prayer. it’s what’s for dinner.

 

My family doesn’t pray for a meal when we sit down in restaurant or other public place.  We do pray over a meal in our home, and we usually rotate who prays; but we don’t like to in public.  It just doesn’t seem right to us.

If you’ve been around religious people during a meal at a restaurant, you’ve seen it happen.  After the server brings out the food, there’s that small window of time before they come back to refill your drinks that you can thank God for the meal you’re about to consume.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand the sentiment.  I grew up with it.  That’s what Christian families do, right? They pray before meals.  But what if that’s all it is; just a sentiment?  How much meaning is really behind a prayer for a meal in a restaurant?  To use a very cheesy line (see previous post): is it about conversation or declaration?

I mean, you’ve got the nice idea of thanking God for the food in one hand, and then you’ve got what Jesus says in Matthew 6 in another.  Things like “don’t pray like the hypocrites who do it in their temples and on street corners for all to hear,” or, “don’t babble on and on merely repeating the same words again and again,” but instead He says, “go away by yourself and shut the door behind you.”

The people in the booth next to me don’t need another reason to think that following Jesus is psycho.  

Maybe my friends that are sitting next to me at my table who aren’t following Jesus are as uncomfortable as my server, waiting there for me to finish thanking God for my food, and anything else that crosses my mind at the time.

I wonder what my server is thinking as he or she is standing there, waiting for our table to finish praying, so that they can refill my drink.  

I wonder if I should bring up the gospel before or after dessert.

paul the feminist

“The religious persecution of the ages has been done under what was claimed to be the command of God. I always distrust people who know so much about what God wants them to do to their fellows.” — Susan B. Anthony

Feminism.  Isn’t that a loaded word?  I’m sure just by reading that simple word, many ideas come to mind.

I find it interesting that Evangelicals, by and large, have historically been opposed to the feminist movement.  It doesn’t surprise me, though, because many of the values of 2nd and 3rd Wave Feminism (circa 1960′s-the present) do not line up with Evangelical ideas.  

I find it interesting how quick people can twist a piece of Scripture around (see Ephesians 5:22-24) to fit their own purposes…and even more interesting how long and widespread the affects of that can be felt.  If people might only take the time to get the full picture of what God is trying to say (see Ephesians 5:21, 25-31).

I read a great story in Acts 16 where Paul and Silas visit the city of Philippi for the first time.  They go outside of the city gates and strike up a conversation with the business women of the city–a group of women out there selling stuff.  Just so we’re clear.  Paul and Silas didn’t go to the Temple where the men would be.  They went outside of the city gates, and meet a group of business women and talk to them about Jesus.  And it’s these group of women who begin the the church at Philippi.  The first Christian in Philippi is a woman named Lydia.  

It’s amazing how this story doesn’t even make it to the table when we discuss feminism and the church.  And so, I wonder if all of the bra-burning and man-bashing was even necessary.  Perhaps if Christians had a more holistic view of grace–if they really believed that the image of God is in all people, male and female–maybe all of this conflict could have been avoided.  Maybe as Christians, it’s time to man up and say that we’ve been part of the problem, and start to see each other as God sees us.

the cost of a free meal

This past Sunday, my wife and I had the amazing opportunity to go into downtown Cincinnati and serve at a local mission with some people from our church. We got to serve them dinner and have some great conversation with people.

One of the men I got to speak with was the pastor who was invited to come and give the sermon to the people who had come to the mission to be fed. The way this mission worked, which is much like most missions/homeless ministries around the country was that in order for the needy to get a meal, they had to come to a church service prior to meal time.

I had never really given this idea a second thought before. I was active in the youth ministry at my church growing up, and that’s always how it was done. They’ve got to go to a church service and nourish their souls; then we’ll nourish their bodies.

So, while we’re serving the meal, my wife sits down at a table with a group of gentlemen and starts talking; asking them what they think about this. And a man says something to her I’ll never forget. He says, “Well, that’s just the cost of a free meal.”

Which raises the question, is the Gospel just about words, or is it more about actions?

To me, this feels a little like bribery. It feels like what I do with my kids when I say, “If you eat all your dinner, I’ll give you dessert.” Almost like we’re dangling the carrot in front of the donkey.

If the Gospel is about Jesus freeing the world from the bondage of sin, isn’t the act of feeding someone participating in the Gospel?

And maybe that’s the problem. Maybe to us, it’s less about participating in the Gospel and more about being a consumer of the Gospel.

The author of the book of James says it this way: “For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, ‘Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!’ and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup-where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?” (James 2:15-17, MSG)

Now, I’m not saying there isn’t a time and a place for a church service for the homeless. In fact, we should still offer it. But we should do just that; OFFER it. Don’t force it. The choice to attend a worship service doesn’t apply just to those who can afford to buy food. I don’t think it’s what Jesus had in mind.

I can’t think of a better way to change the world than, “Jesus lives, here’s some dinner.”

the sunday christian…in more ways than one

I was reading this week that students studying in Jewish school have to have the entire Old Testament of the Bible memorized by the time that they are 12–except for one book: The Song of Solomon. Apparently rabbis believed that if a good Jewish student were to memorize that book, it would cause him to stumble.

The Song of Solomon is about a couple who describe their love in great detail–it’s all about their relationship, and it speaks directly to relationships. There’s this great part in chapter 5 where the husband comes home from work, long into the night, and he essentially says baby let’s get to it, and the wife says, “I have taken off my robe–must I put it on again? I have washed my feet–must I soil them again?” (v3) Which is ancient Hebrew for, “Not tonight, I have a headache.”

I’ve often wondered why there would be a book like this in the Bible. Why would there be a book in the Bible that is so much about sex and relationships, and the rest of the Bible is so much about spirituality?

At the beginning of the Bible, we see the first two people are in a garden called Eden, and in it they live a perfect life. One that’s in tune with God, with nature, and with each other. Heaven on Earth.

At the very end of the Bible, we see the nations healed through Jesus Christ; people living in tune with God, with nature, and with each other–and they live in a city which God has brought to Earth. Heaven on Earth.

In the book of Genesis, the writer talks about how when a man and woman are united together, the two become one flesh–physically, spiritually, and emotionally. They are connected, are no longer two, but one. When a married couple has sex, they are essentially celebrating not only the oneness they have with each other, but they are celebrating the connection they have with God. For that moment, all is right with the world. They are in tune with each other, with God, and with the world. Through sex, we catch a glimpse of Heaven on Earth.

My wife told me about a study she read that the average married couple has sex once a week. Which got me thinking. Most Christians are okay with going to church once a week to get their “God-fix”. I wonder if there’s a connection there.

Maybe we’re Sunday Christians in the sack too.

The Geopolitical Gospel

The Boneman has some great thoughts about how God is restoring the whole world as it applies to The Great Commission.

Read it here.