Reflections on the Kingdom of God
Part I
May 27, 2012
Many of us see the Kingdom of God like Bank of America, where bigger is better and richer is the goal. For many people a bigger church is a better church, and certainly bigger churches can offer more alternatives. But church is not the same as kingdom. In to many cases American ways have become blended with Jesus’ teachings, and it has become difficult to separate the two. When that happens, it is always the teachings of Jesus that suffer.
For Jesus the Kingdom of God was about relationships . . . our relationship with God and our relationships with people. The entire concept of the kingdom revolves around those two relationships . . . that is if we do not draw the circle of our human relationships too small. When we read the gospels, we see that for Jesus the kingdom included people, who were often excluded from traditional religion . . . women . . . sinners . . . tax collectors . . . lepers . . . prostitutes . . . foreigners. In many ways, the kingdom was for those who were excluded and forgotten by the people who thought themselves holy.
In Luke 15 Jesus tells three parables about being lost. His suggestion is that the Kingdom of God is very concerned about lostness. The first story deals with animals, the second with coins or inanimate objects, and the last one with family. We will look at the first story today, and the other two on subsequent days.
Consider some background. In the previous chapter of Luke’s Gospel, the religious establishment had been grumbling about the people with whom Jesus associated, and how Jesus had failed to keep the Jewish law. In response Jesus tells these three stories.
Today’s story is about a shepherd and his sheep. Now shepherds were among those excluded from the Jewish religion. They were dirty, people of the land, common laborers. Jesus begins, “Which one of you, having a hundred sheep and losing one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness and go after the one that is lost until he finds it?”
The Pharisees, who were listening, might have expected Jesus to say something like this: “Which of you, owning a hundred sheep, if you received a report that one was lost, would not send a servant to the shepherd responsible and threaten him with dismissal if he didn’t find the sheep.” No Jewish leader would spend his days tramping through the wilderness to find a lost sheep.
In typical speech patterns of the Middle East, a shepherd would never blame himself . . . “The sheep which was lost” was the typical speech pattern. Jesus breaks that way of thinking and placing blame, and he places the responsibility on the shepherd . . . “Which one of you with a hundred sheep, if he lost one . . .”
That is the way the Kingdom of God works. Everyone is valuable. Everyone is worth searching for. No amount of time or energy is to be spared. What "good" religious people do or don't do, can cause people to become lost.
Remember the ninety-nine left behind while the shepherd looks? Think about how they might feel. If the shepherd is willing to go after the lost one, then it gives security to the others. If the shepherd says I don’t care . . . I have ninety-nine to look after, then each of the ninety-nine knows that if he or she becomes lost, then no one will care.
Of one thing I am certain . . . the Kingdom of God is about restoration. What about us?
[Ideas on biblical culture came from Kenneth E. Bailey, Finding the Lost: Cultural Keys to Luke 15.]
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Thursday, May 24, 2012
The Art of Choices
May 22, 2012
Last week Linda and I ate lunch at The Cheesecake Factory at South Park Mall in Charlotte. She had a doctor’s appointment, and the food and the cheesecake is good. It was not our first visit, but a new thought came to mind as we were seated. The host showed us to our table and handed us a book. I say a book . . . it was in reality the menu . . . spiral bound. Then he handed us a separate card with some new items on it. The menu starts with drinks and ends with desserts, but in between are page after page of entrees . . . appetizers . . . lunch items . . . burgers . . . steaks . . . pasta . . . seafood . . . specialty items . . . salads . . . pizza . . . and on and on. I didn’t count the pages, but the “book” was at least three-quarters of an inch thick.
Now we had to make a decision on what we would be having for lunch. Would we choose something we had before or would we try something new? It took a while just to flip through the pages. I guess we could flip to the back, order some cheesecake, and call it lunch.
As suggested by Sheena Iyengar's book The Art of Choosing . . . every day we make choices. Coke or Pepsi? Save or spend? Stay or go? Whether mundane or life-altering, these choices define us and shape our lives. Sheena Iyengar has investigated many of the questions about how and why we choose: Is the desire for choice innate or bound by culture? Why do we sometimes choose against our best interests? How much control do we really have over what we choose?
As part of her graduate work at Stanford University, Iyengar devised a series of studies that replicated the problem of too much choice. In one experiment, subjects were asked to pick from among six types of Godiva chocolate, while another group chose from among 30 varieties. Those who were given more options were less satisfied with their decisions. Interesting finding, isn’t it?
Way back in the 1970's, when I was a sociology major at the University of South Carolina, we studied the concept of cognitive dissonance. Part of that theory suggests that when we make a decision, all of a sudden those alternatives we did not choose become increasingly attractive.
The American lifestyle caters to choice. Just walk into Walmart and try to make a choice of which shampoo to buy or toothpaste or soap. Researchers tell us that back in 1949 the average grocery store carried 3,750 items. Today that number is 45,000. Maybe we should investigate the way Trader Joe’s does business, by reducing the number of choices for shoppers. There are a lot of young adult shoppers in that store.
When I am in India, it is not that way. Of necessity, one of the things I buy while staying in Manali is toilet paper. I go to the store, there is one brand, and I buy it. No choice is offered, but if I need it, I buy it and I am content. So are Americans better off by having more choices?
We like to pride ourselves in making our own choices, but is that the reality? What about when making not conscious choice becomes our choice? Implicit in our myriad of choices is the idea that by “having it our way” we will be happy. Choices can have benefits, but they also have consequences. Once a choice is made, it usually cannot be undone.
Back in 1996 Dean Kelly wrote a book entitled Why Conservative Churches Are Growing. It suggests that many people don’t like choices, at least when it comes to religion. Many people seem overwhelmed by modern society and would like to simply be told what to believe and what to do. They are attracted to conservative churches with very black and white points of view. These people become followers, and do not seem to do a lot of thinking for themselves, but it seems that many of them are content. Yet can this be the way?
There are many young people today, who seem to view all churches as being too limiting. They are the group that considers itself “spiritual” but not “religious”. They have grown up with many choices. The internet has multiplied those choices in many ways. Church structures and programs seem too limiting to them and not focused enough on loving one’s neighbor, as Jesus called his followers to do. Church is too much about an institution and not enough about following Christ and being transformed by the Spirit. They see church as limiting choice, and they choose not to attend.
As a pastor I have always believed in the importance of encouraging church members to make choices. We are individuals and God has created us that way. He calls us to cooperate, but he also calls us as individuals to make our unique contributions to the kingdom of God. There are all sorts of choices to be made . . . the daily choices . . . and the larger life choices . . . both are important, and I believe that Jesus Christ offers wisdom and guidance in making both.
May 22, 2012
Last week Linda and I ate lunch at The Cheesecake Factory at South Park Mall in Charlotte. She had a doctor’s appointment, and the food and the cheesecake is good. It was not our first visit, but a new thought came to mind as we were seated. The host showed us to our table and handed us a book. I say a book . . . it was in reality the menu . . . spiral bound. Then he handed us a separate card with some new items on it. The menu starts with drinks and ends with desserts, but in between are page after page of entrees . . . appetizers . . . lunch items . . . burgers . . . steaks . . . pasta . . . seafood . . . specialty items . . . salads . . . pizza . . . and on and on. I didn’t count the pages, but the “book” was at least three-quarters of an inch thick.
Now we had to make a decision on what we would be having for lunch. Would we choose something we had before or would we try something new? It took a while just to flip through the pages. I guess we could flip to the back, order some cheesecake, and call it lunch.
As suggested by Sheena Iyengar's book The Art of Choosing . . . every day we make choices. Coke or Pepsi? Save or spend? Stay or go? Whether mundane or life-altering, these choices define us and shape our lives. Sheena Iyengar has investigated many of the questions about how and why we choose: Is the desire for choice innate or bound by culture? Why do we sometimes choose against our best interests? How much control do we really have over what we choose?
As part of her graduate work at Stanford University, Iyengar devised a series of studies that replicated the problem of too much choice. In one experiment, subjects were asked to pick from among six types of Godiva chocolate, while another group chose from among 30 varieties. Those who were given more options were less satisfied with their decisions. Interesting finding, isn’t it?
Way back in the 1970's, when I was a sociology major at the University of South Carolina, we studied the concept of cognitive dissonance. Part of that theory suggests that when we make a decision, all of a sudden those alternatives we did not choose become increasingly attractive.
The American lifestyle caters to choice. Just walk into Walmart and try to make a choice of which shampoo to buy or toothpaste or soap. Researchers tell us that back in 1949 the average grocery store carried 3,750 items. Today that number is 45,000. Maybe we should investigate the way Trader Joe’s does business, by reducing the number of choices for shoppers. There are a lot of young adult shoppers in that store.
When I am in India, it is not that way. Of necessity, one of the things I buy while staying in Manali is toilet paper. I go to the store, there is one brand, and I buy it. No choice is offered, but if I need it, I buy it and I am content. So are Americans better off by having more choices?
We like to pride ourselves in making our own choices, but is that the reality? What about when making not conscious choice becomes our choice? Implicit in our myriad of choices is the idea that by “having it our way” we will be happy. Choices can have benefits, but they also have consequences. Once a choice is made, it usually cannot be undone.
Back in 1996 Dean Kelly wrote a book entitled Why Conservative Churches Are Growing. It suggests that many people don’t like choices, at least when it comes to religion. Many people seem overwhelmed by modern society and would like to simply be told what to believe and what to do. They are attracted to conservative churches with very black and white points of view. These people become followers, and do not seem to do a lot of thinking for themselves, but it seems that many of them are content. Yet can this be the way?
There are many young people today, who seem to view all churches as being too limiting. They are the group that considers itself “spiritual” but not “religious”. They have grown up with many choices. The internet has multiplied those choices in many ways. Church structures and programs seem too limiting to them and not focused enough on loving one’s neighbor, as Jesus called his followers to do. Church is too much about an institution and not enough about following Christ and being transformed by the Spirit. They see church as limiting choice, and they choose not to attend.
As a pastor I have always believed in the importance of encouraging church members to make choices. We are individuals and God has created us that way. He calls us to cooperate, but he also calls us as individuals to make our unique contributions to the kingdom of God. There are all sorts of choices to be made . . . the daily choices . . . and the larger life choices . . . both are important, and I believe that Jesus Christ offers wisdom and guidance in making both.
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