Month: October 2020

I LOVE Football, and I especially love this season. I grew up a Gator fan since my parents are both graduates from the University of Florida, as well as my sisters who both graduated, one with her Bachelors and one with her Masters Degree. As a kid, I can remember watching every Saturday afternoon with my parents even as young as three-years-old. We even had one of those foam fingers that we could point at the TV when we didn’t like a play or a bad call from the referee.  As I grew up, Fall was always filled with football games and cheering on my favorite College team.

Shortly after getting married and getting through the first major step in the ordination process, Ryan and I were appointed to a church in Gainesville, FL. We loved our four years there. Our daughter Emmaline was born, members of our family moved shortly after us and both of my sisters lived there while going to school. It was a sweet season because I had lots of people I loved nearby. Coupled to that was our love of football and the ability to walk to the stadium on Saturdays during the fall since we lived only 9 blocks away. Over the years, I have learned the rules of the game, and have loved following season after season, coach after coach, and team after team.

If you are like me and you have a favorite Team, you know all of the emotions that go with it. I will confess that there have been some Saturdays when I have shouted “un-pastor-like” things to the TV or to the field (as if they can hear me). It’s true, I get wrapped up in the game and in the emotion of it all. This Saturday’s game wasn’t much different. If you watched the Florida Gators play the Texas A&M Aggies, it didn’t turn out the way us Gator fans had hoped, but man oh man, was it a good game. At the top of the 3^rd quarter, the Offensive Lineman, #51 had unsportsmanlike conduct called on his shoving of a Texas A&M player. He was wrong and he shouldn’t have done it and would have gotten the 15-yard penalty if not for #9. On the opposing team, #9 jumped in to protect his teammate and then got unsportsmanlike conduct called on him too. The two penalties canceled each other out and put the Gators in perfect field position to make their next play which happened to be a well-placed throw and a run in for a touchdown. I was ecstatic and thankful that we were now ahead. Of course, we tied up and on the last 2 seconds, Texas A&M kicked a field goal to win 41 to 38, but man oh man, it was a good game.

As I thought about that game-changing penalty, I thought a little bit about the words of Jesus when he says,

“²⁷ “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. ²⁹ If anyone strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also; and from anyone who takes away your coat do not withhold even your shirt. ³⁰ Give to everyone who begs from you; and if anyone takes away your goods, do not ask for them again. ³¹ Do to others as you would have them do to you.”        Luke 6:27-31

We have heard this Scripture or versions of it throughout our journey of faith, but for me, it doesn’t get much easier to love my enemy as I mature. In football and perhaps in hockey, there are many moments of proverbial “Striking of the cheeks” because that is a part of the rules of the game; it is a physical sport after all. But I couldn’t help but feel for my friend, Texas A&M #9 who wanted to protect his Teammate and get even against the Florida player. How frustrating it must have been that when he tried to get even, he received the same penalty as the one he was trying to get even with!

The rules of the world are NOT the same as Football (of course), so I struggle with the fairness in it all. Sometimes I find myself wanting to play God (the referee) and dole out the consequences. I struggle with Jesus’ words about nonviolence because I have been in situations when this Scripture, called the Sermon on the Mount, is taken WAY out of context and used to justify things as horrific as domestic abuse or the belief that Christians are the doormat of society. Well, this Scripture is really about shame. This Scripture found in both Matthew 5 and Luke 6 is less about nonviolence and more about the shame of violence.

I need a volunteer. If I were preaching on this text, I would ask someone to come up and help me demonstrate this. If you live with others, choose the one you are most struggling to love right now in the midst of quarantine and ask them to be your “striking of the cheek” volunteer (just kidding). It is vital observation within the social context of the first-century world is that the right hand and the left hand did different things. The right hand was used for clean things like eating and shaking hands and the left hand, well, it was used for everything else that isn’t appropriate to talk about in a devotional. Looking at the inside of your right hand was fine because it was clean, from a purity perspective, but you never wanted to look at the inside of your left hand, because it reminded you of how dirty you had been. Now as we reread the text bearing this important social context in mind, the Scripture that Jesus teaches us takes on a whole new meaning. If someone angers you and is now standing before you, you might retaliate or get even by striking their cheek with your clean hand (your right). If then, that person “turns the other cheek” toward you, the only way you could strike them again is if you lifted up and hit them with your left (unclean) hand. This would mean that you would inevitably see the inside of your left hand and remember, with shame, just how dirty you are.

Of course, I am not advocating for shaming each other, that is not the lesson here. But in the context of a first-century audience that followed purity laws and knew the difference between the use of the right and left hand, this call to strike the other cheek takes on a whole new meaning, does it not? That is because God is God and we are not and we are not perfect enough to know the whole story, nor are we just enough to distribute perfect justice, only God can do that. Said another way by the prophetic pastor and civil rights activist, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King:

“Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”

I wonder if that is what Jesus had in mind when he spoke those words on a hillside thousands of years ago. He knew that we would be people that would want to protect, want to fight back, and want to get even. I wonder what God might be trying to teach us right now in the midst of such division and finger-pointing.

Said in a more modern way:

“To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.”  Luke 6:27-30 The Message

Let it be so.

I remember a few years back being on a flight with a really funny flight stewardess. She was explaining all of the safety features that most people tune out these days because they know how to buckle their seatbelt, they understand the job of an exit row and they can follow the in-flight rules. She ended her spiel by making us all giggle when she said that, “In the case of a drop in cabin pressure, please put on your mask first before assisting your child.” Then she added, for extra effect, “If you have more than one child, pick your FAVORITE…”

What a silly concept…choosing my favorite child. I laughed when I heard her say that because at the time, we were only parents to Emmaline. Choosing our favorite child is easy when we only had one; for the first 28 months, Emmaline was our world. Everything revolved around her sleep schedule, her joys and sorrows and Ryan and I shared this new season of parenting really well. And then we became a family of four and the rules for the game changed indefinitely. I now loved Charlie as much as I loved Emmaline and I couldn’t imagine EVER having to choose between the two. Now at age 4 and 2, Emmaline wants more of my time and attention and so she often forces me to set boundaries of time with each. But as I think about their little lives and how my heart has burst open because they are mine, I could not, will not consider ever choosing a FAVORITE. Now there are moments (of course) where I enjoy my time with one more than the other, I’m allowed to say that, right? But ultimately, I desire that both of my children, Emmaline and Charlie will grow every day to know that they are EQUALLY loved, secure, significant and at peace.

This idea of CHOOSING YOUR FAVORITE has challenged me the more I grow in my faith and from a parenting perspective, it is impossible. But every day, we are shown two things and asked to choose. Especially right now, we are stuck in the middle of having to choose between one or the other. I’m not just talking about our Presidential candidates, but living day by day in this world of Black and White. I preached a sermon series on Adam Hamilton’s book, Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White, while serving my first church in Gainesville in the Spring of 2016. While that might have been a pertinent topic then, my guess is, four years later, the ability or the willingness to see Gray in a world of Black and White has become even more challenging. But Jesus was a “Gray” kind of guy, was he not? In the First Century world, there were a lot of Black and White perspectives, or far extremes. But somehow Jesus always found the balance; he always found the compromise. Even when backed into a corner by the Pharisees or the religious elite forcing him to choose this OR that, Jesus often times chose BOTH/AND.

We live in a world that asks you to pick your FAVORITE, but we follow a God incarnate who says that all are beloved and matter equally.

When you live in a world that is forcing you to take sides, for instance:
Democrat OR Republican
Traditional OR Progressive
Catholic OR Protestant
Virtual School OR In-Person School
Israel OR Palestine
Gators OR Seminoles (just kidding)…

How do you choose your favorite? How do you pick just ONE? Why is this all that we have to consider? This isn’t healthy and this isn’t right. You see, I believe God created us to be BOTH/AND kind of people with open hearts and willing minds to consider the GRAY, rather than the two extremes.

To quote Rev. Adam Hamilton from his book, Seeing Gray in a World of Black and White, chapter five says this:

“When we can hold together, in tension, the call to freedom that comes by grace and the call to holiness in seeking to live by the Spirit, we find the sweet spot- the perfect balance between grace and holiness- that allows our faith to soar.”

Said another way, Paul writes to the Galatians these words:

“^13-14 It is absolutely clear that God has called you to a free life. Just make sure that you don’t use this freedom as an excuse to do whatever you want to do and destroy your freedom. Rather, use your freedom to serve one another in love; that’s how freedom grows. For everything we know about God’s Word is summed up in a single sentence: Love others as you love yourself. That’s an act of true freedom.” Galatians 5:13-14 The Message

I invite you to tune out the language of choosing a Favorite, and instead invite you into a place of Freedom that sees the world through God’s eyes. A world not of extremes, or Favoritism, but full of children that are equally loved, valued and significant that we hope one day will be at peace.

Let it be so.

“Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves” Philippians 2:3 

How do we make a difference? How do we make the world a better place?

Personally, I have always believed that one person can make a positive difference if you try hard enough.

When I first left the military, I became a Quality Control Manager at a production facility. As my job title suggested, I was always looking for ways for our company to improve. One day I came home and told my wife, Mia, that I have come up with a new program. I was going to have everyone in the company wear a badge that said “MAD”. To which Mia asked me why I wanted everyone to be angry? Well, after the laughter subsided, I explained that “MAD” was an acronym for Make A Difference!

And what a difference the “MAD” program made. First the company’s production became more efficient as our employee strove to make a difference in their departments. This led to departments striving to improve more than the others. Even things like plant cleanliness became noticeable. Improved quality and Improved production led to happier employees, happier customers and better efficiency for our company. This one simple concept made a difference.

So how does “MAD” relate to us? Well biblically, there are plenty of examples of people making a difference: The Good Samaritan, Paul, Moses, Joseph and on and on. But one of my favorites comes from the Book of Esther. It is the account of a moment in the history of the Jewish people when they were able to turn the tables on those who wanted to destroy them. Here is a recap of the story:

Esther’s cousin, Mordecai, told her about the king’s edict to kill all the Jewish people. Esther, who was King Xerxes’ queen, feared for her life and tried to avoid his request to do something. Mordecai again pleaded with Queen Esther to do something to save the people. Esther responded by instructing all Jews to join her in fasting for three days and three nights, then she would approach the king with her request.

Esther went to King Xerxes after three days of fasting and the king asked her what her request was. Queen Ester asked that the king and Haman join her at a banquet the next day. The king said yes and asked Esther to let her request be known at the banquet. Haman was still so enraged with Mordecai that he went to set up a pole to impale Mordecai the morning before the banquet.

The king could not sleep that night and began to read the book that contained all that had happened during his reign. The king read and was reminded of how Mordecai exposed the plot to assassinate the king. The king wanted to reward Mordecai for his good deed and he called Haman in to ask what should be done for a man who the king delights in. Haman thought the king was talking about himself and responding saying extravagant gifts and honor.  Haman was even more enraged when the king told him it was for Mordecai!

The next day was the banquet Queen Esther had called for. The king again asked Esther what her request was so he could grant her what she wanted. Esther boldly asked that she and her people be spared and that Haman had plotted to kill all Jews for money. The king was filled with anger against Haman and granted Esther’s request.

Esther had suppressed the fear for her life and made a difference.

You know – We all have that same opportunity to make a difference. To do as Jesus has directed- to love one another.  To MAKE A DIFFERENCE in the world. Re-read the verse from Philippians at the beginning of this devotional: “…regard one another as more important than yourselves” There lies the answer to HOW we can and should make a difference in our church, our communities and our world.

So, I will leave you with this thought from the movie Evan Almighty –

How do we change the world? One Random Act of Kindness at a Time!

Be kind. That’s what I am going to do. I hope you do too.