Out of the Huddle

Mamush
Good deeds

It’s like there is this parallel place on the other side of the world. Hope is white. Mamush is black. Hope lives with her parents in suburban California and Mamush lives with his parents in a hut in Ethiopia.

Hope struggles with enough play time with her Barbie’s. Mamush struggles with hunger pains.

Hope is 5 years old. She’s my daughter. Mamush has the same birthday as Hope, he’s 5 years old and he’s not my son. Hope recently got vaccinations in order to be allowed to attend kindergarten. Mamush lives in a town that’s infested with the AIDS virus… school may not be an option for him.

I’ve been blogging about community lately. Mamush is the result of the little community that I’m deeply involved with. We’ve “adopted” Mamush through World Vision.

One Sunday night we were looking through the bible at portions that discussed “good deeds”. We ran across Ephesians chapter 2. We read in the passage that we’ve been saved by Grace. We reminisced about how we’ve heard that phrase a million times in ‘church’ settings. I rambled about how I think too many churches are huddled together reminding each other the we’re “Saved by Grace” – they sing their songs about it, do small group bible studies about it, and put it on their bulletins… but too many churches missed the crescendo.

Crescendo – a musical term… you know, where the music builds to a climatic moment of glory, bliss, and beauty. Arguably the Crescendo is the point of many musical pieces and the rest of the music is meant to lead us there.

Yes, we’ve been saved by grace… but don’t stop the music early! According to the scriptures, we’ve been saved by grace for a reason – TO DO GOOD WORKS.

Here’s what I believe – deeply believe.
“Jesus calls people to be a compelling force for good in the world. God uses people as agents of change, to relieve suffering and fight injustice, living out the transforming message of the resurrected Jesus. I believe that the church is at its best when it serves, sacrifices, and loves, caring about the things God cares about. We were created to live for something larger than ourselves.”

So, on that wonderful Sunday night, we decided to stop talking about doing “good deeds” and we decided to take some action. That’s where Mamush comes in. He’s a result of a community of Christ followers deciding to actually follow the Way of Christ. We just sent our first check to him this week. I have to tell you, if felt GOOD! Since that day, we’ve seen one of our people in our community go to Africa on a missions trip and we’re planning a time where we can help to build a habitat for humanity house here in Fresno.

Parallel worlds collide. Mamush in Africa. Hope is in Fresno. I’m praying that Mamush would begin to have some hope.

LIFE TOGETHER - part 2

I can be a loner. I like my alone time, just me and my thoughts. This notion reminds me of a poem that I wrote in high school and eventually used in a song... Here's a line:

Here I sit in my room full of thoughts
my doors and window all are locked
on and on ticks the clock

I like to be independent. Self-sufficient. There's something satisfying about being able to handle my own "stuff". Yet, when I'm honest, it's a temporary satisfaction. It's shallow. And although I like to be alone, I don't want to live my whole life that way. I actually crave community.

Don't you think our culture makes it easy to be isolated? Oh, wait... We have "Myspace", nevermind.

For Centuries reading the bible alone was practically unheard of. Ancient peoples only heard the scriptures read aloud in a rooms full of people. Sometimes there was only one copy of the bible (or portion of the bible) in an entire village.

Because of the oral nature of the scriptures, the ancient/near east mindset saw themselves as part of a discussion that has gone on for thousands of years. Community, community, community. TOGETHER wrestling and searching and engaging the scriptures as a people hungry to know God in order to follow God.

Now, pastors study the bible alone, stand on stage and deliver the message alone, then they received e-mails and phone calls from individuals who agree or don't agree. Sigh. Is this right? Healthy? It's probably not all bad.

I do know that I'm really enjoying being part of a small community of christ followers who are trying to do life together. We've recently adopted an African child with the same birthdate as my daughter... we're contributing a small amount toward his health and education. My little community is planning a day to help build a home for a "less fortunate" family here in Fresno. And soon my little community is going to PART-A (party) for a day in Bass Lake! I'm finding that doing life together is very rewarding, fulfilling, diverse and most importantly pleasing to God.

I believe that we were created to live deeply with one another, to carry each other’s burdens and share our possessions, to pray for and confess our sins to each other, to suffer and celebrate together. It’s in these sacred relationships and honest, loving communities that God transforms us. The way of Jesus cannot be lived alone.

Are you connected? Do you have a community with whom you do life together with?

Love,

Joe

LIFE TOGETHER

Group one: knew all the church songs, all the right religious language, and grew up in Sunday School with all the bible stories. This group has decided to follow the way of Jesus.

Group two: dressed different, went to different restaurants, had completely different backgrounds, and knew NONE of the 'right' religious things. This group has decided to follow the way of Jesus.

Can't we all just get along?!

(Ephesians 2) Paul makes outrageous claims about forming a "new humanity" (verse 15) out of these 2 groups. He tells us that JESUS is our "peace" and that his intent is to destroy the obvious barriers (by abolishing the law) between two seemingly opposite groups. It's because of JESUS we now have the ABILITY to do life together. A new humanity.

The following is an exerpt from an e-mail that I received recently. I've changed the names to protect the accused. We'll call them Jack and Jill. Jill is writing the e-mail, we'll catch her somewhere in the middle.

"...Great message on the blog as well...I'd like to not fail in my life been doing a lot of outreaching to other young Mums here and sometimes I wonder if I should be hanging out with more Christian people at this point, but God seems to be bringing me all these people who just need to talk or that need the practical help stuff like a meal brought round or their child watched and I'm able to do that for them.... also reading your blog made me realize what I want from a Church as well....I want a community of CHRISTIANS that SUPPORT each other in the good times and in the bad times, I hate to tell you this but my Non-Christian friends here are more supportive and helpful then my Christian friends, and even 's family, if I call them and need something like to take to kinder or something they are there for me...no questions asked, even at the last minute...but the Christian friends always seem to have something on or are busy with their own things, the non-christians actually offer to help out where the Christians say "I'll pray for you this week.." NOT ACCEPTABLE!!! as Super Nanny would say... we need to do these things for each other and do them with a cheerful and glad heart... THAT's what I want from a Church....”

Here's what we believe at Axis:

"We believe that we were created to live deeply with one another, to carry each other’s burdens and share our possessions, to pray for and confess our sins to each other, to suffer and celebrate together. It’s in these sacred relationships and honest, loving communities that God transforms us. The way of Jesus cannot be lived alone."

The church is meant to be a community. I don't think that Jesus ever intended the Church to be a place where people go, but rather a place where people learn to love Him and others. It's in community that we are meant to display this "new humanity".

Dig deeper.

Love,

Joe Green