Imitators of Christ

The apostle Paul was integral to the growth of the early church. Paul traveled throughout Asia Minor to share the good news of Jesus with all he met. When he was received well he would often stay for extended periods of time to begin a new local congregation. Paul used the time to instill the basic message of the Gospel and train local leaders to lead the congregation. Once Paul felt the local church and leaders were ready he would head to the next town and start over. Paul used letters to correspond with the churches he established as a way of continuing relationships and offer guidance on specific issues and problems the church faced.

While Paul certainly was held in high esteem as leader of the church, he did not see himself as superior or above the leaders he helped train. Most often, Paul used the language of partnership to describe his ongoing relationship with church leaders. In his first letter to the Thessalonians Paul specifically gives thanks and praise for the faith and leadership of the church leaders. Paul also shared how he had been praying for the leaders of the church and giving thanks for their many gifts. This is a spiritual friendship of mutual respect but also one characterized through mentoring. Paul is mentor to the leaders of the church while also showing deep respect and gratitude for them.

Paul was a mentor to the burgeoning church leaders through imitation. As he tells the Thessalonians:

And you became imitators of us and of the Lord, for in spite of persecution you received the word with joy inspired by the Holy Spirit, so that you became an example to all the believers in Macedonia and in Achaia. 1 Thessalonians 1:6-7

Paul, who is imitating the example from Christ, asks the church to imitate him to learn how to be faithful. This is not Paul displaying arrogance or trying to imply that he is the only example to follow. Paul’s method of mentoring is behavioral and implies that we learn how to be faithful to Christ by learning from others and imitating their example. It is in relationship with those who have already developed a deep relationship with God that we can learn to be faithful. Put another way, we all need spiritual mentors in our life. We need faithful saints who have been through much in life and who have wisdom and love to share.

If you are in the beginning of your journey it is time to seek out an experienced and respected person of faith. Take time to learn from them how God has worked in their lives. Take notice how they make regular time from prayer and scripture. Observe how they respond to stressful and difficult situations. See how they use their gifts to serve others, how they give generously of their time, talent, and treasure. Very often God will place these faith giants in our life for our benefit. We need to humble ourselves and seek their guidance and counsel.

On the other hand, if you are a person who has a strong faith and developed a deep relationship with Christ, consider whether God might be calling you to mentor a person at the beginning of their faith journey. You have much to offer and those new to the faith need to learn how to be disciples. You don’t need a advanced theological degree or a position on a church staff, simply a strong faith and love for others. In the end we are all seeking to follow the crucified and risen Christ, and in this journey of faith we are meant to travel together.

Praying for One Another

Spiritual friendships are absolutely critical to our faith development. There are so many challenges and setbacks in life that we simply cannot walk alone. When we enter into intentional spiritual friendships which center on supporting and encouraging one another, we can endure hardship and overcome obstacles in ways we could not on our own. Alone we are easy prey for the evil one, but when we stand together in faith we can be strong for each other and experience a deep connectedness to one another and to the Lord. We are designed to be in relationship with God and each other, and when relationships of trust, encouragement, and accountability thrive we deepen our faith in profound ways.

Jesus understood the need for relationships for his ministry and for the church. As he prepared to go to the cross he took time in prayer to lift up concerns for the disciples and their future.

I am asking on their behalf; I am not asking on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those whom you gave me, because they are yours. All mine are yours, and yours are mine; and I have been glorified in them. And now I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them in your name that you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are one. John 17:9-11

When Jesus discusses his earthly ministry he centers his work on the relationship he has with God and with the disciples. Jesus says he is “glorified in them” which implies that the work of Jesus (his life, death, and resurrection) is fundamentally connected to the relationships he has. Jesus could not be our Lord and Savior without God and without his disciples; we find our meaning and purpose in relationships.

Additionally, Jesus’ prayer expresses his deep and abiding concern for the disciples. He asks God to protect them and to help them continue in relationship with each other. As Jesus prepares to go to the cross he knows how tempting it will be for the disciples to go their own ways and not maintain their unity. Jesus’ prayer is that the relationships he helped establish between the disciples be maintained and strengthened. He knows that together they will be able to carry on Jesus’ ministry and start the church. On their own they will be easily dismissed, distracted, and dismayed.

Jesus’ prayer tells us that we are not meant to be alone. We must seek relationships with others for mutual support and encouragement. We must give and receive the prayers of others in order to fulfill God’s call on our lives. We cannot do it on our own but with God and the prayers of others all things are possible.

Transformation through Giving

Luke 19:1-10

The story of Zacchaeus is well known to those of us who grew up learning the Sunday School song: Zacchaeus was a wee little man and we little man was he…. This song captured the eagerness of Zacchaeus to see Jesus for himself and Jesus’ deep desire to be in relationship with Zacchaeus. What this children’s song misses is the transformation Zacchaeus undergoes as a result of his encounter with Jesus.

Zacchaeus was the chief tax collector and very rich according to the scriptures. In those days the Roman Empire collected taxes from the residents of the land they had conquered. Their method was to enlist the help of the people to collect taxes from their fellow neighbors. In this case Zacchaeus, who is Jewish, is working to collect taxes from his fellow Jews for the Roman Empire. These taxes were extremely high (70% or more) and were collected in ways which were often corrupt and unjust. The tax collectors would then get a commission on whatever taxes they collected and then send the rest to the Romans. Needless to say tax collectors were despised and generally considered unjust and corrupt. To become a chief tax collector was to not only collect taxes but to oversee the entire tax collecting operation. Zacchaeus was well known by the people and hated for all that he had done. There is little doubt that Zacchaeus cheated, stole, and bribed his way to the top.

The people were thus shocked when Jesus invites Zacchaeus into relationship. The people would have expected Jesus to side with those who were oppressed and poor and instead Jesus seeks out the powerful, rich, and corrupt tax collector. Zacchaeus’ encounter with Jesus is transformational.

Zacchaeus stood there and said to the Lord, “Look, half of my possessions, Lord, I will give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I will pay back four times as much.” Luke 19:8

Zacchaeus is confronted with the truth about himself when he sees Jesus. He can no longer hide behind his wealth and power when standing before the Lord. His declaration is one of repentance for all that he had done and become. He certainly had cheated and defrauded others and become rich while making many people poor. Jesus confronts Zacchaeus by showing him the truth. While we may want to discard and dismiss the oppressive Zacchaeus, Jesus singles him out and calls him into a new life.

The transformation of Zacchaeus can be described as going from being a taker to becoming a giver. Being a follower of Jesus means we are not only concerned with our own well being and wealth but we are concerned with others. Being a follower of Jesus means it matters how we make our money and how others are affected by our wealth. Jesus also knew that Zacchaeus could not be faithful until he knew how to give to others.

It is in giving that we are most like God. It is when we share with those who are in need that we can understand the meaning of grace in a new way. Zacchaeus needed to be transformed by God’s love before he could understand who he was, a child of God in need of redemption. Once he had been given grace by God he could then become generous and gracious to others. May we also receive and know the love of God, become transformed from the inside out, and be generous with all we have as God has been generous with us.

Best for Last

When Jesus began his public ministry I have wondered what his thoughts were. Did he really want to begin with a splash and grab everyone's attention? Did he want to heal someone or bring someone back from the dead? Or did Jesus hope for a gradual beginning that wouldn't overwhelm him? If we read the story of Jesus' first miracle we may still be left to wonder.

Jesus' first miracle came at a wedding and as the party ran out of wine there was a real crisis. Mary, Jesus' mother, goes to him and pleads for him to turn water into wine so the celebration could continue. Literally, Jesus' first miracle was to keep the party going. It wasn't a healing story or feeding thousands. All of Jesus' miracles are impressive, but this one at first glance seems to lack the gravity we would expect.

After Jesus turns the water into wine the party's wine steward comes to inspect (quite a party to have its own wine steward!). He was instantly impressed with the wine and proclaimed:

"Everyone serves the good wine first, and then the inferior wine after the guests have become drunk. But you have kept the good wine until now." John 2:10

The wine Jesus turned from water turned out to be far superior to the wine from earlier and while wine lovers might find this tidbit interesting, for those who wish to more deeply understand the significance Jesus' first miracle we may be left still bewildered.

One way to approach this text is to think in terms of the natural human tendency to hold back. When we are uncertain about circumstances or people we often play a "wait and see" game. For those who have had bad experiences in life and love this can be particularly true. We have been burned before and are not going to allow ourselves to be hurt again. In this story, Jesus seems to be holding back as he is initially reluctant to do anything about the problem. Only after his mother persuades him does he then turn water into wine.

How many of us operate in a similar fashion? We are asked to help others and have to be guilted into it. On our own we tend to worry about ourselves and not others. Even Jesus tells his mother "it is not my time." Even when we can be coerced into giving sometimes we fail to give our best. We give to charities or food drives from our reserves not from our best. We hold back and hedge our bets. Ultimately we see in Jesus the giving of his full self, without holding back. We see in Jesus the pouring out of himself for us and for the world. What will we give?

For us we can and must give our very best in life: loving and serving others in Christ's name. We can give our best knowing that God will provide the rest, God will fulfill God's promises. We no longer need to hold back our time, talent, and treasure but can live generously knowing God will provide. We can be open emotionally and spiritually with others knowing that our savior and Lord gave all for us. We can live the abundant life while we are here knowing that God has promised us even more in the life to come.

Economic Oppression and the Seductive Lure of Debt: The Parable of the Talents

The current movement Occupy Wall Street has taken hold throughout the country and is now extended in many parts of the world. As protesters gather and speak our against corporate greed, lack of employment opportunities, and banks run amok the question for people of faith becomes: what would Jesus have to say about all of this? Does our Christian faith have anything to offer? There are some Christians who claim that Jesus was only interested in spiritual issues, others are convinced that Jesus would fully support capitalists, but if we take the scriptures seriously we cannot avoid that fact that Jesus speaks frequently and vehemently against greed and the love of money.

The parables of Jesus are often misunderstood to be moralistic teachings or simple analogies for faithful living. While these interpretations are valid they often do not take into account the historical reality of Jesus' life and ministry. Jesus spent his time with the poor and the oppressed. He spoke out prophetically against the spiritual and economic oppression that the people endured. While Jesus was certainly concerned with the spiritual lives of people, he was deeply concerned and committed to speaking out against injustice. The parable of the talents (Matthew 25:14-30) offers us such an example.

In the parable a rich landowner chooses three slaves to care for his property while he goes on an extended journey. "To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability." (Matthew 25:15) A talent was an enormously large amount of money and it was given to the servants who had earned the most trust with the master with the hope that they would find a way to increase the money. The owner is driven by greed and is willing to enlist the servants to help increase his wealth while he is away. The first two servants quickly go out and double the amount by "trading" with them. The acquisition of wealth was most often done in ways that exploited the poor and the weak. Any additional profit that was made would be understood as "honest graft" for the servants. In this way the wealthy landowner co-opts the servants into the game of building wealth through the exploitation of other peasants. The two servants thus become like their master even as they do their master's bidding.

The third servant refuses to invest the master's money but inside buries the talent in the ground. When the master returns he praises the first two servants: "Well done, good and trustworthy slave; you have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy of your master." (Matthew 25:21) Their shrewd maneuvering and managing of their master's money has earned them higher praise and standing. The third servant speaks out against the landowner in a daring and prophetic way:

Then the one who had received the one talent also came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew that you were a harsh man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed; so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ (Matthew 25:24-25)

The servant has named the sins of the oppressive and exploitative landowner and in doing so has spoken for an entire peasant class that has been preyed upon by the wealthy elite. The third servant is not a "wicked and lazy slave" but functions as a whistleblower who speaks the truth to power. The parable concludes with the third slave being cast out into the outer darkness where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Jesus is sharing this parable with the poor and the oppressed of his day and it is his way of sharing the good news of God. With this interpretation God cannot be understood as the wealthy landowner, rather the third servant is the hero of the parable because he speaks out against injustice and oppression. He suffers the same fate as Jesus himself, death at the hands of oppressive power.

We too live in a time of tremendous economic inequality. While corporate profits are at an all-time high, unemployment remains intractable at over 9%, as many jobs are shipped overseas. While big banks are Wall Street firms were deemed "too big to fail" and received a government bailout, ordinary Americans are losing jobs and losing their homes. The protesters on Wall Street and here in Detroit understand that things are not as they ought to be and like the whisteblower they are compelled to speak out.

The question for us is whether we will stand with those who speak for justice or allow ourselves to be co-opted by the seductive power of wealth. For just as the first two servants are given incentives to play the master's game of exploitative wealth gathering, we too are incentivized to play the master's game of debt and wealth acquisition. For those of us who have retirement accounts and pensions have relied upon the wall street traders to secure our future. We chose to buy homes we could not afford, we chose to live beyond our means and now find ourselves enslaved in a cycle of debt and dependency.

And even if we see the "game" of debt and wealth for what it is, the game itself is rigged for those in power. You cannot buy a home without good credit and you cannot get good credit without going into debt. You must play the game of building debt in order to build credit. Try buying a house or car without a credit history. Unless you have the cash you must get a loan and then banks own you. Unless and until we can speak the truth to power and even more speak the truth to ourselves we will find ourselves cast into the outer darkness.

As Jesus shared this parable he was not only championing the heroics of whistleblower he was also sounding the bell for collective action and awareness. If the other faithful and trusted servants were willing to stand up for justice and one another, they could negate the master's exploitative game. The master is after all dependent upon the servants to acquire his wealth. If the servants stand with the peasants and refuse to play the master's games under the master's rules then real change can take place. Similarly, if we stand up and take collective action for the greater good then those in power will have to take notice (which is why I recently left Bank of America for a local credit union). It may sound crazy and we may be cast out into the darkness, but we are doing a good job of it ourselves.

For more insight on the parables see: Parables as Subversive Speech: Jesus as Pedagogue of the Oppressed William Herzog

Summer Hydration

There are many things to love about summer days: the warmth of sunshine, extra time with family and friends, traveling, and baseball. It seems for many, at least in Michigan, we endure the winter months of cold and snow hoping for the arrival of summer. As a runner I have mixed feelings at best about running in summer. I tend to have more time and certainly more daylight hours to run, and the trails tend to be in their best shape in summer. The downside is the heat and humidity make it tremendously difficult to run. A normal 5 mile run can feel like 8 and one can quickly become dehydrated from the extreme heat. Of course I refuse to stop running in any weather so I have learned to make accommodations for hot conditions. When it is very hot I run with a water bottle and take breaks as needed.

Spiritually, summer is a time when many take a break from regular church attendance and the spiritual disciplines of scripture and prayer. We have family vacations, graduation parties, out of town guests, and many simply need a break from the unrelenting schedule of school year routine. It is good to have time for rest and sabbath, but if we are not careful we may find ourselves spiritually dehydrated if you do not continue to take time for God in our lives.

Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” (John 4:13-14)

It is so easy in life to become either overwhelmed by stress and anxiety that we do not make time for God in our life OR when we have time to relax, we not only take time away from our routines but we take time away from God. This can be spiritually dangerous because we simply cannot live long or well apart from the amazing love and grace of God. When we drink from the font of Jesus' love we are filled with all that we need.

What makes dehydration so difficult, both spiritually and physically, is that we often are unaware of being dehydrated until well after the process has begun. As a runner, when I sense my own thirst and begin to feel dehydrated it is already too late. My body has already begun to slow down and become less efficient. Spiritually, we enter into dry times we often cannot notice until we reach a really dry and depressing place. The key then is to avoid dehydration by remaining hydrated. We must continually come to Jesus to be filled up with love and grace, keeping us in good spiritual health.

The good news for us is that whether we have hit a dry spell or remained steadfastly hydrated in God's word, prayer, and worship, it is never too late to return to the font. We all live with a thirst for God and in Christ we find our fulfillment. May God bless you in days of summer dehydration!