Category: Theological Musings

Lenten Reflections: Stations of the Cross, Station 5

The fifth station of the cross, Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry the cross.

Written Reflection:

Jesus experiences the depth of what it is to be human, to be weak, frail, and unable to continue. So Simon comes and is forced to help Jesus carry the cross. Jesus allows another to help him, just as he still does today.

Jesus allows us to partner with him in bringing life, hope, and love to others. Help us to remember Jesus to carry our crosses. Help us to remember to help others carry theirs as well. We are not meant to carry a cross alone. Remind us to depend on you, and to let others help us with our burdens. Jesus during this season will you remind us to stop, and see others who are struggling. Will you direct us to lift them up. Today Jesus who are you sending me to help?

by Andrew Mills

Lenten Reflections: Stations of the Cross, Station 4

Here is the fourth station of the cross reflection where Jesus meets his mother…

Written Reflection:

Jesus continues to carry his cross, and as he does he meets his mother. This is the one who has since the beginning treasured each moment with her son. Except that this isn’t a moment to be treasured.

There eyes connect and their pain meet. Think about how Jesus trust in God’s plan allows him to move forward. Think about how Mary’s trust in God must be challenged and how difficult it must be.

Walking through sorrow challenges trust. So today ask Jesus to strengthen your trust. He never gave up his trust in God the Father. Ask him to give you trust even in the darkness…

by Andrew Mills

Lenten Reflections: Stations of the Cross 2

On Sunday we reminded ourselves of the beginning of Lent. Throughout this lenten time where we pause, reflect, repent, and sacrifice we are going to be releasing reflections based on the Stations of the Cross. On Sunday we began with the first one asking the question “Why does Jesus stand condemned for us? Why does he take your place?” And today’s in today’s second station we will be asking the question “Why does Jesus choose this path of difficulty?”

May we be reminded that Jesus is carrying this cross for you and for me, and be reminded of his sacrifice during this season of Lent.

by Andrew Mills

Shoveling Snow ~ Giving Life #missional

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

We have awesome neighbors. They are fun and we get along great. We are blessed in the true meaning of the word.

What I love is that somehow Hudson is picking this up. He knows all our neighbors by name, talks about them, and invites them over…whether or not the house is clean. But late last week I saw that he has also learned something else. He’s learned that we need to bless people and help them in tangible real ways.

So early one morning we were out playing in the snow shoveling our driveway. Hudson…is well…semi-helpful in this. He often thinks it’s helpful to make a pile of snow in the middle of the driveway and sit in it. His heart’s in the right place though. But what struck me was when we finished our drive way he immediately went over and started shoveling our next door neighbors. So we did that drive way. And then we he started on the next one…And the next one…

What is beautiful is somehow even at his young age he is understanding and practicing following Jesus. Following Jesus is OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAabout blessing, which means to literally “give life”. And shoveling drive-ways gives life. Trust me when you are late to work and realize you don’t have to do it – that’s life giving. When someone shows up with supper so you don’t have to cook – that’s life giving. When you stop to really listen to your neighbor – that’s life giving. So last week as I followed my son’s lead, we shoveled some drive ways and practiced our faith.

The question is how can you give life this week? How can you bless someone? How can you do simple but intentional things to show you are caring about others? Last week I didn’t have to choose to do this, my son chose for me. But this week I’m going to choose one way to bless the people closest to me. So what about you? How can you practice love? How can you bless someone? How can you give life?

Over the years we’ve always been blessed with amazing neighbors. But wouldn’t it be amazing if when people talked about Christians rather than saying negative things they said…they are the best neighbors. I think if people start to say that about us as Christians we’re moving on the right road…

by Andrew Mills

Goodbye “Leap of Faith”…Hello “Leap of Action”

We often think of accepting Jesus as a “leap of faith”. That you can learn all you can about him, but eventually you have to decide if he is true. You have to decide if Jesus is worth trusting, following, and believing in. We often call this in Christian circles a “leap of faith”. And I agree in all of that.

The thing I don’t agree with is the term “leap of faith”. It’s not that it’s wrong, or that we don’t need to do it. It’s that – that term or phrase is so misunderstood that it leads us down the wrong path. It actually can stop discipleship and confuse the whole process. So I’d like to replace that phrase with a new one. To no longer think of following Jesus as a “leap of faith” but instead as a “leap of action” because that is what true trust requires.

Following Jesus isn’t about becoming so mentally certain in Jesus’ salvation, divinity, or truth that we don’t have any disbelief. It isn’t about having a rational and intellectual leap of faith where we overcome all doubt and believe all the right doctrine about Jesus. Faith, in the biblical sense, is about so much more than that. To have faith in someone is to trust and follow them. It’s not about becoming intellectually certain of key convictions (though that is important). Faith is about becoming certain enough to follow, trust, and obey. And through trusting, following, and obeying Jesus, we become more certain as we experience faith in action and Jesus’ transformation.

Faith is much more about a “leap of action” than just a “leap of thought, belief, or faith”. Because as we know true faith and trust results in change in our lives. The point isn’t just to change what we know; it’s to have a deep change in who we are because of Jesus Christ.

So my point is simple. Following Jesus does require a leap of faith, but this leap of faith needs to lead to a leap of action. The point of faith isn’t to become convinced about Jesus, it’s about becoming changed by Jesus. So from now on I doubt I’ll use the phrase “leap of faith” but I might be using the phrase “leap of action”. Because what I’ve discovered over my years is that as I practice trusting in Jesus practically…my convictions on who Jesus is deepen dramatically…

by Andrew Mills

Finding Something to Die For…

380639_10152357546245643_786204358_nI think a lot about the future. I think a lot about my sons’ futures. I sense both of them have different paths in life. I’m already sensing their different personalities and as I pray for them I’m sensing God will use them both in deep but different ways.

But what I’m realizing is that how I raise them will affect what they live for. So already I’m praying for strength to be able to raise them to be courageous, grateful, grace-filled, and to have a sense of wonder. But this will be tough. This goes against what the world, marketing, and society teaches us. Namely that what we want out of life is personal happiness. Unfortunately nothing can be further from the truth…

Stanley Hauerwas writes, “What you want out of life is not happiness but to be part of a worthy adventure you want to have something worth dying for.”

The difficulty is as a dad how do I help them to see this? How do I teach them that they don’t need stuff to be happy they need someone worth following and life worth leaving. That’s right leaving. They need something worth dying for. They need something bigger than themselves to give themselves to. They need Jesus.

So the question is how do you help little boys who love fire trucks, and Kraft dinner to see and learn this? How can you help them to see past TV and see the poor, hurting, and broken around the world and in our neighborhood? How do you help people see the Kingdom that is hidden all around them?

Well what I know for sure is you can’t force it. This type of life has always been an invitation. Jesus says, “Come and learn to die with me” (Luke 9:23) A statement that on the outside makes no sense, but it’s an invitation I can’t refuse. Yes, giving grace to people who don’t deserve it doesn’t make sense. Giving generously to people who will never repay you doesn’t make sense. Forgiving enemies, welcoming the broken, making room for the messy, and making your life about others doesn’t make sense. And while it might not make much sense, it does make a difference…

So while I’m not totally sure yet on how to help my boys find an adventure worth following, I know it will require a few things. It will require many prayers, sleepless nights, and a lot of sacrifice on behalf of Krista and myself. But it’s worth it because one day I hope to sit with both my boys and share with them Jesus’ invitation to take up your cross and follow him. And I hope that we might do it together…

by Andrew Mills

Finding and Seeing God in the Midst of a Mess

Bob Goff is a really brilliant guy. He’s the type of brilliant person who writes short simple sayings that are really deep. Here is a tweet he shared the other day:

“When we keep asking God to show up at places He’s already at, He isn’t mad, He probably just figures we didn’t recognize Him”

This really got me thinking…

How often am I asking God to show up somewhere and he already is but I don’t have eyes to see it? How often am I missing Jesus all around me?

And as I started to reflect on those questions I realized…I’m missing him probably more than I should…

The reality is that in really difficult situations, relationships, and even places, it can be hard to find God. When life is messy we ask God to show up, but the way God shows up in a mess isn’t to clean it up. The way God shows up in a mess is to enter into it and to start changing it from the outside. This type of involvement is slow, it is subtle and it is the most powerful.

This is really seen during Christmas which we just past. The world was broken, it was a mess, and people asked God to show up. So he did in the person of a baby, in the forgotten place, mostly alone and definitely in the dark.

The point is that we are often asking God to show up when he might already be there, working from within, and giving glimpses of grace. So for me personally I’ve moved from asking God to show up, to asking God to give me eyes to see him. That little difference has made all the difference…now I’m not waiting in God’s absence, I’m searching for his presence…

by Andrew Mills

New Year’s Questions ~ Not Resolutions

We often make resolutions about how we are going to improve, and change. But as everyone knows we rarely keep these for the month of January let alone the whole year. So rather than giving you a list of goals I want to ask you some questions that might awaken something in you, shape you, challenge you, or inspire you. If you consistently ask them I truly believe this year will be different for you and better than last year. So here are some New Year’s Questions:

  • What’s the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?
  • What wastes the most time in your life?
  •  What is the one decision you know you need to make but have been avoiding?
  • What’s the single most important thing you could do to improve the quality of your family life this year?
  • Who has God put in your life to encourage, support, or mentor?
  • What’s one experience you want to have this year? Who do you want to share it with?
  • And lastly where is Jesus already active in your life?

What question resonated most with you? Which one fell flat? Which one is a real challenge?

And even better what questions would you add to the list?

by Andrew Mills

The Power of the Christmas Story

Merry Christmas!

Take a moment if you can and maybe read the story here. I truly believe that stories can change people. They can redirect attention, give grace, and become a moment of meaning. So simply read the Christmas story to your family, friends, or on your own. But read it and be reminded of why we have Christmas, and maybe even be changed through it:

Mary, a virgin, was living in Galilee of Nazareth and was engaged to be married to Joseph, a Jewish carpenter. A1408232_74466547n angel visited her and explained to her that she would conceive a son by the power of the Holy Spirit. She would carry and give birth to this child and she would name him Jesus.

At first Mary was afraid and troubled by the angel’s words. Being a virgin, Mary questioned the angel, “How will this be?” The angel explained that the child would be God’s own Son and, therefore, “nothing is impossible with God.” Humbled and in awe, Mary believed the angel of the Lord and rejoiced in God her Savior.

Mary must have reflected with awe on the words found in Isaiah 7:14 foretelling this event, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

While Mary was still engaged to Joseph, she miraculously became pregnant through the Holy Spirit, as foretold to her by the angel. When Mary told Joseph she was pregnant, he had every right to feel disgraced and ashamed. He knew that the child was not his own, and Mary’s apparent unfaithfulness  would shape his community’s opinion of him and her. So Joseph decided to quietly break off the engagement seeking to spare Mary as much shame as possible. Joseph was a righteous man and sought to act with grace even in difficulty.

But God sent an angel to Joseph in a dream to confirm Mary’s miraculous story and reassure him that his marriage to her was God’s will. The angel explained God’s amazing plan that the child within Mary was conceived by the Holy Spirit. That the child was the Messiah, and was to be named Jesus meaning God with us. When Joseph woke from his dream, he willingly obeyed God and took Mary home to be his wife, in spite of the public humiliation he would face.

Joseph too must have wondered in awe as he remembered the words found in Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.”

At that time, Caesar Augustus decreed that a census be taken, and every person in the entire Roman world had to go to his own town to register. Joseph, being of the line of David, was required to go to Bethlehem to register with Mary. While in Bethlehem, Mary gave birth to Jesus. The Inn was full so she gave birth to Jesus in a manager, on their own, on the outskirts of town. She wrapped the baby in cloths and placed him in a manger.

Out in the fields, an angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds who were tending their flocks of sheep by night. The angel announced that the Savior had been born in the town of David. Suddenly a great host of heavenly beings appeared with the angels and began singing praises to God. As the angelic beings departed, the shepherds decided to travel to Bethlehem and see the Christ-child.

There they found Mary, Joseph and the baby, in the stable. They praised God for the miracle of the birth of the Messiah. They went on their way still praising and glorifying God. But Mary kept quiet, treasuring their words and pondering them in her heart.

After Jesus’ birth, Herod was king of Judea. At this time wise men from the east saw a star, they came in search, knowing the star signified the birth of the king of the Jews. The wise men came to the Jewish rulers in Jerusalem and asked where the Christ was to be born. The rulers explained, “In Bethlehem in Judea,” referring to Micah 5:2. Herod secretly met with the Magi and asked them to report back after they had found the child. Herod told the Magi that he too wanted to go and worship the babe. But secretly Herod was plotting to kill the child.

So the wise men continued to follow the star in search of the new born king and found Jesus with his mother in Bethlehem. They bowed and worshipped him, offering treasures of gold, incense, and myrrh. When they left, they did not return to Herod. They had been warned in a dream of his plot to destroy the child.

This is the story of Christmas. Merry Christmas, enjoy the day, and Jesus’ presence!!

by Andrew Mills