"Christianity and World Religions"

We live in an increasingly diverse society. We are often faced with the truth claims of other religions. The claims present questions for Christians. What does God think of other religions? How should Christians respond when confronted with the claims of other religions? What can Christians learn about their own faith when viewing through the lens of the faith of others? Join us as at Light of the Canyon United Methodist Church as we explore “Christianity and World Religions” beginning Sunday, January 8, 2012.

• January 8 – Hinduism
• January 22 – Buddhism
• January 29 – Islam
• February 5 – Judaism
• February 12 – Christianity

(On January 15, we will have a special service dedicated to celebrating the life and witness of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.)

Check our website for details. Watch the promo clip (made by the wonderful people at the United Methodist Church of the Resurrection)

"What Does Love Look Like?"

Scripture: Luke 1:36-51

I want to share with you something that happened last night and hope that it inspires you this Christmas. At 4:00 p.m. a group of 27 singers arrived to go share the good news of Jesus' birth with others by singing Christmas carols. We went to four homes and even walked one of the neighborhood streets singing carols. It was an inspiring time and I was struck by the willingness of our LOTC family to be there for others. We had all age groups represented in our choir. Shy people, extroverted people, all kinds of people were part of the group. But as all of the voices sang out together, each individual voice grew stronger. It was an object lesson for me about when the church is the strongest - when we are all singing together in one voice. This is an important realization as we consider our time of discernment for LOTC 2.0 in 2012.

Then, when I thought I had learned enough, god had more to teach me. Cindy, Corran and I went over to BJ's for dinner after caroling. Atone point we were talking with our waitress who mentioned she was trying out a new church. Corran said to her, "You should come to our church. It's just over there." And that began a conversation about the virtues of LOTC. Our mission is to be "a welcoming community of faith where spiritual seekers become loving, serving followers of Jesus Christ." My son seems to understand that pretty well. In fact, most of our children do. My prayer is that in 2012, the rest of us understand this. A great place to get started is to invite someone to worship this week. The Longest Night service is on Wednesday at 7:00 p.m. Christmas Eve services are at 5 pm and 7 pm. We will be having a casual worship service on Christmas Day at 9:30 am. What does love look like? How will you answer that question? God bless.

Bad Theology = Bad Witness

No one will ever accuse me of being a stickler for details. And when it comes to Christian theology, I am more live and let live, think and let think than I probably should be. However, while I am not the most detailed systematic theologian on the planet, there are certain things that I can recognize right away as bad theology. This is one of them. Tim Tebow's pastor, Wayne Hanson, thinks that the Broncos are winning football games because of Tim Tebow's faith. I cannot count the ways that this is wrong. But, of course, I will try. First, God does not give a flying fig (and that is the nicest way I can express it) if the Denver Broncos win football games. To think otherwise is to to fetishize the personal relationship with God that is available to people through Jesus Christ - one of the ugliest, most self-centered aspects of Christianity. Second, by Hanson's reasoning, Aaron Rodgers, the quarterback of my beloved (and defending Super Champion) Green bay Packers, who are 13-0 right now, must be some kind of prophet. For that matter, is every Super Bowl Champion quarterback and World Series MVP favored by God? Finally, the thought process behind this kind of theology is that God glorifies those who glorify Him. The problem, of course, is that Hanson is assuming that winning football games is actual glory according to God. I don't know what about the origins of Christianity (Jesus being born in a feeding trough for animals to insignificant parents in a nowhere town in an occupied nation, and then ending his earthly life by dying on a cross) would make anyone think that winning football games is to be glorified. Jesus said, "the first shall be last and the last shall be first." So, if anyone is being "glorified" on the football field, my guess is that it is the hapless Indianapolis Colts. When you actually consider the ramifications of Hanson's words words, they seem even more asinine. In the interest of time, I will stop talking theology at this point. However, Hanson's comments are also wrong on the level of football logic. The implication of his words is that Tim Tebow is solely responsible to Denver's success. While I am not a Tebow apologist by any stretch, I acknowledge that the effort he puts into football is monumental. However, most of the games that Denver has won recently have been largely the result of a great defensive effort, and in the case of the Chicago Bears game Sunday (and as a Packers fan, it was with great relish that I watched the Bears collapse), a horrible effort on the part of the opponent. Enough said said about Hanson. However, what is important to recognize is that when Christian's say things as stupid as this, it is not only bad theology, it is also a very bad witness to the truth of Jesus Christ. It reinforces the narrow-minded image that so many people have today and it drives people farther away from the church. Wayne Hanson is a Christian minister. I assume (and hope) that he received some theological training before taking this position. Perhaps he and the church would be better served if he spent some time in theological reflection before making statements that are so clearly contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ.

"Shout for Joy"

Scripture: Isaiah 61:1-11

Recently, I have noticed an increase is "evangelism" efforts on the part of atheists. I have seen road signs espousing the atheist point of view. I have seen ads on TV and on the internet. First, let me say that I rejoice to be able to live in a nation where people can express there religious ideas without fear of recrimination from the government. That is a precious freedom. Atheism was once a fringe idea in our society, but it has become increasingly mainstream in recent years. I think that the church is largely to blame for this. We have alienated people with our attitudes of judgment and condemnation for so long that they have simply given up on God. Many people are tempted to say that that is their problem and that they will have to answer to God. While that is true, let us always remember that we must answer to God, as well. And if we have been angry, judgmental witnesses to His love and grace, we might be surprised at God's response when we meet him face to face. By now, you are probably wondering what any of this has to do with Advent. Yesterday, in worship, we read about Isaiah's proclamation of joy. But, if you remember from our reading that Isaiah's proclamation also came with a commission. "You shall be called priests of the Lord; you shall be named ministers of God." God has given us a commission, a calling - to share the "good news of great joy" with all the people. During the season of Advent, when we literally prepare our hearts for the birth of Jesus (the aforementioned "good news of great joy"), let's keep in mind that it is good news that we have to share. It is joyful news. It is happy news. And it is for all people. How will you share the good news with someone? Will you join us for Christmas caroling next Sunday afternoon? Will you come to the Longest Night service on December 21? Will you invite a friend to church this Christmas Eve? We have good news of great joy to share. Let us be about God's business and share it with glad and loving hearts.

"An E-bay Christmas"

Our Christmas commercial watch continues. This spot from e-bay, while funny, is also kind of...well...sad. The family presents well. They are all very dressed up and festive. However, the dynamics of how they relate to one another betray their put together exterior. Consider the dynamics. The spoiled daughter complaining in the midst of the family celebration, Uncle Dale (obviously out of touch with reality and way to into himself), Dad (behind the girl) immediately buys his daughter the gift she wants, the Aunt Carla storms out after her throw pillow from last year is insulted (while Aunt Carla is right to be insulted, she was checked out from the family gathering doing her knitting), and the guy leading the singing that is obviously not picking up on the negative vibes the girl put out. Now, I know that this is humor. I get it. And I laughed. But, I do thank God that this is not my family (and my family is pretty loopy).

"Crazy Faith"

Scripture: Isaiah 40:1-11

What does it mean to say that Christianity is a "crazy faith?" It means quite simply that our response to God's call on our lives can appear as madness to a world that has become lost. Here is an example. Advent is the season of preparation for Christmas. Many people hear that and immediately think of preparation for Christmas as "shopping days left until Christmas." Nothing could be farther from the truth. Christians are called to use this time of preparation to to ready our hearts and minds to receive the ultimate gift - the gift of Christ's birth. Advent and Christmas are about "God with us." Everything else is decoration. Yesterday we talked about the Advent Conspiracy. The four principles (for review) are (1) Worship fully (2) Spend less (3) Give more, and (4) Love all. The most important thing to remember about these principles is that Christmas is a sacred day and should be celebrated in a sacred way. We do not need to worry which stores say "Merry Christmas" and which stores say "Happy Holidays" because the Christmas story is not going to be told by the stores and shopping malls. It will be told by faithful followers of Jesus Christ who hear God's call on their lives and who respond by giving their lives to Jesus. God calls. We respond. And in so doing, we bear witness to God's love in the world.