In this “Thanksgiving Week,” here’s something to be thankful for, courtesy of my son Mark’s Facebook posts election week:

As the sun rose on election day, we posted our American flag – not as a sign of support for one candidate or another (our house is divided), but in appreciation for the privilege of voting and the belief that no matter what happens with the election, we live in a great but imperfect country, a land of opportunity, a nation governed by flawed humans through a flawed system. Things will get better in the coming months regardless of who wins today. This election season has been particularly divisive, but we will heal. We have to.

Mark continues:

The person who voted for someone different from you is not your enemy. The person who believes differently from you is not your adversary. No portion of the country, whether a minority or majority, can succeed by tearing down the other portion. We are all in this together.

Mark concludes:

Jesus asked, “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of [evil men]?” The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Have mercy. Love your neighbor. – Mark Ewell, November 3, 2020

Mark’s next election week Facebook post:

Whoever is inaugurated on January 20th will be my president, and for all our sakes I hope he is the best president we’ve ever had. I will agree with some of the things he says and does, and disagree with others. Either way, I’m grateful for the amazing country we live in, for the checks and balances among our branches of federal government, and for the uniqueness of the states. Very little of this matters day-to-day, and none of it matters in the long run. – Mark Ewell, November 6, 2020, emphasis mine

Thank you, Mark. Good counsel.

The boundary lines have fallen for me in pleasant places; surely I have a delightful inheritance. (Psalm 16.6, NIV)

Here’s a little whimsey to get us in the mood for Thanksgiving week…

We’ve lived in this house and neighborhood for 14 years and seen foxes, coyotes, bears, owls, hawks, and deer. I’ve never seen a turkey although our new neighbor reported on NextDoor recently that he had them in his yard. Well, the wait is over: there were at least 20 in our backyard a few days ago.

You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you. (Nehemiah 9.6, NIV, emphasis mine)

Yesterday, we explored how joining Jesus on mission is not unlike joining the Star Trek crew on mission. And my friend Bill Mowry indicated that one of the reasons more of aren’t involved is:

I don’t have the training or the skills.

Bill’s reaction is that with all the tools out there, that’s not a good excuse. I agree. A friend of mine was leading a group of men through Bill’s book Ways of the Alongsider, and he told me this story:

Near the end of our time together, one of the men said, “Let me see if I’ve got this right. You want us to share the gospel, help someone put their faith in Jesus, then come alongside them to help them grow in their Christian faith.” I replied, “Of course.” The man replied, “I’m not ready for that.”

I would have had a simple response: “If you don’t think you’re ready, after a lifetime of teaching in a Bible-believing church, and even after taking this course, what else are you going to do to get ready? Jesus didn’t consider not being ready an excuse.”

And that servant who knew his master’s will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more. (Luke 12.47, 48, ESV, the words are Jesus’, the emphasis is mine)

Being part of the mission is not difficult. Most of us are way more ready than we think or more ready than some church leaders think we are. If you missed last week’s series suggested by my friend Ray Bandi, I encourage you to look at it. His model was a simple Love, Pray, Model, Teach, Repeat.

And the things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others. (2 Timothy 2.2, NIV)

Remember:

2 Timothy 2.2:  It’s so easy, anyone can do it, even lay people.
It’s so important, everyone must do it, even pastors.

Yesterday we wrote about exercising faith in a big God. Again, it’s not the size of our faith, it’s the size of our God, and…we must take action. Here’s another metaphor, this one from my very creative friend Bill Mowry, author of Ways of the Alongsider. He, like me, is a fan of Star Trek, especially The Next Generation version with Captain Picard. Bill writes:

The captain’s voice-over opening to each show makes me sit up straight in my recliner (my command chair!).

Space, the final frontier. These are the voyages of the Starship Enterprise, its five-year mission to explore strange new worlds, to seek out new life and new civilizations, to boldly go where no one has gone before!

What a clear and simple mission statement. You can’t miss the purpose of this crew of intrepid explorers. Their assignment was straightforward— explore strange new worlds and find new life. The Captain of our Starship is also calling us to a clear mission — one that is bold and full of new life. – Bill Mowry (His whole blog is worth the read.)

It’s a great mission! “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” (Matthew 4.19) or “Go and make disciples of all nations…” (Matthew 28.19) Why aren’t more of us involved? Bill suggests several reasons including this one:

I don’t have the training or the skills.

Bill says with all the tools out there this isn’t a good reason. I agree, and I’ll have more to say about that tomorrow.

In the meantime, there’s adventure waiting for us!

And the angel of the LORD appeared to [Gideon] and said to him, “The LORD is with you, O mighty man of valor.” …And the LORD turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours and save Israel from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” (Judges 6.12, 14, ESV)

But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth. (Acts 1.8, ESV)

I like this little snippet that follows immediately after Jesus asked the disciples to forgive people indefinitely. “Every time…” That sounds hard, so the disciples had a simple response:

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith!” And the Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, ‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you. (Luke 17.5 – 6, ESV)

It’s not the size of our faith, it’s the size of the object of our faith, and…we have to use it (suggested by a note in The Passion Translation). The best illustration of this concept is thick ice on a lake versus thin ice. This author captures it well:

One year, our family lived on a small lake in northern Indiana right below the Snowbelt. Coming from southern California, my jaw dropped the first time I saw heavy trucks travel across frozen water. When we moved to Raleigh, my kindergarten-aged son remembered the trucks on the lake. He tried to scoot across a North Carolina pond after only a few days of freezing weather. Thankfully, he fell through at the shallow edge. Great faith in thin ice won’t hold up a child. The thickness of the ice, not the driver’s faith, held up the truck in Indiana. – Debbie Wilson

Another simple metaphor is airline travel. Given that the equipment is working properly and the crew is competent, how much faith does it take to fly from, say, Denver to Chicago? Answer: just enough faith to get on the plane!

Tomorrow I’ll apply that to our mission. Please stay tuned!

We received the same promises as those people in the wilderness, but the promises didn’t do them a bit of good because they didn’t receive the promises with faith. (Hebrews 4.2, MSG)

We’ve asked from time to time in this blog, what happened to the “massive crowds” that followed Jesus? There were only 120 in the Upper Room in Acts 1. Here’s one answer:

As massive crowds followed Jesus, he turned to them and said, “When you follow me as my disciple, you must put aside your father, your mother, your wife, your sisters, your brothers—yes, you will even seem as though you hate your own life. This is the price you’ll pay to be considered one of my followers. And anyone who comes to me must be willing to share my cross and experience it as his own, or he cannot be considered to be my disciple. So don’t follow me without considering what it will cost you. For who would construct a house before first sitting down to estimate the cost to complete it? Otherwise he may lay the foundation and not be able to finish. The neighbors will ridicule him, saying,  Look at him! He started to build but was unable to finish. (Luke 14.25 – 29, Passion Translation NT)

The answer? “Don’t follow me without considering what it will cost you.” Compare my career in the Air Force. My life certainly was not my own. I did put aside father, mother, wife (of only two years!)…and went to Turkey for a year by myself back in 1970. You can’t join the Air Force casually. Or the Clemson football team. Or Microsoft, for that matter.  Jesus can’t be an add-on.

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.” (Luke 9.23, NIV)

Luke 15, which ends with the parable of the two lost sons (“Prodigal Son”), opens this way:

Many dishonest tax collectors and other notorious sinners often gathered around to listen as Jesus taught the people. This raised concerns with the Jewish religious leaders and experts of the law. Indignant, they grumbled and complained, saying, “Look at how this man associates with all these notorious sinners and welcomes them all to come to him!” (Luke 15.1, 2, (Passion Translation)

“Welcomes them all to come to him!” Intended as an indictment, I’m sure Jesus heard it as a compliment. This, of course, is the introduction to the three stories:

• The lost sheep: lost outside the house and knew it was lost
• The lost coin: lost inside the house and didn’t know it was lost
• The two lost sons
  • One lost outside the house
  • One lost inside the house

Jesus welcomes all and tries to redeem all, including the misguided religious leaders.

Study the law of the Lord, do it, teach it…if someone doesn’t know the teaching, teach them! (See Ezra 7.10 and 25) But how can you teach them if you’re not around them? I have a weekly meeting with a kid who doesn’t do mathematics well! Do I surround myself only with fellow mathematicians? Then how does math get taught?

When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” (Luke 19.5 – 7, NIV)

It’s not hard to find articles in some Christian circles advocating for a more “inclusive” faith. I get the concern. Rob Bell in his controversial book Love Wins was advocating for not setting ourselves up as on the inside with others on the outside. There’s something perversely appealing about being able to say, “I’m in, you’re out.” On the other hand, the gospel message has to be more than “Everyone is a child of God; some just don’t know it yet,” doesn’t it?

This passage contains both exclusivity AND inclusivity. Jesus is speaking:

There is a great cost for anyone to enter through the narrow doorway to God’s kingdom realm. I tell you, there will be many who will want to enter but won’t be able to. For once the head of the house has shut and locked the door, it will be too late. Even if you stand outside knocking, begging to enter, and saying, “Lord, Lord, open the door for us,” he will say to you, “I don’t know who you are. You are not a part of my family.” Then you will reply, “But Lord, we dined with you and walked with you as you taught us.” And he will reply, “Don’t you understand? I don’t know who you are, for you are not a part of my family. You cannot enter in. Now, go away from me! For you are all disloyal to me and do evil.” You will experience great weeping and great anguish when you see Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, along with all the prophets of Israel, enjoying God’s kingdom realm while you yourselves are barred from entering. And you will see people streaming from the four corners of the earth, accepting the invitation to feast in God’s kingdom, while you are kept outside looking in. (Luke 13.24 – 29, Passion Translation)

Doesn’t that passage contain both exclusivity (truth) and inclusivity (grace)?

• One enters the Kingdom through the narrow doorway
• Some will want to enter but can’t
• Some are part of the family and some not
• Being around Jesus and hearing his teaching is not enough
• People will come from all over, all kinds of people, and be part of God’s Kingdom
• Others are outside looking in

Maybe the next paragraph in Luke is the key:

O city of Jerusalem, you are the city that murders your prophets! You are the city that pelts to death with stones the very messengers who were sent to deliver you! So many times I have longed to gather your wayward children together around me, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings—but you were too stubborn to let me. And now it is too late, since your house will be left in ruins. You will not see me again until you are able to say, “We welcome the one who comes to us in the name of the Lord.” (Luke 13.34 – 35, Passion Translation)

Some (insiders!) are on the outside, and Jesus is sad about it.

I don’t take any pleasure in the fact that I can do math and the young man I have been tutoring for 18 months can’t (even though he makes A’s in school!). Often I see little progress, and that makes me sad. I’m doing what I can to change his inability to ability, while maintaining the truth of mathematics. The solution to “innumeracy” is not to declare that everyone is numerate, but to teach the innumerate with compassion.

The solution to not everyone being part of the Kingdom is not to declare that they are, but to help them enter the Kingdom and participate in its life.

Anyone who does not know the Teaching, you teach them. (Ezra 7.25, MSG)

For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. (John 1.17, NIV, emphasis)

There’s an intriguing story in Luke 13 contrasting release and religion.

When Jesus saw her condition, he called her over and gently laid his hands on her. Then he said, “Dear woman, you are free. I release you forever from this crippling spirit.” Instantly she stood straight and tall and overflowed with glorious praise to God! The Jewish leader who was in charge of the synagogue was infuriated over Jesus’ healing on the Sabbath day. “Six days you are to work,” he shouted angrily to the crowd. “Those are the days you should come here for healing, but not on the seventh day!” (Luke 13.12 – 14 (Passion Translation, emphasis mine)

Something is terribly wrong when something that should result, as it says, in glorious praise to God is instead cause for anger: “Infuriated…he shouted angrily…” So what are the people to do? The ordinary people to whom Jesus came? Whose side are they on?

When they heard this [Jesus putting the religious leaders down as frauds], his critics were completely humiliated. But the crowds shouted with joy over the glorious things Jesus was doing among them. (Luke 13.17, Passion Translation)

Again, Jesus is paying attention, not only to his teaching but also to the people around him. We don’t know that she came for healing. She might have just been coming to the synagogue as usual. She didn’t come to him. He saw her. And cared. And “released” her.

The synagogue ruler was operating from a perspective of religion. Keeping the Sabbath was way more important to him than anyone’s needs. Becky Manly Pippert who wrote Out of the Salt Shaker and other books said in an interview:

…if it really is God incarnate and he comes to planet earth, what is the chief criticism about Jesus? He just didn’t seem religious enough. Now that’s a pretty funny thing to say about God. –Becky Manley Pippert, emphasis mine

Religion with its rules doesn’t change from Jesus’ day until ours. I wrote earlier about a pastor putting down Calvary Chapel for reaching hippies, in part by not requiring coats and ties and by singing more upbeat songs. We all have our rules, and shame on us if they take precedence.

The morning I read this, I had taken a mid-week (very unusual) call from my son in Atlanta. A few days before I, resolved to have prayer time first thing in the morning. Do I stand on that new resolve? Or do I make time for people?

And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath. (Mark 2.27, ESV)

So don’t let anyone condemn you for what you eat or drink, or for not celebrating certain holy days or new moon ceremonies or Sabbaths. For these rules are only shadows of the reality yet to come. And Christ himself is that reality…Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. (Colossians 2.16, 17, 3.12, NLT)

Sometimes we have to take a break in life and on this blog! Here’s a photo from a recent hike (the new Sandstone Ranch Open Space off of 105 near Larkspur, Colorado). Looks like it came from a western movie…

Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work… (Exodus 20.9, 10, NIV)

Like a horse in open country, they did not stumble. (Isaiah 63.13, NIV)