Let Cyrus Speak

This post has nothing to do with Miley Cyrus the Disney star. (pictured left)

It’s about the Persian King, Cyrus the Great. (pictured right)

My small group from church recently began a study on the book of Ezra. We originally chose the book of Ezra because no one in our group had done a specific study of the book. I’ve done some research on the book of Nehemiah which is linked to Ezra (their stories overlap) so I was curious to explore Ezra.

Ezra and Nehemiah tell the story of the Jewish people returning to Jerusalem and Judah after being exiled to Babylon. While in exile, Persia takes over Babylon and the new Persian king is tolerant of other religions. He allows the Jews to go home. Ezra is a priest and Nehemiah an official in the King’s court. The two play a prominent role in helping to restore the city of Jerusalem, the temple and the identity of the Jewish people.

But in the very first chapter of Ezra we get a decree from King Cyrus and we realize that he plays no small part in this story. It is this Persian who prophetically calls forth the nation of Israel to return to their home and rebuild it.

I think we often overlook the fact that in this redemptive store, God uses an “outsider” to speak and accomplish his purposes. It was God that chose to use a foreign nation to bring judgment through the exile and now God chooses to use this foreign king to call them home. Yes God was speaking to Isaiah and Amos and Jeremiah and Ezekiel (and probably others I can’t recall) about the exile and their return. But none of those people could issue the decree or the command that actually made it happen.

Some questions that came out of our discussion:

1 – Does God still speak to us through “outsiders”? Is it possible that God could speak and work through someone that we have labeled anti-God or even anti-Christ? Someone who is perhaps quite foreign from our own circles. Maybe an “unsaved” boss, a worldly musician or even a democratic president?

2 – What if we’re just so focused on our little bubble that we aren’t hearing the decrees being spoken over us from outside? Many in the Christian circles I find myself in are hoping for some prophetic utterance or divine decree from a recognized “Man of God”. Someone who is officially sanctioned by the church as acceptable. Maybe they’ve seen them on TV or a book or at a prophecy conference or camp-meeting (special church service). What if we aren’t listening to the right radio station? What if Cyrus has already said to go but we refuse to listen because Cyrus is a different denomination, ethnicity, political party or gender than we wanted or expected?

3 – Perhaps it doesn’t matter what Cyrus’ motivation is, it can still be God.. Some commentators share that Cyrus’ decree is a selfish one. He realizes that politically it behooves him to “keep the natives happy” by allowing them their religion. I don’t think it matters what his intention was. God’s intention was to use him as a divine tool. Who cares what the hammer was thinking? The carpenter uses it however he/she chooses. This opens up all sorts of people to be used by God: film directors, actors, musicians, politicians, athletes, prostitutes,  maybe even Glenn Beck … ok not Glenn Beck … but you get the point.

We are so quick to judge things as “for or against” us so that we can quickly accept or dismiss them. We forget that what someone else may have meant for evil God may have meant for good. Furthermore, I wonder if sometimes we refuse to receive something we actually discern to be good because it came from the “wrong kind of person”.

We not only refuse to hear Cyrus, we launch a campaign to enact legislation that would forbid him from speaking.

I say, let Cyrus speak, both the Persian and the Disney star.

Finding Solitude

Are you tired of me posting things from Henri Nouwen …?

… Too bad.

Loved this devotional from Bread for the Journey on the difference between loneliness and solitude. The last few months I have really begun to enjoy the presence of God I have found in solitude.

I agree that “loneliness” actually keeps us from having the relationships we long to have. It creates a desperateness that drives others away.

All human beings are alone. No other person will completely feel like we do, think like we do, act like we do. Each of us is unique, and our aloneness is the other side of our uniqueness. The question is whether we let our aloneness become loneliness or whether we allow it to lead us into solitude.

Loneliness is painful;
solitude is peaceful.

Loneliness makes us cling to others in desperation;
solitude allows us to respect others in their uniqueness and create community.

Letting our aloneness grow into solitude and not into loneliness is a lifelong struggle.

It requires conscious choices about whom to be with, what to study, how to pray, and when to ask for counsel. But wise choices will help us to find the solitude where our hearts can grow in love.

Explaining Jokes

I was reminded today of one of my pet peeves:

People who explain your jokes to you.

I was walking out of McDonald’s today and saw a guy leave a birthday party in the kids’ play area (aka bacteria heaven – don’t get me started).  He was loaded down with pink gift bags, Dora the Explorer merchandising and a leopard print child’s purse.  I don’t often initiate conversation with strangers in public places but I couldn’t resist.

Me:  Oh, is today your birthday?
Guy: Uh…oh NO, it’s my youngest daughter, she just turned 4 and we had a birthday party for her.
Me: Yeah, I figured (pointed to his bags).
Guy: Oh…yeah, hey … that’s funny. Yeah, that’s funny cause I’m carrying this pink girly stuff and everything. (he laughs and turns to wife), Hey, he just asked if it was MY birthday cause I’m carryin’ all of this.”
Me: (thinking to myself – yes, I know why it’s funny, I’m the one who told you)

I realize I have some things in common with Michael Scott (not as many things as my student workers used to think).  I fancy myself a workplace comedian. I’m not really a funny on the spot kind of guy, but I do okay with situational comedy (at least I think I do).  I’m a fan of the art of comedy.  Timing is everything.  Explaining someone’s joke totally breaks the timing in a situational comedy setting.  You don’t need to stop the rhythm of conversation to tell everyone it’s okay laugh.  It’s like the lead car in a race slamming on the breaks to tell everyone it’s okay to go fast.  In both cases everyone was already doing it … except you …and because of you, now none of us are.

I used to work with this lady a while back who would explain my jokes to me and my co-workers.  She was a workplace comedian’s nightmare.  She would get the joke about 5 seconds too late and would then explain to others why it was funny.  By the time her lengthy explanation was over, everyone had awkwardly moved on.

There are two occasions when it is okay to explain someone’s joke:

1 – The joke was about you and you’re only rebuttal is to sarcastically explain the joke to others as a way of showing how “not funny” it was. i.e. “Oh yeah that’s funny because I’m fat and you called me Fat Mike. That’s a great joke, can I use that sometime?”

2 – It’s a part of your schtick (comedic persona) and you explain jokes (yours and others) as way of self-deprecating. i.e. no one laughed at your joke so you’re only save is to humorously explain the obviously not funny joke.

Other than that, just let it be.  Hey, we’ve all been slow on the take before.  We got a  joke after the fact, no big deal.  Just laugh it off even if you don’t know why.  Explaining the joke to others only draws attention to the fact you didn’t get it the first time.

End scene.

Things we say but don’t mean

I was thinking about how many things we say to each other but don’t really mean or believe.

There’s the obvious ones like, “bless your heart” or “aren’t you precious?” We all know those actually mean something quite different. Some other obvious ones are “How are you?” and it’s partner “I’m doing fine.” Again … this does not actually mean what the words say. It’s become a salutation, a way of greeting someone.

Some people respond to what you’re saying with “awesome” or “cool”. These are false on two levels. 1 – most likely the person doesn’t really think what you said is “awe inspiring” nor does it change their temperature. 2 – even within the idiomatic meaning of these words, we just say them as a positive affirmation, in other words, “hey, I heard you and I don’t hate that.”

Christians incorporate all kinds of sayings that we don’t usually mean. They have good intentions and are well meaning but not always truthful. Let’s be honest, of the 1 million times you have told someone you would “pray for them” or “pray about” a situation, did you literally pray every single time? Like I said, it’s well meaning, and your intention was really, “I’ll be thinking about you” or “my heart goes with you” and sometimes you actually did feel led to say a prayer for someone. Mostly, though, it’s an expression used to show warmth and concern.

Here’s a big one pastor’s say (and the one that sparked this blog post), “everyone is a minister whether you’re a plumber or a preacher” or maybe “everyone has a ministry even if you never get behind a pulpit”. I think we mean this in principle. We believe it as an abstract ideal and as a spiritual truth but I’m not sure if we let it sink into reality.

I’ve been thinking about this idea and then read Jonathan Stone’s blog and it pushed me to think a bit more about it.

Many pastors can say that “everyone is a minister” without ever knowing what that really means. Most pastors will always be pastors. Some have always been pastors and a lot of the ones who are bi-vocational (working two jobs) are hoping to be “full-time” one day. Many of the pastors who had a first career, (pre-ministry) will not go back to that “secular” career. Why you ask?

It would be seen by many as going backward. There’s this status that comes with being a pastor.

I wonder how many actually believe that the Christian electrician or bank teller are of the same status as the senior pastor? Oh, they say it, but do they actually believe it? How many pastors would really trade places with a bank teller? What would happen if they had to do it?

I know several “former professionals” pastors who now work outside the pulpit (including myself). I think it is a real challenge to hold all of these things in tension. I know some who enjoy having a little more freedom while others can’t wait to do “real ministry” again.

So then how do pastors equip their members to be ministers in their context, if most are only successful at ministering as professional clergy?

And if someone becomes really successful at non-pulpit ministry, should we remove them from it to make them “full-time” at the church?

We do need pastors. But we also need people who don’t live and work in the Christian bubble.

With the direction things seem to be headed (the Church in Post-Christendom), I wonder if we’re preparing pastors to exist in this tension? Are we setting the expectation that “success” means “full-time ministry”?

Most of the young ministers that I see are being trained to be traditional “full-time” pastors not postmodern missionaries who may not be paid to do their ministry.

**stepping down from my soapbox**

Beginnings and Freedom

In the past I’ve done posts looking at the year in review. This year I’m doing the year in preview.

The past few days I have been thinking through what kind of things to reflect on. I generally have no problem reflecting. Reflection can be a good thing, though sometimes too much of a good thing is not such a good thing.

Golden nostalgia of better times that seduces one into living in the past. Or dark regret of tough decisions that drives one to rethink how they would do it differently.

But the past couple of days I have been looking forward . . . not back.

I have looked forward to 2012 more so than past years. I feel like it will be a year of beginnings. A year of freedom from the past. I haven’t had any prophetic experience. Just a hunch.

Then this morning I read these 2 quotes and it encouraged me to hold onto that hunch.

You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream – C.S. Lewis

Do not remember the former things, Nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing, Now it shall spring forth; Shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert. (Isaiah 43:18, 19 NKJV)

The past couple of weeks I’ve been hiding some things in my heart (like Mary in Luke 2). They’re new dreams. Things I’m not quite ready to share.

New dreams often mean putting down some old ones. A beginning comes after an end. I wonder if we don’t have more beginnings because we dislike endings so much.

Many are talking about how the Mayan calendar ends in 2012. This is not something to be fearful of unless you’re afraid of a new beginning. I think I’m ready to set 2011 down and begin 2012.