​This is not a political blog post!  This is a theological blog post!  Our handling of the protest and disparaging feelings of fellow Christians is not political...it is theological.  What is going on in the world and specifically in our country, whether it is united or divided, is always spiritual.  When we call ourselves the people of God we cannot be separated from Him...ever!  

​There was a time when Jesus spent hours in prayer on His knees:
 
“ He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed,” –Luke 22:41
 
And during that time John gives us some of what his prayers contained, “20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.” –John 17:20-23
 
Jesus prayed for all believers of Him to have unity, because He is in them and them in Him.  So whether you kneel or stand for a pledge, if you believe in Jesus, The Christ is calling you to have unity with one another.  And I think we all know that unity is more than just tolerating one another.  Unity means loving unconditionally one another as in, “Love thy neighbor as thyself.”
 
However, Jesus’ prayer doesn’t end with signing off with God in the garden.  Jesus then begins to live out the prayer he just prayed.  As he is arrested and “on trial” he lives his desire to ensure that there can be unity through setting the world to rights.  Jesus does speak some here, but doesn’t need to say much when accused of false wrongdoing.
 
“12 When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer.13 Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” 14 But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.” –Matthew 27:12-14
 
Jesus was being accused of crimes he didn’t commit and he says nothing.  The world right around him is in such an uproar.  Riots could commence.  Violence seems certain.  And why?  Because an entire race is being backed into a corner and treated unfairly?  NO!  Because the government is withholding rights for only certain people?  NO!  Because unnecessary killing is happening in the nation?  NO!  Because Caesar isn’t getting his due?  NO!  Then why?!
 
The crowd is getting temperamental.  A minority race is on the verge of violent rioting.  The government is being pressured into an unmerited judgment.  Pilate’s wife is nervous.  Pilate is beginning to seem incompetent.  All of these things are happening because a teacher and his 12 closest friends along with some other followers have turned the religion of some on its head and challenged the status quo of how things work. 
 
And now that his life is being threatened and now that everything that he came into existence for is on the line, Jesus does this…kneels in silent protest.  It seems anticlimactic.  Even to his 12. 
 
They are waiting in great anticipation for Jesus to stand tall, snatch the whips from their hands and turn the tide.  They are hungry for rebellion against injustice.  They are finally in prayer asking God to come down in an angry cloud of fire to wreak wrath upon evil.  In their minds, at any moment Jesus, through the power of the God they have heard about all their lives, is going to overthrow anything that seems worldly and through force and “spiritual cleansing” create a new kingdom where everyone will believe in God, act accordingly, and live in utopia infused love.   Everyone will get along and believe the same or at least those who live.  Rebellion will die a quick, just death.
 
Of course when we keep reading the gospels, none of those things happen.  Jesus kneels in silence, walks in exhausted wounded pain, and dies in tortuous humiliation.
 
“50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.” –Matthew 27:50
 
The power of the cross isn’t the death it created.  The power of the cross is in how the death was accepted by Jesus.  He was willing to be silent, tortured, humiliated, and murdered so that we might be united. The reason the cross is such a powerful icon is because it is something all Christians can point to and say, “We are united to Him and He to us!”  Just like he prayed.
 
And on the third day Jesus rose from the dead.  At this point all that he kept silent about to Pilate.  All that Jesus wanted for this world.  All the teachings of unity.  All the teachings of serving one another.  All the examples of love and creative worship come to its finishing and beginning point.  Jesus’ resurrection makes his death different than anyone else’s.  His death is the only one that is completely overturned.  And that overturned death brings everything in this world that is wrong…right! 
 
And now that all things have been set right, we can too have our death overturned. The world is set right, but not just yet.  It is a timely action for a future promised to be lived now.  In our world there is still suffering, genocide, murder, molestation, rape, inequality, violence, addiction, immorality, corruption, disease, gossip, lies, dishonor, hate, racism, and unbelief.  And while we wait on the final return of Christ his prayer before his death still rings true and goes unanswered completely.  “I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.” (John 17:23)
 
There is this one time when Jesus kneeled in silent protest for the unity of all.  It cost him his life.  The cost of His life should not and cannot be wasted by those for which he died.  Kneeling or standing.  Protest or silence.  Majority or Minority.  This nation or that nation.  See Jesus for who He is.  He is Unity!  His passion story shines upon our need for unity.  Not to see all things the same, but to see everyone the same.  We are ALL Jesus!
 
Male, Female, Jew, Gentile, Politicians, Athletes, White, Black, Rich, Poor, Soldier, Activist, Kneeling, Standing…all Jesus wanted was for us to be equal.  He wanted it so much, He bet His life on it!  God wanted it so much He resurrected His son!  The Spirit wants it so much, She is still calling us to it!
 
So please, don’t forget that time when Jesus kneeled in silent protest of the world.  Because it was then that His Passion made us equal.
 
 
 
 
 

I can only remember one time in my life where I was on the winning team.  I just happen to join an intramural soccer team at my University with some friends and we won the recreational team championship in 1999.  I still have the shirt.  I quit wearing the shirt about 15 years ago so I wouldn't wear it out.  Why?  Because winning at sports wasn't my norm.  This win was special.  It was my World Series, my Super Bowl, My Stanley Cup, My World Cup.  Soon I will begin to tell my kids the story of winning that championship so that they will tell their kids and my grandkids will think of their "Pops" (that's what I want to be called) as a champion.  There were no trophies given for this championship (or anyone else for that matter), so the champion t-shirt is my proof, my acknowledgement of my achievement. 

My boys have played quite a few sports in their short 9 years.  They have a few trophies or medals that they have received for some of these sports.  Some of the trophies are for winning and some simply for participation.  I have heard the outcry in the last few years about how everyone gets a trophy and how this will begin to cripple our children.  I have heard someone say that the kids of yesteryear always got a trophy, even when they lost, and now in their college days they are just a bunch of snowflakes crying when things don't go their way.  They must not know the college students that I know.  In fact, they may not know college students at all.  But that is for a different blog.

​Rewards
I think I can understand the sentiment of not handing out rewards just for signing up.  There is something to working for what you get.  There is something for a reward holding its meaning.  When everyone gets a trophy, somehow the fight to receive that reward for the trophy loses its luster. A reward is for those who have earned it.  Life seems to be made up of rewards and punishments.  It is one way to keep balance in the force.  You do good, you get a reward.  You do bad, you get a punishment.  I guess maybe its good we don’t quite follow too closely in sports.  You win, you get a trophy.  You lose, you must be humiliated in front of the crowd.
 
Fairness
We need to instill in our children that the world isn’t always fair.  We cannot get everything we want, simply because we ask.  We won’t always get the same treatment as others.  Honestly the fairness thing is hard for me as a parent.  My mom to this day works extremely hard to make things fair between my brother and me.  I have tried doing the same for my kids, especially my boys since they are twins.  And we have come up against where that might break down in life, just in recent days.  One boy is chosen for a special activity at school, while the other is not.  This has brought some tough, but good conversations about fairness and life.
​​
Work
Children and even adults today would be benefited from learning the value of hard work.  It is important to know that when you work and do your job, you get paid.  If you don’t you get fired. And fired people don’t get paid (well not from that company).  Right now our boys earn a “payday.”  They don’t earn an allowance, because the money they receive each month is based on the chores they complete.  One time I fired one of my sons from his job (chore) at home.  He wasn’t doing his chore adequately and I fired him.  I used those words.  He thought that was great at first, because he wasn’t expected to do the mundane job of taking out the trash.  Then he watched his brother get his payday and all of the sudden he wanted to reapply for his old job.  Work is important and a great practical life lesson. 

​Upside-down World
While the trophy argument makes perfect sense in our nostalgia of good ole bootstrap America, it falls short within the kingdom of God.  Jesus loves to take what seems perfect in our world and turn it upside down.  The Beatitudes are the perfect example and even really expanded in the entire “Sermon on the Mount” in Matthew chapters 5-7.  Jesus takes what we have claimed in our humanity and transforms it into a more divine identity.
 
Grace
The grace that God designed from the very beginning won’t allow us to work for its earning.  Grace is free and destroys the notion that the more we do and by being more responsible we will gain more from the Kingdom.  We are all fired by Grace, not to be left destitute but to be free to receive a gift in its truest form.  Grace is anything but fair.  In a Kingdom of perfection where brokenness, darkness, and sin cannot dwell, God has chosen to not only bring us in, but also cleanse us into perfection upon entering.  God doesn’t water down his kingdom so that our brokenness can join his perfection, but rather makes us who don’t deserve perfection become perfect, as He is perfect.  Grace is not only a gift but also a reward.  What did we do to place this trophy in our carefully constructed winners case?  Well, we chose Him.  We repented.  We confessed.  We were baptized.  We followed the rules.  We served others.  We attended church.  We worshipped him only.  We practiced spiritual disciplines.  We stood up for social injustice.  We raised our voice against harmful policies.  While all of these things are good practices for the Kingdom, they are but…2nd place.  There are no trophies for 2nd place.  Jesus through his life, death, burial, and resurrection wins 1st place and the trophy and then humbly designates that trophy to all of those who have called on his name.  In the Kingdom we all receive a trophy, a crown but not even because of participation.  No, we receive the trophy because of someone else’s participation; because of Jesus’ desire to participate in humanity and who never laid down his divinity.
 
Maybe every kid shouldn’t get a trophy for simply participating in a certain sport.  But know this for sure, God chose for ALL to receive His reward simply because of the fact that He loves His creation.  

The word I chose for my year was "present."  I want to be present to my family, friends, community, and ministry.  I typically like to write a blog even before this time of the year as an update to my resolve for the word of my year.  I have made some major steps to be present with these categories.  

Family

I have been on my phone much less this year than in previous years.  I'm still not where I want to be with it, but its better.  Just the other day I was able to wrestle with all three of my children and it was a blast.  And yes I won.  We have played games together, went on adventures together, and ate many meals around our table.  One of the best things I was able to do to practice being present with my family was to take a ministry sabbatical for 2 weeks.  I'm grateful to my leadership for granting that for me.  I would say that my sabbatical, actually allowed me to be more present in every area, even ministry.  We have been able to travel and see family this summer and we still have two weddings to attend and then the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays coming up.  Leah and I have taken more time for dates and spending time in conversation at home in a short "kid-free" time.  

Friends

Leah and I have made some sacrifices to spend time with our friends.  We have been on couple dates, make our time at church with friends intentional.  We even had the opportunity to go with another couple to a Matchbox 20 concert out of town.  I have taken more time to visit with my friends here in town.  I still need to work on checking in on my friends that live in other places.  My problem is that I have always been good with acquaintances, but friends have been hard for me.  If anything that this word of the year has taught me it is that I need to work on my end of friendships.  I have a few really good friends here in town and in previous places I have lived that hasn't always been the case.  The great thing is that, the friends I did make in previous places are still good friends of mine.

Community
I have made some really intentional moves in my life to be more present in my community.  In past years I have coached my kids sports and that may have been the extent of my involvement.  Right now I am on the board of my Homeowner's Association, teaching at a local ministry that helps men with addiction, and I'm on the board of my boys' school's PTO.  I really appreciate the opportunities that have presented themselves this year.  One other community involvement that is not new this year, but a continuation is leading my boys' den in cub scouts.  This has been rewarding for the boys in our den and been rewarding for me as well.

Ministry
This has never been really a problem for me.  Being present in my ministry seemed to always take precedent over the other areas of my life.  One thing I learned in this is that too much presence in one area will not leave room to be present in other areas.  Also, being too present in my ministry can easily lead to false narratives about me (I'm controlling, not trusting) and could lead to a reliance on me as the minister where others won't stand up and serve.  What has been interesting about this year and being intentional about being present is that there have been several things that I intentionally tried to join or lead at my church and through some crazy circumstances my presence was either denied or changed.  At first I could not have seen this as an answer to my prayer for this word in my life, but now I see its fruit.  Sometimes being present means being present in prayer and not in person.

There are several months to go with this word.  However, if the year ended now I feel that I have grown so much and learned so many things about being present.  God has already blessed me in my pursuit of presence and taught me much needed lessons.  I am looking forward to the remaining months and what God has to offer.

Confession is a powerful and fearful spiritual posture.  It makes sense that we spend considerable energy avoiding such a vulnerable and honest discipline. It makes sense that the Catholic Church holds such an undertaking as a consistent, holy sacrament.  The confession of sin and shortcomings can only be rivaled by the confession of Christ as the Messiah, Savior of the world.

Last Night

Last night during our Wednesday gathering at the church where I pastor, one of our lay leaders led us in a time of prayer.  He set up our auditorium into 4 smaller sections.  Using the A.C.T.S prayer acronym we broke into 4 different groups and spent time praying at each station.  The A.C.T.S. prayer acronym represents these four types of prayers; Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, and Supplication (petition or requests).  During our time last night we were able to give God glory and Adore His name, Confess to God, give Thanks to God, and make known our requests to God.  We were instructed to go to each station but could choose any order.  I chose to go to Confession first.  I wish I could tell you it was because I am some really great pastor and wanted to be a leader to the one station that I thought would be used the least.  Really I went there first because I thought it would be the least crowded.  I was surprised by two things.  The first was that it was just as crowded as any other.  The second thing is that this is where I spent most of my time last night.  Honestly I could have stayed there all night.  I am a rule follower and had to fight the urge to dip back into confession when I was at the other stations.  I wanted my time of confession to release me from guilt, clear my conscience, unburden my heart, and make me lighter.  It did none of those things in that moment.  I still wait for what may come from that confessional experience.

Making Confession a Habit

I'm not sure anything can really come from a one-time, somewhat forced (I was following the instructions, not my own idea) confession.  It seems to me that confession must be a habit or as we like to say, discipline.  Usually when I pray and confess it is only to reach the petition for forgiveness, grace, and mercy.  I must admit that confession is not in my repertoire of spiritual disciplines to exercise. Last night I had to ask myself, “Why am I so afraid to confess?”  “Why do I seek out distractions to not spend time in confession with God?”  “Do I really think that I am doing life alone?”  It is time to create a habit, exercise, or discipline of confession.  Every morning I try to give thanks to God for 5 different things.  It would be easy for any of us to make 3 confessions to God each day.  To create a habit of confession is to deepen our relationship with God. Habits take time to sustain and become beneficial.  No one grows killer abs in 7 minutes.  It takes weeks and months of daily workout time to have that kind of physique.  To make confession a part of your spiritual life means starting small, exercising confession consistently, and establishing trust in yourself and God.
 
 
Confession to friends
 
Once we sustain a habit of confession the easier it will be for us to confess to Him and share our confession with a trusted friend. Everyone needs at least one friend they can share anything and it won’t lead to judgment or discord.  That friend will walk with you through anything and yet will not allow for you to walk a dangerous path.  Confession to friends takes trust.  You must trust yourself, God, and the other person.  Not all of your friends need to have this kind of relationship with you.  However, you must find at least one you can trust enough and feel safe around to share your struggles and shortcomings.  Confessing to your friends will only really work if they are willing to confess to you as well.  This mutual sharing will create a bond in Christ that won’t be easily broken. Those friends that earn their spot at your confessional table are a gift from God.  However, that shouldn’t be their only function as a friend.  Don’t treat this friend as a personal priest, where all you talk about is your confessions or their confessions.  The relationship of friend must be the foundation and the ability to confess to them is just another layer to an already rich relationship.
 
Two Kinds of Confession
 
Mostly when we talk about confession we speak about the idea of sharing the “tough” stuff of our lives.  We are regarding sin, struggles, trials, frustrations, and unpleasantness of life.  The other type of confession we usually refer to as “witnessing” or testimony.  The other type of confession is sharing the fact of our faith and the belief we have in God, Jesus, and Spirit.  Both types of confession are important.  What I find extremely interesting in my years as a pastor is that those who are not Christian and are coming to know Jesus struggle with confession of His name, but find it easy to confess their sin and shortcomings.  Those that are Christian find it easy to confess Jesus, but struggle with confessing sin.  Christians usually believe that they are the one who should be teaching the non-Christian.  In this situation they not only learn from us how to confess Jesus, but we learn from them how to confess sin.
 
Ready to Confess?
 
If you want to be free from sin and its bondage.  If you want to bring light to the darkness around.  If you want to unburden your soul.  Then begin to make confession a spiritual exercise for your life.  Satan loves to expose us through the hidden places of our soul.  Trust God and glorify Him by consistently confessing His name and the pieces of your life where you have denied Him or completely refused Him.  Confession brings freedom, light, and life to us as we continue in our journey.