Are You Ready to Crash?

 Are you ready to “crash”?  I want to challenge you today to go out and crash into something, and in doing so, change a life and become a vehicle for God’s love in the world. 

 When we think of crashing, most of us usually have a negative image in our minds.  The most vivid “crash” that I have experienced occurred when another vehicle stopped very suddenly in front of our family van.  Crash!  The next thing I knew, I had an airbag in my lap, a stiff neck and back, and lot of hassle to replace the van. 

 Of course, there are less violent “crashes” that we experience.  After a long and difficult period at work or school, we talk about having to go home to “crash”.  Relationships or projects can “crash and burn”.  Usually, however, a “crash” is not a pleasant experience.  This year, the youth from Holy Spirit Lutheran who went to the Bass Lake Festival at Michi-Lu-Ca were challenged to “crash” into a person in their life, sharing God’s love with someone.  Here is a brief explanation of this concept…  

 Theme for 2010 Bass Lake—CRASH

 What does CRASH mean?  A “crash” is the name of a group of rhinoceros, like a flock of sheep or herd of cattle.  They receive this name because Rhinos have poor eyesight, and do not see things until they are right upon them.  Because of their size, rhinos take a lot of energy to start moving and to stop—so they often “crash” into things because they can’t stop until they are right upon it.

 What does this have to do with youth ministry (ministry/life in general)?

• We need to crash, or at least risk crashing.
• Often we don’t do anything because we can’t see the future—yet “we are called to ventures to which we cannot see the ending.”
• Obstacles we “crash” into doesn’t necessarily mean we should stop—sometimes they are roadblocks we need to crash through. 
• We not only called to be, also to do!
• We sometimes talk things to death before acting, there are things we need to just do.
• We fear doing something wrong, so we do nothing.  Yet we need to confess the things we failed to do!
• We don’t always need to get approval or a committee to do things.  We can crash individually and make a difference (stories of young people raising money for leukemia by selling lemonade, a young adult starting a community garden and people joining in)

 Many of us truly love Jesus and want to share Jesus with those around us, but life often gets in the way.  We get busy and distracted.  We are shy or uncertain of what we can say or do.  We lack motivation or desire.  2 Corinthians 3:12 challenges us with these words, “Since, then, we have such a hope, we act with boldness.”  You and I are blessed.  God is good, All the time.  These words are so true, and we can make these words real for someone else.  Simple acts of kindness, service, and love can turn a person’s day around, but even more, show them the true love of a Christ-like love of a Christian for their neighbor.

 So, why wait and procrastinate?  “Why not risk “crashing” ahead by showing God’s love to someone today?  Let’s redefine “crashing” as something we need to and want to do, rather than being something we avoid.

As a church, what would it look like to be a church that “crashes” forward in service to others.   Can we dare to start to radically call people to take the risk to crash forward, to crash into each other in love, to crash as a group through barriers like racism and classism?  How would our service and social missions ministries need to be different to enable people to “crash” out of the worship service into their daily lives?  Do our worship services motivate people to crash on the couch or crash into the world in service?  These are challenging questions, but important ones, if we are to live out our purpose of Following Jesus and Sharing God’s Word. 

What do you think?  What has been your experience of the institutional church?  What is the church called to do and to be in this day and age?  How can the church move forward as a place to “crash out into the world”?

The family photo album

Last week I needed to prepare our family camera for our vacation up north.  In order to do so, I had to upload 700 pictures from the camera onto our home computer.  In the process, I found out that our home computer already had 16,000 pictures stored within its memory.  16,000!  These are pictures of Christmas celebrations, silly Halloween costumes, weddings and family gatherings, fireworks, family vacations, school outings and events, vacation Bible school celebrations through the ages, various cute stages of development for our kids, and many other pictures.  These pictures are some of our most treasured memories because they show the milestones of our family, friends, and church.  These pictures remind us of the good times and the challenging times that we have experienced together.  These pictures especially show us the wonderful people that God has placed in our lives – the people of faith who have shared their life with us and who have shaped our lives. 

As I looked at some of the old pictures, I was reminded of people over the last 15 years who have shaped my life and faith.  Not all of the things I experienced with these people were pleasant or happy – in fact, some of them were quite painful.  At the same time, they shaped who I am today.  In each situation, there were people who God placed in my life to influence me, uplift me, of challenge me.  Here are a few snapshots…

• My father, when I was ten – struggling with cancer, but not losing faith; dying, but praising Jesus all the way to heaven…
• My mother, while I was growing up – striving to raise two active teenage boys, instilling faith in us, all while striving to be a solid single parent…
• My high school music instructor – helped me to believe in myself and encouraged me
• My wrestling coach – taught me discipline and the drive to give my everything…
• A campus pastor at Eastern Michigan University Lutheran Campus Ministry – helped me to wrestle with the grief over my father’s death, as well as the beginnings of my call to ministry…
• The program director at my second church – who, as a spiritual director, taught me about spiritual warfare, the need for prayer, as well as the challenges of working in staff ministry…
• An older, experienced pastor – who has mentored and challenged me to think outside the box, stretch myself, and find the ways that God is leading me…

 

These are some of the people who are my cloud of witnesses, the people who I have both watched, and with whom I have also interacted.  These are the saints (not that they always lived and acted like “saints”, since they certainly lived like both saints and sinners) who have surrounded me in my life.

Many of you have your own photo albums, containing the people who have shared their lives with you, and in turn, have had a hand in shaping you and guiding you along God’s pathway.   As we reflect this week, I encourage you to ask the question, “Who is in my cloud?  Who has God placed around me to shape me, help me to grow and challenge me, support me in difficult times, and be the hand of God for me?”  An equally important question is this one, “Whose cloud I am a part of…who am I called to encourage, comfort, and challenge?” 

Take some time this week to get out your photo album – the one on your bookshelf, your phone, your facebook page, or your hard drive – and reflect on how God has used those individuals to inspire, uplift, and grow your faith.  Whether we always realize it or not, God has surrounded us all with a great cloud of witnesses…

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders us, as well the sin that so easily entangles us and the run the race with perseverance that is set before us.” 

                                                                        – Hebrews 11:29-30

Keeping Hope Alive

Tomorrow, thousands (we might wish it were millions) of folks from Michigan will go to the polls to participate in the process of electing leaders to lead our community, state, and nation during difficult times.  As I go to polls tomorrow, I go with a sense of hope that the selections I make will be able to begin to make a difference in turning things around and restoring hope.  At the same time, if I am honest, I do not have much confidence that those we elect this fall will be any more effective at bringing change and restoring hope to our communities.

 Where do I find hope today?  Do I find hope while watching TV and cable, reading the paper, or listening to talk radio?  Rarely.  Do I find hope for the future when I look at my retirement investments?  Hardly!  Do I find hope when I listen to politicians tell us their plans and hopes?  Occasionally.  Do I dream of hope when I listen to Jim Schwartz talk about his plans for the Detroit Lions Football team this fall – mistakenly, I sometimes do (a guy has to dream).  In most of these areas, we look for glimmers of hope and glimpses of a better future, but often these glimmers and glimpses are more of a mirage than a reality.

 Where do I find hope today?  I find hope in the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; the very one who kept all the promises made to them.  I find hope in the God of Jesus, who never abandoned Jesus to his fate, but was always there to share the worst that was to come.  I find hope in the God who kept the promise to raise Jesus from the dead, destroying the power of death, and granting us new life.

 Where do I find hope today?  I find hope in the God who walked with me through the many dark valleys in my life.  He was my companion, while I was growing up without a father (he died of Lymphoma when I was seven), sending me loving and supportive male mentors to guide me through many difficult situations.  He was my guide, leading me to meet my wife, who loves me (though I do not always know why) and tempers the excesses of my personality.  He was the rock I clung to over the past few years, as my mother struggled with various illnesses and near-death experiences.  He was my motivator, filling me with energy and enthusiasm for sharing his love with my church and the world around me.

 Where do I find hope today?  I find hope in local churches and individual Christians who reach out in faith and compassion, despite their own struggles and challenges.  Why does the church exist, if not to tell the world about Jesus and his love?  How can the church be relevant if it does not actively show God’s love by welcoming hurting people and attempting to help them in the best ways?  Churches need to be places where people can talk openly and honestly about their pain and struggles, their fears and desires, as well as their hopes and dreams for the future.  We are people of hope, because we worship a God who feeds multitudes (both by multiplying loaves and fishes, as well as through a semi-truck of food in a parking lot), parts seas (Red Seas, as well as figurative seas of hatred and racism), and brings healing and hope.  The church is a vessel of hope in the midst of stormy and troubled seas – this is our great calling today.

 Where do I find hope today?  I find hope when I see a child dip their finger in a baptismal font and make a cross on their forehead remembering that God is their Abba – their daddy – their constant companion and guide – the one who will never leave or forsake them.  May we all have the faith of a child, trusting and believing that we are all God’s beloved children.

Where do you find hope?  How do you keep your faith alive?