Category: Uncategorized

Imagine: You’ve been living in a third world country for quite a while now. You know hunger, suffering, and what it means to want. One day, you receive a letter that explains, somehow things had gotten mixed up when you were born. You’re actually the child of a royal family in Europe. They wanted to make sure you were safe until they could come get you, so they purchased the entire country you now live in…and now rule over it as well. They are sending resources that where you live needs now, and sending them through you until they can come there themselves. How would you feel?

As I was growing up, there were always awards assemblies. I never did sports, and was never too academic after 5^th grade. But one thing I’d always achieved was “good citizenship”.

I never understood much of what that meant. Today, I have a better understanding. I am a citizen of Decatur, IL. That means I strive to contribute to the well-being, orderly existence of, and future of our community. I pay my bills. I vote. I serve on the parking and traffic commission. I’m a good, active citizen.

Here’s some quick history: Philippians is a letter to the church in Philippi.

Almost 50 years before Christ, there was a civil war, “Caesar’s Civil War”. When the war had been won, you had several legions of soldiers out and about, and could not have those thousands and thousands returning to the city of Rome…it would be dangerous.

So the soldiers near Philippi, an already established Greek town on a well-worn path easily traveled to from Rome, were given land and resources to live there as citizens of Rome.

Years down the road, we find Paul in this city, which is full of descendants of those original Roman soldiers and their families. There may also be some there who are descendants of the original Greek residents, and who resent the leadership/rule of the Roman Empire.

For those who ARE Roman citizens, their citizenship came with certain rights, and expectations. Membership and participation in the Imperial Cult (viewing Caesar as divine, and Roman rule as given by God) was a part of their life.

• But they also enjoyed certain rights, not available to all people.

  • The right to trial, to sue others and defend oneself.

  • They were exempt from local rules and regulations, deferring to the laws of Rome.

  • They were generally immune from some taxes and other legal obligations.

  • Legal protections if accused of a crime, could not be tortured or whipped, nor receive death penalty except for treason…but even then, could not be crucified on the cross.

Roman citizens represented and embodied the power, rule, order, and presence of Caesar in Philippi.

Come back tomorrow for more….

Ever wish there were limits on humility? Already think there are? This may not even be an issue of humility. Let me know what you think.

Maybe this is why churches became communities of needs being met, because a church doing business with an actual profit-margin-inspired company outside of the congregation doesn’t lead to much good.

I’m a pretty laid back person, by nature. Not sure why, always, but I’d give God credit for a large part of it. So when I placed an order for new chairs for our youth room, they asked me if this was “urgent”, if I had a date I needed the chairs by. I figured they were pretty busy, and honestly didn’t want to come across as jerkish…so I told them at least before 2010. It was early September. We both laughed. Of course, we’d get them before 2010.

So here we are, about to enter March, 2010. I’ve called several times. Several times, I’ve been told they’re not sure why it’s taken so long, and there could be a few different reasons. Holiday break, fabric not being in, etc. etc. “But you’ll definitely get a call by _____ (fill in the date)”

Many of those dates have come and gone, and still…no chairs. My teens are even beginning to laugh at the joke of these mythical chairs that I somehow believe are going to arrive someday.

My natural reaction? Frustration. Usually felt toward Alisha, the “innocent” gatekeeper on the phone somewhere in Georgia, who always has to apologize for whoever actually owes me an explanation.

Am I to take the road of humility that swallows the “I deserve _____” mentality, and simply say, “Okay, I’ll call back next time you don’t meet the deadline so we can repeat this conversation.”? (or something with less sarcasm and more love.)

Should I focus on the “Justice”, and “right business practice”, and the people who actually donated the money toward new chairs…and stand up for them?

Tempting even, to put their name on this post, as a warning to anyone searching for reviews on their business. But perhaps my case is just a fluke. Maybe they give great customer service, and speedy deliveries to everyone else.

For now, I suppose it was a great illustration for Advent.

One that might still be useful for this next Advent as well.

Meanwhile, our teens will sit on broken wooden chairs. 🙂 Good Lent practice, probably.

The message this past Sunday was on Luke 4:1-13, the “Temptations of Jesus”. A few things about this passage jumped out at me in new ways. Most of us have heard the temptation story before. Jesus is tempted to make bread from stones, worship “the devil” to inherit the world’s Kingdoms, and jump off a wall to test if God will protect him.

Be offended by how fast I’ve just summarized it all, and let your offense make you want to read through them slower.

But two places I’d not spent much time noticing before:

1. Verse 2 says, “where for 40 days he was tempted by the devil.” Then it goes on to say, at the end of the 40 days he was “famished”, and that’s when these famous temptations begin. So for 40 days, Jesus was tempted by the devil in ways we have no record of. Mark 1:13 says the same, “He was in the wilderness forty days tempted by Satan….” Matthew 4:1-2 is less clear about these 40 days, “into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted 40 days….” making it sound like perhaps those days were simply a time of fasting. Whatever happened, it’s clear the part of what happened that God wants us to be aware of is what we have written. Jesus was tempted. These are some pretty big areas, and the devil continues to tempt us in the same manner. We can stand firm against such temptations by the Word of God in our lives.

2. Verse 13 says, “When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.” What is “an opportune time”? Looking into the Greek yields no magic or cryptic answer. It means what it says…not 4pm, not 2am…just simply, “an opportune time”. Thus, we see throughout the ministry of Jesus, things happening that attempt to thwart the mission Jesus is there to live and die for. What does this mean for us? I think it’s an important reminder that our tempter will not leave us alone. Here we have Jesus himself overcoming temptation, and instead of saying “aw man, I’ve been defeated”, we have the devil himself not giving up, but merely waiting to approach it again from a different angle.

We stand in the midst of a season of Repentance. We are turning from other things, turning away from the world, turning away from even our selves. We turn toward God. We spend time re-orienting our lives in the context of His Kingdom, New Jerusalem living. But even as we do this, we have not finished, or completely grown out of our need for the Spirit’s help in keeping our gaze fixed steadily on Him.

But there’s a positive side to it. For the word “kairos” found here, is used much more throughout scripture to describe what time it IS. It is Gods’ time. The time of the Kingdom coming. The devil may have to lurk and plan and scheme for an “opportune” moment in time….but the time itself belongs to God. Every moment of every day is “opportune” for the Spirit of God to move. May we live in those moments as often as we breathe…