According to a report released by the state Department of Health, a Rhode Island surgeon recently operated on the wrong side of a patient's brain. The man was hospitalized in order to undergo a procedure to drain blood from his brain. Health officials say a CT scan image was improperly placed on an x-ray viewing box, leading the surgeon to believe the left side of the man's brain required surgery instead of the right. The surgeon discovered the error when he drilled holes in the left side of the man's skull and found no internal bleeding. The procedure was correctly repeated on the opposite side of the patient's head.
Its father’s day and every father’s day I tend to have my mind wander to an odd medical situation known as Wrong side surgery. Although it sounds almost comical, wrong side surgery is an unfortunate reality for far too many people throughout the United States. Careless surgeons have amputated the wrong leg, performed a mastectomy on the wrong breast, operated on the wrong knee, and even conducted brain surgery on the wrong side of the brain. I don’t know about you, and I’m not sure if you can understand my preoccupation, but you see my dad at one point almost had himself his own Wrong side surgery.
3 times the people asked my dad how his right leg was doing, it was his left that needed surgery... after the third time the nurse made the mistake, fed up, he demanded that the nurse find a sharpee pen. One hour before going under he wrote on his left leg "THIS IS THE LEG" and on the right one "If you operate on this leg I will sue you." You see My dad was a lawyer.
Growing up it was hard having a lawyer for a dad,
Your friends begin to be careful with you as to not get sued. My friend Timory got a motorcycle, and my dad took Timory aside and told her “you realize if you kill my son on that motorcycle I’ll sue your parents.” Yeah…so…I never got to ride the bike. I did however hold on with rollerblades on. Somehow that was different.
It was weird what it did to my psychy… I felt like superman: I’d fly into the family room from after school, and get ready my bulletproof dad. “Dad Lets sue the school for million for detention being dirty… its really dirty… I bet if I licked the floor I’d be completely sick… we’d make millions.”
But it still was hard. I remember one day despite my lack of blood sugar this didn’t stop my dad from crossexamining me as he gave me a ride home.
How was your day
Fine
What did you do
Nothing
You’re honor if I may approach he must have done something today…
My mom would act judge “answer the question Geoffrey.”
Went to school.
Nowadays despite the pains of my childhood, its actually nice to have a dad for a lawyer. Why… Protection. My dad is wired as a lawyer. He’s interested in the best possible way to keep you out of the most amount of trouble. This is good for me. Because he totally has protected me from punkasses. I’m a protected man.
I personally had my protection popped this week. I created this space between me and the world and I called it “the honeymoon bubble” I left my little honeymoon bubble this week and began working again. Back to the grindstone! I could have stayed in my honeymoon bubble forever … like a calgon bath… The honeymoon was good … real good. Nice to take a rest and spend it with Crystal… So Amazing. Problem is I’m not independently wealthy…so life has brought me back to reality.
So here I am back to reality, Back in church, and out of the honeymoon protection bubble, I probably still am protected as much as I can be from punkasses. BUT back in life noetheless.
Life… that’s really what you guys want to know about on this father’s day… right? You came to church…. You want to know about life. Specifically… I think I’m hearing a little of your hearts and I think you want to know a little about eternal life. Am I right?
Well… Like my dad… there was this lawyer that wanted some protection. He wanted some protection in the world beyond. And like you…he had a question that many of you you Luke 10:25-37… "Teacher, what do I need to do to get eternal life?"
Jesus answered, "What's written in God's Law? How do you interpret it?"
He said, "That you love the Lord your God with all your passion and prayer and muscle and intelligence—and that you love your neighbor as well as you do yourself."
"Good answer!" said Jesus. "Do it and you'll live."
Looking for a loophole, he asked, "And just how would you define 'neighbor'?"
Jesus answered by telling a story. "There was once a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho. On the way he was attacked by robbers. (Jerusalem to Jericho was a distance of nineteen miles northeast, a deep and very fertile hollow. The road, being rocky and desolate, was a notorious haunt of robbers, then and for ages after, and even to this day. There was once a man sent down from Jerusalem and fell among thieves) They took his clothes, beat him up, and went off leaving him half-dead. (Jericho, the second city of Judea, was a city of the priests and Levites, and thousands of them lived there. The two here mentioned are supposed, apparently, to be returning from temple duties) Luckily, a priest was on his way down the same road, but when he saw him he angled across to the other side. Then a Levite religious man showed up; he also avoided the injured man.
A Samaritan (A Samaritan was one excommunicated by the Jews, a byword among them, synonymous with heretic and devil, so someone that wasn’t anywhere close to a believer, not in the church.) traveling the road came on him. When he saw the man's condition, his heart went out to him. He gave him first aid, disinfecting and bandaging his wounds. Then he lifted him onto his donkey, led him to an inn, and made him comfortable. In the morning he took out two silver coins and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, 'Take good care of him. If it costs any more, put it on my bill—I'll pay you on my way back.'
"What do you think? Which of the three became a neighbor to the man attacked by robbers?"
"The one who treated him kindly," the religion scholar responded.
Jesus said, "Go and do the same."
The lawyer wanted protection. What was that protection? He wanted assurance that he would have eternal life. Jesus said the only protection that you’ll find is in love. And THAT may look entirely different than your books have taught you.
--------
I feel as a church we are moving to a new place in our minds. A place that isn’t like church as we know it. Or maybe it’s what church is supposed to be. The idea is that church… isn’t Sunday, church isn’t music, it isn’t me talking, it isn’t the food we eat after. Church is us. Us, living out our lives, and Sunday is just a time to come together to recharge, renew, and love each other in this ‘show’ type of way.
We are not a show. Our faith is not a show. Our religion is not a show. But somehow we have learned, and been trained that church IS a show. Sunday morning… we pay admission with our tithe, and get our 2.5 hours of spirit. Get a good concert, maybe some amazing art or poetry, definitely an amazing message (wink), and top it off with a free lunch and coffee. We have learned that in order to really be “effective” in church we must hold the microphone. Or be versatile at the guitar. Or even as advanced as we are, be a great dancer, poet or artist. Our Sunday morning is a recharge for us. A day where we can refocus our energies on the goodness of God, worship Him, and definitely feel amazing about the grace we have in Jesus Christ. But a recharge for what?
Sunday morning should be your recharge. You should come in here and let the Holy Spirit wash over you. You should rejoice with your friends and family here in the wonderful things. You SHOULD enjoy the show. Pray for people in the sad things. Be free to express yourself in worship towards God, with all of the ways and emotions that God draws us into. But don’t let this day go in vein. Don’t let this “show” go in vein. Use it for what it’s meant for: A springboard into your life. To inspire you to really do the things that God is calling you to. What is he calling you to do? Participate in Life!
Life … ahhhh life. Wouldn’t it be great if our life didn’t have beat up strangers on the road. Wouldn’t it be amazing if we just could live in our little honeymoon bubble forever? No one bothering us; no one taking their toll on us; us, just going on our merry way to Jericho. No interruptions along the path.
We would love to station guards on the path to Jericho, so that no one gets robbed, and no one needs to bother with tending to people’s wounds. The robbers would go to jail, and the guards would keep things nice, so that we all could continue on our way to the temple without fear of someone draining our pocketbooks, or efforts, or maybe even robbing us. I’m wondering if some of us would hope that those guards would do their job a little bit better because it’s not our job to tend the wounds of the people. Is it?
The thing is, I want to be refined, direct. I want to be the most effective person I can be. I don’t want to put out more effort than I need to. And I want to love the most deserving of people. Who can I exclude, so that I don’t have to worry myself with efforts of spending my life putting energy out towards people that don’t deserve it? Who are the people I need to love? God if you only just tell me which people I need to love, then I can focus my life and be the most effective for you and your will.
“I love you God…. And I love people….but there are so many of them… so if you could just narrow it down so that I can focus my efforts on that small group, I think I’d be much more effective.” And maybe that’s true. And Maybe that’s what the lawyer was really trying to get at.
But Jesus switches the question from “whom am I to love?” to “Who is the one that shows love?” I’m asking “who do I love?” the real question is “who is the one that shows love?” The answer: the one who shows mercy.
You see, love is not a quantifiable, measurable, act or duty to a specific few; especially if those few that share your same idea structure. It’s something that you are. And it’s something that you show. It’s something that you respond to. Love is inconvenient. It lies dying on the road asking you to tend to it. Love costs money. It takes your resources. And its possible that the person God is asking you to love this week believes something entirely different then you.
Love is the great equalizer. If you are the most righteous of people or a punkass, the dying man on the road has the same need. And the story ends the same way if you show mercy.
Yes, Love IS the great equalizer. It is what has gathered us here today. And has made us all Sons and Daughters of God. Because there was one who came to bless this heartless world of ours with His incomparable love--first in words, and then in deeds which have translated His words into flesh and blood, and poured the life of them through that humanity which He made His own! Along the road WE have been stripped beaten and robbed.
Is this story designed to magnify the law of love? And to show who fulfils it and who cannot? And who did this as never man did it, as our Brother Man, "our Neighbor?"… Christ… The priests and Levites had not strengthened the diseased, nor bound up the broken (Ezekiel 34:4), while He bound up OUR broken hearts (Isaiah 61:1), and poured into all wounded spirits the balm of sweetest consolation. He hungered, but He fed thousands; He was weary, but He is the Rest for the weary; And today He saves him that went down from Jerusalem and fell among thieves.
You see, to live your life truly, means that you have to live outside the comfortable walls of your safely guarded bubble. Popping the protection! You have to begin pressing on the boundaries of your world and interact with people that are inconvenient. And on top of that: YOU…SHOW…MERCY!. Even if they wouldn’t have … YOU DO!!! Because that’s what life is about: it’s what gives electricity to the soul. It’s the recharge you feel from God as you leave this place. The empowerment of the Holy Spirit to pay attention to humanity, and life… and ultimately CARE!!!! Because Jesus Christ did that for you. No matter who you are, no matter what you believe. Jesus Loves you and has put us all on equal terrain. Love IS the great equalizer. How will you spend your week. Protecting yourself from life? Or paying attention and engaging it?
Let the Spirit of God dwell you today and throughout the week. Do what you can to pay attention to humanity, and life. And BE a neighbor as you go along your road.
Monday, June 19, 2006
A Plea
I usually come at you with witty remarks and clever little anecdotes meant to tickle your funnybone and gently coax you down the yellow brick road of righteousness. Today all I have is a simple plea.
First as this is not a full transcription of my talk for right now I will post this and maybe if I have time I'll write the first part later.
the outline essentially went like this:
First I want to map out a little history.
Romans 1-4 what is essentially that happens in this part of Romans.
(essentially it is the part where Paul outlines that all have fallen and it is by faith in which you are saved)
Why was this passage so important to martin luther?
(because he had a huge holiness hangup and needed to readily see this grace by faith in order for his being to be set free... also he was the one who coined sola-fide)
So follow history and we can see how people have been preoccupied with the mental ascent of faith.
now lets look at the real reason Paul is writing this:
Romans 14 :
because two factions (jew and gentile) were at odds with each other. What Paul was saying here is that Jesus has leveled the playing field. What he was saying was that because ALL have fallen and it is by faith alone in which you are saved. YOU MUST coexist and not bicker and argue different types of food and who can eat what. Essentially you're all at fault. AND ALL NEED GRACE.
It is here where I came in:
We have been a self centered religion. Allowing ourselves to be pleased with our mental ascent at faith in Jesus. Yet sheer belief in the Son of God is a fleeting mental bump.
True faith is more accurately defined as it is simply stated in 2 corinthians 1:18-20
But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No." 19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas[b] and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes." 20For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.
In other words, faith is saying “yes” to God’s Yes in Christ. Not a mental assent to the sheer proposition of “do you believe?” But the “hearing” of the gospel as an act of obedience. Faith is not a human accomplishment. Like you would carefully formulate a theorem of the facts to be proven… and thus believed. Faith is truly a grateful acknowledgement of being embraced by the Yes of God’s grace towards us.
He has given us grace. We all are equal in our relationship to sin and death. We are all equal in our relationship to their brothers: flesh and law. An yet we have a God who’s mercy has conquered all of them through the death and resurrection of His Son. You are justified by your faith in Jesus. That’s not the end of the book though, faith is you being eternally grateful for the mercy you’ve been given. The thing is…there’s more to the story. If we choose to stop at Romans 4, we miss a vision that Paul has for us. And it’s an amazing hope.
The hope is this: That our faith would propel us into life with the Spirit; which is God’s power in Christ. This Spirit pushes every believer into the future horizon of God’s coming glory. The Spirit conveys the dynamic character of Christian life as a life of pilgrimage; moving closer and closer towards this hope of glory. This Spirit by definition is never separated from its activity in the human body. This is why Paul in Romans 12 writes: 1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship.
You aren’t a dead sacrifice, burning on the alter. Yet many times that’s where we end up. “I believe in Jesus Christ… and?” “And I’m just taking a break right now.” “I believe in Jesus Christ… and?” “and I’m not really happy with church because there is too much drama.” “I believe in Jesus Christ… and?” “and what? It’s my faith alone.” Dead… and Burning?
…offer your bodies as living sacrifices, This is the hope that Paul has for us. If you are taking a break because you’ve burned out, not going to church because of the politics, or just happy sitting in the pew on Sunday, you’ve only read part of the story. It’s a great part of the story. It’s a story of faith. It’s a story of love. And it’s a story of an eternal future. But its time to turn the page and begin truly living. Because Paul at this point begins writing about a hope that he has that one day the church will be working together to bless the world. Working together to bless itself. That the people involved will not become the consumers of faith, a show, or righteousness. But rather be proactive in their response to the Mercy and Love they’ve been given by God. That because of their understanding of the love of God. They would begin acting like His children.
Paul’s hope is that we would utilize this Spirit to do the things we’ve been called to do. Thus making the church into a vibrant body.
4In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. 5The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, 6let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.
What I’m saying to you today is we can be a part of something incredible. Maybe some of us have been hurt, bruised, or angered by other parts of this body. So here you sit saying… I love Jesus, but do even try to get me to do anything. Our pain, our reaction to the cancer of overgrowth, or our sheer apathy is killing us…and killing you. As a body, utilize me today to motivate you towards becoming who you are meant to be; who you truly are. If you preach, preach; if you help, help; if you teach, teach; 8if you give encouraging guidance, encourage; if you're in charge, don't manipulate, but lead; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face. 9Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. …10Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
What if the church were one? What if we all fit together like a puzzle whose picture painted the story of God’s love for each one of us. What if that picture told the world about the love of God. This dream of the God of hope filling you (all) with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We can work together to make this body run. And you all have a job. I may not know what that is. Maybe even you don’t know what it is. However, there maybe someone in here whose job is to point out what you’re good at. And you’ll be far better at it than any of us. You just need some exercise.
We can’t pull our own weight anymore. We learned that with Jesus. And now we need to realize it for His church. His heart is in us. His thoughts are in us. It is now time for his actions to be ours.
I ask you, plead with you, beseech you. Very much like Paul did to the Roman church. Not a command. It is the language of grace. There is no thunder from mount Sinai when I ask: “by the mercy of God, get up from those chairs, and contribute your beautiful selves to this amazing hope of having a church that’s alive, and an amazing representation of God’s love.
First as this is not a full transcription of my talk for right now I will post this and maybe if I have time I'll write the first part later.
the outline essentially went like this:
First I want to map out a little history.
Romans 1-4 what is essentially that happens in this part of Romans.
(essentially it is the part where Paul outlines that all have fallen and it is by faith in which you are saved)
Why was this passage so important to martin luther?
(because he had a huge holiness hangup and needed to readily see this grace by faith in order for his being to be set free... also he was the one who coined sola-fide)
So follow history and we can see how people have been preoccupied with the mental ascent of faith.
now lets look at the real reason Paul is writing this:
Romans 14 :
because two factions (jew and gentile) were at odds with each other. What Paul was saying here is that Jesus has leveled the playing field. What he was saying was that because ALL have fallen and it is by faith alone in which you are saved. YOU MUST coexist and not bicker and argue different types of food and who can eat what. Essentially you're all at fault. AND ALL NEED GRACE.
It is here where I came in:
We have been a self centered religion. Allowing ourselves to be pleased with our mental ascent at faith in Jesus. Yet sheer belief in the Son of God is a fleeting mental bump.
True faith is more accurately defined as it is simply stated in 2 corinthians 1:18-20
But as surely as God is faithful, our message to you is not "Yes" and "No." 19For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by me and Silas[b] and Timothy, was not "Yes" and "No," but in him it has always been "Yes." 20For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God.
In other words, faith is saying “yes” to God’s Yes in Christ. Not a mental assent to the sheer proposition of “do you believe?” But the “hearing” of the gospel as an act of obedience. Faith is not a human accomplishment. Like you would carefully formulate a theorem of the facts to be proven… and thus believed. Faith is truly a grateful acknowledgement of being embraced by the Yes of God’s grace towards us.
He has given us grace. We all are equal in our relationship to sin and death. We are all equal in our relationship to their brothers: flesh and law. An yet we have a God who’s mercy has conquered all of them through the death and resurrection of His Son. You are justified by your faith in Jesus. That’s not the end of the book though, faith is you being eternally grateful for the mercy you’ve been given. The thing is…there’s more to the story. If we choose to stop at Romans 4, we miss a vision that Paul has for us. And it’s an amazing hope.
The hope is this: That our faith would propel us into life with the Spirit; which is God’s power in Christ. This Spirit pushes every believer into the future horizon of God’s coming glory. The Spirit conveys the dynamic character of Christian life as a life of pilgrimage; moving closer and closer towards this hope of glory. This Spirit by definition is never separated from its activity in the human body. This is why Paul in Romans 12 writes: 1Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual[a] act of worship.
You aren’t a dead sacrifice, burning on the alter. Yet many times that’s where we end up. “I believe in Jesus Christ… and?” “And I’m just taking a break right now.” “I believe in Jesus Christ… and?” “and I’m not really happy with church because there is too much drama.” “I believe in Jesus Christ… and?” “and what? It’s my faith alone.” Dead… and Burning?
…offer your bodies as living sacrifices, This is the hope that Paul has for us. If you are taking a break because you’ve burned out, not going to church because of the politics, or just happy sitting in the pew on Sunday, you’ve only read part of the story. It’s a great part of the story. It’s a story of faith. It’s a story of love. And it’s a story of an eternal future. But its time to turn the page and begin truly living. Because Paul at this point begins writing about a hope that he has that one day the church will be working together to bless the world. Working together to bless itself. That the people involved will not become the consumers of faith, a show, or righteousness. But rather be proactive in their response to the Mercy and Love they’ve been given by God. That because of their understanding of the love of God. They would begin acting like His children.
Paul’s hope is that we would utilize this Spirit to do the things we’ve been called to do. Thus making the church into a vibrant body.
4In this way we are like the various parts of a human body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a whole, not the other way around. 5The body we're talking about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us finds our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to much, would we? So since we find ourselves fashioned into all these excellently formed and marvelously functioning parts in Christ's body, 6let's just go ahead and be what we were made to be, without enviously or pridefully comparing ourselves with each other, or trying to be something we aren't.
What I’m saying to you today is we can be a part of something incredible. Maybe some of us have been hurt, bruised, or angered by other parts of this body. So here you sit saying… I love Jesus, but do even try to get me to do anything. Our pain, our reaction to the cancer of overgrowth, or our sheer apathy is killing us…and killing you. As a body, utilize me today to motivate you towards becoming who you are meant to be; who you truly are. If you preach, preach; if you help, help; if you teach, teach; 8if you give encouraging guidance, encourage; if you're in charge, don't manipulate, but lead; if you're called to give aid to people in distress, keep your eyes open and be quick to respond; if you work with the disadvantaged, don't let yourself get irritated with them or depressed by them. Keep a smile on your face. 9Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. …10Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.
What if the church were one? What if we all fit together like a puzzle whose picture painted the story of God’s love for each one of us. What if that picture told the world about the love of God. This dream of the God of hope filling you (all) with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
We can work together to make this body run. And you all have a job. I may not know what that is. Maybe even you don’t know what it is. However, there maybe someone in here whose job is to point out what you’re good at. And you’ll be far better at it than any of us. You just need some exercise.
We can’t pull our own weight anymore. We learned that with Jesus. And now we need to realize it for His church. His heart is in us. His thoughts are in us. It is now time for his actions to be ours.
I ask you, plead with you, beseech you. Very much like Paul did to the Roman church. Not a command. It is the language of grace. There is no thunder from mount Sinai when I ask: “by the mercy of God, get up from those chairs, and contribute your beautiful selves to this amazing hope of having a church that’s alive, and an amazing representation of God’s love.
Proud Mary
Y’ know, every now and then
I think you might like to hear something from us
Nice and easy
But there’s just one thing
You see we never ever do nothing
Nice and easy
We always do it nice and rough
So I’m gonna take the beginning of this talk
And do it easy
Then we’re gonna do the finish rough
This is the way we are going to do church today
And I’m rollin’
It’s spring. The sun’s out off and on. There’s new life and hope in the air. Easter Sunday came and went, but something has remained. Your faith.
Your belief in Jesus Christ being your savior has remained. And when you think of Jesus maybe you think of Easter Sunday, maybe you think of that picture on the wall. But my hope is that you have a picture of a very alive Jesus. Not one who is dying, who is eternally dying. Up there on a cross, getting another nail driven into him every time you mess up. Jesus is risen. Conquered sin and death so that you may live.
So here he is, alive, and all Jesusy. Paling around with you. Saying I love you etc. (cause Jesus does love you)
If you’re new to Christianity, you might know what I’m talking about. If you have just started your faith journey, you probably feel a lot more, and God is much more vibrant to you then this statement of paling around. But if you’ve been in the Christian bath for some time the water tends to lose its temperature. Your life may work like this: “I love Jesus. Here I am at church… and there I go.” Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’ on the river of life.
And this nice life is nice. Because you know who Jesus is, what he’s about, and you continue to learn more about him just by living.
But in just livin’ you also have to work. You get a good job in the city, working for the man every night and day. You clean a lot of plates, and you pump a lot of ‘tane. And as you live your nice life… you find it’s not so easy. In fact you may consider it rough.
Things tend to happen when you’re rolling down the river of your nice life. Things begin to creep in. Because this world is immensely complex, full of curveballs and politics, and just by living your nice life, you are affected by the rough. That vibrancy of Christ that you once felt is possibly as cold as the water you’re in. And there you are. Working working working.
Working for your God saying “I’ll take on that cause, cause that’s what Christ would do” or Working for your church because its what’s needed, or simply working to live your life I need to do this or I need to do that. Or I need to be nicer. Better. Less rough.
Most of the time I've received the compliment of being a 'nice guy' I've found it is a very limited compliment… Not really stoked about being “nice.” It’s like telling a girl that that dress looks fine. Not FOYN, but just fine. The complement is lost in the complacency of the statement.
One of my friends who blogged about this, and he came to this conclusion: “I guess I'd rather be a good man. However, this indeed is a much more rare compliment.”
The thing is, all of us lose our edge at some point. And our desire to be “a good man or a good woman” becomes a practice of discipline, rather then an outward expression of our soul. And discipline is a good thing, cause it keeps you on track; but when you are doing, because you are “supposed to do” rather than doing “because you want to.” You continue workin’ for that man.
While you work for the man you find that there are some things that are just not important. We find ourselves letting things in that we never would before. Evil things. And we just let them stay, because it’s nice and easy. It’s nice to have your cake and eat it too. To have a nice forgiving Jesus and a little sin on the side. And as we let this and that come in, our water becomes a little cool. And sweeps us away from our goal.
Our goal: To be a good man or woman. Is not necessarily nice. And is definitely not easy when you’re workin’ for the man. To be “good” on your own two legs is to work yourself, You’re your own boss and you work yourself to the bone. To be a good man or woman is to step into the river and swim upstream. The river is far too big and swift for you to be doing it for a lifetime. So your tired body washes up on the shore.
But what do we do, how can we manage this burdon of our faith? How do we overcome the rolling river and the rough rough rough waters.
It’s time to step aboard the riverboat queen. Where you can start to see the good side of the city that you working so hard in.
Ephesians says this: “do not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the holy spirit.”Now before you say, thanks for the judgement Geoff. I thought you were just telling be that I can’t accomplish this on my own merits, and to be sober right now is not what I needed to here. But let me explain what the writer is saying. This passage isn’t about wine. Its about the nature of wine. Some of you may relate… I’m not sure. But what is the eventual outcome of being drunk. (you eventually get sober) Why? (because eventually you either pass out or you run out of money… or die if you stay drunk forever) But listen to this. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Writer is saying to Ephesus Like you would consider drinking to stay drunk. Consider “continuing to fill yourself with the holy spirit. This word fill is like how a wind would fill a sail to move it to where the boat needs to go. This passage is saying “maintain your buzz,” with the holy spirit. Hop aboard this riverboat. The Riverboat of the Holy Spirit. The steam pushes it along to turn the paddles of your nice and rough life so that you can become “a good man or a good woman.”
Apart for the Holy Spirit, you’re going to be workin’ for the man. But with the Holy spirit you will be Rollin down the river And you’ll never lose one minute of sleep
Worryin’ ’bout the way things might have been.
Your doing starts with a filling of steam. Your doing starts with the opening your sail. Your doing starts with this prayer. “Fill me up Holy Spirit.”
1tim5:4 “Religion begins at your own doorstep and you should pay it back with gratitude by what you have received.” Try this without the holy spirit and you are a nice guy. Try this with the holy spirit and your doorstep begins to bless the entire world.
1tim6:17 “…Go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—18 to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. 19 If you do that, you’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.” Again do this as yourself and be the nicest, tiredest guy on the block. With the Holy Spirit and let your life truly live
There is richness in the simplicity of being yourself before God. God doesn’t want anything else. But He does want you to let go of the evil things in your life. You yourself want to let them go anyway. But you can’t do it on your own steam. Climb aboard. And DO what you have always wanted to do.
Today… as you’re rollin’ on the river of life
Realize that God is asking you to do the things he’s asking you to do. God’s asking you to call upon him in prayer. God is asking you to learn about him by studying the Bible. And finally God is asking you to become good men and women, by climbing aboard his Holy Spirit, practicing doing good to others.
I think you might like to hear something from us
Nice and easy
But there’s just one thing
You see we never ever do nothing
Nice and easy
We always do it nice and rough
So I’m gonna take the beginning of this talk
And do it easy
Then we’re gonna do the finish rough
This is the way we are going to do church today
And I’m rollin’
It’s spring. The sun’s out off and on. There’s new life and hope in the air. Easter Sunday came and went, but something has remained. Your faith.
Your belief in Jesus Christ being your savior has remained. And when you think of Jesus maybe you think of Easter Sunday, maybe you think of that picture on the wall. But my hope is that you have a picture of a very alive Jesus. Not one who is dying, who is eternally dying. Up there on a cross, getting another nail driven into him every time you mess up. Jesus is risen. Conquered sin and death so that you may live.
So here he is, alive, and all Jesusy. Paling around with you. Saying I love you etc. (cause Jesus does love you)
If you’re new to Christianity, you might know what I’m talking about. If you have just started your faith journey, you probably feel a lot more, and God is much more vibrant to you then this statement of paling around. But if you’ve been in the Christian bath for some time the water tends to lose its temperature. Your life may work like this: “I love Jesus. Here I am at church… and there I go.” Rollin’ Rollin’ Rollin’ on the river of life.
And this nice life is nice. Because you know who Jesus is, what he’s about, and you continue to learn more about him just by living.
But in just livin’ you also have to work. You get a good job in the city, working for the man every night and day. You clean a lot of plates, and you pump a lot of ‘tane. And as you live your nice life… you find it’s not so easy. In fact you may consider it rough.
Things tend to happen when you’re rolling down the river of your nice life. Things begin to creep in. Because this world is immensely complex, full of curveballs and politics, and just by living your nice life, you are affected by the rough. That vibrancy of Christ that you once felt is possibly as cold as the water you’re in. And there you are. Working working working.
Working for your God saying “I’ll take on that cause, cause that’s what Christ would do” or Working for your church because its what’s needed, or simply working to live your life I need to do this or I need to do that. Or I need to be nicer. Better. Less rough.
Most of the time I've received the compliment of being a 'nice guy' I've found it is a very limited compliment… Not really stoked about being “nice.” It’s like telling a girl that that dress looks fine. Not FOYN, but just fine. The complement is lost in the complacency of the statement.
One of my friends who blogged about this, and he came to this conclusion: “I guess I'd rather be a good man. However, this indeed is a much more rare compliment.”
The thing is, all of us lose our edge at some point. And our desire to be “a good man or a good woman” becomes a practice of discipline, rather then an outward expression of our soul. And discipline is a good thing, cause it keeps you on track; but when you are doing, because you are “supposed to do” rather than doing “because you want to.” You continue workin’ for that man.
While you work for the man you find that there are some things that are just not important. We find ourselves letting things in that we never would before. Evil things. And we just let them stay, because it’s nice and easy. It’s nice to have your cake and eat it too. To have a nice forgiving Jesus and a little sin on the side. And as we let this and that come in, our water becomes a little cool. And sweeps us away from our goal.
Our goal: To be a good man or woman. Is not necessarily nice. And is definitely not easy when you’re workin’ for the man. To be “good” on your own two legs is to work yourself, You’re your own boss and you work yourself to the bone. To be a good man or woman is to step into the river and swim upstream. The river is far too big and swift for you to be doing it for a lifetime. So your tired body washes up on the shore.
But what do we do, how can we manage this burdon of our faith? How do we overcome the rolling river and the rough rough rough waters.
It’s time to step aboard the riverboat queen. Where you can start to see the good side of the city that you working so hard in.
Ephesians says this: “do not be drunk with wine, but be filled with the holy spirit.”Now before you say, thanks for the judgement Geoff. I thought you were just telling be that I can’t accomplish this on my own merits, and to be sober right now is not what I needed to here. But let me explain what the writer is saying. This passage isn’t about wine. Its about the nature of wine. Some of you may relate… I’m not sure. But what is the eventual outcome of being drunk. (you eventually get sober) Why? (because eventually you either pass out or you run out of money… or die if you stay drunk forever) But listen to this. Be filled with the Holy Spirit. The Writer is saying to Ephesus Like you would consider drinking to stay drunk. Consider “continuing to fill yourself with the holy spirit. This word fill is like how a wind would fill a sail to move it to where the boat needs to go. This passage is saying “maintain your buzz,” with the holy spirit. Hop aboard this riverboat. The Riverboat of the Holy Spirit. The steam pushes it along to turn the paddles of your nice and rough life so that you can become “a good man or a good woman.”
Apart for the Holy Spirit, you’re going to be workin’ for the man. But with the Holy spirit you will be Rollin down the river And you’ll never lose one minute of sleep
Worryin’ ’bout the way things might have been.
Your doing starts with a filling of steam. Your doing starts with the opening your sail. Your doing starts with this prayer. “Fill me up Holy Spirit.”
1tim5:4 “Religion begins at your own doorstep and you should pay it back with gratitude by what you have received.” Try this without the holy spirit and you are a nice guy. Try this with the holy spirit and your doorstep begins to bless the entire world.
1tim6:17 “…Go after God, who piles on all the riches we could ever manage—18 to do good, to be rich in helping others, to be extravagantly generous. 19 If you do that, you’ll build a treasury that will last, gaining life that is truly life.” Again do this as yourself and be the nicest, tiredest guy on the block. With the Holy Spirit and let your life truly live
There is richness in the simplicity of being yourself before God. God doesn’t want anything else. But He does want you to let go of the evil things in your life. You yourself want to let them go anyway. But you can’t do it on your own steam. Climb aboard. And DO what you have always wanted to do.
Today… as you’re rollin’ on the river of life
Realize that God is asking you to do the things he’s asking you to do. God’s asking you to call upon him in prayer. God is asking you to learn about him by studying the Bible. And finally God is asking you to become good men and women, by climbing aboard his Holy Spirit, practicing doing good to others.
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