Sabbatical

Let me tell you about being a highly driven person who also has ADHD. People who live with attention deficit challenges often struggle with an issue called hyperfixation. A specialist at Oxford talks about hyperfixation as “an intense state of concentration and focus…usually dedicated to things that the person finds enjoyable or fascinating.” This often comes with “almost inexhaustible energy” and “the ability to keep going and eventually succeed in the face of seemingly-impossible challenges.” Sounds pretty good, right? Well, it also includes focusing on something at the expense of “other responsibilities in their life” and even “forgetting to eat and sleep.”

I’ll lock in on a project and barely be able to think about anything else until I have reached a certain point of satisfaction with said project. From a bird’s-eye view, this has two major impacts on me. 1) It enables me to produce at a high level. 2) It seeks to enslave me to production.

This is my own personal story, but the truth is we live in a society enslaved to production.

After rescuing the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, God offers them 10 commandments to set them on a path of living in right relationship with their Creator and Rescuer.

For years, they’d been living in the constant anxiety of production. Under a series of dictatorial leaders, they’d been forced as cogs in Egypt’s socioeconomic structure to produce all of the wealth while the Pharaoh reaped all the benefits. Every day they would wake to a task list of production, all in the name of the one who demanded their loyalty and worship.

Now, post-rescue, God starts by reminding the Israelites where they’ve been. “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery.” (Exodus 20:2). Everything he’s about to tell them needs to be understood in the context of where they’ve been.

Walter Brueggemann, one of my favorite authors and theologians, lays out the ten commandments with this context in mind. The first three are vertical in nature, between us and God. Have no other God’s before me. No idols. Don’t misuse my name.

These sound pretty similar to what Pharaoh would have demanded. Exclusivity of loyalty and devotion. But of course, God followed these with something very unlike Pharaoh because the last six commandments are horizontal in nature, pertaining to our relationships with our neighbors. Honor your parents. No murder, adultery, theft, lies, or covetousness. 

The last six can sound like production. They’re not just calls to abstain from negative practices, but to actively engage in the lives of our neighbors with integrity, kindness, and redemption. They’re calls to do. The Christian life is definitely one where actions and production are expected.

So, had the Israelites just traded one Pharaoh for another? God is saying, “Here’s how to worship me, and here’s what I expect of you.” That honestly sounds a lot like a typical Christian life today. Worship God. Serve others.

But we skipped one commandment. The one right in the middle of the vertical and horizontal. Number four. Exodus 20:8-11. A call to Sabbath rest.

With Pharaoh the practices were like clockwork. Worship. Produce. Worship. Produce. Worship. Produce.

With God, we are called in the middle of worship and production…to rest. And, interestingly, it’s the longest of the ten commandments. God spends more time here telling his people how to rest than anything else.

Brueggemann says, “God is not a workaholic. God is not a Pharaoh. God does not keep jacking up production schedules. To the contrary, God rests, confident, serene, at peace. God’s rest, moreover, bestows on creatureliness a restfulness that contradicts the ‘drivenness’ of the system of Pharaoh.” (Sabbath As Resistence)

We can’t put the proper energy into our relationships with our neighbors unless we’re participating in sabbath. We can’t give God all the glory God is due unless we’re participating in sabbath. It’s not a suggestion. It’s a commandment.

If we are slaves to a society of production, always on, always driven to accomplish, always seeking to move up the ladder, always checking things off our list, we can’t be fully living the way God intended. If the Creator of the world can rest for a day, then so can you.

Taking his yoke upon you and learning from him (Matthew 11:28-30) is not only a call to go. It also includes a call to rest.

God is not Pharaoh, and you are not a slave to production. Take a rest. You will find you’re better equipped to live out commandments 1-3 and 5-10 if you are taking time for number 4.

Pastor Kyle
Family Pastor

A few months ago I was invited to lead our district camp planning team in a devotional time. I had recently finished teaching a class at church on the Gospel of John and felt compelled to talk about Jesus clearing the temple in John 2 (which I wrote a little about here). I talked to the team about Jesus’s theological work, unveiling himself as the new temple. The temple had long been the home for God on earth, but now that Jesus was here in the flesh, God was walking and talking and laughing and crying with his beloved creation. Jesus was God on earth.

But we had to take the conversation one step further.

Jesus wasn’t going to be walking the earth in human form forever, as we know. Actually, we’re coming up on Ascension Day in the Christian calendar in which we celebrate Jesus being taken into heaven in Acts 1. So we know Jesus-in-the-flesh isn’t long for this world.

So what happens with that new temple? Well, do you have a mirror?

In our current Unleashed series, we’re highlighting some ways the events of Easter weekend have unleashed us to live. Unleashed to live an abundant life. Unleashed to live in unmatched power. Unleashed to live in bold love. When Jesus took our sins upon himself on the cross, the curtain in the temple that separated people from God’s presence ripped in two (Matthew 27:50-51). Suddenly, God’s presence was available to all.

It was in that moment of unleashing that the new temple process began.

The temple had several distinct areas. In the outermost area was the Court of Gentiles. It’s the closest non-Jews could get to the Holy Place. Inside of that outer area was the Court of Women. Jewish women could get closer to God’s presence than Gentile men and women, but not as close as Jewish men. Next was the Hall of Israelites (men), and further inside still, the Hall of Priests.

In other words, there were lots of barriers besides just the temple curtain. Really, getting close to God was reserved for: Jewish > Male > A Priest from the House of Levi > The High Priest. God’s presence seemed to be for a very select group of people.

But when the curtain ripped, things changed. Suddenly, as far as God’s power and presence were concerned, there was no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male or female (Galatians 3:28). The ripping of the curtain was the breaking down of barriers and the unleashing of a new and powerful life for EVERYONE who belongs to Christ. It wasn’t even priests who had to be the mediators. Now it was for the priesthood of believers!

So what does this have to do with the new temple? Well, the temple was the home for God on earth, then Jesus was God on earth, and then Jesus broke down the barriers of the temple in order that WE would become the home for God on earth.

You are the new temple. So am I. That’s why this Unleashed series is so important. We have a holy duty to fulfill.

I mentioned the process beginning on Easter, because it really comes home in a few weeks at Pentecost. On this Sunday, we celebrate the unleashed Spirit of God settling into his new home: the believers.

So, you’ve got big shoes to fill. After all the last temple was Jesus himself. But his spirit is here to help you live into your holy calling. You are the temple. And you have been unleashed.

During a recent week of Sabbath rest, I finished reading the book A Church Called Tov (McKnight and Barringer). Tov (rhymes with stove) is the Hebrew word for good. In Genesis, God created and called it tov. We were created, the earth was created, the church was created to reflect the goodness of God. This reading inspired and guides this blog.

In the last 50 years, much of the church and her leaders and have slowly taken on the image of high functioning organizations. Successful business practices have begun to shape our own. At times this has been intentional. At other times, unintended, but steady. Pastors have become CEOs. Leadership has become meritocratic. And the church has gained a number of celebrities.

But is this tov? Is what we’re striving for reflective of the goodness of God?

I, personally, have found myself leaning into this description of the church at times. Part of this blog is confessional in nature. I have placed so much of my own professional worth on achievement. Not achievement of status, but of productivity. In the business world, being highly productive, a self-starter, full of grit, disciplined, and competitive will help you move forward. It’s exactly what most companies are looking for.

In the church world, these aren’t inherently bad things. But they’re not inherently Christian things either. They’re not what Jesus looks for in a follower, or what Paul looked for in a pastor.

With this in mind, and looking my own self in the mirror as I write (not literally – I’m writing this next to a roaring fire, there’s no mirror in here, and I’m not getting up), I’d like to call attention to five ways the culture of the church is called to stand in stark opposition to cultures of achievement and success. Five ways the church can be tov.

1) Organism > Organization
An organization is a man-made institution. An organism is a living thing. The church is the living, breathing, serving, worshiping, loving body of Christ. Is it ok to be organized? Sure. Mission statements and websites and policy manuals help keep us focused, accessible, and accountable. But when the organization becomes the core, the spark of life goes out. Organizations aren’t alive. Organisms are. We, the people, the organism, are Christ’s church. This is tov.

2) Growth > Merit
I’m not talking about numbers, here, or any easily-wrangled metric. I’m talking about growing in our Christlikeness. The church isn’t measured in accomplishments. The business world, organizations, thrive on merit. What do you bring to the table? How will you help us achieve success? The church, though, thrives on Christlikeness. It’s a group of individuals, empowered by the Spirit, caring for one another and for their neighbors as they grow in the image of Christ. Forget what you bring. What does Jesus bring to you? What does Jesus bring through you? This is tov.

3) Humility > Celebrity
Merit yields celebrity status, and we are a celebrity-driven culture. Cut an album, write a book, increase your blog traffic, become a guru, go viral. Chasing the gaze of the public eye is always in play. But when Jesus’s own disciples sought celebrity status in Mark 10, asking to be great in his kingdom, Jesus replied with, “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” For even Jesus himself came not to be served, but to serve. In the church, the pursuit of celebrity status has no place. Jesus is King, and even our King came to wash feet. This is tov.

4) Ordinary > Extravagant
One of the most impactful of our church’s values for me is Ordinary: loving by living out our faith in everyday life. Dallas Willard, a prolific author on spiritual formation, says ordinary life is “made to be a receptacle of the divine, a place where the life of God flows” (Life Without Lack). The church is not at our best when we are planning parties. Don’t get me wrong. I love a good church gathering. There can be a lot of good in them. And I look forward to beating our teenagers in our next Pigskin Rumble this fall. But we the church are at our best in life’s most ordinary moments, where God flows through us into the lives of our neighbors, friends, co-workers, family members, and even enemies. This is tov.

5) Equality > Hierarchy
We are not part of the family of God based on merit, as previously discussed. No skill set or achievement makes you more of a brother or sister in Christ than any other brother or sister in Christ. Actually, using the terms “brothers and sisters” helps reinforce the idea that we are indeed equal partners in this work. There is no corporate ladder to climb. There is no stock to increase. We’re in this thing together. God is Father. We are brothers and sisters. This is tov.

May we reflect the goodness of God’s creation as the living, breathing church. May our life, our focus, our leadership, and our followership be tov.

A Little Perspective

For the past few weeks several of us have gathered on Wednesday nights to study the Gospel of John together. The class has been called A Little Perspective. The perspective that John offers in relation to the other gospels is fascinating.

Matthew, Mark, and Luke are called the “synoptic gospels.” Each has their own perspective and purpose for writing, and each offers a more complete picture of Jesus’s life when compared to John. Mark was the first to be written, and Matthew and Luke had Mark to use as a reference as they wrote their gospels. John was the last, and while he was aware of the other men’s writings, he wasn’t focused on retelling the same events. Instead, John’s gospel almost works like a companion to the first three.

John writes assuming his readers have already read Mark’s letter, or Luke’s, or maybe all three. He doesn’t tell the story in chronological order, but rather in theological order. That is, John is offering a unique theological perspective on the story of Jesus in order to help us understand what we read in the first three gospels.

For example, Matthew, Mark, and Luke all tell the story of Jesus clearing the temple. For each of them, this story comes near the end and leads into the Passion Narrative (the journey to the cross). John also tells this temple clearing story, but John puts it at the beginning of his letter, rather than the end. Why? Is this to make us argue about when it happened in Jesus’s ministry? Not at all. John is giving us some theological perspective.

John understands Jesus clearing the temple as an important moment in revealing who he is. The temple was the home for God on earth. Jesus, God in flesh, was the new home for God on earth. The new temple. John sought to establish this early in his narrative, even though it seems to have happened much later in Jesus’s ministry.

John is an especially compelling read when done so along with or following the reading of the other gospels. John doesn’t write explicitly to evangelize the world, but to disciple Christians who already know and believe in Jesus. John writes, “these things are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah” (John 20:31).

In our class we’ve had lots of opportunities for discussion. Our personal experiences have paved the way to hearing John with unique perspectives of our own. But when we study together, in an environment ripe for loving conversation, gentle correction, and even differing opinions, we are made stronger and more responsible readers of the word.

I hope that you’re getting these opportunities. If not, we’ll have plenty more in our discipleship gatherings on Wednesday nights and through our Life Groups. Let’s dig into the word together as a church, full of grace and seeking wisdom, in order that we, too, can gain a little perspective.

Kyle Tyler
Family Pastor

Let’s look at the research. The Barna Group, a respected Christian research association, surveyed Christian adults about their own discipleship.

• Four out of five believers said that having a deep, personal commitment to the Christian faith is a top priority.
• Three out of five went on to say they want to have this deep commitment but they are not currently involved in any intentional effort to grow spiritually.

Barna then notes, per the research, that the prevailing mindset among Christian adults points to a place of spiritual maintenance rather than spiritual growth. These adults have accepted Jesus as their Lord and Savior and have learned some of the core lessons from scripture, so now they just need to stay the course.

Perhaps a difficult truth for all of us to hear applies right now: not moving forward in faith is really moving backward.

There is no spiritual cruise control or auto-pilot. We are always called to be investing in our own walk, seeking after Christ in order to be made like him. It is a lifelong process, and even the most saintly and spiritually mature among us have not yet arrived.

I do not say this to lay guilt on anyone. Rather, perhaps we need a reminder that we’re not yet finished. Perhaps we need a fire lit under us. Perhaps we need to reevaluate our goals, in order to reevaluate our priorities, in order to reorder our daily life so we can move back out of maintenance mode. In what ways can we continue moving forward in our discipleship?

• Of the large survey done, just one in five Christian adults are actively engaged in a regular, personal spiritual development activity (besides attending a worship service).

The number of available regular activities to choose from is large. Regular scripture reading for study, regular scripture reading for prayer, regular prayers of praise, regular praise of intercession, regular bible studies at church, regular meetings with other Christians to talk about faith, and the list goes on.

In our house in the last few years, we’ve tried to make changes to some of our language. This is not about our spirituality specifically, but just about being more honest and self-aware. One example: we’ve tried to move from saying “I didn’t get time…” to “I didn’t make time…” This is an exercise in taking personal responsibility for the ways we prioritize our time. We try to use it often. From talking about household chores to bigger things like spiritual health.

It’s easy to become the victim of time. I’m not immune to feeling this way, and I’m certainly not immune to blaming the busyness of life for my lack of spiritual fervor. “I had plans to read my Bible, but I just didn’t get time.” What if we changed our language, shifting the responsibility on ourselves and the way we prioritize? “I had plans to read my Bible, but I just didn’t make time.”

That hits different. It stings a little.

The research points to the best laid plans of adult Christians. They want to be involved in healthy spiritual development. They want to go deeper in their relationship with Jesus. But at the end of the day, only about 20% have found a way to make this happen.

I’m writing today not with all the answers, but with some questions to get us thinking.

• Where do you find yourself in this conversation?
• Where would you like to find yourself?
• How can we step back and take a look at our priorities in order that we don’t find ourselves just living in maintenance mode?

May the Spirit of God be moving among us, giving us a desire to actively seek out opportunities for growth.

Pastor Kyle
Family Pastor