Come on Over!

If you haven't made the jump yet, I want to invite you to come over to the new blog at www.jasonchenoweth.com.  I'm trying to post fairly regularly, and there are some good discussions going on with some of the posts.  Thanks!

I'm Moving!

hey everyone,


I am moving this blog over to Wordpress.


If you're interested, you can find it @ jasonchenoweth.com


Thanks so much!  I really, really appreciate all of you who take time to read the thoughts and ideas I post.  I hope you'll continue.


Jason

What To Do When Jesus Annoys You

Our church is taking part in a study called the Amazing Race, and as a church we are reading through the New Testament together until the end of the year.  I thought I'd post my thoughts on the days readings, and I'd love to hear what you have to say.  If you don't attend SCC, I'd still love to invite you to read with us, and weigh in with what you are learning as well. 

Today we read Luke 12:35-14:35.

The stories we read today mostly center around Jesus and the religious leaders squaring off.  At this point, the religious leaders want Jesus dead.  They just don't see any other way to stop Him from ruining everything.  They know it, and Jesus knows it.  

What strikes me is the number of times Jesus heals someone, and does it on the Sabbath.  The Sabbath is Saturday, and it's the Holy Day of the week for a Jewish believer.  The religious guys had developed a ton of rules on how you are supposed to rest.  They had effectively turned rest into a full time job.  One of the things they didn't want done was for anyone to be healed on the Sabbath, because that was work.  Remember, God gave us a Sabbath day so we could rest and keep our bodies, minds, and souls healthy.  But if someone tried to heal someone's body, mind, and soul on the Sabbath, that was wrong in their minds.

So, Jesus just goes ahead and does it.  

It doesn't make them happy.

Obviously, we don't have the legalistic issues that the religious leaders had on working on the Sabbath.  But we do have issues with Jesus.  Sometimes He wants me to forgive people, even when they haven't asked for it. (Actually, that's all the time.)  Occasionally He will ask me to be generous with stuff that I want to keep for myself. (Well, He expects that everyday, to be honest).  He can get crazy from time to time and want me to tell myself "no" about some action I want to take, and use self discipline. (That is really an expectation of His all the time.)  I mean, sometimes He annoys me.

Just like He annoyed the Pharisees.

It's all about whose Kingdom we live in.  That is part of the reason you have the Kingdom discussion in the middle of all of these stories.  Who is in charge of my life, of the religious leaders' lives, of your life, anyway?  That is the big question.

Today, right now, take some time to talk with God about what it is that He does, expects, or commands that bugs you.  Be honest, He already knows.  You have nothing to lose.  At least you don't if you admit it.  Act like everything is fine, and you'll find yourself mad at Him for healing people all around you, when you can't seem to be healed.  It's your, and my, choice.

Here Comes the Hoo-Haa!

Our church is taking part in a study called the Amazing Race, and as a church we are reading through the New Testament together until the end of the year.  I thought I'd post my thoughts on the days readings, and I'd love to hear what you have to say.  If you don't attend SCC, I'd still love to invite you to read with us, and weigh in with what you are learning as well. 

Today we read Luke 1:26-2:52.

As I read through the story in Luke of Jesus' and John's births, a couple of things stood out to me.  The book of Luke was written by, well, a doctor named Luke.  He was not an eyewitness to Jesus' life and stories.  He got them from somewhere else.  Most historians believe Luke interviewed Mary, Jesus' mom, and got most of his info from her.  In a sense, if that's true, this is Mary's version of the story.

So, when we read Luke, we see a lot of things through Mary's eyes that aren't in the other Gospels, or at least not seen in the same way.  Reading it today, it stood out to me about how God made it known about Jesus' birth.  He sent an angel to Mary; alone.  He sent an angel to Zechariah, her uncle; alone.  Mary and Elizabeth speak these beautiful songs to each other, inspired by God, but they are alone when it happens.  Simeon and Anna, the prophets in the Temple, only speak to Mary and Joseph.  Think about it.  Here God has sent His Son into the world, to rule and be King.  He is there to save everyone.  History is split in half with His birth.  The world is being pulled out of complete chaos and destruction.  It is the single biggest event in history.  The King of all kings is here.

No parade.

No press release.

He only speaks to the parents, in order to encourage them for what they will face raising Jesus.

That's it.

The world changes, and no one knows.

Well, no one, except for one group.

There is this huge press release, fanfare, big hoo-haa moment.  The angels show up in a group, appear at night and glow in the dark, and amaze everyone with their royal proclamation.  But they don't show up to the Roman Emperor, the religious leaders in Jerusalem, or on a high place in front of thousands.

They show up to shepherds.

What a waste for God to spend His one big show on a bunch of nobodies like them.  Shepherds were the bottom of the pile.  They were dirty, smelly, and loners.  They lived out in the woods by themselves with a bunch of dumb sheep for company.  It was a bottom feeder job in the world.

And God appeared to them with the big fanfare.  Remember, He could have sent one angel to one shepherd, like He did to Mary, Joseph, and Zechariah.  A junior angel at that.  But He didn't.  He sent a huge group, and they had choreographed dance moves and everything.  Even their wording is this official sounding, royal announcement.  And God wasted it on the shepherds.

He still does.  He loves saving his very best for losers, for nobodies, for the bottom of the barrel.  When people are down and out, God moves up and in to their lives.  He loves the people on the bottom.  The broken, the wasted efforts, the ones who don't amount to anything.  He loves them.

He loves us.

Be encouraged over the coming days.  God sends His best messages and gifts to those who least deserve it.

Which means you and I are in for some things this week.

That Voice in the Dark

Our church is taking part in a study called the Amazing Race, and as a church we are reading through the New Testament together until the end of the year.  I thought I'd post my thoughts on the days readings, and I'd love to hear what you have to say.  If you don't attend SCC, I'd still love to invite you to read with us, and weigh in with what you are learning as well. 

Today we read Mark 14:53-Luke 1:25

In chapter 14 of Mark, we read about Jesus being drug around during his overnight trial.  Everywhere He goes, Peter follows Him at a distance.  Technically, Peter is still a follower of Jesus at this point.  But, as you read the story, the drama ramps up as Peter is accused of that very thing, three times.  Three times he is called out for knowing Jesus, and three times he denies Him.  Of course, Jesus told him ahead of time that he would do this.  When Peter remembers it, it breaks him.

What kind of horrible person would be warned by Jesus that they would deny Him, only to turn around and do that very thing over the next few hours?  I mean, Peter had told Jesus that no matter what, he would never run or turn his back on Jesus.  Then, he does.  How can Peter even call himself a follower of Jesus?!  He talks a good talk, but then when a little opposition comes his way, he bails on Jesus and just tries to blend in.  What a wimp!

Right?

Isn't that what we are supposed to think?  Maybe not.

Ok, we are not going to be accused by a servant girl standing next to a bonfire at three a.m. anytime soon.  In fact, most of us will never be accused of following Jesus at any point in our lives.

Which is worse?  Being repeatedly accused, and denying it?  Or never even earning the accusation?

Why don't we get lumped in with Jesus by people?  Why don't we make it far enough to earn the right to be called out?

Yeah, I know, that's a little tough.  Let's move on.

So, if we won't get outed by a fire pit, how does this apply to us?  You understand, it wasn't the girl calling Peter out and playing on his fear, it was Satan.  He calls us out all the time.  When things get rough, you hear the voice calling you to run to anything other than Jesus.  It calls you to turn your back on Jesus and run to the internet, Facebook, your friends, your spouse, your garage, that bottle, the TV, whatever.  It calls you to deny that Jesus is the answer, and look elsewhere in the dark for your hope.  Jesus warns us over and over that this will happen.  Yet we keep falling for it.

Peter saw Jesus about to die.  He didn't know about the resurrection.  Jesus had told him, but He didn't believe it quite yet.  His faith could have carried him through that night.  All he had to do was say, "Yes, I follow Jesus".  That's it.  One time, and he would have averted the whole thing.

The same is true for us.  When we are faced with that voice, that call, that push to run from Jesus, we need to stop, and say "No, I will stay here.  I am with Jesus.  He will see me through."

Where is the place you need to stand today?  What is it that you need to refuse to listen to?

Remember, the sun always rises.  Especially on Sundays.

Erasing Hell Book Review

I recently wrote a review of Erasing Hell by Francis Chan for the Youth Worker Journal website.  It's in with a few other panel reviews.  If you'd like to read it, you can find it at the bottom of this page, right after Jen Bradbury's review.  I would love to hear your thoughts if you've read it.

When Jesus Won't Follow the Script

Our church is taking part in a study called the Amazing Race, and as a church we are reading through the New Testament together until the end of the year.  I thought I'd post my thoughts on the days readings, and I'd love to hear what you have to say.  If you don't attend SCC, I'd still love to invite you to read with us, and weigh in with what you are learning as well. 

Today we read Mark 12:38-14:52.

Jesus keeps moving towards the cross.  He is in Jerusalem, and the religious leaders want to arrest Him.  Think about what is going on in real life terms.  This is a crazy tense time.  His disciples have a sense of what is going on.  They want to keep Jesus quiet, to keep Him safe.  He just keeps going and teaching, putting Himself at risk.  You can imagine the stress and awkwardness that must have been going on with the guys.

What stands out is the contrast between Jesus and the disciples.  They are struggling to see what is going on around them.  Jesus is teaching about the end of time, about His betrayal, about His crucifixion, and they can't comprehend it all.  No wonder they can't.  We wouldn't have either.  They believe Jesus is there to take over the country.  It's the perfect time.  At Passover, the Jewish people celebrated God coming in and saving them from the Egyptians.  They celebrated it every year, and kept praying for God to do the same thing with the Romans.  The Jews wanted to be free.  Passover would be the PERFECT time for Jesus to declare Himself the Messiah, the One who came to save them, and take over from the Romans, setting the nation free.  It was a script already written, just waiting for the right actors.  And they, the disciples, were in on the ground floor.

But Jesus kept talking about the end of things, not the beginning of things.  Even when He is speaking about the end of the world, they think He is talking about His kingdom coming right then.  They miss it, because of their own dreams and plans for God.

In contrast, Jesus is all about God's plans for Him.  He is more in tune with what is going to happen in the future than at any other time in story.  He is clearly moving on a set path, and nothing will stop it.  But with His prayer in the garden, we see that it is His Father's plan, not His.  He is living in obedience to God's authority, at whatever cost, and it gives Him laser vision and focus.

What a difference between the two sides.  As we read today, which are more like?  Are we like the disciples, looking for God to save us from the the things that scare us and worry us?  Do we want Him to be a superman, coming to our rescue, so that we can live our dreams, our way, happily ever after?  Or are we like Jesus, throwing ourselves into His arms, trusting Him to catch us, no matter what it costs?  The second way is much more frightening, but it is the only way to salvation.  The choice is ours today.  Which will it be?