Grace in Communion

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Lately I’ve been meditating on Communion (also known as the Lord’s Table and the Eucharist). In fact, it’s been intersecting me on a regular basis for the last few weeks through reading, listening, and just thinking. At VLC we’ve been talking about grace for the last month or so, and thus my thoughts about Communion are infused with grace. Below is a thought stream on grace in Communion.

On a Thursday Jesus established the Lord’s Table, knowing that the next day, Friday, would be the worst day of his life. He was able to do this because his faith was firmly rooted in the hope that on Sunday everything would be made right again.

Bread and Wine by Anna Tikhomirova

Bread and Wine by Anna Tikhomirova

The grace in Communion for us today is that Jesus is inviting us into his Friday. Jesus will take everything that has brought us to Friday and stay with us as we process toward Sunday.

The grace in Communion is that it is not to practiced alone. The grace in the bread is that through Jesus’ broken body we are brought into his unified body. The grace in the cup is that we now stand as a people who are adopted, redeemed, and justified.

We, God’s people, are a grace. At times we can stand with those who are facing a Friday, embodying the hope of Sunday. At other times we are walking through the hell of a Friday and need the grace of people who will love us, remain with us, and even help us bear the cross with us and for us, embodying the hope of Sunday. That is grace in Communion.

I pray that as you practice Communion you will also experience God’s grace through the symbols and through God’s people.

Grace and peace,
Brook

On Remembering: Embracing New Life Through Past Faithfulness

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“Bread and Wine,” Albert York, 1966

“Bread and Wine,” Albert York, 1966

This coming Monday is Memorial Day. It is a day in which we remember those who have died in active military service. Jesus reminded us that “No one has greater love than to give up one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) I am grateful for those sacrifices, just as I am grateful for Jesus’ sacrificial death for the salvation of the world.

I was listening to an interview about Communion recently where a definition of “remember” was offered as not reliving the past, in our minds or otherwise, but rather to breathe new life into the present by embracing the past faithfulness of others and walking out that same faithfulness in our own lives today.

Jesus prefaced his statement above with, “This is my commandment: love each other just as I have loved you.” (John 15:12) As Christians we are to live lives shaped by the cross of Christ. Our remembrance of him should not simply be a retelling of his death and resurrection, but an embracing of his faithfulness by loving others as Jesus loves us and as we ourselves would want to be loved.

Just as it would dishonor Jesus by living our “saved” lives only for ourselves, it also dishonors those who have died for our country if we don’t find a way to share the love. May our devotion to the commonwealth of God bleed over into our “American” lives by loving our neighbor as ourself.

Grace and peace,
Brook

Embracing Presence, Part 2: Thin Places for Thin Times

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On a regular basis I hear friends and family comment on how busy and tired they are, and I wholeheartedly lump myself in with them. Those comments, which are not always complaints, remind me of Bilbo Baggins’ remarking to Gandalf in the book The Fellowship of the Ring,
“I feel thin, sort of stretched, like butter scraped over too much bread.”

bread and butter

Image courtesy of Paul / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I know not everyone is in this place, but I do know that a lot of us are. It is in such places that we need a sense of God’s presence, but we tell ourselves that due to our tiredness and busy-ness we have failed to draw close to God, and thus don’t deserve the comfort of God’s presence.

I also believe that with Jesus’ giving of the Holy Spirit to the church the kingdom of God is here with us now. In this holds the promise of God’s kingdom breaking in on our daily lives in life-giving and life-changing ways. These can be called holy places, and, if I understand correctly, the Celtic Christian tradition calls these “thin places.”

Jesus started his rabbinical career with the message,
“Now is the time! Here comes God’s kingdom! Change your hearts and lives, and trust this good news!” (Mark 1:14)
It was to a thin time that Jesus made the invitation to break through at the thin place. God’s presence is here now, and as I shared last week, God’s presence is experienced when we make ourselves apparent to God.

“Come to me, all you who are struggling hard and carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest. Put on my yoke, and learn from me. I’m gentle and humble. And you will find rest for yourselves. My yoke is easy to bear, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

Jesus understands thin times. He isn’t looking for us to work our way to God. He is inviting us. The thin times will not always stay thin, but the thin places are as available as our willingness to turn toward God. The hope of the kingdom of God is that as we experience the restorative presence of God, we too will become “thin places” for Christ’s  salvation to break through.

Grace and peace,
Brook

Embracing Presence: On Paying Attention to Those Around Us

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It’s a wonder that I even need to think about what to write lately for this article. For the last month or so there has been a weekly convergence of thoughts from many different places all focusing on a particular theme. It only requires that I pay attention and draw together the common threads.

This week the convergence of thought was on God’s presence. I think we all know that God is ever present, but in humility not always readily apparent. There are times when God’s presence is overwhelming, but to quote a friend, God’s presence is most often underwhelming. To experience the closeness of God, it requires that we make ourselves apparent to God. To make apparent is to pay attention to and present one’s self to another. Often our expectation is for God to make himself apparent to us. I believe that for us to experience God on a daily basis necessitates that God experiences us on a daily basis, too.

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God-this is your true and proper worship.” Romans 12:1

A Quite Place Amidst a Raging Sea

A Quiet Place Amidst a Raging Sea

Yes, there are times when we need God to “show up” on our behalf.Rest assured, God is aware of that. The beautiful thing is that we don’t need to do anything different. If we are already making ourselves apparent to God and God to us, then we can trust that God will act according to his wisdom and love for us. Can God trust that we will respond to him according to our love for him? I trust so.

God is our refuge and strength,
an ever-present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear,
though the earth give way
and the mountains fall
into the heart of the sea,
though its waters roar and foam
and the mountains quake with their surging.
There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God,
the holy place where the Most High dwells.
God is within her, she will not fall;
    God will help her at break of day.
Psalm 46:1-5 

Obviously, this not only applies to our relationship with God. I pray that we also take time to present ourselves to the ones we love around us. This, too, is our true and proper worship.

Grace and peace,
Brook

Embracing Inconvenience: Because There Is Never a Good Time to Follow Jesus

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Just this last Sunday, missionaries to Guatemala, Shawn & Damaris Smith visited us at VLC. They are directors of a missions organization called “Now Is The Time.” Their by line is “Because there is never a good time to go.” As you can imagine, their invitations to serve with them for a week in Guatemala have been turned down with the reason, “It’s just not a good time for me to go.” In all fairness, at times this is a legitimate answer. But let’s face it, how often have we turned down opportunities to __________ (you fill in the blank) with the response, “It’s just not a good time for me…” I know I’ve done it more times than I care to admit.

I’m not just talking about short term missions trips. Opportunities come our way constantly, either as invitations from people or directives from the Holy Spirit. It is almost criminal the number of times I’ve brushed off an invitation with the excuse, “I’ll pray about it,” or just ignored the leading of Jesus, pretending to not hear and not see. In the name of inconvenience I’ve turned off my heart and separated myself from the life flow of God that comes through service.

When I first thought about embracing inconvenience, three passages of scripture came to mind: 1) the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus taught to turn the other cheek, relinquish our coat as well as our shirt, and go the second mile ; 2) the story of the good Samaritan where the priest and the Levite refuse to be inconvenienced by the injured man; and 3) James’ teaching about faith and works, saying one has faith but doing nothing to show it.

Of course the story of the Good Samaritan is the classic text illustrating how someone chose to be inconvenienced for the sake of someone else’s well being. He didn’t have to. The priest and the Levite walked by without rendering aid. Somehow, the Samaritan man valued the injured man’s life enough to take time to do what was in his power to do. I think that is all we are asked to do, as well.

So my encouragement is to not only be open to the possibility to serve, but also to purposefully as the Lord if and how we are to help when we see a need. Jesus may say “Go ahead and lend a hand,” or he may say, “I have someone else to help out here.” But in the asking, we must be willing to be inconvenienced. For it is in the giving, we receive. It is through blessing, we are blessed. It is in the laying down of our lives that life flows back to us.

I pray God’s grace on you as you choose to be inconvenienced for the glory of God and the benefit of others.

Grace and peace,
Brook

1) Matthew 5:38-42
2) Luke 10:25-37
3) James 2:14-18

On Reflecting the Likeness of Jesus

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The Lafayette Reservoir

The Lafayette Reservoir in December 2012.

By Josh Pinkston

This morning’s reading from Exodus 34 tells the story of how Moses’ face became radiant with the glory of God from spending time face to face with God. Upon discovering this he began to wear a veil when he was not in God’s presence. 2 Corinthians 3:13 tells us that the veil was to hide the fact that the radiance was fading. The passage also continues to explain that now in Christ the veil that prevented us from accessing God is removed. The main purpose for this is found in verse 18, “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image…”

My friend, Josh Pinkston, wrote about this on his blog today, saying that to contemplate is to reflect and that reflection is only possible through stillness and proximity. If we want our lives to be a reflection of Jesus, we need to get close to him and be still on a regular basis. Just like Moses, the reflection will fade unless we take the time to get close to God. The great thing, though, is that all it takes is to turn to the Lord (2 Cor. 3:16), and we find ourselves in God’s presence.

My prayer is that our hearts would yearn to reflect Jesus in our world and that we would do what it takes to make his reflection shone.

Grace and peace,
Brook

Embracing Responsibility: Putting Feet to Our Faith

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In the talk I gave last week at VLC, I gave a personal example of how God was realigning my expectations. It all started when Pastor Stuart shared with me that he was taught to “step out in faith” when God’s leading felt uncomfortable. I mentioned that I had never heard that before. Rather, I was taught just the opposite, “Don’t step out in faith until you feel peace.” Of course, you can feel peace in the midst of calamity, and God has given us common sense so that we don’t do something stupid or dangerous. Both of these axioms are points of reference in how we are to discern God’s direction.

My point here is that I had defaulted to a position of indecision and inactivity, because I had built my faith around the belief that I couldn’t go forward without a sign, confirmation, or a good feeling.

What I have discovered lately is that faith requires action. When I wait for that “peaceful, easy feeling” and call it faith, it is just the opposite. It’s not faith, it’s fear. Faith is when we take responsibility for our life in Christ, actively living as Jesus in the world.

The first step in taking responsibility is to be responsive. For me this means that when I hear God ask me to do something, my first response is to figure out what the first step is, instead of waiting for a confirmation. It also means that I keep my heart responsive to those around me. Responsibility is an act of faith.

I pray that as we open our heart to God that he would open our eyes to discover ways to respond with Christ’s love. Thanks for listening.

Grace and peace,
Brook

Where Our Expectations Lie: Trusting Jesus to Bring Realignment

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We all have expectations, and they are not all crazy. They do, though, at times need to be realigned. In the story of the walk to Emmaus, the Jesus encounters two of his disciples and helps them get their expectations of him pointed in the right direction. Luke 24:13-35

This talk was given at Valley Life Center Foursquare Church in Santa Clara, CA.

Right click here to download this file.

Exhale

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A few weekends ago I had the opportunity to go to a contemplative prayer retreat. It was only six hours on a Saturday, but it was more refreshing than I could have anticipated.

 

Throughout the day, we would listen to passages of Scripture, excerpts from books, or pieces of music and then reflect on them and write down and/or share our thoughts. It was a wonderful exercise in which we were able to interact with a presentation within community and find correlations and applications. It was a rewarding experience.

 

Late in the morning, my friend, Josh Pinkston, shared a song he wrote, which was very personal and quite moving. The last word of the song captured me, “exhale.” After the song we shared a moment of silent reflection. In that moment I realized that I had been, both literally and figuratively, holding my breath.

 

In my anxiety and stress, in my desire for control and consistency, in the busy-ness of my station in life, I was holding my breath. We all know what that’s like. There are times when we feel like we just can’t let go or let down for fear that all come to a crashing end.

 

I was there. Then I felt God’s whisper, “Exhale.” I did.

 

I cannot fully express the subsequent experience. It was like a deep sigh of relief, a resignation to what is, and the sensation of hope that comes rushing in on the inhale. It was also all I could do to hold back sobs as I was sitting silently in a circle of people, most of whom I just met. But, though my exhale, God was able to bring resuscitation and relief.

 

Following this experience, we were encouraged to take a short walk to reflect on the morning’s readings and songs. As we did, God showed me a picture, and through it, how close God is to us.

 

God’s whisper is his life-giving Spirit. We inhale and then exhale God to God. He inhales and is affected. In God’s care for us he exhales his life-giving, life-saving Spirit back to us. Even though God is transcendent (over and above all), he is also immanent (up close and personal). God is not static. God’s affections for us are such that he is deeply invested in us. God is the one in whom “live, and move, and have our being.” (Acts 17:28) God even cares about our very breath. Jesus is testimony to that.

 

I share all that to encourage you this, find a moment in which you can sit quite before God and exhale. Let go of what ever it is you need to let go of, and let God’s Spirit bring you the life and grace you need to take the next breath and move on. God is all that for us, and more.

 

Grace and peace,

Brook

The Gospel as Sunset: Embracing a New Perspective

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Today, I would like to share a perspective of the gospel I read about recently. It is from the book Neighbors and Wise Men (p. 171-173). The author, Tony Kriz, tells of his experience of sharing the gospel. Having grown up in the church, he learned to share the good news of Jesus like one would share a piece of chocolate cake with a friend. We possess the piece of cake and are responsible for getting the cake into their hands. Tony later experienced sharing the gospel as one would share a sunset with a friend. Like the sunset, we don’t own the gospel, just like we don’t own God. The good news of Jesus is openly accessible and can be experienced in a variety of ways. Most importantly, it is a shoulder-to-shoulder experience, instead of a face-to-face transaction. It is something we get to experience with our family and friends, and each time is brand new, unique, and vitally alive. 

For me, this perspective reminds me that the gospel is not something we take with us and must ensure its preservation. These gospel moments change us, and that is what we carry with us. As we share these “sunsets” with others, we continue to be changed and invite others to do the same.
The most important aspect of this for me is that it dismantles the “us and them” perspective, “I have something you don’t have.” Rather, it opens up the opportunity to share in an experience that is greater than ourselves. Just as God’s love is unfathomable, so it is with the gospel. It just can’t be contained.
I pray that during the Easter weekend, we get to share a few sunsets with family and friends.
Grace and peace,
Brook