Resolve to Evolve: Get to Know Jesus, Again

This week, I’m continuing to share tips for people of faith who are resolved to evolve in 2014.  Tip #1 was  Get Authentic.
 
Tip #2 is Get to know Jesus, again.

When Jesus first came to me in a vision, over 20 years ago, it was a shock.  Not only that he was in the business of appearing to Jews like me, but that he didn’t look anything like the pictures I had ever seen of him!  He wasn’t blond haired and blue-eyed.  He wasn’t white.  He didn’t have straight hair.  He wasn’t tall.  He wasn’t somber.  He was curly-haired, olive-skinned, short and handsome!  And most definitely Jewish.  Just like a close reading of the New Testament would later reveal to me.

What’s your picture or image of Jesus?  Maybe it’s time to be open to a change!

A recent Christian Century article, Jewish and Pacifist, made the case that  “The separation of Jesus from his Jewishness is what led to the accommodation and eventual support of racism by traditional theology.”  Not to mention centuries of church sponsored anti-Semitism!
It led to a “generic” or universalist Jesus that turned out to be white, European, and Christian!
Having a new experience of Jesus can refresh your faith.  And shake the cobwebs out of your assumptions.  It sure did mine.
I like the idea that getting the particulars of Jesus right–ethnicity, culture, religion–actually combats racism and anti-Semitism.  Maybe all the isms!
This year, as you resolve to evolve, resolve to get to know Jesus, again.  To help you…

  1. Read and discus The Jew Named Jesus.  Pub theology groups, Bible studies, book clubs, others are reading and discussing this in a variety of settings.
  2. Host a wonderful Passover Seder, replete with Matzah, Hebrew blessings, and the cup of Elijah.
  3. Dig into whether the day of Jesus’ death was a Good Friday or Bad Friday.

To help you get into Jesus’ world, I’ve got another quiz for you with 3 questions:
What is the name of the calendar the year 2014 is based on?  What calendar did Jesus follow?  What is one of the main differences between the two calendars?  The first one to answer all 3 questions correctly gets a free autographed copy of “The Jew Named Jesus.” Send us your answer, along with your name and address to claim your prize.

Resolve to Evolve: Get Authentic!

As promised, here is the first of my top 5 or 6 tips for people of faith who are resolved to evolve this year!  Here’s tip #1:  Get Authentic.  

When I pastored churches, I knew most of the people in the  congregations I served–quite a few pretty well.  We had conversations with some level of  transparency on my part, and on theirs.  Later, it surprised me to learn that all these folks I knew didn’t really know each other!
Never mind that some of them had been going to church together for decades.
They knew of each other, and about each other.  But they didn’t really know each other.  They weren’t genuinely friends.
Now that I work with churches in a variety of ways–leading retreats, teaching workshops, and coaching leaders–I can see that my congregations were not unique.   Just because people worship together doesn’t mean they feel safe together.
That’s kinda strange, don’t you think??   We bring people together to study, worship and work.  And even change the world.  Without the kind of resilient bonds and relationships that make that do-able.  Especially when conflict rolls around.
Would things change if your “community of faith” was truly acommunity?  I mean, what if we truly knew each other–our weaknesses and our strengths?  What if we were transparent with each other?
Jesus and his disciples hung out A LOT..they traveled together, ate together, debated together, fished together, partied together, fought together, learned together, made up together.  They shared living space.  Over time, they not only knew of and about each other, they were friends.  That was a lot of time for transparency, authenticity.   Tell me that didn’t have something to do with why they were so effective later on after Jesus died!
I listened to an interview recently about people who are spiritual but not religious.  It pointed to another aspect of authenticity that religious people can learn from.  It turns out those who identify as spiritual want, even more than those who are religious, to pose and savor good questions, to take on the status quo, and to freely express themselves in the process–without having to conform to pre-set norms.  It’s in this process that they come alive, and experience the Divine.
My own belief, and my experience, is that as we are more truly ourselves–without trying to look good, follow the rules, or go along to get  along–that God becomes most real.  These epiphanies often happen in conversation with others.
So, for those who resolve to evolve in, here’s my suggestion: create the space and the permission where people can be authentically themselves.   I’m thinking something like youth group for adults! 
Why does Youth Group have the potential to be so transformative?  And so hard?  There’s no set agenda!  You never know what students might bring up, or what personal problem or societal issue will become the topic of discussion.  You never know who is going to cry.  Nor who will shine.  And how the group will bond, and come to experience God.  But one thing you can count on:  they will tell the truth, as they see it.
What if we set up those sorts of experiences for adults as well as youth?  Experiences which let us truly get to know each other:  the good, the bad, and the ugly.  Here’s what I say:  Let go of the pre-set agendas, and set the stage for transparency, tears, revelations, honesty.   Kinda like Jesus did.
In his book Missional Renaissance, Reggie McNeal writes that for churches looking to go missional, people development must take priority over program development. Authenticity is a must for people development.
This year, as you resolve to evolve, resolve to get to know each other–at a whole new level.  And do it more than just once a year.  Plan a series of experiences that reward play, self-revelation, and self-awareness.  In a word:  authenticity. By all means, do it intergenerationally, whenever possible.
Some ideas:

  • Plan a retreat together.
  • Go out to dinner together or have potlucks.
  • Hike or ski together.
  • Share your spiritual journeys.
  • Do a project that groups or pairs people up and requires them to get to know each other.

If you’re looking for a retreat that builds a sense of the common good, and helps people truly get to know themselves and each other, click here to check out For the Common Good!
By the way, thanks to all those who answered last week’s fun question about Mr. Banks.  We had a tie for the free book:  congrats to winners GW Bill Warren and Deb Polanski!
Stay tuned for next week’s tip!

Ministry: Comfort and Challenge

What kind of ministries does your church engage in?  Are they inner focused or outer focused?  Are they comfort-oriented or challenge-oriented?
In order to survive and thrive, churches need a balance of ministries that both support the church itself (inner focused) and extend the ministry of the church beyond its own four walls (outer focused).
In addition, they can be geared toward one of two different approaches.  The first approach is a ministry that overcomes challenges by shaping and influencing the larger world (challenge ministry).  The second approach is by offering comfort to and improving the lot in life of those who are facing challenges (comfort ministry).
For instance, operating a food pantry or soup kitchen may be a comfort ministry.  Your church distributes food to those who have lost their jobs, are on the verge of homelessness, struggle with addiction, are chronically mentally ill, or are fleeing violent situations.
A challenge ministry might address root causes of homelessness, addiction, the vulnerability of the mentally ill, domestic violence, war or a floundering economy.
Here’s another example.  Many churches gladly rise to the occasion of comforting those hit by natural disaster—whether flood, hurricane, tornado, mudslide or earthquake.  You may have ministries that create flood buckets, collect first aid supplies, or rebuild homes or churches in the face of these types of disasters.
A challenge ministry would deal with natural disasters at a different level.  It might address the source of natural disasters by cleaning up garbage dumps that clog urban drainage systems or by planting trees in deforested areas thereby preventing mudslides.  It could also address root causes of poverty by challenging corporations that exploit the natural resources of poor peoples.
Finally consider the quintessential prayer ministry.  Perhaps you have a prayer ministry that focuses on supporting and uplifting those facing cancer.  You might also arrange rides for those who need chemotherapy or radiation and make sure there are meals prepared for them upon their arrival home.
On the other hand, your church may create a challenge ministry that seeks to clean up the local toxic waste site, the contents of which are leaching into the ground and contaminating your drinking water thus contributing to cancer.
Now consider the ministries of your church.  How many are comfort ministries?  How many are challenge ministries?  List them.
Likely your church is heavy in one area and light in another.  What types of ministries can be developed to balance that out?  Who might you approach about these ministries?  Think outside the box here!
Challenge ministries are important for they are a reflection of God’s power to right wrongs, and to bring justice to unjust situations.  Churches in decline often find that moving from a focus on comfort to challenge re-invigorates them.  It gets them back into the heart of God’s concern.

Not Even a Text Message?

Just as Christians celebrate Easter and Christmas every year, so Jesus and his family—along with their relatives and friends—celebrated Passover every year.
It was a big to-do.
Each spring in the Hebrew month of Nisan they trekked from their home in Nazareth up to Jerusalem for the seven-day festival of Passover.
One year, as Jesus was approaching manhood by traditional Jewish calculation, “when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival.”  They may have gone up as usual but they didn’t come back as usual. The rest of the family headed home but unbeknownst to them Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, without even a word.
What Mary and Joseph would’ve given for a cell phone and a text message!
Without any digital advantage however, his parents were worried sick. They turned around mid-journey and finally located Jesus in the Temple. They weren’t that happy about it either. Mary scolds Jesus who was “sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.” Apparently, they were also asking Jesus questions because the teachers “were amazed at his understanding and answers.” Jesus, unfazed, wonders why his parents were searching for him. “Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” His parents were as baffled by his actions and his response as Jesus was by their anxiety.
If this story is any indication, Mary and Joseph definitely trained up their child in the way he should go.  He loved God, loved Torah, and loved learning—all pluses in the Jewish world view. As the years went by, “Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.”  Mary and Joseph did a good job raising Jesus as a faithful Jew. But as parents know all too well, not every kid keeps the faith. What about Jesus? Did he take it on as his own as he grew up? Or did he leave it behind and become a Christian?
(Excerpt from The Jew Named Jesus, p 27-28, Rebekah Simon-Peter, Abingdon Press, 2013)

Me and Myrna Jean

Myrna Jean met me at the door when I walked in to my first day at the new church. “The good thing about living in a small town,” she said impishly, “is that someone always knows what you are up to. And if by chance you can’t remember, they’ll tell you!” Her laughing words were prophetic.
I didn’t always know what I was doing when it came to brokering delicate relationships and thorny conflicts. Sometimes I was direct when diplomacy would have been better.  Other times I avoided conflict when dealing with it head on would have saved a lot of heartache.
I wasn’t always that good at reading the signs people telegraphed about how they wanted to be treated.  In fact, I was a classic example of someone who lived by the Golden Rule instead of the Platinum Rule.  You remember The Golden Rule:  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  The Platinum Rule turns that sage advice on its head:  Treat others the way they want to be treated.  Get the difference?  If so, you’re a quick study!  It took me awhile to get it.
For instance, I crave both positive affirmation and adventure.  So as the minister, I was lavish with praise and quick to strike out on theological and liturgical adventures.  In other words, I was always encouraging others and changing the order of worship.  It worked for me; I figured it worked for the rest of my congregation.  That’s the Golden Rule approach.
Truthfully, it did work for Dave and Gary and Sam and Teresa.  Joe, on the other hand, as well as Maylene and Kit, and a host of others, craved stability as much as I craved adventure.  They liked the order of worship fine, thank you very much!  They were also uncomfortable with lavish praise; quiet appreciation was more their style.    I hit home runs with Dave, Gary, Sam and Teresa.  More often than not, I struck out with Joe, Maylene and Kit.   And Myrna Jean.
Who knew?  Myrna Jean, as it turns out.  And she told me so on more than one occasion.  I took what she said to heart.
Over time, I learned how adapt my style so that I was still true to myself, (and Dave, Gary, Sam and Teresa) without alienating the rest of the congregation.  That meant learning how to manage my communication and decision-making so that it engaged a broader range of people.  In other words, I learned how to balance the Golden Rule AND the Platinum Rule.
Turns out that understanding others is as much a science as it as art.  It requires compassion yes, but also emotional intelligence. With the right information, and practice, I’ve gotten much better at it.  I’m pretty good now with the steady crowd, even though I still prefer bold change and the occasional shock to my system.  Nor do I mind dishing it out!
Now that I’m no longer a congregational minister, I’m getting to discover what it feels to be on the receiving end of unadapted communication.   It’s a lesson in humility and frustration.  It’s like being terribly thirsty, turning on the tap for a glass of water, but being able able to fill my glass just a bit.  I get enough to swish some water around in my mouth, but not enough to slake my thirst.  It leaves me wanting more.
Here’s what I mean.  One of the churches I worship in has a beautifully kind minister.  She is calm, gentle, careful and steady; very pastoral.  She’s giving what she’d like to receive.  Personally, I love her.  If I were in the hospital, I’d want her to come see me and pray with me.  Her style works for lots of people, folks just like Myrna Jean, Joe, Maylene and Kit.
Worship-wise, though, I’m frustrated.  A steady diet of calm gentleness, carefulness and steadiness in sermons, prayer, singing, and the order of worship leaves me feeling restless, bored.  It’s not what I respond to best.  I long for adventure in prayer, a demanding call to action in the sermon and songs that shake me up a bit.  And a God who sees things the same way.
That’s something Myrna Jean, bless her heart, figured out about me a long time ago.
Once I got a handle on the differences between me and others, I developed a program to help other church leaders speed up their learning curve and become more effective in leading people who are very different.   I invite you to check it out.  The sanity you save may be your own!  In the meantime, I just may find some new churches to visit on Sunday morning.

Wyoming Arts: "Green Church" by Rawlins author Rebekah Simon-Peter getting national attention

Well, whadya know!  I was trying to find my blog and came across this on the Wyoming Arts Council.
Wyoming Arts: “Green Church” by Rawlins author Rebekah Simon-Peter getting national attention
For those who want to read the book in community + share with like-minded people + articulate your own creation consciousness + move your church toward sustainability then I have a class for you!
Green Church online class, March 12-March 23 through www.beadisicple.com.  $60 includes autographed copy of the book.  Register now! Should be a blast.