Inbreaking Kingdom (Justice, Mercy, Humility)

When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, “Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” Matthew 25:31–37 ESV

God put on flesh and blood, became one of us -- fully man, and still fully God -- his parents named him Jesus. He grew up, and then when he was around 30 years old publicly announced why he had come, “the Kingdom of God is at hand.” “The Kingdom of God is breaking in -- through me.”  “God’s rule and his reign are breaking in to the kingdom of darkness and death.” 

Old Testament prophets had shared visions of what this Kingdom would look like, no more death, no more disease, no more hopelessness, God dwelling with his people, partnering with them as Kingdom co-laborers, all things restored to the perfect harmony that was intended before the fall. “The Kingdom of God is at hand,” Jesus announced. One day it will come in full, but for now it will co-exist with the kingdom of darkness and death. He walked his remaining days on earth as a King in peasant clothes, fully embodying what it means for people to act with God in his Kingdom. And then he left us to return claim his rightful thrown. He left us, not abandoned, but empowered, agents, ambassadors, bringing his Kingdom ethics to the places of hunger, thirst, nakedness, sickness and imprisonment -- to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with our King. 

As he prepared to return to his throne, the King looked at his kingdom partners and and issued a Kingly proclamations:  Know that I have been given complete authority to rule the Kingdom of God -- I am in control, even when the competing Kingdoms seem to be. Never forget this, keep this truth and let it fuel you. And as you go -- far and near -- invite people into my Kingdom, initiate them and welcome them into my Kingdom with baptism into a new identity in all that I am - Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Apprentice my new citizens in the ways of my Kingdom, help them and journey with them as you and they live into their new citizenship. As you do this, remember that you are not alone, even though I leave, I am always with you, forever.  Matthew 28:18–20 (My paraphrase)

We serve a very real King of a very real Kingdom, that breaks into the kingdoms of darkness and death, bringing light, life and hope. And it does so through us.  

Peace, hope, love

Doug 

Justice - Kingdom

“He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”  Micah 6:8

“Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You give a tenth of your spices—mint, dill and cummin. But you have neglected the more important matters of the law—justice, mercy and faithfulness. You should have practiced the latter, without neglecting the former.”  Matthew 23:23

At Creekside, we are spending the month of January talking about God's heartbeat (command and requirement) that we do justice, love mercy and walk humbly with him. The language of Micah is translated as "what the Lord requires." While it is true that he "requires" his followers to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with him, his requirement is not a requirement in the sense of "do these acts and we are good," "check off this box and you are done." Instead, God wants us to be filed with his goodness, his love and his peace. God wants us to so experience him that we learn to deeply trust him for our future and our present, our provision and our safety. The word that we read as "require," is the Hebrew word "darash"which means, loosely, to seek and question and make inquiry about a thing. God, you see, is concerned with justice and mercy and humility. He is also deeply concerned with you. God seeks and questions and makes inquiry about how fully you are connected into who he is, into his character and thus into his story. God knows that our tendency is to be connected first and most fully into who we are and into our story. He also knows -- because he designed and created us -- that this natural tendency will always result in a life that is not lived to its fullest, a life that does not ultimately fulfill us, and robs us of our standing as image bearers of him. Jesus summed up this reality when he said, "Whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and the gospel’s will save it.” (Mark 8:35) 

When we surrender ourselves to God, the author and sustainer of life itself he walks alongside of us in humility. He gives us a love of mercy and he changes us from the inside out, so that we see the world as he sees it, a world crying out for justice. Seeing the world in this way we cannot help but step forward as image bearers of God to do and seek and advocate for justice and restoration. 

But it does not happen overnight. It is a process of the Inward, Outward and Together rhythms of discipleship. It is not merely an internal transformation for which we must wait before we do justice. Neither is it merely a command to move outward. Rather, it is an invitation, individually and as a Kingdom community, to do and be both -- Inward, Outward, Together. God's call is to be disciples of our King Jesus, acting in the world and facilitating the breaking in of his Kingdom into dark and unjust places in our world. God seeks and questions and inquires of us -- he invites us -- into the life that he has shown us, to do justice, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God.

- how does this strike you?

- what questions does it raise?

- what emotions does it stir?

- what might be your next step?

Think and talk about these questions, with me and with others. 

Peace, hope and love

Doug

What Does God Really Want?

He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.” (Micah 6:1)

Many of you are familiar with the words from Micah 6:8, above. There is even a song we used to sing at church whose words were simply those two sentences repeated over and over again. (If you grew up with that song, it is probably going through your head right now, and will be for some time - you’re welcome). Fewer people are familiar with the words and the context which proceed that that verse. Fewer still have taken time to really unpack what it means to live them out, to do justice, to love mercy and to walk humbly with God.  

What God is telling his people -- through the prophet -- is that he does not need sacrifices. Instead, they need a heart change. They need the internal transformation that only comes from a realization of who God is and what he had done for them; through his deep love for them demonstrated through justice, mercy and humility. Without that, they would be forever separated from him, forever separated from Shalom, enslaved and without hope . . . and so would we. 

When God’s reality begins to dawn within us, we cannot help but to be humbled as we realize His great love for us. As we begin to internalize His deep love for us, we will irresistibly be drawn to a way of life that reflects our savior’s heart of loving mercy, his passion to right the wrongs that break his heart. As we walk with him and live in his ways we will begin to become vessels of justice, mercy and humility in a world in deep need of all three. We will be able to live the way that he requires. As we do this, God promises -- through the prophet Isaiah -- that, “your lives will begin to glow in the darkness, your shadowed lives will be bathed in sunlight. I will always show you where to go. I will give you a full life in the emptiest of places— firm muscles, strong bones. You’ll be like a well-watered garden, a gurgling spring that never runs dry.” (Isaiah 58:10–11 MESSAGE)

Peace, hope and love

Doug

God Moved In And Laid In a Manger

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men . . . the Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory . . . and she wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. (John 1:1–4; John 1:14: Luke 2:7) 

At Christmas we celebrate the birth of Jesus, born to young, poor, peasant parents who could provide for him only an animal-feeding trough for a bed. Births do not get much more humble than that. Yet in the midst of this meekness, angles descend from heaven to announce the baby’s birth, proclaiming him King and Savior, the cause of great joy to all humankind. This humble and helpless baby, dependent upon his parents for life itself was the author of life itself, the creator who spoke all of creation into being. God himself chose to put on flesh and blood, not as a costume to be put on, but as humanity to be lived, fully human and fully God. He not only chose to become as we are, but to do so not as a one privileged or elite, but as a member of the outcast and marginalized. He didn’t have to do any of it. But, he chose to. He chose to do it so that we can know God, know life, know hope, know peace, know joy and know love. He chose to do it because he loves us – he loves you. As you enjoy Christmas, take a moment and reflect on this reality. God knows you – everything about you – and madly loves you. The baby in the manger – Christmas – came about because of God’s deep love for you. Find yourself in the Christmas story. Merry Christmas Peace, hope, love and joy Doug P.S. A number of people have asked for a link to the video I showed on Sunday. You can view it here.

Don't worry, be . . .

There were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:8–11

The angel announced “good news of great joy,” Jesus. Throughout the Bible we read about joy – often in situations where people were in the midst of difficult circumstances, circumstances where they clearly were not happy. In the Old Testament we see the people of God waiting for the joy that would come with the arrival of the Savior. In the New Testament, we see a people living with the joy of that Savior, while at the same time, still waiting for things to be set right, still waiting for the perfect joy and for happiness.

As you read this, you may be in a season of happiness and joy, where joy is clearly visible, where joy overflows. That is a grace, be thankful. For others of you, it is harder. You definitely are not happy and although you know there is joy in you somewhere, only those closest to you can see it – it is a tough season. There is not a right or a wrong way to be. The answer is not to put on an outward mask, but to be sustained by the joy that though many may not see, you know is there. The prophet Nehemiah writes, “The joy of the LORD is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10) I pray that you may be strengthened in his joy, and strengthened by people who are close to you, for you and not expecting you to act happy.

You see, happiness and joy are not the same; happiness is transient, joy is transcendent. Happiness is dependent on circumstances; joy is built up within us and sustains us in all circumstances. On this side of the Kingdom of God, happiness and joy do not always co-exist. When God's Kingdom is fully realized, happiness and joy will both be present, always.

Peace. Hope. Joy. Love

Doug

The Prince of Peace

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 KJVS

You might have heard the John Lennon song where he says, “All we are saying, is give peace a chance.” Even if you were not around when the song came out, you probably have heard it. What does it mean to give peace a chance? What does it mean to have peace? What is peace?

So often we think of peace as the absence of something – war, conflict, noise, strife, difficulty. While each of those things clearly affect our sense of peace, I don’t think the absence of them is peace. You see, peace is not primarily an absence of something. Rather, it is fundamentally the presence of something; something so deep that even in the midst of conflict, noise, strife and difficulty you know it is there. This peace, true peace, allows us to move into and through the challenges to it without our hearts and our minds being overwhelmed. This peace, true peace, is not natural – it is supernatural.

The Bible tells us exactly this. The apostle Paul, who had every right to not be at peace, wrote about this true peace. He wrote, “The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:5–7).

Two phrases stand out to me first of.1) “do not be anxious about anything.” 2) “the peace of God, which transcends all understanding.” The two phrases lead to two questions: 1) Is it possible to not be anxious about anything? 2) How can you have peace that cannot be understood?

Does the passage raise other questions for you?

For me, the answer to both of those questions is found in last three words “in Christ Jesus.” I believe that as I connect regularly into who I am in Jesus, I learn who he is and I learn who I am. As we connect with him, we learn to hear his voice and to experience his deep love for us. As you connect regularly, habitually, with Jesus (through set aside times in his word, in silence, in intentional walks where you look for and recognize his presence etc.) you will find yourself more and more without anxiety over things you cannot control, you will find yourself at peace over things that that are only within his control. You will have a peace that defies explanation outside of the supernatural; you will have the presence of Christ, the Price of Peace, within and flowing through you.

Peace, hope and love

Doug

Waiting For; Rejoicing In -- HOPE

Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

This past Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent -- four weeks of preparation and anticipation leading up to the celebration of the birth of Jesus, Immanuel (Lord with us). The history of the people of God is one of waiting -- it still is. We wait for what one day will be, even as we attempt to partner day by day with God in the what is. The history of the people of God is one of hoping -- it still is. We hope for what one day will be, even as we attempt to partner day by day with God in the hope of what is. We hope, we wait, and in the midst of the hoping and the waiting, God is there inviting, leading and guiding us.

Advent is a time to enter more fully into the already and not yet reality of the Kingdom of God. We wait and hope as Israel did, waiting and hoping for God's Kingdom to break in -- even as it has already done so.

O come, O come, Emmanuel,
And ransom captive Israel,
That mourns in lonely exile here,
Until the Son of God appear,
Rejoice! Rejoice!
Emmanuel, shall come to thee, O Israel.

How does the reality of hope sit with you as you sit with it today?

It might be that you are in a place of seeming hopelessness, as were the disciples of John the Baptist who went to Jesus and asked him, doubtingly, “are you the one, or should we look for another?” My prayer for you, “O come, O come, Emmanuel, and rescue captive Israel.”

It might be that you are in a time where the hope of Jesus is obvious, as did Peter who by the grace of God was able to recognize Jesus saying, “you are the Christ, the son of the living God . . . to whom else would we go?” My prayer for you, Rejoice! Rejoice!

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.(Romans 15:13)