This is a very insightful video that I had watched before, but that Nathan George reminded me of. Click here to watch.
This is “kinda” a follow up from Red Can post…
I recently listened to a great sermon on finances from Nathan George, founder of Trade as One. He began by asking how many of us had had a shower in the last week. He said that those of us who had are rich and that 4 of the 6 billion people on earth hadn’t been so fortunate. I got up late for work yesterday and didn’t get my DAILY shower. I felt gross all day and my hair was kinda sticking up like Alfalfa…
Last semester I took a class @ Fuller Seminary titled, Jesus and the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. My professor, Daniel Kirk(who wrote this book)had us read PLENTY of commentary on the Synoptic Gospels(Matt., Mark, Luke)outside of class, but in his lectures he never picked one up. He read straight out of the Greek Bible and translated to us as naturally as I read the english versions. The humanity of Jesus came alive and the Kingdom He inaugurated took a hauntingly (maybe I’ll explain why I use that word later) tangible form. So much of the WORDS and DEEDS of Jesus centered around His interaction and justice for the “least of these (Matt. 25).” Jesus’ face was illumined in the face of the stranger, the hungry, the prisoner and the homeless. Yes, Jesus spent alot of time preaching this Kingdom to the wealthy and highly religious, but He embodied this Kingdom through His deeds and interactions with those who inhabited it…the poor(Luke 6).
I can live a life with multiple degrees of separation from these inhabitants of the Kingdom of God. I sleep in a warm bed with a heating blanket, they sleep under a tarp with a newspaper. I eat fresh produce, they eat my leftovers. My possessions rest in cabinets and closets, theirs rests on their backs. It’s a strange tension…should I feel bad for having what I do. No, I think I should feel thankful, but in order to be fully thankful, I am finding I must have an understanding and heart for those who don’t. Not just a “oh that sucks for them” kind of understanding, but a “how can I learn from your story and be part of its healing” understanding. As I mentioned in my “Red Can” post, I believe it is often my “blessings” in the form of material excess that sometimes keep me from full participation in the Kingdom of God(Matt.19:24)…
So by serving, learning from and hanging out with these Kingdom Inhabitants, does the Gospel Jesus came to proclaim through WORD and DEED come to life?
This is what Dr. Kirk challenged me to unpack and what leads me to my friend Lyle…
That's great. I'm just digging into Kingdom stuff for our church. We're very rich materially, which makes us very poor in other areas: relationships w/God & others for sure. Too, it's not God's heart for us to give out of our excess & not give ourselves. That's not what He did. He left "Heaven," to enter my "hell." Love what you're saying!
Alan Hirsch is gonna' be in the Bay doing 3 conversations w/geeks like us. I think I'm going. I know you're busy, but you're brilliant, so…
Wed. night I kick it at the drum circle with the homeless & street kids handing out & drinking coffee & chai w/them from 3-5pm. We have great conversations. There's room.
Blessings…
Hirsch is awesome…actually teaches at Fuller quite often as well. Read Shaping of things to come? Good stuff.
You're awesome…sounds like a sweet time on Wednesday's. Don't be surprised if I take you up on that. Your church is blessed to have a pastor/living example like yourself my friend.
Jon, I really appreciate your blog. And I love stuff.
Hi Jon;
I want you to know that I always read your blog and again, through this reading I am inspired, challenged in thought and intrigued to learn more.
Glad my processing offers some encouragement and hope. I appreciate the partnership.