The Comfort of Lamentation.

Restore us to yourself, Lord, that we may return; renew our days as of old22 unless you have utterly rejected us and are angry with us beyond measure. -- Lamentations 5:21-22

In our congregational Bible reading plan, we just finished the book of Lamentations, which records the prophet, Jeremiah, grieving over the fate of the nation, Israel. Jeremiah had watched in horror as they turned their back on God and experienced the inevitable consequence of their sin. I must confess, reading Lamentations, this time, was a bit different than previous times. I found myself relating at a new and different level.

Our nation is in trouble.

In the last few weeks, radical Islamic terrorists have carried out horrific attacks in Paris and San Bernardino, California. In the past, our grief and indignation over this kind of thing would have unified our nation…at least for a time. But that’s not what’s happening. Not only can we not even agree on what is evil or good, public figures who issued messages of prayer and support were told to keep their prayers to themselves unless they adopted the political solution of their critics. The political animosity is so thick, it seems to trump even our sense of decency and humanity. As a nation we are losing our mind, which is really just a symptom of a far more serious condition.

We are losing our soul.

As a Christian and a pastor, I am deeply saddened and grieved by what I see. It is at this point that I feel some of Jeremiah’s pain. Watching your nation run from God and witnessing the resulting chaos is not fun. In fact, it’s heartbreaking.

However, just like Jeremiah, we know that the story is not over. We know that God is at work even in difficult times…maybe particularly in difficult times. Eugene Peterson astutely observed in Jeremiah's message that even judgment is “in the service of salvation.”* The last thing the church needs to do is despair. Rather, we need to recognize that the light of God’s hope burns even more brightly in a darkening world.

A few suggestions…

•   Remember, God does some of His best work when things are at their worst. His kingdom and His church always seem to thrive in dark times.

•   No matter what, follow Jesus…and expect to be moving against the cultural flow! But remember, the most powerful gospel message is the life of Jesus lived out in His people.

•   Never discount the power of prayer! Prayer has been shown to change the course of nations. So pray!

Oh…and one more thing:

•   Remember, the people who disagree with you are not the enemy. The gospel is never served by our vilifying those who disagree with us. Even worse is when we verbally attack other believers over the politics of the day. Jesus said that the proof that we are His followers would be our love for one another. The quality of our love for each other will either be our great strength or our greatest weakness.

This Christmas season, I find myself wondering if Jeremiah might have prayed something like this…

O come, O come, Emmanuel,

And ransom captive Israel,

That mourns in lonely exile here

Until the Son of God appear.

Rejoice! Rejoice!

Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel.

*Eugene Peterson, Run with the Horses, InterVarsity Press, 1983, Pg 185

Why Real Life?

In our ministry, we talk a lot about real life. Our church, River City Community Church, is called “A Church for Real Life.” Our school, River City Believers Academy is…you guessed it, “A School for Real Life.” What is it about real life that we find so compelling? Actually...let me rephrase that. What is it about real life that people find so compelling?

I can’t tell you how many people have shared with me that they came to our fellowship simply because they heard, or saw, that little tag line; almost like weary travelers tired of the artificial, the empty…done with the pretending and posturing…fed up with the show.

Simply looking for something.

Something real.

Real life.

I remember that feeling. I was a youth pastor in a church at the time. It wasn’t a bad church, but it felt like, much of the time, we were just going through the motions. The power and life that I read from the pages of scripture, or that I’d heard shared from so many of the great saints of the past, was simply not what I saw and experienced. And frankly, I wanted that. I wanted the real deal!

One day I was reading in John 10, and when I came to verse 10 it struck me in a different way than it had before. Jesus was speaking and He said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (ESV) That word translated “abundantly” means full, extravagant, more than normal, and it resonated with my hunger for “the real deal!” I felt like Jesus was speaking directly to my desire. It was as though He was saying, “Yep, I want you to experience full, real, abundant life, as well. In fact, I gave my life so you could find yours…what are you waiting for?”

That little encounter changed my life.

And that was God’s plan the whole time. Real life.

Jesus came, lived, and sacrificed His life on a cross so that you and I could experience the vibrant, full, real life that God designed us for. When you think about it, to settle for anything less would be to dishonor and squander the sacrifice He made on our behalf!

A word of encouragement…

That hunger and desire you have for something real is from our Heavenly Father. Stop ignoring it! If you ask Him, He will begin to show you the path to real life. It will always be the path of following Jesus and the only question is will you say “yes.”

Real life is not just a church thing; it’s a life thing.

Charleston - The Horror of Hatred

I don’t even know how to accurately describe my feelings right now. I guess “grieved” sums it up best…deeply grieved. Yesterday in Charleston, South Carolina, a gunman entered a peaceful church gathered for Wednesday night prayer meeting, sat in the congregation for a good part of the service, and then rose to shoot 9, peaceful people in cold blood. I’m stunned at the cruel, dark, hate that must reside deep in the heart of the shooter. Evil…this is pure evil on display for all to see.

As a pastor, I can’t help but identify with this congregation. My heart goes out to the families of those killed, and to this congregation who lost their pastor along with 8 other brothers and sisters. The fact that this was apparently racially motived adds another layer to the fear and horror that this congregation must be experiencing. There was no reason, no issue…no conflict that led to this killing. No, they just happened to be a black church.

I want to write this off as the horrible, random acts of a lunatic…but I can’t. This was most likely a hatred that had been fed and fostered over a lifetime, culminating in one final act of violence and desecration.

What am I supposed to do with what I feel? I refuse to listen to the crass and callous posturing of those who would try to politicize this issue to further their agenda. I recommend you tune them out, as well. No…my heart is drawn to pray…for the Emanuel AME church, the city of Charleston, and for our nation. I pray for comfort and healing, and for God’s incomparable peace to guard our hearts and minds. It’s also an opportunity for us to take an honest and prayerful look within, and let the Spirit of God reveal any seeds of hatred that might take root.

While we are tempted to look away from the unfolding tragedy in Charleston, we mustn’t. No, we need to take in every detail, because this is where hate ultimately leads. What we are seeing is the mature fruit of hatred on full display. Jesus said if we hate, it is like we are committing murder in our hearts! The answer to hatred is never more hatred, but love. I would caution each of us...don’t let righteous anger, or even a healthy desire for justice, become a façade for hidden hatred. Lord, we pray for peace in Charleston and in America. And Lord, may you bring Your peace to our hearts. Amen.