What do the following books of the New Testament have in common?

Romans, 1st/2nd Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st/2nd Thessalonians, 1st/2nd Timothy, Titus, Philemon, 1st Peter, 2nd John

Stumped?

In each one, the book starts with the writer wishing God’s grace and peace to the reader.

Why?

I mean God is really big, with a ton of attributes… a ton of things to offer us, why pick grace and peace… again and again?

Perhaps it was Paul’s catch-greeting, his trademark if you will, like Vanilla Ice’s “Word to your Mother’, and the other writers copied it because Paul was… well because he was Paul.

Probably not.

I would offer instead that there’s a reason… something beyond the trivial.  

Imagine what it would be like today if we greeted each other that way…

Make a call… grace and peace.

Send an email… grace and peace.

Come to church… grace and peace.

I think, to be honest, I’d get a little tired of it.. grace and peace… great… got it… stop it…

But then maybe, just maybe, it’d start to sink in.  Maybe they say grace and peace precisely because it would immediately confront all the stuff we go through on a daily basis….

I’ve screwed up again… grace

I’m stressed out at work… peace

I’m mad at them… grace

I need that now… peace

Maybe its because grace and peace centers our soul on what’s important… helps our heart lock onto where God is… diverts our attention from ourselves.

Grace and Peace… out.

There have been a couple of times that I’ve nearly walked away from the faith… I could go into the issues, and air a little dirty laundry, but I’ll spare you those details.

Most of my significant struggles have dealt with the manner/method in which people live our the Christian life (including myself).  My disappointment in their actions led me to question if Christianity was real at all…

I mean, if they’ve come into relationship with Christ, and agreed to have their life changed by that relationship, how could they (fill in the blank here, you’ve probably got a couple of examples of your own).  

Instead of questioning the person, I’ve questioned all of Christianity… is what we do… is what we profess real enough to manifest itself in a powerful way?  Or, are we just upholding a social tradition that works for some, doesn’t work for others, and in the end will become as irrelevant as the church is in other parts of the post-modern world?

It’s a heavy question, and one that I’ll probably always struggle with.  But let me tell you why I stay typing, stay serving, stay believing.

It’s because I think that deep down, the issue isn’t with God, but with the continually selfish nature of humans.  And while coming to accept Jesus may take a few moments (between saying a prayer and getting baptized), the true manifestation of that conversion in a way that exudes to every aspect of our lives may take a very long time.  Until then, we’ll keep hurting people.

And, I think that each person is on their own timeline, which is known by God, but not always dictated by God in a way that ensures a person reaches a certain level of holiness by year X.  Free choice means that someone can be stiff-necked to the Spirit, staying selfish where they want to stay selfish, and becoming more Christ-like where they release themselves to God.

It’s hard… because church is a place filled with folks at a variety of stages along the walk to God.  And so, despite our best (or not so best) efforts, it means that we’re not going to be perfect… we may say the wrong thing on Sunday… we might not (gasp) serve with a cheerful heart one week…  if we expect perfection, we’ll just be dissappointed.  

But the thing that should always separate ourselves from a social group of like-minded individuals, is that at the end of the day, the same forgiveness that draws us to Christ will also lead us to forgive those around us who mess-up along the way.

The same patience that God shows us as we stumble again, and again, is the same patience that we show our Christian brother or sister who sins against us.

And that love… that patience, is bound to drive us collectively

to something better

to someone better

to Christ.

So last week, I had the opportunity to go to Bulgaria for my work… I wasn’t sure what to expect, and wondered one day if I’d bring back anything worth writing for the blog.  

Bulgaria’s an interesting place.  They spent years occupied by the Turks, and then were rescued from that occupation by the Russians, eventually becoming part of the Soviet Bloc during the Cold War.  These days, they’re a republic struggling with corruption, and the lowest per capita GDP in the European Union.  

The morning I left, I had the opportunity to do a quick lap around the downtown, and stopped into some orthodox churches along the way.  It was the Friday before orthodox Easter, and they were having mass in their national cathedral.  I hung to the back and watched folks come in.  Some bought candles to light and place in stands and nooks around the cathedral.  Others stood in line to kiss the feet of a cut-out Jesus and two other cut-out figures.  This was done while a priest recited scripture from a pulpit.  

The folks who came in were predominantly women, both young and old, and I kept thinking… kept wondering, what it would be like for that expression of faith to be the only expression available to me.  

It led me to think about the impact our societies have on the way we worship.  Like it or not, they’re a Eastern European culture historically dominated by both foreign occupiers and a rigid, dare I say stale, orthodox faith.

Compare that to our nation, built on a hope, and most successful when moving fast, building, expanding.  And so I thought… how much of what, how and who we worship is a result of the perspective on life we all share as Americans?

I think it’s worth some level of reflection.  I mean, there’s a reason that Joel Osteen is popular right?  There’s a reason that televangelism works in our society… Where is the line separating capitalism and salvation?  Where is that line blurred?  In offering us relationship, Jesus offered us peace.  He didn’t promise that our marriages would work out the way we wanted.  He didn’t promise that our job would work out the way we wanted. Again, he offers peace here on earth, and reward… in heaven.

Look at the Beatitudes (Matthew 5), Jesus offers (in order) the kingdom of heaven, comfort, inheritance of the earth, fulfillment, mercy, a vision of God, the title of a son of God, and the kingdom of heaven again.  Look at who he offers it to (in order), the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and to top it all off, those who are persecuted because of righteousness.  It’s a really interesting, and powerful, way to start a sermon.

It leads me back to my original thoughts, how much of what I want, I demand from church is because I’m an American, raised in the capitalistic, Judeo-Christian tradition.

To be honest, I’d be happier if it said, 

Blessed are those who build great Sunday presentations on ProPresenter, for theirs are positions of power and success.

Blessed are those who try to be creative and compelling in blogs, for theirs are positions of acceptance.

Blessed are those who develop creative ideas for outreach, for theirs are monetary reward.

But it doesn’t… 

I once heard a pastor ask:

What’s the one thing, that if taken away, would get you to turn your back on God, yell at Him, leave your relationship with Him.

It’s a tough question…

I’d like to think that I’ll never be faced with that decision, but as I grow older and my life experiences get broader, I recognize that nothing is outside the realm of possibilities, absolutely nothing.

Because that thing that I would leave God over is really just an idol, pure and simple.  It’s something that I love more than God.

Think about it, Christians talk all the time about what their priorities should be.

For the married, it normally goes something like this: God, spouse, kids, job, house, toys, etc…

But what if one of those things was taken away, what if my job ended tomorrow and I didn’t know how to feed or provide shelter for my family?  Would I love God through it, or curse Him as a result of it?  

What if one of my kids was diagnosed with something terminal?

It’s a tough question, and to be honest, it’s one that I hope none of us ever have to worry about.  In fact, sometimes I think the reason my life hasn’t had as many challenges as others is because my faith isn’t strong enough to deal with it.

If you get a chance this week, think about it… is there a thing out there that I would split with God over?

Maybe its already happened to you, and you’re trying to figure out if it’s really worth it to come back.

I don’t think it’s anything to be ashamed about, it’s not like God doesn’t know its there.  Maybe He just wants us to acknowledge it… talk with Him about it… and put Him above it.

I once heard a discussion between folks about whether or not Jesus was a ‘support the system’ savior, or whether he was a revolutionary.  I hadn’t really thought about it before in that way, but as I listened, I became more and more convinced that Jesus really came to turn everything upside-down.  He was a revolutionary.

Women’s rights? Check

Poverty? Check

Anti-establishment? Check

Anti-religious systems? Check

Gulp.

It’s not the Jesus we really see in the movies, or the way we picture him from Sunday School… but in a quiet (or sometimes not so quiet) way, his message, his life was expended to establish true freedom and true equality for humanity.

This week, we’re talking about social justice… and to be honest, for the longest time, I really thought that was just something that wacky liberals petitioned about.  But over the last several years, I came to realize a couple of things…

First, Jesus was all about the social justice.  Think about it, he spent time talking to the masses, healing the people rejected by society, preaching good news to the poor.  If you were disenfranchised in first century Israel, Jesus was the savior for you.

Next, I think there’s something about the Lord’s prayer that we sometimes miss (hang with me here).  You know how it goes… thy kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

So, when I pray that, I don’t think I’m asking for God’s will to be done sometime out there… out in the distance.  I’m asking for his will to be done now.  And so, should it be any different when I talk about his kingdom?

I don’t think so, so when I’m asking for his kingdom to come… I think that has an individual context (in terms of individual relationships with God that lead to salvation)… but also a corporate context, in how his kingdom should really look here on earth.

And God’s kingdom wouldn’t have people enjoying diamonds that were the product of slave labor and civil war.

God’s kingdom wouldn’t stand for people to be sold as sex-slaves.

God’s kingdom wouldn’t let people stay in poverty.

And Jesus wouldn’t wear sandals made in a sweat-shop.

Back to something I wrote a couple of weeks ago… when we accept Christ, we accept the notion that everything…everything is spiritual.  Christ wants to impact every ounce of our lives and every ounce of our society.  

If we just focus on ourselves, our church, our friends… we’re only partially right… and the other part is selfishness.  

I think I just stepped on my own toes… I’ll stop typing now.

So, last week, I downloaded the new CG playlist for the hallway and pre/post service mix… and I thought I inadvertently downloaded a song with ‘questionable language’.  Turns out, it’s o.k., but it got me to thinking about those sins we immediately vilify (swearing, smoking, drinking for a start)… and how those sins impact God’s kingdom compared with some of the less-obvious sins (greed, gossip, pride).  

As I start, please understand me, I’m not going to condone sin, but I just want to look at things from a cause/effect relationship.   What would it look like if we stepped back from our lives and said, ‘you know what, God willing, I’m going to attack those sins that have the biggest impact on God’s call on my life… NOT the ones that hold the greatest social-stigma…

Since this is a blog-entry, and not a book, I’ll start by identifying those sins that get in the way of how Jesus summarized all the rules of God… “love God… love your neighbor as yourself”

What gets in the way of our neighbor feeling love in the way God intended us to share his love between people?  Normally its things like being too busy… too judgmental… too self-absorbed.  Don’t get me wrong, if I get mad at a neighbor and drop the f-bomb… that will probably have a greater impact than if I didn’t use it, but isn’t the real issue that I got mad in the first place?  I’m probably not forgiving my neighbor seventy-times-seven times as Christ commanded.  Swearing is just the icing on the cake of my anger… which is derived from a whole lot of bad stuff.

Speaking of pride, what if I say that someone is a ____ or a ____? Or, to use Christian-ese language, what if I say that person is an EGR (Extra Grace Required)  Is the issue the word/term, or is the issue my heart?

Sometimes, I think that our fascination, as a Christian culture, with many of these sins is no different than what the Pharisees did during the time of Christ… focusing on easily defined (and easily observed) rules, instead of dealing with the internal source of the problem.

While on the earth, Jesus found paradigm-shattering ways to let everyone know the standard was actually much higher than how the Pharisees were measuring it… 

you’ve been told not to have adultery? I tell you that even if you look at a woman lustfully, you’ve committed adultery in your heart…

you’ve been told not to murder?  I tell you that anyone angry with his brother will be subject to judgment…

As Christians, I think our impact on the world would be much greater if we just focused on doing what God said… recognized the core of our problems, and stopped trying to measure everyone’s holiness.

To Joe-Average non-believer, how do they view Christians?  Does it reflect the reputation that Christ had on earth?

If it doesn’t, is it because we have the wrong focus?

In May, CG will be looking to Turn the World Upside Down through doing a clean-up of the part of the Rappahannock we have adopted as a church.

So.. for many, this brings up the issue of ‘why would a church spend its time/resources cleaning a river?

Where does caring for God’s creation fit into our lives as believers?

You see, before God created man, he created the world we live in… and when he looked out on it (and us), he called his creation, all of it, good.

As a result of our initial sin, we were kicked out of the garden of eden and forced to work for a living, which has, throughout history, had an impact on the creation around us.

God, as expected, was brilliant in creating resources for us to use for food, shelter, ipods, etc.  So the issue isn’t whether we use his resources, but how we use his resources.  

Ever been in a relationship where all they did was take take take?  Do you think that relationship was healthy?

What if our relationship with God’s creation is one where all we do is take take take?  Is that healthy?

Because even if you don’t believe in global warming, is it really good that we’re draining the world’s oil resources at a record pace?

Would Jesus recycle the Aquafina bottle after he turned the water into merlot?

You see, when you accept the person of Christ, you accept this reality that everything… everything is spiritual.  There are no isolated events, everything we do either reflects Christ, or it doesn’t.

When God looked down on man, he recognized how far his creation had fallen, and sent redemption through his son… and restored all things.

When we look at his creation, and see where our fallen nature has effected it (through greed, malice, or just plain laziness), should our response be any different?

I don’t think it should… I don’t think it can be any different.

So, if you’re interested, join us on the 10th of May… think of it as an opportunity to do for the Rappahannock what Jesus did for us.

YOUR EVERYTHING.

As the sun climbs a cloudy sky,
Through rain, I’m searching for grace
and another chance at life
where there’s so much less of me,
  
    Your name, it awes the heavens
    Your blood is salvation
    Jesus, You’re everything’s greater than my anything
    Greater than anything, greater than everything.

As thirst dries already cracked lips,
My cries come out a whisper,
but I know you can hear me,
and now i see, there needs to be less of me,
   
    Your name, it awes the heavens
    Your blood is salvation
    Jesus, You’re everything’s greater than my anything
    greater than anything, greater than everything.

  Take my life,
  My body and mind
  Take my life,
  My body and mind

    Your name, it awes the heavens
    Your blood is salvation
    Jesus, You’re everything’s greater than my anything
    greater than anything, greater than everything.

Sound sinister at first?  Well, the reality is that the Underground is reality; and it can be a crazy place.  It’s where lives collide, and the scrap metal that we drag around with us is melted down, refined and reshaped into something beautiful.  Sunday morning is like a spark compared to the honest fire that is the Underground.

I have been going to small groups at Common Ground since I came to the church in November 2003, and I have experienced more love, more honesty, more awe and humility, more laughter and excitement, more frustration and fun, in Underground groups than I have often with my closest friends.  In fact, some of the people I’ve been in small group with have become my closest friends.  The kind that aren’t afraid to tell me when I suck but also know how to help me out of a hole.

I’m writing this partially as a sales pitch, to be honest, but it’s like selling an oxygen mask to someone on Mt. Everest.  It’ll help you.  It’s the easiest way to connect and if you absolutely hate it, my e-mail is themattmurphy@gmail.com:  e-mail me.

So… last week we debuted a new intro video (the initial color flashes get messed up by the youtube compression… but you get the gist).

I wish we could take full credit for it, but the idea came from a combination of my love for the U2 song ‘Where the Streets Have No Name’, watching the new U23D movie, and this continual, ringing question in my brain of ‘why do we come to church’?

As I thought about how the video should unfold, I came to the idea of listing all the reasons we come to church, both good and bad.  I initially started with a list of about 10 things.  Problem is that when I flowed out the music to the words, I recognized that I needed about 90 word flashes to come up on the screen… which meant that I had to come up with a list substantially longer than 10.

This led me to dig deeper into what might drive someone to come to church… and what drives me to church.

Some of the things that came to mind were expected… kind of easy… words like:

love | worship | peace | hope | relationship | belonging

And some of the words that came to mind were deeper:

him | her | guilt | desperation | shame | loneliness | acceptance

And so I came to realize that while I may have my own overarching reason why I’ll be at Common Ground today… the reality is that each Sunday is different.

Sometimes, it’s for acceptance, sometimes it’s because of obligation, sometimes it’s because I want to worship, sometimes it’s because of desperation.

I’m glad that our God is big enough to welcome us each week regardless of the reason… and hope that CG is a place where folks feel welcome, regardless of why they’re here.