pain and a rainbow

There it was...

I must have been in the perfect place at the perfect time... or maybe it was just a typical place at a regular time, with little perfection to be claimed... either way I saw one of the most beautiful acts of nature I have ever seen.

Have you ever had an experience you wished you could bottle up and carry with you... something so beautifully impacting that you wanted to remain in the midst of it... this was one of them for me.

...and, if you could remain in it, do you think it would retain it's beauty? Or is its rarity a critical part of what makes it so beautiful? Is the uniqueness of it what makes it stand out? Without the backdrop of familiarity would we really be able to appreciate these beautiful moments? Without some contrast we could not fully appreciate these experiences.

a rainbow.

The thing was so close that I felt like I could throw a stone and knock out the ornery gold hoarding leprechaun at the end of it. Vibrant colors filled the otherwise dim and unimpressive sky. I went to my car, preparing to grab my camera and take a picture of it... and then I made a wonderful decision.

The picture I intended on taking was never taken.

Instead of capturing an unsuitable glimpse of this experience, I decided to soak in the moment and remember it as it was... cherishing its beauty and creating a visual picture that would only improve with age, and knowing that part of what made it so special is it's uncontainable uniqueness. I realized that it was beautiful for a couple reasons... the bright spectrum of colors did stand out in the dim sky, which increased its beauty, and also I don't always have the opportunity to see a rainbow but when I do, it is special.

All this to say, beauty is emphasized and more deeply appreciated when there is contrast...

Rainbows stand out because the sky is normally void of them and we are aware of that.

Jumping into a pool of crisp refreshing water is amazing on a hot and humid Minnesota day because we have been sweating through our clothes and chewing on the thick air.

A little bit of salt makes sweet things taste even better because of the flavor contrast.

Fireworks suck in the daylight because there is no contrast.

Salvation is more beautiful if we understand there something to be saved from.

There it is.. you probably expected something like that to be said sooner than later.. we've got some spiritual implications with all this jazz. More on this later.

pain

Sunday was the close of the United Services at the church where I work. I don't want to comment on that overall experience in this entry, but I do want to point out something that took many of the young adults and I am sure several others in the congregation by surprise.

Jabez showed up.

The whole Jabez thing has been a running joke for at least a couple years in the young adult ministry at church. The word/name "Jabez" has become synonymous with "prosperity gospel" which many Christ followers, especially of the mosaic generation (those born between 1984 and 2002), are not very keen to.

This is the cheat sheet on what the "Prayer of Jabez" is...

It is used once in 1 Chronicles 4:10 and is a good example of an Old Testament blessing.

It is a prayer in four parts...

First, Jabez asks God to bless him.

Second, he asks God to enlarge his territory.

Third, he prays that God will be with him and stay close.

Fourth, he asks God to keep him from harm so he will be free from pain.


So... that is the "Prayer of Jabez" - If you hopped in a DeLorean, you could travel back to the distant year 2000 and find it at the local supermarket "impulse buy" section, near the register and next to the candy.

Great Scott!

So, this past Sunday... we had Jabez prayed over us to close the service and, in effect, our time of United Services. I know it was done out of good intentions, but there was one phrase I have heard brought up several times in conversation since then that has seemed to leave a sour residue behind.... the bit about pain.

While in the 1 Chronicles prayer there is a balance of cause and effect... being near to God and kept out of harm so that Jabez would not feel pain, the emphasis of the "blessing" on Sunday made it sound like the point was for God to give us grace so that we would not experience pain, almost for the sake of not experiencing pain.

The questions I have been hearing about this could be summarized with this...

Is feeling pain really a bad thing?

I once heard a story of a young girl with a medical condition that made her immune to pain.

Pain tells you that something is wrong. Pain is not in and of itself a bad thing... it is what notifies you that a bad thing is happening or just happened. Pain is a good thing.

Because this girl could not feel pain, there was nothing to stop her from allowing and in some cases causing her body to be destroyed. Her body would be damaged terribly, but was unable to tell her something was wrong or needed to stop. Apparently her baby teeth caused big issues... she would chew her lips bloody in her sleep, bite through her tongue while eating, and at one point put her finger in her mouth and stripped the tender flesh from it. It still damaged her, she was just unable to sense it. We should consider ourselves blessed that we do feel pain.. for feeling a little pain in order to prevent more serious injury is an example of grace.

So.. how is this stuff tied to salvation and rainbows?

One reason rainbows are so beautiful is because of their contrast with the rest of the sky... and pain is kind of like our annoying friend reminding us that there is something other than a rainbow up there.

In order for us to understand the significance of salvation it is important for us to recognize a need for it, but many times we rush our focus straight into the pretty colors of the christian rainbow without acknowledging the dark skies contrasting it.

When we experience the byproduct of sin in various forms... pain being one of them, we are exposed to these dark skies, and of our need for a Savior. Pain can be a reminder that something is wrong. Pain can be a warning that the decisions we are making are causing destruction. Pain is just one small reminder of our need for a Savior. When we look at the complete picture we are able to more fully appreciate the beauty in the midst of its surroundings.

rainbows and dim skies.... salvation and sin...

The bigger picture makes a lot more sense.

Let's take a good look at it.

This is a summary of what the blog is about.. the bigger the word, the more it is mentioned. I found this rather interesting... Make your own at http://www.wordle.net/

mostaza

Wow...

disclaimer: This might offend some.

In reviewing my life over the past couple years and comparing it to the other 23... I feel pretty confident saying that this has been the most difficult season of my life. A very long season also. An ecclesiastical ass kicking. Some of you will remember that I was sent out of Costa Rica to be a missionary in the TwinCities... I knew I was going to somehow act as a bridge between the church and the city but I did not have any idea that I was going to be planted in the (sarcastically) plush and vibrant soil of a suburban mega church. ouch. I have been in this environment for almost 2 complete years now.. this is the longest I have been in one spot since 2005.. and what a spot to be in... the north american evangelical suburban mega church has become my mission field and I need your prayers.

While many of the words in "north american evangelical suburban mega church" are scary.. the section that has caused the most pain and deception is "north american"

This is not because we are being attacked by the paganistic culture of the north american seculars, it is because we ( the north american "church" at large) have become a product of the culture. We are just the religious flavor a of a consumeristic society.

One of my current favorite authors, Mike Erre, pastor of Rock Harbor church in Costa Mesa, CA. puts it this way in Death by Church.. and I agree.
"We are now realizing that the monster of consumerism in the church is the monster we helped create. We ( "christians" ) built the church on a consumerist model, which focused on comfort and convenience and attracted a middle-class audience that demanded safety and security. In effect, the people came to the services to be fed. the church became a feeding trough, and the members grew comfortable, fat, and lazy. this made embracing the need to focus outward and be missional a tough sell. Ironically, Jesus took just the opposite tack - following Him was dangerous and costly. he didn't always make His messages easy for everyone to grasp. He didn't make people comfortable, and He was often carving away followers rather than attracting new ones. Sadly, in today's church, the vast majority of the church's growth comes form "church hoppers" - people who move from one church to another based on comfort and preference. in other words, we're stealing sheep instead of going out and making new disciples."


I think there is wisdom for us to reevaluate our lives and the culture of our congregations and ask ourselves "Is this what the bride of Christ is meant to be?"

Worst case scenario.... we realize we have fallen far from what Jesus called us to as His followers and we can begin to repent and move toward His calling. We can lay out the cost of what it means to be a disciple and either commit to that life or turn away from it. There is no middle ground.

Best case scenario.... you realize that you are in fact walking out the mandate, and loving God with all your heart, soul, and might in a state of re-dedication to the Lord, and doing so in a corporate movement along with other Christ followers who are ushering the kingdom of God into this world and demonstrating His love in grace in unimaginable ways. Good job, I'd love to hear more.

What if the Jesus we have come to worship in the "north american evangelical suburban mega church" is an idol? what if we have softened our perception of Christ so drastically for the sake of "reaching others" and being "seeker sensitive" that we have muffled His true calling and the actual cost of being His disciple? What if we have forfeited the Jesus of Nazareth for the Jesus of Suburbia? (another good book)

well.. maybe I am just blowing off steam, but I hope that is not the case.. I hope that someone will read this, feel uncomfortable, ask questions, and start the dangerous task of following Christ.

...or I hope a revolutionary seeking Christ will read this and find comfort knowing that they are not alone or crazy in thinking that there is something more out there than the candy coated gospel of the caucasian christ.

peace and love.

-Jreux