The New Gilded Age

This past week I spent time in what is one of the poorest places on earth - a Palestinian refugee camp - and in one of the wealthiest places on earth - the newly rebuilt downtown Beirut with its stellar skyscrapers.
       I also read an article in The New York Times about a new "gilded age" in the world, where a tiny portion of people hold the vast majority of the world's wealth. Estimates say that  the divide between the richest 1% of the world and the 20% of the poorest is growing faster today than ever in history.
       So when Barack Obama spoke in his State of the Union address this week about "class warfare" and proposed that people earning more than $1 million pay 30% income tax I reckoned it would strike a chord (for good or bad) with many people. And it has.
       And so we have the phenomena of both The Tea Party in the U.S. (fiercely capitalist, no new taxes, let the poor fend for themselves) and the Occupy Wall Street people (curb capitalism, raise taxes on the wealthy, get rid of corruption on Wall Street). The divide is reflected in a U.S. Congress which is paralyzed by this new Gilded Age (of which congressmen are among the richest 1%!); it is reflected in religious institutions which align themselves on one side or the other; and it is seen in local governments which have needed to adjustment to new economic realities (e.g. a growing lower class needing social services).
       I am not a proponent of a new Gilded Age, with its robber barons and extremely wealthy industrialists as was the case in the 19th century. What is needed is for people of faith (most especially followers of Jesus) to LEAD BY EXAMPLE, to voluntarily redistribute our wealth to those less fortunate. I am not advocating for a welfare state run by the government; I am strongly pleading with the Church to more and more be the "safety net" for those who are less able to care for themselves.

The Cross Overlooks a Muslim Land

Susy and I had the privilege of driving into the mountains of Lebanon with our friends Nabil and Sarah this week. It had just snowed and it was a stunning, spectacular experience. We drove from the sea into the mountains above 5,000 feet and looked over a landscape which has been fought for for many centuries.

       One of the ironic or providential things is that there were many churches (Maronite) in the villages through which we drove. They are hundreds of years old, perched on hillsides staring down the gorge at Beirut.
       In a land which is predominantly Muslim now there is a sense of gravitas with the presence of these churches and crosses, almost as if they remind us of a past and a future for this great land.
       Some people might say that Christianity is on the retreat in Lebanon. I am not so sure of that - there is a rich Christian heritage and vision as Christians and Muslims live together (although admittedly with a lot of tension). I am grateful for the beautiful images of churches we encountered high in the mountains of Lebanon.

Tomorrow I Preach in Beirut

Susy and I have been in Beirut, Lebanon for the past 4 days. Tomorrow morning I preach at All Saints International Church here, pastored by our close friend Nabil who we have been with these days.

       The title of my message is, "The Heart's Deepest Desire" from Mark 2 and Jesus healing a paralytic. Every message I preach is done so through the lens of what I am dealing with at the moment. This week I have dealt with so much complexity, suffering in a Palestinian refugee camp, listening to people speak passionately and painfully with the conflict in the Middle East.

       Somehow I believe Jesus intersects this drama, these human tragedies. Indeed, if he does not intersect them I have nothing to preach.

       So, I feel quite small and weak as I approach speaking God's Word to a group of people here in Beirut.  And yet I feel more confident in God, hopefully experience more of Christ and who he is in the midst of this situation.

Here's to the Crazy Givers

Here's to the crazy, generous givers of the world:

• To the billionaires a la Warren Buffett who will give away his billions before he dies;
• To those who give to "crazy ideas" when they know that humanly speaking it is impossible;
• To the $20 per month single mom living in the projects of Chicago who gives for someone more poor than herself;
• To the rich who give based on the net worth rather than their net income in a year;
• To those who know the answer to the question, "how much did he leave behind?" which is, "he left EVERYTHING behind;"
• To the pastors who reduce their salaries voluntarily so that more people can be blessed;
• To the cultural misfit religious institutions that only keep 10% of donations and give away 90%;
• To the coupon cutters who dropped the savings from the coupons in the Salvation Army container outside the store;
• To those who give anonymously and without fanfare - you know who you are!

Musalaha - Reconciliation

Dr. Salim Munayer is the Director of Musalaha in Israel/Palestine. This short video captures much of the essence of the Isaac-Ishmael Initiative.

If You or I were lowered through the roof

This image is an African depiction of Mark 2:1-12 where a paralytic is lowered through a roof by his four friends. I just love this image, in large part because it forces me out of my "Jesus is a white man" worldview.
       What is more fascinating to me is the scene of the man being lowered through the roof. We sometimes make light of this scene, as if it is a fantasy that we wish could happen but won't happen.
       Mark tells us it DID happen, and that Jesus in challenging the religious leaders of the day illustrated his coming Kingdom with this great act of mercy.
       Here is a few reflections I had this morning while re-reading the Mark 2 passage:
*  First, the paralytic and his four friends had faith (verse 5). I have wondered if the paralytic could have enlisted my help to lower through the roof. Would I have that much faith?
*  Second, when the paralytic stood up and took his bed it says, "all were amazed and praised God." (verse 12) Does "all" mean the scholars and religious people also? They had just been questioning who Jesus is and what he was doing. Now they praised God for this miracle?
*  Third, I wonder what it would be like to be lowered through a roof so that I could be in Jesus' presence and he could heal my deformities - physical, spiritual, emotional.
       My Jesus (the one I think of most of the time) is far too "safe" and secure and tame. He does not challenge the status quo, does not call me to dreams and vision far beyond my imagination.
       But that is not the Jesus of Mark chapter 2 - the Jesus who is accessible to the cripple, the Jesus who challenges the religious establishment, the Jesus who is gathering his talmidim (disciples) to change the world, the Jesus who is compassionate and direct, who has mercy and confronts. This is the Jesus I met in Mark chapter 2 this week.

Frequent Flyers Should Learn: The First Shall Be Last!

Message to all of us Frequent Flyers who have Gold, Platinum, and other exotic status on an airline: Remember that THE FIRST SHALL BE LAST, as Jesus said a long time before airplanes!
       I travel a lot these days, and it is rare that I am on a flight where the people in First Class are actually nice to the airline crew! I mean, common on people! You have great seats, free booze, a meal that's more than a sampling of peanuts!
       One of the most stressful moments of a flight is after the plane lands and has pulled up to the gate. Everyone jumps to their feet and has this painful WAIT to get off the plane. Talk about jittery people!
       I have a suggestion for all of us exotic frequent flyers: Let everyone else get off the plane before we do! Let's just sit in our Business Class seat and invite the people sitting in "cattle class" to deplane before us. Now THAT would be a miracle!

Solitude: As Difficult as it is

Months ago when I was in the western Sahara Desert I experienced what I thought was "solitude." I suppose it was a form of solitude, but it had more to do with my physical surroundings and less to do with my inner life.
       As I enter this new year and begin to study Jesus anew I realize a startling fact once again: I stink at being still. I am allergic to solitude.
       I have been a driven activist for the better part of 30 years. Many times I get a pat on the back or an "atta boy" for my drivenness. That is Western Culture speaking to me. And yet I know that this pace of life and work actually pushes me away from God rather than toward Him.
       So this morning I am taking a couple of hours quietly with God. I'm staying in a beautiful home with wonderful people in Indianapolis. I have a 12-hour work day ahead of me, but it does not start until 9am so I am taking time to be apart.
       I am reminded again of Henri Nouwen's comment on solitude, which is profound:
“We enter into solitude first of all to meet our Lord and to be with Him and Him alone. Only in the context of grace can we face our sin; only in the place of healing do we dare to show our wounds; only with a single-minded attention to Christ can we give up our clinging fears and face our own true nature. Solitude is a place where Christ remodels us in his own image and frees us from the victimizing compulsions of the world.” ― Henri J.M. Nouwen, The Way of the Heart: Desert Spirituality and Contemporary Ministry

New Year 2012: Jesus

Having launched the Isaac Ishmael Initiative last year, I have found the profound need for a broader, deeper, and richer understanding of Jesus - the Christ. For me 2012 will be devoted to much more reflection, prayer, and reading on Jesus.
       I am starting with N.T. Wright's new book, Simply Jesus, which I realize is anything but "simple." I am reading Wright first for what is hopefully a straightforward reason - he studies both Jesus in the Gospel accounts as well as the Christ of the Pauline epistles. And he seeks to be integrative.
       In this first week of the year I am developing a plan for this study. Three books of the Bible will be my primary in my study - Isaiah, the gospel of Mark, and Paul's letter to the Ephesians. I have selected these books for specific reasons which I will explain in other blog posts.
       There are thousands of books written about Jesus, from many perspectives and angles. I hope to read 12 of them only - one per month. I have not selected the 12 yet; I am waiting until I finish Wright's book to decide on the rest (although I have a pretty good idea of most of the ones I will read).
       This study is enormously important to me because of my interest in relating to Jews and Muslims; for both groups Jesus is THE stumbling block and so the temptation is to avoid him. But we cannot and must not relegate Jesus to anything less than he is - Lord, Messiah, King of kings, having inaugurated His Kingdom.
       And so my quest begins!

Isaac Ishmael Website Goes Live

The Isaac Ishmael website is now live! Check it out HERE.

Welcome to Your World

Dear Baby Jesus (said with the accent from Talladega Nights),
       Welcome to your mess ... I mean world. It is beautiful, and horrible. It is hopeless and full of hope.
       On this Christmas please hear my confession and my hope:
* I confess that our material and consumer selves are a human obsession which draws us away from what is most important in life;
* I confess that we have de-mystified your incarnation, often reduced it to platitudes;
* I confess that many "Santas" compete for my time, attention, and devotion in our non-second 21st century.
* And yet I hope ... I hope deeply and am confident in you, Jesus. I hope for and see tiny signs of your Shalom in your world;
* I hope that as you enter our mess in 2012 you will do the miraculous - that Jew and Muslim and Christian will worship the One True God, who is you.
* I hope that we your people will be faith - full. That is, focused and determined in the right directions, that your will would be done on earth as it is in heaven.

So welcome to the world, dear baby Jesus.

A Great Video

This is the promo video for the Cru Christmas Conference in Denver. Really well done.

"Does God cause the Broncos to win because of Tebow?"

Oy vey! Christian America is just goofy. Last night I am sitting in a TGIFridays and a guy at the table next to me comments, "The Denver Broncos are winning because of Tebow's faith in Jesus." God is calling the shots in the NFL these days I guess. I wonder if He has money riding on the game also.
       It raises all sorts of questions for me that God might be on Tim Tebow's side on the football field:
* If I pray that the Denver Broncos win and my Christian friend Troy prays for the Bears to win (since Troy is from Chicago), who does God listen to?
* If the Broncos lose a game later this season, is it because Tim Tebow did not pray enough or read his Bible that week?
* If I say that God is not involved in determining the outcome of sports, then what else is He not involved in? Is this the slippery slope to Deism?
       We all love formulas that we can figure out and determine what God will do. The "Tebow Formula" is one of those - Tim loves God so God causes his team to win. Ugh!
       I respect Tebow - largely because of his humility and not calling attention to himself. He honors his coaches and teammates. He articulates that football is just a game and it is not the essence of life.
       And I appreciate that Tebow knows that God is not primarily about the Broncos winning or losing a game! How refreshing.

Returning to The Gospel of the Kingdom

I get distracted easily. I love to multi-task and sometimes that gives me blurry vision. Yet by God's grace I often refocus and ask what is the gospel of the Kingdom to which I am called? THAT is the question.
       Thanks to theologian George Eldon Ladd the phrase "gospel of the Kingdom" is a lot more understandable to day than it was a generation ago. The gospel of the Kingdom is the message of Good News that Jesus has inaugurated the Kingdom of God on earth.

       This coming Thursday we will launch the Isaac-Ishmael Initiative website and Facebook page, thus officially going public with this movement to promote Shalom in Jesus toward Jews and Muslims.
       The gospel of the Kingdom is at the very heart of the Initiative. It is about the People of God as the agents of announcing the gospel of the Kingdom, and Jesus Christ as its King.
       George Eldon Ladd put it this way toward the end of his book, The Gospel of the Kingdom:
       This is the mystery of the Kingdom: Before the day of harvest, before the end of the age, God has entered into history in the person of Christ to work among men, to bring to them the life and blessings of His Kingdom. It comes humbly, unobtrusively.
       It comes to men as a Galilean carpenter went throughout the cities of Palestine preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom, delivering men from their bondage to the Devil.
       It comes to men as his disciples went throughout Galilean villages with the same message. It comes to men today as disciples of Jesus still take, the Gospel of the Kingdom into all the world.
       It comes quietly, humbly, without fire from heaven, without a blaze of glory, without a rending of the mountains or a cleaving of the skies.
       It comes like seed sown in the earth. It can be rejected by hard hearts, it can be choked out, its life may sometimes seem to wither and die. But it is the Kingdom of God. It brings the miracle of the divine life among men. It introduces them into the blessings of the divine rule. It is to them the supernatural work of God's grace.

Extravagant Generosity "Run Amok"

In the New Testament book of Acts there is a verse we tend to "wink at," sort of saying, "Well that's a great example, but we're not supposed to do that today!"
     The verse says: "And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met." (Acts 2:44-45, The Message)
       I have pastored in a number of contexts - from Geneva to Amsterdam to Denver - and my churches have prided ourselves on giving a tithe (10%) of all contributions to mission. When we met that goal we felt like we had "arrived" as a church.
     Acts 2:44-45 challenges this attitude. Personally I would LOVE to be part of a Christian community which turns this formula on its head - that the community would give away 90% of all the gifts provided by the people. Every month we would pray and dream about how God would have use give, give, give His resources provided through the community.
     My hunch is that we would then be closer to an Acts 2:45 community.