Tag: Jesus

What’s Your Vibe?

A few years ago, I was at a worship ministry conference with some friends. The speakers were great. The breakouts were informative. The worship music was amazing. But I was conflicted in my thoughts, in my heart, and in my spirit. I found the picture above, taken during that conference. That’s me, front and center, in the midst of a thousand worshipers, with my hands in my pockets and my head down.

I think my introspection during that conference happened when I attended a post session gathering at a nearby hotel. I met one of the breakout speakers and spoke some about the topic on which he would be sharing. Then, he asked the question that I haven’t been able to forget.

He asked me, “Hey, what’s your vibe?”

“I’m sorry,” I said. “What?”

“What’s your church vibe?” he asked.

“I’m not sure I understand your question,” I replied.

He chuckled and said, “I mean, do you have a Hillsongs vibe, a Bethel vibe, an old Willow type vibe, a Vous Church vibe, or someone else? I mean, who are you trying to be like?”

Now, I don’t live in the dark ages. I know and admire all of those churches, but I’m not trying to be “like” any of them.

I guess I drifted off in thought some so he asked once again, “Come on, man. Who are you trying to be like?”

I smiled nervously and answered, “Jesus.”

He chuckled and quickly moved on to someone else with a different vibe.

As I write this, I’m at another conference. Once again, I’m conflicted and distant. Not because of the conference. It’s great and I’m learning a lot. But I can’t stop thinking about that conference a few years ago. I can’t help but wonder if I’m living up to my answer.

My prayer today is, “Lord, help me to always strive to be like You. Forgive me if I’ve ever reduced You or Your church to a vibe, a musical style, or a brand. You are my Lord. Help me die to myself daily, take up my cross, and follow You.”

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Simon of Cyrene

Then they led Him away to be crucified. Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. And they went out to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). (Matthew 27:31-32)

Jesus, weakened from the flogging, cannot make it up Golgotha’s hill. When this becomes obvious to the Roman soldiers, they command Simon of Cyrene to help Jesus. Simon bends to help and lifts the cross, places it on his own back, and looks directly at Jesus with the crown of thorns pressed into His forehead with blood streaming down His swollen face. Simon feels for the man, but can’t help but wonder, “What if they confuse us? What if they think that I’m Jesus since I’m carrying the cross and end up crucifying me?” But this doesn’t stop Simon from serving Jesus. Instead, he takes up the cross and follows Jesus to Golgotha.

But who was Simon of Cyrene? We know he was a real historical person who was there at a real historical moment in time. We know that Simon was from Cyrene, a city in North Africa, in today’s Libya. He was a foreigner, an African, but it’s not certain if he was Jew or Gentile because the name Simon was common for both Jews and Greeks. Finally, we know that Simon helped the Lord in His final moments by carrying His cross. In Luke, Simon is reported to have carried the cross behind Jesus as He walked to Golgotha. Luke is the only one of the Gospels that says Simon carried the cross behind Jesus. All the other Gospels that mention Simon simply say that he carried the cross. Could it be possible that Luke wants us to recall Luke 9:23 where Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross daily, and follow me.”? Jesus had challenged His disciples with this scripture, but it was Simon of Cyrene who was available in the moment to serve the Lord. Though far from bearing the weight of our sin, Simon did at least bear the weight of the wooden cross. In that moment, Simon of Cyrene is a portrait of a true disciple of Jesus.

May we all be as true and faithful as Simon of Cyrene, ready to pick up our cross and follow Jesus at a moment’s notice.

Lord, thank You for the example of Simon of Cyrene. Please help me be ready to follow You wherever You may lead.

*Photo courtesy of James and Unsplash.com

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The Political Dance of Pilate and the Jews

“Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked Him. Jesus replied, “You have said it.” But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against Him, Jesus remained silent. “Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded. But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise.” (Matthew 27:11-15)

If the story of the murder of Jesus weren’t so tragic, the scene here would be humorous in a dark sort of way. Pilate, the Roman Governor, and the Jews basically hate each other. However, they are forced to dance a strange dance of hated political bedfellows. Pilate doesn’t want to give them anything they want, however he must still keep the peace at all costs. The Jewish religious leaders don’t want Jesus to slip out of their hands, so they are forced to act like they have respect for Pilate. And then there’s Jesus. He is about to walk through the most tragic time of his entire life in order to bestow grace to the world, but He surprisingly remains silent and in total control. Of those in the scene, Jesus is the only one who does not react out of fear or jealousy. His path was completely determined by God’s will and His love for us. 

In the midst of the chaotic, well balanced, fear laden, hate driven dance between Pilate and the Jewish leaders, Jesus is silent, but still in complete control. He is Lord in His submission to the will of God and in the face of the hateful actions of His enemies. He refuses to be goaded into saving or protecting Himself. What is His plan of response to all that is happening? In spite of all that is happening, He dies for us – for you and for me. 

Prayer: Lord, I am in awe of Your restraint and of Your grace. Thank You for showing me that I too can be self-controlled when I fully submit to Your will. 

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The Shepherds and the Savior – Interactive Christmas Sermon for Children

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(The following is an interactive children’s sermon for the Christmas season)

This year, I’m going to need some help in telling my Christmas story. Can I count on you all to help? Great…let’s practice first. When I say these words, I want you to follow my instructions. And every time you hear me say them in my story, you go ahead and respond…

SHEPHERD/S – Raise your hand and say (that’s me!)

ANGEL/S – Shake both hands back and forth over your head and say (Praise God!)

SHEEP – Fluff your hair and say (Baaaaaah)

GOOD NEWS – Make a fist and pump it shouting (Hooray!)

Let’s practice one more time…

SHEPHERD/S – Raise your hand and say (that’s me!)

ANGEL/S – Shake both hands back and forth over your head and say (Praise God!)

SHEEP – Fluff your hair and say (Baaaaaah)

GOOD NEWS – Make a fist and pump it shouting (Hooray!)

Ok – you think you have it?  Let’s begin:

I want to tell you a story – and YOU have a very important part to play.  Listen now as I share.

Many, many years ago, in the town of Bethlehem, there were some SHEPHERDS (that’s me!) guarding their SHEEP (Baaaah) at night in the field. 

It was like any other night. The sky was clear and full of stars. The SHEEP (Baaaaah) were quietly resting and the SHEPHERDS (that’s me!) were quietly talking.

When suddenly, out of nowhere, right in front of the SHEPHERDS (that’s me!) came an ANGEL (Praise God!)

“Ooooooooo!” said the SHEPHERDS (that’s me!) looking so frightened!

“Don’t be afraid” said the ANGEL (Praise God!) I’m here with GOOD NEWS (Hooray!) for you; 

“GOOD NEWS (Hooray) which will make everyone very happy!”

“I’ve come to tell you that a Savior has been born. His name is Jesus. You’ll know who he is because you’ll find him wrapped up in blankets, lying in a manger!” said the ANGEL (Praise God!)

“The Savior has been born!” said the SHEPHERDS! (that’s me!) That was very GOOD NEWS (Hooray!) The whole world had been waiting for the Savior to be born!

And with that the whole sky was filled with ANGELS (Praise God!) They sang “Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God!”

Then it was quiet again, and all that was left in the field were the SHEPHERDS (that’s me!) and the SHEEP (Baaaaah).

“Let’s go and see if we can find this Savior named Jesus!’ the SHEPHERDS (that’s me!) said to each other.

They hurried off, leaving their SHEEP (Baaaaah) who were now fast asleep.

The SHEPHERDS (that’s me!) found Mary and Joseph in the manger, just like the ANGEL (Praise God) had said. With them, lying in the manger, just like the ANGEL (Praise God!) said, was Jesus.  

Mary and Joseph were hardly expecting any visitors that night; they certainly weren’t expecting to see any SHEPHERDS (that’s me!) come to their stable.

But the SHEPHERDS (that’s me) knew they had to tell someone! They just couldn’t go back to their SHEEP (Baaaah). They couldn’t keep GOOD NEWS (Hooray!) like this to themselves…they had to tell EVERYONE!

This kind of GOOD NEWS (Hooray!) was too special to keep quiet about – the SHEPHERDS (that’s me!) had to go and tell others. So off they went to Bethlehem, telling everyone about the birth of Jesus.  That was great!!! Thank you so much for helping me tell the Christmas Story – (give yourself a hand!)

But remember, when I told you that you had an important part to play in my story. The important part doesn’t stop here. It’s just beginning.  That first Christmas might have been over 2,000 years ago, but the GOOD NEWS (Hooray!) is something we still need to tell others about today, like the SHEPHERDS (that’s me!) did that first Christmas.

That’s right – all of us have a part to play…we all need to tell others about our Savior, Jesus. 

If you would be willing to tell others about Jesus, like the SHEPHERDS (that’s me!) did, raise your hand and say (“That’s me!).

Awesome! I knew I could count on you!

Merry Christmas.

(Photo courtesy of Gareth Harper of Unsplash)

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Lesson Learned From Children This Christmas

Jesus in Manger
My wife invited some children to our home to help decorate for Christmas. They set up the Christmas tree, displayed the wreath, and hung the stockings (with care). And finally, they started to set up the Nativity scene. My wife set out the stable and placed the figure of Jesus in the manger in the center. Before checking on her Christmas cookies, she asked the kids to place the figures of Mary and Joseph, the angel, shepherds and wise men, and all of the animals. When she returned, she realized that instead of the figures being set facing out, as is traditionally done, the children had set up the characters so that every eye was looking to Jesus, just as they should be.
This Christmas, through all of the shopping and parties and busyness, let’s all keep our eyes focused on Jesus, just as they should be.
Merry Christmas.
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I Am Greater Than You

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I am greater than you.

Even if we aren’t aware of it, we say it all the time, in different ways to multiple people.

Kids say it on the playground.

Teenagers express it through segregation at lunchtime.

Adults express it when they drive off of the new car lot.

Pastors, deacons, teachers, and worship leaders convey it in their attitudes toward each other and toward others in the church.

I am greater than you.

Huge ministries sometimes fall because of leadership corruption and abuse, small church plants often begin out of spite, and confusing divisiveness invades the worship services, Bible studies, and prayer times of countless congregations. And all the while, the unchurched learn more about our vindictiveness and positional desires than our Christlike compassion and concern for their eternal destiny. What they see is the Body of Christ pointing fingers at each other, declaring to the world and the rest of the church:

I am greater than you.

Jesus had the same problem with His disciples. Shortly after His transfiguration, Luke reports that His disciples began arguing about which of them was the greatest (Luke 9:46 NLT).

I first heard this story when I was a child in the 70’s. I envisioned the disciples walking behind Jesus, saying “I’m greater than you and you and I’m certainly greater than you.” Even as an elementary student, it seemed so childish and stupid to me that the disciples were standing right behind Jesus, God the Son, and they had the audacity to argue with each other and say:

I am greater than you.

I love how Jesus handled the situation:

But Jesus knew their thoughts, so He brought a little child to His side. Then He said to them, “Anyone who welcomes a little child like this on my behalf welcomes me, and anyone who welcomes me also welcomes my Father who sent me. Whoever is the least among you is the greatest.” (Luke 9:47-48)

In Jesus’ day, children were not regarded as highly as they are today. This helps us see that He was saying that whoever welcomes and is willing to serve the lowest of the low welcomes and serves God Himself. It’s not hard to discern that this is not an attitude most often exhibited from those who want to exalt themselves over others.

The apostles learned this lesson when James and John asked Jesus if they could sit on His right and His left in the kingdom. The Bible reports that the other disciples were angry with these brothers because of their request.

“So Jesus called them together and said, “You know that the rulers in this world lord it over their people, and officials flaunt their authority over those under them. But among you it will be different. Whoever wants to be a leader among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of everyone else. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give His live as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:42-45)

Jesus, the greatest person who has ever lived, took on Himself the attitude and position of a servant. He did this, even though He could have looked at us all and said:

I am greater than you.

If Jesus, the Son of Man, came not to be served but to serve others, shouldn’t we be able to do the same with each other and with the world around us. If we do, we’ll be showing the world and other Christians that we believe:

He is greater than us

*Photo by Sabri Tuzcu on Unsplash

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Abraham Lincoln Is Alive and Well

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Imagine for a moment that you are in Washington D.C. at the national mall. You walk past the reflection pool and make your way up the steps of the Lincoln Memorial.  Slowly, you walk up to the large statue of Abraham Lincoln. You pause and remember the man that many people consider the greatest president to have ever served. Suddenly, the statue begins to move and, to your surprise, it starts speaking to you. At first, you wonder if he’s some sort of zombie statue who might devour you, but then, you realize that he, the real Abraham Lincoln, is really there, in person, speaking through that statue, desiring a one-on-one conversation with you. What you thought was going to be a personal memorial for a deceased man has suddenly become an interaction with a living president.

This is not unlike what often happens when we encounter Jesus. We think of Him as the One who died on the cross to pay the penalty for our sins, but we often don’t anticipate it going any further than that. We often memorialize Him and certainly don’t expect any personal interaction with Him. But then, when He speaks to us, we are totally blown away. It’s often, at that point that we remember that He’s alive and well, not wanting to destroy us but desiring a strong, real, meaningful, personal relationship with each of us.

Don’t settle for a knowledge of Jesus. Get to know Him.

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What Makes Christianity Unique?

photo courtesy of Unsplash - Lee Miller

Once, during a British conference on comparative religions, experts were discussing if there was any belief truly unique to Christianity.  Creation, incarnation, and resurrection were quickly eliminated because of examples in other religions. C.S. Lewis wandered into the room and enquired as to the topic of conversation. When the debate was explained to him, without hesitation, Lewis replied, “Oh, that’s easy. It’s grace.”

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Grace is so simple that it baffles the experts. Grace is what makes Christianity unique. Because of it, we have the opportunity to know Jesus as Savior and Friend. Grace helps us understand the difference between happiness and joy. It allows us to conquer all of our fears. There is nothing we can do to earn grace and there is no way that we can destroy it. In Ephesian 1:5-6, the Apostle Paul wrote: He predestined us to be adopted through Jesus Christ for Himself, according to His favor and will, to the praise of His glorious grace that He favored us with in the Beloved.   

Grace is free and yet it is also priceless. It truly is amazing. 

Since such grace has been given to us, we should always strive to treat others with grace. In doing so, we are imitating our Heavenly Father.

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3 Steps For Improving Spoken Transitions

 

photo courtesy of Unsplash - Lee Miller

It was the early 90’s. I had big hair, a mustache, and huge shoulder pads in my sports jacket. In our musical worship set, I was verbally transitioning to the old praise song Behold the Lamb. I had planned to share about how John the Baptist pointed to Jesus and proclaimed, “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

However, in the moment, the transition was going well, so I took it further than I had planned. Big mistake.

Here’s what I said:

“Jesus is the Lamb of God. He’s the only person who has ever lived who has lived a totally sinful life.”

And then, without realizing my mistake, I said it once again.

Spoken transitions, no matter where they fall, are extremely important for the flow of a worship service. If one goes badly, the worship leader or preaching pastor may never fully re-engage the people.

Here are 3 steps I believe can help us all improve our spoken transitions:

Think. Take time to think about what you are really trying to accomplish. Think about the words you are going to say. Think about the people who will be hearing your words. Think about what is coming after the transition.

Script. Take time to write out what you are going to say. Then, tighten it up by shortening it as much as possible. Remove unnecessary or repeated words and phrases.

Practice. Take time to rehearse what you’ve scripted out. Start by reading your what you’ve written aloud. Chances are, you’ll make a small adjustment or two. Then, stand in front of a mirror and practice until what you are saying feels more natural to you.

These 3 steps all have two words in common.

Take Time.

If something is worth being said, it’s worth taking the necessary time to make it as good as possible. Hopefully, by doing so, you can avoid telling your congregation that Jesus lived a sinful life.

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(Photos courtesy of Unsplash.com)

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Seven Great Christmas Videos For Worship (including my personal favorite)

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There are a plethora of Christmas videos for worship out there, but I’ve found these seven helpful over the last couple of years. Enjoy.

Christmas In A Nutshell – http://www.danstevers.com/store/christmas_in_a_nutshell/

Dan Stevers never ceases to impress me with his ingenuity and simple messages. This video is great for a message opener, transition video, or plug for people to invite others.

Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus – http://www.worshiphousemedia.com/mini-movies/35133/come-thou-long-expected-jesus  Creative painting changing often to keep everyone’s attention shows how all of history culminates in Jesus. Set to an interesting version of the Christmas Carol by the same title by Marcy Priest.

A New Promise – http://www.sermonspice.com/product/65069/a-new-promise – Surprisingly moving, the video from Lifeway Media uses highlights of scripture to point to the promise of Jesus’ birth.

Insta-Christmas – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IGx98I_utNI – Great video from Discovery Church. A couple of years old now, but creative in how it tells the story of Jesus’ birth using ancient and modern pictures in an Instagram style. Download it for free at http://smarturl.it/instachristmasHD

The Real Night Before Christmas – https://www.ignitermedia.com/products/3740-the-real-night-before-christmas – With a classic story telling voice partnering with video of children, this Igniter Media video builds anticipation for the birth of the King of Kings.

Seek – http://www.danstevers.com/store/seek/ – Another great one from Dan Stevers. Seek reminds us through shepherds and wisemen that the Lord draws near those who draw near to Him.

And my personal favorite

The Christmas Story – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kWq60oyrHVQ – The story of Christmas as told by the children of St Paul’s Church, Auckland, New Zealand. There have been many remakes of this video in the last year, but this one is my favorite, with cute costumes and original ideas.

Feel free to comment with links to your favorites. Merry Christmas.

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