There have been too many days like today...

On days like today, there have been too many, far too many, days like today...

I kissed my daughter as the school bus pulled up, we hugged each other, and I told her, "I love you", she's young enough still that she says it back, "love you."  That's our daily routine at the bus stop.

Today nearly two dozen families in Texas will never again have the chance to hear their child say, "I love you."

One of the reasons I am steadfastly non-partisan in my public commentary (I know some will disagree with that self-assessment, so be it) is that I don't hear any voice in American politics today that is holistically pro-life.  I have two thousand years of Church history and an entire Bible of commands and obligations that have convinced me that nothing less will satisfy what God requires of me, so to whom should I turn?

Congress has 535 members, but not one speaks from the position that all life is made in God's image, is thus sacred, and as such their task is to protect and support to the best of their ability every permutation and segment of humanity, not just in our nation but around the world.  There are always caveats, groups left behind, forgotten or deliberately excluded (sometimes with venom and glee no less).  There are always reasons of expediency and tribalism that supersede the needs of real people, excuses why party loyalty rates higher than principled morality.  It isn't even really close, politics misses the mark of what God has called his people to embrace on so many levels.  To think that any party, past or present, could be a 'Christian' party would be laughable if it weren't such a dangerously blasphemous idea.

I honestly don't expect change, not on a national level.  On many of the holistically pro-life issues that matter to me, as a Christian and as a minister, we're not even able to have the conversation about HOW to best solve the needs we can all see in healthcare, education, poverty, criminal justice, racism, the environment, foreign policy, violence, and on and on.  We're too entrenched in our positions to even be willing to talk about anything beyond how 'we' can stop 'them'.  The task confronting the politician isn't easy, there isn't any one solution to any of these endemic issues, and I wouldn't expect everyone to agree on the best way to confront complicated problems with multi-faceted roots, but hope doesn't come from partisanship.  

So I'll continue working with local elected officials, local non-profits (like the one that I'm the President of), local churches (like the one whose leadership I've been entrusted with), and people who care about the needs of people here in our community.  At least here we can make a difference, at least here people are willing to put the us vs. them partisan hatred aside and focus on how to actually help people.

Don't expect me to believe in anyone running for Congress or the Presidency, don't expect me to mold and shape what God's Word has taught me to fit their far more narrow and targeted belief systems.  I've lived through too many days like today.

Sermon Video: Josiah - Triumph and Tragedy - 2 Chronicles 35

Having come to the throne at the age of 8, King Josiah had already achieved what would for many people be a lifetime of accomplishments by the age of 26.  In the 18th year of his reign, having repaired the temple, Josiah imitated his great-grandfather Hezekiah by properly renewing the celebration of the Passover.  Through personal sacrifice and bold leadership, Josiah and the people of Judah (along with the remnant of Israel) celebrate the Passover with such vigor and zeal that it becomes the greatest such celebration since the days of the prophet Samuel.  For Josiah, this victory is yet another triumph.
The Chronicles doesn't mention any other events of Josiah's reign until the 31st year of his reign when Josiah is 39.  In that year, King Neco of Egypt seeks to bring his army north alongside/through the territory of Judah in order to attack the Babylonians.  The ongoing struggle between Egypt and the Assyrians/Babylonians/Persians was always something that threatened to engulf the Jewish kingdom(s) as they sat astride the north/south route.  As Neco's army approaches, Josiah has but two choices: (1) stay out of the fight and hope neutrality is respected, and (2) pick a side.  We're not told that Josiah consulted the LORD for advice, perhaps in his mind his duty was clear.  Josiah chooses to resist Neco and fights against him, but is mortally wounded in the battle and dies soon after.  In the end, Josiah lived an extremely faithful and purposeful life, but also one shortened by the tragedy of early death.

To watch the video, click on the link below:

Sermon Video: The Deliverance of Peter - Acts 12:1-19

The story of Peter's escape from prison in Acts 12 with the help of the angel of the Lord is famous, but when read in its context falls immediately after the martyrdom of John's brother James.  These two disciples were both members of the "inner circle", along with John they witnessed the Transfiguration of Jesus.  Why is James left to die at Herod's hand, but Peter rescued?  There certainly couldn't be any theory that accounts for the difference by elevating Peter above James, as if Peter deserved to be saved but James did not.  So, what answer is left to us?
In verse five, Luke tells us that the church of Jerusalem was earnestly praying for Peter's release, perhaps this is the answer.  The church really prayed for Peter, therefore God delivered him from certain death.  There's just one problem with that cause-effect theory, it assumes that the church failed to pray for James.  We're not told anything about the presence or lack of prayer concerning James, but our own experience as individual Christians and as a Church confirms that fervent, earnest, tear filled, on our knees, prayer doesn't guarantee that God will act.  The will of God remains what God has told us it is, a mystery beyond our understanding.  We cannot force God to act because God is not an idol made in our image that we can control, God is our Creator, we are in his image.  God will continue to act according to his own wisdom, love, mercy, and holy nature.  We wouldn't want the ability to force God to change, God is already perfect, we're the ones that need to be transformed.
If prayer isn't about getting God to do what we want him to do, why are we praying?  The short answer: God told us to.  The longer answer involves what prayer actually does best and that is changing the person who is praying by allowing us to open our hearts and minds to the will of God.  In addition, prayer for those in need, especially public corporate prayer, allows us to demonstrate the compassion that our heart feels for them and to publicly declare that we have faith in the love, mercy, and grace of God's will.
God saved Peter from certain death, James he did not.  I don't know why tragedy happens to some good people and not to others, but I do know this, I can trust the God who was willing to send his Son to die for my sins.

To watch the video, click on the link below:
Sermon Video