Pastor's Weekly Musing
Hey everyone!
When I'm in a sour mood, nothing makes me feel better -- in a bad way -- than finding someone to gripe alongside me. "Misery loves company", the saying goes. It's like eating a whole box of donuts: it makes me feel gross afterward, but it's fun in the moment, and it's always better when I have someone indulging with me. I feel less culpable.
The same goes for when I don't like someone or some group of people. When I gather with a handful of folks who ALSO don't like the same people, we can really let it rip. It feels even better when I can find someone that I really respect to join us. It validates my gripe. "Well, THEY agree with me, so I must be on to something."
If that person I respect doesn't join in, it stings. It shakes me. And when I'm shaken by it, I have two main response options. Either I say, "Maybe I'm in the wrong here" OR I say "What do they know? I never liked them anyway."
I'd imagine that's how people in the New Testament felt when they came to Jesus with a legitimate gripe about another person, and He didn't respond how they were hoping. It happened all the time. They respected Jesus -- why else would they even ask His opinion? But rather than join them, Jesus had a funny way of turning it back on the person themselves, to get THEM to look at their OWN sin, attitudes, faults, and failures. It must have rattled them.
In Luke 13, when people were asking Jesus if the massacre of some Galilean rebels was God judging those rebels for their sins, Jesus' response turns the tables: unless they repent, they will end up just like those who were massacred!
In Luke 12, when a man comes to Jesus demanding that the rabbi intervene in an argument about his family's estate, Jesus refuses to get involved. Instead, he takes the occasion to rail against the dangers of greed, presumably the greed of the man who asked for Jesus to intervene!
Even Peter, when told by Jesus that his life's ending wouldn't be pretty, asked Jesus "What about John? What will happen to him?" Jesus firmly and directly answered, "What is that to you? You follow me." (John 21:22)
Well then, how would Jesus respond to my gripes about others? Jesus' strategy in the Bible seems to be redirecting people's outrage through giving them a slice of humble pie. So, if I came to Him with complaints about people I disagree with personally, or politically, or in pandemic-related matters, or church stuff, or cultural issues, or whatever -- knowing how He responds to people in the Bible, it stands to reason He'd say something to me like, "Ronnie, forget about them, what about you?"
When Jesus won't join in on my gripe-session, like we said before, I have two options. First, I can say "What does Jesus know, anyway?" Obviously this is the wrong way to go. He's the light of the world, the lover of my soul, and in Him there is no darkness at all. He's right and I'm wrong. Like Paul said, "Let God be true, and every man a liar." (Romans 3:4)
My second option is to say, "Maybe I'm in the wrong here." Not "wrong" in the sense that my gripe isn't true. I'm sure the man who complained to Jesus about the problem with his family estate had a legitimate gripe. Peter's concern about how his life would end -- and if others would suffer with him -- was a perfectly normal human response. And MY issue with others is probably rooted in some legitimacy too-- we're ALL sinners after all, including (especially?) people I disagree with.
But maybe I'd be wrong in the sense that my primary focus is in the wrong place. I'd be wrong in thinking that my life would be better, or this situation would be better, or my marriage would be better, or my job would be better, or this country would be better, if THOSE GUYS would just stop it already. Maybe it's faulty thinking.
This isn't to say that God wants us to ignore wrong-doing, or injustice, or crime, or sin. Far from it. God is a just God, and takes it personally when people are treated unfairly, especially the vulnerable and marginalized.
But if Jesus is always pointing my accusations back onto myself, maybe He's onto something. Maybe a dose of humility really would go a long way in today's climate. What if I took that same outrage, that same energy, that same conviction that I hold towards other's wrongdoing -- and I funneled all of it toward my own sin?
I mean, honestly, if I just took a fraction of that same energy towards my own sin, that just might make my marriage, my job, my life a better place. It's not as fun as that box-of-donuts gripe-session, but it's far more godly, far more impactful, far more in-line with what Christ has for me. It's the better option.
I want to choose that path. It's extremely difficult -- impossible, even. But fear not, the Holy Spirit lives in us and empowers us. Christ advocates for us. And our Heavenly Father loves us to no end. With His help, we can grow.
Amen?
When I'm in a sour mood, nothing makes me feel better -- in a bad way -- than finding someone to gripe alongside me. "Misery loves company", the saying goes. It's like eating a whole box of donuts: it makes me feel gross afterward, but it's fun in the moment, and it's always better when I have someone indulging with me. I feel less culpable.
The same goes for when I don't like someone or some group of people. When I gather with a handful of folks who ALSO don't like the same people, we can really let it rip. It feels even better when I can find someone that I really respect to join us. It validates my gripe. "Well, THEY agree with me, so I must be on to something."
If that person I respect doesn't join in, it stings. It shakes me. And when I'm shaken by it, I have two main response options. Either I say, "Maybe I'm in the wrong here" OR I say "What do they know? I never liked them anyway."
I'd imagine that's how people in the New Testament felt when they came to Jesus with a legitimate gripe about another person, and He didn't respond how they were hoping. It happened all the time. They respected Jesus -- why else would they even ask His opinion? But rather than join them, Jesus had a funny way of turning it back on the person themselves, to get THEM to look at their OWN sin, attitudes, faults, and failures. It must have rattled them.
In Luke 13, when people were asking Jesus if the massacre of some Galilean rebels was God judging those rebels for their sins, Jesus' response turns the tables: unless they repent, they will end up just like those who were massacred!
In Luke 12, when a man comes to Jesus demanding that the rabbi intervene in an argument about his family's estate, Jesus refuses to get involved. Instead, he takes the occasion to rail against the dangers of greed, presumably the greed of the man who asked for Jesus to intervene!
Even Peter, when told by Jesus that his life's ending wouldn't be pretty, asked Jesus "What about John? What will happen to him?" Jesus firmly and directly answered, "What is that to you? You follow me." (John 21:22)
Well then, how would Jesus respond to my gripes about others? Jesus' strategy in the Bible seems to be redirecting people's outrage through giving them a slice of humble pie. So, if I came to Him with complaints about people I disagree with personally, or politically, or in pandemic-related matters, or church stuff, or cultural issues, or whatever -- knowing how He responds to people in the Bible, it stands to reason He'd say something to me like, "Ronnie, forget about them, what about you?"
When Jesus won't join in on my gripe-session, like we said before, I have two options. First, I can say "What does Jesus know, anyway?" Obviously this is the wrong way to go. He's the light of the world, the lover of my soul, and in Him there is no darkness at all. He's right and I'm wrong. Like Paul said, "Let God be true, and every man a liar." (Romans 3:4)
My second option is to say, "Maybe I'm in the wrong here." Not "wrong" in the sense that my gripe isn't true. I'm sure the man who complained to Jesus about the problem with his family estate had a legitimate gripe. Peter's concern about how his life would end -- and if others would suffer with him -- was a perfectly normal human response. And MY issue with others is probably rooted in some legitimacy too-- we're ALL sinners after all, including (especially?) people I disagree with.
But maybe I'd be wrong in the sense that my primary focus is in the wrong place. I'd be wrong in thinking that my life would be better, or this situation would be better, or my marriage would be better, or my job would be better, or this country would be better, if THOSE GUYS would just stop it already. Maybe it's faulty thinking.
This isn't to say that God wants us to ignore wrong-doing, or injustice, or crime, or sin. Far from it. God is a just God, and takes it personally when people are treated unfairly, especially the vulnerable and marginalized.
But if Jesus is always pointing my accusations back onto myself, maybe He's onto something. Maybe a dose of humility really would go a long way in today's climate. What if I took that same outrage, that same energy, that same conviction that I hold towards other's wrongdoing -- and I funneled all of it toward my own sin?
I mean, honestly, if I just took a fraction of that same energy towards my own sin, that just might make my marriage, my job, my life a better place. It's not as fun as that box-of-donuts gripe-session, but it's far more godly, far more impactful, far more in-line with what Christ has for me. It's the better option.
I want to choose that path. It's extremely difficult -- impossible, even. But fear not, the Holy Spirit lives in us and empowers us. Christ advocates for us. And our Heavenly Father loves us to no end. With His help, we can grow.
Amen?
________________________________________________
Thanks for joining us as we pray for the peace and prosperity of our great nation for the next couple of weeks. Every day at 10 AM, take a minute to pray for our leaders, our democracy, for peace and calm to win the day, and for God's will to be done in our country.
The collective prayers of the saints are far more impactful than we can possibly know!
The collective prayers of the saints are far more impactful than we can possibly know!
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- MYG meets this Wednesday night at 7 PM.
- Prayer Gathering meets on Monday at 10 AM.
- Prayer Gathering meets on Monday at 10 AM.
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BY THE WAY: get your free Dee's Donuts this weekend!
From Friday to Monday (Jan. 15-18), go to Dee's (6401 N Durango 89149), say you're with Meadows, and every person in your household gets a free donut, on us.
Enjoy it this weekend, and as you do, think to yourself, "Mmmm, my church loves me."
From Friday to Monday (Jan. 15-18), go to Dee's (6401 N Durango 89149), say you're with Meadows, and every person in your household gets a free donut, on us.
Enjoy it this weekend, and as you do, think to yourself, "Mmmm, my church loves me."
________________________________________________
This Sunday, we'll continue the series RESET.
How can the believer hit the reset button? After a difficult year, the idea of flushing away the bad and moving forward with the lessons learned sounds awesome, right? Well how can we do that?
Last week, we talked about addressing some lies that oftentimes enter our heads during tough seasons. Meeting those myths with truth is as spiritual of an endeavor as can be done in God's kingdom -- it really is the heart of repentance.
This Sunday, we'll look closely at a huge area that can hold us back from experiencing a fresh start: forgiveness.
Yikes, I know.
Stick with me. Rather than simply telling ourselves "I have to forgive" (which never works, right?), we'll take a different approach -- a more Christ-centered, God-honoring path. And like all things that are centered around Jesus, it leads to life -- life to the fullest!
Join us this Sunday for Part 2 - Forgiven and Forgiving.
Click HERE to register for this Sunday, and you can click HERE to get connected to our Sunday service online.
Looking forward to seeing many of you on the walkway and the rest of you in the YouTube comments!
Pastor Ronnie
How can the believer hit the reset button? After a difficult year, the idea of flushing away the bad and moving forward with the lessons learned sounds awesome, right? Well how can we do that?
Last week, we talked about addressing some lies that oftentimes enter our heads during tough seasons. Meeting those myths with truth is as spiritual of an endeavor as can be done in God's kingdom -- it really is the heart of repentance.
This Sunday, we'll look closely at a huge area that can hold us back from experiencing a fresh start: forgiveness.
Yikes, I know.
Stick with me. Rather than simply telling ourselves "I have to forgive" (which never works, right?), we'll take a different approach -- a more Christ-centered, God-honoring path. And like all things that are centered around Jesus, it leads to life -- life to the fullest!
Join us this Sunday for Part 2 - Forgiven and Forgiving.
Click HERE to register for this Sunday, and you can click HERE to get connected to our Sunday service online.
Looking forward to seeing many of you on the walkway and the rest of you in the YouTube comments!
Pastor Ronnie
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