Tag: Grace

Les Miserables and the Gift of Grace

Les_Miserables_poster_CNA_US_Catholic_News_1_10_13I went and saw Les Miserables last night. The movie was as fantastic as people have been saying.

There is so much depth, truth, and brilliance in it. In fact, it has one of my favorite scenes of all time in a movie. What happens is this. Jean Valjean steals a bunch of silver from a bishop. He is caught and brought before the bishop, and the priest tells the policeman that he didn’t steal these items they were his gift to Jean. The beautiful part is when he says, “But in your haste, you left behind the best, the silver candlesticks”. He then gives them to Jean val Jean.

And this little interaction changes the whole course of the movie, and most of all Jean Valjean’s life.

The point is that grace and gift can do this. Grace and gift can change the course of someone’s life. They can alter the direction and pattern of a life. And that scene is a wonderful picture of God’s grace. God’s grace doesn’t simply cover up wrongs, by saying the stolen goods were given to Jean Valjean, it overwhelms the wrongs with abundance (giving him the candlesticks). God’s grace always goes the extra mile. And it changes people.

The problem is that giving grace like this is so hard that it is so rare. People often say but I can’t give grace to…them…they don’t deserve it. That is precisely the point. They don’t deserve but sometimes getting something you don’t deserve is what actually changes you.

The truth is people often live up to your expectations of them. The priest changed Jean Valjean because he expected something different of him. Javert, the main policeman believed he would always be a thief. The priest saw Jean Valjean as a gift from God and that makes all the difference.

So today why not give grace to someone who doesn’t deserve it, why not expect differently from them, why not see them as a gift from God. Who knows one little gift could change their life…because isn’t that how all Christian lives have been changed? One gift from God above, sending his son to us below?

And if you get a chance go see the movie it’s worth it, because stories about grace are always worth it…

by Andrew Mills

Does Jesus Want to Play Trucks??

Hudson, on Christmas said something very profound, and no it wasn’t “presents!!”

What Hudson said that caught me off guard was this…“Daddy, Jesus come soon, and he play with me.” He then told me that he and Jesus will play trucks because Jesus likes trucks. Of course we had been talking about how Christmas is Jesus’ birthday so perhaps that’s what prompted his little saying, but I think it goes deeper than that.

Hudson is learning about Jesus slowly and surely and he’s showing it. Somehow he has already picked up the fact that Jesus is interested in our interests. That just like in any relationship, Jesus cares about what we care about. I can’t tell you how many romantic comedies I’ve sat through, not because I like them, but because I love my wife. When we care about someone we are concerned with what concerns him or her.

And Hudson has somehow already learned this lesson about Jesus. Jesus is interested in you and what matters to you. When Hudson says that Jesus will play trucks with him, he is saying that Jesus wants to be involved in the biggest and best part of his day. The Jesus Hudson knows is the one who wants to play trucks, who wants to be involved in his life at his level with his cares and concerns. As a pastor, a Christian, and most of all a dad I couldn’t be happier that my son knows this Jesus.

My question for you today is simple: do you know this Jesus too?

Do you know the one who is concerned with all your cares? Do you know the Jesus who is willing to get down to our level and enter into anything and everything we are doing? Who is willing to play trucks? To care about our business, relationships, art, hopes, dreams, and desires? Because this is the Jesus of the gospels, this is the Jesus worth finding, and this is the Jesus that is coming soon.

So Hudson tells me, “Daddy, Jesus come soon, and he play with me. He play trucks”. I, of course, responded with, “Yes you are so right. Jesus is coming soon, and he would love to play trucks with you…but for right now why doesn’t daddy”. And so as we played trucks I smiled…because my son knows the Jesus who is coming…

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by Andrew Mills

Can I Go to Church Daddy?

Hudson has started getting into this habit. Here is what it is. He keeps asking to go to church.

Now this is a great habit, and no he doesn’t ask to go to church as much as he asks to watch the movie Cars. But he still asks it consistently.

The question for me is…why?

I mean I love our church. It is a huge blessing. It is an amazing place. But I spent a lot of time thinking and wondering why does Hudson keep asking to come to church. This matters to me because I’ve seen and known lots of pastor’s kids who didn’t want to go to church or to be associated with church. So put more succinctly I was wondering: what is it about this church that draws Hudson to it? What is it about these people that make Hudson want to go to church on a Friday morning?

I don’t think it’s just the nursery toys, although he does love the giant Mater that is there. I think the reason he loves to come to church is this: it’s his family.

You see on Sunday I saw how a dad here chased Hudson around for 15 minutes playing with him. I saw how older people in our congregation gave him cookie, after cookie, after cookie. I saw how people talked with him, helped him, and even saved him from falling overtop a chair (our little boy is a big climber). People picked him up, laughed with him, and asked him about Asher.

In essence, I saw people care. I saw people include him into the church family. And this is what makes church beautiful. Because church isn’t a building, but a people who welcome others.

This is what the church is to be: a family that welcomes. And this is why I love our church, and why I know Hudson wants to be there. Because people make him feel special and a part of things and our church does this not just with Hudson but with others too. I’ve seen parents showing off their new baby, I’ve seen seniors down on the floor playing with new kids, I’ve seen teenagers watching other people’s kids so that the parents can talk and connect. And this is a beautiful thing.

So I know why Hudson wants to go to church…because it’s a place he belongs. And I hope you too feel like you belong, because Jesus is clear, in his Kingdom, if we follow him we all belong…

by Andrew Mills

Learning from Leviticus

On Sunday we are looking at one of my favorite books. Leviticus. My guess is that it isn’t one of your favorite books. But on Sunday was are going to be learning something unique about God, and giving thanks. My guess is that you know how important giving thanks is. On Sunday we will discover how it can not only change your life but change your community.

But before we get there why don’t you take a moment, get a coffee or a good drink, slow down, and ask yourself what can I be thankful for? Take a moment and think of all that God has given you? At first it might not seem like a lot.  Maybe it might be tough but it is important. We all know people who seem overcome with bitterness and anger, being stuck in an unhealthy space. The way though to prevent bitterness from taking root is to give thanks.

So today slow down and give thanks and then share why you are thankful with someone else. And as we’ll see on Sunday, that’s the start of changing communities…

by Andrew Mills

Optional Christianity ~ Picking and Choosing What to Follow

Soren Kiekegaard wrote:

“The Bible is very easy to understand. But we Christians are a bunch of scheming swindlers. We pretend to be unable to understand it because we know very well that the minute we understand, we are obliged to act accordingly.”

The problem is that he is right, and what he said is true. Because deep down sometimes my wish was that certain parts of following Jesus were optional.

I want to keep the “he loves me with grace” part. I want to keep the unconditional love, forgiveness, and mercy part. I want to keep the God sacrificing for me part. But when it comes to me giving grace freely I’m okay with it…the first time. I’m sort-of okay with it the second time. I’m less likely to be good with it the…77thtime…

But here is the point: giving grace, forgiving, and sacrificing aren’t optional parts of following Jesus. He says we are to love our enemies (Matt: 5:44). He says we are to forgive as we’ve been forgiven (Matt 6:12). He calls us to a life of sacrifice (Luke 9:23).

The truth is doing those things are hard. Doing those things are counter-cultural and they don’t make sense. Forgiving doesn’t make sense when you let go the hurts and slights that have happened. Giving grace to people who don’t deserve it, want it, or use it in the right way doesn’t make sense. Sacrificing your life for people who could care less doesn’t make sense. I’m not arguing that those things make sense, I’m simply arguing that those things are the way we follow Jesus.

We’d love to make following Jesus easy without grace, forgiveness, and sacrifice. But my guess is that the reason you are at all interested in Jesus is because of his grace, forgiveness, and sacrifice. If we are followers of Jesus, we then need to be followers in grace, forgiveness, and sacrifice. Jesus never promises following him will be easy; he simply promises it will be worthwhile and lead to life.

So while sometimes I wish some things in the Christian life were optional, I now know better. Because sometimes it is living out the hard things that give the most meaning…

So today, who do you need to forgive? Who do you need to show grace to? How can you sacrifice for God? And yes, it will be hard, but you’ll be being like Jesus…

by Andrew Mills

The Story of Baptism ~ Grace, Gospel, and Gift

On Sunday we looked at the story of Baptism. You’ll be able to download the sermon here. And what I realized as I prepared the sermon on Baptism is that it’s really about grace, gospel and gift.

We looked at Acts 8 and in the story we meet a eunuch. This is a man who has been socially excluded, hurt, suffered something that is humiliating, and has no opportunity for a family or descendants. And he is reading a passage about humiliation, cutting, and a loss of family (Isaiah 53:7-8). This is a passage that would resonate with a man who has been cut, humiliated, and will never have descendants. Right at that moment Philip asks if he understands what he has read and shares with him the Gospel of grace and Jesus Christ.

The Eunuch understandably wants to join this movement, to be included in a family, but he is scared and scarred. Because the eunuch has just been turned away from the Temple in Jerusalem (see Deut.23:1). He has just been excluded, thrown out, and rejected because of who he is. What is amazing about the story in Acts 8 is that Philip immediately baptizes him and welcomes without wasting any time. The gospel of grace doesn’t demand that the eunuch change before he comes to Jesus; the gospel of grace is that people change by coming to Jesus.

So from this story I pulled three main thoughts. That baptism is really a reminder and a marker of the story we are a part of. It also reminds us of grace, identity, and inclusion in God’s family.

First, baptism is a reminder of the wideness of God’s mercy. So we need to be careful if we limit the scope and activity of God’s grace. The religious institution of the day excluded this man whom the Kingdom of God welcomed. The truth is God’s gospel of grace is for everyone and anyone. Everyone is free to come to Jesus. Jesus died for the whole world and baptism is a reminder of the wideness of God’s grace.

Secondly, it reminds us of our identity. The eunuch is no longer a broken, excluded man with no descendants. He is a part of a spiritual family. He is pure, holy, and clean. Baptism doesn’t save us, make us holy or clean; Jesus Christ does that. Baptism doesn’t change us, but it does remind us of the change that has happened. And when we follow Jesus, we are new, we are no longer sinners, but holy, perfect, and clean because of Jesus’ sacrifice. Paul says, “Those who become Christians become new persons. They are not the same anymore for the old life is gone. A new life has begun (2 Cor. 5:17). So Baptism is a reminder of our identity in Christ. We are no longer the same anymore. The old life is gone and new life has begun. We don’t need to cling onto our old identity but embrace our identity in Christ.

Lastly, it reminds us we are part of a family. The eunuch joins a family of God, and tradition says that he brought the gospel to many people. So while he may not have any physical descendants, he has many spiritual descendants. He is a father to many. Baptism is a reminder that we are apart of a family and a people called by God. We are included in God’s family and that gives us reason to celebrate.

So from an odd story about chariots, eunuchs, and running disciples, we learn about God, gospel, and most of all grace.

by Andrew Mills

The Story of Baptism and the Story of Grace

On Sunday I’ve chosen an odd topic, one that now that I’ve got into it, I find so beautiful, compelling, and life-changing. What’s odd about the topic is that it is Baptism.

I would say that most people don’t feel that a sermon on Baptism is beautiful. They either feel forced or guilt driven by it, if they haven’t been baptized, or feel it’s a waste of time or redundant, if they have been baptized. The problem with that is, when you read about the story of Baptism in Acts 8, it is anything but boring, redundant, guilt-driven, or forced. The story is all about grace, gospel, life, and beauty. The story is about how we see ourselves, how we see others, and how we see the church. The story of baptism reminds us of our identity, the gospel of grace, and the people of God.

So I know it’s odd to preach on Baptism. I know that you might have heard sermons that seem to be trying to convict people to make a choice to be baptized. I know you might have heard sermons that didn’t speak to you because you’ve already been baptized. But I don’t believe Sunday is going to be at all like that, because as I’ve been preparing, God’s been changing me. He’s been using this odd topic to remind me of who I am in Christ, of how I should see my neighbors, and how I should value the church. So my prayer is that on Sunday he’ll keep doing what he’s started in my life, changing us through a story of grace and gift.

So on Sunday if you want to find out about the gospel, grace, and your identity in Jesus, we’re going to find out all about that through the spiritual practice of Baptism. But before we get there why not take a moment and read Acts 8. Simply read it a few times, and see what you notice and how God speaks to you through it. And come Sunday we’ll see how one man’s life was changed and how ours can be as well…

by Andrew Mills

Prayer to Be Jesus’ Hands and Feet

This is one of my favorite quotes that I read in my morning prayer book a few days ago. It’s from Teresa of Avila and helps me to put things into perspective:

“Christ has no body now on earth but yours, no hands but yours, no feet but yours. Yours are the eyes through which Christ’s compassion is to look out to the world; yours are the feet with which he is to go about doing good; yours are the hands with which God is to bless people now”

Powerful isn’t it. Reflect on it a moment. Would people say your eyes have the compassion of Christ? Would people say your actions are the loving actions of our Lord? Would people say your hands are the hands that they receive the blessing of God from?

I know I rarely live up to that standard. So my prayer today, and maybe yours can be as well, is this. “God may I be your hands and feet today. May you take these hands and use them to bless. May you take these feet and help me to do your good today. And most of all may you change how I see the world and the people you love with only the compassion and grace you see them with. Amen”

by Andrew Mills

Overwhelmed By God in a God-Absent Place

Last Sunday we talked about Ezekiel 1. You saw my most terrible rendition of the passage on a white board. In case you missed it – here’s what you missed.

Yes it was that bad…

The point though was that this is a difficult passage to picture, it’s a difficult passage to understand, it’s overwhelming and even a bit odd. So what we wanted to discover was what does this passage mean for us?

I asked each of you to think of one place where you assume God isn’t in your life. The reality is that we each have these places where our experience tells us God just isn’t there, or that active. That in this relationship, that workplace, that family, that street, that place God doesn’t seem to be there.

But as we discovered Ezekiel was in a place where God was supposed to be absent and gone. He was in a far away land, in a different god’s land, his temple was gone, his connection with God was strained and he felt alone.

But what is so amazing is what God does.

He shows up and overwhelms Ezekiel with his presence and a vision. That even though Ezekiel was sure he was in a place God wasn’t, God shows up. Amidst all the amazing details of the vision, one incredibly important one stands out. Ezekiel had a vision from God, a connection with God, in Babylon, a place God wasn’t supposed to be.

So what we can learn is that even those places in our lives where we feel or think God is absent or isn’t active – that he can show up and surprise us. There is no place in our lives thatis absent from the presence or activity of God. And on Sunday we prayed that in those places where we feel alone, that this week God would surprise us, overwhelm us, and connect with us just like he did for Ezekiel.

So as you go off to school and you feel God isn’t there, as you enter that workplace that seems so dark, as you meet with that friend where it seems God is no where near…may you discover him today just as Ezekiel did in a surprising, life changing and deep way.

Because this vision is a reminder to us that when we feel far from God, and alone, that today could be the day he shows up, surprises us, and changes our lives…

Group Discussion Questions:

– What places in your life does God feel most absent? Where do you wish he would most show up? What do you think Ezekiel felt after that encounter with God? Do you trust that God can show up even in dark places? Who can you have commit to continue to pray for you that God surprises and shows up for you?

Discussion Questions for Young Families

– Spend time with your kids asking them – is there anywhere God can’t be? Ask them how they know God is with them? Then spend time sharing with them that God is always with them, and that they know that from the Bible and God’s promises (i.e. Hebrews 13:5)

by Andrew Mills

Hearing God’s Voice in Psalm 23 (A Targum and Prayer)

On Sunday we talked about how our God cares for us, provides for us, gives life, protection, and direction.

To end the sermon I read a paraphrase of Psalm 23 asking us to listen for God’s voice in the words. That as I read we would hear God speaking to us. And many people heard God’s voice.

So I thought why not do that again today.

Take a moment, put on some good music, have a cup of coffee and read this passage three times. And as you do, listen to God speaking to you, stirring something in you, listen to any words or phrases that resonate or stick with you. Why not take that as God speaking through his Holy Spirit to you today. And then give thanks to him that we have such a wonderful God.

  • The Lord is my shepherd
    • The one who watches over me
    • Who comes to seek and find me
    • The one whose voice I know within
  • With a Lord like this I don’t need a thing
    • You take care of my needs
    • Leading me to rest for my soul and body
    • You renew my strength
  • True to your word
    • You let me catch my breath
    • And send me in the right direction
    • Displaying your faithfulness at all times
  • Even when that way goes through Death Valley
    • When depression, darkness, and death stalk me
    • I will not be afraid – because you walk at my side
  • You never leave me in the darkness
    • You walk me through it
    • Your power, protection, and presence makes me feel secure
    • Knowing you are there to guide me
  • In the midst of calamity and onslaught
    • In front of my taunters, disbelievers, scoffers, and enemies
    • You come and prepare a full meal for me
  • Welcoming me into your home
    • Anointing my head with oil
    • Calming me, protecting me, and claiming me as yours and yours alone
  • My cup it brims with blessings
    • Your beauty and your love they chase after me every day of my life
    • Grace is pursuing me and life is coming
  • I’m back home in the house of God for the rest of my life
by Andrew Mills