A New Definition for Expositional Preaching

There are a variety of ways that people talk about and describe preaching, especially when it comes to the purpose and design of a sermon.  Some people argue for a strict exegetical style of preaching, others argue for a more topical approach to preaching.

One such approach has commonly been described as expositional preaching, which Mark Dever defined as:

"An expositional sermon takes the main point of a passage of Scripture, makes it the main point of the sermon, and applies it to life today.” - 9Marks

While not necessarily in disagreement with that definition, in a conversation with Tullian Tchividjian, Tullian suggested an expanded definition for expositional preaching.

Exposing the sin.  And exposing the savior.

“What I’ve come to understand expository preaching to be now: in and through every text of Scripture we expose the sinner by preaching the Law and we expose the Savior by preaching the Gospel.”  - Tullian Tchividjian

A New Definition for Expository Preaching

Exposing the sin.

The law exposes us for who we really are.  The law makes sure we are completely aware of our failure to be righteous before God.  It instructs in holiness and also reminds that we aren’t holy.  The law shatters any inflated views of ourself we might have had and brings us back down to earth.

The law reveals that we are a mess and in need of a Savior.  The law does its work so that the Gospel might do its work.  The law kills us in order that we might be made alive.

Exposing the Savior.

The Gospel is the message of rescue.  It exposes Christ who made us righteous even though we are sinners.  The Gospel is the message that proclaims forgiveness that is not based on what we have done, but is based on the finished work of Jesus.  The Gospel calls sinners “saints.”

The Gospel acknowledges that we are a mess.  But it makes known the work of our Savior.  The Gospel does its work redeeming and rescuing our broken lives.  The Gospel brings us, while we were dead in our sins, back to life.

“Virtually the whole of the scriptures and the understanding of the whole of theology–the entire Christian life, even–depends upon the true understanding of the law and the gospel.” – Martin Luther

You Are What You Eat

Paul writes in Timothy, "For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.”  Another translation translates sound teaching as “healthy doctrine.”

A time is coming when people will not endure healthy doctrine.

There’s a doctrine, or teaching, that is healthy.  And then there’s one that isn’t healthy.  There’s the stuff that’s good for you and feeds your soul.  And there’s the stuff that just makes you fat, lazy, and on the verge of a heart attack.

You are what you eat.

This is easily understood when we talk about our food.  There’s certain foods that are good for you and need to be a part of a well-balanced diet.  There’s other food that isn’t as good for you but won’t necessarily kill you unless you eat too much of it.  And then there’s junk food which really has no nutritional value, but it sure tastes good. And then of course, there’s food that’s poisonous and will absolutely kill you.

Teaching should be considered the same way.

Healthy.

Healthy doctrine is simple; it’s correct teaching.  This is what Paul is referring to when he suggests that people “will not endure sound teaching.”  Paul understands that there is a time when people aren’t going to find the healthy stuff very appealing; it may be exactly what people need for life, but they won’t have the appetite for it.

Our people need a healthy dose of the law, they need to be reminded what the will of God looks like.  And they need the life-giving Gospel, which puts their hope in the finished work of Christ.  People need the true and healthy teachings of the Scriptures because they keep us healthy as we fulfill our callings as believers, as workers, and as family members.

Less Healthy.

Some food isn’t really healthy, but it isn’t going to kill you either.  You can eat a burger and it’s not awful, but if you only eat burgers it will kill you.  Some teachings are like this.

You go to that conference and learn from the rockstar pastor who is selling all kinds of books. His teachings might not be in complete agreement with yours. Too much buying into everything he says will probably eat away at your soul, but enjoying the good teaching of another pastor from another tribe is sometimes helpful.  It will help you think in a way you haven’t before and it will challenge you think about why you believe what you believe.

Junk Food.

So the healthy needs to be a part of your diet, the less healthy food will be part of your diet but cautiously. And then there’s junk food.  We all love the junk food, but know that we have to be careful.  The junk food is fun, but it is bad for us.

I could easily eat my sons entire bag of Halloween candy, and I will eat a lot of it.  But it’s definitely not good for me.

Some teaching is like this.  It’s not only less than healthy, it’s definitely bad for you. Because it’s junk food and not poison, it’s not completely off limits… but you have to know what works for you. If one candy bar will send you spiraling towards a heart attack, then you need to stay away from even one.  But if a Snickers once and a while isn’t a big deal, then go for it.

I’d compare the junk food in doctrine to the teachings that you know are not only in disagreement, but the ones that disagree significantly with you.  But even though they disagree, you find something fascinating or compelling about them that makes you want to listen every know and then.

Poison.

Poison kills.  A little bit of poison will kill you, a lot of poison will kill you.  So if we are talking food, I don’t find many people that are suggesting that we are just cautious to only eat poisonous foods once a year.  We don’t ever eat poisonous food… because we will die no matter how healthy we were.

Certain doctrine is poisonous.  There are teachings that are wrong and dangerous and that we should not give ourselves to.  There are false teachers that disguise themselves and teach people what they want to hear all the while feeding them poison on a silver platter.

The poison is what we must absolutely avoid at all costs.  As pastors and preachers, we might need to study and learn the poison so we can protect our people from it, but we must also do whatever we can to make sure people know how to discern and avoid the poison.

Creating a Culture of Mission: Interview with Jon Dansby

I recently got the chance to talk to Jon Dansby, one of the pastors at the Austin Stone Community Church in Austin, Texas.  Austin Stone is a community centered on the person and mission of Jesus.  I first heard Jon speak at the Lutheran Hour Conference in Detroit and immediately wanted to hear more about what he had to say about being a missionary in our culture.

Jon is passionate about equipping people to delight in the Gospel so much that they are sent on mission for God.  In a day and age where it has become abundantly clear that we are often foreigners in our own culture, we have an important task of cultivating a missionary mindset within our own congregations.

Subscribe on iTunes or Stitcher or download directly. 

Note: The Everyday Leadership Podcast is now in what I’d consider a beta phase.  I’m working out the kinks and trying to learn about the medium of podcasting.  My goal in this is simply trying to create the podcast I’d like to listen to.  Let me know what you think by commenting or leaving a review on iTunes.

Some quotes from the show:

“We’re asking our lost friends to be missionaries more than we are willing to be missionaries."

“We might as well start selling missional shoe-laces.” 

“The Christian community is the single most persuasive argument for the Christian faith.”

 “Missional communities are just communities that are on mission to demonstrate and declare the Gospel.” 

“We need a third place for Christians to gather that is for the sake of mission… we want them to gather for community and gather again for mission."

Show Notes: 

SENT Conference

The SENT Presentation that I reference Jon’s chart

Todd Engstrom’s blog

The Austin Stone Community Church

God Hidden in Our Suffering

It does take much living to realize that life is hard.  And no matter the strength of our faith, we would be liars if we said that life doesn’t have intense seasons of pain and difficulty.  We have the struggles of everyday life and we have the life-altering kind of struggles like a diagnosis, a betrayal, divorce papers, an accident, or something else.

And often times in Christian circles, these situations get turned into something that they aren’t.  It is easy to lie about the pain in our suffering and minimize.

One way to understand this dynamic is to look at the ways people talk about painful experiences. If someone has just undergone an ugly, protracted divorce, for example, he or she might say something like, “Well, it was never a good marriage anyway,” or “But I’ve really learned a lot from this whole experience.” This kind of rationalization tries to make something bad sound like it is good. It is a strategy to avoid looking pain and grief directly in the face, to avoid acknowledging that we wish life were different but are powerless to change it. - Tullian Tchividjian

Others go the other direction and instead of minimizing the pain and suffering, they turn the pain and suffering into evidence of God’s anger at them.

Or worse, even others go looking for pain and suffering, somehow believing that they need to find suffering in order for God to his work in their lives.

Suffering is hard.  No matter what age or stage of life, no matter what family situations you come from, and no matter how good your career, you will face suffering.  The reality is that in our life when we face suffering, we often find ourselves completely powerless and having no idea what do.

Martin Luther suggested, "He who does not know Christ does not know God hidden in suffering.”  Rabbi Lawrence Kushner said, “When you look closely and for a very long time, you discover things that are invisible to others.”

Perhaps in the midst of the pain and hurt, God is hidden yet at work.  In the pain, when we are completely powerless we have no other option but to rely on the one who has power over our situation.  In the pain and hurt when we can’t see anything good, there is one who “works all things for the good of those who love him.”

Martin Luther called this suffering, “soul struggle":

“[These terrors] so much like hell that no tongue could adequately express them. . . . In such a situation, God appears terribly angry, along with all creation. At such a time, there is no flight, no comfort—inside or out—only accusation of everything. . . . All that remains is the stark-naked desire for help and a terrible groaning, but [the soul] does not know where to turn for help. . . . Nor is every corner in the soul not filled with the greatest bitterness, with dread, trembling, and sorrow.” - Martin Luther

In the face of the soul struggle, the great pain, God is hidden at work.  When we are driven to our knees, the God who seems distant is actually present with us.  When it seems like the world has turned against us, God is fighting for us.  When it seems like the accuser wants to destroy us, Christ himself stands in our place.

We may not see God in those moments, but he is there.  And when the moment passes, we can look back and see it.  God is there, even when it appears he is hidden.

You Are a Missionary

You are a missionary.  As a Christian, part of your calling as a disciple is a mission assignment.  You are given a mission to be a missionary in the places that God has placed you.  Charles Spurgeon actually suggested, "Every Christian is either a missionary or an impostor."

Because if you are a Christian; you are a missionary.

And as a missionary, you’re either on the mission of God or you’re on some self-proclaimed mission that you made for yourself.

I’m not suggesting that this means you need to go overseas, although we certainly need missionaries that travel across the world. Instead, I want you to embrace the ordinary, everyday mission trips that you go on.

When you go to work, you go into a mission field with the message of the Gospel.  In your own homes as you disciple your kids and raise them up in the faith, you are on a mission assignment from God to be a missionary in your own home.  When you go into your community and connect with unbelievers, you are a missionary seeking to serve, earn the right to be heard, and ultimately share the Gospel with those you come in contact with.

Know the people you’ve been sent to.

Missionaries know the people they serve.  They become students of the cultural practices, beliefs, and values in order that they might speak the Gospel into the context of the culture they serve.  As missionaries, we need to not only seek to share the Gospel but we need to share the Gospel in the language of the people.

This means we know the people we serve.  It means we get to know the people we work with.  It means we might need to talk to our neighbors.  It means we need to look around at our communities and look for the hurt, the pain, and the struggles.

"God is not a tribal God, but the God of the world; that the gospel is for everyone; and that the church is one body that breaks down the walls of ethnicity, class, and nationalism that divide humans into warring camps. At the same time, there has been a growing awareness in the social sciences, particularly in anthropology, of the need to understand people in their cultural settings. Out of this has come the growing realization that missionaries today need not only a solid understanding of the Scriptures, but also a deep knowledge of the people they serve.” - Paul G. Hiebert. Anthropological Insights for Missionaries

Actually share the Gospel.

St. Francis of Assisi allegedly said, “Preach the Gospel; use words if necessary.”  This is ridiculous.  As a missionary, we need to find opportunities to use our words and share the Gospel.  This might not happen immediately and it will likely not be easy.

But if we want people to be rescued by the message of the Gospel, they need to hear the Gospel.

As Christians, God has given us the message of the Gospel.  As Dr. David Peter wrote, "We are the object of God's redemption as well as agents of His mission.”  You are a missionary.  Realize the importance of the relationships you build and the words you share.  And then rest knowing it is only God that changes a person’s heart and it’s not up to you and your persuasion abilities.

Sermon Series Ideas: 002

Everybody loves free ideas and resources.  And if you are in any creative ministry position, you are probably often looking for inspiration or freebies to help you do your work.  As a ministry, we are regularly producing great content for our sermon series.  The creative process to developing these is one of the areas that I am most passionate.  I love working with our team as we brainstorm ideas and then helping move ideas forward into a finished product.

Feel free to use these ideas to inspire your own ideas or use the supplied media and replicate the series yourself.  The only thing we ask is that you don’t sell our original content as your own.  Also please note, that occasionally some of our series images heavily rely on stock images; in those case you must purchase the original source image in order to have legal permission to use the image.

Truth be Told

Series Description: Everyday there are so many different messages that we’re being told. Some of the messages we like, others we don’t. But the most important ones are the ones that are true, even if they’re hard to hear. In the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul tells us a very important message. The message is hard to hear, but it’s true. It’s a message that reminds us that we need a Savior, and that’s exactly what God has given us.

Note: In order to have permission to use this graphic for your sermon series, you must download the appropriate size image from Lightstock.  Get this image here.  If you purchased the graphic assets and want the full size image with the text, just let me know and I’ll get it to you. 

Waiting for Christmas

Series Description: It seems like every year the Christmas season starts earlier and earlier. Commercials, retailers,  and radio stations try to remind us that Christmas is coming. The stress that comes with the anticipation arrives earlier too. Will we get the house cleaned? Will the shopping be done in time? Will there be family drama? As we wait for Christmas, it is easy to focus on what we wait for. . . the parties, the decorating, the bargains, and the gifts. But it’s important to remember who we are waiting for. We’re waiting for the King who came as a baby boy. And this king is no ordinary king. . . he’s a king who serves, a king who saves, and a king who loves.

We also made an awesome bumper video to go along with the series. 

[tentblogger-vimeo 80396990]

Can You Really Be Anything You Want to Be?

When we are little we are asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?”  And rightfully so, we are encouraged in whatever that might be, whether that be a dream to become a famous movie star, a successful athlete, and entrepreneur, or a police officer.

As kids, we are told, “You can be whatever you want when you grow up.”

But is this really true?

I’m not suggesting that we don’t encourage dreaming about being anything imaginable, but it’s not as true as it might seem.  In some sense, the doors are wide open.  When you are little, nothing is off limits for your dreams.  But is it because the options are really limitless?

If you have no gifts or abilities in engineering, you probably can’t be an engineer.

If you don’t know how to play an instrument, you can’t be a musician.

If you can’t dribble a basketball, you can’t play in the NBA.

If you don't have any patience for junior high students, you can’t teach junior high students.

If you have no competency in budgeting, you probably won’t be a Chief Financial Officer.

You can’t really be anything you want to be.  But you can try anything in the pursuit to discover your gifts.  I’m not going to suggest that we stop telling kids they can be whatever they want.  That statement for a child is more about permission to dream big and try anything.  The exploration and imagination of possible future jobs is helpful and important.

But eventually we need to face the reality that we can’t be anything.

The problem for many of us is not that we were told that we could be anything we want to be.  But we still think that and ignore the unique ways that God has gifted us and created us.

Realizing that you can’t be anything may sound like bad news, but I would suggest that in realizing that you were not given every gift you are freed to do the things that you do best or are needed to support your family.

You can be anything that God calls you to be.

Because when God calls you be something, he gifts you with what is necessary to be that thing and gives you the opportunities to fulfill that calling.

The temptation for many people, especially when they find themselves in college preparing for a future career or when they are in a job they dislike, is to ignore the present while dreaming about the future. God may certainly be training and preparing you for a future calling, this is an important part of schooling.

But school or an unsatisfying job is not a “lesser calling.”  God calls you to be a student.  He calls you to study, to work, to serve on your campus, to be a missionary, and to simply love your neighbors.  This might be your calling at this very moment while God is also preparing you for another calling that you have not yet discovered.

Perhaps you have a job that makes you want to pull out your hair, but for the sake of your family you have to keep working and cannot pursue something else.  Don’t ignore that your job is still a calling from God (while not necessarily a forever calling).  It allows you to love and care for your family.  For many people, the 9 to 5 grind is less about passionately using their gifts and more about providing for their family.  This too is a sacred, holy calling that shouldn’t be ignored.

Learn and discover your gifts for the sake of using those in your callings.  God has gifted you to be the person he created you to be and to do the work that he has prepared for you to do.  You might not have any ability to be a professional athlete or to run a fortune 500 company, but you are perfectly wired for the work that God has called you to.

Being a Christian in a Pluralistic World

We live in a post-Christian, pluralistic world.  We have atheist buddhists, catholic hindus, and agnostic muslims.  Our world is one of smorgasbord religion.  A friend of mine recently spoke at a conference about this very topic and pointed out that our world has brought about the first ever chur-mosq-agogue.

What is that?

How in the world is somebody Christian, Muslim, and Jewish at the same time?  But this is the world we live in.  In our neighborhoods, workplaces, and schools people are picking and choosing from the buffet of spirituality and figuring out their own thing.

Being in a post-Christian, pluralistic world means that we must understand that our culture is not shaped by the same values that many of us hold to as Christians.  This means that our culture may be interested in spirituality but have some difficulty with the idea of an objective truth.  As missionaries the message we have does not change, but the world that we go into is much different than it was even a generation ago.

Katy Perry resonates with this culture when she suggests:

“I'm not Buddhist, I'm not Hindu, I'm not Christian, but I still feel like I have a deep connection with God. I pray all the time—for self-control, for humility. There's a lot of gratitude in it. Just saying 'thank you' sometimes is better than asking for things.” - Katy Perry January 2013 Cover Story - Marie Claire

Our culture ultimately worships at the altar of self.  They choose what works for them, when it works for them, and how it works for them.  And because of this you get Catholics practicing a New Age mysticism, who are a little bit agnostic, but also believe in karma and re-incarnation.

It’s about whatever works for me.

This isn’t really completely foreign to the Scriptures; consider the mission that Paul has at Mars Hill.

“Men of Athens, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription, ‘To the unknown god.’ What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. - Acts 17:22-23

They are very spiritual and they are looking for something but they don't even realize what it is.

Doesn’t that describe our world?  Our world is filled with people completely open to spirituality and the supernatural.  And people are looking in all different places, religions, practices, and ideas for something that will help.

We live in a world full of people pursuing and building altars to all kinds of different gods.  Some are actually connected to specific religions, others are simply a pursuit of wealth or fame.  Both of which are often about worshipping one’s self.

And Paul says, “Let me tell you about the God you don’t know yet.”

And then he proclaims the hope of the Gospel.  He proclaims the God who has made them his children.  He proclaims the Good News of Jesus.  And these spiritual, religious people who don’t know Jesus all of the sudden become Jesus followers.  They didn't know what they were looking for and then Paul showed them exactly what was missing from their lives.  The spiritual but not religious people all around us in our world are looking for Christ, they just don’t know it yet.

Crazy Ones

Change often starts in the fringes with an oddball group that doesn’t quite fit with everybody else. It starts with a passion and an idealism that believes things can be better than they currently are.

The Reformation began with a theological misfit  on the fringes who believed that the Church had drifted away from the Gospel.  Martin Luther began a movement with passion and idealism that believed the Church could actually be reformed.  He was crazy enough to believe that the Gospel was not about works but about grace.  And he was crazy enough to believe that it wasn’t just the priests that did sacred work, but all believers.

We are in a day that needs these kind of crazy reformers.  We need a group of crazy ones who are crazy enough to believe that the Gospel still does its work.  We need a group of crazy ones who are crazy enough to believe that God calls everyone of us to bring the Gospel into our communities the context of our ordinary, everyday lives.

We need a movement of reformers who believe that things can be better than the way they currently are.  The crazy ones who actually believe that because of the Gospel, we are freed to love our neighbor with no strings attached.  A group that embraces vocation; an understanding that God is hidden in us doing his work in the world as we serve our neighbors in our homes, our communities, and our churches.

If we want things to be the way they currently are, we should keep doing exactly what we are currently doing.  But if we want things in our world and in the Church to be different, something must change.

Steve Jobs once said,

“Here's to the crazy ones. The misfits. The rebels. The troublemakers. The round pegs in the square holes. The ones who see things differently. They're not fond of rules. And they have no respect for the status quo. You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them. About the only thing you can't do is ignore them. Because they change things. They push the human race forward. And while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world, are the ones who do.”

What would happen if a group of misfits, rebels and round pegs aligned around a desire to bring us back to the pure Gospel?  What would happen if a group of reformers got together and pushed forward into this new day and culture with the message that has been handed down to us from the scriptures?

The Modern Reformation

The Crazy Ones go backwards.

The crazy ones in today’s world will be the ones that go back.

They will be the ones that go back to an ancient truth and believe that this ancient text is a message of hope for all the world.  In a world that is quick to throw out the Word, we need a recovery and love for the Word. In Churches that are quick to throw out grace for a list of dos and don'ts, we need a recovery of the Gospel that says “done.”  And in our Churches, that have ignored the doctrine of vocation, we need a recovery of the understanding that God calls all of us to our homes, neighborhoods, churches, and workplaces to serve our neighbor and share the Gospel.

The crazy ones won’t be the ones that are saying something new, but they will be the ones that are saying ancient truths in new ways.

The Crazy Ones go forward.

Not only do the reformers go back, but they go forward.

In order for the first Reformation to take place, it was largely shaped by the technology of the day.  It was shaped by the printing press.  Today, the changes (both good and bad) that take place in the Church are shaped by the new printing press - it is shaped by blogs and podcasts and social media.

The Reformation brought the ancient truth of God to the people of the cities in a language they could understand.  In our day as we recover what has often been lost in broader Christianity and in our culture, we will need to bring the message of the Gospel in the language of the people.

We will need to translate God’s word into the language of people we want to reach.  The way we sound and how it looks when we talk might change, but the message stays the same.  When Luther introduced the Reformation, people fought against it.  They feared his radical ideas like giving the Word to ordinary people or introducing music into the Mass.

But whatever Luther did, he did because he was crazy enough to believe that it actually served the message of the Gospel.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8rwsuXHA7RA

The Gospel is the message of the Reformation.  And it will be the message of the new Reformation.  Perhaps it’s crazy to believe that this ancient message is the message that our world needs today?  Maybe it’s crazy to think that the message that God can use ordinary people like us to be the mouthpiece of God in this world.

And maybe it’s crazy to think that a story about a guy who was given the death penalty for his scandalous message of grace is the hope the world needs.  Paul himself said it’s a little bit crazy in 1 Corinthians 1:18 when he wrote, "For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God."

So for my fellow crazy ones, in the words of Steve Jobs, “Stay hungry.  Stay foolish.”

Church of Cain vs. Church of Abel

Two men.  Two different jobs.  Two different offerings.  The story of Cain and Abel is the story of the first dysfunctional family; two brothers come before God making offerings and find God responding in two very different ways.

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.”  And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.  In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”  Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.” - Genesis 4:1-9

At first glance, we can read this and think that perhaps something’s going on with the offerings.  After all, Cain and Abel did not bring the same offerings.  Did Cain bring the wrong type of offering and Abel did it right?  Was this a story about fruit versus livestock?

While it might appear that this might be the case, this is not a story about fruit or livestock, this is a story about worship. It is a story about two worshippers who worship two very different gods.

Church of Cain vs. Church of Abel

In many ways, Cain and Abel look a lot alike.  Martin Luther actually referred to them both as a picture of two churches.

There are two churches that are worshipping and making offerings.  On the surface, the Church of Cain and the Church of Abel look very similar.  They both make offerings, they both have sacrifices, they both require faith, and they both are worshipping.  But when the Church of Cain does the same things that the Church of Abel does, they don’t mean the same things.

Cain can do the same things and say the same words but it is clear that he means something different.

Cain worships, but his worship is not the same as Abel’s.  Can has faith, it’s just in his own offering and not in God.  Cain approaches God as though he actually has something to offer.  This is why he gets upset when God doesn’t look favorably at him; he thought he had something to offer.

Abel on the other hand worships God with nothing to give.  Abel doesn’t think that God owes him anything.  Abel’s faith is not in what he has to offer, but in what God has to offer.  Abel trusts in the radical message of grace; he trust that God’s favor is completely unmerited.

And this pisses off Cain.

Because Cain thinks he deserves God’s favor and he doesn’t get it.  And Cain thinks Abel doesn’t deserve it and Abel gets it.  The Church of Cain is not okay with the good news being shown to the Church of Abel.

The theologian Michael Horton said it this way when he said, “The doctrine of grace and the theology of the cross will always result in the wounded getting healed and the self-righteous getting angry.”

This is what happens in the story of Cain and Abel and this is what happens in the life of Jesus.  Jesus comes preaching this message of grace.  And this message is so radical and scandalous that Jesus even starts preaching it to sinful people like tax collectors and prostitutes.

And the religious people get ticked.

Because that’s what the self-righteous people do.  They get angry when the see God’s grace extend to certain groups of people.  When you and I believe that it is up to us to earn God’s favor, we will get angered by the scandalous lengths that God will go to in order to love everyone.

Seminary: Year Two Begins

I have officially completed my first year of seminary.  Last fall, I officially jumped head first into this new journey of having my nights filled with writing papers, listening to lectures, and reading books by dead guys.  And now, after one year of hard work, I’m still at it.

Here are some random thoughts after one year of work.

• I’m glad that I like to read books by dead guys.  Because it helps with the reading assignments.
• Reading isn’t nearly as fun when it is mandatory.
• School is school.  Even when it’s learning about stuff you like.  There are classes that I enjoy.  And classes that I dread.
• I have learned a ton. It’s been a lot of work.
• Since I’m a Vicar (like a Pastor-intern), I get to preach regularly.  And that is by far my favorite thing I get to do.  I love preaching and want to keep doing it as much as my church lets me.
• My best class and also my hardest class was called the Master Narrative and was taught by Dr. Charles Arand.  That man was is a genius.
• I’ve been on campus this week and I’m amazed at the knowledge and insight of the theologians we have in the LCMS.  These professors are some great thinkers and have me greatly encouraged as I think about the mission and ministry of our congregations.
• I’m only a little over a year away from ordination.  That’s awesome.
• I’m incredibly blessed to be at church that supports me in this journey.  And even more, to have a wife that puts up with me staying up all night to do homework.

One year down.  Three to go.

Preaching Copycats

If you listen to the radio for a while, you’ll probably notice that every song kind of sounds the same.  Or if you watch movies, you’ll often start to notice how frequently movies are just re-makes of something else.  And even the original movies still all use the same basic story structures, such as the Hero’s Journey.  The same thing happens with technology.  Microsoft makes something.  Google makes their version.  And Apple comes along and makes there version a little bit better than the others.

[tentblogger-youtube oOlDewpCfZQ] Everybody is copying.

Solomon said it himself when he wrote, “There is nothing new under the sun.”  Whether we are talking about music, books, a sermon series, or blog posts, there really aren’t any completely original ideas.  All of our ideas come from someone else who got their idea from someone else who got their idea from someone else.

We all desire innovation, but we often forget that the innovators are also copycats.

Copying is usually frowned upon, but I think that as artist-theologians many of us would benefit from learning to copy well.  When we learn to copy appropriately, we learn from the positives of the artists around us and make that our own.  We don’t become carbon-copies of the people we copy but we become hybrids of all the people we imitate and when combined with our own personality and style, it becomes something completely new.

Listen.

Find other artists, preachers, storytellers, and writers.  Read their writing.  Study how they say what they say.  When you find one that you love, listen to everything and find out what they read and listen to.

Imitate.

It’s okay to copy bits and pieces of the people you love.  Copy what you love while still being yourself. Years ago, I was overly concerned with sounding like the preachers I liked, but it was recommended to me that I shouldn’t worry about it.

Why?

Because that preacher I loved, he sounds like the preachers he listened to.  And his preachers sound like their preachers.  And so they were all shaped by the ones who went before them and help form the preacher himself.

Make it your own.

The goal in copying isn’t to be identical to any one artist, but to learn the skills and apply those to yourself.

Austin Kleon suggests, "“Start copying what you love. Copy copy copy copy. At the end of the copy you will find your self.”   Copy the preachers, writers, and artists you love.  And in the end you may be influenced by those artists, but you will still be you.

You copy some.  You discard others.  And you learn your own voice.

Everything Is Awesome

Tacos are awesome.  A great deal on a new pair of shoes is awesome.  Blog posts are awesome.  Saving money on your car insurance, awesome.  I recently watched a TED talk by Jill Shargaa suggesting that we “put the ‘awe’ back in ‘awesome.’

[tentblogger-youtube uSD6RlqHwOk]

Jill said, “When you use the word awesome to describe the most mundane of things, you are taking away the very power of the word.”

We far too easily miss the meaning of words like awe and awesome.  Awesome is defined as “extremely impressive or daunting, inspiring great admiration, or awe-inspiring.”  Do our tacos really inspire awe?  Does that discount really inspire great admiration?

The word awe is defined as “a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder.”

Jill Shargaa is on to something.  We use the word awesome so flippantly that we don’t even realize what we are saying.  But I actually think that while we don’t realize what we are saying when we throw around the word awesome, we are actually speaking to a great theological truth.

In the words of Emmet, the prophetic, ordinary Lego, “Everything is awesome!”

The ordinary things of this world might be too often described as awesome.  But at the same time, there is something awe-inspiring about the complexity of the simple things in this world.  Take for example that sandwich that you got from Jimmy John’s.

Is it really awesome?

The sandwich alone probably not.  But what about all that went into it.  Someone grew all the ingredients, somebody baked the bread.  Some business person years ago started a franchise that would grow into what Jimmy John’s is today.  We could go on… the sandwich alone might not be awe-inspiring.  But the way God worked in order to make that sandwich a reality in your life might in fact be awesome.

The Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel said, "The insights of wonder must be constantly kept alive.  Since there is a need for daily wonder, there is a need for daily worship.”

Everything is awesome.

And as we are inspired by the awe and wonder of the world around us, we are driven to worship the one who created it.  From the the oddities like tacos and discounts on clothes to the truly magnificent things like a sunset or the Grand Canyon or seeing your kid take their first steps, they point us to the one who gives us every good gift.

It could be easy to get frustrated at how commonly we use the word awesome.  And maybe it’s even over-used.  But maybe, the people who use it all the time are onto something.  And the rest of us just haven’t been looking close enough.   Maybe they see something that we haven’t.

Photo Credit: Sunfox