Angels in Adoption

It's been a couple of weeks since my last post- I've been away from home more in the two weeks than I've been home (a rarity in my life) and haven't worked in blogging while on the road (a misstep in teh blogging world I am sure!). Two weeks ago Tarina and I were in Washington DC, accepting the award "Angel in Adoption" on behalf of Hillcrest's work with financing and supporting adoptions; you can see the press release from Senator Johnson's office here. I'll write about some insights throughout my next few posts, but on Tuesday (9/16) was an incredible day. We were at the Captiol for most of it receiving the award, talking to Senator Thune, getting a tour of the capitol, meeting with Senator Johnson and his staff and getting to share Hillcrest's story with adoption and the impact we’re trying to make in the community, and then the gala that night. One of my first thoughts from the whole trip is that Hillcrest is a part of a movement that is really seeking to find forever families for orphans and kids in foster care. We met some incredible people: from the couple in Illinois who lead a nonprofit that raises money and then financially supports adoptive families (they’ve helped 58 families in the last four years; make our four look rather small!) to the sister from New Hampshire who works at a children’s home seeking to place 4-17 year olds in forever families to the family from North Dakota who adopted 5 Native American siblings, various ages, after trying to adopt only one and learning that the four other siblings were spread throughout the foster care system. It was an amazing week indeed and one that will stay with me and us for awhile.

The different sides of Paul

As I read 2 Corinthians 6 today, I was struck by how much Paul and his friends had to endure for the sake of following Christ. Poor, shipwrecked, humiliated, alone, discouraged- all emotions that come with the territory of trying to follow Jesus (and more so in a church setting!) and yet Paul perseveres and clings onto his relationship with Jesus. Chapters 5 and 6 are tough to reconcile, at least for me and looking at a surface level. In chapter 5, Paul talks about his plea for all to be reconciled what Jesus did on the cross. He talks about the possibility of the newness of life that is offered- the 180 degree turn of living life your way to living life God’s way. In fact, again at a surface level and without any real study, Paul appears very inclusive with his language- using ‘all’ four times (one to refer to judgment, and 3 times to refer to Christ’s work on the cross), ‘they’ or ‘their’ three times (with one reference to not having their trespasses counted against them- does the they refer to the ‘all’ or some other sub-group?), and also mentions ‘the world’ one time (again in context of reconciliation and in connection with their, raising the previous question)? At a minimum (and again, without any study), Paul’s language appears to be at least inclusive, open, and welcoming. Christ died for and all are to be welcomed.

The tenor of chapter 6 is very different though as Paul instructs the letter’s readers on maintaining their separation from unbelievers. Verse 14 is the infamous “do not be bound together”- we typically translate this yoke and it is often used in relationships and pre-marital contexts to counsel people (most often students) from marrying or dating someone that is not a follower of Christ (most certainly good advice but, again on the surface, Paul appears to be talking about something more or different then just marital relationships). Perhaps Paul has in mind the idea of a yoke as a teaching- a rabbinical yoke similar to the way Jesus would have used the imagery. In that case, the teaching may make more sense. We are following Jesus, who yoke is this, and there are others yokes who teach something completely different. Again, Paul’s openness in chapter 5 seems not compromise the way that we are to live (and/or the yoke that we are to follow) that he advances in chapter 6. What that yoke exactly is, though, continues to be lived out and debated in all kinds of circles.

In My Own Backyard

Last night was another good night for our Wednesday Night Service, at least from my perspective. Andy, James, and I were on one of the furniture mission’s routes to deliver furniture. The Furniture Mission is a group that Hillcrest supports with its budget so it was great to partner with them in a volunteer way as well. Our second drop of the night continued my eye-opening experience. We unloaded and moved several pieces to a family living by the loop just west of downtown Sioux Falls. There were a couple of adults and several children in an older home that is characteristic of the neighborhood. The family was in need of the furniture and it was great working alongside James and Andy, and it was an experience for me that continued to remind me of the real needs that exist right here in our backyards. When I was a youth pastor, we traveled hundreds if not thousands of miles (and spent hundreds if not thousands of dollars) to experience the kinds of conditions and contexts that we are seeing on a weekly basis right in our hometown. Every week, I am changed. Every week I am humbled. Every week I am challenged. And while these are baby steps for me and for Hillcrest, every week I am hopeful of what these baby steps are doing in my life, my family’s life, and the life of our church.

A great trilogy

I finished book 3 in McLaren's trilogy over the weekend and was struck by these thoughts toward the end of the book: "We act as if eternal life means life in heaven after you die. So now, according to both Paul and John, the gospel is all about getting into heaven after you die by believing. And the enemy of believing, we say, is doing good works. So we've now created a system by which we see good works as bad- or if not bad, at least a dangerous distraction from faith. And now the gospel focuses not on the kingdom of God being available to everyone on earth but instead on the people who believe right escaping the earth to go to heaven after they die to enjoy something called eternal life. What matters now isn't good works but right beliefs. I know it's an overstatement, but . . . " (207).

While I obvioulsy haven't worked through all of the book's claims regarding heaven, hell, the end of time, etc, this statement for me highlights a fundamental change within myself over the last couple of years and also a fundamental change within our church. In some ways, we and I have overcorrected our past insistence on believing the right things (or saying the right things) and are attempting to balance that with doing the right things.

Where Jesus would have been

Last Wednesday I was with others from our church serving at a SD Achieve house . The house has 12 residents and over 20 full time staff. Our job was to serve supper and hang out at the house as our Wednesday Night Service. It was an interesting experience to say the least. There wasn't much to do in terms of work- some of our group were able to do the dishes, some (including my son Riley) were able to clear dishes, but a it became apparent that a big part of the evening was simply being present and being with people whom Jesus loves and whom are different then us. I know Riley and I had some good conversation on the way home and before bed that evening about the experience. When I read in the gospels about Jesus, I can't help but think it's places like this house where he would have hung out.

Beginning Book 3

Book 3 of McLaren's trilogy begins to focus on the concept of hell and at least in the beginning, sets up to trace the development of thought concernign hell. For Christians, when we search the Old Testament, you have the concept of sheol, which is a Hebrew term that connotes a resting place for the dead and not some place where bad souls experience eternal torment. As I read more of book 3 and reconcile it again with what I teach in my history and cultures class, it is interesting that other ancient civilizations and religions have some precursors to the after life: the Mesopotamians and the Egyptians certainly begin to develop some thought as to what the afterlife looks like. Certainly the Zoroastrians introduce some of the concepts that we are familiar with in our practice of Christianity- good vs evil, a monotheism with an evil force also at work, the idea of a final judgment, the idea of free will, etc. But these all predate the birth of Jesus and really predate the Christian notion of hell, at least as we understand it. So did we borrow these ideas? Add onto these concepts? Christianize them and make them our own? Does Jesus have this as a backdrop when he introduces the idea of hell? Is Jesus thinking of something else? I am sure these questions and more will be posed in my reading of book 3, but I am certainly curious. Good stuff indeed.

Finishing Book 2

Been reading a lot- can’t put down the McLaren trilogy. I have been so entrenched with the McLaren trilogy (am currently beginning book 3) that I have not been able to put it down. I finished book two over the weekend and was really struck with some of the final thoughts regarding heaven, and the foreshadowing treatment of hell, which book three picks up. Towards the end of book 2, Neo’s perspective concerning what the point of this life is and how that relates to heaven really struck me. MClaren writes “So I can imagine God saying to someone, "well done! You have lived well! You helped the story advance toward my creative dreams. You fed the hungry, clothed the naked, welcomed in the lonely, visited the prisoners, shared your bread with the poor. Wherever you went, you contributed love and peace, generosity and truth, courage and sacrifice, self-control and justice, faithfulness and kindness. You enriched the story, enhanced its beauty and drama and nobility. Your unique, creative contributions will never be forgotten, and even the smallest act of kindness will be eternally celebrated, rewarded. After naming naming and forgiving and forgetting your many faults and failures, I see so much substance to your character, so much to cherish, so much to value, and it will now be set free, given a new beginning in my new creation. You have an eternal place in my story! You have been harvested from this new creation, and now you will enter into the joy of the new creation! (McLaren, The Story We Find Ourselves In, 233). This is certainly different than the perspective of heaven that I am used to, and worth considering.