John Fischer The Catch

I have been reading again out of my “One Year Bible” that has selected readings from the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms and Proverbs every day, to where if you keep up with this daily, you will have read the Bible through in a year. I’ve never been that consistent, but I’ve read it enough to make some sweeping observations about the Bible you might not see otherwise, and here is one of them. I am amazed with how much the Bible speaks about God’s concern for the poor, the oppressed, the weak, those in prison, and those who are lost and scattered. Hardly a day goes by that there isn’t some mention in these readings about caring for these people. I have also spent a good portion of my life listening to sermons on the weekend and reading Christian authors, and I must say, there is a marked absence of talk about God’s concern for the poor, the oppressed, the weak, those in prison, and those who are lost and scattered. A totally unbiased observer would want to know what’s going on. “You guys talk about how much you revere this book, but it doesn’t seem like you are getting its message. What gospel are you following? Are we reading the same book?”

For instance, today I read this: “Don’t forget to show hospitality to strangers, for some who have done this have entertained angels without realizing it! Remember those in prison, as if you were there yourself. Remember also those being mistreated, as if you felt their pain in your own bodies” (Hebrews 13:2-3 NLT).

This is serious empathy. Have you ever been inside a prison? I can’t say I have very often, but I have a very unpleasant feeling about the times that I have. It’s interesting that the writer doesn’t tell us exactly what to do except to remember and empathize. I think the assumption is that if we do this, we will end up doing something.

Maybe you might want to put this scripture together and bring a stranger or two home for Thanksgiving. It’s one thing to serve a meal on the streets (and that’s a good thing indeed) but it’s another thing to welcome someone who has no family into your home and give them the warmth of a home and a family if even for a day. We have done this on a couple of occasions and found it upgrades the event for everyone.

Hey, I don’t have a good record here at all. I’m not telling you to do as I do because I am not doing much. I am saying we have got to do more to get ourselves where God is in relation to the poor. And I don’t think it’s just a handout that is needed. Dignity is as important as a meal. It’s not only that you do something; it’s how you do it.

Maybe there are some stories here some of you can share with us that might give us some ideas for sharing our own Thanksgiving celebrations.

“He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God — children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:11-13).

We owe so much to the Jewish forefathers of the faith, and in a strange way, even to their rejection of Christ, because that has made it possible for us Gentiles to be included. And I believe we need to be on guard against thinking now we have an inside track on God, lest the same thing happen to us.

It’s a theme repeated throughout the Old and New Testament: those on the inside rebel, get hard hearts and reject the truth; those on the outside receive it gladly. Jesus told parable after parable about the invited guests and those at the front of the line being usurped by “outsiders” – latecomers if you will. Of course this is all a part of God’s long-range plan for both Jews and Gentiles to be saved, but I do believed there is something to becoming stodgy, smug and self-important in our faith.

It might be good for us to think of ourselves as outsiders – as uninvited guests who got in on the party only because the invited guests had other things to do. It might be good for us to identify more with prostitutes and sinners (“ragamuffins” according to Brennan Manning) than with the religious, lest we too become like the Scribes and Pharisees (“beware the leaven of the Pharisees” Matthew 16:6).

It might be good for us to be eternally grateful for the grace of God that has somehow found us when we are so undeserving. No background. No pedigree. We’re like a bunch of mutts who got picked up at the pound one day short of our doom by a generous master who bought up the whole place – adopted us all.

Why do I suggest we think like this? Because it is necessary to the Gospel of Welcome for us to offer the good news to other undeserving folks like us. If we ever think of ourselves as above anyone, then we are closing someone off to the gospel.

Stay an outsider. Stay a sinner (don’t sin, but see yourself as one). Stay grateful. Stay amazed that you got “in.” And stay close to the door, so you can welcome in other vagabonds and ruffians like yourself.

Like that grand lady still shining her light over those coming to America: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free, the wretched refuse of your teeming shore. Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me, I lift my lamp beside the golden door!” (Emma Lazarus, from her sonnet, “The New Colossus” now bronzed inside the Statue of Liberty.)

Lest we forget who we are.

For God had far better things in mind for us that would also benefit them, for they can’t receive the prize at the end of the race until we finish the race. (Hebrews 11:40 NLT)

This is the way Hebrews 11 ends – that great chapter on faith that includes the faith-driven, God-pleasing exploits of Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Rahab, Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets, along with all the martyrs who were tortured, whipped, chained in dungeons, stoned, sawed in half, killed with the sword, or went about in sheep and goat skins, hungry, oppressed and mistreated, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground. These are those who now make up that great “cloud of witnesses” in Chapter 12: 1. And they are not just politely cheering us on; they have a stake in our faith.

I’ve been wrong about these witnesses. I used to think they were there as spectators cheering from the grandstands of heaven – as if to say, “We did it, so can you,” which would be a great encouragement indeed were that the case, but it’s more than that. They are more than witnesses; they are teammates. They are the first runners in the relay race down on the field, all huddled around the finish line ready to receive us because they want to win, but they can’t win without us. They are the rest of the baseball team surrounding home plate waiting for us to touch home with the game-winning run. They are the first three swimmers on the relay team screaming at us from the side of the pool to give it all we’ve got.

So the next time you feel like slacking; the next time you contemplate that little sin that’s not going to hurt anyone but you; the next time you discover yourself thinking your life doesn’t really make that much difference; the next time you start thinking your most significant days of faith are behind you; the next time you think you’re just waiting for eternity to get here, well… think again, because the likes of Noah, Abraham and Paul, himself, are counting on you. You’ve got the baton now, and they can’t receive the prize they fought so hard for until you finish. So get off your butt, John, and let’s go!

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily hinders our progress. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us. (Hebrews 12:1)

Me, and somebody important.

“Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. So don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matt. 10:29-31).

Three things strike me about these simple, beautiful words of Christ.

First: His will encompasses everything in my life. If God wills to allow the death plunge of an innocent sparrow and can somehow incorporate that tragic event into His total plan for the world, then He certainly must be doing the same with the apparent tragedies that occur in my life. Limiting God’s will to what is good for me (from my finite perspective) is to rob Him of His sovereignty over all things.

Second: God is involved with us even in the minutest details of life. The hairs of my head . . . numbered? Really! I can just imagine God saying, “Hold still; I’m counting — 12,534 . . .12,535 . . .” (Except that in my case, it would be — 543. . . whoops… 542. . .!) If God knows how many hairs are in my head, is there anything about me that could possibly escape his knowledge?

Third: God not only knows us, but He assigns us the highest value in spite of knowing us completely. “You are worth more than many sparrows.” My perception of this concept went through a wonderful metamorphosis as I meditated upon it. At first I wasn’t very impressed. How many sparrows am I worth! Fifty? A hundred? At least a thousand, I hope! And then it hit me. Sparrows may not be very important to me, but they are very important to God. He conceived of them in His mind and created them with great care. He fashioned them with perfect aerodynamics and set them soaring in the sky. He taught them how to gather food, to reproduce, and care for their young; and when one flies unwittingly into the invisible trap of my plate-glass window and falls lifelessly to the ground — He knows. Suddenly the worth of sparrows shot up — and so did mine, and with it, the value of every person on the face of this earth.

You and I are the creatures He prizes above the rest of His creation. We are made in His image and He sacrificed His Son that each one of us might be one with Him. Sparrows are sold at two for a penny; we were bought for a much higher price. So don’t be afraid: nothing escapes His notice.

Site of retreat

At a men’s retreat outside Spokane, Washington this weekend I began my talks with the laptop metaphor that inspired Friday’s Catch. Using my Apple laptop as a prop, I started, as I did Friday’s Catch, with the Apple logo facing me and then snapped my fingers in disgust as I realized I had it upside down, turned the laptop around, opened it and prepared to commence writing.

I pointed out that the logo, like my faith, was situated so that others could see it even when I couldn’t. This is the way God works through us. It is not in our golden moments when we are putting our best foot forward, but in all moments of every day. I then buried my face in the computer, typing away so that only the lid could be seen with the familiar apple, and talked about how I was working on my life while they were seeing only my faith.

Suddenly I realized how real this was. How Christ can be made visible in our lives even when we can’t see Him, and He is seen by nature if the fact that He is there all the time. Paul says that we always cast the fragrance of the knowledge of Him wherever we go, and this goes on in spite of what is happening in our lives.

I am clinging to this truth; otherwise I would have nothing to give you. That is because I am so far from being a finished product. I am more and more aware of my shortcomings as I grow older and face into the things I have long neglected. If my worth to you as a minister of the Gospel is predicated on how good of an example I set for you in all things, then I would have to hang up my office now, for I am an imperfect vessel. And yet Christ lives in me. And in spite of my life I have been gifted for your sake.

This is not to excuse irresponsibility; it is to acknowledge that as unfinished products, we are what God has to work with, and our example is found not in the absence of failure, but in facing it, learning from it and growing through it.

And through all of it — the good and the bad — there is Christ in the midst.

Paul says that we are carrying around both the death of Christ and the life of Christ at the same time (2 Corinthians 4:10). Well I think I might understand what the life of Christ would be that I carry around, but what about the death of Christ? What would that be? That would be everything Christ died to get rid of that’s still hanging around, like this body and its sin nature. Think about it: This “body of death” is the only thing God has to put His Spirit in. So it’s in the contrast between the two that shows His power, and this is the paradox we live with. Always the contrast so there is no doubt where the power is coming from.

My computer is missional. Most likely yours is too.

Ever notice how the logo on your laptop is upside down to you? In fact, how many times have you placed your laptop in front of you with the logo towards you and tried to open the thing? I still start to do it all the time. Of course there’s a marketing reason for this. Once you have your laptop open, it’s more important that everyone knows what brand of computer you are working on. You already know.

Faith is a lot like this. Our faith is for others as much – if not more – than it is for us.

For the longest time, Christianity has been an intensely personal thing. Everything has been geared for personal growth and development. Just think of all the books in a Christian bookstore and how many of them are for you, the believer, to grow in your faith. All well and good, but our faith doesn’t stop with us. In fact, if it doesn’t go beyond us, there is reason to wonder if it is real. Our salvation is so much more than just securing a place in heaven for you and me. It is meant to enlist us in a mission to reveal Christ to others through our lives.

Remember this: “But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. For we are to God the aroma of Christ among those who are being saved and those who are perishing. To the one we are the smell of death; to the other, the fragrance of life” (2 Corinthians 2:14-17)? Does that sound like a private faith? No, that sounds like a mission, and indeed it is. Thankfully, it’s a mission that God works in and through us by His Spirit, but we want to be conscious of this and active participants with Him.

Be consciously thinking today about who your faith is for, other than you. Whose life can you make a difference in? How is Christ working in you? Who needs to know? Whom are you walking alongside? This is what we’re saved for. We’re saved for a reason, and a big part of our growth is finding out what that reason is so we can make the most of it in the time we have to occupy this earth.

It’s such a simple concept, but so profound, and I hope you will never open your laptop again without being reminded of this.

Yesterday’s Catch ended with “Every day God waits is another day to spread around the gospel of peace.”

Believe me, I long for eternity as much as the next guy. I long to be released from the weaknesses of my flesh that war against the Spirit. I long to be free of worry. I long for a good long rest with not a concern on my mind. And I long to see Christ face to face, and worship him, and talk to the saints I’ve studied about, and sit down with friends and relatives who have gone on ahead. I can’t wait to find out about all that we don’t know about heaven that will most certainly blow our minds.

But to only dwell on this is to miss why Christ hasn’t returned yet. It’s a little like Paul who was torn between wanting to die and be with Christ, or stay and be with the believers he loved. We hold these emotions together at the same time. We long for heaven and we want to speed it’s coming, but we understand why the delay, and as long as God is waiting, we will take every advantage we have to spread the good news of his gospel to those who don’t understand it yet.

For now, the door is still open.

The degree to which we get this is going to be only as deep and dramatic as the relationships we have with those who aren’t yet believers. If there are people in your life who you have grown to love deeply but who are not Christians, then this positive twist on the “slowness of Christ’s return” makes perfect sense. You want Christ to come back for you, but please, God, not yet for George or Sally or Deborah or Sam.

If you don’t have any non-Christians in your life that you truly care about, Christ waiting for more sinners to respond to his grace is just a concept, but that’s about all. Not enough to delay heaven. But when it’s your favorite Uncle Billy we’re waiting for, or your dear neighbor Milly, or crusty old Grady, who can’t stop cussing at God for putting him in a wheelchair, or your son, who hasn’t yet made up his mind about Jesus… then it’s suddenly different. Then this goes from a concept to something much more.

“Jesus, I really want to see you, but for the sake of these, please… take all the time you want.”

Here is one thing God is doing. It may just be the most important thing of all. He is saving people. He was saving people yesterday and He’s back at it today.

First and foremost, God is saving people. He has suspended His judgment. He has spent His wrath against sin on His son on the cross.

For Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6:1-2, “As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For He says, ‘In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.’ I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.”

God is currently favorable towards people. God is currently willing to overlook people’s sins. It is not God’s desire for anyone to perish but for all to come to repentance through Christ (2 Peter 3:9). How beautiful are the feet of those who carry the gospel of peace (Isaiah 52:7). That’s you. That’s your feet. Not stinky, funny looking things, but beautiful feet because of what they bring to the world – wherever they go – the gospel of peace. Beautiful.

Will you do that? Will you do that today? Will you suspend judgment, set aside your righteous anger over sin, overlook what everyone is doing wrong and bring them the gospel of peace – the gospel of welcome? If you can do this, then you will know what God is doing. You will know it so well that you will be a part of it.

I have a strong feeling, based on what a lot of Christians were saying before this election, that there are a lot of angry Christians this morning. I have this to say about that: Get over it. God did. God got over his anger so that He could save. God is favorable right now towards everyone. This is a glorious day! Announce it! Shout it from the rooftops! Get those beautiful feet out there into this desperate world with the best news in two thousand years: God isn’t mad anymore (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). God has extended His grace to everyone. He doesn’t want anyone to perish in their sins so He took care of them on the cross. This is the acceptable day of the Lord. This is the time for the Gospel of Welcome.

You know, this gospel was the big deal yesterday before anyone voted on anything. It’s still the big deal today. There’s one more day to save. Every day God waits is another day to spread around the gospel of peace. Don’t receive God’s grace in vain: share it with someone else.

As you go to the polls today or perhaps watch from a distance, think about this: What is God doing?

As the results come in and winners are announced (for people on the west coast like me, that could be before we even get a chance to vote), think about this: What is God doing?

As commentators and pundits pour over the information flooding in, speculate on the outcome and try and imagine what the world will be like based on what happens today, think about this: What is God doing?

As the world outside of America watches and comments on the results of today, think about this: What is God doing?

Today we exercise our greatest privilege as citizens of a democracy. Today we feel the power to change things. And even if you feel like your vote makes no difference (it does in principle), think about this in spite of that: What is God doing?

God sets people up and takes them down. God is not watching CNN and wondering how it’s going to come out. God is concerned about the whole world. He knows where there are people who don’t even know there is an election in America, indeed, they may not even have heard of America, but think about this in light of them, too: What is God doing?

It’s bigger than any election. It’s bigger than any results. It’s bigger than our country or yours. It’s as big as you can get at any time, any place: What is God doing?

The answer to this question puts you in touch with God’s will. The answer to this question guarantees you are not wasting your time. The answer to this question puts you on par with Noah, Daniel and Job who were constantly thinking about this: What is God doing?

The answer to this question is that there is no answer, or at least the answer changes. There is no permanent answer. So to ask the question is to be alive; it is to seek meaning. It is to be engaged in something much bigger than anyone can vote for or predict. It is to be engaged in what matters.

You ask the question not so much for the answer, but for the person you will become by asking. And you keep asking: What is God doing? For that is what you want to be about.