Transformation - Day 21

"Tychicus will give you a full report about how I am getting along. He is a beloved brother and faithful helper who serves with me in the Lord’s work. I have sent him to you for this very purpose—to let you know how we are doing and to encourage you. I am also sending Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, one of your own people. He and Tychicus will tell you everything that’s happening here.

Aristarchus, who is in prison with me, sends you his greetings, and so does Mark, Barnabas’s cousin. As you were instructed before, make Mark welcome if he comes your way. Jesus (the one we call Justus) also sends his greetings. These are the only Jewish believers among my co-workers; they are working with me here for the Kingdom of God. And what a comfort they have been!

Epaphras, a member of your own fellowship and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends you his greetings. He always prays earnestly for you, asking God to make you strong and perfect, fully confident that you are following the whole will of God. I can assure you that he prays hard for you and also for the believers in Laodicea and Hierapolis.

Luke, the beloved doctor, sends his greetings, and so does Demas. Please give my greetings to our brothers and sisters at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church that meets in her house.

After you have read this letter, pass it on to the church at Laodicea so they can read it, too. And you should read the letter I wrote to them.

And say to Archippus, “Be sure to carry out the ministry the Lord gave you.”

HERE IS MY GREETING IN MY OWN HANDWRITING—PAUL.

Remember my chains.

May God’s grace be with you." - Colossians 4:7-18

It would be easy to gloss over Paul's closing words as he signs off on his letter, but there are treasures here.  For some reason, as I read through Paul's list of colleagues, I am struck by the great support he has in carrying out his mission and ministry.  Some of the names are recognizable - Luke, Epahras, Mark, barnabus.  Some are names only here.  All names written in the Lamb's Book of Life.  I am also truck by the list of Greek names.  Saul, now Paul early identified himself as Jew among Jews.  Now his identity is "apostle of Jesus Christ" - a mission that called him to expand his world, his food, his culture and out of this faithful call, the rich blessings that followed.

At the end, Paul writes, "Remember my chains."  I don't think Paul was feeling sorry for himself and was digging up sympathy.  I am pretty sure from other places that Paul shared of his transformation, that he wouldn't trade his new life in Christ for anything in his former life.  It flows from the supremacy of Christ - the essence of this whole letter.

Why would you settle for the world, when you can have the Pearl of great price?  the Treasure found in a field?

We have much to learn from Paul.  I hope this 21 day series has blessed you and called you to greater love for Christ.

Transformation - Day 15

"So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don’t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming.You used to do these things when your life was still part of this world. But  now is the time to get rid of anger, rage, malicious behavior, slander, and dirty language. Don’t lie to each other, for you have stripped off your old sinful nature and all its wicked deeds. Put on your new nature, and be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and become like him. In this new life, it doesn’t matter if you are a Jew or a Gentile, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbaric, uncivilized, slave, or free. Christ is all that matters, and he lives in all of us. - Colossians 3:5-11


Paul sets out a list of thoughts and actions that Christ-followers are to have nothing to do with.  I will say it again and again and again - that Paul is not making up a bunch or religious "do nots" for their own sake.


Paul is practically saying - you are a new person - there is no reason to live like this.  Jesus saved you for a better life - a free life.

 A key point in this text is something that we should not overlook - "Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming."  It's a statement that reminds us that God does not take sin lightly.  I fear that often the church does take sin lightly.  Our "god" is all bark and no bite or a lovey-dovy Santa figure.  But God is holy and there is no place for sin to dwell in the presence of God.  This holy God loves us, sins and all, but he calls us out of that sin.  His love and holiness should motivate us to "clean up our act" or rather let God clean us up.

And that is the essense of what Paul points to next - "Now is the time to get rid of . . ."

I would suggest you read the list in an attitude of prayer.  It's called the prayer of examen.  Is there anger, slander, lying, filthy language, pornography, greed . . . in your life that God needs to remove?  Let God's Spirit bring to mind those places where you have missed the mark of God's will.  Confess, acknowledge them before God, seek mercy, and then rather than repeat, take the next steps to rid yourself of this dirt.  Find a spiritual running partner to hold you accountable.  Join a group.  Ask God for a good habit to replace the old - something you (and God) would enjoy more than the sin itself.

Come clean before God.  He knows your dirt anyway.  Let him clean you up.

Put on the new life.  "Be renewed as you learn to know your Creator and learn to be like him."

Can't you see that God expects change?  He wants to make you into the person He created you to be.  Why settle for a second hand- half human life?  God offers so much more.

Transformation - Day 13

You have died with Christ, and he has set you free from the spiritual powers of this world. So why do you keep on following the rules of the world, such as, “Don’t handle! Don’t taste! Don’t touch!”? Such rules are mere human teachings about things that deteriorate as we use them. These rules may seem wise because they require strong devotion, pious self-denial, and severe bodily discipline. But they provide no help in conquering a person’s evil desires. - Colossians 2:20-23

Paul continues to be concerned for the Colossians - that they are being manipulated by Judaizers to turn from the pure grace of Jesus Christ to become Christian (Messianic) Jews.  Circumcision, dietary laws, ritual purity laws, etc  would be added on to the moral law to bring these Jesus followers into Judaism.

This is what Paul was hinting at in yesterday's text and what he spells out clearly in this one.

Your sin died with Christ (again an allusion to baptism). You've been set free.  So why follow this wordly, unnecessary stuff.  It's all a shadow to the reality of Jesus Christ.

And he argues, these things won't make you righteous.  You can't earn salvation or holiness.  They can't help you overcome evil - that's Jesus' job though his gift of the Holy Spirit.

Those in recovery acknowledge that they are powerless to change without power from the Power.  Why do we as Christ followers attempt to be good, do good, on our own?  And then what happens when we fail again?  What sins have you kept hidden? Where are you missing the mark?  embarrassed to confide in anyone?

What sin in your life are you attempting to conquer in your own power?  How's it working for you?  Didn't think so.  I know.  I've tried.  If you are struggling (and who isn't) with some area of your life that is still in rebellion to God, maybe you need to realize/remember how much you need Christ's power and that you need the gift of community (one or two trusted Christian friends who will walk the walk with you) and you need the Spirit working in you because Christ has already freed you - sin has no power over you - you died to that stuff.

I think AA has it right.  It's time for recovery.  Pray - what area of your life does God want to show you His victory.  Pray - who can you trust to walk with you through the valley of the shadow.  Pray - for courage to overcome and take the next step.

And I am here to help.  I don't bite.  We are all imperfect people.  But God doesn't want us to stay that way.

Transformation - Day 8

"I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments. For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong." - Colossians 2:1-5

Paul's pastoral heart rises up again - love for people he has never met.  How is that possible?

His desire? that they "be encouraged" that they be "knit together by strong ties of love."  I've heard people say, you don't need church or community to be a Christian.  How far from the truth!  21st century American independence and individualism has invaded the thought life of believers.  God designed Christians for community and community for Christians.  We need one another - the grace that community provides.  Transformation will happen at a snail's pace without Christian community.  "Blest be the tie that binds, our hearts in Christian love."  I pray that the people of The Vine will develop this kind of love for one another.

Paul also wants them to have complete confidence in understanding "God's mysterious plan" - the Gospel.  Paul knows that people will come to test and deceive.  Some will try to pull them back into Judaistic legalism, others into licentiousness - sin more so that grace may increase.

There are many "well crafted arguments" in our day and age. I mentioned one at the beginning of this meditation - God loves everyone so all roads lead to God.

Know what you believe and why.  Stand strong.  Don't turn off your brain but use the gifts that God has given you to stand strong.

What's with the earring?

Many, many years ago, when serving as a youth director at Chalfont United Methodist Church, our group learned a song by Steve Croft called "Pierce My Ear."  It was a pretty sappy song now that I look back on it but the message was important.  In Exodus 21, God set parameters for voluntary slavery among the Hebrew people (this culture issue is for another day).  You can read about it here.  In this text, a Hebrew slave about to be set free could choose to enter into lifetime slavery by having an awl driven through his earlobe - in essence nailing him to the door!  Later, in the New Testament, Paul used language that speaks of his status as a "servant of Jesus Christ." (The word - doulos - in the Greek is closer to slave than servant.)

I began to join these two images together - ear piercing and slave for Christ - even hosting a youth-led worship service on these texts.

So . . .  long before it was popular to have piercings and tattoos, I sensed this call to have my ear pierced as an acknowledgment that I was God's servant for life.  I wanted to tangibly show how much I loved Christ - he was pierced so that i could be set free from sin and death - I owed him my life.  But I waited. . .

Finally, several years after the youth group thing and at the culmination of an amazing year in a project called The Beeson Pastoral Leadership and Biblical Preaching program (another story), I did it.  In a nondescript kiosk at the local mall in Kentucky, with Michelle at my side, I marked my allegiance to God by having my ear pierced.  We picked out a cross earring to replace the stud and I have been wearing a cross ever since.  Yea, not as dramatic as having an awl driven through my ear, but it works. (One woman in my last church shared that she had a dream of my ear being pierced and in that moment a blinding flash of light emanated from my ear - pretty cool if you ask me)

So now you know.  The cross earring is not a fashion statement but a faith statement.  I am a "doulos" of Jesus Christ.  I love him because he first loved me and gave himself up as a sacrifice on my behalf and as a ransom for many.  What's your faith statement?

(Now I'm trying to figure out what tattoo I should get - because - God's not done with me yet.)

remember your baptism

we celebrated new members joining our church yesterday. it was a great day - Pentecost - the birthday of the Church (another topic). during the celebration, i invite these almost-new-members to come forward and to "remember your baptism and be thankful." i also offer a caveat as these folk are invited forward - "do whatever it takes for you to remember your baptism - you can simply look at the water, or touch the water, or mark yourself with the water and if you need to - you can even dump this whole bowl of water on your head if that's what you need to remember."


so new folk came forward and gazed into a baptismal font - a basin filled with sacred (set apart) water - to reflect on how God has brought them to this point. some were baptized as children/infants and really can't remember their own baptism, others came forward baptized as adults and do remember that moment. some simply look. some take the water and splash their faces. yesterday was a first - a young expectant mother raised her blouse and "baptized" her protruding tummy. the moment is always significant and often deeply moving because these persons see the hand of God now at work in them, even before they were aware of it. yesterday was one of those days - deep reflection. deep thankfulness, deep joy. (as pastor, i have the best "seat" in the house for noticing these things.)

last of all was Karen. Karen was someone who i met in December at our soup kitchen Christmas dinner. (wonderful servants in our church put on a banquet for the less fortunate in our community, complete with great food and even a visit from Santa - it's the annual highlight of our soup kitchen ministry.) so someone introduced me to Karen. i listened to her story - no job, lost her daughter years ago in an automobile accident. she was deeply wounded. there was deep sadness and pain in her eyes. i invited her to church, to meet God in worship. she said she would come but the skeptic in me thought "how many times have i heard that before?"

but Karen did come and she heard a message on peace. then amazingly she came back the next week and heard a message on love (it was Advent). and when Karen came up to me after the service, there were tears in her eyes. God was at work, healing a broken soul. Karen kept coming - more faithfully than most of our members. she connected into a small group of women who were also working their way through healing of damaged emotions. she started mowing the church's lawn - a way she could give back since she didn't have anything to put in the offering basket. someone in the church offered her a job to get back on her feet. she came to a new members prep class then came to see me - she said she felt guilty because she felt to good - so at peace, so much joy. she couldn't stop smiling. nine years weighted down by anger were gone. a few weeks later when a couple came to worship to share about their vision for us joining with them in partnership to build a health clinic in Munyarari Zimbabwe, Karen felt the call of God to go to Africa.

all this leading up to yesterday - the day she was joining our church. as i remarked about taking the whole bowl and dumping it on your head, Karen, sitting in the front with a big smile, with all her misfit small group friends, let me know in no uncertain terms that this was her plan. (that's why i invited her last!)

so Karen came forward, her back to the congregation, a huge smile on her face. "Karen, remember your baptism and be thankful." she looked at the water, hesitated, maybe because there was more water in that basin than she realized, then in words that thankfully no one else could hear said, "oh what the f***," picked up the bowl and dumped a gallon or so of water on her head and across the floor! sopping wet she stood there with a great big smile on her face and a cheering congregation behind her.

and i'm just smiling and thinking - what a great way to end my ministry at my current church. this is a treasure i will never forget.  dismiss the language and look at Karen's heart.

soon i'll be moving to Abingdon, Maryland to plant a church. my dream is to connect the Karens of this world with the God who loves them. yesterday i got a foreshadow of what is to come. God is smiling and so am i.