the postmodern pop pastor: November 2007

Friday, November 30, 2007

Well...

At least its raining.

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Phriday Photos

old and dead, originally uploaded by neo_athanasius.

the hood of an old pick up topped with the discarded leaves of an autumn tree.

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Thursday, November 29, 2007

The Advent Conspiracy

It’s about putting Christ back in Christmas. Somewhere in the bustle of wrapping paper, packed malls and endless shopping lists, there is a story we long to connect with. It’s a story of a Savior who came to Earth wrapped in nothing more than human skin who would one day redeem the world oneperson at a time. And, despite our best intentions, somehow that story becomes nothing more than a footnote to our endless to-do lists during the Christmas season.

What if this year was different? What if you could usher in a Christmas that put Christ’s story at the center of your family’s celebration? What if you gave gifts that lived long after the season had come and gone? And what if you could do all this while changing the world in a real way, one
person at a time?

Advent Conspiracy is an international movement restoring the scandal of Christmas by worshipping Jesus through compassion, not consumption.

WORSHIP MORE: The central theme of the Advent Conspiracy is that Jesus is worshipped in such a way that his followers experience the power of Christ coming into the world.

SPEND LESS: Part of saying “yes” to Jesus means that we say “no” to over-spending. We say “no” to overconsumption. We say “no” to these things so we can create space to say “yes” to Jesus and His reign in our lives.

GIVE MORE: In saying “no” to over-spending we are then invited to say “yes” to give in relational ways.

LOVE ALL: Christ, though He was rich, became poor to make many rich. It was in the Advent that Jesus entered our poverty so we would no longer be poor. With the money we save by giving relationally we, in turn, re-distribute the money we saved to the least of these in our communities and the world.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Hell

I think I need to consider hell more often. Last night several of us were discussing the justice of forgiveness. Particularly, how difficult forgiveness is because we think that only we can truly distribute justice to those who have violated us. Yes, that is entirely arrogant, but that is the way most of us think if we are honest.

Sin will justly be punished in only one of two ways. Either in eternal hell or on the cross of Christ. I love the justice of hell for sin committed against me, but sometimes act and feel as if the substitutionary death of the incarnate Son of God is insufficient justice for the sin against me. That is blasphemous.

The sinner places themselves under the threat of justice. If the Spirit of God who became incarnate in Jesus lives in me then I will be more concerned that it is the justice of the cross that covers the sin against me (rather than the justice of Hell) than I am my own vindication. I will seek to bring my sinning brother or sister to repentance and forgiveness in the cross. The threat of hell for the unrepentant ought to move me to seek repentance rather than to remain bitter and unforgiving.

Then struggle is then to believe that the justice of the cross (mercy) fully pays for sin committed against me.

Labels: forgiveness, hell, sin

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Sunday, November 25, 2007

Vintage Jesus

Vintage 21 Church in Raleigh NC did these short videos as part of a sermon series on Jesus. The premise is, what if Jesus was the wussy, no fun rule maker that people think he is. They are hillarious! Here is 1 of 4.

Labels: art, beauty, Jesus, video

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Friday, November 23, 2007

On Vacation...

We've been traveling around for the past week having a great time. We got a strange and wonderful tour of the CA state capitol building by the Sergent at Arms of the State Senate. He took us on to the Senate floor (here is my son behind the podium with the gavel in his hand) and then through a little door and up a 150 year old spiral stair case to the very top cupula.

Labels: holiday

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Tuesday, November 13, 2007

If God we're God to us...

If God were God to us... everything would change.

Does anyone have the foggiest idea what sort of power we so blithely invoke? Or, as I suspect, does no one believe a word of it? The churches are children playing on the floor with their chemistry sets, mixing up a batch of TNT to kill a Sunday morning. It is madness to wear ladies’ straw hats and velvet hats to church; we should all be wearing crash helmets. Ushers should issue life preservers and signal flares; they should lash us to our pews. For the sleeping god may wake someday and take offense, or the waking god may draw us out to where we can never return.

Annie Dillard

Labels: God, power, preaching

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Thursday, November 08, 2007

Preaching a difficult word

Spent last Sunday morning preaching a very difficult passage (Luke 16:1-13, the unrighteous steward) with the people to whom I belong.

In case you are interested. Listen here.

Labels: community, pastor, preaching, stewardship, teaching

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Tuesday, November 06, 2007

Ask Anything

Mark Driscol has this deal set up with his church and Crossway books. For a few months, people from all over the world will post questions for Mark to answer. Votes will determine the top 9, Driscol will preach on those topics at Mars Hill and then Crossway will publish the book. This is so stinkin cool that I dont know what to do with myself. It just looks like a whole lotta fun. I admit, I am ridiculously jealous that some I dont have a publisher wanting to publish my rants in response to questions. It should be fun.

Check out the voting page for the questions that Driscol with answer.

Check out the introductory video.

Labels: preaching

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