Our Lenten Strategy
The phrase "Lenten Strategy" sounds strange to me but I can't think of a term that fits better. I say strategy to make the point that we have something we are seeking to accomplish and this strategy will we help us get there. Our goal through Lent is not to see how long we can fast from something important to us, nor is to have a worship time that is more somber and contemplative, nor do we observe Lent for the sake of experimenting with more experiential worship elements. Rather, Lent is something we do for the sake of growing closer to and more like Christ. It is a time of worship, reverence and repentance. Our simple strategy helps us get there.
Three PartsPart 1:
We fast. We do not engage in the discipline of fasting in order to manipulate God or make ourselves feel superior to the people around us who may or may not be fasting. (In fact, if you are tempted to fast for the sake of feeling superior then I recommend you fast from fasting.) Fasting is one way for us express our repentance. The Christian walk should be one of ongoing repentance. There is not a time in our life when we are free from this need and Lent is a season of acknowledging our wrong doing and thinking. It is a time when we acknowledge our complete need for God and our complete inability to get to him without him first reaching out to us.
Use your fast as a tool for reminding you of Christ's goodness. Let everytime you notice the loss of that which you are fasting from become an opportunity for prayer and adoration of Jesus. There is something about fasting that empowers us to focus more intently upon Christ. Let it move you in that way.
Here are some things you might want to consider fasting from: caffeine, sugar, meat, desserts, alcohol, the newspaper, the news, television, listening to music in your car, talk radio, movies, the internet, etc. This list is not exhaustive and none of these things are wrong in and of themselves. Choose something that is important to you and that you would miss. It is noticing the loss of this in your regular life that makes the fast helpful to you. Fasting is for the purpose of your growth so pick something that matters. Because this fast is something we are doing as a community I encourage you to encourage one another through this process. Talk to one another about what you are learning.
Here is one last note on fasting. Sundays are to be an oasis time during your fast. Sundays have historically been considered feast days or celebration days. Therefore, don't fast on Sunday. There are forty-eight days in Lent. You are fasting from forty of them and taking once a week breaks on Sundays. I think this will help us keep the fast in perspective and not slide into a legalistic attitude.
Part 2:
Spiritual Formation Groups. These groups are designed to expose us to new and different ways of walking with Jesus. In past weeks we have emphasized the importance of "practices" such as prayer, engaging Scripture, and taking notice of Christ and his Kingdom in the world. The
Spiritual Formation Workbook is an excellent resource that provides us new and useful practices to enhance our experience of being spiritually formed by Christ.
Part of our strategy is to utilize this special tool within the context of a handful of friends for the sake of growing in Christ-likeness. If you are not already a part of a house church that is using this tool then I encourage you to gather a small group of friends and pursue Christ together with this book as your guide.
Part 3:
In The Journey With Jesus. This is a series of talks that we are going to cover during Lent. Beginning with the story of the Transfiguration and ending with the story of Christ's crucifixion and resurrection we will examine the journey that Jesus made toward the end of his ministry on the way to the cross. As I have mentioned before, Lent helps keep us from being ambushed by Easter. We can then better experience and participate in all that God has set before us for that special time of the year.
All of this begins with our special Lenten Prayer Gathering this Wednesday night. It begins at 7:00 in the Tallgrass East Clubhouse at 9910 Clubhouse.
Interpreting The Bible: Practical Stuff
After last week I thought it might be useful to talk a little bit more about interpreting the Bible. Below are some questions that I find very useful guides as I seek to both interpret and apply Scripture. These are not the be all and end all in the realm of Biblical Interpretation but they are good starting points in the process.
Question #1: What is the
context?
When you ask yourself this question you are essentially getting into the realm of background, history, and culture. While it is possible to understand parts of the Bible without some grasp of the context it is impossible to understand all of Scripture without it. Getting a sense of what was happening culturally and historically allows the reader to see the "big story" more clearly. In other words, understanding the context of a passage helps one catch the
redemptive spirit of the passage.
Let me give you one example of context. We often read Jesus' statements throughout the Gospels as if he had spoken them to us directly. That is, we sometimes hear Jesus' words forgetting the fact that they were originally spoken to 1st Century Jewish men (the disciples) by a 1st Century Jewish man (Jesus) living under the near-tyrannical rule of the Roman Empire. If we know nothing of the 1st Century Jewish culture then there is much in Jesus' words that will be lost on us.
For example, in Matthew 11:28-30 we read Jesus words when he says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in hear, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."
It is easy to miss the point of this passage without some understanding of the context from which Jesus was speaking. The first thought that comes to mind when reading this passage (at least the first thought that comes to my mind) is that Jesus is referring to a "yoke" as that farm implement that was used to hook to oxen together in order that they can plow and haul with their combined force working together. Therefore, Jesus is saying that when you get in the yoke with him that the work won't be that hard but instead you will find comfort and peace. Now, this may be true but it is not the first thing that would come to the mind of the people who were listening to him.
The 1st Century Jewish listener would hear Jesus' words and immediately see his use of the metaphor of "yoke" as a reference to the type of teaching that a Jewish Rabbi would promote. For example, at the time of Christ there were different schools of thought among the leading Rabbis of the day. All of the Rabbis would expound upon the Torah and the Prophets and they had their own interpretations and emphases. Their unique spin on the Torah would be known as their "yoke". Furthermore, a rabbi of the first century would gather around him pupils or students. Another word for these people would be
disciples. Jesus' disciples looked to him in much the same way that they would look to a rabbi. They were in training under him and that rabbi's perspective on Torah was known as his "yoke".
For Jesus to say that "my yoke is easy" was not a reference to working with him in some type of co-ministry. (This is a view that I once held.) Instead it is a reference to his teaching and his type of teaching. Jesus' "yoke" is his take on the Torah, his theology.
(I am indebted to Rob Bell for this fresh understanding of the yoke. Also, thanks to Joe Wilson for pointing out the chapter in Bell's book Velvet Elvis simply called "Yoke".)Without some knowledge of the context one could not really understand the depth of Jesus' comments. Although it is sometimes possible to get a general drift of the passage much of the deeper value in Scripture can get lost.
Here are some more questions, related to context, which are useful to ask when reading Scripture.
1)
Who is speaking and to whom are they speaking? This is fairly easy to determine when reading one of Paul's letters but not quite so easy when reading other portions of the New Testament.
2)
What is the occasion of the writing? For example, when Paul wrote Philemon the occasion was to ask for Onesimus's freedom. When Luke wrote his Gospel it was to chart out an account of the things that Jesus said during his ministry. Try to discover why the book was written and what motivated the human author. What were his circumstances?
3)
What is the cultural setting? In the case of Paul's letter to Philemon we see these two living in Asia Minor, under Roman rule and occupation, connected to the church in Colossae. Understanding a little bit about the 1st Century Roman household and the plight of slaves at that time would be equally useful.
There are more quality study aids on Scripture today than ever. It is not difficult to obtain some useful study guides, commentaries and other reference materials to enrich your study. It is good to have a study bible. I recommend the NIV Study Bible although there are many great ones out there. The notes are very useful and help with some of the background material. Another excellent resource is
The Bible Background Commentary by Craig Keener. (I still have Brad Niessen's copy...thanks Brad!) It is written for laypeople and provides great information on the cultural context on virtually every passage in the New Testament.
What are some things that you do, or resources you rely upon, to help you study Scripture?
Some Books...
After our discussion last Saturday night on interpreting and applying the Bible I thought it would be good to provide you with a list of potential resources to help you in the process as well. The idea of reading Scripture with the overall redemptive spirit in mind is crucial in the process of applying Scripture appropriately in our day and age. Each of these books can a help a little bit in that process.
How To Read The Bible For All It's Worth by Gordon Fee and Douglas Stuart
This book has been out for a long time and is in several editions. It is very readable and is a great book to refer to in all kinds of Bible study. Fee is a first rate New Testament scholar and Stuart is the same for the Old Testament. Great stuff.
Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell
If you haven't heard Rob Bell from Mars Hill Church in Grand Rapids, MI preach then you are missing out. He is a wonderful teacher and his book reads very much like one of his messages. It is a book about overall Christian living but it includes some great sections on Scripture. I can't recommend it enough. While he doesn't use the phrase "redemptive spirit" or "redemptive movement" he definitely holds to as is evidenced through this fun book.
Slaves, Women and Homosexuals by William Webb
You may not be able to buy all that this guy is selling and that is OK. However, his concept of a "redemptive movement hermeneutic" is very thought provoking and challenges one to read Scripture with one's eyes open to God's redemptive intent. It is technical and can be dry, at times, but the first couple of chapters are great and his appendices are very useful.
Colossians Remixed by Brian Walsh and Sylvia Keesmaat
Whew! This book blew me away as I read it and I must confess I didn't always know what these two were talking about. However, it is a fresh attempt at making the book of Colossians applicable in today's world. The authors dialogue a lot with people who aren't Christians and who can't imagine Scripture having any value or validity. Their method of interpreting Scripture is true to the Bible and true to our contemporary context. Hard to do.
If I had to recommend just one of these I think it would be
Velvet Elvis. However, Fee and Stuarts book is one I refer to regularly and have given away numerous copies of. They are all good and you won't be sorry if you spend some serious time with one or all.
A Missional Church?
We have been discussing on Saturday Nights the idea of
missional practices those things that we do in order to follow Christ and participate in advancing his Kingdom. The notion of being a
missional church is something we have discussed from the beginning of our time together. Our name even reflects it.
Because of its importance I think it is wise for us to remind ourselves, from time to time, what this whole concept means and why it should be so important to us as a church. Also, like most important things in life, being a
missional congregation is not the simplest nor easiest thing to grasp. What I am doing in this space is not only reminding but exploring further what this whole experience is.
Here are some key things we have share in the past about being a missional church:
1) Being
missional means being concerned about advancing God's Kingdom.
2) Being
missional means recognizing that church is not primarily here for us.
3) Being
missional means that we are called, gathered and sent.
Let me briefly focus upon the last word of that last phrase: sent.
Being a missional community means we consider ourselves sent into the world to represent Jesus to a world that needs Him. You may not feel like you have been sent in the sense that missionaries are sent from our 1st World culture (USAmerica) to a 3rd World culture (like Bolivia, Uganda, Haiti, etc.). In order to function missionally we must recognize that we have been sent by God and via our vocations into the world which needs God so desperately.
In our brief little existence as a church we have been able to send money to some other church plants in our city that are working primarily with people who are in a lower socio-economic situation than most of us. One of the plants that we sent money to is also ministering to a largely immigrant community. We
send them resources and money. We will continue to do so to a variety of ministries that need our help.
BUT, let's not ignore the fact that we are not merely a
sending church but we are a
sent church ourselves. God has called us to be a missionary people to our own culture, neighborhoods, places of employment and relational networks. Taking our cue from Jesus and his example of incarnating himself within our experience of humaness we are to follow him further by living "incarnationally" among those whom God wants to reach.
During the Lenten season I want to encourage as many of us as possible to participate in a Spiritual Formation Group. These are small groups of people who gather together for a prescribed period of time (about 8 weeks) to encourage one another, experiment with new ways of growing in Christ and learn more about following Jesus.
The curriculum for a Spiritual Formation Group is the "Spiritual Formation Workbook" by Jim Smith and Lynda Graybeal. I have used this material numerous times as have some other folks in our community. It is a different type of experience than what you might have experienced in a bible study or small group and one well worth the investment.
For those of you involved in our House Churches we will be organizing those groups in such a way as to make it work well in our existing setting. However, for those of you who aren't a part of a group already this is a great way to start.
If you want to participate:
1) Identify a few friends to be a part. Small numbers are great. Two people are OK, three is better but try to keep it less than eight. (If there are more I won't complain.)
2) Get the book. It is best for each individual to have one copy but it is OK for married couples to share. (Not best but OK.)
3) Find a time to meet. The larger your group the more time will be required. However, it is good to count on at least an hour and fifteen minutes for a group of 3-6. One time my group met at breakfast and another time at lunch. Evenings might be best because of the freedom from the clock.
4) Get started. The book itself has some great ideas on how to get going and is very "user friendly". However, I will be posting regularly about how to make the most of your experience with your group.
5) After the 8 weeks are over you can decide if you want to continue as a group. Don't worry about what will happen after the 8 weeks. You can make that decision when the time comes.
While I want to see as many of you as possible starting a group during Lent I don't want you to feel pressure to get through all the material by Easter. It is better to go slow and get the most out of the material and your time with one another. Enjoy the process.
We will have some books available by the 25th for you to purchase at our Sat Night Worship Gathering. (They will cost $8-$9)
Got questions? Call me. I'll be glad to help you get a group started and work through some of the details.
wheatlandmission.com
Have you found it difficult to tell people what our blog address is? For example, "Our blog address is dubya dubya dubya dot wheatland mission dot blahgspott dot calm." Or something like that.
We have simplified! All you have to do now is type in: wheatlandmission.com
Let's Have Brunch!
Ladies, next Sunday morning, February 26th, will be a special brunch for the women of The Wheatland Mission. It will begin at 10:30 AM in the clubhouse at Hampton Estates Apartments. They are located at Governeuor and 29th St. (Halfway between Rock and Woodlawn on 29th St.)
For more information you can contact Calana Hill at 744-0875 or 519-0875.
"When The Bible Says What It Doesn't Really Say" or "Why We Shake Hands At The Wheatland Mission"
Yes. The title is supposed to be provocative. I am trying to rally some discussion, debate even. This coming weekend we will finish our discussion on the Missional Practice of Engaging Scripture. This Saturday we will talk about how we interpret the Bible. (I actually waited to do this message one week. I had originally scheduled it for the 11th.)
In our short time this weekend it will be impossible to cover everything that needs to be covered in order to fully equip us to read and interpret Scripture effectively and accurately. However, in really broad strokes, we are going to look at one important concept to keep in mind as we interpret and apply what the Bible says. It is crucial to read Scripture with the "redemptive spirit" of Scripture in mind. The "redemptive spirit" is a guiding theme or movement behind the words of the text, whether it be in Leviticus, the Sermon on the Mount, the book of Romans or any other Biblical text, which controls the meaning and/or application of the text.
For example, there are times when simply doing the words of the specific Scriptural passage in our current context lead us away from what the original text intended. Take for instance Paul's command to, "Greet one another with a holy kiss." (Rom 6:16, I Cor 16:20, II Cor 13:12, I Thes 5:26, I Pet 5:14) While this was a perfectly normal thing to do in the Greco-Roman world of the 1st Century it is rarely done in our context in the 21st. Most of us recognize that the intention of Paul and Peter when they included this as a command in their letters was to develop a sense of kinship, closeness and commitment among members of these early church gatherings. Their concern for developing this kind of community experience is the "redemptive spirit" behind the text. There is something redemptive and God honoring which the writers want to accomplish through the command.
However, if we at The Wheatland Mission began kissing one another with a holy kiss the opposite effect would probably be the result. I understand that this is done in some cultures even within in the United States and some of us may be "kissers" in the appropriate context of family members and close friends. But generally speaking, if we were to institute this practice without any modifications for our current situation the result would most likely be the opposite of what the Biblical writers intended.
This is a perfect, if simplistic, example of what I mean by the title to this post. There are times that we apply the words of Scripture without appropriate cultural adjustments and miss the "redemptive spirit" or "redemptive movement" behind the words.
Before this weekend, let me challenge you to read the little book of Philemon. It's not much of a challenge weightin in at only 24 verses. We will discuss what Paul is saying and not saying through the course of this interesting little letter and discover just why such an odd, apparently personal letter made it into the Bible in the first place.
So, this weekend, don't forget to engage in the culturally appropriate and typically inoffensive form of greeting of your choice.
Happy Birthday Nicole! & etc...
Nicole Niessen is one of The Wheatland Mission's heroes. She leads our preschool ministry and does a wonderful job. Today is her birthday...I think her 21st? Anyway, let her know how much you appreciate her and how grateful you are that God has given her another year.
For those of you going to the Tomlin, Giglio, Redmon event tomorrow night. Fear not! Our worship gathering will conclude a little bit early, which may just mean, on time! Doors open at 7PM and as of yesterday morning there were still 500 tickets available.
Also, next Saturday night, Feb 18th, Nameless Faces will be leading music at our worship gathering. Our very own Ty-Lai Kaspar will be with them. You won't want to miss it!
Joe and Mallary are cool!
Joe and Mallary are on their way to the Great Northwest and I must admit that I miss them already. I trust that God is going ahead of them and preparing a special life with him up there. Please be praying for them on their journey and in their new digs up in the land of coffee and prozac.
Let me also express my appreciation to all of you for your generosity to the Wilson's. The gas money you gave to them last night is not only a blessing to them but also a blessing to me. The joy with which you give makes me happy and it is a palpable demonstration of God's love.
