Stick with Acceptance - Sunday School Lesson - Sunday, May 31, 2015

Romans 14: 1 - 4, 13 - 19

I spend a significant amount of time on Facebook -whether that has proven to be beneficial to me or not, I am not prepared to determine - but sitting between innings or games at my sons' baseball tournaments, or interacting online in real time with people who are watching the same television show as I am, or reading an article that appeals to me while my family watches another baseball or football or basketball game on television, I can be found, usually, on Facebook. And the more I read on social media, the more I have found that the worldwide web has become a dumping ground for our opinions. People create clever or inane memes to broadcast their positions, to illicit support for their side, to shame those who disagree. Ideological wars rage every minute online.

And just as the web has united Christians in many ways, these ideological wars also drive wedges among otherwise peaceful followers of Christ. Paul's words in our Sunday School lesson this week apply directly to these ideological wars - these small issues not worthy of our time that serve no purpose but to cause heartache and division among believers.

Let's consider this scenario first. Marc and I have been working diligently to lose weight recently. He has been more successful than I have, but we are both losing weight and improving our health. Everyone around us has heard about our FitBits; very few of our friends don't know that we are watching what we eat. What if one of our friends invited us to dinner and plied us with decadent cheesecake with chocolate syrup and rich, creamy milkshakes? We could politely refuse, of course. Then, what if our friend tried to shame us into partaking of the fattening delights? Told us we were not being true friends if we didn't eat what we were offered. Even told us that we couldn't be friends if we didn't wash down the cheesecake with a big slug of milkshake. Sound like a productive and supportive friendship? Of course not. Yet, we often make a similar mistake with our brothers and sisters in Christ when we argue over "doubtful issues" and place limits on our acceptance of other believers because of these issues.

In our lesson this Sunday, Paul writes to the Roman church, one church he had not founded, but a church that may have been started by other Jewish Christians who fled persecution from Jerusalem. Paul did know some Roman Christians, though, and his letter to them served three purposes: to firmly establish some truths about the gospel message; to solicit support for his plans to journey to Spain to spread the gospel; and to unify the church of Rome, which was plagued with bickering over these "doubtful issues."

The strife in the Roman church came from the blending of various cultures and backgrounds, similar to the blending of cultures and backgrounds here in America. Emperor Claudius had exiled from Rome all Jews - including Jewish Christians - in 49 AD. As a result, Gentile Christians established the church based on their culture and background, which logically did not include Mosaic law or Jewish traditions. Instead, their version of Christianity blended their former festivals and traditions in with their new Christian beliefs. When Jews were allowed to return to Rome several years later, they brought back with them their Jewish festivals and traditions. The two philosophies clashed. They began to argue about food rituals and rules about food. Paul says the "strong" Christians understood that food rituals don't really matter in terms of salvation and that the "weak" Christians needed rules and rituals to feel as if they were obeying God. He offers to settle the matter for them in these passages.

Verses 1 - 4
Paul says we must accept all who profess Jesus as Lord, even if they are new believers who come with all sorts of cultural baggage. We encounter this same situation in an English classroom; English teachers are taught that our students bring very different backgrounds, experiences, and values to the literature we teach. Some students will react very emotionally to a scene or character because of his or her personal experiences and the values and beliefs in his or her home culture while the rest of the class doesn't understand why they react emotionally in that moment. The same is true for followers of Christ. Some of us grow up in church; some of us don't. We grow up in different parts of the country (or world); we come from different socio-economic situations and different ethnicities with different perspectives on the world; and we have been taught very different social protocol and procedures. Even within those of us who come from a church background, our church experiences vary as much as the people themselves do. Yet, we come together with the one and only connection that matters and lasts - our love of Jesus, our belief that He was sent from the Father to save us and redeem us.

He says we must not argue over "doubtful issues." Now, when we consider what doubtful issues might be, we must know that we are not talking about justifying outright and obvious sins. We shouldn't say that because we feel free in the Holy Spirit, we can lie or cheat on our spouse or use deception to get ahead at work. Yet, how often do we argue within the church over issues such as buying lottery tickets or who we are voting for or our spending habits or environmental issues, etc.? While some of us have very strong feelings about the morality of these issues, other Christians just don't see what the big deal is. Paul says arguing over these doubtful issues does nothing but harm the church and our relationships with each other. He says strong Christians know that we don't get into Heaven following rules, but they also understand how weak Christians feel tied to the law and need rules to feel justified, so strong Christians approach the situation with love and understanding and a willingness to pursue peace, even sacrificially.

And really, I cannot bring another soul into Heaven with me. I will answer for my actions and my actions alone. I will be judged on the way I treat others, on whether I loved others as I loved myself, not whether I was able to prove my correct interpretation of theology. For instance, I have been told by other Christians that I cannot possibly even be a Christian if I vote for a particular candidate or that it is my Christian duty to pull out of the public schools. Yet, just like my students in my diverse classroom, we Christians bring to church very different cultural backgrounds. What was taboo in my home may not even be considered as important in another's home. Who is right? It doesn't matter in the big picture. I have to answer for myself; I must pray regularly that if I am wrong, the Lord will show me how I am wrong. My former minister used to say that, as fishers of men, our job is to hook people; the Holy Spirit will clean them. I know that I must be weak in some of my ways of worshiping the Lord, but only if I submit my heart to the workings of the Holy Spirit can I be cleansed of that blind spot. What blinds me may be clear to a Christian more mature in that area, while I may have clarity on an issue that blinds the very same fellow believer.

We cannot criticize other believers for having different opinions on these issues, and we shouldn't question someone else's faith based on these issues, either. If we are to be strong Christians, we must value people and love and relationship instead of issues.

Verses 13 - 19
Paul says we must decide, make a conscious effort, to refrain from hurting or discouraging fellow believers over these doubtful issues. If we don't refrain, we may become a stumbling block to such believers, and then, we have to answer for our sin, how we inhibited someone else's worship or how we fostered resentment and division. If I am the one who feels free in the spirit on an issue, I must not make fun of someone who feels very restricted or strongly about the issue as a sin. If I am one of the ones who feels very strongly that the issue constitutes a sin, then I must not condemn those who feel free in the spirit. The strong Christian sacrifices his or her personal belief about the issue to keep peace with his or her fellow believers.

For instance, if my friend Joe sees buying a lottery ticket as a sin, then I should not buy one when he and I are in QT together if it will make him uncomfortable. I certainly shouldn't call him "silly" or "uptight" because he refuses to buy one himself, and I definitely shouldn't buy him one as a gift to "loosen him up."

Then, let's flip it. If I feel very strongly that buying a lottery ticket is a sin, then I should not shame my friend who buys one regularly. I certainly shouldn't tell him that he is going to Hell if he keeps buying them even if I am doing so out of concern for him. I can express my beliefs by explaining why I choose not to buy lottery tickets. I can be his friend, show him I love him on a regular basis, and be there to help if his attraction to gambling leads him into trouble. And I certainly can pray for him.

I remember times when I was a little girl and elders of the church would make comments such as, "You are going to bust hell wide open if you ...." Do you know how well I listened to those old men? Not at all. They seemed harsh and cruel and definitely lacking understanding.

Yet, the believers who have had the most powerful impact on my life have been those who shared with me their values subtly. For instance, when I was in college, my Bible study leader with Campus Crusade for Christ, Kim, invited us to her garage apartment for snacks and fun - just hanging out and enjoying each other's company. She offered us Kool-Aid and tea to drink along with an apology for the lack of soda. She explained that as a result of her missionary experience in Argentina, after she saw how wasteful Americans were and how little the farmers in Argentina were compensated for their labor, she vowed not to waste money on frivolous luxuries like a Coke. Rather than condemning me for buying cheeseburgers and Cokes at lunch, she explained her position in a loving way. This time, I listened. I also listened when she explained why she had no TV. She said she valued time with God and time with others more than TV, so she put that in practice by taking away the temptation of television. Wow! What an impact she had on me. Her personal choices, explained with humility, encouraged me to examine my choices on my own and present my choices to the Lord personally. No condemnation. No judgment. No guilt. She allowed the Holy Spirit to do the revelation and cleansing.

And even when I am convinced that my position on the issue is correct, when I have scripture to support my views, when I am passionately engaged in defense of the issue, I must consider relationships first. Paul says that mature Christians understand that the Kingdom of God is "not eating and drinking, but righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit." What matters in the end? My obedience to God, my faith in Jesus, and my love for my brother. Nothing else matters. God approves when I pursue peace. God approves when I encourage and build up others. And Paul also says that this attitude is approved by men. People listen when they feel loved and encouraged.

Like Elvis Costello once said, "What's so funny about peace, love, and understanding?"

Baseball Photos Spring 2015

Stick With Humility - Sunday School Lesson - May 24, 2015

Humility is quite a difficult virtue for me. When I look deep enough, I guess my lack of humility actually arises from insecurity; I think I need approval from other people, need to know that what I do is valuable and appreciated. When I feel I am not getting my due attention, I pout or demand that someone notice me or rant about the useless drivel that seems to matter in preference to the quality work I produce. So, rather than being humble, taking my lot as it comes and being happy for others' success, I end up looking quite arrogant and brash - right the opposite of a Christ-like attitude.


Philippians 2: 1 - 15 is the focus for my Sunday School lesson this week, and Paul speaks quite highly of humility in these verses. Definitely a lesson for me to heed.

Let's begin with a look at verses 1 and 2: Paul begins with some conditional statements - if and then statements. If Jesus is all He claims to be - if He is an encouragement to us, a source of love, a sender of the Holy Spirit, and a giver of mercy - if He is all of these things, then we have Jesus as our central focus in the church, and we should all share the same feelings of love and mercy for one another. We should find our comfort and self-worth in Jesus since He is the source of love and encouragement, the giver of Mercy.

So many times, I know I look for my self-worth in other places - in my job, in my appearance, in my children's accomplishments, in my personal achievements. And when I do that, I take my focus off of Jesus. When my self-worth comes from everyday possessions and circumstances that can easily be destroyed, then I am trading in the eternal and the strong for the temporary and the weak. The temporary and the weak make me vulnerable to critics and compliments, again taking my focus away from the most important work of Jesus and drawing my attention to my feelings. Here is where division often starts in the church. I place my feelings on top of any work I do, and then I feed on the compliments and become nauseated with criticism. Then, my work becomes conditional - dependent of whether I feel valued, not whether I am fulfilling the will of God. My defenses rise, and I think I can hurt others by refusing my contribution, or I try to out do someone else because I crave adulation. But what if every worker were to approach the church with a heart and mind and focus only to do God's will? If we get ourselves out of the way, we can focus on the one true goal of the church - to glorify God and serve Him. And only when we get ourselves out of the way can we hear God's will. Our desires and ideas must decrease so that His will may become clear.


Verse 3 gets a little more sticky. Paul tells us to do nothing out of rivalry or conceit. Our motives for serving the Lord must be pure. If we consider how many of our actions come from rivalry or conceit, then we might see why we have disagreements or strife.

Consider these scenarios:

Acting out of rivalry - being in competition with someone else - How many times do we brag about how we commit more of our lives to service of the Lord compared to someone else? How often do we compare churches to prove that one does more for the community or gives more to a cause? How often does our contribution come only after what we see others have contributed (money, time, or effort)? Do we say to ourselves comments such as: "If he gave $5, I will give $8."? Or "she just volunteered to cook, but I always stay to help clean up, too." Or, "We did such a better job with VBS last year." Or "I never see her in the nursery." I know I have been guilty of similar comments, and that proves that my motives for doing the Lord's work were not pure. I wanted to prove my worth to others instead of to show how grateful I am for what Jesus has done for me.

Acting out of conceit - trying to show off my talents to gain compliments for myself, to feed my ego. Now, this one is especially tricky because everyone wants to feel like she is appreciated, and we, followers of Jesus, should try to help others feel appreciated, but self-aggrandizement is dangerous in the church. We cannot have our own self-worth as the basis for our service to the Lord. Think about the times when we sing or act in a play at church because we love it when people brag on us. Think about times we have become angry when no one thanked us for doing our part. All the times we take reactions personally ("No one came to my Bible study; I guess they don't like me."). Think about the times we help with missions because it will build our personal resume or brighten our reputation or give us something to list under the category of community service. If these are our priorities, then we are working for our own recognition and not for the glory of God.

Our consumer culture does not help in our efforts of humility, either. We often seem steeped in our need to ask, "What's in it for me?". Selfishness has no place in the church of Jesus Christ because Jesus Christ knew no selfishness. He willingly sacrificed himself for us.


Verse 4
We should be less concerned with our own interests and take more interest in the needs of others. Think of others as more important than ourselves. What a counter-cultural idea! To consider what others need instead of ourselves is not popular in our world. In fact, putting others before ourselves is often considered having low self-esteem or being weak. Yet, nothing could be further from the truth. Humility cannot be equated with weakness. Weak people seek personal glory and validation because they need approval from others to prove themselves worthy. They think so little of themselves that they need to be told they are worthy.

A humble person, however, knows her worth. She knows that Jesus Christ died for her. Humble people know themselves and understand that all we have belongs to God, and nothing we do is a result of our own doing. We do only because God allows us to do. Nothing is possible without God. Only a self-assured and secure person can sacrifice himself for someone else, and that is exactly what Jesus did. He took the punishment from the very creatures He himself had created. He was able to suffer on the cross because He was certain of his place and his worth with the Father.


Verse 5
And Jesus is our standard. We should adopt the attitude of Christ. And what was Christ's attitude? Humility, self-sacrifice, obedience, and service toward others.


Verses 6 - 11 discuss the Divinity of Christ: how He, being one with God, did not abuse his privileges as the creator of the Universe. He never used his power and position for his own advantage. Any time he tapped into the power of the Holy Spirit, it was for the good of others through healing and forgiveness. I wonder what I would do if I had ultimate power for one day. I have fantasized about making sure people who have hurt me "got what was coming to them." I have wanted to put some people in their places. And I would like to reward those who I feel have been victimized, who have been done wrong in this world. Yet, Jesus did none of that. He could have struck down the Pharisees when they tried to trick him. Instead, he suffered their insults and evil plots against him.

Bobby Brown had a song when I was in high school called, "It's My Prerogative." It was Christ's prerogative to punish sinners, but He chose mercy instead. It was Christ's prerogative to be worshiped, but he chose to wash the feet of his disciples instead. It was Christ's prerogative to sit and rule from above, but he chose to come to earth as a nobody instead, to be abused and ridiculed for all eternity so that I might have a chance to be with him one day.

The whole scene reminds me somewhat of the show, Undercover Boss. Jesus, the Boss of the universe, chose to come to earth undercover to get first-hand knowledge of the cruelty of mankind. Like the boss on the show who gets chewed out by an arrogant and clueless middle manager, Jesus willingly gave up his Divine Privilege to be bullied and ridiculed by arrogant and clueless church leaders. Martin Luther King, Jr. in his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail" talks about how those in privileged positions won't give up their privileges willingly because who would? If I have an advantage, why would I willingly give it up to help someone else? Yet, Jesus did. How in the world can we act as Jesus did if serving others this way is so contrary to our nature? Only if God works through us can we do it.


Verse 13
"For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purpose."

The only way we will become willing to relinquish our privileges and our selfish ambitions is to let God work through us. We are inherently selfish creatures who want to be loved and comfortable and praised. The Holy Spirit must take over our hearts and minds; only the Holy Spirit can empower us to obedience. We can't do it alone.


Verse 14 - 15
Do whatever needs to be done in the church without grumbling and complaining. Wow! I can barely brush my teeth in the morning without complaining. When I think back on all the grumbling I have done in the church and all the complaining I have heard in the church, I know that I have failed His will countless times. Consider how we fuss about plans or decorations for VBS or AWANA or a special program or play. Consider the times we have said, "I don't know why we have to do it this way every year...." Or the times I have said, "I always get stuck with arts and crafts. I hate doing arts and crafts because I stink at it."

True, I may have been trained in music and would feel much more productive in the music department, and I could even suggest gently that the music department is where I belong by saying, "I'm not good at arts and crafts, but I love music...." But then again, if I am asked to help in arts and crafts, I might ought to try my best there simply because I don't know why God has put me there. What if God has someone he wants me to meet and talk to in arts and crafts? What if He has an idea He wants me to develop from something I will see in arts and crafts? What if He wants me to discover a new talent there? We just never know why God has placed us in certain places with certain tasks. Let's be open to the possibility of God's will and promises. Let's determine to find God's blessings in every circumstance.

Paul ends this section by comparing Christians to shining stars. He says that if we do what needs to be done without grumbling and complaining, then we will be blameless and pure. If we have a sacrificial attitude, we will make a difference in our world. People are not moved toward Jesus through arrogance and selfishness; if they are moved at all, they are moved away from Jesus by such attitudes. Yet, humility is unique; it inspires admiration. We see the work of God in someone's life when they willingly submit to some unpleasant task. We say, "that must be the Holy Spirit at work because why else would he volunteer to sweep the floor or keep the toddler class or travel to a war-torn country to feed the poor...?". Why else would he act in a way that is contrary to our human nature except that the Holy Spirit gives him power and desire to do good?

Paul calls his generation "crooked and perverted." Our generation in 2015 is no different. And the world watches the church and how it reacts, behaves, handles controversy. When Christians act as normal humans do, out of selfishness or with grumbling, they call us hypocrites. They say we are just like everyone else, that we try to tell others how to live when we don't even live that way ourselves.

Yet, the world is moved by self-sacrifice. What made Mother Teresa or Billy Graham or Lottie Moon such heroes of the faith? They sacrificed themselves and performed tasks most of us would not be willing to do.

These great heroes of the faith became shining stars in a world of darkness by offering themselves as sacrifices to the Holy Spirit, which served to light the way, to offer hope in a seemingly hopeless universe.

True / False Quiz

I know my third grade teacher, Mrs. Fine, didn't like me.
She moved me to the back of the room
And told my mom that she had to
Because I talked too much
And she got tired of seeing the back of my head,
Always turned around,
looking to see if Wendy had finished, yet.

I don't think she ever noticed
how I eyed Kelly's paper every morning,
longing for the day when
Kelly would need two lines to write our daily opening sentence,
but her letters always fit neatly on the top line,
even on Wednesdays in September.

I don't think she ever noticed
how I would watch Chip erase his mistakes,
blowing eraser crumbs and pencil smudges off his page.
Or how I watched Jodi draw Snoopy sketches
with sure, strong lines.
Certainly, she saw me write my name on one of those sketches
and take home to show my mom.

She must have known
that I was lying when I told Missy that I had horses, too,
just like she must have sensed that I entered the relay races
just because Missy had always won them.

No, Mrs. Fine didn't like me
or my Valentine mailbox,
the one my mom helped me create -
my shoebox covered in white tissue paper,
decorated in pink lace doilies and shiny red heart stickers,
that didn't win the class contest.

(written by Kristie Camp - not to be published anywhere else without my personal, written permission)

The Messy Room

And her room was always the messiest
Here she could store everything
the vacuum cleaner, the hair dryer, the wireless printer
Things no one needed to see
Necessary things that must be kept hidden
Even though everybody knows you have to have these things
somewhere

And the dirty clothes
Piles of dirty clothes
work clothes, church clothes, play clothes
jackets and sweat shirts and jeans that can be worn again
before washing time
a basket of clean socks not yet matched
clothes not washed because there is no time, too much to do
Pile them in her room, shut the door, and keep going

The living room needed to be kept spotless, of course
That would be the first room others would see
Would even be visible from the street
if the blinds were open

And the kitchen needed scrubbing every time she cooked a meal
dishes moved from the sink to the washing machine to the cabinets
in a perpetual loop
The toilet was scrubbed and bathroom sink wiped down regularly
Everyone used those rooms

But in her room, she stashed the ironing board
the pencils and markers and note pads
empty laundry baskets and old check books and extra blankets
old greeting cards and sweet notes, mortgage papers and passports
in the firesafe box
She kept her door shut most of the time
Always when guests arrived

(written by Kristie Camp - not to be published anywhere else without my written permission)