They will know you by your love

Scripture

Mark 12:29-31

29 "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'31 The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."

Introduction

For the past three Sundays, we have focused on how the way we deal with conflict distinguishes us as followers of Jesus. And now for the coming three Sundays including today we will turn more outward –

How we love and are loved by God,

How we extend the love to strangers,

How we show hospitality to all people who are also loved by God.

This is also very timely as we get involved with the upcoming outreach activities – VBS, Fellowship worship service, Block party. We MUST do that out of God’s love for us – and our love for others.

Background

[Verse 30-31]

I think we may have heard these words of Jesus so many times that we cease to be struck by how profound they are. “There is no commandment greater than these.” says Jesus.

The question asked by this scribe, an expert in the law, was one that was a matter of contention and constantly under debate by the Pharisees. The Pharisees had codified the law into 248 positive commandments and 365 prohibitions. These 613 precepts were imposed by the Pharisees on their followers as their obligation, yet they offered no love or help or hope of enablement to encourage them in obedience. There was no mercy or grace, only the heavy chains of legalism which always kills the joy of life and alienates rather than reconciles people to God.

This is what the evil of selfishness does – it kills the joy of life and alienates us from God and each other.

Contradictory to Evolutionary theories

In today’s context one of the major problems that Evolution theorists have is to be able to explain the role of love. According to them love is in fact a defect in the evolutionary process. You see love is so contradictory to the concept of survival of the fittest.

Love is clearly contrary to natural selection. Natural selection involves competition for resources, with only those best able to obtain them surviving. Selfishness is a virtue because only the strong and selfish survive.

Love is unselfish. People sacrifice, and even die, for other people they love. It isn’t the behavior natural selection would reward. Generosity really puzzles evolutionists.

Ayn Rand’s philosophy about “rational self-interest” got so popular in the 90’s. We as a generation started looking at greed as a necessary fuel for our growth. Rational self-interest? You know this is one of the things we have gotten good at – giving “feel good” names so they don’t make us feel as guilty.

…

The greatest commandment Jesus said was to love God with your whole self and to Love your neighbor as yourself.

It is natural to think of oneself first and best. Loving another person as much as we love ourselves means we give that person our first consideration. However, we can only give this kind of love to another person if we have God’s help, if we love Him first.

Non-Christians don’t care at all how well you keep the Sabbath, memorize Scripture, fast wholeheartedly, etc. Not at all. What people notice (Christian or not) is one’s capacity to love and they are drawn towards people whose love is impossible to miss.

…

The love of Christ compels us to: -

-       Live differently

-       Judge differently

-       Serve differently

Love compels us to live differently

The two versus Jesus quotes are different in small but significant ways. The command, “You shall love the Lord your God” is a part of a larger scripture known as the shema, and it extends in Deuteronomy 6 from verse 4 through 9.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 (NIV)

⁴ Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.^[a] 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. ⁶ These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. ⁷ Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. ⁸ Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. ⁹ Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

It is known as the shema because that is the first word of the opening verse in Hebrew: “Hear (sh’ma), O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” These opening words are not included in Mathew or Luke. By including the opening, Mark reminds every reader of the unity of God, which is paralleled here by the unity of these two commandments. He is also reminding them of the shema which was recited daily in the worship.

Jesus adds the phrase about loving God with the mind to verse 5. The idea of loving God with the mind is a helpful reminder. It is not really missing from the version in Deuteronomy, however, because the meaning of the verse there is to love God with the whole person.

The teachers of the law and the Pharisees had the honor and authority of speaking God’s law. Jesus did not deny that. However, Jesus said, “Do what the Pharisees teach but do not copy the behavior of these men; they do not practice what they preach.” Everything that the religious leaders did was done for men to see.

How they lived had not changed because they did not have love in them.

Love is the foundation for peace

Love of God and Loving our neighbor as our selves, I believe is the foundation for peace. It is important, of course, to understand love in biblical sense and not the common cultural sense.

It’s easy to buy into love as mere emotion. Sometimes we all get into the trap of reducing love to the feel-good emotions. Certainly, the emotions are part of love, yet they do not demonstrate the full expression of love that’s essential to God’s nature (1 John 4:16).

Most importantly, God’s love includes sacrifice; in fact, the two—love and sacrifice—cannot be separated. God’s version of compelling love intertwines Christ’s love with Christ’s death.

Through His sacrificial love, God brings us into an intimate relationship with him through salvation. He then compels us to love others as Christ loved us—first. Sacrifice on behalf of others is not for the weak and not likely seen apart from love. Jesus challenges us to live for others, even for those too weak and feeble to give anything back to us. It’s a love that challenges us to follow God Himself—the Commander of heaven—and to imitate His sacrifice as we serve others on His behalf.

…

Over the years, especially in relationships, I have personally learnt that it’s far better to love than to be right. Being a reflection of God’s love is far more rewarding in a relationship. I have realized that each time I have ended up being right it has actually left me with an empty feeling.

Love compels us to take risks – compels us to go beyond the pre-set norms.

Love compels us to judge differently

The story of the prodigal son gives us a good perspective from two different sides of justice. I am borrowing this from the RZIM devotional by Jill Caratini.

It is easier to fit into the shoes of the prodigal son than the shoes of the older brother. Yet in this well-known parable of Jesus, both sons are invited to celebrate and rejoice.

To the prodigal child who has squandered and defamed, God's grace is lavish. It is extravagant and poured out on those who neither expect it nor deserve it. The celebration is thrown in the honor of the run-away, in honor of the return of just one lost sheep. When these shoes are ours, we are both humbled by the Father's attention and compelled by his mercy.

Yet to the child on the other side of justice, the Father's grace is jarring and disruptive. His invitation to the feast is both awkward and demanding, a seeming call to overlook the potential of our reckless brother to strike again at our expense. These shoes are much harder to walk in. The Father's call to forgive the one whose sincerity is questionable is often agonizing; his command to love the habitual prodigals in our midst is both costly and exhausting.

But it is his request. "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?" asked Peter. But Jesus answered, "I tell you, not seven times, but seventy times

seven" (Matthew 18:21-22).

God's grace disrupts our sense of righteousness and summons us to respond in similar kind.

Whether we find ourselves in the shoes of the prodigal or treading the difficult ground of the older brother there is good reason to rejoice and celebrate the unveiling love of the Father.

His unfathomable grace and mercy shatters our sense of who is worthy to enjoy the benefits of God's kingdom, inviting us to the celebration regardless of where we stand.

…

Paul, in writing to the Corinthians, says to them, "Here am I, preaching a crucified Christ." Paul goes on to say to the Jews, it's a scandal. To the Greeks, it's foolishness, a Christ who actually doesn't retaliate or seek vengeance, a Christ who forgives, even those putting him to death.

…

This love of Christ compels us to judge differently – when we are driven by this love it could indeed disrupt our sense of righteousness.

Love compels us to serve differently

“You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” ~~Amy Carmichael

The religious leaders did not follow the teachings Jesus gave to His disciples. Rather than seeking to serve, they worked to be honored by men. They were hypocrites. They made a show of godliness but were self-seeking and evil in their hearts and minds.

…

Corrie Ten Boom, Each New Day

When I saw Sadhu Sundar Singh in Europe, he had completed a tour around the world. People asked him, Doesn't it do harm, your getting so much honor?" The Sadhu's answer was: "No. The donkey went into Jerusalem, and they put garments on the ground before him. He was not proud. He knew it was not done to honor him, but for Jesus, who was sitting on his back. When people honor me, I know it is not me, but the Lord, who does the job."

That puts it in perspective, I personally believe True Love produces Humility and also a natural response towards Grace is Humility. 1-Corinthians 13 says that Love is not self-seeking.

…

Christ’s love compels us to serve differently.

In 1997 my parent went visiting the north east region of India. It was the same time Mother Teresa had died so they got an opportunity to visit the place where viewing was going on. My father shared that while they waited in the line there were these young kids who were selling flowers and they were selling it for very cheap price (10 paisa for each flower). My father out of curiosity asked one of the boys that how they can afford to sell the flowers so cheap and his immediate response was “Sahab (Sir), she was a mother to us, how can we make money when we know that this is going to be offered over her body. We are doing this today just as a service”
I was touched by what the boy had to say … this boy was not educated and probably brought up seeing crimes and all kinds of bad thing around him. He had seen something very compelling in the lives of these servants of Christ where he was willing to sacrifice one of the biggest money making opportunities that he ever had.

They will know you by your love. These kids most likely were not Christians but their lives were demonstrably impacted and changed.

I remember from my school days, we were all taught that “Unity is Strength”.

It sounds very good but the question is how do we get united?

I am now convinced that Love produces humility and Humility is the strength of Unity.

It all ties back to our God being one “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one” and wants us to be one with Him.

Closing remarks

Love of God and Loving our neighbor as our selves, I believe is the foundation for peace.

God’s love includes sacrifice; in fact, the two—love and sacrifice—cannot be separated. God’s version of compelling love intertwines Christ’s love with Christ’s death.

Through His sacrificial love, God brings us into an intimate relationship with him through salvation. He then compels us to love others as Christ loved us—first.

Jesus challenges us to live for others, even for those too weak and feeble to give anything back to us. It’s a love that challenges us to follow God Himself—the Commander of heaven—and to imitate His sacrifice as we serve others on His behalf.

-oOo-

Transforming our Brokenness

Scripture text
Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11

Introduction

These verses from Isaiah center around the themes of salvation and mission. As we speak of salvation (which comes from the same root as the word “save”), we need to ask the question, what are we being saved from? from God’s punishment? from the devil? from our own sins? from death? Each of these answers are valid in their own ways. For many Christians today salvation means “getting into heaven”, which is a way of saying that human being are saved from God’s
punishment (by being in heaven and not hell), from death (by being alive and not dead), and from sin and the devil (neither of which has power in heaven).
But think about it – this way of thinking about salvation leads to an understanding of the “mission” as the work of getting as many people as possible to heaven. “Who will be saved” equates with “Who will be in heaven”

Where we spend eternity is an important question but what about here and now?
What is salvation in Isaiah 61? It paints a more tangible picture for us for here and now. It is good news, healing, liberty, release and comfort. It is jubilee year, in which debts are wiped away, slaves are freed, fields are allowed to rest and land is returned to its original owners.
Salvation is imagined both as a restored city (v4) and as an abundant garden (v11). The nations of the world will see what God has done for Israel and will know “that they are a people whom the Lord has blessed” (v9). God’s deliverance is real, tangible and this-worldly. It can be seen by others.

Though eternity is the bigger picture, we must not lose sight of the ways in which God’s salvation is meant to also transform the world here and now. We as Christians are invited to participate in this kind of living, even in the midst of a world not yet fully redeemed.

Jesus came to fulfill and show the way

Fast forwarding 700 years – This scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Jesus. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written: ‘The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed [Messiah] me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.’ Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him, and he began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.’” Luke 4:21

They were at first amazed at his gracious words. But later the crowd did not like the fact that Jesus reminded them that God had called them to be a special people so that they could be a blessing to the Gentiles. They resented the fact that God was willing to bless Gentiles instead of them, should they choose to reject Him.

We are blessed so that we can be a blessing to God’s people everywhere. If we have been given authority or power it is so that we can use that authority and power to preach good news, relieve suffering, release captives, and recount the story of Jesus to all His children.

All is not well

As we look at the world around us, we see brokenness. As we look around in our neighborhoods, we see brokenness. As we see within our own families or within our own selves, we see brokenness. We do not need to look too far to see the injustice of poverty, abuse, hunger, oppression and war As we look at creation, we see brokenness. As we look at the economic situation in our country and many other countries around the world. The unemployment rate, countries are under debt and unable to repay their loans. All around and within us is separation, alienation, and division.

Yet this is not the end of the story. Brokenness does not have the final say. Sin does not have the last word. There is hope. There is transformation.

Getting a grasp of the joy that is being offered to us

Our focus today is on joy. Isaiah looks ahead to the time when glad tidings will be preached to the sad and the sorrowful, to the depressed and the dejected. To “proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor” was a promise of a joyful jubilee. This must have been good news to those who were grieving. The “garment of praise” would replace the sackcloth of sadness. Ashes represent anguish while oil stands for joy in the Bible.

Until we understand the depth of our depravity we won’t appreciate the good news of Christmas. We can’t appreciate amazing grace until we have first appreciated the fact that as wretches we deserve to pay the penalty for our sins. And great joy won’t come until the good news of the
gospel settles in our hearts. This good news is the best news possible!

I was thinking about the farmers in India especially from the state of Maharastra (where we both come from) and also Andhra Pradesh. Thousands of farmers each year take their lives in these two states. They find no hope and in complete despair they find an ultimate way out. Initially in the 90’s the government just plainly denied that anything like that was happening but later between 2005 – 2009 it caught a lot of attention from the media.
In all these years with the drought situation and all the debt racking up the farmers basically lost everything. They were convinced that there is no way out of this. Even if they get good rain and a good harvest they cannot see a way out because they are so deep into their debts.

Think of such a farmer who has exhausted all his options, lost all his hope, when he gets to hear this good news that all his debts are forgiven and is given a fertile land that will produce plenty of harvest. Think of his joy – that’s the kind of restoration God is talking about, that’s the kind of justice he wants to bring, that’s the joy that He is offering to us. But in order to understand and appreciate the good news and the joy that comes with it we need to first understand the depth of our depravity. It’s difficult to fathom the magnitude of this joy unless we really get the real sense of our own fallenness.

We all have great sorrows in our lives, some more than others. We all have disappointments in life. Jesus declares himself to be the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy, the one to bring good news, healing, and release. As we walk through the last days of Advent, we remember not just that Jesus came but why Jesus came – to usher in a jubilee celebration that would have no end.
And when we surrender the brokenness in our lives to the God who is creator and source of creation, piece by piece God fashions us into who God is calling us to be. Out of our brokenness comes transformation. This transformation is a process. Day by day we surrender our brokenness to the Potter’s hand. And day by day, God brings about the work of reconciliation in our lives.

How does mission look like in light of this passage?

Therefore how does being missional look like in light of this passage?
First, mission happens when we turn our attention to those who are named as recipients of the good news: the oppressed, the brokenhearted, the captives, the prisoners, the mournful, the faint of spirit. The text reveals God’s special concern for the lowest and the weakest. In order to participate in God’s mission of restoration, the people of God are sent first to those who most need to hear that God will provide for them and will redeem their losses.

Mission is not primarily something that goes out from God’s people – by sending money or sending missionaries – but something that defines God’s people, as existing for the sake of the oppressed, brokenhearted, imprisoned, and mournful.

Second, mission happens when the world notice that the people of God live differently, that “they are a people whom the Lord has blessed”. Twice we are told (v9, 11) that the nations will notice the blessing of Israel.

To be missional is to live as a people of good news, liberation, justice, and comfort in such a way that the world may take notice and be drawn to the ways of God.
Typically each year we invite the Indian families from the neighborhood for a Christmas get together. We desperately needed to find out a way to deal with the gifts that we received. People brought gifts even though we requested all respectfully to not bring any gifts. So from last year we said, ok, we will provide an alternative – please do not bring any gifts but if you like you could bring items for a charity and we picked a charity. This was really intriguing for some of the families. Even though this was not a big thing (in fact it worked more for our convenience) but it was going against the flow and when you go against the flow you are bound to be noticed.

I do not believe everything happens for a reason, but I do believe that God can transform any situation. God has a way of coming into our lives and transforming our brokenness. God comes in the midst of our brokenness and starts to make in us a new creation that is able to be purposeful, useful, and be about the work of God’s kingdom here on earth as it is in heaven. God lovingly picks up each potsherd, breathes on it new life, and gives it a place to belong.

Where is God’s transformation revealed today? What is God doing today in the lives of the people that offers hope and restoration to our broken world?

Zilpa is a poor village in a very remote area of Maharastra state in India. YFC runs a school there and we visited that place during one of our visits to India. The school started with only a few students because people there thought of school as bad; they thought it will bring evil to their
community. But one father who got convinced that he should send his child to this school said he was convinced by looking at their work and the committed people working there. Now the school has grown. One of the questions I asked the person who heads this place was – if they face any resistance or threat from the local Hindu groups. His response was that they do – but normally the villagers themselves chase them away. Some of these groups are politically motivated and are quite hostile to the mission work. The villagers have seen the work done there by God’s people
and they certainly see the positive change, a tangible change in their present lives. Even though this is a WIP but God’s redeeming work continues through his people.

So long as Christians live as divided people, known to the world as those who judge, fight, and exclude, the church will fail to be missional, no matter how much money it gives and how many missionaries it sends.

It is far easier to see the transformation of the secular world during this season of the year. Many of us get caught up in giving gifts, indulging in food and sharing the holiday traditions with our family and friends. Our homes, workplaces, and communities are transformed with bright
lights and Christmas music. Our schedules are suddenly transformed into tireless activities leading to near-exhaustion and fatigue.

That’s not the kind of transformation God is intending to bring. It better be more than this artificial change.

Closing remarks

In closing I like to share this quote by Dietrich Bonhoeffer
– please notice what he writes while in prison:
"Christ is breaking open his way to you. He wants to again soften your heart, which has become hard. In these weeks of Advent while we are waiting for Christmas, he calls to us that he is coming and that he will rescue us from the prison of our existence, from fear, guilt, and loneliness. Do you want to be redeemed? This is the one great question Advent puts before us.... But let us make no mistake about it. Redemption is drawing near. Only the question is:
Will we let it come to us as well or will we resist it? Will we let ourselves be pulled into this movement coming down from heaven to earth or will we refuse to have anything to do with it? Either with us or without us, Christmas will come. It is up to each individual to decide what it will be."

-oOo-

The longing of our heart

Introduction
Scripture text: Isaiah 55:1-9
In this chapter Prophet Isaiah begins with an invitation that God is offering, he almost begs, says “Listen, listen to me” … “Give ear and come to me; hear me”. I get a feel here that the people (which is us) seem to be missing on something that is very elementary and God is desperate for us and is hoping that we would be able to see this basic truth and be able to make the right choice.

Then it leads into a warning “6 Seek the LORD while he may be found; call on him while he is near”, indicating that this grand invitation is for a limited time. It will not be available forever.

Finally, in verse 8 & 9, God says -
8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

This last section I believe is important because it puts things into proper perspective. God is our creator and the reason for our being. It is good to reason but at the end of the day in our finiteness we will have things that do not make sense but it’s comforting to know that we can trust in a God who knows it all. And He says “Give ear and come to me; hear me that your soul may live”. He wants to make an everlasting covenant with us.

A chasing after the wind
Quite often we try to find significance in various worldly things … in wealth, in power, in public image, in sports, in music and so on, but all we find is frustration and futility. God never designed us to gain significance from these momentary things. Unfortunately, our attempts are like “a chasing after the wind”.
Verse 2 says,

2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

There is an essay I like to share with you by Robert Hastings, it’s called "The Station": -

"Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision. We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent. We are traveling by train. Out of the windows we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways; of children waving at a crossing; of cattle grazing on a distant hillside; city skylines and village halls. But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day, at a certain hour we will pull into THE STATION. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there so many wonderful dreams will come true, and the many pieces of our life will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle.
"How restlessly we pace the aisles … Waiting … Waiting … Waiting for THE STATION.
When we reach the station that will be it, we cry. `When I am eighteen … When I put the last kid through college … When I pay off the mortgage … When I get a promotion … When I reach the age of retirement … Then I shall live happily ever after.'
Unfortunately, once we get there, then it disappears. The station somehow hides itself at the end of an endless track.

All of us have stations like this and we try to find meaning in them. I often find myself racing against technology. The first computer I bought was the latest and greatest available at the time. In about 6 months it was no more the greatest; in fact few months later it would have been hard to find someone who would take it for free. My profession also demands that I keep myself up to speed with the Information Technology that is constantly changing. It feels like a rat’s race, and it’s not even possible to keep up with all of the developments that happen around in the world of Information Technology. Though every few years something radical happens and it makes me feel like this is it. This is the last one; this one feels like it is here to stay and so I am going to invest into upgrading my skills and then I don’t have to worry about catching up ever again.

Once I reach there I will be happy. You know the irony is that when we get to these highly anticipated stations in our lives it does not even feel that we are there because something else has taken its place.
Once we get there, then it disappears. The station somehow hides itself at the end of an endless track.

God never designed us to gain significance from these momentary things. Unfortunately, our attempts are like “a chasing after the wind”

Reviewing our Priorities
So let’s get back to the invitation, what is being offered here?
Come, buy and eat…even if you have no money…
Come, buy and eat…it doesn’t cost anything!

Well, we get a picture of what he’s talking about when we look at verse 2:
2 Why spend money on what is not bread,
and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good,
and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

We know of course that we must eat to sustain our physical body, and the scripture says he who does not provide for his family is worse than an unbeliever (1 Timothy 5:8) so we know God is not saying don’t eat bread, He’s trying to teach us to get our priorities in order.
Think of the bread as representing all the things we pursue to satisfy our appetites. It may be literally food to satisfy our hunger. Or it could be technology, wealth, power, or it could be things like sports or music. The list is really endless. In our affluent society there are so many opportunities for recreation and luxury that we begin to think it is our inherent human right to be happy.

What is being offered here is not simply bread, wine or milk. What he is offering is abundant life from God the “richest of fare” which comes through God’s wisdom and salvation.

Nothing can fill the void except God
Blaise Pascal, French physicist and philosopher said, All men seek happiness. There are no exceptions… Yet all men complain… A test which has gone on so long, without pause or change, really ought to convince us that we are incapable of attaining the good by our own efforts…this infinite abyss can be filled only with an infinite object.”

In our hearts we all have the longing for our Maker and He alone is that infinite one who can fill the infinite abyss of our longing for goodness.

I believe that our sinful nature has distorted the way we function, we are naturally not lead towards the spiritual food that our soul craves, rather we are mislead towards all kinds of worldly things making us believe that it is what we need. And this is why we ignorantly run after the things that are of this world only to find emptiness.

God has put this longing for Him inside our hearts. The Psalmist expresses it beautifully –

Psalm 63:1-5 (New International Version)
A psalm of David. When he was in the Desert of Judah.
1 O God, you are my God,
earnestly I seek you;
my soul thirsts for you,
my body longs for you,
in a dry and weary land
where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary
and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life,
my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live,
and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods;
with singing lips my mouth will praise you.

C.S. Lewis noted, “We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and lust and ambition when infinite joy is offered to us, like an ignorant child who wants to keep on making mud-pie in the slums because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a vacation at the beach.”

This is why Isaiah asks –
2 Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy?
Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.

Trusting God’s ways
It is God alone who can satisfy this longing that is implanted in us. Besides offering the abundant life for us to enjoy (the “richest of fare”), God also asks us give up trying to understand it all on our own terms. As verse 8 & 9 says,

8 "For my thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways my ways,"
declares the LORD.
9 "As the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts than your thoughts.

I believe this is the key – we are aware that God’s ways are beyond our understanding but are we also always conscious of that truth as we deal with different situations in our lives.

God’s ways are different. Simon Peter said, “But because you say so, I will let down the nets." They were trying all night but couldn’t catch any fish. It did not make any rational sense to follow that instruction from the master. But, “6When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break.” – Luke 5:5-6 (New International Version)

God wants us to trust in Him like little children. This is not to say that there is no scope for reasoning. In fact verse 2 being with reasoning – it asks questions in order for us to begin thinking about why do we run after things that do not satisfy. But it warns us that we cannot rely upon reasoning alone. We ultimately need to put our faith and trust in God because we are limited in our capacity to understand. This is why God expects us to have faith in him like little children.

Our Daily Bread, April 8, 1996

A group of scientists and botanists were exploring remote regions of the Alps in search of new species of flowers. One day they noticed through binoculars a flower of such rarity and beauty that its value to science was incalculable. But it lay deep in a ravine with cliffs on both sides. To get the flower someone had to be lowered over the cliff on a rope.

A curious young boy was watching nearby, and the scientists told him they would pay him well if he would agree to be lowered over the cliff to retrieve the flower below.

The boy took one long look down the steep, dizzy depths and said, “I’ll be back in a minute.” A short time later he returned, followed by a gray-haired man. Approaching the botanist, the boy said, “I’ll go over that cliff and get that flower for you if this man holds the rope. He’s my dad.”

Our rational analysis might tell us that the scientist probably could have provided a more technically sound and safe way for him to get down there, but our hearts will agree with what the little boy did.

God longs to have this kind of relationship with each one of us.
Even though the world may seem to/claim to have a better solution but deep with our hearts we know that only my dad is capable of giving his life to save me.

Closing remarks
In closing I would like to share a few lines from yesterday’s devotional from “Our Daily Bread”. The scripture was from Philippians 4:7.

Philippians 4:7 (New International Version)
7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

The author had these beautiful words – By trustful praying, we not only unburden our hearts, divest our anxieties, and release the grip on our grief but we also gain “the peace of God” which is described as an inexplicable, divine calmness of spirit which supersedes our ability to understand our circumstances, and it is a guard on our heart, through Jesus, that protects us enough to allow us to whisper, even in the pain, “It is well with my soul.”

The peace of God transcends all understanding. It protects us in ways that our minds can’t comprehend.

Blessings,
Naveen

Agreeing & Disagreeing in Love

Introduction

Last Sunday we started a sermon series on the theme of Agreeing and Disagreeing in Love which is based on a document presented and adopted by the Mennonite Church and General Conference Mennonite Church at the Wichita 95 convention. This statement was developed by Mennonite church leadership for use by Mennonite conferences, congregations and individuals as a biblical foundation and process guidelines for handling disagreement and conflict among Christians using the teaching of Christ as our example.

Mutual satisfaction?

What stood out to me was the 3rd directive which says – “Admit our need and commit ourselves to pray for a mutually satisfactory solution”. I must admit that I struggled with this directive because when we commit ourselves to pray for a mutually satisfactory solution, I felt that we were dictating God on how He should resolve this for us. It made me feel as if I was saying that Lord lets not worry about the truth if it is dividing us, what is more important is that we come to a solution where we are all happy. I felt that we were sacrificing truth for the benefit of mutual satisfaction.

But when I look at this directive in light of Mark 12:30 & 31, I see that there is wisdom in this suggestion. This is where Jesus responds to one of the teachers of the law when He was asked – "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?"

Mark 12:29-31 (New International Version)
29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. 'There is no commandment greater than these."

Jesus answers clearly that there is no commandment greater than these. It’s very important to keep these two commandments as a reminder when we are in a disagreement or a conflict situation. We may feel strongly about our convictions, we may be very passionate about it, but if that conviction leads us into a conflict with a fellow believer then we need to commit ourselves into prayer before we take any action which may escalate the conflict.

What I have come to understand is that when we believe strongly in some thing as God’s will, we get passionate about it and anything that comes in conflict with that we assume is against God will. What is important here is to understand and remember that we stay within our boundary and treat the person in conflict with love because that is the greatest commandment. We cannot be judgmental and condemn anyone in such a conflict situation. Romans 14, verse 4 says that: -

Romans 14:4 (New International Version)
Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

The truth of the matter is that very often we are wrong in our judgment; we feel that the person in disagreement with us is also against God’s will. But God doesn’t see it that way. You see we look at the actions in the material world which is only a shadow of the more real spiritual world. We are completely unaware of what goes on with the soul. We pass judgment by merely looking at the shadow, God alone can look inside the soul and He says they both do it for the Lord, “who are you to judge”.

Romans 14:5-8 (New International Version)
5One man considers one day more sacred than another; another man considers every day alike. Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind. 6He who regards one day as special, does so to the Lord. He who eats meat, eats to the Lord, for he gives thanks to God; and he who abstains, does so to the Lord and gives thanks to God. 7For none of us lives to himself alone and none of us dies to himself alone. 8If we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the Lord. So, whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord.

Closing remarks

Ultimately it all ties to who we are as a group and who we claim to be.

Here at WMC we claim that – “We are Brothers and Sisters in witness; Demonstrating God's Love in Jesus Christ by sharing life together and reaching out to others”. Then we have a one-liner vision statement which says – “To be the people of God, Inviting others to know Him”. Last week we also studied our mission statement which is more elaborate and detailed (For details click here and select “About us”). Do you see what ties all these together? The underlying theme in all of these statements is that we want to be the people of God, who love each other and who demonstrate Gods love by doing so. We also demonstrate God’s love by reaching out others but we do this by showing them that we live what we preach.

Also if we look at the wider Mennonite Church, it has in the past few years shifted its focus towards being more missional, the focus has been more on the “outward” in reaching out. This is good, it is what we are called to do but it would be an irony to only focus on the “outward” and let the “inward” disintegrate. When the salt looses its saltiness it is of no use, there will be no outward.

So let us acknowledge that conflict is a normal part of our Church life when passionate people live and work together. Let us acknowledge that God walks with us in conflict and can help us work to unity and maturity if we are open to Him. And finally let us be willing to admit our needs and commit ourselves to prayer for a mutually satisfying solution.

Blessings,

Naveen

Church and its Mission

Introduction

Couple of days ago I read this Slice of Infinity devotion by Jill Carattini, I like to share some portions of it as an opening for the message.

As the disciples stood before the risen Christ at the beginning of the book of Acts, they asked him,

Acts 1:6-8 (New International Version)
6 … "Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?"

7He said to them: "It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. 8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

In other words, they were not only going to be recipients of the kingdom of God, they were going to be agents as well--agents of a kingdom that was already among them.

For the earliest believers, the story of Jesus was the story of the kingdom’s arrival, a story that redefined their hope and reordered their lives. They saw in the risen Christ the proclamation of a kingdom that had already come with power, while knowing in another sense that this kingdom was still coming, and that their very lives were meant to bring it into focus as they waited for Christ’s return. They were radically transformed by what they saw, and so became the first-fruits of the rise of Christianity.

It is this rich history that informs the identity and mission of the church even today.

Colossians 1:13 (New International Version)
13For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves,

In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we have not only been given a means to enter the kingdom of God, we have been made agents of its very presence among the world as we know it today, even as we wait eagerly for Christ to come again.

Importance of a vision and a mission statement

With this back drop let’s look into our mission statement.

Pastor Dan asked me if I could preach on the vision or the mission statement and I told him that we just did a series on it some time back. His immediate response to me was that we should be preaching on this twice a year.

I understood what he was saying … A mission statement is not something that we need for formal reasons.
A mission statement sums up one’s reason for being. It explains our intentions, priorities, and values to people both inside and outside the group. It guides and helps us to stay focused on the things that are most important to us. If we ever question whether to take on a project or choose a particular course of action, we must look back on our mission statement and see if the proposal is consistent with it.
This is not to say that we should not test it against the word of God.
“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path.” … And we need to keep it that way.

But in our world today we still end up with multitudes of service areas not knowing which ones to pick. That’s where we need a focus that will help us decide on the areas that we choose to serve. Looking at our own situation where we are limited on resources, we have limited number of hands which demands that we only channel our resources to areas that are the most important. This is where the mission statement comes and helps us, reminds us what we all agreed as important to us.

Our Mission as a Church

So let’s look into our mission statement. (Visit WMC website and click on "About US") There are 5 points under it; I don’t intend to go in details for each one. We will spend more time on the first one and you will notice that it some ways connects with others. But then we will quickly run through the rest.

1. Being a worshipping community.

What does this mean and why is it important to us that it is at the top of our mission statement?
Really brief, it contains just two words but has a lot of weight in it.

Worshiping

Worship is important to us because that is where we find a clue to meaning in our lives.
God created us to enjoy an eternal relationship with Him. That is why, as Augustine said, “our hearts are restless until they find their rest in [Him].”

Colossians 1:16 (New International Version)
16For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.

It is this relationship we long for and our response comes in the form of worship which includes Sunday morning worship but it is more than that.

How we follow the Lord in obedience reflects the adoring worship we have for Him. Worship can refer to the whole life of a Christian. Paul had this sense of worship in mind when he writes in …

Romans 12:1-2 (New International Version)
Living Sacrifices
1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. 2Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

C. S. Lewis wrote:
“It is in the process of being worshiped that God communicates His presence to men”

So worship is important but what does the scripture say about a worshipping community.

Community

Our scripture for today is actually the last recorded prayer that Jesus did. He first prays for himself, then for his disciples and then for the believers. I like to highlight couple of verses where we will focus for today.

John 17:20-26 (NIV)
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one: 23I in them and you in me. May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. 24"Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world. 25"Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. 26I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."
The astounding truth of this passage is that the world's ability to believe in Jesus depends on whether it sees Christians living out the Gospel together, sees the Holy Spirit empowering, teaching, and guiding them.
Living a life that is consistent with the word of God:

I like to share some thoughts by Elton Trueblood, who was an author, educator, philosopher, and theologian. He was closely associated with the Quaker community. His thoughts on community … brilliantly written and I request for your undivided attention.

Elton Trueblood:
"Jesus was deeply concerned for the continuation of his redemptive work after the close of his earthly existence, and his chosen method was the formation of a redemptive society. He did not form an army, establish a headquarters, or even write a book. All He did was to collect a few unpromising men and women, inspire them with the sense of His vocation and theirs, and build their lives into an intensive fellowship of affection, worship and work.

One of the truly shocking passages of the gospel is that in which Jesus indicates that there is absolutely no substitute for the tiny redemptive society. If this fails, He suggests, all is failure; there is no other way. He told the little bedraggled fellowship that they were actually the salt of the earth and that if this salt should fail, there would be no adequate preservative at all. He was staking all on one throw.

What we need is not intellectual theorizing or even preaching, but a demonstration. There is only one way of turning people's loyalty to Christ, and that is by loving others with the great love of God. We cannot revive faith by argument, but we might catch the imagination of puzzled men and women by an exhibition of a fellowship so intensely alive that every thoughtful person would be forced to respect it. If there should emerge in our day such a fellowship, wholly without artificiality and free from the dead hand of the past, it would be an exciting event of momentous importance. A society of loving souls, set free from the self-seeking struggle for personal prestige and from all unreality, would be something unutterably precious. A wise person would travel any distance to join it." (From "Alternative to Futility" by Elton Trueblood)

Glenn Murray comments …
The longest distance we can travel could be from self-centeredness to Christ-centeredness, which will lead us to true community. My prayer is that we can really grasp the power of this idea and give ourselves to the development of such a fellowship.
It is in a fellowship of believers that souls are healed and nurtured. Trueblood is talking about the power of an idea, which was left to us by Jesus.
People are starved for love and acceptance and when they see a true community where people love each other they will believe too.

We can also talk about the example of what we are doing with Ripple effects … what we are doing there is primarily community focused.

Its in our mission statement, we want to be a worshiping community, How far are we willing to take it?
Can we say that … Lets be a network of people who refuse to allow doctrinal distinctives, racial differences, denominational allegiance or methodology divide us.
It’s not a matter of whether we have differences amongst us or not rather the real question is how we handle those differences. Does our relationship changes with the person who disagrees with us? Or do we still love them the same way.
It takes much work and even reconciliation but the idea is to develop a band of people who love Christ and love each other.

“… so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Outward mission:

2. Being a helping and loving servant people, following the model of Christ toward all humanity.

I see this as a logical outworking of who we are as God’s people. In the first one we said that we want to love and serve one another, here we say that we also want to love and serve all of humanity.

The world sees how we live.

Mark 12:29-31 (New International Version)
29"The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.' 31The second is this: 'Love your neighbor as yourself. 'There is no commandment greater than these."


3. Sharing the good news of our faith; Into the world came Jesus Christ, God's Incarnate Son, who taught us about God's Love, died for our sins, rose from the dead and will come again. We therefore, turn from our sin, trust Christ for Salvation and follow the Way as He taught us.

Acts 1:8 (New International Version)
8But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

We may translate it as being witnesses in Whitehall, and Lehigh Valley, and Pennsylvania, and to the ends of the earth.

Philemon 1:6 (New International Version)
6I pray that you may be active in sharing your faith, so that you will have a full understanding of every good thing we have in Christ.

Inward mission:

4. Having concern, love, acceptance for, and fellowship with believers.

We are called to love, care and have concern for one another. We are called to have fellowship with believers because we share common goals and we can encourage each other during our ups and downs.
Fellowship is important because being part of the body of Christ we don’t just share common values we share common convictions.

We talked about this as part of the community. Its important how we fellowship and treat each other.

5. Being a nurturing church, encouraging and discipling believers into spiritual maturity. Being committed to strengthening marriages, families and singles according to God's design.

We want to be a nurturing Church where believers are encouraged into spiritual maturity.

Growing up in India, I had been to some of the revival meetings and youth conventions and similar things over there. I also remember seeing many young people committing their lives to Jesus but in some cases it didn’t last for very long. The general assumption is that … may be that was not a genuine commitment after all. May be that’s true.

But as a Church it is our responsibility and we believe in encouraging and nurturing these new believers.

Paul in his letter to the Ephesians writes:

Ephesians 3:17-19 (New International Version)
17so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, 18may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, 19and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

We want to be a nurturing church, encouraging and discipling believers into spiritual maturity. We also want to be committed towards strengthening relationships.

Closing remarks

Therefore in closing I like to summarize it for you: -

Our mission statement deals with all the three relationships.

As a Church:
1. Our relationship to God,
2. Our relationship to the outside World and,
3. Our relationships with in the Church.

The first one that deals with our relationship with God, we want to be a worshiping community.

The next two deals with “Outward mission”, our Church’s relationship with the outside world. It’s about loving and serving and following the model of Christ towards all humanity.

Finally, the last two deals with “Inward mission”, our relationships with in the body. It’s about loving, encouraging and serving each other, and also discipling for spiritual growth.

It is through this “Inward mission” we are called to become the agents of the Kingdom of God.

In the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, we have not only been given a means to enter the kingdom of God, we have been made agents of its very presence among the world as we know it today, even as we wait eagerly for Christ to come again.

Blessings

Naveen