Reaching For a Goal

Beloved, I do not consider that I have made it my own; but this one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the heavenly call of God in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 3:13-14 NRS)

Many of us are very focused in our work. We have easily defined goals and tasks to accomplish and so it is easy to determine the best course of action to accomplish those goals. Many of us wish the rest of our lives would be so easy to quantify and define.

It’s easy to be pulled in directions we did not intend to go, or to be distracted from the purpose to which God has called us. We live in a world that puts out many ideas about what is most important, about what should be the priority in our life, about what is supposed to matter to us.

The challenge for us as Christians is to remember the purpose that truly matters - the one that God has given to us as disciples. That purpose isn’t well
respected by the world. However you think you are supposed to live out your life as a disciple probably puts you in conflict with the values of this world. It has always been that way.

Our culture has had an ebb and flow in its relationship to God and faith. That ebb and flow goes back to the founding events of Christianity and the first church. Many of Paul’s letters to early Christians were encouragement to hold fast to their understanding of faith in the midst of a world that didn’t accept what Christianity was teaching.

No matter what distracts or tempts us, Paul gives us words of encouragement that we can persevere and obtain the prize that God has offered to us. The prize is life with God and that is lived out as we remember the love that has claimed us and made us children of a loving and graceful God.

Forgetting is hard. Moving on can seem impossible. But nothing is impossible for the God who loves us.

Trying

The views reflected in this blog are my own and do not represent the views of the Department of Defense, the US Navy, Camp Lemonnier, or Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa. In other words, if you don't like it, blame me not them.

I had the occasion recently to be in a conversation about what it means to be a Christian in the midst of all the chaos of this world. What I realized during the conversation is how much I am in the midst of the messiness. I’m not really surprised by that realization. I made the choice to serve in the US Navy because I knew that this world is a complicated reality and I wanted (needed) to do what I could to address that reality. It is important to me not to get stuck living in a theological exercise – an academic exploration of what it means to be Christian – and to actually live out my faith in a way that addresses real stuff. God is not simply something about which to talk and think. God is at work in a world that is truly messed up.

It’s not getting less messed up either. We’re at “war” – again. We've begun airstrikes against ISIS in support of a Middle East coalition to end a threat. Right there we run into the common problem – or should I say problems. This is where it gets messy. This is where the academic exercise ends. Because there simply aren't easy answers when we try to respond to what this world does to itself. I don’t consider myself a militarist. I don’t think violence solves the problem.

But I’m also a realist. I have been pondering Romans 12:18 a lot lately, “If it is possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all.” Scripture clearly suggests that the Kingdom of God is not about power and violence, but we don’t live within the fulfilled Kingdom. That little clause, “so far as it depends on you” carries a lot of weight. There is an acknowledgment that we can’t choose peace on our own. Someone else has to be at peace with us or we can’t live peaceably.

The other idea that is a constant companion comes from Stanley Hauerwas:

“you must be willing to watch innocent people suffer for your convictions. Of course, that’s true. In the hard cases, it means it’s not just your death, it’s watching other people die, whom you might have been able to defend. Now of course, you want to try to do everything you can that would prevent that alternative. But you may have to envision that.”

Trust me that I’m not taking this quote out of context. Hauerwas was speaking about how we respond to the violence of the world. I think I can live out “turn the other cheek” when it comes to myself, but I don’t think I can stand by and watch someone else suffer or die because I think it’s more important to stick to a theological ideal.

I’ll be the first to admit that the United States has made a lot of mistakes in how we've handled our role in the world. The messes that exist have our fingerprints on them, but they didn't start when we responded to 9/11 by starting two wars. The conflicts we are now working through have existed throughout recorded history. There aren't any easy answers.

Only the Sith deal in absolutes. If you think pacifism is the only answer, then I encourage you to step away from the theoretical realm and the comfort of your western life to spread the message of nonviolent response to Somali refugees, Iraqi Christians and non-Sunni Muslims, and anyone else who is facing the danger of genocide. We have to stop arguing about ideas that really only matter if they lead to actual change in the world. It may be that the nonviolent path of Jesus is right (assuming we understand it properly), but until you're "willing to pick up a weapon and stand a post" (to add a bit of irony in a Jack Nicholson voice), then all your rightness doesn't do a damn thing for threatened and dying innocents.

Homeless Children at a Day Shelter in Djibouti

I have been accused of defending imperial aggression. I assure you that I don’t think violence is the answer. But I am determined not to live in an academic exercise about what we wish the rest of the world would be. I'm going to give everything I have to make a difference - small though it may be. And right now, that means taking care of people whose job sucks on a daily basis, living among people whose lives are in constant danger because of poverty, malnutrition, and violent extremism. It’s not an academic exercise for me. It’s what I've been called to do. All I can do is try.

Supporting One Another

Welcome those who are weak in faith, but not for the purpose of quarreling over opinions...Who are you to pass judgment on servants of another? It is before their own lord that they stand or fall. And they will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make them stand. (Romans 14:1,4 NRSV)

It’s really easy to judge one another. It is something I have personally struggled with and it can be very unhealthy - both for you and for your relationships with others. It’s even easier to be judgmental when we hold strongly to the truth in which we claim to see what God has chosen and expects of the world.

Throughout the history of the church - the history of God’s people - not everyone has been on the same page; not everyone has had the same strength and clarity in understanding God’s truth and love. Some have struggled greatly with what God may be asking of them. Some (or many) turn away from God because they can’t find a way to allow God to be a part of their lives.

It’s always nice to be reminded that this isn't a new phenomenon. The struggles of the church today to connect aren't really new. In Paul’s letter to the Romans (quoted at left) it is clear that the church of that time wasn't unified and always in agreement. Christians of that time also struggled with faith and how to make it a central part of their lives. 

Paul tells the readers of his letter to “accept.” The “disputable matters” are not to be a source of conflict and disagreement. They were told to let God sort that out. We hear that reminder as well - that God is the master to which God’s servants will answer. 

We also hear words of encouragement. For those who are weak, the Lord will act. The Lord will “make them stand.” Even their weak faith will be enough. For us, we are asked to accept them into our community and learn with them. That’s even easier than judging. 

Binding and Loose-ing

Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them."  (Matthew 18:18-20 NRSV)

We are very good at tying ourselves into knots. We’re good at holding onto things that end up weighing us down, tying us to the past - or to things we really need to let go to be healthy and focused disciples of Christ.

The passage  at left comes as Jesus is speaking to his disciples about forgiveness and how they reconcile with one another. Forgiveness in any relationship is a real challenge. We are much better at holding on to our anger or pain than we are at telling someone they are forgiven and moving forward with them.

Jesus tells the disciples to do everything possible to bring forgiveness to a broken relationship and then makes it clear that God is involved in that forgiveness or continued brokenness. Whatever happens here is not far removed from heaven and God is involved. When we fail to find away to loose what needs to be loosed than we are denying the work of God - a work that was done to bring forgiveness to the world.

Jesus goes on to remind the disciples of his never ending presence. Wherever the disciples gather, God is among them. Whenever the disciples can find agreement, God will act. Of course we know that God doesn't always act the way we’d like or expect, but even in those circumstances, the reminder remains that God is with us - especially when we gather in a community of faith.

When Jesus talks about forgiveness, he is very clear that it happens between people who find a way to be in community together. We need one another to help us find forgiveness and restore relationships that have been broken.

We can tie ourselves up in knots over what has happened in our past, or we can loose one another for the work that God has placed in front of us - sharing the love and forgiveness of God to a world in need.

I don’t know about you, but I’d rather not be so tied to past brokenness that I can’t move as God has called me.

Stumbling Peter

And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid it, Lord! This must never happen to you." But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things." -Matthew 16:22-23 (NRSV)

The words spoken in the verses from Matthew are part of a larger conversation happening between Jesus and his disciples. As is often the case the disciples simply don’t understand what is going on - the greater picture of what God intends to do in the life, death, and resurrection of Christ.

When questions arise for the disciples it is usually Peter who gives those questions voice. Peter is the one who puts himself out there for good or ill. He was the one who stepped out of the boat. He was the one who tried to interpret the transfiguration. And in this passage, he is the one who doubts - who questions Jesus’ pronouncement that his journey is one that leads to the cross.

Peter is so helpful for us because he provides a way for us to enter into the story of Christ and the cross. His voice is so often the one that raises the same questions we may be afraid to ask. His response to what is happening is so often the way we respond - often exactly the way we respond. He fights. He flees. He denies. He questions. Sometimes he gets it right.

In the passage at left his question comes in the form of a denial that Christ might be something other than he (Peter) expects him to be. All that Jesus says about what will happen challenges what Peter thinks so he responds with denial, saying that “shall never happen.”

We often respond the same way. We expect God to do what we expect and what we think we need. Jesus’ response to Peter teaches us what we have to remember about God. God doesn't think the same way we do. We always come to God with our own perceptions and concerns. They aren't the same as God’s. Our concerns don’t set the path God takes, but instead are sometimes a stumbling block for us.

When we try to fit God onto our path - into our plan and expectations - we stumble. We don’t leave room for what God is really going to do. Thankfully, God does it anyway and the power of Satan and death is broken. That’s good news. That’s what God does despite our failure and doubt.

Community in Christ

 For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another. (Rom 12:4-5 NRSV)

Perhaps more than any other expression of God’s church, a military chapel community represents the diversity of faith contained in unity with Christ. Each week we come together for worship as Christians from a diverse background, with a diverse set of experiences. 

There are several challenges that come with this diversity. We don’t all understand the gospel in the same way. In each of our faith journeys God has spoken to us in different ways, calling us to understand specific passages differently. 

In our specific community here at CLDJ, we have the added element of constant change. Some of us are here for four months or less, others are here for almost a year, and still others have been here for multiple years. 

In reality, this level of diversity is both a challenge and a blessing. Sometimes we are challenged by understandings of faith that run counter to how we have personally experienced God and God’s Word. These challenges to our own faith can make us nervous and uncertain. They can make us question parts of our faith that we never thought we would question.

But those questions can be a blessing. Those questions can be the way that God chooses to move us along our faith journey toward a deeper understanding of how God is acting in our lives. Anselm, an 11th century monk, coined the phrase, “faith seeking understanding” as a way to describe the journey that we are travelling. We support one another on that journey as we bring new perspectives together into a community that can explore deep questions. We live and work in a desert that can seem harsh and lacking life. But it does not have to be a lifeless time in your faith journey. You can use this time to seek a new kind of nourishment for your faith as you experience and grow through the diversity we bring to one another. Through that diversity, we remember that we are one body gathered around the cross.

Where is Justice?

Note: After a break for my R&R, I return to Djibouti and my weekly reflections. 

This is what the LORD says: “Maintain justice and do what is right, for my  salvation is close at hand and my  righteousness will soon be revealed.-Isaiah 56:1

Isaiah’s words at the left offer a really straightforward command to us. “Maintain justice and do what is right…” The challenge is finding a way to do that when all around you seems to conflict with these words of encouragement.

They are words of hope and promise as we remember that maintaining justice and doing what is right is possible because of God’s salvation - a salvation that is very close to us. But that promise can be forgotten when all we see is so much injustice and wrongness.

I admit that I don’t follow the news really closely. Sometimes it’s hard to follow when there seems to be no sign of any good news. Often the problem is finding a reliable news source that I trust. All the news outlets are accused of having one bias or another and it becomes difficult to find the truth in what is being reported.

Even when you only pay attention to the headlines (you can usually find at least a hint of unbiased truth by just reading that much), there is more than enough injustice to go around:

• Ethnic violence in Africa
• Violent extremism in all parts of the Middle East and elsewhere
• Religion based persecution in Iraq
• Race based conflict in the heart of the US

The list can go on and on. We live in a world that struggles to find justice. In the midst of that reality we, as Christians, are called to maintain justice and do what is right. We are told not to be conformed “to the pattern of this world” (Romans 12:2)  so we can’t be sucked into the injustice we face every day.

Whatever your news source, look for the injustice in what you read and figure out how you are personally going to stand against it. Look around you in your daily work and find ways to seek the justice that the world can’t seem to find.

God’s righteousness will be revealed as we do what is right. The world needs us to do it.