As we get older, my mom, at family gatherings, looks around and tells us how happy it makes her to see all of us siblings getting along as friends, enjoying each others’ company, cooperating and helping each other out. I felt the same over the summer when my teammates were just enjoying being together.

Psalm 133 begins with the same feeling.

How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head… (vv 1-2a)

It goes on about where the oil runs, which, in my high-maintenance western mind, doesn’t sound all that pleasant. I’m thinking of how hard it would be to clean up all that oil! But back in the day, and in the land of metaphors, the oil running over symbolizes a lot of things, including a sense of satisfied abundance.

A more literal and practical Scriptural reference to this unity of community is found in the famous Acts 2 description of the early church.

All the believers were together and had everything in common. (vs 44)

Recently, I was the blessed participant of such a community. In vs 45, it goes on to say how everyone gave to whoever was in need. I shared in my small group how the brakes on my car were starting to audibly complain, but I didn’t have enough to get them fixed any time soon. My prayer request was that God would arrange my schedule so I would drive as little as possible and that He would provide the funds to fix it, whether it was through extra design jobs or whatever. Before we even got to pray about it, one woman in my group simply said, “You can’t drive around like that. I’ll pay for it.” To which my ungracious reply was, “You have your own son. You should take care of him!” (We have a good friendship. ) She had her husband promptly call the mechanic and set up an appointment for me. Within two days, I was able to step on the brakes without fear…although it took me two days after that before I actually stopped cringing. Old habits die hard. She even told me the following week that my brake job was their Valentine’s Day gift to each other! What a crazy couple! I have always loved them…

I’ve heard so often — even said it myself — about how nice it would be to return to the “true” church of Acts, the good ol’ days. Let’s not kid ourselves. I bet they had their fair share of dysfunctions and conflicts. We have much to learn from the early Church, but we are the true Church in the here and now. Two things struck me as I started to put Scripture and experience together:

1. Faith communities are sacrificially active. The book of Acts is really about “the acts of the apostles.” This isn’t just a collection of cool stories about miracles; it’s also a description of how followers of Jesus lived and how we can live so that we’re intentionally positioned to live in view of miracles. Community and faith don’t just happen. They’re cultivated through intentional sacrifice.
2. Living in such a community is humbling. If people are giving, someone needs to be receiving. I’d rather be the one doing the giving. This experience is a reminder I don’t have everything I need, I’m not sufficient on my own, and although God can supply all my needs according to His glorious riches, He usually isn’t going to do it in secret. He will make my needs glaringly apparent, and He will usually use His people — the most glorious richness of His creation — to supply them.

Of the more popular translations today, The Message is the only one that uses “beautiful” to express the psalmist’s original words. As I reflect on what just happened in the past week, “beautiful” is the word that comes to mind over and over again. It is beautiful to see the Body of Christ living as it should, each giving from his or her own strengths, like the pieces of a puzzle all coming together in their proper places to form a majestic scene. We don’t need to return to communal living to build a community. In fact, most cults start that way. I don’t want to be that kind of church. We only need to freely share our strengths and be willing to ask for help in our weaknesses, all the while acknowledging God among us and in us. I wonder if that makes God as happy as my siblings and I make my mom.

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. 1 Thessalonians 5.11

Please pray for save travels, open hearts, and generous spirits toward one another as He reveals His heart and spirit to us.

“Did you get everything you wanted?” “I hope you got everything you wanted this Christmas.” These comments greeted me in the opening of two separate messages on the Sunday after Christmas 2007 and a third one at the first meeting of a group in 2008. It is a common question in casual conversation. Usually it is directed toward children, youth, or a casual acquaintance as an icebreaker question. However, in Christendom where “the true meaning of Christmas” is highly emphasized, it seems to be an odd question and peculiar hope to present to an adult congregation of professed believers. It left me slightly unsettled and saddened.

What is it we try to instill into the young minds under our charge? “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” “We give presents at Christmas to remember what God has given to us.” So, why do we follow-up the Christmas season with questions about getting?

Could it be that we have more of a consumer mentality than we want to admit? Could it be that we have more of a consumer mentality than we are even aware? Could it be that we have actually bought in to the world’s commercial version of Christmas on a deeper level than we want to own up to?

Perhaps the follow-up question we should ask is, “Did you give everything you wanted to?” If we keep this end question in mind, our attitude toward receiving, as well as giving, will likely change. There is no sin in gratefully receiving and enjoying a gift, and I don’t want to discourage giving traditional Christmas gifts. What if, though, our Christmas celebration included celebrating Communion and giving us time and space to reflect upon, receive again, and further our enjoyment of the greatest Gift we could never deserve. This gratefulness ought to be reflected in our response to the gifts we receive from others.

I enjoy stories with unpredictable plots, so I was immediately drawn to the concept behind Advent Conspiracy, an international movement to recover the scandal of Christmas. It promotes the joy of giving through compassion rather than consumption. It suggests giving time and honor rather than miscellaneous material objects. It encourages creativity and thoughtfulness in our giving. It remembers the heart of the original Christmas gift.

As we deepen our appreciation for such a lavish Gift, allowing it to change our hearts, souls, and minds, it is quite possible that our conversations about Christmas gifts will naturally turn toward what we had the pleasure of giving. Rather than comparing gifts received, we can “spur one another on toward love and good deeds”¹ as we share the ways we have given to our hearts’ content.

Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasures for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.  1 Timothy 6.17-19

1. Hebrews 10.24 [↩]

I had a nice conversation with my mom yesterday morning. We talked about a lot of different things: family Christmas plans, what she was doing before I called, and other things that were going on in our lives. Eventually, the conversation turned to different struggles that were affecting our lives and the lives of those that affect us. We even talked about my grandmother’s Alzheimers journey and my mom’s experience with that. You’d think that would be a downer, but it was actually encouraging. We came to the inevitable conclusion all followers of Jesus come to: as hard — or as good — as this life gets, we anticipate something far better. Circumstances can be unfavorable, but it’s the living by faith part that is really challenging. Even though I believe that is how we should live, I confess there are times I don’t want to have to live by faith. I generally don’t want to be in situations where I don’t know the outcome. Those are risky positions in which to be. Basically, I would rather not have to trust God because I want to see what’s coming up. I know: it’s foolish. My mom, being the wise woman that she is, pointed something out to me that I had never considered.

Jesus temporarily laid aside His rights when He came to Earth.¹ I don’t know if that includes sovereign knowledge, but whatever the theological/doctrinal conclusion He knew how He was going to die and asked for an alternative solution.² In fact, he probably knew before his killers knew. Although He is the ultimate example of living by faith, in that instance He had foresight into what would happen and submitted to it.³ He is the only one who is strong enough to actually live by sight, but for the most part He surrendered that ability in order to live by faith as a man for the sake of reconciling us to the Father. What a wonderful and timely reminder during an unusually chaotic Christmas season!

The beauty of living by faith is the resulting hope. I don’t know how many times a brother or sister in Christ has said to me, “I don’t know how people who don’t believe in God get through this life.” I’m a pretty optimistic person, but I’ve long ago figured out optimism without reality is just fantasy while optimism in the context of reality is faith.

If I know all the details of what God asks of me for His global purposes before they happen, I doubt I would be faithful enough to follow through. Living by faith isn’t only about my being a “good Christian.” Like most things, it isn’t about me at all…it’s about God. And in His mercy, He asks me to operate by trust in Him rather than by my own knowledge, and He gives me a bonus gift of hope. It turns out, living by faith is probably easier than living by sight. It’s only more uncomfortable.

Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5.1-5

1. Philippians 2.6 [↩]
2. Matthew 26.39, 42; Mark 13.35-36; Luke 22.42 [↩]
3. Philippians 2.8 [↩]

Crazy traffic, but finally connected with Mexicali team leader. Please pray for logistics to work out. Key things still up in the air now.