simplicity

A Burden Shared

/ JJS / 1 Comment
burdenshared

Photo Credit: John (“Dad”) Schultz

Today’s readings:
Psalms 54; 146, Isaiah 48:12-21 (22), Galatians 1:18-2:10, Mark 6:1-13

When Jesus felt the disciples were finally ready to travel and spread his teachings, he dispatched them in pairs. He told them to bring nothing extra: no food, no luggage, no extra clothes, and no money. For shelter they were to rely on the hospitality of the communities they visited, and in its absence they were to rely on the open road. Though his commands sounded harsh, Mark reports the disciples had successful journeys depending only on the bare minimum.

As technology evolves, the “bare minimum” has become anything but: smart phones, tablets, fitness bands, bottled water, etc, etc.  Today we can barely imagine going on a mission trip without a GPS and the Bible on an e-reader. Imagine Jesus unpacking your purse or backpack or luggage and saying: “You won’t be needing this charger. Or this phone. Or different shoes for hiking and digging. Or this pencil. Or…” until eventually you have nothing but a walking stick, the clothes on your back, and a single companion.

Yet what a gift it is when two people are separated by no distractions and joined by a dedication to the Good News. On our own we can easily wander down the wrong path, but a companion keeps us accountable and on track. Our fear is less when someone has our back, and our strength is greater when we are responsible for and with another. Scriptures contain many examples of prophets and leaders who were at their best when they had a partner sharing the burden: Moses and Aaron, David and Jonathan, Ruth and Naomi, Elijah and Elisha.

Relationships are formed in the absence of distractions. Being fully present with another person while you both are working for the Kingdom of God is a uniquely bonding experience. That work can be anything from digging wells in Africa to praying together for someone in need. It can’t be done as well if we are juggling unnecessary items that distract us from the task at hand. Jesus teaches us again and again that we don’t need possessions to be content. Even more he teaches us we do need each other.

Comfort: You are designed to go it alone, so don’t feel like you have to.

Challenge: Be intentional about being present to those around you, particularly during shared experiences such as meals or worship. This may mean putting away your phone, camera, or other distractions for longer than you’re used to.

Prayer: God of peace, shape me into a suitable companion for those who would walk with me to share your Word. Amen.

Discussion: Even within Christianity there are divisive factions. Have you ever found yourself joined in a common purpose with someone  you had previously considered an opponent?

Join the discussion! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to join an extended discussion as part of the C+C Facebook group. You’ll  have the opportunity to share your thoughts with some lovely people. Or feel free to comment here on WordPress, or even re-blog – the more the merrier!

Less Is More

/ JJS / 5 Comments

simplicity

Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 116; 147:12-20, 1 Kings 11:1-13, James 3:13-4:12, Mark 15:12-21

Is it human nature to be dissatisfied with what we have? Chronic dissatisfaction may seem like a modern ailment, but James had words of advice about it almost two thousand years ago:

Those conflicts and disputes among you, where do they come from? Do they not come from your cravings that are at war within you? You want something and do not have it; so you commit murder. And you covet something and cannot obtain it; so you engage in disputes and conflicts.

Our inability to be content with what we have is about more than a lack of personal growth: it can tear at the fabric of our community.

King Solomon was revered for his wisdom and he still struggled with dissatisfaction. Despite warnings from The Lord, his desire for hundreds of wives and concubines of foreign lands eventually led him to follow foreign gods. As a result, God tore all but one tribe from the rule of Solomon’s son.

Consumer culture puts us at odds with each other. It defines contentment as having what everyone else has, and success as having what others don’t. For people that may be things; for churches that may be members; for both it may be status.

In parables about pearls of great price and hidden treasures, by asking rich young men to give up all they had, and by commending the widow who gave when she had almost nothing, Jesus taught us over and over that we find true satisfaction in serving The Lord. So why are we able to say money doesn’t buy happiness, but so reluctant to actually downsize before we’re forced to?

Maybe because downsizing is associated with failure and diminished capacity. We move into smaller homes when we can’t maintain the big one we bought with the maximum loan we could secure. Congregations launch capital campaigns when we believe God calls us to grow, but never seem to think God might call us into a season of simplicity and lean but effective mission to build the community up.

When we learn to view contentment with what we have as a preferable choice rather than a consolation prize (or a resignation to failure), opportunities open up. Resources once dedicated to acquisition or mere maintenance are freed up for the work of the Kingdom – work more concerned with what we give than what we get. We may even learn the more we give away, the more space we make for God’s peace.

Comfort: Your true worth is not determined by bank balances or possessions. 

Challenge: For one month, see if you can give away one possession a day (not something you were going to throw away anyway).

Prayer: God of mercy and love, teach me to desire only your heart and will. Amen. 

Discussion: What’s the difference between contentment and laziness?

Join the discussion! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to join an extended discussion as part of the C+C Facebook group. You’ll be notified of new posts through FB, and have the opportunity to share your thoughts with some lovely people. Or feel free to comment here on WordPress, or even re-blog – the more the merrier!

Perks

/ JJS / Leave a comment

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 99; 147:1-11, Ezekiel 11:14-25, Hebrews 7:1-17, Luke 10:17-24

Tech companies like Google and Facebook are well known for providing their employees remarkable perks. From free unlimited beverages, to massages, laundry, on-site medical staff and shopping malls, they offer services that help attract and retain talent. These seem like great benefits for employees, but in the long run they benefit the company by creating an environment that minimizes the need to leave work – ever. In an unspoken agreement, employees are expected to pay for these luxuries with time away from home and family (if they can find time to have one).

Jesus warned his disciples not to be seduced or distracted by perks. When they returned from spreading his ministry far afield, they were joyful to have discovered that even demons submitted to them in his name. Jesus told them they could walk unharmed among snakes and scorpions and all manner of powers of the enemy, but not to rejoice in these things, “but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”

In the end, we love God and Jesus not because of any special treatment or abilities they may give us, but because they love and forgive us. That alone is enough reason for our loyalty, worship, and praise. If the scorpion stings with the venom of ill health, poor finances, or grief, our Lord and Savior have not abandoned us. If all the perks are stripped away, the center and purpose of our faith remains strong. In the corporate world perks and loyalty depend on finances and performance; when things get tough, employees may find themselves burned out or downsized. Our God, ever true, sustains us through difficulty and asks us to lay our burdens before the cross. When the perks disappear, God is more appealing, not less.

There’s a reason true spiritual leaders embrace humility and simplicity: these practices, devoid of perks, remove distractions and barriers between us and our God. The more we think God is supposed to do for us, the less we understand what it is we are meant to be for God. We already have every reason in the world to rejoice.

Comfort: God is with you, always.

Challenge: Ask yourself if you are expecting things from God that you shouldn’t.

Prayer: Faithful and Loving God, thank you for letting me rest in your presence. Amen.

Discussion: Have you ever found a job more meaningful because of the perks?

Join the discussion! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to join an extended discussion as part of the C+C Facebook group. You’ll be notified of new posts through FB, and have the opportunity to share your thoughts with some lovely people. Or feel free to comment here on WordPress, or even re-blog – the more the merrier!

K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple, Saints)

/ JJS / Leave a comment

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Today’s readings (click below to open in new tab/window):
Psalms 57; 145, Habakkuk 2:1-4, 9-20, James 2:14-26, Luke 16:19-31

“Simplicity is the glory of expression.”
– Walt Whitman

Habakkuk was a prophet who demanded an accounting for the oppression of the Jewish people in Babylonian exile. He asked where God was in the midst of His people’s suffering. God answered in the vivid and poetic language of a vision for justice.

The Lord tells the author of Habakkuk: “Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.” The runner is likely a messenger who would have been carrying stone tablets to share with others, and God wants them to be plain enough to be read while running. The message would have to be relatively short, or the tablets would be too numerous and heavy to carry, let alone run with. The print would probably have to be large; anything too small would be impossible to focus on. Though Habakkuk itself is only three chapters and thirty-nine verses long, the content of the tablets would have been shorter and simpler still.

It’s easy to over-complicate the vision God has for us. Christ summed it up simply and beautifully when he said:

“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And a second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”

That’s a message we can run with.

So why do we often feel the need to burden ourselves with the weight of theology and doctrine, and struggle so hard to balance and carry it that rather than run we plod – or stand still? Even standing still, the message is in language so cramped and difficult for passers-by to interpret that most squint and go on their way with no idea what we’re about.

Faith is not simplistic, but it should be simple. Sharing it should be easy. As our life in the Spirit matures, the less we need to know about it, and the more we are able to live it.

Comfort: Theology is fine, but faith is better.

Challenge: Pick one way to simplify your life, and do it before the end of the month.

Prayer: God of all creation, I humbly offer my simple faith. Amen.

Discussion: In what ways do you or have you unnecessarily complicated your beliefs?

Join the discussion! If you enjoyed this post, feel free to join an extended discussion as part of the C+C Facebook group or follow @comf_and_chall on Twitter. You’ll  have the opportunity to share your thoughts with some lovely people. Or feel free to comment here on WordPress, or even re-blog – the more the merrier!