Tag Archive - Christ

Christmas: Peace In the Midst of Chaos

December 23, 2010 in Advent with 0 Comments

Melissa was enjoying dinner with her husband and their three children at a restaurant recently—until the waiter disappeared for 20 minutes. Her husband, Tim, began muttering. Melissa braced herself. “Uh-oh, here it comes,” she remembers thinking.

“EXCUSE ME!” he screamed across the room to another waiter, then stormed off to complain to the manager. When the original server finally returned to the table, her husband yelled, “Where the hell have you been for the last 45 minutes?” and continued berating him until the man walked away.

Chaos ensued.

People at other tables stared. Melissa put her head down and a hand over her eyes. In the car on the way home, she told her husband, “You know I hate it when you do that. It ruins the dinner.”[1]

Who has not experience such an event? When you are enjoying a nice dinner and something sets someone off? All of sudden you go from peace to chaos in a matter of seconds.

Dealing with chaos during the holiday season is almost a fact of life. The family is trying to enjoy a nice dinner and Aunt Bettie complains about her divorce.  Uncle Bill is angry about his job.  Grandma is yelling about how her neighbors are stealing her trash!  Grandma, come on who is stealing your trash?

I’m sure scenes like this play out in your family sometimes.  Chaos in the midst of a well indented peaceful family dinner.  What is it about families that bring out the best and worst in us?  All of us have some sort of dysfunction in our families. All of us must have an embarrassing family scene we remember?

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7 Reasons Why Christians Should Celebrate Halloween

October 28, 2010 in Halloween with 30 Comments

Is celebrating a holiday that honors ghouls, demons, ghosts, and everything that goes bump in the night dangerous or even evil?

Somewhere, in the halls of history, Halloween or All Hallows Eve, got hijacked.  What started as a day to prepare for All Saints’ Day (November 1st), Halloween became a spooky, evil, and candy filled observance.  The term “Halloween” from its beginnings, had nothing to do with any pagan or evil beliefs.  The Christian festival All Hallows Eve morphed into our current term Hallowe’en.

The key in understanding of the origins of the term Halloween comes from the sense of what is “hallowed” or “holy”.  In the Lord’s Prayer, Christians pray, “Our Father, in heaven, hallowed be your name…”  In the fourth century, John Chrysostom tells us that the Eastern church celebrated a festival in honor of all saints who died. In the seventh and eighth centuries, Christians celebrated “All Saints’ Day” formally.

How did Halloween become associated with evil spirits?  When we look at history we discover:

More than a thousand years ago Christians confronted pagan rites appeasing the lord of death and evil spirits… the druids, in what is now Britain and France, observed the end of summer with sacrifices to the gods. It was the beginning of the Celtic year, and they believed Samhain, the lord of death, sent evil spirits abroad to attack humans, who could escape only by assuming disguises and looking like evil spirits themselves. The waning of the sun and the approach of dark winter made the evil spirits rejoice and play nasty tricks.

If the Christian observance of Halloween began with a religious focus, how can we reclaim Halloween from its current feared status?  Here are 7 ways Christians can take back Halloween:

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What Would Jesus Wear?

July 30, 2010 in Jesus with 2 Comments

Hmmm... I think I'll wear my "Jesus is my homeboy" shirt today.

Many of us have heard of WWJD (What Would Jesus Do?) but how about WWJW (What Would Jesus Wear?)  Check out this actual toy , on the right, that is sold in stores.  I first thought this was a joke, but then I saw that you can buy this doll action figure for about $15.  Based on this action figure, Jesus would wear just about anything.  Including a 80′s boom box stereo (look close in the back ground)  I’m glad to see a cross is there.  I think.

Some may see this as sacrilegious, but I think it is a point of reference for commentary in our culture.  No longer is Jesus off limits from commercialization.  Sure “Christian” businesses make money of Jesus related digs, but now we see secular businesses making money off Jesus’ likeness. Trademark infringement anyone?

The likeness of Jesus and his apparel may not seem critically important to the average person.  Christ spoke a few times about clothing, but never clear on what to wear.  There are references to sharing clothing and being watchful of the Pharisees wearing their religious clothing in order to be seen.

Should we be concerned with what we wear?

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Post Christian Europe: Not Dead

June 16, 2010 in Evangelism with 2 Comments

This past Sunday, we had the wonderful opportunity to have Pieter and Nora Kalkman visit us and share about their ministry in Europe. They spoke about their work in eastern Europe and their challenges in “post Christian” Europe.  Nora and Pieter are based in Prague, Czech Republic where they serve through International Ministries as liaison and volunteer coordinators with the European Baptist Federation (EBF). They match the skills and interests of short term mission volunteers from the United States and Puerto Rico with the needs of more than 50 Baptist unions that are part of the EBF.

Some interesting information they shared:

  • There are only 2.4% Bible believing Christians in Europe, making this is a priority mission field.
  • Georgian Baptist pastors wear similar liturgical vestments that Orthodox priests wear because of the historical Eastern Orthodox presence in that region.
  • In some countries, only 3% of the population go to any type of “church.”
  • There are a variety of needs to do mission work. Week trips, short term, and long term ministry opportunities can be found here.

So if there only 2.4% “Bible believing Christians” living in Europe, we have to ask the question: Is Christianity dead in Europe?

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What's so good about Good Friday?

April 2, 2010 in Holy Week with 2 Comments

Good Friday?  How about Bad Friday, Black Friday, or Depressing Friday?  If this is the day in which we remember Jesus suffering, bleeding, and dying on the cross, what is so good about it?  The movie, The Passion of the Christ, in many ways, change the way we feel about Christ suffering.  The graphic and bloody movie was a stirring portray of Jesus’ last hours.  For some, Good Friday induces feelings of guilt, depression, and even remorse.  Christians, on this day, truly feel a sense of sadness.

On this day of sadness, we wonder: Where did we get the term “Good Friday?  There is no clear answer, but the word “good” and “God” mixed together in the English speaking world.  For instance, the surname “Goodspeed” derives from “Godspeed”, which comes from the expression “God speed (with you)”  The expression, “good bye” came from the phase, “God be with ye (you).  Despite the origins of the phases, we don’t really feel “good” on Good Friday.

No matter what the origins of the phase comes from we cannot escape our feelings.  Are we meant to feel guilty and depressed on Good Friday? We don’t feel “good” about Christ suffering.  Are we meant to feel the pressure to be grateful of Jesus’ torment? 

Christianity Today recently published an article that gives a good take on this day.  John Witvliet explains why we should not punish ourselves:

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An Airport Epiphany

January 6, 2010 in Epiphany with 1 Comment

I recently experienced an epiphany after an airport security line incident.  I was traveling with my wife and my two young children to Baltimore.  The Transportation Security Administration allows you to bring larger quantities of liquid for children through the security line.  We brought juice for our son to have on the plane.  My wife and I thought it would be cheaper to bring juice.  However, you have to go through addition screening.  I proceed to go through the metal detector and into that glass enclosed waiting area to be searched.

A TSA agent came over with two cloths to wipe my hands.  Gee, I didn’t know they were going to clean my hands!  Nope.  They swiped my hands for evidence of bomb making materials.  I watched as the TSA agent went over to a machine to analyze  the samples.  I heard the machine make some beeps, which didn’t good, and finally print out a report.

The TSA agent walked over and said, “Sir, do you take any medications?”

“Ah, well, not really.  Just some creams.  Maybe some over the counter stuff.”

“Sir, we found nitrates on you.” The TSA agent said sternly.  What the heck!  Nitrates!  The stuff that blows stuff up?  I looked over and saw two other TSA agents rifling through my bag.  Oh great!  I’m done for.  They are going to lock me away in a room without windows and question me for hours.  I’m going to miss my flight.

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Mary's Baby Bump: A Divine Scandal?

December 18, 2009 in Advent with 0 Comments

Much is made about Jesus’ birth in the Christmas story, but often preachers do not comment on Mary’s “situation”: an unwed mother who is pregnant.  Culturally, this would have been disastrous. Mary, most likely just a teenager, is visited by the angel Gabriel to bring Good News: she is to give birth to the Anointed One of Israel. Luke chapter 1 reads:

“Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” 29Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favor with God. 31You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end.”

It has been well documented that Mary’s pregnancy would be cause to shun Mary out of her community.  A scandal!  To be pregnant before marriage was grounds for divorce in the Old Testament.  Even Joseph thought about leaving Mary, but a divine message changed that.  However, apparently there has been some scholarship to suggest that Mary’s pregnancy may have not been that scandalous. Christianity Today‘s blog for women features a new perspective from Lynn Cohick, associate professor of New Testament at Wheaton College.  Cohick’s take on Mary’s situation:

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Sermon: Johnny the Baptist

December 15, 2009 in sermon with 0 Comments

Johnny The Baptist dec 13 09 by Rev. Rudnick

Reports of the Demise of Mainline Churches Have Been Greatly Exaggerated

December 7, 2009 in Churches with 3 Comments

A fresh report from the Barna Group has yielded some surprising results: Mainline churches are not dying! I should be honest with you, nation wide, mainline churches are not growing either.  In the past decade, the six mainline church denominations (American Baptist Churches in the USA, Episcopal Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America;  Presbyterian Church (USA);  United Church of Christ; and United Methodist Church) have experienced some stability.  The Barna Group concluded:

Over the course of the past decade, the number of adults who attend a mainline church on any given weekend has remained relatively stable, ranging from 89 to 100.

In addition, some other encouraging news was reported:

One reason why that average has remained steady has been the population growth of the United States, with the mainline churches attracting just enough newcomers to maintain attendance levels that are similar to the years when the nation’s population was considerably smaller.

Even though these have been tough economical times, signs of finical growth occurred:

… during the past decade the median church budget of mainline congregations has risen substantially – up 51%, to about $165,000 annually.

This is fantastic!  Although I am an American Baptist clergyman, I whole-heartily support and have great affection  for “mainline churches” (I served in 3 different mainline denominations: ABC, UMC, & PC USA).  For years, the mega-church moment has told Christians, “Come here!  We are young, happening, and different.  Your old corner church is weak and feeble.“  Not really. I’m joking, but you get the picture.  I have been very clear in past posts that I believe megachurches are not evil and are worshiping, faithful, and Godly communities – but they are not the end-all-be-all of “church.”

What does this Barna report mean for the mainline church? (There is also some bad news)

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The 'Big Daddy' of Patience

December 4, 2009 in Advent with 0 Comments

Academy Award-winning American actor, writer and folk music singer Burl Ives was made famous by playing the role of “Big Daddy” in the play turned movie Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. Big Daddy is portrayed as an impatient, selfish, and harsh father to his son Brick, played by Paul Newman.  Big Daddy epitomizes impatience: agitated, red, sweaty, shaky, and hot.  All signs of high level stress.

In a comedic exchange in the play/movie, Big Daddy and his wife have a conversation:

Harvey ‘Big Daddy’ Pollitt: Let’s go home.

Ida ‘Big Momma’ Pollitt: Don’t you want to ride with the children, honey?

Harvey ‘Big Daddy’ Pollitt: No!

Ida ‘Big Momma’ Pollitt: [laughing] He’s his sassy old self again, all right!

Harvey ‘Big Daddy’ Pollitt: Be quiet, woman!

Throughout the play/movie, Big Daddy does not have much patience for Big Momma or for that matter his entire family in general.

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