Guatemala Mission: Why Go?

The following is an article from the March 2008 Marine View Press, the newsletter of Marine View Presbyterian Church:

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This month a team of fifteen people will leave the comforts of home and normal routines and they will go to a rural village in Guatemala. As mission teams from Marine View have done for the last three years, this year’s group will invest considerable time, energy, and resources to help people they’ve never met who live in foreign culture in a remote and impoverished village almost 3,000 miles away. Why? Why do we go to Guatemala?

1) We Go for Theological Reasons:

We go to follow Christ. We are disciples or apprentices of Jesus who said, “As the Father has sent me, I am sending you” (Jn. 20:21 niv). If we profess that Jesus is Lord, then we must respond obediently when the Master says to go. Jesus also came not to be served but to serve, and he has given an example of humble, active love for us to follow (Mk. 10:45; Jn. 13:15). We go to Guatemala out of a desire to serve Christ by serving others in his name.

We go to show Christ. “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions? Can that kind of faith save anyone? Suppose you see a brother or sister who has no food or clothing, and you say, “Good-bye and have a good day; stay warm and eat well”—but then you don’t give that person any food or clothing. What good does that do? So you see, faith by itself isn’t enough. Unless it produces good deeds, it is dead and useless” (Jas. 2:14 nlt). We go to Guatemala to show the love of Christ in both actions and words. We go to share what God has graciously given to us, not only material things but the spiritual truth that God is reconciling the Guatemalans to himself through Christ, not counting their sins against them. We are Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us to his beloved ones in Guatemala: “Be reconciled to God” (2 Cor. 5:19-20).

We go to know Christ. Mission is not a part-time activity of the church; it is a full-time work of God. Throughout the scriptures, we encounter a God who is on a redemptive mission in the world. Throughout the world, we may encounter a God who so loved the world that he sent his Son not to condemn but to save. We go to Guatemala to meet Jesus there among those who suffer under the weight of poverty, malnutrition, and injustice.

We go to grow in Christ. On a short-term mission trip, we see ourselves and our world in a new way. We discover the breadth of God’s love and the depth of our need. By leaving our comfort zones and all our props, we are forced to rely on God’s faithfulness and strength. When we return, we see our lives and our culture differently; we’ve been changed. We go to Guatemala so that we might become more like Christ.

2) We Go for Personal Reasons:

For some of us, we go because we want to make a difference in the world; we want to help those who are in need. For others, we go to experience a different culture; we go for the adventure. For me personally, I am going back to Guatemala because I know that there is more there that God wants me to see and experience. I recently wrote in my journal: “Going to Guatemala will once again force me from my comfort zone. I will once again be in over my head and forced to trust God. And that’s something I need to do more of. I rely too much on my own strength. I miss out on the transformative power of God often.”

3) We Go for Practical Reasons:

The need in the Yuljobe, Guatemala is very real. For centuries, indigenous Maya living in this remote area have cooked their meals using an indoor fire pit located on the house floor called a “three-stone fire.” These open-flame wood-burning fires have caused burns from the flames, respiratory illnesses from the smoke, and deforestation from the inefficient burning of the firewood.

In an effort not only to improve the health conditions and quality of life of the villagers, but also to show tangibly the love of Christ, the 15-member mission team will be working alongside Guatemalan families to install dozens of cast concrete “ONIL” stoves.

You Are Needed Too!

Marine View will be purchasing and installing 90 stoves. The cost per stove is $140.00. In addition, the HFPF staff will conduct critical follow-up with our stove installations, traveling to Yuljobe each month for a six-month period to make sure everyone has adjusted to a new way of cooking and that the units are working properly. The benefit of this effort is that HFPF has a 97% success rate with the installations.

You can participate in this mission both financially and prayerfully. First, use the donation cards found in the pew racks in the sanctuary to make a contribution toward the purchase of the stoves for Yuljobe and the team members’ expenses. Because of the increased size of this year’s project and team, we need to raise approximately $21,000. To this end, the Outreach Team will be designating funds from this year’s One Great Hour of Sharing offering toward the Guatemala mission. Second, please commit to pray regularly and specifically for the team members and the villagers they serve before, during, and after the trip. Prayer guides will be available at the Information Counter.

On behalf of Marine View’s 2008 Guatemala Mission Team, thank you for your support and partnership in ministry!

Choosing My Religion

Question of the Day: Who gets to choose your religion?

Two very different news stories this week have raised the question about who decides what religion a person might be. One I read in the Tacoma News Tribune (01-29-08)--a story about a prison chaplain who is struggling with fallout from a new regulation that allows inmates to be a part of more than one religion. Under the new rules, to select a religious preference, all an inmate has to do is fill out a form. Further, they can change their religion once every six months.

The second story involves an Egyptian man named Muhammad Hegazy, a Muslim convert to Christianity who is requesting that the Egyptian government officially change his religious affiliation. According to the ruling of an Egyptian judge, "He can believe whatever he wants in his heart, but on paper he can't convert."

So, is one's religion really just a matter of filling out the right paperwork and having it approved? And the deeper questions: Who decides what religion an individual truly is? Can a person "self-convert," or must a person be received by the religious community of which he or she seeks to become a part?

As Americans, we are heavily biased toward the individual. We have been trained by our culture to believe that the individual is the center of authority and decision-making power: I decide what to buy; I decide what I want to be when I grow up; I decide who to vote for; I decide what church to attend; I decide what is true for me. But such a perspective is somewhat unique in history.

Even looking across the history of Jesus' followers and the Church, we see that there has always been a place for the community in conversion. In the book of Acts, an individual's conversion or coming to Christ would often be attested to by others who were already a part of the early Christian community (e.g., Saul by Ananias; Cornelius by Peter; Samarians by Peter & John). In addition, acts such as baptism and the laying on of hands accompanied the individual's conversion and reception into the faith community. These acts would be formalized over the years so that becoming a Christian included not only a public confession of faith in Christ, but also a period of training or catechism and the sacrament of baptism. The value of the community is sorely missing in much of American Protestantism.

And as much as we must wrestle with the role we play and the role the community of faith plays in our choosing our religion, we must also look ultimately to God. Jesus said, "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him" (Jn. 6:44). Paul the Apostle likewise understood that it is God who chooses us long before we might choose God, writing that God chose us in Christ before the creation of the world and decided in advance to adopt us as his children (Eph. 1:3-5).

So, how do you understand your conversion? If you are a Christian, how did you get there? What did you do? What did the Christian community do? What did God do?

Michael Vick's Redemption

God continues to give me opportunities to learn patience through waiting. My computer that I have used for blogging got infected by a virus a few weeks back. I couldn't get it off. The computer techs couldn't get it off. So, they wiped everything off the machine, and I've had to start over with reloading everything back on. As my father-in-law might say, "That sucketh great wind!" Anyway, all that to say that I haven't been writing here for almost a month, but I hope to get back at it more regularly. A quick thought for today...

You've probably seen the news stories on Michael Vick, the former NFL quarterback with the Atlanta Falcons. Vick was convicted in federal court for charges related to dog fighting and sent to prison. In one of the countless articles on the fallen football star, I came across the following quote attributed to Vick as he was preparing to face his jail sentence: "Through this situation I found Jesus and asked him for forgiveness and turned my life over to God....I will redeem myself. I have to."

With all due respect, Michael, if you have to redeem yourself, then you haven't found Jesus!

I truly hope that Michael Vick turns his life over to God and asks for forgiveness. But the reason he needs to do so is precisely because he can't redeem himself. Jesus came to live, die, and rise again because redemption is out of our reach. Even the word "redemption" implies the need for another outside ourselves to be intimately involved. To "redeem" means to "buy back" or to "free from a lien." We can't buy ourselves back from our enslavement to sin. The price is too high, even on an NFL superstar's salary. Futher, redemption always involves an exchange of some sort. When I was a kid, I remember redeeming Coke bottles for cash. But in case of our own redemption, Christ takes on our death and gives us his life in return. The Apostle Peter wrote: "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your ancestors, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Pe. 1:18-19 TNIV).

Hopefully, the Spirit of God will lead Michael Vick to a place where he can say, "I will not redeem myself. I don't have to. Jesus Christ has redeemed me by His power and grace."

Crash Course in Waiting (aka "A Saab Story")

There's a bitter irony in preaching and writing on the "spiritual discipline" of waiting, and then having God throw you a curve to see if you really mean what you say.

For many years, I have been yearning to get a new car. I was tired of the old, gutless Escort I had been driving. I wanted something new. I wanted something fun. I wanted an adult car! After a lot of waiting and saving and researching and dreaming, this September we bought a Saab 9-3. I loved it! 210hp of turbocharged excitement turning on rails as you work through the 6-speed manual transmission. Suddenly, even going to the store to get milk was enjoyable. At least for 3 months, 12 days, and 2,777 miles...

Last Thursday (12/27), Kristi and I were returning from a stop at the Tacoma Mall before going to dinner. It was dark and raining, and the northbound traffic on I-5 was at a crawl. Fortunately (so we thought), the new long exit ramp to I-705 was moving along a good pace. Unfortunately, people getting stuck on I-5 started darting over into the exit lanes. The young man driving with his father in his dad's Volvo wagon in front of me suddenly stomped on his brakes. My Saab responded with agility as as I quickly began to stop behind him. (You know you're in control and going to stop in time when your wife doesn't reach for the dash!) BUT... the young man and his date in the Jeep Cherokee behind us wasn't as quick on the brakes. He smashed into us and forced us into the Volvo in front of us. When you're the middle car, there's just no where for all that kinetic energy to go. Bang! CRASH! In an instant, it was over.

As Kristi put it, there's good news, bad news, and sad news. The good news: Everybody involved was okay; there were no injuries. The bad news: our date was ruined and we missed dinner. The sad news: the Saab is toast!




And so the waiting begins again. This time, it's waiting on insurance companies to do their thing. Waiting to see if the car can be fixed or if they will total it out. More waiting...

In the meantime, I'm trying to remember how much I need to be thankful for. No one was hurt. The kids weren't with us. The State Patrol responded quickly and did a great job of handling things. The kid who hit us admitted responsibility. The tow truck got there fairly quick. We had great friends taking care of our kids, and who came to pick us up (Thanks, Doug and Betsy!). And more.

I'm also realizing again just how much of waiting involves a sense of being out of control. Actively waiting means actively trusting that my Heavenly Father is in control. It also means remembering that everything is a gift from God, and I need to hold all that God has given with an open hand.

Lord God, thank you for the way you continue to provide and protect. Heavenly Father, you are the giver of every good and perfect gift. Help me to receive all that you give with open hands and to never take for granted your generosity and grace. And thank you for the things that matter most: family, friends, and fellowship with you.

Random Ruminations on Christmas

Christmas is over for another year. Nothing left but the recycling and "Thank you" notes. Time to look back and ruminate a little on Christmas 2007...

1. Should we celebrate Christmas? A story in the Tacoma News Tribune recently looked at American Christians who reject the celebration of Christmas on religious grounds (http://www.thenewstribune.com/tacoma/24hour/religion/story/228703.html). Those quoted contend that the holiday was largely ignored until the late 19th century because of "the lack of biblical sanction for Dec. 25 as the date of Jesus' birth." Readers are reminded that many of the elements of our Christmas celebrations (e.g., decorating trees) have origins in paganism and celebrations of the winter solstice. Clyde Kilough, president of the United Church of God, is quoted as saying,"The theological question is quite simple: Is it acceptable to God for humans to choose to worship him by adopting paganism's most popular celebrations and calling them Christian?" To a great extent, I believe the answer is "Yes." Let's remember that God is in the business of redeeming the profane. God doesn't create holy people and sacred practices ex nihilo; God instead starts with sinful people and practices, and then he transforms them in Christ.
   
   In addition, from the earliest days, Christian communities have had to wrestle with how the radical freedom found in Christ pertains to the cultic worship practices of both Jews and Gentiles, with the bulk of New Testament teaching focusing on a) not judging others, either positively or negatively, for their practices, b) not forcing others to follow the old rules, and c) not allowing one's own freedom in Christ to become a stumbling block for others (e.g, Rom. 14:1-4; 1 Cor. 8:1-13; Gal. 4:9-11; Col. 2:13-23). This challenge is nothing new.
   
   More importantly, I think there are important theological reasons for keeping a regular celebration of Christmas in American Christianity. The Incarnation is severely overlooked in protestant theology. In many ways, it is seen as means to an end--Jesus had to be born so that he could die. We hear this in sermons and songs every December. I certainly don't want to deny the central importance of Christ's death and resurrection. But the coming of God in Christ, the Word becoming flesh, has vital significance in itself. Evangelical Protestants speak often of humanity's sin incurring God's wrath and requiring a penalty of death. We sometimes add that sin separates us from God. But we often fail to account for the natural separation between divinity and humanity. There is an ontological divide as well as a sin divide. Combine the two and clearly our humanity may not have unmediated or self-initiated communion with God. So Christ becomes the mediator between holy God and sinful humanity by taking on human flesh and becoming one of us. Unless the Son of God had taken on our humanity we could have no hope of becoming united with him because there would be no point of common contact. But because his flesh is our flesh, we may be united to him and subsequently receive the benefits of his Cross. This incredible Christmas journey of the Son of God from heaven to earth is worth celebrating just as his Easter journey from the Cross to the empty tomb.
   
   
2. Waiting for Christmas. Last Sunday I preached on the theme of waiting, drawing upon the stories of Simeon and Anna in Luke 2 and how they had lived for decades intently and intentionally waiting for the coming of Christ. I believe that in big ways and small ways, all of us our waiting for God to show up in our lives and do something, although that something will be different for all of us. At one point, I sought to expound on the ways in which God uses waiting, that God intentionally makes us wait, as a means for shaping our character and for deepening our faith and trust in him.
   
   In discussing the theme with my (brilliant) wife afterward, she made the great observation that we often lose out on those benefits because we cheat. Like a kid who can't wait for the go-ahead from the parents to start opening the Christmas presents, we take shortcuts and try to get what we want right now. People have always had trouble waiting on God. Unlike Simeon and Anna, how many people living before the first Christmas couldn't wait for the true Messiah? How many settled for less and followed the posers who came claiming the title? How many gave up hope for God to show up and make good on his promise, and they decided to take matters into their own hands and rely on their own strength? How often do I do the same?
   
   When I think of areas in my life where I'm waiting on God, I usually fall to one of two temptations that keep me from waiting actively. Sometimes I take matters into my own hands. I remain active, but now I try to make things happen myself. Other times, I become resigned. I'm waiting, but not actively. It's the life-posture of "Whatever."
   
   Christmas, or more accurately Advent, has been a good reminder this year of the need to wait actively upon the Lord. It's a reminder and a lesson I hope to carry into 2008.
   
   

Becoming a Christian, Part 4

Q. 30. How doth the Spirit apply to us the redemption purchased by Christ?
A. The Spirit applieth to us the redemption purchased by Christ by working faith in us, and thereby uniting us to Christ in our effectual calling.
Q. 32. What benefits do they that are effectually called partake of in this life?
A. They that are effectually called do in this life partake of justification, adoption, and sanctification, and the several benefits which, in this life, accompany or flow from them.

- The Westminster Shorter Catechism

The quote above from a catechism from the mid-17th century reveals a view of "becoming a Christian" significantly different from the transactional models prevalent today. First, the emphasis is on what God is doing (not just what God has done) when a person becomes a Christian. Transactional models tend to emphasize what we do. Second, the catechism speaks of benefits in this life--becoming a Christian doesn't just leave us with "sin management" but includes the transformation of life as we live it now. Transactional models, on the other hand, tend to emphasize only eternal benefits experienced after death (hence the old evangelistic conversation starter question: "If you were to die tonight, would you go to heaven?").

To be fair, many of those who hold to a more transactional view of salvation, many who see "becoming a Christian" almost exclusively as an event rather than a process, nonetheless will include some teaching on the need to for the new Christian to grow or mature. Regrettably, those that do exhibit a desire to see people grow in Christ have outlined that growth as a linear and even formulaic process.

One of the most popular models currently (and one to which my congregation has subscribed) is the Purpose-Driven model popularized by Rick Warren and Saddleback Church. According to Warren's The Purpose-Driven Life, God created each person to fulfill five purposes: worship, fellowship, discipleship, ministry (service), and outreach (mission). Moreover, the expectation is that those who become Christians will work through each purpose in order and that only Christians can engage in these sequential steps. One starts as a part of the "community" of people who can attend worship, but since Warren teaches that only Christians can actually worship God, these people obviously cannot progress further until they "become Christians." From there, one can move toward the inner circles of the "crowd," "congregation," "committed," and finally the "core."

But this assumes (falsely, I believe) that genuine worship, or fellowship, or service, or whatever else, can only be done by those who are Christians. Yet, because God designed all people to be worshipers, everybody is worship something... usually multiple things! I don't believe it is accurate to say that the person who has not "become a Christian" through the transaction of "saying the prayer" or "crossing the line of faith" cannot truly worship God. Their worship of God may be incomplete or divided because their knowledge of God is incomplete and their hearts are still divided. But that's true for all of us! Likewise, those who are at various places in their spiritual journey--from pagan to puritan to priest--seek meaningful relationships with others (e.g., fellowship) and seek to do good for others (e.g., ministry and outreach).

What if instead of this linear approach, we adapted the model to have overlapping circles rather than concentric circles? One can maintain the idea that all five purposes are important, but now we move to a less linear and more holistic approach. Moreover, people can be invited into a deeper realization of life in Christ from any point rather than assuming that worship is always the beginning. For example, the person who is seeking wholeness in their heart, mind, and soul can be helped to see that this is really part of God's design that we be like Christ (e.g., discipleship). Or those who are already doing good things in the world apart from acknowledging Christ, such as serving in a food kitchen or giving to AIDS relief, can grow in union with Christ so that they see and act on this as part of the spread of God's kingdom (e.g., outreach). This approach can also move us from a more attractional approach to evangelism ("come to us") to a more missional approach where we can join with the work the Spirit is doing in a person's life wherever they are at.

We can modify this further by recognizing that the our approach to "ministry" can be self-serving. According to the purpose-driven model, each Christian should have a 'ministry in the church' and a 'mission in the world.' Isn't this a bit of a false distinction? Churches today with their big buildings and multiple on-site programs have great need for people to volunteer to serve the church. But where do we get the idea that serving the church is the thing to do? Serving the people is a good thing, but that is covered under the idea of "fellowship." Serving the church--the organization or the institution--helps to "grow the church." But, again, where do we get the idea that that is part of God's agenda for the world? The church is not an end unto itself. The church is meant to follow the lead of her Lord who came not be served but to serve. The church is a means to end, namely the furthering of the kingdom of God in the world. Consequently, the purpose of "ministry" can easily be subsumed under "fellowship" and "outreach.

Moreover, we can see some parallels with with the three benefits of our effectual call mentioned in the catechism and the three sets of New Testament metaphors mentioned in the previous post. Although the correspondence is far from exact, the purpose of "worship" can be reinterpreted to include all of our life in Communion with God, that which flows out of our justification. "Fellowship" can be understood as our life in Community with others, that which flows from our adoption. And "discipleship" can be viewed as the transformation of the Character within us, that which results from our sanctification. All of this happens within the world we are called to serve.

At this point, I'm realizing that we've strayed some from the original idea of what "becoming a Christian" means. I suppose most of this rumination revolves around ways to envision our "becoming a Christian" as a journey rather than a transaction, as a process rather than an event. It must include an essential effect on this life and not focus only on the life to come. And it needs to be open to mystery and the unknown as we are united with Christ. So, perhaps we can keep the old idea of a "bridge" diagram for "becoming a Christian," but have it look something like this...

Comments anyone?

Becoming a Christian, Part 3

"When we examine the broad spectrum of Christian proclamation and practice, we see that the only thing made essential on the right wing of theology is forgiveness of the individual's sins. On the left it is remove of social or structural evils. The current gospel then becomes a 'gospel of sin management.' Transformation of life and character is no part of the redemptive message. Moment-to-moment human reality in its depths is not the arena of faith and eternal living." - Dallas Willard

What is our theology of salvation? What do we believe salvation really is? Consider the aforementioned bridge analogy popularized in the 4 Spiritual Laws evangelistic presentations (see Part 1). Here the problem of sin is that it separates us from God. The solution to the problem is God bridging the gap through Christ and the cross. We receive salvation, then, by receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, which is done by following the suggested prayer formula.

While I don't disagree that sin separates us from God or that Christ can be viewed metaphorically as the bridge between God and humanity, this presentation of salvation seems to be one-dimensional as well as truncated or incomplete. Consider some of the New Testament metaphors for the saving work of God in Christ. Similar to the bridge analogy, some deal directly with our relationship with God: In Christ we are 'reconciled' (Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:18-19), 'forgiven' (Mt. 26:28; 1 Jn. 1:9), 'redeemed' (Gal. 3:13), 'ransomed" (Eph. 1:7, 14), and 'freed' (Rom. 6:18). Some salvation metaphors deal with the transformation of our life and character: In Christ we are 'born again" (1 Pe. 1:3), 'purified' (Jn. 17:19; Eph. 5:26), 'made alive' (Eph. 2:5; Col. 2:13), and made 'new creations' (Gal. 6:15; 2 Cor. 5:17). Similarly and related to these, still other metaphors deal with our relationships with others: In Christ with others we receive 'adoption' (Eph. 1:5; Gal. 4:5), become 'children of God' (Jn. 1:12; Rom. 8:17) and a part of 'Christ's body' (1 Cor. 12:13) in which we have 'fellowship' with one another (1 Jn. 1:3, 7). And this list is by no means exhaustive!

Is there a way to capture some of these ideas in presenting the Gospel to others? Something to ruminate on next time.