Last Sunday, This Week, and Tomorrow

In the last four days, I've gotten 5 emails about what God is doing in the lives of people that attend Church At The Grove and what He is doing in the lives of those around them. God is at work through you. You are starting discussions with the people you live with, play with, and work with. Those conversations are causing the "unconvinced" people in your life to rethink God and Christ and faith in general. You are building friendships with people that you've never spent much time with in the past. Those relationships are causing the "unconvinced" people in your life to watch God and Christ and faith in action. You are bringing people with you on Sunday mornings to the Gatherings that haven't stepped foot in a church in years. The environment that you are creating on Sundays is causing the "unconvinced" people in your life to hear and wrestle with truth in new ways. Thank you for being willing to live out what you believe. Thank you for being willing to take the hope that have found in Jesus and share it with others. That is what following Christ is all about.

Virginia Tech (part 2)

I'm sitting in a hotel room just east of Kansas City, Missouri. I've flipped through all the TV channels and with exception of a senate hearing, everyone is talking about Virginia Tech. People are valuable, and when tragedy strikes, it hurts everyone.

Actually, the senate hearing was just cut so they could cover the VT news conference. And now they are reading names... names of students and faculty that lost their lives. I don't really know how to handle all of this. Thirty-three people are gone. On Monday morning they were brothers, sisters, moms, dads, sons, daughters, friends, neighbors... now they are memories. What a loss. What a tragedy.

Keep praying for the families of these men and women... they need it more than we could possibly imagine.

Virginia Tech

Yesterday was a surreal day for me... I first heard about the shootings at VT about lunchtime... my wife heard it on the news, called me and asked if that's where my cousin went to school. The next three hours was filled with phone calls and conversations trying to track him down... just to hear his voice and see if he was okay.

I am thankful to report that he is okay... he was not even on campus at the time... but he should have been. He had a 9:00 class on the second floor of the Norris Building. He had been out of town over the weekend and decided to come back Monday morning instead of Sunday night. As a result, he didn't get to campus until after 11:00.

I recounted this story to someone yesterday afternoon who said "God was really looking out for him." I understand the response, but the next question should be: "Why didn't God look out for the other 32 people?" As Russ (www.russbutcher.com) said at CATG on Sunday, God's ways are not ours... his thoughts are impossible for us to grasp. God is beyond us... and yet he interacts with us. God is above us... and yet he loves us. It's a little hard to understand right now... but then, so is the tragedy at Virginia Tech...

"God, get glory somehow in all of this."

Looking for something "safe"?...(part 3)

So, is "safety" really important in life?... Is it really God's plan? To answer that, let's look at what Jesus said to the first followers he had... after all, this would be the most untainted "calling"... certainly Jesus was concerned enough about the original 12 followers to keep them safe and out of harm's way.

Not exactly: When it came time for the "Son of Man to receive his glory"... he said he would receive that glory through death. Isn't that odd?... the Savior of the world receives glory through death... that doesn't sound very safe. So, "safety" wasn't the most important thing in life to God himself.

But what about us? God's supposed to sacrifice himself for us, but he definitely wants us to be "safe." Well, two verses later, Jesus talks about all of us in general terms and he says, "Those who love their lives will lose them, but those who hate their lives in this world will keep true life forever." (John 12:25) Ooops, maybe I should have used another verse to show that God's plan for us is for us to be safe.

Do you see the point? God cares about his glory, our obedience, and his opportunity to offer his love and forgiveness to everyone who is willing to accept it. He doesn't care much about our "safety." And that doesn't need to be our first concern in life either. In fact, if it is our biggest concern... God says it will cost us "true life"... maybe part of that cost shows up as we continue locking ourselves in our house... hiding from others... and refusing to risk building relationships with the "unsafe" people around us.

Unbelievable (part 2)

Twenty minutes ago, I wrote that God was "unbelievable." Fifteen minutes ago, Russ and I talked about a couple things coming up for us to connect with the community and tell people about the hope that we've found in Jesus. Ten minutes ago, we talked about a slight "tightening" of financial resources needed to cover weekly bills/expenses around here and follow through with these opportunities in the community. Five minutes ago, we opened an envelope that was mailed four days ago with a check inside... did I mention that God is unbelievable?

Unbelievable!!!

Have you ever experienced something that was truly unbelievable... something you didn't expect... something you couldn't have planned for... something that left you speechless? Sunday was one of those times for me... it was unbelievable.

I hope you had a chance to bring a few people with you on Sunday. Russ (www.russbutcher.com) did an amazing job of sharing how God restores us even when we betray him, deny him, or run away from him. Amy and I had several people there with us that were really touched by that concept... that incredible and unbelievable concept of God's willingness to continually restore us. I, too, was reminded of this unbelievable idea that God restores us... I couldn't think of one thing about me that was worth restoring... and yet God did it anyway... unbelievable.

I also looked around the environment that so many people worked so hard to create... and I was left speechless. Do you realize that we took one of the most chaotic Sundays of the year, added a second service to it, and welcomed nearly 400 different people through our doors... and did it smoothly? Each of you that were part of creating the environment did an amazing job... an unbelievable job.

And, now I am thinking about this next Sunday... who will come back?... who will join a spiritual journey for the first time in years?... who will truly accept the second chance that God gives us through the restoration that Christ offers?... who will have conversations this week to share the hope that we've found in Jesus?... what lives will be impacted in the next four days?... I can promise you it will be unbelievable. See you Sunday.

Sunday, 12:01am...2007

I can't sleep.

Right about now... in Jerusalem... 1,977 years ago... hope came back to life.

I can't wait to talk about it with everybody. Welcome to our new series, "Dialogue." Welcome to the Conversation. See you in a few hours.

Saturday, 9:00pm...1,977 Years Ago

Saturday. 9:00pm

Darkness...

Saturday, 12:00pm...1,977 Years Ago

Saturday. Noon.

Despair... Tears... Pain...

Saturday, 3:00am...1,977 Years Ago

Saturday. 3:00am

No Sleep... Grief... Loss...

Friday, 9:00pm...1,977 Years Ago

Friday. 9:00pm

Nothing... Silence... Death...

Friday, 6:00pm...1,977 Years Ago

Friday. 6:00pm. He's dead... the disciples have just put all their beliefs, hopes, and dreams of a Savior into this cave. A large rock was rolled in front. It was over.

Have you ever put all your beliefs, hopes, and dreams aside? Have you ever thrown them away? Have you ever buried them?

Friday, 5:00am...1,977 Years Ago

Friday. 5:00am

He's been denied twice... in an hour, he will be denied once again... but Jesus continues to show Peter and the disciples that "he loved them all the way to the end."

Thursday, 10:00pm...1,977 Years Ago

10:00pm. Jesus and his disciples have left the Upper Room, walked about 1 mile to the Mount of Olives, and finally ended up in the Garden of Gethsemane...the closest garden to the temple. Jesus went to pray...can you imagine him right here beside this olive tree?...praying for you and me.

As he prayed, the mob came...they didn't have to come far because Jesus had come to them...right next to the temple. Judas betrayed him...he didn't have to do very much because Jesus had already told him to go and "do it quickly." Jesus was arrested...the guards didn't have to seize him by force because Jesus went willingly.

And as he went...he showed his disciples that "he loved them all the way to the end." He became their sacrifice...and as they ran away out of fear, they learned about love...love that shows itelf as a willing sacrifice that would reconnect the disciples to God and offer forgiveness to everyone who wanted it.

Thursday, 7:30pm...1,977 Years Ago

7:30pm. Dinner has progressed. The disciples are finishing the main portions of the meal... and enjoying the time spent with their Teacher.

And, now Jesus begins the second lesson of the evening. The Passover Feast was supposed to be eaten a certain way. Exodus 12 says "This is the way you must eat it: You must be fully dressed as if you were going on a trip. You must have your sandals on and your walking stick in your hand. You must eat it in a hurry; this is the Lord's Passover." As best we can tell in the scriptures, this was not the case with his disciples. They reclined at the table...they enjoyed the fellowship...they "relaxed" and talked.

Then, Probably an hour into the meal...actually right about now, Jesus removes his outer robe, wraps a towel around his waist and begins to pour a basin full of water. Can you hear it? He moves slowly, but deliberately around the table...washing the feet of each disciple...but why? The Passover was preparation for a "trip," but Jesus was acting like they were being welcomed into his home. The Passover was eaten quickly as if God's people were expecting God to rescue them soon, but Jesus was taking his time as if God had already rescued them. And, to top it off, washing feet was the job of the least important servant in the house...NOT the job of a Rabbi.

After tonight, the Passover would no longer be necessary...God was welcoming people home... Jesus was the rescuer...and because "he loved them all the way to the end," he served.
And the disciples sat there, with their feet wet...learning about love...love that shows itself through service.

Thursday, 5:30pm...1,977 Years Ago

Sure it was a long time ago...but that's when a lot of the best stories begin. And, this is the best story of all.

Right now, it is about 5:30pm on Thursday night in Jerusalem. One Thousand Nine Hundred Seventy-Seven years ago, at 5:30pm on this Thursday night, Jesus and his disciples would be gathering for their final meal together in the upper room...lower/center of the picture.

The Bible records this part of the story beginning about a few hours ago in John 13:1 "It was almost time for the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that it was time for him to leave this world and go back to the Father. He has always loved those who were his own in the world, and he loved them all the way to the end."

And now, the end begins...the disciples come away from the party happening in the streets as people prepared for the Feast...and they join their Rabbi (Teacher) in the upper room of a house owned by a man that we don't even know the name of. As they settle into their spots at the table...Jesus begins to teach them...but with actions instead of words. These lessons that Jesus will live in front of them won't stop for the next 72 hours.

With less than 24 hours left until his death, he makes an unusual decision...John 13:3 tells us that Jesus had power over everything. He could have changed the upcoming events...he could have stopped time or rerouted history...he could have done anything he wanted to..but he chose to keep things going as they were. The disciples don't know it yet, but they are about to get a lesson in love that will change the world. If Jesus had run away or changed the events of the hours ahead, he could not have demonstrated his love. If he had focused on himself and what would have been best for him, he would not have been able to meet the greatest need of his disciples...the need for a Savior.

But, "he loved them all the way to the end," so he gathered his disciples around him one last time and continued to show that he put others first. And the disciples sat there, with their Rabbi/ Teacher/ Friend...learning about love...love that puts others first.