Tag: King Jesus

Come, Follow Me

What do you see when you see people?

What we look like often says something about us. How we dress, how we walk or stand, how we smile or frown, they say that body language is 80% of your personal communication. You can learn a lot about someone from how they look. But not everything, oftentimes we are usually lacking contextual knowledge and we can’t see inside their soul. The upside of this: people can surprise us – there is more to people than meets the eye.

We see this in an early story of the gospel in Mark,the-gospel-of-mark when Jesus first meets Simon Peter and his brother Andrew, and their fellow fisherman down the Sea of Galilee coast, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Jesus, the intriguing and powerful prophet approaches four gritty fisherman to become his disciples. This is outrageous and unheard of!!! What did Jesus see in them?

Maybe Jesus saw in them betrayal and pettiness, bravado and posturing, pride and prejudice, vengefulness and racism, envy and sloth. He probably saw that in most everybody he met. Probably still does. But maybe Jesus also saw in Peter and Andrew, James and John, you and I, a spirit, mind and body open to God’s renewing work in the world. Maybe Jesus saw the real them and decided it was worth the invitation: “Come, follow me.”

Jesus sees you, and when he sees you, he invites you to “Come, follow me.” Not because you are without sin, not because you are better than other people, nor because you’re special. He calls you because he knows you’re open to the life he has for you – a life of blessing the world in Christ’s name through your flaws and talents.

The messy you is the one he is calling, like those Galilee guys, and if he can put up with their shenanigans, by the power of the Holy Spirit he can bring good out of yours too.

So what’s keeping you from seeing yourself with the eyes of Jesus? What’s keeping you from seeing others with that Christ-vision? What if, instead of looking down or away from others, we looked into them, by the Spirit of Christ, past their appearances, with a prayerful spirit: “Lord, help me to see what you see”

rd_acpp_FishersOfMen_28x20_750When Jesus called the fishermen, he said, “Come, follow me, and I will send you out to fish for people.” The story says that “at once they left their nets and followed him.” Wow! What was it about Jesus that compelled them to go with him? It must have been an amazing moment.

Jesus wants to have that amazing moment with you. And he wants to create those amazing moments in others through you. He wants to use you, in your “fishy” life to send you out to others to really see them, speak hope into them, to help them join in with Jesus. Just as Jesus opened your eyes to him and to others in a new and beautiful way, Jesus wants to take that new vision of yours and help open up the eyes of others to new possibilities, new faith, a new community with God’s people.

FollowMeWhat if we all could see each other with the eyes of Christ? That would be a great start for some amazing changes in our community, wouldn’t it?

“Lord, help us to see others with your eyes. Send us with your vision and your invitation, with your words of love and hope.”

Why Do Bad Things Happen To Good People?

Ever asked that question? Most of us have. It’s too common for us, for humanity – our story is full of tragedy and sorrow. How often does it seem like the good die young and the wicked prosper? It makes us wonder whether there is any logic to the universe, is there a good enough reason to justify these injustices, is there anyone in charge up there and do they know what’s going on down here?

In the gospel according to Mark we get an ironic, very human, sad yet poignant start to the ministry of Jesus:

“After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.”

Isn’t it ironic that John’s unjust imprisonment is a starting point for Jesus’ preaching ministry of the gospel of God?

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It’s interesting that something tragic prompted something good. Maybe John being jailed – which would have shocked, enraged, and broken the hearts of Israel – was the stark wake up call the people needed to open up to God again? This was the last straw – if even John can be jailed, will God ever show up? Maybe people are ready now for what Jesus has to say: “The time has come. The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

When you think of the bad things that have happened to the good people you know, it ought to make you angry, sad, disappointed, frustrated, and grief-stricken. But for those of us who have been through those sorrows, we know in our heads and hearts that the world can be cruel, that no one gets through this life with out suffering, and that too often badness gets rewarded more than goodness. We know it, we protest it, but what can we do about it? We can feel so hopeless.

It’s in this place that we can be most open to the good news of Jesus. King Jesus is the gospel. He himself is the good news (gospel means “good news”).

crucified Jesus

As the rejected king of Israel, Jesus experienced the worst of humanity, absorbed the violence of the world, was broken and crushed by Israel’s iniquities. Jesus endured the worst of the bad things that happen to the best of the good people. If even Jesus must go through this, then are Christians exempt? No. Though we may still persist in asking “Why?” Jesus understands.

For Christians, when we go through these vales of sorrow, we can be reminded of what the suffering Christ also endured. The good news is that Christ is with us, he mourns with those who mourn. But out of that solidarity of pain comes a new kind of openness to the kingdom of God – to the gospel work of King Jesus redeeming the world. With us. Through us. Subverting evil. Rescuing others from evil. Overcoming evil with good.

Why do bad things happen to good people? I don’t know if I have the best answer. But I believe that Jesus makes possible a new kind of understanding, acceptance, and redemption of suffering and evil.In our good world gone mad, Jesus works to restore all things – nothing is wasted. And Jesus suffers with us while he works in us and through us.

As you reflect on the recent or distant tragedies in your life and our world, it’s easy to dwell on darkness and despair. I know, for I have been there. But consider Jesus, who introduces himself to you and the world while he is in pain, while his friends suffer, always working for the restoration of all things. Listen to his words to you. “‘The time has come,'” he said.”

 

The Beginning Of The Good News

Sometimes you don’t know how good the news really is until well after the fact, when you can look back with lots of perspective and experience. Hindsight isn’t always 20/20, but it’s usually full of more insightful than foresight (although if we learned from hindsight you’d think we’d have more informed foresight)!

Everyone in life has someone they are leading and those they are serving. When it comes to our contributions in their life, we’d all much rather be bearer of good news. The real gift, though, is not the tidbit of information we share that is called good news; the real gift is when we embody the good news, the best gift is when we ourselves are the good news. What’s better then someone being glad because you showed up to serve and lead?

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But sometimes we aren’t always aware of what kind of good news we are bringing into a situation. And sometimes those we serve and lead don’t always know what kind of goodnews we bring with us when we show up.

In the Gospel According to Mark, we get a sense that Jesus can fully relate with us on this point (and many others). The opening sentence is: “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.” This gospel was written over three decades after the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension of Jesus. In that time the stories of Jesus’ words and works were written down, shared, and retold in small communities. But it wasn’t until that generation started to die that Mark’s gospel and the other three were compiled to remind us of what kind of good news Jesus really is for Israel and the world.

the-gospel-of-mark

The word gospel means “good news” – when we preach the gospel of Jesus we are proclaiming the good news of Jesus’ life and death, his words and works, his resurrection and reign over the world as Savior and Lord. With a king like Jesus ruling over the earth, how can we not celebrate this good news! Except that sometimes we don’t know how good the news is until we can look back over a lifetime with perspective and experience.

Not all of Israel recognized Jesus for the good news he was for them. He was rejected, betrayed, and crucified by his own people. Mark wrote his gospel a generation later, when many, many, many thousands of Israelites had repented of their rebellion and believed the good news that Jesus really was sent by God as their true king. Within four centuries the followers of Jesus would number in the millions, becoming adopted as the official religion of the Roman Empire (a great irony, and tragedy, but that’s another story…).

Sometimes we have to take the long view when bad things happen in our life. Sometimes what we call bad news becomes good news. Sometimes we don’t know the impact we are making on the lives of those we serve, lead and love – it looks like nothing is happening, but down the road we become known as good news.

And that’s what God wants you, for us, for the Church, for the body of Christ, for those that are followers of Jesus -to embody the gospel of Jesus, live it out in our life together, be good news when you show up to work, when you serve and lead at home, in your YMCA, and in your neighborhood.

Jesus came to serve and lead Israel and then the world – his healing words and work, his wise rule as Christ and Lord are meant to be good news (gospel). When we share the gospel, we are giving witness to the good news we’ve experienced in and through our life because of King Jesus. Our lives are always a testimony to the words and works of Christ Jesus in the world today.

Sometimes our lives aren’t good news though. But then, it’s not the end of our story yet. In fact, it may be the beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, in your life!

What might a new beginning with Jesus look like for you? What would good news look like in you? In what ways might the Lord be wanting to proclaim good news through your life? To whom?