Neighbor's Lunch

Originally, the idea ignited through these sparks from my boy, Charlie K. Then, this was added to fuel the flames. For the last 31.5 years of my life, when approaching the pantry in my kitchen, the first question that entered my mind has been "What should I eat?" It has never been, "Will I find anything to eat?" We are realizing that the pertinent question for many in our region is the latter.

So, in the suburban southwest corner of the DFW Metroplex, what would it look like for us to share in a "Neighbor's Lunch?" How might we offer the hospitality of Table, conversation, and friendship?

Next, we turned to our friends at Harvest House, a local, 25-year old benevolence agency providing food, clothing, and emergency financial assistance for folks in our area. After a half-hour talk with the director, she was willing to give "Neighbor's Lunch" a try. The plan was to invite any and all Harvest House employees, volunteers, clients, and friends to join with participants in and friends of the Christ Journey community for Taco Tuesdays at Rosa's Mexican Cafe on the last Tuesday of each month.

That's it. Christ Journey does not do this so that clients of the Harvest House will "come to our church," and Harvest House does not do this as a client stipulation for assistance. We're just gathering around the table eating fantastic tacos and sharing life together. And so, we're growing in relationship with Sheila and her mother. We're getting to know Alice as a friend and not just the Executive Director of Harvest House. We've shared a meal with Ginger, and a couple other families. Who would've thought that service, justice, and friendship could happen through a plate of tacos, beans, and rice?

Thanks, Charles, for modeling such a gathering for us. Thanks, Christ Journey, for seeking to be known as a community of people living the with-God life throughout Burleson and the surrounding cities. Thanks, Harvest House, for shining the lights of hope, justice, and provision into the dark, hidden, and neglected lives of our town.

The mission of God is coming alive in the suburbs.

Sing the Song

What if it’s a song...a song that’s was written by someone else, but a song that we are privileged and invited to play? What if it’s a song...a song with different instruments, harmonies, and tempos? What if it’s a song with guitars, keyboards, and drums...with trumpets, flutes, and violins...with harps, oboes, and synthesizers? What if it’s a song...a song with choral vocals, lofty sopranos, and resounding bass? What if it’s a song...a song sung in English, Spanish, French, German, African dialects, Chinese, and Russian...a song played at all times in all corners of the world? What if it’s a song...the most beautiful song ever played...the most beautiful song ever sung...the most beautiful song ever heard?

What if we are privileged and invited to play the song...to pick up a cello, to sit down at the piano, to twirl a drumstick, to slap a bongo, to pluck a harp string? What if we are privileged and invited to sing the song...to hum quietly, or inject a range of harmonics, or step up to the microphone intensely inhaling all of the oxygen that we can stuff into every crack and crevice of our lungs and opening our mouth to the size of a basketball to sing the song with all our might? What if, although we did not write the song, the song is a gift to us for us to sing?

Psalm 92:1-4: “It is good to give thanks to the LORD, to sing praises to your name, O Most High; to declare your steadfast love in the morning, and your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For you, O LORD, have made me glad by your work; at the works of your hands I sing for joy.”

What if it’s a song...a song, that sometimes, we are unable to hear...with melodies we sometimes forget and words that we jumble together in ways we are more comfortable with? What if it’s a song...a song that sometimes ends abruptly or builds to the crescendo only to come crashing in on itself...a cacophony in response to which the eardrums cry out: “Emergency!”, or a song where the bridge comes before the first verse or half the chorus is missing or the introduction is found in the middle? What if in playing, singing, and hearing the beautiful song, we are plunged into doubt, despair, and disappointment?

Luke 24:13-25: “Now on that same day (the first day of the week) two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, and talking with each other about all these things that had happened. While they were talking and discussing, (the resurrected) Jesus himself came near and went with them, but their eyes were kept from recognizing him. And he said to them, ‘What are you discussing with each other while you walk along?’ They stood still, looking sad. Then one of them, whose name was Cleopas, answered him, ‘Are you the only stranger in Jerusalem who does not know the things that have taken place there in these days?’ He asked them, ‘What things?’ They replied, ‘The things about Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how our chief priests and leaders handed him over to be condemned to death and crucified him. But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides all this, it is now the third day since these things took place. Moreover, some women of our group astounded us. They were at the tomb early this morning, and when they did not find his body there, they came back and told us that they had indeed seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. Some of those who were with us went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said; but they did not see him.’”

Do you understand how Cleopas and his traveling companion (probably his wife) felt? Their fervor zapped, and their hopes dashed, they are walking home distraught, dejected, and duped. They were promised an opportunity to play the song, and when it came time to receive their brand new his and her matching Fender Stratocasters, instead, they were given a couple of used, dented ukeleles both of which are without strings.

Verse 21 reveals the pit of their angst: “But we had hoped that he was the one to redeem Israel. Yes, and besides this, it is now the third day since these things took place.” We thought he was the one to lead us in triumphant defeat of our oppressors, but he was just another false messiah who was put to death. Plus, even though he said he would raise from the grave on the third day, it’s the third day, and we don’t see anything. Sometimes, it’s hard to hear the song, because it doesn’t sound like the other songs we are familiar with.

Luke 24:25-35: “Then he said to them, ‘Oh, how foolish you are, and how slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have declared! Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and then enter into his glory?’ Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures. As they came near the village to which they were going, he walked ahead as if he were going on. But they urged him strongly, saying, ‘Stay with us, because it is almost evening and the day is now nearly over.’ So he went in to stay with them. When he was at the table with them, he took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to them. Then their eyes were opened, and they recognized him; and he vanished from their sight. They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while he was talking to us on the road, while he was opening the scriptures to us?’ That same hour they got up and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven and their companions gathered together. They were saying, ‘The Lord has risen indeed, and he has appeared to Simon!’ Then they told what had happened on the road, and how he had been made known to them in the breaking of the bread."

As he walked and talked with them, he reminded them of the song. As he walked and talked with them, he reframed the song for them. As he walked and talked with them, he recast the song as the beautiful, harmonious, participatory music it was always intended to be. “Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer...?” You see, the Messiah’s way of conquering those who would write, sing, and play alternative songs was suffering and death...not inflicting suffer and death upon others through domination, manipulation, and forceful power, but through taking all suffering and death upon himself. And now, as a resurrected Messiah, on the “Lord’s Day,” the first day of the week, the first Easter Sunday, he has been resurrected to new life and is now beginning the process of new creation.

In John 20:15, the resurrected Jesus is mistaken as a gardener, and in John 20:22, the resurrected Jesus is breathing the Holy Spirit upon his disciples. Is that an accident? Is that just a literary happenstance? Jesus exhaling the Holy Spirit should remind us of God, the gardener of Genesis 2, breathing the breath of life into the nostrils of the man he had formed from the dust of the ground. So, what is John saying? “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”

That is the resurrection song we are invited to sing...a song of good news to the poor...a song of release to the captives...a song of sight for the blind...a song of freedom for the oppressed...a song of right relationship with God and each other.

So now, we come to our time to respond...to respond to the song. What does it sound like for us to play? If you are a teacher, how can you play the song? If you are a manager, how can you play the song? If you are a stay-at-home mother, how can you play the song? If you are an insurance agent, how can you play the song? If you are a coach, how can you play the song? If you load hazardous materials onto trucks, how can you play the song? If you install sound systems, how can you play the song? If workers at your company are considering a strike, how can you play the song? If you and your boss do not see eye to eye on a particular issue, how can you play the song? If you are in school, how can you play the song?

In the book, The Challenge of Jesus, author NT Wright provides more helpful questions, “If you work in information technology, how is your discipline slanted? Is it slanted toward the will to power or the will to love? Does it exhibit the signs of technology for technology’s sake, of information as a means of the oppression of those who do not have access to it by those who do? Is it developing in the service of true relationships, true stewardship, and even true worship, or is it feeding and encouraging a society in which everybody creates their own private, narcissistic, enclosed world?...If you are to shape your world (or as we have been saying this morning: “play this song”) in following Christ, it is not enough to say that being [the Church] is about high moral standards, using every opportunity to talk to people about Jesus, praying for or with your coworkers, and being fair and honest in your speaking. All that is vital and necessary, but you are called to something much, much more. You are called, prayerfully, to discern where your [occupation, neighborhood, participation in the PTA, little league coaching, community action] is showing signs...that declare that the powers have been defeated, that the kingdom has come in Jesus the Jewish Messiah, that the new way of being human has been unveiled, and to be prepared to tell the story [or in our case sing the song] that explains what [all this is about.]"

In other words, as the Church, we are singing, playing, rehearsing, and performing the Spirit-filled song of Christ, a song of hope, justice, compassion, humility, suffering, joy, faith, peace, community, and love to God’s world, and that happens when you are a voice for a neglected or undervalued coworker...that happens when you share food and conversation with those who live next door to you...that happens when you refuse to sleep in on a Saturday morning to help Harvest House serve the poor of our city...that happens when become the neighborhood hangout...not just for the “church kids,” but truly for your neighborhood...that happens when you share a shoulder welcoming tears of despair...that happens when our lives lift up the Son of Man that he might draw all people to himself.

It’s the most beautiful song ever played. Do you hear it?

You: Only Better

Loving Pursuit and the Other Direction

God is the ultimate missionary. Existing in community, He has worked throughout time to share that community with all creation. After reflecting on the quickly spreading problems of Genesis 1-11, Christopher J.H. Wright in The Mission of God: Unlocking the Bible’s Grand Narrative, paints the following picture of our missionary God:

"What can God do next? Something that only God could
have thought of. He sees an elderly, childless couple in the land
of Babel and decides to make them the fountainhead, the launch
pad of his whole mission of cosmic redemption. We can almost
hear the sharp intake of breath among the heavenly hosts when
the astonishing plan was revealed. They knew...the sheer scale
of devastation the serpentine evil and human recalcitrance have
wrought in God’s creation...The call of Abram is the beginning
of God’s answer to the evil of human hearts, the strife of nations,
and the groaning brokenness of his whole creation." (p. 199)

In addition, as we see from the story of Abram, God calls and sends his people to participate in his mission. Again from Jesus Wants to Save Christians by Rob Bell and Don Golden, “God always hears the cries of the oppressed. God cares about human suffering and the conditions that cause it. God is searching for a body, a community of people to care for the things God cares about. God gives power and blessing so that justice and righteousness will be upheld for those who are denied them. This is what God is like. This is what God is about. This is who God is.” (p. 44)

This is church. We are not a building. We are not a social club. We are not a list of programs. We are not a safe alternative to the perils of the world. We are “...a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that [we] may declare the praises of him who called [us] out of darkness into his wonderful light.” (1 Peter 2:9-10 NIV) And just like our Father Abraham, we have been sent out by God to shine that light into all the darkness we discover.

We are living in communal covenant relationship with God and each other: a communal covenant relationship where the cries of the oppressed are heard, where the torn are knitted back together, where the rejected are invited into family, where the broken receive healing, where the fallen are helped up, where those on the bottom of the corporate totem pole sit down at the head of the table, and where prodigals are rushed to and receivers of a grand “welcome home” parade. Whether we share in the story of Abraham and Sarah, Moses, David, Esther, Zerubbabel, Micah, Jesus, John, Peter, or Paul, we are experiencing God’s mission for God’s glory, and sharing his love with the world. God is the original missionary, and his loving pursuit of creation never fails.

That’s why, for us, our process for growing in Christ-likeness begins with seeking God communally (and individually, but the individual is always brought before some form of the community) through prayer, Scripture reading, spiritual disciplines, etc. As growing followers of Jesus, we are called into the Spirit-empowered life of our missionary God. Therefore, we seek to enter into his mission, because God initiates and reveals connections with others and we respond to his ongoing work

However, the point of this post is not so much to layout a missionary view of God nor to describe our spiritual formation process. It’s to reflect on my own participation (or lack thereof) in said process. Lately, I have been drawn to Ephesians 6, and Paul’s summarizing crescendo in verses 10-20. In Ephesians 6:11-13, the text reads, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” As I have reflected and talked with others about these verses in the context of our desire to be Christ-formed people of God’s mission, two conclusions have surfaced.

First, I recognize God’s initiation of mission all around me, but am not consistently praying for opportunities to enter his mission. Prayer isn’t just asking God to do things for me. Prayer is asking God to awaken me to his recreative work here in Burleson and the surrounding cities; here on Nathan Street and the people with whom we share a street. Prayer forms us into saying, “God, I recognize you to be at work in and around me. Please show me how and where to join you.” Therefore, I long to be transformed into a person regularly seeking the Lord in prayer for opportunities to join him in mission.

Second, in the midst of the Ephesians 6 text, verse 12 continues this calling to prayer. Ephesans 6:12 states, “ For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” If I had the space and time, we look at this verse (and section) in light of all Paul has written thusfar in Ephesians. However, no one is grading this post (that I know of), so I’ll take the “minimalist” approach. lol. The original word that the NIV translates as “struggle” speaks to hand-to-hand combat (perhaps wrestling) where both participants are grappling and clawing at each other in an “up close and personal” fight. How many opportunities to participate in the mission of God have passed me by, because I was so focused on the receptivity or lack of receptivity of others that I forgot that we are involved in hand-to-hand combat and therefore must seek the Lord against the “authorities,” “powers,” and “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.” I’m not saying there is a “devil around every corner,” or that personality flaws, poor decisions, and behavioral struggles are always caused the the “spirit” of something. However, I recognize (at least some of) the systemic injustices of our world, the advancing forces of evil at work around us, and even my own tendency toward the “devilish.” Could it be that part of the missional prayer of asking God to reveal the locations, people, and situations in which he is at work (so that we may join him) involves an appeal for the shining of light into darkness, and the eradication of the clutches of the “authorities,” “powers,” and “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms?” I am not writing to postulate about or describe these “spiritual forces.” I’m just trying to say that there is a dominion (seen and unseen) that stands opposed to the Kingdom of God; that stands opposed to love, mercy, forgiveness, justice, hope, community, and peace. The way we rise up against this dominion is not by attacking another brother or sister in Christ, but instead, through going after the “authorities,” “powers,” and “spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms” through prayer appealing to the power of God at work through the Holy Spirit. Then, in prayer, as God reveals opportunities for mission in locations, people, and situations which are under assault from the “spiritual forces of evil,” we go after division, hopelessness, abuse, hatred, greed, legalism, and dehumanization.


I guess my point here is that I’m not engaging in either prayer; and Ephesians 6 calls me to conviction, confession, repentance, and newness of life.