Jesus voted and we got a copy of his ballot! He registered his opinion on twelve issues that affect the governance of our country.

1. He voted against murder, hatred, and unsettled disagreements. (Matthew 5:21-26) “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.’ But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,’ is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!’ will be in danger of the fire of hell. Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny."
2. Jesus voted for a tougher view on marriage, and was against adultery, lust, divorce. and sexual immorality. (Matthew 5:27-32) “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.’ But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell. It has been said, ‘Anyone who divorces his wife must give her a certificate of divorce.’ But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, makes her the victim of adultery, and anyone who marries a divorced woman commits adultery." 
3. Jesus voted against deceitfulness and unfulfilled promises. (Matthew 5:33-37) “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one."
4. Jesus voted against revenge and retribution. (Matthew 5:38-42) “You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’ But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well. If anyone forces you to go one mile, go with them two miles. Give to the one who asks you, and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you."
5. Jesus voted for loving our enemies and rejecting hatred and favoritism. Matthew 5:43-48) “You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that? And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."
6. Jesus voted for helping the needy even if there is no immediate personal benefit. (Matthew 6:1-4) “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
7. Jesus voted for prayer as a private practice of submitting to God's kingdom here on earth. (Matthew 6:5-15) “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.' For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
8. Jesus voted against using religious devotion for personal gain. (Matthew 6:16-18) “When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
9. Jesus voted against consumerism and the hoarding of wealth. (Matthew 6:19-34) “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness. No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money. Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own."
10. Jesus voted against judging others before dealing with our own sins. Matthew 7:1-6) “Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye. Do not give dogs what is sacred; do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces."
11. Jesus voted for treating others how we want them to treat us. (Matthew 7:7-12) “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets."
12. Jesus voted in favor of building life on his kingdom teachings. (Matthew 7:13-27) “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it. Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them. Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’ Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash.”

The above scripture was delivered as a sermon. Matthew's record of it concludes with this statement: "When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law."

It's impossible to tell who Jesus would have voted for. But it's not impossible to tell what he would have voted for. The teachings of Jesus don't necessarily fit neatly into a Yes/No box on your ballot. We should be disturbed by that. You are naturally inclined to vote conservative or liberal or somewhere in between. Whatever that tendency is, the question I want to ask is this: Are you still amazed at the teachings of Jesus? Do they still hold authority in your life? Or are you simply following whatever "teacher of the law" you are used to agreeing with? 

When called upon to vote, do it humbly, prayerfully. And even if you must cast your vote for a who, don't align your heart with any what that Jesus has already spoken against. Continue to stand up for what is right and just, what is holy and Christian. No matter what, align yourself with his kingdom. This earthly kingdom has great potential to do good or bad, but either way it does not last forever. The Kingdom of God, however, does good and lasts!

​Amen.

I keep lists. They help me keep my thoughts in order. 

This is even true for my prayer life -- especially where I have decided I'm going to intercede regularly for someone in prayer. It might be for a specific need that will eventually get checked off the list, or it might be for my family members in all the general and specific ways we pray for family members. But they're on "the list."

I keep my list on my smart phone, and I just went and counted how many people are on it. As of right now, it has 198 people on it. I had no clue. 

Let me be the first to say: That's just weird! I mean, did your mom ever tell you at the dinner table that "Your eyes are bigger than your stomach"? I still tend to put too much on my plate. And apparently my heart is bigger than my head, because I tend to put too much on my prayer list! 

But it all comes from a genuine place. I mean, if a person is on my prayer list, it means that at some point my heart said, "Pray regularly for this person!" so I wrote them down. And several days a week now, I spend time praying through that list. 

But 198 people is a lot! And my head can't really get around that, so it tends to just go right through it, if you know what I mean. What I've noticed is that, in those moments when I could spend time praying to God "with fervent cries and tears," I tend to just pray through my prayer list, and that's different. I mean it, but I don't often cry over it.

This morning I found Jesus's prayer list. I read Hebrews 5:7, "During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission."

Do you see Jesus's prayer list? Yeah, me neither! I really don't think Jesus kept a list! But I'm sure he kept a heart, and then he prayed that heart fervently. 

So, today I'm doing two things:

1. I'm turning my prayer list into a care list. That's really what it is, isn't it? It's my list of people who I care about seeing God bless. In fact, often when I'm praying through my list, God provokes me to do something tangible, or to reach out and encourage that person. And that's cool. And that's care. 
   
2. I'm re-purposing that morning prayer time to "offer up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears," over whatever he puts in my heart. If it matches the things on the list, great. But let it always match the things I would cry over. 

We are a "praying church." We have many who say their daily prayers. They pray for missionaries, and family members, and even me. And man, that's wonderful. But today I am encouraging us all to turn our prayer lists into care lists, and then spend time in heartfelt prayer for the things that the Spirit has put on our hearts each day. 

If you had ten minutes of God's undivided attention today, what would you cry fervently to him about?

Like many, our church offers two different worship environments: Traditional and Modern. As a church we genuinely value both expressions as legitimate and beautiful. I'm glad to say that "worship wars" doesn't describe our church. 

I recently noticed a social media discussion sparked by a blog trying to make the case that singing hymns out of a hymnal is a best worship practice. How unfortunate. That sort of discussion works against the mutual respect and understanding that many of us in multigenerational churches have worked so hard to encourage. 

This specific conversation will eventually die, but another will spring up, so let me (again) speak to what's really going on here: a spiritualizing of cultural preference. All the theological arguments about musical style (classical, gospel, contemporary) and media (paper books vs video projection) is really just spiritualizing non-spiritual things in hopes of making our preferences seem more sacred.

And with all due respect: It. Just. Doesn't. Matter.

Jesus matters. Worship matters. But people are silly, and musical styles are trivial--even the best and most long-lived of them. (Yes, I mean that of both "people" and "musical styles.") And it seems to me that a little information and honesty would help.

The definition is simple. "Hymn: a song of praise to God"

If that's true, it's not about style or era in which it was written. We're all singing hymns. Some are old hymns, some are new hymns. Some have one meter, some have another. Some are rooted in one culture, some in another. And we silly people get all worked up in our trivial arguments about what style or medium is better. It just seems so silly. And trivial. 

So, why do we do it? Because music is so meaningful to us! And rightly so! God designed us that way. 

But we forget that our music preferences are mostly just a combination of 1) the music culture that was formative to us as kids, and 2) the cultures we experienced during transformative key events--things like coming of age, falling in love, going off to college or war, that first job, or having a spiritual conversion experience. And God wired it into us that music helps us to relive those events.  

And God saw what he had made and said, "It is good." 

For me, "formative" was growing up at Warwick River Mennonite church in Denbigh (Newport News), Virginia from the late 60s to the mid 70s, and then at Tuttle Avenue/Bahia Vista Mennonite Church in Sarasota, Florida through my teen and young adult years. I still feel like the gospel hymns we sang in these two churches are the "best" ones, and that the red hymnal we used is the "real" hymnal. That stuff is still very nostalgic for me in a way that can even feel spiritual. But I also loved the "new wave" and "rock" cultures of the 80s, with Duran Duran, or the Thompson Twins, or Petra, or Rez Band. Then in the early 90s I had a spiritual awakening in a church that played contemporary music. I later became a worship pastor and led primarily that kind of music. So I continue to be very moved by modern worship music. And some of the older hymns as well.

But that's just me! It's just a reflection of the cultures that were formative and transformative to me. That's all. 

What if we were all just that honest? And what if we agreed to have real and gracious conversations about our preferences, without trying to spiritualize them? 

Wouldn't it be refreshing to hear someone say,"You know, I really prefer the gospel music styles from the 19th and early 20th centuries. They were already old when I was a kid, but still, it makes me feel good to sing the songs I grew up singing. And I like it best when it's written down with notes I can sing. It just gives me more confidence in singing. It makes me feel more connected to the song. But no offense if someone can't read music, or doesn't want to. There are more eternal things to worry about." 

Or, "I remember the first time I heard the band U2. It was so emotive for me, so "spiritual." I'm really moved when we sing hymns that were influenced by their sound. The melody just makes sense to me. It's intuitive. I can't explain it, but I can usually just sing along with new songs the first time I hear them. But sometimes I need help with the words, so it's nice to have them on the screen where I can glance at it if I need to. But no skin off my back if someone else doesn't like it."

Or what if people were honest enough to declare their fan loyalty: "I'm a Fanny Crosby fan," or "David Crowder fan," or "Charles Wesley fan," or "Matt Redman fan," or "George Beverly Shea fan." (And yes, we should notice how narrowly western that list is.)

Personally, I would find that sort of honest conversation refreshing. 

So, here's the thing: I don't think we should use hymnals. And I don't think we shouldn't use hymnals. In fact, I don't think we should sit in pews, and I don't think we shouldn't sit in pews. And I don't think we should have a building, and I don't think we shouldn't have a building. And I don't think we should have a pulpit, and I don't think we shouldn't have a pulpit. I hope you get my point: 

These things just don't matter. They will not survive the Lord's return! 

But imagine this. I really expect that in heaven it's not gonna be rock-n-roll, or four-part SATB a capella, or even eight-part cluster harmonies, although I think all that would be cool. Rather, I suspect that the unison will be more resonant than anything we've ever experienced. And the million-part harmonies will be eternally distinct, and dense. And the time signature will be an "eternity signature" of unending discovery. And none of it will need to be written on collections of paper or projected onto reflective screens. It will be written on our hearts; it will be projected by the Spirit of God into our innermost being. 

I believe the hymns of heaven will be profoundly beautiful, like nothing we've ever experienced. And yet, in the midst of all that sensational beauty, our "preference" will decidedly be to just see Jesus.

While we're still this side of heaven, let's do everything we can to renew and encourage our preference for Jesus. And then just put our hearts to music, without measuring one person's preference against another's. And let's decide that whenever we find ourselves moved by a specific style of music or media, we will be even more moved by Jesus, worshiping him in reverence and awe, with humility and great enthusiasm.

Amen.

I kicked off 2014 with a sermon series called "STRETCH." It was based on the prayer found in Acts 4:29-30. The way I pray it sounds like, "Lord, consider the threats and obstacles that stand opposed to us. Enable us to speak the Word of God boldly. And Lord, stretch out your hand to heal, and to perform signs and wonders in the name of Jesus." 

Today I want to remind us that it was more than just a several-week series. I believe God is calling us, as a church, to LIVE it. And I believe he has already equipped us with everything necessary for answering that prayer. I believe God is saying that it will take hard work and investment--and such will be the evidence of love to a skeptical and cynical world. And I believe that if we follow Jesus, the "signs and wonders" will be the signs of "love" and the wonders of "transformation." Oftentimes this will be mystical and supernatural. Other times it will seem rational and methodical. But at all times it will be traceable to a movement of genuine love where each of us invests our gifts and talents in serving real people. 

As God has led me in this understanding, I've been praying: Lord, stretch out your hand through us to bring...

• HOPE. Through those with gifts of faith, prophecy and empathy, help us bring hope to people whose hope has died. Lord we want to bring people the hope of Jesus, of the Gospel, of God's love, of eternal life, of renewal and restoration and redemption, and of a Church that knows and cares about its neighbors.
  

• ANSWERS. Through those with gifts of wisdom, discernment, teaching and knowledge, help us to humbly and gently bring insight to people who are confused or lack understanding, who need counsel and wisdom for life and relationships, and who have questions or complaints. Lord we want to bring people a godly wisdom and understanding that is rooted in the teachings of Christ, that sees family systems and the natural consequences that are rooted in the wisdom of God's created order. Let it be a wisdom that listens before answering, and that walks the journey with people to help them change their thoughts and behaviors. 
  
• NECESSITIES. Through those with gifts of service, generosity, compassion and administration, help us to provide necessities for people who are poor because of hardship, injustice and indebtedness. Lord we want it to be a stopgap that removes the panic for basic needs of food, clothing and shelter so that they can devote themselves to changing their situations by the wisdom and deliverance of God..
  
• DELIVERANCE. Through those with gifts of intercession, discernment, faith and healing, help us to bring deliverance to people who are oppressed and enslaved by the Enemy. Lord we want to exercise your divine authority so that demons are cast out, addictions are defeated, and physical, emotional, and mental illnesses are healed. Lord let it even be that the chronic infections of shame caused by abuse and neglect are made clean, and that guilt and bitterness are replaced with forgiveness.

That continues to be my prayer. 

I wonder how God has gifted you to stretch out your hand? Has anyone ever looked to you for hope in their hopeless situation? Have you ever found yourself with insight for someone when life wasn't making sense to them? Do you love to provide necessities for people when they can't make it without assistance? Do you pray with discernment and power, and do you feel a special urge to pray deliverance for people who feel trapped? 

I believe God has equipped you to stretch out your hand as his hand. So I invite you to continue to pray with me, "Lord, stretch out your hand to heal through me to perform the signs of loveand wonders of transformation as one who loves and is loved by Jesus." Then go do it, believing that he is answering your prayer--through you and me and many other regular people just like us.

Here, even now, even in our lifetime. 
Amen.