Was Jesus political?

I'm conflicted about a lot of things in the Church (the Church universal - not just Crossroads). One of the biggies is what role, if any, politics should play in how we live. Some political issues go right to the heart of how we are called to live as Christians (murder, theft, etc.). If we are called to be like Jesus, shouldn't we take his lead on everything?

It's interesting that both sides of the political aisle claim that Jesus is on their side. Republicans say that Jesus clearly endorsed conservative values while liberals point to Jesus' passion for the disenfranchised. I think Jesus made a point of being apolitical. Instead of referring to himself in political terms like "king" or "ruler", Jesus called himself the "Son of Man" - language that avoided the appearance of political leadership.

A blogging friend explained it this way:
In Mark 11, Jesus enters Jerusalem, allowing the political figures to make their rulings. He didn’t enter the city riding high upon a regal horse or luxuriously reclining in a comfortable carriage. Jesus entered the city on a donkey. Not the way political powers of the day usually traveled. In biblical times the donkey was a symbol of peace. No one fought wars on a donkey, and pity the political figure who mounted one. A donkey was too small for war and too humble to garner prestige. As Jesus rode into Jerusalem, people gathered along the road waving palm branches and exclaiming, Hosanna, or “save us.” Many of the people waved and yelled out of misaligned political interest. They wanted Jesus to take power. And He did. Just not in the way they expected. He was on a death march, not a political parade.

I think that Jesus was pretty intentional to avoided the politics of His day. For now, I'm going to experiment with the idea of avoiding political labels.

Solitude on the mountain

I went to a friend's cabin this week. It's amazing how much I can decompress by driving east for 32 minutes, sitting on a redwood porch and listening to the river 50 yards away. I spent some time thinking about Christmas and what direction we should go as a church as we walk through the story of Christ's birth. I think I'm going with a "Starbucks" theme. More on that later.

I brought along my camera.

More on listening

My kids hear me but only occasionally do they really listen to me. "Hearing" is passive. I can hear an ambulance or a baby cry but it requires no work on my part. Those sounds are just part of my environment. "Listening", on the other hand, is much more active. It requires the participation of two people. While one person speaks, the other is focused on what they're saying. It's intentional. It requires a certain degree of focus. It applies to marriages, the relationship we have with our kids, all the ups and downs at work, and in our connection with God. Here are some sure-fire ways to fail in the listening department:

* Talk louder than the person who is trying to communicate with you.

* Refuse to look at your dog when he is staring at you. It's good practice for when you want to block out a real person.

* Turn the other way.

* Maintain a laser sharp focus on your own life and disregard anything else.

Practice makes perfect!

Listening

And the Lord came and called as before, “Samuel! Samuel!”

And Samuel replied, “Speak, your servant is listening.” 1 Samuel 3:10

Verse 10 (above) follows 9 verses of Samuel struggling to figure out who was calling his name. It took God a few attempts before Samuel finally determined that God was speaking, not anyone else.

I don't listen enough. My wife talks to me and I start to walk away to do something else. When she gets frustrated, I try to convince her that I can listen and perform various other functions. Funny...she doesn't buy it. My kids try to talk to me and I text away on my Blackberry. I can even type on my computer while talking on the radio. I am the king of multitasking.

God can talk pretty loud. In fact, I would guess that he is the loudest guy in the universe. But, His voice won't penetrate our decision to focus on things other than Him. He will keep knocking but He won't break down our door (ok, that's not completely true...He will, occasionally, break down the door). The point is that God wants us to listen. When we do, we learn more about His love for us and where He wants us to go.

I'm going to the cabin today to listen.

The Gas Co.

I will never leave you nor forsake you. Hebrews 13:5

I woke up Wednesday morning to a flicker of flame in my fireplace. The night before, we had a fire and when I went to bed, the fire was dying down. When I saw the flame the next morning, I just assumed a small piece of wood had survived the night. I walked to the fireplace to find that there was no wood - just a flame. Apparently, our gas log - which we never use - was leaking a small amount of gas which kept a small fire burning. Simple fix: find the gas key and turn it to the "off" position. No key. I looked everywhere to no avail. Fortunately, we weren't in danger since there was a flame but the situation still needed to be addressed asap.

When I got to work, I called the Gas Company and navigated the automated phone response maze. By pushing a series of buttons, I indicated that this was an emergency situation. If the flame went out, gas would fill our home and any electrical spark could produce devastating results. Within seconds, a real person interrupted the automated system. She asked me to explain the situation and I assumed that, based on the information provided, a Gas Company representative would be dispatched to our home within minutes to fix the problem.

I was put on hold.
I was put on hold for a loooong time.

She came back on the line and gave me plan of action. The funny thing is that when she gave me instructions on what to do until the Gas Company employee arrived, she made it sound like the situation was very dangerous and we needed to take some drastic precautions. Did I mention that I was on hold for a long time?

I'm glad that God doesn't put me on hold. He is always there and wants to hear my voice when I face challenges. As I learn to lean on Him more, I realize that His love for me allows me to rest in the knowledge of His protection.