Spiritual Formation

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

On the Wrong Side of the Tracks

My brother-in-law Tim loves Jesus as much as anyone that I've ever met. His life is full of grace and ease even though he pastors a church in one of the roughest areas of Atlanta and deals with overwhelming obstacles on a daily basis. He always challenges me to take a deeper look at poverty and racial reconciliation from a Jesus standpoint.

Whenever I'm brave enough to open my eyes to peer in the direction of such injustices, I find Jesus in that place staring back at me. He mourns and suffers along with the oppressed. It discomforts me to see Jesus on the "other side" of the proverbial "tracks". I mean after all, I am a disciple which means that I'm supposed to be with Jesus, right? So, why am I not with Him? Why the chasm between he and I? Why don't I want to follow Him into the place of injustice and suffering and oppression? Why does Jesus cross the tracks, when I refuse to leave my place of comfort?

Many American Christians think discipleship is about bringing Jesus with you wherever you go. But, that's not the call of Jesus! His call is to follow Him wherever He goes. And when I read my Bible I'm finding that Jesus goes into some pitifully painful places.

So, this week He has cleared my vision enough to see that He is staring back at me as I look into the eyes of those from the other side of the tracks. Although it shatters my plans for where I want to take Jesus, maybe I'll cross over and see where Jesus might want to take me.

Postscript:

Shane Claiborne's irresistible read called "The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an ordinary radical" has been like oxygen to my soul and has challenged me towards a more centered life of discipleship. My brother-in-law, who is an ordinary radical in his own right, gave me a copy of Shane's book. It's rich and deeply challenging. Those who are honed into a domesticated version of American Christianity might think that Shane is out of his mind. However, those same people probably would have thought that Mother Theresa, Francis of Assisi and Jesus himself were crazy too. Read it if you get a chance.

It's high time that social justice and communal life made it's way back into our concept of discipleship. No doubt that these areas were central to Wesley's concept of discipleship.

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Receiving the Day

Today I didn't work hard. I did not save any souls that I'm aware of. And, if you define ministry through a narrow lens, I guess I didn't do any of that either. But, I got to go on a ferry ride. I drove a 4x4 on the pristine beaches of Ocracoke Island and looked for shells with my son Jackson. We even found a sand dollar in almost perfect condition. You should have saw the look on his eyes as he discovered this rare ocean artifact. I had a great bowl of Seafood Gumbo for lunch and topped off the afternoon with icecream. It was fun watching Kate eat a chocolate cone in a big rocking chair. Her smile was huge...and her belly was even bigger when she had finished her treat. Yea, I guess this wasn't a "productive" day by some people's standards. But, the cool thing is that I fulfilled a divine mandate yesterday. I truly rested. I experienced what few folks and even fewer ministers experience on Sundays, or any other day for that matter...sabbath.

One of the cultural sins of our time is that we are a people who do not understand the gift of Sabbath. The Jewish scholar Abraham Heschel speaks of our need to "sancitify time". Most of us have learned to run and run as if we are continually racing against time. I think we have stripped time of its sacred quality. Time has become only that which we "use" to get things done. It has become a necessary evil that we are forced to compete against daily. Even our recreational lives and down-time becomes stressful because of how we race against the clock.

But time is more than something we use. I think God intended us to view time as a precious gift. Time is not something that we have to chase down and pursue or constantly catch up with. It does not allude us. It is presently available to us in each moment. What a cool gift.

It's the spirit of Sabbath that allows us to receive each moment as gift given to us by the Giver of All Good Gifts (which is a great name for God!).

Yesterday, I recieved the day as a gift. I went into my day with a sabbath mindset. And, I received the day. And, in receiving the day, I received something deep and satisfying from my Lord. What a special day it was.

A great book on this topic that I read within the last year is Receiving the Day by Dorothy Bass. If you struggle with Sabbath keeping and continually standing against time instead of living in harmony with it...this is a must read.

http://www.amazon.com/Receiving-Day-Christian-Practices-Opening/dp/0787956473

If you haven't received the gift of Sabbath, remember God has made it available. Embrace it.