Rebounds…

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For Pittsburghers, tonight starts the first game of the NHL Playoffs. I can’t wait  for the puck to drop.

reboundPart of hockey — and many sports — is the rebound. On the ice, it’s that moment when the goalie fails to collect the approaching puck, deflecting it back into the crease. If the offensive player is in position, he’ll bury that puck deep into the goal. Offensive players love rebounds.

I was thinking the other day of how we use that word, rebound. We say that when you’re in a relationship and it goes south, there’s a danger of rebounding and getting into an ill-fated relationship. That’s a negative use of the term. But rebounding can be a positive thing as well.

We’re seeing rebounding at Curwensville Alliance these days. Here’s how it looks:

An adult or two show up for church. They haven’t been in church since they were younger. Since they left church, they have explored a lot of things: Sex and drugs and rock-and-roll. Now they are back at church. Why are they here? The reasons vary from one person to the next, but many are on the rebound. Like the person whose romantic relationship went south, they are looking for something. Many of them have been rebounding for some time — from interest to interest, relationship to relationship, desire to desire… But none of that has satisfied. If it had, they wouldn’t be in church.

This rebounding into church is phenomenal and fantastic. I say it’s phenomenal because I believe it’s God-driven. Many “rebounders” are in church because they feel something is wrong with  their recent life-style. How did they come to that conclusion? Jesus says that the Holy Spirit told them — that He is working in their hearts. That’s what is so phenomenal about it; when you watch a person come back to church, you are watching a miracle take place — God is working in their hearts.

It’s fantastic because, if you’re Kingdom focused, you understand that it’s always fantastic when a prodigal child comes home. And it’s an honor to be part of uniting someone with God. It’s great to assist as Jesus accomplishes his goal of seeking and saving that which is lost (Luke 19:10).

Some religious people are troubled when rebounders show up — especially if they are aware of their recent or even current lifestyle. Jesus wasn’t troubled by such things. Since Jesus was called a “friend of sinners,” it’s pretty safe to say that he looked for rebounders. How else can you put the puck into the goal, unless you’re looking for it?

Now, as you think about this hockey metaphor, please be aware of a couple things. All metaphors have shortcomings. Over-application of the metaphor could cause you to make (or think I am making) some points that are not valid. All metaphors break down. And this one breaks down early. First, people are not pucks. They are not something to be used. So don’t see Jesus and his team as swatting things around on the ice. Second, it’s not about scoring a goal, it’s about redeeming a life. So when we engage rebounders, we are careful not to see them as anything less than people who Jesus died to save — just like us. Third, it’s not a game — it’s a calling.

That being said, when you see someone show up for church, seize the day. Shake their hand and welcome them. Assist the Captain as He does what he does best — proclaims good news to the poor, proclaims freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, sets the oppressed free, and  proclaims the year of the Lord’s favor. (Luke 4)

And maybe you could even invite some rebounders over to watch the game with you tonight! Puck drops at 7:38 pm!

Let’s go Pens!

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Swimming Against the Current

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Driving the babysitter home she said something that made me feel old. It was only 1990 and I was only 29 years old, but her words made me realize how quickly time was passing.

“In history, we are studying the counter-cultural revolution,” she said. Not wanting to appear as clueless as I was, I replied, “Really — what are some other names for that?” She said, “My dad calls it the hippy movement. You know, the sixties.” Now, I was just a prepubescent kid in the sixties, but I was alive. And I was struck by two things: First, that a period of my life was now considered fodder for tenth-grade history teachers, and second, that the hippies had a name that made them sound quite impressive: counter-culturalists.

The Little Falls at Toccoa

Counter-culturalists. I think it’s a safe bet to say they show up in history books more than any other kind of person. Why? Because counter-culturalists make history. Whether it’s Socrates corrupting the youth of Athens, or John Hancock signing his name boldly enough that the king could read it without his spectacles, or Teddy Roosevelt riding his horse through what later became known as D.C.’s Rock Creek Park with pistols firing, or a group of college dropouts in a VW van with a peace-sign painted on it — people who make an impact, good or bad, are people who swim against the current.

So Laurel and I are sitting on a rock watching the family climb up “The Little Falls” and she recounts a story of someone criticizing a church for “accepting just anybody”. The suggested criteria is irrelevant, but Laurel’s friend was distressed because this church was not discriminating regarding the cleanliness, clothing, intelligence, social status, race, marital status, relationship status, sexuality, addictions, or biblical literacy of those it was allowing to come and worship. As Laurel told me the story, I remarked, “What we are doing at Curwensville Alliance is like trying to swim up these falls.” Laurel nodded quietly.

It is. We are swimming against the current, pushing against religious wisdom, countering the culture. And it’s a challenge. But isn’t that what makes history, not just in the secular world, but in the spiritual world?

  • God pushed Moses into pressing against the culture.
  • Samuel, anointing a shepherd boy while Saul was still on the throne — that’s pressing against political norms.
  • Elijah calling out the prophets of Baal — that’s a little out of the ordinary, pressing some buttons of people like Jezebel.
  • And Jesus… Yeah…. Jesus…. He was all about violating cultural norms, whether they were regarding prostitution or propriety in worship, Jesus made history by pressing against the religious culture — a religious culture that grew from what he had decreed centuries earlier through men like Moses.

At CvilleAlliance we are swimming upstream. But that which floats downstream is generally lost and forgotten. It’s not that we want to be remembered in history. I really couldn’t care less about whether I am remembered a generation from now. And that’s probably good — because I will not be remembered. Can you name your great-grandfather’s favorite Bible verse? I didn’t think so. We’ll almost certainly be forgotten by those who come later, most likely within two generations.

But what we do as we swim upstream can have impact that will change history — and in that sense, while our names will be forgotten by this world, the difference we make will influence all eternity.

In the words of Josh in his message today (2/10/2013), Press On!

Being The Missional Church

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From the opening of my 2012 year-end annual report…

One of the things that has made the Alliance distinct is our missionary emphasis.

Well over 100 years ago, Dr. Simpson felt led by God to swim against the flow of doing church the normal way, and to reach out to people who didn’t know Jesus – particularly overseas. Simpson’s relocation from Toronto to Louisville to New York was intentional: He wanted to get near the Atlantic so that he could begin to send people overseas to proclaim grace to those who hadn’t heard. In that regard, we were purpose-driven before Rick Warren was born! (On occasion, you’ll hear people who object to being purposeful in ministry or folks who talk and blog about the dangers of the missional church. Those people aren’t Alliance. And, frankly, I worry that they aren’t even in tune with Jesus, who was undeniably missional.)

This missions heart beats deeply with me, personally. Since I first surrendered to Christ sitting in the car in the driveway of my parents home, I have been concerned about those who don’t know – and don’t care to know – Christ. But in addition to (note I didn’t say rather than) overseas ministry, I have felt God leading me (and us) to be mission-driven on a local level. This fire was kindled in me in a real way when I heard, then missionary, Carl McGarvey, speak at a Men’s Retreat. He said, Think globally; act locally. I’ve personally worked to do that ever since.

Many of you are new to Curwensville Alliance. We love having you here. And I am guessing that you like the atmosphere, the music, the message, and the presence of the Spirit. If you ever wonder, “Why do I like this so much?” part of the answer is in the reality that we are mission-driven. We are working to help you like it here so you can connect with God when you come. But my desire as your pastor is not just to keep you comfy here. I want to inspire you, yourself, to become mission-driven. In fact, that’s probably a big part of the corner we need to turn as a church.

How can we move from being a group of spiritual consumers to becoming spiritual contributors?

One way is to think like Dr. Simpson thought. He looked around at the needs he saw. He looked beyond himself at the needs he could only hear of. And he prayerfully considered which ones he could meet and which ones he could not. What are the needs you are aware of in our own community? What about the needs around the world? As much as I dislike cable news, it serves a purpose that can be beneficial, if you let it: It shows us how desperately this world needs Jesus. From Syria to North Korea, we see people in need — in need of peace, in need of everyday things, and in need of Jesus. When we see how messed up this world is, we should ask God to show us how we, as a church, can be involved in meeting those needs. And beyond this, let’s give consideration to what we can do locally. We do much – from stocking the local food-bank to assisting the ministerial association in their missions of showing the love of Christ to others. But let’s not be satisfied with what we do. Let’s press on to do even greater things.

It’s an honor to serve as your pastor. You are a great group of people with great potential. In 2013, may we examine how we can live out that potential for the benefit of those who don’t know Jesus and for the glory of God.

What’s Weird…

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Josh emailed some of us today with a video he found. It’s Francis Chan, one of my favorite speakers / authors. He talks about how weird it is, in our culture, to be a committed follower of Jesus. Chan notes that he and his wife hear, from other Christians even, that  what they are doing (ministry in San Francisco) is strange and unusual.

Then Chan speaks of what’s weird from his perspective. Take a moment and watch, then ask yourself, “When people look back on our time, how will they judge us?”

http://vimeo.com/15995250

In order to be effective, we’ll probably have to be a little weird.

What’s Christmas Mean to Americans?

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Reading The Church in a Age of Crisis by James Emery White, I came across these words:

An analysis of 48,000 hours of programming by the NRB (National Religious Broadcasters) found that 90 percent of holiday programming did not have a significant spiritual theme; seven percent had a religious or spiritual theme but did not refer to Jesus or the biblical story of his birth. Jesus was the focus of only three percent of all Christmas programming.

I’ll confess that A Christmas Story has become one of my favorite movies. The nostalgia of the time and the way it reveals how Christmas often works runs deep and familiar. But when I watch it along with millions of others, I remind myself that while it is a Christmas story, it is not the Christmas story.

But it is for our nation.

And more than our Christmas narrative, it reflects the new state of faith. (White, p. 19.)

I can’t help but wonder how God want to use this information to shape the ways we communicate about Christmas in this age.