Space and time
I wrestle in prayer and in practice with how apprenticeship to Jesus looks when I’m not at church or alone in my study in the early morning. I meditate on Acts 3:1-10—Peter and John participating in the Lord’s healing of the crippled beggar at the temple gate called Beautiful—and I hunger to see the Kingdom of God take ground around me in similar ways. I long to make disciples, immersing (’baptizing’) them in the Trinitarian presence of God, and teaching them by example to do everything Jesus said and did (Matt 28:18-20). I have a friend who is both a business leader and a minister. I have a deep respect for his heart and the significant fruit he bears in his labors. He encourages me by example to remove the artificial boundaries between ministry at church on Sunday morning and ministry in the business environment, and is a very great encouragement to me as I wrestle with what it means to live my life as Jesus would in my day to day work. Something my friend said recently resonates in my soul—he said that he has found there are two principles that help to focus his attention as a disciple: Jesus tells us he is ‘with us’ (Matt 28:20)—in other words he desires to teach and to lead us right now. He doesn’t go away and show up in times of need like a benevolent genie. He is present, God-with-us, and the burden is not on us to manufacture moments of meaningful conversation, evangelism, or healing at work. Instead we are to respond to the opportunities Jesus presents us with at work. It is precisely in these moments of opportunity that we have the chance to act with Jesus in the present moment. These two principles lead naturally to two questions we can ask the Lord silently when we are conversing with others: The first question recognizes that what we do as apprentices is a response (as Jesus sought only ‘the will of the one who sent me’ Jn 5:30). I find that submitting to this order breathes life into my soul, and begins to free me from the tyranny of trying to ‘fix’ people myself. The second question recognizes that in a mysterious way, much of what the Lord does on earth is dependent on whether or not we act—and that if we do not act on the opportunities presented, the person at hand must wait until someone else comes along who will. I am learning that being ‘available’ to Jesus, and being fully ‘present’ to others requires that I create margins in my day; space for Jesus to lead. Often my schedule is so carefully constructed and managed that there is simply no room for me to respond to Jesus—I am moving from one task to another, one meeting to another—and I am not capable of hearing and responding to the Lord’s gentle guidance. So I am learning to ensure there is sufficient space in my day, and learning also to hold my plans loosely and allow the Lord to change them as he chooses. As a recent example, I was at lunch a few days ago with the director of a large company. We had been in meetings all morning, and had gone to lunch intending to continue to work through some critical issues that would set the course for a major project. Jesus, what are you doing this person’s life? I sensed he was overwhelmed with his responsibilities at the moment. I gently asked him if he was exhausted, and it led to a 20 minute conversation on spiritual issues and whether or not it was important to ‘believe’ something was true if that belief didn’t have a measurable impact on your life. Jesus, is there anything you want me to do to help? I shared with him what it was like for me to follow Jesus, and how life-changing it can be to become his apprentice. Two principles and two questions. Response and the present tense. Creating space. Lord, teach me to respond to your leading, and to create enough space in my life to respond to your prompting. Teach me also to be flexible enough to allow you to change my plans.
I pledge allegiance to the flag
“…far from aligning any version of the kingdom of the world with the kingdom of God, kingdom-of-God participants must retain a healthy suspicion toward every version of the kingdom of the world—especially their own (for here it is most tempting to become idolatrous)…on the authority of God’s Word, we know that however good a particular government may be by world standards, it is nevertheless strongly influenced by fallen principalities and powers. Consequently, no kingdom-of-God citizen should ever place undue trust in any political ideology or program. Nor should they be overly shocked when kingdom-of-the-world leaders or parties act contrary to Christ’s ways. The Roman officials of Jesus’ day frequently behaved in grossly immoral ways, but neither Jesus nor any New Testament author exhibit any surprise or concern over this. It was, it seems, par for the course for kingdom-of-the-world leaders in their view.” -The Myth of a Christian Nation: How the Quest for Political Power is Destroying the Church. By Gregory Boyd. P.55, ‘Keeping the Kingdom Holy’ Two observations ring in my ears:
