Great Expectations

Don't be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. ~ Philippians 4:6-7

Yeah, that's who I want to be. I want to be the guy who isn't anxious about anything, because that's the Jesus-y thing to do, right?

This is one of the great perks of being a Jesus follower - this whole "peace that transcends all understanding" thing - but sometimes, it seems hard to access. How do I take hold of this?

I know it's true. I believe it. I do. And I'm trying to live it out. But sometimes I'm still anxious. Sometimes, like right now, for instance, I am worried about the future.

I have great expectations for what God will do through Quest. I know he has great plans for us. And I know he means to make it happen in his time. But, in the meantime, I sweat and fret and pace and worry. I'm anxious. 

I bring my petitions and requests to God with thanksgiving, and I mean it. Every word. But still...

So, maybe the guarding of hearts and minds springs from the knowing. The four words that immediately precede this passage are these "The Lord is near." So maybe the guarding is on God; he's near, and he's on it. 

But maybe the knowing's on me. Maybe I'm still called to do my part. Maybe, in order to receive that supernatural peace of God, I need to quit pacing and fretting and sweating and worrying. Maybe that's MY part. Maybe I need to stop and make room in order for him to start.

Except, no. 

That's not what this is about.

This ties right in with what we've been talking about the last couple weeks at Quest - maybe this is a pride issue. 

Like Paul, who said he delights in God's law, but then finds his pride and his submission are at war, it seems that war is alive in me. One side of my heart wants to stop being anxious because God is in control, and the other side of my heart thinks I can actually make that happen through sheer force of will.

If my trust is just lip service, and I really think that everything's up to ME, how will I ever find peace? And before I can truly leave it all at God's feet, I have to let go of it. 

There's this great scene in the series "Arrested Development" where Lindsay is feeling guilty because she's received a wad of bills that were clearly ill-gotten. And she has this moment of conscience where she decides to throw it away, but she just can't. She physically can't release her fingers; she keeps flicking her hand, yet continues to hold the bills. Lindsay wants to feel better about herself, but she wants the money more. It was hilarious and a little sad

This is me with my worries. This is me, thinking that my great expectations for Quest are all about me. This is me, unable to let go and let God.

I want the peace, but maybe I also want the credit. God help me.

Who's safe?

Wow.

I changed my profile pic, and I pinned a safety pin on my shirt, and I made it clear that I was doing it so that people who feel marginalized by the current political climate know they have an ally in me. It says, "I'm safe."

This is about me and the people who feel marginalized. It's not about Trump or the people who voted for him (or the people who voted for Hillary, for that matter). I don't think this pin will magically help anybody or supernaturally defuse conflict. I'm just saying, "I get why you're worried, and I stand with you." 

It's about extending peace - shalom - to those who feel their nation has declared war on them - Hispanics, LGBT, Muslims, women, other racial minorities, immigrants in general - and saying it is my intent to be an agent of peace in this season of tension. I don't know what that looks like exactly, but I'm willing to try and figure it out.

And for some weird reason, that really ticks some people off. It's caused a number of people to say really ugly things about me, to dismiss me as an intellectual lightweight, and to accuse me of being a pawn of the media. 

I even had to unfriend a Facebook friend. I NEVER do that! But his reaction was so ugly it was making me lose my own peace. I don't understand why he cares that I care.

So, I'm trying to figure out what we can learn from this.

Apparently it's true that being a peacemaker is counter-cultural. 

When Jesus listed the eight qualities that would characterize the citizens of his upside-down kingdom, he included "peacemaker," because he knew it doesn't come naturally. Peace is a hallmark of the Way of Jesus, and it's the whole point of the gospel. Whatever you think it's about - staying holy, staying out of hell, staying on God's good side - whatever you think it's about, it's really about peace. It's about restoring shalom to God's good creation.

And until it's all restored - until Jesus returns - as long as we're here to represent him - it's all about hospitality - about extending grace and peace to the neighbor, the refugee, the immigrant, the outsider, the Samaritan.

And in Matthew 5:9, we learn that, in Jesus' kingdom, the peacemaker is already blessed because she is a "child of God." She reflects her maker.

So, when we look around today, we see shalom is fractured. Peace is overturned. People are heartsick and afraid. And, as Jesus followers, we shouldn't be worried about whether we have the best arguments, or whether we voted for the best set of policies. That season is OVER. 

As Jesus followers, we need to be the ones with the glue and the bandages, picking up the pieces and putting things back together and bandaging peoples' wounds and reassuring the broken - even if it makes us look like intellectual lightweights or pawns of the media.

We need to make peace. But making peace is counter-cultural. So we shouldn't be surprised when trying to make peace actually causes strife. Really, it just proves my point.

Not sure what I'm going to do about the arguably harmless safety pin on my lapel, but I know that, every day, I'll be praying for our broken, confused, angry, conflict-obsessed nation. And safety pin or not, I will do whatever I can to make peace in this uncertain season. 

And, yes, maybe I'll just start with a safety pin. At least it's a start.

Future Shock

We've been talking about how God isn't looking for excuses to punish you or reasons to weed you out, but instead, he wants to help you become a good citizen of the kingdom. So, if God is more interested in what we're becoming than he is about who we are and what we've done, then maybe he's just generally more interested in our future than our past? Maybe he's less interested in our record - how we've responded to things previously - than he is about how we respond from here on out. 

If that's true, part of me says, "That's great! It's all about what's next! It's all about potential!" But another part of me says, "Oh, dear. What if I don't do any better than I have? What if my future is just as messed up as my past?"

Good question. But maybe a better way to think about it is to remember that Jesus didn't just stroll into your life once you noticed him. You didn't call him out of retirement. The reason you noticed him is because he's been there all along; you just didn't notice him until you figured out what to look for. He's been at work in your life, and a huge part of your development as a Jesus follower - as a disciple - is noticing that. The first big step in your sanctification process - your God-directed forward movement - is this awareness that your future matters, both to you and to him.

With that understanding in your back pocket, the rest of your life is all about a kind of four-step process: engage - respond - correct - repeat. Prayerfully step out. Respond to things as best you can. Based on results, make prayerful corrections. Then do it all again. And again. If you keep this up, God will use you, grow you, and bless you.

It's not easy, but it's awesome.

Blessings!
Pastor Ed

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Series Title: 7 THINGS
Message Title: God's not exclusive
Date: 4/3/16
Main Passages: Galatians 3:28

Some questions for reflection or group study (or please comment on them, below):

• In what ways have you felt excluded - in life - in the church?
• Does the idea that God is "inclusive" make you uncomfortable? If so, how? If not, why not?
• What -isms have you struggled with receiving or giving (racism? sexism? ageism? etc.)?
• How has your church family helped you with any of this?