September 2011 "Sketchings"

“GROWING UP!!”

“This is what God does. He gives his best – the sun to warm and the rain to nourish - to everyone, regardless: the good and the bad, the nice and nasty. If all you do is love the lovable, do you expect a bonus? Anybody can do that. If you simply say hello to those who greet you, do you expect a medal? Any run-of-the-mill sinner does that.
In a word, what I am saying is “grow up”. You are kingdom subjects. Now live like it. Live out your God created identity. Live generously and graciously toward others, the way God lives toward you.” Jesus words in Matthew 5: 45 – 48 (The Message).

“Oh, grow up!” This is a phrase that youngsters often hear from adults, especially when they are trying to impress others. Having been a boy once, I can tell you that I don’t like that phrase, especially when it came with my Mom or Dad’s “parental attitude”. At the same time, I needed to be reminded that I could be something and someone better than what I was being. I needed to hear my Mom and Dad’s loving encouragement that they expected MORE from me than the bare minimum. Growing up always involves change, which is difficult and risky. But to not change is to stagnate. To stay the same is actually to go backwards.

“Oh, grow up!” God’s call, God’s invitation, to us is also an invitation to be on the road to growing into complete and whole individuals, kingdom people. God’s work has been, and always will be, to give us the best in order to nourish our growth into the people we’ve been created to be. God is always inviting us to recognize his blessings and live lives that are thankful for who we are now and graciously hopeful for what we can become through the live-giving power and promise of God’s gracious generosity and the guidance and power of God’s Holy Spirit. This kind of growth, becoming the disciples God intended us to be and becoming “kingdom subjects” that live lives that reflect God’s power, is difficult. It is risky. It involves change in our heart, our actions, our attitudes, our priorities and our lives. But if we do not grow up spiritually, we will stagnate and die. The Kingdom promise can not take root in our lives or be shared in our mission fields.

We live on a world in motion. Our culture is shifting more rapidly than we can comprehend. It seems like we just “catch a gear” for the next shift and suddenly there is another shift. Change is the common denominator.

Morning Star is a changing church. It isn’t comfortable to say that. But here again, change is necessary for a living body, for the organism that the Bible calls “The Body of Christ.” Jesus invites us to “Grow up”. Paul invites us to “grow up into Him who is the head, Jesus.” The Holy Spirit compels us to be like new plants in a freshly watered field. Everything in kingdom language is about growing, reaching a maturity of spirit. Nothing invites stagnation, even though Jesus Christ is the constant foundation forever.

Jesus says there will always be more mission we are called to do, more love we are called to experience and more growing up to do. In our growing we move to be more generous and gracious in our response to the needs of the world. As we grow God creates new opportunities and possibilities. Disciples are always ready to grow their faith to respond to the possibilities God lays in front of us.

Here are some of the places where we have opportunities to “grow up” to become like “kingdom subjects”:

In opportunities for worship and praise, learning and faith. As September comes around we will be adding a new opportunity: a worship opportunity for youth and young adults on the first Sunday evening of the month and strengthen others with music and participation of more and more folks. Our opportunities for Christian Education, available for all ages, we provide spots for youngsters, youth and adults to engage faith and grow roots of discipleship.

In opportunities for generous giving and service. The message here is that our generosity and service are simply ways to show others our confidence in a God who always provides and to tell others what the love of this god is all about. We do not give for ourselves, but for the benefit of others. We overflow our lives with the kind of love God overflows for us: undeserved, indiscriminate, surprising. Here we’re called to “grow up” from thinking that there isn’t enough, to living in our God created identity, dreaming beyond the trust that God always out gives the giver. Furthermore, in mission and ministry we are something more than “the bottom line.” God calls us to purposes that are higher, with opportunities to invest in others for the kingdom’s sake.

In opportunities to challenge “our sense of church”. God often comes into our lives disguised as a stranger asking, “What kind of a place are you runnin’ here anyway?” The stranger will probably be looking for a hospital where resources are invested in encouraging and aiding others along the road. The stranger will probably not be impressed with something that looks more like a “club” where membership has its privileges and people tend first to their own. Again we are called to “grow up”. We are to be something more, believe that we are all unworthy of grace, to understand that there are no special privileges.

By now, some are thinking, “Well, preacher, that all sounds good ... but .. it’s just not practical.” Of course it isn’t practical. Jesus’ point has always been that following him isn’t practical. Jesus point is that the law of God’s love dwelling in us compels us to stop depending on ourselves and start depending on him as we seek to grow into the people God created us to be, to go beyond what is practical and expected. Will it feel foolish at times? For sure. Will be wonder how we can meet the next need? Certainly. Will it be easy, painless comfortable? Hardly ever.

BUT, living generously and graciously toward others is a defining characteristic of those who are kingdom subjects, disciples, followers of Jesus. Our calling is to grow in his love, and connect others with the light of all creation. Our calling is to grow, grow over the long term, in the long run, even when in the short run it doesn’t look practical or seems reckless.

To do otherwise is to limit God, to ration grace into the places where it is safe and to be no different that the rest of the world.

God is calling us to “grow up”. Grow individually. Grow as a community. Grow in our generosity and in our graciousness.

What will that come to look like?

I don’t know for sure, but I can’t wait to find out.

T. O. M.