Fisher of Men

In this week's lesson, Jesus comes to the disciples and asks them to become "fishers of men" for him. Fishing is somewhat of an odd way to describe following Jesus. Are we like the disciples... specially called by Jesus to follow him or are we like the fish dragged away from our home and from the masses to a new place? Whether we volunteer or are dragged flipping and flailing toward discipleship it seems like we are called to leave behind our old comfortable way of life to follow Jesus.

It has always been a source of wonder that the disciples left their jobs and lives behind so readily to follow Jesus to who-knows-where. I sometimes wonder whether there is more to it than the personal charisma of Jesus himself. Perhaps Simon or Andrew felt the calling to do something more than just fish for the rest of their lives. Maybe for years they felt a nagging voice that called them to go on an adventure... to do something truly transforming in the world. Maybe when Jesus showed up on a mission from God and called them to leave, an uncomplicated "yes" was the only option their consciences could consider. Do you ever feel that call?

and the blind shall see...

This week at biblestudy, we discussed John Chapter 9. Jesus heals the blind man. In sum, Jesus's disciples see a blind man and ask Jesus if he is blind because of sin. Jesus says no, spits on the ground and rubs mud in the guy's eyes and tells him to wash in the pool. The man goes, washes and is healed.

People are amazed and they take him to the pharisee's who question him about who healed him. It just so happened to be the Sabbath, a time when Jews weren't supposed to work. So the leaders got in a fight about whether the healing was from God or not. They ask the blind man what he thinks. The blind man says that he thinks it must be from God. They kick him out of the synagog.

Later Jesus finds the man and the man believes in him. Then Jesus says "I came into the world to bring everything into the clear light of day, making all the distinctions clear, so that those who have never seen will see, and those who have made a great pretense of seeing will be exposed as blind."

People were so worked up about how well they thought they understood God that they couldn't see God's work among them. The lesson struck me that when we think we know who God is and how God works we become blind to what God is doing because we stop looking for him. Jesus made things simple - miracles done out of compassion were a sign of God's work on earth - simple people could see this. But people who had a preconcieved notion of who Jesus was supposed to be missed it completely. What preconcieved ideas do we have about God? can we see God at work now?

Come and See

"...He replied, "Come along and see for yourself..." After Jesus's baptism, people began to wonder who he was and what he was up to. His reply, come and see. He still calls us this way. Come and see what I have in store for you. Though it might be scary to leave what you are doing and follow, he promises an adventurous and amazing road.... As he said to Nathanial "You've become a believer simply because I say I saw you one day sitting under the fig tree? You haven't seen anything yet! Before this is over you're going to see heaven open and God's angels descending to the Son of Man and ascending again."

At Crossings this week, Katie gave a great message on this subject. She compared what was going on in the verse to the movie, "The Visitor" where a lonely professor runs into an immigrant couple who illegally moved into an apartment that he owned. Over the course of time he got involved in their live and they got involved with his. Jesus called these disciples who happened to be around him into a crazy adventure and he calls each of us. Are we brave enough to follow?

Jesus of Montreal

Our biblestudy watched Jesus of Montreal last Monday. It's an older film (very 80s). The basic premise is that a group of actors discover who Jesus is when they are hired to perform the passion play. The director explores what type of things Jesus would do or be exposed to in today's society.

It was interesting to see how the actors began to parallel the life of Jesus and his disciples. It made me think that when we have an authentic interaction with God, it changes us, even if we don't fully believe or accept it.

It also begs the question. Who is Jesus?

Nothing but the Water

Grace Potter sings an awesome song called Nothing but the Water. I heard it on the radio one day and stopped short because A.) she has an awesome voice and B.) at a closer listen I thought the words were such a great description of baptism. "Tried my hand at the bible, tried my hand at prayer, but now nothing but the water's gonna bring my soul to bare."

There's something honest about that. We are broken and can't understand what God is or faith is. Half of the time we have a hard enough time even perceiving that God exists. We fall flat. But yet, the water is there.

But how does the water save us?

This week we celebrated Jesus's baptism at the Jordan. Where the Spirit descended upon him like a dove and a voice from Heaven cried out, "This is my Son, with whom I am well pleased."

Jesus was baptized into obedience into God's will for his life and God proclaimed him as his son. His baptism marked the beginning of a three year ministry where he walked among the people - teaching them, healing them, feeding them, chastising them and ultimately dying for them. In Baptism, he received something from God and God claimed him as his son.

In the water, we receive God's mark on our life and he claims us as sons and daughters, irrevokably. Jesus did the hard part. We get the water.

A Year in Review

“The Spirit, not content to flit around on the surface, dives into the depths of God, and brings out what God planned all along. Who ever knows what you're thinking and planning except you yourself? The same with God...” 1 Corinthians 2:11 (the message)

Only the Spirit knows where God is leading the ministry of Crossings. This year at Crossings has been one of growth, change, faith and rebirth. The wind started to blow last January when the Crossings leadership team were ignited with a passion to connect with the essence of lent through the Blues. It was an amazing time of exploring God’s grace that meets us in the depths of what it means to be human and draws us to hope. Attendance grew. Worship deepened. We led a Wednesday night service.

In the middle of this amazing time, we lost David Blakely, the Crossings Director. Carried by the Holy Spirit, the lay leadership team continued to plan worship, reach out and grow the community. However, summer brought us new challenges. Life pulled the core of the leadership team in different directions and sadly Corey and Nancy Neu left us to start a new life in Indiana.

We spent the rest of summer trying to figure out what God was calling us to do. We looked at calling a second pastor, hiring a music leader, disbanding the service or just leaving it in the hands of the lay leaders. With the Spirit’s nudging, I stepped up to fill the leadership void. Feeling comfort that many of the disciples were not religious leaders or well trained, I hoped that the Spirit would be with me.

The fall was rough. The community had shrunk, the congregation’s energy was low and I wondered if God was calling me into the desert. I tried everything I could think of to build a new community at Crossings, but God taught me that it wasn’t by my works that His ministry happened. But by his grace.

Humbled. Tired. Broken. I let God do whatever he was going to do. And what God does is always amazing. In step with the church calendar, this advent was a time of pregnancy and I watched as a new Crossings was born. Beautiful. Spiritual.

I don’t know where God will lead us this year, but as we approach lent I look to the unyielding love on the cross and I know it will be just as it should be.