Swords Into Plowshares

Posted on November 9, 2009 by Jason

For those of you who are interested, Jay Guin over at One In Jesus has posted some great thoughts about the prophetic passages in Isaiah 2 and Micah 4 that herald the day when the nations will beat their swords into plowshares in the Messianic Kingdom. It’s a part of a larger conversation Jay is having on the topic of pacifism. Really good, thoughtful stuff. You can check it out by clicking here.

Posted in Eschatology, Theology | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

On Turning 33

Posted on November 9, 2009 by Jason

Last Monday I turned 33 years old. I had a great day spending time with family and dear friends. I think this is the moment that truly made my day, though.

My sweet birthday gift

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On Preaching: Information and Inspiration

Posted on November 6, 2009 by Jason

I think it’s easy to think of preaching as a mere transaction of information from pulpit to congregation. To be fair, one of the aims of preaching should be to present the truths of Scripture in clear and understandable terms. The church has always held firm to the conviction that the informed disciple is constantly transformed through the renewing of her mind (Rom 12.2). And this is the default mode of communication for most practitioners of preaching. Who among us hasn’t found great benefit in sermons that inform us about “Five Principles for Outreach” or “Three Applications of the Parable of the Sower”? The presentation of information will always have a home in the sermons we preach.

Yet, we are often forget that preaching is more than teaching. Preaching informs, but preaching also aspires to do something in the life of the disciple. Rather than simply stimulating the mind, preaching aims to speak a word to the heart as well. Preaching evokes a response. Preaching aims to inform AND inspire. I think the best preaching will vacillate between informing / teaching and inspiring the congregation to follow Christ in radical new ways. Or maybe a better way to say it is preaching calls forth an informed response.

What sort of response? Simply put: discipleship. As preaching occurs in the life of the church, the message aims to inspire the non-disciple, to put him in a position to “overhear the Gospel” (to borrow Fred Craddock’s phraseology) in order that he might choose to follow Christ. But preaching also functions to call current disciples to even deeper ways of following Christ. This definition of preaching operates under the presupposition that discipleship is the life-long process of being conformed more fully into the image of Christ. As such, we find ourselves constantly responding to the vocal proclamation of the Living Word.

A word about evangelism: I’m of the opinion that the most effective evangelism occurs through dialogue rather than monologue. This is not to say that evangelism does not occur in the preaching event (see above). But especially in today’s culture, most of the “evangelism” that I’m a part of occurs in the give and take of dialogue over a cup of coffee at Starbucks rather than through the monologue of the sermons I deliver. Another way to differentiate between the two is to think of preaching as “vocal proclamation” and evangelism as “living proclamation”. The vocal act of proclamation in the life of a body of disciples will always have an evangelistic edge to it, but it’s the living out of the Gospel in “everyday life” that most resonates with the skeptic. It’s the old maxim, attributed to St. Francis of Assisi: “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” I think of what we call “evangelism” as a much broader category than the specific act of preaching.

Posted in Gospel, Ministry, Missiology, Preaching, Scripture | Tagged , , , , | 4 Comments

LOST Season Six: A Spoiler

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Jason

I know some of you like your LOST to be spoiler-free, so I won’t spill the beans. But I came across this over at EW.com and wanted to share it here. If you want to discuss, leave a comment. I’ll weigh in with my thoughts there, too.

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Jack Speak

Posted on October 30, 2009 by Jason

Over the past few months, our little Jackson has become quite the big talker. But if you’re not around him very often, it might be difficult for you to interpret what he’s saying. So here’s a little glossary of sorts to help you better understand the world of Jack Speak:

  • Hee-Hee: the first word he ever had for Abby Kate. This is his way of saying “Sissy”
  • Ah-Kay: his more recent attempt at saying her name. But he still defaults to “Hee-Hee”
  • Bubba: his name for Joshua
  • Ah-Jah: same with Abby Kate, this is his more recent attempt at saying his brother’s name. He only uses this in reference to them, though; when addressing them, it’s always “Hee-Hee” and “Bubba”
  • Doe-Doe: his attempt at “Dora”, as in “Dadda, watch Doe-Doe, please?”
  • Yay-Go: this is Dora’s male counterpart, Deigo. It’s really cute when Jack starts singing the “Yay-Go” song
  • Ho-Ho: You’re probably beginning to notice a lot of syllabic repetition here. But that’s what makes Jack Speak so difficult to translate at times; you don’t have a lot of material to work with. “Ho-Ho” is Jack Speak for “horse”. We usually hear this gleeful cry when he spots a few of our neighbors horses out our playroom window.
  • Eh: Probably one of the most difficult for anybody to translate. Jack will walk up to you and go, “Where’s my eh?” The word, “eh”, is just this caveman guttural sound that has no bearing to the word he’s actually trying to say. This is his version of “pacifier” or “pacy”.
  • Dadda Pop: Another difficult one, but one he asks for daily. “Dadda Pop” is a Brown Suger & Cinnamon Pop Tart. He refers to these as “Dadda’s” because I’m pretty selfish about sharing them. But Jackson always gets one in the morning if he wants one. Yeah, I’m a pushover.
  • Joo: a reference to “juice” of any kind.

So there you have it, the communicative key to my little two year old. Consider yourself fully fluent in Jack Speak!

Posted in Family, General | Tagged , | 5 Comments

On Preaching: Interpretation

Posted on October 29, 2009 by Jason

Preaching always occurs within a particular context. As such, the sermon functions as a culturally-embedded testimony to the timeless truth of the text. But the sermon rises out of the unique experiences and life of the local body of disciples. The careful practitioner will listen closely to the conversations and cadences of the body, making every effort to couch the message in culturally relevant terms. The best preaching aims to take seriously the church’s embedded culture in order that the Living Word might be given a proper hearing in that particular context. As we’ve already stated, preaching occurs in community.

If preaching occurs within the context of community, preaching must rightly be understood as the process of interpretation that occurs between the text and the community of faith. The sermon becomes the bridge between church and Word. It has been said that the preacher spends the week in the Word, looking for the message to bring back to the congregation on Sunday. Attention to exegesis and background studies take place here. We rightly ask the question, “What did this Word mean in its original context?” before moving to the question of application in the present. In this manner, the preacher becomes the interpreter of the text to the congregation.

But this is only half of the truth. The sermon that aims only to interpret the historical-critical issues of the text is no sermon at all. It may be properly understood as a lecture or a teaching but a sermon is something more than this. The sermon, in service to the worship of the congregation, is an encounter between the Living God and His church as facilitated by the Living Word in scripture. In a very real way, the sermon is but one conduit for God’s transformative presence in the community of faith. And where God is, transformation occurs. The text must be given voice so the Living Word can interpret the congregation. The greater balance of interpretation that occurs in a sermon is not Greek or Hebrew; it is the interpretation of a body of disciples that occurs when the Living Word is given voice in worship (Romans 12.1-2). The sermon allows the congregation to imagine itself anew in light of the revelation of the Word. The church orients herself to this imaginative process of renewal. By living into the world imagined in Scripture, the church interprets herself through the lens of the Living Word. This is the work of the preacher: to give voice to the Living Word in order that the church might interpret herself in light of the one who makes all things new (Revelation 21.5).

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On Preaching: Community

Posted on October 27, 2009 by Jason

Preaching is the communal act of proclamation in the worship-life of a body of disciples.

Preaching begins with community. Preaching cannot occur apart from the context of the body of Christ. The very act of proclamation is communal by nature; it implies a speaker (or speakers) and an audience. The community receives the vocal proclamation of the Living Word and its transformative power. It gives shape to the life of the congregation. Without community, preaching is nothing, for the aim of preaching is to inspire disciples.

And the best preaching occurs by listening to the community. A few years ago, I did a project for graduate school. I pulled together a diverse group of 10-12 people and asked them to read through one text each week; after the reading, the group would post their thoughts, questions, and reflections about the text to a blog that I had set up. This “cyber community” afforded me the opportunity to think through a particular text from a variety of vantage points before I attempted to preach it. What a blessing! This act of collaboration reminded me of the many ways the Word speaks to us in life’s many seasons. It was such a treat to hear a college student share her thoughts on a particular passage and then to hear how that contrasted with the reflections of one of our 80-year-old saints. I believe the best preaching occurs when the preacher is attuned to the perceptions, fears, joys, and questions of the community. So, in a way, preaching begins with listening.

Preaching is proclamation over performance. Early on in my preaching, I was severe in my critique of my performance. I would carefully script out each paragraph, sentence by sentence, word by word, seeking to find the perfect marriage of sound and cadence. Then I would practice each part, paying special attention to inflection and diction and rhythm. And when the time came to give birth to the sermon, inevitably the execution would fail: a word spoken in the wrong tone; an inopportune stutter. The slightest disruption to my preparation and I would grade myself harshly. All of these were matters of performance.

But I’ve since repented of this because I’ve discovered that my self-inflicted performance criticism was nothing but pride. I certainly never want the performance to impair the proclamation; that is, I’ll always seek to communicate clearly and effectively. But I’ve learned to trust the sovereignty of God that Christ can still be proclaimed even when my performance might be lacking. I know that sounds silly to say, but I’ve found it to be incredibly liberating, so much that before I speak each week, I say a little prayer: “Lord, help me to proclaim and not perform.” I can’t tell you how much pressure that relieves for me.

Preaching is worship. Preaching has become something of a four-letter word to many in the ministry community. I have colleagues who are literally insulted when someone refers to them as “preacher” instead of “minister”. And I think there are plenty of reasons for this. But I think one reason is the way we’ve often thought and spoken about preaching. We’ve historically approached the sermon as the centerpiece of the worship experience. We sing, we pray, we recite Scripture, we commune…but in our minds, all of this is merely lead up to the sermon. We even allot the greatest amount of time in our assembly for preaching. All of which perhaps leads us to conclude that the church’s worship is in service to the sermon. I completely disagree. In fact, I would argue just the opposite. The church’s worship is not in service to the sermon; the sermon is in service to the worship of the church. The sermon is merely one vehicle by which Christ may be exalted and proclaimed in the worship-life of a body of disciples. I disagree with those who would say there is no room for preaching in the life of a congregation, but I want to argue for a more balanced understanding of how the sermon functions within the worship framework of a group of disciples.

I think Dietrich Bonhoeffer once remarked that there are those moments that occur in preaching when it’s as if you can see the Risen Christ moving among His flock, mending broken hearts, wiping tears from faces, embracing the wounded and the bleeding. I very much like that image of the transformative power that is unleashed when Christ is proclaimed in a community of faith. May the Risen Christ continue to move among us as we worship together.

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Rob Bell on Ministry

Posted on October 26, 2009 by Jason

If I can find the time tomorrow, I want to begin a series on preaching that I’ve been mulling over for about a year now. I know a lot of blogs focus on the particular vocation of the blogger; I’ve never really tried to articulate the things I believe to be true about preaching. Obviously there’s a lot that I would want to say about it, so it’s been this sort of daunting task to me to try and give voice to my own “philosophy” of preaching. But I hope to do just that over the next few posts. This may or may not be very interesting to most of you, but I’m going to give it a shot. So stay tuned.

Until then, I wanted to share this part of an interview Rob Bell gave recently. Bell was asked specifically to identify some of the pain and difficulty he experiences in congregational ministry. I found his comments to be very insightful, not particularly because I’ve been incredibly wounded over the years by the people to whom I minister, but because I know so many of my colleagues who have. There’s a saying in the ministry: “Sheep Bites Hurt”. That’s been painfully true in the lives of so many ministers. I share this with you as a reminder that the men and women who serve in our congregations are not impervious to pain.

I would not be who I am if it wasn’t for relationships that didn’t turn out and people that really, really, really hurt me. When your work has a sort of public dimension to it, people feel free to say whatever they want. So everything from your family to your motives to your integrity to your weight, people feel free to comment on. Over time, you either become cynical and hard and bitter, or you learn to forgive and somehow for some strange reason keep your heart soft.

I hesitate to talk about it, but when you do what you do and there’s a public dimension to it you are exposed and vulnerable and out there and there are ways that people react and things that people say that are very, very painful. And you’re just kind of, if I could use the word “faithful,” you’re just trying to be true to what’s been put before you. That is a “wow, I was just kind of doing my thing.” That does produce a sort of pain.

If you’d like to read the rest of the interview, click here.

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Free Music: Great Lake Swimmers

Posted on October 24, 2009 by Jason

It’s late on a Saturday night, but just in case you’re interested, I thought I’d let you know about Amazon’s Free Song of the Day over at their MP3 store. Today’s special is “Pulling On A Line” by Canadian folk group Great Lake Swimmers. I came across them earlier this year and they’re great. If you want to check out a free song from a great little band, click here.

Posted in Music | Tagged , , | 4 Comments

2009 MLB Awards

Posted on October 24, 2009 by Jason

With the 2009 postseason winding down, it’s just about time to hand out the hardware on the regular season. Here are my thoughts; the actual winners will be announced sometime in mid-November.

AL MVP: Joe Mauer

Was there any doubt? Jeter and Teixeira will fight over runner-up, but this award belongs to Mauer. The Minnesota catcher is putting together a nice little resume here; after winning his 3rd batting title this year, he now has as many batting titles in a four year span as the combined total of all catchers to ever play the game. Unbelievable. After missing the first month of the ’09 campaign, Mauer stormed out of the gate with a newfound power stroke; his 28 big flies this season established a new career high. Without Mauer, the Twins are a .500 team; with him, they’re you’re AL Central Champs.

AL Cy Young: Zack Greinke

Greinke’s 2009 season was incredible: 16-8, 2.16 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 242 Ks. All while pitching for the Royals. There are other guys in the discussion: C.C. Sabathia had a nice season for the Yanks; Roy Halladay, Justin Verlander, and Felix Hernandez also deserve some consideration. But Greinke stands out at the head of the class in the AL this year. Now the countdown begins: how long will it be before he’s wearing Yankee pinstripes or Boston gray?

AL Rookie of the Year: Andrew Bailey

A lot of guys will get votes here. Jeff Neimann wasn’t the Tampa rookie SP everyone thought would burst onto the scene, but he deserves some recognition. Rick Porcello pitched well for a contending team. Gordon Beckham and Elvis Andrus will also get some votes. But I think the winner is Andrew Bailey, Oakland’s rookie closer. With 26 saves and a 1.84 ERA, Bailey became a stalwart in the back of the A’s bullpen. But honestly, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Porcello or Beckham win here.

NL MVP: Albert Pujols

Another no-brainer. The best player of his generation led the league in home runs, runs, on base percentage and slugging percentage; finished third in RBI, batting average, and walks. He even stole 16 bases. There’s simply nothing El Hombre can’t do. Two other first basemen, Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard, should finish 2nd and 3rd here.

NL Cy Young: Chris Carpenter

I don’t see any clear way to choose between the three front runners in the NL. Tim Lincecum, Adam Wainwright, and Chris Carpenter all had incredible seasons. And each has their own merits. Lincecum, the 2008 NL Cy Young winner, led the league in strikeouts; Wainwright led the league in wins; and Carpenter paced the circuit in ERA. I went with Carpenter; after throwing 21.3 innings the last two seasons, Carpenter came back with a vengeance in ’09. But this could easily go to Lincecum or Wainwright. My gut tells me Lincecum will repeat.

NL Rookie of the Year: Tommy Hanson

Another award without a clear cut runaway. Chris Coghlan was a revelation atop the Marlins lineup. J.A. Happ pitched lights out for the Phillies down the stretch. And Andrew McCutchen looks like one of the few points of light in an otherwise dismal Pirates lineup. But I went with the young gun down in the ATL. Hanson, the much-hyped starting pitching prospect, looks like a front of the rotation guy for the next decade. I have no idea if he’ll come away with this hardware, but Braves fans should feel good with him and Jurjens atop the rotation for the foreseeable future.

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