A Letter to the Global Christian Community

I dedicate this letter to all fellow Christians in the world:

Dear followers and lovers of our Lord Jesus Christ,
  Today marks a significant moment in history -- not only for America, but all over the world; for it is the day that Osama Bin Laden has been killed.  While this day may mean many things to many people, it is also a time for reflection upon who we are and what we stand for; for we are, above all, followers of the One True and Gracious God.
  Who was Osama Bin Ladin to the world?  Many names have been thrown around; words such as terrorist, murderer, and heretic.  After the events of September 11, it's become clear to the world that Osama has had blood on his hands.  He murdered innocent people, caused chaos throughout the globe, and initiated an exchange between two countries that has seen many more thousands upon thousands killed.  I believe it would be safe to say that one of the things that many people see Osama as being is a man without morals.  Now we stand in the present, and I ask you to turn your gaze inward, towards yourself -- towards the community of people to which we all belong -- and ask the question: who are we?  What is our identity?  We are Christians -- followers and believers in Jesus Christ, and all that it implies.  Jesus, much like Osama, has been called many things: healer, savior, and sometimes even heretic. But at the center of Jesus and His identity stands a single, irrefutable word: love.  A love so great that He died for a people who had proven time and again that they were utterly undeserving of any measure of love or salvation.
  And it's this love, dear brothers and sisters, that I believe we are called to model our lives after.  Turning our gaze once again, back to the world and the events unfolding today, I implore you to ask yourselves what your identity as a follower of Christ means for you in the world today.  In the world now.  In the Bible, Peter calls for us to be a "peculiar people".  We are to stand apart and be seen as unique to the world.  What does that look like in a world rejoicing over the death of a terrorist?
  Dear hearts, I am not asking you to grieve over Osama Bin Ladin. I am not even saying that you have to forgive him for what he's done.  All that I ask is that you take a moment to reflect on who we are and what we stand for.  We are followers of Jesus, and as such I believe that it is our duty to ask what He would be doing today.  What He would be thinking today.  What he would be feeling today.  Finally, look at the picture below in which a crowd of people are dancing and rejoicing over Osama's death in front of the White House and ask yourself two questions: first - do you see yourself standing in and celebrating with that crowd?  And second - do you see Jesus wanting to stand in and celebrate with that crowd?
  It's time, fellow believers, to take a stand.  To be a peculiar people in a world so desperately in need of love.  To shine.
Grace and peace be upon you...


--“You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. [...] If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? [...] Do not even pagans do that?" [...] "And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love."                                                 Jesus and Paul (Matthew 5:43-47, 1 Corinthians 13:13)

Pictures courtesy Newser (www.Newser.com)

Idolatry and Pastoralship

  Taken from a section from a book I'm reading by Eugene Peterson called Under the Unpredictable Plant.

  "Why do pastors have such a difficult time being pastors? Because we are awash in idolatry.  Where two or three are gathered together and the name of God comes up, a committee is formed for making an idol.  We want gods that are not gods so we can 'be as gods.'
   The idolatry to which pastors are conspicuously liable is not personal but vocational, the idolatry of a religious career that we can take charge of and manage.
   [...]
   The pastoral vocation in America is embarrassingly banal [(lacking originality, freshness, or novelty)].  It is banal because it is pursued under the canons of job efficiency and career management.  It is banal because it is reduced to the dimensions of a job description.  It is banal because it is an idol -- a call from God exchanged for an offer by the devil to work that can be measured and manipulated at the convenience of the worker.  Holiness is not banal. Holiness is blazing.

Call for Endurance

   Civil rights wasn't won by just marching once. Slavery wasn't abolished after one battle. And Jesus didn't affect the world after doing one good deed.

   So why are we trying to change the world by spending just one day by not wearing shoes? By spending one day not eating to fix world hunger? Or even, by refusing to buy gas on a certain day in order to change government legislation?

   While it's apparent that many of us nowadays take part in some of the one-day events as mentioned above (such as TOM's no-shoe days), there still remains a lingering question of "what have we really done to change our world?"  Could it be that, in our surging attempt to fight against the forces of injustice, we've become sedated with "warm fuzzies" and good feelings that come from putting aside a day of eating for other people who die from starvation?

   While some small part of the world's eye may be brought to bear on the problems of our global community by our decision to fast for a day or two to fight against world hunger, how many civil rights fighters in history ever sought to change the world's state of injustice by spending a single day fighting for what they believed?  While I'm sure some cynics would no doubt find exceptions to this statement, there is no denying the fact that the overall path of justice in our history was carved by people who were willing and determined to endure against the relentless battering ram of injustice.

  It's time to wake up.  It's time to stop doing things for others for the sole purpose of feeling good about ourselves. We need to reach out beyond the apathy-breeding clouds of self-indulgence to seek out the floating souls of people who are lost and hurting.  Then, and only then can we have both the right and the privilege to say, as Paul did in 2 Timothy, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith."

It's time to endure.