Flourish like a green leaf

May 21, 2014

Whoever belittles his neighbor lacks sense,
    but a man of understanding remains silent.
Whoever goes about slandering reveals secrets,
    but he who is trustworthy in spirit keeps a thing covered. Proverbs 11:12-13

I imagine that there are all sorts of subtle ways to belittle neighbors and slander secrets.  Especially when one is apt to leap into a conversation early and often, such as myself. In sharp contrast to Alan and Scott, who stand on the outskirts thoughtfully considering and weighing words. 

May 22, 2014

Where there is no guidance, a people falls,
    but in an abundance of counselors there is safety. Proverbs 11:14

I am thinking about this abundance thing this morning. I wrote a celebratory letter to a guy who has flourished with an abundance of counselors, a trustworthy community who has been there faithfully through the darkness and over the slippery spots. It has not been an easy journey, but there was overarching sense of peace that comes from that sure grasp (of the wrist, thank you Mr. Helin) offered as the footing gives way. And, and on the other hand, my thoughts and prayers are with a woman wandering through northern Nevada, alone, even unaware of a loving Presence who goes with her, before her, and shelters her from behind.

And I am thinking about unity a lot these days, thanks to Dave and 4Tucson. And humility. And the checklist. Because this whole community idea is not very easy, and sometimes the isolated Northern route seems simplest. Choosing to go low does not come naturally.

Sometimes I just stick it out because I am stubborn. And I kind of like doing things the hard way. And sometimes it is a slightly more noble but abstract understanding that pushing into community brings honor to God and joy to Jesus in a way that I can’t quite wrap my brain around, but the Bible tells me so.

And yet, very really and truly, there is safety in community. Delightful, satisfying, mango-juice running down the chin comfort and safety, as in The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.  And this morning I celebrate the many delightful counselors that surround me, Mary Anne delivering the morning paper and a prayer, Kathie taking care of business, Sue my Thursday prayer walker, Heather with always-a-wise-word, Wendy so kind and smiley, my momma with a world of experience…the list goes on and on.

And as I wrote this morning, with some slight pronoun changes: I rejoice in the strong community who stands by me, across many waters, with much love and wisdom to walk alongside me in the grand adventure, a long obedience in the same direction.

Glory.

Wrapping a towel around my waist as I head out the door

When pride comes, then comes disgrace,
    but with the humble is wisdom. Proverbs 11:2

So Dave from 4Tucson preached again Sunday. And it’s all about humility, as in

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, by taking the form of a servant.

Because, as Dave likes to remind us again and again, unity is what was on the heart of not only Paul as being the point of it all, but also, unity is what was on the heart of Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, this was His prayer: May they be brought to complete unity so that the world know that You sent Me and that You have loved them even as You have loved Me.

Jesus chose humility at every step of life...from where to be born to how He died. Humility is thinking of yourself less, not thinking less of yourself. It doesn't say, "be humble," it says, "Humble yourself." Choose to go low.

 So that we come a step closer to being the answer to Christ's prayer.

And Dave passed out this green sheet of paper outside under the olive trees, a little private in-your-prayer-closet sort of self-test on how one is doing in the realm of humility, and choosing to go low. Choosing the mind of Christ. And I sort of breezed through it yesterday, yeah, yeah.  And the Spirit brought it back to me time and time again, throughout the day, this thing about going low.

Because I noticed some offensing taking place throughout the day, when I didn’t leap into “hardly even noticing when others do it wrong.”

And He in all His kindness had already pointed out that I wasn’t so good at point number eight, about not labeling people or avoiding quick judgments. And yesterday was full of number nines, about accepting unfair criticism and number thirteen, accepting blame when I have compromised because of fear. Yep, sometimes I compromise because I am afraid of fifteen-year-olds.

And then there’s fifteen and twenty, “I accept God’s testing and discipline without grumbling,” and “I am a thankful person.”

And the little green paper ends with “There’s no grading curve. Nothing that says, 15 out of 20 means ‘Christ-like attitude,’ and 10 out of 20 means ‘nice start.’” Rather Jesus expects them all out of me, all the time. If I scored less that 20, then I need to step into the humbling me as I take my sin to the cross.

And all of this reminds me of Tom Copp's big word, that he used to work into almost every sermon: 

hupomenó: to stay behind, to await, endure

Original Word: ὑπομένω
Part of Speech: Verb
Transliteration: hupomenó
Phonetic Spelling: (hoop-om-en'-o)
Short Definition: I remain behind, endure
Definition: (a) I remain behind, (b) I stand my ground, show endurance, (c) I endure, bear up against, persevere.

I remain behind.

Stomping on plastic bags so they don't blow away

Indeed, if you call out for insight

    and cry aloud for understanding,

and if you look for it as for silver

    and search for it as for hidden treasure,

then you will understand the fear of the Lord

    and find the knowledge of God.

For the Lord gives wisdom;

    from His mouth come knowledge and understanding.  Proverbs 2:3-6

So one thing about being married to a worship leader is that some weekends I get to go to church a couple of times. And just like reading a book twice through, there is lots more time to consider what is happening...to listen to the stories, to pray for the body, to watch the Compassion film twice and remember those joyous mornings of delivering sponsor letters to families and drinking just-roasted coffee made in a sock with lots of sugar and sharpening crayons with a machete and of course...to delight in the throbs of the deep bass and the waves of glorious harmonies, again and again. It's a beautiful thing, this very flawed but in process community which is a source of comfort, strength and most of all big picture perspective as I told an about-to-be-married couple last night over dinner. 

We're Your church

We're Your steeple

And You have made 

Your home with people 

It totally worked out today. I knew from last night that Dave from 4Tucson was going to share his vision for the Christian community to bring about transformation for the prosperity of the entire city. So I did my get-ready-for-el-Camino walk Mike-Birrer-style, picking up trash and walking through the University neighborhood alleys connecting Broadway and Speedway, watching and noticing, searching for hidden treasure. And I saw more clever gates and front doors than one could imagine. And polished wood floors gleaming behind billowing transparent white curtains. And many more beer-sticky front porches heaped with busted sofas. Busted sofas was a pretty consistent theme. And flowers in creative potting. And tucked up against the wall of where the Upper Room used to meet and sing and dance before God a very neat and tidy guy who looked like a grad student was ordering his recyclable Trader Joe bags as he straightened himself up from a most likely uncomfortable night on the sun-cracked asphalt. The dumpster next to him rumbled with an enterprising older man sifting for aluminum cans, and just down the block a cheery Food Conspiracy employee smiled, "Beautiful day for a walk, eh?" Indeed. 

The beginnings of a community garden. Lots more beer cans and half-empty energy drink jugs and half-finished assignments on Supreme Court cases behind the Tucson High Stadium. And more miniature bottles of whiskey and gin than one really likes to find. Back at the Vineyard Chris the pastor is sweeping the sidewalk again. Lex is raking under the olive trees. 

Young and old will turn to Jesus

Swing open you heavenly gates

Let the streets resound with singing

Songs that bring you joy 

Dancers who dance upon injustice

Dear Lord, may they must know we are Christians by our love.

Let the kingdom come.

And Dave’s sermon was John 17, the prayer of Jesus for His friends; this is what was on the heart of Jesus talking to His Father, now that He was staring at the Cross, and the time, the time for which He had come was staring back at Him.

Dave pointed out that Jesus also said what He was NOT praying for. He was NOT praying for the world, the so-loved-the-world world, but for these twelve, that they may be one, even as We are one. The most important thing for Him was that the Church be unified. Even as We, the multifaceted yet connected Trinity are One.

We are not the body without one another. Since we are connected to the same head, we are part of the same body. Jesus did not ask that The Father take His friends out of the world, but this unity is to flow out into the world. The prayer of Jesus was for complete unity, so that the world will know His Father’s love for the-God-so-loved-the-world world, that He sent His only begotten Son. 

We're Your church

We're Your steeple

And You have made 

Your home with people 

And God is at work here in the city of Tucson through His Church. As He is at work across the globe. And may we continue to call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, and let us look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, that we may find the fear of the LORD and know His heart.