images of a garden. Many of Jesus’ parables refer to God’s work in the world as being like the work of one who tends a garden. Paul occasionally referred to his work of spreading the good news as part of the process of growing an abundant harvest.
This summer I hope that many gardens produce much fruit—lots of squash, tomatoes, beans and corn; but I have a deeper hope—that God will produce a great harvest of fruit in the lives of those he loves. Paul tells the community of believers in Galatia that God is working through the Holy Spirit to produce fruit in them. It is the fruit of love; and that love is expressed in peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
As we celebrate Pentecost and the sending of the Holy Spirit into the midst of the community of believers, we will begin to focus on the seed that God has planted and the ways we can cooperate with God as he tends the garden that is growing among us. I pray the family of faith at Garden City has the most fruitful summer ever!
The more carefully the garden has been tended, the more enjoyable it is to harvest the crop. It is quite obvious when a garden has not been weeded. In fact, if the weeds are allowed to grow, they make it hard to even determine where the rows have been planted. Of course, weeds use some of the same nutrients in the soil that the planted crops need, so those plants tend to be less vigorous and produce smaller fruit than they would if they didn’t have to compete with the weeds. Weeds also seem to invite pests to come and feast on the plants that are working to produce the fruit you hope to enjoy.
You know that God was the first gardener. He planted a garden in Eden and would take walks there with Adam and Eve in the cool of the evening. God would often inspire the prophets to remind the people of Israel of God’s care for them with the images of a garden. Many of Jesus’ parables refer to God’s work in the world as being like the work of one who tends a garden. Paul occasionally referred to his work of spreading the good news as part of the process of growing an abundant harvest.
This summer I hope that many gardens produce much fruit—lots of squash, tomatoes, beans and corn; but I have a deeper hope—that God will produce a great harvest of fruit in the lives of those he loves. Paul tells the community of believers in Galatia that God is working through the Holy Spirit to produce fruit in them. It is the fruit of love; and that love is expressed in peace, joy, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
As we celebrate Pentecost and the sending of the Holy Spirit into the midst of the community of believers, we will begin to focus on the seed that God has planted and the ways we can cooperate with God as he tends the garden that is growing among us. I pray the family of faith at Garden City has the most fruitful summer ever!
Friday, June 3, 2011
Making Everything Right
“Everybody makes mistakes.”
The produce manager forgets to change the price of melons at all three places they are displayed. The person driving the big red pickup truck fails to signal—or even look—before they pull in front of you. Your spouse swears they told you about an event that conflicts with an appointment you’ve just made—one that will be even more difficult to change that it was to make. Yes, “everybody makes mistakes,” but sometimes you find yourself wishing they would make fewer mistakes that affect you.
Well, “nobody’s perfect.”
That is the logical corollary to the previous axiom. It is pretty easy to look at the people closest to us and come up quickly with a list of ways they could improve. Tabloid journalism thrives on the foibles of the rich and famous. As the presidential campaign starts to crank up, you can count on hearing more from the candidates about the faults of their rivals than about the virtues they possess.
We certainly have no problem affirming Paul’s claim, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It seems we run into the “fallenness” wherever we turn. Sometimes you may wonder how your life would be different if the people around you would just get their act together.
It is just at moments like that when it occurs to you that, perhaps, not all of the difficulties you encounter are the result of other people’s mistakes. Indeed, even though you have dedicated countless hours and heroic efforts at self-improvement, you have to admit that you are not perfect, either. Of course, you are not comfortable when other people point that out. In fact, you have become quite adept at explaining why you have made the choices you have—and, at times, still secretly believe that if it weren’t for a few inattentive or mean-spirited people; your life would be much closer to perfect than it is.
It is so easy to find yourself in a place of judgment and self-justification—and that is not a place of peace and rest. Indeed, it is an attitude which makes it very difficult to receive God’s blessing.
Even as Paul is reminding the Romans of their shortcomings, he is preparing them to hear this good news: “People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood” (3:24b). You are forgiven! That is God’s gift to you—and to the people who keep messing up around you.
It reminds Paul of Psalm 32: “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”
I pray you may know more of that joy.
The produce manager forgets to change the price of melons at all three places they are displayed. The person driving the big red pickup truck fails to signal—or even look—before they pull in front of you. Your spouse swears they told you about an event that conflicts with an appointment you’ve just made—one that will be even more difficult to change that it was to make. Yes, “everybody makes mistakes,” but sometimes you find yourself wishing they would make fewer mistakes that affect you.
Well, “nobody’s perfect.”
That is the logical corollary to the previous axiom. It is pretty easy to look at the people closest to us and come up quickly with a list of ways they could improve. Tabloid journalism thrives on the foibles of the rich and famous. As the presidential campaign starts to crank up, you can count on hearing more from the candidates about the faults of their rivals than about the virtues they possess.
We certainly have no problem affirming Paul’s claim, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). It seems we run into the “fallenness” wherever we turn. Sometimes you may wonder how your life would be different if the people around you would just get their act together.
It is just at moments like that when it occurs to you that, perhaps, not all of the difficulties you encounter are the result of other people’s mistakes. Indeed, even though you have dedicated countless hours and heroic efforts at self-improvement, you have to admit that you are not perfect, either. Of course, you are not comfortable when other people point that out. In fact, you have become quite adept at explaining why you have made the choices you have—and, at times, still secretly believe that if it weren’t for a few inattentive or mean-spirited people; your life would be much closer to perfect than it is.
It is so easy to find yourself in a place of judgment and self-justification—and that is not a place of peace and rest. Indeed, it is an attitude which makes it very difficult to receive God’s blessing.
Even as Paul is reminding the Romans of their shortcomings, he is preparing them to hear this good news: “People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood” (3:24b). You are forgiven! That is God’s gift to you—and to the people who keep messing up around you.
It reminds Paul of Psalm 32: “Oh, what joy for those whose disobedience is forgiven, whose sins are put out of sight. Yes, what joy for those whose record the Lord has cleared of sin.”
I pray you may know more of that joy.
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